Ephesians Session IV, Mishkan Katan series, originally aired on March 13, 2024 {As has been previously mentioned, these are my teaching notes for the Mishkan Katan show. So, they are in rough form.}
When we closed our last session together, here in Ephesians, I had read the first few verses of Ephesians 4 to you. That’s where we’ll begin anew this morning. Grab your copy of the written Word of God. We are not going to be exploring these verses in a linear fashion today, but are going to be skipping around from chunk to chunk.
Do you have children? My husband and I have two sons. I had always prayed to have children, and especially wanted to have sons. When you have two sons, especially two very close in age, you soon learn that they are very competitive. That’s putting it mildly! As children grow and mature, they learn how to behave unselfishly within the family; or, at least, they should. I was thinking of this as I read today's passage, Ephesians 4:1-16. Look specifically today at verses 13-16 (The Message).
...{Jesus, the One} working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
14-16 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
God is our Father, and I do love the aspect of His character that parents us, His children. Paul uses this illustration to describe unity within the Bride, the congregational Body of Jesus Christ.
I have noticed a troubling trend in the local congregations in my part of the world. A member gets upset about something and leaves. (Sometimes this is because an "imposter" has caused division and other times not.) Often, there is no attempt by the member to dig deeper and find a solution to the problem, because "the grass looks greener" elsewhere. By the same token, the attitude within the church being left is lackadaisical and prideful, if you can imagine such a combination. At first, there is hurt and offense that the brother or sister would consider leaving, and that morphs into a sort of stubborn pride that prevents them from reaching out to say, "Wait a minute...let's try to work this out." Church members are seen, by and large, as expendable. And, you have a "church divorce".
Other times, this pridefulness manifests as a critical spirit in the church. (And, if your mind just now went to one of your Christian brothers or sisters, well, then, you'd just better hold up and check your own heart. As an old commercial says, "Check yo'self, Rodney!") Allright, I know some of you are going to go look that up....it was a phone company ad, and I won’t say the name because some of the social media monitors will get me.
Listen, brother or sister, your local congregation was not established by the Lord to give you everything you want or to let you have your preferences all the time! That is not its purpose! But, sometimes, unless a dear brother or sister gets his or her way, out the door they go. (You know I am not talking about confronting legitimate major doctrinal heresies, but about minor preferences.) Ironically, very much so, I blogged on this topic in May of 2016. And, less than a month later, my congregation underwent a huge schism, which ranks as one of the most painful church experiences I’ve ever undergone. But, that’s another story for another day...if ever.
Focusing on Christ, our Unifier, is key. When we begin to focus on ourselves and on our differences and/or on others' faults, we move the focus off of our God, don't we? Humility and discipline (as mentioned in 4:3) take the nearest route out the back door. We stop exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We wander off the path of our individual calling, to chase some sort of self-gratifying desire.
This prideful behavior breaks God our Father's heart (Eph. 4:30) because it is an example of "prolonged infancy" - - what Paul calls baby behavior. Even those who are mature in the faith can exhibit it from time to time - - this includes "yours truly". The point is that we need to be watchful and wary of it, so that "imposters, those wolves in the sheep pen" can be called out ... so that our local bodies of believers can "move rhythmically and easily, efficient and graceful" with each other, as we exercise our spiritual gifts.
Maybe you come from a family of dancers. My father loved to dance and was great at it. I love it too, but rarely get the opportunity. My older son married a professional dancer! But, I want you to imagine with me a moment a large group of jubilant dancers, dancing together with joy. Perhaps you are seeing a group of Jewish men, dancing at a wedding, or a group of your own family members. Young and old, celebrating together, some dancing, some clapping, some singing, some smiling, one with hands raised ... among the many expressing themselves differently, we see unity.
Paul's admonition does not only apply to LOCAL groups of believers, but also to culturally disparate groups of believers around the world. Each locale has its own peculiar challenges, as well as customs. Here's one example of a culture juxtaposition: In many countries, it is accepted practice for a nursing mother to nurse her infant anywhere, under any circumstances. I once witnessed a nursing mother discreetly nurse her baby as the gospel was being presented to her by a group of men. Many in my country would find that behavior on her part so totally inappropriate that it would cause disunity. In a similar vein, behavior in church services has wildly different standards and appearances around the world. But, unless something major in scripture is being violated ... let's retain our brotherhood and sisterhood ... our robust love for one another, so that the world will see this magnificent brotherly love, and marvel at our Savior.
Let’s now look at verses 7 through 12.
