SERMON TITLE: Gifts of the Spirit: Teaching
SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:4-8 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 3-23-25
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 — 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 mini-series in Romans this weekend — taking a look at the spiritual gifts that Paul mentions in his letter. And we’re taking time to explore spiritual gifts so we all understand what these gifts are and how they’re beneficial to our faith family. Now the purpose of the spiritual gifts is something I have and will continue to remind us 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 (or saving) mission to the world. - Lexham Survey of Theology
Here’s what Paul says about the gifts — in Romans chapter twelve — beginning in verse four.
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.
We took two weeks to explore the gift of prophecy and — last week — we looked at the gift of service. Which means that — today — we’ll look at the spiritual gift of teaching, which Paul mentions in verse seven when he writes…
Romans 12:7 ESV
7b the one who teaches, in his teaching;
So let’s begin by answering the question, “What is the gift of teaching?” Here’s the definition that I shared with you a few weeks ago.
Teaching - 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.
When we looked at the gift of prophecy I mentioned how some Christians say that prophecy and teaching are essentially the same gift — and I explained why I think this is a misinformed view of the two gifts. For prophecy is a spontaneous word brought to mind — whereas teaching includes studying the Bible so that it can be explained to others.
And — similar to other gifts we’ve looked at — teaching is something that — one — all Christians are to do — two — is associated with a leadership position — or office — in the church — and three — is a spiritual gift given to some in the church who will see greater results in their teaching.
Let’s look at how teaching is something that all Christians are to do. In some of his final words, Jesus said…
Matthew 28:19–20 ESV
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
If you’re newer to Gateway, this is where our mission statement comes from as a church. Gateway Church exists “to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ.” And this is why — to help you grow as a disciple of Jesus — we want you to worship, connect, serve, and go — because Jesus told us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” But notice what he said is part of the disciple-making process: We’re to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and we’re to teach — there’s our word — teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded.
This is called the Great Commission and — in many ways — this is the life purpose of every single follower of Jesus — not just collectively as the church — but individually as well. Which means we all have a responsibility to teach others what it means to follow Jesus. For example, Paul writes…
Titus 2:3–5 NLT
3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.
Older women are to teach younger women what is good — how to love their husbands and children, how to live wisely and in purity, and so on. I’m so thankful for women like Sherry Shultis and Annette Peverly who take verses like these seriously and lead Bible studies for women in our church.
But this teaching — that all Christians are to do — is also to take place in our homes — as husbands and wives teach each other to be more faithful followers of Jesus — or as we raise our children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord — a command given to all Christian parents. This can happen in informal moments — like meeting up for coffee with a friend to talk about life with Jesus over the past week. Or in more formal settings — like a scheduled Bible study at work. Regardless if we have the spiritual gift of teaching — we’re all commanded to teach others God’s Word.
Now — let’s look at the office — or leadership position — that’s associated with the gift.
A passage we’ve looked at frequently during this mini-series on spiritual gifts — is found in Ephesians where Paul writes…
Ephesians 4:11–12 NLT
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Biblical scholars debate whether or not four or five offices are being described here. The debate being whether or not pastors and teachers are two separate offices or one — that of pastor/teacher. The disagreement has to do with the original language — which we don’t need to get into right now because — regardless — there is an office associated with the teaching.
In another of his letters, Paul writes this about the office of overseer — also known as an elder or pastor.
1 Timothy 3:1–7 ESV
1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
About this list of elder qualifications — Bible scholar D.A. Carson has said that the list is, “Remarkable for being unremarkable.” Meaning the qualifying characteristics for elders are characteristics that should be present in the life of every Christian. In fact — the only characteristic that really sticks out is “able to teach” — though I’d be willing to concede “not being a recent convert” as well — for we don’t want leaders in the church to be new to the faith.
Last week I shared a bunch of ways individuals with the gift of serving are using their spiritual gift for God’s glory and all of our good. This week — I thought I’d share with you how your elders — in recognizing the requirement to be teachers of God’s Word as the elders of this church — do just what we should expect elders to do: to teach.
Two of your elders — Matt Heft and Justin Stiles — regularly teach in Kidway. Think about that: those who hold the highest office of spiritual leadership in our faith family make it a priority to teach some of the youngest people among us. And — not just on Sunday mornings — these two have been Bible teachers during VBS week as well.
You’ll find Kevin Snyder in the Attic teaching students God’s Word — the Attic is where our Middle Schoolers meet. Something that was an encouragement to me happened this past December when a group of elders — Ed Grable, Jim Tomlinson, Matt Buttermore, and Kevin — joined me in traveling two hours to where our Middle and High Schoolers were meeting for their annual youth retreat. Part of the retreat includes breakout sessions — where the students see how God’s Word relates to a variety of different topics. Half of your elders led some of these breakout sessions. The teens of Gateway were being taught God’s Word by the elders of our church.
