Disciples who carry the Christian Faith

Will you please turn in your Bibles with me this morning, to the book of Ephesians, chapter 4 book of Ephesians chapter 4.

I'm going to begin reading that verse 11, give you just a moment to turn there. And I remember that versus that were preaching and that we're reading are printed in your bulletin so that you can you get there? The passage to be preached to goes out in our weekly email on Wednesday. So, you know what? It's going to be ahead of time reflecting on it before we arrived here on Sunday.

So we please stand for the reading of God's word.

Ephesian chapter 4 beginning and verse 11 and he gave the apostles, the prophets, the Evangelist the Shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of Ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, in till we all chained to the unity of the faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God to your manhood, to the measure of the Statue 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 craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up into Christ from the whole body join together and held together by every joint with which it is equipped. With each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Amen. You may be seated.

I have had many good teachers over the years and I assume that you have as well. Mrs. Hart. Read to us. After lunch. In the fifth grade, in such a way, that made me love to hear stories. Read. Mrs. Henry, taught me that it is possible to instill fear entire class.

Mrs. Brooks took me as a punk. Literally, Punk, high school student. She recognized that my my clothing was a presentation of myself to the world. And instead taught me to present myself with a pin in poetry.

Mr. Pollock, recognize something similar in me. And so gave me extra responsibilities to manage the science closet and kind to me that it mistakenly. Led me into Sciences first year at college.

The praise the Lord in that program. I came to Faith In Jesus. Amen.

And then quickly changed my major. Give me words.

We are raising disciples who are adults. And part of that requires teaching, it requires teachers that are good. But what makes a teacher good is that they teach the good that does that make sense is not just their skill-set, but it's that they teach the good we said last week as we introduced to this topic that we are raising disciples who can carry a load the expectation of you within this church is that you become disciples that you are, but that's able to Jesus and you will become Disciples of Jesus. That's an expectation. We're not just doing things.

There is a goal that you will become the adult kind of disciples the kind of we can put a burden on your shoulders that you come on and say I'm here give me a portion of the way. We're going to Vision that those adults going out, generation after generation will teach the responsibilities in our place.

But how?

What we carry as Christians that does. This? What is the burden of putting on our backs? That's that we carry the truth of the Christian faith. We carry the weight of Christian character. We carry the responsibility of Christian, Living it to the Christian faith. We discipline the Christian character. We trained in Christian Living. So this week, we focus our attention here in this passage on the knowledge of discipleship discipleship includes what we know that will shape, who we become and then how we live. What we first know is that the Christian faith and that means that someone has to teach it to you, right? So what we do when our church in order to help us become adult disciples who can carry a load as we teach the Christian faith to make sure you and that is the focus of our passage today. So again, I'd like you to ask you, please look with me yet, verse 11 chapter 4 in the book of Ephesians that we priests all the way through the book of Ephesians. So, all of the sermons that expound these passages and details are found on our website. If you want to go back there and take a listen. We just focus our attention on this aspect today. He the resurrected and ascended Christ gave the apostles, the prophecy list, the Shepherds and teachers. To equip the church. The Shepherds in teachers the words, hear the grammar, puts the two words together. They are Shepherd teachers. They are Pastor teacher said the emphasis of the pastor's work is teaching the primary way that the pastor Shepherds is teaching that when it comes to the Pastoral Epistles that Paul writes to to Young Pastor Timothy and Titus uses the word Peach, giving them that responsibility 15 different times in three letters Church. You think that means it's important to shake your head this way.

So he can tell the pastor Timothy and then telling all of us in light of this, at the pastor must hold the truth. The pastor must guard the truth in the pasture must, entrust Faithful Men with the truth. So he Titus 1:9 hotels. Titus. Hold firm. And be able to instruct in sound Doctrine. 1st Timothy 6, 20 guard what has been entrusted to you? 2nd Timothy 3:2. Entrance, r e, s means to to entrust this to Faithful. Men Who themselves will be able to teach Faithful Men.

The pastor's primary work is teaching. The primary way the pastor Shepherds is by teaching now over in 1st Timothy Chapter 3. If we were just to turn over, we see that the elders are also required to be able to teach. There are only two. Practical requirements for The Elder, most of them are characters Bar Mitzvah 1st, Timothy 3 for the two practical requirements is that, if an elder must be able to teach any must be able to manage his own household? Does the two requirements?

So the pastor teacher is the primary teacher in the church scratches. Primary job is teaching the pastor's, the primary teacher in the church. Teaching is according to the scriptures, a simple explanation or transfer of Doctrine and tradition to do so. So the transferring explanation of transference of Doctrine or tradition by men authorized to do. So, that's what there is a teaching within the church. So just again, running around a couple of verses and just referring them to you to make it easier on you today. Hebrews 5:12 says that you are known to be teachers at this time, but we've got to continue with the elementary principles. There are Elementary principles that a teacher gives to their students as the explanation is a transfer of knowledge that you didn't know before Titus. Chapter 2 verse 1, says, teach. What is according to sound Doctrine?

Batman authorized to do so. We already referred to the command of Elders, to be able to teach, and Timothy, goes on a little bit later and says that there is a, a double honor given to those two rules among the elders, especially those who labor in preaching and in teaching, We teach this is what we do here and the pastor is the primary teacher in the primary job of the pastor is to teach to transfer. To you sound Doctrine, good biblical tradition because he's been authorized to do so, we'll come back to that in a second.

Made them good heart. That when I was in seminary, I had a Marion who was my pastor? And he would spend every week with me as I digested everything, I think and thinking, and he gave me such room that I'm sure. I was a heretic, a dozen times in that room. I was figuring things out. And he gave me space to think and talk and to push me to make sure I understood. Is that true that had been delivered to the Saints? And I didn't just become an average with my own cleverness because especially at that time, the greatest Temptation right there. I had Bob, who spent many hours again with me, pushing the truth, into the corners of my life. I had Scott will begin to teach me and the scriptures before I was capable of understanding, good teachers taking the good and trying to get it into my life. That is the job of the pastor. The pastor is the primary teacher is teaching the truth into your hearts to the best of his ability, right?

There's a point in the Book of James. You may be familiar with this form where they should presume to be teachers, right? If your teacher, you read this.

Not many of us should presume to be teachers because we who teach will be judged more strictly. I am one of those Geeks. Takes consideration of the means of teaching. I think and I work at a, how did get the truth best into your mind and heart, but the only thing that makes a teacher good is not the skill-set not the ability to another phrase what makes it is.

Please make this clear that the teachers at a pastor's Trimark primary job is a teaching of Pastor the primary teacher. The pastor is not and never is a pope within the church. Pastor is prepared evaluated and accountable. We exact public from a pastor before we ordain him. Right.

The transferring of sound Doctrine by men. Authorized to do. So, there is an authoritative summation that takes place within the life of the church. So in some sense, the first application of this point is just to me, right? Tremble in the pulpit and preach the good and nothing else.

And yours is to hold me to it. I am your pastor. I am your teacher. I labor week after week for you. Not for a video. I'm up. I'm assuming someone besides my mom watches them, but I know Mama Jess.

Sanford videos out for public consumption and our membership list. And I'm not kidding, because I'm preparing for you. True teaching is always local, right? Because as we've known since the time of Augustine Saint, Augustine Road about it, that there are two things that happened in the classroom that can't and the sympathy is that interaction between student and teacher, right? Like I can see your faces and Jason's thinking about something. Jason. What do you think about, right? Or I can go over there and go. Okay. She's not liking this guy. I can see those things started. Jason is at the sermon that you hear in the sermon that you talked about after is actually better than the one I preached. Is that you didn't talk about those things in that Fellowship is something so true teaching at a biblical sense is local and live a sermon is a live event. There's something that happens here that can't be duplicated in any other way. So I am your pastor. I work and I serve you the aim of my life. Is that you would be taught?

So far, I have given 12 years and 9 months to that task. And as far as I'm concerned, there is no end in sight. At the church, we teach the primary application of that first is that I would do. So clearly holding guarding sound Doctrine entrusting, it to Faithful Men Who will do the same. And we will come into broader teaching in 2 weeks. What do we teach each each?

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God. The unity of the faith, is, what we are teaching is gained and maintained by the doctrines of the faith. I want you to see that because for a generation now, there is a phrase. This is Doctrine, divides and divides. Let's be clear the Apostle, Paul. It takes the face to actually bring Unity to group other than the fact that they're all Sinners, all by myself.

But the faith is what unifies and so we get this idea. Don't we? The faith in the book of Jude verse 3, that he says, he writes to contend for the face that was once delivered to the saints. That there is a body of knowledge that had been delivered or in 2nd, Timothy 1, verses, 13 and 14.

That he has to pass on the pattern of sound words. That listen to Paul didn't tell Timothy. I want you to memorize my letters, right? He said that there was a pattern of sound words. That was a form of sound teaching. There was a space Consolidated, right to pass on something. It is first and always the Bible.

No responses. It is first in the Bible. So Sunday morning. Sunday morning our sermons. Always start with, will you please open your Bibles to write? And if I or anyone else ever begins without something along that line? Maybe there's a couple sentences first, but if it doesn't include that, that is a sign that you send the packing.

The face. Once for all delivered to the shakes, this body of knowledge to be passed on, there must be something that can be passed on to the Apostle puts this, in a summary idea and summary, for my, I want a quote, to you hear from a book that your elders, and I've been reading together this year. We read a book together every year and we read a book, so we can continue to grow apart from mine that are coming into the teachers of our church, right? This year, we're beating the Cradle, imperative by Carl trueman in this book was recommended, and so far has been very encouraging, but just listen to what he says to the response. We've Elders in the church. There is a responsibility lies in the elders to hand on the truth. From one generation to the next by those authorized to do. So if it's 66 a couple Pages later that same idea, the doctrinal maturing of the people of God is something that is especially entrusted particular individuals in the local church. That is this responsibility that the sound doctrine, that the truth of the faith would get from from me for the others to you. That is something that God has exacted vows for them to do, right? Harry Elders, shivering a little bit right now, right? It should be, this is a heavy responsibility and it is one that is not to be taken lightly.

Let me give you a Biblical example, cuz the Apostle Paul does this many times. He does it once very clearly in the book of Philippians chapter 2 in that beautiful statement about Jesus taking on the form of a servant in the form of a man and then to death on a cross, that is summarized. We understand is a Hymn of the Christian faith. But listen to this one. That is so clear from 1st Corinthians chapter 15 pulses for to you. As a first importance. What? I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures that he was buried that he was raised and appeared in more than 500 Brothers. At one time. Most of them are still alive.

There is this consolidation Christ died for our sins. According to the scriptures Church. How you doing? I know it's warm today. But what we teach has the face and that is often something that is summarized to be able to hand the hand, it on as an accurate summary. If it's from 1st Corinthians 15, it is from Philippines. To if it's from the Pastoral Epistles, there are times and times again, we are given Consolidated teachings.

New test me examples to do. So, it is example of this at the church has done would be something like a Creed the Apostles Creed. We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the maker of heaven, and Earth, write these things are to be handed on there. There something that you can learn and keep in your pocket. There, a summary of the truths are not the same, a catechism works the same way, right? To simple questions of biblical truths that you can learn because those questions and answers the truth in your pocket, in your mind and your heart will become handy to think about many more broad thing. Everybody is catechized everybody gets an initial system of Doctrine somewhere. And it's supposed to have a good-looking one. So now I'm important question. Is a Creed or catechism the Bible? Check out this way. If it's not an accurate, summary of the Bible that you don't use it. If you've noticed, say, looking through the 1689, a good summary theology. That every sentence has a footnote with scripture references. Life is just a string of biblical statements. So, the incentive that is to help you learn the Bible truths, so, you see how they fit together. Now. This church has been teaching the faith for over seventy years. In 2024. We hit 75 years.

Over 70 years. Now, I said I've had personal experience as part of that what we've done here for 12 years and 9 months to this day. Internet time, we have crossed 600 sermon. We preach the Book of Genesis Nehemiah, Mark Romans 1st Corinthians, Ephesians 1st and 2nd Timothy 1st, Peter and revelation. Not to mention series on The Sermon, on the Mount. The, I am statements, of Jesus, the Glorious vision of Romans. 8 count the song, several series. On the Bible itself are charged to sing in church. The Christian family, the Apostles Creed a summer on the catechism. We wrote for our own doctoral statement, and year after year. We have kept Advent by digging into the Incarnation of Jesus. At all that you got just by showing up.

