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All right. Well, beautiful singing, if I not met you. My name is Aaron, and glad you’re here with us today. And so if you have a Bible with you, if you would open up to the book of ephesians, Ephesians, Chapter 4.
If you don’t have a Bible with you, if you’re not, There are Bibles scattered throughout the pews. It’s on page 568. And as you tune in there, just let you know, it was a really good week for our church. So we had our friends from Texas here from the church down there came and helped us do a soccer camp and a bunch of stuff around the church building, which was great. Wes had a great youth event.
And for the youth that are there, I am finding all of your little presents that you left for me to find throughout the church building. So I know there’s still more to find, but I have been finding some in this one right here. So thank you for entertaining me with that.
So our text to study today is gonna be verses 1 through 16 of chapter 4. So let me read the entire text, and then we’ll pray, and then we’ll get to work.
This is what the scripture says. So I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. With all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There’s one body, one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Father of all was over all things and through all, and in all but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Therefore it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. And saying he ascended, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so we no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves, carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness of deceitful, schemes, rather speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ, whom the whole body is joined and held together by every joint with which is equipped. When each part is working properly, makes the body grow so it builds itself up in love.
Okay, so that’s God’s word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me?
Lord, thank you for this time here. Thank you that yet again on another Sunday, you’ve gathered us together at Red Village to worship you, to sing, to pray, to fellowship, and to hear from your word. And Lord, ultimately that’s why we’re here this morning. We want to hear from you, from your word. So please use me as a vessel to that end.
And Lord, please bless the folly of my preaching. I do pray that land on soft hearts, press on Jesus name. Amen. Okay, so you’ve been around Red Village for any bit of time. You know that every good story starts out with the words.
So there we were. Okay, so there we were. And there’s a group of my friends, myself at the time were in the sixth grade. And the when where we were was lunchtime, which includes almost like an hour long recess. But for us that day, the where we were at least at the start of recess was not in the playground area with all the rest of the good little boys and girls, rather the group of friends that I was with.
We were in detention, which I don’t remember why we were in detention at that time, but. But I do remember that we desperately wanted out. If you are, or at one point were a middle school boy, you know that recess is easily the best part of the day. It’s kind of what you live for, to run around, get to hang out with your buddies. For us, that always included like a daily game of football, like, recess was glorious.
Well, that particular day, rather than playing football, at least at the start, which would be important information in the story, at least at the start, we sat in detention. And that day Mrs. S was our detention teacher. No, because my friends and I had, I guess you could say, some experience with detention. We all knew the different detention teachers who would stand guard, you know, over detention inmates. And we knew that Mrs. S was the weakest of them all.
And if there ever was going to be a detention, prison break, she’d be the one easiest for us to get by. So that day my friends and I came together and we made a pact. We decided we’re going to break out that day. We’re going to be playing football with the Rest of the good little boys and girls. Well, once again, by experience, we knew Mrs. S would get a little lazy in her supervision and often shortly into detention.
So we started our time. She’d leave the room for a bit and she’d go to the teacher’s lounge to grab some food. And as she left the room for a little bit of time, it gave us a window of time to implement a plan. Now, we knew we couldn’t simply leave the room because then she can find us and then she throws back in the clink and probably add to our detention sentence. So we just couldn’t leave.
So we had to figure out a plan that we could somehow get away with and leave without her fully realizing what we did. So, with all of our sixth grade wisdom and creativity, with a drawn out map of the detention cell and the hallway down to the teacher’s lounge, with an estimated window of time, which we felt we had to work, we started to scheme. And what we decided to do was as Mrs. S left, right, we’d all spring into action where each part would have an important role that would need it to carry out this plan. All hands on deck. All of us needed to function properly if we’re going to pull this off.
So a couple us would be in charge of standing at the lookout. A couple other of us would then lift another to be able to reach the clock, the back of the room by the door, to get out to churn the clock forward, where we had a leader, basically our mastermind, giving us like guidance along the way. By the way, if you’re wondering, no, it was not me. I don’t the mastermind don’t have that type of creativity, that type of wisdom. I was just a willing accomplice as a doorman.
Okay. So in this plan, we did all that we could to try to mess with the clock, to be able to turn it forward. So when Mrs. S got back to the detention cell, as she looked to the forward turn clock, she would have thought recess would be over. And then on her own accord, would release us from our sentence, thinking she was releasing us into the next class. But in truth, when she was releasing to us recess, football.
So for me, not gonna lie, as the kids say, it’s kind of a low key, great plan. We’re really excited about this. So right on schedule, Ms. S leaves the room, she heads to the lounge. We spring into action, the mastermind of the plan, leading, guiding us, each of us performing our role to excellence, with enthusiasm, with unity, eager to see this plan move forward. Were pun intended.
We work like a Swiss clock, flawless in our execution. As we work together with this excellence, with unity, with enthusiasm. As each of us played a role. Indeed, we were able to turn the clock forward to determine time with all of us charge and look out, myself included. As that was happening, saw Ms. S on her way back.
So we gave the signal. Everyone get back to their desk, where we’re told to sit in quietness to the end of recession. So as Mrs. S goes back to the room, it was as if she left it as if nothing happened. She got back none the wiser. As this happened, the mastermind raised his hand.
Mrs. S. By looking at the clock, it seems as if we have served our time where we sat here the entire time at our desk in quiet reflection. And you know what, Mrs. S? We’ve learned our lesson. We have learned the errors of our way. We will never again do bad things.
Thank you, Mrs. S. So for so faithfully serving us. You did all that we needed you to do today. And because the clock above the door tells us it’s time to go to class, it’s okay with you, Mrs. S. We’ll just like quietly walk out, head to class, lesson learned. We will never misbehave again. We promise.
As Mrs. S heard this one, she’s a little flattered, but also a little confused. Well, thank you for saying that. But is recess really already over? It seems like it just started. So she looks at the clock that we set forward.
She responds back and more confused. And wow. Time really does fly. Okay, boys, you have served your sentence. You can go free.
And as we heard these magnificent words come out of our mouth, it took everything we had to contain the excitement, the amazement. We actually pulled it off. It actually worked. So, suppressed excitement, we slip out of the room, no eye contact with anyone, quietly walk down the hall to the recess area, not wanting to bring any attention to ourselves. That day.
That day, my friends and I enjoyed a large portion of recess playing football. It was great. Now, yes, it didn’t take Ms. S long to realize that we bamboozled her. However, whether it’s out of, like, embarrassment that she got tricked by us, maybe it was just like a tip of the hat of respect that we were able to pull this off. Later that day, we got away scot free.
And not only did he enjoy football, but for the rest of the year, we were legends among the rest of the middle school kids. And as we were legends, we also learned a valuable lesson. The lesson of power. Of coming together as one to be able to accomplish like a monumental task. Now I’ll tell you that story.
I love that story. But in a bit of roundabout way, we’re going to set this up for a text today which, as mentioned last week, is part two of a little miniseries that we’re doing in Ephesians 3 and 4. A passage centered on the local church, which was mentioned last week, really ought to be a priority for us as Christians that God has designed his people to be involved and invested in local churches because through the church, that’s where God is putting his power and his wisdom and his love and his glory on display. Now today, as we work through Ephesians 4 as relates to the story just told, we see a bit more of how the church is to like live together. We see God has given leaders to help the church do various work ministry set before them.
We which is a work, a ministry that hopefully we’re doing together with like a lot of unity and enthusiasm and excellence. We’re all working and functioning together with a shared goal to accomplish a most significant and monumental thing to bring glory to Christ as God uses his church, local churches, to advance his Gospel, his kingdom, to the very ends of the earth, which he does by setting the captives free through his death and resurrection from the dead on the third day. So this brings us back to our text today. So you want to look back with me starting in verse one. So if you’re new to Red Village today, so all I’m going to do is just kind of walk us right back through the text.
If you have your Bible open, please do keep it open. And as we work through this today, there is a lot going on. Not this time, not because of no pun intended here, but because of time constraints. I’m going to have to work through this kind of quickly. So verse one.
So we read this. It says, I, therefore, prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which you have been called. Okay, now just to stop the I in verse one. So this is the Apostle Paul, who was the writer of this letter as mentioned last week. He also is the one who is the one who started the church in Ephesus, which you can read about in the Book of Acts, him referencing being a prisoner of the Lord.
This is not simply a metaphorical description of Paul. You describe his commitment to Christ, even though that was metaphorically true. But the description here is more than that. As Paul wrote this letter, as mentioned last week, he actually did from a prison cell. Like he literally was a prisoner for the Lord.
And he found himself in prison not because he did something bad, rather he was there because of something good, particularly the good of proclaiming good, the good news found in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection in our text. Last week, as Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus from prison, he did so with the church, not wanting the Church to be discouraged that he was imprisoned, where in their discouragement, perhaps they’d be tempted to, like, shrink back from their faith, from their own proclamation of the Gospel. Rather, we saw last week as Paul wrote to them from prison. He said it was for their glory, for their good. As Paul being in prison for his faith was to be a means by which God would strengthen the Church in Ephesus in their faith.
One of the great ways that Paul hoped the Church would be strengthened in their faith would be how they were walking with God and with each other, or in the text. Paul urged them to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, which is the calling to be a Christian, whereby the grace and kindness of mercy of God, the power of spirit God is calling a people to himself, calling people out of spiritual death to spiritual life found in him. And as we live in spiritual life in Christ, we are to live together in community as the Church. Whereas we live together as the Church, we’re to do so in ways that are worthy of this work that God has done in our life. In the text, this worthy walk is a walk filled with humility.
We’re counting others more significant than ourselves. It’s a walk filled with gentleness, where we’re kind towards one another, even kind to those maybe we’re not on the same page with, or we’re kind towards others who are starting to wander away from their calling. So with the spirit of gentleness, like we’re lovingly calling them back to their faith so they might walk in a manner worthy of the calling in the text. The worthy calling also requires patience, where we’re patient with God, patient with each other, knowing that we all are a work in progress, where God is so patient with us as he’s growing us. And because God is so patient with us, we ought to be patient with others as God is growing them as well.
And for us, these traits, they must be present if we’re going to live out our faith in a manner worthy of what God has done for for us through Jesus Christ. By the way, this walking in a manner worthy of our calling, this is actually one of the great and true ways by which we worship our God. Keep going in text as A church lived in this worthy manner, naturally, what would start to occur more and more, that they would start to bear with one another in love, which is always necessary and and always needed. In church life, which we can talk about more in just a bit, to bear with one another in love, but to keep going. As a church loves one another, we’re to do so in verse three, by being eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit and in the bonds of peace, which I think for us here, we can recognize that these things are not always easy for us to do, even in church life.
So backing up is not always easy to bear with one another in love. It’s not always easy to maintain unity and the bonds of peace with one another. Which is why church life is far too often marked by things like strife, division, harshness, bitterness, where we’re so consumed by ourselves, our own personal preferences, that we forget about the desires and needs of others. Which is why Paul had to urge them here, and by extension to urge us as well, to work hard with eagerness to love one another, to work hard to maintain the unity of the Spirit, to work hard to preserve the bonds of peace, and just to be pushed a little bit further, we can be humble. What’s easy.
It’s actually easy for churches to fracture. And I was actually part of a church that fractured a number of years back. It is awful. It was really hard, really painful. I know others here this morning have had similar past experience in churches that you’re a part of that have fractured.
So for us, let’s be eager to hear this in the passage and continue to hear this, to understand, to heed to this urging to love one another, to strive to live in unity and peace with one another, remembering that Christ died to bring about these things for us, that we might have love and unity and peace, not just with God, but with each other. And by the way, if you’re wondering why it is that we take the Lord’s Supper each week, and maybe why it is like we actually serve it up front, and why it is we actually sometimes encourage you to look at others as they take the meal. This is actually a real reason here. The Lord’s Supper is a meal that reminds us of the love and the unity and the peace that we have with God and with each other, perhaps next time, maybe even today, they feel a little frustrated towards someone in the church as you take the Lord’s Supper, as you see them enjoy the Lord’s Supper as well, be reminded that through Christ, through you’ve been given love and unity and peace with that person. So that in verse four of the text, we all can prove and testify to the truth that there’s one body, one Spirit, just to be called into one hope that belongs to your calling.
Or in verse five, there’s one Lord, one faith, one Baptist, one God and Father over all things, who is through all and in all. For us to hear these one statements not only communicate important theological truths concerning our God, there’s just one, one true and living God, and He has one truth that he’s given to his people through his holy and sacred word, but these important theological truths about our God. This is Paul now using them to stress to the Church in Ephesus and by extension us, just the importance of unity within the church. So like these important theological truths concerning God, as a church seeks to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, we are to do so as one, all working together as one for the glory of God, for our enjoyment of God, with the hopes that God will use us as one to do significant, monumental things with hopes of seeing his gospel advance. Keep going.
Verse 7. Read this. But grace was given to each one of us according to Christ’s gift. This here, this is Paul now starting to explain that within the oneness, the one nature of what the church should look like, oneness of purpose, but there also is great diversity where each one of us in the church is gifted a little differently to help serve the body. So something we looked at a bit last week in the manifold or the multifaceted wisdom of God.
Yes, the church ought to have great unity, great oneness, but in that oneness there’s this manifold diversity. And here in verse seven, this is specifically, I think, speaking towards the diversity of like, our gifting. We’re in the church like not all the same, but we’re not all the same in terms of our gifts or our strengths or our God given ability that he’s given us to serve His Church. We’re different. It’s part of God’s manifold wisdom, maybe just to help us kind of see that.
Let me just read this to you from 1 Corinthians 12, which is written by the same person, the Apostle Paul. This further speaks about the unity within the diversity of gifting. So he wrote this, says, now there are a variety of gifts with the same Spirit, and there are a variety of services, but the same Lord, there are a variety of activities, but the same God who empowers them all. And everyone then dropping down verse 14 of 2nd Corinthians or 1st Corinthians 12. For the body does not consist of one member, but many.
If the foot should say, because I’m not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I’m not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the senses of hearing? If the whole body wouldn’t ear would be the sense of smell. But as it is, God has arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he has chose.
If all were a single member, where would the body be? As is written, there are many parts but one body. Thus the eye cannot say the hand, I have no need of you, nor can the head say the feet, I don’t know if no needed for you. So. So for us, whatever gifting God has given to us, as mentioned last week, that’s a gift, that’s a grace in our life that we are to use.
Whatever the diversity of gifting that we have, we are to use to serve God, to serve others as a real part of our worship of God, as an overflow of what God has done through us, through Christ Jesus. Verse 8 says this. Therefore it says, when he, meaning Christ, ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Now this here, this is a quote from the Old Testament book of Psalms, Psalm 68, which is a psalm that speaks towards like the victory of God over his enemies, which now here Paul is using our text to describe God’s ultimate victory, which is given to us through the legion of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who came to set his people free from the traps of sin and death, and the devil, which our Lord did through his death and resurrection on the cross, where he died in our place, only to rise again on the third day. And as Christ came to free his people, he also came to give his church to his people, gifts by which they would serve him, serve each other.
Verse 9 to 10. So now Paul gives you a little explanation to explain what he’s communicating with this quote from Psalms saying he, Christ ascended, rose again, ascended back to assembly throne. What does it mean? Basically, does it not mean that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? He who descended is one who also ascended far above all things, that he might fill all things.
Now it’s going to be the time constraints. Unfortunately, we can’t sit on this too long to consider these verses, but for me, the Descending into the lower region simply refers to Christ being buried after his death. Although, as I say that I should mention, throughout church history, many actually believe that Christ died and actually went into hell to declare his victory in hell, which certainly could be true. In fact, in my own mind, I’ve actually gone back and forth even this morning, driving here, like, what is this actually referring to? This ending.
So even though Christ descended into earth through death, he did not say dead, but as mentioned, on the third day, he rose again from the dead to prove his victory, his defeat over all of his enemies, including the sins of his people. So through his death and resurrection, we can find forgiveness in the text because he ascended from the dead, he ascended ultimately back to his heavenly throne, which is where our Lord Jesus will sit eternally as the one who is above all things, who is far superior than all things in the text. Because Christ is the victor. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is one who is far above all things. He is the one who has all authority to give gifts, gifts to his people.
Gifts that they are to use in service in Him. Gifts we are to use to worship Him. Gifts, differing gifts that we are to use to put on display God’s manifold wisdom. Gifts that we are to use to bless others in the church. And as we use these gifts as we live out as a church, as we put the manifold wisdom of God in display, as we learned last week, the angels in heaven and the demons in hell, they see it.
And they see it in a way that they know as we are serving one another through our gifts. What we’re doing is we are declaring for heaven and hell to see that our God reigns. We are declaring that Christ indeed is the victor. And that’s true. However you may be serving, as small as it might seem to you, as you serve the Church, that is what you are declaring for heaven and hell to see, to say it again, that God reigns, that Christ is the victor, that indeed Jesus is the one who is above all things.
Keep going. Verse 11. Not only did Christ come to give gifts to his people, we also see that he gave to His Church the gift of leadership. Leaders who are there to equip his people as he lead and care for his people. So that through the church, through the people of the Church as they use their gifts as they worship and serve Christ.
Read this. That He Christ, the Head of the Church, gave the Church apostles and prophets for authoritative leaders in the foundation, foundational starting up of the Church. Where in the early church receive like personal ministry from the apostles and prophets like the Apostle Paul, for us, we receive this ministry specific teaching as it’s been passed down to us in scriptures. So Ephesians 2 actually tells us that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being our cornerstone. It’s not just those roles that God gave to the church, the apostles and prophets, but in the text we also see he gave to the Church the gift of evangelists and shepherd teachers or pastors, which are leadership roles that are active and present today.
For churches like ours receive ministry from leadership roles and in real personal ways. In the text, verse 12, we see that Christ gave the gift of these leadership roles to the Church for the leaders to in turn equip the saints, all those who are in the Church who have faith in Christ to equip them, so that as the church body, they might use their gifts to do the work of the ministry. Meaning if you’ve been called to Christ by faith in him, you’ve also been called to do ministry, both organic ministry or ministry within the structure of the church, all types of ministry, to build up the body of Christ so that the church as a whole would be strong, growing in our faith, including in ways in verse 13, if you want to take your eyes there. Until we all attain the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, where we all are spiritually mature in our faith to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Meaning as we do the work of ministry through the use of gifts, through acts of service, it’s there to help all of us become more and more like Jesus, including with things like our humility and our gentleness and our patience and our love.
Verse 14. So that through this mutual serving of one another by all of us doing the work of ministry, we no longer would be like spiritual infants or children who are being tossed to and fro by the ways of life. Or that we’d be carried about by every wave of false doctrine that might come our way. Or that we’d be duped by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes, which is a reality today, just as it was back then. So many false voices competing to get place in our minds, to move us away from Christ, from serving his church.
So that rather than being tossed to and fro, rather than being duped in verse 15, we’d be mature, mature in ways that we’d be able to speak the truth in love to one another. Words filled with truth, with love, words that are good for Building up as fits the occasion that our words may give grace to all those who hear, so that we all would grow up in every way. Our text tells us into him who is the head of the church, into Christ who is the very one in verse 16, whom the whole body, the entire church, including our little church here, Red Village Church, is joined and held together by joint so that we would become one in Christ by which the church is equipped. So each part, every last one of us would be working to together properly to be used by God. Say it again.
To make the entire church body grow. So build itself up in love. This year I think this actually teaches a couple things, at least a couple things. First, remind that everyone in the church is to find a place to be able to serve the rest of the body. Friends, if you are in Christ, you have gifts that Christ desires to use so that all of the church will benefit from those gifts which are negative.
If we’re not serving the church with our gifts, it’s actually a detriment to the rest of the body. But second, on the positive, I think this teaching is also teaching like a compounding effect when it comes to our service to one another, especially as you serve with a heart of love. So as we work together as one, we’re all using our gifts, we’re all doing the works of ministry. It compounds and what it does, it causes the church to even more so come together as one, to even more so do the work of the ministry to even more so build up each other in love. It compounds, it snowballs.
Where the church starts to feed itself with the love of Christ, causing it to grow more and more, which I do trust is what we all love to see here, this compounding effect of the love of Christ here at Red Village Church for us. We’re going to stop in our text today, but before I close, I do have a few things I just want to press on us by further application, things we’ve already covered, but I just want to press on a little bit more. So I just have three things for us. So first, church, let us strive to stay united, which will always be one of the most important things that we do as a church, but will also be one of the most difficult things that we’ll do together as a church. Being united as a church can be hard.
It can be weary work. And because it can be hard, because it can be weary, we really do need to hear and heed the words of the passage to urge and to continue to urge with each other on this end, to Stay unified, you know, without urging, without putting hard work very quickly, a church can fracture, leaving so much pain, so much hurt for all involved. So let me just give you a couple practical things kind of on this and towards unity, just to kind of help with that. So first, friends, a lot of unity is just simply showing up. Okay, so Rob Fisher, one of your favorite elders here, at least in the top, whatever, how many we have four, something like that.
Top four of your favorite elders. So he loves a quote from Woody Allen that just simply says 80% of success in life is just simply showing up. That’s actually really true even in church life. Just like kind of showing up in ways that you’re involved in the lives of others. What that does, it can actually help create and strengthen bonds of unity.
This doesn’t mean every time the doors of the church are open or every time there’s church activity that you have to be there. So life happens, which makes things kind of difficult to show up. Although I do want to say that prioritize and Sunday morning should be something we all do. Like Sunday mornings are just so important with all other things as you’re able just try to show up, try to be involved, be intentional, to be in the lives of others. Showing up, being around, being present.
It actually helps with unity. Don’t underestimate that. Second thing, I just want to kind of press on us. So unity comes when we treat others in the way we hope others will treat us. That helps build unity, keeps bonds at peace, right?
We know this, what our Lord told us, Jesus said this. So whatever you wish others would do to you, do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets, which in your text means we ought to treat others in the church with humility, with gentleness, with patience.
We were seeking to bear with one another in love and sit again. Yes, at times it can really be a bear to love others. But let’s remind ourselves, yes, at times it can also be real bare for others to love and endure you as well. Okay, friends, let us strive and continue to strive to be a church that’s unified on the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, let us strive to minister to one another, which by the way, is also really important for the sake of unity.
As we seek to serve and minister to the body that is Red Village Church. It creates deeper bonds of unity. As I mentioned last week, kind of mentioned just a moment ago in kind of passing. So we all hope we can find ways to serve and minister the structure that is Red Village Church. All the different, organized, structured Ministries that we have, many of them take place on Sundays, although there are plenty of things that take place throughout the week as well.
We would love for all of us, and really we need all of us to find a place or places to serve, to use your God given gifts that Christ Himself has given to you just to serve the organized structure that is the church. But it’s not just the organized structure of the church where we hope everyone can serve. Mentioned last week kind of in passing again this week. We also need members who are using their gifts, who are seeking out and finding more organic ways to serve and minister to one another. This can be done just through a host of different ways that we can serve.
So over the years here with things like just simply checking in with someone who’s having a difficult time, or maybe like making a meal for someone that you know the church is sick or just not in a great place, or maybe just like inviting over someone who’s like new to the church that you don’t know very well and you invite them over just on your own just so you get to know them, just so you can like practice hospitality there. These are many. There’s so many ways that we can serve and minister to each other. And as we do, this builds up unity. And not only that, as mentioned earlier, as we serve, however we’re serving, it’s declaring that Christ reigns.
It’s declaring that he is the victor. And as we serve, how as we’re serving, this is us worshiping him. Which by the way, is why we want to serve with excellence and with joy. This is a great way by which we worship the One who died and rose again. For us this leads to the third and final thing.
Church. Let us strive to do all things in love, which for us always starts with the love of Christ, the love that he has for us. Love, a love that we all must know. And let that love, like, control us, compel us to love others. The love of Christ is love that we see demonstrated for us in His Gospel or in his great love.
Christ came not to be served, but to serve as he gave his life as a ransom for many, where in his great love he became the propitiation of our sins. Because he’s the one who descended into death only to ascend back into eternal life where he rules and reigns far above all heavens. Church. May we all know the love of Jesus Christ, and may that love control us and compel us to not just love Jesus back, but also to love each other back. For we are His Church.
His body so may we love one another. Let me just read this. This is also in 1 Corinthians. This is 1 Corinthians 13. So a lot of us are familiar with this passage.
So this comes right on the heels read earlier from 2 Corinthians 12. In different parts of the church used to serve Christ. So this is how we are to love. It says, if I speak in the tongues of angels, or tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I’m a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic powers, understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith as remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. And for us, love is patient and kind. Love doesn’t envy or boast. It’s not arrogant or rude. It doesn’t insist in its own way.
It’s not irritable, it’s not resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing. Rather, it rejoices with the truth. Love, it bears all things, it believes all things. It hopes all things, it endures all things.
Love, it never ends. And church, may that be true of us, that our church is filled with that type of love, the love of Christ that compels us to love him, to love each other, to love in ways that we’re unified and serve one another, to build each other up, as mentioned in there, so we’re not tossed to and fro or carried away. Rather, we love each other in ways that we’re growing into maturity, into the fullness of Christ Church. May God use us, use us in ways for his glory, for our good, that are according to his great glorious and eternal plan. We might come together with great unity, enthusiasm and excellence.
So for the glory of God, he would put his power on display through us to do monumental, eternal things with the time that he has given to us. Let’s pray.
Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you for passages like this in Ephesians 4 that just help us as a church to know how we are, to be that which you desire us to be. And Lord, thank you. Not only that through Christ did you forgive us and you given us the promise of eternal life, but through Christ we have been given gifts, used to be used to serve you, to serve others. God, please help us to use these gifts well.
And Lord, I do pray that you would help our church family here to strive to live at peace with one another, with unity with one another. Lord, help us to not grow weary and bearing with one another in love.
And Lord, we just pray that you would use Red Village Church in great ways for your glory and our good and pray song Jesus name, Amen.