The Worthy Walk

Before we jump into the message, I wanna ask if you all would join with me in prayer, and let's ask that the Lord would meet us through His word this morning. Will you pray with me, please? Lord, we come before your throne of grace right now with boldness. Lord, and we do seek to quiet our hearts before you.

Lord, we come to you. As a needy people. A broken people, Lord, we come to you turning the page. On this last year.

Lord, I know that for some of us, it's been a tremendous year filled with much rejoicing. For others, Lord, there have been difficulties along the way. And yet, Lord, we affirm the fact that you are sovereign over all of these things. And we come before your throne of grace here today, Lord, anticipating the year that is before us.

And Lord, we want to surrender this year into your hands. We want to lay the year down at your feet, and Lord, we want to ask that in this year, That you would be glorified. We ask Lord that over the course of this year through the power of the gospel that Lord, you might enable us as your people collectively, Lord, to walk in a manner worthy of the calling. With which you have called us.

Help us, Lord, to live out of the overflow of the gospel, to experience the power of the gospel in our lives. Help us, Lord, to be like Christ and help us, Lord, to be on fire for you, on fire for the gospel, to be a people proclaiming its truth with joy and enthusiasm, with zeal, with excitement, Lord. Help us, Lord, over the course of this year, Lord, to behold you and to recognize your hand of grace at work in our lives. Help us, Lord, through the difficulties of life that might come our way through the tragedies, Lord, to triumph in the name of Jesus for your glory, God.

Lord, we have approached your throne of grace and we have done so boldly acknowledging our own sin and Lord, our need for the savior, and also acknowledging the fact, Lord, that because we are at your throne of grace, that Lord, there you are, raised from the dead, seated at the right hand, in your glory, in your splendor, in your majesty. We behold your beauty, Lord, and we give thanks, and we give praise to you, Lord. We ask that you would open the eyes of our understanding, Lord, that you would help us to behold from your word, wonderful things, Lord, that you would speak to us, Lord, speak to us, let us hear your voice, Lord.

And let us, Lord, experience your peace and your presence here with us this morning.

We pray these things. In Jesus' name Amen. In case you don't know, I should have introduced myself before. My name's Carlos.

I'm one of the, pastors, one of the elders here at Cornerstone. I happen to be filling in for the big dog, Milton Vincent. He's away on vacation, a well-needed and, and deserved vacation, so I'm the guy that's filling in. there you have it.

anyways, let's jump into the message. if, if we desire to excel at something, Whatever that something is, it is imperative. It is necessary that we have a vision of what it is that we want to accomplish. We must have vision.

We must have clarity of what it is that we are seeking to accomplish. We must have a picture in our mind. For example, if you desire to be a good hitter, and I know that not everyone here desires to be a good hitter, but I know some of you guys do, but if you desire to be a good hitter, you must have clarity about what good hitting looks like. You do well to study the best.

My oldest son, his name is Andrew, has spent countless hours examining the details of the best hitters in the game of baseball. He has watched video of Mike Trout in super duper slow motion, freezing the frame at particular points in order to gain a clear picture of the perfect swing. My son does this in an attempt to develop and to improve his own swing. I have observed my son swinging the bat and hitting baseballs for many years since he was 4, he's 18 now, so 14 solid years.

I remember one of the first times when he hit a ball, it was a sponge ball in my living room and he smashed the lamp in half. The glass shattered all over the place and I lifted my hands in exultation. Way to go, son. That's my boy.

Over the years I have come to know his swing well and I can often tell before he makes contact, if it is going to be a dinger. In case you do not know, a dinger is a very hard hit baseball. Various factors affect the swing, approach, timing, stride, hand positioning, bat angle, bat drag, arm extension, body angle, and so on and so forth. When my son is locked in, there is a certain consistency and beauty to his swing that results in the coveted dinger.

I share this because it illustrates the importance of having a clear picture of what you wish to accomplish. The same is true in our Christian lives as well. God through His word exhorts us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called. The apostle Paul talks a lot about walking.

In Romans 6:4, he tells us that we are to walk in the newness of life. In Romans 8:4, we are to walk after the Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, we read that we walk by faith and not by sight. In Galatians 5:16, We are told to walk by the Spirit, and if we walk by the Spirit, we will thereby not gratify the desires of the flesh.

