The Delivery

Oh! We get to hear them pretty often. They've gone out to five different church areas, and before the year's out, they'll finish up in the Cincinnati area giving their presentations, and they also will perform on graduation day. They have spent numerous hours practicing. They give up lunch hours, half of their lunch hours taken to practice, and then they practice on Friday afternoons as well. They practice about four hours a week in order to give a performance like this. Mr. Shoemaker has been leading them for 14 years now, so he comes in from about an hour away and leads them and teaches them. Their whole purpose is to glorify God through song, so I think they accomplished their mission. Good afternoon to all of you online. Good afternoon to all of you here in the Cincinnati area. It's nice to be here with you. I want to also send special greetings to the brethren in Calgary from the Salomas and from for the brethren in Corpus Christi from the Covers who are staying with us. I also want to give a shout out to my daughter and son-in-law Susie and Todd Harridge and our grandchildren, Megan and Stephanie, in the Bloomington, Illinois area. Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues are gifts that Christians may use in life and in interactions with others. Now, these are all found in 1st Corinthians chapter 12, but there are others that are enumerated in Romans 12 and in Ephesians 4 and in other scriptures. But what does it take to deliver these gifts? How are these gifts given?

What brings them to individuals? What is the delivery of these gifts? The title of this sermon is The Delivery. What does it take? It takes the Spirit of God and to deliver them in a way that is beneficial to others. I think it's really important to keep that in mind with our theme about spiritual gifts and trying to edify the body through spiritual gifts. I want to read a quote to you.

This comes from McClanock and Strong Encyclopedia on spiritual gifts.

Quote, As however they all flow from the same source, the gifts, they are wrought or made active by the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit, and are gifts of free grace, so they all subserve the same end, the edification of the body of Christ. So I'd like us to keep that in mind as I go through this split sermon with you. What does it take? It takes the Spirit of God and to deliver them in a way that is beneficial to others. You see, for they are given so that all may profit by them.

A big key about spiritual gifts is they're not given to you or me for us to glorify ourselves.

They're not given to you or me for us to use for our own benefit. They're given to us that we may benefit others. Take a look at 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 7.

This is not going to be the theme of my sermon, by the way, because I'm going to talk about the delivery. I want to talk about the delivery, but I think it's important to lay this groundwork for you. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 7. I'll be reading out of Old King James, but I'll be modernizing it. 1 Corinthians 12, 7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every person to profit with all, that all may profit. Other translations put it this way, for the common good.

Another translation puts it, for the good of all.

Spiritual gifts are not given so that we can feel good about something. Spiritual gifts are not given so that we as individuals may say, I've got this gift. You've got that gift. I've got this gift. I was reading another article. It talked about how people were comparing spiritual gifts. Well, you've got this gift. I've got this gift. How come I don't have this gift like you have this gift? It's the same Spirit delivering it. But what I would like to do, what I would like to do, is take you through by way of reminder how the Holy Spirit comes. I know this is elementary, but let's rehearse it.

How do we receive God's Holy Spirit in the first place? We must be called. None can come to Christ unless the Father draws them. So we have to be called. We have to believe in that calling. We have to, with what we believe, match it up in our lives and repent. Repent of what? Repent of sin. Repent of sin in our lives. After we repent, what do we have to do?

Be baptized. Remember Acts 2.38, repent and be baptized. Every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. How does the Holy Spirit usually come? The doctrine, laying on of hands. That is the greatest gift the person could ever receive is the Holy Spirit itself. Jesus Christ talked about, if you're a parent and your children ask you for something, and if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to us?

Luke 11.13, which I'm not going to read. God's Holy Spirit makes us Christians, unites us with other Christians, and puts us in the Church of God. Notice I didn't say a specific organization. It puts us in the Church of God, because if you have the Spirit of God, you are His. And it's by that one Spirit that we're all put into one body, which is the Church. So it's important for us to have that foundation. But what I would like to do now is examine how that Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians in the usual way, if we want to call it usual, and then we'll be looking at several major areas the Holy Spirit delivers to us that we may be effective in life.

So point number one, and I'm going to go through these fasts. I've got eight of them, so be with me, stay with me, and I'm not going to go lots of scriptures on them. But I just want you to think about this, because I want to give you this package, and then I want to conclude with what we do with the Holy Spirit. Number one, God's Holy Spirit enables relationships with God and with man.

Notice Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. The Apostle Paul brings out this in this particular chapter. Romans chapter 8 and verse 6, we read this, for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. So God's Holy Spirit leads us to life. Notice going on in verse 8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. You must have God's Holy Spirit to be pleasing to him.

In verse 9, but you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, use interchangeably, he is none of his. So if you make that positive, if you have the Spirit of Christ, you are his. You are a Christian. So again, verse 10, he says, and if Christ, the Apostle Paul writes under God's inspiration, if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

So God's Holy Spirit gives us means of life. When we have God's Holy Spirit in us, we have a little bit of eternal life abiding in us. We have the down payment of eternal life, which Mr. Barrant was speaking about what we will have when we see Abraham's city.

Verses 15 and 16 skip down with me because it's important to note in this section what it leads to. He says, for you have not received the Spirit of bondage. God doesn't give you the Spirit of God to bind you. God's Spirit does not control you. God's Spirit leads us. We'll see that next. But he says, he's not giving you the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption or the placing of sons. I've checked that Greek word and it means placing of sons. Whereby we cry, Abba, Father. We have a new relationship with God as our heavenly Father. And because we have a relationship with Him as a Father, we have a relationship with each other. Because if I call Him Father and you call Him Father, if He's my Father and He's your Father, we must be brothers and sisters. And so it puts in a new relationship. But he goes on to say in verse 16, the Spirit itself bears witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God. We have a new relationship with God and Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. And it's with that relationship that we can move forward in life. Number two. So the first one is God's Spirit enables the relationships between God and man and man and man. Number two. God's Spirit leads us, notice, leads us into the truth and into a godly life. Remember Jesus Christ? When He went to the battle with Satan the devil in Matthew 4, it says, and He was led up into the wilderness. God's Spirit leads us. It leads us forward. John 16 and verse 13. It leads us to the truth. God's Spirit in our lives, basic in our lives, leads us to the truth. John 16 and verse 13. How be it when it should be the Spirit of truth has come. It will guide you into all truth. That word guide could also be translated lead. Lead you into the truth, or it shall not speak of itself, but whatever it shall hear, that shall it speak and it shall show you things to come. God's Spirit leads us into truth. We understand right from wrong. We understand what's pertinent, what's right for a Christian to do and how he and she should live their lives. Romans 8, 14. I skipped over that verse deliberately.

Romans 8 and verse 14. We see that God's Spirit leads. God's Spirit does not drive. God's Spirit does not possess. God's Spirit does not take you and move you, unless it's just physically, as it did in the case of Philip, to take him back one place. But it doesn't drive you.

You have to be a willing, yielded participant. But Romans chapter 8 and verse 14, we read this, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And the word there is weos, and sometimes mostly translated sons can be translated children, but it's the usual word for sons. They are the sons of God. If you're led by God's Holy Spirit, you are his. You're his child, but it takes God's Spirit to lead you. It also takes a person who's willing to yield to that Spirit. So that's the second point. Third point, God's Spirit produces spiritual fruit in our lives, which leads to eternal life. Galatians 5, the only scripture I'll turn to, Galatians 5, verses 22, 23, and then 25. Galatians 5 verse 22, But the fruit of the Spirit, this is what you could expect for God's Spirit in your life to help you bear. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. Again, joyous people are a delight to be around. You might want to ask yourself, how much joy do you have in your life? It seems to be one we skip over very rapidly when we go through the fruits. Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness. It's kind of like a skip word there. Love, joy. How much joy do you have in your life? Do people see you happy? Come join my church. Come be a part of my church.

It's miserable, but come join us anyway. We get this trial, we get beaten this way, we're beaten down. All these trials and difficulties. But come join. Come be with us because we're an unhappy people. God wants us to radiate joy, and joy goes far beyond joke telling, and joy goes far beyond just happiness. It's an inner feeling that you have that everything's going to work out all right. And you have that anticipation of good, and you have that joy in your heart. So love, joy, peace, long suffering. How patient are you? Gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness. I'm translated. The word meekness is humility and temperance. Again, such there is no law.

Let me read to you a quote from a couple different translations. The one from today's English version puts it this way, but the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. The Amplified version puts it this way, but the fruit of the Spirit, and it says, the work which His presence within accomplishes is love, joy, or gladness, peace, patience, and even temper and forbearance. Kindness, goodness, that's benevolence, faithfulness, gentleness, or meekness and humility, self-control, that is, self-restraint and continence. Against such, there is no law that can bring a charge. Anyone who's bearing those fruits will not be subject to being charged with any particular offense.

But notice verse 25. If we have the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. We need to be walking in God, with God. And again, I go back to, and we'll talk about that later, where God's Spirit leads us. What path does it lead us in? So that's number three. The third point, God's Spirit produces spiritual fruit to eternal life. Number four, God's Spirit motivates Christians to agape love. God's Spirit motivates Christians to have agape love. Romans 5 and verse 5.

Turn to other scriptures. Romans 5 and verse 5. Let's note this. What God's Spirit does.

And hope makes not ashamed because, you don't have to be ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. God's Spirit in us makes possible the agape love, the outgoing, godly concern for others. Never asking for anything back. Never saying, well, I can do this for you, I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine.

Never expecting anything back. Doing it because it's the right thing to do, not because of some show, not because you expect something back.

I remember years ago when I wasn't in the church and we kept Christmas and my mother had her list of people we sent cards to and sometimes we get a card from somebody we didn't have on the list. Quick, let's send a card. Quick, get that person. Other people, we sent them cards, we didn't get any. Scratch them off your list.

See, I don't think that was agape love.

Agape love is doing good, is doing the right and loving thing because it's the right thing to do.

God's Spirit does not motivate us to think, well, I'm doing this. Well, I'm doing this, but they'll think real, they'll like me because I did this for them. They'll think more highly of me if I do that. Who's noticing I'll do this? That's not agape love. It's doing it because you're motivated by the Spirit of God to do the right thing for another individual or individuals.

John defines the love of God as, for this is the love of God, 1 John 5, 3, that we keep His commandments.

What does keeping His commandments do? It shows you how to love God, gives you some basic principles on how to love God and laws on how to love God. And the last six of the Ten Commandments show you how to love your fellow man. So he says, this is the love of God. Here's the basis of it, the Ten Commandments. You'll keep the commandments of God if you love Him. That is the love of God. And when you have that, that motivates you because it is an outgoing concern, not an incoming one. That's number four. God's Spirit motivates Christians to have agape love. Number five is God's Spirit dwells with the obedient. God's Spirit does not dwell with disobedient people. God's Spirit dwells with the obedient. Acts 5 and verse 32.

Acts chapter 5 and verse 32. I'm not giving you anything new that you haven't heard. I'm hopefully putting it together in a package that maybe you can think about more and even do some more study on and add more because I'm not giving you every single area in which the Holy Spirit works in our lives, but giving you a number of them so you can think about, having God's Holy Spirit, I would be doing this. Having God's Holy Spirit, I would be doing that. Having God's Holy Spirit, I would be doing this as a basis for receiving the gifts. Acts 5 and verse 32. We are his witnesses of these things, writes Luke in his letter, and in his chronological writing of the book of Acts of the Apostles. And so is also the Holy Spirit, whom or which God has given to them that obey him.

God's Holy Spirit dwells with those who are obedient. God's Holy Spirit does not dwell in people who are disobedient, unless it would be contrary to the Scripture. It is interesting that when Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he wrote and he said, As you have always obeyed, not only when I'm around in my presence, but even when I'm not there, but even when I'm not there, as you have always obeyed, one of the hallmarks of God's people is obedience in Revelation 14, 12. Here's the patience of the saints. Here they that keep the commandments of God. People with God's Holy Spirit obey God. God's Spirit dwells with the obedient. Number six, the sixth area I'd like to share with you. I have two more after this.

God's Spirit provides soundness of mind. Do we ever need that in the world we live in today?

You have people. I'm bad at my employer. I'll go shoot up people. What did this what did this employee do to you? Nothing. Well, why are you shooting him? I don't know. Just shooting. We live in a world of insanity. We live in a world where they can't think things through. And you could show somebody black and white. Here it is. Here's the answer. One and one equals two. Two equals four. And they don't say, uh-uh, I don't see that. I'm going to analyze one. I don't know what the one means. What does one mean? One and one equals two. No, no, I don't understand that. They can't see. God's Spirit gives us, enables us to have and provides a sound mind. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 6 and 7. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 6 and 7.

We'll read what God's Spirit coming into our lives does help us to generate.

And the delivery of it. 2 Timothy 1 verse 6. Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God which is in you by the putting on of my hands.

Take it to be the Holy Spirit. It could be the extra gifts that he was given too. But verse 7 clearly tells us this. For God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, of love. There's that love again and of a sound mind.

The word there is sofron...

sofron...onos. Sofronimos. Yeah, that's what it is. Only used here. It's only used in 2 Timothy 1.7 and it's translated sound mind. Let me read it from a couple of other translations to help you understand what it means. This comes from the Amplified. He says, That is why I remind you to stir up kindle the embers of, fan the flame of, keep burning the gracious gift of God, the inner fire that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands with those of the elders at your ordination. Verse 7, For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, of cowardness, craven and cringing and fawning fear, but he has given us a Spirit of power, of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind, and discipline and self-control.

A calm and a well-balanced mind. Today's English version puts it this way, For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid hands on you, for the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid. Instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love and self-control, the soundness of mind that leads to rational thinking, that leads to spiritual understanding with that rational thinking. It's really important to have the mind of Jesus Christ, Philippians 2.5 tells us, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. That provides a soundness. That means you look for truth. That means you easily discern the difference between truth and error as long as you have God's Spirit richly in your life.

Somebody tries to bring you something that's error. You notice it. You pick it off right away. Somebody comes and deceives you? No. That's why he says the very elect cannot be deceived, because they have a sound mind, because they dwell in God. The Holy Spirit provides that soundness of mind.

Number seven, the Spirit generates power, generates power by which to grow, so we use God's Holy Spirit to grow, by which to resist sin, stay firm and solid in God's way, by which to overcome sin, and by which to bear beautiful, godly fruit.

I want to give you two Old Testament scriptures on this. Micah 3 verse 8, amidst all the troubles that were happening in both Israel and in Judah, Micah prophesied before the fall and after the fall of Israel, and also he prophesied to Judah. But notice Micah 3 and verse 8. Amidst other prophets going a wrong way, notice what he said, why he was able to continue to do what God wanted. Micah 3, 8. For truly I am full of power, Micah 3, 8, by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgment and of might to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. But how could he do it? What did he have to be able to do so? He had the very power that came from God, the power to resist, the power to overcome. Zechariah chapter 4 verse 6. Very familiar with this verse. We just covered it in minor prophets class. As we wind down this year, ABC graduation will take place over Memorial Day weekend. But Zechariah chapter 4 and verse 6.

To encourage and to inspire Zerubbabel, Zechariah said this under God's inspiration, then he answered and spoke to me saying, This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, not by power, that's your own power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord. That's how you're going to be able to accomplish rebuilding the temple. That's how you're going to be able to accomplish refurbishing the city and getting it ready for God's return because that was Zechariah's job to motivate these people like Haggai had to do, who came back and said, It's not time to build God's house. Let's go build our own. Not time to refurbish this temple. We can never build it as great. He said, Zerubbabel, you can't get these people to do it on your own. You need my power, not your own power, not your own might, by my Spirit. And his Spirit would deliver that power. That's number seven. God's Spirit generates power by which to grow, resist sin, overcome sin, and bear fruit. Number eight. God's Spirit seeks to unify. God's Spirit does not like division. God hates division. He said that about divorce in Malachi. I hate it! God said. God's Spirit seeks to unify. And people with God's Spirit will seek unity. People with God's Spirit will not seek division. That doesn't mean you become a yes person to the point of being a sycophant. I gave a talk in Toronto to their leadership on how to be a yes person without being a sycophant. Because if you're a sycophant, you just bounce, you're mindless, yes, yes, yes, yes. That's not what God asks for.

But there is an attitude of yieldedness. There's an attitude of being willing to look for ways to cooperate, look for ways to get along, look for ways to seek unity, look for ways to build up instead of tear down. How quickly we can tear down something and ruin something and destroy something and how hard it is to build. And we need to seek that unity. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 11 tells us God's Spirit puts us in one body. 1 Corinthians 12 verses 11 and 12. God's Spirit puts us into one body, the church. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 11. Actually, yes, verse 11, he says, And all these work that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man individually as it will. Verse 12, For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. And go down to verse 13. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body. There's unity. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, it doesn't matter what your background is. Well, I'm a Jew. I can't go along with that. I'm a Gentile. I can't go along with that. Yes, you can with the Spirit of God in your mind and heart. Whether we be bond or free, have been all made to drink of or into one Spirit. And then skip down to verse 20.

Verse 20, But now are they many members, yet but one body. God's Spirit urges us to be unified.

Seeks unity. Ephesians 4 and verse 3. Is it easy? It's not easy. It's not easy. It's not easy. Ephesians 4 and verse 3. It takes work. It takes effort.

Ephesians 4 and verse 3. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And I'm going to read this one from a different set of translations.

Today's English version puts it this way. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. Another quote, since you are eager to have—this comes from today's English—sorry, that's not the one I want.

Ephesians 4 and 3. I only had one on that. I have another one coming up afterwards. But he says, Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. God's Spirit wants us to be unified. God does not like disunity.

And again, that doesn't mean you agree with things that you don't understand. And that doesn't mean you agree with things that are wrong. But you know how to deal with things that are wrong.

You take it to the person, or you take it to the complaint department. Three heavens up. And he will deal with it. And you never go along with sin, ever, from anybody, any group of men, any organization, anyone. You never go along with sin. You can always—Acts 5, 29—we ought to obey God rather than man. So nobody's saying, Oh, I go along with it. This is wrong, but I go along with it because unity. No! But God's Spirit seeks us and seeks to have His people dwelling in unity.

So those are eight areas in which the Holy Spirit works in our lives. There are many more. I urge you to study more. I urge you to add more scriptures to them if you so choose. I urge you to come up with more because there are more that you could add and make individual ones. Of the workings of God's Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians. So in conclusion, here's what I'd like to say.

I believe a person needs to be in harmony with the working of God's Holy Spirit in order to properly utilize the gifts that come from that Holy Spirit. I believe a person needs to be in harmony with the working of God's Spirit to properly utilize the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, he or she might use those gifts to enhance one's own self when they need to be used to uplift others and to do it in a way that is decent. Let's look at Romans 12 verse 3.

Romans 12 and verse 3.

Romans 12 and 3. The apostle Paul said this, For I say, through the grace given to me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. God does not want us going off on our own. God does not want us with spiritual gifts or in any other way. I'm the cheese here. Don't think more highly of yourself than you ought.

1 Corinthians 14. It looks like the church at Corinth had a problem with one spiritual gift, that is, speaking in tongues and interpreting. It looks like they had it. They were...and by the way, the church in 1 Corinthians as well as in 2 Corinthians was the church of God at Corinth.

He's not writing to Gentiles. He's not writing to unbelievers. He's writing to people in the church. He's saying, hey, you know, what are you doing here? He had already told them at the beginning of chapter 14 that follow after love, that love is the greatest thing that you can do. Follow after love is greater than faith, hope, and charity. The greatest is love.

But in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 12, we read this, breaking into authority, he says, Even so you, for as much as you are zealous of spiritual gifts...you may want those spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are good! You can hear a lot about it during this conference, especially for those who are able to attend the plenary session or the message tomorrow, as well as on Monday, when the various breakout sessions are going to be a lot about the Holy Spirit, a lot about the spiritual gifts, and it's great! God's Word is clear. God gives spiritual gifts.

But notice what he says, you may desire that. Seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church.

Why should I speak of spiritual...I want to speak...I want to be able to speak in tongues. I want to have the gift of wisdom. I want to have the discerning of spirits. I want to be able to have knowledge. I want to be known as Mr. Wise Man or Weisenheimer, whatever you want to be called.

Don't seek it for yourself. Don't seek it for yourself. If you have that gift, seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church. Notice verse 26. He said, How is it then, brethren, when you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. You come to everybody, and you say, I've got my interpretation. Here's my psalm. Listen to my prognostication. Listen to my prediction. Listen to my knowledge. He said, Let all things be done to edifying. Build up the church. Don't tear it down. Don't be, I'm going to build my own little tutu over here, whatever you're going to build over this little house, this little lean tutu. I said tutu. You put on tutus. You lean tutus. Build this little lead tutu over here.

Verse 40, before you finish your laughter and mocking me, verse 40. 1 Corinthians 14, 40. He says, Let all things be done decently and in order. Whatever is done is to be done for the benefit of all. Read you a couple quotes, which I almost read before. This is today's English version. Since you are eager to have gifts of the Spirit, verses 11 and 12, you must try above everything else to make greater use of those which help to build up the church.

And again, in verse 26 from today's English version, he puts it this way, This is what I mean, my brothers. When you meet for worship, one person as a hymn, another a teaching, another a revelation from God, another a message and a strange tongues, and still another an explanation of what is said. Everything must be to help the church. And 1 Corinthians 14, 40, today's English version puts it this way, everything must be done in a proper and orderly way because God is orderly. God is proper. And so, as we approach this spiritual gifts, let's understand that we need to be using God's Holy Spirit in our lives in various ways that come with the Holy Spirit. And then, if we're using those in our lives, God's going to add to us the gifts that we can use as they are needed to build the church. So, whether bearing fruit through God's Holy Spirit or using the many spiritual aspects of the Spirit, which we've discussed, including gifts that God may give, we need to make sure we do all not to our own benefit but to the glory and honor of God.