Walk With God
That's really encouraging. But I think there's some people that could be a little bit. Overwhelming, how can I be worthy? Looking at Paul's riding gear. You get this huge Paradox that we don't often think about perhaps, but the reality of it is certainly their pulse as I'm writing this to you as a prisoner from jail.
But I'm encouraging you to walk worthy. Does that make any sense?
People in jail, usually I have a different kind of credibility and so Paul is ignoring that completely, he makes it very clear that he's a prisoner there for the Lord and that he's not going to be intimidated by what the world has done to him. He's going to encourage other people. They said, I'd like for you to walk worthy. Maybe some of you came from families, that really a size family heritage, family behavior. And I know, I've talked to people whose parents and Grandparents were frequently said that remember who you are. Remember who you represent? And that is a teaching about the way we behave ourselves when everyone's not around. Not worthy. What does it mean? Unfriended. We baited into something, perfect. And I don't think Paul is talking about perfection at all here. I think he's talking about something that is totally different. What does worthy mean? Well, worthy means having value Merit, our honor to deserve the respect and attention that you draw. Do they say we have it all together? Now we're doing everything. Right. No, but that we are, in fact, a fair representative of what we hold up. What a part in Scripture, it means a person's Behavior, status or praise corresponds, appropriately to the personal standard that they're matched with when you hold yourself out as a Christian. People start to expect certain things of you years ago. Robert Schuller was on an airplane with a key was taking a suit with him. They didn't eat the soup, very nicely and I don't know if it was exactly a play on on him or or something like that but he complained that his suit have been damaged. And people all across the place were like, well, I thought that man was a spiritual man. Why is he complaining to United Airlines? Why is he an appropriate for him to be upset because I know, Everyone, I saw I didn't see that he did anything that was over the top. Sometimes the world looks inside label a person, a certain way, and they say this person ought to act better. And if they don't act better, what they're representing isn't real. Therefore I don't have to listen. We're going to come across that when we try to be worthy of the word, we try to be worthy of our calling. We're not going to be perfect. We even in creating our own situations and defending our own me sometimes might seem less than perfect but worthy and perfect. Aren't the same things. Think about the word worthy in your Bible?
Matthew 3:13 occ11, John Baptist says, I am not worthy. Two Shoes. I'm not worthy to Bear Hill said. Another place is Jesus's shoes. What is he saying? That's a pretty humbling experience. Get down on one knee. Take somebody shoes off and carry them around for in modern kind of terminology. We went to say he's saying he's not even worth worthy to carry his gym bag so far. We gone 10.
Jesus would say of John the Baptist that among those born of women, there is no one greater than John.
Sounds pretty worthy to me. Is it comparison? Sometimes we're comparing it that process the Centurion in Luke chapter 7 Lord. Don't trouble yourself for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That's why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. Say the word and my servant will be healed. Centuria says you can't come to my house and not worthy of your being there were easy of an end of interactive conversation with the Messiah.
We feel that same way sometimes. And God wants us. If you're worthy Matthew 10:38 Jesus there would say whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not. worthy of me And of course the probably does the word the passage. It causes the most problem for us in scriptures. Really not the word Worthy is the word unworthy. We're Paul warns us in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 that Uber Eats the bread and drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy. Manor will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Unworthy manner, does that mean that I have to be worthy of the Lord's Supper?
It means there's a process that's a Corinthians or violating in a brick of Broadway. Is it the way you're doing? This is so respectful, the way you're doing, this is so anti-christian the way that you're engaging, is, this is, this is ruining the symbol running the it's because you're so selfish in the way you're approaching this. Do it in a worthy manner. We do that hopefully respectfully, and with thought and dedication and understanding about what's taking place.
So what's going to walk? Will stay indoors, so it won't be too warm. I mention King James at the beginning. If you look at the book of Ephesians, you'll find it. This word walk is used repeatedly in the King James version. Many of the words are translated live in the later versions like in IV, but some of the word walk is still there. It's really, really beneficial and you might, I would encourage you to do this, just sit down and read the 6, chapter book of Ephesians. And see that walk. First in it over and over again. As as hear a Paul really is trying to ask us and encourage us to to go on a walk with God. Well, what would that look like? 3 things. I like the phone out this morning, if we're going to walk worthy, And certainly I think that sings that something that we want to do, we want people around us to know that we have believed it would be around us to know the things that we understand and acknowledge.
In Ephesians. Chapter 4, verse 7. It says so I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord that you must love longer live as a gentile stew in the futility of their thinking. The fact that we're walking worthy means that we're been called into the fellowship, the body. Of the Lord. Mentioned before mini video? This the king, the McCord Bible, his translation of the New Testament you won't find the word church. Instead you'll find the phrase, the called out people. Those people who were called out of the world to be a part of the body of Jesus, like we talked about in the, in the scriptures out of bed, early this morning,
Tell me out from among them. So in all of our Lives there's this place where we said, okay, I don't want to live like that anymore. I want to find a better way to shake my life. I want to find a better way to debate decisions and so as we look around, we find what God has to offer to us through his son. And we receive our calling. Because of our willingness to respond. What gods are supposed to do now, here's the tough question. Are Christians different from people in the world.
Not statistically.
So many different research projects. Have measured behaviors and you would think that you would find some statistical difference there. But frequently you don't. Now there are complications with that. And one of those complications is a simple fact that how do you define Christianity If we defined it in a different way, we might come to different conclusions but it is concerning that the people in the world, even Christian people. Sometimes I wish there was a sign I could wear or had I could wear something that that's told people that I have responded to this calling that I've received this calling
Ephesians 2, verse 2 in which you used to live when you follow the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the year, the spirit, who is now at work? Again, those who are disability, what you Used to be we're different people because we belong to Christ. We're different people, but we're different people because and encourage one another and that call
Ask us to. Conduct ourselves in different fashion. That's the second one on the list. Calling you seemed conduct required. He just 58 for you were once Darkness. But now, you were light in the Lord live as children of light. How do other people know that we belong to God? The answer to that question is the most powerful Avenger Lucy tool. We have We can advocate so many different things and beneath those things are good and he could have positive outcomes and, and can certainly be useful. But what people really want is they want to see you in our conduct Why we buy the choices we buy or they want to see in our conduct, how our lives are different? Because of the choices they be mad they want to know that we belong to God because we approach things differently than other people. Do we live as children? of light Are you can spend hours talking about that Philippians mentions? The fact is the Dark of the night the brighter the stars and certainly when we live at a time when people say everything is so terrible at our world and well that may be valid. The reality is he gives us an even greater opportunity to be the light be the opportunity to stand out.
It means that we aren't afraid of the same thing.
We experience fear but we don't let it overwhelm us. We move forward in faith. And because we do that it Alters our response to tragic and difficult circumstances if it happens, it may be very difficult to hold your ground. But that's what God has in mind for us. And when people around us, look at us, they say, why haven't you responded to this the way I would? Well, I'm trying to look at it from a different place. I'm trying to be Spirit lid and God, directed and what I'm doing here. I remember this isn't perfect. This is Worthy. The last thing. Can I point out from this passage, is that our character is revealed? Ephesians. 5:2 says follow God's example. Therefore as dearly beloved, children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for us, as a fragrant offering a sacrifice to God.
We walk in such a way that people see our character. I have to tell you about my character character. That's the way that I am able to communicate and walking out there knowing that other people are looking at you and really trying to focus on your true character inside. And as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, we love to just bill those Illusions. That's what her world is waste. Based on When God says, no, no, no, what's really there? What are you really? Really manifesting we walk as we are. Think about how freeing that is.
when you go on a walk with somebody, Are you typically in your illusion mode or you want to look like the best or seem like the best or give the impression of being the best Walker or wearing the best clothes? Or if a walk is what we really think of is a walk. It's going to be with people who do each other and like each other and carry each other and interact with one another in our walk with God, the reason that metaphor is is Worthy is because we know God, he knows us where the continuous a relationship and we walk in love and we walk in I'm have to put up an image to go on a walk. Yeah. Well at my house. Nobody changes clothes to go on a walk nothing they could but it's just you know it's more casual than that. And that's the way that God leads us leads us into this interactive, casual kind of relationship, and then we get to walk naturally. Like, we really are. Again, go to walk in for 10. You're going to walk faster than everybody else or better or something like that. When I had the stroke back in 22 body parts that were affected, but it's my left because all the problems. Causes of the problems because I overcompensated for that. In order to take pressure off the right leg. I misused my left leg to the point of actually doing damage there. But when we walking unnaturally, it hurts us, we could pretend that were walking. We can pretend that we're working with that were walking worthy. Scuse me. But that doesn't work because it's not natural. And it isn't real.
There's a lot of groups that use kind of has a theme for tricky egg groups.
the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk, anybody can talk a good game. But when it comes to actually walking actually, manifesting actually walking Worthy. Being a follower of Christ. That's what you were difficult. We fight with me.
You got our father. We thank you that you walk with us. We thank you that we walk with each other. Father, we ask that you give us strength because patients at you give us endurance. We pray that as other people may want to join the walk that they see, who was Billy gar at your called out, folks, if they see that, we conduct ourselves in the way that you would have us conduct ourselves as a manifestation, Of who you are in our lives. Father, give us the strength to do that. Give us the willingness to try. We pray this to your son.
In Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 through 10 and older I get the more, I appreciate this passage because it really rolls everything together and completes it all. In my head. For it, is by Grace, you have been saved. We do it ourselves. It's true Grace. This is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God. We have salvation because God gave us gives us that if not by works so that no one can boast for we are God's handiwork. Created in Christ to do. Good works with God, prepared in advance for us to do, see how it all flows together, fits together and completes itself as we respond with our walk and we respond with our lives. We're doing that because of what God has done for us. And we're responding back to him this morning. If you don't belong to Christ, we encourage you to do whatever you need to do to allow us to help you with that. If you'd like to study more if you like to know more, you're the point where you understand us fix steps that need to be taking weed for you to do that today and not delay, any longer as we stand and sing a song together.
