You Have a Place in the Body of Christ

I wonder what you think this morning if I asked you to open your Bibles to 1
Corinthians 12 or scroll on your tablet or use your phone, but I don't want to use
your hands, fingers, or thumbs. If I said,
using just your feet and just your toes, please open your Bibles or turn on your
devices to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 or maybe I said just instead of your hands
and feet using your elbows only please can you open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians
chapter 12 or go ahead and use your hands and your in your fingers but with your
eyes closed please turn in your Bibles or scrolling your devices to 1st Corinthians
chapter 12
Obviously, that would be odd. It would be odd, actually, if you did it. I don't
want to see anyone taking their shoes off right now and try and do that with your
feet or toes. But it would also be fairly ridiculous because your feet, your toes,
are not created to do the fine detail work of your opening pages and scrolling and
pushing buttons like your hands and fingers do. Obviously, your elbow is critical to
the use of your whole arm and your shoulder and wrist, but it can't do small
things either. And using your hands without your eyes would be fairly ridiculous.
You'd never find the passage. So instead, using the correct body parts that God's
given you, please open your Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and I'm going to
read the entire chapter.
Now, lately we've been in the book of Ephesians, and we've been reading System ro
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empowered by one in the same spirit who apportions to each one individually as he
wills. For just as the body is one, it has many members,
and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ.
For in one spirit, we are all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks,
slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one's spirit. For the body does not
consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say,
because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body. That would not make it any
less a part of the body. And if the ears 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.
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?
If the whole body were in 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. 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. On the contrary,
the parts of the body that seem to be weaker or 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 are 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. 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 in 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'll show you still a more excellent way. May God bless the reading of his
word this morning. Grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of the Lord abides
and remains
Yeah. Now, my intent this morning is not to teach on spiritual gifts.
So I do not want you your mind to wander towards some of the gifts that you just
heard me read about and get a little confused about how those apply today. We want
to put that aside. Instead, what I want to do this morning is deal with the center
of the passage from verses 12 through verse 27. Paul begins the chapter in the
first 11 verses introducing us to
he transitions to how the human body functions in total unity,
even though the body is made up of many parts. And Paul uses the function of the
human body as a metaphor for how the church should function, even though the church
is made up with members who had different gifts. So really, the big idea of this
entire chapter is this. You have a place, function,
and role in the corporate body of Christ that God expects you to fulfill for His
glory. I'm going to say that again. You have a place,
a function, and a role in the corporate body of Christ that God expects you to
fulfill for His glory.
players that each of us are body parts in the body of Christ. We are hands and
fingers. We are ears. We are noses. We are mouths.
Those are the human body parts that are more visible. But some of us are
gallbladders and kidneys and appendixes and various glands.
And these are part of the human body that are not visible. And like the human
body, the only way for the church
A few weeks ago when Bob in Ephesians chapter 2 was talking about we are his
workmanship created for good works in Christ Jesus, he went on to say that God has
assignments for all of us based on our gifting, our desires,
on our passions, and on our interests. And God has actually assigned us the good
works that he intends for us to accomplish.
to do, he also gifts us with spiritual gifts and places us in the body of Christ
according to his sovereign plan for his glory. What that means is,
just like your hands and your feet and your toes and your spleen and your
gallbladder, have a particular function in your human body. You in the church as a
hand or a foot or a toe or a spleen or a gallbladder have a function in the
church in the body of Christ. So as these thoughts were kind of swollen through my
mind, I thought what I do this morning on this first Sunday of the New Year is
expand a little further on what Bob already started introduced us to about our
function in the body of Christ and use 1st Corinthians 12 to be our guide to show
again that you have a place, a function, in a role in the corporate body of Christ
that God expects you to fulfill for his glory. And if you're attending Redeemer,
this is where he expects you to fulfill it and to serve. And my prayer is that
you would leave this morning with the understanding of what God expects from you
through this passage of scripture. As we walk through,
charity in regards to their gifts and how they function in the body of Christ and
how each of them fit in the body. They seem to be clamoring for more prominent,
more prevalent, more attractive, more upfront, and more presentable gifts.
And Paul's encouraging the church to understand that God gives gifts, all gifts have
value, and you have no reason to believe that your gift or your place in the body
of Christ makes you better than others or makes you worse than others.
And the only way for the church to function effectively is for each member in the
church to do his or her God -given part. So as we approach the text this morning,
instead of attempting to define all the gifts listed in 1st, 13, 1 Corinthians 12,
I'm going to divide them up the way Paul does, which is actually very similar to
how Peter divides the gifts up. And I want you to turn to 1 Peter chapter 4, so
you'll see this. In 1st Peter chapter 4 verses 10 and 11, hold your place in 1
Corinthians 12. Peter doesn't give us a gift list, but he basically divides the
gifts up into two different groups. Notice 1st 10 of 1 Peter chapter 4.
as each
to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, you'll see how Paul groups or categorizes the gifts,
a little different than Peter, but very similar in two broad categories. As we look
at the text, we're going to see that Paul groups them by presentable gifts or
unpresentable gifts. Paul groups them by attractive gifts or unattractive gifts,
seen or unseen, visible or invisible, up front or behind the scenes. Similar again
to Peter with speaking gifts and serving gifts. Now, quite honestly,
most of you right now, you already know who you are. Even if you don't know the
exact gift or gifts God's giving you, you've already nodded in your own mind and
you said, oh, that's me. I'm way more serving than I'm speaking. Or I'm way more
up front than behind the scenes. And as we jump into the text this morning, that'll
become even more clear.
Look at chapter 12 of 1st Corinthians, and look at verse 6. There are varieties,
and there are varieties of activities, but it's the same God who empowers them all
in everyone. How about verse 11? All these are empowered by one in the same spirit
who importions to each one individually as he wills.
Or how about verse 18? But as it is,
as God appoints, but don't miss verse 11, that the spirit apportions. Ephesians 4
will find out more from Ephesians 4 in the future, but Christ gives gifts to men.
You know, back in Ephesians 1, we saw that through the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ, that God put all things under the feet of Christ,
he made him to be the head of the body, the church. And as the head, he's
building the church.
immediately upon conception, your height, your hair color,
your athleticism, or lack of it, your artistic ability, or lack of it,
your ability to have rhythm and dance, or lack of it, which unfortunately I missed
that one. I wish I ought to have that one. No rhythm, no dancing whatsoever. Your
eye color, all of that, every part of who you are is part of God's plan. You're
fearfully and wonderfully made through your first birth.
In a similar way, when you're born again into God's family, when you became a
believing Christian, when you became a new creature in Christ, God gifted you,
God empowered you. He apportioned or assigned gifts to you as he desired. So you're
a body part in the body. You have a role, you have a function, you have a
purpose, and it's according to God's plan. So if you're one who desires to be more
in the background, God ordained that. Your fear and your disinterest of leading a
small group or a fear of teaching is God ordained. Don't be ashamed of it.
When you're content and happy to move the chairs and serve the church at a look.
God ordained that. Your love for the babies in the nursery, your interest in serving
young moms, your love to send out the gifts to the kids in Memphis behind the
scenes, your desire to help out with the wanters or be a greeter, making the tables
look great during a couple's dinner, giving or even giving large sums of money,
or opening your home, hospitality, taking care of the church grounds. God gifts the
people and his children.
as a metaphor, let me just tell you how happy your big toe is to be your big
toe. And your nose is very happy to just be your nose. And your thyroid gland is
perfectly happy being your thyroid gland. The parts in your physical body have no
interest in doing something that they were not created for. So whether you're a more
visible or less visible part of the body of Christ, know this, you are who you are
and what you are, because God gifted you to be exactly who you are and exactly
what you are. So you would be a perfect fit in his church.
It's his body. Christ is ahead. He arranges the members according to his sovereign
plan and purposes.
Now notice secondly, though we have different gifts, we are united in the body
because of the work of the Holy Spirit in each of us. Notice verses 12 and 13
again of 1 Corinthians 12. For just as the body is one and has many members and
all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For
in one spirit, we're all baptized into one body. Jews are Greeks, slaves are free,
and all were made to drink of one spirit. Now, we understand the first part of
verse 12 very easily. We have one body with many body parts, and that function is
perfect harmony. They all function in perfect harmony. But when Paul says, so it is
with Christ, he's declaring that the church, you and I as believers are also made
up of one body with many members. And what's so interesting here is that he doesn't
seem to command believers to be unified. He just simply assumes that it's already
taking place. That's why he says, so it is with Christ. In fact,
the illustration he uses to show the unity in the church comes from two of the
most diverse groups of people in the first century that are worshipping in the
church together. Do you see that? He states, we're baptized into one body,
Jews and Greeks, slaves are free.
There wasn't a greater racial divide in the first century than Jews and Greeks.
I think I could argue, probably not in all of history. In the first century, there
were Jews. And anyone who is not a Jew would be called a Gentile and Greeks would
fit in the Gentile category.
They had no dealings and no regard for one another. And what about slaves and
freemen? They didn't interact much either. These are two completely different social
groups, two completely different economic groups, two completely different educational
groups.
So I ask you, how can individuals from different races, different ethnicities,
different educations, different social status, different working environments,
different neighborhoods, different incomes, different interests, different lifestyles.
How can they worship together? How can they work together and function together and
build God's kingdom together as a unified body of believers in the local church? We
better be able to answer that because we're in the same boat, aren't we?
How do we do it? Through the amazing power of the Holy Spirit,
transforming individuals and making them new creatures in Christ.
In verse 13, when Paul says, we're all baptized into one body.
Jews and Greeks, slaves are free. He's not talking there about water baptism, nor is
he referring to some kind of second blessing.
brought into God's family. You're brought into his church, his body.
Water baptism is just the outward sign of what took place inwardly. And if you have
not been baptized as a believer, you need to be. You need you're commanded to be.
And if you have any questions about that, see me or any of the elders or staff,
we can talk you about that. But you see, when the Holy Spirit indwells you, your
identity is transformed. Your life is transformed. Your life is transformed.
There are many believers that I have little in common within this world. And most
of you may or may not know that I am a born native Californian. I'm from the land
of fruits and nuts. And that alone separates me from the rest of the world, quite
honestly. And I love to wear my California shirt and my new San Jose shirt that I
got for Christmas.
It's not why I'm unified with anybody. We have the same father. We're born into the
same family. We've been baptized by the same spirit. We're learning from the same
inspired and errant book. We're headed to the same eternal home.
And we're ambassadors for the same Savior. You see, that's what unites us.
But Paul doesn't stop there. He goes even further, stating that we're all made to
drink of one spirit, demonstrating the ongoing work that takes place in a believer's
life. You see, since we as believers were made to drink of the same spirit, we not
only become more spirit controlled, we also become more unified.
Because our spiritual nutrition and our spiritual life is coming from the same source
from God, the Holy Spirit, through His Word.
You see, you can't drink from the Holy Spirit and be filled with bigotry.
You can't be led by the Spirit and not love people who are racially different than
you.
You can't associate and not want to be with other believers who aren't like you if
you've been born again and you drink from the Spirit of God because it's His Spirit
who unites racial and social and economic and goes across educational barriers because
the Holy Spirit lives in you.
Do you know what this means? It means even a Christian Republican and a Christian
Democrat can have unity and harmony in the church if they're walking in the spirit.
Now, some of you're thinking, a Christian can't be a Democrat.
And others are you thinking, a Christian can't vote for Donald Trump.
Welcome to the first century church. Believing Jews didn't think Gentiles could be
Christians unless they kept their criteria for what they thought of believing
Christian.
can have unity and harmony with families that put their kids in public school if
they're drinking from the same spirit.
So it's not that we all agree on everything, is it?
But when we disagree, we're still led by the very spirit that were baptized into
and continue to drink up. So our eyes are fixed on Christ, and our hope is in
heaven, and we behave toward one another in a Christ -like way.
Once Paul establishes these two points, look at thirdly, he states, there's a place
for you, even if you don't think so.
In verses 14 through 20, Paul is clearly talking about the human body, and notice
how humorous he is as he explains it. This is actually hilarious if we could read
it in the Greek, and we're there in Corinth the day he said it. Look at verse 14.
For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say,
because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that wouldn't make it any
less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye,
I don't belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Now, just think about your foot for a moment. I mean, your feet carry the load of
your entire body. They get sore. They get tired. My wife has been battling a
planter fasciitis, and it's just constant. She's in constant uncomfort, discomfort. I
mean, your feet develop bunions and corns and hammer toes, athlete's foot.
They smell. You know, when your grandkids come over, they take their shoes off at
the door, and then your wife walks around with febrize for the rest of the day
because their feet smell so bad.
In the first century, not only our feet, feet aren't very attractive, but in the
first century, they walked in rain, they walked in dust, they walked in mud, they
walked in animal manure, they had opened toe sandals. And your foot looks at your
hands, and they notice how carefully your hands are cared for. I mean,
you put lotion on them throughout the day. They greet people so warmly, And it's
really, really cold. They put gloves on. They wear a beautiful jewelry. And they're
right out front. And they have such an incredible life. And if your foot could
talk, if your foot could talk, since I'm not a hand,
I don't belong to the body. I'm not at front. I'm not attractive. I'm not visible.
I'm not noticed. Well, just Because your foot could speak, it doesn't mean it
doesn't belong. It's all Paul's saying. And what about your ear? If your ear could
talk. I mean, ears are strange. They're very odd shaped. We all know that. Some
earlobes are very large. Some earlobes connect to the neck. Some are attached
different way. I should just speak about my own ears, not your ears. But the older
I get, where's all this ear hair coming from? I have enough ear wax in my ear to
make candles. and I don't know where that's coming from. Several years ago, I had
some earbuds that were fairly new. And I was so mad, I was going to throw them in
the truss. It's like, these are ridiculous. I should have paid more for them. That
was a big, waxy hairball that was inside the earlobes that prevented me from even
hearing. Glad I caught it. I didn't throw them away.
Compare that to beautiful eyes. The first things people notice.
Eyes communicating motion and love and happiness. Hallmark movies, no one says what
beautiful ears you have. It's what beautiful eyes you have. And your ear is feeling
so left out and so much less than your eyes. Your ear finally says,
I'm not part of the body. And Paul's answer to that is clear. hardest of what
these body parts are saying, they're not any less a part of the body. But he goes
on in verse 17 with what the first century church would have really got a big kick
out of. Verse 17. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of
hearing? If the whole body were in ear, where would be the sense of smell? You
have to imagine a gigantic six or eight foot round eyeball just rolling down the
middle of the church.
And what Paul is saying here, and apart from the eyeball, even a giant ear. And
what Paul is saying here is that a body with only one body part would be
ridiculous and non -functional. It'd almost be more like a horror movie, like a
monster. And this is why it concludes in verse 18. But as it is, God arranged the
members in the body, each one of them as he chose.
might think are attractive or useful. I think some of you might think that you're
useless in the body of Christ. It's just not so.
There are no useless members in the body of Christ. There are no members who don't
belong. All members in Christ's church have a valuable function, a meaningful role,
and the gift that God has given that will produce unity and growth and encouragement
to the body when used appropriately. So those of you who feel useless,
those of you who feel you don't belong, those of you who feel you have no value,
let me say by the authority of Christ and His Word, you are believing a lie.
Because God made you exactly as you are, and by His mercy, we want to help you
find your place. So if you're saved, you're gifted, if you're saved, you belong,
if you're saved, you're part of God's family, if you're saved, you're part of his
church, if you're saved, you're part of his body, and there's a place for you at
Redeemer.
Now notice fourth, very interesting term. If our third point was,
there's a place for you, even if you don't think so, now just notice there's a
place for you, even if you don't think you need anyone. Verse 21.
The I cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again,
the head to the feet, I have no need of you. You see,
if the first group has too low of the estimation of themselves, the second group
has a way too high of the estimate of themselves. If the first group said,
since I'm not up front, I'm behind the scenes, nobody needs me, I don't belong.
This group is saying, I am up front, I am gifted, and quite frankly, I don't need
anyone else in the body. There's nothing or no one in the church that can benefit
me or help me. If the first group says, With me on the team,
we're doomed. The second group is saying, we don't need the team. I am the team.
All is well because the gifted one is here.
Now, can you imagine the eyes saying to the hand, I don't need you?
When I asked you earlier to open your Bibles with your eyes closed, surely we could
see the eyes need the hands and vice versa. They cannot function.
Have to be in harmony.
and you're rebellious and disobedient. And to quote Jesus stalking to the Sadducees,
you don't understand your Bible or the power of God. I mean, the metaphors of the
church, sure that, don't they? The church is a family. We're living together as
brothers and sisters. The church is a building where stones connected together to one
another. It's a flock, and we're gathered together, and Jesus is our shepherd. And
the church is a body with many members. No one can say, I am so capable that I
do not need other believers. And if that's you this morning, I'm sorry to say I
can relate to you. There was a time in my life when I thought I was God's special
gift to the church. My wife is, Did you hear a smirk? Did you hear that smirk?
She was married. She's married to that person. I can attest to the fact, Proverbs
is true. Pride comes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
And God disciplines those he loves. That's a story for another day. Paul goes on in
verse 22. He says, on the contrary, now remember where we're at right now, because
now he's contradicting, he's making a contradicting statement. Remember where we are?
He's contradicting the person that stated.
See, what he's saying is that all of our internal organs are unpresentable parts.
They're all covered. Nobody wants to see your liver or your kidneys or your
gallbladder or your intestines. Thankfully, they're covered with skin. And they're also
covered with clothes. We have so many more body parts working behind the scenes so
that more presentable parts can function. So the truth is the behind -the -scene parts
are more valuable and more important. Paul uses the word indispensable.
Absolutely necessary. You can't live without them. See, when they stop functioning, we
die. And it's just amazing that Paul stated this 2 ,000 years ago,
because now 20 centuries later, when you go to the doctor,
I guess again, you need everyone behind the scenes in the body to do their part so
that you can do your part. Have you ever seen Bob up here when the mic goes out?
You ever see Bob up here when the slides go goofy or the links go awry?
For a person to preach on a Sunday, multiple people using their unpresentable gifts
make that happen.
And we get all the people on Sundays that use their gifts and all the various
ministries that take place, dozens. And we all need one another.
Now, some of you guys might be in your mind arguing, oh, Rick, that's, you know,
the first century they didn't have electronics. The first century didn't have all
this stuff. Well, they had other things to contend with, didn't they? Some had to
open their homes, allow preachers to spend the night.
is actually a model for unity, and you see that here in his instructions to us.
Notice the remedy he gives. I'll go back to verse 23. And on those parts of the
body, we think less honorable, we bestow the greater honor. And our unpresentable
parts are treated with greater modesty, which are more presentable parts do not
require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that
lacked it, that there be no division in the body, but the members may have the
same care for one another. Now, do you see what he's saying?
Are more presentable, more visible, the more upfront individuals in the body of
Christ do not need as much honor bestowed on them.
They don't require it. God composed the body for the upfront
workers, and thank the soundboard guys, and thank the guys in the other booth,
whatever they call that booth, and go in the kitchen and thank the people that fill
the communion cups.
Hello. Is that better? See that? Can't function without the body. Thank you, God,
for illustrations. They just work, don't they?
Okay, here's where I was. I'm going to tell you a secret.
Bob doesn't need it. He doesn't need what you tell him after the service.
But the people taking two Sundays a month to serve your children, they surely do,
don't they? This is exactly what God's word saying in her first Christmas 12. I
remember a while back when I was a guest preacher at a church in Michigan, and one
of my elders was with me. He stood next to me as the thanking line walked by and
people,
Instead of thinking you don't need them, encourage them because you do need them,
and they need you. Can you imagine the culture of encouragement and service that can
be built here if all of us took this seriously? So those in the background
understood how indispensable they were so everyone had a sense of belonging.
Verse 25 gives the end result of what happens when giving honor to those who think
they have no part in the body. Verse 25, that there be no division in the body
Know your struggles with parenting, your battles with sin, your financial difficulty,
the struggles you're having because a loved one has cancer, new difficulties that
come from aging. If letting others know about the blessings you've experienced because
of God's faithfulness, so you can rejoice too. Shared joy is double joy.
Shared sorrow is half a sorrow. And as you function, side by side, arm in arm,
getting into no
and you have a function and you have a role in the corporate body that God expects
you to fulfill for his glory. Now, on one hand,
this might be a good time to challenge you to become a member or join a small
group, but I think it's bigger than that. The challenge in 2026 is to commit your
entire life to the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's a call to follow him. It's a call and a challenge for you to ask him to
take your life, all your apprehensions, all your insecurities,
and use it for his glory. And if you're not a believing Christian this morning,
it's a call to repentance and faith and the only one who can save. For those of
you who are in Christ, but you've been living on the fence of the church,
uninvolved, showing up on half of the Sundays of the year and disconnected. It's a
call for you to consecrate yourself, dedicate yourself, give your heart and soul and
self to the work that God has called you to do in Christ. Commit to serve Christ
and let him to direct you and lead you. So how are you going to serve
or how are you going to use your speaking gifts? How are you going to use your
invisible gifts this year and how are you going to use your visible gifts to the
glory of God? Will you pray with me as we desire to take our life and consecrate
it to the Lord?
Heavenly Father, Howie, thank you for the work that you're doing in all of our
lives and in the life of the church.
Father, forgive us for thinking we don't belong. Forgive us for sitting on the
sidelines because we don't think there's a place for us.
Father, open our hearts to make us obedient to whatever you have for us.
And may we serve faithfully. God, give us wisdom to see where we fit and help us
to serve you for your glory and honor and for the building of your kingdom.
Father, forgive us for thinking too highly of ourselves. Thank you for helping us to
see that we are not alone. We need every member of the body of Christ to do our
part. And help us to be an encouragement to those around us, and may it be a
blessing to all those who serve in the body.
As we continue closing this message, we're going to go ahead and pray together in
song. Stand with me as we sing.
Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee.
Take my moments and my days.
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Let them flow in ceaseless praise
Take my hands and let them move At the pulse of thy love Take my feet and let
them be swift and beautiful for thee swift and beautiful for thee
And you
may be seated.