Worthy Lives

David VanAcker, Pastor of Discipleship

Grace Church, Sunday Worship

Ephesians 4:1-16

January 2nd, 2011

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-  ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  ⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  ⁸ Therefore it says,

"When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."

⁹ (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?  ¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)  ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The New Year is a good time to do a little thinking and evaluating.  I’d like to invite you to do a bit of both over the next 40 minutes or so.  To start, I’d like you to consider our respective roles at Grace Church for 2011.

So, why are you here?  Is just being here the point?  Is it to experience some feeling (perhaps during the music or throughout the week, knowing that you were where you were supposed to be on Sunday morning)?  Is it to learn new information (through the sermon or Sunday school)?  Is it for your kids?  Is it for a healthy social outlet?  Why are you here?

How about me…why am I here?  What’s the point of having a pastor (or pastor of discipleship)?  Is it to teach?  Is it to be an example?  Is it to be your safety net?  Is it to help keep your kids from going off the deep end?  Is it to counsel you in difficult times?  Why am I here?

There are all kinds of reasons that you and I might be here (some good, some not so good, and some plain bad).  And, honestly, there are a number of reasons that you and I should be here (some of them were listed above).  This morning, I’d like to focus on one reason in particular.  We see it prominently in Ephesians 4:12, but to make sure that we understand the context, let’s look at verses 1-16 together.

1.      In this section Paul issues one main challenge: He calls all Christians generally and the Ephesians specifically to walk in a worthy manner (4:1).  That is, Paul pleads with followers of Jesus, to live their lives consistently with God’s calling on their lives. 

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”

This seems clear on the surface.  We’re called to pursue and lead lives worthy of who God is and what He has done for us.  Hopefully, however, each of you are wondering what specifically Paul means by “walk in a worthy manner.”  We’ll get to that in a few minutes.  First, though, let’s look at why he calls us to do this and then at the kind of attitude with which he calls us to do it.

So, why does Paul call us to live like this?

The “therefore” in this first verse points to the answer.  It points back to 3:17-19 and 20-21.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,  ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”“

Why are we to live worthy lives?  Because God’s love for us is unimaginable.  Indeed, God loves us so much that we need His help to understand how ununderstandable His love really is!  Shockingly, we need God’s help to understand that we can’t understand the greatness of His love for His people.  We should live worthy lives because the infinite love of God requires it.

Paul gives another reason for his charge to Christians to walk in a worthy manner.  Because (according to 3:20-21) Jesus can do far more good and is exceedingly more glorious than we could ever imagine!

^“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,  ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Why are we to live worthy lives?  Because Jesus is infinitely powerful and glorious and those who understand and love this should act like it.  What God has done for us in Christ is a big deal and we should live like it Paul says.

So, the first thing that I want you to see about this passage is that it’s chiefly a call to God’s people to live lives that are worthy of our God (in His love and power and glory) and His work in (call on) our lives. 

Please pray with me that God would grant us a burden to live like this; to repent of our lack of desire, and to fight, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, for it.

2.      The next thing that I’d like for you to see in this passage is that we’re called to pursue lives of worthiness with a certain attitude or disposition (which, of course, is a part of living a worthy life):

“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:2-3).

Before Paul gets to the heart what a worthy life means or looks like, he talks about the disposition with which God’s people should approach such a task: namely, with humility, gentleness, patience, community, love, eagerness for unity (the kind found in and given by the Holy Spirit), and (all of this bound together by) peace (4:2-3). 

God, grant that we would pursue lives worthy of who You are and what You have done and continue to do for Your people.  And grant that we would engage in that pursuit as humble, gentle, patient, selfless, loving, united, and peaceful people. 

Consider what a difference it would make if any of us truly possessed any one of the above attitudes—if any of us were truly humble or selfless or loving or peaceful.  What a difference that would make in our church.  What a difference that would make in our world.  I urge you, along with Paul, to go after this; to fight for it; to work at having this kind of attitude.

I want to briefly say something here: too often we fall into one of two camps.  Either we pull up our bootstraps and determine to will ourselves into peace or we sit back and passively wait (maybe even prayerfully wait) on God to make us more peaceful or humble or selfless.  I don’t think that either of these ends of the spectrum quite capture Paul’s flavor in these verses.  I think Paul has in mind a combination of the two.  I think that Paul has in mind that we stop quarreling while praying for a more peaceful heart.  I think that he’d have us stop bragging while trusting in the Spirit to do inner, humbling work on us.  I think he’d have us serve others while trusting that true Christ-likeness is a gift from God. 

So pick one of these attitudes/dispositions listed by Paul as appropriate for one seeking to live a worthy life and go for it.  Change your life to line up with it while crying out to God to change your inside.

So we’re to seek to walk in a worthy manner and to do so with a particular attitude or disposition.

3.      Now to the heart of a worthy life.  The next thing that I’d like you to see is that, for Paul, living a worthy life means living a Christ-like life.  Again, Paul urges Christians to live lives worthy of their calling.  What does this worthy life look like?  Or, what is the nature of this worthy life?  For Paul, it’s a life that is like Christ’s.  He says so explicitly in two places (in 4:13 and 4:15).

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (4:11-16).

In verse 13 we see that the worthy life that Paul calls us to means pursuing/reaching the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.  Then again, in verse 15 we see that a worthy life is one that has grown “up in every way into” Christ. 

This means knowing Christ…really knowing Christ.  In fact that’s just what Paul says earlier in verse 13, “until we all attain to…the knowledge of the Son of God”. 

If we’re going to live worthy lives and living worthy lives means becoming more like Christ then we need to know who He is and what He’s done.  Let’s commit to reading and rereading the gospels together this year.  Let’s pour over them.  Let’s together talk about what we see in them concerning Jesus.  Let’s commit to getting to know Jesus better in 2011.

Living worthy lives doesn’t stop here, though—with simply knowing more about Jesus. 

We must also change our lives to look more like Jesus.  We can’t be the kind of people who are content in just knowing a lot about Jesus or even in delighting in how wonderful Jesus is.   We’re called by Paul here to know and delight in Him for sure; but also to become more like Him.  Again, this is part of what it means to live worthy lives.

I’d like to make another pastoral comment here.  Let’s be careful to not fall into the trap of thinking that until we have all of Jesus figured out that we should act on none of Jesus. 

As we press on to maturity, let’s be child-like (Matthew 19:14). 

That is, let’s be quick to act as we encounter Jesus.  So, right away, when we’re introduced by John the Baptist to the man, Jesus, in Matthew 3:11 (“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”) let’s fall down and worship.  Let’s not wait until after we are able to do an exhaustive word study on “mightier” and “worthy” and after we’re able to reconcile the theological implications, post-Pentecost, of a baptism in fire.  Let’s worship Him now. 

And when we see Jesus commitment to living in “all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), a few verses later, let’s not wait until we know every sin that is in us and everything that righteousness entails.  Let’s turn from the sins and toward the righteousness that we do know now.

At the center of Paul’s urging Christians to walk or live worthily is an urging toward Christ-likeness.

4.      Paul addresses several aspects of a Christ-like or worthy life, but focuses in on one in particular.

Indeed, in 4:13-14, we read Paul’s description of several aspects of this life that he is urging us toward (in addition to the kind of attitude listed in 4:2-3)—

“…Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

In other words, as we become more like Jesus we should expect to see grow or develop in us: a unity of faith, a knowledge of the Son of God, and mature personhood.  Indeed, Paul says, we’ll grow to the point that we will no longer be so fickle (trusting in God one minute and then not the next, obeying joyfully in some areas and not others, delighting in God some times and not others, etc.) or so easily distracted by malicious people (4:14).

“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Let’s go after these things.  Let’s pursue unity, knowledge of Jesus, and maturity so that we will not be so weak in the faith. 

As remarkable as these things are, however, there’s one more aspect of Christ-likeness/living worthy lives that this passage focuses on above all the rest: loving unity. 

Paul paints an awesome picture of a loving Christian unity in this passage.  This picture isn’t, however, mainly one of a lack of disunity or divisions like we see in 1 Corinthians 1:10, (“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you”).  Instead, it’s a picture of a community of believers who, because of an overwhelming love for God and His people (Christlikeness/worthy living), find their joy in helping one another grow up in Christ (4:15).

The primary mark, in this passage, of a mature Christian or Christian community is found in verses 15-16:

Rather [than being immature/unChristlike], speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (4:11-16).

As we grow up in Christ, we’ll do what we were created to do in such a way that the Church will be able to do what it was created to do.  That is, as we live worthy lives, God will use us to build up His people to the point where we will corporately demonstrate the radical, transforming, glorious nature of the love of God in Christ!  As you and I live worthy lives together we’ll grow together as people of God in a kind of unity that will show off God!

How often have you walked into Grace Church so in love with God and so in love with His people here that you were obsessed, completely consumed, with the burden of helping your brothers and sisters grow in their faith, in their knowledge of the Son of God, into mature manhood and womanhood, into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (4:13)?

How often have you walked into Grace Church and felt someone else desire this kind of loving unity for you?

Too often we view Church like everything else in our lives…what’s it got to offer me?  Does the music fit my taste?  Do they have good enough ministries for my kids?  Can they fix my marriage?  Will I be accepted?  Will it entertain me sufficiently? 

In direct opposition to the all-too-common consumer mentality of so many Christians today is Ephesians 4:1-16.  The selflessness drips off of the page.  Just sit back for a minute and consider the wonderful, refreshing, life-giving picture of God’s people in this passage.  Imagine a group of people completely committed to loving you, serving you, supporting you, providing for you, protecting you, and pursuing maturity in faith with you.  More to the point of this passage, though, imagine you being that kind of person for others.

So that we’re sure not to miss it, Paul offers a list of examples (in 4:4-6) of the priority of unity for God.

“There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-  ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Paul’s point here, I believe, is that in order to show the importance of unity among God’s people, God has filled the Christian experience with undivided things.  God has built into His plan examples of unity to remind us of the priority of unity.

There are not multiple bodies of Christ, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

There are not multiple Holy Spirits, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

There are not multiple sacrifices for us to hope in, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

There are not multiple Lords of the universe, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

There are not multiple faiths through which we can be saved, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

There are not multiple baptisms prescribed for the Church, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

And there are not multiple supreme God’s, there is one…so be unified among yourselves.

This is the picture that Paul paints in this passage: we are called to live worthy lives with a particular attitude or disposition.  Living worthy lives means living Christ-like lives.  Chief among what it means to live a Christ-like life is living with a loving unity among the people of God. 

I hope that many of you are thinking that this all sounds great while feeling a bit overwhelmed.  The good news is that God has promised to help.

5.      Knowing that this is impossible (like all other things) for us to do on our own, Paul turns his attention to two instruments of help which God has provided His people in their attempt to walk worthily (particularly in the way of loving unity): 1) a diversity of gifts among Christians for the sake of the Church (4:7); and 2) the offices of apostle and prophet (which were for the early church and Israel respectively) and evangelist, pastor and teacher (which are for the Church still today) (4:11).

Paul starts to explain this help that God has provided for His people as they pursue worthy lives in verse 7.

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift” (4:7).

Then, in order to make sure that everyone is clear about the fact that it is God alone who provides this help, in Christ, Paul goes on a bit of a detour.  In 4:8-10 he quotes Psalm 68:18 and then engages in a brief discussion on the descension and ascension of Jesus.  Again, his point here is to remind us that that the gifts that we have, have been given to us by God.   

Paul then picks up his thought from verse 7 in verse 11. 

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (4:11-12).

It’s probably best to read 4:11-12 right after 4:7 in order to pick up what Paul’s really getting at. 

God has given us (all Christians) certain individual gifts and certain offices/officers in the church, each for the purpose of building up, or ministering to, the body of Christ as it pursues Christ-likeness. 

Step back for a minute and consider this.  If you are a Christian, God has given you gifts.  The purpose of your gifts is to build up or minister to other Christians…to help them live worthy lives.  And God has given you pastors, teachers, and evangelists to build you up or minister to you in order help you help others live worthy lives.

Your gifts, then, are not for your individual success, but for the building up of God’s people into loving unity so that God’s glory would be put on brilliant display as we stand out from the rest of the world.

And your pastors and elders, then, are not here for our personal, selfish gain, but to equip you to live worthy lives and to help others do the same.

What a remarkable picture of the church.  What a remarkable picture of ministry.  What a remarkable picture of Christian maturity.  I want so badly for this kind of loving unity to be the defining expression of Grace church—not the church with a lot of babies or the Packer fan for a head pastor or the best theology in Wyoming or the best youth programs or the church that meets in the old Red Hot Deals building—but the Church who so loves God and one another that everything is “working properly” and growing “so that it builds itself up in love” (4:16).    

There’s one more thing that I want to point out in this passage before I conclude. 

6.      Over all of this is Christ, who is the head of all God’s people.

We see clearly in verse 15 that Jesus Christ is the head of all.  This means that all of this is for Him and through Him and to Him.  He is the motivation, strength, Lord, and purpose of all our efforts.  We can do nothing without Him and everything that we do must be for Him.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”.

Jesus, not us, is the point of all this.  It is for His glory alone.

Again, the message of Ephesians 4:1-16 is that God calls His people to live worthy lives, that worthy lives are Christ-like lives, that the key aspect of worthy lives or Christ-likeness is loving unity, that God has provided help to His people as they seek to live worthy lives in the form of individual gifts and officers within the church (evangelists and pastors and teaches), and that it is Jesus Christ is the head of His people.

Back to the original questions

So, back to our original questions…why are you and I here?  According to this passage (see again 4:12), one of the most significant reasons that you should have for being here is to get and give help for living worthy lives.  And one of the most significant reasons that I should have for being here (as your pastor) is to equip you to do this.

When we talk about spiritual growth in 2011 be clear that this is as much a corporate thing as it is an individual thing.  There’s no such thing as purely individual spiritual growth.  True spiritual growth always has the people of God in mind.

And when we talk about ministry in 2011 be clear that it’s mainly about calling people (by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ) to live worthy lives for the glory of God. 

In conclusion, practically:

1.      Because we’re called to live worthy lives: Pray that God would allow you to hear the call to live a worthy life and go after it.

2.      Because we’re called to pursue worthy lives with certain attitudes: Pray that God would grant you the will and strength to pursue a worthy life with the right attitude while making changes in your life to reflect your commitment to having a right attitude (stop fighting and bragging and start encouraging and serving).

3.      Because living a worthy life means being more like Jesus: Read the gospels over and over and over in order to get to know Jesus better.

4.      Because a key aspect of worthy living/Christ-likeness is loving unity: For the sake of loving unity, pray that God would increase your love for Him and the people of Grace Church and be more a part of the church this year.  Be more faithful in your attendance on Sundays.  Be more involved with the different ministries designed to help you and others grow in your faith.  Have more people over to your house.  Invite more people to join you in the things that you do. 

5.      Because God has you gifts and pastors/elders to help you in this: Accept the help that God has given you and be the help that He as made you to be.  Use your gifts to serve the church in a new way in 2011.  Come alongside of someone this year (meet regularly with them) for the purpose of helping them live worthily.  And respond to the help that your pastors and elders offer (in the form of seminars and discipleship and such).

6.      Because Christ is the head of all: Cry out to God to help you find the areas in your life that you have not truly surrendered to Jesus and surrender them.

Amen.