A few years ago, I heard the Lord say something clearly in my spirit: "You are an Ephesians church." That got me excited, because I love the book of Ephesians.
It just so happens that our core scripture as No Limits Church is Ephesians 3:20: "All glory to God, who is able through his mighty power working in us to accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or think." So when God said, "You're an Ephesians church," I was thrilled.
But then I remembered something. The Ephesians church is one of the churches mentioned in Revelation, and it's one of the ones that got rebuked. What were they rebuked for? Not remembering their first love.
That means that as an Ephesians church, we are at risk of getting so caught up in the doing and the amazing things God is doing here that we forget our first love. We forget about being patient with each other. We forget about the kind of love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13.
So the question is: what can we learn from the book of Ephesians that will help us measure up to what God wants us to be? That's what I want to dig into today. The title of this message is simple: No Peace, No Unity.
Let's start at Ephesians 4:1, because we can't just jump straight into verse three. Paul writes:
Ephesians 4:1 (NLT): Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
I want you to hear that. You have been called by God. Don't you ever doubt it. Don't you ever deny it. It's not just me, it's not just one person up front on a Sunday morning. You have been called by God. Look at the person next to you and tell them, "You've been called." He's calling your name.
Verse two tells us to always be humble and gentle, and to be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. The key word there is "always." Not sometimes. Not when it's convenient. Always. And that word "always" is connected directly to love, specifically to the kind of love we show when we remember our first love.
Think back to when you were first saved. You were so thrilled at the fact that God had forgiven all your mess. You were amazed that he would even invite you into his kingdom. You were just marveling in his goodness, marveling in his mercy, and you looked at everybody else's faults and you just didn't care.
You weren't worried about what people were doing wrong because you were too busy being overwhelmed by what God had done right for you. The Lord is saying: go back to that.
This reminds me of when Jesus gently rebuked the disciples after he sent them out and they came back excited. They were like, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!" And he said, Don't rejoice that the demons obey you. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
If we keep our rejoicing in the right place, on the simple fact that our names are written in heaven, a lot of things will fall into line in our lives. Keep your rejoicing in the right place.
Now we get to verse three, and this is where the message really comes alive:
Ephesians 4:3 (NLT): Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
No peace, no unity. If peace isn't present, we're not bound together. Last week, I challenged us that if you're in a disagreement with someone and peace is not present, you stop and say, "Wait. We're not saying anything else until we search for peace."
Today, we're taking that further. Peace is like the superglue that holds us together. There's going to be a lot of things that come against us and try to pull us apart, but if we're superglued together with peace, none of that is going to work.
When you look up that word "bind" or "bond" in the original language, it's synonymous with a ligament, which makes total sense because the Lord refers to us as the body of Christ.
He goes on through Ephesians 4 to talk about how we all have a specific function. He gives us this physical body to explain how the body of Christ works. And within that body are ligaments. Ligaments are the things that hold bone to bone. Without ligaments, your knee would just come out of place. You wouldn't be getting anywhere. Peace is the ligament in the body of Christ.
I had the privilege of asking our own Dr. Darla Bell, a physical therapist, to share a bit about ligaments so we could understand peace better. She reminded us that ligaments provide stability around your joints, holding the structure firm while you move. They're not like nuts and bolts that prevent movement. They surround the structure and hold it stable while it's in motion.
She also shared something that stopped me in my tracks. When a ligament is injured, it repairs itself by laying down new collagen in the direction that stress is applied. So if you injure your ankle and you only move it one way to avoid the pain, you actually lose range of motion in the other direction because the new collagen doesn't form to accommodate that movement.
What that means for us is this: you have to apply peace to the pain, or you will lose range of motion. Pain is an invitation for peace. The temptation when pain shows up is to ignore it, to push it aside, to retreat to what is comfortable. But we have to press into that pain and apply peace to it so we can stay strong.
Ligaments also get weaker when they're not used and stronger when they are used. That means if we're not exercising peace, we are getting weaker. If we are exercising peace, we are getting stronger. Without peace, the body of Christ is disconnected. Without peace, we injure each other over and over again.
Turn with me to John 14:27. Jesus says:
John 14:27 (NLT): I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.
Peace is a gift from Jesus. And here's what we need to understand: peace is not circumstantial. It's not something we wait for. You take a gift. You don't sit around hoping someone will eventually put it in your hands. Jesus left it here, and we take it.
