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I'm gonna do something just a little bit different for me anyway. Um the thoughts that have been on my mind uh are are wide-ranging, but um but a little um they're focused on some elements of that song and another song that I did not want to call to sing. Um mainly because I don't know that we've ever sung it. I don't know that I've ever sung it. But um I want to read the words of that to you before we go forward in prayer. And I want to point out something after I read it. These are the words of this song. I'm not gonna tell you the number yet. Oh Lord, how vile am I? Unholy and unclean. How can I dare to venture nigh with such a load of sin? Is this a polluted heart a dwelling for the evil? I only read no relief. That was written by John. The same one who wrote Amazing Grace. The thought on my mind before we go forward and pray that this be blessed with the Lord is the dealing with sin. And I'm not gonna jump straight to Romans chapter 7. Uh, that's my default place to go. But that there's another aspect of it that I want to look at today. But the fact that we, as born-again children of God, still struggle. And that song about the the feeding of the sheep is that it is we still mourn, we still cry out, we still suffer, we still bl we still have the pains and afflictions of life, and we might wonder what's wrong. If if there's another song, if if I if if it be so, in fact, this is this is quoted from um Rebecca in the scripture. If it be so, why am I thus? Now it's quoting her situation where uh uh uh Esau and Jacob were struggling within her. And she said, if it be so, meaning if if I have children, if I'm if I'm expecting, and I and if the Lord's promise that this is going to be delivered, why is this going on? Well, the same question comes up. If we know we are to be delivered of the Lord, why am I thus? And there is there is an answer to that, is that it's because we're not yet changed. And until we're fully changed in body and in the inner man, we will struggle. But there is there is a the scriptures I want to get to in a moment, but first I want to go to the Lord in prayer. Um, brother Mike, do you feel up to offering a word of prayer for us today? And uh and as Brother Mike goes forward in the way of prayer, please uh pour out your your souls. Uh even as John Noten wrote that song, there are times we find our minds wandering, we find our times, those times that we don't even know where we are sometimes in prayer. But that's not always, because that that song was written in a singular moment. It's a it's in us in a position where we are in a place of struggle. But that's not where we are every time. There are those times that the Lord calls us on high, and we know where we are. We know we are with the Lord. We know that he has his blessing upon us, we know he has embraced us in his love, and that's what we pray for one more time, not just for our sakes, but that we might be granted the blessing to honor him one more time, to praise him one more time, to recognize one more time his work for us and his work in us. So let us go to the Lord in prayer, Brother Mike. If we turn to I'm torn already about which place to turn to first. Um there are two passages that are strong in my mind to turn to. One is in Ephesians chapter 4, and the other is in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Uh, but surrounded by let's go to uh 1 Corinthians. I I don't intend to spend a lot of time here, mainly because um if if we were to cover uh everything that I want to reflect in uh in Ephesians, uh we would have to start well before Corinthians 12 and go past Corinthians 14. Uh but I do want to pull some things out of 1 Corinthians first. Um, by the way, the number of that song in the Psalm book was 532. Um you probably could have looked it up by the first words, but uh I realize I didn't tell you that. Um 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Now we're very I I trust we're we're probably very familiar with this, with the passages concerning charity, which I do believe is very well defined as active love. It is love in action. Charity and love uh are similar in regards to um to uh to to many other aspects of the fruit of the spirit where there is a there is an inherent quality that it then is acted on. So the inherent quality here is love. But love without action, uh like faith without works is dead being alone. It's not that you don't have faith, it's like you know what what good is it basically if you don't actually use it? Well, uh here, what good is love if you don't actually engage in it? And that's what charity is, and so that that's what this goes into. But the portion I want to jump down to uh starts in um verse nine. Uh but it it it well maybe I better start with verse eight um or pick up in verse eight. It says, Charity never faileth, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be uh knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. Now what he's saying is it's not that prophecy, that uh knowledge or that uh tongues are bad. He's saying that they're incomplete. They're things that are also temporary. Uh we know there is no one on earth right now that speaks Latin as a living language. Uh it's considered a dead language. Likewise, with other languages, when he talks about tongues, they shall cease. Uh whether you're talking about our natural tongue, uh, there will be one day. If the Lord does not come before I go to the grave, there will be one day my tongue will cease talking. Uh, but also just whole languages uh will have and uh potentially can fail before the Lord returns again. And yet that doesn't mean that the speaking or the speech itself is inadequate or wrong. It's it's that it's incomplete or it fails because it is not permanent. Uh, there are things though that are permanent or come to a point of completion. And that's very often what the word perfect means in the scripture. Uh I don't want to take away the fact that it that it can mean uh things, something like sinless perfection, like it literally means without fault. But very often it means it has come together in a complete or whole state, uh mean or a maturity, uh something that you have grown up into in a mature fashion. Well, uh that's where he's leading the thought here uh when he says, for now we see through a glass darkly, but then uh excuse me, I jumped ahead. Uh but that when uh for we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, meaning when when either that which should replace that which is uh imperfect has come into position, or when it's come to a point of maturity or per or or uh or uh permanence, he says, when that is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. And then he goes into this other portion that we don't often think about as part of the whole aspect of charity, but he's actually leading us to the a conclusion. He says, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. And I'll pause right there. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with a child acting, thinking, speaking, behaving like a child. Because they're a child. They're not come to a point of maturity. Now that um that that does not mean that there are aspects, uh I want to give a caveat here. When he's talking about things, there are certain things about being like a child that we should keep. There are aspects of innocence, uh of understanding our dependence on God. There are things like when he says uh there are ways that we ought to think like a child, but not in all things. Here the apostle Paul is saying, there are aspects of when I was a child, this was the way I was. But then he says, but when I became a man, I put away child-ish things. Now there are aspects of that level of maturity, the level of thinking, the level of behaving that uh you're expected to mature in uh as an adult, or at least we used to, uh as a society. That's not as as uh frequent out there anymore, but there's an expectation that uh as as we know, that there was a time that Henry uh was not walking and talking. Uh he's walking and talking now. Uh he is and has been for a little while now. Uh what uh what a um it is a burden uh and a in a and a certain amount of sorrow when you see children who cannot mature in that way, that because of some uh defect, because of some uh a problem in within their body or or within their system uh or injury or some other uh circumstance, that they cannot go beyond that. They cannot learn to walk or talk or think and mature and move on. And I don't want to also uh detract from that because uh there's some very loving situations that can arise from that. But understand that the uh the uh the the expectation, the normal expectation for someone who is healthy and uh and otherwise unencumbered is that there is an expected maturity to take place. And the apostle Paul is saying that was the way it is, just naturally speaking, when I was a child, there came a time that I had to put those things away and think differently. Uh it's the same Apostle Paul, the same one that was once a child, but then came into an understanding of maturity. Now, what he's not saying is someday I'll mature into a perfect individual. Someday I'll mature into a perfect, uh uh into a perfect uh thinking, uh behaving person, and everything will be okay at that point. That's that's also not what he's saying. But there is an expectation, there is a level of maturity uh where we being new to understanding say uh salvation by grace, uh, that there that is uh considered being a child in understanding in the things of God, and that there is a level of maturity and growth and understanding that comes with that, that uh that you don't leave behind. In other words, uh there's a moment in time that uh Henry and others will think more maturely, will think more uh deeply and broaden out. That doesn't mean you forget to speak English because you learn to speak English, but you grow and mature in it. You grow and mature in your understanding. You know, when he says he puts away childish things, he's talking about the way of thinking as a child, the way of behaving as a child, but the things you mature in, the things you you grow in, that you you you grow into that in a deeper, uh greater level. So he says, uh for I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly. But then, face to face, now there will come that day. Now I'm gonna try to uh kind of uh the the term threading a needle comes to mind. We have to lay hold on the hope and the knowledge that one day there will be a comp that you, as a child of God, will stand before God as a complete, whole individual that is perfect in every way. There is that day coming. There will be a day you will see him face to face. But not just see him, you will see uh the glory of God, you will see the beauty of God, you will see the truth of God, you will understand as completely as anyone ever could understand the truth better than we can here. There will come that day where you will see him face to face. Uh and the apostle Paul is is is pointing to that time. He says, But then face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall know even also as I am known. There will be there will come that that true completion. But but then he says, but now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. I want I want us to take that thought, and there's a lot that can be said about that last verse, 13, but I want us to take this thought about the about these two facts that you you have a uh a maturity and growth in Christ. There is that day that you will be in perfection. But what about between those two points? Is there something that the apostle Paul also gets into that in in Corinthians, not only in the 14th chapter, but he actually uh actually introduces it in the 12th chapter concerning the understanding of the body of Christ. Now I'm only going to mention this in passing because he also mentions it in passing in in Ephesians. But in the understanding of the body of Christ comes the understanding that we are all part of one body, but many different members. We're not all the same. And God never expected us to be the same. There is a similarity, and there is a sameness as a child of God. There's a sameness we all have inwardly in being uh washed and cleaned by the blood of Christ and being righteous in his sight. And we seek a sameness in walking in the mind of Christ. And that's that's the direction we're going to be going here. Is that uh that between uh here and now, uh especially that moment in which uh as uh as to quote John Newton, uh, when when you first see uh the the amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I'm see, now I see uh that that uh when you first see that grace of God, uh that there is uh you can consider that a starting point. I'm not gonna say that's the starting point. I believe there's something that has to happen before you even come to that understanding, but understand when you that is a starting point in maturity, and then we have over here the fact that you know you'll stand in perfection before God in the in the in the resurrected body and uh being conformed to the image of Christ. But in this in this understanding of maturity between here and here, you have an understanding that the uh that there that we are uh that we have a sameness in Christ in being made righteous and imperfection, but we are not all the same. That there is uh a uniqueness in each individual, and even in uh in comparison within the body of Christ, you being a child of God are not just like every other child of God. Uh there is a uniqueness there. And even within the church, we have uh different operations, different roles. Uh uh and as in a body, uh that not everyone is an eye, not everyone is an ear, not everyone is a foot, or else uh you would have uh a pretty if we all were the same kind of thing within the body, we could only do that one thing. Uh if we're all feet, we could we could be pretty good at walking, but we wouldn't know where we're going because we couldn't see, we wouldn't know what's around us because we couldn't hear. Uh, and uh when we got there, what would we do without hands and without uh without uh the ability to operate? So the the Lord uh gave the Apostle Paul that that picture of the body to show forth a unity, a sameness, a a uh a operating together within the body of Christ, but yet it still be composed of individuals within the body. So there's that that picture that the Apostle Paul lays out in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and then the understanding uh of growing in the mind and in understanding and in uh in our uh in our um walk from a child of God uh or being as a child, pardon me, as a child to to uh maturing as a man or as an adult. Now I want to turn now to Ephesians because this is where I want to try to focus on and spend the rest of my time. Or our time, I should say. The Lord's time, I pray. In chapter 4 of Ephesians, he says this, and I I I don't want to just I don't want to take up reading the whole chapter, so we're we'll we'll be jumping around a little bit here. But if you if you read the first three chapters, you're gonna read a lot of strong doctrine. Uh and the the I by the way, I I forgot to even mention this. When he was writing that first book to the church at Ephesus, or excuse me, the first book to the church at Corinth, he was writing to a church of presumably, and I believe the scripture bears it out, actually God-fearing children of God who had a lot of problems. They were doing some things they should not have been doing, both individually and as a church. And they they were that was a letter of correction. And and in the midst of that, the apostle Paul points out not only the aspect of active love, but also the uh the understanding of growing and maturity and in thought, the church there at Corinth had some maturing to do, they had some growth to do, they had some reseeding because they were at they were in essence had aspects in which they were still under childish thinking. Or I'll put it this way: worldly immature thinking. Now, the apostle Paul used the illustration of child and man, but what it really breaks down to is worldly versus spiritual, and and in our natural, carnal way, we we are predisposed to thinking in carnal, natural ways. It requires maturity and understanding to be to uh to exercise in the spiritual life that we have. Now, I believe the inner man always does, but as a whole, as an individual person, it is uh as the apostle Paul puts it in verse one. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. In other words, you are children of God. He's beseeching the church in Ephesus, a church of again, a church of born again, children of God. That he is not beseeching them to become children of God. He is beseeching them as children of God to walk worthy of that which you are, to know that you are children of the Heavenly Father, that you are sheep of the shepherd, to know that you belong in a certain place and to live in a certain way that is best for you, but glorifying to God. And so he says, I beseech you. He uh uh we might more use the word beg or plead or whatever, but he's saying uh that uh that he's saying, now I know you know this because he knows he's he's not telling the church of Ephesus something they don't already know in the first three chapters. He's saying, I know you know this. He says, now knowing that you know this, I know it, I know that you know this, and you know that you know this, therefore walk worthy of it, walk knowing it, walk seeking it, walk uh exercising in it. Is it gonna make them anymore a child of God? No, because once you are a child of God, you're as much a child of God as you ever will be. But here's the thing what does it mean as a One, what does it mean as an individual for you, but also what does it mean as a church walking together? Now he's addressing them as a church that's walking together. Now he says this I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another. Because we all know that I'm gonna put this in this way, and I trust you understand that I'm using this only as an illustration. I may be doing pretty well. And I'm not telling you that I am, but I may be, I may be understanding, I may be in the scripture every day. I may be praying three times a day, I might be uh uh uh uh ministering, I might be uh uh I might be uh uh uh trying to seek out and help one another. I may be doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, a hundred percent. Let's let's just say this. Not everyone does. And when as a church body, there's there may be one in high maturity and one that's not there yet, there is some long suffering that has to be done. Because one, we don't all mature at the same rate, and two, we're not all gonna get to the same place, not before we die. And if we go into this thinking, well, you know what? I've been here for three years, I've been in the church for three years, I seem to be getting it more than someone who's been here their whole life. Well, that but I that's why the apostle says this has to be done in humility and what it says, and meekness, first of all. Are you in a good place? Great! Thank the Lord that you are. Lest you backslide in uh pride and in uh and in uh lack of humility, how about you stay in humility and meekness? Because guess what? That is part of the maturity. Humility and meekness are part of walking in the mind of Christ. He says, and with all long suffering, forbearing one another in love. Why? He calls out that forbearing one another in love. We could just turn right back to 13th chapter Corinthians and read charity about how you forbear one another in love. It's it's the fact that we're not only are we all not in the same pace, but we're gonna start rubbing each other the wrong way. That's