Ephesians 4 Part 2
Bible Study Time 9-25-05
Bible Study Time 9-25-05
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, Paul says:
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.
Where the New King James version of the Bible says that we should walk with lowliness and gentleness, the King James Version says lowliness and meekness. The New American Standard version says with humility and gentleness. The words for lowliness, gentleness, meekness and humility are all translated in an interchangeable fashion. Therefore, it would be difficult to make a clear cut distinction between one or the other.
By using these two similar words one after the other, Paul was able to magnify the point that humility is of utmost importance in a walk that is worthy of the Lord. We often do the same thing in our descriptions. We may say that someone is honest and forthright. Or when we say that someone is faithful and true. Paul was emphasizing the importance of humility when he said that we should walk with all lowliness and gentleness.
Although these Greek words are essentially synonymous, they probably mean something a little different to each one of us. As we read these words, the Holy Spirit is able to communicate with us in a personal way. The Holy Spirit knows our personal history as well as our personality. As a result, He is able to establish a spiritual connection with us and communicate with us in a way that goes beyond words. He is able to make this unique spiritual connection with each and every believer.
This was graphically illustrated for us on the day of Pentecost when the apostles were gathered together in a small house. All of a sudden a deafening sound came out of heaven. It sounded like a mighty rushing wind, and it was so loud that all of the neighborhood scurried to investigate. The apostles then saw tongues of fire which separated and came to rest upon each one of the them. At that point the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages.
Many of the Jews who gathered outside the house had come to Jerusalem from far away to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Naturally, they spoke a variety of languages, but that was not a problem on this occasion.
As the Holy Spirit spoke through the apostles, each person could hear the words in his own language, as if each person had his own individual interpreter. In a sense, all of us speak different languages because words mean different things to different people. However, that poses no problem for God. There is no communication barrier that God is not able to overcome. God is able and willing to speak to us in our own language, in our own personal dialect. He knows exactly what words to say to open our hearts with surgical precision.
When Peter declared in Acts, Chapter 2, that Jesus Christ had returned from the dead, the Jews who were present were pierced to the heart for it became apparent to them that they had crucified the Messiah. The one for whom the nation of Israel had waited for so long had been wrongfully accused and murdered with malice.
Prompted by the Holy Spirit, they asked, “What shall we do?”
Acts 2:38-39 (NKJ)
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Of coarse, the promise of which Peter spoke was the promise of the earthly kingdom. All of the prophets had steadfastly maintained that the Messiah would come to establish a glorious earthly kingdom. Isaiah said:
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJ)
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Later Isaiah said:
Isaiah 55:1-3 (NKJ)
1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- the sure mercies of David.
The time for the New Covenant had finally arrived, but the New Covenant was dependent upon Israel’s willingness to accept it by faith. The Holy Spirit spoke through Peter and said that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, but He was killed by wicked hands and then raised from the dead. All the nation of Israel had to do was repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and the promise of the kingdom would be fulfilled.
The Bible says that 3000 Jews put their faith in Jesus Christ that day, and that largely a result of the fact that each person heard the word of the Lord in his own language.
God continued to offer the kingdom to the nation of Israel throughout the Acts period, but they refused to believe. When God set Israel’s kingdom program aside at the end of the Acts period, He began to reveal the Church which is the Body of Christ which has no expectation of the earthly kingdom.
Even though the Holy Spirit no longer works through sign gifts such as speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit still acts as the interpreter of the word of God. When we open the word of God and begin to read, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our own personal dialect.
When I think of someone who walks with all lowliness and gentleness, I think of someone who does not think of himself more highly than he ought to think. The letter I is at the center of the word pride, even as self is at the core of those who are full of pride. Pride is selfish. It’s self centered, self absorbed, and self seeking. The Bible says that we should humble ourselves and give our self to God.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJ)
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Jesus Christ gave Himself so that we could know the joy of giving ourselves to God through faith in Him.
Pride superficially inflates the value of self so that it becomes vainly puffed up. Pride wants to lavishly decorate the external self, and put it on display before the world. On the other hand, if we give our hearts to God, He beautifully decorates the internal self with the joy that comes with true peace and love. God created us with a God-size hole in our hearts, and only God can fill that hole.
When we learn to crucify self and learn the meaning of humility, only then can we truly give to one another. Philippians 2 says:
Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJ)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
This is not a license to become a busy body, minding everybody else’s business. Neither is it a green light to become the town gossip. On the contrary, it means that we should be genuinely concerned about one another.
When someone is sick, we should make it a point to care for them. When someone is suffering, we should make it a point to bring them comfort. When someone is needy, we should do our best to supply that need.
Becoming self absorbed guarantees a seat at the table where misery is the main course, but when we who believe learn to look out for the interests of others and dedicate ourselves to meeting the needs of others, we find the joy of the Lord.
