This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "It's All About The Family", 12/30/2012

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FAMILY

 

Ephesians 5:21-6:4

 

UNITY BEGINS WITH SUBMISSION

V:21. "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

 A. One of the keys to keeping peace in the family is to summit your self to the

 

     direction of another.

     1. Don't get to proud that you can't take advice from or work with another person.

     2. You don't always have to be in charge.

     3. A marriage is a partnership.

         a. Two minds are sharper than one and can accomplish more.

         b. A partnership works best when both are equal participants.

 B. After creating a world suitable for habitation, family was God's first order of

 

     business.

    1. God loves family.

    2. God loves unity in the family.

    3. Submission is against our human nature, but is necessary for order and unity in

 

       the family.

 C. The reason we submit ourselves to one another is our love for the Lord.

    1. Submission is not one sided. It goes both ways.

    2. God has designed the family so that we are dependant on one another.

    3. We all have gifts that are different and necessary for family unity.

    4. It is by mutual submission that we can keep the order set by God.

 

THE POSITION OF A WIFE

V:22. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."

  A. In a family God has established positions.

      1. There is a wife of the family and there is a husband of the family.

      2. In the garden of Eden, God created Adam first and then formed Eve around a rib

          bone of Adam.

          a. God bonded them together in marriage.

          b. In Genesis 2:24 God said, " Therefore shall a man leave his father and his

              mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

          c. Even though the husband and the wife are two people they should act like

 

              "one".

    B. The wife is placed under the leadership of the husband.

        a. The leadership of the husband is limited to the will of the Father.

        b. The husband, the man of the family, should counsel, teach, lead and provide

            according to the will of the Father.

        c. For those women who do not have a husband, God is the head of their

 

           household.

 

THE POSITION OF THE HUSBAND

V:23. "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."

 A. How is Christ the head of the Church?

     1. He is the protector and the provider of the Church.

     2. He and the Father are One, so He leads according to the will of the Father.

     3. Christ is the great Shepherd of the Church.  

 B. The husband, as the head must lead according to the will of the Father.

     1. The Husband is the guardian of  his wife and has the responsibility to provide

          and protect her.

     2. The Husband must be careful to consider the will of the Father in all his

 

        activities.

 

CHRIST IS THE EXAMPLE

V:24. "Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing."

 A. The husbands should trust Christ in all things.

     1. Therefore, the wives trusting their husbands are trusting Christ.

     2. Wives are dependant on their husbands as their husbands are dependant on

        

        Christ.

 B. Christ is the center and the focus of the Family.

     1. Since Christ is the center, the values of the husband and the wife ought to be the

         same.

     2. The husband and his wife should strive to have the same goals and aspirations

 

         and so being unified in their thinking and their activities.

 

V:25. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."

 A. Christ is the example for man to fulfill his obligation to his wife.

     1. The word love is the Greek word "apapate" which means to esteem or find joy in.

          a. The Husband is to esteem his wife.

          b. He is to find joy in his wife.

          c. He is to respect his wife.

 B. C. I. Scofield described Christ love for the Church in threefold; past, present and

     future.

     1. For love, He gave Himself to redeem the Church.

         a. The husband should labor to provide for the physical, social and spiritual well

              being of his wife.

     2. In love, Christ is sanctifying the Church.

        a. The husband should take time to teach his wife the Word of God and be God's

            example to her.

     3. For the reward for His labor of love, Christ will present the Church to Himself in

         perfection.

       a. The husband should labor to uplift and buildup his wife to present her to himself

           as a beautiful jewel, priceless and perfect in the Lord.

 

V:26. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."

  A. It should be the object of the husband that his wife looks good before him in the

      

      eyes of the Lord.

     1. Love is the center piece of the marriage and the Word is the guiding light.

     2. We are cleaned up and regenerated by the Word of God.

     3. When the husband and the wife are involved in the Word, they will grow in love

          and have respect for one another.

   B. The Word expresses truth in the marriage. .

      1. It is faith in the Word of God that sanctifies us in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

V: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.

 A. At His second coming, Christ will present the Church to Himself, prefect and

   

     without blemish.

     1. Christ, Himself is the perfection of the Church.

     2. When His work is complete in the Church, He will return to redeem it to

 

         Himself.

  B. It is the duty of the husband to grow his marriage into spiritual maturity.

     1. The spiritual growth of the marriage allows the couple to endure tough times as

         well as the good times.

     2. The husband should continue beautifying his wife in love so to continue

 

         presenting her to himself.  

 

UNSELFISH AND DEVOTED LOVE

V:28. "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."

 A. In order for the marriage to grow and flourish, the husband has to love his wife as he

     loves himself.

     1. If he treats his wife well, then He is treating himself well.

     2. If he mistreats his wife, then he mistreats himself.

 B. When a husband looks at his wife, he should see the love of his life.

      1. When his wife has joy, he should have joy.

      2. When his wife hurts, he should hurt.

 

V:29. "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church."

 A. It is God's intention that the husband and the wife becomes one flesh.

      1. In a unified marriage, there is no him or her, just "them."

      2. In a unified marriage, there is no his or hers, just "theirs."

 B. The objective of the marriage is an unselfish devoted relationship.

     1. The husband and the wife should nourish and cherish each other as Christ does

          the Church.

 

V:30. "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."

 A. A marriage should be an extension of the Church of Jesus Christ.

     1. We are all family and should treat each other as family.

     2. Because we are family, we are all equal in the sight of Jesus Christ.

 B. Because we are in Christ and Christ is in us, the Church is what we should

      always be for the world to see.

 C. Enjoyment in the marriage comes from our love for Christ and our love for each

      other.

 

V:31. "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.:

 A. Once in a marriage, a man's primary focus is his wife and not his parents.

    1. In- law problems can contribute to problems in the marriage.

    2. A marriage needs its own space to grow and develop.

 B. We can take counsel and advice from our parents, but any decisions are strictly

     between the man and his wife.

    1. Only Jesus can keep a marriage together in love.

    2. We must trust Jesus with the solutions to all our problems.

 

V:32. "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

 A. All believers are one with Christ, therefore our actions should be an imitation of

     Christ.

    1. Christ is building His Church with grace and mercy in love and truth.

    2. We should treat each other with grace and mercy in love and truth.

 B. The foundation of a marriage is love which unifies it in to one body.

    1. If unselfish love is our focus, the marriage will continue to grow.

    2. Love never looks back, but focuses on what is good and perfect.

 

V:33. "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

 A. In a marriage, love and respect is mutual.

     1. Neither the husband or the wife should consider themselves more important than

         than the other.

     2. God so designed us that we have a need for each other.

         a. We are helpmates to each other.

     3. Mutual honor and respect breeds peace in the marriage.

        a. When there is peace in the marriage, love and joy increases.

 

TRAIN THE CHILDREN

V.6:1. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."

 A. Parents have a responsibility and duty to obey the Lord.

     1. The attitude of children reflect the attitude of their parents.

     2. If the parents have no respect for the Lord, the children will have no respect for

         the Lord.

 B. The first obligation of a parent is to be obedient to the Lord.

     1. It is the duty of the parents to train their children in the ways of the Lord.

     2. Children will know and respect the Lord because their parents respect the Lord.

 C. You can command children to obey their parents because they have been trained to

      obey.

    1. You can't expect a child to behave in a certain way if they have not been trained.

        Prov 22:6.

 

V:2. "Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)"

  A. It is a command to honor your father and mother. It is not an option.

      1. Children learn from their parents first.

      2. Children learn to listen from their parents.

      3. Children learn to obey from their parents.

      4. Children learn the Word of God from their parents.

  B. We can expect our children to obey God's command because we as parents obey

       His commands and have taught our children obedience.

     1. The discipline of a child is the duty and obligation of the parents.  Prov 13:24

     2. Without discipline, a child will not learn the importance of obedience.

     3. Without obedience, a child will be unruly, disrespectful and harmful to himself

          and others. Prov 23:14, Prov 29:15

 

V:3. "That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

  A. Parents impact the outcome, quality and length of their children lives by

       teaching them obedience to God's Word.

     1. This is a conditional promise based on obedience.

     2. An obedient child is a happy child ready to be successful in life.

 

 

 

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Jesus Is The Light Of The World", 12/23/2012

JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

John 1:1-5, Eph 5:1-2,6-14

 

WHO IS JESUS?

John 1:1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

 A. In the "Beginning" is before God's creative process begin or perhaps; eternity past.

     1. "Was the Word". The "Word" is from the Greek word "Logos", the name given

 

         to Christ.

       a. Through the Word is God's communication of His will to us.

 B. "And the Word was with God."

     1. The word "God" is the Greek word "theos" which is the supreme Divinity.

     2. The Word which is Christ was with Theos in the beginning.

 C. "And the Word was God"

    1. The Word and God are the same.

    2. Jesus , the Word and God the Father are one.

 

V:2. "The same was in the beginning with God."

   A. The Word and God existed before God's creative process.

        1. Jesus and the Father existed together before creation.

        2. Jesus and the Father are the first "cause".

 

V:3. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

 A. The word "him" refers to Jesus Christ, which is the Word.

     1. All things were made by Christ

     2. Without Christ nothing was made.

     3. Christ is the complete creative process.

 

V:4. "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

 A. Life= zoe= living soul

    1. In Jesus, In God, In the Word was all living souls.

    2. Life was in Jesus and all living souls come from Jesus.

 

 B. Light= phos= luminousness, to shine, light reaching the mind.

    1. Man's ability to understand the Word, comes from Jesus, who is the Word.

    2. God gives all individuals a mind to understand the things of the world.

        a. He only gives those He elected the ability to understand Himself.

 

V:5. "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

  A. God's light shines on the whole world.

       1. Darkness= skotia= ruin, unhappiness, spiritual depravity

       2. The world is spiritually deprived.

  B. The world cannot understand God's Word because it is spiritually deprived.

      1. The God's Word which is the light is foolish to the world.

 

WHO WE ARE

Ephesians 5:1. "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children."

 A. A follower is an imitator.

     1. Believers are commanded to imitate the life of Christ.

        a. Be kind to others.

        b. Be considerate.

        c. Be forgiving.

        d. Love each other.

  B. "As dear children"

      1. As=hos= in that manner, according.

      2. Believers are to trust Jesus completely.

         a. Believers are to rely on Jesus as a child relies on his parents.

         b. Believers are commanded to be obedient to the Word.

 

OUR LIFE IN CHRIST

V:2. "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."

 A. "Walk in love."

     1. Love=agape= affection, a feast of charity, God's willful direction toward men

     2. Let us have an attitude of love.

     3. Everything we do should be out of love.

         a. When we work, it should be out of love.

         b. When we fellowship with others' it should be out of love.

         c. When we serve the Lord, it should be out of love.

 B. "As Christ also hath loved us."

     1. God the Father gave us His only Son out of His love for us.

         a. God is love.

     2. Jesus gave us the supreme sacrifice of His life so that we could have eternal life.

         a. God expects us to make a sacrifice for those in need because we love.

 C.  " A sweetsmelling savour"

      1. For something to be sweet, you have to get rid of any sour ingredients, then pour

 

         in spices.

      2. In order for any sacrifice we claim for love to be acceptable to the Father, we

 

         must get rid of anything that opposes love.

         a. Get rid of any hatred.

         b. Get rid of any envy.

         c. Get rid of any jealously.

         b. Get rid of the attitude that keeps us from forgiving.

 

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU HEAR

V:6. "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."

 A. Don't let anyone fool you that the vices of the world are acceptable to Christ.

     1. All unrighteousness is sin.

     2. The world has made legal many things that are unacceptable to God.

     3. The common practices of the world that violate God's commands cannot be

          practiced by the children of God.

 B. Every unclean thought will be judged by God.

 C. Unbelievers are the children of disobedience.

      1. They will face the wrath of God which is a burning hell.

 

V:7. "Be not ye therefore partakers with them."

 A.  Don't participate in unrighteous behavior.

     1. Stay away from individuals who do not follow the commands of God.

         a. Choose your friends wisely.

         b. It is easy to believe that someone's behavior is acceptable, when you see no

             immediate consequence.

 B. It is better to be right on the outside of a crowd than to be wrong in the crowd.

     1. If the crowd is enjoying a certain behavior, chances are it is wrong and against

 

         the commands of God.

     2. The Church is the only safe crowd for a believer.

 

DON'T FORGET THE GRACE OF GOD

V:8. "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light."

 A. Before we (believers) came to Christ, we were in the world.

     1. We were born in darkness and practice the things of a dark world.

     2. We have an understanding of the darkness because we have been there.

     3. Don't be afraid to admit that your past was filled with darkness.

 B. But, now we are in the light of the Lord.

     1. It is by the Grace of God, the divine favor of God that we are in the light.

     2. Thank God that Jesus made us part of His divine plan of redemption.

         a. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but only the elect of God will be

             redeemed.

         b. We cannot boast of our salvation because we were saved by Grace through

        

             Faith.

         c. It is the Amazing Gift Of God that saved us.

  C. We must walk as children of the light.

      1. Our walk is our attitude, our behavior and our lifestyle.

      2. Our walk should imitate the life of Jesus.

      3. The walk of a believer is a narrow way. That way is the way of righteousness.

      4. The foundation of our attitude and behavior is love.

          a. Because we love the Lord, there are certain things we will not do.

          b. Those in the dark are drawn to the light they see in us.

          c. You never know how many people you are influencing with your godly

             

              behavior.

 

OUR WORK IN THE LORD

V:9. "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth."

  A. Every believer has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Eph 4:30

       1. Jesus equipped every believer with gifts to produce fruit.

       2. The most important fruit of the Spirit is love.

           a. Love of the Lord is first.

           b. Love of the brethren is second.

       3. All other fruits flow from love. 

  B.  Goodness and righteousness flow from our love for Jesus.

       1. If we love God, we will give our time to Him in service.

       2. If we love Jesus, we will find ways to help our brothers and sisters in need.

       3. If we love the Lord, we will always be careful to do what is right.

  C. Because we are in the light, we know that the only truth is the Word of God.

      1. Because we know the truth, our response should be to act on the truth with full

          confidence in the Lord.

 

V:10. "Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord."

 A.  What is acceptable to the Lord is our obedience to His commands.

     1. Love for one another in Christ Jesus is acceptable to the Lord.

     2. Those who love the Lord will serve Him with joy.

     3. Those who love the Lord know that serving the Lord involve serving others.

     4. Those who love the Lord will find peace and joy in their lives.

 B. Those who love the Lord know that we are owned by Jesus Christ and under His

      guidance and directions.  

     1. Those who love the Lord know that they are a role models for Christ.

     2. Because we are role models, we are lights for others to be drawn to Christ.

     3. Our actions are acceptable to the Lord when we imitate the Son.

 

OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE WORLD

V:11. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

 A. We have a responsibility to those who are working in the dark.

      1. We can't keep company with those who's intent is evil.

      2. We have a responsibility to tell them the truth.

          a. We have a responsibility to tell those in the dark what is right.

          b. The truth hurts, but it is always in season.

 B. There are several types of people in the dark.

     1. There are those in the dark who have no interest in being in the light.

         a. They know about the light, but they hate the light.

         b. They will not change.

     2. There are those in the dark that don't know that they are in the dark.

         a. They have not been exposed to the light.

         b. These people need to see the light in us.

         c. We are their first Church.

         b. We have a responsibility to preach Jesus to them.

    3. There are those in the dark who are stuck and don't know how to get out.

        a. They may have heard about the light but just can't get to the light.

        b. For some reason, they are frozen in their position of darkness.

        c. These people need our help in the form of time, education and resources. Eph 2:10

        d. God has equipped us to help and will provide the resources to be effective.

 

V:12. "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."

  A. There are some immoral actions that defile the soul that should not be shared.

      1. We have to be careful when we talk about immoral thing of darkness because we

           never know who's tender ears will be affected.

      2. Our own hearts can be affected when our ears are constantly exposed to the evil of

          the world.

  B. We should choose our fellowship with other Christians who worship the Lord in

       spirit and truth.

       1. Corrupt company can corrupt our minds.

       2. A little leaven, leavens the whole dough.  1 Cor 5:6

 

V:13. "But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light."

 A. All things are made known by the truth which is the light.

     1. When you know the truth, a lie is self evident.

     2. When you know the truth, you can't deny it or be satisfied with a lie.

 B. When you know what is right, what is wrong is self evident.

     1. When you know what is right, you want be satisfied with wrong.

 C. The Word of God convicts you so you can't do wrong and be satisfied.

 

A COMMAND TO SERVE

V:14. "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

 A. An inactive Christian is one who is sleep in the Lord.

     1. An inactive Christian can produce no fruit.

     2. An inactive Christian is of no use to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     3. An inactive Christian is like salt that has lost it's power to be salt.

 B. When we get active serving the Lord, the world can see our light.

     1. We may be the only Church some will come close too.

     2. We are vessels that God uses to shed light on the world.

 C. God will not increase the effectiveness of your gifts if you are not using them.

    1. God will not inspire you in the Word if you are not studying the Word.

    2. You can't help sitting on the side lines.

    3. The moment you get active serving the Lord is the moment your gifts become

        effective and the light of the Lord shines through you.

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Equipped For The Ministry Of Jesus", 12/16/12

 

 

EQUIPPED FOR THE MINISTY OF JESUS CHRIST

 

Ephesians 4:1-16

 

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

V:1. "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called."

 A. In order to do the Lord's work effectively, we have to see ourselves as prisoners

     of God.

   1. A prisoner is under the state in which he is kept.

   2. We are prisoners of the Lord and kept by Him.

   3. We are to consider ourselves under the commands of God.

 B. The Lord has some expectations for us.

    Defn: vocation =kleseos= invitation to a banquet, invitation to the kingdom of God.

    1. He called us into the kingdom of God.

    2. He called us to walk worthy of the Kingdom.

        a. The word walk is our life or conduct.

        b. We should conduct ourselves according to God's commands.

        c. When the world looks at us, they ought to see the righteousness of God.

 

V.4:2. "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love."

 A. The characteristics the world ought to see are these:

    1. Lowliness= tapeinophrosune= humble spirit

    2. Meekness= praiotes=gentle spirit

    3. Long suffering= makrothumia= patience

    4. Forbearing= anechomai= endure, suffer

 B. Whatever we do for one another has to be done out of love.

    1.Whatever we do for others must not be done for self gain.

    2. What ever we do for others must be done for their gain.

 

OUR WORK

V:3. "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

  A. The word "endeavor" means to labor or make an effort, be prompt.

      1. We ought to make it our business to be unified in the purpose and function

         of the Lord's work.

      2. It is our duty to see the goals and the aspirations of others as important as our

          own.

      3. Our purpose is to give God the glory and there is more than one way to that end.

      4. Every believer has a way they want to serve God. Sometimes we have to step

         

          back  and let someone else shine.

 B. There is only one Spirit in the Church and that is the Holy Spirit.

     1. The  Holy Spirit inspires us all in different ways at different times, but all to the

         glory of God.

     2. We have been given peace with the Father through Jesus Christ, therefore we

         ought

          to seek peace with each other.

     3. Sometimes peace come by forgetting what we want, then seek the desires of

         others

         in the Lord.

 

ONE WITH CHRIST

V.4:4. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling."

 A. There is one body, the body of Christ.

      1. All believers are in the body of Christ

 B. There is one Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

     1. All believers have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

     2. Since we are all one, there should be unity.

 C. We were called. The Greek word, "kaleo", means bid to come forth.

     1. We have one calling. The word calling is the Greek, "klesis" meaning an

          invitation

          to the kingdom.

     2. Eternal life is our hope. That hope is made possible because of Jesus.

 

V.4:5. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism."

  A. There is one Lord.

     1. Lord is the Greek word, "kurios" which is supreme authority.

     2. This supreme authority is Jesus Christ.

  C. There is one faith.

     1. This one faith is the belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior.

  D. There is one baptism.

     1. This baptism is the Spiritual baptism.

     2. We are all baptized by the blood of Jesus Christ into a new life with Him.

         a. We have been consecrated or devoted to God by the blood of Jesus.

         b. Jesus is the only way to be devoted to God.

         c. You have to go through the Son to get to the Father.

 

V.4:6. "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

 A.  There is one God and Father of all.

    1. God= theos= supreme divinity

       a. There are not a lot of little gods.

       b. There is just one God.

   2. Father= pather= parent

       a. God is parent of all of us.

       b. God is the creator of all things, therefore the parent of all things.

 B. This one God "theos" is above all.

     1. He sits high and looks low.

     2. There is no authority above Him.

     3. God is supreme.

 C. His handiwork is in everything because He created everything from nothing.

 D. He, theos is in all believers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

     1. Since He is in all of us, all of us are one in Him.

 

THE FAVOR OF GOD

V.4:7. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

 A. Even though we are one in God we are all unique to God.

     1. God makes us unique by giving us the gifts of Christ necessary for our set of

         circumstances.

     2. Grace means God's favor.

         a. Each of us needs God's favor in different measures because of our

             circumstances.

         b. Each of us has been enabled to live the life that God planned for us

             successfully.

 B. God's grace to us is a gift.

    1. We did not do anything to deserve His favor.

 

V.4:8. "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

 A. Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He said, "all power over heaven and earth

      was given to me"  Matt 28:18

     1. Jesus had the authority to give gifts to anyone He chooses.

     2. He gave gifts to those the Father chose to give eternal life.

     3. He gave believers spiritual gifts.

     4. He gave believers His holy Word.

     5. He gave man the ability to live life abundantly.

 B. He freed men from the bonds of sin with His shed blood on the cross.

    1. To those He called, He changed their natural appetite for sin to an appetite for

        righteousness.

       a. Any man in Christ is a new creation.  2 Cor 5:17

       b. This new creation seeks the righteousness of the Father.

 

V:9. "(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?"

 A. Christ came down from the Highest heaven to earth to become man.

    1. He gave up His glory and became the least of men.

    2. He who is God, subjected Himself to the rule of man.

    3. He humbled himself before the Father to take on human flesh in the family of a

        carpenter in the worst neighborhood.

      a. The question was asked, "can anything good come from Galilee?"

      b. He gave up everything so that we could have the best of things; eternal life.

 B. God is spirit, so He let His Spirit take on human flesh for the purpose of the cross.

     1. At His death, the earth quaked and dead saints came alive and walked the earth

         giving reference to the new life in Christ.  

 

V:10. "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"

 A. The work of the Lord was finished on the cross.

     1. He uttered these words on the cross, "It is Finished".  John 19:30

     2. His sacrificial death fulfilled all the requirements of the Law.

       a. Jesus said, "I did not come to do away with the Law but to fulfill

           the Law."   Matt 5:17

 B. His death was voluntary.

     1. Jesus said, "No one takes my life, I have the power to lay it down and

         power to take it back up again."   John 10:15

     2. To make sure He was dead, the Roman soldiers pierced Him in the side

          and out came blood and water.   John 19:34

         a. The blood was for the atonement of the sins of the world.

         b. The water was for the purification of those He called.

 C. Because His work was finished, He arose from the dead, ascended

      back into heaven and took His seat at the right hand of the Father.

 

EQUIPPED FOR CHRIST

V:11. "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."

 A. Jesus gifted the Church with different positions to edify and build up the body.

      1. He gave some as apostles.

          a. Apostles=apostolous= he that is sent, ambassador of the Gospel,

             commissioned

              by Christ.

          b. The Church began with the 12 apostles, the 12 disciples of Jesus. His enter

              circle.

      2. He gave some as prophets.

         a. Prophets=prophetas=inspired speaker, foreteller.

      3. He gave some as evangelist.

         a. Evangelist= euaggelistes= a preacher of the Gospel

      4. He gave some as pastors.

         a. Pastor= shepherd

         b. A pastor is the shepherd of a group of believers

      5. He gave some as teachers.

         a. Teacher= didiaskalous= doctor or master

 B. Jesus gave everyone gifts, but not the same gifts.

      1. No one should envy another believers gift.

      2. All gifts are equal and important.

      3. No Christian should ever feel less than anyone else.

      4. We are all the same in God's eyes.

 

THE PURPOSE OF GIFTS.

V:12. "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

 A. For the perfecting of the saints.

     1. We all come to Christ in need of help with issues and problems.

     2. We come as babes in Christ.

     3. We need training and encouragement in the Word.

     4. God's intends for His saints to be perfect and lacking nothing.

 B. For the work of the ministry

     1. The ministry of Jesus Christ  involves bringing God's elect  to Christ.

     2. The ministry includes teaching, counseling and building up those in the body.

 C. For the edifying  the body of Christ

     1. One of the jobs of the ministry is to build up Christians in the knowledge of the

         truth.

 

V:13. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

 A. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith."

     1. The objective of the ministry of Jesus is to bring all Christians to the perfections

          that is Jesus Christ.

     2. Christians should have the same confidence in Jesus Christ and believe the same

         truths.

 B. "And the same knowledge of the Son of God."

     1. Bible study is an important obligation of each Christian.

     2. To know God, you must study His Word.

     3. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

 C. "Unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"

     1. Jesus Christ is the role model for all Christians.

     2. It should be the objective of all Christians to grow into the moral character of

         Christ.

 

EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MINISTRY

V:14. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

 A. The objective of the ministry of Jesus Christ is to grow Christians to maturity to trust

      and to completely rely on Jesus Christ.

     1. With a complete knowledge of the truth, Christians can easily discern the lies of

          the devil.

     2. Being confident in the doctrines of Jesus Christ, Christians can easily recognize

         and reject the deception of the devil.

 V:15. "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."

 A. Love is the greatest characteristic of a Christian.

     1. It is our duty to show love in everything we do.

     2. Everything we say must be the truth.

         a. The Word of God is the only truth.

         b. Teaching must be the truth about Jesus Christ in love.

 B. Growth in the Lord comes from our compassion and service to others.

 C. Christ is the head of the Church and the head of our lives.

      a. Every thought must begin with our love for Christ.

      b. When we look at each other, we should look with the love of Christ.

 

V:16. "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

 A. Every Christian has an important job in building the body of Christ.

     1. Since we are joined together in one body, every Christian that is not using

         their gifts, weaken the body.

    2.  We have all been supplied with gifts to edify the body of Christ.

 B. Every gift given is sufficient to be effective in building the body of Christ.