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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 10th June 2007 AMTHE BODY OF CHRIST Pastor Linton Smith
Have you ever taken time to wonder at the marvels of the human body? Let’s marvel right now. Shut your eyes and tell your index finger to touch your ear.. nose.. knee. Did the finger miss? I don’t think so. What a wonder of coordination. Your finger takes its orders directly from the brain.. and with the help of the arm and hand and other muscles.. does just what the brain tells it to do! We have been pondering the different ways the New Testament describes the church. We have seen it described as the people of God, the flock of God, the family of God, the temple of God, and last week.. as the vine.. Today we see it as the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul describes the church this way in several of his letters. Sometimes he uses the human body as an illustration. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12:21 he says to believers who think they can get by without other believers, The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” But in other places Paul goes much deeper than this. He teaches that in a very real way.. o THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. Paul writes.. Colossians 1:18.. He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church.. Colossians 1:24.. Now I rejoice in what was suffered.. for the sake of his body, which is the church. Ephesians 1:22, 23.. God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 4:11,12.. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.. Ephesians 5:23.. Christ is the head of the church, his body.. Now let’s look again at Ephesians 1:22,23.. Here the Apostle is not just painting a picture.. or giving us a symbol to think about.. he is saying that the church actually is the body of Christ. He makes this mind-boggling statement… the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Let’s unpack this. Jesus is risen.. ascended.. Lord of all.. and He fills everything in every way, and in a very special way He fills the church! The Contemporary English Version translates it like this: The church is Christ’s body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything! J. B. Phillips puts it like this: In that body [the church] lives fully the one who fills the whole wide universe! Jesus fills the whole wide universe.. and yet somehow.. mysteriously.. lives fully in His Church.. His people worldwide! o JESUS IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY. When we use the word ‘head’ we sometimes mean little more than the person in charge. Paul means far more than that. He writes.. Colossians 1:18.. He [Christ] is the head of the body. Ephesians 1:22,23.. God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body.. Colossians 2:19.. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Ephesians 5:23.. Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Ephesians 5:29.. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.. Let’s take a closer look at Colossians 2:19.. Christ is the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. It is clear to me.. that Paul has the human body in mind here.. and is saying that Christ is the head of the body.. just as the brain is the head of the human body! John Stott points out in his commentary on Ephesians [p66].. that medical writers from about the time these words were written.. men such as Hippocrates and Galen.. spoke of the head or brain controlling and coordinating the functions of the body. In our day.. in a book written for non medical people.. the brain is described as a flower perched on top of a slender stalk that runs down through holes in the vertebrae of the spine and ends at the small of the back. Many branches extend from the central stalk.. Through their finest fibres they reach in to the remotest places and into every nook and cranny from the roots of hairs and teeth to the tips of the toes.. the headquarters of the most elaborate communications network ever devised..’ [Our Human Body pp98,100,101]. Christ is the Head, the brain, controlling His body, the worldwide church! o BELIEVERS ARE THE VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE BODY. Paul makes it clear that believers.. people who have believed in Jesus.. surrendered their lives to Him.. and been born again.. are the members of the body.. Romans 12:4,5.. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 1 Corinthians 12:12,13,27.. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Ephesians 4:25.. We are all members of one body. Ephesians 5:30.. We are members of his body. Colossians 3:15.. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Let’s look again at 1 Corinthians 12:13,27.. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. When we believed in Jesus.. surrendered our lives to Him.. the Holy Spirit baptized us into one body.. into the body of Christ.. so that now.. we are the body of Christ.. and each of us is a part of it! And what is our purpose? In Ephesians 1:23 we saw that The church is Christ’s body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything! The Expositor’s Bible Commentary comments.. The church is filled with (and by) Christ. As his body, it manifests him to the world, but it can do so only as he fills it with himself.. The church is the body of Christ in the world, manifesting Christ to the world! That is what the Church world wide does.. and we are part of it! o EVERY BELIEVER HAS A PART TO PLAY. The Apostle writes.. Romans 12:5.. In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We form one body.. the body of Christ.. and we belong to all the others. We cannot go it alone.. we are part of each other! Time and geography will mean we cannot associate with all believers.. but we can at least see ourselves this way.. see others as part of the same body! Then in the next verse.. Romans 12:6 Paul says.. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is… let him use it.. We are part of the One Body.. we have different gifts.. different functions to fulfil.. whatever gift we have.. let’s use it! 1 Corinthians 12:27,28.. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed.. We do not choose our position in the body.. we do not choose to be a finger.. or a leg.. or an eye.. or a mouth.. Just as God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be [1 Co 12:18].. so He places people in the body of Christ. He appoints us! Gives us a particular part to play.. all the way from being apostles to being people who help others! And then in Ephesians 4:16 Paul writes.. From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. The whole body grows.. as each part does its work! Just after Christmas I suffered from a broken toe.. painful.. and frustrating.. My brain wanted to put it down on the path and walk normally.. run.. and do other things.. but I could not - because the toe was not able to do its work. I wonder how Jesus feels when He wants to do something.. sends the instruction.. and the member of His body does not respond? Let’s be among those who play our part! Who do as Jesus says! o WE WILL PLAY OUR PART WHEN WE LIVE IN VITAL UNION WITH CHRIST. Paul was very concerned for the believers in Colossae. Certain people were leading them astray.. with puffed up ideas about what to eat or drink, about what religious festivals to keep, and about the worship of angels. Paul wrote of such a person as this.. Colossians 2:19.. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Such a person is not holding fast to Christ. He has lost connection with Christ! Do that.. and we are on our own.. living by our own ideas of what to do.. and devoid of the inspiration, guidance and life of Jesus! This reminds me of last week’s topic.. of the branch severed from the vine.. reminds me.. that you and I need to work at staying connected to Christ.. living in vital union with Him. How do we do that? Paul has already told us how in Colossians 2:6,7.. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. JUST AS we received Christ Jesus as Lord.. just as we believed He had died for us.. had risen.. was alive.. is Lord.. and invited Him into our lives as the Lord He is.. CONTINUE to live in Him! Day by day.. spend time with Jesus.. listen to Him.. and respond to what He says. The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of the body. Believers are the various members of the body. Every believer has a part to play. We will play our part when we live in vital union with Christ. Let’s take these truths to heart! Remember the exercise with your finger. It did just as you told it to do. Let it be a challenge to you.. to do just as Jesus tells you to do. Let’s decide today to do what it takes to live in vital union with Christ!
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