Ephesians 4:1

Walking Worthy for the Purpose of Unity

Ephesians 4:1 CSB

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

Therefore, (This points us back to where we were studying before)

Because of who you are, I am going to urge you to live a certain way.

I am coming to the realization that often much of our struggles is because we fail to fully believe who and what God really is, who we are in Christ, and how this affects the manner in which we live with each other as believers and interact with the world around us.

So before we look at the passage tonight, I want us to look at the first three chapters and answer these two questions.

Who is God?

Ch1

Blessed (1:3) decider, adopter, redeemer, forgiver (1:7) generous giver (1:8) revealer, planner (1:9)

Ch2

Merciful, resurrector, lover, grace giver, kindness,

Ch3

author of knowledge and wisdom

Who are you in Christ?

Ch1

Blessed (1:3) Chosen, holy, blameless, loved(1:4) predestined, adopted as sons (1:5) Redeemed, forgiven (1:7)

Ch 2

(not these things you were) made alive, possessing faith, God’s workmanship made for good works, united in Christ, access to God (I can talk to him, he can talk to me),

Ch3

Do you believe this? I mean really believe this?

The reality is that we have been believing a lie, and so we have been living a lie. This keeps us from living life fully

John 10:10 in verse 10 Jesus states

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

ζωή zōē - life (state) n. — the condition of living or the state of being alive; especially healthiness, happiness, exuberance, energy, vitality, and the like.

What happens if I do not fully believe this? Recently I have been wrestling with this too. There are parts that I find hard to accept, even good things, I feel that I am not worthy to accept them. What I really am saying is that I do not believe what God has said he has done, as though some how I am so special that God cannot somehow make me the things he has said.

Confession - Repentance - Transformation

Confession - (not the religious sense of stating I am sorry) Telling God the truth about what you really beleive about him, yourself, and others.

Repentance - Changing the way you think, turning away and going a new way.

Transformation - God telling you the truth about who he really is, who you really are, and who you neighbor is. Based upon this truth… we are empowered with the Holy Spirit to think differently and acting in a new way - this transformation is what the Apostle Paul often refers to the old and the new way of life. Eph 4:22