And notice where this peace lives: peace of mind and heart. It's on the inside. That means you can have peace even when what's happening on the outside is not peaceful at all.
The peace the world offers is based on circumstances. Everything's going well, so you feel at peace. But that only lasts until the next minute when something disrupts it. That's the peace the world gives, and it's fleeting.
The peace Jesus gives is different. It's deep. It's on the inside. And it doesn't go away just because your circumstances change.
How often do we do this, though? I'll have peace when my spouse does everything I want them to. I'll have peace when everybody around me is smiling. I'll have peace when I make more money, when I finally have that house, when my bank account isn't at zero, when my body doesn't hurt anymore.
We all do it. And every time we get into that mindset, we'll never find the answer because peace doesn't come from the outside. You have to choose peace now.
Did Jesus leave the gift or not? He said, "I'm leaving you with peace, peace of mind and heart." What do you do with a gift? You take it. You don't delay it. So today, right now, before the circumstances change, you take it.
Peace is not something you work towards. It's not something you wait for. Peace comes when you decide to take the gift.
When Jesus said "do not be troubled," he packed a whole lot into that word. I looked it up, and that word "trouble" means agitated, inward commotion, and having your calmness of mind taken away. It means anxious, distressed, and even having your mind perplexed.
That's a lot wrapped into one word. Peace rescues you from all of that. Peace rescues you from agitation, from inward commotion, from anxiety, from distress, and from that state of confusion where you don't know what to do or where to turn.
How does peace rescue you from perplexity? It relieves you of the thinking. When you take peace, what does peace say? Get your eyes off the problem. Because God already told us what we're allowed to think about:
Philippians 4:8 (NLT): Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
"Fix your thoughts" is the key phrase there. Your thoughts are broken and they need to be fixed. God is very specific about what you're permitted to think on. If what you're thinking about doesn't bring peace, you don't have permission to think about it. You are actually in disobedience to God when you dwell on something that does not arrive you at peace. That's a strong statement, but it's the truth.
I can remember the moment the Lord gave me a revelation of this. I was in my bedroom rehearsing something I had done wrong at work. I'd made a mistake that had a negative impact, and I was going over it again and again.
The Lord took me to Philippians 4:8, and after I read it, I heard him say clearly: "And that's all you get to think on." I was being rebuked for rehearsing my faults over and over again. He said, "You don't have permission to rehearse your faults."
I actually argued with the Lord. I said, "But if I don't think about my faults, how will they ever get fixed?" And he showed me something powerful: it turns out that when you don't keep looking at them, you walk away from them. When your eyes are on the problem, you just keep creating more problems. Keep your eyes off the problem.
Peace is superior to trouble. If you're agitated, take peace. If you have inward commotion, take peace. If your mind is not calm, take peace. If you're anxious or distressed, take peace. You don't have to know what to do next. God already knows, and he'll get you right in line.
And here's the most freeing truth in all of this: you are not a victim to your thoughts. You can choose what to think on. Your mind is not in charge. Your spirit is. If you're walking by the spirit, you don't have to live according to what your mind is screaming at you.
Let your spirit rule and ask the question: does this thought arrive me at peace? If not, I'm not thinking about it.
Here's a story that completely changed how I read the Bible. Turn to John 2:13. When it was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the temple, he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices, and dealers exchanging foreign money. What Jesus did next might surprise you when you read it carefully:
John 2:15-16 (NLT): Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the temple. He drove out the sheep and the cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!"
Now I have read that passage many times, and I always imagined Jesus storming in, fire in his eyes, filled with human rage, just flipping tables in a fit of anger. But that is not what happened. Here's how I know: it says first that Jesus made a whip. Making a whip takes time.
You have to work the rope into shape. A person who is agitated and emotionally reactive doesn't sit down to weave a rope. Jesus was calm. He was always calm. He sat there making his whip, completely at peace in his mind, and then calmly went in and addressed the problem.
And notice that he used the whip to drive out the animals, not to harm the people. He scattered the coins and turned over the tables, but from a place of inner calm, not emotional explosion. The scripture says passion for God's house consumed him.
