Well, good morning. Keep your Bibles open there at Ephesians chapter 4.
And I've got a sermon outline as well, which you can get on the St. Paul's app,
or if you want one in your hand, there's one there.
And I'm probably following something along that, but who knows, after 17 hours on a flight, we'll see how we go.
Our world has changed quite a lot in the past 75 to 80 years.
For instance, our consumer mentality since the end of World War II has had a positive impact
in that it's helped us kick industry along really well in such a way that the standard of living has risen not just in the West,
but in fact in the world generally.
But the same mentality has also had quite a detrimental impact on society.
Classic example of this is the shift that's happened in advertising and in, for instance,
as one example, military recruitment advertising since World War II today.
And it gives you a picture of the way society has moved.
During World War II, you may have been familiar with this if you were there, which you probably weren't.
But during World War II, there was advertising like,
Uncle Sam wants you in the US.
You've got this sort of stuff.
I want you.
Another one was the call to duty,
to join the army for home and country.
It's my duty.
I'm doing it.
Are you doing it?
So it's a guilt people into fulfillment of a duty.
So you sign up and you fulfill your duty to country, to the nation for the good of humanity,
unless, of course, you are a woman.
And then in that case, the advertising was,
I wish I was a man so that I could fulfill my duty.
I'm making no comment on that whatsoever.
Similar advertising operated throughout the United States,
like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, other places like that.
Now, military advertising is this.
Be number one.
It's about you.
It's focused on you.
Or you be all you can be and come and join the armed forces.
We need you.
And in its worst case, there's this running in the United Kingdom at the moment.
You, me, me, me, millennials out there,
the military needs you for your self-belief.
We're desperate for you, you-centered people to come and be part of us.
We are lost without you.
Be all you can be.
And it's no longer about duty.
It's no longer about anyone else.
It's no longer about society, about your country.
It's about you.
Advertisement is you focus.
It's a massive shift.
I suppose it should not come as a surprise,
since it's a direct result of the expressive individualism of modern Western culture,
which has replaced the community-first loyalties of previous generations,
former generations.
Individuals have been taught to be consumers,
not only of retailers and merchants,
but also of institutions and organizations.
Individuals have been shaped by the culture to think of their own happiness and prosperity first,
and to avoid letting commitments to any group or institution become a barrier to finding personal fulfillment.
The concept of service and sacrifice are viewed as psychologically unhealthy in the West.
One of the things that church planters did,
this is back in the 1990s, around the 2000s,
when the church growth movement was on its peak.
One of the things they did as a result of the church growth movement
was conduct neighborhood surveys in advance of going in and planting a church into a neighborhood
to see what the values of that neighborhood were
and how the new church could come in and connect with those values.
They would start, get out there, meet the neighborhood,
and the assumption was that if we could start a church to meet the values of our neighborhood,
then people would just flock into that.
One neighborhood, having done one of these surveys,
one pastor went and did these surveys,
and one neighborhood said that the church that they were looking for,
bottom line, would never ask them to do anything.
That's the church they're looking for.
Never make demands on me.
Never call me to a commitment.
We don't want to minister to anyone we expect to be ministered to.
Well, there's a great foundation to start a church.
Our modern society, as well as many, I think some churches,
potentially many churches, many members of churches,
are on a collision course with the one who redefined greatness for us.
I come not to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.
That's the foundation of our existence.
Now, if you've just joined us, we're in our annual vision series.
We are in Ephesians because this letter is about the church,
it's about who we are as a people.
We are God's new society.
We are God's family, a new creation, a new humanity,
characterized not by walls of hostility and division,
but by unity and peace.
And we saw in the first couple of chapters of Ephesians
that we have, as a new humanity,
these wonderful blessings in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's because of the good news of what Jesus has achieved for us.
It's the gospel.
It's on the back of your service sheet.
And the gospel, this good news,
is the foundation of what we believe at St. Paul's,
and it is life-changing.
Let me just put it to you in case you haven't got time to read it.
The gospel is the good news that God sent his son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, in the world to live a perfect life,
to die as a substitute for sinners,
to absorb the anger of God,
to take away our guilt and our shame,
provide the gift of right standing before God,
and to give eternal life and joy
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone,
apart from any works of obedience on our behalf.
