Eli Byrd - Diversity Functioning in Unity - 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

oh that's not embarrassing man alright here we go I'm so sorry off if it's just so awkward man see sometimes like randomly sometimes my body parts don't work like they supposed to I don't know if that's ever happened to y'all in 32 so here we are but man forget it like got to make it happen regardless because the people came to hear the word God and that's what y'all gonna get so I love participation B we're gonna duel or something so imagine y'all here represent the world people that do not know Christ and for those of you that may be watching livestream you represent the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places I and my clumsiness represents the church how many of you would say man I want to be a part of that body for you livestream is how many you would say good night look at God's manifold multifaceted multicolored wisdom probably none of us but the reality is if we're not careful that that I just did that's our church that will become our church see we're stricken with the sins of selfishness pride and comparing ourselves with others but Paul says this should not be and so if you could turn in your Bibles 1st Corinthians chapter 12 be in verses 12 through 26 we have an issue and while our church looks like what I did coming up to these stairs we say oh no don't worry about it come join our church we're also we're fabulous we really love each other oh man we really did that well we glorify of God in our efforts but you have body members that are hurt you have body members that don't want to participate you have other members that say you know what if you don't I don't care we still have to make things happen may this not be 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verses 12 through 26 it reads this way says 4 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 for we were all baptized by one spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks whether slaves are free and we were all given one spirit to drink indeed the body is not one part but many 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 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 verse 17 if the whole body were an eye where were the hearing be if the whole body were an ear with the sense of smell be but as it is God God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted and if they were all the same part where would the body be as it is there are many parts but one body the eye cannot say to the hand I don't need you or again the head cannot say to the feet I don't need you on the contrary those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable in those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we clothed with greater honor and our unrespectable parts they are treated with greater respect which our respectable parts do not need instead God has put the body together giving greater honor to the less honourable so that there would be no division in the body and that the members would have the same concern for each other so if one member suffers all the members suffer with it if one member is honored all the members rejoice with it let's pray father we thank you for the opportunity to gather under your word in your name father I pray that your Holy Spirit will convict of sin righteousness and judgment I pray father that you would give us here ears to hear and I pray for those of us who have ears maybe hear the measure which we use father our predator will be measured back to us and we would produce some fruit some 30 60 hundredfold father have your way in this place while you be glorified and your Saints be edified we thank you we love you in Jesus name we pray amen amen so we have a situation right here where Paul has been dealing with the Corinthian church for a while they've been a very divisive group of people if you go to a church named Corinth it's okay there's Redemption but they have been divisive and they've been divisive over a few things and we'll see a few of those in this text one about gifts they really champion being able to speak in tongues and I know a lot of our Southern Baptists like to do that as well another thing they struggled with was the social status of others in Paul talks to them and says man this should not be it's causing division in the church but there's something that God desires to do see if you haven't listened last week to dr. Locke's message he talks about this mystery that God had given and he desires for the church to allow his Menefee multifaceted multicolored wisdom to be known not just to the world but to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places Paul says in the beginning of this chapter I do not want you to be ignorant concerning spiritual matters we love to say gifts Paul's talking about a lot more than simply gifts and so Paul he teaches us how we can be one body with many members he addresses a few thing one he talks about how we ought to know the source of our origin he then tells us that we need to have a sense of self respect meaning the way in which God has made us and how he has gifted us then he tells us we need to combat our superior complex and then he gives us the solution which is by God's design so let's look back into the text verse 12 and 13 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 he lets the brothers and sisters know immediately you being one is representative of how Christ is one there is no division this is not the first time Paul has talked to them about this just as the body has many parts but it's one body that's the same thing with Christ and so he uses a human illustration to get the point across because the spiritual matters our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did this often he spoke in parables but he did so to meet people where they were and knowing that earlier in the book of Corinthians these Saints would live carnally Paul wanted to use a human analogy to get the point across and so he says the way in which we are it's the same thing with Christ but look at verse 13 this is for we were all baptized by one spirit into one body now I want to make very clear because I know some like to take this and say this is the reason why there needs to be a spiritual baptism and if you will you need to speak in tongues Paul is not advocating for that matter of fact he says the reality is we all so for those of us who have put our trust hope and faith in Jesus we have been baptized by the spirit into one body Paul said in Ephesians as he's talking about all the blessings that God has given us in the heavenly places he says we should praise God and one of the reasons why we should praise him is because he's given us His Holy Spirit his being he's given us himself as a downpayment of our inheritance praise God he's given us himself and the reason why he gave us himself I wish we could spend some time back in Deuteronomy chapter 29 and 30 the Covenant beside the Covenant we don't have the time but the reality is the ten commandments as we know they will not afford for you to be able to obey God the law will not do that so God said in His goodness I'm going to give you another covenant beside the Covenant and in that covenant I'm going to circumcise your heart other prophets said he will give you his spirit and in so doing you will be able to one love God the way in which he wants you to and to you'll be able to obey Him it's all from him all from him he even goes in verse four he says in dealing with these spiritual matters of spiritual gifts listen to what he says he speaks so our triune God is so good he says now there are different gifts but the same spirit there are different ministries or services but the same Lord and then he goes on to say and there are different effects or results but the same God who works all this out God is the one who produces each gift in each person so as he speaks to the spirit the son and the father Paul has given us an understanding each one of you have been given gifts and this gift that God has given you by his Spirit is for the common good of all not only that there are many different ministries or services in which the manifestation of your gifting can be seen a lot of times we get caught up on and I got to be this God has called me to serve in this way because this service is what's gonna give him much and most glory for me no no no no God has gifted you to where you can serve in many different ways and the reality is in whichever way you do serve the manifestation of that gift is gonna find itself it's gonna show itself to the others when we say I have the gift of teaching well some teach theology some teach preaching some teach missions some teach in the church some teach seventh grade at some tea there's many different ways in which you can serve in teaching but the teaching comes out because God has gifted you that way the service is there's no greater example no greater leader than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who did not come to be served but he came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many he'd lets us know how we ought to serve and for those of us who like to count the results the success let me tell you something that's not yours that's God's Paul said I plant in Apollo's water but who brings the increase God does you just be faithful in the way in which you've been gifted by God serve the body and allow God to have the results so he speaks to us in this way this baptism that we have by the spirit into one body he speaks about two specific kind of groups of people one group is ethnic understanding of people once again if you did not hear the message last week I encourage you this is the second time I'm telling you you should hear that message dr. Lach preached last week the mystery is not about that Greeks and Jews were able to come together but that they were co-heirs he also speaks to the socioeconomic status of people it doesn't matter if you were a slave or you're free if you are free if you a mouse like or you worked for the man it doesn't matter you are on the same playing field God has put you in his body the way in which he desired and he's gifted you the way in which he wants you to be gifted so that your giftings can edify the church this is the body in which we've been given we've been baptized into we've been adopted into and this is a spiritual matter for those that are in the world that don't know him and also the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places who man has been made for Tom lower than them they desire to look into these things is to say how in the world can you take all these different kind of people bring them together in true unity and love and allow them to let your manifold wisdom known to the church so Paul speaks about our origin he also talks to us about the fact that we need to have a sense of self-respect and this is in light of how God has gifted us look at verse 15 says 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 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 if the whole body were an eye where would the hearing be the whole body were an ear whether the sense of smell be but as it is God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted the Texas very plain but we got to talk about how this manifests itself in the church for those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ Paul has already said you all have been gifted so when you find yourself in a local expression of this body please do not please do not act as though you can only sit on the sidelines because you have nothing to offer God has given you himself with that being the case what God has given you is beneficial for everybody and as I came up here my foot act like you don't want to work you see how that affects the body family we must serve and it's really good that Paul he's not even talking about the gifting he's talking about people one member says to another memorable dag ain't like you so since that's the case maybe I don't I don't I don't think I can really do this I had some folks a servic Richland Creek college ministry and the reality is I want to see all of them indie groups right so I started asking people hey man would you come and help serve like this we want to really walk through Bible study hold people accountable love people like that's all we need three four five people fathers too much but this is what we need I said well by the way I'm gonna ask Scott pace to help out too they say what who Scott dr. Scott you talked about the one who preached really really good they said yeah now if if you ask him then I'm not gonna have anybody I actually have nothing to they this not be God has gifted you tremendously with himself respect the fact that God has gifted you don't neglect that don't pare that down don't say all this is nothing it's huge and the reality is the rest of the body is yearning for you to operate because we've all been given this one spirit to drink we need you and so we have some people that had this complex trust me I tend to have this complex how in the world events I love y'all how will you ask me to preach after dr. Scott pace and Roger Locke what I'm not like them but about God's grace he said boy I want you up on that stage I've given you a word to give to my people so we have to have this sense of self-respect but then there's another group of people that you have to combat this sense of superior complex that we struggle with now when God is working through you and you're operating out of your gifts and your