In Galatians 5:25, Paul says, let us walk by the Spirit. In Ephesians 2:10. This is the book that we're gonna pull from here this morning, in Ephesians 2:10, we read that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We are to walk into the good works that God has prepared for us and in our passage this morning, we are told to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

Ephesians 4:17 tells us to walk no longer as the Gentiles also walk. In Ephesians 5:2, we're told to walk. In love. Ephesians 5:8 says to walk as children of the light.

Ephesians 5:15 says that we are to be careful how we walk. Philippians 3:17, Paul tells his readers to observe the walk that you see in others. In Philippians 3:17, Paul tells his readers to observe the walk of others. Colossians 1:10, we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord that parallels the passage we will look at here in a few moments.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, Paul declares that he exhorted and encouraged and he implored the Thessalonians as a father does his own children so that they would walk in a manner worthy of God. Now you might be wondering what does Paul mean by his use of the word walk. The word walk is a metaphor referring to the way in which one conducts his life. It refers to one's overall conduct, including his thoughts, his desires, and his deeds.

A good word substitute for walk is behave. We are to walk in a worthy manner and such a walk expresses itself in our overall behavior. God through His word this morning tells us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called. However, if we are to walk worthy of the Lord, we must have a clear picture of what that looks like.

Such a picture is provided in our passage this morning. This morning, we begin a two-part message. I'm not sure when it is and I'm going to be preaching the next time, but when I preach the next time, that'll be the second part to the message. And so anyway, this morning, we begin a two-part message entitled The Worthy Walk.

The first message is the Worthy Walk illustrated, and the second message will be the worthy walk described. So today, the message is The worthy walk. 5 truths regarding the worthy walk that are illustrated by the apostle Paul. So let us begin by reading the passage.

You can turn in your Bibles if you wish to Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 1. If you do not have your Bible, the passage will be on the screen behind me. in Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 1, we read this. The apostle Paul speaking, I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility.

And gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. And so, as we take a look at the first truth regarding the worthy walk, that truth is, number one, the worthy walk is marked by begging. The worthy walk is marked by begging. I asked you this morning, are you a beggar?

Paul was a beggar. The Greek word translated urge is parako. It translates as I urge or I beg or I beseech. Here we have Paul begging.

It is in the first person, present tense, active voice. So Paul, as he is speaking, is begging, and this indicates the fact that this is an ongoing begging. That is in his heart. He, he is continuing to beg everyone around him, not just the Ephesians, but there would be others as well.

This was his lifestyle. His was a lifestyle of begging, and as he writes, he is begging his readers. You get the sense that his Christian walk was marked by begging. We quickly discover that he is begging his readers to embrace his desire for them that they walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called.

Paul was not one to shy away from begging. We often think that begging is unbecoming, but in the Christian sense, it is a very becoming thing to do. This The same word paracolo is used by Paul elsewhere throughout his epistles. In Romans 12:1, for example, he says, I urge you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.

He says, I urge you, paralo. In Romans 15:30, he says, I urge you, brethren, By the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. Romans 16:17, he says, now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul says, I exhort you, again, it is the word paracolo, I beg, I entreat, I implore, I exhort you, brethren, by the name of Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same minds and in the same judgment.

1 Corinthians 4:16, I exhort you, therefore, be imitators of me. Philippians 4:2, he says, I urge you, Odia, and I urge Synteche, I urge both of you to live in harmony in the Lord. In Philemon 1:9, yet for love's sake, The apostle Paul speaking to Philemon says, I rather appeal to you or I beg you, I implore, I entreat you, since I am such a person as Paul, the aged and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. He says in the next verse, I appeal to you again, the same word, Piccolo, I beg, I urge, I entreat to you for my child whom I have begotten in my imprisonment on Isimus.

You begin to get a sense that the apostle Paul was a begging man. The careful observer will note that Paul's plea falls just short of a command. Rather, Paul issues forth a very strong emotional and heartfelt plea. This urging is something that Paul feels deep down in his bones, and so the worthy walk is marked by begging.

Again, what about you this morning? Are you a beggar? Do you find yourself begging and beseeching and urging and imploring others to walk in a manner worthy of their calling? Are you consumed with a desire to see others experiencing God's fullness and walking in a worthy manner?

