Ephesians 4 Part 12
Bible Study Time 12-18-05
Church links:
Bible Study Time 12-18-05
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, the Holy Spirit pleads with us to walk worthy of the high calling with which we have been called as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. With all humility, we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. With all diligence, we should study the word of God and take advantage of every opportunity to learn from those men who have been gifted as evangelists and pastor-teachers.
As we grow in our understanding of the word, we will not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, nor will we be susceptible to the trickery of men or the cunning craftiness of those who plot to deceive. With understanding, we will be able to go out and speak the truth in love, thus diffusing the fragrance of Christ in every place.
If we do these things, we will grow up into Christ, who is the Head of the Church which is the Body of Christ. When Peter spoke to Jesus in Matthew 16 and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” the Lord said:
Matthew 16:17-19 (NKJ)
17 . . . "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of (Hell) shall not prevail against it.
19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Some take these words to mean that Peter was the first head of the church to which we belong today, that Peter was the first head of the Church which is the Body of Christ. However, when we study the scriptures rightly divided, we see the Lord could not have been speaking of the Church which is the Body of Christ.
Paul’s prison epistles include Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, and these epistles declare that the revelation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ was given only to the Apostle Paul, and that it was never revealed to anyone until it was revealed to Paul. In Colossians 1, Paul said:
Colossians 1:24-26 (NKJ)
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
Paul confirms this in Ephesians 3, saying:
Ephesians 3:3-6 (NKJ)
3 . . . by revelation (God) made known to me the mystery
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
To be sure, God never told anyone about the church of our present age until He revealed it to Paul. Therefore, the Lord Jesus could not have been talking about the church of our present age when He spoke to Peter and said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.”
Well, what church was the Lord talking about in Matthew 16? We know from Matthew 10 that Peter would have thought the Lord was talking about a Jewish church which had the hope of the kingdom. You will recall that in Matthew 10, the Lord sent out the apostles and said:
Matthew 10:5-8 (NKJ)
5 . . . "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, . . .
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
You may be thinking, that’s true, but the church of Matthew 16 was a future church because Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build My church.” If you’re thinking that the Lord was referring to the Church of Acts, Chapter 2, I think you are exactly right, but let’s take a close look at the church in Acts, Chapter 2.
When Peter stood up to speak, he said, “Men of Judea heed my words.” Then later he said, “Ye men of Israel hear these words.” This too was a Jewish church. In his message Peter never mentioned the fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins, but he did mention that, according to prophesy, the Christ would have to die and be raised from the dead before He could sit upon the throne of David. The church of Acts 2 was not only Jewish, but it had the hope of an earthly kingdom as well.
When the Jews heard Peter’s message, they were cut to the heart, and they asked, “What shall we do?”
Acts 2:38-39 (NKJ)
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Therefore, the church before the cross was totally Jewish, and it had the hope of an earthly kingdom, while the church after the cross was totally Jewish and had the hope of the earthly kingdom, but what set this church in Acts 2 apart was the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Many people have concluded that the giving of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of the church of our present age, the Church which is the Body of Christ. However, as Peter said, the giving of the Holy Spirit was a promise which was made to the Jews and to their children in relationship to the promised kingdom. In the book of Ezekiel, God spoke to Israel and said:
Ezekiel 36:24-28 (NKJ)
24 " . . . I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
28 "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 34:25-27 (NKJ)
25 "I will make a covenant of peace with (you), and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and (you) will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
26 "I will make (you) and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27 "Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. (You) shall be safe in (your) land; and (you) shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of (your) yoke and delivered (you) from the hand of those who enslaved (you).
This was the promise to which Peter referred in Acts, Chapter 2, when he said, “This promise is to you and your children and to as many as the Lord our God will call.” This covenant of peace had to come before the promised kingdom could come. When the Lord ate the Passover just before He was crucified, He drank the wine and said:
Matthew 26:28-29 (NKJ)
28 " . . . this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."
The blood of the New Covenant had to be offered as an atonement for sin, before the promised kingdom could come. The Holy Spirit had to come to live within the hearts of the believers before the kingdom could come. But as Paul revealed the great truths regarding the Church which is the Body of Christ in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, he continued to emphasize the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, but he never said a word about the New Covenant because the New Covenant with its kingdom hope had been set aside.
Today, Jesus Christ officially serves not as the King of the Church but as the Head of the Church which is His Body.
Ephesians 1:22-23 (NKJ)
22 (For God has) put all things under His feet, and (has given) Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Colossians 1:18-19 (NKJ)
18 And (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
Ephesians 5 describes what it took for Jesus Christ to qualify as the Head of the Church. Verse 25 says:
Ephesians 5:25-27 (KJV)
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Serving as the Head of the Church means having the capacity to love the Church with an undying, unconditional love. The Head of the Church had to be able to provide for the safety, protection and purity of the Church. Christ alone is worthy of such a position. He gave His own life that He might sanctify and cleanse the Church and present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
It seems that many today have never thought about the unique position to which Christ has been appointed in the church of our present age. We should be very careful to note accurately this position which Christ holds. Paul said that there are consequences for those who fail to recognize Christ as the Head of the Church. He says in Colossians 2:
Colossians 2:18-19 (NKJ)
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
Those who follow after men and the traditions of men will find themselves in a sea of spiritual darkness, intruding into those things which are neither profitable nor edifying. If we fail to recognize Christ, Himself, as the true source of our strength and power, we will inevitably turn to a superstitious faith in the trinkets and rituals and doctrines of man’s own making. Those who turn to such idols will stumble and fall,
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
As we approach the Christmas holidays, let us realize that the baby who was born in Bethlehem, not only came to be the King of Israel and the Savior of the world, but let us rejoice in the fact that He came to be the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body.
Thank you for listening this morning. I trust that you will enjoy the blessings of Christ throughout the Christmas holidays. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
As we grow in our understanding of the word, we will not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, nor will we be susceptible to the trickery of men or the cunning craftiness of those who plot to deceive. With understanding, we will be able to go out and speak the truth in love, thus diffusing the fragrance of Christ in every place.
If we do these things, we will grow up into Christ, who is the Head of the Church which is the Body of Christ. When Peter spoke to Jesus in Matthew 16 and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” the Lord said:
Matthew 16:17-19 (NKJ)
17 . . . "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of (Hell) shall not prevail against it.
19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Some take these words to mean that Peter was the first head of the church to which we belong today, that Peter was the first head of the Church which is the Body of Christ. However, when we study the scriptures rightly divided, we see the Lord could not have been speaking of the Church which is the Body of Christ.
Paul’s prison epistles include Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, and these epistles declare that the revelation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ was given only to the Apostle Paul, and that it was never revealed to anyone until it was revealed to Paul. In Colossians 1, Paul said:
Colossians 1:24-26 (NKJ)
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
Paul confirms this in Ephesians 3, saying:
Ephesians 3:3-6 (NKJ)
3 . . . by revelation (God) made known to me the mystery
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
To be sure, God never told anyone about the church of our present age until He revealed it to Paul. Therefore, the Lord Jesus could not have been talking about the church of our present age when He spoke to Peter and said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.”
Well, what church was the Lord talking about in Matthew 16? We know from Matthew 10 that Peter would have thought the Lord was talking about a Jewish church which had the hope of the kingdom. You will recall that in Matthew 10, the Lord sent out the apostles and said:
Matthew 10:5-8 (NKJ)
5 . . . "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, . . .
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
You may be thinking, that’s true, but the church of Matthew 16 was a future church because Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build My church.” If you’re thinking that the Lord was referring to the Church of Acts, Chapter 2, I think you are exactly right, but let’s take a close look at the church in Acts, Chapter 2.
When Peter stood up to speak, he said, “Men of Judea heed my words.” Then later he said, “Ye men of Israel hear these words.” This too was a Jewish church. In his message Peter never mentioned the fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins, but he did mention that, according to prophesy, the Christ would have to die and be raised from the dead before He could sit upon the throne of David. The church of Acts 2 was not only Jewish, but it had the hope of an earthly kingdom as well.
When the Jews heard Peter’s message, they were cut to the heart, and they asked, “What shall we do?”
Acts 2:38-39 (NKJ)
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
Therefore, the church before the cross was totally Jewish, and it had the hope of an earthly kingdom, while the church after the cross was totally Jewish and had the hope of the earthly kingdom, but what set this church in Acts 2 apart was the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Many people have concluded that the giving of the Holy Spirit marked the beginning of the church of our present age, the Church which is the Body of Christ. However, as Peter said, the giving of the Holy Spirit was a promise which was made to the Jews and to their children in relationship to the promised kingdom. In the book of Ezekiel, God spoke to Israel and said:
Ezekiel 36:24-28 (NKJ)
24 " . . . I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
28 "Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 34:25-27 (NKJ)
25 "I will make a covenant of peace with (you), and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and (you) will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
26 "I will make (you) and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.
27 "Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. (You) shall be safe in (your) land; and (you) shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of (your) yoke and delivered (you) from the hand of those who enslaved (you).
This was the promise to which Peter referred in Acts, Chapter 2, when he said, “This promise is to you and your children and to as many as the Lord our God will call.” This covenant of peace had to come before the promised kingdom could come. When the Lord ate the Passover just before He was crucified, He drank the wine and said:
Matthew 26:28-29 (NKJ)
28 " . . . this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."
The blood of the New Covenant had to be offered as an atonement for sin, before the promised kingdom could come. The Holy Spirit had to come to live within the hearts of the believers before the kingdom could come. But as Paul revealed the great truths regarding the Church which is the Body of Christ in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, he continued to emphasize the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, but he never said a word about the New Covenant because the New Covenant with its kingdom hope had been set aside.
Today, Jesus Christ officially serves not as the King of the Church but as the Head of the Church which is His Body.
Ephesians 1:22-23 (NKJ)
22 (For God has) put all things under His feet, and (has given) Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Colossians 1:18-19 (NKJ)
18 And (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
Ephesians 5 describes what it took for Jesus Christ to qualify as the Head of the Church. Verse 25 says:
Ephesians 5:25-27 (KJV)
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Serving as the Head of the Church means having the capacity to love the Church with an undying, unconditional love. The Head of the Church had to be able to provide for the safety, protection and purity of the Church. Christ alone is worthy of such a position. He gave His own life that He might sanctify and cleanse the Church and present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
It seems that many today have never thought about the unique position to which Christ has been appointed in the church of our present age. We should be very careful to note accurately this position which Christ holds. Paul said that there are consequences for those who fail to recognize Christ as the Head of the Church. He says in Colossians 2:
Colossians 2:18-19 (NKJ)
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
Those who follow after men and the traditions of men will find themselves in a sea of spiritual darkness, intruding into those things which are neither profitable nor edifying. If we fail to recognize Christ, Himself, as the true source of our strength and power, we will inevitably turn to a superstitious faith in the trinkets and rituals and doctrines of man’s own making. Those who turn to such idols will stumble and fall,
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
As we approach the Christmas holidays, let us realize that the baby who was born in Bethlehem, not only came to be the King of Israel and the Savior of the world, but let us rejoice in the fact that He came to be the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body.
Thank you for listening this morning. I trust that you will enjoy the blessings of Christ throughout the Christmas holidays. 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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