Walk In A Worthy Manner (Ephesians 4:1-6)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.480 Will please remain standing. If you're able otherwise have feel free to have a 2 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:08.269 seat. And let's turn our attention to Ephesians, another book in the New 3 00:00:08.310 --> 00:00:15.789 Testament, Ephesians chapter four, verses one through six. Phesians four, one 4 00:00:15.869 --> 00:00:18.670 through six. Again, if you're using one of the black bibles, this 5 00:00:18.829 --> 00:00:28.820 is page nine hundred and seventy seven. Let's give our attention to God's word. 6 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:34.700 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in 7 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:39.009 a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all 8 00:00:39.049 --> 00:00:45.090 humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager 9 00:00:45.289 --> 00:00:50.159 to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is 10 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:54.679 one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope 11 00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.960 that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 12 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:06.790 one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and 13 00:01:07.189 --> 00:01:19.620 in all sends. The reading of God's Word may be seated well here in 14 00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:25.739 Ephesians chapter four, Paul begins to transition to a new section in his letter, 15 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:30.420 and for that reason, and it will be helpful to briefly remind ourselves 16 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:36.129 of what's come before, because he says at the beginning of Chapter Four. 17 00:01:36.969 --> 00:01:42.170 Therefore, right, he's he's leading US somewhere based on something that he's already 18 00:01:42.209 --> 00:01:48.079 said. On the basis of these things and chapters one, two and three, 19 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:52.079 I now, therefore, as a prisoner of the Lord, urge you 20 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:59.079 to do something. It's a strong word that Paul uses, a word that 21 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:05.629 is more than a request or an ask. It's maybe an ask with a 22 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:08.389 push. You won't find that in a dictionary. That's my paraphrase of that. 23 00:02:09.349 --> 00:02:14.710 He's urging them. I think the English word there expresses that well. 24 00:02:15.110 --> 00:02:19.620 It's a powerful statement and he had gives some reasons for it, and he 25 00:02:19.740 --> 00:02:25.340 talks about this kind of walk that we are to walk on. In order 26 00:02:25.379 --> 00:02:30.250 to understand that walk, in order to understand how we walk in a manner 27 00:02:30.370 --> 00:02:35.330 worthy of the calling to which you've been called, you have to understand what 28 00:02:35.409 --> 00:02:38.849 that calling is. Right. In other words, how do you walk in 29 00:02:38.009 --> 00:02:42.969 a calling, in a way that's worthy of that calling, if you don't 30 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:45.719 know what the calling is? Right? How do you walk as a king 31 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:49.000 if you don't know what a King is? How do you act as a 32 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:55.199 how do you act in any situation if you don't know how you supposed to 33 00:02:55.240 --> 00:03:00.430 act what it is you are and so we can go back and we can 34 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:04.349 look at Ephesians one, two and three, or we can look at some 35 00:03:04.469 --> 00:03:08.229 things Paul says right here in these six verses, because he reminds us that 36 00:03:08.349 --> 00:03:15.020 God has done something in this world. There is this objective thing that God 37 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:22.500 has done in time and in space. He says that we have been called 38 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:29.810 and we have been given something. Notice he says we are to maintain something. 39 00:03:29.969 --> 00:03:34.090 He calls it the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. 40 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:39.889 He doesn't say create a relationship with God, he says maintain a relationship with 41 00:03:40.050 --> 00:03:46.599 God, maintain this unity that you already have. Why is it that we 42 00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:50.919 have the spirit? Well, as you go back and you read, you 43 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:55.150 learn that God has poured out his spirit on his people. You remember, 44 00:03:55.270 --> 00:04:00.509 back in Ephesians too, we read and and three as well. We read 45 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:09.990 how God is building out of sinful humanity a sanctified temple where he is to 46 00:04:10.139 --> 00:04:16.699 dwell forever. God is taking us as living stones and constructing this house for 47 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:23.019 himself. This is what God has done, and the cornerstone of this House, 48 00:04:23.100 --> 00:04:28.649 the foundation of it all, rests upon Jesus Christ. These are amazing 49 00:04:28.730 --> 00:04:33.290 things. God has sent his son into the world to accomplish our salvation. 50 00:04:33.410 --> 00:04:40.079 If you let your eye go back to the beginning of chapter two, he 51 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:45.160 says, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you what's 52 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:47.959 walked, following the course of this world, the following the Prince of the 53 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:51.279 power of the air, the spirit that is now at work, and the 54 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:56.949 sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our 55 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:00.470 flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were 56 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:04.430 by nature children of Wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, 57 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:09.699 being rich and mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 58 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:15.420 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with 59 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:19.339 Christ. He's raised us with Christ, he's seated us in the heavenly places 60 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:26.410 and he's lavished upon us every spiritual blessing. And all of this is according 61 00:05:26.449 --> 00:05:31.050 to his perfect call and affectual call, a call that has gone out into 62 00:05:31.089 --> 00:05:36.319 the world through the preaching of the word and is made effectual by that spirit, 63 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.800 as the word of God has been preached from city to city to city, 64 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:48.519 gentile community after general stile community. People are believing. They are leaving 65 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:55.149 aside their old practices, their old worship, their idolatry. Remember of this 66 00:05:55.350 --> 00:06:01.029 was particularly important in Ephesians, where there was even a riot over the idolatry 67 00:06:01.069 --> 00:06:06.699 and idolatrous practices, over against the things that was Paul was preaching. You 68 00:06:06.819 --> 00:06:13.420 have people burning their magic books, changing the way that they live because God 69 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:19.129 has changed them inside. God has seated them with Christ. He's given this 70 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:24.610 them in this adoption, this inheritance, as a result of that adoption. 71 00:06:24.649 --> 00:06:29.769 Chapter One, verse eleven. In Him, that's Christ, we have obtained 72 00:06:29.810 --> 00:06:35.439 an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things 73 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:43.079 according to the counsel of his will. We read about how we have received 74 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.199 the spirit. In verse thirteen. In Him. You also, when you 75 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.829 heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation and believed in him, 76 00:06:50.310 --> 00:06:57.589 were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our 77 00:06:57.670 --> 00:07:01.100 inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. 78 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:08.180 If you ever doubt what God has doing, it, what God is doing, 79 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:12.699 and if in fact, you will see the inheritance, consider the fact 80 00:07:12.699 --> 00:07:16.129 that he's given you his holy spirit. I'm not sure what more you could 81 00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:24.810 ask for as a guarantee that God will give you all things beyond his very 82 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:30.360 own spirit. So this is the spirit that we have, the unity with 83 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:34.240 the spirit, and then, therefore, through the spirit and the work of 84 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:39.399 the Sun and the Gospel that has come this unity with the fathers. He 85 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:43.519 says in Verse Six of Chapter Four, we have one God and father of 86 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:49.310 all, who is over all and through all and in all. So this 87 00:07:49.509 --> 00:07:56.750 is what God has done, this is what God has called us to what 88 00:07:56.910 --> 00:08:01.459 we read. They're in Matthew about the servant being forgiven. We saw a 89 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:09.620 picture there of a changed status, something that happened in this person's life that 90 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:16.930 didn't follow out properly right. This person had a change. This was a 91 00:08:18.089 --> 00:08:24.089 man under great debt, debt that could never be repaid. Perhaps some of 92 00:08:24.129 --> 00:08:26.879 you have been in debt, or perhaps some of you are in debt and 93 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:31.840 would and would love to have the freedom of having all of it removed. 