And that statement,
from that statement,
from the grasping of that gospel,
multitudes of blessings flow to those who embraced it in Jesus.
As we saw last week,
one of those is,
God transforms our character in such a way
that he becomes our new identity
and he fills us up from the inside
and grows us in humility at the very least.
So we're back in Ephesians 4 today.
We're going to spend three weeks here.
And to see that the gospel,
through the gospel,
because of the gospel,
God also doesn't just fill us up
and give us a new identity and a character,
but also gives us gifts,
his gifts,
to serve.
We saw it in chapter 2, verse 10.
As a consequence of God's work of salvation,
it says,
we are God's handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus,
to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Now, I've been emphasizing our unity in Jesus
over the past couple of weeks.
Now, let's have a look at our diversity.
We are not clones.
Yes, there is one faith, one baptism,
but our unity does not mean uniformity.
In verse 7, Paul writes,
to each of us,
grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
And grace here means the ability to perform
the task that God has given us to do.
In chapter 3, verses 7 and 8,
Paul says that his apostleship
came with the gift of God's grace.
The point for us is this.
Each of us who are in Jesus
has received this enabling grace
in the exact proportion that Christ gave it.
And the message of this verse
is that that's all of us who are in Jesus.
No exceptions at all.
All of us have a serving grace
which has been given to us
by Christ in perfect measure.
That is, we all have a special part to perform.
Some have put the diversity of gifts
that have been given
to God's people from Jesus
into three broad categories.
Prophetic gifts,
priestly gifts,
and kingly gifts.
Prophetic gifts are abilities
based on understanding
and articulating biblical truth.
They are the gifts
that represent God to others.
The gifts that represent God to others.
And are marked by boldness and clarity.
Things like evangelism,
teaching, speaking, discernment, prophecy.
Priestly gifts
are abilities based on understanding
a supply
and to supply basic needs.
To understand and supply basic needs.
They represent God to the world.
And are marked by things like
sympathy and sacrifice and care,
encouragement,
helping, pastoring, mercy,
those kinds of things.
Kingly gifts
are abilities based on
understanding direction
and whole group needs.
They represent Christ's vision,
his vision,
to others.
And are marked by wisdom,
practicality,
leadership,
things like apostles,
founders of ministries,
leadership,
administration,
wisdom,
faith,
courage.
when you put it all together,
and I think one of the
clues here
is that it is
very rare,
extremely rare
for anyone
to have all three
of those categories
in equal measure.
Extremely rare.
when you put it all together,
each person's
person's gifting
is as unique
as a thumbprint.
The implication
is that there is a ministry
that only you
can do.
Spiritual gifts
fit you
for the mission
in life
that God
has given you.
Paul goes on
to say
in verses
8 and 10
that not only
do we have
a special grace,
but our
individual graces
have
a spectacular
origin.
Have a look at it.
Verse 8.
This is why it says
when he ascended
on high,
he led captives
in his train
and gave gifts
to men.
What does
he ascended
mean?
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.
Now what Paul
is doing there,
he's borrowing
a line
from
Psalm
68
verse 18.
In Psalm
68
verses 16
17
just before
it,
God
sets
his
sight
on
Mount
Zion
and moves
as it says
there
with tens
of thousands
and thousands
of thousands
of chariots
up the slopes
of Jerusalem
in victory
leading
captives
in his train
and receiving
gifts
from
humanity.
So Paul
takes that
image
and
he shifts
it.
He changes
it from
the conquering
king to
Jerusalem
receiving
gifts from
humanity
for being
the conquering
king
to now
the conquering
king
throwing out,
casting out
gifts to
humanity.
The triumphant
Christ
gave
gifts
to people.
He's simply
borrowing the
image of
Psalm 68
and applying it
to Christ
coming into
this world
and his
return to
heaven.
The fact
that he
ascended
is another
way of
indicating
the humiliation,
his humility
of coming
into
this world.
His
descent
to earth
meant that
he set
aside
the
independent
exercises
or the
independent
exercise
of his
eternal
divine
attributes.
Submitting
the exercise
of those
attributes
to the
father's
will.
he went
down
and down
in humility
and became
man.
And he
went further
down still
to death
on a cross.
This is
Philippians
chapter 2.
Death
on the cross
and actually
becoming sin
for us.
But then
he burst
up in
exultation
so that now
he fills
the whole
universe
as the
conquering
king
and joyously
lavishes
gifts upon
his children.
And what
are the
gifts
he gives
his
children?
His
gifts
as
prophet,
priest
and king.
He gives
abundant
gifts
to his
church
and gives
his people
power to
fulfill
their
gifts.
The gifts
and enabling
grace which
we have
have been
given to
us by the
conquering king
as he has
apportioned
them.
They come
from the
conquering king.
There's no
room for
rivalry and
jealousy here.
they are
given with
great
expectation on
his part
for he
expects us
to use
those gifts
to bring
power and
victory in
the church.
He expects
those gifts
to be used
to advance
his work
in the
world.
Not your
glory.
gifts he
gives us
are his
gifting to
complete his
mission.
We carry
on his
work.
At the
beginning of
the book
of Acts,
it says
there,
Luke says
about his
gospel,
we've heard
already about
all that
Jesus began
to do
and teach.
And now
in the
book of
Acts,
his mission
continues on
as he
continues to
do and
teach through
his disciples
in the
world.
The use
of the
gifts of
grace that
God has
apportioned
to us
is also,
according to
Ephesians 4,
how we make
every effort
to maintain
the unity
that we have
in Jesus.
So,
first of
all,
character,
growing
downward as
Jesus did
in humility,
bearing with
one another
in love,
and also
the exercising
of gifts
to one
another.
The bottom
line here is
that every
Christian is
in ministry
through the
church.
No one,
no one,
did you hear
it?
Let me just
say,
how was it?
Not a
single soul
who is
in Christ
is merely
a consumer
of services.
Everyone
is also
a distributor
of services.
Although we
are different
in the
ministry,
we do.
Ephesians 4,
verses 11 and
12 gives us
a glimpse
into the
relationship.
It's just a
brief glimpse.
There's other
bits of the
New Testament
unpacked this,
but a brief
glimpse,
relationship
between church
leaders and
church members,
between those
who are in
vocational
ministry and
those who
are as
members of
the church.
Verse 11
reads,
Christ himself
gave the
apostles,
the prophets,
the evangelists,
the pastors,
and the
teachers.
So why
did Christ
give these
to the
church?
Verse 12,
to equip
his people
for works
of service.
The word
service there
is interchangeable
with the
word ministry.
What's the
end goal
of God
giving church
leaders to
equip his
people for
the ministry?
Verse 12
again.
Keep reading.
So that the
body of
Christ
may be
built.
Christ
gives the
leaders to
equip the
members for
the works
of ministry
in such a
way that the
whole body
of Christ
gets built.
We all
have a
ministry.
Leaders
have primarily
an equipping
ministry and
members have
primarily a
doing ministry
but we all
are called to
minister together
as Christ
has apportioned
it to build
his church.
So we
should not
think of
the local
church as
being the
manly
ferry.
On the
ferry you
get on the
ferry and
you have a
few staff who
get you from
point A to
point B or
it's like the
airplane that a
few of us just
flew back on
yesterday.
The vast
majority of
people sitting
on that
airplane are
passengers.
We're getting
fed and
watered and
everything else
and there's a
few people up
the front doing
the driving of
the thing,
flying of it,
whatever you want
to call it,
and a few other
people helping
out, get on,
people serving
snacks and
cleaning stuff
up.
But the vast
majority are
consumers of
services.
Everyone else is
sitting there
passively in the
seats, awaiting
to arrive the
destination and
taking some
photos along the
way.
The local
church is
much more
like a
sailing boat
in the
Sydney to
Hobart yacht
race.
Everyone on
board has a
crucial role
to play and
frankly there are
no passengers
on those
yachts heading
to Hobart once
a year.
No passengers
catching a lift
to Hobart to
visit some
family.
You're a dead
weight is what
you are.
The captain's
job on that
is to set
the course,
to direct the
crew, to do
their part and
to work together
to reach a
goal.
All of God's
people are
called to be a
corporate
priesthood,
either an
equipping ministry
or a doing
ministry.
Throughout
history the
church has been
built on a
foundation of
diversity.
It was
interesting to
hear one
person at
the conference
say their
biggest loss
in their
church,
the biggest
loss in their
church when
they moved from
being a
monocultural
church to a
multi-ethnic
church,
they said was
from the
majority culture
that had been
used to being
served and a
multi-ethnic
church now meant
we needed to
serve one
another.
