Sermon Tone Analysis

I. The Reading

A reading from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31:

[ One verse per slide ]

This is God’s Word, Amen.

[ Title Slide ]

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 “You Are The Body”

II.

The Exhortation

When God’s Word says to the church — “you are,” God is revealing something about our being, our identity, our belonging, our purpose.

God is defining that for us.

When God’s Word says to the church — “you are,” God is not telling us what He hopes we will be, if we work hard enough, if we do good enough, if we give money enough - No!

God is telling us what we already are - because He said so!

When God spoke in the beginning, He said “let there be...” - and there was!

This same God says to us now, “You are....”

We are what God says we are, it is that simple!

God says, of His church, “You are…the body of Christ.”

There is nothing we can do to become the body of Christ.

We cannot create all of our various members and set them together in a way that functions.

We cannot compose ourselves for any good purpose.

Have you seen children playing with Potato Heads?

Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head…?

We are like children trying to compose a potato body.

Noses end up on feet.

Eyes end up on backs.

Lips end up as arms.

Legs end up on the head.

We fail to put a potato together correctly.

How much more would we fail to put together a human body, or even a church?

There is nothing we can do to become the body of Christ.

We already are the body of Christ because that’s what God says we are.

That is what God has already made us to be.

And in the same way, there is nothing we can do to become something else, other than the body of Christ, because what God speaks is done!

What God creates God sustains, and it will survive to the end by the grace of God!

Which means, like it or not,

you - church in Corinth,

and we - Southside Baptist Church in Decatur, AL -

are the body of Christ, that God has set together, that God has composed, with every part that we need to do God’s will, right now.

When I look out at our church, I see missing parts.

You see missing parts.

We share the same conversations about what we think we need and where we think we need to go, and how we think we need to get there.

We ask: Where are our children?

We long for more!

Where are our young families?

We yearn for more!

Where our our givers?

We need more!

Where are our doers?

We desire more!

Where our our supporters?

We plead for more!

Because our potato, doesn’t look right to us.

It looks like we are missing pieces.

And perhaps the Lord would have us understand, that we don’t need to put pieces on a potato head.

Because Christ is the head of the church.

And the Spirit takes all of the pieces, and forms them into something a Potato Head doesn’t have — a body, underneath the head.

Have we forgotten what God says of us?

Are we among those who are “uninformed”?

Perhaps we should ask the question today - Whose voice are we listening to?

Whose voice is informing our strategy?

What bucket are we picking pieces out of?

I confess that I, and we, are looking around so faithlessly focused on what we are not!

And that is not the voice of God!

I need to hear again, and we need to again, the voice of our Creator saying: “You are...”

“You are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

If we are the body of Christ, that means we belong to Christ, and every member functions in service and witness to Christ and for his purposes.

This means, as we look around at each other, if we are thinking about what we are not, or what we have not, then we have lost our sense of purpose.

WE are putting pieces together on the wrong head!

Preban Vang says this (TTC):

“According to Paul, churches that think they need more, or different, gifts from what the Spirit has given them must consider whether they are using their gifts according to God’s purpose or attempting to become a community that is different from what God intends them to become.”

If we think that we are lacking in our church, we must ask WHAT it is we are trying to do, and WHO it is we are trying to become!

Are we the body of Southside Baptist Church?

Or are we the body of Christ?

Brothers and sisters - we exist on the most basic level, to “be God’s witnesses, who do God’s will, as revealed in God’s word.”

That’s a clever way of saying, that we exist for God!

We exist as the body of Christ!

Which means, everything we do, and everything that we are, exists for the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preban Vang again says (TTC):

“many modern churches…have grown used to relying on attractive facilities, strong programs, natural talents of a few members, and ministers’ rational power to persuade spiritual seekers”

when what we need, and what we have is the “empowerment” of God’s Holy Spirit!

And the Holy Spirit always leads us to Jesus!

The Holy Spirit doesn’t empower us to make much of our plans.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to make much of Christ’s purposes.

This is why when we gather, we gather in the name of Jesus.

To say: Jesus really is our Lord.

Jesus really is our Leader.

Jesus really is our Life!

Jesus is the head of the body.

And we believe the voice of God who says: “You Are the Body of Christ.”

In the previous eleven verses, the apostle “zooms in” as it were, from many to one.

Not several, but same.

Not each, but every.

Not idols, but God — One God.

The starting place when discussing spiritual things is always with God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Whatever questions the Corinthians were asking about various gifts, various services and various activities, the apostle knew that the only way to fix their lack of knowledge was to first fix their focus.

Listen to how he did this:

The apostle doesn’t seem to have any interest in expounding upon the varieties until they get the singular source right - God.

And the purpose right - the common good.

With those two foundations in place, he now “zooms out” from ONE to the many.

We function as ONE body with MANY members.

We are Christ’s body and individually members of it.