Grace Filled People (Ephesians)

 Welcome to another episode of the Carpefeide Podcast where if the shoe fits you wear it and if the truth hurts you bear it. I am Justin Gruber and I am Jesse Gruber and today we hope you will seize the faith. You guys are probably all thinking oh yeah it's the first week of the Eagles play. Probably have a short sermon except I have two and a half pages of notes. I don't know if I have a pay attention to that. It's two and a half pages guys. I hope I don't think I will be quite that long. If you just keep scrolling notes and notes and notes and notes and notes we have some notes to go through. For our single verse tonight Ephesians 4 verse 11 will be our main text tonight. Ephesians 4 verse 11. Just to remember you all into today to recall what we have been through thus far. chapter 4 is that transition chapter in Ephesians that moves us from the orthodoxy the teachings of right truth God's right truth. The call that God has placed on us rightly into the action of that call the outpouring the practice or the orthopraxy of the right teaching we have right teaching lead into right action. We are called in chapter 4 to walk worthy of our calling that the calling with which began in Ephesians 1 and all the glorious blessings of the call into chapter 2 with the fullness of salvation to being built up together into the church of God. All of that glorious call is what we're to walk worthy of. And we are brought into unity through the power of the spirit and that unity is something that requires us to engage with and to keep and maintain. And so we are to maintain that unity as peace makers and as peace keepers zealously keeping the unity that we have in Christ requires us to work and engage. The unity that we have been given is a direct reflection and action by the triune God. We saw that just several weeks, three weeks in a row. We saw it with the spirit, the son, the father, the triune themselves embodying that unity and then enabling and empowering us to actually experience that unity as the church together as we walk through the truth of God's word. The unity cannot be broken any more than the God then then God could be broken. So peacemaker harder the reality that when we engage in peacemaking we engage in peacemaking to bring others and maintain the unity that we have in Christ, the unity we have through the spirit and the unity we have to the father and just as the trinity will never be separated, they will always be one God so to will the church. Last week we talked about the grace that comes from Jesus that we are given and we are given grace from the victorious king. It's given for the express purpose to do work to glorify him in all that we do that the grace that came from the victorious king was not to be idle but to be active and to be engaged. It was something that was to be engaged. So we looked at the Psalm that Paul quotes, we examine the scriptures closely to see that it is a full call of the victorious king Christ who was God became man, entered the grave and ultimately leads his captives freely into his kingdom. That's where the grace comes from. We all have it. We need to get to work and do stuff. I'm actually going to start tonight into our into our wow words words are not easy. I'm going to do it like, I feel like porky pig. All right. Resetting, resetting, no stuttering. Before we jump into verse 11 I'm going to back it up. I want to really talk about this grace because we need the grace part to understand how how motivating and how powerful it is that the grace that we have comes from the full victory of Jesus Christ. And Christ is victory gives us all the grace that we need to do his work to do what accomplishes his glory. And so I really want to focus in on this grace called enabling grace. That is what this grace is the grace that's present in Ephesians 4 verse 7 is enabling grace. It says, but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift Christ gift is sacrifice. It is the gospel. It is what Christ did to conquer sin and death and it's full sum and total and that gift is something that cannot be drained. It is always ever flowing. And so if we get grace in measure to that that grace is not just sitting there. Italy it is just as full and powerful as the gift itself was. And so that grace is an enabling grace that's pushing us forward which means I get to step into more like I said last week more of what it looks like to actually receive gifts. The gifts of grace, the spiritual gifts from God this week. Now I'm not going to do this whole. There is no test. There is no test tonight. There is no website. I'll be directing you to there are no questions to answer so that you can identify what your spiritual gift is because that's not the process of how spiritual gifts work. That's just now what it is. There's no questionnaire. There's no numerical grades that we can give. This isn't like you go into your high school advisor and they tell you that you do great as a custodian because you answered the questions poorly. That's not how spiritual gifts work. Spiritual gifts are given to you from God to accomplish his purpose through the power of the spirit with grace, the grace from God that enables them to actually be actively engaged with. This grace that we all receive from the king is enabling grace. By enabling I mean it literally is the thing that enables you to walk in the glory of God to actually then do what you couldn't do before. To honor God previously before the gift of Christ that has come into all of our lives to bring salvation we only honored ourselves. Now we have this amazing access through enabling grace to honor God and he does that as a gift and so the gifts that come to us through the spirit come to us with motivating grace to accomplish the work of Christ. We act from grace able to do what we are previously unable to do namely glorify God every gift mentioned in the scripture is is truly at its core. Action it's engagement it's movement towards the eternal kingdom now I have them all listed here but we're actually to walk through the scriptures that give us the list okay. So I literally this is the in the notes is just a list of every spiritual gift from all of the different lists that are mentioned throughout the scripture and I did that not repeating any so if it was mentioned in one list I didn't repeat it again if it was repeated in another list but I put it all out there because there's a lot of. This is just a really diverse list of things right and I want you to kind of see it and feel it but I want to get there by walking through the scriptures and if you know if you've ever been taught through spiritual gifts usually it's taught like ad nauseam if you've been taught to let me know that it's in two 12s and two fours Romans 12 is where we'll start Romans chapter 12 is where we'll start we'll get our first list from Romans 12. Romans chapter 12 it's verses 6 through 8 I think I type it in the notes yeah Romans chapter 12 verses 6 through 8 says this and since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us again that is a direct connection from Paul in Romans to Paul in Ephesians 4 7 right and since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us let it let each exercise them accordingly if prophecy according to the proportion of his faith of service in his service or he who teaches in his teaching or he who exhorts in his excitation he who gives with liberality he who leads with diligence he who shows mercy with cheerfulness verse 9 then says mentions love I'm just going to point that out but we're stopping it verse 8. It's our first 12 for Romans 12 then we turned to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. So Romans 12 for Corinthians 12 that's 2 12 chapters for Romans and for Corinthians Romans 12 for Corinthians 12 will start in verse 7. Here's what we read but to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good for one is given the word of wisdom through the spirit and to another the word of knowledge according to the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit and to another gifts of healing by the one spirit and to another the effect of miracles and to another prophecy and to another that is that distinguishing of spirits to another various kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues. Alright so that's our second list we have Romans 12 first Corinthians 12 then we're going to go to our two fours first Peter chapter 4. I know chronologically we would go to Ephesians 4 but since that's our main text I'm going to skip over it we'll go to first Peter. Not even necessarily chronologically just in order of scriptures in your Bible. First Peter chapter 4. First Peter chapter 4 we'll look at verses 9 to 11. And in all this they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same that is not that is not what I meant. 11 that's where yep it's right there. Alright I'm going to back up to verse 10. First Peter 4 verse 10 as each one has received a special gift employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks let him speak as it were the utterances of God whoever serves let him do so as by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs to God. And then back to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 our main text tonight which says this. And he gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers. So have this really huge conglomeration of grace gifts from God in his scripture. In the list it's prophesying excitation giving leading showing mercy words of wisdom words of knowledge faith healing miracles discerning spirits tongues interpretation speech service apostles prophets evangelist pastors teachers all are active and engaged with God and others that is what the spiritual gifts are. Now I'm not again no test tonight like so you can identify where you you have a spiritual gift that's not how the spirit works what there will be is the opportunity for you to ask questions that engage in community group for free to ask them I'm fine I love talking about the spiritual gifts they're real we do not run from them they're not awkward they're not hard they are grace filled gifts from God. But I'm not going into this whole list because it's not all ineffesis I want you to see them though this is a hugely like just variety in this list. There's a lot of things in this list there are offices roles there are actions and activities there are some that seem deeply more spiritually connected some that seem intensely practically connected they are all though very actively engaged and they flow from grace every time. If you look in the surrounding passages of most of these contexts you will always find the connection to the body and love that is always what is the thing from which they flow and move towards that is what these gifts are all about. Once we have this understanding of the grace the king has given has given to us we can move towards kingdom work and we do that by employing these very gifts themselves. While specific giftings from the spirit are real meaning that it says to some he gave to others he gave right if you are doing this some of you will be doing this it's the context of the he of this Greek in the scriptures. So while specific giftings the spirit are real the ubiquity with which we know all must display qualities from these lists is also real. We know that there are times when all of us will call upon different aspects of the spiritual gifts amen. Someone who has the gift of speaking wisdom from the Holy Spirit that needs to exercise hospitality doesn't exercise one from the strength of the spirit and the other from the strength of man that's not how God's glorified both will be exercise from the strength of the Holy Spirit. There is a lot of overlap in this list and never should a Christian think I have this spiritual gift forget all the rest that's not how the spiritual gifts work that's not how God ever calls us to live. So we know we almost display qualities from these lists is also real and no less enabled by the spirit we were constantly engaging with these gifts that God has given that are grace filled and spiritually connected. And that brings us to Ephesians 4 11 which by far is one of the most unique gifts spiritual gift lists right if Ephesians 4 7 says but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift and verse 11 begins and he gave some as apostles some as prophets some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers. That is the connection there as he goes on that excursion from Psalm 68 in between in verses 8 9 and 10 establishing the full total victory of Christ as the one who gives the gift of grace that leads to the gifts that are spiritual but in Ephesians 4 11 what we have our specific kind of weird gifts right. We understand the idea of giving gifts that a person can use but the real thing about Ephesians 4 11 is it actually kind of feels like we're not talking about gifts a person can use rather we're talking about the gifts are actually the person they're actually the people there in some ways spiritual people that are the gifts themselves Ephesians 4 11 lists for us and he gave some as apostles some as prophets some as evangelists and some as a lot of people. Paul