Sunday Service
Notes
Transcript
Our Scripture lesson this morning comes from 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. Let us now hear God’s Word:
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.
When we approach a text in Scripture, be it as a pastor preparing a sermon or a lay person studying a passage, we should always ask, “What is the main point?” Sometimes this is difficult to determine, but in other passages, such as the one before us today, it is easy. Three times Paul uses the words “varieties” and “same”. When it comes to spiritual gifts, we must always keep in mind the unity within the diversity; but within this very simple main point is a deeper unity within diversity Paul wants us to understand. The first thing the points out to us as we look closely at this text is that there is a unity within diversity of the Godhead itself; there is one God, in three persons.
There is One God, in Three Persons
There is One God, in Three Persons
Some object to the doctrine of the Trinity by pointing out that nowhere do we find the word “Trinity” in the Bible. Nor, they add, do we find a formal definition of the Trinity in the Bible. These things are quite true, however, we find the Trinity everywhere as we do in this passage; “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.”
This passage is a good example of what theologies call the “Economic Trinity.” We are all familiar with the word economics. Economics deals with labor and the fruits of labor. How providential it is that this weekend happens to be Labor Day weekend! Just like us, God works. The Father works. The Son works. The Holy Spirit works.
Although the Father predominates in the work of creation, a careful reading of Scripture reveals that both the Son and the Spirit are at work as well. The same is true of the work of redemption, in which the work of the Son predominates. Likewise, although all three members are active in the giving of Spiritual gives, the Holy Spirit predominates.
In today’s passage, Paul teaches that behind all the manifold spiritual gifts is one gift—the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This point is so important that I will devote the whole of my last point to it, but for now, I just want you to understand that that we must not let the gifts of the Holy Spirit distract us from the GIFTof the Holy Spirit.
Next, Paul turns our attention to the Son. Jesus is the Lord of heaven and earth. There is none above Him. He is the King of all kings. He is the Lord of all lords. As such, all things in heaven and earth are obligated to serve Him. Some in Corinth saw spiritual gifts as a way of serving themselves. Paul wants to make plain that the exercise of spiritual gifts are a service to Jesus Christ. This truth brings us back to the overarching truth that governs whole section of worship:
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
As you consider spiritual gifts, the ones you have and the ones you might imagining yourself having, who do you imagine yourself serving? If you imagine yourself primarily serving anyone other than Jesus, you are misusing spiritual gifts.
Finally, we come to the Father. As is Paul’s common practice, Paul simply addresses the Father as “God”. In this passage, Paul reminds us that the Father is ultimately the power behind all spiritual gifts. Paul is not denying the animating power of the Holy Spirit, rather, he is reminding us that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so closely work together that their work is one. Moreover, the love within the Godhead is so perfected, that the Son desires all glory goes to the Father and the Holy Spirit desires all glory goes to the Father through the Son.
Perhaps you have noticed in reading your Bible that the Holy Spirit seems to be in the background. This is not because, the Holy Spirit is not active and is not worthy of our praise, it is because as the primary agent in the inspiration of Scripture, this is the way the Holy Spirit likes it. We have all know people who work just as hard as anyone else does (perhaps more so), but when the time comes for accolades, they step away from the limelight. This perfectly, describes the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit steps back, not because He is bashful, but because He loves the Father and the Son to receive praise!
The mutual love within the Trinity is no small point. Consider how a focus on spiritual gifts tends to shift our attention away from the Father and the Son. I am not suggesting that we ignore the Holy Spirit, but rather, we need to keep things in a Scriptural balance, and if we look at Scripture, we see that our focus in worship should always be predominately towards the Father and the Son!
The next area of variety we find in this passage is the church itself:
There is One Church, with Many Members
There is One Church, with Many Members
This is found in verse seven and following. Verse seven says that all these gifts are given for the “common good”. Paul goes on to say:
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
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.
Now, I am not going to go into this passage in depth today; I will do that in another sermon, but for now, I want you to note the unity within the diversity within the church. Paul uses the analogy of a human body. What a powerful and easily understood analogy this is. None of us here would look forward to the loss of any part of our body through either accident or amputation. Although it is possible to physically live without many of the parts of our body, we all want to possess each and every one of them and we want each and every one of them to be free from injury and pain. I know this is one of the reasons I so look forward to the resurrection. To have a perfectly functioning and healthy body is a dream come true!
With this in mind, Paul’s point is that we should feel the same way concerning the church. Many of the Corinthians saw spiritual gifts as an opportunity to gain a leg up on their fellow church members. They valued some gifts more than others, consequently they starting valuing one member more than other members.
As I reflect upon the lack of unity and the attack upon diversity we are experiencing today, I cannot help but think it is because we are so shallow in our knowledge of Scripture and the doctrine it teaches. The doctrine of the Trinity teaches us that unity within the Godhead is created by love. Many believe that Paul gets off topic in chapter 13, when he speaks of love. A careful reading of 1 Corinthians 12-14 reveals that this is not the case at all, he is very much on topic. It is love, not spiritual gifts that make for a strong, healthy church. If we put love in the back set of our theology and replace it with spiritual gifts, we are trying to drive a car without a steering wheel! We all know what happens to a car without a steering wheel, it goes off course and will eventually crash!
The final area of unity within diversity this passage speaks of is...
There is One Gift of the Spirit, From Which Flows Many Gifts
There is One Gift of the Spirit, From Which Flows Many Gifts
This brief passage opens and closes with a reminder that although there are a variety of gifts, there is but one Spirit. The most important “spiritual gift” we can receive is the Gift of the Holy Spirit. No one is born with the Holy Spirit. Rather, the Spirit is given to us by Christ. When John the Baptist (who by the way is the greatest of the Old Covenant prophets) spoke about Jesus, this is what He said:
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
John speaks of the work of Jesus in eschatological terms. The Old Testament prophets called this The Day of the Lord. Concerning His baptism with fire, Jesus said:
“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!
What He was referring to, is His suffering the fires of God’s wrath upon the cross, and upon the cross, Jesus extinguished those fires! This in turn reveals to us the true significance of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or the “Gift of the Holy Spirit” as it is sometimes called. When the Baptism or Gift of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, we are told that it came down upon the disciplines in “tongues of fire”, but upon reaching them, that fire was extinguished! These tongues of fire symbolized several things, but the most important is this, those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are those for whom Christ extinguished the wrath of God by His atoning death! This is why the Gift of the Holy Spirit is so much more important than the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
These four verses, which speak of unity within diversity give us the theological grounding we need to not be distracted by spiritual gifts. Supernatural miracles such as prophecy and healings are impressive. So impressive that we can forget what is important. So let us review what we have learned today:
There is one God, in three persons who give and empower the gifts.
There is one church, with many members for whom the gifts are given for the common good.
There is one Gift of the Holy Spirit, from whom flows many gifts.
Let us pray: