Today's scripture reading is from Ephesians 4, 7 through 16, and it's page
1006 in the Bibles in the back of the pews. Now grace was given to each one of
us according to the measure of Christ's gift. For it says, when he ascended on
high he took the captives captive. He gave gifts to people. But what does he
ascended mean? Except that he also descended to the lower parts of the
earth. The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the
heavens to fill all things. And he himself gave some to the Apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the
work of ministry to build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity in the
faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into maturity with a statute
measured by Christ's fullness. Then he will no longer be little children, tossed
by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with
cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us
grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ. From him the whole body
fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes
the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working
of each individual part. This is God's Word.
Imagine that you step into a workout gym, a fitness center for the first time.
Now this may be hard for some of us since we haven't darkened the doors of a
gym in quite some time, but just imagine for a moment you're stepping into a gym
and you're surrounded by mirrors and weights and and machines. Each are
designed for a specific purpose to build up muscle, to enhance your endurance or
deepen your breathing capacity or improve your overall physical health.
Every piece of equipment from the simplest dumbbell in this gym all the
way to the most complex cardio machine has its role in this grand scheme of
bodybuilding. And each muscle group on your body requires special consistent
attention in order to achieve and to maintain its strength and size. Don't
skip leg day, right? Because it just looks weird. It just looks weird. It looks
unbalanced. It looks like the guy's about to topple over and neglecting even one
muscle or in this case quite a few muscles will lead to an instability. It
will lead to imbalance and even injury is possible. This guy's about to fall on
his head wherever he went. Every muscle is interconnected and needs every other
part of the body to function, to grow and to mature. You don't get muscles except
that you have veins and arteries that move blood from one place to the other
and you don't get muscles except that you have a respiratory system that
supplies the blood with oxygen or a brain that acts as that command and
control center directing all of the actions of the body and so on. Well our
scripture today out of Ephesians chapter 4, some have called God's bodybuilding
program. God's bodybuilding program. And to catch us up, last week we looked at
the idea that we only experience the fullness of God's love in Christ
together with all the saints. That was a part of Paul's prayer in chapter 3. God
is making one people, one family of faith out of many people and in his glorious
wisdom the way he ordained to bring and keep them together in unity from many
backgrounds. A lot of you guys are weird and strange, you eat different things, but
he wanted to bring a people together in unity, fit together and the way he
ordained that was to empower them to love and to care for each other and this
would knit them together as one and would become a powerful witness to the
world of God's amazing work. You can't go it alone and expect to experience the
fullness of God in your life. The reformer John Calvin said this, no member
of the body of Christ is endowed with such perfection as to be able without
the assistance of others to supply his own necessities. No member of the body of
Christ has it all. No member of the body can go with lone wolf. And then Paul
issues a call in verse 1 of chapter 4 where he says, therefore I as a prisoner
of the Lord urge you to walk worthy of the calling you've received. You're a
part of this now if you're in Christ, you're a part of this body building. So
step up, don't back down and don't take it lightly. The faith isn't just about
good feels and an awesome show put on on Sunday morning, it is a calling to keep
this unity through active love and care for one another. And so verse 7 then
says, now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's
gift. That word now can actually be translated and maybe in some of your
versions is it can be translated as the word but in contrast to what he said
before. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of God's
gift and it is this contrast that maybe what Paul is trying to draw out here
that we need each other and it is only together that we can accomplish this but
together is made up of parts. Together is made up of parts and every part needs to
be fit for their duty and when every part is fit for their duty they are able
to interface with and supply the body with whatever part or contribution they
have so we are only together able to experience the fullness of Christ but it
is together many parts together. You aren't going to wire a human heart into
the carburetor of a 1967 Pontiac GTO and expect it to perform right? It's not fit
for that body. Each part must be fit for its appointment. Down in verse 15 we read
but speaking the truth in love another way to read that too I don't have this
in my notes but another way to read that is truth thing in love because it says
speaking but it actually has a little bit more of a robust meaning. It's
speaking and acting so truth thing in love let us grow in every way into him
who is the head Christ and from him the whole body fitted and knit together by
