WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.040 I would like you to turn in your Bibles this morning to Ephesians chapter 4 and we are going 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:22.960 ! Ephesians chapter 4 verse 14 and 15. Though we have been in Ephesians for many months, 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:33.719 and we have taken the time to get the overview of what this book is about, I think it is always 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:41.340 important for us to reframe context. And so this morning before we actually deal with a small part 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:49.079 of the text, what I want to do is encourage you to remember that Ephesians is a book written by 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:55.420 the Spirit of God given to the Apostle Paul to communicate to the church at Ephesus, 00:00:56.379 --> 00:01:04.780 and it is a book that deals first of all in chapters 1 through 3 with what God has done in salvation. 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:15.280 And it is perhaps the most complete explanation of the part that God plays in bringing us to 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:24.680 Himself and in saving us. The first three chapters explain what Christ has done. The next three 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:29.939 chapters, and that's where we are, we're in the second half of our study, the next three chapters 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:39.900 deal with what we as Christ's body are to do. And as I've explained, the first thing that God brings 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:47.040 to our attention is really the fact that we who are part of His family by virtue of salvation have this 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:57.480 overriding responsibility of unity in our faith and our purpose. And actually verses 1 through 16 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:06.960 is given as a careful explanation of how God works in the church to sustain and nurture and strengthen 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:14.219 this unity in the body of Christ. I look now, if you will, and turn into your Bible to verse 15, 00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:16.840 or actually 14, it says, 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:23.359 so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by waves and carried about by every wind of 00:02:23.359 --> 00:02:30.719 doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes, but rather speaking the truth in love, 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:39.360 we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head unto Christ. I ask that you join me in prayer as we 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:48.479 take the text in hand. Our Father God, this morning as we take Your Word in our hands and as we study it, 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:59.759 we have sung a song that is rich in its scriptural premise, that the handling of Your Word is not 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:05.919 something that is to be done merely on the basis of our own intellect, but we who are Your children 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:14.000 can rely upon Your Spirit to help us both in reading and studying it, but then also in understanding and 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:21.899 being enriched by it. And I'm reminded of what the prophet Zechariah said in its bearing on this moment 00:03:21.899 --> 00:03:27.579 where it said, not by might nor by power, but by spirit, saith the Lord. And this morning, 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:36.660 we who are Your children are thankful for the ministry of the indwelling Spirit. He who abides in us 00:03:36.660 --> 00:03:44.480 cares greatly for our spiritual growth, and He, we ask, would work today that we would understand the 00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:51.160 Word more and that we would grow to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And we ask this, that You might 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:58.159 be honored here among us and in the community that You have placed us, even as You are honored and revered 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:05.400 in eternity. And we ask this in Your precious name. Amen. As we look at this passage, I want you to 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:11.060 remember that Paul is doing something what a very good teacher does, and he's kind of walking us through 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:17.600 the steps of understanding really what is involved in unity and how that unity is maintained and how it 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:23.720 was developed and strengthened. And he explains that at the very heart of the unity that we are to have as 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:31.620 believers is our relationship not only to Christ, but our relationship to the truth, the Word of God. And at the 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:40.100 heart of this relationship to the Word of God is growing and understanding and applying it. Now, I don't know how 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:47.439 all of you are at directions, but as we look here in verse 14, Paul begins actually by explaining where we all started 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:57.540 at and where the new believer starts at. We rely, in fact, many of us today probably rely on MapQuest or Navi to get 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:03.060 us from point A to point B. Do you remember having punched in the coordinates and, well, I don't know how to get there, 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:10.699 but I have, and off we go. I remember in an earlier day when neither Navi nor MapQuest was available, 00:05:11.019 --> 00:05:16.160 for me to get from point A to point B was a very arduous process and not always certain that I would 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:22.779 arrive there. What it meant was actually typing out line by line, go this far, turn here, go this far, 00:05:22.899 --> 00:05:27.980 turn there, etc. And it meant that I would be driving along in the car reading those instructions. 00:05:27.980 --> 00:05:35.720 And getting those instructions was pretty important because if I didn't have them, there was a very, 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:43.300 very small probability that I would, A, arrive on time or, B, arrive at all. I need directions. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:51.140 And the thing I like about MapQuest and Navi is that you get started and Navi makes an assumption 00:05:51.140 --> 00:05:57.020 because it already knows where you are. You understand that, don't you? MapQuest, in order to get directions 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:04.259 from point A to point B, what do you always have to put in first? Pardon? You have to put in your 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:09.459 location. And since autofill is what it is, when I'm in the office, I'm trying to figure out a detail. 00:06:09.659 --> 00:06:14.879 I just, you know, I start 4663 and guess what it does? Trebut Road to Columbus, Ohio, blah, blah, blah. 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:20.060 And I am already settled. I know where I am, and then I can find out where I need to go. 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:26.740 Well, as we look at this passage, it is dealing with some important details that we need to 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:34.120 understand about our spiritual life. And it starts out by, first of all, telling us the nature of the 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:42.259 new believer. Look at what it says there in verse 14, so that we may no longer be children. And when 00:06:42.259 --> 00:06:47.860 Paul makes this statement, he is telling us something about the starting point in the life of the new 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:55.580 believer. Every new believer starts out as a spiritual infant. And sadly enough, that new 00:06:55.580 --> 00:07:00.300 believer can be counted on to do some of the things that are characteristic of a child or an infant. 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:06.860 And it shouldn't be a surprise to us. The idea that just because you are 50 years old when you come to 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:14.520 faith, and along with that age is automatic spiritual maturity, is not the case at all. When you come to 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:21.560 Christ, you start out as a little baby in terms of your spiritual development and your spiritual 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:27.539 behavior. It's very interesting to see how often the Scriptures give to us the idea that new believers 00:07:27.539 --> 00:07:33.279 are babies. They need to be reminded of that. And over in Galatians chapter 4, verse 19, the apostle 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:36.839 writes this regarding the believers there at Galatia. He says, 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:44.259 My little children. My little children. Now, how many of you have had people, and here you are as an 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:50.379 adult, and I'm not talking to you who are 10 or 12, but I'm talking to you who are 40 plus. Have you ever 00:07:50.379 --> 00:07:56.059 had anybody talk to you like you're a child? And you probably have bristled a little bit and said, 00:07:56.159 --> 00:08:03.879 hey, hey, don't talk to me that way. I'm an adult. I can walk and chew gum at the same time. In fact, 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:09.279 I have a driver's license. I don't even get carded anymore. I'm adult. Now, why are you talking to me 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:14.600 that way? Paul, when he talks to the church, he says, listen, my little children. And when he said 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:20.279 that, he was not being offensive to them. He was just reminding them of the reality that at the start 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:28.480 of our spiritual life, we're spiritual infants. Over in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 2, the apostle says 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:38.019 this, as newborn infants long for pure spiritual milk. And one of the things that I understand about 00:08:38.019 --> 00:08:45.440 new believers is that new believers start out as a result of their conversion with a newfound interest 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:52.120 in the Word of God. They're interested in it. They want it. They desire it. They don't have to be pressed 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:58.460 and persuaded and cajoled into reading the Scriptures. They want to know. I remember one 00:08:58.460 --> 00:09:03.539 young man that after he came to Christ, actually, he was not young when he got saved, probably in his 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:09.320 40s. I remember I actually several days after I had the privilege of talking to him about his 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:14.759 relationship with Christ, he got together with me again. And I thought, well, it'd be appropriate to 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:19.799 explain to him that a new believer should be reading the Scriptures. And when I got started on it, 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:23.859 he says, oh, yeah, that's what I've been doing. I didn't know where to start. And so I just kind 00:09:23.859 --> 00:09:29.740 of launched in Matthew. And he had, in the last several days, worked his way through Matthew, Mark, 00:09:29.839 --> 00:09:36.979 Luke, John. He said, I guess I should still go on into Acts. And I thought, yeah, that's right. That's 00:09:36.979 --> 00:09:41.519 not a bad way to go. And here, newborn believer, guess what he was doing? He was in the Word. 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:49.759 Peter says, as newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk. 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:56.639 Over in 1 John chapter 2, when the apostle John writes to the believers there, he says, 00:09:56.839 --> 00:10:03.219 my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you do not sin. 00:10:04.299 --> 00:10:10.699 And over and over again, when either the apostles or another individual would make comment and speak 00:10:10.699 --> 00:10:17.139 about the relationship of new believers to this matter of being childish, the statement is not meant 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:23.799 to be offensive. It is meant to be just an indicator of the reality of where we start as new believers. 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:31.080 And so when we think about that, we mark the fact in verse 14 that we see at the outset there's a 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:38.679 reminder. You start out as a little spiritual baby. Then Paul gives us some identifying marks. 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:46.359 Spiritual immaturity is characterized by some of the same behaviors that mark physical or emotional 00:10:46.359 --> 00:10:53.539 immaturity. And Paul identifies instability as a particular trait of spiritual immaturity. He makes 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:59.579 that statement, and then he notes several things that kind of feed on this instability. So let's mark 00:10:59.579 --> 00:11:04.559 those things. He talks about the reality that we have of being spiritually immature, and then he explains 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:11.519 the different characteristics that mark our immaturity. Spiritual immaturity, for one, leads 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:19.139 individuals to be shaken by circumstances. Shaken by circumstances. When Paul, there in verse 14, 00:11:19.239 --> 00:11:26.439 he says this, he says, listen, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of 00:11:26.439 --> 00:11:32.399 doctrine. When he says that they're tossed to and fro by waves, he's not talking about the sea. He's not 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:38.699 actually saying that new believers are actually moved by the swells and the up and down motion of 00:11:38.699 --> 00:11:43.899 the ocean. He is not referring to that at all. He is speaking in a poetic language. He's saying, listen, 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:51.600 the new believer is someone who is very easily shaken by circumstances. And you stop and think about the 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:56.519 characteristic of a new believer, a person who is not well-versed in Scripture and who does not 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:02.819 understand the certainty of the care and the love of Christ. As a result, when circumstances strike 00:12:02.819 --> 00:12:08.919 that individual, they're easily overwhelmed. And over the years, I've watched those who are young 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:15.379 in their faith be almost overwhelmed by things such as events that strike them, the loss of a job, 00:12:16.699 --> 00:12:23.759 disappointment at work, the loss of a loved one, certain circumstances and behavior of other 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:29.439 individuals who are professing believers who in their misbehavior and their own spiritual immaturity 00:12:29.439 --> 00:12:35.519 will cause a younger one to stumble. And that person who is an infant in Christ will look at that 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:42.179 person who is a little older professing faith and, wow, I can't believe that. And the misbehavior of an 00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:49.740 older believer can be devastating to a child, to an immature believer. And sadly enough, 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:57.100 individuals can sometimes be completely overwhelmed by the behavior of other individuals. And that being 00:12:57.100 --> 00:13:02.539 overwhelmed is something that characterizes the child or the one who is spiritually immature. 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:07.799 Spiritual immaturity also, and that's one thing that we find here in this passage, 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:16.100 leads people to being very vulnerable to doctrinal deceit. Look at what Paul says there in verse 14. 00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:24.639 Not only tossed to and fro by the waves, but carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:36.480 by craftiness in deceitful schemes. It would seem that Satan does not invest a great deal of energy in 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:44.560 the unbeliever. Now, that doesn't mean that the unbeliever does not endure Satan's mistreatment, 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:49.500 but the fact of the matter is, is that much of the heartache that comes into unbelievers' lives 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:56.179 is caused simply by the unintended consequences of sin. Do you follow that? When we engage in sin, 00:13:56.279 --> 00:14:02.799 there's consequences that follow. And we recognize that Satan kind of lets it all devolve, play out. 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:08.299 It is the believer in particular that is being attacked on a regular basis by the enemy, 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:15.399 because the enemy wants to unseat or unhinge the believer. And so we need to recognize that Satan 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:22.879 is actively engaged in trying to deceive and mislead. And we recognize that he does that not 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:29.319 only outside the church, but also inside the church. And he does that in particular through false doctrine 00:14:29.319 --> 00:14:34.740 and challenges that arise as the result of teaching that is contrary to the Scriptures. 00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:42.320 Let me give you a couple examples of doctrinal error that are so prevalent today and readily 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:48.980 accepted in many circles. I think for one of some of the televangelists that you can listen to, 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:53.740 all you have to do is stay home from church a couple weeks, not recommending it. But when you are 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:58.860 deadly sick and can't think of anything better to do, go ahead and turn on some of the channels, 00:14:58.940 --> 00:15:03.919 and guess what you're going to watch? You're going to watch the hucksters of the world try to sell you 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:12.000 on a variety of doctrinal perversions. One, for example, is Joel Osteen. And more than one occasion, 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:18.059 individuals who are orthodox and clear in their Bible thinking have challenged Joel to make himself 00:15:18.059 --> 00:15:25.179 clear on the issues of sin and hell and the reality of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. And he will 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:32.120 dodge the question with his wonderful, smooth behavior, but he won't answer it clearly as to what 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:41.299 the Scriptures teach. And the thing that is troubling to me is how often I bump into professing believers 00:15:41.299 --> 00:15:49.179 that have been believers for years, and they will tell me, oh, I just love listening to Joel Osteen. 00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:58.879 There is a distinct lack of Scriptural clarity in his teaching, and individuals involved in listening 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:05.879 to that have got to recognize that or there's something wrong, childish. Another illustration 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:10.379 would be the false teaching of Rob Bell. I don't know if any of you are familiar, perhaps you are, 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:15.899 but he is a pastor up in Michigan somewhere. I think it's Grand Rapids. Am I right, Pastor Saul? 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:22.100 Up in the Grand Rapids area, and he has become well-known for denying the reality of hell. 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:29.019 Now, wrote a very popular book called Love Wins. Now, that's a nice title, isn't it? Love Wins. 00:16:30.180 --> 00:16:34.779 Actually, the underlying premise of that book is that, listen, God really loves all of us, 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:41.460 and in the end, hell's here on earth, and it's a lot of the difficulties we cause ourselves, 00:16:41.560 --> 00:16:46.139 that's what's being referred to, and at the end, we all go to heaven, kind of a universalism. 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:53.519 And let me tell you something, if hell is not real, then Jesus was lying when he spoke about it. 00:16:54.840 --> 00:17:00.120 The one who talks about hell the most in the New Testament is Christ himself. 00:17:01.419 --> 00:17:09.180 Furthermore, there is no reason for Christ to have died on the cross as he did, and to present himself 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:15.559 as the Savior of the world, and to have his apostles teach that there is no other name wherein 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:20.059 men may be saved, if the fact of the matter is, is that we're all going there anyway. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:30.019 And false teaching is something that infants in Christ are very vulnerable to. 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:38.960 False teaching also presupposes or suggests that salvation is something that is earned by 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.559 our own efforts and good works. 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:47.419 And I got to tell you, that is a very, very popular thought process in the minds of many. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:54.000 All you have to do is go down on Wilson Road, and on the left-hand side, when you're going north, 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:57.720 there is a wonderful place made out of marble. 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:00.440 How many of you know that wonderful edifice out there? 00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:06.940 I remember when my mom and dad first moved to Columbus, and we would be driving and go past, 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:08.480 and my dad would say, what is that place? 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:10.400 I'd say, that's the Mormon temple. 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:13.940 A couple weeks later, what is that place? 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:14.980 It's the Mormon temple. 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:20.320 It's the place where Mormons gather, and at the heart of Mormon religion is this idea that 00:18:20.320 --> 00:18:22.120 our good works get us to heaven. 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:27.120 Not only that, but our good works help us to grow to the point that we eventually don't 00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:30.740 become just like Jesus, we become Jesus. 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:36.460 And the progression of deity is woven into Mormon theology. 00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:38.620 Do you know what? 00:18:39.859 --> 00:18:47.779 The majority of people who are snared by the Mormon religion are not rank and crass unbelievers. 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:54.240 They are new believers who have not been established in doctrine, and they're very vulnerable during 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:56.240 that time of childhood and infancy. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:04.480 Well, that brings us to the fact of how immaturity is to be handled. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:12.240 And what we find there in verse 15 is the apostle giving to us a picture of how we go about developing 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:17.039 spiritual maturity and durability in the lives of those who, once they come to faith, 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:21.539 actually start out as new believers and as spiritually immature. 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:26.420 So let's look first and secondly at the means and goal of growth. 00:19:27.379 --> 00:19:33.359 Look at what it says there in verse 15, rather, on the other hand, instead of being children who are 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:39.339 easily swayed back and forth, rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him 00:19:39.339 --> 00:19:41.460 who is the head into Christ. 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:46.579 Let me begin by explaining what is involved in speaking the truth in love. 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:50.859 And then consider what comes from this work within the body of Christ. 00:19:51.419 --> 00:19:57.000 Now, that little phrase there, speaking the truth in love, is one that is difficult to actually 00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:00.480 translate into the Greek or into English from the Greek. 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:05.159 And the reason for that is because Greek has a tendency of putting words together. 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:12.659 When you want to make a statement or you want to make a point, one of the things that Greek 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:17.640 authors would do is put two words together that maybe wouldn't seem to go together, but they have 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:19.519 to be worked to be understood. 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:29.440 And this idea that this word communicates is not just speaking, it is living the truth and then 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:31.580 in that context, speaking. 00:20:32.580 --> 00:20:36.720 A more accurate translation would be truthing in love. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:44.059 And the idea that the Greek communicates is that of living the truth and then on that basis, 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:46.680 acting it out and speaking it out. 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:51.900 I think a perfect illustration of that can be found in two different passages that I want you to look at 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:52.819 for a moment. 00:20:52.980 --> 00:20:59.819 One would be over in Hebrews chapter 13, talking about pastoral responsibility in verse 7. 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:00.680 He says, 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:09.620 Do you know what it's saying? 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:11.259 It's saying, 00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:17.660 You need to think about those who have taught you the word and give particular attention to 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:19.560 the way they live their lives. 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:27.820 In the Scripture, both the teaching and the living of the word cannot be separated into two 00:21:27.820 --> 00:21:28.720 separate entities. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:32.860 Well, he is a great preacher, but he's a lousy liver. 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:40.240 I'm not talking about liver, the body part, lest some of you are thinking liver and onions. 00:21:40.460 --> 00:21:43.900 I'm talking about, see, there we go, dietary issues. 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:50.140 Liver being one talking about the way you act and live. 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:55.339 Another illustration would be back in Deuteronomy chapter 6, and I want you to turn back there 00:21:55.339 --> 00:22:01.559 just for a moment and put your eyes on the classic passage about Christian parenting. 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:13.399 Beginning there in verse 4, Moses instructs the nation of Israel in speaking particularly 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:14.060 to fathers. 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:15.580 He says, 00:22:15.580 --> 00:22:21.640 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord your God 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:24.140 with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:28.920 And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart. 00:22:29.280 --> 00:22:29.940 You know what it's saying? 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:36.400 First thing, first thing it is said is, listen, God's got something to say to you, and is you 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:39.940 are to love Him, and then you are to hold on to His word. 00:22:40.660 --> 00:22:46.920 The second thing that we find there in verse 7 is, and you shall teach them diligently to 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:47.480 your children. 00:22:48.940 --> 00:22:49.860 Now listen to me carefully. 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:57.559 There's a lot of hand-wringing that goes on today in some evangelical circles about the 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:02.799 high percentage of young people who grow up in the church and then wander away. 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:05.759 Now there are those that do that. 00:23:06.939 --> 00:23:12.279 I know in my own heart and my life the sorrow that comes with a daughter that has not walked 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:13.479 with Christ for some time. 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:14.939 But let me tell you something. 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:21.480 The majority of children who walk away from the faith, if you unpeel the onion, what you 00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:24.519 will find is behind the majority. 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:32.380 Our family constructs in which neither dad nor mom knew Christ, really, nor were they living 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:35.539 a life that was governed by the word of God. 00:23:38.299 --> 00:23:41.539 So when they were speaking, they weren't truthing. 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:43.299 And do you know what? 00:23:43.299 --> 00:23:49.440 When kids hear speaking that is not being truthed out in the way people live, guess what kids 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:50.039 figure out? 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:51.359 That's phony. 00:23:52.159 --> 00:23:53.180 That's hypocritical. 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:56.779 And I don't want to have anything to do with that kind of hypocrisy. 00:23:57.159 --> 00:24:02.559 So when a parent is saying one thing and doing another, the child says, I'm out of here just 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:04.319 as soon as I legitimately can be. 00:24:06.180 --> 00:24:11.539 Paul, speaking to the church, to the body of Christ, he's saying, listen, you've got to 00:24:11.539 --> 00:24:17.099 be living the truth and in that construct, you have to be teaching the truth as well. 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:22.539 So the point that the Spirit of God drives home here is that those who teach must be living 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:24.740 out the truth as they speak it. 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:31.000 Those who teach must be living out the truth as they speak it. 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:35.980 Paul, the apostle, when he was speaking of his ministry, one of the points he made, he 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:40.500 says, you have watched my manner of life and the doctrine that I've taught to you. 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:46.400 Not a mistake then that he makes the statement here in the passage in Ephesians chapter 4 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:51.200 where he says, speaking or living out the truth and speaking it into the lives of those that 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:53.319 you are involved in ministering to. 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:59.099 Now there's another little piece in this passage that we have a tendency to skip over and I want 00:24:59.099 --> 00:25:02.379 us to recognize because it is very, very important piece. 00:25:03.199 --> 00:25:08.439 When Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4 that we are to speak the truth in love, 00:25:08.879 --> 00:25:16.459 he is speaking to us as a body of believers and he's speaking to those who are part of the bride 00:25:16.459 --> 00:25:19.219 of Christ and are connected to one another. 00:25:20.399 --> 00:25:27.659 This business of speaking the truth in love is a community activity and is not a drive-by shooting. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:28.980 I want to make that carefully clear. 00:25:29.099 --> 00:25:34.379 This business of speaking the truth in love is a community activity. 00:25:35.199 --> 00:25:36.679 It is not a drive-by shooting. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:39.579 I do love watching the body at work. 00:25:40.639 --> 00:25:45.879 And what I mean by that is how the body works together to bring truth into the lives of those 00:25:45.879 --> 00:25:47.839 who are members of the bride of Christ. 00:25:48.399 --> 00:25:54.439 Because we rely on the same book, because we love the same Lord, because we care about the same Savior, 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:56.980 we have a tendency to say the same things. 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:57.799 Do you realize that? 00:25:57.799 --> 00:26:00.220 I like watching that happen. 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:06.379 In one illustration I'll give you, sometimes individuals will come and talk to me and perhaps 00:26:06.379 --> 00:26:11.539 they don't like either my temperament or my behavior or the way I comb my hair on that given day. 00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:14.639 And they think to themselves, I'll go to Pastor Saul. 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:16.559 He is much nicer than Pastor Kenoyer. 00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:17.879 He is more gentle. 00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:19.240 He is a more reasonable man. 00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:24.600 And they walk out of Pastor Saul's office and more often than not, here is what they say. 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:28.380 You said the same thing Pastor Kenoyer did. 00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:31.360 It is a real mystery. 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:33.580 How does that happen? 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:36.319 Well, we love the same Lord. 00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:37.899 We read the same book. 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:39.720 We care about the same outcomes. 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:44.939 And I have watched individuals who have made their way from Pastor Kenoyer to Pastor Saul, 00:26:45.159 --> 00:26:49.599 and they think that they're going to have a little conversation in the lobby with one of the more mature saints. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:52.599 And they come up there and they want to commiserate and fuss and fret. 00:26:52.939 --> 00:26:53.859 And guess what happens? 00:26:54.719 --> 00:26:55.799 They hear same, same. 00:26:56.859 --> 00:27:02.619 And it actually gets pretty frustrating because what happens is people, as they bump recurringly into the truth, 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:08.919 they make a decision either to listen to the truth that comes from the Word of God or to vacate the premises. 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:17.500 They will grow or they will go if we are consistent in speaking the truth in love. 00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:18.259 Does that make sense? 00:27:20.459 --> 00:27:22.839 Oh, you said the same thing that Pastor Saul did. 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:25.939 That's a real conundrum to me. 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:26.919 I don't know how that happened. 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:31.299 But Pastor Saul and I read the same book, love the same Lord, and guess what? 00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:37.559 When we come face to face with an issue, at the end of the day, we're going to reconcile that issue with the same counsel 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:39.919 because it comes from the Word of God. 00:27:41.659 --> 00:27:48.500 I want you to recognize, in practical terms, speaking the truth in love seldom takes place in nomadic relationships. 00:27:48.500 --> 00:27:51.900 Now, what do I mean by nomadic relationships? 00:27:51.900 --> 00:28:02.500 While I know that there certainly is more than one reason for the pervasive, shallow, and unstable faith of many today, 00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:10.000 I am persuaded that one of the elements is a lack of commitment to lasting relationships in the body of Christ. 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:16.819 Lobby loving isn't the same as getting in another person's faith and staying with it 00:28:16.819 --> 00:28:20.220 as you work through the challenges of what's going on in a person's life. 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:24.819 And I've got to tell you, when I think about this nomadic issue of relationship, 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.100 one of the things that I can confess, and I trust that you are praying often, 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:36.799 that God will provide us a man to serve as a pastor teacher and a pastor over our family youth ministry. 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:44.319 One of the things that has alarmed me is as we have talked and interviewed a number of different candidates, 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:49.879 I am struck by how many are moving from church to church over a period. 00:28:50.179 --> 00:28:54.240 In some cases, I've talked to several who have been less than eight months in one church 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:56.559 and are being led by God to think about another one. 00:28:56.599 --> 00:28:57.720 Now, that doesn't cut it for me. 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:02.619 I'm in favor of sticking it out and making it work. 00:29:05.619 --> 00:29:08.539 If we're going to speak the truth in love, we have to stay and make it happen. 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:12.319 I think about the words of Mark Dever as he summarized, 00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:15.639 what does pastoral ministry boil down to? 00:29:15.819 --> 00:29:18.899 He said, preach and pray, love and stay. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:28.359 That brings us to the critical issue of having genuine love as the nature and motive 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:31.379 of what we do when we help each other. 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:37.779 Love cannot be divorced from truth, but genuine love tells the truth. 00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:42.159 And genuine love tells the truth lovingly. 00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:47.599 Now, does that mean that in every case, people will always understand at that moment 00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:50.139 that you were telling them the truth lovingly? 00:29:50.139 --> 00:29:52.039 And the answer is, not always. 00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:54.379 Not always. 00:29:56.519 --> 00:30:00.779 But what this passage is identifying is those who are speaking the truth 00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:03.259 are responsible for handling it with love. 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:08.759 I want you to turn your Bible to a passage that really clarifies this issue very clearly. 