FRUITCAKES
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 – 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (New Living Translation)
What Can We Learn from a Fruitcake
1. Fruitcakes have various kinds of ________________________
1 Corinthians 12:12, 14 – 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. . . . 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. (New Living Translation)
• God loves __________________
– Some of you are like the sweet candied _______________ – bright and encouraging
– Some are like the _______ – solid, dependable, strong
– Some are like the ____________ – subtle, steady, unnoticed but essential
• You are not an ______________________ in God’s recipe
2. When mixed together the ingredients become something __________
• Over time, ‘________’ gives us ingredients that are dry, bitter, and overpowering
• Like the spices of a fruitcake, when mixed together something good is _________
Romans 8:27-29 – 27 He knows us far better than we know ourselves, . . .
28 That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. 29 God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. . . . (The Message)
3. Fruitcakes take _______ to make
• Your spiritual maturity isn’t a _________________________ dessert
Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (New Living Translation)
• Fruitcakes remind us: some things are ________________ the ________
4. Fruitcakes aren’t ____________ but they are ____________ on the inside
1 Corinthians 12:22-25 – 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. . . .24 . . . while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. (New Living Translation)
• Real beauty is not on the outside, but is _______________
1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (New Living Translation)
• God values the inward work of ___________, not the external packaging
__________________________
2 Corinthians 5:17 – So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (New Revised Standard Version)
