One Body Series

Introduction:

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 Screwdriver must go also. You have to turn him around again and again to get him to accomplish anything.”

Brother Screwdriver 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.

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.”

Church Family of Here’s Hope, I am here today to say, “Nobody is a nobody in the body of Christ!” (Say it with me.)

1 Corinthians 12:14-26 NLT

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? 17Suppose the whole body were an eye—then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything? 18But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. 19What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part!

20Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21The eye can never say to the hand, "I don’t need you." The head can’t say to the feet, "I don’t need you." 22In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary. 23And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, 24while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally. 26If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

As Roger has shared so well, each part of the body is important. We all play a different note in the symphony of God’s concert. We are all a part of the Family of God!

Study of the verses:

Verses 14-19 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? 17Suppose the whole body were an eye—then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything? 18But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it. 19What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part!

This deals with the diversity of the parts of the body and how God has made each part of the body exactly the way He desires it to be. He put each part of the body where he wanted it.

Paul puts this question in the mouth of anyone who feels excluded from the body. "I don’t have this certain spiritual gift. I guess I’m not part of the body of Jesus Christ."

If you think about it, hands and eyes seem more important and are certainly more "glamorous" than feet and ears or intestines!

Paul wants these Christians who feel excluded to know that they are valuable members of the body, and any sentiment that implies that they are not, is foolishness!