Ron Dunn Podcast - Building Up The Body (Part 1)

Episode Date: August 18, 2021

Ron Dunn begins a new sermon series "Building Up The Body"

...that Paul is developing, but Paul, like many preachers and others, decided to take a little detour. He said something in verse 8 that reminded him of something else, and so in verses 9 and 10, he just chases a little theological rabbit. He caught it, and then he comes back in verse 11 to the main thought. So I think that as we read this passage, that what Paul is saying and the development of his thought will be much clearer if we will just leave out the parenthetical statement in verses 9 and 10. So we will read verses 7, 8, 11, 12, and 13 of Ephesians chapter 4.

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.

And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man under the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ now it is a law of life that living things must have growth growth is not only an evidence of life, it is a consequence of life and a condition of life. Not simply growth in stature or growth in size, but growth in maturity, growth in development. It is the nature of living things that they do not remain static, but rather they are

dynamic. There is constant development, growth, enlightenment, enlargement. Every picture that Jesus gives of the Church, every figure or symbol that he uses to describe the church is a figure or symbol that indicates growth, development, enlargement, maturity. For instance, in the book of Ephesians, he describes the church as a building under construction, not static but dynamic, something that is in the process of being built up. He describes it in this passage, in the verses following, as a body with every joint supplying its own particular resource.

And as that joint supplies, then the body increases and is edified and is built up. He describes it as a bride and Jesus the bridegroom and these two becoming one, two lives being united into one life to produce additional life, the idea of development and growth, maturity. In 1 Peter, he says that we are babies as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby. Every figure that the Bible uses to describe Christians and the Church and the Kingdom of God are figures that describe growth and enlargement, never static, but rather a dynamic process that is set in motion at the moment of salvation.

For instance, in Matthew chapter 13, Jesus gives a series of parables. One of the primary parables and figures that Jesus uses to describe the kingdom of God is a seed that is planted, and as that seed is planted, it brings forth fruit some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold. Another time he describes it as leaven, and that leaven is placed in the bread, and that leaven permeates the entire bread. In Matthew chapter 5, he says, Ye are the salt of the earth. There again, indicating that the salt is to be spread upon something for a purpose.

He says, You are light, and light is to be placed in a dark place that it may penetrate That it may perform a function and in ministry so I repeat that every figure and symbol that God uses to describe the Christian life and To describe the kingdom of God and the church is a symbol that indicates growth, movement, a dynamic process. Let me go back to this one in 1 Peter chapter 2, where he says, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. And then in the very next verse he says, if so be that you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Now there is a very significant relationship between those two statements.

He says as a child of God, you are a newborn baby. Now you ought to desire the milk of the word, the food that God provides, that you may grow thereby, just as a baby is supposed to grow, just as a building is supposed to grow, just as a building is supposed to grow, just as a body is supposed to grow. But he says in the next verse that you will desire this, if so be, if it so happens, that you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. And what he is simply saying is this, that if you've ever had a taste of the Lord, you will want more. And once you have tasted that the Lord is this, that if you've ever had a taste of the Lord, you will want more. And once you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, in other words, once you have experienced Jesus Christ in your life,

there will have been created within you an appetite for more, and you will desire it. That's a sign of life. It's an indication of health, that there is an appetite for the things that causes a person to grow. When a baby is born, if that baby is normal and healthy, you don't have to do anything to teach it to have an appetite. It is born with an appetite. It just naturally desires food. It naturally desires milk that it may grow. It is in the nature of things.

And a child is going to grow. You don't have to make a child grow. You don't have to teach a it may grow. It is in the nature of things. And a child is going to grow. You don't have to make a child grow. You don't have to teach a child to grow. All you have to do is to provide nourishment so the growth will be correct. But growth is in the very nature of things. And where there is no growth, it's a sign that there's something wrong. Where there is no appetite for food, it is a sign that something is wrong. To me, that explains why you have so many people in churches that seem to have no appetite for spiritual things and seem to have absolutely no desire to grow and to know more of the Lord Jesus in their life. It's because they've never had a taste of him. I'll tell you one thing, if you ever really get a taste of Jesus, you will have born in you an appetite

that will never be satisfied this side of glory. It is in the nature of things. And so Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4 that it is the will of God, it is the program of God, that the body be built up. And he has given gifts unto men. And in turn, he has given these gifted men to the church.

And these men are to equip the saints, and then the saints are to be involved in a twofold ministry. Every believer in this place tonight has a twofold ministry. Number one, the evangelization of the lost. Number two, the edification of the saved. Every believer has that twofold ministry. The evangelization of the lost in many different ways and the edification of the saved in many different ways. The last phrase in verse 12 gives us the ultimate purpose for which God has gifted all of the people in the church,

for the edifying or the building up of the body of Christ. And so the program of God is simply this, that as the believers are spirit-filled, as they are built up, as they come to maturity and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, this then will be their equipment, a part of their equipment to go out and to win the loss. First of all, though, there must be the building up of the body, the revival of the saints, the sanctification of those who are saved. And then in turn, there will be the bringing in of those who are lost. And so tonight I want us to examine verse 13 and see the purpose of this spiritual growth, the goal of this spiritual growth. Let's read the 13th verse again.

