The ABC’s of the Christian Life (19): Following Jesus Christ Rightly (13): Spiritual Gifts (1)

First Baptist Church Leominster

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

music music music music

00:40

We, of course, have been addressing the teachings of God's Word that are critically important for us to understand and practice if we are to follow the

00:50

Lord Jesus Christ rightly, that is, if we are to live as Christians in a manner that pleases our

00:56

Lord and in a manner that will bring His blessing upon us. And so among these important biblical teachings, these foundational truths for living the

01:08

Christian life, it's important that we understand the biblical teaching about spiritual gifts and their use within the local church.

01:19

God has given to everyone that comes to Christ for salvation the ability to serve Him and to serve

01:25

His people. This is a divine equipping that the Lord gives to His people.

01:32

And we refer to these divinely imparted abilities as spiritual gifts. Through the use of our spiritual gifts in serving the

01:40

Lord and His people, we will be able to better follow the Lord Jesus Christ rightly.

01:48

Again, this study will take up at least two Sundays. I hope to complete it next week. And the reason for two

01:55

Sundays is because there are several rather lengthy passages in the New Testament that address this subject.

02:02

And I don't think that we should just pass over any of them. But also, in addition,

02:10

I think, in following Jesus Christ rightly in these days, we also have to address the cessation of revelatory gifts that many of our

02:22

Pentecostal charismatic friends claim are still in existence, which we do not believe is the case.

02:30

And we certainly have to give a biblical justification for our understanding of the ceasing of these revelatory spiritual gifts at the end of the apostolic age.

02:42

And so, Lord willing, we'll address that next Lord's Day. Well, let's begin our study by reading 1

02:49

Peter's instruction regarding spiritual gifts that is found in 1 Peter 4, 7 -11.

02:58

Peter wrote, But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

03:04

And above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

03:12

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

03:25

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God, or in other words, in accordance to Holy Scripture.

03:32

If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things

03:38

God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

03:44

Amen. The Apostle Peter was probably writing his first epistle to new

03:50

Christians, maybe with view to their baptism that was before them.

03:57

And Peter was instructing them on how to live rightly before God as Christians.

04:03

And so Peter pressed upon them the urgency of the hour, saying, The end of all things is at hand.

04:11

Some argue that this is a reference to the impending destruction of Jerusalem that actually took place in A .D.

04:16

70, a few years after, maybe five years after Peter had written this epistle.

04:24

This was the view of the well -known commentator, 1 Peter John Brown, and there were several John Browns in the last 300 years that were noted commentators, and one who is probably most highly regarded is commonly referred to as John Brown of Haddington.

04:40

I don't think this is that John Brown. He wrote a good commentary, however, on 1

04:46

Peter. He wrote, After some deliberation I have been led to adopt the opinion of those who hold that the end of all things here is the entire and final end of the

04:56

Jewish economy. In the destruction of the temple in the city of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the holy people, that was at hand, for this epistle seems to have been written in a very short while before these events took place, not improbably after the commencement of the wars and rumors of wars of which our

05:15

Lord spoke. This view will not appear strange to anyone who has carefully weighed the terms in which our

05:21

Lord had predicted these events and close connection which the fulfillment of these predictions had with the interests and duties of Christians, whether in Judea or in Gentile countries.

05:34

More than likely, however, in spite of John Brown's comments, Peter is speaking of the

05:41

Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the whole, the end of all things is at hand. Peter had written of the certainty of Christ's return, suggesting it might be sooner than later, but obviously it was not sooner than later, since 2 ,000 years almost have transpired.

05:59

The Lord had revealed to His people the certainty of His Second Coming, though He did not reveal the timing of His Second Coming.

06:09

He did reveal the destruction of Jerusalem and the timing of that event.

06:16

He said it would occur within a generation of His ministry.

06:22

Before that generation passed away, all these things would take place. He was clearly referring to the destruction of Jerusalem by the

06:29

Romans in A .D. 70. However, no one would know the hour, the time, or the hour, the day or the hour of His Second Coming.

06:40

Oftentimes, in the New Testament, it is set forth by the Greek word parousia, which simply translated means appearance.

06:49

Nobody knew when the end of the age would take place, when the Second Coming would occur, but all of His people knew when the fall of Jerusalem would occur.

07:04

The Lord intended by this that all people of all times would be anticipating and living in the light of His Second Coming.

07:14

This is why He did not reveal the time of His Second Coming, and this is why all efforts to declare when

07:20

Jesus is going to return are futile and false. The Lord does not want us to know when

07:27

He is coming. He wants us to know that He is coming and that you and I are ready regardless of when

07:34

He comes. That was His intent before His disciples in the days of His ministry on earth.

07:44

Now in verses 7 -11, Peter becomes specific on how we are to live as Christians with view to the coming of Christ.

07:55

Let us remember as we read these verses, verses 7 -11, that these are to be done within the context of being alert to the

08:03

Second Coming of Christ. We have simply worded statements, but in the light of Christ's coming to judge the world, the following should be practiced.

08:14

And we have several admonitions, exhortations. The first, of course, is we are to be prayerful.

08:21

We read that in verse 7. Again Peter wrote, But the end of all things is at hand, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

08:29

We ought to be praying in the light of the Second Coming of Christ. We are to be prayerful, but in order for this to occur, we must be clear -minded and self -controlled.

08:40

In other words, disciplined. The Lord would have us to be serious and watchful. We are to live with eternity in view.

08:51

We are to live beyond today and anticipate and look forward to the coming of the

08:56

Lord and live accordingly. Our awareness of our Lord's return and the judgment of the world should influence how we view ourselves and the manner we live, as well as how we view others and how we relate to others.

09:11

In a sense, we are to be an apocalyptic community, anticipating the coming of the Lord, and that should govern how we think and how we live and how we relate to one another.

09:24

And we are to be serious about these matters. We are to be watchful. In other words, we are to be watching ourselves.

09:30

He's not saying, not being watchful, trying to guess when the Lord's coming, no, be watchful of yourself. That's what you need to watch.

09:38

Watch yourself. Praying always, praying fervently and faithfully with view to our accountability and the reckoning that each of us are going to have to render unto

09:48

Him that is coming. Secondly, we are to be loving. Verse 8.

09:55

Above all things have fervent love for one another. Now every true Christian loves other

10:01

Christians. This is a part of our genetic makeup, spiritual genes, as it were.

10:07

Paul could write to the brethren in the church at Thessalonica, but concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

10:17

It's just part of becoming a Christian. All of a sudden you have an affection for those who believe on Jesus, because you believe on Jesus like they do.

10:27

This comes with salvation. Nevertheless, Paul could also write to that same church, but we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more.

10:36

In an earlier place, in the same epistle, he wrote, And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, toward all men, even as we do toward you.

10:46

And to the Philippians he wrote, It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment.

10:52

People need to be wise in how they administer love to others. Again, Peter wrote that in all our preparation, it is with view to the second coming of Christ.

11:06

He says, Above all things we are to be very mindful of how we relate to one another. The second coming of Christ should affect, influence, how we relate to one another.

11:17

And notice the preeminence that Peter places on this. Above all things, he says, we are to be mindful how we relate to one another.

11:27

Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. This is what Peter wrote.

11:34

And so Peter's reason for having fervent love for one another is because love will cover a multitude of sins.

11:41

What does he mean by that? Well, not only will our love for others enable us to cover or pass over many of their sins, as all of us sin, and many times we sin against one another, but when we love, we'll tend to pass over that.

12:04

And also, however, I think that love will cover a multitude of sins in that on the day of judgment, it will demonstrate that we're true

12:13

Christians by the manner in which we love one another. In other words, our love for the brethren will vindicate our claim to have faith in Christ and that faith is substantiated by our love for others will result in the passing over or the covering of our own sins on that day.

12:34

Not that loving the brethren is a means of forgiveness of sins, but no, it validates our claim to be

12:40

Christians. Paul could write a psalm,

12:45

I'm convinced of your election because you have faith in Jesus and you love the brethren. And one day on the day of judgment, our love manifested to the brethren, to the

12:57

Christian brethren, will validate our claim that we're believers. It's not what we just claim, but what our lives demonstrate.

13:11

And so, certainly on the day of judgment, we'll be delivered from damnation through faith alone, but that faith in Christ alone will be validated by demonstrable love we have for the brethren.

13:24

And therefore, you can understand why Peter would write, Above all things, have fervent love for the brethren.

13:30

It's critically important. This is asserted, by the way, in Matthew 25, when our

13:37

Lord taught His disciples about the final judgment. He spoke of the great separation that will take place between the saved and the unsaved of the human race.

