A More Excellent Way

Welcome to Matthew 16! We will be moving fast and ready to do this. Well, we do have an opportunity to open our Bibles and to allow God's Word to speak to us today. If you'd like a title to your sermons, the title for our sermon today is A more excellent way. A more excellent way. You may know where that phrase comes from. It comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 12 through 31 is where we're going to begin here, and where we're going to find those words a more excellent way. So if you have your Bibles, let's open them up together.

1 Corinthians 12, and we are going to read verses 12 through 31 here as we continue in our preparation for the great day of Pentecost. That's just a little bit over a week away. Pentecost, where the great miracle occurred with the pouring out of God's Spirit onto those initial 120 believers on that day, men and women had gathered all in one accord, all in one place, and God would, in fact, establish His Church on that first Pentecost that's recorded for us. And in coming to 1 Corinthians 12, we do come to, perhaps arguably, one of the best known metaphors or pictures in all the Bible of the Church.

In terms of where we have Paul describing the Church, and he gives it to us in the picture of a body. Of a body. Let's see this here together. 1 Corinthians 12. Let's begin in verse 12. Paul writes, For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves are free, we all have been made to drink into one Spirit, for in fact the body is not one member, but many. Verse 15. If the foot should say, so Paul's continuing with that imagery, if the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, am I not of the body?

Is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, am I not of the body? Is it therefore not of the body? You know, is the ear correct in saying that? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each of them, in the body, just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

Verse 20. But now indeed there are many members, yet one body, and the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again can the head say to the feet, I have no need of you. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, and those members of the body which we think are less honorable, on those we bestow grainer honor. And our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given grainer honor to that part which lacks it, and there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Verse 27. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually, and God has appointed these in the church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers. After that, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, variety of tongues. Are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles?

Do all have the gift of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet, Paul says in concluding this thought, and yet I show you a more excellent way. Let's stop there. Well, I thought we'd take a moment just to read through that, just so we can allow that to really set the foundation for us. And again, we come to what is one of the most familiar illustrations in all the Bible regarding us as God's church. And we have this illustration, and it is a very straightforward illustration comparing our physical body, the members of our physical body, and our whole body, comparing that to God's spiritual body, the church.

Very straightforward, very simple, even for a child to understand. But I hope what we're going to see today, absolutely profound, profound in its application to us in working together as members of this one body. So I thought we would approach this illustration in two halves. First half is the explanation. We're really going to pinpoint what is the explanation of this illustration, and we're going to spend a little bit more time into the application of it. But again, first, what is the explanation of this illustration?

Verse 12 again, whereas the body has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body. Explanation so also is Christ. So it takes many members to make up one body, right? And the fact that they're all different in no way diminishes the basic unity that the body should have.

They should still be one body. That's the truth of verse 12. But then we have this the essence of what Paul's getting at here, and it's the explanation here. As found, you'll notice at the at the second half at the end of verse 12, here's the explanation. In four words, so also is Christ. So that is the explanation of this entire illustration here. One body, many members commissioned to act in unity. Paul says likewise, so also is Christ.

Now, I've mentioned this once before when we came to this imagery here. If you had never read this passage before, and as you're reading about the members of the body, and as you're connecting it in a spiritual way, if I asked you to finish verse 12 individually, I think to a man or to a woman, we would finish it with the last four words, so also is the church, wouldn't we? I don't know if we'd say so also is Christ. Did that strike you when I read that to begin with there? Paul's selection here to use the word Christ, rather than church, even though so clearly he's talking about the church, right? Why would he use Christ and make that choice of words rather than use church? Well, we could probably come up with a few different answers to that, but I think primarily what Paul is getting across to us here and to the readers is that it is in fact impossible to speak of the church apart from Christ. Okay, we think this out.

How did Christ make himself known and reveal his father when he walked here on earth? Well, he used his body. He used a flesh and blood body to make himself known, reveal his father, right? But then he returned to the father. So how does Christ make himself known and reveal the father today? Well, likewise through his body. His flesh and blood body, actually. His church, you and I, we are his body today accomplishing and carrying on the work that he began, right? Jesus Christ still has a body today. It consists of called men and women here on earth, those who make up his church. That's awesome to think about. When a person comes to repentance and faith in Christ, not only are they placed in Christ, but they are also placed in his body, the church. They come together. You can't have one without the other. One of you ever really acknowledge that or believe that. Once a man or woman comes to faith in Christ, just know that that man or woman, you, are also placed in his body. The church. The church. That simple, right? And as verse 13 says, it is by one spirit, and we are baptized into one body. And we've all been made a drink into that one spirit.

And as Paul points out, irrespective of anything else, this is primary. So irrespective of your background, irrespective of your race, irrespective of your lineage, your education, your social aptitude, irrespective of all that, those distinctions are secondary to the fact that you have been baptized with one spirit, God's spirit, and that spirit, then, not only has brought you in Christ, but it's brought you to a group of men and women that compose his body, the church. Isn't that awesome? Isn't that awesome? Added to the very body of Jesus Christ in that way. So Pentecost, which we'll observe in a week or so, it represents the event when Jesus Christ poured out his spirit, which then that spirit makes all this possible, and it began the new body of Jesus Christ. Amazing truth. Amazing truth. So that's the explanation. That's the explanation. What of the application? Let's go to the second part here, and we'll spend a little bit more time on this. What of the application? We are going to spend a little bit more time on this because there's a little bit more effort we need to put into understanding and grabbing a hold of the application of this illustration, because we may sit here today and we may say, okay, that's very interesting. I get it. I get it. I know I've been placed into the body of Jesus Christ together with other members of the body, just like the physical body were different from one another. I get that. But while I know that, I also know there are inherent challenges, to say the least, in finding unity in the diversity.

Absolute challenges. We can all acknowledge that, to say the least. While we can understand it intellectually, it's quite another thing to understand it in application, right? And to be able to work out this knowledge here. And so, that's where Paul now moves and he's now going to dedicate himself to helping his readers understand the challenges and to help us work through this understanding. And he really begins there in verse 15 and on to explore the working out of this knowledge here. Because there would have been some in Paul's day. There's some here today where we have sensed a certain discouragement, perhaps in the past, perhaps recently, in finding unity amongst the body here. And Paul understands that, so he's going to now give us the application to this illustration. And it's fascinating here. It's really a psychological journey that we can really go on here. And Paul understood the makeup of men and women. God gave him that ability. And what Paul is going to put forth here is that there's actually two particular challenges that we find when putting application to this understanding. Two challenges in finding unity in the midst of diversity amongst all the members. Two challenges. Number one challenge that Paul is going to put forth. Number one challenge that members of the body feel in trying to achieve unity. Number one is the feeling of inferiority as a member of the body. That's number one. Inferiority.

That feeling is expressed in the phrase, I don't think anyone needs me. I don't think I'm effective in this body.

That feeling of inferiority within the body. And in verse 15 and 16, Paul makes this application, here, in a very, it's kind of a humorous way, really. In your mind's eyes, you kind of picture this. But verse 15 and 16, if the foot should say, because I'm not the hand, verse 15, I am not of the body, well, is the foot right? Is it not of the body? Or if the ear should say, because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body. Is the ear correct? Is it not part of the body here? And we hear this. I've had these expressions in my heart from time to time. If I didn't show up to church, I don't even know if anybody would notice. That's how inferior I am as part of the body. Right? I am so unneeded. I am so irrelevant. Right? We've heard people say that.

We've had that arise in our own hearts, that sentiment. And clearly, this is nothing new. This is what the Corinthian men and women were going through here, as Paul's addressing it. I feel like I'm not important or I'm not needed. Now, I will say just right off the bat, with this, sometimes we can find this sentiment expressed through a man or woman who has been mistreated, who's been mistreated in the very body of Christ. And for that, as a representative of the body of Christ, I want to say I'm sorry. It's unacceptable. And we need to get better at that and do better. Absolutely. But those who are in this space of feeling inferior within the body, I want to gently challenge you, if I can, and lovingly challenge you. Often, even in mistreatment, God often still looks to us to rise to the occasion and to still put forth the proper activity within the body, even with unjust treatment. So with that understanding, I want to challenge those who maybe are in this space or have felt this before, just the feeling of being inferior in the body of Christ. Because I want you, I think it's the desire of God for you to move away from those feelings, ultimately move away from those feelings. And the reason you want to begin to move yourself from that inferior complex is because it can, in that space, you can unintentionally be expressing unhappiness regarding the gifts God has given you, or perhaps unintentionally express unhappiness with God in where He's placed you in the body, right? Unintentionally, of course, none of us want to express any unhappiness with God. We get that. But perhaps with those feelings, you may be unknowingly putting forth that expression. It's a natural emotion.

