WEBVTT 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:12.400 This sermon was recorded at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:36.320 We come and we stand before you, declaring our great and wonderful praise of what you've done for us. 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:51.679 Lord Jesus, ensure that no one leaves here today without knowing with all their heart that you have paid their ransom. 00:00:53.119 --> 00:01:02.560 Receive our praise and our offerings and our prayers this morning as a sweet smelling sacrifice of those who love you. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:05.200 Amen. 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:07.280 You may be seated. 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:16.000 Isn't it wonderful to have a scripture-saturated service? 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:18.079 That's just wonderful. 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:26.879 I have the privilege of being in two services back to back, and it's always the second service, the second time sitting through things like that. 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:29.280 It just really begins to impact you. 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:34.480 So if you ever want to come and sit through two services and really be impacted, I encourage you to do it. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:36.480 Welcome. 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:39.599 We're glad to have you worshiping with us this morning. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:45.599 We are working our way as a fellowship through Ephesians chapter 4. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:54.159 So if you have a Bible or if you use a device, I encourage you to make your way to the New Testament letter of Ephesians. 00:01:54.879 --> 00:02:12.080 A few weeks ago, we skimmed our way through the first six verses of this book, and I had intended to do a little bit more in-depth study of that, but the Lord has moved me on to cover verses 7 through 12 of this chapter this morning. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:21.039 As we work our way through trying to get a perspective on what God has designed for us as a fellowship of believers. 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:25.120 What is his blueprint for the church? 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:38.319 And I would like you to imagine with me as we work our way through this the amazing and immensely developed social structure found in honeybees. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:40.960 Honeybees are amazing. 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:44.879 They are one of the most astounding creatures in all of God's creation. 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:53.520 At the heart of the hive, and a single hive may hold as many as 80,000 bees. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:56.879 Just process that for a minute. 00:02:57.199 --> 00:03:03.599 Imagine all of the residents of Grand Forks here, in here, crammed together. 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:07.199 There's more than that of bees in a single hive, potentially. 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.759 An amazing mass of creatures. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.719 And at the heart of the hive is the queen bee. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:17.039 Without her, the colony has no future, has no hope. 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:21.919 But those 80,000 bees don't just sit around watching the queen. 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.680 Each bee has a specialized function. 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:28.319 Some of them are forager bees. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:34.319 They leave the hive and they go out and encounter the perils of the outside world in order to collect food. 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:39.520 Some of them are guard bees that protect the hive from outside intruders. 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:42.159 There are even more specialized functions. 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.800 Did you know that some bees, honeybees, serve as undertakers? 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:48.479 They do. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:55.120 There are some bees that have a specialized function of taking dead bees and removing them from the hive. 00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:03.120 Others collect water, and they bring water into the hive to regulate the humidity within the hive. 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:09.280 There are plasterers who make a special kind of cement that is used in repairing the hive. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:20.720 There are scent fanners that are stationed at the entrance to the hive to push the scent of the hive out into the air so that those bees that are lost or disoriented can know where to come. 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:29.920 There are scouts that go out into the world that keep the hive alerted to the opportunities and the dangers in the outside world. 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:34.800 The variety and the specialization in honey bees is extraordinary. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.759 Sometimes it seems endless. 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:46.160 And yet at the same time, amazingly, they all function together in harmony. 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:55.279 They work together for the good of the hive, building the hive, growing the hive, growing their numbers, growing their home and their safety. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:01.680 And that, I would submit to you this morning, is what the church should be like. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.480 It's what should be true of Christ's church. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:17.680 We are each placed into the body of Christ in a specific place with specific gifts to function in individual ways, yet in harmony with the whole. 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:22.800 That is God's blueprint for us as individuals brought together. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:32.079 Sadly, as too many of us know and have experienced, churches often fail to function as they were created to, don't they? 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:34.480 Why is that? 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:45.839 Why is it that God has created us, like those bees, to come and function together well, in harmony, for the glory of God and the good of his kingdom, and yet we fail? 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:50.000 Well, it's very simple, actually, it's because we become rogue bees. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:06:00.000 We become rogue bees who come into the hive and we bring our own selfishness, our own self-centeredness into it, and we begin to function independently. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:05.680 Perhaps you've heard the story of four people in the church. 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:11.839 This is the story of everybody, somebody, anybody, and nobody. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.600 There was an important job that was to be done in the church. 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:23.279 And everybody was sure that somebody would do it. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:26.720 Anybody could have done it, but nobody did. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:31.360 Somebody got angry because it was everybody's job. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.959 But everybody thought that somebody would do it. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:37.439 But nobody asked anybody. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:44.000 So it ended up that the job wasn't done, and somebody blamed everybody when actually nobody asked anybody. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:49.920 Isn't that how it works so often? 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:53.759 But that's not how God intended it. 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:57.680 The Lord Jesus is building his church. 00:06:58.079 --> 00:06:59.439 It will happen. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:00.800 It will be completed. 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:04.240 He said that not even the gates of Hades will prevail against it. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:10.959 But it's through us gathered together that the Lord accomplishes his work. 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:20.639 So that, just like thousands of bees, as we come together as individuals, we serve in harmony with one another, working for the good of the king and his kingdom. 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:27.120 And we don't all move or work in the same way at the same times or even at the same pace. 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:32.560 But we've all been given specialized places within the body of Christ. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:37.120 And we see that clearly in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 7 through 12. 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:39.600 So if you have your Bible, I'd like to read those verses. 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:41.199 If you'd like to follow along. 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:46.160 Actually, I'm going to read through verse 13, although we won't cover it primarily this morning. 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:53.839 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 00:07:54.319 --> 00:08:00.480 Therefore it says, When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:03.680 In saying he ascended, what does it mean? 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:08.160 But that he had also descended into the lower regions, that is, the earth. 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:15.920 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:37.039 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:38.000 Amen. 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:46.320 As we work our way through these verses, we're going to see together God's gracious distribution of gifts to each one of us. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:54.960 We're going to see Christ's glorious triumph, the gracious groundwork that has been laid, and the gracious purpose for that groundwork. 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:59.440 So let's begin this morning by looking at the gracious distribution. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:01.120 What is that distribution? 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:10.240 Well, it is the act of God's grace by which Jesus Himself dispenses a gift to each and every believer in Christ. 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:15.440 Now, I want you to notice here that grace drives this section. 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:19.600 Verse 7, but grace was given. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:27.679 All that we see here is as a result of God's grace in Christ being given to us. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:33.440 Now, we know that grace is that divine favor that is bestowed on God's people. 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:37.039 That God gives to us, even when we did not deserve it. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.080 That's the theme of these verses. 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:48.399 But that is displayed specifically in Christ giving gifts to each one of his people. 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:55.519 And in his grace, he gives it all according to the appropriate measure. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:01.039 We've not all received the same measure of gifts from God, have we? 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:06.639 We are very adept as human beings at comparing ourselves with one another. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.600 We look at somebody else, we say, well, I don't have the kind of gift that they have. 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:17.360 I can't play the guitar like Webb has, like Webb can, or the drums like Nick can, or whatever. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:22.000 We compare ourselves, and when we begin to compare ourselves with other people, what happens? 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:26.960 We automatically begin to feel less, then, don't we? 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:32.080 We always compare ourselves to those who have more of something. 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.080 And it makes us feel less. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:44.159 I was sharing with the Primetimers group this week about Moses arguing with God in Exodus chapter 3 and 4 about how inadequate he was for leading Israel. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:50.080 God came to this shepherd that'd been wandering in the desert with sheep for 40 years and he said, I want you. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.879 Moses, leave the sheep, go back to Egypt and lead my people. 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:56.879 And how did Moses respond? 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.399 Sorry, God, you got the wrong guy. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.519 I can't do it for this reason, this reason, this reason, this reason, this reason. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:09.840 And when he ran out of excuses, he said, No to God. 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:11.679 Isn't that what we do? 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:15.120 We think that I don't have the ability. 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:16.000 I can't do it. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:16.879 I am less than. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:17.919 That's our common reaction. 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:25.919 Bulava, don't let your own thoughts and your own feelings make you feel useless or less than important in God's service. 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:37.279 You have received a gracious gift of his grace to do what he has called you to do in his service. 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:40.240 You have been gifted to serve. 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:49.840 And you have been given the appropriate measure of that gift from the one who sovereignly knows exactly what is needed. 00:11:51.200 --> 00:12:00.159 You have what you need to perform your part in the body, just like bees have what they need to perform their part in the hive. 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:04.399 Because your Lord has been gracious to you. 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:08.639 It is his grace as part of salvation. 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:12.080 Now, this gift is not the gift of salvation. 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:19.360 You might be familiar with Romans 6.23, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life. 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:21.519 That's not what this gift is. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:25.440 In Romans 6, we're talking about the gift of salvation. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.919 This is not that gift. 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:30.879 This is a gift that enables people to serve. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:32.320 Look in verse 12. 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:38.000 This is enabling us to do the work of the ministry. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:42.159 These gifts come through the grace of Jesus. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:50.240 As the head of the body, he gives what is necessary to the parts of the body to function correctly in a way that pleases him. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:13:03.759 Just as he gave the honey bee what is needed to be a part of the hive, so too does he give to every person in his church. 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:06.799 Notice, though, what these gifts are not. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.879 These are not the items in verse 2. 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:16.399 He does not give us the gifts of humility, gentleness, patience, and putting up with each other. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:18.639 Sometimes we wish he would. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:21.440 No, those aren't the gifts that he gives us. 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:25.120 Those are the character qualities that are the fruit of the Spirit, aren't they? 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:32.480 Those are the character qualities that God molds within us because of the presence of his spirit working in us. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:35.759 So those are to be present because he is present. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.399 What we're talking about here is something different. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:44.720 These are gifts that are given to serve one another and to serve Christ. 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:46.240 More on that in a minute. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:50.879 Until then, let's look at the second item, and that is the glorious triumph. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:59.759 Christ, God the Son, left the glories of heaven. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:04.720 No matter how long I think about that, I just can't imagine why in the world he would do that. 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:07.279 He left the glories of heaven. 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:10.720 And then he died death on a cross. 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:19.279 But in that, he conquered death and became a victor over death. 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:22.159 And he returned to heaven as that victor. 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.639 That's what verses eight and nine are about. 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:26.960 But this is a sticky portion of scripture. 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:28.720 So let's be careful here. 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:34.720 We're going to go through this a little bit to see if we can't clarify some things and make it a little simpler. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:40.000 Verse 8 is a quotation from Psalm 68, 18. 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:43.120 That Psalm is a song of victory. 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:48.879 It's picturing God as the victorious king on the field of battle. 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:57.279 So imagine an ancient battlefield, and a king and his army have subdued another kingdom, and that army. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:00.559 He's victorious on the field of battle. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:02.320 He's defeated all of his enemies. 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:09.440 And after that battle, God is pictured as ascending the mountain on which the ancient temple sat. 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:12.799 It was his victory procession, you might say. 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:17.360 Now with that in mind, here's what Psalm 68, 18 says. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:33.840 You, speaking of God, Christ the King, ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train, and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that is, the conquered ones, so that the Lord God may dwell there in his temple. 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:41.120 Now there's some similarities to Psalm 68.18 and what Paul quotes here in Ephesians 4.8. 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:45.360 We see God ascending, and we see God leading a host of captives. 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:46.879 Those are similarities. 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.200 But there are some differences too. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:52.480 In Psalm 68, he received gifts. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:55.679 But in Ephesians 4, he gives gifts. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:59.120 So some have approached this saying, aha, there's a discrepancy. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:01.679 We have proven that the Bible isn't accurate. 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:04.960 Well, let's not overreact too much. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:06.159 Let's think about it. 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:09.120 Are there ways to understand these differences? 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:14.240 And I would suggest to you that yes, there are at least a couple of ways to understand this. 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:18.879 One is a fairly common way that the New Testament authors treated the Old Testament. 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:26.000 They pointed to an Old Testament passage in a way that found its complete and perfect fulfillment in Christ. 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:28.799 That could be what's going on here. 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:42.080 In other words, the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament passage of the Old Testament King in Psalm 68 was intended to be in Jesus not receiving gifts, but in giving gifts. 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:44.240 That could be. 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:48.159 Or this could be the second part of a very common practice. 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:59.279 In the ancient world, it was common for the victor to receive gifts from those who were now his subjects, from the defeated peoples. 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:07.759 They would give him gifts to signify their submission to him as their new ruler, way of submitting to his authority. 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:28.640 That may be what Psalms is referring to, but on the other hand, it was also common for a victorious king to gather up the spoils of war, all of the plunder from the battlefield and from the places that he had conquered, and take that plunder and distribute it to whomever he desired among his own subjects. 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:35.680 So it was very normal then for a victorious king to both receive gifts and to give gifts. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:41.759 One aspect could be highlighted in Psalms and the other here in Ephesians. 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:47.200 I don't know that we need to get hung up on an apparent contradiction because I think that explains it. 00:17:48.480 --> 00:18:02.559 But either way, what is clear is that a Psalm 68 pictured, and this is the clear intent of where Paul is using this, Jesus is being pictured as the victor. 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:06.480 He triumphed. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:09.039 Don't miss that. 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:12.720 Jesus is triumphant. 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:20.799 He has ascended into heaven in triumphant victory, and in doing so, he has dispensed gifts to his people. 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:24.240 And these are to be displayed as we serve one another. 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:27.119 Now, verse 9 is another part of the difficulty. 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:32.000 Common thought in the past was that it described Jesus descending into hell. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:36.960 That Jesus came from heaven to earth, and then from earth he descended into hell. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:42.480 That's a theoretically possible meaning, but I would probably say that it's not most likely. 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:46.160 I think what is most likely here refers to the incarnation. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:51.519 This is God becoming man, leaving the glories of heaven and coming to the lower parts. 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:52.319 What's the lower parts? 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:55.359 The earth, where we are, to be with us. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:01.599 The realm of glory is left behind to take on the realm of creation. 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:06.160 And then when his victory over sin and death is completed, he ascends back to heaven. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:11.440 And the ascension is a signal to all that he is victorious. 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:19.039 He's the ultimate victor, and he proved that triumph by conquering death and ascending into heaven. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:20.400 But his work doesn't end there. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:25.200 He could have ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of God the Father, and said, Okay, I'm done. 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:27.119 But he doesn't. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:32.799 He continues to give gifts to his people so they can do the work he's called them to do. 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.240 In his victory possession, he gives gifts to people. 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:46.880 He didn't give to some of them, but to all, in the appropriate measure needed to accomplish his purpose. 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:58.640 You might say that just like honeybees, he has made everything in the church so that it functions and functions well, as we've already sung, to the praise of his glorious grace. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:10.960 Now he laid a very specific and yet gracious groundwork for that process by giving some gifted people to the church. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:13.279 That's what we begin to see in verse 11. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:23.200 The picture narrows a bit here, as seen from the words he gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd teachers. 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:28.079 As opposed to all, he's now focusing on four. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:31.759 There are four types of gifted people listed here. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:43.599 And the idea is not one of gifts being given to a special group, but of God's grace giving gifted people to the church. 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:49.759 Everyone has a spiritual gift when they come to Christ. 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:52.799 But not everyone holds an office. 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:58.880 Everyone receives a gift, but not everyone is one of these specific types of gifted people. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:11.200 These are specially gifted people that God has given to the church to fulfill a specific purpose and duty, just like honeybees might have a very specific purpose and duty. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:20.559 But some of them are designed to perform very specialized functions so that the hive will be unified and function properly. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:23.119 That's what these groups of people are. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:28.240 Apostles, of which Paul was the last. 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.079 That's why they do not exist anymore. 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:49.920 A prophet was one who was gifted for the purposes of understanding and communicating the mysteries and the revelation of God to the church. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:22:03.759 At times, prophets would predict the future in their prophecy as the Holy Spirit revealed it to them, but mostly they explained the Already revealed God, Word of God, to the church. 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:08.000 They explain the relevance of the truth and the will of God to the church. 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.680 And they function together with the apostles as the foundation. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:20.480 Now there's very little, if any, real evidence that these two types of gifted people are still given to the church today. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:22.640 The foundation is settled. 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:24.960 Now we're building on top of that. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:31.039 There are no longer witnesses to the resurrection, so there are no apostles. 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:41.039 And their purpose to confirm the resurrection is complete with God's revelation of the scriptures. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:44.960 The foundation of the church is in place, but we still need to build, don't we? 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:48.960 We still need a home on top of the foundation. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:54.400 So God has given evangelists, those who proclaim the good news of Christ to the world. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:58.400 Did you know that this is a word that is only used three times in the Bible? 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:00.480 It's kind of surprising. 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.359 We think of evangelism and being an evangelist. 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:06.559 This particular word, an evangelist, is only used three times in the Bible. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:11.519 Once it's used of Philip in the book of Acts, who was also one of the first deacons. 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.559 An evangelist is a kind of ministry labor, though, as well. 00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:21.359 It's not just a position, it's something that every single believer in Christ is to fulfill, right? 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:28.720 That's what the end of the book of Matthew tells us: to go into the world and make disciples, or to share the good news, to evangelize. 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:36.240 We may not all be gifted as evangelists, but we are all called to make disciples of Jesus. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:39.039 Now, lastly, we see pastor teachers. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:44.319 Spend much discussion and writing and debating about these two last words. 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:48.000 Do they refer to one group of gifted people or two? 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:54.720 So do we have pastors and teachers, or do we have one group that is a group of pastor teachers? 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:02.799 The prevailing consensus is that they are linked together to refer to a single gift. 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:06.400 And that is because I don't want to go into too much detail and bore you to tears. 00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:13.359 There is a special grammatical rule in the Greek language called the Granville Sharp rule that says these two refer to one item. 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:16.960 These are pastors who are teachers. 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:24.000 So in his grace, Jesus gave gifted shepherds to the flock who are able to teach. 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:31.519 These are those who are gifted in a way that they can shepherd the flock and teach the flock. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:36.480 And as you progress through the New Testament, these are the men later called elders. 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:45.839 They are men who know the sheep, who lead the sheep, who feed the sheep, protect the sheep, instruct the sheep. 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:54.480 So if there is someone who is capable of shepherding in the church, but is not able to teach, they're not one of these people. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:25:00.400 If they are able to teach, but they cannot shepherd, they're not one of these gifted people. 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.759 This is a shepherd who teaches. 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:10.000 Now, as we know from other passages of Scripture, there are other gifts given to the church as well, multitudes of them. 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:14.480 You can read of them in Romans 12 and in the book of 1 Corinthians. 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:17.519 But we don't see those lists here, do we? 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:23.440 We don't see him going down and saying, here are all the categories of lists that we want to cover. 00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:24.799 He doesn't do that. 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:26.799 Why is that? 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:29.839 Because that's not his purpose. 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:38.400 His purpose is to let us know that you have received a gift of his grace. 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:45.440 Because Jesus is working in you to be a part of the whole. 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:53.680 Jesus has provided the continuation of the church, and part of that provision is by giving gifts to all of his people. 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.920 And he's given specific gifted people to the church to establish and continue it. 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:06.559 Confusion on this issue has led to a division between clergy and lay people. 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:15.039 We often get the idea that the leaders, the pastors should do all the work, or the staff should do all the work. 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:20.720 We get the idea too that one person's gifts are not as great as someone else's gifts. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:34.880 But here we see that everyone in Christ's church receives a gift to be used in service to the Lord, and that is his gracious purpose that we see in verse 12. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:40.880 To equip the saints for the work of service. 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:42.559 That's what the word ministry means. 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:43.839 It means service. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:57.920 This means that God's gracious giving of gifts to his people in his church will continue until she becomes what God has intended her to be. 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:08.880 He will not stop giving gifts to his people or giving gifted people to his church until she reaches the place of the maturity that God has intended. 00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:18.720 Every bee in the hive plays an integral part in the health and the function of the hive. 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:23.119 So too all of you who are in Christ. 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:30.640 You play an integral part in the health of this local fellowship. 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:39.759 And it is the express purpose of the evangelists and the shepherd teachers to equip you to fulfill that purpose. 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:52.559 There was a well-known football coach who is said to have been questioned about how much college football contributes to the national physical fitness picture. 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:55.920 His response was very abrupt. 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:57.359 He simply said, nothing. 00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:59.920 It does not contribute at all. 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:02.400 The interviewer asked, why not? 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:12.400 He replied, Well, the way I see it, you have 22 men down on the field desperately needing a rest, and 40,000 people in the stands desperately needing some exercise. 00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:23.279 See, the purpose of the gifted people in verse 11 is to equip every one of the Lord's people to be involved in the work of service. 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:33.680 Every believer is to be involved in doing the work of ministry, and it is the work of the gifted people in verse 11 to prepare others for the work of ministry. 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:43.839 It's the equivalent, you might say, of the football team having the express purpose of getting all of the spectators in shape to play football. 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:55.119 If I may confuse the issue even more by adding yet another metaphor, if you back up a few pages to Ephesians chapter 2, verse 20, it says that the apostles and the prophets are the foundation. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:58.640 They laid the foundation of the church. 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:00.559 They've leveled the ground. 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:02.480 They dug the footings. 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:04.000 They poured the footings. 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:06.720 They laid out the rebar and they poured the slab. 