Ephesians 4 Part 10
Bible Study Time 12-4-05
Church links:
Bible Study Time 12-4-05
When Jesus Christ ascended on high after His resurrection, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men which for us today includes evangelists and pastor-teachers. The purpose of evangelists and pastor-teachers is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. God created us in Christ Jesus unto good works, and He has given us all that we need to do every good work. All scripture is God-breathed and is a package deal which in and of itself thoroughly furnishes the believer for every good work.
When I go into my house, I find it helpful to have a table at mealtime. I enjoy having a chair to sit in when its time to read a book. I enjoy having a bed to sleep in when its time to sleep. I can only imagine how frustrating it would be if I had no furnishings in my house. I can just imagine myself standing around wondering what to do.
Well, God did not create us in Christ Jesus to be a bunch of stand around Christians so He made it possible for us to be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Everything we need is furnished for us in the word of God.
God has called us to reach out to the lost and tell them that Jesus Christ died for their sins. But then when the lost get saved, they are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Church which is the Body of Christ. That means that at any given time there are many different kinds of people in the body of Christ, and each one of us is at a different level of maturity in our relationship with Christ. Therefore, it is also God’s will for us to minister to one another under the leadership of our pastor-teachers until we:
Ephesians 4:13 (NKJ)
13 . . . 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;
God has a plan for us that encompasses a whole lot more than just going to church on Sunday and placing an offering in the offering plate. One of the critical factors in our capacity to grow into the measure of the stature of Christ is our knowledge of the Son of God.
The other day a young man in our church services said something very profound. He said, “What’s really important is what God thinks!” I’ve thought about that quite a bit since then, and I thought about the fact that it’s easy to get all wrapped up in what people think because we have so much exposure to man’s thoughts.
We have libraries full of books. We have coffee tables full of newspapers and magazines. We have talk shows on television and radio. The opinions vary on any given subject from one end of the spectrum to the other. But what really matters is what God thinks. That’s why we need to grow in our knowledge of the Son of God until we come into the unity of the faith.
The Son of God, of coarse, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Shortly after the Lord Jesus fed 4000 hungry people with seven loaves of bread and just a few small fish, He traveled with His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. He asked His disciples, “Who do people say I am?” They said, some say you’re John the Baptist, others say you’re Elijah, while others say you’re Jeremiah. When Jesus asked, who do you say I am?, Peter boldly declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
When the Ethiopian made his confession to Philip the Evangelist, he simply said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
The Apostle John spoke of Jesus as the Word and said:
John 1:14 (NKJ)
14 . . . 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.
But John also said:
John 1:1,3,4 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The work of the ministry relates directly to the knowledge of the Son of God. We have so much to learn, and we need to dedicate ourselves to learning and teaching doctrine which leads to an increase in our knowledge of the Son of God. Even the Apostle Paul, after revealing the great truths concerning the supremacy of Christ, said he would gladly give up all of the glory of this world for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is the word of God, and it is our only reliable source when it comes to growing in the knowledge of the Son of God. To gain this knowledge we must study the scriptures, rightly divided, to show ourselves approved unto God as workers who need not to be ashamed.
The Apostle Peter confirmed that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. In II Peter 1, Peter said:
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NKJ)
20 . . . no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and we just happen to have the Holy Spirit living within us. That means that the Holy Spirit can apply each word with precision to accomplish God’s purpose in our lives.
There are those who think that they should get an earth shattering revelation every time they read the Bible, and that can be a problem. Although there are times when God simply leaves us astonished, there are other times when we just get some information. The Bible calls this information doctrine, and it says that this information is profitable in the sense that in the long run, it makes us complete and thoroughly furnished unto every good work.
Much of this doctrine comes to us in the form of history. Who did what and when. Some people tell me that they don’t like history. They say it’s too boring, and that amazes me because I love history. But really history is fascinating because it is so apparent that God has been directing every aspect of history all along the way.
But the historical information that’s given in the Bible is the most fascinating historical information of all because these events were actually planned by God as pictures of future events. They were prophetic pictures or types of things to come.
When Abraham placed his son, Isaac, upon the alter, that was a picture of God sending His Son to die for our sins. The plagues in Egypt were a picture of the plagues of the tribulation period which will come to pass just before Jesus Christ returns to set up His earthly kingdom. The children of Israel were protected during the plagues of Egypt just like the believing Jews will be protected during the tribulation period.
God parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the children of Israel could pass through the its red waters on their way to the promised land. This pictured the fact that the believing Jews who enter Christ’s kingdom will be those Jews who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. The kingdom is for those Jews who have been baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Do you think it was just a coincidence that the sea they crossed was the Red Sea? God worked out the details of this event even before He created Adam and Eve. The sea had to be the Red Sea because it represented the blood of Jesus Christ.
Doctrine is information which we need to be complete. God did not just give us pastors to encourage us during difficult times, but He gave us pastor-teachers to teach us this information which is so important for us if we are to grow in our knowledge of the Son of God. But, obviously, our pastor-teachers can not do all of the studying. Each of us must study to show ourselves approved unto God.
When we see how much information is available to us through the electronic media, and then when we compare that with how little the Bible is read even by believers, it’s no wonder we often feel incomplete. The Bible was given that the man of God might be complete. If the word of God is not the dominate influence in our hearts then we may well feel a void in our lives. We will feel incapacitated when it comes to self discipline and self control. When we feel incomplete or inadequate, we should turn to the word of God. There are many programs available which will take us through the entire Bible every year.
You might say that you don’t have time to read the Bible for 30 minutes a day, but the real question is this, can you afford not to read the Bible for 30 minutes every day? The Bible itself declares that the information we get will make us complete. Do we really want to face the challenges we face when we’re not functioning at full capacity? God wants us to be all we can be, and He gave us His word so that we can be just that.
Doctrine is information while reproof is that which corrections false doctrine or misinformation. Instruction in righteousness is that which teaches us how to behave, while correction changes us when we misbehave. All of this comes to us by the power of the Holy Spirit when we read the word of God.
God’s word gives direction according to Psalm 119:105:
Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
God’s word gives cleansing:
Psalm 119:9 (KJV)
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
God’s word gives hope:
Psalm 119:114 (KJV)
114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
God’s word gives us life:
Psalm 119:50 (KJV)
50 This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
When the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He turned to the greatest spiritual force in the world to resist the devil. He turned to the word of God. When the devil said, turn these stones into bread,
Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
4 . . . (Jesus) answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
When the devil said, cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple,
Matthew 4:7 (KJV)
7 Jesus said . . . It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
The devil said, all these kingdoms I will give you if you bow down and worship me, but again Jesus said:
Matthew 4:10 (KJV)
10 . . . it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
God’s word is settled in heaven, and the entirety of it is truth.
Our pastor-teachers have been given special gifts in regard to the teaching of the word. And they have special gifts which enable them to minister to the special needs of the individual members of the body of Christ. When we’re hurting, they comfort us through the word. When we’re discouraged, they build us up through the word. When we have important decisions to make, they help us to discern the will of God for our lives as they teach the various doctrines of the Bible.
The first deacons were appointed in Acts, Chapter 6, because there were so many tables to serve at mealtime. The believers all ate their meals together at that time and their numbers had grown to such an extent that it was difficult to serve everyone efficiently. The twelve apostles brought the people together and said:
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJ)
2 . . . "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
The Apostles knew that to be an apostle was to be a minister of the word, and they also knew that the work of the ministry is a work that belongs to all believers. What a wonderful opportunity we all have to take part in the work of the ministry.
There is no work that is more satisfying than the work of the ministry. Seeing people grow in the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God is such a blessing. Why is it such a blessing? Because God has made it that way. He engineered us and life in such a way that we are most happy when we are busy in the work of the ministry. Teaching the word of God so that we can all grow into that perfect man, into the full measure of the stature of Christ.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure being with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
When I go into my house, I find it helpful to have a table at mealtime. I enjoy having a chair to sit in when its time to read a book. I enjoy having a bed to sleep in when its time to sleep. I can only imagine how frustrating it would be if I had no furnishings in my house. I can just imagine myself standing around wondering what to do.
Well, God did not create us in Christ Jesus to be a bunch of stand around Christians so He made it possible for us to be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Everything we need is furnished for us in the word of God.
God has called us to reach out to the lost and tell them that Jesus Christ died for their sins. But then when the lost get saved, they are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Church which is the Body of Christ. That means that at any given time there are many different kinds of people in the body of Christ, and each one of us is at a different level of maturity in our relationship with Christ. Therefore, it is also God’s will for us to minister to one another under the leadership of our pastor-teachers until we:
Ephesians 4:13 (NKJ)
13 . . . 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;
God has a plan for us that encompasses a whole lot more than just going to church on Sunday and placing an offering in the offering plate. One of the critical factors in our capacity to grow into the measure of the stature of Christ is our knowledge of the Son of God.
The other day a young man in our church services said something very profound. He said, “What’s really important is what God thinks!” I’ve thought about that quite a bit since then, and I thought about the fact that it’s easy to get all wrapped up in what people think because we have so much exposure to man’s thoughts.
We have libraries full of books. We have coffee tables full of newspapers and magazines. We have talk shows on television and radio. The opinions vary on any given subject from one end of the spectrum to the other. But what really matters is what God thinks. That’s why we need to grow in our knowledge of the Son of God until we come into the unity of the faith.
The Son of God, of coarse, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Shortly after the Lord Jesus fed 4000 hungry people with seven loaves of bread and just a few small fish, He traveled with His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. He asked His disciples, “Who do people say I am?” They said, some say you’re John the Baptist, others say you’re Elijah, while others say you’re Jeremiah. When Jesus asked, who do you say I am?, Peter boldly declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
When the Ethiopian made his confession to Philip the Evangelist, he simply said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
The Apostle John spoke of Jesus as the Word and said:
John 1:14 (NKJ)
14 . . . 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.
But John also said:
John 1:1,3,4 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The work of the ministry relates directly to the knowledge of the Son of God. We have so much to learn, and we need to dedicate ourselves to learning and teaching doctrine which leads to an increase in our knowledge of the Son of God. Even the Apostle Paul, after revealing the great truths concerning the supremacy of Christ, said he would gladly give up all of the glory of this world for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is the word of God, and it is our only reliable source when it comes to growing in the knowledge of the Son of God. To gain this knowledge we must study the scriptures, rightly divided, to show ourselves approved unto God as workers who need not to be ashamed.
The Apostle Peter confirmed that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. In II Peter 1, Peter said:
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NKJ)
20 . . . no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and we just happen to have the Holy Spirit living within us. That means that the Holy Spirit can apply each word with precision to accomplish God’s purpose in our lives.
There are those who think that they should get an earth shattering revelation every time they read the Bible, and that can be a problem. Although there are times when God simply leaves us astonished, there are other times when we just get some information. The Bible calls this information doctrine, and it says that this information is profitable in the sense that in the long run, it makes us complete and thoroughly furnished unto every good work.
Much of this doctrine comes to us in the form of history. Who did what and when. Some people tell me that they don’t like history. They say it’s too boring, and that amazes me because I love history. But really history is fascinating because it is so apparent that God has been directing every aspect of history all along the way.
But the historical information that’s given in the Bible is the most fascinating historical information of all because these events were actually planned by God as pictures of future events. They were prophetic pictures or types of things to come.
When Abraham placed his son, Isaac, upon the alter, that was a picture of God sending His Son to die for our sins. The plagues in Egypt were a picture of the plagues of the tribulation period which will come to pass just before Jesus Christ returns to set up His earthly kingdom. The children of Israel were protected during the plagues of Egypt just like the believing Jews will be protected during the tribulation period.
God parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the children of Israel could pass through the its red waters on their way to the promised land. This pictured the fact that the believing Jews who enter Christ’s kingdom will be those Jews who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. The kingdom is for those Jews who have been baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Do you think it was just a coincidence that the sea they crossed was the Red Sea? God worked out the details of this event even before He created Adam and Eve. The sea had to be the Red Sea because it represented the blood of Jesus Christ.
Doctrine is information which we need to be complete. God did not just give us pastors to encourage us during difficult times, but He gave us pastor-teachers to teach us this information which is so important for us if we are to grow in our knowledge of the Son of God. But, obviously, our pastor-teachers can not do all of the studying. Each of us must study to show ourselves approved unto God.
When we see how much information is available to us through the electronic media, and then when we compare that with how little the Bible is read even by believers, it’s no wonder we often feel incomplete. The Bible was given that the man of God might be complete. If the word of God is not the dominate influence in our hearts then we may well feel a void in our lives. We will feel incapacitated when it comes to self discipline and self control. When we feel incomplete or inadequate, we should turn to the word of God. There are many programs available which will take us through the entire Bible every year.
You might say that you don’t have time to read the Bible for 30 minutes a day, but the real question is this, can you afford not to read the Bible for 30 minutes every day? The Bible itself declares that the information we get will make us complete. Do we really want to face the challenges we face when we’re not functioning at full capacity? God wants us to be all we can be, and He gave us His word so that we can be just that.
Doctrine is information while reproof is that which corrections false doctrine or misinformation. Instruction in righteousness is that which teaches us how to behave, while correction changes us when we misbehave. All of this comes to us by the power of the Holy Spirit when we read the word of God.
God’s word gives direction according to Psalm 119:105:
Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
God’s word gives cleansing:
Psalm 119:9 (KJV)
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
God’s word gives hope:
Psalm 119:114 (KJV)
114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
God’s word gives us life:
Psalm 119:50 (KJV)
50 This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
When the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He turned to the greatest spiritual force in the world to resist the devil. He turned to the word of God. When the devil said, turn these stones into bread,
Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
4 . . . (Jesus) answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
When the devil said, cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple,
Matthew 4:7 (KJV)
7 Jesus said . . . It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
The devil said, all these kingdoms I will give you if you bow down and worship me, but again Jesus said:
Matthew 4:10 (KJV)
10 . . . it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
God’s word is settled in heaven, and the entirety of it is truth.
Our pastor-teachers have been given special gifts in regard to the teaching of the word. And they have special gifts which enable them to minister to the special needs of the individual members of the body of Christ. When we’re hurting, they comfort us through the word. When we’re discouraged, they build us up through the word. When we have important decisions to make, they help us to discern the will of God for our lives as they teach the various doctrines of the Bible.
The first deacons were appointed in Acts, Chapter 6, because there were so many tables to serve at mealtime. The believers all ate their meals together at that time and their numbers had grown to such an extent that it was difficult to serve everyone efficiently. The twelve apostles brought the people together and said:
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJ)
2 . . . "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
The Apostles knew that to be an apostle was to be a minister of the word, and they also knew that the work of the ministry is a work that belongs to all believers. What a wonderful opportunity we all have to take part in the work of the ministry.
There is no work that is more satisfying than the work of the ministry. Seeing people grow in the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God is such a blessing. Why is it such a blessing? Because God has made it that way. He engineered us and life in such a way that we are most happy when we are busy in the work of the ministry. Teaching the word of God so that we can all grow into that perfect man, into the full measure of the stature of Christ.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure being with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
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