Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians 4. I'd like to look at verses 7
to 10 tonight. Ephesians 4. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you this
evening. that we can come together. Thank
you for giving us this time. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being
in our midst. Forgive us where we failed you.
For Christ's sake, we ask these things. Amen. The last time we looked in Ephesians,
the Holy Spirit had declared the singleness Those things that are consistent
in the believer's unity and possession, the ground of worship. This is
what we believe. Verses 4-6, there's one body. Now let me just say this real
quickly. The body of the Lord Jesus Christ
believes the same thing. Salvation is by grace. It's through faith, by the grace
of God, and God gives faith to believe it. We're not saved by
faith. We're saved by the grace of God,
and God gives a heart to believe it. One body. Now, if it's one
body, it can't believe this, that, and the other, and this,
this one believes this, and this one believes this. There's one
body. There's one Spirit. There's one hope of your calling. It's the Lord Jesus Christ, the
one hope of our calling. It's not by works of righteousness
that we've done. One hope, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through
all, and in you all. So believers have these truths,
these blessings that we hold in common. We're a family. We're joined together in Christ. We are His body. And this is a family that is
more strongly linked than any other union in this world. There is no union as strongly
linked as this. This is the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is a local assembly. Now
this local assembly and there's a local assembly in these different
cities that we know and we associate with them, but we are the body
of Christ, man to union. You say, there's no union stronger. Oh, yes there is. It's the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, but, verse 7, unto every
one of us, is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. Now these truths, these graces
are common to all believers. Now all believers, we all believe
these things we just read. Though they are of the same kind,
they are the same spirit, they have the same object, all believers
look to the Lord Jesus Christ. We all do. But though we have
the same object of our affection, they're revealed by the Holy
Spirit here to be received in different degrees or measures
as it pleases the Lord. I'll hold you place. Turn to
Romans 12, 1-3. Romans 12, 1-3. The Apostle Paul says in Romans
12, 1-3, I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service, your spiritual service. Be not conformed to this world.
But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God. For I say through the grace given
unto me, every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. We believe the same thing. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God, and we believe the same thing. But according to the Scriptures,
each believer possesses a measure, a portion. And without each other,
we're not in unity as the Lord purposed. A body. Now, John Calvin said this, I
thought this was good. He said, no member of the body
of Christ is endowed with such perfection as to be able, without
the assistance of others, to supply his own necessities. We're not islands. I need you
and you need me. This is the way it is. The Lord
supplies. The Lord supplies. But He has
been pleased to give each of us to each other to form a union. Now again, 1 Corinthians chapter
12. 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians 12, I'm going to
read verses 4-18. I was going to skip around in this verse.
I'm going to read verses 4-18. 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4-18. The Scripture says, Now there
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are
differences of administrations, but the same Lord. There are
diversities of operations, But it is the same God which worketh
all in all. But the manifestation of the
Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one
is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word
of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same
Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another
discerning spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to
another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh
that one in the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally
as he will. For as the body is one and hath
many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether
we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one
Spirit. For the body is not one member,
but many. If the foot shall say, Because
I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not
of the body? If the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye,
I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole
body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were
hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members,
every one of them, in the body, as it hath pleased Him." Brethren,
we need each other. We are the body. And the Lord,
according to His grace, has gifted each of His people, according
to His will and purpose, that we might in union exhibit the
unity of the body of Christ. We're a body. I'm different. I believe what every believer
in here believes. But I'm going to tell you something.
You're not me. And I'm not you. I can't be you. I can't be you, Gary. I'm not
Gary. I'm Marvin. I'm not Neal. Every one of you. We're all different. But Almighty
God has manifested to each of His people a portion, a portion,
a measure. Wherefore, verse 8, back in Ephesians
4. Let me get there too. Back in
Ephesians 4. Verse 8, wherefore he saith,
now this is the psalmist speaking, wherefore he saith, this is a
quote out of Psalm 68, 18, wherefore he saith, when he ascended up
on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now, the psalmist, under the
inspiration of God's Spirit, said when he ascended up on high,
He led captivity captive, a multitude of captives and gave gifts unto
men. Now Paul the Apostle quotes the
psalmist who spoke of the glorious deliverance of the church with
the open manifestation of the Lord's victory over his and his
church's enemies. From the Mount of Olives, turn
to Acts 1. Acts 1, this is what he's talking
about. This was prophesied back in the Old Testament, the book
of Psalms 68. This event right here was prophesied
and it came to pass. Acts chapter 1, verse 5 to 11. Now the Lord is getting ready
to leave this earth. And he's talking to his disciples,
and he's telling them what things are shortly to come to pass.
And now, just picking up in verse 5, he says, for John, and here
he is, he's talking to them. They're standing on the Mount
of Olives. He's talking to them. They're standing around. For
John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with
the Holy Ghost, not many days hence. Now here's what he's telling
them. the Holy Spirit is going to come and baptize you spiritually. When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this
time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them,
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the
Father hath put in his own power, but ye shall receive power after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.' And when he had spoken these
things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received
him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men, obviously angels,
stood by them in white apparel, which also said, You men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken
up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye
have seen Him go into heaven." Now here's what happened. He
ascended up. They were standing there and
watched Him and they actually saw Him. being received into
a cloud, carried up into heaven as the great high priest. Here
he fulfilled the type of the Old Testament priest, the high
priest in the Old Testament on the day of atonement. What they
would do is they'd take the two goats and they'd bring one. One was a goat and his hands
of that high priest was laid on top of that goat and he confessed
the sins of the people of Israel. And that goat right there was
the one that was going to be sacrificed. And there was another
goat. It was a scapegoat. And he placed
his hands on that, and that goat right there was carried off by
a fit man. Carried him off into the wilderness. Gone. Gone. There was the picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest. bearing the
guilt of his people and carrying them away. They'd kill that goat,
and that high priest would take the blood from that goat, and
he would go in one day a year on the Day of Atonement. He entered
into the Holy of Holies within the veil, and he went in not
without blood, and he would sprinkle that mercy seat. And that mercy
seat, it was the blood symbolic of the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And here is the Lord Jesus Christ
on the Mount of Olives. He has been sacrificed. He has
been raised from the dead. And here He is now, the Great
High Priest Himself. This is the fulfillment. This
is it. Here it is. Here, just as that
high priest went in one time a year, year after year after
year after year, 1,500 years, one time, the Lord Jesus Christ
ascended into heaven as the representative and the Savior of His people,
not without blood. He went in with His own blood.
And here he is, the conqueror of sin and Satan and death, and
the Scripture says he led captivity captive. Those that were captive
to Satan. The strong man entered into the
strong man's house, bound him, and took that which he had captive,
and now the Lord has them captive. They're captive to him. Now,
how did he bind them? What did he have to do? Well,
they fell in Adam, and so they were, because of sin, they were
captive. Well, for him to release them
from the bondage of sin, you know what he had to do? He had
to be made sin. He had to be made sin. that which
held them captive." You're going to have to take them. Yeah, but
what are you going to have to do? This is going to have to
be done justly. What did He do? Well, He was made sin. The Father,
He hath made Him sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. So the Lord Himself, to release
us, from the bondage of sin was made sin. He had to defeat death. Death is the penalty of sin.
How did he defeat death? You know what I'm going to say.
He died. He died. Here was the Lord Jesus Christ,
God in the flesh. No sin, but made sin. And under the justice of God's
law, he died. Sin, the penalty of sin, the
wages of sin. What is it? Death. Death. Does that ever change? No. Sin
was found on the cross. He was made sin and he died. So he conquered death. He died. He died that we might never die. He defeated the grave. Grave,
where is your victory? Where is the victory of the grave
for God's elect? Where is the victory? Where is
the sting of death and the victory of the grave? How did he defeat
the victory of the grave? He was buried. He was buried. And three days later, he rose
from the dead. The strong man went in and bound
the one that had us captive. And everything that had us captive,
sin, grave, death, he bore. Look at Colossians 2. Colossians
chapter 2. Just a few pages back toward
the back of the Bible there. Colossians chapter 2, verse 9
to 15. Colossians 2, 9. For in him, in the Lord Jesus
Christ, dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in him, which is the head of all principality
and power, in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision
made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the
flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you being
dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." How did
He do it? Blotting out the handwriting
of the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross, and having spoiled
principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in it. God, the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself,
in human flesh, defeated what you and I could never have defeated. How are we going to defeat death
and hell and the grave? Without Him, we're going to die.
But Him, He defeated all the foes of His people, back in Ephesians
4, verse 8. Ascended up on high, He led captivity
captive and He gave gifts unto men. The gifts. He gave gifts. What
has He given? Oh, what has He not given? John
17, 2. Scripture says He gives eternal
life to as many as the Father has given Him. We have life. Oh, what a gift. Life eternal. Luke 11, 13, the scripture says,
If ye, then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? You know, we all, our children,
we love them. We love them. And we want to
do for them. We want to do for them. I want
to help them. My kids, I'm just like you, I'm
just like you are. My kids hurt, I hurt. Whatever
I do, I want to help them. Whatever I have to do, whatever
I have to do, I want to do what I can. But if we, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more shall
your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
Him. Look at Ezekiel 36. We read this
so often. I love this passage of Scripture.
Ezekiel 36. What has He done for us? Well,
Ezekiel 36, 26. He says, A new heart also will
I give you. A new spirit will I put within
you. I'll take away the stony heart
out of your flesh. And I'll give you a heart of
flesh. I'm going to make a new man in you. I'm going to make
a new creation in you. You're going to be birthed from
above. In the day of His power, He gives
a willing heart. A heart that now comes to Christ
because He wants to. A heart that loves Him because
He loves Him. A heart that calls on Him because
He needs Him. Casts Himself upon the Lord for
mercy because God's given Him a new heart. Before, He didn't
care. He gifts His people for His glory
and for the good of His people. It's for their good. It's for
His glory. He's going to get all the glory, all the honor,
and all the praise. Back in Ephesians 4 verses 9
to 10, I'll stop. Now that he ascended, what is
it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill
or fulfill all things. These last two verses are simply
saying this, and when I say simply, I mean to bring it to a succinct
explanation of what he's saying. What he's saying is, he could
not be said to have ascended into heaven unless he had first
descended and come down to the earth. the lower parts of the
earth. Now here's what it's saying. Now that he ascended, what is
it that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? Now, in my Bible it's got a reference
here to 1 Peter 3.19, but I'm going to show you something in
Psalm 139 that tells exactly what this is. I appreciate these
margins, but let the Scripture interpret the Scripture. I want
to show you what is being said right here. Turn to Psalm 139
verse 13. Psalm 139, 13 to 15. Psalm 139, 13. For thou hast possessed my reins,
thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee, for
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. This is the Lord Jesus
Christ speaking. Marvelous are thy works, and
that my soul knoweth right well. My substance, my strength, my
body was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth." Now let me tell you
back in Ephesians 4 what is being said. The uncreated God, God Himself, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God Almighty, uncreated, descended
according to Psalm 139 to the lowest parts of the earth. He
made himself of no reputation, the uncreated God, mysteriously,
wonderfully made flesh, made himself to go back to the very
beginning of man's creation. In the womb of a virgin, the
Holy Spirit conceived in the womb of a virgin
a child. He humbled himself. The uncreated
God came to the lowest parts of the earth in his mother's
womb, made flesh that he might fulfill all things
for his people. And you go back and you read
that with the lowest parts of the earth and you read it out
of Psalm and let God tell you what He's talking about. The
uncreated God was made flesh and brought just back to that
very point of the union of a man and a woman. And there an embryo,
it grew. God who has no beginning began
as a man. He said, My substance wasn't
hid from you. I was mysteriously, wonderfully
and mysteriously made. Now that He ascended, what is
it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth And he that descended is the same also that ascended
up far above all heavens. God Himself came and was made
flesh. And being made flesh, He ascended
up, the God-man mediator, and now sits on the throne. And this
He did that He might fulfill all things. All things that were
written and prophesied and typified of Him, all things that He did
and is doing and shall do is according to the Scriptures and
it's according to the Father's will, that everlasting covenant
of grace to show His people mercy. What we have? being found in
Him, demanded that He come into this world and fulfill all righteousness. The law had to be honored. Justice
had to be satisfied. He descended, assumed human nature,
and ascended up far above all heavens into paradise itself
where he told that thief on the cross, today, today you're going
to be with me. And this he did to fulfill the
Father's will. Now this evening, here we are.
The body. He's fulfilled all things. Given
each of us a measure, a measured portion of grace, We believe
the same things. We all believe the same things.
But I'm telling you, and this one, he gives his eye, and here's
a nose, and here's a foot, and here's the body right here. But
we look to Him who descended and ascended and entered in to
heaven itself as our great high priest and has fulfilled all
things for us and soon going to come back. For Jesus, come
quickly.