Walk Worthy
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Intro
Intro
Students!
It’s been a minute!
I want to share something today that has been on my heart!
Man y’all aren’t ready for this!
This is from the book of Ephesians, a book that Paul wrote
He is the one that we have been talking about on Sunday’s in the book of Acts
Listen to what he tells the Ephesians
Walk Worthy
Walk Worthy
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Paul tells us that we are to walk worthy in the calling we have been called!
That every single one of us who believes in Jesus has a calling
You may not be called to be a pastor or church worker — but you have a calling
A calling to share the Gospel
A calling to show love to all
We have a calling
And Paul tells us to walk worthy according to that calling:
The Greek word for walking worthy is αχιος which means “equal weight”
It has the idea of your conduct pulling equal weight with the calling that you have
When you go back to school your calling doesn’t change — you are still the Lords and still called to live a life called
So how do we walk worthy?
Humility
Humility
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Paul lays out three virtues for how we as believers should walk worthy of our calling
The first virtue is:
Walk with humility
In Grecian culture humility was thought to be a bad thing
Only slaves were supposed to be humble and caring — not anyone else
Paul however tells us that we are to be completely humble in our day to day lives
Believers should see themselves in comparison to the Father and act accordingly
3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.
Paul in Romans gives us this same idea — to live humbly and care for others
Paul when listing out the virtues for us to have lists humility first as the most important of the three
Humility allows us to be fully obedient to the Lord
If we are humble, remembering our standing versus the standing of the Lord we will be obedient to Him trusting — following all that He says
It also keeps us fully dependent on the Lord
If we are humble we understand that everything that we have and everything that we will ever do is because of the Lord
Listen to how Jesus is described:
6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. 8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death —even death on a cross!
Jesus himself humbled himself to save us
He humbled himself to the point of dying on the cross for our sins
We are to be humble if we are to walk worthy in our calling
Gentleness
Gentleness
Ephesians 4 gives us the second virtue
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The second virtue is:
Walk with gentleness
We are called to be gentle to walk in the calling that God called us
Now there is some boys there that are like “I’m not gentle, I’ll never be gentle! I’m a man! AGHHH!”
But gentleness is not exactly what you think
Gentleness is the idea of having your emotions under control
Gentleness does not mean weak — it simply means you are in control
It is the idea of being the person in between always angry and never angry
You react appropriately to all circumstances
Gentleness is the opposite of: self-assertion, rudeness, and harshness
Moses one of the most influential and greatest leaders in all of the Bible was said to be the most gentle or meekest person in all of existence
3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.
This didn’t stop Moses from getting angry
In Exodus 32 we have the Israelites fresh off the Exodus — fresh off being saved by YHWH
They are were taken away from Egyptian enslavement and what did they do?
They created a golden calf to worship
Meanwhile Moses is on the mountain talking to God
He is receiving the 10 commandments for his people
Listen what happened when Moses came down from the mountain
19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain.20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
Moses got angry!
Gentleness doesn’t mean you don’t get angry — it means you keep your anger in check — only for the things that matter
Not only Moses, but Jesus also was meek
29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jesus was humble and gentle — He never overreacted
But we know that when they turned the Lord’s house into a house of thieves that he flipped tables
If we are to live a life that is worthy of the calling the Lord has given you
You must become gentle
Have your emotions under control
Patience
Patience
The last virtue also comes from Ephesians
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The last virtue is:
Walk with patience
Paul tells us that not only are we to be humble and gentle but we should also be patient
Patience is the idea of never giving up
Of enduring to the end
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.
We are told in James to consider the prophets
How they declared that the Messiah would be coming — yet never saw Him
Isaiah is preaching a message of the Gospel — about Jesus coming
And he will never see him!
7 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! 8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day—and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing.
Paul tells Timothy that he has completed the race well! He finished the race of a Christian life well and that there is a crown waiting for him
Being patient is about completing the race — not winning in the first 100m
If you watched the Olympics you know this
Noah Lyles won the 100m — he was in dead last at the 40m mark
Cole Hooker won the 1500m — he was in the back of the pack for most of the race
Being patient as a Christian is about waking up every morning and choosing God
It’s about living for Him in the small moments and the big moments
Conclusion
Conclusion
Students you are about to go back to school
A place where your faith will get tested
Where people will try to bait you into all kinds of things, where sin is everywhere, and you have lots of opportunities to lose your witness
My challenge for you is the same thing that Paul is challenging them:
Walk worthy of the calling that God has given you!
Walk worthy of the calling of being a Christian!
Don’t let your witness be discounted
Walk with Humility — be humble
Walk with Gentleness — under control
Walk with Patience — trusting and relying on the Lord daily.
