WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.799 But there's no doubt that the world that we live in, the world we inhabit, can sometimes 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:12.560 be a scary place, can be lonely, and it can be confusing. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:19.519 Not always, not all the time, but if we look up and if we look around us or if we go through 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:25.440 our own lives and our experiences, that can certainly be the case. 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:31.160 And what people look for, I think generally speaking, in that confusion or darkness or 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:41.280 sadness or scare, scary reality or loneliness, is they look for experiences and for life 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:45.680 that contradicts that, that shows or counteracts that. 00:00:45.680 --> 00:00:53.719 They look for love, for security, and for beauty, in whatever context, in whatever way 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:54.719 that can be found. 00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:57.879 And these things are great. 00:00:57.879 --> 00:00:58.879 These things are all good. 00:00:58.879 --> 00:01:02.560 And all our neighbours are looking for these things, and our friends and our colleagues. 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:03.759 And that's what life's about. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:08.560 Some will do it intentionally, some will kind of be rather unintentional and thoughtless 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:14.000 about it, but nonetheless, I think, that is what people, in whatever way they're looking, 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:17.759 they're looking for these things, love and security and beauty and maybe many other things 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:24.800 that counteract some of the darker aspects of the world in which we live. 00:01:24.800 --> 00:01:31.240 And all these things are good, but they're not enough for us. 00:01:31.240 --> 00:01:38.760 As people, we are complex and deep, and we search for something more. 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:45.040 We need something more because we are created in God's image, and we need relationship with 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:46.400 Him. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:52.040 And so we come to worship today as believers, as Christians, if we're all Christians here, 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.280 if you're not a Christian, it's brilliant that you're here, and we're delighted that 00:01:55.280 --> 00:02:00.120 you're here, and we hope that you'll be challenged by God's Word and by some of the things that 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:01.680 we have done today. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.439 Be happy to speak with you afterwards. 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:09.439 But as believers, we come together and worship because in Christ, we are acknowledging we 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:11.800 have something better. 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.240 We have something great. 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:22.080 And I know, I know my sermons have that effect on people, but she's a woman, a young woman 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:25.400 of great wisdom, great insight. 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:31.560 But in Christ, we have something greater and something more glorious, and we've been transformed 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:40.160 and are being transformed as Christians by His grace and by His goodness. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:44.639 And the short time that He gives us here, I know it might not seem that for you younger 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:49.800 people who are here, but as we get older, we recognize the shortness of time, and none 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:52.039 of us are guaranteed, of course, time. 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:57.639 He calls us to plunge wholeheartedly into knowing Him, to knowing all about Him, to 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:03.039 know about His grace in our lives, and to know about His gifts that He gives to us, 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:08.400 and to know what it means to live life with Him and for Him. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:13.640 And if you're anything like me, which maybe I hope you're not, but if you're anything 00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:22.599 like me, it may be that your greatest struggle is that you have a small God and a big me. 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:26.960 I think to a greater or lesser degree, that's the challenge in the battle we all have. 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:32.599 However, it reveals itself, small God, big me. 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:38.680 And what the Bible looks for, what Christ looks for in our lives, what the Holy Spirit 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:45.560 seeks to do in our lives, is to enable us to be transformed and continue to be transformed, 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:52.359 to change that so that we find ourselves having a big God and that we find ourselves in the 00:03:52.359 --> 00:03:57.359 right relationship with Him and in the right perspective. 00:03:57.359 --> 00:04:02.319 Not thinking too highly of ourselves, but with sober judgment as we saw last week when 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.359 we looked at it. 00:04:04.359 --> 00:04:09.759 And I think the duxology at the end of chapter 11 is really helpful for us because it's at 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:15.799 the end of that great section, tough section, versus chapters 111, which tells us all kinds 00:04:15.799 --> 00:04:21.159 of things about God and about ourselves and about salvation and about His amazing reality. 