Download Walking in Humility - Calvary Baptist Church

SUBJECT:
READING:
The right attitude Concerning spiritual gifts
Eph 4:7-17
Introduction:
Living a worthy life requires the right character, right theology,
and...
I.
The right attitude toward our spiritual gifts
Eph 4:7-10 But unto every one of us is given grace according
to the measure of the gift of Christ. (8) Wherefore he saith,
When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men. (9) (Now that he ascended, what is it
but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth? (10) He that descended is the same also that
ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all
things.)
Paul has just finished telling us about the unity we have in Christ;
Eph 4:3-6 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. (4) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one
faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all.
a. He now sets up what is called an adversative by
using the word But rather that a simple conjunction.
i. It could be translated "in spite of that" or "on
the other hand," contrasting the previous
subject matter with what is about to be said.
ii. This interpretation of but brings together the
emphasis of unity that has been the theme of
verses 3-6 with the parallel emphasis of
diversity, which is where he is headed in
verses 7-11.
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iii. It sets the individual (every one of us) over
against the " through all, and in you all. "
(v. 6) in regard to unity in the Body of
Christ.
iv. Unity is not uniformity (cookie cutter) and is
perfectly consistent with diversity of gifts.
v. God's gracious relation to "every one of us
" is also a personal relationship to each one
and a personal ministry through each one.
vi. Thus Paul moves from the unity of
believers to the uniqueness of believers.
b. Grace is a single-word definition of the gospel. The
gospel is the good news of God's grace to sinful
mankind.
i. The nature of grace is giving, and the Bible
tells us much more about giving than
getting, because God's nature is to give.
ii. God is a God of grace because He is a God
who freely gives. Rom 8:31-33 What shall
we then say to these things? If God be for
us, who can be against us? (32) He that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him
up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? (33) Who shall
lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It
is God that justifieth.
iii. It has nothing to do with anything we have
done or have failed to do; it can only be
received.
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c. God is gracious because of who He is, not because
of who or what we are.
i. His grace is therefore unmerited,
unearned, undeserved.
ii. It depends entirely on the One who gives it,
not on those who receive it.
iii. Grace is God's self-motivated, selfgenerated, sovereign act of giving.
d. God's grace has another dimension that places it
still further above every other kind of giving. The
greatest gift of grace is Self.
i. Grace is therefore God's Self donation, His
Self-giving.
ii. He not only gives blessings to men, He
gives Himself.
iii. Infinitely more important and precious than
any blessing God gives us is that gift of
Himself.
iv. The incomprehensible and staggering
truth of the gospel is that the holy God of
the universe has given Himself to sinful
mankind!
v. God grants us His salvation, His kingdom,
His inheritance, His Spirit, His throne, His
wisdom, His love, His power, His peace, His
glory, and every other "spiritual blessing in
the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
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vi. But far more than all of those blessings, He
blesses us with His personal presence. God
is here in my heart of hearts, He put
Himself there by Grace!
vii. God owes nothing to sinful men except
judgment for their sin.
viii. He does not owe men the smallest blessing
or favor. Yet in His grace He has given us
the blessing of all blessings, the
immeasurable blessing of intimate shared
life (cf. 2Pe 1:3-4 According as his divine
power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him that hath called us
to glory and virtue: (4) Whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust.
e. When we choose a partner with whom we plan to
spend the rest of our life in marriage, we are
careful to pick someone who is worthy of the selfgiving that marriage demands.
i. That person is the one above all others to
whom we will give our love, our time, our
thoughts, our devotion, our loyalty, and our
resources—in short, all that we have.
ii. Yet when God "chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4), He did
so out of pure grace and not for anything
He saw in us that made us worthy of His
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care. "For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16).
f. The definite article (hē) is used in the original text,
indicating that this is the grace, that is, the grace
unique to Christ.
i. The term for grace is charis and “the” grace
signifies that what is given is not the
charismata (the special gifts indicated by
this word in Rom. 12:6-8 and 1 Cor. 12:410) but the subjective grace that works in
and shows itself through our lives as
Christians.
ii. This grace is the enabling power that makes
the special gifts function to the glory of
God.
g. This distinction is clear for the rest of Paul's
statement, according to the measure of Christ's gift.
i. Enabling grace is measured out to be
consistent with what is necessary for the
operation of Christ's gift.
ii. The term dōrea (gift) does not focus on the
undeservedness of the gift as does
charismata (the special "gifts"; nor on the
spiritual source of the gift as does "spiritual
gifts," but on the freeness of the gift!
h. And each believer's gift is unique. The measure or
specific portion given is by sovereign design from
the Head of the church, Jesus Christ.
i. The Lord has measured out the exact
proportion of each believer's gift (Just as He
does "the measure of faith" in Rom. 12:3).
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ii. The exact proportion of enabling grace on
the part of God is linked with the exact
proportion of enacting faith on the part of
each believer; and God is the source of both.
iii. The sum of this is that God gives both the
grace and the faith to energize whatever gift
He gives to the full intent of His purpose.
i. In light of all this it is clear that since they are
sovereignly given, no gifts should be sought; that
since they are essential elements in God's plan, no
gifts should be unused; and that since they come
from the Lord, no gifts should be exalted above
another.
i. We each have a gift that is measured out to
us—with certain distinct capabilities,
parameters, and purposes.
ii. Each of us is given a specific gift (singular)
through which we are to minister in Christ's
name. "As each one has received a special
gift,"
iii. Peter says, "employ it; us it in serving one
another, as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10)
II.
Next, Paul quotes from Psa 68:18 Thou hast ascended
on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast
received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that
the LORD God might dwell among them.
a. This Psalm prophesies about Christ's ascension into
heaven after His resurrection.
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b. In ancient times, when a king won a victory, he
would bring home captured enemy kings and
prisoners in chains, parading them through the most
populated streets of the city as evidence of his
victory.
c. He also would bring back spoils taken from the
defeated enemy to distribute among his subjects.
d. Therefore, when Jesus led captivity captive, He
made captive all those things that formerly made us
captive—namely sin and death.
e. When Jesus ascended, And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of
them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Col
2:15) In freeing us from our captivity of sin He
in turn made us the victor over that which once
enslaved us!
f. When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into
heaven, in front of all heaven He publicly disgraced
Satan and all the powers of evil.
g. After returning to heaven victorious, He gave gifts
unto men.
i. Like a victorious conqueror distributing the
spoils of war to his subjects, Christ gives
spiritual gifts to His subjects.
ii. This is because the right to measure out
spiritual gifts belongs exclusively to the
ascended, victorious Christ.
h. Before Christ ascended to heaven, (Now that he
ascended, what is it but that he also descended first
into the lower parts of the earth? (4:9).
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i. This probably refers to Christ's death and
burial in the grave.
ii. It is the same Jesus who descended and
ascended higher than all heavens, that he
might fill all things (4:10).
iii. Because of His descent and ascension, all
things are under His power and control.
There is nothing sweeter that know that God is in us and through
us and as we have seen this Evening He has given us whatever
grace we will ever need to anything He asks.
We are unique people with unique abilities that God has brought
into His family to do His work through His Church!
Paul will the next time tell us of the special people He has gifted to
be the leaders in the Church.
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