Ephesians 7 to 16 The Living Church February 23, 2025 Lesson 8

The Immeasurable Love of Christ Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

• Acts 2:42–47 (NASB95)

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;

45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

• Hebrews 10:22–25 (NASB95)

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Main Idea:

• Church is a place for fellowship, service, encouragement, and compassion.

Study Aim:

• To understand that God wants to bring life where there is death.

Create Interest:

• E pluribus unum is a Latin phrase meaning “out of many, one.” It is also a kind of unofficial motto for the United States of America, appearing on the nation’s Great Seal and upon her coinage. “Out of many” immigrants and ethnicities has arisen “one” nation.

• We should note that before the “out of many, one” was the unofficial motto for the United States, it was the apostle Paul’s vision for the churches of the living God. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the first half of Ephesians 4.

• Christians come from a variety of different ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Yet we possess a profound unity in the doctrines of our faith: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” and so on (vv. 4–6). But not only does this common faith bring us together in spite of our diversity, it is also designed to bring us together into one body with Christ being the head, precisely because of our diversity—particularly because of …our diversity of spiritual gifts.

Lesson in Historical Context:

• The apostle has been discussing the unity of the whole (4:1–6); now he turns to the individual parts and shows how diversity within the body contributes to its unity. The body is unified, but it is not uniform; every person has a special gift that contributes to the whole.

• In the verses following, the apostle lists the various gifts necessary for the body to function properly and ultimately to attain its goal of maturity—“attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (4:13). But to each one of us grace has been given.

o Christ’s giving is always a matter of his grace, and just as the apostle has emphasized how he personally was the recipient of grace (3:2, 7, 8), he reminds the readers that each one of them has received the same privilege.

o Later, he will show how that privilege leads to responsibility (4:12–16).

• The gift is as Christ apportioned it. Though grace suggests the unlimited favor of God, this phrase shows that, as it was given to each individual, it does have limitations.

• No one person has all the gifts required for the body; rather, the gifts of each member are supplemented by the gifts of all members. It is the working together of each part that produces unity and growth.

• Here it is the gift that Christ apportioned, not the gift of the Spirit, as in Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:7–13).

Bible Study:

Ephesians 4:7–10 (NASB95)

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8 Therefore it says,

“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,

HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,

AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”

9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

• Paul now discussed the diversity within the church (cf. unity in 1 Cor. 12:12–13, and diversity in 1 Cor. 12:4–11, 14–20). From God each believer receives grace or enablement (cf. Eph. 3:2, 7–8) as Christ apportioned it (lit., “according to the measure [metron, also used in 4:13, 16]; of the gift of Christ,” i.e., the gift He is pleased to give).

o Each believer is to function in Christ’s body by God’s enablement, proportionate to the gift (spiritual ability) bestowed on him, no more and no less. This means that a variety of gifts will be exercised, as will be seen in verse 11; Romans 12:4–6; and 1 Corinthians 12:4–6.

o Furthermore, since each believer receives “grace,” clergy and laity—to use a common present-day distinction—are on the same level in exercising their gifts.

• Paul turns to another aspect of his subject. He has been talking about the qualities of the members of Christ’s Church; now he is going to talk of their functions in the Church.

o He begins by laying down what was for him an essential truth—that every good thing a man has is the gift of the grace of Christ.

And every virtue we possess,

And every victory won,

And every thought of holiness,

Are His alone.

• To make his point about Christ the giver of gifts, Paul quotes, with a very significant difference, from Psalm 68:18 (NASB95)

“You have ascended on high,

You have led captive Your captives;

You have received gifts among men,

Even among the rebellious also,

that the LORD God may dwell there.”

• This Psalm describes a king’s conquering return. He ascends on high; that is to say, he climbs the steep road of Mount Zion into the streets of the Holy City. He brings in his captive band of prisoners; that is to say, he marches through the streets with his prisoners in chains behind him to demonstrate his conquering power. Now comes the difference. The Psalm speaks next about the conqueror receiving gifts. Paul changes it to read, “gave gifts to men.”

• In the Old Testament the conquering king demanded and received gifts from men: in the New Testament the conqueror Christ offers and gives gifts to men.

o That is the essential difference between the two Testaments.

 In the Old Testament a jealous God insists on tribute from men;

 In the New Testament a loving God pours out his love to men.

That indeed is the good news. Good point to discuss!

• Then, as so often, Paul’s mind goes off at a word. He has used the word ascended, and that makes him think of Jesus. And it makes him say a very wonderful thing.

o Jesus descended into this world when he entered it as a man;

o Jesus ascended from this world when he left it to return to his glory.

 Paul’s great thought is that the Christ who ascended and the Christ who descended are one and the same person.

 What does that mean?

It means that the Christ of glory is the same as the Jesus who walked this earth;

o still he loves all men;

o still he seeks the sinner;

o still he heals the sufferer;

o still he comforts the sorrowing;

o still he is the friend of outcast men and women.

 The ascended Christ is still the lover of the souls of men…eternally living and active.

• Still another thought strikes Paul. Jesus ascended up on high. But he did not ascend up on high to leave the world; he ascended up on high to fill the world with his presence.

o When Jesus was here in the flesh, he could only be in one place at one time; he was under all the limitations of the body; but when he laid this body aside and returned to glory, he was liberated from the limitations of the body and was able then to be everywhere in all the world through his Spirit.

 To Paul the ascension of Jesus meant not a Christ-deserted but a Christ-filled world.

Who gives grace to each believer? (4:7)

How did Paul confirm God’s giving of gifts? (4:8)

Ephesians 4:11–12 (NASB95)

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

• Paul moves now from what all Christians have in common to how Christians differ from each other. He is discussing variety and individuality within the unity of the Spirit. God has given each believer at least one spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:1–12), and this gift is to be used for the unifying and edifying (building up) of the body of Christ.

• We must make a distinction between “spiritual gifts” and natural abilities. When you were born into this world God gave you certain natural abilities, perhaps in mechanics, art, athletics, or music. In this regard, all men are not created equal, because some are smarter, or stronger, or more talented than others.

• But in the spiritual realm, each believer has at least one spiritual gift no matter what natural abilities he may or may not possess. A spiritual gift is a God-given ability to serve God and other Christians in such a way that Christ is glorified and believers are edified.

• How does the believer discover and develop his gifts? By fellowshipping with other Christians in the local assembly. Gifts are not toys to play with. They are tools to build with. And if they are not used in love, they become weapons to fight with, which is what happened in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 12–14).

o Christians are not to live in isolation, for after all, they are members of the same body.

• As we discussed when studying Vs. 7-10, Paul taught that Christ is the Giver of these gifts, through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:8–10). He ascended to heaven as Victor forevermore.

o The picture here is of a military conqueror leading his captives and sharing the spoil with his followers.

o Only in this case, the “captives” are not His enemies, but His own. Sinners who once were held captives by sin and Satan have now been taken captive by Christ.

o Even death itself is a defeated foe! When He came to earth, Christ experienced the depths of humiliation (Phil. 2:5–11), but when He ascended to heaven, He experienced the very highest exaltation possible.

 Paul quotes Psalm 68:18, applying to Jesus Christ a victory song written by David (Eph. 4:8). Remember the point shared that Paul changed the Psalm to “He gave gifts to men.”

• There are three lists of spiritual gifts given in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31; Romans 12:3–8; and Ephesians 4:11. Here, Paul named, not so much “gifts” as the gifted men God has placed in the church, and there are five of them. Let’s look into them.

Ephesians 4:11–16 (NASB95)

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

• Paul envisages this body as growing up ‘into Christ, who is the head’. This seems an odd way to put it, since a human body doesn’t grow into a head, but gets its life and direction from its head. It may be that, as with the children in the boat in Vs. 14, Paul is mixing two pictures together at this point; or it may be that he means to refer to the way in which the body takes orders from the head and must be brought into line with what the head intends.

• In any case, second, he points out the mutual need and concern of the different members of the body. Every Christian, equipped by God to play his or her part within the whole community, has a role in enabling the body to function as the complex and interdependent entity that it is. And all, we note once more, must be done in love.

• So what provision has God made for all this? Once we realize that the passage is all about the whole body of Christ, and each member of it, coming to maturity, we are in a better position to understand the list of ministries in verse 11. Sometimes when the church debates the nature of different offices and ministries, you get the impression that these things exist for their own sake, as though the main point of there being a church in the first place was that certain people would be ‘special’ within it. The opposite is the case. The main point of certain people having special roles is so that every single Christian, and the church as a whole, may be equipped for their work of service.

• When he wrote these words, Paul apparently had in mind his listing of the ministries in 1 Cor. 12:28. The Corinthian passage involves a longer list of spiritual gifts (charismata), but in this passage Paul is interested in setting forth especially these offices necessary for the expansion and nurture of the Church.

o Let’s look briefly at each of these to better understand Paul’s main point and message.

• Christ gave the Church apostles: the chief ministers, the twelve who had seen the risen Lord and received their commissions from Him.

• The prophets stood close to the apostles, and their special endowment was that of an inspired ministry. Foulkes asserts that their primary function was like that of the Old Testament prophets, to “forth-tell” the word of God. However, on occasion they foretold future events, as in Acts 11:28 and 21:9, 11.

• Evangelists were itinerants, who went from place to place to win unbelievers (cf. 2 Tim. 4:5), in much the same manner as they do today.

o It has been suggested that the first three categories apply to the Church universal, whereas the last two apply especially to the local church.

• Pastors are shepherds of a flock of communicants; the Greek word (poimen) employed here means literally “shepherd.” The task of the pastors is to feed the flock and to protect them from spiritual dangers.

• Teachers might refer to another function of the pastor. Bruce claims that these terms “denote one and the same class of men.” However, it might be that teachers represent a class of somewhat lesser responsibility than the pastors, but who nevertheless hold a special place in the Church.

o All five ministries are Spirit-bestowed and given by Christ to His Church.

What commentary did Paul make on the Old Testament passage he quoted? Why? (4:9–11)

With what kind of people does God fill the church? (4:11)

Let’s take a short pause to hear from Dr. Charles Swindoll

• I’m more convinced than ever that if there’s a message the church of the twenty-first century needs to hear, it’s the message of Eph. 4:12–16. We have come on hard times, in which the church is treated more like a corporation or an institution than a body of believers or family of the faithful. Pastors today act more like CEOs than like shepherds—some even prefer that title. Many church-growth methods and leadership techniques are modeled after corporate America. We must allow Ephesians 4 to remind us that the church is not a corporation. The church is a family. The church is a body. Listen to the words of Pastor Ray Stedman, one of the men who mentored me early in my ministry:

o “We easily forget that the church is a body. We have tried to operate the church as an institution, a corporation, a business. But the reality Paul wants us to grasp in Ephesians is that the church is a body, made up of “cells”—and the cells are individual believers, you and me and our other brothers and sisters in Christ. Each cell has a unique role to play in keeping the entire body healthy”.

• Eph. 4:12: “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ”;

o The church of Jesus Christ exists for three reasons:

 To exalt God—which is why we sing praises and offer prayer

 To edify His people—which is why we study the Word

 To evangelize the unsaved—which is why we preach salvation

o Contrary to what many think, the church does not exist primarily to evangelize. It exists to build the saints so that they, in turn, will do the work of the ministry. If you come from a church background, the tendency is to think that Christian service happens primarily at church.

 In reality, however, the most effective ministry happens when you’re on the job site, at school, with your buddies, working out, or eating a burger. In the Book of Acts, we see the early church hearing the apostles teach, breaking bread together—and then going out to turn the world upside down.

• Here in its most succinct form is God’s plan by which Christ produces church growth. The Lord said, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18, emphasis added),

Matthew 16:18 (NASB95)

18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

o It is obvious that the building must be according to His plan. Attempting to build the church by human means only competes with the work of Christ.

• As discussed in the previous chapter, God’s spiritual gifts to His church include both the individual gifting of every believer as well as the gifted men called apostles and prophets, who were given strictly for New Testament times and were followed by the gifted men called evangelists and pastor-teachers, who are given for continuing ministry to the church (Eph. 4:11). It is God’s plan for the last three groups of gifted men—the evangelists, pastors, and teachers—to equip, build up, and develop His church by the general operational procedure set forth in verses 12–16. In this passage we are shown the progression, the purpose, and the power of God’s divine pattern for the building and function of His church.

• There is an immediate purpose for the professional or office-bearing gifts in the church and among God’s people. It is to equip believers to do the work of the ministry. The word perfecting (katartizo) means to equip for service and ministry. This is critical to see, for the office bearer in the church is not to be the only one who goes about doing the work of the ministry.

• In fact, his primary task is to be an equipper, a person who makes disciples and prepares others to serve Christ.

o Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95)

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

• Note another critical point: the very purpose for equipping laymen is so that the body of Christ, the church, may be built up. This is a significant point, meaning that the church cannot be built up without the members themselves doing the work of the ministry.

• All believers within a church must be involved in the work of the ministry.

o As Wuest says: “This is an order that the Body of Christ, the Church might be built up, by additions to its membership in lost souls being saved, and by the building up of individual saints.” (Wuest, Kenneth S. Ephesians and Colossians. “Wuest Word Studies,” Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1953, p. 101.)

Ephesians 4:13–14 (NASB95)

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.

• Paul mentions the need to grow in our “knowledge” of truth. In verse 13 he mentions growth in “unity in the faith” (the body of doctrine) and “the knowledge of God’s Son” (which involves both the intellect and the heart, (Phil 3:10). In verse 14 he says we should no longer be “little children” thrown around by every wind of doctrine.

• Children are gullible and easily deceived. False teachers can creep in and toss them around. They prey on the gullible, saying things like:

o All religions are the same.

o If you are a good person, you’ll go to heaven.

o The Bible is just one among many other religious books.

o Believe in the idea of resurrection, not a bodily resurrection.

 Children must be taught as they grow up. I would not say to my youngest daughter, “Hey Victoria, drive your brothers and sisters to corporate worship!” She is only nine years old! She has to be taught. And so do believers. We enter the Christian life as babies, but we are to grow through the Word and become disciple-making teachers (1 Pet 2:1–3; Heb 5:11–14).

What is the main purpose of spiritual gifts? (4:12–13)

Ephesians 4:15–16 (NASB95)

15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

• Speaking the truth in love: This speaks to not only how we are to relate to one another in God’s family, but also to how leaders and saints are to deal with deceivers. We should deal with them in love, but never budging from the truth.

• May grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head: Another way maturity is described is as the growing up into Jesus, who is the head. Again, this defines the direction of maturity. We never grow “independent” of Jesus, we grow up into Him.

o “A church that is only united in itself, but not united to Christ, is no living church at all. You may attain to the unity of the frost-bound earth in which men and women are frozen together with the cold proprieties of aristocracy, but it is not the unity of life.” (Spurgeon)

o Adam Clarke on grow up … into Him: “This is a continuance of a metaphor taken from the members of a human body receiving nourishment equally and growing up, each in its due proportion to other parts, and to the body in general.”

• from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies The evidence of maturity—that the leaders and the saints are all doing their job—is this effective working. This means every part and joint provides what it can supply in a coordinated effort. When this happens, it naturally causes the growth of the body (both in size and strength), but especially growth for building itself up in love.

o Some people think of the church as a pyramid, with the pastor at the top. Others think of the church as a bus driven by the pastor, who takes his passive passengers where they should go. God wants us to see the church as a body, where every part does its share.

What results from gifted believers equipping the church? (4:14–16)

How do you get along with other Christians?

What is God’s prescription for unity among believers?