we continue our summer series on some of these blessings that we have received in Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul says that we have received every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So we have been trying to unpack some of those blessings. I trust for the encouragement and refreshment of our hearts as we go through this series. And today we want to speak about the fact that we have union with Christ, that we have received from Him gifts. I think probably most of us here like to get gifts, I dare say. We like Christmas. We like it on our birthday when somebody remembers it. But we especially like it when someone gives us a gift for no reason at all. That's especially nice. And we enjoy to receive gifts. Because of our union with Christ, He has poured out upon His people gifts. He has given gifts for us. Now, these are not like some of the gifts that we receive. Some of the gifts that we receive are just kind of self-oriented, self-indulging. Oh, we might get a gift certificate to get a pedicure. I don't get those, but... And I don't know why you want somebody playing around with your toes, but some of you people like that. And then you might get a gift card to graders. I like those. Black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream. Self-indulgence, yes. But many of the gifts that we get, we just use them for ourself. But then there are gifts that we get that kind of have a more practical, functional dimension to them. And so a wife might get a mixer, and she's able to make batter for cookies or making things for her family. Or there are power tools. Love power tools. and with those power tools, able to fix things around the house, able to build things, able to help other people with maybe tasks. So they are kind of a functional kind of gift. As we think of the gifts that Christ has lavished upon us, they are gifts that are not gifts for us. They are gifts for service. They are gifts for ministering, and they have a functional purpose. And you know, as believers, as we grow in grace, we are learning, I trust, we are learning the joy of serving. I hope you're learning that. If you remember in John 15, where Jesus got down on his hands and knees and he washed his disciples' feet, and he said to them, you know, the disciples not greater than the master. And if I have done this unto you, then you need to do this to one another. You need to serve one another. And then he said this, if you know these things, blessed are you, blessed are you if you do them, you will be blessed. You will be blessed in doing this. And you know, there is a family secret among the people of God. There is a family secret and it is this, it is what our Savior said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Now that doesn't register with people out there in the world, but as we grow in grace, we're finding joy more and more in serving and helping others. And it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. And so as we think about our Christian life, one of the things that Christ has given to us as a result of our union with him, is he has given gifts to his people. First of all, this morning, the first point is that in union with Christ, we have graciously received spiritual gifts. There's a lot we could say on this subject, and we're just kind of skimming over this today. just to encourage us to know that we have been given gifts by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Ephesians is broken up, as most of Paul's epistle, with the first three chapters, they are dealing with doctrinal truths, with theology. These are things that God has done for us in His Son. And then Paul, in the latter half of the book of Ephesians, beginning at chapter four, verse one, begins to talk about, all right, what are the practical implications of those things? So we have the indicatives in chapters one, two, and three. Look what God has done for us in Christ. And then the latter half of the book is full of imperatives. What does this mean for us? And so as Christians, we want to be concerned about orthodoxy, don't we? Ortho means straight, Doctrine orthodoxy if you go to the orthodox orthodontist, what does he do? He straightens your teeth, right? Well orthodoxy is to have straight or correct doctrine but there is also ortho proxy and that is right or straight living living and God honoring ways and And these are joined together in the scripture. Paul says to Timothy, Timothy, keep watch over your own soul as well as your doctrine. And as believers, we need to be concerned about both, don't we? All right, what are these truths that we hold dear to us, that we love and we need to grow in our knowledge of them? We hold to truth, we contend earnestly as a church, we contend earnestly for this gospel that has been delivered unto us. But that's not all. There is the practice then. What does this mean practically in my life? When I get up in the morning, what does this mean for me? What does this mean for us as a church, as we live with one another? And so, as we come to chapter 4, Paul begins here now to flesh it out, what it means, these great truths of Ephesians 1, 2, and 3, this grace that we have come to know. We were dead in our sins and God made us alive and we belong to Him. He has lavished His love and His grace upon us. What does that mean? Well, verse 1, he says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, I beseech you now. Walk in a worthy way. All right, here's our first command. Walk in a worthy way of this gospel, this calling which you have received. God has called you unto himself to be his own. Now, walk in a way that is worthy of that. And then in these first several verses, he talks about the unity that ought to describe the people of God, that they're united around Christ, they're united around the gospel. And he says, verse two, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. As a body of believers, we want to strive for that. We want to work for that. We want to be unified, and we want to be humble servants. And then in verses seven and following, he begins to speak about the fact that there are gifts that God has given to his people. Christ has given to his people so that they might use these gifts for the cause of Christ and his church. So first of all, we see that Christ is the giver of these spiritual gifts. As we look at this context here, Paul's talking about gifts that Christ gives to his people. for the sake of serving his cause. And so this is the context. And we notice that Christ is the one who gives these gifts. Verse 7, to each of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. So Christ is the one that gives them and he gives them According to His grace, it's undeserved. It is, again, what God lavishes upon His people. Christ lavishes upon His people, and it is Christ who gives these gifts. Now, elsewhere, we are told the Spirit is the one who gives gifts, but it is Christ who has sent the Spirit. And so these gifts come to us by Christ through the Holy Spirit, and they flow from His grace. And then we read in verse eight, therefore, he says that when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to men. This is an interesting verse that is taken from Psalm 68. And it is there that David, the context is when David is bringing the Ark of the Covenant that has been held in a man's home, he's bringing it into the city of Jerusalem to place it there at Mount Zion. And here's this processional. It's a wonderful hymn that is speaking in a glorious terms of God as it were ascending into Jerusalem as the ark is coming and David is bringing it. There's singing and there's joy and there's this rejoicing in the ark now being placed right in the center of the capital there in Jerusalem. And it speaks about, as it were, God ascending to Mount Zion. And it pictures Him coming from Mount Sinai and bringing His people and bringing them into the land and bringing them here. And God, as it were, is ascending and sitting, as it were, upon His throne there in the midst of them in Jerusalem. But Paul picks up on this language and he applies it to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, Zion is a picture of a heavenly Zion. And it is Christ who Paul says has ascended above. And he is this triumphant conqueror that has ascended above. And he is gone after his death and burial and his resurrection. He has ascended up on high. And there is this glorious picture, as it were, of Christ and this procession of him going into heaven. This is our champion, the one who has humbled himself, the one who has defeated death and sin and the grave. He is now enthroned above, gloriously enthroned above. Thomas Kelly says look he Saints the sight is glorious See the man of sorrows now from the fight. He has returned victorious every knee to him shall bow Crown him crown him crowns become the victors brow heart those bursts of acclamation heart those loud cheers triumphant chords, Jesus takes the highest station. Oh, what joy the sight affords. Crown Him, crown Him, King of kings and the Lord of lords. And brothers and sisters, this is our Savior who bears our likeness, who is ascended above, the God-man who is ascended to the right hand of the Father, there to represent us. He is in the highest station. All authority and power has been given unto him. That's the one that you and I belong to today. Amen. What a wonderful picture is given to us of our ascended enthroned redeemer. Then he goes on to say, and when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to men. This phrase that he led captivity captive is understood in different ways, couple of ways that he has overcome and taken captive his enemies. He has conquered Satan, the great enemy of God's people. Enemy number one has already been defeated at the cross, all right? And he has overcome Satan and all of his hosts. And often when a A triumphant leader would return back home. He would bring behind him in chains the prisoners that he has conquered. And so we think of Christ, who is this great conqueror, who has overcome all of his enemies, and they are made subject to him. But there are also those that think that some of those that are in captivity, that were in captivity, he has now taken captive, referring to those who are believers. that we were those who were captives. Just like the Israelites in Egypt, they were in captivity and God delivered them out. And he has made them to be his captives, belong to him. And so it is with us as Christians that God has redeemed us. Christ has redeemed us and rescued us, but he has made us to be his captives, to be his people, to belong to him. And we sit in willing bonds beneath his feet. And so he is one who has taken captivity captive. But notice the last part of this verse, and he gave gifts to men. This one who has ascended above, he has given gifts to men. And we see that it is Christ who dispenses these gifts. Many believe that this is a picture and a thought of what happened at Pentecost. Jesus Christ told his disciples, I'm going to leave and I'm going to go back to my father. And, and he did, he ascended back to heaven, but the Holy spirit, he said, will come among you. This is my gift to you. The Holy spirit is going to come. And so that's one of the gifts that he gives to us. And if we're a believer, we have the Holy spirit who lives within us, but he has also given us gifts. He dispenses gifts. The second thing that we see that every believer has been graced with spiritual gifts. Notice verse seven, but to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gifts. Romans 12, four says that, or excuse me, first Peter 4.10 says that as each one of you has received a gift, use it in serving the body. Each one of us has received a gift. If you're a believer, you have been graced with gifts. And there are probably a number of gifts that God gives to his people. Like John MacArthur said, we're kind of like a snowflake. No two of us are the same. God has gifted us and made us. and to serve. We're all different and there are different gifts that God has given to us, but every believer has a gift. If you belong to Christ, he has done this for you. He has given gifts to you. But we also notice there's a diversity of gifts, don't we? So we pick up at verse 11 and he says here that he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. So in the early church, there were those who were apostles. Paul was one of the apostles that was specifically appointed by Christ to go and to be his representative. We don't have apostles today, but there are diversities of gifts that have been given There are a multitude of different gifts that he has given, and they differ. Romans 12.4 says that we are one body, but we have been given grace and gifts that differ. 1 Corinthians 12.4, the same thing. There are a diversity of gifts. 1 Peter 4, I think, kind of maybe puts it in two broad categories. Peter writes, and he says, as each one has received a gift, minister to one another. If anyone speaks, Let him speak as the oracles of God. And if anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies. There seems to be those that are speaking gifts, and there are those that are serving gifts. And those certainly go together. But there are those that God has gifted, as it mentions in verse 11, who are given responsibility of teaching and instructing and exhorting and those types of things. And there are other gifts that are related to serving in various ways. Some have gifts of administration. Some have gifts of giving above and beyond the normal. And they have the means to be able to help others in significant ways. They have a heart for that. They love that. There are those that have the gifts of mercy. They're just tenderhearted when there is a need. And that's a gift that has been given to them. They wanna help. They wanna be there. They wanna support others. Others have the gift of hospitality. Our dear sister Josie that died, Megan told me she just has a gift of hospitality. They always had people in their home, always had missionaries in their home, guests in their home. She loved to show hospitality. And some of you here are like that. You enjoy serving and have people in your home. There are the gift of helps. There are a number of different gifts. We're not going to go into those today. But there's a diversity of gifts that God gives to his people for the good of his people. And that's what we want to consider. Secondly, that in union with Christ, we have a glorious purpose for the use of our spiritual gifts, all right? We have been given gifts. What are they for? It's not for a pedicure, okay? It's not for going to graders and getting ice cream for myself. The gifts that God has given to you and to me are for the purpose of serving others, for the serving of the church of Jesus Christ. for the serving of the cause of Christ. So I want to consider, first of all, these gifts are for the advancement of Christ's church. It's for the advancement of the church. Notice Paul talks here about these gifts that are given. He begins then to talk about the gifts. He wants his church to be strong. He wants it to be well taught. And so there are those who have gifts to teach and to instruct. And it's for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry. And so one of the things that God is doing, Christ is doing, is he is building his church. The apostles were part of the foundation that God used and Christ being the chief cornerstone. That's the foundation of the church. And now it's expanding, it's growing. And so in Acts 1.8, when the spirit comes, Jesus says, you are to be my witnesses here in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the United Arab Emirates. Go into all the world with this gospel. see the gospel advance, be a part of that. And so many of these gifts are used for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, the building of his church. That's what Christ loves. And so gifts are to be used for the building up and the promotion of the church of Jesus Christ. That's what the disciples did. Wasn't it? You remember the apostles were told in Matthew 28, I want you to go and make disciples in all the world. How did they do that? When you read the book of Acts, you find out exactly how they did that. They preached the gospel and they gathered together people in local churches so that they might be built up in the faith. And so there's the love and the advancement of the church of Jesus Christ. So gifts are used in that way. And so we wanna shoulder the advancement, be a part of the advancement of the cause of Christ. And hopefully we are doing that as a church, as we pray for missionaries, as we have a part in helping to send missionaries, as we have a part in giving, We may not be able to go, but we can give, we can support, we can pray. We thank God for those God raises up to go and to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. But not just for the advancement of the church, but also, secondly, for the maturation of Christ's church, that it'll grow. that the local church, that the people, the believers that are there, that they may grow in grace together. So Paul talks here in verse 10 that as people are taught, as they're instructed, it's for this purpose, verse 12, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ. So it's equipping all of us to do work and labor in the service of Christ in the church and for the edifying and the building up of the church of Jesus Christ so that it will be what she is called to be. And so we notice that we have a part in this. Paul says, I don't want you to be like children that are tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine. I want you to be Orthodox. I want you to be well taught. But notice verse 15, but speaking the truth in love that you may grow up in all things into him, into Christ, who is the head and from whom, notice this, the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint, notice this, every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does it share. And what does that do? It causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. See, Christ loves his church and he gives gifts to his people so that this can be taking place, serving one another and that we are being edified, we're being built up, we're becoming more like Jesus Christ. Paul uses the analogy of the body and he uses that in 1 Corinthians 12 as well. And he says, you know what? All of the parts are important. That's true in your physical body, isn't it? You know, if your little finger is broken, it affects the whole body. And Paul says, every part is important. Those that we think are less important know they're just as important. Every part is important. And that's the way it is in the body of Christ. So that Paul says, if one member suffers, what? We all suffer. Our hearts go out to Keith, to his family today, to the Heaney family. When they're suffering, we feel that hurt. But it also says, if one is honored, one is blessed in some way, then what? Then we rejoice. Joseph's gotten a promotion. We're trying to rejoice with the Keene family. It's hard. Not for the fact that he got a promotion, but that promotion's taken them away. But we're rejoicing with them as well. Little tears in between too. But we suffer with those that suffer and we rejoice with those who rejoice. Paul says, or Peter says, as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another. Minister it to one another. as a good steward of the manifold grace of God. I want to ask you today, are you being a good steward of the gifts that God has given to you? If you're a believer, if you're in Christ, are you being a good steward in serving one another in the body of Christ? seeking to use what gifts God has given to you for the building up and the edifying, the maturation of the body of Christ to become more and more like Him. Christ has given His gifts for this purpose, to serve one another, seeking the good of the body. Sadly, often we hear of and we see there's often warring and fighting and self-serving in churches. Not a lot of foot washers. A lot of people like some of the disciples at times where they're concerned about who's going to sit on the right hand, who's going to sit on the left hand. Not a lot of people washing feet in some churches. I'm thankful. I'm very thankful for a body that serves one another. And you know what it is to wash dirty feet. You know what it is to come alongside and to help, to encourage, to strengthen others. I think we can do more. May that increase among us. But this is Christ's will for His church. This is the reason He has given these gifts to His people for this purpose. May it increase among us. And then lastly, I want us just to consider that these gifts that he has given to us are a means of our being enabled to express appreciation for Christ and his church. As he has gifted us, he has given us the means by which we can thank him and serve him and express how much he means to us by the use of these gifts, for his glory and for his honor. You know, it's a wonderful thing. We know that love begets love, doesn't it? And that's true with the gospel. Here in his love, not that we have loved God, but that he has loved us. And we love him because he has first loved us. We have come to know of this amazing love and grace of God to us in Jesus Christ. Amazingly, we talked of what Christ has done for us in the earlier parts of Ephesians. We were dead in sins and He made us alive. He united us to His Son. He's graced us. He's not dealt with me according to my sins and what I deserve. I deserve to be in hell yesterday. But He's been gracious and merciful. And here's a means by which we can express our great appreciation to Him what He has done for us. These gifts that He has given to me, I can use them to bring glory and honor to Christ and to serve His church. Because what does Jesus Christ love? He loves His church, that's right. Ephesians 5. He husbands, you love your wives even as Christ loved the church and he gave himself for her. So if I love Christ, I'm also gonna love what? I'm gonna love his church. I'm gonna love his people with all their words, with all the problems. I'm gonna love what Christ loved because he has loved me. And so we can show our love to Christ by loving what he loves, what is dear to him. And that is his church. Through the years, often I talk to people and I'm not talking about people here, but talk to people. And I even saw this in seminary where, well, they say they love Christ, but you know, there's really no connection to Christ's church. no love for Christ's people to be there to serve, to really love the people of God through thick and thin. And if we love Christ, we are going to love his church. So here's a means by which we can show our love to Christ. You remember in Matthew, or excuse me, John 21, Peter, not once, not twice, but three times he what? He denied the Lord Jesus Christ. But after the crucifixion, the resurrection, Jesus comes to Peter, and three times, he gives him the opportunity to voice his love for Christ. Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know that I love you. Well, Peter, if you love me, what does he tell Peter to do? If you love me, what? Feed my sheep. Peter, do you wanna know how your love toward me can be demonstrated? It's by loving my sheep. I love them and I gave myself for them. And so Peter, this is what you're to be about. And these gifts that we have received, they're so one of the things I think, and I've just this week come to appreciate this more. This is one of the means God has given me. Christ has given me and gifted me so that I can express love and appreciation for all that he has done for me. You remember the passage in Matthew 25 where Jesus is in the last day when he's going to separate the sheep and the goat. We have a debate here at Bible Chapel, which is the right hand, the left hand, which is the sheep and the goat. But hopefully you're all sheep, depending on which side you sit on. But you remember when he separates the sheep and he says, on the day of judgment, you'll know my sheep. And he'll say to them, come you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom that is prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And he says, I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you came and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. And he said, in that day, the righteous are gonna say, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry? We never saw you thirsty. We never saw you sick. And what does he say? As much as you have done it unto these, the least of mine, you've done it unto me. Do you wanna show love to Christ? Love his people, serve his people. As you do it unto them, you do it unto Christ. So back up in verse two, with all loathiness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace, and then using our gifts for the building up and the edifying of the people of God. And you know, this is one of the glorious things in our redemption, that our life and our story is caught up in this grand story of the Bible. You and I are involved as we use our gifts. As we want to see the expansion of the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom or the building of the church to the ends of the earth, we are caught up in something that is eternal. This is what God is doing in redemptive history. And my little story gets caught up into this big story of what God is doing. And he's given gifts to us so that we have something that we are involved of in that is of eternal significance. I think that's an amazing thing, isn't it? And he's given us that privilege to be a part of this work that he is doing, this redemptive story. And he's gifted us to that end for the body to grow in grace and knowledge together. So Jesus is our great shepherd. As we learned last week, he is the one who has called us to be his friends. And he is the one who has given gifts to us so that we might serve him and that we might serve his people and that we might promote his cause. And all of this means for us to show our love, and appreciation for all that he has done for us. May God help us to that end, here at Bible Chapel, that we will use those things that he in grace has given to us, endowed us with, so that in whatever way, and sometimes you might think it's not very big, but it doesn't matter. Every member is important. Praying for one another is vitally important. Serving doing those things that may seem small and insignificant to some as it is done unto Christ. It is done for his glory and honor. It is significant. So may God help us that we may increase. Maybe we'd be refreshed. I hope today to know that our great savior who loved us and gave himself for us, gave us gifts to use those gifts so that we can bring glory and honor to him. We're going to close by singing