Untitled Sermon

So, we’ve had a few weeks since we met the last time and if you remember you all completed the Spiritual Gift Inventory and we started speaking just a little bit about the Spiritual Gifts.

And tonight we are going to follow up with going a little bit deeper into the Spiritual Gifts.

Tonight we are not going to explore each gift so much as talk about some aspects of activating your Spiritual Gifts.

And to start off, and be completely honest, who has even given the lesson from a few weeks ago another thought since we left?

Do you want to know why you really didn’t think about it so much after we left?

Luke 8:4–8 NLT

One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Luke 8:11–15 NLT

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

Also....

James 1:22–25 NLT

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

It really boils down to this, and it doesn’t matter if you are a youth, young adult, or an old adult, it all comes down to a few things:

You couldn’t hear and/or understand the lesson because the enemy stole it from you-How? (Distraction during the lesson, trying to look cool, etc..)

You heard it and thought it was a good idea but whenever something tempts you and pulls you away, you forget it-How?

You heard it and received it but all the distractions and cares of the world drown it out-What are some of these?

Finally, you just don’t follow God’s Word or Will. It’s not important to you so it goes in one ear and out the other.

And full transparency, at different times in my life I have probably done every single one of these and will probably at some point will repeat the same mistakes.

The point tonight is not to shame us for not walking in our gifts, but rather to help us explore some of the reasons we do not walk in our gifts.

First, just as a recap, what are the purposes of the Spiritual Gifts?