1 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:13,680 Let's pray, Lord, you never fail. 2 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:23,200 Full stop. There's nothing else to say. 3 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,960 You don't fail. Even when our hearts are 4 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:32,560 failing, even when our minds are failing, even when our bodies 5 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:42,840 are failing, You do not fail. You are our firm foundation. 6 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,480 There is no other foundation by which that we can stand. 7 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:59,080 And Lord, this morning, as we talk about what it means to be 8 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:10,980 the body, there's all kinds of ways we get it wrong, and at the 9 00:01:10,980 --> 00:01:14,100 same time, there's all kinds of ways that you can help us make 10 00:01:14,100 --> 00:01:18,860 it right. So we asked for that wisdom this 11 00:01:18,860 --> 00:01:25,020 morning and the courage and the opportunity to do so. 12 00:01:26,260 --> 00:01:28,660 It's your name we pray. Amen. 13 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:40,640 Every time I walk through IKEA, I think to myself, no one on 14 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,880 earth has rooms set up like this. 15 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,720 And Pittsburgh is one of the few places in these great United 16 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:56,200 States where an IKEA resides, which I find rather hysterical 17 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:02,680 because we are also one of the traditionally large, heavy, too 18 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,240 big for your house furniture kind of places. 19 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:12,560 And IKEA is anything but. And it's also equally hysterical 20 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:17,600 to me because in that kind of a place, we also have people who 21 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:21,640 live on hillsides and have many steps from the driveway to their 22 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:24,720 house. So carrying any furniture is a 23 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,240 burden. But in terms of the store 24 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:33,640 itself, I've only ever been to one other IKEA, which was about 25 00:02:33,640 --> 00:02:36,560 40 minutes away from me when I lived in Wisconsin. 26 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:41,520 And it was here that I learned that I was not meant to put 27 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:46,920 furniture together for a living. Have you ever put together a DAG 28 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:52,440 store or reconsider your life choices as you throw away a wad 29 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:59,640 of paper which might be the directions into the strap pads I 30 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:02,400 have? Let's say it was pretty 31 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,480 humbling. I also think they do it on 32 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,080 purpose. They make the directions look so 33 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:14,880 easy and then they give you 1 tool and 1400 pieces. 34 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:19,440 And have you ever seen the directions on how to assemble a 35 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,240 JATA bow? There's no way that this was 36 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,240 ever meant to be done by one human being, yet there's only a 37 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,560 picture of 1 human being in those directions. 38 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,000 And no matter what that little drawing says, I have learned 39 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,760 that if there's anything that is coming from IKEA, I will not 40 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:43,320 under any circumstances go it alone, even if it's just moral 41 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,120 support. And this morning we are going to 42 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,040 look at a passage that might be a little familiar. 43 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,880 I think at some level we all know that we are Better 44 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:59,440 Together. At some level we are Better 45 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:08,480 Together. And we know that you shouldn't 46 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:17,200 do things alone, yet for some reason or another we end up on 47 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:22,480 lonely islands all the same, with nothing but a small Allen 48 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:28,400 wrench staring down the 1300 piece of Test Test of patience, 49 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:35,040 the Stork Linta. Now those are all actual IKEA 50 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,280 furniture names. Look them up, you will see what 51 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:43,360 I've dealt with. But my hope for us this morning 52 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,000 is that we take a nice hard look at what it means to be the body 53 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,680 of Christ as described in our text this morning. 54 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,320 And it's not just some nods or some platitudes, but it's a 55 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,480 reality. And it's a reality that we need 56 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:05,560 to embrace and we need to then exercise our God-given gifts 57 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:12,520 because the world needs them. Because whether you are a lone 58 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,960 wolf and you like to do things that way, or you are somebody 59 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:22,000 who's more the merrier, the reality is we have been given 60 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:27,400 each other. We are tied to one another in a 61 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:32,920 bond that we did not create and that we cannot take apart. 62 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,320 And as I'm sure you already know, that that's not easy 63 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,320 because the body is messy, because people are messy. 64 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,800 But God has put it in place for us, and we are to do the best we 65 00:05:50,800 --> 00:06:02,520 can to live into it. So let's pray, Lord, this 66 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,600 morning as we reflect upon Your Word and we think about our 67 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:12,360 place in the body, might you stir within us something fresh 68 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,200 and new. And it's your name we pray, 69 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:17,720 Amen. So here's the easy part. 70 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:23,480 There's an identity statement given in verse 12 that ties 71 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,040 together a lot of the conversation that was happening 72 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:28,680 in verses one through 11, right before it. 73 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,080 So there in one through 11, there's this discussion about 74 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,560 all these different gifts that are in the body, right? 75 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,040 Teaching, preaching, speaking in all kinds of different tongues 76 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:45,480 and all that kind of stuff. And as you can imagine, some 77 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,600 people felt certain gifts were cooler than others, right? 78 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:55,920 And what what is happening then is in verse 12 and onward, we 79 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,560 are getting essentially, hey, there's all kinds of different 80 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,920 things that make the body of Christ unique and special, But 81 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:09,920 there's this idea that it's all going somewhere, that it's all 82 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:15,160 tied together. And that is this imagery of a 83 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,840 body. Verse 12. 84 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:26,360 For just as the body is 1 and has many members and all the 85 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:31,600 members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with 86 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:36,360 Christ. For in one spirit we were all 87 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:42,800 baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, we are 88 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:49,400 all made to drink of 1 spirit. So this idea of a body, a 89 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,120 picture of a body and its members is where we're going to 90 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:57,480 be spending a lot of time today. And before we go any further, we 91 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,920 need to understand one crucial thing that that that this idea 92 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:08,520 that we are a body is not meant to be a goal that is achieved. 93 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:16,000 It is not some standard that we need to live up to, but in a 94 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,880 very real, tangible way. It is a fact that we need to 95 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:30,760 face a reality. We are a body already. 96 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:38,919 Christ instituted it, assembled it already. 97 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,800 Not something that needs to be assembled, but something that is 98 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:50,720 already done. The question is, how do we 99 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:55,680 actually live out the identity that we've already been given? 100 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,440 And I think that it's important for us to see this from multiple 101 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:09,080 perspectives. What does it mean to live into 102 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,560 something that is inside you already? 103 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:17,000 So I'm going to invite Tim to come back up here and share a 104 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:23,160 little bit about his interaction with that question of what to 105 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,200 do. How does it mean to live it out 106 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:27,800 with something that's in you already? 107 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:35,800 Thank you Dan, if you see a soft glow coming from the podium onto 108 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,040 my face, I am. I promise you I'm not scrolling 109 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,120 TikTok. I do have my notes on my phone. 110 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:43,040 I am 25. That is how I work. 111 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:44,880 I know it's a little different, I'm sorry. 112 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,920 But many of you know me maybe as Rob and Amy's kid. 113 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,160 And if you've been here a long enough time, maybe you know me 114 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,920 as Ruby's kid or grandkid. But if you are involved, or 115 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:01,480 maybe if you are, if you're a middle schooler schooler, you 116 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,720 might know me as Timmy, who is super awesome at Surf City. 117 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,440 At least I hope you think that. Maybe you think I'm super lame. 118 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,000 I don't know. But if you were involved in 119 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,720 youth ministry here when I was in high school, you probably 120 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:18,520 knew me as one of the quietest kids and youth group. 121 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,440 I was a kid in small group, and the some of the high schoolers 122 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,320 are getting mad at this. I was the kid who didn't want to 123 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:27,920 ever answer any questions, didn't really have anything to 124 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:29,840 say. And they're looking at me now, 125 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,720 like, yeah. And you make me answer stuff. 126 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,520 And I'm like, well, you know, sorry. 127 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:36,680 Yeah. I was a nervous kid. 128 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:41,920 And if you had told me not that long ago that I would get up and 129 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:45,600 talk in front of everybody in the middle of a sermon, I 130 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,480 wouldn't have laughed at you. I would have rolled my eyes 131 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:48,720 because that's the most ridiculous thing. 132 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,320 I could not do that. I'm not built for that. 133 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,640 So I was a nervous kid. I was like that type of kid who 134 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,000 you can't, I couldn't go up to the cashier and ask for 135 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,600 something or like I get nervous ordering at a restaurant and I 136 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,800 absolutely would not send back food if I if they gave me the 137 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,480 wrong thing. If it was raw, I'm eating it 138 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:14,480 anyway. But then I got a job in high 139 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:19,160 school working at Home Depot. And this Home Depot job, I was 140 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:24,080 the cashier and suddenly there was no time to be nervous about 141 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,400 talking to people. There's a line of people and 142 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,280 they're not going to wait for me to get over it. 143 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,480 And so that job taught me how to get more comfortable talking to 144 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:35,880 people. And so then I went off to 145 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,360 college and I started out in college, Grove City, studying 146 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:44,240 music education. And I think by, like, Week 6, I 147 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:49,080 was like, oh, Nope, teachers have to stand in front of a 148 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,320 classroom of people and talk. I can't do that. 149 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,360 What was I thinking? I'm not built for this, let 150 00:11:55,360 --> 00:12:00,080 alone the nerves that went along with, you know, different 151 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,880 musical performances and whatnot. 152 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,960 I'm not for that. So I switch majors, I switched 153 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,880 to computer science and I thought sitting in a room, 154 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,920 lights out, staring at a computer screen all day, yes, 155 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:18,280 that I can do that. And so I, I did that and I got 156 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,880 through it and I finished and I got a job and I started working 157 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,560 and I came back and I started volunteering at youth group. 158 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:26,960 I wasn't the leader. I didn't need to be the silly 159 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:29,720 guy up front being crazy or whatever. 160 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,440 I sat in the back. I got to know the kids, but I 161 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,280 wasn't teaching. I wasn't upfront. 162 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,800 I'm not built for that. And then as I'm doing that, I'm 163 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,320 getting more involved, and I become the intern here. 164 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:46,560 And a little while ago, Henry asks me, Tim, could you say a 165 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:49,800 few words to open up one of the congregational meetings? 166 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:55,800 And in my head, I heard that. And I'm like, no, but I'm the 167 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,520 intern. And I didn't want to say no. 168 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,320 So instead I said, sure, I can do that. 169 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:07,120 And in the moment I was like hands shaky, nervous. 170 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,800 Like I don't know why I was so nervous. 171 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,840 I grew up at this church, but I was super nervous. 172 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,200 But I went up and I did it and it was OK. 173 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:19,800 And even more recent example, just last night at like 7:30, as 174 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,360 I'm kind of finished going through making sure everything's 175 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:27,440 all set up for today, I'm looking at the bulletin and I'm 176 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,480 like, OK, I got to call Dan because I got to make sure that 177 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,360 I didn't screw something up. And so at 7:30, I'm calling Dan 178 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,600 and I'm like, Dan, I got to go through every single detail with 179 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,640 you right now. And he's like, OK, Tim, I do 180 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:42,600 this every week. It's going to be OK. 181 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,080 And so he sat, sat on the phone and entertained me as I went 182 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,280 through step by through step what we needed to do tomorrow. 183 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:58,880 But I am still a nervous person and so often in my life I found 184 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:05,640 myself wanting to look at Henry or look at whoever and say no, I 185 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:09,480 want to I I find myself saying to myself I can't do that. 186 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,120 I can't do XYZ thing. I'm not built for that. 187 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:18,520 And I, I'm reminded of the story my granddad tells about his call 188 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:21,240 into ministry. He was in college, he studied 189 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:25,080 like Spanish and history. And he, he always felt like he 190 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,200 had his calling in the ministry, but he was not interested in 191 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:29,600 that. He wanted to go do his own 192 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:31,400 thing. And he talks about running from 193 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,920 it, but he couldn't avoid the call. 194 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:41,080 And to think, running from God, that I I could run from where 195 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,200 God wants me to be, it's kind of silly. 196 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,320 No matter where I was, no matter what I was studying, God had 197 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:53,400 placed me there for a reason. Whether I knew it or not, I was 198 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,840 there because God wanted me to be there. 199 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:01,520 I had something in that space to offer, or maybe He had something 200 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:03,920 for me in that space to learn from. 201 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,840 I don't know where my race leads, but I trust that God has 202 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,400 marked it out. My job isn't to have all the 203 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:18,080 answers, but to show up even when I'm not comfortable, even 204 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,800 when I don't feel like it. Show up, be faithful, be 205 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,840 available, be teachable. And so in the next few verses, 206 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,720 Dan's going to look at the foot. And so the foot looks at the 207 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,680 hands and he sees the hands and thinks I can't do what they do. 208 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:37,280 I'm not built like that. But the foot is still part of 209 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:41,440 the body. And so as I I found myself 210 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:47,880 throughout my life thinking like the foot, even still I was I 211 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:52,200 belonged to the body. And so now last night, as we 212 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:53,960 were kind of getting things ready and I was talking things 213 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,400 over with Dan on our late name, phone calls and messages back 214 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,960 and forth, I was trying to think of a way to transition back into 215 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,680 Dan talking now. And I did not find a good way of 216 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:03,720 doing that. So now, in the most youth group 217 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,040 way possible, I'm going to throw it back to you, Dan, with more 218 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:18,760 news from verse 14. For the body does not consist of 219 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,520 1 member, but many. Verse 14. 220 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,640 Verse 15. If the foot should say, because 221 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:29,120 I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would make it, 222 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,600 that would not make it any less part of the body. 223 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,440 And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do 224 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,080 not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part 225 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,720 of the body. Do you see? 226 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:49,640 No matter what excuses you come up with, the reality remains 227 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:55,080 that you are indeed a foot or an eye. 228 00:16:55,080 --> 00:17:00,800 And if the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of 229 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:03,600 hearing? And if the whole body were an 230 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:06,760 ear, where would be the sense of smell? 231 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:12,040 Verse 14 is the explicit statement that no man is an 232 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,880 island. You've heard it here. 233 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:21,000 There is a body. It is not just made of 1 member, 234 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,599 but of many. This is the reality. 235 00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:33,360 It is impossible for this to be conceived any other way than a 236 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:37,040 mass of humanity smashed together. 237 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:42,080 At this point it might be tempting to find a way to 238 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:46,520 disqualify oneself. Notice in verse 15 the foot, 239 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:50,880 which is an integral piece of the body, has bad self esteem 240 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,040 with respect to how they see themselves over against the 241 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:58,680 hand. And I cannot tell you how many 242 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:05,480 times I have thought to myself, man, I'm not like that person. 243 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:12,960 I do not have the gifts or the connections or the ability to 244 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:18,520 move a room like they can. I might as well not even try. 245 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:27,040 Or I've worked with people who feel like feet in a hands world 246 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,360 where it is so difficult to conceive of another way to 247 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:40,000 realize that as a foot, what you bring to the table is as 248 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,120 important as what any other member might. 249 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:47,680 So I always try to think of something helpful in this 250 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,840 instance, right? Something to help land the idea. 251 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,920 And, and I've I've said this before, imagine walking 252 00:18:55,920 --> 00:19:03,320 everywhere on your hands. While it can be done, it's not 253 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:08,640 what the hands were made for, and it's good to be a foot. 254 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:14,200 Feet are needed, even smelly ones, by the way. 255 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,520 And at the same time, I think we can get caught up from time to 256 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:23,960 time in another kind of trap that only the hands are worth 257 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:29,440 being. And if I can't be a hand and I'm 258 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:35,440 just going to sit this one out, everyone loves the hands. 259 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,400 Hands get all the benefits. They get all the attention and 260 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:45,920 all the praise. And if you find yourself in this 261 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,240 headspace, you need to hit the pause button. 262 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:58,040 Listen to what you are saying to yourself and ask God to renew 263 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:02,840 your mind. Because if God made you a foot, 264 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:10,560 then be the best foot. You can be walk in your purpose, 265 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:15,680 let the hands be the hands, because God has a reason for you 266 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:22,120 to be a hand or a foot. Verse 18 But as it is, God 267 00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:29,000 arranged the members in the body, each one of them as He 268 00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:32,120 chose. Full stop. 269 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,120 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 270 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,200 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body that I cannot say. 271 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,600 To the hand I have no need of you, nor the head. 272 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,200 To the feet I have no need of you. 273 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,000 Have you ever felt like you are not needed somewhere? 274 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:14,320 Whether you were told to your face or it was the way you were 275 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,520 treated that made you feel like you were not wanted. 276 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:22,920 Unfortunately, this happens all the time. 277 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:29,960 Far too many come through the doors of a church only to walk 278 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,560 right out because there's no space for them. 279 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,640 There's no space for them to exercise their giftedness. 280 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:45,360 There's no room for feet. We only have hands around here, 281 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,560 so go find the hands church or feet church. 282 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,600 It also could be because a church that they walk into isn't 283 00:21:55,600 --> 00:22:00,480 ready for them, that they don't have a simple system of helping 284 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:04,520 people find out what they are gifted for and then giving them 285 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:10,840 the reps repetitions, opportunities to be who they 286 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:19,120 were made to be. In some severe cases it could be 287 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:20,720 because there are some roadblocks. 288 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,720 One of the largest leadership issues people face today. 289 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:36,880 It's not new, but just like everything else, the kids have a 290 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,040 word for it and it's called gatekeeping. 291 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:49,280 Gatekeeping means this to control access to something like 292 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:54,280 a hobby, a community of people, a piece of information, by 293 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:57,960 deciding who is worthy or legitimate to participate. 294 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:04,720 It often involves withholding knowledge or limiting entry to a 295 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:10,680 group or activity based on arbitrary criteria, such as not 296 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:17,680 being a true fan or not knowing the certain unspoken rules. 297 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:25,560 You know this happens in baseball boosters, the quarrels 298 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:31,960 among preschool room mothers trying to get a promotion at 299 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:36,160 work, and churches are certainly not immune. 300 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:42,360 Have you ever been on the receiving end of being kept at 301 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:49,000 the gates? Have you ever been a gatekeeper? 302 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,760 While this is not a new issue, it is very much more on people's 303 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:02,680 radar these days as our culture becomes more and more hyper 304 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:08,000 individualistic and instances of tribalism are also at record 305 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,720 levels. And you might say, hey, it's 306 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:16,240 kind of always been like this. And I would say you're right. 307 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:26,800 But it seems to me that we feel it and see it more than ever, 308 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:33,760 which makes it feel that much more. 309 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,320 But gatekeeping is short sighted. 310 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,240 Here's why. On the contrary, verse 22. 311 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:48,280 The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 312 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,040 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, we 313 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,440 bestow the greater honor, and our unpresented or unpresentable 314 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,680 parts are treated with greater modesty, which are more 315 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:02,480 presentable parts do not require. 316 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,920 But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to 317 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:12,760 the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the 318 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:18,640 body, but that the members may have the same care for one 319 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,240 another. Do you see it all boils down to 320 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,520 not position, status or anything like that. 321 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,080 It boils down to taking care of one another. 322 00:25:39,310 --> 00:25:45,190 One of the biggest ways I have seen this weaker versus stronger 323 00:25:45,190 --> 00:25:53,350 versus whatever play out is that in the what are called 324 00:25:53,350 --> 00:26:01,600 generation Wars, and these are being quietly raged on every 325 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:08,200 public forum. Every generation has issues with 326 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:12,320 the other generations that are either before them or after 327 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:15,880 them. And I bet you can name all kinds 328 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:20,800 of ways that maybe when you were younger or or whatever that you 329 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:26,520 felt gate kept by the generation before you, especially at car 330 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:31,680 key time. But it does not have to be this 331 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:36,040 way. Much like the hands and feet, 332 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,240 all of the generations that are currently walking the earth have 333 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:44,080 been placed here by God and have something to offer one another. 334 00:26:51,190 --> 00:26:55,310 The bodies built that way because we need each other to 335 00:26:55,310 --> 00:27:01,280 pull it off. And I've seen plenty of 336 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:06,240 instances where generations forget what generation they're a 337 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:12,200 part of and treat each other like peers, and amazing things 338 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:22,320 can happen. That's when hands and feet 339 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:32,920 become his hands and feet. Whether you're an 85 year old 340 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,760 foot or a 17 year old hand, you need each other. 341 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:44,680 And this is one of the reasons why I want to advocate for this 342 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,160 present generation of kids the way that I do. 343 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,760 Because someone who is experienced gatekeeping myself 344 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:57,760 and at some points probably gatekeeped on somebody, I know 345 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:02,160 that I alone cannot make a difference without everyone 346 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:10,080 else. So I do the best I can to help 347 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:14,200 the generations coming after me become the best that they can be 348 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:18,480 in the Lord and help those who come before me to understand the 349 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,760 ones who have come after them better. 350 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:29,680 It is why I will continually challenge you and myself to find 351 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:39,400 our fit and how we can invest in the next generation, the body of 352 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,840 Christ. This is not some ethereal goal 353 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:47,520 that we are to have. It is who Christ has set us up 354 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:49,600 to be. It is reality. 355 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:58,080 Now the challenge is how do we live into it? 356 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:04,400 And I think there are two ways that come from mutual 357 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,280 experience. They are things that no matter 358 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,120 where we are coming from, we can relate. 359 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:22,480 We all know what it is to suffer, and we all know what it 360 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:26,400 is to rejoice. Verse 26. 361 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:32,680 If one member suffers, all suffer together. 362 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:39,920 If one member is honored, all rejoice together. 363 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:46,160 This is where we connect. This is where hands and feet 364 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:50,200 come together. This is what crosses those lines 365 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:54,160 of demarcation, suffering and rejoicing. 366 00:29:55,040 --> 00:30:00,080 They can hit you at any age. They can hit you in any socio 367 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,760 economic circumstance. They can hit you across any 368 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:09,760 demographic that you can create. It is an equalizer. 369 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,840 We experience suffering because of what sin has done to this 370 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:21,800 world. Yet though it be bleak, we can 371 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:29,760 also rejoice because of Christ. Jesus, who has defeated both sin 372 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:36,720 and death, has knit us together intentionally as a family of 373 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:45,240 faith, the church, the body, his hands, his feet. 374 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:57,320 And against such things, we can overcome just about anything 375 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:07,370 that comes our way, like locking the only set of car keys you 376 00:31:07,370 --> 00:31:11,450 have in the car this morning and then having to take the other 377 00:31:11,450 --> 00:31:16,320 car knowing that some hopefully a AAA person will show up when 378 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:18,880 you're not there. I did that. 379 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,840 But hear this. If you hear nothing else today, 380 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:36,240 hear this verse 27 now, not later, not before now. 381 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:51,000 You are the body of Christ. That is who you are. 382 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:57,000 And it just so happens that we are individually members of it. 383 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:11,980 Let's pray. Lord, I am thankful for all the 384 00:32:11,980 --> 00:32:18,220 feet in this room and all the hands and all the eyes and all 385 00:32:18,220 --> 00:32:21,860 the ears, shoulders, knees and toes. 386 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:30,680 The reality is, as you have knit us together, we are a body. 387 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,200 It's not something that we are trying to assemble. 388 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:41,520 It's something you've already done, and it's not something 389 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:47,160 that we can undo. So in all the ways that we need 390 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:51,440 to forgive one another, give us opportunities for 391 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,360 reconciliation. For all the ways that we have 392 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:58,720 judged one another, give us opportunities for 393 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,520 reconciliation. For all the ways that we have 394 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:09,200 may have gate kept another person, help us to find 395 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,840 reconciliation. And if we find ourselves in the 396 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:16,360 place where we feel gate kept, help us to forgive. 397 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:30,240 Because ultimately the reality is we are your hands and feet, 398 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:39,480 many members, one body. It's your name we pray. 399 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:40,760 Amen.