Emperor Frederick, the ruler of the Roman Empire in the 13th century, was known for his unconventional use of power in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. And one of his most notorious and inhumane experiments revolved around the treatment of infants. The emperor's fascination with the origins of human language led him to undertake an experiment aimed at revealing the original language of mankind. And in his quest to determine the language spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Frederick entrusted a group of babies to nurses with strict instructions on their upbringing. The nurses were instructed to provide only the necessary care for the infants, such as feeding and bathing, while avoiding any interaction or communication with them, unfortunately, Frederick never obtained the answer he sought, and the original language of mankind remained elusive. Tragically, the lack of affection, warmth, and basic interaction resulted in the death of these children, and they simply perished due to a profound absence of love. Well, as we continue in our series through the spiritual gifts, it will become very evident to us today that in the mind of God, it's exceptionally important for him, to him, how we treat one another within the body of Christ. Jesus Christ said to his disciples before he was crucified on the cross, these words, if the world hates you, You know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this, the world hates you. Yet in the same context, Jesus commands his disciples, saying to them that they were to love one another. And I'll submit to you this morning, based upon the spiritual gifts that we are going to look at, God wants his church functioning well. And a critical part of functioning well will be that it will find itself to be unified in the midst of a hating world. Now we know that Satan is alive and well and that one of his satanic goals will be to disrupt the unity that exists among believers. And so there are some very basic important words given when it comes to getting along with anyone in any capacity. The six most important words. are, I admit I made a mistake. The five most important, you did a good job. The four most, what do you think? The third most, after you please. The two most important words, thank you. And the one most important word, we. You know what the least important is? You got it, it's I. Well, today we're continuing our study through the spiritual gifts and we are now currently in our sixth lesson where we have been systematically observing the spiritual gifts that have been laid out for us in the Word of God. In fact, as we continue our study of these next four gifts, we're going to find out this truth that you can tell what your relationship with God is like by looking at your relationship with other people. We're going to find that truth today. that you can tell what your relationship with God is like by looking at your relationship with people. This is a powerful truth that preaches unto itself, I believe. A good friend of mine from Bible school would say when presented with some kind of convicting truth that it's like getting hit in the face with a spiritual two-by-four. You know, that's, I think this is one of those statements. This is like a spiritual two by four type statement. But it's true. I mean, you can have a rocky relationship with those in the body of Christ if you're walking in the spirit and there are therefore spiritual while others are carnal. Or you can have a rocky relationship with those in the body of Christ if you are in fact carnal and those around you are spiritual. And so that vertical relationship with Jesus Christ dynamically and powerfully impacts those horizontal relationships that we have with others. And when we are using our spiritual gifts and serving the body of Christ, that is a powerful combination of events. So we're going to pick it up in our series here on the spiritual gifts. We're going to look at the gift of serving. That's our ninth gift this morning. This gift is mentioned in Romans 12, verse 7, which says, if service in his serving, and also in 1 Peter 4, verse 11, where we read, whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. A Greek word for service is diakonel. It's the same Greek word where we get the English word deacon. In fact, this Greek word is found in passages like 1 Timothy 3, verse 13, where we find these words, for those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and a great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. It's interesting that this word is used for a specific office within a local church context, but it's also used in these passages as a spiritual gift given to believers in this church age of grace, the gift of serving. It's a beautiful gift, really. If you would turn with me to Philemon in your Bibles. Let's go there. The book of Philemon. It's a book on reconciliation. Little book right before Hebrews. Philemon, it's only one chapter, it's found right before the book of Hebrews, and I'd like you to turn your attention to verse 13, Paul's in prison, and he writes about how it was that Onesimus was able to minister to him, verses 10 through 13. We read, I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel. Now that Greek word for minister to me from verse 13 is the Greek word diakonel. And again, it was Onesimus who served the Apostle Paul. He served the Apostle Paul. By the way, I wanna mention this, that God can use your spiritual gifts in any way that you serve, in any way that you serve. And we have a great example before us. I love Mark 10, 45, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. You know, it can be easy, I think. Easy to be critical. It can be natural to be a spectator. But when it comes to the body of Christ, we need to be about serving the Lord. That's what we need to be about. We need to be about serving the Lord. When I woke up this morning, The first thing I did was I went into the bathroom. And when I went into the bathroom, I showered, I shaved, I put a little bit of gel in what's left of my hair. I was able to throw some deodorant on. And if I had stood in front of the mirror and criticized myself without doing anything, then what would you say about my appearance right now? It'd look a little different, wouldn't it? It would. The same is true for the body of Christ. Are we known by others as having a servant's heart? Are we intentional about looking for ways to serve what we need to be? And just because some within the body of Christ have the spiritual gift of serving does not mean that all the serving should be placed on that one individual. or individuals, we are all called to serve in some way. If you would turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, you guys know it, it's a passage on the spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And this just speaks about service so well when it comes to ministry, chapter 12 verses 14. through 18, we'll pick it up in verse 14. Here we read, for the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body, it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, It is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as he desires. A lie that the enemy would have you to believe is that you have no purpose when it comes to serving the body of Christ. All are important. It can be easy to be critical. It's hard to be about building up, building up the body. That brings us to our 10th gift. We looked at serving there. What about the gift of helps? We see the gift of helps, that's our 10th gift here this morning. The Greek word here is very similar to serving and some would even go so far as to say that this gift is exactly the same as the gift of serving. The reason why I see that as a little different is because the Greek word, even though it's similar, is also distinct. The Greek word for serving is diakonel, but the Greek word here for helps is antelipsis, and it means to give aid or assistance. And one with this gift has a supernatural ability to be able to come alongside someone in the body of Christ in order to assist them in their hour of need. The only time that this gift is found is in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 28. Perhaps you can think of a time in your life where in your hour of need, someone came alongside you and they encouraged you, perhaps within the body of Christ. I remember recently, I was having a Monday of Mondays. If you're a pastor, then you'll know that Monday is a day where you're just exhausted, you're spent. and it's on Mondays where the cares and concerns of the world flood in around you. It's on a Monday where you're tempted to analyze and criticize your personal ministry, and it's on Mondays where pastors can be just spiritually and emotionally spent. But this particular Monday, I got a phone call, and it was from a friend of mine who encouraged me in more ways than one. He spoke truth into my life for 30 minutes. It was like a little mini sermon that that he gave me and I'll tell you that stirred my heart as so encouraged me I needed to hear that. He told me of a time where he was at a critical point in his ministry had been under spiritual attack. And he went to a church that Sunday and he said to me that the first song that they played was an old hymn titled, I Know Who Holds the Tomorrow. Have any of you have heard that song? I Know Who Holds the Tomorrow. Beautiful, beautiful song. I wanna read these lyrics to you. Just allow this to minister for a moment to your souls. I'll read the lyrics to this old hymn. I know who holds tomorrow. I don't know about tomorrow. I just live from day to day. I don't borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to gray. I don't worry or the future, for I know what Jesus said, and today I'll walk beside him, for he knows what is ahead. Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand. Every step is getting brighter as the golden stairs I climb. Every burden's getting lighter. Every cloud is silver lined. There the sun is always shining. There no tear will dim the eye at the ending of the rainbow where the mountains touch the sky. I don't know about tomorrow. It may bring me poverty, but the one who feeds the sparrow is the one who stands by me. And the path that be my portion may be through the flame or flood, but his presence goes before me, and I'm covered in his blood. Beautiful hymn, love that hymn. This friend of mine said that after they had heard this hymn, it caused them to weep. His wife was there, they were in this church sanctuary, and she was trying to comfort him. He's just weeping after hearing that. What a blessing it was. It's a pretty sweet deal. When God's children come alongside one another and encourage each other and build each other up, you may never know just how God might use you to be a blessing to those within the body of Christ who need encouragement. Someone once said of encouragement, that encouragement is perhaps one of the greatest gifts friends can ever give. An encouraging friend is a lifeline to steady a floundering heart. to bring sunshine to a cloudy day and to deliver a blessing, just looking for a place to land. And again, we should be looking out for the needs of others, helping others out where there is need, but one with this gift has a knack for assisting those who are in need in their lives. Well, that comes to our 11th gift, and that 11th gift is the gift of faith, and we know that from Ephesians 2.8, It says, for by grace you have been saved through faith. It is true that believers have been saved through faith. It's also true that we have been called to walk by faith in the Christian life. But within the body of