Now here in 1 Corinthians 12,
you remember last week we looked at the different gifts of the
spirit that the Lord gives to his church. And Paul continues
here in verse 12. Remember, I told you that the
Lord doesn't so much give these gifts to one individual person.
He gives them to the whole body and the body of Christ is what
Paul is talking about in these verses. Now he says in verse
12, for the body is one. and have many members, and all
the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is Christ. So also is
the body of Christ. The Spirit gives gifts to people
for the good of the body. And every believer, no matter
where they're found, is part of the body of Christ. Christ
is the head and we are the body. And the Lord puts those members
in His body where He sees fit for His glory. And wherever the
Lord puts His children in the body, every believer has a role
in that body. In our human body, there are
many different body parts, many different functions of the body.
There's hands, there's arms, there's legs, there's feet, there's
skin, there's all the organs and just intricate things that
all the body does. That's why anatomy class is so
hard, because there's so many different parts of the body.
There's so many different functions that have to take place. And
we need all of those parts to work properly, to do their job
in order for our body to be truly healthy. And the same is true
with the body of Christ. There's many different believers
with many different roles, but all of them are important. All
of them have to function and do their role that the Lord's
given them in order for the body of Christ to function properly.
Now, verse 13, he says, for by one spirit are we all baptized
into one body. whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into
one spirit. Every believer is part of the
same body, the body of Christ. I don't care what your human
background is, if you're Jew or Gentile, you're rich or poor,
you're black or white, you're old or young, we're all partakers
of the same spirit in the same body. The same spirit, God the
Holy Spirit, dwells in all God's people. The body, the human body,
just has one spirit. The body of Christ just has one
spirit. It's the Holy Spirit. And we're
all partakers of that same spirit. We're all partakers of the same
hope of eternal life. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. And
when Paul says we're baptized into one body, he's not talking
about believer's baptism. You're not baptizing this body
through believer's baptism. Believer's baptism is a confession
of what the Lord has done. Many people are dumped in water
who've never been made part of the body of Christ. This believer's
baptism is a confession of what the Lord's already done. What
Paul's talking about here is being immersed into the body
of Christ, being made part of the body of Christ. And that
happens through regeneration. Really, we're born into the body
of Christ. And God puts all these different
people in the body where it pleases him. for his glory to what best
serves his purpose. And I may be, you know, one part
of the body, you may be another, but that's God's business. That's not, you know, I don't
choose to be the hand or the foot or the what. God puts us
in the body where it pleases him for his purpose. Now, verse
14, Paul says, for the body's not one member, but many. Just like our human bodies are
made up of many different parts, many different organs, And some
of those bodies receive different recognition. They have different
roles, so they receive different recognition than another. You
know, your face receives more recognition than your feet. It's
just the function of the face compared to the function of the
feet and the body. And all those parts, they have
different functions. But in order to have a complete
body, they all have to be there. Well, the same is true with the
body of Christ. Each person is necessary in order to have a
complete body. And this I can promise you, the
Lord Jesus Christ has a complete body. It's not maimed. It's not
halted. It doesn't have parts cut off.
It's a complete body because he's not going to lose one part.
He won't lose one sheep. He won't lose one member of his
body. That I can promise you. And all
these different parts have their role to fulfill. See what he
says in verse 15. For of the foot shall say, because
I'm not the hand, I am not of the body. Is it therefore not
of the body? If the ears shall say, because
I am not the eye, I am not of the body. Well, is it therefore
not of the body? If the whole body were the eye,
where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where
were the smelling? Now, remember the context that Paul is writing
this in. Some of the folks in Corinth were discouraged because
they had less gifts or they had a gift that they felt like was
less important than somebody else had, and they kind of felt
like a second-class citizen. And people who did have gifts
that they felt like were more important or more impressive,
well, they look down on those who didn't have those gifts,
and they're creating a hierarchy in the church. Now, let me ask
you, is one part of your body less important than another?
And before you answer that, let me ask you, which toe do you
want us to cut off this morning? I mean, you think, well, yeah,
it toes off. Oh, really? Well, let's cut it off. I know
you could live without it. Your body could live without
it. But if we cut it off, you'll never be whole again. You'll
miss it the rest of your life. And you'll limp through the rest
of your life because that toe is important. It is. And if one
believer is cut off, the body of Christ would never be whole
again. And that's not going to happen. Christ's body is not
going to limp into glory. It's going to be brought in a
glorious body. And we're all members of this
body dependent on each other. We're not independent members.
We live dependent on each other to fulfill our roles. Now, if
the foot doesn't like its place in the body because it's jealous
of the hand, well, can the foot just up and leave the body? No,
it can't. If it did, the foot will die
severed from the body. It can't live alone. It's impossible.
And if any believer Does it like their place in the body is not
satisfied with the place that the Lord put them and they try
to leave the body. They're going to die. You can't
live. The member of the body can't
live severed from the head. Impossibility. Just like the
South can't secede from the union over states rights. You can't
leave the body of Christ because you're not pleased with where
you're at. Can't do it. Now, most people. would like
to have a more prominent role in serving the Lord. They'd like
to serve the Lord in a special way. I understand that. Believe
me. But we need to serve the Lord
where the Lord put us. He knows where we'll serve him
best. What if every believer was a preacher? Well, there'd
be nobody to preach to if everybody was a preacher. You know, Joe
Terrell said one time, preachers are horrible listeners because
they're just sitting there wanting to preach. They hear something
that just blesses them and they want to get them to preach. Well,
then where would the hearers be if everybody was a preacher? If
everybody was a preacher, where would be the singers? Where would
be somebody I could call into song league if everybody was
a preacher? There'd be no doorkeepers if
everybody was a preacher. There'd be no quiet examples
of faithfulness and kindness and grace and love if everybody
was a preacher. See, what if every member of
the body was the eye? Well, not only would there be
no smelling, if every member of the body was an eye, that
body would be a freak, wouldn't it? That would be the freak show
down here at the carnival. The body of Christ is not a freak. It's a glorious, well-proportioned,
beautiful body. With Christ as the head and it's
well-proportioned and it's beautiful, why? Because the Lord and His
wisdom put each member in the proper place. He didn't put the
arms down there connected to the feet, he put them connected
to the shoulders. So it's a beautiful body. And that's the body of
Christ. And wherever it is that the Lord
put us, we serve Him where He's placed us. Now, read on, verse
18. But now hath God set the members,
every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased Him. And if
they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they
many members, yet one body. Now God, when He created Adam,
He created an amazing body. Even years later, David said,
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Look at what God made. This body is astounding. People
study it their entire lives. It's amazing how intricately
all the pieces of this body work together. All the different parts
and the organs and the things that they do, the timing of it,
it's astounding. And just a minute thing can go
wrong and throw the whole body off. I mean, it's just, it's
astounding what the Lord's done. And only God and His wisdom could
make a body like the human body. I don't care what anybody says.
A man is an utter fool that thinks this body developed from an amoeba. That's foolish. This body took
wisdom and that's what God created. And the same wisdom, the same
power created the mystical body of Christ, calling out his sheep
from all generations. Abel is part of the same body
you're a part of. Way back there, 6,000 years ago,
he's still part of the same body that you're a part of. And God
put all those members in their place and he gave them the ability
to do what He gave them to do. God didn't just send you out
there without giving you the ability to do what He's given
you to do. He gave you the ability. And we're where we're at in the
age that we live in doing what we're doing because this is where
the Lord was pleased for us to be according to His sovereign
will. And I guarantee you it's right.
I guarantee you that we're in the body. We're the little toe
where we're at because God put us there. He didn't make a mistake.
He's too wise to do it. And there are many different
body parts, but there's just one body, one body of Christ.
Look at verse 21. Now, the eye cannot say into
the hand, I have no need of thee who are giving the head to the
feet, I have no need of you. None of us, like I said a minute
ago, none of us are independent of other believers. None of us
can say, well, you know, I can do without you. No, we can't. Absolutely not. The mouth cannot
say, I don't need the rest of the body. You know, I'm the spokesperson
for the body. I'm the part of the body that
brings in everything else the body needs. I don't need the
rest of the body. Oh, really? Then how are you
going to eat if the hand doesn't feed you? No, both are vital,
aren't they? The hand and the mouth. The eye can't say to the hand,
I don't need you. I can see where I'm going. I'm
the one that sees. I give life to the body. I don't
need you. Oh, really? And when the wind blows dust
in your eye, who's going to wipe it out but the hand? The eye
and the hand need each other. They're both final. You're the
face can't say, you know, I'm the glory of the body. When somebody
looks at me, this is what they see. This is what they think
of. I'm the glory of the body. The feet, they're the least glorious
part of the body. They're ugly. I don't need any
feet. Oh, really? Who's going to carry you to sink
in the morning to wash your face and keep it presentable? Everybody
here washed your face this morning to make it presentable. Who carries
you the same? The feet did. Both are vital. Every member of the body is vital. And every function is important,
and the body can't do without each function. Now look at verse
22. Nay, much more. Those members
of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. You
know, there are many parts of the body that we don't see. Internal
organs and so forth. They're not seen. They're seldom
discussed. But they're just as important.
They're very important to your body. You know, one of the parts
of the body civilized people like us don't talk about is your
bowels. We just don't talk about those things. Now, we just don't.
We don't talk about the function of them. We don't talk about
what they do and so forth. But don't despise them. Take
care of them. That's why you go have a colonoscopy,
because you take care of them, because something goes wrong
with them. I mean, it's a disaster to the body. We take care of
them. If you're smart, you do. I mean,
at least try and eat right and go to the doctor and check us,
because they're important. And there are many members of
the church that might think they go unseen, but they don't. And you can't do without them.
Can't do it. Look on verse 23. And those members
of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these
we bestow more abundant honor. And our uncomely parts have more
abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no
need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more
abundant honor to that part which lacked. Now there are parts of
the body that we consider less attractive, less honorable. And
we don't want them exposed to the public, so we cover them
up. You know, we put nice clothes on them or something to cover
them up and make them presentable. Well, when we do that, you know
what we're doing? We're bestowing honor on that uncomely part to
make it comely when we go out in public. We clothe them to
make them more attractive. Most of you all know I do a little
bit of running. And I have runner's feet. Now,
if you don't know this, runners, if they run a lot, they lose
toenails and pieces of toenails and they get places on their
feet and they're not very attractive. And I cover mine up. I just,
I very, very seldom wear sandals. Only around family, pretty much,
because they're ugly. I mean, I've got a toenail that's
half off and never will grow back. I mean, it's amazing. Well,
Jan's got a sister, Leslie Charlotte. She's a photographer, a very
good photographer. And she wanted us to come down and have a family
picture made. And she comes up with these different poses. She
says, I want to have a very relaxed pose. I want you all to come
in jeans and t-shirts and bare feet. And the girls instantly
said, nope. They said, we'll do it. But daddy's
feet, you ain't going to be seeing that picture. They're going to
be covered up. We cover those things up because they're just
not comely. They kept me from being embarrassed
by covering up that uncomely part. And that's what we do with
the human body. Now, no part of God's church
is unattractive. No part of God's church is unhonored,
dishonorable. Every member is beautiful. Why? We wear his beauty, which
he put upon us. No part of God's church is ugly,
but there are people in the church who would prefer not to be a
public person. They're just not very outgoing
and they just don't want to be a public person. But never think
for a minute that that person is not a beautiful part of the
body of Christ. They're clothed with love. They're
clothed with grace and kindness by Christ and should be by the
rest of the body. And if there is a fault, and
with the body of Christ on earth, with us right here, there's faults
in there. We're not perfect yet, and it
does not yet appear what we shall be. Well, the way we deal with
those parts, we cover them. We cover them with love, just
like we would our own bodies. Do you care less for the body
of Christ than your own body that's made of dirt? I hope not. Now, here's a question. Why do
we need to be taught this lesson? Why is it important for us to
understand that every believer is important, that every member
of the body of Christ is important? Why is that? So that the body
of Christ won't be divided. Look at verse 25. Paul says, why I'm teaching you
this lesson, that there should be no schism, no division in
the body, but that the members should have the same care one
for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members
suffer with it. Or one member be honored, all
the members rejoice with it. We're being taught this lesson
so there's no division in the body. Now, there are many different
members, many different offices, many different talents, many
different gifts that the Lord gives, many different personalities
in the church. You know, we're not robots. People
have different personalities. But each member is important. Each one is loved for and cared
for. And this is in truth. This is
not just something we say and pretend. This happens in truth. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. And this is not something we
just pretend when we see each other on Sunday. Now, this is
really in heart. When one hurts, we sorrow with
them. And when the Lord blesses one,
we all rejoice with them. That's the way it is in your
human body. Take that back tooth back there nobody ever sees.
That thing gets a cavity and it goes for a little bit and
a nerve gets exposed. I mean your whole body hurts. I mean your toes hurt, your hair
hurts, everything hurts because that nerve is exposed in that
tooth. And you go to the dentist and they fix it. Your whole body
rejoices. That's the way it's to be with
the body of Christ. When one hurts, I mean, we all
sorrow with them. And when the Lord blesses one,
we all rejoice with them. Because it's Christ in you. It's
not something you have to think about. Oh, I got to be sorry
for this one. No, it happens automatically.
When your neck hurts, what's your hand do? Automatically moves
to relieve. It starts rubbing, trying to
find that knot and rub it out, doesn't it? That's the way we're
to be. That's what he's teaching us
to do. When one member is affected, the rest of the body automatically
jumps to help. See, we don't act independently.
We don't have independent, separate interests. We have one interest.
It's the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're all part of that body.
We're joined together. And we feel each other's pain
and sorrow because we're one body. We're one spirit. Now,
verse 27. are the body of Christ, and members
in particular. And God has set some in the church,
first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities
of tongues. Now there are many, all the believers
that are part of the body of Christ, they have many different
gifts, but they're all in the body where God put them. And
he lists some members here that God's put in the body. He says,
and if he lists them, all the writers say this, so I'm going
to take them at their word, figure they know what they're talking
about. Paul lists these members in order of importance. Now remember,
the people there in Corinth are so taken up with the miracles.
Well, miracles aren't listed first. Miracles aren't listed
second. Miracles aren't listed third.
Matter of fact, tongues are listed last. What's first? Preaching. feeding the body. First, he says,
apostles. Well, there's never just 12 of
them. Apostles are men that saw our Lord in the body. And the
Lord taught them the gospel. They learned directly from the
Lord. Or there's just 12 of them. There's no more of them. Second,
he says, prophets. And he's probably speaking of
the Old Testament prophets. These are men that God spoke
to them audibly, spoke to them, showed them things to come and
gave them a message for the people. Well, there's no more prophets.
But then he says, thirdly, teachers. Now, this is what we have today,
pastors and elders who teach the word, feed the body. After
that, down on the list comes miracles and gifts of healings
and so forth. But you'll notice that's not
the only gifts God gives the church. He says helps. That's somebody who can just
help with whatever, however. Maybe it's a skill the Lord's
given them, and they can go help work with someone, use their
skill. Chip's got everybody in this world a card because he's
got that skill. He can find one, but if it breaks
down, he can tell you how to fix it. The Lord's given him
that skill. It helps. Someone maybe has a word of kindness
or word of encouragement for someone. It helps. He says governments
take care of the business of the church, take care of the
building. Well, you know, that's not all that important. Wait
till the thing falls down and you have a place to worship.
Yeah, that's important. That is. Then last, our tongues. You know, the things that people
are most interested in. That's why they list last. Now, Paul comes to,
he's got a word for the people who are discouraged because they
didn't have these gifts, these, what they thought were spectacular
gifts, and they didn't have what they thought, you know, was the
most impressive thing. Look what he says to him in verse 29. Are
all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing?
Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? Now, remember
I said this last week. Every believer has some gift.
But no believer has all the gifts. They're all different. It's the
same thing he said back in verse 17. Is the whole body the eye? Well, then where were the hearing?
If the whole were the hearing, then where were the smelling?
There has to be different gifts, different functions in the body.
And you know, everybody thinks they'd like to be the apostle.
And I thought about that this week, you know, everybody thinks
they'd like to be the apostle Paul. Until he was shipwrecked,
until he was beaten, until his closest friends deserted him
and called him a false prophet, you know, and left him down there
in prison. OK, well, then then I don't want to be Paul. Maybe
I just want to be Paul when the Lord took him to the third heaven
to see those things. I don't want to be Paul when I got that
thorn in the flesh being buffeted. You know, maybe we just want
to be careful. What we ought to do is be thankful where the
Lord put us, because maybe it wasn't all that pleasant most
of the time being the Apostle Paul. Are all of them apostles?
Well, no. And if all were apostles, you
know what? If everybody was the Apostle
Paul, there'd be no Martha. and no Mary and no Lazarus. If everybody was the Apostle
Paul, there'd be no Eunice and Lois to raise Timothy to go out
and preach the gospel. If everybody was Paul, there'd
be no Onesimus who ran away from his master to be begotten by
Paul and his bond, to give Paul some joy down there in his bonds.
If everybody was the Apostle Paul, there'd be no Ruth, there'd
be no Lydia, there'd be no Philippians If everybody was the Apostle
Paul, there'd be no woman with the issue of blood, with faith,
crawling up behind the Lord to touch the hem of his garment. If everybody were the Apostle
Paul, there'd be no certain lame man who's laying down there by
the pool of Bethesda and couldn't get in the water when the angel
stirred the water for the Lord to come by and heal. If everybody were the Apostle
Paul, there'd be no Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to go down
in that fiery furnace. and find the Lord. And be a story
that helps us when the Lord brings us to the fire of firmness. If
everybody were the Apostle Paul, you know what? There wouldn't
even be a Jacob. Jacob. Can't we do without Jacob? No, we can't. Because Jacob gives
hope to this Jacob. You can't do without one of them.
Some of them, we don't even know their name. I know the Philippians
Taylor's name. I know the name of that woman with the issue
of blood. Where would the church be without him? Aren't you glad everybody's not
the apostle? And you know what? Look over Second Timothy, chapter
one. Everybody can't be the apostle Paul. And Paul is glad because
where would Paul be without somebody to refresh him in his bonds?
Look at Second Timothy, chapter one. Verse 16. The Lord give mercy unto the
house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me. He was not
ashamed of my chain, but when he was in Rome, he sought me
out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him that
he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And how many things
he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well." I really
don't know anything about Onesiphorus, but I bet this, he is mighty
important to the Apostle Paul. And I'm confident of this. He
was mighty important. If he did that for Paul, he did
that for other people, too. Where would we be without him?
Don't know much about him, but where would we be without him?
Now, verse 31, we'll quit. But covet earnestly the best
gifts and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. Now, really,
this is the first is the beginning of next week's lesson. But, you
know, there's nothing wrong. with wanting to be useful in
God's church. You know, I talk about people, you know, wanting
to be the Lord to use them, you know, in a bigger way. I'm not
being hard on somebody. I'd like that. I'd like to serve
the Lord in a special way. But nothing wrong with wanting
to be useful in God's church. But you can be useful and not
be a preacher. And Paul is going to show us
how in the next chapter. And what he's really saying to
the people at Corinth is, You boys desire, you're coveting
the best gifts, so much so that you're becoming envious of each
other and creating a hierarchy in God's church. I'm going to
show you the best gift, the primary gift that God gives his church
and the way that you can really serve the Lord and be a help
to your brother. That'll be next week's lesson. We don't get ahead
of ourselves, OK?