Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today marks our arrival at the end of I Corinthians 12. What have we learned in this chapter?

If you haven’t picked up on it, this chapter’s theme is not spiritual gifts.

The true theme is this.

Each member of a local church is a dynamic component of that local church.

Spiritual gifts play an essential part.

The Holy Spirit started this chapter by warning us about certain dangers surrounding spiritual gifts in verses 1-3

He then pointed out that spiritual gifts are uniquely different and Divinely given in verses 4-6.

From there, the Holy Spirit detailed some of the different spiritual gifts He gives believers in verses 7-11.

In verses 12 and 13, an analogy was drawn between the local church and a human body, noting that we are the physical representation of Christ today.

We then learned four significant facts about the local church in verses 14-20.

• Each member is necessary.

• Each member has a purpose.

• Each member is a part of Christ’s body.

• Each member is different.

The Holy Spirit then emphasized how vital the “feeble” members were to the body and how they were to be treated in verses 21 and 23.

Then, last week, we considered how God has “perfectly blended” us, making us Calvary Baptist Church.

In these last few verses, the Holy Spirit reiterates the underlying message of this entire chapter and finishes with a practical illustration and application of all that we have learned.

We are Special People

Verse 27 refers to something the Holy Spirit has repeatedly said throughout this chapter.

It is a point that He is trying to drive home.

A fact that I hope you are beginning to accept and understand.

You, as a believer, are extremely important to Him.

Think about it this way.

The God of the Universe, Creator of all things, states we, Calvary Baptist Church, is His body and that you, as a believer, are a particular member of this body.

In fact, you are not just a part but a vital part of His body, this church.

As I stated last week, we become part of Christ’s body when we accept He is the world’s Savior.

Every one of us is born already in sin.

It is an easy point to illustrate.

Every person born into the world already has within them the knowledge and desire to commit sin.

We often refer to this as a sinful nature.

As parents, we do not spend time teaching our kids how to lie, cheat, or steal.

Due to their sinful nature, they already know how to do those things.

Instead, we teach them to speak the truth and be honest.

Those are qualities they do not possess.

Why is that?

It is also the reason why we need a Savior.

There is a significant penalty that comes with having a sinful nature.

A sentence that comes by us not knowing God.

We are born already estranged from Him. God is righteous and holy.

By His very character, He cannot look upon or fellowship with those who have the stain of sin.

In fact, His righteous character demands that He judge sin.

Thus, we are already born under God’s condemnation.

If we continue to live without acknowledging our sin and turning to Him as our Savior, we die in our sin, separated from Him, destined to live eternity in Hell.

Here though, is the wonderful news!

God is righteous and demands righteousness.

He cannot look upon sin.

Yet, God, Himself took up the responsibility of creating a way by which we can be righteous and accepted by Him.

That is the Gospel or the good news of Jesus Christ.

Christ came to this earth, took on human flesh, and lived sinlessly.

Christ himself said...

If you recall Romans 6:23, which we read a moment ago, sin requires payment.

Remember, it said...

The payment for sin is death.

It was Christ who gave Himself as payment for our sins.

He shed His blood and died in our place.

As the perfect Lamb of God, He became the sacrifice needed for us to be redeemed (repurchased).

In doing so, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection earned Him the gift of God, which is eternal life.

Now, Christ offers that gift to all who will believe they are sinners and accept all that Christ did for them.

Now here is where we come back to this first point.

The moment a person accepts Christ as Savior, they are saved from eternity of awful judgment and become a vital part of God’s body.

Salvation not only brings eternal life, but it places you in God’s family (brothers and sisters in Christ), establishes your body as the Holy Spirit’s temple (He indwells you), and imparts a spiritual gift to you by which you are necessary part of Christ’s body (His physical representation of earth aka the local church).

Returning to our text, note that the following 3 verses are a practical illustration and application of the fact stated in verse 27.

Now read with me the following three verses and note that...

We are Specifically Gifted

You find several vital points as you read these verses listing several spiritual gifts.

The first is this!

There is always an order by which God establishes things.

In fact, the summation of chapters 12-14 is these verses in chapter 14.

As you read and study Scripture, you find God always acts orderly.

When it comes to the local church, nothing changes.

In fact, our text reveals an order in which He gave the local church spiritual gifts.

Note the order.

First, there were apostles.

Second, there were prophets.

Then there were teachers, miracles, and several other gifts.

Apostles were those people who sat with Christ, shared a meal with Him, and sat at His feet, learning directly from Him.

They were men like Matthew, James, John, Peter, and many others who find in the Gospel accounts following Christ.

We know from the book of Acts that 120 people had walked and talked with Him shortly after Christ’s ascension into Heaven.

Yet, not all of them were apostles.

Apostles were specially chosen by Christ as His mouthpiece to all believers.

It was through them that all of the New Testament was given to us.

Paul was the last of the apostles.

There are no apostles today.

God’s Word is complete.

Later, as the Gospel spread throughout the Romans Empire, churches were established as people were saved and began to follow Christ.

As churches were established, God ordained men in those churches who became prophets (or, as we know them today, preachers).

The only difference between the prophets of early church days and today’s preachers is the completion of Scripture.

In fact, in this list are several gifts that no longer exist or exist entirely differently.

You see, in the early days of local churches, the New Testament was not finished or compiled as we have it today.

Thus, God enabled men and women with particular “miraculous” gifts (prophecy, healing, speaking tongues) as signs that He was with these people, and they were His spokesmen verifying their message was from Him.

Today, we have the complete Word of God, Old and New Testament.

There is no need for verification because it is complete and stands independently.

The prophets of the New Testament evolved into the preachers of today.

Both speak God’s Word, warning people of its truth and the judgment that will come by not accepting it as truth.

As God’s Word spread and compiled, the demand for teachers increased.

Teachers can teach other believers how to practically live out God’s Word each day.

An ability needed in early churches as well as in churches today.

As you continue down the list of spiritual gifts listed in our text, we find miracles.

Miracles are simply supernatural manifestations of God’s power designed to give credibility to God’s Word.