Joanna and Heidi. Good to have you all with us. Ephesians 4, we'll be looking at 1 through 13. We'll have a little bit of introduction so you have time to get there. Mostly be looking at verse 2. The title is, What it means to walk worthy of our calling. There are Three ways that Christians speak of God calling men. We speak of the inward call of the Holy Spirit when God works in our hearts and calls us. We speak of the outward call of the preaching of the gospel. And then we also speak of call to service, such as in Acts chapter 13, verse 2, where we read that Barnabas and Saul were separated to the work, unto the work, whereunto God had called them. So we have these three ways that Christians normally speak of calling. In verse 2, In verse 2, again, we see our focus. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. This is the way we are to, this is what it really, if you want to boil it all down, this is the means, this is how we are to, this is what the worthy walk looks like, the worthy of our calling. Now, there are ways that, We are one and there are ways that we are individuals. What I want to consider though is how there is one description of walking worthy of our calling and place in the kingdom. So I am gonna be looking at the individual, each individual and their individual calling. Now, it seems clear to me though that the calling in verse one of our text is meaning our call to salvation since verse 4 says that this is this calling has one hope. However, when God when God When we have the inward call, all of that really is one call. He's calling us. He's using the preacher to take the gospel. How should they hear without a preacher? He's calling us inwardly. And when he calls us, he calls us to service to him. So it's really all in one for each believer. There has been... an attack recently on this description of a worthy walk. I believe there's been an attack on that among leading voices in the Christian community. So I want to spend a little bit of time here. This description has various components. But it is one description, it is the description of Christ and it is the ultimate manly example. Whatever is the description of Christ is a manly example. With all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering for bearing one another in love. So before we get to all that, let's read the context, Ephesians chapter four, starting in verse one. Again, I'm not separating out this, I'm not adding something in here from the context about how we each have our individual area of service, because that's in the context as well. All that calling, that God calling us to do whatever he had us to do, and he's called us to walk worthy of that calling, of that vocation, if you would, with lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, and forbearing one another in love. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1. So really that could be said, walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called, okay? with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. So each of us have, he's gonna go into the individual callings, if you would. Wherefore, he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. So again, the word vocation in verse one might throw you off a little. The etymology of the word simply means to call or a calling. Now the Latin base of the word is the one that gives us the word's voice or vocal. In more recent times, though, the word vocation has come to mean our employment or what we do in life. But it simply means to call. So it means to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called. Later in this passage, we see mentioned vocations or things people are in life, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers. So the passage also deals with individual vocations or callings. However, all of these types of callings come with a responsibility to walk in a certain way. It's one walk. no matter who you are or how important you think you are. It's one walk. With all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering for bearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep, working to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now this isn't a one-time admonition that can somehow be cleverly dismissed or diminished. It appears all through the Bible. Peter is used of God to also make a similar statement. In 1 Peter 3, 15 and 16 says, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you. And you know what? When that verse is quoted, that's normally where they stop. But it says with meekness and fear. with meekness, having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. What is that good behavior or manner of life in Christ? Yes, giving an answer, but doing it with meekness and fear, humility. You know, people should be ashamed of accusing us of bad behavior since we behave ourselves well. That should be the way it is. We're to give an answer, but that answer we give is given in meekness. And as our verse says, it is how we are to walk that is worthy of our calling. Now, recently, there has been a rise in popularity of utilizing crudeness. as a way to get the gospel out, okay? Preachers are, and I'm talking about people who believe in sovereign grace, I mean, talking about, and really, it's not just, it's all over, okay? Because it's everybody wants to get on the bandwagon, because it gets all the attention and gets all the people there, okay? Preachers are using words in the pulpit that would have gotten you sent to the principal's office in my day or maybe suspended from school, okay? They say it is just a way to get people's attention, but it really just comes across as arrogance. It certainly doesn't seem like speech seasoned with grace. In our passage in Ephesians, It is talking about how we interact with our brethren, and Peter's admonition is about interacting with those who need to hear about our hope in Christ. So we have interaction with whoever it is, whether it's with each other, or with those without. But we are to be consistent in our lives. We are to be the same person whether we are in church or not, and this makes logical sense. but it is also taught in the Bible. We are to do everything we can to live peaceably with all men, and this is what we read in Romans 12. Romans 12, 14 through 18 says, bless them which persecute you, right? There's a good admonition. Bless them that persecute you. Bless and curse not. Don't call down a curse on them if they persecute you. Rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. I've caught myself at times excusing some things because there's certain brilliant men that I like to listen to. But just the one thing, it's just that one thing, they just really come across as arrogant. And I think, well, it's just that one thing. It's a big thing. It's not a little thing. Because they're teaching people to do something that is absolutely abominable to God. And it's acceptable. And people accept it because they're really smart. Be the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Notice a couple of things about this passage. We are to weep with them that weep. This seems like empathy to me. They put out one video that was called The Sin of Empathy. Well, weep with them that weep seems like empathy to me. Because it's a manly thing, you know? And notice that we aren't supposed to start fights with people to prove we are a man. If it be possible as much as life, then you live pleasably with all men. Some of this you're not going to get. I'm alluding to things. I'm making side swipes that you're not going to understand unless you've heard some of their speech, OK? But it doesn't matter. Because if you hear it, then this will maybe come to mind, OK? But what am I talking about? So you may have noticed some of the preachers, you may be friends with preachers, you know, who are rebuking a certain teaching of Doug Wilson, specifically when it comes to the use of provocative statements. The message I'm preaching today happens to be in the book we are currently studying, So, but it is, but it is also, it also addresses this current issue as well, current debate about these things. Now, the college that, or seminary, I guess, that Doug is associated with is called New St. Andrews. I don't really, I don't really follow these guys, but I heard about the controversy. They used in their promotional ad for the college a picture of Johnny Cash using the middle finger and said they were looking for young men who would give this response to idolatry. Young men to come to their seminary would give that response. I would guess that it is in response possibly to the idolatry at the Olympics. Now, they wouldn't be the first ones to use crude language or crude gestures as a way to get attention. Other well-known preachers who named the name of Christ have also used this tactic. If you go farther down in the same chapter, Paul deals with the issue of crude language there. Ephesians 4, 29 and 30 says, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, and that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. So we get some further explanation of what it is to be meek and forbearing and all those things. And there is a similar thought in the next chapter and in the book of Colossians. Colossians 3.8 says, but now you also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. It's pretty plain. Put off all these. Those aren't the weapons you're supposed to pick up. You have some weapons. and you're to use them, and we are in a fight, and we are in a battle. That's not one you're supposed to pick up. Tempting. 4.6 says, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. So needless to say, there was a lot of uproar against Doug, and they responded, and then they did have to do a response video, saying that the correct response was not to condemn them, but to have a Bible study with them. I guess, presumably, they would straighten you out. It sounds to me like what they're saying is that the correct response to their actions would be to submit to their teaching. Wow. Okay. You know, I don't want to use the world's methods to fight the fight of faith. We don't have to use their methods. Paul explained why he was meek and gentle with the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 10, 1 through 5, it says, now I, Paul, myself, beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence and base among you, but being absent and bold towards you. But I beseech you that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some. We think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. It sounds like as much as is within him, he's seeking to be peaceful, but when you got to, you got to, okay? For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war against the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. So if you're bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, you go back to verse one. Now I, Paul, myself, beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence and base among you, but being absent and bold towards you. I think there is a little bit of facetiousness, I think, maybe possibly there. He beseeched them with the gentleness of Christ. Maybe not facetiousness, maybe hinting at something. Then he said that our weapons are not carnal. We are to beseech each other with the gentleness of Christ, but we are also warned about against using carnal weapons. Don't stoop to the world's level. We don't need those methods. We need the power of God. Vulgar words and vulgar hand signs may seem strong and manly, but God doesn't need them. His strength and the power of the gospel are sufficient. So how are we to walk? What is the worthy manner? With all lowliness and meanness, with long-suffering for bearing one another in love. If this worthy walk makes a man insecure about his manliness, he has the wrong concept of manliness. This doesn't mean that Jesus or his apostles were not blunt at times when it was called for, but it was always necessary and not just for attention-seeking or to build up insecurities. And a person can be blunt and direct without being vulgar or graceless. And they were blunt and direct. And yet still full of grace and humility. That is possible to do. You know the gospel itself is abrasive to people. Even when we preach it in humility with grace. We don't need to put a little more power and abrasiveness into the gospel message by adding filthy communication. Lowliness, having a humble opinion of oneself. The word meanness is next and we'll talk about it, but it isn't as much as about humility as the word lowliness is. To walk in a worthy way is to be humble. In my title, I also included, well, in previous title until I changed it, calling and place in the kingdom. This is because there are different parts of the body and different callings to various areas of service. Look at verses 11 and 12 of our passage in chapter 4 of Ephesians, and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Of all people that should walk in Worthy of the calling, it should be these, right? And yet, would an apostle need to be humble in order to walk worthy of his calling to be an apostle? Certainly they were humble men. Paul considered himself the chief of sinners. He accepted the fact that he was weak in bodily presence and his speech was contemptible. God chose the weak things of the world to confound the wise. He gave Paul a thorn in the flesh because for him to glory or for men to admire him was not allowed. So you see this pride Whether it's pride in someone, like glorying in Paul, or Paul himself, it was such a bad thing to have in an apostle that he had to have a thorn in the flesh. So, and the way I see it is pride would have been a disqualifier for the Apostle Paul. So I wanna give an illustration, change gears a little bit. Let's say that you need some work done. It will be difficult physical work. Heavy things need to be lifted. Strength is needed, but also endurance. It will be a long, difficult job. You can pick anyone in the world you want to do this job. Maybe you go down to the gymnasium and hire the guys who have spent years exercising and practicing to do difficult things and lift heavy things. That's who we'd pick, wouldn't it? In Jesus' time, well let me say this, you can also work out theologically. You can also get all the theological muscles. and all that kind of stuff and work out and be a real pretty thing, you know? In Jesus' time, there were some men who had spent their lives working out their theological muscles and exercised their brains. They were Pharisees. And God did choose one of those. He did choose one of those, the Apostle Paul. However, those things that were gained to Paul, God didn't use. The rest of the guys God picked were not found at the theological gymnasium. He picked 12 ordinary men, fishermen. because God is not interested in our glory. He's not interested in displaying us and how awesome we are. I said it before, but I'm not against self-discipline and self-improvement, but my concern is that sometimes I think maybe self-improvement is more about self. I had a pastor tell me one time, he said, this is many, many, many years ago, so you're not gonna figure out who it was, okay? He told me, he said, you know, the reason we study and the reason we memorize scripture and that stuff is so that we can win the debates and so that we can win the different arguments among the other preachers. That why, okay, I didn't know. You can look good, that's it, okay. Like I said, we are to study to show ourselves approved, but that's under God. So God is not interested in our glory, he's interested in his glory. And pride is the boasting of our own power. and it is a disqualifier. I'm amazed that when churches are looking for a pastor, they skip over things like humility or any fruit of the spirit and look at their oratory abilities or apologetic abilities. Of course, these things are helpful, and if done for the right reasons, it's good. We should exercise. You know, if certainly if bodily exercise is a little bit profitable, exercising our minds and our understanding is good, is even better. It's the reasons for it. It's the motives that matter. You know, it's a guy that is proud and unable to love others is not qualified. Now, you know what? This is, um, this is a difficult message to preach because you know why? Because I struggle with pride and being unloving. It's like, Lord, how am I gonna get up there and tell them this is what it's supposed to be, when I'm not all that? I mean, it's difficult to preach a message like that, but people in congregations need to know, because as far as most congregations know, the only thing they're looking for is 1 Timothy 3, and that's it. You say, well, got all that checked. Maybe a little bit proud, maybe a little bit arrogant. Well, not that big of a deal. He's got all the other stuff. He's cold as ice. Sounds good, though. Breach is good. But I want you to know what the important things are to look for when considering people who are gifts to the church. In a twist of irony, lowliness is high on the list. It is walking worthy of our calling. It was first on the list. And that list was given in the same context as those who are called to be leaders. which we saw in verse 11, various types of leaders. So then meekness. Strong says this means gentleness. To walk worthy of the calling, one must be gentle. Just as meekness is not weakness, so gentleness is not weakness. Our Lord is a shepherd, a good shepherd. How do you think a good shepherd wants undershepherds to treat the sheep? You know, our Lord is also the groom who has a bride. Men, how would you want your wife to be treated? With respect and gentleness? The bride of Christ is the church. How does the Lord want a man to treat his bride? I think every preacher needs to think of the church as another man's bride, and he needs to be respectful. Yes, a preacher must teach bold truths and things that sometimes are blunt, and that's the nature of teaching. The teaching can be abrasive, but the teacher cannot. And at times when the church is at risk of harm, like when the Judaizers attacked the Galatians, or the super apostles attacked Corinth, or Diotrephes opposed John, the voice of the shepherd changes, right? More aggressive tones are called for. And definitely, being aggressive at those times is called for. But personal attacks or vulgar language are weapons of the world and should not be used. There is restraint and reliance upon the weapons of our warfare, which is mainly the word of God, the sword that we are allowed to use. This isn't to say that we can't use names to make a point, right? Since Jesus called people vipers and even called Peter Satan, but he had perfect judgment. Before we go calling people fools, we need to make sure that our judgment is as informed as his. We must be careful. So Gentiless has the idea of moving carefully and slowly, and I think James 1 describes it well. James 1, 19 through 26 says, wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of men worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way in straight way, forgeth what manner of man he was, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. And if many men among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, But deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Be man enough, be strong enough to shut up, right? Isn't that basically what? Be man enough to shut up, okay? At times, there's a time, right? I mean, isn't that the balance thing we're always talking about? There's a time to speak and there's a time to be loud. There's a time to shut up too. To walk worthy of the calling, we must be gentle. The next description of walking worthy is long-suffering. Long-suffering, patience, especially patience when it is enduring a wrong against us. There isn't just any patience. There is a patience that refrains when people just annoy us. But then there is a patience when we are being personally offended. Every disobedience is disrespect to God. How long-suffering is God with our disrespect? Getting easily ruffled at every offense is not a worthy walk according to our calling. And that brings us to a closely related way to this one that we walk worthy, forbearing one another in love. Last page, we're almost there. Forbearing means to stand up, especially to stand up under a load. basically put up with each other, right? I think it is fair to say that all of us have some things we would change about ourselves. But I also think it is fair to say that there are things we would change about others as well. There are definitely things that can't be let go and need to change. And they have to be dealt with. But there are also things that we need to leave to God. Leave it to God. We just need to put up with it because we love them and realize they have a God, they have a Holy Spirit, they have a Heavenly Father. It's amazing how much of the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is related to just putting up with people. Have you ever noticed that? First Corinthians 13, four through seven. It says, charity suffereth long. There you go. And is kind, charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, beareth all things, Believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. A whole lot of putting up with stuff in there. The one who walks worthy of the calling is forbearing of one another in love, with all loneliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. Don't get the wrong impression. It's like you're thinking, well, he just says he loves us, but we really just annoy him. No, that's not the way it is, okay? Very few things. with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering for bearing one another in love. Jesus fulfilled all these perfectly and in a greater way than any of us could. He took on the form of a servant and humbled himself. His gentleness was prophesied about in Isaiah 42. He put up with more disrespect from every angle and he was worthy of all respect. And he carried our sins to the cross in love. He still puts up with a lot from us. is what I want you to know, or rather what, or who I want you to know. Jesus came to earth, walked this earth, died, was buried, and rose again, and come by faith to him, and by faith unite to him in his death. He is meek and lowly in heart. Coming to God demands that you are leaving something, sin. Unless you repent, you shall perish. You know, the cross is offensive because it tells you you are a sinner worthy of death. And you need to know that. And you need to look to the cross. You need to look to the atonement that he has provided. And the blunt truth is this, is that if you don't, you are bound for an eternal hell. Coming to God demands that you're leaving something, sin. Unless you repent, you shall perish. 2 Peter 3, 14 and 15 says, wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless, and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, has written unto you. The Lord is longsuffering for you, but there is coming a day when you will die, and after that, the judgment. So conclusion, we are to walk worthy of the calling. And this includes preachers. And it includes all the called as well. 1 Thessalonians 5, we'll close with this. 1 Thessalonians 5, 22 through 24 says, abstain from all appearance of evil. and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless under the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. Let's pray. Lord, we pray that, Lord, we would walk worthy we would walk in a worthy and