Tony Finch Sermon at Canley Community CHurch

1. EPHESIANS 4: 1-16
UNITY IN THE BODY OF
CHRIST

2. DOCTRINE
 Don’t talk to me about doctrine – just let
me live my Christian Life. X
 What we believe determines how we live.
 The Christian Life is not based on ignorance
but on knowledge.
 Doctrine teaches us how to ‘walk the walk’!

3. WHAT DOCTRINES HAS
PAUL SET OUT FOR US IN
CHAPTERS 1-3?
 We are Blessed, Chosen, Adopted,
Redeemed, Forgiven, Included.
 We are saved by Grace through Faith.
 A great mystery has been revealed to us.

4. I URGE YOU!
 Live a life worthy of your calling.
 “In the light of all these things – live for
my Glory.”
 O.T. – “If you obey me I will bless you.”
 N.T. – “I have already blessed you – now,
in response to my Love and Grace, obey
me!”

5. UNITY OF BELIEVERS
 The unity is already a reality!
(Second part of Chap. 2)
 Make every effort to keep it!
(Chapter 4:3)

6. THE FOUR ‘Gs’ OF UNITY
 The Grace of Unity.
 The Grounds of Unity.
 The Gifts of Unity.
 The Growth for Unity.

7. THE GRACE OF UNITY
 Unity is not uniformity.
 Uniformity is imposed from without.
 Unity comes from within.
 The analogy of the human body.

8. THE GROUNDS OF UNITY
 One Body, One Spirit, One Calling of
Hope, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism,
One God and Father.
 All these things in common.
 All these things unite us.
 All these things we build upon.

9. THE GIFTS FOR UNITY
 To equip the Church, to bind us together
and to build us up.
 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12.
 The roles that stem from the Gifts.
 Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors
and Teachers.

10. THE GROWTH OF UNITY
 Growing into spiritual maturity –
evidenced by:
 Christ-likeness.
 Stability.
 Speaking the truth in Love.
 Co-operation.

11. CHRIST-LIKENESS.
 Humility, Gentleness, Patience,
Forbearance, Endeavour, Peace.

12. STABILITY
 Not tossed back and forth by the waves
and blown here and there by every wind
of teaching and by the cunning and
craftiness of men in their deceitful
scheming. (Verse 14)

13. SPEAKING THE
TRUTH IN LOVE
 Truth without love is brutality – love
without the truth is hypocrisy.
 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but
the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:6.

14. CO-OPERATION
 Members of one body, expressed by
membership of a local body, we belong to
each other, we affect each other and we
need each other.
 One-another-ness and co-operation.
 Each one has a ministry to one another.

15. THE IMPORTANCE OF
LOVE
 Ephesians 4:2. Bearing with one-another in
love.
 Ephesians 4:15. Speaking the truth in love.
 Ephesians 4:16. Building up in love.