Give thanks for your Spirit-given gifts.

 

Sermon for Pentecost, May 28, 2023

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours, forever, from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:3-11  ³Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  ⁴There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  ⁵There are various kinds of service, and yet the same Lord.  ⁶There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.  ⁷Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  ⁸To one person a message of wisdom is given by the Spirit; to another, a message of knowledge, as the same Spirit provides it; ⁹by the same Spirit, faith is given to someone else; and to another, the same Spirit gives healing gifts.  ¹⁰Another is given powers to do miracles; another, the gift of prophecy; another, the evaluating of spirits; someone else, different kinds of tongues; and another, the interpretation of tongues.  ¹¹One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each one individually as he desires. (EHV)

Give thanks for your Spirit-given gifts.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            The celebration of Pentecost has been known to bring mixed reactions among people.  On the one hand, we are very glad that the Holy Spirit is working in the world.  On the other hand, though, more than a few people begin to feel left out as they hear about the mighty deeds the Holy Spirit enabled among Jesus’ apostles.  In their angst as they ponder the Scriptures’ descriptions of what the Holy Spirit gave, some enthusiasts have even decided, in error, that a person isn’t really a Christian unless he is able to speak in tongues or do some other miraculous sign. 

Yet, as the Holy Spirit makes manifestly clear through Paul’s writing, the fantastic signs aren’t the main gifts of the Spirit.  In fact, Paul wrote, “If there are prophetic gifts, they will be done away with; if tongues, they will cease.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)  Thus clearly, the main gifts of the Holy Spirit are those you already enjoy and for which we all do well to Give thanks for your Spirit-given gifts.

As we gather around God’s Word to be served with the word and Sacraments by the Lord who gave His life for us, we can, in the first place, give thanks to the Holy Spirit for bringing us to faith in Jesus.  Apart from the work of the Spirit in the Gospel and Sacraments, none of us would know Jesus nor believe in Him, as Paul reminds us saying, “Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”  We believe in Jesus as our Savior because the Holy Spirit has worked that confidence in our hearts through the hearing of the Gospel and the amazing power of the Word in Baptism.

Concerning the Spirit, perhaps the most widespread problem among Christians is that we don’t always recognize the gifts He gives us.  Far too often, we view what God has given us as a problem, or perhaps an irritation.  Paul wrote, “There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.”  But, how many of us have complained about a requirement to do something with or for the Lord?  Go to church to worship; God wouldn’t force us to do that every Sunday, would He?  But what a gift of the Spirit that we can gather in God’s presence to receive His blessing!  Forgive that jerk who causes me so much trouble.  Really?  Do I have to?  Overlook the offense when my spouse hurts my feelings?  How about my brother or sister, or a brother in the faith?  Do I have to forgive all of them, always?

Are you beginning to see how ungrateful for the gifts of the Spirit we can be?  By this letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us of how great the many spiritual gifts we have been given truly are: he wrote, “There are various kinds of service, and yet the same Lord.  There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.”  Do we serve God and our neighbor when we forgive sin?  How else will forgiveness be shared with the sinner if we don’t do it? 

Before He went to the cross to suffer and die for all of us, Jesus promised His disciples, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)  Then, on Easter Sunday after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus met those same scared, timid disciples in the upper room, “breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven.  Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” (John 20:22-23)  The greatest gift of the Spirit given to each of us is the gift of forgiveness and that we can freely forgive others.

Now, maybe you are one of the many who thinks God has shortchanged you with His gifts.  Many of us think we don’t speak well, or we don’t speak a foreign language, or we don’t have enough money to share, or we don’t know how to help.  Many times, we are more worried about offending our neighbor than actually reaching out with the great blessing we have been given with faith in Christ Jesus.  However, denying the accusation of anyone who says he hasn’t been blessed, the Holy Spirit says, “Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 

To the Ephesian congregation Paul wrote, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)  Do you still want to claim a lack of gifts to use to help others?  Check the record of life.  Can you pray?  Do you have a job in which you serve others?  Are you a farmer growing food for the world?  A care giver for a loved one, or a stranger?  Every task on the face of the earth is there because God intends you to be a blessing to someone.  These too are gifts of the Spirit to us.  Use those gifts to God’s glory.

Paul elaborated on the gifts of the Spirit: “To one person a message of wisdom is given by the Spirit; to another, a message of knowledge, as the same Spirit provides it; by the same Spirit, faith is given to someone else; and to another, the same Spirit gives healing gifts.  Another is given powers to do miracles; another, the gift of prophecy; another, the evaluating of spirits; someone else, different kinds of tongues; and another, the interpretation of tongues.”  And yes, some of these gifts seem especially supernatural, but what about those that seem ordinary?  Do you have faith in Jesus?  That is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  How will you use your faith to bring glory to God? 

I can easily answer that question—you live in that faith day by day, and by the witness to the world your faith in Jesus gives, you proclaim God’s love.  Whether spoken out loud or seen in your day-to-day activities, by your faith you Give thanks for your Spirit-given gifts.  I tell you that faith in Jesus always produces works, even if we don’t recognize it at the time.  Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)  Likewise, Paul assures us, “One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each one individually as he desires.” 

What knowledge has God given you?  The ability to teach a child or grandchild?  Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)  Might you have the ability to help a struggling neighbor?  Do you have opportunity to invite a hurting friend to experience the comfort of the Gospel?  Do you know someone who is struggling with the troubles and sorrows of this world, for whom the promise of forgiveness and salvation might be just what he or she needs to hear?  Might you be able to arrange a meeting between that person and your pastor?

Most of us would likely say we don’t have the gift of prophecy.  However, if you know Jesus and what He has done for you, you have the message of God’s mercy that you can share with someone afflicted with guilt.  Since you know that Jesus has won the victory over Satan, sin, and death, you have God’s promise of eternal life for those who believe. 

In the minor sense, prophecy is simply telling a message from God.  What message from God are we equipped to share?  That is the purpose of a congregation and a synod.  We unite to share the truths of Scripture in a world desperate for help and healing.  In a world being torn apart by various groups attacking anyone of a different philosophy or political leaning, we have a message that will truly unite people, because we offer the unconditional grace of God in Christ Jesus.

It is sad to say, but the world has been divided since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.  From that moment on, every person on the planet had a mutual enemy.  Unfortunately, we are born assuming that enemy is God, but the true enemy is the devil who divides us from the Lord and often from each other.  Yet, by God’s grace, we have the Scriptures that equip us for battle against that old, evil foe.  Therefore, for the gift of the Gospel and all the forgiveness and salvation it brings, we Give thanks for your Spirit-given gifts.  You see, it is through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  Likewise, through the Spirit, St. Peter writes accordingly, “No prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21)

Dear friends, I know that my many questions, this morning, might leave you feeling inadequate or apprehensive about whether you have, or have not, used properly the gifts God has given you through the Holy Spirit.  However, for these shortcomings, also, Jesus died to take away your guilt.  That is the promise of the Gospel which was brought to you by the Holy Spirit.  Your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.  Nothing you do, and nothing you fail to do will change that.  So, trust your Savior, and trust the promises the Holy Spirit brings to you.  Go in peace today and every day knowing that Jesus is “the Way and the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6)  In appreciation for all that your God and Savior has done, and continues to do for you daily, Give thanks for your Spirit-given gifts.  Amen.

Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.