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welcome to everyone it's good to be back in the house of our God for our call to worship you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 111. psalm 111. and I'll begin reading in verse 1. praise the Lord I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the Assembly of the upright and in the congregation The Works of the Lord are great studied by all who have pleasure in them his work is Honorable and glorious and his righteousness endures forever he has made his wonderful Works to be remembered the Lord is gracious and full of compassion he has given food to those who fear Him He will ever be mindful of his Covenant he has declared to his people the power of His Works in giving them the heritage of the Nations The Works of his hands are Verity and Justice all his precepts are sure they stand fast forever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness he has sent Redemption to his people he has commanded his Covenant forever holy and awesome is his name the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom a good understanding have all those who do his Commandments pray his praise endures forever amen well please turn in your hymn books to number 152 hymn number 152 will stand as we sing together foreign [Music] foreign [Music] okay Christmas [Music] is here may I Glory [Music] of our [Music] USA Today we pray we are always [Music] let us pray our gracious God and Father we gather together again on this Lord's Day evening to praise and to glorify your awesome name we confess that you are most high to Our Father Son and Holy Spirit from Everlasting to Everlasting we thank you for your grace revealed to us in the gospel of our Salvation in and through the person in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ we know the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth we thank you for his finished work upon the cross for the Redemption that he secured for your lack and we thank you that you've included Us in these Covenant promises and that you have called us to yourself through the proclamation of your truth and tonight God as we consider your word we pray that the Holy Spirit would guide and lead us as we as we look into scripture as well as we sing and as we pray may it be the case that God would be glorified in the in the midst of the Assembly of the Saints we we asked that you would look with favor upon this local church not only with reference to the temporal needs but the spiritual needs as well we come in from out of the world and we all have various trials and and difficulties and temptations we pray that you would build us up in our Most Holy Faith that you would bring further Conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ in each of our lives and each of our hearts and that you would cause us Lord God to shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation and give us the courage that is necessary and the boldness to hold forth your word of Truth forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness cleanse Us in that precious blood of the Lamb wash us from the transaction transgression and the sin and the iniquity that we have that we have done against you and Lord be it may it be for your glorious sake as well God we pray that you'd open the hearts of those who are dead in their trespasses and sins that you would cause them to be born again cause them to hear the truth of the god gospel and may they by your grace believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation we ask you bless other churches in our community we thank you for those that we've grown familiar with those that we have fellowship with we pray that you would bless and give them progress in terms of growth and Grace as well God we pray for churches all over this nation we thank you for those who are Faithfully proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus and may it be the case that our blessed Christ would have dominion from sea to Sea in this land we thank you for the Blessed Prospect of gospel success as it's given to us in the psalter as it's given to us in the prophets and as well in the New Testament Our Savior said to go therefore and to make disciples of all the nations to baptize them to teach them to observe all that that he has commanded and he's given us the sure promise of his presence among his people while they Endeavor to do this and his omnipotence his power his authority in heaven and on Earth and may this embolden your church here below and may it cause us to walk by faith and not by sight and may it cause us to reflect upon your your mind as revealed in Holy scripture with reference to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ again for this section tonight in Ephesians 4 we pray that you would cause us to not only reflect but as well to pray to pray for the church and Surrey to pray for the church and Dryden to pray for the church in Armstrong as well that you would furnish more men qualified according to Holy scripture to function and to serve as Elders we pray that for our own midst and for our own uh uh continuance here that you would be pleased Lord God Almighty to provide what we stand in need of and we have that that statement of the apostle that Christ descended on high he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to men so we appeal to you most high Lord Jesus Christ that you would give these gifts for your glory for your honor and for the extension of the Kingdom of of Jesus on this Earth we ask now that you would forgive us for again for all of our sin we ask that you would cause us to be worshipful and mindful that we are in the presence of the high king of heaven and may we frame our hearts are right with that that reverence and that fear and that desire to draw an eye to you and to know that love of of God that passes all understanding and we pray these things through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to number 209 hymn number 209 will stand as we sing together [Music] a very rich [Music] We Believe [Music] us with me like this [Music] God well you could turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Numbers as our we continue our scripture reading in the Old Testament we're in Numbers Chapter 26. it's a long chapter so we'll cut it in half I'll read from verses 1 to 34. foreign numbers 26 beginning in verse 1. and it came to pass after the plague that the Lord spoke to Moses and eliezar the son of Aaron the priest saying take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from 20 years old and above by their father's houses all who are able to go to war in Israel so Moses and Elias are the priests spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho saying take a census of the people from 20 years old and above just as the Lord commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt Reuben was the firstborn of Israel the children of Reuben were of haynak the family of the hanakites of palu the family of the pauloites of hetron the family of the hetronites of karmi the family of the carmites these are the families of the rubinites those who are numbered of them were 43 730. in the Sun was Elia the sons of Elijah were namuel dathan and the Byram these are the dathan and the Byram representatives of the congregation who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah when they contended against the Lord and the Earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died when the fire devoured 250 men and they became a sign nevertheless the children of Korah did not die the sons of Simeon according to their families were of nemuel the family of the nemulites of Jamin the family of the jamanites of Jacob the family of the jaconites of Zara the family of the Tsar Heights of Shaw the family of the shalites these are the families of the simeonites twenty two thousand two hundred the sons of God according to their families were of zephon the family of the zephanites of haggai the family of the haggites of Sunni the family of the shunites of ozne the family of the Oz Knights of Arie the family of the aerites of arid arid the family of the erudites of erale the family of the aralites these are the families of the sons of God according to those who were numbered of them forty thousand five hundred the sons of Judah were Er and Onan and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan and the sons of Judah according to their families were of Shayla the family of the shalinites of Perez the family of the parasites of Zara the family of the Tsar Heights and the sons of Paris were of hadzeron the family of the hetronites of Hamel the family of the hamelites these are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them 70 76 500. the sons of issachar according to their families were of Tola the family of the tolaites of Pua the family of the punites of jashube the family of the jashabites of shimran the family of the shimronites these are the families of issachar according to those who were numbered of them 64 300. the sons of zebulun according to their families were of sared the family of the sardites of Elon the family of the elonites of Jalil the family of the Jolly lights these are the families of the zebulonites according to those who were numbered of them sixty thousand five hundred the sons of Joseph according to their families by Manasseh and Ephraim were the sons of Manasseh of makir the family of the makurites and makir bhagat Gilead of Gilead the family of the gileadites these are the sons of Gilead of either the family of the Jesuits of halek the family of the helichites of asriel the family of the astrolites of shechem the family of the shakamites of shemada the family of the Shema deites of heifer the family of the hepharites now zalafahad the son of heifer had no Sons but daughters and the names of the daughters of zalafahad were these are the families of Manasseh and those who were numbered of them were 52 700. amen well let us pray Our God and Father we thank you for the word of God we thank you that every or all scripture is given by inspiration of God it's profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction and for instruction in righteousness and we know that there was an emphasis on the tribal the tribal peoples and old Covenant Israel we know that there was a specific emphasis on Judah is that that Royal tribe from which which Messiah would come we thank you for the way that you hedge them in to the way that you govern them by that old Covenant by the way you kept them and tutored them for the arrival of the Messiah we praise you that we live in those days of fulfillment and realization we praise you for our Lord Jesus Christ we praise you for his his nearness to the church the fact that he walks in the midst of the lampstand and we look forward to his coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead we ask God in heaven that you would bless the the time in the scriptures not just here as We Gather corporately but may it be the case that we would seek you on a regular basis we would be readers of the Bible that we would be readers not only as individuals but as married couples as families teaching and instructing our our children and the training and admonition of the lord we know ultimately your word is truth and as Jesus prayed sanctify them by thy truth and we ask God in heaven that you would give us an appreciation give us a love for that word and give us that that Zeal of the psalmist to hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against you we ask God for your blessing upon us as we continue in worship and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well you can turn again in your hymn books to number 447 447 will stand as we sing together [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] Bring Me Down free baby alive thank you well you can turn in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians Ephesians chapter 4 as we work our way through this Epistle of Paul to the church at Ephesus remember the first three chapters the emphasis is on Doctrine specifically the doctrine of the Gospel in chapters one and two we see that emphasis on how men are saved man women boys and girls It Is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone if you are a rebel against God a transgressor in terms of his law lacking Conformity unto that law or as Paul describes in Ephesians 2 1-3 your debt in your trespasses and Sands there is hope and there is hope according to the riches of God's grace for God sent his son into this world Sinners to save so the emphasis of the Apostle in that first section is on that salvation and then he moves from the individual salvation to the corporate solidarity of God's people Jew and Gentile one new man under Christ according to chapter two he then goes on into chapter three to indicate that this was always God's purpose it was his plan he describes it or calls it the mystery of Christ where Gentiles participate in the Salvation that God promised Gentiles participate in the Covenant of Grace that God made with Sinners and then in chapter 4 he gets practical and we'll see that emphasis in the very first verse and then it continues on to chapter 6 and verse 20. but I want to read chapter 4 as a whole tonight and then our Focus will be on verses 15 to 16. so beginning in verse 1 I therefore the prisoner of the Lord besiege you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called with all lowliness and gentleness with long-suffering bearing with one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and 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 he gave and gave gifts to a man 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 four the equipping of the Saints for the work of ministry four 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 whatever 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 this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind having their understanding darken being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness but you have not so learned Christ if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness therefore putting away lying Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor for we are members of one another be angry and do not sin do not let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil let him who stole steal no longer but rather let him labor working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for necessary edification that it may impart grace to the hearers and do not grieve the holy spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption let all bitterness wrath anger clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you amen well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for this section of scripture and its application in terms of church life we pray that we would be closely regulated by this uh by by passages like these that we would understand not only the the worship of God is regulated but but who functions who serves and the reason for which they serve in the Christian Ministry is is governed by our blessed savior give us obedient Hearts give us Grace to receive these things and again father help our church to be aligned with what we find in passages such as these to that end guide us by the Holy Spirit now and help us to to glorify you and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well I know that we've been going slow through this particular passage I'm really trying to invoke that you bear with one another in love the exhortation in verse 2 but it does seem to be I mean with me because we're going so slow through here but it seems to me that when you look at the church this is one of those areas of departure with reference to the gospel Ministry whether it's the romish magisterium or it's the cheerleader in the Evangelical world that just rallies up the people of God to a particular act we see departures relative to the Christian Ministry and it has an adverse effect upon the church as a whole we've often heard the statement as men go so goes the family as men go sogo's