SERMON TITLE: Gifts of the Spirit: Prophecy Part 1
SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:4-8 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 3-2-25
Sermon Discussion Guide
Take notes here
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And — if this happens to be your first time worshiping with us — or if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend but — honestly — this is sort of a series within our Romans series. For Paul has recently mentioned spiritual gifts in his letter — and we’re taking time to explore the spiritual gifts so we all understand how these gifts are to be used in our faith family. I realize that you may not be a Christian — and my hope for you is that you’ll see a glimpse of the matchless power that’s found in the one true God as we explore spiritual gifts today.
Now — the purpose of the spiritual gifts is something I have — and will continue to remind you of: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. - Lexham Survey of Theology
I’m not going to say anything else about the purpose of the gifts today — you can go listen to my sermon from two weeks ago for more on that — because our goal now is to work our way through the spiritual gifts Paul mentions.
To remind us of what Paul says about the gifts — in Romans chapter twelve — beginning in verse four — we read…
Romans 12:4–8 ESV
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
In our last sermon in Romans — I showed you a list of spiritual gifts with a short definition for each. I also mentioned how there’s not a definitive list of the spiritual gifts. There are a few places in the Bible where we find lists of spiritual gifts — like here in Romans 12 — but in other places we read things like…
Exodus 28:3 ESV
3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.
And…
Exodus 31:2–5 ESV
2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.
Are these examples of spiritual gifts in the Old Testament? Are skill, ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship spiritual gifts? Maybe? Some Christians include all of these as gifts of the Spirit — while others only include what are found in the New Testament.
From my perspective — we don’t need to be overly dogmatic about it — as I don’t think Paul’s goal was to list out all of the possible ways the Holy Spirit empowers and equips God’s people. Remember Paul was writing to help specific churches grow and mature in their faith. Often Paul was responding to a particular situation that a church was facing — so it shouldn’t surprise us that he’d mention some spiritual gifts to one church, and other gifts to a different church, and not even mention the gifts to another church. What he wrote about was dependent on the needs of the church he was writing to.
And yet we shouldn’t be surprised that he brings up spiritual gifts to the Christians in Rome. I say this because of something Paul writes early on in his letter. Way back in the first chapter Paul writes…
Romans 1:11–12 ESV
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Near the start of his letter Paul says he longs to be with these Christians so he might impart to them a spiritual gift. And then he goes on to give two reasons why he wants to do this. One — so they’ll be strengthened. And — two — so that both he and they will be encouraged. And — as we’ve previously seen — strengthening and encouraging others are two reasons the Spirit equips and empowers his people with spiritual gifts.
Now — imparting a spiritual gift may sound strange to you — “Doesn’t the Holy Spirit choose who gets what spiritual gifts?” Yes the Holy Spirit does. However, we also see in the Bible that the Holy Spirit will use others to be the means by which he gives a Christian a spiritual gift.
For example — to Timothy — Paul writes…
1 Timothy 4:14 NLT
14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.
And in another letter to Timothy Paul writes…
2 Timothy 1:6 NLT
6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
Paul warns Timothy — who’s pastoring the church in Ephesus at this time — to not neglect the spiritual gift he has. And Paul reminds Timothy that this gift was given to him by a prophetic word as the elders laid their hands on him. In a second letter, Paul reminds Timothy again of this moment — when hands were laid on him as he was given a spiritual gift. About this moment in Timothy’s life — one of my study Bible notes says that the laying on of hands is, “A gesture used to symbolize the impartation of power. Paul recognizes that God empowers and equips believers for ministry…and uses (the laying on of hands)...to do so.” (Lexham Study Bible)
Now — to be clear — there’s nothing magical about having elders lay hands on you and pray for you to be empowered with a particular spiritual gift. The Spirit of God can — and has — given his gifts to individual Christians without the laying on of hands. Yet I wonder what blessings we might experience if more of us would humble ourselves — and put into practice the act of having the elders pray for us to receive particular gifts through the laying on of their hands?
So here’s something we’re going to do each week while we look at the gifts of the Spirit. At the end of our worship services — at both of our Gateway campuses — elders will be available to lay hands on those who desire to receive the specific gift preached on that day. This isn't a “general come up for prayer” — we’ve got prayer teams available to pray for you in that way — instead — this will be an opportunity for us to model what we see in Timothy’s life. So at the end of the worship service — come forward if you desire the specific gift that was preached on.
And it’s OK if there’s no desire on your part for a specific gift. And it’s OK if you already know what your spiritual gifts are and have no need for us to pray for you. But — I also want it to be OK — for those who do desire a particular spiritual gift — to come forward and be prayed for by the elders. In fact — I don’t just want it to be OK — my hope is that this would become normal for us. You know — it being normal for us to do what we see in the Bible.
So let’s start looking at specific gifts. And we’ll start where Paul starts — with the gift of prophecy. In verse six Paul writes…
Romans 12:6 ESV
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
The definition of prophecy that I shared last week is…
The gift of prophecy is the divine strength or ability to communicate God's truth and heart in a way that calls people to a right relationship with God.
That’s a pretty user-friendly definition of prophecy. Others have defined the spiritual gift of prophecy as…
The human report of a divine revelation. - Sam Storms
And as…
Telling something that God has spontaneously brought to mind. - Wayne Grudem
So — the first thing to notice in these definitions — is that the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy is not the same as the gift of preaching or teaching. How do we know this? Because the gifts of prophecy and teaching are always mentioned as distinct gifts from one another — and preaching — spoiler alert — is never officially called a spiritual gift in any of the lists we find in the Bible.
Here are some examples where we see the gifts of prophecy and teaching being mentioned as distinct from one another. We’ll start with some verses that you’re becoming very familiar with.
Romans 12:6–7 ESV
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
It would be odd for Paul to say, “According to the grace given to us by God, some of us have been given the gift of prophecy — which means teaching — while others of us have been given the gift of teaching — which also means teaching.” Who writes like that? No one!
Additionally, in First Corinthians he writes…
1 Corinthians 12:28–29 ESV
28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
And later he writes…
1 Corinthians 14:6 ESV
6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
If Paul meant for us to view the gifts of prophecy and teaching as the same thing — why would he go out of his way to make a distinction between the gifts?
So how are the gifts of prophecy and teaching different? Let’s start with the definition of teaching that I shared with you previously.
The gift of teaching is the divine strength or ability to study and learn from the Scriptures primarily to bring understanding and depth to other Christians.
Teaching is a gift of the Spirit where an individual — having studied the Bible — explains God’s Word to others so they understand it better. So teaching is text-based — meaning it’s an explanation of Scripture — whereas prophecy is a word or thought or vision that’s spontaneously brought to an individual’s mind by the Spirit.
Now — at this point — some of us may be concerned about the integrity of the Bible. If the Holy Spirit gives prophetic revelation today — wouldn’t these revelations need to be added to the Bible? This is an often used argument against the gift of prophecy being for today. Now — it’s a great question with an easy answer. Do prophetic revelations today need to be added to the Bible? The answer is no! Why? Because we know that not everything prophesied in biblical times was written down as part of Scripture. Here’s an example from the book of Acts.
Acts 21:8–9 ESV
8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.
Luke — the author of the book of Acts — tells us that one of the early church leaders — Philip — had four daughters. And his daughters prophesied — they were equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit with the gift of prophecy. Do you know what these women prophesied? You don’t — not from Scripture — because their prophecies are not recorded in the Bible. And there are many other examples in the Bible of people empowered by the Holy Spirit as prophets — and yet their words were not included in the Bible. And — if that was true for both prophets in the Old and New Testaments — why wouldn’t we expect the Holy Spirit to empower and equip Christians today with the gift of prophecy without this causing concern about the authority, sufficiency, and finality of God’s Word?
But — even more helpful — or challenging — depending on your view of the gift of prophecy — Paul writes these words to the Christians in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 14:1–5 ESV
1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
And — a bit later — Paul writes…
1 Corinthians 14:24–25 ESV
24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
And near the end of the chapter he writes…
1 Corinthians 14:39 ESV
39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy…
A couple of points about the gift of prophecy. First, Paul starts the chapter off with two commands — and the commands are — one — pursue love and — two — earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. And — to make his point —he adds “especially that you may prophesy.” And near the end of the chapter he repeats the command: “earnestly desire to prophesy.”
Now — I don’t think anyone’s going to argue against Paul’s first command — pursue love. And — given that he just finished the love chapter of the Bible — it’s understandable why pursuing love is on his mind. But his command to earnestly — or eagerly — that we’re to be dedicated to desiring the spiritual gifts — especially the gift of prophecy — and — then repeats his command at the end of the chapter — well — this command many Christians justify not obeying.
But notice how this is a positive command — we’re to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy. But we also find a negative command in regards to this gift. To the Christians in Thessalonica Paul writes…
1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 ESV
20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Here we’re given three commands. We’re commanded to not despise prophecies, to test everything, and to hold fast to what is good. So — not only are we to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts — especially that you may prophesy — we’re also commanded to not despise prophecies. Commands in the New Testament that would seem to make it clear that this was an important and beneficial gift to New Testament Christians. And — if beneficial to them — why wouldn’t it be beneficial to us today?
Some answer this question with, “Because we have a complete Bible now. That’s why we don’t need the gift of prophecy today.” After all, Paul did write…
1 Corinthians 13:8–10 ESV
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
Now — I will concede — Paul makes it clear that there will be a point in history when prophecies and tongues and knowledge will cease: when the perfect comes. And some claim that the completed Bible is what Paul means by the word “perfect” — which wasn’t finished when he wrote these words. But if we continue reading, Paul writes…
1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT
12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then — when the perfect comes — we’ll see face to face. Now we know in part but then — when the perfect comes — we’ll know things fully — or completely — just as God knows us fully and completely. That’s what Paul says.
So…question. If the Bible is the “perfect” that Paul is referring to — who among us believes they can explain — with perfect clarity — in fact as clearly as God perfectly knows each of us — everything to us? Because that’s what Paul says will happen when the perfect comes. Any takers? It sure seems like we still see things partially, doesn’t it?
Now let me be clear: I believe that the Bible is inerrant and infallible. That it is God-breathed and without error. And — as given by the Spirit to the original authors — is indeed perfect — Old and New Testaments.
But what Paul describes as the result of the “perfect” coming — to me at least — seems to indicate that he must have been referring to a different “perfect” — something else other than the Bible — or — I should say — Someone else. For I believe that what Paul is referring to is the second coming of Christ — the Perfect Son of God — who even shares the title Word of God with the Bible. For when he returns — we won’t need the gifts of prophecy or knowledge or tongues — because we’ll be able to speak face to face with Jesus. We also won’t need the gifts of evangelism, healing, or teaching — because we’ll be in the presence of Jesus. In fact — none of the spiritual gifts will be needed when Jesus returns — for — as Paul says — when the perfect comes we’ll all see things with perfect clarity.
Alright — so back to the gift of prophecy. Many verses ago we read the purpose of prophecy. Paul writes…
1 Corinthians 14:3 ESV
3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
So the New Testament gift of prophecy has a purpose. Like all other gifts it’s meant to strengthen the church — yet the particular way the gift of prophecy strengthens the church is by building up, encouraging, and providing comfort to God’s people. In the equip class I’ve been leading — we’ve looked at various spiritual gifts — including prophecy. And this verse on prophecy is usually a surprise to people in the class. Why? Because most people think of prophecy as something about knowing what’s going to happen in the future. And — to be clear — that is a part of the gift of prophecy. But — in the New Testament — foretelling — knowing the future — is less prominent than is forthtelling — speaking a strengthening, encouraging, comforting spontaneous word to other Christians to build them up in their faith.
Next week — we’ll look at this gift again. We’ll explore the differences between prophets in the Old and New Testaments. And we’ll spend time looking at how this gift can be beneficial for us today — even beneficial for those among us who aren’t Christians. But I want to end today’s sermon with a story. A personal story that happened a few months ago. A story I asked permission to share with you all as it involves someone who’s part of our faith family.
It was a normal Sunday afternoon and I was busy doing something “super holy”. I was checking to see who had won the Rogue Invitational — which is a CrossFit competition.
Anyway… I was doing this “super spiritual” activity when my wife came to the table and said, “Josh, I think you should come to the living room and pray with us.” The “us” was her and another woman who was over at our house. The visitor had been having a rough ten days with a depression like she’d never experienced before. She had no idea why she was experiencing it. My wife invited me over because she knows that — for reasons only the Spirit of God knows — at times I hear from him in situations like this. So I asked a few questions. “Did you do anything recently, change any behaviors or medications — questions like these…” to try and see if there was something that caused the start of her depression.
Nothing.
My wife and I asked a few other questions and discovered a few things to pray for. I led the time of prayer — modeling for her a prayer of repentance for something she’d done years ago. I prayed a blessing over her because of some experiences she’d witnessed as a kid. And then I didn’t know what to pray next.
So I paused.
Clark.
That’s what came to my mind.
A name.
Clark.
And — I kid you not — here’s what I thought.
“I recently watched the documentary on John Williams. John Williams wrote the score for the Superman movie. Clark Kent is Superman. So that must be why the name Clark popped into my head. Oh boy. Now things could get weird. Do I mention the name Clark to her or not?”
All of these thoughts went through my head in seconds. And now you’re going to be super impressed with the faith of your pastor.
I said, “Does the name Clark or the word clerk mean anything to you?” I threw in “clerk” because I was too nervous to only go with Clark. I didn’t want to look any more odd than where this was already headed.
She said, “Clerk doesn’t mean anything, but Clark. I haven’t thought of that name in years.”
At this point, I apologized to her, my wife, and to God. I knew that Clark was what I heard, but I was too much of a coward to just say it. So I threw in “clerk” as if it would strengthen the odds of me not looking like a fool. Oh ye of little faith…
It turns out that Clark had done some really bad things to her years ago. So we prayed. She let go of the power Clark had on her and — in her words — “Was able to take a deep breath for the first time in a long time.”
She didn’t know what God had in store for her that day. I didn’t either. I was busy doing other “super holy” stuff. Thankfully my wife was paying attention. And she knew that God — for reasons only he knows — speaks to me in this way at times for the good of others. To strengthen them. To encourage them. To comfort them. To help them take a deep breath for the first time in a long time. And I’m not the only one among us who — I believe — the Spirit has equipped and empowered with this gift for the benefit of our congregation. A benefit we will experience only if we — as a church — pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts — especially that we may prophesy. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, today we’ve learned what it means for your ways to not be our ways. Why give us your written Word and then speak to us in other ways? It’s not what we would do — your ways are not our ways.
Holy Spirit, you’re the giver of these spiritual gifts. You choose how to equip and empower your people so that we’re strengthened and built up in the faith. And you’ve given us the Bible to help us understand what your spiritual gifts are and how they’re to be used for our benefit, to reach the world, and to make our Savior look glorious. We submit ourselves to you — empower and equip us with your gifts as you see fit.
And — Jesus — to you our Savior. You fulfilled everything the prophets of old foretold about you. Including what they foresaw about your sacrificial death on a cross. A sacrifice that is the reason why we have hope of new life — an empowered life — an equipped life — a Spirit-filled life to be lived for your glory.
Father, thank you for the gift of salvation made possible because of the life, death, and resurrection of your Son who — with you — has sent the Holy Spirit to live in, equip, and empower us as your people. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
One way that we celebrate and feast on the good news of knowing that we have eternal life is by participating in communion as a congregation. Communion is a time of remembrance, but it’s even more than that for a follower of Jesus. Communion is the good news. It’s the gospel. It’s a communication of the power of God as displayed in the sacrifice of Jesus. Communion is the gospel not written down or spoken in words, but it’s the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection in a different form.
The bread and the cup. His body and his blood. Wounded for us. Pierced for us. Beaten for us. Bloodied for us. Humbling us by reminding us of the death that we deserve. Yet stirring joy in us as we feast on the reward of grace that we don’t deserve, but are able to experience because of our Heavenly Father’s love for us.
The apostle Paul writes it this way in 1 Corinthians chapter 11:23-26.
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
With these words Christ has commanded all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup in true faith and in the confident hope of his return in glory.
This is a meal for Christians — and all Christians are welcome to take communion with us. However we must remember the warning that Paul gives us.
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
A person who participates in communion while knowingly, blatantly, and unrepentantly rebelling against God’s commands participates in an unworthy manner. Paul says that they drink judgment on themselves. God takes his gift of love to us seriously — for his gift was the sacrifice of his Perfect Son — thus we’re to take God’s gift of love seriously too. So let’s take a moment to examine our lives for present sins that need to be repented of.
- moment of silence -
Please join me by praying the confession that’s on the screens.
Congregational Confession: Holy God, you have seen our troubles; you have heard our thoughts; you know our inward and outward pain. Help us see where we have not been humble. Guide us in confessing where we have been sinful. Lead us through every time of testing and keep us from temptation, that we may rely solely on you to prove us in the faith we have been given in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord has heard our voice. And he has promised that no one who believes in Jesus Christ will be put to shame. Why? Because the Lord is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Know and rest in the assurance that, in Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
At this time, I’d like to invite forward those who are going to be serving us. And — while they make their way forward — know that as the bread and cup are passed down your rows, you’re to take the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll drink together. Also — in the trays with the bread — there’s a gluten free option in the center of the tray. Eat the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll drink together.
The word of the Lord.
Matthew 26:59–68 NLT
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!” 67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Let’s pray. Father, we acknowledge that you are holy and majestic — and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. In Jesus, your Word became flesh and dwelt among us — he was full of grace and truth. He lived as one of us, knowing joy and sorrow. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, opened blind eyes, and broke bread with outcasts and sinners. Dying on the cross, he gave himself for the life of the world. Raised from the grave, he won for us victory over death. We praise you that Christ now reigns with you and will come again to make all things new. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Pursue love — and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts — especially that you may prophesy. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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