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:09.839 They perhaps began preparing the walls for construction. 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:23.359 The evangelists and the pastor teachers build on that foundation according to the master blueprint, following the designer's plan for making it into a proper building, which we are told is a building for God Himself. 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:30.079 That is what the church is to be doing. 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:35.839 We are to be doing ministry together, all of us, according to the gifts given to us. 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:45.599 And we do it, if you go back to verses 4, 5, and 6, in unity, because there's one faith, there's one body, there's one spirit, there's one Lord, there's one baptism, there's one God and Father of all. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:53.039 We do this together until we attain the unity of the faith and we all become mature followers of Christ. 00:29:55.599 --> 00:29:58.720 Unity is maintained as the body matures. 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:05.200 In fact, a sign of immaturity is the disunity of the body. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:14.160 You know, often we tend to think of spiritual maturity as an individual thing. 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:21.599 I read my Bible, I'll pray a little bit before going to bed at night. 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:27.920 Maybe I'll read a devotional book, I'll go to church on Sunday morning, and I'll be good, and the Lord will grow me. 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:35.759 We think of it as something that we do as individuals, but this passage shows us the importance of growing together. 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:43.680 Growth comes as we come together and we serve the Lord Jesus together. 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:49.039 This is part of why being committed to and involved in a local church is so important. 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:52.720 We grow together, not separately. 00:30:53.440 --> 00:31:02.319 Being committed to the church is first and foremost being committed to a family, to a group of people, and then to a place. 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:07.039 And in that group of people, we grow together towards maturity as a family. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:22.559 If we could be in a place where the Spirit could use each and every one of us and the gifts given to us by Christ to the measure intended, we would all be growing up to the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ. 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:32.000 We would then be, as verse one says, walking worthy of our calling, seeking to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. 00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:35.920 That is how the Lord builds his church. 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:37.920 By doing it together. 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:46.799 You can smack me later. 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:56.960 Are you a part of that? 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:00.880 First, are you even a part of the family? 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:02.880 Have you come to faith in Christ? 00:32:03.039 --> 00:32:06.799 Have you come to understand what we've sung about this morning? 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:12.880 That He has paid the price for our sins, that He is our ransom and placed your faith and trust in Him alone. 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:17.519 Don't leave today without doing that. 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:27.279 If you have trusted in Christ, you are a child of the living God and the recipient of his gracious giving of gifts. 00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:32.960 As a recipient of a gracious gift, you are an integral part to this body. 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:37.200 You are essential to the functioning of the hive. 00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:43.200 You are needed if we are to grow up to maturity. 00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:50.000 If you absent yourself from the hive, you're hurting yourself and the rest of the family. 00:32:51.279 --> 00:32:55.920 Let me ask, are you a member of this church? 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:58.160 Of this local fellowship? 00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:01.200 If not, why not? 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:12.799 What is keeping you from fulfilling Christ's intention and signifying your connection to him by becoming an active part, a dedicated part of this hive? 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:20.079 To say, yes, I want to grow together with these people. 00:33:21.440 --> 00:33:22.880 Are you serving? 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:28.400 Are you fulfilling God's blueprint? 00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:31.440 Now not all serving looks the same. 00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:35.599 It doesn't always feel the same. 00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:48.160 But if I may be so bold, if you are not serving as part of a local fellowship of believers committed together to grow together and follow Christ, all you're doing is consuming the honeycomb. 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:53.039 You're not working together for the good of the kingdom. 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:55.599 And that's not God's intention for you, beloved. 00:33:56.400 --> 00:34:02.079 Jesus was gracious to you so that you might join with all of us and grow together. 00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:08.559 We need to be a unified serving group if we are to grow up into maturity. 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:16.719 And so I invite you to experience the joy of fulfilling your purpose in Christ by doing that together with us. 00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:22.960 We're a broken people, yes, but together we will heal as we follow Christ. 00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:28.960 And here's the amazing thing Jesus has already provided all we need. 00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:34.320 He's provided all the gracious gifts for it. 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:36.880 We need to simply follow him faithfully. 00:34:37.199 --> 00:34:38.000 Let's pray. 00:34:38.559 --> 00:34:41.760 Lord Jesus, we fail so often. 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:53.119 Forgive us of our failures to follow, of our getting in the way, letting our flesh get in the way, our selfishness, our pride, self-centeredness. 00:34:54.559 --> 00:34:55.519 Rule in us. 00:34:55.679 --> 00:35:01.679 Cause your spirit to reign in us so that we might be the people that you've called us to be. 00:35:03.840 --> 00:35:14.800 Enable us to serve together, united, to display to the watching world what a joy it is to be part of your blood-bought church. 00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:16.719 In your name we pray these things. 00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:17.440 Amen. 00:35:18.800 --> 00:35:22.480 That concludes this sermon from Faith Evangelical Free Church. 00:35:22.719 --> 00:35:29.599 Our mission is to declare the Word of God and disciple believers into mature, devoted followers of Jesus. 00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:33.440 You can learn more by visiting our website at faithfree.com.