Walk Worthy
23 March 2014 PM – Ephesians 4:1-6 – Eph 14 – Scott Childs
Introduction: The first three chapters of Ephesians are doctrinal. The last three chapters are practical. Paul begins chapter four with the word “therefore” to remind us that what he is about to say is based on the previous three chapters. He again calls himself a prisoner of the Lord, perhaps to assure the Christians that he was not asking them to do something that he was unwilling to do.
Paul then challenges us to walk worthy of our vocation. This word literally means our calling. In chapter one we learned that our calling was planned by the Father, purchased by the Lord Jesus, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We learned in chapter two that having answered God’s call, though we had been dead in sin, Christ made us alive and gave us work to do. Our calling unites as Christ took down the middle wall and though we were foreigners, he made us family. We now can be strengthened in the inner man by the Spirit so that Christ can be at home in our hearts and we can experience and know his great love.
Transition: To walk worth of our great calling, we must treat fellow church members properly and live in harmony. God shows us that to walk worthy of our calling we must have right attitudes, right actions, and right agreements.
I. To Walk Worthy We Must Have Right Attitudes
A. Our self-attitudes must be right, v.2
1. We must be lowly.
a) This word means to a humble opinion of oneself. The opposite of lowliness would be pride and arrogance.
b) It is a submissive attitude that puts others before ourselves.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
2. We must be meek.
a) Meekness is gentleness. Anger is power out of control. Meekness is power under control.
b) A meek person is not easily provoked. Meekness is the power to bear injuries without anger or a desire of revenge, and with a mild and forgiving spirit.
c) Meekness is one of the fruits that the Holy Spirit wants you to allow Him to produce in your life (Gal 5:22-23).
d) Peter urges wives to have a meek spirit toward their husbands who are not right with God.
1 Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
B. Our social attitudes must be right, v.2
1. We must be longsuffering.
a) This is bearing patiently the faults and weaknesses of others.
b) It is slowness in avenging wrongs.
Eadie states that “long-suffering,” is opposed to irritability, or to what we familiarly name shortness of temper.
c) Longsuffering is another fruit that the Holy Spirit wants you to allow Him to produce in your life (Gal 5:22-23).
d) Whether intentional or accidental, others will do you wrong. Not only is it true at church, but it is true of your spouse. It is true of your parents. It is true of your children. It is true of your friends. God wants us to be patient with those who hurt us and slow to avenge wrong.
2. We must be forbearing.
a) Forbearing is withholding from action; exercising patience and indulgence. Webster
b) It is “to hold oneself up” till the provocation is past. Eadie
c) We are to be forbearing in love. Love for the Lord and for others is to be our motive and guide.
So, to walk worthy of our calling, we must have right attitudes. Also…
II. To Walk Worthy We Must Have Right Actions
A. We must do the right thing, v.3
1. God wants us to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit.
a) The Holy Spirit wants to give our church unity or harmony.
b) As we individually stay close to God and walk in the Holy Spirit, He will give our church that unity.
c) We keep or guard our unity by guarding our individual relationships with the Lord.
d) When church members are daily walking in the Spirit, the church will enjoy sweet harmony.
2. We must keep the unity in the bond of peace. Harmony in a church binds the members together in peace.
B. We must do the right thing with a passion, v.3
1. The word “endeavouring” means to make haste, to exert one’s self, endeavour, give diligence.
2. In other verses it is translated diligence, diligent, labour, and study.
3. Keeping the unity is not just a good idea. We must work at it diligently.
a) Satan wants to put wedges between us. He wants divisions. Remember the strife and divisions are works of the flesh? (Gal 5:19-22).
b) The lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life are all about what I want to DO, what I want to HAVE, and what I want to BE, (1Jn 2:15-16).
So, to walk worthy of our calling, we must have right attitudes and right actions. Also…
III. To Walk Worthy We Must Have Right Agreements
A. Unity depends on agreement
1. Paul was not promoting a wishy-washy, weak, stand-for-nothing, accept-everything, ecumenical unity.
2. He was not saying that love should close our eyes to the attitudes, actions, and beliefs of others.
3. True unity requires agreement of opinion.
B. Church Unity depends on doctrinal agreement
The Holy Spirit lists for us seven doctrines around which our local church is to be unified. Because He was writing to the local church at Ephesus, and unity is a local church issue, I believe we must view these doctrines from a local church perspective. We cannot practice a universal unity.
1. One Body, v.4: The local church at Ephesus was one body made up of both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, educated and ignorant. Each local church body is a type of the heavenly body of Christ.
2. One Spirit, v.4: There is only one Holy Spirit. Every true Christian, both Jew and Gentile Christian has the same indwelling Spirit. He is the third Person of the Godhead.
3. One hope, v.4: God gives the same eternal hope to both Jew and Gentile. That hope is eternal life in heaven (Col 1:5, 1Pe 1:3-4), and the coming of the Lord Jesus to take us to heaven (Tit 2:13).
4. One Lord, v.5: There is only one Lord, that is Jesus Christ. He is our owner and sovereign. He is the eternal God, the second Person of the Godhead. He was never created, but created all things (Joh 1:1-3).
5. One faith, v.5: Saving faith is faith in the shed blood and resurrection of Christ alone to save our souls, without works (Eph 2:8-9). “The faith” is the New Testament teachings on salvation, church polity, and Christian conduct. (1Co 16:13).
6. One baptism, v.5: New Testament baptism was always by immersion after salvation as a testimony of one’s faith. Water baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Spirit baptism is when Christ baptises a new believer in the Holy Spirit at salvation.
7. One God and Father of all, v.6: God adopts all believers, Jew and Gentile, into His family at the moment of salvation.
Conclusion: So, God wants us to walk worthy of our calling by having right attitudes, right actions, and right agreements. If we stay in close, sweet, submissive, fellowship with the Lord, he will help us walk worthy of our calling. Let’s make this our constant prayer and passion.
Song: Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord – 337