MESSAGE TEXT
Ephesians 4:1-6
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INTRODUCTION
You’re going to see a phrase today: walk in a manner worthy or as the NIV renders it: to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. To walk in a worthy manner means to bring one's conduct into harmony with one's calling. To walk worthy means your actions, attitudes, and priorities match the truth you believe and the new identity you’ve received. Walking worthy means living in such a way that someone could look at your life and see a reflection of the One who has called you.
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PROPOSITION
Walk it out. You are a little Christ – Christ-ones – and are to reflect our new family name in how we live and unify around what is truly important. All this incredible stuff about Christ but no Christlikeness in our life. That would be a tragedy – to immerse ourselves in this ancient but alive letter to Ephesus, and we would remain unchanged by it? Kind of a “Thanks for heaven (for all you did in Eph.1-3), but I don’t care about the rest (Eph. 4-6)” attitude. When you walk it out, not only is your life enriched to enrich others, but it’s also gospel proclamation
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OUTLINE
To Accomplish this Worthy Walk - Remember Who You Are (1).
In other words, live in a way that is a proper response to who God says you are and what God has done for and in you. When it comes to Greek grammar, there are 41 commands or imperatives in Ephesians. Paul used only one imperative in chapters 1–3 (2:11), whereas forty imperatives appear in chapters 4–6.In the first three chapters (56 verses), there’s only 1 command. In other words, Paul isn’t asking them to do anything; just receive this new work of God in your behalf. The other 40 imperatives are found in Ephesians 4-6. Would you like to know what that one imperative was? “remember” in 2:11. Remember who you were and who you are now. So, volume one of our life: “alienated” and outside of Christ. Volume two: “in Christ” and reconciled. "Remember what you were and who I said you are now."
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To Accomplish this Worthy Walk - Watch Where You Step (2-3).
There are some important steppingstones that we don’t want to miss on our “worthy walk”. I see at least five. Paul begins in Ephesians 4:2 by laying down five stepping-stones for a worthy walk. Where do these stepping-stones lead? Ephesians 4:3 shows the destination: “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” That’s the goal of these deliberate steps in the Christian walk. To avoid any missteps in a worthy walk, we’ll touch on each step.
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To Accomplish this Worthy Walk - Hold the Right Hands (4-6).
You’re not a superhero who can walk alone. Hold the hands of those who are grounded in the faith; this is your common ground. Paul gives seven identifiers that confirm you’re holding on to the right hands, the right people. Even the right people will frustrate you, but patience says “I’ll keep walking with you even when it’s hard” because we are one on the important things.
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CONCLUSION
If people have the same Lord, believe the same gospel, and have experienced the same reality of being baptized into Christ, should they not live out this unity? Don’t walk as the unbelieving Gentiles walk Paul said. If you’re in prison with it's challenges or in paradise with pleasures at your beck-and-call – remember who you are. Watch where you step. Give attention to the hands you hold.
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Reminder: You’ve been claimed and renamed. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9)