Series: Ephesians
Title: Christ Gave Preachers For
Text: Ephesians 4: 11-12
Date: April 20, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Ephesians 4: 8: Wherefore he saith, When he
ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men….11: And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; 12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Christ Jesus has a body. God the Father
gave Christ a people before the foundation of the world in whom he would be
glorified. This was "the joy that was set before Him, for which He endured
the cross, despising the shame" (Heb. 12:2). Christ body is the people he
purchased with his own blood--"the purchased possession" (Eph. 1:14).
Each member is the "the travail of His soul" (Isa. 53:11); each one
is the reward of his humiliation and sufferings (Phil. 2:9, 10); each member
makes up the fullness of Christ’s body. One of the most comforting words in all
of scripture is that Christ’s body is the fullness of Christ—Ephesians 1: 22-23:
[God the Father] “gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which
is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” That means that
Christ shall not lose one member—not one child of God. God the Father gave them to him to be glorified in their
salvation. He shall! Christ satisfied divine justice for
them—so that they cannot be condemned to hell because justice will not allow
it—they shall be saved! Christ has the power and shall see to it that
each one is brought to faith and saved so that his body shall be complete.
Illustration: Each
of us has members in our body. And each
member helps somewhat to provide for the other members of our body. But is anyone here depending upon your little
finger to save your body? Or if you can
prevent it will you allow a member of your body to be cut off?
Well,
Christ is our Head—his name is Jesus for he shall save his people from our
sins. He has all power in heaven and in earth to see to it that each child he
redeemed is called to life and faith in him, that each is grown by him, that
each is kept by him, and that each is saved to final glory by him.
Proposition: Our text teaches us that Christ shall call and save his
people through the means of gospel preaching, through gospel preachers that
Christ himself provides. This is as much Christ’s glory as was his work on the
cross. He is the Head of the church, his
body! He fills all in all!
I. FIRST, WE ARE TOLD THAT CHRIST HIMSELF IS
THE ONE WHO PROVIDES HIS MINISTERS—Ephesians 4: 11: And he gave…and he still does.
Christ Fulfills All Prophecy
All
prophecy is written concerning Christ. (Jn 5: 39; 1: 45; Acts 26: 22-23, 27) Christ must fulfill all things that are
written of him. So he must fulfill these scriptures. He said,
Jeremiah 3: 15:…I will give you pastors according to mine
heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jeremiah 23:4: And I will set up shepherds over them which
shall feed them:
Concerning
this gospel age in which we live, he promises his people.
Isaiah 30:20: And though the Lord give you the bread of
adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed
into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21: And thine
ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it,
when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
A key
word in these prophecies is that Christ will give pastors which shall feed his
people with the truth. There is no food
for God’s people in a lie. (1 Jn 2: 21) The truth of
Christ our Surety who fully accomplished the redemption of every elect child
given him by the Father is the gospel by which Christ makes his people obedient
to the faith. In order to believe the
truth we must hear the truth.
Romans 10: 13 For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14: How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? 15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things!
So our
text says, “And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers;” (Eph 3: 11)
Ministers Given by Christ
Apostles were the first and chief office in the
church. They were called by Christ, had
their doctrine directly from him, had power to work miracles to confirm their
doctrine (Heb. 2:3, 4). This office is ceased. There are no apostles in our
day. No one has power to work the miracles that they had.
Prophets
had a particular gift to interpret scripture (especially the prophecies of the
Old Testament) and of foretelling things to come. Agabus was a prophet. (Acts
11:27-30). This office no longer exists
in the church. There are no prophets today.
Evangelists
are traveling missionaries such as Timothy and Titus. Christ still gives evangelists in our day.
Pastors
and teachers are still given by Christ. Every
pastor is a teacher of the scriptures. But there are teachers in the church who
are not pastors. Pastors are the shepherds of the flock. Teachers are brethren
gifted to teach the word and assist the pastors.
II. SECONDLY, WE ARE TOLD CHRIST GAVE HIS
MINISTERS FOR—Ephesians 4: 12: for the perfecting of the saints.
This
does not mean that believers will grow to be perfect. Paul had been in the
faith a long time when he said, “I am the chief of sinners.” It means “perfect
in Christ.”
Colossians 1: 28: Whom we preach, warning every man, and
teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus:
Colossians 2:10
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and
power:
The word
“perfecting” signifies “restoring” or “setting of dislocated joints” like a
surgeon sets a dislocated shoulder. Each member of Christ’s body became
dislocated when we sinned in Adam. All God’s
elect, all Christ’ redeemed, in our lost and dead condition, is the valley of
dry bones. The Lord uses this to illustrate what he does through the preaching
of the gospel. Notice that God commands we preach his works, not man's works. Through that message which glorifies God, God gives life to spiritually dead sinners and joins us to his body through faith in Christ.
Ezekiel 37: 1: The hand of the LORD was upon me, and
carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the
valley which was full of bones, 2: And caused me to pass by them round
about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they
were very dry. 3 And he said unto
me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4: Again he said unto me, Prophesy [preach] upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5: Thus saith the Lord GOD
unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall
live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you,
and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in
you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. [that’s
our gospel] 7: So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there
was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his
bone. 8: And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and
the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9: Then
said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, [pray
for God to bless the word—Peter said we will give ourselves to the word
and to prayer.] prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that
they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he
commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon
their feet, an exceeding great army. 11: Then he said unto me, Son of man,
these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are
dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12: Therefore
prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I
will open your graves, and [I will] cause you to come up out of your graves,
and [I will] bring you into the land of Israel. [his heavenly Jerusalem, his
church] 13: And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened
your graves, O my people, and [when I have] brought you up out of your graves, 14:
And [when I] shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place
you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it,
and performed it, saith the LORD.
The
preacher has no power to effect this. Christ sets the members in his body
through the word he speaks effectually in the heart, through the Holy Spirit, through
his preacher preaching “thus saith the LORD.”
1 Corinthians 12:18: But now hath God set the members
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Illustration: If we
would repair our bodily health then we must wait on the doctor and follow the
doctor’s orders. We keep going again and again to the doctor’s appointment
until we are well.
The
preaching of the gospel is the means the Great Physician has chosen to use. The
Balm of Gilead will be given through the preaching of the gospel. We must come
again and again and again. “As many as ordained to eternal life” shall believe.
(Acts 13: 48)
III. THIRDLY HE TELL US CHRIST GIVES HIS
MINISTERS FOR—Ephesians
4: 12: the work of the ministry.
First,
the work of the ministry is to preach the gospel to the lost.
2 Timothy 2:10: Therefore I endure all things for the
elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory.
Secondly,
the work of the ministry is to oversee the church.
1 Peter 5: 1: The elders which are among you I exhort,
who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2: Feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3: Neither as being lords
over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4: And when the
chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not
away.
Thirdly,
the work of the ministry is teach all things Christ has commanded:
Matthew 28: 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Christ’s
preachers do not have any private doctrine.
Christ commands us to teach that sin is a heart matter—the very nature
is corrupt. Men were teaching sinners to
clean up the outside, live moral, and so on. It was what they left out that
offended Christ.
Matthew 15: 8: This people draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9: But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men. 10: And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh
out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12: Then came his disciples, and said
unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this
saying? 13: But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father
hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14: Let them alone: they be blind leaders
of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15:
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16: And
Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17: Do not ye yet
understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and
is cast out into the draught? 18: But those things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19: For out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies: 20: These are the things which defile a man: but
to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Christ
commands we preach that a man has to be given a new heart by God—man cannot do
it, only God.
John 3: 6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7: Marvel not that I said unto
thee, Ye must be born again.
Christ
commands we preach that Christ alone came to fulfill the law because we must
have Christ for our Righteousness.
Matthew 5: 17: Think not that I am come to destroy the
law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18: For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19: Whosoever therefore shall
break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven: [I can jump over a barn] but whosoever
shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven. [that is Christ] 20: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in
no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
He goes
on to say “do you not hear the law. If you as much as look upon a woman you
have committed adultery.” The preacher does the law and teaches sinners to do the
law, the one way sinners can do and teach the law, by believing on Christ and
by teaching others to believe on Christ. Christ did the law and teaches his people to do the law, not by our doing, but by believing on Christ who has established the law for us. In Christ the believer has established
the whole law of God perfectly the same as Abraham did 430 years before the law
of Mt. Sinai was given. (Rom 3: 31; 4: 1-8; Gal 3: 15-18)
Christ commands
his preacher to declare that Christ came to do this work for his sheep.
John 10: 15: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16: And other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, and one shepherd…. 23: And Jesus walked in the
temple in Solomon’s porch. 24: Then came the Jews round about him, and said
unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. 25: Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works
that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 26: But ye believe not,
because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27: My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me: 28: And I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand. 29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man
is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
IV. LASTLY, HE SAYS HE GIVES HIS MINISTERS—Ephesians 4: 12:
for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Christ’s
preachers, preach the word of God, not to divide or scatter the sheep, but to
strengthen, build up and give comfort and assurance to the people of God.
Isaiah 40: 1: Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith
your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her
iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all
her sins.
Illustration: The rain comes down from heaven, flows into
river, waters the earth, returns up from whence it came.
In
order, to edify Christ’s body we must preach the word Christ gives—Christ and
him crucified. It never returns void but accomplishes his work. Then the word returns to him by edifying his body, his people. So Christ
must be the subject of all our preaching.
Colossians 1: 18: And he is the head of the body, the
church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things
he might have the preeminence. 19: For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fulness dwell;…23:…whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24: Who now
rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:…27:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28: Whom we
preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29
Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh
in me mightily….2: 9: For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and
power:
Amen!