Series Title: The Heavenly Reserve Bank of God (Ephesians)
Message Title: Background Checks! (Ephesians, Chapter 4)
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7
4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
With the advent of the internet, faster computers, and faster internet connections, it makes it very easy to use computers and the internet for a variety of purposes.
One such purpose is Background Checks! There are several companies that advertise on the internet where you are able to conduct background checks on prospective employees. All you have to do is provide them with a name, address, and a social security number, along with a nominal fee and they’ll perform the check of all available databases for you. They’ll check the national and regional databases, they’ll check the police and government databases. Some may even check international databases, but that is a little costly.
What are they looking for? They are looking to see if the prospective employee has done anything wrong that might preclude the company from hiring the concerned individual.
But, there is one thing that they can’t tell you. They can’t tell about the person’s character, integrity, humility or willingness to help others, all which can only be observed in person over time.
Lois Wyse, contributing editor of Good Housekeeping magazine, said to her readers in her April 1985, column,
[There are] “Six ways to learn everything you ever need to know about a man before you decide to marry him:
1) watch him drive in heavy traffic.
2) Play tennis with him.
3) Listen to him talk to his mother when he doesn’t know you’re listening.
4) See how he treats those who serve him (waiters, maids).
5) Notice what he’s willing to spend his money to buy.
6) Look at his friends.
And if you still can’t make up your mind, then look at his shoes. A man who keeps his shoes in good repair generally tends to the rest of his life too.”
In our verses today, and like that last comment by Lois Wyse, Paul is calling upon the Ephesians to ‘tend to their lives’ in accordance with Jesus’ calling for their lives.
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul took the time to tell the Ephesians, and us, of the infinite SPIRITUAL WEALTH they had in the Lord. Now, in these next three chapters, he is going to tell them how they can have a spiritual life, or walk, that is rooted in that immense spiritual wealth provided by their Father in Heaven.
In other words, he basically asks, “Why have all these spiritual riches if you not going to use them?” And, then proceeds to refine the Ephesians.
As we go through these verses today we need to ask ourselves that same question. We need to frankly confront ourselves and ask ourselves: “Am I spending the spiritual riches, the spiritual wealth provided by my Father in Heaven?”
If our answer is a little wavering, or teetering on yes or no in various areas then maybe we need to readjust what I call the triple A’s. That is:
Our Attention to Him and others,
Our Attitude toward Him and others, and
Our Actions for Him and others.
How do we readjust these? Well Paul touches on these very areas in Ephesians, Chapter four. He tells the Ephesians:
Be Worthy of the Calling
Be Humble (completely!)
Be Gentle (completely!)
Be Patient and Forbearing
Be Unified
Be Worthy of the Calling
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
I believe that if God were to run a background check on us when we get to heaven, then this would be the very first area that He would check, living a life worthy of the calling.
Whatever you have been called on to do by Him, your life needs to be a reflection of that calling. What we mean by this is, if you have been called on to teach, then your life should be a reflection of carefully following those things that you teach. A simple thing, such as teaching young children concerning journal writing, yet not keeping a journal yourself, would go against you. A simple thing, such as teaching people concerning the hazards of drinking alcohol, yet drinking in bars, would definitely go against you. These would not be living a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Now, many people will say that it is impossible to follow every strict rule and never relax. So…..then, why do you teach it? We teach so that others will know beforehand. We teach so that others will understand, and can improve their quality of life. Yet, if we ourselves still engage in questionable practices, what message are we sending to those that we teach?
Paul said in
Romans 2:21) you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
This are strong words during extreme circumstances, but they will still stand up even during those actions that might not be as extreme as stealing.
You who teach about the effects of alcohol…
Do you drink?
You who teach that sex before marriage is wrong…
Do you fool around?
You who teach about hypocrisy and duplicity…
Do you lie and cheat?
You who teach the need to read the Bible every day…
Do YOU?
Verse 2…
Be Humble (completely!)
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
If you want to grow in grace, you must learn to cultivate humility.
Humility is the fertilizer that grows people into what they are.
In those that lack humility, well, we will eventually see the fruit of selfishness robbing their souls of compassion. The obnoxious fruit will continue to deprive the main body of what it really needs until the vines are no longer able to support the fruit. Ultimately, both will die.
Humility is the fertilizer that grows people into what they are.
In those that do not lack humility, well, we will see an outgrowth of self-less-ness, which cares for and nurtures everything it touches. There is no real fruit in and of itself, since that would in and of itself be too selfish.
D.L. Moody once said: “Be Humble, or you’ll Stumble.” While Paul tells us in various places in the Bible:
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
What’s your opinion of yourself?
Be Gentle (completely!)
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
When Mahatma Gandhi was the spiritual leader of India, he was asked by some missionaries, "What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in India?"
We ask that same question in our Christian schools, in our churches, and in our neighborhoods. We read all the latest books on witnessing, and we get the latest video sets on reaching the masses. We spend hours and dollars on finding our purpose, so that we can teach others how to find theirs. We are going so fast, and are in such a hurry that we don’t notice what the real problem is, we need to be gentle.
Many times, my wife has asked me to unscrew the top of the mustard jar, or the mayonnaise jar, or the pickle jar. And, usually I do so very easily, and sometimes, I will even tell her just how easy it was…then she reminds me that I’m a little bit stronger than her, and, of course, I quickly agree with her. Then she tells me I shouldn’t have put the lid on so tight in the first place!
Being gentle, like soft music, will most always win in every situation. Even in witnessing.
Going back to our illustration:
Mahatma Gandhi was asked by some missionaries, "What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in India?" he answered, “Christians.”
Be Patient and Forbearing
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Here’s a quick poem by an unknown source:
Patience is a virtue,
Possess it if you can.
Found seldom in a woman,
Never in a man.
Yes, patience and forbearance are two things that we all need to work on IN LOVE, and pray for. Yet, many people have said that you shouldn’t pray for patience, because then you’ll be tested, since many believe that patience comes from trials. Well, some of that is true, the last part that is, patience does come out of trials. But, why wait? Why not practice patience right now, before a trial presents itself and we lose our temper, or get upset because we are impatient?
The opportunity to practice patience presents itself throughout the day and in many forms. There is an old, traditional Hebrew story concerning Abraham, as told by Thomas Lindberg:
“Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink.
The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, "Don’t you worship God?"
The old traveler replied, "I worship fire only and reverence no other god."
When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.
When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, "I forced him out because he did not worship you."
God answered, "I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?"
Yes,
Patience is a virtue, a desirable quality to have, though,
You can’t possess it, though they say you can,
You won’t find it, though they say you can lose it,
You can only practice it.
Be Unified
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Being unified needs no explanation, other than practice those words that Paul has given you in verses 1 and 2 and you will be unified!
Conclusion:
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
Run a background check on yourself and focus on just these five areas that we’ve discussed today. If you’ve found that you’re lacking, ask for a bigger portion of grace. Go to God and pour out your heart to Him and tell Him that you want more grace…so that you’ll be found worthy of the calling to glorify Him. His grace is Good ‘n Plenty, I’m sure there’s enough for you.
