Sermon Tone Analysis

From Procession to Gifts

(insert a slide of wedding procession; graduation procession, funeral procession too)

We are used to several kinds of processions in life, in fact we probably have been involved in several, but nothing like the one we see in our passage today and to get a better understanding let me explain a little more.

(Insert a slide of a Roman procession)

Explain about a Roman procession after victory in battle (expand)

Victory with a purpose

(Slide) To give salvation

(Slide) To give gifts of grace

(Slide) For the gifts to be used to bring unity and maturity

I. Christ’s Gift

While we find our personal unity in the unity of the One’s

Eph4:

(Slide) There is diversity of gifts that work together to bring unity to the body (the church)

The unity of the body depends on the possession and using the gifts of grace that God gives to us through Christ Jesus.

(Slide) Gift of grace - Salvation (This is one slide, leave it that way)

Gifts of grace - to church

Gifts of grace - for the church

Gifts of grace - the results

Gifts

Gifts of grace - the unity of the church

With the grace comes the responsibility, the stewardship, the administration of the gifts of grace.

But it started with Jesus

What differs between Jesus procession and the Roman procession, the Roman one demanded gifts from the people to then help the people, Jesus procession was so that He could give gifts to men (v.8).

(v.8) is a quote partial quote from Psm68, Paul did not get it wrong; Christ got it right on our behalf.

He ascended, but that also means He descended (v.10) so that He may fill all, or at it says.

or

God the Father, received Christ as the gift given so that Christ could give gifts to men.

Christ lead a victory parade

Speaking of ascent and descent how about one more reference

God appointed Him and in turn He gives us graces, appoints

He is over all and through all and in all so we can be all for Him.

We cannot hide from God nor should we hide our gifts.

Not using the gifts is trying to hide them, we need to bring them and use them to the fulness of Christ (v.13)

(Slide) So God received gifts so Christ could give gifts and the first gifts were to the Church

II.

Gifts to the Church

God gave gifts to the church for a purpose, first I want to look at the gifts then the purpose.

(Slide) Apostles: One sent with authority and a message

In the specific sense these were the hand chosen people by Christ to be “sent forth.”

They were to be God’s mouthpiece after His ascension.

Look at some of the prayer that Jesus offered up for them.

Jn17:6-

Jesus thanked the Father for the Apostles, then asks the Father to use the Apostles.

Then Jesus

Jn17:

JN17:17

Then states the reason

The Apostles, those with the authority have since died off, but their message has not.

It has been given to us to carry it on.

We too are sent with authority, just not the power that the Apostles had.

To be an apostle you had to been with Jesus and they had to be a witness of the resurrected Lord.

So the pool of Apostles would be limited.

Now in the general sense there were other apostles, one’s sent with a message.

(Slide) Barnabas (Act14:4, 14) (One Slide Only; leave it that way)

James (1Cor15:7)

Silvanus ( 1The2:6)

And Andronius & Junias (Rom16:7)

The office of the Apostle has been fulfilled; the message of the apostles we still carry today when we share God’s Word, with God’s authority to introduce God’s power to the people so that they too may come to know the Christ and Him Resurrected.

Know the Christ

That leads us to the next gift.

know the LOrd

Bring the message of the Christ to others

(Slide) Prophets: Spokesmen for God

1

Whereas in the O.T. we often see a message given from God to tell to the people of things in the future, we also see forthtelling the Words God had for the people.

The Prophets in the N.T. would carry the message of God from place to place since there was not much writing done and the letters, Word of God was not circulated in writing until later.

These prophets helped the Apostles to carry the message.

The Prophets were no longer needed when everything we hold in our hands was compiled together.

God’s perfect Word put together then that which is partial was done away with.

No longer needed.

Both of these offices, both of these gifts for the church were foundational for the church but not generational, not needed forever.

Let me prove it through the scripture though.

Eph2

1COr10

(Slide) Evangelists: Those who proclaim the Good News

I love it, they did not have the prestige of the Apostles, the inspiration of the Prophets, they are the rank and file of the church now, the missionaries carrying the Good News.

2

Timothy was a great example of the evangelist.

Timothy travelled from place to place carrying the message, the Good News.

Much like the evangelists today they bring the Good News, they bring the invitation to come to Jesus, to lead people to come to know the truth and to respond to the truth.

Another good example was Philip

One of the original deacons in early church became an evangelist you may remember him from Act8 with the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Are we not all called to evangelize, but not all called to be an evangelist.

The evangelist is not normally the one who disciples the Christian but leads someone to become a Christian.

That task is left to another office, the one of Pastor, Shepherd, Overseer, Elder.

Unlike Apostles and Prophets the evangelists are found in every generation of the church.

and that brings us to the next gift to the Church.

(Slide) Pastors and Teachers

Where some will link the two together as one gift to the church it is more apparent with the “and” that they are separate.

Pastor: Poimen (Gk)- meaning shepherd, elder, overseer.

Let me show you in some scriptures of the usage

So these Pastors, overseers, shepherds were to be appointed who were apt to teach, so it is easy to see the link between Pastors and Teachers.

Tit

So these Pastors, overseers, shepherds were to be appointed who were apt to teach, so it is easy to see the link between Pastors and Teachers.

Shepherds work and compliment the work of the evangelist in teaching the new converts what it is to be a christian and look over the spiritual condition of the flock.

There are men who are able to teach

It is not God’s pattern for Pastors to do everything, they have a specific task to tend to the spiritual condition of the flock where as the Evangelist is to help lead people to become a part of the flock using the words of the Prophets and the Apostles to do it.

It is not God’s pattern for Pastors to do everything, they have a specific task to tend to the spiritual condition of the flock where as the Evangelist is to help lead people to become a part of the flock using the words of the Prophets and the Apostles to do it.

God’s gifts to the church are with a purpose and now let us start to look at that.

III.

Gifts given for the Church

(Slide) Equipping - the gifts that were given were with a purpose, for the equipping of the church for the work of service (expand on this)