Ephesians chapter 4. I think
one of the things that we see in reading these verses, especially
found in verses 12, verses 13, 14, and 15, is this thing we
call as believers growing in grace and in the knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. God has ordained and sovereignly
given unto his body, unto his people, unto his church. He says
in verse 11, he sovereignly gave these apostles to preach the
gospel. All these that he gave, these
apostles, these prophets, these evangelists and pastors and teachers,
they all have one lesson. They all have one message. They
all have one purpose. That is to declare the truth
of God and to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in pointing sinners
to Him as the only refuge, the only righteousness, the only
salvation that's given of God. He gave these unto His blessed
body, unto His church. And then it tells us the reason
why. For, verse 12, for the perfecting. And that word there is a growth
or maturity of believers. Saints, who are these saints? Everyone who is sanctified in
Christ Jesus. All those who were chosen in
that covenant of grace, all those for whom God the Holy Spirit
has done that work of sanctification in the heart, All those for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ died, they are by one offering He hath perfected
forever, them that are sanctified." It says in Hebrews 10. That's
every believer in Christ Jesus, you're a saint. If you're a believer
resting in Christ, you are a saint in Him. And all these offices
were given unto the church for the growth There is a growth, there is a
maturity of the believer in his experience for the perfecting
of the saints or to help believers grow in grace and in the knowledge
of Christ. Blessed. till we all... Good. Not that we look back to a certain
day or time or an hour, but there is a time in our life when God
crossed our path with the gospel and He began to whittle us down
and He began to convict us of our sin and to show us what we
are and then to show us our need is fully met in Christ Jesus.
When we were first converted, we were first saved by God's
grace. We were babes in Christ, babes in Christ. Babes in understanding,
having to be fed with the milk, and there's nothing wrong with
being a babe in Christ. Oh, I want to be in Christ, whether
I'm a babe or whether I'm an elder. The important thing is
to be found in Christ Jesus. When we were babes in Christ,
we were babes in understanding. We didn't have much understanding.
We knew Him, but we know more of Him now. We were bathed in
understanding, having to be fed with the milk, bathed in strength,
having to be protected and watched over and cared for in a special
way, just like you do your little ones today, your grandchildren
or your children. You watch over those little ones
with a special eye, especially mama. Mama has a special eye
to those children. She always knows when there's
trouble about and she is very watchful over them. If you'll
find 1 John is what I'm looking for, 1 John chapter 2. He talks
about believers here, John does, as children, as young men, and
then as elders. And I think we see this in the
body of Christ. And this is 1 John chapter 2,
verse 12. He says, I write unto you little
children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake. I write unto you fathers, Because
you have known Him, that is from the beginning. I write unto you
young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto
you little children, because you have known the Father." You
see, there's little children, there is young men, and there
are those elders in Christ Jesus. We were babes in the beginning,
in our conversion, in our experience of grace. We were babes in bearing
the fruit of the Spirit. having the buds of the fruit
of the Spirit, but not the full flower. As children, we were
in danger from false teachers and cunning men and strange teaching. Tossed, he says, to and fro and
carried about by every wind of doctrine." Now, it's good to
have our faith tried. It's good for us because I tell
you what it does. When we are subjected unto this
false doctrine, and the slight of men and the cunning craftiness
of men when they disturb us. And God sends this our way as
a trial of our faith. You know what it causes us to
do? Now, we've experienced this over and over again. It causes
us to dig deeper in the Word of God to find out the truth
of the matter as God reveals the Gospel in Christ Jesus through
the written Word of God. It causes us to study a little
bit closer. It causes us to pay a little bit more attention to
how God justifies the ungodly in Christ Jesus. When these men
come around and talk about, well, you know, the Scripture said
that the water, the water takes away sin. That you're regenerated
in water baptism and that your sins are washed away by the water.
And it causes us to study a little closer and pay a little bit more
attention, that we be not tossed to and fro and carried about
by this wind of teaching. I tell you what, as we study
the Word of God and as we grow in the grace of God, it causes
us to be fixed upon the rock. And it causes us not to be moved,
because to move the believer, you've got to move the rock.
That ain't going to happen. He's a solid rock on which we stand. But there are those, those slight,
cunning, crafty men whereby they lie and wait to deceive. As true
ministers, feed us the Word of God, we grow up in all things,
and we do recognize that doctrine that is foreign to the Word of
Truth, and we avoid it. Now, how do you know if you're
not rooted and grounded in the Scripture? How do you know when
this wind of doctrine comes around? How do you know which is truth
and which is error? By being rooted and grounded
in the Word of God. Now we'll see this in just a
moment. The distinguishing difference between truth and error is simple,
one test, simply one test. Who gets the glory? Who gets
the glory? If salvation, that salvation
that is false and contrary to the Word of God, that is preached
in our day is man-centered. They say God has done all He
can do. Poor God. Now the rest is up
to you. That is a false doctrine. The truth of the matter is, God
has saved His people in Christ Jesus, and they will come to
the knowledge of Christ, and they will love Him, and they
will follow Him, and they will give Him all the glory. and honor in salvation. When
we become mature in the faith, in love, and in patience, and
knowledge, and all grace, the danger of our being deceived
or led away from Christ, not that we can finally and totally
fall away, but there is a tendency, if we're not rooted and grounded
in the grace of God, there is a danger of being deceived for
a while. For a while. The Word gives us,
the Word of God gives us many warnings, does it not? About
false teachers, about false preachers, and about deceivers. Beware. Beware. Now let me show you a
couple of scriptures on that. Find, first of all, 2 Peter,
2 Peter chapter 2. So, be careful who you listen to.
Be careful who you listen to. And if you're rooted and grounded
in the Word of God, You can spot a phony real quickly. You can
spot a deceiver real quickly. It's not hard to do. Not hard
to do. Now, notice, if you will, these
warnings about false preachers. And the Word of God is full of
them. 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2, verse 1. But there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be, our Lord said,
there shall be false teachers among you. who shall privately,
secretly, shall bring in damning heresies, even denying that the
Lord bought them, denying that they need this Redeemer, denying
that the Lord bought His people with His own blood, and shall
bring and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And they have
a following, the warning here, and many shall follow their pernicious
ways by reason of whom the way of truth The way of truth shall
be evil spoken of." Now, I tell you, I had a man stood in my
parking lot Friday evening who came there to give me a quote.
He was in the blacktop business. He came there to give us a quote
on receiving our blacktop, and he showed up there all bright-eyed
and bushy-tailed and just full of himself and bragging on his
preaching and bragging on this and bragging on that and Jesus
saves and Jesus this and Jesus that. Well, he had a partner
with him and while his partner was going around and measuring
our parking lot and figuring out what to do, I spent about
30-40 minutes giving him the gospel just as plain and clear
as I could. And the time I got done, He didn't
have anything to say. He didn't have anything to say
at all. There are many shall follow their pernicious ways
by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
This man, he stood and listened to me. As I gave him the Word
of God, we talked about total depravity, we talked about God's
electing grace, we talked about God's death and atonement in
Christ Jesus, we talked about that irresistible call of grace,
we talked about that perseverance of the saints in Christ Jesus.
And he told me, he said, I've not heard anything like that
before. And this man told me he had been a preacher for many
years. He said he'd never heard anything
like that before. I said, Ben, you don't know the
gospel. He said, what about that church down the road down there?
Did they preach the gospel? I said, no. They worship another
God. They don't worship the God of
the Bible. They have another gospel. They have a God who wants
to and can't, who's tried to and failed. That's not the God
of Scripture. The God of Scripture is the Almighty
God. Well, it was an interesting conversation
and he did listen to me. But clearly, I didn't tell him
as much. I didn't tell him he was a false
preacher, but what I said, if he had any sense at all, because
I told him those who preach universal atonement are not telling the
truth. I told him, you say and you people say that God loves
everybody and Christ died for everybody and he's trying to
save everybody. I said, you just lied on God three times. He said,
whoa, he'll probably not come back. He probably, if I gave
him a job, and I'm not going to, but if I gave him a job to
seal the parking lot, he probably wouldn't do it. But anyhow, I
couldn't help myself to tell him the truth and to present
the truth to him because there are many, many false prophets
there. As my pastor used to tell me, the woods are full of preachers.
They are. There's preachers everywhere.
Our Lord tells us to beware of those. There are many false prophets
gone out into the world. And they deceive the very elect
if possible. They would, but it's not possible.
Well, let's get back to verse 14 for a moment. That we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by
every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning afterness
whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But let's do this. Let's speak,
and here's what God's preachers do, they speak the truth. They
speak the truth. Speaking the truth, notice the
center marginal reference, being sincere, they tell the truth
in love. That we may grow up into Him
in all things, which is the head, even Christ. This is why preachers
of the gospel preach the truth of God in the love of God, motivated
by that love of God, and they do so in sensitivity and in truth. Now, let me show you a couple
of Scriptures, preaching the truth in sensitivity. This is our desire, not to put
on a show, but to preach the truth of Christ from the Word
of God. I want you to find 2 Corinthians
2, 2 Corinthians 2, 17. Now, Paul here makes a comparison
between, this is 2 Corinthians 2, 17. He said, we are not, for we are
not as many which corrupt, notice the marginal reference there,
deal deceitfully. We are not as many which corrupt
the Word of God, but as of sincerity, as of God, in the sight of God,
speak we of Christ. But as of sincerity, not with
hypocrisy, not dealing deceitfully, but telling the truth and doing
so in love. Now here's another reference
you find, 2 Corinthians 4. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 1, "...therefore
seeing..." 2 Corinthians 4, verse 1, "...therefore seeing we have
this ministry, as we have received mercy..." We do not quit. We
faint not. "...but we have..." We've done
this. "...we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully,
but by the manifestation of the truth, commanding ourselves or
our message..." to every man's conscience, and we do so in the
sight of God. In the sight of God. So we preach
the truth in sincerity and in love. Preaching the truth, as
it is in Christ Jesus, preaching the truth is always the safeguard
against error and the deceit of men. It's always the truth
that sets sinners free. It's always the truth that is
honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the word of truth that
builds us up in Christ Jesus and sets us free. He shall know
the truth, and the truth shall set you free. And it's that truth
that builds us up, that we may grow up into Him in all things,
which is ahead, even Christ. Now, let me show you some references
here. I was looking at this earlier, just a moment ago. If you'll
find Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. Now notice what
the Apostle Paul does here. This is his last words to those
elders there at Ephesus, these to whom he's writing here, the
last words of those elders at Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, verse
32. He said, ìNow, brethren, I commend
you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build
you up.î and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified."
Now, another reference here, I believe it's Colossians chapter
2. Let's turn over there. Let's see if I have the right
one. Colossians chapter 2, yes, verse 6 and following. Colossians
2. And then I want to read one more in Hebrews 13. This is Colossians
2, verse 6, "...as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in him." rooted and built up in Him and established
in the faith as you've been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ." So beware! Let's be rooted and built up
in Him and established in the faith, established in Christ
Jesus. Now, one other scripture over
here in Hebrews, find Hebrews Hebrews 13, 9. Well, let's read
verse 8. Hebrews 13, 8. Jesus Christ,
the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, be not carried
about with strange divers and strange doctrines. For it is
a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with
meats, which have not profited them
that have been occupied therein." So it's a good thing that the
heart be established with grace in Christ Jesus. Now, back to
the text. Also, we see here, as believers
of the gospel, the word of truth is received in love and received
with joy and obeyed. And obeyed. but speak the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things which is ahead, even Christ."
Believers not only hear the word of truth, they receive it. They receive it. Now let me show
you another scripture on that if you'll find 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. A couple of places here in 1
Thessalonians chapter 1 and in chapter 2. Notice He says in
verse 4, this is 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 4, Knowing brethren,
beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men we were
among you for your sake. And you became followers of us
and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction,
but with joy of the Holy Spirit. Now here's another reference.
If you'll find 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. Believers
of the gospel hear the word of truth, receive it in love, and
willingly submit unto it. Now, this is verse 13 of chapter
2. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you receive the word of
God which you heard of us, You received it not as a word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God that effectually
worketh also in you that bow unto it, that believe it, receive
it. I'm thinking of the example of
Cornelius when Peter was sent to his house to preach the gospel,
how God had prepared his heart to receive the word of truth. It says in Acts 10, verse 33,
and this is the words of Cornelius to Peter. Peter, when Peter was
sent to preach to that Gentile, he said, we are all here before
God to hear the things that are commanded of God unto us. We're all here to hear what God
has to say. Isn't that why we are here? We're
all here to hear what God has to say unto us. As believers,
that's what we need and that's how we grow. That's how we grow
in grace and in the knowledge of But speaking the truth in
love, we may grow up into Him in all things, in all things. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
our head. He is our Lord. He is our Christ. And then verse 16, and I've used
most of my time here, but verse 16, from whom, and notice that
this is key, from whom? From whom? Now who? The Lord
Jesus Christ. From whom? The whole body, the
whole body of believers are fitly joined together. Notice, if you
will, just across the page in chapter 2, verse 21. Let's read
verse 20 as well. Ephesians 2, verse 20. Believers,
we'll have to go back to verse 19. Now therefore you are no
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, what is that? Jesus Christ Himself,
being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed
together groweth, groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in
whom you are also built together for a habitation of God through
the Spirit. Now back to verse 16, from whom
the whole body fitly joined together and compacted, knit together
by that which every joint supplieth according to the effects your
working in the measure of every part maketh increase. He talks
about this growth and increase almost in every verse here. Maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. From
whom? Christ. Believers receive all
strength, nourishment. He's our bread. He's the water
of life. Christ Himself is all our nourishment. He is the meat of the Word. He's
the meat of the Word. And this term here, compacted
together, implying a firm consolidation, there is a oneness of the body
of believers and a vital living union with the Lord Jesus Christ. This union can never be dissolved. We shall never be separated from
Him. Being one in Christ, every member and the whole body, and
is supplied according to His sovereign will, working in the
proper measure as He sees fit, as it says in verse 7 of this
chapter. Unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now I want to show you this.
I'm going to take time to do this. The Lord graciously supplies
His body. His body, His church. I want
you to find, first of all, Isaiah 26. These references are all
found in the book of Isaiah 26. The Lord graciously and abundantly
supplies His body with everything we need. Now, first of all, we
need strength because we're weak, we're sinful creatures. Well,
where do we find strength? From whom the whole body fitly
joined together. Isaiah 26, look at verse 4, "...trust
ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength." Notice the marginal reference, He's a rock of ages.
He's a rock of ages, so He is our strength. He is our strength. Now secondly, find Isaiah 32,
2. He is our shelter. Isaiah 32,
verse 2. Let's read verse 1, "...Behold,
a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment,
and a man shall be a hiding place from the wind." This is a God-man
mediator. "...A covert from the tempest,
as rivers of water in a dry place, as a shadow of a great rock in
a weary land." He is our hiding place. He's our shelter. He is our refuge. And thirdly,
we find the Lord, Isaiah 45. Turn over there. Isaiah 45. He abundantly supplies every
joint, every joint, every member. Isaiah 45, look at verse 20,
"...assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together, ye that are
escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that set
up wood of their graven image, And they pray unto a God that
cannot save. Tell ye, bring them near. Yea,
let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient
time? Who hath told it from that time?
Had not I the Lord? There is no God else beside me,
a just God and a Savior. There is none beside me. Look
unto me and be ye saved. Oh, the ends of the earth, I
am God and there is none else. He is our strength. He is our
shelter. He is our salvation. Find one
more, Isaiah 61. You see, everything I need is
abundantly supplied in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our salvation. Salvation is in a person. It's
knowing Him, being united to Him. by that living by living
union. This is Isaiah 61, 10. I will
greatly rejoice in the Lord. The Lord is our clothing. He
is our righteousness. I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He hath clothed
me. He hath clothed me with the garments
of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments.
as a bride adorneth herself with jewels. He is altogether lovely,
and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, as God says concerning
Him, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, believers
in Christ Jesus, God says the same thing of them, because they
are one with Him. From whom the whole body fitly
joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplyeth,
now according through the effectual working according to His effectual
power. We've seen that phrase several
times, and it just reinforces again and again the salvations
of the Lord, salvations of the Lord. From the get-go to the
end, from election to glorification, salvations all end.