A Brand New Day of Serving

2018-04-22 
Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Key Verse: Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

Ephesians 4:1-7 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. 7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

1. You have been called

Vs 1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

– Not one of us has the luxury of taking it easy in our walk with God

– God has a purpose and a plan for each of us

– We will be held accountable to what we have done in response to that call

2. Called to SERVE

2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

– Our calling is never self centered, it always revolves around others

– Serving others requires patience

– “binding” – soon-DES-mohs = of ligaments by which the members of the human body are united together

3. You’ve been equipped vs 7

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ

Romans 12:4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

– God will never call us to do that which we are not enabled and empowered to be able to do successfully. In other words, what God calls us to He ensures we will be able to pull it off

– That service must always flow from our love for one another (vs 9)

– Service out of duty rather than love will never develop a habit and will never produce joy

– The calling He has placed on us will never be a breeze, but it will always be worth it (vs 11)

4. You’ve been blessed vs 16

– Eph 4:16 “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

– When God’s people do God’s work according to God’s calling, it produces a healthy, loving, and happy family of God