Becoming a Mature Church

Posted on by Jennifer Sterling

Ephesians 4: 17-32

        17 So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking, 18 and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts. 19 They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed.

20 But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ. 21 Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, 22 change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.

25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor[a] because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.

29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. 30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.

Prayer:

  1. When we began studying the Epistle of Ephesians, in the first chapter we discovered that we were chosen by God even before God created the world.
    1. And at the same time, the plan for our life with Christ was set into motion.
  2. God’s plan included the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit’s presence gives us the ability to say no to sin’s temptation. 
    1. Also, God’s indwelling in us is the sign of our adoption into the family of God, which is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
  3.  Last week we read of Paul praying for the church, that each member would be strengthened with might through God’s Spirit in us,
    1. that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith;
    1. that each of us would be rooted and grounded in love,
    1. that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which passes knowledge and that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.
  4. Now we come to the fourth chapter, a turning point in the epistle.
  5. The first three chapters of Ephesians contain the theology— which means the explaining of what God has done for us.
  6. Now, in Chapter 4 we come to the daily living portion that tells us how to respond to God’s magnificent love which He has bestowed upon us. 
  7. This is where a lot of people start – the “how we should live” portion of the Bible. 
  8. The reason for Paul’s prayer in the last chapter is to get us started on the right foot.
    1. When you first realize that we were adopted into God’s family, elected before the foundation of the world, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and sealed with the Holy Spirit—, then the living part makes sense.
    1. Without understanding the first three chapters, then all you have is a bunch of rules and regulations. 
  9. That’s why some people come to church for a little while and then drop out, or why they never come in the first place. 
    1. All they see is a bunch of rules. You can’t make God love you any more by obeying a bunch of rules.
  10. Our Christian walk is not something we do to try to earn God’s favor or merit His love.
    1. Rather, it is our response as to how God loves us, what He’s done for us, and how good He’s already been to us.
    1. We love Him, the apostle John said, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
  11. God is the Initiator, we are the responders.
    1. We don’t love God so God will love us. We love Him because He first loved us.
  12. As we look at the verses in the reading for today – we find that Paul is teaching us – giving us instruction as how to live a life in Christ as a member of a church. And thru us, we become a mature church!
  13. What he is saying is that we have to change the way we live – the responsibility that we have to each other.
  14. Listen again to what Paul is saying to each of us as we seek to be faithful members of a church and to share our walk with Christ with each other.
  15. 25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor[a] because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.
  16. 29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. 30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.
  1. My there are a lot of comments about how to live a respectful, Christ centered lives. I suspect that many people who claim Christ as their Savior and Lord – fall short on living up to the high mark as established by Paul.
  2. We try – but we fail. I know that there are many times when I fall back to my old ways. Sometimes my language would like to revert to the street talk that I know – I do pull back – with the comment – I have a “non-pastoral” word that describes that situation – and everyone understands my comments.
  3. We are so tempted aren’t we to revert back to our old ways?
  4. With the power of the Holy Spirit, our words thoughts and actions can become more Christ like.
  5. Let’s look at only two aspects of Chapter 4 – vs.
    1. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil.
    1. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.
  6. It is so easy to become angry about something that someone did to you or said to you – and we all know that – especially in a church setting – it is easy to lose our temper. Maybe we grow angry or frustrated with a family member – and seek some from of revenge. Paul is saying that we need to let the Holy Spirit plant the seeds of recovery in your mind.
  7. How does that work, you may ask? – By going slowly and pondering what the results will be if you let loose your tongue. – Once the words are spoken, you cannot push the delete button.
    1. I think of this as “percolating” — like in the coffee — you ponder and ponder – but not to be quick to anger.
  8. Paul is saying that we should put aside all our anger – and become compassionate —- this is a learned process — with trial and errors – second thoughts are acceptable.
  9. In Galatians 5  — Paul writes the fruit of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – and how we can personally change as we seek to follow Jesus more closely.
    1.  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
  10. As each of us ponder and seek to absorb the Fruit of the Spirit – we become a more mature church.
  11. Thanks be to God.