He Gave Gifts to Men (04/15/2001)

That may be the best Easter song I've ever heard before an Easter message Because If you know the

Lord today, then you were there and it did make me tremble.

I got goosebumps right now Which I get from time to time when I talk with some of you about portions of the scripture and I know you do too

Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1 And I want to speak to you this morning about he gave gifts to men

Greg Greg, would you turn my suntan machine up just a little bit? Thank you very much

Okay If you don't have it quite high enough I can see everybody and it's frightening

Let's pray and we'll begin Father, thank you so much that you've brought this particular group of people together this morning by your sovereign will each person is here because you have ordained that it would be so and You've chosen the music and you've chosen the message and you've chosen to speak to our hearts right now

So if there's any unconfessed sin in any of us, would you bring it to our hearts that we might confess it and be cleansed?

That your Holy Spirit might speak to us in power We know sometimes it seems that his voice is small and still in our hearts and yet It is so powerful that it changes the world's and so speak to us today

Show us the power of the resurrection and we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. I Want to call us to read this passage in Ephesians chapter 4 together first Although it will primarily be the message for next

Sunday the Lord willing But it all ties together and the problem is it's just two or three messages, which is always the case with my

Sermons, I'm gonna spare you. I'm not gonna preach them all this morning So this will actually probably be more in line with what we talk about next

Sunday But it ties in and this is the direction this whole message is going and it's an unusual passage of scripture

I think for Easter, but it is Very much an Easter Passage and I use that phrase in the generic term

I Should say it's a resurrection passage Easter is sort of a pagan idea and I don't know how that word found its way into the

King James English But it should say Passover at that point

But the Resurrection Sunday is all about two things first of all what the people saw and didn't see when they went to the tomb and Secondly, it's about a certain power of God that we find in the life of the believer

And that's the part we want to talk about today So follow along with me

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1 therefore the prisoner of the Lord I Beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called

With all lowliness and meekness and long -suffering For bearing one another in love now that little word vocation doesn't mean vocation like the job that you have to do

It means the spiritual Calling that you have and this is not talking about the preacher

This is not talking about the full -time servants that people like to discuss today This is talking about every child of God Every child of God has his own calling

That is directly from the voice of the Lord Just as when the Apostle Paul was saved on the road to Damascus The first thing he did was he looked up and he said

Lord, what would you have me to do? He called him Lord and there was a job to be done and he knew it and he want to know what it was

The same is true of all of us And that's what this vocation is speaking of and it says to let us walk in this vocation and worthy of this vocation

Wherewith we are called With all lowliness and meekness and long -suffering

Do you know that we would have a lot fewer problems in church? And we would get along a whole lot better if each of us would find our calling and walk in it because when we do that we can be lowly and meek and long -suffering and Forbearing one another in love forbearing me means literally to be overlooking

The problems in each other's lives. None of us have arrived yet. Have we? So the enemy wants us to focus on the part that hadn't arrived yet, which is the greater part but if we are busy in our calling and walking worthy of our calling

Then we don't enter into this area so much of looking at other people's faults and trying to make them be right

We just look about our own job and see if we're doing it, right and it's a great cure for the divisions and problems in churches

So with all lowliness and meekness and long with long -suffering forbearing one another in love Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace and that's the way to keep peace in the church

The best way is to find the fact number one that you have a calling Number two find out what it is and number three walk worthy in it

Number four is in verse four. There is one body and one spirit even as you are called in one.

Hope of your calling One Lord one faith one baptism one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all

But unto every one of us is given grace According to the measure of the gift of Christ Notice that it says every one of us

Wherefore he saith When he ascended up on high He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men

I want us to talk for a couple of Sundays on this idea of what Jesus accomplished

We speak often of the finished work of Christ and by that Theologically, we mean everything that he accomplished while he was literally suspended between heaven and earth on the cross and in fact that was completed with the phrase it is finished and Jesus meant

I have accomplished everything that it takes To bring you to God and I accomplished all of that work on this cross

We speak of the finished work of Christ as that which he accomplished on the cross

But that's not all that Christ has accomplished and is accomplishing on your behalf

You see there was an event that took place three days after that cross that we commemorate today and I remember as we look in the

Matthew account and they go in and they Notice that they're that the keepers at the gravesite were stunned and As if unconscious the keepers were these

Roman soldiers who knew that by law if they allowed anyone to come in and steal the body they would

Have the death penalty They were set to guard that grave Because the powers that be in the world were afraid someone would slip in and steal the body and then claim that the

Lord had been resurrected So they set a guard there and yet when they came to the grave early that morning they found that there was an angel

There in bright apparel and because of the power of that angels presence those

Roman soldiers were as asleep They had fainted in fear You go into the mark account and it emphasizes the size of the great stone that had been rolled away

Some say that those women went in and stole the body they couldn't even move the stone It was a great stone

Mark says you go into John it speaks very clearly of the account of the grave clothes and how they were not just haphazardly thrown around the empty tomb as if someone had come in quickly and Unwrapped the body and stolen it as a matter of fact if you study that passage very carefully

There are some so much scientific evidence there that it astounds the mind because he was wrapped in grave clothes with the spices wrapped around his body and yet as The resurrection occurred when they went in and looked the only thing that was left was the the grave clothes

Clothes as if the weight of the spices had simply collapsed them right where they were

His body had simply come out from the grave clothes. They were not even disturbed And the napkin that was over his face was laid to the side all of these little things that we read over so quickly are

Evidences of the resurrection One of the greatest evidences of the resurrection is the change in the life of the

Apostles before the resurrection They were cowards and we find Peter denying Christ three times and even cursing to make him believe he didn't even know the man

After the resurrection when he looked in that empty tomb Which the Bible records very carefully that Peter was there even though he was outrun by John He finally made it and he looked in and he saw in fact

John didn't go in there But Peter did walked right in looked around saw that grave clothes still in the same place with no

Jesus in them and He came out and not too many days later preached the sermon over 5 ,000 people came to know the

Lord Jesus Christ with that one message and he lived a life of Fire for the

Lord after this event as did all the Apostles They were all cowards and all of a sudden they were transformed into the greatest most

Magnificently brave Messengers of God that we can read about anywhere what made the difference in their life psychologically what made the difference

The empty tomb made the difference What about the rise of the church out of Judaism?

What do you think the odds? statistical odds of that happening of a

Like like brother Roger said we don't like to call Christianity a religion But what do you think the odds are of a religion such as Christianity arising out of Orthodox Judaism in the first century?

naturally about zero and Yet we see this magnificent Institution we call the church that has gone down through the past almost 2 ,000 years and the miracle of is it is still here

We haven't destroyed it although if we look around at the Sick a state of the church today

It makes us wonder if the Lord might not be coming back very quickly So we see all these things in the beautiful Story and we see as we read in this passage of Ephesians chapter 4 that one of the things that happened after the resurrection

Was called we call it the Ascension and it says that the Lord Jesus Gave gifts unto men and I want to speak about that this morning and more particularly next

Sunday And I think It can make a great difference in our lives

Let me have you turn to First I'm sorry first chapter of Ephesians just flip back a couple of pages

Chapter 1 and verse 17 follow along with me here

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may given to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation

And the knowledge of him Paul is praying a prayer for his new converts He's praying for them and asking that the

Lord would grant this that's why it starts out that the God He is saying I'm praying that the

God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may given to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him

That the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the

Saints and What is the exceeding greatness and this is where I want you to focus this morning

What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us word who believe? according to the working of his mighty power

Now the Greek behind these words this word power these words working and Mighty power the word working our little word erg comes from that.

Have you ever heard of ergonomics? and If you ever studied physics you studied ergs because it's a measure of work

But it's a Greek word that talks about the work and more specifically the power

Behind the work of God in our lives and we're focusing on that power this morning.

Let's just call it resurrection power and God calls it here mighty power

He calls it the greatness of his power that is toward us that is us word for those of us who believe

According to the working of God's mighty power in the life of the believer Now look at verse 20.

It gives us two aspects of this Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead

That's the resurrection power and Set him on his right hand in the heavenly places

That is the ascension and the power that comes with that So we have two things to discuss both having to do with these gifts that Jesus gave to us

But we're going to divide it into two points and one of them will be next Sunday one of them will be today What are they again?

Look at verse 20. Let's see these we're talking about the power of God in the life of the believer

Specifically having to do with the gifts that he gives us to accomplish the work that he has called us to do as He ascended into heaven.

It says that he gave gifts to men and Now we see that these gifts entail a power from God To give us the force with which to do the work on the face of the earth

But there are two aspects to it in verse 20 number one that part that has to do with the power

That was wrought in Christ as he was raised from the dead Imagine the resurrection power you want to talk about a power you take a body

That's laying on a cold slab and I I've been in the tomb of Christ I've been fortunate to be over there a couple of times with dr.

Freeman and to actually step inside the tomb and there is a theory that the

Unbelievers put forth all through the ages called the swoon theory Where they hypothesize that what happened was

Jesus was never really dead. He just swooned In other words, he went unconscious and when they put him in that grave it revived him

If you'd ever set foot in the grave, you'd know that's crazy because it is damp and dark and cold and The slab that was cut out the size of the human body to lay the body on it was cold

Icy cold and he lay there dead As a matter of fact part of the evidence that we have is that the

Romans? Had a death certificate and one was asked for in the case of Jesus And so a

Roman soldier who was very very much equipped in knowledge of what it's of what death is all about Because he saw it firsthand within about two feet you remember how long the

Roman sword was brother Roger you remember how long The whole key to Roman history and much of their conquests had to do with their invention of a new sword

Instead of the big long heavy swords that take two hands like you see in the old movies about the

Middle Ages The Romans invented one about two and two feet long Two and a half feet long perhaps it was light and strong and they conquered the world with it and so he had seen death at close range and He was sent to certify the death of the

Lord Jesus Christ and he certified that he was dead before he was ever taken down from that cross and Put in this cold damp dark grave

Where he stayed three days and three nights like Jonah in the belly of the whale and then something happened and I don't know that any man saw this take place.

They just saw the evidence of it afterwards as They saw this man in Bride of Peril or in one case to two angels

There were at least two there in Bride of Peril and they saw the keepers which were the

Roman guard Asleep if you want to have a swoon theory then let's have it towards the guards because they were sleeping which was punishable by death by the way and they saw this great stone rolled away and they ran inside and Jesus was not there.

And what did the angel say? Why look he here among the dead for the living?

He is risen. He is not here And that reminds me of your song because I just got goosebumps and trembled a bit

He is risen He is not here This power

That took this cold lifeless dead body of our Lord Jesus Christ in a cold damp icy slab of rock that he was laying upon and Brought him forth this incredible power of God is what we're talking about This same power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead is a power we will discuss and then secondly

The power that was used when he was set at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality that means all demonic powers of any kind and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and Hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church

He is the administrator remember that he is the administrator of these gifts and duties

Which is the body the fullness of him that filleth all in all

Now that gives us a little bit of background. We can understand now. We're talking about some power here

That comes only from God That is within the life of every believer and it is a twofold power there is a power that has directly to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and There is a power that is given because of his ascension into heaven where he is now seated at the right hand of God on behalf of you as your advocate

Before The Lord and some people call this his session his session at the right hand of God The work of Christ on your behalf right now, so we're dealing into those two areas

I'd like you to turn to one more portion of Scripture this morning 1st Corinthians chapter 12

And now I want to make the main lesson this is It all relates to the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ we won't tie it all up until next

Sunday But the part I want us to focus on this morning is the power of God in our life in our lives

That is the same as the power that was there that resurrected our Lord Jesus Christ I want us to focus on that this morning and I want us to focus a little bit and learn a little bit about the

Dispensing of that power. This will do a lot for you. If you'll pay attention this morning One of the things it'll do it will clear up some of the problems that we've had in understanding the gifts in the church

There are a whole all different theories on about the gifts the sign gifts. Have they ceased for a season?

Will they come back? During the tribulation period did they ever truly completely cease?

Are there gifts that are? Operative today and gifts that are not operative

There are all kinds of ideas on these and you can read good men who have written opposing views on it

I Think if we'll go straight into the Word of God this morning, we won't need to worry about those good men

We can see exactly what the Lord teaches. So it'll help us in that area. But more importantly than that It will help us to understand

The power of God in our lives for service to him It'll help us to understand that he that is within us is greater than he that's in the world and far greater than the world itself

So let's take a look at this and I want to divide this into Three parts, excuse me just a minute here

Great, if I trip over this shoelace, it might really mess this thing up Because it would make me lose my attention

All right, we're gonna have three divisions here Let's look at first Corinthians 12 1

Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren, I would not have you ignorant he doesn't want us to be ignorant about them nor about the fact that we have them and Remember that when

Jesus ascended into heaven it says in order to give gifts to men

So We not to be ignorant about these spiritual gifts verse 2 You know that you were

Gentiles carried away into these dumb idols even as you were led Worshipping other things other than the true

God what let me ask you this what things? predominantly Hold the attention of your mind throughout the week

Those things are your gods Unless the Lord Jesus Christ comes to mind

In and out of the day in and out of the hours Through it throughout and in at all then he's your

God But he said when we were Gentiles We had these dumb idols these things that we thought about and worshipped in our hearts that couldn't

Resurrect us from the grave. Could they? and We were led by these things led to and fro by the things of the world

Verse 3 wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the spirit of God called

Jesus accursed and that no man can Say that Jesus is the Lord but by the

Holy Ghost and Now we get into the next few verses and we're going to see three fascinating points about these gifts and You may have seen this long ago but it was revealed to me by the

Lord just this year and I've been wanting to preach a message on it for a long time and When the

Lord gave me permission and we're talking about these Gifts given to men.

I felt like this was the right time. So look at the next verse Now there are diversities of gifts by the same spirit and there are differences

By the way, the word diversity and differences in the Greek is the same word. So it just means differences

There are differences of gifts, but the same spirit. There are differences of Administrations, but the same

Lord there are differences of operations But it is the same God which worketh all in all

But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all for the one is given by the

Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another faith and we'll stop there for a moment

Begins to lift list some of these gifts Look back at verse 4

Now there are diversities. There are differences of gifts, but the same spirit

There are differences of administrations, but the same Lord there are Differences of operations, but the same

God which worketh all in all Let's look at these differences of gifts, but the same spirit first First of all

We see that When we look at this verse it ends with the word spirit

When we look at the next word verse it ends with the word Lord when we look at the next verse it ends with God which worketh all in all and So therefore

I believe we're looking at a work of the Holy Spirit in verse 4 I believe we're looking at a work of the

Lord Jesus Christ in verse 5 and I believe we're looking at a work of God the

Father in verse 6 and What are these different works?

First of all verse 4 there are differences of gifts, but the same Spirit it shows us very clearly

That it is the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives to create these

Distinctions or differences of gifts. We are not all supposed to be the same

The problem we run into in the church and the divisions we have or when we have a few folks that think we're all supposed to be like them now if that's you then what you're thinking is well,

I need to make everyone be like me and Those of us who have grown beyond that point it's because we know we don't want anybody to be like me

We certainly don't want everybody to be like me But there is a certain spiritual pride that comes in immature

Christians who want to look out The weaknesses and the things that need fixing in all of us.

And like I said earlier Those are more prevalent than the good things. I know that's a fact and they want to search those out and fix them

Now, how do we fix them? Well, the only way a man would know or a woman would know how to fix them is to make them be more like myself

Doesn't work that way folks the greatest bane in the independent

Baptist movement is that the pastors think they can do that and So they have all manner of rules and they call them standards and we're going to decide how we're all going to dress where our hair speak what music we listen to where we go and where we don't go and the pastor and his wife are going to decide that and You're all you men are going to look like little

Davids and all you women look like little charlottes and we'll just be one big happy does say that right family and That way the

Holy Spirit doesn't have to do anything he can relax and Rest the problem with that is that he does not need to rest and But when we act that way and think that way we can quench him and grieve him and Then it's as if all of the works of the flesh begin to bear fruit in the church

So the Holy Spirit clearly is Seen here as the one who creates the very differences and diversity in the body of Christ that God wants to be here

So that we can serve him in this world Did you know that not everyone out there in the world is the same and there are a lot of lost sheep out there

We assume now if the rapture occurs in the next second, we'll know I was wrong on that one But if it doesn't it means there's at least one lost sheep out there in the world

Remaining to be saved or to be found and all of those lost sheep are different and did you know that there are some of you in this room that One of those sheep might listen to and others that that sheep might not listen to Might not even give you an opportunity to tell them about the great shepherd

But there are others who would listen just to you. So praise be to God that we're not all the same

It's all a part of his purposes and he God Administrates this through the

Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. He brings these distinctive gifts But it was all made possible because of the death barrel and resurrection and ascension of the

Lord Jesus Christ When the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to this to to this relationship that we have the reason was or at least a great part of the reason was this

Diversity of gifts that he places within us within the body of Christ each different each having its own specific purpose and degree of power to fulfill

God's will in the body of this local church as well as in the world at large and so we see that this this idea of This distinction look at verse 4 now.

There are diversities of gifts these This word diversity is the word distinction and it's interesting it comes from a little group

Root Greek word that means to take for one's self And what that means is is the

Lord takes these particular gifts for himself and places them with in us for himself

He puts the gifts where he wants them for his own good pleasure and his own glory and his own

Purposes and it's found in the root word here as it says that these diversities of gifts are administrated by the

Spirit Now You know, we could conclude that little verse by saying this

There are differences in our church chosen by the Holy Spirit and Meant to be there in our lives.

Now, let's go the next verse look at verse 5 and there are differences of Administrations, but the same

Lord the word differences is the same word here Now this word administration is an interesting word in the

Greek. It's diakonia Now that's Greek.

But what English word does that sound like a little bit diakonia? I'm a brother

Russell. I'm gonna let you guess Diakonia Diakon Thank You deacon

Hear it. Can you hear it? Diakon diakonia and the word literally means to run on errands an

Attendant a waiter at table or other duties Etc a servant a

Servant we get our word minister from it And this is the word that's translated into deacons by the way

We want to talk about deacon, but the word is used many other times simply to mean service or in other words the work that we each do for the

Lord in the church and In the world as he's placed us here So in verse 5 where it says there are differences of administrations you might want to pencil in above that that it simply means there are differences of service in Our different lives we're all called to serve the

Lord in a different way and he gives us Different gifts to help us do the service that we're supposed to do

So verse 4 talks about how it's the Holy Spirit's ministry to administrate these gifts

These different gifts in different ways to each of the different people then we come back and find ourselves

Annoyed with the other person because he's not just like me and Thinking that we know

God's will for the other person when in reality It's God's job to know God's will for the other person

And then we come into verse 5 now We see that it is the Lord now. This is interesting because look how it says these differences of services these differences of Servanthood and actually getting the work done for God these differences are of the same

Lord now This word Lord is curious Let me give you a couple of places in the New Testament where this word is found

It literally means supremacy and it is it can mean supreme in authority

So the verse 4 we're talking about the Holy Spirit verse 5. We are talking about the one who is the curious

Supreme and authority. Let me give you a couple of other verses where this same Greek word is used in Matthew 3 3

It says prepare ye the way of the curious the Lord Make his paths straight.

Who's that a reference to? Jesus Christ Matthew 7 21

Not everyone that saith unto me curious Curious shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven

So who is the one being called a curious curious? Lord Lord, that's

Jesus Christ in Matthew 8 2 It says and behold there came a leper and worshiped him saying

Curious if thou wilt thou can't make me clean and Jesus put forth his hand and touched him saying

I will That's power folks That's what the curious is all about the supreme authority on this planet

What he says shall be done. I will be thou clean and immediately his leprosy vanished

Who is the curious? The Lord Jesus Christ now, I will say this word is used to describe the father in some cases

So it's not always Jesus But many many times it is and I would say with respect to the realm of this

This world this earth this planet it is Referencing the supreme authority of the

King Jesus Christ on this earth Now if we understand that we see in verse 5 of 1st

Corinthians 12 then that there are differences of Administrations now that word administrations is a good word because what it's talking about is the actual work that gets done by you by the individuals of the body of Christ the

Administration of the work is done by the curios the great administrator the Lord Jesus Christ He is the one that moves you to do what you do

He's the one that moves you into the right place to get the job done. He is the administrator of The work that comes from the gifts which the

Holy Spirit administrated earlier in verse 4 now We see then that the supreme authority on the earth

Jesus Christ administers the service and Ministry of his people where and how he wills in this physical world

Now let's go to the next verse verse 6 and there are differences of Operations, but is the same

God which worketh all in all the one who worketh all in all is the father so now we speak of a ministry of the father and Notice this it says and there are

Diversities it's the same thing as differences. It's the same word in all three verses. There are differences of Operations now, this is the key word.

We want to focus on just for a moment Operations comes from the

Greek word in our game, ah In our game,

I know I'm not gonna ask you brother Russell to figure this one out Deborah Give me an

English word. It sounds like Inner gama only you use ja instead of guh for the

G word the G letter Energy, very good. I say I didn't give you a hint Russell.

I cheated I gave her a hint Energy it comes from the

Greek root word ergo, which means to work if you've ever studied physics

In Everybody in our school has probably recently done that that's in the latter two grades of our school.

You've studied the word erg Let me give you the definition of an erg which comes from the

Greek word ergo It is a unit of work equal To the work done by a force of one dine acting through a distance of one centimeter

Now you say why are you bringing physics into this well, there's there's a reason I'm telling you what the word erg means which is the word that this word operations is

Where it says that there are differences of operations is there are differences of ergs

Okay, there are differences of ergs But it is the same father

God the Father which works this now. What is this? Well, if we know in physics that an erg is a measure of work done by a force

That can push something to the to the power of one dine through a distance of one centimeter

So what we have done then we are talking about a certain force through a certain distance

This brings power into time and space

Now we're talking about the planet we're on the earth now We're talking about the power behind the force

That moves something from one place to another which we call in physics work. That's how you define work it's not just force, but it's force over respect over a length a distance

The force it takes to move something from here to here is what we call work. And that's what this word erg is

Now if we understand this We see that there are not only differences of gifts

The gifts that Jesus Administered to all of us, but he did it through the Holy Spirit the

Holy Spirit administered these gifts these different gifts in each of us and then we have differences in the administrations of The work that gets done the service that gets done and that is overseen by the

Lord Jesus Christ Specifically and then we see that not only that but there are differences of ergs

Now, what does that mean? differences of the power Behind the force that moves the object in the physical world

And let's just go down through this. We'll be through here after a while But let's go through here.

Let me just show you a couple things. I'll give you an example and then we'll stop The Example may be seen as we read through what some of these gifts are

Let's not skip verse 7 as we move into that though it says but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to Profit with all it's beautiful this phrase profit with all in the

Greek means to bear together It means we'll all profit if we understand that God has given each of us different gifts, we're not supposed to be the same

Well, it implies we also have different weaknesses, doesn't it? Because isn't the gift a gift the opposite of a weakness?

It's a strength It's an area of strength that God places in our lives, which means there are some holes left there

None of us have the whole package in and of ourselves God Meant it that way on purpose.

He dealt the Holy Spirit to us by measure Jesus is the only one that had it without measure

So let's not look at one another and think we're supposed to be perfect in all areas. We're not that way yet But the perfect one lives within us but because of his own purposes he's made it this way and yet if we will understand the gifts that we each have and the weaknesses that come inherently with that and Understand that the

Holy Spirit has administered these in such a way and the Lord Jesus Oversees it in such a way and the

Father empowers this these gifts in such a way that it profits the whole church and The word profit really it brings this idea it causes us all to bear together and to contribute to the whole

We should be team players We're members of one body, but we're different members

But we're not any of us going any direction the rest of the body doesn't go are we? Not unless we're an amputee

If we're going to follow the head and who is that That is

Jesus So look at this as it goes on in and it talks a little bit in verse 8 for the one is given by the spirit a word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit to another the working of miracles to another prophecy to another discerning of spirits to another

Different kinds of languages to another the interpretation of the languages But all these worketh that one and self same spirit dividing to every man severally as Who will the men as?

the men will Know as the spirit will It's all to do with the sovereignty of God you can't just say well,

I think I'd like to speak in tongues Well, I don't think many of you in this church probably would say that says

Baptist out on the sign last time I checked so you probably didn't pick that one and so I Think you know that as we look at these gifts

We have a problem There are some of these we don't see in this church And I've often why in fact

I asked brother Russ this once I said, you know brother Russ if tongues are still on the planet And he's laughing at me while I'm asking the question

I said if tongues are still on the planet Why is it that God put them all in the

Pentecostal Church and none of them in the Baptist Church? Didn't he think we needed it too and He never answered that question.

He went on and asked me a different question, which is a smart thing to do But it is an interesting question.

I Think he finally did answer. He said none of y 'all asked for it And then I came back and said don't you believe in the sovereignty of God?

And so we decided to go on to another topic But let me show you something interesting about this

I want you to think about this this verse 6 where we got down to the part that the father does

The father is the one that supplies the ergo the power behind the work and It says that there are differences of this you see where it says differences of operations

It means there are differences of energy Behind these gifts at different times for various reasons

But it is it has to do with the sovereign will will of the father He is the one who administrate you see the

Holy Spirit administrates the gift Jesus administrates the service the physical work that comes on this physical world

Because it says his delights were with the sons of men it says Jesus was around the circle of the earth is his focus is on the earth and men and Then the father however supplies the energy behind all of it

According to his will to get the job done with the right energy from God So as we look at these we see a word of wisdom word of knowledge prophecy

Let's put those together now think about this just for a moment If you already have the scriptures if you have the complete canon which they didn't have in the early church

But if you do have it now Which includes the book of Revelation? Wouldn't you agree that one does not have to have the same energy of?

Wisdom and knowledge and prophecy in order to edify the church that one would need to have if you didn't even have a Bible Now, let me explain what

I mean by that. Let's say you don't have The book of 1st

Corinthians, yeah, you're in the early church you don't have this letter now let's say that the

Lord wanted to teach us a Principle that's found in 1st Corinthians 12 13 today

And it says for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body? What if God wanted to teach this congregation that but we did not yet have the book of 1st

Corinthians How do you suppose God would accomplish this through this three mechanisms?

We've talked about today. How would he do it brother Russ? Give me a give me some insight on how

God might do that if if we did not have the letter to the Corinthians and the Holy Spirit wanted us to learn today in the message

Or in some way in the congregation this principle for by one spirit.

Are we all baptized into one body? How might he do that? Okay prophecy knowledge or wisdom these gifts

He would use one of these to bring this about in this church Now, let me point something out to you that I think is is pretty obvious if we didn't have the scripture

It would take more energy from God let's say brother

Russ has the gift of knowledge and God wants him to stand and speak this verse to us, but he doesn't have the written word this portion of it.

Anyway It would take an energy from God to impart to him the ability to have this much knowledge to know this

He already has the gift the Holy Spirit gave him the gift After his salvation or add his salvation perhaps in fact when

Jesus ascended into heaven It was already had done preach without it. I mean we've seen this preach

No, this preacher preach without it from time to time. It's an ugly scene So you got to have this power

But it's not on the same magnitude that I would have to have if I can't study this for several hours before I come up Here with the

Holy Spirit there It would require more energy for me to not know this information and have it come to my mind from God Now I think the same is true

When we look at these other gifts the discerning of spirits if you've got a Bible in your lap and I'm preaching from this book

You need some discernment of spirit to know if I'm telling you the truth or not Don't you but you don't need nearly as much power behind that if none of us had a

Bible and I just said well I have a word from the Lord and I came up said here's what he told me last night in a dream

Now that has happened, hasn't it? But Wouldn't you need a stronger energy behind your discernment to know if I was telling you the truth if none of us had the

Bible Of course you would So it's not that you don't need this It's just you don't

God doesn't give the same energy if God doesn't need you to have it right now If he needs you to have it, you know what you'd get it

What if they came in tomorrow and read China? Nuked all of our main infrastructure and destroyed our economy and everything and they flew in on 707s and took our country over and burned every

Bible. Would we still have church if we could? Wouldn't be here. This would be like one of their meetings to have a red flag on it

They'd be having offices in this space. We'd be over probably in brother Harvey's house Somewhere where we go sometimes and because he's got the 50 millimeter.

So that's where we'd want to meet together and We wouldn't have a Bible So when one of us got up to preach bring the message you would need more energy from God to know if that's from the

Bible because you're not reading along with me and you hadn't Spent hours studying it. Do you see what I'm saying? The the gifts are there the energy does not need to be the same and that's decided by God by his sovereign will anyway

We can't change that He imparts the energy when and where and how he wants to where it's needed for his purposes

What about faith gift of faith? Do we have that? Do we need that today?

If you're gonna avoid hell you need that If you're gonna know the

Lord It's only by gift that God gives you you know, man can just naturally all of a sudden say well

I think I'll be a Christian day. I'll accept Jesus Doesn't work that way. He has to move in on you.

He's like a bridegroom wooing the young bride He's he's like he's got his eye on her, but she doesn't even care for him yet She doesn't even know she doesn't even love him yet Some of you young men listen, you'll learn something here now

I know it's lunchtime, but this is the best part of the sermon for you But you've already spotted her and you know, you love her.

It's just up to you to woo her You just bring her to yourself by how much you love her

That's a picture of Jesus Chasing after his lost sheep. That's how he does it

He moves in on them and he brings them by the Holy Spirit He woos them to himself. And finally she looks up and says well,

I think I love you And then they're married and marriage is picture is a picture of salvation all through the

Bible So we have to have faith as a neat rabbit trail wasn't it young people? What about gifts of healing

Let me ask you this now that God has brought into this world and make no mistake It's God that did this now that he's brought penicillin into this world.

Do you think that makes a difference on the battlefield? Penicillin would that make a difference if you'd been shot

And what about open -heart surgery and all of modern medical science, which

God has given us Don't you agree that the energy of healing does not always have to be the same as it was when they had none of this when what there was to do if one of us if if one of us has a terrible physical malady and There's none of this modern science to help nothing

God gave in that way we didn't have it yet. What would it take? Erg ergo it would take the faith of the effectual fervent prayer of many righteous men and women in this church and Anointing of the forehead with olive oil and praying if that person was going to be healed at all.

And you know what? It's all healing is from God And if he chooses to do it that way, then he chooses to supply the energy behind that gift today, we find people that have a gift of healing that go into medical profession or Sometimes they go and be missionaries and be medical missionaries and they have a better gift some nurses by the way have a better gift of Knowing how the physical body works and the different ways to to give medicines and so forth and that I believe is a gift of God, but he does it any way he wants to dispense

It doesn't mean that he wouldn't in a time when it was necessary and according to his will raise someone up by direct healing from his own hand and So it's all a matter of the energy working of miracles would fall into the same thing

What about different kinds of languages and interpretation of the languages, you know? I remember reading about William Carey who spent his life and on the mission field translating the

Bible into I don't know how many Many many many more than ten languages in his lifetime.

He gave his life for that He had a gift of languages in a sense He did not have the same energy behind it that the

Apostles did at Pentecost when they spoke and everyone heard in their own language but he still had a gift from language of languages to be able to do that and it was from God and He gave his life his wife literally went insane on the mission field because the times were so tough

He lost many of his children to death is one of the things that affected his wife So much and he did all that to supply these languages so that people could hear the gospel in their own language

He had a power of God But it wasn't the same as if he could have just not done any of the study and none of the translations just preached and they

Heard it in their own language for some reason God chose not to sovereignly impart that to William Carey William Carey said this is my gift of tongues

So you see it's not a debate anymore in my heart mind I get used to be over where these gifts are gone or they're operative or they're not or if you're a

Baptist that can happen If you're not it can't happen None of it's not like that What it is is we have

God working through the Holy Spirit to impart the gifts We have Jesus Christ administering them where he chooses and we have the

Father supplying the energy to get the work done that he himself wants done in your life in my life and all of it is to the mutual benefit of the church and the

God's work in this world so Let us

Focus on the work that God has at hand for us Let me focus on my work that he's given me

You focus on your work that he's given you Let's let none of us be busybodies nosing into the work.

He gave the other person now in love We see a brother backsliding.

We think we see a brother in danger and your motive is love go to the brother Talk to him in love and find out don't go to the other brother and talk about it

Go to that brother or sister But You know a lot of times we can just pray for the other

Recognizing that the Holy Spirit works in that life brings out the strengths Recognizing that Jesus administers the work in that life.

Just like he did in mine You know, he can work in yours to kind of like he did mine And that the father supplies the energy and That we can pray and we don't really have to be so concerned about the other.

Do you know what that does in a church? Cures division it eliminates it it obliterates it because we find ourselves as a body working together to God's end and we recognize his hand in each other's life as we look for that and All of this comes from the same power

That was there the morning of the resurrection Sunday when that cold body became warm and Came out of the grave clothes leaving them untouched and As he then later ascended into heaven he gave these gifts to men.

We'll talk about that next Sunday Let's stand and have prayer together Father we thank you for your word.

We thank you for this day that calls us to recognize the power of the resurrection and How that you have placed this power within our lives within each of us and that same power

Brings us to be able to do the work that you've called us to do May we be ever mindful of that work and walk worthy of it so that we might do so in meekness and lowliness and humbleness of mind and That your work would be done in this world until your

Lord Jesus comes back for us again Father, thank you that you've made us to be a family brothers and sisters

Who love one another as much or more than we love our very physical family in this world?

We thank you that you've knit us together and we ask that as you continue to give us our orders

To march forth into this battle that we're in that would each we would each support one another and work as a team and Accomplish the work that we might stand before you at that judgment seat that we talked about in Sunday school

And be able to look you in the eyes Father be with those who couldn't be here today.

Bring them back to us safely. We ask you to bless the meal We're about to have together in Jesus name.