Ephesians-God's Plan for God's People | An Owner's Manual For The Church. Part 2: Becoming a Mature Church | Jan 8, 2023
Good morning and welcome to Mission Church. Our mission is to partner with God to see His kingdom come in Las Vegas as it is in heaven and we accomplish this as we Love Jesus, Live like Jesus, and Lead others to Jesus. This morning, we return to our study of Paul’s beautiful letter to the Ephesians. A journey that we’ve entitled, “God’s Plan for God’s people.”
You see, we have been invited to be a part of God’s plan for the world. Despite our brokenness, and regardless of our weaknesses, God plans to use His Church to transform the world for His glory! If you would, please grab your copy of God’s Word and open it to Ephesians 4.
The Apostle Paul wrote this amazing letter while being chained to a soldier in a Roman prison. And he spent the first half of this letter, chapters 1-3, focusing on how we receive new life in Christ. And..Chapter 4 is a turning point as Paul begins his instructions on how we are to live out the new life we have received in Christ. You see, Chapters 4-6 address the working out of chapters 1-3. In other words doctrine demands devotion and a living faith produces good works.
Now....we last left off with Paul instructing us on how we are to live out our new life in Christ in the context of the local church. For the Christian, the church is the sphere of life that should determine and shape all other areas of our lives. With this in mind, Paul begins his practical exhortation by essentially writing a manual for the church and by first calling Christians to live in unity.
You see....the visible unity of Christ’s church weighed heavily on Paul and in 4:1-6 he persuasively impressed this burden upon us. But, for Paul, unity did not mean uniformity. In fact...within the church there is a diversity and a range of gifts that Jesus has given His church....and if we are to be a healthy and mature church …these gifts are to be appreciated and practiced as our diverse roles and abilities enrich and bless the church. In fact this morning’s sermon is pt 2 of An Owner's Manual For The Church. And is entitled Becoming a Mature Church. Now, If you are able, I would like to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word.
Ephesians 4:7–16 (CSB)
7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says:
When he ascended on high,
he took the captives captive;
he gave gifts to people.
9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Pray. “You may be seated”
Our city is known most for what it replicates. In one day you can visit a mid-evil castle, a pyramid, the statue of liberty, the Eiffel tower, and even walk along the canals of Venice. And…all though these replicates are cleverly done and people travel here from all over the world to see them....the truth is....Las Vegas is not deceiving anyone....in other words....people don’t really believe they are in Paris ..or Egypt…or Venice. No one is fooled into believing they time traveled to mid-evil Europe. Why? Well.... because we are not little children.... we’re adults… we are grown ups and we are mature enough to know better. We have the ability to assess our surrounding and measure what is real and what is not.
However, the same can not be said regarding the Church and the truths of Scripture. You see… like the Ephesians…we too live in a culture and a society that is overrun with counterfeit truths, false teachers, and deceptive doctrines...all of which are seducing and misguiding immature believers into ....not only believing that the replicate is the original..... but they are also leading Christians to lose confidence in the authority, the wisdom, and the sufficiency of God’s Word. And.....the result of this deception is an anemic and immature church that does not reflect Jesus.
Tell me....as we live in a fallen culture full of counterfeit truths and false doctrines ....
Well…I’m glad you asked because in our text this morning Paul reveals to us two standards by which we can measure and assess the maturity of our church and by doing so we can take the steps necessary to grow up and function as we should.
In verses 7-12 we see the first standard by which we can measure our church’s maturity.
Underline or make note of the word “grace.” If you were to give a definition of the gospel in one word it would be .... Grace. The gospel is the good news of God’s grace to sinful mankind....and the nature of grace is giving. Consider the fact that God gave Jesus Christ to this world.
John 3:16 (CSB)
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son...
Jesus gave his life for the sins of the world. Which reminds me of what Jesus says in John 15
John 15:13 (CSB)
13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.
Dying for those who you would call a friend is impressive but even more impressive is the fact that Jesus died for His enemies. You see...God gave His Son and His Son gave His life. Understand that .... God’s gifts have nothing to do with anything we have done or have failed to do....God....well....God is a God of grace because He is a God that freely gives.
You see......God is gracious because of who He is…not because of who we are or what we are. His grace therefore is unmerited, unearned, and undeserved. Grace is God’s self-motivated, self-generated, and sovereign act of giving. In other words…grace is God’s gift of Himself…and friends…there is no greater…more important or precious gift that God can give you than Himself.
This is the staggering and incomprehensible truth of the Gospel .... that the Holy God of the universe has given Himself to sinful mankind! God owes us nothing but judgement for our sin…yet in His grace He blesses us with Himself so that we can have life.
Now...God’s grace not only saves us but His grace enables us…look back at v7....and see that Paul makes it clear that God’s enabling grace has been given to every believer.
In a little while we will observe a baptism which partially symbolizes a new member joining the Body of Christ. You see…when Jesus Christ saved you.....you became a part of this beautiful body called The Church…and your new life in Christ is then lived out in the context of membership in a local church where you then go to work for God utilizing the unique gifts of enabling grace that God has given you.
Paul details this reality further …look at v8
Jesus descended…speaks of the incarnation of Jesus…this phrase is pointing us to the fact that God put skin and bones on and lived among us. Jesus …fully God and fully man…lived a life of perfect obedience to God’s rule and reign…He was the only one who has and will ever be able to do so....and...He completed His work by dying on the cross for sinful humanity and then raising from the dead....ultimately defeating sin, satan, and death.
40 days after our Lord Jesus resurrected from the dead He ascended back to Heaven …and when He ascended he led captivity captive. In other words....those who had been held captive by sin, satan, and death have been set free by Jesus Christ. And then having gone back to heaven He sent The Holy Spirit…and the Holy Spirit of God gives gifts to every believer. If you are a Christian then you have at least one gift from God.
Now…what are these gifts given for? Well…they are given for ministry....and the first standard by which we can measure this church’s maturity is this.... Are we discovering, developing, and using the gifts that God has given to us? Brothers and Sisters.... God has graciously given you a gift…and in the context of this local church …you should be using your gift.
You see….the local church is not supposed to be a one man show. Mission Church does not exist so that I might look good, or so that I might have a platform…No! ..this is not a stepping stone to a book deal or to a greater authority. In fact .....I pray that no man will ever stand in this pulpit who would ever use the people of this church to build up his platform.... instead of using his platform to build up the people.
The local church is not a dictatorship....it’s not an experience or a fan club where a group of fans gather week by week. No. The work of the local church involves everybody and the first measurement is this:
Now… there are many spiritual gifts listed in Scripture…not all of which are listed in our passage today. …but they can be found in 1 Corinthians 12 and in Romans 12. And.... these passages inform us that some have been given a gift of teaching....some have a gift of Administration…and some have a gift of generosity…and more.... you see…there are a multitude of gifts and our first measurement for determining our maturity is…Are the people of Mission church discovering, developing, and using their gifts for the ministry of this local church?
Available on the welcome table is a spiritual gift assessments along with an explanation of each gift and the opportunities available to use your gift in the ministry of Mission Church. I want to invite each one of you…wether you have taking an assessment before or not…to do so today. And I am available to meet with you and help you to employ your gift for the ministry God has given us here.
Now Paul names a few specific gifts in v11…let’s take a look.
This verse speaks to the fact that the Holy Spirit not only gives gifts to individual believers but He gives gifted people to the church. To the church God has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
Now we must distinguish between offices and gifts. Today the office of Apostle no longer exists ....to be an Apostle the requirement is that you have seen the risen Christ. Also.... the office of Prophet no longer exists because the cannon of Scripture is closed....all that God communicates to us He has already communicated in His Word…the Bible.
Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the Church was built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets…and when you construct a building you don’t need to keep laying the foundation. The offices of Apostle and Prophet existed …these men were sent out to specifically lay the foundation of the Church and now we are building upon that foundation with the offices of Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher.
Now…although the offices of Apostle and Prophet no longer exist there is a function of those offices that exist in the form of a spiritual gift. For example… the apostle was one that was sent out....apostle literally means means “sent one”....they went out where no one had heard the gospel … And although they are not officially Apostles ....an effective missionary or church planter would most likely have the gift of apostleship. The prophets were men of God who spoke on God’s behalf and helped God’s people to apply His Word to their lives. And… although there is no new word from God....the gift of prophecy is expressed as the word of God is taught and applied. For example…and effective preacher would have the gift of prophecy as they boldly proclaim God’s word and help the church to apply it to their lives.
