Born for such a time as this - Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit. Part 6

Esther 4:14 NIV

14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Daniel 1:8 NIV

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Esther

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit is all of these nine characteristics and should be evident in the life of a believer.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit is all of these nine characteristics and should be evident in the life of a believer.

The Fruit of the Spirit is, Love (agape), Joy (chara), Peace (eirene), Patience (makrothymia), Kindness (chrestotes), Goodness (agathosyne), Faithfulness (pistis), Gentleness (prautes) and Self-control (enkrateia).

As believers there is a lot of emphasis on the Gifts of the Spirit, and yes, they are really important!

But the Fruit of the Spirit is I believe more important as it forms a foundation for the Gifts of the Spirit to operate in a safe way.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NIV

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Paul in speaks of the importance of Love being the foundation of all we do. Without love the Gifts of the Spirit can have a grating effect on the effectiveness of the gifts.

Gifts, faith, knowledge or generosity etc all have to undergirded and marinated in love.

What is love would be the next serious question that has to be looked at and understood.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 NIV

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

God is love, as we reflect and ambassador on His behalf we have no choice but to live and show love.

Gifts of the Spirit

In introducing this topic of Spiritual Gifts we will really only have time this morning to briefly introduce and explore some basics.

Can we encourage you as the Apostle Paul encourages us in

1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV

1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

to “Keep on pursuing love, and keep on desiring spiritual gifts, especially the ability to prophesy.”

Today we will explore the following topics:-

What the Spiritual Gifts are not

Importance of the Spiritual Gifts

Purpose of the Spiritual Gifts

Hindrances to the Spiritual Gifts

Background Information about the spiritual gifts.

1. Promise Given

Luke 24:45–49 NIV

45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

hese things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

2. Promise Fulfilled

On the day of Pentecost the promised Holy Spirit came and filled the believers with power from on high. They had been given the promised Holy Spirit. They now had the power to be able to do what was being asked of them.

The Filling of the Holy Spirit took the disciples from being guardians of the Kingdom to being ambassadors of the Kingdom, equipped with the power to complete the task at hand.

They had a divine work to do and now they had the divine power to be able to complete the work.

The Church’s mission is far more than just spreading a new idea or philosophy. More than just calling people to a new life style, it is delivering people from the bondage of satan, bringing people from bondage to repentance to faith and victory in Christ. This requires more than just human talent or moral change, it requires divine power.

2 Corinthians 3:4–6 NIV

4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Gifts of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV

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

"To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" 1. What Spiritual Gifts are not

1. What Spiritual Gifts are not

Spiritual Gifts are not natural talents

God can and will use your natural talents but they are not your spiritual gifts

The Parable of the talents – .

The master entrusted things to the servants from His estate or kingdom.

Spiritual gifts are supernatural not natural.

Spiritual gifts are not the Fruit of the Spirit.

Spiritual gifts need to operate in the arena of the fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit is outworked in the Gifts of the Spirit.

Spiritual gifts are not our Spiritual Disciplines.

Our spiritual gifts go beyond the normal spiritual disciplines.

Prayer, reading the Word of God, faith, love, hope etc

Spiritual Gifts are not the Role we have in life.

We tend to label things or people. Spiritual Gifts are more than the role we have in life.

I am a Pastor by role yet my spiritual gifts are more than the Spiritual gift of pastor.

2 Timothy 4:5 NIV

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry

2. The purpose of the Gifts

1. All gifts are to honour Jesus ().

1 Corinthians 12:3 NIV

3 Therefore I want you to know 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.

A. Jesus is at the very centre of Church and all it does.

Acts 17:28 NIV

28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Acts 17:28"In him we live, and move, and have our being" ().

"In him we live, and move, and have our being" ().

All that Christians have and all that they do are to honour Jesus.

B. Jesus is the central message of the New Testament.

All the messages and promises in the New Testament point either directly or indirectly to him.

C. Jesus is to be honoured by all the gifts.

The only purpose of the gifts is to honour Jesus. Any gift that does not honour him is not of the Spirit. If a gift of the Spirit is not used to honour God, the person using the gift sins against God.

2. AII gifts are to build up the church ().

1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV

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

1 Cor

A. The church is the body of Christ (, ).

1 Cor For the body to be strong and to function as it should, it needs to be built up. The gifts of the Spirit are for this purpose.

1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

For the body to be strong and to function as it should, it needs to be built up. The gifts of the Spirit are for this purpose.

B. The church is a divinely established ().

Matthew 16:18 NIV

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The Lord placed the church on his earth for the propagation of the gospel. The gifts of the Spirit enable the church to accomplish their mission.

3. AII gifts are for a common cause.

A. Each gift is to supplement and complement all the others.

No gift of the Spirit works independently of the others. Instead, each gift is to function in relation to all the others.

B. Each Christian is to use his or her gifts to supplement and complement other Christians gifts.

This cooperation is what enables the Lord’s work to progress. He endows some of his children with one ability and others with another gift; they are to use these gifts together for the Lord’s work. The church is to work somewhat like a football team, for example. On a football team, some members are assigned to block and some to run with the ball. It takes both to be a successful team.

4. AII gifts are important.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the gifts of a sovereign God.

Anything that anyone does for the Lord is important. Each person is to take inventory of his or her abilities, thank God for them, and use them according to God’s plan.

5. All gifts are according to the Bible.

The Bible is the inspired Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

2 tim

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" ().

There is no way the Spirit could inspire the writing of the Bible and then contradict himself in bestowing gifts.