Kids' CLUB Ephesians 4:14-16
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Date: November 13, 2022
Introduction: Blessings of Being Saved review: Transformation, Adoption, Redemption, Union, Inheritance, and Holy Spirit. Last week, we considered how Jesus in His victory gave His Church what it needed to encourage every member to grow to be like Jesus: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers.
Ephesians 4:14 “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
"As a result,”
What is a “result”?
Something that happens after something else.
Illustration: As a result of eating my snack tonight, I am no longer hungry.
What is it that is going to produce the intended result that we’re going to read about soon?
Of Christ’s Victory when He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to give new life to all who trust in Him.
Because Christ has this victory, He wants to share it with His Church.
Christ shared His victory with the Church by giving gifts of certain kinds of people to the Church.
Who are these people named in Ephesians 4:11?
Apostles: sent by God to establish the Church
Prophets: commissioned by God to proclaim God’s Word
Evangelists: given understanding from God about the Gospel to proclaim to all
Pastors: used by God to provide for the spiritual needs of the Church
Teachers: equipped by God to explain God’s Word to His Church
While we don’t have Apostles and Prophets today, we do have the message that the Holy Spirit inspired them to give to us.
Where can we read that message?
In the Bible!
The Bible that the Holy Spirit helps us to understand!
Therefore, in a sense, we still have the lasting results of the ministry of the Apostles and Prophets in God’s Word!
We do still have Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.
Evangelists encourage us to understand the Gospel message more so that we can proclaim it to others.
Pastors encourage us to apply God’s Word to our everyday lives.
Teachers encourage us to understand God’s Word so that we can grow in our knowledge of the Lord and His ways.
The Church, equipped with these people, is then to serve all of God’s (Eph 4:12-13).
The Church serves all of God’s people by encouraging them to become more like Jesus.
This means that everyone in the Church is to be encouraging everyone to be more like Jesus!
When we come together for CLUB, it’s more than just about eating a delicious snack, playing a fun game, or singing great songs!
It’s about us as CLUB leaders encouraging you to be more like Jesus.
It’s about you encouraging your fellow clubbers to be more like Jesus.
What’s one thing we know about how Jesus treated people? (take answers)
How can you encourage your fellow clubbers to treat people like Jesus did/does? (take answers)
What is the result of Christ’s victory being shared with the Church through these individuals so that the Church might become like Christ?
“we are no longer to be children,”
Paul is making a comparison here.
That is, that the Church, in being more like Jesus, would not be like children.
If you not like children, then what are you like?
Adults.
Adults have knowledge and experience that children do not have to help them make choices how to live.
“tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind”
If you have a strong wind that creates huge waves on the sea, what kind of weather event is happened? A Storm!
What do you think of that can be tossed about by wind that moves the waves on the sea?
A ship!
If the wind moves waves that then push a ship around on the sea, who’s in charge of where the ship will go?
Is it the people in the ship? No.
It’s the storm
What Paul is identifying here is that, if you are not growing in Christ-like maturity, you can be pushed around by others, like a ship whose direction is controlled by a storm.
“of doctrine,”
What is doctrine?
It’s teaching that one believes.
What is it that Christians are to get their source of teaching from that they are to believe?
The Bible, God’s Word
What does that mean if what we believe is supposed to come from God’s Word?
We need to know God’s Word!
That’s why God gave us the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers so that the Church would know the truth and serve others in the Church to encourage them to know the truth also!
“by the trickery of men,”
How is it that Christians can receive teaching that does not come from God’s Word?
From the trickery of men.
What is trickery?
You do or show something to someone that is not how things really are
Illustration: A magic show (the magician shows you one thing, like someone has disappeared, but they have not really disappeared - they have tricked you into thinking that someone disappeared.
There are people, who for selfish reasons, want to get other people to follow them and use teaching to make others think that they are their friend but they really aren’t.
“by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
What is “craftiness”?
This is more than just being skilled in art or making cute or nice things.
This is someone who is skilled with their words.
What they say sounds really good.
But what they mean is not always for your best.
Illustration: One time, I was looking at buying a new computer; the description in the add sounded great, even too good to be true; I knew how much these kinds of computers normally cost and the add indicated that it was way below the normal cost; but, I went ahead and sent the money anyway; you know what? I never got the computer.
Selfish people use craftiness to tell people what sounds good only to trick people into believing something that is not true.
What does it mean to be “deceitful”?
To tell a lie.
These selfish people are willing to lie, to purposefully distort the truth.
What does “scheming” mean?”
To come up with a plan ahead of time.
These people have thought long and hard about how they are going to trick others in believing their teaching that sounds good but is based on a lie.
What we need is God’s Church to help us see right through the tricks of these men as we grow to be more like Jesus.
If someone tells you something that kind of sounds good but does not quite line up with God’s Word, tell Pastor Chad, myself, or your Table Leader as we all want to help you grow in Christ and not be tricked by selfish people.
Example: Someone says, “You know, Jesus was only a good teacher.”
Was Jesus a good teacher?
He sure was.
Was Jesus only a good teacher?
He sure was not.
Jesus is the Son of God Who died on the cross and rose from the dead.
Jesus is Lord with all power and authority.
Ephesians 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”
How is it that we help one another to develop what is needed to identify wrong teaching?
“but speaking the truth in love,”
What is it that we speak?
The truth!
Where do we get the truth from?
God’s Word!
God’s Holy Spirit helps us to understand the truth that we find in the Bible!
What should be our manner in speaking the truth?
In Love.
What does it look like to speak to someone in a loving manner? (take answers)
You don’t scream at them.
You don’t say mean, hurtful things.
You may have to say something that might be hard by telling them that they need to do something differently.
You are gentle with them.
Sometimes, you may have to be firm so that you get their attention.
“we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”
What happens when one shares the truth of God’s Word with someone in a loving way?
Growth!
What kind of growth?
Growth to look like Jesus in all aspects.
What is an aspect?
It’s a part of something.
What would “all aspects” of Jesus mean, then?
Everything about Jesus.
That is, we are to become everything that we see in Jesus in His obedience to God’s Word, the loving way that He treated other people, in the truthful words that He spoke to others.
How is Jesus described here?
As our head.
If you are the head of a group of people, what does that mean about your position?
You’re their leader!
For Christ to be our head means that He is in charge of the whole Church.
If the Lord Jesus is your Savior from your sins, then you are to obey His authority.
If the Lord Jesus is your Savior from your sins, then you are to become more like Him!
Ephesians 4:16 “from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
“from whom the whole body,”
Who is the “from whom” referring to here?
Jesus!
Jesus is actively doing something for His Church, the Body of Christ.
Jesus is providing for His Church exactly what it needs to be able to grow.
However, Jesus is working together with the individual parts of the body for this to happen.
“being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies,”
What does it mean for something to be “fitted” together?
It’s like puzzle pieces.
Puzzle pieces are individual shapes that, when pieced together correctly, make the whole picture.
Without an individual piece, you do not have the full picture.
Paul’s emphasis here is on every piece.
In the Church, every piece plays an important role in helping the Church.
This means that the Lord wants you to help the Church to function according to God’s design.
You know what’s one way that you can do this?
In a couple of weeks, we’re going to sing before the church.
When we sing, we’re praising God.
We’re also sharing a message that’s from God’s Word.
Therefore, we get to encourage our Church family to learn the same truths that we have!
What does it mean that something is “held” together?
You bring at least two separate pieces together into one.
Illustration: glue.
What Paul is talking about here is promoting unity: bringing together different individuals into one.
What is it that brings all the pieces of the individuals of the Church together in unity?
“What every joint supplies”
What does the word “supplies” mean?
Giving something so that you have enough.
In other words, every part of Church needs to be giving something for the Church to function according to God’s design.
How is it that
“according to the proper working of each individual part,”
When each member of Jesus’ Church is functioning in the Church to promote unity, what happens?
“causes the growth of the body”
There’s growth in the body.
For a body to be healthy, there needs to be growth.
This is the sign of a healthy Church body - there’s growth.
This growth is to be more like Jesus.
“for the building up of itself in love.”
What is the result of this growth that happens when the Church functions as God intended to produce unity?
There’s love!
We grow in love for one another.
We want to serve one another because we love one another.
When we sing in a few weeks, you’ll want to sing because you love the Lord and you love His people.
Conclusion: Review memory verse, Ephesians 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,” (X3)
Question: According to Ephesians 4:14, there are some selfish people who want to teach things that go against God’s Word. Are they going to tell you what is the truth?
Answer: No!
Dig Deeper Idea: How do we know that they don’t want to tell you the truth?
Answer: Because they use trickery, craftiness, and have a plan to try to make you believe what is false
(Remind the clubbers of the example that was shared where someone might say, “Jesus was only a good teacher.” As we have learned in Ephesians, Jesus is our Lord with all power and authority as we know by the fact that He has defeated death by rising from the dead.)
Question: According to Ephesians 4:15, in what way are we to share the truth of God’s Word with others?
Answer: in love
Dig Deeper Idea: If we are to share the truth of God’s Word in love, how might your voice sound?
Answer: Gentle
(As a suggestion, you may want to demonstrate this for the children with your own voice)
Question: According to Ephesians 4:15, who is the head or leader of the Church?
Answer: Jesus!
Question: According to Ephesians 4:16, how much of the body, the Church, is to be involved in helping everyone in the Church to grow?
Answer: the whole body, the whole Church
Question: According to Ephesians 4:16, what attitude should motivate the Church’s desire to help everyone grow?
Answer: Love