Walk the Ascending Road

WALKING THE ASCENDING ROAD Spring Valley Mennonite; April 11, 2021; Ephesians 4:1-6 While in college, I spent two summers working out west for the U.S. Forest Service. During days off, I often took advantage to go hiking on the trails in the National Forests. There are some very important rules when hiking if you want to reach your destination, one of which is to stay on the trail; another is to always follow the directions on the sign- posts. Often the trail you are following intersects with other trails, and it is easy to get lost if you don't pay attention; it is crucial that you know where you are going. More than once I got myself in trouble by not following these rules. After a meaningful and thoughtful time considering the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, we return to the Book of Ephesians. Hiking comes to mind as we consider the first verses of Ephesians 4, as we are told to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling." The Christian life may be compared climbing a steep trail which leads upwards. Walking that trail or path is a word picture Paul uses to illustrate living a godly and righteous life. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is based on this same word picture. This letter is divided into two sections: chapters 1-3, and chapters 4-6. The first three chapters deal with doctrinal truth, primarily about who we are, our identity in Christ, and what we now possess as children of God-this is our position. As Ephesians 1:3 tells us, each believer has received every spiritual blessing. Our position in Christ is that we are seated with Him in the heavenlies. We have been given by grace everything we need, not only to survive as a believer, but to thrive. And these second three chapters tell us how to live in light of who we are. Just as a newborn baby has all the basic equipment-all his muscles are in place, the brain is functioning, all the senses are intact-but the baby is undeveloped and untrained. Likewise, when we are born again, we receive everything we need as Christians, but we are also undeveloped and in need of training. This is what Christian growth is all about. But what does the mature believer look like? What skills are expected to have been developed? No builder begins to construct a house without a blueprint. The blueprint of a finished house is not meant to discourage the builder, but to show him what the finished product is to be. Likewise, descriptions of a mature believer are to give us a goal, something to reach for, a pattern we can follow and a standard by which to gauge our progress. There is an expectation that all believers are to live in a different manner than they did before coming to Christ. Living an increasingly transformed life is proof that we are truly children of God. We all are in the process of becoming. Notice that in the first three chapters of this letter, Paul established a foundation of truth before going on to the practical, experiential outworking of that truth. There is a vital principle here: experience must always be based upon truth. Truth always informs experience; it never works the opposite way. But a changed life-our experience-necessarily follows truth. We cannot be satisfied with full heads but unchanged lives. Having been rescued from the kingdom of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of light, we are to walk in the light. In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul begins to speak of how to become on the outside what we are on the inside, how to make our CONDITION conform to our POSITION. He is speaking of a transformed life. Follow along as I begin reading in verse 1. He is saying: I. WE ARE NOW TO WALK A NEW ROAD Paul begins with the comparison of the Christian life to walking. Walking is something that is easy for us to understand, it is something a child learns somewhere around his first year of age. Walking is something you do a step at a time. This speaks of a "worthy" walk, one that matches our "calling" by God. What is this calling? In Ephesians 1:4 we learn that God chose us for salvation before the foundation of the world. Out of all the people of the world, He chose you and me. Often in scripture we are compared to sheep. In Jesus' culture, sheep from many different flocks were gathered in the evening and led into a corral-type of enclosure where they could be guarded overnight. In the morning, the shepherd would go to the door of the sheepfold and call for his sheep. Knowing the voice of the shepherd, his sheep would follow him out of the sheepfold, then follow him on the path to the day's pasture. Jesus said "my sheep hear my voice and follow Me." We have been called to follow our good Shepherd. And we have responded to His call. There are standards of behavior for the sheep, things we understand and that should become second nature to us as we follow the Shepherd. These verses explain some vital "rules of the road", what comprises a "worthy walk." One of the first things we notice about this road is that it is not always an easy road. It is an ascending road, leading upward. Walking uphill is more difficult than walking on a level path. It is a lie of the enemy that the Christian life should be easy, that if we just have enough faith, we should never suffer, or experience financial difficulty, or have relationship issues. Such things are "the stuff of life", the result of life in a fallen world. For example, Paul describes himself as a "prisoner of the Lord." Our human nature does whatever it can to avoid pain and difficulty. Yet there is no promise that this road will be either easy or pain free. We must understand that if we want to get to the high pastures of good grazing, we must climb the mountain. Understand that there are other roads that look much easier, and that seem to go around the hills of difficulty, but they all lead to a dead end. For example, the road of compromise looks much easier than the upward road; it has few hills in sight, but it does not lead upward. Many, many Christians have been sidetracked as they chose the road of compromise, trying to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God. The Church today is increasingly being called to conform to the "woke culture"; to compromise the clear teachings of the Word. In addition to the easy road of compromise that delays and sidetracks our spiritual progress, there is the road of worldly success. The side road which promises wealth and abundant material possessions, making wealth our life-goal, also allures us. Yielding to the temptation of "looking out for #1-the road of selfishness" is particularly attractive. Such paths get you into trouble and misery and require retracing your steps to get back on the right road. It goes without saying that the Lord Jesus is our companion on this walk. He has promised that He "will never leave us or forsake us." Perhaps all of us have stories of wasted time and effort following these alternate roads. Maybe you are slogging along, or even stuck in the mud of one of these roads right now. It is time admit your wayward path, to turn around, retrace your steps back to where you lost your way, and resume your upward journey. By the way, that is a good illustration of the meaning of repentance. One thing very apparent about walking on the upward road is that: II. WE TRAVEL WITH OTHER BELIEVERS ON THIS UPWARD ROAD As we travel on the upward road, we find that we are not traveling alone, but are accompanied by many other fellow travelers. The Bible never pictures believers by themselves, but as part of a supporting group. We see the great wisdom of God in this. As Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says: Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labors. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. The upward road may be difficult, but it is made much easier by the help we give one another through the tough spots. We rightly wonder in times of grief or difficulty "How do people make it through without God and His people to help?" The Church shines brightest during such dark times. We do not walk alone. Verse 2 reflects this principle of fellowship (read v.2) for these words describe our desired behavior regarding relationships within the Church (notice the words "for one another"). Paul tells us that one characteristic of our walk is to do so with humility and gentleness. As we climb the ascending road, we make progress as we relate properly with our fellow travelers. Those originally receiving these words would have raised an eyebrow, for in the first century Roman and Greek culture, humility and gentleness were not considered virtues. The word "humble" was a word of contempt and was used to describe a slave crouching before his master. To be gentle was seen as being weak and lacking in self-respect. The attitude of our culture to humility and gentleness is not much different. Humility and gentleness have never been the way of the world. That is one reason people have such difficulty getting along. Although being human means we make mistakes, we would much rather make excuses or blame others for those mistakes. How true this is in today's culture! But this attitude is not proper for the Christian who would walk close to Jesus. Humility demands we admit our mistakes. But it is so much more: humility is choosing to put the welfare of others before our own. It is following Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. As we walk alongside fellow believers on this upward road, we defer to others, not demanding our own way because-of the calling we have received in Jesus Christ. We submit not because we are weak but out of great strength. I no longer must be in control; I no longer have to worry about "looking good" to others. We look good to God, and that is what matters. I can be gentle rather than harsh. And gentleness has an added dividend. A nurse in a Military hospital complained to the chaplain that she had been rudely treated by some of the patients. He answered, "Thank God for that!" "What do you mean?" she inquired in astonishment. "Well," he explained, "If you are holding a glass and someone knocks against you, you can only spill out what is inside! When people misjudge and persecute us, we soon reveal what is in our heats. If we are Christ filled and governed by the Holy Spirit, we will manifest the gentleness and meekness of our Savior. In fact, God often allows us to be pushed around and mistreated so that unsaved men may be astonished at His grace as we overflow with love and forbearance." As we walk the ascending road, we find that often our fellow believers "knock into us." Why does this happen? Largely because we are at different places in our maturity. As we walk this ascending road, the person right in front of you may be a new believer. He is not able to walk very well, in fact, he often needs to be carried. Like a tiny baby, he makes lots of messes, and is in special need of patience. He needs us to cut him some slack. The same is for that person next to you: he may have just rejoined the road after wasting time going down a dead-end side road. He is weary and in a hurry to make up lost time. He may jostle you as he walks. Another person next to you might be dealing with a terrific trial of which they do not have the freedom to share. God is telling us that our fellow travelers on the upward road need our love and patience much more than our criticism. A person who had sprained his ankle and is walking on crutches does not need to be criticized for his slow progress! For all fellow travelers, we should show tolerance for one another in love. Showing tolerance is not always easy to do. That is why Paul adds the words in verse 3: "being diligent to preserve the unity of the faith. Diligence requires that we keep at it, to constantly watch and make sure it is done. The simple fact is that all believers are truly unified through the Holy Spirit. It is a done deal. We ARE the body of Christ. All who have truly accepted Christ as Savior and Lord ARE family. How diligently are we pursuing unity with our larger Christian family? I must add one possibility explaining conflict, and that is the possibility that present among us who are "wolves in sheep's clothing" who might appear to be walking with us but, as Jesus predicted, are "tares among the wheat." Judas is an example of such ones. The New Testament also repeatedly warns of false teachers who propagate false doctrine. We are not to tolerate heresy. They may claim they are on the same upward road, but in reality they are not. Truth should never be sacrificed in search of unity. The body of Christ-the universal Church-is very broad and diverse, and that will be one of the delights of heaven. For you see, III. WE SHARE MUCH IN COMMON WITH OTHERS ON THE ROAD (Read vv. 4-6) This passage brings out several areas where we share fellowship with others on the upward road. Notice how these common factors center around the three persons of the Trinity: the Spirit in v. 4; the Son in v. 5; and the Father in v. 6. The Spirit provides oneness as He gives life to the body of Christ. The Son provides oneness as we follow Him as Lord. The Father provides oneness by filling His children with Himself. The Trinity establishes our basis of unity. 1. We see that first, we are one body. The whole universal church of all true believers is like the human body with all its interdependent parts. This is very practical stuff, for we make forward progress on the ascending road as we benefit from this interdependence. Consider the value of Christian radio, or the Seminaries and Bible Schools at which Christian leaders have studied. We grow as we benefit from the ministries of Mission organizations and groups like Samaritan's Purse, MCC, and Voice of the Martyrs. Believers who minister through producing our Sunday Studies materials, Christian authors and publishing companies all contribute to the overall health and benefit of the body. We gain encouragement as we see what God is doing all over the world through the body of Christ. 2. We also are unified because we have one Spirit and (3) one Hope. Titus 3:5: He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, All believers are given new life through the same Holy Spirit. We are all indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. The Spirit, who is in me, is in you, and is in every believer. This is the reason we are one. Within our South Central Conference we have a number of Hispanic churches. At our annual conference we have the opportunity to experience the wonderful unity we have with those dear believers-we may not speak Spanish and they may not speak English, but the love and joy and sweet fellowship we share demonstrate the unity of the Spirit. There also is a common hope among us, a hope of a secure future without the limitations of sin, a hope of eternal life with the Lord Jesus. We all look for the return of the Lord Jesus, as Titus 2:13 reminds us, we are "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus... 4. One Lord. We also share in common a recognition that Jesus Christ alone is Lord (verse 5). One of the earliest creeds of the church was simply this: "Jesus Christ is Lord." From the time of the Romans who demanded that Christians bow down and worship Caesar as God, to our brothers and sisters under Communism or Islamic domination, believers have chosen martyrdom rather than deny Jesus is Lord and Master. As we continue to work out exactly what the Lordship of Jesus means in our life, we make progress on the upward ascending road. A word of advice: our spiritual progress on the upward road comes to a screeching halt when we say "No!" to God. Conversely, as we say "Yes, Lord" we keep moving forward. He desires to be Lord of every aspect of our lives. 5. One Faith. Fellowship with others depends on our common faith in Jesus Christ. There is only one way to be made righteous by God, not many. We are saved by placing our complete faith in Jesus Christ alone, for He is the only One who paid for our sins through His death on the Cross. 6. One Baptism. We also share a common experience of baptism. I think Spirit baptism is implied in verse 4, and this verse speaks of water baptism. In Matthew 28, we are told to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Among Christians there might be disagreement about the manner in which we baptize, but there is never argument that we should be baptized. Baptism is a public declaration of our faith. Until one is willing to publicly profess Jesus Christ, no progress can be made on the upward road. We are not saved by baptism, but we are being disobedient if we refuse to publicly declare our faith. 7. One Father over all. Finally, we are unified by having one Father who is over all, and through all and in all. We have unity in our upward walk as we submit to the sovereignty of God. We grow in maturity as we joyfully realize that God is watching over all things and that nothing can happen to us without God noticing and being intimately involved. As Theologian R.C. Sproul has said, if there is one molecule in the universe that is not under God's sovereign control then God is not God. He is God over all. Even Satan is held in reign by God. Evil is limited by God, and all of us walking together on the ascending upward road have the confidence that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28 ) God is in control, directing our steps on the road. He is the ultimate authority in our lives, and we humbly submit to His loving plans for our lives. Because He is in control, because He is sovereign Lord of all, we can relax. Nothing can separate us from Him. Romans 8 continues in verse 35-39: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things [the things listed, even death...] we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Be encouraged as we together walk in a manner worthy of our calling as a child of God. 2