S.R. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Introduction

  1. I have often taught that brethren “forsake the Lord” – “not the church.”
    1. Often warnings are given against the expression “forsaking the church.”
    2. From one perspective this is true.
      1. Only Jesus, the Lord has authority to command, make laws, and authorize actions. (Matthew 28:18) “All authority”
      2. He has done this in the New Testament and Christians are to obey him.
    3. To reject his teaching and authority is to forsake the Lord – not the church.
  2. The church has no ruling power and no authority to impose its will or its views on any man.
    1. Some denominational bodies do make creeds, define doctrines, and demand that their members submit to their decisions and laws.
    2. To forsake these laws is, therefore, to forsake the “church” which announced these rules.
      1. When a person forsakes the rules of a church that are not the rules of Christ, they have forsaken a church, but not Christ.
    3. Christians can in other ways forsake the “church” and by so doing forsake the Lord.
      1. Let’s explore those other ways:
  3. Jesus cares about His people. (Matthew 25:31-46; John 13:35; John 15:12-14; 1 John 3:10-14)
    1. Matthew 25:31-46 31"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' 37Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' 41"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' 44Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' 45Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
    2. John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
    3. John 15:12-14 12"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14"You are My friends if you do what I command you.”
    4. 1 John 3:10-14 10By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 11For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; … 13Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”
    5. Which of the family members should we love? (James 2:2-5) 2“For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
    6. Are you one of God’s people?
    7. Do you love all of God’s people?

Outline

  1. Body of Christ
    1. The church, we often forget, is the people of God—the “body of Christ.”
      1. And as the body of Christ, Christians are “members one of another” (Rom. 12:5).
        1.  “one another” 106 times in 99 verses in the New Testament
      2. As fellow-members of the body each is responsible for the others:
        1.  Romans 12:3-9 3“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: … 7if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”
        2. To serve one another,
        3. Encourage one another,
        4. Love one another,
        5. Correct one another,
        6. Comfort one another,
        7. Rejoice with one another,
        8. And weep with one another, etc.
      3. Every member, regardless of how feeble, is necessary to the body and its ability to function (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
        1. The “foot” cannot say that "because I am not the “hand” I am not of the body and I amnot responsible to it."
        2. Nor can the “eye” say to the “hand” "I have no need of you."
    2. Any active member who ceases to serve the body as an active member:
      1. Has abandoned his/her responsibility toward the family and has forsaken the church – the people of God.
      2. The church as a body functions only as saints are equipped to serve and build up one another.
      3. And this is to be done by the supply of all of its joints as members of the body (Ephesians 4:11-16). “11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
        1. The work of evangelists and pastors is to help people “grow up in Christ.”
        2. He served us (Mark 10:45). We serve each other.
      4. Physical bodies function only as each member does its part and so it is with God’s spiritual body – the church.
      5. A member of the physical body that abandons its role has forsaken the entire body.
      6. It is the same with the church?
  2. The Assembly
    1. Acts 6: 1-2 Apostles summoned “the congregation” is used various times in the New Testament to describe the assembly of brethren.
      1. Followers of Christ want to assemble to receive instruction and accept family assignments.
        1. Acts 9:26 “When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.” (Apostolic precedent)
          1. Paul could find the brethren and meet with them – pattern for the next 30 years of his life – even on the way to Rome (Sidon Acts 27)
        2. James 4:2 when someone comes into your assembly
          1. “For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes,…”
          2. This is not a secret meeting in someone’s home this is an assembly open to the public.
      2. These family members come together for:
        1. Worship, instruction, and edification (construction building)
        2. 1 Corinthians 11:18 “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it.”
          1. God has “many people in this city” and they come together as a church
        3. 1 Corinthians 14:19 “however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also,”
        4. 1 Corinthians 14:23 “Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?”
        5. 1 Corinthians 14:28 “but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.”
        6. 1 Corinthians 14:33 “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
        7. The Lord teaches brethren plainly that they must “consider one another” and must not forsake the “assembling together” of themselves as the practice of some brethren was in the first century. (Hebrews 10:25)
      3. God knew the need for family to gather for spiritual food, fellowship and service to one another. (Acts 2:42) Teaching, fellowship, supper and prayers
      4. In times past in America:
        1. The Dinner Table – all of the family ate together at one table, listened to one another, received instructions regarding acts of service, and worked together to accomplish the family goals.
        2. Perhaps the younger people in our audience did not grow up with that model.
      5. Attendance and participation illustrates priorities:
        1. Band and Track
        2. Both required mandatory attendance and participation at practice and events. Which was my priority? Which came first?
      6. Story of Marlon Ruck – “if she had missed just once – I had her.”
      7. It is the responsibility of every family member in Christ “to provoke unto love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
        1. Elders have kindly asked us to participate in each planned assembly.
          1. They cannot force and they will not brow beat, but they invite.
        2. Your choice to stay home or recreate or visit instead of returning to the evening assembly does not stimulate love for brethren; just the opposite.
        3. It demoralizes and discourages your family.
        4. It starves you and robs you of spiritual encouragement.
    2. The Lord commanded brethren to assemble by means of the model of Apostles.
      1. Sing (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)
      2. Pray (Acts 2:42)
      3. Receive instruction and share in the communion with brethren (Acts 20:7)
      4. Give (1 Corinthians 16:1-3)
      5. The assembly is not the only place to pray, sing and receive instruction, but it is one place where the family comes together and all family members are expected.
    3. By these actions Christians both praise God and strengthen one another for the battle of spiritual life in an evil and ungodly world.
    4. If you missed a meal growing up would your parents come looking for you?
      1. You should expect to hear from shepherds who notice that sheep are not showing up at meal times.
  3. Failure to Connect the Lord and His Family.
    1. Are you shocked to learn that in forsaking the assembly you forsake the Lord.
      1. Have you noticed what follows immediately after Hebrews 10:25?
    2. The thinking of a growing number is that one can forsake the “church” of the Lord without forsaking the “Lord” himself.
    3. Some are rather dogmatic about it.
      1. After all, they still believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
      2. But they do not grasp the idea that Jesus built a relationship of people:
        1. This people is his body,
        2. He is the head over it, and
        3. He as Lord directed His followers to stick together,
        4. And assemble and show care one for another (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:25).
      3. When we abandon our brothers and sisters by forsaking the assembly we have forsaken the “Lord” and his “church”?
  4. Conclusion: We do not “forsake the church” by rejecting its authority and laws. It has neither!
    1. But we do “forsake the church” by deserting our roles as active, serving members of the body (our family).
    2. When we abandon or fail to discharge our responsibilities to the people of God we fail to follow Christ who came not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45).
    3. In doing so we “forsake the Lord,” the church’s head, who authorized and assigned those roles and responsibilities.
    4. Bottom Line: God knows we need family – Seek out Family and Serve.
    5. It is all about stewardship of blessings: We have been blessed in order to bless
      1. As Jesus modeled “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 10:35)
      2. Determine and learn to serve and give back to the Lord’s family
      3. Next week, Sunday – Wednesday, will be a great time to demonstrate priorities in the midst of a very busy schedule academically.
    6. My Prayer for our graduates and others who are leaving us.
      1. Learn from the good examples you have witnessed in this church to serve brethren and the lost.
      2. As our 80-plus senior members show us – we will be in the assembly.
      3. As you have seen men and women serve brethren with food, moving assistance, spiritual nutrition and training, imitate their faith.
    7. Our prayer is that you will make excellent choices in the weeks, months and years ahead to show your love and appreciation for the sacrifice of Christ by sacrificing self for the service of others.