Here’s my audio and notes for “Living Worthy of our Calling” based on Ephesians 4:1-6, preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship on 1.12.24.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Living WORTHY of our Calling”
INTRO: Illustration—Homeless man adopted into royal family who returns to homelessness
-Fitting or unfitting response to grace, mercy and love
-Same is true in gospel: fitting and unfitting to respond to God’s mercy, love and grace.
TODAY, we see how a Christian ought to live in response to the gospel.
-We live differently, because we ought to LIVE WORTHY of our calling in the gospel.
M.I.: The fitting response to the gospel is to live like Christ in our relationships with each other and pursue unity in the church
CONTEXT: Today we begin the “application” portion of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (ch 4-6)
-In ch 1-3, Paul has explained the gospel and why the Ephesians Christians ought to be filled with hope.
-Today, we see how this OUGHT to lead to a different way of living.
-There is a fitting and appropriate response to what God has done to u through the gospel
** The fitting response to the gospel is to live like Christ in our relationships with each other and pursue unity in the church
- A Christian OUGHT to Walk Worthy of His Calling (1)
Here we have an instruction and a motivation.
-NOTICE: “Therefore”
-Because everything that has been said in Ephesians 1-3 is true and been experience by believers.
-Truth of who God is and what He has done grounds the instruction to live differently!
–INDICATIVE empowers the IMPERATIVE!
-INSTRUCTION: “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”
–WALK= Live: think, act, respond.
-Our public and private lives; in church and outside of church
–WALK WORTHY: Worthy of the calling we have experienced in the gospel
-Called to live differently: to be like Christ who shows us the true humanity.
–OF CALLING=God calls a people out of spiritual darkness into light, death to life, estrangement to reconciliation
–HAVE BEEN CALLED=Ephesians heard gospel and placed their faith in Jesus and were saved (Eph 2:8-9)
–MOTIVATION: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling”
-We OUGHT to live differently, because of the greatness, goodness, and beauty of what we’ve been called to in gospel.
-Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies (1:3)
-Redeemed by the blood of Jesus and forgiven of all sin (1:7)
-Sealed with the Holy Spirit and guaranteed eternal life (1:13-14)
-The FITTING response: Walk worthy of this HIGH calling.
NOTICE: We are not called to live differently IN ORDER TO BE SAVED.
-Rather, we are called to live differently as those who have already been saved.
-Motivation for holy living: LOVE, GRATITUDE, and living out our new identity as children of God!
APPLICATION:
–Believer: God has called you to Himself, and you are called to live worthy of His calling.
-Let this freshly motivate you, and shake off any spiritual sluggishness.
-See yourself as one who has experienced this grace in your life.
–Unbeliever: The gospel invitation is for you today
-You have broken God’s laws and are far from Him, but Christ came and died for sinners.
-If you believe in Christ, you will be saved. And if this has happened to you, you have been called!
TRANSITIONAL QUESTION: What does it look like to ‘walk worthy of our calling’? - Walking Worthy of our Calling Means Becoming More Like Jesus (2)
Here Paul gives us some ways that ‘walking worthy’ of our calling looks like.
-We see that it means being like Jesus in our relationships with others!
1. With All Humility.
-Humility is not thinking too highly of yourself or position.
-Pride is opposite of humility: Arrogance AND Self-pity
–Walking worthy of our calling means showing humility in our relationship in the church.
-Jesus the humble one: Phil 2:5-8
*QUESTION: Where is there pride in your heart and relationships? How is God calling you to pursue humility?
2. With Gentleness.
-Not WEAKNESS, but a restrained use of power and strength in tender love for another.
-ILLUSTRATION: Very strong bodybuilder tenderly holding a baby.
–Walking worthy of our calling means showing gentleness toward each other in the church.
-Jesus=gentle toward us: Matt 11:28-30
*QUESTION: Where is there harsh, roughness in your interactions with others in the church?
-How is God calling you to a greater gentleness in your relationships with others?
3. With Patience.
-Patience is love for another over time.
-Not demanding or forcing a particular timeline or schedule
-Not resenting the slowness of another.
-Walking worthy of our calling means showing patience toward each other in the church.
-Jesus=Patient toward us in all our slowness to follow and obey: 2 Peter 3:9
*QUESTION: How is God calling you to show patience in your relationships with others in the church?
4. Bearing with one another in love.
-Christians “bear with one another”=put up with each other.
-It is wonderful to know other Christians, but we are sinners and get on each other’s nerves at times!
–Refreshing honesty of biblical Christianity=honest about difficulty in human relationships.
-Bearing with one another IN LOVE
– Walking worthy of our calling means showing genuine love and loving forbearance toward each other in the church.
-Jesus=Great in love toward us Psalm 145:8
*QUESTION: How is God calling you to show a greater love and loving forbearance with others in the church? - Walking Worthy of our Calling Means Pursuing Unity in the Church (3-6)
A second aspect of walking worthy of our calling is pursuing unity in the church.
-Jesus prayed for unity in the high priestly prayer: John 17:20-23
-Walking worthy of the gospel includes pursuit of unity in the church (3)
–Eager to maintain: Active and purposeful pursuit of maintain unity.
-Maintaining the Unity of the Spirit: Keeping up unity and rejecting divisiveness.
-Psalm 133:1: Prov 6:19; Romans 16:17-18
CLARIFICATION:
1. Unity does not mean uniformity in all areas: Christians different on secondary issues and practices
2. Unity means being united in essential beliefs and orthodox practices.
3. Unity is not an end in itself, but a byproduct of being a new creation.
-We don’t value unity above truth or love, but loving, truth-telling church should be united in love.
–ERROR: EXALTATION OF UNITY ABOVE TRUTH.
BASIS OF UNITY (4-6)
How is unity possible? It is possible because of the nature of God and nature of God’s new Creation.
1. God is ONE Being in 3 Persons
-One Spirit…One Lord (JESUS)…One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
-3 Persons in 1 God.
2. God’s New Creation—the people of God, saved by Christ—is a Unified Whole.
-One Body: the church.
-1 Cor 12:14-27
-One Hope: hope of eternal life, that is our through our calling
-One faith: Set of basic and fundamental beliefs that all Christians hold to.
-One Baptism: A Christian shows the world His faith through baptism
-There already is a ONENESS in who we have become.
-Now, we ought to live this oneness out…
CONCLUSION: The fitting response to the gospel is to live like Christ in our relationships with each other and pursue unity in the church