Christ, there are some who actually have this gift. The gift of faith is the faith which manifests itself in unusual deeds of trust. Someone with this spiritual gift has the capacity to see something that needs to be done, and they believe God will do it through him, even though it looks impossible. I've heard it said that one who has this gift can see a mountain, but also sees the tunnel that runs right through the mountain. This is one of those gifts. that is exciting to have within the body of Christ. It really is. When other people are struggling to see how something needs to get done, you will have those who can clearly see what needs to be done. One awesome example of this in church history is a man by the name of George Mueller. from the 1800s. Despite lacking financial resources, he firmly believed, according to his understanding of scripture, that God called him to provide for orphaned children. And so by the time of his passing, Mueller had received multiple houses and managed over $1 million. I mean, this was a man of faith here. I want to read to you a clip from an article online that I was able to read that came up involving George Mueller's orphanage. One morning, George Mueller awoke to the news that the orphanage, which housed 300 children, had no food. Mueller instructed the house mother to see all the children in the dining room. He thanked God for food, and they waited for God to provide, as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked at the door. Mr. Mueller, he confessed, last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I'll bring it in. The next knock revealed a milkman whose cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the cart was fixed. The milkman explained, so would the children like some free milk. And as the orphanages grew, God provided heat, medicine, warm clothes, and always more bread for over 100,000 children. And one could say George Mueller had a landline to heaven. While Mueller's life may seem extraordinary, the same God who showed up every day at Mueller's door invites us to boldly go to him with our daily needs. Have any of you heard that story? I love that story. And it's true that in Hebrews chapter four, all believers are exhorted to enter into the faith rest life. Hebrews chapter four verse 11 says, therefore let us be diligent to enter into that rest. However, within the body of Christ, there are those who excel in the faith department. And George Mueller was one of those men. I also want to recommend a book. It's called Bruchko. Bruchko. I had the opportunity to read that while at Frontier School of the Bible. And this book is a missionary story of a teenager who left home in order to share the gospel with a tribe of Indians in South America. And throughout the book, Bruce Olson, who writes that book, faces numerous challenges and dangers, including encounters with hostile tribes and life-threatening situations in the jungle. But what touched me as I read that book so many years ago was the level of faith that this guy had. I mean, God was able to use him in some powerful ways. So for some within the body of Christ, they may have the gift of faith, but for others, we need to be encouraged by their faith. And this book will do just that. It'll inspire you as you read about the faith of another. It's been a number of years since I've read that book, Bruchko, by Bruce Olson, an amazing book. You can go on Amazon and pick that up. but the obstacles and the challenges that he faced, just tremendous, and yet God saw him through those. You know, maybe it is that you're struggling to see your way through a difficult situation. It may be that you've lacked faith in the one who gave you the very life that you have today. If that's you, if you are struggling in your faith, and I'd encourage you to pick up that book, not to supplement it for your daily Bible reading or to substitute it for that, but as a separate read that'll encourage you. Bruchko by Bruce Olson. Well, that brings us to our 12th and final gift that we're gonna look at today, and that is the gift of exhortation, the gift of exhortation. Now the Greek word here for exhortation means to come alongside someone in order to help them. And we might say that this person is someone who is an encourager or a comforter. This gift is very close to the gift of helps. In fact, there are a lot of similarities, but the difference is that this gift also has the ability to appeal to the will. I read a funny story about a dental worker who once said that at the busy dental office where I work, one patient was always late. Once when I called to confirm an appointment, he said, I'll be about 15 minutes late. That won't be a problem, will it? No, I told him. We just won't have time to give you an anesthetic. He arrived early. The idea of suffering, pain, was a pretty good motivation. That's always a good motivator. Most don't like pain. When pain comes, they'll run. Well, in the church, this gift is not coupled with pain, but rather with the teaching of the word. And it's a unique gift. that's addressed to the conscience and to the heart. Paul ends from the Moody Bible Handbook of Theology, states this, that the exhorter is one who also has the ability to appeal to the will of the individual in order to get him to act. We see this in Jude 3. If you would turn there with me, Jude, one book before Revelation. Jude verse three. Paul is going to urge his audience towards a particular course of action here. Jude verse three says, Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you, what, contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. It is very possible that Jude may have had this spiritual gift within the early church where you find this great exhortation to extend or to contend earnestly for the faith. This exhortation, it's beautiful in the New Testament. That Greek word for contend is epagonizomai. It's only found once in the Bible and right here it means to exert an intense amount on behalf of something. You know, I really, I don't follow football very much, but I gotta say this year has been interesting to watch the Lions play. I don't recognize that team this year. They're having a good year. I'd say that they're on fire. In a game of football, there's this intense exertion that takes place, this exertion of intense effort from both teams to win the game. And Judah's saying here, contend earnestly for the faith, which would be the teaching that was once for all handed down to the early church through faithful people. And the question is, do we? Do we contend earnestly for the faith? Is there this intense desire within you to be here in church during both services? To be about growing in your understanding of God's word. What a great exhortation to the believer. I mean, these are things that I believe are worth striving for in the Christian life. Peter got it so right, as he would write to believers saying, Now, therefore, brethren, or beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. There is this exhortation or urging that takes place, and we find it all over the New Testament. But it's true that there are some within the body of Christ that oftentimes take the word of God and they use God's truth in order to appeal to one's conscience. Well, as we wrap up our time together, we are able to see various gifts that are given to believers in this church age of grace. And in the body of Christ, I'm just reminded, as we look at these different gifts, how different each one is. You know, there's variety when it comes to the body of Christ. The body of Christ is so unique. We've all been given at least one spiritual gift for the edification of the church. And that is certainly true of those gifts that we have looked at in our time together. Today we've looked at the gifts of serving, of helps, of faith, and exhortation. And the body is stronger when believers are exercising these gifts within the body of Christ. And notice with me that these gifts are, for the most part, relational. They're relational. They touch on those horizontal relationships with other believers. Which brings us to that main truth that we saw at the beginning of our time together, and that is that you can tell what your relationship with God is like by looking at your relationship with other people. I've said it before at the beginning of our time together, and I'm gonna say it again, that based upon the spiritual gifts that we've looked at today, God wants his church functioning well, and a critical part of it functioning well will be that it will find itself unified in the midst of a hating world. Some time ago, I came across a quote by Puritan Thomas Brooks, and to be honest with you, I don't know where I read this quote, or even who this Thomas Brooks really is at the time of putting this lesson together, but he made a statement concerning disunity among believers that I just cannot get out of my head. This is what he said, for wolves to worry is no wonder, but for lambs to worry one another, this is unnatural and monstrous. I mean, when you look at these spiritual gifts that have been given to those within the body of Christ, that signifies that we are to be about building up the body, not tearing it down. Even though there are those within the body who have these specific gifts, when you really work your way through them, we find that we should, by all means, seek to serve others. We should, by all means, seek to help others. We should, by all means, seek to build one another up in faith. And we should by all means exhort one another to keep pursuing Christ and his word. The Apostle Paul says it so well. Turn with me to Philippians chapter one. And we'll finish out our time on this verse. Philippians chapter one, verses 27 and 28. I've got it up here on the PowerPoint. if you wanna follow along there, or you can follow along in your Bible. Philippians 1, 27 through 28. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. In no way alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you. and that too from God. Heavenly Father, we give you praise and we thank you that you have placed each one in the body of Christ through faith in Jesus. And we praise you that you have gifted the body these amazing gifts that can be such an encouragement to us as we go through the Christian life. Father, it is a dark world out there. This world is mocking you, it mocks believers, and it is a joy to be able to gather together and to be encouraged by one another. Father, I pray that as we've gone through these gifts this morning, we've looked at a number of them, I pray that you would challenge us to be those who will be about exercising our spiritual gifts within the body of Christ. But more importantly, to be about serving you in any capacity. May that be true of all of us. Father, if any are here today or listening online, have never made the decision to trust in Jesus, I pray that they would make that decision today. Lord, your word is so clear. You're holy. You cannot be in the presence of sin. And the scripture tells us that we've all sinned. We've all fallen short of your perfection, of your glory. And so, Because of our helplessness, you sent your son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life, to die on the cross, to rise again from the dead three days later, never to die again, who offers life to any who will make the decision to believe in him for salvation. Father, if any here today or online have never made that decision, I pray that they would make that decision today. It's the most important decision they could ever make. We give you praise now, Father, and we love you. In your name we pray, amen. All right, you're dismissed. Thank you.