Scott Sharpe and Terry Joliff taught our baptism class earlier this year. And — finally — unsurprisingly — some of the elders preach God’s Word to you on Sundays when I’m not preaching.
I hope hearing this brings encouragement to you — that your elders take seriously their responsibility to be teachers of God’s Word.
Now — as you’ve heard me say many times — having the spiritual gift of teaching doesn’t mean that one is automatically qualified for the leadership office associated with the gift. Yet — without the gift — someone isn’t qualified to be a pastor or elder in the church. For we see — in Scripture — that to be an elder or pastor — one must be able to teach God’s Word — and do so in a way that equips and builds up others who are part of the local church.
Paul makes this even more clear in his second letter to Timothy, where writes…
2 Timothy 2:2 NLT
2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Paul tells Timothy that he not only has the responsibility to obey what Paul has taught — and not only must he teach what Paul has taught — Timothy is to teach others who will teach what Paul has taught.
He tells Titus something similar when he writes…
Titus 1:5–11 NLT
5 I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. 8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. 10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money.
Paul tells both Timothy and Titus that they’re responsible for raising up the next generation of elders who will be teachers in the church. They’re to be trustworthy, blameless, faithful, not arrogant or quick-tempered, hospitable and so on. And — specific to the gift we’re looking at — elders must have a strong belief in what he’s been taught and are to encourage others with wholesome teaching as they show others — who oppose wholesome teaching and sound doctrine — where they’re wrong.
One final comment about this gift: This is a gift that one can grow in. Meaning — even though this is a spiritual gift — progress can be made in how good of a teacher you are. And I think this idea — of being able to grow in a spiritual gift — isn’t something that only applies to the gift of teaching — but is a principle that can be applied to all of the spiritual gifts. You’ve heard me say this before, but the sermons I preach today are way better than the first sermons I preached. Not because I didn’t have the spiritual gift of teaching back then — but because I’ve become a better teacher having preached for nearly twenty years.
Now — I’m thankful that we can bring in guest preachers who have years of preaching under their belts and thousands of sermons in their rearview mirrors — but — if we want to be a church that raises up the next generation of pastors — we must be willing to hear someone’s first sermon. And their second. And third. I tell folks you don’t really know if you’re called to preach until you’ve preached fifty sermons. Why fifty? Because by then either the study and preparation it takes to preach will be something you love or will be a burdensome chore. And those for which it’s a chore are not those who’ve been gifted and called.
So — thank you in advance — for being a church that’s so Kingdom-minded — that you’re willing to sit through some sermons of the next generation of pastors that aren’t as good as John Piper or Matt Chandler or pick your favorite preacher — and even more so — thank you for encouraging those who are — in a very public way — wanting to grow in their gift so that the church of tomorrow will be blessed with pastors and teachers who are able to pass on the truths of our Christian faith to the generation that comes after them.
Now — to wrap up this look at the spiritual gift of teaching — I want us to look at a warning in the Bible to those who teach and a few warnings to those who are taught. Some warnings for all of us — teachers or not.
First, a warning to those who teach. This is from Jesus’ younger brother, James.
James 3:1–12 NLT
1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
Those who teach will be judged more strictly — there’s the warning. James goes on to demonstrate how the tongue — meaning our words — are unmatched in all of creation in a very bad way. James says that freshwater springs produce freshwater — just like they’re supposed to. Fig trees produce figs — grape vines produce grapes. And then there’s our tongues — our mouths — our words — which God created to speak words of praise to him. Yet from our mouths come both praise of God and cursing of people made in his image. And — like a small spark that sets a forest ablaze — our words can set our world on fire. And — according to James — this metaphorical fire is straight from hell.
So — those of us who teach — are going to be judged by God more strictly. We’ll be held accountable for every word that comes out of our mouth. A warning to those who preach and to Kidway Life Group leaders. A warning for our elders and those who teach our youth. A warning to all who teach in the church.
Jesus said something similar when he said…
Matthew 12:35–37 ESV
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The words we speak — for good or for evil — reveal the condition of our heart — what it loves most. And — to be clear — Jesus is speaking about all of us. Yes, teachers will be judged more strictly — but all of us will be judged because we’re all called to teach others in a general sense. Thus, the goal for every Christian should be an increased love for God in their heart so that what pours out of their mouths is God-honoring words — because this is why our mouths were created.
What kinds of words come out of your mouth? Words that honor God or words that you’ll be judged for? Words that make you a hypocrite or words that demonstrate that Jesus is your joy and greatest delight? Back in January — when Matt Heft — one of our elders — preached — he had a sponge up on stage and used it to illustrate that whatever we soak in will eventually get squeezed out of us. In response to the point Matt made, I added this to my list of life resolutions.
Pursue Christ in such a way that when life squeezes me (either by God’s hand or the world’s), godliness is what comes out of me.
Many things may come out of me when life squeezes me — including physical and emotional responses — but what definitely comes out are words.
When life squeezes you — frustrates you — when everything seems to be against you — what words do you speak? No excuses, Jesus says. Either they honor him or they’re words from hell.
Now — some warnings to us who are taught — for we’re all taught by others. The apostle Peter writes this.
2 Peter 2:1–3 ESV
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Just as false prophets rose up among the people in the Old Testament — Peters says that in our day false teachers will rise up among us. First, I find it interesting that Peter doesn’t compare false prophets with false prophets. Instead it’s false prophets then — with false teachers now. Though false prophets can and do exist today — the greater danger for God’s people are false teachers. Those who secretly bring in heresies that destroy those who believe them — false teachings that lead people away from Christ. These false teachers will exploit others even as they teach them exactly what they want to hear. Yet God is not blind or sitting idly by — their destruction is coming.
About these false teachers — a few verses later — Peter writes…
2 Peter 2:9–10 NLT
9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. 10 He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.
False teachers have some common identifiers that — if we’re watchful — we’ll notice and not be duped by their false teaching. They’ll be twisted in their sexual desire — meaning they’ll go against God’s clear teaching on sexuality in his Word. They’ll despise authority. They’ll be proud and arrogant and so on.
Now — to be sure — just because someone is proud doesn’t mean they’re a false teacher — they may just need to repent — but false teachers refuse to repent when called out for their sin. They’ll justify, make excuses, not admit to having made a mistake, and will scoff and despise those in authority. Thus those who are taught by others must be watchful and careful as to who we let teach us.
Peter continues his warning about false teachers with…
2 Peter 2:17–22 NLT
17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. 18 They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. 19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 20 And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. 21 It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. 22 They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”
One of the most dangerous things about false teachers is how deceptive they are. Even when they’ve clearly been revealed to be nothing more than speakers of hot air and false teaching — they’ll still lure people into believing their lies and deception. They’ll promise freedom — they’ll point to true Christianity and call it slavery — or lifeless — or say that only they have the secrets to spiritual power or insights into the Bible that no one else has discovered — and will enslave all who believe their teaching. Peter even warns that some who believe the gospel will be led astray by such teachers. So be watchful — know God’s Word — don’t get complacent — for false teachers write books, are on YouTube, and have many followers on social media.
And — finally — about these false teachers Peter writes…
2 Peter 3:15–18 NLT
15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. 17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
What a hopeful reminder — God is patient with us. He’s giving us — and others — time to be saved, to repent, to be corrected, and so on. But the warning is that false teachers will use God’s Word to spread their false teaching. Though there are false teachers who don’t claim to be followers of Jesus — the greater danger are the false teachers who twist God’s Word to say things it doesn’t. Peter says false teachers did it with Paul’s writings in his day — and false teachers continue to do so in our day.
This is why we must be discerning and so know God’s Word that we can spot when it’s being twisted by false teachers. “Well how will I know if someone’s a false teacher or someone who simply made a mistake in what they taught?” Repentance. Even the best of us with the spiritual gift of teaching are not perfect. Thus, when we teach something not true or inaccurate — we will repent. We’ll respond to those who disagree with us with humility — just as — with humility — we should approach those when we think they’ve made a mistake in their teaching.
But false teachers will not repent — for they do no wrong — at least that’s what they think. That’s why repentance is key in recognizing if someone simply made a mistake or is intentionally trying to lead others on a path of destruction.
I want to leave you with a final word Paul wrote to Timothy. Timothy was a young man pastoring the church in Ephesus. He was mentored by Paul — he’s one of the faithful men Paul had handed off the truths of our faith to. This is what he told Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 NLT
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
Gateway, may we always remain faithful to the things we’ve been taught. And though our ears may itch from time to time — may we so long for sound and wholesome teaching that we recognize false teaching when we hear it. And may we remain committed to teaching others the Good News — the gospel of Jesus Christ — as we carry out the ministry and mission that God’s given us. Let’s pray.
Gracious Father, thank you for those you’ve called to be teachers of your people. For through them — and the Spirit’s work in them — we better understand who you are, who we are, what Jesus has accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection, and the hope we have because of our faith in him.
Spirit, Thank you for those you’ve already called, equipped, and empowered with the gift of teaching. We ask you to empower more among us who are spiritually gifted to teach our children. To teach our teens. To teach our men. To teach our women. To teach our teachers.
And — Jesus — our desire is to obey the mission that you gave to your church. To go and make disciples of all nations — baptizing and teaching them. This is our purpose. This is why we exist. Not just as a church — but as individual followers of you. Help us to confidently step into this calling to which you’ve called us. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
May you go with grateful hearts for the teachers of God’s Word among us. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
Stories, news, and resources for things happening at Gateway Church.
