What Is The Number One Goal of Our Calling ?

I want to begin right in the Scripture here this morning. So let's begin today by turning to what the Apostle Paul wrote, as recorded in Ephesians 4, verse 11. We'll start right off in Scripture. Ephesians 4, verse 11. And we're going to be a lot, it's right here in this section of Scripture today, in the book, Chapter 4 of the Book of Ephesians.

This will be for most of the sermon. Because a lot of very, very instructive, very important information right here to take in and absorb and think about. Ephesians 4, 11, Apostle Paul wrote, he said, he himself referred to Jesus Christ. He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Now, apostles back in the 1st century AD were those who were sent forth to proclaim that Christ was indeed the promised Messiah. And in fact, the final 12 disciples were all called apostles.

They were all sent forth to proclaim that Christ was a Messiah. They witnessed that firsthand. And of course, they were called apostles in two places, in Luke 6, 13, and also in Luke 9, verse 10. Now, many who were called apostles in the 1st century AD had actually seen Christ in person.

Not necessarily all of them, but a lot of them had. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9, 1, am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Paul witnessed him a little bit after the fact, but he did witness him.

Christ appeared to him later. So those who were apostles were ordained and sent forth to witness to the world. Now, an apostle was not a rank. Some back in the old days, we used to think maybe those were ranks. It's not a rank. An apostle was not a rank. A ministerial rank that they were ordained to. It was simply a description of the role of their calling. It's described their role that they had, that they were given, their role and their responsibility. Next, Paul says here that Christ gave some to be prophets. Prophets were those who were inspired by God to tell others. The will of God. Not so much to try to foresee the future, but they were sent forth to proclaim what God's will was in their lives.

And what the will of God would be. They were inspired by God to foretell. But in the future, one sense they would do, by turning God's will, they could foretell, okay, this is going to be the consequences if you don't follow God's will. And that way you kind of pertain to the future because if we don't follow God's will, there are going to be certain consequences that are going to take place in our lives. So in that sense, you can foretell where your life is going to go, the direction your life is going to go, if you don't follow God's will.

Evangelists then were mentioned next. Evangelists proclaimed the teachings of Christ and proclaimed the Gospel of Christ on a very broad scale. And they traveled to various places throughout the known world back then, the first century AD. Again, these were not ranks within the ministry. They were different roles and responsibilities, describing how they were to functions as the office-bearers of the church. She describes their function and their roles. Then we come to, in the latter part of this verse here, Ephesians 4.11, we come to the role of pastors and teachers. They were those who were primarily settled in one place and who then pastored and taught God's word in one or more local congregations, as we do today, as pastors and teachers.

But of course, they would do that depending on the need and the situation. But generally, they stayed in a local area, taking care of the people in that particular area. They were the shepherds or overseers of the local congregations who taught God's people in a local area. What I want to look at today is a couple of things. Number one, what was the aim or goal of a pastor and teacher? What was the number one thing he was to teach?

What's the primary thing a pastor is to teach? What is the goal or aim? And how was that goal to be achieved? That's what I want to look at today. What is the aim or goal of a pastor and teacher, and how can that goal be achieved? I'm going to broaden it out to all of us. So my title is, what is the number one goal of our calling? Some of you are all inclusive here, including all of us. What is the number one goal of our calling?

God has called each of us. What is the primary goal that God has called us to? What is he called us to become? What's our aim? What's the goal we're all striving to achieve? We have all been called to aim towards and strive to achieve a very, very tremendous goal.

It is the role of a pastor and teacher to help others toward achieving that goal. And of course, the pastor-teacher, he has to be working on achieving that goal as well, and striving to set the example toward achieving that goal. Because they're very, very difficult. And in fact, you might say an impossible role to achieve without God's help. But a pastor-teacher has to be setting the example toward achieving that number one goal in his life as well.

Which is why James said, just to quote James 3, verse 1, which is why James says, Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we, the teacher, shall receive a stricter judgment. Because he better be setting the example of striving towards that goal, and setting that goal for others, helping others to achieve it. But he better be setting the example himself as well, because he's going to receive this stricter judgment.

If he's teaching this and not following it. So what is the number one teaching that a teacher of the Word of God will be striving for? And what's the number one thing he's going to be judged on? What is the number one goal of our calling? So first, then, I'm going to look at it two-way, and look at the answer to that main question.

What is the number one goal of our calling? We'll look at that first, and define that, and see what it is first. And then we'll look at how do we achieve that goal? What steps can we take to try to achieve that very high goal that God has called us to? So the first thing, then, is what is the number one goal of our calling? Let's see if we can just go through Scripture and discover what that is. But Paul answers it for us.

Everything, actually, we need to answer. The answer is right here in Ephesians 4. Again, verse 11, he himself, Christ himself, gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For what purpose? Verse 12 answers that question for us. For the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edified of the body of Christ. Here in this one verse alone, Paul gives three goals for the teacher of the Word of God to strive toward, and three goals for all of us collectively to strive toward. But this one verse really gives the overall job description for every pastor and teacher of God's Word.

The goals he's trying to help others achieve, and he must be striving for himself. Number one, it says, for the equipping of the saints. The old King James says, for the perfecting of the saints. The Greek word translated equipping or perfecting is katartismos. K-A-T-A-R-T-I-S-M-O-S. It's not important, but it's the Greek word that's translated equipping or perfecting. But here are four ways that word was used at the time of Christ.

It's always interesting to see how was that particular word used in the Scripture. Here are four ways it was used at the time of Christ. Not necessarily in Scripture in all these cases, but it was how it was used at the time of Christ. One, it was used in surgery for setting a broken bone. Equipping someone by setting a broken bone. B, in politics, it was used for bringing together opposing factions so government could function properly. We could certainly use a lot more of that today, couldn't we?

Three, C, it was used in the New Testament for amending fishermen's nets. As in Mark 1, verse 19, where it is translated, mending. This perfecting or equipping is translated, mending, in Mark 1, 19. In other words, it was used for mending fisherman's nets or to affect or equip their nets so they could catch fish in them. The nets had to be repaired and equipped and perfected so they could catch fish, and they had to be mended.

And D, it is additionally used in the New Testament for restoring someone back into the faith. As in Galatians 6, 1, where it is translated, restore, in the King James Version. The basic, I should say, in the New King James Version. But the basic usage of this word portrayed the meaning of putting something or someone into the condition it ought to be in. That's what it means. It says, perfecting or equipping. Put something or someone back in the condition they ought to be in. Now, William Barclay, in his New Testament study Bible, which I find very, very informative, he makes this insightful comment about this particular word translated, equip or perfect.

It is a function of the office bearers of the church to see that the members are so educated, so guided, so cared for, that they become what they ought to be. Now, what do we all need to become?

Including myself. What is the number one goal of our calling? But here in Ephesians 4.12, the first goal and the first job description of a pastor and teacher is for the equipping of the saints. Now, what's the second goal? Paul mentions here in Ephesians 4.12. Second goal that Paul mentions here is for the work of ministry. And the Greek word translated ministry is diaconia, which means service. That certainly means the work of service. We've all been called to serve one another and to help one another wherever there's a genuine need.

That's part of our function. We're all there to serve and help one another whenever there's a genuine need. Then the third thing Paul mentions here in Ephesians 4.12 is for the edifying of the body of Christ. To edify and to build up and encourage the members of the body of Christ. Because we all need to be edified, we all need to be built up, we all need to be encouraged at times. It's a very difficult task we have every week facing the world and the situation in the world can be very discouraging and kind of overwhelming at times.

So we all need to be encouraged and edified and build up and strengthened. So the job of every pastor is to help members that way, to build and to construct and to never destruct, divide or tear down in any way whatsoever. So the aim or goal of any and all teachers of the Word of God should always be to strengthen others in the faith.

We all need to have our faith strengthened as we go through many trials and difficulties and we see this world more and more against what we stand for and what we believe in as a training more and more against God's Word and against God and the society we live in today. But its job is always to strengthen the church and to never loosen the fabric of the church. It should always be to help people stay together.

That's one thing we want to do. Pastor, teacher and all of us together as individuals as well, we should all be helping everybody to stay together as much as possible and not to separate. Because we know who wants to separate the body of Christ. Satan does. He wants to divide and conquer. But it's a job then to help people stay together. All of our jobs to help people stay together. To never do or teach anything that might cause people to divide or separate from one another. What is the greatest aim or goal that we should all be striving toward?

And what is the highest aim of a teacher of the Word of God? He set the aim for the goal for all the members of the church. What is the number one goal of our calling, in other words? And what is the number one thing every teacher of the Word of God will be judged on? We're all going to be judged on, especially teachers, as James said. They're going to receive a stricter judgment. What's one thing we're all going to...

all teachers are going to be judged on? Again, Ephesians 4, verse 11, And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ. Now, for what aim? What's the goal? What's the aim of all this? What's the purpose? Verse 13 tells us, And to it all come to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, or that word out, which means to a mature individual, to full spiritual maturity, to a perfect man, to the measure, how mature should we try to become?

To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Wow, let me just look at that verse. Just think about that. Think of the goal that we have that God has set before us. In other words, our number one aim and our number one goal is to become like Jesus Christ and to go to His level of spiritual maturity. You know, that indeed is an extremely high goal. It's probably the highest goal any of us could ever strive for in our lives to become like Jesus Christ.

What a goal! That is, what an example He set for us to try to become like Him. It's an impossible goal without God's help, and it's something we have to strive for our entire life. We're probably never going to reach it, but we have to be striving for it and try and make progress. But if we're not taught how to strive toward making progress toward that goal and how to achieve it, then we are not being taught what is most important in the eyes of God, because that is what's the most important.

For all of us that have been called to become like Jesus Christ. That is the ultimate goal of God the Father, of Jesus Christ, to create all of us into their own spiritual image and likeness. We're told that right up front in Genesis 1.26. Let us make man in our image and our likeness so He becomes like us. You can achieve that character, achieve that level of spiritual maturity, become our own sons and daughters, be part of our family, and have those same values incorporated into their lives.

If we each grow as spiritual maturity to become more like Christ, what is that going to result in? Paul tells us in the next verse, verses here, verses 14 through 16. Ephesians 4, verse 14, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but we will all be speaking the truth in love, that we may grow up in all things into Him who is ahead, Jesus Christ.

We may grow up to become like Jesus Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knit together, not divided, but joined together and knit together, by what every joint supplies, by all of us encouraging one another, everybody supplying that encouragement and building up others, helping them, and helping them grow in faith and remain faithful, not to be discouraged. By what every joint supplies, according to the fact they've working by which everyone does its own share, everyone, anytime you see a need for someone, you can help them.

You get in there and you try to help them and encourage them any way you can. That does what, then? It causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself and love, for building it up and building faith by showing that kind of love towards one another, as demonstrated here. And there's only one way we can all be permanently joined and knit together. There is only one way by which permanent unity, and you look at the church today, you look at God's people, the way we need.

God's people need to have unity. You look at the world, what's going on. There's never been a time we need to be unified more than now, because you get separated in a small group. Satan could pick you off. We need unity. There's only way we can have that, and that is, as Paul wrote in Colossians 1, 27, Christ in you, the hope of glory. We can only have unity. Jesus Christ is living His life in each and every one of us, and we're developing the very mind of Christ. That's the only way we can have unity.

See, to achieve unity and to reach our number one goal, we must be growing toward the fullness of the stature of Christ, where Christ is living His life in us, and we're developing His mind in us. So, what is the number one goal of our calling?

It is to strive to attain Christ's level of spiritual maturity so we can become like Jesus Christ. That must be the number one goal of every teacher of the Word of God, and it must be the goal of all of us as members of God's Church, and as a member of the Body of Christ, to help others toward achieving that goal.

Now that we know that that's the goal that got us sitting before us, an extremely high goal, we say, wow, how can we achieve that goal? What do we need to be doing? What kind of things must we be developing in our lives to achieve that goal? How can we get there?

Or at least, how can we make progress toward achieving that goal? What will that take? So also, what we want to look at now, how can we achieve that goal? What will it take? What must all of us incorporate into our lives in order to achieve the goal of becoming more like Jesus Christ?

Well, actually Paul answers that for us here in Ephesians 4 as well. There's a lot here in this one chapter.

Let's go back to Ephesians 4. Let's go back to verse 1.

Ephesians 4, verse 1.

He says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, of course he was put in prison several times, wrongfully, spent a number of years in prison, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Now, if you look carefully here at the next couple of verses, verses 2 and 3, Paul then gives us five ways by which we can walk worthy of the calling by which you were called. He gives us five things we must incorporate into our lives in order to achieve the number one goal of our calling, of becoming like Jesus Christ. And five things that can lead to unity and to growing in spiritual maturity toward becoming like Christ. Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Then verses 2 and 3, with all loneliness and gentleness, long suffering, with bearing with one another in love, and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Now, right here in these two verses, are five great Christian principles that can help us achieve our number one goal of becoming while like Jesus Christ.

In fact, there's five words in here we can focus on these two verses. Five words are principles in the New King James R that kind of describe this. Five principles or words mentioned here in the New King James are number one, lowliness, gentleness, long suffering, love, and peace. I want to briefly now examine each of these five principles to see how they can apply in our lives toward achieving our number one goal of becoming like Christ. First one is lowliness. Lowliness or, another word for that would be humility. Lowliness or humility. Look at that first.

First and foremost, to become like Christ, we have to have, we have to develop humility. Humility is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all Christian attributes.

Now it's very interesting, this is William Barkley brings this out. That's why I like William Barkley's comment. He goes back to the 2000 years ago and looks into what this meant back then and how it applied back then. And interestingly, at the time of Christ, at the time of, at the time Christ died in that first century A.D., there was no Greek word for humility. It wasn't even in the Greek language.

That wasn't a part of the Greek way of thinking.

The Greek language did have an adjective for humble, but it was something to be despised and avoided. You didn't want to be humble. That was not in the way of Greek thinking. You want to be great. You want to achieve greatness.

It was from that word, the Greek word for humble, that a Greek word for humility was coined by Christ followers, according to William Barkley. From what three things is true Christ-like humility derived? Christ-like humility is derived from three things. A. Christ's humility must stem from a true understanding of the self. You can't have true humility without truly understanding yourself. We have to understand ourselves first and foremost. Humility comes from a conscious, becoming conscious, I should say, of our own unworthiness. We all realize we are not worthy of this goal that God has called us to, to become members of his family.

So it comes from becoming conscious of our own unworthiness, and from seeing ourselves as God sees us in our unconverted state, that is, from seeing our, it comes from seeing our selfishness. How by nature we tend to be selfish. We tend to have weaknesses and failures and shortcomings apart from God. We need God to show us up in all those areas.

So humility comes from seeing and understanding our own human nature, where we tend to act and respond. And why we so often fail in our own personal relationships is so many relationships do fail because of human weaknesses and tendencies. So the Apostle Paul's humility stemmed from what Paul came to understand. He came to understand his own human nature. As Paul himself relates to us from Romans 7, where he wrote, and I'll just quote two scriptures about what Paul wrote, they helped him to be so humble because he came to understand himself. He understands his own human nature. Romans 7, 14, he says, I am carnal, sold under sin. He was an apostle of Jesus Christ, but he said, I'm carnal. I find myself doing the things I don't want to do and not doing what I should be doing. I have to fight it all the time. And then he said in Romans 7, 18, for I know that in me, as in my flesh, nothing good dwells.

So to humility comes first and foremost from coming to know ourselves and see ourselves.

From having our human nature revealed to us by God.

The second thing from which to humility is derived is from comparing ourselves to Christ. See, if we compare ourselves to Christ, we realize, wow, I fall so short. I have a long way to go to become like Christ. It comes from comparing ourselves to Christ, not from comparing ourselves to others, as we so often want to do, or from comparing ourselves among ourselves. What happens when we compare ourselves to others that compare ourselves among ourselves? We tend to come up on top.

We tend to place ourselves on top as being better. That often will lead to pride instead of humility. When we compare ourselves to Christ, we're always going to come out on the bottom.

So true Christian humility comes from comparing ourselves to Christ and to Christ alone. A third thing from which true humility is derived is from realizing we are totally dependent on God for all things, even the very air we breathe.

When we truly see ourselves and we compare ourselves to Christ and we acknowledge our complete and utter dependence on God for all things, we are then on the road toward achieving true Christian humility, which is the first step toward achieving the number one goal of our calling. Now, in addition to humility, then, and firstly, I mentioned their loneliness or humility, the second overall principle we can apply in our lives toward becoming more like Christ is, as mentioned in the old King James Version, I mean, as mentioned in the New King James Version here, I should say, the New King James, is gentleness. The actual word, and you can think of gentleness, we think of being just very gentle, but the actual word is gentleness or meekness. The old King James translates it meekness. So gentleness or meekness. The Greek word is praotis, p-r-a-o-t-e-s. William Berkeley says it is beyond the translation of any one English word, so you can't really take one English word to actually translate that particular Greek word as translated gentleness or meekness.

But he says there were two ways this word was used in the first century A.D. One, it was used to describe the man who was always angry at the right time, but never angry at the wrong time.

It describes those who would become angry because of wrong done to others, and because of suffering others have to experience because of those wrongs done to others.

Or those who become angry because of wrongs done against God can mean that as well. But also indicates that those who would never be moved to anger by wrongs or insults he or she had to wrongfully bear from others. In other words, maybe we all have to bear something that are wrong, insults, things that are wrong, suffer wrongfully, but don't be angry about that. Put that in God's hands. You don't be angry about that. You're angry about what wrongs done to others, but never angry about wrongs done to yourself. He said, because that's what that word really means.