and acknowledging the gifting of grace to the Ephesian believers focuses this list on spiritual people or if you like to feel more comfortable roles or even offices if you want to I hate the idea of calling things offices in the scripture it makes it sound very efficious which makes it feels very institutional and it seems it becomes institutional there's always problems one of the things we'll talk about later is the institutionalization in the church right the almost the same as the one who is in the church. So it's the most commodification or corporatization of church and how devastating that is to this very gift list of gifts that Paul gives as spiritual people that God has enabled through grace to do certain things for his glory. Paul previously mentioned two of these types of people these roles if you will these people spiritual people in Ephesians already and I want you to look back at how he mentions two of these particular people that are mentioned in verse 11 if you go to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19 to 22 it's the first mention. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone of the end. Why not in whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the spirit to drill down even further in the next chapter if he's in three starting in verse three here's what we read that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery as I wrote before in brief and by referring to this when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ which in other generations was made by the Holy Spirit. Other generations was made known to some to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit the connection here is to apostles and prophets specifically in the time after Christ these are the specific apostles and prophets that Paul is speaking of here in Ephesians. This is a different way of mentioning them in chapter three than we see in Hebrews where it says in the days of old God spoke to you through his prophets but now he speaks to you in son those prophets in Hebrews chapter one verse one are talking about the old testament biblical prophets however here the apostles and prophets mentioned in Ephesians chapter two and three are actually the apostles and prophets coming after Christ in the literal age of the church that starts after Christ sends the Holy Spirit. There's an uppowering of the Holy Spirit and in the empowering of the Holy Spirit there's a making of apostles and prophets that's the context for verse 11 in chapter four and he gave some as apostles and some as prophets let's talk about this apostles and prophets because it becomes very confusing we have people that call themselves apostles and prophets today and then on if you ever heard of this you've heard people calling themselves I am a possible so and so or this is prophet whoever it is. These are terms that are used today inside of let's call it Christian light or adjacent movements I would say they have the Bible they speak through aspects of the word maybe they don't have this clear understanding of what the Bible text is actually trying to reveal and so we have these terms in use today what is the scripture say about them what is the scripture indicating about apostles and prophets the people making up this group are in roles that seem very very defined. Apostleship and prophet in the scriptures are not roles that are actually super fluid that we can kind of make them into whatever we whatever they are what I say apostles you don't think of a job title you think of names right I say apostle you think I know those guys this guy's head names in the scripture they were the apostles right in fact if I say prophets most of you actually can attach to the Bible. So I would say there are a few of you though that can attach and attach the name prophet to those that were actually in the New Testament which is interesting nonetheless I will put that out these two roles carry forward the divine revelation of the church and its growth into salvation for all people who walk in faith. So the key aspects of the apostleship and the words of prophets in the time of the church was the movement of the gospel right into the great commission to carrying it forward into all the households of Gentiles not just into the households of the Jews and as salvation moved forward it moved forward at the behest of the prophets and the apostles that God had given to speak clear words clear truth doctrine establishing Bible authoring truths so that the church could have a firm foundation it's the exact context for the term apostles and prophets in Ephesus chapter 2 right along sign Jesus Christ as the cornerstone who is laid down as the foundation of the church. The apostles and the prophets laid down directly next to Christ these office these roles these people that God gave intentionally are there to establish the church itself as the church is constructed into a holy dwelling of God the apostles and prophets are laid within that foundation next to Christ these roles have a feeling of time sensitive and specifically equipped. There's a specific equipping that the apostleship had to have there is a time sensitive nature in which the apostleships were working the apostleships themselves were very specific involving the personal connection to the direct teaching of Jesus it was integral in the authority of the church in God's word meaning that when we looked at a book to evaluate it for its canonicity it's veress it's truth in the scripture one of the main. The key is was that it had to come from someone who interacted with the teaching of Christ Paul interacted really and truly with Christ to be taught personally Peter interacted really and truly with Jesus teaching him personally right we have these books written by men who actually interacted with the risen Christ or the living Christ and the risen Christ and they then are able to establish themselves and establish the truth of God's word. It was worth the authority of Jesus Christ himself and this was essential for the church it was absolutely essential. I hope this isn't too controversial but feel free to ask questions about this at any time alright and so yes we can see the idea of a apostleship as a person a spiritual person gift as a gift of a spiritual person from Jesus Christ in some ways as a role in the church. It's a role to feel right there a person who is to impart the truth of God's word they oversee not the church itself but the very establishment of the church at all and then we can begin to see how maybe we can attach that to certain people however in the scripture we want to be really careful because