He says that God has set certain gifts in the church, and here he's referring to men primarily rather than abilities. And he says that these gifts in turn equip the saints. They are to build up the body of Christ. The body of Christ is to be edified, to be built up. Now, what is the goal of this growth? Notice in verse 13, he says, till we all come. The word come is the translation of a word that means to arrive at a certain destination or to arrive at a predetermined goal. And so in verse 13, he is giving us the goal of this edification. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God

unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Now there it is. The passage, the verse, turns upon three prepositional phrases. The little Greek preposition, ice, occurs three times. Now I don't know why the translators did this, but the first time they translated it in, and the other two times they translated it unto. It ought to be translated unto all three times. Until we all come unto the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

That little preposition is a little preposition that indicates motion towards an object or moving towards a goal. So here's the goal. Unto the unity of the faith, unto the perfect man, and unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Isn't that interesting?

There are three of them there in verse 13. I keep telling you folks, the Bible was written in triplets and you won't believe me. God did that for preachers, so it would be easy to outline sermons. So he indicates here the three purposes or goals of this edification, the building up of the body. But before we get into that, let me point out three words that occur at the first of verse 13. Till we all. Till we all. The word till reveals to us that there is a time element involved in spiritual growth.

Now, to some of you that may be obvious and beside the point. But to others of us, it may not be. And a great deal of confusion and discouragement can occur in the Christian life if we do not understand that there is a time element involved in Christian growth. Paul says these gifts are to be exercised until we all come unto a certain spiritual growth. In other words, it's going to take time. Now, there is such a thing as instantaneously getting right with God. If you're wrong with the Lord tonight, you can come and confess your sins that God has convicted you of. You can commit yourself to Christ and there can be instantaneous rightness with God. But the Bible knows nothing of an instantaneous maturity. This is why it says that a deacon or a bishop is not to be a novice. In other words, he is not to be a young Christian. Now, he may be

spiritual in the fact that he may be Spirit-filled, or he may be right with God, but still there is some maturity that he lacks according to the Word of God. Paul indicates that growth is gradual, and this matter of coming up to the measure, the fullness of the statue of Christ, there is a time element involved when in Philippians chapter 3, long after he has been saved, he says, I am still counting all things but loss that I may come to know him, the power of his resurrection, and being made conformable unto his dead in the fellowship of his sufferings. There is a time element involved. Now, I emphasize that because many times in my own Christian life, I felt that perhaps in one glorious moment,

all my problems would be solved and I would be made a super saint. And I kept looking for that one glory-filled moment. And I discovered that I had a lot of glory-filled moments followed by not so glory-filled moments. And many times I would say, well, just around the corner of the next revival, or maybe if this happens, or I find this formula, or I have this experience, all of a sudden I will immediately come into the fullness of the stature of Christ. I will be everything that God wants me to be. It never happens that way as far as I understand the teaching of the Word of God it seems to me that

Christian growth occurs like this there is a crisis and then there is a process then there's a crisis and there's a process it seems that God shakes us up brings us to a certain point and then we grow from that point and then he shakes us up again with something else and brings us to another crisis another revelation of ourselves or another revelation of Jesus and then there's a process of growth from that and it's kind of like a plateaus we reach one plateau and then God takes us up to another plateau and we reach another plateau I'm talking now about spiritual maturity spiritual maturity as we come to know Jesus

Christ as Paul was wanting to know him in Philippians chapter 3. There is a time element involved. These gifts are to be exercised until we all come, indicating that it's going to take time for all of us to come to this point. Well, what point is it that we're to come to? Well, there are three, as I mentioned. Number one, the purpose, the goal of our spiritual growth is spiritual unity. Number one, till we all come into spiritual unity in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Now, let me hasten to say that unity and unison are two different things.

There's a great many people today that are advocating unison, the ecumenical movement, and saying that what we ought to do is to forget our differences and let's all of us get together, Catholics and Presbyterians and Baptists and Methodists and Pentecostals and Christian scientists and Jehovah's Witnesses, let's get everybody that calls themselves Christians, and let's all get together because there's power and safety in numbers. Sometimes I think they're worried more about the safety than the power, and they feel like that if we all get together, then we can make an impact on the world.

And that's what unity is. That is not unity, that is un unison and there is a difference and what the Bible is advocating is not unison that's where all of us are in the same room but he's advocating unity that's where all of us are in the same heart and there's a lot of difference there is a difference between unison and unity the word unity indicates a oneness of thought and a oneness of feeling you remember the book of acts it you keep finding that phrase they were all together with one accord they were of one heart and one mind and one soul i think perhaps one of the finest

illustrations came out of the second world war during the London Blitz when the German planes would fly over at night To bomb that city and as they would fly over the city all the searchlights that were planted in different spots Along the coast and in the city would begin to search out the skies and those fingers of light would probe in different spots This light searching over here and this light searching over there, this light searching over there. And after a moment, one of the spotlights would catch hold of the plane in the sky. And the moment that that searchlight lit up on that one plane, all of the other searchlights in that vicinity begin to stop looking over here and looking over there, and they all train their beams upon that one object, that one plane. That is unity.

Stop searching over here and probing over here and looking over here. But it's all of them that are there together, all of them directing their beams and directing their energy into one place, into one spot for one purpose. In the book of 2 Chronicles, it says that on a certain day, all the men of Israel came together with one heart to make david king there is to be spiritual unity no stragglers he says till we all come it says we're to come to spiritual unity that means when all of us are not only together in

unison but all of us are together for the same purpose wanting the same thing now notice he says there's to be a unity of faith and a unity of knowledge. Now faith there does not indicate the body of doctrine or doctrine of truth, but rather it indicates that confidence, that trust, that submission, that commitment to Jesus Christ. Oh, that's what we want. That's what God wants. Not when a few people in our church are committed to Jesus Christ and are trusting him and are living by faith, but until every one of us have come to the place where all of us are knowing what it means day by day to trust the Lord and to live in commitment to him. Again, he says this unity is to be in the knowledge of the Son of God. And it's a tremendous word that he uses there,

epignosis. It means full knowledge, through knowledge. To know through and through is what it means. And it's a word that means not intellectual comprehension, but it means to know by personal experience, personal acquaintance. The same kind of knowledge that Paul was referring to in Philippians 3 when he says that I may know him. To know Jesus through and through. Wouldn't that be great

if just everybody in this room tonight were in unity in that kind of knowledge? Not just head knowledge about Jesus, but a personal acquaintance with Jesus. The same knowledge that Paul was referring to in Philippians 3 when he says that I may know him. To know Jesus through and through.

Wouldn't that be great if just everybody in this room tonight were in unity in that kind of knowledge not just head knowledge about jesus but a personal acquaintance with jesus knowing jesus christ through and through knowing him through and through there must be spiritual unity but not only is there to be spiritual unity, there is to be spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity. He says, unto the perfect man, unto a perfect man.

The word perfect man does not mean sinless. The word perfect does not mean sinless. But rather it means the desired end. It can be translated mature or full-grown. That which has, now listen, that which has reached its goal, or another way to translate the word perfect is that which has accomplished its end, or that which has fulfilled its design. Now, that's perhaps one of the clearest translations. That which is perfect is that which has fulfilled its design. Now, let me illustrate it this way.

I have a hammer at home now somebody designed that hammer what do they design that hammer for they designed it to hammer nails that's what it was designed for I have a pair of pliers at home. What was it designed for? Well, I'll tell you one thing. It was not designed to hammer nails. Have you ever tried to hammer nails with a pair of pliers? Not long ago I had to hammer a nail in the fence and I couldn't find the hammer, but I could find the pliers.

Have you ever tried to hammer a nail with a pair of pliers? Every time it goes through that little hole in the middle. Now, those pliers were not perfect. They were not mature. They were not full grown. Do you know why? Because they were not fulfilling or realizing the purpose for which they were designed. But when I take up that hammer and I use that hammer to hammer a nail into a piece of wood, that

hammer at that moment becomes a perfect hammer. By that I mean that hammer has realized its purpose and it has fulfilled the thing for which it was designed. That's what perfection means. Now, Paul says that the goal and the purpose of our spiritual growth is so that every one of us may realize that purpose for which we were designed by God. Ephesians 2 and 10 says that before the worlds were founded, God foreordained some work that you and I were to walk in.

Did you realize that? Did you realize that there is a design, a divine design to your life, and that before God even created the heavens and the earth, he had a blueprint for your life? He said there is a certain ministry that you're to perform, there is a certain work that you're to do. I have a design in mind for you, and you will never be perfect and mature until you find out what that is and you do it. That's maturity. That's maturity. This is why the gifts of the Spirit are so important. And it goes on down in verse 16, talking about the joints and the members of the body, each one of them properly adjusted and properly functioning. That's when the body is edified. But the problem in most churches is we have a lot of pliers that we have voted and elected

to hammer nails, and they're not doing a very good job because that's not the purpose for which they were designed. Spiritual maturity is when you discover that thing for which God created you, that thing for which he designed you, and then you fit into that and you do it. That's when you're mature. That's when you become perfect in this sense you have reached the end for which god saved you and created you and whether it's a dick ditch digger a garbage collector a banker a doctor whatever it is i want you to know if you miss the design that god has for you you are a failure all the days of your life. No matter what it is, you are a failure if you fail to discover what God designed you for and then do it. And the goal and the purpose of growth is that we might

come unto a perfect man. All right? Last, that we might come not only to spiritual unity and spiritual maturity, but that we might come to spiritual conformity. He says, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. You'll never know how much time I've spent over that phrase trying to discover what it means. I read commentary after commentary, and they must not have known what it meant either. They just kind of skimmed over it. We know what it means, but then again, what does it really mean?

Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Now listen to what he says in chapter 1, verse 23. Well, verses 22 and 23. Talking about the exaltation of Jesus. He says that God hath put all things under Jesus' feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Now listen, the church is the fullness of Jesus. The church is the fullness of Jesus. The church is the fullness of Jesus.

Now get this, this is unbelievable. If you would like to see the fullness of Jesus today, look at the church. What a disappointment. If that's the fullness of Jesus, forget it. You mean to tell me that the church as I see it today and the church that I've belonged to for years and the church that had this fight and the church that had this squabble and the church that is dying and dead but just not buried,

you mean to tell me that that church is the fullness of Christ? That's what he says. The only place today on earth that you can discover and see the fullness of Christ is in the church, the church, his body, which is the fullness of Jesus that filleth all in all. Now that's what we are theologically and positionally. God, by our calling, we have been called. We are his fullness by God's call.

Now he's saying in chapter 4, I want you to grow so that you will really be that in practice and in life. That we all come up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Now, the word stature is the word for age. Until we come to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ. Now listen carefully. One way you can translate that is like this.

Until we come to the age to receive the fullness of Christ. And it seems to me that what Paul is saying is this, that this spiritual growth, the building up of the body, the edifying of the body, this spiritual unity and this spiritual maturity is to produce a spiritual conformity, now listen, to bring us to a spiritual age where the fullness of Christ, which is already ours, is experienced in us and expressed through us. And it seems to me that there is a spiritual age that a church attains where the

fullness of Christ, which is already hers, is actually experienced in her and exhibited through her. Now, notice he's not talking about individual Christians. I don't want us to lose the thought. He's not talking about individual Christians. There are individuals in this church who have experienced and who are exhibiting the fullness of Christ. But he's not talking about individuals. He's talking about the church as the whole.

Because you notice, by the way, he says, until we come into a perfect man. He didn't say until we come into perfect men. Did you get that? Emphasizing the unity. He doesn't say until we come as perfect men. It's not enough for there to be some perfect, mature men in the church. He says until the whole church becomes a perfect man.

Emphasizing the unity. And this growth is to take place. This edificationification the building up of the body is to take place until this local church reaches the spiritual Age where we experience and express that which is already ours the fullness of Christ Now I'll tell you something when this church as a whole begins to experience the fullness of Christ and begins to exhibit the fullness of Christ in our lives, you will have to lock the doors to keep lost people from coming in and being saved. Because there is something marvelously magnetic about Jesus, and people always want to get where Jesus is.

And when people can see Jesus in a church, and they see his life, his fullness, his love, his mercy, his disposition exhibited in a body of believers, they will be attracted. You won't have to worry about filling up the church. You won't have to worry about pack the pew and be one of the bunch and to do this and do that. They will come to Jesus because he has lost none of his magnetism, none at all, until we come to spiritual conformity, until this church reaches a spiritual age

where we begin to experience and exhibit the fullness of Christ. That's what we're to be measured by until we measure up to that. Now let's just stand it over there as a yardstick, and I want you to measure yourself by it tonight. Let's just measure this church by it tonight. I want to measure it by baptisms because we baptize more than somebody else, and somebody else baptizes more than us. And we could baptize a thousand and still not be experiencing and exhibiting the fullness of Christ.

You say, well, we've grown so much in Sunday school. I don't find anywhere that God's overly impressed with Sunday school growth. He's impressed with spiritual growth. Let's just measure it by that, the fullness of Christ. How do you measure up? How does the church measure up? Until we all come to the age where we experience and exhibit the fullness of Christ in our lives. There to be no stragglers, all of us, all of us. Would you bow your heads for a moment?

The Ron Dunn Podcast is available only for personal edification, not to be duplicated, uploaded to the web, or resold without prior written consent. It is managed and operated by Sherwood Baptist Church. If you would like to listen to additional Ron Dunn messages, visit sherwoodbaptist.net slash bookstore and search Ron Dunn. For more Ron Dunn materials, including sermon outlines, devotions, and scanned pages from a study Bible, please visit rondunn.com.