o Ephesians 4:1-6 “As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Our lives must reflect Christ
Our teaching must reflect Christ
o Not be tossed around by the wind and waves
Ephesians 4:11-16 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming 15 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. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
• God’s design for the church was intentional
o We don’t have living apostles and prophets today
o But we are to have evangelists, pastors (Elders) and teachers
• God gave people different functions
o To equip his people for works of service
o so that the body of Christ may be built up
o “as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16)
• The result will be a strong body
o Not tossed by the waves
o Not by cunning, deceitful people
o A body that speaks the truth in love
o A body that becomes mature in Christ
o As each part does its work
o Live lives that honor God
Ephesians 4:17-32 “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”.: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
• There is much in the world that is hateful and evil
• Such hard hearts separate men from God
• Get rid of all such things
• Put on the new man, the one cleaned by the blood of Jesus
• Show love to those in the body and those outside of it
- God wants the church to be strong, to grow, and to be stable, so that the world can see the body of Christ that God intended. We must never forget
o (Matthew 16:18) Jesus built his church. There is only one
o (Colossians 1:8) Jesus is the head of his church. No man or woman can take his place
o We spoke earlier of the church as a bride, a body and a house. There is only one bride of Christ, only one body of Christ, and only one house of God…..and that is the church
- We must do our part to keep to keep the church strong, growing, and stable, so that it can glorify God and show the world who he is and how he can save them.
LEFTOVERS
• (Ephesians 5:10) “Find out what pleases the Lord”
(1 Corinthians 13:2) “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
We need to share the Good News of Jesus with others
(James 1:27) “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
• (Luke 10:36-37) “”Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”… 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.””
Ephesians 2:19-22 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
- The church must be strong
o Withstand Satan’s attacks
(Matthew 16:18) “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
• Jesus said the church as a whole will not be overcome
• But we see in scripture that individual congregations did fall away in Revelation chapters 2 and 3
o Ephesus: “Forsaken your first love”
o Thyatira: Tolerated evil people
o Laodicea: “lukewarm”
As Christians we must stay strong to make sure our congregations don’t fall away. How do we do that?