00:04:21.159 --> 00:04:24.600 But then Paul comes to this place where he's just kind of speechless. 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:32.720 He doesn't really know how to respond because it's so incredible and so the revelation that 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:38.080 he's been given, it's a bit like the revelation of John at the end of the Bible where John 00:04:38.080 --> 00:04:40.280 is kind of like just weakened. 00:04:40.280 --> 00:04:45.800 He doesn't, he can't even sit up because it's just so incredible what he's been, what's 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:47.600 been revealed to him about God. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:54.600 You know, Paul just sees the depth of the riches and the knowledge and the wisdom, you know, 00:04:54.600 --> 00:05:02.280 who can ever repay God, who can be like God, who can even equate themselves with God that 00:05:02.280 --> 00:05:06.439 we ever can repay Him for who He is. 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:11.120 And then of course he goes on, as we saw in the first week, to summarise that whole section 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:12.879 by talking about God's mercy. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.280 It's all about His mercy. 00:05:15.280 --> 00:05:17.120 It's all about His grace. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:22.519 It's all about what we don't deserve and what yet He pours out into our hearts and lives 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:24.519 as believers. 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:28.600 So the doxology is really an expression of that mercy of God. 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:30.720 God's love poured out. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:34.959 And you know, maybe if you're not a Christian here today and many of our friends are not 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:41.259 Christians in their lives, yet they've received astonishing gifts from God. 00:05:41.259 --> 00:05:48.639 Even the gift of intelligent rejection of Him comes from Him, the ability to argue against 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:56.639 Him, their atheism, the patience that He gives them to express their mind in this disordered 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:05.480 way is a recognition of His common grace, the natural life, the breath, the relationships, 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:12.560 the taste, the talents, the comforts, all of these things that we saw people crave in 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:16.920 the darkness and the confusion of life are gifts from God. 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:22.200 And that is a reality of His patience with us. 00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:30.319 But as believers, believers we are recipients of His remarkable grace, of the revelation 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:36.000 of His character that we've come to accept and believe by faith, the amazing truth of 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:48.319 the triune divinity, that remarkable and paradoxical truth of one God, three persons, divine society 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:56.360 and yet a society that, speaking reverently, ripped apart by Jesus becoming flesh, coming 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:04.000 down into our experience to pay the price that we can never pay to be right with God, 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.560 to deal with the sins that we can never deal with, to overcome the death that we can never 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:17.800 overcome and to do that freely and fully, to expose and forgive our shame. 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:21.920 Shame is the unspoken paralysis of so many, isn't it? 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:26.759 The shame that they have, that they feel they are unable to deal with and yet God in Christ 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:33.759 takes and forgives and redeems and changes for us as we come to Him. 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:39.720 And so we are Christians who are constantly asked to remind ourselves of the avalanche 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:46.160 of gifts that He gives us as believers, and we fight against small God, big me. 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:52.439 And we want to see big God with all His gifts, His forgiveness, subsumed in His remarkable 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:59.880 grace of life and forgiveness that He bestows on us, the acceptance, the belonging, the 00:07:59.880 --> 00:08:05.040 empowerment, the spiritual life, the hope, not just for now but for eternity. 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:09.160 All of these things, and He owes us nothing. 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:13.879 You know, Paul recognizes that in verse 35 of the Dock's Allege, and he says, who has 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:23.319 given gifts to him that he might be repaid, you know, he owes us nothing. 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:28.600 And yet we can never repay him for his generosity and for his goodness. 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:33.399 No, and the greatest gift, of course, is Himself. 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:34.759 He gives us Himself. 00:08:34.759 --> 00:08:36.720 God couldn't give us any more. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:37.720 He couldn't. 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:41.080 You know, you can't give any more than yourself. 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:47.400 And this divine, perfect, eternal being gives Himself by being our substitute, becoming 00:08:47.400 --> 00:08:54.840 flesh like us, dying and rising again, and in salvation, gives us Himself in the person 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:58.520 of the Spirit. 