The Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace (pt 2)

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John Owen Butler

Grace Christian Church Buderim

The Unity of the Spirit • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago • Presented 5 years ago • 33:29

Ephesians 4:4–6

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Introduction

Well, good morning, congregation. It's good to see you again this Lord's day and as we are working our way through the book of Ephesians, we have been in verses 4 through 6 last Lord's day and this Lord's day as we look at this marvelous seven-fold description of the unity that we have as the people of God in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You remember, God has been working here on earth this marvelous new thing as the apostle has discussed it already here in Ephesians 1-3, of taking for himself a people whom he has marked out, whom he has designated from before the foundation of the world from every nation and tribe and tongue and people; that he has shaped and molded a people for himself from among the Jews and among the nations and brought them together into his church; that he has a new people, as it were, he has this new creation here and it is through the means of the church, it is through his creation of the church, through his inhabiting of the church by his Holy Spirit indwelling us, it is through the almighty, awesome, resurrection power that is at work in us who believe that God's glory is most manifest, it is most evident as we are reminded by the apostle, it is through the church that God is most seeking to bring honor and glory to his name.

And to reinforce this here of this unity that we have that he has already exhorted us in verses 1 through 3, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called," that is, our lives would be lived in such a way that they have accord with this great reality that God has already worked out and is working out in us that we're going to be manifesting in our lives this great calling and that we realize this marvelous purpose for which we have been created and we have been saved. We are to do this with all humility and gentleness and patience, bearing with one another in love, and to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So he gives these seven reasons now in verses 4 through 6 with regards to this unity of why we are to be eager to maintain this unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We saw last week that we have in the Church one body and one Spirit. There is one body, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one Holy Spirit, and he is at work in us who believe.

Today we hope to look at the last five reasons --

1. There is one and only one hope

He tells us there is one hope. What is this hope? Hope look towards that future of our the fullness of our salvation. We are saved, we are being saved, we will be saved. Here we are looking forward to the fullness of that salvation in Christ Jesus that we will experience the hope of glory of being with him. This is something that we often don't tend to think of as much, but there is in the Christian faith a future-orientedness. We look forward to his coming again with eager expectation.

We have this glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus pressed home to us by God the Holy Spirit reminding us of who he is and what Christ has come to do, and it's a hope that is not going to be a dud. It is a hope that will not make us to be ashamed, that we are not going to be embarrassed by it not coming through, as we live out our lives for him in this world.

Yes, we are called to live as a people who live according to this new reality in the kingdom of God, and the world may look at us and go, "What is going on with you? Why are you living in this way? Why are you acting, behaving in this manner? Why isn’t it getting you down? “ And the world would deride us for having this future orientation, to berate us for living in such a way that we know that we will be accountable to the great King and Judge on that day of his return, and yet we are not looking towards our earthly treasure but we are looking to our heavenly glory which is to come, our inheritance which is Christ Jesus himself. It is that one who is the center of our being.

2. There is one and only one Lord

Illus: Tchula and Church of Christ

Methodist - Mr Gwin’s church

Baptist - Mr. Smith’s church

Presbyterian - Mrs Jones’ church

There is one Lord, and remember we've used that term again and again, there's one and only one. The exclusivity of Christ's Lordship, he alone is Lord and it is inclusive, not only is it exclusive, he is the only Lord, the one and only one, but it is inclusive with regards to being Lord. In fact, this word "Lord" in the Greek is kurios, it is one who rules. He is one who is in charge by virtue of possession, and so the idea of rulership and possession go together with this term. It's a term used later on of masters in relation to their bondslaves, as we see here in Ephesians. It is, you remember, used of Sarah in calling Abraham her Lord in 1 Peter, but most especially we see it in the Greek Old Testament or the Greek version of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, it is the word that is used to translate the covenant name of God, Yahweh.

God owns us, this covenant God owns us and he is Lord and Master over us and so when we see this term in the particular context speaking of Christ, it is to remind us again that Jesus Christ indeed is Lord, that he is Yahweh, and that glorious day will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God, that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord.

So in the church, there is one and only one Ruler. There is not a multiplicity of rulers, there is only one Ruler, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not a separate ruler over the Jews and another one for the Gentiles. There's not one for those of a particular region and those for another region. Christ rules over all of the created order but especially in his church.

3. There is one and only one faith

There is one faith. Now the question is asked here: is he referring to something that is subjective or objective? Is it the subjective in the sense that the faith that we as believers have, this trust of Christ that we're to have and indeed all who are in the body of Christ have a living and active faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or is it objective, is it that body of doctrine, that body of teaching with regards to who God is and who we are and our sin and of the necessity of Christ and all that is summed up in him?

This is that one and only one, this inclusive, exclusive Christian faith. It includes all of the body of Christ. It is exclusive in that it is this faith and this faith alone. There is one and only one Lord Jesus Christ, one and only one justification by faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone. We are saved the same way. There is one and only one faith. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes unto the Father but by him and it's necessary that all hold this faith in the one and only one Lord Jesus Christ.

We have this faith once for all delivered to the saints. We have this body of doctrine here that is given to us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, so therefore if you do not actively believe what God has said about the Lord Jesus Christ, you do not have true faith in what God has said concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and concerning your need, the necessity of your being born again by the Spirit of God, you are none of his, you are not in Christ Jesus. It is a right doctrine and a right belief, it is together one faith as we look to him.

4. There is one and only one baptism

Then there is one baptism. The question is: is he referring to baptism, that rite by which we are included in the ranks of the visible church, or is he talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the one activity of the Holy Spirit that has brought us into unity with one another and with our Lord?

I tend to believe he is speaking of the activity of God the Holy Spirit but the fact that as we are baptized, we are having a demonstration, a sign to us of the working of God the Holy Spirit that we by faith believe would occur as we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In every believer there is that outpouring of God the Holy Spirit. There is on every believer that washing away of sin. There is in every believer that engrafting into Christ that is represented to us in the act of baptism itself. So there is one and only one baptism. There are not multiple baptisms in the sense that the Jews will have one and the Gentiles will have another, the Greeks will have another and the Romans will have another. No, there is one and only one that as we have this baptism of God the Holy Spirit, we are included in Christ Jesus.

5. There is one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all

One God

Now as we look at the text before us, we are struck with the fact that there is one and only one God. There isn't a multiplicity of gods, they're not layers upon layers of the gods of the pagan culture, and this is especially important for the Ephesians because, yes, Ephesus is the ground zero for the worship of Artemis or Diana of the Ephesians, but also in that culture you had just the many gods, a god for this and a god for that and this circumstance and that situation, you had all of these gods to appease and all of these spirits to contend with.

This declaration throws down the gauntlet. There is one and only one God and he must be worshiped exclusively. You cannot mix and match. You cannot have your own designer religion and take a little bit of Jesus here and a little bit of that god there, and this particular philosophy. It is exclusive. There is one and only one Lord, one and only one God and Father of all. This is a shot across the bow of every culture, of every society, of every age that there is one and only one God and the question that is implied in this, what are you going to do with this God? How are you going to relate to this God? And that you must serve him.

One Father

Then we're told there's one and only one Father. Now this is a radical concept, that there is one and only one Father and that God exists as Father in that he is that one that we have this blessing in in Christ Jesus; and that his kindness and his goodness and his mercy is demonstrated to us and that we might approach him.

Here this statement from the Apostle Paul is one that is staggering, that the Gentile is on the same footing with the Jew before this God and may appeal to him as a gracious Father.

God is over all and through all and in all.

By his Spirit, our heavenly Father, our God so infuses and completely envelops and enwraps and is through all and is indeed present in his church, spreading himself throughout all the members of the church, all the parts, embracing all in his love and in his care and his compassion and in his mercy. He governs it. He is everywhere in his church all at once; that he is especially pouring out his grace and mercy on each and every individual, each and every member, each and every part; that he is there.

He is transcendent

As one commentator wrote: He is the great God, high over all, robed in unsurpassible glory. There he is and there can be no superior, no coordinate sovereignty, that is, there's no one else kind of as co-ruler with him. The universe no less than the church lies beneath and far beneath his throne and the jurisdiction of that throne high and lifted up is paramount and unchallenged.

Ephesians 1:19–23 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

He is eminent

But then not only is this God transcendent over all things but he is also eminent. He is that God who is through all and in all. Just as the psalmist says in Psalm 139,

Psalm 139:7–12 ESV

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Children, if you remember in your Catechism, I want to ask you the question: where is God? And the answer is: God is everywhere.

That's right. So when mom and dad turn off your lights when they put you to bed, is God there? Can you see him? No, he doesn't have a body like men but he's there, isn't he? He is there. He is everywhere all at once.

If you are there at the hospital and you are receiving that awful news concerning your child, your wife or your husband, where is God? Children, what is the answer? God is everywhere. He is there and he is not silent. He is there, congregation. He is there, Christian. He is this God who is sovereign over all.

As Isaiah 66:1-2 tell us,

Isaiah 66:1–2 ESV

1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? 2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

This is where he especially dwells; he is throughout all his church but those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at his word.

Now notice here this all, all without exception because this God, this Father is transcendent and eminent, he is with his church wherever it is found; that he is that one who gives it salvation; that he is that one who gives it unity; he is that one who is with them and gives to us that sense of his presence. He is that one who reminds us, "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you." He is that one who is at work in us with those groans which cannot be uttered whereby we cry, "Abba, Father!" Father, and that word "Abba" there in Aramaic is daddy. That we are going to him. This is our Father, that there is one God and Father.

Implication

Our unity must be centred upon Christ

Last week the Session introduced at the AGM our congregation’s vision statement and core commitments.

Our vision is this:

We exist to learn about Jesus,

grow together in Jesus,

and declare to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord.

There must be that continual awareness that our unity as a congregation, our unity with the body of Christ centers on him; that it centers upon him, it isn't about us, it is always about him. It never has been about us, it never will be about us, it is all about our Lord Jesus Christ, it is all about this one God and Father, all about this one Holy Spirit.

There is only one God and we have to get this into our thinking. We have to work this into our daily profession of our faith as well because God is one. There's only one God and everything else is a lie. Everything else is not the one and only one God and because we are called to be like this God, we too must be one.

This God is indeed that Father to everyone whom he has birthed from above. As John 1 puts it, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

So this is our prayer and commitment as a congregation. As was stated in the booklet introducing the vision statement and core commitments,

So please pray together with us that we would learn about Jesus, grow together in Jesus, and declare to the world that Jesus is Lord. Pray for our Bible teaching, that we would clearly present Jesus. Pray that we would love to gather together as a church family to grow together in Jesus. Pray that we would service one-another, and not leave it to the pastors and elders. Pray that we would multiply gospel ministry and plant new churches.

And then, in the power that God’s Holy Spirit provides to his church, let’s be this church. Please remember that a church isn’t a building or business, it’s a family of people united in a particular place at a particular time by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So let’s be eager to know God more and more in his Word. Let’s look forward to coming to church together on Sundays and in our Grace Community Groups during the week. Let’s help one-another grow as followers of Jesus as we serve and disciple each other. Let’s be eager to share the gospel with our friends and families. Let’s aim to raise up workers for the harvest field, so churches can be planted and people reached for Christ far beyond the edge of our parking lot.