Gifts That Matter
January 16, 2022 Pastor: Pastor John King
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11
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Sermon Notes
I. Gifts That Matter I Corinthians 12:1-11
A. The Corinthians were into “spirituality”.
1. They were among the leading “New Agers” of the first century.
2. The Greek word translated “gifts of the spirit” in verse 1 is “pneumatikon”. It refers to spiritual persons, spiritual things, or spirituality. Paul uses this word extensively in this letter (fifteen times).
3. The Greek word used most often for spiritual gifts is “charismata” (verses 4, 9). The root of this word, charis”, means “grace”, i.e., “grace gifts”.
4. Therefore, a person claiming to be spiritual (v. 3) may say a derogatory or even vain word about Jesus, but this is, obviously, not stimulated by the Holy Spirit of God.
a. On the other hand, a person can only genuinely claim the Lordship of Christ when convicted and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
5. Warning!! Be careful regarding careless and vain expressions such as “Oh Jesus” or “Oh God”.
B. The foundation of Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts is that we don’t create, develop or manufacture them.
1. Verse 4 – The Spirit “distributes them” (NIV), “activates them” (NRSV), “empowers them” (ESV). They come from the Lord (v. 5); they are the work of God (v. 6).
2. Everyone is included (v. 7 – “to each”). No room for copouts!
3. This is not an exhaustive list and it does not come with an instruction manual on how to discover your gift(s).
a. The New Testament is not overly concerned with discovering gifts, but, instead, focuses on putting these gifts to work.
b. There seems to be an assumption that when we are looking to immerse ourselves in ministry, both individuals and the body of Christ will quickly begin to identify the gifts.
4. The gifts are distributed and determined by the wisdom of the Spirit …. this leaves no room for arguments! …. “just as he determines” (v. 11).
5. You will notice as you study the scriptures that for each specific spiritual gift that is named, there are general commands for all of us to be involved in these tasks.