Walk Worthy Pt 1

verse 22 so i throw up my hands and praise you again and again you know it's not much but i'm nothing as i know it's not much but i'm nothing or god god we just give you thanks we give you pray we give you friends praise this morning father what you've done as we dance playing love luster words that could truly begin to express the gratitude, God, for what you've done, Lord God. God, we thank you. Thank you for your son, Jesus, for what he's done for us, Lord. Thank you for taking the price that we rightfully deserve to pay on a cross for us.

Thank you, Lord Jesus. God, we thank you for your son. We thank you for your Holy Spirit, God. Lord, we thank you for your word. God, in this morning, I just pray as we open up your word, that you would just speak directly to our hearts, Lord God. Give us ears to hear, Lord, and hearts to receive the word that you've prepared for us this morning, God.

And I pray as Pastor Ryan comes, Lord God, I pray that you'd overflow him with your Holy Spirit. Give him the words to speak, the words you want us to hear, Lord God. God, we thank you. We thank you. We love you. We praise you. And all God's people said, amen. Let's have some fellowship.

Good morning.

If you could begin the process of locating your seats, grab your bulletin. We'll get ready to go over some announcements.

Welcome to Calvary Chapel. We're glad that you're here this morning. As you look at your bulletin over on the left-hand side are the different groups to get plugged into throughout the week. So take note of one of those and find yourself a spot to get plugged in so that you can really get involved. Grow in your walk with the Lord. Over in the middle section, a couple of things to take note of.

Coming up September the 6th, that's a Wednesday night, Ryan Karp from Chosen People Ministries is going to be coming to share with us. He's one of the missionaries that we support. He reaches out to Chosen People Ministries, reaches out to the Jewish community here in the United States. And so he's going to be coming and sharing with us a little bit about his ministry and give us a teaching as well.

That should be really good. So take note of that. Grief Share starts up this Tuesday, August the 29th, and they're going to meet down in the Cornerstone Room where the Sunday school usually meets there. And then if you're interested in getting involved in that, there's the information right there to register online or you can talk to Holly Gage after service.

And then also one last thing, the new Fall Our Daily Breads are available in the lobby. That's a little devotional book. If you're looking for a place where you can see it, that's a little devotional book. If you're looking for a place where you can see it, that's a little devotional book. If you're looking for a place where you can see it, that's a little devotional book.

If you're looking for a place where you can see it, that's a little devotional book. If you're looking for a place where you can see it, that's a little devotional book. If you start getting into God's Word on a consistent basis, that'd be a great place to start. Those are out there for you. And believe it or not, this is the last Sunday in August because Friday is September 1st.

I know, that's stupid, right? I'm still planning for June. So take note of that and pick up on those. Those are the things that are going on. If you'd make sure that your mobile device is silenced. And for our responsive reading this morning, we are going to be in Psalm 27. We're looking at the New Evangelist. american standards so that we sound the same if you need a copy of one there should be one in a

row around you and as you're turning to psalm 27 if you would stand in the honor of the reading of god's word i will read the odd verses if you will follow along with pastor allen and the even verses psalm 27 a psalm of david the lord is my light and my salvation whom shall i fear the lord is the defense of my life whom shall i dread when evadors come upon me to devour my flesh my adversaries and my enemies they stumbled and fell though a host and camp against me my heart will not fear though war rise against me in spite of this i shall be confident one thing i have asked from the lord that i shall seek that i may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the lord

and to meditate in his temple for the day of trouble he will conceal me in his tabernacle in the secret place of his tent he will hide me he will lift me up on a rock and now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me and i will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy i will sing yes i will sing praises to the lord here oh lord when i cry with my voice and be gracious to me and answer me when you said seek my face my heart said to you your face oh lord i shall seek do not hide your face from me do not turn your servant away in anger you have been my help do not abandon me nor forsake me oh god of my salvation for my father and my mother have forsaken me but the lord will take me

up teach me your way oh lord and lead me in a level path because of my foes do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries for false witnesses have risen against me and such as breathe out violence i would have despaired unless i had believed that i would see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living wait for the lord be strong and let your heart take courage yes wait for the lord and father as we come to you we do wait for you lord we wait for you to show us that goodness lord we wait for you because from you comes our help and so lord speak to us now through your word we pray pray. We need to hear from you this morning. And so Lord, do the work that only your Holy Spirit

can do through your word in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. And if you would open up in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter four, Ephesians chapter four. Okay. I have to give you a quick disclaimer before I get going here this morning. So I had some sort of upper respiratory something or other last weekend. I'm totally healthy now. You don't need to worry

that I'm like spreading the COVID everywhere or something like that. Actually, I tested negative for the COVID. Trust me, they tested me. They shoved the thing up my nose and touched the back of my neck and it tested me for everything known to man. And I tested negative for all of it. It concluded with, well, you've got something, you should rest. So that's what I did last week.

And I rested, but I say that because my voice is not as strong as usual. And I have a quick cough reflex right now. So I promise if I go into a coughing fit, I will. Silence the microphone and I will turn around so that you don't go there with me and enjoy it with me. Also, I may have to stop mid-sentence, put another cough drop in my mouth and keep rolling.

So that's my disclaimer as we get going this morning, but don't worry, I will not infect you with anything. So now as we move into chapter four of Ephesians, we move into a different really vein of thought and section of the book of Ephesians. Paul has spent the first three chapters telling us who we are in Christ. He's told us about the riches that we have in Christ. And he has really told us about our

position in Christ and where we sit in Christ. And that's important because starting in chapter four, he's going to start to talk to us about how we live now based upon who we are in Christ. And it's important that he started off the way that he did because we as human beings were made to be responders. We are told in first John that we love him because he first loves us.

But oftentimes we get it backwards in our minds. We think that we must earn God's love. We think that we must earn God's acceptance. We think that we must work for what God will give to us. It's partly ingrained in us because we're Americans and it's partly ingrained in us because we're humans. And one of the things, one of the products of the fall is legalism because Eve thought that she needed to do more

than God ever required of her. And now you and I have that same feeling in our hearts and minds. And so Paul was good to us. He was good to us. He was good to us. He was good to us. He was good to us. To point out for three chapters who we are in Christ so that we would live not to earn God's love, but in response to God's love, because the works that he's going to tell us about,

the fruit that he's going to tell us about are not the root of our faith. They are the fruit of our faith. And so as he moves into this section, we will be looking at the response to who we already are in Christ. It's an important point that has to be made. Because the viewpoint is completely different. You see, if I feel like I need to work to earn God's acceptance, then I will always be insecure. I will always be anxious. I will always be fearful

and I will never be sure because I will always think to myself, but have I done enough? And I have news for you. You haven't, and you can't because you can never do enough to be righteous in God's eyes. The only way that you can be righteous is if God does it for you. But if I live from a position of knowing that I'm already righteous because that's who God has declared me to be because

of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, because of the peace that he made for me, then I live from a position of peace because I know that I'm already accepted in the beloved. I live from a position of confidence because I am aware of who I really am in Christ. I live from a position of grace because I know that everything has been done for me. And I live from a position of complete peace because I never fear whether or not I've done enough because I know that he already has. And so with that as a backdrop, we move now into the next section of the book of

Ephesians. And so the theme for the next section of the book of Ephesians is going to be walk. As a do will involve the word walk. The first one that we'll discuss that he's going to tell us to do is that we need to walk worthy. Now, the first 16 verses of chapter four will encapsulate this idea of walking worthy, and they will come in two main sections. The first section is walking worthy

means having a heart of unity. The second section is that walking worthy means having a goal of maturity. We'll cover the first of those today. Part one, we'll cover the first of those today. Part two, we'll cover the first of those today. One of walking worthy, which is a heart of unity. And so let's pick up in chapter four, verse one. This is what it says. Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk

in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is over all and through all. So he tells us that in order to walk worthy, we must walk in a heart of unity. Well, these first six verses break down three ways. He's going to give us

the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation, the exhortation. He's going to give us the characteristics, and then he's going to talk to us about the unity. So let's start off with the exhortation. Let's read verse one again.

It says, therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Now, before we get into his actual exhortation, I want to point out two really important words to you. The words, therefore, and implore. He starts off by saying, therefore, I, Paul, the prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Now, the study

of scripture is really basic. When you see the word, therefore, you need to ask what it's there for, because it points to everything that has come before. It tells you that what he's about to say is based upon everything that he's been telling you. And so what has he been telling us? Well, as I mentioned before, for the first three chapters, he's told us about our riches in Christ,

that we have been chosen before the foundations, the world, that we have been accepted in the beloved, that we have been forgiven, that we have been redeemed, that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, that we have been had the mystery of God revealed to us, that we who were dead in our trespasses and sins have now been made alive in Christ, and that we who were far off have now been brought near by the blood of Christ, because Jesus is our peace that has broken down the middle wall and has made the two one. Therefore, walk worthy. See, everything that we are as Christians is based upon everything that Christ has already done for us. The second word that I want to point

out to you is the word implore. Some of your translations may read beseech. Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ, implore you, beseech you, urge you to walk in a manner that's worthy. It's an important word because, it carries with it that this is not a command. This is the urging of a loving father and a loving man of God to tell you the best way that you can live your life. You see, it's different than a

forceful command. It's a loving urge. It's a loving desire. And it carries with it a whole different idea. This is not what you must do to maintain your salvation. This is what he's urging you to do so that you can live the fullest life possible. He says, therefore, I implore you. And then he gives the exhortation to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called. The word walk, of course, and we'll bring this

up every time, and I've brought it up lots of other times, but if you've never heard it defined before, the word walk simply means your manner of life. Your manner of life, the way that you live your life should be worthy of your calling. That word worthy in the Greek is the word axios. And the idea behind the word axios is of an equal weight. In other words, your walk should be of an

equal weight with your calling. Let me put it to you this way. Your walk should match your words. If you claim that you're a Christian, then your walk needs to look like you're a Christian. If you are called by Jesus Christ and you have been set free by Jesus Christ, then you should live like you've been set free by Jesus Christ. He says, walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

He then gives us five characteristics of what it looks like to walk worthy. And so these are the characteristics, five of them all together that we'll go over. So hang with me. Number one is humility. Number one is humility. The word humility, humility means lowliness. Now, some of the translations even say lowliness. That's actually directly how it's translated. You know what the word lowliness means? The word lowliness means

to be low. That's right. I'll be here for your wisdom all day long, okay? The word lowliness means to be low. Let me put it to you this way. The Amplified Bible says this, therefore, live in humility, forsaking self-righteousness. Self-righteousness. Oh, well, that starts to make a little bit more sense to me now because if I forsake self-righteousness, then I live in humility because I live low. I don't

think that I've earned my salvation because of the works that I've done. I know that I have been gifted my salvation by a gracious Savior who gave it to me mercifully. And so I live with this attitude of humility or lowliness. Write down a scripture. I want you to turn there. I want you to write it down. Matthew chapter five, verse six. Matthew chapter five, verse three. Matthew chapter five, verse three is the very beginning

of the Sermon on the Mount. The very first thing that Jesus says at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount and what we often call the Beatitudes is this. It's Matthew chapter five, verse three. It says, blessed are the poor in spirit. That's the idea of lowliness. So what does that mean to be poor in spirit? We put it to you the most basic way that I possibly can. Being poor in spirit,

being humble means having an honest estimation. Of yourself. An honest estimation of yourself. You see, pride can take on two different characteristics. Pride can take on the characteristics of what we often refer to as arrogance. That's what most of us find ourselves most annoyed with is when people are arrogant. Arrogant people have a tendency to always give you their resume. You ever been around somebody

like that? That every time you're around them, they give you their resume and they tell you how awesome they are at everything that they do and how everybody wants them to do these things because of how great they are at them. kind of like, okay, I'll take your word for it. And they just go on and on about how great they are, right? Like that's one aspect of pride.

But you know, there's another aspect of pride that is oftentimes not talked about because it's a little bit more acceptable because it's not quite as obnoxious. The other side of pride is called self-abasement. And that's where I constantly put myself down. Oh, I'm such a terrible person. You don't understand how bad I am. I'm so awful. I'm so ugly. I'm so nasty.

People don't really like me. And you know what oftentimes we're doing when we do that? That we're fishing for compliments. We're saying, no, I'm just, I'm really not that good at it. And they're like, oh no, no, you are good at it. You stop that now, right? That's what we're waiting for. But you know what the problem with both ends of those spectrums of pride are?

I is still in the middle because I is still at the heart. Humility looks very different than that. Being poor in spirit is very different than that because it's an honest estimation of who you are, right? I used this example earlier today. Fellas, especially as we get a little bit older, we have to go to the doctor and the doctor always asks us a question, right?

He's like, so tell me about, tell me about your diet. I hate that question. They tell, tell me about what you eat. And if you're anything like me, you know what you want to say, right? I eat all the right things. You know, I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I eat a moderate amount of protein and I, I don't eat too much fats or sugars. I, matter of fact, I've sworn off all sugars.

I, in fried food. It never makes its way into my mouth, right? We don't show up and we're like, I eat cheeseburgers twice a day. I eat more beef jerky than any one human being should consume in one particular sitting. I eat cookies like they're going to go out of style, like me and the cookie monster, right? And, and, and I drink soda like it's going out of style and I eat terrible, right?

Because that would be an honest estimation of ourselves. You know why we don't do that when we go to the doctor? Because the doctor sends us home with a note, right? Right? Fellas, if you're not over 30 yet, eventually the doctor is going to send you home with a note. And on that note, it's going to say, these are the things you should eat. And he says, give this to your wife.

And you're like, I can feed myself. No, you can't. That's why you have to give the note to your wife. Because it says all the things that you're supposed to eat. Sometimes we got to give God an honest estimation of ourselves. And sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves. Say, this is what I'm doing, right? This is what I'm doing wrong. And quite frankly,

if it weren't for the grace of God, I wouldn't be where I am today. Because the grace of God is the only thing that I have to hope in. You see, an honest assessment of myself, being poor in spirit, keeps me from being arrogant because I can't tell you how awesome I am because I know that I'm a sinner. But it also keeps me from living in that place of self-abasement because I can't put down the person that God has saved by his grace.

And I live in this happy medium of being a sinner, saved by grace, with an honest estimation of himself. There's one other thing I want to tell you about this. I want you to go over to Philippians. I do want you to turn here. Philippians chapter 2. It's like two pages to the right. Hang with me. Philippians chapter 2. I want you to look down at verse 5.

Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 says this. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven, and those who are on earth, and those who are under the earth. Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, I will continue pointing this out when we talk about this walk, and that's that even the things that God is calling us to do, the characteristics that we are to have, that we are to exemplify now, are still not dependent upon you. They are dependent upon Jesus. You following his example as he empowers you with his Holy Spirit. We respond to what he's done.

How can I? I live my life in humility because my Savior lives his life in humility. And so I will respond to what he's done. There's an interesting quote that I read. I believe it was in the Believer's Bible commentary. It says this, Lowliness means that we can be happy even when we are not in control. Ouch. I'm going to read that one again. Lowliness means that we can be happy

even when we are not in control. You know why I linked? That quote with that verse because Jesus came down and subjected himself to the will of the Father, right? When he came to the earth, he subjected himself to the will of the Father because even though he was fully God, when he was on earth, he was fully man and he subjected himself to God's will and he found that he could be happy even though he wasn't the one in control.

Even though he was submitting himself to the will of the Father. The first characteristic of a worthy walk is humility. Number two, go back to Ephesians chapter four. Number two is gentleness. The word gentleness can also be translated meekness. And that word meekness or gentleness means power under control. Again, I like the Amplified Bible translation of this

when it says maintaining self-control. Maintaining self-control. There should be a characteristic about the believer in Jesus Christ walking worthy, that there is a gentleness about them, a meekness that is about them. Now again, I want to remind you that this does not equal weakness. I think sometimes the reason why men don't like to come to church is because they feel like if they come to church,

it's going to make them weak. And that the pastor is going to stand up there and tell me I need to be weak. No, I don't want you to be weak. I want you to be meek. It's two completely different things. When I was in junior high, there was this t-shirt company called No Fear. Quick show of hands, junior fellows who had the No Fear shirts. And ladies, yeah. Only three of us?

That is a lie. That is a bold-faced lie in this room right now. One of the t-shirts said, the meek shall inherit nothing. Right? Because there were these tough guy statements that were on these shirts. And I remember reading that and being like, I don't think that's what the Bible says. It feels like the opposite of what the Bible says. But that's the way that the world views meekness.

Is they think that it means weakness, but it doesn't. Actually, there's a great strength in gentleness. Because it's power that is harnessed. It's power that's under control. This same Greek word that's translated gentleness here is used in several different other ways in the Greek language. The first way it's used is to describe a soothing medicine. It's also used to describe a colt that has been broken.

And it's used to describe a soft breeze. Now, isn't it kind of interesting? All three of those statements have the potential for power, but the power has been harnessed. It has been controlled. And that's what the Lord wants for us as believers in Jesus Christ is that we would be gentle. That we would understand the power that we have through the Holy Spirit,

but that we would maintain self-control with that power. Because what the world does not need is somebody else that's going to go off on everybody around them. What they need is someone who is able to maintain their cool in the most difficult of circumstances. Because that's meekness. That's meekness. That's gentleness. And it can only be provided by the Holy Spirit.

Let me give you a couple of examples in Scripture. I want to remind you that Jesus was referred to as gentle and meek. And yet, what did Jesus do early on in the book of John and then later, not too long before his crucifixion? He went into the temple and he started flipping over tables, right? You see, he had power, but his power was under control and it was only used when necessary.

Let me give you another example from the life of Jesus. Do you remember when Jesus was arrested? Peter went all, like, seal, sword-wielding and stuff like that. Ears were flying everywhere. And Jesus goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't you think that at any point in time I could call down legions of angels and deal with this situation? But I've chosen not to

because I must submit to the will of the Father. You see, that's power that's under control. And it's important that we understand that because we, as believers, we have to understand that. Because we, as believers, if we are to walk worthy, must walk gently. So number one, we walk in humility. Number two, we walk in gentleness. Number three, we walk in patience.

Patience. The word patient can also be translated long-suffering. And to be completely honest, I prefer that translation in this particular instance. Let me tell you why. There are two Greek words used throughout the New Testament that are both translated, patience, but they both mean two completely different things. I can't pronounce them, so I won't tell you what they are,

but I'm going to tell you what they mean. The first Greek word that's used for patience means being patient in respect to things. Being patient in respect to things. Let me explain this to you a little bit. Perhaps you woke up this morning and you woke up late because your phone alarm or whatever alarm you used didn't go off like it was supposed to, and you were like, oh.

But you maintained your patience with things. With that thing. And then you went to make coffee, but the coffee pot didn't work. And you maintained your patience with that thing. And then you went to get into your car. When you got into your car, you realized that you had left the dome light in the car on all night, and now your car battery's dead. But you maintained your patience with all of those things.

Can I just go ahead as a sidebar, say if you maintained your patience and all three of those things happened, praise Jesus, right? That is maturity happening in your life right now. But that's the idea of the first Greek word that's used for patience. Patience in respect to things. The second Greek word that's used for patience means patience in respect to persons.

Patience in respect to each other. Or as it's translated, long-suffering.

You know why it's translated patience in respect to things but long-suffering in respect to people? Because things don't have a free will, people do. And that thing didn't mean to break. Ultimately, it was probably your fault. People do. And sometimes it's hard to maintain your patience with people because you're well aware of the fact that oftentimes they know exactly what they're doing.

I remember when one of my daughters turned three, I don't remember which one it was, we read this article because three was much harder than two, and it said, have you found that your three-year-old is harder than a two-year-old? And we were like, yes. And it said, it's because three is two with intent. They know what they're doing now. And that's why it's hard to be patient with people, right?

They should, how many times have you said this? They should know better. They should know better by now. But they don't. And you still have to be patient with them. And if we are to bear the characteristics of walking worthy, if our walk is to measure up to our calling, we have to be patient. Because you know what I would say? You know what I would say that Jesus is with me?

Long suffering. You know what I would say that Jesus is with you? Even longer suffering because you're not me, right? And that's how we are. Listen, you know you were thinking it too. Listen, he had more patience with you than with me. It's okay. But that's the way Jesus was with me, right? And that's the way that Jesus is with you. And so we use that as our gauge.

We use that as our response and say, Lord, if you can show that kind of patience with me, then give me the grace to show that kind of patience. It's not other people. But we eventually have to learn to be patient. I read this other quote as it came to patience and I thought it was kind of interesting. I can't pronounce the guy's name that said it. It's like Chrysostom or something along those lines.

But it's a great quote. I can pronounce the quote. Patience is the spirit that has the power to take revenge but never does. It has the characteristic of a forgiving and generous heart. I can't think of a better way to describe Jesus and his patience towards us. Because he had the power to take revenge. And may I go ahead and say the right to take revenge? And he never does.

Instead, he has the characteristic of a gracious and forgiving heart. And that same power, that same spirit is in him. is in him. is in him. And if he's been that patient with you, you should be that patient with others. We move on now to number four.

The fourth one is tolerance. Notice what it says at the end of verse two. Let's just read all verse two. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. Half of y'all thought about leaving just now when I said tolerance, right? You were like, we are not that kind of church. I do not know what he's talking about up there.

He is way better than this usually. I hate that biblical words get hijacked by worldly people and they make it say something different. I hate that any word gets hijacked. I really enjoy the English language and I like what words mean. And so when people take words, especially biblical words, and take them and turn them into something else, I don't like it.

Because this word tolerance has become a real buzzword, right? It's become a word that has started meaning something different. Tolerance, tolerance has started meaning that if you are tolerant, you are affirming, BTW is another word I despise right now, that you are affirming of someone's lifestyle no matter what it is. Brothers and sisters, that's not tolerance.

That's licentiousness. That's a whole different study all in and of itself. That's giving somebody license to live how they want to. And that's not what we're called to do. We're not called as believers in Jesus Christ to give each other license to live however we want to. We are, however, called to be tolerant of each other as believers in Jesus Christ. So if that word tolerance

doesn't mean affirming of anybody's lifestyle, what does it mean? Well, I'm really glad that you asked. Otherwise, I wouldn't need to be up here. The word tolerance means to bear with or to sustain or to endure. You see, that's what it means to be tolerant. To be tolerant means I am willing to be patient with you. Tolerance and patience are like really close cousins, right?

Like that second cousins are one of those weird how do we know we're cousins, but like first cousins that you spend every holiday with. Like that's what patience and tolerance are. They work together all the time because those two things are really important. And so if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, I have to start being tolerant with the fact that you're still growing in your walk, that you are still becoming who God wants for you to be, right?

Alan Jackson put it, he put it best when he said, I talked to the Lord about all the problems that I have and he told me to give you a message. You know this song? Be patient. I'm a work in progress. And so that's exactly what it means to be tolerant is we have the distinct understanding that none of us is perfect yet. And we won't be as long as we live on this side of eternity.

And we have to learn to be tolerant with each other, to bear with one another. I tried to find it in the Bible, the modern Amplified Bible, but it didn't say it in there, but I have a marriage, a premarital counseling book that I use. And in the part that talks about differences and learning to overcome differences, it gives the quotation of this verse. And I'm thinking it must be from an older version of the Amplified Bible because it states it like this, making allowances for one another because you love each other.

You know what that means? It means when I see you stumble, I don't come down hard on you. I come alongside you. When I see you hurting, I don't come down on you because you should know better. I come alongside you because I want to help you know better. And that tolerance that we have for each other, I think is one of the greatest things that can teach the entire world

what it really looks like to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ because that's truly having love for each other. You see, the problem is I think that, the day that you came to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you should become perfect. Now, I want you to be patient with me because I need all the patience in the world. But I think you should be perfect today, the day that you got saved, but that's not the case.

And we have to learn to be tolerant with each other. And so, we learn to bear with one another, to sustain one another, or to endure with one another. And how do we do it? We do it in love, in unselfishness, in unselfish love because you love one another. I'm tolerant with you and I love you. And so, I'm willing to point out the faults that you have in your life

because I want to see you restored. I'm willing to extend grace when you make mistakes. I'm willing to extend mercy when you make mistakes. I'm willing to extend patience when you're still working on that particular area of your life. Just like I want you to be patient with me and I want you to do with me and listen just like Jesus does with us because we're all a work in progress.

I don't know why, but this thought has come to me and I feel like I need to share it. But the same is true. How do I put this best? I've spent a good amount of time in my life in ministry dealing with people with addictions. And early on in ministry when I saw people that were caught up in addiction, I was much more judgmental than I am now. I started saying things like,

you know, if you would just pray more, if you just read the Bible more, if you just gave these things to Jesus, you wouldn't have these struggles with addiction. And do you know what I've come to realize? I've come to realize that I have to be much more patient and tolerant with people that struggle because you can be a believer in Jesus Christ and you can still struggle with an addiction. Now, I believe that you should be taking the steps to overcome that.

But that's part of being tolerant. And working with people who I have seen desire with all of their heart to be free and yet find themselves still trapped has taught me, has taught me a lot about being tolerant with people and to be patient with their shortcomings. And to realize that just because you want to doesn't mean you're always going to overcome. Not without some serious work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

And we have to be tolerant with each other because we love each other. Number five is diligence. I want to read verse three to you. It says, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. That word diligent can also be translated to endeavor, to constantly be diligent,

or to make every effort. Now, I want to point something out to you here. This word is a strong word that involves a lot of what I would call sweat equity when it comes to your relationship with Jesus Christ and when it comes to the working of the body of Christ. Because that word diligent is exactly what it sounds like. It means being diligent to do something.

And what are we to be diligent to do? We are to be diligent to preserve the unity. To preserve the unity. We were told in Ephesians chapter two that Christ brought us who were far off near and made us one with the Jews. The Jews and Gentiles, one of the greatest divides that there ever was, was broken down through Jesus Christ. We were told that He is our peace

who has broken down the middle wall of separation. Therefore, He has brought unity. That unity takes place over all in the body of Christ. That unity takes place between people groups and that unity takes place between individuals because walls get broken down. And as walls get broken down, we have to make sure they don't get rebuilt. Christ has already brought unity.

It is now our job to preserve, preserve the unity. It is our job to preserve the unity. It's our job to make sure that this unity is maintained. That this unity doesn't end. And the way that we do it is by always making sure that we keep the main thing, the main thing. He goes on to say that you would be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit. David Grusick in his commentary

pointed out something interesting. He said, the unity of the Spirit is not necessarily structural or denominational unity, but it is spiritual unity. Now I think this is important for us to pay attention to. Right now in Arkansas City, I think there's 68 churches. 68 churches in Arkansas City. Whoa. Right? Do you realize though that there's really actually only one church in our city?

We just go by some different names. And that's okay because we have found our people. And when you find your people, you fellowship with them and you worship God together because you found your people, right? I used to really be opposed to denominations at one point in time. I was like, it's so dumb that we're all divided over all these denominations. But listen, it's okay.

It's okay that there's different denominations. It's okay that we go to a different church. Listen, there's not a building big enough to hold all of us anyway, right? And there are some people who are a little more free with the way that they handle the gifts of the Spirit. That's okay. There's that freedom within the church. I have no interest. I have no issue with that.

As long as it's in biblical bounds, that's fine. And they have found a church that they go to together. And that's great. Then there's churches that are much more conservative about the way that they handle everything. And they don't see all the freedom with the gifts of the Spirit. And they're a little bit more stiff in the way that they do some things. And that's okay.

And then there's churches somewhere in the middle kind of like we are. And we found our people and that's okay. Because it has nothing to do with denominational unity. It has nothing to do with structural unity. It has everything to do with spiritual unity. And I am well aware of the fact that there are churches that love liturgy. And they love the pomp and the circumstance

and the formality. I've been to them before. I don't understand any of it. But that's okay. They love Jesus. And they're following it with all of their heart. And that's totally fine. Then you come to a Calvary Chapel. We can't let alone define it. And that's okay. Because when it comes right down to it, the most important thing is that Jesus is at the center.

And my brother that wears a suit every Sunday to preach, I can still love him and I can still put my arm around him and I can still high-five him. It's great when I do. He's always like, right? Oh, it's awesome. And that's okay because we all love Jesus. It's not about that kind of unity. It's about a spiritual unity. Now that doesn't mean we throw out doctrine.

I want to read this quote to you out of Warren Wiersbe. It says, Doctrine cannot be thrown out for the sake of unity because unity must be built on good doctrine. We don't just throw out doctrine. It doesn't really matter what we believe now, does it? It doesn't really matter how we feel about the Bible, aren't we all God's kids? Well, no, we're not. We're not all God's kids

because some of us haven't put our faith in Jesus yet. And it does matter what this says because what fellowship does light have with darkness? You still have to have good doctrine, but there can still be unity even though we go about some small things a little bit differently. He says, and we are to maintain the spirit of unity. But notice what he says, in the bond of peace.

You see, I think when he talks about the unity of the spirit, he's talking about the body of Christ in general. And when he's talking about the bond of peace, he's talking about individuals. Because we as individuals are to maintain the bond of peace. How do we maintain the bond of peace? It means you need to be at peace with each other. You say, you don't understand.

People have upset me. People have done things that make me mad. How do I maintain the bond of peace? I love this. Again, I believe this is out of Warren Wiersbe. He quoted James 4, verse 1. You might just write this down in the margin of your Bible. James 4, verse 1. Because in James 4, verse 1, James says this, Where do war and strife come from? Do they not come from your pleasures

that wage war within you? How many, many. And then he lambasted me with this great quote. He said, We remember that the cause of war on the outside is always war on the inside. The cause of war on the outside is always the cause of war on the inside. If you're not at peace with somebody, it's probably because you're not at peace with God. You don't understand.

They were the one that was wrong. Yeah, but if you forgive them like Jesus wants you to, then you're at peace with God. And therefore, you can be at peace with them. Doesn't mean they're at peace with you. But it does mean you're at peace with them. Because at that point in time, you've maintained the bond of peace. Because you're at peace with God in your heart.

But I promise you, if you're not at peace with God in your heart, you'll never be at peace with the people around you. And I will guarantee you, I will promise you this, if you have an issue with somebody, it started in here. It started in here. It started in here. And the only way that you can fix the issue is to fix it first with Jesus. That means that your heart needs to be right with God

because until you're at peace with God, you won't be at peace with anybody else. And so he says, you have to be diligent to maintain the spirit of unity in the bond of peace. It means it's something that we have to always work at. And so what are the characteristics of walking worthy? What are the characteristics of a heart of unity? Well, it's humility and gentleness

and patience and tolerance and diligence. Do those sound familiar to you at all? Do they almost sound like the fruits of the spirit? Almost like we can't do it. Almost like we couldn't produce those in ourselves. It would have to be the Holy Spirit that produces those things in us. You know what else they sounded a whole lot like to me? They sounded a whole lot like the Beatitudes.

In Matthew chapter 5. It's almost like the whole Bible works together. It's almost like all of the Word of God all works together in a really seamless sort of fashion. So he tells us these things. But the last thing that he tells us after he gives us the exhortation, gives us the characteristics, he tells us about the unity. Notice what it says. Starting in...

Oh, let's just read the whole thing. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. With all humility, humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another, and love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Why? Because there is, verse 4,

one body, one Spirit, just as you were called in, one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Father of all. Seven pieces of the foundation of unity. So let's go through these real quick. I didn't have her put it up there because, quite frankly, it's just one word in your Bible, just underline it as you go. Number one is one body.

We are the body of Christ. We are not the body of Calvary Chapel. It's not the body of the Baptist Church. It's not the body of the Methodist Church. It's not the body of any of those churches. We are the body of Christ, and He is the head. Right? So we are one body, not multiple bodies. We are one. There is one Spirit. There is one Holy Spirit who indwells each and every one of us.

There is one Holy Spirit, who indwells each and every one of us. There is one Holy Spirit, who indwells each and every one of us. Listen, even the people you disagree with, the people that are pre-trib, Holy Spirit's in them. The people that are post-trib, Holy Spirit's in them. Right? The people that are Calvinist, Holy Spirit. People that are Arminius, Holy Spirit.

Do what? The people that are Democrats and Republicans, it's the same Holy Spirit. Right? Again, all of you that wanted to leave when I said the word tolerant, you want to leave now too. It's okay. It's the same Holy Spirit, and we have to understand that. Are we going to disagree on some things? Yes. Because if two people never disagree, one of them's lying.

But it's still the same Holy Spirit at work within all of us. Number three, we have one hope. And what is the one hope that we have? Listen, I'm going to tell you what the one hope that we have is not. Because I hear people say this, and it irritates me. Okay? Just throwing that out there. People are like, I just want to make the world a better place. I just want to leave the world

better for my kids. Listen, I got news for you. You can't make the world a better place. The world will never be a better place. You can try as hard as you want to. This world will never be a better place. You know why? Because this world is tainted by sin. The only thing that will make this world a better place is when Jesus flicks the bick and lights the whole thing on fire

and starts over again. That will make the world a better place. Because that is not our hope. And there are too many believers in Jesus Christ that think that their hope is that if they can just be better, they can make the world a better place and you're never going to. What is our hope? Our hope is eternity. Because this place isn't our home. Our hope is going home

to be with Jesus someday. Number four, we have one Lord. And this is an important one. We have one Lord and His name is Jesus Christ. And this is where you start realizing who is a part of the body and who is not. Who you can fellowship with and who you cannot. Because you know what it means to be the Lord of someone's life? It means that you are in charge of their life.

And when churches begin to allow sin to rule and reign within their church, they are no longer a part of the body of Christ because they no longer have Jesus Christ as their Lord. Now their Lord is the culture. And there is only one Lord and it's Jesus Christ. Number five, we have one faith. And the one faith that we have is the doctrine that has been handed down

and that is the way to salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone, which is why Paul said, if anybody preaches to you any other gospel, he is to be accursed. There is one baptism into the body of Christ and there is one God and Father, meaning that He is the source of all things. Brothers and sisters, we're one body. And if we're to walk worthy, it means walking with a heart of unity.

A heart of unity that is humble, that is gentle, that is patient, that is tolerant, and that is diligent. And it's all because of what Jesus has already done for us. Amen? Let's all stand.

And if you'd bow with me. Father, we come to You and thank You for the great love that You have for us. Lord, I thank You for the work that You have already done in our hearts. And Lord, as has been said lots of times, if there's any that don't know You, may they not take this as a list of things that they need to do to be accepted by You, but may they understand that You are their only hope.

And so, Lord, draw us near to You. Help us to understand to an even greater and deeper degree the unity that we have in Christ. And Father, we thank You and we praise You in Jesus' name. Amen. Be blessed.

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One more time.

Lord God, it's you that gives us the breath in our lungs, Lord, each day. God, just help us to use that breath, Lord, just to return praise to you, Lord. Because you are worthy of all of our praise, God. God, you are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. God, you deserve all of our praise.

So we pour out our praise.

Lord God, thank you for who you are, God, and how much you love us. God, we give you praise, God, again, because you are worthy of all of our praise, Lord. And as we leave here today, Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit go with us and continue to minister to our hearts, Lord. God, change us. Let us leave this place changed. Let us leave this place different than when we came here today, Lord.

We love you and we praise you and we thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. You guys have a wonderful week. God bless you.