every supporting ligament promotes the growth of the body for building itself
up in love by the proper working of each individual part by the proper working of
each individual part. God's bodybuilding program is that we would grow into the
head which is Christ. This is what we mean to become more Christ-like and
particularly in our loves that we would replace our worldly self-seeking love
and in its place we would become more like Christ in his self-giving love to
one another and then from the head Christ directed we would be fit and knit
together building the whole body up by the proper working of each part. So another
version says as each part does its work. Each part doing its work strengthens and
helps the other parts grow. Each part is interconnected with the other parts
until we are mature and complete. So how do we become fit for the body? This
passage tells us it is grace. Grace allows us to be fit. Now grace was given
to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Grace. Grace
fits us for the body but what does that actually mean? Well grace is always
undeserved favor or an undeserved gift something we did not earn we could not
perform in order to receive it's something that was given out of the free
will of God the mind of God grace and Ephesians says that we're saved by grace
through faith but grace doesn't stop in salvation alone. The grace of God
continues to give to each one of us. Specifically the Bible tells us that he
gives us what are called gifts of grace. Gifts of grace or spiritual gifts. In
verse 8 there's this little kind of side bar quotation of Psalm 68 that Paul
dives into he says for it says when he ascended on high he took the captives
captive and he gave gifts to the people but what does he ascend and mean except
that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth the one who descended
is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens to fill all things. Paul's
drawing from that text in Psalm 68 and the he that Paul is referring to is
Jesus Christ and he is the one who ascended on high after first descending
to the earth even to the lower parts of the earth another way of saying to the
grave where he accomplished God's redemptive plan where he defeated the
enemy the devil where he defeated the enemy sin where he defeated the enemy of
mankind death and what did he do in doing that? Well he took captives
captive it's another way of saying we were all bound up in captive slaves and
he came and he opened the gates and instead of being captive to sin and death
and the devil we became captives of this king who came and rescued us and we went
back I mean this whole Psalm 68 is this very much so imagery of that
time of a king going in and taking captives and then those captives would
be paraded through the streets and Paul's tweaking it a little bit from
Psalm 68 if you go and you'll read that you can see it he's tweaking it a little
bit and he's saying God took captives captive he rescued the captives from
their slavery and from their sin and their death and he brought them out and
what does he do once they're out is that enough? Is by grace you've been saved
through faith is that it? No he gives good gifts he gives gifts to the people
he adds on top of his grace more grace so what is a spiritual gift? A spiritual
gift is a special ability and strength that is given by the Holy Spirit to
Christians to be used for the purpose of building up the body of Christ it is a
special ability or strength given by God by Christ through the power of the Holy
Spirit at work within every believer to be used for the purpose of building up
the body of Christ which is his church and here's the awesome truth about it
for everyone in this room God has given at least one spiritual gift to every
single believer every single person in this room who has put their hope and
faith in Christ he has given a spiritual gift and he has given the measure of
faith to use it less though that we think that it's all about how great we
are and how awesome captives we are that he would do such an awesome thing for us
it's not it's all about Jesus Jesus is the one who is filling all things to the
fullness and yes he is talking about captives and gifts that he gives them
and this is but this is all about Jesus we're talking about his body this is
Paul one of Paul's favorite metaphors to use he loves to use the metaphor of the
body and it is a metaphor for the union of Christ and his people or his people
to Christ and how this union of his people to Christ was the mystery for all
ages that has now been revealed for the maximum glory to God the Father from all
creatures great and small spiritual gifts are supernaturally given abilities
and strengths to be used in love for the building up of God's new people in Christ
now to illustrate this Paul lists here in Ephesians some roles and positions of
grace that God has given to the church he himself Jesus gave some to be apostles
and some prophets some evangelists some pastors and teachers to equip the Saints
for work of ministry to build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity
in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son growing into maturity with a
stature measured by Christ's fullness all gifts are necessary for building up
the body and it is so that Christ has supernaturally empowered some people to
fill roles in order that the Saints might be equipped to use their gifts for
the work of ministry this passage says that the Saints may be equipped for the
work of ministry ministry another word for ministry is just service it's what it
means for the works of service if you're interested and you want to explore more
deeply the list of spiritual gifts first Corinthians chapter 12 is a place you
can go as well as well as Romans chapter 12 and I want you to listen to what
Romans chapter 12 reads says for by the grace given to me I tell everyone among
you not to think of yourself more highly than he should think it's not about you
it's not about how you look or how this makes you feel important instead
thinking sensibly as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one now as
we as parts have many parts in one body now we now as we have many parts in one
body and all the parts do not have the same function in the same way we who are
many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another
remember last week we said that we belong to each other we belong to one
another in Christ we belong to each other we're not our own we were bought
with the price we're captives set free he took captives captives we're not our
own according to the grace given to us we have different gifts if prophecy use
it according to the proportion of one's faith if service use it in service if
teaching in teaching if exhorting and exhorting giving with generosity leading
with diligence showing mercy with cheerfulness so you believe that by
God's grace he has gifted you for service in the body of Christ what do
you do how how do you know how and where to serve how do you know what gift or
gifts God has given to you I'm gonna walk really quickly through four points
the first one is serve with love or serve in love how do you discover the
gift of grace that God has given to you you start serving in the body in sincere
love any way possible serve one another you don't just find out you don't just
find out the name of a gift you know the look you go to the chart over there in
first Corinthians or in Romans you look through and you go I want that one and
then you take it you start to do that no you don't start there you start
serving you start serving and then you will begin to see where God has given
you special strengths and abilities others will see it too and together you
will be able to provide greater focus to where you serve and how you serve and
express those giftings but not if you're waiting on the sidelines doing nothing
going well until I get the word tell you the name badge that says John Richards
with my title underneath it I'm not doing anything get off the sidelines
Russell Moore has a quote where he says in the New Testament we don't find our
gifts through self-examination and introspection and then find ways to
express it instead we love one another we serve one another we help one another
and in doing so we see how God has equipped us to do so we find it out in
the trenches we go find it out by doing you're not going to find it out by
waiting get in the game start running I had the opportunity the privilege to
spend 20-25 minutes on the phone with my dear sister Kathy yesterday for those
you know Kathy's story she has had many years of fighting a battle with cancer
how many years six years six years and many of you have been a part of that
journey you've heard as the testimonies have come and and the the monument stones
have been set of God's faithfulness throughout that but we were talking and
we were talking a little bit about what was going to be talked about this
morning and you know Kathy had expressed I hope it's okay for me to share what
we talked yeah I had asked her on the phone too she said yes I just want to
confirm it in front of you guys so no one's nervous they're going he's
sharing a phone call she'd express how she's in a season where she's found a
family in you guys here and how she loves you and it just so happens to be
the season where she can't do a lot but she wants to and so she'll get emails
and she'll get she'll know what's going on but she her heart wants to be here
but she can't be here because her body won't allow her and and it and and and
she was not bemoaning this fact she was she's going it's a mystery of God what
why maybe one day I think she said I don't know why but then she said but you
know there's been times a couple times that I found myself in the hospital
laying on a bed either hooked up to a machine or going through I think she used
some hyperbole a million tests and I'll hear the doctor giving a diagnosis or
prognosis or whatever you call it to the patient next door and it's not good and
something in me moves to get up out of my bed and I think in one case go lay in
the bed with the other patient and just say I'm here or to go and hold a hand I
think once she's connected to machines and how do I get over there I don't know
if I can get I'll figure out a way she gets over there to hold a hand and pray
with someone and they're bawling they're crying their eyes that's exactly what I
needed the Lord met me here in this place Kathy's not waiting around in the
hospital hooked up to machines in pain and she's going Lord how can how could
you use me here if I can't be where I want to be I can't be doing the thing I
want to go to team nights I want to be there for this I want to be that I want
to be out there serving in some way use me some way and he's put opportunities
in a hospital and she got up out of bed and she took them that's extraordinary
that's extraordinary for many you know we talked about a hospital bed getting up
from Netflix would be difficult getting my shoes on to go to church to be with
the people of God to serve I don't know where I put those and so I'm just gonna
stay I just think it's inspiring to hear that wherever you're at and and
whatever way and one of the things that she said is is she shared with me is is
that what you might in your head you might go you know what that's probably
just who Kathy is she's always been that way and she's like no that's not me I
don't get out of beds and crawl into bed with other people strangers that I don't
know I don't do that the Lord moved with a special ability a supernatural
empowering to allow Kathy to get up out of bed and to go do some ministry to
someone who needed it serve in love don't wait around for a title don't wait
around for a category you can check your name button to or another category you
can be envious that you didn't get you know and vibe for that just start
serving in love number two submit for equipping it says that God gives gifts
to everyone but he has given some roles some people to move into roles for the
building up of the body the equipping of the Saints so that we can move toward
maturity God gives the gifting and he has called some to equip you for service
to help you to identify your giftings and to direct you to best use your
giftings for the building up of the body these people that he has given during
this season the Lord has put me in this place as the primary voice on Sunday
morning to teach I don't know why I stand in my office every morning going
man if you don't get me out of that door and onto that stage I don't want to go
you guys just you don't know me from before I'm I'm very introverted when I'm
not feeling the power of the Holy Spirit I'm probably walking aimlessly to try to
find a corner I can hide in away from you guys but then something happens the
Lord is faithful I don't take it for granted every week I call it panic you
might call it faith there is something about Lord come through Lord speak if if
I get up there and I put what I just put down on paper and I give it to them it
ain't gonna be very good but if you're there and you're strengthening and
empowering and you're speaking to your people to build up your body it might be
something and I'll go I'll be the fool but Lord you gotta you gotta you gotta
do the thing they instruct us they teach us they correct us in order that we
might remain in love because later in 1st Corinthians in chapter 13 Paul talks
about how anything done outside of love is worthless so it's not just about
having a great gift but it's about having a great gift and using that
gifting in love you could do all sorts of things to serve one another
selfishly you know that right we serve others selfishly all the time what did
we get out of it how does it make us feel all sorts of things 1st Corinthians
says it must be done in love otherwise it's worthless whether it's shepherding
or pastoring or teaching it isn't about doing all the works of the service we've
talked about this last week the pastor does not shoulder those things biblically
the pastor shoulders the weight to equip the Saints to do the work of ministry to
do the work of service that's the shouldering of the pastor that's what he
carries that's what the teacher or the shepherd carries according to Ephesians
so you begin to surf you step out you start the race Lord I don't know where
I'm going but I'm gonna start running and I want to do it for you and somewhere
along the way he starts to show and piece things together and then he brings
people into your life like shepherds and teachers who can help hey I see this in
you and wow that really came out of you and the Lord seems to be using that in
your life that might be something for you to think about or consider or maybe
we could move you to this ministry because you'll be able to use that
gifting in this ministry best people come alongside of you to champion you
and to cheerlead you and give you high-fives and say go go go go go number
three then you must steward it with passion you must steward the gift that
God has given you with passion and zeal you have to remember Paul's words at the
beginning of Ephesians 4 that said walk worthy of the calling you have received
don't walk out of here and walk away from it walk worthy of the calling you
have received this is no small thing church Christ doesn't give gifts to be
wasted but he gives gifts to every single believer which means it's
probably being wasted Christ doesn't give these gifts to be squandered he
does not give them to be used for selfish gain God also doesn't give gifts
to be envied by others as if one part of the body is supposed to be in
competition with another part of the body this is his church his people his
bride and his bride is precious to him who she is and who he's making her into
be you may not believe it but people can take their gifting from God and go rogue
there's a passage that Jesus talks about it's probably one of the scariest
passages ever Lord Lord did we not cast out demons heal the sick supernatural
things things that if they actually didn't do someone could go no you didn't
and Jesus doesn't say no you didn't what does he say depart from me I never knew
you depart from me I never knew you we don't know the motive of their heart but
we can start guessing selfish gain there's some evidence of that in the
book of Acts as the ministers are going along encountering folks who want
supernatural power for selfish gain you have to steward it with passion you
can't go rogue you can't get arrogant or independent with your gift I'm gonna
decide how and where and when I use this gift it's not what it says says God gives
gifts and they're for the building up of his body and they're in the context of
his body and there are caretakers along the way like teachers and pastors and
shepherds who come alongside of you to help champion those in you but you just
can't go rogue I'm just gonna go to the streets and love people I'm just gonna
go out to the street and love people that's not God's bodybuilding program
Galatians 5 25 and 26 reads this way if we live by the spirit let us also keep
in step with the spirit let us not become conceited provoking one another
and envying one another you guys remember the parable of the talents in
Matthew chapter 25 a master gives a set of talents to servants each according to
their ability and he goes away and he expects that they would take that town
whatever a talent was a form of currency take that talent and use it for his
purposes for his kingdom advancement for the expansion of his household by
investing it and growing it and servant after servant said yes I took your
talent and I went and I I did that and it multiplied and and here's what I
here's what I did with what you gave me to do I give it back to you and the
master says well done well done good and faithful servant and then one comes
along he received the least and he says man I knew you were a hard man you know
reaping where you did not sow and I was scared man if I lose this one thing he's
gonna be mad so I went and I buried that one little talent in the ground and I
sat on it and I waited for you to come back and here's that one thing you gave
to me and that master in that parable says you wicked lazy evil servants at
least you could have put it into a bank and earned a little bit of interest but
you buried it in the ground depart from me I never knew you depart from me be
gone the parable of the talents is about this idea of stewarding what God's
given and we were talking about spiritual gifts here we could we could go
into all areas of life God has given everything that you have some things he
has given you are supernaturally empowered to accomplish the building up
of the body don't be like the one servant who did nothing with what was
given and when the master returns and wanted an accounting there was a price
to pay Romans chapter 12 after the list of gifts in Romans chapter 12 in in the
verse 11 it says do not lack diligence in zeal do not lack diligence in zeal be
fervent in the spirit serving the Lord do not lack diligence and zeal be
fervent in the spirit serving the Lord we're to steward what God has given us
with passion and zeal not to lay it aside and I'll get to that some point
not to let it get dusty but today in and day out week in and week out to show up
and say God I I know who you are and I know what your kingdom demands I know
that you are good and I know that I'm your child and I know all the promises
that make me feel really good but I also know who you are and what you're doing
and you are doing something here among your people that I can't just set on a
shelf and walk away from to attend to my own life and my own way and all the
things that I want to give my attention to only to come back at the last minute
on my last breath or when I'm on a ventilator and say now God I'll pick it
up every day day in and day out that whole block of parables right there in
Matthew 25 around Matthew 25 are about he's coming at one point you don't know
when and he's gonna ask for a reckoning and accounting from each one of us for
what he gave us and that should sober us shouldn't scare us it should sober us
steward the gifts that God has given you with passion there's a Latin word
solely day o Gloria that's our final point solely day o Gloria listen to what
first Peter chapter 4 verse 10 says just as each one has received a gift just as
each one has received a gift use it to serve others as good stewards of the
varied grace of God if anyone speaks let it be as one who speaks God's words if
anyone serves let it be from the strength God provides so that God may be
glorified through Jesus Christ in everything to him be the glory and the
power forever and ever amen what's the end of all these gifts what's the end of
this spiritual empowering and strengthening to build up his body God's
glory solely day o Gloria is Latin for go glory to God alone glory to God alone
what God has given us whether considered great or small is not for us to boast in
our own giftedness but that God might be glorified through Jesus Christ in
everything look look what God is doing see what God is doing among us look how
he has given each and every one of you every one of his children both here and
abroad apart to play in how he's going to reveal himself to all of creation
he's given you a part to play in that how he intended from before time began
to show himself reveal himself to all of creation and his eternal power is
through made manifest through the church through you and I knit together we are
we're blasting we're like a speaker blasting to all of creation glory to God
alone look what God is doing what on earth next week's the Super Bowl two
teams I hate but what on earth could be more exciting what on earth could be
more thrilling or joyous or wonderful humbling exalting and worship provoking
than the reality that through his gifts deposited into you and me knit together
he could build up his body to blast out to creation look who I am look who I am
look how beautiful and glorious I am look how wonderful and marvelous and
majestic I am look how I am from before and I will be after look look at what I
did with this rag tag bunch of weirdos I brought them together I made something
glorious out of these jars of clay yeah I had to deposit something pretty
precious in them and I had to tend to it and make it grow and and make that light
shine brighter and brighter and knit them together fact I had to do it all
they did nothing but they put themselves on the altar and said Lord
solely day of Gloria glory to you alone
it all comes from him it works through us back to him
final thing I'll say is to answer our question who serves serving is your
calling every one of you serving is your calling