Walk in Unity Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. One who is at peace inside will promote peace outside. Brought into right relationship with God through his son Jesus, we are able to love and invest in others, walking with them in a Godward direction.

Let's listen in to Rich's study on Ephesians 4, 1-6. This is the second part of a sermon titled, Walk in Unity, preached on September 17, 2017. I just need to be more about unity, more about unity in the church. What does chapters 1-3 give us as a foundation and a resource for that unity? And if I am ignorant of chapters 1-3, then I am simply going to be pulling myself up by my own bootstraps to try to maintain the unity, and it's rigorous.

Can't do that. One who is at peace inside will promote peace outside. If you're not promoting peace, Christian, if you're not at peace inside, it might be due to ignorance. You just haven't come to grips. You don't know the profound truths of the Word of God. What is true about you as one who is in Christ? You need to know that.

You need to know that. The second one is cognitive dissonance. What is cognitive dissonance? It's like a psychological term, and it is cognitive dissonance. It means that your behavior conflicts with your belief.

You're acting one way, but what you say you believe is an entirely different thing. And so you have going on in you what's called dissonance. Here's dissonance right here. See, the harmony is, you feel the harmony there, but this, there's a little bit of dissonance there.

What do you do when your grandkid comes over and does this for three hours? What's it like if you've got that going on inside of you? Dissonance, where you're not in harmony inside, because your behavior is one thing and your belief is another. That is cognitive dissonance. And can you see how someone can be at war within themselves?

There's a lot of Christians in this kind of situation. And part of that cognitive dissonance is because, go back to the first point, the ignorance that is in us. We don't know the Word of God.

We need to. We desperately need to consume God's self-disclosure because it tells us what is true of us. And if I've got that cognitive dissonance going on inside, it's going to outflow to those around me. And I will not be a promoter of peace. I will be irritable. I will be comparing myself and I will be judgmental of others. Those are not the things that promote peace. Think about that. Is there something there that you need to work on?

And it's not about trying harder to be better. It goes back to, Lord, who am I? What have you done for me?

Who am I? Fill me with your Spirit. Let me know your truth. Transform my heart and mind by your truth so that my behaviors, my attitudes, my actions, my ambitions at the level of desire, it is an outflow of who you are and who I am in Christ.

That's how transformation happens. So that's how we're to walk in unity, to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So how do we do that? Four words that the apostle gives us here. How do we do that? And we back up here a little bit with all humility, verse two, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.

That's how we do it. So let's talk about humility. In the ancient world, this idea of humility, the image that came to mind was a crouching submissive slave, one who is doing servile duties. So when the master comes along, the slave gets down on all fours and says, yes, master, yes, master, I will do what you say, master. And so humility was not a championed virtue in the ancient world.

It was not admired at all. But you know, when Jesus came along, then the world saw humility for what it really is. I mean, who is Christ after all?

The second person of the Trinity, the creator of the universe. And what does the scriptures tell us he did? He emptied himself, he humbled himself, and he came in the form of a servant.

Why? Because of his love for you, because of his love for his father. So humility is not to think less of yourself, but to think of yourself less. It's the mind of Christ that we have revealed to us in Philippians 2, to consider others more important than yourself. That's exactly what Philippians 2 teaches us. And Christ is the supreme example of that, to consider others more important than yourself. Without arrogance, you work as the Lord's servant Christian.

So there ought to be no arrogance at all in your service. But humility simply says this. This is the line that follows a disposition of humility as the Spirit of God develops this humility, as you recognize the truths of chapters 1-3, and you recognize the greatness, the majesty, the infinitude, the graciousness, the goodness of God. And you see yourself in contrast to all of that. Then what flows in humility is just simply this.

You are more important than I. And that is my disposition as we come together as a fellowship, as we interact with people in our worlds. My disposition is one of humility that says you are more important than I. I will sacrifice myself for your betterment. That's humility. That's exactly what Jesus did. He emptied himself and he came in the form of, he came obedient to the point of what?

Death. That's true humility. You are more important than I. This is the disposition that we ought to have as we interact with each other as a church, inside these walls, outside these walls. It ought to be the disposition with which you interact with those you work with, go to school with, those you live with.

Yikes. You are more important than I. But he says with all humility and gentleness, and this word gentleness is the word that is often known as meekness. Meekness is a word that has been maligned today because people associate it with weakness when actually it is the opposite of weakness. Aristotle actually, Greek philosopher, actually loved the idea, the virtue of meekness. He said it is the golden mean between one who is too angry and one who is never angry at all. Beware of both extremes.

The person who is always angry, stay away from him, but also the person who never gets angry at anything, their life is all about appeasement. There's no conviction there at all, right? And so meekness is that golden mean.

How it is used in Scripture is this way. It is the absence of the disposition to assert personal rights. The absence of the disposition to assert personal rights. I walk into a room, people know who I am. I feel like I ought to be respected a particular way, right? Every one of us feels that way. So somebody comes and they start telling jokes about you and insulting you in front of other people and they're having a laugh at your expense. How does that make you feel? Well clearly there's something wrong there, but meekness means that in you there is the absence of the disposition to assert personal rights. This is so un-American, isn't it?

Because that's all we're seeing on the news today. Assertion of personal rights. Do you see how Christians have a colossal opportunity to counter the forces of darkness today through meekness? Humility and meekness. Humility says, humility says, you are more important than I. Meekness says, gentleness says, I don't have to have what I want.

I didn't say need. I don't have to have what I want. That's what meekness is all about. See when we come together and we start asserting what I want, my personal rights, that's where division comes. That does not promote unity and peace. Gentleness, meekness.

I don't have to have what I want. And then he says patience. We pursue, maybe make a determined effort to maintain unity with patience. Patience is long suffering.

That is a good word picture. Long suffering, to bear under a load. Long suffering with each other, right? We suffer long with each other without usurping the role of the Holy Spirit. Without usurping the role of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the one who transforms. It's not my business to transform you.

It is the Holy Spirit's business to do that. And I can be instrumental in that and walking alongside you, but it requires patience. And it requires patience of you with me, doesn't it?

Without usurping the role of the Holy Spirit. So what does patience say? Patience says, I'll give you time to grow in Christ.

How many people have made that decision? They've walked the aisle or they've made a decision to, and they've filled out a card or something like that, to be a Christian. And then all of a sudden all these expectations are heaped on them. You've got to be doing this and this and this and giving this and going to church this and yada yada yada and dressing this way and yada and all this stuff. And it's like, that's usurping the role of the Holy Spirit.

It is God who transforms the heart. And I will give you time to grow in Christ. Patience is a very, very important virtue. We need this patience with each other. We'll talk about that here in a minute.

Why? And then lastly, it says in verse two, bearing with one another in love, bearing with one another in love. Now that is a pretty full phrase, bearing with one another in love.

This is the idea. This is the virtue of forbearance. What is it that we need to forbear?

We need to forbear the mistakes and the injurious deeds of others. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.