It is such a paradox that we can find joy in giving. The fact that we do find joy in giving is one of the greatest evidences that we are a creation of God and not the product of natural selection. According to natural selection, only the strong survive, and if this were the case there could be no room for the joy of giving. The truth is that we were created by God with a need for giving, first to God and then to one another.
Satan, himself, is the author of pride. Isaiah says that there was a time when Satan was known as Lucifer, and he was in a position of authority over all of the angels of God. But there came a time when he was no longer satisfied with his position. He became envious of God and said:
Isaiah 14:13-14 (NKJ)
13 . . . 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . .
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
Lucifer became self absorbed, saying, I will, I will, I will. He was filled with selfish ambition, saying, “I will be like the Most High.” As a result Satan was cast out of heaven and would later dedicate himself to man’s destruction.
Revelation, Chapter 12, calls Satan the accuser of the brethren, and as we guard against the sin of pride, it is important that we be aware of the fact that Satan often falsely accuses faithful believers of being full of pride. How ironic. The author of pride accuses the brethren of pride.
Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. God had great things planned for Joseph, and this became evident when he had a dream indicating that all of this brothers would someday bow before him. Naturally, this did not set well with Joseph’s brothers. They derided him, saying:
Gen 37:8 (NKJ)
8 . . . "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?"
Obviously, the brothers thought Joseph was full of pride, but they revealed their own pride by rejecting the truth which was revealed through Joseph. Joseph had to learn that when you speak the truth, those who are offended by the truth may accuse you of arrogance and pride.
Truth must stand on its own merit. God’s word is true even if every man is a liar. Joseph learned his lesson well, and he never stopped believing that his brothers would someday bow before him.
On another occasion, David was sent by his father, Jesse, to look after his brothers who were fighting against the Philistines. When David arrived on the battlefield, he saw the giant named Goliath taunting the nation of Israel. David asked why this heathen was allowed to defy the armies of God, and David’s brother, Eliab, asked:
1 Samuel 17:28 (NKJ)
28 "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, …"
Eliab thought he saw pride, but what he really saw was faith in the true and the living God. It had been so long sense Eliab had seen real faith that he didn’t even recognize it. Praise the Lord, David knew the difference, and he kept right on trusting the Lord and gained a spectacular victory over Goliath.
If we reject the truth of God’s word, we may perceive the messenger of God as being full of pride because our hearts are susceptible to the schemes of the devil. On the other hand, believing the truth is our greatest weapon against the devil because he has no power in the face of truth.
Proverbs 16 says:
Proverbs 16:18-20 (NKJ)
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. 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/
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.
Where the New King James version of the Bible says that we should walk with lowliness and gentleness, the King James Version says lowliness and meekness. The New American Standard version says with humility and gentleness. The words for lowliness, gentleness, meekness and humility are all translated in an interchangeable fashion. Therefore, it would be difficult to make a clear cut distinction between one or the other.
By using these two similar words one after the other, Paul was able to magnify the point that humility is of utmost importance in a walk that is worthy of the Lord. We often do the same thing in our descriptions. We may say that someone is honest and forthright. Or when we say that someone is faithful and true. Paul was emphasizing the importance of humility when he said that we should walk with all lowliness and gentleness.
Although these Greek words are essentially synonymous, they probably mean something a little different to each one of us. As we read these words, the Holy Spirit is able to communicate with us in a personal way. The Holy Spirit knows our personal history as well as our personality. As a result, He is able to establish a spiritual connection with us and communicate with us in a way that goes beyond words. He is able to make this unique spiritual connection with each and every believer.
This was graphically illustrated for us on the day of Pentecost when the apostles were gathered together in a small house. All of a sudden a deafening sound came out of heaven. It sounded like a mighty rushing wind, and it was so loud that all of the neighborhood scurried to investigate. The apostles then saw tongues of fire which separated and came to rest upon each one of the them. At that point the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages.
Many of the Jews who gathered outside the house had come to Jerusalem from far away to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Naturally, they spoke a variety of languages, but that was not a problem on this occasion.
As the Holy Spirit spoke through the apostles, each person could hear the words in his own language, as if each person had his own individual interpreter. In a sense, all of us speak different languages because words mean different things to different people. However, that poses no problem for God. There is no communication barrier that God is not able to overcome. God is able and willing to speak to us in our own language, in our own personal dialect. He knows exactly what words to say to open our hearts with surgical precision.
When Peter declared in Acts, Chapter 2, that Jesus Christ had returned from the dead, the Jews who were present were pierced to the heart for it became apparent to them that they had crucified the Messiah. The one for whom the nation of Israel had waited for so long had been wrongfully accused and murdered with malice.
Prompted by the Holy Spirit, they asked, “What shall we do?”
Acts 2:38-39 (NKJ)
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Of coarse, the promise of which Peter spoke was the promise of the earthly kingdom. All of the prophets had steadfastly maintained that the Messiah would come to establish a glorious earthly kingdom. Isaiah said:
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJ)
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Later Isaiah said:
Isaiah 55:1-3 (NKJ)
1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- the sure mercies of David.
