EVIDENCE THAT WE KNOW Eph. 4:11-16
INTRO:
Arab Proverb states:
He that knows not and knows not the he knows not:
He is a fool – shun him!
He that knows not and knows that he know not:
He is simple – teach him!
He that knows and knows not the he knows:
He is asleep – wake him!
He that knows he knows and knows that he knows:
He is a wise man – follow him!
DO WE KNOW HIM TODAY?
Know Him in salvation?
Know Him in our daily walk?
Know Him in good times? Bad? Lonely? Sad?
Phil. 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death
Does the world know that we know?
What evidence do we show that gives them confidence to follow the One we know?
I. WE WILL EXHIBIT GOD’S GIFTS FOR SERVICE v. 11-12
A. The gifts we are talking about are:
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
B. As they are used the church will exhibit:
1. Equipped for service.
We will be prepared because we will have the right tools for the job.
2. Encouraged for service.
We will be built up to have the strength and confidence for the job.
C. Jesus was very clear about whether or not we understood:
Luke 6:46-49
John 13:17 You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
II. WE WILL ENDEAVOR TO SEASON AS CHRISTIONS v. 13
A. One of my favorite descriptions for mature adults is “seasoned citizens”
B. Maturity has to be one of our goals as believers.
C. The scripture gives us the:
1. Means of Maturity: all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
We need to trust in Jesus as we begin to begin our walk and grow in faith
Our intimacy only increases as we know Him more.
Are we close enough to God to know what He wants and trust Him enough to be obedient?
2. Movement of Maturity: “perfect man” means complete.
We know we will not obtain perfection until heaven.
Are we striving for completeness in our holiness and righteousness, or are we just getting by?
3. Measure of Maturity: “fullness of Christ”
Is our standard of life TO BE LIKE JESUS?
We reach maturity when we become like Him!
We need to continue to grow into the “fullness of Christ”, in other words “everything that makes Jesus who He is.”
D. Maturity is our goal and is an evidence of the fact we are His’ and we know Him.
III. WE WILL ENDURE THE SEDUCTION TO WAIVER v. 14
A. Stability is an evidence of knowing Jesus.
B. We live in a world of divergent beliefs. In fact you belief is usually what makes it true to you.
Is your belief solidly entrenched in the Word of God?
C. We should no longer be children: Grow up!
Tossed to and fro gives us an idea of a child’s kite. Will only go where the wind takes it.
in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, the wind is controlled by those who will lead us astray.
D. Satan’s job is to deceive us! Make us believe a lie.
E. Maturity will bring us stability.
IV. WE WILL EXPOUND SINCERITY IN LOVE v. 15
A. People want to hear the truth.
B. But truth without love is brutality. Love without truth is hypocrisy.
C. Truth without love can be harsh, judgmental, legalistic, and unforgiving. It may be right, but it is dead right. Truth without love produces a pharisaical self-righteousness. So just speaking the truth is not a mark of maturity.
Love without truth can be condoning of sin, wishy-washy, unbalanced, and overly permissive. Someone called that “sloppy agape.” This is the kind of thing which some equate with warm oozy feelings which cause people to slobber all over one another with a syrupy sweetness that may be real but appears phony. Love without truth is not a mark of maturity. David Hoke July 19, 1992
D. We are concerned often with how people feel:
1. Politically correct. Make sure we give the right titles. We even have a Bible that is gender neutral.
2. We must be tolerant. In today’s world it simply means approval.
3. Everyone is equal. We must not grade too harsh. 2+2 may equal 5 so that we do not hurt the esteem of someone.
Competition is bad in some places.
Affluence and success is not good and creates class envy.
E. Truth is what we need, and love is the avenue in which we will hear it.
V. WE WILL EFFECT THE SAINTS v. 16
A. The word effect simply means “to bring about a result.”
B. By our knowledge of Jesus we will effect the saints with the idea of cooperation.
C. Paul tells us that the church is the body! Christ is the head!
Only as the body is fully functional can we grow and be what God has intended us to be.
ILLUS: In college I wrote a paper for Kinesiology on the tennis serve. Just as the body has all the tendons, muscles, bones, and joints that must be healthy to be effective, so must each Christian be healthy and working for the church to be effective!
according to the effective working by which every part does its share
D. Reuben Welch writes: We really do need each other.
E. The evidence we show will be our cooperation and togetherness in the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
CONCLUSION:
The Harmonica
A young American engineer was sent to Ireland by his company to work in a new electronics plant. It was a two-year assignment that he had accepted because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend. She had a job near her home in Tennessee, and their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. They corresponded often, but as the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her, exposed as he was to comely Irish lasses.
The young engineer wrote back, declaring with some passion that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. “I admit,” he wrote, “that sometimes I’m tempted. But I fight it. I’m keeping myself for you.”
In the next mail, the engineer received a package. It contained a note from his girl and a harmonica. “I’m sending this to you,” she wrote, “so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those girls.”
The engineer replied, “Thanks for the harmonica. I’m practicing on it every night and thinking of you.”
At the end of his two-year stint, the engineer was transferred back to company headquarters. He took the first plane to Tennessee to be reunited with his girl. Her whole family was with her, but as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, “Just hold on there a minute, Billy Bob. Before any serious kissin’ and huggin’ gets started here, let me hear you play that harmonica!”
Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, pp. 17-18
