Tabernacle on SermonAudio

This message from Pastor's Ministry Month series was delivered during our Sunday morning service on October 1, 2026. The text being expounded is Ephesians 4:11-18. To learn more about Tabernacle or access more resources, visit https://www.tabernaclebaptistchurch.com/.

This sermon emphasizes that the greatest need for believers is not merely to know about God, but to know Him progressively and intimately through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. It argues that true faith is evidenced by a profession of belief and a demonstration of love toward all saints, which prepares the church for deeper spiritual growth. The central message focuses on Paul's prayer in Ephesians, urging believers to understand the person, plan, possessions, and power of God. By recognizing that believers are both heirs of God's riches and God's own inheritance, the sermon highlights the supreme authority of Christ over all powers. This enlightenment enables believers to live with confidence, knowing that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to them for daily obedience and service.

"O what a foretaste of glory divine" we see in the text before us this morning! In our text last week, the Lord spoke very starkly of His own worthiness, and of how necessary it is to recognize that worthiness and respond to it by making Him first in our lives. He specifically challenged us with respect to shame. Do not, He said, be ashamed of Me and of My words. Dearly beloved, what is the opposite of shame? Is it not glory? And what does the Lord show us as He stands on the holy mountain? He shows us His glory, and the glory of the holy saints, the glory that will be revealed in us. Moses prayed long ago on Sinai, after the golden calf incident, "Lord, show me your glory." And here, nearly fifteen hundred years later, that prayer is answered. Show me your glory! Oh, brothers and sisters, when you truly see the glory of the Redeemer and the glory of those whom He has redeemed, you will see why hundreds of millions of people have committed their lives to Him — and why you should do so as well. Flesh and blood cannot reveal this to you. I cannot make you see the glory of the Son of Man, though I had trained in all the rhetorical schools of Athens. But with God's help, I can and will present before your very eyes this morning Christ and Him glorified. Pray for me to rise to this great argument, to assert the eternal glory of God's Son and plead with all of us to hear Him!

This sermon explores the theme of enduring trials through the assurance of God's grace and the magnitude of Christian salvation. It highlights how Old Testament prophets diligently searched for the salvation that is now fully revealed to believers, a mystery even angels desire to understand. The message encourages believers to remain sober-minded and alert for the return of Christ, rather than focusing solely on immediate relief from suffering. Furthermore, it calls for a life of obedience and holiness, urging Christians to grow in grace and avoid returning to former sinful patterns despite the hardships they face.

Here are the tremendous advantages of being a Jew, not a pagan, that would draw Jews to seek transformed hearts and lives. But so many of them preferred to preserve only the outward trappings of religion. Is this the case with many 'nominal' Christians today?

September 24th of this year marked our 20th anniversary as a church! In our Scripture reference for today's message, we see Solomon's instructions on how to have a thriving home--this wise instruction can apply to a church as well. So, how do we have (and keep) a thriving church?