One

Introduction:
A. Our bodies are made up of many parts.
     1. Hundreds/ thousands of bones.
     2. Organs: heart, lungs, kidneys.
     3. Externally: eyes, nose, ears, hands,feet.
B. All of these parts make up one body.
      1. That is how God designed it.
     2. God would have all these parts, not only be joined together, work together in unity.
C. The same is also true of His body/church.
     1. There are many members that make up His church.
         a. Some are Jews, and some are gentiles.
         b. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and social standings.
         c. They have various abilities, and talents, but they are all part of the same body.
     2. He would have all those members work together in unity (Ephesians 4:1-3).
         a. Working in unity is a part of walking worthy (1).
         b. To do so we must be humble, meek, and longsuffering (2).
         c. It is something we need to work at..."endeavouring" (3).

Let's look at what Paul says in Ephesians 4:4-6 so we can see how important that members of the church/ the body of Christ, have unity.

  I. We are all a part of the "one body (4)."

     A. What is the body?
          1. The body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23).
              a. God Himself tells us that the body is the church.
              b. Church (Eklessia) = called out assembly.
              c. Called out of darkness (I Peter 2:9).
          2. The church that....
              a. Was in God's eternal plans (Ephesians 3:10-11).
              b. Jesus said He would build (Matthew 16:18).
              c. He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
              d. He might sanctify and cleanse it (Ephesians 5:25-27).
              e. The church He will return for one day, and deliver up to the Father (I Corinthians 15).
     B. Christians are all a part of that "one body."
         1. And, it is not to be a divided body.
             a. Context of the passages we are looking at = unity (Ephesians 4:3).
             b. Corinthians 1:10 = no divisions..perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.
             c. Jesus prayed that we be one, even as He and the Father are one (John 17:20-21).
         2. We need to be united in...
             a. What we teach.
             b. What we preach.
             c. What we believe.
             d. What we practice.
             e. Anything less falls short of the unity God wants.            

  II. There is "one (Holy) Spirit." (4).

      A. The Holy Spirit has given us God's word, so we can know: what God would have us to do; believe, practice = have unity.
           1. Jesus sent Him to guide the apostles in all truth (John 16:13).
               a. Jesus was going to leave, and was not going to be able to teach them personally as He did for 3 years.
               b. When He left, they were going to need further instructions, and Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would give it to them.
           2. What they taught, and wrote was by inspiration.
               a. Inspiration = God breathed.
               b. II Timothy 3:16-17 = all scripture given by inspiration of God.
               c. II Peter 1:21 = holy men of God spake as they were moved.
               d. I Thessalonians 2:13 = what they spoke/ wrote was "the word of God.."
      B. Is He divided?
          1. He is no more divided than...
              a. The Father or the Son are divided (John 10:30).
              b. There is only one Holy Spirit.
          2. Nor does He contradict Himself.
              a. He does not tell one group of people one thing, and another group of people something else.
              b. There were those in N.T. times who were teaching something other than what the apostles taught, but that does not mean the Holy Spirit had revealed something different to them. As a matter of fact Paul said they were to be accursed (Gal.1:6-9).
              c. By the multitude of things that people: believe, teach, and practice today, you would think that the Holy Spirit had given lots of different instructions to various people.  But, that is not the case.
              d. The word that the Spirit has given needs to be THE standard of authority for all that we do, so we can have the unity God desires.

III. There is "one hope" by which we all have been called (4).

       A. What is the one hope?
            1. Eternal life.
                a. Titus 1:2.
                b. Titus 3:7.
            2. This is a great hope.
                a. This life is brief - James 4:14.
                b. Our days are 3 score and 10 (70) (Psalm 90:10).
                c. But, God offers us the hope of eternal life.
                d. What greater hope could He give us?
       B. All Christians have this one hope in common.
           1. We need to help one another hold on to this hope.
               a. We can be moved away from that hope - Col.1:21-23.
               b. So, we need to help those who are weak (I Thes.5:14).
               c. Restore those who are overtaken in a fault (Gal.6:1).
           2. Since we have this common hope we should be able to be "longsuffering" (2) with one another.
               a. We are human beings, and as human beings we do things that can be trying with others.
               b. Even in families we can become irritated with brothers, sisters, parents, children, and spouses, but they usually tolerate these irritations.
               c. As God's children, having the same hope, we desperately need to be patient with one another, for we need to be there for one another, so that we can help one another to remain faithful unto the end.

  IV. There is "one Lord" (5).

       A. That, of course, is Jesus.
            1. Lord = master.
                a. God the Father made Him Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
                b. Since He is our Lord, that makes us His servants.
            2. As His servants we are to do all things He commands (Mt.28:18-20).
                a. Live as He commands us to live (godly).
                b. Do the work He has given us to do:
                    1) Evangelism (Mt.28:18-20).
                    2) Benevolence (Galatians 6:10; James 1:27).
                     3) Edification (I Thessalonians 5:11).
                c. John 14:15.
        B. Why would we make Him our Lord (master)?
             1. Making Him our Lord is something we do.
                 a. We have a free will, and we can choose to obey or not.
                 b. Men can choose to obey His gospel or not - I Thes.1:8.
                 c. They can choose to Keep His commands or not - Luke 6:46.
             2. We choose to do so, because...
                 a. He loved us enough to die for us - Galatians 1:3-4.
                 b. Because we are going to serve someone, and it is only logical to serve the one who can free us from sin, and make us righteous before God - Romans 6:16-18.
             3. If we choose to make Him our Lord (master) then we will:
                 a. Love one another, for He has commanded it - John 13:34-35.
                 b. And, by doing all things whatsoever He has commanded, we will have the unity God desires.

