1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,000 Well, good morning everyone. It's great to see everyone who's 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,960 here with us today to join us in worship and now in our study. 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,560 There's quite a few faces in here that I have not yet met and 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:11,960 I'm looking forward to meeting you later. 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,960 We want to welcome you to worship with us at any chance 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,280 you have the opportunity and it's good to see some familiar 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,920 faces as well. Welcome to everyone who's here 8 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:21,800 today. If you have not been with us, 9 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:23,880 we've been studying through the book of Ephesians. 10 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,400 At least when I'm giving the study I chose to study through 11 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,010 each each chapter of this book and we've walked through 12 00:00:31,010 --> 00:00:34,370 Hebrews, Galatians and we're working through Ephesians right 13 00:00:34,370 --> 00:00:36,210 now and we're in the 4th chapter. 14 00:00:36,890 --> 00:00:40,770 And just a little insight as to why I I do this and I think 15 00:00:40,770 --> 00:00:45,330 anyone who teaches the Bible wants to do an expository study 16 00:00:45,330 --> 00:00:48,650 is we want to share the knowledge of the word of God. 17 00:00:48,930 --> 00:00:50,450 That's that's the goal of every teacher. 18 00:00:50,970 --> 00:00:55,330 But specifically with expository study, we want everyone to see 19 00:00:55,490 --> 00:00:58,090 and to understand that you could do this too. 20 00:00:58,530 --> 00:01:01,090 You can pick up the Bible. You can read through and and 21 00:01:01,090 --> 00:01:04,890 study through it for yourself, for somebody else maybe. 22 00:01:04,890 --> 00:01:08,090 So in your life, whenever a Bible study is done, we try to 23 00:01:08,090 --> 00:01:11,170 remember, hey, the reason we're doing this so that you can go 24 00:01:11,170 --> 00:01:14,450 and teach other people too. What this this should not end 25 00:01:14,450 --> 00:01:17,730 with your knowledge of the Word. This should only be an 26 00:01:17,730 --> 00:01:22,010 extension, an extension of of the Word through you as you go 27 00:01:22,010 --> 00:01:24,130 forward. So I hope you get the sense and 28 00:01:24,130 --> 00:01:25,850 you might say, you know, sometimes people say things 29 00:01:25,850 --> 00:01:29,670 like, well, I don't have the things to say that so and so 30 00:01:29,670 --> 00:01:31,990 says about a passage, OK, well, I have this. 31 00:01:31,990 --> 00:01:35,070 I I could use that same excuse that I don't have the same 32 00:01:35,070 --> 00:01:37,710 things to say about a passage that Frank says or that another 33 00:01:37,710 --> 00:01:40,270 preacher says. So none of us have an excuse 34 00:01:40,670 --> 00:01:42,990 because there might be some things we say today that you 35 00:01:42,990 --> 00:01:45,230 might think, oh, I never thought about that before, but it 36 00:01:45,230 --> 00:01:47,750 doesn't make me a genius. It just makes it being 37 00:01:47,750 --> 00:01:50,790 perspective and and someone else reading the word and noticing 38 00:01:50,790 --> 00:01:53,580 something different. That's our goal today is that we 39 00:01:53,580 --> 00:01:57,140 will study and learn God's word and that you will see that maybe 40 00:01:57,140 --> 00:01:59,220 you can pick up some studies of your own. 41 00:01:59,900 --> 00:02:03,620 So Ephesians, chapter four, I've titled this a worthy walk. 42 00:02:03,740 --> 00:02:06,900 Just to pick up reminding ourselves in this book there are 43 00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:08,139 two sections. Basically. 44 00:02:08,139 --> 00:02:11,380 The first section is 3 chapters that we just finished and that 45 00:02:11,380 --> 00:02:14,660 was all about what our blessings are in Christ. 46 00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:17,540 It's doctrine. It's teaching about the place 47 00:02:17,540 --> 00:02:19,910 you have. And if you don't understand the 48 00:02:19,910 --> 00:02:23,390 place you have, the writer Paul wants you to be motivated into 49 00:02:23,390 --> 00:02:27,150 action by the place that you hold in the Kingdom of God and 50 00:02:27,150 --> 00:02:29,990 an eternity itself. And so we've already talked 51 00:02:29,990 --> 00:02:33,670 about where we've been raised to, the glorious inheritance 52 00:02:33,670 --> 00:02:38,470 that God has chosen us for. And now the second section that 53 00:02:38,470 --> 00:02:41,550 we're starting is chapters 4 through 6, where he's going to 54 00:02:41,550 --> 00:02:44,070 say, OK, now what do you do with all that information? 55 00:02:44,590 --> 00:02:46,710 What do you do with that? And then it's going to be a call 56 00:02:46,710 --> 00:02:49,520 to walk worthy of this great calling. 57 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,200 And and this section is going to be generally, we're going to 58 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,000 talk about preserving the unity of the Spirit with the proper 59 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,760 attitudes. We're going to talk about 60 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,560 edifying the body of Christ by the grace given to us. 61 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:03,960 And we may not even make it through that whole section 62 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:05,400 today. Probably only going to cover 63 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:09,000 about half of this chapter. But I in the same flow of 64 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,920 thought, he's going to talk about a call to walk in purity. 65 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:16,160 So to walk in pure life, what does that means for a Christian? 66 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,920 Because we don't just get called to a heavenly calling and then 67 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:22,840 just say, well, that doesn't mean anything for me personally. 68 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,320 It's just what I get to have. No, it's it's a walk where we 69 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:30,440 make sacrifice for the glory of God and ultimately for our 70 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,520 benefit as well. And it's a call to walk not as 71 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,440 the other Gentiles. But like I said, I don't think 72 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:36,520 we'll get through all that today. 