The time for the New Covenant had finally arrived, but the New Covenant was dependent upon Israel’s willingness to accept it by faith. The Holy Spirit spoke through Peter and said that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, but He was killed by wicked hands and then raised from the dead. All the nation of Israel had to do was repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and the promise of the kingdom would be fulfilled.
The Bible says that 3000 Jews put their faith in Jesus Christ that day, and that largely a result of the fact that each person heard the word of the Lord in his own language.
God continued to offer the kingdom to the nation of Israel throughout the Acts period, but they refused to believe. When God set Israel’s kingdom program aside at the end of the Acts period, He began to reveal the Church which is the Body of Christ which has no expectation of the earthly kingdom.
Even though the Holy Spirit no longer works through sign gifts such as speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit still acts as the interpreter of the word of God. When we open the word of God and begin to read, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our own personal dialect.
When I think of someone who walks with all lowliness and gentleness, I think of someone who does not think of himself more highly than he ought to think. The letter I is at the center of the word pride, even as self is at the core of those who are full of pride. Pride is selfish. It’s self centered, self absorbed, and self seeking. The Bible says that we should humble ourselves and give our self to God.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJ)
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Jesus Christ gave Himself so that we could know the joy of giving ourselves to God through faith in Him.
Pride superficially inflates the value of self so that it becomes vainly puffed up. Pride wants to lavishly decorate the external self, and put it on display before the world. On the other hand, if we give our hearts to God, He beautifully decorates the internal self with the joy that comes with true peace and love. God created us with a God-size hole in our hearts, and only God can fill that hole.
When we learn to crucify self and learn the meaning of humility, only then can we truly give to one another. Philippians 2 says:
Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJ)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
This is not a license to become a busy body, minding everybody else’s business. Neither is it a green light to become the town gossip. On the contrary, it means that we should be genuinely concerned about one another.
When someone is sick, we should make it a point to care for them. When someone is suffering, we should make it a point to bring them comfort. When someone is needy, we should do our best to supply that need.
Becoming self absorbed guarantees a seat at the table where misery is the main course, but when we who believe learn to look out for the interests of others and dedicate ourselves to meeting the needs of others, we find the joy of the Lord.
It is such a paradox that we can find joy in giving. The fact that we do find joy in giving is one of the greatest evidences that we are a creation of God and not the product of natural selection. According to natural selection, only the strong survive, and if this were the case there could be no room for the joy of giving. The truth is that we were created by God with a need for giving, first to God and then to one another.
Satan, himself, is the author of pride. Isaiah says that there was a time when Satan was known as Lucifer, and he was in a position of authority over all of the angels of God. But there came a time when he was no longer satisfied with his position. He became envious of God and said:
Isaiah 14:13-14 (NKJ)
13 . . . 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . .
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
Lucifer became self absorbed, saying, I will, I will, I will. He was filled with selfish ambition, saying, “I will be like the Most High.” As a result Satan was cast out of heaven and would later dedicate himself to man’s destruction.
Revelation, Chapter 12, calls Satan the accuser of the brethren, and as we guard against the sin of pride, it is important that we be aware of the fact that Satan often falsely accuses faithful believers of being full of pride. How ironic. The author of pride accuses the brethren of pride.
Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. God had great things planned for Joseph, and this became evident when he had a dream indicating that all of this brothers would someday bow before him. Naturally, this did not set well with Joseph’s brothers. They derided him, saying:
Gen 37:8 (NKJ)
8 . . . "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?"
Obviously, the brothers thought Joseph was full of pride, but they revealed their own pride by rejecting the truth which was revealed through Joseph. Joseph had to learn that when you speak the truth, those who are offended by the truth may accuse you of arrogance and pride.
Truth must stand on its own merit. God’s word is true even if every man is a liar. Joseph learned his lesson well, and he never stopped believing that his brothers would someday bow before him.
On another occasion, David was sent by his father, Jesse, to look after his brothers who were fighting against the Philistines. When David arrived on the battlefield, he saw the giant named Goliath taunting the nation of Israel. David asked why this heathen was allowed to defy the armies of God, and David’s brother, Eliab, asked:
1 Samuel 17:28 (NKJ)
28 "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, …"
Eliab thought he saw pride, but what he really saw was faith in the true and the living God. It had been so long sense Eliab had seen real faith that he didn’t even recognize it. Praise the Lord, David knew the difference, and he kept right on trusting the Lord and gained a spectacular victory over Goliath.
If we reject the truth of God’s word, we may perceive the messenger of God as being full of pride because our hearts are susceptible to the schemes of the devil. On the other hand, believing the truth is our greatest weapon against the devil because he has no power in the face of truth.
Proverbs 16 says:
Proverbs 16:18-20 (NKJ)
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. 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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