94 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:37.799 Can you imagine overnight, all of it gone right at the moment when you 95 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:43.110 thought all was lost and you were to be sold in your family and everything, 96 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:50.990 and then to be forgiven that is doesn't even really begin to compare to 97 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:56.779 the glorious things that we have been given in Christ. To be forgiven, 98 00:08:56.899 --> 00:09:03.980 not only of our debts against God, yes, that's true, but much 99 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:07.659 more than that. We've not been merely forgiven and then sort of set out 100 00:09:09.139 --> 00:09:13.730 free into the world, but we've been forgiven and then united to him by 101 00:09:13.809 --> 00:09:18.370 his spirit. We've been forgiven him by him and then built up into a 102 00:09:18.529 --> 00:09:24.049 holy temple for him to dwell in. We've been forgiven by him and then 103 00:09:24.090 --> 00:09:28.919 united into one body, this body of Christ, in which we live and 104 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:39.389 dwell together and experience this relationship, relationship with the father that is similar to 105 00:09:39.470 --> 00:09:43.549 the relationship that even the son of God has with the father of God. 106 00:09:45.350 --> 00:09:50.549 That's how Jesus puts it, John Seventeen, that we have this unity with 107 00:09:50.750 --> 00:09:58.779 him, this bond of love, a unity of the spirit. Therefore, 108 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:07.649 I urge you to a walk and a manner worthy of that calling. We 109 00:10:07.809 --> 00:10:13.610 have a changed status if you are a Christian. You have been justified, 110 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:18.690 you have been forgiven, you have been adopted as God's son, you have 111 00:10:18.769 --> 00:10:24.120 been brought into his family, and I use son even for you, ladies, 112 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:28.879 not to say there's a change of gender, there or anything, but 113 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:35.639 to highlight the fact that you receive the status in the ancient world, of 114 00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:41.230 a son, and not just a son, but with with Christ, the 115 00:10:41.389 --> 00:10:46.149 firstborn son, the one who has a right and inheritance. All of us 116 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:50.899 get to be that kind of son. All of us get to sit at 117 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:56.460 the table with Christ, whether male or female, slave or free, we 118 00:10:56.620 --> 00:11:03.620 remain who we are, but we attain this status that is elevated beyond what 119 00:11:03.659 --> 00:11:07.649 we could have ever asked for. This is what God has called us to, 120 00:11:09.049 --> 00:11:13.049 this is what he has brought us to, and not only has he 121 00:11:13.169 --> 00:11:18.639 changed these our status before him, but he's at work in our hearts. 122 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:30.840 It is possible to even in a sort of human life, to adopt someone 123 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:35.830 and yet not be bonded to them. This is a challenge right, to 124 00:11:37.029 --> 00:11:41.710 bring someone into your family. Perhaps you've experienced this as someone entering a family, 125 00:11:41.789 --> 00:11:46.820 perhaps through marriage, you just never quite sink in with your inlaws or, 126 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:52.580 worse right, just because there's a change in status, just because you 127 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:58.379 belong to the family, doesn't mean that all of a sudden everyone's loving, 128 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:03.730 but it's different with the Lord. To Express, I'm trying to express and 129 00:12:03.850 --> 00:12:07.370 remind you of the greatness of the things that he's given to us. Not 130 00:12:07.649 --> 00:12:11.529 only does he adopt us into his family, not only does he change our 131 00:12:11.690 --> 00:12:18.559 status and promise us an inheritance, but he loves US and he changes our 132 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:24.399 hearts so that we love him, so that, by his spirit, we 133 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:31.230 are bonded together and act as his children and call out to him, ah 134 00:12:31.389 --> 00:12:43.629 a father. That's why we ought to walk in a manner worthy of that 135 00:12:43.870 --> 00:12:48.659 calling. How could it be any other way? Beloved, how could you 136 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:56.419 be loved him such this way and then Walk Tal can act in such another 137 00:12:56.580 --> 00:13:05.169 way, to walk in a manner worthy of our calling? That's what he 138 00:13:05.370 --> 00:13:07.889 calls us to do, that's what he urges us to do, and that's 139 00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:13.399 what we ought to do, to want to do. You know what this 140 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:18.759 means, right? I mean to to have something that is valuable and then 141 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:24.519 to treated otherwise is a sort of brain breaker, right. I mean, 142 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:33.629 imagine somebody gives you, let's say your father gives to you, a pocket 143 00:13:33.669 --> 00:13:37.830 watch and he says this was your great great grandfather's pocket watch, it's been 144 00:13:37.950 --> 00:13:43.659 preserved for generations, it's worth millions of dollars and it's yours, my son. 145 00:13:45.820 --> 00:13:48.419 Thanks Dad, you swing it around on the chain and it goes lying 146 00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:52.100 it, it hits the wall and it's destroyed in a moment. What's Your 147 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:58.210 Dad gonna do? Anyway? Might be a little upset right because you have 148 00:13:58.450 --> 00:14:03.809 not acted in a manner worthy of the gift that you've been given. There's 149 00:14:03.850 --> 00:14:09.000 an incongruity there that, at the very least, just doesn't make sense. 150 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.600 But it's, of course, much worse than that. It despises the gift. 151 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:20.639 It's it's it. It's a shame on on you. We are called 152 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:26.909 to be people that are consistent with the treasures we have been given. Imagine 153 00:14:28.070 --> 00:14:31.990 another example. Imagine that you wake up in the middle of the night, 154 00:14:33.870 --> 00:14:37.429 you hear a noise or something like that, and you're kind of stumbling around 155 00:14:37.590 --> 00:14:41.899 looking for something. And let's say this is me, and and then my 156 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:43.980 wife. She turns on the light, right, a hopeful thing, and 157 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:48.860 now I can find what I need. What if, instead of using that 158 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:52.340 light, I keep my eyes closed, I keep acting like I'm in the 159 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:56.129 darkness? Right, she would be right to look at me and say, 160 00:14:56.450 --> 00:15:01.289 what are you doing? Why are you falling over things? Why are you 161 00:15:01.570 --> 00:15:03.730 looking for things in this way? I just turned on the life for you 162 00:15:05.970 --> 00:15:11.200 if God shines the light of Christ into our lives, shows us the path 163 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:16.759 of righteousness, changes our heart and then we just sort of bumble off on 164 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:22.429 another way. Is that consistent? Is it right? Is it good? 165 00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:31.789 Is it anything that you might consider worthy? Of course not. When we 166 00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:35.059 think about how do I live, when you ask yourself, how do I 167 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:41.700 live my life as a Christian, let God's Word here frame that for you. 168 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:48.899 Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. 169 00:15:50.090 --> 00:15:58.809 Now there is a potential danger here that the Apostle Paul quickly disabuses us of 170 00:15:58.090 --> 00:16:06.480 and warns us against. In our sinfulness, we have a tendency to take 171 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:10.759 gifts and abuse them in some of the ways I've already talked about. But 172 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:15.200 perhaps in another way, and this way, I am a Christian. I 173 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:19.389 am now going to walk in a matter worthy of the calling to which I 174 00:16:19.509 --> 00:16:26.549 have been called, and all you people are despicable to me. Right, 175 00:16:26.629 --> 00:16:33.059 we decide that we are now elevated, which is true, but instead of 176 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:38.980 looking up at our father in heaven, in humility, as he says, 177 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:44.820 he says to walk in a manner worthy of what you've been called, with 178 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:52.250 all humility and with gentleness. We may be tempted to look down our noses 179 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:56.649 at others. That, of course, is not walking in a manner worthy 180 00:16:56.730 --> 00:17:00.889 of what you have been called. And it's a very striking way that Paul 181 00:17:00.929 --> 00:17:06.119 puts it. This word humility would have rubbed the Ephesians the wrong way. 182 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:12.839 The word that he uses here is that of a servant to a very lowly 183 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:19.869 kind of creature or acting. In the EPHESIAN world, much more than in 184 00:17:21.029 --> 00:17:26.710 ours, although it's still around, there was a very highweight put on honor, 185 00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:32.220 respectability, no, built, nope, nobility, those kinds of things, 186 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:37.259 and some of that is good. But what do he is warrant. 187 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:40.619 But what he says here is I want you to walk in a manner worthy 188 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:45.490 of these amazing treasures that you have been given, with all humility. Right, 189 00:17:45.569 --> 00:17:51.690 it's this contrast in a way that is very striking, but of course 190 00:17:52.049 --> 00:17:56.329 it is exactly the way we ought to walk, because this is the salvation 191 00:17:56.490 --> 00:18:00.559 that we have received. Right, Christ did come into the world as a 192 00:18:00.759 --> 00:18:03.960 conqueror, putting all things under his feet, and yet he did so by 193 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:12.269 dying on a cross. That contrast that great service and depth of love and 194 00:18:12.509 --> 00:18:18.670 giving even of one's own life, put right up next to the glories of 195 00:18:18.710 --> 00:18:22.549 the Kingdom of God, that is that he has brought into the world. 196 00:18:25.230 --> 00:18:29.220 That is the calling to which we have been called, and so we cannot 197 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:33.460 walk in a manner worthy of it if we walk in pride, if we 198 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:41.769 walk in selfishness. And that's why he adds with all humility and gentleness. 199 00:18:44.170 --> 00:18:48.849 Now, to continue on in these verses, in this this thing that a 200 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:53.529 god has called us to, this commission he's given us. He adds these 201 00:18:53.650 --> 00:19:03.240 words with patience, bearing with one another in love, walking in a manner 202 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:07.200 worthy of which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, sounds 203 00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:12.829 all nice and the abstract until you meet up with someone that you have to 204 00:19:14.150 --> 00:19:21.269 bear with. Right, it's easy to talk about sanctification and forgiving the people 205 00:19:21.349 --> 00:19:26.059 their sins if you're not actually with people that you have to forgive. And 206 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:34.460 yet the Lord and our Savior has seen it fit to teach us about mercy 207 00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:41.009 and love and forgiveness. By putting us together, we're forced, in a 208 00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:47.569 way, to learn these lessons. We learn how to forgive. Why? 209 00:19:48.490 --> 00:19:53.480 Because we're sinned against right. The way of holiness is not abstracting yourself from 210 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:59.200 the Community of Christ. The way of holiness is not sort of leaving the 211 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:02.359 building and saying, okay, I'm going to go be holy away from all 212 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:06.400 of these people. It doesn't work like that. No, we are called 213 00:20:06.759 --> 00:20:11.789 to walk in this manner worthy of this calling, with all gentleness and with 214 00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:27.819 humility and with patience, bearing with bearing with one another in love, to 215 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:36.450 continue on. Notice that he adds this word that is obnoxious to the flesh, 216 00:20:37.049 --> 00:20:44.490 eager, in verse three. In other words, this walking and humility, 217 00:20:44.569 --> 00:20:49.759 this bearing with one another in love, is not a kind of haphazard 218 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:55.519 when I feel like a kind of thing. It's not even a do it 219 00:20:55.640 --> 00:21:00.640 all the time kind of thing. He says to do it with eagerness, 220 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:07.869 bear with one another in with love, and I'm being eager to maintain the 221 00:21:07.990 --> 00:21:15.950 unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, not when it's convenient or 222 00:21:17.869 --> 00:21:22.180 when the time might be appropriate or when you're in a better mood. He 223 00:21:22.380 --> 00:21:33.529 says we ought to deal with obnoxious people, Dive Occult People, Frustrating People, 224 00:21:33.809 --> 00:21:41.250 people that really really try our patience, and to do so eagerly, 225 00:21:42.849 --> 00:21:49.480 being eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, 226 00:21:55.680 --> 00:22:03.710 and all of this happens because of love, just as we have been loved. 227 00:22:06.150 --> 00:22:11.950 He calls us to love one another. Want to flip over to first 228 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:19.339 John A, chapter four. Remind you of some verses there. A First 229 00:22:19.339 --> 00:22:26.619 John Four, verses twenty through twenty four says this. If anyone says I 230 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:36.609 love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. That's what John 231 00:22:36.690 --> 00:22:41.930 says, and you can see why he agrees with Paul. Both of these 232 00:22:41.369 --> 00:22:49.039 men, commissioned by Jesus Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit to say this 233 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:56.839 very clear thing. You cannot proclaim. Of course you can, but it 234 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:03.750 is not consistent to proclaim that you love God and then hey your brother. 235 00:23:03.829 --> 00:23:10.589 The person who does that is a liar, for he who does not love 236 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:15.420 his brother, whom he has he for he who does not love his brother, 237 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:18.740 whom he has seen, cannot love god, whom he has not seen. 238 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:26.259 And this commandment we have from him. Whoever loves God must also love 239 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:34.210 his brother. Now, if you look at your life and you say I 240 00:23:34.369 --> 00:23:41.720 am not someone who loves my brother, I am not someone who bears with 241 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:45.799 people in love. I don't walk in humility or gentleness, I walk in 242 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:51.759 selfishness and anger. If you look at your life and you say no, 243 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:56.390 I am not eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of 244 00:23:56.509 --> 00:24:02.750 peace, but I'm eager for division. I'm eager for separation, I'm eager 245 00:24:02.910 --> 00:24:10.700 for poking the people, prodding, people, yelling, fighting. Then you 246 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:15.740 can know that you do not have the spirit of God, and that's a 247 00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:26.809 tragic thing. But knowing that fact doesn't have to leave you there either. 248 00:24:29.289 --> 00:24:33.450 To recognize an inconsistency, to have God himself point out something in your life 249 00:24:33.529 --> 00:24:40.240 and say you are a liar, of course hurts our pride. But what 250 00:24:40.359 --> 00:24:45.119 do we want? What do you want? Do you want your pride? 251 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:48.400 Do you want to hang onto your anger and your selfishness and your hatred and 252 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:56.789 your divisiveness and your death? Or do you want the love of God and 253 00:24:56.029 --> 00:25:03.789 peace and unity and gentleness and patience? Do you want what God has done 254 00:25:03.789 --> 00:25:07.380 in the war, done in this world? Do you want the calling to 255 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:15.819 which he has called, I'm called his elect do you want the hope, 256 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:19.259 as he says in verse four, that belongs to that call? The one 257 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:22.650 Lord, the one faith, the one baptism, the one God and father 258 00:25:22.849 --> 00:25:30.930 of all if you want that, it's yours to have, because God says 259 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:33.490 all who come to him and repent of their sins will be forgiven of their 260 00:25:33.529 --> 00:25:40.079 sins. All who recognize their wretchedness and their sinfulness and their evil hearts and 261 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:45.720 go to him and say, Lord, forgive me, will be forgiven. 262 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:48.720 This is how generous is he is, this is how good he is, 263 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:56.670 how loving he is, and when he forgives you, he changes you and 264 00:25:56.869 --> 00:26:02.309 he works in your heart so that you do walk in a manner worthy of 265 00:26:02.390 --> 00:26:07.539 the calling to which you have been called. Now, the Christians around you, 266 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:12.900 and if and perhaps you are a Christian, will tell you that it's 267 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:19.930 it's not a perfect walk, that the sin in US still fights against the 268 00:26:21.089 --> 00:26:26.410 spirit that's in us. But, as the apostle says, we don't despair, 269 00:26:27.890 --> 00:26:33.079 we have hope. Why do we have hope? Because we have a 270 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:37.640 hope that belongs to our call, and our call has been given to us 271 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.160 by God himself. We walk, then, in hope, we walk in 272 00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:48.470 confidence, even as we fight and struggle against our own flesh, not because 273 00:26:48.509 --> 00:26:55.630 of our own strength or ingenuity or force of character, but because of him 274 00:26:55.670 --> 00:27:00.670 who has called. We live in him. We walk in him. He 275 00:27:00.109 --> 00:27:06.299 is one God and father of all, who is over all and through all 276 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:11.980 and in all. There he is speaking, I believe, particularly of his 277 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:17.730 sons and daughters, those whom he has saved, he is working in, 278 00:27:18.730 --> 00:27:22.970 those whom he is united to. His spirit will never be let go. 279 00:27:23.609 --> 00:27:27.049 And so, if you are A and if you are not a Christian, 280 00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:36.559 then repent, put your faith and the one who promises to give you all 281 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:41.839 these things when you trust in him. And if you are a Christian and 282 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:48.349 you struggle, then repent and walk in this manner. Put Your hope in 283 00:27:48.470 --> 00:27:53.230 the Lord, and you know what will happen. What will happen is what 284 00:27:53.430 --> 00:27:59.859 has happened. He will continue to do his work of uniting us together, 285 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:04.819 in maintaining the unity of the spirit among us, in making us one body 286 00:28:06.900 --> 00:28:11.740 and, one day, beloved. We will struggle no more, we won't 287 00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:15.009 walk in fighting and hoping. We will have the thing that we have hoped 288 00:28:15.089 --> 00:28:22.769 for and we will enjoy it forever. There is coming a day when you 289 00:28:22.890 --> 00:28:29.759 will see exactly the worthiness of your calling, the gloriousness of it, and 290 00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:33.880 you will see it with your own eyes. Have Hope in that. Walk 291 00:28:34.119 --> 00:28:38.279 in IT, walk in Christ. Let us pray