Spiritual Gifts Ep #3

god bless you today i want to continue in our studies tonight we're going to continue to talk about our gifts spiritual gifts and again um we have stepped outside of last year we talked about uh the gifts a lot of them that were the fivefold ministry the gifts that uh of the spirit they are used uh in the church uh this year we are taking just a little bit of a different journey but still touching on each and every one of those and i hope that by the time we get through this and the next day the next couple of weeks uh i think we've got two more lessons two lessons left this one and the one more that you will have some tools in your hands to uh to do what god has called you to do how many you know each and every one of you have something to give yes last year we used we would start off our lesson with and i want to read it tonight but first timothy 1 verse 17. i want to use that scripture and i'm sorry media i did not give that one to you this one was one that just you know one of those things that popped in my head right at the end so sorry about that but first timothy 1 verse 17. this is one of the scriptures i like to use because what we do glorifies god amen whatever you're doing should glorify god scripture says and this is paul talking to timothy first timothy 1 17. now unto the key eternal immoral invisible the only god the wise god be honored glory forever and ever amen everything that we do is to glorify god everything say well now know everything you do should bring glory to god last week we ended up talking at the end of our lesson we started talking about the body of christ and how that one body but many numbers there are one there is one body but we've got many there's there's a number of members there is you have got uh if you were to take the human body you have two eyes you have two years uh you have one mouth praise god hallelujah you've got fingers you've got toes you've got you've got all of these members of the body so when we talk in part when we're talking about spiritual gifts and what we have to do for the kingdom of god each and every one of us we can cause the body not to function right if we're not doing our part for the body of christ we can the bible we can cause the body to to not be able to reach the ones that it needs to reach amen um growing up in in this kind of dates me but growing up you would you would go to churches and you would meet different cultures of people and in those cultures they would they sometimes had a tendency to draw lines and say well these are you know they are kind of this way and these are this way and so we we just like this way and that's just speaking in general terms right now but but some of you understand what i'm saying is that that cultures are different and i know that we like to study culture it's it's a good thing to study but when it comes to the things of god it's only god culture i'll say it again when it comes to the things of god it's only god cultures there is there is nothing that is too hard for god you may see it as hard but it's there is nothing too hard for god and as long as we are obedient and we do what god has asked of us we will be successful god needs every member god needs every part of the body functioning he needs it to function as i was studying this afternoon and the last couple of days and i i began to think about moses and how that his life played out moses starts off and he is raised by godly people or he is born into a godly family then at a very young age infant age his life is automatically sent on a course now i i i want to just kind of paint the picture for you this this evening and i want you to get what i'm talking about but moses has god sees something in moses that he needs god sees moses's life as something that he needs for his kingdom there are many times in our lives that there are things that turns that life takes in our life and we wonder why and uh i heard a comment just yesterday and and that that comment got me thinking about the fact that you know there are things that we would like there are things that we would like to do there are things that we would like to be able to say that that is the natural and that's that's just what i want but then whenever i begin to pray god begins to show up and he begins to help us to realize that that is not what his will is how many you've ever felt like that you in yourself i want this but then when you prayed there was something else that was left in mind i'm sure that moses's mother would have liked to have kept him right i'm sure that it was it was never their intentions to burn the baby into this world and send it down the river never but god had a plan but i i began to just go along moses's life and think about what moses what he was all about and what he was doing did that say that moses did not make mistakes no he made mistakes he did along the way he made some mistakes and he but again god had a plan you ever noticed how that moses's life he was knocked off course and then pulls him back in line whoa i know but you're you're supposed to be going this way and about the time we think that moses has got his life together and everything seems to be where it needs to be and moses is the man of god act for the hour all of a sudden moses has struggled with a few things how many you have struggles yeah every one of us everybody you got struggles you've got things that you do you feel inadequate you ever felt that way felt like i couldn't do it no and i'll be honest with you to this day i'll tell you there's things i can't do but i've learned to trust god in exodus the fourth chapter we find it moses and the lord are having some arguments they're they're having a few words and moses is telling the lord i just i can't do it i can't speak right i i can't i can't do what you've asked of me now we're talking about gifts moses had the ability to lead people you ever notice that he he had a gift of leading people but yet he still struggled with the fact that he could not speak don't know how that all played out don't don't really know exactly how all of that went but moses could lead people and he says lord i can't talk i just i'm not good with the words i can't do all of that and the scripture tells us in exodus 4 14. that god his anger was kindled toward moses and then he said to moses he says isn't aaron the levite your brother isn't that your brother that's your brother he said and he can speak well again i want you to get the picture here god is talking to moses about his inability and how many have ever been guilty of this that you get frustrated in your inability uh things that you