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11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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, 14 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 in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 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 (Ephesians 4.11-16, ESV).[1] Memory Verse – Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ – Ephesians 4.15 Yesterday we discussed ‘Unity in the Faith,’ what it looks like and how we can be part to bring unity where we are through our small group and the church. Today we are going to look at the ‘Knowledge Of The Son Of God,’ and how obtaining this will help build up the body of Christ and equip the saints. First, let us define what we mean by ‘Knowledge Of The Son Of God.’ We do not mean a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, but a more intimate personal relationship which can only come from spending time with Him in prayer and study of His Holy Word. If we say we know Him, yet we never spend any personal time with Him, do we really know Him? John MacArthur stated: After many years of devoted apostleship Paul still could say, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, … that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.… Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8–10, 12). Paul prayed that the Ephesians would have that “knowledge of Him” (1:17; cf. Philippians 1:4; Colossians. 1:9–10; 2:2). Growing in the deeper knowledge of the Son of God is a life-long process that will not be complete until we see our Lord face-to-face.[2] Our goal in life should not be to see how much money we can a mass, or how many cars, homes, friends, or degrees we can get. It should not be about status in our job, or career. We should never try to get to the top on the backs of others just to be the best. This is not what our lives as Christians are supposed to be about. Look again at what Paul said in Philippians, “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith” (Philippians 3.7-9, CSB).[3] Paul, a very righteous man by all human standards, looked at his life through the lens of Jesus Christ and found he was not as righteous as he thought. Therefore, he recognized he would only have true gain in Christ, by knowing Christ, that is ‘Knowledge of the Son of God.’ It is because of Christ we have suffered loss of everything we know and hold dear to us. This might seem like a terrible thing, but let us think on this for a moment, what have we lost that was of such great value which Christ did not replace if necessary? Our pride, envy, hatred, anger, status, position, fame, glory, or prestige. The list could go on but we get the picture, when it really comes down to it, there is nothing in our life we need other than Jesus Christ. This is why He said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16.24-25, NRSV).[4] Christ wants everyone to come to Him, but it is still our choice, and when we do we must first, deny ourselves. This is what Paul was talking about in Philippians when he said, “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ” (Philippians 3-7, CSB).[5] We must give up everything for the sake of Christ; He must reign supreme in our lives. It can be difficult to let go of some things, and as John MacArthur said, “Growing in the deeper knowledge of the Son of God is a life-long process that will not be complete until we see our Lord face-to-face.” After denying one’s self, we are to take up our cross, and follow Him. This requires us to have daily interaction with our Savior. We cannot expect to deny ourselves and then never speak to our Heavenly Father or every get into His Word. If we do not then how will we be able to take up our cross, to daily serve Him and follow Him as He requires? When we have a deeper personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, it becomes easier to understand what He wants for us to do. We can see His will in our lives and the direction He wants us to go. When we spend time with Him, He will speak to us, guiding us along His path for His righteousness and His glory. We will find more joy and excitement in the things we do when we are serving Him in this manner. Growing in the Knowledge of the Son of God, is not an overnight process, nor should the time required keep us from trying to understand more of the Son of God, and be more like Him. It should be our number one goal in life to be like Christ as much as humanly possible, always striving forward never looking back. For the devil would have us stay in the past, in our problems and mistakes, but Christ has paid for those mistakes, and cleansed us from all unrighteousness. So, move forward for the cause of Christ, be more like Christ, and grow in the Knowledge of the Son of God (Philippians 3.12-17). Application
Prayer Dear Heavenly Father I thank You for such a wonderful day. You have created all things and even when things might seem out of control or chaotic, I can rely on the fact You are still very much in control. Lord help me to be an agent of Unity within my church and small group, help me to promote good understanding of who You are, and why it is important to know more about You. Lord help me to be bold, to always put You first in my life, and give me wisdom in the things I do that they will bring glory and honor to You. Give me an opportunity to share Your gospel and the confidence and fearless heart to be a leader so others will hear and know who You are. This I pray in Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen. [1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Eph 4:11–16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [2] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (p. 157). Chicago: Moody Press. [3] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Php 3:7–11). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. [4] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Mt 16:24–25). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. [5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Php 3:7). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. You Can Download This Blog Here - January 8 - Ephesians 4.11-16 Pt. 4
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