Living a Life Worthy of Our Calling

 

Living a Life Worthy of Our Calling

 

Ephesians 4:1-3

 

The first three chapters of the book of Ephesians are devoted to doctrine - laying out great truths of what God has done on behalf of those who believe in Jesus Christ. God's sovereignty in saving lost sinners is on display - human effort is conspicuously absent. For that reason there isn't a lot of application in the first three chapters. Paul is teaching us what to believe before he addresses what we are to do.

 

In chapter four, with the word "therefore" Paul transitions us from the theology of the Christian faith to the practicalities of the Christian life. How the Christian faith is to be lived out through our sexual purity, through our speech, our ethics, our marriages and our parenting. We don't leave the theology behind - it's the foundation and basis for all that we do - but now the focus will be on how that doctrine is worked out practically in our lives.

 

If first three chapters focused on God's sovereignty, the last three chapters focus on our Christian responsibility.

 

I.               Our responsibility: live a life worthy of our calling (vs. 1)

 

The Christian has received a high and holy calling. The order is very important: we didn't receive the calling because we lived a life worthy of it - we are saved by grace alone. But we are to live a life worthy because we received this calling. Paul urges us - strong word that means he calls to us zealously.

 

Our lives are to reflect the glory of the Savior who saved us. Our lives should lend credibility to our profession of faith, not undermine its credibility.

 

There was a pastor in late 1800's named Dr. Newman Hall who wrote a book entitled Come to Jesus. Another man in town wrote an article ridiculing Dr. Hall and though at first Hall was going to ignore it, article began to gain a lot of attention and became the talk of town. So Dr. Hall sat down and wrote a letter in response and he fired back with insults and ridicule that were aimed at cutting down this man who had so unfairly ridiculed him.

 

His plan was to have the letter published, but before he mailed the letter he took it to his friend the great preacher Charles Spurgeon to get his opinion. Spurgeon read it carefully, handed it back and agreed that it was an excellent letter and that the writer of the article deserved every word. "But", he added, "it just lacks one thing...underneath your signature you ought to write the words, "Author of Come To Jesus".

 

Dr. Hall stood there in silence for a few moments, and then he tore his letter to shreds.

 

If we remember that our lives bear the name of Jesus and when we do something that brings reproach, the Christian never owns that reproach alone - to some degree the reproach falls on Jesus. When a high profile pastor falls, or a worker who has been telling co-workers about Jesus falls, Jesus' name is dishonored too.

 

Not that we have to or even can do that by our own power. The gospel calls us to live differently and then gives us the power to live differently. When a person comes to Christ he or she receives the Holy Spirit Who empowers us to live a new life in a new way. That power is available to every Christian, but it's not automatic. We must appropriate it by faith in God, dependence on God and obedience to God. We cannot live it apart from God's grace and the grace of God will not do it apart from our effort.

 

So...what does it mean to live a life worthy? As we continue on we see it doesn't start with what we do, but what we are. Paul goes to the heart of our character.

 

II.              Our character: living worthy flows from a Christ-like character (vs. 2)

 

...with all humility and meekness...(vs. 2)

 

These two qualities go together. Jesus used these two terms to describe His character in Matt. 11:29, saying we should take his yoke upon us and learn from him for he is meek and humble of heart. So being humble and meek is being like Christ.

 

1. With all humility...

 

Humility means to be lowly and it wasn't an admired character trait when Paul wrote this - in the ancient world it was a trait to be despised. It was considered noble to press oneself higher, never lower.

 

In our family Bible reading we recently came across Jesus' instruction not to take the seat of honor when invited to a feast, but to take the low seat. In that day, where you sat in relation to the host indicated your status and honor. So there's a guy that comes in and immediately takes the highest seat - honoring himself. Jesus says that when that guy is told to sit lower he will be humiliated. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. But the guy who comes in and takes the lowest seat humbles himself, and he might hear the host call him up higher - he will be exalted in eyes of the guests.

 

It is a picture of the difference between pride and humility. Pride promotes self higher, humility actually lowers self.

 

In a thousand ways we take the "higher seat" at the banquet - trying to make ourselves look better than others, thinking our opinion is the most important one in the room, even sometimes painting someone else in a bad light so we look better by comparison. Pride is multi-faceted and it can take another form we need to be aware of: some people may not jockey for position or do stuff to be noticed - but it may not be humility at work. The fear of looking foolish, of being looked down on or embarrassed may be pride coming out in a different form.

 

I had a window into my heart this week. In a relatively minor incident I felt slighted and offended.  The situation could have been handled graciously and taken care of in a few minutes, but my heart was racing for a half hour - because my pride was offended. Eventually the Holy Spirit was able to direct my attention away from perceived offense to me and to the pride in my heart that cares so much about me. Why is my heart so engaged its pumping away? Not because it was that big a deal, but because it had to do with me. My pride was stung - God's answer wasn't pride be vindicated but put to death.

Other evidences of pride we should look out for:

 

¨      We think more highly of our opinions than the opinions of others

¨      We think we're always right in an argument ( I know what you're thinking: I am right!)

¨      We don't like to be corrected by others

¨      We are bothered when we are overlooked

¨      Hold offenses against those who have hurt us (or we perceive they have hurt us)

 

Be completely humble...humble through and through. That bar isn't just set high - it's impossible apart from God's grace. This verse alone should cause us to cry out for God's transforming power in our hearts. Only the gospel has the power to change our hearts - not just what people see, but the unseen inner impulses that want glory and promotion. By the grace of God we can learn to love to be lowly - take the lower seat, not be recognized, rejoice when others are applauded and we aren't. Sincerely prefer others over ourselves - in other words, to be like Jesus!

George Whitefield and John Wesley were the two most famous preachers of their day, yet they disagreed on the significant doctrine of predestination and election. People knew of their sharp disagreement, and someone once asked Whitefield if he thought he'd see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, "I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him." 

That's humility. To promote others and lower ourselves - that goes against everything in us - but it is the spirit of Christ. Jesus humbled himself even to becoming a servant - dying a shameful death of a criminal on the Roman cross. Not to lift himself up but to lift us up - raise us up from the dead and to his side in glory. The gospel gives us grace to change within - die to pride and grow in humility.

 

1. Meekness

 

Jesus also describes himself as meek. What is meekness? Don't confuse meekness with weakness - they rhyme but meekness is anything but weak. Meekness is the gentleness of the strong whose strength is under control. It is the quality of moderation. Barclay describes meekness as "the mean between being too angry and never being angry at all."

 

Christians are not to be angry people - by the grace of God we need to submit rage and outbursts of anger to God and ask Him by Spirit to change us within. If that's a sin you struggle with - outbursts of anger and even rage - please know there is hope - these are sins for which Jesus died. The Lord can give you victory over them. But need to confess it as a sin and not justify it.

 

On the other spectrum, are those who never get angry over what is unjust or wrong. They want peace at any price - so they avoid confrontation and are silent when they should speak up and confront a wrong or sinful thing. Confuse avoidance with love, and lack of a stand with peace.

 

Meekness is strength under control. Men, God doesn't call us to be wimps - he calls us to be meek. There's a big difference. Jesus was no wimp - never was there a man like him. He could look the top gun religious leaders of his day in the eye and call them white-washed tombs and a brood of vipers! No fear of man in him. Yet he could be as gentle with the bruised reed and the smoking flax so as not to break the reed or put the little flame out.

 

Strength - under control. Being gentle when we could be harsh. Being firm but caring. Standing for what is right without flailing about in an uncontrolled rage or emotional outburst.

 

Jesus could have retaliated against all who mocked him and spit on him and oppressed him at any time. He could have called a legion of angels to destroy this sinful world. He had that kind of strength. That kind of power. He was under control of meekness - held it under control of love and obedience to His Father. Meek and humble. That is our Savior.

 

1. With patience, forbearing with one another

 

I like John Stott's commentary on these two character qualities:

 

The third and fourth qualities also form a natural pair, for patience is longsuffering towards aggravating people...while forbearing one another speaks of that mutual tolerance without which no group of human beings can live together in peace.^[1]

 

Aggravating people come in all shapes and sizes and times. Our children can be aggravating people. Parents can be. Co-workers and neighbors can be. Sometimes even people in the church can be aggravating, huh?  

And any group that will live in unity must have a spirit of forbearance. We cannot make every issue or disagreement a hill we will die on. We cannot set ourselves in rigid and inflexible positions that do not tolerate any difference or disappointment. Congregations must forbear - allow idiosyncrasies and differences without being dogmatic. There are a few Christian essentials - on other issues we should allow Christian diversity.

 

Both of these are fruits of the Spirit and both characterize the character of Jesus Christ. The Lord is incredibly patient and forbearing with us - should we not also show such patience and forbearance?

 

Humility...meekness...patience...forbearance...these characteristics are not only Christ-like, they are essential in our obeying the third appeal: to maintain the unity of the church. We will pick up with that next week.

 

III.         Our power: we were called by grace, we must live by grace

 

I don't want to leave us focusing on our responsibility alone, for that will lead to discouragement and failure. We were called by grace and the life we live must be lived by the grace of God in us. The title of series is "life. powered by grace."

 

As we looked at scripture, did the Lord convict you of sin? Pride? Self-promotion? Anger? Fear of taking a stand for what is right?

 

Ask God for grace.

 

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^[1] John Stott, The Message of Ephesians, pg. 149