Gifts of Grace

Psalm 68: 15-18 / Ephesians 4:7-16

Victory in Jesus

Christ Jesus Ascended - v9-10

Descention - condescension / incarnation, perhaps specifically his death and burial

Romans 8:34 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Psalm 68 - a reference, not a quote

Psalm 68:1 “God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!”

Psalm 68:18 “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.”

Leading captives - What captives?

Ephesians 1:20–23 “[God] raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Jesus is better than Kings and Father Christmas:

Psalm 68:18: “…receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious”

The pattern of kings is to receive tribute and gifts for being victorious

Revelation 21:23–24 “And [New Jerusalem] has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,”

Hebrews 3:3 : Jesus is better than Moses

I say, he’s also better than Father Christmas, because instead of just receiving gifts as the rightful king:

Ephesians 4:8 “Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.””

Paul borrows a theme of God’s victory from Psalm 68, and here applies it to Christ Jesus; the one who ascended into Heaven victoriously, and more than receiving gifts: He gave them. There is great VICTORY in JESUS today.

Our Weakness & Immaturity (Our Need) -v14

In relation to do what? CHRISTIAN MINISTRY (Our calling)

Don’t be as Naaman in the OT who when he was offered the gift of healing, at first rejected it. Be the Naaman who after, recognized his need and received the gift offered by God.

You will never be saved until and unless you admit you are lost.

Then, once you are saved, you never admit you need anything spiritually except maybe a fresh experience: Being biblically anemic, we seek sugary substitutes for the meat we need. We often prefer the milk, especially with chocolate syrup.

Apart from receiving and making right use of the gifts Paul speaks of here, we remain immature, weak, ill-suited and ill-equipped to be the consistent witnesses that our children and loved ones need to be evangelized.

tossed to and fro by the waves

Mark 4:38 “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?””

In the moment, they thought they were at the mercy of a merciless storm, rather than in the presence of the Master of the Sea

carried about by every wind of doctrine

Silly ahistorical and abiblical arguments against indoor baptisteries

The losing of one’s salvation

The substitution of Holy Spirit drawing for manufactured emotion with familial guilt, peer pressure, repetition, and formulaic services more concerned with getting people up front than proclaiming the gospel of Jesus

The near silencing of powerful and godly voices of saintly women in the worship of the congregation

The idea that participating in the weekly worship is optional rather than necessary

[carried about] by human cunning in deceitful schemes

How many churches need to fall victim to unscrupulous members who steal, divide, and politic their way into an ungodly state of things where churches serve the wants of a few people and give but lip service to King Jesus?

Let us not get into how many have or will fall to the schemes not from within, but to pressures from societal and governmental attacks?

How can we as a small church overcome our weaknesses and avoid these unnecessary pitfalls?

How can I as an individual member be a part of the solution, and not the problem?

I’m not even equipped to teach a class, much less defend against all this.

Exodus 4:10–12 “10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.””

The Lord does not call the able.

He enables those whom He has called.

Gifts of Grace

Ephesians 4:7 “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

His gifts are in light of the calling of God (to seeking peace, to maintaining unity in the congregation about foundational truth, and to active ministry!

Ephesians 4:12 says that these gifts from Christ are “to equip the saints/[congregation] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

If you feel unfit for Christian ministry, good.

If you feel unqualified for Christian Ministry, then make right use of the gifts Christ in His victory has given for and to you, namely the teaching and guiding offices of the local church.

Ephesians 4:11–12 “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

Remember that the gift of Healing for Naaman in 2 Kings 5 required him to wash in the Jordan River. There is requirement of action without invalidating the freeness of the gift. So too it is with the local church

This text reveals the way God has designed and intended to equip and qualify His people to be effective witnesses and ministers of the gospel.

Additionally it:

Completely repudiates the idea that one can be a faithful and effective Christian apart from the local church.

Calls the faithful church member to recognize the gift that the local church is and give thanks.

Calls the unfaithful church member to repentance for not following the will of God and refusing His gifts

Calls the unsaved to respond to the calling of God upon their souls that they may be saved, and join in this great gift of God’s grace, namely the local church.

Church Family, may we be reminded of the gifts we have been given in the church, and redouble our gratitude for and devotion to being equipped and strengthened for the gospel ministry to which we are called, and encouraging others to do the same.