Ephesians 4:1-16
Notes
Transcript
IM BACK! And I’m fired up! So before we get going turn your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 5.
As you all can see, I brought a white board up here this morning. This is going to be a little different Sunday morning than usual in the sense that we are going to need some congregational participation. So…don’t be shy and pipe up!
This section we are going to be going over this morning is what we want to be here at The Parish of the Redeemer. This is the great thing about being a part of a church plant. We don’t have to come in somewhere and have to tear done the trellis and move it over here. We don’t have to plant the peas over here because thats the way it was always done. We get to plant it the way we want to plant it. And…I know that we all want to plant it the way God called us to plant it and that is based on his inspired Word, the Scriptures Alone.
So, this morning, my prayer is that the Word of God inspires you. I pray this morning the Word of God convicts you and me to be what God has called us all to be…the church.
Alright, so here is where you come in. Here is my question…you ready?
Me, as a minister, as a pastor, a teacher, a shepherd, what is my role? What is it that the pastor should be doing?
Alright… now, everybody have your Bibles open to Ecclesiastes 5? Put your ribbon there, put a gum wrapper there or whatever else you do to mark it but we will be there next week.
Turn to Ephesians 4.
Now, I am just going to preach on a few verses here this morning but man I can’t wait to preach through all of Ephesians. I think I want to save Ephesians for when we have a bunch of visitors coming so they could be like, “WHAT IN THE WORLD?”.
But really, I am just going to preach on a few verses in Ephesians 4 this morning but to really grasp this…LIKE REALLY REALLY Grasp what I am going to say this morning we really need to have a good grip on every word that comes before the verses Im talking about this morning.
It is because its all tied together you know what Im sayin’?
Look here…vs 9: “In saying, “He ascended”…what? you have to go to vs. 8 to see what Paul is talking about. So…vs. 8: “Therefore”…therefore? Whats “therefore” there for right? Then you go to vs. 1 to see what “therefore” is there for and look what you see there....”Therefore”. etc. etc. etc. WALK ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1:11.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
But we could still ask one more question couldn’t we? “In him”? Who’s him? And that would take us to verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
So…after todays lesson I want to challenge all you to walk through Ephesians with your family this week. It is 6 chapters. And one day we are going to preach through but until then I want to talk to you this morning about chapter 4:11-16. But before I get to vs. 11 I want to run through vs. 1-10 real fast.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Paul says, “I URGE you”… URGE: to earnestly encourage a response or action…to exhort
He is urging us to what? To...
“Walk in a manner WORTHY of the CALLING to which you have been called”...
the Christian has a duty to lead a life worthy of their calling out of the debt of gratitude that we owe for all that we have been given in Christ.
I’m not going to go through all of that this morning but if you want to know what you have recieved in Christ by the Grace of God go back today and read chapter 1. When we realize, truly realize, what God has done for us by his grace through Jesus Christ it will fuel us to live a life worthy of the calling in which we have been called.
So we should WALK…don’t just sit there…lets get moving. So how should we WALK?
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
You see that word “Maintain” there? Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is NOT SOMETHING YOU CREATE. It is not something we DO…it is something we “MAINTAIN”. The Unity of the SPIRIT OF THE BOND OF PEACE is something GIVEN TO US that we are to MAINTAIN.
And we will go through all of these later sometime but I wanted to point that one out. Because this is something CHURCHES and PASTORS and CHRISTIANS in this NATION need to know right now...
we will ONLY BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace if we can agree with verses 4-6
Paul knew he was writing a diverse group of people here. He had been there and it was wild! Go back and read Acts 19. So just like us today, there were diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds but what Paul wanted them to understand MORE than what their reality was on the ground was the REALITY of God’s Word…He wanted them to understand the spiritual reality that once they had been called by God that...
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Christians, those who have recieved the high calling of God…listen…
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
When we take our eyes off of this FACT…it weakens the church, it causes divisions. Stand on the Word of God and KEEP STANDING…DON’T EVER BACK DOWN. And while you stand there…LEARN TO DO GOOD; SEEK JUSTICE, CORRECT OPPRESSION; BRING JUSTICE TO THE FATHERLESS, PLEAD THE WIDOW’S CAUSE. (ISA. 1:16-17)
But as we work our way down this passage we see in our ONENESS we have our UNIQUENESS.