73 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,040 So this walk that we're going to talk about was led up to with 74 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,280 Chapter 3. So let's get a just a couple 75 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:48,150 quick verses to remind ourselves of chapter 3, where Paul was, 76 00:03:48,270 --> 00:03:52,070 where Paul was writing. He says that you, being rooted 77 00:03:52,070 --> 00:03:55,710 and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the 78 00:03:55,710 --> 00:03:58,790 Saints what is the width and the length and the depth and the 79 00:03:58,790 --> 00:04:01,310 height. He wants these, these Ephesian 80 00:04:01,310 --> 00:04:05,670 brethren to know that you have to be grounded in love and the 81 00:04:05,670 --> 00:04:09,750 love of Christ before you can even start to comprehend and to 82 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:13,870 be grounded enough that you will stay when things get hard. 83 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,959 That you will stay when your own faith is challenged, when people 84 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:21,079 around you challenge you. That you will grow and be rooted 85 00:04:21,079 --> 00:04:24,520 in love so that you can comprehend the blessings that 86 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:26,280 are for us. I'll be honest with you, I have 87 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:30,360 a hard time comprehending the blessings and the the riches 88 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,680 that are promised that we're kind of talked about Ephesian 89 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,440 and Ephesians one through 3. And the solution to that is we 90 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,440 have to be rooted in love, because otherwise we're not 91 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:44,120 going to have the grounding to really appreciate and and accept 92 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:49,480 and be motivated by the love and the the goodness that God has 93 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,760 towards us. Verse 19, He said to know the 94 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,640 love of Christ, which passes knowledge, there's part of it 95 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,480 just goes beyond our understanding. 96 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,640 We can't fathom it completely that you may be filled with all 97 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,040 the fullness of God. Now to him, he said, a response 98 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,840 to all of that. Now to him who's able to do 99 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:12,640 exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, that's a 100 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,480 lot of redundancy beyond anything you could ever imagine 101 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:19,400 according to the power that works in US even still to this 102 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,160 day. To him be glory in the church by 103 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,440 Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. 104 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,200 Amen. So Paul pronounces this blessing 105 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,760 and this thanks and this glory to God and that's going to lead 106 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,440 us into OK, now what? It doesn't end there. 107 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:43,740 Verse one of Ephesians chapter 4 says this I therefore a prisoner 108 00:05:43,740 --> 00:05:45,820 for the Lord. Paul's already reminded us that 109 00:05:45,820 --> 00:05:48,940 he's in prison writing these letters, and he's a prisoner 110 00:05:49,060 --> 00:05:51,700 because he's serving the needs of the brethren, preaching the 111 00:05:51,700 --> 00:05:55,500 gospel, and he's a he's serving the needs of the Lord's church. 112 00:05:55,620 --> 00:05:58,740 So he's a prisoner of the Lord. And he urges them to come 113 00:05:58,740 --> 00:06:02,740 alongside him in his service to the Lord by saying, I urge you 114 00:06:03,620 --> 00:06:08,340 to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which 115 00:06:08,340 --> 00:06:10,610 you have been called. So I'm going to bounce back and 116 00:06:10,610 --> 00:06:12,930 forth between the ESV and the new King James this morning. 117 00:06:12,930 --> 00:06:14,290 I'll try to make it clear when I do that. 118 00:06:15,210 --> 00:06:18,010 But this is our call throughout the Bible when we read the word 119 00:06:18,010 --> 00:06:19,610 walk. It's a manner of life. 120 00:06:19,610 --> 00:06:20,930 Obviously. He's not saying you should have 121 00:06:20,930 --> 00:06:24,250 a certain cadence in your step, a certain swagger or a or a 122 00:06:24,370 --> 00:06:26,850 hitch in your walk. He's saying you should have a 123 00:06:26,890 --> 00:06:32,730 manner of your life that is worthy of this great calling. 124 00:06:34,450 --> 00:06:39,100 Now if this was me writing a book about or a story, you know, 125 00:06:39,100 --> 00:06:42,060 people write all kinds of stories and fantasy about a 126 00:06:42,060 --> 00:06:44,580 great calling and if you have a great mission. 127 00:06:44,980 --> 00:06:49,220 If I were to write something like this, I would think you 128 00:06:49,220 --> 00:06:52,220 know of a of a lauded. Or if I had the, if I had the 129 00:06:52,220 --> 00:06:56,740 lauded audience of going before the throne of a, of a creator 130 00:06:57,180 --> 00:07:00,540 who has called me to an inheritance that is beyond any 131 00:07:00,540 --> 00:07:03,900 riches this world has to offer. That this, that when the Bible 132 00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:06,300 describes the riches of this world, it's like it's it's 133 00:07:06,300 --> 00:07:07,700 trash. It's going to be gone, it's 134 00:07:07,700 --> 00:07:09,900 going to burn up. It's it's worthless. 135 00:07:10,540 --> 00:07:13,540 And instead of that, we're being called to a heavenly calling. 136 00:07:13,540 --> 00:07:16,580 Well, we are not only members of the heavenly Kingdom, but where 137 00:07:16,580 --> 00:07:20,380 we are sons and daughters, direct heirs of the throne. 138 00:07:20,770 --> 00:07:23,530 And I think about man, OK, well, if I'm going to walk in a worthy 139 00:07:23,530 --> 00:07:26,730 manner, I here we go, I'm going to do something awesome. 140 00:07:26,730 --> 00:07:29,530 I'm going to do an incredible feat of physicality. 141 00:07:29,530 --> 00:07:32,690 I'm going to do incredible feat of maybe an intellectual 142 00:07:32,690 --> 00:07:36,250 strength maybe, you know, if you hear of all these stories and 143 00:07:36,250 --> 00:07:39,090 and these great movies where people do it in a fantastic 144 00:07:39,090 --> 00:07:44,410 work, it's always some feat of physicality mentality or all 145 00:07:44,410 --> 00:07:46,090 these all these great things you can do. 146 00:07:47,530 --> 00:07:50,010 The last thing I would expect for him to say is what he's 147 00:07:50,010 --> 00:07:53,610 going to say next. Because the things he's going to 148 00:07:53,610 --> 00:07:58,090 tell us to do to walk worthy are not at all the things that I 149 00:07:58,090 --> 00:08:01,330 just described you, feats of intellectual, emotional or 150 00:08:01,330 --> 00:08:06,810 physical prowess. But we are to walk worthy of 151 00:08:06,810 --> 00:08:10,770 this calling. And it's a dishonor if we don't. 152 00:08:11,890 --> 00:08:14,730 But because of all the factors that led up to this, we should 153 00:08:14,730 --> 00:08:18,060 want to. And the first question is, do 154 00:08:18,060 --> 00:08:20,380 you want to walk worthy of God's calling? 155 00:08:23,740 --> 00:08:25,860 Do you personally, not the person sitting next to you? 156 00:08:26,220 --> 00:08:30,740 Do you want to be walking in a way that's worthy of a heavenly 157 00:08:30,740 --> 00:08:33,260 calling? Doesn't mean you deserve it. 158 00:08:33,659 --> 00:08:37,700 That's not the point. But we have a manner that lives 159 00:08:38,220 --> 00:08:42,980 in a way that honors the call and honors what God has asked of 160 00:08:42,980 --> 00:08:45,580 us. Because if you do, you're going 161 00:08:45,580 --> 00:08:48,330 to be surprised at the answer, he says. 162 00:08:48,330 --> 00:08:52,690 To have a walk that is worthy, he first, The first thing we 163 00:08:52,690 --> 00:08:57,050 have to do to have a walk that is worthy is to walk with all 164 00:08:57,290 --> 00:09:01,410 humility and that goes against everything on the list I just 165 00:09:01,410 --> 00:09:04,410 said, he says. If you want to walk in a worthy 166 00:09:04,410 --> 00:09:07,130 in a manner that would, that would give the honor of a 167 00:09:07,130 --> 00:09:10,810 creator and this and this magnificent story with this 168 00:09:10,810 --> 00:09:14,610 lauded audience of the creator of this universe, he says turn 169 00:09:14,610 --> 00:09:17,260 around. He's going to talk about 170 00:09:17,260 --> 00:09:20,180 qualities and gentleness of patience and bearing with one 171 00:09:20,180 --> 00:09:23,580 another that are among ourselves. 172 00:09:24,620 --> 00:09:27,660 He's he's got this picture of someone coming before a God who 173 00:09:27,660 --> 00:09:30,540 wants to live worthy of a heavenly calling, he says, Turn 174 00:09:30,540 --> 00:09:34,380 around, turn around to the people that are around you. 175 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:37,740 You know, sometimes we're like, you know, I'm, I'm too busy for 176 00:09:37,740 --> 00:09:39,260 you. I'm trying to be living worthy 177 00:09:39,260 --> 00:09:41,820 of God. God doesn't allow that. 178 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,720 Instead, God wants us to turn around to one another and first 179 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:51,080 walk in humility. It all starts with humility. 180 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,440 No service we could perform, no word we could say, no task we 181 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,680 would engage in would be worthy of this heavenly calling without 182 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:01,680 our proper perspective on ourself. 183 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:03,240 I don't have to explain that to you. 184 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:08,240 For everyone involved in the situation, it's better if we are 185 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:10,820 humble and it's bad if we're not. 186 00:10:11,060 --> 00:10:14,540 I don't care what I were to do for you, If I did something for 187 00:10:14,540 --> 00:10:18,620 you that was magnificent and I walked around with the chip on 188 00:10:18,620 --> 00:10:20,500 my shoulder, I'm like, yeah, I did that. 189 00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:25,020 Or after I got done doing interacting with you, you would 190 00:10:25,020 --> 00:10:27,420 feel dirty if I were to be prideful about that. 191 00:10:28,620 --> 00:10:31,060 Nobody wants somebody's prideful helping them. 192 00:10:31,060 --> 00:10:33,340 Nobody wants who's prideful working alongside them. 193 00:10:33,460 --> 00:10:35,740 It's not good for anyone. If we have pride in our hearts, 194 00:10:37,300 --> 00:10:40,260 we know what it feels like when people have pride a week when we 195 00:10:40,260 --> 00:10:41,780 ourselves have pride in our work. 196 00:10:43,460 --> 00:10:46,540 It won't be good for ourselves in reality, because pride is a 197 00:10:46,540 --> 00:10:49,740 weak way to live. If I live with a walk in pride, 198 00:10:50,060 --> 00:10:51,460 I don't have God's strength in me. 199 00:10:51,500 --> 00:10:56,900 I'm walking by my own strength, and it's only with humility and 200 00:10:56,900 --> 00:10:59,620 putting myself aside and elevating God. 201 00:10:59,620 --> 00:11:01,740 When I decrease, then God can increase. 202 00:11:02,260 --> 00:11:04,700 Then my work can be good for myself. 203 00:11:04,940 --> 00:11:06,850 That's not the point. But it can be good. 204 00:11:06,850 --> 00:11:08,530 It can be a benefit to my own life. 205 00:11:08,530 --> 00:11:10,570 It could be a benefit to the life of others. 206 00:11:11,450 --> 00:11:17,890 And it becomes a worthwhile use of our time and our energy when 207 00:11:17,890 --> 00:11:21,130 we decrease and give God the rightful place on His throne. 208 00:11:21,130 --> 00:11:24,850 And we serve others more than we look to serve ourselves. 209 00:11:24,970 --> 00:11:28,330 So why don't we? Why don't we walk with humility 210 00:11:28,370 --> 00:11:31,890 naturally? And I think personally, I think 211 00:11:31,890 --> 00:11:35,050 it's because we have a desire for significance. 212 00:11:36,060 --> 00:11:38,540 We want to be significant, We want to matter. 213 00:11:38,740 --> 00:11:41,340 And when we try to take that, it's because we don't feel like 214 00:11:41,340 --> 00:11:45,140 we do. The reality is our significance 215 00:11:45,580 --> 00:11:48,100 that we crave does not come from ourselves. 216 00:11:48,700 --> 00:11:51,420 We can't get it through ourselves and it can't come 217 00:11:51,420 --> 00:11:53,220 through ourselves. It can only come through God. 218 00:11:54,060 --> 00:12:00,900 Our sacrifice or our service to God is only worthwhile and we 219 00:12:00,900 --> 00:12:04,100 will only receive significance if it's through him and for Him 220 00:12:04,460 --> 00:12:07,360 in our work. Significance does not come 221 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,040 through US. He says next gentleness to walk 222 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:14,280 in a worthy that in a manner that is worthy of a heavenly 223 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,040 calling. He says to be gentle and I I say 224 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,880 this all almost all the time and I think people reiterate this 225 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:22,680 all the time. Gentleness is not weakness. 226 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:27,560 Gentleness is not weakness. Charlie, I would say is weak. 227 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,560 Everyone would say a baby is weak by all standards. 228 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,440 Even if he's strong for a baby, he does things that I don't 229 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:34,360 think a baby should be able to do. 230 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,520 He is weak by all intents and purposes. 231 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:39,560 But I would never describe him as gentle. 232 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:41,680 And if you've held him for very long, you know that's true. 233 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,920 He'll claw your eyes, but he's not gentle. 234 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,880 So when we see gentleness, we don't think weakness, because 235 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,280 that's not how you describe somebody who is weak. 236 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:52,840 You're not describe them as gentle. 237 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:56,000 We think of an adult. Well, what's what's unique about 238 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,480 an adult that a kid is not, they're old enough to have the 239 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,400 capacity and strength to harm someone. 240 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:05,320 If you have the capacity and strength to do harm but you 241 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:10,000 control it, that's strength. And that's the definition of 242 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,640 gentleness. Gentleness is strength 243 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:18,680 controlled. OK, why don't we have have 244 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:20,490 gentleness? And I think it's probably 245 00:13:20,490 --> 00:13:23,330 because in different places in the Bible it gives hint that we 246 00:13:23,330 --> 00:13:26,170 try to take control for ourselves of the situation. 247 00:13:26,810 --> 00:13:29,730 We don't think that God is in control either in the short term 248 00:13:29,730 --> 00:13:32,050 or the long term. And so we feel like we have to 249 00:13:32,050 --> 00:13:34,850 lash out. You know so and so will not 250 00:13:34,850 --> 00:13:39,490 unless I or I just get fed up with someone else's actions to 251 00:13:39,490 --> 00:13:42,730 the point that I have to be the one who handles them, when in 252 00:13:42,730 --> 00:13:46,210 reality they're the only person that control themselves and I'm 253 00:13:46,210 --> 00:13:49,210 not going to be able to fix them with my lashing out at someone. 