NORTH YORK CHURCH OF CHRIST

Pastor Roger Marcos
June 3, 2018

Delivered at North York Church of Christ

Greetings:

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

⁸ Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”-what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all 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. Ephesians 4:7-13 NKJV

These are not the easiest verses in Ephesians to understand, so stay alert! There are some difficult interpretive matters where I cannot be dogmatic, because godly scholars disagree. But, the overall theme is fairly clear. Paul is showing that Jesus is the ascended, victorious Lord over all and that He has sovereignly given various spiritual gifts to His church so that “He might fill all things” (4:10). As I will explain, that means, “so that He might extend His sovereign rule over all.”

I. Jesus Give Gifts to Believers:

The ascended, victorious Christ has given spiritual gifts to His church (4:7).

The words, “But to each one,” signal the shift from the one body to the individual members of that body. “Grace” is not Paul’s usual word for spiritual gifts. But he used the word in this way in 3:2, 7, & 8, where it refers to God’s grace that called Paul into his ministry toward the Gentiles. It focuses on God’s undeserved favor that took Paul from being a persecutor of the church to an apostle and preacher of the gospel. But, here he says that this same grace extends to “each one of us.” Note two things:

. MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED GOD’S GRACE IN SALVATION

A. Gift of SALVATION is a gift of God’s Grace. Romans 6:23.. but the gift of God is Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Each one of us” refers to those to whom Paul wrote Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If you have not been rescued from God’s judgment (that’s what saved means) by God’s undeserved favor (grace) through faith in Christ’s death as your substitute, then nothing else that I am going to say in this message applies to you. You must receive God’s gracious gift of eternal life before you receive His gracious spiritual gift that enables you to serve Him. If you think that you can earn salvation by serving God, you do not understand the gospel.

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED HIS GRACE, THE ASCENDED CHRIST HAS GIVEN YOU A GIFT TO USE IN SERVING HIM.

Note four things:

1). EVERY BELIEVER HAS BEEN GIVEN A GIFT.

Remember: No matter who or what you are, you are a gifted person! You are a SUPERHUMAN with a SUPER­NATURAL ABILITY!  

12 Now concerning Spiritual Gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. 1 Cor. 12:1 NKJV

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” I Corinthians 12:4-6

So if you have received God’s gracious gift of salvation, you have also received His gracious spiritual gift to use for His glory

2). CHRIST DISTRIBUTES THESE GIFTS ACCORDING TO HIS SOVEREIGN PURPOSE.

2:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith. 6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. ©NET Romans 12:-3-6

B. The Gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift of God’s grace.

Acts 2:38 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.

C. The gifts that Paul emphasizes are the gifts of “Spiritual Service”.

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10

⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is Serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Rom. 12:6-8 NIV

if God has been speaking to your heart, why not pray this prayer right now:
"Lord Jesus, I confess that i am a sinner and need a Savior. I ask for forgiveness of my sin and ask You to be my personal Savior. I am trusting in You and You alone for my salvation. I believe You suffered and died on the cross to pay the FULL price for my sin, and to give me new life and that You rose again from the grave. I thank You for saving me."
If from a sincere heart you have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior it is now very important that you fellowship with a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church that can teach you and help you to grow in your new life in Christ.

God Bless!