This morning my goal is to help you understand one word from our theme verse for 2006.  Remember the verse?

Ephesians 4:1  I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

The word is worthy. For the last several weeks we have been discussing living worthy of the calling we have received. Last week I challenged you to think mythically; to think of yourself as a hero, to be the star in an autobiographical movie.  You are writing the script of the motion picture of your life.  You are thinking about glory.  You are thinking about overcoming obstacles.  You are thinking in about being the one who overcomes. You are Tom Hanks.   

In the movie, Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks plays an army captain who is among those American soldiers who took part in the D-Day Invasion of World War II. Shortly after the invasion, this captain is put in charge of a special mission (it sounds like a 4th call). His mission is to save Private Ryan. Ryan’s 3 brothers have all been killed in different battles during a short period of time. Only he survives among his siblings. The military decides Private Ryan must be located and returned safely home to his family.

But the search is not easy. Ryan is lost. Many of the men hunting for him are shot and killed along the way. The cost is incredibly high. At one point, the character played by Tom Hanks talks to his men and in frustration says, “This Ryan had better be worth it. He’d better be a genius or something. He’d better live a long life and do something like invent a longer lasting light bulb or something.”

Finally, they find Private Ryan. But before returning to safety there is a huge battle against overwhelming odds. Only the captain’s determination and skill are able to help Ryan survive until help arrives.  In the process the captain is mortally wounded, he looks up at Private Ryan and with his last breath, says, “Earn this!”

That is how we need to think about living worthy of the calling we have received.  Jesus died to call us to his glory.  But what does it mean to live worth of the calling.  Last week we discovered four tremendous callings:
1. To Surrender to his death.
2. To Service in the body.
3. To be Shaped into the image of Christ.
4. To Specific missions for him – The 4th Calling!

What does living worthy to these callings mean?  Let’s roll up our sleeves and to a little homework in the original Greek language. Sometimes you have to dig a little to get the meaning.  The Greek word for worthy is avxi,wj axios. Originally in Classical Greek axios had the meaning of tipping the scales or a counter balance. It refers to weight. In the old days people did business with coins that were minted with the exact amount of metal that the coin declared to be its value. To put it into our thinking, a $20 gold piece contained $20 worth of gold. However as coins were used repeatedly, they were subject to wear. In passing from hand to hand, a coin lost its value because it lost some of its weight. It lost some of its worthiness. Consequently, a handful of coins would be weighed to show their adequacy or insufficiency in making a purchase. The word axios means a comparison, a weighing, what is it worth?

LXX Proverbs 3:15   And she (wisdom) is more valuable than precious stones: no evil thing shall resist her: she is well known to all that approach her, and no precious thing is equal to her in value. (axios)

Let’s look at a couple of examples in the New Testament of how it is used to mean equal or in some cases unequal. 

Hebrews 11:32-40  And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated  (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.  And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

This is a mythic verse.  This is a challenge for us to step up into faith’s hall of fame. Did you notice the last verse?  God has provided something better for us.  We are all going to be made perfect together.  I don’t know exactly what that means but I suspect it is spectacular!  But the point is in the BIG scales in the sky, if you put the entire world on one side, it would not outweigh the glory of these great people of faith. 

Let’s look at another verse to help us capture the understanding of axios. 

Romans 8:18   I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

If you place all the suffering of a lifetime on one side of the scales and the glory that will be shown in us when all is said and done; the living as God’s sons for eternity: the sufferings are not worthy of it; are not equal to it.  The glory outweighs the suffering!

One more just to make sure we get it.

Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

Jesus, the Lamb of God, is worthy because he gave his life on the cross to purchase us and to make us priests who will reign on earth.  If you place the death of Jesus on one side of the scales and our sins on the other, Jesus death outweighs our sins; he is worthy to purchase us!

A college girl visited the home of Beethoven. She slipped under the rope and began playing Beethoven’s piano. When she was caught she said to the one in charge, "I suppose every musician who comes here wants to play this piano." He explained to her that recently the great Paderewski was visiting there and someone asked him to play that piano. He replied, "No, I do not feel worthy to play the great master’s piano."

That is the meaning of the word axios. Now let’s go back to our theme verse and place our understanding of the word in the context of the letter of Ephesians and see what Paul is saying about the balances and living worthy of the calling. Let me read our entire theme verse from the New American Standard version which is a little more literal than the NIV.

NAU Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

First we need to see what the therefore is there for.  This is exciting and scary.  The first 3 chapters of Ephesians tell us all about the calling. The first half of the book is this glorious explanation of what we are called to be. Let’s look at it briefly.  Really we should just read the whole first three chapters of Ephesians, but let me just give you the highlights of our calling.  If you really want to get into this go home and read these three chapters looking for who we are.

Ephesians 1:3-4  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Think of a spiritual blessing.  Name it and you have it. Every blessing is ours in Christ!  Wow! But it gets better.

Ephesians 1:18  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

We are called to a glorious inheritance.  You get a certified letter in mail.  Some rich uncle you vaguely remember has left you $50 million. You have a glorious inheritance that is better than $50 million.  That is what we are called to!

Ephesians 2:4-6   But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

In the real picture of things; from God’s perspective we are seated on thrones with Christ right now in the heavenly realms. We are significant, awesome beings who sit beside our Lord Jesus Christ in places of honor! We have that kind of calling!

Ephesians 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Once we who were a long way away from Jesus now live a life close to Jesus. Me and Jesus we are like this (crossed fingers).

Ephesians 2:19-22  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.   In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.   And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Another wonderful image.  We are a temple in which God dwells.  You as an individual as well as us as a congregation are holy temples for God.  We are called to be this magnificent church for God!

Ephesians 3:16-17  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Ephesians 3:20-21   Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

We have power.  All great heroes have power; secret exclusive power.  We have the Spirit at work within us.  We are called to power.

That is the calling Paul is talking about in Ephesians 4:1. That is why the Therefore is there for.  Therefore because you are called to:

…then live a life worthy of it!

Here is the scary/exciting part.  On one side of the scales (remember axios is comparing the value) is all of what we are called to be and on the other side is how well we live!  We are to live equal to; we are to live up to; we are to live with the same glory as, all of what God has called us to be!  That is scary because how can we?  “Boy, you can never win.  You can never win.” But that is the exciting part; we can! We can rise up to live worthy because:

Our calling brings with it the power to accomplish it.  Don’t misunderstand me. We can never deserve our calling but we can live worthy of it. We have the potential to live worthy of this enormous calling! Lest you think I exaggerate, which I have been known to do, let me read the following.

NIV Philippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy (axios) of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel

NIV Colossians 1:10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy (axios) of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

NIV 1 Thessalonians 2:12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy (axios) of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

NIV 2 Thessalonians 1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling (axios), and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
 
At the end of the movie, Saving Private Ryan, the scene jumps out of World War II and suddenly it is 50 years later. Private Ryan is now old man Ryan. He is visiting the cemetery near the beaches of Normandy. The war is long over.  The place is no longer violent, but peaceful. He knells down at the tombstone of the army captain who gave his life so he might live. He breaks out in tears. His wife is at his side and she reaches out to try to comfort him. Ryan looks at her and asks, “Have I been a good man?”

The question he really is asking; the question we need to ask ourselves this morning is, “Am I living a life worthy of my calling?”