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
So Paul is saying...”guys, I know we are all different but really we are all the same. We are ONE IN CHRIST. But seriously, we are different.
By GRACE each one of us have been given a gift…Christ has gifted each on of us for the common good. So although we are all ONE in Christ we are all UNIQUE in our gifting.
And whatever your gift is you must know that it is nothing you can boast about…it was by GRACE that it was given to you…it had nothing to do with you. It was unmerited favor towards you. But your gift/gifts are not for yourself....they are for giving.
Lets keep moving...
Check this out…vs. 8
Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
Back here in the days of kings…the king would go off to war
When the king returned from battle he brought back with him the plunder and behind him he would bring back captives.
But Paul is not talking about those kings…he is talking about King Jesus...
So think of this: We were held captive by the evil one to do his will before we recieved this calling. Before we put our faith and trust in Christ we were held in bondage to sin. But what did Christ do for us…He conquered sin and death. He defeated Satan at the cross and ascended on high and rescued those who were held captive and brought them back and gave gifts to men.
VERSES 9-10 IS PAULS EXPLANATION OF CHRIST DESCENDING AND ASCENDING.
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
“THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS” - Jesus DESCENDED and ASCENDED so that He might fill all things…his presence will be known and felt in ALL OF CREATION. He is a CONQUERING KING…He leads a HOST OF CAPTIVES…and He gives GIFTS TO MEN. Our KING is supreme over every power and authority. And check this out:
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
His Kingdom will spread over this Earth like a fire. When Christ ascended He didn’t desert us but he filled us with His Spirit that we may be the body of Christ on Earth until His enemies are under his feet.
And I said ALLLL of that to get to the few verses I wanted to talk about his morning. Verses 11-16.
So when He ascended on High he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men”.
What “gifts” did he give?
Look at Verse 11
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
The gifts Christ has given to strengthen his people are gifted men who are called to spend themselves in service to Christ’s church.
Apostels
Propthets
Evangelists: those who go out preaching…missionaries…planters...
Shepherds (Pastors) and teachers....
These are gifts to the church BUT NOT that they are more important than any other member of the church. Don’t forget that we are all ONE BODY (VS. 4) BUT WE ALL HAVE BEEN GIVEN DIFFERENT GIFTS SO THIS BODY CAN FUNCTION.
AND look what these shepherds, pastors, teachers are suppose to do ....
LOOK AT VERSE 12;
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
WHITE BOARD!
the work of the pastor, the shepherds is to equip you, ENCOURAGE YOU and DEVELOP you to exercise the GIFTS God as given you.
My job and our other leaders here is to not HOLD ON TO THIS MINISTRY BUT TO MULTIPLY MINISTRIES. To EQUIP YOU…TO COMPLETE YOU AND MAKE SEE THAT YOU ARE FIT FOR A BIGGER PURPOSE in Christ’s Church. To BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST.
Verses 13-14 How LONG should the equipping take?
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Rather....
This is what a true shepherd should be… Your shepherds should always speak the truth in love but sometimes the truth is hard to hear isn’t it.
The pastors and teachers should never be what Paul talks about in 2 CORINTHIANS
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
So church…you want to see something exciting? It seems like everybody wants to be a part of a movement today…so I want to encourage you to be apart of the movement of the church…
Christ has done everything perfectly for us. He has given all of us a gift and He himself had all of those gifts in himself but perfectly.
mercy
hospitality
shepherding
teaching
generosity
All the gifts we all have in this room He had them all. But he has dispensed all of His gifts to us individually. You may have this gift, you might have that one, I have this one…but He had them ALL.
And just like HE used His gifts for the Kingdom we use ours for the Kingdom and for nothing more.
He gave them to us by grace and we are to use them for others, for the BUILDING UP OF THE CHRUCH and when we do that together...
“when each part is working properly, it makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love”.
Be a part of that movement…Spread the gospel…let Him use us to lead a host of captives in this community, in your office, in your family…to the Lord God.
LETS DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY.