7 Ones – Ephesians 4: 1 - 16
Intro: I found the following poem while researching this sermon. “One night, I had a wondrous dream; one set of footprints there was seen, the footprints of my precious Lord, but mine were not along the shore. But then some stranger prints appeared, and I asked the Lord, “What have we here? Those prints are large and round and neat, but Lord, they are too big for feet.” “My child,” He said in somber tones. “For miles I carried you alone. I challenged you to walk in faith, but you refused and made me wait. You disobeyed, you would not grow, the walk-of-faith you would not know. So I got tired and fed up, and there I dropped you on your butt, because in life, there comes a time, when one must fight, and one must climb, when one must rise and take a stand, or leave their butt prints in the sand.” (author unknown)
I Usually, when a person is hired to do a job, they are given a job description which outlines what they are responsible for doing. Many times they might receive a handbook which outlines what behaviors and attitudes are expected.
A VS. 1 – “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” This is the introduction to the handbook for being a Christian. The GK word for “calling” is ???s?? / klesis can be translated as AN INVITATION / A CONDITION / EMPLOYMENT.
B We have a job to do; a job to which God has invited us through Christ Jesus; and therefore we are to act accordingly.
C VV. 2 – 3 “Be COMPLETELY humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make EVERY EFFORT to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. I don’t know about you; but, I find it difficult to be COMPLETELY HUMBLE AND GENTLE! My biggest problem with this statement is about being PATIENT. But the Christian handbook says this is the behavior that is expected.
II. VV. 4 – 6 contain the 7 “ones” from which I took the title for this message.
A This passage helps to develop the doctrine of the church. The 7 ones are short theological points essential for an understanding of what Christians believe.
B “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.” That is a real mouth full! Unfortunately, the writer of Ephesians does not explain any of these words or concepts.
C These verses focus on the nitty-gritty of life in the church. It is obviously assumed that those to whom the letter is addressed understood each of the 7 ones. Christian theologians have various understandings of each one. I could write a sermon on each of the 7; but, we need to move on with the rest of the passage.
III VV 11 – 12 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”
A Another list: prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The Christian “handbook” here specifies that there are specific job titles that exist within the organization of the church.
B The specific job responsibilities of these positions are not spelled out here. Perhaps those in the church of Ephesus understood them and needed no explanation. However, we may be lacking in understanding.
C The key to understanding here is not the jobs themselves; but, the joint focus of all the positions which should also be our focus: “so that the body of Christ may be built up” Regardless of our position within the body of Christ, there is but one objective.
Concl: VV 15 – 16 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and help together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Our bond of unity with the church community and its presence to the larger human community should be more important than any of the alternative that drag us away. This unity is displayed by love. Here, love is not an emotion; love is an act of the will. We DO love by serving one another because love is the glue that holds our church, our community together; it is what knits us into the body of Christ with Christ Jesus as the head and we as the other body parts.
