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Sermon #4099

Keeping the Unity of the Spirit

A Sermon on Ephesians 4:2-3

Scripture

Ephesians 4:2-3 ESV NASB KJV
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (ESV)

Sermon Description

Conflict is an ongoing part of life today, just as it was for the church at Ephesus. In this sermon on Ephesians 4:2–3, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones opens Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and addresses how believers can live in unity and peace. Rather than ignore sin or avoid confrontation, Christians must quickly exhort and forgive one another, guarding the unity of the Spirit, and guarding the fellowship of believers. This is supernatural unity that can only belong to those indwelt with the Spirit. Therefore, to not guard this unity is actually a grievance to the Holy Spirit. So how can one guard Holy Spirit’s unity? Dr. Lloyd-Jones proclaims that being humble, gentle, patient, and bearing with one another are critical characteristics of believing relationships. Christian brothers and sisters must do this because they love one another and desire to guard their unity. Just as parents humbly serve and instruct their children with patience and gentleness, Christians must do the same thing with their brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Book of Ephesians

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.