Care for One Another

And brother Keith framed them out this week. So the only thing left to do is to Just fill up the holes and then to paint it. So You only have two choices here.

No.

That's taking that's a given but.

White or.

Stain the color of this. Okay, does it now. Now we got to do this in in loving care with one another. Now. We already know which one we're gonna do anyway.

So.

So, let me ask.

Yeah.

Want to see if you have the same mind how many of you would say white. Okay, and how many of you would say staying the same color as this. And how many of you really don't care.

You don't care.

Okay.

Yeah, we could do that, oh we could do them with pink and that would just blow everybody's mind right that's right. All right. Well, let's go to first Corinthians chapter 12 and because we're going to Stay there for most of our time this morning.

Spiritual Gifts, the Trinity, and the Body of Christ

I want to read the first 25 verses of first Corinthians chapter 12. And again to help us to set our minds in the context of what's trying. What is being conveyed to us as far as having the same care? So again reading from the New King James first Corinthians chapter 12 verses 1 through 25.

Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren. I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles carried away to these dumb idols. However, you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed and No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. There are diverse diversities of ministries. But the same Lord and there are diversities of activities, but is the same God who works all in all?

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. But the one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit.

I want to stop there. So I thought about it again this morning. Look at verse 9 and if you ever encounter someone who tells you they have the gift of healing take them to this verse and Explain to them that there is no such thing as the gift of healing there are gifts of Healings that were distributed to the church.

It wasn't the gift of healing and then that's a key verse. If you consider this that they were gifts. It was manifestations given and and they will fit healings. Not not as we have today where people go around and say God gave me the gift of healing.

You will never find that in the scriptures where it says gift of healing you will always see a term this way in gifts plural of healings plural, so Just wanted to make that point. So again verse 10 to another the working miracles to another prophecy to another discerning of spirits to another different kinds of tongues.

To another interpretation of tongues, but one in the same Spirit works all these things Distributing to each one individually as he wills and again, I want to stop there. I'm sorry for stopping but if these things caught my mind this morning again as you look at verse 11.

If anyone ever tells you that the Spirit of God is not a person take him to this verse. See what it says. It doesn't say That the force will it says as he wills the person of the Spirit is the person of the Spirit of God.

It's again all these scriptures friends are So important because we live in such a day in which So many people have so many walked for lack of a better term walked ideas and walked Understandings and it's amazing how people will read even as I read to you about gifts of healing so many people will read that as the gift of healing and They'll just go right by say well, I know it says it in the Bible.

It doesn't say Same thing with the Spirit of God. He is as it says as he wills. Okay verse 12. Well, there are a lot of people who will say that the Spirit of God is just the force or That which God sends out and it's not really he's not really a person.

He's just the the power of God being distributed. So that's what I meant by the force. That's just the yeah, I mean.

Okay.

Yeah, we're an emanation or He'll do with the same thing this with the person of Christ, right? Again, and that's what the Gnostics did and some of the others is they either deny the person of both Christ and the Spirit of God or they they they put it out as again an emanation or a reflection or a distribution of God and then once you deny the Trinity, of course as Paul says in you got me going on different directions.

Paul says in verse 3, right? No one can make known unto you the Spirit of God no one I Make known unto you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God called Jesus a curse and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Spirit of God.

And Now you got me going look at verse. Here's a good way of helping people understand that the Trinity is three persons in one. Now there are divisions of gifts diversities of gifts, but the same spirit is the person of Holy Spirit.

There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord is the Lord Jesus and there are diversities of activities. But it's the same God who works on all so again. Even in those scriptures you can use them to help people understand or to set before people who denied it the Trinity that here we have even here and again, that's one of the keys about the scriptures is that It was so in the mind of the writers that they wrote it as they were thinking.

You know what? I mean? It's not like they were trying at every point to prove the Trinity. It's just that they understood it that way and everything they wrote was in that setting so again, there's so many things.

That the Bible is just such a cool book. Okay, let me go back to where I was Verse 12 for as the body is one and has many members. But all the members of that one body being men many are one body. So also is Christ.

For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks. Whether slaves are free and have all been made to drink into one spirit. For in fact, the body is not one member but many and if the foot should say because I am NOT a hand I am NOT of the body.

Is it therefore not of the body. And if the ear should say because I am NOT of the I'm not an eye I am NOT of the body. Is it therefore not of the body if the whole body were an eye. Where would be the hearing if the whole were hearing where would be the smelling?

But now God has set the members each one of them in the body. Just as he pleased and if they were all one member, where would the body be now? Indeed, there are many members yet one body and I cannot say to to the hand.

I have no need of you nor again the head to the feet. I have no need of you. No much rather those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable on these we bestow greater honor and on our unpresentable parts have greater Modesty but our presentable parts have no need.

But God composed the body having given greater honor to the part which lacks. That that there should be no schism in the body. But that the members should have the same care for one another and if one member suffers All the members suffer with it or if one member is honor honored all the members rejoice with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and members individually and we'll stop there. So Some great illustrations used by the Apostles to help us understand. So I want to begin and ask you to think about Those thoughts that I wrote on the board.

In other words, why should we have the same care for one another? Why I mean, what's. Why should we do it? Why should we be involved in one another's life to such a point that we actually care and then we'll Look a little bit further into what it means to care.

And then how do we do it? I mean, how do we demonstrate care and.

Then.

