Practical Lessons

Spiritual Empowerment

18 Mar 18

and .

The last several weeks we’ve been talking about spiritual gifts. The purpose of spiritual gifts fits into our vision - to help people reach their full potential in Christ: physically, spiritually, emotionally. The purpose of Spiritual gifts is to empower the church to build the church, to serve others, to set the captives free and to glorify God. And, the purpose of Spiritual gifts is God empowering His people to do things they could not otherwise do.

Keep in mind that most often, the word for spiritual gift in Scripture comes from the Greek word charis, which is in English is – grace. And grace is what? Undeserved favor. Spiritual graces or gifts are undeserved. God distributes as He determines.

This morning, we’re going to look at two practical examples in Scripture concerning spiritual gifts. Then we’ll take a break for Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday – and after that Alger and Gloria will be sharing what they’ve learned about gifts of the Spirit.

I’m using OT examples this morning to show that as I said last week, spiritual gifts are not a NT thing – it’s a Bible thing.

The first example comes from . Moses had already led Israel out of Egypt; they are now encamped around Mt. Sinai; they’re about to build the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the altar and all the other furnishings.

Exodus 31:1–6 LEB

And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze, and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of craftsmanship. And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all the skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you—

Exodus 31:1–6 LEB

And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze, and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of craftsmanship. And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all the skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you—

So, God says to Moses, “I’ve empowered you to lead Israel. You’re doing a fine job – but you can’t do everything, so I’ve empowered a couple of other guys to help build the tabernacle.” If I’m correct (IDK), this is the first time someone other than Moses or Aaron is filled with God’s Spirit to accomplish a task.

And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze, and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of craftsmanship (founders of Craftsman Warehouse). And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all the skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you—

So, God says to Moses, “I’ve empowered you to lead Israel. You’re doing a fine job – but you can’t do everything, so I’ve empowered a couple of other guys to help build the tabernacle.” If I’m correct (IDK), this is the first time someone other than Moses or Aaron is filled with God’s Spirit to accomplish a task.

Note that in verse 2 and then in verse 6, God says, “I have called by name Bezalel and Oholiab. Israel is about a million strong at this point - and yet, God takes notice of two men. And He sends a personal invitation to accomplish a personal but immense task.

Even though God’s spirit is given to all who receive Him, and even though all believers are endowed with Spiritual gifts, we would do well to take note that

1. Spiritual gifts are personal.

This is not some generic conveyor belt delivery system - you just stand there and whatever comes next is what you get. This is not a buffet - pick and choose what you want. No - spiritual gifts are handpicked – personally selected by God and given to His children as He determines. Spiritual gifts are personal.

Q - How does knowing spiritual gifts are personal change your understanding of gifts? Of your Heavenly Father? How might this create a deeper sense of anticipation in discovering what gift He has for you?

Something else to consider - in verse 3 God says, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and skill and knowledge and craftsmanship ….” That’s a lot of stuff to be filled with. Now, this is not in the passage, but I think it’s a good question nonetheless –

Q - is there room in your life for the Spirit to fill you and me?

What was Bezalel filled with? God’s Spirit – nice Sunday school answer. Go a little deeper. What was he specifically filled with? Wisdom, skill etc. He was filled with what he needed to do the job – nothing more, nothing less.

So that tells me that

2. Spiritual gifts can be practical.

God didn’t make him a doctor. If He did, he could say, “Dang it, Moses, I’m a doctor - not a tentmaker!” God gave them what would be practical or applicable to accomplishing the mission.

Now, we don’t know when these men were filled with the Spirit. But we do know this -

a) They were filled when they needed to be filled.

Not before; not after - but just right. Practical.

Here’s another thought – it is possible that while these men were in Egypt, they developed a certain degree of skills in craftsmanship. It’s quite possible they already knew how to cut stone and wood and work with metals. Which means it was possible that their spiritual gifting could be mistaken by some as super duper natural awesome dude skills. These guys are just super talented.

I mention that because it’s important to understand that

Sometimes God enhances or supercharges what we already have.

For example, maybe their natural or developed abilities took them to a skill level 5 - but God’s Spirit took them to a skill level 10. Whether it’s something new that you’ve never done before or an enhancement - it’s still a spiritual gift.

Last thought on this -

3. Spiritual gifts do not always appear as superpowers.

What were these guys to do? Build a tent. Spiritual gifts do not make us look like Superman or Wonder Woman. Not everything supernatural looks super natural. So, don’t make spiritual gifts more than they are, but also don’t de-spiritualize either. Do not undervalue God’s gift - especially if it doesn’t make you turn green.

Whether you know your spiritual gift or not - give credit where credit is due – always give thanks for what God is doing in you and through you. Even natural skills and talents are gifts from God. It’s all grace – give God glory regardless.

So, God empowered these men to do something nice - build the tabernacle. And they were able to enjoy the fruit of their labor and see the finished product. But it’s not always like that in God’s service.

Let’s look at .

Short background – Jeremiah, at the time of his calling, is believed to be between 12 and 16-years-old. Maybe as much as 20 - but most likely his early teens. His father was a priest, so Jeremiah is familiar with all the priestly duties and probably was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps when he came of age.

Jeremiah 1:1–2 LEB

The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, among the priests who were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, among the priests who were in Anathoth (3 miles N of Jerusalem), in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of Yahweh came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, the king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

Jeremiah 1:4 LEB

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Jeremiah 1:4–5 LEB

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came out from the womb I consecrated you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

So, here’s this young man – 12, 13, 14 – whatever – and Yahweh calls to him. When we read the words, “And the Word of Yahweh or the LORD came,” in Hebrew this typically implies communication or an event that has a real experience attached to it - might be audible, visual or physical or any combination. Not just a little voice in the head. It’s bigger than that.

Some of you asked me how I knew to invite Aiden to help with communion and then prophesy over him. The best way to describe it is I had an intense reality of that’s what I needed to do. I think that’s kind of what this is.

Now, imagine being Jeremiah – minding your own business – doing what boys do – burning ants with a magnifying glass and suddenly, out of nowhere God calls you to be a prophet. And Not just a prophet to a few towns or even all of Israel - but a prophet to the nations. That means talking to kings and dignitaries and VIPs. This is way bigger than Jeremiah. That’s what God does with His chosen ones - calls them to a mission where they can’t do it apart from Him.

Jeremiah responded like most of us would - and like many heroes of the Bible…

Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Look, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth.”

Jeremiah 1:6 LEB

Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Look, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth.”

What’s Jeremiah saying? “I’m not smart enough. I’m not good enough and gosh darn it, nobody likes me.” “I’m too young - not qualified - don’t have the right credentials. I can’t go speak to kings and national leaders. I can’t do what you are asking me to.”

How does God’s respond? I’ve said this before - “DUH!” Of course, we can’t do what God calls us to do - because of that we convince ourselves it’s an impractical and impossible task. But here’s the truth -

4. Spiritual gifts are not about human limitations or qualifications.

Being empowered by God’s spirit to heal, perform miracles, to prophesy etc. is not necessarily about experience or age or qualifications in the way that we Westerners think. It’s about God’s calling and His empowerment of the individual whom He determines is qualified. And God’s qualifications most often have more to do with humility, a right heart, good character and obedience than anything else.

Jeremiah thinks he’s unqualified, but God says -

Jeremiah 1:7–8 LEB

But Yahweh said to me, “You must not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for to whomever I send you, you will go, and whatever I command you, you will speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares Yahweh.

God is saying, “Jeremiah, you’re doubting. a) Do not let doubt take root.” Perhaps this is the number one hindrance to spiritual power - doubt - doubting self (I can’t do this) and more severely, doubting God (He can’t do this). We must constantly remind ourselves and others that what is impossible with man is possible with God.

God is saying, “Jeremiah, you’re doubting.

a) Do not let doubt take root.

Perhaps this is the number one hindrance to spiritual power - doubt - doubting self (I can’t do this) and more severely, doubting God (He can’t do this). We must constantly remind ourselves and others that what is impossible with man is possible with God.

Why should we not doubt? Because when God empowers us with His Spirit, it means He’s with us. And if He’s with us, we’re in partnership. Remember from last week,

b) The Purposes of Spiritual Gifts are to be God’s teammate.

That’s what God is telling Jeremiah - “Don’t be afraid, we’re partners in this.” When God said, “You will go wherever I send you …,” it’s not so much a strict command - “Boy, you will do what I say!” Rather, it’s a “We’ve got this. We’re in this together!” Yahweh declared this - who is Yahweh? Only the Sovereign Almighty God of the universe. No big deal.

Then to seal the deal,

Jeremiah 1:9–10 LEB

Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and he touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I appoint you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, and to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant.”

That’s a lot of power for a 12-year-old!

That’s a lot of authority! For such job as this, you’d think God would make him like Superman. “Faster than a speeding stone, more powerful than a camel, able to leap tall tents in a single bound.” You would think Jeremiah would need some amazing super powers for this - but what does God do? Touched his mouth. Why not his head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes? His head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes didn’t need touched.

For such job as this, you’d think God would make him like Superman. “Faster than a speeding stone, more powerful than a camel, able to leap tall tents in a single bound.” You would think Jeremiah would need some amazing super powers for this - but what does God do? Touched his mouth. Why not his head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes? His head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes didn’t need touched.

See,

c) God empowers what needs empowered to accomplish His will.