Please turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. I want to read verses 1 to 16 and then our focus this evening will be on verses 1 to 3. Beginning in chapter 4 at verse 1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, he says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to men. Now this, he ascended, what does it mean but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. We all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Amen. Well, let us pray. Our gracious God and our Holy Father, we pray now for your blessing to be upon us as we study scripture. We pray that the Holy Spirit would be at work in our hearts and in our minds.
We know God and confess that apart from Christ, we can do nothing. So we pray that the great prophet of the church would send forth the Holy Spirit to take the word of God most high. and to apply it to each and every heart in this place. We ask that you would forgive us for our sins and transgressions. God, cast away anything that would darken our understanding and cause us not to receive with glad hearts the word of truth.
Cleanse us in the blood of the lamb, and may passages like these be a great help to us in our individual Christian walk, but as well as we gather together as the church, as we find ourselves covenanted together under Christ, with each other in this world. We ask these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Introduction
Now as I was considering this particular message in verses 1 to 3, there's one of three reasons why a preacher would preach this particular passage to the congregation. The emphasis is on the pursuit of Christian unity. A pastor might be going through the book of Ephesians and he might be at that particular point. A second reason why he might preach on this particular passage is because he senses that there is disunity or some sort of a breach within the context of the local church.
So certainly he would want to preach this as a bit of corrective. and instruction so that the people of God would indeed seek to put away division and find that blessed unity that Christ has for his church. Or in the third reason, because the church does possess the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, and the pastor wants to encourage the people of God to continue, to persevere, to maintain. If you notice specifically, Paul says in verse 3, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. The presupposition there is that there is this.
It is present. It is a current possession of the church, and the church therefore must endeavor to keep it. So I come in that third sense, an encouragement, a reminder, and hopefully a promotion in all of our hearts to continue to seek, by the grace of God, to find blessed unity in Christ and unity in one another in the Free Grace Baptist Church. Remember in our Lord's high priestly prayer, he prays specifically in chapter 17, of John's Gospel in verse 11, and then again in chapter 17, verses 20 to 23, that the Church of Christ would be one, that they would be in unity with the Lord God Almighty, with the Son, of course, but with one another.
And that's Paul's emphasis here in chapter 4. of the book of Ephesians. Just to give you a bit of a lay of the land and the structure going on, chapter 4 begins specifically the practical section of this epistle. Chapters 1 and 2 of the doctrine, specifically chapter 1 verses 3 to 14, are so great a salvation by the triune God. Chapter 2 indicates the power of God manifested in the salvation of individual sinners and in bringing Jew and Gentile together and making them one new man under Jesus Christ.
Chapter 3 is a bit of a transition. Paul speaks to the Ephesians. He tells them something of his own ministry, of his own place in redemptive history. He indicates how he prays for the people of God in Ephesus.
And then 4, 5, and 6 properly are very practical in nature. So in chapter 4, we have specifically an idea or an exhortation to pursue unity in its entirety, in 4, 1 to 16. Specifically stated in verses 1 to 3, verses 4 to 6, he gives the basis for our Christian unity. In verse 7, he states that unity does not necessarily mean uniformity.
There is a diversity of gifts, according to verse 7, that the ascended Christ gives to the church with a specific purpose in view. And that specific purpose in view in verses 8 to 16, he shows how those diverse gifts are employed in order to produce unity among the people of God through doctrinal fidelity. The gifts emphasized in verses 7 and then again in verse 11 indicates that this is the teaching ministry in the church. So the unity that is in view in chapter 4 of Ephesians isn't some watered-down ecumenicism that we find today.
We find this collapsing of theological distinctions. We find this broadening of our theological convictions so that we can have these big tents and include a whole host of people. That is simply not in view in this particular passage. This is a spirit-wrought unity and therefore it is founded upon, grounded in the truth as it is in Jesus.
A unity that is pursued at the expense of truth will yield neither. We will not have Christian unity and we will certainly not have truth. It's interesting, in the early creeds of the church, the creeds that we refer to as the ecumenical creeds, that whole idea of ecumenicism, bringing in people together, at the end of those creeds there were always anathemas, that is, a pronouncement of damnation upon those who departed from received truth, those who departed from the truth contained in that particular creed. So in the early church, that emphasis on ecumenicism was not, again, a watered-down version where it was the least common denominator that brought us together.
So the argument tonight is that the unity that we achieve in Christ and with one another in the church is founded upon the truth as it is in Jesus. It is the gospel that promotes and produces this unity that we find in the church of Jesus.
Sermon Outline Overview
We consider verses 1 to 3. We'll do so under three observations. First, the command stated in verse 1. Second, the elements required in verse 2.
And then thirdly, the corporate focus intended in verse 3.
The Command: Walk Worthy
But note first the command. Paul says in verse 1 of chapter 4, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. I therefore. The connection is to all that has preceded.
Again, the doctrine and then the practical application. We don't just jump ahead to practical. We don't just go to the application. But we must learn the doctrine.
We derive from this the theology. The
Doctrine Precedes Practice
doctrine of salvation, soteriology, precedes Christian ethics. We cannot engage in Christian ethics unless we are first Christians, unless we, by God's grace, have been chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Unless we, by God's grace, know something of the blood of the Redeemer in whom we have redemption. Unless we, by God's grace, know something of the seal and the guarantee of the Holy Spirit.
We cannot be Christians unless Christ has saved us from our sins. What we find in 4 to 6 isn't just a list of principles on how to do better or try harder. This is the natural outflow of those who by the grace of God have been conquered, who have by God's grace surrendered, those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, those who have tasted and seen that Christ is good, those who are washed in His blood, and those who are brought together in the church as a result of Christ's redemption, we are now called to live in a particular manner. So if you profess saving faith in Jesus, if you have made the good confession, if you are a church member, what we find here in verses 1 to 3 are not suggestions, they're not recommendations, they're not additions, if you so choose to implement them in your lives.
No churches will not find unity, they will not find that bond of peace, without a pursuit of the things that are commanded here by the Apostle Paul. Paul tells us that he writes from prison. This is one of the prison epistles, but he's a prisoner of the Lord, or he's a prisoner in the Lord. This means he's a prisoner because of Christ.
He's not in prison because he's a malefactor. He's not in prison because he's an insurrectionist. He's not in prison because he's a criminal. He's Christ's prisoner.
He is the one who, it is because of his life in Jesus Christ that he has been thrown into prison. Calvin makes this beautiful statement, the apostles prison is more truly venerable than the splendid retinue or triumphal chariot of kings. And isn't it wonderful that when Paul is in prison, this is what he's doing. When Paul is in prison, he's not whining, he's not grumbling, he's not crying, he doesn't have that metal cup and he's rubbing it on the poles like you see in the old, you know, with the prison cell.
He's not saying, call my lawyer, I've been framed. No, he takes pen to paper. the Spirit of God upon him, and he writes to the churches. And what is it, directly following the doctrinal exposition of the Gospel, that causes Paul to write? He wants the people of God to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
May I just say, by way of autobiography, I have labored in situations where there wasn't peace and there wasn't unity. And by God's grace, over the last several years, we've had peace and we've had unity. I will take the peace and the unity over any other thing whatsoever. That conference last week, or that General Assembly in Mansfield, Texas, it truly was glorious to see brethren dwell together peaceably, to have a degree of unity in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And while there were differences in terms of doctrine, there weren't differences in terms of expression of love, in terms of peace, and in terms of a genuine desire, to advance the cause of God in truth, and all the while having respect for the blood-bought children of God. We need to understand that when we contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, we do so in the orbit of Christian ethics. We are not told to forget everything we know about lowliness and about gentleness and about all the things that Paul enjoins upon us. This was not a cage match.
We are not shaving our heads and walking into a ring and pounding on each other to advance the cause of God and truth. Now, that might be an easier way. It might be a more definitive way, for some it might be a funner way, but that is not Christ's means. Christ says we are to engage with one another with Christian affection and love.
Paul tells the people of God in Ephesus, I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. The command to walk means to conduct one's life. Have your conversation this way. The walk doesn't mean when you go around your block.
It means the way you conduct yourself as a Christian man, as a Christian woman. And notice, we are to walk worthy of the calling. We are saved completely and alone by the grace of God. It's not our worth that commends us to God and He rewards us with salvation.
All worthiness is to be found in the Lord Christ alone. God made Him. who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. When God saves us freely by His grace, and He brings us out of darkness into marvelous light, it is to proclaim His praises, it is to sing His glorious name, and as well to let our conduct be worthy of the Gospel. In other words, there is a practical design with reference to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are saved, according to Paul, to be holy and blameless. Ephesians 1.4. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame. He doesn't choose us because we are holy and without blame.
He chooses us unto this. He calls us as sons of God in chapter 1 and verse 5. How are sons of God to conduct themselves? In a godly way, in a Christ-like way, in a way that honors the Father who saved us by His grace.
We are to conduct ourselves as blood-bought children, Ephesians 1, 7. We have redemption through His blood. His blood washes us from our sins in justification. We have the imputation of righteousness.
We have the forgiveness of sins. But God calls us to walk in a manner worthy of that. Jesus Christ saves His people from their sins. He doesn't save them to continue in sin, but rather there is to be a holiness and a righteousness, a worthiness, if you will, of the calling to which or which you were called.
And what we find in this particular section is that the Apostle indicates or highlights that those who have been effectually called, those who have been brought out of darkness into marvelous light, those who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb are now to walk in a manner that is consistent with that great salvation. You all get that, don't you? You all know that to be the case. God saves us not to engage in antinomianism.
God saves us not to get engaged in license. God saves us not so we can continue in patterns of sin, but we are saved in order to serve the God of heaven and earth and to pursue those things which are pleasing in his sight.
The Elements Required
Now notice the elements required in verse two. He indicates four things that we ought to have. Gordon Clark says that commentators who spend time on each one of these sort of miss the point, but I don't think he's right in this regard. I think these are all very similar, but I think they're dissimilar enough to sort of round out for us what a man of God pursuing Christian unity looks like.
First Element: Lowliness
Note first the need for lowliness. Notice, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. We ask the question, how do I do that, Paul? What does that mean?
Paul tells us in verse 2. with all lowliness. That means humility. It's a very interesting word. The word means lowly thinking or humility and it was unknown in Greek and Roman literature.
This virtue for Christians was not a virtue for the Greeks or the Romans. Humility, lowliness, that's not something that Greeks and Romans prided themselves on. More than likely, Christians coined this particular term, and it was indeed, or it does rather refer to the quality of esteeming ourselves as small, but at the same time recognizing the power and ability of God. This should not surprise us.
How do we walk worthy of the calling with which we were called? We do so with all lowliness, right? Humility. Matthew 5, verse 3, blessed are the poor in spirit.
Not blessed are the proud, not blessed are the arrogant, not blessed is the narcissist, but blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We find this in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 3. The apostle tells us, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind.
Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others. We see it in Colossians 3.12. We see it in 1 Peter 5.5.
This is not an isolated section in Scripture. In order to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, we must indeed imbibe lowliness. If we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, it is to be with lowliness. Brethren, there is no Christian unity, there is no Christian camaraderie, there is no Christian union when there's pride in the house.
Death to pride, brethren, that's what we need to pursue. Listen to what Calvin says concerning this idea of lowliness or of humility. He says, let us remember, therefore, that in cultivating brotherly kindness, we must begin with humility. Whence come rudeness, pride, and disdainful language towards brethren?
Whence come quarrels, insults, and reproaches? Come they not from this, that everyone carries his love of himself and his regard to his own interests to excess?" You see, I think Calvin assumes what Jesus assumes. There will be a degree of self-love, right? We are to love our neighbor as what?
As ourselves. Husbands are to love their wives as themselves. That is assumed. We don't purposefully walk around and burn ourselves.
I know there's exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, we try not to engage in self-destructive tendencies. We do not wait for a big truck to come down the street and jump out in front of it. There is a degree of self-love. We don't ingest arsenic.
We don't ingest hemlock. We don't take things that will kill ourselves because, quite frankly, we love ourselves and we want to preserve ourselves for the long haul. So Calvin assumes that this is the reality, but listen to what he says. Come they not from this, that everyone carries his love of himself and his regard to his own interests to excess.
It is when you are first and foremost above everyone else. That is an affront to this virtue called lowliness or humility. When you insist that everything go your way, when you are the most important person in the universe, you have missed this particular virtue. God opposes the proud.
He makes the proud His sworn enemy, according to 1 Peter chapter 5. This is huge. You want God as your enemy? Be a proud man.
Be a proud woman. Insist on your own place. Insist on your own rights. Insist on the thought that you are more important than everyone else.
This virtue is chiefly demonstrated in our Lord Jesus, according to Paul in Philippians 2. The opposite, or the antithesis, is found in Romans 12, 16. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.
Do not be wise in your own opinion. That's good counsel, isn't it? Do not be wise in your own opinion. Just embrace the reality that you're not as excellent as you think you are.
You're not as wonderful as you may think. You're not the glowing and sterling example of all things wise, all things knowledgeable, and all things holy in this particular world. That first necessary element in the pursuit of a worthy walk which issues forth in an endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace is a self-effacement. It is a lowliness.
It is the opposite of pride.
Second Element: Gentleness
In the second place, he says we need to be gentle. With all lowliness and gentleness, Gentleness. Now this doesn't mean limp-wristed, passive Christianity that never rises up in opposition against any evil or against anything whatsoever. It means in the day-to-day operations of the life of Christ's Church, we ought to be a gentle people.
We ought to love the brethren. We ought not to always insist upon our own ways. The idea here means meek, gentle, the humble and gentle attitude which expresses itself in patient submissiveness to offense, free from malice and desire for revenge. We see it, it's one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5.
We see it scattered throughout the New Testament epistles. John Eady says it is meekness of spirit in all relations. It is a meekness of spirit in all relations. This too is a beatitude.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. When we studied that particular passage, meek does not mean doormat. The idea is power under control. It is not doormat theology that is enjoined. but it is a self-control over one's person, over one's spirit, so that we do not alienate people and we are not obnoxious and it is not the case that we are so abrasive and so harsh and so callous that we cannot pursue the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
Edie says, It is a meekness of spirit in all relations, both toward God and toward man, which never rises in insubordination against God, nor in resentment against man." This was a characteristic or a description of our Savior according to Matthew 11, 29 and 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 1. You see how these things go hand in hand. If we are lowly, if we are humble, if we have a proper assessment of ourselves, if we know ourselves dependent fully upon the grace of God, nothing in and of ourselves, hopefully that will issue forth in a gentleness in dealing with others. You see, brethren, these are ingredients that are necessary or elements that are necessary for this worthy walk by which we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Third Element: Long-Suffering
Note the third element, the need for long-suffering. With long-suffering, this is a description or part of love, 1 Corinthians 13.4. Love does what? Doesn't suffer at all and it's not kind?
No, love suffers long and is kind, you see. We need to suffer long, we need to be a patient people. We need to realize that the church, like individuals, is going through sanctification. Not everybody is always at the same place at the same time.
Not everybody is where you're at. You have to be patient with the rest of us slobs. You have to be patient with the rest of us persons. You have to understand that the Lord moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.
Sometimes Christians take longer to find growth in particular areas. Sometimes it's after repeated journeys to the woodshed. Sometimes it's after the chastening hand of God has come upon them. We need to understand that ultimately the people of God are God's project.
We need to be patient. We need to be long-suffering. We need to be forbearing as the next ingredient fleshes out. But long-suffering is also found as a fruit of the spirit in Galatians chapter 5, verse 22.
In order to realize this worthy walk, we must earnestly pursue and cultivate patience. This all goes hand-in-hand with our studies in Matthew 18 and church discipline as well. This is what ought to be, this ought to be descriptive of us when we come to one another. when we seek to deal faithfully with one another. There ought to be a lowliness.
There ought to be a gentleness. There ought to be a long-sufferingness about us.
Fourth Element: Forbearing Love
And then notice, fourthly, the need to bear with one another in love. Bit of a different construction. I wonder if what we have is long-suffering, and then sort of a subset or an illustration of that is to forbear with one another in love. What's long-suffering look like?
It's patience, to be sure. But in the Church of Jesus Christ, specifically bearing with one another in love. I told you before I've read Spurgeon who says we need two bears in the church. We need to bear and we need to forebear.
We need those bears in the life and the congregation of the church. We need to be a patient people. We need to forebear with one another in love. Now this is not to bear with heretics.
Pastor Cam read Titus 3 verses 9 and 10 this morning. Let me just remind you of what Titus 3 says. Again, this is not an ecumenicism devoid of truth. This is not a let's just all get along together.
This isn't Rodney King theology that Paul is espousing. Notice in 3, 9, and 10 of Titus. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
This morning in the prayer meeting hour, we gave a report about the assembly last week in Mansfield. And I mentioned that one of the things Pastor Porter and I were musing on at that particular assembly was the story I don't know if it's accurate or not, it's maybe an apocryphal story, but it's nevertheless out there, that at the Council of Nicaea, you remember that great council of the church where the deity of Jesus was being debated and fought for? Well, according to the story, Saint Nicholas walked up to Arius and slapped him in the face. slapped him right in the face. Of course, Arius was the one denying the truth of the deity of Jesus.
Nicholas was contending for the faith. Nicholas was contending for the truth that Christ is very God of very God. Now, I'm not admonishing or encouraging or exhorting you to go and slap heretics in the face. If you do that and the heretic happens to outweigh you by a few pounds, you may get something back rather than a slap in the face.
In fact, I highly recommend you be careful. These days, heretics carry guns or knives or other sorts of malicious implements wherein they can do great bodily damage. Do not slap heretics if you want to maintain your life in this world. You see, that is not what Paul is talking about.
He is not talking about coexisting with deniers of the Trinity. He is not talking about coexisting with deniers of justification by faith alone. He is not talking about coexisting with those who deny the doctrine of Jesus Christ and His person and His work. But he is talking about the squabbles and the little things that rise up in the context of Christ's people.
Where instead of dealing faithfully with one another, instead of forbearing with one another in love, we get our noses bent out of shape. We speak ill of others. We talk about others behind their back. We gossip and we slander instead of manning up, Matthew 18, instead of doing what the Apostle says.
We're not to have truck with those who deny the Trinity. But those who see something a bit different in terms of a preference, forebear with one another. In love, brethren, this is crucial. If the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the several members start to get petty and start to get insistent upon their way or the highway.
If they start to get astray or follow down these rabbit trails, they start looking down their noses at everybody else. They're not lowly, they're not humble, they're full of pride. They're not gentle, but they're abrasive and they're caustic. And they want everybody to be just like them.
They have no long suffering. They have short fuses. They are easily set off. If anybody doesn't cross their T's or dot their I's the way they do, it is just problem to pay.
And in this instance, he tells us to be bearing with one another in love. We do not grudgingly bear with one another because we have to, but rather we joyfully bear with one another because we love that brother for whom the Lord Jesus has died and risen.
The Corporate Focus
Now notice thirdly and finally, the corporate focus intended. So you see, walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Do so with lowliness, with gentleness, with long-suffering, with this attitude of bearing with one another in love. The corporate focus, what are we supposed to be intent upon?
What is it that we are supposed to pursue? Notice verse 3, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The idea here, the activity involved, the participle, endeavoring means to give diligence, to be eager, to make every effort. You see, it's not passive.
It's not, I'm just going to forget everything, I'm just going to sit in my pew, I'm just going to sit in my couch, and I'm just going to watch the church go by. No, you personally need to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. You need to pray for that. You need to labor for that.
You need to put in practice those elements that are indicated in verse 2. Flavel says the beauty, the strength, and the glory as well as the duty of a church is to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
Avoiding Schism and Division
Negatively, we must avoid schism. I'm not sure the pronunciation, if that's a hard C or it's a silent C. I didn't have time, didn't think about it actually to look it up. Scism or schism.
