In the soul cleansing blood of the lamb Are your garments spotless Are they white as snow Are you washed in the blood of the lamb Are you washed in the blood In the soul cleansing blood of the lamb Are your garments spotless Are they white as snow Are you once in the blood of the Lamb? All right. I was not informed of any birthdays, so you may be seated. So. Well, good morning, Lighthouse. How's everyone doing this morning? Doing good. Richly blessed and highly favored. If you hang out with Glenda, you might be saying that a little bit more often. But richly blessed. Richly blessed and highly flavored. Highly flavored is your coffee. Highly favored is your spiritual water. All right. That song, Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb? I've seen some. There's a street preacher I saw the other day in Houston. I really couldn't understand anything. I just heard yelling. I wonder if he ever decided to use the gospel way of saying, like, hey, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? A person who's never been in church before, doesn't have that kind of understanding would be like, what on earth are you talking about? So, but obviously that is a very biblical vocabulary. And the Lamb is referring to the Lamb of God, which John so rightfully recognized and pointed out, behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. So Christ is the Lamb of God sent by the Father in order to be our perfect sacrifice. Another word we don't use in everyday life, the propitiation of our sins. That word propitiation means that it has this idea of a wrath, Satisfying sacrifice that God's Atonement with his son was the absolute paid and full final atonement that he can give to mankind God's wrath is satisfied once and for all through the cross through the resurrection so it's not just appropriation for our sins only but also for the sins of of the whole world. God's sacrifice that he gave us is enough to cover and pay for the sin of the entire world. And the simple receiving it by faith and trust and that shed blood will earn you, will put you in a spot to have a relationship with God and have everlasting life as the Bible promises. Then you are indeed washed in the blood. The blood of Jesus is nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away my sins and put me to have everlasting life in a relationship with our Heavenly Father. So this is your first time at light. I don't see any brand new guests, but I just want to thank you guys for being here this morning. Our pastor is still recovering from medical things and so we will be praying for him and he wishes he can be with you guys and so we'll, Lord willing, we will see him very soon. So keep praying and check in support with pastor and his wife Lisa. And so it's at this time of service we want to take a reflection in our own hearts of where why we're here and what we're doing here. And if we're here for social group, if we're here than any other reason to show love for our God and worship him, we're here for the wrong place. But you can take that mindset, recognize I need to be here for Jesus. I need to be here to serve him because I want to show responsive, grateful for saving my soul, not just saving my soul for all the ways he's been able to keep me and sustain me in this everyday aspect of life. And so we serve a mighty king and it is a king that, you know, you usually think of it as like, give your life, pledge your service for the king. And that's great. We get to do that. But our king gave his life for us. That is a wonderful, amazing love that we have. And it's almost like an ironic. And so that is who we recognize, who we are coming to service. And we need to be here because there's a brothers and sisters in the Lord that need your presence. They need your encouragement. So every Saturday, you may need to have that preparation saying like Sunday morning, I'm going to be in God's house and I'm here to love my brother and I'm here to love my God. I'm here to serve and worship him. So let's pray this morning as we continue our service. Our Heavenly Father, we love you so much, and Lord, we thank you for being a God that's worthy of it all, Lord. And we really can't measure up to how much you're truly worth and how much you truly deserve, Lord. So let it be recognized that what we're doing here to give you praise and to be able to seek to put our lives in your hands, Lord, that it's our reasonable service. Considering the great mercies that you've given us, it makes sense that we would respond to you in worship, respond to you in gratitude, Lord. And so may our troubles, you know, but we recognize that our troubles really can't be ever outweigh your goodness and your love. And so your love will always come through and come triumph, Lord. And even with our timing, Lord, we can trust and be assured that you are always showing up right exactly on time, Lord. And so as you promised that you've worked all things together to those who love God and to them who are the called according to the purpose. So may we cling to those promises and cling to those truths. And here and now we cling to the one we find in 1 John 1. Have we simply acknowledge and bring our sins before you that you will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and that we can come before you and have a whole heart of worship, Lord, and a renewed spirit. So may we give you our best and nothing less, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Okay, let's all stand, continue worshiping this morning. You are holy. One, two, three, four. You are holy. You are mighty. You are worthy, worthy of praise I will follow, I will listen I will love You all of my days. Yes, I will sing to and worship the King who is worthy. And I will love and adore Him. I will bow down before Him. And I will sing to and worship the king who is worthy and i will love and adore him i will bow down before him you're my prince of peace and i will live my life for you You are holy. You are mighty. You are worthy. Worthy of faith. I will follow. I will listen. all of my days. Yes, I will sing to and worship the King who is worthy, and I will love and adore Him. I will bow down before Him, and I will sing to and worship is worthy and I will love and adore Him. I will bow down before Him. You're my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for You. Yes, I will sing to Him, worship the King who is worthy, and I will love and adore Him. I will bow down Before Him, yes, I will sing to and worship the King who is worthy and I will love and adore Him. I will bow down before Him. You're my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for You. You're my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for You. You're my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for You. Because you were forsaken I'm incended, you were condemned I'm alive and well and the Spirit is within me Because you died and rose again Because you were forsaken, I'm accepted. You were given. I'm alive and well, your spirit is within me. How can it be That you, by your time, will die for me? Amazing love, I know it's true And it's my joy to honor you For all you do I honor you. I'm forgiven because you were forsaken. I'm accepting. I'm alive and well, the spirit is within me. You called, but you died and rose again. Amazing love, how can it be that you might keep what's right for me? Amazing love, I know it's true It's my joy to honor you Amazing love, how can it be? It's my joy to honor You For all You do I honor You You are my King. You are my King. Jesus, You are my King. Jesus, You are my King. Amazing love, how can it be? It's in my being what died for me. Amazing love, I know it's true. It's my joy to honor You. Amazing love, how can it be? You're my King, what do I feel need? Amazing love, I know it's true It's my joy to honor you For all you do I honor you for all you do Let me honor you In the secret, in the quiet place In the stillness you are there In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait only for you Cause I want to know you I want to know you. I want to hear your voice. I want to know you more. I want to touch you. I want to see your face. I want to know you. ♪ I'm reaching for the highest goal ♪ ♪ That I might receive the right ♪ ♪ I sing onward, pushing every entrance aside ♪ ♪ I'm out of my way, yes I want to know ♪ I want to hear your voice. I want to know you more. I want to touch you. I want to see your face. I want to know you. I want to know you I want to hear your voice I want to know you more I want to touch you I want to see your face I want to know you I want to know you. I want to hear your voice. I want to know you more. I want to see your face I want to know you I want to know you I want to hear your voice I want to know you I want to touch you. I want to see your face. I want to know you know. You all may be seated. Children in second grade and undergraduate, we're going back to business. They're Josh Sharp, two Kings kids, and 3036 will be with myself and worship 36. Hey, I'm live. Well, good morning, Lighthouse. Y'all ready for the Word of God this morning? Well, good. Let's tie on a napkin and go in face first, huh? The title of today's sermon is Out of Many One. It's a follow-up to the one I did a couple weeks ago. We're going to be in Ephesians chapter 4. If you guys would turn there, we're going to be looking at verses 7 through 16. We're going to look at a whole bunch of other verses this morning, but we will be going back to this passage. As I said, the title this morning is Out of Many One. The words E Pluribus Unum appear on the Great Seal of the United States. Until 1956, E Pluribus Unum was the unofficial motto of the United States. But in 1956, the official motto became, In God We Trust. Now, E Pluribus Unum, while not the official motto of our nation now, still appears on our great seal and it appears on other currencies and documents produced by our government. And it's an interesting phrase. A pluribus unum is a Latin phrase which means, out of many, one, or from one, many. Now, this phrase pictures the United States as a melting pot. It envisions our nation as one nation made up of many individuals. And while there's diversity and division among the people that make up the United States of America, at the end of the day, when all the smoke is cleared, we're still Americans. And regardless of the country of our origin, the color of our skin, the type of politics we embrace, or where we stand on many social issues, we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Now, the United States is a unity, and it's made possible by, and in spite of, great diversity. Now, I want you to see this morning that the phrase, out of many one, could also be applied to the church. See, in the verses previous to our text, Paul has just told us that we are one in the Lord, that we stand together as one in the Lord. We are in the same body. We are indwelled by the same spirit. We share the same hope. We serve the same Lord. We believe the same faith. We have experienced the same baptism, and we are children of the same Heavenly Father. Look at Ephesians 4.4, which is what we preached from last time. It says, there is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. So, as I mentioned in my last sermon, All for One and One for All, we are made one through our relationship to the members of the Holy Trinity. The same Spirit lives in each of us. The same Lord, He died to save each one of us. The same God has saved us and He's brought us into His family. We are one in Him. But as the first word of verse 7 points out, we may be one, but we're still many. The word but in this verse is more than just a simple conjunction. See, it literally means in spite of that, or on the other hand. And the idea is this, while we may be united in Jesus, we're still expected to be different people, and we are very different from each other. We're expected to be individuals for the glory of God. We may be commanded to do everything in our power to maintain the unity of the body of Christ, but at the same time, we should celebrate the diversity that absolutely makes our unity possible. See, against the backdrop of our unity in Christ, I wanna draw your attention this morning to our diversity. We are all different from one another, yet it's our differences that make the unity within the body of Christ. And it's what makes it such a marvelous wonder to behold. In fact, I would go on to say that it's our diversity that actually makes our unity possible. Let me share a few truths that present themselves in this text. And what I want you to see is that while you're part of the body of Christ, each one of you have been uniquely gifted to serve the Lord. You are a member of the body of Christ, but you are absolutely different from every other member in the body. And because of that, you are special and God wants you to use your uniqueness to serve the whole body of Christ so that it might reach its fullest potential for the glory of God. Let's look at the root of our diversity. See, our unity as believers finds its root in the work of God in our lives as He develops us and He grows us. And as He does this, He continually reveals Himself within us. And as He reveals Himself, He allows us to stand as one in the Lord. However, it is also the Lord's work in us that magnifies our differences. Just as surely as our unity has its root in Him, so does our diversity. Let's look at the grace of God. Ephesians 4, 7 tells us, but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. See, our diversity, our uniqueness finds its root in the grace of God. The word grace is a commonly reused word in the New Testament. And what it refers to, a basic definition, is undeserved favor or a gift. And we often think of grace in the context of salvation because Ephesians 2.8 tells us that it was by grace through faith that we were saved. But the word grace in this verse, however, doesn't refer to the grace of God that saves us. It refers to the grace of God that gifts us for service. And when the Bible says unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of Christ, it simply means that the head of this church, the Lord Jesus Christ, has given each of us some gift or gifts of grace. And these gifts are his enabling ministry. Now, when the Lord saves a soul, Jesus takes up residence in the new believer through the person of the Holy Spirit. And when the Spirit comes into a life, one of the ministries that the Holy Spirit performs is to give that new believer one or more spiritual gifts. And these gifts determine that believer's place in the body and how that believer will ultimately serve the Lord. And each one of us is gifted uniquely to us. And this truth, it's fleshed out in detail in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And if you look at verses 7 through 27, and here's what I would suggest with this message in mind, I'd encourage each one of y'all to go park in 1 Corinthians and park on that passage just a little while, chew on it, maybe this evening. And you're gonna see in light of this message, you may see something that you've never seen before. But the primary truth to note here is that you are an individual, and you have been uniquely gifted to serve the Lord. See, 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 is gonna be unique to you. That is, and here's what I mean, you may preach, But your preaching is going to be unique to your personality. I mean, each week you have either the pastor or me or Justin up here. We preach the same word. But each one of us has a different preaching style that is suited to our own personalities. You may teach. But your emphasis may just be with a few children in Sunday school, while someone else may stand before thousands. But either way, each one of us is gifted to reach others within our sphere of influence in a way that no one else can. Whatever we are, At the end of the day, whatever we are, we are by the grace of God, and we need to discover our gifts, and we need to allow the Lord to develop them to the greatest of their potential. By the way, I just say this, the best way to find your spiritual gifts, because some people don't even know what their spiritual gifts are, but the best way to find your spiritual gifts is to get involved in a local assembly of believers and just get busy serving the Lord. See, as you faithfully serve Him, He's going to open doors that you never thought would open. And these doors that open are going to dovetail perfectly with the gifts He has given you in grace. He's not going to take you anywhere He can't sustain you. So, our differences, our diversity is rooted in the grace of God. And we're all saved the same way. Every one of us is absolutely saved the same way. We are all indwelled by the same Spirit, but we are uniquely equipped for His service by His grace. So let's look at the gifts of God. Look at chapter 4, verses 7 through 10. Verse 7 