The apostle Paul exhorts (“beseech”) all believers in Christ to “walk worthy of the vocation (calling) wherewith ye are called.” In this message we will consider in part what that “vocation” or calling is, as we consider Ephesians 4:11-16.
Click on the link below to watch the video or you can read the sermon script that I prepared personally as God’s word is expounded. I have also attached a link to the sermon outline for you to follow along and meditate on later.
Click here for link to the Sermon Outline/Notes
Sermon Script (I don’t always follow this exactly, but the message is the same):
The Calling of the Body of Christ
Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:1-16
Sermon Text: Eph. 4:11-16
A new year will be here soon. It is time to look forward to a new beginning. For many people that new beginning is focused on how they might improve themselves that ends with a New Years’ self-help resolution, resolving to do better in some area of their life that is weak or needs more effort to better themselves. Sadly, those resolutions don’t go very far or end up being too hard to accomplish with the person realizing he or she has neither the will power nor any real motivation to change, being content with the way things are. There is a lot of “ME” involved with New Year’s resolutions.
In fact, there is an attitude of the “Me” that runs throughout our society. More to the point, there seems to be a general feeling that man must live to himself, live for #1. A popular proverb that expresses this way of thinking is that “you must be true to yourself.” This false proverb, I find, is accepted as truth in all sorts of circles of society. It stands to reason; this mind set has been around ever since the fall of man and when Cain slew Abel in a jealous rage. Moreover, because man is by nature self-centered, this problem has even invaded the visible church. We find many professing Christians who live their lives selfishly seeking this world’s pleasures and possessions only giving lip service to the idea of serving others. This way of thinking runs counter to the thinking in the passage before us (indeed, contrary to the entire Bible). (T-Shirt on a pre-teen girl, “I believe in Me”). Though we have labeled in modern terms this self-centered thinking as being a part of “post-modernism,” it is apparent from our text that this problem also existed in the Ephesian Church.
But before we get into our text to discuss this matter further, a brief overview of the first three chapters of Ephesians may be helpful in order for us to get a running start, sort of speak.
In his letter to the saints in Ephesus, the apostle Paul lays the foundation to his exhortations beginning with Chapter 4 with the doctrine of redemption from sin’s penalty and power. In Chapter 1, he begins his letter to the Ephesian church, which is made up of both Jew and Gentile by telling them, and to us also, that God’s plan of redemption for His Elect was decreed from all eternity, from before the foundation of the world; accomplished through Jesus Christ, and applied by the preaching of the Gospel and the powerful working of the Holy Spirit, the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. In chapter 2, Paul assures the church that even though they were “sons of disobedience,” and “by nature children of wrath,” they were “made alive together with Christ” by grace alone through faith alone. In making them alive, God worked in them creating them anew so that by faith they would be able to do good works. Further, He made them fit to be citizens of His kingdom. Though the Gentiles were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise”; they are now “no more strangers and foreigner, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God.” They are fitted together in Christ along with the Jews making up the whole building that grows into a holy temple in the Lord, and individually “for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” As you can see, we as Christians are a part of something that is far bigger than annual resolutions that we continually fail to fulfill. Accordingly, the third temple is being built by the hand of God, not a physical temple built by the hands of wicked men in the Middle East; men, who say they are Jews, and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan.
Paul continues in chapter 3, to explain that this was a “mystery” in times past but is now made manifest by the “Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets . . . according to the eternal purpose that was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus Christ did the impossible; doing what is “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” to the glory of God, forever.
Flowing from this foundation, Paul lays out in Chapters 4-6 the character of the person made alive from being dead in trespasses and sin; made fit to be a member of the household of God and a part of the temple that is being built and growing in the Lord. In Chapter 4 the apostle begins by exhorting the Ephesian saints to walk worthy of their calling; keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, of which He wrote about in chapters 2 and 3; Paul then continues in verse 7 to point out that in the “unity of the Spirit” that is outlined in verses 3 through 6, grace is given “to each one of us” according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Within this context we come to verses 11-16, our text for this morning. There are three things that are revealed to us in these verses: 1) in verse 11, grace is given to us by Christ through certain offices within the Church; 2) then in verse 12, we find the purpose of these offices and their contribution to the building up of the “one body”; 3) third, in verses 13-16 we get to the heart of our calling as saints in Christ; the objective of edifying the body of Christ. With that broad over view, let’s now take a closer look at the verses before us this morning.
