Ephesians 4:1-2 – Berris Patience – 2025 11 09

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, (NASB 1995)

Transcript:

(Disclaimer: AI generated transcript. Accuracy may vary)

We have come to Ephesians chapter four and if you remember when I was doing pulpit supply, I went through in rapid succession the first 16 verses I believe of this text. Next, since we have time today, we’re gonna look at verses one and two. As Paul turns the page from the theological doctrinal aspect of chapters one, two and three and he is now focusing on the obligatory point of these truth that he has taught. What you’re going to find and what you’ll notice and that’s what we’re gonna be zooming in on today, walking worthily, is this is a theme or the topic the thought that I want to share on and speak on. But you’ll notice that this entire section, chapters four through the chapter six, is going to be telling us about our walk as believers and just going to into different details as to what that walk should look like in this first past. First section is gonna tell us about the walk. Should be one of Unity is gonna tell us how we should walk in terms of our Christian values of from our own individualized perspective. In the second half of chapter four, that’s where we’ll focus on going into chapter five. Actually that’s our conduct in terms of how we operate individually as believers. As again he says in verses one to 16, this is how we operate and conduct ourselves together as a body corporate body of believers. Latter part of chapter five, it tells us mainly husbands, how we conduct ourselves with regards to our marital relationship, our relationship with our kids as parents. And of course then he’ll sum sum it all up say, this is how we’re gonna be able to do this. This is how we’re going to be able to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling that we have been called to. And that is chapter six verses 10 and onward where he is inviting us and commanding us to put on the whole armor of God because that is how we’re gonna be enabled. That is what, that’s what’s gonna enable our walk in Christ. So chapter four verse one into, as Paul turns the corner and jumps right into unity and again something that wasn’t, isn’t familiar or isn’t unfamiliar to him in this context of this book so far, therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called with humility, all humility and gentleness with patience bearing with one another in love of Father. We’re so grateful and so thankful for you. We love your grace and your mercies. Thank you for these teachings. Thank you for your word. And Lord, as we turn the corner off, seeing the theology of you calling us your sovereignty, you bringing together two groups of people to yourself Lord. And now we turn to the obligatory aspect. Lord, I pray again that we will seek to not just be hearers but doers of your word. God, I pray that your spirit will speak through me to your people and that no one will leave here the same way in which they came. That we will grow and be more closer to the image of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ as we hear from your Lord and what he has to say to us. So give us receptive hearts, receptive ears and may you, may you be glorified and honored for Christ’s sake. Amen. When Queen Victoria was a child, she didn’t know she was in line for the throne of England. In her instructors trying to prepare, pre prepare her for the future, were frustrated at her because they couldn’t motivate her. She just didn’t take her studies seriously. Finally, her teachers decided to tell her that one day she would become the queen of England. Upon hearing this, Victoria quietly said, then I will be good. The realization that she had inherited this high calling or she was going to inherit this high calling, gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from this point on in her life. When she finally realized that I have a significant responsibility, I have a monumental calling ahead of me. I need to act and conduct my way of life in such a manner. Paul roots this appeal. And it is an appeal if you notice or if you’ve studied the the verse, it’s not a command interestingly, it’s a, it’s an appeal. He’s begging, he’s pleading to the the church in Ephesus to live their life in this manner. He roots his appeal on everything that was said previously. Hence that therefore so not just what was said in chapter three, but chapter one, two and three, this is where Paul is hinging his appeal to the church to continue to maintain or to walk in a manner that he’s worthy of the calling to which they were called the force of the this word. This conjunction therefore reaches as I said right back to the beginning of chapter one and this includes such the identity forming truths as the fact that you and I have been brought near to God by the blood of Jesus Christ. That they, that’s both Jews and Gentiles together form a new person in Christ, a new body in Christ, that they are a new covenant people. A covenant temple that God fills with his very presence. They have been made. You and I have been made alive in Christ and are joined to Christ by his resurrection and his exaltation. You and I have been saved and you and I have been redeemed and freed from the form of evil. And the list goes on and on. So pauses on this basis then I appeal to you. I am appealing to them. He has, he’s appealing to them that their behavior matches their, their what the calling, their behavior matches, their conduct, matches their calling. In other words. So in Paul’s thought, and especially in Ephesians, a change of life comes before good behavior. A change of life comes before good behavior. You have to change in order for that change to be seen outwardly. The new identity that they have in Christ, the new identity that you and I have in Christ ought to produce good works, good conduct in us. Paul does not command them as I mentioned earlier, but he appeals. He’s begging them. He’s pleading to them to walk worthy in a manner that is worthy of their calling. And this walk worthy is an expression that encompasses how we live in get this, every aspect of our lives is not exclusive. It’s not just for certain aspects, it’s not certain things Paul is saying this way should be manifested in your entire life. This calling is so high that every manner of every how you live think it doesn’t matter what it is. This is how you should operate. This is you should operate under this guise. John reminds us that we walk in the light in one John one verse seven, why? Because he Jesus Christ, God is in the light. And while Paul in Romans urges the believers to walk in the newness of life that Christ like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we also might walk in this newness of life. Romans six, verse four. Paul also tells us to walk by the spirit so that we will not fulfill the loss, the desires of the flesh in Galatians five verse 16. And he tells us in in second Corinthians five, seven, that we walk by faith, not by sight. So we see that the idea of walk in scripture, it’s all over scripture and it refers to your manner, refers to your conduct as a believer. So what I’m going to do is highlight a few passages from the Old Testament in particular of walking as we see it in the Bible. You walk with God according to his commandments. According to Deuteronomy five, verse 33. It says You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you to walk, that you may live and that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess. Psalm one very potent passage of scripture to us reminds us that the man who walks and blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly. He doesn’t stand in the seat of sinners or the way of sinners. He doesn’t sit in the seat of scornful. But what does that man walking or how does that man live his life that blessed man, his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on that law he meditates day and night, not just once in a while. He meditates on it constantly and he shall be. This is a result of him meditating on the word of God constantly in his life he shall be like a tree that’s planted by the waters, the rivers of waters that bring forth his fruit in its season. His leaves shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper. But the ungodly are not soul for they’re like shaft which wind drives away. What these verses are telling us is that there is a distinct and clear difference difference between the walk of a blessed man and the walk of the ungodly. And we saw that in Galatians five as well. There’s a distinct difference in the walking in the flesh as it as opposed to walking in the spirit. We do not conduct our ways, we do not conduct ourselves in the same way that the world does. We do not walk and conduct ourselves in the manner in which the world conducts themselves. Jeremiah seven verse 23. But this thing command them. I command them saying, obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people. And here’s the word again and walk in all my ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you. So despite the fact that Paul did not issue a command to the church here in the church of Ephesus, he did not have to because God’s word right throughout has so much to say in commanding the believers, in commanding God’s people who are called and set apart by God to walk according to his commands. We’re constantly commanded by like that Joshua 22 5. But take diligent heed to do the commandments and the law which Moses, the servant of the law Lord, charged you to love the Lord God with all your heart and to walk in his ways to keep his commandments, to cleave to him and to serve him with all your heart. To walk entails uprightness and it makes sense ’cause when you walk, if somebody’s slouching, you can tell or there’s something that isn’t right about their walk. ’cause you don’t walk crouch unless there’s something wrong with you. So it it entails uprightness. Proverbs two seven, he lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. He is a buckler for them that walk uprightly. We will also walk, as I mentioned earlier, newness of life according to Paul in Romans chapter six verse four. But we are also commanded not to walk, how not to walk. We don’t walk according to the flesh we don’t live our lives in according to the things of this world. We are living separately from the world. Paul reminds us in Romans eight verse one, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ to those who walk not after the flesh, but those who walk according to the spirit of God. Our walk folks is a worthy walk and it’s a walk that we’re commanded to conduct ourselves in such a way that the world can see and will see a difference in us. And that’s why so many churches, you look at them and you can’t tell that they’re actually a church apart from the label that they carry. You see so many Christians and you see them Sunday mornings and they’re all haloed up over the head. But during the week you look at them and you, you can’t tell that that person is a believer in Christ. You the world can’t tell that there is something different about this individual that should not be how our lives are. Even if the world can’t tell that we’re acting in a manner, that manner because we’re believers they should see something different in us. And that is what Paul is urging the believers here to do, to walk in a manner that is worthy of your calling. It is a worthy walk that is pleasing to God. It’s a walk that produces fruit of righteousness and goodness. We walk according to the rule of the gospel according to Philippians three 16. And John reminds us, I quoted that passage earlier. We walk in accordance to the