says, But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now, that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." So, Paul calls the gifts that we are given, the gift of Christ. Then he goes on to describe the Lord Jesus as a mighty conqueror who shares the spoils of victory with his people. Now it's interesting that these verses quote from Psalm 68 and they speak of the Lord as one who ascended in heaven in victory having defeated all of his foes. Now, as I read this, I personally believe this refers to the Lord's death and resurrection. See, 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. And He proclaimed that sin had been defeated and the way was now open to God. And you know, that's what Peter seems to be referring to when he says in 1 Peter 3.19, it says, "...by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." See, Jesus descended into paradise and He shouted the same thing there that He had proclaimed on Calvary. He said, it's finished, it's done, it's complete. And then He led those precious souls out of paradise and He took them home to the Father's house. See, like a conquering hero when he's returned from a successful campaign, the Lord Jesus shared with His people the spoils of His victory. And as the Bible says in verse 8, it says, He gave gifts unto men. See, part of the Lord's victory over death, sin, and Satan is the gift of new life in Him. We are literally made new creatures when we're born again. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And this new birth, it brings with it the ability to enjoy what John chapter 10 verse 10 refers to as this abundant life. He says he gives us life and he gives us life more abundantly. And it's what Paul referred to when he wrote this in Philippians chapter 3. Verse 9 says, "...and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." See, this new life manifests itself through the work of the Holy Spirit within us. And it manifests itself as the Holy Spirit enables us to serve the Lord Jesus through the gifts He gives us. Now, I don't know what gift or gifts you've been given. I mean, I can guess. But I want you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that every single one of those gifts is Christ's gift to you. They are the spoils of His victory over sin, death, and Satan. Let's look at the giftedness of God. Look at verse 11. It says, "...and He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." See, our diversity here is seen in the gifts Paul mentions in verse 11. And this right here is merely a small list of gifts, of spiritual gifts. Other lists are found in 1 Corinthians 12. Other lists of gifts are found in Romans 12, 1 Peter 4. But the gifts that are mentioned here are ministry gifts. And they are places in the body that exist to help the body achieve its fullest potential in Christ. So I want to take just a moment to look at this short list of ministry gifts. The first one he lists is apostles. So this refers to an ambassador, one sent with credentials to represent another. The apostles were pioneers of the faith. And God sent them to the world at the birth of His church. He authenticated their ministry with special signs. In fact, 2 Corinthians 12, verse 12 says, truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. But see, when the church was established, there was no more need for the ministry of apostle. The office ceased to exist with the deaths of those early foundational giants that God used to establish the church. There aren't any apostles today. Prophets. See, this speaks of a foreteller. This was a person who received direct revelation from God to share with the world. The words of the prophet were literally the words of God. You'll see it in there, thus saith the Lord. But when the Bible was completed, the need for prophets also ceased. There are no prophets in the world today in the sense that no one is receiving new revelation from God. From the end of the Amen, your Bible is complete and that is our revelation. See, everything we know and will know concerning God and the faith of Jesus Christ can be found from the end to the Amen in the pages of the Bible. Now evangelists, now this word literally means a preacher of the gospel. And it has in mind those who are especially gifted at sharing the gospel with those who have never heard it. This spiritual gift is still very active in the church today. Missionaries, gifted witnesses, preachers who take the gospel to the unsafe, they've all been given the gift of evangelism. Each one of us is to carry the gospel. Each one of us has been given the gift of evangelism, but some are better at it than others. Then there's pastors and teachers. Now, Paul uses two words here, but one office is really in view. The word pastors means shepherd. It speaks of those who tend to the needs of the flock. It speaks of the one who reaches out to the fallen, who binds up the wounded, who feeds the hungry, who leads the flock to green pastures and beside still waters. It speaks of the man who has the care of the people of God as the driving force of his life. Then there's teachers. And this speaks of those who faithfully and consistently open the Word of God to feed the people of God. See, this spiritual gift is also very active in the modern church. And we see examples of this in many local assemblies, and in the person of many of the preachers who travel from place to place feeding the flock of God. You experience it right here, every Sunday. See, the whole point here is this. Your gift may have been in this list, and it may not have been mentioned here. Be that as it may, when God saved you, He did gift you. And He gave you at least one spiritual gift, probably more. And He gave them to you so that you could serve Him and that you could be a blessing not only to others, but to His church. And I challenge you to find your gift and put it to work for Christ. See, every gift here is needed. And if it wasn't needed, it would not have been given. So let's look at the reasons for our diversity. So, I mean, God saved us and He gifted us. Why did He make each one of us different? Why didn't He just give us all the same gifts? Wouldn't it have been easier that way? You know, why didn't He just give us all the same gifts? He made us diverse one from another because that was what was best for the body of Christ. See, if every member was an ear, who would do the seeing? If every member of the body was a hand, who would do the walking? If every member was an armpit, who would do the smelling? God made us diverse for His own reasons. And Paul shares some of those reasons in these verses. The first is actually for the completion of the body. Look at verse 12. He says it's for the perfecting of the saints. So Paul says for the perfecting of the saints here. This word perfecting has the idea of strengthening, developing, furnishing completely, and equipping. What it simply means is that God has placed the various members in the body to help the body achieve its fullest potential for its glory. He's given the church through the work of the Holy Spirit in gifting the various members of the body all that we need to be strong, to be whole, and to be complete for His glory. See, when I fill my place and you fill yours, the Lord is glorified. And the church becomes what the Lord established it to be. See, we become His body carrying His light to a world that's trapped in darkness. Now, the next reason is for the commitment of the body. Look at verse 12 again. It says, "...for the work of the ministry." See, when Paul refers to the work of the ministry, he's talking about the business of serving. Now, effective ministry is the work of the entire church. We're only as strong as our weakest link. And no matter how talented a pastor or a group of leaders may be, there is no possible way that one person or even a few people can effectively do everything that needs to be done in the local church. No one is that gifted. No one has that much time. But God has designed the church so that each member brings a different piece of the collective puzzle to the table. And when the evangelists and the pastor-teachers are faithful in prayer and the ministry of the Word, the church is equipped to serve the needs of the body of Christ. See, it's not enough for us to simply show up at the church. We have to go beyond merely attending, and we have to become actively involved in the work of the Lord in the world. And we do this by yielding to Him and exercising the gifts we've been given. In other words, we serve the Lord and His church by doing just what He saved you and equipped you to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Another reason is for the confirmation of the body. See, Paul goes on in verse 12. Look at verses 12 through 14. He said this is for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of hand, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Paul builds on this and he goes on and he tells us that these gifts that we've been given, and especially the ones mentioned in verse 11, exist for the edifying of the body of Christ. Now this word edifying is a two-bit word that means to build up, to establish, or to confirm. And it talks about the church progressing from salvation to sanctification. And it pictures more than just the church just professing, merely professing Jesus. It speaks of the church actually projecting Jesus. It speaks of the growth, and people come in and go, there is something different about that crowd. Ladies and gentlemen, we may be the only Jesus some people ever see. See, it speaks of us reaching our fullest potential. It speaks of us reaching our maturity in Him. It speaks of the church growing up and being settled in our walk with the Lord. And then Paul tells us how the gifted individuals in the church make this a reality. Again, Paul is referring to the ministry gifts that make this possible, but I would remind you that everyone has a stake in this. See, as I serve in a manner God gifted me to serve, and as you do the same, the church is going to grow spiritually, and it's going to leave a more Christ-like footprint in the world. People are going to be able to see it. It brings this body to a place of conviction. Look at verse 13. It says, till we all, it means every one of us, till we all come in the unity of the faith. See, as the church is properly led and the church is properly fed and serviced by the gifted individuals that make it up, it's going to come to a place where it believes and it practices the same body of doctrine that has been handed down. And God's goal in sending preachers to the church is to teach the church His Word. So that the body might be built up through a belief in a common truth. There are truths that we share. There are truths that people died for. There's a trail of blood. These truths that we hold dear. See, it also brings this body back to a place of consciousness. Look again at verse 13. It continues. Verse 13 starts, it says, "...to we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God." See, as we are taught the truth by those gifted to share it, we learn more about the Savior. Now, the word knowledge here means to fully discern. See, God sends the church preachers and teachers to help us come to know Christ better. And as the gifts of the Spirit are exercised in the church, one of the outcomes