How Christian Community Works

The scripture reading comes from 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 13.

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

Please follow along in your bulletin or on the screen.

Now, there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit.

And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord.

And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom.

And to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit.

To another, faith by the same Spirit.

To another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit.

To another, the working of miracles.

To another, prophecy.

To another, the ability to distinguish between spirits.

To another, various kinds of tongues.

To another, the interpretation of tongues.

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit.

Who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

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 were all baptized into one body.

Jews or Greeks, slaves or free.

And all were made to drink of one Spirit.

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.

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.

The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need for 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 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.

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 prophets?

Are all teachers?

Do all work miracles?

Do all possess gifts of healing?

Do all speak with tongues?

Do all interpret?

Do all, are all angels.

Do all give us a prayer for our children.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,

I am a noisy gong, or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind.

Love does not envy or boast.

It is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way.

It is not irritable or resentful.

It does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things.

Believes all things.

Hopes all things.

Endures all things.

This is the word of God.

Great.

Thanks, Angie and Celeste.

I have a new microphone today.

It's not new.

It's old but it's new.

And I said I feel like I look like Britney Spears.

I feel like that.

It is making some strange noises so I'm just bear with me and it is what it is.

But I'm sorry.

Oops, I did it again.

Sorry.

Thanks, Leo.

We may not pray now but I feel like it's hard to pray.

How do we pray off that low base?

So let's lift our sights a little higher and let's try and I'm sorry I messed it up.

Let's pray.

Let's come before our Heavenly Father.

Sovereign Lord, Majestic God, Great and Wonderful Savior, we've come to praise you and to worship you this morning.

We've come to adore your great name because you are God and we are not.

You are the Creator.

We are created.

You are the one true God and Father, you are perfect in all your ways.

God, how quickly we forget you.

How easily we find ourselves engrossed in our own worlds and our own lives, fixated by our own dreams and agendas.

And Father, if we honor so often you have pushed to the margins or the sidelines of our lives.

Father, how quickly and easily we forget your goodness and your profound, profound faithfulness to us.

God, at the end of our lives, one day we'll look back or when we get to eternity, we'll look back at our lives

and we'll marvel at the millions of ways which you are so faithful and of which we were completely ignorant.

God, this morning we want to take a moment to remind ourselves of that and to return that to you as an offering of praise.

And say all glory to you, God, for your profound faithfulness to us.

Father, we often think it's our own goodness and our own brilliance, our own devotion to you, which has gotten us to where we are.

But how foolish we are.

Forgive us this foolishness and this self-centeredness, we pray.

And so, Father, this morning we ask you to open our eyes to see you again.

Do a divine renovation of our hearts, God.

Lord, we pray that you will help us, Christ, as individuals and as a church and as a city to be more aligned with your heart.

More prone to love you and trust you and follow you, to obey you.

God, this morning we've come to worship you not out of obligation or duty, but out of delight, God.

Because in you we find life and truth and peace and strength.

Oh, Lord God, more than all the gold in the world, this morning we need you.

God, more than the protection from the coronavirus, God, we need you, Lord.

Father, more than the dream job or physical health or a marriage partner, God, we need you.

So, come and lift our eyes onto you this morning, we pray.

God, as we consider this passage that we read this morning, we ask you to impress it deeply upon our hearts.

God, help us not just to be hearers of your word, but also doers of your word.

Those who are convicted and respond appropriately.

Lead us to repentance where necessary.

Help us to see our own hearts.

Father, where we've been too individualistic, forgive us.

Where we haven't considered the importance of the well-being of the body, show us our hearts, we pray.

God, make us not just a strong community, but one that is formed by the gospel.

He knows how to love and serve one another.

And then finally, Father, this morning we want to pray for our city and our world.

As we deal with the coronavirus, we bring our brothers and sisters in China before you.

We bring our brothers and sisters in Hong Kong and across Asia.

Father, God, those that are sick, we pray be with them and comfort them.

Give them excellent medical care, we pray.

Pray for Christian brothers and sisters to come around them.

God, for those that have already seen loved ones pass away, we pray won't you comfort them.

Make known to them your peace and your love in this time.

Father, bring followers of Jesus around them who will comfort them and point them to the hope of Christ.

Father, we pray for government officials and leaders and medical staff and medical officials who are needing such profound wisdom, God.

How to handle a situation.

Give them wisdom.

Give them insight.

Let them make brilliant decisions, we pray, Lord.

Father, we want to pray for doctors and nurses.

Those that are right at the front lines.

We pray for their safety.

Pray for their protection.

Pray for those that are tired and overworked and are pouring out their lives.

We thank you for their service.

God, be with them, we pray.

Even this morning, strengthen and encourage them, Lord.

And God, we pray for followers of Jesus.

Help us to be salt and light in our city at this time.

Not to think of ourselves, but how we can serve and love our city.

Christ, fill us with your spirit, we pray.

Lead and guide us in your wonderful name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, this morning, we are continuing working through our series called Watermark Essentials.

If you are new to us as a church, we are talking about our values.

The things that are printed on banners and bulletins and websites.

The things that we talk about a lot.

Carla, would you rather I use that one?

Okay, there we go.

Sorry about that.

That didn't last very long.

One minute in.

Okay.

So, we are talking about our values.

These things that we talk about a lot, but what do they actually mean?

And how does it really affect us?

And the three things at Watermark we talk about a lot are the gospel and community and mission.

And so, the beginning of the year, we spent four weeks talking about the gospel and what is that.

And then we've been talking a bit about community recently.

And Chris, two weeks ago, looked at Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

And we saw there that the Christian community is formed out of the gospel.

What forms the Christian community is not just common interests or similarities, but a common identity that Christ has formed us.

So, remember Colossians 3 says, you then, chosen and beloved children of God.

That's what forms us.

But then Chris also showed us that it's not only that the gospel forms community, but community helps get the gospel deeper into our hearts.

Because when you live in community, let's be honest, there are times when you rub against each other.

There are times when maybe you bother each other or you can take offense.

And those are great opportunities for us to explore our hearts and to get the gospel deep inside of us.

So, the gospel forms community, but then community also helps us get deeper into the gospel.

And then last week, it was just great having Paul here from Holy Light Church.

What encouragement just to hear the story after story of how God has used him and used those in his life to change so many people's lives.

And so, this morning, we come to this well-known passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

Now, in order to understand this passage, we need to zoom back a little bit and understand what's going on in the Corinthian church.

So, what happens here is the Apostle Paul goes to the city of Corinth.

He plants this church a couple of years, number of years beforehand.

And he then writes back to this church.

And the church, at the time that the book is written, is not in a very good state.

There is all sorts of things going on.

So, the church is not very healthy.

But if you ask the people in the church, they would say their church is amazing.

They would say they are a very mature church.

The Christians are all very mature.

They would say this is a wonderful church to be part of.

And the reason is because the Corinthian church was very prolific, very abundant in their use of spiritual gifts.

Especially supernatural spiritual gifts.

And so, many people in the church would be praying in tongues.

People in the church would receive a prophetic word and then share that with someone else.

Maybe somebody else had incredible faith to trust God for miracles.

And they prayed and their healing is taking place.

And so, the church in Corinth was very prolific in their use of spiritual gifts.

It's supernatural spiritual gifts.

But for the Corinthian church, these spiritual gifts, for them, were seen as a sign or an indicator or a badge indicating how spiritually mature they were.

And so, the more you exercised or used one of these spiritual gifts, the more you thought, yeah, God must be really pleased with me.

Now, I must be a really mature and strong Christian because look at how I prophesy.

Look at how I speak in tongues.

And the more unusual or the more supernatural these gifts, the more that those people thought they were mature in their faith.

Okay?

So, for the Corinthians, this was one of the primary indicators or markers of spiritual maturity.

Now, one of the reasons why this was the case is because in the city of Corinth at the time, the cults, the religious cults or the temples in the city valued mystic spirituality.

And so, there were people around the temples that would go and be involved in all sorts of spiritual trances.

And this started to influence the church.

And so, just like we read in the book of Revelation at the end of last year, what's happening is that the culture of the city of Corinth is influencing the Christians, the followers of Jesus, and their view of how the church should operate more than the other way around.

More than the followers of Jesus saying, this is the gospel and they're asked, now going to influence the city.

And so, they adopted this practice, brought it into the church, and similarly thought, well, those that speak in tongues must be really spiritual.

And those that prophesy or have faith, they must be amazing Christians.

And those that don't, well, they're kind of not really that dedicated.

And so, what this meant, of course, is that there's this subtle division in the church.

Some people would subtly, maybe even subconsciously, look down upon other people in the church that didn't really exercise spiritual gifts or supernatural gifts and didn't see God using them in that way.

And so, those who did speak in tongues would kind of look down at those who didn't.

Those who did prophesy would look down at those who didn't and think, you know, they're just baby Christians.

They're not really very spiritually mature.

But at the same time, those who maybe weren't very prolific in spiritual gifts would look up at those that did and think, wow, God must be really pleased with you.

You must be a really strong Christian that you get to do these kinds of things.

Maybe subconsciously, they would think, well, God must be really pleased with you that He's giving you these gifts.

And so, it made some people, especially those that weren't very prolific, think less of themselves or think of themselves as not very strong and mature Christians.

Now, what do you think happens to a church community that thinks like this?

Well, what happens is that there's all sorts of divisions in the church, okay?

So, there are those that are, there's hierarchies, there's camps, there's those groups of people that do that stuff, and there's these groups of people on this side,

and there's those that think, oh, we're not really that mature, and there's all sorts of camps and divisions emerging in the church in Corinth.

And we actually see this throughout the book of Corinthians.

So, in chapter 1, there's also divisions because some people are saying, well, you know, I really like Paul's teaching.

He's my apostle.

And then others are saying, no, no, Cephas, he's the real guy.

And then others are saying, no, no, Paulus.

And so, there's all these camps and divisions.

Then in chapter 11, we see when they come and take communion together, there's more divisions.

Because they would come to communion, and they'd all bring their meal, and they'd have a big feast together.

And around the table, they would break bread and drink wine.

But those that were maybe a little wealthier would bring, you know, their cordon bleu, five-class meal,

and their nice roasted bread, and their French wine.

And they would take communion together.

And then those that maybe weren't as financially empowered maybe arrive a little later because they're working late.

And they just brought what they could.

And there were all these divisions.

And then they wouldn't wait for one another.

And so, these guys would take communion by themselves, and those guys would be left out.

And there's just divisions all over the church.

And so, in chapter 6, we see that Paul says, some of you are even suing one another.

You can't even sit down and talk about these things.

But someone's got a problem with someone else, and they go to the courts and get involved in litigation.

And so, the church in Corinth was actually very divided.

Now, one of the divisions, of course, was the use of spiritual gifts.

Now, what does Paul tell them to do?

How does he address the situation?

Well, the one thing he doesn't do is to say, guys, spiritual gifts are causing divisions.

I think, just cut it out, let's just stop that, and let's just get on with the rest of life.

That's not what he does.

Just because some people are abusing the use of spiritual gifts doesn't mean that we should cut it out completely.

We should just find out what the Bible says, how we should really use them, right?

And so, Paul, rather than saying, okay, just forget about that stuff,

he calls them to a higher view of spiritual gifts, firstly,

and secondly, to a higher criteria of spiritual maturity.

That's really important.

A higher view of spiritual gifts and a higher criteria of what it means to be a mature follower of Jesus.

And so, look at what he does here.

Okay, this is just all background.

We're going to jump into the passage in a second.

In chapter 12, he writes this chapter on spiritual gifts and what their purpose is.

Okay, that's what we're going to look at in a bit.

In chapter 14, he writes this chapter on spiritual gifts and how to use them.

Okay?

And then sandwiched in between these two is 1 Corinthians chapter 13,

1 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

which is one of the most famous chapters in the whole Bible.

What does 1 Corinthians chapter 13 talk about?

1 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

Love, right?

It's that passage that everybody reads at their wedding.

Anyone here have 1 Corinthians 13 read at their wedding?

Okay, just a couple of us.

Which is actually not really about marriage at all.

It's about gospel community.

And so, Paul writes this.

And look at what he says.

Squeeze between these two chapters on spiritual gifts.

He says,

If I speak in the tongues of angels,

okay, that's speaking spiritual in tongues,

but I have not love,

I'm just a noisy gong.

I'm a clanging cymbal.

I'm an irritating noise.

If I have prophetic powers,

and I can understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

if I have faith that I can move one mountain from here to there,

so imagine someone comes in here,

God's given them the gift of faith,

and for some reason,

they have the gift of faith,

and they pray,

and the piano gets up and moves across the room,

we'd be pretty impressed.

Yeah, I'd be pretty impressed.

First, if someone comes in and says,

I really feel like God is saying this,

and this, and this,

and they read exactly what's going in my heart,

this direct word of knowledge,

Paul says,

If that's the case,

but I have not love,

I don't love the brothers and sisters around me,

and the church family,

it's all for nothing.

That's an incredible statement.

He says,

If I'm generous,

and I give away everything that I have,

in fact,

I give up my body to be burnt in flames as a martyr,

but actually,

I don't care about my brothers and sisters,

I gain nothing.

And so Paul's writing here,

and he says,

Yes, spiritual gifts is good.

They're a gift from God.

We should utilize them,

but don't make that the marker of spiritual maturity.

Actually,

if you want to know what a healthy church family looks like,

it's your church that knows how to love one another.

Do you see that?

Does that make sense?

Okay,

so that's the context of what's going on here.

Now,

let's dive into chapter 12,

and see what Paul says.

Look at chapter 12.

Look at verse 12 with me.

He says this,

For just as the body,

he's talking about a physical human body,

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.

Okay,

so what's Paul saying here?

He's using the analogy of the human body,

and he's saying that's a good analogy

for the body of Christ,

which is the church.

He says,

Just like a human body consists of many parts,

okay,

like arms,

and legs,

and the spleen,

and all sorts of other interesting things,

so the body of Christ,

the church,

consists of many various parts

that aren't all exactly the same.

They're not equal in function,

but they are equal in importance.

And so Christ's body,

just like the human body,

has all these various parts

that are also not equal in function,

but they're equal in value and importance,

and they ought to be a unity

because together we form the body of Christ.

Now,

just as a side note,

look at what word he uses

when he describes the body parts.

What word does he use there?

He uses the word member,

okay,

and that's actually where we get the word

church member from.

So in Hong Kong,

sometimes when we think of someone

being a member of the church,

we think of like being a member of a club,

right?

You know,

you pay your subs,

and then you get to use their facilities.

That's not what Paul is talking about at all.

Where we get the word church member from

is this passage here.

Paul says,

just like your various body parts

are members of your body,

okay,

my arm is a member of my body,

and the various members contribute

to the well-being

and the health of my physical body,

in the same way,

the various members,

those that contribute

and sign up and say,

yeah,

count me in.

I'm part of this body here

form the body of Christ.

And what that means

is that actually being a member of a church

is really important.

It's a way of saying,

I'm part of this body

and this body is part of me.

I'm committing to this body

and this body is committing to me.

I'm not just part of the body

for when it suits me,

but when it doesn't,

I'm going my own way.

Actually,

I'm connected.

I'm unifying.

I'm joining myself to this body

and I know that I'm looking out for them

and they're looking out for me.

Okay?

Now,

Paul's now going to make two points.

His one point is

how he's going to emphasize

the need for diversity in the body.

So we're all not just the same.

And then he's going to emphasize

the need for unity in the body.

And so in verse 14 to 20,

first thing,

he emphasizes the need for diversity.

Look at what he says here

in verse 14.

He wants to show them

that Christ's body,

just like a human body,

needs a diversity of gifts

and contributions.

So look what he says,

verse 14.

He says,

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 wouldn't make it

any less a part of the body.

If the ear should say,

because I'm not an eye,

I do not belong to the body,

that wouldn't make it

any less a part of the body.

If the whole body

were just eyes,

that would be a monster,

okay,

where would be the sense of hearing?

If the whole body

were just ears,

where would be the sense of smell?

So he's saying,

just as the human body

is made up of this complexity

of millions of various parts,

but together,

all of them unify the body,

so a healthy church body

needs a variety

and a complexity of parts.

A church body

that just has

a preacher

and one or two other people

and everyone else

is just sitting back

observing

is not going to be

a healthy church body.

Now,

in the Corinthian church,

what they valued

were certain gifts.

So there were a couple

of spiritual gifts,

particularly the supernatural gifts,

and those ones

they really elevated

and said,

okay,

these are the important ones.

This body really needs

those kind of people,

those that can pray in tongues

and prophesy

and words of knowledge

and gifts of healing.

Those guys

are the really important ones

and everyone else's contribution

was kind of like,

oh,

well,

you know,

sorry for you

that your gift

is just that you

can greet people

or have a smile

or something like that,

right?

And Paul writes to him,

he says,

no,

no,

no,

not at all.

Not at all.

Paul says,

don't think that

just because your contribution

isn't the same as another,

it isn't equally valid.

That's like the foot saying,

oh,

I guess I'm not a hand,

I guess I don't really,

I don't have a role

in this body.

But actually,

we need every part,

every member

to play its contribution.

Now,

what does this mean for us?

Well,

one thing it means

is that a healthy church

is one in which

people don't attend

as consumers,

but everyone

sees themselves

as a contributor.

And not just

in a general sense,

like,

I contribute my money

and then you guys

do the work of ministry,

okay?

But everyone brings

the gifts

and the wiring

that God has given them

and says,

here,

let me bring my gift

to serve the body

because as a church family,

we need a diversity

of gifts.

And so,

let me ask you this question.

If you consider yourself

a part of Watermark family,

if this is your church,

how would this affect

the way that we come

to family worship

on a Sunday morning?

You see,

the one way to do it

is to say,

I'll run in here

at 10.30,

10.35,

actually,

because I know

there's the countdown

and that's extra

five minutes to sleep.

So,

10.35,

I'm going to run in

to church

and I hope

the preacher's

well prepared

and I hope he's got

something good

and I'll receive

what he has to give.

That's thinking

like a consumer,

right?

But there's another way

to think.

There's another way

to come,

which is to come

to church saying,

today I've got

some contribution

to bring.

And that may be

like we had earlier,

somebody came to Ed

with a piece of paper

and said,

I feel like God's

put this in my heart

for the church,

right?

And Ed said,

hey guys,

it feels like God's

got a word for us.

Don't be discouraged

in this time.

Keep doing what you're doing.

Could be that.

It could be that

somebody comes

and during times

of worship says,

I feel like I've got

the scripture in my heart

that I want to read

over us as a church

just to encourage us.

It could be somebody

coming and saying,

the person I sit next to,

I'm going to pray for them

throughout the service.

I'm just going to pray

that God speaks to them,

that God encounters them.

It could be that you come

and you just give

a listening ear

and pray with someone

that's going through

a difficult time.

It may be just extending

a warm welcome

to someone you don't know

or taking somebody

out for lunch

after church.

But what would it look like

for the church body

to come every Sunday

saying,

I'm here today

to contribute

to serve this body

in the role

that God's called me to?

Here's another

practical application

for us.

At Watermark,

one of the things

we're really fortunate

to have

is a whole bunch

of outstanding young people

in our church

and young leaders.

Henrika and the ICF team

have done an awesome job.

Our ICF students

are amazing.

A bunch of people

that have recently

graduated from ICF.

We've got a whole crew

of amazing young people

in our church.

Now one of the challenges

for that

is that sometimes

if you are,

let me say,

more seasoned at life,

more experienced at life,

if you are 50 plus,

it's very easy to think,

oh, this is just

a young person's church.

There's no place

for me anymore.

There's no contribution.

I don't have a role

to play.

And I just want to say

that is not true.

Don't buy the lie.

At this church,

because we're a body

made up of many parts,

we need everyone

to come and play

their role

and their contribution.

And so,

for everyone in our church,

for those especially

maybe who have learned

a thing or two in life

because you've been around

a little longer

than some of our ICF students,

I want to say

we need you in this church.

We need you to disciple

some of the young people

and to show them

what it looks

to live a life of faith,

trusting Jesus.

We need you,

as Paul says,

to admonish the idle,

encourage the faint-hearted,

help the weak,

show patience

to those that are struggling.

Maybe some of us

that are a little older,

you might never preach

or be on the stage

or lead a CG.

That's okay.

But what has God

called you to?

What is the contribution

that you can bring?

Don't think,

oh, this is just

a young person's church.

We need every member

to play their part.

And so this is what Paul

is saying to the Corinthian church.

And it's just as applicable

to here,

that the church body

is a diverse body

of gifts and contributions.

Each one is needed,

not just the pastors

or the staff

or those on stage.

Everyone that comes

to church

has a gift

and a contribution

to bring.

Okay, does that make sense?

Now,

look at the second part.

Look at what he says

in verse 21 to 26.

Here,

Paul emphasizes

the need

for unity.

So he just said,

listen,

we're not just all one.

We're not just all ears

or eyes

or, you know,

17 hands.

Okay,

that's not going to be

a healthy body.

We all,

God's so composed

the body,

bringing each one

as he desires.

But now he's saying,

if you overplay

that thought,

so if you overemphasize

the fact that we're all unique,

we can become individualistic.

And we can easily think,

oh, you know,

I've got a gift,

but it's my gift

and I will contribute it

when I want,

how I want,

because I am so uniquely wonderful,

there's no one else like me.

Right?

And Paul's saying,

it's true that you are diverse,

but don't forget the fact

that you also won.

Just as the human body

has a diversity of members,

but actually they're all part

of one body,

so it's true in the church.

In other words,

how weird would it be

if you're standing

by the bus stop

and you just see

two pairs of feet

just walking down the road,

right?

And I'm just,

you know,

I'm just so unique

and it's just me,

my pair of feet.

That would be weird.

The feet have a unique role

to play,

but they're part of the body

to contribute

to the well-being

of the body.

Imagine you're about to

sit down at lunch

with your girlfriends,

parents,

or your in-laws

and your hand

just says to your mouth,

no,

I don't feel like working today.

I'm taking a Sabbath.

Just eat your own dinner,

right?

That's going to be

a messy meal.

It's not going to look

too good,

right?

In other words,

every member

has a unique contribution,

but they're part of the body

for the unity

and the oneness

of the body.

And so look at what Paul says here

in verse 21.

He says,

the eye cannot say

to the hand,

I have no need

of you today,

nor the head

to the feet.

I don't need you.

On the contrary,

the parts of the body

that seem to be weaker

are indispensable

and those parts

of the body

that we think

are less honorable,

we actually bestow

the greater honor.

So what Paul is saying here

is that in the human body,

there are parts of the body

that may be physically weaker

or that we don't give

a lot of thought

or attention to.

So like your organs,

internal organs,

how many people

have thought about

your kidney

or your intestines

this week?

Okay,

so thank you Dr. Sam.

If you're a doctor,

maybe you have.

But not a lot of us

give a lot of thought

to these parts

that are physically weaker

and we don't give

a lot of attention to.

But just because

they may be physically weaker

doesn't mean

they are any less valuable

to the health

or the well-being

of the body.

In fact,

some of our external parts

may be even stronger.

They can put up

with a little bit more

toughness.

And we spend far more time

and attention

on those things

but they actually,

they may be not as vital,

right?

How much time

and money

do people spend

looking after their hair?

But actually,

let's be honest,

it's not the most vital

part of your body.

And that's what Paul's

point is here.

He's saying there's some parts

that we think

just because something

is invisible,

we don't see it

or give a lot of thought

to it,

doesn't mean it's less valuable.

And Paul's point

is the same is true

for Christ's body.

There are members

of the body

that may seem hidden,

they may seem weaker,

they're not as prominent,

they're never going to

be on stage

or lead a ministry,

but their apparent

hiddenness

has no relationship

to their value

or the necessity

of their church.

And so some person,

maybe the gift

that they bring

is that they are

the most wonderful

welcomers

and they make people

feel welcome.

And it's easy to think,

oh, you know,

that's a cute gift,

that doesn't really help.

But actually,

that's a vital gift.

Maybe,

Charles Spurgeon,

greatest preacher

of the 19th century,

okay,

just the most

outstanding preacher,

25 years old,

he's preaching

to 10,000 people,

hundreds and thousands

of people

came to Christ

through his ministry.

He sent out

hundreds of church

planters all over

the world.

And one stage,

someone said,

Charles,

what's the secret

to your ministry?

How is it so successful?

He said,

the secret to my ministry

is that there are

a bunch of ladies

who pray for me

every day.

Now,

nobody knows

those people's names.

There's no history books

that write about

those people's names.

But that actually

was one of the most

vital parts

that brought revival

to London

in many ways.

Because some old lady

decided we're going

to pray.

Paul's point is that

there's some parts

of the body

that are less visible,

less apparent,

maybe don't get

the limelight,

but that has no bearing

on their usefulness

or their value

or the necessity

of the body.

And so look at what

he says here

in verse 24.

For God has so composed

the body,

giving greater honor

to the parts

that lacked it.

Now that's really

interesting.

God in his wisdom

has somehow chosen

to give greater honor

to the parts

that apparently

don't seem

very honorable.

In God's

upside down economy,

the first

are last

and the last

are first.

The overlooked

are often

the most important.

The least

is often

the greatest.

As Paul says

in chapter 1,

God chooses

to use

the weak things

of the world

to shame the strong.

The foolish things

in the eyes

of the world

to shame

that which

seems wise.

And God

has so composed

his body like this

that to God

sometimes the most

valuable and honorable

parts of the body

are actually those

that in our eyes

don't seem very valuable

or very honorable

at all.

Verse 24.

For God has so composed

the body,

giving greater honor

to the parts

that lacked it,

so that there may be

no division,

but that all the members

may have the same care

for one another.

For if one member

suffers,

all suffer together.

If one member

is honored,

all rejoice together.

So friends,

what that means

is that for every person

that calls Watermark home,

God has given you

a gift,

a contribution

to bring

to the body.

But it can turn

into a curse

when we see that

as our own,

as that's my gift

that I bring

when I want.

God has so composed

the body

that if one member

suffers,

all suffer together.

If one member

is honored,

all rejoice together.

Now,

what does that

actually mean?

Okay?

So we see the two

things.

Paul emphasizes

the need for diversity.

Now he's emphasizing

the need for unity.

What does that

actually mean?

Well,

in some ways,

what it means

is that my

spiritual well-being

is some way

dependent upon you.

And your spiritual

well-being is

dependent upon me

and vice versa

and the people

around us.

In other words,

in biblical culture,

your life never

entirely belongs

to yourself,

but partly belongs

to the community

that you're a part of.

In other words,

in the Bible,

those that you

choose to align

yourself to,

those that you

choose to find

solidarity with,

to some extent,

you're responsible

for them

and they're

responsible for you.

And that's why

in chapter 5

in Corinthians,

Paul actually says

something really

pretty hectic.

He says,

sin is like

yeast

or like cancer

that can actually

spread throughout

the body.

And that's why

he says,

you guys are

responsible for

one another.

And so in the

Corinthians church,

there's this guy

and he's having

sex with his

stepmom.

And the

Corinthians church

is all saying,

yeah, well,

you know,

that's your life

and we've got our

life,

we're not going

to interfere.

And Paul says,

what are you

talking about?

Don't you realize

that that's like a

cancer that's going

to affect your body?

You're responsible

for him and he's

responsible for you.

And if you let

that thing go

unchecked,

it's going to grow

and it's going to

consume all of you.

And so Paul says,

someone go and

speak to him.

And if he doesn't

change,

someone else go and

speak to him.

And if he still

doesn't change,

it's time to cut

him off and to

say you can no

longer be a part

of this body.

That sin cannot

affect this body

otherwise it will

destroy all of us.

Do you see the

importance of that?

In some ways,

when you commit to

a church family,

it's saying I'm

responsible for you

and you're

responsible for me.

And that means,

friends,

that committing

to a church is

very important,

but it's also

important what church

you commit to.

And so can I

just say that for

some of us who

will one day move

on from Hong Kong,

move to another

city or another

place,

when you choose a

church,

choose a healthy

church.

Choose a strong

church.

Don't just go to

church where the

music's good and the

pastor tells good

jokes or he's got

good social media

following.

Choose a church

that's going to tell

you about Jesus.

Find a church that's

going to preach the

Bible.

Find a church that

together you can

commit to them and

they can commit to

you and together you

can point one another

to the hope of

Jesus.

The church that you

join is going to

have a direct impact

on your spiritual

journey and you on

theirs.

Now, as we come to

a close, we need to

acknowledge that this

is really hard.

This is really hard to

do.

And it's hard because

being committed to a

church family is

costly and it's

inconvenient, right?

It's so much easier

just to live for

ourselves.

Every one of us by

nature, because of

the reality of sin in

our lives, our hearts

are turned into

ourselves and by

nature we love to

live for ourselves.

There's a tendency in

every human heart to

think about me

primarily and my own

desires and my own

needs.

We like to be served

rather than to serve.

We naturally like to

consume rather than

contribute.

contribute.

And we tend to give

ourselves to things

that work the way we

want to rather than

things that don't work

the way we want them

to.

And ultimately, sin is

so deceptive that we

can even deceive

ourselves and oftentimes

we can serve others

but even if I'm honest

there can be a selfish

motivation behind that.

I serve others because

it makes me feel good

about myself or because

what others will think

of me.

Friends, almost everyone

likes the idea of

community as long as it

doesn't cost me too

much.

But being part of

Christ's body necessarily

involves a cost and

inconvenience.

Jesus in Ephesians 4

says we are to forgive

one another in the same

way that Christ forgives

us.

That's a radical call to

forgiveness.

In John 13, Jesus says

serve one another in the

same way that I have

served you.

Isn't that amazing?

The same way that Jesus

serves us, he calls us to

serve one another?

Jesus calls us to a

radical level of

community and laying

down our lives for one

another.

Now the question is, how

do we do that?

How do we become the

kind of people that see

ourselves as part of this

body and lay down our

lives and serve one

another?

The answer is it's

almost impossible.

It's very difficult.

So how do we do that?

Well, for those of us that

are believers, I want us

just to take a few minutes

and just think about our

salvation for a second.

Think about what does it

mean to be a Christian?

A Christian is someone who

deserves God's judgment

because of our sin, but

who gets God's favor and

acceptance instead because

Jesus died on the cross for

us.

A Christian is someone who

was once outside of God's

family and the God's

judgment, but now has been

included into God's favor,

into God's family, someone

who was once an outsider,

but is now an insider because

Jesus, because our sin was

credited to Jesus.

Friends, a Christian is

someone who knows that he's

a sinner saved by grace

alone and therefore has no

reason to either elevate

some or look down on

others.

A Christian is someone who

has been, who knows his

acceptance before God is

based on Jesus' righteousness,

not his own.

Friends, a Christian is

someone who knows they have

nothing to bring to God

except their sin and yet has

been given a righteousness

from Christ instead.

Friends, given that

definition, are you a

Christian this morning?

Given that definition, do

you know that your only hope

is in Jesus, that he is your

perfect righteousness?

Friends, if you are a

Christian this morning, think

for a moment how Jesus so

committed himself to us, even

though we had nothing to give

him, nothing to bring him.

Jesus so aligned himself to

us that he took on our sin as

if it was his own and he gave

us his righteousness as if that

was our own.

Jesus found such solidarity

with us that the perfect

righteousness of Christ is

given to us, not because of

what we could give him, but

because of what we would get

in the process.

Friends, the gospel reminds us

that we, our righteousness is

not our spiritual gifts.

Our righteousness is Jesus

alone.

The gospel reminds us that all

of us are broken and sinful and

yet Christ has welcomed us into

his family.

And out of that, we are given

the resources to love and

serve and lay down our lives

for one another.

Remember how we started off

this year looking at the

gospel and we looked at this

passage in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

And it says this, this is

straight after, you know, the

second chapter on spiritual

gifts.

Paul says this, he says,

Friends, in the gospel, you and

I are given such security, such

an identity.

We are bestowed with such an

honor.

We don't need to look out for

or look after ourselves.

In Christ, we are given all the

resources we need to put ourselves

out there and to spend ourselves

for the sake of one another.

Friends, how do we become the

kind of community which really

do give ourselves?

We don't elevate certain gifts

or look down upon others.

Think of some as superior or

others as inferior.

How do we become the kind of

community that really does love

and serve one another for the

common good?

Paul says, I want to remind you

of the gospel.

The gospel I preached to you.

The gospel in which you now

stand.

The gospel in which you need to

keep on believing.

And melting your heart.

And changing you.

The gospel reminds us that all

of us in the same boat.

And yet Jesus died for the

brother and the sister next to

us as much as he died for us.

Friends, this is the way we

will become a kind of community

that we want to be.

By holding fast to the

gospel.

By preaching the gospel to

ourselves each and every day.

Friends, by arriving at church

each Sunday with our hearts

full of the gospel.

Saturated with the gospel.

Because we've been holding on

to Christ.

Friends, hold on to Christ.

Friends, look to Jesus.

Remind ourselves each and every

day that you are in Christ and

what you have in Christ is

enough.

And he'll make us the kind of

people who don't look to

ourselves and look after

ourselves, but who live for

others.

Live for Christ.

Pouring out ourselves for the

sake of the rest of the body.

Let's pray together.

Father.

Let's pray.

Oh Lord God, when we look at

these scriptures, Father, and we

see what is happening in

Corinth, we must confess that our

hearts are not too far or too

dissimilar.

God, it's so easy to elevate some

people and to look on others with

inferiority.

Father, our sinful hearts still want

to have hierarchies, God.

We tend to think of ourselves more

highly than we ought.

Oh Father, forgive us, we pray.

God, I pray for each one of us here

and we pray for us as a church.

God, we pray that we will be a

healthy body with a diversity of

gifts.

Each one of us bringing the gifts

that you've brought.

And yet, God, also knowing that it's

not about us, but it's about the

community.

It's about you and your glory.

And so God, help us, we pray.

God, change us and transform us,

God.

Make us a radical community that

really can make a difference in our

city because you've made a

difference in our hearts, Lord.

Father, I pray that just this verse

that says, you have so arranged the

members of the body as you desire,

that God, that will sit in our hearts,

that each one of us will know what it

is that you've called us to, the

gifts you've given us, the

contribution that we bring.

God, we pray through this very

ordinary and simple church called

Watermark Church.

God, do something extraordinary.

Glorify your name.

Put your glory on display, God.

Because you're at work within us, we

pray.

We pray these things in your powerful

name.

Amen.

Amen.