Tonight we begin the second half of this wonderful book of Ephesians…doctrine in the first half, how to live out that doctrine in the second half

To summarize the doctrinal portion: we learned in chapter one that all Three Persons of the Godhead were involved in the redemption of humanity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 

In chapter two, Paul reminds us of two things: our condition as lost humanity -- dead in our trespasses and sins -- and the blessings of God in our salvation, beginning with the fact that He raised us from the dead -- made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 

Then in chapter three, Paul reveals to us the “mystery” of the Gospel, and the ministry he had received to take that Gospel to the Gentiles, fulfilling Jesus’s words in John 10 that there would be “one flock, one Shepherd”

And that summary, particularly the last part, leads us right into tonight…as Paul starts to instruct the church how to live out the Spirit-led life he says is already ours in Christ, especially the challenges they would face in integrating and unifying the Jews and the Gentiles in a single assembly

Let’s read the word together as you find a copy of the Bible, in paper or electrons…

1I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

     and he gave gifts to men.” 

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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, 

14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Let’s pray together

Amen -- let’s dive into the Word!

I. Walk Worthy                              4.1-6

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

Paul begins this second half, the exhortational half of the book, almost by reintroducing himself -- certainly by emphasizing again his apostolic authority and his current location -- in jail in Rome…it lends a little emphasis to his instruction to live out the blessed faith he has just described in chapter one through three

He says to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”

Good translation -- an emphatic noun-verb combination to emphasize God’s selection, the believers’ calling to life in Jesus; “live in a worthy way”

What does it mean to “walk worthy” of Jesus? It means to live a life characterized by:

Humility: KJV “lowliness” -- Gr tapeinophrosune (5012) low-minded; humble. The esteeming of ourselves as small, since in truth we are -- opposite of today’s fave, “self-esteem”

Gentleness: KJV “meekness” -- Gr praotes (4236) an inward grace of the soul that accepts God’s dealing with us as good; includes expressing wrath toward man’s sin as Jesus did

Patience: KJV “longsuffering” -- Gr makrothumia (3115) self-restraint before taking action

Forbearance: Gr anecho (430) to hold back or in; to endure, bear up under circumstances

Love: Gr agapao (26) God’s kind of love. Saved the most important for last -- little else matters if we are not living out the love of Jesus -- we must be diligent about living in relationship to each other, marked by deep love, self-sacrificial love, love that does not care about reciprocation; see also I Corinthians 13

What would church be like if all of us, all the time, lived in relationship to the Lord and each other that way?

I think you can see the theme of the next passage -- verses 4 through 6 -- dominated by the word “one” -- used seven times in three verses -- Paul leads into the thought at the end of v 3

eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul bridges from the idea in verse three -- the unity of the Spirit -- to a description of the basis of the unity of believers -- the unity of the Godhead -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- we are one because God is One

Paul makes a startling statement, but one completely grounded in the doctrine of the Church that he has laid out in chapters one through three -- that there is but one body of Christ; that body is made up of people from every group on earth, as it says in Revelation 7.9-10:

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Yet despite those differences -- and the differences we still have here and now -- we know this: we share the same identity -- we are in one Body, the Body of Christ, partaking of One Spirit -- and this identity transcends every other characteristic shared by groups of people 

We share the same testimony in Jesus -- we declare that there is One Lord, the testimony of a Christian is that there is one common faith in our One Lord, and that we are all baptized in one baptism into that faith in Christ, a baptism accomplished by God 

And we share the same family -- God’s family, with Him as our Father

So we are indwelt by the same Spirit, our faith and witness are in the same Lord, and we are all children of the same Father, which makes us brothers and sisters in Christ -- BASIC

II. Gifts of Grace                              4.7-13

Now that Paul has affirmed that we are all one -- recognizing that there is so much that unites us -- now Paul turns to all the ways that we are different

7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

     and he gave gifts to men.” 

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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, 

He begins the theme in v 7 -- this is one of the three primary passages on spiritual gifts -- the other two are I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 -- there, Paul uses the more expected word charismata, or grace-gifts, but here Paul just uses the word charis, the typical word simply for “grace”

So how are we different?

We’re gifted differently -- in this passage, differently from the other two, Paul focuses on what one would call leadership gifts -- here given by Christ, in I Cor 12 given by the Spirit, in Rom 12 just noted as being given by God

To help us understand better, Paul gives us an OT illustration, in Psalm 68

It opens with God as the victorious King defeating His enemies --

1God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;

      and those who hate him shall flee before him!

2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;

   as wax melts before fire,

   so the wicked shall perish before God!

3 But the righteous shall be glad;

   they shall exult before God;

   they shall be jubilant with joy!

4Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

   lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

his name is the Lord;

   exult before him!

