How To Unwrap Your Spiritual Gift"
2 of 3 Romans 12:3-8 September 21, 2003
Chester’s First Baptist Church, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
Do you ever feel like you are in something just over your head?
That is precisely where God wants you.
Something like this happens in the move, "The Legend of Baggar Vance." Baggar shows up, almost like the voice of God, to help a young golfer, distressed by the events of his life, to find his soul again.
Listen to Bagger Vance in this video clip: {show clip—50—52 minutes
"Inside each and every one of us is our one true, authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that is ours and ours alone. Something that can’t be learned ... something thats got to be remembered."
"However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ." -Ephes. 4:7 NLT
Last week we looked at two truths about spiritual gifts. . .
God has given spiritual gifts to all believers.
Your spiritual gifts fit you perfectly.
B We will resume our three week series entitled "How To Unwrap Your Spiritual Gift."
a God gave every single believer in the early church just the right gift. (ETS)
b God has the perfect gift for every believer. (ESS)
C I hope you will decided to use your discovered spiritual gift at the church you are being fed at. (Objective)
a What are you doing with your spiritual gifts? (Probing Question)
b T.S.: Let’s look at two truths about spiritual gifts that can help you unwrap yours.
III The third truth about spiritual gifts is. . .THEY COME FROM GOD.
A Paul warned the Roman Christian about becoming too proud of their God given spiritual gifts. (v.3,6a)
a God’s Will was the same for every believer: (Rome, Corinth, Ephesis, Philippi, Thessalonika,. . .Chester) humbly use their God given spiritual gifts.
b Some believers were pretty full of themselves because of their spiritual gifts.
(IL.) My mentor, Dr. A.L. Palmer instructed me how to pastor at a First Baptist Church before I left Louisiana. One of things he told me was, "Don’t believe your own press clippings." He was saying, "Don’t get too full of yourself. Be humble."
*Apparently, some of the Roman believers were believing their own press clippings.
*If anybody had a right to be proud of their accomplishments, it was Paul.
(V:3, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:. . ."
Ro. 15:15 "I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me."
(1 Cor. 3:10, 15:10, 2 Cor. 12:9, Gal. 1:15, 2:9, Eph. 3:2, 3:7, PHP. 1:7, 1 Tim. 1:14) Paul always pointed to God’s grace as the source of his gift!!
*The grace that allowed Paul to speak with boldness was the same grace that allowed the people in the Roman church to serve with their spiritual gifts.
B Taking credit for your spiritual gifts is like you taking credit for the sunrise.
a Our spiritual gifts are given to us by the grace of God. (He didn’t have to give you what he did. He didn’t have to spread his gifts around so lavishly.)
b Be careful to stay humble. (Tough!)
*It’s easy for a pastor to become proud of his ability to preach/teach.
*It’s easy for a servant to become proud because of the sacrifices they’ve made.
*It’s easy for a musician to become proud of their abilities.
*It’s easy for a contributor of money to become proud because they give bigger gifts than others.
*It’s easy for someone with gift of mercy to become proud because they are there when someone’s hurting, dead, struggling, etc.
*Do not be overly prideful of your spiritual gift. It came from God!
C In the parable of the master and the 3 servants, the master gave each servant a certain amount of money. (1=5, 1=2, 1=1) He returned to find that two servants flourished and one servant floundered the money. (Matt. 25:14-30)
a [20] The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,’ he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ MT 25:21 "His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
b The servants had nothing that wasn’t given to them by the master. . .neither do we! (Service, mercy, giving, administration...given by God’s grace!) Some of you believe "How Great Thou Art" was written about you! It wasn’t!!!
IV The fourth truth about your spiritual gift is. . . YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT WAS GIVEN TO ENABLE YOU TO DO MINISTRY.
A Paul told the Roman believers that their gifts were to used for the good of the body. (v.4-5)[4] Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
a Paul’s favorite image of the church is "the body."
*Beautiful imagery in 1 Cor. 12:12-27
1 Cor. 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you are a part of it.
b vv: 6b-8 (Preaching, Serving, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Merciful. . .do it!)
[6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. [7] If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; [8] if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
B 5b ". . .each member belongs to all the others."
According Romans 12:5, Do I belong to you? Do you belong to me? Do we belong to each other? Yes to all!
a My gifts were given to me by God to be used on. . .others/you!
Your gifts were given to you by God to be used on. . .others/me!
*I Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to SERVE OTHERS faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms."
b Your gift to be used for me and my gift is to be used for you.
*Paul used the word "belongs."
*If I don’t use my gift. . .I’m not only being a bad steward of what God’s given me, I’m actually stealing from you. My gift is YOURS!!!
*If you don’t use your gift. . (bad stewardship), your denying the people in the pew with you! Your gift belongs to them!
*Give them what belongs to them!
C Everyone should have received a Lego block before service. (Various sizes & shapes)
(I’ve got a request of you: Build something with your Lego blocks, but I only have one rule. . . you cannot use anybody’s else’s Lego block.)
a Now, what can you build with one Lego? (NOTHING!)
*Some have received big blocks, others small blocks. . .but still can’t build anything by yourself. When you add these large & small blocks together, you can build great things!
b There are two traps about your spiritual Lego’s you need to be aware of!
1 Thinking the church can function without you.
(Your spiritual Lego is small, not easily seen, not bright & spectacular) *God gave all of us Lego’s.
2 Thinking the church can not function without you.
(Teach, preach, perform, leader, administrate, speak well. . .The church isn’t the church without me.)
*It this last lie offends you...ask yourself why?*God gave all of us Lego’s.
Conclusion:
God gave every single believer in the early church just the right gift. (ETS) God has the perfect gift for every believer. (ESS)
We’ve looked at two more truths about spiritual gifts that can help you unwrap yours.
God has given spiritual gifts to all believers.
Your spiritual gifts fit you perfectly.
Your spiritual gift came from God.
Your spiritual gift was given to enable you to do ministry.
I hope you will decide to use your discovered spiritual gift at the church you are being fed at. (Objective)
Accept that God has given you a spiritual gift.
Only you can use your gift that God has given you. (Only you can use your gift)
What are you doing with your spiritual gifts? (Probing Question)
Bill Wilson pastors an inner city church in New York City. His mission field is a very violent place. He himself has been stabbed twice as he ministered to the people of the community surrounding the church. Once a Puerto Rican woman became involved in the church and was led to Christ. After her conversion she came to Pastor Wilson and said, "I want to do something to help with the church’s ministry." He asked her what her talents were and she could think of nothing---she couldn’t even speak English---but she did love children. So he put her on one of the church’s buses that went into neighborhoods and transported kids to church. Every week she performed her duties. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: "I love you. Jesus loves you."
After several months, she became attached to one little boy in particular. The boy didn’t speak. He came to Sunday School every week with his sister and sat on the woman¡|s lap, but he never made a sound. Each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, "I love you and Jesus loves you."
One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered,"I---I---I love you too!" Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night he was found dead. His own mother had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash......."I love you and Jesus loves you." ....Those were some of the last words this little boy heard in his short life---from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. This woman gave her one talent to God and because of that a little boy who never heard the word "love" in his own home, experienced and responded to the love of Christ.....
A There are no small gifts!! Use what God has given you! (You can profess Jesus without possessing Jesus!)
B Do it!
