Walk The Walk; Ephesians 4:1
Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man - six feet four inches with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him.
The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer’s action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”
Today I want to speak to you about walking the walk rather than just talking the talk.
Ephesians 4:1, “I… beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” I really believe that there are a lot of people who claim to have a relationship with Christ, but don’t. They talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk. And is talk is cheap, it doesn’t mean near as much to people what you say as it does what you do. You see our actions speak louder than our words.
Charles Spurgeon, “A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching.”
Will Rogers, “Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.” We need to be careful that our words and our actions are consistent with one another. We need to learn to talk as Christ called us to talk and walk as Christ called us to walk. And to do that sometimes we have to get back to the basics of life.
(Drill Sergeant McGruder – For the next three months I am going to be your mother, father, brother, sister, grandma, & grandpa. You may think like civilians now, but by the time you leave here you are going to eat, sleep, shoot, shine, run and walk like American soldiers).
He was right, by the time we left basic training we were walking like American soldiers. We still had a lot to learn but without a doubt our appearance, our walk, and our outlook on life had changed. We were no longer civilians we were soldiers.
The same is true for believers in Jesus Christ, you see 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Once we have come to Christ our appearance ought to change, our walk ought to change, our outlook on life ought to change. But it won’t change overnight; it is a process that takes place every single day of our lives.
And sometimes it’s a struggle; Paul said we are in warfare.
In Galatians 5:17, “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.”
There is no doubt that there is a battle going on within each and every one of us. But there is also no doubt that once we come to Christ and accept Him as our savior there should be some definite changes that must take place in our lives. Not only in our way of thinking, but in our actions as well, there ought to be some definite changes in our daily walk.
So the question is how is it that a Christian should walk? Ephesians 5:1-15
1. Walk In Love
A. We are to learn to walk out of love, respect, and genuine concern for others. We are not to walk according to our selfish or sinful desires any longer. In fact our desires ought to change, but again it doesn’t take place overnight, it is a process that takes place every single day of our lives.
But our desires should be changing; no longer should our desires be selfish they ought to be selfless. Our lives are no longer all about us, but about God and others. The two great commandments Christ gave were about God and others. In Luke 10:27, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
But how can we love others when they are rude, inconsiderate, hateful, manipulative, and the list goes on and on. We can only love them if we allow Christ to love them through us. No matter what a person has done we ought to be willing to share the love of God with them. Because God’s love is not to be kept for ourselves it is to be given away…
If we love others as ourselves then we shouldn’t care less if they perish in hell or not. We ought to care about their everlasting soul. We are to walk in love even If they don’t want us to. WHY?
B. Love is the proof of genuine faith
1. Proof of discipleship John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one to another.”
2. Proof of a new life 1 John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”
3. Proof of the Holy Spirit within 1 Peter 1:22, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love for your brothers”
But if we have a genuine faith then that love goes beyond our family, it goes beyond our spiritual family. In Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Only done in the Spirit.)
C. How does this love affect our conduct?
1. Greater concern for others – for their needs, hurts, burdens, etc. Some of the most prestigious colleges were started by genuine believers who were concerned for peoples education (HARVARD, YALE, PRINCETON), hospitals for peoples health, shelters for peoples welfare, mission works for peoples souls. That’s true Christianity in motion. That’s not talk that’s “The Walk.”
2. Greater kindness in speaking – People need to hear the truth, however that doesn’t mean we should be rude about it or that we should force it down their throats. Ephesians 4:15, “Speak the truth in love.”
3. Greater compassion for those who are in trouble – I have to admit their have been times if seen people in trouble and my attitude has been, “Well they got themselves into it, let them get themselves out of it.” I am glad Christ didn’t have that attitude toward us because we would have no way out. We need to have the same love and compassion on others that Christ has for us.
D. Jesus is our perfect example – Vs.1-2, “Be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” Did you know that there is nothing you can to do make God love you more! There is nothing you can do to make God love you less! His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, and Perfect! And because He loves you and me like that, we ought to love others like that.
2. Walk As Children Of Light
There is an enormous contrast between light & darkness in the Bible - Light speaks of the righteousness of God – Darkness speaks about all things that are evil… 2 Corinthians 6:14 asks the question, “What fellowship does light have with darkness?” The implied answer is NONE. So if we are children of light then we should have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness.
Rom. 13:11-13, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”
Vs. 8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” Vs. 11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
Those who walk in darkness hate that about Christians, after all it’s politically correct to be tolerant and accepting. We cannot tolerate the things that are destroying the very fabric of our society.
We cannot tolerate the very things that are destroying the family, as we know it. We cannot tolerate the things that are promoting sexual immorality, rape, violence, and murder. But liberals stand up as say but we have freedom of speech in this country and we can promote, print, and practice any kind of lifestyle we want.
Maybe so, but we don’t have to tolerate it, and we don’t have to accept it, and we sure don’t have to approve of it even if it is politically correct, and we most definitely should have no part in it. Vs.14 calls Christians to, “Wake up, rise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
We need to walk as children of light not only because darkness hinders our walk with God but also because when none believers see Christians partake in deeds of darkness it gives them reason to mock Christianity and reject Christ. And we shouldn’t want to give anyone a reason to reject the One that gives true life. The One that gives hope, and peace, and purpose in life.
(((Video))) Isn’t it time to wake up and walk as children of light?
3. Walk Circumspectly
Vs.15, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”
A. Circumspectly – walking with our eyes open, being alert to what is going on around us: It means being aware of the pressures that we face in life and how to overcome those pressures. It means being alert to the ways of the world. The person who walks circumspectly:
1. Has his eyes open to the needs of others
2. Has his eyes open to the will of God despite what others may say
3. Has his eyes open to the ways of the world
B. Those who do not walk circumspectly:
1. Don’t care about others – They only care about themselves. They focus only on the things that will add to their own life, their own desires & pleasures, and their own will.
2. Don’t care about the will of God – walk after the flesh rather than the Spirit. They are looking out for who they consider to be #1. It’s all about them, their wants, wishes, desires.
If Jesus had chosen the will of His flesh rather than the spirit there would be no salvation. Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” We need to have our eyes open to our Heavenly Fathers will.
3. Don’t care about the ways of the world – They are swept up be men’s philosophies and theories and ideas. They follow the worlds teaching on tolerance and political correctness. By the way the Beatles sang a song that dealt directly with this issue of tolerance, “Let it be.”
In other words it doesn’t matter what others do, just let it be. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in other parts of the world, who cares if innocent people are being beaten and tortured and abused while others are living the high life, just let it be.
Who cares if people are threatening the well being of our nation, just let it be. Who cares if the fabric of our society is being torn apart, just let it be. If you think something is an injustice, just let it be. It’s those same people that when something bad happens they cry out the loudest, WHY.
But as believers we are called to be aware of our surroundings. We are called to be alert to the pressures of life. We are called to walk in spirit and in truth. And we can’t do that if we just let it be. I can understand that some people don’t like it but that should keep us from walking circumspectly and pointing out the evil and the corruption that goes on in our society and throughout the world.
I get so tired of hearing people say well it doesn’t matter what I do as long as I’m not hurting anybody else. What they don’t realize in their lifestyle affects everybody around them. Their walk influences society as a whole. And we had better understand the same is true for us as well. Our lifestyle and our walk has an impact on everyone we meet in one way or another.
So what does your walk say about you, your faith, your God?
Conclusion: D.L. Moody, “A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.”
