His Gift and Our Gifts, Part 1

Today on Insight for living the will you know word began to begin at the cross. We first saw the light where the truth of our inheritance became a reality, and we found out that we were not only sheep who belong to the Lord, but we have a position in Christ that lifts us into the heavenly with Christ raining if you will, in authority over the old nature that once dominated anyone who decides to has been granted to give a unique skill set to be deployed in the family of God.

You know which gifts belong to you today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll presents another message in a series were calling becoming a people of grace were looking at Ephesians 4 today and discovering the beautiful blend of gifts given to those who follow Christ along with unique spiritual gifts God has given us the power to use them. Chuck titled today's message. His gift, and our get in your worship folder you will find I have.

She that lists the spiritual gifts and you may want to pull that out and slip it into Ephesians chapter 4 I want to read verses seven through 11 for you this morning. Ephesians 4 beginning in verse seven. When I'm through, you can just slide that have sheet right in their and mark our place. Now were ending at a incomplete sentence but time doesn't allow us to go further into this so will just take the liberty with the, here and make it up. Today, at the end of verse 11. Look at Ephesians 47 but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it says in the refers to Psalm 68 when your Bible has a change in the way it's printed. When the way the letters are printed in reverse.

It's usually a quotation from the Old Testament. At least in the new American Standard. Therefore, it says when he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Now this expression he ascended, what is it mean except that he also had descended into the lower parts of the earth.

He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens, so that hand he might fill all things. And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers know from just a moment before you close your Bible see the parenthesis that begins in verse nine and in the end of verse 10 is another one of those Pauline diversions into a theological area of fascination and interest, but with minds like we got it's easy to get diverted, and interest and to miss the point. Allow me therefore to omit the parenthesis and read again, eight and 11 here we go. In verse eight.

Therefore, it says when he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Verse 11, he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, I want to tell you before, I pray that the subject of spiritual gifts was one of the most transforming subjects I ever heard in my entire life. In my entire Christian life. It became for me transforming in the application as it related to me and an understanding of why so much of what goes on in the church today is a study in frustration.

I hope we can relieve the frustration and in the process be carefully instructed and applied passage like us to close our eyes and simply sit in silence for a few moments before the Lord want you to look back and then look ahead and look at looking back, you may see things that need attention or it may make you smile as you realize, gracious God has been you look ahead.

You may feel little fear. Great moment to tell them that ask him for reassurance since a piece look at where you are you and me. You may feel little sense of dissatisfaction, discouragement, or on the other hand, this may be one of the high points of your life. That's think of him as king over all of it. Okay think of him as king for it all is Lord and God in life, our father, we who operate in such selfish realms often find ourselves preoccupied with stuff of our own messes we made back in the yester days of our lives and fears of tomorrow.

Knowing our propensity toward messing things up and uncertain about where this all will lead. And then, of all things in this ever present. Now we find ourselves again preoccupied with what someone may think or say or do, how we will look in their eyes deliver us. Father, if only for these few moments from this constant plated preoccupation with self help us to envision you and is king. Lord, the very essence of life God over it all, the God who forgives the masses who understands the frustrations who columns the fears the king who reigns over our lives supremely since we have come to the cross and met you in your terms, Lord, may we understand that your will is really fast even when we cannot explain it, understand it, or for that matter at the moment.

Defendant, your king you the monarch, the master where the servant where the clay you're the Potter and whatever it may be Lord that were living with this day and I have no way of knowing in a congregation of this size. I pray you will come our spirit and bring to our immediate attention.

Your presence may get eclipse. Everything else in your sovereignty quiet us in your hand on our life. Humble us. Your presence reassure us you were King and Lord in life. God therefore it is a pleasure to gift to you first ourselves in her praise or obedience and now our offerings. The great name of your son Jesus, king, Lord, life God and all the people set well. First they called it EA's field and then they called it Yates pool Mr. Gates on the property down in the hill country Rolling Hills Country Club south-central Texas and he graces she wanted and when the depression hit. He was convinced he wouldn't be able to keep his property because he couldn't make the payments on it. The principal and interest were too much for him and therefore he applied and received government subsidy to keep the land but as he would walk across it during the evening hours. He was convinced. As time passed and times got even harder that he would lose the land was about the time that spontaneously a seismic graphic team from a major oil company showed up at his door. Ask permission to drill wildcat well in those days whoever owned land owned also.

Whatever was under the land in gas or mineral oil supply and so we signed a contract that would grant him a greater part of the royalty if they happen to find oil hundred and 1115 feet below the surface. Did they find oil.

In fact, it wasn't long before that one reserve was pumping 80,000 barrels a day and it was only growing which caused the team to think there might be oil there as well and so they drilled their and here and there and before long.

Well let me put it this way Yates could make his payments on the land. In fact, the original well was not pumping 125,000 barrels a day and everything seemed to just grow proportionately.

Yates field became Yates pool when I hear that story and rehearse it in my mind. I think how it aptly describes. I don't want to say most, but I will say many of God's people who live like sheep grazing across the land enjoying the grass, thinking someday we will be moved from earth to heaven, and will that be great.

In the meantime, let's just sort of eke out an existence and do the best we can, not realizing that we have at our disposal pool of the greatest resource ever imagined by the human mind and that is the power of the resurrection at work in us available to us if we would only tap into the reserve which will never ever run out and as time passes and the gifts begin to multiply. It will only increase and we will become again a healthy, wholesome body is God designed us to be when you stop to think about it. We have the letter to the Ephesians to thank you for knowing of our wealth. In fact, of a number of people who have written on the letter to the Ephesians referred to the well. Ray Steadman calls his book our riches in Christ Warren weirs we has a book regarding our wealth in Christ. Referring of course to the letter. The Ephesian the will you know where it began to begin at the cross where we first saw the light where the truth of our inheritance became a reality, and we found out that we were not only sheep who belong to the Lord, but we have a position in Christ that lifts us into the heavenly's where we are now with Christ reaming if you will, in authority over the evil spirits and an old nature that once dominated us that we no longer need to be intimidated by an enemy, an adversary who despises everything we love and loves everything we hate in Christ, we are not only not intimidated. We are in fact possessors of a limitless power at work in each one of us that comes out in a practical way in the exercising of our gifts plural. Many Christians get only as far as the gift, the gift of salvation and go no further.

From there they just stop at the cross and as great as that truth is they don't get much beyond salvation, but the fact is, these letters of the New Testament are are full and running over with instruction and encouragement and exhortation and even help in implementation of these truths on how to live above the dried dregs of our time, but chances are good you're not living there, nor are many in the body of Christ because you simply think this is a field rather than a pool. Let me show you. For example, and by the way, this is a type. This isn't cheerleading time where I'm hoping to get you all excited about something that really is not all that significant. I will tell you without exception and reservation. Once you grasp an understanding of the gifts of the spirit. Not only will your guilt be removed in areas where you are not gifted and have tried so hard to make it work. Your spirit will soar in areas where you are gifted and find such joy and ease and effectiveness in exercising Ephesians 4 verse seven we read of the gift singular, but in verse eight we read our gift plural. There's a difference. The word phrase in verse seven is a one-word synonym for the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ came to bear the sins of the world and having boring. The sins of the world. He overcame death the grave and the power of the enemy and has been resurrected and has been seated at the father's right hand, and he lives and reigns over us his people.

That's the gift to each one of us grace was given remember reading about over. In chapter 2. In one of those few verses out of Ephesians you may have memorized for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift singular.

It is the gift of God not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast that salvation. That's when I as a lost sinner understand the claims of Jesus Christ and I accept them personally and I received them as a gift and I moved to the other side of the cross and look back on sins forgiven up past that has been eclipsed by his presence and washed clean by his blood. I have come to the gift and accepted it and become a part of the family of God. Verse seven to each one of us would you like the way that reads your name as a Christian could go there I when I read it to Chuck's wind all grace was given them to you, John, Joan and Shirley and Barbara and Bill and Ralph Fred Frank to each one of you and the family of God. Grace was given according to the measure of Christ gift. Notice the verse begins with a little adversative, but it's because in the previous verse. Everyone was in view. God's overall we read at the end of verse six. He is through all he is in all. And the whole body of Christ seen under God's gracious and sovereign hand guidance and mercy, but this zoom lens if you will zoom lens of Scripture suddenly tightens up and you look through it like you look through a toilet paper roll.

That's what I'm thinking right now doesn't sound very sacred, but that's what I thought that site, you look through a little tiny radius and you see one person's got your name on it to each one of us the gift of salvation was given you didn't earn it.

You don't deserve it. You can never repay it and you will never lose it. It's the gift it's been given to us because Jesus paid it all off to hear my old Sam left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. Donald Barnhouse paraphrased it. Some people would sing Jesus paid 99% 1% I/O center left a crimson stain, he washed it like pink just doesn't rhyme it doesn't work either paid it all.

Or he did not play it at all paid it all and the gift was given and he stands waiting for any lost sinner to come in faith to him.

That means you if you've never come to Christ and then you can be a part of the each one in verse seven God has a whole pool of resources available for his sheep, not just a field of grass to graze over and he begins to reveal them here. Therefore, verse eight continues it says when you read in your Bible something like that.

It says you know he's quoting from some other source.

And if you take the time to go back to Psalm 68 verse 18 see something of what this says I say that like it because Paul takes a little application the liberty he uses some of the words from Psalm 6818 but he applies them to a broader perspective brought around. It's a picture of a covenant of a king moving and try out over captives in bringing the spoils with him and he's got that that image in mind, except in this case, the king is crying stand at the spoils or the gifts and the captives are those who claim the end and let me read it for you when he ascended on high that he is Christ mentioned in verse 7H in verse eight gives you the clue it's Christ. When Christ ascended on high, you got the picture he has died for our sins, he is been buried.

He has been raised.

He is now leaving this earth, and on his way back to the father's right hand, from which he came 33 years earlier when he ascended on high, he did two things look at number one.

He led captive a host of captives and number two gave gifts to people like us generically and reach demand means to mankind to humanity to those within the family of God. He gave gifts to his own. We can render it from the fourth chapter of Ephesians. Chuck Swindoll presents a message called his gift and are gifts and there's more coming. So please stay with us. We set aside the final minutes of today's program to review additional teaching points from Chuck you're listening to Insight for living. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org is possible that today's topic is piqued your curiosity about spiritual gifts and which ones apply to you what the best way to discover how God is infused your life with unique skill and passion is to open his word and listen to his voice and to help you dig deeper on your own remind you the check is written and in-depth commentary that includes this attention to this process.

Unlike many commentaries that are somewhat technical and academic. Chuck's book includes additional features that make his resource very practical and even fun to read in the section for Ephesians chapter 4 is included a list of the spiritual gifts and explain how their express today, you want to add Swindoll's living inside commentary on Galatians and Ephesians to your personal collection of study tools you can purchase a hardbound copy at Insight for living's website by going to Insight.org/store or by calling us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 and then as you measure the impact of Chuck's teaching on your life is God prompt you to share this Bible teaching with others around the world. We invite you to join us in this worthy mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ, to send a one time donation today. Call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 again that's 1-800-772-8888 and then please know that many in our listening family had chosen to reinforce their commitment to this cause by becoming a monthly companion to join the team get online by going to Insight.org/monthly companion that we set aside a few more minutes to consider today subject he is gift and our gifts is Chuck this is gifts not gift this is plural so it's not referring to the gift of salvation. That's singular. It's not referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit that's singular. These are gifts in there somehow connected with his ascension to know about you but when I get to a section like this. I am fascinated. This is what keeps me up late at night. I read over things like this and I think all this is so good. What it means but it is so good to see Melanie understand a spiritual gift.

Let me understand that out loud so they were on the same page us what you will gift is a supernatural ability. A supernatural skill Christ gives us which enables us to perform a function in the body of Christ effectiveness and Eve's end and some as we were going to see in a few moments have more than one gift.

I think most Christians do.

These are supernaturally gifted or supernaturally provided skills and abilities which enable us to perform functions in the body of Christ with ease and effectiveness. They keep the body healthy. They make the body whole and they cause the body. Great joy there given by the Lord. They are spiritual in nature and they flow easily and frequently from us right here Insight for living. The preceding message is gift in our gifts was copyrighted in 2000 2001 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited