A Good and Perfect Gift
A Good and Perfect Gift, Pastor David McIntosh, Sunday, 05-31-2009
Text: James 1:17
INTRODUCTION
- I want to invite you to stand and read this verse of Scripture out loud with me.
- James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (invite to sit down)
- Acts 2:1, 4 – “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place…All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
- Acts 2:32-33 – “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
- Acts 2:38 – “Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
- AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
- James 1:17 (again) – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
- The baptism in the Holy Spirit: speaking with other tongues.
The Gift of a “PERSONAL PENTECOST” (a Good & Perfect Gift)
- What I wish to share with you this morning is NOT the gift of tongues with interpretation to follow. (1 Cor. 12 & 14 talk about this public gift of the Spirit and how it is limited in its distribution and its public exercise is to be closely governed.)
- I want to share with you my own personal experience with the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the speaking in other tongues. (Now I am not from a Pentecostal background)
- 1 Corinthians 14:5 – “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues.”
- V.14 – “For if I pray in a tongue my spirit prays…I will pray with my spirit…I will sing with my spirit.”
- V. 18 – “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.”
- V.39 – “Do not forbid speaking in tongues.”
THE GIFT ILLUSTRATION
- It has been said that everything we receive from God is delivered to us when we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord.
- And this is true, but there is a practical element to that.
- The application of each resource (or gift) for our lives depends upon our unwrapping of what God is giving us.
- In other words inside the GIFT OF Jesus is all the resources and gifts of God that He blesses us with.
- We need to take, open and receive for ourselves God’s gifts to us.
- Here is the Ultimate Gift, Jesus, but inside of Jesus are His gifts that I need.
- Here is the gift of mercy, grace, truth, promises of God, reconciliation, forgiveness, wisdom, understanding, healing, SPEAKING IN OTHER TONGUES.
- This gift was one that took me time to understand why I needed it and time to embrace it and say to myself, I need this in my life!
BENEFITS OF THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
- 1 Corinthians 14:2 – “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.”
- There are times in my life where I don’t need to speak to men but I desperately need to communicate to God spirit to Spirit!
- Sometimes I need to pour out in my heavenly language mysteries that are being communicated spirit to spirit. My relationship with the Lord must have this component to become as intimate as God desires Him and me to be.
- V.4 – “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.”
- Edify = to profit spiritually, to build.
- Yes I want to edify the church, however how can I do that unless I am edified myself, spiritually? I need to be built up as a Christian, in order to be a blessing to the church.
- The hunger to experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues does not arise from a need to be noticed or achieve a goal, yes I did it.
- But the hunger & desire arise from a deep longing that in my personal walk with the Lord I need to communicate on a level beyond my natural means. I need to speak to God in my spirit and I need to get alone with the Lord and be built up spiritually. (to be spiritually edified)
- Acts 10:45-47 – “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” (It’s ok to be astonished & water baptism is different.)
PROMISED RIVERS
- John 7:37-39 – “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
- River = a torrent flood
John 4:14 – (the woman at the well) – “The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water.” - Well = fountain that springs forth.
- Jesus is describing things that occur within the believer’s experience.
- The well of eternal life answers our soul’s primary need for salvation.
- The rivers of the Holy Spirit answer our personal need to be fully empowered to live our life in all of the fullness of God with regard to relationship and responsibilities.
CLOSE:
James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”