Shalom, my dear friends. We are studying together the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians. And I would like you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. We have arrived to this very interesting section in the study of the letter to the 1 Corinthians. We have arrived to the section that is dealing with unique gifts that the body of Christ, the body of Messiah has received from the Lord. So, in our previous chapter 12, chapter 12, 13 and 14 are a group of chapters that link together and specifically dealing with the body of Christ, the body of Messiah and the manner whereby God's people are to use the spiritual gifts that had been given by the Lord to the body of all believers.

In our previous meeting, we have already covered the first 13 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And I would like you to open the word of God and turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And I would like to read from verse 14 to verse 14 to the end of the chapter. So, please follow me and I am reading beginning from verse 14. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now has God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more. Those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor. And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need. But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. That there should not be schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, of Mashiach, and members in particular. And God has set some in the church, in the assembly. First, apostles. Secondly, prophets. Thirdly, teachers. After that, miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversity of tongues. Are all apostles?

Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongue? Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts. And yet, show I unto you a more excellent way. And I'm stopping here, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, with verse 31 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Well, to remind you once again, beloved brothers and sisters, that in these chapters, chapters 12, 13, and 14, the body or the people of God are presented as a human body, which has many members. And every member is important in this body, if this body of believers, the body of Christ, if the body of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is to function, the members in that body are essential.

Not only essential to be healthy, but essential to be functioning in a right way. Just like in the human body, the human body has many members, some external, some internal, some more important, some less important. But each one of the members of the body is important in order that the body, the human body, will function in a right way and won't be sick. In a similar way, in the body of Christ, the body of Messiah, every member is important. And every member has received a gift from God, from the risen Messiah, from the Lord Jesus. But every member who is important must use the gift that he received from the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, in a way that it will be for the benefit of the whole body, the whole redeemed people of God.

We have mentioned specifically that in this chapter, the people of God are presented as the body of the Messiah, Christ. Christ, the Messiah, is the head, he is in heaven. The body of his, these are the mystical, spiritual body of his, they are here on earth. And the composition of these bodies are members, are people that are forgiven people from among the nation of Israel, Jewish, and from among the nations of the world, Gentiles. Both of them are believers, those who are truly born of the Spirit of God are part of this body of Messiah, body of Christ. We have already mentioned also, beloved brothers and sisters, that according to 1 John 4, 7, God's people are presented as the family of God.

According to Ephesians 6, and verse 10 to 18, and 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 to 5, the people of God are presented in the word of God as the army that is going to war here in this world. But their warfare is a spiritual warfare, and that the battle is the Lord, and the Lord is the leader of God's people. Thirdly, we have already learned that the people of God are presented in the word of God as a temple. According to 1 Corinthians 3, 16, and to 6, 19, and 20, in Ephesians 2, the people of God are presented as the temple. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, our individual body, but not only our body, but the collective people of God, every true member who is saved from the time that the church was born up till today, and until the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, will come to rapture the church, every true believer is part of the temple of the Mikdash, the temple of God.

We have also mentioned, according to Ephesians 5, and Revelation 19, and 21, the people of God are also presented in the word of God in this present day of the church age as the bride of Christ. In this present day, the believers from the time that the church was born until the time that the church will be raptured, the people of God are called the bride of the Mashiach, the bride of Christ, while Israel is spoken of, reckoned in the word of God as the wife of Jehovah. And fifthly, this is where we are now, according to 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 1, and Ephesians 5, Colossians 1, and other passages in the word of God.

And here in the 12th chapter, beloved brothers and sisters, the Apostle Paul, the people of God are presented in God's word as the body, the mystical, mystical body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. And here in the 12th chapter, beloved brothers and sisters, the Apostle Paul, who writes this letter to an assembly at Corinth that were in disarray, correcting them by writing to them by writing to them this long letter of corrective ministry from chapter 1 all the way until chapter 16, until the end of the book of 1 Corinthians. You will notice, beloved brothers and sisters, that there is correction after correction after correction that were given to the believers in a Corinth who were saints.

They were saved, they were forgiven, they were set apart for God. But they did not behave in the right way. They acted in the sin nature, in the flesh, in the old nature, in the old way. And therefore, there were so many divisions among the people of God, including here, with the gifts that God had given to the believers at Corinth. And we have covered the first 13 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, where the Apostle emphasized the gifts of the Holy Spirit that were given to the assembly for the purpose of the unity of the body of Christ. But because there was so many friction and because they abused the gift, they were dividing.

And they were not using the gifts in the right manner, in the right way. And it was not used for the benefit of God's people because all believers confess the same Lord. All believers depend upon the same God. All believers minister to the same body. And all believers experience the same spirit baptism. We all have been put into that one body by the Holy Spirit of God. The same Holy Spirit of God put all believers into that body in the same manner. No one enters in in a different way. No one is more important than the other. And that's why he said in verse 13 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, whether we be Jewish or Gentile.

Jewish believers enter in in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. And Gentile believers have been put in in the power of the Holy Spirit of God into the body of Christ. Whether we be slaves, bond or free. The slaves in days of old, in the Romans days, who became believers in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, they have entered into that mystical, spiritual body of Christ in the same way as the free. The people in the Romans days that were free. And they were the ones that had slaves. And the moment they became believers, they have just entered in in the same way as the slaves enter in to become part of the body of Christ.

In other passages, in other passages, such as Galatians 3.28 and Colossians 3.11, we could see that whether it is male or female, whether it is people that come from various nations, all come into this body in the same way. Circumcised or uncircumcised. Male or female, bond or free, Jewish or Gentile, all enter in in the same way, being put in, baptism by the Holy Spirit of God, immersed and brought into that same body, the body that belonged to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who is now in heaven. So now that we have arrived in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 to verse 14, to the end of the chapter, in these verses, the Apostle Paul continues now to emphasize, as he speaks to and writes to the Corinthians, to emphasize that the same Holy Spirit of God that have baptized, that have immersed all true believers into the same body, is the Holy Spirit of God, the same person of the Holy Spirit of God, who have given to every person different gift within the body of Christ.

In other words, what he have given to one believer, he didn't give to another. And what he gave to the third one, he may not have given to the fourth one. But all the gifts that were given, were given in order that the people of God will function and grow together. In other words, to illustrate from a human body, the function of the heart is different than the function of the liver. The function of the feet is different than the function of the head. The function of the ear is different than the function of the eye in the human body. You don't hear from your eyes, you hear from your ears.

You don't see from your ears, you see through your eyes. You don't walk on your hands, you walk on your feet, and you don't handle and work with your feet, you work with your hands. And the same thing with the internal members of the human body. The heart pumps the blood, while other members, the internal members of the body, do something else. But all these members of the human body were given to us in an amazing way by a creator God who knows all things, who created the human race, who created mankind in such an amazing way. Beautifully, wonderfully made, you and I are. But it is in the same way spiritually, in that mystical body of Christ.

Now had we, had you and I, had all believers function, in a way we should have functioned, can you imagine what a beautiful presentation that we would have here in this world, what a testimony we will be here in this world to the world of the unregenerated humanity, those that are still without the Messiah, without God. Can you imagine what an enjoyable time that would be even if it's in a local setting? Wherever you live, in your locality, in my locality, in his or her locality, can you imagine when a local assembly of believers gathered together and functioned exactly everyone in his or her place in the local assembly?

Can you imagine if somebody would come to that building where the people of God meet together and they see their behavior, can you imagine how he or she or they will feel when they will see the love and the grace and the manner whereby God's people functioning? How we would love to see this, but here we have an assembly and we cannot look at the Corinthians only, we have to search our own hearts, each and every one of us, to see where do we fit into the manner whereby God's people are called to function. It is amazing, beloved brothers and sisters, how wonderful it is when these things are being evident in the lives of God's people.

This is the desire of God. That's why he gave us these gifts, beloved brothers and sisters, and he placed us in this one body, the body of Christ, the body of Messiah. Messiah. Well, as we are reading now, notice that in these verses, verses 14 to 31, the apostle Paul will present before the Corinthians three points concerning the fact that the Holy Spirit of God gave diversity of gifts. He wanted to have the Corinthians understand that every one, every believer in their assembly receive a different gift and that each one would appreciate the gift of the other and that each one will seek the benefit of the other and that the other will use his or her gift for the glory of God and the benefit of God's people.

So you notice in verses 14 to verse 20, Paul is emphasizing the fact that the body of Christ, the body of Messiah, needs different function, different gifts, different functions of gifts if the body is to grow and to serve God. You see, if the human body is to be nurtured and strengthen and be able to function and to benefit their friends and family and so on, the body needs to be have different functions so each one member of the human body will take its responsibility and then there will be growth and maturity and strength. well, in the same way it is in the spiritual life of God's people and that's why there is always a danger to fall into some sort of a system where we don't give liberty of the Spirit of God to God's people, where we almost quench the liberty of the Spirit because we are inclined by nature to enter into some sort of human system whether it is done by one man or by one organization it's like almost a machine instead of allowing the Spirit of God to work.

we know that in our own personal life every one of us has the inclination to fall into some sort of a system and we don't allow the Spirit of God to use the people of God for the service and the benefit of God's people and so there is a danger and Paul is now saying in these verses 14 to 20 that there must be different function in order for the body to grow and to serve God the people of God are to grow and to serve God and so in verse 14 Paul is pointing to the fact that there are diversity notice that diversity does not suggest inferiority in other words if there are different

gifts and different members in the body it doesn't mean that one is inferior to the other so he says in verse 14 for the body is not one member but many you are not alone it's not only you it's not only me the body of Christ is a composition of many members especially expressed in its personal life of each and every one in other words there are many members in a local assembly we can see that there are many many members in one local assembly but he is speaking of course universally the whole universal body of Christ has so many members it's not only one but many verse 14 for the body is not one

member but many then he continued verse 15 and he is saying listen to this he said if the foot shall say because I am not the hand I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body in other words if one member like in the human body in your body and mind if our foot will say you know what I am not the hand and I am not part of this body because I want to be this I want to be the hand I don't want to be the foot so the question of course is asked is it therefore not of the body of course he is of the body because even

though he is foot and not a hand the foot is still part of the body and just as important as the hand he continued verse 16 he said if the ear shall say because I'm not the eye I'm not of the body is it therefore not of the body in other word another member of the human body may say well I'm the ear and I'm not the eye and therefore I'm not of the body no the ear and the eye are just as important and both of them are part of the very same body my dear brothers and sisters now you notice what Paul is doing the foot in the human body is the lowest

member of the body the hand is much more visible so the foot might say well I'm not as visible as the hand and therefore I'm not of the body because I'm not of the hand well if that's the place that God has placed you in the body to have not an important or we can say a function in the body as visible as others does that mean that you are not important you see that is what Paul is doing here same thing with verse 15 if the ear shall say the ear is on the side of the human body while the eye is in the front of the human body when you look at the

person the first thing you see really is the eyes the face not so much the ears but what is in the front and that is important to bear in mind beloved brothers and sisters this is the struggle that believers at Corinth are struggling with this fact that we do not appreciate the place that God had given us in that body and we are called to be used by the Lord in a sphere that God had placed us in that body and to be faithful in it in verse 17 he continued Paul to say if the whole body were an eye where were the hearing if the whole body were the hearing where were the smelling

so what he is saying that if all of us will be one member or another and not diverse from one another we will not be able to hear if we are all the eyes we will not be able to smell if all of us were ears and therefore it bear in mind beloved brothers and sisters and may the Lord help us with this to take our place before the Lord and to recognize that he place exactly where he wanted to put us he had gifted us with exactly what he had gifted us in order to benefit God's people and to have the body of Messiah the body of Christ growing and so in verse 18

God said every member in its place as notice as it pleased him you know this is amazing but now has God said the members not as every one of them in the body as it has pleased him you see my dear brothers and sisters this is something that we must learn before the Lord and it seems to be that this is a lesson that we learn it's a long lesson to learn in God's school we need to come to a point that we acknowledge that God knows best that God never make mistakes and that he has given us exactly what he had given each and every one of us and every one of us need

to be content with what the Lord had given us this is important you remember what the Hebrew author said not so much even with respect to the gifts in the body but said to the early Hebrew believers let your conversation be without covetousness this is Hebrew 13 and verse 5 and be content with such things as he have for he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee he's quoting of course what was said to Israel in days of old and notice that the context in Hebrew 13 has to do with not so much with the gifts of the body but to be content not to covet the gifts that others have but

to be content where the Lord had placed us in the body and to be content with the gifts that the Lord had given to us in the body and to be used by the Lord for the benefit of the body of the Messiah so in verse 19 and verse 20 the apostle Paul is saying in 1st Corinthians 12 verse 19 and if they were all one member where were the body but now are they many members yet he said but one body it is only one body and that body has many members and these members are just as important as all the others every member the visible and the less visible the internal and the

external all are important as far as God is concerned and all are to be responsible to function in a way that it is pleasing the Lord I love this expression here first Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 18 where it says that God notice that God said the members everyone notice that everyone this is particular you particular me particular him and her and them each one each one of them in the body notice as it please him that expression as it please him is a beautiful expression in the book of Colossians we learn about the pleasure of God concerning his son the Messiah Yeshua Jesus in Colossians 1 verse 19 we read for it pleased the

father that in him this is in Yeshua in Jesus should all fullness dwell that means that God pleased God wants that God desired that you remember we have a verse concerning the Messiah that often time people misunderstand as you read it in the English text and it often time is misunderstood from Isaiah at chapter 53 concerning the Messiah's death you remember what we read in Isaiah 53 in verse 10 yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him in other words Jehovah it pleased him to bruise this man by the name of Yeshua the Messiah why because when he allowed him to be punished he was punished for your sins and mine and that was the

desire of God in order to save you to save me to redeem us because we were lost the Hebrew word it pleased the Lord is the word chafetz for the word please is chafetz chafetz is the Hebrew word for wanted chafetz and the Lord wanted to bruise him why because if he was not bruised he did not die you would never have any hope I will never have any hope my dear friend so when Isaiah 53 verse 10 said that it pleased the Lord to bruise him he has put him to grieve when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure

of the Lord shall prosper in his hands and as we read in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 19 for it pleased the father that in him should all fullness dwell God the father wished and want and pleased that the Messiah Yeshua that the Lord Jesus Christ will be the one that all fullness will dwell in him and it is the same thing here God has placed each and every person as exactly into the body as it pleased him where it said in 1 Corinthians 12 and 18 but now has God set the members every one of them in the body as it pleased him beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends wherever you are whatever

you are may the Lord help us all to remember that God placed us exactly where he wants to place you God gave you the exact gift that he wanted to give you and me he doesn't want us to search for someone else's gift but to use the gift for the benefit of God's people as we read here in 1st Corinthians 12 verses 14 to 20 the body of the Messiah needs different function if it is to grow and serve God and God's people and so we read in verse 19 and 20 and if there were all one member where the body not be many it would be only one if everyone would want to be

that one thing one member the eye or the ear well there will not be a whole body imagine your human body if all the members of our body our human body would want who will take the part of the eye or the ear or the nose or the hands or the fingers or the liver or the kidneys or the internal or external members beloved brothers and sisters may the Lord help us to understand it so he continued here and he says but now are there many members verse 20 yet but one body one body now beloved brothers and sisters again to remind you as we have already read in 1st Corinthians 12 verse 13 for

by one spirit are we all baptized into one body and that one body is a composition of Jewish and Gentiles slaves and free male and female all belong to the very same body and there is only one body now that one body is the universal body and that one body gives expression in the local body of believers in a local city or town wherever one is functioning and there the gifts can be exercised in its locality but it is one universal body of Christ where all believers even though sadly the body of Christ is so divided in a practical way the body of Christ the body of Messiah is sadly broken to pieces when it

comes to the unity and harmony among God's people there are false doctrines false practices there is divisions because of pride and there are so many because of the ego of man because of the fact that we all fail but as far as God is concerned there is only one body for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body 1 Corinthians 12 13 A 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 20 now there are many members yet but one body there are no two churches there is only one church one assembly one ecclesia one a composition of only true believers that are born of the spirit of God that have been placed into that body exactly

as God was pleased to place each member each person that is a believer in the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah well he continued now beloved brothers and sisters and for verse 21 to verse 26 of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 the apostle Paul continued to emphasize and to instruct the Corinthians the divided local assembly of believers who were so divided and they didn't function in a way that it was pleasing to the Lord he is now continuing to tell them that the Holy Spirit of God gave diversities of gifts and the body of the Messiah needs to have different function if they are to serve God and to grow but also that the members of that

body are called to promote unity not divisions as we discover that we have different gifts and we are different members in the body but the members of the body of Christ are called to promote unity there may be diversity but we are not to promote divisions but unity as each and every one of God's people discover how we need so much one another so much and the gifts that one another has in order that we will be able to grow and serve God so Paul is emphasizing in verses 21 to 26 that every member of this body need to promote unity and not division as we use our gifts and as we function with one

another we realize when another is not there when another does not function we all suffer we don't enjoy that we don't benefit from that so notice Paul continues and he says but now are there many members as he said in verse 20 yet one body but notice and the eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you you see again he's going back and giving the illustration of the human body and applies this to the mystical spiritual body of Christ so just like the human eye cannot say that he does not have a need of the hand and the

head cannot say that I don't have need of another member of the body to the feet you can see that Paul is emphasizing the need to realize that we need one another no one can say you know what I don't need you you go away I don't need you I can do without you beloved brothers and sisters this is exactly what happening sadly among God's people even these days divisions among God's people sometime it is necessary to separate from others because of doctrinal teaching things that are doctrinally and morally wrong one must to separate from evil from sin but much of the division that is existing among the people of God sadly to say it

is because like the eye would say to the hand I have no need of you or like the head will say to the feet I have no need of you and that is very sad when it is happened it only shows that God's people need to humble themselves before the Lord we all need to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask God for mercy and help to help us appreciate one another Paul continue in verse 22 and he is saying that the members who seem to be feeble are necessary necessary much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary you know we might say to a person that maybe

does not have the greatest gift and he or she are not the most we might say needful for us or useful for us we might say we don't need you and therefore go we can do without you but Paul is teaching the Corinthians listen we need one another we need one another even the one that are most feeble they are the one that are needful nay much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary you see if someone is not able to do one thing or another he or she need the help of the other member of the body and vice versa and so Paul continued to emphasize the

fact that the members of the body of the people of God the body of Christ the body of Messiah need to promote unity not divisions in verse 23 those members who are less honorable need to be honored even more and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable upon these we bestow more abundant honor and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness so the one that are not as honorable not as outward not as externally aggressive or powerful or whatever they need much more help and therefore we are called to bestow more abundant honor on them now when you think about that just as an example that we often use about

defeat we walk on our feet but we realize that if we don't take care of our feet of that human body we won't be able to stand or walk or run and therefore we need to take care of our feet whether it is to provide for them good shoes to put more honor on them to get comfortable shoes to take care of our feet to make sure that they are able to carry us so we can walk we can run we can go because even though it's the member of the human body that least seen because it is covered by socks and then by shoes and nobody sees the feet and yet how important it

is to care for the feet who is less honorable just the same to do so to believers who are members of the body who are not as honorable as the other and that's the beautiful ministry beloved brothers and sisters think about the Lord Jesus the Messiah as the good shepherd he leads the flock he cares for the sheep you remember what we read that if there were a hundred sheep and one of them is lost he will leave the ninety and nine and he will go after the one straying sheep lamb that need help and he will carry that little lamb that one person that is not as honorable and bring him back in order

that he will minister to him and strengthen him so that little lamb will grow to be used by the Lord in order that he will be using his gift to benefit the people of God God.

What a lesson we learn here beloved brothers and sisters. And so Paul continues in verse 24 for our comely parts have no need but God has tempered the body together having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. You see again God is the one that have set every member in the body as it please him. And it is the same God who have tempered the body together having given more abundant honor to that part which is lacking.

And so in verses 25 and 26 the apostle Paul continues why and he says why is it that God have tempered together their body together and have given more abundant honor to that part which is which lacked why that there should be no schism no division in the body but that the members should have the same care one for another you know God knows exactly where he placed you he knows exactly where he placed me and he wants us to realize that beloved brothers and sisters dear friend that he want us to be used by him for the benefit of the people of God and may God help us to see that as we studying

and growing and walking together with the Lord Jesus the Messiah now there are struggles there are challenges there are conflict the flesh often time is rising in all of us the pride comes in the ego comes in the self will come in and unless we judge ourselves we will never be able to be a blessing to the people of God and so in verses 14 to 20 Paul is saying to the Corinthians that the body of Christ need different function if it will grow and if the body will serve God and God's people and verses 21 to 26 every member of that body of Messiah need to promote unity as we discover each one of

us the differences between the gift that God has given to us and the service that God has given to the other we will be able to depend upon one another and continue on to serve the Lord here in this world notice he continued to say that there should not be any schism verse 25 in the body but that the members should have the same care one for another and he continued verse 26 he said and whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it or one member be honored all the members rejoice in it that's the way it should be that is the biblical way whereby God's people as the body of Christ can

grow and appreciate the things of the Lord and be blessed is when one suffer all the members suffer and they suffer with it you see again the illustration is taken here from the human body that's why you have the expression the eye the ear the smelling the hearing the seeing and you have here because it's apostle take the illustration of a human body now what happens if one of members of your body is not functioning what happens if you have your heart problem with your heart what about if you have a problem with your leg or a problem with your hand if you can't use your right hand you'll have to do the work in

your left hand and it's harder to do it and it takes more time it's more difficult if you have a problem with your heart and you can't breathe so you cannot do the thing that you want to do the whole body is suffering with it if your leg or foot is broken you cannot walk you cannot carry yourself from place to place do you see this beloved brothers and sisters a time sadly to say it's a theory for us in practice is where we fail in practice is where the Corinthians fail and this is exactly what Paul is seeking to explain to them we can imagine how the apostle Shaul Paul had his heart of

love towards them and because he was guided by the Holy Spirit of God how he loved if they would have been walking with the Lord enjoying the Lord submissive to the Lord submissive to one another they care and love for one another you know again to remind us that the Lord Jesus the Messiah before he died before he died on a shameful cross he wanted that the people of God should be united together one towards another and he did say a new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if you

have love one to another now that love is not merely a feeling but it is an act of love and an act of love means submissiveness to the Lord and humility and care whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it or one member is honored all the members are rejoiced with it that's the point that Paul is seeking to communicate you know in Israel's history you know the psalmist said behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity this is psalm 133 behold how good and how pleasant it is pleasant when brethren to dwell together in unity it is important not to seek to harm one another

but to seek to build one another beloved brothers and sisters and again each and every one of us are to search our hearts and to ask Lord help us to be the kind of people that suffering with our brothers and sisters when they suffer and being happy for them when they are being honored and so the conclusion of these first Corinthians chapter 12 in the last verses from verse 27 to verse 31 the apostle Paul is mentioning the third thing in connection with the fact that Holy Spirit of God gave us diversity of gifts and here Paul is mentioning that the diversities of the members of the body of Christ fulfill the will of God

in the body because there are diversities these in applying it to our life because we can see that there should be diversity as God has said them it should be pleasing to God and a blessing to us and this is fulfilled the will of God but we cannot make everyone the same we cannot force everyone into one box God gave diversities of members in the body with diversities of gifts and diversities of ministries and we need to be sensitive to one another and not put everyone in that one box because otherwise it is not the will of God at all and so in verses 27 to 31 we do read in verse 27 all believers

together are the body of Christ the body of Messiah and members each one are members alone in particular so we read in verse 27 now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular ye not as the plural the Corinthian ye are not ye may be but ye are the body of Christ you see these are the Corinthians that expressed in their conduct that they were not acting upon what God called them for but Paul reminding them he said you are Corinthian you are the body of Christ you belong you are in its locality you are the expression of the body of Christ in your local city of Corinth you belong to the large

universal body of Christ but you are locally you are the believers you are the one that are born of the spirit you are the one that have been set apart for God you are together but you know that the word is ye this is plurality all of you together are the body of Christ in the local assembly there but the part of the whole body of the universal body and then he said but you are also members in particular each one of you is a member with its function and in verse 28 we learn here that God is the one who set the gifted servants in the church in the assembly and so we read

and God has set some in the church in the assembly first apostles secondarily prophets thirdly teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps governments diversities of tongues you notice that it says here that God has set it was God who set a gifted individual in this particular church in Corinth but in the whole universal church as well the assembly God is the one that have set some notice the word for some in the church and why does he use the word some because not all in the universal church were apostles there were only the twelve plus the one who became unique but there were the twelve apostles there are not more apostles than those

the one that God has set in the church that's it and they were the foundation of the assembly the foundation of the church secondly notice he said then the prophets well these are also part of the early specifically in the context of the teaching one that was set by the Lord in the church specifically the apostles and the prophets of as we read in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20 we read and you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone so the apostles and the prophets were set by God in the church but specifically we know that they were set by God as we read

in Ephesians 2 20 as the foundation of the church of the ecclesia the body of Christ and therefore we have to understand it none of us can say I'm an apostle today because we don't live in the foundation of the church we live in the last days of the church and therefore as we read here God has said some not all not everyone in the church in the assembly in its locality in the days of all in Jerusalem but in the universal church there were only these apostles and prophets of the first century he continued to thirdly teachers now obviously as time passed by the teachers of the word of God continued because there was

special qualification for the to become an apostle one must see the glorified Messiah and none of the rest have seen him not everyone have seen him and as the time passed by he only called those twelve and those twelve lived with him and after he died was buried and rose they have seen the resurrected Messiah as the apostle Paul have seen the risen Messiah on the way to Damascus but the rest of us did not see the risen Messiah and that's why we have to understand that there are no more apostles and no more prophets in a sense of the first century apostles and prophets but the teachers and then we have the miracles the

one the gifted one that received miracles then the gift of healing and helps and governments and diversities of tongue notice he's kind of mixing this up between some external gifted men of gifted people and others that do not have an external gift they have a simple gift that is not outward like notice here like helps and like governments the organizers and doing things governing things these are gifts that were given also and they are just and important and they are part of the some let me remind you verse 28 God has said some in the church first apostles secondly prophets thirdly teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps government diversities of tongues some

some receive the gift of speaking in tongues and again beloved brothers and sisters we must bear in mind that the gift of tongue was simply a gift of speaking in a language that one did not learn that word for tongues here in again is the word glossa in Hebrew the word is lashon this is simply speaking in a language that presenting the message of the gospel to others that will be able to benefit and hear the word of God and if one knows the same language that you speak there is no need to speak to him or to her or to them or in a local church in another language if everyone listen and able

to listen to the word of God in the very same language and so we read in this verse beloved brothers and sisters that God has said some in the church first apostles second secondarily prophets thirdly teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps governments and diversity of tongues that are those that were gifted with the ability to heal by the Lord and they were used by the Lord to heal those who were sick but when the Lord gave them the ability to heal others it was done in his name but these people were healed it doesn't mean that they were healed forever because they ended up to die at the end the healing was

not in order to entertain to make some sort of a show it was given in order to meet someone's need for the moment that person as time passes by he or she became older and they died doesn't mean that they stop to have pains and aches waiting for the time where we will leave this body and we will be receiving this glorified body beloved brothers and sisters that's what we are all longing for and that's why the whole creation is groaning Romans chapter 8 and verse 22 and travail in pain together until now and not only they but we ourselves also which have the first fruits of the spirit even we ourselves groaning within ourselves

waiting for the adoption to wait the redemption of our body beloved friend listen even the gift of healing were not given an order that a person will stop to have pain the rest of his or her life it was given for a need of the moment for a specific need but it doesn't stop the deterioration and the ultimate death of a person the Lord can do everything but it is appointed unto man once to die and after this judgment that's what the Lord has said from the death you came from the dust you will return and none of us will escape this except a few individuals such as Hanok and Elijah and the church when

they're living from among the assembly we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air with those that have died through Jesus that will be resurrected at the time of the rapture but the rest of us will have to go through this process of death dying you shall die mot temutun so all these gifts were given to meet a special situation a special need for the moment it was not an entertainment it was the mercy of God for the moment to meet the need of a person who need to be healed and so finally as we conclude beloved brothers and sisters in verse 29 30 and 31 Paul

asking the Corinthians he said are all apostles the answer of course is no are all prophets the answer of course is no are all teachers well of course not all teachers are all workers of miracles no the answer is clearly no he's challenging the Corinthians in verse 29 and continue in verse 30 have all the gifts of healing the answer of course is no do all speak with tongues the answer of course is no do all interpret the answer is no no beloved friend beloved brothers and sisters as we have already mentioned earlier that God had said notice then verse 18 but now has God said the members every one of them in their body

as it has pleased him and then verse 24 for our comely parts have no need but God has tempered the body together having given more abundant honor to to that part which lacked you see no not all apostles not all are prophets not all are teachers not all are workers of miracles and not all have the gift of healing not all speak with languages with tongues and not all interpret tongues and able to have the ability to do so the answer of course is no then he says in concluding with this chapter 12 of 1st Corinthians but covet earnestly the best gifts and yet show I unto you a more excellent way and with this

last verse the apostle Paul is saying and we can look at that in two ways you see the Corinthians were coveting wrongfully the most outward and showy gift to show that they are more spiritual than the others than their brethren that's why they were so divided that's why the church in Corinth were a church that was completely a divided church that's why Paul already in chapter 1 told them is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you chapter 1 verse 13 were he baptized in the name of Paul he said to them you are divided sadly these Corinthians were a divided assembly but then here he is saying to them you are really wrongfully coveting the

most showy gifts but he wanted them to desire to covet mean to desire earnestly the best gift or another word to say the gift that will be more serviceable that they can desire to use the gift that God had given to them in order that they will be able to serve their brethren in the local assembly and not to seek glory for themselves by claiming that they know more they are more spiritual and especially when they had this wish and desire with these showy gifts such as these public gifts of healing or of speaking in tongue that everyone will see how great one is that's why he concludes Shaul Paul concludes the 13th chapter he

says and yet show I unto you a more excellent way and he will lead them into the 13th chapter and the more excellent way beloved brothers and sisters the more excellent way to use the gifts that one desire or the one that God had given to the believers to be more serviceable for the people of God they will be able to minister God's word and God's service to their brethren and a more serviceable way to serve God's people is to do it in love in agapeo in unconditional love seeking the blessing of the people of God and glory of the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah and how these beloved brothers and sisters apply to each

and every one of us how we have to confess that we often time fail in this very same thing where we use our gifts in a way that is not honoring to the Lord and we pray make the Lord help us all to use the gifts that the Lord have given to us to be more serviceable to the people of God so that we all will grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah well my dear brothers and sisters may God bless you and may God bless his word and until the next time we will say to you Shalom Shalom God bless you Bye Bye Bye