In other words, the Greek word translated gentleness or meekness describes the individual who had control over his or her emotions. So you would never get angry at the wrong time for the wrong reason, only for the right reason, the right time.

And you would never get angry at the wrong time because of personal wrong suffering. Now, second way, that's just one way this Greek word is used. The second way this Greek word was used in the first century AD was for an animal which had been trained and was completely under its master's control.

So the person then who is gentle or meek is the person who has every instinct and every passion under control. You have your feelings, your passions, your emotions under control. So such a person is controlled by the mind of Christ instead of being controlled by their own carnal minds and human reactions and tendencies.

Now, you look at all these things and analyze them. You realize that's a tremendous goal God has set for us to strive to achieve.

But a third overall principle of the weekend applied towards becoming like Christ, as mentioned here in Ephesians 4 verse 2, is long suffering or patience. Long suffering or patience. We've had lowliness and gentleness now become to long suffering. Or in other words, for long suffering is patience. And here is how William Barkley described the Greek word which is translated long suffering in Ephesians 4.2.

It calls it undefeatable patience. Undefeatable patience is what the King James Version calls long suffering. The Greek word has two main directions of meaning. It describes the spirit which will never give in, and which because it endures to the end will reap the reward. Christian patience is the spirit which never admits defeat, which will not be broken by any misfortune or any suffering, will not be broken by any disappointment or discouragement, which will always persist to the end.

But it also has an even more characteristic meaning than that. It is the characteristic Greek word for patience with men. It is a spirit which bears insults and injury without bitterness and without complaint. That's hard to do, isn't it? It's not easy. It takes a mind of Christ to do that. But Christ did that, didn't he? He bare all those things. It is a spirit which can suffer unpleasant people with graciousness and fools without irritation. In other words, it describes the patience of God and the patience of Jesus Christ. It's long suffering. There's a word for long suffering here. Let's just notice two scriptures. I'm going to go to two other scriptures here that illustrate God's long suffering and God's patience toward each and every one of us. First, let's go to 1 Timothy chapter 1.

1 Timothy chapter 1. Look at verses 15 and 16. 1 Timothy 1 verse 15, where Paul wrote to Timothy, he said, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But Paul says, Of whom I am chief? He was persecuting the church, wasn't he? He was stoning people. He was a participant in Stephen's death by stoning. He looked at himself, How could God call me? He was persecuting the church, trying to destroy the church.

He realized that Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, he said. However, verse 16, For this reason I obtained a mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering. God did this to me as a pattern to show, Look, if you could have somebody like the apostle Paul was trying to destroy the church and God could intervene for him, have the patience to call him and work with him, and use him for doing great things, might show a pattern to those who are going to believe in him for everlasting life. In other words, this long suffering describes the patience of God and the patience of Jesus Christ, to where Paul brings it out here where he fully realized how patient and long suffering Christ had been toward him, as a pattern for all who God would call later. To be encouraged, if God can have that kind of patience and long suffering with someone like Paul, how patient and how long suffering he's going to be towards us. When we fall short sometimes, because times when we fall short, we make a, we stumble, we make a mistake, we do something. Why did I do that? Why did I allow that to happen? Why did I let my thinking go in that direction? Why did I react that way? God's looking at us with long suffering and patience as he did the apostle Paul.

That example of Paul, he says, is a pattern for all of us that he encourages.

Because Paul understood how that patience and long suffering God was essential in order for Christ to save sinners and to save all of us. Now, a second scripture relating to God's patience and to our salvation, and relating God's patience to our salvation, I should say, is in 2 Peter chapter 3.

So, let me turn to 2 Peter 3.

We'll look at two verses here. 2 Peter 3, verses 14 and 15, right towards the very end of 2 Peter. 2 Peter 3, verses 14 and 15. Verse 14, Peter wrote, Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things that he'd mentioned here before, be diligent to be found by him in peace without spot and blemish, and consider, verse 15, that the long suffering we're talking about long suffering here, and how this is illustrated in this scripture here, God's long suffering, consider the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. What if God got impatient with us? What if we really slipped up and made a bad mistake? He says, well, I see it. I'm done with that person. Now, God will overlook it. He gives us a chance to repent, to see those things, and to strive to become more involved, to go to involve for help. Consider the long suffering of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. Paul understood that. He understood it was God's long suffering toward him that allowed him to make spiritual progress and to have the opportunity to be saved.

