The nature of membership in any organization is that when one joins he or she undertakes an obligation to live and act in harmony with the standards of the group. The aims and objectives of the group become the aims and objectives of the individual. For instance, citizens have an obligation to abide by the laws of their country. Employees are obligated to work by the rules and promote the purposes and goals of the company. Service clubs, like the Lion's Club or the Rotary Club, expect their members to pull together and promote the worthy causes for which the clubs exist. On an athletic team, members are required to play as the coach directs and as the rules of the sport dictate. Such loyalties and obligations undergird the social order of human society. No society could function without them.

In the new society which Christ called into existence in the church, the same principle holds true. The problem is, in these days it becomes more and more confusing as to the true purpose of the church. There are many different opinions. On the one hand you have many who would say that the role of the church is to keep government straight. To speak out against injustices, and to picket the halls of government with a message of doom and gloom and turn or burn.

There are others that may say that it is the churches primary role to speak out against the unrighteousness of the nation and to act out against it by means of marches for freedom, marches against abortion, rally's against homosexuality and so on. Then there are churches that believe that the social aspect is primary. Speak out in favor of welfare reform. Feed the hungry, house the homeless, educate the ignorant, and you are following Christ's purpose for His church.

As important as all these things are in the grand scheme of things, Paul would state categorically that they are not the primary function of the church.

The entire letter to the Ephesians is a declaration of God's intended purpose in forming the church, and a clarifying of its purpose and its ministry---not only in the first century but in the twentieth as well.

In the first three chapters, we see our position defined. Paul laid out for us a doctrinal, or theological declaration of who we are as believers. The position that we as a church have in Christ.

From chapter 4 onwards, we see our Purpose described.

As always, when we come to the Scriptures we are returning to the fundamental issue of all of life. To basic, essential, underlying truth from which we can work our way out again to the application of these things where we live. It is absolutely essential that we get our direction from the revelation of God in Scripture, and not from the popular trend of the church in society today. This is extremely difficult to preach, because it is not always a popular message. The popular messages are the ones that get everybody riled up and ready to fight. The ones that give us a cause to rise up to. So different though to the message of Christ in Matthew 5 Matthew 5:3-16

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [4] Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. [5] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. [6] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. [7] Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. [8] Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. [9] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. [10] Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11] "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [12] Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. [13] "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. [14] "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

So now, in an attempt to get back behind all of the paradigms that have so influenced our thinking and our acting in recent days, let us look at chapter 4 of Ephesians.

Vs 1-3.

Paul says first of all, that as members of Christ's body we must live lives which:

I. Concede to the Sovereignty of God.

Remember that this letter to the Ephesians was written from the city of Rome where Paul was awaiting trial before the emperor on charges of inciting riots, with the implication even of treason against the emperor himself. These charges had been raised against him by the Jews in Jerusalem at the time of the seizure of Paul in that dramatic encounter he had had with the Jewish leaders in the city of Jerusalem. After languishing for two years as a prisoner in Caesarea he had been sent at last on a very perilous sea voyage which ended in shipwreck. But at last he arrived at Rome. There he lived in a home, chained to a Roman guard day and night. He was the personal prisoner of Nero, but he never refers to himself as the prisoner of Caesar.

Paul saw beyond the shipwreck off Caesarea, beyond the chains and the guard and the imperial processes of justice in Rome, to the controlling hand of Jesus Christ behind all things.

Paul was not fettered by his chains. He did not fret about his limitations and his sufferings. He saw them as an instrument in the hands of a sovereign God, for His glory. You have only to read the book of Philippians to see how joyfully he accepted his adverse circumstances for the cause of Christ. Family, our service to Christ, regardless of the cost, ought never to considered a sacrifice, but a glorious way of life.

Behind everything that is visible. Behind that which we may know and see, there is always the invisible at work. This is where the apostle had his focus. To the Corinthians he wrote, "we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen." Why? Because that is ultimately where the answers lie. That is where truth is found. There is the explanation behind all visible things.

For Paul to say that he was the prisoner of Caesar would be a superficial explanation and Paul is never superficial. Behind Caesar is Christ. Behind the circumstance is Christ. That is way he could exclaim, "we are more than conquerors in Christ."

Jesus himself reflected this same attitude when he stood before Pilate in John 19:10-11

"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above."

This has a direct bearing upon the issue Paul is discussing in this passage. It is one of the purposes of the church to be consistent with sovereignty of God. To concede every event in our lives to the working of the mighty hand of God.

The reason the church is so confused about it's mission today is that Christians have been looking at the things that are seen instead of the things that are unseen. We have been trying to find reason outside of God's sovereignty for the existence of circumstances.

Job tried to do the same, yet listen to his conclusion Job 12:9-10 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? [10] In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

13 "To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. 14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man he imprisons cannot be released. 15If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land. 16To him belong strength and victory; both deceived and deceiver are his. 17He leads counselors away stripped and makes fools of judges.

Society is in bad shape. There is suffering and hardship wherever you turn. Hate and bigotry abound. Injustice and unrighteousness prevails. Misery exists everywhere. And in the midst of this, here is a group of people, the church, who talk about love, compassion, righteousness, sympathy and help. The obvious answer to human need would be to let this group of people that are so concerned in this area get to work and do something about it. Let them meet the need, directly and positively. It sounds so logical, so consistent, so practical. But that is because we are so superficial. We only see the things that are visible. In our shallow concern for externals we treat symptoms and not causes and therefore we apply superficial remedies that work only for the moment if they work at all, and then the situation is as bad again.

Paul would say that this is not the effective way. He would say that this is not the way of Christ. In fact he goes on to give us the guidelines that Christ would have us follow in order to become that salt and light, those things that change, that He spoke of in Matthew 5.

Following the necessity to live our lives conceding to the sovereignty of God, he beseeches the church to live a life which is:

II. Consistent with the Character of Christ.

His answer is, "lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called." Now what does he mean?

He means that we have a model set before us that we can follow. The model is Jesus Christ our head. Not some man mad institution that sets up for itself rules and plans and programs. As useful as those things may be, they are never to become the end of what we do and who we are. The ultimate end, and all that matters is the purpose of Christ for this body of believers.

Sometimes that will defy human logic. Sometimes that will be unpopular with the masses. But nevertheless, we take our orders from Christ. He is the one we must obey in all things. This is the divine strategy that always supercedes the shallow counsel of men. Why? Because men will always be concerned primarily with the symptom, while God is concerned with the disease.

The church is not an independent organization existing by means of its own strength, as human organizations do. One can never understand this body that exists in human society unless you view it as more than an organization.

Throughout this letter Paul describes the church under the headship of Christ. He describes it as an army under the command of a king, and an army that will not obey its leader is useless as a fighting force.

The church is a body under the control of the head, and what a tragedy it is when the human body refuses to respond to the direction of the head. The church, he says, is a temple for the exclusive habitation and use of a Person who dwells within, who has the right to do with that habitation as he wills.

So this is the word of the apostle to us. Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Follow the goal that has been set before you by your leader. Obey the directions of the Head. Obey your orders.

Live a life that is consistently in line with the character of Christ. Totally submissive to Him.

When this is the pattern of our lives we need not ask for greater power.

2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

When this is the pattern of our lives we need not ask for more provision.

Philip. 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

When this is the pattern of our lives we need not ask for clearer purpose. Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

What is this pattern that is so fundamental to our fulfillment as Christians?

Paul takes us back again to the truths which he has already disclosed through the first three chapters, but here he applies them to the church.

Remember in the first place he set the standard of holiness. Here he said that in Christ we are blameless. We ought to live that way.

The moral character of God's people is a primary essential in understanding the nature of the church. We are to be a moral example to the world, reflecting the character of Jesus Christ.

Living lives of integrity. This is one of the ways we live a life worthy of our calling.

It means nothing if we protest the injustices and the impropriety of government when we do not walk with integrity in our own homes and in our own lives. We can speak out all we want against the blight of sexual promiscuity yet condone sexual misconduct through our TV screens and our voice becomes silenced by our action. We can picket the abortuaries of this nation with zeal while at the same time becoming partners in the crime by our acquiescence to the root sins of lust, premarital sex and love of comfort.

This is not the way we will win the world for Christ.

The way the church will win is when we become salt that brings preservation and savor to life so that lost men and women will be drawn to the Father and be able to taste of Him and see that He indeed is good. So that they may know of this goodness and kindness of which the writer of Romans wrote, that leads to repentance.

The way the church will succeed in it's mission is when we become light in a world that is so full of darkness, so that lost men and women will be drawn to that light because it is better than the darkness in which they are presently living.

This was the way of Christ. "Friend of sinners" they called Him. You never heard of Him having to go out and promote His crusades. The lost crowds were drawn to Him by their thousands. And they were changed by His life, not by His words.

Oh, that the church would be the church. That we would come to that place of surrender to His purpose for our being. That we would be come once again yielded, empty instruments for His use.

In Scripture the primary message that the church has for the world is the gospel. It has little to say about politics and nothing to say about substandard housing except to say that Jesus never had one. The Bible does not say much about civil rights or affirmative action or anything of the sort.

Not because Christians are unconcerned in this realm. Obviously you cannot have a heart filled with love for fellow human beings and not be concerned. The attitude that shrugs its shoulders and says, "I am indifferent to these things," is horribly sub-Christian. No, the church says little about these things because the Christian knows that the best way to really help in these problems is to introduce a new dynamic, the life of Jesus Christ. This is what men need. When those involved in these problems experience this, the testimony of history again and again has been that the problems begin to be solved. They are worked out by the dynamic of a new life that has been introduced into the situation.

Now we must start there. Arthur Brisbane says a very interesting thing in one of his columns.

We may sweep the world clean of militarism, we may scrub the world white of autocracy, we may carpet it with democracy and drape it with the flag of republicanism. We may hang on the walls the thrilling pictures of freedom: here, the signing of America's Independence; there, the thrilling portrait of Joan of Arc; yonder the Magna Carta; and on this side the inspiring picture of Garibaldi. We may spend energy and effort to make the world a paradise itself where the lion of capitalism can lie down with the proletarian lamb. But if we once again release into that splendid room, man with the same old heart, deceitful and desperately wicked, we may expect to clean house again not many days hence. What we need is a peace conference with the Prince of Peace.

As the old proverb puts it, You can bring a pig into the parlor but that doesn't change the pig---though it certainly changes the parlor! You can see the primacy of declaring the gospel in the lives of our Lord and the apostles.

This is the end to which Paul is working in these following chapters. From here on he will deal with it item by item until we come to grips with the true purpose of this marvelous God created institution, the Church.