Great Gifts Given to His Church - part 1

Well, if you would, please take your Bible and turn back to Ephesians chapter 4. I did say earlier in our scripture reading we'll be in verses 7 to 11. But Ephesians chapter 4, we should be familiar with that portion of scripture. But most of you know that we did spend a lot of time, we spent a lot of energy here in verses 1 to 6, and we did that purposefully. I did that purposefully. We have given these verses a lot of energy, if I can use that phrase, so that we can all understand the responsibilities that we all have for the worthy walk and also for the worthy work. And that is all together, all together.

And that is because we are part of one body, and we are all called by this one hope, and we have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. Now I want you to notice something about verses 1 to 6. And this is what I call big picture sometimes. So take a step back. In verses 1 to 6, Paul deals with the church more as a whole. Paul's main purpose was to speak to the church and its responsibilities to preserve the unity of the spirit, therefore preserving its oneness. So it's plain to see that Paul was teaching things that were concerning the church as a whole. But starting in verse 7, we see a change or a shift.

But again, this is big picture. Starting in verse 7, Paul deals with the church more in individual parts. Paul begins to speak to the church concerning its diversity and even the church's individuality. So Paul moves from dealing with the church as a whole to focusing on the church in certain parts of the church, even the church's diversity. But Paul is not leaving the church in its totality. He's not leaving the church as a whole. He is not leaving what he has previously taught. In verse 11, he will speak to how the different individuals in the church relate to the church as a whole. And Paul is not leaving this theme of unity either.

In verse 12, we will see that the different individuals in the church are responsible for the work of ministry that builds up the body until we all attain the unity of the faith. So starting in verse 7, we will be looking at the church in certain individual ways. We will be looking at the church's individuality and its diversity. But we will see that Paul does continue to speak to the church as a whole. And we will see that these things are actually all woven together. But before we get into the verses, we all need to receive a little warning here. We all need to receive a little warning.

We must not be partial to one side at the expense of the other. And there are always some who can have a tendency to get out of balance here. Some have this tendency. Simply we can't overemphasize the teaching that relates to the church in its totality over and above the teaching that relates to the church and its individuality. We can't love and provoke the teaching that speaks to the church and its diversity at the expense of the teaching that relates to the church in its unity. If we do, we foster imbalance in our Christian life and we can contribute to even an unhealthy church. I'm bad about asking these rhetorical questions. I know that.

But which is important? Think with me. Which is important? Unity or diversity? And even which is more important? Individuality in the church or the church in its totality? Well, the answer is yes. It's all of it. It's all of it. In any of us who are out of balance here, we need God through His word to correct us. Listen, folks, if we'll just stay under His word, if we'll stay committed to the word of God verse by verse, word by word, and just take our time, any imbalance that we have in our life will be ironed out.

So if you're out of balance here, just submit yourself to the word and by the power of the Spirit, it'll be ironed out in your life. Now our verses this morning, this is how we'll approach verses 7 to 11. We will look at verses 7 to 11 and I'm going to mention some other verses, but here's how we'll break the verses down. We're going to look at verse 7, Christ's gifts to each believer. These are plural. Christ's gifts to each believer. And then verses 8 to 10, Christ and His great authority to give such gifts. We're going to see Christ and His great and ultimate authority to give these gifts.

And then in verse 11, we're going to see Christ's gifts to the church. See how He goes back to the whole, the totality of the church. And as always, I encourage you to take notes, but however you approach the message, I want you to get all that we can get here because these are some vital truths and information for all of us. Let's go back and let's read the verses. Verse 7, Paul says, "But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore it says, when He ascended on high, He led a host of captives and He gave gifts plural to men." Verse 9, "And saying He ascended, what does it mean but that He also descended into the lower regions of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things." And He, this would be Christ, Christ is the center of all of these things. I think you see that. And He, Christ, He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers. Now let's start off with our first major truth in what I call the body of the message.

Number 1, Christ's gifts plural to each believer. Now we see this in verse 7, "Christ and His gifts to each believer." Now we see two things in verse 7 that show us the direction that Paul is going in his teaching. First, this word "but." This word "but" at the beginning of the verse tells us something and we do not need to overlook this word. This is more than just a simple, meaningless transition. This is more than just a conjunction that is joining the teaching from verses 1 to 6 to what is to follow. In the original language, this means something like this on the other hand or in spite of.