society as man goes so goes the church and I am using that in terms of men leading in those particular areas well when it comes to the Christian Ministry we're not left wondering we're not left to say well whatever it is we think we ought to do we can go ahead and do that now as I said we we take seriously the regulative principle of worship that means in terms of what we do in worship it must be commanded by God but a corollary of that is the men who serve in gospel Ministry must do so according to the mind of Christ as it comes to us in the word of God so again departures here has an adverse effect upon the church as church and I'm not suggesting we have all this I'm not suggesting this is us I am suggesting however or I'd like to think we at least know what we should be striving for we at least know based on passages like Ephesians 4 what ought to to to activate Us in terms of our Pursuit this isn't a free-for-all this isn't the the the the the romish magisterium on the one hand or the Evangelical pep rally we need to be governed by the word of God at this particular place in terms of leadership in the church as well you'll notice the the strong connection or the inextricable connection between the Christian Ministry and their function relative to the life of the church and what follows in verses 17 and following now Paul is writing as a as an apostle he's under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and from 4 17 on he is giving very particular instructions on how to conduct ourselves as individuals how to conduct ourselves as family members husbands to wives fathers to children children to fathers employees to employers employers to employees he then ends the epistle on the note of Stand Fast put on the whole armor of God well the object of Christian Ministry is to instruct the people of God in these things maturity along the board or along the line maturity is individuals maturity is family members maturity in your life maturity in your church maturity in your Society maturity is God's people shining his lights in a crooked and perverse generation and holding forth the word of Truth to that end our blessed Christ descended on high he let captivity captive he gave gifts to men and those gifts in context are teachers in the church for the good of the body so where we've been thus far we've noticed the provision of God's grace in verse 7. we've noticed the provider of God's gifts in verses 8 to 11 and we've been considering the purpose of the gifts in the church in verses 11 to 16. and under that we've identified the gifts Apostles prophets evangelists pastors teachers we've noted as well the specific purpose for the gifts in verse 12. notice three coordinate thoughts there four the equipping of the Saints for the work of Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ each of those coordinate statements is a function of the Christian Ministry a lot of modern Bibles and a lot of modern interpreters see it a different way they say that the ministry exists for the equipping of the for the equipping of the Saints for the work of the ministry equip the Saints so they can do the work of the ministry now that's not foreign to the context as we'll see specifically in verse 16 but that's not the emphasis in verse 12. the emphasis in verse 12 is on the three things that the Christian Ministry is to be uh about for the equipping of the Saints for the work of Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ again the division of labor suggests that imagine you working 70 or 80 hours a week and on Saturday me calling you and saying you need to go do the work of the ministry what do you mean go do the work of the ministry we are the men of God set apart by the word of God vetted by and qualified with reference to the church there to engage in the work of the ministry so that purpose equip the Saints do the work of the ministry edify the body of Christ we note it as well in verse 13 the duration and goal of the gifts notice in verse 13 no man Left Behind till we all come now Brethren there is a reciprocal obligation on the part of the members of the church as I mentioned a CH Spurgeon dropped down into a Pulpit and there was no one there to hear him it would be to know a veil it's not only faithful preaching that must go forth in the kingdom of God but it must be faithful hearing as well so you might have a a whole host of Faithful Men qualified men engaged in the particular task but the chill we all come put some onus of responsibility on members on attenders on those who need to gain from the means of Grace but notice what the specific goal of the gifts are till we all come to the unity of the faith that's not my subjective belief in Jesus but it's a right understanding of the Christian faith objectively so we all come to the unity of the Christian faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God a good way to summarize the faith is a knowledge of the Son of God that is one of the primary distinctives between well is the distinctive between our religion and all others we have the religion of the Triune God the Father who sent the son and that summary statement of the knowledge of the Son of God basically encompasses Genesis to Revelation and then he says to a perfect man and there it doesn't mean sin less without any imperfection in terms of our ethical approach to life but to maturity that's the high note that's the emphasis throughout he says to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the of Christ and then in verses 14 to 16 he highlights the effect of the gifts so the gift given by Jesus in verse 11 for the purpose purpose is specified will have this effect upon the body it will have this effect upon the people of God and we broke this down into two heads verse 14 the preventative maintenance for the church and tonight we'll take up verses 15 and 16. the positive influence on the church but by way of review by way of remind under notice the preventative maintenance for the church the Apostle wants us to avoid spiritual immaturity Paul doesn't have a problem with kids Paul has a problem with adults acting like kids just like we do you don't have a problem with your two-year-old acting like a two-year-old you probably have a problem with your 22 year old acting like a two-year-old there's a big difference and you notice the specific contrast the perfect man of verse 13 and then in verse 14 that we should no longer be children maturity is the goal growth is the girl goal not Perpetual adolescence not Perpetual childhood not Perpetual infancy you come into the church sure as a brand new babe but the whole idea behind the ministry of the church is to feed you in such a way that you don't stay obey that you grow that you mature that you become the man or woman that God has intended and as is specified from 417 and following again we're not left scratching our ads what does he mean by all this well 417 and following tells us what he means he tells us we're not supposed to steal we're not supposed to lie we're not supposed to hate our wives we're not supposed to not submit ourselves to our husbands we're not supposed to exasperate our children we're not supposed to defy our parents all these are concrete applications of what Paul is saying in this general statement concerning the Christian Ministry so we are to avoid spiritual immaturity that we should no longer be children or to avoid spiritual instability toss to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine those men in second Peter second Timothy chapter three that that load down those gullible women it says of them that they're always learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth what is that but an unstable man what is that man who for 20 25 30 40 years that has some familiarity with scripture but really has no understanding whatsoever of scripture that man either a has absented himself from the corporate means wherein he could have been educated or B he has put himself in corporate means that are less than Stellar because it ought not to be the case