A Charge to Keep and a God to Glorify

Text: Ephesians 4: 1-6

Introduction: God has honored us as much as a creature can be honored. He has seated us with Christ in the heavenlies to rule and reign with Christ forever ever.

God has done so much for us that He could do no more than what He has done. We do not see it all yet, for we are still on this earth—left here to be witnesses to the great and glorious salvation that is in Christ Jesus.

But the day is soon coming when we will experience all God has promised to us. God is going to make a new heavens and earth that will be perfect, in which there will be no suffering and no death, and we shall live eternally, ruling and reigning with Christ.

We owe God so much that we could never even begin to pay Him. What then can we do? Very little, but there is one thing that we must do: we must walk worthy of our calling. We must walk worthy of the honored position to which God has exalted us.

Transition: In the text, Paul tells’ us:

I. The way to walk worthy [v.1-2]

a. Once a person believes in Jesus Christ and becomes a member of God’s people and of God’s church, they must;

· Walk with all lowliness [Humility].

· Walk with all meekness

· Walk with longsuffering

· Walk forbearing others in love

Believers must please God in their day by day living;

- At work, at play, at school,

- At church, at home, with neighbors

- With fellow believers, with family and with friends.

II. The purpose for walking worthy: “to keep the unity, the peace [v.3]

a. The purpose for walking worthy is “unity”. Christians are to work at keeping the peace so that we can stay bound together in the unity of God’s Spirit.

b. Jesus Christ has broken down all walls and barriers existing between men. Everyone can now be saved:

· All nationalities

· All peoples

· All languages

We must understand that every person is precious in the sight of God. When a person approaches God through Jesus Christ, he comes like everyone else:

· On the same ground and on the same level.

· He is no better and no worse than anyone else:

· He is a man who stands in need of God’s forgiveness;

· And he, along with everyone else, is bowing before Christ and accepting Him as his Lord and Master.

· The man, just like everyone else, is subjecting himself to become the servant of Christ.

· Wealth, position, social status—it is all forgotten.

· The only thing that matters is the salvation and life which Christ offers.

Too often, we allow self and the old life to re-enter the picture. The results of this are catastrophic for the church: divisiveness and a disturbance of the peace and spirit of unity. This is the reason for this charge.

In 2 Corinthians 13:11, Paul gives a charge to the church. He says “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

III. The Seven basic reasons to walk worthy [v.4-6]

a. There is a great need to keep the peace and unity within the church. Far too often the church is the place where the peace and unity of believers fly apart.

b. There is only “one body.” There are neither two bodies nor several bodies of believers. However, in this imperfect world, there are many different denominations and churches. God is creating only one body of people who trust and follow His dear Son.

c. When a person places his trust in Jesus Christ, God does six things to that person that places him into the body of Christ.

1. God gives him a new birth—quickens him spiritually—which causes him to be born again.

2. God makes a new creature, a new man out of the believer.

3. God places His divine nature into the believer.

4. There is only “one Lord”. There is only one Master and King. Every believer has bowed before the same Lord to become His subject and to receive His orders. Christians are instructed: “to live as He said: holy and righteous and pure, bearing the fruit of His Spirit.” “To carry out His orders as one body.”

5. There is only “one faith.” There is only one faith that leads into God’s presence and that is the faith founded by the Lord Jesus Christ.

6. There is only “one baptism.” All believers have given public witness to their faith by submitting to the ordinance of water baptism.

7. There only “one God and Father of all.”

· “One God”: God is creator of all and as such is supreme over all.

· “One Father of all”: as Father, God loves all. The Christian belief begins with God as love.

· “Above all”: God controls all.

Conclusion: