WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.800 Good morning. 00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:07.080 Would you please turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12? 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:15.620 It says in the bulletin that we're going to look at 12 through 31 today, 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:17.980 but actually we're going to look at 12 through 26. 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:22.539 Today we're going to look at 1 Corinthians 12, 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:23.839 but children are dismissed. 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:25.679 It looks like they're already dismissing themselves. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.240 We are in the middle of a series called 21st Century Discipleship 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:40.019 in which we're looking at the fundamentals of our walk with Christ. 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:45.620 When I was in high school, my family lived in the area around Dayton, Ohio, 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:49.640 and my dad and I were fans of the Cincinnati Bengals, 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:52.379 and we would watch the games together. 00:00:54.019 --> 00:00:56.840 In those years, the Bengals lost a lot of games. 00:00:57.240 --> 00:00:58.719 I don't know, maybe they do that every year. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.280 But they were constantly trying all kinds of trick plays. 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:07.519 You know, they would do the quarterback sneaks and the fake punts 00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:09.700 and the reverses and all these trick plays. 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:13.319 And I remember so clearly sitting there watching these games with my dad 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:16.159 and my dad saying, they need to get back to fundamentals. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:17.560 Right? 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:19.700 Because in spite of all these trick plays, 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:21.519 they would throw the ball and they couldn't catch it. 00:01:22.539 --> 00:01:24.859 And the running back would fumble the ball, 00:01:25.740 --> 00:01:28.760 and they needed to get back to fundamentals. 00:01:28.760 --> 00:01:32.140 They might have the most complex playbook in the world, 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:37.840 but if they can't catch, they're not going to win the game. 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.200 Sometimes it's important for us to get back to the fundamentals in our faith too. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:49.020 What are the basic things that we need to do and believe 00:01:49.020 --> 00:01:51.980 as we follow Christ together? 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:56.680 Well, so far in this series, Pastor Mike has preached on following Christ 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.780 and being saturated in Scripture, 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:02.439 being a person of prayer, 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.219 loving each other, 00:02:05.260 --> 00:02:08.360 and today we're going to look at life together in the church. 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:11.980 We're going to be working through 1 Corinthians 12, 12 through 26. 00:02:12.819 --> 00:02:17.280 The whole passage is organized around this metaphor of a body, 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:18.520 a human body. 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:22.760 Metaphors work when we take one concept, 00:02:23.480 --> 00:02:25.060 in this case a human body, 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:29.120 and then we relate it to another concept, 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:30.420 the church, 00:02:30.980 --> 00:02:35.939 so that the first concept becomes a kind of interpretive lens 00:02:35.939 --> 00:02:37.900 through which you view the second. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:41.939 There's something about a human body that is like the church. 00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:45.719 That's what Paul is going to explain in this passage, 00:02:45.719 --> 00:02:48.900 and it leads to some very practical applications for us 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:51.259 when we think about our life together in the church. 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:53.139 So let's read the passage. 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:54.099 We're going to read the whole thing, 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:57.259 and then we'll go back and take a look at it in some more detail. 00:02:58.539 --> 00:02:59.780 Here's what Paul writes. 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:20.219 It says, 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:27.259 of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, well, because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to 00:03:27.259 --> 00:03:34.020 the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I'm 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:38.479 not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:44.219 whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:49.240 would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:55.580 them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many 00:03:55.580 --> 00:04:03.379 parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, 00:04:03.480 --> 00:04:07.780 I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:13.140 And on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, we bestow the greater honor, and our 00:04:13.140 --> 00:04:19.220 unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:25.260 but God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may 00:04:25.260 --> 00:04:31.560 be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:39.300 member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together. So this passage is 00:04:39.300 --> 00:04:43.380 divided into three parts. They're unequal parts, and we're going to look at each one of them in turn. 00:04:43.379 --> 00:04:48.339 And the first part is in verses 12 through 14. That is about the membership in the body. 00:04:49.219 --> 00:04:55.779 The second part is in verses 15 through 20. That's about diversity in the body. And the last part, 00:04:55.899 --> 00:04:59.199 verses 21 through 26, is about the unity in the body. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:06.139 Paul begins in verse 12 by explaining the metaphor. There are a lot of things that we could say about 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:13.159 a human body. But Paul is focused on one aspect of the human body that relates to the church, and that is 00:05:13.159 --> 00:05:21.039 that bodies are made up of many different parts. Some of those parts are very different from each other, 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:27.819 and yet they're all part of one whole body. They all work together, and they depend on each other, 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:34.560 and they are collectively one body. It's not that all those different parts should be a unity. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:41.199 unity is that they are a unity. All the parts of the body working in sync with each other and 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:51.120 supporting each other. Why? Is it because they want to? Is it because they like each other? No. It's 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:56.920 because it can't be any other way. If there aren't all these parts working together, it's not a body. 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:04.420 The unity of the body is a given. If there's no unity in the body, it's dead. 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.319 And Paul says at the end of verse 12, so it is with Christ. 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:17.100 And the key in this first section comes in verse 13 when Paul makes the connection between a human 00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:25.980 body and the church. Now just who is included in this body? Who are the body parts? Look what Paul 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:32.560 says at the beginning of verse 13 and the end of verse 13. He says, for in one spirit we were all 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:39.620 baptized into one body. Then at the end he says, and all were made to drink of one spirit. He uses the 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:45.600 word spirit twice. In the New Testament, the presence of the spirit distinguishes believers 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:52.100 in Christ from non-believers. The spirit marks those who have converted to faith in Christ and have become 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:57.600 fundamentally altered in the process. When we come to faith in Christ, it's like our DNA just gets 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:03.160 rewired. We're not members of the body just because we happen to believe the same things, 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:08.160 like we're some kind of a political party. And we're not members of the body like we are at the 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:14.720 YMCA, you know, where you get your little membership card and you get some benefit from that, you join 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:21.100 and you get to know some people there. Because when you go to the YMCA, you choose that. You could go to 00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:28.520 the RecPlex. But we're members of the body because when we committed ourselves to Christ, we became a new 00:07:28.520 --> 00:07:36.580 creation. It's not that we choose to be members of the body, we are members of the body. If you were born 00:07:36.580 --> 00:07:44.720 physically in the U.S., you are a citizen. It doesn't matter if you want to be a citizen. You didn't choose to be a 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:53.400 citizen. It's automatic. When you were reborn in the spirit, you are a member of the body. You have joined 00:07:53.400 --> 00:08:01.300 the people of God throughout history who have turned their backs on the world and defected to the kingdom 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:07.280 of Christ. It's like no matter what we look like or where we come from, we all have the same color 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:15.279 passport and it says in it, the kingdom of heaven. This is the invisible church. It's invisible 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:21.819 because it consists of all true believers who have been spiritually changed and remade. 00:08:22.919 --> 00:08:30.879 What we see visibly, what we often call the church, is just the structure, 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:41.399 the organization, the constitution, bylaws, this building that we have that we appreciate so much, 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:46.399 the finances, the bulletins that are printed, the meeting times, the ministries of the church, 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:51.879 that's just the structure. There's one right here called Christ the King and over in town somewhere 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:56.379 else there's one called Kenosha Bible Church and somewhere else there's one called Emmanuel Baptist. 00:08:56.379 --> 00:09:02.919 But these are just containers. These are just containers of the true church. We come to the 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:07.360 meetings, to the services at this place because we like the preaching, because we like the music, 00:09:07.620 --> 00:09:14.700 because we like the people, because the location is good. But the danger of confusing this structure 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:21.879 with the true invisible church is that it makes us feel like our membership is voluntary. 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:32.759 And it isn't. It isn't voluntary. It's automatic. Therefore, the essential unity of the body is not a goal. 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:42.220 It's a given. Unity in the body, unity in this group does not come from effort or from the similarities 00:09:42.220 --> 00:09:47.519 that we might have with each other. It comes from our shared experience in the spirit. Look at the 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:53.139 examples that Paul uses in verse 13. Now look at the middle of verse 13. He has spirit at the beginning 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:59.740 of verse 13 and at the end of verse 13, but in the middle he says, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free. 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:05.939 These are the most obvious and extreme distinctions that Paul can think of in his society. 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:12.559 Jews and Greeks had a different ethnicity. They had a different language. They had a different 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:18.279 religious background. They lived in different neighborhoods. Jews would not even enter a 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:24.579 Gentile's house. And of course, free people and slaves, I mean, who can have a different 00:10:24.579 --> 00:10:28.500 social experience than that? What could they possibly have in common? 00:10:30.619 --> 00:10:36.119 Well, the spirit, right? They share the spirit. They're the members of the kingdom of Christ, 00:10:36.199 --> 00:10:41.979 and therefore they share something so fundamental that every other social distinction that they might 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:49.700 have just sort of evaporate. What does this mean? It means that if you are a believer, 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:56.500 you have something more fundamentally in common with a believer in Christ who is right now hiding 00:10:56.500 --> 00:11:03.500 in a cave in Pakistan than you have in common with your neighbor here in Kenosha who looks like you 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:11.080 and talks like you and votes like you but doesn't know Christ. It means that our community of believers 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:15.840 believers that meet together here at Christ the King, our life together isn't something that we need to 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:23.620 construct. It is already a reality created by God in Christ, and we have the opportunity, the joy of 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:30.120 participating in that reality. And it means we will be a diverse body. 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:42.639 Because if membership simply consists of knowing Christ, if membership simply comes from being converted to our 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:51.720 faith in Christ, then the membership might consist of anyone. If membership isn't based on all the usual 00:11:51.720 --> 00:12:01.580 ways that society sort of divides and sorts us into groups, if it's based on the spirit, then anyone might be a part of the body. 00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:09.560 And in fact, that's exactly what happens. And so Paul turns his attention in the next section, in verses 15 to 20, 00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:12.620 to the diversity in the body. Let's look at that second section. 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:17.720 He begins by personifying some body parts and having them speak. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:23.100 And they say really ridiculous things so that he has the opportunity to then correct them. 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:26.879 He's setting up a little bit of a straw man kind of here. 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:30.980 And he wants to contradict them and disagree. Look what he says in verse 15. 00:12:31.060 --> 00:12:32.220 If the foot should say, 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:38.100 well, because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. 00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:44.700 And if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.340 Now here, those two, those body parts are comparable. 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:51.399 You've got, you've got appendages, right? 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:53.360 Extremities, a hand and a foot. 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:58.420 You've got organs of sense, ears and eyes. 00:12:59.420 --> 00:13:03.120 And the foot says, well, I'm different than the hand, so I don't know, maybe I don't belong. 