Naturally Supernatural Saturday Seminar

TURN MIC ON / WELCOME

It’s good to be with all of you. I hope you’re excited and eager to learn more about what it means to live under the authority of the Word of God and by the power of the Spirit of God. But — before we go any further — and in case you haven’t heard it lately — know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

Back in the spring, my friend and mentor — Karl House — was with us. And — in addition to preaching on Sunday morning — he led a Saturday seminar titled Naturally Supernatural. By a show of hands, how many of you were at Karl’s seminar? Great!

What I hope to do is expand on what Karl introduced to us. With my goals for today being:

Explain what we mean by living under the authority of the Word of God.

Explain what we mean by living empowered by the Spirit of God. This section will include a biblical defense for the continuation of all of the gifts of the Spirit.

And — finally — an invitation to join us for the continuation of this seminar — an equip class my wife and I will be leading where we’ll explore the gifts of prophecy, healing, and tongues. I’ve separated the practice of the gifts from this seminar where we’ll learn about the gifts because I realize that not all of us are at the same place when it comes to some of the spiritual gifts — and that’s OK. We’re a church that practices infant baptism AND child dedication after all — and — if we can handle that — we can handle some differences regarding the gifts of the Spirit.

So grab your Bible — because we’re going to be allowing God’s Word to be our authority and God’s Spirit to be our teacher, helper, and guide today. This first section will be more of me teaching and the second section will be more interactive along with a time for questions. But — before we go any further — let’s pray asking for God to lead us as we study this topic together.

PRAYER

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we praise you for you are holy, majestic, good, sovereign, unchanging, all-powerful, kind, loving, and gracious. You call your people out of spiritual darkness and death — and raise us into new life of living in your light. Jesus, you promised that you would send the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and teach us and we’re trusting you — Spirit of God — to do just that today. Guide us by your Word as we seek to better understand who you are, who we are, and what it means to live under the Word and empowered by you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

LIVING UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD

One of our goals — here at Gateway — is that you would be someone who lives under the authority of God’s Word and by the power of God’s Spirit. The reason why we worship, connect, serve, and go is so that we’re a people who — though we live in an age with many authorities demanding our submission — God’s Word would be the final authority in our lives. And — though we live in an age when many people and entities with power try to tell us how to live out our life purpose — we believe the power we need to live out our life purpose is found in the Spirit of God.

So what do we mean by living under the authority of the Word of God — this will be our question for this first section. What is this book? What do we believe about it? Why do we submit to it as our final authority on all things?

We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us.

We believe that the words — in this book — are God-inspired, without error, authoritative, clear, and teach us everything necessary to live a life of faithfulness and godliness. And when God’s Word and anything else — including our own thoughts or theology or what our “momma always told us” — when God’s Word and anything else come to an impasse — God’s Word wins. Every single time.

As the prophet has said,

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)

8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

As the apostle Paul wrote,

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Let’s take a few minutes to be reminded of some characteristics about God’s Word — this Word we’re to submit ourselves to. Author David Dockery reminds us that...

God’s Word serves as a guide for godly living. - David Dockery

Psalm 119:9–11 (ESV)

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

To live under the authority of God’s Word is to live with the Bible as your guide. Additionally — and we’ll go through these quickly...

God’s Word provides strength for the weary.

Psalm 119:28 (ESV)

28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!

God’s Word gives instruction.

Psalm 119:33 (ESV)

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

God’s Word gives understanding.

Psalm 119:34 (ESV)

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

God’s Word brings renewal to life.

Psalm 119:40 (ESV)

40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

God’s Word leads to joy and delight.

Psalm 119:35 (ESV)

35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

Psalm 119:111 (ESV)

111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.

These are just a few of the characteristics of God’s Word which we’re to submit ourselves to. And — to be clear — this view of the Bible — it being God’s authoritative Word — is true — for example — for those among us at Gateway who hold to a “believers only” view of baptism — those who believe that baptism is only for those who’ve believed in Jesus Christ — and this view of God’s Word is true for those who practice infant baptism — those who believe that baptism is for believers in Jesus Christ and their children.

This view of the Bible — it being God’s authoritative Word — is true for those among us at Gateway who believe in the rapture and in Christ’s literal return to reign on earth for one thousand years — and this view of God’s Word is true for those who believe that Christ’s millennial reign on earth is spiritually happening right now.

One final example — this view of the Bible — as being God’s authoritative Word — is true for those among us at Gateway who hold to a continuationist view of the gifts of the Spirit — meaning that all spiritual gifts — including speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing — are still for today — and this view of God’s Word is true for those who believe that these gifts have ceased.

Now — my view of Scripture — it being God-inspired, without error, authoritative, clear, and teaching me everything necessary to live a life of faithfulness and godliness — me believing that when God’s Word confronts my thoughts or my theology or what “my momma always told me” — God’s Word wins — every single time — was true of me when I held to a believers only baptism position — which I did for many many years — and this is true of me now that I hold to baptism being for believers and their children. My view of Scripture has not changed even though my view of baptism has changed.

My view of Scripture — it being God-inspired, without error, authoritative, clear, and teaching me everything necessary to live a life of faithfulness and godliness — was true of me when I wasn’t sure what I believed about the end times — which I struggled to understand for many many years — and is true of me now that I hold to an amillennial view.

And my view of Scripture has not changed even though I once believed that certain gifts of the Spirit had ceased and now believe that all gifts of the Spirit are for today. My view of Scripture hasn’t changed even though some of my theological positions have changed.

Why does any of that matter? Just so we’re clear — and all humble — this tells us that just because a Christian disagrees with you on baptism, or the end times, or on the gifts of the Spirit — their disagreement doesn’t mean you’ve got a higher view of Scripture than them. And — obviously — someone can agree with your view of baptism, the end times, or the gifts of the Spirit and have a low view of Scripture.

INTERPRETING THE BIBLE

And because we — here at Gateway — have a high view of Scripture — and because we view God’s Word to be the final authority on all things — be ready for a lot of Scripture in this seminar. But there’s something important for us to think through about Scripture. And that is:

How are we supposed to interpret the Bible?

If we want to be people who live under the authority of God’s Word — how are we supposed to interpret the Bible so we understand what God is saying in his Word — either explicitly or indirectly? Is reading the Bible just a subjective — “it means for you what it means for you and it means for me what it means for me” — kind of deal? There are people who would say that. But this is not what I — or Gateway — believe when it comes to interpreting the Bible. We believe that the Bible is communicating objective truth from God to us.

So — if the Bible is communicating objective truth — how do we come to know what that truth is? Are there any tools we can use to understand God’s Word better? Or — to ask it another way — what obstacles are we trying to overcome when we try to understand the truth the Bible is teaching?

This takes us to an area of biblical scholarship known as hermeneutics — or interpretation — how we accurately interpret the Bible. When you read the Bible you can’t help but interpret what you read — but the reason why we have so many different interpretations is because we’re not all using the same tools — or we may not agree on how to use a particular tool — and some of us don’t even know what tools we’re using.

In Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible, authors Duvall and Hays describe the interpretation process as a journey. And on this journey we come to some rivers — some obstacles — that we have to cross in order to “grasp God’s Word” and understand it. The goal they say “is to grasp the meaning of the text God has intended. We do not create meaning out of a text; rather, we seek to find the meaning that is already there.”

So here we are — in the 21st century — trying to find the meaning of a text — authored by God — written thousands of years ago by men inspired by the Spirit. We come to the text believing that it meant something specific — objective — when it was originally written. And the point — the truth — has not changed.

Let me say that again because this is huge in interpreting the Bible. When Paul or Peter or Isaiah or Moses — pick your biblical author — when they wrote something down — they had a point — and more importantly — God had them write down his point. The words actually meant something. And that point — that truth — hasn’t changed. And our job — in interpretation — is to figure out the truth the Bible is communicating. Why? So we can submit ourselves to God’s Word.

So what are the obstacles we’re trying to overcome as we interpret the Bible?

There’s a cultural obstacle.

Most likely you’re not Jewish. I’m guessing you’ve never made your way to the Temple to sacrifice an animal as commanded in Leviticus. “Oh — but Josh — we’re Gentiles — and they’re written about in the New Testament.” Yeah but the Gentiles in the New Testament are Greeks. Like — “Before Jesus saved me I was worshiping Zeus.” Worshiping Zeus is as foreign to you as worshiping OSU football, is to first century Greeks.

There’s a language obstacle. We speak English. The Bible wasn’t written in English — so if you’re reading an English Bible — even the King James Version — you’re not reading the actual words that Moses, Paul, and John wrote down. Even the red letters — in English — aren’t what Jesus said. Now you are reading a translation of the actual words that Moses, Paul, and John wrote down — but a translation is just that — a translation.

Now English Bibles are a gift to us from God. We should all be thankful to have God’s Word in our native language. But the reason why we have so many different English versions of the Bible is because languages aren’t codes — there’s not a perfect process of moving from one language to another — especially when it comes to translating into our crazy English language.

As one author has written, “In what other language do people drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? In what other language do people play at a recital and recite at a play? Why is it that when we transport something by car, it’s called a shipment, but when we transport something by ship, it’s called cargo? Why do we pack suits in a garment bag and garments in a suitcase?”

There’s a time obstacle. We live in the 21st century and have supercomputers in our pockets. They had camels and sheep — maybe. One generation of people — in the Bible — spent most of their life wandering in the wilderness. Egyptian Pharaohs were still a thing.

When we interpret the Bible we need to jump back in time and not force the contemporary world on what we read about in the Bible. Even our modern independent American mindset shouldn’t be forced on the Bible — instead — in submitting to it’s authority — we should allow the Bible to force itself on our modern independent American Christian mindset.

Another obstacle — often misunderstood — is the literary genre of the Scripture you’re interpreting. I couldn’t figure out what the slide should look like for this obstacle. Literary genre means is this passage of Scripture poetry — like the psalms? Or history — like the book of Ruth? Or prophecy — like some of Daniel? Or apocalyptic — like some of Daniel and Revelation? Or what? Each of these different genres have different rules of interpretation. But this isn’t new and you do this all the time. It’s why you interpret a romance novel differently than a business card.

These are just a few of the obstacles we face when we interpret the Bible. And — let me reiterate — you are building a bridge over these obstacles whether you realize it or not. You can’t help but interpret what you read in the Bible. And — as we interpret — you build bridges — but are your bridges solid? I guess I should say you don’t have to build bridges — the other option is to just avoid all of the parts of the Bible that require bridge building in order to have understanding — and lots of folks do that — thus the unpopularity of the Old Testament — too many bridges to build in order to understand what’s going on.

If you’re interested in sharpening your interpretive skills — see the handout for the resources I’ve listed on the Bible.

COVENANTAL RELATIONSHIP

But we need to talk about the most significant disagreement in interpretive bridge building among American Christians. What’s that? How we view the Old and New Testaments.

There are two views of the Old and New Testaments that have the most influence on us whether we realize it or not. And — it’s important to understand what your view is — because this will determine your view of the doctrines Christians often disagree about.

Now — to be clear — both of these views agree with the statements I said earlier about the authority of the Bible. So this isn’t where one view believes the Bible is God’s authoritative Word and the other doesn’t — this is about bridge building — particularly about how we interpret the Old and New Testaments and their relationship to each other. Here’s the first view.

View #1 — The Old Testament is precisely that...old. Outdated. Obsolete.

After all, we read this in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 8:13 (ESV)

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

This verse is referring to the laws given to Israel under the leadership of Moses — meaning the context of this verse tells us this isn’t referring to the entire Old Testament — but some specific laws found in the Old Testament. Yet — in view #1 — the New Testament is brand new because the Old Testament is obsolete. In this view, the Old and New Testaments have more discontinuity than continuity because a complete new start takes place in the New Testament. The Old Testament is still the inspired Word of God, but it reached its shelf life when Jesus came. So the Old Testament is helpful — in a historical sense — but it has no impact on Christians today because we’re New Testament only people.

Now this is a pretty popular view among American Christians. It’s a reason why so many American Christians neglect reading and studying the Old Testament. And — yet — even people who hold this view will be quick to read the psalms to find comfort when life is troubling — even though — being a New Testament only person kind of goes against this practice. Because the Psalms are obsolete, right?

Some — who hold this view — may still quote...

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

But this verse is obsolete, right?

Now — in order to not make a straw man argument — let me acknowledge that there’d be many who hold this view who wouldn’t quote from Jeremiah like that — or even the Psalms. But this is one view of interpretation — the Old Testament is old — obsolete. It’s helpful in a historical sense, but has no impact on Christians today because we’re New Testament only people. Another way to say this is that the...

Old Testament was for the Jews and the New Testament is for Christians. In this view — when you think of the Old and New — you view them as having more discontinuity than continuity.

And many Bible believing, God loving, gonna be in Heaven Christians and pastors — whom I respect and have learned a great deal from — hold this view.

Now — if you’ve been at Gateway for any amount of time — you may know that I do a recurring preaching series called “Finding Jesus”. In this series I take us through books in the Old Testament and show us how all of the Bible — the Old and the New — point us to the one story the whole Bible is telling. So the fact that I do the “Finding Jesus” series should let you know that I don’t hold this first view.

So what’s my view?

View #2 — The New Testament is a continuation of the Old.

This view sees the Old and New Testaments as telling one story. The New Testament builds on the Old because the Old Testament set the foundation for the New. The New looks back to the Old and the Old looks forward to the New. This view believes there’s more in common — that there’s more continuity between the Old and New Testaments — than discontinuity. Both views see continuity and discontinuity — the difference — is which drives how you interpret the Bible? The continuity or the discontinuity?

Now — in this second view — what’s key is God’s relationship with his people being covenantal in nature. And this is true for both the Old and New Testaments. So what does this mean?

First, let’s define the word covenant. One definition is that...

“A biblical covenant is a binding relationship of eternal consequence in which God promises to bless and his people promise to obey.”

So there’s a promise of blessing — by God — and a promise of obedience — by the people. No obedience — no blessing. And — ultimately — we’re talking eternal — both for the blessings and the consequences.

Now where the difference — between the two views of the Old and New Testaments — is seen most clearly is in how we view what’s known as the New Covenant. So let’s look at the New Covenant and see if it’s new — in the sense of a completely new start — with little or no connection to the previous covenants — that would be view #1 — or is the New Covenant a continuation of the previous covenants in the Bible — view #2.

We’re in Jeremiah — chapter 31.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV)

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah emphasizes the covenantal relationship between God and his people. Notice that God is a promise-making — but more importantly — a promise-keeping God. He made promises — or covenants — to his people and — in this New Covenant — a New Promise — is made. But notice that Jeremiah mentions previous covenants in these words about the New Covenant.

Some background will be helpful. God’s people are about to be exiled — they’re about to get kicked out of the Promised Land because of their covenant unfaithfulness. But God — who is always faithful — gives his people a new promise. His people will return to the Promised Land — but there’s even more. For — in this New Covenant — God promises to do something to their hearts. God’s law will be written on their hearts — his law will be in them. In the Exodus story — the other covenant mentioned in our verses — God’s law was written on stone tablets — but in this New Covenant — the law will be written on the hearts of God’s people. And the culmination of this covenant is when God says that he will be their God and they will be his people.

So in the midst of king Nebuchadnezzar conquering Judah and desolating the city of Jerusalem — in the midst of God’s judgment coming upon the people because they’ve abandoned him to worship false gods — in this context — God gives a new promise to his people.

But this New Covenant — I'm suggesting — is a continuation of the previous covenants found in the Bible. It’s not brand new — in the sense of not being connected to the other covenants — but it is new — in the sense that it’s the next step of God’s faithfulness to his people. Let’s look at the other covenants and see if you agree with me.

Covenant of Works

The first covenant in the Bible is called the covenant of creation or the covenant of works.

It’s found in Genesis chapter two.

Genesis 2:15–17 (ESV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Notice there’s an obedience required on the part of the man — “work and keep the garden and don’t eat from one tree.” And there’s a promise from God — “if you eat from the tree you will die” — which implies a blessing — “if you obey me — and don’t eat from the tree — you will live.” But — as we all know — they eat from the tree — Adam and Eve break the covenant.

So here’s the question:

Does this covenant apply to us? Do we experience the consequences of this covenant being broken by Adam?

Yes. Adam’s breaking of the covenant has affected all of us. So even though we’re not Adam — this covenant applies to us today even though it’s in the Old Testament.

Covenant of Grace

Which leads us to the covenant of redemption also known as the covenant of grace.

This is an eternal covenant between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit where — together — they agree to accomplish our salvation.

Now — technically — this is the first covenant because it was made in eternity past — but it’s the second covenant found in the Bible. And — this is the covenant — that I’m suggesting all of the biblical covenants are building on.

We find it in Genesis 3:15 where — in speaking to the serpent and the woman — God says...

Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

15 I will put enmity (or hostility — there will be war) between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he (this future descendant of the woman) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This covenant was fulfilled on the cross when Jesus was crucified. God’s enemy — the Serpent — also known as Satan — saw Jesus on the cross and thought he’d won the war. But as the nail went through Jesus’ feet — as the serpent struck his heel — the nail went through Jesus’ feet and straight through the head of the snake.

Question:

Does this Old Testament covenant apply to us?

Yes! This is our hope, right? That the offspring of the woman — Jesus — has crushed the head of the snake on the cross.

Noahic Covenant

The next covenant we find in the Bible is God’s covenant with Noah. After Adam and Eve’s sin — the wickedness of mankind grew — leading to the flood. This covenant is found in Genesis chapter 9 when God put a rainbow in the sky and promised to never again judge his creation with a flood.

Genesis 9:8–17 (ESV)

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Does this covenant apply to us?

Anyone worried about God destroying the world again with a flood? No. Why? Because of his promise to Noah, right? Anyone get amped up because the rainbow — a sign of God’s promise — has been hijacked by another group in our day? You do — why? Because the rainbow is personal, right? It’s not just a promise to Noah — the rainbow is a promise from God to his people — even us today — isn’t it? There’s continuity.

Abrahamic Covenant

Next we have the Abrahamic covenant. This covenant is found in Genesis chapters 12, 15, and 17.

In Genesis 12, God promises Abram that he’s going to be the father of a great nation — and through his descendants — all families of the earth will be blessed. But there’s a problem. Abram doesn’t have any children! So the covenant picks up again in Genesis 15.

Genesis 15:1–21 (ESV)

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Though Abram’s crazy old and childless — God makes him a promise: that he will be the father of many nations. And Abram believed God.

But what’s up with the smoking fire pot and flaming torch that passed between the animal pieces? Usually — when a covenant was made — both parties would walk between the animal pieces — showing that both parties accept the responsibility — and the consequences — if the covenant is broken. Now — we call this the Abrahamic covenant — but does Abram walk between the pieces? No! God does — that’s what the smoking fire pot and torch represent — the presence of God. This is God’s way of saying “I’m guaranteeing this covenant. Abram you just sit there and watch because I — the God who eternally exists — promise that I will keep both sides of this covenant.”

The covenant continues a few chapters later when God changes Abram’s name to Abraham — which means the father of many nations. God now calls it an everlasting covenant. And the sign of the covenant is circumcision — marking God’s people as his. You can read all of this in Genesis 17:1-14. Now — Abraham’s covenant gets a lot more verses than the others we’ve looked at thus far — but let’s ask our question:

Does this Old Testament covenant apply to us today?

Yes. Why? Because “Father Abraham had many sons — and many sons had father Abraham — I am one of them and so are you. So let’s all praise the Lord!” There’s more truth in that children’s song than you may realize. What does it mean to be a child of Abraham — and how can you be a child of Abraham without this covenant applying to you? One author has said...

“There is no other way to be a child of God than to be included in Abraham’s covenant. There is no other covenant of salvation, and unless we are part of Abraham’s covenant, we are not part of God’s people." - Bryan Chapell

Now look at what the New Testament has to say about this Old Testament covenant.

Galatians 3:5–9 (ESV)

5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Keep Paul’s words about the Spirit and miracles in mind as we’ll come back to these topics later.

And as tempting as it is to simply read the entire book of Romans — to show the continuity of the covenants — chapter 4 will have to do. “Is he about to read another entire chapter of the Bible?” I thought about it — but we don’t have time. So a few verses will have to do.

In Romans chapter 4, Paul tells us that the promise God gave to Abraham — has been fulfilled in us — those who aren’t Jewish — but who walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Paul also says that Jews — who walk in the same footsteps of faith — are part of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. Thus the promise given to Abraham is for all who believe. Paul then wraps up chapter 4 with these words about Abraham.

Romans 4:20-25 (ESV)

20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Can you see how God’s promise to Abraham is for us today? With each new covenant — there isn’t a break from the previous ones — there’s continuity — there’s a singular storyline being told.

Mosaic Covenant

Fast forward a few hundred years and we come to the Mosaic covenant — which is found in Exodus chapters 20 through 25 — and it’s repeated in the book of Deuteronomy. This is the covenant referred to in Jeremiah 31. The Mosaic covenant builds on the previous covenants but gives detail as to how God’s people are to live — thus all of the laws, ceremonies, and celebrations that are found in the books of Exodus and Leviticus. And the point of it all — as one author has said — is that God’s people are to be “a holy kingdom, in distinction from the offspring of the serpent” — which echoes the covenant language from Genesis 3:15.

And notice that this covenant comes after God rescued his people out of slavery in Egypt. They were enslaved and their rescue — their salvation — comes first. Then God gives them the law. God rescues first; then he gives instructions on how to obey. Obedience is always a result of salvation; obedience is never a way to earn salvation.

Now some would suggest that the Mosaic covenant is a break from the Abrahamic covenant — much like seeing the New Covenant as a break from the previous ones — some people see the giving of the Law as the start of something brand new. But is this what we read in Scripture?

Look at the words that begin the Exodus story.

Exodus 2:23–24 (ESV)

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

The motivation behind God rescuing his people out of Egypt was his covenant to Abraham. So the Exodus story — including the giving of the Law — is a continuation of God fulfilling his promise to Abraham.

And this covenant is where we find these words.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (ESV)

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Words from an Old Testament covenant that surely apply to us today.

Now look at what the New Testament says about the Mosaic covenant and the promise found in the Abrahamic covenant.

In Galatians we read...

Galatians 3:16–29 (ESV)

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

And in Ephesians...

Ephesians 2:11–12 (ESV)

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Notice how Paul tells the Gentile Christians — so these are non-Jewish believers — Paul tells them that prior to their faith in Jesus — they were strangers to the covenants — plural — of promise — singular. Multiple covenants — one promise. Covenants building on each other towards the fulfillment of one — singular — promise. And Ephesians — by the way — was written long after Jeremiah wrote down the words of the New Covenant — so Paul would’ve had it in mind when he talks about the multiple covenants and the one promise.

And — in Galatians — Paul tells us that the Mosaic covenant and the Abrahamic covenant — the law and the promise — are not in opposition to each other. The law of the Mosaic covenant does not nullify the promise of the Abrahamic covenant — the promise continues because the covenants build on each other. Multiple covenants — all building towards the fulfillment of one promise.

Davidic Covenant

The next covenant is the Davidic covenant — it’s found in 2 Samuel chapter 7. You’ll have to go read it for yourself. Know that — in this covenant — the king of Israel stands as a representative for all of God’s people. And the king is called to obey God and to lead the people in obedience. And — though king after king will fail to do this — in this covenant God promises that one day a King will come — from the line of David — who will fulfill what is asked of him. For this future King will perfectly fulfill the obligations for his people as he obeys God as their representative.

And — I know this is obvious — but Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David. In fact, the New Testament seems to be screaming at us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the covenants. Just look at how the New Testament begins.

Matthew 1:1 (ESV)

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

In the very first verse of the New Testament, Matthew connects the genealogy of Jesus back to the Davidic and Abrahamic covenants.

New Covenant

And now we’re back to the New covenant in Jeremiah 31. The previous covenants have all been building towards the fulfillment of the covenant of redemption — the covenant the Father, Son, and Spirit made together — before time began — the eternal promise God made to rescue us promise-breakers.

Ever since the garden — instead of obedience — we’ve chosen to rebel and disobey God. We’ve never kept our end of the covenants — we’re the promise-breakers. And what becomes the ultimate twist in God’s story is that these covenants all find their fulfillment — not in our obedience — but in Christ’s obedience. This is what God showed us — in his covenant with Abraham — when he took full responsibility for both his — and our end — of the covenant.

You see nearly all religions are based on some sort of works — some kind of obligation that must be fulfilled in order to appease the god or gods of that religion. And what makes Christianity unique isn’t that we believe differently in this regard — we do believe that there is an obligation that must be fulfilled — a standard must be met — a promise must be kept in order for a person to have a right standing with God. What’s unique about Christianity is that we believe that everyone has failed to fulfill our end of the covenant — we’re all promise-breakers.

And this would lead us to a place of hopelessness until you realize that what’s also unique about the Christian faith is the belief that it’s not what we do that saves us — it’s what Jesus has done in our place — the work he’s accomplished for us — that saves us. This is what makes Christianity unique. It’s Jesus’s promise-keeping that makes us promise-breakers have a right standing with God.

On the night when he was betrayed, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. The Passover meal was a celebration of God’s judgment passing over the Israelites who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. The Egyptians made no such sacrifice and experienced God’s judgment for their sin — but the blood of the lamb covered the sins of the Israelites — thus God’s judgment passed over them.

And during the Passover meal Jesus...

Luke 22:19–22 (ESV)

19 Took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

Three things. First, in verse 20 Jesus says that his blood will be poured out as the cup of the “new” covenant. Jesus’ shed blood on the cross is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Second — the Lord’s Supper — or communion — replaces the Passover Meal. Why? Because what we’re to remember — as God’s people — shifts from the Passover story — to the story the Passover was always pointing to — God’s judgment eternally passing over his people because of the sacrifice of his Son — the Lamb of God.

And — third — notice that Jesus says he is going to have his blood poured out just “as it has been determined.” When was this plan — that Jesus would shed his blood on the cross — when was this plan determined and who determined it? The Father, Son, and Spirit made this plan before time began. This is the covenant of redemption being fulfilled. This is the culmination of all of the covenants coming together — all leading up to Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.

You see, Jesus is the King promised in the Davidic covenant who stands in the place for his people. He fulfilled the Mosaic covenant as he perfectly obeyed God’s law. He’s the descendant promised in the Abrahamic covenant — just as he’s the offspring of Eve who came to crush the head of the serpent. Jesus is the One who was promised to come — not to judge the world with a flood — but — came to be drowned in the flood of our sins while he hung on a cross. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise — singular — that all of the covenants — plural — were pointing to. Jesus is the continuity between the covenants.

So why did I spend so much of our time talking about the continuity of the covenants? Because — though there are differences between the Old and New Testament — I believe — that there’s more continuity than discontinuity between them. The Old is the foundation for the New. The New is built on the Old. There’s more continuity than discontinuity between the Old and the New.

This has implications when it comes to theology like: How were people in the Old Testament saved? By the animal sacrifices or by faith like us today? Your view of the Old and the New has implications for certain practices we do as Christians like: What are we supposed to do with babies? Do we baptize them or dedicate them? Your view of the relationship between the Old and the New Testaments drives you to answer these kinds of questions in a particular way whether you realize it or not.

Now — if what I’ve been arguing for is true — that there’s more continuity than discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments — well this will have huge implications for how we view the Christian life today.

Now you may disagree with me — you may see more discontinuity than continuity — and that’s OK. This isn’t something that determines whether you’re a Christian or not — you can disagree with me and still be a member here at Gateway. That’s not to say this isn’t important — I think this is vitally important because I think this is the more solid bridge when it comes to interpreting the Bible. But — given the case I’ve made about the continuity of the Bible — we’re left with a final question:

When we look at the Bible — as a whole — should we expect our lives today to have more in common with the believers in the Bible or should we expect our lives to have little in common with the believers in the Bible?

If there’s more continuity between the Old and the New Testaments — why wouldn’t we expect more continuity with their lives and ours today? Which sets us up for the next section of this seminar.

But — first — let’s take a 10 minute break — and I promise the next section will be more interactive.

LIVING BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US LIVE NATURALLY SUPERNATURAL LIVES

Before we jump into the gifts of the Spirit — I want to make sure we all recognize that living naturally supernatural lives — living empowered by the Spirit of God — is much more than the spiritual gifts. There’s way more to the Holy Spirit than a few of his gifts that we’ve allowed to be controversial. And I’m sure it grieves the Spirit of God that he and his gifts have been used as a point of division in the church — I’m sure it devastates the Holy Spirit in seeing how many followers of Jesus are frightened of his empowering presence in their lives — I’m sure it saddens him to see how many Christians go about living natural lives when they’ve been promised supernatural help from on high.

So my goal — for the remainder of our time — is that we’d all better understand the third person of the Trinity and his work in and through the lives of the people of God. That you’d leave here understanding that the Spirit of God — just like the Father and the Son — desires to have an intimate relationship with you.

I came across a video on YouTube where pastor Sam Storms covers fifty ways the Spirit of God empowers the people of God. Think about that. Fifty different ways the Spirit’s power is seen in God’s people in the Bible.

So — class interaction time — what are some ways the Holy Spirit empowers us to live supernaturally as we see in the Bible?

Here are some that Sam mentioned.

1. The Holy Spirit empowers us so others are healed.

Luke 5:17 (ESV)

17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.

2. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live sexually pure lives.

1 Thessalonians 4:3–8 (ESV)

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

3. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love God’s Word.

1 Thessalonians 1:4–5 (ESV)

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

4. The Holy Spirit empowers us to passionately worship Christ.

Philippians 3:3 (ESV)

3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

Some of us try to worship God without the enabling power of the Spirit of God. Worshiping Christ is not — and never should be — natural. Worship is supernatural.

5. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love other Christians.

Colossians 1:7–8 (ESV)

7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

6. The Holy Spirit empowers us to pray.

Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Jude 20 (ESV)

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

7. The Holy Spirit empowers us to endure persecution.

Philippians 1:18–19 (ESV)

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

8. The Holy Spirit empowers us to rejoice in the midst of suffering.

1 Peter 4:14 (ESV)

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

9. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be bold for Christ.

Acts 4:8–12 (ESV)

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:31 (ESV)

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Matthew 10:16–20 (ESV)

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

10. The Holy Spirit empowers us to serve as leaders in the local church.

Acts 20:28 (ESV)

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Now — I barely touched Sam’s list — you’ll have to go find the video for yourself to hear the other forty ways the Spirit of God empowers the people of God to live naturally supernatural lives. But — since this seminar is the prerequisite for an equip class I’ll be leading on the spiritual gifts — let’s now turn to them. But — again — please know that when you hear me say “we live empowered by the Spirit of God” that phrase means so much more than simply the gifts of the Spirit. And it especially means more than a few gifts of the Spirit that tend to get the focus in these kinds of discussions. I truly desire that we’d be a people who live under the authority of the Word of God and empowered by the Spirit of God in a biblically robust way.

WHAT ARE SPIRITUAL GIFTS?

But let’s talk about the gifts of the Spirit. First, what are spiritual gifts? One Bible dictionary I have says this:

Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. - Lexham Survey of Theology

So that’s what the gifts are — collectively — and their purpose. But — specifically — what are the gifts?

Paul begins his lengthiest teaching on the spiritual gifts with these words.

1 Corinthians 12:1 (ESV)

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

So let’s allow the Bible to inform us as to what the gifts are using theologian Wayne Grudem’s helpful list.

1 Corinthians 12:28 (ESV)

28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.

From this verse, Grudem finds the following gifts of the Spirit:

Apostleship

Prophecy

Teaching

Miracles

Gifts of healing

Helps

Administration

Tongues

1 Corinthians 12:8–10 (ESV)

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

In these verses there are some new gifts and some repeats.

9. Utterance (word) of wisdom

10. Utterance (word) of knowledge

11. Faith

(5.) Gifts of healing

(4.) Miracles

(2.) Prophecy

12. Distinguishing between spirits

(8.) Tongues

13. Interpretation of tongues

Ephesians 4:11 (ESV)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

(1.) Apostleship

(2.) Prophecy

14. Evangelism

15. Pastor (shepherding)

(3.) Teaching

Romans 12:6–8 (ESV)

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

(2.) Prophecy

16. Serving

(3.) Teaching

17. Exhortation (encouragement)

18. Contributing (giving generously)

19. Leadership

20. Mercy

1 Corinthians 7:7 (ESV)

7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

The context of this verse is Paul’s discussion about singleness and marriage. And Paul uses the same word — translated elsewhere to mean a spiritual gift — to describe...

21. Singleness/Celibacy

22. Marriage

1 Peter 4:10–11 (ESV)

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Peter — instead of listing specific gifts — does something different. He categorizes the gifts into two groups.

Speaking gifts

Serving gifts

Now — I won’t categorize all of the gifts — but you can imagine gifts like teaching, exhortation, tongues, and prophecy would be speaking gifts — while helping and administration would be serving gifts. But — if you were keeping count — Grudem lists twenty-two distinct gifts that can be put into two categories. Other folks have listed more gifts using the Old Testament and based on their observations of what we read in the book of Acts.

Now — you may have thought something like — “If I don’t have the gift of mercy, does that mean I don’t have to be merciful?” And the answer is no. Same would be true for evangelism, helps, giving, and many other gifts. There are commands in Scripture that all Christians are to obey regardless of your specific gifting. However, there will be some Christians — because of their gifting — who will see greater effectiveness — due to the Spirit’s empowering — in their mercy, evangelism, helps, giving, and so on. So don’t let not having a gift be an excuse for disobeying clear commands in Scripture.

But let’s define the gifts. In the handout are definitions of the gifts that can be found at giftstest.com. In fact — I’d encourage you all to go to giftstest.com and take the spiritual gifts test. Do so without putting all of your eggs in the spiritual gift’s test basket — but allow the results to be a starting point in either confirming what you believe to be the gifts you have or to start your journey of exploring which gifts the Spirit of God has given you.

Before we get to the definitions — does anyone know their spiritual gifts and is willing to share what they are with us?

We’re not going to go through all of the gifts and their definitions that are in the handout. Some folks would define gifts slightly differently but — overall — the list of definitions in the handout is a good starting point.

Administration

The gift of administration is the divine strength or ability to organize multiple tasks and groups of people to accomplish these tasks.

Apostleship

The gift of apostleship is the divine strength or ability to pioneer new churches and ministries through planting, overseeing, and training.

Craftsmanship

The gift of craftsmanship is the divine strength or ability to plan, build, and work with your hands in construction environments to accomplish multiple ministry applications.

Evangelism

The gift of evangelism is the divine strength or ability to help non-Christians take the necessary steps to becoming a born-again Christian.

Exhortation

The gift of exhortation is the divine strength or ability to strengthen, comfort or urge others to action through the written or spoken word and Biblical truth.

Healing

The gift of healing is the divine strength or ability to act as an intermediary in faith, prayer, and by the laying-on of hands for the healing of physical, mental and spiritual sickness.

Helps

The gift of helps is the divine strength or ability to work in a supportive role for the accomplishment of tasks in Christian ministry with the ability to often see the need before others do.

Hospitality

The gift of hospitality is the divine strength or ability to create warm, welcoming environments for others in places such as your home, office, or church.

Intercession

The gift of intercession is the divine strength or ability to stand in the gap in prayer for someone, something, or someplace, believing for profound results.

Word of Knowledge

The gift of knowledge is the divine strength or ability to bring truth to a situation by supernatural revelation. This is often accompanied by a word from God.

Leadership

The gift of leadership is the divine strength or ability to influence people at their level while directing and focusing them on the big picture, vision, or idea.

Mercy

The gift of mercy is the divine strength or ability to feel empathy and to care for those who are hurting in any way.

Miracles

The gift of miracles is the divine strength or ability to alter the natural outcomes of life in a supernatural way through prayer, faith, and divine direction.

Pastor/Shepherd

The gift of pastor/shepherd is the divine strength or ability to care for the personal needs of others by nurturing and mending life issues.

Service

The gift of serving is the divine strength or ability to do small or great tasks in working for the overall good of the body of Christ.

Tongues (and Interpretation)

The gift of tongues is the divine strength or ability to pray in a heavenly language to encourage your spirit and to commune with God. The gift of tongues is often accompanied by interpretation and should be used appropriately.

Word of Wisdom

The gift of wisdom is the divine strength or ability to understand and to bring clarity to situations and circumstances often through applying the truths of Scripture in a practical way.

Pastor Josh’s Top 5 Gifts

There are five gifts that I want to cover. These five are my top results from taking the spiritual gifts test. I don’t think these are my only gifts, but I thought it’d be helpful for you all to know what my top gifts are according to the test.

Here are my results.

Teaching

The gift of teaching is the divine strength or ability to study and learn from the Scriptures primarily to bring understanding and depth to other Christians.

Faith

The gift of faith is the divine strength or ability to believe in God for unseen supernatural results in every arena of life.

Giving

The gift of giving is the divine strength or ability to produce wealth and to give by tithes and offerings for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God on earth.

Prophecy

The gift of prophecy is the divine strength or ability to communicate God's truth and heart in a way that calls people to a right relationship with God.

Discernment

The gift of discernment is the divine strength or ability to spiritually identify falsehood, to distinguish between right and wrong motives and the spiritual forces at work in situations.

HAVE SOME GIFTS CEASED?

Now — let’s turn to the question some of you’ve been waiting for — have some of the spiritual gifts ceased? This has been the great debate for the last 100 years of church history — where a case has been made that some gifts of the Spirit came to an end when the last of the apostles died — gifts like healings, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and a few others. Some claim that people who believe that all spiritual gifts are for today are at best — mistaken — and at worse — deceived by the devil. Others say the so called charismatic gifts just cause division and confusion in the church. Now — regarding this last point — that certain gifts cause division and confusion in the church — I’d like to point out something that — once you see this — you won’t ever be able to not see it. You ready?

Between 1st Corinthians chapter 12 — which is filled with teachings on the gifts — and 1st Corinthians chapter 14 — which is filled with teachings on the gifts — is what? First Corinthians chapter 13 — aka the “love chapter”. Did you know that the most quoted biblical passage during weddings is actually a chapter sandwiched between a lengthy teaching on the spiritual gifts — specifically, prophecy, tongues, and healing? Get this — Paul pauses in the middle of his instruction on the spiritual gifts to remind the Christians in Corinth to love one another. That beautiful picture of love — in 1st Corinthians 13 — is written to Christians in a local church — not husbands and wives — about how they’re to love each other while they practice the gifts of the Spirit.

So why would Paul feel that a reminder to love one another was needed in the middle of his instructions on the spiritual gifts? Because the Corinthians were allowing the gifts to be divisive in the church! So this isn’t new — this is an old, old problem. But the solution isn’t to stop pursuing the gifts — Paul says the solution to church division is to love one another more deeply while you pursue the gifts together. And — in case you’ve forgotten — right after he wraps up the “love chapter” — Paul writes...

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)

1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Making it even more difficult to argue that we should expect the gifts to cease — or at least the gift of prophecy. Why? Because if prophecy has ceased — and we’re no longer to pursue it — I guess love has ceased as well — and we’re no longer to pursue it either. And no one believes that! But you’ve got to do some very funny Bible interpretation to conclude that we are to pursue love today but we’re not to pursue prophecy.

Now — what about the “are people being tricked by the devil” concern? The issue I have with this argument is 1) there’s nothing biblical to defend it — especially relating to the spiritual gifts — and 2) there’s no reason to not apply this argument to all of the gifts of the Spirit.

Closely related to this is abuse that’s been done in the name of spiritual gifts. You know, some whacko on the internet who calls him or herself a prophet of God and will send you an anointed handkerchief that will heal you of your cancer if you send them a check for some amount of money. Don’t these charlatans prove that some gifts have ceased?

Does a heretical Bible teacher mean the spiritual gift of teaching isn’t for today as well? Of course not. If someone in church leadership abuses their authority does that mean the gift of leadership has ceased. No. You see, we all understand that just because a spiritual gift can be used for abuse doesn’t mean the solution is to say it’s not for today.

Finally, didn’t certain gifts end with the apostles? After all, in that love chapter, Paul writes...

1 Corinthians 13:8–13 (ESV)

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

“See Josh, prophecies will pass away, tongues will cease, knowledge will pass away!” I one hundred percent agree — but the question is “when will these gifts cease?” Paul tells us: When the perfect comes. And those who believe that prophecy and tongues and knowledge are not for today will say that the perfect is God’s Word — the Bible.

Now I absolutely believe that God’s Word — the Bible — is perfect — it is inerrant and without error. But I think our brothers and sisters who hold this view have the wrong Word of God in mind. Paul’s not intending for the Bible to be what we have in mind as the perfect — but Jesus Christ — who is the Word of God. For — we have the Bible now — but do we see God face to face? Not yet. When will we? The Bible says when Christ returns — then we’ll see him face to face — then we’ll see things clearly. Paul tells us the gifts of the Spirit will continue until the perfect comes — I agree — but the perfect is Christ — who has yet to return.

But on the day when Jesus returns — the spiritual gifts — all of them — will cease. And not just prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. But so will the gift of teaching — you won’t need me to teach you in Heaven — Jesus will be your face to face teacher — the gift of evangelism won’t be needed in Heaven — the gifts of healing won’t be needed — and I could go on and on — you get the idea.

One last point somewhat related to what we’ve been discussing about the gifts. “If Billy Graham is the standard for the gift of evangelism, then how many of us actually have the gift of evangelism?” Or if “____ (your favorite preacher) is the litmus test for the gift of teaching, then how few spiritually gifted teachers are there?” We understand that not all evangelists are gifted equally — same for teachers. So let’s be just as generous with other gifts. Meaning, I’ve heard people say — regarding the gifts of healing — “Where are the people who are healing folks like Jesus did?” Why isn’t Jesus your standard for gifts like teaching or mercy or the other gifts you’re comfortable with?

We looked at this verse earlier, but Paul wrote...

Romans 12:6 (ESV)

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

The phrase “in proportion to our faith” indicates that we should expect some variance in the gift of prophecy, right? The amount of faith you have will determine the strength of your gift of prophecy. Additionally, Paul indicates other reasons why your gift of ___ may look different than someone else’s same gift of ___.

1 Timothy 4:14 (ESV)

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

The reason your gift looks different to someone else’s may be due to neglect on your part. Or...

2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV)

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,

Maybe we’ve allowed our gift to die down?

Or maybe you experience a stronger gifting because — as Paul says...

1 Corinthians 14:18 (ESV)

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

Maybe you just step out and practice using your gift more than others? Something I find interesting is how we all know that someone with the gift of teaching will grow in their gift if they practice using it. Meaning, the sermons I preach today are way better than the first few sermons I preached. You have no idea how blessed you are to not have been around in those early years of my preaching. And — if this is true for one gift of the Spirit — that I’ve grown in my preaching gift — that a spiritual gift has been developed — why would we assume that other gifts don’t also have the same kind of growth potential?

So you prayed for someone and they weren’t healed. If you have the gifts of healing — keep praying for people to be healed. If you have the gift — eventually — people will be healed. If you have the gift of evangelism — keep sharing the gospel even if you’re batting average is pretty terrible right now. I believe that one day more people will believe in Jesus if you keep practicing your gift. And one day — by the grace of God — you may even be the next Billy Graham.

Because — ultimately...

1 Corinthians 12:11 (ESV)

11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Ultimately — not only the gifts we’re given — but the portion of the gift is given to us by the Spirit of God. And — if we recall the first hour of our time together — where I laid out the case for the continuity between the Old and New Testament — the question left before us is this:

If we see that there’s more continuity than discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments why would we not expect to see more continuity than discontinuity between the New Testament and following Jesus today?

Yet — it seems as if we’re living in an age of discontinuity — at least when I read the New Testament. Yet — if God is unchanging — and if our covenant theology is correct — then I long to see us step towards being a people whose Christian lives are growing towards having more continuity with the lives of the Christians we read about in the Bible. How do we do that? By being people who live under the authority of the Word of God and by the power of the Spirit of God.

EQUIP CLASS

Now — before we get to your questions — know that I’ll be leading a five week long equip class — starting on September 18th — and this class will be a follow up to what we’ve learned today — specifically focusing on practicing some of the gifts of the Spirit that we’ve been neglecting. So the class isn’t going to be a theological debate club arguing whether or not the gifts are for today — and it’s not going to be a time solely for instruction on the gifts either — the gifts of the Spirit are meant to be practiced and used — so that’s what the equip class will be for. You’ll need a copy of the book Understanding the Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide by Sam Storms if you’re going to be part of the class. Registration should still be open on our website — but be sure to sign up before you leave.

Mondays 7-8:30pm (9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/16, 10/23)

Understanding the Spiritual Gifts: A Comprehensive Guide by Sam Storms

QUESTIONS

Now let’s do a Q&A.

BENEDICTION

May we all go with a stronger commitment to be people who live under the authority of the Word of God and empowered by the Spirit of God.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

RESOURCES

On the Bible

The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible by B.B. Warfield

The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures by D.A. Carson

Why Trust the Bible? by Greg Gilbert

The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce

A Peculiar Glory: How the Christian Scriptures Reveal Their Complete Truthfulness by John Piper

Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture by John Piper

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart

Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation by Graeme Goldsworthy

Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

On the Holy Spirit and His Gifts

Are Miraculous Gifts for Today: 4 Views by Gundry

Continuationist View

Understanding the Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms

Practicing the Power: Welcoming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit In Your Life by Sam Storms

The Language of Heaven: Critical Questions About Speaking in Tongues by Sam Storms

The Beginner’s Guide to the Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms

God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon Fee

Who on earth is the Holy Spirit? by Tim Chester and Christopher de la Hoyde

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan

Growing in the Prophetic by Mike Bickle

The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today by Wayne Grudem

Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit by Jack Deere

Surprised by the Voice of God by Jack Deere

Power Evangelism by John Wimber

Cessationist View

Charismatic Chaos by John MacArthur

Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship by John MacArthur

The Charismatic Gift of Prophecy by Kenneth Gentry