What's interesting here, he says, the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. I want to break that down a little bit further, because there are actually two aspects of that. Number one, if Christ had not been willing to suffer long, he would not have become our Savior. And the second aspect of that is, if Christ was not long suffering toward us, we couldn't be saved.

The third principle toward achieving the goal of our colony is to have patience and have the patience and long suffering toward others, as God and Jesus Christ have had toward all of us. We need to exercise that same kind of patience and long suffering toward others and trying to help others and encourage them. Let's now go back to Ephesians 4, because what comes after lowliness, gentleness, and long suffering? Going back to Ephesians 4, verses 1, begin with verses 1 and 2 again. Ephesians 4, 1, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering. And then next it says, bearing with one another in love. Love. That's the next word I had mentioned there. Love, or more specifically, bearing with one another in love. Not bearing against one another, but bearing with one another and bearing for one another. We all have to stay together. It must be for one another. Again, here's what William Barkley comments on this. He has a very insightful comment on this particular verse. Christian love. The fourth great Christian quality is love. Christian love was something so new that the Christian writers had to employ a very unusual Greek word for this kind of love. They employed the Greek word agape.

Most of us have heard that word. The real meaning of agape is unconquerable benevolence. If we guard a person with agape, it means that nothing that he can do will make us seek anything but his highest good. Though he injures us and insults us, we will never feel anything but kindness toward him. In other words, love your enemies. Do good to those who spitefully use you in persecute you. You made children of your Father in heaven, as Christ said.

That quite clearly means that this Christian love is not an emotional thing. This agape is a thing of the will. We have to decide this is the way we're going to act. This is the way we're going to respond. I'm not going to be driven by my emotions and my feelings of bitterness or would want to get back at this person. I'm going to use godly love, the kind of love that God exercises toward us. It is the ability to retain unconquerable goodwill to the unlovely and the unlovable, towards those who do not love us, and even towards those whom we do not like. We still have to love them. It's just like godly love towards that person. It is that agape is that quality of mind and heart which compels a Christian never to feel any bitterness. Never! A lot of things can happen to us, can make us feel bitter. A lot of things that happen to us that make us, why is this happening? This is not right. This is wrong. I don't deserve this. We all have to go through that. Do you know what Christ went through? Look what Christ went through. He didn't deserve anything. He was perfect, but He did that as an example because those things happened to us. We have to become like Christ. We have to handle things like Christ did if we're going to be like Him. It is that quality of mind and heart which compels a Christian never to feel any bitterness. Never to feel any desire for revenge, but always to seek the highest good for every man no matter what he may be.

That's the fourth Christian quality we must incorporate into our lives in order to achieve the number one goal of our calling is to bear with one another in love, even as Christ and God the Father have had to continually bear with all of us in love despite our mistakes and our faults and our shortcomings. Then comes the fifth and final great hallmark of a true Christian as mentioned here in Ephesians 4, in this case in verse 3, and that's peace.

Peace. Or as Ephesians 4, 3 puts it, Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The first four great qualities will lead to producing the fifth. Humility, gentleness, or emotional control, long suffering, and bearing with one another in love will lead to keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It will lead to unity and peace. And that's what we're all striving for, isn't it?

Wouldn't we love to have that? Have unity and peace within all the churches of God?

William Barkley says this, These four great virtues of the Christian life, humility, gentleness, patience, and love, issue in a fifth, peace. Peace may be defined as right relationship between man and man. This oneness, this peace, these right relationships can be preserved only in one way. Every one of the four great Christian virtues depends on the obliteration of the self. So long as the center of things, this oneness will never fully exist. Can never fully exist. In a society where self-predominates, men cannot be other than a disintegrated collection of individuals and warring units. But when the self dies and Christ brings to life within our hearts, then comes the peace and the oneness, which is a great hallmark of the true church. Or at least it should be the great hallmark of the true church. In conclusion, then, what is the number one goal of our calling? It is nothing less than becoming like Jesus Christ. He is striving to come to the fullness of His spiritual maturity. He is coming to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect or to a mature individual or man, coming to the measure of the fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ. And how can that goal be achieved? By having a walk worthy of the calling to which you were called. To walk and to live in our relationship with one another, with lowliness and humility, with gentleness or emotional control, with patience and long suffering, by bearing with one another in love until we come to the place where we can then keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So if we continue to strive to incorporate these qualities and attributes of Christ in our lives, then we can make progress in achieving our number one goal, which is to become like Jesus Christ.