cannot do you get frustrated with and you wonder what am i going to do moses and his inability god began to speak to him and says hey you've got a guy named eric that's your brother and you know what it would it would tickle aaron to death to be able to be your voice that's what he said it would be something aaron would see you and he would just he would just glean he would just get excited to know that he was going to be able to help you aaron had the ability to speak moses had the ability to leave when we talk about the body of christ we're talking about what i can do and others can't do and what i can't do others can do these are those gifts that god gives us and he puts two together sometimes to say when you're weak in this area i'm strong when you can't do it i can it's just like the relationship that you have with the lord he wants you to understand that there's something you just can't do by yourself there's some things you'll never be able to do by yourself and that frustrates people because how many uh like to be good at what you do you like to know that you can do it and there are some things that you can do but all of these things are god-given but you know you couldn't be able to talk you wouldn't be able to talk today if it hadn't have been forgot i i you know i like to bring it very simple you wouldn't be able to do what you do today if it hadn't been for god giving you that opportunity maybe that the opportunity to go to school the opportunity to to stretch your wings a little bit and learn to fly i want to drop a few things in your mind today tonight just to kind of remind us what we need to do to make our dreams that god has given us the things that god has planned for us to bring them to reality to bring them to a place of that we understand that that we know that it is god that is doing this god gives you abilities he gives you these gifts but what we have to do is like the teacher would that teacher has learned that that is something that is in their in their best interest is to understand what the student is and who the student is how many have ever remember one of your teachers that it made you feel good because they remembered your name they called you by name it made you feel good because you may be walking along and they spoke to you you see those are those abilities that god's given but we have to learn how to exercise those number one we must learn to discover we've got to we've got to discover every every strength and every ability that we've got discover that look for it look at every avenue of your life and say what is it that i i am good at and i i mentioned this in passing one of our first lessons but we've got to learn that that there are things that god has placed in our lives we've got to discover them when we discover them the second thing that we must do is we must spend time in developing them my son is is playing piano now and he's i i did a recording of him just a while ago and i'm not going to put you on the spot son but those those natural things that i'm watching that he has the ability to do that that daddy can't do it sorry but but he has the natural there's just something about him finessing those those keys and and and rolling them now and learning different techniques but it because it's because monday at three o'clock guess what he's doing he's got a lesson he's got a lady that is that is waiting on him to step up and start his piano lessons why i bring that up is that each and every one of us we must we find those things that we're good at that we're gifted with but they're no good if we don't develop them they have to be developed taking children one of the things i think is is so precious in my sight is to see a child that has a natural gift and you give him or heard every tool and every opportunity possible that's why you can see these young children i i like to watch four and five-year-olds that can play a guitar play the drums learning how to do certain things watching these young children do the spelling bee and i have i have a bad time with the spelling but they're naturals but they also practice they're practicing those things they're they're they are developing those those things and number three we have to have faith that god is helping us we have to have faith that god is going to help me in my developing moses showed us that chapter 4 of exodus when it at the very beginning of that moses he's having this this building of faith going back and forth with god he's he's arguing with the lord but god is showing him hey if you'll listen to me he tells him he says throw that rod down what happens turns to a snake and then god said pick it up and pick it up by the tail now i don't know about you but lord you sure you sure about this and the scripture says that moses picked it up he takes his hand it tells him sticking inside your cloak sticks it in there pulls it out what happened it's all withered up stick it back in there all of this time god is building faith in moses he's building his faith we have to understand if we're going to develop the things that god has given us is trust god believe that god's going to help you i may not be able to say that i can do it by myself because i need god's help but i've learned where my faith is in i learned how how to lean on him i've learned how to say god i can't do it i've got some i've got some things lacking and then i hear the words that moses says okay god whatever you say whatever it is that you want me to do number four we must learn the skills necessary we must let me let me move into this you are responsible for what god gives you you're responsible for an ability that god has given you and i know i'm i'm hitting that on the on the head a little bit more but you are responsible for the gifts that god has given you hello if god has given you the ability to do something and do it well and you're not using it shame on us we're responsible for we must learn those skills that are necessary find somebody i i said this a few nights ago a few lessons ago find those people that you know that there is an ability that god has given you find those people that you can you can get up beside and sharpen those skills and learn those things that that you know that there are god-given gifts god's given you the ability to do something learn from those that are around you find that that person or that elder that you can step up upside and say hey can you can you give me some direction in this i think one of the one of the things and i will say this personally that growing up as a young man one of the things that i probably struggled for with more than anything and that was asking for help anybody agree with me about me but that's asking for help may i tell you that there are people in this world that would gladly help but most of the time we are a little too proud we've got that pride thing going on and we won't ask for it it's okay to ask somebody to help you say hey i i'm i'm struggling with this or hey i need a little bit of help with this hey i don't know what direction to go with this and allow god to use that individual to help you develop number five we need to practice practice all of those the abilities that god has given you some of you are have the ability to put pen and paper together now i'm talking old school there i know you've got typewriters well no no we don't have typewriters no more uh we got these things but you have the ability sorry brother manny i stepped off there but you have the ability to put words down that means something that that sound right use it for the glory of god i know brother duran has been he he tried to push us here not long ago about writing wanted to get some courses people that are developing songwriting and things of that nature and i i think it's a very powerful tool if we would learn to allow god to fl flow through us and put it down something that i use at work all the time and no i'm not writing sermons not writing it's not always god's stuff but i have a little notebook that i have on my desk and it may be because i'm getting older on them but i open it and periodically there'll be something that is just something that i need to remember i write it down then i come back around maybe writes i may have a whole page of something that needs to be done but at some point i'm going to go back and i'm starting to look at those things and i start i start prioritizing those and then before long i start plugging those things in like they need to be it's just some of those little things like that that that a person in developing themselves in what god has called you to do if we'll if we'll discover those things and just start using them we've got to practice them number six must share what god has given us um i used to and i mean i don't go around showing it to anybody but i'll if i have something that i'm going to be speaking on or teaching on or if there's a message that i i just leave it laying around now but i used to you know he's like man it's some good stuff and i kept it you know this is one of those things i had that little book and all of my all them fiery things that god gave you you had a had them in your bible and i didn't even bring mine tonight but you had all of those notes and these right here these were those ones we wrote and read the man you knew if you were gonna say something it's coming from those and we'd keep those secret the truth is god has given us if he gives you something please share it i'll be the first to tell you if god says something to you and tells you to tell brother gibson something please come tell me because i'm still searching out my own soul salvation too i'll tell you right now i don't have everything together i'm still trying to get ready to go to heaven and if you've got something that i need please come by and share it you see we've got to share what is it that god is saying what is it that god is saying to the church because you never know what some little word that somebody is given passes by and gives it to you and all of a sudden that puzzle goes together it clicks that's what god's trying to say we've got to use what god has given us some of us has given gifts that that others don't have you have the ability to teach somebody maybe you have the ability to just give give wise instruction please do so may i tell you this that there is a gift of giving there there's a gift of giving whether it's of your time and you've heard pastor talk about time talent those things if god has given you that that ability please give it to the kingdom of god some of us god will bless you and you're able to give in whatever it may be whether it's monetary whether it's whether it's you taking them to the grocery store whatever it may be god gives you time with an individual use what god has given you matthew 5 verse 16 says let your light shine before all men before men that's everybody that they may see your good works and glorify who your father which is in heaven be a light to somebody let let people see you so and see what you're capable of doing and the whole time you're doing it you're glorifying god i'm doing this for the kingdom of god no i'm not trying to i'm not trying to do this for myself i'm doing this for god you get up in the morning get ready for your job it always works out better when you can say i'm working for the kingdom i'm working for i'm working for the master because what happens is in what i do every day people see me and they see what i'm doing they see my attitude when it's good and when it stinks to hold on they see that and i want them to glorify god i want them to see what i'm doing and say you know what i like his character i like the way that he does things i like how she she she conducts herself in front of people use what you've got for the kingdom of god we all have those things that we feel that we're inadequate we have those things that we feel that we are weak in certain areas but understand this that if you will exercise and you will you will take those things and work on them that god has given you those abilities you'll see that god blesses your efforts a lady by the name of shelley mann and and many of you if you if you do any kind of research at all you will remember uh she was she was one of the athletes at one back in the 50s she was a swimmer shelley mann was born and at the age of five they diagnosed her with polio could not lift her arms and her mother and her father would take her to the swimming pool every day and they would put her in the water because they they felt like that if she would be able to float that she would gain strength in those arms and eventually she would get her strength back but she couldn't move her arms hardly at all and so they took shelley and they put her in the swimming pool every day there came a day that shelley was able to lift her arms up out of the water and then there came a day that she was able to swim a little bit now we're talking about an athlete but she was born with polio which was diagnosed at five she's got all of these issues in her body but they said we're going to try so they begin to take her into deep water and just let her play come a day when she would swim the width of the pool and there would come a day that she would swim the length of a pool and she kept swimming and kept swimming until there came a day that there was a swim team came along and says hey we want you to join with us we're talking about a young lady that that muscles and bones just did not cooperate but because of her exercising that she gained strength and she gained her the strength that she needed and became an olympic winner and i say all of that to say this is there is people that think that they cannot do some things we were all to agree there are some things that you feel whether it's cooking whether it's some of these things that i just don't have style or whatever but you feel inadequate may i tell you if you'll practice what was the old saying practice makes perfect keep on doing what god has given you keep on exercising those abilities that god has given you our dear whitney she would uh she can talk your ears off she pretty good at it but i would watch her as she grew up standing in front of a mirror and i think i heard brother sloane say that lauren did it as well stand in front of the mirror and just talk talk talk talk now i think if we handed her the mic she could probably preach again we exercise whatever ability whatever strength that god's given us even when you think that you can't do it keep on trying every gift comes from god james 1 and 17. if you want to write these down i want you to look these up and read them later on james 1 17 every gift comes from god first timothy 4 and verse 14. you seek direction and you seek those things that god has given you seek them out desire them seek for them directions from god saying god i i need direction in my life i need you to show me what is it that i need to be doing what is it that i need here in this church what is it that i need to be doing chattanooga needs you every one of us and you know what moses can't do it by himself i want you to get that tonight moses cannot do it by himself he needs an aaron sometimes he needs somebody that could just step out front yeah moses gave him the words moses was his mouthpiece or moses gave him what he needed to say but and directed him and leaded him lead was leading him but aaron stood up and was able to speak with elegance can i be what i need to be in the body of christ no we're not the head but if i just do this i'm doing my part whatever i need to be doing do all to the glory of god to the king eternal immortal invisible the only god be glory and honor everything that i do is to bring glory and honor to god won't you stand with us tonight there was a musician a composer and if i say this you'll know who i'm talking about this man was deaf but he put together with such elegance music that we still listen to today now i don't know y'all may not listen to it but whenever i'm listening to classical music i like to listen to beethoven he's gone deaf but he manages to pull stick he places it on his ear around his head and he lays it over on the piano and just the vibrations he's able to put his music together some of us sometimes think i'm losing it i don't have it together no more but if we could manage just uh lay dead and do a little more exercise a little more use what god has given you your abilities are they sitting on a chef somewhere or are they being used in the master's hand are we doing what god is asked of us i repeat this moses can't do it by himself you can't brother sloan can't do it by himself sister sloan can't do it by himself it's got to have somebody that is willing to step out say i'll wash a window bud whatever i'll go greet a person in the parking lot if i just passed by i'm in giving time shake hands with them are you doing what you're supposed to be doing lift your hands with us right now would you do that in the name of jesus god help me help me to be found doing your will help me to be found doing what you've called me to do god that i do it all for your kingdom and for your glory that when i finish my course and i've run my race god that i've found doing what you've called me to do god help us i want your will in my life lord jesus your direction leading and guiding the body of christ help us lord jesus whatever it is god i'll be willing to do whatever it is in the name of jesus in the name of jesus just love him right now would you do that i love you jesus i love you jesus your kingdom your glory your honor lord it all goes to you in the name of the lord in the name of the lord all he wants you don't have to show abilities you don't have to show inabilities it's just show that you're willing and god will use it one one more personal and i and i hate to bring these up but my my mother when my mother and dads they've they started home missions church in east tennessee of all places northeast tennessee started church didn't have any music in it whatsoever had to hymn books i was just a little bitty fella had him books and they would just sing mother got hold of some some tapes and stuff that how to learn to play vienna and she if she was here today she would tell you she couldn't do it but since sloan i watched her she would pray and say god don't have anybody to play but i we need somebody to play in church if you're not going to send anybody i'm going to try and i watched over the years and we went to another church when he went and took a church back in louisiana didn't have a pianist but i'd watch her set on an organ and yeah it was like but i would watch how god would use that then there came a day that a piano player came to church she was ready to give it up but we had old church had piano and organ they wouldn't let her sit down she still played her played her organ piano would and i watched how god used just the effort just putting forth the effort no no great pianist no beethoven but the effort god bless and i say that to say this there's many of us that feel foreign i can't do it but is there a need let me ask you that do you see the need and when you see the need what do you do i'll leave that with you i think god speaks to us in this day and hour and he's spoken to some of you about what you need to do did you lift your hands again in the name of jesus god whatever it is i'm willing whatever it is that you have for me i'm willing god thank you jesus god i thank you for your word i thank you for what you're doing among us i ask you lord that you would go with us bring us back when we're supposed to be back here doing your kingdom doing your work god we give you praise for what you're doing in our lives and everyone say in jesus name god bless you each and every one i hope that something said tonight you may get something let it stir around in your heart do your all for the kingdom of god god bless you