The Holy Spirit Sent

What does true unity look like?

The Super Bowl is next week.

Suppose a reporter gets into the locker room before the game, and asks Tom Brady if the team is prepared, if they are united.

Suppose, Tom Brady said, “We’ve never been more united before. We’ve been practicing hard all week. And to show our unity, the entire team is going to play quarterback this week.”

Then pretend they did that.

There’d be no one to kick the ball.

There’d be no one to hike the ball.

There’d be no one to catch the ball.

There’d be no one to defend the other team.

Because they’re all quarterbacks.

That kind of unity would fail.

It would be a disaster.

Unity doesn’t mean everyone plays the same position and does the same thing.

Sometimes when we talk about unity in the church, we talk like that terrible football analogy.

We talk about unity and say that we all need to be doing the same thing in the exact same way.

We act as if we want to field an entire team of quarterbacks.

When if you think about it, there’s no way that would work.

We are continuing in talking about what God is doing with the church.

And how God is building the church.

And how God is equipping the church.

And if you are a part of the church, then this sermon is for you.

One brief word of caution.

Throughout these sermons, I’m going to say things and say words that we don’t talk about much, or enough.

I will say words like spiritual gifts, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Some you might cringe when I say these words.

The reason for that is because there is a lot of terrible teaching on the Holy Spirit and on the gifts.

In fact, some of you instantly have nightmares of Benny Hinn, or some crazy shenanigan that you’ve seen on TBN.

Don’t let false teaching about the Holy Spirit rob you from the joy of truth and the promises of God.

Don’t let these false teachers stop you from thinking about them properly.

If anything, I’d like to take these doctrines back.

Among many in reformed circles, rather than teach correct doctrine about the Holy Spirit and the gifts; instead they hide from them because the don’t want to be associated with the craziness of the charismatic movement.

When that happens a vacuum is created and the false teachings fill the void.

When that happens, all we do is allow false teaching to multiply.

We don’t do that with anything else.

For example, there is bad teaching about Jesus out there.

Mormons say that He is the brother of Lucifer and a created being.

Their false teaching doesn’t silence us.

Instead, we proclaim Jesus as eternal, uncreated, distinct from the Angels, and part of the blessed Trinity.

So if you get uncomfortable about this … don’t.

Let’s start taking back good doctrine and frankly, these blessings.

Let’s open our Bibles to

Before I read this let me tell you a little bit about the Corinthian church.

They were a strange church.

I don’t think they could be classified as a healthy church.

They had people who lived more like the unsaved.

They had a man who was having an affair with his stepmom and they were proud of it.

Communion was chaotic.

The service was chaotic with everyone shouting over each other.

And then there were the spiritual gifts.

They were competing with each other.

They would rank the spiritual gifts and think that they were better than each other.

And it’s coming out of these things that Paul then says these words.

Read .

“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.”

Our first point is that there are a variety of gifts.

The Football team is in the locker room.

And they are arguing with each other saying how each position is better than the other position.

You’ve got the quarterbacks arguing that the whole team should become quarterbacks.

You’ve got all the kickers trying to persuade the whole team to become kickers - I guess that’d be called a soccer team.

You have the offensive line arguing among themselves saying that everyone should become a center.

Then the coach comes in yells at the team, “Knock it off! You all can’t be quarterbacks, linemen or kickers.”

And the same thing applies for the church.

Each Christian is gifted by the Spirit, and we are all gifted differently.

We are not all preachers.

We are not all leaders.

We are not all helpers.

Some gifts are more public and some gifts are more behind the scenes.

A baseball team has 9 players, but not all 9 players can stand on first base and be first basemen.

They have to spread out across the field, and take up different positions and different responsibilities.

And when the Holy Spirit is building the church, He knows this.

And He gifts us differently.

You can’t have a tool box full of phillips screwdrivers.

There’s times you need a flat head.

Times you need a hammer.

Times you need a crowbar because neither of those worked and now you just need to break something.

, “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God is using you for His purpose and for specific purposes.

Some of you are a hammer, others are screwdrivers, some of you are just screwy.

But God has you for a reason, and has gifted you for a purpose.

Now your challenge, is if you are a believer, to find out what that gift it is.

It’s to find out what kind of tool are you in the Lord’s toolbox.

A spiritual gift is not a talent, or ability.

Sometimes they can be similar, there might be overlap.

Playing a guitar is not a spiritual gift.

Singing is not a spiritual gift.

If that were the case then you have atheists who have spiritual gifts.

But a spiritual gift is something uniquely given to you by the Holy Spirit.

Why do I say it’s different?

Because an atheist could be a highly skilled musician but that’s not a spiritual gift.

That’s a talent.

A spiritual gift is tied to conversion.

When you were converted you received the Holy Spirit.

And when you received the Holy Spirit He gifted.

A spiritual gift is something that God gives you for a purpose.

A spiritual gift is something that God gives you for a purpose.

You don’t get to make these up either.

We will learn about some of these in Scripture.

But they are a part of who you are in Christ.

You can’t find out what your good work that God has prepared for you is if you don’t know what your gift is, if you don’t know what kind of tool you are.

The next thing Paul says in verse 5 is that there are varieties of service.

The first point is that there are a variety of gifts, and why are there a variety of gifts, because there are varieties of services.

We are building here.

God has gifted us.

What’s critical for us to understand though is that these are not for our edification, they aren’t directly for us.

What you are gifted in is not for you.

Do you get benefits from it?

Yes.

Let me us myself as an example.

I am blessed by my preaching.

I know that sounds arrogant.

But I am blessed by my time in studying and preaching.

But that’s not why I preach.

I don’t preach so I can study the Bible.

I don’t preach so I can get something out of it.

I preach for you.

I preach to serve you.

These gifts are to be put into action, they are to be used.

And they are to be used to serve others.

In verse 5 when it says varieties of service, that word for service diakonia.

It’s very similar to deacon.

They share the same root word.

Where a deacon is a servant, we are gifted to be servants.

What’s this mean?

We are all servants.

Service is part of being a Christian.

Service is part of salvation.

We are saved to be a servant.

No one can say, “I’m just not a servant.”

Or “I’m not gifted in serving.”

Or, “I just don’t have a servant’s heart.”

We all are to serve.

In fact having a spiritual gift is why we serve.

You have been gifted to serve and to serve others.

If the church is the body of Christ, then our service to one another is a critical component to being that body of Christ on earth.

Therefore, if your gifts are not being used … then the work of Christ on earth is hindered.

I don’t want that charge leveled at me.

Let that sink in for a moment.

If you are not being obedient in using your gift … then you are opposing the work of Christ on earth.

We become a car not firing in all cylinders.

We are stewards of God’s gifts.

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

We have been entrusted with a gift and we are to put it to use.

And if you are not using that gift, then you are a poor manager of God’s gifts.

Let me put this another way, this church needs you to use your gifts.

When a star on a baseball team gets injured, the team suffers.

The Dodgers aren’t nearly as good when Clayton Kershaw is injured.

When he’s not on the mound pitching the team isn’t a unit.

And when you aren’t using your gifts to serve, this team, this body, this church is missing a component.

Notice there are varieties of service.

We don’t all serve the same way.

In fact, even those who share the same spiritual gifts … differ in service or in how they serve.

Paul and Peter both were apostles.

They both preached.

But Paul’s service was different from Peter’s.

Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles.

While Peter was the apostle to the Jews.

Same gift, different service.

Charles Spurgeon and George Whitefield were both very gifted preachers and evangelists.

Charles Spurgeon worked in the context of the church, serving as a pastor.

George Whitefield was more of an evangelist, preaching from town to town.

Same gift, different service.

Let’s think about evangelism.

Here at Southwest we have Gospel to the Valley, and the mall ministry.

Last week, Houston mentioned evangelizing at college campuses, like Mount San Jacinto Community College.

Same gift, different services.

This is good.

We need these varieties of gifts and we need these varieties of services.

I can’t do it all, nor do I want to.

Where are you gifted and where are you serving?

And the cool thing is that we can be creative in how we serve, because there are varieties of service.

Next, we must be filled with the Spirit.

Some of you might be squirming in your chairs hearing that phrase.

Remember, that’s not a word that was invented by the charismatics.

It is found in Scripture and is a good phrase.

Being filled with the Spirit is not what you see on TV.

It doesn’t mean flopping on the ground.

Barking like a dog.

Speaking in tongues.

Or losing control.

In fact, it means quite the opposite.

, “18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”

As opposed to losing control of yourself, or living like your drunk, or living out of control, we are to be filled by the Spirit.

Just to clarify, being filled with the Holy Spirit is different from being indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

At that moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit is sent from Christ to you, and He enters into you.

Dwells in you.

Permanently, being a seal, a guarantee that you belong to Christ.

Never to leave.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is living by the Spirit.

When you are drunk, that’s not living by the Spirit.

When you are in sin, that’s not living by the Spirit.

A life that lives by the Spirit is:

In constant fellowship with Him.

Is being sanctified.

Is repenting of sin.

Is worshipping.

It’s in communion with God, speaking to Him in prayer.

It is using the gifts of the Spirit.

It demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit.

At that moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit is sent from Christ to you, and He enters into you.

Dwells in you.

Permanently, being a seal, a guarantee that you belong to Christ.

Never to leave.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is living by the Spirit.

When you are drunk, that’s not living by the Spirit.

When you are in sin, that’s not living by the Spirit.

Going back to our text in , it says, “6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

There are many activities, but it is the same God who empowers them.

The word activities and empower share the same root word.

Meaning energy or source of energy and power.

It is God who empowers us, and then that power is demonstrated outward.

I think one of the most cruel devices ever invented was the Christmas tree light.

You string them all up.

You spend the day putting them on your house.

You flip that switch and … half of them work.

What’s happened?

One of the bulbs has gone out.

And because that one bulb is out, the circuit isn’t complete and now only half the lights work.

Even worse, is maybe they’re blinking.

One of the lights in that long string has that infamous red and white one that makes them all blink, but you have no idea where that one bulb is.

What’s going on?

It’s easy, half the lights aren’t connected to power.

And since they aren’t connected to power, they aren’t shining.

Paul told us to shine as lights in the world (), and it’s hard to do that when you aren’t empowered by the Holy Spirit, or filled with the Spirit.

You have a cell phone.

At night you get ready for bed.

Your phone is running out of power.

You reach over, and next to your bed is a cable.

You plug that cable into your phone and it charges.

In the morning when you wake up, it has a full charge.

Your phone won’t charge itself.

It needs to be connected to the power source.

Once it’s fully charged, then you can use it.

That energy gets worked out by displaying images on the screen, and playing sound through a speaker.

When you are connected to your power source, the Holy Spirit, then you demonstrate that connection.

It becomes visible. It’s seen for all to see.

He empowers you.

The Holy Spirit is called the Helper.

You demonstrate it with power.

He dwells in you.

He prepares you for suffering.

He helps you remember biblical truths.

So when you filled with the Spirit, when you are connected to God, who empowers us then that power is demonstrated in varieties of activities.

Activities shares the same root word as empower.

He empowers us to various demonstrations of His power.

It shows.

How does it show?

You know you are filled with the Spirit when you are growing in Christ to maturity.

You know you are filled with the Spirit when you are being sanctified.

You know you are filled with the Spirit when you worship Christ in Spirit and truth.

And specifically here in this text, when you put to use the gifts that God has given you.

If God has gifted you and your not displaying that gift … then something is wrong.

I use to fix peoples computers.

I’d have different people in the church call me up and say something was wrong with their computer.

A lot of people would call me and say their speakers aren’t working.

There’s no sound coming out of the computer.

You can imagine the first thing I’d say on the phone, “Is it plugged in.”

And every time the person would laugh.

It’s as if I was insulting their intelligence.

“Of course it’s plugged in.”

Then I’d drive to their house.

And the first thing I’d do, is look under the desk.

And guess what?

The speakers weren’t plugged in.

There’s no way they will work properly if they aren’t connected to a power source.

And there’s no way you will function rightly if you are not connected to the power source.

This reminds us that your relationship with Christ is important in service.

Your love for Him must be growing.

Your pursuit of Christ must be real.

Don’t be surprised if you are not reading God’s Word if you don’t have a zeal to use your gifts or serve the Lord.

Don’t be surprised if you are not frequently in prayer if you don’t feel connected to the Spirit.

I find, the more I’m in God’s Word, and the more I worship God … the more I desire to be used by God.

There are many people who are frustrated and feel as if they aren’t being used.

I then ask them about their walk with God.

And they say, it’s not great.

You aren’t praying.

You aren’t in God’s Word.

You aren’t worshipping.

What’s the problem?

You aren’t filled with the Spirit.

You are not connected to the power source.

And lastly, each Christian is given the Spirit for the good of others.

Look at verse 7, “7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

That moment you are saved, the Holy Spirit enters into you.

Every Christian has the Holy Spirit.

But not only that, but He gifts us.

He gifts you.

It clearly says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit ...”

Do you believe that?

Do you believe that God has gifted you?

Some suffer from what I call false humility.

They claim to have a low self-esteem.

They think that they are worthless.

And talk as if they cannot be used for anything.

They say, “I’m just not good at anything.”

Dear Christian, when it comes to righteousness, or being sinless, that might be true.

We all have sinned.

We are deserving of Hell.

But if Christ has died for you … then that isn’t true any more.

And additionally, if He has died for you and the Holy Spirit is in you, He has gifted you.

I call this false humility, because it’s not really humility, it’s actually faithlessness.

If you are a believer, and the Spirit is in you, then He has gifted you.

Why don’t you think your gifted when the Word says you are?

Do you doubt His word?

Do you doubt God’s ability to gift you?

Do you doubt that you are useable?

Do you doubt that God can use you?

That’s faithlessness.

All I can say is enough that.

Trust God Word.

Believe God’s Word.

God has gifted every believer.

But God hasn’t gifted you for yourself.

He has gifted you for the common good.

I like riding bikes.

On the wheel of a bike are spokes.

They are those little metal rods that go from the hub to the tire.

If one of those little metal rods, the spoke, gets kinked, then the wheel loses it’s shape.

The wheel whobbles.

It’s a rougher ride.

The wheel can hit the brake pad and slow you down.

In order for a bicycle wheel to work properly, it’s all those spokes working together.

They each support one another.

It’s funny how when it comes to people though many times we lose sight of all this.

It ends up helping the church and helping one another.

The Christian becomes very self-centered.

We think the gifts are for us.

I think the gifts are for me.

Therefore, allowing the body of Christ on church to be empowered and work even more boldy.

They make me better.

But they aren’t for me.

I preach.

I don’t preach for me.

God didn’t make me a preacher so I would think highly of myself.

He made me a preacher to take care of His sheep.

And when I’m doing my job rightly of then you are being equipped to what? Take care of the sheep as well.

, “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

That is the common good.

I am here so you will work and build up the body of Christ.

And the same for you.

Whatever God has gifted you in, is for His sheep.

So when you are serving, it is allowing other Christians to function better as Christians.

Those statements always make me wonder why they were even at that church.

So let’s put this all together.

If you have been saved by Christ, you have the Holy Spirit.

And if you have the Holy Spirit you have been gifted.

Do you know what your gift or gifts are?

It’d be helpful to find out.

It’d be good to know if you are a phillips screw driver, a flat head screw driver, or a crowbar.

There are varieties of service, where are you serving?

If I were to ask you what your place in Southwest is, can you tell me?

What is your connection to the Spirit?

Are filled with the Spirit, or are you de-energized, a drained battery?

What is your place in Southwest?

Think about that.

What is the work that God has prepared for you.

And if you sit there and you think, “Oh I don’t know.”

Don’t get sad and think I need to find another church.

Instead, think through how God has gifted you, and put it to work.

I’m pretty excited about what the Lord is doing, and how He is going to use these messages.

It’s as if we have a spot of land.

The ground has been prepared.

The soil has been laid.

And now we are planting rose bushes and flowers.

God has brought together a beautiful body that we call Southwest Christian Church.

Now He’s giving it shape, gifting it, and preparing it for some wonderful good works.

You’re a part of that.

He’s using you to plant this garden.

Go to work.

Be filled with the Spirit and serve God.