Faithfully Living in the Household of God - Exercising your Gifts:

Introduction:

As the 1924 Summer Olympics approached, and the schedule of races published. A prominent Scottish sprinter was forced to make a choice. Enter his primary race which was held on Sunday, or abstain from competing and honor the Lord’s Day.

Sprinter Eric Liddell, made the choice to find another way to compete. You can almost see his face as he read the dates for the upcoming Olympics, the frustration and sadness as they clashed with his Christian principals. Liddell a faithful Christian, determined to live a life of full surrender to God. Being born to missionary parents in China, Liddell was instilled with the truth that a life live for God is not a life wasted regardless of the sacrifices it required.

Liddell therefore sought to use the gifts that God gave him to bring glory to God and show the world how a Christian can walk in the world. Liddell would eventually give his life in service to God, choosing to leave behind competition, wealth and fame, for the Chinese mission field, and die in a Japanese internment camp on February 21, 1945 four months before liberation.

The Gifts of the Spirit:

In Paul’s exhortation on being a good servant of Christ Jesus, he encourages Timothy to employ a certain focus as he seeks to serve the church at Ephesus.

Paul says, 1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.”

We do not know what, if anything was going on in Timothy’s life that would cause him to neglect his gifts, or if he had a history of wanting to give up when times get tough. But Paul is concerned about Timothy not giving due attention to his gift. For he says in 2 Timothy 1:6 “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,”

Therefore, it is of enough importance to the Christian life and the health of the church, that Paul equates fanning into flame and exercising the giftedness of the Christian with being a good servant of Christ Jesus. Because it is not enough to devote ourselves to the words of the faith and the good doctrines only.

Instead, for the good words of the faith and the good doctrine to be present in our lives, means actions. Therefore, Paul calls Timothy and us to not neglect the gifts that are in us. Similarly, Liddell, did not neglect the gift of Faith, and his ability to compete, in 1924.

The word that Paul uses here for gifts is charismatos, what charismatos means is “something graciously given.” The intention here is twofold, first it means that the gifts we have are by the grace of God, and should be used according to his will.

Second, it means that we have no place to boast or brag about any gift that we have, nor should we envy the gift of another. For we can trust the Holy Spirit that he provides for us what is fitting for life and godliness.

1 Corinthians 12:11 “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

Now there are two types of gifts to look at.

The Gift of Salvation:

This must be our starting point, because without true Biblical faith in Jesus Christ the other gifts are irrelevant. Because it is only through the indwelling Holy Spirit which takes place when God, in his grace, regenerates us to new life that the other type of gifts become present and relevant.

Ephesians 2:8–9“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That gift, is the unmerited, free grace of God, that is given to us through the merciful work of Jesus Christ. Who in his work, brought about redemption and freedom from enslavement to sin and the impending judgement of God the Father, by taking our place under the wrath of God. This is imputed righteousness given through a substitutionary atonement.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

It is then by the gift of Salvation that the Holy Spirit who is the giver and sustainer of the other gifts, comes to dwell among us.

Joel 2:28–29 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

Of the Holy Spirit, Jesus says,

John 14:16–17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Therefore, the first gift that Timothy must fan into flame is the gift of salvation. For though salvation is a one time event, we are called upon to ensure the faith holds true and grows into maturity.

Philippians 2:12–13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Gifts for the Benefit of the Church:

The second type of gift, are those that benefit the church and seek to advance the gospel in the lives of fellow believers and throughout the world. This is the primary focus of Paul in our passage this morning.

Paul says that the gift Timothy has, was given to him by or through prophecy and by the laying on of the elders hands. Paul’s meaning here is not that someone prophesied and by speaking words Timothy was given special gifts. Instead, Paul means that the Holy Spirit made it clear to those in the church how Timothy was gifted and the direction that he should go in walking as a servant in the household of God.

(This is how Pastors should be brought up.)

And the laying on of the hands should be understood as the elders of the church by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, setting Timothy aside for a specific service, namely that of an elder. This would be equivalent to an ordination service, where the leaders of the church come around a man to commission him for pastoral service.

Therefore, Timothy is told that he must not neglect the special inward endowment which has qualified him to be a preacher and teacher of the word of God.

Just as Timothy was given gifts to serve in the Household of God, other Christians are given gifts for the same purpose, and they like Timothy must fan them into flame and ensure they do not neglect them.

Now there are a variety of gifts, and my purpose is not to go through all the possible of gifts, nor do I want to imply that there are only a few. For I believe that Holy Spirit equips Christians in specific locations to met the needs of their local church.

With that here is the Bibles general teaching on the gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:8–10“For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 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.”

1 Corinthians 12:28 “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.”

Romans 12:6–8“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 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.”

Ephesians 4:11 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,”

These passages do not encompass all possible gifts or combination of gifts. But this gives us a general idea of the gifts and it shows us one primary point, that co-insides with what Paul is teaching in our main passage.

The gifts of the spirit are for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. Timothy is told by Paul in verse 16 that he is to keep a close watch on himself and his teaching, because it affects the rest of the church. The gifts are not yours to keep to yourself.

1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

“To neglect a gift is carelessly to keep it unemployed through slothfulness, so that, having contracted rust, it is worn away without yielding any profit. Let each of us, therefore, consider what gift he possesses, that he may diligently apply it to use.” John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon

Exercising Your Gifts:

Paul’s point to Timothy, is he must employ his gifts for the benefit and building up of the Household of God, for to do otherwise is carelessness and slothfulness, and disrespects the Holy Spirit.

We have the great privilege by the grace of God, to have gifts and then to use them for his glory and the good of the church. And these gifts shift and mature over time as our lives shift and mature. For the gifts that you employ in your teens are going to be different than in your 20’s. And your gifts are going to look different in your 70’s, 80’s and 90’s than they did in your early days.

But just because they shift does not mean you are, or you become irrelevant in the church, as long as you have breath in your lungs and are willing to follow the Lord he will use your life for the good of His household.

Ministry focus Gifts - Pastor, Missionary, Evangelist:

There are specific gifts, such as those given to Timothy that are meant for formal ministry role, such as Pastors, Missionaries, evangelist, teachers, prophets. That is what we see in Ephesians 4:11. Scripture gives us this idea that many of those who have these gifts are set aside to be employed in the office or role specific to their calling.

If you are going to pursue such a role, you need to understand the task is to great, the amount of work to monuments to not take it serious. And that is Paul’s point Timothy needs to ensure he is fulfilling his calling, not neglecting his gifts, because his activity can harm or help prosper the church.

The false teachers brought significant harm to the household of God, and the faithful preacher must never bring harm, rather he must by his character show the way forward.

Christian life Gifts:

There are gifts for the Christian life. We need to understand that as Christians, we are not an island to ourselves. Instead, we have been adopted into a community of believers, for the purpose of our growth and the growth of others.

2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,”

The gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit, are given so that we may live life according to the will of God the Father, for the building up of the household of God, where we exist as servants of Jesus Christ.

God has brought us together as the household of God, so that we could build up, encourage, love, grow in maturity, care for, and walk with each other. That requires us to exercises the gifts that given to us.

It means that everything our families need to thrive in faithfulness are already given. So fathers, you have in Christ, everything needed to lead your family in faithful worship and devotion to God. It doesn’t mean you have everything in yourself, but you have access to it in the church.

You need help raising teenagers, there are lots of people here who have already done that, and we have the word of God to provide guidance and clarity to the task. Plus when its hard and you feel like you are failing with your kids, there are people who care, and can help you carry that burden.

Moms, when you feel all alone and your kids are driving you crazy. There are countless others who are in the same place as you, a phone call or text away. And maybe for a Rhode Islander they live all the way over there, but God in his grace and mercy he has given us to each other. So that we can take the gifts and bless one another with them.

To exercises our gifts does not require some grand and formal event. Rather it is in the daily grind that the power of these gifts become evident. Therefore, don’t hide yourself away, but allow people to see your progress in the faith, let people watch you handle difficult situation and either win or fail, don’t hide yourself, for God has brought us together for mutual benefit.

Therefore, do not neglect the gifts, but exercise them faithfully to the glory of the King and the building up of his household.

Prayer:

Lords Supper:

Song:

Benediction: