Sunday 01/14/18
Series: He Gave Gifts
Message – Maturity: The Purpose of Gifts Pt. 1
Maturity: The Purpose of Gifts
If you will turn with me to Ephesians 4:1 please…..
Who can tell me what the first two words of verse 1 says “I, therefore…”
Go back to chapter 3,
Who can tell me what the first three words of verse 1 says “For this reason…”
Go back to chapter 2,
Who can tell me what the first three words of verse 11 says “So then…”
Verse 1 “And”
Go back to chapter 1,
Who can tell me what the first three words of verse 15 says “This is why…”
So…I really want to start in chapter 4, but I think it would be irresponsible of me, SO what I am going to do is “speed scan” through some of these verses and summarize them quickly in order to bring you up to speed with the portion we are going to spend time with.
Paul is called as an apostle to the Gentiles believers in Ephesus.
The purpose of this letter is to bring the Ephesian believers to the place of maturity and an awareness of their mutual responsibility to edify the body through the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit.
He explains their privileged and blessed position as saints – that they are redeemed, forgiven and favored with God’s influence. They are called to be dedicated and blameless and exist to the praise of the glory of Jesus in maturity.
Paul tells them that he gives thanks for them all the time and prays that God would give them wisdom and insight into the knowledge of Christ – and know His great power and vast strength towards us which is no less that the power that rose Him from the dead and sat Him at the Father’s right hand in power and authority over everything. That even though we were lost and dead in sin, we have been made to sit with Him – so that for eternity we will know the richness of His grace which is immeasurable through His kindness to us in Christ…and that NONE of this was in the slightest way earned by good works but only by believing what He revealed to us of Himself. When we believed we became His special creation in Christ to walk in the good works He prepared for us to walk in.
He then encouraged them to never forget where they came from…that they used to be lost…outside of the covenants…having no hope and without God in the world. BUT NOW, IN CHRIST you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the promised Messiah. He the end of hostilities between the Jews and Gentiles and IS our peace with God as well. He broke down the wall dividing us all by His flesh and has created unity and reconciled us ALL back to God as one body!
We all now have access by one Spirit to God and the ability to grow to maturity in Christ.
So, because as Gentiles you…
- have been brought into the covenant
- are no longer strangers and foreigners but are one with Abraham’s descendants according to faith
- are members of God’s household
- are built upon the cornerstone of Jesus the Messiah Lord Himself
- Together with us are one consecrated dwelling place for God.
For this reason I am making known to you the incalculable riches of Christ Jesus…and how through complete and total abandonment to Him in trust you have access to God and the promises with confidence and boldness. As Peter tells us, it is by these promises that we are partakers of the divine nature – or to say it another way, we Grow to maturity in the nature and likeness of Christ Jesus.
It is because of this that I bow down in homage and worship before the Father and pray that He would grant you power through His Spirit strengthening you in your innermost being and that He would make His permanent abode in your hearts through faith. So that you will be rooted and firmly establish in love so that you may be able to fully grasp the love of both God the Father and Jesus Himself – the kind of love that cannot be figured out so that you will be filled with all the abundance of God Himself.
Now to Him that is ABLE to do FAR beyond anything we could ask or even think by His power which is in fact working in you – to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Himself throughout all future generations – forever and ever – let it happen!
Now, due to all this glorious purpose of God I am begging you to order the conduct of your life in all humility and gentleness coupled with patience accepting one another in love and maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the peace that binds us together – in short I’m urging you to live in a way which is worthy of this amazing invitation you have received. In other words – GROW UP unto Maturity.
Paul then says, “believers, there is…”
- One Lord
- One Doctrine we hold to
- One baptism
- One God and Father of all – who is above all and through all and in all.
Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. We know this because the Old Testament tells us so when it prophesied about Christ saying, “When He ascended on high, He took pour captors into captivity and He gave gifts to us.”
But what does it mean that He ascended unless he had first descended into the grave through death. The One who descended is the same who has ascended far above the heavens that He might fulfill all things.
And He personally gave some (corresponds to 1 Cor. 12:28): (these are in order and most likely. Also the first Apostles and Prophets were the establishers of Christian doctrine – the “one Doctrine” we mentioned earlier – Eph. 2:20; 3:5)
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- Apostles – Instructors and Teachers of foundational truths who establish a new body of believers in otherwise unevangelized areas.
- Different than the first hand picked Apostles in terms of authority.
- Ex. – Acts 14:21-23; Acts 15:23-36; Acts 11:26-30
- Prophets – Teachers and preachers who speak from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the moment rather than from a prepared notes. Their focus is ALWAYS the testimony of Jesus, they are considered the friends of God and at least under the Old Covenant always have had God reveal Himself to them personally. They build up, exhort and comfort the church by means of their teaching.
- Ex. – Acts 15:32; Acts 21:10-14
- Apostles – Instructors and Teachers of foundational truths who establish a new body of believers in otherwise unevangelized areas.
This service had no notes since it was an open discussion…Blessings!
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
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Blessings!