1. The Picture of Immaturity

   1. Ephesians 4:14: Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

      1. Picture a small boat with no anchor and no rudder, out on open water, and the weather has its way with it.

      2. The boat is being steered — by whatever is blowing hardest at the moment.

   2. What tosses an immature congregation around is teaching.

      1. Ideas, persuasion, and confident voices with a message.

   3. Where are those voices coming from?

      1. Ephesians 4:14: … by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

         1. i.e., someone who knows how to spin things and is very skilled at it.

         2. Today: we are living in the most information-saturated time in history.

      2. Every wind of teaching — piped straight to your hand.

   4. What causes a church to grow so that the wind stops moving it?

2. Speaking the Truth in Love

   1. Ephesians 4:15: But, speaking the truth in love, …here is the way out of the storm.

   2. Ephesians 4:15: speaking the truth in love, …

      1. Love is the mechanism of growth.

      2. We can’t separate the two: truth and love.

      3. Truth: What we speak is not our opinions. It is Jesus, the Person, who has set us free.

3. What Grows from It?

   1. Ephesians 4:15-16: But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

   2. Three things I want you to see:

      1. 4:15c: It grows into him who is the head — Christ. Every truth taught is moving toward looking more like Jesus.

      2. 4:16b: it is fitted and knit together….

         1. 4:16c: by every supporting ligament… not the showy part of the church, but the part that holds it together.

      3. 4:16c: the body is building itself up in love… The body builds itself up.

   3. It depends on you: 4:16d: by the proper working of each individual part.

4. As We Close..

   1. Brothers and sisters: Whose growth is God waiting on you for?

   2. Your assignment is to open your mouth — with the truth, and with love — and let God knit a body together through it.

   3. And finally, it’s all “from him.” He came and got knit into us — became flesh, became one of us, became the Head of a body he died to save.

   4. He is alive, and he is inviting you in.

1. What “Sanctify” Means

   1. John 17:17: Sanctify them by the truth …

      1. “to make holy, to set apart, to consecrate.”

   2. Who is doing it? Jesus is speaking to the Father. “You…sanctify them.”

      1. Holiness is something you receive before it is ever something you do.

      2. The first move is God’s, not ours.

   3. What is the holiness Jesus desires?

      1. At its root, holy means “set apart.” Marked off from ordinary use.

      2. Common men, pulled out of common use, and stamped with God’s own holiness.

   4. What sanctification is:

      1. God puts His name on us. You belong to Him before you ever behave for Him.

      2. Getting this backward is dangerous.

2. The Truth Does the Work

   1. John 17:17: Sanctify them by the truth…

      1. Truth is the instrument, i.e., the means God reaches for to set a person apart.

      2. So, what kind of truth are we talking about?

         1. Truth, in John, isn’t a thing you possess. It’s a reality that lays ahold of you.

   2. Seeing the Difference: A flashlight vs. the dawn.

      1. Truth carries the idea of something “uncovered,” …

      2. It exposes us, then warms you, and sets you free.

   3. The Claim Jesus Makes

      1. John 17:17: your word is truth,… A is B. Truth is the very thing the word is made of.

      2. John 1:14: The truth that sanctifies you is the Word made flesh, and it has a face.

      3. John 17:19: I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

         1. Jesus is the truth he’s praying we’ll be made holy by.

         2. The instrument of your holiness is the crucified and risen Son.

3. The Heart Truth Reaches

   1. John 14:15: Love first…

      1. 14:15: If you love me, you will keep my commands.

      2. Love comes first, and obedience is what love does once it’s already there.

   2. John 17:21: A People Held Together

      1. 17:21: May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.

      2. The goal is unity. For what purpose? So that the world may believe.

4. As We Close…

   1. A religion of effort has you clutching at holiness:

   2. The life Jesus actually prays for has holiness laying hold of you.

   3. Christianity is about being claimed by a Person. He sanctified himself for you — gave himself up for you — so that you could be made his.

   4. Come and belong to him, and let your behavior grow out of the belonging.

1. The Room Where He Said It

   1. John 14:6: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

   2. What Jesus Did Not Say: “I will teach you the truth.” or, “I will point you toward life.”

      1. I am the truth.

      2. He claims to be the thing himself.

   3. 14:6: No one comes to the Father except through me.

      1. The exclusivity isn’t a wall built to keep people out.

      2. It’s an open door with a universal invitation. The only condition is “through me.”

2. The Word Became Flesh

   1. John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

   2. John 1:3: All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

   3. John 1:14: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

      1. The eternal truth of God took on skin and bone — fingernails and a heart

      2. “Dwelt” literally means he pitched his tent with us.

      3. Truth is Personal. Knowing it is a relationship.

3. Grace and Truth Came Through Him

   1. John 1:16-17: Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

   2. What arrived when He came?

      1. 1:17: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

      2. Together. Full of both. Not a careful balance.

   3. Watch how He does it in John 8.

      1. 8:11: “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

      2. He doesn’t trade one for the other.

   4. This is the Gospel

      1. The cross is where grace and truth meet without either one giving an inch.

         1. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

         2. This is why no one comes to the Father but through Him.

   5. The gospel is Jesus.

      1. 1:16: Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness,…

4. As We Close…

   1. When the world asks you, “What is truth?” you can give a better answer than a list. You can give the answer Jesus gave.