7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.”
9Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth?
10He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things
. 11It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ
Here's the gist of it: Father Yahweh gave us His Son. Then, when Jesus Christ finished the work pre-ordained by God the Father, He was given by Father certain gifts and rights. He, in turn, gave gifts to us, the members of His Body, the Church. Not all the gifts look the same or are the same. He gave to each of us, at the moment of our receiving Him as Savior, the exact spiritual gifts we would need in order to build up His people and to evangelize the world.
Ok, so what is meant by all this ascending and descending? In these words, Paul is referring back to Psalm 68. Let's turn there and take a look, focusing on verses 17-19. This is from the BSB.
…17The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai. 18You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. 19Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God of our salvation. Selah…
When you read Psalm 68, a long song of praise to God for His triumphing over His enemies, you will notice that verse 18 is quite similar to Ephesians 4:8-10. The origin of Psalm 68 is that it was written to commemorate the triumphal bringing of the ark of the covenant to Mt. Zion.
When did this occur? It happened about 1000 years before Jesus Christ was born as a baby (incarnated). King David had both wanted to build the first Temple in Jerusalem and also to give the ark of the covenant its permanent home there. But, God decreed that his son, Solomon, should do this. Solomon built the Temple and the ark was triumphantly installed there, in the Temple's Holy of Holies, where it remained for about 450 years, until the Babylonian invasion. There it remained, high above all its foes, a symbol of the triumph of God above all His enemies. This was the first time the Ark had had a "permanent" home.
In his commentary, Barnes1 says this:
The fact that the ark of God thus ascended the hill of Zion, the place of rest; that it was to remain there as its permanent abode, no more to be carried about at the head of armies; was the proof of its triumph. It had made everything captive. It had subdued every foe; and its ascent there would be the means of obtaining invaluable gifts for people; Mercy and truth would go forth from that mountain; and the true religion would spread abroad, even to the rebellious, as the results of the triumph of God, whose symbol was over the tabernacle and the ark
We see Jesus Christ's triumphal ascension to the throne room of God, after His resurrection pictured in Revelation 4-5. The Father, seated on His throne, gave to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who has triumphed (emphasis mine) a sealed scroll. Because of his triumph, His finished work, He began to open the seals on the scroll as the Church Age began to unfold. We are currently approaching the Sixth Seal, which will occur with a mighty world-wide earthquake. I believe this will coincide with the Rapture of the Body of Messiah; and, this will usher in the reign of THE False Messiah and the 7-year Tribulation period. But, I digress from todays' topic.
So, Father gave His Son gifts, and the Son gave us gifts, the first of which is grace - - - grace that is offered to all, even to "the rebellious" (Psalm 68:18), should they turn and accept His offer. Salvation is offered to every man and woman. (It is a comfort to me that God has patience and is long-suffering toward those who, for a time, run from Him.) In addition to that saving grace, Christ bestows on us the gift of His Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit, the various "spiritual gifts".
I’ve noticed, with sadness, that what is referred to in verse 6, “the glorious grace of God” has become one of the most despised doctrines of the Body of Messiah. On the one hand, the ChRINOs - - Christians in name only - - claim the grace of God, but misapply it in their lives, using it to justify ungodly living. Meanwhile, all they can crow about is the grace and love of God. On the other hand, there are those who say they are in the Body of Messiah; yet, they despise the doctrine of grace, choosing instead to pridefully cling to their own “good works” in order to merit salvation. Both of these extreme, and theologically wrong, positions evidence a lack of understanding of the nature of God’s grace. It is not to be trampled upon. It is GLORIOUS!
Now, we come to the difficult part of this passage, if you compare it to other related passages. By itself, Ephesians 4:8-10 seems to say that Jesus was in Heaven, was born (came to Earth), died, was buried, was resurrected and ascended back to Heaven after walking the Earth alive for about 40 days. All of that is true. But, there are other relevant scriptures, by other writers, which add dimension to Paul's verses here. Take your Bible and look these up or write them down to study later:
Matthew 12:20 tells us that Jesus was three days and nights "in the heart of the earth". This goes beyond Joseph of Arimathea's tomb...
Luke 16:19-28 and Luke 23:42-43 tell us that Paradise and the place of eternal fire and torment were in the same location. Ephesians 4:9 (NIV) calls this "the lower, earthly regions". This is where the spirits of Jesus and the thief on the cross went after death.
1 Peter 3:18-20 tells us that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison who had caused all that mayhem that led up to the Great Flood. This is part of His "triumph" over His enemies.4
Other sources talk about how Christ changed the entire structure of the abode of the dead with his death, burial and resurrection. That is sort of controversial. While I don’t shy away from controversial topics in the Scriptures, I’m not going down that rabbit trail this morning.
When you are living through your life, you don't recognize that you are part of making history. Or, at least, most of us don't. Only later do you "wake up" to discover your life and your choices were part of a documented "movement". For example, we are living through an intense period of anti-Semitism, which has been revealed due to the Israel-Hamas War. It makes me think of the Nazi era. When you look at photos of the Hamas terrorists, you see “Heil Hitler” arm salutes, you see swastikas, etc. Same demonic spirit that was active nearly 100 years ago in Germany and eastern Europe.
The 1960s, which I only remember through the eyes of a child, were nationally a very turbulent time. The birth control pill had emerged on the scene and changed the social fabric of our society completely. The generation just ahead of mine began to throw off the "chains" that kept them bound to sexual purity, before marriage and after. As the Bible predicts, calamity followed. In reaction to this, the Christian church took one of two positions: either to remain entrenched in traditions or to reach out and win the damaged souls of those who had fallen victim to the sins of the age. It was an earth-shattering, ground-breaking era, one in which even the "experts" were unsure how to respond.
I think about all this, when reading Ephesians 4:17-24 (The Message) - - -
17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.
{And, my goodness, isn’t that true today!}
20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
It was when I became a teenager and realized the gravity of the situation. Although I had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord at age 9, I saw as a teen the spiritual poverty surrounding me and understood that I was living on a battlefield. I could either retreat and withdraw, leaving the culture to rot on its own; or, I could engage it with more relevant methods.
In the scripture passage, the Gentiles were the pagan people groups who were not of Jewish descent. However, as more non-Jewish people (such as the Ephesians) came to know Jesus Christ, "the Gentiles" began to mean any people who reject God, Jesus Christ and His ways, regardless of ethnic background. The same is true today.
At first, I chose to adopt a separatist position, in an attempt to preserve the purity of the theology, fearing that in those perilous times, truth would become lost. Holiness "preserved" by separatism. Was that the correct response? I was not "going along with the crowd", for sure.
When Paul was writing, as it is today, sexual obsession and perversion - - the consequences of lives lived in opposition to God and His way of life - - - were (and are) rampant. Then, as today, Christians are surrounded by people from all walks of life who think that we who adhere to the truths of scripture are wingnuts and whack-jobs. It is only "natural" to want to withdraw and refuse to engage a rotting culture.
However, that is not what Paul is advocating here. I'm so glad that, as a teenager, the Jesus Movement began as a reaction to the ever-increasing disintegration of Judeo-Christian values in American culture. I am a product of that movement, which advocated
---standing firm on the Word of God,
---having a personal encounter with Jesus Christ (that is, making a personal decision to follow Him),
---reaching out to serve and evangelize damaged, lost souls
---while maintaining a pure and faithful Christian walk.
We need, desperately need, some "Jesus freaks" today. By and large, the traditional Body of Messiah, with its "walled off" protectionism has failed to reach the lost. Church attendance is down, as church members are more concerned with protecting their modes of worship and evangelism than they are with reaching those sin has destroyed. Watering down the truth message has been another tactic of "the politically-correct church". Likewise, this has failed miserably. While this approach does attract more "followers", they merely put on Christianity like a new garment. Then, as soon as they come to see the emptiness of the message, a gospel that has been eunuched, and the fickle dishonesty of those who "claim the name" of Jesus Christ, these new converts throw off the trappings of Christian faith to live lives indistinguishable from the rest of the world.
The pressure on the church of Jesus Christ is nearly intolerable. The world screams, "Conform! Conform! Conform!" It's why so many of us, and so many of our churches, ... have. Yet, I ask - - - "Has this worked? Have the lost, the pagans, been converted? Do we see our churches growing?" No, we see just the opposite, in fact. The average size of a Southern Baptist church today is about 35 people. That is the case in my childhood church which, in my small community, ran between 100 and 200 on a weekly basis in the 1970s.
What, then, IS the answer? Paul expounds on the first part of the answer and then alludes to the second, in this passage.
The first component is what I call "blazing holiness", a way of life that is in sharp contrast to the way the Gentiles live. This way of living is produced from the regenerated, reborn, entirely new human heart, the heart of one who has become a new creation in Christ Jesus. It can't be produced any other way. It absolutely must begin with a "Jesus encounter", a personal decision to adopt Jesus Christ as Lord and master, as King of Kings, to turn from that former way of living and invite Him to reproduce His character in the individual heart/life.
"Blazing holiness" is courageous, with biblical truth as its core and foundation. It does not cave to worldly philosophies, does not conform to the culture's decadent fashions. It draws life-sustaining oxygen from Heaven, where Christ Jesus reigns as Mediator between God and mankind. It is not dependent on the fetid air that surrounds it here for its fuel.
The second equally necessary component is "blazing love" for others. Holiness divorced from God's amazing love is legalism, which does nothing to win the world for Christ. Unbelievers see it for the fraud it is. No! "Blazing love" is a fearless love which is stronger than the strongest material found on Earth. It is a love which can withstand the sharpest examinations and produce the most brilliant sacrifices. The world cannot comprehend such love, because it is not merely "counterintuitive"; it is incomprehensible.
Paul is not calling us to be a flicker of candlelight in the darkness. God's Word insists upon this: We are called to blaze!
We are nearing the end of Ephesians 4 (verses 25-32), where Paul lists 7 things that are central to living a Spirit-filled life ("the new self"), which he referenced in verses 20-24.
I'm going to use the New English Translation to present Ephesians 4:25-32, as well as Proverbs 6:16-19. We are going to contrast these two passages today. Let's start by looking at both of them.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”d : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
even seven things that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that are swift to run to evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,
and a person who spreads discord among family members.
In the Proverbs passage, we see 7 things that the LORD considers an "abomination".
By contrast....
In the Ephesians passage, the opposite of some of those 7 are presented by Paul as being attributes of a Christ-filled life.
Let's look at them in lists, side by side.
Proverbs Ephesians
Lying (Prov. 6:17,19) Speak Truth (Eph. 4:25)
False Witness (Prov. 6:19) Get Rid of Slander (Eph. 4:31)
Murdering (6:17) Handle Anger Righteously (4:26-27)
Haughtiness (6:17) Work Hard; Don't Steal; Be Generous (4:28)
Scheming and Craving Wickedness (6:18) Speak Wholesome Words that Heal (4:29)
Spreading Disunity/Discord (6:19) Practice Kindness, Compassion, Forgiveness (4:32)
Avoid grieving the Holy Spirit (4:30)
So, when you compare these two lists, what jumps out at you? Here are some things that are obvious to me.
1. Lying is a "biggie" with God. You may recall that Jesus called Satan "the Father of Lies" (John 8:44). Lying (or slander, which is "lying to destroy someone's reputation") is mentioned TWICE in the "God hates" list! Because he is a deceiver, Satan wants to make us believe that "little, white lies" do not matter. Oh....but they do! By contrast, Christians are commanded to control our words and to speak only words that are wholesome, that benefit others and that heal wounds.
2. Anger and Murder are merely matters of differing degree. Murder is anger, taken to an extreme. Anger always precedes murder. Christians are told to keep their anger short-lived and to not let Satan get his "toe in the door" of our lives, through our anger.
3. Haughtiness has to do with thinking you are superior to someone else, that you deserve more, that you are a better person because of your circumstances. Haughty people have a disdain for those who have more than they do; so, they think it's okay to steal what others have. Haughty people are hard-hearted, selfish people, who would not stoop to help someone less fortunate.
4. Instead of fostering disunity and spreading discord, we are to exhibit kindness and compassion, forgiving others for the ways they have hurt us. Almost always, disunity and discord get whipped up because someone has had their feelings hurt.
5. When we plot evil towards others and/or go lusting after wickedness or sin, this most assuredly grieves the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to sin unintentionally. But, when Christians embrace favorite sins or go running after evil, the Holy Spirit is "grieved". (In a related verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, the word is "quenched".) The Holy Spirit is a Person, one of the three Persons in the Godhead, the Holy Trinity. Only a person can be made sorrowful or can be grieved. The Holy Spirit is often represented by a dove, (at Jesus' baptism) or as a flame of fire, (at Pentecost), which is most likely why Paul used the "quenched" reference in 1 Thessalonians. Regardless, we refuse to follow His leading when we "act out" in a sinful manner. All those heinous sins mentioned in Proverbs 6, and, indeed all sin, grieve the Holy Spirit who lives in the heart of every Christ-follower.
As you review today's content, does anything on the lists above prick your heart? Is the Holy Spirit nudging you about one of these? If so, go to Him in prayer today, in order to confess, repent and "make it right".
No comments:
Post a Comment