Vestigal Members
1 Corinthians: "Life Under Grace" • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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†CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 27:4, 8
Paul Mulner, Elder
Minister: People of God, the Lord calls you,“Seek my face.”
Congregation: One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in his temple.
Minister: The Lord calls out to you, his gathered church.
Congregation: Thy face, O Lord, we shall seek.
†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION
†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #224
“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”
†CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN based on Psalm 5
Minister: Hear our words and our groanings, O Lord. Give attention to our cry for mercy. You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
Congregation: The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; you abhor the bloodthirsty and deceitful. But, O Lord, we are evildoers. We are boastful, deceitful, and bloodthirsty.
Minister: By your mercy alone, by the abundance of your steadfast love, may we enter your house.
Congregation: Because of your son, O Lord, we find refuge in you. You have taken away our sin and let us sing for joy. For the sake of our savior, you have covered us with your favor as a shield. We rejoice in our forgiveness! Amen.
CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Exodus 11
Pastor Austin Prince
THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
†HYMN OF PREPARATION #444
“Come to the Waters”
SERMON
SERMON
1 Corinthians 12:12-31 // Vestigial Members
The Spirit glorifies The Son and The Father in worship and obedience.
Previously, without the Spirit, someone didn’t call Him Lord, but now they do. They could go on sinning however they wanted to, but not anymore, the grace of God has gripped their hearts. Something has happened–something has over-ridden their beliefs and habits and passions and now they are pulled back by The Spirit — “I can’t do this”, they say, “It is Jesus who is Lord”.
As Jesus says in John 14, the Spirit comes as a helper to us, sanctifying us and recalling to us God’s word. And as we saw last week, the Spirit also uniquely equips each member for the building up the church. All believers are given the Spirit, and therefore all believers bear a testimony to the Lordship of Christ.
It’s like when you meet someone with a strong accent. You may say, “I noticed you accent and I know that you’re not from around here. Where are you from?” With the Spirit, there is a perceptible accent among the believer– it’s not in the tone of our voice but in the distinction of our behavior and our testimony. Our lives become distinguishable because the living God is working in us. To use one of Paul’s previous metaphors from First Corinthians, we are the temple of the holy Spirit, set apart in the world to display His glory.
Individually, the Spirit sanctifies, among believers the Spirit unifies, within a church the Spirit fortifies, and through our testimony to the world the Spirit glorifies.
And to apply this principle of glory, Paul uses an extended metaphor of the Spirit uniting us into one body as a church and as the body of Christ. The popular phrase taken from this text is that we are the hands and feet of Jesus–God working in the world through us.
But what if I am not one of the hands or feet? What if I am a toe?
What if I just feel like a toe, or what if I am actually a toe? What if I just feel insignificant or what if I am legitimately not someone whose gift is up front and prominent but out of sight and inconspicuous?
That’s where this text takes us today. Because there are different gifts given to believers, it’s easy to believe that some of those gifts matter more than others, and therefore those believers matter more than others, causing insecurity or pride and division among the body.
Here is how that was playing out among the Corinthians,
Members who say, “You Don’t Need Me”
Members who say, “You Don’t Need Me”
“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:14–20, ESV)
For some, there was a feeling that they were’t truly part of the body unless they demonstrated some specific gift. Again, maybe they felt like they were a toe. But Paul says, a body is made of many members, not just one. And maybe you are a toe. Maybe you serve in ways that seem to be in the background and therefore you feel that they aren’t as important. But try to cut that toe off and see how the body walks.
If the whole body were just these single body parts, we would lose out on the riches and skills of all the other parts. We are best when we are united together.
Take our legs for example: They can’t see a thing, but when they are connected to the eye, they can run through a room full of obstacles without hitting them. They don’t need to feel useless that they aren’t they eyes and they don’t need to waste their time trying to see, they need to be legs. They do their best work when taking in the input they get from the eyes and the muscles and the brain.
In other words, there are no gifts that are useless and there are no Christians that are useless. You may feel that you serve more in the background, not up front like some of the other members. You may feel as if you are just the spleen, tucked away inside doing things that no one ever sees. But you know what, I don’t want my spleen taken out.
And you may be in a congregation like Corinth which liked to elevate certain members over others at the communion table and according to which Apostle they were connected with, but who God has made you to be and how he has equipped you is a crucial gift for this body to function.
Application: Withdrawal
So there were members who said, “you don’t need me”, but apparently, there were also
Members who say, “I Don’t Need You”
Members who say, “I Don’t Need You”
“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”” (1 Corinthians 12:21, ESV)
An eye by itself or a hand by itself or a head by itself is not only functionless, but it’s also creepy.
We cannot isolate ourselves and expect to perform any meaningful function. The Spirit doesn’t just animate individual members, like the little hand in the Adam’s family just running around — his name is ‘the thing’.
Application: Exclude, thinking that some of the members are like vestigial organs, they are there but don’t really serve a purpose. But this thinking is horridly prideful and false
The reality here is that the Spirit baptizes us into one body (1 Cor. 12:12-13). The Spirit connects Jews and Greeks, slaves or free and knits them together enriching them with gifts that build up one another and mutually testify to the Lordship of Christ.
Comments about Daniel’s baptism
The reality is that we do all have different gifts. So how are we to think about gifts that we might seem to be weaker?
Greater Honor
Greater Honor
“On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:22–26, ESV)
Keeping with the metaphor, Paul says that what parts of the body we might think are weak are indispensable. And who is it that we might be tempted to think are weak? Maybe a new believer who might not know as much as some in the congregation? Or maybe a child? Or maybe someone who is in poor health? Or someone who was publically known to be in the clutches of sin and feels a sense of remaining shame? Or one of the senior members of the congregation?
We can be tempted by the sin of partiality that James mentions in his epistle. That we give preference to someone in the congregation because they are wealthy, or more charismatic in their gifting, and by doing this we fail to love our neighbors.
But Paul presses the metaphor even further. He says that not only are these members and their gifts indispensable, but just as some parts of our body require special modesty and care and honor, so shall we treat those members that we may think are “weak”.
In verse 24, Paul reminds us that “God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:24–26, ESV)
Check this out: God gives greater honor to parts that lack it, that there may be no division. God gives differently, that there may be unity.
In our culture right now there is a predominate belief that a situation isn’t fair unless all outcomes are equal. If there is inequity, envy tries to coerce uniformity.
But in the church, we are told that we aren’t to seek uniformity in gifts. Instead, we are to embrace the differing roles and gifts of grace among the body, but we are to give to each member the same care that there may be no division.
And how do we give this same care? How do we show true unity? By providing some with different care. By not applying it in a flat and equitable way, but by giving greater honor at times to those that need it.
We can know that this care is required because we are interconnected, like a spiritual nervous system. “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:26, ESV)
God’s Appointment
God’s Appointment
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:27–31, ESV)
Paul asks these questions rhetorically. Are all apostles? No. Are all prophets? No. All teachers? No. We are not all the same, but together we are Christ’s body.
And God has appointed the gifts to whom he will for His purposes. He hasn’t made any mistakes. He is present with our congregation and He is present in our lives, gifting mercy and grace and care to us through each other, equipping us for this work and building us up.
Paul concludes with a push towards growth in this area. We are to do something that we are called to do in many areas of our life but is quite tough. To be content in who we are and what God has appointed for us, and yet seek to grow in it without discontent. It is a good thing to earnestly desire higher gifts — to glorify God more.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
And as Paul sets the stage for the next chapter, the famous love chapter of 1 Cor. 13, we are to mature in all of this congregational life and service and mission in an even more excellent way: the way of love. The accent that makes all of these gifts recognizable, the accent that shows the spirit, isn’t just the gifting; it is love. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (John 13:35, ESV)
And that is where we will turn next week.
†HYMN OF RESPONSE Hymnal Insert
“O Church, Arise”
†THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
Leader: Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!
†CONFESSION OF FAITH
The Nicene Creed p. 852
You may be seated
PASTORAL REMARKS
Since we neither believe that baptism saves nor that man is the one speaking in baptism, we apply the sacrament to children of a believing parent because God says they have a rightful place in the household of the family of God. When someone has not been previously baptized, and desires to enter into covenant life with the church, baptism accompanies their membership vows and the act of joining the church.
The combination of these events, though common in the New Testament as the first generation of the church was formed, can create some confusion about the relationship between a person’s baptism and profession. We are tempted to think that the one is the cause of the other – because they profess faith, they can be baptized. But the New Testament witness to baptism is something greater than that.
The sacrament of baptism is God’s Word to us, testifying to God’s covenant of grace, setting forth and confirming his gracious promises and righteous demands. God, not [Daniel], is the one speaking through the mark of baptism.
It is a sign and seal of God’s covenant in the Gospel, proclaiming and confirming to believers their engrafting into Christ, remission of sins, and regeneration by the Spirit, adoption as children of God, and resurrection to everlasting life.
It marks out those who belong to this covenant, putting a visible and tangible difference between them and the rest of the world. The name of the Triune God is placed upon them, signifying that those who are baptized belong to God and not to themselves, and so must live according to God’s covenant and commandments. God takes them as his people and gives himself to them saying “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Those who receive the sacrament of baptism are thereby called to live as the children of God, trusting in his grace, believing his promises and keeping his commandments.
In the administration of baptism, the emphasis is on God’s bringing people into covenant relationship with himself. Baptism is not primarily a means through which one signifies a commitment to Christ. Today, [Daniel’s] commitment will be declared in the taking of vows. This is a fitting accompaniment to his baptism because it is his response to the promises God made in it.
Today we observe and participate in a dialogue between God and one of his own. God will declare a grand promise: believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. God will mark [Daniel] with water, as a recipient of that promise – visibly demonstrating, in a way [Daniel] can see and feel - the reality of his promise.
[Daniel] will respond to God by professing faith before men. In front of our congregation, he will announce his intention to honor the terms of God’s covenant and to receive, with gladness, the promises he has made. God speaks and he will respond.
We too may respond in our hearts. The sacrament of baptism not only shows God’s grace but is also a means by which his grace is communicated, and each baptism is a means of grace for the whole church. When by faith we witness the baptism of others, and recall our own baptism, the promises of God are confirmed to us, for we know that God cannot lie. Likewise, our duties to God are freshly impressed upon us, and we are moved to renew our obedience.
PRAYER (Daniel Joins Me at Baptismal)
THE BAPTISM OF DANIEL YU
Daniel, make no mistake: Here, God is the speaker. And he offers a beautiful promise that you, by the Spirit, have heard and accept. I will be your God – you will be my people.
[Pour water] Therefore, I baptize you in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
MEMBERSHIP VOWS
We also rejoice this morning that, hearing God’s promise and responding to it in faith, you desire to unite yourself to his church and to this congregation in membership. Here, with the worship and fellowship of this body, you will with us paint a picture of Christ’s kingdom for all the world to see.
At Covenant of Grace, as a sign of congregational unity and a remembrance of what we have promised, whenever one of us takes vows, we all take them together. I’ll ask you to return to the first row here, standing among the congregation, as they join with you in this commitment.
I will present these vows to Daniel this morning and I also present them to each of you who are already a member of this body. We do well to be reminded what we have vowed to do. While you remain seated, I’d encourage you to listen carefully to each as they are read and to join your voice with Daniel by saying “We do.”
Daniel, you will respond, “I do,” as each question is presented.
1. Do you confess that you are a sinner in the sight of God; that you deserve His punishment; that you are unable to save yourself; and that you are without hope of salvation except for God's love and mercy? (Do you?)
2. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of sinners; and do you receive and trust in Him alone for your salvation? (Do you?)
3. Do you accept the Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testaments, as the written Word of God; and that it is the only perfect rule of faith and how to live? (Do you?)
4. Do you promise to trust in the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit so that you can live all of life as a Christian, following the example set by Jesus Christ? (Do you?)
5. Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability? (Do you?)
6. In loving obedience, do you submit yourself to the government and discipline of this church, promising to seek the peace, purity, and prosperity of this congregation as long as you are a member of it? (Do you?)
[TO CONGREATION] We are the family and household of God and [Daniel] has been grafted by him into this family. I charge you therefore to love him as family is to be loved: with honor, service, compassion, help in times of need, and, in all things, prayer.
CLOSING PRAYER
As a sign of our unity in Christ, let’s stand and sing a closing chorus of praise.
†OUR RESPONSE #567
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE
Christians, go in hope and His peace.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Grace Notes Reflection
In Christ, we are all baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13). And though this body has a variety of differing parts, they will not function as intended unless they are united to one another. There may be times when some of us within the church are tempted to withdrawal from service, believing that our absence will go unnoticed. But this is to cut off a critical gift to the church, causing the body great strain, as though it is wounded or lacking critical functions. Others in the body may be tempted to puff themselves up with pride, believing that their gifts are able to support the task of the body all by themselves. This of course is naive and false, but can easily happen in a congregation. We can create a professional class of those who have“extraordinary” gifts, crafting churches around their talents while leaving everyone else as a spectator or customer to their strength. But God calls us to something more. Like a master builder, He has so built the church that it cannot rest its foundations one one member, nor can it stand well with a few pieces missing and forgotten. To stand firm or to grow at all is to be done by His means and on His terms: unified by The Spirit, giving the same care for one another (1 Cor. 12:25).