The Body of Christ 2023
Notes
Transcript
What is the Church?
What is the Church?
Introduction
What do you think about when you think about the church?
A Little White Building
A room with Blue Chairs and Blue Carpet
A place where we come to sing songs, hear the word, and Worship
Steeples, Bulletins, Hymnals, Organs, Stained Glass windows
Ornate beautifully designed buildings.
We all have an image of the church in our mind when we think about it.
And usually it’s tied to a place.
A place we come together each week.
A place you were baptized.
A place your parents took you or forced you to go.
A place that is special.
Where we don’t say the same things in the church building that we would outside the church building.
A place where we still rambunctious kids so they don’t tear something up.
After all they have to respect “the lord’s house.”
And that’s all well and good.
But all those definitions don’t really reflect the true nature of the church.
But before we get there, let’s build a quick theology of places of importance real quick.
I want us to think about the OT for just a moment.
When the Israelites where saved from Egypt and they were living their lives in the Desert, God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle.
The Tabernacle was the place where God came and dwelled with his people.
This is where they worshiped God.
God’s presence on earth was represented in the Tabernacle, then later the temple.
This place was where heaven and earth overlapped.
The intersection of the creator and the created.
God was with his people, but he was separated from them as well.
There was no direct access to Him.
Only those who met strict requirements were able to come into God’s presence.
Once a year.
The High Priests. From a specific tribe. Holy of Holies. Veil.
There was a distinction between where God dwelled and where people dwell, yet God came to dwell among his people.
His presences would sit on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant and he would dwell with his people.
Demonstrating both his holiness through separation and his intimacy through presence.
That’s amazing enough, yet that’s not the end of the story.
God’s desire to be with his people went further than the tabernacle.
Went further than the temple.
God put on flesh and lived with his people.
Jesus came and and lived outside the temple.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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Literally the Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us.
Jesus came to be with us.
To lead us, teach us, and show us the character of God.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Through Jesus obedience to the Father, and through his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the Grave
JC is the Great High Priest and grants us direct access to God without the need of an earthly mediator.
Jesus’ death put an end to the need for a physical dwelling place on earth.
51 Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
The need for the Tabernacle/Temple, God’s Dwelling place, had become obsolete at the Death/Resurrection of Christ.
Why Because God now dwells with his people.
16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
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You maybe asking what does this have to do with the question What is the church?
I need us to see that we live in a fundamentally different age.
A different time from the Israelites.
That Jesus changed everything through his life, death, and resurrection.
So what is the church?
The church is not a place the church is a people.
God no longer chooses to dwell in a building, but he dwells in His people.
So…If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ and you are following after Him you are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.
It’s nice to have a building to sit in and TVs to aid us in the worship experience.
It’s nice to have air conditioning. Running water and Electricity.
These things are nice, but they are not the church.
You are the Church.
1 Cor 3:16 “16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”
Now we have to be careful here.
Paul is teaching that collectively the people who make up the church in Corinth are God’s Temple.
The word he uses here for you is plural.
He isn’t speaking about individuals, but a group of like minded believers are the temple of the HS.
That is not to say that the HS doesn’t dwell in individuals, rather to teach that the church or temple of God is bigger than individuals.
There is a corporate understanding about the people of God or the church.
Individualism is antithetical to Christianity.
Yes, Jesus died for the individual, and he called those who respond to The Gospel into a family.
We are never meant to be followers of Jesus alone.
We are meant to gather, work, and move forward together.
This is demonstrated simply by the language used in the Scriptures to talk about God’s People, the church.
As we will see in a minute this doesn’t mean that we lose our individuality, rather it highlights the grander scope of our calling.
We are only going to look at One of the many images used to describe the church in the NT, that is the Body of Christ in 1 Cor. 12:12-31.
Paul’s teaching to the believers in Corinth is absolutely beautiful, b/c he focuses on both the corporate nature of the church and the individual nature of the each congregation member.
As we look at the text ahead we need to remember both the corporate nature and the personal responsibility of each member of the congregation.
One of the things we will see in this passage is that God has uniquely chosen you to be a part of this local assembly of believers.
You are here not by accident.
Not by happenstance.
Not by blind luck.
You are here for a purpose.
You are here to help build up the body of Christ.
You are here to uniquely and beautifully help FBC Louise spread the gospel to those who don’t know it.
Main Idea: The Body of Christ is designed by God to do the Work of God through Unity, Diversity, and Love.
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Live in Unity
Live in Unity
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
Live in Unity
Live in Unity
What is unity?
Accord or Harmony
Working together to accomplish a goal or mission
Where do we get our sense of unity?
Fundamentally we get our sense of unity from The Trinity
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit working together to accomplish their mission of salvation.
God the Father is the Author of Salvation, Jesus The Son is the pathway of Salvation, H.S is the communicator of Salvation.
Unity. Perfect unity.
The unity of the Trinity is the model and the basis for our unity in the church body.
I could spend a whole sermon on unity.
What we need to know is that when it comes to our salvation we are all equal.
We are all sinners who have been redeemed.
And the fact that we have been saved, called, and brought into the family of God it is imperative that we are unified.
Unity in the church isn’t an option.
It isn’t a suggestion.
It’s a command.
And it has been modeled to us by unity in the God head.
There are no second class citizens in the kingdom of God.
From young to old.
From rich to poor.
From this side of the tracks or that side.
In the kingdom of God we are unified.
WE are one.
Now that’s all well and Good but where do we as the church find our unity?
How does Paul lay out the unity we share.
We have a Shared Identity, Shared Spirit, Shared Mission.
One way that Unity is found through a Shared Identity.
When we have an encounter with God, our lives change.
Not just our lives, but our very identity.
You are no longer merely an individual you have been made a child of God.
You have been brought into the Body of Christ.
You don’t live in isolation. You are called to live in community.
And the glue that holds us together isn’t our backgrounds, our friendships, our shared affinity for a particular sports team.
The glue that holds us together is the redemption found in Jesus.
The shared salvation that we all have.
The fact that we were all dead in our sins and tresspasses.
We were all enemies of God.
We were all living in rebellion.
But God saw it fit that we would be called sons and daughters.
Identity is a big deal.
If we don’t find our identity in who Jesus is and what he has done for us.
We start to build little kingdoms of the world ourselves.
We start building walls, we start basing our association with one another on our personal preferences rather than on the King who saved us.
Our family name, stature, and renown becomes more important that the name of God.
Our glory becomes more important than his.
When we are saved we become Children of God.
Now as Children of God, we are royal ambassadors for the King of the Universe
We represent Him as our King and our Father.
Our citizenship has changed.
We are no longer beholden to the things of this world, but we are about the things above. The Kingdom of Heaven.
As Ambassadors we represent God and partake in what he is doing on earth as it is in heaven.
We have become a new creation.
We are in a right relationship with our Creator.
He doesn't just take what is broken and patch it up, he makes it something completely new.
He makes you new.
Our Desires, affections, and motives have changed and should be driven by God’s motive of love and desire to see lives changed.
When God calls us to himself, he is making us into his masterpiece. Fit for doing his work the way that he has designed us.
Eph 2.10 “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
We are called to God to do good works for him.
We are invited into His mission, not because he needs us but because he wants to have us involved.
We are a royal priesthood.
1 Peter 2:9 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
We have access to the Father. Unfettered access never granted to people before Christ’s salvation.
We are allowed into the presence of the King. Boldly approaching the throne of grace and asking for wisdom and power to accomplish his works.
Every time we gather to worship this isn’t a mundane thing. We are here to be together and celebrate the life that we have been given.
And as priests we are mediating the Kingdom of God to the world.
Where we live redemptively.
Where we live a life of excellence following after Jesus.
Where we are set apart and distinct from the world, while getting into the mud to declare to the lost where salvation is found.
This is YOUR IDENTITY, an ambassador, a new creation, a masterpiece, a priest working on behalf of God.
This is Our SHARED IDENTITY. THIS IS WHO WE ARE AS THE BODY OF CHRIST.
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We also have a Shared Spirit.
Each Born Again Believer has the Holy Spirit Residing with them at all times and in all places.
The HS doesn’t change depending on who has him. He is consistent and unchangeable.
He is calling us each to sanctification and urging us to live a life worthy of the calling that we have received.
We are on the journey to become more like Christ through the empowering of the HS.
This shared Spirit that we have enables us to love, care for, and work with one another.
Remember You are the temple of the living God.
That means that we should be careful how we speak and think about one another.
How I treat you or how you treat me reflects what we really think about God.
If we have hostility, anger, frustration or hatred toward one another we need to remember that each of us is an image-bearer and temple of the HS.
We are all on this road to sanctification together. It may look different for each of us, but we need to encourage, love, and support one another if we seek to run the race and finish well.
In addition to a shared identity and a shared spirit, we have a Shared Mission.
What is our Shared Mission?
To continue the work Jesus Started.
To make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
All people need to hear the good news of the Gospel.
All people need to know the reality of hope, love, joy, and peace.
All people need to hear that God loves them and wants them to be in a relationship with him.
All people need to know the love that brings about change.
We must not lose sight of that mission.
Not all people will respond positively to the message, but that doesn’t matter.
Our calling isn’t to convert its to convey.
We proclaim the message of God.
We proclaim the gospel.
And those who respond will be discipled.
Those who seek truth are called by God.
But we must not lose sight of the mission.
The mission to proclaim the message of Jesus and to make disciples where we live, work, and play.
When I first met with the leadership team here, I posed a question to them.
I want to pose it to you. If we as a congregation stopped meeting tomorrow would anyone notice? Would anyone care other than ourselves?
If the answer is no, then we are not doing the work of Jesus.
If the answer is no, then we need to reexamine why God has called us to exist.
If the answer is no, then we need to repent and do the work of spreading the gospel to the people in this community.
This is our mission. This is our calling. We cannot be solely inward-focused.
We exist to bring glory, honor and praise to the one that saved us by telling others about the life-transforming reality of God.
We are each missionaries.
“Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t”-John Piper
Jesus has called us to live in unity, but he has created each of us individually and purposefully.
Thriving in Diversity
Thriving in Diversity
Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. Thank God for that.
We are each created to play a part in the Body of Christ
14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.
19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable.
23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect,
24 which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable,
Thriving in Diversity
Thriving in Diversity
Think about it this way:
A football team has many players that make up that one team.
They aren’t all Quarterbacks. They aren’t all Linemen. They are on the team providing their skill set to accomplish a mission.
But if one player doesn’t do what he is supposed to do the team suffers.
So it is for the church.
If you don’t like the football analogy here’s another one. And since your baptist, I know you’re gonna like this one.
The church is like gumbo ingredients mixed together without losing its individual parts.
The church is not like soup blended together where all diversity all individuality is blended into some mix rather God has put us together as individuals to work together in harmony to make the sum of its parts better in each individual piece.
We have to remember that the church exists for our good and for God’s Glory.
We should marvel at the fact that God has chosen to place us in a church body.
Because we all know that the Christian life is difficult. It is difficult to always be keeping our eyes on the things above.
It’s difficult to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
The Christian life could never be lived in Isolation.
You aren’t an Island. We need each other.
I have heard and experienced this myself:
What is the hardest day of the week to get up and get ready?
What is the day of the week that seems like everything that could go wrong does?
What is the easiest day of the week to mail it in and say…welp at least I tried?
It’s Sunday. The day we gather together to worship the Lord.
Why is that? BC the enemy knows the importance of our gathering even if we don't.
Sunday morning should be a refreshing, encouraging, and lovely time for us as followers of Jesus.
This should be among the most important time of the week.
However, the sad reality is that many of us feel like we can do this Jesus thing alone.
Or at the very least, we see the gathering of the saints as a decent Goal rather than an utmost priority.
We will make other events a priority, but if we miss church, it’s okay, we will go next week.
And one of the reasons that we can think that is b/c we see church as something to be consumed.
We see church as an event we go to.
Not worship we participate in.
We don’t understand the spiritual reality of what goes on when we worship together.
We haven’t been taught or don’t care that the church gathering isn’t primarily for us.
It’s never been primarily about you.
We gather together for one another.
