Ephesians 4:1-6
Ever had someone give you advice that you knew had never lived the life?
Someone who was an armchair quarterback or an ivory tower scholar?
Sometimes, we consider the source and push such advice aside.
But now we come to the words of a hard-nosed realist, the Apostle Paul.
This was a guy who has seen some of the worst people can dish out.
A rugged, hard-working man who worked at a full-time job just to have the freedom to tell people the good news of Jesus.
He was the first “tent maker missionary” — literally. This was back when tent making meant working with animal hides –
pounding and scraping the hides, piercing the leather, sweaty, punishing work.
Paul probably slipped off his outer tunic and worked bare-backed on some of the hottest days.
Can you imagine Paul’s scars? People would have cringed and said — “Whoa! What happened to him?!”
Five times he received forty lashes minus one from the Jews.
Three times beaten with rods by the Romans.
Once stoned and left for dead.
Worked long hours often going without sleep.
Three times shipwrecked. Spent a night and a day in the open sea!
His advice is worth listening to.
In Ephesians 4-6, Paul will instruct us how to live a life that brings pleasure to god;
practical advice on dealing with anger, our speech, our marriages, our children, our work,
our thought life and our characters. We also will discover where to get the power we need to live life in these ways.
As we open this series in Ephesians 4, we are at a turning point of the book.
All the practical commands we will discover in chapters 4-6 are based on the great calling we have in Jesus Christ.
This was established in the first half of the book. If you missed that,
you can catch up by listening to or reading the sermons entitled God’s riches in Christ!
Join us as we dive into this rich chapter of God’s Word
and learn some great advice for healthy relationships!
Sermon Handout with Growth Study Power Point Group Leader Notes
Preaching Notes Sermon Audio
