Ephesians 4:1-161I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:1‑16) “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (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 all things.) And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
There is a tremendous contrast between law and grace. The law, as we know, was given out at Mount Sinai. The mountain was on fire as God made known His demands to His earthly people. Moses said, “I exceedingly fear and quake.” (Heb. 12:2121And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) (Hebrews 12:21)) The law didn’t give them a new life. It didn’t give them, shall I say, a motivation for their walk. It just addressed man as a responsible creature and as to what he could do. We know everything broke down “Because the law worketh wrath.” (Rom. 4:1515Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. (Romans 4:15)) “If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.” (Gal. 3:2121Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Galatians 3:21)) But there was no possibility for the natural man to fulfill the demands and claims of the law. How different it is, brethren, in Christianity. God begins with Himself, with His own heart of love. The work of redemption is completed. God has given us a new life. He has given us a new power. Every exhortation in Christianity is founded on what God has done for us. We are exhorted because of what He has done and we have a true motivation, a power in our Christian life if we are really looking to the Lord. In this beautiful epistle to the Ephesians, it doesn’t begin with exhortations. It begins by carrying us right back into eternity and telling us about those counsels that were in the heart of God long before man was created and placed upon this earth. God purposed to have a people around Himself and to bless them with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. Sin came in, but sin would not hinder the fulfillment of the purposes in the heart of God. “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)) The first chapter brings before us the riches of His grace; that is the depth from which He picked us up, and the glory of His grace; the place to which He has brought us. All this is brought out so we might see that it’s all those counsels and purposes of God carried out through the work of redemption or because of the work of redemption which the Lord Jesus wrought. Then, in the 2nd chapter we see the kind of material God picked up, sinners dead in trespasses and sins like we were. The whole thing is of God, not only the work of redemption, brethren, but the very faith to believe. Everything comes from His heart. Everything originated in Him. Then, He makes known in the 3rd chapter those counsels and purposes to us that He had. He shows us that there should be one body of which Christ is the Head. Then, in the end of the third chapter He sets before us that love that is toward us, the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. How wonderful, how unchanging that love that is toward us. All this comes before exhortations. The exhortations don’t begin until this 4th chapter. But, I say again, God is telling us of those purposes of redemption, of what we were as dead in trespasses and sins, of all His counsels now made known to us by the Spirit; then, too, love as that which motivates our whole conduct as Christians. How precious this is, I say again, before any exhortations as to our own responsibility. So different from the law where man said “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:88And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. (Exodus 19:8)), but found himself unable to fulfill it. But God has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.
It has been stated that in Ephesians it’s what the Church is to Christ and in Colossians it’s what Christ is to the Church. We see here in these chapters what He has done for us, the provision that has been made so that we might go on happily in the enjoyment of what He has imparted to us. This would affect every part of our lives. It would affect the relationship between husband and wife. It would affect the relationship of fathers with their children and children with their parents. It would affect the servants. It’s telling us what the Church is to Christ and the full and blessed provision He has made. Whereas in Colossians, it’s what Christ is to the Church. I’ve sometimes thought of it this way. It’s as if, in Ephesians, the husband is saying what his wife means to him and in Colossians the wife is saying what her husband means to her. In Ephesians, it’s the abundant provision that has been made. The enemy does his very best to keep us from enjoying the provision that has been made. He doesn’t want us to enjoy those eternal counsels. He doesn’t want us to enjoy that love. He doesn’t want us to enjoy the place that we have been brought into as members of the body of Christ. But, God, by His Spirit, would seek to lead our souls into the enjoyment of these things.
Our chapter begins by telling us that Paul was a prisoner. This is the true character of Christianity. That is, it isn’t something that is popular in the world. The one whom God used to bring all these things before us was at that time a prisoner under the powerful Roman government. But he doesn’t call himself that. He says, “The prisoner of the Lord.” Isn’t that lovely? Every one of us can ask our own hearts, “Are you and I in a very difficult and trying situation?” Have we said to ourselves, “It isn’t that brother, it isn’t that sister, it isn’t a set of circumstances that put me in this, it’s the Lord.” It’s the Lord. He was the prisoner of the Lord. There’s peace in our souls, brethren, when we can take it in that way. It’s the happy way, it’s the blessed way to receive things. Even at times when we might be in the circumstances through our own fault and failure, yet the Lord can turn even those things into blessing in spite of everything. We know that God is able to undertake. Even when we fail He can turn the circumstances where our failure has placed us, into blessing when we receive them from Him. So Paul calls himself “the prisoner of the Lord.” Perfect submission to the Lordship of Christ, to His will in his life. You and I will never have either the power or the desire in a practical way in our lives unless there is, first of all, that submission, brethren. I’m not saying that I am always that way but I believe it’s the secret of blessing. Did you ever notice in 1St Peter 5 that verse that says, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you,” is preceded by the verse, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”(1 Peter 5:6, 76Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:6‑7)) Moreover, it’s all one sentence. That is, the whole sentence begins with, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.” In a practical way, let us put it something like this. You find yourself in a very difficult situation. You want to leave the situation with the Lord and cast your care upon Him, but you say, “I can’t seem to do it. It just seems impossible. I get on my knees and pray but I seem to carry the difficulty away with me.” Sometimes I’ve had to say to myself something like this. If the Lord came to me and said, “Gordon, you don’t like the circumstances that I’ve put you in. I could change them and make them just the way you’d like them.” Would I look up and say, “Lord, please do. I want them to be the way I would like them.” Or would I say, “Lord, please give me grace to accept them from Thee.” You’ll find when you do that, the Lord will remove the care. The care, brethren, is because our wills are at work. Our wills are at work. It’s when we learn that submission, then we can cast our care upon Him. Why? Because He cares about you. He cares about you. Maybe some friend doesn’t care about you, maybe your employer doesn’t care about you, but the Lord does. He cares about everything that concerns you. He’ll perfect what He has planned and purposed concerning you. In this world we just have to leave it to His perfect wisdom and love. Here was Paul, a prisoner, and he takes that position.
He says, “I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” What is our position in this world? We’re not part of it. We’re called out. We are citizens of heaven. We’re blessed with not all earthly things, but all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. How do we walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called? The little hymn puts it nicely, “Called from above and heavenly men by birth, who once were but the citizens of earth.” (Little Flock #212) Once we understand our place and position, then we understand what our responsibilities are. But we must first understand that we really don’t belong here. We are just passing through. We’re strangers and pilgrims. Walking worthy of the vocation really means that in everything in our lives we are never to forget that we belong to the Lord Jesus at such a price. We are members of His body and we have the blessed hope before us that we are going to be with Him and like Him. Then it says immediately, “With all lowliness and meekness.” Because he is about to exhort us about, perhaps should I say, the first thing connected with walking worthy of our vocation. Later on, we have a great many exhortations about not getting into the things of this world and into its evil ways, exhortations about husbands and wives. But, first of all, he brings before us what we should always remember, and that is, that we’re members of the body of Christ, members one of another. When he brings before us walking worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, he is saying that every believer is a member of the body of Christ. Do you think that if every member of the body of Christ was in perfect submission to the will of God that there would be all the divisions and strife that there are in Christendom? Is that not the will of man at work? We see a little picture of it at the very beginning when the disciples were together it says, they “were of one heart and of one soul.” (Acts 4:3232And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. (Acts 4:32)) There was a great testimony in Jerusalem. All believers were in fellowship with one another and with the Lord. They were united in their gospel testimony. It was a testimony to the truth of what God had done; for by the Spirit they were all baptized into one body. But it takes a great deal of grace to go on together, brethren. Often, when you speak to Christians in the world, they say they’re with a certain group because they like the preacher or they like the people that go to that particular association and that’s why they’re there. But if you ask any person who is truly gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus “Why are you there?” I don’t think most of us would say, “I’m there because it’s a nice group. I’m there because they have a lot of fellowship.” No, I think that if we are really enjoying our position we will say, “I believe that is where the Lord would have me to be according to His word and I’m there because the others are members of the one body and we meet as members of the one body.”
I believe that we need to have this settled in our minds, brethren. We’ll never be content and happy in the position where we are unless we are there because the Lord has gathered us around Himself as members of His body. But I say again, it’s going to take lowliness and meekness. We are going to have to learn to bear with one another. I’ve thought a lot about those disciples whom the Lord Jesus chose. There was a great variety of dispositions among those disciples. If you or I had been choosing them, we probably would have chosen ones that were much more compatible than those twelve disciples. As I look at them, I think of their different characteristics. I think of Peter as being an impetuous person, constantly speaking out of turn. Then, I think of James who was perhaps a legal person, John who was perhaps a loving person, Thomas who seemed to be full of doubts. Then, we even have Simon Zelotes. That word Zelotes means that he was a zealot. I understand these zealots once led an insurrection against the Roman government. The Lord saved him but he was still a zealot. We find that. Some of our brethren, perhaps ourselves, were zealots. We really try to press our point. We need to learn brethren, forbearance with one another, lowliness, meekness, long suffering. What is lowliness? It’s taking the low place. What is meekness? It’s not resenting it when we’re put in the low place. It’s strange, brethren, that we often, at least pretend to take a low place, but resent it tremendously when our brethren put us in a low place. We tell people that we’re just poor, weak, failing things, but we are very resentful when our brethren talk that way about us. We’re pretending to be lowly but we’re really not meek. But we need lowliness and meekness. Let’s not resent it when we are put in the low place. Just think of our blessed, precious Saviour when they said of Him, “Say we not well thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” (John 8:4848Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? (John 8:48)) Did you notice the Lord Jesus did not reply to both those things, just one. “Say we not well thou art a Samaritan,” that was a personal insult. The Lord didn’t reply to that at all. But when they said, “Thou hast a devil,” that concerned the glory of His father, He replied to that. It’s fine for us to stand for the glory of God, but we can let a lot of personal insults just pass over our heads. God has allowed them. When Shimei cursed David, David said, “Let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.” (2 Sam. 16:1111And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him. (2 Samuel 16:11)) Sometimes we have to say, “Well, the Lord has allowed it. He saw some need in me.” We just accept it as from the Lord. This is the beginning of going on together; lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another. But it doesn’t stop there. It says, “Forbearing one another in love.” Forbearing one another in love. I’ve sometimes wondered if that’s why it says that the overseer in the assembly was to have children. I think that God teaches us in dealing with our own children how we should deal with other people’s children. If we are going to be patient with our own children, then we ought to be just as patient with other people’s children. I think the Lord fits us in our home life for these responsibilities and He intends us to profit by those things we go through.
Now another exhortation, “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It has often been remarked that we are never told to keep the unity of the body because God has formed that unity and God will preserve that unity. As it says in 1 Corinthians 12:1313For by one Spirit are we 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. (1 Corinthians 12:13), “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free.” We had nothing to do with forming the one body of Christ and we have nothing to do, brethren, with maintaining the members of the one body of Christ in their place in the one body. That is a sovereign work of God. We are not told to keep the unity of the body. Every true Christian in this whole world is a member of the one body. We didn’t introduce them into the body of Christ and it is not our part to keep them there. But, we are told to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. The unity of the Spirit is that we seek to go on in that spirit of love and obedience to the word of God and we seek to walk together in the path that God has marked out in His word with this forbearance and love and long suffering. We seek to go on in that path. I’ll just quote a little saying my father used to have. He said, “Never introduce anything into the assembly that disturbs its peace, unless it is necessary for God’s glory.” I believe that is an important thing for us to remember; that the assembly is to be a place of peace. The first thing the Lord did when He appeared in the midst of His own was to say, “Peace be unto you.” (John 20:1919Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19)) He wanted those disciples to enjoy the peace that He had made. He wanted them to go on. When there was trouble in the assembly at Corinth, Paul could say, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Cor. 14:3333For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)) “Blessed are the peacemakers.”(Matt. 5:99Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)) Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be faithful. We have to stand for truth and holiness. But, sometimes we introduce things to upset our brethren quite unnecessarily and I believe it’s very important for us to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Yea, part of the armor in this epistle is that our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. So we see here the responsibility that we have endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, seeking to go on walking in the Truth, seeking the good and blessing of our brethren, bearing with them in love, and endeavoring, as far as it is possible to walk together in peace.
Then, we have the clear statements here in this 4th verse, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” Here, we see a stated fact. There is one body. Not there should be, there is. I say again, every true believer indwelt by the Spirit of God is a member of the one body. That’s a fact. It will always be so as long as the Church is here. There is one body. The body is looked at as being on earth we know, and the head in Heaven. There is one body and one Spirit. I think this little expression is important too, “And one Spirit.” The Spirit of God always gathers on that ground and gathers to a Person. That is perhaps why it says, “One hope of your calling.” If I asked you, “What is your hope?” Perhaps you would reply, and I believe rightly, “When the Lord comes, all His own will be gathered to Him.” It says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2 Thessalonians 2:1), “Now we beseech you, brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him.” That is, when Paul thought of the Lord’s coming he thought of the gathering together of the saints. Did you ever stop to think, amid all the weakness that you see in Christendom today, that if the Lord Jesus gave the shout right now, every Christian would be gathered to Him? That’s our hope, brethren. What is the Spirit of God doing now? He’s gathering to a rejected Christ. In that time, we will be gathered to a glorified Christ. There were a few people that were gathered around David in the time of his rejection and he valued the fact that they wanted to be with him even though it wasn’t an easy path. But he and all of his followers were looking forward to a time when all Israel would acknowledge him as rightful king. The time came when they came in vast numbers and they all gathered around David and crowned him king. Brethren, I believe you and I ought to value the privilege of being gathered to Him now in His rejection. When that day of glory comes, then all His own will be gathered around Him. So it tells us here, “There is one body and one Spirit.” To me, it makes it very simple that the Spirit of God cannot be gathering to anything but one Person. He won’t be gathering to systems of men. He won’t be gathering to human organizations. He’ll be gathering to a Person and that Person is the Lord Jesus, the same One we will be gathered around up there in the glory. We have the privilege of being gathered around Him now in the scene of His rejection. It’s a rather interesting fact that the only time the Lord’s table is spoken of is in 1 Corinthians 10 in the New Testament. That is the only time it’s spoken of and it’s in connection with being gathered as members of the body of Christ. I think that’s important because, what is the Lord’s table? It’s the expression of that truth. In 1 Corinthians 10 the loaf is the symbol of the one body of Christ. I believe these are statements of fact; one body, one Spirit, one hope of your calling. We need to lay hold of this so that we see that this truth of the one body, the one Spirit, and the one hope of our calling are what we enjoy in our souls. Even if there are only a few that are gathered, still we can gather on that ground as members of the body of Christ.
I believe in the 5th verse we have profession. “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” That is, it’s what we might call the circle of Christian profession. One is introduced into the circle of Christian profession by baptism. I believe that is the meaning of the verse that says, “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:2727For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27)) When one is baptized, he enters the sphere of Christian profession on earth and he becomes responsible as bearing the name of Christ. You say, “Why are those things introduced here?” I just mention this because I think it helps to see the line of truth the Spirit of God is bringing before us. It is the testimony that God has given as to the fruit of the work of Christ. Where is the testimony rendered? It is rendered to all those who are true children of God. It’s rendered in the world to profession. It’s rendered also to the whole world in the form of the gospel. So you have the three circles here. You have the circle of reality, you have the circle of profession, and then you have the whole world. There is a testimony that is rendered in this whole world to what Christ has done. Here we have the circle of Christian profession in the 5th verse. And then in the 6th verse, “One God and father of all who is above all,” (then he returns to the inner circle) “And through all, and in you all.” That is, God is the source of life to all mankind. God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:77And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)) It tells us when Paul preached on Mars hill he said, “For we are also His offspring.”(Acts 17:2828For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. (Acts 17:28)) Man is looked upon as being responsible to God. The testimony is rendered to that part of creation that stands in a position of responsibility to God. Animals don’t. God “breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” He’s talking about what God has done as a result of the work of Christ to render a testimony in this whole world as to the truth of what Christ has done, the place of blessing into which we can be brought. I believe in what follows here we have this brought before us. But, again, we have the circle of reality; one body, one Spirit, one hope of your calling. Everyone in this room who is truly saved, indwelt by the Spirit of God is a member of the one body, has one blessed hope that when the Lord Jesus comes we will all be there gathered around Him. Then we render a testimony to what we call professing Christendom, those who have entered that place of profession by baptism. But baptism is only an outward thing. Baptism doesn’t save the soul. It just brings a person into the sphere of Christian profession. Profession is not enough, baptism is not enough, there must be reality. Then, we render a testimony to the whole world. Thank God for those who go out to heathen lands and proclaim Christ. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:1515And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)) How glorious and how full is the work of Christ! The One who has overcome death wants the announcement of the blessing that flows as the result of that work to go out to this whole world. In the end of the 6th verse when it says, “And in you all,” he’s talking again of what is real. The only person who can, in an intelligent and known relationship, call God, “Father”, is the believer. “Because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba Father.’” (Gal. 4:66And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)) How blessed to enter into and enjoy that relationship. We have the whole Godhead for us. We have the Father in His eternal purposes. We have the relationship we have been brought into, able to call God our Father. We have the Spirit uniting us to Christ and to every other believer and shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts. Then we have that blessed and glorious person, the Lord Jesus, our Saviour. What a place we have been brought into! Now we each have a function in connection with this. I believe the Apostle is bringing before us the responsibility in that way. First of all, that if there is one body, there is a scriptural way that we can gather and give expression to that truth. If we are gathered, brethren, let’s never forget this truth. We are members one of another. We have a responsibility to one another to seek to go on endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Then, there is the place that each one occupies in the body of Christ. The 7th verse, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” As we know in our physical body there are hands, there are feet, there are ears, there are eyes. There are all of those different members of the body. My hand is made to function as a hand. It has a certain work to do, different from my foot. God has given each of us a place in the body of Christ and He gives grace to fulfill that place. Perhaps you or I might say, “But He’s put me in a difficult spot.” Brethren, I can say this, if He’s put you in a difficult spot, He’ll give you grace for that spot in which He put you. Some of us have never faced what our brethren in other parts of the world are facing. We might say, “I don’t know how I could face the situations that some of our brethren are facing,” perhaps in Peru or perhaps in communist lands. But, I want to tell you this, if God puts you there, He’ll give you the grace for it. Some of the Christians in those other lands are far brighter testimonies for Christ than those of us who have all the favors in this land. To me, this is a great comfort. If God has put you alone in some place, if the gathering where you are is small, if you have a great deal of difficulty and hardships as you seek to serve the Lord, remember if God has put you there, He’ll give you the grace for the position in which He’s put you. Just as God, when He formed my physical body, gave what was necessary to this hand to perform the functions that He intended this hand to perform. He’ll give you grace. I think this is very precious for us. Let’s never say, “I wish I was in somebody else’s place.” Look to the Lord for the grace to fill the position He put you in. If you are in an assembly where things seem kind of difficult, remember He put you there and He’ll give you the grace to be a help. As dear Mr. Darby said, “Christianity is known by what it brings, not by what it finds.” That’s always been a blessing to me because we get too occupied with what we find. I’ve heard brethren say, “Oh, our assembly is in such a bad state.” But Christianity is known by what it brings. What do you and I bring? When we come, do we bring the Spirit of Christ, the love of Christ seeking to help and build up our brethren or are we depressed by what we find? Well, God gives grace to each member to fulfill the God-given place according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Then he quotes from the Old Testament. This is from the book of Judges at the time when there was a great battle and Sisera was overcome in the battle and the victory was announced. (Judg. 4:55And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. (Judges 4:5)) It’s also taken up in Psalms 110 to refer to what the Lord Jesus has done. As we know, Sisera was oppressing the people of God and God raised up Barak and Deborah. Barak went out and won a great victory and they came back singing, announcing the victory that had been won. Sisera was dead. His mighty army had been overcome. The Spirit of God uses this here and applies it again to the Lord Jesus. What victory did He win? I believe Sisera is a picture of Satan and the Lord Jesus has overcome all the power of Satan. It says in Hebrews 2:1414Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14), “That through death He might destroy (or annul) him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” I believe that is what Paul means when he says in 2 Corinthians 2:1414Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14), “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place.” That is, Paul visited heathen cities and there was often a lot of opposition. But he compared his visit there to a march of triumph in that city. That has always been a help to me, brethren, when I read that. In Rome, long ago, when there was a victory that was won there was a march of triumph through the streets of Rome. The spoils of the victory were seen before all the people. So Paul says, “When I visit Ephesus, or Colosse, or Corinth, we are leading a march of triumph to tell them about this victory that has been won.” Just as those singers came back when Sisera was overcome and sang and announced the victory that had been won; we have an announcement to make to this world. Most people don’t know that there is One who has come into this world who has overcome all the power of Satan and has provided freedom and blessing to every one who will receive the Lord Jesus and will receive what He has done for them. Isn’t it lovely that Christ is up on high, but He gives us the privilege of announcing the victory. That is what it means here. He led captivity captive and He went up on high and all power has been given to Him. He said to the disciples before He went up, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:1818And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)) He said, “Go ye,” and He sent them out. The Lord Jesus is up there. Who’s going to tell this world about the victory that was won? Isn’t this a blessed thought, God has given each one of us a little part in announcing the victory of Calvary. He has led captivity captive. Satan is defeated. Those who were his captives are now set free and the One who won the victory is up there and He fills all things. It says He is “Head over all things to the Church, which is His body.” (Eph. 1:22, 2322And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:22‑23)) Peter says, “Who has gone into heaven...angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.” (1 Peter 3:2222Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. (1 Peter 3:22)) Brethren, we have a glorious announcement to this world. Sinners don’t have the victory.
They are in bondage under Satan, but we carry this announcement of a victory that has been won. We are not asking them to do something. We are just, as it were, singing to them about a victory that has been won. It has been won so perfectly, so completely, and totally that all those who believe that, share in the victory. He fills all things.
It says in the 11m verse, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, pastors and teachers.” In the Darby translation there is not a comma after the word ‘some’ so I’m going to read it the other way. “And He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers.” We might say that the apostles and prophets were the ones who laid the foundation. We learn that in the second chapter It says, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.” (Eph. 2:2020And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Ephesians 2:20)) Paul speaks of it too in 1 Corinthians 3:1010According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (1 Corinthians 3:10). There he says, “As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.” You find in the end of Romans that the truth of what Christ has done is made known by the commandment of God through the prophets: that is through the New Testament prophets. So brethren, the foundation of Christianity has all been laid and put down in this book for us. We will never learn any new doctrine beyond what is in this book. “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”(1 Cor. 3:1111For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11)) The apostles and the prophets laid the foundation.
Those systems that try to add something to this blessed book destroy the foundation. It has been laid. The apostles and prophets laid the foundation but there is the superstructure that is going on. The superstructure is carried on by the evangelists and pastors and teachers. That is, God has given those who are evangelists. We read about Philip the evangelist. I am not suggesting that anybody would officially take the place of being an evangelist. I believe that we have a promise from God that those gifts that are raised up of God to tell about what Christ has done, will remain with us until the Lord comes. It says in verse 13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith; and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” The evangelist goes out and announces the glad tidings of the work of Christ upon the cross, the blood that cleanses from all sin, the setting free from the power of sin. He announces this in the gospel. Then God has also raised up those who have a godly care for the saints; the pastors. Also, He has raised up those whom He uses to teach us so we would be established in the present truth. Suppose those singers came back after Sisera had been overcome and they didn’t know whether Sisera was dead. They wouldn’t have a very full message would they? But, if they could, and did announce that Sisera, the enemy, was dead, that God’s people were free, what a grand thing this was for the people miles from the battlefront to hear about the full victory that had been won. Brethren, there are thousands of real believers who don’t know the security of the believer. They don’t know the truth of the Church. They don’t know deliverance from law. They don’t know the wonderful things that God has given in His word. But God has raised up those to announce the glad tidings and all ministry ought to be announcing the glad tidings of what Christ has done. I say again, all exhortations are founded from what we possess. So much of Christendom is “You do this and you get that.” In other words, it’s by their own efforts that they get this. They get into a high spiritual plane or a victorious life or something. They think they can be eternally sure if they keep on living the way they should. But brethren, isn’t it lovely. God starts by telling us, “Now you just sit down and I’m going to tell you what I’ve done. I’ve taken care of the whole case for you; the question of your sins, the question of the nature that produced them, the law, your position in Christ. All this has been taken care of and you just sit down and listen to this.” Then knowing that, we go out in perfect liberty to announce the glad tidings. We have the evangelist telling the gospel. Then, we have the pastors, and as Mr. Darby said, “There is a lack of that pastoral care.” I’m afraid, brethren, we don’t have sufficient love and interest for one another. Mr. Darby’s prayer was that the Lord would raise up pastors, those who care for the saints of God. You remember what the Lord Jesus said to Peter, “Shepherd My sheep.”(John 21:1616He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:16) JND) “Shepherd My sheep”. Brethren, I feel we don’t have enough interest in one another. How many lonely souls there are among the Lord’s people and they just feel that their brethren aren’t concerned about them. But the Lord cares and He wants us to have that care. Perhaps we could just turn for a minute to Acts 11 and see a little example of the three things brought before us, the evangelist and the pastor and the teacher. Acts 11:1919Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. (Acts 11:19), “Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spoke unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Here you see the three. They preached the Lord Jesus and a great number believed. Then Barnabas came down. Perhaps, he was not primarily a teacher but he was a good man. That word “good man” is not the thought of our standing in Christ, but it’s a practical thing. The Bible says, “Peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.”(Rom. 5:77For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. (Romans 5:7)) The thought of “a good man” is a kindly, thoughtful person like it says about the Lord Jesus, “He went about doing good.”(Acts 10:3838How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)) This man was one that if you were just saved, you would say, “Oh, that man cares. He’s interested. He is such an encouragement to me.” “Well, did you learn a great deal?” “No, but he really encouraged me.” I can look back in my life and think of people that I am not sure taught me a great deal but I can remember to this day, little words of encouragement that they spoke. So, that’s the pastoral care. Barnabas knew that they needed teaching too, so Barnabas got Saul who was as the Bible says a “teacher of the Gentiles in truth and verity.” (1 Tim. 2:77Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. (1 Timothy 2:7)) He came down and the two of them worked together and they taught much people. There was the evangelist and the pastor and the teacher. God has provided these in the Church for the good of His people. These people, as we see, are not just enablements, they are gifts that God has given to the Church. They are people whom God has raised up and fitted “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” What is the object of all ministry? It’s to draw the saints together to Christ and to produce Christ-likeness in them.
Ministry ought to have that character, brethren, for the perfecting of the saints. When it says perfecting, the thought there is full growth. As someone has said, “God doesn’t want us to remain babes in Christ all our lives.” Paul felt grieved that the saints in Corinth, though they were really saved, were still babes. He said, “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”(1 Cor. 3:22I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:2)) They remained babes. We love to have a baby born into our family, but we don’t want them to remain babies forever. We like to see them grow. We like to see them develop. God likes to see His children grow too. There is the thought of full growth here for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. I believe, brethren, if I might speak plainly, that whatever part we take in the meeting that we ought to remember the need of edifying the saints. It’s not just stating facts. We can state a lot of facts that don’t really edify. I’ve sometimes said to the young people up at Otter Lake, suppose we sat down to the meal table and before we started to eat we said, “Now listen for a few moments while we tell you how many slices of bread are on the table, how many ounces of butter and how many minutes it took to prepare this meal.” Then we would talk about how many pounds of meat there are, and how many potatoes there are, and who did all the peeling. I think I can hear them all saying, “Oh, please, please let’s eat.” Brethren, somebody needed to know those things. But I believe when we come together, it’s important that we feed the flock of God. I’m impressed with that as I read in the Old Testament, “That there may be meat in mine house.”(Mal. 3:1010Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)) Then the Lord saying to Peter, “Feed My sheep”(John 21:1616He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:16)) and Peter again saying, “Feed the flock of God.”(1 Peter 5:22Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (1 Peter 5:2)) Then Paul saying to the elders at Ephesus to feed the flock.(Acts 20:2828Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)) We all know when we have company to our house, we like to feed them with some good food. We don’t just have them to the house and do a lot of talking and give them a lot of information with no food. I believe it is important, when we come together, that each one that takes part be exercised. Feed the flock of God. What is the desire? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith,” (not schools of opinion) “and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Isn’t it nice to go away from the meeting feeling, “I think I know the Lord better than I did before.” When you meet somebody who is a very nice person, you perhaps say, “Oh, I would like to know that person better.” Well, brethren, there’s One that is altogether lovely and the more you get to know about Him, the more you come to love Him. Ministry ought to lead to a better acquaintance with the Lord Jesus. That’s why it says here, “And of the knowledge, of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Then, we recognize, that the enemy is busy, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things which is the head, even Christ.” You remember when the Lord Jesus spoke in the 16th chapter of John about the Spirit of God coming, he said, “He shall guide you into all truth...He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.”(John 16:13,1413Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:13‑14)) One has often made the little comment, “You can make a simple test of any doctrine that is presented by asking one question, ‘Does this line of teaching exalt Christ or does it exalt man?’” You will find that false teaching always points you to yourself. That which is from the Spirit of God occupies you with Christ. I don’t mean that we don’t have to judge self, but I mean not to occupy us with ourselves or our own attainments or anything like that. It points us to and occupies us with Christ. Let’s speak of this teaching that you can be saved and lost. What is at the basis of that? Something in yourself, isn’t it? The Lord saved you, but you have to do things to keep saved. Doesn’t that point you to yourself? What about the teaching that a person can’t have their soul saved and be fit for heaven unless they are baptized? What I am really saying is this; that the work of Christ is not enough. There had to be some man do something to you or you couldn’t be in heaven. You see, at the bottom of all these false teachings is something that points you to yourself. Take those who teach that the Church has to go through the tribulation. What are they doing but keeping you from the present hope of looking for the Lord Jesus at any moment? They are occupying you with world events instead of saying, “He might come at any moment.” Brethren, I say again, the truth of God points you to Christ. “In the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,” and again, “Speaking the truth,” or the margin says, “holding the truth in love.” I think if we are holding it in love, we’ll speak it in love. If you have good feelings toward somebody and you really want to show them kindness, then you speak in love. So it’s hold the truth, and if we are holding it, then we’ll speak it in love.
“May grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” We’ve spoken a little bit about the gifts, but I think this 16th verse reaches out beyond those special gifts that are mentioned in the 11th verse and shows us that the body functions as a whole. It’s not just the hands that you can see and the feet that you can see and the eyes that you can see, but there are a great many hidden members of my body. They are not performing a less important function than my hands, perhaps, even more important, although you’ve never seen them and probably never will. But they are doing a very important service in my body and in the proper function of my body. Brethren, you might think, “Well I haven’t been given the gift to preach.” Sisters might feel, “We’re not doing very much because we’re not in a public place.” But, brethren, the hidden members can be so important. We were talking about Barak when he went out to fight against Sisera, but who was it that stirred him up? Who was it that encouraged him? It was Deborah. God gives Deborah a place of honor. She didn’t head the army but she filled a very important place. We were noticing the other day in the 45th Psalm, there’s a view of coming glory. Then in the 46th Psalm we have a chorus of female voices singing and celebrating, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psa. 46:11<<To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.>> God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)) Brethren, let’s not think that because a person is not on the platform that they are not important. I’ve often said that the more our service puts us in the public eye, the more danger there is of doing it for the eyes of men. But to carry on a function in the body of Christ that is not noticed, that is not seen by the eye of men, takes a lot of spiritual energy. I believe in that coming day of manifestation we’re going to have many surprises. We are going to find out that some people we didn’t know anything about, hidden members as it were, in the body of Christ were performing a very important function. How wonderful it is to know that God is making a true appraisal of all. “The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.” (1 Sam. 2:33Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)) I have hands and feet and eyes and ears, but I also have a lot of hidden members and if one of those hidden ones goes out of order, the rest of the body is going to be out of order too. Those little things that we might say or do that seem to be hidden from the eyes of others can be a help or a hindrance. This certainly speaks to my heart. God opening up in the first three chapters all that He’s done for us and then He says, “I’ve done all that for you. You have the privilege of walking worthy of the vocation. You have a part that you can fill in the functioning of the body of Christ here in this world among the saints and in outreach to those who are lost too.” May the Lord give us the grace that we need. He is able. He gives grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. We only have a little time left. What a privilege to serve so worthy a master, when we think of all that He has done. When He was here in this world He never did one thing to please Himself. May the Lord help us to seek His glory and the blessing of His people and the blessing of sinners until the Lord comes again.
Hymn 253 “Since Christ and we are one...”