We Are Different Series

WE ARE DIFFERENT

I Corinthians 12:7-11

S: Spiritual Gifts

C: Our possession of spiritual gifts

Th: Live the Difference

Pr: WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN GIFTS TO BE USED.

?: How? How are the gifts given?

KW: Ways

TS: We will find in our study of I Corinthians 12:7-11 four ways the gifts are given.

The _____ way is…

I. INDIVIDUALLY (7)

II. CORPORATELY (7)

III. VARIOUSLY (8-10)

IV. PERSONALLY (11)

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Rejoice in your gifts

• Understand that gifts are not for your personal benefit

• Use your gifts to build the body

Version: ESV

RMBC 12 September 04 AM

INTRODUCTION:

How do you react to gifts?

ILL Notebook: Gift

Jo Ann was trying to impress upon her first grade Sunday school class the importance of individually receiving God’s gift of salvation. She thought a simple illustration might be helpful. "What do you do when someone gives you a birthday present?" She asked.

One little girl was quick to answer: "You say, ’Thank you’ – unless it’s clothes. Then you put a really sad look on your face."

Well, hopefully, you know how to graciously receive a gift.

And we all know, that as one grows older, we don’t mind receiving clothes either.

I love to get socks, ties and BMWs ( a blue Z5 would be preferable).

TRANSITION:

As believers in the Lord Jesus, and recipients of the Holy Spirit…

1. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN GIFTS.

We have been noting the last two weeks that we have been given, charismata, spiritual gifts.

The beginning of this Greek word is charis, which is the word for grace.

This means that the gifts find their source in God’s grace.

He has graced us with them.

As far as a definition goes, we are using the one from the Network material by Bruce Bugbee…

2. Definition: Spiritual gifts are special abilities distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer according to God’s design and grace for the common good of the body of Christ.

Last week, as we began our study of I Corinthians 12, we learned that when it comes to our spiritual gifts…

3. We are not to be ignorant about them.

If we are dedicated to growing in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and how He has graced us, we must be in tune to what He has given us.

We are to be intelligent about it.

We are to know what our gifts are and how they are to be used.

We also learned that…

4. We are always to be biblical.

The spiritual gifts that we receive are not to be used to bring attention to ourselves.

Because they come from the Holy Spirit, their intention is to be used in such a way that honor is brought to the name of Jesus.

If the use of the gift does not proclaim Jesus or build the body of Christ, the church, it is not of the Spirit.

You see…

The church is always to be about Jesus.

This is what distinguishes us.

This means then…

5. We are to be characterized by unity.

Spiritual gifts are a tool graciously given to us to help unite us and bring growth to the body.

This was something the Corinthians had forgotten.

For in their use of the spiritual gifts, they mistakenly came to the conclusion that some gifts were superior to others.

Therefore, in their thinking, those that possessed these gifts were better Christians than the others.

This was, of course, totally false.

As we come to our passage today, we are answering the question of ‘how?’.

How are the gifts given?

And as we answer this question, we will begin to reveal the error of some of their conclusions.

So…

6. We will find in our study of I Corinthians 12:7-11 four ways the gifts are given.

[7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

OUR STUDY:

I. The first way is INDIVIDUALLY (7).

1. Each one of us is a recipient of a spiritual gift.

Again, as a believer of the Lord Jesus, you have been given a spiritual gift.

Now, be clear on this.

You did not earn it.

It does not give you status.