Spiritual Gifts Pt. 1: The Gift-Giver

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 NASB95

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

INTRO: How many of you like to receive gifts? Silly question, right? We all love to get gifts. Whether it’s Christmas or a birthday or whatever, receiving gifts is fun. When we were kids, we were really focused on what the gift was. Was it on my wish list? Would my friends be jealous? Was it the newest, latest, awesomest toy ever?!!?

But as we get older, we recognize that receiving a gift is not only about the gift, but also about the gift-giver. Some of the most precious gifts I received are not necessarily of great value to the world - cards colored in crayon, stick-family portraits, and of course, a stick-monkey (which are in frames).

Well, I’ve got good news for you. (NO, I did not bring you all a gift!) If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been given gifts from God through the Holy Spirit. These are called “Spiritual Gifts.”

There is a vast array of gifts that God gives to His people - gifts of prophecy, healing, tongues, faith, discernment, wise counsel, administration, hospitality, mercy, service, leadership, encouragement, and the list goes on.

Now, our temptation this morning would be to focus on these particular gifts and what they might look like. Yet, while I believe it to be important to recognize your particular gifting, that is not the focus of our text and thus will not be the focus of out study time this morning.

That being said, I do encourage each of you to take a Spiritual Gifts assessment and perhaps do some digging on your own to see how you might best develop and use the gifts God has given you. I’ve included a website address in your sermon guide for you to do this online. We’ve also placed some paper resources on the welcome desk if you would like to use this instead.

Spiritual Gifts Assessment: www.spiritualgiftstest.com

Now, one fundamental question we always must ask as we study Scripture is “What does this reveal about God?” After all, Scripture is given as a specific revelation of God to man. Thus, to avoid this question is not only irreverent, it’s irresponsible!! Of course, there are sections of Scripture that are primarily intended for instruction, but I believe that, especially in these first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians, we are given a great insight in to the character of God.

So, today, we are going to look to the Gift-Giver. Next week, we’ll look into the design of these gifts for the church (Gift-getters).

There is much to cover, so let’s dive in. If you picked up a bulletin, I encourage you to follow along using the sermon guide.

Paul has switched gears from his teaching on the Lord’s Supper, which we studied last week. Verse 1 offers this transition as he tells the Corinthian Church exactly what is upcoming; (READ v.1) Although this is a different subject, we will see that it falls right in line with Paul’s desire to build up the church by illuminating the unifying nature of God.

The first thing Paul draws out is that Spiritual Gifts Demonstrate:

The Uniqueness of God (2-3)

In verses 2-3, Paul contrasts the Pagan life to the Christian life. Let’s read these again (READ)

Paul reminded the Corinthians of their idolatrous past. Here we should note a couple truths:

1 - These idols, though many, were all wrong. They had gone from one idol to the next.

This prompts the question: What leads people to different idols? Was it that the idol itself led them? NO!! These idols never once spoke! That which led men to idols were things like their greed, pride, lust, or their acceptance in the culture, etc.

ILL: I remember talking to a fellow who had somehow gotten pulled into drinking and drugs… it cost him his family, his job... I asked him why he engaged in this lifestyle, and he told me that it was how he felt accepted. He gave most his time and money to this, trying to fit in with a certain crowd. Now, folks we could swap this story with thousands of people across the state and it would be similar. Some pursued lust, some pursued money, some pursued recreation - But all of these paths are astray.

2 - In contrast, Paul points out that Jesus is not like these idols!

While the idols are mute, the Holy Spirit leads and prompts. Here is what Paul is saying in v.3:

If you have the Holy Spirit in you, you will not deny Christ. The Holy Spirit cannot deny Jesus because the role of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus. So, even as men could jump around to whatever idol best suits their fancy, those who have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit- which, by the way is ALL CHRISTIANS, cannot just up and walk away from Jesus.

This was especially true as you consider how people would worship in the 1st century church. A common practice was for people to testify and pray aloud. Some stood to speak and would actually speak against Jesus - this might include trying to blend idolatry into the church or proclaiming that God led them to some sinful act. (Can you imagine!?!) This, Paul warned, is not of God. Just because someone is charismatic or passionate does not make their words true. If he or she is not honoring Christ as Lord, it is certainly NOT of the Holy Spirit.

Similarly Paul said, Only by the Holy Spirit can you truly profess Jesus as Lord. It is the Holy Spirit that draws us to Jesus, convicts us of our sin, seals us, unites us with Him, regenerates and renews us, and gives us counsel as our helper and guide. If you are convinced of the Gospel of Jesus and are living surrendered to Him it is not because you have that capacity in yourself, but rather because you have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit which enables you to live out the calling of “Christ-follower”.

