THE WORTHY WALK IS FOUND “IN CHRIST”!

Ephesians 4:1 (Read first, then title)

WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU GOING?

In the 1929 Rose Bowl, the California Golden Bears squared off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and provided one of the most famous plays in college football history. In the second quarter, California player Roy Riegels recovered a fumble, but instead of advancing it, he got confused and began running toward his own end zone. A teammate finally stopped him at the goal line, but the two points Georgia Tech scored following “Wrong Way” Riegels’ mistake, proved the winning margin in the game.

Many times believers make the mistake of thinking they can face the world and even move toward it without adverse consequences. They think that since they are not yet too close, they are fine. But in truth, the direction in which we are pointed tells the story of where we will end up.

Church, we have recently heard a series of messages by Bro. Mike, that explained what our options are, for where we will End Up in Eternity!

We have heard about the Great White Throne Judgement and the Lake of Fire that awaits those NOT FOUND, to be “IN CHRIST”!

We also heard about the Home in Heaven and a Paradise Restored that awaits those FOUND, to be “IN CHRIST”!

These are the Only Two Options for where we will End Up, when this temporary life is over! And they are two VERY, different Endings!

Endings that are Undoubtedly determined (as the illustration pointed out), by the Direction that each of us are Heading In!

The truth is, we are ALL WALKING in one, of two Directions. Toward God or Away from Him!

And for someone that is “IN CHRIST”, walking away from God, is Not Acceptable!

For you see, The Church, the Christian, in Eph. 4:1 has been Exhorted/Called Out by Paul to Walk Worthy of their Vocation!

A Vocation that one obtains only, by being “IN CHRIST”! ONLY by becoming a BELIEVER/FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ!

Young people/graduates, I want to speak to you for just a moment.

On the website, Got Questions.org, the question is asked, “Why are so many young people falling away from the faith?”

And they cite this statistic in their answer: “Two studies conducted by both the Barna Group and USA Today found that nearly 75% of Christian young people fall away from the faith and leave the church after high school.”

Church, unless you are asleep, that is a shocking and disturbing statistic! (pause)

Graduates/Future Graduates, I want you to understand this, and if your parents are here, I HOPE, THAT THEY would agree with me?

The most important task that lies ahead of you is not Graduating High School, It is not getting into College or Tech. School and getting a degree, it is not finding a good paying job, it is not finding a potential husband or wife and getting married, although those things are Good and Honorable!

BUT, YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TASK is that of LIVING FOR JESUS CHRIST BY WALKING WORTHY, OF YOUR VOCATION! (AMEN PARENTS?)

So I plead with you today, walk the path that leads you to Walking Worthy, in your Relationship with Christ Jesus!

Whatever Path that is (college, tech school, job, marriage, ministry), wherever that Path Leads, Walk It! Don’t be one of the 75%! (pause)

Young people if you haven’t noticed, Our Country/World is Falling Apart and it is Rapidly growing more UNGODLY every day! We need YOU, to STEP UP! The CHURCH TODAY, needs YOU to STEP UP!

Your friends and family need YOU to STEP UP! God WANTS YOU, to STEP UP! If we are going to see this Country turn Back to God, YOU must STEP UP AND WALK, THE WORTHY WALK!

Don’t listen to this World/Satan, YOU DO NOT HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO LIVE FOR CHRIST! Don’t put it Off, Live for Him today!

And listen young people, know this as well, your faith should never be a Faith that excludes the Church, the Body of Christ!

If it ever is, by the Authority of God’s Word, I would say that you need to Examine your Faith! For as you will see today, the Church is a major part of being able to Walk Worthy of your Vocation!

Now, before we look into what it means to Walk Worthy as someone “IN CHRIST”, (I first want to specifically look at HOW one gets IN CHRIST!)

The phrase “IN CHRIST” actually occurs 11 times (Which shows its importance) throughout Eph. 1-3, as our Christian Identity is explained by the Apostle Paul.

So if you would, Turn with me to Eph. 1:1-4.

Right away in vs. 1, Paul tells us who it is that he is writing to, “...the saints which are at Ephesus… the faithful IN CHRIST Jesus:” So there is no doubt that Paul is writing to Christians in Ephesus, as well as to you and I that are, “IN CHRIST” today!

And then in vs. 3, we hear Paul announce that God has Blessed those “IN CHRIST” with ALL Spiritual Blessings and in vs. 4, he starts to name those Blessings, all the way to chapter 3.

Now I want you to jump down a few verses to verses 10-14, and we will see just how One Gets “IN CHRIST”! This is Important! Pay attention Believer/Unbeliever, for there is only One Way to be Found “IN CHRIST”! (Read Eph. 1:10-14)

Now there is a theology called Calvinism, that will tell you that God ELECTS/CHOOSES those He wants to be Saved BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, based on Eph. 1:4.

(And look, if you are in that camp of Belief, I am not Condemning you, I just don’t see that Interpretation found here in the scripture!)

But Church, if the interpretation of Eph. 1:4 is that of God Choosing some to be SAVED, He is also, therefore, Choosing all the others to be DAMNED!

Think about that! And compare it to verses such as:

1 Tim. 2:3-4 - “Who will have ALL men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 - Not willing that any should parish

Titus 2:11 - “the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men,”)

I believe that theology presents a problem! But Church, that interpretation of Eph. 1:4 that says God Chooses who will be Saved, also presents another problem!

For if you read again Eph. 1:1-4, you see that the FAITHFUL IN CHRIST of vs. 1, are the same ones that are CHOSEN “IN HIM” (CHRIST) Before the Foundation of the World, THAT, they should be HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME!

Look, vs. 4 of Eph. 1, is not a verse that is telling the LOST how they are SAVED (Paul remember, is addressing the saints, the Faithful in Christ Jesus)!

It is a verse telling the SAVED, what they were now CHOSEN TO BE BLESSED with, because they were FOUND to be “IN CHRIST!”

Paul was telling the Ephesians that because they were IN CHRIST, God, before the foundation of the world, CHOSE them to be HOLY and WITHOUT BLAME! (Which is the first of many Blessings throughout Ch. 1-3!)

You see, once you HEAR the Gospel, BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL and the CHRIST of the GOSPEL, and are SEALED by the Holy Spirit according to THE GOSPEL, you RECEIVE/INHERIT, ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS that GOD, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD CHOSE FOR THOSE, FOUND TO BE “IN CHRIST”!

Listen to me, you are not IN CHRIST, until the HOLY SPIRIT SEALS YOU or in other words, REGENERATES YOU, AFTER, you HEAR the WORD OF TRUTH/THE GOSPEL, and BELIEVE IT! You have not been CHOSEN to be “IN CHRIST”, Before the Foundation of the World!

Again, don’t take my word for it, listen to Eph. 2:11-13.

Listen, how can you be CHOSEN “IN CHRIST” BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD for SALVATION, if you were once WITHOUT CHRIST, WITHOUT GOD, Fleshy, an Alien, Stranger, and WITHOUT HOPE, BEFORE, you came to be “IN CHRIST”!

Eph. 1:13-14 IS, the Order of SALVATION! It IS how one gets “IN CHRIST”! You must HEAR THE GOSPEL and BELIEVE!

God did not place you “IN CHRIST”, before those two things happened!

***********(REMOVED PART)

Church this is important, for if you were CHOSEN “IN CHRIST” Before the Foundation…. for Salvation, YOU WERE SAVED BEFORE: you heard the Gospel, you were Drawn, you had Faith, you Believed, you Repented and you were Regenerated. And that is NOT (pause), What God’s Word says!

Listen, if you are “IN CHRIST”, you are Ultimately Walking toward God, and you will END UP spending Eternity in Heaven with Him.

But I want you to truly Examine yourself this morning, for the Sake of Others! Do you KNOW, that you are “IN CHRIST”?

Have you heard the Gospel and Believed? Have you Believed all that God says you must Believe?

Remember as we learned 2 weeks ago, Believing is more than just a head knowledge of Christ!

Believing is knowing that you are/were a Sinner in need of a Savior! Believing is Repenting of your Sins and Turning to Christ! Believing is Confessing Christ as Lord!

Do you KNOW, that you are “IN CHRIST”?? (pause)

Look, Don’t think of your Profession of Faith, don’t think of your Baptism, don’t think about a prayer you prayed, don’t think of your Parents Faith, don’t think of ANYTHING, but this, “Does my WALK/LIFE, truly match MY IDENTITY (Eph. 1-3), of being “IN CHRIST”?

For you see, if you are “IN CHRIST”, there are many Spiritual Blessings that you have Inherited, and all those Blessings should be Motivating you and I, to Walk Worthy!

And make no mistake about it Christian, just as “Wrong Way” Reigels suffered Adverse Consequences for going the Wrong Direction, you will too, if your Walk is not Worthy!

So Christian, because of Who You are “IN CHRIST”, because of the Spiritual Blessings you have Inherited, I want you to see this morning, that you should:

I. “...WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED!” (Turn back to Eph. 4:1)

1) Walking (Living) Worthy of your Vocation, Implies that you are Walking with Character! The Character of a Christian!

For Your Vocation is that of, a Christian, that is the Vocation that Paul is saying you were called to Walk! Amen!

Just Listen to:

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1 Peter 2:21 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

But let me ask, How is it that Jesus Walked, what example did he Leave you and I?

Well, in Phil. 2:5-8, Paul tells us that Christ came as a Servant. The Scriptures say that Even though He was equal with God, He

made himself of no reputation (he humbled himself) and took upon him the form of a Servant...”) (Jesus left His home in Glory...)

And Paul tells us in Eph. 3:1 that he himself, is a Prisoner of Jesus, for the sake of the Gentiles.

So we too, are Called to Walk/Live as the Servants of Christ Jesus our Lord! (John 12:26)

So first of all, our Character should be that of a Servant!

a. But In this World in which we Live, Living as Christ did, having Christlike Character, is not a High Priority! And sadly, It seems to not

matter to many within the Church.

But let me tell you, it STILL MATTERS TO GOD! AMEN! (God doesn’t Change, His Word hasn’t Changed, nor Will He or His Word Ever Change!)

And therefore, Character should MATTER to His People! (It is said, that your “Character is who you are when no one is watching!” That is when your true character comes out!) But don’t forget Gods always watching!

b. We see in vs. 2, 5 characteristics that will guide us to a Worthy Walk! (These are basic/milk, so I will just quickly go through them!)

Rd. Eph. 4:1-3

Lowliness: Humbleness. A Humble person does nothing from selfish ambition (living for self), they Count others more significant than themselves. They don’t look only to their interests, they look to the interests of others.

Do you have a Humble Spirit or are you filled with Pride. Are there things you won’t do, because you are too good to do them? Are there

people that you won’t associate with because they are beneath you, or even they are more well off than you?

Bible says that only the Humble can receive Grace from God (James 4:6) A Servant of Christ is Humble, there is nothing he will not do

for Christ! (Basic/Milk?)

Meekness: Meekness is the strength to control and discipline one’s self. It is having the strength to control your Desires, Actions, Words, etc.

Its saying to self, “Stop, Wait a minute, Backup, Think about what you are about to SAY or DO!

When your Emotions/Feelings are saying to do that which is contrary to God’s Word, you CONTROL those Emotions. Even when

provoked by someone to react in an Ungodly Manner! (Basic/Milk?)

Long-suffering: Exercise of Patience in Christian Character and Conduct. Everything we do should be governed by Patients! Have you ever lost your temper with someone? I know, its not always easy, BUT God says be Patient! (Basic/Milk?)

Forbearing one another in love: A love that continues to love even under mistreatment. Jesus is our Greatest Example!

You will not always be treated like you want to be treated (By the World and sadly by the Church!), or like God says all people should be

treated, but the question is, “Will you still Love Like God says to Love?” (Basic/Milk?)

Endeavoring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace: “make every effort, work hard at maintaining.” the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (It is important for the Church to have Unity, if we are going to accomplish what God wants accomplished!)

All Christians have the same Holy Spirit dwelling in them, Amen! Therefore, Unity and Peace ARE attainable!

If they aren’t, we may need to RE-EXAMINE what Spirit we do have within us! We may need to remind ourselves of Eph. 4:4-6 Rd. IT!).

c. Basic/Milk, Right? Why are these things so Hard to do? Many of us are Walking in the Flesh, not the Spirit! (Gal. 5:16: After reading

16: This is simple/clear! How do you not Walk according to the Flesh?)

Too many Christians are Walking Hand in Hand with this World, instead of allowing the Spirit to Work IN and THROUGH them as vs. 6 said!

If we Walk in The Spirit, Worthy of Our Vocation, the Fruits of the Spirit will be present! Gal. 5:22-23 - this list covers Eph. 4:2-3.

d. We must Practice and Exhibit these 5 characteristics daily, if we are to have an Effective Worthy Walk!

e. Now we just heard some Characteristics of those who Walk Worthy of their Vocation. But, what do we need to do to Grow in our Walk

and Maintain it?

We already know the first and most important thing is to be “IN CHRIST”! For without Him, the Worthy Walk is not Possible!

2) But Walking Worthy of your Vocation also Implies that you are benefiting from the Gifts of Grace, given by Christ to the Church!

(Rd. Eph. 4:11-16)

a. Again, the Application of these Gifts are within the context of the Church!

Three of these Gifts were Given to the Universal Church, which was that of the Apostle, Prophet and Evangelist.

(DON’T USE: Two of them no longer exist, but we are still benefiting from their office!

Apostles: An apostle was one who could testify, that he had seen the resurrected Saviour, and had a message from Him. Also an

Apostle was one who was taught directly by Christ! God endowed the apostles with special powers to perform miracles

to establish their authority (Hebrews 2:1–4) as they laid the foundation of the Church. (Ephesians 2:20) When the

apostles died, the position of apostle died with them. There are no apostles today.

Prophets: They had the gift to proclaim and explain the will of God and it often involved predicting future events and coming

judgments. After the Word of God was completed there was no need for Prophets.

Evangelists: Travel around witnessing and preaching)

The 2 remaining Gifts were given to the Local Church: Pastors/Teacher (Shepherd and Equip).

What does this imply, that these Gifts of Grace were given to the Church? Well, it implies that You and I, should COME together as the Church, to Benefit from these Gifts!

You and I, Need to Gather with Our Church Family and be Taught and Fed God’s Word! And really in all Honesty, the Bible says it much stronger than that!

We are COMMANDED in Heb. 10:25, to NOT FORSAKE the ASSEMBLING of ourselves together, as the manner of some is!

WHY? Because we are to Exhort/Encourage One Another (So much MORE as ye see the day approaching), and as Heb. 10:24 says,

we are to do this so that we can Provoke each other unto LOVE and GOOD WORKS!

b. So let’s look closer at what this Gift of Pastor/Teacher was given to the Church FOR: (Notice again in Eph. 4:12)

“FOR the Perfecting of the Saints”, “FOR the Work of the Ministry”, “FOR the Edifying of the Body of Christ:”

These Gifts are given to Equip the Saints, (Perfecting - “to make fully ready”) to do the Work of the Ministry!

You see, as a Christian is Equipped, to do the Work of the Ministry by the Proclamation and Teaching of the Word of God by the Pastor and Teachers, the Body of Christ/Church will be Built Up (Edified), it will GROW!

When you and I come to this Church building on Sundays and Wednesdays we have the opportunity to be Equipped by our Pastor and Teachers, so that we can DO THE WORK!

And remember that WORK, as we have already discussed, is the WORK of a Servant!

As we Go Out Into this World as Matthew 28:19-20 says we are to do, we are to SERVE OTHERS, by doing whatever we can to

Introduce them to Christ!

And then when someone comes to Christ we are to Baptize them, and then we are to Teach them (Disciple them) to Observe ALL

THINGS, that we ourselves have been Commanded to do!

Again Notice as I have already eluded to, the “Work of the Ministry” was not just given to the Pastor or Staff! (For the perfecting of the SAINTS, for the work of the ministry,”) Yes, the Pastor/Teacher is to Lead by Example and do the Work of the Ministry, but everyone else must Follow their Example, as they are Equipped to do so!

c. Notice 2ndly, What this Gift of Pastor/Teacher is given to FOSTER.

Again look at Eph. 4:13-14

The Pastor/Teacher, was given to the Local Church to foster, MATURITY! And if there is ever something that is missing among Christians today, it is MATURITY! (Now is this the fault of the pastor? Maybe?)

Churches are Full of Babes in Christ! And most of the time I believe this is because New Christians and often Old Christians (Not by

age - those who have been Saved for awhile) are NOT MATURING!

Of course we want to see Lost people come to a Saving Knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and become members of a Local

Church, BUT we don’t want them to stay Babies!

We want them to MATURE and start eating on the MEAT of the Word, and get off the MILK, so that they can Walk Worthy of

their Vocation! You will NOT WALK WORTHY, if you are a BABY!

You know, we used to have a board at our home that we marked Macie, Campbell, and Christians height on, as they grew in physical stature.

And they used to often ask for us to check to see if they had grown from the last time we marked them. They were excited

to see if they were going to get a new mark on the board! (That kind of ended for them AWHILE ago! I think they are TOPPED OUT!)

I think this is common with most kids, they want to see if they are growing taller! They want to grow, they don’t want to stay

babies/short/small. They look forward to being Grown Up!

Church what about you? Do you look forward to Growing Up?

Do you want to Mature in your Faith? Does it Excite you to Grow in your Relationship with Jesus?

How great Would It, or Wouldn’t it be, if when you left here today there was a board, by the door as you went out of the Church, and we each had to stop and let The Lord Mark, our Spiritual Growth for All to See? (pause)

What would it show? Would you be Exited, or Embarrassed, as you waited to get your Mark?

3) So the Question is, “Are you you Growing Spiritually?

Let’s look at 4 EVIDENCES that you are Growing/Maturing “IN CHRIST”:

a. EVIDENCE #1: CHRISTLIKENESS?

We have already talked extensively about this. Do you have the 5 characteristics found in Eph. 4:2-3?

Are you Doing the Work of the Ministry that you are being Equipped to do? Are you Serving the Lord by Living out the Great Commission?

And I want to point out the last part of vs. 13. Are you becoming a PERFECT/MATURE man/woman, according to the measure of the

Fullness of Christ?

Church we have to get this in our heads! JESUS, IS OUR STANDARD!! AMEN! (He is our FOCUS, He is who we keep Our Eyes On!) Not Bro. Mike or Jeanie, Bro. Joe Biel or Barbara, Bro. Chris Gullion or Heather, Bro. Carl or Tish, etc.

Our Goal as Christian Men and Women should be that of Paul’s in 1 Cor. 11:1. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ!”

But always remember, Men and Women will Sin, Fail, Disappoint, BUT CHRIST WILL NEVER DO any of those!

b. EVIDENCE #2: STABILITY (vs. 14)

The Mature Christian is not TOSSED TO AND FRO! As I said earlier, we as Believers must continue to Grow Spiritually everyday! If we stay Babies, we will be confused and deceived by every doctrine of man that we are confronted with!

You can tell a child anything and they will believe you. And that is what is taking place with many Christians today.

They hear men and women like: Joel Osteen, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Rod Parcely, Brian Houston, Carl Lentz, Bill Johnson (Prosperity Gospel) and because they are Immature and don’t know the Truth of God’s Word, they believe everything these False Teachers say!

And that is an unstable way to Live! The Mature Believer will recognize False Doctrine and WILL NOT GIVE AN EAR TO IT!

The Stable Man or Woman is Rooted and Grounded in the Faith of God’s Word! They will not WAVER! He/She shall be like a “Tree planted by the the waters” Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 1:2-3

c. EVIDENCE #3: TRUTH JOINED WITH LOVE (vs. 15)

Warren Weirsbe said this: “It has well been said that truth without love is brutality, but love without truth is hypocrisy.”

People may not agree with the TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD that we are proclaiming, but they should see that we LOVE them!

And remember this, the minute you change the TRUTH to make someone FEEL GOOD about their SIN, you are a Hypocrite, and you no longer TRULY LOVE that person!

It should never be a matter of choosing between TRUTH or LOVE! But try speaking THE TRUTH without LOVE and see just how much people pay attention to you!

Lost People hear enough UNTRUTH and UNLOVING words from the World around them, they should not hear it from the CHURCH! You and I are Ambassadors for Christ! (2 Cor. 5:20)

That means we speak on His Behalf! And those words should always be TRUTHFUL and LOVING! AMEN!

d. EVIDENCE #4: COOPERATION (vs. 16)

According to Eph. 4:5-6, we have everything as Believers that we need, to Work in Cooperation with one another! We have no Excuses!

We are a BODY! It takes ALL THE BODY WORKING TOGETHER to FUNCTION PROPERLY!

If you are having a hard time Cooperating with Brothers and Sisters in Christ or you are one that is hard to Cooperate with, you may want to remind yourself of Eph. 4:5-6!

And hear this, I have been apart of Churches that people have said to me, “I don’t or I won’t come there because of so-in-so!” Now Church, that affected me because I was a member of that BODY! Remember, our Sin affects each other, it negatively affects the Growth of the Body.

As we close, I want to quickly show you what happens when you have Christians that aren’t Walking Worthy/Maturing “In Christ”. And what the solution is. (John 15. - Abide in Christ! (Youtube: David Guzik towards the end)

4) HERE IS THE PROBLEM:

a. Loot at: 1 Cor. 3:1-3 (You need to read Ch. 2 to get the Full Context)

b. What is the Problem with an Immature/Baby Christians, that Will not Grow? They Walk according to the Flesh and cause ENVYING,

STRIFE, and DIVISION in the Church!

c. Christian Listen, if you are not Growing, if you are still Living on the MILK of God’s Word and not feasting on the MEAT (The Deeper Things

in God’s Word), then you are susceptible to being a Hindrance/Stumblingblock to The Faith, to The Unity of the Church, and to the

Growth of your Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

d. If you look at most problems in the Church, you will find an IMMATURE person behind them. You will find a person that doesn’t know

God’s Word, and is DISOBEYING God’s Word!

e. The Good News is, according to what we have just looked at today in God’s Word, we can avoid many of the Problems Churches face, by

Walking Worthy of Our Vocation! I plead with you as Paul did, to WALK WORTHY OF YOUR VOCATION!

f. Listen to this quote from Tony Merida pastor of Imago Dei Church: “It is wise and good to be health conscious—taking care of our physical

bodies. But let us be more concerned about the health of the body of Christ. May our local church bodies be marked by spiritual unity,

spiritual diversity, and an ever-increasing maturity. Paul’s teaching serves as a “spiritual checkup” in these vital areas. Let us make the

necessary changes with the Spirit’s help.”

g. Christian, is your Spiritual Health your #1 concern in Life? How does your Spiritual Life compare to the example Paul has laid out for us

in Eph. 4?

h. Both the Worthy Walk and the Solution to being a Hindrance is Found “IN CHRIST”! We must Live our Lives by daily Abiding “IN CHRIST”

as John 15 tells us!

i. Abiding In Christ, is concientously waking up every morning and Surrendering your Life to Jesus. It is Dying to Self and allowing Christ to

Live through you!

j. If you need to make some changes in your Life in order to Walk Worthy of your Vocation as a Christian, this Altar is open!

k. If you want to be “IN CHRIST”, if you know that the Lord Jesus Christ is drawing you to Himself through His Word, I ask you to come and

Accept His Free Offer of Salvation today!

l. CHURCH, ARE YOU WALKING WORTHY OF YOUR VOCATION? DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE, THAT YOU ARE “IN CHRIST JESUS”?