Evangelists are those who go out and share the good news of the gospel and pastors and teachers are those who equip and build up the church for ministry. In other words....Evangelists are obstetricians..they help to bring the spiritual children into the world and pastors and teachers are pediatricians who help Christians grow in their knowledge and application of God’s Word.
Now…the question is begging to be asked......
Why does the Church need evangelists, teachers, and pastors? Why has God gifted the Church with these leaders? Well .....look at v12
Church leaders prepare, train, and equip God’s people for ministry and as the gifts of each believer function ....the church will grow. You see....It is not the task of pastors, teachers, and evangelists to do all the work of the ministry…but rather it is our job to prepare and equip you for the work of ministry.
Now…how do you get equipped? Well…the only way to equip you is through the Word of God.
Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (CSB)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
In other words....As your pastor .....It is my job to equip you with the Word of God by teaching you what is right, what is not right, how to get right, and how to stay right. It is the Word of God that equips you for ministry. And all of us are called to ministry.... because we all have spiritual gifts given to us by Christ. In other words… the church is to have an “every-member ministry.”
Tell me....What are you doing with what God has given you? Mission Church will only grow to maturity when everyone is participating in ministry through the use of our gifts. When members give, work in mission kids, visit those in need, make meals for new parents, and minister to one another in groups, the body is developed, blessed, and built up.
I love how Paul Tripp puts it…He says,
Brothers and Sisters....there is nothing greater that you can do with your life than to spend it for the glory of our Redeemer and the advancement of His kingdom here in Las Vegas as it is in heaven. And....When believers are equipped and people accept the adventure of ministering to others, then the whole body is built up, matured, strengthened, and flourishes. Much like a beautiful orchestra …as each one of us plays our part …we are collectively the majesty of Christ’s beautiful music!
So.....our first standard of measuring wether or not Mission Church is growing in maturity is to assess wether or not we are discovering, developing, and using the gifts that God has given us. And this leads us to the second standard by which we can measure ourselves and Mission church for maturity....
“Christ’s fullness” is an expression of completion or perfection and it speaks to our ultimate goal in spiritual growth .....To live like Jesus…for…the ultimate picture of maturity is Christ! And the ultimate goal of our church is that every member here would be growing more and more into Christlikeness…that everyone of us would be pursuing a life that lives like Jesus…and by doing so......together we will show Las Vegas all the attributes and qualities of Christ.
Friends…Mission Church is not to be measured against any other church....and we should not measure any other church against Mission church. As church’s we are should encourage one another but we are to be measured against Jesus Christ. That’s the test. Are we becoming more like Jesus? When visitors come in do they leave having felt the presence of the Lord? Now our church can’t become more like Jesus until those in our church become more like Jesus and this is why it is important to measure our spiritual growth. And from our text we see five evidences of spiritual growth.
Now…Paul is not speaking of a saving knowledge or a salvation knowledge of Jesus but rather he is referring to a deep relational knowledge that only comes from prayer, faithful Bible study, and obedience to God’s Word. After years of devotion to God Paul was able to say
Philippians 3:8–10 (CSB)
8 ...I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, ...12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
This is the exact knowledge of Christ that Paul prays for us to have in
Ephesians 1:17 (CSB)
17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
And this is the knowing that Jesus spoke about when he said...
John 10:27 (CSB)
27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
Brothers and Sisters…how amazing is it that God knows you fully....he knows all of your mess and yet He has invited you to experience and obtain such an intimate relationship with Him....The Creator of the Universe?!?!?! If you do not know Him in this way I invite you to turn from your sins and rest in Him this morning.
If we are to be a mature church..... then... we must attain unity in the faith. I am reminded of Jude 3
Jude 3 (CSB)
3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.
This word “faith” speaks to doctrinal conviction. In our membership class we walk through our statement of faith and we commit to uniting and upholding that statement of faith. We also commit to growing in our personal devotion to God’s word because devotion is essential to unity....because the closer we get to Jesus the closer we get to one another.
Look at v14
Christians who have not been deeply trained and matured in the Word of God are vulnerable and exposed to every wind of doctrine that blows through.
If you have or have had young children then you know how gullible kids can be.
In my car there is a red light when the doors are locked and for the longest time I had my son believing that if he touched that red light that we would be ejected from the car and that the glove compartment contained the parachutes that would deliver us to safety!!
I am reminded of a story A.W. Tozer told about growing up on a pig farm. He said,
When I was a boy on the farm, we “butchered” every year in the early fall. It was my job to coax the fattened hogs into the barn. I would throw them some corn, and they were pleased as they came grunting in with that corn still grinding in their mouths.
But in minutes they were dead. My father would then bleed them and dress them out. That is how we got our supply of pork for the winter.
The gullible pigs have never learned. Wherever they are, they are still being led to the slaughter generation after generation. All it takes is a supply of shelled corn!
You may not like the illustration, but there are plenty of gullible people who have never recognized why they are being kept so busy and so well entertained with the things that are amusing and fun. Paul said that he had caught on—and he reckoned himself dead to this world and this world dead to him.
Proverbs 1:10, 15–16; Ecclesiastes 2:1–2; Romans 6:2, 11–14
Jesus, Author of Our Faith, 86.
A. W. Tozer
As gruesome as Tozer’s story is..... it paints an accurate portrait of many Christians who are not living out their faith in the context of a healthy and mature local church. And just like children and even pigs they are gullible and easily deceived …false teachers creep in and toss them around. They prey on the gullible..saying things like
All religions are the same.
If you are a good person you will go to heaven.
You are sick because you lack faith.
You can have your best life now.
Children must be taught as they grow up. I would not say to my youngest daughter, “Hey Juniper, drive your brother and sisters to school tomorrow!” She is only four years old! She has to be taught. And so do believers. We enter the Christian life as babies, but we grow up and mature through the faithful study of God’s Word.
Colossians 3:16 (CSB)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And.... as we allow the word of Christ to dwell richly in our hearts....our minds develop a distaste for a teaching that is not absolutely shaped and styled by God’s infallible Word....it does not matter how charismatically or passionately it is presented…if it is not faithful to God’s Word then we are not moved. A mature Church is a church that is stable and unmoved by the winds of false teaching that blows through.
Look at v15
15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.
Christ’s church is to speak the truth in love. The translation “speaking the truth in love” is, literally, “truthing in love.” Paul is reminding us first that speaking the truth in love is the overflow of a life lived under the ministry of the Word—a life invaded, captured, and captivated by God’s love and truth in Christ. Second, he is impressing on us that truth, not hypocrisy and deceit, is to be a public feature of the Church. In other words we must highly value the truth and we must remember the centrality of God’s love.
Truth and love can never be separated. They belong together because they are found united in Christ. When truth is distanced from love, it loses its grace and becomes pharisaic, clinical, cold, and hard-edged. When love is distanced from truth, it loses its moral character and becomes spineless indulgence.
Brothers and Sisters.....I pray that folks would say this about Mission church: “They teach the Bible faithfully.” I hope they also say, “They love each other like family and their neighbors as themselves.” If people do not agree with our doctrine, I pray they will see that we love them.
Look at v16
Underline or make note of this phrase, “the proper working of each individual part.” This phrase forces us to ask the question, Is every believer participating someway in the ministry of this church?
Notice that He says “From him the whole body”…not just the elders…or the super christians…or the deacons....or staff…but the whole body…all of us.
Paul is using a metaphor…comparing the Church to a body...where every Christian is a “limb” in Christ’s body.....and....because you are a body part, you are important!
The truth is.....brothers and sisters....We need one another! Yes…our ultimate need is Jesus....we are fully and completely dependent on Him....but we are together members of His body and we are dependent on one another. Every one here is called to contribute by using the gift of grace that God has given you. And as we grow into Christ and as we use our gifts in love.....the body becomes healthy..... The church grows in maturity!