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:07.960 And the ear says, I don't know, I'm not the same as the eye, so maybe I don't belong here. 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:13.639 But Paul says, the fact that these parts are different does not make them any less a part of the body. 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:19.139 And the church is diverse because of our faith in Christ. 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:20.560 We come from different backgrounds. 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:22.120 We have different skin colors. 00:13:22.680 --> 00:13:25.440 We have different types of education and different jobs. 00:13:25.540 --> 00:13:27.019 We're interested in different things. 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:28.639 We have different personalities. 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:30.180 We have different perspectives. 00:13:30.700 --> 00:13:32.220 We have different resources. 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:34.019 We're gifted in different ways. 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:37.820 And again, this is because of the way that the membership of the body is formed. 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:47.500 When I go join a basketball league, it should not be a surprise to me that many of the people there are just like me. 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:50.300 We're all, you know, have the same level of athleticism. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.800 We're all interested in the same, we're all interested in basketball. 00:13:54.920 --> 00:13:58.280 When I go to a jazz concert, everyone may be a lot like me. 00:13:58.360 --> 00:13:59.139 We all like jazz. 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:04.000 But in the church, we're all members because we've been converted by the spirit. 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:05.799 And the church is diverse. 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:09.460 So look what Paul says about this in verse 17. 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:15.120 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:19.040 And if the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:24.460 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:27.460 These are rhetorical questions in verse 17. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:32.460 And the obvious answer is there would be no sense of hearing or smell. 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:35.300 And the body would be in rough shape. 00:14:37.920 --> 00:14:43.960 The diversity in the body, the fact that we're all different from each other, is God's own good design. 00:14:45.700 --> 00:14:51.000 You know, I love these old black and white sort of sci-fi movies from the 1950s. 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:57.340 You've got one that's about a creature that really is just sort of one giant eyeball. 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:02.740 Or a man with gigantic ears who can hear something six miles away. 00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:05.679 Or a disembodied brain with no torso. 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:07.259 It just has to live in a big vat. 00:15:09.620 --> 00:15:13.220 Or imagine a machine like a Star Trek teleporter. 00:15:13.539 --> 00:15:20.000 Imagine a machine that could zap us and remove half of our body parts and then rearrange all the other ones. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:23.279 I mean, no one, I don't know if we want to imagine that. 00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:24.120 It's disgusting. 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:26.460 It's gross. 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:29.399 It's a horrific monstrosity. 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:34.820 And that's because God knows how to make a human body. 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:39.740 He knows how to put each part in its place. 00:15:39.899 --> 00:15:40.879 Each one important. 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:42.059 Each one contributing. 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:47.679 The body has many different parts, but everything is beautiful and functional. 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:49.279 Everything is in balance. 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:50.879 I've got hands that do things. 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:52.580 I've got feet that take me places. 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:54.019 I've got ears that hear. 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:59.820 The diverse body parts that we have are all evidence of God's design. 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:02.759 And God knows how to make a body. 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:04.779 And he also knows how to make a church. 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:07.799 It's made up of all different people. 00:16:07.939 --> 00:16:08.960 Some of us look different. 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:10.360 Some of us think differently. 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:14.700 We all have various experiences that have shaped us. 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:17.540 But Paul says, that's not bad. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:18.580 That's good. 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:21.740 Look what he says in verse 19. 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:25.640 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:30.580 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:37.300 The diversity in the body, the fact that we're all different, isn't just acceptable. 00:16:38.400 --> 00:16:39.520 It's necessary. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:43.799 Paul is not saying here that it's okay that we're all different. 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.039 He's not even saying that it's valuable that we're all different. 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:52.419 He's saying it's necessary that we're all different. 00:16:52.419 --> 00:16:57.839 It's God's design that we live out our faith together with people who are not like us. 00:16:59.219 --> 00:17:00.839 And here's why this matters. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:05.539 It matters because we all belong in the body. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:08.559 You belong here. 00:17:10.779 --> 00:17:14.099 Maybe you think to yourself, boy, I am different than everyone else. 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:16.819 Maybe I don't belong here. 00:17:18.139 --> 00:17:18.960 Yes, you do. 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:25.240 You contribute something here that no one else does, even if it doesn't feel like it to you. 00:17:27.360 --> 00:17:29.440 What about that person over there? 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:30.940 What about somewhere else in this group? 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:31.700 There's this person. 00:17:31.779 --> 00:17:33.380 Maybe they're on the other side of the aisle. 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:36.059 And they're really different from you. 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:39.740 They don't see things the way that you do. 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:42.319 They don't have the same goals that you do. 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:44.680 Their culture is different. 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:48.360 Or maybe their personality tends to get on your nerves. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:51.539 They belong here too. 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:57.120 Does that person like different worship music than you? 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:03.680 Or do they strongly feel about parenting the way that you think is completely wrong? 00:18:05.120 --> 00:18:07.660 Do they have different political views than you do? 00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:10.640 Or dress differently than you do? 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:11.960 They belong here. 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:15.279 We have the same spirit. 