Basically it means that Paul was saying something just like this, "I have given you one side of things and now I'm going to give you the other side." Paul is saying something just like this, "I have given you one side of things in verses 1 to 6 and now I'm about to start giving you the other side of things." So in using this word, in this language here, Paul was giving the other side of what he has been given. He wasn't disconnecting from what he had just been giving. This is the other side of things. I think about an example, a coin. We probably have a few coins in our pocket even this morning.

Some of you ladies I'm sure have some change in your purse. But think about a coin. On one side you have heads and on the other side you have tails. Each are separate but they are connected and they form the coin. So if you have heads, you have the other side. You have the other side of things. But second this phrase, "Each one of us," I think the King James reads every one of us, all of our translations read basically the same. Now this simply means that each and every believer, and Paul was including himself, notice that. And this is in contrast to the language that he has been using. In verse 6 it was all about all. Notice verse 6.

"It was all about all." In verse 6 Paul used the word all four times but now he speaks to each one. So in using this phrase Paul was giving the other side of the all and the other side of the all was each one. But he wasn't disconnecting from the all but he was showing the other side and that was each and every individual member of the all. Again our example of the coin. You have the heads on one side and the tails on the other. You can't separate the two. You have the both sides but they are connected. Now this shows us Paul's direction, his shift. He is showing the other side of what he has been given.

This is to show how God relates to each and every true believer, each one of us. Now with that change of direction in mind, notice what Paul says about some gifts. First to each one, "Grace is given." It's back at the beginning of verse 7, "But grace was given to each one." Now this is simple. Paul is saying that each member of the body receives grace and grace is always a gift folks. But Paul was not referring to saving grace here. Of course each member of the body has been given saving grace. Paul said in Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9 that by grace we have all been saved.

Those of us who are true believers in this saving grace, it was a gift from God. We cover those verses. But also this was not referring to particular spiritual gifts. Those particular gifts are listed starting in 1 Corinthians 12.4 and of course each member of the body, every true believer has been given at least one spiritual gift. But Paul was referring to what needs to be seen as enabling grace. If you're taking notes write that phrase down. Paul is referring here to what needs to be seen as enabling grace and we can see this enabling grace from the life of Paul back in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 1, 2 and 7.

And as we read those verses see if you can see this enabling grace. Paul says, "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, told me that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you." And then verse 7, "Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace." Here we see that Paul received a grace, a particular grace from God which equipped him and it enabled him for the responsibilities and the callings of being an apostle. This grace that was given to him enabled him to walk the worthy walk that God had in store for him. So this is an enabling grace.

But the question needs to be asked, what is this grace? This is simply a grace given by God to every true believer that enables him to live the Christian life that God has for them. This needs to be seen as an equipping grace from God that empowers the believer to walk the worthy walk that God has assigned to them. And although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned here, it is no doubt that this involves the indwelling of the Spirit and the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. So this grace that was given, this is an equipping grace.

This refers to an enabling grace that comes from the presence and the work of the Spirit in the believer's life. And the construction of the language indicates that this begins at the time of conversion and it continues all throughout the Christian life. And no doubt this equipping grace is what enables the believer to use those particular spiritual gifts that have been given to the church. And we will get into this, how this equipping, this enabling grace relates to those particular spiritual gifts next week in our part two. But second, notice to each one, a gift is given. Now it might seem subtle, but it's different.

Look back at verse seven of chapter four, verse seven. But grace was given to each one of us. Now notice the change according to the measure of Christ's gift. Now to see what is happening here, we need to see that this gift is different from the grace given that we just learned about. Make sure you get that. This gift here is different from the grace that was given that we just learned about. They are two different words in the original and even in our English translations that help us see that. But they are definitely connected. We can say it like this, they are woven together. But a question, what is this gift?

Each believer is given a gift and it is a gift that is unique to them. Each believer is given a measure of a gift. You see that in the language? Each believer is given a measure of a gift and it is given by Christ. But what is the gift? The particulars and the details are not listed. But this refers to a gift, a giftedness that includes certain abilities to function in the body for a particular purpose or purposes. Each believer is given a gift that is seen in their giftedness and purpose in the body and this all pertains to kingdom work. This gift is seen and fleshed out in their purpose and in their ministry in the life of the local church.

Now we see similar language to this in Romans 3, 12 and 2 Corinthians 10, 13 and also in 1 Peter 4, 10. Now notice 1 Peter 4, 10 and notice how similar it is. Peter says, "As each has received a gift." There is the phrase, "As each has received a gift." He goes on to say, "Use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace." We also see this gift in Paul. We see it back in chapter 3 verses 1, 2 and 7. Let's go back and look at those verses and see if you can't identify Paul's gift.

Paul says, "For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you." Then verse 7, "Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace." Here we see that Paul received a gift from God and that was to function in the body as an apostle to the Gentiles. His purpose was to function in the church as an apostle with certain responsibilities. And this gift was the calling of an apostle and he functioned that way in the body. So this gift is a unique gift given by Christ to each and every believer.

Paul says that this gift is given to each one of us, each one of us. And this is not a limitless grace gift. This gift is measured out. It is portioned out by Christ. And this gift, this giftedness is for the believer's purpose and purposes in the church. I see this gift and this giftedness as the giftedness to function in the body according to God's will and plan for each believer. And we certainly see it in Paul's life as an example. Now let's take a step back and let's see how all of this ties together. This might surprise you but there's a whole lot there in verse 7.

But notice, "At conversion to Christ by and through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is Christ who gives each believer grace, saving grace, saving grace. Then there is this equipping grace. This grace empowers and enables the believer to live the worthy walk that is marked out for them. And Christ measures out a gift to each believer as well. This unique gift is their purpose and the purposes that God has for them within the body of Christ. That gift is all about role and function, role and function.

And although they are not mentioned in verse 7, no doubt this grace that is given and the gift that is given, it is all tied to and a part of the believer using their particular spiritual gifts in the local body. And again, we see those in 1 Corinthians starting in chapter 12 starting in verse 4. So all believers, even Paul, all believers are given this grace. This is an enabling grace to live the Christian life and all believers are given a gift singular. This is a gift that is about position and role and function in the body. And this is all seen, it is all fleshed out in the body in the local church.

Now I think we all must ask ourselves if we see these three gifts, these three graces in our life. I'm talking about three grace gifts and all grace gifts are from God. Listen, all gifts from God are grace gifts and all grace gifts come from God. But first, the grace gift of saving grace. The grace gift of saving grace. Do you have, do we have saving grace? Can we look at our lives and see that we have been converted to Christ and we possess and live in this saving grace? And then second, the grace gift of enabling grace. We see that in verse 7. We've learned about that this morning and we will continue to learn about that next week.

The grace gift of enabling grace. Do we have a grace in our lives that enables us to live the Christian life? Do we have a grace that empowers us to live for Christ? You know there are a lot of professing Christians that don't have enough grace to help them to even get to church. And then third, the grace gift of position and function. The second part of verse 7, we've learned maybe for the first time of this grace gift of position and function. And we're going to learn more about this next week. And my question for you is this.

Do you, do we have the grace gift of the gift which is our role, our position and our function in the life of the church? This gift is a singular grace gift and it is measured out by Christ to all believers. Do you have this? Some have a greater measure while others do not. It's sad there are many churches that have names on roles. In all of their years they've never been able to articulate what that grace gift is. Again, those probably don't have enough grace to come to church either. But notice next week we will look at how this grace and this grace gift, how it relates to the church role, how it relates to church membership.

And listen, how we relate to these verses in relation to our church role in striving for a regenerate church membership or a membership that reflects a regenerate church membership. So there's a lot more I can say here in application. But what have we looked at this morning? Christ's gifts, plural, to each and every individual member. Number two, the second truth in our outline, we see Christ's supreme authority to give such gifts, verses eight to 10. Christ and his supreme authority to give such gifts. Now before Paul explains certain particular gifts that Christ gave to the church, he seems to deviate.

If we look at verses seven to 11 and we think about it, it can seem like Paul is inserting verses eight to 10. To be honest with you, for me it almost seems like verses eight to 10 are inserted and that the subject of verses eight to 10 should come after verse seven and 11. As a matter of fact, I thought about covering verses eight to 10 after I covered verse seven and verse 11. But God did not inspire Paul to write it that way. But before we get into the heart and the purpose of these verses, we need to see that there are two issues here that can get off into what I call the high grass.

That would be debating the miners and under emphasizing and maybe even missing the major point of the scripture. For some they always want to debate the miners. You ever known a believer like that? There are some they always want to debate the miners. Some are always debating the minor issues, so much so that they miss the point and this is what I call getting off into the high grass. You know if you play golf, you don't ever want to hit your ball off in the high grass. Some professing believers live in the high grass.

So I'm going to mention the minor debates here, but I'm not going to spend too much time there because those debates have little bearing on the major point of what Paul is saying here. First, there is a debate about the wording of Paul's quotation. Paul is quoting Psalm 68 verse 19, but he is not quoting it word for word. Now there are different opinions here, but the best opinion seems to be that Paul was making a general allusion to the verse. And when we see opinions as to why Paul's quote is loose, we simply need to take a step back and see that he was not quoting the verse word for word.

He was making a more general reference to the passage and that's okay. That is simply the way the Holy Spirit led Paul to use the verse in Psalm 68. So just remember that Paul is making a general allusion to the verse. The second there is a debate about where Christ descended. There is a debate here about where Christ descended. Now it is obvious that verses 9 to 10 are about Christ and there is some debate as to where Christ descended. Some say that this refers to Christ descending from heaven to earth.

They say this descending refers to his incarnation, but there are others, they say this refers to Christ descending into hell or what they would have understood as Sheol after his death and burial, but before his resurrection. Those who take this position refer to 1 Peter 3 verses 18 to 19 and other verses. But no matter your view, remember that Paul is referring to Christ Jesus and his descending from heaven to earth. The debate is where he descended to. Now before we get into the heart and the purpose of the verses, we need to see the backdrop of the teaching. This would be Psalm 68.

We need to understand what was and is happening in verse 68. Simply Psalm 68 is a song of victory. It was written by David. That would be King David. This is a song, this is a song that was written to celebrate the victory and the defeat of the Jezebite city and the victorious ascent of God represented in the Ark of the Covenant up to Mount Zion in the city. Now we can see these events in 2 Samuel chapter 2 to chapter 7 and also in 1 Chronicles 13. But we need to see culturally what's represented here.

In their day when a king went to war, he and he won a victory, the victorious king would bring home all of those spoils of war and he would take the loot from his conquest and the prisoners of war from his victory and he would parade them before his people in his own city. Another part of this victory parade would be the king's own people and the king's own soldiers who would have been freed from captivity. These of their own people and the soldiers who would have been freed, they would have been part of the victory parade in the city. And for a king in Israel, this type of victory parade would have been seen in the capital city of Jerusalem.

Now with all of that in our minds, here are 3 things that we need to look at here and this will help us see by what authority Christ Jesus can give these gifts. First he ascended. First he ascended. Now this simply refers to Christ's victorious return to heaven after successfully winning his battle on earth to make atonement for the souls of men. And just like the Ark of the Covenant was brought up in victory by King David after taking the Jezebite city, Christ was brought into heaven in victory after winning the war of making atonement for the souls of men.

So the point here is that Christ Jesus ascended like a victorious king because he was and is a victorious king. And then second he gave good gifts to men. Here Paul uses a different word for gifts than before and this word speaks to the broad range of gifts and provisions that Christ made for his people the church. John MacArthur describes this well. I really couldn't put it a better way. He says and I'm quoting, "Like a triumphant conqueror distributing the spoils to his subjects, so Christ takes the trophies he has won and distributes them to his kingdom. After his ascension came all of the gifts empowered by the Holy Spirit.

When the Savior was exalted on high, he sent the Spirit and with the coming of the Spirit also came his gifts to the church." MacArthur goes on to say and I'm quoting, "Before Paul identifies the gifts he has in mind, he first gives a brief, parenthetical explanation of the analogy that he has just used." So the point here is this. Just like an earthly king would give good gifts to his people from the spoils of war that he has won, King Jesus gives to his people the spoils from the war that he has won. And then third, he descended. He descended. Now here is where Paul moves from his loose quotation of Psalm 68 verse 18.

After Paul declares that verse 18 is speaking of Christ, he then says that if Christ ascended then he most certainly descended. Simply a cent implies descent. Now again there is some debate here as to where Christ descended. Some say this refers to his incarnation of the fact that Christ descended from heaven to earth. He was indeed God who became a man and walked on earth with men. But there are some who say this refers to Christ descending into Sheol after his death and burial but before his resurrection. Those who take this position refer to other passages but certainly 1 Peter 3, 18 and 19. What a question.

How should we react to this debate or the differing opinions here? A question that's more personal. What is your opinion here? Well some of you have already formed your opinion from your own study but some of you have not. I would encourage you to do your own study here. To do your own study. But my opinion, I believe that Paul was referencing Christ going down into the very pit of the demons or whether Jews would understand it as Sheol. In 1 Peter 3 verses 18 and 19 and there are other verses that speak about this.

1 Peter says that Jesus died for sins, the just for the unjust and having been put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit he also went and he proclaimed to the spirits now in prison. I believe that between his death and resurrection he descended and proclaimed his victory in Sheol. Now a lot more could be said here in this explanation of this opinion. But third, our opinion collectively. Our opinion is a church. Some may have one view, others may have another view. But we certainly will not quarrel over our views here. Haven't we learned that? We will not quarrel and we will not divide over such matters.

But this is where we have to make sure that we are not too focused on the minors and we must get to the major point of the verses. Paul's purpose in verses 8 to 10 was to explain that in Jesus coming to earth and suffering death on the cross in the place of sinful man as the one and only propitiation of God he had a purpose and all those things qualified him to be the one and the only qualified one to be exalted above all in the heavens.

He was and is the one and only qualified one to be exalted to the very throne of God simply by and through his victory Christ earned the right to give great gifts to his church and he earned the right to rule his church. So the simple point of verses 8 to 10 is this, Christ won the victory. You can say, "Pastor, I don't understand all of those debates and I don't understand all of the details but I know he won the victory and if you got that folks you got it." He was and he is the conquering king who has supreme authority to give good gifts to his people, his church.

And see for us we must see that his victory and his victory alone gave him the authority to give three things. He had the authority to give saving grace. It is Christ Jesus who gives saving grace. He also has the authority to give this equipping grace. His gift of equipping and enabling believers is a grace gift and he earned the right and the authority to give such a gift. And then third this gifting grace. He gives us the gift of purpose and function in his body. So Jesus has the authority, the supreme authority to give such gifts. And then third, our third major truth here, Christ's gifts to the church.

We see a shift here and we see Christ's gifts to the church. Let's read verse 11, "And he," this is Christ, "gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds," some translations say pastors and teachers. Now starting in verse 11 Paul begins to deal again with the church as a whole. I think you see that. And starting in verse 11 Paul picks up really where he left off in verse 7. But Paul does not pick up where he left off by giving the list of the different spiritual gifts that he gives in 1 Corinthians 12, 4.

Instead of listing the spiritual gifts that are associated with the one gift that he has spoken of in verse 7, Paul lists certain men, certain men who received grace gifts with their gift. And these are particular men who are particular gifts to the church. So let's look at these certain men who are particular grace gifts to the church. And I want us to look at these men and their offices in a brief and basic way. Next week I will go into a little more detail and more application. First, the first gift, the apostles. This right there in verse 11, the first gift, the apostles.

Basically the apostles were those men who were commissioned by Jesus as apostles to preach the gospel, to declare God's word, and to plant those New Testament churches. Simply they were the New Testament church fathers. Now for one to be an apostle, they had to be one who had seen the resurrected Christ by Jesus according to Acts 1, 22. They also had special power from the Holy Spirit to perform great miracles, 2 Corinthians 12, 12. And the purpose of these unique miracles was to validate their message and validate their work, Hebrews 2, 4.

And along with the New Testament prophets, their primary responsibility was the founding of the New Testament churches. More than the second gift, the New Testament prophets. Basically the New Testament prophets were men who spoke for God. They received instructions and direct revelation from God for the church and the churches while the church was in its infancy. Simply these men spoke by the Holy Spirit and it was the very word of God that they spoke. And just like the apostles, the New Testament prophets are no longer functioning offices outside of their written words in the word of God.

And we must not confuse the New Testament prophet with the Old Testament prophet. The New Testament prophet was established after the ascension of Christ back into heaven. But the New Testament prophet's office and role was complete after two things were done. When the foundation of the church was complete and when the New Testament scriptures were complete, their offices were complete. And then third, the gift of the evangelist. Basically the evangelist were those who were and are uniquely equipped by God to preach the gospel and to see the lost come to saving faith through their witness.

In the New Testament, the evangelist, they had special abilities associated with their gift. I think the Bible commentator, William McDonald, describes their abilities well. And I'm quoting, "The evangelist, they have special ability to diagnose the sinner's condition, probe the conscience." That would be the conscience of the sinner. Answer objections, that would be objections from the sinner. Encourage decisions for Christ. In other words, persuade those men to come to Christ savingly and to help the convert find assurance of their salvation through the word. Oh, that describes the evangelist well.

And in the New Testament era, the evangelist were those who went out to preach the gospel and to evangelize the lost. And those evangelists directed those that they influenced to Christ to be a part of the church. And of course, the evangelist does the same today. And then the fourth gift, the pastors, I would say it like this, slash teachers. You could say, "The shepherds slash teachers." Now notice, at this point, Paul turns from those who had an itinerant ministry, the itinerant gifts and ministries to those who were exercising their gift really in one place, the local church. And basically, this is what we have here.

The pastors and teachers were worded in a way that suggested that the two roles were given to the same person. Both roles seem to be related to each other and both roles were usually seen in one man or in men. Now the term pastor or shepherd, literally it means shepherd and their gift was the spiritual nurturing and protection of the church or the flock of God. These were men who served as shepherds under the chief shepherd and their responsibility was to shepherd the flock of God. That would be the church. And the teachers were men who were enabled by God to explain what the Bible said.

They were given this ability to understand the Bible, the meaning of the Bible, and then to give sense of the Bible to God's people. But note this about the pastor and the teacher. Because of how they are linked together here in the language, most understand that these two gifts speak of one gift. Often you will see this gift listed as pastor-teacher and it would not be incorrect for you to say pastor-teacher. Now one more piece of information before we move on. I will deal with this more next week in our part two of all of the gifts to the church here in verse 11. Because these men, these offices are grace gifts.

And notice only the evangelist and the pastor-teacher are still in existence today. And I will deal with how some are so erroneous in how they deal with these offices. Now in summary here, we need to see that Christ Jesus gave certain gifts to His church. And those gifts were certain men. And those certain men were gifted in certain ways. He gave the apostles. He gave the New Testament prophets. He gave the evangelist and He gave the pastor-teacher. These gifts were men who were vital to the founding of the New Testament church. These gifts were men who are vital to the church today. And again, we will look at this more next week.

But I want to leave you here with a question. How has God gifted this church with men? How has God gifted this church? And we will answer that question and apply it to us today. So Christ's gifts to the church, and that would be particular men. So we have both sides of the coin. Notice on one side we have the church as a whole. And that what we've been studying in verses 1 to 6, on one side we have the church as a whole. And then on the other side, the other side of the coin, we have the church and its diversity. We have the church and its individuality. And remember our picture of the coin, our illustration.

And next week we will see more of this diversity. Next week we will see more of this individuality as we see how this gift, this one gift in verse 7 is manifested in spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians chapter 12 starting in verse 4. And we will see how we relate to these men, these grace gifts, these offices that have been given to the church, even our church. Now one thing I always do is I give you the title of the message. It's rather simple. Great gifts given to His church.

And I firmly believe that when you understand all of these gifts and how we all relate to these gifts as a church as a whole and also as individuals, it will make you more equipped, better equipped for your place in the body. So let's pray and let's commit what we've studied to the Lord, anticipating what we will study next week in our part two.