Church Growth, God's Way
Thesis Jesus gives gifts to his church so we can grow together to look more like our Savior.
The shape of the argument
4 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.
"You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord, I lift your name on high." — Lord, I Lift Your Name on High (children's song) (unit #2)
Full transcript
0 · Opens the sermon by welcoming the congregation and establishing the occasion (Advent season) before transitioning to the sermon's controlling metaphor: Christmas gifts as a frame for understanding spiritual gifts
Cross of Grace, and I have the privilege of teaching God's word this morning. So if you have your Bibles, please go ahead and flip to Ephesians chapter 4, starting in verse 7. And if you don't have a Bible, we have some in the back, so we encourage you, if you don't have a Bible, take that home with you, keep it. And I just want to say, if you are new to Christianity, if you just became a Christian or you're not a Christian, we are just glad you're here. We want to be a safe place where you can come and learn and understand and read God's word.
Well, church, it's that time of year again, and for some of us, it's been that time of year since November 1st. Trees are up, lights are hung, Christmas music is filling our cars, filling our homes. And what I love about this time of year is the anticipation. Advent started today. We kicked off Advent.
We get to anticipate the celebration of our Lord being born, our Lord coming to earth to save us. I love the anticipation of family gatherings, family coming in into town, us going out to town, and I love the anticipation of the memories that will be made on Christmas morning. By a show of hands, who here has started or finished their Christmas shopping? Wow, that's impressive. I think the statistic in America is only about 60% of people actually start early.
The rest just wait till Christmas Eve. Crazy.
But we all have a favorite Christmas gift memory, don't we? I remember mine so vividly. I believe I was 5 or 6 years old. When I opened my gift, which was a black and neon green Mongoose mountain bike. Man, this thing was bad.
It took me all over town. It took me to grocery stores where I frequently went and got candy. If you know me, I'm a huge sweet tooth. It took me to my friend's house, everywhere, off of ramps. I loved this toy, and it was such a precious memory for me.
It was funny, I was talking to Ricky about how our gifts evolve as we get older, right? They evolve into things like drills and kitchen tools and, and clothing. And in the eyes of a child, our gifts go from fun while we're young to just boring and what am I going to use that for as we get older. And today our text is all about gifts. We're gonna be talking about gifts, but not gifts that are wrapped in a bow, placed under a pretty decorated tree.
No, we are talking about the gifts that Jesus Christ gives his church in order for his church to be built up. Now, these gifts Paul will talk about are all around you this morning. Everywhere you look, every person you interact with, They are a gift from the Lord, and they have a gift from the Lord for the purposes of building up his church. So let's cherish one another. That is my hope today, that we could cherish one another's gifts and also see God's grander purpose and design for the gifts that he gives. So let's jump into God's word, Ephesians chapter 4, starting in verse 7.
Paul writes, but grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean but that he also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
1 · Opening prayer asking for illumination and transformation through the preaching of God's word
Father, illuminate our hearts and our minds this morning with your word. Let us be changed so that we can love you deeper, so that we can love one another all the more. And all God's people said Amen.
2 · Establishes the sermon's three-point structure and then unpacks Paul's gospel logic in verses 7-10
So our headline is simply this: in this passage, Jesus gives gifts to his church so we can grow together to look more like our Savior.
We're going to look at this in 3 points. The first point is the gift giver. We're going to marvel at the gift giver, which is Jesus Christ. Our second point is we're going to look at that, the diversity of our gifts. And the final point that we're going to end home with is the goals of the gifts.
And I just want to say, for those of you who are not Christians and you've joined us today, I just want to say you're going to hear a lot about us just talking about serving and doing. And I just want to be very clear, we— the Christian faith is not like other religions where we just have to do more. So then maybe God will be happy with us. Far from the truth. The Christian faith is a response to everything that the Lord has done for us.
That is the framework of mind we are going into today. So point number 1, the gift giver, Jesus Christ. Before we jump into verses 8 through 10, verse 7 has something to say to help direct our attention to the path Paul is taking us on. I want to make sure that we have the right framework of mind as we dive into this passage by distinguishing Paul's meaning of the word grace. The grace Paul is talking about is not saving grace like we read in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 5, where by grace you have been saved.
Saving grace belongs to all who place their faith in Christ. But here in verse 7, the ESV Study Bible is helpful in recognizing that Paul is talking about serving grace, grace to serve Jesus's church. And notice in verse 7, each one of us— see those words there, each one of us. This is not just for everyone who is up here But every single person who places their faith in Christ, you have been given grace to serve his church. And how do we do that?
The last word of verse 7, in accordance to the measure of Christ's gift. We each have a gift, and we're going to jump into that more. But first, the gift giver. Verses 8 through 10 focuses on two things. First, the gift giver.
Paul is quoting Psalm 68, verse 18, which is a psalm that glorifies the victor coming home from battle who receives all the spoils of war and then graciously distributes it to his soldiers and its citizens. Now Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is applying this psalm to Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. The second thing Paul focuses on in verses 8 through 10 is the message of the gift giver, the gospel, the good news of what Christ has done. And this may not be the gospel presentation you may have encountered. This whole talk about ascension, descension, what exactly is Paul talking about?
The children's song, Lord, I Lift Your Name on High, is of use here to help explain plainly what is going on in verses 8, 9, and 10. The lyrics go: You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord, I lift your name on high. Right? I know what some of you are thinking, And the answer is yes, I dropped my worship application, so there's plenty more of that where that just came from.
So you came from heaven to earth. When Sain Jesus descended, he is simply talking about the incarnation, which could be a Christianese word. It's just a fancy word for God became flesh and dwelt among us. That is when Christ came and was born to dwell on this earth. And we see he came to show the way, right?
During his time on earth, Jesus performed miracles. He modeled what it looked like to love God and to love others. He did teachings on forgiveness, the resurrection, the kingdom of God. And he explained over and over how he was the coming Messiah, the long-awaited Savior that humanity was looking looking for. The song continues: From the cross to the grave— don't worry, I won't sing anymore— the Bible says we were enemies of God, deserving of God's just wrath.
On the cross, Christ absorbs the wrath of God intended for you and me. The one who was sinless died a sinner's death. He died for you and for me and was then buried in the grave. Why? For my debt to pay.
Every sin, whether in thought and word and deed, accrues a debt to God. God is holy and perfect, right? And we are not. So how could we pay off our debt perfectly?
What we need is a redeemer to intercede and pay our debt for us. Jesus does exactly that. Through his sacrifice, God's wrath against sin is satisfied, our debt fully paid. We go from sinner to saint, from death dead to life, hopeless to hope-filled, guilty to redeemed and forgiven, enemies to reconciled to God. All because Christ descended.
What a gift. What a gift, church. The song gets better. From the grave to the sky. Verse 10: He who descended also ascended far above all the heavens.
The grave could not hold our Savior down. God raises him up from the dead and then exalts him at the right hand of the Father. His resurrection from the dead brings life to the words we read in our Bibles today. We worship a God who is fully alive. The sinner who is saved is only left to finish off the last lyrics of the song.
Lord, I lift your name on high. God did what we could never do through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus's blood, spilt for you and for me, reconciles us to God. It pays the debt we owed. His resurrection secures our hope that there is life beyond this broken and messy world.
3 · Brief exposition of the phrase 'he led a host of captives' in verse 8, identifying Christ's victory over sin, Satan, and death as the basis for the believer's freedom
We see in verse 8, so beautifully written, he led a host of captives. Christ captivates the things that held us captive.
Our Savior conquered the things that conquered us, and our only response is to praise him, to thank the Lord.
Recent preaching context
The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.
Discuss · apply · pray
6 questions for your group this week
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In Ephesians 4:7-10, Paul connects Christ's ascension and descent to His distribution of gifts to the church. What does it mean that the same Jesus who died for us and rose in victory is the one giving gifts to His body?Ephesians 4:8-10→ How does knowing that these gifts come from the ascended, victorious Christ change the way you think about your own spiritual gift?
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Look at verse 12: gifts are given so that pastors can equip the saints for the work of ministry. What is the difference between a church where gifts are distributed and used by all members versus a church where ministry flows primarily through the pastoral staff?→ What obstacles keep believers from stepping into active ministry in the body, and what would need to change for your small group to move toward that kind of participation?
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Paul says the church is to grow up into Christ, becoming mature and bearing the fullness of Christ (verse 13). How does receiving and using spiritual gifts—even small or hidden ones—contribute to that corporate maturity?Ephesians 4:13→ Can you think of a time when someone's faithful use of a spiritual gift strengthened your own faith or growth?
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The sermon emphasizes that spiritual gifts are given for mutual building up, not for personal consumption or status (verse 12). Where do you see the temptation in our culture—even in church—to use gifts primarily for self-advancement rather than the good of the body?Ephesians 4:12→ What would it look like in your life this week to use whatever gifts you have in love for the sake of your brothers and sisters?
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The sermon teaches that Christ's death and resurrection (His substitutionary work for us) is the foundation for His authority to distribute gifts and build His church. How does understanding the gospel this way—as the ground for everything that follows in our Christian life—reshape your sense of obligation or motivation in using your gifts?Ephesians 2:5
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Verse 16 says the body is 'fitted and held together' by every part doing its work in love. If you're honest, what keeps you from believing that your particular spiritual gift—whatever it is—really matters to the health and growth of our church body?Ephesians 4:16→ How can this group help you see and step into that reality?
5-day reading plan
This week we trace how Christ's ascended triumph becomes the gift-giving power that builds His church toward maturity in His likeness.
Paul anchors spiritual gifts in the doctrine of grace: we who were dead in sin have been made alive in Christ through His mercy alone (Ephesians 2:5). This means every gift we possess and every capacity we have to serve flows not from our merit but from God's sovereign, saving action. As we begin this week meditating on gifts, we must first grasp that our ability to receive and deploy them rests entirely on the grace that raised us from spiritual death.
The psalmist's declaration of the Lord ascending on high and receiving gifts from men (Psalm 68:18) reaches its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's bodily ascension and His authority to distribute spiritual gifts to the church. Paul's citation of this psalm shows us that Christ's triumph over sin and death is not merely a past event to commemorate but an active, ongoing reality through which He equips His body. The ascended Jesus, at the right hand of the Father, remains actively engaged in building up His church through the distribution of grace-gifts to every believer.
The movement of Ephesians 4:8–10—Christ descending into the depths and ascending far above all heavens—reveals the cosmic scope of His redemptive work and the completeness of His authority. His descent secured our salvation; His ascension established His reign over every sphere of existence. This exalted position is precisely what qualifies Him to distribute gifts with perfect wisdom, tailoring each one to the church's need and His purpose. We worship a Savior whose very exaltation guarantees that the gifts He gives are sovereignly chosen and eternally purposeful.
The declaration that grace is given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift (Ephesians 4:7) demolishes both the pride of comparison and the despair of perceived insignificance. Christ does not gift the church uniformly; He distributes with surgical precision, knowing what each member requires to function in the body's interdependence. This means no believer is giftless, and no gift is wasted—yet also that my gift differs from yours by Christ's design, not accident. Together, our diverse, grace-appointed gifts create the vibrant interdependence through which the body grows.
The telos of spiritual gifts is not individual achievement but corporate Christlikeness—the church growing into the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). This means my gift is never mine alone to cultivate; it exists for the building up of others and the collective advancement toward maturity. When we grasp this, Christian service transforms from a burdensome duty into a glad participation in Christ's ongoing work of sanctifying and perfecting His bride. The question is not 'How can I be successful?' but 'How can I, through my gift, help us all grow more fully into the image of our Savior?'
A Prayer for Growing Together in Christ's Gifts
Father, we adore you for the glory of Christ, our victorious Savior who descended into death and ascended in triumph, carrying captives with him and pouring out gifts upon us (Ephesians 4:8-10). We marvel that the risen Jesus does not hoard his grace but distributes spiritual gifts generously to every member of his body, making each of us essential to the whole. We confess that we often live as spectators in the church rather than active participants in ministry. We withhold our gifts through fear or pride; we fail to use what Christ has given us for the building up of one another; we forget that every gift, however small it seems, has been sovereignly placed in us to serve our brothers and sisters in love.
Yet in the gospel we have a Savior who gives us everything we need—not for private consumption but for the mutual strengthening of his church (Ephesians 4:7). Christ purchased us with his blood and sent his Spirit to equip us; he has made us alive and seated us with him, alive in grace (Ephesians 2:5). We are not left orphaned or powerless to serve; we are given both the gift and the grace to use it.
We ask you, Father, to awaken us to the gifts you have placed within us and to give us courage to use them in love. Help us to receive one another's gifts with gratitude, knowing that Christ has arranged the body for our common good. Grant our pastors wisdom to equip the saints, and grant us humble hearts to be equipped. Compel us to abandon the comfort of the sidelines and to step into active service, that through the vital interdependence of every member, we may grow together to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. To him be glory and dominion forever.
What's Your Gift for the Team?
This prompt invites kids to think concretely about how Christ has equipped *them* to serve the church body, not as individual performers but as necessary team members. Listen for whether they see their gifts as personal treasures or as tools for building up others—and gently reorient if needed toward the latter.
Pastor Alec talked about how Jesus gave different gifts to different people in the church—like some people are really good at encouraging others, or teaching, or helping, or praying. What's something you're good at that could help our church family grow closer to Jesus? How could you use that gift this week to help someone else?
Growing Together in Christ's Gifts
- What gift or calling did you hear the Spirit stirring in your heart as the sermon unfolded—and what made that particular truth land for you?
- How are we actually functioning as a body in our marriage: are we using our different gifts to build each other up toward Christlikeness, or have we slipped into spectating while expecting the other to carry the spiritual weight?
- What is one specific way you could pray for your spouse this week to grow in using their gifts—and what could you ask them to pray for you?
Ephesians 4:11-12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
Why this verse: This verse distills the sermon's central claim: Christ distributes gifts not for private consumption but for the equipping and mutual edification of the church. It encapsulates both the doctrinal foundation (Christ as gift-giver) and the practical imperative (every member active in ministry) that animates the entire passage.
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# Cross of Grace Church A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible. ## Sermons - [The Faithful Christ (Revelation 2:12-17, 2022-04-03)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/04/the-faithful-christ) - [Are You Lukewarm? (Revelation 3:14-22, 2022-06-19)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/06/are-you-lukewarm) - [Power to Lead Us Home (Ephesians 1:15-23, 2022-09-18)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/09/power-to-lead-us-home) - [Church Growth, God's Way (Ephesians 4:7-16, 2022-11-27)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/11/church-growth-god-s-way) ## About - [About the church](/about) - [Plan a visit](/visit)
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