   2. Hold grace and truth together, because the One you follow does.

   3. You cannot stay neutral about Jesus. Which direction are you moving?

1. The Work

   1. 1:28: We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone …

      1. This is the word for “herald”. Public. Declarative. Out loud.

      2. What gets proclaimed? We proclaim him.

   2. 1:28:Warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, …

      1. Warning — to put in the mind.

      2. Teaching — instruction and patient explanation.

   3. 1:28: so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

   4. 1:28: with all wisdom, …Not just truth. Wisely-applied truth.

2. The Aim

   1. Why proclaim? Why warn? Why teach?

      1. … so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

   2. Present: like handing something over at a temple, or like a servant presenting a gift to a king.

      1. Paul has a day in view here. He sees the day when all his work comes to its end.

      2. See 1:22. Christ’s work on the cross has a presentation day in view.

         1. We are aiming at a day.

         2. The day when every person here is presented to Christ — fully formed, fully grown, fully his.

   3. Mature: so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

      1. Full-grown-ness. We need to be aiming for grown-up Christians.

   4. In Christ: so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

      1. Time, proximity, and love do their slow work.

      2. The measurement is a person. The yardstick for our growth is Jesus.

3. The Cost

   1. 1:29: I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

      1. Labor means do work until you’re exhausted. The kind that leaves you tired.

      2. Striving. Think agony in trying to win a contest. Not just tiring — it’s contested.

   2. 1:29: with his strength that works powerfully in me.

      1. Strength is the word we use for energy.

      2. And the energy doing the work in us is not our energy. It is his.

4. As We Close…

   1. Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another…

   2. Every person in this room is somebody’s responsibility — and every person in this room has somebody to be responsible for.

1. Childish Speech: Words Without Weight

   1. 1 Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, I spoke like a child, …

      1. The Corinthians built their identity on a certain kind of talk. More flashy? More spiritual.

      2. Paul has already told them: If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, 1 Corinthians 13:1. Their proudest talk — all noise.

   2. And then, at 13:11, he says, “I used to talk like a child too.” I grew out of it. We must, too.

      1. It looks like complaining. Every observation a grievance.

      2. It looks like gossip. Passing along what wasn’t ours to pass along.

      3. It looks like snapping. Using the tongue like a weapon.

      4. It looks like performative talk. Sounding spiritual without actually being spiritual.

   3. The corrective:

      1. 1 Corinthians 13:4: Love is patient, love is kind. …

      2. Most of our childishness leaks out of our mouths first.

2. Childish Understanding: Surface Reads and Quick Offense

   1. 1 Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, …

      1. The word “thought” refers to your mindset or orientation.

      2. Paul says he used to have a child’s frame of reference. Smallness.

   2. What does this look like in the church?

      1. Reading the worst into people’s motives. Taking offense at things that weren’t aimed at us in the first place. Drawing conclusions before the evidence is gathered.

   3. The cure:

      1. 1 Corinthians 13:7: love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

      2. Maturity isn’t measured by what you know. It’s measured by how you view others.

3. Childish Thinking: The Ledger

   1. 1 Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, …, I reasoned like a child.

      1. “Reasoned” is a bookkeeping word. “To reckon, to credit, to put on the ledger.”

      2. Connect to v. 5: love does not keep a record of wrongs. Childish thinking is the ledger.

   2. What this looks like:

      1. A child reckons by the feel of the thing. It weighs the immediate over the long term.

      2. Keeping a mental file on every slight. Keeps a list of what we’re owed.

   3. What’s the cure?

      1. 1 Corinthians 13:5: love does not keep a record of wrongs.

      2. Love throws out the ledger. Closes the notebook. Shreds the spreadsheet.

   4. Paul didn’t say I outgrew the childish things. He said:

      1. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.

      2. A decision…with a verdict.

4. As We Close

   1. Maturity isn’t a birthday. It’s a verdict you render.

   2. Render the verdict this afternoon and let the people next to you finally meet the grown-up you were called to be.

1. Count It All Joy

   1. James 1:2: Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials

      1. This is a perspective that runs underneath bad circumstances.

      2. When the trial shows up at your door, the first move of faith is not “why me.” The first move of faith is “What is God doing?”