00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:10.319 Turn back, if you will. 00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:13.140 You're in Ephesians, but go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:15.859 1 Corinthians chapter 13. 00:30:16.099 --> 00:30:18.859 By the way, context is king. 00:30:20.619 --> 00:30:23.299 Context always amplifies and helps us understand the passage. 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:28.279 In chapter 12, Paul is talking about spiritual gifts. 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:32.519 And the reason he was talking about spiritual gifts in the church at Corinth 00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:36.259 is because people were having spitting matches about who was most important. 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:38.000 Oh, yeah? 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:38.879 Watch me. 00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:43.779 You know, and spiritual gifts had become kind of a source of arrogance and dispute 00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:45.639 and argumentation in the body of Christ. 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:48.920 So in chapter 12, he explains spiritual gifts. 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:54.019 And in chapter 13, he talks about how spiritual gifts are to be used. 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:57.420 And he says there in verse 1, 00:30:57.940 --> 00:31:03.340 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, 00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:07.180 I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:17.640 How many of you have ever listened to someone who's just beating on a cymbal or gong endlessly, 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:22.940 repetitiously, and seemingly without any objective other than annoying you? 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:24.840 Do you follow that? 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:26.960 It gets pretty tiring. 00:31:27.299 --> 00:31:29.920 Hey, when your car alarm goes off in the neighborhood, 00:31:30.660 --> 00:31:32.900 how many of you just sleep through it or say, 00:31:33.120 --> 00:31:35.400 Get out there and solve the problem? 00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:37.680 Paul says this. 00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:43.700 He says, Listen, if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels and do not have love, 00:31:43.800 --> 00:31:45.160 I am an irritation. 00:31:47.320 --> 00:31:52.600 If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, 00:31:52.860 --> 00:31:56.960 and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, 00:31:57.140 --> 00:31:58.840 I am nothing. 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:03.780 If I give away all that I have and if I deliver, my body be burned, 00:32:03.779 --> 00:32:06.139 but have not love, I gain nothing. 00:32:08.940 --> 00:32:13.099 You know, we're obligated to stay together. 00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:14.940 We really are. 00:32:15.879 --> 00:32:19.539 And we're obligated to be loving with each other and truthful with each other. 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:24.519 And Paul says that's the characteristic of the body of Christ as it ministers to one another. 00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:29.039 So let's ask ourselves the question, where does this kind of love come from? 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:36.159 Does it come from the fact that we just kind of learn to associate with people who are really a lot like us 00:32:36.159 --> 00:32:38.379 and like the same things? 00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:40.159 Are you listening? 00:32:40.399 --> 00:32:40.659 No. 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:48.139 The probability of everybody liking the same things and getting along because of that is zero. 00:32:48.140 --> 00:32:54.220 This kind of love really comes from God being at work in us. 00:32:54.280 --> 00:32:57.940 Turn over in your Bible, if you would, to 1 John 4, verse 7. 00:33:00.300 --> 00:33:02.259 1 John 4, verse 7. 00:33:04.020 --> 00:33:10.100 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, 00:33:10.099 --> 00:33:13.459 and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 00:33:13.500 --> 00:33:16.559 How do I know someone is a genuine believer? 00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:18.359 How do I know? 00:33:20.899 --> 00:33:23.099 Well, they know John 3, 16. 00:33:24.039 --> 00:33:24.480 Duh. 00:33:26.139 --> 00:33:27.579 They show up in church. 00:33:28.399 --> 00:33:28.740 No. 00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:30.359 Here's what it says. 00:33:31.719 --> 00:33:34.699 It says, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, 00:33:34.779 --> 00:33:38.299 and whoever loves has been born of God and God and knows God. 00:33:38.299 --> 00:33:44.259 So, well, I'm doing pretty good at that because there are about four or five people 00:33:44.259 --> 00:33:45.819 that I really do love in this church. 00:33:46.639 --> 00:33:48.159 Is that what's being talked about? 00:33:48.220 --> 00:33:48.759 What's the answer? 00:33:50.099 --> 00:33:52.000 Shake your head back and forth like this. 00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:52.680 Don't go up and down. 00:33:52.859 --> 00:33:53.899 No, that's not what I'm talking about. 00:33:54.639 --> 00:33:58.019 It's not talking about the fact that there are some people here that you can tolerate. 00:33:58.759 --> 00:34:01.059 In fact, actually, there are some that you actually love. 00:34:02.519 --> 00:34:05.460 It's talking about loving those who are part of the bride of Christ 00:34:05.460 --> 00:34:06.960 because they're part of your family. 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:14.280 A little thing I've learned long ago is that when I was having problems loving certain individuals, 00:34:14.519 --> 00:34:16.640 in my youthfulness, I used to think, 00:34:17.100 --> 00:34:19.320 Well, if God would take them out of my life, it'd be better. 00:34:20.380 --> 00:34:21.340 Here's what I've learned. 00:34:22.420 --> 00:34:28.780 That kind of immature behavior or attitude has always meant that God has not only kept that person in my life, 00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:30.980 but He's brought others in to companion with that person. 00:34:30.980 --> 00:34:36.860 And when God has taken an occasional irritant away, guess what He's done? 00:34:37.820 --> 00:34:41.860 He's immediately replaced it with someone more like the other one. 00:34:41.900 --> 00:34:42.179 Remember? 00:34:42.179 --> 00:34:46.579 Yeah, I will use this illustration. 00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:49.739 Remember Jesus talks about the man cleaning out his house, getting rid of a demon? 00:34:51.359 --> 00:34:53.759 And the demon leaves, but what happens? 00:34:54.699 --> 00:34:56.679 He goes back and brings seven friends. 00:34:56.940 --> 00:34:57.779 I've had that happen. 00:34:57.899 --> 00:35:00.319 You know, it's like, Lord, I really don't like this guy. 00:35:00.659 --> 00:35:01.359 And then he leaves. 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:02.839 Oh, praise the Lord. 00:35:03.019 --> 00:35:04.440 I can love everybody now. 00:35:04.440 --> 00:35:06.039 And then seven like him arrive. 00:35:06.139 --> 00:35:07.179 You know, it's like, ah! 00:35:07.940 --> 00:35:10.179 Okay, let's go to work on the love part. 00:35:11.300 --> 00:35:12.300 Look at verse 11. 00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:15.099 1 John 4, verse 11. 00:35:15.720 --> 00:35:18.780 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:32.240 I have recognized that there are individuals that tweak my love quotient. 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:32.720 Do you follow? 00:35:32.719 --> 00:35:38.699 Well, they are challenges that God uses to help me see whether or not my love is authentic. 00:35:40.379 --> 00:35:45.539 And avoiding those challenges is not the path of spiritual growth. 00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:49.179 Dealing with those challenges is the test. 00:35:53.359 --> 00:35:54.739 So let me ask you a question. 00:35:54.739 --> 00:36:03.979 How can you say you love Christ and not be engaged in his bride and caring for his sheep? 00:36:04.059 --> 00:36:04.939 Do you understand that question? 00:36:05.719 --> 00:36:07.219 Oh, yes, I love Jesus. 00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:16.299 But I am distantly removed from being actively involved in the bride of Christ and nurturing the well-being of people that Jesus loves. 00:36:16.300 --> 00:36:21.000 And I really do love when I don't have anything at all to do with them. 00:36:22.780 --> 00:36:28.320 So what does the activity of living and speaking the truth in love really aim to produce in the life of the believer? 00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:30.500 Let's look at this passage as we close. 00:36:30.700 --> 00:36:32.760 Ephesians chapter 4, verse 15. 00:36:32.900 --> 00:36:33.220 It says, 00:36:35.059 --> 00:36:43.059 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. 00:36:43.059 --> 00:36:55.400 The aim of speaking the truth in love in the church is so that the body of Christ will be like Christ. 00:36:56.059 --> 00:36:57.039 Do you follow that? 00:36:58.019 --> 00:37:04.719 So that those who start out immature will grow in grace and be more like him. 00:37:06.199 --> 00:37:10.860 And by the way, who is to be involved in speaking the truth in love? 00:37:10.860 --> 00:37:13.079 Well, for one thing, pastors ought to do that. 00:37:13.099 --> 00:37:13.539 Isn't that right? 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:18.760 But pastors in doing that should really be involved in what else? 00:37:19.519 --> 00:37:24.240 Thinking about the passage of the context here, it says that a pastor, a shepherd teacher, 00:37:24.640 --> 00:37:30.019 is involved in the ministry of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. 00:37:30.240 --> 00:37:33.519 Who should do most of the truthing in love in this congregation? 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:36.599 The body should. 00:37:36.599 --> 00:37:41.259 And I'll tell you, one of the things that I have been blessed to watch over and over again 00:37:41.259 --> 00:37:48.639 is how this body generally takes care of one another in speaking the truth in love. 00:37:50.440 --> 00:37:57.819 Over and over again, I've watched as I'll hear a little drifting of things going on or comments being made 00:37:57.819 --> 00:38:01.099 that I know, and I've not been directly party. 00:38:01.099 --> 00:38:07.659 Sometimes I'm walking by and I hear blah, blah, blah, and I think, hmm, maybe I should stop and step in. 00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:08.920 And I think, no, no, no. 00:38:10.799 --> 00:38:13.179 A healthy body generally heals itself. 00:38:13.779 --> 00:38:14.500 Do you follow that? 00:38:15.259 --> 00:38:17.219 A healthy body generally heals itself. 00:38:18.179 --> 00:38:22.519 And I have watched over and over again where other members in the body have come alongside and said, 00:38:22.559 --> 00:38:24.119 you know what, I heard what you said. 00:38:24.739 --> 00:38:25.739 Where did that come from? 00:38:25.739 --> 00:38:28.659 I remember thinking that way. 00:38:29.879 --> 00:38:34.419 But God's Word has been helping me to deal with that attitude and that problem, 00:38:34.599 --> 00:38:42.039 and I watch a healthy body take care of its internal problems. 00:38:43.459 --> 00:38:44.019 Why? 00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:46.939 That's the way God plans it. 00:38:46.940 --> 00:38:58.360 He plans for the Word of God to be used by the people of God to help immature saints grow more like Christ. 00:38:59.860 --> 00:39:01.579 Why like Christ? 00:39:03.179 --> 00:39:04.059 Two reasons. 00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:08.519 And I want you to sit right where you are and ask yourself the question, 00:39:08.980 --> 00:39:12.360 so where am I at on the journey of being like Jesus? 00:39:12.440 --> 00:39:13.220 Is that a fair question? 00:39:13.579 --> 00:39:14.220 How am I doing? 00:39:14.219 --> 00:39:19.079 Why is being like Christ so important? 00:39:20.179 --> 00:39:20.879 Think with me. 00:39:22.199 --> 00:39:26.199 God so loved the world that He sent, who? 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:33.399 His only begotten Son into the world that the world through Him might be saved. 00:39:33.639 --> 00:39:35.079 Where is Jesus now? 00:39:37.639 --> 00:39:40.819 He's here with us, and He is in us. 00:39:40.820 --> 00:39:49.059 And you who are His children are appointed by His grace to be His left-behind representative. 00:39:51.980 --> 00:39:52.420 Agreed? 00:39:54.320 --> 00:39:56.160 And do I want to do His work? 00:39:56.320 --> 00:39:56.640 Yes. 00:39:56.880 --> 00:39:58.660 Am I willing to grow in that area? 00:39:59.000 --> 00:39:59.420 Yes. 00:39:59.780 --> 00:40:01.320 And so get in my space. 00:40:01.519 --> 00:40:02.059 Help me. 00:40:02.380 --> 00:40:03.220 Tell me the truth. 00:40:03.500 --> 00:40:04.380 Do it lovingly. 00:40:04.380 --> 00:40:09.680 And as a result of that, the body of Christ grows up into the fullness of Jesus, 00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:13.700 who is the one who is supremely worthy of all glory and grace, 00:40:13.980 --> 00:40:17.940 because He alone is the Savior of the world. 00:40:19.220 --> 00:40:25.960 And you and I have been called by Him to be His left-behind examples. 00:40:25.960 --> 00:40:30.400 Let's close in prayer. 00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:30.400