TEXT: I Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Intro:
It is interesting to see what man and science has figured out about the “Body”. Looking at the surface of the body we can see a covering we call skin that acts as a protector of our internal organs, not to mention if we didn’t have skin our organs would fall out. The fact that no person has the same finger prints tells us that the skin alone is complex. We look to internal things in the body and we see complex systems of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, the digestive, the glandular and the nervous system. Yet not one of these would exist without the cells that make them up, and again not one cell would exist without the molecules that make them up, and we could even go further and say no molecules would exist without protons, neutrons and electrons. Some scientist even say the divisions keep on going. It is easy to see that the body is a complex group of systems that coexist to form what we look at in the mirrors every morning. If one of these systems fails their will either be death or at least a lot of confusion or pain.
Isn’t it interesting that in I Corinthians 12 Paul describes the functioning Church as the “body”. More specifically He describes the church as the body of Christ Lets look to I Corinthians 12 to See what Paul meant by describing the Church as the body of Christ, but first let me give you some background of the Corinthian Church to help aid us in understanding Paul's motives to his writings.
Background:
A. The city was paganistic ( Temple of Diana)
1. They Had many Temple prostitutes
2. They were a rich society
B. Paul planted Corinth in About 51 AD.
C. I Corinthians shows Some problems Paul dealt with there
1. Division in the Church (this is the issue Paul was dealing with in our passage)
2. sexual Immorality
3. Trouble at the Agape Love feasts- Communion Services
4. In subordination to the authorities of the church Mainly Paul
5. Selfish Pride
Kind of Sounds Like the good old United States.
Now that we have looked at the background of the Corinthians lets get back to the “body” issue and we will ask a few questions to helps us understand what Paul is getting at. The first question is...
I. WHAT IS THE BODY OF CHRIST MADE UP OF ? (I COR. 12:12)
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
Here is what we find concerning this passage...
1st A. Christ is the head of the body (Eph 4:15-16)
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
1. In Christ is all Knowledge VS Our heads contain our minds which contains Knowledge
2. The head nourishes the body VS Our head has the mouth and nose to bring fresh air and nourishing food
3. The Head gives direction to the body VS We think out decisions
4. Christ bounds us together As ligaments bond bones together
5. He loves us and build us
6. Notice this all takes place as we each do are work (If we view the Church the way Paul describes it we can say there are no pew warmers in the body) A person who is not at least seeking his place in the body could be described as a tumor or a cyst. WE ALL HAVE A PART IN THE BODY BECAUSE WE ARE THE BODY
2nd B. The Church is the body (We are the body of Christ) (1 Cor 12:27) Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1. Remember the introduction about scientific research on the body
2. The body is the working agent of the head
3. Many body parts to perform many tasks
a. Eyes for seeing
b. The nose for smelling
c. Feet for walking
All parts of the body are important to achieve a functioning person, even the parts that seem unimportant when not in place cause great problems in the functioning of the body.
4. Think of all the tasks that get done at the Church.
a. Preaching
b. Teaching
c. Singing
d. Ushering
e. Cleaning
f. Mowing
g. Taking out the garbage
h. Visiting
5. All of these things are important and none can survive without the other (Make Comparison between Important parts and less Important parts both in body and church)
6. It is very important to be involved at church because if your not involved your not really enjoying the benefits that membership brings
7. You have to determine what part of the body you are
8. Truly Assembly is required
Now that we answered the Question “what is the body made up of” you may be asking yourself another question “Where do I fit in to the Body?”.
Before we determine where you fit in the body of Christ lets take a few steps back and examine the possibilities of mankind outside the body of Christ.
II. HOW AND WHY WE SHOULD ENTER THE BODY OF CHRIST ?
A. Because of the curse man is destined for destruction and is in need of a savior
(Rom 3:23-24) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus)
B. God has provided the sacrifice that atones all sin (Rom 5:6&8)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
C. You must repent and believe in Christ and allow that belief to motivate you to do good works (Rom 10:9-10&13)
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Rom 10:13
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
III. NOW HOW DO I FIT IN TO THE BODY OF CHRIST ?
A. The Greatest Commandments: The Question of the Pharisee ( Matt 22:35-40)
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Hey folks ! I think love has something to do with this church thing. Let’s see what Paul has to say about it
B. Paul’s summary and Description of Love in Chapter 13 (1 Cor 12:31-13:8)
31 And now I will show you the most excellent way. 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
Conclusion.
A. We have examined Paul’s analogy of the human body and of the church.
1. We understand that each small part of the body has a function to offer the rest of the body to operate in unity and the Unity is facilitated by the head and the Head is Christ.
2 ALL parts work towards the goal.
3. The church can not have unity without Christ and without Christ there is no body.
B. We have also seen how and why we should desire to be in the body of Christ, and that mankind is lost outside of the Body of Christ.
1. Man is lost without Christ
2. Christ is the Savior
C. We even saw that whatever we do to fit into the body of Christ it must be motivated by love
1. Love
2. The greatest commandment that all the Prophets hang on
Concluding Warning (Col 2:18-19)
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
A. What happens to a man if his head is disconnected ?
(I know some one head injury story, He was disconnected from his head)
B. What happens to a church that is disconnected from it’s head?
1. Strive to Keep the head on the church, (It is an individual task)
2. A Church will die fast as the head is being disconnected or pushed aside
3. We need to keep our heads on straight
If you don’t know what it means to be a part of the body or have never even thought about it, and this message has triggered some interest. If you have Questions about being a part of the body or salvation from sins I’m going to make myself available to talk to you after service or any time.
