Sermon Tone Analysis

PRAY SLOWLY

*1.

No more heroes?*

One of the TV shows I got into earlier this year was ‘Heroes’.

I don’t know if you watched Heroes, but it was about a group of people who all had some sorts of special power or ability.

So one could travel through time, or read someone’s mind, spontaneously regenerate body tissue, have incredible strength, move or ‘phase’ through solid objects, fly, perceive the future.

The blurb for the show goes like this – ‘All over the world, seemingly unconnected and ordinary people are realising that they possess incredible capabilities.

As these strangers and more come to terms with their new abilities, they begin to understand that they may need to use their strengths for a greater collected purpose... *the saving of all mankind*...’

            Our society loves the idea of heroes – those special, unique talented individuals that we adore – whether it be movie stars, pop stars, sports stars, politicans, or in other fields – we love heroes.

But heroes can be divisive – I love Hewitt, I love Federer, and we fight over who is the best.

That sort of thing was happening in the church in Corinth.

There were divisions over who followed who – so back in ch 1 Paul writes- ‘there are quarrels among you.

What I mean is this: One of you says I follow Paul; another I follow Apollos; another I follow Cephas; still another I follow Christ.’

They were putting individuals on a pedestal and claiming allegiance to one or the other – they were their heroes.

And it spilt over into congregational life –so as we come to ch 12 of 1 Corinthians, they are dividing over the question of spiritual gifts.

They thought some Christians were better than others, were super-spiritual, were heroes if you like, because they had some particular spiritual gift.

And if you didn’t have that gift you were sub-standard.

Do you ever think that?

That certain people in the church are heroes?

Or that some are inferior?

Perhaps you feel that about yourself as you sit here tonight?

Do you ever wonder – what does it mean for me to be part of St Mark’s?

            1 Cor 12 is a great help in overcoming those problems and showing how the church is to work together properly, as a community.

So let’s see what Paul says.

                       

*2.

We are all heroes – special JILs (1 Cor 12:1-11)*

             12:1 – let’s talk about spiritual gifts, so that you are not ignorant.

God is creating a new community – a community of people who belong to him.

Call it God’s family, God’s friends, God’s people, God’s children, God’s kingdom - they are a specific group of people who belong to God.

And it is all his work, and his alone.

This new community is God’s people.

They are if you like God’s heroes – created by God for a greater collected purpose.

But who are they?

Who is in this special group?

Who are God’s ‘in-crowd’?

Only one thing identifies them.

It is not being a human, it is not doing something good in our life, it is not even coming to a church every week, and it’s not even, as some of the Corinthians thought, having a particular spiritual gift, like speaking in tongues.

No.

Paul says what marks this group of people out as God’s is what they say about Jesus.

V3 – READ.

God’s people are JILs – the people who say ‘Jesus is Lord’.

ILLN – One of my favourite stories  is about an Irishman – apologies if you are Irish.

Irishman in an expensive BMW driving too fast and a big, brutish policeman sees him and decides to have some fun.

So he pulls the driver over, tells him to get out, draws a big circle around the car and tells him to stay outside it.

Then proceeds to–

            - knife out, slashes seats, looks at Irishman who just smiles

            - baton out, smashes windows, looks, chuckles

            - beats in panels, roof and boot, looks, laughs uproariously

            - engine, smashes radiator and belts, looks, driver is beside himself, rolling helplessly on the ground in fits of laughter

Police man can’t take it any more.

Says to man – I’ve destroyed your car, what’s so funny?

Irishman says – I stepped into the circle 4 times.

God has drawn a circle that separates his people from those who are not his people.

That circle is Jesus.

God says we must be in Jesus, ‘in Christ’, in God’s hero, to be one of his people.

There are some people in the world who say the circle is much wider than that – all paths lead to God, or being good is enough, or it all depends on what I’ve done.

Other people, especially people in the church, try to make the circle narrower – you’re only in if you’re baptised, if you’re in a small group, if you’ve been confirmed, and so it goes.

There seem to have been some in Corinth like this - trying to narrow the circle to fit their definition.

But both groups ignore what God says through Jesus.

And Paul says in v1 – I don’t want you to be ignorant.

God has given us the truth, he’s given us himself in Jesus, so we don’t remain like the ostrich with its head in the sand.

And he reminds them in v2 there is much false spirituality around – many of them had come from pagan backgrounds that they thought was the truth, but it had only led them to dumb idols.

That is our society today in many ways as well – many are ignorant, and many trust in new spirituality which doesn’t lead them to the true God.

So who is in God’s circle? 2 tests in v3 – do they say ‘Jesus be cursed’?

If so – they’re out.

But not a lot of people are that blunt.

So test #2 – do they say ‘Jesus is Lord’?

If so then they are in God’s circle, because such belief only comes from the Holy Spirit.

It is the mark of the Holy Spirit.

Of course it is not just saying it in terms of putting 3 words together, but actually show in their lives that they acknowledge Jesus as Lord and live with him as Lord.

This is the mark of being in God’s new community.

At the end of the day there are only 2 sorts of people - those who have the Holy Spirit, seen in their acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus, and those who do not.

God’s new community is made up solely of those people, who by the Holy Spirit are able to confess that Jesus is Lord.

If you are not part of that community, and want to be, please talk to me after the service.

It is most important that you join God’s new community, for they are the only people who will be with him forever.

Only God can give you His Spirit, and all you need to do is ask in repentance and faith.

But other than that ther eis no division in God’s community.

Once you are in God’s circle you are united with everyone else in that circle, united to them and to God.

And, ‘yes’, vv4-6, people have different gifts, and do different kinds of service and work, they are still united, because there is only one Spirit, one Lord, one God.

And sicne we are all in the circle, then we’re not to judge people, or ourselves, by what kinds of gifts they do or do not have, or by the way they serve, or by what God may or may not be working in them, because at the end of the day all these gifts come from the one Spirit.

Paul here lists only some of the gifts of the Spirit to make his point, and there are other lists in the NT which also mention some other gifts.

Marty will help us think through some of these in a few weeks time.

Paul wants us to understand that in the church of God there is an inherent unity, which is there because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

APPL - do you sense that unity here at St Mark’s?

Are you part of it?

Do you have ideas for how we can maintain and reflect that unity?

Please let me know.

In the following verses Paul teases some of these thoughts out a little more.

*3.

In fact we are one hero’s body; with... *

*            */a) Unity - each part doing what it should, when it should (vv12-13)/

            ILLN - On Friday mornings I go to the Fitness Centre up the road.

We are a little community, 7 of us there 2 days ago.

We come together because of our common desire to get marginally fitter, and pay someone to help us do it.

We only last an hour.

Then we separate and have not much to do with one another until the next Friday.

Is that how you view church?

Come on Sunday and that is it?

I suggest Paul is saying God’s community is not like that.

Look at v12 - READ.

Even though the body is full of many different parts it is still just one body.

There is a unity.

All its parts belong to one body.