Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

I. What Are The Gifts Of The Spirit?

 

A.

Unity In Diversity.

1.

Ignorance of the Gifts of the Spirit.

/a)        //The Ignorance Occurs on Both Sides of the Issue./

&  Some lack the understanding that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today.

&  Some lack of knowledge concerning their proper scriptural exercise.

All the gifts of the Spirit seemed to be manifested in Corinth, yet they were being abused, that is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians—to correct the abuses.

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul lists nine spiritual gifts, divided into triplets (of power, faith, and utterances).

But after he produces the list, he says, /“But one and the same Spirit works all these things” /

 

2.

Understanding Spiritual Gifts.

/a)        //Paul Wanted The Church To Be Knowledgeable of Certain Spiritual Truths (1Cor.12:1)/

The Overarching Principle Concerning the Gifts of the Spirit Is This: /The true gifts of the Holy Spirit, when manifested in a scriptural and correct way, will always focus people’s hearts on Jesus Christ.

Jesus said the Spirit would not testify of Himself, but of Christ (John 15:26).

The Scriptural exercise of the gifts will always give you a fresh vision of Jesus Christ and His glory, causing you to fall in love with Him, and to be drawn to Him all over again.

Your heart will almost explode with love and appreciation for what Jesus is and what He is able to do  /

v  Is there a great deal of attention drawn to the person exercising the gift?

v  In the magazines various ministries send out, who’s picture is on every other page?

v  To whom are they drawing attention?

v  Who are they promoting?

v  Who are they seeking to raise up in the eyes of the people?

A true manifestation of the Holy Spirit will always exalt the person of Jesus Christ—that’s what the Holy Spirit Has come to do.

/b)        //There Are Diversities of Gifts./

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul lists nine different gifts.

Yet this is not a complete or exhaustive list; toward the end of the chapter Paul also mentions the gifts of helps and governments, and in Romans 12 he again added to the list.

1)        Four Classifications:

/(a)      /*/I Corinthians 12:4-11/*

(1)      Word of Wisdom; Word of Knowledge; Faith; Gifts of Healing; Effecting of Miracles;

(2)      Prophecy; Distinguishing of Spirits; Various Kinds of Tongues; Interpretation of Tongues

 

/(b)      /*/I Corinthians 12:28/*

(1)      Apostles; Prophets; Teachers; Gifts of healings; Helps;

(2)      Administrations; Various Kinds of Tongues

 

/(c)      /*/Romans 12:6-8/*

(1)      Prophecy; Service (helps); Teaching; Exhortation;

(2)      Giving; Leadership; Mercy

 

/(d)      /*/Ephesians 4:11/*

(1)      Apostles; Prophets; Evangelists; Pastors ~/ Teachers

 

/c)        //There Are Differences in Ministries.

/

Some have gifts that others do not have, & though we may serve Him in different ways, we serve the same Lord (1 Cor.12:5).

/d)        //There Are Diversities of Operations.

/

        The Spirit of God works differently in our lives, according to our own unique personalities and idiosyncrasies (/a structural or behavioral peculiarity/).

I know how the gifts operate in my life, but it doesn’t follow that they will operate in the same way in your life /(no 2 kids are alike)/.

God respects the differences that exist, and deals with us according to our need and according to who we are and how we respond.

3.

Difference’s Are Good.

/a)        //Differences Are Good./

Testimonies can be thrilling, exciting, and beneficial—or harmful.

When a person testifies of his experience with God or his experience with a gift of the Spirit, many of us have a tendency to think;

1)        /But that’s not the way it happened to me, /or/ I’ve never had it happen like that./

2)        If you haven’t received a certain gift you may think, /I see—that’s the way it’s going to happen when I receive it./

We imagine that it’s going to happen the same way to everyone.

But it doesn’t.

/That’s why it is important that you not try to duplicate another person’s gift.

/

1)        Don’t try to /copy the method of operation/ that you see in others, believing that it’s the only way the gift can operate.

2)        Avoid such thoughts as; /If I don’t do it like you do it, then I question whether I really have it./

3)        Don’t try and /receive the same experiences/ someone else received, or think that your experience isn’t genuine because it didn’t happen to you like someone else said it happened to him.

4)        /Don’t look for the experience/, because if you do, your eyes will be upon the experience rather than on Jesus.

B.

Seeking For The Wrong Purpose.

1.

Many Sought Christ for the Wrong Reasons.

/a)        //Crowds Sought Jesus for the Sensational (John 12:9)/

        The crowd came to see the spectacular, that is, to see Lazarus, the man rumored to have been raised from the dead.

They were anxious to see one who had experienced such a phenomenal event and to see if a resurrected man was any different.

/b)        //The Sensational is Requested by Philip (John 14:8)/

Philip was not satisfied with what he saw in Jesus, nor with what he had received in Jesus.

If he and the other disciples could /only apprehend God with at least one of their senses/, they would be satisfied.

Perhaps he had in mind such a manifestation of God as "the angel of the Lord" who appeared to Jacob at Peniel (Gen 32:24, 30) and to the parents of Samson Judg 13:3-22) or the experience of Moses on Mount Sinai (Exod 34:4-8).

/c)        //The Temptation of Christ—To prove His Deity by the spectacular (Matthew 4:5-7)/

1)        Christ was tempted to attract attention by the spectacular.

The worshippers at the temple, seeing such a spectacular event, would accept and proclaim Him to be the Son of God.

2)        God is to be trusted, not the spectacular.

God wants men to believe Him because they love Him as their Father, not because of events and happenings, whether they be spectacular or commonplace (Isaiah 43:10).

3)        Christ would have failed if He had given in to this temptation.

He would have centered people’s attention on the spectacular.

The mission of Christ was to focus people’s attention on faith in God.

 

2.

(John 4:48-49) A Lesson in Faith.

/a)        //The Reply of Jesus Seems Like a Heartless Rejection./

/We must understand that a circus atmosphere was developing around Christ.

He was fast becoming a traveling sideshow—“Hurry, hurry, don’t miss the latest miracle!

Get your popcorn!/

1)        Jesus seemed to insinuate that the official, like the rest of the Galileans, was only giving an excuse to see a miracle from Him (/Herod /Luke 23:8).

On the other hand, Jesus' words may express his hope more than his exasperation.

He desired a /belief characterized by dedication/ rather than /amazement/, a /genuine commitment/ rather than merely to perform a cure.

/Jesus wanted this mans faith to advance to a higher level./

2)        Jesus had to teach the man that /His Word alone/ was enough.

/Belief in His Word/ was what was going to assure the request (/God has magnified His Word above His Name Ps.138:2)/.

His power was at the nobleman’s disposal if he would just believe Him.

/Belief is to precede signs and wonders./

/(a)      //Note that “you” is plural./

Jesus was addressing both the man and the crowd.

He wanted the crowd to get the message as well.

/(b)      //“Seeing is believing”// is not the Christian approach (John 11:40; 20:29).

First we believe then we see./

/(c)      //Miracles can only lead us to the Word (John 5:36-38) and the Word generates saving faith (Romans 10:17)/

/(d)      //It is one thing to believe in miracles but something else to commit oneself to Jesus Christ & to continue in His word (John 8:30-31)/

 

/b)        //There are four words used in the Bible for miracles or signs./

These words are used to describe the works of God and they show why people believed in Jesus.

1)        /Teras/ means the spectacular, staggering, amazing, dazzling.

Many believed in Jesus because of the spectacular signs He performed.

However, such belief made a person only a spectator, not a participant in His life.