Giving
Spiritual Gifts is All About Receiving
1)
What: Faith in Christ
2)
How: By the work of “the same Spirit”
In the name of the One whom we receive, dear fellow
redeemed:
Do you ever have a hard time giving gifts? I’m not talking
about a reluctance to give something, I’m talking about having a hard time
finding a gift. Some people are tough to shop for. What makes this even harder
at times is that gifts often mean more than what they are. The amount of time
and thought put into a gift is a reflection of how important that person is to
you. You may want to spend more time and money on some people and less on
others. That’s what makes giving difficult. How can you find the right gift for
someone who means a lot to you?
What about giving gifts to God? He deserves them more than
anyone else. He should be at the top of our giving lists. And He should receive
the best and most thought out gift. Talk about someone who’s difficult to shop
for! Where do we even begin? What store or shop offers a pleasing gift to the
Almighty Creator of heaven and earth? What can we possibly return to the One
who has given us so much? In our sermon text for today, the Apostle Paul seeks
to offer some advice. The fledgling and immature Corinthian congregation was
having a difficult time with this too. They didn’t know how to properly give
gifts in service and honor to God’s name. They were getting caught up in the
sinful activity of using their time and talents for themselves, not for God.
But through Paul’s pen, God Himself spoke to these young Christians and told
them exactly what He found pleasing. What Paul told them is like many of the truths
of God, what we learn is often different than what we expect. The Lord tells us
that giving spiritual gifts is all about receiving. And the answer lies in what
we receive: faith in Christ, and how we receive it: through the work of
the Holy Spirit. We ask that God would come to us again as we read this portion
of Scripture from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11:
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do
not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were
Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.3 Therefore
I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus
accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are
differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there
are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in
all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to
each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given
the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through
the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to
another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of
spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit
works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
The beginning of chapter 12 marks a sharp transition point.
Paul makes is clear that he is moving to a new discussion. But as he begins
talking about spiritual gifts, he seems to deviate for a few verses. Instead of
jumping right into the topic of gifts, he speaks briefly about idol worship and
confessing Jesus as Lord. To the casual observer, verses 2 and 3 seem
misplaced, as if they don’t really fit the context. But to the believer, these
verses make complete sense, in fact, they must
be included in this context if one hopes to learn how to give spiritual
gifts.
What a punch Paul packs into these first three verses! Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be
ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried
away to these dumb idols, however you were led.3 Therefore I
make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus
accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. The Corinthian congregation would have been
composed mainly of Gentiles who were more familiar with Roman culture rather
than Jewish culture. Whereas the Jews stressed belief in one, universal God, the
Romans were polytheists, meaning that they worshipped a variety of gods. At the
time of the early church, the flavor of day for Roman gods was emperor worship.
This is why persecution was so rampant among the early church. For those living
in Roman provinces, which composed much of the Christian world at that time,
Christians were not just disobeying the religious customs of Roman culture,
they were openly defying the Roman emperor, who had ignorantly exalted himself
as a deity.
Paul did not want this
congregation to stay in this ignorance, and so he reviews for them what it
means to be a Christian and how they got to where they’re at now. When Paul applies idol worship to the
reader’s life, it’s a strong indicator that many of the Corinthians had once
practiced idol worship, a tradition that Paul does not want them to fall back
into. The first thing that Paul seeks to remind them about their conversion is what
they received: faith in Christ. That’s essentially what it means to call Jesus
“Lord.” No unbeliever is going to genuinely give Him such a title. Only by
faith can someone make this confession. But the opposite holds true as well.
Those who reject Jesus as Lord choose to call Him something else: “accursed.” (Matthew
7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord! ' will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.)
This word “accursed” dates all
the way back to the Hebrew language in the Old Testament. What it originally
meant was an offering that was delivered up for divine wrath. The accursed one
or thing was viewed as receiving God’s punishment for sin. Those who gave the
offering gave it with the intent that it would be destroyed. This was a
spiritual gift that was pleasing in God’s eyes because it took sin away, but
who among us can make such a sacrifice today? What we see here in this verse is
quite amazing, and it ties together this entire section. Today we certainly
would not want to call Jesus “accursed” just as Paul exhorts the Corinthians.
But the ironic twist is that Jesus once became this very thing. He was cursed
on the tree of destruction as an offering before His Father. He became the
greatest of all gifts, the most worthy of all spiritual sacrifices, in our
place for our sins, just as Paul once wrote to the Galatians: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who
is hanged on a tree"—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might
come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through
faith (Galatians 3:13-14).
As Christians, there is a part
of us that takes great pride in calling Jesus our “accursed one.” But after His
victory, after His resurrection, He is glorified alone, He is no longer cursed.
Those who reject what He did continue to call Him this, because they ignore His
victory, but they are wrong.
When it comes to offering
spiritual gifts to one another and to God, this point is so vital. The key to
offering a proper gift is found alone in receiving the merits of Christ by
faith. No one can please God and call Jesus “accursed” at the same time. Denying
Christ’s victory over the grave is paramount to denying one’s own faith. The
two cannot exist together. Hear how Paul explains this to the same readers of
our text, just three chapters later: Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the
dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if
there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And
if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is
in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified
about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the
dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been
raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are
still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:12-17)
Every deviation from the work of Christ is a denial
of what He came to do. Therefore as Paul says, worshipping idols is no
different in essence than openly cursing Jesus. The two lead to the same path,
to hell and destruction. Certainly on such a path there is no way to offer
acceptable gifts before God.
We would do well to examine the various idols that
we face in our lives. Ask yourselves what things in life have come before God?
We all have weaknesses where we are tempted to serve our own wants above all
else, even when they are in direct contention to God’s will. With our wealthy
and comfortable lives comes the desire to be lazy in our work for the Lord’s
kingdom. Add into this the busyness of our society and we scarcely find time to
include God on day to day activities. An idol doesn’t have to be a little
statue carved out of wood or stone, nor does it have to be an ignorant emperor
who exalts himself above all else. The idols we often come into contact with
are not the same as those. An idol is anything that we submit time and energy
to in such a way that it blocks out God. An idol is anything that sucks up our
time so much that there’s no time for God’s Word. In our day, idol worship is
not so much about intentions, but about time management and priorities. You can
have the greatest intentions and still be an idol worshipper. As Jesus said,
Not everyone who calls Him “Lord” (has the right intention) does His will (has
the right priority and belief).
With this short reminder about sin and grace, the
Holy Spirit refocuses us on sin and grace. Because grace is fundamental to
following up God’s forgiveness with the proper gifts. He tells us that we need
to get in the right frame of mind before we can attempt to serve God. In other
words, we needed to receive before we could give. Receive what? Faith in
Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Later in the service we will have the opportunity
to share in the Lord’s Supper. Thanks to the faithful preaching and study of
Martin Luther, we have the benefit of a Godly understanding of this teaching.
In one famous debate, Luther fought for the truth against a man named Ulrich
Zwingli. Zwingli contended that the Lord’s Supper was merely symbolic and held
no power to forgive sins. It was not a sacrament for him. After much vigorous
debate, both Luther and Zwingli realized that they were simply going to have to
disagree. In the end, Luther famously told Zwingli, “you are simply of a
different spirit than I am.” Zwingli was of the spirit that needed to bring
God’s Word into captivity to human reason. He believed that God would not
command him to do something that he could not understand. Luther, on the other
hand, brought every thought into captivity to the Word of God. He believed that
God expected him to trust by faith even when he could not understand how. This
is not to say that Zwingli was not a Christian, or that he did not have the
faith. Luther was simply saying that he was allowing a human spirit to motivate
him in this matter.
This is the same danger you encounter when you’re
tempted to rely on yourself when it comes to spiritual gifts. Focusing too much
on your own human spirit can lead to and result in a denial of the one Holy
Spirit. This is precisely what the sacraments are all about. Many look at Baptism
and Communion as actions that we perform to return thanks and praise to God. In
other words, as gifts to God. This is true, but it’s not the primary emphasis
that God intended. The Sacraments are primarily about what we receive
from God, namely the forgiveness of sins and promise of eternal life. What you
give back to God in thanks, praise, and service through gifts of the Holy
Spirit is a result of this mighty work of God. You see how you can only
properly give by receiving. And the blessing that we receive is worked by the
Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God that Paul emphasizes in this text
is not the selfish and prideful human spirit. It is the Spirit that comes to
you through the calm of God’s Word, the third member of the Trinity, the Spirit
who is God Himself. The term Paul uses is “the same Spirit.” This simple
clause, used 5 times in our section, illustrates the God-head of the Trinity.
Just as there are not a variety of gods in the world so there are not a variety
of spirits in the world. The only true Spirit who can lead us is the Holy
Spirit who is God. This is the Spirit who offers varieties of gifts to the
Church. Notice how Paul goes on to write: There
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of
ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but
it is the same God who works all in all. This same Spirit is connected to
these similar phrases: the same God and the same Lord, the One who works all
things. This is speaking of the one and only Holy Spirit, the creator and
author of faith, the one who establishes what we receive that allows us to
offer spiritual gifts.
When
it comes to giving gifts to God, the procedure is not what we would often
expect. You must first receive before you can give. Your faith is a receiving
faith. Your faith is often weak at times and not strong enough to reach out and
grasp salvation for yourself. Instead you simply receive what the Holy Spirit
seeks to offer to you again and again through the Word of God. Even though we
often try to get in the way of God’s powerful Word, the same Spirit, the one
who is God and Lord, patiently works on our hearts. Because of the persistence
of God’s Spirit, your faith has received the merits of your Savior.
May
we, like the Corinthians, not go beyond what God has written for our learning.
We already have everything we need, everything we want. We have become rich in
the name of Jesus. What God wants us to give to Him is only found first in what
He has given to us and how He has given it. That greatest of all gifts is faith
in His Son, the eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-encompassing Savior
of the world. But God’s gift also extends into how we receive it. The Holy
Spirit takes care of doing the work, of securing the treasure of eternal life
on our behalf, without our help. These acts are sure, certain, and complete.
And with them in place and with their assurance in our heart by faith, we can
offer acceptable gifts to God. Amen.
The
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment