All right, take your ancient words and turn to Ephesians 4. Ephesians chapter 4. We're going to look at verse 1 again as we started on verse 1 last week in the Word of God says, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I'd like for us to look at this one area in verse 1, how you and I, if we are believers, should be walking worthy of our calling. I believe as we looked at last week, and we just looked at therefore last week, we observed the importance of the balance of our doctrine and the life that we live. The balance of knowing the truths of God's word with balancing it, with applying it to our lives, living it out. That's something that Paul does with all of the letters that he has written. He will give a doctrinal position in the first few chapters, and in the last chapters he will put it into practice. That doesn't mean he doesn't leave doctrine out in the last three chapters, but it shows how to practice or implement that which he has talked about. We find that with the doctrinal aspect of Ephesians 1 through 3. And then we find the practical aspect in chapters 4 through 6. And what the practical aspect gives us is a description of the life that you and I should be living. Paul first describes it in a very general way, that life that we're called to. And then he gets into it more specifically. At first, he gives a bird's eye view, you might say, a more general statement, the big picture. And we need to have a big picture of the whole Word of God. Therefore, we need to be reading the whole Word of God. But then after you look at that big picture, then you get more into the details or the more specifics of Scripture. Don't go to the specifics first. Often times people go into details before they see the big picture that God has written out. Once you start in specifics without that general big picture, you can cause problems. Have you ever heard of somebody going to seed on a doctrine? Or you might have heard somebody camping out on a doctrine and that's all they talk about. Get the big picture. If we understood, verse 1, how Paul is beseeching us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, If you understood what he said and you put it into practice, the majority of our problems in life are pretty much resolved. The problems of sin, the problems of worrying, the problems of wrong choices in life could be easily avoided if we simply practice what he is saying here in verse 1. Walk worthy of the calling. Notice that word vocation. It is a noun and it's the same word as far as the root word as the word that you see wherewith you are called. Vocation and called are basically the same root word. The only difference there is the vocation or that calling or the called, it's a noun. In the last calling there in that verse, it is a verb. So it's the same root word from kaleo in the Greek. And so you could very easily say, walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called. We want to look at the words in this passage of scripture and we want to detail that because when you talk about walking worthy, what does it mean to walk worthy? What does worthy mean? There was the song, I believe the choir was singing, practicing. He is worthy. What does the word worthy mean? If you look at how the word is used in Scripture, it's the Greek word axios. I think there is a news media called Axios. I don't know anything about it, so I'm not going to make a comment on it. But this word in Greek, what it means, one of the meanings is fitting or becoming. Have you ever heard of what that's very becoming of you? That's one definition. Another definition that's used in scripture is having equal weight or being balanced. I believe we can look at this word in both senses in this verse of scripture. And as we look at it, I want you to pay attention to it being balanced. Have you ever heard of the term, that is worth its weight in gold? In other words, you measure it by gold and you pay them that amount. In other words, if you put something on scales for it to be balanced, that means the scales aren't tipping one side more than the other. It's very well balanced. It means to give equal value to, what have we been talking about, the doctrine and the practice. In other words, don't get lopsided with doctrine and fill your head with doctrine and you don't put it into practice in life. Nor go the other way. All you want to do is live practically and morally and don't have any doctrine. You're just an empty vacuum then. Don't get out of whack with doctrine and practice. There must be a balance in your life with that. If you have a doctrinal knowledge, Brother Steve mentioned in the Sunday school class this morning systematic theology, and he recommended a few books for that. With systematic theology, that's good. We ought to know the doctrines that are in the Word of God. But, your problem is, if all you have is a doctoral head knowledge, and your life is out of whack, You know what, what does it profit you? I recall many years ago I was called to a home of a lady that I had never met before. And who was in that home was a preacher who had left his wife and he'd leave her every so often and go to that home and live with this woman. In other words, there was adultery going on. I knew the preacher that was in that home. And as I knocked on the door, he came to the door. I thought that rather odd. He's living in adultery. He's answering the door of the one he's in adultery with, of her home. And when I confronted him about his situation and his lifestyle, let me tell you what he told me. Oh, you wouldn't believe how the Lord's blessing this situation. I got to lead this woman's daughter to the Lord. I'm going like, what? You see, he had a head knowledge, but boy was his life out of whack. Can you imagine? I ain't going to use me as an illustration. Imagine that situation. Let's say he led that girl to the Lord. What is he teaching her? You can live godless and go to heaven. Look at how your life has got to match your doctrine, and your doctrine's got to match your lifestyle, and it's got to be a balance within there. I thought as I left that place, he'd been smoking some wacky weed or something. Something was wrong. Something was drastically off. He could very easily and probably was a stumbling block to many people because of his sinful lifestyle. And no doubt he brought shame to whatever church he belonged to. He brought shame to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet it seemed like nothing to him. There was a man not too long ago, I will not mention his name, 70 years old, having an affair for four or five years with a young woman 24 or 25 years old. A pretty renowned commentator, preacher that many people would know. Notice how easy, if your life gets out of whack with doctrine, how easily you can lead people astray. There are other people who like to live the practical aspect and forget about the doctrine. In other words, they want to live a morally good life and that's it. But they don't have a thimble full of doctrine concerning God's Word. You know what? It is good that you want to live a morally good life. But don't think you live in a morally good life, it's going to get you to heaven. The Mormons like to live morally good. But you know what? They're trying to work their way to heaven. To do good to get to heaven. You know what? You better be good morally if you're going to try to work your way to heaven. But the problem is the problem of the heart. And there you failed. So you know what? The Mormons have a false message. They have not the right doctrine. yet they're trying to live a right lifestyle. There's got to be a balance. You've got to practice what you preach. You've got to walk worthy of the calling wherewith you have been called is what the Word of God is teaching us. There are others, we can name other cults, that try to do good. and try to work good and yet they fall short because their doctrine is out of whack. Let us look at the other definition for this word worthy. Besides balance or having things of equal weight, the other definition we looked at was being fitting or what worthy of the fitting, fitting of the calling. wherewith you've been called. Walk where it is becoming of where you have been called. " Listen to what the Word of God says over in Philippians chapter 1. In Philippians chapter 1, just a couple pages over, and down in verse 27, The Word of God says, "...only let your conversation or your lifestyle be as it becometh the gospel of God or Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel." Let your conversation, let your lifestyle be as it becomes the gospel of Christ. your calling should be worthy or fitting or becoming what you've been called to. What does it mean to be fitting or to be becoming? Practically every Sunday when I put a suit on I will tell my wife, you need to pick out a tie and a shirt because your pastor cannot match colors well and patterns well. If Lydia did not pick out my shirt and tie, I would be clashing, you know what I mean? And you would probably would turn your head when you looked at me. It would not be very becoming for me to stand before you because I cannot match colors good nor patterns good. Now, other men have that problem too, I'm sure. I don't feel too bad about it because I don't have to clash because Lydia picks that out for me. There are other ways that we can use illustrations of how things clash. There's music. You know, if you had people different, singing different notes or playing different instruments and they're playing all out of tune, which some bands do, and it clashes, you know, it just kind of like, you know, it's not very becoming. It's not very fitting. It's not something that you would want to pay money to go to a concert to hear going all over the place with music, which a lot of music does that in our day and time. But you know what? Art should be beautiful. And yet you look at some of the artwork of some artists and you wonder what in the world is going on in their mind. You look at their artwork downtown in Lexington. Didn't anybody see that up near the courthouse, I think, where they paid millions of dollars for a bunch of metal that's put up? Millions of dollars? I do not understand some people's mindset with that. If you want me to give you an illustration of how sounds can clash, all I need to do is go over here to the piano and see if I can play it like Lydia or Sarah. You know what? You would probably get up and leave because it would not sound too well. The notes and chords would go all over the place and you would think I'd have very bad taste if I told you that was good music. So hear what the Word of God is telling us. Don't let your doctrine and your lifestyle clash with one another. It's got to be fitting. Look over in the book of Titus. In Titus chapter 2, there is a verse of scripture there, down in verse 10. In Titus 2 and verse 10, the word of God says, not purloining. Now that's an old word for stealing. not stealing, but showing all good fidelity or faith, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." Notice this word, adorn. What we are to do is adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things, in all