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(One Another Series - Part X) 1 Peter 4:10 by Joseph "Mike" Willmouth 1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Introduction: Dr. J. M. Buckley, a Methodist preacher, was once asked to conduct what they used to call in those days an "experience meeting" at a church in the South. That was a meeting similar to a testimony meeting such as we sometimes have today. A woman arose and bore witness to the preciousness of her religion as light bringer and comfort giver. "That's good, sister!" commented Dr. Buckley. "But now about the practical side, the positive side. Does your religion make you strive to prepare your husband a good dinner? Does it make you look after him in every way?" Just then Dr. Buckley felt a yank at this coat tails by the host preacher, who whispered ardently, "Press those questions, doctor; press those questions. That's my wife!" Does our faith show by what we do for others? (stories for preachers. . .) In our text today, the Apostle Peter gives us another One Another injunction that helps our faith to be shown to others through our ministering to one another with the spiritual gifts that God has given us. I. Gifted By God. 10a As each one has received a gift. . .of the manifold grace of God.1. Every Christian receives a spiritual gift from God (v.10a; 1Cor.7:7). A. In verse 10, Peter makes it clear here that every born again believer has been given a spiritual gift.Application: This means that no Christian can claim that he or she has nothing to offer their church (SL), because God has given them a gift to be used in His church.- 1 Corinthians 7:7, "For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that."B. A Spiritual Gift is a God-given ability for service according to the will of God.1) Spiritual Gifts are not Natural Abilities.A) Natural abilities are given at birth, ultimately by God but genetically inherited from our parents.2) Spiritual gifts are not something that you born with, but something that you are born again with. Transition: Not only has God given every Christian a spiritual gift. . . 2. Every spiritual gift is given by God, according to His will (Rom.12:6; 1Cor.12:11, 18; Eph.4:7-8). A. Spiritual gifts are given to believers according to the will of the Holy Spirit, and not according to our will or desires.Application: Since God knows what is best and what is needed, Christians need to be content with the spiritual gift that God has given them. There are speaking gifts and there are serving gifts, and both are important to the church. Not everybody is a teacher or preacher, though all can be witnesses for Christ. There are those "behind-the-scenes" ministries that help to make the public ministries possible. God gives us the gifts, the abilities, and the opportunities to use the gifts, and He alone must get the glory (BEC). And we glorify God when we use the gifts that God has given us to minister to one another.- 1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He willsB. God knows what gifts are needed in every church, and provides them accordingly. Transition: according to God's Word, we are also told that. . . 3. Every spiritual gift is a part of God's manifold grace (v.10c; 1Cor.12:4-6). A. When we speak of grace, it often means "God's unmerited favor", but the Bible also speaks of seeing the effects of God's grace upon believers, as in Acts 11:23.Application: There was an old television show called 'The Millionaire?' Each week an anonymous millionaire would give a one-million-dollar gift to someone. The gift was always free-but the gift always made a big change in the recipient's life. That's how grace is. You don't change in order to receive God's grace: you change as a result of experiencing God's grace. Grace is like corrective surgery. We are helpless-but God gives us grace, and God's grace changes what we ourselves cannot change (Stories for Preachers. . .). God did much more than just save us, and in doing so He forever changes us and enables us to minister to one another by bestowing spiritual gifts on us. Transition: And now lets see why God has given us spiritual gifts. . . II. Gifted To Minister. 10b . . .minister it to one another. . .1. Spiritual gifts are given for the common good of the whole local church body (v.10b; 1Cor.12:7). - 1 Corinthians 12:7, "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (NASB)Application: Spiritual gifts are not to be used for selfish gain but for God's glory and for the good of others. We are not meant to be the terminals of God's gifts to us; His grace reaches us but should not end with us. We are intended to be channels through whom the blessing can flow to others (BBC). Christians are to be like apple trees that produces fruit not for its own consumption but for the consumption of others. Your gifts are given so you can bless others by ministering to them. If you have the gift of teaching, you have it so others in the body will be taught. If you have the gift of hospitality, it is because others need the gracious welcome they receive from you. If even one gifted person fails to function, the body of Christ is deprived of a ministry it needs to function well (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited). It is God's plan to bring spiritual growth through relationships, not through isolation (NIBC), and we do this when we use our gifts to minister to one another.. Transition: we also need to understand that. . . 2. Spiritual gifts are designed to do at least 3 things; A. To bring glory to God (1Cor.14:23, 33, 40).Application: If someone claims to have a Spirit Gift that doesn't meet these biblical standards, then they operating either in the flesh or by some other power.1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world"- As we use the gifts that God gives us, as God intended for us, then it glorifies God and not ourselves by drawing attention to ourselves.B. To edify the entire church (1Cor.14:1-4, 26).- 1 Corinthians 14, speaks of using our spiritual gifts to edify (that is to spiritual build up or mature) and to strengthen other believers in their faith.C. To lead the lost to Christ (1Cor.14:23-25).- We are also told that when Christians properly use their spiritual gifts, that it is a witness to the genuineness of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Transition: Finally, we also learn that God has given us spiritual gifts and expects us to be good stewards of them . . III. Gifted To Be Good Stewards. 10c . . .as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.1. Christians are not to neglect the spiritual gift that God gave them (v.10c; 1Tim.4:14). A. Paul admonished Timothy not to neglect the Spiritual Gift that God had given him.Transition: Another reason why Christians shouldn’t neglect to use God's gifts to them is because. . .- 1 Timothy 4:14, "Do not neglect [to neglect, to be unconcerned about, care nothing for - Imperative Mood/Present Tense with a negative thus this is a command to "stop neglecting it"] the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.."B. Christians are to be good steward’s of the spiritual gifts that God has given them.1) A "steward" was one who served as a house manager; he had no wealth of his own, but distributed his master's wealth according to his master's will and direction (BKC). 2. Christians will be held accountable for their use, misuse or non-use of God's gift (v.10c; 1Cor.3:12-15; 2Cor.5:10; Luke 16:1-2). A. One of the saddest truths of today, is that so few Christians seem to know or care about the fact that as Christ's stewards, we will someday stand before our Master to either receive eternal rewards or lose them.Application: To be an good steward, we must administer our gift as the Bestower of our gift wants us to, and not as we desire. Stewardship also brings out the idea of our accountability to our Master. We have an example of this given by Jesus Christ in a parable in Luke 16:1-2, "Now He was also saying to the disciples, 'There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him,' 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' " We must remember that every gift is a gift of God's pure undeserved favor, which we should employ accordingly. God designed it this way because what one person cannot do, another will be able to do (Lenski). One of the longstanding misconceptions in church practice is the idea that only one person is to "minister" in the local church. The biblical principle is that all can and should minister in one way or another (Expositors).1) 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.B. Isn't is scarely to think about how some Christians would throw away an eternity of blessings for the temporary pleasure of putting their own desires before God's desires. Charles Spurgeon told a story about an elderly woman that he was visiting
who lived in the poorhouse. His attention was drawn to a framed document
on the wall of her room, and he asked her about it. She said that years
before, she had cared for an aged gentleman, and before he had died,
he had written out a little note of appreciation to her followed by
his signature. He had shortly afterwards died. There are many a Christian who are living in a spiritual poorhouse, who are missing the blessings of God because they have failed to recognize the gifts that He has bestowed upon them. But even worse, is the fact that they will miss eternal rewards that God wants to give them, because they failed to use their spiritual gifts in this life to minister to others in their church. Invitation: A. First, this means that you need to realize that you are important to God and His church, and your church will never fully grow until you use the gift that God has given you.2. For those here today who have never put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, know that you someday instead of receiving an eternal reward you’ll receive the wages of your disbelief. A. Romans 6:23 tells us that . . . the wages of sin is death. . .- Your payday is coming! -- Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. Hebrews 9:27 (NIV).B. But the good news is, God is willing to forgive you if you will accept His offer.1) The rest of Romans 6:23 tells us . . .but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. |