that after a 30-year you know track in the the the footsteps of Jesus that were as ignorant as the day that we were born again and so there ought to be this avoidance of spiritual instability but then notice thirdly to avoid spiritual susceptibility he says by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting we need to be able to recognize not only a true Minister but we ought to be able to spot a false Minister we ought to know our Bibles in such a way that if we put ourselves under a particular preacher and that particular preacher is a heretic that we don't long continue there now I'm not suggesting every creature is always at the top of his game you know preaching or pastoring or filling the pulpit is much like your job you probably have good days you probably have off days I've often said when people are looking for churches give it a couple of months you could have wandered into the day when he had an especially bad day people have bad days at work ministers oftentimes are off they they're shoveling gravel instead of speaking the words of honey and truth so when it comes though to this reality that you're sitting under a heretic you're susceptible to every wind of Doctrine you're tossed to and fro you are are are lorded over by the trickery of men this is not good and so a functioning properly built Ministry by our Lord Jesus Christ is conducive to preventive prevent uh these kinds of problems now that brings us finally in the section to verses 15 to 16. the positive influence on the church so basically he's tying it all up basically he is revisiting or or reasserting things that he has said along the way and he mentions three things first the spiritual maturity of the church boy imagine that he emphasizes this he hits this nail on the head over and over and over again why is that because Paul wants you to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Paul wants the church to function in such a way that she's not an embarrassment in society Society May hate her Society May oppose her Society May despise her but may it be for the right reasons because she preaches accurately the Cross of Christ she preaches accurately the offense of the Cross not because she's moronic not because she's just like the world not because she couldn't argue her way out of a paperback the Apostle wants you to be mature secondly he wants the church edified 16 a and then finally underscores that this is the goal of Christ's government of the church in 16b so again themes or emphases we've already seen in this particular section that he's bringing home now and tying it up in a particular package and presenting it to us and then he transitions into this contact conduct of the new man what is the unstated application or implication if this is the goal of the Christian Ministry and it's not just their function but your function as a recipient of Christian Ministry and then Paul says you need to live in this particular manner you ought to make the connection that I need to be under preach a that Faithfully teaches me how to do these particular things we need to emphasize the gospel the the means by which Sinners are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ you get this both and an either or approach in Church's day well that church only ever preaches the gospel that church only ever preaches Duty that church only ever preaches the imperative this is indicative this is imperative the Bible envisages that we do both and the Bible envisages that we preach the gospel the doctrine of justification by faith the means by which Sinners come into saving attack with our God through faith and our Lord Jesus Christ and then tell them how they ought to live isn't that the structure in the book of Ephesians chapters one to three the emphasis is upon the doctrine of the Gospel the way that man is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ he doesn't stop at chapter three there's a chapter four to six so that the justified by faith man can live in a manner that is consistent with the word and will of God so it's not an either or well you go there for the gospel you go there for your duty it ought to be a both hand it ought to be a One-Stop shop every single Church ought to be emphasizing the truth of justification and the truth of sanctification making the clarification making the qualification you're not justified by your sanctification you're not justified as a result of you no we make those distinctions but we nevertheless emphasize the reality that the the the God who saved us saved us so that we could live in a manner that is specified by him so 417 and following is the concrete maturity that the Apostle Envision envisions for the people of God so notice when it comes to the positive influence at verse 15a once again the spiritual maturity of the church notice the means by which the church or by which this growth occurs verse 15 but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head so the emphasis is on May grow up in all things into him who is the hat but the my manner in which that is done is by speaking the truth and love there's a parallel between the preceding section and this one verse 14 notice that we sh we may not be children subject to the lies of deceivers verse 15 that we may grow up to maturity by speaking the truth and love see children and deceived children tracked children capped down by false teachers are going to remain children but those who are in a context of speaking the truth and love are going to be the people that grow they become mature they they do what Paul is saying in this particular passage now in terms of this speaking the truth in love certainly there's a General application and Paul's going to deal with that later on in this particular chapter notice in verse 25 for instance therefore putting away lying Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor for we are members of one another notice in verse 29 let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth but what is good for necessary edification and then again in verse 31 let all bitterness wrath anger clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice so there's a General application of what it means to speak the truth and love the way that we speak to one another we don't lie to each other hey man at work this week I I seal the five billion dollar deal oh really no that's false it's fake so there's a General application in terms of speaking the truth and love but I think we need to be fixed to this context the ministers who preach the truth who speak the truth in love because ministers do that even when they raise their voices or when they get a little animated it is not detached from or devoid of love what's the purpose of faithful Ministry it is to convey the truth in a spirit of love and so Paul says this is the manner by which we gain maturity if we have no truth we're going to be perpetually adolescent if we have no truth we're going to be Perpetual children if we have no truth we're not going to grow and mature that is absolutely key and again an emphasis throughout the passage so notice this emphasis on Truth and Love verse First Corinthians 13 6 the great love chapter the Apostle Paul he tells us that love rejoices in truth it doesn't rejoice in lies it doesn't rejoice perception it doesn't rejoice and false her it rejoices in the truth Majin commenting on Galatians 5 16. he makes the observation love according to the New Testament is not the means of salvation but it is the finest fruit of it a man is saved by faith not by love but he is saved by faith in order that he may love so there's a natural sort of a reflex here that when it comes to maturity in Christ the gifts given by Christ speak that truth in love for the maturation of God's people Lincoln says at the heart of the Proclamation of the truth is love and a life of Love is the embodiment of Truth and back to the text speaking the truth in love that's the manner by which the specific emphasis May grow up in all things into him who is the head this constant emphasis on Christian maturity is something that over the last hundred years the church has lost now I don't want to pick on the church I don't want to blame the church for everything I don't want to say the church is the worst institution on the face of the Earth the church is glorious the church is the Bride of Jesus the church is magnificent it is that that entity for which our blessed savior died and he was raised again but in terms of a couple of generations past there's been a lot of emphasis upon the truth there's been an emphasis upon emotion and upon experience there's been an emphasis upon entertainment there's been an emphasis on a whole host of things that are not emphasized here by the Apostle in a letter that is regulating the church's Ministry now Brethren it seems to me at some point we need to scratch our heads and say how about we return to the owner's manual how about we return to the documents how about we uncover what the apostles meaning is in terms of going forward as the Church of Jesus Christ now I'm not suggesting that every well-ordered every regulated church every you know obedient church is going to have a positive effect upon the world there'll be no more communism there'll be no more theft there'll be no more sorrow there'll be no more pain I'm not suggesting that at all but I am suggesting out of obedience to Jesus out of compliance with the word of God and out of the benefit of our own church this ought to be something that we pursue we want to grow up we want to be mature we want to avoid being little children again if we're little children fine embrace it but if you're not then grow up and then notice the vital connection with reference to our Lord with reference to our hat verse 16 I'm sorry verse 15 but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ into him who is the head Christ I think what Paul is saying there is that there is this organic connection this mystical or theological connection between the head which is Christ and the body now Brethren your body typically goes where your head goes doesn't it your body typically follows where your Noggin goes it's just inextricably connected your head doesn't go there and your your body doesn't go there well yeah when you look at the body the professing body of Christ's Church you don't always see that obedience you don't always see that connection you don't always see that that that Intimacy in terms of the head and the church and so Paul is suggesting Paul is saying that we have this vital Union with our Lord Jesus Christ and then it's by virtue of that that we follow as leadership we follow his governing we follow the head who has bid us to follow him and then notice in terms of the next emphasis the edification of the church in verse 16. notice the source of the church's growth it's not detached from Christ he mentions the head Christ verse 15 and then in verse 16 from from Christ the whole body joined and knit together by whatever joint supplies according to the effect of working by which every part does its share causes growth of the Body for the edifying of itself in love so there is this vital communion or rather Union with our Lord we don't do this detached well you know we have pastors and we have you know Elders we have deacons we have all these things so so we're going to just go under that well no they function under Christ the government of the church Brethren is Jesus the government of the church is is Christ ruling his church the government of the church is about his headship his leadership his kingship his sovereignty and we ought to be very thankful for that because if he left it up to us we'd been some pretty bad places I mean early on in the life of the church I think there was a group of fathers talking I don't mean father's Earthly but some of the church fathers and they were musing on that reality if it was up to us the church who be gone if it was not up to the one who promised I will build my church and the gates of Haiti shall not Prevail against it would we have lasted would we have made it here without Christ without his building without his Aid without his benefit without the gifts that he has given we need to understand that in terms of church government it's Christ who is the the the head now ministerially he uses these gifts to legislate in terms of preaching his word and so Paul's emphasis here is on the edification of the body the source of that is from our blessed savior John Gill makes this observation concerning our Union with Christ and our dependence upon him she has her being and form from him and all her blessings as her life and light righteousness and Holiness her grace and strength her joy peace and comfort her fruitfulness and final perseverance and her dependence is upon him for subsistence sustenance protection and safety and for Grace and glory and her Union to him is very near strict and close and indissoluble so you see what he's saying we're we're in vital connection with the head we don't do this detached but as well we do this in dependence upon Christ so as I mentioned last week when we're in this particular passage we we pray to Christ for a supply of Elders we pray to Christ for a supply of qualified men we pray to Christ that that the church would be Discerning that the church would apply the the qualifications if the church would would vet particular or potential candidates the Christian Ministry that we would take this aspect of Church Life seriously so again when it comes to worship we are regulated when it comes to Ministry we are governed we are called by Jesus to function in a particular way he doesn't leave it up to us he's never said to a church body okay how do you want to lead yourself when you get to Ephesians chapter 5 when he deals with husband wife relationships he doesn't say the husband is the head of the wife as long as they both are in favor of that the husband is the head of the wife and so far as they both vote on that the husband is the head of the wife and so far he's just a great guy the husband is the head of the wife has that ever been up for debate has that ever been put to a vote was there ever a referendum on that now now understand you're either a good head uh of your wife or you're a bad one there's you know I guess you could be an all right one but in terms of the actual act the husband is the head of the wife the wife is to submit to and honor her husband again referendum how many of you ladies would have signed up for that oh yeah I want to be submissive and I want to I want to just esteem him and Revere him yes sign me right up for that why do you think Paul commands what Paul commands because it's not always the sort of things we want to do but my point is is that God doesn't check with us on how to structure family he doesn't say you know if the woman has the better gifts she's got more financial Savvy she's just you know more of a mover and Shaker she should be the Hat over the Hut he doesn't do that he doesn't do that in the church either he doesn't ask us he doesn't check with us there's no referendum Church uh government is very simple under Jesus Christ he is the head and he gave some to be pastors teachers he gave some to be deacons and why does he do that for the government of his church ministerially not magisterally they don't lure things over the people of God so edification is in view here and again you see the comprehensiveness of the church's growth from whom the whole body see Paul doesn't want just a handful of people that are willing to get up at odart 30 and show up for a theology meeting for them to grow no he wants the whole church to grow II Peter 3 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that wasn't a Shameless plug for the Saturday morning thing by the way that that was not there was no manipulation there you better show up because that's that's where the really no no no no no that it felt like it sounded like that after it came out so I want to apologize that's not the spirit in which I said it I'm simply saying that there is that mindset among some in the professing church that you know theology not really for me I'm not really given to the study of the Bible I'm not really into that kind of thing I just want to love Jesus at some point you need to ask the question which Jesus are you loving are you loving the Jesus of the Mormons you loving the Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses how do we know we're not well it's the word of God it's the doctrine of Christ revealed in Genesis to Revelation which informs us so it is imperative for us us to have an understanding remember Unity faith and to a what knowledge of the Son of God that's a litmus test you can get into heaven without knowing how big or how long the South Wall of the temple was but you can't get into heaven without confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as I said it's a summary statement concerning the Christian faith this knowledge of the Son of God so the Apostle wants the entirety of the church to grow now again if Spurgeon falls out preaches the word and no one's there to hear him it's not going to be growth as a result now that's not me Spurgeon I'm just giving again an illustration you need to Avail yourselves of the means that God's ordained you know it's it you know it's so obvious in in the Physical Realm I just don't feel good well what's your life like well I I eat sugar you know 20 out of 24 hours a day I I don't sleep I you know drink a pot of coffee right when I'm supposed to go to bed but it just doesn't doesn't you know I just I don't know why I stay away what do you mean you don't know why really you're gonna you're gonna take that posture you don't know why you can't sleep you don't know why you've got some physical issues it's pretty obvious why is it in the church or in the spiritual realm we think we're actually fooling people I don't know why I've got such struggles I don't know why I I I I don't seem to be growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus do you read your Bible well you know it's I'm a busy guy do you come to prayer meeting or church or Bible say you know I'm I'm a busy guy why do we think we pass then when we wouldn't think we'd pass with the 20 hours of sugar and the coffee pot right before bed I mean none of us would think we'd want to try to well no I I don't drink not that much coffee right before bed I I don't eat that much we try to hatch our bats we try to we try to present ourselves well Brethren this isn't a pick on anybody this isn't to say oh you horrible person I I am from the bottom of my heart not trying to do that I'm encouraging you to grow to to learn to study to to to understand what we just read in Psalm 111 The Works of the Lord are great they are studied by all who have pleasure in them do you know there are people that busy themselves studying plants I'm not against that it's just not my thing there are people that busy themselves studying animals again wonderful Endeavor people that busy themselves studying numbers and and finance whatever it is what whatever floats your boat you do it but if the Heathen or the Pagan or even the Christian spends all this effort and energy to memorize every guy that ever schooled a scored a goal for the for the Canucks certainly the The Works of the Lord are great in terms of Redemptive blessing and yet we have to cajole and and harangue the people of God to to read their Bibles and show up at church there is a connection between the use of the means and our health it's just that obvious you see it with eating you see it with exercise you see it with sleeping if those things are off your physicality is off same thing in the church you neglect the Bible you neglect prayer you neglect the means of Grace guess what's going to happen you're going to be off so the Apostle emphasizes not just a handful in the life of the church but he wants all the body the whole body and then notice the particular means of of the church's growth here's your every member ministry as I said verse 12 is coordinate the equipping of the Saints the work of the ministry edifying the body of Christ and then you see that that does avail that does trickle down that does mean that the people of God the body of Christ edify one another they encourage one another they talk after the services they they they exhort one another they call each other during the week that they try and hold each other accountable that they pray for each other look at what he says from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies joined and knit together by what every joint supplies you've got that passage in second Corinthians 12. you can turn there second Corinthians chapter 12. I'm sorry First Corinthians chapter 12. First Corinthians chapter 12 verse 15. he's talking about the diversity of the gifts in terms of the unity of the church there's Unity That's The Pursuit that's the goal that's the desire to a perfect man a unified man a mature man a man that's edified and all that sort of thing there's diversity in terms of the gifts there's a whole lot of ways that people function and serve in the context of the church so we can achieve that notice in verse 15 if the foot should say because I am not a hand I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body and if the ear should say because I am not an I I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body if the whole body were an eye where would be the hearing if the whole uh uh uh I'm sorry if the whole we're hearing where would be the smelling but now God has set the members each one of them in the body just as he pleased and if they were all one member where would the body be but now indeed there are many members yet one body and the I cannot say to the hand I have no need of you nor again the head of the feet I have no need of you no much rather those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary and those members of the body which we think be to be less honorable on these we bestowed no greater honor and our unpre presentable Parts have greater modesty but our presentable Parts have no need but God has composed the body having a god composed the body having given greater honor to that part which lacks it that there should be no Schism in the body but that the members should have the same care for one another and if one member suffers all the members suffer with it or if one member is honored all the members Rejoice with it so back to 4 16 here's your every member Ministry from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies it is the most blessed and wonderful thing he goes on to say according to the effective working by which every part does its share so you see there there is responsibility here for the the ministry obviously but here for the membership show up learn glean understand get taught so that you can take what you've been taught and reflected upon others so so that it's not just that we we have all this knowledge we have all this this data all this Theology and all this Bible and we just go sit on our couch no we we shine it upon others we we love others we speak the truth and love to one another we we help them we encourage them we we pray for them we we befriend them we do those things that that that Foster that growth this is a very similar passage to Colossians 2 19 and which is a warning against mystical legalism Paul says in not holding fast to the head if we get caught up in that mystical legalism from whom all the body nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments grows with the increase that is from God so it's ultimately from God but it's in concert with the people of God receiving the word of God and putting that word into practice again not rocket science it's not brain surgery it's not like anybody here should be going a minute I never thought that I never saw that it's pretty obvious that this is the flow of the Apostle you're saved by grace through faith in Jesus the ministry was instituted to educate you in terms of what Jesus calls you unto now this are or these are some particular concrete applications so receive the word put the word into practice and live in a manner that is consistent with that blessed word and then notice finally this is the goal of Christ's government of the church notice it causes growth of the Body for the edifying of itself in love there's that emphasis on maturation that emphasis on edification and it summarizes or brings to a completion all that he has done in this particular Sac shed now in conclusions just a couple of thoughts and then we go in the first place in terms of the ministry of the church the ministry of the church I think that if we get this down it will hopefully be formative and shape the way we view the ministry in the church that you know an emphasis on entertainment or emotions or feelings or all that sort of thing will be repudiated we want the word of God we want the preaching of the truth we want that which God has determined is best for his people we want the unity of the faith we want the knowledge of the Son of God we want that maturation into a perfect man and we're not going to get there through our feelings we're not going to get there through an emotional response now I'm not saying there's no feelings or no emotions connected to True Religion I am saying however do not let that be the governing factor in your religion yet because as Luther so wisely said feelings come and feelings go but feelings are deceiving my warrant is the word of God none else is worth believing you can't leave a church service this church any service and say you know I just didn't feel it what was the word preached did God's gospel go forth were you instructed accurately from the text of scripture well well yeah well then it really doesn't matter what your feelings are in fact I'd suggest you to repent because your feelings should be regulated by that truth I don't know that I would say that but that might well up or be attendance to your Temptation for me to say emotions and feelings and all that sort of thing has more connection to Baal Worship in the old Covenant than it does with Christian worship or the worship of uh old Covenant religion so the ministry of the church is to be regulated by our blessed God secondly I would suggest there is a threat to the church with reference to sort of pursuing this this this strategy for church life now they are too there is an internal problem and then an external threat now I call it an internal problem because I don't want to sound too bad but the persons that are content to remain children I'm not suggesting they're not Believers I'm not suggesting that a a newly born-again person that has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ I'm not suggesting that they're not a believer I'm not suggesting that they're a a threat to the church but I am suggesting it can be problematic if you're content to stay in your spiritual diapers and not grow up to manhood now Brethren that's not the goal that we see in this passage of scripture we're not supposed to be children tossed to and throw by every wind of Doctrine so the internal problem are the kinds of people that simply want sugar they simply want treats they simply want emotions they simply want feelings they simply want entertainment they don't want the true meat of God's holy word they don't want what scripture calls us to want and so I would suggest that that is an internal problem now the external threat are the sort of men that prey on weak Believers you all know how pray Predators hunt in the almost said the tundra what's the the big sort of desert Wilderness out the Serengeti let's just use that one they don't go after the biggest and the strongest in the herd a predator tries to get the one that you know has the bit of again the the Predator goes after the one that that's isolated the Predator goes after the one that's weak because the Predator is smart enough to know I don't want to tangle with the biggest and the baddest I'd rather go after the easy low-hanging fruit what do you think false teachers or who do you think false teachers Prey Upon well it's gullible women loaded down with various loss according to Paul in second Timothy 3 it's the kind of person that is always learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth of God's holy word this sort of Perpetual weakness opens oneself up to this kind of a predator so when it comes to spiritual Savvy and strength you need it to guard against these men that would take you down and then the final observation is that the government of the church as I said earlier is about Jesus Christ the Lord Christ is the Hat the gifts are ministerial that means means they served the people of God those three coordinate statements for the equipping of the Saints for the work of Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ not for the building of their own kingdom not for the building of their own bank account not for the building of their own celebrity status that is not what Paul says Paul is very specific that those things are not the purview of the Christian Ministry Paul is very specific that the focus of the Christian Ministry is just that it's ministerial it is to serve and then in terms of the conduct of the church it is to be regulated by Christ both are worship and the ministry and I would suggest relative to what we find here again not that we've achieved it not that we've arrived but hopefully we're all singing off the same page and saying you know that is what ought to determine the direction that we pursue in terms of church life so three things and then we close and there are three short things first the use of the ordinary means Brethren you know standing at the flagpole and praying you can stand at flagpoles and pray you can do that I remember years ago when the kids were in the Christian School they would go to a conference and after the conference they'd stand at the flagpole and pray great stand at the flag bowl and pray you can pray in your church too your church meets for prayer that's a good place for you to pray it's a good time for you to join along with them the corporate body of Jesus Christ coming to the father through the Son and the spirit that might be a good time to to gather together as well the use of the ordinary means we like the extraordinary we like The Sensational we like the sort of you know jaw-dropping you know exhibition of the power of God do you know that most of the Christian Life is regular and ordinary and normal when you look at the Bible it's filled with Miracles it is but in times of revelation God reveals himself and he confirms his Revelation through the Miracles of Moses through the Miracles of the prophets through the Miracles of the Apostles through the miracles of Jesus what's the point the emphasis is upon the confirmation that they were speaking the revealed word of God it's the word of God that's formative it's the word of God that shapes it's the word of God that we need to attend to and we need to engage in a due use of the ordinary means of Grace secondly I would suggest there ought to be the consistent use of the ordinary means of Grace so not only a use but a consistent use second Timothy 4 the Apostle says preach the word he gives as the first reason for the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will Heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables huh kind of like he was thinking about the 20th and 21st century kind of like he was thinking about these pastors that repel in from wires and have their headset on and they you know do their thing kind of like he's thinking about people that would rather have entertainment you know Metallica in the front of the church engaging in riffs for Jesus you think that's what Paul had in mind or do you think that the people or professing people of God have always sort of manifested the same disposition we don't want dry old stuff ethiology we want to feel we want to live we want the emotional response the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine what's Paul's response give them sound Doctrine notice it's not well find out what they really want find out how they connect find out