In verse 11 we find a list of offices within the Church, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” Christ calls men to various offices within the Church, and gives them gifts to perform their duties as office bearers; servants of the Lord, called to serve His redeemed people for a specific purpose, as shepherds, not rulers. Not to be served by God’s people, but to serve (1 Peter 5:1-4). Though we only have three offices in the church today, minister of the word, elder and deacon; these offices may include functions that were engaged in specifically by the apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers. It is interesting to note that many of the functions of the apostles, prophets, and evangelists crossed over one another; such as, many of the functions of the apostles, prophets, and evangelists were made a part of the functions of the pastor and teacher which have continued to this day. For example, Paul admonishes Timothy that as a pastor he is to do the work of a teacher and evangelist in 2 Timothy 4, verses 2 and 5. Just as Christ gave grace to the believers of the Ephesian church through the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as they faithfully performed their duties in their various functions, so also Christ has given grace to each one of us who are redeemed by the blood of Christ and adopted into the household of God, through pastors, elders and teachers today as they faithfully preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the word of God.
In addition, Jesus Christ had another purpose for these offices, which also continues to this day through the pastor, the elder and teacher (though not listed, the deacon would also be included; i.e., Phillip). That is, other than bringing the good news to sinners like you and me, each one of the offices listed in verse 11 of our text we find in verse 12 that Christ gave these offices to the Church: “for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
So we see the other common purpose of the offices is for the “perfecting of the saints.” From the original language, the sense of this word is best understood as preparing perfectly for a specific use just as we find in Luke 6:40 that “everyone who is perfected will be like his teacher”; that is, “perfectly trained.” We also find the use of this word in this sense in I Thessalonians 3:10 where Paul prays that he might see the Thessalonians face to face to “perfect” what is lacking in their faith. And so, this “perfecting” is best understood as “preparing perfectly for a specific use”; or “training them up or equipping them to be completely qualified for a specific purpose.” Each one of us is given grace through those who minister the Word teaching us the truths that are revealed to us in Scripture so that we as members of the household of God may be perfectly prepared or you might say, perfectly equipped for the work of ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ. Let this understanding help us realize that it is NOT just the office bearers of the church that are responsible for the edification of the members of the church; that responsibility also falls on each one of us, who are in Christ. Therefore, no longer do we live to ourselves; but as members of God’s household, we live for the work of ministry and the building up of the body of Christ. In other words, our calling in Christ is to minister to one another with our gifts to build up one another in our relationship with Christ, including calling unbelievers to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel of Christ, the power of God to salvation.
Matthew Henry is helpful here when he wrote: “according to the import of the original, [the offices given by Christ are] to bring into an orderly spiritual state and frame those who had been as it were dislocated and disjointed by sin, and then to strengthen, confirm, and advance them therein, [so that each person], in his proper place and function, might contribute to the good of the whole.”
Perhaps, this might make a good New Years’ resolution; yet, it’s more than that. It’s a change in the way we think about our role or purpose as believers in Christ and members of His body. Moreover, it will take more than personal will power and self determination; it will take the power of God to change us from the inside, to change our focus from ourselves to focus on others in Christ – a focus that is contrary to our sin nature that we wrestle against daily (Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 6:12). So we will need to ask God to continually strengthen us, working in us by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, so that we would more and more die to ourselves, and more and more desire to apply our gifts and resources to the building up of the saints who God brings to us in our daily lives – it will be a constant struggle, but by God’s grace it will bring great joy to our hearts and glory to God, as we faithfully and consistently persevere to serve God in this way no matter how the person responds; no matter the consequences.
So, as pastors, elders and teachers labor in various functions to equip the saints to minister to and edify one another, they do so by keeping in mind what the end objective is, as we learn from verse 13. In that verse the goal, or objective rather, is that the pastor, elder and teacher are to continue to equip the saints until “. . . we all come unto 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 is, until we all come to possess or arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God; to become a mature or complete man, conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, the “Perfect Man.” It’s a lifelong task and one that will never be achieved in this life time; so, God’s abounding grace is needed each and every day so that we don’t give up. It’s not us achieving success according the world’s idea of success; but rather, being faithful in humbly serving our Savior for the good of His Body, for the “good of the whole,” as Matthew Henry wrote.
We see from this verse that the perfect man possesses two perfections: first, he comes to posses the unity of the faith, which is described for us in one sense in verse 3 of this chapter where Paul exhorts us amongst other things to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called by: “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Then, he continues in verses 4-6 to detail out this unity of the faith when he says, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were 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.”
Paul further explains to us how this unity is accomplished between the Jew & Gentile in Chapter 2 of this letter, verses 11-18. We learn from these verses that by the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ those who were separated from God by sin and far from the covenants of promise and the commonwealth of Israel were brought near not only to God but also brought near and made a part of the one new man in Christ. In other words, by the blood of Jesus Christ peace was obtained and the one Lord, Jesus Christ broke down the barrier between the Jew and Gentile uniting them under one Faith. Our faith is one faith, not one faith for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. It’s not a faith that is limited by nationality, ethnicity, or skin tone; it is one faith that unites all believers in Jesus Christ by His blood that is applied by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion. Thus, He alone is our Peace; peace with God and peace among the saints from various backgrounds socially, economically, culturally and nationally. This is also contrary to man’s ideas of unity and peace, which is by force to conform to the ever-changing subjective commandments that focus on being under the control and influence of sinful men, who think they are superior to you.
Therefore, in these verses all who have come in true faith and rest their hope of salvation and eternal life upon the completed work of Christ on the cross are united in the one faith. Just as there is one faith between the Jew and Gentiles for salvation and eternal life; so also, there is only one faith amongst the Gentiles for salvation and eternal life, not many faiths; a faith that belongs to the Muslims, and another faith that belongs to the Hindus, or another faith that is from within each individual as we find some preachers and teachers spewing forth today that reflect either Talmudic/Roman Catholic mysticism, or just plain demonic teaching. If you believe that those who say they are Jews, but are not (Revelation 2:9; 3:9) are going be saved through animal sacrifices or some other means, then you need to read Galatians 1:8; and after you have soiled your pants, repent and begin reading God’s word for what it says, not what men say it says concerning last things. The same goes with any other gospel than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There is only one faith that saves; and that faith is a gift of God by grace alone. Any other faith is a deadly poison and a guarantee of eternal torment. In this sense, the goal of possessing the unity of the faith (and the knowledge of the Son of God) has already been accomplished. However, in the context of this passage we see that there is also the sanctifying faith that grows for the believer in Christ. This faith is perfected through the fires of trials, which purify the faith that is tainted in our daily lives by our sin nature as Peter illustrates this for us in his first epistle (1 Peter 1:6-9). And according to our text, this faith is worked out in our words and deeds more and more as we grow in the knowledge of the Son of God, who is Jesus Christ our Lord.
We now come to the second perfection that is to be possessed in achieving the objective of the equipping of the saints; that is, to posses the knowledge of the Son of God. This works hand in hand with the unity of the faith. For the kind of knowledge that is possessed by the “perfect” man is a knowledge upon which a person rests his eternal hope; and his whole life is lived in that hope for the benefit and welfare of those who have that same hope in Christ.
The “perfect man” in verse 13 is understood to mean complete, or mature. But how is this possible? According to the rest of Scripture, it is understood that because of our sin nature we now see in a mirror dimly, . . . we know in part, but then we shall know just as we also are known, as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12. That is, to know perfectly as Christ knows, who is the standard or measure of perfection. So then, the “perfect man” referred to in our text is the one who knows perfectly as Christ knows. And in I John 3:2 we find that this perfect knowledge is only possessed when we see the Lord face to face. Even the apostle Paul did not claim perfection for himself; but pressed forward in his life to those things that are ahead, as we learn from his testimony to the Philippians (3:12-14).
Christ’s knowledge is complete and perfect and “full.” However, a measure of stature is assigned to every believer, according to the counsel of God. Thus, the believer will not come to the full measure of Christ in this world, but will continue to grow to a more mature or complete knowledge. The believer who is growing in the knowledge of Christ is described for us in Hebrews 5:14 as the one who is exercised more and more by the “solid food” of the Scripture to “discern good and evil.” Therefore, as mentioned before, the equipping of the saints is a lifelong task that continues until death, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, whichever comes first.
Along this same line, it would be inconsistent to say we must be “perfect” or “complete” in order to perform the work of ministering to one another and edifying one another as members of the body of Christ. Christ gives each one of us grace to grow in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Him; and we are to edify one another in that grace no matter where we are in our growth process towards that perfection of Christ.
Beloved, we belong to Christ who purchased us at a price that none of us could pay, or repay; that is, He has purchased us by His precious blood. Further, it is He who gives grace to each one of us (whether we are Jew or Gentile, whether we are English, German, Dutch, Russian, Middle Eastern, African, Hispanic, Asian, or some combination thereof). He does so through His faithful officers in the church by the power of the Holy Spirit in order that each one of us, no matter where we are in our spiritual growth process (babes, elders, or in between in Christ), we can contribute to the building up of the body as we minister to one another, so that Christ, not in His essence, but in His truth fills each one of us as His members. This leads us to verses 14-16; the growth of the body of Christ in love.
As we grow in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will become more and more firmly established in the truth. Verse 14 tells us that growing in the knowledge of the Son of God will mean that we will no longer be children in our understanding of truth but will, rather, grow into mature adults in the faith, no longer tossed about by various teachings that come from man’s sinful heart. We will no longer be drawn after the lies and deceptive words of people who seek to trick us into turning our hearts away from Jesus Christ and focusing it on ourselves or someone else; drawing us away to serve our own desires or some cause other than the cause of Christ or the calling of every saint, as described in our text in Ephesians and elsewhere in Scripture. In other words, when we grow in our knowledge of the Son of God we will be able to discern more and more what is good and evil; what is right and wrong; when truth is being taught and when false doctrine is being taught. This leads us to verse 15.
Armed with the knowledge of the Lord from His word we are to “speak the truth in love.” Knowledge of the truth tends to puff-up a person and with pride comes a sense of superiority. However, true knowledge ought to stir up humility and compassion; love for God and love for our neighbor. Pray that God will work in your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit so that you would seek to help and not hurt others in speaking truth. It’s not about winning an argument. When God’s truth is applied properly we will become more and more loving in our speech with the purpose of contributing to the growth of Christ’s body, as we labor patiently with other members of His body. By doing so, Jesus Christ is lifted up and the body of Christ edifies itself: just as sinew connects each joint and is strengthened by exercise causing it to grow. As we speak truth in love to one another we are doing our share; and as we faithfully do our share, Christ, the Head, works effectively within the body causing it to be strengthened and to grow building itself up in love, as we see from verse 16.
As members of Christ’s body, we are no longer to live for ourselves to serve our own wants and desires, but as we are given grace from God let us seek to endeavor to perform the work of the ministry for the edifying of one another and thereby building up Christ’s body. This is the calling of each one of us whose hope and confidence is in Christ and His atoning work on the cross on our behalf; who has also, by His Spirit, united us in one body.
Therefore, let’s also, by the grace of God, resolve in our hearts, if you will, to strive together with one mind for the faith of the gospel, standing fast in spirit and truth (Philippians 1:27), faithfully spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, to the lost and those who sit in darkness. It is in this way also that we build up the body of Christ in love as we shine the light of the gospel in the darkness around us so that those who are the Elect of God might find God’s only way of salvation that is by grace alone; finding God’s salvation, as the Holy Spirit opens their eyes of understanding, making them alive from being dead in their trespasses and sins; and, applying the blood of Christ, washing away sin’s guilt, penalty, power and stain; then, granting them a repentant heart to turn away from their sins and giving them the gift of faith to come to Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, righteousness, salvation and everlasting life, looking to Him alone for peace and joy in the eternal comfort of life everlasting together with Him and all His saints in the new heavens and the new earth.
May each one of us resolve to seek Him who has loved us with an everlasting love to grant us His grace so that we may faithfully walk worthy, in the calling with which we have all been called, in love to the glory of God – To Whom alone belong all glory, honor, wisdom and power, forever!!
Amen!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Reformation Gospel Ministries 
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