If you think that coming to church is just about coming to get entertained. Coming to get fed.
Coming to hear from the pulpit a pep talk or rant about what’s wrong with the world.
Yes we gather to grow and learn.
Yes we gather to sing and praise.
Yes we gather b/c it is the good and right thing to do.
But we don’t gather selfishly.
We don’t gather seeking entertainment.
We primarily gather to glorify God and encourage one another.
And one of the ways we encourage one another is through serving one another through the giftings that God has granted us.
You are called to this body to serve one another with your unique gifting.
God called you to himself and allows you to partake in his mission. He also equipped you to serve his Body uniquely.
The fact that God has made you a part of the church should encourage you and urge you to want to serve the mission of the church and serve one another to aid in that mission.
Here’s the beauty of God’s gifting, YOU ARE UNIQUELY GIFTED TO SERVE THIS BODY.
If you call FBC Louise home you are called to aid in the ministry of this body.
You are not called, saved, equipped and placed into this body to sit on the sidelines, you are called to serve your brother and sisters in Christ.
The Ministry of FBC Louise is your Ministry. You have a place to plug in. If you haven’t found one, talk to us about about it and we will aid you in discovering where you should be serving.
18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.
Thriving in Diversity
Thriving in Diversity
Here is the reality:
If you aren’t serving the Church Body:
You are ROBBING the Church of YOUR Unique Gifting.
You are ROBBING YOURSELF of YOUR Full God-Given Potential.
You are DISOBEYING GOD by not submitting to the calling he has set before you.
You may think or believe that the area that you have been gifted in is insignificant, but let me assure you that that is very untrue.
Whichever area God has gifted you in, it is not insignificant.
Each and every gift that God gives is good and important for the life and health of the church.
God doesn’t waste his gifts. He gives according to his glory, his goodness, and His mercy.
Using the gifts that God has given you allows the Body of Christ to Work as it Should.
We are each important and necessary otherwise God wouldn’t have called us to this church body.
We Should rejoice at the gifts that God has given to us.
And look at verse 18 real closely, if you belong to God he has gifted you
1 Cor 12.18 “18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.”
He has purposely put you here.
He has orchestrated and your placement in this body so that you can use your gift to be a blessing to the church body.
I know that it might be overwhelming.
I know that you may not know what you are gifted at.
And I’ve been asked before how do we discover how God has gifted us.
And this is a tricky question b/c there is a bit of mystery when it comes to it sometimes.
But if you were to walk up to me and tell me you want to know your gifts and How could you find them.
I would tell you that often times, not all the time, but often the gifting that God has given you is where
What you are passionate about intersects with what you are good at.
Can God call a good ol’ boy to be a preacher who never thought he had the talent or ability to preach.
Yep.
Can he equip the quiet introvert to sing songs of praises in front of the congregration.
Yep
Can he give out his gifts as he sees fit.
Yep.
But a good place to start to see your gifting is to see what where you are passionate intersects with your ability.
You may be wondering what your gifting is. You may be asking yourself how am I to find out how God has gifted me. Lets find out together.
Love Authentically
Love Authentically
1 Corinthians 12:24–31 (CSB)
24 ... Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable,
25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.
26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.
Love Authentically
Love Authentically
Sometimes we know how God has gifted us. Other times we need to learn what are gifts are.
Some of us are teachers, some of us are fixers, some are prayer warriors, some good with numbers, some are really good helpers, some good singers or musicians, good with kids, super friendly or kind.
Regardless of how God Gifted has gifted you, you should use that gift for the edification of the body and the mission of God.
What are you good at? What are you passionate about? What do you think God’s gifting to you has been?
USE IT. Not for self-glory or praise, but Because God has graciously provided it for you.
Remember that God has given you the gifts he has given you so that you can be a blessing to the world around you.
Don’t hoard your gifting.
Don’t selfishly sit idle and keep your gift to yourself.
You are a member of the church Body.
And if you don’t use the gift God has given you then you are missing out on being a blessing.
Keep in mind that everything that God has given you you are to be a steward with.
Whether its money, resources, or gifts.
Use them wisely.
Use them frequently.
Use them to encourage, educate, and bless others for the Glory of God.
In v.31, Paul says… “I’ll show you a better way.”
That leads into chapter 13, that most of us know as the love chapter.
It’s read a weddings.
It’s tattooed on bodies.
People love 1 Cor. 13.
And I agree it’s a beautiful passage, and often times we miss apply it.
1 Cor 13, is about the love shown to one another in the church.
Sure there are applications toward loving others in different situations.
But Paul here, wants us to know that it is loving to use the gifts that God has given us.
That it is loving to encourage, educate, and bless others with the gifts God has given.
It’s a loving and beautiful thing when we use our gifts for the good of others.
Now this isn’t a sermon on chapter 13, but it’s important that we know where Paul is going so we know what he is saying.
The reality is, You demonstrate love for God and your fellow brothers and sisters when you serve the Church.
How do you truly Love the Body of Christ?
You Love Through Service to the Church
Sometimes you can only find your gifting when you start serving.
You may be interested in helping with a worship team. But you’ll never know until you do it.
You may be interested in helping with the children’s ministry. But you’ll never know til you do it.
Serving in one capacity or another allows others to see your gifts in action and that may spur them on to serve too.
Have you ever felt distant from God? Have you ever felt out of sync or like your relationship with God is stale?
Generally, The more you serve the closer you will feel to God.
There is something about submitting your talents and gifting to God that draws us in and makes us feel closer to him.
You Love Through Intentional Community
This is one of the drums you will hear me continually beat.
We need to Know, Love, and Grow WITH ONE ANOTHER.
You can’t grow in your relationship with Christ in isolation.
You can’t see the needs of one another if you live isolated from others.
We all have stories. We all have something to contribute. We all have different giftings.
Get to know someone. Be Vulnerable. Be Honest. Be Open.
The best way to get to know someone is through Serving With them.
You Love Through Empathy
Mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice (v.26)
As one body we need to work together. We should remember that any joy is all of our joy and any pain is all of our pain.
Someone has probably been through a similar situation that you are going through right now. Lean on them.
But the only way that you will find out is if you truly get to know them.
If we become apathetic toward the mission of God or towards one another we will cease to exist as a church body in the future.
We need to take seriously the calling set before us. We need to Love God and Love People. Including the people already a part of this family.
We need to stay focused on the Message of the Gospel.
We need to stay focused on love for one another.
We need to stay focused on the mission of the church.
If we lose sight of any of these we are in danger.
Now here’s the thing, I know that some of you are workhorses when it comes to serving the church.
I know that some of you put in a ton of time and energy into making sure things run smoothly and get done.
I’m not talking to you.
I’m talking to those of you who only come to consume and don’t come to serve.
I’m not trying to guilt trip anyone, I simply wanted you to see that God has designed his church, and put it together in such a way that we can all reap blessings.
The blessing of giving and receiving.
So today as we leave, I want you to think about where you can plug in and serve this body of believers.
Now in order to do that you need to have a relationship with God.
In order to have spiritual gift you need to know the giver of those gifts.
So if you don’t know Jesus, if you haven’t submitted to his lordship, I want you to know that today is the day.
This is the day you need to give your life to Christ.
That you need to repent or turn away from your sins and follow after him.
B/c if you haven’t done that then you aren’t in the body of Christ.
You are his enemy and live in open rebellion against him.
But he has made a way for you to be made right with him through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Jesus died so that you can be adopted into the family of God and be part of the body of Christ.
Conclusion
For those who already believe.
Why are you here? Where can you serve? Why has God Placed you at FBC Louise?
We can have excitement for what God has done in the past, but let’s not forget that
GOD ISN’T DONE WITH US.
Are you committed to serving him?
Are you committed to Serving the Church?
Are you committed to telling others about the greatness of our Savior?
Are you functioning as a Member of this Body or as a spectator?
Make a commitment today to find the calling and gifting that God has uniquely created you for.
If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, Follow Him, Serve Him.
If you don’t know Jesus as Savior, Submit to him and allow him to reveal to you why you were created and how you can serve him.
Don’t Hold back from what God has in store for you. God gives freely but expects us to act on the graciousness that we have been shown.
Pray