THIS IS WHAT SAINTS DO!
Notes
Transcript
Week 34 (4th Sunday)
This Week’s Theme: A Way to Serve
Word for the Week is Gifts: Spiritual abilities given by the Holy Spirit to believers for serving others and strengthening the body of Christ
Memory verse: 1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Sermon Focus: Every believer has a valuable place in the body of Christ and has been equipped by God to serve others for the good of the church.
Sermon Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-24
I. STAY CONNECTED
I. STAY CONNECTED
SAINTS STAY TOGETHER
USING THE HUMAN BODY TO ILLUSTRATE
WHERE EACH MEMBER BELONGS.
LOOK AT VERSE 12
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.
WE BELONG TO ONE BODY.
CHRIST’S BODY
STAY CONNECTED BECAUSE
WE ENTERED BY THE SAME SPIRIT
LOOK AT VERSE 13
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.
INSPITE OF OUR STATUS
OR ETHNICITY
OUR DIFFERENCES SHOULD NOT DIVIDE US
THEY DEEPEN OUR WORK IN THE BODY
WE HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE BODY BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD
CONSIDER EPH 2.21-22
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
WE MAKE UP THE BODY OF CHRIST
BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD
THERE IS ONLY ONE BODY
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
I HAVE 3 GRANDCHILDREN
THEY ARE NOT BY MY GRANDCHILDREN BECAUSE
OF THEIR CONTRIBUTION
THEY BELONG BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE FAMILY
THIS IS PAUL’S POINT
BEFORE HE TALKED ABOUT
A SAINT’S CONTRIBUTION,
HE ESTABLISHED OUR CONNECTION.
SAINTS ARE NOT TOGETHER
BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE SAME BUILDING
WE ARE NOT TOGETHER
BECAUSE WE LIKE THE SAME COLORS
SAINTS STAY CONNECTED
BECAUSE THE SPIRIT HAS JOINED US TO THE SAME BODY.
THE ENEMIES TRY TO DIVIDE US
WITH CLICKS
BUT WE WILL STAY CONNECTED
WITH PREFERENCES
BUT WE WILL STAY CONNECTED
WHY? THIS IS WHAT SAINTS DO!
NOT ONLY DO WE
STAY CONNECTED
WE
II. SEEK TO CONTRIBUTE
II. SEEK TO CONTRIBUTE
THE CORINTHIANS HAD A PROBLEM
THEY DEVALUED THE GIFTING
THE SPIRIT GAVE EACH OF THEM
LOOK AT VERSE 15
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
THERE IS A DANGER FEELING INSIGNIFICANT
THERE IS A DANGER IN COMPARING
YOUR ROLE
I WISH I COULD PREACH LIKE PAUL
OR WRITE AND SING LIKE DAVID
INSTEAD OF CHERISHING
THE PART YOU CAN PLAY
YOU LOOK DOWN IT
LET ME SAY IT ANOTHER WAY
THERE IS A DANGER IN DEVALUING
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
EVERYONE CANNOT BE THE SAME
BUT EVERYONE CAN CONTRIBUTE
EVERY SAINT HAS A PART TO PLAY
HOW DO I KNOW THIS?
LOOK AT VERSE 18
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
THE PART YOU PLAY OR THE ROLE YOU HAVE
DON’T DOWNPLAY YOUR CONTRIBUTION
GOD HAS SET EACH OF US IN THE BODY
ACCORDING TO HIS PLEASURE
THEREFORE, WE EACH HAVE A PART TO PERFORM.
GOD PLACED ME →
GOD PURPOSED ME →
I SHOULD PARTICIPATE.
DON’T COMPARE
SEEK TO CONTRIBUTE
DON’T COMPLAIN
SEEK TO CONTRIBUTE
BE Fruitful, not fruitless.
BE Contributors, not consumers.
BE PRODUCTIVE, NOT PASSIVE
WE ARE Workers, not Watchers
WE ARE Builders, not Bystanders
WE ARE Producers, not Pretenders
WE CONTRIBUTE
TIME
RESOURCES
TALENTS
WISDOM
SKILLS
THIS IS WHAT SAINTS DO
WE STAY CONNECTED
WE SEEK TO CONTRIBUTE
AND WE
III. STEADILY COOPERATING
III. STEADILY COOPERATING
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER TO FUNCTION.
21 And 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 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
THE STRUGGLING MEMBER SAYS:
“THEY DON’T NEED ME.”
IN VV. 21–24, THE PROUD MEMBER SAYS:
“I DON’T NEED THEM.”
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
PAUL DESTROYS THE IDEA OF
INDEPENDENT CHRISTIANITY.
NO MATTER HOW GIFTED THE EYE IS, IT CANNOT PERFORM THE HAND’S FUNCTION. NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT THE HEAD APPEARS, IT STILL NEEDS THE FEET.
EVEN MEMBERS THAT “SEEM TO BE WEAKER” ARE:
“NECESSARY.” — V. 22
MEMBERS ARE MORE THAN HELPFUL.
THEY ARE NECESSARY.
WE WORK TOGETHER
LOOK AROUND THE BUILDING
YOUR FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST ARE NEEDED.
ILLUSTRATION: CAR PARTS, BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, STARTER, GAS TANK, INJECTORS, HEAD, PISTONS, SPARK PLUGS,
YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS NEEDED
MY CONTRIBUTION IS NEEDED
I NEED YOU AND YOU NEED ME
WE STEADILY COOPERATE
WE CONSTANTLY COOPERATE TOGETHER
I DO MY PART.
YOU DO YOUR PART.
WE NEED EACH OTHER’S PART.
NOBODY CAN DO EVERYTHING,
BUT EVERYBODY HAS A JOB TO DO
IV. SHOWER WITH CONCERN
IV. SHOWER WITH CONCERN
WEF CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
NO SCHISM, NO DIVISION, NO DISSENSION
IN THE BODY
SAME CARE for one another
The Greek merimnaō carries the idea of having concern, caring for, or giving attention to someone.
NOT ONLY SERVE TOGETHER
MORE THAN COOPERATE WE CARE
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
WE SUFFER TOGETHER.
When you hurt, I don’t ignore you.
WE CELEBRATE TOGETHER.
When God honors you, I don’t envy you.
WE CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER.
Your welfare matters to me because we belong to the same body.
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectionate
Romans 13:8 Love
Romans 15:7 Receive
Romans 16:16 Salute or greet
1 Corinthians 12:25 Have same care
Galatians 5:13 Serve
Galatians 6:2 Bear burdens
Ephesians 4:2 Forbearing (patient)
Philippians 2:3 Esteem
Ephesians 4:32 Kind
Ephesians 5:21 Submit
Colossians 3:9 Lie not, Be truthful
Colossians 3:13 Forgive
Colossians 3:16 Teaching and Admonishing
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Comfort
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Edify
James 4:11 Speak not evil
James 5:9 Grudge not
James 5:16 Confess your faults
1 Peter 3:8 Compassionate
1 Peter 4:9 Hospitality
1 Peter 4:10 Minister
1 Peter 5:5 Be Subject
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
