Introduction
1. If you are going to talk the talk…
• Then you gotta walk the walk.
• In other words, if you are going to open your mouth and start making promises…
• You better be prepared to back it up with your actions…
2. If you are going to claim to be a Christian…
• You’ve got to live the life of a Christian…
• If you are going to profess to be a Christian with your mouth…
• You’re going to have to act like a Christian with your actions…
• You’re going to have to “walk the talk”…
• You’re going to have to “live the life”.
3 Last week, we started off in chapter 4, but there was just so much material…I had to divide it into part 1 and part 2.…
• Thus, tonight, we will talk about Walking the Talk, part 2.
Read Ephesians 4:1-6
Body
1. Last week, we focused on the first 3 of those 6 verses…
A. Tonight, we will focus on verses 4-6…
• Although we will certainly review the first 3…
• Because it is all a continuation of that thought…
• Paul says. “Live a life worthy of the calling”…
• The calling to follow Christ…
• To be a Christian.
B. Paul goes on to mention some of the characteristics of people who “live the life” and “walk the talk”:
• He tells them to be Completely Humble
• He tells them that if they are going to live a life worthy of the calling…they’ve got to be gentle…
• He says that Christians will be patient….
• He says that people who walk the talk will bear with one another in love…
• People who live the life will “keep the unity” verse 3.
2. Paul then, in verse 4 continues this great discourse of living a life worthy of the calling…by mentioning 7 great unities.
A. There is one body
• This is talking about the church!
• In Paul’s day, he was speaking about the Jews and Gentiles…
• There wasn’t to be a church for the Jews…
• And one for the Gentiles…
• There is one church…
• One body…
• It is composed of those who follow Christ….
• Let me say a word about denominations here…
• If Paul were writing today…
• He might be thinking of Baptists and Methodists…
• Pentecostals and Nazarenes…
• There are many DENOMINATIONS…
• But there is only one CHURCH!
• I certainly feel that there is a place for different denominations…
• Different types of worship speaks to different people…
• However…I think it grieves Christ when His children don’t get along!
• When we quibble about this little nuance Scripture…
• or that little nuance of Scripture…
• Now don’t get me wrong…I think its great to have open discussion…
• That we share with one another in love…
• But sometimes, I fear that LOVE takes a back seat to trying to beat the other person over the head with their knowledge of Scripture…
• And that is certainly not the proper use of God’s Word!!
• Let IT do the convicting…
• Not the loudness of our argument!
• In Romans 12:5, Paul says, “so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”
B. There is one Spirit
• The same Spirit that moved at Pentecost…
• Is the same Spirit that lives within me…
• Which is the same Spirit that live in you!
• The Greek word for Spirit is pneuma
• In Greek, it also has the meaning of breath
• Unless there is breath in the body,…
• the body is dead…
• and the same holds true for the Church…
• unless the Spirit be in the Church (the Body)…
• The Church is dead. —Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
C. There is one hope
• Paul has already spoken about hope…
• In Ephesians 2:12, he said, remember when you were “without hope”
• Once there was a time when we were “hope-less”…
• Without hope…
• But then Jesus came into our hearts…
• And now we have a hope…
• ONE hope…
• Actually, we often have MANY hopes…
• “oh…I hope it doesn’t rain”…
• “I hope the Indiana Pacers win the Championship”…
• “I hope the stock market goes up”…
• “I hope that they have pistachio ice cream on the buffet…”
• “I hope…I hope…I hope”…
• But, there is really only ONE hope…
• And that hope is the HOPE we have of making heaven our home…
• And coming face to face with Jesus …
• Enjoying His presence for all eternity!
D. There is one Lord
• In Romans 10:9, Paul says, “if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”
• The word for Lord is “kurios”…
• The word means Master…
• Owner…
• King…
• Supreme Ruler.
• This is the word that was frequently used in Scripture to refer to Jesus Christ…
• In the early church, those words, “Jesus is Lord”…
• Were often used as a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. (Beacon Bible Commentary)
E. There is one faith
• There are not two faiths or 3 faiths…
• There is only one faith that leads into God’s presence…
• and that is the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• There is no other way.
• If a person wishes to live with God—to be approved and accepted by Him—that person has to approach God through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• …every believer has come to God in the very same way—
• by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Faith in Him is the only way, …
• the only true faith.
• Therefore, standing before God and having come to Him through the same faith, …
• We all stand on the same ground, on the same level…
—Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary
F. There is one baptism
• This one carries different meanings for different theologians…
• Some refer simply to water baptism…
• We are all to be water baptized and when we are…
• We are all one before God…
• Other people say this refers to SPIRIT baptism…
• They argue that since Paul doesn’t refer to the Lord’s Supper in this list of unities…
• That he doesn’t have a ritual or ceremony in mind…
• But instead, that we are to be one in Spirit…
• As it says in the previous verse… (Beacon Bible Commentary)
• I’ll leave that for the Lord to reveal to you.
G. And, finally, the 7th and last great unity…
• there is one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
• Paul indicates that there is ONE God…
• And then he further describes Him in the remainder of verse 6:
1. He is the Father of All…
• Barclay says, The greatest thing about … God,
• is not that he is king,
• not that he is judge,
• but that he is Father.
• The Christian idea of God begins in love….
The love that a Father has for His children.
2. He is over all
• “that phrase is enshrined the control of God. No matter what things may look like God is in control. There may be floods; but "The Lord sits enthroned over the flood" Ps 29:10
3. He is through all
• that phrase contains the providence of God. …
• God did not create the world and set it going…
• And then leave it…
• God is all through his world, guiding, sustaining, and loving it
—Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
4. He is IN All
• God’s Spirit abides within His people…(Beacon)
Conclusion
1. Well…
• You’ve got to walk the talk…
• You’ve got to live the life…
• You’ve got to live a life worthy of the calling to be a Christian…
• And means, in addition to what we studied last week about humilty, gentleness, and patience…
• That there are 7 great unities that govern the Christian’s life…
• There is one body…
• There is one Spirit—
• There is one hope
• one Lord,
• one faith,
• one baptism;
• and one God
o who is Father of all,
o who is over all
o who is through all
o and who is in all.