18 You ascended on high,

     leading a host of captives in your train

  and receiving gifts among men,

even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

24 Your procession is seen, O God,

   the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—

25 the singers in front, the musicians last,

   between them virgins playing tambourines:

28 Summon your power, O God, 

   the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.

29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem

   kings shall bear gifts to you.

34 Ascribe power to God,

   whose majesty is over Israel,

   and whose power is in the skies.

35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;

   the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

The psalm portrays God as a conquering monarch, defeating His enemies, and blessing and rewarding His followers…but the question scholars and translators have faced is in the verse that Paul quotes -- verse 18

18 You ascended on high,

     leading a host of captives in your train

  and receiving gifts among men,

even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

In Ephesians 4, Paul says 

8 Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

   and he gave gifts to men.” 

So the first question is: did God the conquering King receive gifts or give gifts?

The answer, I think, is “yes” -- we see these parallel truths in the last few verses

The imagery of the psalm is the triumphant God leading captives (v 29, even bearing gifts), back to Zion, His sanctuary, “His chosen abode”, as verse 16 says -- which was a very common occurrence; when a king and his army defeated a rival king, the victorious king returned in honor and glory, with a train of captives trailing behind him…in fact, there is a well-known bas-relief frieze in Rome, in an enormous arch called the Arch of Titus, built in 81 AD to commemorate the triumph of the Roman general Titus, brother of the Emperor Domitian, after the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem; even the articles of the Temple, notably the Menorah, are shown being carried away

There is a textual problem here -- several text sources (Septuagint, Masoretic Text, Syriac Peshitta, Targum of the Psalms) in multiple languages have slightly different words -- some say “received” in OT, some say “gave”

Paul uses the word “gave” as he was almost certainly aware of the variation in the OT text, which we don’t know in great detail -- what we do know is that the picture Paul now shares is the conquering King now distributing those gifts as He sees fit, to His loyal subjects, the citizens of His sanctuary, in keeping with the last two verses of the psalm:

34 Ascribe power to God,

   whose majesty is over Israel,

   and whose power is in the skies.

35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;

   the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

So while there is much that is debated about this verse, what is clear is that a triumphant God gives good gifts to His people

The second question is the parenthetical -- verses 9 and 10

9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 

“He ascended” -- because He had previously “descended” -- but to where? Here is where translation again becomes key…your study Bibles may well place a footnote on verse 9, and there show a second or even third alternative translation of the verse -- 

The simplest explanation is Earth -- but again, there is a textual problem here about the inclusion of a Greek word, ‘mere’, which is translated “parts” or “regions” 

Alternatives in English? Certainly…what I read is the English Standard Version (ESV) but there are several others

NIV: (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?

NLT: Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.

NASB: (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

KJV: (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

It seems there are two basic ways to understand this parenthetical from the apostle Paul -- 

Jesus was in Heaven, descended to Earth (lower than Heaven), accomplished all that the Father had given Him to do, including all things necessary to redeem His people, then ascended back to Heaven, to the right Hand of the Father

Jesus was in Heaven, descended to Earth (lower than Heaven), accomplished all that the Father had given Him to do, including all things necessary to redeem His people, then following His death, descended yet again to Sheol, the place of the dead (lower regions of the earth), preached/proclaimed to the spirits held in captivity in Hades, then led those righteous spirits out of the other compartment or portion of Sheol, Abraham’s Bosom (see Luke 16), back to Heaven with Him, sometime before the resurrection, so that at the resurrection witnessed at the tomb by the women, Peter, and John, Jesus is now back outside Jerusalem emerging from the Tomb in a physical form -- the added narrative is a brief passage in I Peter 3:

   I Peter 3.18-20

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 

Although there is no mention here of taking anyone captive, only proclamation to apparently disobedient spirits in a place of torment, referred to as “prison” by Peter

Here in Ephesians 4, was Paul attempting to give us that level of detail about the whereabouts of Jesus during the time of His burial prior to His resurrection, or was Paul using Psalm 68, a psalm of a victorious God-King who gives gifts to His subjects, as a means to teach the spiritual gifting of the Church?

What does seem clear from verse 10 is that Christ now is at the right Hand of the Father in glory, as Paul has already clearly stated in Ephesians 1.20-21

If this seems clear to you, good -- if not, you’re not alone -- many people have puzzled over these verses seeking Paul’s clear meaning. It seems to me the interpretation and understanding of this passage in Ephesians begins with your preferred English translation -- and since not all translators of the original languages see this the same way, there is still a conversation among expositors about this passage’s connection or lack of connection to I Peter…I commend it to you as a subject for further study…Steve and I don’t necessarily see this pair of verses the exact same way, but we’re OK with that, and we hope you are, too -- if you would like to review his teaching on it, it’s available at vbvmi.org, search for Ephesians -- but this is what it looks like when you have two teachers serving together, each seeking after the Lord and teaching as He leads…not a real expectation that we would always say exactly the same thing

I for one find the clear meaning that Jesus gifts His church with four specific gifts in this passage -- others, of course, in I Corinthians and others still in Romans

You might think at first there are five, but I believe the intent on the part of Paul is to describe four -- at least in Greek there are single articles associated with the first three separately, but then a single article governs the last two together, as if they should be written as “pastor-teachers”

Apostles were unique to the first generation of leaders in the Church -- commissioned by Christ Himself, given supernatural ability to both understand and apply the OT and to write the NT -- and limited to that initial group -- the Church is told to appoint other leaders (not mentioned here) such as elders and deacons, but never again is a Church told to identify, call, or commission an apostle -- we believe that John was the last living apostle, and when he died, around 95 AD or so, the gift died with him

Prophets had a special role as well, though it’s less clear whether or not the gift ended in the first or second century; there is a debate, but what we know for certain is that as Paul writes this, there was a prophetic ministry present in the early Church, not writing new Scripture, but understanding and interpreting the Word in a distinctly direct and authoritative way

Evangelists -- the gift of evangelism clearly continues today -- God continues to gift certain leaders with a supernatural ability to present the claims of Christ in an especially clear and compelling way, through a variety of means -- individually, in groups like services, or in mass settings enabled by technology, but this one never operates effectively apart from the last one

Pastor-teacher is a hybrid of sorts…the phrase combines two Greek words -- poimen (shepherd) and didaskalos (teacher)…people with this gift don’t often have both elements in equal measure, but probably lean one way or the other…but they are uniquely gifted to shepherd and care for the flock while also teaching the Scriptures…the idea is to both “lead” and “feed” the sheep

And while we might not know all we would like to know about these gifts, one thing is certain -- God gifts His people in different ways for different purposes, but all to one chief end -- the unity of the Body of Christ

So what do people in these roles do?

I think it’s clear that to appreciate apostolic service and ministry, we’re looking to the pages of Scripture and not to ministry in the present

Prophetic ministry seems to still have a place in the church, at least in the sense that there is a distinctive voice that speaks from the Word to the Body, and by extension, to the world as well -- it’s not the classic “This saith the Lord” formula of the prophet, in terms of fresh or new revelation, but instead is speaking from the Word in the context of today -- while being careful to stay within the bounds of Scripture

I Corinthians 4.6     6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. 

Evangelists are still a contemporary gift -- we’ve seen it in our lifetimes, haven’t we -- Billy Graham, Luis Palau, D.L. Moody -- leaders who are gifted to declare the saving faith of Jesus in such a way that people are moved to respond -- but this gift doesn’t exist in a vacuum, as churches and other believers have to come alongside evangelists to disciple these new converts

Pastor-teachers -- I’ll use the merged term since that’s how it seems to appear in Scripture -- is a gift that is focused on the local church -- in fact, one of the differences between a prophet or evangelist and a pastor-teacher is that the prophet or the evangelist aren’t localized to a single congregation, but has a wider ministry to the Church, while a pastor-teacher serves in a local congregation; the work is also focused, ministering to individuals, much as a shepherd cares for the individual sheep, while not forgetting the larger flock; leaving the 99 in the fold to go find the one…one way to understand the essence of this gifting is the “lead and feed” analogy

In those roles, they focus on these tasks in verses 11-13

2 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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, 

To equip the saints for the work of the ministry -- the work of all of these gifts is not just to serve in their giftedness, but to equip the saints as well, though I will admit that it seems to fit the particular role of the pastor-teacher, as only they are focused on a local congregation

Evangelists and prophets might have little ongoing contact with a specific congregation or church, but shepherd-teachers always do

So how are these leaders to equip the believers for the building up of the body?

Doesn’t give specific directions in this passage, which is probably good…if this pandemic, along with the dramatically increased role of technology in church has taught us anything, it’s that we have to be able to adapt to changing circumstances in our world…

We know some things -- it will continue to be based solidly upon the Word of God…it will involve personal contact, though the method of that contact may vary…we will still find ways to worship…we will still find ways to minister and serve, but those ways will change and we will have to find new and different methods and means to do it…

But we cannot let our gifts lie dormant because we find ourselves in a new and different and maybe challenging situation -- each of us still have an obligation to serve the body of Christ and the world according to the way Christ and the Spirit have gifted us…whether your gift is on this list or not, whatever it is, the last thing we can do is not be of use in the Kingdom’s work…this is no time to bury your gift in a coffee can in the backyard…so to speak

I’m confident of this: our future will be different than what we’ve known in past years and we’ll have to adjust -- but the church has been adjusting to new situations for the last 2000 years, so this isn’t new -- now it’s our turn to carry on that work

What are the purposes in view here?

First, unity and knowledge -- referring back to chapters one through three, the merging or joining of the Jews and the Gentiles in the big “C” Church, the Church Universal, and certainly at the level of the local congregation, too -- we should not be content to be a single local body with little connection with other local churches -- I think the intent is to work and serve together without a false or shallow ecumenicalism that minimizes differences in understanding and belief to the point that nothing matters anymore, but at the same time we cannot restrict our fellowship to only our people or groups that look and act exactly like us -- the world still needs to see a church united in her Lord, loving the unlovely, ministering to the broken, taking the Gospel to those who desperately need to hear it -- is that not our calling? Is that not what Jesus did? Isn’t that our commission? The people of God serve better together than apart

And knowledge of the Son of God is critically important -- as I just said, we must know Who Jesus is and what He expects of His people, His Body, His Bride -- what a tragedy for believers to come to faith in Christ, but then never learn what living in relationship to Christ means, what He demands of us, how He empowers and enables us through His Spirit, and what is in store for us as we live with Him now but also return home to be with Him forever

We need to know Him -- not just for Who He was here on earth, but Who the Scripture reveals Him to be now…

Philippians 3.7-11

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Let our best effort go toward knowing our Lord and Savior -- we must bring our very best to this work -- then as we know Him, take that knowledge to others in love

Second, maturity -- 

to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 

Jesus doesn’t seem to be interested in allowing believers to remain spiritually immature, but instead to go on to maturity

Growing up into “mature manhood” -- we’ll see that more in a moment, in verses 14-16 -- but here, we have a picture of what God seems to have in mind -- if we are His Body, then we are to be a mature, fully capable and prepared Body, of full stature -- relates back to Ephesians 2.15b      that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 

The bringing together of the Jews and the Gentiles was a necessary but not sufficient first step to form the Body in fullness, complete stature, and maturity -- now that we are one flock with one Shepherd, we are to become one mature new man -- this new humanity created by God is meant to not remain a child…let’s look at the next passage

III. Grow Up!                                 4.14-16

14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

What does it look like to grow up in Christ?

Paul speaks in negative terms first…we cannot remain as children…new believers are never meant to remain spiritually immature…we all start that way, but we can never be content to stay that way, and it’s the responsibility of all more mature believers, not just pastor-teachers, to help newer believers grow in our mutual faith…

Children are subject to instability from the waves and the wind -- responsive to and accepting of wrong doctrine, vulnerable to false teachers, human deceit, lies, cunning, and craftiness -- picture a cork bobbing on the ocean on a windy, tempestuous day -- not what we want to be

Sadly, those who minister to members in cults report that one of the most fertile sources of converts to these cults are members of Christian churches -- in the faith, but not yet discipled to the point that they can discern the false teaching and refute it -- this makes the urgency and importance of discipleship all the more important in these days

Instead of the negative, Paul now turns to the positive -- as does the writer of Hebrews

Hebrews 6.1-3      Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity

Speaking the truth in love is so important -- truth without love is too hard -- love without truth is too soft -- speaking the truth in love is “just right”

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The image of verses 15 and 16 are compelling -- we are to grow up until we are as mature as our Head, into Christ -- not that we are equal to Him, but that we “grow up into” -- we mature so that we are suitable for our Bridegroom, for our Head, Jesus Christ -- for we are the whole body, joined and held together by all the parts that are already there and present

Picture the human body…it only works well when all the parts are present and functioning and grown up -- many of us know what it’s like when a part isn’t working properly, amen? I do…sometimes the solution requires dramatic change…we need to grow together, serve together, mature together, just as He intended, each of us using the gift that He has sovereignly given for the good of the Body as a whole, so that it builds itself up “in love”

Which closes the loop on this passage -- (v 2) we should be “bearing with one another in love,” now we learn we are to grow together so that the body “builds itself up in love” (v 16)

Application -- Get Truth Into Life And Act On It

So what do we do with this?

I trust that as you’ve read this passage and listened, that the Holy Spirit has been bringing things to your mind that might be an encouragement to you, but perhaps some things that might be issues you need to address…

Remember those five marks of a maturing believer? Humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and then the overarching mark of love? On which one or two of those did the Holy Spirit -- or maybe your spouse -- nudge you?

How do you relate to other believers? Are you prepared to accept and serve alongside other authentic, genuine Christians, even if they’re a little different than you?

Are you getting equipped to serve? Are you seeking out ways to both grow in your faith and grow in your capacity to minister? 

Are you ready to serve in your spiritual gift? Do you know what it is? If you’re not sure, ask your family and friends -- other believers -- they might have some truth to share with you

Do you need to grow up? I know I do…there are things in me that the Spirit continues to work on…there may be some of those areas in your life, too…if so, let’s actively seek Him and mature into the fullness of Jesus

And above all -- live and serve in the love of Christ

Amen and amen…let’s close in prayer