what they like and tailor your life and Ministry to that no preach the word what's the reason the time will come when they won't want to hear the word oh well I'm sorry let's just abandon ship and abandon the headship and government of our Lord Jesus Christ have puppets ponies and programs and repelling pastors let's do that let's have the pastor write in on his motorcycle his Harley Davidson get out of that motorcycle and bring us to Jesus let's have the pastor move the pulpit and sit in a Big Easy chair because his his his audience is here is they don't like sermons they like stories so he gets rid of the pulpit he puts the big cushy chair there and he just speaks to them as dad speaks to the kids Brethren the last thing in the world that you should want is to me me sitting in an easy chair speaking as a dad to my kids how repulsive to think that that is conduct fitting in the Church of God most high the pillar and ground of the truth the household of God that's the the the the the marching orders and then the third observation here is the persevering use of the ordinary means use them use them consistently and use them perseveringly what does that mean it means the temptation to turn from these things is always present oh did you hear about this guy he rides his hog in and then he tells you about Jesus oh that that sounds good did you hear about the the repelling past oh wow that sounds good we need to we need to go there a persevering use of the ordinary means even if it seems at times to be dry and stuffy now in terms of ministers and preachers of the Gospel if you were all that I would exhort you to preach in a way that people want to hear it be interesting you're preaching the most interesting book that has ever been printed that has ever been written don't bore the people of God to tears teach them preach to them in a way that esteems the written word of the living and true God Spurgeon says on Matthew 4 9 May the church never yield to the world with the idea of setting up the kingdom of Christ in a more easy and Rapid manner than by the simple pre teaching of the Gospel perseveringly use the ordinary means Bibi Warfield he lived in the 19th century he made this observation if in the 19th century right 1800s not repelling pasture time not you know hog time not you know big couch time no no no he's in the 1800s Warfield said if the minister comes to be thought of for example fundamentally as merely the head of a social organization from whom may be demanded Pleasant manners and executive ability or as little more than a zealous promoter The Minister's whole function is summed up in these or such things if the whole function of the minister is inspirational rather than instructional then no doubt we made dispense with all serious study of the scripture this is what he says if the ministerial function is inspirational versus instructional then throw the Bible out get rid of it and I think he was right and I'm not saying these guys were prophets or the sons of prophet profits but whatever they saw in their day has come home to roost in our day it has come home in Spades Lloyd Jones in his time made the observation he says the world expects the Christian to be different and looks to him for something different I remember I don't know well it was billions of years ago no it was 10 years ago there was this this this movement you know we just got to connect we've got to be all things to all men we gotta you know come up here with holes in our jeans you know holding our latte so we can you know have that Starbucks connection and we can just tell them a little bit about Jesus I said what Lloyd Jones says the world expects the Christian to be different if you're a world laying and you wander into one of those hipster churches it looks like something that you would find is odd I would think I I kind of think that world links expect to see this try sermons long sermons louds that's kind of what I think they expect right not the cool cat with his you know Mickey Mouse shirt or the picture of Jesus on his shirt doing his thing the world expects the Christian to be different and looks to him for something different and therein it often shows an insight into life that regular churchgoers often lack the church is organized West drives that's something they do in England Fates kind of like a fair dramas bazaars and things of that sort so as to attract people we are becoming almost as Wily as the Devil Himself but we are really very bad at it all our attempts are hopeless failures and the world laughs at us now when the world persecutes the church she is performing her real Mission but when the world laughs at her she has lost her soul and the world today is laughing at the church laughing at her attempts to be nice and to make people feel at home my friends if you feel at home in any church without believing in Christ is your personal savior then that church is no church at all but a place of entertainment or a social club for the truth of Christianity in the preaching of the Gospel should make a church in intolerable and uncomfortable to all except those who believe and even they should go away feeling chastened and humble so even they better not be too happy or you're not doing your job as a preacher Brethren these men were prescient these men saw things these men saw the attack on the church at the place of worship in terms of conduct a regular principle of worship but in terms of ministry in terms of the preacher in terms of the cheerleader the Pep Squad rally the the CEO the manager that just makes sure everything gets done that's not the calling he must be apt to teach he must study to show himself approved unto God a Workman who need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth he must be that devoted Soldier he must be that footman of the Lord Jesus Christ he must be faithful in Ministry in terms of the word in prayer for the people of God and in speaking that truth in love to all the saints for the glory of God for their maturation for their growth and for their Mutual edification and if you are not a Christian look at what Christ has done in terms of saving Center turns from their sins voice thought passages like these ought to Prevail Upon A Sinner's mind typically I mean usually we think of a a John 10 10 I tried to exploit that text or press that text this morning not exploit drill down I I think is what my son says sometimes about that sort of thing drill down on John 10 10. that's a an Evangelistic text he's come that they may have life and they may have it more abundantly we don't think of Ephesians 4 as an Evangelistic text but the fact that God has given yes to his church for the express purpose of preaching his gospel for the Salvation of Sinners shows us something concerning the mind and the heart and the love of God towards Sinners he loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son he loves us so much that he gave him a class of man that are fitted to preach and teach his word so that the people of God can grow and so that the non-people of God can hear that truth and by his grace believe and be saved this my brothers and sisters is a gift of the ascended Christ to the church and may we again pray for more and may we again pray that we will be hearers and recipients and engage in the persevering use of the ordinary means well let us pray Our God and Father we thank you for this section in Ephesians 4 we thank you for the apostles emphasis on practical religion we'll see that coming in the next several weeks in terms of 417 to 6 20. we thank you that after you save us by grace through faith after justification you call us to live in a particular Manner and you don't leave us to ourselves to try and figure that out you've given us the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments and we praise you for that help us to love that word and help us to grow as a result of that word go with us now watch over us in this coming week and be glorified in each of our lives and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation