The Twenty Fourth Sermon, the Fourth on the Fourth Chapter - Ephesians 4:7-10

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.) - Ephesians 4:7-10

I started this morning by expounding upon the psalm cited here by St. Paul, demonstrating that all the things spoken therein apply to the person of the only Son of God. While it is often stated in a figurative sense that God ascends when He reveals Himself as the Judge of the world and the defender of His church, we can see most clearly in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, that God condescended to be lowly for a time in His Son's person, despised by men, and subsequently exalted by the power of His Father. This is articulated by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Thus, St. Paul asserts that it was necessary for Him to first descend in order to be exalted.

Before delving further, we must note that St. Paul has altered the wording. While David states in the psalm that God received gifts and offerings, referring to tribute and homage from those who owed it to His Majesty, St.

Paul, on the other hand, says that He gave. This does not exactly match the psalm, but the Apostle's intent is to illustrate that the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ, upon His resurrection from death, surpasses all of David's victories and everything depicted in shadows and symbols under the law. It is more significant to give than to receive.

Moreover, when the psalm states that God received, it was not for His own benefit, as He has no need for anything. Rather, it alluded to the enrichment of His church. Just as the women who had not left their homes were entitled to a portion of the plunder, David shows that God's glory is not sought for personal profit but rather for the well-being of His church. God's display of His wealth is not by hoarding treasures behind double locks, but by making them available to all who come, especially those who seek with true faith. While His riches do not diminish, His generosity towards us abounds, inviting us to seek Him for help in all our needs and wants.

In essence, God's wealth is demonstrated through His generosity and His drawing us toward Him for assistance in all our necessities. As the prophet conveys, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." Thus, it is evident that those who rely on Him will lack nothing. As a result, the psalm states that everyone, not just the warriors, shall partake in the spoils. Even the women, who did nothing more than spin yarn by their firesides, shall share in the victory as if they had achieved it themselves.

In this passage, we are shown that God's reception of tributes and taxes from those under His dominion was not to enrich Himself but to make us participants in the benefits of our salvation. We should take careful note that when God bestows His gifts upon us, it is not so that we may take credit for our own virtue or prowess but to acknowledge our complete dependence on His free goodness for all things. Consequently, all things must be directed towards His glory. The more He bestows upon us, the more we ought to readily confess our indebtedness to Him. The chief point is to make use of the gifts we have received for the edification of the church, thus glorifying God more and increasing the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ among people. The condition under which our Lord distributes His possessions, which are rightfully His own and which He could have kept to Himself, is that we must offer Him homage for them, both in word and deed.

Moving on to what St. Paul adds, he mentions that it was necessary for Jesus Christ to descend just as He descended into the lower parts of the earth, and then He was exalted. Some have offered more complex interpretations of this passage, suggesting that Jesus Christ not only descended to the grave but even into a place called limbo, which is a concept of their own making. However, St. Paul's statement is straightforward. He implies that because Jesus Christ was humbled, God the Father exalted Him to His right hand, granting Him supreme dominion so that all knees should bow before Him. When St. Paul speaks of Jesus Christ being humbled, he refers to the act of clothing Himself in our human nature, wherein He became despised and lacked worldly dignity or reputation. The world viewed Him as worthless, even to the extent that people were ashamed to look at Him, as Isaiah the prophet declares. Jesus Christ willingly subjected Himself to all forms of reproach, including mockery and physical abuse, ultimately facing a death so shameful and accursed that it was considered a curse by God Himself. He bore this ignominy for our sake so that we might be blessed through Him.

Considering all this, when we examine ourselves honestly, we have no reason to boast or be proud. We should lower our eyes in humility, for if we truly understood our own nature, we would naturally humble ourselves. Jesus Christ, our head, was not in a similar state when He descended, for He possessed His divine glory and majesty before the creation of the world. Nevertheless, He willingly humbled Himself to the point that outwardly, He appeared to have relinquished His Majesty in the eyes of men. He continued in His perfect state, but this was not evident to those who saw Him. This is why it is said that He appeared in the form of a man. It is essential to understand that Jesus Christ took on human flesh and allowed Himself to be despised and rejected, yet this did not diminish His divine essence. It was merely an outward appearance. Therefore, when we see how Jesus Christ, despite His divine glory, chose to be abased and rejected in the eyes of the world, we have no excuse for pride or arrogance. He has shown us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, enduring many trials and achieving life through death, and His subsequent exaltation serves as a model for us. If we continue to be filled with pride despite witnessing these things, what excuse can we possibly have, considering that we are nothing compared to Him?

When Paul speaks of the low places of the earth, he refers to the human nature that our Lord Jesus assumed for our salvation, along with all the aspects I have previously mentioned. Jesus did not present Himself as a grand prince, nor did He employ pomp and worldly trappings to make Himself feared in the world. As it is written in Isaiah 42, "He will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax, nor will His voice or cry be heard in the streets." Additionally, consider how He endured reproach and patiently bore it. As He approached His death, it seemed as though everyone had conspired against Him. Therefore, we must take into account all these qualities to understand how Jesus Christ descended into the low parts of the earth.

Even if we compare His divine majesty to our human nature, we can aptly call all the earth the low places. Though Jesus Christ possessed the entire world, it would still be insignificant compared to His heavenly glory. Those in the highest positions of dignity are like crawling frogs or leaping grasshoppers in comparison, as the prophet Isaiah suggests. Thus, it is not surprising that the entire earth is considered low in comparison to heaven. Paul's intention here was to highlight briefly that Jesus Christ willingly stooped to the point of becoming a mockery to unbelievers and even to being condemned and regarded as cursed and forsaken by God, all for our salvation. Therefore, it is only right that we should patiently and without complaint accept God's humbling of us and bear in ourselves the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, enduring scorn, contempt, and mockery for our simplicity. No one should take upon themselves or claim things that do not belong to them. That is the essence of St. Paul's message.

Now, when he says that He has gone up above all heavens, we understand that the Son of God does not hold dominion over this world. St. Paul's assertion that He is above all the heavens emphasises that His dominion is heavenly, divine, and eternal. Even the heavens themselves will pass away and be renewed, as Jesus Christ Himself stated while on earth. If Jesus Christ dwells in heaven, He would be subject to the same impermanence, implying that He would be frail and transient. Instead, He is above all the heavens in His infinite glory, where change and alteration are absent. Furthermore, St. Paul adds that He fills all things. By this term, it means that Jesus Christ is not confined to any single place, but His presence can be felt, and He dwells within us. He fills all things not with His physical body, as some have mistakenly believed, but with His power, spiritual blessings, and gifts. St. Paul's intent is to demonstrate the presence of Christ so that we understand that we have not lost anything despite His departure from the earthly realm. Although He no longer resides here in a visible manner, He continues to exercise His power and fill all things, ensuring that we receive everything necessary for our salvation. This is the essence of St. Paul's message.

Therefore, let us heed and put into practice the earlier exhortation, which is that we can only be regarded as God's children if we become like the firstborn Son. Knowing this, let us willingly humble ourselves so that God may exalt us, just as our Lord Jesus did to attain His glory. Let us fully grasp the depth of God's mercy in allowing His Son, who was His image, to be so humbled. Consider the immense love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who condescended to conceal His divine essence for a time and did not assert His rightful position but instead humbled Himself before the world's gaze.

When we contemplate these truths, let us first realise how precious our souls are to the Son of God, given that He humbled Himself so greatly for our sake. Let us value the gospel, through which such a great benefit is bestowed upon us. We should be assured that if God's Son had not come to us, there would have been no way for us to approach God the Father. Not only are we immersed in sin and weakness, but we also carry the burden of the prince of this world, the devil. Therefore, since we are under the dominion of Satan and sin, how could we ascend if not drawn by Jesus Christ?

Christ's descent teaches us always to honour Him in His role as the Mediator. Although unbelievers and unholy individuals may despise Him because of His crucifixion, we should continue to honour Him as He deserves. His greatness and majesty were temporarily veiled to magnify His mercy and kindness. This is evident in Paul's words, where he seeks to convey God's earnestness and care in ransoming us from the clutches of death. Thus, we learn what to contemplate upon the apostle's statement that Jesus Christ was humbled.

Furthermore, when he stated that Jesus ascended above all the heavens, it is akin to saying that He is exempt from the realm of creatures, knowing that He is unchanging. For this reason, in Romans 6, it is mentioned that He suffered once by dying for our sins, but He did not remain in death forever. Instead, He entered into the life of God, meaning He made us participants in immortal glory.

Therefore, let us lower our gaze and acknowledge the high sovereignty bestowed upon Him. Let us honour it, knowing that even the angels of heaven accompany us in this, for it is not in vain that the psalm declares that all the angels of God worshipped Him when He revealed Himself to the world. The apostle also applies this text to His person in the first chapter of Hebrews.

Furthermore, let us recognise that although Jesus Christ is not confined to a specific location, He does not cease to retain the true nature of His body. Some people imagine that even though He is in heaven, He is present everywhere else as well. They come up with speculations to justify this, arguing that God can exist above and beneath us simultaneously. They go so far as to claim that the body of Jesus Christ is physically present in places of worship, and they require people to worship it. This notion, however, diminishes the true nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. In their defence, they argue that if it possessed the properties of a body, it would have to occupy a specific location. Yet, they assert that Jesus Christ is in heaven; therefore, they conclude that His body lacks the properties of a body. However, we know that angels do not have bodies, yet they are not omnipresent; they go wherever God appoints them. Since angels are not confined to a particular place despite their limited essence, which is within certain bounds, why should we deny that Jesus Christ is above all the elements of this world and above all the heavens while still remaining truly human?

This does not mean that He can die again or be subject to any of our human passions and weaknesses, as He was during His earthly life. He has now transcended all those limitations. However, despite these changes, He retains His true human nature. Even though He is above the heavens, we must understand that this does not distance Him from being near to us and in us. As mentioned earlier, He fills all things, but this is accomplished through the power of His Spirit. Therefore, when we are grafted into His body and united with Him through faith in the gospel, we can be certain that we have access to an unending source of blessings. In Him, we find all kinds of goodness and perfection.

Now, if St. Paul had meant what some have falsely claimed, and as is asserted by many ignorant and stubborn individuals today, namely, that Jesus Christ fills all things with His human nature, he surely would not have omitted it. But he left it alone as an absurdity. However, it's important to note that the two statements made here, on one hand, that Jesus Christ has ascended above all the heavens, and yet, on the other hand, that He does not cease to fill all things, convey different meanings.

When it is said that He has ascended above the heavens, it signifies that we should not be tethered to this world and our worldly desires when we seek Jesus Christ. Instead, we should lift our minds on high and seek Him there through faith. So, when the Holy Scripture declares that God is in heaven, it does not intend to assign Him a particular place. We must distinguish between God and His spiritual essence and Jesus Christ in relation to His body and human nature, which He took from us.

When speaking of God, we must always acknowledge that He possesses an infinite essence that fills all things, making heaven His royal throne and the earth His footstool, not that He has feet or a literal seat. This serves to demonstrate that there is no distance so vast that can contain the infinite majesty of God. We need to keep this in mind when God communicates with us.

So, why is it said that God is above all the heavens? It's because we, being dull and earthly, tend to confine God to every pillar, stone, spring, tree, and everything we see if He doesn't remind us otherwise. To correct such misconceptions, God tells us to lift our minds upward, as though He raises us by our chins and says, "Wretched creatures, why do you seek to see Me here below? What do you intend by likening Me to yourselves? To truly know and worship Me, you must ascend above the world in your thoughts, recognizing that I am incomprehensible."

Therefore, when we say "Our Father, who art in heaven," it's so we might direct our minds towards Him, knowing that He is with us at all times. However, we should not assume, as some do, that we can please God with excessive chatter and elaborate ceremonies, which may appear impressive to the world. We must not delude ourselves into thinking that we can transform God to be like us.

But we must, instead, redirect our thoughts upwards, lifting our minds above the world. Concerning Jesus Christ, it is stated that He is above all the heavens, even in His human nature. How is this possible? Because, as God, in respect of His essence, He is equal to His Father and fills all things. However, in respect to having taken on a human body, He is above the heavens, not present in the world. Some may wonder why these two natures cannot be separated. It's true, but this does not mean they cannot be distinguished.

Likewise, with Jesus Christ, if someone asks why He is not wholly present with us as our head and mediator, having gathered us to Him in such a way that we live off His own substance, the answer is that He is fully with us when we receive Him in the person of the mediator. However, if someone asks whether every part of Him that exists in Himself is among us, the answer is no. It is not necessary for Him to be among us in such a way that He is subject to suffering or any earthly limitations. He must remain unblemished and free from all such concerns. This is why the apostle tells us that He has appeared once, and we now await His return. So you see what we should consider regarding the statement that Jesus Christ is exalted above all the heavens.

Now, let us return to the word "fill." In this context, St. Paul teaches us that the sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ has no boundaries. It is not confined but extends to us. As I have mentioned before, our Lord Jesus Christ "filling all things" refers to His power. He is not a king in the manner of worldly rulers who are subject to hunger, thirst, diseases, and other limitations. They must have officials close by or borrow assistance from others. However, this is not the case with Jesus Christ. He does not reign by force of arms or worldly means; rather, He rules over us by His Spirit and through His Word.

By these means, all things are filled with Him, particularly through the gospel. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that we commune with Him. God calls us daily to make us partakers of His only Son, and this can only occur if His power is extended to us. In this matter, we must be prepared to receive more than our senses can comprehend, for the power of our Lord Jesus Christ surpasses our understanding.

St. Paul will further elucidate this mystery in the future. When he describes Christ as the head of the church and likens it to the relationship between a husband and wife, he exclaims that it is a great mystery or secret between Jesus Christ and His Church. Indeed, it is a secret that we can never fully grasp through our own wisdom or reasoning.

Therefore, when St. Paul states that He "fills all things," we must rely on the experience of faith rather than common reason or opinion if we intend to understand how Jesus Christ dwells within us. Regardless of our circumstances, we should not believe that any distance can separate us from the Son of God. His dominion extends high and low, and we will sense His presence in us, becoming one with Him, even joined to God the Father. We will attain the perfection mentioned in St. John, where it is said, "It is expedient for you that I go my way, for my Father is greater than I." Jesus Christ does not claim inferiority to His Father in terms of His divine essence, for there is only one God. Instead, He uses this language to help us, like children, understand and gradually ascend to a greater understanding. In this way, He links us to God the Father until we are truly transformed into His glory, a process we already begin through the gospel. We see dimly now, but one day we will see clearly.

Let us honour this king, appointed over us by God the Father, and recognise that we ought to be His people and even His own body. This understanding should inflame our love for Him. Jesus Christ, exalted above all the heavens, is also the judge of the world. He will call us to account not only for our actions but also for our thoughts. We must walk in His fear and obedience, knowing that when the trumpet sounds on the last day, we will all appear before Him. We must also acknowledge that He "fills all things" in a way that overthrows our enemies and restrains them from harming us. Our enemies may scheme and plot, but they cannot prevail, for Jesus Christ has the upper hand. It is essential for Him to be above all to ensure our victory, or else we would be lost.

Consider the infinite force possessed by the devil and his followers. Without Jesus Christ's dominion, they could wreak havoc on our salvation. However, Jesus Christ "fills all things," demonstrating His power over Satan and his allies. Despite their efforts against the Church, they will never succeed because Jesus Christ holds them in check, as if with His foot on their throat. Thus, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ was granted to Him with full authority, ensuring that His strong and invincible hand will always defend us. He has taken us into His perfection, being exalted above all the heavens.

That is why St. Paul explicitly states that every knee shall bow before Him, both creatures in heaven and creatures on earth, even creatures under the earth. When we hear that angels bow before our Lord Jesus Christ, we should understand that He assigns them to serve us as our protectors, defending us against Satan. Since this responsibility is entrusted to them by our Lord Jesus Christ, who is their head, we can be assured of our salvation. This is how we should interpret this text.

Furthermore, we must live in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ so that we may genuinely experience His presence in us. As I mentioned earlier, He is above all things, through all things, and in all things. Although this was originally spoken of God the Father, we know that Jesus Christ is the means by which God dwells within us. Therefore, let us be His true temples. Since He, the source of all purity, has graciously chosen to dwell in us, we should strive to keep ourselves pure in both body and soul. If we indulge in uncleanness, it is as if we are driving away the Son of God, who cannot coexist with our corruption and filthiness. This does not mean we can be completely free from sin, but we should not delight in it. Instead, we should fight against it and strive to conform ourselves to the purity found in our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as He sanctified Himself on our behalf, we should also be holy, empowered by His Holy Spirit and guided by the gospel's doctrine.

Regarding this feeling of Jesus Christ dwelling within us, we can be confident that He is truly present in us because we know that He has bound the devils and all those who despise His Majesty in subjection. This unique presence is reserved for us because He has chosen us as His temples, demonstrating that the connection He has with humanity applies specifically to us, both in terms of human nature and His Spirit. He does not merely remain human as before; there is more to it. We become bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, not in the sense of being created from His substance, but through the power of His Holy Spirit, which allows His body and blood to flow into us. We are filled, not only with food to eat but also with drink to quench our thirst. These blessings are available to us if we consider and accept the benefits offered by our Lord Jesus Christ and do not reject them due to our unbelief.

Let us humble ourselves before the majesty of our good God, acknowledging our faults and praying that He grants us a true knowledge of ourselves and our wretchedness. May this awareness humble us to the point where we approach Him with utmost humility, confessing our dependence on Him for all good things and placing our ultimate trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be so closely united with Him that we cast away our fleshly desires and affections, which hinder our union with God.

We persist in the hope that has been bestowed upon us, eagerly awaiting the day when we depart from this world and enter into the eternal rest that You have procured for us. We pray that it pleases Him to bestow this grace not only upon us but also upon all the people and nations of the earth, and so on.