We Are One Body

1:03One of my favorite is Peanuts. And I came across this comic, this particular strip, in preparing for today, and I just thought it fit so well as a wonderful, pithy, light-hearted introduction. You have Linus and Lucy. Linus and Lucy are brother and sister. If you know anything about Peanuts, you know that Lucy is kind of a bully. She's an equal opportunity bully. She bullies everybody, particularly. Charlie Brown, but she also likes to bully her little brother, Linus.

1:36As you can see in this cartoon, Linus is watching TV, and Lucy, being the older sibling, and I have to confess as the oldest that this is true. This happens every so often. Lucy walks in and she demands that Linus change the channels. And Linus responds by saying, What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over? And Lucy says, These five fingers. Individually, they're nothing. But when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.

2:18What channel do you want? says Linus. And turning away, he looks at his own five fingers and he says, Why can't you guys get organized like that? Sometimes we look at the body of Christ and we ask the same type of question: why can't we be unified? Why can't we see that we are weak in division, but we're strong in union? The main issue that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians is unity. And in chapter 12, this issue is illustrated. In their contention over spiritual gifts.

3:04We have seen throughout this epistle that there was division in the church in Corinth over many things, including leadership, sexual ethics, gender roles, socioeconomic status, and as we saw last week, spiritual gifts. This church is divided, and it grieves Paul. It grieves him in his heart. That they would be in disunity over something that God has imparted as sweet gifts from a loving father to children that he cherishes. We're going to see that the good apostle will encourage the church in Corinth and in God's sovereign providence, the body here at New Life, that in Christ we are one.

3:54We are one body with one baptism and one spirit. We are one body where every member is important. We are one body where no member is more important. And we are one body, but with different member functions. Let's look at verses 12 through 14, where we see that we are one body with one baptism and one spirit. For just as the body, though many, has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body. It is with Christ.

4:32For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves are free, and all were made to drink of one spirit. For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. Paul's argument for unity begins with the gospel itself. It begins with the creation of the church. He begins by alluding to our first church history book, which is the book of Acts. He reminds the Corinthians of the very beginning of the church at Pentecost. Pentecost was the feast of weeks, the Shabbat. It was the harvest festival that celebrated 50 days, hence Pentecost, after the second day of Passover, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Look with me at Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 4.

5:32Acts chapter 2. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together. Who was all together? Well, these are the remaining apostles. Judas is no longer on the scene. They casted lots, and Matthias became the twelfth apostle, and they are there together in Jerusalem. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from heaven. A sound like a mighty rushing wind. And it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

6:20Over the next few verses, we see more things begin to happen: that this great rushing of the Holy Spirit that comes upon the apostles there in that place, it draws a crowd. All of these Jews that are coming from across the known world are there in Jerusalem. You have Jews that are from different types of backgrounds. You have those that are free, but you also possibly have those and probably have those that are actually slaves who are either allowed to go by their master or they come along with their master. So you have people that are from different socioeconomic backgrounds. You have people that are from different countries. He lists out over these next few verses the different places that they came from. And it's all over the known Roman world at the time.

7:13And it says that they were all amazed and they were perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? And there were even others that mocked and said, Well, they must be drunk. They must be full of wine. They hear the word of God. It actually says. In verse 11, that they heard them telling in their own tongues the mighty works of God. How do we know of the works of God? Well, we have that recorded in the Word of God. And so you have people that are hearing the Word of God in their own language. The Word of God is unifying people. Isn't that good to know? The Word of God is the touchstone, it's the foundation of unity.

7:59The Word of God is preached. They all come together and they want to know how in the world do we hear this? Then Peter goes and preaches the very first sermon after the ascension of Christ. He preaches the gospel and he demonstrates to these Jewish people that are there at Pentecost that Jesus is the Messiah. He quotes from the prophet Joel. He quotes from David himself and demonstrates that Jesus is the Messiah. And then in verses 37 through 41, listen to what happens. It says, Now, when they heard this, what did they hear? Verse 36. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him, Jesus, both Lord and Christ, the Jesus whom you crucified. Peter preached the gospel. When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Except for the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, that's the first sermon that Jesus preaches. Did you know that? He says, Repent and be baptized, for the kingdom of God is here. It hasn't changed. Amen.

9:24For the promise, verse 39, is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. And with many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. So those who received his word were baptized. And there were added that day about 3,000 souls. 3,000 souls. Peter preaches the gospel. His audience asks, How are they to respond? And Peter said to them, Repent, be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God saves 3,000 Jews on that day. Amazing. What about the Gentiles? Acts chapter 10.

10:14Peter is having this vision. And the Lord comes to him in this vision, and he gives him this vision of all of these different animals. And he's commanded by the Lord to get up, to kill, and eat. It says that he sees animals, he sees birds, he sees reptiles. So God tells Peter, get up and get you some bacon, amen? He says, get up and get you some fried chicken. He even says, get up and get some fried alligator. Amen. There's reptiles there.

10:47And Peter says, no, Lord, I've never had these unclean things ever in my life. And the Lord says, don't you call what I've made unclean or I have made clean unclean. Don't you call what I have given you as a gift common? He says, get up and eat. And it says that he repeats that vision a few more times. And then that there was this man named Cornelius, and this was a God-fearing man, and he had blessed Jews and he had blessed God's people that were there.

11:21And God tells Peter, you need to go to Cornelius. And Cornelius welcomes him, and listen to this. He goes and he preaches the gospel to Cornelius and his family so that they all hear. So whoever's in there, they're not Jews. They're Gentiles. Now, there are some Jews that are with Peter that go along with him. But in Cornelius' house, the Corneli, all right, they are all, they're Gentiles. And he preaches to them the gospel. And listen to what the word of the Lord says in verse 43. It says, to him, all the prophets talking about Christ, to Christ, all the prophets. The prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. He has preached the gospel. He's preached the gospel, and he said there should be a response to this. Verse 44: While Peter was still saying these things, listen, the Holy Spirit, again, fell on all who heard the word, and the believers from among the circumcised, the Jews who had come with Peter, were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

12:33For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who we have received, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them, the imperative, he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. And then they asked him to remain for some days. Again, Peter preaches the gospel, tells them that they will be saved if they respond in faith. The Holy Spirit's poured out. People repent, are filled. Peter commands that they're baptized, and the church grows in number, but this time with Gentiles as well as Jews. Now the church is truly diverse. Amen? And the biblical mandate that every tribe and tongue hear the gospel, respond in faith, and be baptized is truly going forth. The baptism. The baptism of the Spirit.

13:33Now we're back in 1 Corinthians now. The baptism of the Spirit refers to the placing of the members into the body of Christ at the moment of their conversion. The Jews were first baptized at Pentecost. The Gentiles were first baptized into the body at the household of Cornelius. And ever since then, whenever a sinner trusts Christ, he or she is made part of that same body by the operation of the Holy Spirit. No matter how different our views may be on any particular subject, we should still be unified as believers because of what Christ has done for us. He died for us, and we commemorate that work upon the cross in our baptism and in our sharing of the wine and the bread at the Lord's table. Whatever our conflict or whatever our disagreement, it is at the Lord's table and at the waters of baptism and the preaching of the gospel that we remember that we've been reconciled to the Father and we're reconciled to one another through the person and work of Jesus Christ. We are unified in one baptism and in one Spirit. But we're also, we are one body where every member is important. Every member is important. Look at verses 15 through 20.

15:00I speak to you. I speak as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing. I'm in the wrong chapter. Excuse me. Chapter 12. Sorry about that. I was preaching 1 Corinthians 10. So if you guys wanted to hear a repeat of that, I was about to do it. Man. 15 through 20. If the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye, I don't 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. That's important. Underline that. 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 Spirit places each believer in the body as he sees fit. But each part of the body has an important ministry to perform. Many members in one body. This is the program for this present age, just as it was in the book of Acts and in Philippine. 1 Corinthians. It hasn't changed. In verses 15 and 16, Paul says: if the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body. That would not make it any less a part of the body, as if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body. That would not make it any less a part of the body. Paul meant that Christians are not cut off from the body of Christ because they think that they have no importance or place of service. Each part of the body of Christ makes unique contributions to the whole. I mean, how foolish would it be if the whole body was only one part?

17:08That's why Paul asked in verse 17: if the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, what would be the sense of smell? Not only that, it would look weird. Amen? Because it would either be one giant ear, or it would be a body that's made up of just ears. Now, I don't know how many parts there are officially of the body. Doctors, Covingtons could probably tell us that, how many body parts that we have. But, however many that number is, if they were all ears, that would be really strange. And it wouldn't accomplish anything.

17:44Because even if it was able to receive sound, it wouldn't have a brain to be able to process what it's hearing. And it wouldn't even have a mouth or a tongue to be able to tell you what it heard. It couldn't function. Do you know one of the most interesting things about this section? It's that you might have expected Paul to be critical of those who value themselves too highly. And he will. That's in the next section. But that's not where he starts. He starts with those who think too lowly of themselves. And they think too lowly of themselves because they're only thinking of themselves in the flesh. They're not thinking about themselves in Christ. They're taking their eyes off the gift giver.

18:31He wanted to warn those who were devaluing the gifts of others. There's no doubt about that. But first, he wanted to encourage those who had low opinions of God's good gifts. The point is that every spiritual gift is given by God for the building up of the body of Christ. Your gift may not be very visible, but it's extremely important to the building up of the body of Christ. And so Paul says again in verse 18 that God arranged the members in the body, each one as he chose. Once again, we see the sovereign work of God arranging each member of the body to serve as he directs. Paul asked the question again in verse 19: if they were all a single member, if they were all eyes, they were all ears, all feet, then where would the body be? It'd be ineffective. It would be useless to do anything. And then he drives home the point in verse 20. As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. Each part is important in its own right.

19:38Guys, I am so thankful for Paul's reminder that no one should think too lowly of his or her gift in the church. To think too lowly of the gift in comparison with others may cause us to think too lowly of the gift giver, and that's the real danger. Paul's point is not to be overly introspective, but to fix our eyes upon the Lord. We are to magnify him in both our diversity and then in our unity. This world covets diversity and unity, doesn't it? It just covets it. There is a diversity day on every college campus, in every major corporation.

20:20The world wants diversity. It wants diversity in ethnicity, but it wants it without the unity of truth. The world wants freedom and sexuality, but not the authority of the divine revelation. The world wants Jesus the teacher and the model, but not Christ the Savior and the Judge. We have in Christ what the world wants and will never achieve without the gospel. Eternal unity through true diversity. Only the body of Christ can really know this as an eternal unity. Reality.

21:02In verses 21 through 26, we see that we are one body where no member is more important. Every member is important, but no member is more important than the other. Look at verses 21 through 26. 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. Those believers who possessed more spectacular or more visible gifts, it seems that they had a tendency in Corinth to look down upon others and thought of them and their giftings unimportant. Yet Paul teaches that every member of the body is essential to the life and the health and the growth of the church. Look at this reminder from Ephesians chapter 4, these first seven verses. The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Ephesus says, I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Now, that should be very familiar with you if you're a member at New Life, because that's actually part of our church covenant, amen, to one another. It's taken straight from the scriptures. God has chosen to build his church by electing, calling, saving, and then gifting people, sinners who are transformed by the work of Christ. And he has gifted each of us differently, but every gift is undeserved. Just as we are saved by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone, we are also gifted by the Spirit alone. They are God's gifts, and he disperses them as he sees fit. So no Christian can say, To his seemingly less gifted brother, I don't need you. In fact, those parts of our body that seem the least important can do the most good or cause the most trouble if not functioning properly. We need teachers to teach. We need greeters to greet. We need servants to serve. We need prayer warriors to intercede. We need musicians to sing and play. We need truth tellers to tell the truth. We need comforters to comfort. And on and on the list goes. We need the whole body of Christ. We need each other. Listen to the commentator Warren Wearsby as he commentates on this particular section. He says, There should be no division, no schism in the body, since we all share the same life through the Spirit. But it's not enough simply to avoid division. We must also care for each other and seek to build the church and strengthen the body.

25:01In the human body, the weakness or pain of one member affects the other members. This is also true in the spiritual body. If one believer suffers, we all suffer. If one member grows in strength, we all receive help. This fact lays upon each Christian the responsibility for being the strongest member possible. Whenever we hurt. For instance, a weight-bearing part of our body, like our legs, foot, ankle, knee. What do we do? We overcompensate by shifting the burden, shifting the weight. Some of us have more burden than others. Shifting the burden over to the other leg. What happens when that happens? All of a sudden, I'm really sore now. Now that part of the body is now taking on so much of the burden. And now it's not going to function properly. Why? Because the other part's not healthy. We have to help each other. Amen?

26:13When I was preparing to preach, I came across an interesting fact in medical history. That in ages past, doctors used to list several organs or members of the human body that they said were not as important. And so, like back from the beginning, you can look at early medical records and it would say, we need the brain, we need the heart, we need the lungs, everything else, meh. And then, as we continued to grow in our knowledge of the human body and of medical science, guess what? That list of unimportant organs, that list of unimportant members of the body, that list began to shrink.

26:54But it began to shrink in proportion to us understanding more. about how the body is supposed to function. As we get healthier, that list of what is unimportant is supposed to shrink. Church, we need to continue to remember that no member is more important in the body of Christ. We need each other. Amen? To be healthy. Finally, we are one body with different member functions. Look at verses 27 through 31. 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 in 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. Paul says that we are now, we're the body of Christ, and we are individually members of it. Paul used this metaphor of the church a lot, particularly in Romans 12 or in Ephesians chapter 3. Here he focused on the diversity and the honor of the various members of the body of Christ. He starts with a general assertion and then pointing to each person in the church. Without exception, every person who has been united to Christ by faith in him receives a place in the body of Christ. Everyone who has heard the gospel, who has repented of their sin, placed their faith and trust in Christ, is then filled with this Holy Spirit. And then, in being filled with this Holy Spirit, you fit in the body. Amen? You fit. You have a place. You have a function. God has especially equipped you to serve. And if you're not serving, then the body is suffering.

29:16He says in verse 28 that God has appointed, the term appointed means to assign someone to a particular task, to a particular function or role. It's often used to indicate an official appointment to some particular government office or royal office. So God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers. The other divinely appointed offices in the church are those of evangelist and pastor, also known as shepherd. The first two offices mentioned in verse 28, those of apostle and prophet, they had three basic responsibilities. One was to lay down the foundation of the church, two was to Receive and declare the revelation of God's Word, and third, to give confirmation of that word through signs and wonders and mighty works. The first of the gifted men in the New Testament church were the apostles, of whom Jesus Christ is foremost, according to Hebrews 3. The basic meaning of apostle, of apostolos, is sent messengers. In its primary and technical sense, apostle is used in the New Testament of the twelve apostles, including Matthias, who replaced Judas, and of Paul, who was uniquely called as an apostle to the Gentiles. The two qualifications of apostleship were this: you had to be directly chosen by Christ, and you had to have seen the resurrected Christ. Paul was the last to meet those two qualifications. It's not possible, therefore, as some claim, for there to be apostles in the church today.

30:55The term apostle was also used in a more general sense. In other words, not for an office, but as a function, a general sense for other men, such as Barnabas, as Silas, as Timothy. Church planners have some sort of gifting and apostleship, but not the office. They are going to serve and establish the church where there is no church. So the 13 were apostles of Christ. Apostles in both groups were authenticated by signs and wonders in Matthew. Mighty works, according to 2 Corinthians 2. But neither group was self-perpetuating. In neither sense is the term apostle used in the book of Acts after chapter 16, verse 4. Nor is there any record in the New Testament of an apostle in either group being replaced after he died. There's no longer an office of apostle. Prophets were also appointed by God as specially gifted men. This gift differs from those who have the gift of prophecy. Those who had the gift of prophecy were not necessarily called prophets. It seems that the office of prophet was exclusively for work within a local congregation, whereas that of apostleship was a much broader ministry, not confined to a local area. Paul, for example, was referred to as a prophet when he ministered locally in the Antioch church in Acts chapter 13, but elsewhere he's always called an apostle. Prophets sometimes spoke revelation from God and sometimes expounded upon the revelation already given, as implied in Acts 13. Prophets always spoke for God, but did not always give newly revealed messages from God. Like the apostles, the office of prophet ceased with the completion of the New Testament, just as the Old Testament office of prophet disappeared when the Testament was completed some 400 years before Christ's first advent. The church was, according to Ephesians 2, built on the Church. On the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. Once the foundation was laid, the work of the apostles and prophets was finished. The work of interpreting and proclaiming the now written word was taken over by the evangelists and the shepherds and teachers, according to Ephesians 4:11. John MacArthur notes that the purpose of apostles and prophets was to equip the church with right doctrine. The purpose of evangelists, shepherds, and teachers is to equip the church for effective ministry by the preaching and teaching of that right doctrine.

