Sermon Notes: Ephesians 4:1-16, Part 3 – Grow

These are the notes of a sermon preached by Andy Evans on the morning of the 05 June 2011 at Firwood Church. Click here to stream or download the sermon audio.

EPHESIANS 4:1-16, PART 3 – GROW

Ephesians 4:1–16

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

1. BUILDING THE CHURCH

a. Unite

The Apostle Paul begins with an exhortation towards Christian living. Paul urges believers in Christ to live like believers in Christ,

Ephesians 4:1–4

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul calls Christians to walk in a manner worthy of Christ Jesus and, interestingly, Paul identifies the desire and pursuit of unity as a key characteristic to all that it means to walk in a worthy manner. We understand, therefore, that Christianity is not a solo event. Christianity is not a lone pursuit. We are called to walk constantly and live deeply with other believers together with whom we constitute the church.

We are the body of Christ supernaturally created by Christ Jesus and united by the Spirit of God. We are called to live in the reality of this and to maintain the bond of peace purchased by Christ Jesus and mediated by the Holy Spirit. We are called to pursue and maintain the oneness embodied by the God of the Bible, hence, Paul reminds us,

Ephesians 4:5-6

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

b. Give

But within this oneness, there is room for difference. We are called to be one people while recognising that the One God has blessed his church with many and varied gifts,[1]

Ephesians 4:7-10

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

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”

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

The One God lavishes upon his people many gifts, but this giving is in accordance with his grace. Consequently, the extravagance of the gift is evidence of the kindness and generosity of the Giver rather than a testimony to the ability and worth of the recipient. It is important we take hold of this truth. It is human nature to tend to devalue the gift by searching for the ulterior motive. And so, when someone presents us with an outrageously generous gift we either feel uncomfortable or are suspicious of that persons motives.

Such thinking is exceptionally damaging in the context of this God, the God of the Bible who graciously and lavishly blesses us in Christ ‘with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’ (Ephesians 1:3). To begin to equate his giving with our goodness or ability will either devalue the gift (for grace, when purchased or earned, is not grace) or we will find ourselves looking for affirmation in the gift rather than the Giver.

This kind of wrong thinking devalues grace and decentres the God who gives graciously because he is that kind of God.

He gives because he is grace and kind.

He gives because he is merciful.

He gives because he loves us despite our unloveliness.

c. We Are the Gift

All of which brings us to where we paused last week. The nature of the gift is surprising, sobering and provoking, consider,

Ephesians 4:11-14

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Notice that the gift is the people, ‘the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and the teachers’. Paul is not talking of spiritual gifts in mere abstract terms; he wants us to understand that God uses you and I. God blesses his church, in and through you and me. We are the means of the blessing. We are the mediators of his rich grace as displayed and poured out in and through Christ Jesus.

We are his hands and feet in this world.

We are the city on a hill.

We are the light shining in the darkness.

This is the great mystery of the gospel. He chooses you and I. He chooses to use you and I.

2. GROW

a. The Call to Stand Up

i. Work

God, in Christ Jesus and through his Spirit, pours out spiritual grace-gifts upon his church for a specific purpose,

Ephesians 4:11-13

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood…

God equips his saints (that is you and I, if you are a believer in Christ Jesus) for work.

Let me say that again, God equips us for work.

For some of us this may be a surprise, for some of us this may seem shocking and outrageous. The gospel compels us to respond with action. The grace of God abounding towards you and I is intended to equip us for works of service. The Apostles understood this. Paul understood this. Indeed, outrageously, Paul reminds the church in Corinth,

1 Corinthians 15:8–10

⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Firstly, consider the seeming hubris in this statement. Paul declares that he worked harder than any of the other Apostles. This is, by any accounts, an astonishing statement and would be an example of utter arrogance were it not for the crucial clarification, ‘though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me’.

Paul worked hard. He sweated. He worked two jobs. He stayed up late. He sometimes went without. He wept tears of frustration and tears of sorrow. He suffered for the sake of the gospel. He worked hard.

And yet, Paul understands that it was, in fact, the grace of God compelling, energising and equipping him for works of service.

ii. Teach

And this is the second corrective. God gives that we might be equipped. The work we are to undertake, by his grace, is incredibly purposeful,

Ephesians 4:11

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers

It is interesting that Paul focuses in on gifts and office which primarily involve revealing, declaring and teaching the gospel. Moreover, Paul understands that this proclamatory roles, ‘the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers’, work hard in order to equip the saints. This, then, is the purpose of my preaching to you this morning. It is the purpose of bible studies. It is the purpose of the youth work. We preach, teach and proclaim the gospel, yes, to build up the church, but also to equip others for works of service.[2]

In this we are reminded that there is an indivisible connection between right doctrine and right living. The preaching, teaching and proclamation roles matter because it is through them that God equips the church. The rebuttal and correction of error, the setting forth of right doctrine matters because right thinking results in right living. The truth rightly understood and rightly received motivates us to live, to serve and to work for the glory of King Jesus and the good of the people of God. All of which leads me to Paul’s next point.

iii. Serve

This is both a motivation to work and a sobering reminder of the weighty calling upon our lives,

Ephesians 4:11-13

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood…

Ministry gifts are neither intended nor designed to terminate with you and I. God gives and equips that we might minister to one another and build up the church of Christ. He equips us that we might work for the good of his people and the glory of his name. Paul’s expectation, therefore, is that the equipping of the saints should result in work and that this work should result in the church of Christ being built up.

And this building up has two dimensions (as we shall see).

Paul expects that the equipping of the saints will result in church growth (this is why he specifically references the gift of apostles and evangelists to the church), but also in an increase depth and rootedness in our walk together.[3]

But consider how this looks in practice. It may be that God has blessed you with a critical mind and a solid education. It may be that you have the capacity to grasp and apply difficult theological concepts.

Paul would challenge you to consider whether you are exercising your gifts in such a way as to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ and to build up his church.

Or perhaps God has blessed you with the kind of personality where people are instinctively drawn to trust, confide and seek counsel from you.

Or perhaps you have been gift with exceptional organisational abilities.

Perhaps you are skilled in understanding finance.

Or maybe you have an unusual passion for prayer.

Or perhaps you play an instrument and are enthusiastic about leading people in corporate worship.

Maybe you are a web designer, a gifted artist, an expert communicator. A builder, a doctor, an engineer.

Perhaps you engage and connect easily with young people.

Maybe you have a particular and exceptionally compassionate heart for the poor.

If you are a believer, God has gifted you, in Christ Jesus, in any one of a thousand ways. The question Paul challenges us to ask is: are we using the gifts which God has given us to minister to others and build up his church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, Bible study leaders and administrators together: God equips us for action.

God equips us so that the church of Christ might be built up and attain ‘mature manhood’.

b. The Call to Minister the Gospel

And consider now how Paul defines this ‘mature manhood’ to which we are called and to which end we minister and strive. Paul reminds us that God equips,

Ephesians 4:12-14

…the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Paul envisages two very specific outcomes of the ministry of the gifts of the Spirit in the life of the church, Paul desires that we would ‘all attain to the unity of the faith’ and that we would all attain to the ‘knowledge of the Son of God’ (v. 13).

i. Unity of the faith

Paul has already exhorted believers to maintain and pursue a unity grounded upon the reality of the God who is and the truth of the gospel. We are, after all, called,

Ephesians 4:4–5

…to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism…

Earlier, Paul exhorted us to,

Ephesians 4:3

…maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

In so doing, Paul recognised that it is the Spirit of God who brings true unity and peace. Our call, therefore, is to cooperate and work in accordance with this Spirit-given oneness. Here, however, Paul encourages, in even stronger terms, to work for the building up of the church of Christ. Paul is clear, this unity is something which we must both maintain, but also seek to attain to ‘the unity of the faith’ (Ephesians 4:13).

Paul is again reminding us of the importance of holding fast to the objective content of the gospel, not only as individuals, but, collectively, as the church of Christ. God graciously pours out ministry gifts, particularly proclamation, preaching and teaching gifts, in order that his church might grow in to ‘the unity of the faith’ and that we might all believe and hold to true things about God and the truth of the gospel.

It is important that we see that maturity is measured in gospel and doctrinal faithfulness. It matters what you and I believe. It matters what churches believe.

And this must change the way in which we minister.

Consider,

There is a way of preaching which poses difficult and troubling question which seek to undermine rather than understand the truth of the gospel. And there is a way of teaching which encourages division and disagreement over peripheral controversies.

Or small groups which should encourage oneness, but instead become forums for gossip and criticism.

Or corporate worship which becomes exclusive and self-indulgent.

A test of our gospel faithfulness in the exercising of our gifts is whether our ministry builds and encourages a oneness focused and grounded upon gospel faithfulness.

Do we treasure gospel truth and do we minister this same gospel truth to others? This is the first outcome of godly ministry, to urge the church towards ‘the unity of the faith’.

ii. The knowledge of the Son of God

The second envisaged outcome of faithful gospel ministry is intrinsically bound up with the first. Paul exhorts us to minister in such a way that men and women might grow in the knowledge of the Son of God. In so doing, Paul is exhorting us to work in accordance with his earlier prayer that we would,

Ephesians 3:19

…know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

This then becomes a test of our faithfulness in ministry:

Is the glory of King Jesus our highest ministry goal? Is the glory of King Jesus at the centre of our gospel message? Do we minister in such a way as to encourage people to seek after and energetically pursue King Jesus?  Do we help others to read and understand the gospel that they might grow in their knowledge of King Jesus?

Paul envisages believers mindful of the grace God in our lives ministering together that the church might be built up and that the church might grow up. Paul understands that such maturity comes from standing together and holding fast to gospel truth and springs from a deep and ever deepening knowledge of the Son of God.

And Paul also challenges us to ask deep, challenging questions which test our own Christian maturity and that of our churches, questions like,

Do we desire to know Jesus more deeply?

Do we hunger to learn new things about Jesus?

Do we cling to deep truths about Jesus?

Do we love Jesus? Do we search the Scriptures desiring to see him more clearly and know him more deeply?

This is what it means to strive after maturity.

c. The Call to Grow Up

i. Mature Manhood

The end of all of this is that we, the church of Christ, would grow up,

Ephesians 4:13

…all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood…

This phrase, ‘mature manhood’, is unusual, but Paul is, in effect, calling the church of Christ to act like a real man.

And this emphasis is important. Paul exhorts believers to minister and to work that the church might attain full maturity. While it is absolutely true that the gospel requires an individual response, too often we focus exclusively and singularly on our own spiritual wellbeing to the neglect of the health of the wider church. In this we see a peculiar form of Christianised consumerism which is hugely damaging to both the soul and the Church of Christ. Instead of working for the good of the body, such thinking causes us to focus exclusively on our own needs: am I being fed, are my spiritual needs being met and am I happy here? Such thinking leads us to drop ministries, switch churches and chase spiritual experiences from one conference to another in some ill-informed pursuit of what we believe to be true maturity.

Paul provides the corrective to this. We are called to minister,

Ephesians 4:13

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood…

All. Paul is interested in the ‘all’.

True Christian maturity is worked out together in service of one another. True Christian maturity is seen as we lay down our priorities and privileges for the good of our brothers and sisters. True Christian maturity is seen as we forgive when we are wronged and repent openly when we wrong others. True Christian maturity is seen as we love like Jesus loved and as we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Paul reminds us that God equips us and calls us to work and minister for the good of each other.

The end of this grace is that the church would grow up and act like a man.

ii. Gospel Immaturity (does this need to move up top)

Paul proceeds to present the antithesis of this gospel maturity. Paul reminds the church that God equips that we might grow up so that, in our new found maturity,

Ephesians 4:14

… we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Once again we are reminded that right thinking and right doctrine matters.

It matters that we move towards attaining the unity of the faith. It matters that we care about and progress in our knowledge of the Son of God. It matters that the church of Christ grows up because the alternative is so devastating.

Right thinking and right doctrine matters because the alternative is incredibly destructive. Paul wants us to see that, where there is no unity of the faith and no deep knowledge of the Son of God, gospel immaturity prevails. And gospel immaturity is dangerous because it results in a gullibility in which we see Christians falling for every scheme and scam which infiltrates the church.

