A Walk That Is Worthy - Shahe Gergian

You know, the Bible gives us many examples.

Of those who were called. We can look through the pages of

the old New Testament and find many stories of men and women

who have been called throughout time just one that comes to mind

is in Matthew chapter 4. And this is Jesus.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

After he's been baptized by, John the Baptist, and he's will

begin reading in there, in verse 17.

This is after he was tempted by the devil as well.

And Matthew chapter 4 beginning in verse 17, the Bible says

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

there from that time. Jesus began to preach and to

say, repent for the kingdom of Of Heaven is at hand and Jesus

walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers Simon called

Peter and Andrew. His brother, casting a net into

the sea for they were fishermen. Then he said to them, follow me.

And I will make you, Fishers of Men.

They immediately left their Nets and followed him going on from

there. He saw two other brothers,

James, the son of Zebedee and John, his brother, in the boat,

with Zebedee, their father, mending their Nets, he called

them and immediately, they left the boat of and their father,

and followed him. So here we have an example of

Jesus directly out of out of his own mouth calling these men to

follow him. And if we look back into the Old

Testament, we can think about stories of Abraham how God from

Heaven called, Abraham directly to leave his home and to leave

that, which he knew to go in to serve him.

So some people say and some people might think, well, you

know, if God would just talk to me and if God would just come to

me and call me, I would, I would drop everything.

I would, I would disregard everything as we talked about

this morning a little bit and I would serve him and follow him.

But, you know, when people say that the story that always comes

to my mind is the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

And you remember when Lazarus was there and torment after he

had begged for just a drop of water?

He asked if someone could be sent from the dead to talk to

his Brethren to convince them that they should live, right?

Because they don't want to end up where he ended up, you know,

that was a rich man. And if I just said Lazarus,

after the rich, man, wanted he wanted someone to go to talk to

his Brethren so that they wouldn't end up where he was in

torment. And you remember the Bible says

that they have Moses and the prophets.

And as I paraphrase, the Bible tells us that if his Brethren

are going to listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't even

listen to someone who's come back from the dead.

So you see, when we're called today by the Bible, by the word

of God, it has just as much impact.

And just as much significance as those who were called before, by

God himself, or by Jesus himself, It's just as important

and the calling is just as important.

And the service to God is just as important as it was, for

Abraham as it was for Peter, and for Simon, and for James and

John as it was for any who were called directly by either God or

Christ. So that's important for us to

understand that the calling that we received through God's word

and through the preaching and teaching of it is just, as

important as it was to those who have been called directly by

God. God.

So I wanted to make that point before we get into what we

really want to talk about which is walking in a worthy way or

walk a w having a walk that's worthy of that calling you know

sometimes when people We'll ask you, how are you or, how are you

doing, things that come to our mind, you know, in way of

response to a question like that?

And I know it's a very everyday day-to-day question, sometimes.

We don't even give much thought to how our reaction is.

But, you know, sometimes will think about our health.

When someone asks us, how are you?

And we'll respond based on our current health situation.

Sometimes when someone asks how are you will think about maybe

some some problems or some financial troubles that were

having and will respond based on that?

Sometimes it'll just be based on our mood, whatever kind of

attitude or mood. We have that day.

But you know, when when we're asked how how we are or how are

we doing? Sometimes we don't think about

How well, we really are doing. Sometimes we tend to focus on

the bad. We've talked about that idea.

Before here we focus on the bad, we focus on what our most recent

problem is or what are our most recent trouble is.

And when we talk to people about how our life is going, or how

our day is going even, sometimes we don't focus on the things

that are the most important and and for us, We have been called

to do something. That is greater and more

significant than anything. Anyone could do in this world,

and that's to serve God. And when we live, and when we go

about our daily walk in our daily, our business, and whether

it's school or work or whatever we need to, remember that what's

really important to us? And what we really answered a

call to do is greater than anything we could be doing in

this life, anything So serving God is greater than any other

activity. We could, we could even think to

do in this life, you know, we have physical dreams and

aspirations and those are fine. We strive to be better.

We strive to do, you do more fun things or more adventurous

things? Every time I see Roger bun, I

always think about how he likes to bungee jump and I always ask

them, what's the next thing you want to do?

You know, you're going to want to bungee jump off a bridge or,

you know, we can strive to like, accomplish those kinds of things

or we can strive to do adventurous things and that's

okay. But as far as our service to God

is concerned, that is the most important thing.

Ever do ever. So, when someone talks to us

about how we're doing, should always be a positive reaction.

We're serving God, after we be doing any better.

How could we be doing any better?

So that's important for us to know when we think about walking

worthily, Paul in this letter to the Ephesians, he talks a lot

about what it is that we are we have been blessed with he tells

us that we're blessed, he tells us that were chosen.

He tells us that were predestined that were adopted

that were accepted that were redeemed and then we're forgiven

all in a couple of chapters that here.

Rights to these brethren in Ephesus, that's important for us

to know. That we're all of those things.

And that we should remember that but I suppose the deeper

question is does our Behavior match?

What it is that we believe to be true and does our walk match

what it is that we speak or what it is that we what the words are

that we believe in? Is there a lifestyle that we can

live? That's worthy to this great and

awesome calling and there are a lot of words that we could talk

about or just try to describe if that's the case.

But we're just going to study what Paul has written to these

brethren. Earth.

He says, first of all, that it's a walk.

And I think that's an important analogy for us to think about,

you know, we talked about running life's race and and

Paul, of course, himself. We get that from his teachings

as well. But you know, the idea of walked

to me, depicts the idea of moving forward and I know that

seems simplistic, right? But if you think about run, or

if you think about someone running, you think about someone

making great progress in a short amount of time?

Time. But what happens when you run

when you run, you get tired a lot faster, don't you?

When you run you don't have as much energy to go all the way.

So Paul says we walk which means we are constantly moving forward

and I think a lot of what it is that we do from day to day as we

talked about, as uncle Frankie talk about this morning is we

only have to be a Christian today.

We only have to live the Christian Life today.

We'll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes and that's the

Idea to me of walking, as we just keep walking.

And however, many days we get to walk, we keep walking.

We can walk a long time just as physical being without getting

tired. We truly can.

And spiritually in the same sense we can go on forever.

If we keep the, we keep the right pace.

So he tells us first that this is a walk that this life is a

walk. Now, back in Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

2, it was kind of a different situation.

The Paul describes, their, Paul talks about how in the world

when we were apart from Christ. There was no purpose.

There was no goal. There was no progress.

We were kind of just Meandering and we were wandering about from

Darkness from this Darkness to that.

That and whichever The Winds of the world blue.

We kind of just went that way. But with Jesus, we have Forward

Motion, we have progress and that's the picture that Paul

makes here. So the question becomes, where

we going or, how is it that we are living to our lives.

Truly reflect God's glory Colossians 1:27 says to them,

Colossians 1:27

God, willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of

this mystery, among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you

the hope of glory. So, do our lives.

Reflect that that kind of beautiful word.

Do our lives. Reflect what it is that it's

supposed to or what it is that we have accepted to attempt as

Christians we have been called by God to live a life.

That demonstrates his love and his grace and his Mercy to the

rest of the world and it's a matter of life and perspective

and attitude. So we're going to talk about

three, I think three ideas that Paul says here, the Paul lays

out for us here that are things that we need to consider and

think about when we talk about walking a worthy walk and the

first thing is do we have the right perspective?

Do we have the right perspective?

Paul begins this chapter by talking about how he was a

prisoner for the Lord. Now, Paul was literally a

prisoner. He was literally in bonds.

He was imprisoned and he could not leave where he was.

But here, when Paul talks about being a prisoner he puts it in a

different perspective than sometimes.

We would think here. He talks about being a prisoner

of the Lord. And, you know, his words then

that follow really ring a lot more.

They have a lot more weight behind him.

It seems like because when he starts about talking about how

he's a prisoner of the Lord, that gets your attention, then

you want to listen, As if he didn't have enough Authority and

already being an apostle. Now, he's basically saying live

what I teach because what I teach I live as well.

So his words here have a lot of weight behind them because he

has living what he is preaching. He is living exactly what it is,

that he is preaching, and it's possible that if Paul had never

decided to fully yield to Jesus and fully accept Jesus, And full

decide fully to live for him that he wouldn't have been in

prison. Fact, we know he wouldn't have

So he's making a statement right away, right off the bat here

that he is a prisoner but he's doing it because he's doing it

for the Lord. And I suppose a that I would

like to follow someone that does say that and practices what they

preach. Sometimes we talk about double

standards in this world. We talked about contradictions,

we talked about compromises and these are all things that are

stumbling blocks for authenticity authenticity.

So when Paul practices what he preaches we are inclined to

listen to him and for good reason Paul has lived for Jesus

to the point of imprisonment. He's not living in a mansion

somewhere. He's not driving that nice, new

Mercedes-Benz Chariot, he's not lapped and luxury as sometimes

we see people who are so-called evangelist today but he's living

a life. That's reflective of his

teaching on how to live. So he says, I beseech you there

and chat. Let's read chapter 4, verse 1

again. So we understand exactly what

the verse is telling us again. It says, I therefore, the

prisoner of the lord, we covered that.

Then Paul says, beseech, you to walk worthy of the calling, of

which you were called. Now, this word besiege or this

phrase. I beseech.

You can also be translated I beg you or I exhort you the word

beseech in the Greek, also can be to call Near or to comfort or

to council. And it's the same word that's

used to describe the works of the Holy Spirit Paul Begins by

telling us that beseeching us and this way or or, or exhorting

us in this way to walk a walk. That is worthy of our calling.

You know, I find often that stumbles and and frustrations

can get in our way And that's certainly true today.

Often we try to walk in a way that is apart from our calling

often. There are those who try to live

without live right without being right first.

You know, they try to go through the motions without changing the

inside. They try to do the routine

without first making. Right?

What needs to be made, right? And that's the heart.

So Paul is telling us to walk worthy of the calling that we've

been called, but he doesn't tell us to act.

Worthy or he doesn't tell us to fake.

Worthiness is my point. He's not telling us to just go

through the motions. He's saying that we have to

live. We have to live in a way that is

worthy and we're going to talk about that a little more.

I don't want to get too far ahead of ourself.

So here's the danger, it can be easy to believe that we are the

initiators and that God is the responders sometimes.

People think that way that if we are, you know, if we pray enough

or if we give enough, or if we do enough, then God will bless

us because of all the things that I've done and we talked

about this last time when I was up here.

It's not because of anything special.

It's not because we are anything amazing, that makes us Worthy.

There's nothing that we have done and that's especially

Grandeur. Great of our own of our own you

know divisiveness or whatever. That's makes us worthy.

We are worthy because he made us worthy.

So since he made us worthy since God has made each and every one

of us worthy. Now, we have the obligation to

walk a certain way. Now we have the obligation and

the duty. To respond to that worthiness,

he's given us. And that's the lifestyle choice

that we've made. So it's not something that we

are especially great at You know, not because shot, hey, is

better than anyone else that he can walk this this life or he

can walk this walk and he worthier than ever to anyone

else because he's that much more special.

It's not that at all we all have the same opportunity.

All have the same ability to walk as a Christian because God

has given that to us. Not because we've given it to

ourselves and that's an excuse me.

And that's important for us to know as well.

Nehemiah 8 and 10 says, then he said to them go your way.

Eat the That drink the sweet and send portions to those who for

whom nothing is prepared. For this day is Holy to our

Lord. Do not sorrow for the joy of the

Lord is your strength. The joy of the Lord is your

strength. So with the right perspective, I

think that it helps us to walk a little bit See, we have to have

the right frame of mind to have the right way of looking at it.

When we think about all the things that we can't do, oh, how

I wish I could do all those things I used to do, that's the

wrong perspective. That's the wrong perspective.

Oh man, just everyday. I just, I'm so tempted.

I can't even take it. I just want to give in, that's

the wrong perspective. We have to have the same

respective that Paul had. Yeah, I'm prisoner but I'm a

prisoner for the Lord. Yeah, I've suffered but I suffer

for the cause of price. Yes I'm persecuted.

But I do it because my calling is higher than that persecution.

And that's the right perspective, that's the right

perspective that we all have to have we all have to have that.

But in addition to the right perspective, I think Paul tells

us that we also have to have something else.

We also have to have the right position.

We have to have the right position as well, in chapter 4

again, in verse two and three, let's read those verses.

So after he beseeches us to walk worthy of the calling of which

we were called, he says to do. So in this way with all

lowliness and gentleness with long-suffering bearing with one

another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit of

the in the bond of Peace. So This is the position that he

wants us to. After we've got the perspective,

now he gives us the position. He says to do this with all

lowliness with meekness and a life lived in the grace of God,

I think leads to lowliness. And I think that we can see that

easily the word, lowliness literally means to be brought

low. It's the opposite of asserting

yourself. There are some people that

aren't that, simply are not happy, unless they are the

center of attention, where all their ideas are preeminent,

where their voices heard above, Anyone else's where they are

constantly center stage stage at all times.

Those people want to lift themselves up to be recognized

by others. Philippians chapter 2 and verse

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

3 says, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.

But with humility of Mind, regard one another as more

important than yourselves, So those people that just want to

be elevated, those people that just want to be a little bit

better than everybody else. God doesn't accept that.

God does mix-up that. I read once about a young

Seminary Student in Scotland, he was highly gifted and a leading

student in the school because of his reputation and excellent.

Grades, a local church, invited him to teach their one Sunday

morning since he was a rising star in that denomination.

He entered the pulpit with great pride and expectations, when he

stood before the congregation to preach, he was confused.

He was overtaken with fear and Stage Fright, he couldn't say a

word. He began to Cry and weep and ran

out of the church. Humiliated, then a sweet dear

elderly member, followed him out the door and caught up with him.

She shared these insightful words with him at that time.

She said, young man, if you had only walked into the pulpit as

you came down, you would have walked down the way you went up.

That is with all lowliness and meekness.

So see the point is is that if we go into a situation or we

live this life, with the Dude, of being lonely and being meet.

God will raise us up. God will lift us up in the end.

I know a lot of people who just like to be number one all the

time. I know a lot of people who just

they want to be Top Dog all the time.

Maybe they just like the praise of men.

I know a lot of people that like that too, but for the Christian,

that's not what we are. That's not what we were called

to be. We weren't called to be number

one. We weren't called to be the

greatest in the best. We were called to be servants

who were called to be humble servants.

So, when we talk about walking in a way, that's worthy of that

calling We have to reflect that in our lives.

We can't always be the best. We can always be number one.

Sometimes we just have to accept that we're not going to always

be the ones to win the argument if we're just stubborn enough

and if we just hold on and long enough, sometimes we have to

give into that mentality. And it's certainly something

that easily and grips and entangles US, meekness is a term

used to describe power under control.

If you ever thought about that power under control, it's used

to measure yourself in relation to God, I think, and I think we

can listen to what was written in John chapter 3, and verse 30.

John 3 · chapter mention

When John, the Baptist said he must increase.

But I must decrease, I think it's kind of like that Jesus

represented the best example, of course of this, in all of the

Bible, You remember in Matthew chapter, 11 verses 28 and 29.

Some very familiar verses to us where Jesus said, come to me,

all you who labor and are heavy laden.

And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn

from me for. I am gentle and lowly in heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

Power under control. That's meekness when you think

about Jesus, man, that's power under control.

That's Supreme divine power under amazing control.

At any moment in time, Jesus could have wiped out his

adversaries. At any moment in time.

Jesus could have decided, you know what I'm done?

I'm done. You're not worth it.

At any moment in time while on the cross Jesus could have come

right down. Power under control.

That's meekness and Paul tells us here in order to walk in a

way, that's worthy of your calling, you have to do that.

You have to do that. So he says in lowliness and

meekness. Someone of course, who is not

lowly and meek, that would be what we call Pride and a

prideful person tries to control everything.

As we've said, Pride makes one feel like they know it all like

they're smarter than everyone else, like they're wiser than

everyone else. My way is the right way, but

humility lowliness. Meekness these things are not

that it's being occupied with your own life and not meddling,

or destroying the lives of others, it's allowing God to

work through. You first Peter chapter 5 and

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

verse 5. Says, likewise the younger

people submit yourselves to your elders?

Yes. All of you be submissive to one

another, and be clothed with humility for God.

Resists, the proud, but gives grace to the humble and

lowliness and meekness. These are important.

We can't miss these. These are important.

Especially when you look at the life of Jesus and you understand

that that's the life that we model our own after these are

important. So if you don't take anything

else from this lesson tonight, just know we all need to work on

these myself, definitely included.

We all need to work on these lowliness meekness humility.

These are really important. He also tells us to Bear one

another in love and we won't talk too much about this because

we've been covering this concept A Lot in our Wednesday night

studies. But basically this phrase

bearing with one, another in love is kind of talking about

patient endurance. It's long-suffering, really.

And that's, of course, listed in Galatians.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

Chapter 5 is one of the fruits of the spirit.

When you and I are walking in the spirit controlled by the

spirit, led by the spirit, as as is through the word of God.

We will be long and suffering when someone you know, Cuts us

off on the freeway. We let it go.

What an unkind word is shot. Our way we turn the other cheek

when we are wronged hurt or wounded, we don't retaliate all

the power, all the rights, all the ability held under control.

Bearing one another in love means that we even though we are

feeling pain from time to time, we do what we need to do to help

others. Bearing one another in love

means that we are always there for each other, always no matter

what, no matter what's going on in our lives.

That's bearing one another in love and that's, you know, I

think something that's easy to do in the church because there's

a lot of people who want to do that.

Also, it's hard. When you're the only one, it's

hard. If you were the only one I

should say. But when there's so many who

have this attitude around us, I think it's a lot easier.

You know? I The world's kind of a rough

neighborhood, if you think about it that way and from time to

time, when I think about that, I think about the great Sanctuary

that we really have in the body of Christ.

And we're going to talk a little bit more about this in a minute,

but we can come here with people who think and talk and act like

we do because we all have the same Mission.

We all have were called by the same calling and this really is

a sanctuary from the turmoils that the world presents.

So when we talk about bearing one another in love, We should

want to do that, and I think that we do, especially here at

this place, I see that all the time.

Every every time I'm with The members of this congregation.

I can see that just in the way that people treat each other

here and that beautiful. That's all they'll be half that

but let's not take it for granted and everyone needs to be

working out and everyone needs to be doing their part.

The right perspective in the right position and those are

important thirdly though, I think that Paul tells us one

more thing. He tells us that we need to have

the right perspective, the right position, and the right purpose.

The right perspective, the right position.

And the right purpose. He tells us in verse 3

endeavoring to keep the unity. So after we've decided to walk

from the right perspective and after we've decided to walk in

the right position that is with lowliness and humility.

Always trying to live at peace with one.

Another is something else that we're commanded to do Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12 and verse 18 says, if it is possible as much as

depends on, you live peaceably with all men.

With all men, then he says to Endeavor or literally exert

yourself diligently, try to keep the unity.

Diligently. Try to keep the unity.

That's working at loving with what?

Loving one another in unity and peace.

You know, this verse basically to me says that we're not to

fight we're not to compete with one another, we're not to

complain about one. Another one man said it is too

bad that anything so obvious should need to be said at this

late date, but from all appearances, we Christians have

about forgotten the lessons. So carefully taught by Paul

God's servants are not to be competitors, but coworkers

Coworkers, if I'm going to work, I want to work my very best.

If I'm going to do something, I want to do the very best I can

do. And when we all do that together

there's nothing we can't accomplish nothing, there's

nothing. We can't do together as God's

family. So he tells us to have the right

perspective, the right position, and the right purpose, you know,

we talked about the right purpose.

We talk we can talk about the right purpose, and when we have

the right purpose, that's why we're here in the first place,

right? When we have the right purpose

and the right goals, when we are all striving for the same thing.

That's what brings us here together in the first place.

So sometimes when we think about difficulties, We all have those

but we need to focus on our common purpose, our common

purpose of service to God and he illustrates that by now listing

things, he's going to make a list right now.

Beginning in verse 4. Let's briefly look over this and

we'll talk about it just a little bit more, and we're

nearing nearing the completion. But he says in verse 4 that

there is one body that is one family of Believers where.

Jesus is our head. The Oneness of the church I

believe is essential for the work of the Gospel on Earth.

Today one Spirit, he says, now the Greek word for Spirit.

Here can also be translated as breath, which I think is

interesting. But this verse is basically

illustrating the power of the Holy Spirit as we have

manifested today through God's word, there's one hope in our

calling and this is the great power of our Unity.

As I said we are all moving toward one goal that's to see

the face of Jesus. You remember Titus Chapter 2

Titus 2 · chapter mention

Titus Chapter 2 verses 11 through 13.

Titus 2:11–13

The Bible says for the grace of God that brings salvation

Salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that denying

ungodliness and worldly lusts. We should live soberly

righteously and godly in this present age.

Looking for the Blessed, hope and glorious appearing of our

great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, that's our common goal.

We want to see that. We want to be ready for that in

verse 5. He says one Lord, of course,

talking about Jesus who is our Master, our leader, in our King,

the one that we follow and example, Our Lives after one

Faith, he says, Faith. Of course, being the first step

for one entering the kingdom. And it's our belief and

unyielding trust that keeps us guides us and strengthens us,

Ephesians 2. And 8, of course, says for

Grace. You are saved through faith and

that and not and and that not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God. He says, also, in verse 51,

baptism are outward demonstration of what it is that

we believe internally. It's the one way to wash away

man sins here on Earth. The one way to put us in the

family of God one. Baptism in verse 6.

He says one God and Father we, of course know there is but one

God, he is the father of all. And I think that's the greatest

description of God is being father to us of all the things

that we can look at throughout all of the pages of the Bible,

as way as a description of God. He is our father, he keeps us,

he loves us. He takes care of us, he nudges

us nudges us on when we need it. That's always been my favorite

description of how God works today.

He's our father He's our father. Galatians chapter 4.

Galatians 4 · chapter mention

And verse 6 says, and because you are Sons.

God has set forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying

out. Abba, Father, he is above all.

He is sovereignty, he is absolute power and he is our

father and he chooses to be that he chooses to take care of us.

He chooses to love us the way that he does.

He's chosen to give us a plan to redeem us, he's chosen to send

his son because he loves us. All because he is our father.

In closing tonight, I'd like to read a few words that Adam Clark

writes about this passage. And I think this very well

illustrates some of the thoughts we'd like to portray.

He says here that the calling is the free invitation that they,

they have had from God to receive the Privileges of the

gospel, and become his sons, and daughters their vocation, or

calling took in their Christian profession with all the

doctrines precepts, privileges and duties, He goes on to say,

Among Us, a man's calling signifies his trade or

occupation in life that that at which he works.

And by which he gets his bread and it is termed his calling

because his because it is supposed that God in the course

of his Providence calls, the person to be thus employed and

thus, to acquire his livelihood, It's our profession.

And like any other job, it requires effort and work on our

parts. But God has called us to work

for him and he's called us to work for him in a specific way.

And those of us who have answered the call and who are

here tonight because we continue to answer the call.

We need to remember that. There's a certain way in which,

we need to walk certain way, which we need to live.

And that's in a way that is worthy of such a great calling

in close tonight. Paul, begs and pleads with us,

he exhorts us to have a walk worthy of our calling with

lowliness meekness, long-suffering bearing with one

another because of his grace and God's great love.

He tells us to walk in a certain way to make progress together

and that our Behavior should match our beliefs, that our

actions match, our attitudes, our decisions, and our life.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information or you would like to

receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.

Please email us at info at True Church of Christ

Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays

at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

M, please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our

honored guest