The Maturity of the Church
Text: Eph. 4:7-16
Introduction
1. Illustration: There are no short cuts to maturity. It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time. When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor. In America, tomatoes are usually picked unripened, so they won’t bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, 217).
2. Pastor Rick is correct in saying there are no shortcuts to maturity, however, God does give us things that helps us on our journey to maturity.
3. God wants to help us along the way to maturity so he…
a. He Gives Us Gifts
b. What Are the Gifts?
c. The Need for Maturity
4. Read Eph. 4:7-16
Proposition: It is necessary for us to grow in our faith so that we can fight the battle against Satan.
Transition: The first thing that God does to help us mature is…
I. God Gives Us Gifts (7-10).
A. Each One of Us a Special Gift
1. Last week we talked about the fact that as members of the body of Christ we are all one. Although we are united as the body of Christ, each of us is unique and we bring something special to the church.
2. In v. 7 Paul says, “However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.”
a. Back before Christmas, I said that we are all an important part of the church and that we all have some special role to play.
b. Here is the reason why, we have all been given a special gift.
c. The phrase “special gift” is from the Greek word charis, where we get the English word grace. What is grace? It is an unearned gift from God.
d. So, each of us is a special gift to the church. We are all important and necessary parts to the church and we each have an important role to play in the church.
e. Furthermore, we were all given these gifts through the generosity of Christ. You are all special!
3. In v. 8 Paul says, “That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
a. This is a reference to Ps. 68:18, where the Psalmist is talking about the Ark of the Covenant being returned to Zion in triumph by King David.
b. As he does this, he also brings back the spoils of war as gifts to the people.
c. Paul uses this to paint a picture of Christ’s triumphant return to heaven.
d. David triumphed over the enemies of Israel, and Christ triumphed over the enemy of God’s people Satan. When he did, he gave us, his people, as gifts to the church.
B. Use Them Well
1. Illustration: Pastor Charles Swindoll had this to say about spiritual gifts, “Too many Christians are not serving. When you ask them to do something they say, "Well, uh, sorry, but that is not my spiritual gift." Trouble is they seem to think they have no spiritual gift because they say that about everything. Brethren, I tell you the truth in Christ that are no such gifts as pew warming and sermon or music listening’!! All of the spiritual gifts are proactive. You will be doing something. If you tell me that you are sold out to the Lord and not doing anything I will try not to be rude and call you a liar, but I will have to ask you to explain your definition of consecration to me.”
2. We need to discover what our spiritual gifts are and use them to God’s glory.
a. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So, if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Rom. 12:6-8)
b. I think that people have an issue with spiritual gifts because they think of them only as the charismatic gifts.
c. They think of things like tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, word of knowledge and the word of wisdom.
d. But the truth is, there are other spiritual gifts too.
e. In this text from Romans, Paul mentions things like serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing kindness.
f. There are all kinds of spiritual gifts that God gives us to serve the church and help people to mature in their faith. And if we have a gift and are not using it we are doing the Lord, his church as well as our brothers and sisters a great disservice.
g. Notice what Paul says, if you have a gift use it well!
Transition: This leads us to the question…
II. What Are the Gifts? (11-13).
A. Now These Are the Gifts
1. So, what are the gifts that Christ gave to the church? In v. 11 Paul says, “ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.”
a. It’s interesting that the gifts that Christ gave to church are people who have been called to do specific things in the church.
b. The first gift that he gave to the church were apostles. The apostles included the eleven men that Jesus called, plus others like Paul.
c. The qualifications of an apostle was to have been an eye witness of the risen Christ, to have been sent out by him to preach the Gospel and to be church planters.
d. Christ also gave prophets to the church. They were also important in establishing the church. They would foretell the future, but they were also used in to encourage, exhort, and strengthen God’s people.
e. Another gift to the church was evangelists. These were traveling ministers, like missionaries we have today. They went to people who did not know Christ to proclaim the Gospel and establish new churches.
f. Finally, they were pastors and teachers. These two gifts were likely the same who served the local church. Like a shepherd tending the flock of sheep. Pastor’s handled the day to day work of the church like teaching, feeding the flock and guiding the church.
2. Now, here is my favorite part. In v. 12 Paul explains the purpose these people had in the church. He says, “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”
a. Their main purpose was to equip God’s people. The word “equip” means to make right, like the setting of a broken bone, or to bring to completion by training or restoring.
b. So, in reality, I have the best job in the world, I get paid to get you to work!
c. My main responsibility is to teach you how to minister and proclaim the Gospel.
d. We will grow as a church as we minister to, love, care for and encourage one another.
e. However, that is not all there is to it, we must also reach out to the community around us, showing them the love of Christ.
3. Paul says that “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
a. The word “until” means that this process must continue until the goal is reached. That goal is that we be so unified in our faith and our knowledge of Jesus that we become mature. Our purpose is to become like Christ.
b. Many years ago, I had a young woman in the church that kept using the phrase, “well I’m just a baby Christian,” as an excuse not to grow.
c. It’s true that at some point we are baby Christians, but at some point, we have to grow up! We can’t continue to be babies in the faith, we have to become adults.
d. Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? (1 Cor. 3:1-3).
e. This is our purpose, to become mature in the faith.
B. Each of You Are a Part of It
1. Illustration: John MacArthur: "Godly, Biblical church growth results from every member of the body fully using his spiritual gift, in submission to the Holy Spirit and in cooperation with other believers."
2. If we are going to mature in the faith, we need to figure out what our part in the church is and use it for the benefit of others.
a. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (1 Cor 12:27)
b. Here’s the thing, church, we are all in this together!
c. We all have a part to play and a role to fill.
d. We have all been blessed by God with certain gifts, and we need to use them to the best of our ability as the Spirit enables us.
e. We are a blessed church, and they are a number of people who are a tremendous blessing to our church.
f. But we all need to do our part so that we all can come to maturity in the faith.
Transition: That leads us to the point of all of this…
III. The Need for Maturity (14-16).
A. We Will Be Immature
1. The reason we need to be mature in our faith is so that we are not led astray by false teaching. That’s what Paul when he says in v. 14, “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.”
a. If we are immature in our faith, we will be unstable, rootless, without direction and susceptible to being manipulated.
b. Paul says if we are mature, we won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.
c. All we have to do is look at the church world today and we see that false teaching is rampant in the church. Those referring to themselves as “progressive” that are tossing the teaching of Scripture aside and choosing to follow what the world decides is true.
d. It’s for this reason that we need to be mature in our faith. Immature Christians, like children, are unable to discern when they are being lied to because the lie sounds like truth.
2. So, what are we supposed to do? Paul tells us in v. 15, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
a. Paul tells us to speak the truth in love. By this Paul means that we are to both speak the truth and live out the truth.
b. In addition to this, Paul also tells us that we should make every effort to become more and more like Christ.
c. Speaking the truth is not always easy. People want us to simply go along with them in their sinful lifestyles.
d. That will want you to say everything is okay. But the truth is that not everything that our society sees as okay is not okay with God and is contrary to his Word.
e. Just going along as to not upset the apple cart is not love. It’s like seeing a child run out into the street and telling them “have fun!” That’s not love!
3. Paul concludes this section by saying, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.“
a. It is Christ that makes us all fit together.
b. And as we are doing the work that he has called us to we enable new believers to grow into the maturity of faith, that we are healthy and strong, and most importantly, full of love.
B. Time to Grow
1. Illustration: There are 4 levels of spiritual maturity for believers in Christ.
a. REBELLION: I'm going to do what I want regardless of what God says.
b. CONDITIONAL LOVE: If God gives me what I want, I will give Him what He wants.
c. GROWING FAITH: I will give God what He wants, with faith that He will give me what I need.
d. SELFLESS WORSHIP: I will give God what He wants, regardless of any thought for myself, because He is Lord and worthy of my praise. Which one describes your heart right now?
2. When we mature in our faith, we begin to see things the way God sees them.
a. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:11-13)
b. When our children were teenagers, they thought we were the dumbest people on earth, but once they were in their mid-twenties they were amazed at how smart we had become.
c. The same is true for us spiritually. Once we didn’t understand why God didn’t want us to have fun.
d. We didn’t understand why God wanted us to go to church, pray and read the Bible.
e. But once we mature, we begin to see that God asks these things of us to protect us, because once we go outside of God’s rules we end up in trouble.
f. However, once we grow up spiritually, we begin to see that God always had our best interests at heart, and we figure out that God was pretty smart after all.
Conclusion
1. God wants to help us along the way to maturity so he…
a. He Gives Us Gifts
b. What Are the Gifts?
c. The Need for Maturity
2. What’s the point? Once we come to the maturity of our faith, we find out that God loves us and wants what’s best for us, and we reach that level of maturity by doing what God requires of us.
