Transcription
Oh, that's not embarrassing, man. Alright, here we go. I'm so sorry. Oh, if it's just so awkward, man. See, sometimes, like randomly, sometimes my body parts don't work like they're supposed to. I don't know if that's ever happened to y'all. In 32, so here we are. But man, forget it, like, got to make it happen regardless because the people came to hear the word of God, and that's what y'all gonna get. So I love participation. We're gonna duel or something.
So imagine y'all here represent the world, people that do not know Christ. And for those of you that may be watching livestream, you represent the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. I, and my clumsiness, represents the church. How many of you would say, man, I want to be a part of that body? For you livestream, how many of you would say, good night, look at God's manifold, multifaceted, multicolored wisdom? Probably none of us. But the reality is, if we're not careful, that, that I just did, that's our church. That will become our church. See, we're stricken with the sins of selfishness, pride, and comparing ourselves with others. But Paul says this should not be.
And so, if you could turn in your Bibles, 1st Corinthians chapter 12, be in verses 12 through 26. We have an issue. And while our church looks like what I did coming up to these stairs, we say, "Oh, no, don't worry about it. Come join our church. We're also, we're fabulous. We really love each other. Oh, man, we really did that well. We glorify God in our efforts." But you have body members that are hurt. You have body members that don't want to participate. You have other members that say, "You know what? If you don't, I don't care." We still have to make things happen. May this not be 1st Corinthians chapter 12, verses 12 through 26. It reads this way, says, "For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body, so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Indeed, the body is not one part, but many. If the foot should say, 'Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body,' it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body,' it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. Verse 17, if the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you.' Or again, the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you.' On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe with greater honor. And our unrespectable parts, they are treated with greater respect. Which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, and that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the opportunity to gather under your word in your name. Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit will convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment. I pray, Father, that you would give us here ears to hear. And I pray for those of us who have ears, maybe hear the measure which we use. Father, our prayer will be measured back to us, and we would produce some fruit, some 30, 60, hundredfold. Father, have your way in this place. While you be glorified and your saints be edified, we thank you. We love you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen.
So we have a situation right here where Paul has been dealing with the Corinthian church for a while. They've been a very divisive group of people. If you go to a church named Corinth, it's okay, there's redemption, but they have been divisive. And they've been divisive over a few things. And we'll see a few of those in this text. One about gifts, they really champion being able to speak in tongues. And I know a lot of our Southern Baptists like to do that as well. Another thing they struggled with was the social status of others. And Paul talks to them and says, "Man, this should not be. It's causing division in the church." But there's something that God desires to do. See, if you haven't listened last week to Dr. Locke's message, he talks about this mystery that God had given. And he desires for the church to allow his manifold, multifaceted, multicolored wisdom to be known, not just to the world, but to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. Paul says in the beginning of this chapter, "I do not want you to be ignorant concerning spiritual matters." We love to say gifts. Paul's talking about a lot more than simply gifts. And so Paul, he teaches us how we can be one body with many members. He addresses a few things. One, he talks about how we ought to know the source of our origin. He then tells us that we need to have a sense of self-respect, meaning the way in which God has made us and how he has gifted us. Then he tells us we need to combat our superior complex. And then he gives us the solution, which is by God's design.
So let's look back into the text, verse 12 and 13. "For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body, so also is Christ." He lets the brothers and sisters know immediately, you being one is representative of how Christ is one. There is no division. This is not the first time Paul has talked to them about this. Just as the body has many parts, but it's one body, that's the same thing with Christ. And so he uses a human illustration to get the point across because the spiritual matters, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did this often. He spoke in parables, but he did so to meet people where they were. And knowing that earlier in the book of Corinthians, these saints would live carnally, Paul wanted to use a human analogy to get the point across. And so he says, the way in which we are, it's the same thing with Christ. But look at verse 13. "This is for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." Now, I want to make very clear, because I know some like to take this and say, "This is the reason why there needs to be a spiritual baptism, and if you will, you need to speak in tongues." Paul is not advocating for that. Matter of fact, he says, "The reality is, we all." So for those of us who have put our trust, hope, and faith in Jesus, we have been baptized by the Spirit into one body. Paul said in Ephesians, as he's talking about all the blessings that God has given us in the heavenly places, he says, "We should praise God." And one of the reasons why we should praise him is because he's given us His Holy Spirit, His being, He's given us Himself as a down payment of our inheritance. Praise God, He's given us Himself. And the reason why He gave us Himself, I wish we could spend some time back in Deuteronomy chapter 29 and 30, the covenant beside the covenant. We don't have the time, but the reality is, the Ten Commandments, as we know them, will not afford for you to be able to obey God. The law will not do that. So God said, in His goodness, "I'm going to give you another covenant beside the covenant." And in that covenant, "I'm going to circumcise your heart." Other prophets said, "He will give you His Spirit." And in so doing, you will be able to one, love God the way in which He wants you to, and two, you'll be able to obey Him. It's all from Him. All from Him.
He even goes in verse four. He says, "In dealing with these spiritual matters of spiritual gifts, listen to what he says." He speaks. So our triune God is so good. He says, "Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries or services, but the same Lord. And then he goes on to say, 'And there are different effects or results, but the same God who works all this out.'" God is the one who produces each gift in each person. So as he speaks to the Spirit, the Son, and the Father, Paul has given us an understanding. Each one of you have been given gifts. And this gift that God has given you by His Spirit is for the common good of all. Not only that, there are many different ministries or services in which the manifestation of your gifting can be seen. A lot of times we get caught up on, "And I got to be this." God has called me to serve in this way because this service is what's gonna give Him much and most glory for me. No, no, no, no. God has gifted you to where you can serve in many different ways. And the reality is, in whichever way you do serve, the manifestation of that gift is gonna find itself, it's gonna show itself to the others. When we say, "I have the gift of teaching," well, some teach theology, some teach preaching, some teach missions, some teach in the church, some teach seventh grade. At some tea, there's many different ways in which you can serve in teaching. But the teaching comes out because God has gifted you that way. The service is, there's no greater example, no greater leader than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who did not come to be served, but He came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. He lets us know how we ought to serve. And for those of us who like to count the results, the success, let me tell you something, that's not yours, that's God's. Paul said, "I plant, Apollos waters, but who brings the increase? God does." You just be faithful in the way in which you've been gifted by God, serve the body, and allow God to have the results.
So he speaks to us in this way. This baptism that we have by the Spirit into one body. He speaks about two specific kinds of groups of people. One group is ethnic understanding of people. Once again, if you did not hear the message last week, I encourage you, this is the second time I'm telling you, you should hear that message. Dr. Lach preached last week. The mystery is not about that Greeks and Jews were able to come together, but that they were co-heirs. He also speaks to the socioeconomic status of people. It doesn't matter if you were a slave or you're free. If you are free, if you a mouse like or you worked for the man, it doesn't matter. You are on the same playing field. God has put you in His body the way in which He desired and He's gifted you the way in which He wants you to be gifted so that your giftings can edify the church. This is the body in which we've been given. We've been baptized into. We've been adopted into. And this is a spiritual matter. For those that are in the world that don't know Him, and also the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, who man has been made for Tom, lower than them, they desire to look into these things. Is to say, "How in the world can you take all these different kind of people, bring them together in true unity and love, and allow them to let Your manifold wisdom known to the church?"
