How many of us here this morning have ever heard the old song that says, “the hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone’s connected to the leg bone,” or however it goes? It talks about the human body.
I can remember when I was a nursing student before I went to Bible college I had to take a class in human anatomy and physiology. How did I do? Let’s just say that it wasn’t my best class. I did, however, learn a lot about our bodies. I learned a lot of names of bones and muscles. I learned about tendons and ligaments. I also learned the function of each part and how important each part is to our entire bodies.
I think that it’s very interesting that Paul makes a striking comparison between the human body and the body of Christ. Let’s take a look.
First, let’s notice that:
I. The Body Is Made Up Of Many Parts (1 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”).
A. I really admire doctors. They go through
medical school for 8 years, and then have to
do an internship and a residency. And
besides that, there are always new
medications coming out and new medical
innovations that are being invented and
discovered. Doctors are lifelong learners.
B. Do you know why it takes so long to go
through school to become a doctor? Probably
because there are over hundreds and hundreds
of parts that make up our bodies, and they
have to study each one in detail. They have
to know all about them.
C. Paul is showing here the parallel between the
two bodies. Just as in a physical body, the
body of Christ has many, many parts. And
don’t you know that Jesus knows each and
every part very intimately.
D. This is further evidence that the body of
Christ isn’t “all about us.” We’re not the
only ones in the world. We are but a
miniscule part of something that is awesome
both in size and wonder.
So first, we can see that the body is made up of many parts. Next, we can see that:
II. All Parts Are Important (1 Cor. 12:18-20
18 “But in fact God has arranged the parts in
the body, every one of them, just as he
wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one
part, where would the body be? 20 As it is,
there are many parts, but one body”).
A. Each part of the body makes a valuable
contribution to the whole body.
B. For example, our ears are very important.
Without them, we couldn’t hear. Our eyes are
important. Without them, we couldn’t see.
Our mouths are important. Without them we
couldn’t speak or eat.
C. We should also notice that while each part
makes a valuable contribution to the whole,
each part is also unique and different. For
example, the foot and the nose are very
different. The foot helps us walk and
balance ourselves when we stand. The nose is
important because with it we smell things.
The nose helps us breathe. Both parts make a
valuable contribution, but both parts are
extremely different.
D. Again, this is similar to the body of
Christ. We are all a valuable part of the
Kingdom.
E. For example, Billy Graham has been a very
important asset to the kingdom of God.
Thousands of souls have been saved as a
result of his ministry. But also important
is the homeless vagrant that walks in off the
street and accepts Jesus as their Savior.
F. Also, each part of God’s Kingdom makes an
important contribution. A church
denominational leader makes a wonderful
contribution to the Kingdom by building up
pastors and leadership in his district.
Young children also make an important
contribution to the Kingdom when they take a
stand for God in their schools. They are
very different from each other. But they
both are valuable.
So far we’ve seen that the body is made up of many parts and that each part is important. Finally, Paul gives a clear message that:
III. All Parts Are In Unity (1 Cor. 12:24b-25 24”But
God has combined the members of the body and has
given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
25 so that there should be no division in the
body, but that its parts should have equal
concern for each other”).
A. How has God combined the members of our
physical bodies? If all of the parts of our
bodies didn’t have a blood supply, they would
die. And God doesn’t allow a greater amount
of blood to flow to our “better” parts than
to those that are not presentable. All of
our body parts have an adequate supply of
blood. This is so that the body can be
equally healthy and work together for better
health.
B. Do we realize today that this represents the
fact that the promises of God are the same to
all of God’s children, not matter how long
they’ve been saved, no matter what phase of
their lives they may be in, no matter if
they’re the most famous pastor in America or
a prostitute that comes in and gives their
heart to Jesus for the very first time
The “blood” supply reaches with just as much
adequacy.
C. All of the parts of our human body work
together to sustain life. No part can
survive on it’s own. Eyes are important, but
if they aren’t in our bodies, what good are
they? We all have hearts, but if they
weren’t in our bodies, what good is that
heart? All parts have to work with each
other to make a united body.
D. In the body of Christ, we all have to work
together as well. There is much diversity in
the Kingdom. We are made up of different
colors. We are made up of different economic
conditions. We are made up of different
customs. But we combine to make one body.
E. Methodists’ form of baptism is sprinkling.
Baptists’ form is full immersion. The two
are different. But we can live with those
differences and get along to contribute to
God’s kingdom. Some denominations believe in
speaking in tongues. Others don’t. But it
doesn’t mean that we aren’t still brothers
and sisters.
F. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not preaching a
message of blind, unbiblical tolerance.
There are certain issues and behaviors that
the Bible is very clear about that would
exclude someone from the Kingdom of God.
What I’m talking about is the bride of Christ
working together through our differences to
form one beautiful, glorious bride.
G. I think it’s remarkable that after Paul talks
about the body and working through our
differences, he immediately goes to the next
topic, love, in 1 Corinthians 13.
Conclusion:
So what does it all have to do with us in our lives today? This message is a message of encouragement—a message of hope. Maybe you feel like one of those “weaker” or “unpresentable” parts today. There are other parts here that want to pray with you. You are valuable. You are important. And you are loved.
