A Worthy Walk, Part 2

Today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll describes what it means to walk when you walk in a manner worthy of the calling. You will be like Christ and the world will notice where a bad wave flags not have to put symbols on the back of your car or were necklace the big cross. You don't have to do that you will walk the walk and he won't be able to deny so what does God really expect those who follow him. What's the standard were striving to achieve well in Ephesians we read these words from Paul, I implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you been called with all humility and gentleness with patients, showing tolerance for one another in love.

Today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll continues an in-depth study in Ephesians 4, finding it difficult to rise to a level of contentment in this season of global unrest. Let's get our attention. Out of this timely admonition from Paul and Paul's style usually lays a solid doctrinal groundwork, and that takes up the better part of the letter certainly half of it often more and then there's a turning point, which I call the hinge and like a door has a hinge.

The hands in Paul's letter then introduces the practical side, so we have orthodoxy and if you will, or the proxy we have doctrine that we have a duty we have the theoretical and then we have the reality and it all hangs on the hinge and when you study Paul you find the hinge know you're moving from the vertical emphasis to the horizontal emphasis from our relationship to God and understanding him better to our relationship with other people and relating to them better show you this turn to Romans chapter 12 and I will introduce you to one of the hinges. These hinges never squeak by the way their well oiled, and they often are our favorite verse of a particular letter.

Romans 12 one. Is the hinge. The first 11 chapters have been full of great doctrine depravity, salvation, the work of Christ, the cross, sanctification, and then you move into the whole study of the Jew and the Gentile, and God's sovereign work in calling and electing you get to the hinge. Paul writes in verse one. Therefore, that's the word therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies see the practicality and to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And if that isn't enough, do not be conformed to this world but be transformed. Do you feel the long index finger punching you in the sternum. You see Paul, do you feel Paul now suddenly saying stop thinking theoretically and start realizing this is designed to change your life.

The secret is the word therefore what my Bible teachers used to say you need to always figure out what that therefore is there for. And in this case it's to change the emphasis from the vertical.

Focusing on God to the horizontal. Focusing on your relationship to the Lord and to others. Look at Colossians chapter 3.

He does this again and again. He's talked for two chapters about the great doctrines of Christ because in writing to the Colossians. He's dealing with the heresy of the day, Gnosticism and intellectual religion that kept people from Christ rather than through them to him and he's established a very firm Christology for two chapters to get to chapter 3 and there it is again in therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, look at the practicality set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the masterful.

He's established the Christ is the preeminent one, above all the affairs of this life knowing that there is everything in life to drag us down. He says in chapter 3 now focus on Christ, seek the things that please him and honor him and you will be able to handle whatever life throws at you.

Ephesians is really the classic example of that. And when we get to chapter 4 once again we come to another hinge and as a matter of fact, if you can read it, just as Paul wrote it, you would see that for one of Ephesians has the very same opening three terms in the Greek text as Romans chapter 12 verse one why it's rendered implore in verse one of chapter 4 of Ephesians and BCH in Romans 12 one.

You got asked the translators causes the very same word, I beseech you therefore is the way Romans 12 one begins Ephesians begins the same way though it reads differently because the I is emphatic in the original, and so the writers are I should say the translators in hopes of capturing that put the above, the imploring, so he says therefore I go, I called the prisoner. Remember I'm on your side. Remember I'm the one who is student defense of the Gentiles. I call the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk to walk how to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called worthy of sounds like something you do in front of the king or you sing in front of the Lord himself. But this is about us. This is foxy own a XIO EN we got our word axiom from it and the root word is way something. In fact, really, when you check it out. It means to be of equal weight.

It's a mathematical term is you love math, there's an equation and axioms axioms indicate that the equation is true because what is true on one side is of equal truth, on the other and it becomes axiomatic here.

It's not about math. It's about life, I implore you to walk in a way that balances out your calling your calling is great and pure and holy. Your walk is to be pure and great and holy member. The old chorus. Some of you will remember. After all he's done for me after all he's done for me. How can I do less than give him my best.

After all he's done for me.

That's a axiom that's an oxymoron chorus if you will all he's done for me.

How can I do less than balance it out with a life of obedience that follows.

So beginning in chapter 4, he implores us to take the truth we've learned about God and Christ in the spirit and to carry it out in our daily walk may give you little outline. I think it will help you in the next 16 verses that, fit together like sort like dominoes standing on their M1 bumps up against another, which pushes the third and then the in the fourth we have in verses one into the charity of our character is an old word for love.

I'm sorry it's gotten lost in the passing of time. I love the word charity.

The charity of our character. That's the first two verses that grows into the unity of our body. That's three through six. The charity of our character turns into the unity of our body. And then this is enhanced by the diversity of our gifts seven through 12 and then that results in the maturity of our growth 13 to 16 is one of the greatest sections in all the New Testament on the Christian life. The charity of our character.

The unity of our body, the diversity of our gifts in the maturity of our growth. We tell you something that's far more important than growing larger and that's growing deeper, far more important than numerical size is the size of our maturity. The depth of our roots. That's what the apostle is pleading for, but it isn't going to be easy. That's why if the spirits work through us is not the work of the flesh.

He says to walk in a manner worthy of the calling and now he tells us what is involved in that.

So like Paul to do that. He gives us five words not you become the vulture. Okay, you find the words in verse two that are the ones worth attention. It's obvious it's clear the walk that is worthy is a walk that is full of humility, gentleness and patience, tolerance for one another and all of it done in love. John Stott calls these the five foundation stones of Christian unity.

That's a good word. These are solid stones upon which unity is built. You get this in place you'll never split a church you carry these things out. You will get along well in your small group ministry with one another, you'll be able to make without too many arguments because there's humility, gentleness and patience, tolerance for one another and it's in love, humility, let me spend just a few moments on each one. At least part of them will be a group 1st humility that means putting Christ first other second self last very simple formula Christ first other second self last.

It's not popular you will read about humility in the Wall Street Journal.

You won't find it in the business Journal of your company and you usually won't see it among the strong leaders who were so busy promoting themselves fact did you know that it was despised in the days of the Greco-Roman world. It was considered a slavish a slave kind of mentality it was degrading to be humble if you were the king or the Emperor you acted like it. Now let me bow the knee. I am the one in charge and alive was only as safe as the turn of your thumb if you were the Emperor. You were the Almighty. That's why they call themselves names like Augustus the great and mighty ones and along came Christ who pointed out the importance of humble recognition of the worth and value of the other person. That's humility.

Humility isn't a living doormat.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that that's that's not Christ's definition of humility. It's a lowliness of mind toward one's own merit. Humility.

One of these five foundation stone is Christlike.

Matthew 1128 to 30 come to me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For I am meek and lowly in heart, there is the only time Christ ever described himself in his temperament was in Matthew 11 2830 and he calls himself humble of heart.

One man writes lowliness was much despised in the ancient world.

The Greeks never use their word for humility in the context of approval, still less of admiration.

The crouching submissiveness of a slave.

That's what they meant and abject servile subservient attitude. Not until Jesus Christ came was a true humility recognized, he humbled himself, only he among the world's religious and ethical leaders has set before us as our model a little child that he came and said, except to be as a little child you can't come into the kingdom, the self forgetfulness of a child one of the things we love about children. It's remarkable at times. Next word is gentleness see that word. This is a synonym for weakness in many people's mind. But meekness is not weakness. Did you know in the etymology of this word, it has in mind strength under control. It was used to describe a horse that was broken me ask you is a horse that's broken any less strong than before. It's broken just under control is no longer dangerous or wild. You can mount the horse you can ride the horse. It will work with you in whatever may be the project with a need.

It's broken. It's called me in another part of the Scriptures. The meek person thinks as little of his personal claims as the humble person thinks of his personal merits. This is the absence of any disposition to assert personal rights, ask you is that rare in the 21st century, probably as rare as any quality. We could name. What is the last time you met a strong natural leader who was humble and meek, you can number them on one hand, usually with fingers left over. Christ was like that.

The whole point of this is that when you walk in a manner worthy of the calling. You will be like Christ and the world will notice you have to wear a badge to wave flags not have to put symbols on the back of your car or wear a necklace.

The big cross on it.

You don't have to do that you will walk the walk and he won't be able to deny humility leads to gentleness, which results in patients and tolerance not don't rush too quickly beyond that tolerance in our day is going to see now, you tolerate everything. I mean if you got conviction your intolerant that's ridiculous. Christ had the deepest, strongest, most solid set of convictions one could imagine, but he was this gracious individual with the sinners, never once making a demand on them. That was inappropriate. Talks about patience and tolerance.

What a perfect combination with love here to tell you we are so lacking in these qualities in these United States of America. It's embarrassing what other country is told not to act ugly when they travel. One of the country is so notorious for bad manners when in a situation that requires adjustment and toleration in patients.

My friend Kent Hughes who passes the church up in Wheaton at the college church in Wheaton, Illinois. In his book on Ephesians writes on this subject has a special poignancy today in the world which has so failed in its attempts at unity and is so alienated I was in my teens right to use when during the 50s when ecumenism was the big thing with the mainline denomination but it all came to naught because it was based on an eviscerated spineless theology instead of the vertebrate system of Christian belief.

Today, the world Council of churches is little more than a mouse that roared, I was in my 20s in the 60s and I remember visiting Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco and being handed flowers and underground newspapers proclaiming a new day of peace.

The bright colors were were colors of optimism, the communes wishful microcosms of the new order, but today all that is left is some middle age anachronisms, cultural dinosaurs. We live in a cold, fragmented world goes on to describe where he recently spoke to a young man so starved for attention that he had his haircut once a week just to be touched by another human hand in a nonthreatening manner. Life says Hughes for so many in this world is like an elevator ride. Everyone facing forward. No eye contact. No conversation or interaction, and then everyone rushing off to their faceless endeavors.

The world is looking for a new humanity, 1/3 race if you will, which is not only walking in unity but has open, inviting arms and hearts. That's what he has in mind here infecting. He says there's a diligence involved in living like this. The diligence in verse three being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit bond. I think of the word bill with the belt of peace around this body that a great word picture diligent to preserve the unity. Think about it.

You don't even create unity.

Unity is there. It's in the bond of peace. In the spirit.

When you step into it. You are a part of the preservation of it in my growing up years I lived under the influence of two good parents of father who had my good and hard, and a mother who seemed to weave her words through the words of the Scriptures and the Council I got was that if you will, and almost a barrage of of truth from one angle and that another and I found myself enveloped in that in my growing up I didn't create that context, but it's my task to preserve and I live out the Council, the wisdom of good parents in my life when I step into the body of Christ. As a result of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for me. Having paid the price on the cross. I step into the realm of unity that he has established that's what he wants for his body but I will tell you there is no more divided church on any continent in the world. Then there is in these United States. It is nothing short of tragic. Every city has its story of split churches. Every city and many towns even villages pastors that will hardly talk to one another, to say nothing of supporting and encouraging one another. There is probably no more envious profession on earth than the ministry and I say that to my machine in my own career. The apostle is imploring ministers congregational members believers young and old alike lay down the arms, pick up the bill of peace preserve it. In fact, the emphasis is so obviously on unit. Obviously unity that he uses the word over and over would verse four there is one body, one spirit, just as you're called in one hope of your calling one more one thing, one baptism, one God mean how many times does he have to say it so Pauline he gets on a word that says it and he drives it any drives it home from one angle and that another you finally say okay I got it okay like bring them out of the fire hydrant mean this is unbelievably obvious whole then do it will look like this. You're listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message a worthy walk to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org to give you some context for the message. A hearing today.

This program features just one slice of a much larger series is a verse by verse study through Paul's letter to the Ephesians. The series is titled becoming a pupil of grace to enhance your study in this New Testament book you want to order a copy of Chuck's commentary on Ephesians as you'd expect from Chuck. The commentary is laid out in a format that's practical, easy to read and filled with opportunities to apply what you've learned to everyday life.

Plus, this particular volume comes with Chuck's commentary on Galatians as well. It's called Swindoll's living inside commentary on Galatians and Ephesians. To purchase this 300 page hardbound commentary right now.

Go to Insight.org/store or call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 and then just before we sign off and the weekend begins on the visit Insight for living, would like you to know that we're praying this study and Ephesians will inspire you to become God's agent of grace in a world that's craving to feel the touch of his kindness 2020 will go down in history as a year filled with uncertainty, fear and disrespect because Jesus has torn the curtain doing so broken all barriers it's all the more reason to be, people of grace. In that spirit, where inviting you to join us in taking God's message of grace all across our country and even around the world vision 195 to give a one time donation today go to Insight or were colors listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 one of the best ways to maximize your giving is to become a monthly companion giving a donation every month. You have 12 times the impact over the course of one year to become a monthly companion go to Insight.org/monthly companion study, becoming the people of grace continue right here on Insight for living.

The preceding message a worthy walk was copyrighted in 2000 2001 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide.

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