What does "passion" mean in the original language? Zeal on behalf of another. An enthusiastic passion to embrace, to pursue, to defend. Like the picture of how a husband feels toward his wife. He wasn't consumed with emotion. He was inwardly calm and free from distress, but deeply passionate about protecting his bride. He was not troubled as he passionately protected what he loved.
I have to tell on myself here. I've been in situations that I decided to call "righteous anger," where I convinced myself I had good reason to let someone have it. I even used the Jesus-flipping-tables image to justify it.
But what we call righteous anger is usually just our human anger dressed up nice. It ain't God's righteousness. Anytime we are troubled, agitated, stirred up on the inside, we need to stop and take peace before we address anything. What we have to say is not beneficial if we don't have peace.
Peace is not passive, though. It doesn't mean you let everything slide by and never deal with anything. Peace gives you the foundation to stand on so you can address issues the right way. Jesus dealt with it, he just dealt with it from a calm, solid, peaceful place. That's our model. If you don't have peace, shut up and wait until you get it. Then go address it.
And here's the other side of that word "troubled." Jesus also said, "Do not be afraid." That word fear actually means timid. Every time you feel timid, you need to take peace. Timidity is the infant of fear, the seed of it.
If you address timidity early by taking peace, that grown fear never has to show up. If you have his peace, you're not going to be troubled. If you have his peace, you're not going to be timid. And if you have his peace, you're not going to be afraid.
This is something I have said more than a few times around here, and it bears repeating because we don't prioritize it enough. Romans 14:17 says:
Romans 14:17 (NKJV): For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. All three are gifts. When you entered God's kingdom, you gained access to righteousness, peace, and joy. They're yours for the taking. And here's the thing: there is only one flow in God's kingdom.
That's it. If what you're doing doesn't qualify as righteousness, you're outside the kingdom. If what you're doing doesn't bring peace into your life, you're outside the kingdom. If what you're thinking about gets you agitated and upset, you're outside the kingdom.
If there's no joy in your life, if you're living days depressed and delaying your joy for something in the future, you are living according to the kingdom of darkness even though you've already been transferred into the kingdom of light.
That transfer happened when you said yes to Christ. Colossians 1:13 makes it clear:
Colossians 1:13 (NLT): For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
When you said yes to Jesus, you were translated from one kingdom to another. That's not a future event. That already happened. So why are we still consulting with the wrong kingdom? Why are we turning around and asking fear, anger, and worry what we should think and do? We've been translated. We belong in righteousness, peace, and joy. That's home.
Here's a golden nugget that I want you to hold onto. Don't take advice from someone who is not in peace. I know that sounds harsh, but here's why it matters: when someone is not in peace, they're consulting with the wrong kingdom.
They can't hear God clearly when they're mad and upset. It doesn't mean they're a bad person. I've been that person. You've been that person. But you cannot give good advice when you're outside of God's flow.
Remember when Peter said something he shouldn't have and Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan"? You read that and you get startled. Peter was one of his closest followers. But Jesus recognized that Peter was consulting with the wrong kingdom in that moment.
Even as a follower of Christ, you can listen to the wrong kingdom and give the wrong advice because you're tuned to the wrong frequency. It doesn't mean you have a demon. It means you've stepped outside of righteousness, peace, and joy, and you're listening to something else.
This also means that when you stay in righteousness, peace, and joy, there's simply no room for darkness to operate. Demons can't function in that environment. They're suffocating. So they try to stir you up one more time, try to get you riled up, but you say, "Nope, I'm staying in peace. I'm staying in joy."
And just like that, their access is gone. Getting rid of that kind of darkness is easier than we make it. You just have to know what God said, do what God said, and believe it by faith.
Turn to Psalm 34. The psalmist writes:
Psalm 34:11-14 (NLT): Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? That's what God wants for you. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to live a long life. And how do we get there? It comes down to one phrase that jumped out at me: search for peace, and work to maintain it.
When peace goes missing, what do you do? You go looking for it. You don't just shrug it off and say, "I'll get to it later." When peace is missing, it means you've wandered outside of the kingdom of God. So what do you do? You go search for it.
When I looked up that word "search," it means to seek through worship and prayer. How do you search for peace? You start worshiping. You start praying. You go to God and say, "Lord, I don't have peace. Clearly, I'm in disobedience because there is no lack of peace with you. I'm coming to you boldly, and I know you're going to help me."