00:08:58.520 --> 00:09:03.400 So that's really what this section is, the introduction to this section and to this whole 00:09:03.400 --> 00:09:06.480 area of spiritual gifts. 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:11.039 And yet his greatest gift, I think, is only the beginning, and again, I'm speaking respectfully 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:17.720 here and I don't mean to suggest anything other than the absolute centrality of the 00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:18.920 cross. 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:23.399 But we often stop at the cross. 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:26.720 We stop there and think that's it. 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:28.320 That's all we need to consider. 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:33.360 Now, I know you can talk about being in danger of this ground. 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:37.680 And of course, for our salvation, that's where we must go, we must bow our knees at the foot 00:09:37.680 --> 00:09:38.919 of the cross. 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:47.680 But sometimes we pay lip service to the resurrection and only briefly acknowledge Pentecost. 00:09:47.680 --> 00:09:53.879 And we leave our salvation at the cross is what I'm trying to say. 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:57.759 We rest on that maybe a conversion experience from many years ago and think, well, that's 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:58.759 it all done. 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:01.759 Well, I keep the Christ at the cross and that's me. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:05.200 But he asks us to take the living truth of a living. 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:07.200 He's not dead. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:11.639 He died on the cross, but he gave himself to death, but he rose again on the third day 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:17.080 because he wants us to recognize that it is not just that we are transformed by what he 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:22.000 has done, but he is transforming us by his living power and by the gifts that he gives 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:23.000 us. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:28.519 So salvation is his carousel, is his grace to us. 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:30.639 The gift, we can't earn it. 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:33.000 He gives us it freely. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:39.279 But our life in him, the gifts he gives us to live our lives for him are the carousel 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:47.080 matter, the gifts of his grace that he asks us to live and use in his service and for 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:48.840 his glory. 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:54.799 So I'm looking briefly at the kind of concept of spiritual gifts this morning as the foundation 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:55.799 for this section. 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:59.240 Next week we'll look at the individual gifts that are mentioned, as I said. 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:05.080 So the gifts that he gives us in Scripture, he speaks about in Scripture, are there in 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:09.560 our lives and for our lives to promote godly generosity. 00:11:09.560 --> 00:11:11.039 That's what he wants us to be. 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:14.279 He wants us to be godly and generous like he is. 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:17.240 And the gifts he gives us are for that purpose. 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:21.840 The Holy Spirit is to transform us as unique people. 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:22.840 You're all unique. 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:24.720 There's nobody the same here. 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:26.240 You're all unique. 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:31.320 You're all individual, and God has saved you as Christians in an individual way. 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:32.680 And he gives you gifts. 00:11:32.680 --> 00:11:38.200 He gifts you what you need to become an image bearer of him. 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:44.279 And he wants us to know that generosity of love that he alone can give that's marked 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:48.680 by purity, by selflessness, and by gratitude. 00:11:48.680 --> 00:11:51.720 And we see it in Christ the man. 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:58.480 That is revealed in Christ, and we see his unbelievable love and devotion to his Father. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:01.519 Father not my will, but yours be done. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:08.360 Humble himself, small Christ, big Father, in his meditorial role. 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:14.080 And his relentless commitment to rebellious, selfish, hopeless people to redeem and change 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:15.360 them forever. 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:17.759 And we bear that image. 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:19.000 We can't be saviours. 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:20.480 We can't be messiahs. 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:22.200 We can't go to the cross. 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:26.080 We can't be resurrected in our own strength. 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:33.560 But we are called to be transformed into the image of the God who has made us in each of 00:12:33.560 --> 00:12:36.800 our own unique lives and characters. 00:12:36.800 --> 00:12:41.759 That's what the spiritual gifts are all about. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:48.279 And I think we need to think about the Father more in that way. 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:52.360 We can picture an idyllic scene. 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:54.399 I hope you don't think it's too candy flossish. 00:12:54.399 --> 00:13:02.240 But loving parents, part of a secure and joyful family on Christmas morning, and the children 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:06.879 wait to receive their gifts. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:14.120 Individually wrapped with a child's name on it from smiling parents who love them, opened 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:21.080 up a gift that, in that ideal world, really matches them and is good for them and matches 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:25.440 their personality and what they feel they need in their lives. 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:29.720 And when they all open up their gifts, they all intermingle and share them. 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:31.879 Okay, that's when it becomes unrealistic. 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:37.039 That's where nobody does because no, no, the kids never want to play with, they never want 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.600 to share their gifts with anyone else. 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:41.279 Sinful reality comes in here. 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:43.680 And I know it's an imperfect picture. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:47.759 But we need to think a little bit more about the God who's like our Father who's like that 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:57.759 with us, who gifts us in our lives, characteristics and abilities that are unique to us in the 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:02.039 way that they're expressed and in the way they're worked out, that we need to make us 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:05.239 more like Him. 00:14:05.239 --> 00:14:07.759 That's what He does through the Holy Spirit. 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:09.120 And all of us have that. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:13.960 Every single one of us, as believers, are gifted not just with grace, not just with 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:21.480 salvation, but with the abilities to live out our lives, to meet the needs that we have 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:27.080 in our lives to serve and glorify Him for the good of His people which He'll come on 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:29.039 to speak about. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:33.000 So what about these gifts from God and their characteristics? 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:38.960 So the broad strokes today, next week we'll look at the individual gifts and we know that 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:43.040 there's a list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and also in Ephesians 4. 00:14:43.040 --> 00:14:44.840 That's where the gifts are listed. 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:47.160 It's not an exhaustive list. 00:14:47.160 --> 00:14:51.400 There's lots of gifts of the Spirit of God that are not specifically listed in Scripture, 00:14:51.400 --> 00:14:53.400 but these are the main ones. 00:14:53.400 --> 00:14:56.920 But what can we say about these spiritual gifts that God's give to individual Christians 00:14:56.920 --> 00:14:57.920 in the church? 00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:03.960 To you, if you're a Christian today, in the context of belonging to a church family. 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:05.560 Well, very simply. 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:11.519 Basically they're given to every believer, every single believer comes to Christ and is 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:20.599 gifted not just with salvation, but with spiritual gifts that enable them to live out their lives. 00:15:20.599 --> 00:15:27.359 Verse 6 of chapter 12 says that having gifts, we're all members of one another, having gifts 00:15:27.359 --> 00:15:30.359 that differ according to the grace given to them. 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:36.440 And though we are many in one body and each individually, members of one another, all having 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:37.440 gifts. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:38.440 Okay? 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:48.960 We recognize that and gifts can be spiritually enhanced or Holy Spirit enhanced natural gifts 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:49.960 that you have. 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:56.080 Maybe you're a good teacher or whatever it happens to be and the Spirit empowers these 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:01.840 natural gifts that you're given and they're used for His glory and in His kingdom. 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:06.680 Or it may be radically new gifts that He gives you when you come to faith. 00:16:06.680 --> 00:16:11.639 But every single one of us has spiritual gifts starting with grace, obviously. 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:14.700 What God has given sovereignly to us. 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:15.759 We haven't earned it. 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:16.759 We haven't worked for it. 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:17.759 We don't deserve it. 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.060 They are His gifts to us. 00:16:20.060 --> 00:16:22.520 Remember that important reality. 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:28.120 Every one of you are gifted by God and if you looked around you today to the other Christians 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:33.279 in the church, you will see that every one of them are also gifted by God. 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:38.000 And sometimes we need to change the paradigm of our thinking and we need to recognize 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:42.679 the generosity of God, not only to us but also to other people. 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:47.439 And that is hugely significant, given to every believer. 00:16:47.439 --> 00:16:50.960 And these gifts that He gives are different. 00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:53.200 Just like each of us, we're all different here today. 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:54.360 We all look different. 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:56.560 We all have different experiences. 00:16:56.560 --> 00:17:04.400 And God works into that uniqueness, the different gifts that He gives to His church, to His 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.400 people. 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:12.200 Now, Paul uses the illustration here and in Corinthians and in Ephesians the image of 00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:19.240 the body with Christ as the head and the parts of the body being different individuals with 00:17:19.240 --> 00:17:21.559 different gifts. 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:28.039 And that speaks powerfully of unity, absolute unity together, but also diversity that we're 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:29.680 different. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:31.880 And that's hugely significant. 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.200 It's not about uniformity. 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:41.200 It's about unity in Christ, who's our head, and diversity that we have different gifts 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:44.920 to make the whole body function properly. 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:49.160 A whole body of arms would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:57.120 So we're not to be envious of people or grade people or judge people because they're different 00:17:57.120 --> 00:17:58.759 from us. 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:04.720 We're not to wish that everyone was like me as a Christian, and we're not to wish that 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:07.240 I was like someone else. 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:09.160 We can spend our lives doing that, can't we? 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:11.680 Oh, I wish I had the gifts that that person had. 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:16.440 I wish I was spiritually enlightened in the way that they are. 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:19.559 Or I'm not, God hasn't given me any gifts. 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:22.279 I'm the poor relation in the Christian church. 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:23.720 That is not how we're to think. 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:30.440 These are the whispers and the deceptive words of the evil one because we are all significant 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:33.480 and we're all important in the kingdom. 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:36.600 So that's the second thing, the gifts are different. 00:18:36.600 --> 00:18:39.559 The third thing is that His gifts are for the common good. 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:41.960 We see that in verse 5. 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:46.400 So although we are many, one body and Christ individually, members of one another having 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:52.720 different gifts of grace given to us, let us use them. 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:57.120 And of course, in 1 Corinthians 12, 7, it talks about the spiritual gifts being given 00:18:57.120 --> 00:18:59.440 for the common good. 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:07.880 Again hugely important because in our hearts we take gifts and we think, hmm, my precious, 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:09.440 my gift. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:15.600 We want to keep it and we want to grow ourselves and we want to be important because of it. 00:19:15.600 --> 00:19:20.080 And yet He says that the whole thing about our gifts is that we are givers. 00:19:20.080 --> 00:19:21.680 It's for the common good. 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:23.080 It's for the church of Christ. 00:19:23.080 --> 00:19:25.160 It's for the family that He gives us gifts. 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:27.160 What does that mean today? 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:28.720 What does it mean for you in the... 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.640 I was going to say the pew. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:32.720 In the seat today in church. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:34.360 What is it, what's significant? 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:42.519 Well, it is that we are given gifts by God to help know Jesus better and also to reorder 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:49.319 our hearts and our loves so that we are open both to be givers of grace and receivers of 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:50.319 grace. 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:53.199 Now that's very important. 00:19:53.199 --> 00:19:57.679 And that's one of the things I want to stress today because as a preacher I'm very guilty 00:19:57.679 --> 00:20:01.639 and I ask for your forgiveness for this. 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:10.480 We're preaching all the time about our responsibility to serve, to go, to have a serving heart, 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.480 to serve others. 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:12.480 And that's all great. 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:14.280 That's all very important. 00:20:14.280 --> 00:20:22.759 Sometimes I think it becomes a bit guilt ridden in the wrong way. 00:20:22.759 --> 00:20:24.080 Drive people by guilt. 