WEBVTT 00:00:01.410 --> 00:00:03.990 Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons, 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:07.110 a ministry of Second City Church in midtown Harrisburg. 00:00:07.769 --> 00:00:09.390 This fall, we're studying the book of Second 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:12.429 Corinthians. Second Corinthians is a heartfelt 00:00:12.429 --> 00:00:15.330 and practical book calling us back to the life 00:00:15.330 --> 00:00:18.870 of the cross. We, like the Corinthians, so often 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:22.350 pursue glory, admire eloquence, shun suffering, 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:26.230 hide hurt, and hoard our goods. And yet the gospel 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.230 of Jesus tells us that resurrection comes after 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:33.149 a cross. that comfort comes after being crushed, 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:36.090 that the way up is the way down, that the way 00:00:36.090 --> 00:00:39.210 to glory is through suffering, that his strength 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:44.130 is made perfect in our weakness. We'd love to 00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:46.070 meet you and we hope you'll consider coming and 00:00:46.070 --> 00:00:48.390 joining with us each Sunday morning at 10 a .m. 00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:50.950 in the heart of Midtown Harrisburg. You can find 00:00:50.950 --> 00:00:53.869 us online at secondcitychurch .org and on Facebook, 00:00:54.149 --> 00:00:57.109 Instagram, and YouTube. We hope you enjoy this 00:00:57.109 --> 00:01:02.659 sermon. God bless. Let me read for us 2 Corinthians 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:29.299 7, 13, down to 8, verse 2 again. And His affection 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:31.920 for you is even greater as He remembers the obedience 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.620 of you all, how you received Him with fear and 00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:37.359 trembling, I rejoice because I have complete 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:40.579 confidence in you. We want you to know, brothers, 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:42.840 about the grace of God that has been given among 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:45.920 the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:49.140 of affliction, their abundance of joy and their 00:01:49.140 --> 00:01:52.379 extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of 00:01:52.379 --> 00:01:55.719 generosity on their part. Let me pray for us. 00:01:56.109 --> 00:02:00.290 Lord God Almighty, we pray you would bless both 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:02.010 the reading of your word and the preaching of 00:02:02.010 --> 00:02:05.189 your word. God, open our hearts to you and to 00:02:05.189 --> 00:02:08.830 one another. Knit us together as one body, we 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:13.969 pray. Amen. All right. I want to say it's lovely 00:02:13.969 --> 00:02:17.729 to be with all of you. Certainly it's a little 00:02:17.729 --> 00:02:19.969 bit of a different Sunday and it's a joy to have 00:02:19.969 --> 00:02:22.710 different Sundays, particularly with other Christians 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:25.490 who worship in our own space. It's just wonderful 00:02:25.490 --> 00:02:29.270 to gather together. We have been studying the 00:02:29.270 --> 00:02:33.650 book of 2 Corinthians this fall and like 1 Corinthians, 00:02:33.909 --> 00:02:38.080 part of the great lesson of 2 Corinthians, is 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:42.500 the reality of the Church of Jesus reflecting 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:45.639 the reality of God the Father, God the Son, God 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:50.719 the Holy Spirit, one yet many, one yet diverse. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:54.219 The body of Christ, when enlivened by the Spirit 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:57.939 of God, reflects this reality of living as the 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:02.199 children of the Father. So some of you will remember 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:06.099 this. We moved here nearly 10 and a half years 00:03:06.099 --> 00:03:10.120 ago, and an early illustration that I gave, and 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:11.840 I don't remember even what I was illustrating 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:14.300 necessarily. It's going to use, maybe it's a 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:17.300 similar illustration this morning, but an early 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:19.539 illustration that I gave was that early when 00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:24.699 Lily was born, I heard from a number of people 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:27.120 at our church that we moved from in Richmond 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:34.120 that Lily was Peter in a dress. That is a funny 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:39.379 idea, but praise the Lord. More and more, she 00:03:39.379 --> 00:03:43.159 resembles the heart and body and being of her 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:48.080 mother and certainly her own person. But the 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:50.319 fact is that it's true, right? Children resemble 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:53.319 us in all kinds of different ways, uniquely, 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:55.500 but they resemble us. Their bodies and their 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:57.960 hearts and their minds are reflections often 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:00.280 of their parents and of the communities that 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:05.300 they're surrounded by. So if I ask you a question, 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.139 this question, I will tell you there's many answers. 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:09.520 Actually, there's a number of answers you could 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:12.039 give. It's not indefinite. But if I ask you the 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:14.620 question, where is the body of Christ? There's 00:04:14.620 --> 00:04:16.860 a few answers you could give. In Paul's writings, 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.300 you can think of about four ways he uses this. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.579 You can think of the body of Christ in his incarnation. 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:27.879 God took on flesh. He walked among us. You can 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:32.000 think, Or you can hear in Paul the body of Christ 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.519 in light of the resurrection and the ascension. 00:04:34.860 --> 00:04:37.920 Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:41.240 The reality of the body of Christ seated at the 00:04:41.240 --> 00:04:43.819 right hand of the Father. You can hear the body 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:47.560 of Christ in Holy Communion. The bread broken. 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.819 This is my body broken for you. Think of the 00:04:50.819 --> 00:04:53.220 blood shed in the wine that we share together. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:57.579 One loaf, one cup. Because there is one body. 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:02.019 You can also hear of the body of Christ in the 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:05.860 mystical union of the church. The church itself 00:05:05.860 --> 00:05:12.160 is said to be the very body of Christ. Those 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.139 individuals gathered together in a corporate 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:17.379 body who have faith in the work of the Lord Jesus. 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:22.879 Think with me, if you can, of Acts chapter 9. 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:26.180 There, Paul, he wasn't yet called Paul, he was 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:29.740 called Saul. He was on the road to Damascus and 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:32.500 he was on his way to arrest men and women who 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:34.379 were following the way of Jesus. If you know 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:37.800 the story, he had actually first been mentioned 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.139 a couple chapters earlier in chapter seven, where 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:42.740 he was standing over those who were putting their 00:05:42.740 --> 00:05:45.339 coats at his feet, which was to say he was presiding 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:48.120 over in an authoritative way, the stoning to 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:51.660 death of Stephen, giving testimony to the work 00:05:51.660 --> 00:05:56.120 of Christ. But then he was on this road to Damascus 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:59.500 to do the same thing. kill those who were following 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:02.379 in the footsteps of Jesus who were part of his 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:07.000 body. And there he was literally blinded by the 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:11.180 light right there on the road. And he hears a 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:14.540 voice saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:22.100 me? And what's his response? Who are you Lord? 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:28.839 And the voice from heaven speaks back, I am Jesus 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:34.600 whom you are persecuting. Which is to say there 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:39.800 is such a union between the followers of Christ, 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:44.819 between the brothers and sisters of the way, 00:06:45.259 --> 00:06:48.639 the men and women whom he was seeking out, and 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:53.240 Jesus, that he could say, you are persecuting 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:55.459 Not my followers, that's not what he says. He 00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:59.759 says, you're persecuting me. I'm Jesus whom you're 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:05.620 persecuting. You could say there's such a union 00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:07.819 between Christ and his people, between the head 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:10.019 and the body, between the groom and the bride, 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:15.139 that Jesus can say that his church, which Saul 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:21.889 was persecuting, is him. The church as the body 00:07:21.889 --> 00:07:24.009 of Christ is no small thing in the New Testament, 00:07:24.430 --> 00:07:26.629 particularly not in Paul's writings, but maybe 00:07:26.629 --> 00:07:29.850 specifically actually in the Corinthian texts. 00:07:30.209 --> 00:07:33.430 Think of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. I hope you 00:07:33.430 --> 00:07:36.990 know that chapter. There's the famous verses 00:07:36.990 --> 00:07:40.490 about the eyes and hands and the feet there, 00:07:41.050 --> 00:07:44.750 right? What he says is, hey, the eyes can't stay 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:47.829 to the hands. Ah, I don't need you. I'm just 00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:52.199 good looking. And the hands can't say to the 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.180 feet, I don't need you. I'm just good at the 00:07:54.180 --> 00:07:59.439 grabbing stuff, right? Can't do that. In fact, 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.920 there in verse 27, he says, now you are, which 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:05.300 is wild. He doesn't say you are like, it's not 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:07.220 a similitude. It's like ontology. It's their 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:13.019 being. You are the body of Christ and individual 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:17.180 members of it. Such a union between Christ and 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:23.279 his body. The church, the collective of Christians 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:28.500 in their unity of individual parts is the visible 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:31.860 expression of Jesus. And this of course means 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:35.519 a lot of things. It means that ministry is not 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:37.120 for the few, right? That's part of the tech, 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:39.620 part of the point is you can't just have the 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:41.200 church. I've said this before, particularly in 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.500 our membership classes, New Begin says the church 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:48.919 is not a bag full of eyeballs. That's a picture 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:55.000 for us. It means mutual respect between different 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.600 members. It means interdependency. We actually 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:00.700 need each other. It means most of all that the 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:04.399 body finds its life and its direction through 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:08.279 the head, our Lord Jesus Himself. We're governed 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:11.039 by Him. We're given our movements and our direction. 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:15.679 We find our life blood through Him. So we come 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:18.820 to this text in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 to the 00:09:18.820 --> 00:09:20.929 beginning of 8. And I want to point out just 00:09:20.929 --> 00:09:23.450 a couple things that we find, and this is throughout 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:25.110 Paul's letter, but I think particularly right 00:09:25.110 --> 00:09:29.509 here also we get this. And what we find is the 00:09:29.509 --> 00:09:31.590 gifts of the individuals and the necessity of 00:09:31.590 --> 00:09:34.470 the gifts of the individuals, and also the gifts 00:09:34.470 --> 00:09:37.809 of the collective, okay? So, the gift of the 00:09:37.809 --> 00:09:41.230 individual. I said, you know, part of the point 00:09:41.230 --> 00:09:44.379 in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, is that the eye 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:46.919 is not the hand, and the hand is not the foot, 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:49.360 you know? And that because of that, we can't 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:52.379 say to each other, I don't need you. I don't 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:55.960 have any need of you. Rather that each and every 00:09:55.960 --> 00:09:59.200 one of us, in the various ways that you specifically 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:03.559 have been gifted, are necessary for the life 00:10:03.559 --> 00:10:07.820 of the body to work properly. And so, Paul begins 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:11.539 this passage in 2 Corinthians 7, verse 13, with 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:17.129 saying, we are comforted. But then he goes on 00:10:17.129 --> 00:10:21.029 most of that paragraph to talk about Titus and 00:10:21.029 --> 00:10:23.169 Titus's presence in his life and Titus's presence 00:10:23.169 --> 00:10:25.389 in the Corinthians life. So what's going on? 00:10:28.029 --> 00:10:32.950 Titus is mentioned nine times in the book of 00:10:32.950 --> 00:10:37.250 2 Corinthians. He's by far in a way the greatest 00:10:37.250 --> 00:10:40.809 individual who's mentioned in the book, nine 00:10:40.809 --> 00:10:46.429 times he's mentioned. And seven of those nine 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:48.490 times are mentioned right here in chapters seven 00:10:48.490 --> 00:10:50.870 and eight. The first time is back in chapter 00:10:50.870 --> 00:10:53.169 two. And some of you might remember when we look 00:10:53.169 --> 00:10:55.669 at this, because Paul says there, my spirit was 00:10:55.669 --> 00:11:00.490 not at rest because I did not find my brother 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:03.220 Titus there. Let me help you remember this. So 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:06.899 Paul says he had gone to Troas and he says there 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:10.179 was a door opened for him for the gospel there 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:12.440 in Troas, which is like a missionary's dream, 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:14.779 right? Or a pastor's dream. It's just clear that 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:20.320 God is at work. And yet he says, my spirit was 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.019 not at rest because I didn't find my brother. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:25.799 We know he didn't stay there because Titus wasn't 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:28.799 present with him in the work he was given to 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:32.169 do. So they left and they go on. to Macedonian, 00:11:33.090 --> 00:11:35.110 which is to say, as great as the opportunity 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:39.370 was, he wouldn't take it without his right arm, 00:11:40.190 --> 00:11:46.110 without the hand, the eye, the foot. Then in 00:11:46.110 --> 00:11:49.409 chapter seven, verse six, he said he was comforted 00:11:49.409 --> 00:11:51.690 by Titus. Here in 13, he says that the Corinthian 00:11:51.690 --> 00:11:55.649 church as a whole was comforted by Titus. And 00:11:55.649 --> 00:11:56.730 I'm not going to go through all the different 00:11:56.730 --> 00:11:59.169 references there, the nine different references 00:11:59.169 --> 00:12:04.409 to Titus, but part of the point is that the ministry 00:12:04.409 --> 00:12:08.889 of Paul is dependent on this other, this other 00:12:08.889 --> 00:12:13.169 individual, and the comfort and the joy of the 00:12:13.169 --> 00:12:16.549 collective body of the Corinthians was dependent 00:12:16.549 --> 00:12:21.870 on Titus, gift of the individual, the specific 00:12:21.870 --> 00:12:26.070 person that is part of this greater body. What's 00:12:26.070 --> 00:12:28.149 certainly clear here in this passage in 2nd Corinthians 00:12:28.149 --> 00:12:32.450 is the necessity of the gifts of each individual. 00:12:34.490 --> 00:12:36.590 Paul says when he's talking about the body of 00:12:36.590 --> 00:12:39.490 the Church of Jesus in Ephesians chapter 4, which 00:12:39.490 --> 00:12:41.629 is another one of the great passages of the body 00:12:41.629 --> 00:12:46.769 that Paul has for us, he says when each part 00:12:46.769 --> 00:12:50.909 is working properly, makes the body to grow so 00:12:50.909 --> 00:12:55.350 that it builds itself up in love, And what that 00:12:55.350 --> 00:12:58.389 implies is that when each part of the body is 00:12:58.389 --> 00:13:02.870 not working properly, the collective doesn't 00:13:02.870 --> 00:13:08.110 reflect the body properly. Each individual offers 00:13:08.110 --> 00:13:12.230 something that is necessary. So the gift of the 00:13:12.230 --> 00:13:14.750 individual, but think of that passage in Ephesians 00:13:14.750 --> 00:13:18.110 chapter four, when each part is working properly. 00:13:18.169 --> 00:13:20.710 And so let's think of a few ways in which maybe 00:13:20.710 --> 00:13:23.029 the individual parts don't work terribly well. 00:13:23.789 --> 00:13:26.049 That we suffer from different illnesses in the 00:13:26.049 --> 00:13:28.549 body when each individual part isn't properly 00:13:28.549 --> 00:13:32.149 working So think about amputation, you know the 00:13:32.149 --> 00:13:36.230 idea maybe there in in In second or first Corinthians 00:13:36.230 --> 00:13:38.370 chapter 12. I have no need of you. Let's cut 00:13:38.370 --> 00:13:43.110 you off. Okay? Sometimes we cut our ourselves 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:46.289 off from the body. I Don't think you actually 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:50.750 need this hand This this foot is not helpful. 00:13:50.929 --> 00:13:55.940 I am NOT helpful We don't maybe want to commit 00:13:55.940 --> 00:13:58.139 to the idea of interdependency. For the hand 00:13:58.139 --> 00:14:00.759 to thrive, it actually has to be connected well. 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:05.480 We draw back from costly shared life together. 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:10.840 We check out. We find worship as an option when 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:15.100 convenient. We decide that there are times when 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:19.700 our part of the body isn't needed. But the amputated 00:14:19.700 --> 00:14:24.179 limb can't live, and what remains of the body 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:29.379 cannot function well. Each part is needed. Think 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:33.299 of elephantitis. I'm not sure if you say that 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:35.820 right, and I was surprised when I actually was 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:37.580 looking up these different ideas that that's 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:41.139 a word, and it's a disease. It's actually when 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:43.799 a limb swells up due to a parasitic worm that 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:46.519 blocks limb fluids. I don't really understand 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:49.340 that. You get the idea. Elephantitis. Something 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:55.220 gets enlarged. A member, let's just be honest, 00:14:55.320 --> 00:14:59.700 often a pastor has an inflated view of themselves. 00:15:01.940 --> 00:15:05.940 And what happens then in the body of the church 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:07.980 is that others don't have the opportunity to 00:15:07.980 --> 00:15:11.159 actually use their gifts. So much energy is being 00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:15.120 used for this inflated part that the others become 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.559 diminished. Think of atrophy, somewhat related. 00:15:19.640 --> 00:15:22.580 Members just sitting in the pews, keeping them 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:29.620 warm. Church becomes spectacle, right? Something 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:33.919 to simply observe, to take in, rather than participation. 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:37.000 When you sit there, when one part of the body 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:41.139 doesn't exercise its muscles, what happens? It 00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:44.879 atrophies. Your spiritual life atrophies when 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.860 you do this? The body as a whole, our spiritual 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:51.720 life atrophies when we do this. Even the strength 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:55.320 that you once had begins to diminish and the 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:59.840 health of the body as a whole weakens. Think 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:03.460 of fractures in our bones. I've only had one 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:07.940 of those actually in my life. I was going off 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:12.139 a big jump on a snowboard and I smashed my thumb 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:16.669 and I had to tape it. I couldn't use my hand 00:16:16.669 --> 00:16:20.730 for a while while it healed. Think of fractures 00:16:20.730 --> 00:16:25.610 in the body. Church members fall out with one 00:16:25.610 --> 00:16:29.470 another, and your falling out with another individual 00:16:29.470 --> 00:16:33.370 is never just about the two people who fall out 00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:37.470 in the life of the body. It never is. That fracture 00:16:37.470 --> 00:16:41.470 affects how the entire body is allowed to function. 00:16:44.750 --> 00:16:48.289 Paul in 1 Corinthians tells them, don't take 00:16:48.289 --> 00:16:52.149 one another to court. Deal with it inside. Why 00:16:52.149 --> 00:16:54.210 would he do that? Because he knows that if there's 00:16:54.210 --> 00:16:56.210 this great fraction that takes place, even among 00:16:56.210 --> 00:16:58.570 these two individuals, the whole body will be 00:16:58.570 --> 00:17:02.809 harmed. Of course, we could keep going, but if 00:17:02.809 --> 00:17:05.130 a church is to be the body of Christ, and if 00:17:05.130 --> 00:17:07.490 the body is to grow so that it builds itself 00:17:07.490 --> 00:17:11.750 up in love, then each and every part must bring 00:17:11.750 --> 00:17:16.130 the gifts that it's been given. Paul, both in 00:17:16.130 --> 00:17:19.730 his ministry of preaching in Troas and in his 00:17:19.730 --> 00:17:22.509 comfort over his concern for the church in Corinth, 00:17:23.009 --> 00:17:26.150 both of those things needed Titus, which say 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:29.130 without him, they actually couldn't really happen. 00:17:31.710 --> 00:17:34.690 Titus isn't a take it or leave it figure in these 00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:41.349 communities or with Paul. And here's what comes 00:17:41.349 --> 00:17:50.140 out of that. Neither are you. You are not. Each 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:52.460 and every one of you are an important member 00:17:52.460 --> 00:17:55.079 of the body. And without you, it does not grow. 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:57.400 It does not function. It does not build itself 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:04.599 up properly in love. You are an essential member 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:08.099 of the body of Christ. If you are getting a little 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:11.680 older, we celebrated Mary turning 97 last week. 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:14.769 She's an essential part of this body. You are 00:18:14.769 --> 00:18:18.390 if you are a young one in our nursery. I know 00:18:18.390 --> 00:18:21.789 some of our nursery folk are watching right now. 00:18:22.809 --> 00:18:24.789 You are an essential part of the body of Christ. 00:18:25.009 --> 00:18:28.809 If you are a young parent with little kids just 00:18:28.809 --> 00:18:32.069 frazzled, you bring an essential part of the 00:18:32.069 --> 00:18:36.430 body to this life together. You are if you are 00:18:36.430 --> 00:18:40.369 a single adult. Now often churches are full of 00:18:40.369 --> 00:18:44.589 family ministries. single adults, you are loved 00:18:44.589 --> 00:18:46.589 and you are needed. You are essential to the 00:18:46.589 --> 00:18:50.369 body working properly. The gifts of the individual. 00:18:51.250 --> 00:18:53.789 But there is actually this flip side in this 00:18:53.789 --> 00:18:56.049 passage, and I was so glad when this passage 00:18:56.049 --> 00:18:58.349 kind of landed on this Sunday that we get to 00:18:58.349 --> 00:19:01.490 gather together with part of our Kenya Rwandan 00:19:01.490 --> 00:19:03.789 Fellowship that meets in the afternoons. Because 00:19:03.789 --> 00:19:06.730 this passage really is not just talking about 00:19:06.730 --> 00:19:08.950 the necessity and the gifts of the individual, 00:19:09.410 --> 00:19:12.230 but as soon as you turn to the next chapter, 00:19:12.650 --> 00:19:15.210 it gets to the idea of the gifts and the necessity 00:19:15.210 --> 00:19:20.109 of the collective. Okay? So just as we know, 00:19:20.410 --> 00:19:22.890 the gifts of the Father and the gifts of the 00:19:22.890 --> 00:19:26.009 Son and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In theology, 00:19:26.109 --> 00:19:28.569 we call this the economic working of the Trinity, 00:19:28.630 --> 00:19:30.650 that they have different... different ways in 00:19:30.650 --> 00:19:32.569 which they are working out for our salvation, 00:19:32.730 --> 00:19:35.150 working their gifts out for our salvation. Well, 00:19:35.170 --> 00:19:37.710 we know the gift of receiving God as Trinity, 00:19:38.009 --> 00:19:41.250 also collectively, God comes to us as Father, 00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:45.490 as Son, and as Spirit, but also as one, as collective. 00:19:46.569 --> 00:19:48.849 The gifts of the individual and the gifts of 00:19:48.849 --> 00:19:51.589 the collective are for the church, too. Both 00:19:51.589 --> 00:19:57.130 of them reflect God. So, chapter 8, Chapter 8 00:19:57.130 --> 00:19:59.750 is mostly, and Adjad preached a couple weeks 00:19:59.750 --> 00:20:04.390 ago about that and did a very fine job. Most 00:20:04.390 --> 00:20:07.450 specifically, it's about giving, and it's about 00:20:07.450 --> 00:20:10.029 giving particularly for the needs of the church 00:20:10.029 --> 00:20:14.490 in Jerusalem. Paul, this is a big part of Paul's 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:16.789 mission actually. He mentions this collection 00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:19.269 actually at the end of 1 Corinthians in chapter 00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:21.390 16. He also mentions it in Galatians, and we 00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:24.539 know that he did get back to Jerusalem. you know, 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:29.200 Acts chapter 21. But there's a very important 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:31.599 lesson that's taking place in those little verses 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:33.440 that I read for you in the beginning of chapter 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:38.680 eight regarding the body of Christ. Because there 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:41.140 are very, very clear texts, like the ones I've 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:43.400 mentioned, Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12, 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:45.680 that talk about the necessity of each individual. 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:48.539 But it's also true that there's a necessity of 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:51.880 the collective body working together, that as 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:54.400 we as individuals work together well, we build 00:20:54.400 --> 00:21:04.539 up the collective properly. So, in chapter eight, 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:07.440 verse one, He wants the Corinthian church to 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:09.839 know about the grace of God that has been given, 00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:12.400 he says, among the churches in Macedonia, which 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.059 is a region, but we know those are collective 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:17.599 bodies within that region. Think of the churches 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:19.660 of Macedonia. You can think of the Church of 00:21:19.660 --> 00:21:22.119 Philippi or the Church of Thessalonica. It's 00:21:22.119 --> 00:21:24.859 almost like he's mentioning Macedonia as a presbytery, 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:27.640 that whole region of churches, but then he mentions 00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:30.799 them together. There's a benefit to the collective. 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:37.450 And he's saying, that as bodies, they are collectively 00:21:37.450 --> 00:21:42.349 part of the gift of God to the church. The part 00:21:42.349 --> 00:21:46.130 of sharing the gifts of the collective body is 00:21:46.130 --> 00:21:49.789 part of sharing the grace of God, he says. And 00:21:49.789 --> 00:21:52.109 I think what's really lovely about this too is 00:21:52.109 --> 00:21:55.789 that what's very clear in that passage in chapter 00:21:55.789 --> 00:21:58.890 eight, even in these first few verses, is that 00:21:58.890 --> 00:22:01.490 he doesn't equate sharing the gifts with some 00:22:01.490 --> 00:22:05.789 kind of extraordinary means. He's not like, oh 00:22:05.789 --> 00:22:08.250 man, these people have their music together. 00:22:10.990 --> 00:22:13.910 You might know this, there's four big musical 00:22:13.910 --> 00:22:16.210 groups that put out like 90 % of church music 00:22:16.210 --> 00:22:18.710 now, Hillsong and Bethel and places like that. 00:22:19.049 --> 00:22:22.329 He's not looking at like, oh man, these people, 00:22:22.869 --> 00:22:26.250 I've got to tell you about. them because of this 00:22:26.250 --> 00:22:28.109 extraordinary thing. He says it's actually out 00:22:28.109 --> 00:22:31.509 of their poverty that they share. It's out of 00:22:31.509 --> 00:22:34.230 their weakness that they actually extend the 00:22:34.230 --> 00:22:39.009 gift of the grace of God. Maybe we can say it's 00:22:39.009 --> 00:22:40.650 actually out of their poverty that they reflect 00:22:40.650 --> 00:22:43.450 God in a unique way as the one who became poor 00:22:43.450 --> 00:22:47.329 that we might become rich. But all this is to 00:22:47.329 --> 00:22:49.210 say is that we need one another and we don't 00:22:49.210 --> 00:22:50.950 just need one another in the individual sense, 00:22:50.950 --> 00:22:53.430 but we need one another in the collective sense. 00:22:54.569 --> 00:22:59.609 Which is to say, Kenyarwand and speaking brothers 00:22:59.609 --> 00:23:05.049 and sisters, it is a gift to us that you are 00:23:05.049 --> 00:23:09.589 in our space and part of a broader collective, 00:23:09.809 --> 00:23:12.549 right? Different bodies that we can look at and 00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:15.549 say, thanks be to God, because you offer us something 00:23:15.549 --> 00:23:20.130 and we grow because of you. Let me just mention 00:23:20.130 --> 00:23:23.690 a couple fairly simple and maybe obvious things. 00:23:24.490 --> 00:23:29.490 We know the reality of a God who is over all 00:23:29.490 --> 00:23:33.150 things by the fact that different languages praise 00:23:33.150 --> 00:23:36.990 him. We know the reality of a God who's over 00:23:36.990 --> 00:23:41.269 all things by people from different countries 00:23:41.269 --> 00:23:49.650 praising him. We know the joy of the promise 00:23:49.650 --> 00:23:53.579 that we have that every tribe and tongue Right? 00:23:53.740 --> 00:23:56.819 We'll praise Him by the fact that in our space 00:23:56.819 --> 00:24:00.039 on Sunday afternoons, a different language is 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:04.559 praising the very same God. What a gift to us! 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:07.819 I mean, that's a gift to my children, to know 00:24:07.819 --> 00:24:10.359 the great global reality of the body of Christ. 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:13.299 It is a gift, and it's a collective gift that 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:16.339 you sort of offer as an individual, but not remotely 00:24:16.339 --> 00:24:20.039 in the same way. You help us know Jesus better. 00:24:21.390 --> 00:24:23.789 And quite honestly, I hope we do the same for 00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:27.849 you. Hope you know some of the grace of God through 00:24:27.849 --> 00:24:32.609 this body, Second City Church. Maybe you praise 00:24:32.609 --> 00:24:35.789 God in some kind of unique way because you're 00:24:35.789 --> 00:24:39.130 here. You're connected to this group of folk 00:24:39.130 --> 00:24:42.529 that call Harrisburg home and this church, the 00:24:42.529 --> 00:24:47.730 body of Christ to which they belong. Let me end 00:24:47.730 --> 00:24:51.839 by telling you of the happiness belonging to 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:59.799 the body of Christ. So, if the idea that Lily 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:03.619 was Peter in a dress brings you joy, which I 00:25:03.619 --> 00:25:09.839 hope it does, I hope that the reality that the 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:13.700 church is said to reflect our God, Father, Son, 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:19.579 and Holy Spirit, get one God. I hope that gives 00:25:19.579 --> 00:25:23.700 you a deeper joy and a greater happiness. I remember 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:26.480 when I told you that story, and I remember telling 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:29.220 you that story in part because I have been told 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:33.240 many times that I told that story, and it's always 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:37.019 been with laughter. And I think, like I said 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:39.480 earlier, I think it's often shared with laughter 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:41.700 because of the idea of picturing me in a dress 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:43.440 or of just somebody saying that kind of thing. 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:48.539 But I hope also that it's the fact that maybe 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:51.380 my daughter is my daughter and there's something 00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:56.759 sweet about being told You go together You belong 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:03.519 I do also hope that you smile and take joy in 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:06.079 the reality that the church the body of Christ 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:11.859 is to resemble God Father Son and Holy Spirit 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:15.890 diverse yet one And we confess the Father is 00:26:15.890 --> 00:26:18.009 not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit 00:26:18.009 --> 00:26:21.329 is not the Father or the Son, and yet one being 00:26:21.329 --> 00:26:24.809 distinct, yet bringing their gifts to the whole, 00:26:25.109 --> 00:26:27.390 the whole not existing without the individuals. 00:26:29.490 --> 00:26:33.069 So maybe you've heard this. Actually, I really 00:26:33.069 --> 00:26:34.990 hope you've heard this. But there have been a 00:26:34.990 --> 00:26:38.630 number of studies done recently saying that religious 00:26:38.630 --> 00:26:42.410 people are happier than non -religious people. 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:45.500 Maybe you're not a Christian here this morning. 00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:47.920 Maybe you hear that and you think, yeah, maybe 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:49.180 that's true. Maybe you hear that and you go, 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:53.640 I don't like... Maybe you hear that and you think, 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:58.240 maybe I should consider Christianity. Anyway, 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:02.539 Pew did another research project about this over 00:27:02.539 --> 00:27:06.480 2023 and 2024. So it really is very recent. And 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:10.000 they surveyed 37 ,000 people. So it's not a small 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:13.849 sample. It's pretty good sample size. And I'm 00:27:13.849 --> 00:27:16.910 going to share with you just a few things they 00:27:16.910 --> 00:27:19.950 found out. The study showed that of the people 00:27:19.950 --> 00:27:24.710 who never attended religious worship, 19 % say 00:27:24.710 --> 00:27:30.329 they are not too happy. 22 % say they are very 00:27:30.329 --> 00:27:34.250 happy. And the survey breaks down, okay, the 00:27:34.250 --> 00:27:35.789 survey breaks down into a few different categories. 00:27:36.130 --> 00:27:39.789 It's those who say they attend religious worships 00:27:39.789 --> 00:27:43.470 seldomly, yearly, monthly, weekly, and then more 00:27:43.470 --> 00:27:45.710 than a week, okay? So they're actually trying 00:27:45.710 --> 00:27:49.150 to gauge happiness by how often do you attend 00:27:49.150 --> 00:27:52.250 a religious gathering? Okay, so the people that 00:27:52.250 --> 00:27:56.809 don't attend, say they're 22 % of the time they're 00:27:56.809 --> 00:27:59.490 very happy. Well, here's the interesting thing 00:27:59.490 --> 00:28:03.829 that at each stage, At each stage, the happiness 00:28:03.829 --> 00:28:10.690 grows. No kidding. So 35 % of those who attend 00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:14.089 weekly say that they are very happy. But here's 00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:17.069 what I found really interesting. 43, it jumps 00:28:17.069 --> 00:28:21.789 by 8 % who attend a religious gathering. Think 00:28:21.789 --> 00:28:30.569 of a small group or choir plug or ESL plug. 43%. 00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:35.859 8 % more chance of happiness. I mean, truly, 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:39.140 that's a rather astounding thing in a world that 00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:44.519 is so full of anxiety and worry. The more active 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:48.259 you are, the more you bring your individual gifts, 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:51.859 and they are received by the collective body, 00:28:53.180 --> 00:28:57.339 the happier you are. Now, of course, there are 00:28:57.339 --> 00:29:01.220 many reasons for this. But think about this, 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:04.839 right? Last week we considered in chapter seven 00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:07.880 Paul's sorrow and affliction, which is a very 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:13.559 big part of 2 Corinthians. It is. It's something 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:16.380 we all experience. Sin and broken relationships 00:29:16.380 --> 00:29:19.160 with God and one another, they produce sorrow 00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:23.160 and affliction. None of us are immune from this. 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:26.359 And yet, if you can remember back to last week, 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:29.099 I know that was a whole week ago, but if you 00:29:29.099 --> 00:29:33.710 can remember, How is Paul's sorrow and affliction 00:29:33.710 --> 00:29:38.869 turned to joy? And I suggested to you that there 00:29:38.869 --> 00:29:43.289 were really two ways. One was the reality of 00:29:43.289 --> 00:29:46.190 being reconciled to God, this relationship being 00:29:46.190 --> 00:29:49.890 healed, the vertical, and then the other was 00:29:49.890 --> 00:29:54.230 the horizontal. That we receive actual joy and 00:29:54.230 --> 00:29:57.269 happiness in the life of others who have received 00:29:57.269 --> 00:30:02.500 joy and happiness and comfort. through God. Life 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:05.079 in the body of Christ, life with God, Father, 00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:10.160 Son, and Holy Spirit. And then life lived out, 00:30:11.579 --> 00:30:16.460 not amputated, not atrophied, not elephantitis 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:22.059 de, whatever, but lived out, loving and respecting 00:30:22.059 --> 00:30:25.740 and cherishing the gifts of the individual. wondering 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:28.740 at the gift of a collective body and how collective 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:33.859 bodies share with one another. That kind of happiness 00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:40.339 and joy and comfort is held out for you. So if 00:30:40.339 --> 00:30:43.980 you want to laugh, sure, laugh at the idea that 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:47.119 our children resemble us. It's a joyful thing. 00:30:48.579 --> 00:30:52.359 But if you want a deeper joy and a lasting happiness, 00:30:53.339 --> 00:30:58.619 then enter into the body together, commit together, 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.500 pursue together, and reflect together the Father, 00:31:04.539 --> 00:31:08.359 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:10.619 for listening to Second City Sermons podcast. 00:31:11.119 --> 00:31:13.140 We hope this sermon has encouraged you to worship 00:31:13.140 --> 00:31:16.059 God and to celebrate the gospel of Jesus. Please 00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:18.440 consider subscribing to this podcast and joining 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:21.619 us in person each Sunday at 10 a .m. You can 00:31:21.619 --> 00:31:24.940 find us online at SecondCityChurch .org and on 00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:27.519 Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Thanks again 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:29.019 for listening. God bless.