Sermon Notes: Church

Ephesians 4:7-16

The gospel of the kingdom makes disciples who hear and obey.

These disciples live on mission everywhere they set their feet all the time in every domain of society.

NOTE: You live and interact with multiple domains every day and can be assured of Jesus’ word: Matthew 5:5 (ESV) 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Everywhere you set your feet one day will be fully and finally inherited by the people of God forever. We get to participate in that new creation reality now as we seize ground from the curse and see it brought back under the rule of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15-20).

From every created domain of society, Jesus is building his church.

The local church is an embassy outpost of ambassadors who heal what is broken and preach the good news of Jesus’ kingdom. 

The church is who Jesus is building, not what he is building. Who. Jesus is building his people to be connected to him in such a way they are his presence on earth and organized for his mission.

As you are reading through the New Testament take note that the church is the context of the entire New Testament. There is no single book, chapter, or verse that fully defines the church or fully describes the optimal function of the church. We learn who the church is and how the church is to function from the whole of Scripture.

Since this is the case, we need a working definition of the church that takes into account the whole Bible. So, let’s give it a shot:

“A church is a group of Christians who assemble as an earthly embassy of Christ’s heavenly kingdom to proclaim the good news and commands of Christ the King; to affirm one another as his citizens through the ordinances (Lord’s Supper and Baptism); and to display God’s own holiness and love through a unified and diverse people in all the world, following the teaching and example of elders.” - Jonathan Leeman and Collin Hansen, Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ is Essential, p. 124.

What does this look like in application?

Ephesians 4:1-16 gives some answers this question.

Let’s Read it: Ephesians 4:7-16

Ephesians 4 marks a shift in Paul’s writing as he moves from his robust theological declaration to the church at Ephesus about their identity as the church to the application of that identity.

Ephesians 3:8-11 is the apex of Paul’s theology of the church for the Ephesians and it informs the application of that theology deeply. 

Listen to it: Ephesians 3:8-11 (ESV) 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

The riches of Christ are available to those who believe and receive the Spirit. The application of these riches to and for the church is put on display through the church. Somehow in what is, the very nature of the church and what Jesus does in gifting the church puts on display the multi-faceted wisdom of God to the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

This glory happening right now to the extent we are living in the application of what Jesus has done.

What does Jesus do that puts God’s multi-faceted wisdom on display to the unseen powers in the heavenly places?

1. Jesus has given each member of the church grace according to the measure he determines for each one. 4:7

Jesus has given (aorist/passive/indicative – in the past Jesus’ gifts are received not earned and by their nature indicate what a person’s function is in their being and presence) grace to those who come to him by faith.

Those who believe are baptized into the local church.

Believing (thus Spirit-filled) baptized church members are graced by the Lord Jesus in special ways.

Grace is often used to speak about “second chances” or “mediated consequences”, and this is simply not the primary way the Bible uses the word “grace”.

Grace is the gift of the power of God to his people and for his people.

Verse 8 makes clear that the grace of verse 7 is God’s power to his people in the form of gifts.

2. Jesus has taken his church to himself, he leads them, and he gives them grace as gifts. 4:8

The grace given here is the leadership power of Jesus given as gifts to the members of his church in such a way that the church becomes Jesus’ physical presence in the world.

Jesus’ gifts to the church are designed to make the church his body, his real and tangible presence in the world.

Paul makes this claim from Psalm 68:18.

Psalm 68:18 depicts a king coming into a land and conquering that land. And as the conquering king he receives praise and gifts from the people he has taken for himself.

Paul rightly interprets this Psalm as ultimately fulfilled by Jesus as the conquering king of Psalm 68 receiving his people he redeemed through his work on the cross. We have to see Jesus on conquest. Verse 9 leaves us to see Jesus in his conquest making his rule known in the ascended regions and in the descended regions, seen and unseen.

Psalm 68:18 is fulfilled by Jesus’ conquering in his death, resurrection, ascension, and giving gifts to the people he has won by conquering the dark kingdom rather than taking gifts for himself from them.

NOTE: Paul is applying what we call a biblical theological approach. He’s taking the whole metanarrative and applying it to the interpretation of Psalm 68:18. He is not using a single chapter and verse methodology. You can’t interrogate Paul’s theology with a “chapter and verse” methodology. Paul is applying the whole metanarrative that is firmly in tact in his worldview.

3. Jesus atones for sin, ascends to the Father’s right hand, and fills the heavenly places. 4:9-10

The Ephesians, due to their history in the worship of the principality and power of Artemis, and their use of magic and sorcery, were fearful of spiritual powers in the unseen realm.

So, Paul preaches the truth of Jesus’ ascension and victory over the unseen places that have been the source of so much evil.

This is important, and more than I have time to explain right now. But suffice it to say that when Paul preaches Jesus’ ascension, filling, and victory in the heavenly places, he is speaking to Jesus’ presence, authority, sovereignty, him being the source of blessing and power, and the fulfillment of the eternal plan of salvation as he has put his heal on the head of the Serpent just like the Father promised in Genesis 3:15.

This truth is vital for the Ephesians so they can know that the evil powers no longer have dominion over them.

Paul will address how to successfully combat those evil powers in Ephesians 6:10-20.

Since Jesus fills the heavenly places, there is nothing for his people to fear, and they don’t have to live fearfully as they battle a defeated enemy.

4. Jesus gave the gift of himself to his church. 4:11

Jesus gave (aorist / active / indicative) the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers.

Why does Paul move from passive to active voice?

Previously when Paul used the passive voice he was emphasizing our reception.

Now, Paul is emphasizing the giving and thus the giver who gives, thus another way we understand that what Jesus is giving is himself and that by his active giving of himself to his church is actively has loved his church by giving himself to his church.

The grace gifts of Jesus are the presence of Jesus in his and with us. These five gifts are everything the eternal Son of God is in his person, and this understanding is why the authors of the New Testament refer to the church who receives these gifts from Jesus as the “body of Christ”.

These 5 gifts from Jesus to his church are the gift of himself to his church in such a way that the church is the body of Christ, the presence of Jesus in the world.

These gifts are not Spirit gifts like the other gifts listed in the New Testament.

These are gifts Jesus gives, which makes them unique.

These gifts are not “leadership” gifts. These gifts are given church wide, not just to a few.

These gifts are animated in the local church for Jesus’ glory and for us to joyfully apply on the mission Jesus gave us to disciple the nations.

Jesus puts God’s multifaceted wisdom on display through the church by giving himself to the church and displayed in five distinct gifts.

Jesus gives the gift of the apostle.

The apostle is connected to the mission of God. Apostles are driven by the mission.

The apostolic looks like forward movement. It’s a burning passion to move toward the vision, and it’s hard for the apostle to stand still or go backward.

Apostles are fueled by innovating means to move forward and are the kind who always want to “get after it”.

Jesus gives the gift of the prophet.

The prophet is connected to the heart of God in his word.

The prophet has a Holy Spirit fire in their bones for knowing and speaking God’s word and making application.

Prophets does not look like an angry and mean-spirited jerks. Jeremiah 20:9 describes this prophet: Jeremiah 20:9 (ESV) 9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Jesus gives the gift of the evangelist.

The evangelist is connected to the gospel of the kingdom and making it as understandable as they can without leaving any of it out for those who don’t know. 

Evangelists are the includers who are passionate about making sure the outsiders are invited to come in by preaching the good news and brining outsiders to the inside functions so they can taste and see the goodness of God’s kingdom. This is what happens in 1 Corinthians 14 when the unbelievers are witnessing the prophet speak the word of the Lord, are convicted of their sin, and they fall down and declare that God is present and they are saved.

Evangelists are driven by the desire to rescue the perishing.

Evangelists can also tell the difference between wheat and weeds, thus they are discerning.

Jesus gives the gift of the shepherd.

The shepherd is connected to the people of God and their well-being.

Shepherds are always concerned about how people are doing and making sure their needs are taken care of.

Shepherds are always learning about the human and how to get humans as restored bak to fully human as they can.

Jesus gives the gift of the teacher.

The teacher is connected to the truths of God in his word and creation and has the ability to explain those truths to others in a way that people enjoy, are challenged, and learn from.

The teacher works at and can explain the simple and the complex in understandable and enjoyable ways.

Teachers like to hang out in the theological weeds of explaining the nuances of why and how and who and when.

Teachers are curious.

Application: What do we do with this?

The text makes the application for us, so we don’t have to work too hard to apply the text.

1. The whole local church is to equip the whole local church for the work of the ministry of building up the body of Christ. 4:12

The preposition at the beginning of verse 12 is important because it tells us the purpose for Jesus giving himself to his church in the form of the 5 gifts.

Jesus gave gifts “to” equip...

Jesus gave gifts to every saved and baptized member in the local church to apply as their ministry (diakonia) to build up the whole local church of which they are a member.

NOTE: I’m presupposing we already have in place the biblical understanding of baptism and church membership. We have taught on that, so if you are confused about baptism and church membership, see me. You can’t build up people you are not consistently committed to and present with, and since baptism is the public profession of your faith, it is your declaration you are united with the local church doing your baptizing.

The word “ministry” here is the word “deacon”. Deacon means “service” and is often translated as “ministry”. According to the Bible, every church member has a deacon work to build up the rest of the church by applying the gift Jesus gave them to the church and for the church.

Also, “build up” means that a church is not yet where Jesus intends it to be, and thus the local church must labor with their gifts to get where Jesus has appointed us by gifting us with himself as the means to get to that place.

What is that place? That place is maturity. He’ll say that in a moment.

There is no indication from the text that any elder or group of elders or other group of set apart leaders are the only ones intended to be doing the service of equipping.

It is Jesus’ intent that every gifted church member should be doing the ministry of equipping.

Every gifted church member should do this under the leadership of elders in the local church.

When we allow one leader or member or a group of members to do what everyone should be doing, we rob the whole church of exercising their gift(s) for the rest of the church.

Radical Kids is an intentional ministry tactic to practice being the body of Christ by employing each parent’s grace gifts from Jesus for each other and for our city when we have visitors. Radical Kids provides the opportunity for parents and other volunteers to participate in putting the full 5-fold power of the body of Christ to work in the lives of our families and little ones in equipping them for mission by helping them grow to maturity.

If we hire out the 5-fold gifting of the body to others so we don’t have to do it we become guilty of selling the body of Christ for convenience and money.

Saints equipping saints is the whole gifted church’s job, not a position created so the rest of us can coast.

Every gifted saint equipping every saint ensures the church is equipping each other all the time.

2. The local church is to equip every saint of the local church until we reach unity and knowing Jesus. 4:13

We have a timeframe for our application of Jesus’ gift of himself to the church. Until.

We are to apply Jesus’ gifts to us for each other until we reach the destination of unity and knowing Jesus.

The local church is to equip one another for unity in the local church.

The unity Paul has in mind is unity among all the diversity of humans in a local church (Ephesians 2:11-22).

As a local church, we learn unity in great diversity by applying Romans 14 in love and concern for others and their needs. Diversity is more than ethnicity. Our diversity is a wide spectrum of generations, cultures, family backgrounds, geography, and personal preferences. Romans 14 calls us to love and allow for minor differences for the sake of unity.

But Unity has to be rooted in something deeper than surface things.

Paul says here that we are to equip one another with the gift of himself to know Jesus.

Every member with open Bibles helping every member know Jesus from Genesis to Revelation in his glory and might, and this is a study we’ll be engaged in until he returns and we see him as he is.

We have enough in God’s word and creation seen through the lens of God’s word to keep ourselves busy helping each other know more of Jesus for a lifetime, and when we gather at the resurrection, we’ll continue that study without the hindrance of the fall.

Unity and the knowledge of Jesus lead us into the process of maturity.

How do we know this? Verses 14-15 tell us so.

3. The maturing church stops being tossed around by false teaching and speaks the truth in love while everyone contributes their gifting to and for the whole, making that church stable. 4:14-16

Christian maturity is unity in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as our growth into unity and the knowledge of Jesus walks us through sanctification into the very person of Jesus Christ.

Verse 14 begins with a purpose clause: “so that”. The purpose of our unity and growing knowledge of Jesus Christ is to keep us from being tossed around by every aberrant idea that comes into the mind of man.

Part of a church’s growth into maturity is learning the Bible well enough, being in fellowship enough, being preached to enough by being present enough to know truth from error and the Holy Spirit from the teachings of unclean spirits.

This doctrinal soundness leads us to not being tossed around by “every wind of doctrine”.

Beware. Not everything that blows your mind is error, and not everything easy to swallow because it has always been said inside every church framework is accurate. We must be growing in knowledge, practice, and discernment.

How are we to engage in the unifying knowledge of Jesus so that we are not tossed around?

We must speak truth in love. We speak truth in love when we know truth, are in relationship with each other enough to know how to communicate truth in the most effective way for the recipient to hear it.

Maturing churches are made up of people who are all in on Jesus’ mission, and everyone is contributing for the sake of the care and growth of others.

These churches grow up to be like the Head Pastor, Jesus.