   2. Notice the language.

      1. James 1:2: whenever you experience various trials,

      2. Various: that word in the Greek is the same one used for a coat of many colors. The trials come in every shade.

      3. Whenever you experience various trials,

         1. Some of them are seasons we prepared for. Some of them are seasons we prayed against and got anyway.

2. Testing Produces Endurance

   1. James 1:3: because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

      1. The testing isn’t God trying to find out what’s in you — He already knows.

      2. It is the process that forms something in you.

   2. James 1:3: because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

      1. Endurance isn’t a word we love in 2026.

         1. It is what gets laid down, layer by layer, in the places where you’ve been pressed.

         2. You only get it one way: by standing in something that wants to knock you over and not falling.

      2. James does not say the trial automatically produces endurance.

         1. He says: The testing of your faith produces endurance. Faith is what’s being tested.

3. Let Endurance Finish

   1. James 1:4: And let endurance have its full effect, …

      1. We will be tempted to interrupt what God is doing.

      2. The painful place becomes the equipped place.

   2. The result:

      1. James 1:4: so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

   3. Mature and complete.

      1. The place where the maturing actually happens is the trial you wish wasn’t there.

      2. Our job is not to figure out when we’re done. Our job is to stay.

4. As We Close

   1. The trial you would never have chosen is not a detour from your discipleship.

   2. Your job is not to figure out the timeline. Your job is to stay.

   3. Let the forge do what the forge does.

1. Not That I’ve Obtained It

   1. Philippians 3:12: Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, …

      1. The thing he is most insistent on refusing is already-ness.

      2. Maturity looks like a man who refuses to claim to be finished.

   2. Philippians 3:12 (ESV): I press on to make it my own, …

      1. “press on” — to pursue. To chase. To hunt.

      2. 3:6: Persecuting. Same Greek word. Pursuing, chasing, hunting.

      3. Same intensity. Same fire. Same drive. Redirected.

   3. Philippians 3:12: …because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

      1. “Taken hold of:” to seize, to grab.

      2. Paul just said: I press on to lay hold of, because Christ Jesus has laid hold of me.

      3. A reciprocal grip. Paul’s pursuit is a response, not a foundation.

2. Forgetting and Straining

   1. Philippians 3:13: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

      1. What is the one thing your life is leaning toward?

      2. Pick it. Plant it. Lean toward it.

   2. Philippians 3:13: Forgetting what is behind …

      1. Forgetting is not amnesia, and it is not “ignore your past.”

      2. The runner doesn’t have a rear-view mirror. He’s not looking back at all.

   3. Philippians 3:13: straining toward what is ahead,

      1. “stretching yourself out toward.” The runner is out beyond himself. That’s maturity.

   4. Philippians 3:14: I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

      1. The goal is the mark a runner fixes their eye on.

      2. What is the prize? The prize is knowing Christ fully, finally, face to face, i.e., Christ himself.

3. Think This Way

   1. Philippians 3:15: Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way.

      1. The mind of vv. 12–14 is not optional. If you are mature, this is how you think.

      2. Paul says think this way. Set your mind here.

      3. A mind locked on Christ is not blown around.

   2. Grace for the slow learner

      1. Philippians 3:15: And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.

         1. He keeps revealing. He keeps shaping. He keeps growing.

      2. Philippians 3:16: In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

         1. In other words, keep what you have, and trust him with the rest.

         2. You belong by pressing on.

4. As We Close

   1. What is the portrait of the mature Christian?

   2. Not the saint admiring the trophies. It is the runner who is still leaning.

   3. Today is a good day to set the mind. What will you choose?

1. The Painful Diagnosis (5:11-12a)

   1. Hebrews 5:11: We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Slow, heavy. Sluggish.

   2. By This Time

      1. 5:12: Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.

      2. They ought to be teachers. Although by this time you ought to be teachers,

      3. They ought to be mature enough to feed someone. You need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again.

   3. Diagnosis, Not Accusation

      1. Hebrews 5 is a diagnosis. We are being called up. The diagnosis isn’t the end … it’s the start of getting better.

      2. Hebrews 6:1: Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity , not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,

2. Milk vs. Solid Food (v. 12b-13)

   1. Hebrews 5:12-13: You need milk, not solid food . Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.

      1. What is milk? What is solid food? See 6:1-2.

      2. What is solid food? Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness , … This is applied doctrine. It’s not knowing more. It’s knowing how to live.

   2. Why We Get Stuck on Milk: Milk is Comfortable. Milk is Easy to Fake. Milk Feels Safe Because Everyone Else is on it Too

3. The Mark of the Mature (v. 14)

   1. Hebrews 5:14: But solid food is for the mature —for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. Real-time discernment. Christ-shaped decisions.

   2. Let’s focus on the word trained.

      1. Hebrews 5:14: for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

      2. Maturity is the long-compounding interest of a thousand small obediences.

4. As We Close…

   1. So … back to the math we did at the beginning.

      1. The number is just years. The question is what has been built during those years.

      2. But, hear the rest of it too. Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, …

   2. Let us go on… He’s in it with them. He’s not above them. He’s coming with them.

   3. You can grow up into Christlikeness. Are you ready?

1. Knowledge of the Son of God is the Target — Not the Starting Line

   1. Ephesians 4:13: until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

      1. This is deep, personal, relationship, and experiential knowledge.

   2. Jesus Himself draws the line.

      1. John 17:3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.

   3. This is not just for new Christians.

      1. Ephesians 4:13: Paul says until we all reach it …

2. The Root System — Rooted, Built Up, Established

   1. Colossians 2:6: So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him,

      1. How did you receive him? By faith. By trust. By surrender.

      2. That’s still how you move. Same mode. Same attitude.

   2. Galatians 3:2-3: I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

      1. There is no second-stage Christianity where you outgrow your need for Jesus.

      2. The root keeps feeding the branch. Always.

   3. Colossians 2:7: Three images.

      1. Colossians 2:7: being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,

         1. Rooted. Everything the plant becomes, it draws from what the root reaches.

         2. Built up. This isn’t just stability, it’s development.

         3. Established in the faith. Structural. Load-bearing. Firm.

      2. Three images. One reality.

3. Overflow is the Diagnostic

   1. Colossians 2:7: and overflowing with gratitude.

      1. Gratitude is the natural, almost involuntary response of a soul that is actually, genuinely resting in Christ.

      2. 2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

   2. So, how’s your gratitude level? Gratitude is a gauge.

   3. Three things that tend to kill overflow: Striving, Drift, and Familiarity.

4. As We Close…

   1. Paul’s vision is of a growing church.

   2. You can’t get there without this: a deepening, personal, relational, experiential knowledge of Jesus himself.

      1. Not a knowledge about him. A knowledge of him.

   3. Paul says we’re pressing toward the knowledge of the Son of God until we all reach it.

      1. Your growth in Christ doesn’t just affect you. It feeds this body. It makes the whole thing stronger.

      2. A body where people are genuinely knowing Jesus and genuinely overflowing is hard to ignore.

I. We’re Built Up, Not Just Gathered

A. Ephesians 4:12b: …for the building up of the body of Christ.

1. Paul doesn’t say the church is gathered. He says it’s built up. That’s construction language. Active. Structural. Every piece has a job.

2. In a building, no piece is neutral. Every member either adds to what God is constructing or leaves a gap where something was supposed to be.

a) Ephesians 2:21–22: The whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

b) You are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

B. This changes how we think about belonging.

1. Passive membership — showing up, staying on the edges, never really connecting — isn’t harmless.

a) It’s a missing piece. The body is weaker for it.

2. God isn’t gathering a crowd. He’s building a dwelling place.

a) The question isn’t are you present? The question is, are you load-bearing?

II. The Goal Is a Measuring Stick Named Jesus

A. Ephesians 4:13: …until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

1. Three phrases. Each one matters.

2. “Unity in the faith” — not uniformity. A shared anchor. A common center in Christ.

a) We’re all holding the same rope, even when we’re pulling from different angles.

3. “Knowledge of the Son of God” — not information about him. Epignosis. Deep, relational,life-changing knowledge. The kind that comes from time and transforms how you live on a Tuesday.

B. The standard isn’t each other.

1. “Maturity measured by Christ’s fullness” — the measuring stick is Jesus. His fullness. His character. His completeness.

a) Colossians 1:28: We proclaim him… so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

2. None of us are close. Not the most faithful person in the room. Not the one who’s been a Christian longest.

a) Which means nobody has graduated. But it also means nobody is competing. We’re all just growing — together — toward the same target.

III. Growth Happens Together or Not At All

A. The stature Paul describes in verse 13 isn’t achievable in isolation.

1. A hand doesn’t grow by leaving the body — it dies.

2. “Solo growth” is often just isolation dressed up as discipline.

a) Hebrews 10:24–25: Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another.

B. The friction is the point.

1. The conversation that challenges an assumption. The relationship that’s harder than you expected. The staying when it costs you something.

a) Ephesians 4:16: …the whole body… promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

2. Every. Individual. Part. Not the leaders. Not the committed few. Each part.

a) Growth isn’t something that happens to you while you sit still. It happens through you, around you, and because of you — when you’re genuinely in this together.

IV. As We Close…

A. Keep your eyes on the right measuring stick. Not each other. Christ. His fullness. His stature.

1. Philippians 1:6: He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

B. The body is being built. You are either a building block or a missing piece. The only question left is which one you’ll be.

Many of us carry a quiet, nagging doubt about our standing with God. We show up, we try, and yet somewhere in the back of our minds a voice asks: am I still OK with Him? This sermon addresses that voice directly. The problem is real, the truth is bigger than we think, and that truth is supposed to change the way we live.

1. The Problem Is Real — And We Need to Name It

   1. For decades, much of our preaching rightly warned against falling away — but left out the equally important message of assurance for those who are genuinely trying.

      1. We told people they could lose their salvation without also telling them God is relentlessly working to keep them.

      2. Those two truths must live together.

   2. The result: people who sin run from God instead of to Him.

      1. They imagine God with a clipboard, every failure another mark against them.

   3. John didn’t write for hopeful speculation — he wrote for certainty.

      1. 1 John 5:13: I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

      2. Know. Not hope. Not suspect. Know.

1. The Truth Is Bigger Than You Think

   1. Consider Manasseh — the worst king in Israel’s history.

      1. Built altars to Baal inside the temple. Practiced witchcraft. Sacrificed his own sons. Shed blood until Jerusalem was filled.

      2. The Assyrians captured him, put hooks in him, and dragged him to Babylon.

      3. 2 Chronicles 33:12–13: When he was in distress, he sought the favor of the Lord his God and earnestly humbled himself... He prayed to him, and the Lord was receptive to his prayer.

      4. God forgave Manasseh — and gave him back his throne. If that man could be fully restored, what exactly have you done that puts you beyond His reach?

   2. Consider Paul — who hunted Christians, approved of Stephen’s murder, and called himself the chief of sinners.

      1. 1 Timothy 1:14: The grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

      2. Not trickled. Not was technically available. Overflowed.

   3. We must abandon the split-screen view of God — a warm Jesus on one side, an arms-crossed Father keeping score on the other.

John 14:9: The one who has seen me has seen the Father. Same character. Same heart.

• God is not looking for a reason to reject you. He’s looking for a reason to bring you home.

1. Hebrews 7:25: He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

2. Every sin. Every failure. Every repetitive struggle. Completely.

1. What This Truth Is Supposed to Do to You

   1. Salvation isn’t one frozen moment you’re constantly in danger of losing — it’s a living relationship.

      1. You were saved (Romans 8:24). You are being saved (1 Corinthians 15:2). You will be saved (Romans 5:9–10).

   2. Relationships don’t run on fear. They run on love and trust.

      1. 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear.

   3. When someone actually makes this shift, everything changes.

      1. The way you pray. The way you treat struggling people. The way you talk about your faith.

      2. You can’t share good news you don’t actually believe is good news for you.

   4. Luke 12:32: Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.

      1. He’s not reluctant. He’s not begrudgingly holding the door open. He wants this for you.

1. As We Close…

   1. Paul — the man who called himself the chief of sinners — builds the most confident declaration in all of Scripture.

      1. Romans 8:38–39: Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

   2. Paul doesn’t say nothing can separate you except your own failures.

      1. Your worst day, your worst habit, your worst secret — that’s not outside of creation. It’s covered.

   3. You’re not holding onto God by your fingernails. You’re held — by Him.

      1. The posture He’s asking for isn’t perfection. It’s the posture of the returning son.

      2. Walking back up the road. Willing to say: I’ve blown it, and I need you.

   4. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be forgiven.

      1. If you’ve come to Him, if you’re walking in the light, confessing when you fail, and genuinely trying — you are forgiven.

      2. Not probably. Not hopefully. You are.

1. The Ones We Didn’t Build

   1. Ephesians 4:4-6: There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

      1. Each of the seven ones is a declaration. Present tense. A description of what already exists.

      2. Before any of us existed, God established the oneness.

         1. i.e., a people who have responded to the gospel, who have been buried in baptism, who have the Spirit living in them.

   2. It is about how we treat each other.

      1. If unity is something given, … we don’t get to decide who’s in. God already did.

         1. Romans 8:30: And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

      2. The question isn’t how do we become one? We are one.

2. What we Keep Doing with the Ones

   1. Romans 14:1: Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.

   2. Romans 14:4: Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.

      1. When opinion and speculation become tests of fellowship, it always causes division.

      2. Galatians 5:14: But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

   3. Ephesians 4:3: making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

      1. If we ignore this and build walls instead… we are not protecting the faith … we are vandalizing something God built.

      2. The one body doesn’t need us to defend it by dividing it … it needs us to inhabit it.

3. One Faith Means Something

   1. The one faith of Ephesians 4:5 is not a blank check.

      1. It’s not believe whatever you want and call it Christianity.

      2. It centers on Christ. The cross, the resurrection, and the Lordship of Jesus are not negotiable. Baptism into His death and resurrection are not negotiable.

         1. The center is narrow enough to be meaningful and wide enough to be generous.

         2. The faith that centers on Christ is enough to hold us together.

   2. The question was never do we agree on everything? The question has always been, do we share the one thing? One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God and Father of all.

