Sermon Tone Analysis

*Thomas S. Myers*

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*THE STANDARD*

*Ephesians 4:1*

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*            There's nothing more pathetic than a lost earthworm.

Trust me.

I know.

As I was walking along the sidewalk of our house to pick up the morning paper I spotted it.

The unlucky earthworm had crawled from the lush green grass at the edge onto our dusty concrete driveway.

You could trace his progress in the dust of the driveway.

He seemed headed across the driveway when for some reason he swerved.

Maybe it was the slight rise and fall of the surface that threw him off, I don't know.

But all at once he began to crawl in irregular circles.

When I found him, the poor thing was thin and dry, covered with tiny grains of dirt, in utter despair.

Round and round he wriggled as the sun rose higher hastening the hour when his enemy-- our car tires --would find him.

I thought, "He needs to be rescued."

So I gently lifted his grainy from our draive way and deposited it gingerly in the safety of the tall grass of our yard.*

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*            What a way to begin a day.

It makes you feel good deep inside to rescue a worm.

But wait a minute, there were other worms.

Scores of them.

Worm after hapless worm had made his way from the safety of the grass to our concrete driveway.

blissfully unaware of the dangers ahead.

What would explain this great worm exodus?

Maybe there was a worm a disk jockey on a late night station who had offered a prize for the worm who made it to the other side of my drive way.*

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*            As I made my way back to the house I thought of Christians I know.

They are wondering all through life.

They have lost there purpose.

Circumstances have crushed them.

They feel traped.

And then a verse came to mind -- Ephesians 4:1.*

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*            When a person goes to an organization meeting like the Kiwanis Club or the Rotary Club they are given a purpose and direction.

And they obligate themselves to live in accord with the rules of the Kiwanis or the Rotary.

When a person joins an athletic team, they obligate themselves to conform to the rules of that team.

When a person changes citizenship, they obligate themselves to live by the rules of that country.

If a person joins the military, no matter how dumb the rules seem to be, you obligate yourself to obey the rules.*

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*            Now if a person does not conform to the rules of the Kiwanis Club, guess what the Kiwanis Club will do?

They will remove you from their organization.

If a person does not obey the rules of the athletic team, they will be kicked off the team.

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*If you do not obey the rules of your country, your country will remove you from society and put you in jail.*

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*            Do you know what is amazing?

What is amazing is the great lengths that people will go through to be in an organization.

Some clubs insist that if you must attend their monthly meetings.

Even if you are on a business trip on the east coast, you must find the nearest club and attend the meeting there.

If you don't you will be kicked out of the club.

So what will be the club member do?

He will attend the club in Miami.*

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*ILLUSTRATION:  football and the goose walk*

*                            Gordon.*

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*            Isn't it amazing what people will do when then participate in an organization?

They want to abide by the rules of the organization.

They want to be what they need to be.*

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*            But put the same people in the church and something goes wrong.

They want all the blessings, all the rights, all the privileges, and all the honors but when it comes to commitment to Jesus Christ, the commitment and the standard is gone.

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*            And yet the King of king's and Lord of lord's has a standard.

Look at Ephesians 4:1:*

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*Ephesians 4:1 *

*1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (KJV)*

* **                       *

*Ephesians 4:1 *

*1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

(NIV)*

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*            God wants you to conform to His standard.

But what if a Christians does not want to conform to Jesus' standard?*

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*            In 1 Corinthians chapter 5:1-8 God's word says, if anyone does not conform to the standards of God, to put them out.

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*            In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 it says if there is somebody in the church who is walking disorderly, put them out.

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*            In 1 Timothy 6:3-5 it says that if someone is teaching doctrine which is not consistent with the truth of God, put them out.

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*            In Romans 16:17 it says, if you know of someone who is gossiping and slandering others, put them out.

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*            God says, if you are not going to conform and cooperate then it is better off to be out of the church.

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*            In fact, at times God removes people from the church.*

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*1 Corinthians 11:30 *

*30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

(KJV)*

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*1 John 5:16 *

*16 There is a sin unto death.

(KJV)*

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*            If people can join a football team or a club of some kind, and conform with such rigid conformity, to things that don't matter, don't you think that we as Christians can make a high level to commitment to walk as God has asked us to walk?  *

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*            That is what Paul is telling us in Ephesians chapter 4 chapter.

*

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*Ephesians 4:1 *

*1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (KJV)*

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*            In the first 3 chapters of Ephesians Paul said, "You have all the rights and honors and privileges of being a Christian."

But now in the last 3 chapters Paul says, "Here are the rules and regulations."

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*            In other words, if you really believe in Jesus Christ, if you really are part of the family of God, if you want to advance the kingdom of God, then here are the standards by which you are to walk.

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*            But do you know what is so sad?

A lot of people who call themselves Christians do not want to live like a Christian.

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*            But Paul makes it very clear in Ephesians 4:1.*

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*Ephesians 4:1** *

*1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (KJV)*

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*            Do you know what happens when you walk worthy?

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*            Look at Hebrews 11:4*

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*            Enoch walked so worthily that one day Enoch and God took a walk together that one day, God said, "We are closer to my house, why don't you just come and live with me."*

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*            Hebrews 11:30*

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*            Hebrews 11:31*

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*            Hebrews 11:32-35.*

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*            Wouldn't you like to be a part of the group?

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*Look at the next line:*

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*            Hebrews 11:38.*

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*            If you have a worthy walk, the world will not even be worthy with you.

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*FIRST -- A GODLY LIFE IS LARGELY            DETERMINED BY YOUR ATTITUDE.

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*Second --The Characteristics of the Worthy Walk     4:2–3*

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*THIRD -- unity in the spirit   4:4-5*

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*FOURTH -- unity in the father   4:6*