I invite you to turn with me tonight to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. I had indicated that we would read verses 12 through 31, but let's read the entire chapter. The focus being verse 27. Verse 27 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And also then, turn in the back of the Psalter hymnal to page 28. There on page 28, we find a continuation of Lord's Day 21. And we will consider together question and answer 55. Found on page 28 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. We'll give our consideration to that question and answer first before we read together from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Giving expression to what we believe. Beloved, what do you understand by the communion of saints? First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it his duty to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, beginning in verse 1. Hear now the word of our God. Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagan, somehow or other, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus be cursed, and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between Spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part, but of many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not, for that reason, cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not, for that reason, cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you. And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable, we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church, God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret, but eagerly desire the greater gifts? Now, you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Beloved, in the Lord Jesus Christ, imagine for a moment if the parts of your body that Paul includes here in this passage, if those parts of your body were not on the same page, if they were not in agreement. For example, boys and girls, think about this. Imagine if each of your legs had, as we say, a mind of its own, and your right leg wanted to go in one direction and your left leg wanted to go in the opposite direction. Or if your arms did not share the same idea, that would be difficult when it came to pounding a nail on a piece of wood. If your right hand that was holding the hammer had no concern for the left hand, the nail especially in the left hand, and instead would whack your arm or whack the wood. Or imagine if your eyes decided they were going to look in different directions. Imagine that. Well, it's unimaginable, isn't it? It's absurd because it's absolutely ridiculous. You would be all messed up. You would not get anywhere. You would not get anything accomplished because the body must work together. The body must work together to function properly with all the parts doing what they were made to do. All the parts are necessary for the body to function properly as God intended. And that's why the physical body is an excellent analogy for another body. the body of Christ, the church, as Paul speaks of. I trust it was simple for them to understand after all that Paul said, then he says, now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. We confess the truth of the Holy Catholic Church, which is the work of Christ, who as answer 54 said, through His Spirit and Word out of the entire human race from the beginning of the world to its end gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And that community, those whom Christ gathers, have a relationship with each other. You know the saying, birds of a feather flock together. We know that there are numerous clubs and organizations in this life filled with people who have the same interests. Maybe just one interest. For example, a surfing club for those who enjoy surfing, or a bicycling club, or a book-reading club, or maybe those who have the same political ideologies, they somehow find each other for those specific purposes. But that may be all they have in common. Now, the church is not simply a club of those with a similar interest, a club that you may join and from which you may separate at will. Those with a common Savior and Lord share a common life. Now, you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. The Holy Catholic Church is the communion of saints. Maybe you've noticed that in our practice, as we say the Apostles' Creed on Sunday evening, we have this habit of putting a nice pause. I said this a few years ago too, but putting a nice pause between I believe a holy Catholic church, pause, the communion of saints, pause, the forgiveness of sins, and we pause between all those articles. But in this case, specifically, as if we're saying that the communion of saints is something distinct from, something different from the holy Catholic church, we could, or we could just as easy say, I believe a holy Catholic church, which is the communion of saints. Do you know what that means? That means that the church is living. The church is active. And the communion of saints points to the relationship that the believers have with each other, not simply having the same interest, but because of the same life source that we share, beloved, we are dependent on each other. We can't live without each other. And we have a purpose for one another. Indeed, as someone has said, the church has a prophetic ministry to the world, a ministry to the world of preaching the gospel, but also the church has a priestly ministry to its members. And that's why we confess the communion of saints. First of all, as one body, as Paul says. And secondly, as many parts. First, as one body. You are the body of Christ. You are this body, and you are this body which is the possession of Jesus Christ. Now, we know that Paul is speaking to the Corinthian congregation here, the Corinthian believers, and he is not saying to them that they are the only body of Christ, of course, and he is not saying that they are one body of many bodies out there. Indeed, each local congregation is the body of Christ in that local place, whose members have an intimate relationship with one another, as we do, or as we ought to. But each is the body as it is a part of that one body of Christ universal. And the communion of saints is the one body with diversity. See, that's Paul's point about the human body. He talks about the body having many different parts, and those parts don't all have the same function. They are different from each other. They have different functions. There are differences, and so it is in the communion of saints. So it is with believers. Believers who make up that one body are different people with different backgrounds, for example, including different ethnic heritages. For some of us, different religious upbringings, different education, different work experience. And along with different backgrounds, God's people have different characters. One is bold, another is shy. One is outspoken, another is quiet. One is optimistic, another one is pessimistic. One is lazy, another one is quite aggressive. One is sensitive, the other one is unbothered by situations of life. One is a planner, the other one goes with the flow and just takes life as it comes. And different character is also seen in different levels of spiritual maturity. And God's people also find themselves in different circumstances. One is single, another is married. One is old, another is young. One is wealthy, another one struggles financially. One is employed, another one is unemployed. One is healthy, another one is sick. And we can go on and on and on. Differences. But all of these differences among God's people, you see, add variety. They add spice to the communion of saints. And they all have a part among the communion of saints. I think it's a little bit like a classroom. I would imagine for a teacher it would be quite dull if every student was identical. If all the students talked the same and walked the same and dressed the same and enjoyed the same foods. If they all got the same grade, well that might be okay. If they all got A's, teachers might enjoy that. It would be quite dull if everybody was the same. The church is the one body of Christ with diversity, yet with unity. It is a communion because of what believers have in common. We are a communion of saints because of that which unites us, because we are a communion, the body of Christ. Those who share the same faith. The communion of saints. Boys and girls, you know that saints are believers. Those who have a common faith. Those who believe and confess the same thing, That faith in Jesus Christ alone is the only begotten Son of God, our Lord, as we confessed earlier, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven. He sits at the right hand of God, and from there he will come again to judge the living and the dead. That's the same faith that the body of Christ, the members of that body, share. Paul pointed to that already in the introduction to this letter as he gave the introduction to the Corinthians, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Those who have one and the same faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul points there to the content, the object of faith being Jesus Christ. And also the activity of that faith being set apart, called to be holy. By faith, beloved, we are members of His body. And this faith in Christ then unites us, unites believers together. We first belong to Christ and therefore to each other. And as the catechism says, we share in Christ. He is the head of the body. The church as Christ's figurative body exists in Him, finds her life in Him and belongs to Him. And that's why Paul says when it comes to the physical body, pointing to the church, that's why he says that all are important. None is to be left out, and there are to be no power plays among the members of Christ's body. The communion of saints refers to the relationship of believers with each other, yet there is no relationship between you and me as believers if there is no relationship with Jesus Christ. First, the communion finds its connection to the throne where Christ is seated and receives her directions, her marching orders from heaven. Christ is the living head. He is the one who cares for his body. He governs and guides and instructs and disciplines his body. And his body, as the catechism says, shares in all of his treasures and gifts. Now, Zacharias Ursinus, the primary author of the catechism, He explains what he means when he wrote Treasures and Gifts. He distinguishes between Treasures and Gifts and points out that what he means by Treasures is that when we share in Christ's Treasures, he's talking about the great riches, those salvation benefits that Christ earned for each and every child of God that all share, that everyone enjoys as a believer. In Ephesians 4, Paul says, is one body and one spirit, just as you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. There is one salvation that Christ has accomplished, that all believers enjoy. His treasures include His love, His name being given to us, His righteousness, and very simply all the benefits of salvation that we talk about when it comes to theology. Reconciliation with God. Justification. Adoption. Sanctification. Preservation. Every believer enjoys all of these things. The Apostles' Creed summarizes it when it includes after this the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. These are the treasures that you and I have from Christ. And beloved, these treasures are precious. These treasures are priceless. These treasures that you and I enjoy will never vanish. They will never disappear. They are the heritage of all the members. And these riches are ours in Christ through His cross. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich, so that you and I through His poverty might enjoy all the treasures of salvation that He has earned for us. Jesus Christ, we might say, was excommunicated. He was forsaken by the Father, that we might be united with Him and enjoy communion with each other. And therefore, beloved, what ought be our response to this? Communion of the saints being one body. What ought be our response, at least in part? Well, we need to ask when we look at each other as believers, what do we see? When each one of us individually looks around at each other, Do we see others redeemed by the blood of Christ, like me? Do we see others looking forward to Christ's return and eternal glory, like me? Is that what we see? That's what we ought to see. Or when we look around at each other, do we see each other as some sort of competition? Do we see others in our body as those to be envied? Or do we consider some among us as those who don't quite measure up? What do we see? When we understand that we share equally in the salvation earned by Christ, only then can we also understand our unity as a body of Christ when it comes to sharing in His gifts. The treasures are all that Christ has earned for us, that salvation package, we might say. But the gifts are those things that the Holy Spirit pours out upon each one of us. Some in greater measure, some in lesser measure. Some receive one gift, others receive different gifts. The gifts are talking about the particular gifts. Paul speaks of the spiritual gifts in the first 11 verses. But these gifts that the Holy Spirit pours out upon God's people in different measure, and some receiving one, others receiving other gifts, These gifts are not to be a cause for envy or jealousy or fighting or arrogance in the body. But these various gifts that the Holy Spirit pours out are to be the cause of joy in the body. Joy that God has provided by way of each believer among us. That which is necessary for the whole body. You see, Paul's point in what he says in 1 Corinthians 12 is that one with greater gifts is not to be proud and is not to look down upon others. But the one with greater gifts is to consider everyone with whatever gifts as equally useful in Christ's church. And in the same way, those who have been given lesser gifts are not to be envious of those who have been given greater gifts. We ought to recognize, beloved, that the Holy Spirit has poured out a variety of gifts. Indeed, both spiritually, as Paul makes clear, but also physically, as he talks about in Romans chapter 12. Possessions, skills, opportunities. Yet all of these are gifts that God has poured out upon the believer for the benefit of this body, for the benefit of the communion of saints. And as believers united together in Christ, we are to work together in the second place as many parts of the one body. Each of you, Paul says, is a part of it. And as a part of the body, beloved, there is an expectation of each one of us. You may remember that famous quote from John F. Kennedy that has lasted throughout the years, ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country. And really, we could apply the same thing to the church. Ask not what the church can do for you, which seems to be the idea that we often have. But instead, ask what you can do for the church. You see, there's not only diversity in the unity, but there is also unity in the diversity as the many parts work together using their gifts unselfishly for the benefit of the whole. Because the gifts that we have been given, beloved, are not your gifts. They're not my gifts to be hoarded. But really the gifts that we have been blessed with belong to the church. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you are a member of the body of Christ, any gift that you have been given belongs to that body. It belongs to the church of Jesus Christ. As the Catechism says, Second, that each member should consider it his duty to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. As those who have freely received from Christ all of his treasures and gifts, you and I are called to use our gifts for the body, for each other, for the building up of others, for encouraging, for helping, for admonishing, That is our obligation. That is what we are to consider to be our delightful duty. And you see, beloved, that's what makes this communion, in a sense, real. We know her life comes from Jesus Christ, but it gives a realness to it. It demonstrates life. It shows the world the love of Christ at work in His body. And the more gifts that you have been blessed with, the more that you are expected to use them. Someone has quoted beautifully, He gave you a heart so that you might have compassion toward your brothers and sisters. He gave you a mind so that you would think also on their behalf. He gave you a mouth so that you might speak with them to comfort or to admonish. He gave you a hand so that you might extend it. He gave you feet so that you might hasten to their aid. He gave you your wealth so that you might share it. He gave you your knowledge so that you might pass it on. Isn't that beautiful? We could sit here together for hours and talk about the gifts that we recognize in each other, but how beautiful that someone takes all these faculties of each one of us, that God has blessed each one of us with, and we are to use them on behalf of each other. You see, beloved, this is talking about communion, not communism. This is not saying that believers are to give up all their possessions and all their private properties. It's not to be taken from them against their will. That's communism. This is not talking about a redistribution of wealth that we hear about these days. God gives us our possessions. He provides for us. And He doesn't then turn around and rob us of that which He has given, but He asks that we share what He has first freely given to us. We see that beautifully demonstrated in the early New Testament church in Acts chapter, the early chapters of Acts. We see there the church of Jesus Christ sharing from generous hearts what they had been compelled to give by faith. It wasn't taken from them. They gave it freely. It was not a burden. It was a blessing. It was a delight. And, beloved, only when we see it as a blessing will that then help us to give readily and cheerfully, as the catechism says, Not for personal benefit. Not for personal recognition. Not because I might be able to get something back out of it. But to give from a heart filled with the love of Jesus Christ and love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Giving readily. Very simply, that means always being ready to give. Not having to be asked over and over and over and over again. Giving readily, not being selfish. And also then giving cheerfully. Not doing it, not giving grudgingly, not giving with an attitude of reservation, simply to get somebody off my back. but one who gives cheerfully desires to share what Christ shared with me with those who share in Christ with me. Now we must confess this is difficult, isn't it? It's difficult when we are selfish by nature. We like to use our talents and gifts and abilities for ourselves and to make sure that me and my family are set first. Sometimes we visit the sick or the elderly or participate in activities in the body because we have to or for appearance sake. Sometimes it's hard to write that check or boys and girls, it's hard to put a part of that allowance in the offering bag. It's painful, you see, because it will take that much longer to save up for that special something that I want to buy. When it comes to office bearers in the church, we are so grateful for men to choose from for office bearers. Again, as we approach our congregational meeting, we have a blessed list to choose from. Yet sometimes we have to prod. And that's true with other activities going on in the church. Sometimes we have to prod and ask again and again and again. But you see, beloved, it ought to be the first thing on my mind, that my gifts, Christ's gifts, belong to the church. And I will use them for her benefit. It doesn't mean that one person has to do everything, but when everybody uses their gift or gifts as God has given, and the work gets spread out, and it is a delight. And the goal, beloved, is mutual edification. That as God's people, we share and we show the love of Christ with each other. Paul says in verse 26, If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. We are to bear one another's burdens. We are to laugh with each other and cry with each other. We are to share in and with each other's lives as those who will join together around our Lord in heavenly glory. This is our call. Each one of us as believers. And the ultimate goal, of course, is the glory of God. He is glorified and praised, beloved, as the body of His Son lives together and works together, demonstrating to the world that we are one and that we belong to Him. Again, we know this is difficult as we are tempted to look out for ourselves, but we have been blessed with a perfect pattern. The very one whose body we are. The very one who accomplished such a great salvation that we might become a part of His body, Jesus Christ. Not only has He died and given us life that we might be a part of His body, but He is our perfect pattern. He asks for nothing that He did not first give. He gave everything He had. He gave Himself for the benefit, for the well-being of His church and for every member of it. He gave His life for our salvation that we might be united to Him by faith and that we might be joined to His body. And people of God, He only asks that we be who we are in Him. He has given perfectly and generously. He has given with a righteous attitude that sacrifices for our sin of selfishness and at the same time encourages our participation in the communion of the saints by faith. Well, as believers, we are the communion of saints by His grace. We are a communion of Christ that will never be destroyed, that will never come to an end, but will last forever. And may it be that while on earth, may He continue to sanctify us as a communion by His grace in such a way that this common life would grow and that it would be visible with each other here in this place. That it would be visible, we, with the churches of our federation, that it would be visible, we, with all the churches and believers who call upon the name of the Lord as we have opportunity and that we, as a communion of saints, might be a witness to the world of His saving love to all those who look to Him in faith. And therefore, beloved, may we work together in Christian love and may our lives be bound up together even as we are bound to Jesus Christ who is the tie that binds our hearts together in Christian love. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we praise Your name for the body of Christ. We thank You for Your Word through Your Apostle giving to us such a vivid image using the analogy of the physical body of how we work together. How we participate one with another. What the communion of saints for the body of Christ looks like. And Father, give each one of us that which we need to do our part to serve the function for which You have called us within that body. That we might not be those who cause pain to the body by failing to do our part. But that together, we would rejoice as a body of Jesus Christ that functions in the name of Jesus. Oh, Father, we thank You for the gifts and the talents and the abilities that You have given to each one of us who enjoys the great treasures of Christ's salvation. And we pray that with all these things that You may be praised both now and forevermore. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake, and in His name we pray. Amen.