1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,560
Good morning. 
It's good to be together again. 

2
00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:06,560
This is on. 
Is it OK? 

3
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,200
I've titled my sermon this 
morning. 

4
00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:15,520
Many members, many gifts, one 
body. 

5
00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,720
When you go to museums, visit 
old houses and old 

6
00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:25,080
neighborhoods, you can tell a 
lot how those people thought and

7
00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:29,240
what their view of community was
back then by just studying how 

8
00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,120
they lived. 
For instance, you go down an Old

9
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,680
Street and I've done this in 
Windsor, and you just look at 

10
00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,240
the houses, big front porches, 
these pillars. 

11
00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:44,800
It's a big wide front porch. 
And I, I don't go into the back 

12
00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,360
there, but I can see how the 
front looks and you can tell 

13
00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:54,080
there was an emphasis placed on 
front porch connections. 

14
00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:56,960
In other words, people would 
walk down the streets in 100 

15
00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,840
years ago, they'd walk down the 
streets and they would chat with

16
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:01,880
the neighbors as they'd walk 
down the street. 

17
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,400
They did after work. 
So it was a connecting point. 

18
00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,520
Then you drive down a new 
subdivision, there's nothing in 

19
00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,320
the front, absolutely nothing. 
But there's nice backyards 

20
00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,280
fenced in, high fences you can't
see over because it's all about 

21
00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,760
privacy, individualism, the 
connection people had about 100 

22
00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,360
years ago to today. 
I'm not saying it's all bad, OK?

23
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,640
I'm not saying it's all bad. 
But there's a difference between

24
00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,480
how people connected back then 
and how people connect today. 

25
00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,840
You see, we have come to a time 
in our lives where we don't want

26
00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,440
to need each other and we don't 
want to connect with each other,

27
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,240
and we're isolating ourselves 
increasingly. 

28
00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:41,160
And I this is not a generalized 
statement, but this is what the 

29
00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,000
world is coming to. 
Our whole world is orienting 

30
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,480
itself towards individualism. 
What's so scary about it is this

31
00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,560
isolation thing. 
It's working terrifyingly well. 

32
00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,440
And even though people may 
realize, it feels good to not 

33
00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,040
have to connect with the 
neighbor and not have to chat 

34
00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,680
with this guy, and it's not 
going down the right path. 

35
00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,920
Folks, I want to suggest to you 
this morning, the path 

36
00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:08,960
humanity's on right now is not 
sustainable. 

37
00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,440
Not only is it not sustainable, 
if we as a society don't change,

38
00:02:13,640 --> 00:02:16,520
it will lead to a collapse. 
This is where the church comes 

39
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,920
in, and now there's a lot more 
we can say about that, but I'll 

40
00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:23,400
start there. 
We need to work, so we need to 

41
00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,120
live so that we intentionally 
need each other. 

42
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,760
Let that soak in that we 
intentionally need one another. 

43
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,560
There's blind spots in our 
culture, and our government 

44
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,480
seems to not be helping, or they
have wonderful programs and 

45
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:46,080
those kinds of things, but the 
community aspect of society is 

46
00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,960
not being fostered. 
We've created a culture where 

47
00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,000
temporal, physical, tangible 
things have been elevated at the

48
00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,080
expense of relationship. 
I'm not saying this in judgment 

49
00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:58,520
of people where both parents 
work. 

50
00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,960
I understand the dilemma. 
And Anna, Anna, I've been there 

51
00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:02,120
too. 
And I'm not pointing this out to

52
00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,160
indicate, but I'm pointing this 
out to indicate where our 

53
00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,160
culture is at this point. 
Our society is working 

54
00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,280
relentlessly toward a phase 
where we're all not in need of 

55
00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,560
anything. 
I remember the day when and the 

56
00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,080
technology is partly to blame 
for it. 

57
00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:21,640
But for instance, I remember the
day when we didn't have these in

58
00:03:21,640 --> 00:03:23,680
a family of 10 people. 
They shared 11 phone. 

59
00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,680
And it's not wrong. 
I mean, somebody still do that. 

60
00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,160
But now we each have our own 
phone and nobody knows what the 

61
00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:35,400
other's phone is doing. 
We need to need each other. 

62
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,560
We need to be in a place where 
we give and received from each 

63
00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,640
other. 
The problem is the way things 

64
00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,360
are now is we think we'll be 
satisfied if we're independent 

65
00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,480
and self-sufficient. 
But what it does creates a long 

66
00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:50,120
like drinking salt water in the 
sea. 

67
00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:52,760
I want to challenge us this 
morning with this thought. 

68
00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,920
What if God never intended us to
be independent? 

69
00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,440
What if God never intended us to
be independent? 

70
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,520
What if we were? 
If we came to a point where we 

71
00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:09,680
understand and accept that 
dependence is God ordained, we 

72
00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:14,200
are created to need each other. 
Folks think of little babies. 

73
00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,600
They're born completely 
dependent, 100%. 

74
00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,840
They die within a very short 
while if they're not completely 

75
00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:27,680
taken care of. 
They're designed that way from 

76
00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,520
the very outset. 
Was God's idea all along that we

77
00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,440
would need one another and we 
always will need one another 

78
00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,200
even if we achieve the the 
status where the phase of life 

79
00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:44,360
where we kind of all you know, 
I'm independent now what makes 

80
00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:49,160
it more disturbing in the West 
even the church folks is buying 

81
00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,120
into this Even the church is 
buying into this and that 

82
00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:57,120
concerns me to a certain degree.
The church has now adopted the 

83
00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,720
mindset, I'm not saying every 
church and here we're working 

84
00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,280
against that. 
We're trying to do different 

85
00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:04,080
things. 
But I remember well as a young 

86
00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,160
boy, mom and dad would go to 
church and I would go along. 

87
00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,000
It didn't matter what we did. 
We did it as a church. 

88
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,680
All of it was family oriented, 
family focused, family based. 

89
00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,800
But now the churches in general,
especially large churches, OK, I

90
00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:19,640
want to be careful. 
I'm stepping on thin ice here. 

91
00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,720
I know this, but especially 
large churches, it's so easy to 

92
00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:27,280
become divided, separated, 
segregated, isolated, 

93
00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:29,720
compartmentalized. 
Everything we do, age 

94
00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,960
appropriate, phase of life 
appropriate and we become silos.

95
00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,200
And then the other thing in a 
large church is very easy to 

96
00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,960
hide because you know what? 
I can sit and nobody will notice

97
00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,320
I'm here and I can leave and 
nobody will notice I'm here. 

98
00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:45,120
And a small church is very hard 
to hide. 

99
00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,040
And that's why group ministry is
so important in a large church. 

100
00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,520
If there's anyone listening 
online here, please hear me. 

101
00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,280
I'm not saying large churches 
are bad. 

102
00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,320
This is a huge opportunity or a 
huge risk that we just kind of 

103
00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:00,520
people fall by the cracks, 
through the cracks. 

104
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,440
We are created by design. 
Dependent. 

105
00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,440
We need each other, but we don't
want to be dependent. 

106
00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:12,800
The young need the old, the old 
need the young, the strong need 

107
00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,560
the weak, the weak need the 
strong. 

108
00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:16,440
The rich need the poor, the poor
need the rich. 

109
00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:18,600
The skilled and talented people 
need those who have different 

110
00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,400
skills and talents. 
We all need one another and we 

111
00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,800
will never really successfully 
live together until we 

112
00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,920
appreciate, embrace and conform 
to this reality in our lives. 

113
00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,400
And it's God's design that the 
Church of Jesus Christ models 

114
00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:34,720
this. 
And nowhere do we find this more

115
00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,360
emphasized than in the book of 
what we call the Bible. 

116
00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:44,320
A relationship is not really a 
God designed relationship when 1

117
00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,680
does not need the other. 
When Jesus came to this world, 

118
00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,920
he connected with humanity. 
He literally made himself 

119
00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:55,280
dependent on all kinds of people
as a baby, dependent on Mary and

120
00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:57,800
Joseph, as a young boy on Mary 
and Joseph. 

121
00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,280
Then when he started his 
ministry, he didn't even have a 

122
00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:01,720
job. 
So there were some women who 

123
00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:03,960
went with him and the apostles 
were with him, but they took 

124
00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:05,880
care of each other. 
And so as far as we know, some 

125
00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:07,960
women supported him through 
their means. 

126
00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,480
The Apostle Paul had a very good
grasp of this when he served as 

127
00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,800
an apostle, and he started a lot
of churches. 

128
00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,160
He was very much focused on 
helping the churches. 

129
00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,160
See, look, guys, we're not 
independent. 

130
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,520
We need each other, this one 
church especially. 

131
00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,840
We're going through the book of 
First Corinthians and we'll talk

132
00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,440
about that in a minute here. 
Paul saw this need these guys, 

133
00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:28,960
They need each other. 
I'd better tell them that they 

134
00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,040
need each other. 
I don't know what society they 

135
00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,040
lived in, in that respect. 
We do know that was a very 

136
00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,040
corrupt society, but they needed
one another. 

137
00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,600
Paul pointed out to him the last
Sunday Pastor Joe mentioned in 

138
00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,160
the sermon on the gifts that God
has given the church through the

139
00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,080
Spirit, through 1 Spirit, he 
says Paul says 1 Spirit. 

140
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,080
Joe mentioned that everything 
about us as God's children, 

141
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,840
everything about us, our 
relationship with God, our gifts

142
00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,560
that God has given us, all of 
it's interconnected at all 

143
00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,920
levels. 
No one has a gift that God gave 

144
00:07:57,920 --> 00:07:59,800
to a person for just that 
person. 

145
00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:03,680
All of our gifts that God has 
blessed us with as individuals 

146
00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,160
are all intended for the greater
good. 

147
00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:13,200
There are many people, different
gifts, but there's only one 

148
00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,960
church. 
There's only one body. 

149
00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,160
I want us this morning to read 
First Corinthians chapter 12 

150
00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,080
verse 13 to 31. 
Turn in your Bibles for First 

151
00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:26,600
Corinthians 12 verse 13 to the 
end of the chapter Paul writes. 

152
00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:31,520
For just as the body is 1 and as
many members and all the members

153
00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,400
of the body, though many are one
body, so it is with Christ. 

154
00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:38,120
For in one spirit we were all 
baptized into one body. 

155
00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:42,200
Jews or Greeks, slaves are free,
and all were made to drink of 1 

156
00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,720
spirit. 
But the body does not consist of

157
00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,040
one member, but of many. 
If the foot should say, because 

158
00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,000
I'm not a hand, I don't belong 
to the body, that would not make

159
00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,120
it any less part of the body. 
And if the ear should say, 

160
00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,120
because I'm not an eye, I do not
belong to the body, that would 

161
00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,120
not make it any less a part of 
the body. 

162
00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,880
If the whole body were an eye, 
where would be the sense of 

163
00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,200
hearing? 
If the whole body were an ear, 

164
00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:06,600
where would be the sense of 
smell? 

165
00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,160
But as it is, God arranged the 
members in the body, each one of

166
00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,280
them as He chose. 
If all were a single member, 

167
00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:17,040
where would the body? 
Where would be the body as it 

168
00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:18,200
is? 
There are many parts, yet one 

169
00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,240
body, the I cannot say. 
To the hand I have no need of 

170
00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,160
you, nor again the head. 
To the feet I have no need of 

171
00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,520
you. 
On the contrary, the parts of 

172
00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:28,840
the body that seem to be weaker 
are indispensable. 

173
00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,400
And in those parts of the body 
that we think less honorable, we

174
00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,160
bestow greater honor, and our 
unpresentable parts are treated 

175
00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,520
with greater modesty, which are 
more presentable. 

176
00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,360
Parts do not require. 
But God has so composed the 

177
00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,720
body, giving greater honor to 
the part that lacked it. 

178
00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,920
There may be that there may be 
no division in the body, but 

179
00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,840
that the members may have the 
same care for one another. 

180
00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,400
If one member suffers, all 
suffer together. 

181
00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,840
If one member's honor, all 
rejoice together. 

182
00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,840
Now you are the body of Christ, 
and individually members of it, 

183
00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:02,000
And God has appointed in the 
church first apostles, 2nd 

184
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:03,480
prophets. 
There are teachers, then 

185
00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,280
miracles, then gifts of healing,
helping, administrating, and 

186
00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,400
various kinds of tongues. 
Are all apostles, are all 

187
00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,120
prophets, are all teachers. 
Do all work miracles? 

188
00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:13,520
Do all possessed gifts of 
healing? 

189
00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,320
Do all speaking tongues? 
Do all interpret, but earnestly 

190
00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,720
desire the higher gifts. 
And I will show you still a more

191
00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:25,560
excellent way. 
Did you catch how many times the

192
00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:30,960
Apostle Paul used the word one 
in this passage in the ESV? 

193
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:38,080
It's 11 times that I counted 11 
times this this chapter, this 

194
00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:41,040
portion is focusing on Paul's 
teaching in the church that the 

195
00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:45,200
gifts of ministry are for one 
purpose, glorifying, helping, 

196
00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,680
building the body of Christ. 
This morning we will not be able

197
00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:49,880
to go into all the intricate 
details of the workings of the 

198
00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,120
different gifts and so on, but 
we will go into the the part 

199
00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,560
about that being one body, many 
parts, many gifts. 

200
00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:02,240
Last Sunday we heard in verse 7.
To each is given the 

201
00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:06,320
manifestation of the Spirit for 
the common good doesn't say the 

202
00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:10,280
individual good. 
Paul explains the various kinds 

203
00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,080
of gifts the Spirit gives, but 
what is so striking is that the 

204
00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:16,840
gifts are not given for selfish 
use for the person to whom 

205
00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,720
they're given. 
Paul mentions a variety of gifts

206
00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,800
that stand out to each one as 
the Spirit decides. 

207
00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,560
Then he goes on to explain the 
importance of all all the how 

208
00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:28,080
this all works. 
The illustration that Paul uses 

209
00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,120
to describe the importance is 
simply amazing. 

210
00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,880
The illustration of the body, 
the Church of Christ is made-up 

211
00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,040
of individuals. 
These individuals make one body.

212
00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:41,840
The fact that it's a body means 
that the body has members. 

213
00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:45,040
Paul goes into quite a bit of 
detail explaining there's one 

214
00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:47,560
body, but that one body has many
members. 

215
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:54,560
We must realize and recognize 
there's only one body, as He 

216
00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:58,080
says in verse 12 and 13. 
You see, that really narrows 

217
00:11:58,080 --> 00:11:59,560
things down. 
By the way, just keep your 

218
00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:01,440
Bibles and your device open to 
that chapter. 

219
00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:03,480
I won't put the verses on 
PowerPoint this time. 

220
00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,240
You see, it really narrows it 
down, doesn't it? 

221
00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,840
Of all the gifts that may be 
available, the place we're there

222
00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,880
to function and do the work is 
as one in conjunction with the 

223
00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:15,840
others. 
Not 2 bodies, not 3, not 4, just

224
00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,760
one. 
He makes it clear there's no 

225
00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:23,480
distinction between people as to
their value and Jesus. 

226
00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,440
We're all one. 
We're all tied into the same 

227
00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,960
source. 
We're all part of the same. 

228
00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,520
We could say vine. 
Jesus talked about that in John 

229
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,160
chapter 15 verse one to 10. 
He said he's the vine, we're the

230
00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:35,960
branches. 
We're all nurtured by the same 

231
00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:38,560
source. 
We all have our security, our 

232
00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:41,040
foundation in the same source. 
And then next Paul goes on to 

233
00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,400
explain how all of this is in a 
way like the human body. 

234
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,440
Note the descriptive language 
Paul uses in chapter 12 to 

235
00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,400
describe the function of the 
various parts. 

236
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:54,920
This flies in the face out of 
our modern individualistic 

237
00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,400
culture. 
It's a foreign idea. 

238
00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:03,960
Paul makes it a special point to
mention that no one individual 

239
00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,680
has all the gifts. 
No one individual can live 

240
00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,880
alone, work alone, and believe 
they're better off alone. 

241
00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:14,240
The idea that some people have 
as Christians, I have nothing to

242
00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:16,480
offer. 
My gift is not very important. 

243
00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:18,720
I don't have a gift. 
That's simply not true. 

244
00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,160
Paul writes in Philippians 
chapter 2 how Jesus emptied 

245
00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,120
himself of his power, made 
himself dependent on human 

246
00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:27,320
beings. 
He doesn't use those words, but 

247
00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,280
that's the implication there. 
Jesus demonstrated his life by 

248
00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:34,240
coming as a human being and then
serving us and then dying for 

249
00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:38,200
us. 
You see this love that flows out

250
00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:39,760
of Jesus. 
He wants that to flow between 

251
00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:44,280
the members of the body. 
As a man, Jesus connected with 

252
00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:45,440
friends. 
He got tired. 

253
00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:47,400
He needed food and he needed 
stuff. 

254
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,200
And and yeah, he could turn 
water into wine. 

255
00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:53,040
He could have been the most 
individualistic, independent man

256
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,320
who ever lived. 
And yet he chose dependents. 

257
00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,800
And I will say something here 
and those who are listening 

258
00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:02,560
online, I don't mean this to be 
harsh. 

259
00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,640
What does this say about online 
church? 

260
00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:10,240
Hear me carefully. 
We stream our sermons online 

261
00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,600
intentionally, so there's a 
place in time for some people 

262
00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,400
may not be well, they're 
elderly, frail and may be sick 

263
00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:18,200
and cannot come to church. 
OK, that's great. 

264
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,240
Let them listen and watch 
online. 

265
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,880
That's great. 
But it's not good. 

266
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,640
If someone says, and I've heard 
it said, you know, I just love 

267
00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,040
to sit in my bed in my pajamas 
and just drink coffee and watch 

268
00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:33,160
church online, that is wrong. 
What if everybody did that? 

269
00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,640
Some people are so self focused 
they don't care about what their

270
00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:40,440
presence means for the other 
person. 

271
00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:47,120
See, the body is one, but the 
members are many, he says in 

272
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,040
verse 14. 
The members are many, many 

273
00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:53,960
members and the foot can't say 
to the I to the hand, I don't 

274
00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,320
need you. 
The I can't say I don't I'm 

275
00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,240
because of an I'm not don't 
belong. 

276
00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,560
We all need each other, the 
ears, the eyes, the hands, the 

277
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,560
feet. 
This is called to community. 

278
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:11,520
Even though there's just one 
body, the number of parts are as

279
00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:13,880
vast as the number of people 
that make up the church. 

280
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,480
Community means togetherness and
togetherness means there'll be 

281
00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:20,040
ways to connect. 
And all the ways to connect is 

282
00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:24,480
when one person gives to another
and the other receives in 

283
00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:26,840
return. 
It means 1 member connects to 

284
00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:31,960
another. 
In the world today, there are 

285
00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,320
people and even Christians who 
say, well, I want the member 

286
00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:40,640
benefits without the connection.
I want member benefits with 

287
00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:42,280
disconnect. 
Convenience. 

288
00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:49,200
That is not good. 
It's convenient if there's no 

289
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:53,920
one who has access to you and 
you keep yourself distant from 

290
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,840
others. 
But then to expect the others to

291
00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,800
cut, to rally around when you 
need them, that is not fair. 

292
00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,440
God has retained the body so 
that the body needs the members.

293
00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,560
These members are all 
interdependent. 

294
00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,200
Interdependent, he says in verse
19. 

295
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,760
If all were a single member, 
where would the body be? 

296
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,200
Verse 20 As it is, there are 
many parts, yet one body I can't

297
00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:20,400
say. 
To the head I have no need of 

298
00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:22,400
you, nor again the head to the 
feet I have no need of you. 

299
00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,200
We know that it makes no sense 
to think of a human body where 

300
00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,160
individual limbs would not work 
as a one unit. 

301
00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,080
But you know what does happen in
a physical body where a limb 

302
00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:35,880
here or there does not work 
anymore? 

303
00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,720
Somebody gets paralyzed, the 
hand just hangs and the arm just

304
00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,920
dangles there. 
The the arm won't work anymore. 

305
00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,160
What's the other arm have just 
to compensate? 

306
00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,640
What if you woke up on a weekday
morning, wanted to get to work 

307
00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,600
and then you want to reach for 
the alarm to shut it off and 

308
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,800
your hand wouldn't work. 
Now you reach with the left 

309
00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:57,960
hand. 
What's wrong with my right hand?

310
00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,440
And maybe your hand could talk, 
say I did all my work yesterday.

311
00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:05,040
I'm taking today off. 
Or maybe you want to get up out 

312
00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:06,960
of bed and your feet would say 
again, do we have to walk today 

313
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,359
again? 
We want to stay in bed for a 

314
00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:10,680
day. 
Take it easy. 

315
00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:12,920
We did more than our share of 
walking yesterday. 

316
00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,319
Maybe you want to make a phone 
call and the ear would say, I 

317
00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:17,920
have to listen again. 
I did more than enough listening

318
00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:19,480
yesterday. 
I'm I'm, I'm not going to do any

319
00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:21,560
listening today to make matters 
worse. 

320
00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,800
And your eyes would say, oh, oh,
we're not reading today. 

321
00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,520
We're going to we're thinking on
sightseeing today, but reading. 

322
00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,120
No, we're not reading today. 
Just imagine the aggravation 

323
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,520
that you would go through if 
your body parts were independent

324
00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:38,240
of you as a person. 
The idea I don't need anyone. 

325
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:39,960
I want to be independent. 
I'm by myself. 

326
00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:45,440
That's a lie. 
All the members need all the 

327
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:48,160
members. 
Nobody don't have the same 

328
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:48,920
function. 
True. 

329
00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,760
And there's a reason for that. 
But the functions are all 

330
00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,080
important. 
Let's say you are a construction

331
00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:56,840
worker. 
You go to in the morning to 

332
00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:58,480
construction. 
Your feet carry your body, your 

333
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,880
hands handle the wood do the 
cutting, your eyes do the 

334
00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,600
looking and the the measuring. 
Your ears do the listening to 

335
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:05,520
the instructions and 
communication, your tongue does 

336
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,520
the speaking and all that. 
Every member is involved. 

337
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,520
They're all there, they're all 
present, all contributing, all 

338
00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:21,280
benefiting and so on. 
If you've ever watched a person 

339
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:26,400
who's lost a limb or two and see
how they work, you can very 

340
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,360
quickly tell how vital it is 
that they have body parts. 

341
00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,920
Maybe somebody's arm is missing.
The other arm can compensate, 

342
00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,600
but it's that much harder. 
Someone's leg is missing, they 

343
00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:37,720
maybe have a prosthetic leg or 
whatever. 

344
00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,520
They can still work fine, but 
it's not the same. 

345
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,600
But then, as I said, what if, 
what if the limbs are paralyzed?

346
00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:44,680
They're there, but it's not 
working. 

347
00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,360
Man has two legs, just can't 
walk and a wheelchair. 

348
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:50,800
A man has an arm that's 
paralyzed. 

349
00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:57,960
Well, it's just in the way. 
There's one body, many members, 

350
00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,880
and you and I are members of 
that one body. 

351
00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,320
The body is 1. 
The members are many. 

352
00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:13,760
They're all interdependent and 
they all suffer. 

353
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,680
Live and suffer and work 
together in unity. 

354
00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,600
OK, if it's convenient, if it's 
easy, if it's suitable, then I 

355
00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:21,960
might join. 
But if there's any suffering 

356
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:23,760
involved, count me out. 
No, no, Paul says they all 

357
00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,560
suffer. 
They all suffer together, live 

358
00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,680
together, and if one is honored,
they all rejoice together. 

359
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,200
Suffering is not optional, it's 
a part of life. 

360
00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:34,480
Jesus said that. 
Paul wrote about that to 

361
00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:39,200
Timothy. 
We will suffer, but sometimes 

362
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,200
you try to avoid it at all 
costs. 

363
00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:44,400
And worse, in our world, there's
this mindset. 

364
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,160
Survivor, the fittest. 
What happens when some members 

365
00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:53,520
of the body decide to become 
independent, self focused as an 

366
00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,560
I don't need you kind of 
mentality or worse. 

367
00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:57,400
You owe me and I'll take what I 
can get. 

368
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:03,000
What happens then is tragic. 
The very members of the body 

369
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,680
that should be supporting one 
another start working 

370
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,640
independently for themselves at 
the expense of one another. 

371
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,600
It's a disaster. 
I'm reminded of 2 short stories 

372
00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:14,440
and I was reminded of these when
I prepared the sermon. 

373
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,200
I want to share them this 
morning out of a book called In 

374
00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,160
the Likeness of God written by 
Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. 

375
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:22,920
It's an older book. 
Paul Brand was a Christian 

376
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,240
Doctor Who for many years lived 
in poor countries, working among

377
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,360
the lowest of the low in the 
third world countries. 

378
00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:29,400
And two stories that he 
mentioned, the book he has many 

379
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,720
stories came to my mind and they
fit this sermon here this 

380
00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:35,040
morning. 
He was in India one day in a 

381
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,120
railroad station. 
He saw this bigger woman in a 

382
00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:41,680
very pitiful situation. 
Like many Indian beggars, she 

383
00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:46,000
was emaciated, sunken cheeks, 
hollow eyes, Bony limbs. 

384
00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:51,760
But paradoxically, strangely 
enough, there's a huge mass of 

385
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,160
plump skin on the side of her 
body. 

386
00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,800
She was laying there on the 
ground and was round and sleek 

387
00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:01,400
like a large sausage. 
It was growing from her side and

388
00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,240
she had exposed it so people 
would have pity on her, like a 

389
00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:08,160
large formless baby connected to
her by a bridge of skin. 

390
00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:12,280
Doctor Bran mentally says 
although he only saw her 

391
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:16,240
briefly, he felt sure the growth
was a lipoma, a tumor, fat of 

392
00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,200
cells. 
It was a part of her, yet not as

393
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,360
if some surgeon had carved a 
hunk of fat out of a very large 

394
00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:24,960
person, wrapped it in live skin 
and death be sold and onto her 

395
00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:26,440
body. 
She was starving. 

396
00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,800
She held out a feeble, spindly 
hand for a handout. 

397
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,000
Even though she was starving, 
the the tumor was thriving, 

398
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,680
nearly equaling the equaling the
weight, the weight of the rest 

399
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,960
of her body. 
It gleamed in the sun, exuding 

400
00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:39,360
health, sucking the life from 
her. 

401
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:48,840
It was a matter of the fat cells
handgun rogue sucking the life 

402
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,520
that this woman needed so badly 
to survive. 

403
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,560
Something had gone wrong. 
And then he used that story to 

404
00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,840
explain how the purpose of fat 
cells in the body is to store 

405
00:21:57,840 --> 00:21:59,800
energy. 
They have a purpose. 

406
00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,760
They store energy that the 
storehouse the body needs for 

407
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,120
when the energy cells like the 
muscle cells when they need 

408
00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:11,720
energy. 
And so the fat cells had just 

409
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:13,160
kept storing and they went 
rogue. 

410
00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,000
They just stored and stored and 
stored and would never give 

411
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,960
anything to the muscles. 
So the muscles were trying to do

412
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:18,400
the work but had no energy to do
the work. 

413
00:22:23,730 --> 00:22:26,130
And he talks about, he talked 
about that we are all cells in 

414
00:22:26,130 --> 00:22:28,490
the body of Christ. 
We all have a job to do. 

415
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,120
You know, when a person develops
a tumor of whatever kind of 

416
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:36,120
tumor that is, that tumor has in
itself the death sentence 

417
00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:37,360
written on it right from the get
go. 

418
00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:41,120
Because the tumor will either be
removed and die, or it will kill

419
00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:43,240
the person who has the tumor, 
and then when the person dies, 

420
00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,280
the tumor dies too. 
It's unsustainable to live that 

421
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,440
way. 
It brings death. 

422
00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,000
A tumor won't give up by itself.
It just keeps going and going 

423
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,240
into the either kills the body 
and then dies, or it's removed 

424
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:04,680
and then dies. 
Sin in the body of Christ never 

425
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,040
ends well. 
If it's not removed, it's 

426
00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,040
allowed to continue. 
In the end, it kills its host 

427
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:13,800
only as we're willing to 
surrender to Christ, willing to 

428
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:16,680
give our lives to Him in grace 
and humility. 

429
00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,360
Embrace the cross and serve each
other to what God has blessed 

430
00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:22,560
us, what He's blessed us with. 
Only then can we be the body, 

431
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:28,400
strong and healthy. 
Paul Brand in his book draws 

432
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,440
attention that in all aspects of
life we're sharing with her 

433
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,880
neighbors, with one another at 
our expense for their good and 

434
00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:36,600
they at their expense for our 
good. 

435
00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:51,330
We are dependent. 
Every member has a gift. 

436
00:23:51,330 --> 00:23:55,890
He says God has appointed in the
church for his apostles, second 

437
00:23:55,890 --> 00:23:58,370
prophets, third teachers, then 
miracles, then gifts of healing,

438
00:23:58,370 --> 00:24:00,690
helping, administrating in 
various kinds of tongues. 

439
00:24:00,690 --> 00:24:03,730
Are all apostles, Are all 
prophets, Are all teachers, doll

440
00:24:03,730 --> 00:24:06,520
work, miracles? 
Don't have gifts of healing to 

441
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,000
all speak in tongues, but 
earnestly desire the greater 

442
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,120
gifts. 
These are gifts of the Spirit 

443
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:16,120
that God has created each person
to possess in one shape or form 

444
00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:17,480
or another. 
All of us have something. 

445
00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:21,440
Some people have multiple gifts,
some have only one. 

446
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,200
But the list of gifts Paul 
mentions here are not the only 

447
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,560
gifts that we find in the Bible.
For instance, go to Romans 

448
00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:28,280
chapter 12-1 to 8. 
We won't read that this morning,

449
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,960
but there's other gifts. 
There's a wide variety of gifts 

450
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:34,480
mentioned, and God never will 
ask anyone to do anything for 

451
00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:35,880
which He will not equip that 
person. 

452
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,840
I won't take time this morning 
to go into detail to elaborate 

453
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,600
on all the different gifts, but 
I want to go back to chapter 12,

454
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,960
verse 7. 
Paul writes to each is given the

455
00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:50,000
manifestation of the Spirit for 
the common good. 

456
00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:54,840
All of us are in this. 
None of us is exempt. 

457
00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:00,600
I'll close with one more story 
to illustrate how critical, how 

458
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,320
vital and how important this is 
from the same book. 

459
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,960
And this story includes Dr. 
Brand's wife, Margaret. 

460
00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,560
She was an eye surgeon. 
They served for many years in 

461
00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,400
3rd world countries, as I 
mentioned before, and one of the

462
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,600
things they did was treat 
leprosy patients. 

463
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:22,360
He worked in a leprosurium, a 
third world country, and he was 

464
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:25,280
very good at doing surgery for 
leprosy patients and trying to 

465
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,000
help them make use of their 
limbs that were not functioning 

466
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,920
well. 
Leprosy patients don't have 

467
00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,320
feeling in their extremities. 
They can't feel their fingers, 

468
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,920
their hands. 
And so when the leprosy patient 

469
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,600
smashes their finger in a door, 
oh, my fingers flat or they 

470
00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,440
touch something, oh, my hand is 
smoking, they cut. 

471
00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:47,280
Oh, I'm bleeding, they have a 
cut in their hand. 

472
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,280
Leprosy patients can't feel. 
They can't feel. 

473
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,400
And Paul Brand goes on to tell 
the story of a man in a hospital

474
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,600
that he was treating, that he 
and his wife were treating, 

475
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,000
named Jose. 
They moved back to the US and 

476
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,200
there they dealt with some of 
these issues. 

477
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,800
In one hospital, there's a man 
named Jose who had leprosy, 

478
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,600
severe case of leprosy. 
He had lost so much of A sense 

479
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,520
of touch that he could not feel 
anything. 

480
00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,280
Somebody would blindfold him and
lead, lead somebody into the 

481
00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:17,840
room to shake his hand. 
He couldn't even feel that. 

482
00:26:18,360 --> 00:26:21,960
There's no feeling in his, in 
his hand, since he could not 

483
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:23,840
feel. 
He had lots of scars and ulcers 

484
00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:26,920
in his hands and face and feet 
and indicating the injuries he'd

485
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:28,960
received, in part because he 
could not feel pain. 

486
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:32,840
His hands were just his fingers 
were just stubs where the 

487
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,400
fingers had been. 
Because he couldn't feel. 

488
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:37,800
He couldn't feel his eyes 
either. 

489
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,880
They dried out from not blinking
when they should. 

490
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,200
That together with other 
problems and cataracts, 

491
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:49,600
glaucoma, he became blind. 
Now he could not see and not 

492
00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:51,160
feel. 
Think about that for a second. 

493
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,040
Paul's wife Margaret was an eye 
doctor, as I mentioned, and she 

494
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,600
wanted to find a way to help 
Jose get his sight back. 

495
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:05,120
But she couldn't operate on him 
because the inflammation was so,

496
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,600
so bad. 
And she also needed a consent 

497
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,200
form to be signed, which he 
couldn't sign. 

498
00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:14,560
Anyway, the doctors tried 
treating him with medication, 

499
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:17,560
but it was a new drug and he had
an allergic reaction. 

500
00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:21,480
Now he lost his hearing. 
Think about that. 

501
00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:27,520
No hearing, no sight, no 
feeling. 

502
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:29,720
No hearing, sight, sound, 
feeling, nothing. 

503
00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:36,000
Here he was, 40 year old Jose, 
cut off from the world, could 

504
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,800
not see, not feel, not hear. 
The people in that hospital 

505
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,640
noticed on him, on his bed. 
He was just curling up, day by 

506
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,480
day, tighter into a fetal 
position, just lying there, just

507
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,520
laying there. 
Days went by and he just coiled 

508
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:50,840
it tighter and tighter on the 
bed. 

509
00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:52,760
They'd walk by his room, shake 
their heads. 

510
00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:56,600
What could anyone do? 
Margaret, Dr. Brand's wife 

511
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,480
wouldn't give up. 
She wanted to operate on this 

512
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,000
man hoping to get his sight 
back, but she needed this 

513
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,960
consent form. 
And finally she was able to 

514
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:08,160
track down a relative in Puerto 
Rico where he come from and and 

515
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:09,720
got hold of the authorities 
there. 

516
00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,600
And they brought a form to this 
illiterate relative, his sister.

517
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,040
She put an X where the name is 
supposed to be and that was sent

518
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:16,680
back. 
And now she had the the final, 

519
00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,920
she had the consent to go ahead 
and do some surgery. 

520
00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,200
Of course Jose couldn't feel, 
but he knew something was 

521
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,760
happening to him as he was being
moved onto a stretcher and 

522
00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:32,600
wheeled away. 
When Margaret did the surgery it

523
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,080
took a couple of hours and then 
she banded him up and then moved

524
00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:36,840
him to recovery and now the 
waiting began. 

525
00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:41,920
Few days later she removed the 
bandages and she had an 

526
00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:43,280
experience she would never 
forget. 

527
00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,600
Although Jose sensed some gross 
movement and reason someone was 

528
00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:50,120
trying to help and nothing had 
prepared him for it actually did

529
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:54,640
happen. 
He got the use of one eye back 

530
00:28:54,680 --> 00:29:00,360
and he could see again. 
His eye struggled against the 

531
00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:02,760
light and slowly focused on the 
medical people around him and 

532
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,040
the bed around the bed and he. 
He had not smiled in months and 

533
00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,160
now he his face cracked into a 
toothless grin. 

534
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:22,770
Contact had been restored, he 
could see, Paul Brand writes. 

535
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,320
During that time of long 
isolation, Hose's brain floated 

536
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:33,200
intact in his skull, complete 
with memory, emotions, 

537
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,360
instructions for directing his 
body, but stayed useless because

538
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:44,280
the whey was blocked. 
Then Paul goes on to explain It 

539
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:47,400
makes the connection between 
Jesus and the head as the head 

540
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:48,880
and the body and we are the 
members. 

541
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,640
He needed his physical abilities
for his brain to do what his 

542
00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:56,440
brain needed to do. 
He had lost all of it for a 

543
00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,720
time. 
It's I think it's safe to say 

544
00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:05,480
Jesus Christ could not think of 
a greater way to communicate his

545
00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:08,560
desire for fellowship and 
relations with His creation, His

546
00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:09,560
image bearers. 
That's us. 

547
00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,080
Then by coming the way He did 
and showing us the path he did 

548
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:13,800
and so many are just trying to 
get out of it. 

549
00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,200
What's the application? 
Jesus opened himself up for so 

550
00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,640
much to us. 
He gave everything as a human 

551
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:22,520
being. 
We find that again in 

552
00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,640
Philippians chapter 2 and many 
other passages. 

553
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:28,360
When we shut ourselves out from 
each other, we lose our sense of

554
00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:41,310
touch, our sense of listening, 
and we don't see anymore Jesus, 

555
00:30:41,310 --> 00:30:44,070
still the head of the church. 
We're his body. 

556
00:30:44,430 --> 00:30:48,910
How's it going if there are 
those here this morning who feel

557
00:30:48,910 --> 00:30:53,080
isolated, alone and empty? 
Jesus wants to heal that through

558
00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:59,760
you maybe, or someone else. 
Maybe you're a person in the 

559
00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,680
room Jesus wants to use as his 
hands, his feet, his eyes, his 

560
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,360
ears to minister to a lonely, 
isolated, struggling person. 

561
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,720
The world tells you, oh, just 
don't get involved. 

562
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:10,800
That poor guy. 
Don't get involved, that's just 

563
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:12,200
a problem. 
Don't get involved. 

564
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:18,000
No, he involved himself with us.
It's true the pain and suffering

565
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,640
is hard, but not to feel is 
worse. 

566
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:26,840
Not to feel leads to death. 
Jesus has given us himself and 

567
00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:30,120
His resources, His Spirit, His 
gifts that we need to use for 

568
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,120
the blessing of one another. 
It's to God's glory that we use 

569
00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,320
our gifts to show love to each 
other with the gifts we've been 

570
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,680
given. 
I don't know what kind of gift 

571
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,920
God has given you. 
Some I could say, but it's not 

572
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:43,760
for me to say. 
Whatever gift that may be, start

573
00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:52,120
simply by this love one another.
Start there and in that context 

574
00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:55,040
it will become evident what 
areas God has gifted you and his

575
00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:56,720
guiding and directing you. 
It will be revealed. 

576
00:31:56,760 --> 00:31:59,200
And if you're a follower of 
Jesus, you have a gift and 

577
00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,200
you're responsible for it. 
And there may be some here this 

578
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:05,320
morning to whom all this sounds 
new and strange. 

579
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,240
And what's he talking about? 
Maybe you're not a follower of 

580
00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:10,800
Jesus at this point, maybe never
have been. 

581
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:14,000
I want to encourage you to look 
to Jesus and realize that He has

582
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,440
made you for glory, to worship 
Him and that's your greatest 

583
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,160
purpose in life, to receive the 
blessings of other and give the 

584
00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,960
blessings to others and to all 
who surrender to Jesus, who 

585
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:29,040
repent of their sin, who receive
Jesus as part of their receive 

586
00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:33,880
Jesus as salvation. 
God will reveal himself and He 

587
00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,360
will bless you. 
May God continue to draw us as a

588
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,840
church, as one body with many 
members working through 1 Spirit

589
00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:43,680
blessing one another and we 
receive the blessings from each 

590
00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,200
other. 
Let us pray. 

591
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,040
Lord, we are your children. 
We're part of your body. 

592
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:54,160
We do not exist for ourselves. 
We exist for you and one 

593
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,600
another. 
And we live out that gift by 

594
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,600
serving one another with the 
gifts you've blessed us with. 

595
00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,640
Lord, we ask that you help us to
do this faithfully. 

596
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,520
There may be people here who've 
never considered how important 

597
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,960
their participation, their 
involvement and contribution is 

598
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,400
to the body. 
Maybe some are paralyzed with 

599
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:12,480
fear. 
They've been taught that they 

600
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,520
have nothing to offer. 
Lord, I pray that you'll heal 

601
00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:16,840
those hearts and souls and help 
them to see that You've blessed 

602
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,400
each one of us. 
Lord, you know the hearts of 

603
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,080
everyone who's not yet 
surrendered to you. 

604
00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:23,760
May they accept the invitation 
that you're offering and help 

605
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:26,000
them to see the blessing of 
surrendering their lives and 

606
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,000
repenting of their sins and self
focused lives. 

607
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,960
Lord, may it never be said of us
that we refuse to use our gift 

608
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,360
for the purpose of benefiting 
and blessing your body. 

609
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,840
We give ourselves to you. 
Lord, we ask that You use us as 

610
00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,680
a church for your glory in Jesus
name, Amen.