Walking In A Manner Worthy Of Our Calling.
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Recap from last week
Recap from last week
Our theme for this term is cultivating a heart of serving. Last week we learnt a bit about what Paul meant when he said we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).
When Paul said this he did not mean that we must add works to our faith in order to gain salvation. Rather, what he is saying is that we should look at our life and see whether our lives reflect what we believe in. Are we living as Jesus has called us to live? Is our faith producing the fruit of works and servanthood?
Remember that as Chrisians, one of the main things we are called too is to make disciples, and a big part of learning how to make disciples is serving others, both in the church and outside the church.
Our verse for the term is Matthew 20:28 “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” If Jesus served while He was on earth, how much more should we serve?
Walking in a manner worthy of our calling
Walking in a manner worthy of our calling
In Ephesians 4:1 Paul says that we should walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called too. Today we will look at what this calling is that Paul is referring too here and also we will look at how we can go about walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
What is our calling?
What is our calling?
Paul outlines what our calling prior to him speaking these words to the Ephesian church.
The first thing that Paul mentions about our calling is that we are children of God. Ephesians 1:5 says that we we were were predestined for adoption as sons and daughters through jesus Christ.
The way we are made children of God is by Christ having made us holy and blameless before God (Eph 1:4). This was done through Jesus transferring his righteousness to us and taking upon Himself our sin through what He did for us on the cross.
Ephesians 2 speaks about how we were dead in our tresspasses and sins, and were actually following the Devil. Remember that if you’re not for Christ, you’re against Him, and the bible says that you are under the rule of the god of this world, which is Satan.
But then Paul goes on to speak about how because of Gods rich mercy and the love with which he loved us (Eph 2:4), God made us alive in Him even when we were dead in our tresppasses. Epehesians 2:6 says we have been raised with Him and are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3 says that God has blessed us with every spritual blessing in the heavenly places! Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can now reap all the benefits of being sons and daughters of God!
As you guys can see this is a very amazing and wonderful calling! We’ve been made children of God, heirs of the kingdom with Christ, we’ll be seated on thrones and rule the earth alongside him having been seated with Him in the heavenly places and we’ve been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!
What a high and amazing calling! But now Paul says that we should walk in a manner worthy of this calling! This is where the work starts as Christians.
How do we walk in a manner worthy of our calling?
How do we walk in a manner worthy of our calling?
Ephesians 2:8 says that we’re saved by grace through faith and not by our own doing and that salvation is a gift of God. But then Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We were saved not by good works, but for good works!
The first part of walking in a manner worthy of our calling is by understanding how we have been saved and have been put in right standing before God.
Because of our sin we all deserve hell! We have no right to heaven. Our Lord is a God of perfect righteousness and holiness. He didnt create us to be sinful. We chose that ourselves through our sin. He is well within his rights and will remain completely just in casting us all to hell.
Because of our unholiness and sinfulness, God has every right to cast us into hell.
But as Ephesians 1:4 says, we’ve been made holy and blameless through Christs imputation unto us. This puts us in right standing before God
Therefore, since we have already been made holy, blameless and righteouss through Christ and are in right standing before God, walking in a manner worthy of our calling means living rightouessly, blamelessly and in holiness. We are to walk in purity.
In fact the 6th beatitude in Jesus’ sermon on the mount says blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.
So, the way to walk in a manner worthy of our calling is to walk in rightousness and holiness and putting away sin.
With walking in holiness comes the fruit of the spirit. The ones that paul mentions here are humilty, gentleness, patience and love and he also speaks about unity which is something which is very important