Maturing in Unity

Outline

3 traits of a church maturing in Christian unity

I. Remain Stable when Presented with False Doctrine (v.14)

Ephesians 4:14 - As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…

A. By understanding the true doctrine

Acts 17:11 - Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

B. By recognizing when there is deceit

Ephesians 5:6 - Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

II. Be Committed to Speaking the Truth in Love (v.15a)

Ephesians 4:15 - …but speaking the truth in love…

A. Communication grounded in the truth of God’s word

Psalm 19:7-11 - The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

B. Communication focused on loving others

Philippians 2:3-4 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

James 1:19-20 - This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

C. Christ is our example of this kind of speech

John 8:29 - And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.

III. Embrace Your Role in the Body of Christ (v.15b-16)

Ephesians 4:15b-16 - …we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

A. Christ is the head

Colossians 2:19 - …and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

B. Your role is important to the body

1 Corinthians 12:14-27 - For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

C. This is growth grounded in love

Have you ever considered the importance of keeping your focus on the right target in order to end up in the right location?

About 16 years ago, I moved here to Faith with my wife and we started attending the church as I worked as a custodian for this building.

I had just moved here after Pastoring a church in Wisconsin for 5 years. In those 5 years, I had turned my source of happiness and comfort from the Lord to food, and was fully enveloped in gluttony that had begun to destroy my life.

Through the ministries of this church, I was encouraged to change my heart and a result of that was to change my actions as well. So, I started working out.

As time went on, I had shed well over 150 pounds and was approaching the 200 pounds lost mark and my workouts were becoming a bit more discouraging as I was seeing less weight loss. That is when I discovered that the Pastor’s were into running triathlons.

And so, I did something crazy, I signed up for a triathlon about 6 months and decided to start training for it. And some of the Pastors decided to join me for this triathlon as a way to encourage me for this challenge. (Triathlon 1 pic)

So, I started swimming pretty regularly in the pool at the community center. (Swimming Pool pic)

Finally, the day came for the big race. We headed down to the Morse Reservoir and walked across a bridge where we jumped into the freezing water to get ready for this race.

That is when I discovered a major problem, that I had never anticipated.

• We were supposed to swim across this lake to these inflatable arm tube guys (Wavy Arm Guys pic)

• But as soon as I took my glasses off, I realized I had not considered that I would not be able to see across the lake (bad eyes pic)

• As the race started it was not too bad, but I was like a barge racing a bunch of jet skis. And soon even the other swimmers were out of sight.

• And I was trying to swim to a goal I could not see.

• I swam pretty far off target.

• Eventually, I found where I was going and finished that triathlon firmly in second to last place (Triathlon 2)

• I have not and never will swim across a lake again without prescription swim goggles.

This story illustrates well for us the passage for today. Please turn in your Bible to Ephesians 4, that is page 152 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you.

This year has been a pretty exciting year of ministry here at Faith Church. We have had the opportunity to watch the Lord continue to bless the ministries of our church in a variety of ways.

Regular reports surface of folks who have accepted Christ as their personal Savior. Multiple opportunities have been given to see the faithful service of our church family.

God has also provided us opportunity after opportunity to be able to add to our ministry through a variety of ways.

All of this happens not because we are amazing. It is not because we have the best looking Pastoral staff, or because we have the most gifted Pastoral staff. In fact, in many ways we look at the ministries God has chosen to allow us to steward, it leaves us thinking why would God choose us to do that?

And a big part of that reason is due to the faithful tradition of this church to the doctrine of the Word of God. This has never been about a few leaders deciding what we should say or even what we should do. That foundation has remained firmly planted in the Word of God.

So, we want to think about the ways that we can be Building on Our Heritage. We are now almost 6 months into our study and have been giving the majority of our attention to the book of Ephesians. And it has been a delight.

Ephesians is a letter that has been strong on theology and the practical applications of Theology.

Last week we spent some time thinking about the gifting that God has given the church. Let’s take a running start at our passage to remember what we talked about last week and then look at our passage for today.

Let’s read starting In Ephesians 4:11-16,

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

• God has given to the church evangelists, pastors, and teachers to teach us the message of the Word of God.

• The Apostles and Prophets were essential to establish what these messages where.

• Now the Pastors and Teachers are using their gifts for the purpose of training the church to do the work of service

• To ultimately build up the Body of Christ

• For the purpose of unity

• So that we know who the Son of God is and we are grounded in that Gospel knowledge.

• As a result we will be a mature (or complete follower)

• That is walking in the fullness of Christ

• Now notice what happens as a result of that maturity…

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NASB95)

Today let us consider how we are to be Maturing in Unity. With the remaining time let us consider 3 traits of a church maturing in Christian unity.

Remain stable when presented with false doctrine (v.14)

Ephesians 4:14

¹⁴ As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

There are a couple of pretty vivid illustrations in this verse.

• Children

• We were just told in verse 13 that we are to be mature.

• And then he mentions here in our verse that we do not want to be like children.

• Kids are amazing, I love them and enjoy working with them.

• But there are 2 levels of difference here in these verses.

• First a child is different than a mature man.

• The other difference though is in the switch of number.

• A unified church should look far different than a preschool classroom.

• Lacking in direction

• Being susceptible to manipulation and error.

• One of the signs of immaturity is being thrown all over the place by the different waves of thought that beat against you.

• These are vivid pictures of what it is like to not be rooted in the knowledge of the Son of God.

By understanding the true doctrine

How are you most likely to see the false doctrine that will try to lead astray?

How are you going to expose the false teachers that may gain in popularity, but are actively leading souls away from the truth?

You have to have a deep understanding of the truth so you can expose the lies that come in.

In Acts 17:11, notice the description of the Berean church;

Acts 17:11

¹¹ Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

The key is to be filled with the understanding of God’s Word so that we are being made more and more like Christ.

Illustration: Grandma working at the bank and being able to identify counterfeit bills simply by feel.

So the more we know the truth the more we will be able to…

By recognizing when there is deceit

Ephesians 5:6

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

There is a fair amount of false doctrines that have crept into churches over the years.

• There are all sorts of attempts of people to redefine what Scripture clearly says in order to support their particular position.

• People are using biblical gymnastics to make portions of Scripture carry a different meaning than the whole of Scripture.

• There are preachers who teach that the crux of the Bible is to be a moral person, instead of being a humbled sinner who has been redeemed by a loving God, who chose you, adopted you, redeemed you, so you will glorify Him.

• They don’t want to teach the truths of sin, separation, and the need for a Savior.

• Instead, they want to tell you that you are basically good.

Friends, consider the importance of having a mature faith.

Application:

• Learning deeper truths of Scripture.

• FCI

• ABF

• Youth Ministries

• Children’s Ministries

• VBS

• Adventure Camp

• Winter Break Ministry

• VBS

• Living Nativity

• Counseling Ministry

• ABF

• Bible Studies

• Youth Ministry

• Children’s Ministry

• Etc.

Illustration: Recognizing a phone scam.

II. Be committed to speaking the truth in love (v.15a)

Ephesians 4:15

¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love,…

How hard is it to tell someone the truth? Is it more loving to tell them or to let it go?

Illustration: Chili on my shirt.

Communication grounded in the truth of God’s word

Psalm 19:7–11

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. ⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. ⁹ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. ¹⁰ They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.

What is the relationship between the church and truth?

• We go to church to learn the truths of God’s Word, for this reason He has given the church Pastors and Teachers.

• It is our responsibility as teachers and Pastors to be diligently seeking out the truth of God’s Word so that we can effectively communicate those truths.

• It is imperative that the one teaching or preaching is faithfully standing on the truth of God’s Word.

• The Heritage of faithful truth telling from the pulpits and classrooms of this church.

• FBS

• Ordination

• The Gospel puts on level ground

• Without the cross we are hopeless

• With the cross we are unified.

• Dead in our sin

• Made alive in Christ

• Gospel appeal.

This must not be merely about acquiring Knowledge.

There are a whole lot of people who have whole lot of knowledge about the deeper things of God’s Word, but it is practically useless because they do not know how to share it with others.

• For the sake of being right they become needlessly controversial.

• For the sake of proving their point they become uncharitable in their presentation.

“Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.” (1 Corinthians 8:1, NASB95)

It is necessary that our delivery of truth with come from…

Communication focused on loving others

The whole point being made here is that the truth is loving.

The word for “truth” here is actually a verb; a literal translation is “truthing in love.”^[1]

The communication of the Gospel or of the truths of God’s Word is ultimately the greatest act of loving communication.

This means our approach to the truths of God’s Word must come from a heart of care for the person it is being presented to.

Philippians 2:3–4

³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

This means I must be well prepared to handle the attacks of the world against this loving truth I am presenting.

James 1:19–20

¹⁹ This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

There are a couple of truths we must expand upon here as we consider this.

1. It is loving for you to actually communicate the truth of the Gospel, and conversely it is unloving to not communicate the truth of the Gospel.
2. I must have the proper focus on Christ to be able to communicate truth in love.

We naturally want pleasure, respect, our needs met, and because of that we typically judge and criticize others unlovingly.

In from Pride to Humility, Stuart Scott calls this the Anthropocentric mindset. This is the prideful perspective focused solely on myself and not thinking of others.

Please insert these pictures if possible

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTeW9tDD38MwuuNvz1CoC1-b9F78kov7y9JWWkHayTUL6kmAOWFdm3UrXtWMBQ3XSeeZ0I&usqp=CAU

In order to not fall into this trap, we must learn to be humble and have a Theocentric mindset. This is a low and sober-minded perspective that thinks of how to serve God and others first before ourselves.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSANLCUk4_dxQZf_Wg6zpArLnn-gKX1EDibue5EDBdwlw&s

This is a humble mindset that leads us to love one another and be able to share the truth with each other in love.

If my focus is to serve and love you before myself, then my speech will reflect that, my actions will reflect that even when I am wanting to correct or teach you.

1. Clean this up more.

Christ is our example of this kind of speech

John 8:29

²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.

Consider for a minute example of loving yet direct ministry that Jesus did while He was on earth.

• He was not afraid to challenge those who were teaching false doctrines.

• However, he was incredibly loving in His communication with those who needed the Gospel.

• He sought out those who needed healing.

• He fed the crowd that the disciples found annoying.

• He called for the children to be brought to Him.

• Community Based Outreach Ministry

• Faith Biblical Counseling

III. Embrace your role in the body of Christ (v.15b-16)

Ephesians 4:15b–16

…we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Christ is the head

The imagery now shifts to a body.

The unified church is like a well-tuned body that is working together to accomplish it’s purpose.

The most important piece of this body is the head. Without a head you cannot be a complete body.

Colossians 2:19

¹⁹ and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

We are joined together as part of the body of Christ because of our connection to Christ.

• This is the ultimate unifier

• I am part of the body of Christ.

This means that…

Your role is important to the body

1 Corinthians 12:14–27

¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. ¹⁹ If they were all one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ But now there are many members, but one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; ²³ and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, ²⁴ whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, ²⁵ so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷ Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

Expand on this and illustrate it.

This is growth grounded in love

Expand on this and illustrate it.

^[1] Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 206.