Healing through Ephesians, Eph 4:7-16

Healing through Ephesians, Ephesians 4:7-16

1. Introduction. Recap Ephesians 1:1-4:6
   
2. Theology matters
   1. Why should we study theology? It’s not just so we can win an argument or have extra knowledge. The point is to know and love God more. If we know and love the God of the Bible more, then when false teachers or life’s difficulties come our way, we’re better prepared to combat them with truth. False teachers and wolves don’t show up to the flock flaunting themselves. The Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t knock on your door saying, “We worship an aberrant conception of the God of the Bible and deny salvation by grace and the deity of Christ. Would you like to join?” No, what they do is they try to worm their way through a back door of supposed commonality and through that inject their poison like a parasite.  
   2. Theological truths seen in this passage
      1. Jesus is God – Paul adapts Psalm 68:18 for his purpose and changes it from the second person to the third. In Psalm 68:18, David writes about God:

“You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men”
              But in Ephesians, Paul writes:
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
Why the difference? Paul is getting the point across that Christ has richly provided for us all things. He is the fulfillment of the OT and is keeping His promise of never leaving us nor forsaking us.

1. God gives us grace to do what He’s called us to do – the grace that God poured out on the church as a body is the same grace God is pouring out on us individually in that each one of us has grace according to Christ’s gift. God not only calls us to what He wills us to do, He also empowers us to accomplish it.
2. Jesus, confirmed as a pleasing sacrifice for sin ascended back to God the Father
3. God provides for his people all thru the Bible

1. God has given us everything we need to be the church
   1. Who has God given us?
      1. Apostles - wrote the NT, or were closely associated with an NT writer. Acts 1:12-26, the requirements for being an apostle to replace Judas. Paul’s defense of his apostleship is along those lines too. He was a witness to the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. So, I don’t believe we have apostles today because no one alive on Earth has seen the incarnate, risen Christ. We have with us now in the Bible what we need of the apostle’s writing.
      2. Prophets - In one sense, prophecy in the biblical sense is a proclamation of God’s revelation. A lot of prophecy in the OT was fulfilled within a century of it’s being spoken. There are some prophecies that had a longer horizon - virgin birth of Isaiah, a lot of Daniel’s prophecies, for instance. Prophecy in the biblical sense is not always predicting future events, but it’s a proclamation of God’s revelation. Acts 13:1 prophets and teachers in Antioch, Acts 15:32 Judas and Silas, Acts 11:27 and 21:10 Agabus. Now, because we have the written word of God, I’m in the camp that we don’t need continuing new revelation, the canon is closed and we have everything we need for faith and practice in Scripture. Does God open our understanding to a text of Scripture? Yes! Does God use others to open and expound Scripture to us? Yes! If prophecy is new revelation that’s authoritative, then I believe that it’s ended. If prophecy is expounding revealed Scripture, then I’m all for it.
      3. Evangelists - Those who proclaim the Gospel to those who have not heard it before. Think someone like a missionary in an unreached people group. They’re crossing linguistic, cultural, or geographical barriers to preach the Gospel somewhere where it’s not already at all or not common. That too, can be in our context. Someone who has a God-given passion to see people come to Christ. We got some opportunities as a church for this at Fall-der-all and other events coming up.
      4. Shepherds - Our word pastor is descended from the Latin for shepherd. These are people who care for the flock. Not exploiting the flock. Not building their own kingdom on the backs of the flock. Not abusing the flock. Caring for the flock. A pastor is not a spiritual CEO, a visionary leader who the sheep follow without a word of question or doubt. If you’re abusing sheep, you’re not a shepherd. I pray that God is raising up among us men to shepherd well.
      5. Teachers - What does the word say? What does it mean? Why should I care? That’s what a teacher answers. The ESV footnote has “Or the shepherd-teachers” as shepherd (pastor) and teacher tends to go together in the church. We think of the requirements for elders in 1 Timothy and Titus and “able to teach” or “give instruction in sound doctrine” is on both lists. If someone wants to be an elder or teacher, they must have the ability to teach well and teach according to sound doctrine. Any fool can collect a crowd, but the teaching that Paul has in view here is something specific to what the church needs, namely, to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
      6. By extension, Scripture – The writings of the apostles and prophets make up all Scripture, which is “is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says. Knowing Scripture, really knowing it, allows you to tap into each of these that God has given us. Knowing and hearing the Word of God in the fellowship with other saints allows us to encourage and build one another up in the truth.
   2. Why has God given us these people?
      1. Equip you, the saints – Equip to do what? Grow in holiness. Become more like Christ.
      2. Build up the body of Christ
         1. Unity of faith – Christian unity is about something much deeper than geographical, socio-economic, or national unity. There’s a unity I share with a Palestinian Christian in the West Bank that I may not with a North Texan who may vote like me.
         2. Know the Son of God – what is there to know other than the knowledge of Christ? What else is there to know? What is eternal life? John 17:3.
         3. Christian maturity – Paul is not speaking of “men” as in males. Mature manhood should in this context be “mature adulthood.”  
      3. Not be theological babies
         1. Tossed to and fro – not stable and steadfast in their beliefs. Some kids have a handle on what they believe. But, a lot of growing up is putting away your old understanding and taking on an understanding of reality.
         2. Carried about by every wind of doctrine – some false doctrine sounds correct. But, the only way to know what true or false is by comparing it with accurately understood Scripture.
         3. Human cunning (negative connotation with dice-playing. Something seriously sketchy going on. Card sharps.
         4. Craftiness in deceitful schemes – again, false teachers and wolves aren’t forthright. No one walks into a church, “hey, just so you know, I’m a wolf and I’m here to destroy what God is doing here in the lives of His saints.”
2. How does the body grow?
   1. Speaking the truth in love – sometimes hard conversations must happen, but everything we do must be out of love for God and love for one another.
   2. Growing together – No one disciplines their kid for not growing. If a child isn’t developing like they should, a responsible parent doesn’t rest until they figure out what’s going on. But, they don’t give their child pills to build muscle when their bones aren’t developing.
   3. Each part doing its part – Each of us has a job in the church. Some of us teach, some of us serve in various ways. All of us are called to love one another and build up the church.
   4. Builds itself up in love – We start and end in love. Love is everything because that’s all that God has for us is love in Christ.
3. Conclusion