Sermon Tone Analysis

Ephesians 4:7–11 (KJV 1900)

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

And the very first thing is

How are the Gifts Delivered?

Ephesians 4:7 (KJV 1900)

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Verse 7: “But unto every one of us is given”—underscore the word given—“given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

(Ephesians 4:7)

Now, God has given you a grace gift; therefore, do not insult God by saying God cannot use you.

In the church, there can be no inferiority; there can be no superiority.

We are what we are by the gift of God.

We often think of “grace” in the context of salvation.

For it is “by grace through faith” that we are saved, Eph.

2:8.

Ephesians 2:8 (KJV 1900)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

The word “grace” in this verse does not refer to the grace of God that saves us.

It refers to the grace of God that “gifts” us for service.

Grace is the greek word Charis, which we get our English Word Charisma, which is why the pentecostals are referred to as Charismatic.

Now, what is a charismatic gift?

Remember that every one of us has a charismatic gift.

Every one of us has a charismatic gift.

What is a charismatic gift?

Here’s the definition:

A grace gift, a charismatic gift, is a God-given ability for service and ministry.

Got it?

Got it—a God-given gift for service and ministry; a God-given spiritual ability for service and ministry.

Now, it goes beyond natural talent.

Talent is natural; spiritual gifts are supernatural.

They’re supernatural in source, supernatural in nature, and supernatural in purpose.

Now, you do not choose your spiritual gift any more than you could choose your natural gifts.

You can develop your natural talents, but you don’t choose them any more than you could choose the color of your eyes or the color of your skin.

You get that genetically by your first birth, and your talents are encoded in you genetically by your first birth.

Your spiritual gift is given to you at your new birth.

And, as your natural talents are natural, your spiritual gift is supernatural.

This truth is fleshed out in detail in 1 Cor.

12:7–27.

The primary truth to note here is that you are an individual and you have been uniquely gifted to serve the Lord.

When He saved you, He gave you gifts that you may share with other believers, but the way the Lord uses you to exercise those gifts will be unique to you!

That is, you may preach, but your preaching will be unique to your personality.

You may teach but your emphasis may be children in Sunday School while someone else might stand before thousands.

Whatever we are, we are by the grace of God, 1 Cor.

15:10.

We need to discover our gifts and allow the Lord to develop them the greatest of their potential.

By the way, the best way to find your spiritual gifts is to get involved in a local assembly of believers and get busy serving the Lord.

As you faithfully serve Him, He will open doors of service for you that will dovetail perfectly with the gifts He has given you in grace.

So, our differences, our diversity, is rooted in the grace of God.

We are all saved the same way, and we are all indwelled by the same Spirit, but we are uniquely equipped for His service, by His grace.

Now,

How are these Gifts Dispensed?

Well, it is the gift of your ascended Lord.

Look, if you will, in

verse 8: “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high”

—who is that talking about?

Jesus

—“he led captivity captive”

—who is that talking about?

The devil

—“and gave gifts unto men”

—who is that talking about?

You—

Quote from Psalm 68:18

Now, here’s what happened: The Lord Jesus descended.

He came to this earth; lived a perfect life; suffered, bled, and died on the cross; was buried and rose again.

When Jesus Christ died on that cross for us—when, with His blood, He purchased our salvation—at the same time He broke Satan’s back.

Satan’s kingdom came crashing down, and Satan and his wicked forces were crushed by Calvary.

And so, the Lord Jesus Christ, by His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, led captivity captive.

Satan had taken the world captive, but Jesus took Satan captive.

He led captivity captive.

When Jesus died, they buried His body, but His Spirit descended into Paradise to proclaim to all those who had been waiting on redemption since Adam fell, that sin had been defeated and the way opened to God.

Jesus descended into Paradise and shouted the same message there that He had proclaimed on Calvary.

He said, “It is finished!”

Then, He led those precious souls out of Paradise and took them home to the Father’s house.Like a conquering hero when he has returned from a successful campaign, the Lord Jesus Christ shared with His people the spoils of His victory.

As the Bible says in verse 8, “He gave gifts unto men.”

Now, what the Apostle Paul is talking about here is a Roman triumph.

When a Roman general would go off and fight the war for Rome, if he won the battle, he would come back to the city of Rome for a parade called “the triumph.”

And in the triumph, the Roman general would come.

The air would be filled with incense and perfume.

He would be riding upon his white horse.

There would be a parade.

The priests would be there, swinging incense and perfume.

And the people would be there, giving their praises to this general.

Behind this general would come the conquered kings and generals behind him.

They would have been stripped naked—absolutely naked.

They would be chained to the conquering general’s chariot wheels, and they would be dragged along.

The people would be praising the conquering general.

They would be jeering and mocking these who’d been stripped and shamed and subdued, their power gone, their pride laid in the dust.

And then, behind them would come servants bearing all of the spoils of the battle, the riches that had been conquered.

They had been brought back to Rome to be given to the people of Rome.Now, that’s the picture—that’s the picture that Paul is talking about here.

The Lord Jesus ascended up on high.

He led captivity captive.

Satan’s kingdom is ruined, and the spoils of the battle are given to us.

And the spoils of the battle, that is our grace gift to serve our great King.

So, never despise or overlook your grace gift.

It is a spiritual gift from our Conqueror, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The gifts can be found in detail in 1 Cor.

12; Rom.

12; 1 Pet. 4.

The gifts that are mentioned here are ministry gifts.

They are places in the body that exist to help the body achieve its fullest potential in Christ.

Let’s take just a moment to look at this short list of ministry gifts.