Gifted for the Glory of God
Opening Prayer
Hey, would you join with me in a word of prayer before we break open the Word?
God, we love You. And I just thank You and I praise You for this day. I thank You for the time of worship that we’ve already had, this sweet time of worship that we’ve already had. And God, now as we go into the Word, I need Your help, Lord. And I just pray, Lord, Your Word would be heard. Lord, I pray the Word of God would just work inside of our hearts and that You would use it to mold us, God, and to shape us more and more into Your image. I do pray if there’s a person here in need of salvation that today would be the day that they fully give their life to You, Lord. And God, for any believers that You would just use Your Word to help mold us and to shape us more and more into Your image. We love You. It is in the name of Jesus Christ we pray. All God’s people said, Amen.
Amen.
Recap of Recent Messages
Well, we’ve been in James. We’ve been in the book of James in chapter one of James for five Sundays. And today is actually the sixth Sunday that we’re in the book of James. And so far we’ve just been going verse by verse. We’ve been in chapter 1. Last Sunday we went to James 1 and we were in verses 12 through 15 where it speaks about temptation. The title of the message last week was “Don’t Give In.”
We’re reminded that that word temptation or a form of it occurs there in those few verses six times. And temptation is a very real thing. Amen. Temptation and temptation to sin is something every human being has faced. Amen. And we know we’re all sinners. Temptation and a temptation to do evil or to sin. We were reminded in the Bible last week, that’s not of God. God is not the source of evil. God is the source of good. And we’re actually reminded of that in today’s passage. But we were reminded last week to ask God to help us not to give in to temptation. It says there in the passage we read last week that when we don’t give in, we’re blessed. It blesses us when we walk with God. But when we do give in to temptation, temptation leads to sin. And when we’re sinning, that’s not who we’re meant to be as a child of God. We’re meant to live for Jesus.
Reading James 1:17–18
Today, we’re going to the very next verse. We’re going to go to verse 16. Today, the title for our message today is Gifted for the Glory of God. I do invite anybody who’s able and would like to stand with me in honor of the reading of the Word of God. James chapter 1, we’re going to begin there in verse 17.
James chapter 1 beginning at verse 17, the Word of God says:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
Thank you. You may be seated.
Every Good Gift Is from God
This passage, one thing that it speaks about is gifts. It speaks about good gifts. It speaks about perfect gifts. And I wanted to hone in on that today. That’s where the Lord has led me to speak about this idea of gifts. You know, one of the first things I think or one thing that we see in this text is gifts are from God. Good gifts are from God. Gifts are a blessing from the Lord. It says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights.” God is so good. Amen. Like God is good. God is so good. In hard times, God is still good. And certainly in good times, we’re reminded God is good. And one way that God is so good is this idea of gifts that He blesses us with and how He gives us good gifts.
What does it mean in the Scripture? It says every good gift and every perfect gift is—and I’m paraphrasing—is given by the Father of lights. You might read that and you might be like, what is meant by the Father of lights? I’ll tell you what I read from that. When I think about Father of lights, I think about God the Father. God who created all things. And I think about the lights in the sky. I think about the sun. I think about the moon and I think about the stars. When I hear Father of lights, I think about how our triune God, He created all things, including the sun, the moon, and the stars. And by the way, those are gifts, right? Hey, the Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God. Have you ever watched a sunrise and just said, “Wow, that is glorious.” I bet you have, right? Anybody been kind of a little bit in awe? It’s not being in awe of creation. It’s being in awe of the Creator who made that creation. And you ever sat down at night, looked up and seen a starry sky? The heavens declare the glory of God. Those lights that are there, they’ve always been there since God created. Isn’t that incredible how God made the sun and the way that the sun gives us light by day and it keeps us warm, and He gives us the moon to give us light by night. And there’s a lot more that we know from gravitational pull with the moon. It’s amazing God’s creation is, and the stars we can’t even count them and how glorious they are. But so that idea of every good gift and every perfect gift comes from the Father of lights is just that reminder that God is the source of all good things.
Well, you know, last Sunday was about temptation, about evil, about when we get into temptation, it leads to sin. God is not the source of evil. Amen. God is not the source of tempting us to sin. That’s not of God. God is only the source of good things. And it says there in the text, “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” God is always good. There’s no variation in that. It doesn’t change. God is good. Not just some of the time. God is good all the time. Amen. Amen.
Salvation: The Greatest Gift
Now, I want to hone in on this idea of gifts. Gifts are a blessing from the Lord. Don’t we agree with that? Yep. What does it mean? You know, I don’t know if you’re like me when you read this, but kind of what is the meaning of good gifts? When we read this text, it talks about every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights. What does it mean by good gifts? Well, I’ll tell you, I don’t have all the answers, but as I read it, certainly one thing I think about is with good gifts from God, the number one thing I think about is salvation. Talk about a gift, right? God saved you.
Danny A was telling me right before Sunday school class today, and Danny, I think I’m remembering right that at age 34, you gave your life to Jesus. And he had a radical change in his life where he used to drink all the time. He would drink at work. He would drink at home. He would drink all the time. And he knows it doesn’t always happen this way for people, but he didn’t even realize it till a week later. God just took that away from him. He was changed. And I know I’m not sharing it perfect, but that is salvation. That’s the ultimate gift. It isn’t. It’s not just how we’re changed on this earth, but the gift that we are forgiven of sins. That’s incredible, right? Like that is an amazing gift God gives us. I don’t know of a better gift we can have as flawed human beings than to have our sin debt wiped clean when we trust in Jesus. And that is the only way to have our sins forgiven—only through faith in Jesus. And if you are not sure if you’ve ever made that decision, I just urge you to make it today that there’s no other way, no other way to be forgiven apart through the shed blood of Jesus.
You know, tonight is the annual celebration of the network of Baptist churches. Baptist churches in this area every year, they get together for a celebration. Last year was here. It’s going to be at Riley’s Creek Baptist tonight. By the way, if anybody wants to go to that, Chris and I are going to go. If you’re needing to meet at the church and need a ride, let me know today before you leave. But there at 4:30 there’s kind of like a meet and greet. People hang out and get refreshments and different people from different churches will be there and they’ll just be hanging out and then at 6 it’s like worship. And one thing they’re going to do in the worship celebration, they’re going to sing some hymns and sing some songs with what they call the eternity choir. It’s a lot of people singing from different churches. But in addition to that, they’re going to have a time where different churches get up and share a little three or four minute testimony about what God has been doing in their church. Not what a man or a woman has done, what God has been doing. So I was given some thought about what God has done in our church. And that gift of salvation is one of the things I really thought about. I remember this year, again, getting back to gifts, the gift of salvation, there’s no greater gift. I remember giving an invitation and Tyrone who’s gone home to be with the Lord, he came charging down this aisle and said, “Pastor, I’m ready to get saved,” and he got baptized later. And it wasn’t long after that he went home to be with Jesus. You know, I remember John Adler coming. John Adler came one Sunday during invitation and he was in tears. He gave his life to the Lord and I said, “Does anybody else want to give their life to the Lord?” And he shouted out, “It’s easy.” He had been fighting it for all these years. And he gave his life to Jesus. I remember and so when I think about the gift of salvation and how God’s working in a church, we have seen it this year many times. We have felt the presence of God. We had Vacation Bible School and who was here at that closing thing where we had seven people come forward the closing ceremony. Do y’all remember the whole presence of God that night? We had seven people, some kids, some adults come forward to give their life to Jesus where that was just the power of God. I talked about the power of God for people to get saved and then people to come for baptism. I remember three Sundays in a row this year where I walked by that lobby where the welcome center is and three Sundays in a row somebody was standing there and they stopped me to either give their life to the Lord or to say I want to be baptized. That’s the power of God. Amen. Amen. And the gift of salvation, there’s no greater gift.
Other Good Gifts from God
But what else does it mean by God? How He gives good gifts. You know something else I think about good gifts that we have is I think about blessings that God gives us in our life. Y’all ever stop and think about that how God has blessed you over your life? I bet you have. Most of y’all do. Do you ever think about that in your life? The ways God’s blessed you. To me, when I think about good gifts from God, I mean, I include that. Y’all know what I mean? Like, I include like when God has just blessed me. Sometimes I might have prayed for it. Sometimes He might have just blessed me with it without me even realizing to ask for it. There’s so many ways God gives us good gifts. I’m looking at Miss Terry right here, and I know she said it many times. She knows God gave her a second chance at life. She was a principal years back and then she got really sick and she was I don’t think supposed to make it and God brought her back, you know, and she wants to do all she can to bring glory to God now because of that. There’s so many ways God blesses us.
I’ll tell you other ways I think about God blessing us. Like if we’re blessed with family that we love, you know, and some of us might not have that, but like if we’re blessed with it, it might be your spouse, you know, it might be a sibling or your parents. Thank you, Ohea. Speaking of gifts, I love the way that I’m seeing three young guys up there, sir. And we’re going to be talking about using our gifts for the glory of God. See, Shay and Jackson and Derek all up there, sir. Praise God. Amen. Amen. But one way God will give us good gifts is just by blessing us. Or what about do you remember times where you remember you’ve been praying for something and you saw God answer that prayer. Anybody? Yeah. I I’ve seen it many times. And those are gifts from God. You know, all too often we might chalk it up and go, “It’s not—that’s a gift from God.”
God Gifts Us in How He Made Us
And also when I think about gifts that God gives us, I think about just the way He made us, the way He gifted you. You know, God gifted you in ways that other people aren’t gifted, right? You know, you’ve got gifts that not that a lot of people don’t have. And that’s a lot of where I want to go with the message today where God’s led me. Psalm 139:13 and 14 says, “For You,” talking about God, “formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” Isn’t that a miracle of God? The way He grows us in our mother’s womb and we come into this world healthy. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” So another gift that God gives us when I think about good gifts is I just think about the way He made us. Each of us are made in God’s image. And I want you to know you are a unique creation of God. You are some—maybe today you’re just feeling down and discouraged and like there’s nothing special about you. You’re a unique creation of God. Every one of us, every one of you, God has gifted you a certain way. The way that you are, those blessings, those ways that you’re gifted that you might not even realize about yourself, they’re from God. And there is something that makes you special, you know. God, do y’all know what I mean? How God just gifts certain people certain ways?
Like I’m looking at Miss Polly. She is amazing. The way God made her, she’s always the same, always steady, so very faithful. One way I think about giftedness is faithfulness to God. Miss Polly is faithful. Amen. Amen. And there’s a lot of people that aren’t. There’s a lot of people that are faithful. There’s all kinds of ways we can be gifted. You know, another ways like we can just be gifted to want to serve and to want to help, to want to serve God, serve others. Miss Connie every Sunday brings donuts. Every Sunday, you know, ’cause she has a heart to want to serve, to want to help. I’m looking at Miss Becky over there. Miss Becky has taught so many years. So many years in kids ministry over the years, so many years in VBS, served in so many ways. And humility, I think that’s another gift. When I look at humility, Miss Becky, talk about humility. There’s so—y’all know what I mean. You look at different people even in this sanctuary and you think of, you can think about different ways people are gifted.
Another way I think about a gifting that God gives us is the ability to teach. I was standing there in Danny’s Sunday school class with Danny and Jack Baker. Those are two men that are gifted by God to be able to teach. And they aren’t wasting that gift. Danny Haven, I think, has taught that Bible study class about as many years as I am on. I’m 47, probably about 40 years. It 35, I don’t know. A lot of years. Jack Baker has taught the Word of God a lot of years. And he’s teaching the youth now. Like when we’ve got gifts, what a blessing when we use them. But there’s so many ways we’re gifted. Another way I think about with giftedness is singing. I am not gifted in singing. Y’all know that, right? Now, Crystal, I’ve always told her that. I was like, you can sing. And I remember over the years, she would say, “I just don’t feel like I did that well.” I’m like, “You just you just sing.” Someone told her a long time ago they used to lead worship when she was first starting to sing. “You got it. Just take a breath.” There I’ve told her you could sing a phone book like sometime. But that’s from God, right? Do y’all remember Myra? Some of y’all remember Myra? Yeah. Myra was reaching out to me recently. She’s engaged and they’re looking at getting married. And I was talking to her. I was like, just tell her how that’s the way she can sing. That’s just a gift from God. You know what I mean? There’s ways that God gifts people. And every one of y’all in here, I think about how some people just have a kind heart. Like they just got another level of kindness. Miss Beth, she’s always got a kindness to want to reach out to people. You know what I mean? To want to write cards. I got a card from Beth and Larry just a couple days ago. And I want to tell you, God used it because sometimes in ministry, it gets discouraging and you just feel discouraged and defeated. And something as simple as a card just uplifted me. So, thank y’all. But Beth got that—God just gave her that heart. When I think about kindness, boy, do I think about Miss Terry. The fruit of the Spirit just comes out of her. But there’s so many ways that we can be gifted and to have a deep faith. Some people just have a deep faith. Raquel just went in there with Greenley to teach those kids. And I’ve always thought that Raquel, she just has such a deep faith and a lot of that family, all they’ve been through with Nico, they’ve just got a deep faith in God. But I know I named off some people. I know I didn’t name everybody, but I want to tell you, every one of y’all have gifts from God. Every one of us are a unique creation of God. You have gifts, you know. Another gift I think about is just some people just have a brilliant mind. I would tell you Gabriel has a brilliant mind. He did not get it from me. He got it from Crystal and her mom and all that side. It’s just a gift. And sometimes we don’t even realize the gifts we’ve got. If one thing I want to make clear to you is those are from God. The way God made you. God, you might not even feel like there’s anything special about you. There is ’cause God gifted you certain ways, certain ways.
First Corinthians 12, it says in verse 4, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” Those gifts you got, they’re meant to be used and not wasted. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Ephesians 4:11 it says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” Romans 12:6 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.” And that just to me says God just gave us that. Like God is gracious and God is good. He doesn’t have to give us gifts. But so that’s another way that when I read about these gifts, it is that’s another thing I think about is that He gifts us in just the ways He makes us. So whether it be just blessings, those are a gift from God, or whether it be just the way He makes us, you know.
Don’t Take Gifts for Granted
And something I want to say about gifts is don’t take gifts from the Lord for granted. Sometimes the Lord answers a prayer for us. Do you ever remember times maybe where God answered a prayer you’d been praying and maybe you kind of just didn’t even realize He answered it? I’ve done it. We’re like, I’ve been praying some and then some time passes and I look up and I thought I forgot to even thank God for answering that prayer. Don’t take it for granted when you see God give you a blessing. Give Him the praise for it. And sometimes we can also take God-given abilities for granted. Again I want you to know not everybody can do the things you can do. You’re a unique creation of God. Some of you have the gift of administration. Some of you can lead. You’re just a natural leader. Some of you have compassion, hospitality. Okay? You are a special creation of God. There are things some people can do public speaking. No problem. Other people they’d be terrified of public speaking, but that person’s just gifted. Some people have a beautiful humility to them. Other people don’t. But you know, don’t take those gifts that God’s got you for granted. Some people can fix about anything. Y’all know what I mean? And they might think, “Well, anybody can do this,” but no, not everybody. I am not wired that way. I think I could learn more, but like no, there’s some people that they’ve just got a God-given gift to be able to fix things. I know they worked hard. I know they learned, but there’s ways that God makes us and don’t take those gifts for granted.
You know, gifts that we’re given can be taken away. Y’all know that, right? So, we don’t want to take them for granted. I remember when I was young, a young boy, I always loved sports and they came easy to me. And when I was young, I played football, basketball, baseball. Came easy. I didn’t really think about that God had just helped me be and actually be able to do things like that. Then I got into running and I stopped doing all the other sports. I started running all the time. Road races. My parents take me to road races all over North Carolina twice a month. When I was my dad told me when I was two, I don’t remember that. He took us out to a fun run. It was a mile run and he just kind of assumed I’d be pushed in the stroller. He said I jogged the whole way when I was two. That wasn’t—that was just the way God made me. He made me be able to run a mile without ever running. You know what I mean? You’re walking it too. I remember being a little boy and they had presidential physical fitness across the nation, I think. And we were told every day to go out and run a mile and I’d run two ’cause it just—I could just naturally do it, you know. And then when I got older, I ran two marathons at age 13, 26.2 miles. I trained for those and was really succeeding in running. It had state records. I just knew I’d run in college. I entered a high school meet when I was in eighth grade. Even though I went in high school and I was one of the top finishers, I just didn’t cross the finish line. But then something happened. I ran those two marathons and after the second marathon, I ran a cross country championship for middle school three days later. I started in dead last ’cause my knees were—I was so tired. My legs were so tired. By the end of the race, it was a miracle of God. I ended up winning that race by like a split second ’cause the way my legs were like Jell-O after running 26 miles three days before. But after that day, I was never the same. I had an overuse injury, but God used it for good. I was telling Danny this today. I think if I would have kept being able to run, I might not have gotten saved. If I would have kept running and got on to run in college or whatever, that might have been what I ended up putting all my love into and not into the Lord. Danny quoted this verse today. “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things.” But my point in sharing just a touch of that is to say this. Don’t take gifts for granted. And remember, you don’t know how long you’ll have them. And thank God for those gifts you’ve got. Remember what Job said? “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Amen. It doesn’t matter either way. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Use Your Gifts for the Glory of God
In addition to not taking gifts for granted, something else that I think we should remember is the way we use gifts matters. And when God—when we consider that God has given us gifts, it’s important to realize that God made you a certain way and remember that the way you use those gifts or don’t use those gifts matters. Don’t waste those gifts. It’s a sad thing when you hear a story about a guy that could have been the next Michael Jordan, but he wasted that gift. Maybe he got addicted to drugs. Maybe he got in a party. Maybe didn’t believe in himself. So a question today to just start to wrap up is are you making the best use of your gifts God has given you? Those—the way you’re made, the way you’re designed, and even the blessings you get, those are from God. Are you making the best use of the gifts God has given your life? Whether that’s an answer to prayer, are you making the best use of that blessing He gave you? Or whether that’s the way He designed you, are you making the best use of the gifts God has blessed you with?
The title for today’s message is Gifted for the Glory of God. When I thought about every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above from the Father of lights and I read that—last you go to the end of this text. He goes on to say in verse 18, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” Let’s use our gifts for the glory of God. Amen. The way that God has gifted you. Don’t let the enemy tell you you don’t have gifts. You do. You’re a unique creation of God. And what better way to use our gifts, whether those are answered prayers or whether that’s just the way He made you than for the glory of God. It ends with that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. When I read that, I don’t know what God put on my heart was give God your best. Give to God first and most of all give to God your best, you know, first with giving financially, like instead of waiting to give to God until you spend it all, give to God first. But firstfruits of His creatures. I just think about giving God your best. And one way we can be helped to give God our best is when He’s blessed us. And when He’s gifted you in the ways He—because He has gifted you in various ways, use them for the glory of God.
For instance, if you’ve got that gift of singing, use it to point people to Jesus. Use it to bring glory to God. I love the fact that God called Crystal. That’s why she started this preschool and gave up her job just to trust God. But I love the fact that in the process when God was calling Scott to full-time homeless ministry, I love that she’s getting to use that gift of singing. I think it’s great when we’ve got ways that God has gifted us, use them for the glory of God. If you’ve got the gift of teaching, what better way to teach than to teach the Word of God. But also if you’re a teacher in a school or whatever, through that gift, people can look up to you and you can point people to Jesus. You might have a gift of where you’re a great leader. You might be a leader in your type of work that you do. Even if that work is not serving in church and it’s some other kind of work, you can still point people to Jesus because when you’ve got a gift and when you’re gifted a certain way, people kind of look up to that. And when you’re able to be gifted with whatever it is you do, you’ve got an opportunity to point people to Jesus. Let our gifts bring glory to God. Are you letting them—the gifts you’ve gotten in your life? Are you letting them bring glory to God? And I’m not saying you’re not. I’m just saying it’s a good question for us to ask ourselves with how God has blessed me with knowing those gifts are from God. Whatever they are, am I using it to bring glory to God?
I loved a shirt I saw one time. This guy. I just went last week to a—they do an annual conference for Corporate Chaplains of America. Great time of worship. Great time of preaching. They’re training but they’re preaching the Word. 500 chaplains across America there. A lot of worship. Just my cup was filled. But I remember a couple years back they had that conference and the chaplain for Pittsburgh Steelers was the main speaker. That guy was fun to listen to and I loved his shirt. His shirt said, “Deflect the glory.” When you got a gift, that’s an opportunity to deflect the glory from yourself and point—give all the glory to God. Amen.
So, that’s kind of where God’s taken me is just today to wrap up. Knowing God gave us these gifts, how are we using them? And are we using them for the glory of God? Romans 12:6 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.” What does it say? “Let us use them.” Let us use them. That way you’re designed those gifts God gives you, use them. And what better way to use them than for the glory of God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
