Introduction

Over the last few weeks we have looked very closely at the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians.
These chapters could be put under the heading “The Believers Position in Christ.” These chapters have
shown us one major principle, “Our problem is always sin; and our answer is always Jesus!”

Paul has shown us who we were before Christ, who we are IN CHRIST and who we will be BECAUSE
of Christ being alive in our lives. NOW – in chapters 4-6 we move from understanding our position to
how to LIVE OUT what Jesus has done in our life.

We could call these chapters, “The Believers Walk in this World.” So we move from understanding what
Christ has done to HOW TO WALK IN A WAY THAT BRINGS GLORY TO CHRIST while living in
this world.

Today we will look at Ephesians 4 and see how Paul tells us that because of who we are in Christ we can
WALK WORTHY…by WALKING DIFFERENTLY.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Paul urges the church at Ephesus to “walk worthy of the calling you have received.”

Question: What is the “calling?”

Answer: Not a specific calling (i.e. to pastoral ministry or evangelist) but the general calling we
have all heard to come to salvation. The language here refers to the act of being called by name
and also to bear someone name that was given. If you have been baptized in the Name of Jesus
then you have received His name and are called by that Name – so we must walk (live out life) in
a way as to bring glory to that NAME.

Illustration: Passing on my name to my children – must give them a name that is worthy of honor.
Why? So they will be proud to pass it on to the next generations of Davis’.

So, how do we as Christians walk worthy of the calling? How do we take the Name of Jesus and bring
honor to it so that others will want to be a part of the family. Paul gives us some great tools in the next
few verses:

1. “Be completely humble and gentle…” (v. 2) = not thinking we are better than others because we
are Christians or have this great revelation of Jesus Christ.

2. “Be patient, bearing with one another in love (KJV longsuffering…” (v. 2b) = literally to “put up
with one another” even when we may not like someone because of their personality type. They
are being used by God to teach us to walk worthy – to get our relationship with Jesus right.
 3. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (v. 3) = Like the
ligaments of the body that connects two bones…endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit is a
commitment to keep the body working right by acting as a person who CONNECTS THE BODY
AND DOES NOT DIVIDE THE BODY OR MAKE IT WEAK.

a. Notice Paul says to “keep” – this is telling us that unity in the body of Christ ALREADY
EXISTS BY THE SPIRIT - we have to people who recognize that unity and seek to keep
it going.

Question: What then are the things that make us united?

Answer: (vv. 4-6) As born-again Christians we are united: IN “one body” BY “one Spirit” that
has called us with “one hope.” This brings us into the unity of the BODY. Then we are united by
the fact that there is ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism; ONE God and Father of all – WHO IS
THE HEAD OF THE BODY.

You see, folks, this is all pointing to the idea that to WALK WORTHY is to walk in UNITY.

Question: How then does God work out this unity in the body? What does God give us in order
to empower us to fulfill Ephesians 4:1-6?

Answer: Ephesians 4:7-13

Ephesians 4:7-13

The first thing God gives everyone of us is GRACE! Being born-again and living in the body of Christ
requires GRACE and we have all been give a portion of grace in order to fulfill Ephesians 4:1-6.

• When Paul uses the word GRACE he is telling us that God has given us the “ability” or the
“capacity” to be gentle, humble, longsuffering, patient and to keep the unity of the Spirit. So,
there is no excuse for division in the Body.

• Division happens when the body forgets or rejects the things that unite us (ONE LORD, ONE
FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD – who is in charge of it all).

(Vv. 8-10) The same Jesus who ascended to heaven first descended to the grave (earthly regions). And
because He came forth from the grave and now fills the “whole universe” He has given some gifts to the
church.

Jesus gives us a portion of GRACE so that we can WALK WORTHY and He also gives us, THE
CHURCH, the gift of LEADERSHIP: (v. 11)…these leaders are

• Apostles: the leader who goes. He is sent forth to plant new churches where the name of Christ
 has not been named.

• Prophets: the leader who speaks. He or she speaks God’s Word so a to correct, inspire and
motivate the church.

• Evangelist: the leader who gathers. He or she is gifted to preach the good-news of Jesus Christ
and helps to train others who have this gift.

• Pastor-Teacher: the leader who guides and guards. He seeks to equip God’s people by guiding
them on their walk with God and guarding the church against false (unbiblical) teachings.

All of these gifts serve one purpose: “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ might be built up…” (v. 12).

Illustration: If we are not careful we will look at these gifts of leadership and put them on
different levels of importance. In other words, some might say that an apostle is more important
than a pastor-teacher. This is not true because all of these gifts come from God but EACH GIFT
HAS A DIFFERENCE IN RESPONSIBILITY (NOT IMPORTANCE).

