WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Good morning. Today's reading is Ephesians 4, page 1175. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:20.000 ! As a prisoner of the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:29.000 ! Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:54.000 Through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit. Just as you were called to be one, then when you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and the Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:01:04.000 But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says, 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:14.000 When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people. What does He ascended mean? 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:29.000 Except that He also descended to the lower earthly regions. He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:58.000 So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers to equip His people to work, to work of the service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:17.000 Then we will no longer be infant tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and the craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:44.860 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head that is Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself in love as each part does its work. Amen. 00:02:44.860 --> 00:02:57.460 Thank you for reading, Abhi. It's an absolute privilege and delight to open up God's Word together this morning. Do keep it open, but before we get stuck in, let me pray. 00:02:57.460 --> 00:03:16.080 Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this faithful gathering of your people here today. Father, give us ears to hear, minds to understand, and hearts to accept what you have to say to us today. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:46.060 Amen. 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:48.080 Amen. 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:48.080 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:18.079 Amen. 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:48.079 Amen. 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.079 Amen. 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:18.079 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:47.079 Amen. 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:47.079 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:17.079 Amen. 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:18.079 Amen. 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:47.079 Amen. 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:47.079 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:48.079 Amen. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:48.079 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:48.079 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:17.079 Amen. 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:17.079 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:17.079 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:17.079 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:17.079 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:18.079 Amen. 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:19.079 Amen. 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:19.079 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:19.079 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:19.079 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:19.079 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:19.079 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:20.079 Amen. 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:20.079 Amen. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:21.079 Amen. 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:21.079 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:22.079 Amen. 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:22.079 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:22.300 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:29.060 from one another, Jews and Gentiles have been made one. And have a look at the result in verse 19 of 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:36.060 chapter 2. It says, consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with 00:07:36.060 --> 00:07:43.019 God's people and also members of this household. That's an extraordinary description of the church, 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:47.560 isn't it? We're not simply a group of people who happen to be in the same time and place every 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:55.699 single week. This isn't just a hobby or a club. No, God has made us members of his household. He has 00:07:55.699 --> 00:08:05.740 made us family. And then, amazingly, in chapter 3, verse 10, Paul says that God's intention is that 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:12.220 through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:20.660 in the heavenly realms. Just let that sink in. Is that what you thought you were part of? 00:08:21.940 --> 00:08:28.740 Is your vision of church big enough for that? You see, through the church, through West Kilburn 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:34.120 Baptist Church, God is displaying his wisdom, not just to the earth, but to the heavenly realms. 00:08:34.800 --> 00:08:41.580 And it's an awesome calling. We'll see as we get into chapter 4 that this isn't about intellectual 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:48.740 wisdom or about being smarter than the people next to us. No, it's a wisdom in how we live. It's a 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:55.480 wisdom in where we get our strength. And we should take care not to copy the pattern of those impressive 00:08:55.480 --> 00:09:04.240 organizations in the world, but to follow God's design for the church. God's vision for the church 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:13.759 is awesome. People brought together under Christ, made members of his family, displaying God's wisdom 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:20.720 to the universe. Friends, do we want West Kilburn Baptist Church to be a church that reflects that 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:27.180 grand vision? Well, our passage today has some pointers. Let's look down at chapter 4, verse 1. 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:34.359 As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:42.299 That little word, then, is really important for us to really understand this chapter. Paul is saying, 00:09:42.479 --> 00:09:47.959 no, he's urging us, in light of everything I've just told you, from chapter 1 to chapter 3, 00:09:48.959 --> 00:09:55.099 this, then, in chapter 4 to 6, is how you should live. And it's quite a clear pivot point in Ephesians. 00:09:55.100 --> 00:10:03.519 Chapter 1 and 3 are all about gospel truths, what God has done for us, and who he has made us in Christ. 00:10:04.659 --> 00:10:11.180 And chapters 4 to 6 show us how we should live in light of those truths. And Paul starts that section 00:10:11.180 --> 00:10:19.620 in verses 1 to 16 with how we should live together as the church. And that's particularly relevant for us 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:25.080 today, as we consider elders and deacons. And these verses give us a bit of an insight on how to 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:30.860 think about the role of leaders in the church. But we'll see that this passage isn't mainly about 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:37.840 leaders. It's about the role that each and every one of us has to play in the body of Christ. 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:44.820 And if you're visiting today, or perhaps you're not yet a Christian, I hope these verses will give 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:50.340 you a window into what church is supposed to be, and why Christians believe that this ordinary-looking 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:57.820 gathering matters so much. So then, in light of our salvation and what Jesus has done for us, 00:10:58.060 --> 00:11:03.580 how do we bring about God's vision for the church here at West Kilburn? How do we become the church 00:11:03.580 --> 00:11:12.340 that we're meant to be? Well, firstly, it is by keeping our unity in love. The sort of unity we're 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:17.600 to have as a church requires a radical sort of love. Have a look down at verse 2. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:26.780 Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. 00:11:27.980 --> 00:11:35.280 I love how realistic this verse is. We're not perfect. We've already confessed that today, haven't we? 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:43.360 Put sinful people together. And we're going to need humility, patience, and a whole lot of love. 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:49.459 It's also interesting that when Paul talks about how church should be, he doesn't start with leadership 00:11:49.459 --> 00:11:58.120 structures. He starts with love. And that's where we too should start, with love. At the same time, 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:04.419 I want us to see that this idea of love isn't calling us to be fluffy pushovers. No, being completely 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:10.919 humble. This is all about valuing others above ourselves and looking to their interests rather 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:17.899 than simply our own. Jesus humbled himself, becoming a human, taking on the nature of a servant, 00:12:18.939 --> 00:12:24.199 and becoming obedient to even death on a cross. That required immense strength. 00:12:25.579 --> 00:12:29.899 So how too can we have the same strength to look out more for the interests of our brother or sister 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:35.259 rather than our own interests? It's easy to be self-interested. How do we be other-interested? 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:43.480 Being gentle. This isn't about weakness. Each one of us has God-given gifts and strengths. 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:51.179 Gentleness is refusing to use those strengths or influence or God-given gifts to tear other people 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:57.199 down. Instead, it's thinking, how can we use those gifts to look out for the interests of others 00:12:57.200 --> 00:13:03.620 and for the good of others? Then we have patience and forbearing. They very much go hand in hand. 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:10.520 If we're a church community that's living closely along each other, as we should be, then we will 00:13:10.520 --> 00:13:16.080 probably get to know one another very well. And when that happens, we will probably get on each other's 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:25.000 nerves. And that requires patience and forbearing in love. We can choose elders and deacons later on, 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:33.840 but if we do not have love, it will be of no use. Many of those worldly organizations with power and 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:41.720 resources are not marked by love. They can become marked by politics, with people doing what they can 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:47.740 to get ahead. They can be marked by self-interest. You know, what can I get out of this organization? 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:54.539 And what is the minimum that I have to do to get the maximum rewards? Church should be radically 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:59.960 different to that. And if we are, we will stand out in the world and people will be attracted to that. 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:06.779 After all, Jesus said in John chapter 13, by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:08.680 if you love one another. 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:17.519 We move on to verses three to six, which show a radical sort of unity. Have a look down. 00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:26.179 Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and 00:14:26.179 --> 00:14:33.839 one spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:43.320 one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. I want us to notice here 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:51.340 that our job is not to create unity. Jesus has already made us one. Our job is to keep and protect 00:14:51.340 --> 00:14:59.200 the unity that he died to create. My wife and I, early on in our relationship, we met up with my sister 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:06.100 and brother-in-law. And they asked us, what did we have in common? And there was a bit of an awkward 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:14.060 pause because actually Amy and I are quite different. Amy's into arts and theatre and I'm a bit of a geek 00:15:14.060 --> 00:15:20.580 and nerd. Amy loves her music, but for me, Dua Lipa could walk straight past me and I wouldn't know who 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:26.680 it was. Amy enjoys swimming. I enjoy running. Amy hates rice pudding. I actually quite like it. 00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:35.759 But Amy very, very wisely said, the thing we have most in common is our faith. There are, of course, 00:15:35.799 --> 00:15:42.839 other things, but our shared faith is the bedrock of our relationship and it allows us to enjoy our 00:15:42.839 --> 00:15:49.519 differences all the more. And the same is true of church. Our unity doesn't require uniformity, 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:56.980 but it's not a unity at any cost. It's a unity based on shared beliefs and a shared experience 00:15:56.980 --> 00:16:05.779 of Jesus. If you look down at verses four to six, the word one is repeated seven times. Such is the 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:14.139 importance of it. We have seven things in common as fellow believers. We are one body. In chapter two, 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:20.580 verses 14 to 16, Paul talks about how Jews and Gentiles are called to be one body in Christ. 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:28.340 And the same is true of us today. I don't think there's any gathering that cuts across society in 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:34.679 the same way that a church community should. At West Kilburn, we have all ages. We have all races and 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:40.679 ethnicities. We have all economic backgrounds and we have a breadth of tastes. And we should continue to 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:49.459 strive to reflect the community around us that is so diverse. There is one spirit, God himself living 00:16:49.459 --> 00:16:56.419 in us, the Holy Spirit who gives us new life, who lives within us, who helps us to become more and more 00:16:56.419 --> 00:17:04.419 like Jesus day by day. There is one hope of our calling. Ephesians 1 verse 18 talks of the hope to 00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:11.240 which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. That inheritance is 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:19.019 the promise of renewal, of the whole world being made new and an eternity living with God. And that 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:26.539 is our hope. There is one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And again and again in Ephesians, 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:34.819 we see Jesus as the head of the church. We see him as the cornerstone of the building. Friends, if we are 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:41.119 serving Jesus as our head and as our master and not ourselves, then we will already have made huge 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:50.480 progress towards unity. There is one faith, one common experience. We all believe, Ephesians chapter 2 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:57.559 verse 1, that we were once dead in sin. And we believe, 2 verse 4, that because of Jesus's great love for us, 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:06.940 by his grace, God made us alive in Christ. So that verse 8, for it is by grace that you have been saved 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:14.539 through faith. And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. We all have this common faith. 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:20.379 It is quite different, isn't it, to British political parties. Over the last few years, 00:18:20.460 --> 00:18:26.180 they have been marked by splintering and division and bickering. They should have a common ideology, 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:32.639 but they don't. They are all in it for themselves. But we at church are not in it for ourselves. 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:42.980 We have a common faith. And we are united on that common faith. There is one baptism. We have all been 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:48.860 united in the same Christ. And baptism is the visible sign of that gospel reality. And there 00:18:48.860 --> 00:18:55.140 is one God and Father. We are all children of the same Father. And so we are part of one family 00:18:55.140 --> 00:19:02.799 of believers, the God and Father who provides for us richly in all of our needs. However different we 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:10.920 might be, the deepest and most permanent things are things that we share. Amy and I felt incredibly 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:17.080 loved when we joined West Kilburn Baptist Church. And while we might feel that we have some of this 00:19:17.080 --> 00:19:25.920 unity today, we cannot become complacent on this point. This unity creeps in subtly through gossip, 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:31.920 through resentment, through cliques, through refusing to forgive, through turning a secondary 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:35.720 disagreement into something more important than those gospel realities that we share. 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:44.680 Can you see any of those creeping into our church life? If so, let's put a stop to them. Let's refocus 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:51.500 on these things that we have in common. Secondly, we become the church that we're meant to be by 00:19:51.500 --> 00:19:58.860 recognising the diversity of Jesus's gifts. We've seen the call to loving unity. In verse 7, 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:02.819 Paul immediately turns to what's different about us. Have a look down. 00:20:02.819 --> 00:20:11.939 But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. Notice each one of us. 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:18.240 Jesus hasn't gifted us all in the same way. So that means that there's no room for jealousy. 00:20:18.639 --> 00:20:24.500 There's no room for saying, why can't I serve like that person over there? But there's also no room for 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:30.439 false humility. You can't say, I've got nothing to offer, because Jesus had given you a gift. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:39.860 He's given grace to each one of us. And notice where those gifts come from. Verses 8 to 10 might 00:20:39.860 --> 00:20:46.220 seem slightly out of place here, but they're getting at something really important. Paul quotes from Psalm 68, 00:20:46.820 --> 00:20:52.299 which gives us a picture of a victorious king returning from battle and ascending in victory. 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:59.919 And Paul applies that picture to Jesus. Jesus came down to earth. He died and he rose again. And now he's 00:20:59.919 --> 00:21:07.740 ascended into heaven where he reigns over all. And what does this victorious king do? Well, he gives gifts 00:21:07.740 --> 00:21:14.460 to his people. We sometimes struggle to get our heads around the ascension. You know, surely it'd be better if 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:22.860 Jesus was still here doing ministry, doing his own speaking. But Jesus himself said it'd be better that 00:21:22.860 --> 00:21:28.900 he returned to the Father. He ascended to rule over all things. And when he ascended, he sent his spirit 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:37.259 to live in his people. In John 14, Jesus says, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:44.200 and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. You see, amazingly, 00:21:44.379 --> 00:21:51.500 the ascended Jesus chooses to carry on his work, not by himself, but through his body, the church. 00:21:53.299 --> 00:22:02.559 Jesus hasn't left his body to fend for itself. He gives the church what it needs. He gives us people. 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:07.480 Have a look down at verse 11. Paul gives us some examples of some of these gifts. 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:14.559 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:22.220 Notice that the gift Jesus gives are people. We see the apostles and prophets. These are people who 00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:29.139 had a foundational role in establishing and revealing the gospel. Back in chapter 2, Paul describes the 00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:34.620 church as being built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And we have that teaching 00:22:34.620 --> 00:22:41.600 preserved for us in the Bible. Then there are the evangelists, those people who are particularly 00:22:41.600 --> 00:22:47.720 gifted in proclaiming the good news of Jesus, to bring more people into the body. And in some ways, 00:22:47.780 --> 00:22:57.160 that's really all of us. And finally, we have pastor teachers. That word pastor literally means shepherd. 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:04.740 And actually, there's a real connection between that word pastor teacher and elders. We see that in Acts 00:23:04.740 --> 00:23:10.680 chapter 20, where Paul speaks to the elders of this very church in Ephesus. He tells them that the Holy 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:16.880 Spirit has made them overseers and that they are to be shepherds of the church of God. Shepherd teaching 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:22.820 is a key part of the role of an elder. And we're going to be thinking about that later on today. 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:32.279 These leaders themselves are gifts from Jesus to the church. We're not electing these elders simply 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:37.319 because every organization needs someone at the top. No, we've already got someone at the top. That 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:44.359 is Jesus, our head. Jesus is giving us these leaders. Jesus is giving us these elders to serve 00:23:44.359 --> 00:23:52.240 under him. And because Jesus knows we need these elders to teach us and to shepherd us. But if we've 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:56.859 been given all these evangelists and teachers and pastors, surely that just means that all of the 00:23:56.859 --> 00:24:02.759 rest of us can just sit back and let everyone else deal, let them deal with the ministry. But no, 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:06.119 that brings us to the third way in which we become the church we're meant to be, 00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:15.659 which is by serving one another to maturity. Jesus gives us these apostles and prophets and evangelists 00:24:15.659 --> 00:24:23.899 and pastors and teachers so that verse 12, to equip his people for works of service so that the body 00:24:23.899 --> 00:24:31.359 of Christ may be built up. You see, the point of electing elders and deacons, though this passage 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:37.199 doesn't explicitly talk about deacons, is not so that they can do all the serving and all the ministry. 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:42.659 In fact, it should free up all the rest of us to do more ministry and to do more serving. 00:24:43.979 --> 00:24:49.240 The point of having faithful godly elders is that they can teach us and shepherd us and equip us for 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:57.399 ministry. How? Well, by preaching faithfully from God's word, by showing us who God is and what he's 00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:04.060 done for us, by revealing to us how God wants us to live our lives. We all need equipping in that way. 00:25:05.560 --> 00:25:10.720 Deacons are recognized to take particular responsibility for areas of service within the 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:17.259 body, but they too aren't appointed so that the rest of us stop serving. Their service sits within 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:24.840 a church where every member has a part to play. Now, these works of service are many and varied, 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:29.939 and the list that we have in verse 11 wasn't exhaustive. Elsewhere in the New Testament, 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:37.099 we see other gifts. Serving, encouraging, giving, leading, showing mercy, helping, and many others. 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:41.839 And even that list isn't exhaustive. We can think of music, we can think of administration, 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:48.959 we can think of welcoming, cleaning, inviting friends, and so on. The point is, is that Jesus has given 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:58.019 each and every one of us gifts, and those gifts are given to serve others. What are we aiming for 00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:05.340 with these acts of service? Well, it's for the body to be built up. And yes, that's in part about the 00:26:05.340 --> 00:26:12.360 number of people here, but the emphasis in these verses is on maturity. Have a look down at verse 13. 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:14.859 It says, 00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:20.379 Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, 00:26:20.979 --> 00:26:24.119 attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 00:26:25.399 --> 00:26:34.359 The goal of our service is for all of us, not just a few, all of us, to reach maturity. And the mark of that 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:40.240 maturity is somewhat ambitious, isn't it? It's for the church body to become just like Jesus. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:48.620 The whole measure of the fullness of Christ. And we do that by reaching unity in the faith and the 00:26:48.620 --> 00:26:57.779 knowledge of Jesus and everything he's done for us. Notice as well that Paul says, until we all reach 00:26:57.779 --> 00:27:05.900 maturity. See, none of us is expected to show everything about Jesus on our own. I don't have 00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:12.840 every gift. You don't have every gift. Back in chapter one, Paul described the church together as 00:27:12.840 --> 00:27:21.460 Jesus's body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. And it takes the whole body together 00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:27.660 to show something of the fullness of Christ. And that's wonderfully liberating. You don't have to do 00:27:27.660 --> 00:27:36.900 everything. Verse 14 gives us another benefit. It says, have a look down, then we will no longer be 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:42.940 infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:49.600 cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. You see, we live surrounded by competing 00:27:49.600 --> 00:27:56.100 voices telling us where to find identity, telling us where to find happiness and success. And all of that 00:27:56.099 --> 00:28:04.299 is amplified enormously by social media. As Christians who serve, we will be out there in the world with 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:12.319 those influences all around us. But the mark of a mature Christian is being grounded in the gospel. 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:20.079 It's by recognising truth from error. And a big part of this is by being surrounded by fellow believers 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:27.279 who are serving you by grounding you in the truth. And it's by you grounding your fellow believers in the 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:34.179 truth as well. In fact, a lot of this building each other up happens outside of formal settings. 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:41.119 It's beyond teaching from the front. Community groups are an excellent place for us to grow up together. 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:44.079 If you're not part of one, then maybe think about joining one. 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:50.480 But so is catching up with someone one-on-one and taking an interest in how they're coming along in 00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:56.240 their faith. When I think about my faith journey, it was people coming alongside me and helping me 00:28:56.240 --> 00:29:01.299 translate the teaching from the front into how I live my life. And that is where the growth really came. 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:06.879 And it's a journey that's continuing here at West Kilburn as all of you continue to build me up. 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:14.640 Verse 15 gives us a really concrete way in which we're to serve one another. Have a look down. It says, 00:29:15.080 --> 00:29:22.580 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him 00:29:22.580 --> 00:29:31.020 who is the head, that is Christ. The phrase speaking the truth in love goes a bit further than what the 00:29:31.020 --> 00:29:36.860 translation suggests. More literally, the verb itself is truth. We're to do truth. We're to 00:29:36.859 --> 00:29:44.240 live truth. We're to speak truth. All of those things. And you see, truth and love are a necessary 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:51.519 combination. For those of you who are keen gardeners, you will know that plants need both sun and rain to 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:55.979 thrive. And this year's summer has been a particular challenge to keep plants thriving, hasn't it? 00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:02.699 And it's the same here as we build each other up. We need truth and love in combination. 00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:09.940 Now, the reality is, if you search yourself, if you look at yourself, so I certainly know it's true for me, 00:30:10.340 --> 00:30:18.039 that we're all inclined to be one way or another. And it's so hard to have both in equal measure. 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:25.279 And our sin gets in the way of that. Some of us are truth without love people. We need to win the 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:35.839 argument and be right. And it's harsh. It's cold. It's destructive. Others of us are love without truth 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:44.839 people. We hate conflict. We avoid that difficult conversation. It risks being sentimental and it lets 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:54.740 people continue in their wrongdoing. Instead, the call for us is for both truth and love, which Jesus 00:30:54.740 --> 00:31:02.000 embodied perfectly, especially at the cross. You see, the cross was profoundly truthful and even offensive. 00:31:02.699 --> 00:31:09.259 God was saying that my sin, your sin, is such a problem that God himself needed to come down to earth 00:31:09.259 --> 00:31:13.319 and die on a cross for us to even have the chance of a relationship with God. 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:20.539 But it's also profoundly loving, isn't it? God cares for us so much that he sent his son, 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:26.359 Jesus, to die for us, to bring us back into relationship with him. And that's our calling, 00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:28.960 truth and love in equal measure. 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:34.920 And let us not lose sight of the fact that it is Jesus who is growing the body 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:38.860 as each one of us plays our part. Have a look down at verse 16. 00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:46.320 From him, Jesus, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, 00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:53.620 grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work. Notice where the grace comes from. 00:31:54.100 --> 00:32:02.640 It's from him. Jesus is the head. And notice how he produces that grace. It's as each part does its work. 00:32:02.640 --> 00:32:07.759 Remember when I said earlier that you don't have to do everything. 00:32:08.780 --> 00:32:13.900 Well, here's the other side. You don't have to do everything, but you do have to do something. 00:32:14.840 --> 00:32:20.960 We are each called to play our part. Jesus hasn't given us every gift, but he has given us a gift. 00:32:21.700 --> 00:32:23.720 So how are you going to play your part? 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:31.600 And there's something bigger at stake here, rather than just whether or not West Kilburn functions smoothly 00:32:31.600 --> 00:32:36.600 and runs smoothly as everyone plays their part. No, we are Jesus's body. 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:41.120 Together, we're meant to display something of what our head is like. 00:32:41.460 --> 00:32:45.039 We're meant to display his wisdom to the whole universe. 00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:51.899 So when a part of the body decides not to serve, it's not simply that the church functions less well. 00:32:52.659 --> 00:32:57.599 We give the world a poorer picture of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 00:32:59.379 --> 00:33:03.359 Our serving doesn't make Jesus glorious. No, he is already glorious. 00:33:03.859 --> 00:33:09.519 But as the whole body serves together, we display just how wonderful he really is. 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:17.059 The other thing this verse shreds to pieces is the idea of individualism. 00:33:17.859 --> 00:33:21.460 We cannot hope to become a mature Christian on our own. 00:33:22.339 --> 00:33:25.500 Yes, personal time in prayer, personal time reading the Bible, 00:33:26.259 --> 00:33:30.799 personal time persevering through suffering and putting sin to death. 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:33.639 Yes, all of those things do help us reach maturity. 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:38.140 But the maturing effects are amplified as we come together, 00:33:38.580 --> 00:33:41.860 whether that's by praying together, whether that's by reading the Bible together, 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:46.180 whether that's by encouraging each other, or whether that's by lovingly challenging one another. 00:33:47.520 --> 00:33:52.460 I need you. You need me. We all need each other. 00:33:53.560 --> 00:33:58.680 So to each of you, I ask the question, what can you be doing to build up a brother or sister? 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:04.440 We can come up with lots of excuses, can't we, of why we don't or why we can't. 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:07.900 But Jesus has given us gifts. 00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:11.800 So use them, whether you have a lot of time or a little time. 00:34:12.240 --> 00:34:14.139 Can I encourage you to find a way to serve? 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:20.720 And to each of you, I also say, are you allowing yourself to be built up by others? 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:23.559 Pride often gets in the way of this, doesn't it? 00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:26.260 I can handle it myself. I don't need you. 00:34:26.260 --> 00:34:32.380 But if you want to reach maturity, you need the church body to help you get there. 00:34:33.160 --> 00:34:37.180 When I was a new Christian, Kate and Michael encouraged me to join youth and serve there. 00:34:37.740 --> 00:34:40.400 Without their nudge, I'd probably have just kept my head under the radar. 00:34:41.380 --> 00:34:43.560 But serving really helped me grow in the faith. 00:34:45.160 --> 00:34:46.780 Will you let other people build you up? 00:34:48.540 --> 00:34:51.000 So how do we become the church we're meant to be? 00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:56.400 A church that displays God's great purpose to bring all things together under Christ. 00:34:56.800 --> 00:35:00.000 A church through which God's wisdom is displayed to the whole universe. 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:04.280 Well, it's by keeping our unity in love. 00:35:05.099 --> 00:35:09.179 A radical love and a radical unity with a sure foundation. 00:35:09.960 --> 00:35:13.400 It's by recognising the diverse gifts that Jesus has given us. 00:35:13.940 --> 00:35:16.260 And electing elders and deacons is part of that. 00:35:16.260 --> 00:35:22.680 And it's by serving one another as we live and speak truth in love with each other, 00:35:23.040 --> 00:35:25.160 becoming increasingly like Jesus. 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:30.300 Friends, we are privileged to be part of this high and mighty calling. 00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:37.320 And the wonderful assurance that we all have is that our ultimate dependence is on Jesus, our head, 00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:39.740 and everything that he has done for us. 00:35:39.739 --> 00:35:45.779 So in light of that, let us live up to the calling before us and be the church we're meant to be. 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:49.259 As the band comes up, let me pray. 00:35:51.759 --> 00:35:55.899 Heavenly Father, thank you for the Lord Jesus and all that he has done for us. 00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:58.139 Thank you that he is our head. 00:35:59.279 --> 00:36:01.759 Help us to love one another radically. 00:36:02.259 --> 00:36:05.079 Help us to recognise the gifts you have given our community. 00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:08.679 And help us to serve one another to maturity. 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:11.239 In Jesus' name. Amen.