4. As We Close…

   1. Seven ones. Not seven goals. Not seven ideals we’re still working toward.

   2. Seven declarations about what is already true of every person in this room who belongs to Christ.

   3. Will we live like it? Will we close the gap? We unite on one faith — not one opinion.

   4. One faith. One people. Not because we all see everything the same way. Because we all belong to the same Lord.

1. Who’s Talking?

   1. John isn’t in a temple or on a retreat — he’s on Patmos, a Roman prison island.

      1. Isolated. Old. Suffering. Exiled for preaching Jesus.

      2. Revelation 1:9: I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus…

   2. God has a pattern of showing up in hard places.

      1. Moses in the desert. Elijah in the cave. Paul in a Roman prison.

      2. Romans 8:38–39: Nothing separates us from the love of God — not even exile.

   3. John was in the worst place of his life when Jesus showed up.

      1. He’ll do the same for you.

2. What Does He Look Like?

   1. Revelation 1:13 — Robed and sashed. Priestly. Kingly. All authority.

      1. Matthew 28:18: All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

   2. Revelation 1:14a — Hair white as wool. This isn’t age — it’s eternity. He has always been.

   3. Revelation 1:14b — Eyes like fire. Nothing is hidden. Nothing in shadow.

      1. Psalm 139:1–3: The God who sees everything still loves you completely.

   4. Revelation 1:15a — Feet like refined bronze. He went through the furnace of the cross.

      1. Isaiah 53:5: He was pierced because of our rebellion… we are healed by his wounds.

      2. What the enemy meant to destroy became proof of unbreakable strength.

   5. Revelation 1:15b — Voice like cascading waters. When He speaks, nothing else competes.

      1. John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice… and they follow me.

   6. Revelation 1:16a — Seven stars in his right hand. The church is held by him — not by us.

      1. John 10:28–29: No one can snatch them out of his hand. That grip doesn’t slip.

   7. Revelation 1:16b — A sharp sword from his mouth. His word cuts to the soul.

      1. Hebrews 4:12: Living, effective, sharper than any double-edged sword.

   8. Revelation 1:16c — Face like the sun at full strength. Unfiltered glory.

      1. This is what the resurrection looks like 30 years later.

3. What Does He Say?

   1. John falls at his feet like a dead man — the only reasonable response.

   2. The hand that holds the stars reaches down and says three words:

      1. Revelation 1:17: Don’t be afraid.

   3. Revelation 1:17c — I am the First and the Last.

      1. Isaiah 44:6: Before everything and after everything — no God but him.

      2. History isn’t random. He was there at the beginning. He’ll be there at the end.

      3. For those anxious about where things are headed — this is the anchor.

   4. Revelation 1:18a — The Living One. Present tense. Not past.

1 Corinthians 15:20: Christ has been raised — the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

• A real man, who really died, really walked out of a real tomb.

• Revelation 1:18b — I was dead, but look — I am alive forever and ever.

1. Romans 6:9: Death no longer rules over him. It had its shot. It lost.

• Revelation 1:18c — I hold the keys of death and Hades.

1. Keys mean control. Whoever holds them decides who goes in and who comes out.

2. Hebrews 2:14–15: He destroyed the one holding the power of death and freed those enslaved by its fear.

3. Not death, not your past, not your diagnosis — He holds the keys.

1. As We Close…

   1. Revelation 1 won’t let the resurrection stay sentimental.

      1. This is a living, reigning, glorified King — holding stars in one hand, keys to death in the other.

      2. And he still reaches down to a broken, exiled old man and says, “Don’t be afraid.”

   2. That same hand is reaching toward you today.

      1. Not a religion. Not a system. A Person — the First and the Last.

      2. Romans 8:11: The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.

   3. The resurrection isn’t something that just happened to Jesus. It’s something he offers to you.

      1. He was dead. And look — He is alive.

      2. Will you believe it? Will you let it change everything?

      3. All things are ready. The invitation is open.

As Paul begins Ephesians 4, he presents what might sound like a simple challenge: Walk worthy of the calling you have received. But there is nothing simple about it. Because that calling follows you everywhere. You have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, and forgiven. You have been raised up and seated with Christ. That’s the calling. And now, here is the Spirit saying - “Live like it.”

1. What Does It Mean to Live Like You’ve Been Called?

   1. Ephesians 4:1: Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

      1. Worthy - axios.

      2. It’s a word referring to a scale.

      3. The question is - does your life match the weight of what’s on the other side?

   2. Paul is making an identity claim.

      1. You are someone who has been called. And that calling follows you everywhere.

      2. Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2. What This Actually Looks Like

   1. Ephesians 4:2: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

      1. Humility costs you your ego.

      2. Gentleness costs you your reaction.

      3. Patience costs you your timeline.

      4. Bearing with one another costs you your preference.

   2. Making Every Effort

      1. Ephesians 4:3: making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

         1. It is as if we are like someone chasing something down.

         2. Peace doesn’t just happen - you have to go get it.

         3. Unity isn’t the natural state of a room full of different people.

      2. Romans 12:18: If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

3. Why This is Worth It

   1. Verses 4-6: look at what you already share:

      1. Ephesians 4:4-6: There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

      2. We are not strangers trying to find common ground. We already have it.

   2. Here is the foundation undergirding it all:

      1. Ephesians 2:14: For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,

      2. It all runs back to Jesus. He himself is our peace.

4. As We Close…

   1. The calling is real. The common ground is real. And He himself is our peace.

   2. The only question is… Am I walking like it?

   3. Today is the day to start. Give your life to the one who is our peace.

On January 1, 1832, two religious movements gathered in the same place. They shared a conviction about Christ and the Bible, but they also carried real disagreements. In the middle of it all, Raccoon John Smith stood and quoted Jesus’ prayer in John 17—reminding everyone that if our Lord prayed for unity, it must be possible. He reached out and shook Barton W. Stone’s hand. The room erupted—people embracing, a hymn breaking out on the spot. They later called it “the handshake that shook the frontier.” It all began because one frontier preacher believed Jesus meant what He prayed. The question is simple: Do we?

1. What Jesus Actually Prayed For

   1. John 17:20 - I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.

      1. He’s praying for us.

   2. John 17:21: May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you.

      1. The Father and Son are distinct. And yet, they’re completely one. Not uniform. One.

   3. Where this oneness has to start: It starts here. In this room.

      1. Colossians 3:12-14: Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

2. Why This is So Hard

   1. Uniformity doesn’t only show up in big theological debates. It shows up in smaller ways.

      1. The uniformity trap is closer than we think. Now, what does Paul say about it?

      2. Ephesians 4:3: making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

         1. Our job isn’t to manufacture unity. Our job is to stop destroying it.

   2. How do we keep it?

      1. v. 2: humility, gentleness, patience,

      2. v. 2 - bearing with one another in love

         1. This costs something. It’s not passive. It’s an active choice

         2. The question is not whether there is tension … it is what we do with it.

   3. Philippians 2:3: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

      1. And note, the antidote is not more debate … it’s humility. (v. 3)

      2. Considering the person across the aisle as more important than yourself.

      3. Philippians 2:4: Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

3. Church Division Actually Works Against Our Witness

   1. John 17:21: May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.

      1. This isn’t an internal church matter. It’s about our evangelism.

      2. Think about this in a very specific way, i.e., this congregation.

   2. When the world looks at us and sees

      1. Humility where they expected pride…

      2. People bearing with each other, forgiving each other, considering each other more important than themselves…

      3. They see something they cannot produce on their own, which requires an explanation.

   3. And the explanation is Jesus.

4. As We Close…

   1. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is still standing. It hasn’t expired. It hasn’t been fully answered yet.

   2. We are answering it. One small act at a time …for His glory.

What is actually killing our unity? Because something is. In Romans 15:5-7, Paul is writing to the church in Rome - a congregation he has never visited, full of people he has never met. In these three verses, there is a wealth of things to consider. Today, we’ll ask, what kills our unity, and what does God say about it?

1. We’ve Confused Unity with Uniformity

   1. Romans 15:1: Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves

      1. “Obligation” is not a suggestion. It’s a responsibility.

   2. Romans 15:3: For even Christ did not please himself. This statement drives the entire passage.

   3. Romans 15:7: Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.

      1. “to take someone fully into your fellowship. See them as a companion.”

      2. “To grant access to one’s heart.” “To take into friendship.”

         1. This is not just polite tolerance; Paul is calling for something that costs you and transforms you.

   4. How This is Accomplished

      1. A void passing judgment on a weaker brother.

      2. C ommit yourself to live for Christ.

      3. C ontrol your attitudes and emotions with love.

      4. E dify everyone you can.

      5. P rivately hold to your personal convictions.

      6. T reasure people like Jesus did.

   5. How did Christ Receive You? Romans 15:7: just as Christ also welcomed you.

2. We’ve Made Secondary Things Primary

   1. Romans 15:5: Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,

      1. His answer isn’t … figure out who’s right and make the other side comply.

   2. Those that we draw lines against …Christ died for them.

3. We’ve Forgotten What We’re For

   1. Romans 15:6: so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.

      1. One mind. One voice. This is the goal.

      2. When we become fragmented and fractured: God is not glorified and the world doesn’t see Jesus … they see us.

   2. And really, it’s not about us.

      1. Romans 15:7: Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.

      2. Note how our welcoming each other is actually an act of worship.

   3. Compare John 17:21: May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.

      1. When Christ welcomed you, he was making an investment - not just in you, but in what your life joined to others would produce for His Father’s glory.

4. As We Close…

   1. We have truth. God’s word is settled. Christ is Lord. But the truth is not a weapon, or a wall, or a membership card. You hold it … according to Christ Jesus. He is the standard.

   2. Here’s Where We Start:

      1. Look at the person sitting beside you today - Ask yourself: Did Christ receive them?

      2. If He did, what right do we have to do anything else?

1. See Yourself Clearly

   1. Romans 12:3: For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

      1. We must think sensibly - seeing ourselves as God sees us.

      2. God has measured faith to each one - to place us where we are needed.

   2. Seeing Yourself Clearly Means Seeing One Another Clearly

      1. Romans 12:4: Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function,

         1. Paul quickly moves from how we see ourselves to how we see one another.

         2. Our work happens in a body: connected, dependent, and shared.

      2. It is a carefully designed structure where each part contributes to the strength of the whole.

   3. If you belong to Christ, you belong to the body.

      1. Romans 12:5: in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

      2. You don’t have to carry the whole structure, just carry the part God entrusted to you.

      3. Romans 12:8: showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

2. Faithfulness Shows Up in Action, Not Just Intention

   1. Romans 12:6-8: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

      1. What God has placed in your hands is meant to be exercised, not admired.

   2. Your work in the Lord is never in vain.

      1. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

      2. Long after people forget, God does not.

   3. Now, back to verse 6:

      1. Romans 12:6b: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith;

         1. “according to the proportion.”

         2. staying within what God has entrusted you; carrying your share of the load responsibly; serving with trust instead of strain.

      2. Be faithful with what you’ve been given, and trust God with the results.

3. As We Close…

   1. This morning’s message isn’t about doing more—it’s about belonging fully.

   2. And belonging begins with Jesus. Have you given your life to Christ?

1. Day-to-Day Faithfulness

   1. Don’t assume that: if my service isn’t visible, impressive, or widely noticed, it must not matter very much. There is a passage in Romans that pushes back against this idea:

   2. Romans 12:6: According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts…

      1. The “grace” here is not referring to saving grace. This grace sends us out in service. It is the way God fits each person for their role in His work.

