Body Works

Living Together  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  31:05
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Family of God

By now I’m sure you have gotten the point of this series. To know who we are in Christ personally so we may know who we are in Christ collectively, a family. From identification to fellowship now to working beside one another as our passages today will cover.
As a family we live in two directions:
Vertically - in our personal relationship with God who makes us family; and then our vertical worship together to God in the family collectively.
(expand on above)
Horizontally - in our dealings with each other as the body of Christ, as the family of God (1Tim3:15; Mk3:35).
1 Timothy 3:15 NASB95
15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
and we know we are Christ’s family
Mark 3:35 NASB95
35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
(expand on above, not only on us as family but how family deals with others outside of the family)
This morning we are going to look at how the boy of Christ is a body and how we need each other.

Body of Christ, the church

Understanding who we are, the body of Christ, is important, knowing how, why we are is vital too.
We are the body of Christ in which He is the head (Col1:18; Eph1:22-23)
Colossians 1:18 NASB95
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
oh have to bring in the parallel passage in Ephesians
Ephesians 1:22–23 NASB95
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Saved by Christ (Eph2:5)
Ephesians 2:5 NASB95
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Sanctified by Christ (Eph5:26-27)
Ephesians 5:26–27 NASB95
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Saved, sanctified so that we become the body of Christ in which He is the head.
Body that is nourished by Christ (Eph5:29)
Ephesians 5:29 NASB95
29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
Christ gave Himself up for us, He willingly laid down His life or us. By doing such we then are sanctified by Christ by the washing of the water of the Word and nourished by Him also.
Body nourishment
Nourished by the Word (Eph5:29)
Nourished by His intercession for us (Heb7:25)
Nourished for there is no life outside of the body (Eph2:1, 4-5; Act4:12; Jn14:6)
Ephesians 2:1 NASB95
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
We were dead outside of Christ
Ephesians 2:4–5 NASB95
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
But God, you have to love that statement, what we were is not what we are in Christ, God in the richness of His mercy made us alive together with Christ! And there is no other way
Acts 4:12 NASB95
12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
and then there is the words of Christ
John 14:6 NASB95
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
The result of knowing how we become the body is
Acts 2:47 NASB95
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Christ’s provision

We know we are His and that we should know He does not hold back from us either (Ps84:11) and He fully equips us (2Pt1:3-4). So may we take a few minutes and look at Christ’s provision.
Psalm 84:11 NASB95
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
No good thing does He withhold from the body.
2 Peter 1:3–4 NASB95
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
He grants us, gives us at no cost to us, everything we need!
Direct provision (Jn15:5; Isa41:10; Php4:13)
John 15:5 NASB95
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
We are nourished and bear fruit, not just fruit, but much fruit! As we abide in Him.
Direct provision through providing strength for us.
Isaiah 41:10 NASB95
10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
He strengthens, helps, upholds us! So that
Philippians 4:13 NASB95
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Strength and nourishment, we all need it and as a family we need it so to accomplish the task the Lord has given us to do.
Indirect provisions (Rom12:4-8; 1Pt4:9; Eph4:15-16, Gal6:2)
Each of us as family members, members of the body have been given certain gifts, graces to be used for the body, hence it they are for each other.
Romans 12:4–5 NASB95
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:6–7 NASB95
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
Romans 12:8 NASB95
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
We are expected, we are commanded to serve (to minister) to one another.
Indirectly provided for through each other as well as through one anoteer
1 Peter 4:9 NASB95
9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
And to help carry one anotheres burdens
Galatians 6:2 NASB95
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
We each have part to do and when we are doing our part we are being built up, encouraged, edified and we are maturing together, we are strengthening the body.
Oh, I have to bring in another verse, or two to continue to show the way that the Lord provides indirectly
Ephesians 4:15–16 NASB95
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Directly Christ provides through His Word and by His Spirit
By our personal relationship with Him.
Indirectly Christ provides through our association/fellowship with one another as the body of Christ.
By us being a family living and serving one another.
So now that we know why we are the body, how we are the body, now the what, what are we to do as the body?
Body gives to the body
Body gives by giving comfort to one another (2Cor1:3-4)
May we look at this passage and see what we are to do as the body
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NASB95
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Body gives by trusting God and giving all things to Him in prayer (Php4:6-7)
Philippians 4:6–7 NASB95
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The body is good, the body is good for one another and the body is needed for one another and every part of the body is needed.

Body does the body good

I we understand the body is one, then we can understand that every part of the body is important (1Cor12:14-19)
1 Corinthians 12:14–15 NASB95
14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
1 Corinthians 12:16–17 NASB95
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
1 Corinthians 12:18–19 NASB95
18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?
Look at that last passage; God places us, each one of us in the body, not as we desired but as He desired, so for His good purpose and pleasure.
Every part of the body is needed (1Cor12:20-25)
1 Corinthians 12:20–21 NASB95
20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
1 Corinthians 1:22–23 NASB95
22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
1 Corinthians 1:24–25 NASB95
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
So while we may be independent members of the body, we are interdependent of each other as the body.
The body is interdependent of one another (1Cor12:26-27)
1 Corinthians 12:26–27 NASB95
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
We all suffer when one starts to think they are not needed, or that they will not be missed if they were not here. What about if they felt unloved, unimportant, we are all needed, we are all important, we all have a vital part of the body that is needed.
Every part of the body has a part to play (Eph4:16)
Ephesians 4:16 NASB95
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Every part, becomes part by one way (1Cor12:13; Rom6:3-4)
1 Corinthians 12:13 NASB95
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
One body for one purpose that comes one way
Romans 6:3–4 NASB95
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
(Invitation slide 1) expand on invitation;
We are one body, the body of Christ, we come one way, through Christ, the body of Christ that lived, died and rose again for us that lives to intercede for us, for you. So Are you a part of the body? If not, now is the time to become part of the body.
If you are a part of the body, are you doing your part as a part of the body? Are you involved in body works? If not, prayerfully consider how you can be involved in body works today.
(Invitation slide-2) song (exit slides)
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