TEXT:
"[12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
SERMON MANUSCRIPT:
"They grow up fast" is a phrase most parents will say at some point in their life. One moment, you're in the hospital, and the next moment, you're in a college dorm room. One moment, you're sleep-deprived, waking up every two hours, and the next moment, you're fighting to get your child up every morning for school.
Growth, maturity, and development may take time, and it may seem like they will never happen. But they're inevitable. As long as there's breath in their lungs, the immature will mature, and the undeveloped will develop. Your little boy will one day become a man, and your little princess will one day become a queen.
They grow up fast. You grew up fast. One moment, you're climbing hills; the next, you're paying bills. One moment, all you want to do is play, and the next moment, you're wondering why your hair is gray.
Growth and maturity are common to the human experience. And what our passage today teaches us is that growth and maturity ought to be common Christian experiences. When each of us trusted in Jesus for our salvation, we were immediately adopted into the family of God, making us members of the body of Christ. And when each of us trusted in Jesus for our salvation, we immediately became spiritual infants. But, as we each grow, we grow together, becoming more and more like Jesus as we walk through life together. Like a young child, the church is to grow together into mature manhood.
BRIEF RECAP
Last week, we saw where Christ had given four unique gifts to the church:
Apostles: someone who was personally taught and sent by Jesus into the world to teach his message.
Prophets: a mouthpiece or spokesman of God.
Evangelist: someone gifted with the ability to share their faith with the lost.
Shepherd/pastor: someone responsible for caring for God's flock, the church.
And we saw that Christ gave these gifts to the church to equip the church for the work of ministry. And today, we will continue looking at God's intentions for the church.
So, let's dive in.
"[12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
HUMBLE SERVICE
We're not going to spend too much time here. But, in verse 12, we see that Christ gave these gifts for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry.
Saints is a general term that describes the entire church, which tells us we are all ministers. We all have a unique role and gifting for ministry within the life of the church.
The word used here for "ministry" is the Greek word "diakonia." It means attending to the needs of another. It's the idea of serving another by applying intentional relief, which teaches us that proper church culture is one of humble service.
Every member of the church is called to ministry, and ministry is humble service. Each member of the church is called to empty their tanks, using their gifts to serve one another selflessly. A healthy church is a serving church. The heartbeat of the church should be lowly and humble Christ-like service and love.
GOAL OF CHRISTIAN UNITY
As we continue to read, we will discover that one of the primary goals of the Christian faith is unity in Christ— "for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…"
This is a bit of a paradox when you think about it. On the one hand, we are positionally one in Christ. Upon belief in Jesus, we have been given an involuntary unity in Christ. We have been adopted into the family of God. We have been grafted into the people of God. We are now members of the body of Christ. But, on the other hand, we are responsible for working toward unity. Unity is something received, but it is also maintained (v.3) and attained (v.13).
The unity we seek to maintain is a unity that revolves around knowing Jesus— "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…" Jesus is the glue that holds the church together. The moment we abandon knowing Jesus is the moment Christian unity comes out of reach. The moment we forsake learning about Jesus is the moment fractures will begin to creep into the body of Christ.
What unites the church ought to be that which ignited the church. What ignited the church? Individuals coming to know Jesus. What unites the church? Individuals knowing Jesus. Jesus is what holds us together.
GOAL OF CHRISTIAN MATURITY
In addition to unity, one of the primary goals of the Christian faith is Christian maturity— "to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and from by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."
Notice that the maturity he is referring to here is corporate, not personal. He's speaking about the church, the body of Christ, growing up together into mature manhood. But, for the church to mature corporately, it must be filled with individuals maturing individually. As we grow, we grow together.
As you watch a child grow, they sometimes grow awkwardly. Perhaps their feet, for a time, grow faster than the rest of their body. And, for a few months, they look like a duck. But, eventually, the rest of that child's body will grow with their feet. This is Christian discipleship. As we grow individually, we ought to grow corporately. As we mature personally, we ought to mature corporately. We use our gifts, talents, and resources to build up one another into mature disciples of Jesus. And, as we mature as disciples of Jesus, we are building up the body of Christ.
Christian maturity coincides with Christian unity. The more we grow in our walk with Jesus, the closer we should grow with one another. Immaturity pushes us away from one another; maturity pushes us closer to one another. We are intended to grow in our walk with Jesus together.
So, you show me a mature church, and I will show you a united church. You show me a united church, and I will show you a mature church. A key element to Christian discipleship should be teaching young believers the importance of Christian unity.
Now, I want you to notice what happens when the church matures. As a church matures, it will be able to recognize false teachings and withstand the deceitful schemes of the enemy. Paul says, "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."
I want you to see the imagery Paul is using here.
I grew up at the beach, and I love to surf. We are a beach family. The Parazine family is happiest when the air is warm and sand is between our toes. But going to the beach with young children can sometimes be nerve-racking, especially when the waves are big. When the waves are big, and the current is strong, you're afraid to let your children get close to the water. No matter how much they beg, you won't allow them to get close to the water because you know the danger before them.
As a parent, you know that what might be safe for you isn't safe for a child. You are taller, and you are stronger. The same current pulling at your waist would be pulling at their neck. The current you might be able to withstand would easily carry your child out to sea. So, as a parent, you must diligently protect your child from the dangerous currents of the ocean.
Well, church, I'm here to tell you that cultural and doctrinal currents are ripping throughout our society today. There are false doctrines that sound compelling and will easily pull young Christians away from Christ. There are false teachers who, like Satan himself, have intentions to confuse, trick, and deceive the church. There are men and women who, like Satan himself, are seeking to plant seeds of doubt into our hearts and minds by asking, "Did God really say that?" There are men and women who, like Satan himself, are unbelievably good with their words that will lure the spiritual infants into embracing teachings that are contrary to the true gospel.
So, we need to grow and mature in our faith so that we can begin to recognize and discern what is true or not. As we grow in our knowledge of Christ, we mature. And as we mature, we will become rooted and grounded in truth. We want to be a mature church full of men and women who can stand firm against the currents seeking to pull us away from Christ.
GOAL OF CHRISTIAN LOVE
Then, finally, we see that a mature church is a loving church. The more we grow in the knowledge of Christ, the more we ought to love like Christ. The more we embrace truth, the more we ought to ooze out love.
Have you ever seen one of those souvenir penny presses? You put the penny into the machine, crank the machine, and then out comes a newly shaped penny.
This ought to be the Christian's experience with truth. Upon belief, we enter into a relationship with Jesus. And the end result of being pressed by a knowledge of Jesus is a loving believer. The more we grow in the knowledge of Christ, the more we ought to love like Christ.
Paul says, "[15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
Part of Christian maturity is understanding, embracing, and proclaiming truth. But truly mature Christians will proclaim the truth in love. The mark of a mature believer is love. The mark of a mature church is love. Christian love is the blood flow to a healthy church. Without it, we will quickly die.