Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION:

eph 1:

REVIEW

VISION

HOPE

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

INTRODUCTION:

eph 4:

(TELL OF CALLING EXPERIENCE)

YOU KNOW, EACH ONE OF YOU HERE TODAY HAS BEEN GIVEN A CALLING.

MAYBE NOT A CALLING TO PREACH OR PASTOR.

BUT YOU HAVE INDEED BEEN GIVING A CALLING.

YOU MAY HAVE BEEN FEELING SOMETHING ON THE INSIDE, BUT YOU JUST DISMISSED IT

PERHAPS YOU JUST KEEP FIGHTING THAT FEELING.

WELL, JUST MAYBE . . .

GOD MAY BE CALLING YOU AT THIS VERY MOMENT.

PAUL SPEAKS HERE OF THIS CALLING.

WE SAW A FEW WEEKS AGO THE WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP THAT GOD WANTS TO HAVE WITH HIS CHURCH.

HE WANTS TO CREATE A PERFECT VESSEL AS HE IS THE POTTER AND WE ARE THE CLAY.

LAST WEEK WE SAW THE BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP THAT JESUS WANTS TO HAVE WITH HIS CHURCH.

HE LOVES THE CHURCH SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR THE CHURCH.

HIS DESIRE IS TO BE THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

TODAY, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH.

THIS IS THE CALLING THAT WE ARE ALL GIVEN.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE HIS CHURCH

EACH ONE OF US IS CALLED TO BE A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE THAT PERFECT VESSEL.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE THAT SPOTLESS BRIDE.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE THE CHURCH.

Ø IN THESE VERSES PAUL WANTS BELIEVERS TO WALK WORTHILY OF THEIR CALLING.

THE CALL TO THE WORTHLY WALK

- THE FIRST THING THAT PAUL TALKS ABOUT IS THE CALL TO THAT WORTHY WALK.

- THE WORD WALK USED HERE OFTEN REFERED TO DAILY CONDUCT OR DAY-BY-DAY LIVING.

- THE WORD WORTHY HAS A ROOT MEANING OF BALANCING THE SCALES--WHAT IS ON ONE SIDE SHOULD EQUAL THE WEIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE.

- FOR EXAMPLE, A MAN THAT WAS WORTHY OF A DAY'S PAY WAS ONE WHO'S WORK CORRESPONDED TO HIS DAY'S WADGES.

- THE CALLING PAUL IS SPEAKING OF HERE IS REFERING TO THE LORD'S CALL TO SALVATION.

- THIS CALLING IS INDEED A HIGH CALLING.

- WITHOUT GOD'S CALLING, WITHOUT HIS CHOOSING US, OUR CHOOSING HIM WOULD HAVE BEEN USELESS.

- SAYS THAT OUR CALLING IS A HEAVENLY CALLING.

- 2 TIMITHY 1:9 SAYS THAT OUR CALLING IS A HOLY CALLING.

- SO NOW PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER AND YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT PAUL IS SAYING.

- AS A CHRISTIAN YOUR DAILY LIVING SHOULD CORRESPOND TO YOUR HIGH POSITION AS A CHILD OF GOD.

- YOUR PRACTICLE LIVING SHOULD MATCH YOUR SPIRITUAL POSITION.

What’s It Gonna Take?

Ø THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WORTHY WALK

THE NEXT THING PAUL DISCUSSES IN VS 2-3 IS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WORTHY WALK.

- HE GIVES FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN LIVING.

eph 4:1-

1) THE FIRST CHARACTERISTIC MENTIONED IS WITH ALL HUMILITY.

- ANOTHER WORD TO DESCRIBE THIS IS HUMILITY.

JOHN WESLEY ONCE SAID THAT NEITHER THE ROMANS OR THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR HUMILITY.

THE IDEA WAS SO FOREIGN TO THEIR WAY OF THINKING THAT THEY HAD NO TERM TO DESCRIBE IT.

APPARENTLY THE GREEK TERM WAS STARTED BY CHRISTIANS, PROBABLY PAUL HIMSELF, TO DESCRIBE THIS QUALITY.

BUT HUMILITY IS THE MOST FOUNDATIONAL CHRISTIAN VIRTUE.

WE CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT PLEASING GOD WITHOUT HUMILITY.

HOWEVER IF YOU LOOK AROUND, THE WORLD IS FAR FROM BEING HUMBLE.

IN FACT MANY PEOPLE TODAY ARE MUCH LIKE THE ROMANS AND GREEKS AND DON'T EVEN KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD.

