Ephesians - Lesson 4A

• 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