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Welcome to everyone, it's good 
to be back in the house of our God on this Lord's Day evening. 
Just one announcement, a reminder, we have Wednesday night Bible 
study this week at 7.30 p.m. here at the church building upstairs. 
We're continuing on our studies in the book of Exodus, so all 
are encouraged and invited to come to that. Well, for our call 
to worship, you can turn with me to the 68th Psalm, Psalm 68. We're gonna read verses seven 
to 20 as our call to worship this evening. Psalm 68, beginning in verse 
7. O God, when you went out before 
your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah, 
the earth shook, the heavens also dropped rain at the presence 
of God. Sinai itself was moved at the 
presence of God, the God of Israel. You, O God, sent a plentiful 
rain, whereby you confirmed your inheritance when it was weary. 
Your congregation dwelt in it. You, O God, provided from your 
goodness for the poor. The Lord gave the word. Great 
was the company of those who proclaimed it. Kings of armies 
flee, they flee, and she who remains at home divides the spoil. 
"'Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, "'you will be like 
the wings of a dove covered with silver, "'and her feathers with 
yellow gold. "'When the Almighty scattered 
kings in it, "'it was white as snow in Zalmon. "'A mountain 
of God is the mountain of Bashan. "'A mountain of many peaks is 
the mountain of Bashan. "'Why do you fume with envy, 
you mountains of many peaks? "'This is the mountain which 
God desires to dwell in. "'Yes, the Lord will dwell in 
it forever. The chariots of God are 20,000, 
even thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, as in 
Sinai, in the holy place. You have ascended on high. You 
have led captivity captive. You have received gifts among 
men, even from the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell 
there. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, 
the God of our salvation, Selah. Our God is the God of salvation, 
and to God the Lord belong escapes from death. Amen. Well, please 
turn with me in your hymn books to number 164. Hymn number 164, 
we'll stand as we sing together. In our God and Savior, ♪ God himself is with us ♪ ♪ Hear 
the hearts resounding ♪ ♪ See the crowds of hope surrounding 
♪ ♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪ ♪ Hear the heavens singing ♪ ♪ Angels 
singing ♪ ♪ Bow thy head to the Spirit ♪ 
♪ Behold Christ the Creator ♪ ♪ Heaven and earth shall praise him ♪ 
♪ O come, Thou Count of blessing ♪ ♪ Purify my spirit ♪ ♪ Trusting 
only in Thee ♪ I love my holy angels, who make 
all my glory, may I cease to scream. And in awe, great and small, 
sing to you, O cheerly, of the Valedictorian. Amen. Well, before we pray, we'll mention 
an announcement, a birth announcement from Grant and Sherell Niels. They had a baby girl, eight pounds, 
four ounces, Esme Ellen, so we can rejoice in God's goodness 
to them. So let us pray. Our great and 
our holy God and Father, we gather together on this Lord's Day evening 
to call upon your great and awesome name. We confess that you are 
the Most High, from everlasting to everlasting, that you are 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a glorious and a wondrous God, 
the God of absolute power and authority and glory and majesty, 
the God of Psalm 68, who triumphs in victory over his enemies, 
the God who blesses and loads his people daily with benefits, 
and the God who is worthy to be praised. We ask tonight that 
you would receive our adoration, that we would come to the Father 
through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that 
God would be all in all in this place. We pray as the prophet 
prayed, that you would rend the heavens and come down. that you 
would be found amongst this candlestand, that you would bless and encourage 
and strengthen each of our hearts. We ask that you would deal graciously 
with us and mercifully. And as well, for any and all 
who've come here tonight that are still dead in their trespasses 
and sins, we pray that you would awaken them by the presence and 
the power of the Holy Spirit, that they would hear that word 
of truth and that they, by grace, would believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ for salvation. Forgive us for all our sin and 
unrighteousness as we consider your majesty and glory, as we 
consider what scripture says concerning your holiness and 
the fact that the prophet says your eyes are too pure to look 
approvingly upon any evil. We see our own waywardness, we 
see our own remaining corruption, and we cry out to you for forgiveness. The apostle said, wretched man 
that I am who will deliver me from this body of death. So God, 
we rejoice and we praise you and we thank you that there is 
a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. We thank you for our Lord Jesus 
Christ, our great high priest, that surety of a better covenant, 
that one enthroned at the right hand of God Almighty, that one 
who ever lives to make intercession for us, and that one who serves 
as an advocate with the Father. So even now, cleanse us in that 
precious blood. Wash us and purify us and fit 
us for corporate worship in your presence. We rejoice in your 
spiritual blessings. The Apostle said that we bless 
you for every spiritual blessing in the heavenly, or for having 
given us or blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly 
places in Christ. We acknowledge justification 
and sanctification. We look forward to glorification 
and all the benefits that you have conferred upon us through 
your Son. As well, we rejoice in the temporal benefits. We 
rejoice in the birth of this new little baby girl. We just 
bless you, God, that all has gone well. We thank you for the 
joy of the parents, and we pray that they would be diligent to 
bring this little one up in the training and the admonition of 
the Lord. And we rejoice as a church in the many children that you 
have given us. And God, we see this as a great stewardship, 
and we pray that you would give us as parents and grandparents 
a firm commitment to the truth of God's holy word. that that 
section of Deuteronomy 6 would be real and applied in our own 
lives, that we would know that You, our God, are one, and that 
we would love You with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and 
that we would instruct our little ones when we rise up, when we 
walk by the way, and when we lie down at night. That they 
would know the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They would 
know that law that does condemn and that law that does show the 
need for the Savior. And that they would come to Him 
and believe on Him and have that joy of being found in Him. As 
well, God, we pray for Your blessing upon the temporal needs in our 
church. We know there are many with ongoing 
physical trials and challenges. We just commend them to You and 
to the Word of Your grace. We pray for the new-felds, that 
You would bless them. and strengthen our brother Don 
and just help him to continually look to you even in the midst 
of affliction and trial and hardship. We pray as well, Lord God, for 
our sister churches. We thank you for the saints in 
Surrey and for Pastor Kirkpatrick. We thank you for the brethren 
in Armstrong and Pastor Maljars, and we thank you as well for 
what you're doing in Dryden. We pray for those men that are 
serving as leaders, at least at this point. We pray that you 
would just bless them and help them to be faithful in the service 
of that local church. And God, look with favor upon 
the church in Honduras. We thank You for the pastors 
there. We thank You for the brethren 
there and pray that they would know the nearness of God as their 
good. And Lord, we pray as well for the persecuted church. We 
know that all over the earth the people of God suffer for 
the cause of God and truth. And we pray that You would grant 
them grace in the midst of this. That they would be faithful testimony, 
faithful witnesses even in the midst of these afflictions, and 
they would hold forth that word of truth, and that you would 
be pleased to save even those who persecute the bride of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. We see you do that with Saul 
of Tarsus in the New Testament, and use him as the Apostle Paul 
to take that good gospel throughout the Roman Empire, and to bring 
glory and honor and praise unto you. So God bless us now as we 
worship, may you be glorified, and we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord, amen. Well you can turn with me again 
in your hymn books to 436, 436, and we'll stand as we sing together. ♪ And in this world we sleep ♪ 
♪ And in this world we sleep ♪ ♪ And in this world we sleep 
♪ ♪ And in this world we sleep ♪ ♪ And in this world we sleep 
♪ so you ♪ I am God, I am God, I am God, 
I am God ♪ Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Numbers. We're in Numbers chapter 23. Numbers chapter 23. Balaam is 
a confusing individual. He's a wicked man. The New Testament 
comments on that. He's basically a prophet for 
profit. But nevertheless, he speaks some 
truth, somewhat like Job's friends. They're not the best buddies. 
They're not great encouragement. But some of the things they say 
along the way are, in fact, accurate. Well, Balaam is sort of like 
that. So as we move through this passage 
and the next one, or chapter 24, God willing, next week, we 
see how Balaam does make some prophetic statements concerning 
Messiah that are in fact accurate. So again, not that he is a good 
man, a righteous man, a godly man, the New Testament tells 
us otherwise. And as we see in chapter 25, specifically in chapter 
31, it's at the enticement of Balaam that the children of Israel 
play the harlot with the people of Baor or Peor in chapter 25. 
So let's just read beginning in verse 1 in chapter 23. Then 
Balaam said to Balak, Build seven altars for me here, and prepare 
for me here seven bulls and seven rams. And Balak did just as Balaam 
had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each 
altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, stand 
by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come 
to meet me, and whatever he shows me, I will tell you. So he went 
to a desolate height. And God met Balaam, and he said 
to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on 
each altar a bull and a ram. Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's 
mouth and said, Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak. So 
he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt 
offering, he and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his oracle 
and said, Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, 
from the mountains of the east. Come, curse Jacob for me, and 
come, denounce Israel. How shall I curse whom God has 
not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom 
the Lord has not denounced? For from the top of the rocks 
I see him, and from the hills I behold him. There a people 
dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. Who 
can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? 
Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his. Then 
Balak said to Balaam, what have you done to me? I took you to 
curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully. 
So he answered and said, must I not take heed to speak what 
the Lord has put in my mouth? Then Balak said to him, please 
come with me to another place from which you may see them. 
You shall see only the outer part of them and shall not see 
them all. Curse them for me from there. So he brought him to the 
field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, 
and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. And he said to 
Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord 
over there. Then the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his 
mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak. So 
he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering. And the princes of Moab were 
with him. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord spoken? Then 
he took up his oracle and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen 
to me, son of Zippor. God is not a man that he should 
lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said, and 
will he not do? Or has he spoken, and will he 
not make it good? Behold, I have received a command 
to bless. He has blessed, and I cannot 
reverse it. He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has he 
seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, 
and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of 
Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. 
For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against 
Israel. It now must be said of Jacob 
and of Israel, oh, what God has done. Look, a people rises like 
a lioness and lifts itself up like a lion. It shall not lie 
down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain. 
Then Balak said to Balaam, neither curse them at all nor bless them 
at all. So Balaam answered and said to 
Balak, did I not tell you, saying, all that the Lord speaks, that 
I must do? Then Balaam said to Balaam, Please 
come, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please 
God that you may curse them for me from there. So Balaam took 
Balaam to the top of Peor that overlooks the wasteland. Then 
Balaam said to Balaam, Build for me here seven altars, and 
prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams. And Balak did 
as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for your word. We 
thank you for the fact revealed so clearly that you're not a 
man. You don't repent or relent. You don't change. As you say 
through the prophet Malachi, I the Lord do not change. As 
James rehearses in James 1.17, there's no variation or shadow 
of turning with you. And we rejoice in that, Lord 
God. We know that you don't save us on a Monday and forget about 
us on a Thursday. We give praise to you that you 
are immutable and impassable, that you are the God who loves 
his people to the uttermost, and in this we greatly rejoice. 
And again, we pray for the proclamation of your truth throughout this 
earth, that that word would run swiftly and be glorified, and 
that you would save from every tribe and tongue and people and 
nation. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. Well, 
for our final hymn before the preaching, we can turn to 403. 
403, we'll stand together. ♪ How he hath spoken, Zion, city 
of our God ♪ ♪ His words will not be broken, nor before his 
own abode ♪ ♪ On the rock that laid his hand him, one day shall 
die ♪ See the streams of living waters 
streaming from eternal love. Help supply the sons and daughters 
and all can think of such a river, ever 
older to say, praises like the Lord a year. ever fails, from age to age. Round each adulation of him, 
sing the proud and fine of him Thou sleep on earth, on bare 
heaven, Thine the light, She the day. Sleep with me upon the 
meadow, Which He gives them when they pray. Sleep with me. I will glory in thy name. God's sweet treasure, the hearts 
of your saviors. Well you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Ephesians. We're in Ephesians chapter 4. 
Our focus tonight will be on verses 7 to 11. I will read up 
to verse 16 though. So beginning in Ephesians chapter 
4 at verse 1. I, therefore, the prisoner of 
the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which 
you were called, with all loneliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, 
bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity 
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and 
one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, 
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who 
is above all and through all and in you all. But to each one 
of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 
Therefore, he says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive 
and gave gifts to men. Now this, he ascended, what does 
it mean but that he also first descended into the lower parts 
of the earth? He who descended is also the 
one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill 
all things. And He Himself gave some to be 
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors 
and teachers. For the equipping of the saints, 
for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge 
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature 
of the fullness of Christ. that we should no longer be children 
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine 
by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful 
plotting. But speaking the truth in love 
may grow up in all things into him who is the head. Christ, 
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every 
joint supplies, according to the effective working by which 
every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying 
of itself in love. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
God, we thank you for this letter, the apostle to these brethren 
in Ephesians in the first century. We know the application for us 
as well, and we pray that you'd give us ears to hear and hearts 
to receive your truth. We pray that the ministry of 
the Holy Spirit would be prevalent among us, that he would guide 
and lead us and direct us into all truth. We pray that you would 
help us to always seek to comply with the exhortations that Paul 
gives in verses two and three, to bear with one another in love 
to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of 
peace. And may it be the case, Lord God, that we would love 
you, that we would love one another, that we would glorify you in 
this local church. And again, forgive us now for 
all of our sin and its darkening influence in our minds and hearts, 
and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we finished 
the doctrinal section of the epistle in chapters 1 to 3. Paul 
gets practical in chapters 4 to 6. And specifically, this is 
a section, verses 1 to 16, which deals specifically with the church. 
He's going to move from the church in then chapter four, verse 17, 
into our conduct as individuals, and then he's gonna pursue the 
relational angles in terms of family and that relationship, 
husbands and wives, fathers to children, and then employees 
and servants. And then he ends the epistle 
with that whole armor of God and an appeal for us as the people 
of God, or rather the Ephesians as the people of God, to pray 
for him, that he would speak the gospel boldly as he ought 
to speak. Now, in this particular section, 
we've already seen verses 1 to 6. We see the apostles' exhortation 
or admonition in verses 2 and 3. We're to love or bear with 
one another in love, and we're to endeavor to keep the unity 
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is that binding 
together in verses 4 to 6, which is something of a confession 
or a charter concerning our relationship one with another. Notice in verse 
4, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called 
in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 
one God and Father of all who is above all and through all 
and in you all. That's foundational for our pursuit 
of unity and love with one another. Now here specifically in verses 
7 to 16 he's dealing with gifts in the life of the church of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. And essentially what he does 
is he highlights the provision of God's grace in verse 7, the 
provider of God's gifts in verses 8 to 11, and then the purpose 
of God's gifts in the church in verses 12 to 16. So that's 
the emphasis, the gifts and how the gifts function in the context 
of the church to help the people of God to maintain unity and 
to maintain love. So we have those two exhortations. 
Again, look at verse 2. Bearing with one another in love. 
Verse 3, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the 
bond of peace. We'll go through the section concerning the giving 
of the gifts, and then notice specifically at verse 13 in terms 
of purpose for the gifts. till we all come to the unity 
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect 
man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. There 
is our endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond 
of peace, and the gifts of Christ help us to do that. And then 
drop down to verse 16, from whom the whole body, joined and knit 
together by what every joint supplies according to the effective 
working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the 
body for the edifying of itself in love. So there's that bearing 
with one another in love. So the gifts are operative for 
a particular purpose in the context of the church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So let's look first at the provision of God's grace 
in verse 7. Notice that he says, Now grace 
has not been absent from this particular book thus far. Remember in chapter 1, verses 
3 to 14, Paul goes back to eternity to show the plan and purpose 
of a triune God to save His people from their sins. Blessed be the 
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And 
then he highlights the fact that the Father chose us in Christ 
before the foundation of the world, that He predestinated 
us unto adoption as sons. He then highlights the work of 
the Redeemer. In Him we have redemption through 
His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches 
of His grace, 1 7. And then he moves to the covenant 
of grace in chapter 2. So covenant of redemption, God's 
eternal purpose and plan, chapter 2 is the outworking of that in 
history. Chapter 2, verses 1 to 10, specifically 
verses 8 to 10, by grace you've been saved through faith and 
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. But again in 
verse 7 of chapter 2, he celebrates the riches of God's grace. So 
when we come to verse 7 in chapter 4, we can all yea and amen that. But to each one of us, grace 
was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. So there's 
this exhortation of love and unity, there's this charter that 
binds the church together, we sang this last Sunday night, 
elect from every nation, yet one over all the earth, her charter 
of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth, one holy name she 
blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses with 
every grace endued. Now the way that I understand 
verse 7 is not a specific reference to the gifts. That's going to 
follow in verses 8 and follow it. I think verse 7 is the overarching 
reality that God has been gracious to us, that He has graced us 
in salvation, that He has conferred upon us every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places in Christ. Matthew Poole says, more generally, 
it comprehends also those graces which are common to all believers 
as such, faith, hope, love, zeal, and etc. So when he says, but 
to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's 
gift, he is highlighting the reality that we've all been blessed 
by God in terms of salvation. And that's when he then moves 
on to deal with the specific provision of gift by the ascended 
Lord Jesus Christ. So general statement in verse 
7, transitional statement to identify that Christ is the provider 
of those gifts in verses 8 to 10, and then the nature or rather 
description of those gifts in verse 11, and then the purpose 
for them in verses 12 to 16. Now when he says that to each 
one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift, 
go back to chapter one, specifically at verse 20. He's demonstrating 
the power of God Almighty, and he demonstrates the power of 
God Almighty in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice 
in verse 20, which he worked in Christ when he raised him 
from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly 
places. Far above all principality and 
power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, 
not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And 
he put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over 
all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of 
him who fills all in all. So it's Christ that's head. It's 
Christ who dispenses God's grace. He is the mediator of the new 
covenant. That grace of God comes through 
the work of, person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
it is conferred upon each one. Now before we embark on a study 
of gifts in the life of the church, I think this realization ought 
to produce two practical results in the lives of God's people. 
First, the realization of this truth, that it's Christ who gives 
us grace. The realization of this truth 
will help in complying with the exhortations in verses 2 and 
3. Brethren, we cannot get untethered from the exhortations in verses 
2 and 3. The Apostle wants us to bear 
with one another in love. He wants us to endeavor to keep 
the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. He wants us to 
be able to have annual general meetings where the overarching 
tenor is one of peace and unity and love. These are crucial in 
the maintenance of Christ's church. If we do not have love, if we 
do not have unity, if we do not endeavor and persevere to keep 
what the Spirit has wrought, then we're gonna mess up the 
church of our blessed Savior. So we can't say, well, it's just 
so hard to bear with these people in love. It's just so hard to 
endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. 
Yeah, it may be challenging. There might be some difficulties 
involved, but Christ gives God's grace. Christ supplies what we 
stand in need of. But as well, another practical 
sort of application or observation along the way is the realization 
of this truth will help in killing pride. When he gets to discussing 
gifts, say for instance in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, he then goes to 1 
Corinthians chapter 13 in the great love chapter. If you have 
all these gifts, if you have all these abilities, if you have 
all of this power in the midst of the congregation, but you 
do not have love, then it's valueless. It is worthless. And so we need 
to understand that whatever gifts we have, whatever things God 
has blessed us with, they're gifts. They're blessings. They're not native accomplishments. 
They're not something that we stand out above others as a result 
of, but rather it is the gift of Christ Most High to His people 
for His purposes, to advance His cause on the earth. There's 
no room for celebrity in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
There's no room for pastor's faces on coffee cups or on t-shirts. There's no room for that kind 
of celebration of a man who has been gifted by God Most High. We celebrate the giver, not the 
gift. We celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise him. We don't praise 
the man who's in service. That doesn't mean we spit on 
him. That doesn't mean we kick him in the shins. That doesn't 
mean we punch him in the face. We show the degree of respect 
that we're bidden to in the scriptures. Hebrews chapter 13 speaks to 
that, I think, very efficiently or effectively, rather. But we're 
not to put men up on a pedestal. The best of men are men at best. 
David was the greatest man outside of, you know, the triune, well 
he's not, he wasn't Jesus, but he was typological, he was a 
great man, but he was a man at best. He had his issues, he had 
his challenges, he had his problems, he had his sins. So to each one 
of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 
That is the general statement. Now let's look at, secondly, 
the provider of God's gifts in verses 8 to 11. The apostle appeals 
to Psalm 68, that psalm that we read at the outset of worship. 
Notice, therefore he says. He appeals to the word of the 
living and true God, and he does it in that sort of personal way. 
Some, I think, translate it, therefore it says, which refers 
to the scripture, but here I like the New King James rendering, 
therefore he says, God. So he appeals to Psalm 68 to 
sort of make the case that it's Christ, the Lord, who is the 
dispenser of God's grace, specifically with reference to gifts in the 
life and context of the church of the Lord Jesus. Now if you 
notice the passage, It says, therefore, he says, when he ascended 
on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. There's 
a change in that third clause. It's similar to Psalm 68, 18, 
but that third clause differs. So when he ascended on high, 
he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. In Psalm 68, 
18, it says, you have received gifts among men. Now of course 
people say, well there's a contradiction, there's a problem, the Bible 
can't be believed, we have to throw it out, it's a bad book. 
No, we need to fix our minds and thoughts and think like men 
bought by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ who have the Holy 
Spirit. Now, there are no shortage of ways that men have tried to 
make this what appears to be a contradiction disappear. I 
think there was eight listed by Stephen Baugh in his commentary. I'm just going to tell you what 
I think the Apostle Paul is doing. I think he's appealing to the 
psalm as a whole. He's appealing to the psalm as 
a whole and he uses it in a Christological fashion to verify or rather corroborate 
or validate that it's Christ who was typologically spoken 
of in that Psalm 68. So again, he appeals to the psalm 
as a whole, not just that text. There's times where scripture 
authors in the New Testament, they conflate passages. That 
means they take a bit of this prophet and a bit of this prophet 
and put it together, and then we scratch our heads and say, 
well that doesn't appear anywhere in the scripture. It's a conflation, 
it's a utilization of text in a theological manner to prove 
a particular point. And that's what Paul is doing 
here. Now Psalm 68 is a war psalm, a victory psalm, a psalm of triumph 
of Yahweh at most high. Some suggest it has to do with 
the time of the exodus from Egypt. Others see it in application 
in terms of David's victories over the pagans around him. Either 
way, what we have in Psalm 68, historically, is a record of 
God's conquest over His and the enemies of Israel. But again, 
there's a typology there, and Paul sees that, and Paul employs 
that, and Paul applies that to the person and the work of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, to show that He, as the head of the church, 
is the one who ascended on high, He is the one who led captivity 
captive, and He is the one, as the enthroned God of heaven and 
earth, who gives gifts to men. Listen to Ba, I think he does 
well in explaining this. He says Psalm 68 is a triumphant 
song of Yahweh's deliverance of his people from his and their 
enemies in salvation from death. Verse 20 says that. And then 
the song lauds, celebrates, rejoices in his victorious ascent to dwell 
among his people in peace. The women divide up the spoils 
of battle, 6812, and the conquered kings of the earth bear gifts 
of tribute to the divine victor, 6829. The envoys bring these 
gifts to Yahweh. He receives them. Then Yahweh, 
enthroned in His holy place, verse 24, with His loyal subjects 
attending Him, distributes power and strength to His people, Psalm 
68, 35. In fact, in Psalm 68, in our 
versions, you have that statement in verse 18, that He receives 
gifts from men, but on the heels of that in verse 19, it says, 
blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God 
of our salvation. So Paul is taking the psalm as 
a whole and applying it to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has conquered. He has vanquished his enemies. 
He has received from them submission. He has received from them gifts. And in turn, as a conquering 
king, he disperses those kings amongst his loyal subjects. Paul's 
Trinitarian theology is in sharp relief in this passage. Because 
as I said, Psalm 68 speaks of Yahweh, and Paul says it's Christ. Typologically, the Psalter pointed 
to our Lord Jesus Christ, not only in his death, but in his 
resurrection, Psalm 16, and also in his triumphal conquest, Psalm 
68. And that's what the apostle is 
speaking to. So he says in verse 7, to each 
one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, he says, when he ascended 
on high, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to man. The 
ascension refers to just that. Christ, after his work of life 
and death and resurrection, he ascends on high. That was prophesied 
in Daniel 7, 13 and 14. It's expressed in Acts chapter 
2, verses 33 to 36. It's expressed in Ephesians chapter 
1. He not only raised Jesus from 
the dead, but he enthroned him to the right hand of the Father, 
so that he's the head and ruler over all things to the church. 
So he ascended on high, but then notice he led captivity captive. John Gill expresses it this way. 
He says, "...which is expressive of Christ's conquests and triumph 
over sin, Satan, the world, death, and the grave, and indeed every 
spiritual enemy of his and his people, especially the devil." 
who leads men captive at his will, and is therefore called 
captivity, and his principalities and powers, whom Christ has spoiled 
and triumphed over. The allusion is to the public 
triumphs of the Romans, in which captives were led in chains and 
exposed to open views. Again, the Christology of the 
Apostle Paul is glorious. He ascended on high, having accomplished 
his work, and he led captivity captive. He didn't fail, he didn't 
lose, he wasn't defeated, but he led captivity captive. Turn 
over to Colossians 2, you see this emphasis there. Colossians 
2, verse 15, having disarmed principalities and powers, he 
made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Just 
like Gil says, it's the public triumphs, or rather the allusion 
is to the public triumphs of the Romans, in which captives 
were led in chains and exposed to open views. Turn to Hebrews 
chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2, same sort 
of an emphasis in terms of the defeat of the devil and his legions. Hebrews 2.14, inasmuch then as 
the children had partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise 
shared in the same, that through death, notice, he might destroy 
him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release 
those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject 
to bondage. And then turn to 1 John chapter 
3. 1 John chapter 3, same emphasis, specifically at verse 8. He who 
sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. 
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might 
destroy the works of the devil. So you see Paul's train of thought, 
appealing to Psalm 68, alluding to that historical psalm, and 
showing the typology as it comes to pass in the Lord Jesus, he 
ascends on high, he leads captivity captive, and he gives gifts to 
men. So this general statement, God's 
grace dispensed by Christ according to His measure. And then the 
specific reference now to Jesus as being the one who doles out 
the gifts. Now there are similar passages 
in the New Testament that deal with the gifts. Turn to Romans 
12. Romans chapter 12, typically when we talk about the gifts 
that are used in the church, our minds go to Romans 12 and 
1 Corinthians 12 and this passage and then 1 Peter chapter 4. But 
if you notice in Romans 12 verse 6, It says specifically, having 
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to 
us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy 
in proportion to our faith. Or ministry, let us use it in 
our ministry. He who teaches in teaching, he 
who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he 
who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. 
These are gifts given by the ascended Christ. Turn over to 
1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, specifically 
at verse 8. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 
8. For to one is given the word 
of wisdom through the spirit, to another the word of knowledge 
through the same spirit, to another faith by the same spirit, to 
another gifts of healings by the same spirit, to another the 
working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning 
of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another 
the interpretation of tongues. But one in the same spirit works 
all these things, distributing to each one individually as he 
wills. The ascended Christ deposits these gifts through the agency 
of the Holy Spirit. And then notice in verses 28 
to 30, and God has appointed these in the church, first apostles, 
second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts 
of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. And then 
he asks these rhetorical questions, and there's a no response that's 
expected. If I say to a five-year-old, 
you don't like broccoli, do you? I know the answer that's coming. 
You don't like cauliflower, do you? Now, unless your kid's weird, 
he's probably gonna say, no, I don't. If I say, you don't 
like cake, do you? Well, yeah, I do. We can ask 
a question in such a way that rhetorically we expect a negative 
answer. That's what Paul does here. We 
cannot think for a moment that unity in the church means uniformity 
of gift. Not everybody has the same deposit. Not everybody has the same strength. 
Not everybody has the same ability. Look at what he says. Are all 
apostles? No. Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. Are all 
workers of miracles? No. Do all have gifts of healings? No. Do all speak with tongues? 
No. Do all interpret? No. This is 
why it's pernicious for the, not every charismatic and Pentecostal, 
but for that vein that teaches that the gift of tongues is proof 
positive that you're saved. Brethren, that's not a biblical 
emphasis. That's not a biblical argument. 
There is that brand of charismatic or Pentecostalism out there that 
the gift of tongues is the proof that you've received the Holy 
Spirit and are saved. Well brethren, the gift of tongues 
is no longer operative today, which I realize the Pentecostals 
and the Charismatics would reject, but even if it were operative, 
does everybody have the gift of tongues? No, is what the Apostle 
Paul tells us. So when we go back to Ephesians 
chapter 4, we see that Christ is the one who gives these gifts 
to man. So he appeals to the promise 
in Psalm 68, verse 18, in verse 8. Now he's gonna show us the 
fulfillment of Psalm 68, verse 18, in verses 9 and 10. Notice what he says. Now this, 
he ascended, what does it mean but that he also first descended 
into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the 
one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill 
all things. Now you know who he's talking about, right? He's 
talking about Jesus. We get that. We know that. He ascended on high, he led captivity 
captive, and he gave gifts to men. And then in verses 9 and 
10, he wants to make sure that we are all singing off the same 
page. He's saying, I'm speaking Christologically 
here. I've taken this psalm, I've taken 
68, I've taken 18, but I've sort of subsumed the whole psalm, 
because the conquered give gifts to Yahweh, and then Yahweh gives 
those gifts, or gives gifts back to His people. It's a victory, 
it's a triumph, it's a blessed thing. And so now Paul in verses 
9 and 10 wants to make sure we understand that he's doing Christology 
here. So notice, he speaks of the descent 
and then the ascent in verses 9 and 10. Now notice in verse 
9, now this he ascended, what does it mean but that he also 
first descended into the lower parts of the earth. So again, 
there is a historical reference in Psalm 68, but there's a typological 
reference that points forward to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now 
when he says, what does it mean that he also first descended 
into the lower parts of the earth? There's two primary views. There's 
a few others, but the two primary views with reference to this 
descent to the lower parts of the earth. One is the teaching 
that Jesus descended into hell, or Jesus descended into Hades. Now that has a pedigree that 
goes back to the early church. It's not something that's unorthodox. It's not something that's heretical. 
It's not something that we should go, ooh, that's just terrible. 
we should first learn it before we say it's terrible or it's 
wrong or it's incorrect. But I favor the other interpretation 
that says he's speaking about the incarnation of the Son of 
God. So notice what it says in verse 
nine. Now this, he ascended. Again, we're talking about Christ. 
What does it mean but that he also first descended into the 
lower parts of the earth? So the one who ascended as victorious 
Lord first descended in the incarnation. Now that descent was not local 
motion or a change of place. He descends by assuming our humanity. There are those in the history 
of the church that taught that Jesus brought his body into the 
world. No, that's not what the Bible 
teaches us. The Bible teaches that he was 
conceived in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
So it wasn't change of place. He leaves heaven and now he comes 
to earth. Christ, according to his divinity, 
fills all in all. There is no place that Christ, 
according to his divinity, is not present. So when he's talking 
about this descent, he's talking about the incarnation. He left 
heaven for us men and for our salvation. Now when he speaks 
to the lower parts of the earth, there's an obvious contrast here 
between the heaven that he's now ascended into. He ascended, 
what does it mean, but that he also first descended into the 
lower parts of the earth. So the lower parts of the earth 
are the contrast with on high, and that's most vividly seen 
in his death. And I think Matthew Poole is 
right on here. He says, into the lower parts of the earth, 
either simply the earth as the lowest part of the visible world, 
and so opposed to heaven from whence he came down. He gives 
a bunch of passages from John. Or the grave and state of the 
dead, or both rather, implying the whole of his humiliation 
in opposition to his ascending taken for the whole of his exaltation. So just know this, and there 
are those out there that are wrong here, the descent was not 
just a change of place. He descends by the assumption 
of our humanity. You know this, that our Lord 
Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes 
or our sakes he became poor, that we through his riches might 
be made, or that we through his poverty might be made rich. So 
Paul is highlighting, Paul is applying, and Paul is demonstrating 
that it's Jesus of whom the psalmist was looking forward to. Again, 
historical reference and the victories of Yahweh over the 
enemies of Israel. But there was another layer in 
terms of what Christ would do. Now notice, he then moves on 
to the ascent. He who descended, that's Jesus, 
again, not by change of place, but by the assumption of our 
humanity, he descends into the lower parts or lowest parts of 
the earth. How does he do that? His life, his death, the state 
of humiliation, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that's 
the lower parts of the earth. Now notice in verse 10, he who 
descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, 
that he might fill all things. So that descent in the Incarnation 
resulted in the ascension to the right hand of God Most High. 
It's a most glorious and wonderful truth that we see played out 
or worked out in the life of the Redeemer. Paul's already 
taught this in Ephesians 1, 20-23. I think he's just confirming 
his Christological interpretation of Psalm 68, 18, and how it does 
work out in terms of Jesus as the head of His church, who ascended 
on high, He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts to men. Now 
you might be there thinking, well, let's just get to these 
gifts. We're going to get to the gifts, but as I mentioned 
earlier, it's really the giver of the gifts that should capture 
our attention, our love, our adoration, our worship. So Paul 
has this general statement of God's grace coming through Jesus 
Christ, but then this specific application in terms of Christology, 
that he is the giver of gifts. And I like what one man had to 
say with reference to verse 10. You may not get all the theology 
here. If you want the quote, text me or email me and I'll 
send it. He says, he that is descended is the same also that 
ascended. Indicates the person who ascends. It affirms the unity of the person, 
the divine and the human. For he who descended, as was 
said, is the son of God taking on human nature. He who ascends 
is the son of man, ascending in his human nature to the sublimity 
of immortal life. Thus the son of God who descended 
and the son of man who ascended are identical. And no man has 
ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the 
son of man who is in heaven." John 3, 13. Again, that's just 
a beautiful statement. It took me a little while to 
kind of think through it and contemplate on it, so you might 
not get the sort of wow factor. So send me a text or an email 
and I'll send that to you. But then notice the last bit 
of what he says there in verse 10. He who descended is also 
the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might 
fill all things. Now there is a teaching that 
is rampant in Lutheranism that speaks of the ubiquity or omnipresence 
of Christ's flesh. So when we have the Lord's Supper, 
we know that the Lord Jesus isn't actually the bread, he's not 
actually the wine. Roman Catholicism teaches. Roman 
Catholicism teaches transubstantiation. The bread and the wine become 
the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's not biblical. The Lutherans teach consubstantiation, 
that Christ, according to his humanity, is in, with, by, and 
near those elements. That's not biblical either. Christ's 
humanity is locally present at the right hand of God Most High. 
When it speaks of him filling all things, I think we need to 
read it in light of the context. He fills the church with the 
things that she needs. He fills the church with the 
gifts requisite so they can bear with one another in love, so 
that they can endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit and the 
bond of peace. I think Matthew Poole is spot on. All the members 
of his church, he fills them with his gifts and with graces. And then that brings us to consider 
the specific gifts given by Christ in verse 11. Now there's something 
unique here about verse 11. In Romans chapter 12, they're 
gifts. They're things like, you know, 
helps and giving and, you know, the various sort of things that 
we do. Romans, 1 Corinthians 12, 8 to 
10, same sort of a thing. 1 Corinthians 12, 28, and 29 
speaks of apostles, speaks of prophets. And this is what Paul 
emphasizes here. The gifts in Ephesians 4 are 
men. They're men, they're human beings. Now, that's not so that the man 
can walk around and say, I'm a gift of God given to the church. You've heard that before. He 
thinks he's God's gift to women. You know, these guys that are 
bravado, and the machismo, and all the women want me, and that 
sort of. He thinks he's God's gift to women. Well, no man of 
God gifted by Christ should treat the church in that way. I am 
the gift given to the church. You know, I deserve a special 
parking spot. I deserve my face on your t-shirt. 
I deserve my face on your coffee cup. That's wrong. That's terrible. That's why I tried to explain 
that it's Christ as giver that we're to praise, not the gift. 
We don't look at the gift and say, what a glorious and wondrous 
person. No, we say, what a glorious and 
wondrous Christ, that He can use that guy? That He can use 
that crooked stick and do straight things with it? That's what ought 
to amaze us. But in the particular context, 
in Ephesians chapter 4, to help and aid the church of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, to bear with one another in love, and to endeavor 
to keep the unity of spirit, the accent falls upon the teaching 
ministry in the church of Jesus Christ. Now think about that 
for a moment. It's It's the doctrine of God's 
Word. It's the teaching of the New Testament. It's the teaching 
of the Old Testament. It's the teaching of Scripture. 
It's the Word of God, 66 books, Genesis to Revelation, that we 
need so that we can bear with one another in love and endeavor 
to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Yes, that's 
precisely why. You've perhaps heard the people 
that say, we don't want to have doctrine. We just want to love 
Jesus and one another. Without doctrine, we ain't gonna 
love Jesus or one another. It's the doctrine that provides 
for us the ability to love Jesus and love one another. And so 
Paul is showing how the gifts of Christ in the context of the 
church are particular men who assume particular office so that 
they can teach the church of the Lord Jesus Christ so that 
she can mature, so that she can grow, so that she can move from 
the infant stage and the toddling stage and the adolescent stage 
to the adulthood stage. That's what he says. Till we 
come to this maturity, till we come to this stature of a full 
man, so we're no longer tossed to and fro and cast about by 
every wind of doctrine. The people in the last 100 or 
200 years, the church in the last 200 years, who have said, 
you know, doctrine divides, we just want to love each other. 
They have been so counter New Testament Christianity that it's 
no wonder why the church, at least in general, is in a sad 
state of repair. It is the truth, as it is in 
Jesus, that binds us to Jesus and binds us to one another. 
So the apostle highlights the various gifts given to the church 
for the specific purposes outlined in verses 13 or 12 to 16. So notice, with reference to 
the gifts, he says in verse 11, he himself, no other, Not the 
Pope, not you, not me. I don't give gifts to the church. 
I'm not the one who equips the church. I'm not the one who puts 
people together so that they can serve in the church. He himself 
gave some to the apostles. And we know what the apostles 
or who the apostles are. They were those chosen by our 
Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 10. They're those 12 that witnessed 
the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they, at least 
some of them, wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit 
to communicate Christian doctrine to the church of the Lord Jesus. 
And then he goes on to prophets, and most likely he's talking 
about New Testament prophets. If he was talking about Old Testament 
prophets, they would have probably come first. But he's talking 
about New Testament prophets. We see those in the book of Acts. We see those operative in the 
church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that at the time of 
the New Testament, they didn't have the New Testament. They 
didn't have Cambridge wide margin Bibles. The New Testament was 
being written. And so they had in the churches, 
they had tongue speakers and they had prophets. And they weren't 
just to engage in gibberish, the tongue speakers, they were 
to reveal the word of the living God. The prophets did the same 
sort of a thing. And so he gave some to be apostles, 
he gave some to be prophets, and then he mentions evangelists. 
Now evangelists are a unique gift in the New Testament. I'm 
not sure, I don't think they're still operative today. It's one 
of those sort of ambiguous things. Twice we see it in the New Testament 
applied to two men. Philip is called an evangelist 
in Acts 21, eight. We see Philip evangelize in Acts 
chapter eight, verses four and five. It's him who takes the 
gospel to Samaria. And then in Timothy, 2 Timothy 
4 at verse 5, Paul tells Timothy, do the work of an evangelist. 
If we made a bit of a distinction, we might suggest that the evangelists 
were more, you know, they weren't stationary. They didn't function 
in one particular church. Paul seemed to have moved men 
around. Those perhaps were the evangelists. 
As you might imagine, one of their primary emphases was to 
preach the evangel, preach the gospel for the salvation of sinners 
and to make disciples and to plant churches. And then he mentions 
these two final terms. And most commentators, or not 
most, I don't know about most, but certainly the modern variety 
seems to take them as reference to one office. And some pastors 
and teachers. Some would suggest it's pastors-teachers. It's pastors and further explanation 
is teachers. I think John Gill takes this 
position. He says, I rather think they 
intend one in the same office and the word teachers is only 
explanative of the figurative word pastors or shepherds. And 
the rather because if the apostle had designed distinct officers, 
he would have used the same form of speaking as before. There's 
a bit of a grammatical change that we find in the movement 
in the Greek. And have expressed himself thus, 
and some pastors and some teachers. Whereas he does not make such 
a distribution here as there. So pastors, teachers. Again, 
I wouldn't die on this particular hill. All pastors teach, but 
not necessarily all teachers are pastors. Our confession makes 
allowance for what it calls gifted brethren in chapter 26, paragraph 
11. That means that a non-pastor 
who's got the gift of the Holy Spirit, who's got the recognition 
of the church, can teach the word of God in the context of 
the church. So all pastors are teachers, 
but not all teachers are necessarily pastors. But I typically agree 
with John Gill here, pastors, teachers referring to the same 
office. Elder, bishop, overseer, all 
those terms are synonymous with the one office in the church 
which has governing and teaching, or governing and leading through 
teaching as its primary emphasis. Deacons are servers. Deacons 
serve the table of the Lord, they serve the table of the poor, 
they serve the table of the minister, they take care of those things 
in the church that need taking care of. The elders set apart 
for the ministry of the word and for prayer. So Paul, in conclusion, 
says that the ascended Christ, who led captivity captive, gives 
these gifts to the church. And as we come back to this passage, 
God willing, in the coming weeks, we'll see why these men are to 
function in the context of the church. And just a bit of a foreshadowing 
and just a bit of a hint, their primary purpose is to teach. 
Teach the Bible. Teach the Word. You know, I think 
we don't always get that importance. I mean, I hope we do. Generally 
speaking, in our congregation, we emphasize it a lot. But in 
terms of church growth, in terms of church life, in terms of more 
love and more unity and more peace, what's the common bonding 
denominator? It's the Word of God. It's our 
appreciation, our reception of that Word, and our, by the grace 
of God and the power of His Holy Spirit, implementing that Word 
and living in light of it and living accordingly. Well, in 
conclusion, we ought to appreciate the grace of God. Don't miss 
the emphasis in verse 7, to each one of us. After the charter 
of our salvation, one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one 
faith, one baptism, one God and Father, to each one of us. To each of us as individuals, 
we have been the recipients of God's grace. Whether we're an 
apostle, whether we're a prophet, whether we're an evangelist, 
whether we're a pastor or a teacher, it doesn't matter. We're still 
recipients of the grace of God Most High. This is why I think 
Paul starts where he starts. General statement concerning 
God's grace. Because there is a tendency in 
us to say, well, you know, I want to be this, or I want to be that, 
or I want to be this, or I want to be that. I'm not really content 
with being with what God has me at. Well, 1 Corinthians 12, 
Paul deals with that. There are honorable members in 
the body and some that are not as honorable. You may not want 
to be the middle toe on the foot, but the foot needs a middle toe. I don't know what to tell you. 
I mean, that's just life in God's created world. There's a need 
for middle toes. I want to be a middle toe. I 
want to be an eye. I think we'd all want to be the eye, wouldn't 
we? We'd all want to be the ears. Hopefully we don't all want to 
be the mouth. I think James is right. We have two ears and one 
mouth to teach us that we should listen twice as much as we should 
talk. But there is this in us to want 
what we don't have. Again, there's nothing wrong 
if any man desires the office of overseer. good work. It's 
a good thing. That's a blessing. 1 Timothy 3.1. If you men have 
that, praise God. Let's talk. Let's see. Let's 
go. Let's move. Let's shake. Let's deal. Let's 
get to it. But this idea that, you know, 
I just want to be a pastor. And if I'm not a pastor, I'm 
just going to be miserable all the time. You've got the grace 
of God in terms of justification. You've got life eternal. You've 
got the Spirit working in you, sanctifying you. You've got glorification 
in your future. You've got Emmanuel's land as 
your inheritance. I think that is wonderful. So 
verse seven ought to cause us to appreciate that manifold grace 
of God most high. Secondly, we should appreciate 
the glory of Christ, the historicity of Psalm 68, The triumphant victory 
of Yahweh over the enemies of Israel applied in the New Testament 
to our Lord Jesus Christ. The triumphant victory of Jesus 
over the devil and his minions, the triumphant ascension of our 
Lord Jesus to the right hand of the Father and as well. the 
giving of gifts to the church so that we can all grow together 
and become a mature man in Christ Jesus our Lord. And then finally, 
with reference to the gifts given to the church, just quickly, 
I made an appeal last night, we should be praying for elders, 
we should be praying for elders, we should be praying for deacons. 
Not just at our church, but for our church plants as well. I 
mean, Mike needs a fellow elder, Ryan needs a fellow elder. Wanna 
see if Dan is the man that's gonna be the guy, and Dryden, 
praise God, but you're gonna need a fellow elder. So this 
is something we ought to consider in terms of the gifts themselves. 
In the first place, the gifts are men given by the Lord Christ 
who are to serve the church. That, you know, I see it, I guess 
I see it because I'm an American, but in America we don't use the 
word minister. In Canada you do, the minister 
of this. We typically use secretary, you 
know, secretary of state, secretary of defense, secretary of this 
or that. And then here you've got the 
minister, you've got the minister. What is minister? Well, in modern 
parlance, they're above us, and we dare not ask them a question 
or anything. That's not what the word means, 
brethren. Minister means to minister. It means to serve. Doesn't Jesus 
exemplify his service in that way? The apostles are jockeying 
for position in Matthew chapter 20. Lord, grant that when you 
come in your kingdom, we get to sit on your right and your 
left. He says, no, no, no, that's not mine to give. He says, look 
at how the Gentiles function. See how the Gentiles, they lord 
things over those under them. Not so for you. If you want to 
be great in the kingdom of God, what are you supposed to pursue? 
Leastness. If you want to be first in the 
kingdom of God, what are you to pursue? Last-ness. In other words, the world has 
a power structure that looks like a pyramid. You've got the 
strong and the mighty on the top, and all the plebs are underneath. 
Well, in the Kingdom of God, turn that over. It's the guy 
at the bottom serving the others, that's the one that's imaging 
the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says the Son of Man 
did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life 
a ransom for many. So the gifts given by Christ 
in Ephesians 4 are men who serve the church. See the emphasis there? You don't 
appoint yourself. You don't say, wow, I'm God's 
gift to the church. Give me a parking spot. Give 
me a coffee cup. I'm just going to do my thing 
and let you have it. No, that's not biblical, brethren. Secondly, the gifts are not necessary 
for the being of the church. But they are requisite for the 
well-being of the church. In Acts 14, we see the first 
missionary journey. It takes off in Acts 13, about 
47 to 48. Paul visits the churches of the 
region of southern Galatia. The epistle to the Galatians 
comes out as a result of that first missionary journey. Most 
commentators, most Bible people say that the book of Galatians 
is one of the earliest epistles in the New Testament. Why? Because 
Paul goes and preaches and he founds these churches and then 
the Judaizers come along and they say, wait a minute, Paul's 
right, but not so far. You need to believe and you need 
to get circumcised. But when we see Acts 14, they 
go back on their way to Syria, they go back through the various 
churches that they planted, and it's then that they appointed 
elders in every city. When Paul stations Titus in Crete, 
the first order of business is to appoint elders in every city, 
every church. So there can be a church, it 
has its being, but the well-being is connected to the gifts given 
by Jesus to the church for her maturation. Third, the gifts 
are gifts, so we should ask the Lord to supply more. Don't think 
birthday gift or Christmas gift. That was great. Can I have 10 
more? We wouldn't like that, would we? You give your kid a 
birthday gift. That's great, but I want 10 more. Give me 20 
more. Don't think of it quite like 
that, but think of it as Christ. The benevolent, victorious Lord 
who ascended on high, who led captivity captive, who gives 
gifts to man, is a gracious Savior. He's a gracious mediator. He's 
got a lot of grace. He's got a lot of beneficence. 
He's got a lot of ability. He's got a lot of power. He's 
got omnipotent. Omnipotent power and glory and 
all those things. We ought not to be afraid to 
ask Him, Lord, Please provide for us a gift. Please provide 
for us an elder or elders. Please provide for us men who 
can function in this capacity. It's interesting, after Judas 
departs and goes to his own place, who do the apostles pray to in 
terms of the replacement? They pray to the Lord Jesus. 
They ask the Lord of the church, the giver of gifts, for a replacement. And then the gifts, fourthly, 
are used for the good of the church and not for the praise 
of the gifts. When you look through verses 
12 to 16, you will not find at all the emphasis on praising 
the gift, glorifying the gift, celebrating the gift. That is 
service. That is ministry. That is what 
they are supposed to do to promote the glory of God Most High and 
the good of the people of God. And then the final point. If 
you're not a Christian here tonight, look at what God has done to 
save people from their sins. I know there's a bit of difference 
of opinion in our particular city in terms of, is God willing 
to save a lot of sinners? Well, the Bible says so, and 
not only Revelation 7. When you get to Revelation 7, 
there's a great multitude that no man can number, from every 
tribe, tongue, people, and nation. I don't know how you avoid the 
obvious. Obviously, God is in the business of saving a lot 
of people. But it's not only those specific 
texts that tell us he's going to save a lot of people, but 
it's passages like these. He has designed a particular 
class of men, a particular office to continue in the church. The 
apostles ceased, the prophets ceased, the evangelists again, 
it's a bit of a tough one, but pastors, teachers remain until 
Jesus comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
What's one of the purposes for these men? It's to preach the 
gospel to sinners. It's to call sinners to faith 
and repentance. It's to promise the blessedness of our Lord Jesus 
Christ to all who come by grace through faith in Him. And that 
ought to be another encouragement for anyone here to look unto 
the Lord Jesus Christ in faith because He's about the salvation 
of sinners. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
our Father, we thank you for this section of Holy Scripture. 
We thank you for these churchly epistles that we find in our 
Bible, and the emphasis upon the bride of Christ Jesus. We 
thank you for this day. We thank you for the blessing 
of being gathered together in public worship. I ask God that 
you would go with us now, that your face would shine upon us, 
that you would keep us, and that you would be near to each of 
your people here. And we ask this through Jesus Christ our 
Lord, amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.