We have taken inductive manuscript studies through 8, books of the Bible 1st Peter and Romans count with Sunday School classes in table groups. We teach the faith. That's why we exist and it is intending that it would get into you. The jobs. Not that you would know these things. And so as your call is to be Godly, Learners, holistically and systematically. First one to the end because we got to learn systematically. We got the whole thing together. Taking advantage of what we have said her brother recently. Say you teach me theology. Okay. Well then

Are you going to remember first that? Everybody was either born in Adam, through a covenant of works or creation that God expected of Adam Adam failed in that cupboard in the parole. People said everybody's either an atom or in Christ. He did know. There are two covenants, you know that there are four parts to the story. The whole thing starts with God created everything and then the fall comes and brings death and Corruption into the world. You need to know that there is a Redemption that started the whole new creation all over again. One day all things we made right, you need creation is know that all of our systematic theological thinking takes place in what categories of God. Bibliology is what about Matt? Christology. What is Scott said about Christ? Soteriology? How does he save us pneumatology? At is a spirit.

To what end? These are just some basic things that give you a system of which to learn system.

Right.

Will be absorbed from the world. Is this idea that we want something disorganized? Why what happens when it's disorganized? What's the unifying principle?

Me, right. That we may learn to reshape the system were given. As we grow and learn, but we all start with one. Learn systematically. And if you're going to learn, I say, brothers and sisters you have to start by simply reading the Bible right now. If you're sitting here just about entirely Hey, if you're if you're taking part in Bible, studies.

In the early church, a new believer would have to sit down and someone would read the Bible to them from beginning to end out loud. Well, that sounds fun to me. I may be the only showed up for that class. But we have Bible reading plans to help you go through in such a simple social media post about our plan that we're doing this week this summer, reading to the New Testament, 4 chapters a day. That someone said it took me 6 minutes to read today's reading. Yesterday, I set a timer because I put scones in the oven as I was helping out, getting ready for set a timer for 10 minutes.

Are you getting what I'm saying? This isn't you can do this and it if nothing else start there and then take advantage of what you've got. What we just had added categorizing are on our websites in our website. So you can just look up the topics for you here. If you want some guidance on podcasts, use some guidance on ebooks, talk to your pastor, but let me just highlight here are manuscripts studies. Should I pay attention to time? Don't worry .3 is very short.

Harmony's group studies that we do every year. Starting the fog goes along with the book that we were preaching in the passage before I preach it. And there's a handful of reasons for studying right afterwards too much passage. What's their? What's it say? Ask questions to bring in the other scriptures to see how this is being explained in the passage at hand into your life and the lives of others, a better Handler, and reader of the Bible study. Every candidate. We have to change your pattern Stars. Right. Because this is one that I've never done this system before this manuscript study system car and Taylor did. But it was such a good one and doing so, well, that I said I will change. Will you show me how to do this? And can I check in every once while to make sure I'm doing it right? Right, but this is what we do, why? So that we can all be doing the same thing in the same way, gaining the same skills, as what being part of a team of fun? So we teach the faith, your job is to be Godly Learners taking advantage of what is prepared for you. And then some, right? And then some What are the joys of my year has been teaching the Bible class in the mighty Oaks Classical Academy homeschool Co-op. I think I got enough over there. It started out with a handful just me and some books that had say pictures of the walls of Jericho short studies. But what amazes me is the connections that they were making. Oh, we heard that somewhere before before. Simple systematic teaching. Can be grasped by a kindergartener?

15 minutes a week plus, with their parents were doing gave them an understanding of what God is doing from Genesis through judges.

Complicated. But it's glory. Flashlight. I said I'm going it's been a minute on this, but we changed the faith to mature. You are over at with me. At a fusions 4:13. Until we all change to the unity of the faith to mature. Manhood. The term means that the goal is reached. It's a termination point is arrived that you were created to be to the measure of the Statue of the fullness of Christ, 2 and 4 by waves and carried by wind of Doctrine by human cunning craftiness and deceitful schemes said to make it simple adults who can carry a load. So what we see is that this is how you will mature mature by the word being taught to you. And you being Learners of the word knowledge alone will not do this.

You can have all the knowledge and still be ungodly. Yeah. Payson ology loan will not do this, but knowledge is necessary for it to be true. Knowledge is necessary for someone to believe knowledge is not necessary for someone to grow. Right? No one was ever walking down the street and said, I think, I believe in Jesus, who is Jesus. Anyway, someone first told them about Jesus know what I think I'll do, but as a father

As father that was alone, but it starts here right now. It's believed changes, our heart. Even when our circumstances haven't yet changed.

There's a wonderful pattern talk to us that we've used every years for a book called the real life discipleship. It just says the disciples grow from children's 2 adults, right. Children need to learn young adults, need to be trained to serve others. Adults, need to be instructed to function as adults in their day-to-day life. This is great. Cuz there's a piece where I jump up in the author here, says instruction, your needs. It needs to stay a week or two weeks to destroy to describe it. It's, it's too much.

He's got three books, describing his napkin.

But there is absolutely. There is a pattern of growth. Isn't there that there are children need to learn young adults, need to be trained and disciplined to want that and to believe it. And to be

so in this, if this is where we're going at, it is

growing in your knowledge of the truth is is is is your application of it, right? And that may mean just knowing more than you did before know stuff. You didn't know before because you've read it again in the Bible that their baby for the first time. No stuff that you didn't know before because you picked up some simple Consolidated theology book. Or listen to a couple of podcast that were teaching you on the nature of God. Learn some stuff. He didn't know before and then learn you were more better. Okay. Now I said that wrong on purpose is so that's a teaching tool that you're going to. Remember it ride. 30mm or better when we were not intending to be teaching pastors, but it's the associate pastors who function in that role. There is a evaluation with their beliefs agree with our Evangelical Free Church statement. In order to gain was called the certificate of Christian Ministry, which is a license. Add to prepare for ordination, that person has to show competency in our doctrine that person has to show proficiency, tests show that they know it in such a way that they can work with it on day-to-day basis. Right? So all of the big words come in the early stages by that third stage, the conversations more like you're having a cup of coffee and someone else. Because that's harder, what I'm saying to you is grow more better, right? Take you or more and make it make it better become more. Capable with it for fluent with it. That there are good words that come from your mouth. Anime, just highlight this we turn to conclusion here that it is in our Sunday school our which we have lost over this last year and figuring out how we will restore. That we really take the time to teach these things in a systematic way for our children entirely to wonderful program. For adults, we've done some very similar things and help you do it. But there's so much more you can do on your own. As we talked about discipleship, becoming adults who carry a load. There is a faith for us to learn and it will take some effort on your part. Of course, it does, right learning growing changing always does. But here, you need to know it before. You need to know if you know what I'm saying.

What is distinct about as this without? This is not us is the view of the call and accountability of the teacher. I am all in, in teaching you the Bible.

You have required, it of me. And I accepted with joy. What is distinct about? Us is a systematic plan. If you take part, you will grow simply this. Read a book. Is that house? That is preferably an old one. Maybe by dead guy?

What's distinct is that we do old things. That have a track record of making disciples too. Well.

We teach the face to mature, you. That we remember here with great confidence, that Jesus is the teacher is the word of God made flesh. He is the only one who speaks for the father because he is one with the father. We are all Disciples of Jesus. And so this passage like all passages lead us to the table of communion. I'd like to ask you to pray with me and have then the servers, Ford. I have a father, we are grateful for the word that you have given us for grateful to the teachers that you've raised up in our lives in the time that we were young until now and we pray that you will make us Godly Learners. Eager to be those who take advantage of the modern-day where everything is at. Our fingertips, make us wise in our selections and growing so that we actually no more a year from now that we do right now. And that, we know that more better afraid of, by your spirit. You continue to not just bring it into our minds, but applied into our hearts. We will spend our time. Next week. We thank you for your word. We thank you for the teachers. We thank you for the Jesus Christ. Who is our disciple maker. We prayed in his name. Amen. And amen.