And so they
just upped and
moved to a
church where
they would get
the services
they heard,
the music they
wanted, the
liturgy they
wanted.
They just upped
and moved.
The foundation
for them was
I am here to
be served.
God works
with diversity
and quite
ironically he
uses that to
build our
unity.
Did you notice
that in verse
12?
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.
It's a
beautiful image.
The image I
have here is
of an
orchestra.
Now I'm
fairly clueless
when it comes
to music.
I don't
have a lot
of skill
set in that
regard.
The first
time I went
to watch an
orchestra was
at the Sydney
Opera House
and I did it
to impress Nat.
That's the
reason I was
there.
In fact I
might have
even bought
the tickets
in order to
be even more
impressive.
If I went to
watch an
orchestra nowadays
it would be to
impress Nat.
I do remember
sitting in my
seat at the
Sydney Opera
House and
watching them
tune and warm
up before the
whole thing got
going.
It was like
all this
racket of
noise that was
going on.
It did not
sound right at
all.
Then the
conductor
walked on
and started.
Wow.
It was
music.
All their
little different
bits coming
together.
All the
diversity of
instruments coming
together and
it was
fantastic.
And I
enjoyed it.
God's design
for us is to
be different.
But when we
get put
together we
come up with
a harmony
that is
absolutely
impossible
when we're
all the
same.
That's the
genius of
God.
It's because
we are so
different that
we need
each other.
That means
we are all
involved in
the ministry
to prepare
God's people
for works
of service.
When you
use your
gifts that
God has
given you to
strengthen me
instead of
gratifying
yourself and
when I use
my God
given gifts
to strengthen
you instead
of gratifying
myself,
then our
diversity will
build us
up into a
beautiful harmony
in truth and
love rather
than fragmenting
us.
Serving is
putting the
needs of
others ahead
of our own
or putting
the needs of
the community
ahead of our
individual needs.
things.
And this
day of
age of
consumerism,
what Jesus
is saying
here, what
Paul is
saying here
is like a
fist in
the face.
This is so
countercultural
what we're
seeking to do
here.
Totally
countercultural.
Why would
you do
this?
Well, there
are a few
personal benefits.
benefits.
The first
benefit is
self-knowledge.
Don't think
you know your
real gifts and
capacities until
you do a
whole lot of
humble serving
in many
different capacities
across generations
and across
cultures.
Don't think you
know your true
self until that
happens.
We've already
seen this in
this series
already.
only as you
do that
with others
you'll come to
understand your
own self more.
The second
benefit is
community.
When you
approach the
church as a
consumer, that
is only to
get your
needs met,
only to get
your needs
met, you
are in
solitary mode
of being.
Solitary mode
of being.
And you know
what happens?
You sit on
the sideline
complaining that
your needs are
never getting
met.
You come
with a
consumer mindset
and you'll be
critical of the
church because
they're never
meeting your
needs.
They're never
coming up to
standard.
It's a
consistent thing.
And then you
walk out the
door and go,
I'm on the
conveyor belt to
leave because I'm
not here to serve,
not here to connect,
not here to build
anyone.
I'm on the
conveyor belt to
leave to the
next church.
Throwing grenades
at the
previous one
until you
discover that
the next church
you go to has
got exactly the
same problems.
And the
problem is
you.
You're a
consumer.
When you
reject the
consumer mindset,
serving will
draw you out of
yourself and
into relationships.
relationships.
The third
benefit is the
fulfillment and
joy of those
relationships and
especially seeing
others touched
through you.
Deb highlighted
this last week.
Or seeing
something great
happening through
the part that
you play in
the body of
Christ.
Paradoxically,
if you serve
primarily for the
benefits to
yourself, then
it actually isn't
serving and you
don't get the
benefits.
The only
workable dynamic
for every member
ministry is
Mark 10, 45
and the
standard that
Jesus set.
Because Jesus
served you in
such a radical
way, you have a
joyful need to
serve.
It's a form of
praise that
doesn't fully
enjoy what
admires until
it expresses
itself in
service.
So, finally,
this is all
going to
encourage you to
sign up to
serve.
I want to
suggest three
broad ways
that, ways to
serve God at
this church, which
would be the
same as any
church, but let
me make it
specific about
this church.
