Kids' CLUB Ephesians 4:8-13
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Date: November 6, 2022
Introduction: Last week, we considered that every believer has more in common with one another and that Jesus has given each believer what they need to help them live like God’s children: grace. Tonight, we’re going to consider how it was possible to give every person that trusts Him the grace to live like God’s children.
Ephesians 4:8 “Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.””
“Therefore”
Whenever we see the word “Therefore”, we need to be thinking about what came just before.
Remember, God wants all Christians to act like His children: humble, gentle, loving, and promoting unity because of all that we have in common ([1]members of the church, [2]Holy Spirit, [3]hope of going to heaven, [4]Jesus is Lord, [5]every Christian is trusting in Jesus alone, [6]every Christian is baptized, [7]one God Who is the Christian’s Father).
Christ has given every Christian what they need to act like God’s children: grace.
The question then becomes, “How did Jesus do this?”
“it says,”
To answer this question, Paul turns to something very important.
What does the word “it” refer to?
the Bible!
Specifically, Psalm 68:18.
“When He ascended on high,”
What does it mean to “ascend”?
To rise up!
Who is it that “ascended”?
Jesus!
Where is it that Jesus “ascended” to?
On High
Illustration: Have you ever watched a game, football or baseball or otherwise, and, at the end of the game, seen the players lift another player to their shoulders?
Why would players at the end of the game normally act this way?
Is it because they lost?
No!
It’s because they won!
This is what it means that Jesus ascended on high!
Jesus won a victory!
What is the victory that Jesus won?
When He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead!
Jesus defeated sin and death by dying and rising from the dead.
“He led captive a host of captives,”
What is a captive?
Someone who has been defeated and is in the power of another.
Jesus defeated sin, death, and all the evil powers (demons and the devil).
“And He gave gifts to men.”
Jesus was not content just to have the victory to Himself!
Jesus wanted others to share in His great victory also that we’ll read about in just a moment.
Ephesians 4:9 “(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?”
What does it mean to “descend”?
To go down
Where is it that Jesus went down to?
He came from His throne in heaven to live here on earth.
Jesus was willing to set aside all the glory that He deserves in heaven to live and die here on earth.
What a sacrifice that Jesus made for us!
Ephesians 4:10 “He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)”
When did Jesus ascend “far above all the heavens”?
40 days after His resurrection!
Jesus is now in heaven, seated at God’s right hand.
But Jesus will return someday soon for all who have believed in Him to save them from their sins!
What does it mean to “fill all things”?
When something is filled, it’s complete, not lacking anything.
Example: like if you have a full cup of water to drink.
It’s completely full of water that you cannot add anything to it.
Since Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, He has demonstrated that He has complete power and authority over all things because He has defeated death!
So with this incredible power and authority that Jesus has, what does He choose to do with it?
Ephesians 4:11 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,”
“And He gave”
Jesus gave something!
What do we call it when someone gives us something that is good?
A gift!
Jesus has given something that we’ll see is for a specific purpose for a specific time.
What is it that Jesus gave?
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers
What do all of these things have in common?
They’re people!
Apostles are those who had seen Jesus after He rose from the dead and were specifically sent by Jesus to establish the instruction from God’s Word that would be the foundation for the Church, like Paul and Peter.
Prophets are individuals that God used to proclaim His Word against sin and encourage others to repent of sin, like Isaiah and John the Baptist.
Evangelists are those who proclaim the message that only the Lord Jesus can save us from our sins.
Pastors are responsible for meeting the spiritual needs of God’s people who are gathered into a smaller assembly in a local church.
Teachers are those that God uses within a local church to help others understand God’s Word and encourage them to live lives that are devoted to the Lord.
Ephesians 4:12 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”
What is the purpose of these gifts?
“Equipping the saints for the work of service”
What does it mean to equip?
To give someone what they need to do an important job.
Example: School - need a pencil!
Just like you need some important tools like crayons and pencils to do your schoolwork, so Jesus has employed Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers for the job of equipping!
Who is it that is to receive this equipping?
The Saints
Who are the saints?
Anyone who has believed the Lord Jesus to save them from their sins.
That means you if you have believed in the Lord Jesus to save you from your sins.
Saints comes from the word meaning “to make holy”.
This word describes what the Holy Spirit is doing in the life of a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus to save them from their sins.
Remember one of the blessings of being saved, transformation?
Being called a saint reminds believers that the Holy Spirit is changing them to be more like Jesus in obeying God and putting off sin.
What is it that the saints are equipped to do?
“for the work of service”.
God’s people are equipped to work!
What kind of work are they equipped to do?
“the building up of the body of Christ”
What does it mean to build up?
Example: How many of you like legos?
When building something with legos, do you put the smaller ones of the bottom?
No!
You put the bigger ones at the bottom to support the whole!
To build something up means that you are making sure that it has a strong foundation to support it whatever happens.
What would the saints encourage others to do?
to live like God’s children.
Remember, living like God’s children looks like humility, gentleness, love, and unity.
What is it that the Saints are equipped to build up?
The body of Christ
What does the body of Christ refer to?
the Church
Each individual saint is equipped by the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers to work to serve God’s Church.
In serving God’s Church, this is for the purpose so that the Church can be encouraged to live like God’s children: humble, gentle, loving, and unifying.
How long are the saints supposed to be involved with this work of building up the Church?
Ephesians 4:13 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
What does it mean to “attain” something?
It’s an important achievement or milestone!
Example: graduating from high school or college.
What is it that we are working towards attaining?
“the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God”.
What is “the faith”
It’s something that you believe to be true.
In order to believe that something is true, you need to have knowledge.
What knowledge does Paul indicate that He wants all believers to have?
About the Son of God.
Who is the Son of God? Jesus!
Paul is identifying here the importance of learning more and believing what is true about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Where do we learn more about Jesus Christ?
From the Bible!
Consider how God uses Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers through the Bible to help us grow in our knowledge of Jesus.
God used the Apostles and Prophets to give us the Bible.
God uses Evangelists to help us understand the Gospel message.
God uses Pastors to help us apply God’s Word.
God uses Teachers to help us understand God’s Word through the Spirit!
Becoming “mature”.
What does it mean to be mature?
To act differently as you grow.
Example: when you were a baby, you drank milk and mostly mashed up foods.
Now that you’re older, you can eat different foods and drink different things.
In other words, you have matured in what you can eat and drink.
The Lord wants us to act differently as we grow in what we know about Jesus Christ.
Specifically, we must put off sin.
We also need to replace it with something else.
Becoming like Jesus Christ.
The goal is to look more like Jesus Christ in our words, thoughts, and actions.
This goes back to the blessing of being saved: transformation!
Conclusion: Review Memory Verse Ephesians 4:13 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (X3)
According to Ephesians 4:8, Who ascended on high?
Answer: Jesus
Dig Deeper Idea: This is a great spot to remind clubbers that this phrase means that Jesus, like a conquering warrior, defeated death, sin, the devil and his demons when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead
According to Ephesians 4:9, what did Jesus do before He ascended on high?
Answer: He came to earth (descended)
Dig Deeper Idea: It’d be best to remind the clubbers that Jesus came to the earth as a baby, living on earth and growing into a man until He would die on the cross and then be raised from the dead 3 days later.
Ephesians 4:10 describes Jesus as having “ascended far above all the heavens.” Will Jesus return to earth again?
Answer: Yes, Jesus is going to come back soon and rule from the earth!
Name one of the 5 individuals referenced in Ephesians 4:11.
Answer: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers
According to Ephesians 4:12, what do these individuals do?
Answer: Equip the saints to serve the Church in encouraging them
According to Ephesians 4:13, how is it that the saints encourage others in the Church?
Answer: to learn more about Jesus, to grow mature in obeying God and putting off sin, and to become more like Jesus in word, thought, and action