00:20:24.080 --> 00:20:25.080 So many things to do. 00:20:25.080 --> 00:20:26.080 Who's going to serve, blah, blah, blah. 00:20:26.080 --> 00:20:30.640 And it can become very guilt inducing. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:34.280 Grace is hugely significant. 00:20:34.280 --> 00:20:43.280 But can I remind you also in the Christian community, you have to be open to being served. 00:20:43.280 --> 00:20:48.640 You have to be open to receiving the giftings of other people to enable you to live your 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:49.640 Christian life. 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.160 It's not just about giving. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:53.160 It's about receiving. 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:57.480 It's not just about coming into a place, I'm going to transform it all with my gifts and 00:20:57.480 --> 00:20:58.480 my abilities. 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:02.559 It's humbly saying, I come here because I need you. 00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:09.519 I need my fellow Christian to encourage, to build, to teach, to bring me closer to Jesus. 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:14.120 And so we have this important reality that gifts are not just about giving, that the 00:21:14.120 --> 00:21:15.599 church is not just about serving. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:17.000 It's not just about putting out. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.720 It's not just about being expended. 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:21.079 It's about receiving. 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:22.480 It's about being built up. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:30.079 It's about being encouraged and nourished and loved and forgiven, forgiving and forgiven. 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:31.079 That's what it's about. 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:33.000 That's why it's not a consumerist thing. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.920 That's why it's not here. 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:39.440 We never strive just to be come along to the Sunday service and boom, that's it. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:40.440 It's much more than that. 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:43.279 We're a community of people together. 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:48.279 And we're the people who use our gifts for one another and receive the gifts of others 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:49.680 for us. 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:57.320 And that is a hugely important aspect of recognizing that our gifts are for the common good. 00:21:57.320 --> 00:22:05.880 The nature of God, Jesus Christ, He received water from the woman at the well. 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:10.680 Her gift to Him humbled Himself to that degree. 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:19.000 And we are to accept God's promises and the grace of others for ourselves in whatever 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.200 form it takes. 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:27.839 His grace and His gifts of grace and the Holy Spirit comes laden into our lives. 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:35.000 And He wants us to take these gifts and see our lives turned upside down for Him so that 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:40.240 when we sit together in church shoulder to shoulder, it's saying something about our 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:47.079 dependence on one another, that our gifts are at each other's disposal and that we are 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:52.799 here to serve and be served together. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:53.799 I think so. 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:58.199 It doesn't happen so much now, but sometimes we used to preach in different places. 00:22:58.199 --> 00:23:04.399 And I think sometimes, and this is maybe just a broad and maybe brutal generalization, 00:23:04.399 --> 00:23:06.799 but sometimes you could tell a little bit. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:13.039 If there was 20 people in church, in a church that held 1200 and they were all dotted about, 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:15.679 nobody was ever close to one another. 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:20.279 Maybe it had been the family seat for 100 years and maybe it was fine. 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:29.360 But sometimes I think our body language can maybe speak into our separation from one another. 00:23:29.360 --> 00:23:34.680 We're called to use the gifts that God has given us to edify the church. 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:41.200 Ephesians speaks about that because the default battle we have, the default battle I have, 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:47.200 maybe you don't, but I'm sure you do if you're honest, at one level is selfishness. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:54.240 I don't want to be needy and I don't want to dependent on others, not even God's grace 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:59.640 and certainly not the fallen and failed and fragile Christian church. 00:23:59.640 --> 00:24:09.120 I don't really need to be leaning against Christians who fail me or who need me because 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:13.159 they're a pain in the neck and they should just be cut loose. 00:24:13.159 --> 00:24:16.799 It's not the language of grace. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:19.199 It's not the language of the cross. 00:24:19.199 --> 00:24:23.519 It's not the language of Jesus Christ. 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:27.799 And very often in churches we feel, I'm not receiving anything. 00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:30.759 No one cares about me or serves me. 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:34.559 No one's gifts are being used to enhance or build up my life. 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:36.679 That's never a great thing. 00:24:36.679 --> 00:24:38.919 I'm not excusing that in the slightest. 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:41.080 But you're not a victim. 00:24:41.080 --> 00:24:43.600 You're not called to be a victim in the church. 00:24:43.600 --> 00:24:49.360 You're called to say, well, if no one will serve me, that's just okay and I'll keep giving 00:24:49.360 --> 00:24:56.960 and I'll keep serving because God will not stop giving and will not stop fueling me and 00:24:56.960 --> 00:24:59.080 enabling me to serve. 00:24:59.080 --> 00:25:01.400 And by doing so, I hope others will change. 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:04.880 His gifts are for the common good. 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:06.160 We're nearly there. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:10.320 His gifts fit broadly into two categories, we'll maybe say a bit more with these next 00:25:10.320 --> 00:25:11.320 week. 00:25:11.320 --> 00:25:24.920 But first Peter 4 verse 11 maybe helps explain that too, as each one has received a gift, 00:25:24.920 --> 00:25:29.480 use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:32.759 Whoever speaks as one who speaks the oracle of God. 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:36.799 Whoever serves as one who serves by the strength of God's supplies. 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:40.839 And that's really just a summary of all the spiritual gifts that they're split into two 00:25:40.839 --> 00:25:44.119 real categories, speaking and serving. 00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:50.680 Or I prefer maybe word and working, word gifts and working gifts. 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:56.240 And they're not precisely divided or separated because they all inter-merge a little bit. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:59.559 But we'll look at the details of the list here in Romans next week. 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:05.399 The word would be categorized by things like the apostles, prophecy, teaching, encouraging, 00:26:05.399 --> 00:26:07.960 evangelism, wisdom, tongues, discerning spirits. 00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:12.000 And work would be things like mercy, giving, faith, hospitality, healings, miracles and 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:14.399 so on. 00:26:14.399 --> 00:26:21.079 All the gifts that he gives us are given to help us know and serve Christ better together. 00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:27.639 It's interesting, we often associate I think God's spiritual gifts with experiences and 00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:34.800 relationships, but yet understanding, as we've seen in the previous verses that we've looked 00:26:34.800 --> 00:26:41.880 at, is a huge part of love and a huge part of understanding the transformation that God 00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:44.080 is working in our lives. 00:26:44.080 --> 00:26:48.600 Renewing our minds, being taught, learning is absolutely vital. 00:26:48.600 --> 00:26:55.920 So we might see that next week that these gifts are hugely significant and hugely important 00:26:55.920 --> 00:27:02.080 in the church because it's about transforming our minds so that our bodies and our lives 00:27:02.080 --> 00:27:09.759 are equipped to love other people, love God and love other people. 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:13.560 And as his body, we partner with God in these things. 00:27:13.560 --> 00:27:20.960 Never to use our gifts to say, look at me, or with false humility to say, oh, don't look 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:22.880 at me, I have nothing to offer. 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:24.800 Who do that sometimes, don't we? 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:27.919 Oh, I've got nothing to offer the church. 00:27:27.919 --> 00:27:30.119 I've got nothing to offer fellow Christians. 00:27:30.119 --> 00:27:32.279 God hasn't gifted me with anything. 00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:35.319 Not so. 00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:36.839 Not so. 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:45.960 I guarantee, as much as I'm able to guarantee, that we will all be surprised by who is closest 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:51.279 to Christ on the throne in heaven, those who are nearest to Him. 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:53.519 It will not be the big shots in the Christian church. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:28:01.599 It will not be the ones that allegedly, I think, have all the gifts that are associated 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:05.599 with greatness. 00:28:05.599 --> 00:28:08.920 Our Christ emptied Himself and He was a nobody. 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:11.879 And He died as a nobody. 00:28:11.879 --> 00:28:15.440 In the eyes of the world, and those around Him, even His friends deserted Him, apart 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:21.039 from a few faithful women, and John. 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:23.879 And yet He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 00:28:23.879 --> 00:28:30.599 So we use our gifts to learn more about the servant king and to humbly serve Him with 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:33.119 what He's given us. 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:37.039 So His gifts fall into two categories. 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:39.879 And then briefly, how do we know what our gifts are? 00:28:39.879 --> 00:28:44.399 Well, I think we know what our gifts are with sober reflection, as we looked at last week 00:28:44.399 --> 00:28:45.399 in verse 3. 00:28:45.399 --> 00:28:50.680 We need to think of ourselves, not too highly, but not too low, but in sober reflection in 00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:57.160 the light of God's mercy and His grace and His sovereign giftings to us. 00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:02.360 We trust and we believe that He does what's right. 00:29:02.360 --> 00:29:07.560 We look at His Lordship over the natural gifts we've had as we've grown up, and we 00:29:07.560 --> 00:29:12.920 commit them to the Lord to use them, to transform them so that we're living for His glory, and 00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:16.840 that we're using them for His glory in the church. 00:29:16.839 --> 00:29:21.799 Maybe how you respond to need or the things that burden you, the things that you're good 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:22.879 at. 00:29:22.879 --> 00:29:27.079 These are the kind of things that might help you discern what your gifts are that God gives 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:33.639 you and that He will use uniquely in your own life and your way. 00:29:33.639 --> 00:29:38.359 And the best way of discerning them is just by using them. 00:29:38.359 --> 00:29:44.679 Just use whatever gifts you have in the church and serve, and God will show you where your 00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:50.080 gifts are, and others will, it will become clear to others, and they will confirm these 00:29:50.080 --> 00:29:51.080 things to you as well. 00:29:51.080 --> 00:29:56.160 But whatever we do use them, you know, that parable of the talents that Jesus tells, very 00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:57.720 sobering. 00:29:57.720 --> 00:30:06.000 One guy just buried all his talents because he had a wrong perception of his Master. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:09.120 Grace will always act. 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:17.639 Grace will always take the gifts that God has given in salvation and the spiritual gifts, 00:30:17.639 --> 00:30:20.879 and it will use them. 00:30:20.879 --> 00:30:21.879 It's gratitude, isn't it? 00:30:21.879 --> 00:30:23.519 It's that whole thing again. 00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:25.519 It's grace, what He gives us. 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:29.079 The same root word is gratitude is how we serve Him. 00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:32.759 And next week we're going to look at the way we use these gifts in terms of our attitudes, 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:34.559 and it's really exciting. 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:40.319 And it's really transforming because we're not to kind of drag our feet and grumble about 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:43.440 getting, well, I suppose I better because it's right. 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:46.279 It's a whole different attitude. 00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:52.720 But as we close, let's remember, let's remember the greatest gift. 00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:55.079 Let's remember the greatest gift. 00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:57.359 It subsumes them all. 00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:05.839 First Corinthians 13, the passages read, misunderstood, ignored, great chapter that 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:12.559 expresses the characteristics of love, 1 Corinthians 13, and it says, earnestly desire 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:15.719 at the beginning of that, the greatest gift. 00:31:15.719 --> 00:31:20.399 And that is His love, His grace, His salvation. 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:27.360 And His grace is to be the flavor of everything that we do. 00:31:27.360 --> 00:31:34.560 It's to be the motivation and the description and the character and the look of everything 00:31:34.560 --> 00:31:39.759 in all our service, in what we humbly receive from others and what we humbly use to serve 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:40.759 others. 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:44.080 It's the most excellent way. 00:31:44.080 --> 00:31:46.080 It's the Via Dolorosa. 00:31:46.080 --> 00:31:50.120 It's the way of suffering. 00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:52.479 It's the way of the cross. 00:31:52.479 --> 00:31:59.000 It's the way of emptying ourselves of our ambitions and our self-centeredness and knowing 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:06.719 Christ's redeeming love in our hearts and the fullness of life that He promises to us. 00:32:06.719 --> 00:32:10.759 And that, I guess, is the big question for all of us. 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:13.079 Have we received the greatest gift? 00:32:13.079 --> 00:32:21.919 And if we have, how are we allowing His grace to transform our lives, our hearts, and our 00:32:21.919 --> 00:32:27.079 understanding of what it means to belong to His body, the church? 00:32:27.079 --> 00:32:28.079 Let's pray. 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:34.319 Father God, we ask that You would help us to know and understand You better, that we 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:45.720 would not discuss or think about these spiritual gifts in a theoretical way or in a theologically, 00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:51.159 I know better, the new way, but that we would be humble as we come to them, that we would 00:32:51.159 --> 00:33:00.679 recognize we all have gifts, that we're all called to use these gifts and to receive the 00:33:00.679 --> 00:33:02.980 service of others in our lives. 00:33:02.980 --> 00:33:05.640 We need one another in this Christian life. 00:33:05.640 --> 00:33:12.079 We're called, if we are to be effective as the body of Christ, to be coordinated and 00:33:12.079 --> 00:33:18.839 united and helping one another in the battle that is the Christian life, with Christ as 00:33:18.839 --> 00:33:25.640 our head and with the Holy Spirit, pumping life into our spiritual veins. 00:33:25.640 --> 00:33:33.320 So help us, forgive us when we have small God, big me, and enable us by grace through 00:33:33.320 --> 00:33:42.080 renewing of our minds and the offering of our bodies as living sacrifices to be transformed 00:33:42.080 --> 00:33:49.240 to be having a right understanding of ourselves in the light of a big God. 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:58.240 Amen.