Concerning Gifts
Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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1 Corinthians 12
1 Corinthians 12
Intro:
Intro:
Paul now turns to the issue of division in the church over spiritual gifts
Apparently, the church was at odds over which gift they had.
They were viewing themselves as less important if they didn’t have certain gifts.
Varieties of Spiritual Power
Varieties of Spiritual Power
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
Paul wanted to address a common confusion.
There are real spiritual forces at work in the world.
Holy Spirit’s power, is vital for believers.
He enters us at salvation and seals us for eternity
He distributes gifts, divine enablements for ministry, to believers to build His church for Christ’s glory.
Demonic Forces
Pagans had experienced (and still to this day) mystical experiences called
“ecstasy” supernatural, sensuous communion with a deity
“entanglements” Divination, dreams, revelations, visions
They may be seen in false teachers and churches.
Apparently, some Corinthian believers were mimicking the practices of the pagans. They were seeking a spiritual encounter so much, they were faking them and/or interacting with demons.
Ecstasy was attained by frenzied hypnotic chants and ceremonies.
It often included drunkenness and sexual acts
Thus it led to more sins..
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
False power leads to false theology!
That is why we should examine theology before supposed power.
Don’t look at ecstasy and enthusiasm.
Don’t look for signs and wonders
Look for truth!
The Corinthians were fleshly and given over to ecstasies that were controlled by demons.
They were claiming to be teaching in the Holy Spirit’s power, but were actually demonically blaspheming in the name of the Lord!
You see this at work today in some circles
They lower Christ from being coequal with the Father
Make Him weaker
Make Him lesser
Water down truth
They claim we are divine
Elevate us
Call us “gods” and divine
The Holy Spirit will glorify God the Father and The Son
Varieties of Manifestations
Varieties of Manifestations
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.
For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Though there is only one Holy Spirit, He distributes a variety of gifts to believers
It is a long study to go through each gift and describe them in detail. .
Eph 4 and Romans 12 add to this list.
Some focus on serving others
Some focus on speaking
MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary
The speaking, or verbal, gifts (prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching, and exhortation) and the serving, nonverbal gifts (leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith, and discernment) are all permanent gifts that will operate throughout the church age. Their purpose is to edify the church and glorify God. The list here and in Ro 12:3–8 is best seen as representative of categories of giftedness which the Holy Spirit draws from to give each believer whatever kind or combination of kinds He chooses (v. 11). Some believers may be gifted categorically similar to others but are personally unique as the Spirit suits each grace gift to the individual. Miracles, healing, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues were temporary sign gifts limited to the apostolic age and have, therefore, ceased. Their purpose was to authenticate the apostles and their message as the true Word of God, until God’s written Word was completed and became self-authenticating.
A few common elements:
We can see Jesus display all of the gifts.
As we use them together, our church looks more like Christ
The gifts aren’t to be privately horded, they are for others!
They are all in place to serve others
Sitting at home feeling good about a gift, isn’t the point!
Using your abilities to serve and glorify God IS!
God distributes them as He wishes
One Body
One Body
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
If all were a single member, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
In spite of the incredible diversity of the members of the body, the church, we are all unified into one body.
Paul compares the local church to a human body.
We have many parts of our bodies
cells->tissues->organs->organ systems
They all merge and work together to make 1 body
A disruption of one part can have a catastrophic effect to all of the body.
The church is formed as believers are immersed by Christ with the Holy Spirit
water baptism pictures that
We are placed into the body by God and the gifts He gives is so we fulfill our place in the body and contribute to the health of the whole body.
From Paul’s discussion here and in ch 14, the Corinthians weren’t satisfied with their gifts.
They saw a hierarchy were none exists.
They wanted a better gift
more flashy
more showy
Our church, like the church of Corinth, needs everyone!
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
God designed visible, public gits to have a crucial role, but equally designed and more vital to life are the hidden gifts.
They work together to build the body
Conclusion:
Conclusion: