Your Differences Are the Point

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[0:00] Our scripture text this morning comes from 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verses 12 through 31. The human body has many parts but the many parts make up one whole body so it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free, but we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit and we all share the same Spirit. Yes the body has many different parts not just one part if the Foot says I am NOT a part of the body because I'm NOT a hand. That does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the Ear says I am NOT a party I am NOT a part of the body because I am NOT an eye. Would that make it any less a part of the body if the whole body were included. an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part. Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, I don't need you. The head can't say to the feet, I don't need you. In fact, some parts of the body that seemed weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care.

[1:35] So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony, among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. And if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

[2:07] All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church. First, our apostles. Second, our prophets. Third, our teachers. Then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, and those who speak in unknown languages. Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not.

[2:53] But you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. Let's pray. Dear God, we ask for your blessing upon this word this morning. God, open our eyes and open our hearts to receive the words that you have spoken. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[3:16] While Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians in response to their complaints and dissonance within the church at Corinth, we remember how his end end end end end end end end end end end end end end and age and any other number of things. So we might refer to spiritual gifts this morning, but the ultimate point of 1st Corinthians 1 or 1st Corinthians 12 was that nobody had a reason to be arrogant, as nobody was greater or better than anybody else within the church. Paul was trying to remind the church that they are first a unified community formed for the Father, headed by Christ, and led by the Holy Spirit. So in this chapter that looks a lot like leveling the playing field in terms of spiritual gifts, but on the whole the field is leveled across the board for all possible points of division. This probably wasn't the first time that the members of the Church of Corinth had heard the human spirit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the first human body metaphor. It hadn't been used really within the church, but the Roman Empire had made liberal use of it. Of course they didn't quite make the same point that Paul was trying to make. In the secular, the Emperor was considered to be the head, and all that was important and ruled over the rest of the body. The hands and

[5:15] the feet were left to follow the head's orders and do the dirty work, for the sake of pleasing the head. The hands and the feet referred to basically everybody besides the Emperor. And the purpose of the metaphor was to enforce that some people really are better than other people, and those who were lesser should fall in line and do as they were told. It also emphasized that the common people were expendable. So this was an attention grabber that Paul took advantage of. He took what was then a common and relevant idea and turned it upside down. And that happens a lot in the kingdom of God. Our secular ideas are turned right on their heads. And in this case, Paul immediately disregarded the idea that the Emperor, or anybody for that matter, could be more important than anybody else. And he didn't just flip it around either. He didn't say that the hands and the feet were greater than the head. Rather, he said that all parts were equally important. First, he addressed how people might see themselves and their own role within the church. So if the foot says, I am NOT a part of the body because I'm NOT a hand, that doesn't make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, I am NOT a part of the body. I am NOT an eye. Would that make it any

[6:42] less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear how how would you smell anything? You are important. You have a purpose and a place within the body of Christ, and that purpose and place are vital. The empire was mistaken in thinking that the head was the most important because all parts of the body are necessary. Can the body function without some parts? Sure, but not as easily or as smoothly. The body of Christ could function without you, but not in the same way that God had designed and planned. And it's important to understand this before we can move on to talk about other people. Because until you love yourself just as God has loved you, and until you understand that you have been given a God-ordained role in your life, it will be very hard to understand what God has designed for you. And so, I want to remind you that we are not only the body of Christ, but we are also the body of God. And that's why we are so You could be an arm, or you could be a fingernail. Maybe you're a lung, or maybe you're a single skin cell. We tend to want to think of some things as more important than others. But that's false thinking. Because whatever you are, whoever you are, however big or small you see yourself and

[8:09] your role to be in God's kingdom, the truth is that you are not only the body of God, but you are included. So if you want to remember how God created you for you to be who you are with the gifts that he gave especially to you. What ultimately matters is how you use those gifts and what you do with who God made you to be. Will you use your gifts to expand the kingdom? Or will you bless others? Or will you help the rest of the body to function smoothly? Or will you stifle your gifts? or use your position in the body to promote yourself or push down others. You could be a single cell in a body of 37 trillion others, but if you use your gifts to please God, then you are better off than a major organ that refuses to do what it was called to do.

[9:07] You are important. And Paul emphasized that first. And after that, Paul turned his attention to the church member who might be arrogant about the role he plays. Verse 21 says, 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. Why?

[9:31] Because other people are also important. Mark 12 shows us that this is important. Among the greatest commandments. First, we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And then we love our neighbor as ourself.

[9:50] So if we have the love of Christ in our hearts, we'll be able to love ourselves as God loved us. And then we'll be able to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. That is, we will love our neighbor as God loved us.

[10:07] The church. The church is a foreshadowing of what is ahead. It's just a little tiny bit of heaven, of what heaven is meant to be. So in Revelation 7-9, there's a great multitude made up of every nation and tribe and tongue that praises God. The church is meant to be a mosaic of differences, whether they're differences in ideas or differences in gifts or physical traits or anything else. Paul's understanding, which he was trying to explain to the church, is that we're meant to form a church that reflects on the final reconciliation of all things that God promises.

[10:52] So diversity within the church is actually not a sore spot to be avoided. And it's not even a fact that we simply must tolerate. It's actually a gift of God. It's a gift of God's grace and a sign of the Spirit at work. Our God-given differences form us in such a way that we do and really must belong to each other.

[11:23] It's not just that we depend on each other, but that we actually belong to each other. I can't just accept your differences. I need to welcome them. I need to learn from them and grow from them. Now, my mother is a diabetic.

[11:45] And as all diabetics, her pancreas does not do what it was meant to do. Because her pancreas does not work as it should, her other parts of her body are impacted. So diabetics are more likely than other people to develop kidney problems. And they have to get regular eye exams. To keep watch over the problematic blood vessels in the back of their eyes. And they have to take very good care of their feet to reduce the risk of amputation. So one small organ has an impact on the whole body. And the head doesn't dismiss these things. No, the head makes sure that these body parts are taken care of with the special attention that they need. The mouth takes care of its fellow body parts. By reducing sugar intake. The hands take care of wounds by dressing them. The body parts have to work together. To take care of the consequence of one improperly functioning organ. So every part of the body has an impact on the others. And they don't work together in spite of their differences and problems. But they work together in unity. And they do so beautifully because of their differences.

[13:04] When a person or a person is affected by a disease. Or a group of people in the church body is hurting. We must work together with the love and direction given to us by Christ the head to care for them.

[13:18] The church is not just about me. And it's not even just about us. It's about working together with Christ as our head. Whose blood bought and cleansed the church. As we all work together for God's kingdom and glory.

[13:36] So I read a commentary this week. That said holy diversity is an important remedy for our tendency toward complacency. And I love that idea. Our differences push us to rely on each other. And inspire us in our compassion and our creativity.

[13:56] And our differences cause us to stretch each other and learn from each other. Growing us closer to each other and to God. Somebody else's perspective on our lives. Somebody else's perspective may challenge us. In the church at Corinth those challenges caused frustration and anger and arrogance. Some people demanded that they be treated with honor. And they arrogantly dismissed the people that they thought were below them. If they would have accepted those differences. Instead they would have been challenged.

[14:30] In good and positive ways. We would like to think that we have it all figured out. We would like to think that we have it all figured out. But then somebody with a different perspective comes along. And throws us for a loop. And we can't just sit back in the comfort of our complacency. And we can't just sit back in the comfort of our complacency. Because somebody else's ideas have come along to challenge us. And that's what God wants for his people. That we challenge one another to be constantly learning from each other. And growing closer together. And growing closer together. And closer to God.

[15:01] When we act in unity with the whole body. When we act in unity with the whole body. We don't just share ideas and opinions, we share joy and we share sorrow too. And maybe that's hard to hear, but it's a good thing when we share both joy and sorrow with each other. Verses 24 to 26 say, So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members so that all members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. And if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

[15:43] And then Romans 12, 15 tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. We need to take extra care of those among us who have been oppressed or persecuted, those who are in need and those who mourn. We mourn alongside them. The body is not whole and healthy until every single member is whole and healthy.

[16:12] The body of Christ is so united that we are expected to share with each other on a soul level. We strive to lift each other up when good things happen, our souls rejoice. But when one member of the body is hurting, that's when our souls mourn. We are inseparably bound. We are bound to one another for eternity. And eternity is a long time. So we really need to start making a serious effort to start loving each other now.

[16:44] We're not left to figure this out on our own. Earlier in this chapter, Paul reminds the people that they are a community that is led by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is inseparable from God, who is inseparable from Jesus. So all God. All gifts. Works. And deeds. In the Church are to be cross-examined in view of the Spirit's purpose. God's guidance. And Jesus' work.

[17:14] Whatever works the Corinthians do or whatever gifts they receive from the Spirit. They must know that their works need guidance from God and Jesus. And according to 12.7. The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit are for the common good. Which means. It means gifts are not to be used for self-promotion or selfish reasons. Rather, they must be used for strengthening the community by taking care of the weak and the despised in society.

[17:45] And that is what it means to be the body. That we celebrate our differences by using them to strengthen the body as God has intended for us to do. As we leave this place today, I have just a little bit of homework for you. I want you to take some time today to write down which body part you would be in this analogy.

[18:08] What are your special differences or giftings? And how can you use those to strengthen this body of Christ? In the meantime, let's pray. Our God, we thank you for each and every person in the body of Christ.

[18:27] We thank you for our differences that help us to get a bigger picture. And a better picture of what the kingdom of heaven will look like. God, as we leave from this place, we pray that you would help us to use our differences and our gifts to bless this body of Christ. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.