Sermon Central
-
Walk The Talk, Part 1 Series
Contributed by Larry Brincefield on Jun 16, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: A continuing study of Ephesians. "If you are going to talk the talk, then you’ve gotta walk the walk". True in the world; but also very true for the Christian.
Introduction
1. If you are going to talk the talk…
· Then you gotta walk the walk.
· In other words, if you are going to open your mouth and start making promises…
· You better be prepared to back it up with your actions…
· That’s good advice whether you are talking about how we act in the realm of the world…
· Or in the realm of the spirit.
2. If you are going to claim to be a Christian…
· You’ve got to live the life of a Christian…
· If you are going to profess to be a Christian with your mouth…
· You’re going to have to act like a Christian with your actions…
· You’re going to have to “walk the talk”…
· You’re going to have to “live the life”.
· I’m certainly not talking about acting…
· Or faking it…
· I’m talking about that if you profess to be a Christian…
· Your lifestyle better stack up…
· Because people will be quicker to believe your actions…
· Than they will be to believe your words.
3. As we continue our study of Ephesians…
· We have finished chapter 3…
· And tonight we will embark on chapter 4.
· Chapter 4 begins by talking about these sorts of things…
· Certainly an important reminder for the Christian.
Read Ephesians 4:1-6
· Ephesians 4:1-6 is one paragraph that speaks about…
· Living the life…
· And walking the talk…
· But, as I was working on it…
· I quickly found that I would be unable to fit all that I wanted to say into a single sermon…
· So, consider this, “living the life, part 1”…
· Next week, I’ll preach “living the life, part 2” from this same passage of Scripture.
Body
1. Live a Life Worthy of the Calling (vv. 1,2)
A. Paul starts off by saying. “Live a life worthy of the calling”…
· What calling?...
· The calling to follow Christ…
· To be a Christian.
· Paul certainly isn’t asking them to do anything that he isn’t doing…
· He reminds them that he is a “prisoner for the Lord”
· Obviously it isn’t some sort of social club…
· Most ladies wouldn’t go to prison for being in the Red Hat Society…
· Most men wouldn’t go to prison for being in the Boosters Club
· Those organizations are fine for a hobby…
· Or for personal interest…
· But if it came down to taking a stand for the Red Hat Ladies and going to prison…
· Or just walking away…I’m sure most would walk away.
· But we are talking about living the Christian life…
· Not only in word…
· But also in deed…in our actions…
· And Paul is reminding the Ephesian Christians that when you live for Christ like he lives for Christ…
· It isn’t always easy.
· Sometimes you go to prison…
· Sometimes you aren’t looked upon with respect by the world at large…
· I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not…
· But the world, by and large, hates Christians…
· They are scared to death that our brand of Christianity will influence the world.
· That they don’t like that.
· And they don’t like US.
· I read the results of a survey one time that really amazed me…
· I can’t remember the exact question…
· But something about, “who would you rather live next door too”…
· And Evangelical Christian was WAY down the list…
· They would rather live next door to a criminal…
· Than an evangelical Christian.
· Just today, I read a comment about evangelical Christians…
· “I like the idea of calling these people
· We are coming to point in our society where it might be okay to say you are a Christian while sitting in church somewhere…
· But if you actually step up to live the life worthy of Jesus Christ in the world today..
· At best, you will be looked upon as strange…
· And at worst, you will be persecuted.
B. Paul goes on to mention some of the characteristics of people who “live the life” and “walk the talk”:
· He tells them to be Completely Humble
· Listen to these quotes from Paul:
· I am the least of the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:9
· I am the very least of all the saints. Ephesians 3:8
· I am the foremost of sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15
· Paul said those…
· Paul, the man we honor as perhaps the greatest missionary of all time…
· Was certainly completely humble.
· James Packer points out that these quotes occur in