flowing people tend to see you and say wow look at so-and-so look at him look at her God has really done some great things and and we tend to start flowing and how we're gifting and and we tend to look at the rest of people and say man if you ain't doing it like meaning you ain't doing it you have people that are gifted as evangelist come on now missions school be careful how you speak Eli Ben if you ain't hitting the streets like I'm hitting these streets and seeing many people come to the kingdom of God something wrong with you we won't say this verbally but maybe internally we will say you know what if you just get to the side I can continue doing what God has called me to yes we are supposed to be about the Great Commission yes we were supposed to declare God's glory to the world there are many people that do not know his name that are dying and going to hell but if you look at the statistics of the church you got all these people coming in nobody wants to check out the back door people dip in why is that let's evangelize them get them in make sure they're saved make sure we give that number to the co-operative program baptize them get that number there as well but man when they hear that here just make them make them pay some money right we need that cooperative program and then as well like man get get to serving they say nobody cares about me it's all gone combat your superior complex have mercy and grace with people love people where they are if Christ was to dip for his disciples though they did not get it many at times he called them out where will we be we have to work on this superior complex but then we get to the part where we really need to think through there is a solution that God has given us and this solution is by head design his design when we trusted in Christ we received his spirit we received him we received gifts to edify the body so you can't say well because I'm not like so-and-so I can't be a part and I have nothing to offer and you can't say because y'all ain't doing it like me I want you to move to the side so then Paul says this is how supposed to be done look with me verses xx and following as it is there are many parts yet one body this I cannot say to the hand I don't need you again the hand can't say to the feet I don't need you on the contrary those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable we talked about this a little bit so we see in other text of Scripture I'm married I love my wife she's strong though and I'm thankful for that a Peter admonished his husbands he says let me tell you something you need to live in an understanding way of your wife's weaker nature and taking out of context and taking out of not understanding what it is it's like oh yeah she is kind of wait you know emotional and all this no no no no not Playboy the reality is she's like fine china very valuable and you can't just toss around as you would at harvest tumbler moving you put certain things in a box you say fragile which lets the movers know you better not drop this one because if mama ain't happy ain't nobody gonna be but there's other boxes we just say put in the kitchen tell us how to run all you want fellas you are that serviced tumbler husbands wives you are the ones of the weaker nature don't take that wrongly fine china so now let's take this to the body those parts that are weaker indispensable fine china you take care of you cover you put in a cabinet and probably don't use at all maybe once a year but you protect it how many of you would say you know what brain I don't need you I can make it on my own or veins you really don't do me any good lungs both of you not just one y'all can go ahead and escape if you don't take care of your vital internal organs you will not survive and so God says there are members in our church that are seemingly weaker but they're indispensable then he goes on to talk about some other body parts in those parts of the body verse 23 that we consider less honorable and we clothed these with greater honor its parts of the body that we like to say you know what you need to protect that young lady young man some of y'all men walk around with chubby zone ain't nobody trying to see all that but but but but here's the deal as they interpret this and the commentators go through this they talk about these reproductive organs that you cover but if you don't have a desire to respect them if you don't have a desire to keep them to where they can do what they are to do how are you producing reproducing church so these bodies these parts that we think are an honorable dishonorable we clothe them with greater honor let's talk about this last body part glad that one was out of the way then we have our unrespectable parts but they're treated with greater respect some of us have body parts that we typically just don't respect like oh that's just my whatever oh it really doesn't have much to offer it is what it is God says I clothe those with greater respect let's take this to the church how we'll be quick to accept young people into the church they trusted in Jesus but when this young child or some that we say are gifted but they're not really that well in their gifting when they want to serve it's like just wait your time not now yet I had an opportunity to develop your giftings child haven't had an opportunity young Christians who develop the gifts that God has given you they don't develop them God had given it to him he got it all why not allow new believers who've been given the Spirit of God children you'll be quick to accept them and put them on that count why not find a way for them to serve has nothing to do with their age or youth in the faith God says I have gifted them with myself and this is for your good you see how God is in his economy man we like to look at certain but people would say you got it in those respective horse they don't need that those are the flawed and their gift things growing if you will enough they don't need that those that are trying to honor the Lord and serve you and respect them parts of the body that we think oh you seem a little weak yeah see when they leave how do things operate those parts of the body that seem to be an honourable that we clothed with greater honor let them know you know what we don't need you let me tell you how well let me see how fast your church grows or if your church is growing at all reproducing more disciples of Jesus Christ God has done this for a reason Paul says at the end of verse 24 he says instead God has put the body together given greater honor to the less honourable and this is why do not miss this so that there would be no division in the body but that the members would have the same concern for each other we have a division problem in our church and some of us are going about life and saying man I'm throwing them doing what God's calling me to do I got time to mess with you you may not say that verbally but with your actions you said there are people that just want to know do you even care about me do you care I want to leave this church because I felt you don't care about me God put the body together the way in which he desired to put it together so there be no division don't you know when they tried to say Jesus cast out demons by demons he went to say how can Satan be divided against himself a house divided against herself will never stand it will fall hello if our church is not united and it's not by man-made methods this is a spiritual matter that God has already done you just need to walk in it if we are not united we would never have a kingdom testimony so the world that's looking on let alone the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places he says I want you to have the same concern for each other we like to have concern for those that we're close to we like to have concern for those that we get along with but that one brother that took me he's a little weird I don't know not according to God we finished with this verse 26 he says so if one member suffers all the members suffer with it if one member is honored all the members rejoice with it this is beautiful this is some type language another place that Paul talks about this is in Ephesians chapter 5 now we like to when we do marriage counseling say husbands you need to love your wife like Christ loved the church and for you sisters you need to submit to your husband that's under Christ Paul says something to the husbands that's really good for us to pay attention to when it comes to body life he says for a husband that does not love or care for his wife actually hates his own body check this out we already know about this in Genesis for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife the two will become one my brothers and sisters that are married we understand this began to think the same way your spouse thinks sometimes when your spouse is pregnant you began to hurt the way in which your spouse hurts as well you desire to eat the way in which your spouse likes eating yeah you're like how the world does this happen there's a spiritual reality that's taking place and God has used physical manifestations of this to communicate it may those of you who have ears hear when you have a brother or sister that is suffering whatever the calls I struggle because of how I seen this man killed on the street nah man you tripping now he shouldn't have done that but I'm hurting and you're supposed to be my brother my sister I need you here when one suffers we all suffer God has put us together that way we are one body with many different members and when one is honored we all rejoice let me tell you something I love these people it's represented here at the college of ministry my wife my family so many of y'all have come Norlin I was going to preach today it's not just me up here it's all of us by God's grace we are one there is no human method that's gonna make that a reality there's many different ones that have tried that's champion around football let's get excited about spades let's get connected about in game whatever you name it but when the 1.2 billion is already used up when I reached that 500 when the last Buzzard sounds we go about our separate ways there is no human method that would join us the way in which God has in his body and as dr. Locke said it's a mystery that many different people with different statuses have been seen as one and God takes it a step further you are co-heirs with Christ may we not fumble and stumble but the reality is fam we will because we have not seen the second coming of our Lord and Savior so here's the deal though it kind of came off some kind of way maybe her fool whatever praise God for that if you are convicted by the spirit you need to press in but God gives us glimpses of his glory we're a part of churches that God has allowed for us to really demonstrate this unity God has allowed for us to be able to go across the big pond and see other brothers and sisters of the faith and be able to say my goodness the spirit that's in Nomura's it resonates with the spirit that's within you you're like family family la familia I love you Paul ends this by saying look you go ahead and pursue the greater gifts and we ought to God has gifted every one of us but there's a certain way you should do so and so we're going to get into chapter 13 and continue on on this plan pursue the gifts use the gifts understand that God putting us together this way is his doing it's not ours there's no strategic plan that we put together to get the people in our congregations that we god knows what he's doing have a sense of self-respect by a way in which God has gifted you for those of you who us because I do it often that struggle with the superior complex man we have to combat that and know that the solution to this issue so that we can be one body with many members has to be that we had the same concern for one another and out of our giftings we operate in love Paul told the Thessalonians listen I don't need to tell you again it's or teach you about love because our Lord and Savior did it no greater love is there than this that a man would lay down his life for others Jesus came and did that and the beautiful thing is that he rose from the grave and I'm so thankful for that man he spoke truth doc take and he said that changed everything it changed everything Saints maybe we wouldn't renew our minds not being conformed to this world but know how God has put us together may we live as one body with many different members as we care for one another and as we love each other let's pray father you are good which means there is no evil in you none whatsoever I thank you for this opportunity lord I thank you for my brothers and sisters that are here Holy Spirit as you've convicted of sin righteousness and judgment may we pay attention may we hear may we respond and con and do something about it we love you Father we thank you in Jesus name we pray amen

Channel: Southeastern Seminary

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Keywords: Southeastern, Baptist, Theological, Seminary, Chapel, Message, Jesus, Preaching, God, Book, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Gospel, False Teaching, False spirits, Spirit, Danny, expository, Great Commission, Truth, Grace, Love, Discerning, Training, Education, Akin, SBTS, Boyce, Southern, Al, Mohler, MAGA, Trump, Donald, Respect, Gifting, RDU, ERLC, SBC, NAMB, IMB, Serving, Bible, Christianity, College, University, Justice, Social, Conversations, That, Matter, GO

Id: g6qVDOGfFvc

Length: 37min 19sec (2239 seconds)

Published: Wed May 01 2019