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October 26, 2020 7:05 am
Peace is secured when we work in harmony with when we allow love to flow freely and we forgive quickly today on Insight for living with Chuck Swindoll the most powerful testimony of the church can demonstrate his don't think the world doesn't spot it. It amazes them when they see a truly happy church when they see the church of any size welcome to Insight for living Bible teaching your pastor and author Chuck Swindoll today were looking at Ephesians 4 where Paul gave a passionate plea to his fellow believers. He wrote, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, one Lord, Faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is overall and through all and in all titled today's message a worthy walk 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 depth of our roots. That's what the apostle is pleading for, but it isn't going to be easy. That's what 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 the walk that is worthy is a walk that is full of humility and gentleness and patience, tolerance for one another and all of it done in love.
You carry these things out.
You will get along well in your small group ministry with one another you be able to make without too many arguments because there's humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance for one another and it's in love, humility that means putting Christ first other second self last very simple formula Christ first other second self last 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. He came and said except you.
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 words 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 been my strength under control. 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, SQ 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 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 the apostle is imploring ministers congregational members believers young and old alike lay down the arms, pick up the bill of peace preserve it.
Good place for me to pause and just metal.
Are you a gossip. Please don't answer out loud or don't answer for your mate. Do you gossip do you spread rumors do you sow discord among the family of God.
Why do you do that.
Why would you want to live. So this obediently do you share confidential information that causes a disruption in the body of Christ. If you do that for did you learn that you didn't learn it from Christ, you learned from maybe religious roots or you learned from some bad teacher who may have been a friend are you cultivated it out of your own cesspool of depravity. Maybe that's where it came from but member in the war seal loose lips sink ships. Some of your old enough to remember that most of you look at me like where you from and there was a second world war way back then. And remember seeing the motto loose lips sink ships and if you talk too much.
The result was a sunken ship tell you something even worse than that now. Loose lips split churches. If you're an officer at Stonebraker Community Church right alongside purity as confidentiality and right alongside confidentiality and self-control. Keep your mouth shut. You are dealing with information at times.
That is absolutely scandalous difficult for the leadership to work through you gain nothing in your insecurity of running off at the mouth, but telling that information to another group that they might pray more intelligently. Please if you are not confidential. You should not be an officer in this church. I should not be a pastor sowing discord among the brothers is breaking of the unity in failing to preserve job one for the believers to preserve do you disturb the peace. That's another way of putting it is they arrest you for doing that outside, no one is here to arrest you, but you need to know the impact of the disturbed piece church horrible lives are broken fractured.
Sometimes there were irreparably harmed because we break the peace the bond of peace is secured when we work in harmony with each other when we allow love to flow freely and we forgive quickly, the most powerful testimony. A church can demonstrate is unity. Don't think the world doesn't spot it. It amazes them when they see a truly happy church when they see a church of any size working in harmony the lost. Maybe I'm saying they're not ignorant and they're not blind. Why do you think a number of those cowboys would say even though they didn't embrace the Savior as Tom Landry did. He walked the walk. They saw it.
He was different than other coaches. They played for one man had lost his wife and the game was coming that weekend. Coach Landry said to him, I know you're going through a terrible time. You don't have to play said you know Chuck, it was a playoff game. I was a starting running back for the team and he said if you don't feel up to it. You have to play. He said when we ran out in the field. He had tears in his eyes as he put his arms around me in the locker room and I want you to know I prayed through the night for you and what you're going through.
I realized then that my life meant more to him than the game we were about to play. Can you name many coaches like that if you can.
They're walking the walk. Is this important you answer that the entire Trinity is behind the entire Trinity verse four is the spirit circle that verse five is Christ the Lord circle that verse six is the father God circle that one body that's a Jew and Gentile, living in harmony once spirit that's of course the work of the Holy Spirit same at all the lives of the believers.
There's one hope of our calling to be like Christ is no other mark there's there's no other hope to be holy and blameless. According to chapter 1 verse four of Ephesians 11 Lord. Salvation is based on the sacrifice of one day by faith alone in Christ alone.
What hope that is for the Hindu who has 10,000 God's never knowing which one you get a piece. What hope is for the predicate who doesn't know what's God to follow when they're all angry. Here is our heavenly father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is smiling because he is paid the price for sins and he is the one Lord through one faith, and the one identifying sign, baptism.
Baptism of the Spirit yes I think so, but baptism in water whatever mode you may choose the point is Bob to do so means to identify or identification, and it's one's sense of identification and it's not some denominational name is Christ is Christian's follower of Jesus, one baptism, one God and father of all the talk about a high view of God who is overall that's his sovereignty, who is true all that's his omnipotence, and who is in all that is omnipresent, magnificent statement of unity never pulls on his knees pleading with us, saying, why do you squabble over which mode of baptism, body will argue over which denomination is the best one to talk to a charismatic friend now understand I am not charismatic. This church is not a charismatic church folks working have to learn how to get a loan down your room, spend eternity together so we might as well get into practice now it's okay. It's okay so it sounds pretty liberal to me. Actually it isn't level at all inches very unified, just that it is easier so narrow you can't see that you're part of the problem.
This is a unity that opens itself to wherever Christ is named instead of fighting for one's rights and arguing over the nitpicking petty details. It is saying, in effect, stand together in the body and march in step with each other. Folks because time is short and the message is getting garbled unity Perry are inside tells a great story that's a true story of from his own life he was sick on one occasion and he'd been involved in a series of meetings in Minnesota and was were forced to return home by train which was the best mode of travel back then all the way back to California. He could barely stand up. He was so sick, so this pastor of a church had the Porter fix him up with a lower birth so he could really recline there.
Most of the day as he worked through this illness. The first morning he just quietly opened his Bible to have some time alone with the Lord. A stout German woman walked by and said that the Bible and he said yes it's it's a Bible. She said they will get my own Bible and I will have Bible teaching with you. We do this together short time later, a tall gentleman walked by. According to our inside and asked what are you reading he was Norwegian Ironside, told him he said I think I don't get my own Bible each morning. These three men, and others began to connect with them. Ironside wrote that once there were 28 people reading from 28 different Bibles and the conductor would walk through the train, saying the Meeting is beginning donning card 13. All are invited the great experiences. Ironside at the end of the trip cars were divided up when they got to Sacramento some to go north some to go so the German woman asked, but the nomination are you anyway. Ironside replied I belong the same denomination and David did that I didn't know that David belonged to denomination. Well, yes. David wrote that he was a companion of all them that fear God and keep his present that's a good church to do any said the harmony in their fellowship was remarkable.
My wife these days of spending time in India great country of India. She's never been there before and were in touch with each other by phone every day.
Right now she's in Madras now known as Chennai, the southern coast of the Indian Ocean couldn't be further from home feels like she's been gone six months. It's only been nine days said to her, how is it she said will the best part of the trip as fellow believers can understand a word they're saying don't understand the culture never seen sites like this in my life but as she chokes up she said, but I'll tell you we belong to the same family that a great we belong to the same family amazing can even read from the Bible their reading from and worshiping with doesn't understand the songs in the language of the people, but she stands to say a few things with the help of a translator and she said the responses nominal as they link up with her heart and her with there's the belt of peace is tight around the body of Christ in Madras owned it like that here.
I wanted like that here were all different. We have different temperaments.
We have different gifts. We have different scars.
We have different backgrounds.
We have different convictions.
That's why love you because you're so opinionated you got strong convictions. People without convictions are wimps.
I got convictions in case you hadn't noticed, you don't want me without convictions, but surely people with great convictions, though not agreeing at every little job tittle can link up together because greater is he who is in us that he was in that world out there and he cheers with great delight when another church splits and another Christian stops talking to a brother or sister stop that. That is no way for adult believers to act. We are linked together we are on our way to heaven together.
Please give room and understanding little freedom those who don't agree with every jot tittle.
It marks you as an individual. Only when we have to agree with fully is Christ and he's easier to live with than anyone of us out its bow together as close arise. Just sit quietly before the Lord.
We is very convicting for all of us.
We are also passionate about our pursuits and we should be. We never want mediocrity to mark our lives certainly didn't mark Christ's life after he died for what he believed and he was only 33. They killed him, gave up his life. It was that important that he pay the price for your sins and for mine was essential that he die, he died, misunderstood and maligned and mistreated and tortured and hated. Had we been there in our lost condition, we would have driven the nails spread along with the Roman soldier. He walked the walk. He lived the life he paid the price swab 11 so you never come to the level ground of the cross than the die invite you to do that today.
Right now, right now, step on in the family unity join ranks with fellow sinners who are learning to live like saints takes a lifetime.
The Lord this this is straight talk and this doesn't win votes, but it gets attention, and it teaches truth you your way is the best and forbid that we ever go any other way.
We tried those ways they're all dead end streets are the meat in the swamps.
So I pray that you will give us a sense of recommitment to this matter of unity and harmony in confidentiality and purity and love tolerance and patience. Your words, gentleness, humility in the bond of peace may remodel that Lord Stone bar Community Church may remodel that when were at home in our neighborhood that our work behind the steering wheel of our cars when redoing business when were at the store and were meeting new friends and having a chance to impact another life give us great harmony. Lord, as you grow us up grow us deep now want to him who is able to guard us from stumbling into present is faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty.
Dominion power for ever and ever and all God's people said amen do it again. Amen one more time. Amen.
Great. Get out of here time the living. When we hear God's word are expected to do something about it. So was Chuck Swindoll said let's go out and live it.
Appropriate way to conclude today's insight for living. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org. If you're feeling motivated to take your next steps. We encourage you to dig deeper into Paul's letter at your own pace and to help guide your study in this New Testament book. Remember, Chuck is written a full-length commentary on Ephesians as you'd expect from Chuck. The commentary is laid out in a format that's practical, easy to read filled with opportunities to apply what you've learned to everyday life.
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