Gifts of the Spirit

Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Burlington 2-18-24

Scripture: John 15:26-27, Isaiah 11:1-5, John 17:20-23, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 12:3-8, Galatians 6:3, Proverbs 6:16-19, John 13:34-35, 2 Timothy 1:6-8, James 1:5-6, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 14:12, I Peter 4:10, Ephesians 4:11-13.

(SLIDE) We have a couple more weeks in this initial series of sermons about What We Believe as the Church of God to give us a foundation in understanding so that we can share the Gospel with knowledge. With wisdom, empathy, compassion, and respect as Christ has commanded us to do. Back at the end of November we had a conversation, a 30,000-foot view of the Holy Spirit. We might be dropping down to 10,000 feet today to dig a little deeper. Working in scripture from Genesis through Revelation there are gifts of the Spirit spread throughout. There is not one exhaustive list in a single specific passage. So, let’s start here as a reminder from our earlier discussion.

In the gospels Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as our comforter or helper in four places in John. John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26 and John 16:7. (SLIDE) John 15:26-27 26 “But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

(SLIDE) The word translated as comforter, helper, advocate here from the Greek is paraklétos (par-ak'-lay-tos)which combines pará, "from close-beside" and kaléō, "make a call") – together parakletos means a legal advocate who makes the right judgment-call because they are close enough to the circumstances. The Holy Spirit is intimately involved in our situation because we confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and savior with our mouth and believed in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, right? The Holy Spirit then resides within us as we walk in obedience.

So, the word paráklētos ("advocate, advisor-helper") is a term at the time in the 1st century when Jesus is using that word, of an attorney, a lawyer who is giving evidence on your behalf that stands up in court, so the judge rules in your favor. Praise God. I don’t know about you, but I need someone in my corner, fighting on my behalf. Every day.

(SLIDE) In November we talked about the Hebrew word ruach which is God’s personal presence, the breath in our lungs (life), wind, mind, and spirit. It is the ruach that imparts the divine image of God into us. Just a reminder Hebrew is a gendered language. Every word either male or female and ruach, The Spirit of God, is a feminine characteristic. He created them equally, both male and female. I’m not stretching what God’s word means when I say that anyone suggesting women are lesser than men are offending the Holy Spirit because we are all made in their image. (SLIDE) The image of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Equally. Amen?

Let’s look at Isaiah to start digging a little deeper into the gifts of the Spirit. I’m using the Living Translation here because it’s a little clearer. (SLIDE) Isaiah 11:1-5 (LVG) The royal line of David will be cut off, chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot—yes, a new Branch from the old root. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight will be obedience to the Lord. He will not judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay, 4 but will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked who oppress them. 5 For he will be clothed with fairness and with truth.

The Greek and Hebrew versions of this differ slightly in that the Masoretic text only mentions fear of the Lord once, but in the Septuagint, the earliest Greek text the first mention of fear of the Lord at the end of verse 2 is translated a spirit of godliness. We can say for example, that the fear of the Lord is a Spirit of godliness. Fear of the Lord is not like being afraid of the dark or getting scared watching a movie. Fear of the Lord is a respect and reverence for who God is, what He’s created, for His Word, and what He’s done for us. Oh Lord, Oh Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.

These opening verses in Isaiah 11 are prophecy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In our discussion on unity in the church we read from the testimony of the disciple Jesus loved (SLIDE) John 17:20-23 20“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

The glory that you have given me I have given to them. (SLIDE) In Isaiah we have seven gifts of the Spirit that were fully evident in Christ, that He has then passed to us through the Holy Spirit. Those are Wisdom, Knowledge, Counsel, Understanding, Piety or Reverence, Fear of the Lord, or as I’m going to list it, Godliness and Fortitude. The gifts of the Spirit are evident throughout scripture so let’s jump from Isaiah to Paul’s writing in the New Testament beginning with 1 Corinthians.

(SLIDE) 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Now concerning spiritual gifts brothers (and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Let’s pause here for a second. All of us came to the Lord at some point in our lives when we, what must I do to be saved? Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. So, after that confession of faith, and as part of what we believe we become baptized as new believers in Christ, then the Holy Spirit comes upon us, dwells within us. There should be a clear difference in our behavior, in the words that come out of our mouths. Yes? For some that becomes more evident than others. Others it takes longer, and depending on our walk, may be evident some days and not other days. It is not possible, for the Holy Spirit within us to curse God or deny Jesus Christ. No one can say Jesus Christ is Lord unless the Holy Spirit is within them. Let’s continue.

(SLIDE) 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Nothing too complicated here, right? There are many gifts, many types of service to the Lord our God and His kingdom as servants of the Most High. Lots of different activities according to what He desires to be accomplished but it is God who empowers us as individuals and as a group, a congregation, a family of believers to accomplish His will for the good of all. The common good. Not for personal gain but for what the Lord our God desires in our families and community. Amen? Now some specific gifts listed by Paul.

(SLIDE) 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. An impressive list, but note verse 11. (SLIDE) 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

On our chart: Wisdom, knowledge, discernment, (something all of us can use a little more of those three probably). Healing, faith, miracles, prophecy, and tongues, both speaking in tongues and the interpreting of speaking in tongues, but that can also be translated as languages. Certainly, there are individuals all over the world that God has blessed with the ability to speak in many languages, not just the spiritual speaking in tongues.

On our chart, some of these characteristics line up directly, or are used in combination. To give counsel to someone there must be a level of discernment, and when you walk in understanding of what someone else is going through, that’s very healing for them. Reverence for the Lord comes through faith, yes. And then there we have other gifts. There are varieties of gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. (SLIDE). Paul overemphasizes that fact three times if we look back again at the scripture If you were comparing these two time periods between Isaiah and 1st Corinthians. Remember that in the Hebrew Bible during that span of history, the Spirit of God, The Holy Spirit came upon specific individuals at times to fulfill God’s purposes. (SLIDE) Now, after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit is available to all believers in Christ, there is simply an expansion of what the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to and described for us.

(SLIDE) 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. Now if you want to ask why there are different gifts between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, because God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That’s ok. A simple explanation is that within Jesus Christ, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He is both the fullness of God and a man. You and I are not fully God, and never will be, and so we need a little more help from the Holy Spirit in how and what gifts are available moving through us to serve Him. Does that make sense? We also, in understanding that God is omnipotent and omnipresent, He knows everything and is everywhere, that He will distribute gifts of the Spirit as are necessary to fulfill His plans and purposes. Okay?

Let’s pull in a third scripture section from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. Beginning with just the short verse from (SLIDE) Ephesians 2:8 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. None of us are saved because we’ve built up this resume of good things, or nice things we’ve done in life. No matter how innocent and well behaved we’ve been. There is still some part of the law that we’ve failed to uphold. In the Greek the word translated as gracehere is charis (khar'-ece). And surprise, surprise, surprise. It’s a feminine noun meaning a gift or blessing, kindness, thankfulness that is directly related to the Hebrew word chen (khane) which is a masculine noun. What did Genesis say. Male and female He created them both in our image.

In your bible in Romans 12 you probably have a heading that says Gifts of Grace. (SLIDE) Romans 12:3-8 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Wow. That’s very specific and something some of us struggle with. I certainly have at times thought that I was smarter or had all the answers. I didn’t. In fact, in some of the daily devotionals I read each day, more than one because of the responsibility I feel in standing up here every Sunday, I came across this New Living Translation from Paul.

(SLIDE) If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. — Galatians 6:3 NLT

(SLIDE) I can also tell you from any of several people I know, and have taught or counseled, or even just listened to, that even more of us have the opposite problem. We don’t think we’re good enough, and that God must love everyone else more than He loves us. That’s a lie of the enemy. Your heavenly Father loves you with an everlasting love that never ends. How much does He consider you worthy enough to love? This much. So much that He was willing to send His son to this earth to die for you, and I. Back to our scripture in Romans on Spiritual gifts.

(SLIDE) 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. That’s why we have a prayer chain when one of us, or one of our family members is struggling in any way. If we’re having mechanical difficulties we reach this person, need a ride somewhere this person, house repairs someone else and financial struggles, we reach to someone else. We take care of each other.

(SLIDE) 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: Before we even read further there’s a critical thought for all of us. Age might have some influence on our physical capabilities, but the Lord our God has given everyone in this room, and everyone watching online, gifts. Skills. Talents. But are those talents, skills or gifts being used in building up the Kingdom of God and serving each other on this earth. Do you know what your gifts are? And how are you using them? (SLIDE) 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.

I went through several translations besides this English Standard, which is the bible sitting in our pews. The Living, The Message, The NIV, and I really like the way it reads in the New Living Translation. (SLIDE) Romans 12:6-9 NLT 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

That last verse bears repeating again, because it is part of the definition of how the gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be used, right? 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.You’ll remember last week I told you that what really breaks my heart, is how, particularly in this country but all over the world, individuals and organizations twist what the bible says to then hurt, condemn, harm or isolate other children of God. We had multiple shootings again this past week, even last Sunday at Joel Osteen’s church while we were meeting here. Hating what is wrong does not mean taking God’s judgment into our own hands. It means hating sin, as all sin is evil.

Paul uses the Greek term apostygountes, (ap-os-toog-eh'-o) translated to "hate" or "abhor" to be completely revulsed towards something. That same term for abhor or hate in the Hebrew is toebah (to-ay-baw) which is used in Proverbs 6:16–19 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. None of these hated things are people; all of them are sin. Things that keep us from the Lord and the Holy Spirit.

(SLIDE) Then we read that we are to hold tightly, to love what is good. How do I know what good is? The Greek word that Paul uses here is agathos (ag-ath-os) and it is very clear in it’s meaning. When we read the word good, it’s describing what comes from God, and how God empowers us in our life through faith to serve Him, and His children. What did Jesus tell us in the testimony of John? (SLIDE) John 13:34-35 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

(SLIDE) So, as we look at this list, this chart of some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, God gives these to us, in proportion to both our need, and our ability to serve each other for the Glory of God to bring others to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Let me say that again. God gives gifts to us by the power of the Holy Spirit, in proportion to both our need, and our ability to serve each other for the Glory of God to bring others to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Don’t confuse the natural talents that God has given you whether you’re good with your hands, you’re creative, you’re sympathetic, or good at listening, or playing an instrument.

Those are talents, that while yes, God created you that way, or with the ability to learn them, you don’t always use them to benefit the Lord. Right. If for instance, you think of fortitude from Isaiah, you may think of mental strength, the ability to overcome difficulties, of being strong, courageous, brave, among other words. Right? Yet everyone of us has heard stories of a child, or a woman, or a man that lifted a car or tractor or some other very heavy weight off another person to save their life. For example (movie clip). (SLIDE)

So yes, that’s the 1978 version of Superman with Christopher Reeve, Margo Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Glen Ford. And I’m not telling you to go try and lift a car in the parking lot after church. What does Paul say in (SLIDE) 2 Timothy 1:6-8 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, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.

We are given gifts of the Holy Spirit, looking at our list again and adding administration from Ephesians 4 as He needs them to be used to build the Kingdom when we are walking according in obedience and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord our God has superpowers at His disposal to move through you. Romans 12:6 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: For His glory, in His time, that others will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Too often, we want to hide from the responsibility that Christ gave us in sharing the gospel, whether it’s with family, friends, co-workers, in our neighborhood, our community or some far distant part of the world. We say, I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough time, I don’t have enough talent. I’m not smart enough, I don’t how to do this. What did the brother of Jesus say? The brother that didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection when Christ first appeared to James. (SLIDE) James 1:5-6 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Every morning when we wake up, and begin, I hope, with gratitude towards our heavenly Father. "Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe, who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things. I thank You, living and enduring King, for You have graciously returned my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness." Those are Jewish prayers, the Birkat Yotser and the Modeh Ani that are just as fitting for us today, are they not?

Father, I don’t know what You have in mind for me today. I know what’s on my agenda, but Lord God, let me put what You desire for me to accomplish first. Let your Holy Spirit move through me in whatever way You need me to serve you Lord God. Let me be an open vessel to serve you, knowing that you will provide everything I need for this day, and for tomorrow as well. For you are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I worship you. In Jesus precious and Holy Name, I pray. Use your heart to speak to Him. Then listen.

Before we go to song, a few very straight forward scriptures. They’re in your bulletin as you pray this week.

I Corinthians 12:7 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 14:12 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

1 Peter 4:10 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Ephesians 4:11-13 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

I believe we’re just beginning here in Burlington, to allow our Heavenly Father by the Power of the Holy Spirit to have His way with all of us in this congregation. From the youngest to the oldest. That together we will equipped for works of service that build unity, hope, grace, mercy and love in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave His life as a sacrifice for all humanity that we might know God the Father intimately, personally, with gratitude and peace in our hearts and minds. Amen?