5 Things You Need to Know Concerning The Holy Spirit & Spiritual Gifts

Our Blueprint for a New Testament Church  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Introduction

Today, we start chapter 12 in our study of 1 Corinthians. This has been quite the journey. Personally, I can say that I have learned much about God, the local church, and what He expects from us.
As you recall, I started preaching through this great book of the Bible with one primary purpose in mind. That purpose was so that we might clearly know what God expects of Calvary Baptist Church. Each person who faithfully attends and is a member of this church is Calvary Baptist Church. And, as you already know, God provides everything we need to know concerning how to act as a local church. He tells all that is right in a local church, what is not right, how to get right, and how to stay right. That is the essence of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. All of which applies not only to our individual lives as we live daily for Him but also to each local church. As your pastor, I strive to live the Lord’s way. Please note that I said, “I strive.” I don’t always hit the mark. However, I desire that we, as a local church, do all we can to match God’s instructions in His Word. When it comes to the local church, this letter to the local church of Corinth addresses many issues facing all local churches. Thus, we started this with the idea that it was God’s Blueprint for Each Local Church, including ours.
Over the past 11 chapters, we have learned a great deal. We learned that God expects each local church to be united around the cause of Christ. We must live pleasing unto Him so that we can effectively witness the Gospel of Christ.
Another thing we have learned is this. Every local church must deal with sin in its midst. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to sin. Instead, we must address it, deal with it Biblically, and ensure that we are again back on the path God desires.
In chapter 7, the Holy Spirit gave explicit instructions concerning marriage life and being single. From there, He taught us the importance of Christian liberty and how we must be careful not to trip up or offend a fellow believer.
In this last chapter, we learned much about public worship in the local church, from how God views the roles of men and women to how we must not corrupt the Lord’s Table. We ended that chapter by observing the Lord’s Table this past Sunday.
Now, we move into chapter 12. I believe it is pretty fitting and perfect timing of the Lord that we start this chapter right at our Mission’s Month. Next Sunday is the first Sunday of October. October is our annual emphasis on personal and world evangelism. Our theme for next month is “Missions Means Me.” Each believer has a personal responsibility given by God to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8 KJV 1900
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The great thing about God is this. He not only gives us purpose, but He also enables us for that purpose. That is the message of 1 Corinthians 12. God gives every believer a gift or gifts the moment they accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as Savior. God expects you to discover your gift and use it with other believers.
Here is an excellent way to think about it. Each of you is issued a specific and unique weapon at the time of salvation. It is uniquely designed just for you. Now, you are to learn your weapon, train with it, and put it to use along with other fellow soldiers of the Lord in the battle for His name’s sake. Any soldier not so engaged is not doing his duty to the Lord. Your spiritual gift is God’s gift to you. So, we must use it for Him.
Now, before we dive into this next chapter, which is a lengthy chapter, there is some groundwork we need to lay. Today’s message seeks to lay that groundwork. I titled it “5 Things You Need to Know Concerning the Holy Spirit & Spiritual Gifts.
Here is the first thing.

The Old Testament Foretold the Holy Spirit Would Come and Give Gifts

The fact the Holy Spirit gives gifts in the New Testament was already noted in the Old Testament. Note these verses in the book of Joel.
Joel 2:28–29 KJV 1900
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit.
We see this prophecy fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, which Peter’s message clearly stated was fulfilled.
Acts 2:1–5 KJV 1900
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Late Peter preached using the same passage from the prophet Joel.
Acts 2:14–18 KJV 1900
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Even in the Old Testament, we find the prophesy that the Holy Spirit would come and He would enable His people with wondrous spiritual gifts.
Here is the second thing we need to know.

Christ, Himself Promised and Preached Concerning the Holy Spirit.

There are several things He promised and preached.

Christ spoke about the Person of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16–17 KJV 1900
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
He is the Comforter. He is the Spirit of Truth.
John 14:26 KJV 1900
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
He is a Teacher.

Christ spoke about the Work of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7–15 KJV 1900
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
His work includes reproving sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is our Guide “into all truth.” He only speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as He glorifies Him.

Christ spoke about Signs and Protection provided by the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:17–18 KJV 1900
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Christ spoke about the Permanent Baptism and the Tremendous Power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:5 KJV 1900
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Acts 1:8 KJV 1900
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
As we work through this great chapter, we will most likely get into more detail about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, for now, a simple explanation is this. The moment a person accepts Christ, they are immediately baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now, there is a more detailed explanation of this event than what I just stated. Something we will explore further in time. Suffice it to say the baptism of the Holy Spirit is instantaneous and non-experiential, meaning it occurs beyond our range of sensation and feeling. Many people confuse the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the filling of the Holy Spirit. They are two very different actions. At the heart of baptism is immersion. Thus, we are immersed or placed in Christ at salvation, enabling us to effectively be the gospel witnesses that He desires us to be. Additionally, it brings us into unity with Christ.
Galatians 3:27–28 KJV 1900
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Thus, the baptism of the Holy Spirit unifies us individually with Christ and unites us all together as believers following the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, we know the Old Testament foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts He would provide. Additionally, Christ Himself taught us much about the Comforter that would come in His stead.
Here is the third thing we must know.

The Holy Spirit Has Come Already

This is where I personally have a little different view than most on the time when the Holy Spirit was given by Christ. Let me show you what I mean.
Look at John 20:19-23
John 20:19–23 KJV 1900
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
This is the event that took place shortly after Christ’s resurrection. We know from the Gospel Accounts that He appeared to the disciples in the upper room at least twice. This encounter was the first time. Everyone was there except for one disciple. Do you remember who was absent? It was Thomas. Later, Thomas finds out that he not only missed seeing the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, but he missed out on a beautiful event. Look again at verse 22.
John 20:22 KJV 1900
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
I interpret this as the moment Christ gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples. The Holy Spirit Himself speaks clearly that Christ “breathed on them” and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Later, He says to them the following in Acts 1:4-8
Acts 1:4–8 KJV 1900
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
We know that He ascended into Heaven. The disciples did as He instructed and waited at Jerusalem until the events of Pentecost.
Acts 2:1–4 KJV 1900
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now, note the language used by the Holy Spirit in verse 4. They did “receive the Holy Ghost,” but instead, they were “all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Remember earlier that I said we must not confuse the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the filling of the Holy Ghost. Baptism places us in Christ. Christ breathed on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. He did so before He ascended into Heaven, fulfilling His promise that the Comforter would come to be in His stead. Christ then instructed them to wait at Jerusalem to receive the Holy Ghost’s power. Then, on Pentecost, the mighty power of the Holy Ghost filled them. In other words, they were entirely under His control. Under His control and through His strong power, they speak with other tongues (languages). In fact, note the power in verses 6-7.
Acts 2:6–7 KJV 1900
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Perhaps you picture what happened. Here were Christ’s disciples sitting in Jerusalem, waiting for something big to happen. They did not have any idea what was going to happen. They simply knew that Christ promised it would. Who were the disciples? They were fishermen, a tax collector, simple men. They were nothing special. They spoke simple Hebrew. Now, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fills them taking complete control over their mouths and minds. Suddenly, they can speak Aramaic, Greek, and whatever other language was known to the people gathered from all parts of the Middle East. These men said they all understood in their “own language.” What tremendous power! For what purpose did the Holy Ghost empower these men to speak in the many different languages? He did this so they could talk about the gospel of Christ. Any gift given by the Holy Ghost is about glorifying the Lord and ensuring that we can effectively provide the gospel to others.
I am reminded of this passage in Romans.
Romans 10:13–17 KJV 1900
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit ensured that every man, woman, and child could HEAR the gospel. His power was revealed. As we know, Peter preached a great message to all present that day. What was the result?
Acts 2:41 KJV 1900
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
One gospel message empowered by the Holy Spirit resulted in 3000 people accepting Christ as their Savior. This single event launched the most incredible movement the world has ever known. Since that time, millions have accepted Christ, and many local churches exist.
Now, here is the fourth thing we must know.

God Always Equips His People for His Work

God always equips His people for the work of the ministry. There is one great and remarkable difference though from God’s dealing with men in the Old Testament versus the New Testament and even today. Even in the Old Testament, when God called a person for a particular work, He gave them the gifts and abilities needed to do it. Before, only the person called was gifted. However, today, EVERY SINGLE BELIEVER IS CALLED TO SERVE, AND ALL ARE GIFTED BY GOD TO SERVE! Let me say that again! It deserves repeating.
EVERY SINGLE BELIEVER IS CALLED TO SERVE , AND ALL ARE GIFTED BY GOD TO SERVE!
Since the day Christ gave the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost filled the disciples at Pentecost, God expects every believer to be a witness for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8 KJV 1900
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
This mandate is one of the primary reasons He gives us His Spirit, and His Spirit provides us with spiritual gifts. Every believer is to use his/her spiritual gift/gifts as they share Christ with others.
Here is the fifth thing to know, and we are done.

The Holy Spirit Provides Us Great Detail about Spiritual Gifts

We can learn much more about the Holy Ghost and His work in our lives. Things such as...
The struggle of the Holy Ghost against our sinful flesh.
The fruit of the Holy Ghost, which we are encouraged to exhibit
However, as we get into chapter 12, we will learn a lot about the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit gives. We will know which spiritual gifts are for today. We will also look at questions and problems surrounding spiritual gifts. All of which is covered in chapter 12 and 14 as well as Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. We will get all that detail in the next few weeks as we work through chapter 12.

Conclusion

Let me conclude with this. Every single one of us who are believers is spiritually gifted. The Holy Spirit gives each believer unique gifts and abilities to be used in the service of the Lord. Mainly, He gives them so we might reach the world with the gospel. The unfortunate problem is this. Not every believer uses his/her gift wisely or in the way it should be. It is a problem that affects every local church; remember, a local church consists of individual believers. It happened to the church at Corinth. If it happened there, it could happen in any local church, including ours. Perhaps, one of the reasons why a local church fails to grow is due to this one problem. The believers of that church are not utilizing their gifts for the Lord as He intended. Is it possible that is the issue with our church? Are we holding back growth simply because we are not utilizing the gifts God has given each of us as believers?
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