Friends …yes....it’s wise to be conscious about our physical health… we need to ensure we eat well, sleep well, and exercise.....but even more we should be concerned about the health and maturity of this body of Christ…Mission Church. Brothers and Sisters....let us strive to be a church that is marked by Christlikeness, spiritual unity, doctrinal stability, and truth in love. And may every member here be overjoyed at the opportunity to use their gifts for the building up of this body as we grow in maturity.
Ephesians 4:7-16 ultimately serves as a vital “spiritual checkup.” And I pray that we make the necessary changes with the Spirit’s help.
Let’s Pray
The Lord’s Supper
We now have an opportunity to respond to God’s Word through the Lord’s Supper. In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus gives us a meal to evoke memories…to help us remember what he has done for us.
And this meal is reserved for those who have trusted in Christ alone for their salvation. If you have not repented of your sin and trusted in Christ then please refrain from participating in this meal.
On the night that Jesus was betrayed...before he was arrested, beaten, and crucified....He shared one last Passover meal with his disciples. In these final moments, Jesus gave them a meal to remember him as they celebrated God’s rescue of his chosen people out of Egypt.... and as they celebrated the Passover one last time, commemorating God’s act of salvation in the past, Jesus gave his disciples a new meal to remember:
Matthew 26:26–28 (CSB)
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
The next day... Jesus died on a cross as a substitute for his people, bearing God’s wrath against sinners. God then raised Jesus from the dead in glory, and now he reigns in heaven, offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who trust in him.
Now…if you’re here this morning and you haven’t trusted in Jesus, this offer applies to you too! Turn from your sin, trust in Jesus today, and you will receive forgiveness and your life will be transformed forever.
Now.....Just like the Passover meal recalled God’s rescue of His people out of slavery in Egypt, the Lord’s Supper reminds of how Christ rescued us from slavery to sin.
And....Jesus used the Passover meal to point his disciples to a new and greater Passover sacrifice—the bread representing his body and the juice representing his blood.
Consider what John the Baptist said about Jesus in John 1
John 1:29 (CSB)
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus is in fact the Passover Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world …and this Supper helps us to remember his great act of salvation.
And....as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we remember him, just as he told us to. Jesus said....in Luke 22
Luke 22:19 (CSB)
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
And so we eat this meal looking back with thankful hearts to the cross....remembering what he’s done and appreciating what his perfect sacrifice means for us. And ....as we eat and drink these symbols, they help us to remember the gospel tangibly with our senses:
• As you taste the bread, remember that as real as that bread is in your mouth, so real is the fact that the Son of God became a man and gave up his body for you so that you might have eternal life.
• As you taste the sweetness of the juice, remember the sweetness of having your sins forgiven because Jesus poured out his blood for you.
As you take the Lord’s Supper, remember:
• You were an enemy of God, but now you’ve been adopted into his family.
• You stood condemned in your sin, but now you’re counted righteous.
• You were a slave to sin, but now you’ve been set free to serve God.
• You were dead in your sin, but now you’ve been made alive.
• You were headed for hell, but now you’re a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom.
… and all of this is because of Jesus!
You see.....this act of remembering is not some mere mental activity. It’s remembering that redefines and shapes who we are. It cancels our self-centeredness and places us inside a new and far grander narrative.
And This morning …I invite you to come to the table and let your heart be filled with thankfulness for the life that Jesus purchased for you through his death.
When you are ready… please come forward to the tables…take the elements back to your seat and eat and drink as you feel led to.
Steven Barraza’s Baptism
I am excited for us as a church .....for ....this morning we have an opportunity to witness Steven Barraza’s baptism.
Now…Baptism is a picture of Christ’s death and resurrection for us, and a picture of our death to our old way of living and our resurrection to our new way of living. Baptism symbolizes how Christians participate in Christ’s story.
Consider Romans 3:6-11
Romans 6:3–11 (CSB)
3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Baptism is a visible, tangible, public, dramatic expression of faith in Christ.
It is a believer’s act of publicly committing themselves to Christ, being immersed in water, and publicly proclaiming that they have died to sin and have risen with Christ …they are publicly proclaiming that they are committed to loving Jesus, living like Jesus, and leading others to Jesus.
Baptism also symbolizes the joining of a new disciple into the body of Christ ....the church. This is exactly what Steven is doing this morning. I want invite Bryan to come up and read Steven’s testimony.