Gift Giving Part 1
Speaking Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:8-10; Romans 12:6-8
Which is better, receiving gifts or giving gifts?
The old saying goes “It is better to give than to receive”
Try and teach that to your kids
What makes Christmas so great for the kids?
Is it going to the toy department, searching each shelf on every aisle looking for that awesome toy
Taking it home, wrapping it, placing it under the tree
And then giving it to your mean old cousin who likes to kick you in the shins?
No, the best thing for a child at Christmas is opening their presents
Now it is entirely different for adults
Usually the best thing about Christmas for adults is
Finally getting all the tiny pieces of wrapping paper off the floor
Sweeping up the fallen tree needles, and putting the living room back to its original arrangement
No of course it is the joy of seeing your gift recipient opening that gift
And it being exactly what they wanted
There is one thing I like about Christmas shopping
It is knowing exactly the perfect gift for someone and the joy of purchasing and wrapping it in anticipation of their joy
But of course there is on everyone’s list that hard to buy for person
For us it is my dad
We never know what to get Dad
But out there, somewhere, there is the perfect gift
Gift giving is a wonderful experience
We enjoy giving them and receiving them
But what about spiritual gifts?
Have you received yours?
If you are a child of God the answer is yes
This morning we will start a two part series on spiritual gifts
There are many things we can learn about spiritual gifts
And the most important truth about these gifts is
Every Christian has spiritual gifts
1 Corinthians 7:7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
1Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift,
For a list of all the spiritual gifts we must look at a few different passages
Stand and READ 1 Corinthians 12:8-10
This passage contains only a partial list
Romans 12:6-8 helps complete the list of spiritual gifts
Wisdom
Knowledge
Faith
Healing
Miracles
Prophecy
Discernment
Tongues
Interpretation of tongues
Serving
Teaching
Exhortation
Giving
Leadership
Mercy
These lists supports the truth that each of every believer has been given a spiritual gift
Some people falsely believe that God skipped them when He was passing out spiritual gifts
But the Bible clearly teaches that all believers have spiritual gifts
So we all have one
You ever receive a Christmas gift, open the package, look it over, turn to the giver and say
Thanks, what is it?
Maybe you are here this morning saying
Thank you very much God for my spiritual gift
What is it?
Well the second truth about spiritual gifts is actually what it isn’t
It is not a natural talent
If you could sing before you got saved, not a spiritual gift
God can use your talents, but they are not spiritual gifts
They are also not a fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance:
We grow into the fruits of the Spirit. It’s a process
Spiritual gifts are instantaneous and immediate
Its not a title either
You can be a Sunday School teacher and not possess the gift of teaching
You can take up offering and not have the gift of giving
So we all have one, and they are not necessarily just our talents
First we must define what a spiritual gift is
"The moment you are born again God instantaneously and graciously gives you a perfect present, or spiritual gift, that gives you the power to do or say anything beyond your own natural ability so you can fulfill a specific purpose of God at a specific time."
So if everyone has a spiritual gift, what is so unique about them?
The second truth about spiritual gifts is
YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT FITS YOU PERFECTLY.
1 Corinthians 7:7 "Every man hath his PROPER gift from God." KJV
"Proper" means "fitted"
If I want a hunting boot that will enable me to hunt my stand all day long even in 10 degree weather, I go to Bass Pro or Gander Mountain and tell them what I want
They measure my foot, and then say, "We’ve got the perfect boot to perfectly fit your size and will perfectly suit your lifestyle."
God has given you a spiritual gift that "fits" you perfectly
Perfect for your life stage, life style
There is some danger in this illustration though
I got to chose my boots, I don’t get to chose my gifts
God gives you the perfect spiritual gift that is just right for you
Those gifts are not earned by us or our hard work
And they are not chosen by us, it is a gift
The word gift in the Greek text here is charisma
Which is closely related to the word charis which is translated grace
Gift is charisma from charis, which means grace
It is a grace gift
A 100% result of God’s grace that we receive our spiritual gifts
So you are given a gift that is just right for you
And one of the great things about spiritual gifts is you can get other gifts
1 Corinthians 12:31 says But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Paul told the Romans that he wanted to come and help them get some spiritual gifts they didn’t have already in Romans 1:11
(RO 1:11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong–)
Your gift will fit you perfectly
It is just right for you
And you can gain more along the way
Now spiritual gifts can be divided into three types
The first type is a group that no longer is in effect
These are temporary sign gifts used by Christ, the apostles and a few associates of the apostles
The first temporary sign gift listed in 1 Corinthians is healing
This ability was identified as a gift belonging to the apostles
Although Christians today do not have the gift of healings
God certainly still hears and answers the faithful prayers of His children
Some people feel that healing should be common and expected in every era, but this is not the case
Physical healings are very rare throughout the O.T. record
Only a few are recorded
There was never a time before the coming of Christ when healings were common
Only in His lifetime and that of His apostles was there an explosion of healings
This was due to the unique need to accredit the Messiah and to authenticate the first miracles of the Gospel
To normalize healing would be to normalize the arrival of the Savior
This gift belonged to the sign gifts for that era only
And the gifts of healings were never used solely for bringing people physical health
They were simply used to authenticate the authority of Jesus and His apostles
The next temporary sign gift mentioned is miracles
This was for the working of divine acts contrary to nature
So that there was no explanation for the action except that it was by the power of God
This too was to authenticate Christ and the apostles
John 2:11 notes that Jesus did His first miracle in Cana to “manifest His glory”, not to enhance the party
Jesus performed miracles and healed only for the 3 years of His ministry
Not at all in the 30 years before
His miracles began when His ministry began
So again authenticating His Messiah ship
The third and forth temporary sign gifts are tied together
Speaking in tongues and interpreting said tongues
These refer to using the normal words for speaking a foreign language and translating it
This true gift was clearly identified in Acts 2 as languages
Which validated the Gospel as divine
This was very helpful in the early church were the Scriptures were not complete
And the apostles were dealing with many different cultures
And it, like the other temporary sign gifts of healing and miracles were for the authentication of the truth and those who preached it
Upon completion of Jesus’ and His apostles’ ministries, as well as the completion of the Scriptures
These temporary sign gifts are no longer necessary
Nor do I believe are they given to believers today
The second category of spiritual gifts are ones referred to as speaking gifts
These are the gifts we will focus on this week
Prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching and exhortation
Perhaps one of these five is the spiritual gift you possess
In our text wisdom is listed first in verse 8
The word of wisdom
“Word” indicates that this is a speaking gift
The NIV translates this as the message of wisdom
In the N.T. wisdom is most often used of the ability to understand God’s Word and His will
And to skillfully apply that understanding to life
A practical illustration of this use of the word wisdom is found in Matthew 13:54
Matthew 13:54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
Of course Jesus possessed wisdom simply because He was the Son of God, but the people didn’t know that
Wisdom here is referring to His understanding of God’s Word and will so clearly
And being able to portray that understanding so efficiently and apply it to life
To them He was just a simple carpenter’s son
In another instance we see people astonished by someone’s wisdom in the life of Stephen in Acts 6:10
Acts 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
Here Stephen was using his spiritual gift, message of wisdom
The gift of wisdom is obviously very important in your ministry within the church
If you discover this is one of your spiritual gifts, it can and needs to be used to help spread the truth of the Gospel
And the second spiritual gift is closely tied to the first
It is the word of knowledge, or message of knowledge
Again a speaking gift
In the first century this gift was more revelatory
To reveal some tidbit of knowledge that may be new and revolutionary
Today it is the ability to understand and speak God’s truth
With insight into the mysteries of His Word that cannot be known apart from God’s revelation
We see this in Romans 16:25
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
The mystery, God’s way of saving the Gentiles is becoming known throughout the world
All of the O.T. prophecies were coming true
And God was using Paul as his instrument to tell this Good News
You see, the common idea, even among the apostles, was that this Gospel, this salvation, was only for God’s chosen people, the Jews
The mystery which in the Biblical sense refers to something hidden in former times but now made known
This mystery is that God would provide salvation for Gentiles as well as Jews
Again we read of this mystery in Ephesians 3:3
Ephesians 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;
Jew and Gentile, brought together in one body in the Messiah
Paul not only wrote of the mystery, the fact that in Christ Jew and Gentile become one in God’s sight and in His kingdom and family
But also explained and clarified that truth
The mystery and knowledge of said mystery is like those presents you will soon be wrapping and placing under the Christmas tree
You know what is in those boxes, but the kids don’t
On Christmas day, the mystery will be revealed
You possess this mystery
It is all of our responsibilities to reveal the truth of the Good News
Maybe your gift of knowledge, the ability to understand a speak God’s truth isn’t being applied
Some are much better than others at telling people about the Gospel
But we all are called to spread the truth whether we possess the gift of knowledge or not
Next we see the gift of prophecy
Some may say prophecy is no longer needed or in use today
Prophecy is not just a prediction about the future
The meaning is simply that of “speaking forth” or “proclaiming publicly”
Since the completion of scripture, prophecy has not been a means of new revelation, but it is limited to proclaiming what has already been revealed in the written word
Even the biblical prophets were preachers, pro-claimers of God’s truth both by revelation and reiteration
O.T. prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel spent lifetimes proclaiming God’s Word
Only a comparatively small amount of what they preached is recorded as God’s direct revelation
They must have continually repeated and re-emphasized those truths
As preachers today repeat, explain and re-emphasize the Word of God in scripture
The best definition of this gift is found in
1 Corinthians 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
This gift is vitally important because of its ability to edify, exhort and comfort with the truth
Paul even encourages us to desire earnestly to prophesy in 14:39
This gift is most commonly seen in preachers
If you possess this gift and are not exercising it, maybe God is calling you to use it
Calling you to preach
If so, you must surrender, because this world needs prophets
It needs people speaking forth and proclaiming publicly the Word of God
Another speaking gift we see is found in the list written in Romans 12:6-8
The spiritual gift of teaching
Teachers are clear thinkers
Teaching is the ability to interpret, clarify, organize and explain God’s truth clearly
We see this is 2 Timothy 2:2
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Timothy was to take the divine revelation he had heard from Paul and teach it to other faithful men
Men with proven spiritual character and giftedness
Who would in turn pass on those truths to another generation
I believe this was my grandpa Harvison’s spiritual gift
He had the amazing ability to take some of the most complicated subjects of the Bible and present them in a clear easy to understand fashion
He could take a book like Revelation and explain it easily
He had the spiritual gift of teaching
Every church needs a teacher
Pastors must have the gift of teaching
But many mature, qualified laymen also have this gift
This differs from preaching or prophecy
Not in content, but in the unique skill for public proclamation
The spiritual gift of teaching can be present among many members of each church
But the willingness to use this gift is most important
If you possess the gift of teaching, you must use it
God needs good teachers
The pastor cannot do it on his own
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
In order to grow in our faith, we must hear the Word of God
The Word of God is heard through His teachers
Next in Romans 12 we see the speaking gift of exhortation
You may possess this gift and not even know it
Exhortation? What is that?
This gift enables a believer to effectively call others to obey and follow God’s truth
It may be used negatively to admonish and correct regarding sin
Or positively to encourage, comfort and strengthen struggling believers
In the NIV it is translated encourage
Encouragers know how to motivate others
We all know someone that fits into this category
They can somehow always have the right words to say to comfort and strengthen someone who is struggling
many times this gift is given to women
How does Dad usually comfort a child that has scraped his knee?
Aaa, you’ll be alright, rub some dirt on it
While mother picks the injured child up, cleans the wound and puts a Sesame Street Band-aid or two on it
She is the encourager, the comforter
Exhortation within the church is necessary because of this vile world we live in
Many people are hurting, many people are struggling
Many people are caught up in sin
Someone that possesses the spiritual gift of exhortation is there to encourage and comfort the hurting
They are there to admonish and correct regarding sin
This goes far beyond just feeling sorry for someone who is struggling
Or praying for someone who is wrapped up in sin
This is a speaking gift
These people speak out when necessary
This is an amazing spiritual gift to have
For so many people have a need for encouragement
As we reflect on these speaking gifts
Wisdom
Knowledge
Prophecy
Teaching
Exhortation
We must remember
Every Christian has spiritual gifts
God didn’t skip over you when He was passing out spiritual gifts
Now you may be saying, I don’t have any of those gifts
That maybe true, but next week we will speak on the non-verbal gifts, the serving gifts
These are
Faith
Discernment
Serving
Giving
Leadership
Mercy
Your strong point may not be wisdom, teaching or exhortation
You may be stronger in another gift
And the different gifts we possess all work together and work off of each other
We need to also remember your spiritual gift fits you perfectly
And it is possible to possess more than one gift
But if you do not use what you have been given
You will not receive any more
A grandmother knit her grandson a pair of gloves
The boy didn’t think much of the gift and threw it in the pile with the other clothes and then he directed his attention to the Play Station and Nintendo
Three years go by, and he happens upon grandmother’s gloves
He tries them on for the very first time. Inside each finger was a $100 bill
God has given you the spiritual gift that fits you perfectly
You won’t know it fits you perfectly unless you try it on, use it.
Accept that God has given you a spiritual gift
Only you can use your gift that God has given you
What are you doing with your spiritual gifts
During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates
Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch
With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy
Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills
Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land
They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve
The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day
Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large
In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day
And Mr. Yates owned it all
The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights
Yet, he’d been living on relief, a multimillionaire living in poverty
The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it
Many Christians live in spiritual poverty
They are entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and his energizing power, but they are not aware of their birthright
If you discovered your gift this morning, use it
Use it or lost it
1 Timothy 4:14-15 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (15) Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
We need to exercise our gifts
Highly skilled and talented athletes lose their abilities if their muscles are not toned by constant use
And we will lose our effectiveness of our spiritual gifts if we don’t put them to work
Our gifts and talents are improved by exercise
But failing to use them causes them to waste away from lack of practice and nourishment
What gifts an abilities has God given you?
Use them regularly in serving God and others
God has given you a gift
He expects you to give that gift back to Him
In service to Him
Gift giving, it is a wonderful thing