gonna happen. Everyone here, I presume, has had some family situation, especially if you had brothers and sisters, where you didn't just get along every day. There was a there was probably one day where you had a brother push you or a sister that said something to you, and it's like that that made it for a bad day. Well, guess what? That happens in the church of God as well. Why? Because we're not at this end yet. We're not at that position of seeing face to face, we're not in sinless perfection yet, and because of that, there's an aspect of those that have the maturity and the understanding and the growth in Christ to forbear one another in love. And guess what? Uh, not only does that do well for you in the sense of a dealing with a brother or a sister that's not there yet, but but it also uh it also exhibits, it demonstrates the very mind of Christ. Uh as I said, humility and meekness, uh, if we want any example above all examples of humility, humility and meekness, we have to turn to Jesus Christ. He was God in the flesh. If anyone had the right to walk around demanding that everyone bow to him, he did. He had that right. He would have been, he would have been well within his right to demand worship wherever he goes you know he I don't read where he ever demanded worship once. He received it, but he never demanded it. Why? Because he was walking as the Son of Man in humility and in meekness. Now, if that's not enough of an example, consider the forbearance of Christ. Not just in dealing with sin. That is the ultimate example, but just with his disciples. There was literally on the night of his betrayal, there was the occasion where his disciples were arguing which one would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. If that doesn't show human nature in contrast to the nature of Christ, I I don't know what what kind of picture, what other picture doesn't uh do that just as well, in that his disciples who had walked with him, who had seen his miracles, who had who uh had just before received some uh explanation of uh the uh of the bread and the wine and of the hit of their relationship in Christ, and are about to receive some very strong encouragement, some plain words of Christ, of the fact that he's about to go and die, and that he's telling them this in order for them to be uh strengthened. In the midst of all that, they're arguing which one's the best. And that's that is that is human nature on display. And here the apostle Paul is saying that human nature, that way of thinking needs to be put over here and left behind. We need to pursue this way of thinking. Mind uh meekness, lowliness, long suffering, burying one another. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. And then he says some words that are often taken out of context, but I want to I want to get through this. And then I want to get them further down. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit. Even as we are called in one hope, we are calling one Lord, one faith, one Baptist, one God and the Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. This is not to say. Like if you read in the scripture, you're gonna find that there is uh I'll take one out of baptism. There is, there are doctrines of different baptisms. Uh that so when it says there is one baptism, it doesn't mean that there aren't multiple baptisms taught in the scripture. What he's talking about, remember the context, he's talking to a church that are baptized according to the command of Christ. And so they are, he's saying there is in the body of Christ, in the pursuit of what is acceptable worship before God, there aren't multiple acceptable baptisms to go into this. That there is one recognizable baptism because it is the picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is the example of your hope of your calling. When he's when he starts off this thought, there is one body and one spirit. Now, we talk about different church bodies. We talk about sister churches. Uh, brother David was just over at Course of Canon yesterday, are a sister church, a different body in the sense of uh uh uh uh of congregational worship. And yet, when we look at this, we have to understand that if we look at one church body and another church body, those are not truly distinct, separate bodies in the sense that if we look at one, is this the church of God? Look at this other, is this the church of God? They better look a lot alike. In fact, they better look like twins in a lot of respects. Are they identical? No, they may not be identical twins in that regard. But understand, just as we being many members but one body, we may have different sister churches that might look different, might behave a little differently. But they better be under the same, they uh we are one body in Christ in this regard, because we have the same head. Uh uh, we have the same uh uh we have the same spirit, we have the same love, we have the same bond within us, one spirit of unity. And so what the apostle Paul is uh is uh uh uh pointing out here is uh uh especially with the churches uh like Ephesus and Corinth as well, and others who are in an area where full of idolatry, full of different gods, full of different ways, different minds. In fact, it was uh at Athens where the Apostle Paul walked by, and there were statue after statue after statue committed to a different philosophy, to a different God, to a different thought. And then he came to the one, to the unknown God, uh, to the one that they didn't know yet, but they wanted to cover their basis. And so uh uh he used that opportunity to preach it to them, the one true and living God. Well, we're we we are not uh we are not uh under the mistaken assumption uh that we all worship just a different way, but all try to get to the same place. That's not that's not what uh uh uh that's not what the uh the religions of this let me back up. Many or most of the religions of this world would like for you to believe that. Uh we don't come to the understanding of Christ uh through the uh philosophies and the vain religions of this world. There is but one truth, and there is but one understanding, and there is but one redemption, and that is in the blood of Christ, and it is to his people. And what the uh uh what the understanding is is that if you have received that, then you're his. It is not a way to get there and to be uh the the uh the gospel news is not out there in order for you to figure out, okay, well, you know what? Uh all these other philosophies has fell me. Now, this is the one I can follow to become a child of God. That's not what the truth of God ever was for. The truth of God is to his children, so that they may not, so that they may know how being children of God, he has redeemed them by his power and by his might and by his love, and and that you being a recipient of the same spirit that every child of God has been uh led by and and by uh and uh and walked by. Uh that that same spirit uh convicts you and and shows you that you are uh redeemed by the grace of God, uh, just like every other child of grace that has ever been and ever will be. Uh so this unity that the Apostle Paul is talking about is trying to focus in the minds and the attention of the church in Ephesus and ours as well, to the understanding that uh we are not uh we are not permitted to deviate uh in uh in all of these different ways, but there is one direction to head to. There's one direction to grow up into. There is a maturity uh uh that that we are expected to become to an understanding in, and the apostle Paul is saying, here's the maturity. You this is what is the standard by which we come to understand whether we're thinking right or not. And it comes in the one body, in the one spirit, one hope of our calling. You realize we we we are not the gospel, doesn't even talk about multiple hopes. It's not like, well, you know what? If this plan didn't work, well there there's plan B. And if this plan didn't work, there's plan C. Or if you happen to be over here in a certain time and age, well, the Lord had something different in mind for them. That's never been the case. You realize every child of God has always had one hope of their calling, and that is that God's promises are yea and amen. And the promises he made to his children, he will keep. And the promises that he keeps are for all of his children. That even as Christ said, he will lose nothing but raise it up again the last day. That he is faithful, that he is true, that he is not a liar, but that we can always uh trust him that even when we fail, not if, but when we fail. When we find ourselves reading uh those words of John Newton and seeing a picture of ourselves instead of a picture of John Newton in that mirror, uh, that we can understand it has never been and never will be, according to how well we do. Our hope is not in uh in the words of uh of uh brother Chris or Sister Catherine or of anyone else, uh or in whether we can do ourselves or whether we can collectively do enough good, it is whether Christ is sufficient or not, and Christ has always been sufficient, and and even Abraham, seeing the day of Christ afar off, had his hope in the work of God, in redemption, in a substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, and even he had the same hope of his calling as we do today, and so that's uh I could go even further than that, maybe if the words were given to me, but I want to move on. So, in this this uh the understanding of all of these ones that are here, is it's the understanding of the unity in the mind and purpose of God, not just in the work of redemption, but in the maturity and the direction that the uh that the church is directed into. In other words, the the the church in Ephesus, same doctrine, same practice, as being taught as Colossae, as being taught to the Philippians, as was being taught to all of the Galatians, to Corinth, to the Romans. It is the same thing. The apostle Paul's were not adjusting the truth in order to accommodate their audience. They gave the truth of the one truth of God, and that's what was not only expected to be taught and learned, but that is also what God gave us to adhere to, because he is uh let me let me uh move further down. But unto every one of us, given grace, according to verse 7, but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended upon high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now, and the apostle Paul, this is in parentheses because in English we use parentheses to set aside a thought that's not the main thought, but is connected. And the the the translators use that because they recognize this was not his main thought, but this was connected. Now that he ascended, that means the Apostle Paul is saying, now that Christ is ascended and sending at the right hand of God, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? In other words, is it is it is it not it should not be surprising that this one, in fact, he says it in verse 10, he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. He's saying, the one that sits in heaven today is the same one that was in the grave for three days and three nights. He says that should not be surprising to us. That should not be this exceptional thought to us. And when we talk about the death, burial, resurrection, and the ascension of Christ, we may talk about it so often that that is not something that well of course that that seems like that that should be fairly obvious until you think about what that actually means. For eternity past there was no time before God made There was no man sitting at the right hand. Imperfection will be He will never He will never come to the point that says, okay, we're all done now. We're done, I'm gonna go back to the way I was. That will never happen. God chose to become a man forever. We're gonna be changed to be like him. But he was He was made like unto his brethren, not just for a little while. He was made like unto his brethren forever, so that you would be made like unto him forever. It's not a temporary solution, it's not a well, we'll enjoy this for a while until we're all bored with it and then go do something else. This is the this was part of the entire mind and purpose of God that this man that had descended from on high also and descended into the very lowest parts of the earth, ascended back into God Himself. Now, with that in mind, and he gave some, these are the gifts, he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. And by the way, when you read that, you'll notice those commas. It doesn't mean, well, he gave some apostles, some prophets, some he's it's like to some he gave apostles. Guess what? We don't have apostles anymore. It was for a time, it was for a period. The apostles were for some. Now we have their words, we have their teachings, we have the we have the the New Testament that was recorded to preserve what the Lord wanted to preserve concerning the words of the apostles. But we can't go find an apostle now. Some had them, we don't. Now, the the in the rest of it he says, and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, and uh, these were all given as different aspects and different gifts for the different reasons. Because you see, the church in its infancy needed some strong help or some strong teaching directly from the apostles to establish them in this world. Uh the word, the faith that's once given to the saints does not need to be given again and again. Because why? Uh the words of Christ Himself, the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church that he established. Uh, if we see uh if we see a body of people out there that had to re-establish or reform their truths in order to kind of reseat, then that teaches you that they they left the truth if they are ever with it at any point. Uh, in fact, there's a whole uh body out there of people, I believe some children of God, uh, well-meaning and well-intentioned are among them. But understand, that group of people teach that there was a point in time that the church that Christ founded ceased to exist. That's not only is that contrary to the teaching of Christ, that's also uh contrary to the teaching of the apostle Paul right here concerning the fact that these things that were given were given for a reason to bring them to a point of maturity. Now, let me continue that thought. Till we all excuse me, for the perfecting of the saints. When I say for the perfecting of the saints, again, it is not given so that I, once I start reading the Bible, and if I read it diligently, and if I do everything it says, that before I leave this world, I can say I am a perfect human being. I I do not sin, I do not misspeak, I am perfect, I am perfect in meekness and in uh and in uh and in uh uh humility and in forbearance and in love. And I finally got to that point, and that's the way God intended it. That's not what it's saying here. It is saying that the saints, at one point in time, in fact, for multiple points in time throughout history, are given different levels of understanding and maturity, of worshiping God and understanding God with Christ. That is, there is no next stage of development. If you want to talk about maturity and stages of development, like children, you have you have baby, infant, uh you have uh you have uh adolescent or uh the words are leaving me now. They grow up, they have go through different stages, they reach adolescence, they become a teenager, and then finally become a mature adult. And then it doesn't stop for us at least. Uh, there are stages that go on beyond that, uh uh in middle age and old age and so on. Well, that's that's the same way it was with the saints, is that there were levels of maturity, but however, however, with Christ, it became the last stage of development, so to speak. It became Adulthood. It became the level of maturity of understanding because there that was the last uh uh uh covenant, the last testament that God gave man concerning our understanding of God, our understanding of our worship of God, and what is going to come next. You see, there is no more revelation to come about about what is going to happen. We're we're waiting for the last revelation that was given to us, and that is this. Christ said he would return and bring his people to him. We don't know what heaven is like. He's not gonna tell us what heaven is like, because he's waiting for us to see it with our own eyes. He's gonna say, he's gonna show it to us, show it to us himself. He is going to open up heaven's gates himself and say, Oh, I am the children which God has given me. He's gonna open the gates and say, enter into the kingdom, prepared for you for the foundation of the world. We know that that is happening. I want to know more. I'm of the nature. I want to know more. I want to know the details. I want to take something apart and find out what makes it happen. That's the way it is, and it's frustrating to me to know I'm not gonna know more until I see it myself. I still think about it, I still dream about it, I still anticipate, but we're not gonna know exactly what that's gonna be like until he shows us himself, and no one else on earth is gonna be able to do that for you either. You know why? Because he's given us everything we need as a mature body of Christ. We don't need other lessons to be revealed to us. We have everything according to the gifts that God has given us from the apostles and the word and the gifts uh that are given in the church uh for the maturing and the perfecting of the saints to bring us not only as a church uh uh age, uh in the sense of what I was talking about, that uh all uh revelation has been given, but individually, we don't need anything else but what God has given us in the church in order for us to come to that understanding of grace, uh salvation by grace of God, to the understanding that I am chosen in him before the foundation of the world, that he redeemed me by his love, that he has secured it for me, but by the promise of an almighty holy God that cannot lie, and that I have all reason to hope and to place all confidence in him, not only that I will be with him forever in that decade, but that he's with me now. But that even as that uh psalm said, or that that psalm uh asked the question, could he uh could he take up residence in such a vile heart as mine? Well, guess what? Yes, he can, because it is not vile in his eyes. In fact, that inner man is watched clean as the white as the whiteest snow, and it's watched clean uh and and uh uh uh all bloodstains of sin have been eliminated. Like he takes up residence in only a holy place. That is true, but he has made you holy inwardly. Uh the fact that we feel the burden of sin does not undo the work of Christ. It is it is in fact, it that is the point we need him even more. We need him even more to understand and to be reminded even more that in spite of the fact that I deal with the consequences of sin in my body, and that I deal with the effects of sin and the mind of sin and my natural mind, is that what is done by Christ in you is done forever and cannot be undone. He says, till we come, verse 13, in the unity of the faith. Now he talked about the unity of the spirit. Now he's talking about the unity of the faith. He's talking about the understanding that faith that's once delivered to the saints. I believe we all have the faith of God as a fruit of the spirit inwardly. But the unity of the faith is that we are not, we are not coming up with our own ideas. In other words, I think this was even said during the annual meeting here. Is that that the whole idea of like you have your truth and I have my truth, that is a false statement. Now, I I might have my opinions and you have your opinions, I might have my perspective and you might have your perspective, but there's only one truth. And what that's that's kind of what he's saying here. There is one unity in the faith, there is one faith delivered to the saints, there is one body of truth, one understanding, and we grow up into that understanding. And as we grow up into that understanding, the unity of the faith, we have shared understanding of the one truth of God. That's what he's saying. Till we come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, a complete, whole, mature man. But he also says this, unto the measure. Now, I started to say before that that what he started to go into in chapter four, uh, the first few verses, and we can also turn to some of the scriptures in 1 Corinthians, is that there is a goal, there is a mindset that we ought to work toward. The apostle Paul used the mind of Christ when talking to the church at Philippi. If each of us are given a task to do, or given a uh a project or a process to follow, there's usually some measure. There is something that says, well, this is what complete looks like. This is what success looks like. That works in the church too. Now, I'm gonna caveat this. Do we ever get to there completely? No. But there is the measure. Now, there is a danger before I go any further. There's a danger in measuring. We all know that there are true measures and then there are false measures. Uh in fact, there's there's even scriptures in the Old Testament. I don't want to go too any more into that than just saying it, but there's even scriptures in this in the Old Testament that it's a death sentence to use a false measure in business. And there's a reason why for that. In fact, there's a very important reason why for that. Since I said that, I better mention it. Is that it shows the dealings that God has in doing his business in the redemption of sin. There is no shortchanging the the there's no shortchanging what God demands for the payment of sin. And when God said it is finished, it's paid for. In fact, it's false to require double payment for something, and it's it was uh it was a uh a uh sin, it was a a uh a commandment of God to not use false measures in order to get more out of something uh by using like a lighter weight on a scale uh for uh for selling and a heavier weight for buying. Because if you if you use the heavier weight for buying, you're getting more for the price. If you use the lighter weight for the uh for the selling, you're selling less than what you're and you're skimming off the differences in the measure. Well, likewise, if you're gonna measure yourself by something, you might say, Dear old brother so-and-so, they've been in the church their whole lives. I hold them in high regard. I I think that they I think they hung the moon. They'll be my measure. And that might sound okay. In fact, there's an aspect of that, and in as much as they're following the measure, then they give you a good example of how to follow that measure. But don't let them be the measure. You know why? Because we're not all straight. We're crooked. Do you know what happens when you measure one crooked stick by another crooked stick? You can get a false sense of measure. You might think, well, I'm doing pretty well. But what are you measuring yourself by? Now, here is the measure. Until we come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man. Inwardly, as far as we're concerned, we're never gonna be sinless perfection. As far as Christ is concerned, he is sinless perfection. And we continue, but read on. Unto the measure of the stature. Stature is how something stands. So here's the measurement. The measurement is the stature of something, it's the standing of something. The measure of the stature. So what is standing? Of the fullness of Christ. Now, if we measure our activity, if we measure our me, our the way of our thinking, if we measure our deeds, if we measure our thoughts, if we measure our uh our our fullness next to the fullness of Christ, are we ever gonna rise to the same stature as the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ? According to this to our carnal nature? No. But what about in the mind and purpose of God? Do you realize right now, right now, God sees you in that same fullness. Right now, as far as God is concerned. Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8. Not only are we uh foreknown and predestinated and called and justified, we're also glorified in the mind and purpose of God right now, uh by the work of Christ. You in the fullness of Christ are already in the measure of the stature, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Already in the inward man, there is no crookedness, there is no lacking. What is in you is already perfect. The same measure. Guess what our goal is? It's to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called? It's to behave outwardly, to put our minds under subjection to that which is already in us. That's what that's the answer to Newton's, and Newton would have this answer too. The answer to that song of what vile person we are is that yes, God knew that. You are not vile, however, in the mind and purpose of God because you stand in the fullness of the perfection of Christ right now, washed by his blood. Now, as far as the as far as behaving in the church goes, the goal is to have that all together in the unity in the mind of Christ now. And guess what happens when the church acts like Christ? It acts like the church should act, first of all, but it it actually it actually accomplishes what Christ set it forward. One is his glory and praise, but also the edification of the body. Let me just finish these next few verses. That we now here's here is a here is a foundation. Remember, I gave you the context of Ephesus and other churches being in a world full of doctrines, full of philosophies, full of false truths. But the apostle Paul is saying, there is but one, there's one truth, one God, one spirit. In other words, the same one spirit that guides you into holiness is not going to guide another person into sin. If they walk in sin, they are not walking according to the Spirit of God. That is, it's false to say that God, that God made you do anything. By the way, it's false to say that the devil made you do anything too. Uh unless you we can go on past that point, but I want to finish this thought. He's he told, he remember the context is the unity of the faith, the unity of the Spirit of God. This I say um that we henceforth be no more children. In what way? In innocence or in humility? No, no, that's not what he's talking about. He's saying that we be no more children in the sense of our maturity and thinking concerning our