I know that 1 Cor. 12:28 says, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second
prophets, third teachers…” This makes it sound as if one is more important or higher than the
other. I am under the impression that what Paul is illustrating is more about responsibility than
importance.

Think about it like this: The apostle goes and proclaims Christ where He has never been preached. The
prophet works with the apostle to help build the foundation of the church by ensuring it stays within the
Biblical purpose. The evangelist works with the apostle and prophet to gather people together and
proclaim good news. The pastor-teacher works with the apostle, prophet and evangelist to equip the
church with Biblical understanding in order that it may fulfill its purpose.

If any of these GIFTS are removed from the church then it becomes weak. All of these gifts WORK
TOGETHER FOR ONE PURPOSE – TO PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE FOR WORKS OF
SERVICE...BUT ALSO TO…

“…reach the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to
the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13).

Question: How do we know if we are growing up and becoming a mature church?

Answer: Ephesians 4:14-16:

• Not being tossed around by every little “wind” of doctrine and the lies deceitful scheming men.
 • “Instead” – a mature church is one who “speaks the truth in love” – in other words we are not
afraid to confront one another about sin because we are more concerned about the eternal destiny
of our brother than being polite. BUT we do this from a heart of love and compassion SO THAT
the body will be able to stand and every part of the body does its work!

(SUMMARY) Walking worthy simply means that we as the body of Christ, those born-again of water
and Spirit, understand the need to live in unity. We live in unity by being humble, gentle, patient so that
we keep the unity of the Spirit. God then helps us keep that unity by giving the church apostles, prophets,
evangelists, and pastors-teachers, who work to bring the church to maturity. We know that we are
growing up and fulfilling the purpose of the church when we are able to resist running after every little
doctrine and scheme of men who want to deceive. Instead of running after these things we “speak the
truth in love” because we desire to see the body remain in unity.

(TRANSITION) But there is another MARK OF A MATURING CHURCH that Paul insists on…
walking differently than the world.

Walking Differently

Ephesians 4:17-19

Remember Paul is writing to both Jew and Gentiles who have been converted to Christianity. These
Gentiles had come out of a culture that was caught up in all sorts of sexual sin and idolatry. Paul tells the
CHURCH not to walk (live like, act like, be like) the REST of the Gentiles who are…

• Futile in their thinking – not stupid (actually quite smart), rather, their thinking did not include
God and so in the end it was worthless. This is why Paul says the Gentiles were “darkened in
their understanding and separated from the life of God…” They deny the existence of God by
excluding Him from their everyday life and so they harden their hearts against him (vv. 17b-18).

• Having lost all sensitivity – because they had hardened their hearts against God they have to find
something to worship. So they begin to worship SEX and LUST. It’s on their minds (contrasted
with not having God on their minds) all the time…they can’t stop thinking about it more and
more.

Illustration: We live in a society that has rejected God by simply excluding Him from their thinking. In
the place of God they have began worshipping SEX and LUST. Pornography is rampant on the TV, in
magazines and the Internet. The way many men and women dress is actually a way of stating their
worship of SEX and LUST. Exposing the body in ways to draw attention to certain body parts is merely a
way of displaying your WORSHIP OF SEX instead of YOUR WORSHIP OF JESUS.
Ephesians 4:20-24

Paul tells the Ephesians this is not the way they came to know Jesus Christ. Paul reminds them of how
they have been taught to PUT OFF THE DESIRE OF THE OLD SINFUL MAN AND TO LIVE THE
LIFE OF THE NEW REDEEMED MAN!

Not to live in the corruption of the old deceitful mind (remember we are made alive in Christ). Instead we
put off the old man and PUT ON the NEW SELF, which has been MADE NEW so that we CAN walk in
HOLINESS and TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS (vv. 22-24).

Question: What does it look like to live in HOLINESS and TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS?

Answer: Ephesians 4:25-32

• Put off falsehood (lying) but speak truthfully (v. 25)

• Don’t let you anger lead you to sin but resolve the anger before the day is over (v. 26).

• Don’t give the devil a foothold (v. 27) This connects to v. 26 – if we let anger rule our lives then
the devil will have a foothold and take us over – deal with your anger before the devil gets in.

• Quit stealing – get a job and do something useful with your hands so that you can share with
those in need (v. 28). Instead of always being the one somebody else has to take care of (lazy like
those who do not know Christ) we must be different and find ways to be productive and supply
for our families and the body of Christ.

• Don’t let unwholesome talk (corrupt words, cursing, swearing, slander, gossip) come out of your
mouth – instead speak those things that build up so that others might benefit (v. 29)

• Don’t grieve (make to suffer, cause distress, mourn) the Holy Spirit - !!!!!!!!!!

Question: How do we grieve the Holy Spirit?

Answer: BY NOT DOING THE THINGS WE JUST LISTED!!! When we refuse to live in
HOLINESS and TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS we cause the Spirit of God to mourn our rejection, we
cause distress in the body of Christ, we make the unity of the body suffer. I am not talking about
CONFORMITY but about TRANSFORMATION. In other words, God is not asking us to all act and
look the same but that our lives that have been TRANSFORMED by the SPIRIT would serve as
EXAMPLES to the world that we are CHILDREN OF GOD!

But Paul does not stop here…he continues to provide for us examples of what it means to walk in
HOLINESS and TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS (4:31-5:21)
Get You Emotions In Check…

• Get rid of all bitterness and anger; brawling and slander and every form of malice (desire to do
evil) (v. 31)

o Hanging onto these things is the opposite of begin like Jesus who forgives, restores,
reaches out to the poor, loves, etc….

• Instead show compassion (concern for the suffering) and offer forgiveness just like Jesus forgave
you (v. 31b)

• Paul tells the Ephesian church to imitate the life of God by living in love/light and being willing
to make sacrifices for one another (5:1-2).

Get Your Desires In Check…(5:3-7)

After showing the church what it means to get our emotions in check so we can show the world Jesus he
then tells the church to get their desires in check. He tells us that IN THE CHURCH THERE SHOULD
NOT BE A HINT OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY, IMPURITY or GREED

Let me put it like this – there should not be one person in the community who can say of a member of
Turning Point, “That person says they are a Christian but they are sleeping around cheating on their
spouse…looking at porn…cheating me out of money because they are greedy.” THERE SHOULD NOT
EVEN BE A HINT OF THIS GOING ON WITH THOSE WHO NAME THE NAME OF CHRIST AND
CALL THIS CHURCH HOME!

Paul goes on to warn us about those things that will cause the Name of Christ to be torn down…

• Obsenity – filthiness (lust and crude gestures)

• Foolish talk – dirty jokes, and nasty talk.

INSTEAD of being obscene and foolish – GIVE THANKS (v. 4)

Don’t be fooled into thinking that those who continue to walk in the darkness and idolatry of SEX and
LUST; those who continue stealing; those who continue to grieve the Spirit WILL NEVER FIND A
PLACE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND CHRIST.

“…THEREFORE DO NOT BE PARTNERS WITH THEM…” (5:7)

Illstration: Some wrongly think that as long as they are not the one doing the nasty talk or the stealing that
everything is OK. But they are hanging around with people who are stealing; those who are looking at
pornography; those who are telling lies, etc. Paul is talking too US! Do not be partners with them! Joining
ourselves to people who have no intention of living for God will only cause us to live in frustration. And
others will automatically assume that we are just like those we hang around with – then when we try to
tell them we are Christians there is no evidence to prove it and we lose our witness. DO NOT BE
DECEIVED THE WRATH OF GOD WILL COME ON THE DISOBEDIENT. – SO DON’T STAND
SO CLOSE – SO….

Come Out of the Darkness and into the Light… (5:8-14)

I. You were once in darkness – but now in light, so live in the light (Christ) and find what
pleases Christ (it is goodness, righteousness and truth) (v. 8-10)

II. Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds – instead expose these dark things to light (v. 11).
Don’t even mention the terrible deeds some do in the dark because it is too shameful (v. 12).
All the dark deeds of this world will be exposed by the light (Jesus).

Be Careful How You Live…(5:15-18)

• Be wise and make the most of every opportunity. Don’t be foolish (silly, unwise, lack judgment)
(v. 15-16)

• Instead know what the will of the Lord is (v. 17b) – the will of the Lord is to live in the light and
walk worthy and walk differently than those who do not know Him.

• Do not be drunk because it leads to immodesty, corruption, indecency, sinfulness, or wickedness

(all synonyms for “debauchery”).

• Instead be “filled with the Spirit.” Live a life that is full of the things of the Spirit – truth,
righteousness, integrity, honesty, holiness, etc. (v. 18)

Rejoice Together…(5:19-20)

• Instead of telling dirty jokes, or looking at porn, or watching that girls backside as she walks to
the taxi; or instead of being drunk and getting into all kinds of trouble. We should be people who
rejoice that we are living in the light.

• We rejoice by singing and making music in our hearts as praise unto God (v. 19). We should be
people, who instead of complaining all the time we should be people who are giving thanks to
God the Father for EVERYTHING in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 20).

The Big Challenge…

Now I know we have covered an enormous amount of material this morning. But I want to bring all of
this down to ONE single challenge.
Will you take the time to come and pray this morning? In your prayer thank God for helping you
overcome in those areas where you are victorious and then repent over those areas you are falling short
in…determine to walk worthy by walking differently – by walking in holiness and true righteousness.