Being built up... (15)

To each one...

Let’s start by reading our Scripture and asking God to speak to our hearts.

Ephesians 4:7–10 NIV

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

To each one of us grace has been given...

To each one of us… as Christ has apportioned.

Jesus has given each one of us gifts, according to His plan. Gifts are not earned, they are given.

Have you ever received a gift that you really treasured? Maybe you were expecting it and maybe you weren’t. When you were young, it might have been a bicycle. It may have been your first vehicle. It may have been a football or a baseball.

In 1980, I was given a pail fed heifer calf that was out of a milk cow we called Brownie. She was 1/2 Hereford and 1/2 Brown Swiss. It might be hard for you to not believe, but she wasn’t Angus. It took me Seventeen years to figure that out.

She was a gift that Dad and Mom gave me. It didn’t come without purpose. Obviously, the intent was that we would help around the farm.

In reality, she became a pretty good allowance. We used to get a little bit of money after kid’s club to buy chips or a chocolate bar or even hockey or baseball cards, but before long this heifer grew up and began to raise calves. It’s amazing what an animal with a little bit of dairy breeding in them can raise.

I hadn’t done anything to deserve this gift, but my parents gave each of us kids a calf so that we could start our little herds. That gift has become a life long adventure. At times I only had a few animals, but have never been without something.

Each one of us have been given gifts that Jesus has generously blessed us with.

Ephesians 4:7 NLT

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

Let’s see what Scripture has to say about our gifts.

Romans 12:4–8 NIV

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Just as every part of the body has a purpose and a function, God has not made a mistake in giving you the gifts that He has given you.

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 NIV

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

You are a gift to the body of Christ. Each gift is given for the edification or building up of the body. Whether you are walking in a spiritual gift or a gift that serves the body, God never intended it to be a star in your crown, but to be an instrument to strengthen His body.

God calls us to use our gifts according to the measure of faith that He has given.

As Pentecostals, we believe that the gifts are still for the church today, but are accountable to God’s word.

This is what Peter said to the crowd on the day of Pentecost. As we read this, we see what the Holy Spirit did on that day, what He is doing on earth today, and what is yet to be fulfilled.

Acts 2:17–21 NLT

17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

We need to pray that God would give us discerning hearts that we would shun those things which aren’t of God, but that we would have the ability to see the things that God is doing and rejoice that He is working in our day.

As we look at the next three verses, to say that there are different views would be an understatement. Let’s start with verse 8.

“He led captivity captive..”

Ephesians 4:8 NIV

8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”

The NKJV puts it this way,

Ephesians 4:8 NKJV

8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

All the statements may be true, but the question to what this passage is saying is a question indeed.

Paul used a quote from Psalm 68:18. Some may think he changed what was written, but many teachers of his day interpreted it the same way.

Psalm 68:18 NKJV

18 You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there.

Here’s some commentators thoughts.

Who are these captives?

Thought from John Stott

1. Preached to souls in prison

1 Peter 3:18–20 NLT

18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

Here, Peter speaks of what Jesus did between the cross and the empty tomb. In this way He led captivity captive.

2. Principalities and powers

He defeated, dethroned, and disarmed. (JS)

Colossians 2:15 NIV

15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

What Jesus did by dying on the cross, He conquered the devil. The serpent’s head is bruised. It is crushed, but Satan is still waiting for the day of judgment.

Paul goes on to say,

“and gave gifts to his people.”

According to John Stott, when a king conquered, it was common to give some of the spoils to the enemy to the people of the land.

In the synagogues of Paul’s day, Psalm 68 was often correlated with Pentecost.

Acts 2:33 NIV

33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

Jesus has overcome death. He has overcome any principality or power in this age or in the age to come. He is exalted. His name is lifted up on high.

He has received the Holy Spirit from the Father and He has poured Him out on His church.

Romans 12:6 (NIV)

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us...

1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

Even though we are called to unity in the body of Christ, God distributes His gifts as He chooses. He has not made cookie cutter Christians, but He has made us uniquely different. Just as each part of our bodies don’t have the same function, God has given each of us to His body with differing gifts. These bring unity as we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s not stifle what Holy Spirit wants to do among us by not giving Him His proper place in our lives and in His church; but let’s not grieve the Holy Spirit by blaming Him for what we do in our own flesh.

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. He is worthy of honour. Just as Jesus brought the Father glory, the Holy Spirit has come to bring glory to the Son. Let’s honour Him by being following Him and using His gifts faithfully.

Let’s look at verses 9-10

If He ascended,

He must have descended...

Ephesians 4:9–10 (NIV)

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?

10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

There are 3 possibilities as to what this means.

He descended when:

He came to earth

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 2 speaks to the fact that Jesus humbled Himself and became a slave. He paid the price and died for our sins.

He descended into Hades

In Luke 16, Jesus taught about what we call paradise, and the lake of fire.

Luke 16:19–26 NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

When Jesus died, and rose again, He conquered death.

The apostle John writes this in

Revelation 1:17–18 NIV

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Scripture teaches that Jesus went into the place of the dead, the Hebrew word is

Sheol not Gehenna

Psalm 16:10–11 NKJV

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A third view is that

He descended into the tomb

for three days.

We know that Jesus is not in a borrowed tomb near Jerusalem, but He is at the Right hand of Father.

He has ascended higher than all the heavens...

Ephesians 4:10 NIV

10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

When Jesus came to earth, He humbled Himself, and now He has been exalted.

Philippians 2:9–11 NIV

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here’s what Paul said in

Ephesians 1:19–23 NLT

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

This is the God we serve! He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Praise be to His holy name!

Let’s pray.