Sermon in Minneapolis 25.04.2009

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let us begin this evening's service, joining our hearts together in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, as we gather this evening around your holy word, we thank you for the day which you have granted unto us. You have given us another day of life, a beautiful day in your creation. A day where many were able to gather to visit around the work of your kingdom. We thank you, dear Father, for your great blessings. And we pray this evening that you would yet open your word unto us, to comfort and instruct us, to nurture that faith which you have given unto us as we journey toward heaven's home with you one day.

We still remember those brothers and sisters in times of illness or distress and lonely places of watching, that even now they too could be uplifted in faith. And we pray that your word would be heard, the light of your kingdom would be seen in the dark world of unbelief around us, so that your will would take place, that none would be lost, that all could come unto repentance.

Above all, we thank you for your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and his victory on our behalf. And we pray as your Son has taught us: Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Amen.

This evening I will read God's word recorded for us in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 12, from verse 4 unto the end. Amen. The words are as follows in Jesus' name:

Now, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administration, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.

And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon those we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked,

That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.

And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. Amen.

We have read here a fairly long text this evening. Last evening the portion which I read was only eleven words, so I felt this evening I would be more bold and we could consider a longer portion.

Today, brothers and sisters, we had a special day. As you know, every two years here we have a gathering of the board members and ministers from around our continent, representatives from the congregations of believers. And so today again was one of those times.

And I think that you would all want to know, how did the day go? What was the day like? And this evening I wanted to in some way try to convey to you at least how the day seemed to me.

But I think that the brothers and sisters present would agree that it was a wonderful day, a day characterized by freedom and openness, this love. A day where we were able to speak about the duties to which we have been called, to learn from each other, to be encouraged in our work.

And I know that you also are happy to know that. And if I were to summarize the day in a very simple way, I would say love and unity. That what we felt and that's what we spoke of.

And so this portion of God's word was on my mind thinking of this day now that we have been able to experience it.

Also speaks of love and unity. When Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he begins with precious words of love unto those brothers and sisters in faith, greeting them: Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. He was thankful for these brothers and sisters in faith. He remembered them, so he wrote to them and wanted to serve them.

And this is also how today the brothers and sisters who are serving on various congregation boards of trustees and ministers serving the congregations also feel. They're happy for you, brothers and sisters in faith, and rejoice in that grace which God has also given to you.

And when Paul began this letter, he had that enemy of souls was doing his work, and so he said, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Paul didn't want there to be any separation, any divisions, any disagreements among those brothers and sisters. He wanted them to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

And he had that some may have followed or be tempted to follow man for the wrong reasons, perhaps looking at the temporal gifts, the outside package. For he says, It hath been declared to me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Now this I say, that every one of you sayeth, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.

But is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius, lest any should say that I had baptized in my own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanus.

Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other, for Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

We find in Apostle Paul a precious humble heart of a servant. He didn't want to take glory. He didn't want to be followed for man's sake but only this, that he was preaching the word of God, the salvation message of Jesus Christ.

And so he says that he came only to preach the gospel, not with any wisdom of words.

And I think this too was a psalm that those gathered here today had all feeling our own lacking in the work, wishing we would have studied more, that we would have more gifts or different gifts.

And yet we must humbly say that all we have to serve is that God has been so wonderful to grant unto us his mercy and grace that we can believe.

And so this gospel that we have been able to believe in, this peace that we have received on our own hearts, is then what we have to serve our brothers and sisters.

And so Paul continued, Brethren, I came to you not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

So this letter that Paul wrote in some ways we could think of it as a letter of love and a letter about love.

And so in this portion we read, he begins to speak of these many gifts that have been given, that there are many gifts but the same Spirit, many administrations but the same Lord.

Gifts of wisdom, of knowledge, of faith, of healing, of performing miracles, of prophecy, of discerning spirits, of diverse kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues.

But always the gifts are used for the same Lord, for the same Spirit, and God has distributed these gifts among his children in his way according to his will.

A matter that we don't and will never understand why some have gifts of one nature and others other kinds of gifts, except to know that God has given them all.

And it's beautiful when they are all given to do the work which complements and supports each other, the work of love and of unity.

And so he compares these many gifts to a body, for as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ.

For the body is not one member but many.

And he speaks about the feet, the eye, hearing, and smelling.

And often in scriptures these kinds of natural examples are given to us, something that we can relate to help us understand the message or the meaning.

We can all relate to this, to know that our body has many members and these members have their own purpose.

Our feet help us to walk, our hands we can write and shake hands with each other, our fingers, our eyes to see, our ears to hear, the ability to smell, taste, and so on.

Every part has its purpose, but yet if any one portion is ailing, the whole body suffers.

It doesn't have to be a major, a big member of our body for us to suffer. Even a little finger can make our whole body suffer and ache in some way, feel disabled.

The body is this in this way so sensitive, many members but one body.

And he writes, if the whole body were an eye, then where would the hearing be? And if the whole body were hearing, where would the smelling be?

We see how the body in order to be healthy and well needs all of the members, needs all of the members to be well and healthy in order for the body to function as it should, in order for the body to feel well.

So the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee, nor the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Who of us could say that we could get rid of this member or that member of the body, that we don't need it? We need every member of the body God has created, even our bodies as they are.

And all the members of our body in his wisdom and miraculous way each member to perform its function which helps all of the other members of our body.

And so in this way this beautiful picture Paul speaks of the gifts that he has given unto his children.

When we speak of all the work which is taking place in God's kingdom today, all of the willing heart to serve, it's so amazing and heartwarming and uplifting.

All the gifts that God has given you, brothers and sisters, in your own places of watching, it's so amazing.

And we need all of, we need each other. We all have our purpose as God has created us, and we're all members of that one body.

And so we care for each other because when one member suffers, the whole body is ailing and hurts.

And we spoke much today about this caring for one another with love.

We cannot say to any brother or sister, to any gift, that we have no need of you. We need all of the members. We are one body, yet many members.

And then Paul says that the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.

Think of this, brothers and sisters, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.

And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon those we bestow more abundant honor.

And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need.

But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to the part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.

When I think of this description of the members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, or that there would be uncomely parts of the body upon which would be bestowed more honor, I have wondered that we all feel our own sinfulness, our doubt, our wretchedness, our lackings.

I'm sure that every child of God would say, I am that uncomely part. I am the one that is more feeble. Am I the one that would be unnecessary? That is how we feel as God's children, so prone to sin.

But yet Paul says that more feeble ones are necessary, and unto the uncomely parts more abundant comeliness.

Those who aren't as pretty, those who are more feeble, we need them, and they need more love, and they need more care.

And we want to serve and remember them because they too are parts of the body of Christ, a member part of the one body.

And so he describes this picture to bestow honor on even the feeble and uncomely parts of the body so that there would be no schism in the body, there wouldn't be any division, there wouldn't be any contention among them, and that they would care one for another.

Because when one member suffers, all the members suffer. When one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

This united body is so, so close united with love and the bond of the Holy Spirit that we feel the sorrows of each other. We also share each other's joy.

And so it is a beautiful body, a beautiful kingdom, wonderful place for us to dwell.

And so he says, Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular.

And he describes how God has set some in the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, those that perform miracles and have gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Again, these many gifts have been given: apostles who saw Jesus, the prophets who could be enlightened as to that which is to come, the teachers who can help others to understand, to teach them, the miracles, and those that can heal, the different governments, the different tongues.

All of these gifts we see are needed. They all serve their purpose. They all help the work to go forward.

None is more important than the other. They are all necessary as God has created and given them.

But he says, Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

He means, does any one have all the gifts? No. Our gifts are small, and we each wonder in our own way whether we have any gifts at all.

But God has created and given as he has willed all, but none has all.

And so we need each other because the body has all, and in God's kingdom all have been given to do that which he has wished to take place, that his work on this earth could go forward.

The preaching of his word could take place, undying souls could be fed, the message of salvation through his Son could be proclaimed.

And lastly here it says to covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

If we would read a little further, perhaps one thought about what Paul means of coveting or desiring the best gift would be the gift of wisdom.

As we have said many times years ago, visiting with our brother Villa Sudari, which many of you young won't remember, but we saw a picture of him today and one of our brother Keith's slides.

We were visiting about prayer and what should we pray for, and Sudari said to pray for spiritual wisdom. That would be a good thing to pray for.

Maybe here to covet earnestly the best gift, praying that we would be given spiritual understanding, understanding and faith matters would be a good thing to desire or to pray for.

But also as he says to covet the best gift, then he would show a more excellent way.

In the next chapter Paul writes that familiar rhapsody of love where he describes love, describes charity, and ends that chapter by saying, Now abide faith, hope, charity, these three.

These charity, faith, and hope we only need for this life we have.

Faith in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the promises of God that we will one day reach heaven's home, and this work Jesus, when we can believe upon him, will lead us there.

Likewise, we have hope of eternal life in heaven, and once that glory of heaven has been received or achieved, we don't need faith and hope anymore.

But brother Martin Luther wrote and taught how charity, being the greatest of these three, doesn't mean that it is more important than faith or hope, but rather that it is long-lasting.

When faith and hope will end with this life, charity will continue forever, even into eternal life.

Charity meaning love.

And so covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

Perhaps also it means the way of love.

With love we serve each other.

With love we thank God for the gifts given to our brothers and sisters because it is those gifts that God has given to our brothers and sisters that also serve us, and we benefit from those gifts.

So this evening, brothers and sisters, you too can be happy that those who have been called to serve you are uplifted and happy in their hearts.

Together we are one body, yet many members, but all working when God has given us a wonderful time of unity through the Holy Spirit.

Uplift your hearts to believe all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood even now, brothers and sisters.

And I yet want to hear that gospel of forgiveness for my many thousands of sins.

Can you preach that unto me? I want to believe with you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sky estão. Bye bye. Bye bye.