Walk Worthily
Notes
Transcript
Good Morning
Good Morning
I have this friend that I went to high school with. I have not kept in touch with him, but the other day he told me that he had his lip removed. Now I just call him Phil.
What a great time Friday night at the gospel singing. I really encourage to come to it next month.
We will be having a business meeting next Sunday. We will be voting on some recommendations for some new committee members.
Today we are going to be in Ephesians 4:1-6.
Last week we took a break from Ephesians to look at the Resurrection. We saw the dedication and devotion of the women who went to the tomb not knowing if they could even get in. Then we talked about what they did with the news that He is Risen!! They went and told people about the Risen King. They obeyed the command before it was given!
Today we will be back in Ephesians. We have ended the first part of the book and are now beginning the second part. Paul used the first three chapters to tell us all that we are in Christ. All that Christ has done for us.
We are going to see the word walk a lot in following sections. The word walk is an important word! When Paul uses it, he is really talking about how we conduct our lives. In this section, Paul is going to tell us how we are to conduct our lives in a way that is in keeping with the gospel. Our whole lives are to be lived in light of the gospel. Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and as believers we are to walk in step with Him, submitted to His Lordship.
Please stand as we prepare to hear God’s Word.
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, 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. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Again Paul tells us that he is a prisoner. He wrote this letter while in a Roman prison. He has never said that he is a prisoner of Rome, he always states that he is a prisoner for Jesus. Paul is showing us what a worthy walk looks like in his own situation. He has surrendered his life to Jesus and it has taken him to prison. There are not many of us here in America that will be sent to prison for obeying Jesus, you, as a redeemed believer, are called to sacrificial obedience. If it comes to it, we must chose obedience over our freedom, just like Paul did. There are several of our brothers and sisters around the world who have made that decision to be obedient and are now in jail. We have all been called to this walk. God has called us all to Him. We all share the common experience of His saving grace. We are all called to walk in this manner. A manner that is worthy of Who has called us and what we have been called to.
Paul now tells us more detail about this walk. He gives us some explanation as to what this walk looks like. The short answer is it looks like Jesus! Jesus came to this earth and lived a life that show us a humility that otherwise ever known about. The creator of everything, the Word of God, left heaven to be born of a woman and walk on this earth with us. We will never truly know all that He gave up, it was a lot! He died for us while we were still His enemies. He provided a way. Humility was not common in the first century Greek literature. When it did appear, it was used with a negative connotation. Pride was more highly valued. Christians were ridiculed for their humility. However, this is a valued virtue all throughout the Bible.
Exalting Jesus in Ephesians United by Christlike Conduct (4:2–3)
We live in a similar day. The opposite of humility is “self-exaltation.” Our culture says, “Exalt yourself,” “Pamper yourself,” “Think about yourself first.” That is the problem! You only think of yourself! Pride means being filled with self. Conversely, humility is being filled with God (
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Exalting Jesus in Ephesians United by Christlike Conduct (4:2–3)
within the context of considering others more important than ourselves and not being conceited or having rivalry. Keller puts it this way: “The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less”
We are to have that same sacrificial humility. We are to die to self and pick up our cross and follow Him. We have some crucifying of our own desires and flesh. This humility will bring unity, when we put others before ourselves, there is togetherness, oneness.
Not only was Jesus humble, He was gentle. In Matthew 11:29
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
This gentleness does not mean timidity. The gentleness that Paul is talking about, the gentleness that Jesus showed was self control. Moses was described as the meekest man on the face of the earth. Yet he was one of the most dynamic leaders ever. He challenged the power of Pharaoh. His strength stood steadfast under God’s control. This gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, we should have this attribute as believers. It is through this gentleness that we are able to care for one another. It is through gentleness that we unity.
This next virtue is a tough one!! Patience, how are you doing with this one? I know a lot of people who think the microwave is to slow! A lot of times are prayers are like this, “ Lord please give me patience and can you hurry up with that!” Lack of patience is a display of a lack of humility and a lack of love. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:4
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
This is where gentleness helps us out. It allows us to control ourselves. To have patient love, we must endure annoyances and challenges over time. How do we develop patience? I am glad you asked. You guys make it so easy to preach!! We develop patience by relying on the Holy Spirit and by meditating on the patience that Christ showed us.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
It is easy to learn facts and information; it is difficult to be patient with people. Jesus could have returned in a week or two and said, this is going to take forever!! I going now. A lot of people would have missed out on the opportunity to know Him if He were not patient.
We have to use all three of those virtues to be able to do what Paul tells us next. We are to bear with one another in love. We have to accept one another. Paul is telling us that we have to put up with each other in love. Some of us require more putting up with than others. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:8
8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
The only way we are going to get this right is if we have humility, gentleness, and patience. This putting up with one another is the only way that a marriage will survive. I know that my wife has had to put up with a lot of things over the 20 years we have been married. It is because she has patiently humbled herself and in gentleness put up with me. This is the same way that relationships in the body of Christ works, as well. We are all very different. We all have unique quirks that others in the body will have to put up with. If we are not working on cultivating the three virtues we just talked about, we will never be able to bear with one another in love.
Next we are to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit. Notice that Paul doesn’t tell us that we are to create unity. I believe that would be impossible, we are to maintain the unity that is in Christ, in the Spirit. I don’t think I can understand the division and separation that existed before Jesus. The Jews hated the Gentiles and didn’t want anything to do with them. The Gentiles were outsiders and the Jews let them know it. Christ tore down that wall of separation when He died on the cross. It is that unity that we are to maintain. Unity is active, not passive. If we do not work on it, it will disappear. We are to be zealous, dedicated to keeping the unity that Jesus died to give us. God had united us, we are to seek and work to maintain that unity with the help of the Spirit.
When we get all these right, it will produce a bond of peace that is beautiful. It is a truly amazing thing when the body of Christ is walking in a manner that is worthy of Him. I have brothers and sisters from other churches that I have attended that I don’t get to see very often. When I do get to see them, it was like I was never gone. That is the bond of peace that the unity of Christ provides. When we are actively working on these virtues, and seeking to maintain the unity, we will have peace with each other. I am not say that we will never disagree, we will have disagreements, just like we do in our families. Those disagreements will not divide us or turn us against each other. The peace that is produced is one that is bonded! It is very hard to break that peace.
The church is unified and God is glorified when we live with such Christlike conduct.
The ends this section by citing what was probably an early Christian creed. Paul points out seven “ one” statements to emphasize the oneness we have in the gospel. It is important to note that Paul is not teaching that we should have unity at all cost. He is teaching us that we have unity when we are in Christ. We were all once in our sin and separated from God. We were all enemies of God, but Jesus united with the work that He did on the cross and the empty tomb. It is because of Him that we can have unity.
Paul begins by stating that there is one body. There is only one church. We see many churches just here in Duncan. Really, there is only one church. We have many flavors of that Church. We are diverse in our backgrounds and our giftings, but we are united as the one body of Jesus.
Next is one Spirit. We all as believers in Jesus are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. It is that Spirit who creates unity and empowers us to maintain it.
There is one hope. We all share a common hope in Jesus Christ. Before Him, we were without hope until we were called to Jesus. It is in that calling that we have hope and we must live in a manner worthy of that calling.
There is one Lord. As believers, we are to confess and proclaim Jesus as Lord. 2 Corinthians 4:5
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
When the early Christians said, “Jesus is Lord,” they were saying, “ Caesar is not lord.” When the Jewish Christians said this, they were boldly identifying Jesus with the God of the Hebrew Scriptures. So this was not merely an empty creedal affirmation for the early believers. This confession could cause you to lose your head. To be locked up in a Roman prison for years!
There is one faith. The faith that we have is not in ourselves or anyone else other that Jesus Christ. This faith was given to us by God. He is the author and finisher of our faith. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, the life. That is who we have our faith in.
There is one baptism. We all share a common spiritual baptism. Believers are all baptised into Christ. We are united in Him. The act of water baptism gives us a visual picture of this reality. We are crucified with Jesus and raised as He is raised to a new life, a new creation.
There is one God and Father. We all have the same Father through adoption. We are His adopted son’s and daughter’s. He is the God over all and the Father of all His children - regardless of the ethnicities. Through Jesus, we are all God’s children. We are one big, adopted family.
Notice that the trinity is pictured here in this old creed. The triune God not only creates the unity we have as believers but also serves as the ultimate picture of unity. Jesus praying for unity, reflecting on His relationship with the Father. John 17:21
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
A healthy church is characterized by this unity, and when we get it right, we are a marvelous testimony to the world who is watching. When we are unified in Christ, He is glorified.