254 00:13:51,030 --> 00:13:53,030 We're not gentle when our perspective is not where it 255 00:13:53,030 --> 00:13:56,910 should be. When we are of the right 256 00:13:56,910 --> 00:13:59,710 mindset, we will know that the only way to change somebody is 257 00:13:59,710 --> 00:14:02,790 to show love. Sure, we have to set boundaries, 258 00:14:02,950 --> 00:14:08,390 but we must show love in gentleness to walk a manner that 259 00:14:08,390 --> 00:14:11,990 is worthy of the calling. Jesus was gentle. 260 00:14:13,830 --> 00:14:18,410 Jesus was one who children felt safe enough to go around and to 261 00:14:18,410 --> 00:14:22,050 come and sit on his lap. That was a gentleman. 262 00:14:22,690 --> 00:14:25,530 And yet when he stood in front of a crowd that's coming to get 263 00:14:25,530 --> 00:14:28,850 him, he said his name and they fell on the ground. 264 00:14:31,330 --> 00:14:33,930 He was the commander of Angel armies that can wipe out the 265 00:14:33,930 --> 00:14:37,450 world with just a couple of them, and yet he is described as 266 00:14:37,450 --> 00:14:41,730 gentle. We ought to be gentle, to walk 267 00:14:41,850 --> 00:14:44,970 worthy of the calling, he says with patience. 268 00:14:45,650 --> 00:14:47,850 Patience, and this, and this whole train of thought is the 269 00:14:47,850 --> 00:14:51,530 last thing I would think to live up to a heavenly calling, you 270 00:14:51,530 --> 00:14:54,530 might say. I would not think patience would 271 00:14:54,530 --> 00:14:58,850 be at the front. And yet it is, he says, bearing 272 00:14:58,850 --> 00:15:03,410 with one another in love. In order to live in a worthy 273 00:15:03,410 --> 00:15:05,570 manner, we have to turn around to others. 274 00:15:05,650 --> 00:15:08,770 We have to show humility, gentleness and patience, and we 275 00:15:08,770 --> 00:15:12,530 have to be there for one another and bear with one another. 276 00:15:13,170 --> 00:15:17,850 Now if this is people you love to be around and you love to 277 00:15:18,330 --> 00:15:21,770 interact with, and you just enjoy that with, that's good. 278 00:15:22,090 --> 00:15:24,610 But it wouldn't be a command probably if it was easy. 279 00:15:25,010 --> 00:15:27,290 And we know this cannot be easy all the time. 280 00:15:27,730 --> 00:15:31,610 That's why it's a command we are to bear with one another, even 281 00:15:31,610 --> 00:15:35,010 when it is not natural to do so, when it doesn't feel like we 282 00:15:35,010 --> 00:15:39,250 should. Even when people are difficult 283 00:15:41,410 --> 00:15:43,890 through conflicts and disagreements, we stay there. 284 00:15:44,860 --> 00:15:46,660 This is basically a call to stay. 285 00:15:48,100 --> 00:15:52,020 He's going to get into unity and the bond we have and the oneness 286 00:15:52,020 --> 00:15:54,780 we have and all that is broken up. 287 00:15:54,780 --> 00:15:58,700 If people don't just learn to stay, don't get out of the 288 00:15:58,700 --> 00:16:00,660 situation you're in because you don't like where you're at, 289 00:16:00,660 --> 00:16:03,220 because you don't like the the person next to you or you don't 290 00:16:03,220 --> 00:16:07,860 like this, he says Stay, stay with them and be with them. 291 00:16:08,500 --> 00:16:10,900 Why does that matter? Because we know people don't 292 00:16:10,900 --> 00:16:16,420 really behave in a difficult way most of the time because of the 293 00:16:16,420 --> 00:16:19,180 situation with you. It's a lot of times because of 294 00:16:19,180 --> 00:16:20,820 the difficulties in their own life. 295 00:16:21,140 --> 00:16:23,580 They're dealing with something on their own end, their own 296 00:16:23,580 --> 00:16:25,580 life's turmoil, their own life's stresses. 297 00:16:25,820 --> 00:16:28,140 And sometimes they're difficult with you because it's just 298 00:16:28,260 --> 00:16:35,460 coming out at that moment. And it takes a a reminder to 299 00:16:35,460 --> 00:16:38,860 stay to bear with one another, whether they're easy or 300 00:16:38,860 --> 00:16:42,930 difficult. And he says to do it in love. 301 00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:49,090 I think level one is just being there for people. 302 00:16:49,730 --> 00:16:52,730 Level 2 is being there for people even when they're 303 00:16:52,730 --> 00:16:56,410 difficult. But I think Level 3 is the 304 00:16:56,610 --> 00:16:59,250 that's where it gets really hard, is being there for one 305 00:16:59,250 --> 00:17:02,530 another, even when it's difficult in love. 306 00:17:02,930 --> 00:17:06,690 I need to work on that because I can be there for someone and 307 00:17:06,810 --> 00:17:11,910 have kind of a tight lip about it, but it takes strength, it 308 00:17:11,910 --> 00:17:16,390 takes self-control. It takes practice to do this 309 00:17:16,910 --> 00:17:21,869 with love for someone bearing with one another in love. 310 00:17:21,869 --> 00:17:24,869 If we really want to live up to the call that we've read about 311 00:17:24,869 --> 00:17:26,670 in the first three chapters, that is beyond what we could 312 00:17:26,670 --> 00:17:29,550 ever deserve. He says look around to one 313 00:17:29,550 --> 00:17:31,790 another and be there for each other. 314 00:17:33,230 --> 00:17:38,790 In verse three he says to be eager to maintain the unity of 315 00:17:38,790 --> 00:17:41,610 the Spirit and the bond of peace. 316 00:17:44,010 --> 00:17:46,850 How do we do this? How do we maintain the unity of 317 00:17:46,850 --> 00:17:49,250 the spirit and the bond of peace with eagerness? 318 00:17:50,130 --> 00:17:56,090 The point here is we cannot passively maintain unity in the 319 00:17:56,090 --> 00:17:58,050 body of Christ or with one another. 320 00:17:58,250 --> 00:18:02,490 It has to be with eagerness. It has to be with an intense and 321 00:18:02,490 --> 00:18:06,450 with a focused effort to do so, because the natural state will 322 00:18:06,450 --> 00:18:09,050 be disbanding. Maybe we'll come together for a 323 00:18:09,050 --> 00:18:12,050 while and then disband once things get difficult. 324 00:18:13,170 --> 00:18:16,210 And you notice he doesn't say create unity necessarily. 325 00:18:16,210 --> 00:18:19,090 I mean, not, not that would be bad if he did, but he said 326 00:18:19,090 --> 00:18:22,570 maintain the unity. It's a unity of the Spirit. 327 00:18:22,570 --> 00:18:26,090 I think that's important because the unity that is in the body of 328 00:18:26,090 --> 00:18:27,730 Christ is not ours to begin with. 329 00:18:28,210 --> 00:18:31,890 We did not create it, and therefore we should be ashamed 330 00:18:31,890 --> 00:18:37,250 if we do anything to disband it. God has intended for us to be 331 00:18:37,250 --> 00:18:39,650 unified. It is the unity of the Spirit. 332 00:18:39,650 --> 00:18:44,770 It is a unity setting forth by God himself, and if we are 333 00:18:44,770 --> 00:18:50,370 eager, we should do our best to maintain that shame on us. 334 00:18:50,410 --> 00:18:52,530 If we break up something that he's going to talk about a 335 00:18:52,530 --> 00:18:54,890 minute is 1. It's powerful when we are 336 00:18:54,890 --> 00:18:59,610 together and unified and collectively on the same page 337 00:18:59,730 --> 00:19:04,430 and with the same goals. He has designed a beautiful 338 00:19:04,430 --> 00:19:07,990 unity to exist in the faith for the enjoyment of his people. 339 00:19:08,230 --> 00:19:11,310 Scripture says how blessed it is for brethren to dwell together 340 00:19:11,310 --> 00:19:14,950 in unity. It's for our enjoyment and for 341 00:19:14,950 --> 00:19:18,830 his glory. He set this in motion. 342 00:19:18,990 --> 00:19:23,630 Shame on me if I let God down by not maintaining that. 343 00:19:23,910 --> 00:19:27,670 You might say God lit the fire of unity and is our God to do 344 00:19:27,670 --> 00:19:30,350 our part in preserving that fire of unity. 345 00:19:31,650 --> 00:19:36,290 The Spirit here is important because it is only by the spirit 346 00:19:36,410 --> 00:19:39,090 and the spirits work in this world by giving us the word of 347 00:19:39,090 --> 00:19:44,010 God that we have unity. Because in reality we would have 348 00:19:44,210 --> 00:19:48,490 no common ground, and we would very likely have every reason to 349 00:19:48,890 --> 00:19:53,850 not be unified unless we all had one common source of our hope, 350 00:19:54,210 --> 00:19:59,800 source of our knowledge and our guidance the Spirit gave us The 351 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,440 Word of God is inspired by the Spirit. 352 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:10,040 We cannot, we cannot have unity without God's Word. 353 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,680 How else can we procure such an uncommon peace? 354 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:18,840 Surely not from our own ways. Only through unity around God's 355 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,080 Word. And through God's word may we 356 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:28,040 have peace in the bond of peace may people have said. 357 00:20:29,140 --> 00:20:33,060 That Jesus did not say Blessed are the peace and joyers, but 358 00:20:33,060 --> 00:20:37,980 the peacemakers, and here the peace maintainers, those who 359 00:20:38,300 --> 00:20:41,900 endeavor or are eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit 360 00:20:42,540 --> 00:20:49,180 in the bond of peace. Verse four there is one body and 361 00:20:49,180 --> 00:20:51,740 one spirit. Just as you are called in one 362 00:20:51,740 --> 00:20:54,620 hope of your calling back in the new king, new King James, here 363 00:20:55,300 --> 00:20:59,520 he's going to give us a list of seven core principles of unity. 364 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,720 I think 7. You know, you hear that #7. 365 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:02,960 That's the number of completeness. 366 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,800 That's the the number that God uses often in the Bible. 367 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:07,960 And there's seven of them. The first one is that there is 368 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:13,840 one body. It is us as the church who are 369 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:19,320 to be the one body. If we break that up, we are 370 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,880 disbanding a beautiful picture. When we commune, we are one body 371 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,760 and we share in Christ's sacrifice together. 372 00:21:28,570 --> 00:21:30,770 That also means that we are to work things out. 373 00:21:30,850 --> 00:21:33,330 We are one body. There's not another option like, 374 00:21:33,330 --> 00:21:35,610 oh, just go pick somewhere else where you'd rather be. 375 00:21:36,410 --> 00:21:39,450 There's one body, and if we don't want to be a part of that, 376 00:21:39,450 --> 00:21:42,370 how is heaven going to be like if we don't want to be with all 377 00:21:42,370 --> 00:21:46,690 the people who are there in heaven with us, work things out. 378 00:21:47,330 --> 00:21:51,370 We are the one body of Christ. May we not split that up? 379 00:21:52,730 --> 00:21:54,130 He says 1. Spirit. 380 00:21:54,290 --> 00:21:57,940 Like we just said, the spirit gave us the word of God. 381 00:21:57,940 --> 00:22:00,940 It is our one source of guidance, unity and common 382 00:22:00,940 --> 00:22:03,340 support. Without it, we have no ground 383 00:22:03,500 --> 00:22:08,540 for unity. He says 1 Hope of your calling. 384 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:10,940 You know, we really only have one hope. 385 00:22:12,740 --> 00:22:15,780 You could get a sample from people of all walks of life and 386 00:22:15,780 --> 00:22:17,620 even this room. You know, what do you hope in? 387 00:22:18,020 --> 00:22:20,140 What do you find hope in for your life? 388 00:22:20,140 --> 00:22:21,500 And people might say all kinds of things. 389 00:22:21,740 --> 00:22:24,100 They might see maybe their football team is is going to do 390 00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:25,420 it all this year. They're going to win it all. 391 00:22:25,860 --> 00:22:28,580 They might say. I've had an injury for a long 392 00:22:28,580 --> 00:22:29,940 time. I'm really hoping. 393 00:22:30,180 --> 00:22:33,020 I'm really hopeful that I can live a life free of pain, that 394 00:22:33,020 --> 00:22:35,580 maybe I can have a procedure that I can recover from and get 395 00:22:35,580 --> 00:22:38,940 well. I'm hopeful maybe for my career 396 00:22:38,940 --> 00:22:42,020 plans I'm looking forward to where my career might take me. 397 00:22:42,620 --> 00:22:45,420 You get 100 different answers if you ask 100 different people 398 00:22:45,580 --> 00:22:48,900 what they're hoping in, and that's that's true. 399 00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:52,780 And and we do sometimes lose sight of what really matters. 400 00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:57,420 And I and it's definitely not wrong to have things you're 401 00:22:57,420 --> 00:23:03,460 looking forward to in life. But we can all agree in this 402 00:23:03,460 --> 00:23:06,380 room there is only one hope that matters. 403 00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:11,940 As we were around my grandma's bedside last weekend, she was 404 00:23:11,940 --> 00:23:16,060 just constantly repeating none of this matters. 405 00:23:16,860 --> 00:23:19,940 And she, you know, there's regrets there that things that 406 00:23:19,940 --> 00:23:23,790 she spent too much time on spend too much money on that she just 407 00:23:23,790 --> 00:23:27,150 wished it didn't matter. I wasted all that on on things 408 00:23:27,150 --> 00:23:29,390 that didn't matter. No, I'm not going to say she 409 00:23:29,390 --> 00:23:31,590 wasted it. But when people are on their 410 00:23:31,590 --> 00:23:36,230 deathbed, there's a clarity that comes over them of what really 411 00:23:36,230 --> 00:23:40,230 matters. We all in this room know what 412 00:23:40,230 --> 00:23:45,190 really matters. She said that she's been 413 00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:48,270 preparing for a trip her whole life and she wanted us to meet 414 00:23:48,270 --> 00:23:51,670 her there. We only have one hope. 415 00:23:52,310 --> 00:23:54,630 If we all in this room, we're collectively on our deathbed 416 00:23:54,630 --> 00:23:55,790 right now, there'd be no question. 417 00:23:55,790 --> 00:23:58,510 There'd be no. You know, I got to sort out that 418 00:23:58,510 --> 00:23:59,790 first and then this. No, it would be. 419 00:23:59,790 --> 00:24:01,350 There's only one thing that matters, she said. 420 00:24:01,350 --> 00:24:03,830 All is vanity and vexation, like the like. 421 00:24:03,830 --> 00:24:07,310 The The Book of Ecclesiastes says all of it is meaningless. 422 00:24:08,350 --> 00:24:11,310 There is only one hope. There's only one thing we can 423 00:24:11,310 --> 00:24:13,390 look forward to truly in this life. 424 00:24:14,230 --> 00:24:17,590 Because when it's all said and done, we can't take anything 425 00:24:17,590 --> 00:24:20,030 with us. It's not going to matter how 426 00:24:20,030 --> 00:24:25,530 much we accomplished our own accolades, any of that. 427 00:24:27,690 --> 00:24:30,250 May we live, do our best to live in that headspace. 428 00:24:30,770 --> 00:24:34,490 Could we get distracted? But may we remember that we have 429 00:24:34,490 --> 00:24:40,530 one hope, and thus we should be more unified in our intentions. 430 00:24:41,250 --> 00:24:45,690 That we are one body and there's one spirit and we have one hope 431 00:24:45,930 --> 00:24:48,170 in Our Calling. There is one Lord. 432 00:24:48,330 --> 00:24:50,610 We only have one leader. You know when? 433 00:24:50,610 --> 00:24:54,630 When countries and groups go through cycles where they're 434 00:24:54,630 --> 00:24:57,950 unsuccessful, whether it's a country collapses, a lot of 435 00:24:57,950 --> 00:25:00,310 times it's the leadership. Either people question the 436 00:25:00,310 --> 00:25:03,350 leadership, maybe the leadership is weak, or, you know, there's 437 00:25:03,350 --> 00:25:06,590 an insurrection rebellion. We don't have to worry about 438 00:25:06,590 --> 00:25:10,710 that, and I'm so glad we don't, because there doesn't need to be 439 00:25:10,710 --> 00:25:17,060 a big, big issue about who we turn to, about who we are led 440 00:25:17,060 --> 00:25:19,660 by. We are led by one good and great 441 00:25:19,660 --> 00:25:23,140 leader who sacrificed for us, who is complete in every way, 442 00:25:23,260 --> 00:25:27,380 who didn't even sin. There's no criticism of him. 443 00:25:27,900 --> 00:25:31,140 Teams crumble when they fight about their leader, and we have 444 00:25:31,140 --> 00:25:33,860 a leader that can be trusted with everything we have, 445 00:25:33,860 --> 00:25:38,660 including our eternity. We have one Lord, one leader. 446 00:25:40,740 --> 00:25:45,680 There's one faith and God's plan and God's guidance and God's 447 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:47,120 saving. There is only one faith. 448 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:50,600 Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life. 449 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,440 No one comes to the Father but by me, He says. 450 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:57,960 There's one baptism. You know, whenever I heard this 451 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,560 either reference or taught from, it seemed like every time I 452 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:05,080 heard this or I'm sure there's people who taught who went more 453 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:09,260 in depth, but it was often in reference to you should baptize 454 00:26:09,260 --> 00:26:11,340 by immersion. And that's the only way. 455 00:26:11,340 --> 00:26:13,940 Look, it says here 1 baptism. And that's all they said moved 456 00:26:13,940 --> 00:26:16,780 on. But I think this, that's just to 457 00:26:16,780 --> 00:26:19,500 take such a a thin layer that's like picking the pepperonis off 458 00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:21,140 of a piece of pizza and just eating the pepperonis. 459 00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:25,820 This is so much deeper. He's he's providing core 460 00:26:25,820 --> 00:26:29,980 principles of Christian unity. There is only one baptism. 461 00:26:30,420 --> 00:26:32,500 Yes. That means immersion. 462 00:26:32,580 --> 00:26:34,980 And because there's meaning behind that, what we should 463 00:26:34,980 --> 00:26:37,420 think about when we read this is beyond just that. 464 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:44,760 We should think there is only one obeying of the gospel. 465 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:49,360 There's only one contacting of the blood of Jesus in immersion. 466 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:54,400 There's only one way that we are to die and be risen from the 467 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,520 dead spiritually. It's you can't go to the the 468 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:01,040 Enlightenment discount store and pick up another version of that. 469 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,770 There's only one way. There's only one way to be fully 470 00:27:05,770 --> 00:27:10,530 submitted to God's way to submit yourself and be buried and die 471 00:27:10,530 --> 00:27:14,290 to our old life and give up everything into the hands of a 472 00:27:14,290 --> 00:27:17,690 loving and faithful God who raised Jesus from the dead and 473 00:27:17,690 --> 00:27:22,450 so will raise us from the dead too, spiritually and an 474 00:27:22,450 --> 00:27:25,330 eternity. There's only one of those. 475 00:27:26,650 --> 00:27:33,690 There's only one submission and saving act of being plunged and 476 00:27:33,690 --> 00:27:38,250 brought back into life. There's only one of those, and 477 00:27:38,250 --> 00:27:43,250 there is only one God and Father of all who is over all and 478 00:27:43,250 --> 00:27:48,890 through all and in all. The 7th of the Principles of 479 00:27:48,890 --> 00:27:51,970 Unity says there is one God and Father of all. 480 00:27:52,690 --> 00:27:57,490 There is no question, and really we don't disagree on that. 481 00:27:58,090 --> 00:27:59,690 Sometimes we need to dwell more on that. 482 00:28:00,250 --> 00:28:05,810 Sometimes we need to remember because it says he is overall 483 00:28:06,170 --> 00:28:10,490 overall is a sign of dominance, but also says he is, through all 484 00:28:11,090 --> 00:28:15,810 that's a sign of empowerment. He's empowering everything to 485 00:28:15,810 --> 00:28:19,050 exist the way it does. He's dominant over it. 486 00:28:19,250 --> 00:28:22,650 He empowers everything that we see around us and makes 487 00:28:22,650 --> 00:28:26,250 everything work. And he is also in all he's not 488 00:28:26,250 --> 00:28:28,970 just a domineering father, he's an involved father. 489 00:28:29,970 --> 00:28:33,720 He's over it all. He's making it all work and he's 490 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,400 involved in it all. Those are the seven kind of core 491 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,760 principles of unity he gives here, verse 7. 492 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,840 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure 493 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:49,520 of Christ's gift. This is kind of a My mind didn't 494 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,120 really understand what this was saying at first. 495 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:56,320 It was kind of hard to to to get what this principle in orange 496 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,930 was saying, but it's according to the measure of Christ's gift. 497 00:28:59,930 --> 00:29:02,130 And the best I could way I could understand it in the way that 498 00:29:02,130 --> 00:29:07,570 made sense was grace was given to us according to a certain 499 00:29:07,570 --> 00:29:11,330 measure and for all of us I can assume for you, for me, this 500 00:29:11,330 --> 00:29:14,970 grace was immeasurable. I had so much sin in my life and 501 00:29:14,970 --> 00:29:18,730 sin that would that would have sent me to eternal hell. 502 00:29:19,370 --> 00:29:22,930 So to save me from that, it took an immeasurable measure of 503 00:29:22,930 --> 00:29:28,100 grace, and to each one of us that measure, the same measure 504 00:29:28,460 --> 00:29:31,580 in an immeasurable grace was given to us in the form of a 505 00:29:31,580 --> 00:29:35,900 gift that we can thank God for verse 8. 506 00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:41,340 Therefore it says when he ascended on high, he led 507 00:29:41,340 --> 00:29:44,980 captivity captive and gave gifts to men. 508 00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:46,580 That's the way the new King James words. 509 00:29:46,580 --> 00:29:48,740 We're going to look at the ESV in just a minute. 510 00:29:49,260 --> 00:29:54,290 But I guess the the way we could simply read this is he led 511 00:29:54,290 --> 00:29:58,490 captivity captive. He took the thing captivity 512 00:29:58,490 --> 00:30:01,250 itself. He took the bondage, he took 513 00:30:03,330 --> 00:30:06,330 entanglement and and imprisonment itself. 