James has
already mentioned
them, time,
talents and
treasures.
Firstly, time.
Easiest way to
serve God with
your time is
frankly to turn
up and engage
with another
individual who's
different from
you.
That's the
easiest way.
Don't
underestimate the
role you play
by turning up
and going across
barriers to
engage with
another individual.
Take the time to
talk, to
encourage, to
listen, to
pray.
As you speak the
truth in love to
them, you are
ministering to
them.
When you think of
ministry at a
church, we
normally think of
formal ministry
sense, a
position on a
team or a
specific role on
a roster or
something like
that.
That's a very
small portion of
the ministry that
happens at St.
Paul's.
A small portion.
And it's not the
starting point for
ministry, nor the
end point of
ministry.
The informal
ministry is what
happens outside of
the formal
structures and
gatherings of
St.
Paul's.
And it is
absolutely crucial
for building each
other up.
It takes time, it
takes effort.
But ministry
doesn't stop there
though.
And I do want to
encourage you to
join a ministry
team.
And it's already
been pointed out
there on the
wall.
You can grab
some information.
There's a table
out in the middle
of the atrium to
sign up and get
involved.
I would say do
it today.
We're going to
keep hitting you
with it the next
time it is, but do
it today.
Get involved.
Say no to my
selfishness.
Say no to my
individuality and get
involved in others.
You're also
accountable for your
time to others.
service.
When you're part of
a ministry team,
you don't put the
time in, then
others have to
carry the load.
There might be an
opportunity for some
of you who, because
of life circumstances,
are able to give
larger chunks of
time and ministry
to this church.
In a previous
church I belonged
to, a teacher
retired.
In fact, he was
my science
teacher.
Not that I
tried to remind
him of that.
We didn't have a
great relationship.
But he retired at
normal retirement age
for a teacher and
immediately got
himself ordained into
the Anglican church to
serve his local church
in a full-time
capacity, now that
he'd retired.
And he still
ministers there in
his early 80s,
still ministers, I
think, four days a
week doing ministry
in that church as
part of the staff
team.
Secondly, talents.
Bibles uses the
language of gifts.
I'm going to launch
more into this a bit
next week and we
talked about it
already today, so I'm
not going to go
further into talents
and gifts.
Third, and the
final way you can
serve God in this
world is with your
treasure.
next Sunday is, no,
two Sundays time is
Vision Sunday.
It's Vision Sunday
where we ask our
people here at St.
Paul's, you, their
church family, to make
a financial pledge for
the ministry of St.
Paul's into 2020 and
to continue for this
vision to go forward.
We're also asking you
to give us, in two
Sundays time, $75,000 to
support the work of
developing the gifting
of others to serve
God's global mission.
Wherever these people
might go in vocational
ministry, I would love
them to leave St.
Paul's, if they're not
here, to leave St.
Paul's with God's vision
for his church that he
has here to take it
wherever he has, has
sends them to be unifying
for their neighborhood.
No less than five times
in the New Testament, the
language of supporting a
missionary or supporting a
church financially is
described as ministry,
described as a service.
Some of us here have a
special gift of giving.
It's part of what God has
given you in displaying,
disseminating his gifts to
us.
Some of us here have a
special gift of giving.
And I would be encouraging
you in two Sundays time to
use that gift of giving.
But regardless of that,
every single Christian has
been called into it.
It might not be your gift,
but it is your duty.
So exercise it in two
Sundays time.
A key ministry that all of
God's people are involved
in, regardless of their
gifting, is to use our
treasure to serve the
conquering king and his
mission.
Now, like our gifting, it
is something we do in
differing degrees.
We give according to what
we have rather than what
we have not.
The principle that I like to
use here is unequal giving
but equal sacrifice.
Our act of giving is an act
of worship.
This is why the Bible calls
us to give from our first
fruits and to live on the
rest rather than giving God
what is left over.
If God has saved you in
Jesus Christ and gathered
you to himself, his
purpose is to grow you to
be like Jesus in both his
character and his work.
And so my final call for you
is to get behind the vision
of this church.
It is unique in our context.
We are seeking to do
something here which is
unique for our context.
Get behind it, serve it,
serve God with your time,
your talents and your
treasures.
So
please
share your
passions and your
talents and your treasures.
Your core
también
your talents and your
treasures.