  V. There is "one faith (5)."

       A. Faith can be used in a couple different ways.
            1. Personal faith.
                a. Faith we have in Christ being God's Son, or in God Himself.
                b. We must believe Jesus is the Christ to be saved (Mark 16:16).
                c. We must also believe in God to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).
            2. The faith here is the body of evidence, and doctrine on which Christianity is founded.
                a. The teachings of the N.T.
                b. Jude 3.
        B. If there is only one faith, can there be 2 or 3, or etc?
            1. If the "one faith" is what is found in the N.T. there is no other?
                a. We have no need of other books, for God's word can thoroughly furnish us unto all good works - II Timothy 3:16-17.
                b. We have no need for the traditions of men, for they are not of God, and lead us away from God - Col.2:8.
                 c. The only doctrine we need is that doctrine which makes up the "one faith" we find in the N.T.
            2. The reason there are so many denominations in the world is because men are not following the "one faith."
                a. If men would only do what God has said, not following man's traditions, doctrines, or books, there would be no division.
                b. We need to do what God says, and only what God says, and we will have the unity He desires.

  VI. Each of us entered into that one body by "One baptism" (5).

       A. The Bible mentions several baptisms.
           1. Baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11).
               a. The baptism of fire that He speaks of here is a baptism of punishment of the ungodly.
               b. This fits with what He goes on to say in verse 12.
           2. Holy Spirit baptism.
               a. Holy Spirit baptism was only promised to the apostles: (Mark 9:1; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8).
               b. The 1 exception we see is the household of Cornelius (Acts 10), but it was to show that the gentiles were also included in God's plan of salvation.
           3. Baptism of the dead (I Corinthians 15:29).
               a. This verse has to be taken in context = Paul is dealing with the false idea that there is no resurrection.
               b. Part of his argument is that if there is no resurrection then Christ did not rise, and we are w/o hope.
               c. And, if Christ is not risen, then why bother baptizing someone for a dead man (Christ).
           4. Water baptism.
               a. According to our text there is only one baptism that remained.
               b. Water baptism is commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
               c. It is the means whereby we put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-29).
                d. It is something we have to do to be saved (Mark 16:16).
B. This verse, however, says there is only one baptism that remains.
          1. It only makes sense that water baptism is the one that remains.
              a. Since it is the only one that is commanded.
              b. Since it is the one whereby we put on Christ.
              c. Since is it something we must do to be saved.
          2. Since there is only "one baptism" there should be no division over baptism.
              a. There is only one way of doing it = immersion.
              b. There is only one reason to do it = remission of sin.
              c. There are only certain ones who should be baptized = those who: believe; can confess; and can repent.
              d. If we practice what the Bible says concerning baptism we will have the unity God desires.

VII. And, there is "one God and Father of all" (6).

        A. There is only one God.
             1. In N.T. times people believed in various gods.
                 a. Jupiter and Mercury (Acts 14).
                 b. Diana (Acts 19).
                 c. In Athens they worshipped all kinds of gods (Acts 17), but Paul tells them about the one true God who made all things - Acts 17:22-29.
             2. Many of the people, in the early church, had worshipped these false gods.
                 a. Paul commends the Thessalonians because they had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true god" (I Thessalonians 1:9).
                  b. As long as the Christians served the living and true god, they could be pleasing to God, and have the unity He wanted them to have.
        B. You might think that people no longer worship false gods, but that is not true.
             1. There are literal false gods that people worship.
                 a. Allah.
                 b. Buddah.
             2. There are perverted ideas of the true God.
                 a. Mormons = that God was a man but became a god.
                 b. United Pentecostal Church = deny the trinity.
                 c. Common idea = God is love...and won't punish anyone.
             3. We need to understand that there is only "one God, and Father of all."
                 a. He is not one of many gods.
                 b. The God of the Bible is not one possibility of what God is like....that is what God is like.
                 c. "He is above all, and through all, and in you all."
                     1) There is no place for another.
                     2) He is God over all things.
                 d. We cannot allow false ideas to cloud our understanding of the "one God."  False ideas about God can keep us from having the unity He would have us have.

Conclusion:
A. God calls for us to have unity as christians.
     1. We are members of the "one body."
     2. We have been God's instructions by the "one Spirit."
     3. We have "one hope" (eternal life).
     4. We have "one Lord" Jesus Christ.  We are His servants, and we need to submit to His will as our master.
     5. We have been given "one faith" which is the evidence and doctrine on which christianity is founded.
     6. We have all been baptized in "one baptism."
     7. We have "one God, and Father."
B. Where is the room for division?
     1. There is none!
     2. God does not want His children divided, He wants them to "endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."