Home » Gifts for Orphans - A Sermon on Spiritual Gifts

After World War II the US government determined that almost 200,000 American children became o rphans when their fathers died. These figures are certainly low. If we are to consider the many nations that were involved in World War II we can easily imagine how literally millions of children were left as orphans after that war.

 

Stories are told of hordes of children wandering the war torn streets, dazed, confused and traumatized. One report tells of a hospital ward filled with crying children, nothing seemed to quiet them down long enough to sleep. Until one day a doctor discovered that allowing the children to just hold on to a small piece of bread would comfort them enough that they would slip off into a slumber. They didn't need to eat the bread, they just needed to hold on to it.

 

Millions of starving, homeless, fatherless children... No parents to feed them, clothe them, protect them or teach them. It doesn't take much to imagine what a terribly disadvantaged life these orphans would live.

 

Orphans...

 

In John 14 Jesus is speaking to his disciples and trying to explain to them that he is going to die. He is going to be crucified. In verse 18 he says, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

 

And what Jesus was trying to explain to his dumbfounded disciples is that although he is going to die, he is not going to abandon them. He says, "I will pray to Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)

 

When Christ ascended into heaven He did not abandon us. He is not in some far off distant place. He is here, with us and in us with His Holy Spirit. Through His Holy Spirit He comforts us and strengthens us and gives us the power to live victorious Christian lives through the gifts of the Holy Spirit that He has given to us.. like pieces of bread.

 

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are NOT skills or abilities or intelligence or education or achievements that we have accomplished through our own work, strength or determination. They are GIFTS!

 

The Greek word for gifts is charisma - which implies that these endowments of the Spirit are absolutely FREE. They are unearned. They are like pieces of bread to the orphans, they comfort us, they nourish us, they remove the fear and anxiety and doubt that prevent us from being God's children to our utmost.

 

But more than that, the gifts of the Spirit EMPOWER us to be mighty men and women for the Kingdom of God. They supply us with supernatural abilities so that God may perform miracles and wonders through us as testimonies to an unbelieving world and to build up His church. That is why we should desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit to overflowing, so we can be used by God to minister to others as His power flows through us.

 

The Apostle Paul elaborated upon the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 where he informs us...

 

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

 ⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

 

Paul goes on to list a number of gifts which includes:

 

Wisdom

Knowledge

Faith

Healing

Miracles

Prophecy

Discernment of Spirits

Tongues

Interpretation of Tongues

 

The Apostle Paul's list is not complete by any means. Elsewhere in the Scriptures we read of additional gifts of the Spirit. The point is, God has many, many gifts that He will provide us with. These are to comfort us, to build us up, to make us strong.

 

If you are a Christian do you know what your gifts of the Spirit are? Do you desire gifts of the Spirit that you do not already have?

 

In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus said, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

 

Our Heavenly Father wants to comfort us. He wants to give us gifts of the Spirit. But, we need to ask for them, and we need to be specific about what we ask for.

 

In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said,  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

 

So, you see, we need to ask. We need to be persistent about asking. We are not to give up. But, not only do we ask, we have to look for that which we have asked for. Sometimes we expect things to be dropped in our laps. When, in actuality we need to do a little footwork. For example, I like to eat every day, but it sure isn't going to happen unless I put the effort in to at least walk into the kitchen, look in the refrigerator and cupboards and pull something out. But, sometimes those cupboards seem empty or closed. Yet, how many of us have never gone to the neighbor's to ask for some sugar, or milk, or flour?

 

Sometimes we have to knock on a few doors before we get what we are looking for. And it is the same way with God and the gifts that He has promised us. We need to ask, seek and knock.

 

Brothers and sisters, we enter the Kingdom of God as orphans, powerless, weak, and broken. But our Heavenly Father adopts us and calls us his very children. And like the prodigal son, he gives us gifts... sandals for our feet, rings for our fingers, robes to cover our nakedness, and every good thing to empower us to be more than conquerors through Christ Jesus (Luke 15).

 

The victorious Christian life isn't about how smart we are, how attractive we are, or how hard we work. The victorious Christian life all depends upon what we are going to do with the gifts of the Spirit that God has promised to each and every one of us... if we will just get off our couches and grab a hold of them... like so many pieces of bread.