Ultimately, gospel immaturity will result in disintegrating churches, divided families, wrecked marriages and the tragic falling away from the gospel truth.

c. The Call to Speak Up

As we have already considered earlier in this series, this church was on the cusp of experiencing severe spiritual attack. Elsewhere Paul addresses the Pastors of this church and warns them that,

Acts 20:29–30

…fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Because right thinking and right doctrine matters, believers are called to be on our guard against enemies of the gospel infiltrating the church. Moreover, we are called to stand up and stand against false teaching and false doctrine,

Ephesians 4:15–16

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

We are called to speak up and speak out.

When we see people who profess to be Christians diminishing the effectiveness of the cross of Christ, the exclusive claims of the gospel, the gospel call to holiness and any one of a thousand gospel-perversions, we must stand up and speak up. This is a distinctive of the mature believer and the mature church.

When we see error, we speak up.

When we see the gospel being perverted, we speak up.

When we see the truth, the glory and the triumph of King Jesus being undermined, we stand up and speak up.

But we are called to speak out this truth in love.

Consider the nature of the gospel ,

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Or, as Paul earlier states,

Ephesians 2:17

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Consider the awesome truth of this, God becomes flesh and enters into a world of darkness-loving, God-belittling rebels and how does he respond? Jesus came and he preached a message of peace: be reconciled to God.

And so to, we are called to speak up and to preach and proclaim the gospel faithfully, but in a spirit of grace and love. We are called to correct error in such a way that we might win the souls of those in error. We are called to oppose false teachers and false doctrine in such a way that our lives might authenticate the truth of our position.

3. A CHRIST-CENTRED CHURCH

a. Grow into Christ Jesus

It has been said of our generation, that intolerance is the one remaining intolerable sin. We live in a generation where pluralism, postmodernism and relativism reign. It is a spirit encapsulated by the title of a recent Manic Street Preacher’s album, This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours.

Tragically, the spirit of this age has permeated the church.

And so we have churches tolerating false teaching, distorted doctrine and the open embracing of what Bible presents as sin in the mistaken believe that unity must be maintained, whatever the cost. We find churches lowering the bar in terms of the moral conduct expected of those who profess to be Christians in the mistaken believe that this wide open door will result in church growth.

It is interesting that Paul draws a directly line between gospel faithfulness and profoundly genuine church growth,

Ephesians 4:15–16

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

Note that it is as we speak up and speak out in love, we, the church, grow up.

But consider how we grow up: the church is to grow into Christ Jesus who is the head.

There is an issue of authority here, he is the Head of his Church and he sets the rules and the standard. But there is more here. The Apostle Paul wants us to see that it is because of our connection with the Head (Christ Jesus) and our submission to him that we find true, soul-deep cohesion in the church.

He is the source of unity. He is the one who holds this church together. He is the sole common ground upon which we stand. He is the object of our worship. His fellowship is the objective of our meeting together. His glory is outcome of our ministry. His Name is the thing that gives us identity.

We are called to minister (with the grace-gifts he has given), we are called to stand up, speak up and grow up. And, as we do so, we grow into him.

This is what it means to be the body of Christ, that he ministers in and through us. We are made to be his hands and feet in this world.[4]

This is what it means to be the body of Christ.

b. Show the Fullness of Christ Jesus

Which leads us to our final point, an astonishing truth which we overlooked earlier in this passage. Again consider,

Ephesians 4:11-13

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

We are called to minister, to stand up, to speak up and to grow up. We are called to work towards and strive for the building up of the church of Christ so that the body of Christ might attain ‘mature manhood’. The question remains, what does this mature manhood look like? Paul instructs us that we are to minister until we grow up into,

Ephesians 4:13

…the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

Paul envisages that the church would increasingly come to resemble Christ Jesus.

That we would minister in all the fullness of Christ Jesus.

That we would serve with the humility of Christ Jesus.

That we speak with the faithfulness of Christ Jesus

And that we would love with the costly, sacrificial love displayed by King Jesus on the cross.

And this is why the ‘until’ of verse 13 is so important. We continue to minister and work until we attain ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’. We continue to minister and work until he returns to perfect his church. We continue to minister and work until that day when we will know him full even as we are fully know.[5]