The Holy Spirit - Part 7

We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or to be used for a sermon group discussion. CLICK HERE to find a discussion group. Enjoy!

Sermon Title: The Gifts of the Spirit

Good news!!
God always has and will always desire to be with His people.
From Genesis 3 through Revelation 22

OLD TESTAMENT:
Direct intervention after the fall of man
Establishing a nation through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
With His people at the Exodus
Red Sea Miracle and Jordan River Miracles
The Promised Land
Fighting the Israelite’s battles
Tabernacle and Temple

 JESUS:
His life, provision, miracles
“It Is Finished” allowing us direct access to God

HOLY SPIRIT:
Formation and miracles of the early church
Angels letting Peter out of prison
Works today through the Holy Spirit

The Gifts of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Concerning Spiritual Gifts
“spiritual” pneumatika – pneuma – spirit
“gifts” charis – grace
Gifts – to show favor, a gift of grace, an underserved benefit
Ministries or abilities that the Holy Spirit gives to believers for the edification of the church
Romans 1:11
From the term charismatic – specifically gifted individual; a dynamic move of God
God’s assistance and involvement in His people

There are various types of gifts used to edify the church
MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS, Romans 12:6-8
Prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership or governing, mercy

MINISTRY GIFTS, 1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, healing, helping others, administration, tongues

WHY? Ephesians 4:11-13
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
NOTICE: Built-up, unity, knowledge of Christ, maturity

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, Galatians 5:22-23
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Similarities between GIFTS and FRUIT (Anthony DePalma)
Both have their source as the Holy Spirit
Do not originate with the believers apart from the Holy Spirit
Both are supernatural
Overarching purpose is to edify the body of Christ (the church)
They both are not received in their finished form
            Gifts need to be developed to edify the body
            Fruit must be developed to mature the believer
Need is to mature and develop and grow and transform into the image of Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
·      Fruit are spiritual; gifts are from God’s power
·      Fruit are the result of the indwelling Spirit; Gifts are the result of the empowering Spirit
·      Fruit are ethical in nature; gifts are charismatic in nature
·      All believers are required to demonstrate all the fruits of the Spirit; God does not require all believers to have all the gifts.
·      Fruit are acquired through receptivity and earnest desire; Gifts are the sovereign work of the Spirit
·      Believers are required to manifest spiritual fruit; manifestation of the spiritual gifts is at the bidding of the Holy Spirit
·      Fruit builds up the individual believer; gifts edify the church as a whole

George Wood, former Assemblies of God General Superintendent, on the Gifts of the Spirit
·      Gifts are given for the benefit of the body and Christ’s work in the world. They are not given so that we can be stars.
·      Gifts should not be confused with spirituality. Some people measure their spirituality on the basis of their gifts. “We don’t go wandering after people simply because they have gifts.”
·      Gifts are often matched with natural inclinations and abilities.
·      Gifts are developmental in nature.
·      Gifts are proprietary. They are not “my gifts and I’ll use them whenever I want to.” They are from God and for the body.
·      The gift each one uses will be confirmed by the Body of Christ. “There is no true ongoing function of al gift unless it has the ratification of other in the body.”
·      Gifts not only work in the church. In Acts, they also occurred in the marketplace. EXAMPLE: small groups, grocery store, anywhere.
·      Gifts cannot be divorced from love.

1 Corinthians 12:31
“Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.”
1 CORINTHIANS 13 – THE CHAPTER ON LOVE
1 Corinthians 14:1
“Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.”

Randy Hurst, “He shows that as great as the spiritual gifts are, love is even greater. As wonderful as the gifts are, without love, the gifts become ineffective.”
“The gifts are excellent. But love is ‘more excellent’. Love is not in competition with the gifts. Love is what makes the gifts effective.”

GIFT OF WISDOM
·      Speaking an utterance of wisdom spoken through the operation of the Holy Spirit.
·      It applies the revelation of God’s Word or the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to a specific situation or problem.
·      Different than having the wisdom of God for daily living. That is attained by diligent study and meditation on God’s ways and His word.
Example: Jesus with the woman caught in adultery – “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Supernatural wisdom that goes straight to the heart
Acts 15: 12-21, Paul and Barnabas

 THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE
·      An utterance inspired by the Holy Spirit that reveals knowledge about people, circumstances, or Biblical truth. Often connected to prophecy.
·      Not book learning or scholarly knowledge, but an utterance of divine knowledge
Preachers Commentary: “Wisdom is almost synonymous with to reveal truth; that wisdom which is nothing less than the knowledge of God Himself.
Knowledge has to do with a practical application of wisdom to human life and to all of life’s situations.”
Examples: Nathan and David; Jesus with Nathaniel – John 1: 43-48; Peter with Ananias – Acts 5: 1-4

 THE GIFT OF FAITH
·      Special supernatural faith imparted by the Holy Spirit that enables Christians to believe God for the extraordinary and miraculous.
·      Enables a person to believe for an extra demonstration of the power of God.
·      Some have the gift of faith that causes faith to arise in another believer, or even in a whole group of people, to accomplish something.
George Wood, “A person with the gift of faith grasps the vision of what God wants to bring to pass and confidently lives and works to see it take place.”
“Helps believers continue in trial.”
“There’s the faith that sees immediate results, then there’s the gift of faith that perseveres when there is no immediate sign. The believer continues to faithfully trust that what God has spoken, He will bring to pass.”
Example: Abraham – Romans 4:18-22