1 Corinthians 12:12-31 We Are The Body Of Christ
Intro We have noted in our study of 1 Corinthians
that one of the pivotal & fundamental problems in the Church at Corinth is
that they had taken their eyes off of Jesus Christ - Lost sight of Christ
A) RESULTING IN VARIOUS PROBLEMS : Focused on man and not on the Lord “I’m of… Caught up in Carnality – Allowing Carnality
B) Majoring on Minors
– Issues of Christian Liberty & their abuses
1)
They were Abusing the Lord’s table
2)
ABUSING THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
C) What is interesting is that in his attempt
to correct each one of these problems, Paul brings them back to Christ -
Preach Christ / Joining Christ – Body is temple
1)
And the current problem we are dealing with – abuse of the gifts of the
Spirit is no EXCEPTION.
In the middle of this
discussion on the gifts of the Holy Spirit & their place & function in
the Church – Paul wants them to remember what they are in Christ – A BODY –
Body Of Christ
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNCTIONING IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST
We will look at the first part of this tonight! The importance of remembering we are the
BODY OF CHRIST. Read Verses 12-31
Now Paul begins making a statement in verse 12 that is going to set up this illustration that he is about to give – how church functions
12 For as the body
is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body, so also is Christ.
NLT 12 The human body has many parts, but the many
parts make up only one body. So it is
with the body of Christ.
The human body is an
amazing Creation – One thing that fascinates me – is the study of Human
anatomy.
A) It is amazing the way that we have been put
together / I love statistics like these / in a 24 hr. period your heart beats
103,689 times
B) Your blood travels 168 million miles /
equivalent of 6,720 times around the world ! /
1) You breathe 23,040 times / You inhale
438 cubic feet of air
2) You speak 4,800 words / You move 750
muscles / You exercise 7 million brain cells
C) The body is a masterpiece / Beautifully
“engineered,” it is governed by several hundred systems of control -
1)
each interacting with and affecting the other.
D) The brain has 10 billion nerve cells to
record what a person sees and hears. / His skin has more than 2 million tiny
sweat glands
1) – about 3000 per square inch – all part
of the intricate system which keeps the body at an even temperature
d) Senses smell meat / cookies / perfume /
taste Denny’s / touch / hear - music
E) You could go on and on in talking about the
intricate way the human body has been designed ! / work of art / incredible
wisdom !
F) Many parts – various functions – all
radically important!!
When I meet someone who denies the existence of God One thing I like to do is engage them in a
conversation about human body
A) The design definitely points to a
designer (Cars today complicated)
1) Don’t
even compare to our human bodies!
Yes, it is amazing how the Lord has designed our human
bodies but what is equally amazing is His design of
The Church!
A)
Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
– Paul declares we in Christ are a body – Body that has many – members &
functions / like the human body
B) Understand the Church is not a building or an
organization but a living organism!
1)
Not just a collection of parts – assembly line / but a body designed
formed and fitted together by the Lord Himself!
C) And within the body there is Unity – Many members in one body - /
Christ is the Head / Also Diversity
– all members have different Functions / giftings
Now the next thing that Paul does is He
Proceeds to tell how we become a part of this body ! Exactly what it means to be a Christian.
A) 13 For
by one ‘Spirit we were all baptized into one body; whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
B) Now Paul is speaking here about conversion
& what happens when a person gives their life to the Lord – BAPTIZED INTO
THE BODY OF….
C) Now this shouldn’t be confused with the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit – although it is used at times as a proof text for
those who deny a 2nd work /
1)
Some say – get it all at once – (True in some cases – Cornelius)
D) Bible clearly teaches a subsequent works –
of Holy Spirit in a person’s life
Jesus
made this very clear in John 14:16,17 (Turn & set scene)
Last supper – washed
feet – I’m leaving
NLT And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never
leave you.
17 He is the Holy
Spirit , who leads into all truth. The
world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t
recognize him. But you do, because he
lives with you now and later will be in you.
Here Jesus uses 2 different words to describe – ministry of
the Spirit. With & IN
A) He was with them because he was with Jesus / Before saved with us convicting of sin-drawing us to Christ.
B) Once
saved – New relationship – Moves from being – with us to living inside of us –
INDWELT BY HOLY SPIRIT.
1)
This indwelling of the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of as a near future
event occurred in the lives of the disciples in John 20
C) Where
we read in verse 22 after the resurrection – Saw resurrected Lord –
Breathed & said Receive ye Holy
Spirit – Jesus says receive you do - CONVERSION
D) Now when we are born again the Holy Spirit
in us / but we are also placed in Christ – meant by phrase – BAPTIZED INTO ONE
BODY à In Christ – part of Body
But there is a 3rd aspect of the ministry of the
Holy Spirit that JESUS Spoke of
Acts chapter 1:4 4 And
being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you
heard from Me;
5 “for John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
8 “But you shall
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Now this is
where our attention to the terminology is so important
A) Jesus declares that they were going to baptized with the Spirit / that the Holy Spirit was going to come upon them. New word
B) So Note in 1 Corinthians 12:13 speaking of
conversion – Paul says we were baptized by
the Spirit into the body
1)
But here in Acts chapter 1 JESUS says they were going to be baptized with the Spirit / the Spirit was going
to come upon them to empower them.
C) The difference is this – important to see –
Baptized = immersed by the Spirit
into the body of Christ
1)
But we are Baptized or immersed or filled to overflowing with the Spirit
resulting power by Jesus
– John the Baptist makes it very clear Matthew 3:11
“I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is
mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.
D) Paul’s life is also example subsequent work
(2nd work) – saved on the road to Damascus – Baptized in water &
with Spirit - Ananias
1)
Acts 19 have you received Spirit since you believed?
E) Further insight – Ephesians 5:18 Be continually being filled….
So there in 1
Corinthians 12:13 Paul is referring to what happens at Conversion – we are
baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit / One body ….
A) That
is what the church is, It is not just a group of religious people
gathered together to enjoy certain functions.
B) It is a group of people who share the same
life, who belong to the same Lord, who are filled with the same Spirit, &
given gifts by that same Spirit !!!!
1) and who are intended to function
together to change the world by the Spirit’s power!! That is the work of the
church.
C)
The apostle goes on in the next few verses to make this crystal clear by
explaining to us just how this works.
D)
He describes how the body functions, & in
doing so he deals with 3 major problems, 3 mental attitudes that often come up
in the Church.
E) He describes how the body functions, and in
doing so he deals with 3 major problems,
3 mental attitudes that often come up in the Church.
The
first one is the feeling of insignificance.
A) I wonder how many
people here have said to themselves or felt at one time, “I
love to come to church but I don’t feel there is anything I can do. I can’t contribute to the work of the church
because I don’t have any abilities.
Others know so much more than I.”
B) Paul deals with that very attitude here
!! Verses 14-20
C) Paul says that if the foot were to say – I
can’t do what the hand can do – I can’t wiggle my toes like the hand does the
fingers
1)
Therefore I don’t belong to the body
D) Not True – couldn’t walk or stand -
Thumb – short &
pudgy – not like other fingers –
A) Couldn’t grab things / write etc
B) There is no insignificant part of the body –
[Big toe] – couldn’t stand
C) So too there is
no insignificant part of the Body of Christ
PART
OF THE PROBLEM
A) We have the wrong idea of what work of the
church is, and this is why people begin to feel this way.
B) There are many today who have the concept
that the real work of the church is getting together and having a great meeting
on Sundays / Wednesday.
1)
where we come together and enjoy learning from the Scriptures and
fellowshipping with one another. – Work of Church – Function of Body
C) And, as this concept goes, people who lead
these meetings have certain gifts. They
are the Ministers
!)
They have to keep everything in order etc. So others in the congregation look at them and say, “That
is the work of the church. I can’t do
any of those things, therefore I really have no part to play in the church.”
D) The reality is that what we do here on
Sunday & Wednesday is just a small part of what the Church is all about..
See, the Church is
made up of many members with different Gifts & functions and callings – The
Lord wants to use us in the WORLD!!! – Team Evangelism Prayer:
E) So what we do here is merely to be an
encouraging & equipping time for this body to be effective as Salt &
Light in the World.
1)
This is merely part of the training program.
F) Now if that is your mindset, there is
definitely something – for everyone /
REALIZE
NO ONE IS INSIGNIFICANT / YOU HAVE BEEN GIFTED & PLACED IN THE
BODY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE EXACT PURPOSE HE DESIRES OR AS VERSE 18 “just as HE PLEASED!!!!”
You have a place that pleases Him!!
A) All different / gifted differently by Design – what if all an EYE – no hearing - Gross
1)
When you are fulfilling your role – Lord is pleased!!
B) Youth Pastor –
Football – Eyeball - gross
C) Imagine all Preachers – Chaos / or all
worship leaders / helps -
Now
the 2nd problem Paul deals with that surfaces in a church, is an
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT verse 21
A) Eye can’t say …….
A)
No Lone Rangers in the Body – One
dimensional – You remove yourself – We are affected!!- (Hebrews
10:24,25 Don’t forsake the
assembling..)
3rd
PROBLEM – ESTEEMING ONE GIFT ABOVE ANOTHER VERSE 22-25
A)
Our Problem – we esteem gifts – that are the most out in the open /
Think those presentable as the ones that are the most important
B) The ones that are less visible as less
important – note those which seem weaker – that is our problem
1)
Not weaker but seem weaker à emphasis is on what we can see -
C) Take human body – HEART IS NOT PRESENTABLE –
BUT CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT.
1)
I could live without an Arm / Leg / Finger / eye / all presentable parts
D) But not a Heart / not a brain -
(Same true in body of Christ)
In
the Body of Christ – Heart – Prayer warriors
/ Brain – gift of Govt. Nerves -
Helps
A) We would be
nowhere without those gifts
B) So the focus is not the gifts but the Body –
Christ
is the Head!!! – functioning properly so that Christ is exalted &
magnified
Now Paul
finishes up this section by giving us some final thoughts & insights into
how we are a body
26 And if one member suffers, all the
members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice
with it.
A)
Notice
that he does not say all “should” suffer with it, or all “should” be honored
together. He
says they actually are.
a)
Whether you realize it or not part of the body suffers – other part
affected – lose hand – affects rest of me.
B) Say Christian in the Limelight – is found to
be in Sin – guess what we all suffer – we grieve / also affects our witness
1)
It affects our witness & Testimony -
C) That is why I say – living in sin / bad
witness / lousy worker / don’t even call yourself a Christian - / affects me
A) But
if a Christian is honored – makes the rest of us look good too! We benefit
Billy Graham: Jimmy Swaggart
Verses 27-31
26 Now you are the body of Christ, and
members individually.
27 And God has appointed these in the
church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles,
then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
28 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all
workers of miracles?
29 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak in tongues? So all interpret? (Rhetorical
Question & the Indication here is – No )
30 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way
THREE
final thoughts
A) 1st
Best gifts? Which ones? What ever the need is at that moment
B)2nd –
GIFTS MENTIONED HERE ARE NOT PERMANENT / WITH EXCEPTION OF TONGUES
C) Given by the Spirit at specific time &
need – (Moved in all of them)
1) Romans 12 more permanent in nature
D) 3rd – MORE EXCELLENT WAY !!!! LOVE OF CHRIST
BODY OF CHRIST
LOVE OF CHRIST