The Worthy Walk (Eph. 4:1-6)

Stephen Jones

Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 11 views

Ephesians 4 teaches us how to live consistent with the gospel — in humility, gentleness, and peace. Included are ten practical steps to promote unity in our homes and in the church. May we grow in love for one another, for this is how the world knows we are his disciples.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

· Today we come to the second half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and immediately, you will see a major shift in tone. The first half of the book was primarily doctrinal. The second half will be much more practical. The first half covered the indicatives of the gospel - what is true in Christ. The second half will explore the imperatives of the gospel – how to observe all that Christ has commanded us. This is a common pattern Paul follows, and for good reason. We dare not give people a long list of moral instructions until we have first spelled out they are sinners who must be saved by grace. But having been washed clean by the blood of Christ, we then need to know how to live. That is what the second half of this book is about.

· Read 4:1-6

· In these verses, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ and prisoner for the Lord, urges us to walk worthy of our calling. “Walk” is one of Paul’s favorite words to describe the Christian life. Life is not a leisurely stroll down a sandy beach, nor is it a sprint that requires one quick burst of energy. Godliness requires consistency and endurance. Paul’s word “walk” speaks of daily routine. It includes the ups and downs. It involves not just Sunday mornings, but the rest of the week. Your walk involves the places you go, the people you spend time with, the words you speak, the choices you make, the websites you visit. It is who you are, 24/7/365. It is not so much the spectacular events, as the mundane moments, that will define your character and reveal what is truly inside. The Christian life is a walk.

· In this passage, we see three features of this walk: The high standard of this walk, the humble attitude of this walk, and the harmonious nature of this walk…

The High Standard of this Walk

· Ephesians 2:1–2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air…—

· In Ephesians 4:17, Paul warns, …that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds, who are darkened in their understanding…given to sensuality and greed…

· If that tells us how we are not to walk, how then are we to walk? “in a manner worthy of the calling” (v. 1).

· Paul says to walk “in a manner worthy of the calling” (v. 1). Paul says something very similar in Colossians 1:10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him… And also Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

· To each church, Paul says their walk should be worthy of their calling. The word “worthy” (ἀξίως) speaks of being equal in weight. Imagine a scale, the kind that has a balance with a lever and two arms. On one side of the scale, is your calling. On the other side is your walk. Your walk is to be consistent, “of equal weight” with your calling.

· You remember your calling, right? Paul just spent three chapters expounding it. Ephesians 1:4–5 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption… Ephesians 2:4–5 But God, being rich in mercy, …even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…

· God went to such great lengths to obtain your salvation. He set you apart even before you created you. Then he carried out a rescue plan that involved the gift of his only Son. Hopefully by now you have cast yourself completely in Christ. If not, it is not too late, for that is the first thing Paul would have you to do before proceeding further. If so, then Paul is now urging you to live consistently with your calling. Does your walk match your talk? Does your behavior befit your beliefs? Are there any inconsistencies? The next three chapters will unpack this further.

· God wants you to have a worthy walk. Now, listen carefully, Paul is not instructing you to walk so that you will become worthy of God’s love. He is urging you to walk worthy (consistent with) the call he has already placed upon your life. Salvation is a free gift. But as Paul said in Eph. 2:10, having been saved by grace through faith, we are to view ourselves as his workmanship, created for good works.

· >>Now that we have established the high standard of this walk, let’s consider another fundamental feature of this walk.

The Humble Attitude of this Walk

· Paul uses five words in vv. 2-3 to capture the attitude of the believer: humility…gentleness…patience…forbearance…and unity.

· Humility is literally, “lowliness of mind” (ταπεινοφροσύνη). The word was not used often in the Greco-Roman world. But when it was, it was in a negative light - to grovel, to act like a slave. The NT, however treats humility as a virtue. 1 Peter 5:5 …Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

· To be humble is to think little of yourself. To treat others as more important. To favor their preferences. To care about their interests. To rejoice when they rejoice, to hurt when they suffer. Humility is different from the idea of having “low self-esteem.” The modern notion of “self-esteem” is not a biblical concept at all. Low self esteem usually means you think you are worthless, you are a miserable failure, you’re just a burden. By contrasts, humility recognizes you are dust, yet rejoices that you are precious in the eyes of God. You do not exist for your own comforts and pleasures, but rather, you were created to love God and to love others. John Stott said, “In every step of our Christian growth and maturity, and throughout every aspect of our Christian obedience and service, our greatest foe is pride and our greatest ally is humility.”

· This is already convicting! But Paul is only getting started. He uses a number of other words to describe our attitude.

· Gentleness is another word for meekness. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5). Gentleness does not mean you are weak or “effeminate.” Rather, it is strength under control. It is being willing to suffer injury rather than to inflict it. It is bridling your tongue. It is refusing to use your authority to hurt others. You know how to use just the right measure of strength in every situation.

· Patience means that you have a long-fuse. You are not easily set off. You don’t blow up. You don’t yell, you don’t scream, you don’t unleash your frustrations on others. You are not easily offended. Even when you are insulted or provoked, you take it in stride and keep going. You have developed thick skin. Even when you are cut off in traffic, or you’re put on hold on that important phone call, or your child asks “why” for the 100th time today, you remain patient.

· Do you see a lack of patience in your life and want to know how to grow in it? First of all, take a long, hard look at God. Really stop and meditate on how patient he has been with you. Ask the Lord for patience. It is after all a fruit of the Spirit. Consider doing a word study on patience, taking a concordance and finding all the times “patient” and “patience” appears, and seeing what God has to say about them. And realize that in most of your everyday problems, God is testing you and producing more patience in your life.

· Then Paul says, “bearing with one another in love.” To “bear up” means to put up with someone’s faults, to tolerate their little quirks, knowing you have some of your own. NLT translates this verse, “making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Is there someone who just gets under your skin? When you see them, you immediately start looking for the nearest exit? Maybe it’s the way they talk, or a strange mannerism, or their quirky sense of humor. Maybe they’re a little rough around the edges. Maybe they’re super hyper while you’re more of an introvert. You avoid them whenever possible. You dread the thought of having a conversation. You can almost feel the energy drain out of you. Forgiveness is when someone does you wrong, they confess it, you reconcile, and move on. Forbearance is when someone irritates you, and you are willing to look past it and love them just the same. You don’t have to best friends with everyone, but you do have a responsibility to get along, to show grace, and to make allowance for others’ faults.

· >>As I read through this list, I’m struck that all of these commands happen in the context of relationship. There are no lone ranger Christians. You can’t grow in “gentleness” when you’re all by yourself. You can’t exercise “forbearance” when you stay a hermit. Paul has not been talking in the singular, that is your own private walk with God, but rather in the plural. He is collectively talking to the church. That brings us to our third point…

The Harmonious Nature of this Walk

· Unity has already been a major theme in this letter. We all have union with Christ, and share together in him. The gospel transcends all ethnic boundaries, bringing both Jew and Gentile together into one new body, the church. This unity is made possible by the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

· One of the great triumphs of the early church was their unity and love for one another. Acts 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

· Sounds great, doesn’t it? But this kind of unity does not happen by accident. You don’t stumble into peace. Unity takes effort. Paul says to “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.” The Spirit will produce it – but you’re going to have to preserve it.

· Paul lists a number of ways we already have unity: one body (the body of Christ), one spirit (the Holy Spirit), one hope (our resurrection), one Lord (Jesus Christ), one faith (the gospel once for all delivered to the saints), one baptism (our union with Christ), and one God and Father (who permeates every part of our lives, being over all, through all, and in all).

· This is Trinitarian unity, for all three persons of the godhead are involved in producing it: the Spirit in verse 4, the Lord Jesus in verse 5, and God the Father in verse 6.

· And interestingly, Paul has listed seven different areas of unity. The number “seven” in the Bible often refers to wholeness and completion. From the seven days of the creation week, to the seventy-seven times we are supposed to forgive. Here, Paul gives seven areas we are “one.” We may have different perspectives on some things , but the Spirit has given us unity. What we have in common far outweighs the petty differences we may have.

· Tom Gibbony was such a great example in our church. Though a pastor for fifty years, he never ceased to pray for our ministry, to encourage our leaders, to serve however needed, and to help the leaders rather than entertaining gossip and stirring up division. May his tribe increase! And now he is in heaven, inheriting his eternal reward.

Conclusion

· So how do you “eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit”? I’m glad you asked! Here are ten ways to get you started: 1) pray for unity from the one who produces it 2) Give people the benefit of the doubt – believing in the best rather than assuming the worst 3) When there is a problem, go directly to the source 4) Ask questions to clarify rather than making accusations. It sounds like you’re saying such and such. Is that correct? 5) Take time to see things from their perspective. Really try to put yourself in their shoes, and that whether you agree with it or not, they probably have a reason for what they are doing. 6) Listen to yourself. Do you hear how you are talking, not only what you say, but how you say it? Some of you would be embarrassed if you could hear how you sound, how negative and critical you are. 7) Focus on what is praiseworthy, not what is imperfect. For every one thing you notice that is wrong, try to find at least two more things for which you are thankful and can encourage. 8) Be specific with your concerns. Avoid generalities and always/never statements. 9) Pick your battles. Not everything is worth fighting for. Give plenty of grace and time to grow. Is this thing really worth damaging a relationship or even parting company? 10) Remember that no matter what has been done against you, you owe an infinitely larger debt to God.

· Do you want see revival? This may be the very first step God will use. Let us confess our failures, then renew our efforts to be an Ephesians 4:3 kind of church.

Related Media

Related Sermons