Word of Salvation – Vol. 34 No. 17 – May 1989

 

Christ The Ascended On High Lord…

His Absolute Supremacy

 

Sermon by Rev. D. J. Van Garderen on Ephesians 4:8-10

Reading: Eph 4:1-16, and alternative between Psalm 68 or Acts 1:1-11.

 

Dear Congregation,

The first years of the life of the Church in Ephesus were truly glorious ones.  The message of salvation in Christ, the Gospel, had taken root.  It had become the foundation of a church in which a genuine love for Christ and fellow believers dominated all else.

Paul wrote of this as follows…”Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers…!” (Eph.1:15,16).

However, even during those early years when the faith and love of the Ephesians was so outstanding, the beginnings of a falling away from faith, the beginnings of losing the first love, were present.  It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit called and equipped Paul to write his letter to the Ephesians!  Be warned Ephesians!

It is a supremely tragic fact that the Ephesian Church took little real notice of the apostle’s warning and call.  Some 20 years after the Ephesian letter was written, the Lord Jesus, via John, announced to this same church:

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Rev.2:4,5)

What was the Ephesian problem?  Congregation, it was the same problem that has always plagued Christ’s Church.  It was the problem of internal, disharmony, division and dissension.  The congregation was being divided against itself.

 – There were the Jewish Christians who kept themselves aloof from the Gentile Christians.

 – There were those who were very taken in by the teaching and leadership of Paul and those who were not.

– There were those who were rather proud of their great spiritual gifts and abilities.

 – There were the original foundation members of the congregation and the Johnny-come-latelies.

 –  There were those who were taking their new life in Christ to the extreme of refusing to submit to anyone save Christ.

 –  Strains in marriage relationships, in master/slave relationships and in children-parent relationships!

On the outside the Ephesian congregation was truly a model.  However, below the surface there were already the sure signs of a disharmony, division and dissension.

When you read and study the letter to the Ephesians against this background the message it contains becomes much clearer.  This is especially true of chapter 4 where the so-called “practical” applications begin to dominate the message.

Says the apostle:

 “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received…  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace…!”

How do you do that?

1.  First of all by remembering just what the Church is or by focussing upon the foundation upon which it is built.  Remember?  “One body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of us all…!”

2.  In the second place: by remembering the source, the origin or fountain from which everything in your life and in the life of the Church springs.  Everything that a Christian or that a gathering of Christians (a Church) possesses or uses comes from one only source: Jesus Christ the Lord.  No matter who or what you are or aspire to be in Christ’s Church.  The source of your ability, of your gift (whether natural or supernatural), the source is Christ.

Note verse 7 very carefully:

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

REALLY…?

Is Christ Jesus indeed the only and exclusive source of your spiritual gift?

YES!  The Bible says it.  And the Bible in Eph.4:8-10 points to the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ as a visible sign and seal of this.  The ascension is God’s sign and seal of that fact that any and every spiritual gift manifested in and for the Church has its origin in Christ alone as He apportions it.

WHY?  HOW can this be?

I.  PAUL’S QUOTATION OF PSALM 68:18

In order to introduce the meaning of Christ’s ascension Paul turns to Psalm 68:18.  He quotes this verse in a rather free and easy manner…

“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men…!”

As I said, Paul quotes this verse in a rather free and easy manner!  So much so in fact that students of this Word have found this an extremely difficult passage to understand and apply.

In order to underline the difficulties, compare Paul’s quotation of Psalm 68:18 with what it actually says:

“When you ascended on high,
 you led captives in your train;
 you received gifts from men,
 even from even from the rebellious…!”

1.  Notice first of all the difference in that Paul says,
“He ascended… He led… (he) gave” whereas the Psalm actually says:
“You ascended… you led… you received…!”
Whereas Ps.68 refers to the power and victory of the LORD God, Paul now reinterprets it to refer to the Lord Jesus!

Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, experiences no difficulties here.  In this passage, as in several others, the N.T. applies to Christ the very things said about God in the O.T.  Remember Christ Jesus is, “the Word become flesh”, and that “Word was God” (John 1:1-18)

The glorious actions described of God in the O.T. are actions which are now attributed to God the Son!  Therefore it says:

“When he (Jesus) ascended on high,
 he led captives in his train
and (he) gave gifts to men.”

2.  A second difference seems to create a more profound difficulty.  In Ephesians 4:8 we read, “He gave gifts to men”, whilst in Psalm 68:18 we read “you received gifts from men.”  Giving and receiving are very different ideas.

Congregation, although the difference seems absolute at first, some reflection shows that this is not necessarily the case at all.

Try to picture the scenes described in Psalm 68.  God’s people are surrounded by their enemies.  The enemies are like giants and their possessions, their walled cities, their armies and chariots make the Israelites feel like grasshoppers and totally inadequate!  The LORD God took up the battle for the Israelites.  He won their victories!  Remember how God gave Israel victory over Egypt by slaying their first-born sons, and by drowning Pharoah and his hosts in the Red Sea!  God took these captives in His train!  God saved His people from armies of their attackers and He broke down the walls of Jericho.

Indeed as God ascended on high with these captives in His train… He received the victor’s gifts!  WHY did God receive these gifts?  Was it not in order to give these gifts to His people?

In Deuteronomy 6, just as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, God reminds them of that fact that everything He took from the nations is what he intends to give to His people.

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you – a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Deut.6:10-12)

Indeed, God ascended on high and led captives in his train and received gifts from men, from the rebellious…!  These were the very gifts He received to GIVE to His children, to His chosen people!

When the Holy Spirit led Paul to use the words, “Christ gave gifts…” he is in essence drawing a picture which, in spite of a different word, agrees with the original!

The picture of God as victorious over the powers of evil and rebellion in order to bless His people is exactly the picture of Christ again victorious over the power of sin and death, the power of the prince of this world… in order to bless His Church!

How do we apply this picture of Ps.68 as it points to Christ?

II.  PAUL’S APPLICATION OF PSALM 68:18

Paul’s application is found in the verses 9 and 10.  Look at them carefully for a moment.

1.  “What does he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?”

Christ’s ascension points to what Christ ascended from.  Christ ascended from the grave on the third day and on Ascension Day he ascended from the earth… the lower earthly region.

To understand this, think of the Lord Jesus Christ whilst he was here on earth.  He first of all emptied himself of all His heavenly glory, majesty and greatness, in order to take on himself our human form.  He humbled himself.  But even more followed.  He became even lower than the lowliest human slave by dying on an accursed cross!  But after that death Christ’s humiliation ends and the so-called state of exaltation begins.

See how Jesus is exalted…!  The grave was empty!  Death is conquered and its sting is smashed!  If ever a person was exalted and lifted up above and beyond the rest of humanity it was when God raised Jesus from the dead!

God shows how Jesus has won the victory, how He has led captives in his train… how satan and death have been defeated as Jesus is exalted by being raised on the third day.

But after that follows Christ’s bodily ascension.  Before the watching, astonished disciples, Jesus was lifted up into heaven and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Why?  Well, if you think that God exalted Jesus and gave him the name that is above every name by raising him from the grave, think of just how much more God exalts Christ by raising him up, lifting him from down here on earth, the lower earthly regions”, into heaven.  By the ascension God is exalting the Christ to even greater and more glorious majesty!  Indeed, the ascension is the sign from heaven that the name (reputation, glory and power) of the Lord Jesus is far above every other name in heaven, on earth and under the earth!

O you Ephesians, has Christ not ascended on high?  Is not his glory, his greatness and power such that he is exalted far beyond and above all?  SEE it!  Marvel at the way Christ’s ascension reveals the true glory and splendour of Jesus!

First he descended into the earthly lower regions and now he has ascended on high… therefore SEE just how great Jesus really is!

2.  Verse 10 repeats this thought in order to introduce even greater and loftier themes!  “He who descended is the very one who ascended… higher than all the heavens…!

Congregation, HOW great is Christ’s glory and power?  NOTHING on earth, in hell or even in heaven is greater!  He is “higher than all the heavens..!”

You know, sometimes we as Christians are scared.  We are scared of the powers of this world, of the power of those who plot evil in this world.  We are so scared of bombs and holocausts…!  Our struggle is so very great and we are so very small, unimportant and weak.  Our struggle is against… how does Paul say it later on in this letter?

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

But Jesus ascended far higher than all the heavens!  See it?  No matter what, no matter who or where…!  Jesus has ascended far higher!  Let the ascension be the song possessing THE glory which nothing can overshadow!

3.  Notice how great this glory is according to verse 10.  He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe!  The ascension is seen in this passage as being God’s seal and guarantee of the supreme, second-to-none, universe-filling power and glory and majesty of Jesus the Son!  Church of Ephesus, church of all ages, see the ascended Jesus, he who ascended on high!

III.  CONCLUDING COMMENTS

And the trouble in Ephesus was that these people were trying to tell the ascended, far higher than the heavens, the filling-one-of-the-whole-universe, HOW and to WHOM he was able and should distribute various spiritual gifts!

 –  Jesus is obliged to give gifts only to those who have the right ethnic background!  Jesus is told what to do and who deserves priority!

 –  Jesus must give me the gift that I covet because I asked him and I think that I’ve got what it takes!

 –  You had better listen to me!  I have the desired degree of education, the right family connections and I have been here longer than you!

 –  You need me Jesus!

Foolish isn’t it?  The disharmony, the disunity and dissension which threatened to break the Ephesian church at the seams was basically due to a failure to see, to worship and to bow before Christ as He really is!  The congregation there failed to see the meaning of what it implies to say, “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ… who ascended into heaven…!”

The Ephesian congregation, so glorious in the first flush of its faith and love for all the saints sank into nothingness!  Was it not because of their failure to consider just who Christ is in the light of His ascension?

The lesson and the warning is clear, isn’t it?

AMEN