A Worthy Manner

  1. INTRODUCTION

    1. For any situation, some things are appropriate and some are not.  Those who are wise will know what is appropriate and behave accordingly, but those who are foolish will be embarrassed by their ignorance.

    2. For Christians, there is a manner of living that is worthy of Christ and many that are not worthy of Him.  The word of God instructs us "so that [we] would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls [us] into His own kingdom and glory" (1Thess. 2:12).

    3. Presently, let us consider the worthiness of Christ and how we can walk in a manner worthy of Him.

       

  2. OF WHAT IS CHRIST WORTHY?

    1. It is impossible to measure or state the worth of Christ.

      1. In our society, worth and value are typically measured in terms of money, but who can place a monetary value upon Christ, the knowledge of His gospel, or any spiritual blessing connected with Him?  The worth of Christ far exceeds any earthly measure or object.  Notice 1Peter 1:17-19:

        17If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

      2. In fact, in order to know Christ and to have Him as Savior, one must consider Him to be worth more than his own life.  Consider the Lord's words in Matthew 16:24-26:

        24Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

    2. Although Christ's worth is immeasurable, heaven has declared His worthiness.

      1. When the apostle John received the revelation on Patmos and saw a vision of heaven, he heard the chorus of heaven proclaiming the worthiness of Jesus.  Notice Revelation 5:9-12:

        9And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."  11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

      2. We must join heaven in praising Jesus, saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever" (Rev. 5:13).

      3. Because Jesus is worthy of all of these things, it must be our ambition and goal to devote and impart these things to Him.  He is worthy of all our efforts and resources.

         

  3. HOW CAN WE BE WORTHY OF CHRIST?

    1. Nothing we can do or offer can ever return equal value for Christ's gracious sacrifice.

      1. Jesus died for us while we were sinners worthy of death (Rom. 1:32; 6:23a).  We had nothing of any value to offer Him to merit such a sacrifice.  Notice Romans 5:6-8:

        6For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  7For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

      2. Even now as redeemed servants of the Lord, we owe everything to Him and are eternally indebted.  Consider Luke 17:10, which says, "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"

    2. However, we can conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of Christ.

      1. A manner that is worthy of Christ is one that is suitable in response to Christ's sacrifice.

      2. Conducting ourselves in a worthy manner is not a matter of attempting to repay Christ, for we can never do so.  It is simply a matter of responding appropriately to His grace and mercy.

      3. Conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of Christ is also a matter of being "useful to the Master" (2Tim. 2:21).  We must be fruitful branches within Him or else be cut off (John 15:5-6).

      4. Because He is worthy of all our efforts and resources, the only worthy manner in which to respond is to surrender all of these to Him. In other words, submission to Christ's will is the manner worthy of Him.

    3. God's word declares what is a manner worthy of Christ.  Let us consider several examples of Scripture.

      1. After describing many blessing that are found in Christ in chapters 1-3 of Ephesians, Paul by inspiration draws this conclusion in Ephesians 4:1-3:

         1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

        1. The "calling with which you have been called" is the gospel (2Thess. 2:14).  The only manner worthy of the gospel call is one of faithful obedience to the gospel.

        2. This manner is described beginning in verse 2 and continuing in the remainder of the epistle (Eph. 4-6).  To walk in a manner worthy of Christ, one must exhibit humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity as well as righteousness, holiness (4:24), truth (4:25), sharing (4:28), edification (4:29), kindness, forgiveness (4:32), more love (5:2; 25-33), singing with thanksgiving (5:19-20), subjection (5:21-24), obedience (6:1-8), and resistance to the devil (6:10-17).

        3. These chapters also forbid traits and behaviors that are not worthy of Christ, such as immaturity (4:14), ignorance (4:17-18), immorality (4:19; 5:3, 5), deceit (4:25), theft (4:28), profanity (4:29; 5:4), wrath (4:31), covetousness (5:5), and drunkenness (5:18).

      2. When Paul wrote to encourage the church at Philippi, he gave these instructions in Philippians 1:27-28:

        27Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

        1. Like the Ephesian letter, the Philippian letter is filled with instructions about conduct that is worthy of Christ.  The substance of the instructions from these two letters is the same.

        2. To be worthy of Christ, we must conduct ourselves in faithful obedience to these instructions. These words and all of Scripture are given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2Tim. 3:16; 1Pet. 1:12; 2Pet. 1:20-21), who was sent by Christ to reveal His will (John 16:7-15).  We cannot be worthy of Christ without conforming to His will.

      3. Another passage with a similar message is Colossians 1:9-12:

        9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

      4. Scripture also describes manners that are unworthy of Christ, such as loving others more than Him (Matt. 10:37-38), being unresponsive and disobedient to the gospel call (Matt. 22:8; Acts 13:46), or being unfruitful (John 15:6).

      5. Taken altogether, the Scriptures show that in every situation, there is a manner that is worthy of Christ and there is a manner that is unworthy of Christ.  It is our mandate as Christians to always conduct ourselves in manner worthy of Christ in every situation.

         

  4. CONCLUSION

    1. Jesus is worthy of all that we have and all that we can do.  We owe Him everything, and we can never repay Him for His immeasurable grace and mercy.

    2. Such a Savior and Lord deserves servants who live in a manner worthy of Him.  Let us be such servants so that He may be glorified and that we may not be found unworthy at the Judgment.