PERHAPS THE BIGGEST STUMBLING BLOCK FOR MOST PEOPLE BEING HUMBLE IS PRIDE.

MOST PEOPLE ARE TOO PROUD TO BE HUMBLE.

IN TODAYS SOCIETY, PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE PROUD OF THEIR OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

THIS IS TOTALLY OPPOSITE OF WHAT GOD EXPECTS.

A) HUMILITY BEGINS WITH PROPER SELF-AWARENESS.

HUMILITY TAKES OFF YOUR ROSE COLORED GLASSES AND ALLOWS YOU TO SEE YOURSELF AS YOU REALLY ARE.

- WE ARE NOTHING WITHOUT GOD.

EPH 2:1-

B) NEXT HUMILITY INVOLVES CHRIST AWARENESS.

- JESUS IS THE ONLY STANDARD WE CAN GO BY.

- WE SHOULD STRIVE TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS.

C) THIRDLY, HUMILITY INVOLVES GOD AWARENESS.

- THE MORE WE FOCUS ON GOD, AND THE MORE WE REALIZE HIS PERFECTNESS, HIS POWER, HIS COMPASSION, AND HIS LOVE, THE LESS WE THINK OF OURSELF FOR ANYTHING.

- WE SHOULD COME TO THE POINT WHERE WE JUST WANT TO CRY OUT HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD OF HOST, THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY.

2) THE SECOND CHARACTERISTIC THAT PAUL MENTIONS IS MEEKNESS.

- HUMILITY ALWAYS PRODUCES MEEKNESS.

- YOU CANNOT POSSESS MEEKNESS WITHOUT HUMILITY.

- MANY DICTIONARIES DEFINE MEEKNESS AS TIMID OR DEFICIENCY IN COURAGE.

- THAT IS FAR FROM THE BIBLICAL MEANING.

- THE WORD WAS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE A WILD ANIMAL THAT WAS TAMED.

- THE ANIMAL STILL HAS ITS STRENGTH AND SPIRIT, BUT IT IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF ITS MASTER.

- THE SAME SHOULD BE TRUE FOR CHRISTIANS; WE SHOULD BE TOTALLY UNDER GOD'S CONTROL.

- THE MEEK PERSON SHOULD RESPOND WILLING TO THE WILL OF GOD, NO MATTER WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS OR CONSEQUENCES.

- HE IS ALSO A PEACE MAKER WHO READLY FORGIVES A SINNING BROTHER.

- AND HE ALSO HAS THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARD THE UNSAVED.

- WANTING TO DO ANYTHING TO SEE THEM COME TO KNOW CHRIST.

3) A THIRD ATTITUDE THAT CHARACTERIZES THE CHRISTIANS WORTHY WALK IS LONGSUFFERING OTHER WISE KNOWN AS PATIENCE.

- PATIENCE IS AN OUTGROWTH OF HUMILITY AND MEEKNESS.

- THE PERSON WHO IS PATIENT IS ONE WHO ENDURES NEGITIVE CIRCUMSTANCES AND DOESN'T GIVE IN TO THEM.

- THE PATIENT CHRISTIAN ENDURES AND ACCEPTS ANYTHING OTHERS THROUGH AT HIM.

- THE PATIENT CHRISTIAN ACCEPTS GOD'S PLAN FOR EVERTHING WITHOUT QUESTIONING.

ILLUSTRATION

A YOUNG GIRL WAS ASKED IN SUNDAY SCHOOL WHAT THE MEANING OF PATIENCE WAS.

SHE THOUGHT FOR A MINUTE AND ANSWERED, IT'S WHEN YOUR SITTING IN CHURCH AND THE PREACHER IS PREACHING, AND YOUR JUST SITTING THERE, AND HE KEEPS PREACHING AND YOU JUST KEEP SITTING THERE.

THAT'S PATIENCE!!!

- AS CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF PATIENCE.

4) A FOURTH CHARACTERISTIC OF THE WORTHY CHRISTIAN WALK IS FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE.

- THIS TYPE OF FORBEARING LOVE IS AN AGAPE TYPE LOVE.

- THE TYPE OF LOVE THAT OVERLOOKS OTHERS FAULTS.

- IT'S THE TYPE OF LOVE THAT GIVES CONTINUOUSLY AND UNCONDITIONLY.

- AGAPE LOVE IS UNSELFISH LOVE.

- LOVE THAT GIVES REGARDLESS OF WEATHER OR NOT IT IS RETURNED.