13:47

The goats and sheep will be separated by the Lord Jesus. The determiner that He set forth in that passage of Matthew 25 is how people treated what

13:56

He called the least of these my brethren. In other words, the second tablet of the law, how we relate to one another.

14:08

The second tablet of the Ten Commandments. Our duty before God to one another will be one of the major determiners of the outcome on the final day of judgment.

14:22

And so, the reason Peter gives for loving others is that love covers a multitude of sins. By the way,

14:27

Peter is quoting Proverbs here, Proverbs 10 -12. In the light of the coming of Christ and the judgment that will then occur, there is a need for peace and unity among the brethren.

14:38

Love covers a multitude of sins, and that strife is less evident where love is.

14:47

Why is strife less evident where love is? Well, several reasons. Well, when love is present, there is less suspicion of others.

14:56

Love gives the benefit of the doubt to people. Oh, she must be having a bad day. She wouldn't have acted that way or said that way.

15:03

She must be really troubled. I need to pray for her. Second, when love is present, the motives of others will be assumed to be pure.

15:16

When love is absent, others will be judged for having wrong motives. We're not to be passing judgment on people's motives.

15:23

We're to presume, assume that they are good and pure. Third, when love is present, less offense is taken when others may slight you.

15:33

When love is absent, other offenses easily assume. Spurgeon, in his quick way of saying things, a proud man is quick to imagine insults.

15:45

That's a truism, isn't it? You've offended me. You've insulted me. And fourth, when love is present, even true offenses are set aside and forgiven.

15:57

When love is absent, there is no forgiveness, but rather there continues to exist an amazingly detailed memory of offenses.

16:06

Time does not heal all things. And every one of us know that.

16:12

There's probably some event in your life where you were deeply, deeply hurt. And it might have been 30 years ago, but you can remember it as if it happened yesterday.

16:24

Well not only are we to be prayerful and loving, but thirdly, we're to be hospitable. Verse 9.

16:30

And we should do so without complaining. We're living in a busy world, aren't we?

16:36

So many things encroach upon us. And we might, you know, extend courtesy and hospitality, but reluctantly.

16:48

We may find ourselves simply tired, and so we may want to pull back from extending ourselves to others or inviting them into our homes.

16:58

Or if we do entertain, we do so with hesitation, maybe even grumbling. That should not be the case.

17:03

We're to be hospitable without grumbling. And apparently this was a problem in the first century, or Peter wouldn't have written it, right?

17:11

It's probably a common situation within households.

17:17

And then fourthly, we're to be faithful in service. Now we're getting down to the matter at hand. Verses 10 -11.

17:23

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

17:32

There we have the introduction of spiritual gifts. Peter expressed the responsibility every

17:39

Christian has toward others in the church fellowship. Peter wrote of every Christian, as each one has received a gift.

17:47

Has received is a passive voice verb in the English translation.

17:56

It's actually an active verb in Greek, but it's translated, and I think it's the right rendering in English as a passive voice verb.

18:06

You've received it. You didn't obtain it. God gave it to you. You received it from the

18:12

Lord. It intimates that God had imparted a spiritual gift to every one of his people, as each one has received a gift.

18:23

Each one received it from God. Now some have argued from this verse that every Christian is given only one spiritual gift.

18:32

And Peter certainly is speaking of a singular gift. But I would not restrict God in this way.

18:39

I don't think Peter's effort is to declare every Christian only has one gift, but rather I would say it's better to understand

18:49

Peter's saying that God has given every Christian at least one spiritual gift. Every Christian.

18:58

That's to be employed in service to fellow church members. But I would argue that some

19:04

Christians maybe have more than one gift. Clearly the Apostle Paul had more than one gift. I think

19:10

I might have put a few references in the footnote regarding that. He had the ability to speak in tongues more than them all.

19:17

He had the ability to bring healing to people. You know, he certainly had great abilities in many different ways.

19:26

He had more than one spiritual gift. Now notice in verse 10 a very, very important principle.

19:35

And this would negate a lot of what is promoted in the charismatic movement.

19:44

Every Christian is to employ his spiritual gift, and whenever I say his, you understand I'm talking generically, his or her, spiritual gift in that he is to minister to one another

19:55

That's critically important. What is suggested here is that God did not impart a spiritual gift to you so that you yourself would be built up or edified in the

20:05

Spirit. That's not why God gives spiritual gifts, for you yourself to be edified by that gift.

20:12

He gives you the gift so you can edify someone else. Critically important. This is a major principle that governs the purpose and use of spiritual gifts.

20:24

And we're going to come back to it, because it's found several places. And so if you're a Christian, God gave you a spiritual gift to enable you to serve others for their spiritual benefit, in other words, for the building up of the local church.

20:36

That's why God has gifted you and me, to build up others.

20:46

Paul stated overtly in 1 Corinthians 12 .7, To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

20:53

There you have the purpose clause. For the common good. He didn't give it to you for your good, but for others' good.

21:02

This introduces the idea of stewardship, doesn't it? God did not give you a spiritual gift for your edification.

21:09

Ah, but it's a prayer language. I feel so built up and encouraged by it. That's not why God gives spiritual gifts.

21:16

He gives you a spiritual gift so that you can serve others by it, not yourself. Peter exhorted

21:24

Christians to be faithful in the stewardship of their gift. Again, verse 10 reads, As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

21:34

There we see the responsibility that's placed upon each of us. God has graciously bestowed at least one spiritual gift to every

21:42

Christian. But that blessed gift came with a responsibility. Use it. And each of us is a steward of what

21:50

God has entrusted to us. Each of us is responsible before the Lord to make use of that gift in serving his people.

21:57

And so we read elsewhere, Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. And one day the

22:04

Lord will call each of us before him, and we are given account of how faithful we were in our stewardship of the gift, or perhaps gifts, that he has given us to serve his people.

22:16

There's responsibility here and accountability. You're to focus or concentrate on your gift.

22:23

This is not to the exclusion of other matters, but your most fruitful ministry will be in the area you are equipped uniquely and specially to do.

22:34

It's implied you should know what your gift is. But even if you do not know your spiritual gift, be busy serving the

22:43

Lord's people in the manner that burdens you, and perhaps in the capacity that God has enabled you.

22:48

Or made available to you. And in time, your gift will become more clear.

22:59

When I was a new Christian, the last thing in the world I could have possibly been was a public teacher of the word.

23:07

I dropped out of two speech classes in college because I couldn't stand up and give my name and tell what city I was from.

23:13

I would stutter and stammer and terrified. Dropped out of two speech classes.

23:19

So when people came up to me early on in my Christian life and say, God's given you a gift of teaching.

23:25

I say, you got that wrong. Sometimes other people recognize your gift before you do.

23:33

Because they're receiving the benefit of it. You don't see it. Scripture's right.

23:43

If anyone ministers, let them do it as with the ability that God supplies. It's a gift.

23:49

Regardless of what kind of gift you have, you're to be busy in service to others in such a manner that God is glorified through it.

23:56

That in all things, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever.

24:02

Amen. So as Christians in our service to others, we should desire that God get the credit for it.

24:08

And that's really a base way of saying that God get the glory for it. That he get the credit for it, not we ourselves.

24:20

Again, this is troublesome for some. Well, I don't have a gift. Some say, no, if you're a

24:25

Christian, you've been given at least one gift. And sometimes a Christian may not readily recognize a gift that God has given him or her.

24:33

That's common. Be patient. Don't be alarmed. Don't de -Christianize yourself because you can't recognize your spiritual gift.

24:41

Don't do that. Perhaps it's yet to be developed. We're talking about spiritual gifts, not some talent you had before you were a

24:49

Christian and now it's employed to the Lord's service. We're talking about a spiritual capability that he gives you that comes with conversion.

25:00

And oftentimes he'll gift you in a way that was maybe uncharacteristic with you before becoming a

25:07

Christian. And again, he does this so he alone gets the glory for it, right?

25:16

And so perhaps others recognize it, but you do not as yet. Actually, this is quite common.

25:23

But you are to be about serving people. And in time, it will become apparent. But in the meantime, ask yourself what concerns you about others, both inside and outside the church?

25:35

What do you perceive are their main problems or weaknesses? Maybe you see them as lonely, discouraged, in need of fellowship.

25:42

That's just how you see people. Maybe God has given you a particular gift of encouragement.

25:51

Maybe the thing that strikes you about others is their helplessness and the fact that they are hurting. Maybe God has given you a gift of mercy.

25:59

Employ it. Go to work. Maybe you see people as idle, disorganized, and inefficient.

26:07

God pity you if you have that gift. Gosh, God pity you.

26:13

Perhaps you have the gift of administration. We all need that, don't we, in the church. Maybe you see people as ignorant and consequently bringing much needless difficulty and pain upon themselves.

26:26

Maybe you're destined to be a teacher. Important principle here that follows.

26:33

Avoid assessing and judging others in the light of your gift. Very important.

26:40

The devil will lead you to do this. Sometimes a Christian will recognize a glaring deficiency in a pastor or church, and he'll develop a critical spirit as a result.

26:52

But what he does not realize is that he is unjustly judging another according to his own spiritual gift.

27:00

This is the way he sees things. And he doesn't understand why anybody else doesn't see things in the same way, in the same manner.

27:08

It's so obvious to him, it ought to be obvious to them also. But that's a wrong assumption. It may be the

27:15

Lord's intention to use you to satisfy that need in the church through your gift.

27:20

But instead, the devil, perhaps, is using it to cause dissension and division.

27:29

Peter next identified two areas in which spiritual gifts may be broadly categorized. First, there are those gifts that involve speech.

27:40

By the way, there is a need in these days to recover biblical speech in the efforts of so many churches to try and be contemporary and relevant to the culture.

27:52

You lose biblical speech. You know, there's a holy language. There's a language of Canaan in there, a language of Zion and that we should understand and adopt and use.

28:06

Christians will speak about dysfunctional lives, but rarely sinners. We're getting away from biblical language when we do that, don't we?

28:15

God uses his word to perform his work. And so there are certain gifts that involve speech.

28:23

And then secondly, there are those gifts that involve service. And God must give grace in one's service.

28:30

Going forth in one's own strength is his prescription for burnout and failure, fruitless service.

28:37

Gifts should never be regarded as making one sufficient or capable, but rather they are only avenues through which

28:45

God's power may be channeled through us to the benefit of others. And then, of course, the motive and goal of our service is to the glory of God.

28:55

Christians should serve others so that they look past us. Jesus said, let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who's in heaven.

29:07

They ought to look past you and see God as working through you. That should be our desire.

29:15

And again, all of these things should be done with view to the second coming of Christ. First, we're to be busy doing these things now for the time may be short and the opportunity to be used of God may be limited.

29:28

And then secondly, in the light of our own accountability before our Lord, when he returns, we should be diligent in these matters.

29:36

You know, that's Peter's exposition of spiritual gifts.

29:44

We have a few minutes. Let's address Paul's instruction regarding spiritual gifts in Romans 12.

29:50

We're not even going to get to Corinthians 12 and 13 today, where we have perhaps one of the most full explanations of spiritual gifts.

29:59

We'll deal with that next week. But now let's look at Romans 12, 4 through 8 quickly.

30:06

Paul wrote, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly accessible to God, which is your reasonable service or ministry or worship.

30:18

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

30:26

For I say, and he immediately begins to introduce spiritual gifts.

30:32

And that conjunction at the beginning of verse three, although it begins a new paragraph four, it's an explanation really of verses one through two.

30:42

Why should we do verses one and two? For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

30:57

There's the spiritual gift. For as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another, having then gifts differing according to the grace that's given to us.

31:14

Let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith, or ministry, let us use it in our ministering.

31:22

He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness.

31:34

The apostle in Romans 12, 1 and following, exhorted his readers to experience transformation in their lives through the renewing of their minds.

31:44

In other words, they were to embrace fully and apply faithfully all that Paul had taught them in the first 11 chapters of the epistle to the

31:52

Romans. And if they lived according to the truth that he had disclosed to them, they would experience and validate the will of God in their lives to truly be good, acceptable, and even perfect.

32:06

And then he brings forth the body of Christ. In verses four and five,

32:12

Paul set forth the metaphor of the human body, which illustrates the nature of the church in which we're members.

32:19

In the church of Jesus Christ, the members are vitally connected with one another. I know we all know that's just words, but do we see the reality of it and the implications of it?

32:31

The Lord has given a function for each and every one of the members of that body. For as in one body we have many members, and members do not have all the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another.

32:46

There's a vital connection that we have with one another. Here we see that our identity as Christians would be tied to our relationship with other believers in Jesus Christ who are living and serving in the same church.

32:59

The Lord saves us each as individuals. Americans, however, tend to be all too individualistic.

33:07

Me and Jesus. In my Bible. No. He saves us individually, but upon conversion, we are to begin to see our identity centered in the church of which we are a member.

33:20

We're vitally connected with one another. And if we really believed that, we would probably serve one another more faithfully.

33:32

Suppose you came to church next Sunday morning and you realized that your spiritual well -being was dependent on how well that person sitting in front of you is doing before the

33:42

Lord. How about that? Wouldn't you be trying to encourage that person, instruct that person, helping that person along if you saw that your vitality and the blessing of the

33:56

Lord was contingent on how that person was doing? That perhaps reflects the kind of spiritual connection that we have with one another.

34:04

These are not just words. These are spiritual realities. With sin, we became individualistic individuals, but he's got a greater purpose for us.

34:15

A body of Christ through which his work is performed. Now, many, when they see in verse five, the expression, the body of Christ, they believe the subject must be the universal church.

34:29

And every Christian who lives in isolation, hey, what matters is the true church, the invisible church, not the local church.

34:38

I'm a member of the true church, so I sit home with my radio and my Bible. No. Paul's emphasis is most always, not always, but most always on the local church.

34:51

114 times the Greek word ekklesi is used for church in the New Testament. I think 108 of those are clear references to the local church.

35:01

Vast number, local church. Every local church that is true local church, not every church, every true biblical local church is a body of Christ.

35:12

Some say, no, that's only true of the universal church. No, no. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, now you, he's writing to the church at Corinth, you, second person plural, you people in the church at Corinth are the body of Christ and members individually.

35:28

We're the body of Christ. We're the local expression of the body of Christ, and Christ works through his people, through his body within our community, our region.

35:40

The point is this, the members of a local church of Jesus Christ are dynamically and spiritually united to one another in one spiritual body.

35:48

And really it takes the Lord to open our eyes to that reality. He then identifies the spiritual gifts of the members, verses six through eight.

35:58

And he delineates the different ways that different members of the body are gifted in order to serve or function within the body.

36:04

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. If prophecy in proportion to faith, our faith, service, our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in his generosity, the one who leads with zeal, the one who acts of mercy with cheerfulness.

36:24

And this is just one list of spiritual gifts that we have in the New Testament. These are gifts given to Christians by God's grace.

36:32

These are not talents brought over from a pre -Christian period. These are spiritual gifts that the grace of God has given to his people.

36:40

And again, every Christian has at least one gift. We want to consider these.

36:46

We don't have time to consider these this morning. It just might go into three weeks. I don't know. But this is an important matter.

36:53

The whole gift of prophecy. Some people claim to have this gift of prophecy today that God supernaturally informs them of his secret will, and then they communicate that to the people of God.

37:06

It was a gift, a spiritual gift in the apostolic days.

37:12

But just as the office of the apostle was a temporary office fulfilled by the 12 in particular, and then they died, they left a foundation on which the church is built.

37:26

The prophets did the same. And we'll consider that in more detail next week. Paul could write that the

37:32

Lord has built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets his church. And this gift of prophecy, although vitally important and blessed of God in the early churches, it came to diminish over time once the church was established.

37:50

And particularly when the world, when the Christians worldwide throughout the Roman Empire came to realize that the church is comprised not of just Jewish believers only, but Gentile believers were of equal stature in one body.

38:05

And it was then that these revelatory gifts, like the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, the gift of supernatural knowledge, began to fade away.

38:16

And Christian history, tradition has testimony to that.

38:21

And perhaps we'll cite some of that next week or the week after. But the whole point today we can see is that we have a responsibility.

38:30

And thankfully, we have the ability to be used of our

38:35

Lord in his service. And it's to be employed in the service of others within the church.

38:43

To build up the people of God, to encourage them, to assist them, to help them, to instruct them, to motivate them, to show mercy to them in any way which is available to us.

38:57

And in this way, we'll see the life of Christ manifested to us in wonderful ways.

39:04

Amen? Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. And we pray that you would help us, our

39:10

God, to be faithful Christians. Faithful stewards of the gifts that you have given to your people.

39:18

We pray, Lord, that you would help your people to recognize the area in which you have gifted him or her.

39:26

And help us, our Lord, to be diligent in this way to seek to be used of you,

39:32

Lord. Because this is what you've called us to do. To love others and to see them built up.

39:38

And we know in doing so, that we ourselves will bring, we'll experience great blessing.