1Corinthians 12:1-7
Experiencing the Spirit
This morning \\See 2019Sermons on "Matt 20:1"\\ in preaching I made
the statement that God gives His best not to those who sit for Him
but to those who serve Him. There is much more to that statement than
just the words in the statement. It is my belief that Christians do
not do more for Jesus because we do not understand how much the Holy
Ghost is willing to do with us and for us.
We have an unimaginable opportunity in the body of Christ. God saves
us, cleanses us, adopts us, puts on the payroll--That is called
Nepotism. Nepotism is when we get special privileges because who you
are related to, but God is the greatest Nepotist in the galaxy for
God likes to use His family. So God saves us, cleanses us, adopts us,
puts on the payroll, calls us to serve, fills us with the Holy Ghost,
then rewards us for doing nothing more than being willing, obedient,
and diligent. Friend, this is the opportunity of all eternity.
Let’s spend some time thinking together on the gifts that God has for
us.
I. Truths About God
A. We cannot separate a discussion of the gifts of the Holy Ghost
from the Holy Ghost because He is the Giver of those gifts.
B. As always, it is never my desire to hurt anyone’s feelings,
but there are a lot of different belief’s about the Holy
Ghost.
1. I don’t know everything.
2. I can’t explain everything.
3. I don’t think everyone has to believe just like me.
4. But I am called by God to preach what the Bible says and
the Bible is the only thing I can be sure of.
C. Let’s consider God.
1. We do not worship three gods. We worship one God who
manifest Himself in three Persons; however, each of those
Persons is unique and personal.
2. Each Member of the Trinity seems to have a position in the
affairs of mankind.
a. The Father oversees everything. He is the Architect
and the Planner of all things, even the Son and the
Spirit follow His plan.
b. The Son oversees all things related to salvation.
Among other duties, He is the Sacrifice who paid for
sin; the High Priest who applied the blood; and the
Judge who will judge all mankind.
c. The Holy Spirit oversees the hearts of men and the
operations of the church. He convicts, saves, fills,
guides, and gifts each person who is saved.
3. Not only so, but each Member of the Trinity seem to have
a time period in man’s history when they take the lead
in the affairs of men.
a. The Old Testament saints got to experience the Father.
b. The Gospel saints got to experience the Son.
c. The Church saints get to experience the Spirit.
4. The way we experience the Spirit is by being filled with
Him and by developing the gifts He gives.
a. We meet the Father through the Word.
b. We meet the Son through the cross.
c. We meet the Spirit through surrender and service.
5. We cannot know the Holy Spirit of God as God would have us
to know Him if we are not surrendered and willing to
serve.
a. I have Charismatic friends who might say the way we to
experience God is by praying, fasting, and faith.
b. I would not want to argue with them on that because I
believe those are part of experiencing the Holy
Spirit; but I also believe that without surrender and
serving, you will not experience the Holy Spirit as
God intends you to experience Him.
c. Why? Because the Spirit is not giving for our benefit
alone. He is given to the surrendered to serve
others as Christ would serve.
II. Facts About the Bible
A. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit of God.
1. I am talking about today. I am not talking about in the
beginning of Acts. The book of Acts was a transition
time period, but we have more to the New Testament than
the book of Acts.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell
in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own?
2. These verses indicate that what was happening when the
book of Acts began is not what was happening when the
book of Acts ended.
3. That somewhere between the time the Holy Ghost’s first
came and the time when the Bible was finished, the Holy
Ghost began to come on believers AT the time of their
salvation.
a. Did God have to do it that way? No.
b. Did He tell us when He was changing? No.
c. But if He did not change what He was doing then
everyone is wrong.
(1) I am wrong because I say you can’t be saved and
not have the Holy Ghost. That is not what the
Acts 19 indicates.
(2) Some of my charismatic friends are wrong because
they say you can be saved but then must receive
the Holy Ghost. That not what Romans and
Corinthians say.
4. Based on Romans 8:9, I am going to repeat and say that IF
you are saved, you have the Holy Ghost inside of you.
5. One thing I believe we should all agree on is that what
every Christian needs is to be filled with the Holy
Ghost, to have Him controlling all of us.
B. Every Christian has gifts that came WITH the Holy Ghost at the
time of their salvation.
1Cor 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is
given to every man to profit withal.
1. The idea is that God has not only given each of us a gift
with the Holy Ghost, but that gift is a visible
(manifested) gift.
a. The gifts that God has given are like most anything
else.
b. We are going to have to start using them to find out
if we have them or not.
(1) I did not know if God had gifted me with the gift
of preaching and pastoring until I tried to do
it; but as I tried, OTHERS saw the gift.
(2) What I see is that I seem to understand some
things in the Bible that others do not.
2. If you are saved—according to the Bible—you have the
Holy Ghost and you have gifts that He has given to you.
C. The gifts the Holy Spirit gives are different in different
ways.
1. \\#4\\ The gifts themselves are different.
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us,
whether prophecy, let us prophesy according
to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering:
or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that
ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy,
with cheerfulness.
a. This is not all of the gifts. (We know there is the
gift of tongues, and it was not mentioned.)
b. But notice the ones he does mention:
(1) Prophecy - speaking forth the Word of the Lord
(2) Ministry - many outlets, but it starts with a
heart that helps and is blessed at it.
(3) Teaching
(4) Exhorting - Building up
(5) Giving
(6) Ruling or leading
2. \\#5\\ There are differences in the offices you will use
the gifts.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers;
a. Romans lists for us some of the gifts while Ephesians
lists for us some of the offices.
b. Like Romans did not list all of the gifs, Ephesians
did not list all of the offices.
c. But notice that not everyone who is called to preach
is going to be a pastor.
(1) They might be an evangelist or might have
been an apostle.
(2) The gift might be the same but the administration
or office of the gift would be different.
(3) I would make a terrible evangelist, but most
evangelists don’t make good pastors either.
3. Even within those differences, there are different
operations or jobs or duties.
a. You may have the gift of preaching and even be lead
to pastor a church, but that is not your duty in this
church.
b. In this church, God will give you other operations or
duties to perform.
D. These gifts are mentioned in the Bible because they are gifts
that deal with leading the body of Christ.
1. Those with those gifts need more instruction on the how,
they why, and the when of these kinds of gifts.
2. However, you have some gift, some office to fill, and to
place within the local church to serve.
3. How do I know that?
1Cor 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is
given to every man to profit withal.
(a) Each believer has to snuggle up the Holy Ghost of God
and let Him lead, guide, and reveal.
(b) And then the hard part may come.
(1) For me, the hard part was and is in figuring out
how to develop and use my gift.
(2) And that comes by getting even closer to the
Holy Ghost.
III. Conclusions from the Message
A. If we do not surrender and serve, there will be loss.
1. We will never have the joy of knowing our purpose.
2. We will not have the rewards God intended to give us.
3. We will never know the Holy Ghost as we should.
4. Others will suffer because we were not there to be God’s
hands in their lives.
B. God gives His best not to those who sit for Him but to those
who serve Him.
I pray you want God's best.
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