THE DIVINE ORCHESTRATION – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 21, 2019 under 2019 |

Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; July 21, 2019 from 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Theme: The Holy Spirit gives direction to the various spiritual gifts so that they each work together for the good of all.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

I’m fascinated by music. I not only enjoy hearing good music; but I’m also fascinated by the whole idea of music itself … how it is put together … how it works. I marvel at how different sounds and different voices can be combined together to make something pleasing and beautiful.

But as much as I enjoy it, I don’t understand exactly how music works. I’m not sure that anyone really understands it. Some sounds just can’t be brought together to make anything pleasing; and yet others can. Somehow, just the right sounds and tones—otherwise a bit strange sounding if left by themselves—can be brought together in just the right way with each other in a variety of astonishingly beautiful combinations. It takes a special ingenuity and artistry to bring the right parts together. And when it happens, it results in harmony; and the combination is more beautiful and rich than the individual sounds could ever be on their own.

Think of the word “symphony”. It comes from the Greek word sumphonos; which means ‘sounds brought together’ or ‘voices brought together’. For things to be ‘symphonious’ with each other means that they are in ‘accord’ with one another, or that they ‘complement’ each other, or are harmonious in a pleasing way. In an instrumental or choral ‘orchestration’, different musicians play different notes on different instruments, or different voices sing different parts. But because they do so in a carefully planned and intentional way—and under a single direction—the end product is unified, creative, enriching, beautiful, uplifting and ‘symphonious’.

And this is especially true when those sounds and voices are brought together to the praise and glory of God. They come together in a beautiful way so as to lift up the glorious theme of praise to God; and that’s the best of all possible things. One very wise theologian—Jonathan Edwards—believed that when we unite our hearts and our voices and our instruments together in music, with worshipful praise to the Lord, it’s the closest thing that we can experience on earth to the work we’ll be doing forever together in heaven.

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Now; the marvel and beauty of music is what I think of when I think of this morning’s passage. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul took up the fascinating subject of ‘spiritual gifts’—the Holy Spirit-empowered gifts that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to all believers. They are special enablements that He gives to His people order to enrich His body—the church. In verses 4-11, he wrote;

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: 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. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Can you see how this describes something that’s a lot like well-orchestrated music? For example, do you see how there are individual parts to this ‘orchestration’? Paul says that there are “diversities of gifts”, and “differences of ministries”, and “diversities of activities”. There are different gifts: “the word of wisdom”; “the word of knowledge”; “faith”; “healings”; “the working of miracles”; “prophecy”; “discerning of spirits”; “different kinds of tongues”; “the interpretation of tongues”. He’s not giving us a complete list here, of course; because in other passages, he mentions other spiritual gifts. But this list is enough to stress the basic point: There are many different instruments that are playing in this ‘orchestra’. They are kept distinct from one another—just as a tuba shouldn’t be confused with a percussion instrument; or as a violin shouldn’t try to sound like a wind instrument. And these different instruments have different parts in the music—different roles to play.

But do you also see how all these different instruments, and their different parts, are all brought together for a common cause? Behind the diversity of gifts is “the same Spirit”; and over the different ministries is “the same Lord”; and working through the different activities is “the same God who works all in all”. There is a unity in these things; because we are told repeatedly that these things all come “through the same Spirit”. They are united together for the same purpose; and that is—as it says in verse seven—”for the profit of all”. All these different and diverse parts—though distinct from one another—are joined together in perfect unity by the God who gives them; and they all unite for the good of one another. Each one complements the other. And there is even a glorious Conductor. Verse 11 tells us that “ one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

It’s amazing how much like music the combination of the various gifts Jesus gives to His church is—all of them working in harmony with each other under the rule of the Holy Spirit. Or knowing the high priority our God places upon His people, perhaps it may even be better to say it this way: it’s amazing how much music is like the church … when the church is fully exercising all of the spiritual gifts under the rule of the Holy Spirit.

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Now; this was an important thing for the apostle Paul to clarify to the Christians in ancient Corinth. You see; they were a truly ‘gifted’ church. Paul wrote to tell them—in just the first few verses of his letter;

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift … (1:4-7a).

They had all the spiritual gifts that they needed, from the Lord Jesus, to do whatever He wanted them to do together. All the instruments were there. But the problem was that they weren’t following the lead of the Holy Spirit in the way that they used those gifts. They were not submitting the playing of their individual parts to the will of the Conductor. As we go on to read what Paul said to them in Chapters 13-14, they were not performing their assigned parts in the harmony of love toward each other. They were—each one—trying to play solos over one another. They weren’t singing off of the same song sheet. They were even exalting some of the gifts over all the others—and were clambering to play parts that the Holy Spirit didn’t give them to play.

You’ll notice that, at the end of the list of the gifts that we find in our passage this morning, Paul mentions—last of all—“different kinds of tongues” and “the interpretation of tongues”. That was, apparently, because some of the Corinthian believers were emphasizing the gift of tongues above all the other gifts—and were just ‘speaking away’ without any interpretation for the benefit of others. My use of the analogy of ‘music’ is appropriate; because in Chapter 14, Paul wrote and told these believers;

But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching? Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air (14:6-9).

And that’s why in our passage this morning—right at the very beginning of Paul’s treatment of this whole subject of the spiritual gifts—he stresses how these Corinthian believers needed to quit trying to play ‘solos’, submit themselves under the leading of the Holy Spirit as the Conductor, and learn to play in harmony with each other in this divine symphony. This passage teaches us that the Holy Spirit gives direction to the use of the spiritual gifts so that they all work together for the good of the whole church family.

My hope in studying this passage together, dear brothers and sisters, is that we will grow to appreciate the different gifts that the Lord Jesus gives to His church. I hope that we will all grow to love one another more, and to appreciate the gifts that have been wisely distributed to each other, and to allow our gifts work together for the good of all of us together. And in all of it, may we submit to the Holy Spirit’s loving direction and empowering influence.

When we do, we will make beautiful worship music together to the glory of the Lord Jesus!

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Now; let’s begin by looking closer at what this passage tells us about these gifts. Let’s notice first how—by the Holy Spirit—they are …

1. UNITED IN THEIR DIVERSITY.

We see this in verses 4-6; which tells us, “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.”

Do you see how every member of the Godhead—the whole Trinity—is involved in the spiritual gifts that have been given to the church family? The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all three involved. There are differences in their individual roles: The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He wills; the Son of God stands as Lord and Master over the various ministries that the gifts serve; and God the Father sovereignly works all things in all of His people that these different gifts accomplish. But just as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are united in perfect love with each other, and are of the same divine essence, and are of one purpose in all that they do; so also, the gifts are meant to be one in love, one in source, and one in purpose. There is a diversity of gifts—but with a divine unity that binds those diverse gifts together.

Think of what the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4. In verses 1-6, he wrote;

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:1-6).

I love that passage. It teaches us that there is a spiritual unity that binds us together as believers. We don’t ever have to work hard to somehow ‘create’ unity; because we are already united. But we do have to work faithfully to maintain that unity. And we do so by remembering some important theological truths: that we are united in one body (that is, the church of the redeemed), one Spirit (the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers), one hope of our calling (that is, the prospect of our being raised with Jesus in glory); one Lord (Jesus Christ Himself who is our Lord and Master); one faith (the message we proclaim of the gospel of His death on the cross for us); one baptism (the Holy Spirit’s gracious work of uniting us to our Lord and to His church when we first believed—and perhaps also our one-time-only public declaration of His work through water baptism); and one God and Father of all. (Once again, the whole Trinity is paramount.)

We have a diversity of gifts; and different ministries through those gifts; and diverse activities or effects that those gifts bring about. We have different parts we play in the divine orchestra; and we need to keep or parts distinct and clear. But all of this glorious diversity is brought together in unity by one Holy Spirit, under one Lord Jesus, to the glory of one heavenly Father. Our spiritual gifts are amazingly united in their wonderful diversity.

Dear brothers and sisters; let’s always keep that fundamental unity in mind. If we do so, the diversity of our gifts will always work out to God’s glory … and always to our good!

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Now; even though we share a fundamental unity under the Triune Godhead, we should still hold on to the distinctions between the various gifts. This is just like how the different instruments in the orchestra need to keep to their own distinct sounds; or like how the different voices in a choir all need to keep true to their specific vocal parts. When we do so—under the leading of the Holy Spirit—we find that the spiritual gifts all fit together like a well-orchestrated, well-constructed musical piece. The gifts all fit together and support one another.

As this passage shows us, the diverse gifts are—by design—

2. COMPLEMENTARY IN THEIR FUNCTION.

In verses 7-10, Paul wrote; “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 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.”

Paul calls the gifts “the manifestation of the Spirit”. That’s because that is Who they all come from. They are not merely human talents and abilities. They are spiritual enablements given to us by a divine Person. Every one of us who are in Christ are blessed with a spiritual gift of service of some kind. And these gifts are given to each specific recipient for the benefit of the whole church family. For that reason, these gifts are made—by design—to work together with each other. No single one of them is really meant to work on its own. Under the empowerment and guidance of the Holy Spirit, all of the gifts complement each other and complete one another.

Look carefully at how Paul spoke of these gifts and you’ll see that this is so. For example, Paul says that one person—by the Holy Spirit—is given ‘the word of wisdom’. This would be the ability to know how to recommend and apply spiritual truth to a particular situation in the best way and for the best result. But in order for this gift to bless the church family as it should, it also needs to be exercised along with ‘the word of knowledge’; which is the ability to discover and understand truth from God’s word in a systematic and orderly way. And ‘the word of knowledge’ also needs ‘the word of wisdom’ in order to wisely apply what is carefully understood. Both gifts must go together, and they are meant to complement and complete one another.

Paul also went on to say that to another is given “faith by the same Spirit”. Good, practical, applicational faith is wonderful and very necessary gift in the church. This is different from the initial faith that someone needs to place in Jesus in order to be saved. This is a gift that is given to some believers that enables them to capture a vision of what God wants to do in specific situations or for specific needs, helps them to trust in His help in getting it done, and to encourage the rest of God’s people to trust in Him also. But then Paul says that “to another”—that is, to a completely different believer—is given “gifts of healings by the same Spirit”. That’s the Spirit-enabled ability of some to serve as an instrument through whom—by faith—God cures illnesses or restores broken people to soundness. And then “to another” is given “the working of miracles”. That’s the Spirit-enabled ability to serve as an instrument through whom—by faith—God performs a remarkable act. And “to another” is given “prophecy”; which is the ability to proclaim—by faith—a much-needed message from God to God’s people. All of these need the encouragement and motivation that comes from those who have the gift of faith. But they also altogether need yet another gift—and that is the gift of “discerning of spirits”. There are many false ‘healings’, and false ‘miracles’, and false ‘prophecies’ out there in the world. And this gift is the Spirit-enabled ability to distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error—or to identify the false from the truth. All of these must work in conjunction with one another, and complement and complete each other.

Or think about the issue that Paul was most probably concerned with—and that was the use of tongues. He wrote that to another believer was given “different kinds of tongues”. From other places in the Bible, we learn that this was the Spirit-empowered ability to speak a spiritual message to God’s people in another language—often a language that they had never learned. This would be a wonderful miracle that would give powerful significance and authority to that message. But in order for it to be for the benefit of the whole body, it would have to be interpreted and its message made clear; and so, Paul says that “to another” was given “the interpretation of tongues”. That’s the God-given ability to understand and translate a message in another language so that the rest of the church family could understand it, discern it, and be edified by it.

Now; this doesn’t tell us everything we’d like to know about these individual gifts. But this is enough to teach us that, just like in music, every individual instrument and each individual part needs the others. The spiritual gifts that the Lord gives us complement each other; and one believer’s ministry through them completes another. This is very much like what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4;

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11-16).

Just like instruments in a great orchestra, we truly need each other to play our own unique part. And praise God that, when we faithfully submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit—we meet each other’s needs, and give to each other just exactly what He planned for us to give.

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And that leads us to notice one more thing about these spiritual gifts. When we submit faithfully to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we can trust that each of the gifts are …

3. PURPOSEFUL IN THEIR ASSIGNMENT.

As Paul puts it in verse 11; “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” He is the one who distributes the gifts to each believer as He knows best. He is the great Conductor who assigns to each player their unique part in the symphony. He knows each individual believer thoroughly; and He knows which gift is best suited to that believer.

You may find yourself sometimes wishing that you had the gift that the Holy Spirit gave to someone else. But if you do, you should repent of that wish. The Holy Spirit knows you better than you know yourself; and He knows exactly what gift He has designed for you to have. What’s more, He knows what gift the other people in the church family need for you to have in order to meet their needs; because, as it says in verse 7, your gift and my gift is “given to each one for the profit of all.” We can trust that the Holy Spirit knows best.

How can you know what gift it is that the Holy Spirit has give to you? One very simple and very biblical way—and perhaps the best and surest way of all—is to simply yield yourself to the Holy Spirit. As Paul put it in Ephesians 5;

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:18-21).

Walk in holiness with the Holy Spirit as the Bible commands, and submit yourself complete to His empowering influence. Ask for His leading, and do the things that He leads you to do. Do those things faithfully and promptly—with complete dependency upon Him. Do all that He gives you to do to the glory of the Lord Jesus and in His name. Trust that He is leading you. And then, listen to how others in the church family say that you have blessed them. That will give you a good clue what your gift is. And remember that it’s more important that you be used by the Holy Spirit in your gift than it is that you know what that gift is. Your spiritual gift is not meant for you anyway. It’s meant for others.

The Holy Spirit is the divine Distributor of these gifts. He is the Conductor of the orchestra. Let’s follow His leading—and as we do, He will be making beautiful music through us to the honor and praise of Jesus our Lord.

EA