33:41The third office that Paul listed was that of teacher. The teacher not only has the gift of teaching, but also God's call to teach. He is called and gifted for the ministry of studying and interpreting and teaching the Word of God to the church. All who have the office of teaching also have the gift of teaching. But not everyone who has the gift of teaching has the office of teaching. So we have teachers. We have people who teach in our discipleship classes. We have people who teach in the discipleship class, or in our adult discipleship class, and in our youth classes, and in our children's classes, in preschool ministry, our next generation ministry. We have teachers that teach in our life groups. But that doesn't mean necessarily that they're in an office of teaching. Or called to an office of teacher. The gift of helping is also listed. Actually, the second half of verse 28, it lists five representative spiritual gifts, both temporary and permanent. The temporary sign gifts of miracles, gifts of healing, and various kinds of tongues, that's going to be discussed later in chapter 14. I don't have to preach that sermon. Alan gets to do that. Amen. Praise the Lord.

34:57Amen. The gift of helping is a gift of service in the broadest sense of helping and supporting others, often unnoticed ways. The Greek word for helping, it's really a beautiful word. It means to take the burden off someone else and to place it on oneself. The gift of helping is likely the most widely distributed of all the spiritual gifts. It's immeasurably important in supporting those who minister with other spiritual gifts. Finally, Paul talked about the gift of administrating in verse 28. The Greek word for administrating means to steer a ship. It means to guide. It expresses the idea of a leader or a guide. Thus, it's the gift of leadership. Paul then issues a series of rhetorical questions to which he expected negative response, a no to each question in verses 29 and 30. Are all apostles? No. Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. Do all work miracles? No. Do all possess gifts of healing? No. Do all speak with tongues? No. Do all interpret? No. No single gift is possessed by any one person in the church. God gives to each church believers who have the right combination of gifts for the propagation of the gospel and for the building of God's kingdom. Our gifts are just that. They're a gift. We don't naturally possess them, but they're appointed by our good Father and given through the Holy Spirit as he sees fit. Our gifts and our giftings were never and are never really about us.

36:51In his book, The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozier writes this, and I wanted to end, I wanted to conclude the sermon with this wonderful quote, because it gives us some understanding of how we all fit and how we're all supposed to be in tune with one another in Christ. He says, Has it ever occurred to you that 100 pianos, all tuned to the same fork, are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must Individually bow.

37:32So 100 worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become unity conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. We are in tune because God is our great gift giver and He's the ultimate tuner. He knows how the melody and harmony is supposed to sound better than we do. We are but keys and we each have a different note, but when they're played in the right way together, you hear and you really see and experience the beautiful music of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Church, let us be one. Let us be one in our one common baptism, in our one common Holy Spirit. Let us be one where we have members who are not unimportant, but let us be one and remember that we are members where not one member is more or most important.

39:00And let us be one, working and functioning as members who all have different gifts and different roles within the body. But God is using us to build up His kingdom and to share His gospel. Let's pray, Father. We thank you, God, for your word. We thank you, Father, that the idea of your body, your church, and how it's supposed to fit together does not begin with us. It wasn't our idea. Our gifts do not come from our own power. They are what they are. They are gifts given to us by a good, good Father.

39:55Lord, help us to be unified, remembering that we are one in Christ and that we have different gifts that we all need to function together in this body. Help us not to shrink from our responsibilities, but help us to encourage one another, to sharpen one another. And Father, may your church clearly display. The beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. In form and function. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.