The Giver of Gifts

0:16Thank you for listening to the Sermon Audio Podcast for Crossroads Bible Church in Rockdale, Texas. Crossroads Bible Church is a Reformed Confessional Baptist Church that meets every Lord's Day at 10 a.m. for Bible study and 11 a.m. for corporate worship. For more information about our church and for directions, you can find us online at www.crbcrockdale.org. Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Good morning. If you would, and as always, at least for the time being, turn to the book of Ephesians. We will be in chapter four, covering verses seven to ten under the theme or the heading The Giver of Gifts. But I want to begin slightly off topic just before we jump into the text by saying a very brief word about ordinary time. You may have noticed a couple weeks ago now that our bulletins switched to the color green and it now says ordinary time on the front of them. That is not the time at which our service starts, but that is the church calendar year section of the year ordinary time. And as we move through the calendar, the church calendar each year, I'm not sure that I ever say much about ordinary time. We talk extensively about Advent, Christmas, talk extensively about Lent and Easter, but we don't say much about ordinary time. Ordinary time in the church year comprises the largest number of weeks of any one single event in the church year. And this makes sense because ordinary time within the church year is a reflection of our lives. Since whether you want to admit it or not, most of your life is spent in the ordinary. We wake up, we do our jobs, we work around the house a little, maybe a lot, we have dinner with friends, we have dinner with family, we come to church, we go to Bible studies. These are just the ordinary things of life. But we must pause to think during these times as we consider those reminders that the church calendar and that our God and our call is just as present and just as pressing in the ordinary. And maybe even more so. As it is in these ordinary times that we can be lulled into complacency, we can be lulled into forgetfulness. Let us remember then and celebrate and still serve our Lord in the ordinary. Remembering that it is only by his grace that there is an ordinary. So that's all I'll say. Um if you have any questions, though, or thoughts about ordinary time, about the church year, the church calendar, bring them on. I'd love to, we'd love to talk about it. Okay, for our business today. We're gonna extend and widen uh the discussion we began last week on our calling and gifting under the heading of unity and bring uh into this topic the authority of Christ and his grace, which providentially we of course sang about uh this morning. But there's two loose ends that I need to tie up uh moving into our text this morning, and it's really hard not to uh make a connection from week to week on these texts in particular, because this is one complete full thought that Paul is laying out for, one stream of thought. Um the first of those uh is that in our text last week, and I I read this last week, but I failed to point it out, in verses four to six, if you look in that passage, in uh Ephesians 4, verses 4 to 6, Paul uses the word one with reference to our unity. He uses the word one exactly seven times. Seven being that number of completeness, wholeness, and perfection. And of course, we believe that all scripture is inspired. It's highly doubtful that that is a coincidence. Almost certainly, this is the establishment of perfect and complete unity between the triune God and man set forth by the Spirit, Church, our hope, the Lord Jesus, our faith, our baptism, and God the Father. This is the complete seven of spiritual unity the Holy Trinity, that is three, the church established in faith, in baptism, kept in hope. And if you don't think that that is inspired poetic brilliance from Paul, you're just not reading the same Bible I'm reading. I hope you see it. I trust you do. Secondly, I want to stress uh that this ties to our text today and certainly next week as well, with respect to our gifting. And that is that unity, and hear me when I say this, unity isn't uniformity. And there are many pastors and theologians uh who have uh commented uh extensively on that subject, and in those exact words, I didn't come up with that phrase. I'm gonna give you one supporting quote from John Stott. He says this although there is only one body, one faith, and one family, this unity is not to be misconstrued as a lifeless or colorless uniformity. We are not to imagine that every Christian is an exact replica of every other, as if we had been mass-produced in some celestial factory. I bought an old typewriter uh this past week, and it just came in. I typed out a couple notes on it, and one thing that struck me as I pulled that first page out of the typewriter is how beautiful and how interesting and intriguing just the page was when I looked at it. It was just full of typed words, but what was it that was so beautiful? It was visually stunning. As I thought and wondered why that was, why is it that I could write those same letters, those same words on a computer and print it out through Microsoft Word? It didn't look anywhere near as beautiful. Not beautiful at all, in fact. I'm not sure if anyone has ever printed something out through Microsoft Word and thought, wow, that's that's something to look at there. Why is that? Because a typewriter does something that a computer could never do, it has variation. And computers and machines produce uniformity. Typewriters produce character. None of the letters are the same. There's not the same boldness. Some are higher, some are a little lower, some are a little slanted, some are pressed further into the page than others. When all that variation comes together, it makes something noticeably beautiful. There's tremendous beauty in the lack of uniformity. Why do I bring that up again? Because that is something I stressed last week. I want to continue to stress as we look today at Christ as the giver of gifts. I want us to continually see that by design we are not all the same. The lack of uniformity with respect to gifts and calls is not a flaw. It's not something to be fixed. It is beautiful by design.

9:51And we don't get to see the full page presently. But I can assure you that we will.

10:24And it will be beautiful beyond words. That was a long introduction, I know, but I had to do all that. Stand with me and let's read our text.

10:35Ephesians 4, starting in verse 7.

10:44But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gifts. Therefore, it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean, but that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above the heavens, that he might fill all things. This is the word of the Lord. Lord, we thank you again for your word. We thank you for your truth. We ask now, Lord, would you please open our hearts and our minds and our ears and our attentions, Lord, to hear what you have for us this morning. Speak now, Lord.

11:37Ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

11:47Maybe I spend too much time lamenting the sins of our present culture. And I suppose that each generation with the Spirit's wisdom sees the pitfalls laying in the blind spots of the up-and-coming generation. And to some degree, a spirit of ingratitude is present in us all at various times, but presently there is a very real cultural issue with being ungrateful for the gifts that we have and the blessings that we have. Perhaps it comes from a feeling of entitlement. Perhaps it comes from a lack of understanding as to the true worth of the gifts and the cost that it took to give the gifts and the blessings. Either way, we have a cultural ingratitude problem. Our text speaks into this by telling us that all the gifts we receive that come to us principally through grace, including all the various giftings that Paul will address next week, at least some of them, these were given through Christ. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift or Christ's gifts.

13:45Do you really understand that this morning? Everything that you have and everything that you are comes to you by grace through Christ.

14:02All of your abilities, all of your knowledge, all of your talents, all of your wisdom, all of your perseverance, the freedoms that we have in this country, but even more the freedoms that we have in Christ, by means of our salvation, all of your blessings, all of your provisions. I could keep going. Everything you have, and everything you are comes to you by grace of Christ.

14:39But wait, you may say.

18:47Have I said that this morning? I think I have. This is Ephesians chapter 1. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things to the counsel of his will. So that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

19:31All things. And we do mean all things.

19:39Work according to the counsel of his will. And to put that in Ephesians 4 language, I will read again verse 7, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

20:07It really can't be any clearer then, church. I'll say it again. Everything you have, and everything you are, is from and through grace by Christ. That's a call to gratitude. That's a call to humility. The exhortation then is resist jealousy.

20:41Fight against pride and entitlement. Resist desiring what others have. Resist wanting the gifts that others have. Resist thinking that you have done things in your own strength and in your own power.

21:01Those are all destroyers of unity.

21:10What you have and who you are is who Christ made you and empowered you and has gifted you to be.

21:23And the glory belongs to none but him.

21:28We make the mistake of and how we steward his gifts, and in trying to claim his glory for ourselves. Therefore, it says When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives and he gave gifts to men. And one of the benefits of the New Testament, or us having the New Testament, and certainly of being New Testament Christians, is being able to interpret the Old Testament with the help and the clarity of the New. We've talked about this many times now. And Paul gives us that clarity in that verse by taking us back to the Psalms so that we see that these gifts that we're talking about this morning, given to us by Christ through grace, these were eternally planned. You can write that down if you're taking notes. Gifts are eternally planned. Keep your finger on Ephesians 4 and turn back to Psalm 68. I do want you to turn because I want you to see it.

22:56Psalm 68. And we'll be in verse 18.

23:12Pay attention here. I know you have been already, but pay attention. I think you'll find this enlightening. Verse 18 of Psalm 68, you ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train, and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. This is Paul's quotation in our text in Ephesians. And if we were to read the whole Psalm 68, we would see that it is a psalm concerning the might of God in defeating his enemies. It is a victory song. Psalm 68 is a victory song, reflecting on the victory God won in the exodus of his people from Egypt. But if you consider it just in that Old Testament context, just as David would be viewing it without the benefit of the fulfillment of Christ, we're left asking a question when we read that 18th verse. And that question is, how does God ascend on high? That verse 18 began by saying, you ascended on high.

24:47How does God ascend? Isn't he already ascended?

24:55What Paul is clarifying for us in Psalm 68 and specifically the work of God and the victory over his enemies in and through the Exodus is actually pointing to Christ. This is what Paul is saying. In the Exodus, it's actually pointing to Christ, the one who descended and then ascended to distribute his victory and to his gifts and his gifts to men. The Lord that is mentioned in Psalm 68, that is Elohim, when it's God, when he reads God, and Yahweh, when it reads Lord, the ascended one mentioned in Psalm 68 is Christ.

25:45So David being carried along by the Spirit without full realities, without really seeing the future, and without reflecting on the future glory and the future victory, we see that David was ultimately speaking about Christ.

26:19Also, we need to point out the discrepancy between Psalm 68 and Paul's quotation in our text this morning. If you were astute and paying attention, you caught it, maybe you noticed it. In Psalm 68, as we read, it reads, You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men. But when Paul quotes it, he says, Therefore it says, When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives and he gave gifts to men. And I'm sure some have been troubled by this discrepancy. But doesn't this give us the clarity and the support of the work of Christ in support of the Trinitarian fullness of God? Let me demonstrate that with two scriptures. John 7, verse 16. So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. So that which Christ received from the Father, he also gave. John 17, verse 8, for I have given them the words that you gave me. And they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me. So Paul, looking back to David, who is reflecting back to the Exodus, is really looking to Christ and to the victory he won, and to the words and to the gifts that he received and then gives. These gifts that we're talking about today, the gifts that we receive in our day, salvation and everything else, have been eternally rooted in the plans and the purposes of God. David saw this. The Exodus foreshadowed it. And it was foreshadowed in the old, was brought to the full and final clarity through Christ. The call again to gratitude in these gifts is the call to know that you are not here by chance.

28:51Nor are you gifted and called by random chance. Good or bad? More fortunate or determined by our own efforts.

29:20We are a product of a holy God, a conquering king who plans all things, who knows all things, who gives all things, and who has all ordained all things for his purpose and his glory.

29:52In verse 9.

29:53In saying he ascended, what does it mean, but that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above the heavens, that he might fill all things. Many would argue that he is uh communicating that Christ went down to hell or to Hades, like a preliminary hell, or a proving ground until Christ came, and then Christ went down there and preached and proclaimed his victory there. And I've certainly been swayed by that thought in the past, but after looking fully into this text and certainly its connection in and through Psalm 68, I don't hold that position, and I will explain while there is a better interpretation of what Paul is trying to communicate here or is communicating. Verse 9 and 10 that I just read are a parenthetical uh statement. They're in parentheses in the ESV. If you have a different translation, they might be in brackets. Um, but it's it's parenthetical. It's a it's a clarification statement, uh, which Paul is attempting to clarify his previous point, which was reference to Psalm 68, which is that Christ descended and ascended, or ascended, and now he's clarifying that he had to descend to ascend, right? He says then, who can ascend unless they first descend, right? Makes logical sense. Who is God descended then but the person of Christ? And Christ's descension, that scripture emphasizes over and over again, is not his, or the emphasis is never his descension into hell to preach those who are dead, but rather his descension is the incarnation, God in flesh, God becoming man. What was then the true purpose of the descension of Christ, the incarnation? Well, consider again the reference to Exodus, which is the shadow of the reality we are talking about this morning. What happened in the Exodus? The people of God were enslaved by Pharaoh. But they were led out of that captivity, that slavery. They were led into a promised land. Diversions along the way. Of course, this points us to Christ, as he is the one who has truly and fully delivered us from the captivity of sin. Christ is ultimately the one who rescues us from the slavery of our fallen nature, whereby we can indeed confess with Paul, O wretched man that I am, who will save me from this body of death?

33:10Answer, thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

33:19Christ Himself is the true God descended to rescue his people from their sin and to deliver them from captivity to sin. Christ is the one who saves us from death. Christ is the one who gives us hope. He is the one who gives us a purpose and a call. He gives us gifts, and he guides us to eternal life that he alone might fill all things. It is he alone that fills all things, that gives all things, that sustains all things. It is none but our God, the blessed three-in-one, Father, Spirit, and Son. So that is what I believe Paul is clarifying there, that the God who ascended was Christ who first descended to earth to save us from the captivity of sin. And it is that clear doctrine, it is that gospel truth that pushes us to see that everything we are gifted with comes from God, by God. It is this truth, and it is that gospel that demands that we should worship God, and that we should carry always a disposition of humility and one of gratitude. Because each of us has a unique story to the praise and beauty of our God. Each of us has unique gifts, unique personalities, unique backgrounds. We are distinct in so many ways. The common ground, though, that unites us is that we owe everything to Christ.

35:30And our hope is in Him alone. He is our salvation. Christ is our light. He is our peace. He is our hope. He is the giver of all things.

35:46It was always about Christ, right?

35:49It will always be about Christ. So what do we do but bow our knee in gratitude and serve the giver of gifts? Whatever your life has been exciting, perhaps, sorrowful, joyful, painful, or just ordinary. Everything is by him. Through him, and for his glory. Amen.

36:52And for the gifts and blessings that you have given us through that grace in Christ. We thank you most importantly, Lord, for the reality that Christ descended to rescue us, Lord, from the captivity of our own sin. Free us from the bondage of slavery, Lord, to win the victory that is our salvation and eternal life. We thank you that He then ascended, that He may send the Spirit and distribute to us salvation, gifts, hope, and eternity.

37:40We thank you for this truth.

37:43We pray and ask that truth work on our hearts, Lord, deeply work on our hearts, that we may be a thankful people, full of gratitude, full of humility, that we may lay down our pride and our boasting, Lord, our entitlements, knowing that it all comes from you.

38:04Lord, help us be a humble people. Who is grateful for all the blessings that you have given to us? We ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.