GIFTS THAT EQUIP THE SAINTS (Eph 4:11-12)

In your house and worship you this morning.

We don't deserve all of the goodness and all the kindness that you bless us with father

so grateful or that you have saved me.

I praise you for my salvation

Lord.

What we long for the day.

Lord when we will be with you Lord in eternity

you come we will rise with you.

It's so awesome Lord.

I just pray this morning Lord as we continue this service.

Lord I pray that you would be with the word as it's boldly preached this morning Lord.

Lord open our hearts open our minds clear out any distractions we may

have this morning.

Lord.

I pray that you would bless this offering.

Lord we love you we praise you.

Ask all these things in your son Jesus precious and holy name and all of God's people.

Said man

oh how unwavering our hope that

one.

Hope that we all share in the hope of glory that is guaranteed

by the indwelling Holy Spirit that was accomplished by our Savior Jesus Christ.

But we serve a risen Savior.

Amen.

Amen.

Well let's go ahead and open your copy of God's Word to Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians chapter 4 our primary text today will be 11 and 12.

But just as we've been doing I want us to start in verse 1 of chapter 4 and read all

the way through to get our minds in line with the context of what the Apostle Paul is

telling us here in these couple of verses.

Ephesians chapter 4.

Starting in verse 1 Paul says.

I therefore a prisoner for the Lord urge you to walk in a manner worthy of

the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness with with

patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in

the bond of peace.

There is one body and one spirit just as you were called to the one hope that

belongs to your call.

One Lord one faith one baptism one God and Father of all who is over all

and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ gift.

Therefore it says.

When he ascended on high he led a host of captives and he gave gifts to men.

I'm saying he ascended.

What.

What does it mean.

But that he had also descended into the lower regions the earth.

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all

things.

And he gave the Apostles the prophets the evangelists the shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the

work of ministry for building up the body of Christ.

This is the reading of God's inspired words.

Let's stop for a moment.

Let's ask that the Holy Spirit would illuminate our minds and hearts to this truth your Heavenly Father we

come to you once again and we we acknowledge our frailty and

understanding.

At times we acknowledge our laziness and not digging

into the context as we ought.

We acknowledge our sin of seeing ourselves in Scripture instead of seeing our Savior in Scripture.

But we ask right now we ask Holy Spirit that you would help us help us

to see it with clarity.

Help guard my lips from error guard their ears from hearing error.

But that we would speak only truth from your word.

And it would be honoring to you in Christ's name.

Amen.

Well if you were with us last week you may recall that we looked there at verses 7 through 10 of

what we just read where we saw Paul switching from from speaking about you and I Christians and

the Christians there in Ephesus that he's writing to.

But we switch us from speaking about us in a way that that could be perceived as as

uniformity in our oneness there in verses 4 5 6.

It's that oneness that that you and I have that we've been talking about for weeks.

We have in the triune God a triune God that is one.

But Paul now he switches to speaking to each one of us.

In verse 7 he does so in an individual way.

There you look at it it says.

But grace was given to each one of us each one of us according to the measure of

Christ's gift.

And and what Paul's doing is allowing us to see that the unity that he's been calling us to maintain the unity that he's

called us to to to guard back in verse 3 is not mere uniformity but is

is quite staggering in its variety and Christ given giftedness

leading Paul to go into that parentheses there in verses 8 through 10

wherein Paul quotes Psalm 68 verse 18 pointing to the how and the

why of Christ's worthiness to be the one to dispense this variety of gifts for the purpose of

the unity of the body the unity of the church that he's called us to maintain.

We know this because Paul exegetes that text.

He quotes the text in verse 8.

And then he tells us what it means there he asked the question in verse 9.

Look at it in saying he ascended what does it mean.

But that he had also descended into the lower regions the earth.

This is speaking of the hypostatic union.

This is speaking of God the second person of the Godhead Christ coming

down descending.

And Paul asked the question what does it mean.

And then he answers it in verse 10.

Look he Jesus who descended the eternal second person of the Godhead the

who created all things comes down and descends to be made like man the creature

that he created so that he could redeem him.

But it says he descended as the one who also ascended going back to the right hand of the

father having bought victory far above all the heavens that for

what purpose that he might fill all things.

You see this is the how and the why of what makes Jesus the one worthy to give these gifts.

And now that Paul has diverted from his thoughts to lead us down that that what I would call a very

worshipful Christ honoring parentheses there in verses 8 9 and 10.

He then jumps right back into his train of thought without skipping a beat.

Look at it with me as a matter of fact start in verse 7 where he starts the thought.

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ gift.

Now hop down to 11.

And he gave this is what what is it Christ gift.

He gave Christ gift.

And he left some things.

Here's as the Apostles the prophets the evangelist the shepherds and teachers.

Now now this is obviously not an exhaustive list of of the gifts Christ has given to the church as we

know over in first Corinthians chapter 12 all the way 12 through 14 where he speaks of

this variety of giftings that we see within the church.

Yet here Paul only points to four of them.

And I think as we take a deeper look at each of these four it becomes evident as to why.

So I want us to see first that he points out that Christ Jesus

gave.

And I've got some points up here on the screen Jesus gave the Apostles.

It's obvious it's right there in the text.

What do we know about the Apostles.

And why did and why does Paul list them first.

Well and we know that they're made up of of the twelve disciples that Jesus chose to

follow him in his earthly ministry.

Aren't they now.

Of course one of them the one of the twelve Judas who betrays Jesus replaced by Mathis.

I believe in Acts 1.

We also know that we have another one added the one that's writing this letter the Apostle

Paul who's designated as the Apostle of the Gentiles.

But what is it that these 13 men did.

And why does Paul mention them here.

Look back with me in chapter 2 of Ephesians.

If you were with us through the study you'll remember we we talked about this in depth.

But I want to remind you let's go back chapter 2 verses 19 through 20

he gives us some insight as to where he's going.

Remember context is king.

Right.

We have to understand why is Paul putting this in here.

Why.

Apostles.

But in Ephesians chapter 2 in verse starting verse 19 he says.

So then you he's talking to Gentile Christians.

Right.

That's the whole purpose of him writing this letter to them.

He's saying you're not second -hand Christians.

It's not the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians.

This is one body.

Right.

This is there's unity here.

But he says so then you are no longer strangers and aliens.

But you are fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the

household of God.

What is the household of God.

What do we talk about when we got there.

It's a dwelling place for God to meet with his people.

Isn't it to be with his people.

This is a dwelling place a household for God to be with his people.

Look at verse 20.

And this household this this this building this church is built

on the foundation.

Right.

Every house needs a foundation doesn't it.

It's gonna crumble.

And what is the foundation.

It's the starting point of the building isn't it.

But he says it's built on the foundation of the Apostles.

These 13 men needs any mentions and prophets which we'll talk about here just a moment.

But the Apostles and the prophets this are the foundation of this household of God and Christ

Jesus himself being the cornerstone being the one that puts that foundation

in alignment.

The Apostles are building that foundation.

That's what Jesus is doing for this household of God.

And what does it mean that they are the foundation.

What does it mean that the Apostles and the prophets are the foundation of this spiritual building this dwelling place of the Lord

the church.

Well Matthew 1040 Jesus says whoever receives you who's he speaking to.

He's speaking to the to the 12.

Speaking to disciples he says whoever receives you receives me and

whoever receives me receives him.

Who sent me.

Jesus is saying the Father sent me and now I send you.

And they're gonna they're going to receive you.

And if they receive you they receive me.

And if they receive me they receive the Father.

Later on in John 17 Jesus praying for these men in the high priestly prayer if you remember

he's he really lays out to the to these men at there at the at the upper room and where we see the

Lord's Supper enacted.

And he's telling them what's going to happen.

They're not really fully understanding at the end of his whole kind of sermon to them he goes into a

prayer for them.

And in chapter 17 of John in verse 20 says he says I do not ask for these only

but also for those who believe in me through their word.

Jesus just prayed for you and me.

And what did he pray.

He prayed for us that we would receive him through the word of

these Apostles.

He's given them authority.

Isn't he.

These men are the immediate messengers of Christ himself.

They are the eyewitnesses of him.

They are the eyewitnesses of his miracles of his resurrection and subsequently his

doctrine.

If they are his chosen representatives they are the ones they get to define to us what

his truth is.

And he's given them the authority to do so they were given this authority as the foundation as the church to

interpret the Old Testament scriptures.

If you remember all the religious leaders they had just completely annihilated the

interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures they they had turned it into legalism and a

works righteousness.

And Jesus was defining what the Old Testament really was meaning.

And now he gave the the Apostles the authority to define it.

He gave them the authority to teach and to write the New Testament.

That's why we have the Word of God because God used them.

We see this to be true in the calling of of all the Apostles.

Jesus again speaking to his disciples in that upper room before he had gone into that prayer in John 15 he says he says hey

listen guys you didn't choose me.

I chose you and I appointed you.

You didn't choose me.

I chose you and I appointed you to this task.

I gave you the gifting for this.

I called you to this task.

And of course Paul wasn't there.

But we see later on in Acts chapter 9 remember what what God comes to Ananias and tells Ananias to

go to him.

And he says go go to Paul with Saul go to him.

For he is a chosen instrument of mine.

For what purpose.

The same purpose that he had already told those guys that they were chosen by him.

He says to carry my name before the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel.

Christ Jesus has called the Apostles to this.

The gift of Apostleship was Christ to give alone.

They were intentionally chosen instruments for this purpose gifted and empowered by the

Holy Spirit to be the foundation of this glorious building this dwelling

place for God in light of that.

There is therefore no need for any more foundation.

Hence there are no more Apostles.

Anyone who claims to have that gift has certainly not received it from Christ.

He quit divvying that gift out because it's no longer needed.

Foundation has been poured.

Now many people want to come in and they want to jackhammer that foundation and pour a foundation not based on the

cornerstone Christ based upon their own cornerstone.

But that's not the Apostles.

We see Rome we see the New Apostolic Reformation.

They are all false Apostles.

We do not believe them.

Foundations already done.

Let's look at the second thing that he points out to you gave Jesus gave the prophets.

The Jesus is the one that is given the gift of of the Apostles.

Now Jesus gives the gift of the prophets.

What exactly is a prophet.

A prophet.

A prophet is essentially one who speaks on behalf of another.

A prophet is a spokesperson.

Is the mouthpiece.

We see a number of them in the Old Testament.

We actually studied one a couple years ago.

If you're with us we went through Jonah.

Right.

God goes to Jonah and tells him exactly what he wants to say to Nineveh.

He says go give them the message.

And that was a drug out rebellious issue.

But he reluctantly did so and God worked in the midst of that.

We have some prophets who wrote portions of the Old Testament scriptures like Isaiah.

And we have some that did not like Elisha but nonetheless they were spoken to by

God and God sent them as a messenger all called by God.

There are actually two signs of a true prophet that we see in Deuteronomy 13.

The first one is that he must not lead anyone towards any other gods.

If he does he's not a prophet.

And the second one is whatever he says must come to pass.

Otherwise proven it's not from God.

For God is not a God of confusion.

Is he.

So we see this prophet in the Old Testament.

This wasn't this was a necessity otherwise how was God going to speak to his people.

How is God going to interact with his people and give them the information that he wants them to have.

They didn't have the scriptures like we do.

We take that for granted.

Don't we.

They didn't have.

They needed prophets.

They needed men who were spoken to and given the word.

But here we see that God's people did have at least the Old Testament scriptures.

As Paul's writing this letter in the church in Ephesus they have the Old Testament scriptures.

That's where the Apostles are teaching from.

They're building on that foundation and they're defining what that means.

They're preaching it.

They're teaching it.

Yet Paul affirms the gift of profit given by Christ for the church just as he had given the

Apostles.

So how if at all are the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament prophets different.

I think that's the question at hand.

Don't you think.

I think we can see that distinction in 1st Corinthians as a turnover there with me in 1st Corinthians 14 the

first four verses in 1st Corinthians 14.

Really in verse 12 13 or chapters 12 13 and 14 we see the church in Corinth that

was was misusing the gifts.

They were.

They were abusing the gifts.

They were actually making an idol out of the gifts.

And Paul here as he gets into chapter 14 in the first four verses verse 20 says.

Hey church pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.

Christ is the one that gives them.

Right.

Especially that you may prophesy.

There's that word.

There's a prophet.

Right.

That you may prophesy.

You may be a messenger.

For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God.

For no one understands him but he utters mysteries in the spirit.

On the other hand the one who prophesies speaks to people

in contrasting tongues and in prophecy here.

And he says the one who prophesied speaks to people.

And for what reason he shows us there.

He says for their up building for their encouragement and consolation.

It's edifying the Saints.

It's building.

It's upon that foundation.

Remember he says the foundation is the prophets and the Apostles.

It's building here.

Look at verse 4.

The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself.

But the one who prophesies oh what does he do.

Builds up the church.

He builds up the church.

This is this is the same type of language that Paul is using Ephesians.

Isn't it this.

This construction project of Christ.

And he's gifting people to do so.

So these prophets are doing that.

Remember this is a dwelling place for the Lord.

This is being built up.

That passage back in Ephesians 2 that we read a moment ago referred to the Apostles and the prophets as that

foundation.

And Paul is writing to a church that is still early in the building process.

We forget that when we read 1st Corinthians early in the building process

that is still in the apostolic age the Apostles are still around.

They do not yet have the New Testament canon.

It's not completely done and written and ready for the church.

And so as he writes to the church at Corinth he's writing to a to a people who have a gifting in an

area that is necessary for the building up of the church in that particular era

of the apostolic era the beginning stages.

They're there doing foundation work.

And Jesus has gifted them for that.

You see God is still speaking to certain people the things that he is using to build up the church there

in the early church.

Now here's the thing we may not have any need of that now because we already have everything we need for life and godliness.

Don't we we have everything we need for life and godliness.

Right here guys we don't need those prophets any longer.

We don't need the Apostles anymore because we have them.

That's already done.

The foundation has already been poured.

After all the Apostles and the prophets they were merely that foundation.

You know.

I find it interesting that there are those who will come to this text here in Ephesians 4 and affirm that oh yeah there's no

longer Apostles.

We don't need the Apostles anymore because that gift is already accomplished.

It's already accomplished its task.

They already wrote the scriptures.

We have it.

We have their words.

We don't need them anymore.

But they can't seem to let go of the prophets.

Well they're listed here in the same fashion as the Apostles and the prophets in Ephesians 2 as the

foundation.

Why would he do so

the people who would prophesy in the New Testament were still under apostolic authority.

We must remember that those prophets didn't just come in and say thus saith the Lord

over in 1st Corinthians 14.

Later on in verse 29 he says let two or three prophets speak oh and let the others weigh.

What is said when somebody comes to you and says thus saith the Lord how are you to judge

that somebody comes and says I have a prophetic word for

you.

How do you judge it.

According to the Apostles teaching.

They have the authority from Christ.

They have the ability to tell you what is of Christ and what is not.

And so the church had to weigh in on what anyone prophesied there in the early church.

And what were they weighing in on the teaching of the Apostles and their

definition of what the Old Testament scriptures and now their word that is written in the New Testament

is based upon.

Now I have to say with that.

Okay there are brothers who hold to a different interpretation than we do about the gifts.

Whether or not the gifts of prophecy have ceased after the apostolic age once the Apostles

were gone.

Nevertheless those advocates those those that would advocate for

this and still reserve the turn and still reserve reserve the term brother for me

if they advocate for the ongoing gifts of the prophecy and I'm going to still call them brother.

They are the ones who also affirm that those prophecies are never adding to or taking

away from God's inspired word in Scripture

see I will call them brother.

I think they're wrong.

But they will affirm that they're not adding or taking away from the Apostles teaching of that foundation.

And if that be the case I would simply echo my brother and mentor John Owen.

He says if private revelation will prophecy if private prophecy agree with Scripture

they are needless.

And if they disagree they are false meaning.

We already have everything we need the Apostles toward the foundation along with the

prophets that were subordinate to the Apostles.

Thank the Lord we didn't.

We do now have the indwelling Holy Spirit who often prompts us doesn't he

he still works in us.

He prompts us to recall those words for the sake of other brothers and sisters.

But that is not adding to God's words.

I've done it myself.

I've come to people and said God's laid it on my heart to speak this biblical truth to you.

And I've had many of you come and do the same to me.

That's not what we're talking about here.

My point is that this was a gift from Christ for building up the body during a specific time in church history

just like the apostolic gift because they are the foundation.

Jesus has given us the Apostles.

Jesus has given us the prophets.

Jesus has also given us the evangelist.

When you think of an evangelist we often think of men like Ray Comfort right.

A great evangelist great man of God who loves the Lord and shares the gospel.

Some of us even remember growing up in churches that that scheduled a revival.

You know the ones I'm talking about they have this traveling minister who comes in and strolls into

town rants and rays every night for a week until he gets half the town all worked up emotionally enough to get

baptized in the two weeks later.

You can't find any of them.

You know I'm talking about.

We put out a little flyer that sends it out and says oh by the way we've summoned the Holy Spirit for that week.

He's gonna bring about revival.

Come on.

A lot of us grew up with all that didn't we.

Is this who Paul is referring to that traveling evangelist.

Is he referring to Ray Comfort.

Well it's.

It's fairly complex here as a matter of fact so much so that Rome holds a crazy view

that this what Paul's referring to that they're.

They are what they call Vickers men commissioned by the Apostles with special powers

that this must be who who Paul's talking about with evangelists.

And they've.

They've made this entire new category.

And however going back to Scripture being the final authority remember we see no evidence of that.

We have to base everything on evidence on the contrary it does seem as though these are men gifted with a

desire and an ability to take the gospel of the lost such as missionaries.

There's men that would go forth and take the gospel to all the nations.

Now we're all called to do the work of an evangelist just as Paul told Timothy to do so.

Right.

Remember in 2nd Timothy 4 he says he says do the work of an evangelist.

Timothy do the work of an evangelist.

We're all called to evangelize.

The Great Commission is a call for all of us to fulfill.

But remember that we are a unified body.

We don't all function with the same giftings.

I can tell you right now I am NOT nearly the evangelist as my friend Bobby Caliendo

that some of you have met down in Florida that man has been uniquely gifted with the desire

and the ability to evangelize the lost that I

do not have doesn't mean that I don't do it.

It just means that he's designed for that particular thing.

And I think this is what Paul is referring to evangelist.

We needed the missionaries.

Right.

We started with the Apostles.

We go to the prophets who are subordinate to the the the Apostles and

then the evangelist who then take that truth to all the nations.

This leads us to our fourth and final category of gifts.

Jesus gave the shepherds and teachers.

You may be thinking wait a second pastor.

That's that's two of them.

Why are you throwing them into one category.

That's shepherds and teachers.

Well that you're right.

This has led to a lot of disagreement.

Is Paul speaking of one gift or is he speaking of two gifts.

I would say he's speaking of one.

There are a few problems with separating them.

The first being that what is inferred by the word teacher is as Calvin says

having nothing to do with this discipline.

The word teacher has nothing to do with discipline nor with the administration of the sacraments.

We would call it the ordinances the Lord's Supper and baptism.

Teachers would have nothing to do with administering those nor with it admonitions or

exhortations but simply with the interpretation of Scriptures.

You see the difference between a shepherd or some of your Bibles might say pastor some of your Bibles might say elder.

But we see nothing of that sort prescribed in Scripture.

We do not see men who are called to teach yet not called to exhort

the Westminster Confession.

Westminster Confession are our Presbyterian brothers.

They do have a distinct office of teacher.

They they separate these two from pastor shepherd.

The Puritans did the same thing.

They called them doctors.

I think the closest thing to this that we have would probably be seminary professors.

The problem with that is that we don't see that again specified in Scripture.

And secondly if they are teaching theology and not exhorting what are they teaching.

I do not believe you have this category.

But the second reason and more convincingly within context is the absence of the article before

teacher.

An article is used before a noun as a type of adjective and it's hard to see it in the

English translation.

Here we see Paul using this article before each of these other nouns.

There are ESV if you're reading from the SV and says that he gave the Apostles the prophets the evangelists the shepherds and teachers.

When we read it like that we say well yeah I just he just added on the and for the very last word.

Right.

It's almost like a comma and then an and but that's not how the Greek is a matter of fact.

I think it's clear in the New American Standard Bible is this.

And he gave some as Apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors.

Oh and teachers that article isn't there by the way

pastor shepherd overseer elder.

We all know that this is all the same thing.

Right.

These are all the referring to the exact same office.

And this shepherd and teachers I believe is a twofold office.

There's no such thing as an elder who's not gifted to teach.

And we see the qualifications of an overseer in first Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Right.

What's one of the qualifications.

And who's that gift from Christ.

Christ has given that gift.

So these are the four Christ -given gifts that Paul mentions Apostles prophets evangelists and

shepherd teachers.

So the question is why these four.

That's what we presented.

Right.

That's why we were asking why these four alone as the gifts given by Christ.

Now remember this is in connection with Paul's ongoing command to living in a manner worthy of our calling

into maintaining to guarding the unity of the Spirit.

Well here I think verse 12 answers that question.

Look at verse 12 there in our passage of Ephesians 4 Christ the

head of the church and his infinite wisdom has given these specific four gifts

verse 12 to equip the saints for the work

of ministry for the building up.

We're building up the body of Christ.

What is he doing.

He's building up that dwelling place that household where God will dwell with his

people that we saw back in chapter 2.

You see the Apostles had the authority of Christ as his representatives being the foundation of this

building affirming and confirming all prophecy spoken by both the Old

Testament and New Testament prophets who were also part of the early

foundation leading to and affirming the evangelist who takes the gospel into all the world

finding the elect from every tribe nation and tongue.

And once those elect hear the voice of Christ because they've been awakened to new life they're

given shepherd teachers.

You see the pattern here.

There's a reason Paul lists off just these four.

They're given men who were called and gifted by Christ himself only.

Speaking what the foundation the Apostles have taught them to teach

caring for the flock as good shepherds.

His example not perfectly.

Christ is the only one who has the title the Good Shepherd.

We're oftentimes very poor shepherds.

Aren't we.

I acknowledge that myself.

But that is when we should be brought back into alignment with what the Apostles taught us

through the Word of God as the foundation.

The point is you and I as Christians will never be able to

live in a manner worthy of our calling that he calls us to in verse 3.

Right.

We will never be able to live in a manner worthy of our calling.

And we will certainly never be able to maintain the unity of the Spirit that he has commanded us to do

without the benefit of our Savior's perfect heavenly glorious plan for the church.

He knows better than we do.

And he's the one that has called it to be.

So he's the one that has prescribed it.

He's the one that is gifted for it.

He's the one that has placed these particular offices and roles and giftings.

And the position that he has that plan that he has given gifts in order to

accomplish is the local ecclesia.

It's what we are here the local bride if you want to say well I'm part of the Universal Church.

Well good.

I'm glad you are.

But you can't claim that unless you're part of the local ecclesia too because you don't find that other category anywhere in Scripture

period.

It doesn't exist because you have no pastor shepherd overseer teachers who are looking

to the foundation who are being used by Christ.

You're not submitting yourself under what Christ has given for your good and his glory.

Those shepherds teachers elders pastors men who know where their authority ends and begins by the way

that's important.

He listed four things not just the path the shepherd teachers.

Right.

He found he grounded the shepherd teachers all the way back to the elders or the Apostles.

So anytime a pastor comes in and abuses his authority because he oversteps what Scripture has

prescribed or he doesn't live up to that standard in which Scripture has prescribed in order to care for your

souls.

If he is not basing it upon the teaching of the Apostles that got it directly from Christ then

he himself is proving not to be a shepherd teacher.

And you do not have to follow him all but put the

show on the other foot.

If that area is prescribed by the Apostles it's prescribed by Christ.

And he does have the authority as an overseer as a shepherd in your life.

But only within that prescribed means if you're not actively participating in the life of a local

church a healthy local church I remind you you can't just go to any church a healthy local church that is seeking to

align itself to the Apostles teaching.

You are missing out on the command on the common means of grace that he is commanded

that Christ has called you to.

And in missing out you are certainly not living in a manner worthy of your calling.

And you are without a doubt not participating in the unity of the Spirit.

Now I will say this if there is no healthy local church where you live I'm gonna say something extreme.

I've said it before.

And for those of you that have been around for very long you will not be shocked by this.

But I'm going to say it's the same advice I give everyone if there's not a local healthy church in your community

then quit your job.

Pack your bags load up your family and move to where there is.

Take a pay cut if you have to.

That's how important what Jesus prescribed is.

Period.

Yeah you can't get around it.

This is what Jesus has called us to.

This is why he's gifted these roles the local church.

Immerse your life into it.

And for those of you who are who are here in a part of it be encouraged know that this is where God has

called you.

And in the midst of discouragement and I'll be honest as I watch a lot of you

I'm gonna get a little personal here.

I can tell that some of your feeling the fatigue of all of the efforts of trying to get into the new

building and how slow things are moving.

I can see it it happens.

There's a bit of a fatigue.

But I want to give you encouragement.

This is that common means of grace that God has called you to.

Sometimes it's not as exciting as you think it should be.

Sometimes it you don't have those that those butterflies and those wonderful feelings when you come into

worship to where you feel overwhelmed and you're you're like man I'm rejuvenated for the next week.

Sometimes you leave with your head down going.

I just don't feel it right now.

It doesn't mean that it's not working.

It doesn't mean that God's not prescribed it.

It doesn't mean that it's not functioning in your life to mold you more into the image of our Savior Jesus

Christ.

We call it common for a reason it's not always the mountaintop experience.

So be encouraged.

Saints in the midst of all this our great Savior the one that has redeemed us he's

he's called us to this and he's prepared us on he's gifted us

he's given gifts.

He's the one to give him.

He's the head of the church.

Amen.

Amen.

So be encouraged.

Well in light of that as we do every single week we get to see the beauty

of it in the Lord's Supper.

We get to go and partake of the wine and the bread which is a representative of his

blood and his body that was given for us.

I know some churches think that this can be done at your home.

You never see that anywhere in Scripture this is meant as an ordinance.

When you come when you gather together.

That doesn't mean when two or three you families come together in your home.

That's not what it means.

This ordinance is meant to be administered within the context of the local ecclesia.

And Paul gives warning of this.

If you come to this table in an unworthy manner some have gotten sick and some have died.

That does not mean that if you have any sin in your life if you're a sinner at all you better not take it.

That's not what Paul is saying.

Paul is saying if you have blatant unrepentant sin in your life.

If you say Jesus tells me to stop doing this but I refuse to do so Jesus

tells me to make it right with my brother or sister but I refuse to do so.

That's what Paul's talking about taking it in a flippant indifferent manner

or in a rebellious state.

Guard guard yourself.

Lay that before before the foot of the cross knowing that Christ has paid for it.

Repent and then come and partake because this is a sign of our unity that

great unity of the spirit that we're maintaining.

So those of you that aren't familiar with it the way this works is we go out these aisles come around the outside.

We come partake of the L or take the elements.

Go back to your seat through the middle.

You can pray as a family pray individually and then partake.

And then we will come back together to sing for a moment and then go into our time of fellowship and quantity of feast.

Let us pray dear Heavenly Father.

We ask that you were honored in our worship today through the preaching mold our

hearts.

We ask that you would point us more and more to our Savior.

That we would not rest in legalism works righteousness but that we would rest in the

finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

And as we partake of these elements that that we are declaring to each other that we are in Christ

and Christ is in us and that we have great unity with each other.

And that we may use this ordinance as a as a means to maintain the unity of the spirit.

We thank you for how you've designed the church as the Apostles and Prophets as the foundation

evangelist who share the gospel and then the shepherd teachers who come in and disciple and

care for and point back to our glorious Savior time and time again

be honored in our time of worship in this ordinance in Christ's name amen.