Live Worthy of the Calling
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Therefore - Paul begins again with the reminder of all the things he stated previously. He says, in light of the gracious riches that you have in Christ, and the glorious reality of this new community called the church, there are now accompanying responsibilities.
Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,
Paul, the prisoner in the Lord - where was Paul when he wrote this?
Paul was a prisoner in Rome. Acts 28:30 “Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him,” lets us know that Paul was under house arrest when he wrote Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. AD 60-62.
walk worthy of the calling you have received - walk worthy -
Walk worthy, live worthy -
As people who call upon the name of Christ, we must conduct ourselves in a way that reflects Christ. If we have these gracious riches in Christ, and the glorious new community called the church, then we need to reflect Christ in the world around us, so as not to stain His church.
Paul says we should walk worthy. John also says we should walk in a specific way:
The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked.
So we have to ask ourselves: how did Jesus walk? If we are to be a reflection of Jesus, then we should walk like Jesus.
The beautiful thing is this: Paul tell us!
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
See we are to walk the same way that Jesus walked! And Jesus walked with:
Humility -
the disposition of valuing or assessing oneself appropriately; especially in light of one’s sinfulness
a willingness to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Philippians gives a beautiful definition of humility:
If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gentleness -
strength under control
acting in a manner that is gentle, mild, and even-tempered
REQUIRES STRENGTH!
patience -
patience endurance of pain or unhappiness
bearing with one another in love -
to endure something unpleasant or difficult whether on one’s own behalf or on the behalf of someone else
showing tolerance for those around us, and seeking their well-being. Tolerance among believers. Sometimes, we have to tolerate other people.
Let’s be honest: sometimes, we don’t like everyone! Sometimes, we are not liked by everyone.
Listen to me here, because this is HUGE:
You don’t go to church because of the people to your right and left, you go to church because you were a sinner, you were saved by grace through faith, it had a price, that price was the blood of Jesus Christ, who, while you were still a sinner, bore your shame, your sin, your strikes, your cross, paid you debt by dying a horrible death on the cross FOR YOU - and NOW HE calls you a saint, our Father sees only HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS when HE looks at you - and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about you, or thinks about you - because Jesus said you are worth it - the Father said you are worth it and you come to church because HE invited you! AMEN!
And sometimes even people in church can be ugly - and Paul says - bear with one another in love.
making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
YOU:
make every effort to keep unity
I think of the important things for us to remember is that a message like this is personal AND corporate. Now IF you are working to live worth of the call, then you will be humble and gentle, you will have patience, you will bear with one another in love - IF you are doing all of that, it is so much easier to have UNITY. Because all of this is working TOWARD UNITY. But it is not unity just for the sake of Unity.
We are all of ONE spirit - the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. So we should have Unity of Spirit.
But UNITY is NOT sameness.
I will praise you
because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.
Your works are wondrous,
and I know this very well.
Remarkably - Uniquely -
You were created to be one of a kind. We all keep our uniqueness, but we move in Unity.
Which means we all bring something to the table, we all have different backgrounds, experiences, thoughts, ideas, talents, spiritual gifts - ALL for the glory and edification of the church.
Let’s look at a football team. They must have unity in purpose. Take your favorite team, they want to win the game. It takes teamwork to make that dream work. Unity. They all look the same But they are not all the same. There is a line of people right up front on the offense. The offensive Line. They look similar as well. Yet, they are different.
You have the L Tackle, the L Guard, Center, the R Guard, R tackle, tight end.
All together, but different.
They you have your receivers off a little ways. Look similar to the Offensive line, but have a very different job.
Little back you have your quarter back. He looks the same as well.
Then a full back, half back.
Everyone on the field on the team looks Similar - there is Unity in appearance. They have the same overall goal - there is Unity in purpose - but they have individual jobs, duties, responsibilities.
Its the same way with us in the church. We are to look similar - unity in appearance, we are to act similar, Unity in purpose - but we are remarkably, uniquely made individuals and we are to maintain that as well.
Paul writes that we should make every effort to keep unity.
TO KEEP Unity. TO MAINTAIN IT. To ensure that Unity perceivers, despite opposition and painful endurance. It’s almost like God knows that people can be difficult sometimes. Thankfully our duty is not to Establish Unity. See that is God’s job. That’s His wheelhouse. We (the church) do not establish Unity, God did that Eph 2:11-22.
THIS unity is tied to our Christian character, our Christian identity - and is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes we don’t get what we want.
We have business meetings. We vote on things. If the vote doesn’t go in your favor, and you get angry and roll your eyes, and start saying things like: well I just won’t help anymore - this or that
That is the opposite of making every effort to keep unity. That is DIS-UNITY.
When you react to people based upon your human point of view, you are working in opposition to the Spirit. It is an emotional response. A worldly response. But when you stop, take a breath, and use your Holy Spirit lens, you approach situations and people with God’s point of view - then the Spirit overrides that human response and something amazing happens.
There is the bond of peace.
make every effort to keep unity through the bond of peace:
What once caused struggle, then brings peace.
peace - Sa-lom - harmonious relations and freedom from disputes
it is a blessing!
and peace leads to healing.
It’s that moment when you say: okay, it’s not how I wanted, but this isn’t about me, it’s about God. Perhaps God is working through everyone and I am on board with God’s plan.
And you join in. And maybe it means you aren’t leading. And maybe it means you get rest. AND maybe it means you work with that person whom you aren’t the biggest fan of - you know those people who you painfully endure - bearing with one another in love.
And you learn. And you grow. And your presuppositions based on whatever - they go away.
And it is a blessing.
And it leads to healing.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Paul says ONE!
The church is one body, united by one spirit, called to one hope, worshipping one Lord, trusting with one faith, identified by one baptism, submitting to one God and Father! When we fail to keep the unity of the Spirit, we deny our oneness!
Our Father, our GOd in heaven, is a God of peace.
since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints,
When we allow that humanity side of us to win the day - that human side - that sin side. Who really won? If God calls for unity, and we are disunited - if God calls for peace, and we are un-peaceful - Then Satan won the day. THE DAY only - but a day. See God already won the war. The battle belongs to our Father.
But if we deny Unity - we allow Satan just one more victory.
If we are a body, then we should be a healthy body, that is working for the plan established by the brain - Jesus. You know what a radical cell that does it’s own thing is called within the human body? Cancer. Cancer cells have their own plan. They do their own thing. They want to stay in the body and spread, and they reek all kinds of havoc.
Paul says, don’t become a Cancer cell within the body.
You are a follower of Christ, and because of all that Christ is, all that God is, all that has been done for you - you have the responsibility to start walking like Christ. Because in the end, we are all part of one body. We don’t have it all figure out yet, and honestly, the sooner we figure that out, the easier it is to have Unity.
See we don’t know it all, but we know enough.
The church is one body, united by one spirit, called to one hope, worshipping one Lord, trusting with one faith, identified by one baptism, submitting to one God and Father! When we fail to keep the unity of the Spirit, we deny our oneness!