is a fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ. And one of the surest ways for a church to grow in power and to grow in love and glory is for that church to more fully understand who they serve and who they are in Christ. Paul phrased it this way. He says in Philippians 3.10, he says that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death. That's our goal. See, it also brings our body back to a place of Christ-likeness. As we grow, and as we are able to stand on our own two feet, and we're not toddlers anymore, and we're handling meat, and we're sharing, and we're growing, and we're knitted together, it brings us to a place of Christ-likeness. Let's continue with verse 13. It says, unto a perfect man, unto a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. See, this simply means as we learn, as we grow, and as we develop our spiritual gifts and we exercise our faith, we come to a place and we reach a place of maturity. And see, God has gifted His church to help the whole body come to this place of maturity. And there's always going to be babies coming up. He wants us to grow up into the image of His Son. And that's why He saved us. He saved us so that Christ might be formed in us. Look at Galatians 4.19. Paul says, "...my little children, of whom I travail in birth again." until Christ be formed in you." Paul was struggling. He was burdened for these people to grow up into the faith so that other people could see Christ in them. See, God's desire for every one of His children is that we all, without exception, become like His Son. One of the ways God works to achieve this goal is by giving His church gifted individuals who use their giftedness for the glory of God and for the good of the church. And it perpetuates. We invest, we pay it forward into other people who in turn pay it forward into other people. If we want to reach the next generation, not only this generation, but the next generation, and we want to make a difference in the world, we have to exercise our gifts, we have to grow in Christ, and we have to pay it forward to that next generation so that they know who they believe, what they believe, and why they believe it. And it brings this body to a place of certainty. Look at verse 14. The whole reason for this, the whole reason that we're molding and shaping and paying it forward is that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive." See, as we do this and people grow and they're in their place and we become knit, it brings stability to the church. And see, when we grow up in Him, we are no longer little children tossed around by every changing wave of doctrine that strikes us. We're not washed off our feet by every new teaching that we hear. We're not easily deceived by those who would trick us and would lead us away into error. See, this word slight in here, it's a dice term. And what it talks about is those who rigged the game in their favor by using loaded dice. Satan has agents everywhere trying to trick and trap the people of God. And you know the thing about it is, He's not going to come straight at you. You know what the most effective lie is? The one that has just enough truth to hook you in. It's the gray area that's scary. And see, these agents, they lie and wait to deceive. But here's the deal. When we're mature in the Lord, when we know who we believe, what we believe, and why we believe it, we're not so easily led into a game of chance with the devil. And this kind of maturity is only possible when each member of the body is in his or her place, walking in the will of God and exercising faithfully the gifts that they've been given. See, the reason for our diversity is this. He makes us different so that in the end, we all become the same. He gives us different gifts so that you can benefit from how He has gifted me. And I can benefit from how He has gifted you. And He made us different so that He might make us one with Christ. So let's look at the results of this, the results of our diversity. Verse 15 and 16, it says, But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Now, that's a mouthful. But let me ask you a question, and this kind of puts it in perspective. Could your hand and fingers survive without your wrist? Could your wrist survive without your elbow? They're fitly compacted together and they work in synergy. See, our diversity, our differences make the body possible. Look at verse 16. It says, "...from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies." See, just as every member here, as we look around, all of our physical bodies are unique. So each are the members of the body of Christ. See, without diversity, there would be no unity. Just as our physical bodies are united, and they're united as a whole, and they're made to work together, so is the body of Christ. It says it's fitly joined together, and for many make one. God has taken individuals from every conceivable lifestyle. You know, some of us, you wouldn't even want to know our histories. But we've been brought out of every conceivable lifestyle there is. And He saved us by His grace and He placed us within the body of Christ. And every member has been given a unique assignment. And as the various members fulfill their assignments, the body of Christ is able to exist, it's able to function, it's able to make an impact or a footprint within the world. You know, the pastor told me a long time ago when I first came, I was a baby Christian, and I remember I wanted to, there was a building down here, and I wanted to see about how much it cost, because I wanted a place for Christians to be able to gather on Friday nights. Because there's nothing in Dickinson. Once 5 o'clock Friday, they roll up the sidewalks and then there's nothing. Unless you want to go to the bars or whatever, there was just nothing. And especially the kids, there was nowhere for them to go. And so I was curious about how that... And he says, look, if you're going to do it, you have to do it through the church. There's no Lone Rangers. He goes, if you do it on your own, it'll fail. It has to be done through the church. See, our diversity makes the body powerful. In verse 15, he says, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. See, the same diversity that makes the body possible also makes the body powerful. And as we exercise the individual gifts that we've been given, the body is fed. It's nurtured, and it's helped to grow into maturity in Christ. See, when the body is given the truth, and when that truth is given from a heart of love, the result is going to be a maturing body into the image of its head, the Lord Jesus. See, the idea here of speaking the truth in love speaks of the truth of the gospel proclaimed and lived out by a church that is in love with the Lord. one another and actually in love with the lost world around it. You're not going to share with those that you don't love. You ever thought about that? I think about people who say, well, you know, I wish I could just share. You know, when you have a love for people, you tend to share with them. You'll tell them everything. Sometimes we just need to care more. This kind of church, the church that preaches truth, loves the truth, shares the truth, and loves the God of truth, is the kind of church that God will use in powerful ways to glorify Himself. And He's going to use it in powerful ways to reach the lost. See, the truth that we hold dear, the truth that we share, should never ever be used as a club. The truth is always to be given out in love. And when it is, that church is going to mature and it's going to become more like the Master. By the way, that rather than numbers should be how we determine whether our church is growing. Our diversity makes the body productive. Look at verse 16, it says, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making the increase of the body into the edifying of itself in love. See, the last part of verse 16 tells us that the measure of grace each member of the body brings to the table serves to cause the whole body to grow. And it helps the whole body to walk as one in the Lord. See, as God works in you to develop your life to the fullest potential, and as you allow Him to pour your life into the lives of your fellow believers, the whole church is blessed. And the whole church is strengthened. And it's going to experience growth. It's the loving exercise of our spiritual gifts, one for another, that enables the church to make a difference the world around it sees. See, only as I do what He has gifted me to do, and you do what He has gifted you to do, can we ever hope to be used of God effectively. Paul tells us that the body should edify itself in love. See, if we love the Lord like we should, we're going to want to be all that He saved us to be. If we love one another like we should, We're going to want to help our fellow Christians reach their fullest potential in Jesus. And as we walk in love toward the Lord and toward one another, we show the world that our faith is absolutely real. Look at John 13, verse 34. And I'm going to close with this verse. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love to one another." So, as we go into this time of invitation, E Pluribus Unum, out of many one, You know, each one of us comes from a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different places, and we're placed here for a reason. And each one of us brings an immeasurable gift to the table. Your entire life has brought you to this point. All your experiences, good or bad, have uniquely given you the opportunity or the ability to reach people that no one else can reach. There's someone out there that only you can reach. There's places that I can go and people that I can talk to that others may not. They won't give them the time of day. And that's what God has done, and He's put a bunch of, all of us are, you know, none of us were special. We're the biggest collection of dumpster fires ever placed together. But the funny thing about it is, we're stronger together. And you know, each one of us is different in so many ways. But we're brought together in Christ. See, God called us. He saved us. He indwelled us. He gifted us. And He gifted us individually, and He gifted us uniquely. And he put us together in such a way that we can be a blessing to the whole body and to the world around us. See, I thank God every day that you're not just like me. And I thank God that I'm not just like you. And I praise him for the diversity that we enjoy in Jesus, because our differences help us better to serve him and one another. Now, as we go into this time of invitation, I want to close this message by inviting you to come before the Lord in prayer. And I wrote these down because I knew I wouldn't remember this off the top of my head. But here are some challenges that I want to lay before you today. I want to give you something to think about, to go home and chew on. If you're not saved, I'd invite you to come to Jesus Christ. It's the best decision you could ever make. He's going to save you and He's going to gift you to serve Him in His church. And let us help you with that. Ask us about those classes before you leave. If you haven't taken them, take them. And, uh, oh yeah. However, whatever God has spoken to you on some level today, if He has, respond to it. As we sing.