Ephesians 4:1-16 (2)

Premise:

Paul gives the saints commands to walk worthy of their calling, a creedal statement on unity, the importance of individual gifts, and necessity of spiritual maturity.

Opening:

Introduction of the Text:

Reading of the Text:

Ephesians 4:1-16 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8 Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captive a host of captives,

And He gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Behold the Word of God.

Prayer:

Transition:

Premise of the Text:

Paul gives the saints commands to walk worthy of their calling, a creedal statement on unity, the importance of individual gifts, and necessity of spiritual maturity.

Therefore...

Prisoner of the Lord.

Implore. (V.1-3)

Ephesians 4:1-3, Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

What: Walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

v. 1, Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

Spurgeon Summaries Paul’s words, “You are called to be sons of God, you are called to be one with Christ, you are called to be kings and priests unto God; this is the highest possible vocation that anyone can have, so walk worthy of it.”

Not necessary to quote, but a great thing to include) (R.C. Sproul, “The Greek word for church, ecclesia, is made up of a prefix and a root. The prefix is ek—out of. The root is the verb coleo, to call. The church in the New Testament is made up of those who are called out from the world, from darkness, from damnation, from paganism, to become members of the body of Christ.”

How: Five ways to walk worthy.

v. 2-3 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

1. Humility.

The most natural thing for a Christian who understands the gospel.

2. Gentleness.

3. Patience.

R.C. Sproul, The word here in the Greek, is macrothumia, that is long-suffering. The opposite of long suffering is a person with a hair trigger temper, who explodes in fury, rage and rejection at the slightest provocation.

4. Bearing with one another in love.

5. Being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit.

Argumentation:

These virtues are closely linked with the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”)

R.C. Sproul In the life of the church we often regard behavioural standards as the marks of spirituality, whereas these are often superficial substitutes for the virtues that the New Testament sets forth as the real touchstones of piety and godliness...

...These particular virtues are intangible, difficult to measure and not nearly as obvious as surface behavioural forms. Yet they represent the real presence of grace in a person’s life.

A Creedal Statement on Unity. (v.4-6)

Ephesians 4:4-6, 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Creeds.

A Creed is a cohesive and concise statement of faith. They are easy to recall, memorize, teach, and benefit from.

There is...

1. One Body.

The Visible and the Invisible Church.

2. One Spirit.

3. One Hope of your calling.

4. One Lord.

5. One Faith.

Jude 1:3, Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you exhorting that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

6. One Baptism.

Division on Mode and Timing, but Unity on Form (Trinitarian) and Purpose (Sign of Membership in the Visible Church)

7. One God And Father of All.

The Father is...

A. Over All.

B. Through All.

C. In All.

Complete Sovereignty.

1 Cor 12:13, For also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

The Importance of Individual Gifts. (v.7-12)

Ephesians 4:7-12, 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captive a host of captives,

And He gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ,

To Each One of Us. (Individualistic Statement.)

Given According to the Measure of Christ’s Gifts.

Christ Descended, Ascended, and Gave Gifts. (v. 8-10)

v. 8-10, 8 Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captive a host of captives,

And He gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

Quote from Psalm 68:18.

You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;

You have received gifts among men,

Even among the rebellious also, that Yah⁠—God⁠—may dwell there.

Descended to Earth.

Ascended in Victory.

A Host of Captives, Those Freed in Christ.

Gave Gifts to the Redeemed.

Spurgeon, “We have not all the same form of grace, and we cannot all perform the same service for the Saviour; we differ very much from each other as to our abilities, and as to the positions which we can occupy; and our Lord intended it to be so.”

Christ Gave Some to Be...

v. 11, 11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

1. Apostles.

2. Prophets.

3. Evangelists.

Church Planters. Those who go to develop new churches.

4. Pastors and Teachers.

Linked together as one person.

1 Corinthians 12:28-30 is a very similar passage. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all translate?

The Purpose of these Gifted Offices. (v.12)

v. 12, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ,

For the Equipping of the Saints...

1. For the Work of Service/Ministry.

2. To Build Up the Body of Christ.

Spurgeon, “Then, whatever spiritual gifts we have, they are not our own to use as we please; they are only entrusted to us that we may employ them to help our fellow-Christians.”

Spurgeon, “How can I best utilize myself for the benefit of the rest of the members of the Church?” Do not ask, “How can I benefit myself?”...”When the first and last concern of a man is his own salvation, his own comfort, his own advancement, his own edification, and nothing besides, he needs to be saved from such a selfish spirit as that.”

R.C. Sproul, “But the reason why certain gifts are given for leadership is to equip the believers for ministry. The church is to be a mobilized army.”

The Aim of This Gifting. (v. 13-16)

Ephesians 4:13-16, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming,

15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Until We All Attain...

Unity of the Faith. (Perfect Unity)

Full Knowledge of Christ. (Perfect Theology)

To a Mature Man.

What does a mature man look like? Christ.

Image Bearers.

No Longer Children...

Tossed Here and There by Waves.

Carried About by Every Wind of Doctrine, False Teachers, or Clever Scheming.

But Mature.

Speaking Truth in Love.

R.C. Sproul, “It is the task of Christians to be people of the truth. They are called to search the truth, to understand the truth, to communicate the truth. But it is not simply abstract propositional utterance that they are to make. They are to hold this truth that is precious to them in love.”

Grow up into Christ, our Head.

Christ is From Whom the Whole Body is Growing, Being Joined Together, and Held Together.

By What Every Joint Supplies (Individual Gifting) When Properly Functioning.

Application:

Obey Paul’s Commands.

In Light of the Mystery of the Gospel; I, your pastor, from the words of Scripture exhort you to...

Walk Worthy of Your Call.

Walk With All Humility.

With All Gentleness.

With All Patients.

Bear With One Another in Love.

Be Diligent to Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace.

Remember and Confess that there is...

One Body.

One Spirit.

One Hope of Your Calling.

One Lord.

One Faith.

One Baptism.

One God.

Remember that you are set free in Christ.

Use Your Gifts to...

Do the Work of Ministry.

Build up the Body of Christ.

Strive for the Unity of the faith.

Strive for the Full Knowledge of the Son of God.

Do Not Be Children in the Faith.

Do not Be Tossed Around by False teachings, false teachers, or schemes.

Be Mature in the Faith.

Speak the Truth in Love.