Untitled Sermon (9)

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## Prayer

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## Sermon Title: One Body

## Passage: I Corinthians 12:12-31

## Series: Wild Times in Corinth

## Introduction

The first church I served at doing youth ministry sort of as the actual guy assigned youth ministry was FBC Lagrange, Missouri. My first pastor to serve under was a guy named Jim Reynolds. To this day Jim and I are still very close. Jim is the one responsible for the name plate I have on my book shelf that under my name says, "Try me, I rock."

While I was there at the church for three years we developed a tight bond because of shared ministry together. As close friends do, we walked through a lot of happiness and tragedy together. At some point, and I'm not really sure when I just started telling him, "you need me." I'd do something and he'd express appreciation or something and I'd reply with "you need me." It was kind of our inside joke, although he would often agree that, "yes I do." This morning I want to say to you, "you need me." You do. And not because I'm your pastor. I need you. And also not because I'm your pastor. As believers we are part of the body of Christ and what we are going hear about today in I Corinthians 12 is that we need each other. We are one body. Let's pray and dive into the scriptures this morning.

## PRAY

## Read Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:12–31 ESV

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. 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. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 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,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 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? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 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.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 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, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

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.

> 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

> And I will show you a still more excellent way.

I. The body of Christ is one. (v.12-14)

- One body, many parts

- The word translated "members" has also been translated "parts".

- Baptized in one Spirit

- The purposeful placing of the part in the body. Upon conversion we were all given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This was not a secondary event.

Romans 8:14–17 ESV

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

> 14 For all who are eled by the Spirit of God are fsons6 of God. 15 For gyou did not receive hthe spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of iadoption as sons, by whom we cry, j“Abba! Father!” 16 kThe Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then lheirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, mprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 8:14–17.

There is a spiritual solidarity that exists between believers due to the fact that they all have experienced the same (one) Spirit and entered the same (one) body. As Fape puts it, Paul seeks “to validate the conversion experience of all believers in the sense of experiencing in full an inward spiritual transformation” which is “a common experience that comes from the Spirit of God.” That is, “conversion is a universal experience for all believers and it is rooted in the activities of the one Spirit of God.”144

-Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner

> What makes the Corinthians one is their common experience of the Spirit, the very Spirit responsible for and manifested in the great diversity just argued for in vv. 4–11.”146

Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 594.

- The composition of the body is not an accident. God arranged/appointed/placed every single part of the body. His doing so and his giving of gifts to each member of the body reflect His sovereignty.

- No ethnic divisions. The membership in the body supersedes it.

II. The parts are interdependent (v. 15-26)

- Each part of the body has a purpose.

- The members/parts depend on one another

- The members need one another. Paul exposes the insanity of their mindset. The body is more than just one part.

No Lone Ranger Christians!

- REWORD THIS:

> The New Testament recognizes no individual or “lone-ranger” Christians who are not attached to some local Christian fellowship. That is not to say it is impossible to be saved and uninvolved, merely that it is unhealthy. In societies where individualism is valued above corporate responsibility, the importance of the metaphor of Christ’s church as a body looms large.

> Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 252.

When the community of believers is functioning properly they will:

- Suffer together - sharing pain

- Rejoice together - sharing joy

- v. 15-20 - from the perspective of those who perceive themselves to be inferior members/parts of the community

- contrary to popular Corinthian belief, the weaker parts are not disposable but instead are indispensable.

God has arranged the body of Christ in such a way that the “less honorable” members are accorded “greater honor.” Humility is a pinnacle value in the kingdom of God (Mt 18:3). - Danny Akin

- v. 21-26 from the perspective of those who perceive themselves to be superior members of the community

III. Paul reinforces his point that each believer is a member of the body (v. 27-31)

- He highlights some of the functions members might have in the body

- No function is carried out by all the parts or members of the body.

- Introduces the idea of having proper priorities in thinking about the pursuit and use of gifts

- Paul points to a more excellent way=love.

## IV. Conclusion and Application

Implications: You need me. And I need you.

God's intention was that there be many parts making up one body. Unity not uniformity.

Moving forward out of this crisis and into a blank slate together as one.

- I see promising evidences that many churches are recovering the biblical models of every-member ministry. There is a lot of work to be done still but there seems to be a movement of men who are leading churches back to what the Bible says is the structure and function of the church.

In verse 18 we see something huge: If we do not live out church the way God arranged it and instituted and designed it, then we are actually going against Him. If we do this, we are rejecting God's design for the church. Brothers and Sisters, we must not do this!

Not diversity in purpose or mindset but in role.

Because God assigns functions within the community of believers, no believers have a right to boast about their assignment as though they earned it. Instead, they must be humble—recognizing that their gifts are for the benefit of the community and the glory of God. (John D. Barry)

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Co 12:18.