light. We don’t walk in darkness because we do not serve the master of darkness. Now we see in Genesis five an instance of a godly walk in Genesis five verse 24 with Enoch, Enoch walk with God. And it was well pleasing to God so pleasing that God decided that he’s just gonna take him to heaven in Genesis six, nine, the generations, these are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and perfect man in his generation. Can that be said of us? Can the world look at us and say we are just in the entirety of this world, in the entirety of this community. Bible said Noah was a just and perfect man in his generation and Noah walked with God. That is why he was just, that is why he was perfect in his generation because he walked with God. He knew that the importance of his calling, he knew even before Paul ever pinned or even was born, the importance of walking according to the manner in which God called him to walk. Your calling commands this walk, folks your calling commands this walk. What these verses are, the verses that I refer to tell us is that we have been set apart. We have been set apart to live a life that is completely different from the world in which we live. This is what Jesus Christ prayed for his disciples and for us that God would keep us from the evil one. Not to take us out of the world but to keep us from the evil one. ’cause we are in the world but we are not off the world. The word for called is mainly used by Paul and it is a technical, in a technical sense, is a call of invitation of salvation by God to mankind to accept salvation that is offered through the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. This invitation is given outwardly by the pro proclamation of the gospel and inwardly by the working of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. So let us look then at this calling that Paul is talking about that we’re called to theologians, especially in the reformed tradition, have discussed a distinction between a general and an effectual call. General calling is a term applied to the universal offer of salvation made to all without distinction again through the preaching of the word of God. And as such it meets with a wide variety of responses which makes sense. Effectual calling however is the event or process whereby people are brought into a state of salvation. And consequently it is restricted in its scope. It is an act of God’s grace. It is an act of God’s power by which he God sovereignly unites us to Christ. And we saw this in chapter one, the calling that God has called us to God, the Fathers, a specific agent of this call, not only inviting but powerfully and graciously introducing us into his kingdom according to his eternal plan and in his eternal purposes in our Savior and our Lord Jesus Christ, which can never be undone. Hence the effectual Calling is a sovereign act of God and it can in no way, shape or form be revoked. It is the initial step in the application for redemption on which faith and justification and adoption are hinged. But there’s also sanctification that we need to work towards progressive sanctification in the, it is associated in the New Testament with God’s ultimate purpose for his people, for fellowship with our Lord and our savior Jesus Christ. This is a high and upward calling that Paul talks about in Philippians chapter three, verse 14, Paul saying, I have not yet attained but Paul saying I press towards the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The heavenly calling that we see in Hebrews chapter three verse one, ours, ours is a holy calling according to two Timothy one verse nine. Hence Paul pleads to the believers. Paul could have easily made this a command, but he’s urging them because this is something that we should, we need to work at. This is something that we ought to be doing as believers to conduct our lives in a manner which is worthy of the calling to which we have been called. And as we will see in verse four, our calling is not one that is of placelessness, but rather one that is full of hope because of the Holy Spirit of God who in dwells us. In other words, the the demands of our call, the demands for your call is not unattainable. The demand for your call is not impossible. Paul isn’t painting a picture for us that he knows we can’t attain. Paul isn’t urging the believers to do something that he knows they cannot do or he himself is incapable of doing. On the contrary, he knows that this is possible. He knows that this is a life that we ought to be living among the world And he wants us to be a difference in the world. God demands that we look different from the world and you’re gonna see this world over and over in this passage, a walk, walk, walk, conduct your lives as believers. And you think that this is something that doesn’t need to be said. You think, you think that Paul saying this is, oh well obviously that’s stating the obvious. But sadly as I mentioned, this isn’t the norm in Christianity, especially in the day and age in which we’re living in. We’re Christianity, we have what I call convenient Christianity. You do things that are convenient to you. You want the benefits and the blessing that comes with Jesus Christ. All of those things that Paul listed in chapter one, I want those. But the chapter three, chapter four and onwards, I don’t want to live like that ’cause I like the world. I like the pleasure of the world. I like the things of the world. My friends are doing it and they’re looking at me and I and calling me names saying I’m foolish, I’m a fanatic or whatever it is. It is not the norm in Christianity that today folks, for that we live out the Bible and we praise God for when brothers, when men and women stand and say this is God’s word, I’m living by it because I’m called to live by it. We praise God for you. We praise God for men and women like that because that’s not normal out there. The world saying no, you need to look more like us and the church and so-called Christians are being gravitated and being drawn to look more and more like the world that is anti-biblical. And that’s not what we’re called to possible. We are to be to live, to conduct our lives in how God has called us to live it. And our lives have been called to be look extraordinarily different than the world that is out there. So Paul goes into the list in verses verse two, after he makes this a appeal, walk in a mother, conduct your lives in accordance with how you have been saved according to the calling that you have been called to. And he said, this is how you do this with all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing one another in love, the personal quality of being free from arrogance and pride and having an accurate estimate of one one’s worth and capsules. Humility. That’s humility. The personal quality of being free from arrogance and pride and having an accurate estimate of one’s worth. In the Old Testament this, this quality of humility is connected with Israel’s lowly experience as slaves in Egypt. How were they when they were in Egypt? Poor afflicted and suffering people. The Hebrew word translated as humility is like a another Hebrew word meaning to be afflicted. So in the Old Testament thought, humility was closely associated with individuals who were poor and afflicted What God desires most is not outward sacrifices What humble spirit, Psalm 51 reminds us of this Micah six eight. Another text that reminds us of this, such a humble spirit shows itself in several ways. One, there’s a recognition of one’s sinfulness before a righteous holy and just God. That’s the conclusion that Isaiah came to when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and how magnificent and glorious God was in his, in his temple. Isaiah came to one conclusion, he condemned himself actually. He said, woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips. And not only did Isaiah saw his own sinfulness before a holy and righteous God, he realized I’m not the only one. I live among a people that are very sinful and I need to change that is humbling ourselves before God. So it’s a recognition of one’s sinfulness before God. It is also obedience to God. It is also submission submitting ourself to him and to his will. The Old Testament promised blessings to those who are humble. Proverbs 11 verse two, blessings to those who are humble. Wisdom is one good tidings. Isaiah six verse one. That’s the passage that Jesus quoted. Honor is another. The experience of many kings indicated that those who humble themselves before God will be exalted. Those who do not humble themselves before God will be afflicted. The pathway to revival according to two Chronicles seven 14 is humility Jesus not only strongly impressed on his disciples, the need for humility, the need for them to be humble, but Jesus Christ lived and exemplified humility. One instance of course is the washing of the disciple’s feet. But another great example of Christ’s humility is him going to the cross as depicted for us in Philippians chapter two, he humbled himself to the point of this death. Jesus Christ described himself as meek and lowly in heart. And the first of the beatitudes are goes like this. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those that are humble and it’s meek. We’re told that we’ll inherit the earth. Humility is the way to true greatness. Again, this is anti-culture. Humble people don’t, aren’t great. They don’t proceed and don’t go on to greatness. He who should be humble or should humble himself as a child will be Jesus Christ as the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled. But the humble shall be exalted. To be humble of mind. To be humble in the mind is truth revealed. Jesus said a touching example as I mentioned earlier, washing the feet of the disciples. So Paul therefore makes an earnest appeal to the Christians that they should cherish and manifest the spirit of their lord’s humility in Philippians, in loneliness of mind, each counting each other to be better than themselves and present a supreme example for us in Christ emptying himself going to the cross. But there’s also false humility that we need to be aware of and this still needs to be guarded against. We’re called to be humble people. Paul believed that the quality relationship with other people, especially those who have aired spiritually hinge on the presence of humility, the New Testament affirms and also the Old Testament that God will exalt and God will bring low. We have to be humble. We have to humble ourselves before the mighty end of God so that he will exalt us in due time. It is a quality and Paul is setting the tone here that if we are going to be a united as we are commanded to do and commanded to be, we have to be humble in spirit. We have to be gentle as well. This trait goes hand in hand with humility and it carries a similar meaning in fact, hence why Paul puts them together. And this gentleness carries the idea of condescending, our bending low, something again that Jesus Christ did for us. He condescended, he bent low. This image, it gives us the image of a parent or an adult who a child comes up to and you want to hear what that child is saying and you bend down to go to their level so you can hear them. This is gentleness. And of course humility has the idea of being brought low, whether it’s passive or active and they go hand in hand. We have to be humble if we are going to walk this Christian walk. Humility and gentleness is going to be a significant aspect of our walk. And it’s interesting that Paul mentioned these two things first and without humility, without bringing ourselves low, without thinking of the other person, more than I think of myself without condescending to the other person’s level, we can’t be patient with them and we will not be patient with them. Which is the other calling. Our aspect of our calling being patient. Patient is active, endurance of opposition, it’s not passive, it’s active. Patience is endurance, it is steadfastness, it is long suffering, it is forbearance and we’re gonna come to forbearance momentarily. We’re told in Romans 15, five that God is patient. Hebrews are in Exodus, we’re told that he’s his anger, he’s slow to anger in relation to the children of Israel. And he’s slow to anger to us as well. The Hebrews were frequently rebellious and to what? To that many of us who say amen, but so are we. But God patiently dealt with them. And Jesus’ parable on the Tess depicts God’s patience with his people in Mark 12. God’s patience with sinners allow them, allow us time to repent according to Romans two, verse four, especially as the day of Christ draws near God’s people ought to be patient. If we’re gonna emulate Christ, we ought to be patient as well. The psalmists learn to be patient when confronted with the prosperity of the wicked. And Christians should face adversity patiently. Not something that we want, not something that we desire, but we should. Patience as we saw in Galatians five is one of the fruits of the spirit. It’s something that the Holy Spirit of God works within us. Christian Love is patient. If um, one Corinthians three or 13 sorry and ministers are called and commanded to be patient, patient Christians need to be patients, We need patients to endure persecution. And Hebrews stress, endurance as an alternative for shrinking back during adversity. Again, Jesus Christ. Great example of endurance and we’re told in Hebrews chapter 12 verses one to three that we have to look to Jesus patiently. Perseverance is a part of maturity if we’re gonna grow in Christ and we, there’s no better example of this than Job in all the suffering that he went through and job’s. Perseverance is another example of Christian suffering. And John frequently highlights our highlighted endurance of the believers. And we, how often do we look at patience as a gift from God? It’s something that we don’t like to pray for because we know what comes when we pray for patience. We don’t just automatically become patient. There’s something that comes with it and that’s why we don’t like praying for it. It comes with adversity because that’s how we’re gonna work out and become patient. James tells us that the trying, the testing of your faith produces endurance, but it is a gift from God. I know this because we just referenced that, that it’s a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. Fascinating passage of scripture when God revealed himself to Moses and he said this, the Lord, the Lord, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger. There is that word, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. God displays his patience to us as a sinful people. He did that with Paul. He continues to be patient not wishing that any should perish. According to Peter in two Peter three. So as God’s people then Paul urges his readers to emulate the correcter trait of his father. And he’s gonna tell them that in chapter five, be imitators of God as his dear children. He wants them to look like their father. It is an aspect of the fruit of the spirit. Paul is urging them. Be patient with one another. But if we’re gonna be patient, we have to be humble. We have to submit ourselves to God, we have to submit ourselves to each other. We have to display gentleness towards one another. These are the hallmarks and these are the the first stepping stones of how we are gonna conduct our ma our lives in a manner in which we have been called. Paul ends this section with saying bearing. So he says Walk, conduct your life, conduct your way in a manner that makes people, make other believers See that your Christians make live your lives in such a way that the world will see a difference. And again, we are called to this very thingy. Paul often addresses the believers as saints. And that word there carries the idea of ones who are set apart. We’re set apart from the world but we’re set apart to God. Same word that is is used for holy. We’re we’re set apart to God. We’re set apart from the world. We should look different from the world. And we have to conduct our lives in such a manner. And this is how we do it. We are called to be people that are humble, not are puffed up, that are arrogant, humble people. Gentle people, qualities that depict and explains and describes Jesus Christ to us. In other words, Paul could have said in this entire chapter or in these verses, live like Jesus Christ and he would’ve hit the nail right dead on the head. Just live like Jesus Christ. ’cause that’s your calling. That’s my calling. That’s our calling as believers for the world is gonna pressure us and they are pressuring us and they’re gonna continually pressure us. But we have to stand firm. We have to stand firm. And that’s why he prayed this prayer that we looked at last week and the week before. Because he know these things aren’t gonna be easy. They’re not gonna come naturally. They’re not gonna come normally Be humble among each other. Be gentle, be patient with one another. That is be long suffering. Yes, it’s annoying and it’s frustrating and it’s aggravating when it’s the same thing over and over. We have kids, our grandkids and it’s like the chorus. You keep the same thing over and over and over and it’s like man alive. But every so often I get slapped behind the head, metaphorically like how often does God have to put up with you with the same thing over and over and over again. But he’s patient towards us and that’s the quality that he wants us to emulate as well. And once we get these qualities down pat, we’ll be able to bear our put up. That’s another word, our phrase for this word. Put up with one another in love as Paul said. So to present the idea once again unity. ’cause that’s he’s gonna branch off into unity after this verse or after this phrase, unity among the body, unity among the believers. He uses a word or a phrase here that is already depicting unity, bearing up, putting up with one another. And even that word, that phrase one another, it occurred so many times in the passages that gore chose to read that this phrase derives from the Greek word, which means one another. Each other mutually or reciprocally. It occurs about at least a hundred times in the New Testament a hundred times. The one another here, Approximately 59 of those occurrences are specific commands teaching us how to relate and how not to relate to one another. Obedience to those commands are extremely imperative and it forms the basis for all true Christian community and it has a direct impact on our witness to the world. How we relate to one another Has an impact on the world. And John one, one of the things I absolutely love about the epistle of one John is that he hammers this idea home of art abiding with each other as we abide in Christ. And one of the main points that John tries to highlight in in his book or in this epistle is that our relationship with each other affects our relationship with God. And you’ve heard me say this before and I’ll say it again. So there’s no such thing as a Christian who says all that matters is my relationship between me and my God. Doesn’t matter how I live with you, all that matters is my relationship between me and my God. And I’ll be good. That’s not biblical. And John makes this abundantly clear. John says, your relationship with God is going to affect your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. And your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ will by default, whether you like it or not, is going to affect your relationship with God. So if I look at you individually and see that you have a horrible relationship with your brothers in Christ, I don’t need to ask if you have a good relationship with God according to John, you don’t. That’s just the truth of the matter. So it is very imperative for us and they will know that we’re Christians how, how we relate. John says by our love for each other. And that love manifests itself in many different forms. The humility, the patience, the gentleness, the long suffering bearing, putting up with one another. That’s how the world will look at us and know that these people are believers or they’re different. At least if they don’t know what they’re seeing, they’re gonna see a difference in us. And they saw that in acts. They saw that in the book of Acts. The believers were first called Christians in Antioch, acts chapter 16. Why? Because they were acting like little jesuses. They were living in harmony. They were had one mind, they were so united. It was unbelievable. And the world saw that difference in them. We have the same spirit as we’re gonna see in Acts chapter two this coming Wednesday. It’s the same spirit folks. It’s the same spirit that indwells these believers in the early church that we have within us, the same spirit that was promised and gifted to us. What am I saying? We have the ability to live the same way the early church lived because he’s in us and he can He enable us to do that. It’s the same God that we serve God the Father, God the Son, the same God. So why is it so vastly different in the first century than it is today? In addition to this word that Paul uses alon, the Bible uses different words and phrases that has the same meaning of how to relate to one another. So the word here is putting up or the phrases putting up with. And it can also be translated, enduring with or bearing with as the translation in front of me renders it. It is a term that is sometime used for enduring persecution. And in the synoptic gospels, Jesus uses it to express his exercise of to tolerance for the lack of faith among his disciples. How long shall I put up with you? Paul urges here in the text before us urges his readers to have an attitude of love tolerating the faults and sometime grading personality quirks of others in the church because we all stumble in many ways. James reminds us and we all need to have people to be patient with us like God has been patient with us. Earnest one author best explains it this way. No one ever finds it easy to see and allow for a point of view and the actions of others within the community, Christian do not escape this, but have regularly to deal with what they regard as the faults of their fellow Christians. And for this essential love, it’s hard for us. And that’s why Jesus used that analogy. Take the speck outta your eyes. It’s hard for us to accept the faults of people. It’s hard for us to deal with it. It’s hard for us to be gentle with people about it. It’s hard for us to be long suffering. It’s hard for us to put up with. But that is a life that we’re called to. That is a life that we are called to the church of the second century uses very same language bearing with each other in unity. That is the life that we are called to folks bearing with one another, being patient towards one another, putting up with one another. We are different people. We’re not all the same. Again, this is countercultural because if you think and act differently than the world, then you’re labeled as so many different colorful names because you’re supposed to think like them. No, we’re different. And I’m not saying we should put up with the false and the sin, but even those we should be patient with, we should be patient with them, deal with it. Yes. But we have to bear. We have to put up with one another walk in a matter that is worthy of your calling. It’s a high calling. Again, remind yourself of all that was listed and written in chapters one