And now would you open your Bible with me to
1 Corinthians chapter 3, where we'll begin this
morning our study of Scripture. Talking today
about what church unity provides. Unity in a
fellowship is not merely a nice ideal. It is
an absolute necessity. It is a necessity if that
fellowship of believers would grow into maturity
and Christ -likeness. Divisions and strife expose
carnality and immaturity in a fellowship. Such
was the case in 1 Corinthians 3, as the Apostle
wrote to them. He said, And I, brethren, could
not speak to you as to spiritual men. But as
to men of flesh, that is, as to carnal men, as
to babes in Christ, I gave you milk to drink,
not solid food, for you were not yet able to
receive it. Please notice that up to this point
there is no rebuke in what the apostle says to
the Corinthians. He is recounting his earlier
visit with them, and he tells them the truth.
He had to feed them milk. because they were still
babes in Christ. Now sometime later, but not
long later, he says, indeed, even now you are
not yet able. And now there certainly is a tone
of rebuke to these people. He says, for you are
still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and
strife among you, are you not fleshly? And are
you not walking like mere men? And so the apostle
expects that they should have grown up in the
period of time since he first was there and had
spoken to them as babes. He continues in chapter
4 and verse 6 in the last part of the verse by
saying that in us you might learn not to exceed
what is written in order that no one of you might
become arrogant. in behalf of one against the
other. You can see here the childish ways of
the Corinthians. And in between the two texts
that we've read, you see that further elaborated
upon. Just as personal maturity diminishes childish
ways, so spiritual maturity should do the same
in that realm. Children are interesting, aren't
they? We expect children to act like children.
Do you have a reporter in your family? One who
comes up and says, do you know what Billy did
to me? Do you have one like that? Every family
has at least one. That's childish, isn't it?
And when it first happens, we think, well, isn't
that cute? But after a while, it gets beyond
that stage, doesn't it? Or do you have a child
in your family who is continually urging the
others to pick sides? Whose side do you want
anyway? Are you for him or for me? Or do you
have a child who pouts and who says, in essence,
well, if he's not going to play the way I want
to, I'm going to take my toys and go home. Well,
those are childish ways, and we need to expect
that children will do them. Children should be
taught not to act that way, but they will act
that way because that's immaturity. You know,
the sad thing is when adults keep acting that
way, isn't it? Because then it's not normal.
Then it's a tragedy. Then it's an aberration.
And the same thing is true in the spiritual realm.
As we grow up spiritually, we need to put away
childish, spiritual things. A concern for unity
characterizes the walk, the lifestyle of a child
of God who is living worthy of his calling. That
is what we've been studying in Ephesians 4, verses
1 through 16. That child of God will seek to
preserve spiritual unity by humility, gentleness,
patience, and forbearance in his relationship.
with others in the fellowship. That's what verses
2 and 3 of Ephesians 4 are all about. Not only
will he seek to preserve spiritual unity by his
own character and integrity, but we've been learning
that he will seek to promote unity by using his
God -given spiritual abilities to serve the Lord
in the church and to minister to others in the
body. We see in verse 7 that the Lord has so
gifted all of us to be able to do that. And in
verse 12, we are to be equipped so that that
is made a reality. To be a peacemaker, a unifier
of believers, is really to confirm one's profession
of faith in Jesus Christ. All of us ought to
be of that mindset. because that is not only
a mindset that proves that we're worthy of our
calling, but it also evidences that we're growing
up and we're no longer childish in our ways.
Now, having said that, we should be peacemakers.
I also want to say this to balance it, that peace
is not to be sought at any price. In other words,
we're not to compromise with sin in order to
achieve. a certain kind of peace. But the principle
is nonetheless true, that God wants us to be
peacemakers, unifiers of his people, not dividers
like children. The reason that the Lord, first
of all, gave gifts to individual believers, and
secondly, gave individuals as gifts to the church,
as we've been studying. The reason our Lord has
done this is to bring the church to its full
potential, that is, to its maturity, to its grown
-up state. Our text today, in Ephesians 4, verses
14 through 16, shows us that when the equipping
process of verses 12 and 13 take place, a marvelous
thing happens. That's maturity. And the church
grows out. That's extension. Verse 14. As a result,
we are no longer to be children tossed here and
there by waves and carried about by every wind
of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness
and deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth
in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
him. who is the head, even Christ, from whom
the whole body, being fitted and held together
by that which every joint supplies according
to the proper working of each individual part,
causes the growth of the body for the building
up of itself in love. That, my friend, is biblical
church growth, which is provided for by our maturing,
by our unifying. When the process of verse 12
takes place, a process that we talked about in
detail last week, when that process takes place,
there are two results in a church. One is that
it grows up, and the result is protection, verse
14. And the other is that it grows out. Let's
call that propagation. The two results of the
process of verse 12 taking place in any local
church will be protection and propagation. Now,
why do I say protection? Well, because there
is a danger, a danger that arises out of immaturity.
The word here, children, that he uses in verse
14. is the same word that he used in 1 Corinthians
3 and called it babes. It refers to immature
infants. Literally, it is one who does not talk.
It is one who is still in that early babyhood.
Now, of course, every child of God begins there
because we are born again into God's family.
That born -again experience is through faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sin
and rose again from the dead. It is our faith
in Him who did that. It is our placing of our
trust in that good news about Him that He died
for us, that we can be forgiven and have eternal
life. It is that which causes us to be born into
God's family as infants. We all begin there.
Infancy is normal, but prolonged infancy is abnormal.
The normal expectation is that a maturing process
will take place in the physical life and in one's
spiritual life. And that maturing process is
described in verses 12 and 13. Immature children
of God are vulnerable to spiritual enemies. They're
like young animals that are vulnerable to the
predators. I was sitting in the office the other
day looking out in the backyard of our office
complex, and there were three little baby rabbits
hopping around, just as cute as they could be,
not a fear in the world. I walked by one the
other day, didn't run at all. That little rabbit
hasn't learned the fear of predators yet. He's
vulnerable. It may not even last through the
spring. That's the way it is. The young are susceptible
to predators. It is true spiritually as well,
my friend. You see, the danger of immaturity
that the apostle points out here is the instability
that comes from it. the unsteadiness that is
a part of immaturity. A young child is unsteady
in those early years, just learning to walk.
There are all kinds of bumps and bruises. As
I say, that is normal for a period of time. But
the apostle is concerned here that there are
some of the Ephesians, apparently, who were still
in their babyhood. For he says, no longer be
children. No longer be that way. Grow up, he
is saying, to be protected. Instability is pictured
for us here in three different ways. There is,
first of all, a nautical picture. Do you see
that? Tossed here and there by waves. The picture
is obvious. Waves tossing back and forth, churning,
boiling, the unsettled condition of an ocean
in a hurricane. Now he says that it's possible
for one who is young in the faith or who is still
a baby in the faith to be the same way mentally
and spiritually, tossed back and forth without
stability. Another picture that he uses is a
meteorological picture. He says, carried about
by every wind of doctrine. Literally the picture
is to be whirled around by gusty winds of teaching.
We went down to the Twins game the other night
to cheer them on to another loss. As we were
departing from the Metrodome, I was amazed at
the air pressure that literally pushes you out
the door. Have you been down there and experienced
that? As you walk out the door, the air is behind
you so strong that you literally have to walk
quickly through the door out. But that's the
picture here. It's the gust of wind pushing,
shoving. Even whirling around, when I think of
this, I think of Dorothy being caught up into
that Kansas tornado and that house turning round
and round and round and round until finally she
falls down in the land of Oz. And she comes out
and she doesn't know where she is. And she's
dizzy and uncertain and unsteady. The exact picture
here. He's talking about false teachers who,
with winds of doctrine, cause people to be turned
around and around until finally they end up in
the land of Oz theologically, too. They don't
know where they are, unsure and unsteady. And
then a third picture is a sociological picture.
He speaks about the trickery of men, craftiness
and deceitful scheming. Here he talks about cheaters
who are able to trick others, who make promises
that are not kept, who use tricks of their trade
to entrap. This very same word is used of Jesus
detecting the trickery of the Pharisees in their
question in Luke 20, 23. The apostle is warning
here about those who are cunning deceivers. Literally
the word here is dice players. You get the idea
of gamblers who are able to use signals to cheat
the innocent person. The use of cleverly devised
methods to deceive, and in the case here, to
lead immature people away from the truth to error.
That is involved in the thought. The goal you
see here is to introduce this immature person
to a false way of thinking or a false system
of belief. There are certain religious sects
that prey upon new converts. You can almost count
on it that if you lead somebody to Jesus Christ,
during those early months, That person will be
exposed to someone who will come around with
another idea, another way of thinking, and there
will be an attempt to steal that fruit. There
will be an attempt to cause that new convert
to take a sidestep and get on the wrong path.
That's what the apostle is warning about. That
is the danger that faces those who are immature.
instability. Beware of those who prey on new
converts or on immature believers. Satan seeks
to hinder genuine maturity by deceitful schemes
that is leading people into error, which brings
condemnation. The point here is this, that growing
up into maturity, which happens back in verses
12 and 13 in that process, The equipping process
where we all are involved in ministry and the
result is the body is built up toward unity of
faith and a deeper knowledge of Christ. The point
is that as that process is being carried out
in our own personal experience, there is protection.
There is protection from the danger that is described
in verse 14. The danger will not go away. There
will always be these pressures and these temptations
and these snares. But you see, growing up and
being a part of a maturing, growing church of
believers helps provide protection. God didn't
create us to be out there by ourselves, isolated
from other believers. He wants us to be vitally
locked into a fellowship of his people. That's
what the whole context here is about. Personal
growth. And being in a growing, unified local
church will make one less susceptible to religious
fads and less likely to be taken in by hucksters
of false religion. So one result of the equipping
process is protection. It's protection that I
hope you know. Our second result is propagation.
That is growth, increase. multiplication, described
in verses 15 and 16. A healthy body grows. An
unhealthy body doesn't. Now growth is not always
or merely measured in numbers. Don't misunderstand.
That is one measurement. But there are other
measurements as well. The bottom line is still
true that a healthy body grows. It propagates.
And notice that he begins in verse 15 by a prerequisite
for growth. He says, speaking the truth in love,
we are to grow up. In other words, before we
can grow up, there has to be what he literally
says, truthing in love. Truthing in love. This
is certainly in contrast to what verse 14 is
about. There he warns of deceit. trickery and
craftiness. Now he says we're to have nothing
to do with any of that. But truthing in love,
he says, speaking the truth, or doing the truth
in love, we're to grow up. I believe that the
apostle here is telling us that a healthy relationship
in a fellowship of believers must be based upon
honesty. Honesty, truthfulness that is tempered
with love. Our honesty should not be brutal.
Our love should not be weak and impotent. The
two go together. Exercising truth, transparency,
honesty in love toward others in the fellowship.
Most of us are more talented at masquerading.
We use words to hide ourselves, to put masks
upon our faces or our true being, pretending
to be something that we're not. There is nothing
that will short -circuit maturity faster than
that. If you and I really want to grow up spiritually,
And if we want our church to grow up spiritually,
then we have to learn to be honest, lovingly
transparent in our relationships, being willing
to risk ourselves with others by taking the mask
off, and being willing to lovingly minister to
others as they are honest with us. That's what
the apostle is describing in this prerequisite
for growth. Are you willing to grow? Do you want
to grow that bad? That you're willing to truth
it in love? And then the direction of growth
is pointed out to us. He says we are to grow
up in all aspects into him who is the head, even
Christ. The goal or the aim, the direction of
our growth is to be toward a more intimate oneness
with Christ. Now because of some of the false
teaching that's available today, let me quickly
say that never is the distinction lost between
God and his redeemed creatures. Never do we become
one in the sense that we all become God. There
is forever an infinite distinction between the
eternal personal God and the redeemed creature.
But God in love has united us nonetheless with
himself. And what the apostle is saying here
is that our growth is aimed that we might have
a raised awareness of our union with Jesus Christ
and all the ramifications that come from that.
that we might ever follow after him as our Lord.
