My Part In The Body1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Adapted from a Sherm Nichols sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?

SermonID=196059

“Overcoming Obstacles That Obstruct Obedience”

1 Corinthians 12:1 ESV Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were

pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you

to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in

the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but

the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who

empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the

common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to

another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to

another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of

tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each

one individually as he wills.

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.

The church is always supposed to be thinking of what’s next…

…generation of believers…generation of leaders preparing for service

…person who’s going to accept Jesus…project we will throw ourselves into

…time we get together to worship…level of maturity in your faith

…surprise God has ready for you - Blessing? Challenge? Heaven?

The Next…

We need to constantly be looking at the horizon, to consider what’s next.

Two things to keep in mind about all that: it’s going to take God making it happen, and it’s

also going to take more than a couple people.In fact, it’s going to take a bunch of people – and not just a bunch of people together, but a

bunch of people working together – like a body. It’s going to take “unity.”

I visited in a church that struggled to get this straight.

They were lacking unity.They had a big task in front of them, but they kept letting things get in the way. They were

proof, in fact, that you can not only meet together each week, but you can even belong to the same Body of Christ and still live in a

dis-united way.

They had members of the church dividing over who had led them to Jesus.

There were members suing each other in court.

There were other members who were exercising their freedom in Christ without

caring how it affected the others.They were divided over corporate worship –

can you believe it?

They didn’t agree about how it should be conducted, and they weren’t thinking of each other when it was time for the Lord’s Supper.

On top of this, they were using their God-given gifts to promote themselves over one another.

Now, take a congregation with all this trouble and try to fix it.

What would you do?The Apostle Paul would write them a letter –

really? And that’s exactly what he did. So, we all have the opportunity to visit the church of Corinth by

reading what he wrote to them.1 Corinthians 11:18 ESV For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear

that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,

Among the word-pictures that the Bible uses to describe the Church, the picture of a human

Body is one of the most important.Not only does it describe Jesus as the Head,

but it also helps us picture how the rest is supposed to fit together.

That’s what Paul does in chapter 12.In fact, I think what Paul is describing here is a

way to unity.Christians have God’s Spirit living inside them.

Having the Holy Spirit ought to cause some attachment among us.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but

the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who

empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the

common good.

Paul goes on to talk about some of the different ways the Holy Spirit is seen or “manifested” in

the early church to help it grow – “The utterance of wisdom,” “The utterance of knowledge,”

“faith,” “gifts of healing,” “working of miracles,” “prophecy,” distinguishing between spirits,”

“speaking in different tongues,” “interpretation of tongues” – 9 different special gifts, all

different, but all from the same Spirit.And He is the One to determine who gets which gift, and God already determined the reason He

gave those gifts was for the common good of the Church.

The Church, the Body, is a unit.It has many parts, but it’s just one Body.

It’s brought to life by the life-giving force of just one Spirit.

That means, if you’re in Jesus Christ, I’m a part of the Body with you.

A unit is “one.”The word unity means “oneness.”

How is that possible in a church that has a goal to keep adding more and more people?

How is unity possible when there are thousands and thousands of congregations

meeting around the world, or 7 different adult SS classes meeting in one building, or 4 small

groups meeting in different places, or even 360 people worshiping in 2 different worship

hours? How can we keep what is truly a “unity”? One answer is in this word-picture

Paul paints in Chapter 12.We are all parts of a body, and…

Imagine the Master Carpenter’s tools holding a conference:

Brother Hammer presides, but several suggest he leave the meeting because he is too noisy.Brother Hammer replies, “If I have to leave this shop, Brother Screw must go also. You have to turn him around again and again to get him

to accomplish anything.”

The Parts All Need Each Other

Brother Screw speaks up. “If you wish, I’ll leave. But Brother Plane must leave, too. All

his work is on the surface. His efforts have no depth.”

To this, Brother Plane responds, “Brother Rule will also have to withdraw, for he is always

measuring folks as though he were the only one who is right.”

Brother Rule then complains about Brother Sandpaper: “He ought to leave, too, because he’s so rough and always rubbing people the

wrong way.And so goes the discord.

In the midst of all this discussion, in walks the Carpenter of Nazareth.

He has arrived to start his day’s work.

Putting on his apron, he goes to the bench to make a pulpit from which to proclaim the

gospel.He uses Brothers Hammer, Screw, Plane, Rule, Sandpaper, and all the other tools.After the day’s work, when the pulpit is

finished, Brother Saw arises and remarks, “Brethren, I observe that all of us are workers

together with the Lord.”

No part should feel or act inferior in the Body because, by God’s design, they’re all needed.In this Body, I need your strength where I am

weak.You need my strength where you are weak.None of us is as smart as all of us. We need

each other. I can’t look at any part of the Body and say it isn’t needed.

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.

Isn’t it interesting that Paul would use the human body as evidence that every member of the church is indispensable? You can’t tell

the fingers to take over for the tonsils, or “Hey one of you kidneys, I only really need one of

you so right one take over for the left little toe.”All parts are different, and all have a specific

purpose.It’s the same with people of the Church.

That means…Don’t look at yourself and say that you have nothing to contribute to the

health of the Body.

If you’re saying you have no place in the Body, that’s a cop-out – an excuse.

God put you here to be useful to the Body.

It’s His design, and it’s His Body, and He has some point for you to be here!

Herman Ostry's barn floor was under 29 inches of water because of a rising creek. The Bruno, Nebraska, farmer invited a few friends

to a barn raising.He needed to move his entire 17,000-pound barn to a new foundation more than 143 feet

away.His son Mike devised a lattice work of steel

tubing, and nailed, bolted, and welded it on the inside and the outside of the barn.

Hundreds of handles were attached.After one practice lift, 344 volunteers slowly

walked the barn up a slight incline, each carrying less than 50 pounds.

In just 3 minutes, the barn was on its new foundation.

The body of Christ can accomplish great things when we work together.The parts all need each other.

18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

No part should look down on any other part, because “lesser” parts are important too.

In the Body, I recognize your worth. Doesn’t it make sense that there are parts of the body that are different from one another?Paul asks in 19 If all were a single member,

where would the body be?

The Parts are All Honored

There have to be different parts, or else a body isn’t a body anymore.

In fact, if you get down to it, we’re made up of cells – lots of different kinds of cells. When a bunch of the same cells work together, they

form tissue – like bone tissue.And that tissue can all work together to make

an organ – like a bone.And that bone can work together with a bunch of other bones to form a system – the skeletal

system.

But that system could never function without the different tissues and shapes and sizes that

form it.Now, go back to that one little cell.

Who needs it?Well, the tissue, the bone, the system - the

whole body needs it!To be a body, there have to be a lot of parts!

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, 24a which our more

presentable parts do not require.

Someone has said that a good sermon is like a hospital gown – just long enough to cover

the subject but short enough to keep it interesting!

Most folks don’t care for those gowns because there are parts of our body that we don’t

consider presentable.

That’s true.

So what do we do with those non-presentable parts?

We give them more attention.

We treat them with special modesty.

What do we do with our weaker parts?

We give them special protection and care. That’s how it works in a body.

That’s how it works in this Body.

Outside the Body, it doesn’t work that way, but in the Body, no part deserves to be regarded

less.Don’t look around you and think of someone

else that they have nothing to contribute to the Body.

Parts of the Body may become diseased or weak, but it’s still God’s design that put them

here.And His design is that we would help those

parts be healthy and strong, so that they can fulfill their role, rather than be amputated.

Hebrews 12:12 ESV Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your

feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

The parts all honor each other. 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in

the body, each one of them, as he chose.

Probably the bit of Scripture that is most often read about the Lord’s Table is from

1 Corinthians 11:23ff.There Paul reviews how the Lord’s Supper

was begun and stresses how we’re supposed to observe it in the right way.

It gives us a lot of insight to how it’s supposed to be.

But in the verses right before, there’s some more insight – a little glimpse into part of the

disunity in the Church in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 11:17 ESV But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because

when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place,

when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I

believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are

genuine among you may be recognized.

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating,

each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or

do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No,

I will not.

Failing to think well of each other – failing to honor the other members of the Body –

dishonors the table of the Lord.

This part of the Body life is to be so important, so central, that it’s the very reason the people

of God come together.

One problem in Corinth was that they weren’t coming together to rightly observe the Lord’s

Supper.

Each Sunday morning, we have an opportunity to act like the Body of Christ – the Body that

values every part of it; the Body that remembers Jesus Christ together.

As we honor Jesus in this way together, let’s also remember that today in this place, and

around the world, the Body of Christ is remembering Him together.

Since we are the Body of Christ, here is one last point to take from this chapter…

No part should behave like it’s “separated” from the others, because God put it together.

In the Body, I share your pain and joy as my own.

We should have a certain “organic unity.” Paul describes it in…

The Parts Live as If Connected

24b 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.

A body has a way of keeping itself in touch with all its members.

They’re all connected to a central nervous system, so that they keep in touch with each

other.

Your body parts have sympathy for the other parts.

That means they “feel together.”

Let’s say there is a Twister tournament.

You know, that’s the game where you have a mat with all these colored circles on it.

Someone spins a dial and tells everyone “left hand on red” or “right foot on yellow.” It can get

pretty tricky.

Suppose you’re watching this and you wonder whose left foot that is on blue.

All you have to do is stomp on it and pretty soon you’ll find out who’s connected to that

foot.

A body works that way.

Since the parts are connected, it acts connected.

King Solomon had 2 women come to him with a challenge.

Each one had a baby, and one accidentally smothered hers as she slept.

She switched the babies.Now Solomon has both mothers standing in front of him, both saying that the living baby

was hers.What would he do?

He calls for a sword and says “Cut the baby in half and give each mother a half.”

Right away, the woman who was lying says, “Go ahead. Neither one of us will have him.”

But the baby’s real mother says, “No, let it live! Give it to her! Better that she should have him

than that he die!”Solomon understood what it means for people to be connected. He understood that a mother would suffer at even the thought of her child

suffering.

A body isn’t well if a part suffers but the body doesn’t feel it.

Either the part has become somewhat disconnected or the body isn’t well.

In a healthy situation, the body has equal concern for all its parts.

If one part is doing well, the rest of the body is strengthened and glad.

If one part of the body is hurting, the rest of the body suffers with it.

Put this in the Church Body setting and understand what it means.

No part of the Body should be living like it’s disconnected – no part should behave like it’s

separated.

And the Body should be living like it feels every part.

In the past we’ve had deaths in the Body that gathers in this building. Why do we come to those funerals? It’s because we’re part of a body. It’s because we feel for those who are hurting – we grieve with them because we’re connected. Because we live as connected people. Because we have concern for each other. Because If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every

part rejoices with it. We’re a part of the Body – a unit.

When someone expresses a need for prayer or for encouragement, understand that’s what happens when we’re acting like a Body – like

we’re supposed to.

In a body, the parts live as if they’re connected.

Paul urged the Ephesians…

Ephesians 4:1 ESV I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of

peace.Are we doing it?

When we show the signs of unity, I believe we are.

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.

Conclusion

In “Witnesses of a Third Way: A Fresh Look at Evangelism,” a chapter by Robert Neff tells this story about visiting a church service: "It was one of those mornings when the tenor

didn't get out of bed on the right side. ... As I listened to his faltering voice, I looked around. People were pulling out hymnals to locate the

hymn being sung by the soloist.

"By the 2nd verse, the congregation had joined the soloist in the hymn. And by the 3rd verse, the tenor was beginning to find the range. And

by the fourth verse, it was beautiful. And on the 5th verse the congregation was absolutely silent, and the tenor sang the most beautiful

solo of his life. That is life in the body of Christ, enabling one another to sing the tune Christ

has given us.”

Wouldn’t you like to be part of a group of people like that?

When the Body of Christ is functioning like it should, it becomes a place where everyone

has a place of belonging. People who have struggled with addictions, with abuses, with the results of bad choices, with disappointment about life in general, can become one more part of this body – a unit,

made up of human parts.

Have you found your part in the body & is that part functioning?

It takes all parts doing their part for the body to be complete & active.

If each part is not performing as only it can the Body is crippled & unable to function &

complete the task Christ called us together to do.