"Unwrapping Your Gift For Service"
Rom 12 : 1-8 / Matthew 25:14-30
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever given someone a gift …….. used it recklessly, carelessly, or destructively?
Can you remember when you gave a gift ……………tossed it aside and didn’t bother to open it?
Can you think of a time when you gave a gift …………… and they didn’t thank you for it?
How did that make you feel?
Then you may have given gifts ………..and they were excited about opening it. Their eyes lit up when they took it out of the box, they said, “Thank you” and used it as you hoped they would.
How did it make you feel?
This is the way it is with God who has already given us a gift or gifts.
Think of pleasure bring to His heart as He sees your use and appreciation for what he has given you.
On the other hand, what if He saw that we just tossed our gifts aside unopened and unappreciated?
Let us Pray ...
Some of us may think ……………I don’t have any gifts! I can’t sing, teach, cook. I can’t really do anything!"
You want to know something? You’re wrong! Not only because I say you’re wrong. But because God says you’re wrong! You know how I know that? Because 1 Corinthians 12:7 says that "To EACH ONE, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." In other words, every Christian has something
that they can do for Jesus Christ.
Listen to this reading from Matthew 7:9-11: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Of if he asks for fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask Him!" So if I’m understanding this scripture correctly, Jesus is saying that it’s God’s desire to give you these gifts! And all we have to do is ask Him!
How many of us are eager to know what our gifts are, but have never actually sat down and talked to God about it.
So then, what is a Spiritual Gift ??? = 1.God given special abilities, 2.Distr by Holy Spirit, 3.To be used for svce.
This morning we’re going to see that in unwrapping our gifts for effective service, we must make sure that a) we have a desire to serve, and that b) we have surrendered to Christ.
A. DESIRE:
Wanting to be used of God is the first step in unwrapping our gifts. I Corinthians 14:1 says, “Eagerly desire spiritual gifts.” When our priorities come ahead of God’s, we leave His gifts unwrapped and in the box. We will not value or appreciate them very much.
If we have identified our gifts, then what are we willing to do with them? In the parable of the Master & servants in Matt 25, there was one servant who was afraid to run the risk of investing his money because he knew the master was a hard person. Let’s read the parable………. Matt 25: 14-30
Would some of the reasons we don’t unwrap our gift be FEAR ?? We fear what people will say, we fear looking stupid, we fear failure. Rather than experiencing that we leave our gifts wrapped up.
The master didn’t say, “because you have been very SUCCESSFUL in a very small matter--but because you have been TRUSTWORTHY, FAITHFUL--I will put you in charge of many things.” (v. 21).
What else can we get out of this parable concerning unwrapping our gifts that have been entrusted to us?
Unwrapping our spir. gifts requires Faith. As the Lord finds you TRUST and FAITHFUL, he will add more.
If he gives you a word of knowledge or a word of wisdom and you apply it to the situation, then he will be able to use you again. This is where your faith comes in.
As we walk in faith with our eyes and ears open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, IDEAS will come.
The idea comes and you step out in faith to do it--to speak or to serve.
If you are teaching--you prepare as best you can and then just go ahead and do it.
If singing, practice as best you can and then JUST DO IT. You do your best, God takes care of the rest….
In the parable, the servants who were actively doing something with the talents were blessed with more.
2nd dimension in unwrapping our gifts, is
B. FULLY SURRENDERING TO GOD :
We see in Rom 12 vs 1-2 that we must fully express our surrender to God. Before God wants your service He wants a guarantee that He really has you: Example of car going for service …
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Paul then gives us three ways to fully express our surrender to God:
1. Offer your body. We are urged, in view of the many mercies of God “to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” To “offer” means, “to present once and for all.” In the Old Testament worship included sacrifice. A live animal was brought to the priest and the owner would lay hands on the beast to symbolically say, “This animal takes my place.” The animal was then killed and the blood was sprinkled upon the altar.
Once a sacrifice is offered to God, you can’t take it back. When we are called to present our “bodies” to the Lord, we are expected to offer our total being to Him, not just bits and pieces.
Paul continues by saying that our life offering is to be “holy and pleasing to God.” Sacrifices were to be without blemish or defect. In like manner, we are to offer to God our best. When we give our best to Him, it will be pleasing, or agreeable to Him. This is then our “spiritual act of worship.” …..AMEN???
2. Offer your mind. Rom 12 Vs 1 calls for a decisive commitment to fully surrender. Verse 2 tells us how we can maintain that commitment by renewing our mind and not following the fashion and pattern of the world. We know that the world’s way of doing things is built on selfishness, not selflessness. The tense of this verse indicates that we must stop conforming, implying that this is something that we are doing. If we’re serious about surrendering fully to Christ, we must focus on being transformed, not being conformed to those things the world values.
Paul is urging us to stop being pushed into the fashion of the world. Sometimes we are so conformed to the world that there is little noticeable difference between Christians and non-Christians.
However, some of us are facing some incredible temptations right now. You feel yourself being pulled to conform, to go along with the way your friends are leading you. Don’t give in! It’s like walking into a dark room in the middle of the day. When you first go in, everything is really dark. But after a while, you can see normally, that is, until you walk back outside. Some of us are in a similar situation today. If you spend enough time conforming to the world, you become so accustomed to the darkness that you think it’s now normal.
The word “transformed” refers to an inner change…..is not something we can do on our own. If we present ourselves as living sacrifices and reflect upon the mercies of God as evidenced in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will transform our minds.
I like how the Living Bible translates Romans 12:2: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a newness in all you do and think.”
3. Offer your will. Notice the last part of verse 2: “Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Isn’t it great that God allows us to test and approve his will for us? God will not force us into anything, but allows us to choose His will.
But it’s no use sitting around waiting to have the will of God revealed to us. This is an active verb. We learn His will by doing. Heard …….. practice makes perfect ???
I do not consider myself a preacher, but I came across something interesting the other day … asked myself …
"The first sermon preached every Sabbath morning is not by the minister. But by you. You preach a message of good cheer when you greet people with smile in the parking lot. And in the church foyer.
"You preach a message of "Welcome! We have room for you" when you slide over
in the pew instead of forcing others to squeeze in front of you.
"You preach a message of joy and hope when you sing the hymns with
enthusiasm during the worship service.
"You preach a message about respect when you listen attentively to the special music.
"You preach a message of love when you smile. Say hello. And introduce yourself to visitors.
"You preach a message about the importance of the Bible when you bring your Bible to church."
"Many messages are preached even before the minister gets up to talk. If your message is positive and consistent, then the message given from the pulpit will be much better received.
Now can we all practice to preach our best sermons every day of week ?
So true, isn’t it? One of the best gifts you could ever use is the consistent and loving way you live your life. The quality of your Christian life will speak more clearly than anything you could say with your lips.
So when / if you wonder what God’s will is for your life, the first place to start is by living out Romans 12:1-2. Until you offer Him your body, your mind, and your will, you won’t understand His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Experts tell us that 85% of the success of people in the workplace is directly related to their interpersonal relationships. The same can be said about the body of Christ (the church)..
We’re on the same team with each of us playing different roles. We need each other because we belong to each other.
We must also remember that just as the different parts of our bodies have different functions, so too, in the body of Christ, each of us have been given different gifts and roles. We can’t do it alone. If God’s purposes are to be accomplished and His church is to grow, everyone of us is important. Nobody is a nobody in the Body of Christ. While no one can do everything, everyone can do something.
Finally, we’re to completely engage in service. We see this in verses 6-8: “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. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 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.”
So what’s the end result to Unwrapping your gifts for service :-
1. You will be FRUITFUL. John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” As you discover, develop and deploy your spiritual gifts, you will see fruit. It’s a guarantee.
2. You will be FULFILLED. Psalm 138:7: “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.”
3. The Church will be FORTIFIED. Ephesians 4:12 teaches that spiritual gifts are given “so that the body of Christ my be built up.” One reason Ponsonby Church is a strong church, is because many of us are using our spiritual gifts, but it can be even stronger when even more of us put our gifts into action.
A few years ago, when Mother Teresa visited Australia, a young man was assigned to be her guide during her stay. He was thrilled at the prospect of being so close to such a godly woman but he became frustrated over time because even though he was constantly near her, he never had the opportunity to talk with her because there were always other people around.
When her tour was over she was scheduled to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, this young man came up with a plan and said to Mother Teresa, “If I pay my own fare to New Guinea, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk and learn from you?” Mother Teresa looked at him and asked, “You have enough money to pay airfare to New Guinea?” “Oh, yes,” he replied eagerly. “Then give that money to the poor,” she said. “You’ll learn more from that than I anything I can tell you.”
Many of us would rather experience something than do something. We always learn more by doing because our gifts are given to be given.
When we unwrap our gifts for service, other than edifying the church, we also give praise, honour & glory to the one who gave us these gifts in the first place.
AMEN.
