Ephesians

Ephesians - Lesson 4A

Chapter 4:1-6

Next lesson

  • We’ve officially moved beyond the first half of this letter, where Paul provides a foundation of Christian theology, so now we can breathe easier

    • Now we turn the page – literally – to the second half of Paul’s letter and a new emphasis on our corporate life in the body

      • And you’ll remember I introduced our study by dividing Paul’s letter into halves

      • The first half, Chapters 1-3, focused on doctrine

    • Doctrine are the truths of our faith

      • They explain who God is and how we know and please Him 

      • And they explain who we are and why we need Him

    • And I said we learn doctrine first because it’s intended to guide our living

      • The ministry of the word of God for God’s people isn’t merely listening to teaching

      • Ultimately the ministry of the word is putting into action what we learn

  • I think it’s ironic that misinformed or immature Christians will sometimes say that they don’t find Bible teaching relevant

    • They prefer preaching that’s “practical” they say

      • This is like a medical student saying “I don’t want to sit for lectures on human anatomy or infectious diseases…

      • …I need something more relevant and practical”

    • If a doctor doesn’t understand the basic science of their profession, they‘ll never move on to the practical courses

      • Likewise, if a Christian doesn’t understand Biblical doctrine, then he or she stands little chance of adopting the lifestyle of a disciple 

      • And even if a pastor taught “practical” advice from the pulpit, I can’t replace doctrine

      • Because if I call you to think or do certain things or refrain from doing other things, will you understand why?

      • And the more important question is, will you obey?

    • When a preacher calls his congregation to action based on his own ideas or wisdom, the congregation will ask itself does my pastor’s advice seem sensible?

      • But when the preacher presents doctrinal truths from the word of God calling his congregation to act accordingly, the question becomes will we obey God?

      • Proper Christian practice comes only from an understanding of Christian theology

      • That’s why Paul himself spent three chapters wading through important doctrine before he gives specific direction to the church

  • Therefore, as we move into the “practical” portion of Paul’s teaching, I’ll refer back to the theology of this letter from time to time

    • So now in Chapter 4, Paul’s transition into practical application begins with a sweeping call to live a Christ-like life worthy of the magnificent grace we’ve received

Eph. 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Eph. 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
Eph. 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
  • Paul signals that he’s moving into application with the transition word, “therefore”

    • Obviously, Paul’s referring back to the previous three chapters

      • And so we could summarize Paul’s teaching by saying…

      • “Because God chose you to be an adopted child to receive mercy  by faith, and because you have His Spirit and an inheritance and a glorious future…”

      • For all those reasons…

    • Paul urges to walk in a manner worthy of this calling

      • He uses the euphemism “walk” to describe our testimony of life in Christ

      • In fact, the word “walk” is our mile marker for the second half of this letter

      • Paul uses the term 6 times at key places to emphasize obedience

  • We’re so familiar with this euphemism and so unaccustomed to walking anywhere, that we don’t stop to consider the picture it creates

  • When I travel to teach, I am usually working with a local team of supporters

    • I enjoy meeting new cultures and experiencing different lifestyles

    • And in many places, the culture is accustomed to walking far more than we do in America

  • I remember on several occasions my hosts and I were preparing to leave for my teaching, and I walked outside to get into the car

    • But I looked up and I’m the only one standing by the car

    • Everyone else has started walking down the road

    • The church was about half a mile away, so naturally I’m thinking we’re driving there

    • While they were thinking it’s only half a mile away, so naturally we’re walking

  • This happened to me once in Norway, when the temperatures were in the 20s and it was snowing lightly

    • As they began to walk, I politely suggested that we should drive since the weather was a bad

    • They replied, there is no such thing as bad weather…there is only inadequate clothing

  • My point is that in modern cultures (except Norway) we’re in danger of losing an appreciation for this euphemism “to walk with Christ”

    • Even recreational walks around the neighborhood can’t give us a proper appreciation for Paul’s analogy

      • Walking in Paul’s day involved a journey

      • You had a starting place you wanted to leave

      • And you had a destination you wanted to reach

    • Furthermore, a walking journey required three things

      • First, you had to have the energy 

      • In Paul’s day, a person might walk 20-30 miles a day for days on end to get somewhere

      • To travel between Jerusalem and the Galilee was about a three days walk of about 25 miles each day

      • Each step in the journey required a small amount of energy, but collectively the energy was significant 

    • So secondly, walking required persistence

      • There would be times when it was downhill or the scenery was uplifting or the conversation made time go faster

      • But there were times when you walked uphill or in the rain or into the wind 

      • You might face threats or periods of boring silence with nothing but the sound of your feet hitting the dirt in rhythm

      • No matter what you found on a given day, you knew you couldn’t reach the destination unless you kept going

    • Finally, your journey on foot required a sense of direction

      • It’s very easy to get lost walking in open territory

      • Unless you have a path to follow or a guide to lead you, you’re likely to walk in circles

      • Ask anyone who’s been lost in the woods

  • Each of these details relates to the euphemism Paul will use in the second half of this letter

    • He is asking us to set our minds on a journey living as disciples of Christ

      • Our faith has placed us on this journey, this walk

      • Our starting point is the place God found us, whether as a child or teen or adult

      • It’s a place we want to leave, a place of sin, ungodliness, brokenness and hopelessness

    • And by faith in Jesus Christ, we’ve been adopted into a new family, a family with a glorious future and eternal blessings

      • This family is like the Norwegians I mentioned earlier

      • The family of God has set its mind on following Christ and so it heads out to the road for a walk of faith

      • You can’t take a shortcut…there’s no car or train

    • You just start by placing one foot in front of another, dedicating energy, committing to persistence and under direction  

      • The energy for our spiritual walk comes from the Spirit of God, Who pulls us away from worldly distractions and lust 

      • So He can put those resources to use in obedience to Christ

    • And He encourages perseverance for the journey

      • Sometimes the journey is easy because He puts the wind to our backs and brings friends alongside us to pass the time

      • Other times he strengthens us by giving us hills to climb

      • And all the while He’s speaking to our hearts, encouraging us, challenging us, reminding us that the destination is closer every day

    • Finally, He guides us in our journey by His word

      • Pointing the way to righteousness

      • And even calling us back to the path when we wander off

    • That’s what Paul’s talking about when he calls us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling

  • In a general sense, he’s asking us to set our minds on leaving the world and seeking the destination of obeying Christ

    • He’s urging us to bring our resources of time, talent and treasure to bear in serving God in whatever way we’re called

    • He’s asking us to show perseverance

    • And Paul’s asking us to walk in the counsel of God’s Spirit so we may stay on track

  • I hope that makes it easier for you to appreciate His euphemism, but we know it’s a lot easier to talk about these things than it is to live by them

    • Most of us begin the journey with enthusiasm

    • We’re eager to please Christ, because we imagine a glorious trip filled with excitement and reward

    • Like the day a family starts a long road trip…

    • But then things don’t go as planned…

    • We get a flat, we face detours,  the trip takes longer than we expected, fights break out in the backseat…the poodle gets motion sick

    • And pretty soon we’re all asking “Are we there yet?”

  • The problem isn’t the journey…it’s our perspective

    • We need to start our journey with the proper point of view

    • Our walk with Christ isn’t a day trip, it’s not even a two-week vacation road trip

    • It’s a lifelong journey

    • And the roads won’t always be paved and smooth

    • The roads will have potholes and there will be detours to avoid

  • So Paul says in v.2 that if you’re going to walk – that is live – in a worthy manner, you must start the journey with the right attitude

  • Paul describes that attitude in terms of three virtues

    • First, we need an attitude of humility

    • In Greek, humility literally means having a lowliness of mind

    • Paul says something similar in Romans 12 when he cautions the church not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought

    • The idea is to have a realistic appreciation for the difficulty of the journey because of the strength of your opposition and your own weakness

    • We must have a sober appreciation for the difficulties that lie ahead

  • Secondly, Paul counsels us to maintain an attitude of gentleness

    • Gentleness means having grace for other believers who will face the same difficulties with you

    • It’s the natural compliment to humility

    • Humility is recognizing you’re not going to just glide through your spiritual journey without missteps

    • And gentleness means being understanding when others stumble from time to time in their walk

  • We appreciate others’ challenges even as we acknowledge we face our own 

    • That’s why Paul says we must show tolerance for others in the body of Christ in love

    • We know people aren’t perfect

    • So when they show their imperfections, let’s react in agape love, thinking of their needs above our own

    • We don’t judge or condemn, we show tolerance

  • And while we’re on the topic of tolerance, let me address the common misuse of the word in our culture today

  • Many people in the world call for tolerance 

    • Most of the time the world uses that word very differently than the Bible does

    • The Bible is asking us to show understanding for others in the body of Christ when we sin, when we make mistakes

    • We tolerate a mistake in the sense that we show patience and give opportunity for the person to learn and do better in the future

  • But the world calls for tolerance in the sense that we accept their sin

    • They call for the world to be tolerant by accepting various sexual sin as normal and legitimate

    • And they call for Christians to be tolerant toward other religious viewpoints by agreeing they are equally valid to our own

    • In other words, tolerance means accepting any viewpoint or preference while silencing any opposing view

  • Ironically, the modern view of tolerance is self-contradictory

    • By the world’s standard, any mutually exclusive point of view is inherently intolerant

    • If you hold a view that by its claims eliminates all other views, it must be rejected simply because it holds an absolute view

    • If you believe only one kind of marriage is true marriage, then you are intolerant

    • If you believe that there is only one way to God, then you are intolerant

    • And anything intolerant must be bad, the world declares

  • You can see the enemy’s fingerprints on this one, can’t you?

    • He’s working in the minds of the unbelieving with a call to tolerance

    • He’s insulated them from the mutually-exclusive claims of Christ by predisposing them against any absolute truth

    • We need to be careful to not bring the enemy’s definition of tolerance into our theology

    • We will tolerate mistakes among us as Christ does for us

    • But we not declare evil to be good for that is never the loving thing to do

  • Finally, Paul says we need patience

  • Patience was an essential requirement for any long journey

    • Impatient people usually don’t even start long journeys, much less finish them

    • Our walk with Christ may last 3, 4, 5 decades or even longer

    • We have to bring an attitude of patience to this walk, or we’re likely to burn out quickly

  • If you’ve ever watched a Christian begin their walk of faith with a burst of energy and then quickly flame out, you’ve almost certainly seen someone start with the wrong attitude

    • Excitement and anticipation is good, but it must be accompanied by patience

    • Perhaps no one sat them down and explained from scripture that our walk with Christ isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon

    • And so how we start will have a lot to say about how we finish

  • We need to start with humility concerning ourself and gentleness for others walking with us

    • We need to devote energy, but not in bursts…we must measure out the energy to ensure we give attention to our walk in a daily way

    • We need to persevere for the tests we know will come against us

    • And we need to seek the counsel of God in His word throughout the journey so we don’t lose our way

  • And for all these things, we need patience in our heart

    • Patience for ourselves and patience for others

    • And with patience and love and tolerance, we’ll preserve our unity

    • We’ll give grace to others, remembering no one is perfect

  • And speaking as a pastor and on behalf of your elders, we especially value and need your patience and tolerance and love 

    • We’re on the same walk with you

    • Which means we’re also walking away from sin and weaknesses of one kind or another

    • And we’re moving toward a destination of godliness and sanctification

  • We’re going to stumble, we’re going to have our bad days

    • We don’t ask you to excuse our sin, much less approve it

    • But we do ask you to tolerate it with patience for the sake of our unity, even as you pray for us to do better

    • And we’ll do the same for all of you

  • Which leads us to the next part of Chapter 4

Eph. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
Eph. 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph. 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
  • Paul supports his call for the church to act in unity by reminding us that we are already united spiritually

    • It’s like telling two siblings to treat each other in brotherly love

      • I always wondered what brotherly love was

      • For the longest time I thought brotherly love was intended ironically to mean dislike

      • Because my relationship with my brothers growing up was anything but loving

    • But Paul isn’t speaking ironically, of course

      • He’s saying the body of Christ is united in important, eternal ways

      • So let’s act like it

    • And to illustrate his point, Paul lists seven ways we’re already united with one another

      • These seven aspects of unity are all spiritual 

      • They are markers that identify us as part of the same family and destined for the same eternal future

      • Therefore, they argue strongly for us to live and think in ways that reflect our unity

  • So let’s take a brief look at these seven aspects of Christian unity

    • First, there is one body Paul says

      • The word body refers to the universal church

      • Every person on earth who has been born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ is a member of the Church

      • We are one body of people

    • The point is that there are not multiple separate bodies

      • In human terms we may break up the body of Christ in various meaningless ways

      • Different denominations, theological views, affiliations and even just multiple campuses work to divide us in earthly ways (often regrettably)

      • But these things don’t change the fact that we are one institution

    • Therefore, no one can come along and claim to have “rediscovered” the true church (like the Mormons)

      • And no one can claim that their unique style of worship or teaching or location or whatever defines the true church 

      • The body of Christ transcends such superficial things

      • A true confession in the Name above all Names is the one and only requirement to become a part of that body

      • And no one has a monopoly on the name of Christ or His body

  • And secondly, that one body is held together by the indwelling of the one and only Spirit of God

Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
  • Our membership card for the Church is the Holy Spirit

    • We don’t check your ID as you enter this building

    • But Paul says the Lord certainly checks for that ID card before you enter His body spiritually

  • In Acts 8 we see a case where a man wanted to enjoy the benefits of membership without possessing the proper ID card

Acts 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
Acts 8:19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 8:20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
Acts 8:21 “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
  • Simon was an unbeliever seeking to enjoy the power and recognition that came to the apostles by the Spirit of God

  • But as Peter observed, his heart was not right with God, which is why he lacked the Spirit

  • He had attached himself to the body of Christ, but he was not part of that body because he did not possess the Spirit of God

  • Thirdly, Paul says we have one hope in our common calling

    • We have the same hope concerning our future, the hope of resurrection  and eternal life

      • Our common eternal hope is perhaps one of the most powerful unifying principals of Christianity

      • No matter how diverse our socio-economic backgrounds

      • No matter how different our dreams for the future 

      • No matter how differently our lives turn in this life 

      • Nevertheless, we all share exactly the same understanding and expectation for what we will have waiting after our death

    • What other group can you say that about?

      • Knowing we share an eternal future should silence any petty difference that divides us now

      • One day we’ll both be living in eternal bodies in the kingdom serving Christ

    • I expect that some day you and I will run into each other

      • And when we do, we’ll probably laugh at ourselves, at our foolishness and our meaningless disagreements

      • And we’ll marvel together at our shared blessings in Christ

      • You know, we could skip the first part and just jump to that second part now

  • Fourth and fifth, we serve one Lord by one faith

    • These points should be self-explanatory

      • There is one Lord, meaning one Savior God

      • As Peter declared

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
  • Here again, the world would call us intolerant for our unwillingness to accept there may be other ways to heaven

    • But holding to the truth is not intolerance…it’s love

    • Our message is the only one that saves

  • Likewise, we have entered into the family of God by one faith, which means one confession

    • The only way to salvation is by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ

      • As Paul said simply

Rom. 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
  • Faith in a specific church does not save you

  • Faith in a good work does not save you

  • And faith in your own goodness or worthiness will not save you

  • The word “faith” requires an object, something you place your faith in

    • And if you don’t place your faith in the right thing, you will be disappointed

    • But as Peter wrote

1Pet. 2:6   For this is contained in Scripture: 
           “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, 
             And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
  • Christ is our cornerstone, and so we are united by a shared faith in the one and only Savior

    • No matter what other disagreements or disputes might divide us, we have agreed on our Savior

    • And that common faith unites us just as much as it divides us from the unbelieving world

  • Sixth, we have all experienced one baptism

    • Paul is speaking about the spiritual baptism that comes by the Spirit of God

      • The baptism of the spirit comes at the moment of our faith

      • And in fact, it is inseparable from the moment of faith

    • That common experience unites all believers

      • It is our common experience of being born again

      • In a way, it’s like all of us had the same spiritual womb

      • We were all birthed in the same process

  • Just to clarify, Paul isn’t talking about water baptism, because clearly we didn’t all experience the same water baptism

    • Some believers are never water baptized whether by disobedience or lack of opportunity

      • For example, the thief on the cross was never baptized in water

      • Yet Christ said he would be in paradise with Jesus

    • Furthermore, different churches practice water baptism in different ways

      • I believe that scripture teaches that there is only one correct way to practice water baptism

      • Nevertheless, I cannot say that my brothers and sisters in Christ who were water baptized in a different way are less a part of the body

      • We all share the same spiritual baptism, and therefore we are no less one simply because we performed different rituals

  • Finally, we are all the children of the same God and Father

    • I mentioned that my brothers and I didn’t get along very well growing up

      • Now that we’re adults, we’ve mostly put those things behind us

      • Recently, my father has been enduring some difficult health issues 

      • He’s required care and attention from me and my siblings, which has caused us to come together as a family

      • My father’s situation has reminded my brothers and I that we are part of the same family and from the same father

    • And so it should be with us as the family of our God and Father

      • No matter what differences mark our earthly lives

      • No matter how much we disappoint, disregard or annoy one another

      • No matter how often we may fail to show love to one another…

    • Blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes

      • We are all children of the same God and Father Who called us into His family

      • None of us had reason to expect or deserve our adoption

      • We are all in need of God’s grace and we’re all brothers and sisters

      • So let’s act that way as we walk this journey together