Title: A Closer Look At The Speaking Gifts
Series: Discovering God’s Special Gifts
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; Romans 12:6-8
Theme: The true purpose of the speaking gifts is to edify the church.
Introduction
1 Corinthians 12:12
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
We have been praying for church growth. We are a body, and as such, we have need of every necessary part for the body to be alive. A body simply cannot function properly without all of its parts. Indeed, some are more vital than others, yet all are needed. As we pray for church growth, we can now begin to specifically make requests of exactly what we need.
I. PROPHECY – PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
Definition: the ability to proclaim God’s Word truthfully.
1 Corinthians 14:3
“But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.”
A. The Main Function Of Prophecy Is Not Making Predictions.
1. The implication of making predictions was added some time in the Middle Ages.
2. Biblical prophets sometimes revealed God’s plan, and sometimes only restated what had already been revealed.
B. Prophecy Is The Spirit’s Special Enablement Of A Christian To Testify Of Christ. (Revelation 19:10)
1. The gift of prophecy empowers a believer to speak God’s truth in spite of personal, subjective faith.
2. Even when the truth is painful or unpopular, God’s Word must be proclaimed. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22)
C. Prophecy Can Never Stray From The Written Word Of God. (2 Peter 1:19-21)
II. KNOWLEDGE – UNDERSTANDING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
Definition: the capability of grasping the meaning of God’s revelation, which is mystery to the natural mind.
1 Corinthians 2:14
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Illustration:
There is a story about a teenage boy who was deeply interested in scientific subjects, especially astronomy. So his father bought him a very expensive telescope. Since the young fellow had studied the principles of optics, he found the instrument to be most intriguing. He took it apart, examined the lenses, and made detailed calculations on the distance of its point of focus. The youth became so absorbed in gaining a technical knowledge of the telescope itself that he never got around to looking at the stars. He knew a lot about that fine instrument, but he missed seeing the wonders of the heavens. As Christians, to know all the facts and figures contained in the Bible is not the end for which God has given us this Book. The purpose is that we might see God and know him. (http://bible.crosswalk.com/SermonHelps/AutoIllustrator)
A. Knowledge Allows A Believer To Gain Insight Into The Mysteries Of God’s Revelation. (Colossians 1:24-26)
B. God Has Gifted Certain Believers With A Special Ability To Study His Word.
1. They understand the meaning of the text and the context.
2. They grasp the idea of individual words and phrases.
3. They follow up with related passages and truths.
4. Their gift helps provide understanding for other believers.
C. The Gift Of Knowledge Is Necessary For All Christian Teaching And Preaching.
1. The proper use of all other ministries and gifts is dependent upon knowledge.
2. If a believer does not have the gift of knowledge, he must rely heavily upon those that do in order to exercise his gifts properly.
3. Teachers and preachers are especially dependent on knowledge in order to teach and interpret God’s truths to others.
D. The Gift Of Knowledge Operates Differently Today.
1. The human authors of Scripture received revealed truth directly from God.
2. Today, however, since we have a complete New Testament, there is no more new revelation.
3. Anyone claiming to have new divine revelation is a deceiver and contradicts God’s Word. (Revelation 22:18-19)
III. WISDOM – APPLYING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
Definition: the ability to understand God’s Word and apply it obediently.
Mark 6:2
“And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!”
A. Wisdom Is The Ability To Make Skillful And Practical Application Of The Truth To Life Situations. (James 3:17)
B. A Counselor Must Have Wisdom In Order To Apply God’s Truths To The Questions And Problems Of Life.
C. A Pastor Must Have Wisdom To Know, Understand, And Apply God’s Word In Order To Lead People As He Should.
Illustration: Besetting Sins
A young woman asked for an appointment with her pastor to talk with him about a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she saw him, she said, “Pastor, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I realize that I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?” The pastor replied, “Mary, that’s not a sin, why that’s just a mistake!” (Source unknown.)
IV. TEACHING – COMMUNICATING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
Definition: the ability to interpret and present God’s Word understandably.
Quote: Someone once said that teaching is the transfer of material from the teacher’s notes to the student’s notebook, without it going through either’s minds. (Source unknown)
A. The Gift Of Teaching Is The Special Ability To Interpret And Present God’s Truth Understandably.
1. The difference between teaching and prophesying is the ability to give organized instruction in God’s Word.
2. Knowing the content is the same for both gifts, but those with the gift of teaching have the ability to present the material so that it is understandable.
B. Regular, Systematic Teaching Of The Word Of God Is The Primary Function Of The Pastor-Teacher. (1 Timothy 3:2)
Quote: William A. Ward has said, "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” (Progress Magazine, December 23, 1992, http://www.christianglobe.com/illustrations.)
V. EXHORTATION – PROMOTING THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD.
Definition: the ability to be an advocate, comforter, and helper to other believers.
Note: The Greek word in the verb form is parakaleo meaning “to exhort.” In its noun form, paraklesis, it means exhortation. It comes from 2 Greek words, para and kaleo, literally meaning “calling someone to one’s side.”
2 Timothy 4:1-2
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
A. The Exhorter Has The Ability To Be An Advocate, Comforter, And Helper To Other Believers.
1. The word is closely related to the Greek word parakletos meaning advocate, comforter, or helper.
2. It is used of Jesus Himself. (John 14:16)
3. It is used of the Holy Spirit. (John 14:26)
4. It is sometimes translated “advocate.” (1 John 2:1)
B. Exhortation Calls Believers To Obey And Follow The Truth.
1. May persuade a believer to turn from sin.
2. May encourage a believer to maintain their correct behavior.
3. May comfort someone who is facing trouble or who is suffering physically or emotionally.
4. May be used by God to encourage and support a weak believer who is facing a difficult trial or persistent temptation.
5. May walk beside a friend who is grieving, discouraged, frustrated, or depressed.
6. May help someone carry a burden that is too heavy to bear alone.
Conclusion
Illustration: Using The Compass
In August 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, a small ship named the Endurance set sail from Plymouth England with a crew intent on being the first to cross the South Pole and claim this last great terrestrial prize for Britain.
The ship reached Antarctica, but became ice bound in the Weddell Sea. Soon they had to abandon their ship and the 28-man crew took to their lifeboats. They were trapped on the ice for over a year. A desperate decision was made to take five men in a 22-foot lifeboat across the roughest sea in the world to a whaling station on South Georgia Island some 800 miles away.
At the helm was a man named Sir Ernest Shackleton. All he had to guide them to the island was a map, a watch, a sextant (An instrument used to measure distance in degrees of an angle. It is used at sea to find out a ship’s position by measuring the angle between a star, the sun, etc. and the horizon), and a compass, but it was all he needed if he used them well. A mistake as minor as being off by only one degree would have proved disastrous.
The four men in that boat endured seas that raged higher than a ten-story building. They were constantly cold and wet from the waves that constantly drenched the boat. They had only the most meager of rations. The journey did not take days, but two weeks.
But Shackleton, whose most sophisticated tool was a compass, managed to get that lifeboat the 800 miles to South Georgia Island and eventually the entire crew of the Endurance was saved. As a result, Shackleton was a hero.
The whaling captains who sailed those waters considered him one of the wisest navigators in the world. Shackleton was brilliant, but all of his brilliance would have been worthless if he not used the compass. Shackleton was wise because he used the compass to guide him. (Bruce Emmert, http://www.sermoncentral.com. Corrections made from http://www.cowboypictures.com/endura nce/TheStory.htm.)
