The Christian's Duty in a Hostile World, Part 3 B

Beloved, there a lot of issues that are important in the church, none is more important than this, and none is more serious than this. If you disdain to use your gift you crippled the body of Christ you cripple it, and if we do not function as the body, then Christ is crippled in the world that given him is you tiny Rieslings knows but you sure miss those microscopic barbs if you woke up tomorrow and they were gone, Celia. After all, are essential for hearing and smelling the fact is a body functions properly. Only when all its parts. Even the hard to see ones are working together in harmony. Certainly that's true for the body of Christ. But how does God expect us and equip us to function in a world that is antagonistic toward the very work. The body is trying to accomplish. John MacArthur considers that vital question today on grace to you as he continues his study faith through the fire. Now with the lesson. Here's John. Let's open our Bibles to first Peter chapter 4. Look at verse 10 and 11 as each one is received a special gift employed in serving one another first of our talk about the extent of these special gifts, Peter says, as each one has received and therein, does he describe for us the extent of special gifts or as we call them spiritual gifts everybody has one. Everybody has him and you've got one that nobody else's, so you take that unique gift in a unique ministry with unique effect with a measured amount of grace and a measured amount of faith and then you add your physical capabilities your training your background your opportunities your environment and all your influences and you function like nobody else. Nobody that's why there's nobody to replace you if you don't function. That's the extent of spiritual gifts. Secondly, what about the source of spiritual gifts where they come from, what about the source.

Well, we've already certainly hinted at it look again at verse 10 it says as each one has received it a special gift you received it. Somebody gave it to you didn't earn it and pray for it and plead for it. It didn't work it out.

You didn't generate it you received these 47 because it Christ's gift.

The word for gift here is charisma. That's the word from which we get. Grace is a gift of grace. You didn't earn it.

You couldn't turn it by the way in Ephesians 47 when it talks about Christ's gift and uses the word dual real and that word dual real emphasizes the freeness of the gift.

Sometimes spiritual gifts are from the word pneumatic cost, which means spiritual that's talking about the character of the gift.

It's a spiritual capacity dual real is talking about the freeness of that gift so freely we have received our spiritual gift is a gift of grace, a spiritual enablement is supernaturally given is supernaturally energized. You can't earn it. You can't work it out. You can't pursue it. That's what's so foolish about people pursuing certain spiritual gifts.

You can't do that. They are received, not pursued.

So we see the extent of gifts.

All believers have them.

The source of gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, the nature of gifts. The nature of your spiritual gift is indicated by the word gift the word gift we've already basically touched on this. The word is charisma. Our spiritual gift is a gift of grace is undeserved. It is on earn is free is given to us by God's Holy Spirit. As I mentioned Bill Rea emphasizes in Ephesians 47 the freeness of the gift and this term shows the motive behind that free gift, namely God's grace. The word pneumatic on also translated spiritual gifts in first Corinthians means spirituals and emphasizes the character of those gifts that is there controlled by the Holy Spirit not keep listening to Mama pull this all together. So what is the nature of our gift is motivated by the grace of God given sovereignly and freely to every believer and controlled by the Holy Spirit is charisma motivated by grace is doing real freely given is pneumatic costs spiritual in the sense that it is operated by the holy spirit. You will find that firm pneumatic on used in first Corinthians 12 on first Corinthians 14 one and a number of other places in the 14 chapters well refer to spiritual gifts. So then summing up what is a spiritual good is a graciously freely given mode of ministry. Energized by the Holy Spirit is get that it is a graciously given free and supernatural spiritual capacity for ministry to the body of Christ, a spiritual gift is a God-given capacity through which the Holy Spirit supernaturally uses you to minister to the body. That's it. I have a spiritual gift. I use it to minister to you. You have a spiritual gift use it to minister to me.

It was given you graciously freely by God.

It is energized by the Holy Spirit. And through it. You minister to the body were not talking about human talent here were talking about divine enablement. Your spiritual gift is unique capacity to minister to the body of Christ is the spirit of God flows through you. Now Peter says.

First of all take care the vertical relationship be holy in your life. Secondly, take care. The horizontal relationship.

Be loving in your relationships. And now, thirdly, he says serve.

Serve. Serve in the thing by which you serve. Is this vehicle God has given you called a spiritual gift giving other thought about it, not only the extent of it and the source of it and inherent nature of it but let me talk about the obligation of it. Look back to our verse, verse 10 as each one has received a special gift use it in serving one another. Now there's the obligation use it first Corinthians 12 seven says you were given a gift for the common good for the common good.

You are use it to be mutually beneficial to the church to help to benefit you cannot cease to use it without it having an adverse effect on the church go back to first Corinthians 12 Ramon let me show you this first Corinthians 12 not I want to just flow through this so you'll really understand this prescriptive 1212 and he's comparing you and your spiritual gifts in the body of Christ with the human body is an analogy choice as a body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ is look at your human body get one body, but a lot of functions and a lot of members okay that's like the body of Christ. Verse 14 says the body is not one member, but many know what's going to happen here in verse 15 if the foot should say because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body, is it not for this reason any lesser part of the body. You feet can't go around saying will because I'm not a hand, I'm not going to serve or if the whole body. Verse 17 were and I where would the hearing be everybody's got a different function and if the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be a goddess placed the members each one of them in the body as he desired, and if they were all one member, where would the body be it would be a freak, but now there are many members but one body, and the I can't say that I have no need of you.

Or, again, the head can't say to the feet. I have no need of you on the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. In other words, that you may be proud about your nose and the beauty of your nose, you're better off without your nose and you are without your liver what might seem, the less comely might be the most important.

Sometimes we depreciate some members of the body of Christ in the wrong way. So look at verse 23. Those members of the body which we deem less honorable on these we bestow more abundant honor and are unseemly members come to have more abundance C- whereas our seemly members have no need of it.

But God is so compose the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. Now would you gotta understand everybody's equally important before the time of cosmetic surgery. You didn't do things to make sure your ears were the way you want to know him, you didn't do things to make sure your nose is a way you wanted.

You can do things to make sure you wear your hands, or the way you want it you did things to make sure the stuff nobody sees was working and you had surgery to fix him inside because I was more important even on the outside is nice to be nice on the outside was a matter with what you look like if her disease on the inside. The point is this. Those members which are the most visible and the most entertaining and the most prolific are not necessarily the most important so you can't underestimate anyone's significance.

You use your gift you can't say why not going to serve because I'm not a hand, I'm not going to serve because I'm not and I I'm not going to serve because I'm not a near you can do that you have an obligation to use your spiritual gift love it if you don't, your disobedience to the word of God and your running cross grain to regeneration because you are saved to serve. Furthermore, would you notice again in diverse 10 that he adds a little strengthening word for us where to employ it as good as stewards there we are.

That word all I can en masse again, we are responsible for managing our gift.

We are responsible, like a steward was a steward handle people's land and their funds and their resources, their human resources and their foodstuffs paid wages to care the members of the household.

They manage all that for the owner. And that's what it is with us in the spiritual gifts category. God is given these gifts for us to manage. You don't own your gift your under obligation to use your gift. I don't get overly technical trying to describe what it is or refine it and define it. I know there been all kinds of computer studies that will tell you your gift, you fill out two sheets and I'll send you back a little paper that tells you your gift. No, no, it cannot be analyzed by a computer, your gift is what you do when you are filled with the spirit of God, to serve the body of Christ which produces a positive impact that your gift if you try to get me to totally identify mine.

I can't do it. I just know the spirit of God uses me when I'm available to be use not know gift is for you. Your gift is in for you. My gift is in for me. I don't preach to listen to my own tapes is not for me it's for you and you don't serve. You don't serve for you. You serve for me.

We serve each other for the common good. Now another thought Peter speaks also of the variety of spiritual gifts. The variety of spiritual gifts. Would you please note at the end of verse 10 he says we are to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

The manifold grace of God. That word means multicolored and reminds us again at first Corinthians 12 4 to 6, wherein first Corinthians 12. He says there are varieties of gifts, there are varieties of ministries. There are varieties of effects. Literally it means distributions so God gives these gifts and he gives these ministries and he gives these effects in all kinds of varieties, manifold, multicolored giftedness and I love that word multicolored because that takes you back to the pallet again got as these colors and he blends them to paint you a unique color so you and I may have both at the gift of teaching, but mine may be blended with unique and grace. A unique measure of faith. Mine may be blended into a special ministry with a special Holy Spirit energized. In fact, great diversity in the body of Christ.

I may preach, but with an emphasis on showing mercy. I may preach with an emphasis on discerning truth and varies from person to person. That is why nonuse is so crucial because nobody could take your place. Nobody can take your place. Beloved. There a lot of issues that are important in the church, none is more important than this, and none is more serious than this. If you disdain to use your gift you crippled the body of Christ you cripple it you turn it into a crippled body which does not rightly represent Christ. I used to call the church body number two body number one was Christ incarnate body. Number two is Christ living in his church, and if we do not function as the body, then Christ is crippled in the world's perspective of him is skewed now we have these gifts, but there is an assumption in Peter's commands here and that is that were not all using them properly. We can use them improperly in the flesh, counterfeiting them, we can let them fall into disuse.

And so, in either case, we are disobedient, so Peter says you received the gift use it and then in verse 11, he shows us that our gifts fall into two general categories to general categories.

Very simple. Whoever speaks but him speak as it were the utterances of God. Whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies stop at that two kinds of gifts speaking gifts, serving gifts that set you either have been given speaking gift or a serving gift.

Some of us have been given a gift which involves speaking, preaching, teaching, giving word of wisdom giving a word of knowledge, discernment, leadership, some have been given serving gifts. The gift of service. Maybe the gift of administration, the gift of prayer which is a quiet, silent behind the scenes showing mercy the gift of helps, and all of those beautiful blends. Those are the serving gifts.

If you have a gift of speaking.

He says in verse 11. Make sure when you speak you speak the utterances of God.

If you have a gift of prophecy or teaching or knowledge or wisdom or exhortation when you open your mouth. Make sure you speak, as it were, the utterance of God.

Don't say a word about that that term is used all of Scripture. It refers to the Old Testament. It is so used. In acts 738 and in Romans 32. Whenever you use a speaking gift. You must speak God's truth, not your own ideas.

You must speak the word that God heard the utterance of God, since not all Christians were inspired by God, like the writers of the New Testament. Since not all Christians were inspired by God. Peter must be referring here to the revealed word the written word. He is simply saying if you have a speaking gift. Whenever you speak and you use that gifted better be the word of God that is a very very strong statement.

Secondly, if you have a serving gift, then you do that by the strength which God supplies you have a gift of helps gift in the area of administration are giving more mercy.

Gift of discerning some function of serving the body of Christ and you better do that by the strength which God supplies you better be energized by the Holy Spirit walking in the spirit spirit fill so they are not doing in the flesh, so Peter gives us your full instruction on spiritual gifts. The extent everybody's got up but individually they are unique. The source they come from God. They can't be sought there given by grace is a free gift from God sovereignty the nature of gifts they are spiritual enablement's room which the spirit uses you to minister to the body. The obligation you are to use your gift and you are to use it as one who is a stewardship before God, to discharge the variety almost as endless as your imagination and beyond. Because each of us has one unique to ourselves. The multicolored grace of God and the categories speaking gifts, serving gifts not beloved those are our instructions Christian life is fairly simple holiness with God love with men. Spiritual service that's it.

And since you have been transformed by Christ from the kingdom of darkness translated into the kingdom of God's dear son, you have a desire then to obey. Finally, we see the incentive second coming. We see the instructions, holiness, love, service third and finally the intention the intention, what's the goal of this verse 11. At the end so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

What's the intention of all that we do.

What's the intention of our holiness.

The intention of our love and the intention of our service, that God may be what glorified God may be glorified so that Peter says in all things, all matters of Christian duty.

God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. This is by the way, we call a doxology, a doxology doxology is simply a word that means a word about praise a word about glory and so we are to glorify God. We can only glorify God. Notice in verse 11 through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever and commentators have long discussions about whether to whom refers to God, or whether to whom refers to Jesus Christ, and I think it is a blessed inspired ambiguity because the glory belongs to God in Christ and Christ in God. And so I want to glorify God. Whatever I do, whether I eat or drink prescriptions 1031 says I want to do all to the glory of God the way to do that is to live in the light of the second coming of Jesus Christ is to fulfill the obligation of holiness, love and service in the power of the spirit and best to live to the glory of God. Peter can't resist throwing Amen on the end of this so let it be. Let my life be the glory of God. So we are to live in the disciplines of life and as I said when we started all of this. The cost of discipleship is high, but not as high as the cost of rejecting Christ. It expects the best out of us in the goal to give him all the glory. So in the end were we perfectly holy perfectly loving and perfectly serving. We would take no credit right we would give him all the glory. But spring thank you father for these great truths which the spirit of God has vouchsafed to our hearts in the word and may we be obedient to be the people you want us to be not just forgiven but transformed and made out impulse that longs to obey attach itself to these command may we continually you to the duty which you desire to produce in us by your spirit dear name of our Savior. We pray a this is grace to you with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us.

John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary in the Los Angeles area. The lesson you just heard is part of his series from first Peter titled Faith through the fire John in light of what you said today about Christians using their spiritual gifts. I imagine there are listeners who simply wonder what are my spiritual gifts. So how would you answer that. Is there a test you can take and how do you determine what your spiritual gift is and is it even important to know. Well, I think.

I think it's important to know because you should be responsible for the use of that gift, but I think you can over define the gifts of their some people who think that a spiritual gift is sort of a one-dimensional thing like the gift of faith or the gift of giving, which are specifically mentioned in the New Testament. I tend to think that your spiritual gift falls into one of two categories.

First Peter 410 as each one has received a spiritual gift employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. But Peter also says they're speaking gifts and there are serving gifts so I don't think those are narrowly defined. You have in first Corinthians, and also in Romans the list of gifts there categorical but they don't tend to over define the gift. In fact, I would like to think of it this way, that there are many categories of gifts. If you think of them as colors, the Lord pinning you on a pallet. He dips in the number of those gifts and and paints you and so your combination of things that make your gift unique to you may be a speaking gift primarily maybe a serving gift categorically but it's really unique to you. It's designed for your personality. It's refined through your experiences in the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart. Its purpose is to minister to others. That's why you need to use your gift to know your gift and use your gift but don't don't over define it. I'll just use myself as an example. Obviously, preaching, teaching, giving is a part of what I believe the Holy Spirit prompts me to do so. I'm a blend of those things as every believer is you'll know what your gift is because it'll be what you love to do what you find fulfillment in doing and what other people are benefited from right and friend.

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