And he says regarding this, in all aspects or
in all respects. In other words, there is to
be no area of life without the involvement of
him who is our head and our Lord. We are to grow
in our understanding of our oneness with him
and how that impacts every area of our daily
living. There should be a deepening awareness
of the sacredness of every part of life. Life
is not segmented. The life is whole, and it is
all under his lordship. Horatio Benar said, So
shall no part of day or night from sacredness
be free, but all my life, in every step, be fellowship
with thee. That's what Paul is saying here. That's
the direction of our growth. Is your life increasingly
coming under the lordship of Jesus Christ as
you understand what it means that you're united
with him? Is that the way you're growing up?
Now, the description of the growth is further
given to us in verse 16, where he says, if you
break the verse down, from whom, that is the
head Jesus Christ, who is our source, from whom
the whole body causes the growth of the body
for the building up of itself in love. You see,
the whole body causes the growth. As a body grows
strong when fitted and held together by that
which every joint or ligament supplies, so Christ's
body, grows as each member functions actively
and cooperatively according to his God -given
ability. That's his point. That's how the growth
takes place. The equipping process is taking
place right here this morning. This is one aspect
of it. As you hear the Word of God and then respond
to it. Now as the equipping takes place in your
life, in this context and in others, the point
is that you then begin to minister more and more
efficiently and fully as God has gifted you.
And as each of us does that, the result is that
the whole body causes the whole body to grow.
It, of course, is distressing when even one member
of the body refuses to grow. refuses to be equipped,
refuses to minister. Because, you see, even one
weakens the whole. The whole of the body is threatened
when even one of us does not grow and mature
in Jesus Christ. That's how critical this is.
We're not talking about some nice theory. We're
talking about the reality of a growing church.
A church is only going to grow up and grow out
as you and I individually understand our role
and we're functioning as we're being equipped,
serving the Lord, ministering to others as God
has called us to minister, and then the whole
body grows. As we serve the Lord and use our
gifts, abilities, resources, working toward a
unified, maturing local church. The result will
be, number one, protection from spiritual pitfalls
and snares. And number two, propagation or growth.
Growth first in our intimacy with Jesus Christ
as we understand our union with Him. Growth then
likewise in our church's strength as we build
up the body in love. And then growth in effectiveness
in outreach, because you see that's here too.
For as the body grows up and is built up and
becomes stronger, it incorporates new people
who are one to Jesus Christ. And as they are
incorporated, they likewise are equipped to serve
the Lord according to the abilities He's given
them. And then they are part of the building
process. And then there are more incorporated.
You see how it works? That is church growth.
That is what church unity provides, biblical
church growth. Grace Church Roseville is moving
in that direction. We haven't by any means arrived
there. But as one by one, more of us seek to
obey the Word of God and walk pleasing to Him,
as we take another step in our own personal maturity,
as we become more unified, mature, and healthy
as a church, then we're going in the right direction.
Are you ready this morning to take another step
in your own walk with God? It's impossible for
me to define what that step may be precisely.
But for someone here, it may mean speaking the
truth in love. That is, being willing to take
off the mask and to be honest. Maybe you need,
first of all, to be honest with yourself. The
Bible over and over warns us about deceiving
ourselves. It may be that you have been lying
to yourself so long about a certain area of your
life. What you really need to do today is to
receive the truth about yourself. And then are
you willing to take the next step beyond that
to talk to God about it? and to take the mask
off toward others. For someone else, it may mean
making a commitment to a local church. Some of
us play games with this thing regarding church.
And we think that just by going to church on
Sunday morning, somehow that's going to make
us grow, and it's going to help the church to
grow. That's a silly, childish game. Because
it doesn't happen that way. Folks, if we're going
to grow up, we have to put away the kid games.
And we have to understand that there is no growth
without commitment. Unless we are willing to
take a hold of the plow, the field will not be
plowed. Unless we are willing to get serious
about being involved in a local church by becoming
a member of that church, by faithfully being
a part of the giving stewardship of that church,
in serving the Lord in that church, being a part
of its ministry, supporting that church by our
prayers, being behind those who are leading the
church. ministering to those in the body who
are hurting and crying out for a friend, who
desperately want to take the mask off, but they
need someone to reach out with a friendly hand
and help them. Until we're willing to make those
kinds of deep commitments, there's no growth.