So Paul speaks about our origin. He also talks to us about the fact that we need to have a sense of self-respect. And this is in light of how God has gifted us. Look at verse 15. "If the foot should say, 'Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body,' it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the ear should say, 'Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body,' it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted." The text is very plain, but we got to talk about how this manifests itself in the church. For those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ, Paul has already said, "You all have been gifted." So when you find yourself in a local expression of this body, please do not, please do not act as though you can only sit on the sidelines because you have nothing to offer. God has given you Himself. With that being the case, what God has given you is beneficial for everybody. And as I came up here, my foot acted like you don't want to work. You see how that affects the body? Family, we must serve. And it's really good that Paul, he's not even talking about the gifting, he's talking about people. One member says to another member, "Dag, ain't like you." So since that's the case, maybe I don't, I don't, I don't think I can really do this. I had some folks at service, Richland Creek College Ministry. And the reality is, I want to see all of them in the groups, right? So I started asking people, "Hey, man, would you come and help serve like this? We want to really walk through Bible study, hold people accountable, love people." Like, that's all we need, three, four, five people. Four is too much. But this is what we need. I said, "Well, by the way, I'm gonna ask Scott Pace to help out too." They said, "What? Who's Scott?" "Dr. Scott, you talked about the one who preached really, really good." They said, "Yeah. Now, if you ask him, then I'm not gonna have anybody. I actually have nothing to." They said, "This not be." God has gifted you tremendously. With Himself, respect the fact that God has gifted you. Don't neglect that. Don't pare that down. Don't say, "Oh, this is nothing." It's huge. And the reality is, the rest of the body is yearning for you to operate because we've all been given this one Spirit to drink. We need you.
And so we have some people that had this complex. Trust me, I tend to have this complex. How in the world, events, I love y'all. How will you ask me to preach after Dr. Scott Pace and Roger Locke? What am I not like them? But by God's grace, He said, "Boy, I want you up on that stage. I've given you a word to give to my people." So we have to have this sense of self-respect. But then there's another group of people that you have to combat this sense of superior complex that we struggle with. Now, when God is working through you and you're operating out of your gifts and you're flowing, people tend to see you and say, "Wow, look at so-and-so. Look at him. Look at her. God has really done some great things." And and we tend to start flowing in how we're gifting and and we tend to look at the rest of people and say, "Man, if you ain't doing it like me, you ain't doing it." You have people that are gifted as evangelists. Come on now. Missions. School. Be careful how you speak. Eli, Ben, if you ain't hitting the streets like I'm hitting these streets and seeing many people come to the kingdom of God, something wrong with you. We won't say this verbally, but maybe internally, we will say, "You know what? If you just get to the side, I can continue doing what God has called me to." Yes, we are supposed to be about the Great Commission. Yes, we were supposed to declare God's glory to the world. There are many people that do not know His name, that are dying and going to hell. But if you look at the statistics of the church, you got all these people coming in. Nobody wants to check out the back door. People dip in. Why is that? Let's evangelize them. Get them in. Make sure they're saved. Make sure we give that number to the cooperative program. Baptize them. Get that number there as well. But man, when they hear that here, just make them, make them pay some money, right? We need that cooperative program. And then as well, like, man, get, get to serving. They say, "Nobody cares about me." It's all gone. Combat your superior complex. Have mercy and grace with people. Love people where they are. If Christ was to dip for His disciples, though they did not get it many at times, He called them out. Where will we be? We have to work on this superior complex.
But then we get to the part where we really need to think through. There is a solution that God has given us. And this solution is by His design. His design. When we trusted in Christ, we received His Spirit. We received Him. We received gifts to edify the body. So you can't say, "Well, because I'm not like so-and-so, I can't be a part and I have nothing to offer." And you can't say, "Because y'all ain't doing it like me, I want you to move to the side." So then Paul says, "This is how it's supposed to be done." Look with me, verses 20 and following. "As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. I cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you.' Again, the hand can't say to the feet, 'I don't need you.' On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable." We talked about this a little bit. So we see in other texts of scripture. I'm married. I love my wife. She's strong, though, and I'm thankful for that. A Peter admonished his husbands. He says, "Let me tell you something, you need to live in an understanding way of your wife's weaker nature." And taking out of context and taking out of not understanding what it is, it's like, "Oh, yeah, she is kind of weak, you know, emotional and all this." No, no, no, no. Not Playboy. The reality is, she's like fine china, very valuable. And you can't just toss around as you would at harvest tumbler. Moving. You put certain things in a box. You say, "Fragile," which lets the movers know, "You better not drop this one." Because if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody gonna be. But there's other boxes. We just say, "Put in the kitchen." Tell us how to run all you want. Fellas, you are that service tumbler. Husbands, wives, you are the ones of the weaker nature. Don't take that wrongly. Fine china. So now let's take this to the body. Those parts that are weaker, indispensable, fine china. You take care of. You cover. You put in a cabinet. And probably don't use at all, maybe once a year. But you protect it. How many of you would say, "You know what, brain, I don't need you. I can make it on my own." Or veins, you really don't do me any good. Lungs, both of you, not just one. Y'all can go ahead and escape. If you don't take care of your vital internal organs, you will not survive. And so God says, "There are members in our church that are seemingly weaker, but they're indispensable." Then he goes on to talk about some other body parts. And those parts of the body, verse 23, that we consider less honorable, and we clothe these with greater honor. It's parts of the body that we like to say, "You know what, you need to protect that." Young lady, young man, some of y'all men walk around with chubby zone. Ain't nobody trying to see all that. But but but but here's the deal. As they interpret this and the commentators go through this, they talk about these reproductive organs that you cover. But if you don't have a desire to respect them, if you don't have a desire to keep them to where they can do what they are to do, how are you producing reproducing church? So these bodies, these parts that we think are an honorable, dishonorable, we clothe them with greater honor. Let's talk about this last body part. Glad that one was out of the way. Then we have our unrespectable parts, but they're treated with greater respect. Some of us have body parts that we typically just don't respect. Like, "Oh, that's just my whatever." "Oh, it really doesn't have much to offer." It is what it is. God says, "I clothe those with greater respect." Let's take this to the church. How we'll be quick to accept young people into the church. They trusted in Jesus. But when this young child or some that we say are gifted, but they're not really that well in their gifting, when they want to serve, it's like, "Just wait your time. Not now yet." I had an opportunity to develop your giftings, child. Haven't had an opportunity. Young Christians, who develop the gifts that God has given you. They don't develop them. God had given it to him. He got it all. Why not allow new believers who've been given the Spirit of God? Children, you'll be quick to accept them and put them on that count. Why not find a way for them to serve? Has nothing to do with their age or youth in the faith. God says, "I have gifted them with myself, and this is for your good." You see how God is in His economy? Man, we like to look at certain. But people would say, "You got it in those respective horse. They don't need that. Those are the flawed in their giftings, growing, if you will. Enough. They don't need that." Those that are trying to honor the Lord and serve you and respect them parts of the body that we think, "Oh, you seem a little weak." Yeah, see when they leave, how do things operate? Those parts of the body that seem to be an honorable, that we clothe with greater honor. Let them know, "You know what? We don't need you." Let me tell you how well, let me see how fast your church grows or if your church is growing at all, reproducing more disciples of Jesus Christ. God has done this for a reason. Paul says at the end of verse 24, he says, "Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable." And this is why, do not miss this, "so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other." We have a division problem in our church. And some of us are going about life and saying, "Man, I'm throwing them doing what God's calling me to do. I got time to mess with you." You may not say that verbally, but with your actions, you say, "There are people that just want to know, do you even care about me?" "Do you care?" "I want to leave this church because I felt you don't care about me." God put the body together the way in which He desired to put it together so there be no division. Don't you know when they tried to say Jesus cast out demons by demons, He went to say, "How can Satan be divided against himself? A house divided against itself will never stand. It will fall." Hello. If our church is not united, and it's not by man-made methods, this is a spiritual matter that God has already done. You just need to walk in it. If we are not united, we would never have a kingdom testimony. So the world that's looking on, let alone the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. He says, "I want you to have the same concern for each other." We like to have concern for those that we're close to. We like to have concern for those that we get along with. But that one brother that took me, he's a little weird. I don't know. Not according to God.
We finish with this verse 26. "So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." This is beautiful. This is some type language. Another place that Paul talks about this is in Ephesians chapter 5. Now, we like to when we do marriage counseling, say, "Husbands, you need to love your wife like Christ loved the church." And for you sisters, you need to submit to your husband, that's under Christ. Paul says something to the husbands that's really good for us to pay attention to when it comes to body life. He says, "For a husband that does not love or care for his wife, actually hates his own body." Check this out. We already know about this in Genesis. "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one." My brothers and sisters that are married, we understand this. Begin to think the same way your spouse thinks. Sometimes when your spouse is pregnant, you begin to hurt the way in which your spouse hurts as well. You desire to eat the way in which your spouse likes eating. Yeah, you're like, "How in the world does this happen?" There's a spiritual reality that's taking place. And God has used physical manifestations of this to communicate it. May those of you who have ears hear. When you have a brother or sister that is suffering, whatever the cause, "I struggle because of how I've seen this man killed on the street." "Nah, man, you tripping. Now, he shouldn't have done that." But I'm hurting. And you're supposed to be my brother, my sister. I need you here. When one suffers, we all suffer. God has put us together that way. We are one body with many different members. And when one is honored, we all rejoice.
Let me tell you something. I love these people. It's represented here at the college of ministry. My wife, my family, so many of y'all have come. Norlin was going to preach today. It's not just me up here, it's all of us. By God's grace, we are one. There is no human method that's gonna make that a reality. There's many different ones that have tried. That's champion around football. Let's get excited about spades. Let's get connected about in game. Whatever you name it. But when the 1.2 billion is already used up, when I reached that 500, when the last buzzer sounds, we go about our separate ways. There is no human method that would join us the way in which God has in His body. And as Dr. Locke said, it's a mystery that many different people with different statuses have been seen as one. And God takes it a step further. You are co-heirs with Christ. May we not fumble and stumble. But the reality is, fam, we will because we have not seen the second coming of our Lord and Savior. So here's the deal though. It kind of came off some kind of way, maybe her fool, whatever. Praise God for that. If you are convicted by the Spirit, you need to press in. But God gives us glimpses of His glory. We're a part of churches that God has allowed for us to really demonstrate this unity. God has allowed for us to be able to go across the big pond and see other brothers and sisters of the faith and be able to say, "My goodness, the Spirit that's in Nomura's, it resonates with the Spirit that's within you. You're like family." Family, la familia. I love you. Paul ends this by saying, "Look, you go ahead and pursue the greater gifts." And we ought to. God has gifted every one of us. But there's a certain way you should do so. And so we're going to get into chapter 13 and continue on on this plan. Pursue the gifts. Use the gifts. Understand that God putting us together this way is His doing. It's not ours. There's no strategic plan that we put together to get the people in our congregations that we. God knows what He's doing. Have a sense of self-respect by a way in which God has gifted you. For those of you who us, because I do it often, that struggle with the superior complex, man, we have to combat that. And know that the solution to this issue, so that we can be one body with many members, has to be that we had the same concern for one another. And out of our giftings, we operate in love. Paul told the Thessalonians, "Listen, I don't need to tell you again, it's or teach you about love because our Lord and Savior did it." No greater love is there than this, that a man would lay down his life for others. Jesus came and did that. And the beautiful thing is that He rose from the grave. And I'm so thankful for that. Man, he spoke truth. Doc, take. And he said that changed everything. It changed everything. Saints, maybe we wouldn't renew our minds, not being conformed to this world, but know how God has put us together. May we live as one body with many different members as we care for one another and as we love each other.
Let's pray. Father, you are good, which means there is no evil in you, none whatsoever. I thank you for this opportunity, Lord. I thank you for my brothers and sisters that are here. Holy Spirit, as you've convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment, may we pay attention. May we hear. May we respond and con and do something about it. We love you, Father. We thank you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.