God is unique from all the false gods. He speaks! He has led us to Himself. He is true to His word. He has given us His Holy Spirit to live in us. And it is through His indwelling Holy Spirit that He gives us individual gifts we call Spiritual Gifts.

Discuss: How can you know if you are being led by the Holy Spirit?

This leads us to see that the giving of gifts to His people demonstrates

The Generosity of God (4-10)

One thing we have to note is that in the 1st Century church, especially here in Corinth, people were absolutely obsessed with the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. Everybody wanted to speak in tongues- perhaps because it was a sign used in early Gentile conversions of the presence of the Holy Spirit. (Note book of Acts)

Either way, this led to certain divisions and disagreements in the church. Some would claim that if you did not speak in tongues, then you did not have the Holy Spirit. Now, you can imagine how unhelpful this was to the body.

Perhaps some would pretend to speak in tongues, some would become bitter and angry if they did not receive this gift. Others might feel like they didn’t belong in the church…

So, Paul helps explain that God, in His generosity has given a variety of gifts! Let’s read verses 4-10 again (READ)

Now, even as Paul describes all these wonderful gifts, he points out that they are from the SAME GOD!

ILL: I can imagine Paul’s tone of voice here being like a wise teacher: Guys, God is so rich and loving and vast! His gifts to the church are many! There are different gifts for different purposes and all of God’s people are recipients of some of these gifts.

Don’t miss this: I want to you look especially at v.7. If you are a follower of Christ, you have received the Holy Spirit and He has given you spiritual gifts. (Congrats!) These gifts are intended to be a demonstration of God’s power in your life for the good of the church. (Don’t miss that last part!!!) Or as Peter says:

1 Peter 4:10 NASB95

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

You have been given these gifts, but they aren’t simply toys for your enjoyment. You need to discover those gifts and put them to use in the church!

Do you have the gift of wisdom? Then counsel other believers.

Knowledge? Then teach others.

Faith? Then walk alongside others?

Encouragement? Be intentional!

Administration? Just come see me or James, we’ll put you to work!

Whatever your gift, God has given it generously in order to demonstrate His grace and power in His church. When we use these gifts as God gave, then we are honoring Him for His generosity in our lives.

Discuss: What gifts has God given you? How are you putting them to use in the church?

Spiritual gifts demonstrate the uniqueness and generosity of our God. Finally, If you will look to v. 11, we see that Spiritual Gifts demonstrate:

The Sovereignty of God (11)

Let’s read. verse 11 again (READ)

Now, this might just seem like a general statement, but if we take a closer look, we can make a couple important notes.

1 - God is the Giver - The thing about these gifts are that we don’t get to choose who gets what or when. God, in His wisdom chooses how to distribute these gifts. Thus, in this body, as in every other church, there is a variety of gifts that are allotted across the congregation.

I cannot give you spiritual gifts. You cannot pick the ones that look the best and receive them like an Amazon order.

But God gives them out individually. Oh yeah! Look here: You Christian, as an individual, are uniquely gifted by God’s Holy Spirit. God knows you intimately and has customized your gifts in alignment with how He created you.

Because we don’t choose what gifts we get or when we get them, we necessarily must recognize that there is no room for boasting in our gifts. Nobody is superior to another- God is the giver!

2 - God is the Architect - You see, as we look at the spiritual gifts that are evidence of God’s power, you and I cannot help but be drawn to be amazed and to absolutely adore the sovereignty and supremacy of our God.

The last part of v. 11 says, “As He wills...” Look, we may not understand why God chooses to give certain gifts to certain folks. Why didn’t I get the gifts that Billy Graham got? Why didn’t God allow me to be a healer? I’ll tell you it is because God has a plan that is far better than ours.

ILL: Think with me for a moment: Throughout history, God has been gifting His followers and placing them in order to accomplish His purposes. Do you think it was a coincidence that Martin Luther was gifted to understand Scripture as He did and then gifted with clarity in his conviction and boldness in his faith? Do you think he just happened to be in the one part of the world where posting a challenge to the church’s practices would begin a reformation that would lead to the Bible getting into the language and hands of everyday people so that the Gospel would once again shine through the world?

That’s just one example- there are millions of examples. And folks, you are one of them.

So what?

Let us consider what God has orchestrated in LRBC on this day.

We are gathered to worship our Lord who is worthy!

May we stand amazed in His uniqueness and generosity and step forward in fulfillment of His design for this church.

We were given gifts for a reason…

As we close our time together this morning, I’d like to encourage you to give thanks to our God for His salvation and His gifting of you. But beyond that, I challenge you to discover your gifts and seek out how you might faithfully employ them in this body. You are here… now where do you fit?

[PRAY]

Discuss: Think about how different your gifts are from others in the church. In what ways has God specifically designed the body for His work in our community?