Sermon Tone Analysis

The Grace of The Holy Spirit

I Corinthians 12:1-31

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

I Corinthians 12:7

We have been working through our fall series based on The Seed’s Mission statement: “Know God’s Love, Grow in Christ’s Grace, Go in The Power of The Holy Spirit and Sow Seeds of Faith.”

“Know, Grow, Go and Sow!”

These are powerful action words!

Have you taken the FREE Spiritual Gifts test on our church’s website?

I encourage you take this test.

It will take less than fifteen minutes and will help you figure out the gifts that God has given you.

It lists your top three, plus gives you your score for every gift listed.

It is my prayer that as your pastor you will Go in the Power of the Holy Spirit, using your gifts to sow seeds of faith in your home, neighborhood, workplace and world.

Last week, we looked at the opening of 1 Corinthians 12, we heard that the gifts we are given are gifts of grace.

These gifts of grace are given to us by God, the Father, God, the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

As Paul tells us, there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit who gives them.

Today we come back to our passage in I Corinthians 12.

Before we do, I read an interesting illustration that might help us as we look at our passage today.

In their book The Ascent of a Leader (1999), Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and Ken McElrath tell of a woman who has a dream in which she wanders into a shop at the mall and finds Jesus behind a counter.

Jesus says, “You can have anything your heart desires.”

Astounded but pleased, the woman asks for peace, joy, happiness, wisdom and freedom from fear.

Then she adds, “Not just for me, but for the whole earth.”

Jesus smiles and says, “I think you misunderstand me.

We don’t sell fruits, only seeds.”[i]

Maybe a way to look at our passage today is to consider the gifts of grace, that we call Spiritual Gifts, as seeds needed to transform the world with peace, joy, happiness, wisdom and freedom from fear through the church which is called the body of Christ.

Let us come to the throne of all grace in a time of prayer.

“God of grace, peace, joy and wisdom, we come to today to hear Your Word.

We come individually and corporately.

May we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us.

Amen

I Corinthians 12:1-31

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.

So it is with Christ.

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?

If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!”

And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.

And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment.

But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

29 Are all apostles?

Are all prophets?

Are all teachers?

Do all work miracles?

30 Do all have gifts of healing?

Do all speak in tongues?

Do all interpret?

31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

And now I will show you the most excellent way.[ii]

COMMON GOOD

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:7

In verse seven of our Scripture for today, we learn that each one of has been given a manifestation of the Spirit!

The Greek word for “manifestation” is; “φανέρωσις phanerosis” and it literally means “to cause something to be fully known by revealing clearly and in some detail—‘to make known, to make plain, to reveal, to bring to the light, to disclose, revelation.”[iii]

The Holy Spirit has come upon each one us in order to make God’s love, joy, peace, hope, mercy, kindness, faith, and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, known to world.

The Greek word for “given” is a present active verb that tells us that the giving of the gifts by the Spirit is continuous and never ends!

What is even more fascinating than that is that as we break verse seven down, we find a truly amazing word.

This is the word Paul uses for “common good.”

The Greek word is “συμφέρω sumpherō” and is translated, “common good, or to be advantageous,

to be better off, to be someone’s advantage, to be helpful, assist or bring together.”

What I found so interesting is that this is where the word “symphony” comes from.

A symphony is a work consisting of multiple sections or movements of music.

Have you ever been to the symphony?

Isn’t it fascinating to see, and hear all the many instruments working together?

When I was in high school, I played in the marching band, concert band, stage band and orchestra.

We had a concert one night and I decided to skip the concert to attend a wrestling meet at a near by high school.

I wasn’t wrestling that night, but I wanted to watch the event.

The next morning my music teacher called me into his office.

He asked me where I was instead of being at the concert.

I had let the orchestra and concert band down.

The Band Director asked me to choose between music and sports.

I said I wanted to play sports but that I also loved music.

He released me from all the music programs.

I didn’t realize that by not showing up for the concert that my part of the symphony would be missing.

I was their drummer.

I contributed an important part to the orchestra and the concert band.

Looking back, I can see that God had given me my drumming skills to share them with the band.

I didn’t realize then that God had given me my gift so that I would share them with others for the common good.

The same is true for the church.

God has given each of us gifts.

They aren’t just for ourselves.

Our gifts are given to us so that we can bless the body of Christ—the church.

God wants to create a symphony in the SEED!

I encourage you to take a few minutes this week.

See what your gifts are and how the Holy Spirit has manifested Himself within you for the common good!