USING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Luke 19:11-27
Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool:
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.
SOURCE: Untapped Spiritual Resources, by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois. Citation: Bill Bright, "How to Be Filled with the Spirit" (Campus Crusade publication)]
The parable we look at this morning is about wasted potential and neglected responsibility. In this parable the master leaves his servants with money to invest. When he returns some of the servants are proved to be faithful, others are proved to be lazy.
Let me point you to several lessons from this text,
I. GOD HAS GIVEN US GIFTS
But each man has his own gift from God;...1 Cor. 7:7
ABILITY: Old French-habilite "The quality of being able to do something, especially the physical, mental, financial, or legal power to accomplish something."
"Ability denotes qualities that enable a person to achieve or accomplish something." - American Heritage Dictionary
In that story, each servant was given differing amounts, “in accordance with their ability”.
A. Everyone has given us gift to use for His glory.
"Master, here’s your 5,000 coins!"
There are many gifts that God has given us. Our job is real simple.
A. We are to find what gifts and abilities we have been given
B. We must find a way to use them to bring Him glory and honor.
B. Every one has given PROPER gifts.
1 Cor. 7:7 "Every man hath his PROPER gift from God." KJV
"Proper" means "fitted." When you buy shoes, the salesman tells you, "We’ve got a shoe to perfectly fit your size that will perfectly suit your style of life."
There are so many Christians today who think God skipped over them when He was giving out gifts. They seem to think that the only gifts God gives are gifts of music, public speaking, or teaching. Those are just a small measure of what God gives to people. God gives many gifts: It may be our finances, a particular talent, insightful ideas, an ability to organize, a great vision (you see possibilities others never thought of), a caring heart (you are tuned in to those around you), the ability to give wise counsel to those who need guidance, the ability to mediate between warring parties, or the ability to build or fix things.
II. GOD HAS GIVEN US A RESPONSIBILITY
In this parable God has given us talents in order for us to become responsible children.
And more talents comes more responsibilities.
Of course we can do this in many ways,
· By our personal explanation of the gospel to our friends and relatives
· By giving Christian literature (tracts, books, sermons etc.) to others
· By investing in evangelistic efforts (radio, television, prison ministry)
· We can do it through newspaper ads, letters of the editor and articles
· We can do it through the Internet (web pages, discussion groups, e-mail)
· We can do this through our acts of kindness and mercy
God has entrusted us with the treasure of the gospel. We can bury that treasure or we can invest it at every opportunity.
Illustration. A man distributed tracts for many years on a street corner. Finally, seeing no visible results, he gave up. When he returned to the same spot two years later, he saw another individual handing out Gospel leaflets as he had done. Striking up a conversation, he discovered that the man had become a Christian through a salvation tract given him on that corner about two years before. The convert added, “Many times I’ve come back here to find that earnest worker and thank him, but he never returned. I decided he must have died, and so I’ve taken his place!” The first man suddenly realized that his work had not been in vain. Much encouraged he went back to giving out tracts the very next day.
3. GOD HAS GIVEN US A PROMISE
The parables tells us a message: the person who serves faithfully will be rewarded.
There two principles that are highlighted here.
A. Those who are trustworthy in little things will be given more
When you use your gifts, you will grow more gifts. When you faithfully use your spiritual gifts, you will get more gifts you don’t have, or you will grow in the effectiveness of your present gifts.
1. You can get other gifts. "Desire earnestly the best gifts" (I Cor. 12:31). Paul wrote to the Romans that he wanted to come see them and help them get some spiritual gifts they didn’t have. "I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift" (Romans 1:11).
2. You can grow your present gifts. This means you can become more effective. Paul was not satisfied with Timothy’s use of his gifts, "Stir up the gift of God which is in thee" (II Tim. 1:6). This is a picture of stirring up the coals of fire to make it hotter.
You will never be used greatly by God until you are faithful in what he has given you to do now. (Verse 19)
B. Little things of life we show whether or not we can handle the big things.
Little things of life often turn into the big things.
Everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.
“Now ask me why there are Christians who said they have no gifts—and I will tell why”
“ ‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘but to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.
4. GOD HAS GIVEN US A WARNING
The warning is clear to those who do nothing with the talents that God has given. They will lose what they have been given.
A. There is Christian that they know they are gifted but they bury their gifts instead of practicing it. Like the servant in the story.
B. There are Christians that they don’t care about their gifts.
Illustration. Dear Abby recorded a powerful story. A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was a custom in their affluent community for parents to give their graduating children a new car, and the boy and his dad had spent weeks visiting one dealership after another. The week before graduation they found the perfect car. They boy was certain it would be in the driveway on graduation night.
One the eve of his graduation, however, his father handed him a small package wrapped in colorful paper. The Father said the package contained the most valuable gift the Father could think of. It was a Bible! The boy was so angry he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again.
Several years later the news of the father’s death finally brought the son home again. Following the funeral, he sat alone one evening, going through his father’s possessions that he was to inherit when he came across the Bible his dad had given him. Overwhelmed by grief, he brushed away the dust and cracked it open for the first time. When he did, a cashier’s check dated the day of his high school graduation fell into his lap --in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together. The gift had been there all along . . . but he had turned away.
CONCLUSION
The best investment we can make with our life is to use what God has given us to bring honor and glory to the Father. This approach will lead us away from many of the dangers of life; it will enable us to share in the blessings of God, and it will lead us to the indescribable joy of hearing the Father’s “Well Done”.
Brethren, the Lord expects us to become available in exercising our gifts. Remember that God does not ask your ability or your inability. He asks only your availability.
God bless!
