Stewards of God’s Grace: Equipping the Saints to do the Work of the Ministry

1 Peter 4:7-11 Stewards of God’s Grace (Equipping the Saints to do the Work of the Ministry) Introduction: Last week we saw that Peter pictures the local Church as a military outpost in enemy occupied territory. One purpose in Christian’s frequent gatherings is to be built up and strengthened by mutual service, in order to continue the mission of Christ in a hostile world. In this same passage Peter also pictures the Church as the household of God, and individual Christians as stewards or servants, specifically gifted by God to tend to the needs of the household. Our responsibility then is to be good Stewards who faithfully attend to the needs of the household making sure it is right order just incase the Master of the house comes unexpectedly. Peter says that this stewardship or gift, which is fueled and supplied by God the Father, falls into two different categories: Speaking and Serving. Now among Christians there might not be a more debated, or popular topic than spiritual gifts. Opinions and experiences of “spiritual gifts” vary from denomination down to the individual Christian. I believe within christendom there are two extreme views of “spiritual gifts” The first are known as Secessionists and the second as Hyper-charismatics. Secessionist: believe that “spiritual gifts” were for the establishing of the early church, especially the more sensational gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12. These gifts ceased after the establishing of the early church and are no longer available to us today. So although they might be interesting to talk about and study it has no relevance to our lives today. Hyper-Charismatics: usually have a lower view of the Bible. They believe that experience and not the confines of scripture define spirituality and spiritual gifts. In extreme cases they believe they have an authority to speak on an equal level with the word of God. Therefore they practice all sorts of things outside of the confines of scripture. What We Believe: Refuge Christian Fellowship is not Secessionist and is not Hyper-Charismatic. We believe the scripture strikes a balance of these two extremes. We are Bible believing Charismatics. (or as someone once put it, Charismatic with a seatbelt). We believe that the Spirit is at work in the Church today, filling the entire Church, as well as the individual members, to serve and honor Jesus, to serve one another, to preach the gospel (in word and deed) and to glorify God. 1. The End of All Things is at Hand: Be a Faithful Servant. a. "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:7-11 a. Peter was not necessarily expecting Christ to return in a few weeks or months. It means, rather, that all the major events in God’s great salvation plan—culminating in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost—had already occurred. Therefore Christ’s return could happen at any time: it was “at hand” in Peter’s day, and it still is today. But the imminent arrival of the end is not a call simply to look into heaven and wait for Jesus’ return. Instead, believers are to be self controlled and sober-minded, so that they may be devoted to prayer and maximize their usefulness in God’s kingdom. -Schreiner b. Jesus put the same idea this way: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” -Matthew 24: 45-51 i. Therefore Christians as “stewards” over God’s house and his gifts are to be busying themselves with the responsibilities of God’s house (his Church), knowing that the Master could return at any moment. ii. The end is at hand therefore be busy, with God’s work, with God’s kingdom. 2. How Do We Steward over God’s house and God’s gifts? a. In Peter's view the Christian is simply a household slave who has control over a certain part of God's property, a gift. All are administrators of that which belongs to God; it is not theirs. Christians cannot control how God has gifted them, but can control if and how that gift is used. Peter reminds us to be good stewards. b. The teaching of the NT is that each Christian has received a spiritual gift or gifts from God upon salvation. i. Peter says, “As each has received a gift”. ii. Paul says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” -1 Corinthians 12:4-7 iii. Put simply: Spiritual gifts are individual manifestation of grace from the Father that enables you to serve Him and thus play a vital role in His plan for the redemption of the world. c. Peter breaks spiritual gifts into two categories: Speaking and Serving. i. Speaking Gifts: 1. If someone speaks: covers the whole range of speaking gifts; prophecy (word of wisdom, word of knowledge), teaching, evangelism and preaching. 2. But I think that this would also include that we make sure that our counsel is biblical, and not worldly philosophy or personal opinion, but truth from God’s word. ii. Serving Gifts: 1. If someone serves: this covers all those deeds one Christian does to or for another: Administration, care for the poor and sick (including contributing funds, distributing funds, and physical care), helps, leading, healing, miracles and similar acts that express God's love and mercy in concrete form. d. How do I discover my spiritual gift? i. By prayer. Asking God to reveal them to us. ii. Asking, “What are the needs of the Fellowship”? 1. “In too many of our congregations, spiritual gifts are seen through a hyper-individualist grid. We tell our people how to “unwrap” their gifts, to take a personality profile to find out what their gift is. We say, “Every member is a minister,” but what we mean is, “Every member should serve on a committee.” The gifts of the New Testament, though function as part of a home economy as the household is built up through the various parts thereof. In the New Testament we don’t find our gift through self examination and introspection and then find ways to express it. Instead we love one another, serve one another, help one another, and in so doing we see how God has equipped us to do so. This is why Paul always speaks of the spiritual gifts in terms of the whole body, of order, and of the primacy of love.” -Russell Moore iii. Through trial and error. 1. Gifts are discovered in service….It is in humble service that we discover the gifts that we have and the greater gifts that we may need. 2. It seems to me that sometimes we become so consumed with the means (what spiritual gift?) that the end goal (serving one another, glorifying God) is lost or never arrived at… Seek the end, seek to glorify God, seek the needs of others, and I believe, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will find your spiritual gifting. e. These are to be done with the strength that God supplies. i. God has ordered the job done, God will pay the expenses, be they material, physical, or emotional. He backs up the act of the Christian who is being a good steward of his gifts in dependence on him. When gifts are used in this way, God’s power and will rather than human goodness or ability will be seen. ii. Is Peter really saying that we should not do things not out of strength but out of weakness and total dependance upon God? 1. Yes! a. “A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Cor 12:7-10 b. When we are met with opportunities to minister that make us say and think "I'm not qualified for this". Then Good! That's exactly where God wants us to be. That means we will be forced to rely upon the strength that God provides. God has all wisdom, all power, all love, all healing, all help, all care… God has everything we need for every situation…. i. "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." - 2 Corinthians 9:8-9 c. Every Christian is a steward—a custodian, a manager, a warden, a distributor, a servant—of God’s varied grace. What a great reason to be alive! Every Christian lives on grace.....If you are afraid of hospitality—that you don’t have much personal strength or personal wealth—good. Then you won’t intimidate anybody. You will depend all the more on God’s grace. You will look all the more to the work of Christ and not your own work. -John Piper iii. How do we get that kind of dependency on the Lord? 1. Simply by confession of our need of him and want for him. 2. "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” -Luke 11:13 3. To God Be All Glory a. So that in all things God might be glorified. i. God is glorified, when we fully depend on Him. 1. God often likens himself to a fountain of living water in the Scripture. His desire is that we would not make wells of water and resources for ourselves, but that we would come to him and continually draw what we need. (Jeremiah 2:13; Psalm 36:9) 2. John Piper put it like this: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him”. ii. God is glorified as the Church pursues the fullness and maturity of Christ, which occurs as we use our gifting properly. 1. “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” -Ephesians 4:4-16 iii. God is glorified as we continue The Mission of Jesus Christ - to seek and save that which was lost. 1. Spiritual Gifts are used to build one another up to be sent back out on mission. a. Peter wants us to be strengthened and he wants us to strengthen others for The Mission of continually shinning the love and light of Christ in a hostile world…We are strengthening one another not just for Christian maturity but that Christ might be seen through our lives individually and corporately, as we live out our Faith in this world. Conclusion: We have all talents in God's sight.... Anything whereby we may glorify God is a talent, our gifts, our influence, our money, our knowledge, our health, our strength, our time, our senses, our reason, our intellect, our memory, our affections, our privileges as members of Christ's Church, our advantages as possessors of the Bible, —all, all are talents. Whence came these things? What hand bestowed them? Why are we what we are? Why are we not the worms that crawl on the earth? There is only one answer to these questions. All that we have is a loan from God. We are God's stewards. We are God's debtors. Let this thought sink deeply into our hearts. - J.C Ryle