Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12: 1-11

"Spiritual Gifts"

Sermon by

Rev. Mark A. Horne

On the walls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, together with the prophets and apostles, you can see the sibyls which Michelangelo painted there to show the preparation for the coming of Christ in the pagan world.

The sibyls, like the prophets of the Old Testament, were supposed in the pagan world to have the power of predicting the future. One of the sibyls offered her nine books for sale to the proud Tarquin, legendary founder of Rome, when he consulted her. Tarquin refused the offer. Whereupon, the sibyl burned three of the books and offered him the six that remained. Again Tarquin refused. The sibyl then destroyed three more books and offered Tarquin the remaining three.

Alarmed that the three books had been offered him at the same price as the six and the nine, Tarquin consulted the augurs. At their advice he purchased the remaining books, which were put in a chest of stone and kept underground in the capitol, forever guarded. These books became the guide of Rome. But priceless information had been lost with the books which had been rejected and destroyed.

There is profound spiritual truth in that legend of Tarquin and the sibyl. Not a legendary sibyl but the Holy Spirit of God offers us in our time those things which belong to our peace and the peace of the church. Every rejection shortens the day of opportunity to proclaim the name of Jesus and promote the welfare of his Church.

In our passage this morning Paul offers his church at Corinth instruction for how to use gifts the Holy Spirit has given to them as individuals. I want to offer you this morning four points that I think we can draw from this passage and use in our lives as further workers in his Kingdom, especially gifts we may have and - can develop as well. I want to list these points from the acronym G.I.F.T.

1. Ground yourself in the Word of God.

2. Illuminate your mind by asking God what gift you have to offer Him.

3. Fully understand that it is God that works your particular gift.

4. Trust God that He has given you the particular gift you have for His glory.

G, Ground yourself in the Word of God. Paul says in verses 1 and 2, "brothers I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans some how or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols." It is here that we see how important the Word of God is in our life, especially as Christians. For the Corinthians abused the gifts of God for outward show, and love was little, if at all. They treated God as if he was some dumb idol they used to chase after thinking they were getting something in return.

This passage clearly shows the blindness of the human mind. We tend to think that something that is dumb - something that hasn't any ability to speak or talk or communicate - can actually give us what we want or need. People stand in amazement at things they put their faith in thinking it was some piece of wood or some ritual that helped them to be who they are, or helped them have some particular gift they have.

I was reading an article in a health magazine this month whose title was, "The Good News About Bad Luck" that went on to talk about how you should have such faith in luck because it is better than not having any faith in all. They stated one should do this because from a health point of view it lower blood pressure and reduces stress levels. Finally, it gave examples of well known athletes who tapped their bat twice before they bat, or didn't ever step on the third base line for fear that it would mess their season up. This is nonsense! No kind of ritual nor any kind of "mute idol" will help you in any kind of way.

Paul says we only have what God has given us. And we can only be assured of our gifts by studying his Word. We don't have an apostle telling us what we should and should not do. What we have is the Word of God spoken through all the Apostles, prophets, even our Lord himself that we can study and know is truth. Yes, Paul proved to the Corinthians through their own experience, that those things in which they gloried, are bestowed upon men through the exercise of God's favor. And we must remember that as well. We should not be ignorant as the Corinthians were, or destitute of all spiritual light, For the light of God is right in His Word for us to study and understand.

This brings us to the second point, I, illuminate your mind by asking God what gift you have to offer Him. Verse 3 tells us that it is the Spirit of God who helps us understand the direction he has for us in our life. No one can even speak a word about Jesus - good or bad - unless the Holy Spirit enables him or her to do so. What a fix we were in before we knew the grace of Jesus. Not only could we not believe without the work of the Holy Spirit, we could not even curse a god we did not believe in without His moving in our hearts.

We were so blind to what God did for us just giving us the ability to live that we put ourselves above Him thinking it was all on our own. As Ephesians 2:12 says, we were nothing more than "strangers to the hope of salvation." No, now we don't follow after the suggestions of the devil or this sinful world, or even our sinful selves. We now know that we are submissive to God. And we are going to be governed by His Word and His Spirit.

Paul here in verse 3 set before the Corinthians a general doctrine and it is before us now. What we have experienced in our own lives is common to all mankind. We always wander in error until we are brought to the way of truth by the kindness of God. We must always be praying and looking to the Holy Spirit so that we can be directed by Him. For if we don't we will continue to wander in error - possibly forever. We must never forget that all things belong to the true knowledge of God, and are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We must ask God to help us understand how great our weaknesses are. We must understand that we cannot even move a tongue for the celebration of God's praise, unless it is governed by His Spirit.

We must constantly be in prayer asking God to help us understand what he wants us to sincerely do in our life so we may bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever. Doctor Charles Parkhurst, distinguished preacher and reformer of New York, in an address which he dealt with his early religious life related how he had often heard his father pray in the church, at the family altar, and at the family table. But it was only when he heard him praying aloud on his knees in the barn that he knew the reality of prayer and the deep reality of the religious life. Calvin says, "Scripture frequently reminds us, and the saints everywhere acknowledge that unless the Lord opens their mouths, they are not fit to be heralds of His Praise." How true this is. As His children, we must ask God to open our minds and hearts to do the will he has set in place for us to do.

III

Our third point begins with F, we must fully understand that it is God that works your particular gift. Verses 4-6 explains that the church is working as it should and is in complete harmony when all of our gifts are directed to the same object.

Lisa and I were watching the Chicago symphony orchestra on PBS the other night - and other than discussing which instruments we wished we could play - we were amazed at the perfect timing of each individual and section of the symphony. Imagine if you will the church. Some of you have similar gifts - like a section of the orchestra which only play French horns, or violins - but yet your section is set apart from the other sections. Still, you are also gifted individually. You are a trombone player, or a saxophone player - you are not the other. That is not your gift. Your gift is what you do. And like the symphony orchestra all playing to produce concord with perfect timing - it is also befitting for us to use our distinct gifts in harmony and as one. Paul says again in chapter 12 verses 9-21 of Romans that we should commend each others gifts and not confound the other's distinction that the Lord has given him or her. We should be content with the gifts we have and cultivate them. We need to consider just how much has been given to us and where we have been called - and aiming unitedly at the edification of all in common. For the gifts are not given to us to be used apart, but that in division there is unity.

And Paul takes this a step farther. The symphony does not act alone to bring together a perfectly united sound - they do it with guidance through the conductor which is leading them. As the conductor stands before them to bring in a certain gifted person or section and leads away the another So the Holy Spirit does with us as the source of our gifts. God is the Lord of all administrations, and the author of all exercises and power. There is only one God through whom we must always serve.

It is one God that works in us, even though we may all be endowed with different powers. It is only from God that are gifts are effective in the manner they are in. Yes, we must understand that it is only by the providence of God that we have had anything bestowed upon us. For there is nothing in us good or praiseworthy but what comes form God alone.

Finally, T, Trust God that He has given you the particular gift you have for His glory and the common good. For it is this purpose which he has appointed His gifts, Paul states in verse 7. In a passive sense the Spirit of God manifests himself by our gifts. But also in an active sense, it is through the Spirit of God that when he enriches us with any gift he unlocks his treasures, for the purpose of manifesting to us those things he would otherwise have concealed and shut up.

In verses 8-11, Paul lists some specific gifts one may have. But again, remember that we are endowed with different gifts and should acknowledge and be indebted for whatever the Spirit of God has poured on us.

Paul says that some have been given "knowledge" or acquaintance with sacred things. Some have been given "wisdom" or prudence that may have included revelations that are of a more secret or sublime order. Paul speaks of "faith" a special kind of faith - that does not necessarily apprehend Christ wholly for redemption or righteousness and sanctification - but a faith where one could perform miracles in His name. There is "workings of powers" or operations of influences which is the influence exercised against devils and hypocrites (some examples of this are when the Apostle restrained the devils, or when Paul caused the sorcerer to go blind in Acts 13:11, or when Peter struck Annanias and Saphira dead with a single word). There is "prophecy" that is the endowment of unfolding the secret will of God - so that the prophet was a messenger between God and man. And the "discerning of Spirits" where some may have been endowed by the gift God to discern true ministers of the Word from false. Finally there were some that had "knowledge of the tongue" where they could be acquainted with the language of a nation with which they had to deal, or "interpreters of a tongue" where they could render foreign tongues into the native language; both of which gifts without study.

Despite which gift one may have had, Paul called the Corinthians to unity. He reminded them that all have derived from the giver of life. And we also have to trust the one who has given us the particular gift we have. For we only have what we have for His glorious purpose. We have to trust the one who has determined our gift and use it for His glory.

In the Bible we have a history of men like Herod, Felix, Agrippa, and the rich young ruler - men who had sincere interest in Christ and were visited with conviction. But, just as the ships at sea will sometimes emerge for a moment from the shadows as they cross the pathway of the moon and then are lost again in darkness and gloom, these men appeared for a moment in the light of conviction and opportunity and then disappeared forever. The only time which God binds us is now. Great things can be done in a moment of time. You have your gifts and talents, and you must be sure to take the task at hand and use them. Right at this moment you have 10,080 fewer minutes of time you had a week ago, and 542,162 fewer minutes of time than you had last at this time last year. Be sure of this - God is going to call you into his decree at the perfect time - just as the conductor does his orchestra. The question is are you going to be ready? Are you going to have grounded yourself in His Word? Are you going to have asked Him to illuminate you on your task? Are you going to have Him fully work your gifts through you? And are you going to trust Him that he has given you the gift you can do?

We need not be like the ignorant pagans. We should seek God, bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever through the gifts he has given us.

Let Us Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we know that we fail miserably at times by resisting the calling you have in our life. We know we push you away and run after mute idols so we don't have to deal with a God who actually seeks us out. Father, help us to seek you and what your purpose is for us by studying your Word. Help us in understanding what exactly it is you have determined for us in our life. Help us when we try to resist you and not allow you to fully work your gifts in us. Father, we want to trust you. We want to trust that it is you who have given us our talents and abilities and gifts. May the Holy Spirit work in our lives for your glory. In your Son, Jesus Christ's most Precious Name, Amen.