Spiritual Gifts (Youth Lesson)
Spiritual Gifts-Youth Lesson • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 11 viewsFollow Up Youth Lesson to Spiritual Gifts Inventory
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Introduction
Introduction
So, we’ve had a few weeks since we met the last time and if you remember you all completed the Spiritual Gift Inventory and we started speaking just a little bit about the Spiritual Gifts.
And tonight we are going to follow up with going a little bit deeper into the Spiritual Gifts.
Tonight we are not going to explore each gift so much as talk about some aspects of activating your Spiritual Gifts.
And to start off, and be completely honest, who has even given the lesson from a few weeks ago another thought since we left?
Do you want to know why you really didn’t think about it so much after we left?
One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
Also....
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
It really boils down to this, and it doesn’t matter if you are a youth, young adult, or an old adult, it all comes down to a few things:
You couldn’t hear and/or understand the lesson because the enemy stole it from you-How? (Distraction during the lesson, trying to look cool, etc..)
You heard it and thought it was a good idea but whenever something tempts you and pulls you away, you forget it-How?
You heard it and received it but all the distractions and cares of the world drown it out-What are some of these?
Finally, you just don’t follow God’s Word or Will. It’s not important to you so it goes in one ear and out the other.
And full transparency, at different times in my life I have probably done every single one of these and will probably at some point will repeat the same mistakes.
The point tonight is not to shame us for not walking in our gifts, but rather to help us explore some of the reasons we do not walk in our gifts.
First, just as a recap, what are the purposes of the Spiritual Gifts?
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
So, with this understanding, what are some reasons we do not activate our Spiritual Gifts?
Fear
Fear
Probably the #1 thing that keeps us from not accepting our Spiritual Gifts is fear.
What do you suppose some things are that we are afraid of?
Ridicule/Being Made Fun Of
Rejection
Failure
Being Wrong
What does the Bible tell us about fear though?
It is not of God
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
So, if it is not from God, who is it from?
The enemy. And what is his purpose?
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
So, basically, the enemy wants to do everything in his power to try and distract you and keep you from walking in the calling God has for you.
Why do you think he wants to do that?
Because if he can get you away from your calling, then it removes God’s power in your life and you are more likely to fall.
Also, each person has a specific group that they can reach with the Gospel. There are people I can reach that you cannot and people you can reach that I cannot. If you are not walking in your calling then those people will not be reached.
All of these things we are afraid of are honestly things the enemy puts in our head to get us off track.
Sure, in some countries there is the real threat of persecution and physical death, but here we do not suffer that.
We have the ability to worship freely and share the Gospel freely.
The enemy will want you to think you do not have that freedom but the reality is, you do.
In fact some variation of the phrase “fear not” appears in the Bible over 300 times (not 365 as some will say) but enough that we should get the point.
Probably my favorite verse that puts fear in perspective is Romans 8:31.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
And Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
The enemy has no power over us, only the power to influence our minds and to distract us to get us off track.
So, now that we’ve dealt with fear, what’s another reason we do not walk in our calling?
Disobedience
Disobedience
Flat out disobedience.
We just don’t want to do it.
It is too much of an inconvenience or a sacrifice to do it.
And again, this is not something unique to teenagers or young adults.
This is something that all ages suffer from.
And the reality is, it is sin.
We call it the sin of omission.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
The sin of commission is when we do things God tells us not to do and the sin of omission is not doing the things that God tells us to do.
And it makes no difference really because sin is sin and it separates us from God.
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
And we may think that this just impacts us and causes us issues, but remember when we talked about our ability to reach certain groups.
Well, there is a passage in the Old Testament I want to read to you . . .
If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me. “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”
So, what does that tell you?
We are talking about people’s eternity and their salvation that is possibly at stake here.
Now, will God send someone else if you are not willing? Most likely, but that doesn’t relieve you of your disobedience to God.
So, we’ve talked about fear and disobedience, what else do you think could be influencing us . . .
Pride
Pride
Now, how does pride fit into this discussion? What are your thoughts?
Anybody ever heard of “Pride of Life?”
The “Pride of Life” can be defined as an “arrogant spirit of self-sufficiency. It expresses the desire for recognition, applause, status, and advantage in life. The phrase describes the pride in what life can offer you.”
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
In other words, it is the desire to have what you want regardless of what God wants.
It is wanting to seek your own will and your own way regardless of what God says about it.
It is the “it’s all about me” attitude and “what’s in it for me” mentality of the world.
And it is a distraction and detractor from God’s will and pulls you away from God.
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
It is the “follow your heart—do whatever makes you happy” mentality.
Sound familiar?
That is prideful and we think we know more and know better than what God does.
We are lulled into thinking that we “can’t have fun” or life is so restrictive if we follow God., which is a lie.
Yes, lie has restrictions, but if you are following God you will find that the things God tells you not to do are for your protection and your benefit and you are much happier and living a more fulfilled life by following God’s way and not your own.
Last thing about pride and what God thinks about it . . .
Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.
Pride leads to destruction.
So, how do we activate our gifts?
Activation
Activation
First, by not quenching the Holy Spirit when the Spirit is moving.
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
And remember what we talked about before, this is not only quenching the Spirit when He is moving in us, but what about those around us?
How do we routinely quench the Spirit? (This should be review).
Second, by not neglecting the gift in us.
Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.
What happens when we neglect anything in life?
It fades and gets worse.
For instance, what would happen if we neglected the house we live in?
Spiritual gifts are no different.
Third, we have to stir up the gift of God (opposite of neglecting).
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
How do we do this?
Practicing them, exercising them (like the youth worship services).
How else?
Conclusion
Conclusion
So, with all of this in mind, what are we willing to do about it?
Not what are we willing to say we are going to do right now while we are in service, but what are we really willing to do about it?
And if the answer is nothing, don’t lie about it, but pray about why?
Why are you not wanting to do it?
Why are you not wanting to live and walk in the Spirit and operate in your gifts?
What category do you fit into?
Because regardless of what the Bible says about it, God will never force you. It is 100% your choice.
Question/Answer
Question/Answer