As we see, this was Paul's passion. But from where does such emotion And passion derived. How is it that the apostle Paul is so on fire over these things? And this takes us to the second truth regarding the worthy walk that is illustrated by the apostle Paul.

Truth number 2, the worthy walk is marked by gospel centrality or you might even use the word gospel proclamation. The worthy walk is marked by a gospel-centered approach to living life. Paul is gospel-centered. His exhortation to the Ephesians to walk worthily is rooted in the gospel.

We see this with the second word in verse one. The Greek word is un, meaning therefore, literally, the passage in the Greek begins, I urge. Therefore, you. The word therefore is extremely significant.

It points back to all of what Paul has communicated throughout the 1st 3 chapters of Ephesians. In short, Paul has proclaimed gospel truth and is now moving toward calling his readers to action. It is the gospel that serves as the driving force behind all of what the apostle Paul does. His whole life was an overflow of his experience of the gospel.

And it is the fuel for the fire of the apostle Paul. Paul's passion for the gospel is rooted in his own personal salvation. He had been a violent persecutor of the church. He was personally responsible for the execution of countless Christians.

The book of Acts serves as a history of the birth and early development of the church, and it gives an account of Paul's. Persecution of the church. Before his conversion, he was known as Saul. In Acts chapter 7, we read about the martyrdom of Stephen.

He was brutally stoned to death for boldly proclaiming the gospel. Acts 8:1 tells us that Saul stood over the scene in hearty agreement. Verse 2 tells us that on that day, a great persecution began against the church. Church in Jerusalem and then as you continue into verse 3, it describes Saul as a man who was ravaging the church.

He was ravaging the church, but as we fast forward into Acts chapter 9, we have recorded for us the miraculous conversion of Saul. He was on his way to Damascus, determined to destroy Christians when he was blinded by a flashing light, falling to the Ground, the Lord Jesus spoke, Saul, Saul, why is it that you are kicking against the goats? Over the next few days, Saul's spiritual eyes are opened, and he would about 3 days later, regain his physical sight. He wasted no time in being baptized and immediately he began proclaiming Christ.

His transformation was Dramatic, he went from persecutor to protector of the church. The faith he once sought to destroy is the faith that he is now defending. Later in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he declares in 2 Corinthians 5:17, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away.

Behold, all things are new. The apostle Paul experienced a radical transformation as a result of meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, and he was never the same. Paul experienced a radical transformation through the power of the gospel, and on the other side of that, he desired nothing more than to proclaim its truth to anyone who was willing to listen. The rest of Paul's life was dedicated to The proclamation of the gospel.

He journeyed from city to city proclaiming Christ. Beginning around 46 AD Paul traveled well over 15,000 miles throughout Asia Minor into Rome and even as far as into Spain. Paul was a man who through the eyes of faith could see the spiritual state of those who surrounded him, and he was moved with compassion to proclaim Christ. And I ask you, what about you this morning?

And please don't misunderstand, I'm not just talking to you, I'm talking to us. I am included in the you that I am speaking to, so I'm asking me this morning, what about me? What about you? Do you find yourself moved with compassion to proclaim Christ?

Do you see the spiritual state of the unsaved that surround you? The vast majority, if not all of us are in contact with unsaved people every day. We know based on the teaching of God's word that they are spiritually dead. And they are separated from God.

They are bound in their sin. And they dwell in the domain of darkness. They are without hope, and they are without God, and the wrath of God abides upon them. And should they die in such a state, they will suffer eternally in the lake of fire where the worm does not die and the fire is never extinguished.

In the lake of fire, there is weeping and gnashing or grinding of teeth. The suffering therein is beyond comprehension, and this is what the future has in store for everyone who dies without Christ. And again, I ask you this morning, do you have a passion to proclaim Christ to those in your spheres of influence who do not know Him? Brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in our spheres who will spend eternity in hell, should they not receive Christ.

And as we examine the walk of the apostle Paul, we see a man who out of the overflow of the gospel is moved with compassion to proclaim Christ to the unsaved. But Paul did not just proclaim Christ to the unsaved. He was so full of Jesus that he proclaimed Jesus to believers as well. His entire life and ministry was built upon the foundation of proclaiming Christ and bringing the gospel to bear in the lives of all who believe.

We see such a gospel-centered approach through Paul's epistles. The book of Ephesians is a perfect example of Paul's commitment to proclaiming the gospel to those who already believe. This critical word, un, therefore, is the hinge upon which gospel proclamation is linked to gospel practice. Therefore, points back to the first three chapters in which Paul proclaims the gospel to the.

Ephesians, after his introduction in chapter 1 verses 1 through 2, Paul's heart is fattened with praise as he launches into gospel proclamation. His heart is fattened with praise. Listen to what he says. In Ephesians 1:3, you can turn there if you would like, we're gonna read a pretty sizable section here, but in Ephesians 1:3, Paul begins by saying, blessed be.

Other translations read, praise be, and his heart is overflowing here with praise and with blessing and with thankfulness. He is blowing fuses all over the place because he knows where he is going on the other side of the blessed be. He says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just 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 to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, His grace, which he has freely bestowed upon us in the beloved, in Him, we have redemption through his blood, through the blood of Jesus as he was slain on the cross, we have through that sacrifice, redemption. It is the forgiveness of our trespasses, forgiveness for our sins, all of our sins, past, present, and future, the whole boatload of our sins are.

Given and this is all in accord to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will according to his kind intention which he purposed in him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth in him also.

We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to his purpose, who works all things after the counsel of his will to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In him you also after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, Paul says, having also believed you were sealed. You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. God the Spirit has indwelt us, and he takes up residence inside of us, and he is a seal who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession.

We are his possession and we will at the end of the day experience the full force of our redemption to the praise of the glory of God's grace. He's just preaching gospel to the Ephesians. His next move in chapter 1 beginning in verse 15 all the way to 23 is to pray for the Ephesians that God would reveals himself to them so that they would comprehend the magnificent gospel truths that he has just preached to them. His desire for them is to get it, and he knows that it is not enough to just tell them the gospel, but he's praying it into them.

And then we come into chapter 2 and throughout chapter 2, Paul continues to pour out gospel truth upon the Ephesians as he reminds them of the transformation that has been wrought in their lives. Listen to what he says to them, and by way of extension to all of us who believe in Christ, he says, you were dead. And he includes himself in this as well. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he has loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, he has made us alive together with Christ.

Paul tells his readers, and by way of extension to all who believe, That we have been raised up with Christ. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. His lavish grace has been poured out upon us, and he has prepared for us good works that we should walk in them. He has given to us hope.

He has brought us nearer to him through the blood sacrifice of His son, he has given to us peace and he has broken down the barrier of the dividing wall that stood between us and the Jews, between Jews and Gentiles and them and God, and we have access to God the Father, we are citizens, equal citizens with the Jewish believers as well, citizens of God's kingdom, we are a dwelling place for God the Spirit. Chapters 1 and chapters 2, it's all about gospel proclamation. We jumped into chapter 3 and, and Paul makes a big deal about the fact that salvation has been extended to Gentiles, brothers and sisters.

The vast majority of us are Gentile believers, and Paul makes much of that fact, the fact that God has called him, the very least of all of the saints, to proclaim to the Gentiles, listen, He says, the unfathomable riches of Christ.

I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around the unfathomable riches of Christ, and I am here to tell you perhaps Paul would say that we are wealthy beyond measure in Christ, our riches in Him are unfathomable. Paul then fires off a second prayer for the Ephesians. God's heart is being poured out through Paul as he prays for the Ephesians to be strengthened with power by the Spirit in their inner man, so that Christ might dwell in their heart through faith. And that they would be rooted and grounded in the love of God and able to comprehend together with all of the saints, what is the immensity of this love of God.

It is a love that goes beyond human comprehension, and he is praying these things so that they would experience the fullness of God. And again, this is God's desire for us, and this is God in His word this morning proclaiming to us gospel truths as a basis for motivating us in our life and ministry that we would walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called. It is not until Paul unloads a full gospel proclamation upon the Ephesians. He pours it on thick and heavy, and it is not until he does that, that he transitions into practice back to our word un.

Therefore, is sandwiched between position and practice doctrine. And duty, belief and behavior in the mind of Paul, the gospel of Jesus Christ serves as the very foundation upon which believers can grow. Thus Paul proclaims the gospel before begging them to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called. Paul had experienced personally the transforming power of the gospel.

