have you ever met somebody with unwavering faith? You know the kind that makes you want to just be better. Okay, we're being transparent maybe at first it makes you a little bitter, right? You're like, come on like how come on, like you went through that and yet you're like that and and and and you you watch you watch somebody walk through something so incredibly devastating. And yet somehow they keep courage and they keep confidence in God and they have a piece about them and just leaves you feeling inspired. You know, I know there are many people in this room right here are watching online right now who are walking through incredibly difficult circumstances, but yet they keep their confidence in God. Don't you want that? I know I do. And so today, what I wanna do is that I want to spend these next few minutes together really talking about that tension between the hope we read in the bible, but then the hurt we experience in real life because you read the scriptures and you feel encouraged and inspired and excited. But then monday comes, it's hard, right? Well, today we're going to take a look at that tension and what's really seen as the hinge passage in the letter to the Ephesians. See we're in our series called battles and blessings because that in many ways sums up how we live that our lives are filled with both battles and blessings and sometimes they're going simultaneously. Have you experienced that where you've walked through something so difficult, but in the same day you you have this little blessing that you're grateful for, but you're hurt and you're struggling, but you're grateful. And and it's this weird mixture of motion. And so I want to talk through that tension because paul talks through that tension. You see, paul is no stranger to difficulty. He is writing this letter in prison and chances are he's gonna lose his life. He he had his ministry stripped away, He was planting churches, developing leader, he can no longer do that. And so he does what he can, which is write letters. And so he's writing a letter about 10 years later from a church that he helped start in Ephesus, a major trade city that had its own battles. It's the city where there is the Temple of Diana, the Temple of Artemis, who's one of the seven ancient wonders of the near Eastern world there, where he started the church and seeing people get saved. He was actually run out of town because of a riot. And so there's a lot of battles going on. And while he's facing his own battle being locked up in prison, he writes back to this church to encourage them to inspire them as and it's a circular letter. And so he is writing to these different places, that this letter will be read in different small places. And so to give you an idea of where we're turning to is that the really the letter is six chapters and it can be summed up this way, Chapters one through 3, which we just finished. It's really describing what God has done for you and it's filled with these incredible inspirational promises about how well we were dead in our sins. We were made alive together through christ that through is really, you know, by grace through faith that we are saved, That we can know a love that's beyond even knowing that that Paul's prayer for us at the end of Chapter three is to know the height and the depth and the width and the breadth of the love of God and a God who can do immeasurably more than anything we ask, think or imagine. And and pastor Craig did a great job last week sharing that promise with us about how we are a restoration project that that God is continually renovating us and making us new. And so now we get to chapters 4-6 where chapters one through three is what God has done for you. Now we move into even more relational and practical ideas and we talk about what God does through you. And so the first three chapters are seen as the proof of God's power. And then the last three chapters are seen as the opportunity for us to participate in God's power or another way of looking at it is the first three chapters are God's doctrine, but then the last three chapters are now our duty. But The reason this versus these verses in Chapter four are so crucial to our understanding of the letter Is that Paul connects the two. And so in other words, what you learn on Sunday, what you learn about God should directly impact how you live on Monday. That's why the great commandment is to love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, but also to love others as jesus has loved us to to love others as yourself and and to go that extra mile. And so we see this connection, we see this hinge found in Ephesians chapter four. So if every bibles open up the Ephesians chapter four, we're gonna jump in here to verse one I therefore a prisoner for the Lord. Now that one phrase is so powerful. If you've been a part of our church family, you've heard me say this that any time you see the word, therefore you want to ask yourself, okay, what is that? Therefore? Therefore, well, therefore, in light of everything he just said in those first three chapters, in light of the fact that we're called Saints that were adopted, that were redeemed that we're forgiven, that were sealed with the Holy Spirit that we're made alive together that that we can know a love that's beyond even knowing and that God can do immeasurably more than anything that you ask think or imagine therefore, but right next to therefore then is prisoner, right side by side. You see both the hope found in the promises of God and then the hurt rooted in the problems of man and so his situation in his circumstance is surrounded and it's doom and gloom and it doesn't look good, but right side by side, you see difficulty and then you see courage and I think it's that tension we see right there in that phrase is that paul wants us to walk away with notice that he doesn't even say prisoner of the romans. Even his identification of his position is in light of who God is, that I'm a prisoner for the Lord. So therefore in light of everything that I've said about God and also as a prisoner. So not this Prosperity gospel, not this, like, like if you believe in jesus, all your problems will go away instead, it's the the opposite. He's saying in the midst of your worst possible pain in the lowest of low, I want you to know that God is there. And so then he says, I urge you this is a heartfelt plea. There is urgency there, he said, like maybe the urgency is because of his desire for the church. Maybe the urgency is because he doesn't know how much longer he has to live. But either way, he says, I urge you, you've got to get this and he says, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. I'm so grateful that he said walk and not a sprint and forever throughout life. Like walking is a pace we can keep up with Now. The irony is not lost on me that I'm preaching on walking while wearing a boot. But I don't I don't I don't know how far paul is able to walk at this point. If he's in prison, whether it's in house arrest or in prison, right? If he's just circling around the cell or its home where he's locked in, right? So I don't think he's talking about a physical walking here. I think it's it's referring to this idea of living of spiritually walking with him. And so he says, walk in a manner worthy. This idea of worthy is tied to wait. And so when there was economic trade and things that they had to measure the weight of coin or grain or seed and when they were trading, so you you wanted to validate how much something costs or how much something wait. And so you wanted to make something worthy or that it was equal weight. Now there's no way for us to live in an equal fashion to what God has already done. But those words calling in that passage are actually two unique words, there's Kaleo and then there's crisis and when you put them together paint this picture idea of receiving the divine invitation to bear the name of God. And so he's saying walk in a manner worthy of the name of the Lord in light of everything that God has done in light of the fact that God can do immeasurably more in your life. And what I think he's trying to say here is this. If you're taking notes, write this down that when you feel stuck in your circumstance, remember to walk in your calling, when you feel stuck in your circumstance, when you and it is not minimizing the situation, because again, I know people right here in the room are walking through such difficulty and doubt and pain and questions. And so he's not minimizing that what he's doing is he's speaking directly into that and saying, I want to tell you something that there is something more for you, that you are not defined by your circumstance and your situation, you're defined by your calling and your savior. And I know I'm about to lose it all, but if I have one final breath, I'm going to encourage you. There's something better and there's something more, there's something available for you. So, when you feel stuck in your circumstance, walk in your calling, this idea is that you have a higher calling that you have a higher purpose, that you have a higher God, that's not separate that's not away from your difficulty, but right in the middle of it? If you think about it, we have been built for adversity? How did Christianity start? It started when jesus was killed, how did, how did jesus respond? He defeated death itself and rose again. And so if jesus conquered death, then this calling paul speaks about is greater than death. And how did the early church start? It started with massive persecution. But yet here, we are 2000 years later and there are christians all over the world and there are more christians alive today than at any point in all of history. And every empire that tried to wipe Christianity off the map for the most part is no longer in existence. But the church through everything is alive and thriving and growing as well. You know why? Because God said it would, so that's a really cool promise right then and a challenge to walk worthy of your calling. But what does that actually mean if you've watched any of those awards shows before they give out the awards and they have the speeches that they say are not political, but every one of them is political, political, right? You know, it's true. But before you get all that right, what what happens before it starts? You have the red carpet, right? You have the red carpet and they walked down and they're like, hey, hey, hey, you know, they get the interview and and what's always one of the top one of the first couple of questions that they asked, What are you wearing? I would like, I would pay money, I would sponsor someone with all $3 that I have, and uh to go in and just say, oh, um Costco just leave it at that, you know, would be great, No, it's always some name we can't pronounce, and some tailored designer and and the threads are, you know made from gold silk worms and this and the pearls from the depths of Atlantis and all that stuff, right? And they have this whole thing, like, wow, okay, and so they asked this question, what are you wearing now? I picture in a spiritual sense like this reverse red carpet, like, okay, it's red, but for a different reason, and uh and so it got dark real quick, sorry about that, and and like paul is walking down this path and he has lost everything, but yet he has a boldness and a confidence and the courage, and I could just see people, the prison guard, the churches, believers saying yo paul, they probably say yo because who says yo back in, you know, jesus time, so that would be great if they did, right? Anyway, um sorry, that's how my mind works. And so, um and they're like, I get a picture of you paul, how what, what are you wearing, man, what are you wearing? How is it possible that you can walk, not in light of your circumstance, but in your calling, and so he continues on, and we see in this passage, and he's gonna share with us three ways to walk three things for us to put on that can impact how we can live out that calling. And the first lesson we need to learn as christians as believers is that we have to wear. We have to walk with humility. We have to walk with humility. And that's that's your attitude, you know, in your situation, how how is your attitude? He says this in Ephesians 42, he says with all humility and gentleness and with patience, Bearing with one another in love. He's like, you know that love, I just talked about the one that's conquered death, the one that saved you, the one that forgave you, the one that's beyond even imagination. That's the love I want to give you. And it starts when you recognize that God is so much bigger than you, that this is so much bigger than just one person. The natural response to that is to be humble. I started reading a book this week called The Road to character. That's my guy named David brooks. Um start reading that as a recommendation from a pastor named Alistair begg if you've ever heard of him. Great preacher, if you need someone to listen to. It's also got a Scottish accent, which is awesome. Um, I wish I could have one, but just not coming and not gonna start today. Um, but he um recommend this book. Started reading it and in the introduction, there's this great story and this powerful story and I want to read some of it to you. But to set it up basically he was driving home this author, David brooks. He was driving home and he turned on the radio and the local radio station. Um There would play on NPR would play Old radio programs from like the 40s and 50 on sunday nights or on Sundays. And so they would play these old programs. And and the one that was playing that particular day was called Command performance. And it was filled with celebrities like frank Sinatra and and Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant and Bette Davis. And this particular episode or replacing the episode decades later was the day after V. J. Day, the day after victory over Japan in World War Two On August 15, 1945. And what struck the author, David brooks really had a tone that just made him start to think is it's just the tone of the entire broadcasting program. He said this was this overwhelming sense of self efficiency and humility. And even even guys um well known guys like being Crosby said this, he said, well it looks like this, is it. What can you say at a time like this? You can't throw your skimmer in the air. That's for one of the middle holidays. I guess anybody, I guess all that anybody can do is thank God the war is over Ernie Pyle was a correspondent who was killed. But a couple of months prior wrote this about the importance of victory? And he said, I hope that in victory we are more grateful than we are proud. Now there was confetti and celebration in the streets, don't get me wrong. But but on this program there was there was this a tone and it was more than just a mood or style. And brooks writes this. He says the people on the broadcast had been part of one of the most historic victories ever known. But they didn't go around telling themselves how great they were. They didn't print out bumper stickers Commemorating their own awesomeness. Their first instinct was to remind themselves that they were not morally superior to anyone else. Their collective impulse was to warn themselves against pride and self glorification. They intuitively resisted the natural human tendency towards excessive self love. And when he pulled into the driveway and completed the radio program, he walked inside and turned on the football game and he said, as I turned on the television, a quarterback threw a short pass to a wide receiver who was tackled almost immediately for a two yard gain. The defensive player did what all professional athletes do these days and moments of professional accomplishment. He did a self puffing victory dance as the camera lingered. It occurred to me in that moment that I had just watched more self celebration after a two yard gain than I heard after the United States won World War Two Church. We have to ask ourselves, are we marked by humility, do we have the understanding that even in our hurt and pain of our circumstance that God is bigger and that God is there and God is present. Do we live in that? Because our hope calls us to humility number two is that we're called to walk with unity. We're called to walk with unity. That's your affection. That's your cares, your, your heartbeat, all the fields. Okay. He says this here in Ephesians four verse 3 through six, he says again, it's about how we're walking. He says, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Now, the fact that he uses the word maintain means that you received that you've already received it. Now, later in the chapter, he says that we have to work and use our gifts to attain further unity in the church. So there's this, this balance of you've received in part, but you're not perfected yet. And so you still need to work it out. But in the starting point, he's saying, you have to maintain what God has already given you. Well, what is it given us? And he actually gives seven words here are seven phrases with the word one to let us know what is it that unites believers together. He says, there is one body and one spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is over all and through all and in all our understanding of God is what calls us to unity. And while there are plenty divisions there are plenty divisions, right families fight, but we're we're on the same team were in one body that we're in this together, that what unites us is so much bigger and so much greater than what divides us. So do we treat people in light of that unity? Do we treat people in light of what God has done for us in a way he's saying God has done everything he can do a measurably more and even conquer death itself and if he conquered death itself then it shouldn't be beyond us to love and forgive and serve her neighbor. There is a teacher in Atlanta, her name was crystal jones. He volunteered with a program called teach for America and he, she walked into a classroom of first graders who were way behind very few of them could read some of them couldn't even really identify letters and she was like man how am I supposed to help these kids learn? They don't have a starting point. And so she asked herself the question what is it that every first grader wants to be answer older they do they all if if you look at a kid and they interact at school, what do they want to be? They want to be older, they want to be the secondary, they want to be third graders. And so she went to her class the first day and she looked at all of them said by the end of the year, all of you are going to be third graders. And she said also, I want you to know that every single one of you in the classroom is a scholar. And she defined scholar, she said, a scholar is someone who lives to learn and who is good at it. And so she made her class repeat this every morning and they had to refer to each other as scholars. So it was like scholar and their last name. So like scholar smith, Scholar johnson and so on. And she designed programs based on the identity that they wanted to be. And they and she started treating treating her kids in light of the identity that she just gave them. They hadn't earned it at that point, paul gives us the same picture here. He gives us this identity ahead of time. And this theme that runs through all of Ephesians is that our identity shapes our activity, that who we are determines what we do. And that's why he can come back and say that we're not defined by our circumstances and our divisions and our and our difficult situations in our arguments were defined by our calling by humility and by our unity and wouldn't you know it, by the end of that school year, every single one of those kids, even some of the kids who couldn't identify letters at the beginning of the year was able to read at a third grade level. It started when they saw themselves differently and they lived from that identity, not for it. How do we walk? Number one Paul tells us to walk with humility. No two, he tells us to walk with Unity. So we have our attitude and and being humble, we have our affections and being unified. And then number three, he tells us to walk with generosity. This is where it gets real practical. It's talking about our actions, he says here in verse seven, he says, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of christ's gift, it's Grace, He's given you spiritual gifts, he goes on and the remainder of those verses and talking about things like the apostles and the prophets and evangelists, the shepherds and the teachers and these different gifts that were given to the body to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and how we've been wired differently, Apostles are like pioneers going out breaking new ground. You have profits. You declare truth even in the midst of a world surrounded by lies, you have evangelists who are expanding the kingdom and sharing the good news, You have shepherds who really just care for people well, teachers who explain the scripture and so you see these different roles, different aspects and in other scriptures Like in first Corinthians 12 in Romans 12 you see that everyone who believes everyone in the body has been given a gift and that not only has christ given you a gift, but you actually are the gift. How God has wired you, your passion, your ability, your skill set, everything that God has given you has given that so that you can turn around and build up the body and bless everyone else so that it is selfish, it is wrong if you keep that gift for you. Yes you need the church but also yes the church needs you because your uniqueness, your gifting Builds and strengthens the body that we call the church that is sustained for over 2000 years. Mhm My daughter is a kindergartner and and recently learned to um you know write her name and and so she loves that. And so she's writing her name everywhere. And one day I walked home or not, walked home, I could barely walk, I drove home, I walked like from the car into the door and probably got hurt more. But anyway, I walked in the door limped into the door okay more accurately. And uh and Chloe had taken her name and she wrote her name and had like a heart balloon And she drew that picture like 20 times and she had like taped it everywhere around her house. So everywhere I look, there's just Chloe Chloe Chloe. So she like made claim on everything and it was like Khloe Khloe Khloe. And and here's, here's the truth is that God has made claim on everything on earth, down to your very DNA, God has written his name into you and called you his own and that you have a gift that can benefit the body when we serve each other. So are you willing to live a generous life to give that? Because if you do that, that changes your outlook. It changes how you walk when you serve people. You're not stuck in your circumstance, you're walking and calling because when you feel stuck in your circumstance, you have to remember to walk in that call and you've been called to something greater that you can walk with humility, it's your attitude. You can walk with unity, that's your affection, that you can walk with generosity, that's your action. We all could use a little spiritual hug from time to time. So think of that humility. Unity generosity. I want to challenge you with this. I want to challenge you. To identify one area where you need to shift your focus this week. Pick one of those three things. Do you need to be more humble? Do you need to work towards unity in a relationship? Do you need to be more generous and to change that focus and see if it changes how you walk this week? I think it will, Thursday night we were serving night one of our served week of the three nights and uh little nephew liam was in the costume contest About 18 months old. It's so cute, it's about you got announced and he saw me across the way and he just lit up and it was so cute and I loved it as uncle and he just came like, like a waddle sprint, you know how babies do it, It's kind of wild sprint, just kind of over to me and put his hands out and uh, and he was so cute won by a mile for, you know, costume kind of super cute and, but you know, it's so fun to have them walk to me, but he's a baby, he had to learn to do that. We all need to learn to walk. And so what's interesting is that it's a kid's curiosity and that gets them back up. I was listening to an interview with pastor Erwin McManus and he said if you think about it, we have been created with this inner sense of curiosity and its curiosity that moves us to lift our head to speak to, to taste things, to touch things to walk and have you ever seen a baby learn learn to walk, like they fall immediately, right, what if a baby just tried once fell and he's like, oh, I tried, I'm done, mm hmm, No, you, you fall and you fall a lot. But they're just curious enough to get back up. And so if you've fallen recently, if you're struggling if if you're like, man, I'm trying to walk in my calling. But this is hard. I want to challenge you. Want to encourage you to be just curious enough to give it one more go to give it one more shot to take that step to try to walk in a manner worthy. The calling to which you've been called because if you do that, I think it could change everything. Let's pray dear Heavenly father, thank you for who you are and what you've done. God help us not to live in light of our circumstances. I know there are many who are here who have experienced loss and challenges and so I pray for comfort. But God just as you gave comfort and courage to paul in prison awaiting death when we take that same courage and not be stuck in these circumstances. But instead choose to walk in our calling to walk with humility and unity and generosity and God, we just ask that we can love you more. Each and every day. We love others the way that you have loved us. Mhm Thank you for saving us. Give us the courage to walk this way this week. We love you and your son's name. We pray amen