01.01.12 - Resolved - To Live Appropriately as Part of the Body

resolved: to live appropriately as part of the body

David VanAcker, Pastor of Discipleship

Grace Church, Sunday Worship

1 Corinthians 12

January 1st, 2012 (New Year's Day)

introduction

A few years ago, in one of my first sermons ever at Grace, I preached on the idea that New Year’s resolutions are a natural application of the rhythm of God’s creation. That is, Scripture teaches that God has built into creation certain new beginnings and into our nature something that responds to these new beginnings with eagerness and hope and motivation.

For instance, God made the earth spin on its’ axis such that every 24 hours there is a new dawn and a new beginning (Genesis 1:1-5). God ordered our calendar such that every seven days there is a new week (marked by a day of rest) and a new beginning (Genesis 2:1-3). God made the earth to spin around the sun such that every three months (or so) there is a new season (Genesis 1:14-15) and every 356 and ¼ days we have a new year and in both cases we have new beginnings. These things are built into the rhythm of creation—they happen cyclically, time after time.

This is to say noting about the fact that God has chosen to give us new life at conversion (Romans 7:5-6) and this, certainly, is a new beginning. And finally, God planned, before the beginning of time, to create, one day, a new heaven and a new earth, a final new beginning when all will be made right (2 Peter 3:10-13).

Additionally, we’ve all experienced whatever it is that God has built into our nature that allows us to wake up with new resolve, to start a new week with firmer convictions, to enter Spring with a new commitment to exercise and steward our bodies better, and to start a new year with a better plan for good. These things are built into our nature—we all feel them, generally in proportion to their frequency (the less often they occur, the more powerful they are).

So, here we are, on the first day of 2012—a new year. It is good and right of us to take this resolve that we feel (every year at this time)—to use this means of grace that God’s built into His creation—to order our lives in more Christ-like fashion. It is good and right of us to evaluate where we are and scheme about how to bring it in line with where we ought to be and embrace the rhythm of God’s creation as a means to this end.

In its simplest form, we’re always called to turn from our sins toward Christ-likeness. But, right now (at the beginning of a new year), many of us feel especially burdened to, and optimistic about, starting up with new Christ-like commitments and resolutions. God made us to feel this way. He built it into creation and our nature as a way to help us become more like Jesus. Therefore, we should embrace this gift from God (this special burden and optimism) and use it well. We should make resolutions to turn from particular sins and toward particular righteousnesses.

I’ve been asked to encourage you to consider using it well in one particular area: functioning as part of the Body of Christ. My prayer has been that this would serve as a reminder and encouragement to persevere in obedience for those who were at the Body of Christ seminar and as a crash course for those who weren't.

Specifically, I intend this sermon to serve as a challenge and encouragement for all of us, as we finalize our New Year’s resolutions, to recognize that we are a part of the Body of Christ and that this has enormous, eternal implications.

The body of Christ

I started the Body of Christ seminar a few months ago with the following paragraph: “As I've grown as a Christ follower my recognition of my need for the people of God (the body of Christ) has dramatically increased. Early on in my Christian life (naively and pridefully) I felt little need for the Church. I suppose this individualism had its roots in two main sins: 1) a tiny view of God's kingdom and the work he means to accomplish in it; and 2) the faithless worldview that I grew up with before trusting in Jesus. Today, however, because God has matured me as a Christian and because I've lived quite a bit more life, I'm all too aware of my need for God's people. I lack gifts which I need and God promises to provide through his people. I lack resources which I need and God promises to provide through his people. I lack knowledge which I need and God promises to provide through his people. I lack love and faith and obedience and examples which I need and God promises to provide through his people. God, in his Word, promises to meet certain needs of his people only through his people. I now know this with my mind and have experienced it in my life.”

I hope many of you have similar stories about how God has increased your appreciation for the Body of Christ and I hope that God is pleased to use this sermon to create some more. But let’s back up just a bit here. What exactly is the body of Christ?

The phrase “body of Christ” is a metaphor used by the apostle Paul in ten different passages in the NT (in various forms) in order to communicate a truth that is both spoken of and assumed throughout the entire bible: that God has always determined to gather a people to himself in His Son, Jesus. One such example is found in Colossians 1:18.

“And [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

Big picture wise, as you probably noticed in this passage, Paul uses the phrase “body” or “body of Christ” synonymously with “Church”. So what is the body of Christ or Church, then? Simply, for Paul, both terms refer to the community of all true Christians of all time, generally, and to local gatherings of believers (churches), specifically.

This morning I want to offer the following definition of a healthy body of Christ/local church. It is my prayer that this definition would increasingly describe Grace Church as each of us trust in God and personally resolve to make it so.

A healthy body of Christ submits to Christ as its head, recognizes that it is one body with many members, functions with individual members using their individual gifts for the common good, experiences God’s promised grace, enjoys true fellowship, and results in an outward focus.

In order to work out a few resolutions concerning our understanding of and participation in the body of Christ, let’s briefly look at each clause of this definition. (Again, most of the rest of this sermon is a brief recap of our Body of Christ seminar from a few months ago).

Submits to Christ as head

Any biblical understanding of the body of Christ begins with the headship of Christ.

Ephesians 1:22-23 And he [God the Father] put all things under his [Jesus] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Colossians 1:17-20 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

If we are to function well as a body we will joyfully submit to Jesus as our head. Joyfully submitting to Jesus as head means at least three things: 1) Our agenda dies (Matthew 16:24-26); 2) Our pride dies (1 Corinthians 1:30-31); and 3) The body of Christ will succeed (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Nothing else that we talk about will work rightly or even make sense if you and I don’t start here—with a very robust understanding of the headship of Christ over all things, including the Church. I invite you to stop here for just a minute and consider how your life would look different if you truly acknowledged the headship of Christ over every aspect of your life—your time, your money, your job, your marriage, your parenting, your friendships, your leisure…everything.

Grace, let’s start the new year off together by freshly committing ourselves to submitting ourselves to our head, Jesus Christ.

One body, many members

The second clause in our definition reminds us that we are functioning in a healthy way as a church when we recognize that together we form one body with each of us functioning as a different part of that body.

Romans 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

Consider your own body for a moment. Consider the unique necessity and value of the head. Consider that the head is that which drives the rest of the body. Consider how everything else in the body takes its cues from the head and how the carrying out of its functions are set by the head. Consider that the rest of the body can only function rightly when all parts are functioning. Consider that each part of the body has a different function. Consider that arms didn’t decide to be arms and legs didn’t decide to be legs. Arms and legs were designed to function in a particular way. Consider that legs don’t make good lungs and lungs don’t’ make good elbows and elbows don’t make good padding to sit on. Each part of the body is especially good at doing what it does.

And so we are in Christ. The simple fact of the matter here is that God has given us, by his Spirit, the gift of belonging to the body of Christ. This means that you were designed by God especially to fit in and function at Grace Church, as Grace Church. Your gifts and needs and strengths and weakness are meant to work (and only work) rightly within the context of the people around you right now.

You are never only an individual. You are always a part of the body of Christ. Again, just stop and consider this for a moment. How would your life look different if you truly believed and lived with the mindset that you are not complete (in a sense) without everyone in this room? How would this effect your prayers and your finances and your schedule? It’s just too easy at times to forget this, isn’t it? It’s just too easy to think mainly as individuals or as individual families or even as a part of a smaller group within the church.

Let’s resolve, then, in 2012 to function appropriately in light of this fact: we are one body with many members.

Individual members using their gifts for the common good

The third clause in our definition of a healthy body of Christ states that as Grace Church grows in health every one of us will increasingly use our individual gifts for the good of the entire body (rather than merely or mainly for ourselves). There are several important things to highlight here:

1. As one body, we have a common purpose. Our purpose, according to passages like John 17:9-10, is to bring glory to Jesus, our head.

John 17:9-10 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

Again, in this short passage we hear Jesus talking to the Father and declaring that his aim is to be glorified by his people, his body, the church.

2. All members of the body of Christ—of Grace Church—are equally valuable before God. We glorify Jesus, in part, when we recognize the value of every other part of the body. It is absolutely crucial to everyone here to recognize that you and everyone around you have value because of whose you are. Because of who your head is you have a value that is far beyond anything that you can imagine. Jesus is infinitely valuable and he bestows that value on his body. This warns us sternly against thinking of others or ourselves as less valuable than God has determined.

Romans 12:3-5 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:15-16, 19-20 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. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body... ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

3. All members of the body of Christ—of Grace Church—are equally necessary because of God. We are, as the body of Christ, quite literally made to be interdependent on one another.

1 Corinthians 12:17, 21, 22 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?... ²¹ 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 are indispensable…”

If you don’t do what God made you to do it makes it impossible or, at the very least, much more difficult for us to function in a healthy way. This is real.

Many of our charges are physically impossible or made extremely more difficult to do on our own. It’s not physically possible to make disciples of all nations on our own. It’s not physically possible to teach everyone all the commands of Jesus on our own. It’s not physically possible to visit all the orphans and widows on our own.

And some of the charges are simply logically impossible to do on our own. It’s not logically possible for us to love one another on our own. It’s not logically possible for us to be a city on a hill on our own. It’s not logically possible for us to exhort one another on our own. It’s not logically possible for us to stir one another up to good works on our own.

You and I are necessary as members of the body of Christ.

4. Our individual functions are determined by our Spiritual gifts. For Paul, our various functions as members of the body of Christ and our Spiritual gifts are one and the same. There are certain responsibilities/privileges that everyone in the body of Christ shares, but there are also individual gifts/functions that are unique to each person in the body of Christ. The Father assigns (1 Corinthians 12:24) and the Holy Spirit gives and empowers these gifts in all believers.

1 Corinthians 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

This means that we need, at the very least, to be humble (there’s no room for bragging or pride when all that we have was given to us by another), content (there’s no room for self-pity when all that we have was given to us by our great and loving and glorious God), and hopeful (there’s no room for despair when God assigned us exactly what we need to do exactly what he intends and when he’s sent his Spirit to give us the strength we need).

Again, let’s resolve in 2012 to use our gifts for the glory of God and the good of the church. As you consider your gifts and your use of them, consider also whether or not you’re using them intentionally for the building up of the church, the body of Christ.

Means of Grace in the church

The fourth clause indicates that Grace is healthy, in part, when we’re experiencing God’s blessing on a regular basis in the ways that God has promised to provide it. God has chosen certain ways to bless (or give grace) to his people. Wayne Grudem, in Systematic Theology, points out that Scripture specifically mentions eleven such means of grace.

1. Teaching of the Word. Even before people become Christians the Word of God is the means of grace by which He brings salvation to the lost (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:24; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Timothy 3:15). However, we also find in Scripture that the Word of God is a means of grace for Christians as well; able to build us up (Acts 20:32), gives us life (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 32:47), convicts us of sin and draws our attention to righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), guides us (Psalm 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19), makes us wise (Psalm 19:7), and gives us hope (Romans 15:4). Indeed, God’s Word is powerful and active, not weak and passive (Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 23:29; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).

2. The Lord’s Supper. Scripture teaches that the Lord’s Supper is a means of assuring us of our salvation (1 Corinthians 10:16) and bringing unity to the church (1 Corinthians 10:17-21). Also, the NT picture of Communion is such that through it we are brought into a special fellowship with Jesus (John 6:33-58).

3. Baptism. Baptism (a public act of confessing Jesus as Savior and a sign of the believers death and resurrection with Christ [Romans 6:2-5; Colossians 2:12]) is a commanded act (Matthew 28:19). Like all commanded acts of God we should expect there to be a measure of blessing for obedience to that act.

4. Prayer for one another. God has given us a command to and a pattern of praying for one another (Acts 4:24-31; 12:5; Hebrews 4:16). In a mysterious way God is pleased to work through prayer. God works both in the one praying and in the one prayed for. What a gift it is to see God work as we continually call out to him on behalf of others. What a wonderful means of grace it is to pray for the healing of, provision for, restoration of, or soul of another Christian and witness God’s work in it.

5. Worship. Again, there is a pattern in scripture of God granting special grace upon His people when they engage in genuine worship. Specifically, He spoke to them regarding a particular plan that He had for Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2), He revealed Himself in remarkable ways (2 Chronicles 5:13-14; James 4:8), He delivered His people (2 Chronicles 20:18-23), and revealed insight to His people (Psalm 73:17).

6. Church discipline. When we sin against God and man without repentance we break fellowship with God and man. God has instituted church discipline as a means of teaching the seriousness of unreconciled sin and as a means of dealing with it. God gives us this process as a means of gracious restoration (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 Corinthians 4:19-20; 5:5; Matthew 16:19; 18:18-20).

7. Giving. We see giving as a regular part of the lives of believers throughout the OT and the NT. We also see wrong giving as a regular part of the lives of believers throughout the Bible (Acts 8:20). Done by faith, however, giving of our finances is a remarkable means of grace (2 Corinthians 8:5; 9:6-12). Through giving God blesses the recipient (in that his or her needs are met) and the giver (because God loves and rewards a cheerful giver).

8. Spiritual gifts. Again, we’ve covered this to a significant degree already, but we must notice that passages like 1 Peter 4:10 state explicitly that God intends spiritual gifts to be a means of grace for the church (as does 1 Corinthians 14:12 and Ephesians 4:11-16).

9. Fellowship. This, we’ll cover in great detail in a minute. But don’t miss the fact that biblical fellowship was a part of the early church (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25) and led to the blessing of God when done in love and obedience (John 15:12; Galatians 6:2).

10. Evangelism. In his list, Grudem notes that (in Acts in particular) there is often a significant connection between proclaiming the gospel and being filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4; 14-36; 4:8; 31; 9:17, 20; 13:9, 52). Evangelism is not only a means of grace then in that it ministers to the unsaved, but also because those who evangelize experience more of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their lives.

11. Finally, personal ministry to individuals. Again, Grudem points out that God uses individuals in the church ministering to others in the church as a means of grace. This can take the form of helpful words (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 4:29), correcting a brother who is in sin (James 5:20), giving to assist the material needs of someone in the church (James 2:16; 1 John 3:17; Acts 4:34; Galatians 2:10), anointing the sick with oil (Mark 6:13; James 5:14); the laying on of hands for the purpose of healing (Luke 4:40; Matthew 8:3; 9:18; Mark 1:41; 5:23; 6:5; 8:23-25; Luke 5:13; 13:13), sending (Acts 6:6; 13:3), and imparting spiritual gifts (Acts 19:6; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).

This is an especially important list for us because we’ve all had times where we’ve felt far from God. Even the biblical writers expressed discouragement and sadness because they perceived God to be far away. However, God has told us in his Word many of the places that he’ll be. These places are called means of grace. And we should go there first when we long to be with God.

The idea here is to ask ourselves if, when we feel far from God, we purpose to focus our attention, affection, and efforts in the areas and places that God has set before us. If you feel far from God do you look to share your faith more often or spend time in God’s Word or increase your giving or use your gifts to bless God’s people.

Grace, let’s resolve to put ourselves in the places that God has told us he will be in 2012.

enjoys true fellowship

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to be a part of a community where everyone in it loves Jesus above all things. Where there is an obvious and experienced willingness to be mocked and abused for the name of Jesus by everyone around you. Where you feel truly loved and where there is no concern for ever having to go it alone. Where you know you’ll be cared for and provided for by God and his people. Where you are constantly encouraged for who you are in Christ. Where your sins are able to be confessed, prayed for, and fought against and along side brothers and sisters who care more about your soul than your face and who are humble enough to avoid godless judgment and guilt-based interactions. Imagine a community where offences against one another are quickly forgiven and bitterness and malice and gossip are absent. Imagine delighting daily together with others over God’s Word and his present faithfulness. Imagine knowing that you were prayed for constantly by people who know and love you because they know and love God. Imagine living in a community where Jesus’ commands are known and loved and lived and expected. Imaging being able to serve according to your gifts and seeing real fruit flow from it. Imagine the gospel going forth from your community with power and effectiveness. Imagine a community mixed with a steady influx of new believers and gray-haired saints. Imagine a mixture of youthful eagerness and aged wisdom. Imagine a community where there are dozens of examples of godly marriages to look to and imitate. Imagine being a part of a people who you’re excited to point your children to as examples of Christlikeness. Imagine being in a place of real sacrifice (which ends up being no sacrifice at all) where orphans and widows are welcome and well cared for, where people share resources so that no one is in need, and where the poor are loved generously. Imagine living in such a community where the gory of God is the banner and goal.

Grace Church, that’s true fellowship. That’s what we’re called to. I’ve tasted it at times and it is good.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind as we go after this type of fellowship:

1. It always stems from oneness in Christ. If we are ever to experience true fellowship it will stem from a mutual commitment to Jesus Christ—to seek first Him and the things of HIm. Fellowship based on anything else will be shallow at best and, in the long-term, untenable. This means that if, in an effort to experience deep, meaningful relationships on a horizontal level, we first seek deep, meaningful relationships on a horizontal level we’ll always fail. We must first seek Jesus. We’ll never be good for anyone else (and they’ll never be good for us) if we don’t seek Jesus first.

And Paul says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:13-16).

2. It will always be centered on God’s Word. The second necessary ingredient of true fellowship is a community that is centered on God’s Word. It is God’s Word, as we talked about earlier, that draws us to Christ (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:24; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Timothy 3:15), that builds us up as Christians (Acts 20:32), that gives us life (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 32:47), that convicts us of sin and draws our attention to righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), that guides us (Psalm 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19), that makes us wise (Psalm 19:7), and that gives us hope (Romans 15:4).

3. It will be fueled by prayer. If we are to experience fellowship it will be because we are one in Christ, centered around the Word of God, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our neediness, our dependence on God for all that we need (including fellowship), must drive us to prayer. We must pray for ourselves to be right with God and our brothers. We must pray for God’s help to love and serve and live and care and forgive and function and be as we ought. And we must pray for those things in our brothers and sisters as well.

4. It will follow God’s example in Christ. God has provided us in his interactions with his people and in his Son, Jesus, an example to follow for fellowship among men. Also, however, true fellowship is ultimately modeled not after our oneness with each other in Christ, but with the oneness eternally experienced among the Trinity.

John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

5. It is related to our individual maturity in Christ. There are two truths that must always be taken together. First, the quality of our fellowship within the body of Christ will always be dependant on the quality of fellowship that each individual member of the body has with God. And second, the quality of our individual fellowship with God will always be dependant on the quality of our fellowship within the body of Christ.

All too often we forget one or the other. If a church isn’t spiritually healthy it’s because there is a lack of health among the individuals within the church. If individuals aren’t spiritually healthy it’s because there’s a lack of health in the church. God means the two to be inseparably related.

6. Finally, it will be love and other’s oriented. For true fellowship to take place here we must continually walk through these doors (whether it is ever reciprocated or not) looking for ways to show the love of God to the people around us. We must continually walk through these doors (whether it is ever reciprocated or not) looking for ways to serve others. And we must stop walking through these doors thinking, “here I am” and start thinking “there you are”. We must stop focusing on what we’re not getting that we think we deserve and start being what God has called us to be.

1 John 4:7-12 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

If you’ve felt lonely or lacking in true deep relational connections, God’s Word holds out great hope and a clear remedy: Look first to be satisfied in Christ, pour over his Word, cry out to God in prayer, and be the kind of friend that you’d love to have.

Let us resolve, then, to pursue true fellowship together at Grace Church in 2012.

Results in an outward focus

I want to briefly highlight the last clause in our definition of a healthy body of Christ: When the body is functioning properly there will be remarkable peace and joy experienced by everyone who is a part of it; but, it will never terminate there. Instead, it will always result in an outward focus. If there’s no outward focus, the health of the body is an illusion. Just like a healthy corn plant will produce corn a healthy body of Christ will extend itself beyond the body.

I’m simply going to list five ways that a healthy body will look out.

1. Loving neighbors. When we are healthy as a body we will love the lost around us. They will be the object of our compassion and service too.

Matthew 22:36-39 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" ³⁷ And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

2. Evangelism. The primary expression of our love outside of the body of Christ will be to speak the gospel to those outside of the body of Christ in the hopes that God would be pleased to add them to the body of Christ.

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

3. Orphans and widows. Scripture repeatedly calls on the people of God to have special concern for the orphans and widows. The Church is meant to be a father/husband to the fatherless and widow.

James 1:27 - 2:1 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

4. Sick and downtrodden. In addition to the orphan and widow Scripture places heavy emphasis on the Church’s responsibility to love the sick and downcast.

Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

5. Global body. Finally, but not really outward looking, is the global body of Christ. The body of Christ includes all Christians everywhere, but it seems to me that we can easily forget our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Some of whom find themselves daily suffering and being persecuted for their faith; including missionaries sent out from us. When our local churches are functioning well we will be concerned for the rest of the Church elsewhere.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, ² for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³ For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, ⁴ begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints- ⁵ and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, Grace. Welcome to 2012. We all fall far short of the Christ-likeness to which we are called. Knowing that in this sermon alone there are dozens of ways we fall short of the glory of God can be paralyzing. Often we can leave a sermon like this thinking “I’m not even close to living up to all of this so what use is it to try living out any of it”. I urge you not to think this way. Instead, take a moment, ask God where He’d have you begin and resolve to go after it with all that you have—for His glory and your good. Amen