Position Yourself For The Gifts Of The Spirit Series

Intro

In this message, we are concluding our series on the spiritual gifts. We have gotten into a lot of detail in 1 Corinthians 14, so let me go back to the beginning of Paul’s teaching on the subject. 1 Corinthians 12:1: “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.”i Paul’s subject in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is spiritual gifts or manifestations. In our study, we learned that all the nine gifts of the Spirit are supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. To operate in the gifts is to operate in the supernatural. How do we position ourselves to operate in the supernatural?

We also learned that God distributes these manifestations “as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11). We cannot make these things happen. If we try that, we will find ourselves off in a ditch. God decides who He will use in the gifts of the Spirit to meet a need. That sovereignty is one side of operating in the gifts, and it must be respected and honored. The other side of the equation is God uses people who are available to Him.ii Because He honors free will, He looks for people who are open to His promptings. “For [2 Chron. 16:9] the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” God is looking for people He can use to accomplish His will in the earth. I want to be one of those people. I think you’re here today because you also want to be used of the Lord, you also want to make your life count for the glory of God.

So we will complete this series by addressing the question: How can we position ourselves to be used by God in the gifts of the Spirit? The sovereign side of this must be left in God’s hands. But the availability side is our responsibility and our opportunity. What can I do to make myself available for the supernatural manifestations of the Spirit?

I. DESIRE SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

We are clearly told to do that in 1 Corinthians 14:1. Reading from the NIV: “Follow the way of love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” Are you earnestly desiring spiritual gifts? People who are apathetic about the gifts of the Spirit are seldom used in these manifestations. God may sovereignly do something to let them taste and see how good it is. But if you will be consistently used by God, you have to want it. How bad do you want it? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6). Not everybody gets filled. Who gets filled? Those who hunger and thirst. Those two words indicate a certain depth of desire.iii

Because of freewill, God operates on the principle of desire. David said of God in (Ps 145:16), “You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.” You are designed for the fulfillment of desire. If you’re alive and well, there is something you’re desiring. Some people desire more and more money.iv They live their lives in pursuit of that objective. Others are lovers of pleasure,v and decisions are made in life on that basis. People may desire recognition,vi fame, or any number of things. Those things become the idols of their lives. But Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). If we do that, we don’t have much room left to love this fallen world.vii

The question is: what are you desiring? The abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.viii You can tell what people desire and love by simply listening to what they want to talk about. It’s not as hidden as most people think. The basic issue is what desire am I nurturing? A gambler can nurture his desire for gambling by hanging out in a casino. An adulterer can nurture his desire for illicit sex by lusting after women. A greedy person can nurture his desire for more material things by surfing the internet for the latest new gadgets. We choose which desires we will cultivate. Our point this morning is that we should cultivate a desire for the things of the Spirit. We do that by hanging around people who desire that. We do that by singing about God’s goodness. We do that by prayer and worship and meditating on the goodness of God, and by meditating on the word of God. Our desire for spiritual gifts can be cultivated and it is our responsibility to do that.

II. ASK GOD TO FILL YOU WITH THE SPIRIT AND USE YOU IN THE GIFTS.