514 00:30:06,370 --> 00:30:10,450 And he turned that captive. He captured the trap basically 515 00:30:10,850 --> 00:30:13,770 and gave gifts to men. Now that's that's completely 516 00:30:13,770 --> 00:30:16,370 true. We know that Jesus crushed death 517 00:30:16,370 --> 00:30:18,210 in the grave. There is no nothing that can 518 00:30:18,210 --> 00:30:24,310 hold us but the ESV from what I understand is probably a better, 519 00:30:24,510 --> 00:30:28,350 better, like literal the way it was translated, a better 520 00:30:28,350 --> 00:30:31,590 translation of the phrase. It says he led a host of 521 00:30:31,590 --> 00:30:35,550 captives and gave gifts to men. So this phrase, a host of 522 00:30:35,550 --> 00:30:38,390 captives was like someone who came back from war. 523 00:30:38,390 --> 00:30:42,310 They had won and they would have like a train of of captives 524 00:30:42,310 --> 00:30:44,630 behind them. They he led a bunch of captives 525 00:30:44,630 --> 00:30:48,810 back to his own country. Well, with Jesus, it's not that 526 00:30:48,810 --> 00:30:52,410 He led prisoners. He led us who were prisoners 527 00:30:52,410 --> 00:30:55,530 free. And so both principles are true 528 00:30:55,730 --> 00:31:00,450 that He took imprisonment and captivity, and He trapped that, 529 00:31:00,770 --> 00:31:02,970 and He took that away. He took its power away. 530 00:31:03,130 --> 00:31:07,690 But it's also true that He took you and I who were prisoners, 531 00:31:07,730 --> 00:31:11,490 and He led us out of that darkness and out of that. 532 00:31:11,770 --> 00:31:17,130 Entanglement in the prisons of sin really carries the same 533 00:31:17,130 --> 00:31:20,120 meaning overall. And he gave gifts to men. 534 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,800 When I think about captivity, though I there's a lot of 535 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:24,120 different things that that means. 536 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,400 And as some of us were talking the other day, what does that 537 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:27,640 mean? That captivity. 538 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:29,280 And there's a lot of layers to that. 539 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:31,760 The first one I think of as freedom from the captivity of 540 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:35,080 the Old Testament law and it was captivity as we studied in 541 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,400 Hebrews because and and in Galatians because it was 542 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,720 conviction of your sin without a savior. 543 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:45,520 Yet there was no new law and savior yet to to free us from 544 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,440 that captivity to Sin City. We're free from the Old 545 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:52,160 Testament law and as part of that we're free from the need 546 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,680 for self righteousness. It proved that we cannot be 547 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,600 righteous on our own and we're free from the need for that to 548 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:02,440 be the case. As I thought about captivity 549 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:05,000 though, I thought about we're free from the captivity of 550 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:09,080 life's limitations. I've got my career set. 551 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:13,680 I've got pretty much as far as I think I'm going to go in my 552 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:15,160 career now. I'm just going to stay in it, 553 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,400 and that's OK. Life's limitations can make some 554 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:20,920 people feel like I got to do something more. 555 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,800 I got to do something next, I got to do this, I got to do 556 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,080 that. But you're limited with time and 557 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:31,920 money and and energy and age. Life's limitations can can be a 558 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,640 problem for people, but we are free from captivity. 559 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:39,240 To that it doesn't matter because my significance is not 560 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:43,560 in myself. I'm I'm free from the captivity 561 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,890 to my own sin, and as an extension of that, from my own 562 00:32:46,890 --> 00:32:49,130 mind. When we get our own head and we 563 00:32:49,130 --> 00:32:53,290 get stuck in cycles of sin, that's captivity. 564 00:32:53,410 --> 00:32:59,970 That's bondage to sin, that's entrapment, and my own cycles 565 00:33:00,250 --> 00:33:02,370 that make my life miserable because of sin. 566 00:33:02,370 --> 00:33:05,690 I'm free from that. And praise God that he led me 567 00:33:05,690 --> 00:33:10,170 free and he took that captivity away and the power that it had 568 00:33:10,170 --> 00:33:13,380 over my life. We're almost done here. 569 00:33:13,380 --> 00:33:16,060 Verse 9. Now this He ascended. 570 00:33:16,340 --> 00:33:19,020 When I said he ascended on high and LED captivity captive. 571 00:33:19,420 --> 00:33:22,300 Now this he ascended. What does it mean? 572 00:33:22,660 --> 00:33:25,700 But that he has also first descended into the lower parts 573 00:33:25,700 --> 00:33:28,100 of the earth. And that's just basic logic that 574 00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:31,260 for him to have ascended into heaven after it's all done, he 575 00:33:31,260 --> 00:33:34,460 had to 1st come down here. And there's several things that 576 00:33:34,460 --> 00:33:37,980 this phrase means. I think the primary meaning of 577 00:33:37,980 --> 00:33:43,200 this phrase, that he went to the lower parts, is reference to 578 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,200 Hades. So we know that when we die, we 579 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,280 either go to one of two places. We go to paradise, which is part 580 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:54,360 of Hades, or Tartarus, which is the torments that we read about 581 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:58,840 from the rich man where Lazarus was in Paradise and comforted, 582 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,640 but the rich man Lazarus or the rich man was sent to Tartarus 583 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,920 and there was a great gulf put between them. 584 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,840 We learn about Jesus who said this day you will be with me in 585 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:12,900 paradise and he was talking to the thief on the cross. 586 00:34:13,500 --> 00:34:18,340 So I think primarily or maybe First off he's talking about 587 00:34:18,340 --> 00:34:22,300 Hades and how he was in the lower parts of the earth. 588 00:34:22,340 --> 00:34:24,340 And from what I understand that's what the Jews really 589 00:34:24,340 --> 00:34:26,860 thought of Hades as is the lower part. 590 00:34:27,940 --> 00:34:30,699 But secondarily, I think it could also mean the womb. 591 00:34:31,159 --> 00:34:34,360 And there's language throughout the Bible, like Psalm 139, where 592 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:36,920 the psalmist says, I praise you for I am fearfully and 593 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:39,600 wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. 594 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,480 My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you 595 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:48,000 when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths 596 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,440 of the earth, so that lower parts at depths of the earth, 597 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:56,960 that could also be where Jesus was, was ascended from. 598 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:00,650 Because all this is true, it could also be the heart of the 599 00:35:00,730 --> 00:35:02,770 earth. Matthew 12, verse 40 refers to 600 00:35:02,770 --> 00:35:05,850 the grave as the heart of the earth, but it could also mean 601 00:35:05,850 --> 00:35:08,810 the earthly realm. Jesus being incarnated, he came 602 00:35:08,810 --> 00:35:12,810 down to earth itself. So all these things are true. 603 00:35:13,090 --> 00:35:16,050 It's all part of what Jesus descended to. 604 00:35:16,170 --> 00:35:20,850 He became a fetus and humbled himself in the form of a man on 605 00:35:20,850 --> 00:35:26,570 earth as an incarnated man, and he ended up going to the grave. 