Eph 4:1-6NKJV
1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Every believer owes God more than they could ever repay.
God took His one and only Son and provided several things for you and me.
1. He provided a substitute to die in my place.
Jesus took the punishment that I deserved for rejecting, rebelling against and literally cursing God.
2. He provided deliverance from death through the shed blood of Jesus.
Through Jesus Christ I can be reconciled to God.
Reconcile means: bring together, reunite. Sin separated us from God and Jesus was the only way to break down the wall that sin had built.
3.He provided absolute assurance of eternal life, with God in heaven.
IF Jesus reigns in me, I have God’s promise that I ‚might ‚could ‚WILL walk through the gates of heaven when I die.
In these six verses I want us to look at three things
1. The Way to Walk Worthy. [1-2]
2. The Purpose of Walking Worthy. [3]
3. Seven basic reasons. [4-6]
Let’s list some places the believer should walk in a worthy manner.
1. We walk worthy of our calling at work.
2. We should walk worthy at home.
3. We should walk worthy at church.
4. We should walk worthy when we are with our neighbors.
5. We should walk worthy when we are with our friends.
6. We should walk worthy when we are with our family.
We could list a dozen more places but I think you get the message.
How do we walk worthy of our calling in these situations? Let’s look at verse 2 for the answer.
1. the believer is to walk with all lowliness.
Here are some words that define the [lowliness] humbleness, meekness, submissiveness, inferiority, commonness, modesty
Philippians 2: 3NIV 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
2. The believer is walk in gentleness. KJV uses the word [meekness] In Biblical terms the word means to be tender to be considerate BUT strongly so. Meekness is strength in control.
It is a humble state of mind but it does not mean that a person is o be weak, cowardly or grovel.
3. The believer is to walk with longsuffering.
Long suffering means that a person is to suffer tremendously for a long time. „Yes „No „Could
The idea behind this word, as used here, means to be able to out up with something for a long time; better known as patience. It the idea of Staying power…endurance…stamina…persistence… or perseverance.
It’s that bulldog tenacity that says “No matter what I will not let go or give in!!
4. The believer is to walk bearing one another in love.
The word bearing is the idea of taking into account or allowing for something.
You might even say to put up with something or someone.
We need to look at every angle before we pass judgment on a situation.
Paul tells us how we are to bear one another. We are to bear one another in LOVE.
Love is defined in many different ways but we will look at just two.
1. Phileo: (fil-eh'-o); To be a friend to be fond of [an individual or an object]), i.e. have affection for. To have a personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling.
This kind of love says “I love you If.” If you do what makes me happy then I will love you.
Too many marriages and relationship are based on Phileo kind of love…
Most of the time when there is trouble in a relationship we find the couple operating on Phileo love.
“Well she did this or he did that and I can’t love her/him any more.”
It’s love that is based strictly on how I feel at the moment.
When we see fellow believers struggling in their faith and we operate in Phileo love we will
always condemn rather than commend.
2. Agape: is a selfless love. It’s the kind of love that God has for you and me.
It’s a love that says “No matter what, I still love you.”
It’s the kind of love that nailed Jesus to the cross, even though He didn’t deserve the cross.
Rom 5:6-10NKJV 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life
Agape love: is a serving love. This is the person who demonstrates Christ.
Remember that Jesus knelt down and washed His disciples „laundry „camel „their nasty dung covered feet.
Not because He had to but because He loved them and He wanted to.
Agape love: is not offensive but caring.
Agape love: does not bite and devour others.
Gal 5:13-15NKJV 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Look at Galatians 5: 22,23 and you should notice something about what we have just looked at.
Gal 5:22-26NKJV 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
The way to walk worthy is to allow the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in you.
It is impossible to walk in lowliness or in meekness or with patience or in Agape love without being filled with the fruit.
LEARNING TO WALK prt2
Eph 4:1-6NKJV
1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Every believer owes God more than they could ever repay.
God took His one and only Son and provided several things for you and me.
1. He provided a substitute to die in place.
Jesus took the punishment that I deserved for rejecting, rebelling against and literally cursing God.
2. He provided from death through the shed blood of Jesus.
Through Jesus Christ I can be reconciled to God.
Reconcile means: bring together, . Sin separated us from God and Jesus was the only way to break down the wall that sin had built.
3.He provided absolute of eternal life, with God in heaven.
IF Jesus reigns in me, I have God’s promise that I ‚might ‚could ‚WILL walk through the gates of heaven when I die.
In these six verses I want us to look at three things
1. The Way to Walk Worthy. [1-2]
2. The Purpose of Walking Worthy. [3]
3. Seven basic reasons. [4-6]
Let’s list some places the believer should walk in a worthy manner.
1. We walk worthy of our calling at .
2. We should walk worthy at .
3. We should walk worthy at .
4. We should walk worthy when we are with our .
5. We should walk worthy when we are with our .
6. We should walk worthy when we are with our .
We could list a dozen more places but I think you get the message.
How do we walk worthy of our calling in these situations? Let’s look at verse 2 for the answer.
1. the believer is to walk with all .
Here are some words that define the [lowliness] humbleness, meekness, submissiveness, inferiority, commonness, modesty
Philippians 2: 3NIV 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
2. The believer is walk in . KJV uses the word [meekness] In Biblical terms the word means to be to
be BUT strongly so.
Meekness is in control.
It is a humble state of mind but it does not mean that a person is o be weak, cowardly or grovel.
3. The believer is to walk with .
Long suffering means that a person is to suffer tremendously for a long time. „Yes „No „Could
The idea behind this word, as used here, means to be able to out up with something for a long time; better known as .
It the idea of power…endurance…stamina…persistence… or perseverance.
It’s that bulldog tenacity that says “No matter what I will let go or give in!!
4. The believer is to walk bearing one another in .
The word bearing is the idea of taking into account or allowing for something.
You might even say to put up with something or someone.
We need to look at every angle before we pass judgment on a situation.
Paul tells us how we are to bear one another. We are to bear one another in .
Love is defined in many different ways but we will look at just two.
1. : (fil-eh'-o); To be a friend to be fond of [an individual or an object]), i.e. have affection for. To have a personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling.
This kind of love says “I love you .” If you do what makes me happy then I will love you.
Too many marriages and relationship are based on Phileo kind of love…
Most of the time when there is trouble in a relationship we find the couple operating on Phileo love.
“Well she did this or he did that and I can’t love her/him any more.”
It’s love that is based strictly on how I feel at the moment.
When we see fellow believers struggling in their faith and we operate in Phileo love we will
always rather than .
2. : is a love. It’s the kind of love that God has for you and me.
It’s a love that says “No matter what, I still love you.”
It’s the kind of love that nailed Jesus to the cross, even though He didn’t deserve the cross.
Rom 5:6-10NKJV 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life
Agape love: is a love. This is the person who demonstrates Christ.
Remember that Jesus knelt down and His disciples „laundry „camel „their nasty dung covered feet.
Not because He had to but because He them and He wanted to.
Agape love: is not but .
Agape love: does not and others.
Gal 5:13-15NKJV 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Look at Galatians 5: 22,23 and you should notice something about what we have just looked at.
Gal 5:22-26NKJV 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
The way to walk worthy is to allow the of the Spirit to be cultivated in you.
It is impossible to walk in or in or with or in love without being filled with the fruit.
