Reflections on Sunday’s Sermon

Below is a reference to the section of the New City Catechism that we went over on Sunday:

The New City Catechism

Lord’s Day 5

What Else Did God Create?
God created all things by his powerful Word, and all his creation was very good; everything flourished under his loving rule.

Prayer

Before we jump into our responsibilities towards one another and the motivations behind the commands, take some time to pray. As you do, consider making this prayer your own (this prayer was taken from Everyday Prayers by Scotty Smith).

Father, I don’t want to live today just with a theoretical or theological awareness of being your dearly loved child. Let it be deeply experiential and existential—very real, very encouraging, and very humbling. Your great love for me is the greatest convicting power this side of the new heaven and earth.
Lord Jesus, you are so kind, compassionate, and forgiving of me. I want the fragrant aroma of the sacrifice you made for me on the cross to permeate all my relationships. You’re not calling me to change anybody. You’re calling me to live as a broken perfume bottle through which the aroma of grace will bring your disruptive and gentling presence. Let me live more out of brokenness than out of my woundedness and self-righteousness.
God the Holy Spirit, you who raised Jesus from the dead, give me the power I will need today to rid myself of—not to nurse, tolerate, or justify—my bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander, and malice and all the other ways I love poorly. Indeed, Triune God, the life of love you live for me, please live through me. Amen

Scripture

Ephesians 4:1-6 - (English Standard Version)

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Handling the Word

1. Refresher: Please read the book of Ephesians with this thought in mind: Chapters 1-3 mainly explain what God has accomplished for His people, while Chapters 4-6 reveal how the saints are to live in light of what God has already accomplished on their behalf. Why would you consider Ephesians 4:1 the “hinge point” for these two sets of chapters?

2. To better understand Paul’s request for the Ephesians, let’s break down the passage:

• What is Paul referring to when he urges the Ephesians to walk in a manner worthy of ‘the calling’ to which they have been called (v. 1)?

• What does this ‘walk’ that Paul is referring to look like practically (vv. 2-3)?

• How does the gospel message motivate the saints to walk in such a manner (vv. 4-6)?

Understanding and Applying

What do you think are the motivations behind Paul’s readiness to ‘urge’ (v. 1) the saints to live before God in a particular way (Ephesians 3:1-10)? How should Paul’s motivations shape the way believers receive his words?
The call to walk in humility and patience with the saints (vv. 1-2) is on account of Christ’s humbling Himself for our sake and God being patient towards us, as revealed in the plan of redemption. Skim through Ephesians 1-3, noting some of the implications of our redemption in Christ. Why are the implications, or the results, of such love towards us a motivation for believers to go and do likewise?
For the sake of ‘maintaining’ the unity that our Triune God has established between His people, is there a relationship or circumstance at Living Grace where you may need to walk in humility, gentleness, or patience? Please share. Also, what might that look like practically (Galatians 6:1-2; Philippians 2:3-8; 2 Peter 3:8-9)?

It is as though Paul summarizes humility, gentleness, and patience with one command— ‘bear with one another in love’ —that we might maintain the unity of the Spirit (v. 3). Why might the Jew and Gentile saints need to be reminded to ‘bear’ (to endure) with one another in love? What are some reasons that you might need to endure with other believers in love and what might that look like practically (1 Corinthians 13:1-7)?
To build upon on our passage in Ephesians, based on the texts below, what is either the foundation or the purpose for the saints being called to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit’ (v. 3) that has been established among God’s people through the blood of Christ?

How many unifying marks—our oneness—does Paul touch on for those who are in Christ and why do they encourage us in pursing an enduring love with other saints (vv. 4-5)? Have you ever allowed differences, personalities, circumstances, or offenses outweigh the unity that has been established between you and another believer? Please share.

If our oneness—one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all—is the standard by which we might maintain unity, when is real division permissible?
One theologian likens the church’s blood-bought unity (vv. 4-6) with our Triune God’s— “He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons. God Himself is the perfect model of diversity in unity.” Though there is a diversity of personalities, backgrounds, and gifts, have you been able to enjoy unity in the church? Do you know of any examples within the church where diversity has trumped unity, thus dividing believers?
To close, how might this passage give shape to your prayers in the days ahead?

“Many ‘how to’ books are published for Christians today. Christians rightly want to know how to honor God with their lives in a fallen world. Many times, however, these ‘how to’ books on the Christian life fail to appreciate that how we live the Christian life flows out of how we think about Jesus Christ and the great salvation He has won by His life, death, and resurrection. This is why Paul spends the first three chapters of his letter introducing us to the width, length, depth, and height (Ephesians 3:18) of the gospel of God’s grace in Christ before he details the practical features of the God-pleasing life.” —Ian Hamilton