It was the tool that he would use for the salvation of sinners and for the sanctification of saints as well. Paul was on fire for the Lord and nothing would stop him from proclaiming the gospel, and this leads us to the 3rd truth regarding the worthy walk that is illustrated by the apostle Paul. Truth number 3. The worthy walk is marked by personal sacrifice.

The worthy walk is marked by personal sacrifice. Make no mistake about it, walking in a manner worthy of the calling entails a willingness to sacrifice our lives, to sacrifice our own personal interests for the glory of God and for the advancement of the kingdom. Now, our passage reads, I urge, therefore, you, I, the prisoner, I, the prisoner, here Paul, as he is making reference to himself and thereby providing himself as an example, referring to himself as the prisoner, here he repeats what he has already declared in chapter 3 verse 1, where he says, for this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner.

Ephesians was one of 4 epistles that Paul wrote while under house arrest in Rome.

Collectively, the prison epistles are Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians. Paul makes reference to his imprisonment in each of these 4 epistles. In Colossians chapter 4 verse 18, Paul says to his readers, Remember. My imprisonment.

In his letter to Philemon, Paul refers to himself as a prisoner three times. In Ephesians 6:20, a little bit later in our epistle this morning, Paul describes himself as an ambassador in chains. And in Philippians 1:12, Paul says, now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances, here he is referring to his imprisonment, he says, my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ, he was imprisoned because of his proclamation of Christ, because of his commitment to the Lord, because he was proclaiming the gospel, here he is in prison because of the cause of Christ, and he says, Imprisonment has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard, palace guard, and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

As we bring the pieces together then, it is clear that Paul was imprisoned as a result of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are those in professing Christendom proclaiming a gospel of prosperity. They say that the Lord desires for us to enjoy health and prosperity. The apostle Paul this morning may beg to differ.

In our passage this morning, Paul is in prison, and while in prison, he was abased. He had little earthly treasure upon which to boast. His commitment to the Lord led him straight into poverty and imprisonment. Paul's God-ordained circumstances stand in opposition.

To the name it, claim it gospel that others in our day proclaim. This is not to say that we as God's children are not blessed. We have already seen that we are blessed in the heavenlies with every single spiritual blessing that we could ever hope or imagine for, but our blessings do not necessarily come in the Form that the blabbit grab it prosperity teachers say. Paul was in prison and as a result, the gospel went forth and it was multiplying and so this is how it is in the upside down kingdom where so often earthly loss results in heavenly gain.

We read that Paul is a prisoner and so his commitment to the Lord is accompanied by sacrifice. We should not be surprised. This is the way of the gospel. Jesus himself left the glory and splendor of heaven.

And he was born in a manger. He was laid to rest in a feeding trough. During his earthly ministry. He declared that the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, and eventually his head would become the resting place for a crown of thorns that would be pressed upon his brow in mocking fashion.

Such mockery reached the climax as Jesus hung on a cross of wood while bathed in his own blood until he breathed his last breath. Brothers and sisters, the worthy walk is marked by sacrifice. We need, we need go no further than the cross to be reminded afresh of the sacrifice required for our own salvation, and God's word tells us that Jesus is given to us as an example that we should follow in his steps. Jesus himself declares in Mark 8:34.

If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, let him take up his cross and let him follow me. He goes on to say in the very next verse, whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels shall save it. And so, The worthy walk is marked by sacrifice. The Ephesians would not have, they would not have overlooked Paul referring to himself as a prisoner.

Commitment to Christ is accompanied by sacrifice. Yet a careful observer of the text will take note of Paul's play on words, and this takes us to the 4th truth regarding the worthy walk, as it is illustrated by Paul. Truth number 4. The worthy walk is marked by divine perspective.

The worthy walk is marked by divine perspective. You will notice that Paul refers to himself as a prisoner, but he does not stop there. He calls himself a prisoner of the Lord. On the earthly side, he was a prisoner of Rome, but on the heavenly side, he saw himself as a prisoner of the Lord.

Paul had an uncanny ability to see everything through the lens of the divine. He was not Rome's prisoner. He was God's prisoner. Not even Rome could lay claim.

To Paul, he was God's man. He knew that God in His sovereignty ordained his lot in life, and he knew that his imprisonment was part of the plan and purpose of Almighty God. He could see how God was using his imprisonment for a greater good. In Philippians, though Paul is in prison, we see him rejoicing.

And Paul's divine perspective is expressed here in Ephesians. Here he is. He is in prison, but he is not allowing his circumstances to derail him spiritually. If anything, his imprisonment has resulted in greater fruitfulness.

Though he is in chains, the gospel is flourishing. The palace guard has gotten an earful from Paul. Four epistles were written by Paul. Those epistles are part of the New Testament canon.

Believers for the past 2000 years have benefited from Paul's prison epistles, and the man in chains from some 2000 years ago speaks to us today through his example as revealed in this passage. All because he was a man. Who saw life through the lens of the divine. He understood and trusted in the sovereignty and the goodness of God in his life.

The worthy walk is marked by divine perspective. When you are walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, you filter life through the lens of the divine. You see God's hands in the details of your life, though those details may be. Tough Or easy.

Throughout the details of your life, you are able nevertheless to see God's hand. The difficulties you face, are opportunities. The storms of life cannot sink you. You are able to look at your lot in life and you are able to rejoice in the Lord and to live to the glory of Almighty God, and you derive much strength and hope and encouragement from him.

I do not know what difficulties that you might be facing this morning. Perhaps you have had a tough year. Nevertheless, through the lens of the divine, you are more than able to triumph through the trials of life. You are not owned by your trials.

You are owned by the one who has purchased you through the precious blood of His own Son. Know this, this morning, you are a prisoner of the Lord. He reigns over your life, and his good plan for your life will prevail, and such a plan will take you through the doors of death directly into the immediate presence of your beloved savior. You will behold the Lord Jesus someday.

This is the divine perspective that marks those who are walking in a gospel worthy manner. Well, let us hasten on to the next, to the final truth here this morning, number 5. The worthy walk is marked by divine purpose. The worthy walk is marked by divine purpose.

We see this in the example of Paul. He had a purpose. This begging, gospel centered, gospel proclaiming prisoner with divine perspective expresses his desire. desire for the Ephesians to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called.

His purpose in life was to build up the body of Christ. His purpose in life was to see to it that to the glory of God, the people of God are walking in a manner worthy of the gospel. The worthy walk is marked by this type of divine purpose. Paul wants for his Ephesian readers to experience life transformation that is grounded in the gospel.

He wants the Ephesians to know who they they are in Christ and then to live in a manner that is consistent with their identity in Christ. He desires to see God glorified in their lives. This can only be accomplished if they in fact walk in a manner worthy of the calling. This is why Paul in chapters 1 through 3 proclaims the gospel and then prays the gospel into them.

He knows that by proclaiming the gospel and praying it into him that his readers are then able to walk the way they should and then Paul goes on to describe the worthy walk and so let's briefly consider, briefly consider Paul's descriptions of the worthy walk. We're gonna spend more time in the second message. Part two, but let's just briefly run through these. OK, Paul's descriptions of the worthy walk beginning in verse 2, a description 1, humility, humility.

This word is defined as follows, having a humble opinion of oneself, a deep sense of one's own moral littleness, modesty, humility, lowliness of mind. The humble person is chiefly concerned about the glory of God and not the glory of self. He esteems others as more important than himself. He is little impressed with his own accomplishments.

He sees himself as the chief of sinners and is overwhelmed with a sense of his own sins forgiven. When the humble person hears of the sins and shortcomings of others, he does not think to himself, oh my, how could so and so do such a thing? The humble person recognizes in himself the very seeds for the wickedness that he sometimes sees in other people, and yet the humble person by the grace of God is able to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which he has been called.

Description number 2, gentleness.

This word carries the idea of humility, courtesy, considerateness. Gentleness overlaps humility but contains distinct features. The gentle person thinks about others, and the gentle person acts in such a way so as to show thoughtfulness and courtesy. when you think of the word gentleman, you think of a man who opens up the door for his wife.

You think of, the man who is willing to just serve others, in, in the most menial of tasks. You think about a person, a man in a care group setting when the dinner is being served, that he is gonna step back and wait for the ladies to go first and allow for himself to be served last. This is part of what is entailed in this idea of gentleness. Again, it is courtesy, it is considerateness.

Description number 3, patience. The Greek word here is macrothumus. The word is translated patience, steadfastness, endurance, forbearance. God is described as patient in Romans 2:4 and 9:22.

It is the same word used in Galatians 5:22 for one of the fruits of the Spirit. The fruit of the spirit is patience. It speaks of foregoing the punishment that one deserves. When another person sins against you, they may deserve punishment, but in exercising this type of patience, you choose not to meter the punishment that is deserved.

And the next description of the worthy walk builds upon the patience already described. Description 4, showing forbearance to one another in love, showing forbearance to one another in love, showing forbearance is the Greek particip. Anna koi, it means exercising self-restraint and tolerance, to endure patiently, to put up with, to bear with, to show forbearance implies that someone is behaving in a way that is objectionable to you. You might say that such a person has sinned against you, and when you are sinned against, you are called to show forbearance.

Perhaps you think to yourself, boy, that person really annoys me, that person bugs me, and God in His word this morning is saying, if you are to walk in a manner worthy, that is going to entail showing forbearance. I want you to know this, however, The prepositional phrase on the other side of the particle showing forbearance, he says, in love, in love. This takes it to a whole other level in love. The word for love here is agape.

It is the highest form of sacrificial other-centered love. It is the very love of Almighty God Himself, which by the way, was demonstrated in the sacrifice of his own son. You are to love. The person who has sinned against you.

You are to love the annoying person. You are to love that person. Who bugs you This is description number 4. Now moving on to the 5th.

Being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now, this part of the symbol is in the active voice. The worthy walk requires action. Being diligent means to hasten, to hurry, to be zealous or eager, to take pains to make every effort.

The believer If he's walking in a manner worthy of the calling with which he has been called, is making every effort to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The believer is grieved when there is a lack of peace between him and another person, and he will do what he can to ensure that peace is restored. You will know this. That based upon this passage that we have unity, we are responsible to maintain and to preserve the unity that has been wrought by God through the gospel and the spirit indwelling us.

We are to become what it is that we actually are. We are to be united and we are to be diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. And so this is Paul's vision for the Ephesians and every other church throughout the ages. We see in Paul's example, how the worthy walk is marked with purpose.

You see, the apostle Paul has a purpose, and his purpose is to come alongside and then proclaiming the gospel, to help others, to exhort others, to beg of others, to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called, and he will pull no punches in his attempt to come alongside and to help. This is the apostle Paul. And so we are called by God to follow in the steps of Paul. If you will, and to play our part as we walk in a worthy manner to make every effort to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace.

And so this morning we have examined 5 truths regarding the worthy walk that are illustrated by Paul with a brief consideration of the way he describes the worthy walk. The worthy walk is marked by begging. Gospel centrality, gospel proclamation. Personal sacrifice, a willingness, if need be to die for the sake of the gospel, divine perspective to see all of life through the lens of God and His sovereign purposes in life.

And divine purpose, the purpose being to build the body of Christ. We see that exemplified in Paul himself. And so we see how Paul was impassioned to help the Ephesians walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they were called. Thus he preached the gospel to them, he prayed the gospel into them, all the while Paul serves as an illustration of the worthy walk that he calls believers to.

As we turn the page on this past year. May we look forward to a new year. And let it be our aim as brothers and sisters in Christ together to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which our God has called us. Will you pray with me?

And as the ushers come forward to take up the offering, Close your eyes and bow your heads with me as we pray. dear Lord, we just come before you once again and we thank you, Lord, for your word. We ask Lord that you would give to us crystal clear focus of the worthy walk. We pray, Lord, that we would see in the example of Paul, a man who walked in a manner worthy of the gospel, and we pray Lord that over the year that you would teach us, that Lord you would give to us the vision that we need to know what it looks like and to live it out.

Lord, we just pray that you would help us to grow in respect to our salvation, sanctify us and build us up, Lord. Help us to be conformed into the very image of Jesus Christ Himself. Give us clarity, give us vision, give us a picture, help us to know, Lord. What the perfect swing looks like, and then to execute.

Give grace, Lord, to us, to accomplish walking in a manner worthy of the calling. With which you have called us. Lord, we pray that you would take what it is that we give to you, and that you would multiply it for the purposes of your kingdom. Lord, we just thank you so much for how it is that you are providing, and we return to you, Lord, just a portion of what you have blessed us with, multiply it for your glory and for the advancement of the kingdom, we pray in Jesus' name.

And all of God's people said, Amen.