We Are Gifted, 2 March 2014
Big Idea: We are gifted.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Introduction
Do you like gifts? When do you usually receive a gift? When we get a gift, we usually think about how it can benefit us. Have you ever received a gift that you wanted to use to bless someone else? I’m not talking about regifting! I mean sharing a gift.
Two weeks ago I attended my friend’s daughter’s first birthday party. There was a huge pile of gifts. There were children there, too, that were interested in these gifts. Can you guess what happened?!
Today we continue our series on the book of Ephesians, Who Do You Think You Are? As we begin chapter four, a huge shift occurs, from doctrine to clear directives. Paul spent the first three chapters talking about who we are—and Whose we are. We are in Christ.
Ephesians parallels the book of Joshua. Joshua entered the land of Promised Land, leading the children of Israel over the Jordan speaking of the death, burial and resurrection to the Promised Land where we (should be) living today. Joshua had to take possession (the great word in Joshua).
Ephesians 1-3 is all about position, we are in Christ. Are we walking in possession? Now we enter the Promised Land to be a blessing to others.
We will see a shift from declarations to commands, from propositions to practical stuff for those in Christ.
Our culture often says if you do something, you can be somebody. God says be somebody and then you can do something as a result. Be in Christ. Becoming a child of God. Follow Jesus. Transformation follows.
I believe one of the great tragedies contributing to the decline of the movement of Jesus in our culture is the message we have sent to the world. Many churches communicate the need to behave, believe, and then belong. The order must be reversed. We must welcome the stranger and invite them into relationship with us and God. After they are loved and feel they belong it is likely they will believe, and once they believe and receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then and only then do they have the ability to behave.
As we begin Ephesians 4, these words are instructions to believers who are in Christ. Without Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit this text will be nothing more than futile, guilt-inducing moralizing. May it never be!
Paul the prisoner begins to instruct his readers, believers in the early Church.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (1-3)
We could camp out on these three verses for weeks!
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. J. Vernon McGee said people may not be telling you but they’re smelling you to see if your faith is genuine. It’s not only how we walk but where we walk, walking in the light (1 John 1:7). Is your life worthy of being called “Christian,” a “little Christ?”
Be completely humble. Humility has been a challenge for me…ever since I was eight years old, played a piano solo in our small church, and responded to a kind old lady who said, “You play very nice, young man” with the fateful words, “I know!” Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Few things make loving relationships challenging more than pride. We will in a culture where so many are creating platforms, establishing their own personal brand identity, and seeking as many likes, friends and followers as possible. Those endeavors are not necessarily sinful, but the attitude behind them can be evil. Pride got Lucifer the angel kicked out of heaven where he then became satan. Are you seeking God’s fame or your own.
…and gentle. Gentleness—or meekness—is not weakness. Moses (shattering the stone tablets) and Jesus (turning over the tables in the Temple) were both meek. Meekness is bowing to God’s will.
Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Patience is a virtue, but patience with people is especially challenging. They don’t usually change as quickly as a traffic light!
- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
This is one of Paul’s core messages—unity.
Perhaps the most significant verse for the people of Israel speaks to this idea of unity.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (4-6)
One body (the Church)
One Spirit (the Holy Spirit)
One hope (blessed hope)
One Lord (Jesus)
One faith (Acts 2:42)
One baptism (baptism in the Holy Spirit)
One God and Father (the Father of believers)
God is transcendent, above His creation.
God is through and in all, too.
Unity is one of my four prayers for Scio: unity, passion, protection and direction. LORD, make us one. That was Jesus’ prayer for us (John 17).
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (7-10)
This is an interesting segue from unity to gifts. There are a few possible meanings behind this reference to Psalm 68:18. We know Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). Some see “descended” as a reference to the Incarnation when Jesus came to earth as a baby. Others think it refers to when Jesus descended into Hell.
What is clear is God gives gifts to individuals to use not for themselves but for the Church, the Body of believers. It’s to bless others.
If you are a believer you have been given at least one gift to serve others. You are vital part of the body. With the possible exception of a haircut, no surgery is painless!
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (11-13)
Jesus gave the gifts.
He has the authority.
Every believer has at least one gift.
Nobody has all of the gifts.
It’s not that you have or don’t have a gift. There can be degrees.
Gifts may be lifelong or possibly temporary, like healing.
There is no comprehensive list of spiritual gifts.
There are four sections on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, Ephesians 4).
We are all called to be ministers.
As a pastor, I’m called to equip you to do the ministry, works of service.
Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)
Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)
Faith (1 Cor. 12:9)
Healing (1 Cor. 12:9)
Miracles (1 Cor. 12:9)
Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10)
Apostleship (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Teaching (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Helps and Service (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; 1 Peter 4:11)
Administration (1 Cor. 12:28)
Evangelism (Eph. 4:11)
Pastoring/Counseling (Eph. 4:11)
Encouragement (Rom. 12:8)
Giving (Rom. 12:8)
Leadership (Rom. 12:8)
Mercy (Rom. 12:8)
Hospitality (Rom. 12:13)
Tongues (1 Cor. 12:8–10, 29
Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28; Eph. 4:11)
Do you know your spiritual gift or gifts? These questions from Mark Driscoll may help you identify them:
Whom/where do you have a passion to serve?
What do you have a burden to do?
What needs do you see in the church?
What do you find joy in doing for others?
What opportunities has God already provided for you to serve others?
What things are you best at and have the most success in?
What have godly people commended you for doing?
What acts of service have given you the deepest sense of satisfaction and joy?
What is the purpose of gifts? The maturity of the Church.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (14-16)
Grow up! We’re not supposed to remain as spiritual babies but we are to grow up. How do you know if someone is a mature person? How do you know if someone is a mature believer?
Questions
Where does your church need to grow towards maturity?
What gifts has God given to enable this to take place?
What challenges, what cunning tricks and false teaching, do you need to watch out for, and how can you combat it?
Not every Christian is called to full-time vocational ministry, but every Christian is called to the “work of ministry.”
Resource
You can take a free spiritual gifts inventory and experience other valuable tools at http://www.chazown.com.
Credits:
Some ideas from
J.I. Packer, Ephesians (sermon series audio)
Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are (book and podcast series)
GLO Bible
Louie Giglio, Passion City Church sermon series
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, http://thruthebible.ca
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Introduction
Do you like gifts? When do you usually receive a gift? When we get a gift, we usually think about how it can benefit us. Have you ever received a gift that you wanted to use to bless someone else? I’m not talking about regifting! I mean sharing a gift.
Two weeks ago I attended my friend’s daughter’s first birthday party. There was a huge pile of gifts. There were children there, too, that were interested in these gifts. Can you guess what happened?!
Today we continue our series on the book of Ephesians, Who Do You Think You Are? As we begin chapter four, a huge shift occurs, from doctrine to clear directives. Paul spent the first three chapters talking about who we are—and Whose we are. We are in Christ.
Ephesians parallels the book of Joshua. Joshua entered the land of Promised Land, leading the children of Israel over the Jordan speaking of the death, burial and resurrection to the Promised Land where we (should be) living today. Joshua had to take possession (the great word in Joshua).
Ephesians 1-3 is all about position, we are in Christ. Are we walking in possession? Now we enter the Promised Land to be a blessing to others.
We will see a shift from declarations to commands, from propositions to practical stuff for those in Christ.
Our culture often says if you do something, you can be somebody. God says be somebody and then you can do something as a result. Be in Christ. Becoming a child of God. Follow Jesus. Transformation follows.
I believe one of the great tragedies contributing to the decline of the movement of Jesus in our culture is the message we have sent to the world. Many churches communicate the need to behave, believe, and then belong. The order must be reversed. We must welcome the stranger and invite them into relationship with us and God. After they are loved and feel they belong it is likely they will believe, and once they believe and receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then and only then do they have the ability to behave.
As we begin Ephesians 4, these words are instructions to believers who are in Christ. Without Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit this text will be nothing more than futile, guilt-inducing moralizing. May it never be!
Paul the prisoner begins to instruct his readers, believers in the early Church.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (1-3)
We could camp out on these three verses for weeks!
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. J. Vernon McGee said people may not be telling you but they’re smelling you to see if your faith is genuine. It’s not only how we walk but where we walk, walking in the light (1 John 1:7). Is your life worthy of being called “Christian,” a “little Christ?”
Be completely humble. Humility has been a challenge for me…ever since I was eight years old, played a piano solo in our small church, and responded to a kind old lady who said, “You play very nice, young man” with the fateful words, “I know!” Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. Few things make loving relationships challenging more than pride. We will in a culture where so many are creating platforms, establishing their own personal brand identity, and seeking as many likes, friends and followers as possible. Those endeavors are not necessarily sinful, but the attitude behind them can be evil. Pride got Lucifer the angel kicked out of heaven where he then became satan. Are you seeking God’s fame or your own.
…and gentle. Gentleness—or meekness—is not weakness. Moses (shattering the stone tablets) and Jesus (turning over the tables in the Temple) were both meek. Meekness is bowing to God’s will.
Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Patience is a virtue, but patience with people is especially challenging. They don’t usually change as quickly as a traffic light!
- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
This is one of Paul’s core messages—unity.
Perhaps the most significant verse for the people of Israel speaks to this idea of unity.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (4-6)
One body (the Church)
One Spirit (the Holy Spirit)
One hope (blessed hope)
One Lord (Jesus)
One faith (Acts 2:42)
One baptism (baptism in the Holy Spirit)
One God and Father (the Father of believers)
God is transcendent, above His creation.
God is through and in all, too.
Unity is one of my four prayers for Scio: unity, passion, protection and direction. LORD, make us one. That was Jesus’ prayer for us (John 17).
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (7-10)
This is an interesting segue from unity to gifts. There are a few possible meanings behind this reference to Psalm 68:18. We know Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). Some see “descended” as a reference to the Incarnation when Jesus came to earth as a baby. Others think it refers to when Jesus descended into Hell.
What is clear is God gives gifts to individuals to use not for themselves but for the Church, the Body of believers. It’s to bless others.
If you are a believer you have been given at least one gift to serve others. You are vital part of the body. With the possible exception of a haircut, no surgery is painless!
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (11-13)
Jesus gave the gifts.
He has the authority.
Every believer has at least one gift.
Nobody has all of the gifts.
It’s not that you have or don’t have a gift. There can be degrees.
Gifts may be lifelong or possibly temporary, like healing.
There is no comprehensive list of spiritual gifts.
There are four sections on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, Ephesians 4).
We are all called to be ministers.
As a pastor, I’m called to equip you to do the ministry, works of service.
Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)
Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)
Faith (1 Cor. 12:9)
Healing (1 Cor. 12:9)
Miracles (1 Cor. 12:9)
Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10)
Apostleship (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Teaching (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11)
Helps and Service (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; 1 Peter 4:11)
Administration (1 Cor. 12:28)
Evangelism (Eph. 4:11)
Pastoring/Counseling (Eph. 4:11)
Encouragement (Rom. 12:8)
Giving (Rom. 12:8)
Leadership (Rom. 12:8)
Mercy (Rom. 12:8)
Hospitality (Rom. 12:13)
Tongues (1 Cor. 12:8–10, 29
Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28; Eph. 4:11)
Do you know your spiritual gift or gifts? These questions from Mark Driscoll may help you identify them:
Whom/where do you have a passion to serve?
What do you have a burden to do?
What needs do you see in the church?
What do you find joy in doing for others?
What opportunities has God already provided for you to serve others?
What things are you best at and have the most success in?
What have godly people commended you for doing?
What acts of service have given you the deepest sense of satisfaction and joy?
What is the purpose of gifts? The maturity of the Church.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (14-16)
Grow up! We’re not supposed to remain as spiritual babies but we are to grow up. How do you know if someone is a mature person? How do you know if someone is a mature believer?
Questions
Where does your church need to grow towards maturity?
What gifts has God given to enable this to take place?
What challenges, what cunning tricks and false teaching, do you need to watch out for, and how can you combat it?
Not every Christian is called to full-time vocational ministry, but every Christian is called to the “work of ministry.”
Resource
You can take a free spiritual gifts inventory and experience other valuable tools at http://www.chazown.com.
Credits:
Some ideas from
J.I. Packer, Ephesians (sermon series audio)
Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are (book and podcast series)
GLO Bible
Louie Giglio, Passion City Church sermon series
J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible, http://thruthebible.ca
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.