S-C-H-I-S-M. I've always said schism. I've heard it the other way as well. But we need to avoid that and we need to avoid division.
We need to avoid it like the plague. You ever notice that certain persons are just drawn to bad stuff? Yeah, they're called us. What do they show on the news?
Do they show happy, healthy, productive human beings coming home at the end of the day, kissing their wives and having family activities? That's not what you see on the news. You see murder. You see mayhem.
You see robbery. You see drug deals. You see bad things. Guess what?
People watch that. Again, we ought to watch. We ought to be alert. Whether you watch it or you take it in some other way, you should know what's going on in your world.
That's not what I'm saying. Don't do that. There's a certain allurement or a draw that we have to that which is dark. And in the church, some people always find the controversy.
Some people always exploit it, or they amplify it, or they fan it. You don't need to do that. You need to avoid schism. You need to avoid division.
You need to consider Proverbs 6, 19. Yahweh hates six things, yea, seven are an abomination to him. Yahweh hates pride. Yahweh hates abortion because it says he abominates hands that shed innocent blood.
Yahweh abominates as well one who sows discord among brethren. See, it's easy for us to wrap our minds around Solomon's statement that God hates hands that shed innocent blood. I mean, isn't that a perfect application to abortion, to euthanasia? Isn't that a perfect application to the wanton violence that you see in some cities where people are gunned down over drugs?
They perhaps are just standers by and they get shot in some drug exchange. We are to avoid this. One who sows discord among brethren. John Flavel again says, be deeply affected with the mischievous effects and consequence of schisms and divisions in the societies of saints.
Be deeply affected with the mischievous effects and consequence of these things in the societies of saints. And he says, and let nothing beneath a plain necessity divide you from communion with one another. These are choice words. Listen to what he says.
Let nothing beneath a plain necessity divide you from communion with one another. Last week, we were prepared to do this because as far as we were concerned, it was a necessity. You do not tamper with the doctrine of divine impassibility. You do not mess with the reality that God is without body, parts, and passions.
To do that is to risk the entirety of the system that flows from Chapter 2 to crumble, to dissolve. It is the reality of Chapter 2 and its doctrine of God that gives meaning and explanation to the decree in Chapter 3, to the creation in Chapter 4. to redemption in chapter 7 to 20. It is because God is unchanging and unchanged. So we were prepared at that particular point to divide if necessary.
And that's what he says, let nothing beneath a plain necessity divide you from communion with one another. Hold fast or hold it fast till you can hold it no longer without sin. You see, brethren, that is the mindset in this endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It just amazes me.
In America, it amazes me. In Canada, it amazes me how many churches there are because of a split. Now, if it's a split over doctrine, if it is justification, if it is triunity, if it is theology proper, if it is the deity of Christ, fine. But if we're splitting over red hymn books or blue hymn books, That indicates that we have not taken seriously Ephesians 4, 3.
Because if we had taken it seriously and we endeavored to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, that means we've bled, we've sweat, not bled because people have beat us up, but we've bled, we've sweat, we've sorrowed, we've labored to promote that. We don't just say, well forget it, let's go start another church. No, let's seek by the grace of God to fix this church before we go start. another church.
Promoting Unity Positively
The positive element, we need to promote the same language, mind, and judgment. So negatively, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, we're to avoid schism and division. But positively, we must promote those things which make for unity, which make for peace. Again, Flavel speaks about tongue unity, heart unity.
He says, tongue unity flows from heart unity, heart unity in a great measure from head unity, and all three from union with Jesus Christ. The divisions of our tongues come mostly from the divisions of our hearts. Were hearts agreed, tongues would quickly be agreed. And then what blessed times might be expected.
What peaceful societies we should have if our lips transgressed not the laws of love and kindness. We are to endeavor. We are to labor. We are to strive.
We are to give diligence. We are to be eager. We are to make every effort. You see that tendency in your own heart?
Well, forget it. If it gets tough, I just want to be up. If it gets tough, I don't want to work for it. If it gets difficult, we'll just go somewhere else.
We'll just find something else. What if you lived in Timbuktu and there was one church in town? Well, knowing us, we'd go start another one on the corner. We'd start it in our living rooms.
Brethren, we ought to fight to preserve, we ought to fight and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Again, I am not suggesting we break down theological boundaries, not suggesting that we throw away our confession, not suggesting that Arminians and Dispensationalists and everybody can all dwell safely and comfortably under one particular tent. We ought to express love. We ought to show charity.
We ought to express those kindnesses to one another. But if we think that we can have a church founded on the least common denominator, we are probably sadly mistaken.
The Spirit as Author of Unity
And then notice, finally, the respect for the author of this unity. Notice endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The Holy Spirit is the author of this unity. Hodge describes it this way. of which the Spirit is the author." The unity of which the Spirit is the author.
Again, the unity in view is not a mindless ecumenicism. Forget everything. Let's just love Jesus. If you don't remember something, you cannot love Jesus.
It is the knowledge of Christ that drives our love for Christ and our service to Christ. To get rid of theological accuracy is to destroy the Church of Christ. And notice, unity in view is present and must be endeavored after. Listen to our dear brother, John Gill.
He says, now to endeavor or study to keep and preserve this. Supposes that this union does already exist. You see, God, by the Spirit, has put it here. What are we going to do with it?
Are we going to destroy it? Are we going to misuse it? Are we going to pervert it? Are we going to respect it and pursue it?
Now, to endeavor or study to keep and preserve this supposes that this union does already exist, that it is very valuable as making much for the glory of God, the mutual comfort and delight of saints, and is worth taking some pains about. You see, I've often thought that biblical churchmanship takes effort. We ought never to treat the church as simply a preaching station. We just come here to get preached to.
You can get that on sermonaudio.com. The church is more than just a pulpit ministry. The church is the body of Christ functioning together in communion with one another. And in order to preserve what is present by the Spirit of God Most High, it takes endeavoring.
It's worth taking some pains about. Gil goes on to say, and that it is very difficult to secure there being so many things which frequently arise and break in upon it through the devices of Satan and the corruptions of men's heart. But though it is difficult and may sometimes seem to be impossible, Yet it becomes the saints to be diligent in the use of means to keep it up and continue it. You see, what we have that is wrought by the spirit is difficult to maintain because of the devil seeking to disrupt, seeking to destroy.
But it's also difficult because of our own remaining corruption. Again, for whatever reason, we're drawn to things that are bad. For whatever reason, sometimes we like to stir up the pot. For whatever reason, sometimes instead of stopping gossip, we add to it.
Instead of stopping the slanderer, we give him both ears. Instead of stopping something and telling the person to deal faithfully with his brother, we are interested and intrigued to hear about his latest stumble. Brethren, we ought, by the grace of God, resist the tendency that is in our own hearts, resist the temptation of the devil himself, and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Application and Conclusion
Well, in conclusion, the ultimate basis of our unity, the ultimate basis of our unity is not our lowliness, it is not our gentleness, it is not our long suffering, and it is not our ability to bear with one another in love. The basis or the groundwork or the frame of our unity is the Trinity himself. Notice, specifically in verses four to six, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, this is the Lord Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all.
Endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Why? Because there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. One Lord Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
You see, it is the triune God who has saved us by His grace, and He has purchased for us a unity in the Lord Jesus. This is a spirit-wrought unity in the life and context of local churches, and we are therefore to endeavor to keep that unity in the bond of peace. Because if we do not, it is to disrespect the author of that unity, and it is ultimately to reject the God who is unified in his blessed triunity. Notice, secondly, the specific role of the second person of the Trinity with reference to this unity.
It is wrought by the Spirit in accordance with the work of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ is the source of our peace. In Ephesians 2.14, Christ is our peace. Ephesians 2.15, Christ makes peace.
And in Ephesians 2.17, Christ himself preaches peace. Again, this whole idea of unity and peace go hand in hand together in our particular context. The Lord Jesus Christ gives gifts to the church in order to provide truth as the basis for peace. Notice again in verse 11.
He himself gave some to be apostles. some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Why does Jesus do this? What is the purpose for the Christian ministry? Is the purpose for the Christian ministry so that ministers can go golf?
So that ministers can have coffee? So that ministers can be political revolutionaries? so that ministers can have sway with the mayor, so that ministers can serve on the city council. Christians can and may do that to be sure, but what is the primary function of the gifts given by Christ in Ephesians 4.11? There are three specific purposes outlined for us in verse 12.
Notice, for the equipping of the saints. Why do you come to church? It is to worship God, to hear the word of God, so that you as saints are equipped to go out into this world and to be faithful. To be what Christ calls you to be.
You know, this may come as a surprise to some, or perhaps all of you, but when you hear commands come to you from the scripture, you're actually supposed to do them. You really must obey. Your conduct must be worthy of the Christian gospel. When we read a passage like we did this morning in James 3, we ought to tame our tongue.
When we read passages like we did tonight, you ought to pursue humility. You ought to be a gentle soul. You ought to be a long-suffering saint. You ought to bear with one another in love.
This is the purpose for the Christian ministry. for the equipping of the saints. Notice secondly, for the work of ministry. Some say so that the saints can engage in ministry. I think the equipping of the saints takes care of that.
You are equipped to do what God calls you to do as saints in this world. What we find in that second foreword is the work of the gifts in verse 11. For the work of ministry. Why does Christ give these gifts?
So they'll work in the ministry. so that they will use their gifts, so that they will preach and teach, so that they will shepherd, so that they will do all that they do for the glory of God and for the good of the flock. And then thirdly, notice, four, the edifying of the body of Christ. The purpose of the gifts given in verse 11 is for the edifying of the body of Christ. It's not to abuse the flock, it's not to misuse their position, it's not to be shuckers and jivers with the political persons in charge in a given town.
It is for the edification of the body of Christ. That is the primary focus of Christian ministry. So much of what ministers do oftentimes have no warrant whatsoever in the Bible. And the things that are clearly expressed and explained are not being carried out.
We are to emphasize the truth as it is in Jesus for the edification of the people of God in the local church. And notice what is the end goal. Notice what is in view. So the gifts are given, the specific function of the ministry in verse 12.
Notice the result of the purpose of the goal. Verse 13, till. till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head. by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does it share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. You see this common theme in chapter 4, verses 1 to 16.
Unity, peace, founded upon the Trinity, with specific reference to the Spirit having wrought that unity within the context of the local church, and that as a result of the ascended Christ giving gifts to the church so that men will stand in pulpits and preach the word of truth and that the people of God will receive it and they will put it into practice and what is the blessed effect? The people of God grow. The people of God mature. The people of God love one another and they love their head and they do all that they can do to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. so that that ministry, so that the reception of it, can continue on until Jesus Christ returns.
Brethren, to pursue this unity, we ought to cultivate lowliness, gentleness, long-suffering, forbearance, and love. It is humility that we most desperately need. And in conclusion, finally, if you do not know Jesus Christ, you cannot pursue Christian unity. If you have a church, a professing church, full of goats, it's going to be an unhappy place.
It is the sheep who endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. The only way that a man or woman, a boy or girl, is a sheep of Christ is by grace alone, through faith alone, and Jesus Christ alone. It is the cross to which we must fly. It is the cross to which we must look.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ the one who brings salvation. Christian ethics follow salvation by grace. The very flow of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians demonstrates this so clearly. Chapters 1 and 2, doctrinal foundation.
Chapters 4 to 6, practical application. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word, and God, we truly praise and glorify you for what we have in our church. We do not want to take it lightly. We do not want to take it for granted. We all want to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
Again, we praise you for answered prayers. We prayed long for that assembly last week. We give you praise, God, for the way things worked out. We give you praise, God, that truth was maintained, that doctrinal fidelity was indeed had, and that brethren were able to part ways and to agree, to disagree in a manner of Christian love.
We ask now that you would go with us, watch over us, help us to cultivate the things that are given to us here in Ephesians 4.2. Help us to be a lowly or a humble people. Help us to deal gently one with another. Help us, God, to be long-suffering and to bear with one another in love.
And we pray these things through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation.