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  WALKING WORTHY OF OUR CALLING
  by Alan Martin
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of loving one another as
Jesus loved us, highlighting the need to walk in humility, meekness, and
long-suffering, forbearing with one another in love. It delves into the
significance of knowing each other according to the Spirit, seeing
others through God's eyes, and praying for all the saints by name to
resist the enemy's divisive tactics. The ultimate goal is to preserve
unity, reflecting the love of Christ to the world and fulfilling the new
commandment to love one another.

Duration: 50:10 Topics: "Love One Another", "Unity in Christ"
Scripture References: Ephesians 4:1, Ephesians 4:2, Ephesians 4:3, Ephesians 4:27, Ephesians 4:28, Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 4:31, 2 Corinthians 5:14, Galatians 5:14, Galatians 5:16, Ephesians 6:18

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of loving one another as Jesus
loved us, highlighting the need to walk in humility, meekness, and long-
suffering, forbearing with one another in love. It delves into the
significance of knowing each other according to the Spirit, seeing
others through God's eyes, and praying for all the saints by name to
resist the enemy's divisive tactics. The ultimate goal is to preserve
unity, reflecting the love of Christ to the world and fulfilling the new
commandment to love one another.

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CONTENT
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Dear Bibles, turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. Last week we talked
about the love of God being that which places a supreme value on others.
And the Greek word meseo, which is translated hate, means to lessen, to
consider of lesser value. And realize we're going to need some help
doing that, because when we think of love and we think of it as a
feeling or an emotion, what if you don't feel an emotion? Can you love?
See, if you don't understand the love of God and how it works, today I
want to tie in together the love of God is by faith.

Faith working through love. And we'll see that hopefully today in
today's message. But right there in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1,
therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the
calling which you have been called.

Every one of us here, if you're a believer, you have a calling. You're
not just a Christian to be forgiven and go to heaven. When you receive
Christ, you receive a calling.

And like an officer speaking to the soldiers under him, that's the word
exhort. Paul is saying all of us need to live a life that's worthy of
this calling. The word worthy comes from a picture of those, remember
the scales you've seen with the balancing scales? Worthy means they're
equal.

Our lives and the way we live needs to be equal to the calling that
Christ Jesus has on our life. And then it describes what that walking
worthy looks like. Look with me here in verse 2. The first thing is with
all lowliness is God opposes the proud.

We are to be a lowly people, even if we have understanding. If we know
anything, if we received understanding, it's by God's mercy that we
received understanding. We're not to allow knowledge to puff us up.

If we see something that someone else is not seeing, be grateful that
God has opened your eyes to see it. Be grateful that you can recognize
it. Do not allow pride.

Pride will undo the calling because the Bible says contention comes by
pride. Proud people that are confident in their own opinion and they
have a high value of themselves, they like to argue because they believe
they're smarter than the other person and they believe that they can put
another person in their place. And that's not supposed to be a part of a
Christian life.

We're to walk in that lowliness, grateful to God that he shares wisdom
and understanding with us. Not just with all lowliness, but with all
meekness. Some of your Bibles may say gentleness.

The idea is restraint. None of us should feel safe just letting it hang
out, especially if we're stirred up on the inside. That's especially
when you need a tight set of reins to where you restrain yourself.

Another time that we need to restrain ourself is when we think we're in
the right. I used to not realize something. I would very often make a
situation worse because I felt I was right and therefore I could be
strong.

I could come off almost aggressive and domineering because I was
supposedly right. I wasn't restrained. We need a restraint, a healthy
restraint in tone, in how aggressive, how direct we are because meekness
is that the word meek prowse is the original root form in the Greek
language.

It was used to describe the Greek war horse, a powerful animal perfectly
trained to not yield to its own impulses. Strength under control,
broken, gentle. Meek is the idea.

That's walking worthy of the Lord involves all lowliness and I like the
word all and all meekness because it's not just people you think are
lower than you, it's everyone you meet. A homeless person on the street,
we need to meet with a lowliness. Someone that doesn't know anything
about the gospel, unchurched, no church background, we need to meet them
with a lowliness.

Not an arrogance, not a superiority and there needs to be a meekness and
a lowliness and then it says the word long-suffering. Patience is what
some of your bible says that word but it means to suffer long. We need
to walk worthy of Christ Jesus to demonstrate a lowliness, a meekness
and an ability to suffer long with others.

Maybe there's areas in their life that are causing difficulty in the
church. Maybe they're not the easiest person to be around but on our
part to walk worthy of the calling we receive we need to be able to bear
with them. That's what love does.

It's the first characteristic described in first corinthians 13 about
love. Love suffers long and that needs to be a part of our life that
we're going to walk worthy of the lord and then it says and forbearing
one another. Forbearing means this, that if something is pressuring you
or something maybe getting to you with that another person is doing,
there's a situation or maybe it's a group of people and you feel
pressured by it.

Don't give in. Don't cave. Don't cave to irritation.

Don't cave to frustration. Bear with it. Bear with them because you've
been called to walk worthy of Christ and for the sake of Christ's name,
for the sake of his honor, you bear with others.

Don't cave and throw your pity party and throw your tantrums and and I
can't take this anymore and I'm not going to put up with it. No, for us
to walk worthy of our calling it needs to be all lowliness, all meekness
and gentleness, all long-suffering and we need to forbear one another
and in love and then it says verse 3 being diligent to preserve the
unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now what does that mean
preserving the unity of the spirit that means we're one family every
single one of us brothers and sisters every single one of us the family
of God.

Now why does he say in the bond of peace? What makes us at peace with
one another? Don't you think about it. Here's it and the answer or the
clue to the answer is what makes you and I at peace with God? What
obtained peace with God for us? What did that? The cross of Jesus Christ
is what brought us peace with God. So how do we preserve the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace is we need to remember regardless of
what we're going through with each other Jesus Christ died on the cross
for each other.

That's what makes us peace and when you're when you're having a
difficulty and something in you is wanting to fight or argue or quarrel
remember how God made peace. He made peace through the blood of Jesus
Christ on the cross. That's the reason you and I have peace with the
father and the way for us to preserve the unity of the spirit in the
bond of peace with each other is remembering our Lord died for every one
of us and he died so that we could be reconciled to God and and and we
could experience oneness with our heavenly father and we can't lose
sight of that peace.

We received that by faith didn't we? We heard the good news that Jesus
Christ died for our sins and brought us peace with the father. We're
having been justified by faith we have peace with God and this is how we
are going to maintain peace with each other is you need to see the cross
of Jesus Christ. Don't see that brother or sister just in their area of
need.

Don't see their fault without remembering the cross of Christ. That's
what brought peace. That's how God makes us one people and then in this
same chapter chapter the latter part of chapter four verse 27 don't give
the devil an opportunity.

You know what the devil is called in the book of revelation? He's called
the accuser of the brothers. The accuser the greek word is kata agoras.
It means to be against in the open marketplace.

You know what english word we get from katagoras? Categorize and this is
where I've seen a lot of proud believers that lack meekness that lack
long-suffering that lack forbearance not walking worthy of the calling.
You know what they do to others when they categorize them? Well that's
brother so-and-so here he goes again or that's sister so-and-so yep she
always does that oh here they are again yep they took three tacos again
yep oh yep they put one dollar in the plate again and you've got it
you're seeing you're accurately mr katagoras you're giving place to the
devil of what you're doing you're disturbing the unity of the spirit and
you're forgetting that jesus christ died for that person that you are
categorizing according to what you see in the natural don't give place
to the devil don't categorize one another we are all brothers and
sisters in christ right don't give place to the devil verse 28 he who
steals must steal no longer rather must labor performing with his own
hands what is good so that he will have something to with the one who
has need and then it says let no rotten word unwholesome the literal
translations we do not let a rotten word come out of your mouth but only
what is good for building others up according to their need so that it
will give grace now to walk worthy of the calling of our lord all of our
speech needs to give grace to others and what do we if you've grown up
in the baptist church if you were to be asked what's the definition for
grace most most southern baptists would say it means undeserved favor so
what are you supposed to give others you're supposed to give them a
grace they don't deserve regardless of what they're doing regardless of
what you what you observe regardless of how it's bothering you do not
let a rotten word come out of your mouth speak what is good for building
others up and make sure that it's giving them grace so you're gracious
to them that's what paul says and then and then he goes on verse 30 do
not grieve the holy spirit of god by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption because the spirit wants unity and when we allow attitudes
unchrist-like attitudes rotten words and communication that does not
give grace this the holy spirit's greed it it's pained verse 31 let all
bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from
you with all malice and instead be kind to one another tender-hearted
graciously forgiving each other just as god in christ is also graciously
forgiving you you have your bible still turn to 2nd corinthians chapter
5 we've covered this several times in the last month 2nd corinthians
chapter 5 verse 14 2nd corinthians 5 14 for the love of christ the love
of christ controls us constrains us keeps us in our lane the love of
christ controls us having concluded this one died for all therefore all
died so i look out here i see a variety of faces and here's the one
thing that i need to see every single person i see here jesus christ
died for you that's the conclusion i reach and that's the most important
conclusion i have when i look at you i see that jesus christ died for
you and that controls my reaction that means i'm going to walk in a
loneliness i'm going to walk in a meekness and a gentleness i'm going to
walk in long suffering and forbearance because i know that jesus christ
died to bring you and i together peace with our father and i know that's
the that's his heart that's why he did that one died for all therefore
all died verse 15 and he died for all so that those who live should no
longer live for themselves but for him that means you walk into this
door not for you that means you are a part of the church family not for
you you are a part of the church family not to see what we can do for
you you are a part of the church family to see what you can do for
others you don't live for yourself you don't come here saying well they
didn't do this for me or they didn't do this for me you got it wrong he
died for you so that you would no longer live for yourself you live for
others you're there so that they will be blessed you're there so their
needs will be met you are there to be their servant they are not there
to be yours this is walking word of the lord jesus christ that's why he
died he died so that those who live should no longer live for themselves
but for him who died for them and rose again on their behalf so verse 6
16 therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh now
how do you know when you're recognizing someone according to the flesh
you're all bothered because from the flesh that's where the wars come in
the flesh is where they'll see to those the desires of the old man and
when you are relating to others when you know others according to the
flesh you know where you are you are critical you're judgmental you're
condescending you're proud you're argumentative even if you keep it to
yourself you're still seeing others according to your flesh and that's
what causes difficulties and divisions even if we are in the politest
type of people and we come in and we just i'm going to sit over here and
i'm going to avoid that person when i see them coming i'll go to that
when they come at this table i just quietly get up and i go to that one
that is relating to others according to the flesh and not according to
the spirit so what does it mean to relate to others according to the
spirit when we receive the holy spirit what do we receive jesus said to
go back and wait in jerusalem for the promise of the holy spirit and
when he the holy spirit comes what what are the disciples going to
receive you will receive power the greek word dunamis it means ability
when the holy spirit comes upon you you are going to receive ability and
you know what ability the holy spirit brings to us when he comes to live
inside of us he brings the ability to love others like christ loved us
so when the spirit when you're knowing others according to the spirit
you're loving them like jesus loves them you're you're remembering that
he died to bring peace with the father so that we could all be one
family to make one new man in christ that was his purpose and if any man
is in christ jesus what is he it's a new creation old things will pass
away and all things will become new and the new person that i want to be
is i want to see you not according to my flesh i want to relate to you
according to the what jesus is filling my heart with because the bible
says that the love of god is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy
spirit and if i'm knowing you according to the spirit you know what i'm
thinking i'm thinking about your needs i'm thinking about how i can pray
for you if i see something in your life that's probably going to be not
good for you or maybe it's not good brothers in the church i'm going to
have the holy spirit creating in me god's heart for you not just my old
critical oh there they go again or my clear accurate observance see a
lot of us do not realize how sinful and old nature and fleshly we are
because we think accuracy is spirituality no being able to see what
god's heart desires for a person is spiritual not merely being able to
to to observe what you and repeat to others what you're observing an
anchorman a news reporter can do that it doesn't take christian to do
that but it takes someone walking in the holy spirit to see others the
way god sees them and to be moved with god's heart and and and the love
of god being shed abroad in their heart that will be that will be lowly
and gentle and long-suffering that's knowing others according to the
spirit in galatians if you have your bible still turn to galatians and
turn to chapter 5 galatians chapter 5 i'm going to start in verse 14
galatians 5 14 the whole law is fulfilled in one word in this you shall
love your neighbor as yourself but if you bite and devour one another
bite and devour what would that look like in church what would biting
and devour look like i think there's an english word we say if you
nitpick if you nitpick if you got your little issues you know i just
don't like that about her or i just don't like that about her and you
just that you just you just think that's just natural no it's not it it
may be natural it's not spiritual it's not godly it won't produce life
in others and it actually it consumes christian unity it's very damaging
it's kind of like a cancer inside a church a lot of people can have
cancer and if their body it's eating eating them on the way the inside
and they may not even realize it so just because you don't realize
you're being nitpicky and you have your opinionated and you're proud and
you're you've got your thoughts you categorize different people you may
not even realize it's just nitpicking you're biting and devouring one
another and it's it's grieving the holy spirit it's not producing in
them the love of christ you know why does this happen you bite devour
one another beware that you're not consumed by one another verse 16 so i
say walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the
flesh because the desires of the flesh are where the wars come from
that's what it says in james chapter 4 verse 1 what causes fights and
quarrels among you don't they come from your desires that battle within
you you want something you just don't get it then you don't get your way
you you want this person to stop doing that you don't get it so you you
develop an attitude towards them you categorize them as a person that
always does it you're not praying for them you're not asking god to just
show them you're not asking god to change them you just hold your what
you think is your accurate opinion about them not even realize how
unspiritual and un-christ-like it is and paul's exhorting the believers
to a life that's more than that don't the gentiles live that way don't
live that way what are we supposed to do to that old man if back in
ephesians you don't need to turn back there but the old man we're
supposed to actually strip it away we're supposed to strip away the old
man because with that old man comes the contentiousness the division the
attitudes the prejudices the personal preferences all that
manifestations that cause problems in relationships they come from the
old man and you can see this here in galatians chapter 5 the flesh
desires against the spirit the spirit against the flesh they're in
opposition to each other but if you're led by the spirit you're not
under the law it says but if you uh the deeds of the flesh if you're
walking in the flesh here's what they're here's what their evidences are
these are the obvious ones sexual immorality impurity sensuality
idolatry source sorcery those things that i don't think i hope none of
us are walking in any of those things but look what it also says
enmities strife jealousy outburst of anger anger selfish ambition
dissensions factions envy drunkenness carousing things like these and
then he says this i forewarn you just as i have forewarned you before
that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of god
now i know you're not wrestling well of course you practice sorcery
you're not going to inherit the kingdom of god you practice drunkenness
you're not going to inherit the kingdom of god you practice immorality
you're not going to inherit the kingdom of god but what if you practice
division what if you practice your nitpicking what if you practice
categorizing people what if you practice repeating the faults of someone
to other people i'll tell you you're not going to inherit the kingdom of
god a warning those who live like that may not inherit the kingdom of
god because that's that's contrary jesus christ died to make us one
family to preserve the unity of the spirit we've been called to that
that's a calling to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of
peace that there be no divisions among us that there is mutual respect
mutual esteem mutual love mutual honor this is this is the calling and
if we live contrary to that we're not we're sure we're not living in the
kingdom we're probably not going to inherit the kingdom and but the
opposite is but the fruit of the spirit how do you know you're walking
in the spirit and relating to others in the spirit i want to read them
to you in a different way oftentimes we read this the fruit of the
spirit is love for me joy for me peace for me patience with me kindness
with me goodness for me faithfulness for me what if this the fruit of
the spirit is love for others that's one of the fruit is the ability for
me to love others like christ love them that's the fruit of the spirit
not me feeling god's love for me now the fruit of the spirit is the love
of god at work in me where i'm actually loving others enjoy what what if
it's not my joy what if the fruit of the spirit is i have joy serving
others that's my joy giving to others being a blessing to others and
what if the fruit of the spirit is peace with others i'm just always at
peace i'm at peace with all of you i don't have a thing against any of
you i hope none of you have a thing with each other because the fruit of
the spirit and we're at peace together jesus christ died for every one
of us we're one family one spirit one lord one faith should be no
divisions among us no attitudes among us it's the fruit of the spirit
love joy peace patience building to be patient with others acting
through the holy spirit to suffer along with others kindness the ability
to be kind just like god isn't that what jesus said we're to be perfect
because our heavenly father is perfect because he's kind to the wicked
and the ungrateful that means if someone has not learned gratitude and
they're kind of like they're they're still living for themselves but
they don't they don't have to learn how to be grateful the spirit in me
would cause me to be kind to be kind to them not not been out of shape
not develop an attitude not categorize them as ungrateful no the spirit
in me would manifest the ability to be kind even if they were ungrateful
goodness and faithfulness all of these things uh and against such things
yeah there's no law if we are walking in the spirit if the love of god
is being shed abroad in our hearts and we're walking in these things
there's no we don't need a law i can stop telling you what you shouldn't
do or what you should do you realize if you if you and i are walking in
love we will not harm our neighbor love is the fulfillment of the law
love is kind love is patient it does not boast that's what love does if
we are living in love we won't cause one another to stumble we'll be
walking in a forgiveness and a joy and there'll be a unity because love
is the bond of perfection and it doesn't need we don't need a law you
won't need the pastor up here saying stop do this don't do this or start
doing this or why aren't you doing this no those things are only
necessary when we're not living in love but why do some people not know
this love why are some people and i'm gonna i'm just asking you to ask
yourself this and i'm gonna ask myself this with you why are we slow to
this sometimes why do we why do we nitpick why are we slow to have hope
for others why are we slow to pray for others in other words where is
this love that we talk about is it a theory or is it something that you
really experience why why use that i haven't i think i have an answer as
i saw that and this was praying about that you remember jesus gave a
parable one time and he gave it right in the middle of a dinner that he
was invited to he was invited by by a pharisee named simon to come to
dinner and during the dinner jesus came in and it must have been pretty
awkward traditionally when someone comes in and you're as a as a way of
show hospitality you bring that servant comes with water and you wash
the dust off their feet and you give them a little ointment you know for
for them to smell and they freshen up a little back to your hospitality
evidently when jesus came in it didn't happen maybe it was just an
awkwardness and they came in and he went and had his seat at the table
not really he didn't have their seat the tables were low low to the
ground so you reclined at the table you'd in other words your head and
shoulders would be leaning towards the table and your feet would be
leaning away and you they they reclined around the table well while they
were reclining eating dinner a lady with a reputation came in and her
reputation was for being loose you know and she comes to where jesus
feet are away from the table and she kneels there and she starts weeping
she's weeping right over his feet and her tears are splotching all the
dust that's covering his feet and she probably looks down almost
startled not thinking and realize oh it made him look even uglier she so
she takes her hair she must have long hair she begins to wipe his feet
and clean the dust off of his feet with and her feet with her hair and
then when she while she's doing that when she gets his feet clean she
she has this very expensive perfume and she opens it up she pours it on
his feet and simon is over there watching this and simon is thinking to
himself and saying if this man were a prophet he wouldn't know what kind
of lady this is and he wouldn't even be letting her touch him jesus
didn't simon is just thinking this to himself but jesus knows what he's
thinking so jima jesus turns to simon and asked him simon i have a
question for you there were two men that both owed a debt they owed the
same guy one guy owed 500 denarii the other guy owed 50 neither of them
were able to pay so the guy forgives both of them the 500 and the 50
simon which of the two do you suppose is going to love the guy who
forgave him more simon says i suppose the one who owed the most he owed
10 times more than the other guy jesus says you've perceived correctly
son you know i came in here and you didn't give me any water for my feet
and this woman has washed my feet with her tears in her hair you gave me
no kiss as a greeting she has not stopped kissing my feet you gave me no
oil for my head she's poured oil on my feet simon he whom i have
forgiven much he loves much but the person who's only forgiven little he
loves little so you know why really people don't love others the way
christ loves them because they know very little of his forgiveness
probably because they don't think they need that much forgiveness well
they weren't perfect so jesus died for them but after all they're better
than most people and in their heart they kind of like thank you god that
i'm not like these other morons and the reason they're impatient with
others the reason they nitpick the reason they have their opinions and
they even if it's very polite in the way they go about it the reason is
because they don't know the depth of mercy that it is taken for god to
even receive them they haven't they don't know the depth of forgiveness
and this is why it's strange and i'm going to say this and i'm just
going to lay it out there some of us may know the scripture a thousand
times better than others and yet not know god near as much as a person
who hardly knows anything because the person who's the most conscious of
how much they've been forgiven that person doesn't hold grudges towards
others that person doesn't have opinions that person is not going to be
nitpicking the person is not going to have attitudes that person will be
loving others out of the same consciousness of how much love they've
been being shown by the lord so it's very possible for someone brand new
in the lord to actually know the lord and know the lord's love much
better than someone way older who's become proud and has forgotten how
much forgiveness it has taken for god to have anything to do with them
that i have to watch that i love the scripture i believe we should study
the scripture i believe there's life and treasure and peace and counsel
and help in it and i see people just neglect it and i'm thinking man you
don't get it you don't see what you're missing but i in the past i admit
i i allow that knowledge to pump me up and make it critical and
impatient and nitpicker and so that was it god in his mercy has come and
showed me how sinful and prideful that was and it almost took it almost
took me another revelation of the love of god i can tell you when it
happened when it began to happen in my life i used to work for a company
that we would deliver embroidery machines all over the united states and
i was way up in north dakota my not north dakota it's only around 20
miles from the canadian border way up there in north dakota and at the
time we'd been living in missouri i had six children we were living a
quiet simple life out in the country big gardens wheat trees milk goats
rabbits chickens hogs then on the end we had a cow we had a huge garden
we'd share with everyone and i was the drill sergeant and my my kids
were you know i could they would they closed the door wrong all they do
is look i could just look and they'd be struck with terror i was a
disciplinarian i was strict it only it only took me once or twice to
deal with the matter that was it my children could sit here at church
and not move a muscle because they knew what would happen if they did
and so i was very ordered very disciplined in that regard but you know
to maintain that life i kind of became a drill sergeant just order in
here and order in there and including my wife how come you let this
happen while i was on this trip in my not north dakota suddenly i
realized how ugly and hard and unkind and impatient i was and i kind of
saw it next to the kindness and meekness and gentleness of jesus and it
broke me it broke me how in the world did i become this how did i become
such a got to get it all done and and lose it in that way and at that
point that's when i really came to know jesus in a wonderful way again
and it wasn't it wasn't perfect it still took time for to work out in my
life but i know the difference of just trying to do things right and
believing what's right and having discipline and being ordered and and
wanting to get things done and pushing it through and sucking it up i
know that and i know how possible it is to do all that and not know the
love of jesus christ and not walk in gentleness and kindness and mercy
and i don't want to do that anymore i tell you what when you walk that
way in a marriage it doesn't go well when you walk that way as parents
it doesn't go well when you're that way on the job it doesn't go well
love is the bond of perfection if you want to experience perfection and
wholeness and freedom and goodness in relationships the way to do it is
to be filled with the love of jesus christ when you are filled with the
love of jesus christ you will be kind you will suffer a lot it's what
love does and i it took me some time to see it and i just want to be
honest about that i want to encourage us as a church family you know
we're we have an opportunity on our wednesday night meals and as we we
have a food ministry we uh we meet people we meet people that aren't
perfect and we get to know them and some of us some of us have family
members that are not necessarily where they need to be they've not got
it all together they make mistakes the question for us is what are they
going to meet what are they going to encounter when they come here are
they going to meet oh here they come again are they going to meet that
countenance or are they going to get that look are they going to hear
are they going to experience someone kind of whispering to each other as
they pass by are they going to get that avoidance Or are they going to
experience the love of Jesus Christ? That's deep. This is our calling.

We've been called to this. Back to Ephesians chapter 4. We've been
called to this. And to be worthy of our calling, we have to love one
another like Jesus loved us.

All holiness, all meekness and gentleness, all long-suffering,
forbearing with one another in love. And our whole heart to one another
is that in every way we're able, we can help people be reconciled to
God. And how did God reconcile the world to Himself? He reconciled the
world to Himself through His Son laying down His life and dying on the
cross.

So how are we going to stay reconciled with each other? How are we going
to love one another like God loves us? We're going to do it by not
living in our old natural self. We're not going to allow our natural,
fallen, sinful old man to do what he does. We're going to know each
other according to the Spirit.

So we can experience God's heart for each other. And the love of God
being shed upon our heart by the Holy Spirit. We create this beautiful
family where we are very different personality-wise.

We come from different cultures, different backgrounds, different
economic status, but it doesn't matter. What makes us all the same, what
makes us all the same is that it took Jesus Christ dying for us, for us
to be in God's family. And that's how we know each other.

Being convinced of this, one died for all, therefore all die. And when
we see each other and we're not quite finished yet, we realize, we
realize that Jesus Christ died so we could become finished. Let me just
end with this passage in Ephesians, about spiritual warfare.

Ephesians chapter 6, you don't need to turn there. I just want to point
this out to you. You're already familiar, if you've been in the church
for a while, about the fact that we don't wrestle against flesh and
blood.

There's no enemies here. But there are real enemies, we do have an
enemy, principalities and powers. Satan and his forces, and they want to
create confusion.

And they want to try to create strife and division and attitudes among
us, they try to do that. So we're to put on the armor of God, not just
to protect ourselves. I want to put on the armor of God, so that the
enemy doesn't use me to hurt you.

I don't want to listen to his thoughts about you, I want to hear my
Heavenly Father's thoughts about you. I want to deflect these accusing,
critical, self-serving attitudes. And I want the Holy Spirit to be in
control of what I say, and what I think, and how I respond.

And so it's interesting, and it says, after you put on the whole armor,
it says to stand therefore, and can anybody tell me what it says you're
to do once you have all the armor on, and once you're standing firm,
what are you standing firm, fully dressed in the armor to do? Resist the
devil, yes. But in what way are we to be resisting him? There's
something we put the armor on to do. For this reason, always be praying
for all the saints.

You see why we're to put the armor on? Because in the Spirit, I want to
be praying for every single one of you, all the time, and I do. By name,
with your face in front of me, lifting you up, and your children, and
many people that I've had a chance to meet in your life. And lest you
think that that's overwhelming, let me tell you, often times on a Sunday
morning, I'll come in here and begin to pray, and I start remembering
some of the first people that had a godly influence in my life, when I
first lived in Christ, and I begin to thank the Lord for them.

And I remember that time, and I remember all the saints, every name I
can remember, thanking the Lord for them, lifting them up, asking them,
and then who did I meet there? Okay, we went from there to Fort Worth,
and all the people there in Fort Worth, I just begin to remember, and
lift them up, and mention their name, and when we moved from Fort Worth,
we moved to Missouri. And then all the people there, and I try to go
from the day I became a Christian, to now. And it doesn't take that
long.

I'm not spending 10 hours. You can do it in 30 to 40 minutes, if you're
just making mention of their name. Let me ask you this question.

How many here could even name most of the people here? Praying for all
the saints. By name. It's easier for me, because I get to sit, I'm glad
you all sit in the same places, because when I'm praying for you here,
it's like I'm going to the pews.

Oh yeah, there's this person. I have to do that anyway, because when I
get home, my wife is going to say, who wasn't there today? So I have to
recreate in my mind, you know, who's not there. Because she wants to
know.

And that's how that passage ends in Ephesians. With this in mind, always
be alert. And always keep on praying for all the saints.

Wow. Because we have an enemy, that tries to divide us against each
other. And you and I need to walk worthy of the calling we received.

And we need to make sure we're allowing the Holy Spirit to so transform
us. That we preserve the unity that's pleasing to God. And that we don't
allow the enemy to leaven us, or influence us to have these kind of
self-serving, old nature, carnal attitudes toward one another.

But genuinely, genuinely loving one another. And isn't that what Jesus
said? Remember, John chapter 13. He's in his last supper.

It's right before he's about to be arrested. And so, he has something on
his heart, that he wants to tell his disciples, that okay, this one
thing. I've got this new commandment to tell you.

Do you remember what he said? A new commandment I give unto you.
Remember what he said? Love one another like I have loved you. And then
he didn't stop there.

It's so important. He said, by this one thing, all men will know you're
my disciples. In other words, you see that's the calling we've been
received.

We've received. And to walk worthy of the calling means, when others see
the way we love, they immediately will identify us with Jesus. It's
pretty special.

That's a high calling. That your actions, your words, the way you relate
to others, is a reflection on Jesus Christ. And that's a part of what
we're studying as a church.

Because this is our testimony.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/qW_i1zliBjc.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/alan-martin/walking-worthy-of-our-calling/
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