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Sermon #4107

One God

A Sermon on Ephesians 4:6

Originally preached July 14, 1957

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Scripture

Ephesians 4:6 ESV KJV
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (ESV)

Sermon Description

God is Lord of all, but how does this bring His church to unity? In this sermon on Ephesians 4:6 titled “One God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches how these two things interact with each other. As Paul reminds in Ephesians 4:6, there is one God— not everyone recognizes that, and this alone brings disunity of doctrine. Additionally, God is one. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also reminds that the end of one’s salvation is to bring them to God but it does not stop at Jesus. Through Jesus, His people have access to God. What does it mean when Paul writes that God is the “father of all”? Many understand this to support a universal kinship of all people and a universal fatherhood of God, but Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul means God is the Father of all who believe in Him. Finally, as Paul says, God is through all — He is sovereign over everything, including all the life of the church. Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues, “We can’t contemplate all this as a church without being one.” Possessing a correct understanding of God and how He relates to His followers will breed unity because the end of all doctrine is to lead to the worship and knowledge of God.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is appealing to Christians to maintain unity. He gives seven reasons for unity from Ephesians 4:4-6.
  2. The first three reasons relate to the Holy Spirit: one body, one Spirit, one hope.
  3. The second three reasons relate to Jesus Christ: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
  4. The final reason is one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. This is the climax of the seven reasons.
  5. Paul frequently builds up to God the Father as the climax in his writing. We must not stop at the Spirit or Son but continue to the Father.
  6. The end and purpose of salvation is to bring us to God the Father. Sin separated us from God; salvation reconciles us.
  7. We all come together to the same God. We are all going to meet the same God.
  8. There is only one God. God is one, yet three persons: the Trinity. The three persons are one God. This reinforces unity.
  9. We all worship the same God. If we realized God's presence, divisions would disappear.
  10. Paul means God is the Father of all Christians, not all people. God is only the Father of believers.
  11. The purpose of salvation is to bring us to God. We pray to God the Father, through Jesus Christ.
  12. We are all children of the same Father, part of the same family and household. This demands unity.
  13. God the Father is above all: He is the originator and source of the church. It was His will and purpose.
  14. God the Father is through all: He energizes and sustains the whole life of the church through His providence.
  15. God the Father is in you all: Like the Son and Spirit, the Father dwells in us. The church is the dwelling place of God.

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.