behavior with God. That we be henceforth no more children tossed to and fro. You see, what there is one aspect, and I I I don't intend to take much more time. Even this is played out in the Old Testament, in fact, as examples more than one time. But one key example is when Babylon conquers uh Jerusalem. And there's something that they do, they take their youth and they bring them home, and then they start teaching them Babylonian ways. And why is that important? Because in a child who is not matured in their thinking and knowing right from wrong or knowing their that what ways they should go versus what ways they should not go, a child is more easy, it is easier to misdirect them, to teach them your way. In fact, we're not gonna teach you your old language, we'll teach you our language. We're not gonna teach you the old their your your old gods, we're gonna teach you our gods. That's what Babylon did. But what do we find out about at least four young men? Is that they were already mature in their thinking before they were even adults. In fact, one, Daniel, was very so was so strong, and God gave him grace and love in the sight of those that kept him, is that he stood strong against everything that was thrown his way. Now, why is that important here? Because that's why the Apostle Paul is writing this is that we be not tossed to and fro by every wind and doctrine. When someone comes in and says, Well, you know, if you don't start believing what we believe, you know, you're gonna go to hell. That's not what the scripture says. That's not what the truth of God says. That's and so do not be tossed to and fro by all the winds and doctrines. The government may come in and say, Well, unless you start changing your ways of thinking concerning the unity of Christ and what he teaches is right and wrong, uh, you're not gonna be lawfully meeting it. Brother Mike prayed that that they do not do that. Well, it that's not the case in many governments right here, right now in this world. I mean, maybe not right here, but on earth, right now, there are governments who will try to hunt you down and even kill you because of saying that your redemption is in Christ and that there is no king but God. Uh that there will be those that are today that will persecute those who believe this. Uh and what the apostle Paul is saying is don't let that stop you. Do not be tossed to and fro, be well established, be mature, be as grown in your understanding and in your confidence in the truth of God, because it is given for you to use. He says, uh uh that uh let me continue. He says, and uh be not too tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby thy lot they lie and wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Now, there I'm gonna I'm gonna uh uh from which in verse 10 is very important, but I want to stop right there in my reading and just leave the view with this one last thought. It really struck home with me one time when thinking about that passage in that scripture uh about growing up. Now, all of us at one point in time uh grew up. Well, not Henry yet, but there was a time we grew up, and there were certain expectations that we had about ourselves and maybe that our parents might have imposed upon us. It's like, you know, there's a time that you'll grow up and you'll move out of the house and be on your own, and you will no longer depend on me. Um and quite frankly, part of that is because of our situation with death. Is that we don't just I can tell you, I would love to be able to reside with my children for until the Lord returns again. But that is likely not going to happen. There will become a time that they will have to do without me. And someday without their mother. Until they also, if they have children, they will also likewise have to raise up their children with certain levels of independence and self-reliance so that they will learn to do without them, and so on, and so on. My great-grandfather is not here. I can't rely on anything he knowledge or understanding or any resources he had, and likewise in generations before. But that's not how we grow up in Christ. It is not growing up to be independent of Christ, it is growing up knowing our complete dependence in Christ. It's not growing up out of him, it is growing up into him, it is not just to be more reflective of the way he is, to show him in everything we say and do and behave in our lives, but it is it actually mean it actually is with the understanding that every level of our maturity in this life should be how we grow closer to him, how we understand our dependence on him and our unity with him, so that when those days come, when the when we look ourselves in the mirror and see someone we wish we didn't see yesterday. Uh and we say, What kind of man am I? We might remember the words of God Himself. You are mine, and that's what kind of man you are. You are mine redeemed by the holy blood of my son. He did his work perfectly, and I'm satisfied with it. You should walk satisfied with it as well. Do as Christ says, go and sin no more. But when that when that next day comes, there's also the fact that he says, if he tells Peter, if he tells Peter, when Peter says, Lord, how much how often must I forgive my brother? And you know the you know the the the mindset that that comes from. How often is my brother gonna mess up with me before I can say I'm done? We want to be right in running out of patience. We want to be we want to be justified and saying, I can wash my hands in this breath. Never worry about it. We want that because it's harder. We don't want that eighth time to come. Peter said seven times. If I forget my brother, seven times, surely, that's enough before I say, you know what, I'm done. What are the words the Lord's words? I say not. Seven times. And that's not a number that you say, okay, as soon as it reaches 491, then you can be done. That's not what I'm saying. This is me. This is me, whatever saying this. This is not the words that are written in the church. This is almost a mindset you can agree as the Lord saying, Peter. I know why you're saying this. I know that's how you said this. If you want to know, how about seventy times that? Seventy times more than what you thought. Like to live in unity with Christ and in the Spirit of God as much as we can today, knowing that we live in the same hope, the one hope of our calling, and that is to walk with Him forever in eternal glory. I pray that I wasn't too terribly scattered. And I apologize for taking a little bit extra time, but uh I trust if the Lord be in that that you would that you will kindly forgive me.