And so for some of us today, it may mean this,
that we need to take a step of commitment toward
involvement in a local church. If you've been
a part of this church for some time and you've
not become a member of it, I want to encourage
you to do that. Because that's important for
you as it is for the church. We're not involved
in a game. We're involved in a war in this world.
We're involved in a great cause for our commanding
officer, Jesus Christ. And we can't play at that.
We've got to be serious. That may be the step
you need to take today, a step of commitment,
definite, deeper commitment to the local church.
There may be something even more painful that
you need to do. It may be that you, in order
to take another step of growth in your life,
need to go to someone that you've offended, someone
against whom you've had a grudge. And you need
to make it right. The only way to do that is
to go to that person and to talk it out. Doing
what he says here, speaking the truth in love.
It may be that you need to go to someone who
is right here in this auditorium this morning
or someone that you have to call on the telephone
this afternoon and you need to say to that person,
you know, I have had feelings about thus and
so that happened, and I want to ask your forgiveness
for the way that I felt about that. You say,
that hurts. That's hard. Yes. I believe that
God has designed it that way. He's designed it
that way so that we remember the next time we're
tempted to do it again that it hurts to make
it right. Is that a step you need to take? It
may be that you need to allow God to do surgery
on your heart. That there is some attitude. Maybe
it is bitterness. Bitterness against God. Anger
against God for his dealings. What he has allowed
to happen in your life. Some great disappointment
perhaps. Today you need to say to God, okay God,
I'm willing to let you cut that out of me. The
commitment you need to make is to go into the
spiritual hospital for surgery so that the heavenly
surgeon can excise that infection that has been
draining into your life and poisoning not only
you, but others around you. If we're going to
move in the right direction as a church, if we're
going to move toward maturity personally, it
involves steps. Sometimes they are small steps,
and sometimes they seem gigantic. But whatever
the step is before you today, will you take it
by the grace of God? If you do not know the Lord
Jesus Christ as your Savior, let me tell you
that that is the step for you. The step of trusting
Him. Or as the New Testament puts it, receiving
Him as your Savior and your Lord. Will you put
away whatever you've trusted in up to this point
and come to the Lord Jesus today and say, Lord
Jesus Christ. I understand that you died for
me. Maybe you've known that for years. But you're
saying today, Lord Jesus Christ, I understand
you died for me. And now personally, I open my
heart's door and receive you. Come in and save
me. Let's pray together. Father, across this
auditorium, You are speaking to hearts as only
you can. Thank you for that quiet voice of the
Holy Spirit, that voice that persistently comes
to us, faithfully speaks, even when it irritates
us. We thank you. I pray that at this moment
we will no longer resist, but that each of us
will take that step we need to take. Lord, in
the quietness of these closing seconds, as hundreds
of us speak with you privately, talking about
that next step, Hear us and deal with us, we
pray. Now, my friend, where you're seated, would
you talk with God? Acknowledge to him what needs
to be done and then ask his grace in following
through with that step. Now, having talked to
the Lord about it, at least initially, would
you, with your head bowed, lift your hand and
say, Pastor, today God has spoken to me, and
I have talked with him, and there is a step that
I know God wants me to make, and I am committing
myself, by the uplifting of my hand, to follow
through. Would you lift your hand and then put
it down? Yes, thank God. Many, many hands. Anyone
else? I know what I need to do, and I'm willing
today to do it. And I've asked God for grace
to do it. Anyone else? I wonder if you're here
today without the Lord Jesus. Yes, thank you.
I see your hand over there. If you're here without
the Lord Jesus, and you would say by the uplifted
hand, Pastor, I'm not a Christian, I'm not saved,
but I would like today to trust Christ. Pray
for me in closing. Would you lift your hand?
The lifting of your hand isn't going to save
you, but it will give me an opportunity to pray
for you. Though I'm not going to embarrass you
or come back where you are, at least I know who
you are in my mind as I pray. I'm not a Christian,
but pray for me. I need to trust Christ. Anyone?
Father, as we close this service, I pray that
you will bring to a culmination, a consummation,
your dealings in our lives. Let us not escape,
but rather let us yield and surrender to your
Lordship. In Jesus' name, amen.