that a apostleship office in the scripture is handed to people that had very real connection to Jesus Christ and we're doing very real specific things to establish the base level of the church. The base level foundation of the church the apostles of the New Testament in the church were doing things that pastors actually aren't even called to actually do a past an apostle actually fulfilled almost in every way touched on every spiritual role that God had given to anyone at the time. We know that Paul was gifted in words of wisdom in words of knowledge that he did healings that he spoke in tongues that he interpreted tongues we know these things to be true because there are counted for us in the text. So that apostleship role comes in a very very clear and a very very impactful time so that the foundation of the church can be laid Christ mapping it out and gifting through grace the apostles. Prophecy does not require the revelation of specific future in its actual verbage in the Greek it doesn't mean it had to be somebody that told you what the winning lottery ticket was that's not necessarily what the term profit means. It can do this in fact in the scripture throughout the scripture from Hebrew in degree from the no testament to the new it does do this a profit speaking specifically of spiritual revelation given to them about future events but that is not all that that term means at other times it can reveal a specific thing that is simply hidden this is an easy one to understand you think of Nathaniel approaching David right about Bathsheba do you recall this an Nathaniel the profit gives to you. The profit gives to David a story about a man a rich man who stole a poor man sheep you recall this and he connects it exactly to David where it's all hidden about Bathsheba and Euryah and he reveals it though it was hidden to everyone got it given him this knowledge of something that was being hidden so that all could know and that the glory of God could go forward. Often it is plain speaking prophecy plain speaking of clearly spiritually revealed truth it's most basic meaning the word prophecy for prophecy and this for flex well in Hebrew and in Greek is to utter truth to speak truth that is the most clear understanding of prophecy and biblically these gifted people these grace gifted rolls all right that's what Ephesians for seven and eleven are indicated. These grace gifted rolls established the foundation of the church certainly apostleship has a very specific biblical time frame profits as well as expressed in this office also seemingly had a specific time frame and establishing the church though clearly uttering specific spiritual truths from the Holy Spirit certainly remains yet apostleship and prophecy in this instance as also communicated thankfully in God's word. Ephesians 2 and 3 indicate a baseline foundational level of God's gracious gift people speaking prophecy clear tangible spiritually revealed truths people in a apostleship directing and moving the church as they were being directed and moved by Christ were biblically bound into a serious time frame and that I believe is what it's indicated in these rolls as Paul has already spoken about them in Ephesians 2 and Ephesians 3 and now mentions them in Ephesians 4. And so what I don't want you to hear is that when Paul lists these things in Ephesians 4 verse 11 he could possibly have disconnected it from what he just said in Ephesians 2 and what he just said in Ephesians 3 about apostles and prophets it's the same letter with they won't they didn't have a worry about understanding what Paul meant by apostles and prophets they didn't try to discern it they like oh no wait he had already spoken about apostles and prophets literally in the same letter that we've already gotten that's exactly who he's talking about. And so when we look at these foundational things we don't want to make them more than they are we want to rejoice that God graciously gifted specifically these men and you have to remember when we comes to prophecy we look at this and we have God's word fully and complete for us to read and you know who wrote the word of God as inspired by the Holy Spirit it came from the apostles from the lips of the apostles now times it was written down by others but we distribute these books as journalists. So we're directly from the apostles themselves now you can think about the prophecy at the time even the prophecy that was going on in the church at the time which was real right you can read acts it what it's not this is not confusing as it's going on they don't have the full text of the scriptures we're reading this now and so God using apostles and prophets to establish the church is very clear and very obvious we should be careful to think that we exercise such authority today I think it's a very good caution. For a pastor to stand up teaching from the Bible and say we should probably be a little cautious with throwing about the term apostle with throwing around the term profit these are really really specific things that we should be careful with in the text of God's word. Alright that's enough about apostles and prophets we are thankful for them as they have established us even the gift to read God's word and full to understand the movement of the church today. Let's go to the next one and verse 11 chapter 4 and he gave some as apostles some as prophets and some as evangelists and immediately evangelists sounds like a word that we don't like in our culture today that has been really like just demeaned and derided throughout our culture evangelists it's a word that became a term of derision evangelicals right that's a word that our culture has so demeaned yet so misunderstood that that the idea of an evangelist seems negative. The term evangelicals lumped as a group of people a certain group of Christians or Christians that believe in any way in evangelizing if you want to get really like down to it is gross and it key and how dare they yet God says I have given grace filled evangelists grace filled people a grace filled people called evangelist and it is all because of my overwhelming victory that I give this grace filled gift to you I am the conquering king that is given. So it's a grace filled gift from God the evangelist we should rejoice to hear and see evangelists speak the truth to push the gospel forward now just a special note as we move through this list and as we move away from these seemingly time sensitive roles of a possible and profit we enter the gospel and we are going to see the gospel. So we enter into the people that God has grace gifted to sustain the very functions