13 April 2008

Ephesians 4: 1 - 7

What is God's goal for me / for us as individuals?
What is God's goal for us together?
What is God's ultimate goal?

Review Chapter 1 - 3

1. Our blessing "in Christ." V4 & 11, chosen, V5, adopted, V7, redeemed, V13, sealed.
     V15 - 18. Prayer for revelation of this. V20 - 23. Christ as Head over everything.
2. 1 - 10. A before and after salvation portrait.
    11 - 22. Temple imagery. Far / near. Dividing walls of hostility are broken down.
    God's new society of reconciliation and unity has come through Christ.
    2: 22. A people amoung whom God lives by His Spirit. A charismatic community.
3. 1 - 13. God's mystery revealed. V4, 6, 9. Jewish and Gentile believers are on ein Christ - see V6.
    This is the wisdom of God displayed, V10. 14 - 21. Paul's great prayer.

Chapter 4. Paul turns to the practical.
How do we live out / work out the above truths.

V1. To live out our calling. I urge you - this is really important. Called by God!
   Our calling. We are called out of darkness into His glorious light. 2 Peter 2:9.
                          We are called form exclusion to belonging. Eph 2: 12.
                          We are called into God's people, the church.

V2. Attitudes to be clothed in. A most challenging verse. Note - be completely.
   Be Humble. John Stott. "Pride lurks behind all discord. If instead of maneuvering for the respect       of others (which is pride) we give them our respect by recognising their intrinsic God-given worth
      (which is humility) we shall be promoting harmony in God's new society." P148.

   Be Gentle. This word is used of an animal that is completely under it's masters control. It means
       submission and obedience.

   Be Patient. Bear with one another. This is long suffering.

   Love. Agape. Not an emotional thing but an attitude of the will. Some Christians are lovable but
       some are not. We are called to love those we find unloving and irritating.

All this is following Jesus in servanthood which we find so hard.
We can't do it ourselves. We need help - Gal 5: 22. We must rely on the Holy Spirit.

V3. The unity of the Spirit.
Lloyd Jones. " He alone can produce this unity; and it is He alone who does produce this unity.
This is obviously a matter of fundamental importance. The Apostlee makes it quite clear that this is a unity which you and I can never produce. What he asks us to do is to be careful not to break the unity that is already there which has been produced and created by the Spirit Himself." P38.

Make every effort. To keep. To guard, preserve, maintain, hold fast.
Through the bond of peace. Peace is a bond, a glue that joins us.
Human beings find it very hard to be at peace with one another even in churches.

What destroys the bond of peace?

Unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment. Hebrews 12: 15.
"Nursing her wrath to keep it warm." Tam O'Shanters poor wife.
How we respond to hurts / percieved slights / felling passed over.
What we say - gossip, rumours. Not saying things we should say - bottling things up.
Jesus prayed for unity in His followers. John 17: 21 - 23. Both within and between churches.
The source of our peace is the cross. See Eph2: 14 - 16.

The unity of God's new society flows from the unity of God.

Paul emphasizes our unity through seven "Ones" that we share as believers.
   One body. Christ is the head and we are the different body parts.
F B Meyer. Moses P 170. "There are many passages which show beyond doubt that our positions in the visible church are defined as carefully as of members in the human body. Though you may be only a join or a hinge on which other members articulate and work, you must believe that your position was fixed by the All-wise and Almighty disposer of all. Is it to be supposed for a moment that He, who appointed and placed where each star should shine in the bosom of the night, should leave the positions of the stars of His church to chance?"

   One Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12: 12 - 13. A body is dead without the breath of the Spirit.
We need to rocognise that the same Spirit lives within each of us.
   One hope. Of salvation, inheritance, of the Lord's return, of a world redeemed in Christ.
   One Lord. We are joined in submission and service to one Lord. There is one mediator.
   One faith. There is a specific faith in Jesus' person, His cross and resurrection - the faith that
brings each one justification and results in being made righteous in God's eyes.
   One baptism. This probably refers to being baptised into Christ as in Romans 6: 3.
   One God and Father of all. Note all X 4. All believers are adopted into one family gathered in by love by one Heavenly Father Himself.
We are different; we have received different portions of grace, (V7) but we are one family.

Conclusion.

The church is a reflection of the unity of God both in the truth of doctrine and in our outward working of that truth.
We are to be a demonstration of the manifold wisdom of God. Eph 2: 10.
We are to be a demonstration of the power of the cross to reconcile man to God and man to man. Eph 2: 15 - 16.
We are God's temple. He wants to join and build us together so that a temple rises in this place where He is worshipped, where He manifests His presence by His Spirit so that many more who are "far away" can be brought near to Him through us.

Robert Duncan, 13/04/2008