Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Reaching for the Goal - Ephesians 4:13

Bryan Schneider · May 30, 2020

Ephesians 4:13

sharonrpc.org/sermons/reaching-for-the-goal

Summary

Ephesians 4:13 presents the church's goal as unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, maturity, and conformity to the fullness of Christ.
Christian unity is not mere friendliness or the avoidance of difficult conversations; it is a shared faith rooted in Christ and his Word.
God uses parents, spouses, siblings, officers, and the whole congregation to admonish, encourage, teach, and build one another up.
Christ himself is the measure of maturity: his compassion, humility, service, truth, holy boldness, and righteous zeal set the pattern.
Believers will not attain sinless perfection in this life, but they are to keep pursuing likeness to Christ until death.
The pursuit of maturity flows from grace and love for the Savior, not from an attempt to earn God's favor through legalism.

Do I define church unity by pleasant feelings, or by a shared faith and knowledge of the Son of God?
Whom has God placed in my life to help me grow toward Christ, and am I willing to receive their biblical correction?
Am I willing to enter the messiness of another person's life with Christlike compassion?
Where do Christ's humility and servant-heartedness expose a need for growth in me?
Can I speak both grace and truth when a brother or sister is caught in sin?
Am I pursuing Christlikeness from gratitude for grace, or trying to establish my own standing before God?

Unity of the faith: The church's shared trust in and confession of Jesus Christ according to God's Word, deeper than social harmony or personal preference.
Christian maturity: Corporate and personal growth toward the character and fullness of Jesus Christ rather than remaining spiritually childish.
Conformity to Christ: The Spirit's continuing work of making believers more like Jesus in compassion, humility, service, truth, and holiness.
Admonition: Loving use of God's Word to identify sin, call for repentance, and help another believer grow toward Christ.