Members of one another.
Notes
Transcript
Last week we continued our series moving into the external nature of what it means to be a Christian.
We began by looking at the one another command that all of the others rest upon.
Love one another.
Jesus said that this is the mark by which the world would know that we belong to Him.
It is the root from which every other Christian duty grows—serving one another, forgiving one another, bearing with one another, encouraging one another, and all the rest.
If we were to think of it as a tree, Christ is the roots.
He supplies the necessary nutrients to accomplish the acts.
Love is the trunk, and all of the other anothers are the branches.
After preaching last week’s sermon and reflecting on some of your honest feedback, I realized that, for some, the message may have come across as heavier than I intended.
I spoke clearly about the depth of Christ’s love for us and the call to love one another with that same sacrificial love.
That is biblical—and it is meant to be challenging.
But I also recognize that some may have walked away feeling that what Jesus asks of us is impossible… unattainable… maybe even discouraging.
If that was your experience, I want to say this plainly: the Christian life is not defined by perfection, but by direction.
Jesus does not command us to love one another so that we can prove ourselves worthy.
He commands it because He Himself is forming that love within us.
The love that Jesus calls us to is not something we produce by trying harder;
it is something the Spirit grows in us as we abide in Christ and receive His love again and again.
Our love will always be imperfect, but it can still be real.
And real, growing love is the evidence that God is at work in your life.
So this morning, as we continue this series, I want us to carry two truths at the same time.
First: Love for one another is the foundation of all Christian community and obedience.
Second: The God who commands this love is the God who supplies it.
This series is meant to call us upward—yes.
It should stretch us.
It should move us out of comfort and into Christlikeness.
But it is also meant to give us hope.
Jesus never asks us to do anything apart from His power, His presence, and His grace.
The same love that saved us is the love that sustains us as we learn day by day to love one another.
As we looked at in John 15, Jesus is the vine that we must abide in.
With that in mind, let us turn to our next passage together…
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
I. Distinctiveness in Diversity (1 Corinthians 12:12–18)
I. Distinctiveness in Diversity (1 Corinthians 12:12–18)
Paul gives a picture that every believer can understand: the church is like a human body.
In verse 12 he writes, “For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ.”
This is not a metaphor Paul uses lightly.
He means it.
The church does not simply resemble a body.
The church functions as a body.
Many members, one life.
Many parts, one purpose.
Paul is writing this in the context of people discovering and using the gifts that God has given them.
Using them rightfully and not selfishly as was seen in the previous chapter in how people in the Corinthian church had been celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
People had been using the fellowship meal in selfish ways, excluding others, drinking the the point of drunkeness, rather than as a time of fellowship and remembrance of what Jesus had done for them.
The instructions Paul is writing here are meant to apply to all areas of life.
That is why, as I mentioned, loving one another is the foundation for all of the other one anothers.
In verse 13 Paul tells us something that should cause us to pause.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
God Himself has taken people who would have never naturally gathered—
different backgrounds, different personalities, different experiences—and He has woven them into one living organism through the Holy Spirit.
The world divides people.
Christ unites them.
The significance of that cannot be missed.
Within the church, we come into contact with people we otherwise never would.
Paul continues in verse 14:
“For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”
Our culture pushes us towards independence.
The world says, “Stand alone. Do your own thing.”
Scripture says, “You belong to a larger whole.”
God never intended any Christian to be a solo act.
A single body part cannot survive on its own.
Neither can a believer.
Paul addresses the comparison trap in verses 15–16:
“If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.”
“And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body…’”
Two powerful truths emerge:
First, feeling out of place does not make you out of place.
Many Christians inwardly think, “I do not have much to offer. Others are more gifted. Others belong here more than I do.”
Paul says, “That is simply not true.”
You have something to offer, you have a place and role to play!
Second, comparing ourselves to others is spiritual poison.
The foot is not a failed hand.
The ear is not a defective eye.
When you compare your calling to someone else’s, you will either grow proud or discouraged.
Neither honors the Lord.
Paul asks a rather silly question in verse 17 to further show this truth.
“If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?”
If everyone had the same gift, the church would collapse.
If everyone had the same personality, the church would stagnate.
If everyone had the same calling, the mission of Christ would suffer.
Ultimately this is by God’s design.
Look with me at verse 18.
18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
Let that truth sit in your heart for a moment.
God arranged you in the Body.
God equipped you for a purpose.
God placed you exactly where He wants you.
Your design is intentional.
Your contribution is essential.
If you are on social media you have probable seen some of those reels - things I would say say to you as a doctor if I wasn’t afraid to offend you.
I feel I need to take one of those moments now.
Things I would say as your pastor if I was not afraid to offend you.
When I look at our body, I see places where the muscles have begun to atrophy.
An atrophied muscle is still part of the body, but it has grown weak from lack of use.
It is not gone.
It is not useless.
It is simply underdeveloped because it has not been exercised.
I want to speak specifically to the men of the church at this point.
Many of the ladies in our church do an awesome job, they are active and doing so much.
But with the exception of a few, many of the men in our body, I feel, are in a state of spiritual atrophy.
Here is the truth you need to hear today: God has designed you to be an essential part of this body.
Not optional.
Not secondary.
Essential.
And the very fact that you are here, and especially if you have committed to membership, God has assigned you a role.
The question is not whether you have a role, but whether you will step into it.
That muscle needs to get moving to regain strength.
Now, let me be clear.
I do not believe most men are sitting back because they are lazy or indifferent.
I believe most Christian men sit back because they do not know where to begin.
They fear overcommitting.
Or feel like they do not have much to offer.
As men, we also do not want to fail.
And so it feels safer to stay on the margins.
So let me take away the uncertainty.
Let me give you very simple, practical, biblical ways for you to begin exercising your part of the body.
Here are four starting steps:
Show up consistently.
Your presence strengthens this church more than you realize.
When men show up, families feel supported.
Younger believers gain models.
The Body gains stability.
Serve somewhere small and simple.
Choose one thing.
Just one.
Sign up and greet with your family.
Be the one to hold the door or hand out a bulletin.
When we take the offering, volunteer.
Check the coffee cups to make sure there are enough set out.
Check to see if the tables are chairs are set up for whatever is taking place next at the church.
Check in to see if there are any maintenance needs in the church.
Check in with one of our senior church members, even once a month.
Maybe there is a need in the community that you know of (firewood, lawncare?), grab another guy and tackle the project together.
None of these require expertise.
All of them strengthen the Body.
Pray with another man.
Prayer builds spiritual muscle like nothing else.
Ask one man, “Can we pray together before service once a month?”
That is it.
Start there.
Use your presence to encourage.
Every man can put a hand on a shoulder and speak life.
“I am glad you are here.”
“How can I pray for you this week?”
Encouragement is a biblical ministry.
And the church needs men who will choose to practice it.
Men, hear this in love: This church cannot be healthy without you.
Many of you do not step forward because you think you do not know enough, are not spiritual enough, or will not be good enough.
That is not how the Body of Christ works.
The body of Christ does not need superheroes.
The body of Christ needs men who will take one small step—one simple act of service, one moment of presence, one gesture of encouragement.
Christ has placed you in this Body on purpose.
God has placed you here not to watch the Body function, but to help it function.
So your next step is not to do everything.
Your next step is to do one thing.”
Not to add another things to your to-do list.
We all have enough to do.
But do one thing to prioritize your relationship with Christ.
When one part suffers, all suffer.
When one part strengthens, all strengthen.
So I do not mean for this to be a word of condemnation.
But rather a word of invitation.
God has more for you, more for your walk with Him, more for your growth, and more for your usefulness.
And as your pastor, I want to help you find your place, your role, your ministry, your contribution.
The Body needs you.
And God has already gifted you for exactly the work He wants you to do.
Let us rebuild the strength of this Body together.
II. Dependency Drives Unity (1 Corinthians 12:19-27)
II. Dependency Drives Unity (1 Corinthians 12:19-27)
Paul continues on in chapter 12, and this if for all of us.
God did not simply make us diverse.
He made us dependent.
19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
The church is healthiest when every member embraces his or her distinct, God-given role.
And the many parts make up the whole.
20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
But Paul also knows another danger: pride.
We can quickly become prideful.
So he addresses this in verses 21–22:
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
In the Corinthian church, some believers were acting as if the church would be fine without certain members.
Paul says, “Impossible.”
There are no unnecessary Christians.
Those who seem weaker are actually essential.
Those who appear unnoticed are often the ones who uphold the rest of us through prayer, quiet faithfulness, and unseen service.
23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
God turns our human value systems upside down.
The world honors the impressive.
God honors the faithful.
The world seeks the platform.
God celebrates the hidden servant.
The Corinthian church struggled with spiritual arrogance.
Some believers elevated certain gifts and downplayed others.
Paul corrects that by declaring that the parts of the body we assume to be weaker are actually indispensable.
Why would God design it this way?
Verse 25 gives the answer:
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
God built diversity into the church to destroy pride and cultivate love.
God has given us all different gifts and different roles in the church to cultivate love.
In verse 26, Paul gives a picture of how this love is to operate.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
This is what true Christian community looks like:
When one believer hurts, the whole church feels it.
When one believer succeeds, the whole church celebrates.
When one believer struggles, the whole church supports.
When one believer grows, the whole church benefits.
No Christian is meant to carry burdens alone.
No Christian is meant to rejoice alone.
God has designed the church so that our lives rise and fall together.
God has called us to live as a new family that depends on one another.
God has made us diverse so that together we reveal His wisdom.
God has made us unique so that we can serve one another in love.
That means several important truths:
There is no such thing as an unimportant Christian.
There is no such thing as a self-sufficient Christian.
There is no such thing as a private Christian life.
Independence is the value system of the world, but interdependence is the design of Christ.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Your presence strengthens the Body.
Your absence weakens it.
Your gifts enrich it.
Your silence impoverishes it.
Isolation is not only unwise.
It is unbiblical.
But God does not merely want us connected. He wants us to grow together.
Application: Connected for a Purpose
So how do we respond to these truths?
Let me offer four simple but essential commitments.
1. Recognize your role in the Body of Christ
God has placed you here for a reason.
Your gifts matter.
Your presence matters.
Your voice matters.
2. Reject isolation as spiritual harm
Isolation weakens you.
Isolation weakens the church.
Isolation makes you vulnerable to temptation, discouragement, and stagnation.
God has not called you to survive the Christian life.
He has called you to grow in community.
3. Recommit to active participation in the life of the church
Be present.
Be connected.
Be engaged.
Not because the church needs warm bodies, but because the Body needs working members.
Join or start a small group.
It doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment - host for a few weeks, or once a month.
If you don’t have space in your home - use the church!
Use your gifts in service.
Show up faithfully.
Lean in relationally.
4. Pursue deep, Christlike relationships
Be willing to be known.
Be willing to know others.
Share your joys.
Share your burdens.
Speak truth in love.
Serve with grace.
Practice forgiveness.
Practice compassion.
This is what real Christian community looks like.
Christ did not save us to live next to one another but to live for one another.
Gospel Connection: How This Points to Christ
All of this is possible only because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the cornerstone who joins us together.
Jesus is the head who guides us.
Jesus is the Savior who unites us to God and to one another.
Jesus is the Shepherd who binds the wounds of the weak.
Jesus is the Redeemer who forms a single people out of many nations and backgrounds.
We are one body because we share one Savior.
We are one family because we share one Spirit.
We are one people because we share one faith and one baptism.
We do not live in community to become united with Christ.
We live in community because Christ has already united us to Himself.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God has designed His people to live life together.
Distinct. Dependent. Growing. United.
Members of one another.
The question for us is simple:
Are we living the life that God designed for His Body?
Every one of us has a role.
Every one of us has a responsibility.
Every one of us has a purpose. (If you don’t know what that purpose is, let’s explore it together.)
And that purpose is fulfilled not in isolation but in connection.
Not in independence but in interdependence.
Not in self-focus but in self-giving love.
We are connected for a purpose.
Let us live that purpose together for the glory of Christ.
