Sermon 092197
Rom. 12:3-8 Faithfulness in Exercising Spiritual Gifts - IV 9/21/97
Series 23.19 ABCC
I. Review 590
q Faithfulness in life is not automatic, even when a person is perfectly equipped to perform
q You must give special attention to your spiritual gift(s) (1Tim. 4:14)
q Prophecy (v. 6b) = a member of the body of Christ is given immediate inspiration from the Holy Spirit to speak an utterance from God for the edification, exhortation & consolation of the Church; to be a mouth piece for God. It is to be done with conviction & must be consistent with the scripture (the faith).
q Service (v. 7a) = the supernatural ability to meet practical needs in a specific way = DEACON-TYPE ministry
[gleanings from life of Christ in Jn. 13:3-11] = sensitive to physical needs of people, uses available resources to meet needs (v. 4-5), will meet the needs personally, no service it too demeaning (v.5), saint of few words (v. 4-5).
q Teaching (v. 7b) = the supernatural ability to explain & make application of the scriptures – MIND!!!
[gleanings from life of Christ in Mark] = authority, examples & analogies, wisdom from the scriptures, self-denial, teaches plainly on controversial matters, teaches systematically with great detail; OTHER TRAITS = teachable (2Tim. 2:2), studious (2Tim. 2:15).
q Exhortation (v. 8a) = the supernatural ability to motivate people to obey God; to encourage, comfort, entreat, invite, admonish; to call someone to your side – HEART & EMOTIONS!!!
[gleanings from life of Christ in Jn. 4:7-24; 21:15-17] = takes the initiative , listens for the content of the heart, deals with people where they are spiritually, desires to correct sin in people’s lives, does not loose sight of objective, seeks to comfort hurting people, appeals with people for Godly change & obedience (may be repetitious & persistent), provides clear instruction for change
Faithfulness in Exercising Spiritual Gifts-IV, pg. 2
II. Exercising Your Spiritual Gift (s)
A. Giving (v. 8b) = the supernatural ability to sacrificially impart of oneself and possessions to others in need!
[gleanings from word study] = A burning desire to give (Rom. 1:11), a willingness to give personal, high quality items (Lk. 3:11), a willingness to work hard in order to have something to share with others (Eph. 4:28; 1Th. 2:8-9), willingness to even risk ones own life (1Th. 2:8); WITH LIBERALITY = pure motives (Mt. 6:1-4;
2Co 9:12-13). Christians with this gift may or may not have much material wealth (2Co. 8:1-3).
B. Leading (v. 8c) = the supernatural ability to oversee, stand before or manage matters in the Church
[gleanings from life of Christ in Mt. 10] = calls helpers together for organization (v. 1), selects qualified people for assignments (v. 1-2), provides instructions for assignments (v. 5ff), delegates authority & responsibility (v. 1, 5ff), leads with humility & by example in lifestyle (v. 24). WITH DELIGENCE = earnestness, zeal & haste. Any member of the body of Christ may have this gift, but it is essential for the elder (1Timothy & Titus).
C. Mercy (v. 8d) = the supernatural ability to discern when someone is in misery & provide comfort
[gleanings from the life of Christ in Lk. 4:18; Jn. 8:1-11] = keen discernment regarding people who are hurting, identifies with hurting people (Lk. 4:18), defends those in misery, attracts those in misery (blind, demoniac, etc.), wants to comfort & remove hurt. WITH CHEERFULNESS = thankful & blessed attitude for the priviledge…
These gifts are actually the qualities of our God – He is the One who prophesies w/o error, the Suffering Servant, the Great Teacher, the One Who comforts, etc. When we as a body of Christ exercise these gifts, we are actually demonstrating the character of our God. As we minister our gifts, our needs are met & the body of Christ is built up. Also others are attracted to us & we can direct them the Great Giver of the Gifts!!!
