A Place For Everyone And Everyone In Their Place
I Corinthians 12:12-27
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- Years ago I was promoted to a position that involved managing a vast parts warehouse. When I first walked in to the warehouse I was overwhelmed. Parts and equipment were scattered everywhere. It is hard to manage something when you don't know what you have. In order to fix the problem we removed everything from that building and then sorted, inventoried, organized and labeled each part individually. When we were finished we adopted the motto "A place for everything and everything in it's place". And once we got things in order our company became much more productive and everything ran much smoother.
- God designed His church to work a certain way. He has put things in a specific order and when every person is where they should be and doing what they should do, things will work the way that God designed them. On the other hand, when people get out of the will of God. When people refuse to serve in the area and ministry that He has called them to serve in, then trouble will come. Each and every born again child of God has a place in the Body of Christ. My desire is for you to identify what that place is and that you would find yourself faithfully serving where the Lord would have you to serve. Today I would like to consider the thought "A Place For Everyone And Everyone In Their Place"
* Background: Corinth was a church that struggled with spiritually immature believers. There were some problems with division among those who made up this church. One area that caused this division was concerning the "gifts of the Holy Spirit". Those who are saved have been given spiritual gifts. - Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. ------ The gifts that are given to the believer are to be used glorify the Father...NOT OURSELVES!!!
- There were some problems in the church at Corinth:Jealousy and pride... envy and arrogance! The jealousy and envy stemmed from the fact that some felt that others had "better" or "more important" gifts. And the pride and arrogance came from the fact that some felt that their gifts were in fact "better and "more important". Here in this chapter Paul sets out to clarify that each gift is vital to the health of the body. He wanted the Corinthians to understand that there was "A Place For Everyone and that Everyone Should Be In Their Place. In order to illustrate his point he compared the church or "the body of Christ" to a literal, physical body. The body of Christ has many parts. And it is God Who has placed each person where He would have them to serve.
- The human body has Eyes, Ears, Hands, Feet and many other parts. There are many parts but only one body! The eye cannot say to the hand that it is not needed. The head cannot say that it doesn't need the feet. Look to verses 22-23 for a moment - v22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 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.
- This means that sometimes the parts of the body that seem to be the least important are the most necessary. When each part of the body works together this produces harmony. When one part of your body hurts the whole thing does! Someone said that "God gave us toes so that would could find furniture in the middle of the night"! Have you ever stubbed your toe and the pain ran from the foot all the way to your head? Sometimes the pain makes your whole body hurt! The is just the way the human body works. The same is true for a unified church, when one member suffers we all do! And when one member rejoices...we rejoice together!!!
- Regardless of your place of service, you are special. Your ministry is special. Your position is special, (especially considering God chose you for that specific ministry!)
* I would like to begin by seeing the importance of your area of service and your spiritual gift.
I. Don't Underestimate Your Importance In The Body Of Christ
> v12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 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.
- In every area of life there are different classes of people. Think back to high school for a moment. There were different groups of people.. different cliques so to speak. Where I went to school there were hippies, rednecks, jocks, preps, rednecks, the gothic bunch and the academic crowd. ---- Here in America there are different economical classes, some are poor, some are lower middle class, upper middle class, some rich and then there are those who are "filthy stinkin rich"! But even with all those class distinctions we are all Americans.
- And in the body of Christ we are all one body! v13 ...by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free...” ---- The same truth is declared in - Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
- We all became apart of the family of God the same way...by grace through faith! We are members of Christ's body ONLY because of His finished work at Calvary! You no more deserving of salvation that anyone else. You are no more saved than anyone else. You are no more a part of the body than anyone else. Likewise, No one else is more deserving of salvation than you. No one else is or more saved than you are. No one else is more a part of the body that you are. We are all equal in our importance to the body... but we are not the same! We do not have the same gifts... we do not have the same talents... we do not have the same calling. Some ministry positions are more visible, but that does not make them more important. Maybe you look at your gift or your area of service and you think that you are insignificant...You are wrong! You are a part of something much bigger than yourself. That is what Paul reveals to the Corinthian church in these verses.
* Consider:
A. Your Place In The Body Is Essential - v15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
- I find this to be a rather comical portion of scripture. Paul describes a conversation among the parts of a human body. We hear what the foot has to say. We hear what the ear has to say. Then down in verse 21 the eye is talking to the hand and the head is talking to the feet. I find this comical because of the irony that is seen in the fact that the foot, ear and eyes cannot talk! So, I can't help but wonder if the they are all jealous of the mouth?!?!?!
- The point that Paul is making is that each person in the church is vital to the church as a whole. - v20 ...(we are) many members, yet but one body.
- There is no room for pride and arrogance in the body. And there is no need for jealousy and envy in the body. There are some people who get jealous and often angry if they are not placed on a certain committee or asked to serve in a certain capacity. Then there are others who faithfully serve in their area of ministry but they will look at other people and wish that they had their gift or their talent. And there are those who feel that because they do not have a specific "title" in the church that they are not a part of it. Understand this...God has placed you in the body of Christ, and more specifically He has led you to be apart of this local assembly. He has given you gifts, talents and abilities to use. And even though it may not be what you consider a "prominent" place of service it is a place of service nonetheless. Those who preach may be preaching to dozens, hundreds or thousands of people at one time, but they are actually preaching to an audience of One! Those who sing may be singing to dozens, hundreds or thousands of people at one time, but they are actually singing to an audience of One! Though we are serving and ministering to others, we are (or should be) doing it for THE LORD!!!
- The Devil will whisper in your ear that you are wasting your time. He will tell you that no one sees your service and that no one cares. He would have you to believe that all that you do is in vain. Your flesh will cause you trouble as well. Pride and ego will often get in the way. You will get frustrated and discouraged when you do not receive the accolades of man. But when you have the proper perspectiv...When you make the main thing the main thing...When you are doing what you do for the Lord, IT IS NOT IN VAIN!!!!
- No matter your area of service YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO THE LORD!! He is the One who chose you, called you, and equipped you to serve Him. And if He gets the glory you are a success in His eyes even if no one else ever sees what you do!! You have a essential place in the body of Christ
* Not only is your place essential it is beneficial!!
B. Your Place In The Body Is Beneficial - v17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
- Each part of our body contributes to the whole. The eye lets us see, the ears let us hear, the hands allow us to touch, the feet take us where we need to go. If the body were just one part it could not work together... it could not function! Warren Wiersbe one said "I suppose I could learn to walk on my hands, but I prefer to use my feet". The hand cannot do what the foot does, the arm cannot do what the leg does, the eyes cannot hear, the ears cannot see but they all sure do work good together! That is because God designed it that way. And the same is true for the body of Christ... it works because GOD DESIGNED IT THAT WAY!!!
- Have you ever been envious of a position that someone else held in the church? Have you ever desired to have a specific gift that someone else had? Have you ever looked at your spiritual gift or talent and felt that it was insignificant. Maybe you have gone so far as to complain about your gift or even question why you can't do what someone else does. Terry Trivette says - The reality is that your complaints of insignificance or inadequacy are not just toward the body around you; they are actually directed toward the God above you.
- If you are where God has called you to be, doing what God has called you to do then you will be beneficial to the Kingdom and the Body of Christ. There is no greater gift or talent than the one God has blessed you with!
* Not only is your place in the body of Christ essential and beneficial....
C. Your Place In The Body Is Special
- Verse 18 tells us that "God has set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” --- Simply put, your place is special because God is the One who chose you for that task! Your gift is special because it is the gift that God gave you to use for His glory!! The reason that you can't preach may be because God has chosen you be a Sunday School teacher. Could it be that you are not a teacher because God has gifted you to sing? Maybe you can't sing because God chose you to be a prayer warrior. The reason that you work behind the scenes in a "support role" is because God chose you to do so! Each of us are to be involved in personal evangelism, but some people are just GIFTED in that area. That person who has the gift of evangelism may be more productive one on one than a minister in a pulpit preaching to hundreds at one time. Regardless of your place in the body...YOU ARE IMPORTANT!! You are not any more important than anyone else, and you are no less important either. I encourage you, never to look down on your place in the body. Realize what an honor an privilege it is to be chosen by God to do anything for Him. And then do it to the best of your ability!!!
- There were some at Corinth who were very insecure about their place in the body. They felt they were insignificant. But there were also some in that church who were very arrogant and prideful. There were some who thought that they were more important than others because of the "gifts" that they possessed. And if you spend time around church eventually you will encounter some self-righteous Pharisee who has the same problem. This leads us to the next thought that Paul shared with the Corinthians.
* While you should not underestimate the importance of our place in the body of Christ....
II. Don't Overestimate Your Importance In The Body Of Christ - v20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
- Can't you just see some dignified religious man looking down on another and saying "my gift is better than yours"? And if pride ever creeps up in your heart and mind and you begin to think that way.... remember what we are told in: Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
- Paul addresses this mindset and declares that Without The Other Parts Of The Body, You Cannot Function! - v21 ...the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 “Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:”
- Whatever your position is in the church.... you can not do it alone! There is no one man show in this or any other assembly. We all need each other in order for this church to function properly. (again this speaks of the importance of your church attendance).
- Every now and then you will find people in the church who think that they are so important that if they left it would all fall apart. Someone will get mad and say:"I will just hold my tithes then we will see what they can do without my money" or "I will resign my position in the church and we will see how they suffer without me" You may even get a group of malcontents who get together and say "we will just go up the road and start our own church and watch this one fall apart"
- Let me just tell you, it doesn't matter if you hold your tithes, we serve the God who owns it all! If you want to go start another church go ahead, it has been done before and we are still doing just fine! If you resign your position, God will raise someone else up to take your place before you make it out of the parking lot!
- Back in I Kings, Ol' Elijah thought that he was the only one left who had not forsaken the Lord. And the Lord let him know real quick that He had 7,000 men who had not bowed a knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18). God replaced Elijah with Elisha. He replaced Moses with Joshua...this proves to us that no one is irreplaceable!
- In the years that I have served here we have had some amazing servants leave and go to other churches. God has called several good people to serve elsewhere. And I am not saying that they have not been missed. But the church is still going strong. And if you leave, things will go on just fine without you! I fully realize that if I never step behind this pulpit again, Stockdale Baptist Church will do just fine without me! There have been 35 men fill this position before me and there will be one that comes right after I leave. And regardless of what your do or how much you do, you are not anymore important than anyone else. Because of my position, I am perhaps the most recognizable or visible member of this church, but that does not make me the most important. And regardless of your place of service you are no more important than anyone else. And as parts of Christ's body we are to work together. We have many faithful servants in this church, and for that I am truly thankful.
-But lets consider for a moment what this church would be like without those people who are willing to serve.
1. If there was no one to take care of the grounds: The grass would be 3 feet tall. Snakes and rats would inhabit that tall grass. There would be trash all over the parking lot. And the campus would look pitiful and abandoned.
2. If there was no one to perform maintenance on the building: The roof would leak. The gutters would fall off. The plumbing would leak. The floors would cave in And blown light bulbs wouldn't be replaced and the church would be dark.
3. If there was no one to clean the building: There would be gum wrappers, cookie crumbs and dirt in the floor. There would be bulletins and hymnals covering the pews. The trash cans would overflow. There would be ants over everything. The building would smell horrible, And the restrooms would not have any toilet paper, paper towels or soap.
4. If there wasn't anyone to teach Sunday School: Christian growth would be hindered. Classes would just sit and drink coffee and gossip for an hour!
5. If there wasn't a Sunday School director and support staff: You wouldn't have books for class. We wouldn't know the status of the weekly attendance. We wouldn't get our weekly joke and devotion in the assembly.
6. If there wasn't nursery workers: Parents wouldn't be able to attend (or at least concentrate on) Worship, Sunday School and Preaching.
7. If there weren't children's church workers: The kids would not have that teaching that is on their level. They would miss out on fellowship with people their own age and some of them would not have the gospel presented to them in a way that they can understand
8. If there wasn't someone to lead the singing:There would be no order to the service. People would be singing different songs and different verses at the same time.
9. If there wasn't anyone to run the audio system: Some of you wouldn't be able to hear (some still can't!) The sermons wouldn't be recorded. If they weren't recorded they couldn't be uploaded to the website. And the soloists couldn't sing.
10. If there weren't any ushers: The money would stay in people wallets! (and some of it still does!)
11. If there weren't people who manage the money: We wouldn't know what we have financially. The bills wouldn't get paid. The water would get turned off and we would be meeting in the dark!
- I could go one and on, but to sum it up, without faithful servants WE WOULD BE IN A MESS! And without these faithful servants, I could not do what I do! If it was not for all of you doing your jobs and using your gifts, I would not be able to preach because there would be NOONE to preach to!!!! And it doesn't matter what your position is, if everyone else was not doing their part...YOU COULD NOT DO YOURS!!! So let us never get to the point where we feel that we are indispensable or irreplaceable! There truly is a place for everyone and everyone should be in their place.
- The goal of this sermon is for you to gain a proper perspective concerning your place in the body of Christ. Perhaps the best way to achieve this is to remind you that JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY!!! We have God given gifts, ministries and responsibilities and Verse 27 says that "...we are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” Jesus is the head of the body... We are the ears, hands, arms, legs, feet, and other parts.
- Casting Crowns has a song that asks some questions about the body of Christ:
"If we are the body"
"Why aren't His arms reaching?"
"Why aren't His hands healing?"
"Why aren't His words teaching?"
"And if we are the body"
"Why aren't His feet going?"
"Why is His love not showing them there is a way?"
"There is a way...JESUS IS THE WAY!"
- The reason that these things are not happening is because there is a place for everyone... but everyone is not in their place. If you are not using your spiritual gifts... if you are not faithful to your specific ministry... if you are not devoted to your area of service then you are hurting the rest of the body! Why don't you make things right today?
- Will you return to your area of service? Will you return to your proper place in the body of Christ?Will you link up shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters and get back to the work that you have been called and equipped to do? I can assure you there is a place for you! And we (the other parts of Christ's body) need for you to be in your place.
- There are lost people who can be reached when you are in your place of service! There are leaders who can be encouraged when you are in your place of service! There are Christians who can be strengthened when you are in your place of service! There is no limit to what this local assembly could accomplish for the Kingdom is everyone was in their place and faithfully serving.
- Maybe you are here and you have never been born again, I would like to tell you that there is a place for in the body of Christ as well. Why don't you surrender your heart and life to Jesus Christ! Accept His offer of salvation today. If you do you will find that there is a place for you!