to three. And Paul is saying, this is a life that you’re called to live. This is the life you’re called to live. Live this life among your believers. Live this life among the world. But I must also add, live this life privately because your private life doesn’t exclude your calling in Christ Jesus. You’re still called to live that life because God is your witness. God is our witness. And he sees, and it’s his command that say you need to live in a manner in that I’ve called you to live. And when we practice humility, when we practice gentleness, patience, putting up with each other, we’ll be well on the way to this kind of lifestyle to walking in this manner. And as I said, it’s no surprise that Paul adds these first before he gets into the unity talk. The implication is we will never be able to have unity or perfect unity in the body of Jesus Christ until these things are manifested on our very evident in our lives individually and corporately. And that’s why he used Jesus and the God the triune godded as our example of unity. Because all of these traits exists in the Godhead. A man in the army of Alexander the Great, we all know that name, whose name was also Alexander, was accused of cowardly actions. So he was brought before Alexander the Great and Alexander the Great asked this man, what’s your name? And he softly replied, Alexander, So So Alexander the Great said, I can’t hear you. So the man said it a little louder this time, Alexander, the process was repeated once more after which Alexander the great commented either you change your name or you change your conduct. Because cowardness implication as you I’m sure figured out, is not a correct trait of mine. It’s not. And if you’re gonna go around parading this name, which you have had from birth, change your conduct. But if not, change your name. We can’t change our name. We’re Christians we’re called according to his purposes. We have been set apart before the foundations of the world. We have been chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundations of the world. So we can’t change our names, Christian Little Christ. So what does that mean? We only have one option. Change our conduct. Change our conduct. And as Paul will get into, it’s not a hopeless calling. He’s not pleading us to do something that is impossible or unattainable. We have the enablement of the Holy Spirit of God in us so that we can walk and we can live in a manner that is pleasing, well pleasing to God. That’s our calling. That’s how we walk. And of course, as we’ll see next week you’ll get into walking in unity. But if we are gonna ever get to this point where we’re united as a body of believer, these character traits has to be fleshed out in our lives individually and corporately. And may God strengthen us and give us the ability to live our lives corporately as Bowmanville Baptist Church individually in our communities, in our workplaces, in our home as members of Bowmanville Baptist Church and privately as not only members of Bowmanville Baptist Church, but members of the body of Jesus Christ. That we live our lives in such a way that people will see a difference, that people will see that there is something significantly different about this individual in how they conduct themselves. Wouldn’t that be something if this is the Church of God, not just speaking to us. I know that we’re here, but the church universal. How many stories have you heard? How many stories have you heard about believers, professing believers who look anything like that because of how they conduct themselves? May that never be named among us here. May we be seen as a people that live our lives in honor to God. Not because we’re trying to impress them out there, but because we’re trying to be living obedience to the word of God and because we’re seeking with every fiber for a being to please the one who has called us, who has called me on when we analyzed that he didn’t have to choose bears before the foundations of the world in Christ. It’s the least we can do living our lives for him. And we have so many examples of that. And again, greatest example is our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. So let us walk in according to our calling, father, we’re so thankful for your great love, your mercies and your grace, Lord, and hard, hard Paul urged. The believers didn’t even make it a command. But Lord, so many other passages, scriptures that we’ve looked at, our walk, our conduct of life, our manner of living is a command of yours because you have set us apart. You have called us to a high calling, set us apart to yourself, to look different from the world, to live differently from the world, to live a different life than the one that we have been living prior to salvation. God, I pray through the power of your spirit and the convicting power of your word that will continue, Lord, to live the life that you’ve called us to live. God enable us to be humble. People enable us to be people that are of gentleness, patience. And I know we don’t like praying for that Lord, because you bring circumstances, hard circumstances in our lives to iron out patience in our lives. But God, we need it. May we be enabled to put up with each other the differences because Lord, that’s another beautiful aspect of the body of Christ. The variety, the different cultures, the different mannerisms. Not putting up with sin and bad conduct, but putting up with each other, being patient towards each other and even in the context of sin, while dealing with that. Not easy for us to do Lord, but through your spirit we’re capable of doing so. Speak to each heart that’s here and continue to grant peace, continue to grow and mature each and every believer that are here this morning or this afternoon, more and more into the image of our Savior, your son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.