Easter 7  (Walking Together Sunday)                                                          May 28, 2006

 

“ONE for all, all for ONE”

Ephesians 4:11-16

 

            11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

            14 Then we will no longer be infants, 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.  15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  16 From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 

“All for one, and one for all.”  That was the rallying cry of the Three Musketeers.  Each member of the triumverate would do anything for the other two, and each combination of two would do anything for the one.  “All for one and one for all” is a friendship and camaraderie that is tight.  It is strong.  There is nothing that could get in the way of this tight circle.  Even if you had to give away your life for one another, you would do it.  All for one and one for all.

 

If you look at the service folder for this morning, you’ll notice that the word “One” is capitalized twice.  That was done on purpose.  That was done to show the relationship we as Christians share as we serve the dear Lord Jesus.  It is a relationship that is tight.  It is strong.  God is the ONE and we all serve Him.  But we can’t serve Him until He first serves us.  That’s why the catch-phrase is backwards from the way it is usually spoken.  It is not “all for one and one for all” it is “One for all and all for One.”  First the One – God - does something for all; then, in return we give something to the One.

 

Take a look at Ephesians 4:11.  What is it that the One has provided for all?  (read v.11)

 

Here is what the ONE has provided for all.

 

 

 

a)      Evangelists most often speak the Word to unbelievers.  It is not always easy to share your faith with people.  You and I both know how someone might just have a knack for sharing the Word with those who know nothing about it.  We thank God for the evangelists he has sent to the church.

 

b)      God also has provided pastors, or shepherds, to speak the Word to people.  A shepherd is someone who feeds, consoles, comforts, listens, shares, encourages.  It is a blessing from God to give his believers a pastor who can use the Word to do all of those things.  When you think of God providing a pastor for you, I don’t want you to think of this face.  I want you to think of the Word.  God has given you someone to share the Word with you when you need it the most.  God has given you someone to console you and comfort you with the Word when you are down.  God has given you someone to encourage you with the Word in every situation that might arise.  A pastor is a blessing that the One has provided.

 

c)      God also has provided teachers to teach the Word.  A teacher is someone who craves the Word in a personal devotion life.  A teacher is someone who can explain things to you.  A teacher is someone whom, after you listen to him, you say, “I see what he is talking about.”  One for all – God has given us the Word through the apostles and prophets, as well as giving us evangelists to share with the unchurched, pastors to lead us to the Word for refreshing, and teachers to help us understand what God’s Word has to say.  That’s quite a list of things God has provided for us!

 

Why would the One saturate all with an overflow of the Word?  Why would God make sure that we have evangelists, pastors and teachers to share it and explain it?  What makes the Word that important?  The Word is that important because the Word brings joy beyond our wildest imaginations.  Our lives had been spoiled by sin.  In sin, we were ruined and robbed of any joy.  In sin, we had no peace with God.  Living your life having no peace with God is a terrible life.  Things are cold and dark and hopeless.  There is no way out.  We are trapped in sin.

 

But the Word has promised relief to those who are trapped by sin.  The Word tells us that when we confess our sins to God, Jesus has purified us from our sins.  Not one spoiled speck remains.  Jesus paid for all of them, the big sins, the little sins; the ones we remember and the ones we don’t even know we did.  The Word is incredible because it promises that we will not be punished for the evil we have done.  The Word tells us that God has fixed the unfixable problem…for free.  God has put it on his own son’s tab.  He found us in a hopeless and broken-down condition, and he has fixed us up.  The Word tells us that the angels rejoice when one person repents and believes!  And so we rejoice too.   

 

And that is the second half of the sermon today.  We have discovered how the One has given the Word to all.  Now let’s discover how we all, in thanks and rejoicing, give some wonderful things back to the One.  Look at the list of what “all for One” entails in verses 12-16.  (read 12-16)

 

What are we all able to give to him?  As we listen to the Word, as we ponder His truth, some amazing things take place in our lives.  We get to work.  We begin to prepare one another for works of service.  We help one another reach out with the Word to people who are trapped by sin.  We build up the body of Christ.  We help each other wake up each day with Christ as the center of everything.  We reach unity in the faith as we get to know Jesus better and better all the time to experience his deep, refreshing forgiveness.  You might put it this way: One for all; all for One.  As we ponder what One has done for all, we all help each other serve the One.  We become mature Christians.

 

And there are two main goals we are able to reach as mature Christians.  The first goal is that we are no longer tossed around by the wind and waves of false teaching.  If you have ever been fishing in the ocean on a rainy and windy day, you know how dangerous and immense the sea is.  It can really toss you around.  You are not very steady; you are hardly able to function.  If we are listening to false teachers instead of to what the ONE has given us, we do not function as Christians.  We are tossed around; we flail and flounder.  We don’t know which way is up and we sin like crazy.  But as a mature Christian, deeply embedded into the Word of God, we are steady and solid.  We are not tossed about by the winds and waves of false teaching.  We are secure in God’s love for us.

 

A mature Christian is secure and not tossed around.  A mature Christian is also equipped to fight the roaring lion called the devil.  I know many of you dream of going back to the days when you can be an infant.  But think about this – who has a better shot at defending himself against a lion, an adult or an infant?  The adult can say, “There’s a lion, I am going inside where it is safe.”  The adult can say, “There’s a lion, I’m going to bring my gun.”  But can an infant decide to go inside where it is safe?  Can an infant decide to bring and then fire a gun?  No chance.  The infant will be devoured by the lion if he is not accompanied by an adult.  It is a responsibility – but also a blessing and a gift for us to become mature Christians.  Then we are able to fight off the devil, as well as being able to help others fight off the devil.

 

ONE for all and all for ONE.  God has given us many blessings in His Word, and we have the joy to gather together and respond to those blessings in praise.  Amen.