Ephesians 4 Part 1
Bible Study Time 9-18-05
Bible Study Time 9-18-05
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reveals the position of the believer who is a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ. We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and called to be the Sons of God.
We are seated in Christ in the heavenly places where we are seen as holy and without blame. As a result, we have continuous access to the Father with confidence.
We were at one time dead in trespasses and sins, but now we have been made alive in Jesus Christ so that in the ages to come God may bestow upon us the exceeding riches of His grace.
When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, He placed His blood upon the mercy seat in the temple of heaven. By His sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied all of the righteous requirements of the Law. The rituals of the Law were abolished, and God created one new man from believing Jews and believing Gentiles. This new man is the Church which is the Body of Christ.
In Romans 11, Paul said that God committed Jews and Gentiles alike to disobedience so that He might have mercy on all. Then in Romans 12, Paul said:
Romans 12:1 (NKJ)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
But how can we live a life that is holy and acceptable in the sight of God? We were born in sin, and God’s ways are not our ways. What seems good to us is often disgusting to God.
First of all, we have been redeemed from the curse by the blood of Christ, and God has given us the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples:
John 16:12-13 (NKJ)
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; . . .
Secondly, God has given us His word. Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NKJ)
14 . . . you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Indeed, all scripture is God-breathed and was given that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is with this hope that we turn our attention to the last three chapters of Ephesians for these chapters serve as a guide for those who seek to live a life that is worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. Paul begins Chapter 4 with these words:
Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJ)
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Paul says that if we want to live a life that is consistent with our position in Christ, we must walk with all lowliness. The word for lowliness simply means with humility. This word is translated humility in several places including Acts, Chapter 20, where the Ephesian elders met with Paul in Miletus. Acts 20 says:
Acts 20:18-19 (NKJ)
18 And when they had come to (Paul), he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
19 "serving the Lord with all humility . . .
Later, Paul reminded the Philippians that they should let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind they should each esteem others better than themselves. And then to the Colossians, he said that they should put on tender mercies, kindness and humility.
The Apostle John wrote his account of the life of Jesus some 30 years after the other books of the New Testament had already been written. In his gospel account, he brings to our attention several events and discourses which were not revealed by the other historians. In one such event, John reveals the lowliness, or the humility, of Jesus. In John 13, Jesus proved that He did not come to be served but that He had come to serve.
According to John, Jesus and His disciples had traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem. In Bethany, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were already plotting to kill Jesus, and this display of divine power made them even more determined to do so.
When Jesus and his disciples got to Jerusalem, the disciples were pleasantly surprised to find the crowds rejoicing at the sight of Jesus. As Jesus entered the city the people:
John 12:13 (NKJ)
13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"
Now Jesus had sent two of His disciples in advance to Jerusalem to make ready a place for them to obverse the Passover. After all of the excited of His triumphal entry into the city, Jesus and His disciples finally settled into the large upper room which had been prepared.
As they entered the room, they probably removed their sandals according to the custom of the day, but there was no servant to wash their feet, and not one of the disciples volunteered to do so. After all, that was a task which was reserved for the lowest of all servants.
With the Passover meal already prepared, Jesus and His disciples offered a prayer of thanksgiving and started the meal with a glass of wine mingled with water. If all went as expected, they would wash their hands and pray. They would give thanks again and eat the Passover salad. Then they would say another prayer, drink another glass of wine, wash their hands again and finish the meal.
They all knew the routine, but at some point during the meal Jesus got up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist and walked over to the area where they would normally wash their hands.
Jesus took a basin and filled it with water. The disciples exchanged nervous glances for this was not a part of the usual routine. As they watched, Jesus went to the first disciple and to their amazement, He began to wash his feet.
Some of the disciples may have been embarrassed that they did not offer to perform this humiliating task. Others may have been embarrassed for Jesus. After all, the crowd had just recognized Him as the King of Israel. Was this something that the King of Israel should be doing? Doesn’t a king need to maintain a certain presence. Some sort of stately demeanor?
Unlike the politicians of our day, Jesus was not concerned about His public image. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I have read articles which tout the importance of having political leaders who have a confident public presence. Leaders who give the appearance of being strong, authoritative and decisive.
Jesus knew that He was the anointed King of Israel, and yet here He was, kneeling before His disciples washing their feet. When Jesus came to Peter, Peter questioned Jesus, asking, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” But Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, Peter, you will have no part with me.”
We too must remember that there is nothing we can do to clean up our own act. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Unless we have been washed by Jesus, we are not clean, and we have no hope of eternal life.
There is nothing we can do for God to gain His favor because He doesn’t need anything that we have to offer. Unless we have been washed by Jesus, we will have no part with Him.
In this regard, we have to rejoice as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 5 says that:
Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJ)
25 . . . Christ . . . loved the church and gave Himself for (us),
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse (us) with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present (us) to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that (we) should be holy and without blemish.
We have already been washed with a washing which left us without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day thought they could be saved by the Law, but Jesus came to fulfill the Law. The Law was glorious. So glorious, in fact, that Moses’ face was shining when he came down from the mountain. But the glory of the Law pales in comparison to the glory of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 9:13-14 (paraphrase)
13 . . . if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer serve to purify the flesh,
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
As Jesus was washing feet that night in the upper room, we can only guess what was really going through the minds of the disciples. It must have been a very moving scene. Such grace. Such humility. Such dedication to the Father.
This was the one who spoke the word and the seas were calmed, the demons were silenced, and Lazarus came forth from the grave. This was, indeed, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus knew that all of these things were true, but here, the very night before His crucifixion, He was not focusing on who He was. He was focusing on his disciples. There was one thing that He wanted them to know. He wanted them to have no doubt about this. He wanted them to be assured that he loved them.
John certainly got the point. As John introduced this event, he said:
John 13:1 (NIV)
1 . . . Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
Jesus wanted them to know first and foremost that He loved them, and by washing their feet He was showing them the full extent of His love. He didn’t even care how dirty those feet were. It made no difference to Him. He was able and willing to clean the dirtiest of them all. Just like He is today.
Those who have ears to hear can hear Him calling:
Isaiah 1:18 (NKJ)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, what a moment that must have been when Jesus came to Judas Iscariot. As Judas looked into Jesus’ eyes, I’m sure Judas could see the sorrow in Jesus’ heart. Jesus knew that Judas was lost, but Jesus loved him anyway and washed his feet.
Jesus did not come to provide salvation for only a few. His blood provided the payment for all sin. He died not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world. By this He revealed the full extent of His love.
Jesus offered Judas the cleansing of the heart that comes through faith, but Judas was willing to settle for clean feet. I’m afraid that too often we are willing to settle for less than what God has for us. If we fully open our hearts to Jesus, He will fill our hearts with every blessing of heaven. I’m afraid that Judas never came close to the blessings of heaven. He refused to believe in Jesus, and when he realized his mistake, he could not even bear to live with himself.
It is sad to think that there are many like Judas who refuse to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Judas, they come face to face with Jesus. They see the love and the sorrow in His eyes, but they turn away. They love the things of this world, and they refuse to accept the salvation of God. But God proves His love for them by providing a means by which they could be saved.
After Jesus washed His disciples feet, He told them that they should follow His example. He said, “You call me Lord and teacher, and so I am. But since no servant is greater than his master, you should humble yourselves to serve one another even as I have served you.”
Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJ)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
I think this is exactly what Paul was getting at in Ephesians 4 when he said, “Walk worthy of your calling with all lowliness.”
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/
We are seated in Christ in the heavenly places where we are seen as holy and without blame. As a result, we have continuous access to the Father with confidence.
We were at one time dead in trespasses and sins, but now we have been made alive in Jesus Christ so that in the ages to come God may bestow upon us the exceeding riches of His grace.
When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, He placed His blood upon the mercy seat in the temple of heaven. By His sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied all of the righteous requirements of the Law. The rituals of the Law were abolished, and God created one new man from believing Jews and believing Gentiles. This new man is the Church which is the Body of Christ.
In Romans 11, Paul said that God committed Jews and Gentiles alike to disobedience so that He might have mercy on all. Then in Romans 12, Paul said:
Romans 12:1 (NKJ)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
But how can we live a life that is holy and acceptable in the sight of God? We were born in sin, and God’s ways are not our ways. What seems good to us is often disgusting to God.
First of all, we have been redeemed from the curse by the blood of Christ, and God has given us the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples:
John 16:12-13 (NKJ)
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; . . .
Secondly, God has given us His word. Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NKJ)
14 . . . you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Indeed, all scripture is God-breathed and was given that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is with this hope that we turn our attention to the last three chapters of Ephesians for these chapters serve as a guide for those who seek to live a life that is worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. Paul begins Chapter 4 with these words:
Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJ)
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Paul says that if we want to live a life that is consistent with our position in Christ, we must walk with all lowliness. The word for lowliness simply means with humility. This word is translated humility in several places including Acts, Chapter 20, where the Ephesian elders met with Paul in Miletus. Acts 20 says:
Acts 20:18-19 (NKJ)
18 And when they had come to (Paul), he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
19 "serving the Lord with all humility . . .
Later, Paul reminded the Philippians that they should let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind they should each esteem others better than themselves. And then to the Colossians, he said that they should put on tender mercies, kindness and humility.
The Apostle John wrote his account of the life of Jesus some 30 years after the other books of the New Testament had already been written. In his gospel account, he brings to our attention several events and discourses which were not revealed by the other historians. In one such event, John reveals the lowliness, or the humility, of Jesus. In John 13, Jesus proved that He did not come to be served but that He had come to serve.
According to John, Jesus and His disciples had traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem. In Bethany, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were already plotting to kill Jesus, and this display of divine power made them even more determined to do so.
When Jesus and his disciples got to Jerusalem, the disciples were pleasantly surprised to find the crowds rejoicing at the sight of Jesus. As Jesus entered the city the people:
John 12:13 (NKJ)
13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"
Now Jesus had sent two of His disciples in advance to Jerusalem to make ready a place for them to obverse the Passover. After all of the excited of His triumphal entry into the city, Jesus and His disciples finally settled into the large upper room which had been prepared.
As they entered the room, they probably removed their sandals according to the custom of the day, but there was no servant to wash their feet, and not one of the disciples volunteered to do so. After all, that was a task which was reserved for the lowest of all servants.
With the Passover meal already prepared, Jesus and His disciples offered a prayer of thanksgiving and started the meal with a glass of wine mingled with water. If all went as expected, they would wash their hands and pray. They would give thanks again and eat the Passover salad. Then they would say another prayer, drink another glass of wine, wash their hands again and finish the meal.
They all knew the routine, but at some point during the meal Jesus got up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist and walked over to the area where they would normally wash their hands.
Jesus took a basin and filled it with water. The disciples exchanged nervous glances for this was not a part of the usual routine. As they watched, Jesus went to the first disciple and to their amazement, He began to wash his feet.
Some of the disciples may have been embarrassed that they did not offer to perform this humiliating task. Others may have been embarrassed for Jesus. After all, the crowd had just recognized Him as the King of Israel. Was this something that the King of Israel should be doing? Doesn’t a king need to maintain a certain presence. Some sort of stately demeanor?
Unlike the politicians of our day, Jesus was not concerned about His public image. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I have read articles which tout the importance of having political leaders who have a confident public presence. Leaders who give the appearance of being strong, authoritative and decisive.
Jesus knew that He was the anointed King of Israel, and yet here He was, kneeling before His disciples washing their feet. When Jesus came to Peter, Peter questioned Jesus, asking, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” But Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, Peter, you will have no part with me.”
We too must remember that there is nothing we can do to clean up our own act. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Unless we have been washed by Jesus, we are not clean, and we have no hope of eternal life.
There is nothing we can do for God to gain His favor because He doesn’t need anything that we have to offer. Unless we have been washed by Jesus, we will have no part with Him.
In this regard, we have to rejoice as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 5 says that:
Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJ)
25 . . . Christ . . . loved the church and gave Himself for (us),
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse (us) with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present (us) to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that (we) should be holy and without blemish.
We have already been washed with a washing which left us without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day thought they could be saved by the Law, but Jesus came to fulfill the Law. The Law was glorious. So glorious, in fact, that Moses’ face was shining when he came down from the mountain. But the glory of the Law pales in comparison to the glory of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 9:13-14 (paraphrase)
13 . . . if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer serve to purify the flesh,
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
As Jesus was washing feet that night in the upper room, we can only guess what was really going through the minds of the disciples. It must have been a very moving scene. Such grace. Such humility. Such dedication to the Father.
This was the one who spoke the word and the seas were calmed, the demons were silenced, and Lazarus came forth from the grave. This was, indeed, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus knew that all of these things were true, but here, the very night before His crucifixion, He was not focusing on who He was. He was focusing on his disciples. There was one thing that He wanted them to know. He wanted them to have no doubt about this. He wanted them to be assured that he loved them.
John certainly got the point. As John introduced this event, he said:
John 13:1 (NIV)
1 . . . Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
Jesus wanted them to know first and foremost that He loved them, and by washing their feet He was showing them the full extent of His love. He didn’t even care how dirty those feet were. It made no difference to Him. He was able and willing to clean the dirtiest of them all. Just like He is today.
Those who have ears to hear can hear Him calling:
Isaiah 1:18 (NKJ)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, what a moment that must have been when Jesus came to Judas Iscariot. As Judas looked into Jesus’ eyes, I’m sure Judas could see the sorrow in Jesus’ heart. Jesus knew that Judas was lost, but Jesus loved him anyway and washed his feet.
Jesus did not come to provide salvation for only a few. His blood provided the payment for all sin. He died not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world. By this He revealed the full extent of His love.
Jesus offered Judas the cleansing of the heart that comes through faith, but Judas was willing to settle for clean feet. I’m afraid that too often we are willing to settle for less than what God has for us. If we fully open our hearts to Jesus, He will fill our hearts with every blessing of heaven. I’m afraid that Judas never came close to the blessings of heaven. He refused to believe in Jesus, and when he realized his mistake, he could not even bear to live with himself.
It is sad to think that there are many like Judas who refuse to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Judas, they come face to face with Jesus. They see the love and the sorrow in His eyes, but they turn away. They love the things of this world, and they refuse to accept the salvation of God. But God proves His love for them by providing a means by which they could be saved.
After Jesus washed His disciples feet, He told them that they should follow His example. He said, “You call me Lord and teacher, and so I am. But since no servant is greater than his master, you should humble yourselves to serve one another even as I have served you.”
Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJ)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
I think this is exactly what Paul was getting at in Ephesians 4 when he said, “Walk worthy of your calling with all lowliness.”
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/
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