“GET YOUR FREE GIFTS”

We have the world’s most precious gifts available, but we must claim and use them to receive them. How do you claim and use them?

We are continuing our study of the Book of Ephesians. Paul wrote Ephesians as a letter to the churches in Ephesus. The Ephesians were Gentiles. They were non-Jews who had accepted Christ.  Paul wrote this letter to encourage them in the midst of opposition.

This week we look at Ephesians 4, in which Paul continues his theme of unity. Here we now look at unity beyond the Jews and the Gentiles. Our focus is on unity in the sense that we are all brothers and sisters who are members of the same body and have the same mission.

You may view our past and present videos at SabbathSchoolDaily.com.

You can obtain the study guide for this series at Sabbath.School or ssnet.org, all of which are at no cost to you.

Let Us Inviting God’s Presence:  

God Most High, you have made your most Precious Gifts available to us. Help us take advantage of them by extending our hands to receive them.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Jesus promised that after he ascended to His Father, he would give us his grace and mercy through his gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

This promise is not  new, for Psalms 68:18 in the Old Testament writings says:

‘When He (Jesus) ascended to the heights, (heaven) he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.’ (Psalms 68:18 NLT)

Did you notice? It says ‘he ascended?’ ` “What does ‘he ascended to heaven’ mean? Logically speaking, if he ascended, then apparently, He, Jesus descended.

Therefore, it means that he also came down to the lower. He came down to earth.

In other words, the one who came down from heaven to earth also when back up from earth to heaven.

 He went up higher than all the heavens, higher than our atmosphere. He went up to heaven so that he could fill all creation.

So, in Ephesians 4:7–10, Paul uses a quote from Psalm 68:18 when he talks about the gifts that God has made available to us:

Ephesians 4:7-10 says.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:7-10)

Psalm 68:18 shows us that Jesus is the same as a mighty general who conquers his enemies in war.

You see, after a war, the general ascends to the hill where his capital city is built. The general takes prisoners and captives with him from the war.

Observe what it says in Psalms 68:1-2

1 Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. (Psalms 68:1-2)

You see, once ascended, then the general gets gifts from all the people who lost the war.

But Paul in Ephesians 4:7–10 changes the scenario a little bit. Here, instead of Jesus, the general getting the gifts, He is the One giving the gifts. (Split)

So, in Psalm 68:18, Jesus ascends on high. After his victory over sin and death, when he is raised from the grave, He ascends to heaven and is exalted, as in Ephesians 1:21–23.

21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:21-23) (Split)

Then Jesus, his agent, the Holy Spirit, descends. He comes back to earth and gives gifts to His people. In other words, Jesus keeps His promise.

Paul’s description in Ephesians 4:7-10 is his way of describing Pentecost. Pentecost is the time when God poured out His Spirit on the church. You can read about it in Acts 2.

In Ephesians 4:11, 12, Paul lists the gifts that Jesus gave at Pentecost.

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Thus, Paul explains that the gifts Jesus gave His people, His body, His family, His church after being exalted on high are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Notice what it says in the book, Ye Shall Receive Power:

“Christ ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. When, after Christ’s ascension, the Spirit came down as promised, like a rushing, mighty wind, filling the whole place where the disciples were assembled, what was the effect? Thousands were converted in a day.”—Ellen G. White, Ye Shall Receive Power, p. 158.

Thus, the gifts are already ours in Christ, but to take possession of them depends on our willingness to receive the Holy Spirit. —Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 327.

The point is the Holy Spirit is constantly at work. His work is to draw our attention to what Jesus did when he sacrificed his life for us on the cross.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit reveal to everyone God’s love for humanity. They help those who are convicted to understand the things written in the Bible. And they cause our hearts to burn with intense desire for eternity.

But we must take the initiative to learn of Christ.

“Therefore, the life of Christ is to be carefully meditated upon and to be constantly studied with a desire to understand the reason why He had to come at all. We can only form our conclusions by searching the Scriptures as Christ has charged us to do, for He says, “They testify of me.”—Reflecting Christ, p. 132.

Put another way, to receive the gifts; we must love the Giver and appreciate what He has done for us.

So, after Jesus ascended to heaven and was exalted, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, gave gifts to his people. What gifts did He give?

Pause this video, Review Ephesians 4:11-15 and Psalms 68:18 again, then continue to Part 5: Gifts of the Exalted Jesus.

Ephesians

(Lesson 7)

The Unified Body of Christ

Part 5 Gifts of the Exalted Jesus

Drawing from the Old Testament, Paul uses Psalm 68:18 to show us that Jesus gives gifts to His people after he rises from the dead and ascends to heaven. The question is, what gifts does Jesus give, and why does He give them? For the answer, we look at Ephesians 4:11-13

Paul names four groups of people Jesus gave as “gifts” to the church. These groups include:

(1) Apostles – church leaders.

(2) Prophets – special messengers.

(3) Evangelists – traveling preachers.

(4) Shepherds and Teachers – local church pastors and teachers. Shepherds and teachers are in the same group.

Why did Christ give out these specific gifts?

Ephesians 4:12 says they are:

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (Ephesians 4:12)

Therefore, they are given to equip the people of God to do His service.

Ephesians 4:13 also tells of another reason Jesus gave these gifts to his church. They were to help the church to become united in Christ and become spiritually mature.

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Ephesians 4:13)

Look again at Ephesians 4:13, especially the last part, “ to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”

Ephesians 4:13 was especially important to the early Adventists that had questions about the spiritual gifts of Ellen White.

The question then was, “Does the Bible validate that special messengers or individuals possessing the gift of prophecy to lived only during New Testament times? Or would God continue to give the gift of prophecy to His church long after New Testament times?

The answer to this question is found in Ephesians 4:13, and it was shared using a story about a captain of a ship.

The ship captains are required to follow the orders received before they set sail. As the ship comes near the port, the captain learns that a sea pilot will come on the ship to help lead it to port.

To remain true to the original instructions, the captain of the ship must therefore allow the sea pilot to come aboard.

The ship’s captain then must follow the orders given by the sea pilot. 

It was at this point that  Uriah Smith Writes:

“Who now heed that original book of directions? Those who reject the pilot, or those who receive him, as that book instructs them? Judge ye.”—Uriah Smith, “Do We Discard the Bible by Endorsing the Visions?” Review and Herald, January 13, 1863, p. 52. (Split)

In the context of what God has given us in the ministry of Ellen White. Isaiah 5:4 says:

4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes? (Isaiah 5:4)

The vineyard is an image of God’s church, and the point here is that the spirit of prophecy is a part of God’s gifts to his church. To safely enter the His Port, we must be willing to accept his gift and follow the instructions of the sea pilot.

What is the benefit of following the instructions given by the Spirit of Prophesy? To find out, continue watching Part 6: Growing Up Into Christ.

 Ephesians

(Lesson 7)

The Unified Body of Christ

Part 6 Growing Up Into Christ

Paul lets us know in Ephesians 4:14 there are dangers that keep the church from growing strong.  

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, (Ephesians 4:14)

He warns false teachings and deceitful schemes will be forced on believers in the body of Christ. He, therefore, says. The body of Christ must grow so that we will no longer be the same as children.

How can we be like children?

When we keep changing our minds this way and that way.

In other words, every time people bring a different teaching, we change our minds to suit their teachings.

The point is some teachers teach lies.  They fool people so that they believe their lies.

So, Paul uses three sets of images to describe the dangers of accepting false teachings:

(1) the immaturity of childhood “so that we may no longer be children.”

(2) danger on the high seas, “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” ;

and (3) being swindled by clever people who, like gamblers, practice sleight of hand. Here, Paul uses figuratively the Greek word for (“dice playing,”) which means “cunning” or “trickery.”

Paul declares that disagreement comes from these false ideas. His point is that Bible truth makes the church grow strong and brings agreement.

In contrast, false teachings and ideas make the church weak and cause division.

In other words, false teachings are evil; they come from Satan, the enemy. This is why it becomes necessary for the members of the body of Christ to reject false teachings.

To avoid false teachings, the members of the body of Christ must stick with that which has been tested by the word of God and found to be true.

When they do this, the church will grow strong in Christ Jesus and effectively complete God’s mission for His church.

In Ephesians 4:15, 16, we learn that, like a body which functions most effectively when it is in good health. A church functions at its optimal level when it is most healthy.

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

In Ephesians 4:1–16, Paul calls for the church members to do everything they can to foster unity. Although God promises us unity in the church, as in Ephesians 4:4–6, which says:

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

We are still expected to work hard to strive for unity, as Paul expresses in  Ephesians 4:3

3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

How can we maintain unity? Pause this video and read Ephesians 4:7-16. Then press play to continue.

Unity is accomplished by every individual unselfishly doing their share. Each one of us is part of God’s church. So, we should do everything we can to support the church’s health and growth.

What’s more, God wants us to benefit from the special gifts He has given the church. He has given the church apostles (church leaders), prophets (special messengers), evangelists (traveling preachers), and pastors-teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

All are expected to work together and help the church grow stronger in Jesus, who is the head of the body.

It says in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5

“We are members of His mystical body. He is the head, controlling all the members of the body. Jesus Himself, in His infinite mercy, is working on human hearts, effecting spiritual transformations so amazing that angels look on with astonishment and joy. The same unselfish love that characterizes the Master is seen in the character and life of His true followers.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 731.

When we endeavor to accept the gifts God has given us and follow the instructions given by Paul, we will not be tossed about by every “wind of doctrine.”

Then, the church can move forward united in Christ to fulfill God’s mission of sharing the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, with the world. Accept the gifts and strive for unity.

——————————————————–

Thank you for watching this video. To be notified when our next video comes out, click the subscribe button below. If you find this video beneficial, click share. This will give me the ability to continue publishing these videos. Thank you for sharing and subscribing.

Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church

 7902 Wheatly Street

Houston, TX 77088

Watch Past and Present Lessons at SabbathSchoolDaily.com