that the apostles and prophets had so what I mean is you'll see this tonight which is so absolutely awesome to think about as grace pours out in salvation Jesus Christ came lived died resurrected then the book of Acts begins and we see the spirit come and he falls on the gospel. The apostles right and immediately the apostles begin carrying out in absolute reality every spiritual gift right I mean it shows up and simultaneously right pencil cost happens speaking in tongues right we have in in very Jerusalem at that time we were getting healings miracles we were getting teached. Wisdom knowledge prophecy right I mean immediately Peter goes into the full history of the Jewish people right as this as everyone is gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the feet and Peter goes into the full history of the people of of Israel all the way back and he he's saying it to get to we walked away from God and murdered the Messiah but that was so the Messiah could save from sin and death not. So that's what that's what Peter does that's evangelism one 1000% he becomes an evangelist immediately and as we see grace flow from the gifting of the spirit into the apostles grace then moves through the gospel and it has moved generation after generation after generation spreading across the world until we find ourselves today sitting here with God's word worshipping God together as one another with the gospel. The same grace and I don't want you to think of it the wrong way I don't want you to think of it like you took a bucket of water right and you walked onto the beach you filled it up at the ocean you took that bucket of water you walked onto the soft sand and you dumped out the bucket of water right and as you dumped out that bucket of water it splashed and it was kind of a big crater made and it was like oh there's all the water but then the word kind of spread out as the water spread out it got less right until the water was gone and only the sand was left that's not how grace has gone. See that the grace that has gone out from the moment the the apostles were filled with the spirit has never diminished it has not become diluted it has become a deluge. Do you follow me as as limited as the the foundational apostles and prophets were how much more have there been evangelists pastors and teachers how much farther has the grace gone. It is extended everywhere until all of God's children are fully engaged that's that's what grace has done and so what we see is not a diminishment going from the foundational apostles and prophets to evangelists pastor teacher we see an explosion of grace going forward an explosion because no longer is a place where you can see the power is the requirement for the establishment that Paul is doing here in Ephesians instead the gifting of the Holy Spirit through grace which Jesus Christ has given has enabled so many pastors to instruct on the book of Ephesians throughout the course of the church history that this teaching that Paul wrote as an apostle has gone forward thousands and thousands of times in hundreds of languages all over the world. That is not a dilution of grace that is a day loose of grace for the glory of God. So I don't want you to hear a diminishment when I start talking about an evangelist as compared to a possible and prophet. I want you to understand that it went from these 12 guys to expanding it and Paul coming into to the expansion into those that were given the gift of prophecy in the early church into an expansion of grace gifted evangelists to speak the gospel to preach the gospel. That's what happened more not less greater not diminished as we move away from the time sensitive roles we enter into the people that God has grace gifted to sustain the functions of the apostles and prophets and so instead of these few apostles and prophets we now have these many evangelists pastors and teachers. It has become so much more the gifts move forward and become more diffuse the evangelist is the first in carrying the gospel into bright light and clear application. The evangelist sees gospel opportunities as he sees breathing it's always essential I've got a breath and I've got to preach the word I've got a breath and I'm going to give the gospel that's what the evangelist is the reality is that every believer every believer is in Matthew 28 every believer is called to carry the gospel forward right go forth into all the nation. All the world baptizing them and teaching them all of this happening in the triune father son and the Holy Spirit. That is the great commission for us all we are all to do that and evangelists are a beacon and example to us all to seize the opportunities to speak the truth. In the book of acts specifically there is a man mentioned as an evangelist Philip Philip the evangelist happens to have four daughters you know what his daughters were. Prophets prophetesses technically speaking that's present in the book of acts we see these gifts colliding and coming into interaction that is the diffusion of grace into a day loose that's what's happening there. We know that there have been evangelists in times past and you know what you don't hear a lot about anymore evangelists because even gelicles have ruined it. Or hypocrisy has or hatred of God has yet there are those you know that will give the gospel freely at any time those that are empowered to give the gospel freely at any time those that we look at and we're like wow look at how bold they are with the gospel as we shrink in fear that someone might actually overhear us right. Those evangelists are the essential carrying forward of the beacon just like the apostles did just like the prophets would do so the evangelists carrying it forward are all over the world being willing to readily always share the good news of Jesus Christ. As we are called we should look at evangelists not not as something that is diminished but as an example for us to also give the gospel just as we breathe just as life is given so we should be giving life as we breathe in the air God is given we should breathe out the truth of his salvation that's not the only thing that stems after the apostles and prophets so we have the apostles we have the prophets it then says as some as evangelists. I have specifically separated pastors and teachers just so you know although that's not always common in common teres I am separating them completely the next thing in the list he has given some as pastors the word here isn't inherently what we think of pastor what does the word in the Greek truly mean here that not the pastor as we would do it the simple definition of the word in Greek here is shepherd it's the word for shepherd so he's given some as shepherds but these are specifically shepherds of people which is confusing because shepherds actually are over sheep it's kind of like goes hand in hand shepherds sheep they're connected but these shepherds are specifically shepherds of people so they they're not shepherding sheep they're shepherding people and so that we understand as the role of pastor now you understand how it all kind of comes to the together we refer to shepherds of people as pastors and so the word pastor here means a person who is shepherding people the interesting movement of these four types of five sorry five types of people is in the passing of the baton if the specific roles the English language if the specific roles of a possible and profit were in the foundation then people shepherd is a natural next role in the further in the form of the kingdom again remember the foundation being later is going to continue to be built and as it continues to be built grace becomes more spread out not less just more and as it becomes more we have more blocks going up into this spiritual dwelling into this holy city that is being built upon Christ and the apostles and prophets and so naturally we'll have those who will go boldly forward with the giving of the gospel seen in the evangelists and then we will have those those that will be essential in shepherding the people of God the pastor the role of shepherding people of pastoring is one that is integral in the church and sadly one that has become something very other than what it was intended to be the role of pastor specifically in the scriptures the role that you have have called me to that Christ has called me to is very specifically to mirror the chief shepherd Jesus Christ that is my role right now I do it as a man who needs grace and forgiveness I've had to plead with you for it before I will have to plead for it again in the future that is something that is essential because I am to mirror the chief shepherd and I will do it well and also poorly at times but it's all based off of Jesus Christ what does that to look like the most practical way to understand what a pastor should look like is truly found in Psalm 23 it's not just that he has a list of qualifications as we would know in first time at the entitus what does that actually look like if that's simply the qualifications and what is the actual manifestation of being a pastor it's Psalm 23 it's the shepherd's Psalm so Psalm 23 let's go back at it if it means shepherd shepherd of people what's a shepherd look like what does the shepherd look like Psalm 23 we'll read the full total of Psalm 23 it's not long the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he makes me lie down in green pastors he leads me beside quiet waters he restores my soul he guides me in the paths of righteousness I will walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me thou does prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies now I sinointed my head with oil my cup overflows surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever the same is true of an under shepherd the shepherd in Ephesians for verse 11 the pastor is to me mirror this example of Christ as shepherd the chief shepherd this is what a pastor is supposed to do and I would dare say that our culture has so changed what the form of church is and changed what the role of pastor is that it is hard to see it mapping onto that today it just is it's not what the Bible is intended we have it has been ruling at miss you day church you know over 14 years to try to actually be that be a church that's biblical like it's hard it's not easy it's really hard because we are going to fight what others would walk into with the understanding of what a church should be that has not been derived from the scriptures does not come from what God's word is said a church is to be a pastor is to be our churches to function we see with these very gifts themselves the tension that is present between what God says about these gifts these are grace gifted people that are given as gifts to the church we see it when we actually understand it what we're seeing is the grace flow out to multiply apostles prophets evangelists pastors teachers those roles become more as they go forward just infinitely more the same as true of the church when we flow down to teachers there is not a human being that shouldn't be teaching the truth of God if you're in Christ if you're in Christ amen everybody should be teaching all the time constantly the truth of God's word what we see in the tension of misunderstanding pastor misunderstanding church is going to be the reality that we are misunderstanding these gifts the very gifts God has given to us through the victorious Christ the role of shepherd they already did that one as people as people shepherds people shepherds as the shepherds of people working in concert and under the chief shepherd the pastor is in a place and to a place that he is connected with he is in a place and given to a place as a gift with people that he is connected with there is a connection between the shepherd and the sheep amen the scripture is clear that the sheep will hear the voice of the shepherd they will know that that shepherd is there to guide to lead to protect to care to defend to instruct there is a connection between a shepherd and his flock of sheep the further we get into misunderstanding the church misunderstanding the pastor that is given in the scripture the farther we get from the connection of shepherd and sheep is just naturally what happens and we are really really far from that connection how we do church in our culture today our instances institutionalization of this role this spiritual person pastor pastor has made it into a job not a person and a career not a role pastor is a job but here it's a person Ephesians 4, pastor is a person in our culture it's a career in Ephesians 4 it's a role it's just a role that is filled in the church we change those things we then melt down the relationship between a shepherd and a sheep and if you melt it down just hear me if you melt it down on the horizontal man-centered way guess what you are going to absolutely do you are going to be melting it down on the vertical way too you are going to have an issue with understanding that you are a sheep of the chief shepherd if you can't understand that you are also a shepherd a sheep of the under shepherd it's just the reality of what happens and so when you see the struggle of churches or pastors or the exaltation of a man beyond the point that he should ever be exalted to or the weight and burden of the responsibility on a man that he should never be bearing because he has the title pastor when you see the treatments of a person who has the title of pastor by a group of people that have changed him into a CEO or have changed him into something else and you see a mistreatment or a misunderstanding you see a firing just understand you see a firing a firing if God called a person to the role of elder who that is born of man thinks they can fire him from that calling does that make sense that man can disqualify himself but if you don't like the truth that he's saying from God's word you don't get the fire do you see what I mean do you see what we've done do you see what we've done to this gift from Jesus Christ do you feel we have done do it we've separated the pastor into guru or CEO and left behind the reality that a shepherd has sheep he guides and cares for them they love and respond to him that is what the scripture says this person this is a person right this person pastor engages in this role and yet we know we have those in our lives that we will display any and or all of the shepherding qualities towards meaning that there is a person that is a pastor and yet pastoral pastoral ministries pastoral care is something that the church will all engage with we will all engage with that and I put this particularly on men men will always engage with pastoral roles because a man will always have to pastor his home you will have to pastor his household right guide care you can read Psalm 23 and know that there is a man to fulfill the husband role must be that kind of man ladies it's easy it's easy look at Psalm 23 do you see that reflected in the person you want to pursue because he should be be looking a lot like that because he is going to have to pastor in the home shepherd the home guide and care for the home and ladies as much as you're nurturing in your own homes your children which your husbands would trust you to do you will be engaging in the in pastoral ministries you are not a pastor you understand this is reality that doesn't make you a pastor that makes you engaging with aspects of pastoral care speaking truth into your child's lives teaching them engaging with them managing the home for the good and glory right of someone else so that you can help them establish the call that they're to do these are realities in the scriptures again we don't see this becoming less as if Paul is way up here on a pedestal which feels like we naturally do right he wrote the Bible right we put him way up here but know what he says through the power of the Holy Spirit is that as the grace goes forward and the gifts enabled by that grace go forward it does not focus and channel into less but becomes infinitely more and so that I as a pastor who has been called by God affirmed by you I am simply a gift of the grace of Jesus Christ when I fulfill this role that is all I am and yet you know that I fully expect you to engage with taking and carrying the right teaching of the God of the word of God forward I fully expect and engage for you to lead and encourage in the right directions your homes your families your children and the children of this church there's there is only ever increasing more now there is not less Paul could do what exactly what the spirit called him to do in the exact place that he called didn't do it in the exact way that he called him to do it but it was only in one place at one time doing one thing how many pastors how many pastors have there been since Paul how many evangelists have there been since Paul so much more is the gift of grace flowing what a gift what a gift there are aspects in which the pastoral care of shepherding is something that all must engage within the area of discipleship and there'll be lots more discipleship in the coming weeks I got one verse tonight so we're focusing in this means no one can treat God's truth lightly right this is why we emphasize this is all we have you don't get to hear your own thoughts in your head and act as if they're God's word we have God's word we're going to live with this let this dictate what we do and this is why we all must treat God's word with the same level of importance and authority that it carries all right one more I'm sorry I told the right again I said to an appages teachers it's the last one mentioned in Ephesians 4 11 some as evangelists some as pastors and teachers you're like but wait it doesn't say and some as it must be the same thing I mean yes and no but also yes and no many commentators connect pastors and teachers together as the same person because of the language in verse 11 since we don't see the same pre-qualify as we do for apostles prophets evangelists and teachers we think that perhaps is connected with pastors but I want to understand something they are two absolutely different they're absolutely different words they're not the same it's not a linguistic thing to say that they are the same because one means shepherd and one means someone who is teaching there those are two different things now we can see crossover amen absolutely we see crossover even outlined in the role of elder in the church is the the being apt to teach and so there's a connection into the pastor of someone who is teaching we read Psalm 23 we see a person who is instructing guiding and moving a flock right into good right glorious life and so we understand that we can all agree someone is going to certainly be teaching if they are pastoring and it is a key aspect of the role however is also something that every peacemaker must do every peacemaker must do teacher absolutely it is a quintessential element to the great commission I wasn't you know I was going to do it I was not you know I wasn't going to read it tonight but I'm just going to go to Matthew 28 because I can what's two and a half pages of notes anyway Matthew chapter 28 the great commission Jesus in verse 18 and Matthew 28 all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth amen that is the victorious king as victorious king from eight nine and ten that we have experienced the defusions for all authority verse 19 go there for and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father the son of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I command you and low I am with you always even to the end of the age teacher is an essential aspect to the great commission we are we are a part of the great commission now we are we are a part of it teacher is essential to carrying forward the gospel it is essential in making sure people actually know who Jesus was know what is instructed from God's word and also know what is a lie about who Christ was and what God's word says we all now are called in some way to engage with Ephesians 4 11 in a very real way as a grace gift of a person to the world we all have to engage with the now no one's cut off if you sat there and said I'm not really a gifted evangelist if you sat there and said I'm not a pastor or I can't be a pastor okay if that's what you said you are now writing it you're right in it you're in Ephesians 4 11 you are part of the people that was given grace from Christ as a gift to accomplish his glory there is something that's building in this list of people and the roles that are highlighted and it is exactly how we would expect God to work in his people there is a movement from highly specific to the responsibility of all of us there's a highly specific highly qualified intensely focused a possible profit and every time we're moving in these roles we are moving to a greater people with more responsibility so off of the shoulders as they are laid in the foundation from the apostles and prophets comes the responsibility the gift of the ministry of reconciliation as given by Christ and placed on to the shoulders of every believer is given that responsibility down the fact that we are called right some are called to be teachers and I like specifically the reason they lumped pastures and teachers together is because it doesn't say in verse 11 and some as teachers right right it doesn't say that and we think that's because teachers and pastors go together and or might I submit because he didn't give some as teachers he gave all you are supposed to be teaching you should be teaching someone they might be younger than you perhaps they have not grown up in the word as you you should be teaching someone the truth of God you should because you have been given grace as a gift in accordance with the very gift of the gospel the teacher is necessary everywhere if you know someone that communicates biblical truths clearly that sees ways to make natural connections to eternal things from the mundane that's a teacher that's a teacher that is a great skimpeded teacher I would encourage you to watch them be near them and steal all of their ideas and methods and then do it and then do it because I can't find some teachers I find that Jesus has given teachers that's what it says so look for ways to learn find someone that teaches well take all I mean all of their ideas I mean take all of their words if their words are great use those words and you also teach I don't feel qualified to teach if you have been given the grace of salvation in your life you are qualified to teach because someone else needs that grace someone else needs to know of the truth about Jesus Christ someone else needs to know about the reality of what it means to walk according to his word teach teach we spent so much time on these people tonight these spiritual people these gifts of people these roles but Paul focuses on them because of what comes next the reason it works down from a parcel and profit to teacher the reason it works down the reason the roles go from highly specific to ubiquitously general because the need goes forward and the church will grow will not teaching on them tonight I'm just going to read it Ephesians 4 the next two verses I'll read verse 11 too why not and he gave some as a possible some as profits some as evangelist some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up building up of the body of Christ not when but until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ the reason it goes from these highly specific to we must engage is because the church will grow God's church will move forward it's not an if it is a when it is a certainty and we have been given the grace to engage in that certainty what an awesome gift that is I'm moved to respond we all receive grace from the king and that grace is super charged for the activity of kingdom building the apostles and profits added to that foundation started by Jesus himself they helped to build the foundation up so that we could all engage with the kingdom construction project the evangelist carry their fervor for the gospel on taking up the great commission and exemplify the need for all to speak of God's great salvation the pastor stands into shepherd the church divide dividing the apostles roles into thousands of engaged ministers to guide and care and lead the church in truth and life and teachers take up their swords diligently learning and leaning into the truth of Christ as they make plain the instructions of God so that no one is with an excuse this is the power of Jesus's gift of grace that grace as it goes forward leaves nothing to chance and lack these people are real these people are you and his church will be equipped it will grow it will become the fully formed bull work against the lies of this world the king has spoken and so it shall be do not sleep on your grace be teachers evangelists and shepherds that Christ has called you to be he will do it and we must move in it response tonight is one of taking up the sword that God has given of his word and his truth and praying praying for times opportunities and ways to engage in the spiritual gifting of these roles some of you I'm just going to say some of you speak the truth of the gospel often yet there are times when you are afraid to speak it you need the encouragement from Christ some of you need to engage with teaching God's truth to others but you will hold back because you haven't let the courage and power of Christ fully take hold in your life we need to spend time this is not this isn't this isn't something where I'm saying maybe you're a pastor can just evaluate your call I'm saying you are teachers in God's army you must engage with that you need to pray pray that Jesus would give you the courage that the power of the Holy Spirit would fill you and that that all consuming glory of God would push you forward so that you can live out the grace enabled gifts that God has given this is not something that you should consider and evaluate this is something that you should begin immediately to engage with and do so pray to him for that energy pray to him for that grace pray to him for that courage and strength that you could be about this work do not fumble wondering whether or not you should be you should so pray and ask our father loves to incline his ear to his children to hear and to answer these gifts are in accordance with his will and he desires us to be doing them so let us pray and petition our father well that we may be about these spiritual gifts you