This reminded me of, I don't know if you've ever attended a party, perhaps a birthday party, where there's actually two people being celebrated, and there's actually two people at this party receiving gifts. I don't know if you've ever been in that circumstance before. It is actually the worst thing to do, and I'll tell you why. Because as both celebrated individuals are opening their gifts, what happens? Well, you know, you get the side eye. As his brother is opening his gift, and as he sees what sister's getting, you know, inevitably his gift is not as great as that one, and on this day of celebration and joy, all of a sudden these feelings of resentment or unhappiness comes into their experience. Because they're in their human nature comparing their gift with someone else, right? And perhaps likewise, likewise, when we've opened up the gifts that God has given us in the body of Christ, we might have consciously or unconsciously been unhappy with what we've been given. And you may have been began to look around at the other gifts, perhaps, and feel envious. So we really want to bring this to the spiritual territory of this. And this is dangerous spiritual territory to be in, this inferiority. We're human. It's okay to get in that space, but we really want to work to get ourselves out because it can be dangerous. And the reason it is dangerous is because in kind of an irony, an ironic type of way, the inferior feelings can actually be an expression of pride. It's kind of counterintuitive to think about that inferiority with pride. But if you really nail it down, you know, those expressions, you know, my gifts aren't as significant as others. I really don't offer much. It sounds like it's in the realm of humility, but ultimately, it can be self-focused, right? And we know anything that's self-focused can then move into that category of pride, which is one of the chief emotions that the Bible says to avoid, right? So inferior thoughts or expressions can actually intentionally or unintentionally call into question God's wisdom in the particular gifts He's given you and the particular place in the body He's placed you, right? Because these things are from God. These things are from God. So when we say, I have nothing to offer, it may actually be casting a shadow onto God and His wisdom, putting into question His wisdom, right? The classic other picture of this, which we won't turn there, but it's found in Romans 920. We won't turn there, but here's the classic, another illustration, kind of a humorous illustration, where you have the potter and the clay, and you have this dialogue that's occurring where the clay, you know, kind of looks up at the potter and says, why did you make me this way? You know, that's the kind of the expression of this.

I mean, I don't even want to put examples out there to kind of disengage you from this. I really want you to be engaged with personally how you may have expressed some of these feelings. You know, I wanted to be this kind of, have this kind of influence, but I find myself tongue-tied. I'm not the best orator. I wish I could, I wish I could have the gift of music, but I can't, I can't carry a tune, you know. Again, those might seem superficial, and often they go much deeper, but I want you to really engage your mind and be thinking where maybe you have fallen into this, and that's okay, but it is something we need to acknowledge and to begin the process to move away from. We want to accept who God has made us. We want to accept our particular gifts. We want to acknowledge where we are in the body and where we're not, perhaps, but when you begin to think of these things, I just want to give you what is the key understanding if you're feeling inferior.

This is what I need you to realize. What I need you to realize is the fact that there is no such thing as an insignificant member of the body of Christ. Get that out of your minds, if that's been in your mind. There is no such thing on the on the strength of Scripture, on the strength of what we're reading here with Paul. There is no such thing as an insignificant inferior member of the body of Christ. No such thing. Banish that from your thoughts. And so with that, then I want you to straighten your shoulders, and I want you then, in your rise out of inferiority, I want you to go to God, and I want you to boldly ask Him to reveal to you what your gifts are. And I want you to boldly ask Him, where do I fit in this body? Here I am in Knoxville, Tennessee, and where do I fit in this body? What are my gifts? Show them to me. Then empower me to express those gifts, and then I want you to be expectant for the answer as it's revealed to you. And begin to say yes. Whatever then comes in your path, say yes. And in your mind, you might be saying, I am not up for this task, right? I do not have what it takes to be for this task. But yes, because I've been baptized into one spirit, and I am in this body, and I've been given gifts, and I'm not insignificant, and my part matters. My part matters. No members are irrelevant or unimportant. And this is the wonderful journey that Paul's taking in this imagery here. Again, verse 15, the foot, speaking to the hand there. These are just silly thoughts here.

The foot may well be discouraged with its inability to exercise the complicated functions of the hand. You know, I don't belong in the body. Well, because I don't belong in the body because I can't operate like the hand does. Well, no, you can't. You're the foot, right? You cannot reach down and get the keys out of the pocket of the body's pants, right? You're the foot. Now, some of you might try that. I don't know. I say you can. Maybe some of you can. But, okay, you're not the hand. Well, now ask the hand to go out to the car, you know, and drive down to the store without you, the foot, you know. Ask him how he's going to maneuver the pedals as he's dragging himself out with his hands out to the parking lot. Does that make the hands inferior to the feet? No, no. Not at all. It's ridiculous, right? But we have these feelings. It's so ridiculous. But in our human nature, we somehow take these things and these comparisons and move them into this inferior feeling here. Verse 16, you have the ear and the eye the ear and the eye comparing themselves to one another. Here's a little psychological aspect to this. I found one commentator quote with regards to the ear and the eye and their comparisons with one another. This commentator said, quote, in thinking about the close proximity of the ear and the eye, we're prone to envy those who are most similar to us in the body than those who are most different. Unquote. That's so true. That is so true. You will find yourself comparing yourself not to someone who's diametrically different than you and operating into the body. But what you will find yourself most often doing is comparing yourself to those that are in the proximity of where you serve in the body of the church. And are they getting a little bit more honor? Are they getting a little bit more responsibilities? So even close proximity can be a danger point, a pitfall. You can keep that in mind. You can keep that in mind as you're guarding against these comparisons with these inferior notions that can enter in. But there shouldn't be any issues with the body of the church. Why? Well, as it clearly says, God ordained this process. God ordained the diversity. The diversity. What if there was no diversity? Verse 17. Verse 17. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? And if the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? Yeah, I don't know if Paul's being facetious here. Perhaps he is. He's like punctuating the ridiculousness of this imagery. But, you know, it is so true here. How would we operate with any missing member of the body of Christ? We couldn't. We're not the same. We're not the same. And then the great conclusion of this first challenge in verse 18 and 19. But here it is. God, verse 18, God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? Amen. Amen.

So that's number one challenge in achieving unity amongst the diversity of one body. That's number one inferiority.

Let's move to number two, just the opposite. The second challenge in achieving unity amongst the diversity is superiority, we could say, right? That's the other challenge in maintaining unity in one body. So we move from this notion of they don't need me to I don't need them, right? So this is another challenge, inherent challenge, superiority. And by the way, Paul is right. Of all the challenges in achieving unity amongst the body of Christ, all of it falls under these two categories. I truly think that's the case. You have members feeling inferior, you have members feeling superior, and anytime those get out of balance or expressed, that's where you'll find the disunity amongst the body. All of our problems fall into these two categories. So this is where the profound nature of this imagery comes, this illustration comes into play here. So he does switch to superiority. We can't have superiority in the body. Verse 21, verse 21, he turns it around here into this second challenge. The I cannot say to the hand, right, I have no need of you, nor can the head to the feet, I have no need of you. So there were those in the Corinthian context who in their giftedness somehow felt their contributions were greater than other parts, other members of the body. Absolutely just so destructive to the unity of the body. Absolutely destructive.

Can never have this superiority of feeling enter into the body. Just cannot happen. It cannot happen. If you happen to be a member of the body which is more prominent or visible or louder with a mic, it in no way makes you superior to the other parts of the body. No way. No way. So again, Paul is using these illustrations to really drive home these points, and it is profound in the simplicity. Let's really begin to drive this home with regards to the bodies, and I want to really speak to any of those who've had superiority enter into their experience, and so I want to speak to those individuals today. And it's, I'll tell you, it's a challenge because if God gave you certain gifts and you're using those gifts and you're seeing influence, positive influence being affected by those gifts, one of the pitfalls is to begin to think, oh, I'm, you know, I kind of make up a big portion of this body's work, and that's what you need to really watch for, really watch for, because here's a statement for you. The distinctions that God has ordained in the body of Christ, the distinctions are in function, not in value. Okay? The distinctions in the body of Christ are in function, not in value, not in value. And really, Paul drives it home here, verse 22 and 23. Verse 22 and 23, um, in how we should really support one another, and particularly those who might not have a visible part of the body. Verse 22 and 23, no, much rather those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. They're absolutely necessary. Verse 23, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, no, on these we bestow greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, have greater modesty. It's interesting to think about there, and it's so true. Okay, so think of, let's think of the physical body. Okay, um, the parts that we give most attention to are actually the parts which are most dispensable. Okay, so think of the parts that you've given attention to today. Man, perhaps you've shaved your your face right, and you put on that aftershave and scream and all of that when it hits your shaving skin. You're certain about women, you're certainly concerned about your face, and and maybe your legs, and you know all those areas which are exterior, those areas which are most visible are prominent, right? We give attention to those. Well, how much attention have you given to your lungs lately? Um, you know, unless you have a lung issue, you know, that's that's one thing which actually many of our members do, but if your lungs are operating correctly, you don't even give them a second thought, do you? Unless you have issues with your lungs, did any of us think of our lungs today? Did any of us give that much attention to our lungs as we did our face today and getting ready for church? So the fact is, though, while you ladies shaved your legs today, right, and and put on the proper skin care, right, you can actually do without your legs, but you cannot do without your lungs, right? So again, it's this psychological, I love this this this psychological journey that Paul's taken us on, those parts of our body that we give most attention to, you can actually live without them. You can live without your legs, it won't be easy, but you certainly can't live without your lungs, right? But sometimes we don't give those hidden parts, those parts, those modest parts, as much attention, right?

Likewise, bring this to the spiritual body. We have a tendency to do this, to give honor, and care to those parts of the body of Christ which are most visible, or most vocal, or most provident. And really, we want to kind of start to flip that on its head here a little bit, and perhaps have better balance in this way. Most of the things which are external can be replaced, but as soon as you get to the heart of the matter of the body, we discover just how much more indispensable those members of the body are, those less noticeable parts of the body of Christ.

Those parts which are perhaps most vulnerable to misunderstanding, those parts of the body of Jesus Christ which are most vulnerable to neglect, misappreciation, those parts which may feel most inferior, you know? So then it stands then that those who have a prominent part of the body, it's of their highest responsibility to protect and to honor those more inward, indispensable believers, believers to provide honor and protect them. Verse 23, so the members of the body which we think are less honorable, we actually bestow greater honor upon them there. So any good, prominent vocal member of the body, if they're of any value to the body, you will find them always redirecting compliments, redirecting Thanksgiving expressions to other parts of the body.

And rightly so, because where would they be? Where would they be? So we honor, we honor those parts which maybe aren't acknowledged as often as they should. Every part of the body is crucial to the the unifying work that we have to accomplish. And so verse 25 and 26, therefore all these things, how could we have any schism with regards to the body? Now we care for the same for one another. Verse 26, so therefore if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. And if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. It's beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. And so Paul concludes, begins to conclude this wonderful illustration and this understanding there in verse 27 through 31. We won't take the time to go through these, but Paul begins to conclude there with verse 27. And he says, now you, and I can almost see him pausing and making eye contact with everyone there. You are the body of Christ and members individually. And you have all these roles and members and parts of the body listed there, and many more there. And what Paul concludes with here is he says, and yet I have shown you a more excellent way, a more excellent way through this illustration, through this understanding I've given you here, through the unity that could be found. So as we look forward and move forward as the body of Jesus Christ here on earth, accomplishing, carrying on what he began, think of this incredible work that we can do. If we can push down those inferior thoughts, God does not want you to be there. Definitely push off any superior thoughts that may come into your experience. God does not want you there. There should be no schisms. Look for opportunities to build up one another within the body, to acknowledge, to notice and acknowledge, perhaps, the behind the scenes work of the members. Know that there's a work for Jesus Christ and God the Father that none but you can do. It's a specific purpose in God placing you in the body.

So commit yourself to the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. Discover and fulfill your God-given part of the body. Look out for one another and may the power of the Holy Spirit baptize you and I in Christ as many members but one unified body. This is the more excellent way.