We Are Feet Not Shoes

Introduction

Well, good morning to you all. Glad to see you all here. I am thankful for the time change. We’ve gotten ourselves one extra hour, which means everyone would have had no problem being here on time. That’s the good news about falling back, right? We’re glad we got that extra hour.

We duped the kids into thinking it was really 11 last night, changed the clocks after, which turned it into 10, and we got an extra hour together. Anyway, that’s besides the point. Glad though that we have now our time to be here together with God’s word before us at this part of our worship. We’re going to be in 1 Corinthians 12 to start us and we’re going to be talking about why we need to be together. That is the entire theme of our time together. And what we’re going to see in 1 Corinthians 12 is that Paul Paul compares the church to a bunch of body parts.

He’s going to talk about the hand. He’s going to talk about the eyes, the foot, ears, and all of this to say that each and every part of the human body is deeply connected to the body in the same way that each and every member of the church is deeply connected to the church. The church equaling the body. Now, here’s the thing is that we are feet. We are eyes. We are hands.

We are ears. We’re not shoes. We’re not gloves or mittens. We’re not glasses. Basically, all that to say, we are not accessories. [snorts] All of us who are part of the body, who are part of the church, are members in such a way that we just can’t take ourselves out from this and assume that everything is just fine.

We are intimately attached to the church. We can’t be removed. We can’t be replaced. Whenever the body is suffering, we can’t just say, “I’ll get rid of you and get someone else in here.” You can’t pretend that I’m just somebody who doesn’t matter. I matter.

Our hands, our feet, our eyes, our ears, all of our organs, all of them are different. But each and every one of them are living members. And all of us find ourselves depending upon the body in such a way that whenever we have someone or we have some part of our body that is injured, we feel it. We recognize it. Whenever there’s a need, we respond because we recognize that about our human body as well, that there’s something alarming, we’re going to give it the greatest attention. The body cannot look for better feet just because we don’t like our feet.

It can’t cut off the hand and get another just because it doesn’t like the hand. And we can’t also just because we’re feet go look for a different body. I think we understand all this, right? It’s quite simple. Now, I’ve got a question, and I guess kind of the way to consider all of this is, have I begun treating the body like I am an accessory, like I don’t really matter? Or have I even treated the church like it’s something that I accessorize myself to?

Is that the church really doesn’t matter? Something that we put on maybe whenever it’s convenient. I’ll come here. I’ll show up. And then maybe whenever I get to the mood or get to the moment that I feel like it, I’ll take it off and I’ll go attend to something that’s a little bit more important than being here with the body. And that’s what I want all of us to consider this morning.

1. You Belong

And I want it I want it to be thought deeply about because Paul puts it into a concerning place in our minds whenever we read it from this text. Paul uses the human body to help us understand how God designed the church and it’s quite simple and that design teaches us why we need to be together. So there’s three big ideas. You saw the first one. It’s the fact that you belong. Let’s read this together in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 beginning in verse 12 and we’re going to read through verse 14.

He says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body.” So it is with Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one spirit. For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. Not one body with one person, but one body with many persons. Many members make up what we see here.

And all of us belong to something much long larger than myself. You’re important. you belong. And this church is more than just about me. And this church is more than just about you. It’s a much bigger thing than that.

There is no such thing as a member at large. In Paul’s illustration, no one who’s a member of the church but remains detached from the life itself of the church and goes on and functions in their own way because they believe that they are basically their own church. You don’t get that in this text. And nowhere do you see that in the New Testament. God designed the body to have members. And all of us as members share this common identity.

All of us that find ourselves as part of what we’re doing here have a purpose. Our membership is meant to be lived through very real intimate relationships with one another. Not just to back away as soon as the last prayer ends and then I find myself going back into the places of which there’s no connection to the body here. My service, the mutual care that I have for everything that’s taking place here, I belong to that and so do you. Yet, how can I fulfill my responsibilities toward other Christians whenever I am deliberately disconnecting myself from them when I don’t show up when they come together and are attached in such a way that I am also one who belongs to that attachment but I find myself thinking ah it’s not that big of a deal. you belong.

And to think differently is something that you’re thinking differently in alignment with what God has designed. This ain’t Tim’s idea. This isn’t the shepherd’s idea. This isn’t Memorial’s idea. This is God’s design. You matter.

I need Christians who know me. Christians who know me well enough to recognize whenever I’m drifting. Hebrews chapter 3. Open up that chapter when you get some spare time. Let it wow you and realize that there’s something here that I need to realize is that the church is going to protect me from drifting off and going into a life that’s going to take me away from heaven. That’s some serious stuff.

Galatians chapter 6, the first couple of verses talk about that same idea is that without being here, I can find myself going way out there. I need help. I need care. I need people who know me enough to correct me or to ask a question as to how you’ve been lately. I notice things have just been different. Someone who calls you and you answer.

you connect and you realize that there’s something that I belong to. And that’s what we see here. Someone who loves me enough to restore me and I only get that whenever I’m connected. And here’s the other side of that is others need that same care from me. You get a text message and someone says, someone from the body, one of the members of the church, someone reaches out to you and says, “I’m having one of the worst days of my life. Please pray for me.”

What do you do next? I’ll pray for you, which is fine. And then we get back to going about our business, maybe never praying for them. Or do we ask, “Can I talk? Can we talk? Is there something wrong?

how can I be of help? Explain more. And next thing you know, you’re there as someone who’s for them. And you help them belong in such a way that you allow them to remain faithful in a time that they may be drifting, struggling in one of the worst days of their life. That only happens, my friends. When you’re connected, others need us.

We were brought into one body as he said in verse 13 through one spirit. One spirit. He says you were baptized into this body. I I kind of want to put it into this perspective. I think this is helpful for me as to what he means here is that all of us have come together with this one mentality. All of my life from the time that I can recall playing baseball at 5 years old up until I got into pro ball, one thing transitioned dramatically when I got it to that level is that at that level it became a me mentality.

In fact, there were others who were willing to do things wrong in order to elevate themselves above you and to have you discredited so that they can get your spot on the roster. Yes, you get to that level. It’s not one spirit, my friend. It’s not one team as it ought to be so that you can win together. It becomes about me and my pursuit and my career. There’s no one spirit.

You see that? There’s not a one-minded mentality. And what Paul gets to here is that all of us are baptized into Christ. He’s the head. We have this one mentality. And there’s not this separation idea.

Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, all brought into the same body. That’s the idea. We all have different backgrounds. I mean, let’s start laying out our resumes and wrap sheets and realize we come from some pretty different places. We have different responsibilities, different talents, different things we’re passionate about, but we all have the same connection through him who is our head, and that’s Christ. You gave your life to that as one who was baptized into him.

Now, you’re connected. You belong to me and to everyone else sitting around you. We are one. My relationship with Christ places me in a relationship with his people. And here’s the thing. We sometimes speak about our relationship with God as it it just involves me and him.

And it’s so personal and and it ought to be to the degree that we ought to have our walk with him, keeping in step with him. I mean, there’s a lot of personal reflection there. But God designed this in such a way that we would have one another joining us together. He’s called us to serve. He’s called us to love. He’s called us to depend on each other.

So let me ask you this question before we roll into the next idea here. Where am I actually functioning as a member of Christ’s body? Who knows me? Who’s there to encourage me? Who’s there to correct me? Who’s there to just hold me accountable if there’s something that just comes to mind that I’m I’m drifting?

2. You Matter

Who can depend on me? You see, I belong. I also want you to see from this text, we get it in verses 15- 21. Let’s read that and see that you matter. Verse 15. If the foot should say because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.

If the ear should say, because I’m not an I, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. In other words, he’s saying that doesn’t make it true just because you think that. Verse 17, if the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?

As it is, there are many parts yet one body. So the eye, the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Every single member matters regardless of what they think of themselves, regardless of what they think of others. We’re in this together. And every one of us matter.

How I view myself doesn’t change the fact that I am needed in this design that God has or orchestrated. Some members feel inadequate. Some of you feel insignificant as if who am I? What difference does this make? Some of us feel again as if we are unnecessary. And some of us start going around and looking at others, comparing our abilities, comparing our positions, comparing just our ways of how we orient ourselves among others, and think, well, then I’m just not that I’m just not that big of a deal.

I mean, really, what part do I play in all of this? And then they conclude that they have little to nothing to offer, as if I do not matter. And what we have going on there is this. God didn’t know what he was doing when he was the one that designed it this way. As you read the scripture, he assembled the body, each one of them, as he chose. He chose you.

He chose me. He chose everyone to be in such a part that you do matter. The foot can’t deny its membership because it’s not a hand. It’s not as important. Neither can the ear because it’s not an eye. Have any of you in the Well, there would be some of you.

Some of you medical people, have you heard of this word? Stapes. Have you heard of a stape? What about a cenotrial node? A stape is something you don’t hear often, is it? You may have never heard that in your life.

You might have heard of the smallest bone in your body, and it’s in your ear. So, you’ve never really heard of it. You don’t really know what that means, but yet it’s the most important part of your ear because it creates the vibration for you to hear. A state. How about a cenotrial node? It’s a cluster of cells in the upper right part of your heart.

And those cells perform in such a way it’s like a pacemaker for your heart. Without it, your heart wouldn’t beat. A cluster of cells. You don’t see it. You don’t hear about it. You didn’t even know what it was when it was just brought up.

But it keeps you alive. You see where this is going? Some of the most essential parts of our bodies are the ones we hardly ever notice or maybe live our life never ever hearing about. Yet God saw it fit to include it in the body. And it’s critical. [clears throat] What does that say about you, my friend?

Do you matter? Again, go back to the verse. Verse 18, God arranged the members. He arranged you in such a way that he in fact chose. Got to take that up with him if you disagree. There’s only one you.

The combination of your age, your experiences, your circumstances, your interests, the abilities that make you unique. Nobody else in this world has that unique combination to offer up something to a body like this. No one else. And no one else can exercise precisely your influence [snorts] or impact this congregation in exactly the same way that you can. You matter. Your contribution to the body may go unnoticed.

People may never know your name. You may have a hard name like cenotrial node, but you matter. That doesn’t mean that you’re unnecessary. Others are benefiting from your faithfulness even whenever you don’t realize it. People that you may only talk to that sit around you on a Sunday, you don’t see them throughout the week nor talk to them, but seeing you here encourages them. you matter.

And he says it in verse 17- 20 again we read that if the whole body were an eye where would the hearing be. The body needs different members performing different functions. God arranged the members in his body and our differences are part of his design and it’s deliberate. He made it that way. He wanted it to be that way. So let me ask you as he says in verse 19, if everyone performed the same function, where would the body be?

If everyone did what you did, what would happen to the church? Or how about this question? Am I more concerned about the part I get to play, or am I concerned more so about the health of the body that I’m a part of? And that ought to help some of those that have egos, who are sitting back disappointed and have been for some time because they’re not getting to play the part they think that they should. Woe is me. In your pity party, my friend, you need to realize how small you are in the sight of God.

And I’d recommend that maybe you spend some time with him in solitude and prayer. And don’t go into that prayer seeking to feel better. Go into that prayer with the determination of becoming better and make yourself small before God and quit being so big before others because pride is a problem and amongst God’s people it doesn’t belong. Am I more concerned about what I get to do here than what the body is able to get by way of me being here? There is not a member who can function independently of others. He says again in verse 21, “The eye can’t say to the hand, I have no need of you.”

Or the head say to the feet, “I’ve got no need of you.” Earlier, Paul addressed members who question their own importance with what we read. And he wanted them to realize, “Yes, you do matter.” But now, he addresses members who question the importance of others. Man, that’s me looking around and saying, “Yeah, you’re not that important. And yeah, we can do away with you.

This goes back to earlier the idea that there are no members at large. God did not design anyone to disconnect from the body and become their own little entity to have all of their familiar friends and family become a part of their own little church that they’ve created. establish this fort that has boundaries in such a way that no one else is allowed, especially if they don’t belong in a way that I think that they do. That’s just the diotrophy’s mindset that Paul talks about. We need leadership in our life. We need accountability and God knew that.

So he designed this one entity here and they are all over so that individuals can find themselves given the things they need for their faith. It’s God’s will to have overseers for our souls. There are churches who do not have shepherds who don’t have the leadership that we’ve got here. We’re blessed. The scriptures speak to this in Hebrews 13:17 where it says to us, “Those who have shepherds over us, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. They’re going to answer for any slipbacks that they may have.

If you disagree with something, let them take it up with God one day. But until then, we have a responsibility, and that’s to live under the authority of those that God has put in position over us. He says, “Do this with joy.” He says, “And not groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. We have a body with members who have leadership over them in a way that maybe we disagree with or don’t like or uncomfortable with or say, you know, I’m just going to get out of here.” He says, “Uh-uh.

God designed it to be in such a way that you get what you’re getting and we depend on that in such a way that we do it with joy. Sometimes circumstances aren’t what we would desire to have, but they are the circumstances and we have to walk through them in such a way that we’re faithful, which means we don’t complain and groan. Because the truth is, no member possesses every ability, no member performs every function. There is no one who can do this alone. We’re dependent upon the contributions of everyone who’s in this. And God knew it to be that way.

May we honor that. So, let’s do a little bit of a heart check before we go further. Have I become so confident in myself that I stopped appreciating what church can contribute to my faith? Have I stood back in such a way that I’ve not recognized what God has designed here? Because he’s designed it to be in such a way I’m dependent on people. And that dependence comes with responsibilities.

3. Be Present

And let’s talk about that now. What is it that I am to have as part of my place in the body? And I’ll just say it this way. Be present. Because without you, you don’t have us. And the fact is is that you’re needed.

Let’s go over to Hebrews chapter 10 now. And I want to read verse 24 and verse 25. Hebrews chapter 10. Verse 24 and 25. He talks about considering something here. Verse 24.

Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another in all the more as you see the day drawing nearer. So don’t dare say that you’re not important and that the church will function fine without my participation. That’s maybe a bit of what we find ourselves tempted to think or tempted to want to say. But again, notice what he says here. Let us consider how to stir up. Consider is to think about it carefully.

So let’s do that for just a moment. What does he say to do? To stir. So that’s me thinking about myself, what I’ve got, what I can contribute that’s unique and different aside from everyone else. What can I do to create some stir? What happens if we’re not stirring?

Contents sink to the bottom. Always if you got orange juice, that pulp is going to sink to the bottom. You shake it up, get the mix, it’s blended well. That’s the idea. What can I do to contribute to that? And I just want to make it simple.

You can contribute love. You go to first Corinthians where we were just a moment ago and you scroll down just a little bit. You get into chapter 13 and it talks about the characteristics of love. In other words, how does love how does it appear? What does it look like? And so he goes in to explain that you you can do all sorts of stuff that appears to be grandiose and loving such as selling all your money and giving it to the poor, giving up your body as a martyr and standing up for your faith.

And there’s all that stuff. But then he talks about how love is kind and patient and it’s gentle. It doesn’t envy. It’s not rude to people. It doesn’t keep record of wrong or keep a scoreboard. And so now you start to think about that.

How can I stir up people around me with this contribution of love? I might be able within my capacity to be kind to someone when no one else is. to be gentle and just listen to someone when no one else is. To have an encounter today with someone who’s dependent upon me to hear them out and give them that love, that reception, that attention that they need. Can I do that? Can I consider how?

I think you can. To say that there’s nothing that I can do for the welfare of the church is to say that I am incapable of showing love, which the New Testament says is vital to our faith. So I would counter that and say you need to consider a little bit more about what you’re capable of and what you can do to this body because you are capable of love in some really powerful ways. God is in you, my friend. God is love. Consider that.

Why is it that so many are satisfied with occupying a place in the pew rather than watching a well functioning member becoming a well functioning member with their love, with their good works, and doing something that God designed them to do? Why? Why do we sit there and do nothing oftentimes? Or maybe why have we sat there and done nothing the whole time we have not considered? I challenge you to recognize how unique and important you are. You have a combination of connections and perspectives that I do not have.

And God is depending upon you to use that in order to function in this body to build it up. Consider that. So when I come together with the church, am I thinking only about what I’m going to receive today? Is it about you? Is it about me? Come on now.

It’s much bigger than us. Or am I coming here thinking about who I might encourage, who I might give myself to in a way that God would if he were me? He mentions in verse 25 again this is the this is the part maybe we heard a lot about not neglecting he says to meet together that’s a purposeful choice to neglect something so he says not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some that’s pretty a that’s a pretty big call out isn’t it there are individuals who’ve made a habit of saying yeah I’m just not going to take care of that I’m not going to have anything to do with that and some Christians had developed a pattern of neglecting the assembly. So, here’s a question that I’ve got. This is a stinger. What would happen to this church if everyone followed your example?

That’s fair. What would happen to the memorial church of Christ if everyone did what you’re doing? Consider that our assembling provides opportunities to do things such as stir, but purposely distancing myself from the congregation prevents that. He says at the end of that verse, instead encourage one another. Like that’s the reason that we’re doing what we’re doing, encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day drawing near.

And I think that ought to kind of create a little bit of a concern. It maybe a great concern like there’s a day coming and it seems as if some people aren’t ready for that. Some people need to wake up from their slumber. We need continued encouragement as we persevere toward the Lord’s return. He’s coming back. And every knee shall bow.

Every tongue shall confess. Judgment’s coming. And I can tell you, my friend, from being a Christian for now 20 years or something like that, I’ve had seasons of my walk where I have been disconnected. Before I became a preacher, I remember I was at one of the lowest points of despair in my entire life. I was the one sending that this before text message. I was the one who was sending out to the people, pray for me, I’m at my lowest and thank God it got the attention of a brother who came and reached out.

But all that to say, here’s the point. There are some of us in this room who are well aware of our situation that if the Lord was to come back today, you’re not ready. And you ought to fear that. You do fear that. I know you do because I did, too. A day is coming and we do not know when.

And being here is so critical to have you ready for that day. And some of you don’t care. You’re neglecting it purposefully. And it’s become your habit. And it’s obvious to you. You know it because you’re not comfortable.

Judgment scares you because it ought to scare those who are unprepared as well as the unfaithful as well as those who are living lukewarm. You got one foot in playing the part of a Christian. Everyone sees you. You’re doing good, but you’re not honest. You got so much crooked stuff going on right now that you know you’re not prepared. My friend, this week I got a little bit of studying done with some articles that I came across and one of them was from Mark Roberts back in 2015.

He wrote an article that he titled, I’ll get the CD. That was back in the day when CDs were recorded, sermons were put on them, and folks would just sometimes not show up to services, but they would sign their name up to get the CD as if the sermon did everything for them, as if the sermon was the whole purpose of coming here. And he wrote about that their attitude was just someone who could miss the assembly, I’ll get the sermon later, and not even considering the experience of the worship being equivalent to their faith as if it mean meant nothing. Well, today, guess what? We have live stream and a lot of you think the same. Technology has changed but the attitude is exactly the same.

We assemble to worship God. We give God our praise and adoration and magnify his name. We’re here also to encourage people who need us. Now consider the difference between attending a concert and listening to your favorite artist on the radio. It’s not the same, is it? And what’s so wild about that, like Mark reflected, is that people will go to a concert, spend a ton of money to sit on the front row.

Not that people should be sitting on the front row to be here and attending on all these things, but to say that there’s a disconnect. What you get in person is different than what you’re getting at a distance. It cannot reproduce the same experience. So what about the assembly? What opportunities are lost whenever we choose convenience over coming together? We can hear the sermon at home, but we miss opportunities.

Live streaming is good for those who find themselves sick or homebound or in circumstances where they just can’t. today. Whenever we’re able to assemble and we routinely choose convenience, [snorts] man, you need to examine that heart of yours and see whether or not you’re still in the faith. That choice, whether we see it or not, is affecting people. And most of all, it’s affecting you. Have I begun treating the assembly as something that I attend whenever it’s convenient for me rather than a responsibility that I share with my brothers and my sisters.

Conclusion

And God has designed it to be such a way. And I’m grateful that I have the ability to at least take part somehow someway, at least just to be here. So consider the people around you. accept your godgiven responsibility for them. As a brother, I rebuke that to do your part. God designed me to need the church and he designed the church to need me.

I’m way behind on this, but that’s it. God designed me to need the church and he designed the church to need me. is starting today. Examine your responsibility. Consider what you’re capable of when it comes to assembling together and be present and get involved. Embrace your importance.

And I encourage you to participate with zeal, with this refound, renewed responsibility that I’m held accountable to by way of God. God alone. Do you need to turn your life around today? Have you realized that no one else but you can make the change today? That each and every one of us need to get to a position where we are no longer complacent but recognizing that there is a bar that I need to raise a standard that I need to continually reach toward and that standard is Christ. What would he do if he were me?

And I think that question oftentimes leads us to say, “I’m not doing enough. I am not faithfully adhering to the will of my Lord and Savior who died and gave his life for me.” Maybe today you’re realizing that you’re ready to become someone who steps into the fight with us and becomes a part of this functioning body and knows that they need to do their part and you’re ready to make that change and turn away from the way that you’ve been going. You need to repent. And if we can help you, encourage you, pray for you, let us know that. Or if it’s time for you to join the fight, become a Christian, I encourage you to arise and let us know as we stand and as we sing.

Just as I [singing]