And that word "search" also means to strive after, to desire, and to demand. This isn't a casual, relaxed search. When peace is missing, you are demanding it. You are saying, "I am not living without peace. I will not settle for this. I am taking it back."
And the psalmist says to search for peace and work to maintain it. Daily maintenance is required. But know this: peace doesn't need the maintenance. You do. Peace is perfect. The peace Christ gave you is perfect. The work, the maintenance, is on your end. And what is that work?
Renewing the mind. Your spirit has been born again. There is something perfect on the inside of you, but your mind has to catch up. Bring your mind into alignment with your spirit, and peace will follow.
Peace is not something you work toward. It is something you walk into by faith. You just walk right into it. You know why you walked through the doors this morning? Because you chose to. You know why I have peace today? Because I chose to walk into peace. It's a choice you make by faith. You choose to walk into it, or you choose not to.
You know how you know you're not taking peace by faith? Because you're waiting for something to happen before you let yourself have it. "I'll have peace when..." That's not faith. That's the opposite of faith. Faith looks like this: I have no reason in the natural to be peaceful right now, but I'm going to take it anyway. And then you have it.
Every time I choose to take peace by faith, it comes from the inside out.
If peace is missing, we are outside of God's kingdom. And we have no business giving people advice when we don't have peace ourselves. In that situation, our only pursuit is to go get peace. Peace, I'm coming after you. I am not living without it.
Let's come full circle back to Ephesians 4. Starting in verse 17, Paul writes with the Lord's authority: live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness, and they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
But that is not what we learned about Christ. Since we have heard about Jesus and learned the truth that comes from him, we throw off the old sinful nature and the former way of life, because it's corrupted by lust and deception.
Ephesians 4:23-24 (NLT): Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.
Paul continues: stop lying, don't let anger control you, don't let the sun go down while you're still angry, because anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you've been a thief, quit it and use your hands for good work. Don't use foul or abusive language; let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words encourage those who hear them.
What Paul is doing here is renewing your mind by the spirit. He's saying these are things we don't do, and now your mind has nothing to stand on for those old habits. The Bible doesn't agree with them, so your mind gets renewed.
Then in verse 30: do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander.
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ Jesus has forgiven you.
Do you see what Paul is saying? Return to your first love. If you remember how Christ forgave you, it becomes really easy to forgive other people. You were there once, and God brought you out of it. And he's going to bring them out of it too.
Before we close, let's look at Ephesians 6:10-17. Paul gives us one final word:
Ephesians 6:10-17 (NLT): A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
Shoes of peace. If we don't have peace in the body of Christ, we ain't going anywhere. We don't even have our shoes on. We're stuck without peace, stalled out, probably going in the wrong direction. Peace must become a priority.
We must stop making excuses for not having peace. "I'm allowed to not have peace in this situation." No, you're not. Not even if the situation is really bad. Still not allowed.
Peace is the superglue that holds us together. No peace, no unity. And if we don't have unity, we will have no maturity. When you read the fullness of Ephesians 4, the whole point of the chapter is to lead us to a place of maturity. But first we have to prioritize peace, which leads us to unity, which leads us to maturity.
And that destination, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ, is not out of reach. He doesn't give us a vision to prove we can't get there. He gives us a destination that's achievable. If he expects it of us, that means we have what we need to do it.
If you're honest today, you might realize that you haven't prioritized peace the way you should. I'll tell you what that means: from this day forward, you can change it. Peace should become such a priority that when you don't have it, you stop everything and go get it.
You don't let days go by. You don't let hours go by. You say, "Wait, peace is missing. I'm going back to get it, because I can't do anything helpful to anybody without peace. It's my oxygen."
Peace is a gift. You don't earn it. You take it by faith. You take it by faith because the word says Jesus gave it to you and told you not to be troubled or afraid. You know how you take it? You believe it. Not when something happens to make you feel it. You believe it now, and then you have it.
You choose to walk into it like you chose to walk through those doors this morning.
The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. That is your home. If you don't have those three things right now, it means you've stepped outside of his flow. But the good news is you can turn right around. Father, you said righteousness, peace, and joy. That's not what I have right now.
So I'm in error. Help me. Get me back. And he will. Because peace is not waiting for you to earn it. Peace is waiting on you to say yes.