that we do. Now when you think about adorning something, can you imagine with me for a moment with this word adorning? It is the Greek word is cosmeo, which is where we get the word cosmetics. So when you say a woman has adorned herself real well, you might get slapped if you're with your wife, but what you're saying, they put themselves together pretty good. Or their makeup's on real good. I've seen women put makeup on and it's clashed. Yeah, you probably have too and wonder what in the world's going on there. If she is adorned well, I wonder if that means she's got her makeup on well, according to the definition of cosmeo. That's more of a modern day definition there. When it talks about adorning the doctrine, or if a woman is adorned, it means to make yourself attractive. So adorning the doctrine of Christ is making the doctrine of Christ attractive unto others. How do we do that? By living out that doctrine as we've learned the doctrine. As we live it out, you know what it should give the people something they're drawn to. Not something that's repulsive, but something that is attractive. It means kind of like to beautify. the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine is basically our foundation. And then what you have is our life as we live it. It's adorning the doctrine. It should make the way you live your life should make the doctrine beautiful. because of the changes made in our lives. One of the things that we have got to do with putting my dad in SARE for rehab is I got to introduce him to one of the ladies there that Brother Bobby has led to the Lord. So I thought that was very fascinating because I saw her. She walked right by his room when I was about to leave. And so I got to introduce her to my dad, and boy, she just, she thinks the world of Brother Bobby. And she had just told Brother Bobby, and Brother Bobby just told me this. She had told him that morning, you have changed my life in every aspect. And it's because Brother Bobby witnessed to her, and she trusted the Lord, and her life has changed, which is neat. So here, she goes to meet my dad, and she's just bubbling. She says, oh, we're going to treat him good. Boy, that just made him feel great. That's great that there's a contact there that's relational. And it's because of Brother Bobby's living out the gospel, adorning the doctrine, that made it attractive, and presenting the gospel, here's one that trusted the Lord. Now, I know it's all of grace, but God uses instruments. And God uses your life, and God uses my life. And what we should be doing is live in such a way that we are adorning the gospel of Christ. The doctrine is the vocation. Or the calling. Notice it says, what worthy of the vocation are the calling. That's a noun. What worthy of the calling. We are called the called. Did you know that? As Christians you are the called. It's what the Word of God tells us over in the book of Romans. chapter 1 and down in verse 6. Notice what the Word of God says. Romans chapter 1 and verse 6. It says, Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ? You are the called. Who is He talking to? He is talking about the saints at a church there in Rome. And even so today, if you are a child of God, you are the called. It is what the Word of God is telling us. Romans 8 and verse 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them who are the called. Who is the called? Those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. You are the called. So here it's talking about Ephesians chapter four and verse one. Walk worthy of the calling. That noun, the called, wherewith you are called. There's the verb. In first Peter chapter two. And down in verse nine, the word of God says this, but you are a chosen generation. You're a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Who calls the called? If you are the called, who called you? It is God who does the calling. God does the calling. It's not something that we choose to do. It's God that calls. He has called us with this calling. We're called to something. What is this call that we're called to? First, we must know it's God calling, so it's a heavenly calling. And if it's a heavenly calling, it's a holy calling. God has called us to live a holy life. Be ye holy, for I am holy. Says it in the Old Testament, says it in the New Testament. You are to be holy by him who's called you to be holy. It is a personal calling. He knows us by name. And let me tell you, it is an effectual calling. There's a general call. There's an effectual call. A general call is the gospel going out to all people. The effectual call is those who respond to the call. Not everybody responds to the gospel because it goes out in a general way. But let me tell you, upon those who it has an effect, that's an effectual call. God's got a purpose. God's got a plan. The effectual call comes from God. And the Spirit of God quickens that person in that call. It is the Spirit that gives life. Can you imagine a dead person calling themselves and waking themselves up and giving themselves life? Well, they can't do that. That's foolishness. But you who are dead in trespasses and sins, hath he quickened?" is what the Word of God says. It is God that quickens us. That word quickened very simply means gives life. There is yet to be a dead person. Every funeral I've preached, they've been dead. Not near one of them has got up because they chose to get up. You know what, the only way they could get up? If God himself said something like, Lazarus, come forth. And Lazarus, who was in that tomb for three days, you know what, he came forth because Jesus said, Lazarus, come forth. Can you imagine Jesus saying, come forth? And all of a sudden, everybody comes forth. What? You know what? It was a personal call. He directed his call toward Lazarus and Lazarus came back to life. Dead man can't do that, but God can. God can do the impossible. Listen to what it says over in Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4 and down in verse 17. Romans 4 and verse 17 says this, As it is written, I have made you a father of many nations. He's talking about Abraham. Abraham was childless, 99 years old, his wife 90. They gave birth to a son. They were dead in their body as far as being able to give life, bring life into the world. They couldn't do it. But God made him a father of many nations. Before him whom he believed, even God who, notice what it says, quickens the dead. God gives life to the dead and calls those things which be not as though they were. That's what God does. That's a picture of spiritual life of what God gives. Abraham, if God had not intervened, would have still been childless. He would have died childless. But God intervened. And God gave him a son just like he promised. You see, it is God's Word as it goes forth and He calls people. It brings people to life. That's why it's so important that you know the Word of God. That's why it's so important that you share the Word of God. Because it's the Word of God. It is the Gospel of Christ that is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It is the Gospel of Christ that is the power of God unto salvation. It's not because A person can choose to live a good moral life and change their ways and get up from the dead. It is God that quickens. And let me tell you, when God changes a heart, that heart does not change back to a sinner's heart. He gives them a new heart. a heart of flesh to whereby they can serve Him and they can worship Him. Listen to what it says over in Ephesians chapter 1 and down in verse 4. He says, according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that for the purpose that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. God has chosen us. He's called us that we might be holy and without blame before Him in love. Therefore, what the Word of God is teaching us, you've got to honor the family name. You ever thought of that? I remember years ago when I was taking kids to camp and I had about 120, 130 kids. I remember Herschel York telling his oldest son the first year he was going to camp, he says, you need to remember who you are and whose you are. I thought, boy, that was good. That stuck with me all those years. He didn't know he was telling me that. He was telling his son that. Remember who you are. I'm a child of the living God. Remember whose family you belong to. Remember whose you are. I've been bought with a price. The Apostle Paul was writing here in Ephesians. He says he is the prisoner of the Lord. He is captive. He is behind bars, probably in a dungeon. But he's not a Roman prisoner. our prisoner of this world. He says, I'm a prisoner of the Lord. In other words, Paul did not choose this way of life. God chose it for him, and he's simply being a servant. That word servant means doulos. It means a slave. In other words, his life is surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. So he's writing as a prisoner of our Lord. simply because he surrendered his life. And he's telling people, as he's in prison, walk worthy of the calling wherewith you've been called. That's pretty astounding, I think. Here he is in jail, doesn't have a lot of freedoms like we have in our day and time, and he's telling people to walk worthy. walk worthy, balance your doctrine in your lifestyle, make it match. My question to you this evening, are you a prisoner of Jesus Christ? Have you been captured by Him? Have you surrendered your life to Him? Are you a servant of the Lord? Are you a slave to Jesus Christ? We're going to give a hymn of invitation. If you've never surrendered your life to the Lord, here's a call that's going out. It's a general call. Very simply, I tell you, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. What else do I got to do? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. You know what you need to do after that? You need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. The most important thing is that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall have eternal life. That's simply the gospel. Turn from your sin, trust in Him. Believe what He did upon that cross was for my sin. And when you trust, you have eternal life. As I mentioned that one fellow this morning, he said, I believe I'm saved. I'm going, well, I'm happy. And you know what? He told me, he says, I heard him as he was walking off. I'm pretty sure I heard this. At least I'm thinking I heard it. He says, I love you. I'm like, wow. There's been a change in his heart. That's downright exciting when God changes a heart. Believe on Him and you will have everlasting life. Let's stand and go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come before you thanking you and praising you for how you work in such a mighty way to change rebels' hearts and sinful hearts and make something beautiful out of our lives. So Lord, we ask that you would impress upon each and every person here the importance of walking worthy of the calling wherewith you have called us to. that your name might be all the more praised and resounded throughout this life. We'll give you the praise, the honor, and glory for Christ's sake. Amen. We're gonna sing one verse to take my life and let it be.