His Gift and Our Gifts, Part 2

Today insight from Chuck Swindoll on spiritual gifts. The same power God has given me as a pastor teacher. He is given you as a helper. The same power he is given her as a helper is given you as a counselor is a disorder in the same power is given to the disorder. He is also given to the one who was evangelist and with great skill and success makes Christ known same source power. Many of God live like proverbial sheet ambling across the pasture will grazing here and there, eking out an existence and hoping one day to be elevated to a better place. Too often though we don't remember to drink from the deep pool of divine resources available to us. Are you perhaps talk at that stagnant place right now.

You're not alone and today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll invites us to rise to a higher place is teaching from Ephesians 4, beginning at verse seven about God's gift and heart status spiritual gift. Let me understand that out loud so they were all the same.

They just gift is a supernatural ability.

A supernatural skill Christ gives us which enables us to perform a function in the body of Christ with effectiveness and ease, 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. There are six places where the lid gifts are listed in the New Testament. I have given you a halfpage chart here which shows you those lists verses 8 to 10 of chapter 12 of first Corinthians verse 28 of chapter 12 first Corinthians and 29 and 30 is more summer duplicated and obviously some are unique. Romans 12 lists another group of them, and Romans 12 six through eight, Ephesians 4 versus verse 11 list for of them. Some of them mentioned nowhere else in the Bible in first Peter four. Two of them see those that this is for your own study everything in me tempts me to go into the study of spiritual gifts. First of all, they will keep me from having to deal with verses nine and 10 that are pretty profound and I'm, dreading that but I'll get there.

However, the spiritual gifts study is very practical and you can go to town on these things will deal with some a little more in detail moment briefly and I promise you that first Corinthians 12.

Look at since that's a chapter that addresses them directly, by the way, the latter half of first Corinthians is a is a letter that for the most the chapters begin with now concerning now concerning marriage and remarriage issue.

That's chapter 7 now concerning things offered to idols that chapter 8 now concerning spiritual gifts. That's chapter 12 verse one see how he puts it in chapter 16 now concerning your offerings and he talks about that they have written him a letter first Corinthians is an answer back to them, answering their questions and that's what now concerning me in here. It's now concerning spiritual gifts of the whole chapter. Fascinating information about the gets to show you in. In verse seven, in case you're sitting there thinking Chuck, you know, maybe others have this give these kids but yet you don't know me I am out to lunch when it comes to know when a minute look at verse 72 each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. You qualify as one of the each yes if you're in the family that will not just one verse 20 verse 11. Now that you bring that up but one in the same spirit works. All of these things, distributing to each one individually.

Just as he wills. As he wills that keeps me from feeling inadequate or complaining that I don't have another gift or I don't have this gift mix is not about what I want.

It's about what he wants me to have is a difference. He didn't check in with me and say now what is it that would make you feel fulfilled and do it like that. If you are sovereign, you don't have to do that you want to ask permission to give people certain ways and so he does it.

As he wills, and you have the gifts he wanted you to have. I think Paul wrote a little tongue-in-cheek when I got on the 14 and following. I think there's some humor here love to get on this subject. The body is not one member, but many me that's true. You got liver you got kidneys you got long you got heart and we've never seen any of the above.

You got: I won't go any further. There you got brain you got eyes we see that you got a nose we see that we can smell for you, but we can see that you have that with those kind of things in mind. Think of it, if there were a mutiny.

Look at verse 15. This is where I think Paul is going. This is good 15 foot for foot says because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body, is it not for this reason any of the last part of the body.

Can you imagine I'm not going there to cooperate and I want to be a handle my life I'm stuck here in the sock and an inside issue and I'm sick and tired of it. It's hot and it smells bad on top of everything else. I'm sick of and so I want to be. It is not like that. Look at verse 16 is another great if the ear says because I am not and I I am not a part of the body is it not for this reason in the last part of the body and what you're smiling.

Over the next versus a crackup.

If the whole body were an eye, 6'2" by this ado it back.

Imagine getting in your car skews me, please, you're stepping online I like and you're trying to squeeze you can't even drive your car. If the whole body were an I would be free and look at it if the whole body were were hearing. Look at this one.

If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be says verse 17 you hear everything that you can see where you're going and you can see the body is made up of all of these men I know who's here now organs. Most of these are organs we never have ever seen.

We see him on an x-ray week, see through. We've never actually seen a talk to surgeons who after opening the body. See, it is incredible to look at the scheme of things inside the body.

There even color everything I want to see the surgeon slowly back up, looking around at everything just get the job done, but it must be fascinating to be able to open the body and to look inside and see all stuff I'm I'm on the human body, which is the analogy here, but we got a spiritual some of you are hands. Some of you are years some of your vocal cords and some of you are lumps to stay with the analogy now before you go any further understand it. If your long you hear are you not to speak is not your room to breathe, don't stop, because we need you in the body for it to be healthy and wholesome. These gifts are given by the Lord.

They are spiritual in nature and they are things that flow simply and easily because that's our function.

The long does what a long does because it's made to be alone. Now back to Ephesians chapter 4 me tell you for things okay and I go to those two verses you're wondering about. Look for a moment at the verse he gave gifts to men. Number one. Each one of you has a gift, probably more than one number to the gifts are not the same as the gift of salvation. You're more than that there beyond salvation. Salvation gets you into the body and now the gifts go to work as you discover which one or ones are yours number three. These gifts are varied.

Some are more noticeable and public than others, none more important, like saying my nose is more important than my throat or my longest more important than my heart ridiculous needed all for the body to be healthy and to function correctly you needed all so these gifts are very number for the gifts have the same source of power regardless of the gift. The pool of power is the power of the resurrection. You wonder if you could be effective in the exercise of your gift you have.

The resurrection power of Christ at work in you child of God Ray Steadman says this gifts are specialized functions. The God endowed ability to do certain specific ministries such as teaching, preaching, administering, helping, leading, and so forth.

These gifts are like so many electrical appliances go to any department store and you will find a myriad of electrical appliances from microwave oven to computers to VCRs to electrical toothbrushes. Electric toothbrushes always appliances have one thing in common accord with the plug that must be inserted into an electrical outlet. Regardless of what the appliance looks like or how it performs its function.

The power that drives it is the same the same power God has given me as a pastor teacher.

He is given you as a helper in the same power he is given her as a helper is given you as a counselor is on the disorder. In the same power is given to the exhort or he is also given to the one who was evangelist and with great skill and success makes Christ known as a member the body of Christ same source power back to verse eight, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. At the ascension. He did those two things, and that he also filled all things.

Verse 10 concludes verse nine, when he mentions he led captive captives. He's reminded not only of the Psalm Psalm 68, but he decides now called us to go into greater detail.

Verse nine this expression, he ascended, what is it mean except he also had decent into the lower parts of the earth.

He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.

I think there are a couple possibilities for the interpretation verse nine some very fine New Testament students teach one or find the students of the Scriptures teach another year left to make a decision on your own through further study. One possibility has would say that Jesus leaving the father's presence when he came to this earth, he descended to this place of an enormous depravity and spiritual death and in his descent to this earth. He paid the price for Sam's and he led us into his own captivity, freeing us from the bondage to Satan that was once our experience and in doing so, you gotta handle the word lower parts of the terms lower parts of the you're in some interpret that to mean to the depths of this kind of depraved condition there's another possibility, and that is when Christ came and paid the price for sin and died. He descended into the netherworld.

She old SH EOL she old the place that the place of the grave and while there he made a victorious proclamation to the saints as well as to the adversaries of the cross saying I have paid the price for Sam's. I will be raised from the dead, and I will ascend to the father as the triumphant king and Lord. He made a triumphant proclamation. First Peter 319 would be used in defending that position. You remember when you were in the church where they use the apostles Creed member this and it says he descended into hell.

Remember thinking how can I say that it comes from that rendering of verse nine and first Peter 319 that he went to the very internals where the spirits of the departed, saved and lost our house and when he went to heaven he took the same with them with him, and transferred them to the third heaven where they await the final resurrection I remember as a little boy we we we visited a church down the street from where we lived. My dad was working seven days a week in the second world war and and we only place we go to church is up where we can walk happen to be a Methodist Church in every Sunday we would do. We would repeat the apostles Creed.

It reminds me.

I remember sitting by my father on a few occasions there. You know it says I believe in the Catholic Church means universal.

My dad thought it meant Roman Catholic and he would lean over and say to me say that we don't believe they didn't understand that I believe in the universal church. The whole the Catholic church. The word means the whole universal church and descended into hell.

He goes I mean it was like I'm not saying that either. Who knows where the church is going to lead us and we keep saying stuff like that. Both are both are very safe and and and both have been a part of the creed of the Christian for you and that would be the teaching that he went to she'll another word for it is often rendered. Hell, into the hellish part of earth or the depth of the earth, the place where the departed Houston reside and then when he asked saying that he took with him those saints and they now await the final direction when the Lord Jesus will return for his church. I lean toward the latter. Even though my dad probably safe to believe that but I I I do. I'm sorry dad you're there, you know the truth so we both know it all Sunday (this is fascinating to me. Paul is a master at coming to a word or a phrase and then putting the brakes on and going into it a little deeper because he is training and by gift, he he is and he is keenly thinking theologian finest theologian course save Jesus Christ himself who ever lived, and his teaching shapes the church is an example. It becomes a part of the creed that the that the church quotes for centuries.

To this day. Verse 10 he who descended is himself also the one who accented by the way might notice something far above all the heavens member in an earlier teaching. I clarified that the the demonic realm is below the third heaven, but above our heavens, our atmosphere, he penetrated the demonic realm on his ass.

Ascension and in doing so made it clear to them in that realm.

I am glorious over all polyps and that's why it says he feels all all and all, he is the supreme preeminent one. That's why all of our praise goes to Christ and why we lift him up and exalt him as Savior and God love that song, Lord King life greatly just gets me so excited is one of screaming some time now verse 11 to control yourself. Chuck just sermon verse 11. Please observe.

He he now amplifies. He gave gifts to men. Member ties in with verse eight he gave gifts to men.

Verse 11, he gave some, this is not all the gifts he gave to some these forgets let's look at them since they're the ones that the spirit of God led Paul to mention. First, he mentions the gift of apostleship. The word still low is we get the word apostle from the Greek verb Stella would means to send. If I send someone forth. I am in the words of the Greek I am a parceling them interesting. The Latin term is the word from which we get our word missionary that fascinate study of words and the word vulture I warned you about that and you get to the word apostle and is fascinating this is.

This would refer to the 12. The original 12 to be an apostle, one must have absolute authority under Christ possess gifts of a miraculous nature have great wisdom and devotion and I would link the word of wisdom to the gift of apostleship. They are spiritual pioneers who found churches. They are those who establish the doctrinal truth is that shape the early church and they have seen the resurrected Christ to get the list. That's why there are no apostles today don't care what the Mormon church teaches how to care what any of the other cult with skulls would teach.

There are not apostles today a pasta loss. They were in the first century and were essential for the founding and establishing of the church and he gave some gifted to be possible they could under the authority of Christ perform miracles at will and they had gifts and abilities that were supernatural and were essentially so to win the credibility of hearts of believers who needed such verify the message you gave some as prophets, if the apostle is the one sent forth a prophet is the one for towels and forth, tells the word means to speak for profits in the technical sense of the word were those who served as inspired spokesman for God. They were the very oracles of God you're listening to Insight for living in the Bible teaching of pastor and author Chuck Swindoll today. Chuck is presented a message called his gift and our gifts to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insideworld.org. It's been encouraging to focus our attention on the book like Ephesians during a season in world history marked by fear and uncertainty 2020 will be forever remembered as the year of the coronavirus civil unrest in major cities around the world and a politically charged election, the likes of which we've never seen until now. So how much better to focus our complete attention on Paul's letter and becoming a people of grace along those lines, Chuck picked out an inspirational book that is going to keep your eyes looking vertically rather than horizontally.

It's written by a colleague in ministry pastor and Bible teacher Philip to Corsi before entering the ministry.

Philip served on the police force in Belfast, Northern Ireland during intense political upheaval is book take cover addresses so many of the issues we're facing today in the book is very entertaining as well but better yet is firmly grounded in God's word with teaching points you can employ in your life right now to purchase a copy of take cover finding peace in God's protection because if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to Insight.org/store. In closing, let me say a word of thanks to our monthly companions and all those who give generously you're accomplishing far more than you'll ever know because your gift not only allows us to provide these daily visits with Chuck, a small portion is multiplied overseas in our ongoing pursuit of vision 195 vision 195 is our stated mission to reach 195 countries of the world with God's amazing grace, so to become a monthly companion go to Insight.org/monthly companions or to get a one time donation today. Call us listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888.

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