“Living As One”
Sermon Series: “One”
Ephesians 4:1-6
Introduction: The church is the body of Christ. We are many members who belong to the Lord. The church is the family of God. We are brothers and sisters because we have the same Father. Jesus prayed, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21). God requires unity in His Church. In fact, unity must be guarded and even fought for at all costs. Ultimately, the Bible teaches us that we are one in Christ, and we are to live as one. What do we need to do in order to live as one?
1. Obey the command to walk worthy of our calling by living as one with our brothers and sisters in Christ (v. 1, 3). “Walk” refers to a lifestyle. “Worthy” is translated from the word that we get our word, “axiom,” and it means, “to be of equal weight.” It means that the way we live is to be equal to our profession of Jesus and the possession of the incredible spiritual blessings He has given us. What a challenge! One of the ways we walk worthy is by living as one with other believers. We cannot be wrong with each other and be right with God!
2. Cultivate the spiritual characteristics that are necessary for us to be able to live as one (v. 2-3).
Humility
Meekness
Patience
Perseverance
Love
Peacemaker
3. Make a diligent effort to keep intact the oneness we have in the Lord (v. 3). We are to give our utmost effort to maintain unity in the Body of Christ. There are times and reasons to divide biblically, but we are to avoid it if at all possible. Divisiveness is a mark of extreme spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). I would hate to be the one who broke the unity of the Spirit in the Body of Christ and/or in a specific local church! How about you?
4. Understand the basis for our oneness, which is God Himself and His work in us (v. 4-6). The Triune God, who lives eternally in fellowship within Himself, is the example for Christian fellowship and unity. Paul repeats the word, “one,” throughout this section. There is one:
Body (the Church)
Holy Spirit
Hope of our calling (the return of Jesus)
Lord (Jesus our King)
Faith (the body of revealed Christian doctrine)
Baptism (the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the moment of our salvation)
Heavenly Father (“who is above all, and through all, and in you all”)
Conclusion: Are we really living as one with each other?
