Family Matters

Before you can have a relationship with anyone else, whether it be a friendship, marriage, etc., we must have a relationship with God. God created us for relationships and to have a relationship with Him. The book of Ephesians has a lot to say about relationships. Chapters 4-6 is all about our relationships with each other, while chapters 1-3 is about our relationship with Him. As we journey through this series on “Family”, we will discover what God has to say about different types of relationships. But most importantly, in this first message, we will discover what He says about a love relationship with Him. It is through our relationship with Him, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that we are able to have godly relationships with our wives, husbands, children, and parents. Without the Holy Spirit working in us and through us, we will not be able to have the godly relationships that God so desires. Those types of relationships glorify His name. Your personal relationship with God is the precursor for all other relationships in life, because through Him, He shows you how to love, respect, and honor one another.

II. Walking worthy of our calling.

1. What is our calling?

a. Child of God first

b. servant of others second

c. putting ourselves last

2. Metamorphosis

a. The most literal and commonly used explanation of this word is the picture of an ugly ole caterpillar turning into a glorious butterfly. It is a change that happens from the inside out. This is what God wants to do in each one of us.

b. a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.

c. the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.

d. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

e. This will not be an overnight process. The process it takes to form a butterfly in a cocoon takes several weeks. God has to continually chip away at us while He is sculpting His masterpiece.

3. We have the ability through the Holy Spirit.

a. Ephesians 1:19-20 “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,”

b. We have the power of the Holy Spirit at our disposal.

c. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave.

4. What does “walking worthy” mean?

a. Let your actions reflect your speech.

b. Don’t be a hypocrite “wearing a mask”

c. It’s not easy-That’s why we must ask for the strength of the Holy Spirit everyday.

III. How are we to walk worthy?

Lowliness and Meekness

lowliness means to put yourself last.

Luke 9:46-48 “Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.”

Meekness means to be humble.

Pharisee and Tax Collector

Long suffering

long suffering means being patient, or you could say long fused.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Fruits of the Spirit is what the Holy Spirit does through you with your actions and not words.

Is it just me, or does the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians resemble what Paul is telling us how to walk worthy???

Forbearing one another in love

The results of the Fruits of the Spirit are believers walking in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

None of these things Paul has listed can be done outside of love.

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit

We must always be “moving” to keep the unity of the Spirit.

If we ever stop moving “endeavoring” Satan can get a foothold and cause division.

The Bond of Peace

If you can’t get along with God, you can’t get along with other believers.

The most important and most foundational relationship is yours with Christ.

James 3:13-18 “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

IV. Conclusion

Symbiotic growth is the growth that occurs between two organisms where both benefit. Parasitic growth is growth that occurs in one organism because it’s feeding off of another. Christians must ask themselves how they are functioning in the organism of the Body of Christ. Am I a spiritual parasite? Sing to me. Preach to me. Pray for me. Counsel me. Help me, but expect nothing in return from me. That is a parasite. A Christian interested in symbiotic growth says, “Yes, I have needs, but I’m willing to give too because everyone needs to benefit.”

God didn’t call you or I to be an idle Christian and just take, take, take without contributing to the Body of Christ. He called us to be a Body of Unity. Paul uses the illustration in 1 Corinthians 12 of the Body of Christ working like the human body. We each have members that each do a different job, and when we work together in unity, the Body of Christ works like a well oiled machine. When the peace of God lives in our hearts, then and only then will we be able to be a body of unity. This is only the beginning and foundation for all other relationships in your life. If you follow these five things Paul listed, you will have godly relationships like God intended.

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