606 00:35:26,990 --> 00:35:30,110 He wanted to even it down as far as Hades, the realm of the dead. 607 00:35:31,150 --> 00:35:33,670 But the psalmist says you will not leave my soul in Hades or 608 00:35:33,670 --> 00:35:36,150 she'll. And he didn't stay there. 609 00:35:36,470 --> 00:35:41,990 But then he ascended. He who descended is also the one 610 00:35:41,990 --> 00:35:46,590 who ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all 611 00:35:46,590 --> 00:35:48,110 things. And part of the reason I think 612 00:35:48,110 --> 00:35:50,750 it's OK to interpret all that way, it's because he said parts 613 00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:53,670 of the earth. There's many ways in which Jesus 614 00:35:53,670 --> 00:35:58,370 went from the lower parts of the earth and it says that he and I 615 00:35:58,370 --> 00:36:01,290 think that's OK because it magnifies the next party says 616 00:36:01,610 --> 00:36:05,010 far above all the heavens. What does it mean, all the 617 00:36:05,010 --> 00:36:08,410 heavens? There is 3 different heavens in 618 00:36:08,410 --> 00:36:10,170 the Bible. There's the atmosphere, there's 619 00:36:10,170 --> 00:36:13,490 space and there's the the place of God where he dwells. 620 00:36:13,650 --> 00:36:17,090 In Genesis one, verse 20, we learn the atmosphere, space is 621 00:36:17,090 --> 00:36:23,490 where the stars are and Genesis 22 verse 17 is where we find 622 00:36:23,490 --> 00:36:26,060 that. But then we also read of another 623 00:36:26,060 --> 00:36:31,420 heaven, the highest heaven as First Kings 8 verse 27 puts it. 624 00:36:31,740 --> 00:36:35,620 And that's where Jesus went. Hebrews 9 verse 24 says, For 625 00:36:35,620 --> 00:36:38,820 Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere 626 00:36:38,820 --> 00:36:43,620 copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in 627 00:36:43,620 --> 00:36:46,300 the presence of God for us. And that's from the NASB. 628 00:36:48,340 --> 00:36:52,130 And he didn't just come back into heaven and you know, he 629 00:36:52,130 --> 00:36:54,650 came back to his old company and he had to start from the bottom 630 00:36:54,650 --> 00:36:57,290 again. No, he came back into heaven and 631 00:36:57,290 --> 00:36:59,890 he was set at the right hand of God first. 632 00:36:59,890 --> 00:37:03,770 Peter 3 verse 22 says having gone into heaven after angels 633 00:37:03,770 --> 00:37:07,650 and authorities and powers have been subjected to him, he had 634 00:37:07,650 --> 00:37:09,290 all authority. When he came back to be the 635 00:37:09,290 --> 00:37:12,530 right hand of the Father, that's the emphasis. 636 00:37:12,530 --> 00:37:16,890 He was above all the heavens and he bought, He went back to his 637 00:37:16,890 --> 00:37:21,210 rightful place on the throne. Why did he do this? 638 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,400 So he could come back into power and get back at everybody. 639 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:29,520 No, he did it because he had to go back to his power so that he 640 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,520 could continue to fill all things. 641 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:35,160 In Hebrews one verse three, we read that he upholds all things 642 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:38,080 and Colossians. One verse 17 In him all things 643 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:44,080 are held together. The ESV says Jesus came back and 644 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:47,200 rose from the dead and ascended to his place in authority 645 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,000 because he has to hold all the things together. 646 00:37:50,980 --> 00:37:57,300 He has all power and might. I don't think Jesus ever had a 647 00:37:57,300 --> 00:37:59,780 lapse in power, but I don't think it was an accident that 648 00:37:59,780 --> 00:38:02,980 the heavens or that the earth shook and the sun was darkened 649 00:38:02,980 --> 00:38:07,940 when Jesus was dying as a message that you're killing the 650 00:38:07,940 --> 00:38:09,660 person who's holding all this together. 651 00:38:10,460 --> 00:38:13,500 He never lost power, even through the grave. 652 00:38:13,820 --> 00:38:21,190 He never lost power, but he upholds all things and he 653 00:38:21,190 --> 00:38:24,590 himself gave Well, we're going to hold off there. 654 00:38:24,590 --> 00:38:26,470 We're going to pause there and we're going to pick that up next 655 00:38:26,470 --> 00:38:27,230 time. We're going to cover the 656 00:38:27,230 --> 00:38:29,950 second-half of the chapter, but there's going to be things. 657 00:38:30,270 --> 00:38:33,590 He holds all things together on earth, but he also holds all 658 00:38:33,590 --> 00:38:36,670 things together in the body of Christ and in the church that is 659 00:38:36,670 --> 00:38:37,710 built. And we're going to talk about 660 00:38:37,710 --> 00:38:42,270 that next time, learning about what Jesus gave him, gave to our 661 00:38:42,750 --> 00:38:46,470 to the body and what he put in order for our betterment. 662 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:48,160 Thank you for your attention today. 663 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:52,400 I hope this has been beneficial for you as we consider How am I 664 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,520 going to go forward? How am I going to read about the 665 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:59,600 promises of a heavenly calling and just sit here in my 666 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,040 comfortable chair and do nothing about it? 667 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,480 We don't have to. We can live in a way that is 668 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:05,800 worthy. And it doesn't have to be some 669 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:08,160 amazing feat that you can't do starting today. 670 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:11,880 You can start today if you've been added to the body of 671 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:13,480 Christ. Go on your way if you're not, 672 00:39:14,020 --> 00:39:16,780 you can hear the word. Believe that Jesus Christ is the 673 00:39:16,780 --> 00:39:19,020 Son of God. Repent of your past life and say 674 00:39:19,020 --> 00:39:20,660 I'm going to turn to do God's way. 675 00:39:20,660 --> 00:39:24,300 Just like we've talked today, confessing that Jesus Christ is 676 00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:27,340 the Son of God, there's no other way to be saved and being 677 00:39:27,340 --> 00:39:31,780 baptized, that one baptism into Jesus for the remission of our 678 00:39:31,780 --> 00:39:33,300 sins. And if you would need some 679 00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:35,460 prayers of the Brethren to make something right that you feel 680 00:39:35,460 --> 00:39:37,940 like has been public, or if you need the prayers of the church, 681 00:39:37,940 --> 00:39:39,740 please come forward while we stand and sing. 682 00:39:41,310 --> 00:39:44,190 We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church 683 00:39:44,190 --> 00:39:48,670 of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield. 684 00:39:49,350 --> 00:39:52,830 If you would like any additional information or you would like to 685 00:39:52,830 --> 00:39:55,790 receive a free Bible correspondence course by mail, 686 00:39:56,550 --> 00:40:01,830 please e-mail us at info@churchofchristbakersfield.com. 687 00:40:02,590 --> 00:40:07,790 Our service times are Sundays at 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM and 688 00:40:07,790 --> 00:40:12,230 Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. Please make plans to join us. 689 00:40:12,750 --> 00:40:14,870 We would love for you to be our honored guest.