00:18:16.620 --> 00:18:17.960 We have the same passport. 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:26.480 And not only do we all belong here, but a second reason this matters is that we all contribute something to the body. 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:29.340 Because if we were all an eye, how could we hear? 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:32.039 And if we were all an ear, how would we smell? 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:35.579 But Paul says if all were a single member, where would the body be? 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:39.319 We need each other's differences to be a whole body. 00:18:41.639 --> 00:18:49.759 If we were all the same, then we might really be good at some things, but there would be huge deficits in others. 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:51.940 We would be narrow. 00:18:53.779 --> 00:19:00.019 We would not have the benefit of a variety of experiences, and we would be extremely limited in our collective abilities. 00:19:02.379 --> 00:19:03.759 So let's review where we are. 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:05.079 We're at the end of our second section. 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:05.640 Let's review. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:12.000 The whole passage explores this relationship, this tension between unity and diversity in the body. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:22.559 On the one hand, the body is a unity because its members share all one thing in common, the spirit, because they are new creations in Christ. 00:19:23.460 --> 00:19:30.279 In comparison to that one thing that they share, nothing else matters, regardless of where they came from or who they are. 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:33.660 If they have placed their hope in Christ, they are one body. 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:35.619 So there's this essential unity. 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:37.480 That's in verses 12 through 14. 00:19:37.480 --> 00:19:48.559 But on the other hand, because their membership rests on that one central factor and not anything else, that means that the body is incredibly diverse. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:50.299 A little bit of a paradox. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:20:04.640 Because God has called people out of every nation and every tongue and every neighborhood and every hobby and every personality type, there is diversity in the body. 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:06.120 That's verses 15 through 20. 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:20.480 But, on the other hand, because the body is diverse and all of that diversity strengthens the body and provides it with abilities and resources and experiences, 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:23.380 then it has to function as a unity. 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:25.460 It keeps going back and forth. 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:33.259 All the members have to be engaged, working and serving for the body. 00:20:34.340 --> 00:20:38.279 And that's the subject of the last section in verses 21 through 26. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:41.819 Paul says in verse 21, 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:49.100 The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:55.619 In the previous section, in verses 15 through 16, the foot compared itself to a hand. 00:20:55.679 --> 00:20:56.319 Those are similar. 00:20:57.379 --> 00:20:59.240 And the ear compared itself to the eye. 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:00.099 Those are parallel. 00:21:00.899 --> 00:21:02.859 They're both sensory organs. 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:07.939 They were different, but equal. 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:12.779 The question in that section was, is it okay that I'm not the same as everybody else? 00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:18.139 But now, in verse 21, the question is a little bit different. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:20.779 The image is a little bit different. 00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:23.539 Now the question is, do we really need that member here? 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:27.720 Is that member of any value to us? 00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:31.819 Because the eye is more dominant than the hand. 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:34.740 The eye gives the hand direction and tells it what to do. 00:21:34.740 --> 00:21:37.019 So there's a little bit of a hierarchy there. 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:41.680 And the head, which is up here, gives direction to the foot. 00:21:41.819 --> 00:21:44.940 It's up here, and it directs the foot and tells the foot where to go. 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:51.680 So again, Paul is having these body parts say something inappropriate so that he can then correct them. 00:21:53.099 --> 00:21:55.880 Some of these parts are saying to other parts of the body, 00:21:56.599 --> 00:21:57.519 We don't need you. 00:21:58.039 --> 00:22:00.460 Or, we can get along just fine without you. 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:00.920 Thank you. 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:14.960 We know, we all know, that the question of status and importance and hierarchy just dominates the world out there. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:18.279 That's the fuel that runs the world. 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:25.079 The way that we compare ourselves to each other, the way that we go around, you know, 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:31.700 always checking out in every group who's dominant, who's got something over on us. 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.299 That's just the way of the world. 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:38.200 Anyone who's ever been to middle school knows this. 00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:42.680 Anyone who's ever been on Facebook knows this. 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:45.960 We compare our vacations. 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:49.400 We compare how crafty we are. 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:51.039 Oh, that's such a cute centerpiece. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.380 We compare how well we cook, 00:22:56.940 --> 00:22:59.940 and whether or not so-and-so made cinnamon rolls last week. 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:02.180 We compare how cute our kids are, 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:03.360 and then we try to figure out, 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:04.559 Am I better than that person? 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:05.980 Am I not as good at that person? 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:08.340 It's always a question of dominance. 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:09.180 But Paul says, 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:10.759 Not in the body. 00:23:11.860 --> 00:23:13.420 That's not how it works in the body. 00:23:13.600 --> 00:23:15.640 On the contrary, he says in verse 22, 00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:17.880 Some parts of the body seem weaker. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.600 Like internal organs. 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:23.340 They're so weak that they have to be inside, 00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:25.279 up inside your ribcage to be protected. 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:26.720 But they're crucial, 00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:28.220 because without them you would die. 00:23:30.139 --> 00:23:30.799 Verse 23, 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:34.519 Some of the parts of our body we keep hidden for modesty's sake, 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:35.920 but they aren't any less important. 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:38.980 In fact, we give them a lot of attention, 00:23:39.379 --> 00:23:40.220 and we clothe them. 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:44.039 So appearances can be deceiving, 00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:45.180 because you might say, 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:48.399 Well, I think I can tell which parts of the body are more important. 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:49.560 You know, one is visible, 00:23:50.200 --> 00:23:50.940 one is hidden, 00:23:51.780 --> 00:23:52.700 one is external, 00:23:53.040 --> 00:23:53.860 one is internal, 00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:55.240 one gives direction, 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:56.580 one takes direction. 00:23:57.500 --> 00:23:58.360 But that's nonsense. 00:23:59.580 --> 00:24:01.980 You can't tell which parts of the body are more crucial. 00:24:02.100 --> 00:24:02.740 They all are. 00:24:02.840 --> 00:24:04.180 Every single part is crucial. 00:24:06.780 --> 00:24:08.560 And so look what Paul says in verse 24. 00:24:09.840 --> 00:24:12.480 But God has so composed the body, 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:16.140 giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:19.500 that there may be no division in the body. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:23.280 The point of this imagery is that everyone, 00:24:23.860 --> 00:24:25.080 every person, 00:24:26.080 --> 00:24:27.940 is indispensable to the body. 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:30.480 Those who serve up here. 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:32.740 Those who sit in the back. 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:36.780 Those who have personalities that are very loud and gregarious. 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:38.960 Those people who are very quiet. 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:41.420 People who are very confident and run up to strangers 00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:42.480 and give them a big hug. 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:45.000 Other people are shy and kind of hold back. 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:46.539 adults, 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:48.059 young people. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:49.619 They are crucial. 00:24:49.740 --> 00:24:52.480 All of us are crucial to the proper functioning of the body. 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:56.420 Therefore, we commit to each other in unity. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:58.579 There must be no division in the body. 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:01.900 You know, when we come to church, 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:04.339 it's very tempting to come looking for an ideal. 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:07.259 I want to come here. 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:09.119 I want people to care for me here. 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:12.219 I want people to know me. 00:25:12.439 --> 00:25:15.819 I want to be connected and feel like I'm developing friendships. 00:25:16.179 --> 00:25:17.659 Good, easygoing friendships. 00:25:18.459 --> 00:25:21.259 This is going to be a chance for me to see people every week. 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:22.299 That's going to be great. 00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:25.440 But that's not what this is. 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:32.180 If we're looking for easy, enjoyable social experiences, 00:25:32.379 --> 00:25:35.059 then we need to go join a book club or a garden club or something 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:36.819 because that's not what this is. 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:38.899 This is the body. 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:43.380 And we are committed to each other and we live out our faith together. 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:45.940 We support each other and we need each other. 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:49.180 And we do this with people who are not, 00:25:49.300 --> 00:25:51.280 we are not naturally attracted to. 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:55.240 We do this with people who are not like us, 00:25:55.480 --> 00:25:58.360 who we might not normally naturally choose as friends, 00:25:59.140 --> 00:26:02.560 but whom God has given to us as brothers and sisters 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:08.859 to be closer and more serious and more caring than our own natural families. 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:12.579 Because our own natural families may reject us for the cause of Christ. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:15.599 But we belong to the body. 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.599 And just as members of the body are committed to each other 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:22.240 to care for the needs of each other, 00:26:23.639 --> 00:26:25.859 look what Paul says here in conclusion. 00:26:26.159 --> 00:26:28.220 Verse 25, at the end of verse 25. 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:32.539 He says that the members may have the same care for one another. 00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:35.759 If one member suffers, all suffer together. 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:39.480 If one member is honored, all rejoice together. 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:42.539 If our participation in the body, 00:26:42.740 --> 00:26:45.480 if our service to each other depended 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:48.899 on whether we were naturally drawn to each other as friends, 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:50.399 I don't know how much that would be worth. 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:52.220 But it doesn't. 00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:57.039 It's the fact that we are committed to each other as members of the body, 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:01.079 that we are purposeful about caring for each other 00:27:01.079 --> 00:27:04.980 in really practical ways based on our own variety of abilities. 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:07.539 We keep tabs on each other. 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:11.799 We notice who hasn't been at one of our services or meetings, 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:13.379 and we check in. 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:16.199 We listen to each other. 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:18.159 We encourage each other. 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:20.179 We take leadership. 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:21.819 We see what needs to be done, 00:27:21.899 --> 00:27:24.099 and we help get people organized. 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:26.679 We provide for people's physical needs. 00:27:26.779 --> 00:27:27.439 We give them money. 00:27:27.639 --> 00:27:29.419 We take meals to each other. 00:27:29.539 --> 00:27:30.799 We help fix their car. 00:27:30.959 --> 00:27:33.119 We help fix their plumbing problem. 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:36.059 We help them move and carry their sleeper sofa. 00:27:36.679 --> 00:27:38.399 We help them prepare their taxes. 00:27:38.679 --> 00:27:40.779 We teach each other how to read the Bible. 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:43.980 We give a young couple parenting advice. 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:47.659 We model what it looks like to be faithful to Christ 00:27:47.659 --> 00:27:48.679 in the midst of suffering. 00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:52.140 We visit each other at home and in the hospital. 00:27:53.840 --> 00:27:55.480 Let's just be really direct. 00:27:58.100 --> 00:28:02.740 If you aren't engaged in the body, 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:05.560 if you're just sitting there consuming, 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:08.259 and you're not engaged, 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:10.779 something isn't getting done. 00:28:12.340 --> 00:28:15.360 God has made you a specialist in something. 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:20.079 You have a unique mix of background and ability 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:21.899 and gifting and passions. 00:28:22.519 --> 00:28:23.659 You are a specialist. 00:28:23.899 --> 00:28:26.019 And if you're simply consuming, 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:29.179 then there's a hole somewhere 00:28:29.179 --> 00:28:31.059 that is not being plugged. 00:28:33.859 --> 00:28:36.339 Now, you might have two objections to this. 00:28:36.419 --> 00:28:36.719 You might say, 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:37.259 well, no, wait a minute. 00:28:37.459 --> 00:28:37.779 Wait a minute. 00:28:37.959 --> 00:28:39.679 I don't know what my gifts are 00:28:39.679 --> 00:28:41.559 or what I can do. 00:28:42.699 --> 00:28:43.839 Well, my advice would be 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:45.459 to just start volunteering in things. 00:28:46.779 --> 00:28:47.959 Try out different things. 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:52.000 Help the deacons fix something around here. 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:53.179 Work in the nursery. 00:28:54.399 --> 00:28:57.799 Volunteer on a Sunday evening 00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:58.759 to put tables away. 00:28:58.859 --> 00:28:59.679 See what you enjoy. 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:03.539 See how people respond to you and to your work. 00:29:03.939 --> 00:29:05.399 See what feels like a good fit. 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:06.859 But if you sit on the sidelines, 00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:08.359 you're never going to know, 00:29:08.419 --> 00:29:10.399 it's never going to become clear to you 00:29:10.399 --> 00:29:11.699 what you can do. 00:29:11.700 --> 00:29:12.860 In some ways, 00:29:12.900 --> 00:29:13.840 the only way to figure out 00:29:13.840 --> 00:29:14.640 what you're good at 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:15.539 is just to jump in. 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:18.080 And a second objection might be, 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:19.220 well, there aren't enough jobs 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:20.740 and ministries here at the church 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:21.559 for all of us. 00:29:21.600 --> 00:29:23.160 You know, what if we all jump in, right? 00:29:24.519 --> 00:29:25.819 My answer to that is, 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:27.860 usually ministries are not 00:29:27.860 --> 00:29:29.080 turning people away. 00:29:30.660 --> 00:29:32.240 Usually they're understaffed. 00:29:33.080 --> 00:29:34.880 And usually there's a small group 00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:35.900 of tired people 00:29:35.900 --> 00:29:36.880 who are involved in like 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:37.740 five different ministries 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:38.700 and they're all doing it. 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:41.460 Because there aren't enough volunteers. 00:29:43.539 --> 00:29:44.099 And also, 00:29:44.299 --> 00:29:46.299 your ministry doesn't have to be formal. 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:47.980 You can start caring for people 00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:48.620 and helping 00:29:48.620 --> 00:29:49.539 and praying 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:51.799 and inviting 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:52.920 and your ministry 00:29:52.920 --> 00:29:54.180 can even look outward 00:29:54.180 --> 00:29:55.819 into the community around. 00:29:57.700 --> 00:29:59.460 Not only do we care for each other 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:00.460 in really practical ways, 00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:01.539 but we suffer together 00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:02.960 and we rejoice together. 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:04.720 We have such love for each other 00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:06.120 that when one of us hurts, 00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:06.839 we all hurt. 00:30:07.799 --> 00:30:07.980 I mean, 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:09.500 our bodies are large, 00:30:09.620 --> 00:30:11.319 but if I break my little toe, 00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:12.839 it's like that big. 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:14.160 If I break my little toe, 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:15.140 my whole body 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:16.000 is out of commission. 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:17.480 I'm limping around, 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:18.200 I'm in pain. 00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:20.640 If I have one little tooth, 00:30:21.140 --> 00:30:21.860 it's like that big. 00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:22.799 One little tooth 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:23.559 and it's aching, 00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:25.519 I can't concentrate, 00:30:26.259 --> 00:30:27.779 I can't do anything 00:30:27.779 --> 00:30:29.000 except just sit around suffering. 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:34.099 We rejoice together, 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:35.039 we celebrate together, 00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:36.059 we cry together, 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:37.579 we show affection to each other 00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:38.460 with handshakes 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:39.660 and appropriate hugs. 00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:42.839 And I want to mention, 00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:44.619 I think there's one more way 00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:45.599 we can purposefully 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:46.480 care for each other. 00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:48.099 This is sort of 00:30:48.099 --> 00:30:48.940 just another example. 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:50.420 We can confess our sins 00:30:50.420 --> 00:30:51.220 to each other 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:54.299 and speak the word of Christ 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:54.799 to each other. 00:30:54.880 --> 00:30:55.819 Sometimes when we think about 00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:56.680 confessing our sins 00:30:56.680 --> 00:30:57.119 to each other, 00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:59.119 we think about 00:30:59.119 --> 00:31:00.079 maybe what they do 00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:01.059 in the Roman Catholic Church 00:31:01.059 --> 00:31:01.579 and then we're like, 00:31:01.639 --> 00:31:02.359 well, we're not them 00:31:02.359 --> 00:31:03.799 so just ignore it. 00:31:03.959 --> 00:31:05.179 But James says, 00:31:05.899 --> 00:31:08.439 James says in 5.16, 00:31:08.719 --> 00:31:09.759 confess your sins 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.359 to one another 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:11.539 and pray for one another 00:31:11.539 --> 00:31:12.419 that you may be healed. 00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:15.839 We are a body of sinners. 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:18.519 We cannot be, 00:31:18.699 --> 00:31:19.719 we must not be 00:31:19.719 --> 00:31:21.000 a pious body 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:22.959 who doesn't allow sinners 00:31:22.959 --> 00:31:23.579 in our midst. 00:31:25.399 --> 00:31:26.239 What would happen 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.519 if we actually found out 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:28.000 that one of us 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:28.480 was a sinner? 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:31.559 No, we're honest. 00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:33.220 We admit together 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:34.019 as a body 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:34.779 that we're sinners 00:31:34.779 --> 00:31:35.940 and that we sin 00:31:35.940 --> 00:31:37.079 all the time. 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:39.559 And so we confess 00:31:39.559 --> 00:31:40.460 our sins to each other. 00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:41.539 And the way that we do that 00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:42.599 is not by confessing 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:43.720 our sins to everyone. 00:31:44.059 --> 00:31:45.400 We don't confess our sins, 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:46.279 you know, 00:31:46.299 --> 00:31:47.000 in a big group. 00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:48.220 But this is what, 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:48.859 this is what I think 00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:49.339 we can do. 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:51.220 This is how we do it. 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:54.079 We find one other person 00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:55.460 in the body. 00:31:56.539 --> 00:31:57.420 It might be someone 00:31:57.420 --> 00:31:58.259 in our life group, 00:31:58.380 --> 00:31:59.380 it might be a close friend, 00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.440 it might just be someone 00:32:00.440 --> 00:32:01.519 who we trust and respect. 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:02.740 It needs to be someone 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:03.519 who understands 00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:04.579 that they are a sinner. 00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:06.339 They're not gonna, 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:07.440 they're not gonna judge 00:32:07.440 --> 00:32:08.180 and they're not gonna be 00:32:08.180 --> 00:32:09.059 tempted to gossip 00:32:09.059 --> 00:32:10.440 because they are also 00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:11.620 in need of grace 00:32:11.620 --> 00:32:12.559 and they're sinners too. 00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:13.759 They need to know that. 00:32:15.460 --> 00:32:16.120 And what you do 00:32:16.120 --> 00:32:17.220 is you contact them, 00:32:17.319 --> 00:32:18.339 maybe face to face, 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:18.960 maybe you call them 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:19.460 on the phone 00:32:19.460 --> 00:32:20.259 and you tell them 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:20.799 your sin. 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:22.880 You tell them 00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:23.420 what you've done 00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:24.340 and you be specific 00:32:24.340 --> 00:32:24.960 about it. 00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:26.200 You say, 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:27.200 this is what I did. 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:30.200 And you don't, 00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:30.840 you don't try 00:32:30.840 --> 00:32:31.779 and justify it. 00:32:33.140 --> 00:32:34.380 You just simply say, 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:35.259 boldly, 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:36.640 I sinned. 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:39.160 And then that person 00:32:39.160 --> 00:32:40.500 who hears your confession, 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:42.559 they listen to you 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:43.240 with humility. 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:46.340 And then they speak 00:32:46.340 --> 00:32:47.480 as a representative 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:48.319 of Christ. 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:50.819 And they say to you, 00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:51.600 I understand 00:32:51.600 --> 00:32:52.380 that you did that. 00:32:53.900 --> 00:32:55.279 But Christ forgives you. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:32:58.059 And they say to you, 00:32:58.200 --> 00:32:59.019 Jesus promises 00:32:59.019 --> 00:32:59.900 that if we confess 00:32:59.900 --> 00:33:00.420 our sin 00:33:00.420 --> 00:33:01.579 that he will forgive us. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:03.480 So you need to know 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:05.000 that your sins 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:05.660 are forgiven. 00:33:05.840 --> 00:33:07.180 And they have to say it. 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:08.059 It's not enough 00:33:08.059 --> 00:33:08.700 to just be like, 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.920 eh, don't worry, 00:33:09.980 --> 00:33:10.440 we all struggle 00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:10.960 with that sin. 00:33:11.340 --> 00:33:12.200 No, that's not good enough. 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:14.079 And you don't say, 00:33:14.180 --> 00:33:14.640 well, I don't think 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:15.480 that's a very big deal. 00:33:16.059 --> 00:33:16.340 No. 00:33:16.339 --> 00:33:17.039 You say, 00:33:17.740 --> 00:33:19.139 Christ forgives you. 00:33:19.439 --> 00:33:20.879 You stand in for him. 00:33:20.980 --> 00:33:21.959 You represent him. 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:23.099 You speak on behalf 00:33:23.099 --> 00:33:23.619 of Christ 00:33:23.619 --> 00:33:24.480 and say verbally, 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:26.679 your sins are forgiven. 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:27.480 And you can say that 00:33:27.480 --> 00:33:28.119 with authority 00:33:28.119 --> 00:33:29.839 because it's a promise 00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:30.679 that we have in Scripture. 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:33.399 Here's why we should 00:33:33.399 --> 00:33:34.119 confess our sins 00:33:34.119 --> 00:33:34.659 to each other. 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:35.959 First of all, 00:33:36.039 --> 00:33:37.379 it's a true confession. 00:33:38.679 --> 00:33:39.799 It is so easy 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:40.539 after you sin 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:41.139 to just sort of 00:33:41.139 --> 00:33:41.740 say a little prayer 00:33:41.740 --> 00:33:42.000 and say, 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:43.319 oh, sorry about that, God. 00:33:43.319 --> 00:33:44.019 And it's sort of 00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:44.579 going your way. 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:47.639 But why is it so easy 00:33:47.639 --> 00:33:48.679 to confess our sins 00:33:48.679 --> 00:33:49.339 to God 00:33:49.339 --> 00:33:50.819 when he is holy 00:33:50.819 --> 00:33:53.099 but so difficult 00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:53.720 to confess 00:33:53.720 --> 00:33:54.960 to one of our neighbors 00:33:54.960 --> 00:33:55.559 or friends 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:56.439 who is a sinner? 00:33:58.879 --> 00:33:59.519 It's because 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:00.779 when we confess to God 00:34:00.779 --> 00:34:01.679 it's so easy 00:34:01.679 --> 00:34:02.659 for that to be a reflex. 00:34:02.859 --> 00:34:03.740 Eh, he sees me sin 00:34:03.740 --> 00:34:04.240 all the time 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:05.139 so he's used to it. 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:06.639 But when you stand 00:34:06.639 --> 00:34:07.799 before another person 00:34:07.799 --> 00:34:09.019 and you confess to them 00:34:09.019 --> 00:34:09.420 and you say, 00:34:09.519 --> 00:34:10.119 I have sinned, 00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:11.239 it's humiliating. 00:34:11.840 --> 00:34:13.039 It cuts you down. 00:34:13.039 --> 00:34:14.699 And it's shameful 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:15.880 to stand before someone 00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:16.199 and say, 00:34:16.279 --> 00:34:16.759 I sinned. 00:34:16.779 --> 00:34:17.699 So that tends to be 00:34:17.699 --> 00:34:19.000 a true confession. 00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:20.639 Secondly, 00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:22.279 it kills the power of sin. 00:34:24.179 --> 00:34:25.460 Sin is like a mold 00:34:25.460 --> 00:34:27.420 that grows in the dark 00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:29.099 and its power 00:34:29.099 --> 00:34:30.380 is found in secrecy. 00:34:31.300 --> 00:34:32.239 And it must be brought 00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:32.900 into light, 00:34:33.860 --> 00:34:34.779 spoken aloud 00:34:34.779 --> 00:34:35.679 and acknowledged 00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:36.500 to someone else 00:34:36.500 --> 00:34:37.239 and that will help 00:34:37.239 --> 00:34:37.800 to kill it. 00:34:38.960 --> 00:34:39.900 When we confess 00:34:39.900 --> 00:34:40.599 to a person 00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:41.259 there just isn't 00:34:41.259 --> 00:34:41.679 any way 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:42.759 to justify ourselves. 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:45.400 And third, 00:34:45.539 --> 00:34:46.699 it gives someone else 00:34:46.699 --> 00:34:47.380 in the body 00:34:47.380 --> 00:34:47.940 an opportunity 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:49.239 to minister to us 00:34:49.239 --> 00:34:50.779 and to speak grace to us. 00:34:50.900 --> 00:34:52.079 It is a beautiful thing 00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:53.719 that we do to each other 00:34:53.719 --> 00:34:55.500 when I don't just have 00:34:55.500 --> 00:34:56.340 to look in the Bible 00:34:56.340 --> 00:34:57.279 and try and find 00:34:57.279 --> 00:34:59.320 some sort of hope there. 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:00.139 I don't have to find 00:35:00.139 --> 00:35:00.719 those promises 00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:01.679 of Christ for myself 00:35:01.679 --> 00:35:02.779 but I have another person 00:35:02.779 --> 00:35:04.599 to verbally let me hear 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:06.059 you are forgiven. 00:35:06.579 --> 00:35:07.719 That's a beautiful thing. 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:11.480 So to summarize 00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:12.459 this last section 00:35:12.459 --> 00:35:14.059 in verses 21 through 26 00:35:14.059 --> 00:35:15.239 the unity of the body 00:35:15.239 --> 00:35:16.000 means that we all 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:16.859 need each other. 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:18.119 We care for each other. 00:35:18.219 --> 00:35:19.179 We suffer together. 00:35:19.359 --> 00:35:20.459 We rejoice together. 00:35:20.659 --> 00:35:22.019 We minister to each other. 00:35:22.379 --> 00:35:23.099 We aren't all 00:35:23.099 --> 00:35:24.859 paid pastors. 00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:26.459 We're not all 00:35:26.459 --> 00:35:27.539 full-time pastors 00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:29.159 but we all have 00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:30.199 pastoral roles 00:35:30.199 --> 00:35:31.099 to each other 00:35:31.099 --> 00:35:32.559 serving each other 00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:34.039 from our great variety 00:35:34.039 --> 00:35:35.299 of gifts and experiences. 00:35:35.300 --> 00:35:37.539 Now if Paul's teaching 00:35:37.539 --> 00:35:38.120 on the church 00:35:38.120 --> 00:35:38.940 sounds radical 00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:40.380 it's because it's based 00:35:40.380 --> 00:35:41.900 on a spiritual reality 00:35:41.900 --> 00:35:43.620 that God has accomplished 00:35:43.620 --> 00:35:44.560 for us in Christ. 00:35:45.200 --> 00:35:46.820 It's not a human organization 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:47.400 that we hope 00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:48.460 will get a little bit better 00:35:48.460 --> 00:35:49.840 than other organizations 00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:50.920 because maybe we're 00:35:50.920 --> 00:35:51.780 more sanctified 00:35:51.780 --> 00:35:52.600 or something like that. 00:35:52.640 --> 00:35:53.039 It's not. 00:35:54.519 --> 00:35:55.640 The church consists 00:35:55.640 --> 00:35:56.780 of all those people 00:35:56.780 --> 00:35:57.940 throughout all time 00:35:57.940 --> 00:35:58.960 in all the world 00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:00.260 who belong to God 00:36:00.260 --> 00:36:01.280 because of their faith 00:36:01.280 --> 00:36:02.740 in Jesus Christ. 00:36:02.840 --> 00:36:04.160 And some of us meet here 00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:06.159 every Sunday 00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:06.839 and sometimes 00:36:06.839 --> 00:36:07.579 during the week 00:36:07.579 --> 00:36:08.279 and some of us 00:36:08.279 --> 00:36:09.179 have particularly 00:36:09.179 --> 00:36:10.019 committed ourselves 00:36:10.019 --> 00:36:11.500 to this group here 00:36:11.500 --> 00:36:12.480 and we call ourselves 00:36:12.480 --> 00:36:13.279 Christ the King. 00:36:14.319 --> 00:36:15.239 But the church 00:36:15.239 --> 00:36:15.679 is something 00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:16.980 that God has created. 00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:19.399 We participate in it 00:36:19.399 --> 00:36:20.539 because we are born 00:36:20.539 --> 00:36:22.259 or spiritually reborn 00:36:22.259 --> 00:36:23.059 into it. 00:36:24.199 --> 00:36:25.619 We commit to each other 00:36:25.619 --> 00:36:26.920 because we all belong. 00:36:28.539 --> 00:36:30.179 We commit to purposeful 00:36:30.179 --> 00:36:30.779 relationships 00:36:30.779 --> 00:36:32.019 because we all need 00:36:32.019 --> 00:36:32.599 each other. 00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:34.659 and we commit 00:36:34.659 --> 00:36:35.219 to each other 00:36:35.219 --> 00:36:35.880 because we all 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:36.779 have different ways 00:36:36.779 --> 00:36:37.900 to serve each other 00:36:37.900 --> 00:36:39.500 and to serve God 00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:40.319 in our life together. 00:36:41.940 --> 00:36:42.579 Let's pray. 00:36:52.019 --> 00:36:53.000 Father, we're grateful 00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:54.179 that you have given us 00:36:54.179 --> 00:36:54.799 to each other. 00:36:56.679 --> 00:36:57.420 We're grateful 00:36:57.420 --> 00:36:58.059 for the grace 00:36:58.059 --> 00:36:58.739 that you've shown us 00:36:58.739 --> 00:36:59.259 in Christ. 00:36:59.260 --> 00:37:03.080 for incorporating us 00:37:03.080 --> 00:37:03.780 into your body, 00:37:04.420 --> 00:37:05.120 for calling us 00:37:05.120 --> 00:37:05.640 your sons 00:37:05.640 --> 00:37:07.160 and daughters 00:37:07.160 --> 00:37:08.260 and for allowing us 00:37:08.260 --> 00:37:08.880 to call each other 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:09.680 brothers and sisters. 00:37:12.540 --> 00:37:13.320 We thank you 00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:14.320 that we have this family 00:37:14.320 --> 00:37:17.520 that we can commit to, 00:37:18.220 --> 00:37:19.340 that we can serve. 00:37:21.540 --> 00:37:22.760 What a gift it is 00:37:22.760 --> 00:37:23.860 to have other people 00:37:23.860 --> 00:37:24.860 to live life with. 00:37:24.860 --> 00:37:27.160 But Lord, 00:37:27.240 --> 00:37:27.599 there are some 00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:28.840 tough things here. 00:37:29.140 --> 00:37:29.760 There are some 00:37:29.760 --> 00:37:31.140 challenges here 00:37:31.140 --> 00:37:33.539 to love people 00:37:33.539 --> 00:37:36.599 who we personally 00:37:36.599 --> 00:37:37.260 find difficult 00:37:37.260 --> 00:37:37.820 to love, 00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:40.420 to not just 00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:41.120 accept someone 00:37:41.120 --> 00:37:42.000 as an acquaintance 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:42.880 but to accept them 00:37:42.880 --> 00:37:43.900 as a family member, 00:37:44.900 --> 00:37:46.880 to serve each other. 00:37:46.880 --> 00:37:49.260 and we ask 00:37:49.260 --> 00:37:49.980 that you would, 00:37:50.420 --> 00:37:50.900 by the power 00:37:50.900 --> 00:37:51.539 of your spirit, 00:37:51.680 --> 00:37:52.300 enable us 00:37:52.300 --> 00:37:54.119 to grow in these things, 00:37:54.820 --> 00:37:56.039 to be a body 00:37:56.039 --> 00:37:57.160 with a profound love 00:37:57.160 --> 00:37:57.820 for each other, 00:37:58.700 --> 00:38:00.360 that everyone outside 00:38:00.360 --> 00:38:01.119 would see us 00:38:01.119 --> 00:38:01.619 and say, 00:38:02.680 --> 00:38:03.380 they must have been 00:38:03.380 --> 00:38:04.220 transformed by the 00:38:04.220 --> 00:38:05.000 gospel of Christ 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:06.619 because they love 00:38:06.619 --> 00:38:07.400 each other so deeply. 00:38:08.920 --> 00:38:09.880 We pray these things 00:38:09.880 --> 00:38:10.380 in your name. 00:38:11.220 --> 00:38:11.500 Amen. 00:38:11.500 --> 00:38:11.599 Amen.