“A Walk That is Worthy”
Part 9
The Rewards of a Worthy Walk
Text: Eph 3:14-19
Intro:
This morning I would like to bring you a message entitled “The Perks of a worthy walk. It is another in our Ephesians series…” A walk that is Worthy. Last week we looked at “Our response to God’s Grace” Paul said that we was a servant of the Gospel. What does that mean… I think it means that he was responding to what the Gospel message had provided for him, namely of the Grace of God.
I said that our response should be 5 fold.
1) Service
2) Evangelism
3) Fellowship
4) Instruction
5) Worship
No matter what nature our response takes on, the question we must ask ourselves is…”Is our response Proportional to the Gift we have received?”This morning as we follow along in our text I would like to examine what is opened up to us as we do respond to the Grace of God.
Our text lays out 3 different areas of blessing that Paul prays for concerning the Ephesian Christians.
These were Pauls desires concerning the church.
I would like to put just a little different twist on these this morning and submit to you that these are God’s desires for us as well.
Illus:
Ole and Sven are bungee-jumping one day. Ole says to Sven, "You know,we could make a lot of money running our own bungee-jumping service in Mexico. They don’t have it there." Ole thinks this is a great idea, so they pool their money and buy everything they’ll need: a tower, an elastic cord, insurance, etc. They travel to Mexico and begin to set up on the square. As they are constructing the tower, a crowd begins to assemble. Slowly, more and more people gather to watch them at work. When they had finished, there was such a crowd they thought it would be a good idea to give a demonstration. Sven jumps. He bounces at the end of the cord, but when he comes back up, Ole notices that he has a few cuts and scratches.
Unfortunately, Ole isn’t able to catch him and he falls again, bounces and comes back up again. This time, he is bruised and bleeding. Again Ole misses him. Sven falls again and bounces back up. This time he comes back pretty messed up. He’s got a couple of broken bones and is almost unconscious. Luckily, Ole finally catches him this time and says, "What happened? Was the cord too long?" Barely able to speak, Sven gasps, "No, the bungee cord was fine. It was the crowd. What the heck is a pinata?"
Sometimes we get a little beat up in this world, as we strive to live a walk that is worthy.
For those who respond to the Grace of God our text says 3 things will take place.
1) Strengthen you with power v16
Eph 3:16
a) The Supply
Out of His Glorious Riches. This is a supply that will never run out. His strength comes from the same place His grace comes from. You see salvation is not just a one time experience…it is a daily need for us.
Everyday we are in need of His salvation in one way or another, and this salvation comes by way of His strength at work in our lives.
b) The Delivery
We know that his Supply of Strength is endless. But how does he bring this about in our lives. Our text says that he “Strengthens you with Power through His
Spirit”
Illus
I read of a young man who worked for a bank and one day was called upon to deliver $25,000 in quarters in his bosses 49 Ford pickup to Bank of America in downtown San Bernardino. He said, “We hopped in the truck. I’m in my T-shirt and blue jeans. We drove up to the front of the Bank of America, parked the truck, and Larry said, "Hang on, I’ll go in and get the dolly, and we’ll haul this stuff in." I’m whistling, standing against this truck for twenty minutes. I don’t have a gun. I thought, If anybody notices what is in this common looking pickup truck, I’m a dead duck! …People did not see the treasure they were walking by! … they didn’t see it for the commonness of the delivery system.”
Our scripture says that he will strengthen you through His Spirit. This is how he delivers the goods to us.
But how many times we miss his strengthening because of how simple the delivery system is. Many times we feel we have to do do do. Christ says, “All those who are weary and heavy laden come and I will give you rest”
We will find rest, not in doing, but in relationship with Christ.
c) The Drop Off
“In your inner being”
Illus: I recently sent in my laptop computer to Sears to have it repaired. On thursday I called Sears to see if it was finished. The Customer Service guy asked for my name and immediately he told me that it was going to be worked on Friday morning. I asked if he was sure on that, and he replied that the work order was waiting on the technicians desk. Feeling confident I would have the machine back next week I hung up the phone, went to the post office, to discover that the package was not on the technicians desk waiting to be prepared, but actually sitting in our postoffice downtown. The Customer Service guy just told me what I wanted to hear.
God works in our inner being to bring the necessary changes. He drops the package off right where we need.
Our inner being is the place we function from…it is the place that all of our words and actions originate from.
When we embrace his grace he strengthens us in a place that brings results. The second reward of walking worthy is being rooted and established in love.
2) Rooted and established in love vv17,18
Illus:
When Ole accidentally lost 50 cents in the outhouse, he immediately threw in his watch and billfold. He explained, "I’m not going down dere yust for 50 cents."
Two Norwegians from Minnesota went fishing in Canada and returned with only one fish. "The way I figger it, dat fish cost us $400" said the first Norwegian. "Vell," said the other one, "At dat price it’s a good ting ve didn’t catch any more."
Paul says His prayer for the church in Ephesus is that they be Rooted and established in love.
a) First we must be established in our love for God ?What do you think this Means???
When we have chosen to Love God he brings in Power for Life
1 Cor 1:18
Acts 1:8
1 Cor 4:18-21
It is through the power of God that we flourish or wither. At the close of the service we are going to be seeking an special infilling of the power of God.
When we have chosen to Love God he helps us love the Saints. Paul reveals the Father’s expectations of us in Romans…
It is characterized our love for Him and our love for others
Romans 9:9-21
When we are established in our love for God, we are going to begin to reach out and love one another.
When God is at work in this, we love one another not for what we can get, but for what we can give.
Illus "Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! Yours forever, Marie... P.S., And congratulations on willing the state lottery."
Paul then says that his prayer is that they grasp the Love of Christ.
b) Grasp the Love of Christ
When we are striving to live a life that is worthy God reveals to us the Love of Christ. We begin to understand the Love it took to go to the cross.We begin to grasp his longing to show goodness, kindness and mercy to us.
Illus:
One night a wife found her husband standing over their infant’s crib. As she watched him looking down at their very first baby, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: …disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism. Touched by this unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, with eyes glistening she slipped her arm around her husband. "A penny for your thoughts," she said.
"It’s amazing!" he replied. "I just can’t see how anybody can make a crib like that for only $46.50."
As He is changing us day in and day out we begin to understand that it is only through Christ that we can truly be changed.
Ps 103:8-14
Finally Paul says that when we are walk a walk worthy of the calling… we are filled to the Measure.
3) Filled to the Measure v 19
We are filled by knowing His love. We are filled with the Fullness of God
Col 2:9,10
John 1:16
Are we filled to the Measure of the fullness of God?
This word “filled” means to literally in the Greek “to cram”
We see people sometimes at the altar go down under the power of God.
What happens is the presence of God overwhelms them…they are filled to the measure of the fullness of God.
This morning are you filled with the fullness of God?
You can be…it is one of the rewards of a walk that is worthy.
Conclusion
Now you may be saying pastor, there is now way that I can live up to the standards that you have preached in this series.
You’re right.
There is no way in your own power and initiative that any of us can. But through the power of the Spirit at work within you, all things are possible.
Romans 8:11
Two closing words I would like to give to you.
1) Begin right where you are at.
Identify the most pressing change that you need to make. Ask for the Lord’s help.
2) Remember your position in Christ comes by Faith.
We are justified by Faith.
Don’t let the enemy keep telling you that you should give up because you are not worthy.
Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are made worthy and gain access to the Kingdom of God.
Romans 8:1-4
We are justified by faith, not by what we do.
If we begin to identify sin in our life through the guidance of the Spirit and systematically walk away from it and towards God, we will be right where
God wants us.