      2. Notice how there is no ranking of gifts.

   3. This means: if God gave it, it matters.

      1. Your service is not measured by platform or recognition - but by faithfulness.

      2. Luke 16:10: Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, …

   4. Therefore…

      1. Galatians 6:9: Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

2. God Sees and Uses Faithful Service

   1. Hebrews 6:10: For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them.

   2. God uses the things we often undervalue:

      1. Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

      2. Your personal ministry is for Christ.

   3. God uses faithfulness that we never get to see come to fruition.

      1. Much of what we do is seed planting, not harvest gathering.

      2. God is at work beyond what we can measure.

         1. Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—

         2. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

3. As We Close…

   1. 1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

   2. Over time, we can begin to measure everything. Little results or progress? Is it worth it?

      1. Ephesians 3:20: God is always doing more than we can see.

      2. The same God who saved you by grace is using your faithfulness by grace. So take courage. Be assured. You are part of something far greater than you can ever measure.

1. Equipping Begins with Christ - Not the Church

   1. Ephesians 4:11: And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. Think of how this is describing the ongoing care of a living Lord.

   2. And so when we emphasize equipping, growth, service, and maturity, it’s biblical.

2. Teaching Has a Clear Purpose: Equipping the Saints

   1. Why Christ gave these gifts:

      1. Ephesians 4:12: to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,

      2. “Equip” carries the idea of “preparing,” “mending,” or “putting something in working order.”

      3. Teaching is meant to prepare God’s people to function … to make us useful servants.

   2. Equipping always has the body in view.

      1. Ephesians 4:12: to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,

      2. See the two purposes here that cannot be separated. (Equipping and Building Up)

      3. God equips individuals so that the whole body becomes stronger.

3. Equipping is Aimed at Maturity, Not Comfort

   1. Ephesians 4:13: Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son,

      1. “Until” tells us the equipping is not a short-term thing. It is the ongoing work of the church.

   2. And note the second part of v. 13: growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Maturity is the measure of faithfulness.

   3. Immaturity leaves us spiritually vulnerable.

      1. Ephesians 4:14: Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

      2. Maturity gives us spiritual steadiness.

   4. What is maturity?

      1. Ephesians 4:13: growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

      2. Maturity is becoming more like Jesus.

4. Growth Happens When Every Part Engages

   1. Ephesians 4:15: But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.

      1. Growth is directed toward Christ. We grow into Him.

   2. How God designed the church to grow together:

      1. Ephesians 4:16: From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

      2. This is God’s design. Every part matters - even if it feels small.

5. As We Close…

   1. Our goal with Vision 2026: becoming who Christ intends us to be.

   2. Teaching equips us so we can engage. Equipping prepares us to contribute.

   3. And when we contribute, the body grows. You have not been saved to become a spectator - you have been saved to become a participant in His work. Are you in Him? How can we help you get started?

From the beginning, faith has never been a solo project. Our spiritual life was always meant to be shared, shaped, corrected, and strengthened within the people of God. In Acts 18, Luke introduces us to Apollos, a man who, on the surface, appears to be the kind of servant every congregation would want. He is sincere, but incomplete. Faithful, but unfinished. And so, God will move to grow Him through other servants. How did Priscilla and Aquila help Apollos grow?

1. Sincere Faith is Not the Same as Complete Formation

   1. Who is Apollos?

      1. Acts 18:24: Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus.

         1. Religious, educated, and trained.

      2. Acts 18:25: He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, …

         1. Knowledge, fervent in spirit, and courage: (v. 26a) bold in his public teaching.

         2. 18:25c: But he knew only John’s baptism.

   2. He is incomplete. A person can love God deeply and still need further formation.

      1. Growth is not automatic. It is intentional, and often it is relational.

2. How Real Discipleship Actually Happens

   1. Focus on Priscilla and Aquila:

      1. Acts 18:26: They heard him.

      2. They took him aside.

      3. They explained the way of God to him more accurately. i.e., faithful instruction given in love.

   2. Priscilla and Aquila are not apostles. They are ordinary disciples who take responsibility for a brother’s spiritual growth.

3. Teachable Hearts Become Powerful Servants

   1. What was the result of Priscilla and Aquila’s work?

      1. Acts 18:27: When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.

      2. Discipleship did not slow Apollos down. It strengthened him.

   2. Growth is something we celebrate.

      1. Acts 18:28: For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.

      2. Teachability multiples usefulness in the kingdom of God.

   3. Discipleship is: humility to listen, a willingness to grow, and readiness to be shaped.

4. As We Close

   1. Jesus chose relationship over distance and did not disciple from afar. (Matthew 4:19)

   2. Jesus corrected privately before publicly. (Matthew 13:36; Mark 8:17-21)

   3. Jesus welcomed teachable hearts - even when they were incomplete.

   4. Jesus defined greatness as service, not status. (Mark 10:43)

   5. Jesus called His followers to make disciples - not just converts. (Matthew 28:19)

   6. Are you humble enough to be taught? Are you willing to invest in others? The kingdom is built by intentional discipleship.