We'll close and just a thought or two about for what purpose. Why would we? Why would we want to do something like that to have the same care for one another and I believe all of its captured in.

This.

Portion that we just read. Let me let me say to you this way as far as I know. You know, and I hope I Look correctly. This is the only place in the New Testament Where we are specifically told to have the same care for one another.

It's the only place and that doesn't mean that it's not Implied in. Many of the others remember what we said in the beginning of the study on one another's that they are really.

Kind of.

Yeah, they interlock with each other, right? There's a lot of overlap. But there are distinctions to be made even as when we looked at when we looked at greeting one another there was a lot of meaning behind Greeting one another other than just saying hey, how you doing?

And it wasn't just a courtesy but there was depth to it and so as you think about it as Paul says this in. You know, one of the things that I think helps us when we study is and we usually say it this way.

If God repeats something over and over again, we say it's important, right? And at the same time if something is only said once we ought to key in on it because it's only said once. And so it has to be understood.

Otherwise, we're gonna miss it. So I thought it was interesting and I was a little surprised that it's only in this chapter where he says we ought to have the same care for one another. And the Greek in the Greek the word is is a verb.

So again a verb means what? Action, it involves an activity in order. To serve as a verb. So when you think about it. Whatever we come up with as to What it means to have the same care for one another it's not just to be a doctrine.

It's not just to be something that we comprehend in our minds. But it's something that is to be enacted in our lives. And then now if there's a if there's a verb and it's an action and there must be some subject attached to it.

In other words, we ought to have the same care. We ought to do something To someone else right and so we have to understand it that way and then well, let me ask you What do you think it means? Well, how would you define having the same care.

On or without partiality, okay, I don't know what off without partiality. Yep.

No.

Shorter words are much easier. Cat and dog is about my limit. Um, what else you have to say care for somebody?

Okay, okay.

Um.

Okay, all right well. Well, here's what you know, and again in the original languages these meanings and in their variations of meanings but as you look up the the meaning of this word in its basic meaning and of course many of the original words have Different endings at times and it changes the the understanding a little bit, but basically it means to look out for somebody.

It means to look out for somebody and not only to look out. But to provide for somebody and that's the action that's involved. In other words if we're going to have the same care for one another that means we have to first look for opportunities and Then we have to provide for the welfare of another which is what you have just said.

So when you think about it that way It really kind of gives a little bit more focus. Think of it this way if a husband tells his wife he cares about it right or Parent tells a child that they care for them.

What they are really saying is I have such an interest in your benefit. That I am going to make provision to enhance your life right in general and certainly that's what a parent or husband or a wife would do and that they are so interested and that's one of the keys is.

That would answer a little bit why. Why should we have the same care because we should have an interest in one another and then we can go why again? Why should we have such an interest in one another and then I would say that one of the main reasons would be.

Because we are bound together in the body and then you could say well why. Well because if you think about it friends I'll save you died for all of us. Right. He didn't die for some of us. He died for all of us.

He loves every one of his children in the exact same way because he loves them in Christ. I think sometimes we lose sight of that and we begin to put people at levels. Well God would love so-and-so.

Because so-and-so does more for God and I think we can get into we can get in the trap that way. Now that doesn't mean that there isn't Outworkings and that's what it said in the opening of the chapter, which I thought was even interesting.

Where it talks about three different things if you will he talked about diversities of gifts. Differences of ministries and then diversities of activities and I want to almost wanted to spend more time on that.

But I I want to kind of get through some other stuff. But if you just think about those things diversities of gifts. Differences of ministries and then there's diversities of activities. There's a lot of definition that could be pounded out and just that in other words God does give each of us a gift.

But if we really think about it, why have we been given what we have been given if? We are not going to use what we have been given for the good of all of God's people right because I Wanted to kind of move into that but it's just on my mind one of the ways in which we will be able to actually Fulfill this command and I say it's a command when God says we ought to do something.

It's not an option right? God's not saying if you have nothing else to do, please have the same care for one another. He tells us we ought to have the same care and and one of the great hindrances towards That will work against that is going to be this.

Yep.

Selfishness versus selflessness. Right and that's one of the keys to this all of them one another's. It certainly is the key in the relationships of life. It's the key between if the husband says he loves his wife or the wife says she loves a husband or a parent to the child then that means that that that care has to be shown in a selfless way versus a Selfish way because selfishness is self-serving.

And so when you think about it Again the action of it the weight of it is that we were to Not have a selfish attitude, but it's selfless attitude and we ought to look out on ways to provide for one another and there's going to be diversities and that's one of the hindrances and I'll get to that shortly.

So But before we do that, just consider it from the negative. Just think about it if If you don't care for something, what does that mean. I Don't care for jello. I don't even like people that like jello.

That's how much I dislike Joe.

I knew somebody was gonna say I like Jello.

Brother if you buy me a jello ring, I'm gonna rewrap it. But here's the thing I don't like jello, so what do I do. I think nothing about it. I don't want to see it. Um, it's brother is or it's sisters cranberry sauce and and Candy loves cranberry sauce and and I have to eat my head down because like, you know at that point I don't like her as much as I like her at other times.

My whole point in the negative if you don't care for something you make no provision for it. You have no interest in it. You don't care about its benefit. I don't care if we save the leftover cranberry sauce.

I don't care if jello was banished from the face of the earth.

So I.

Like peas bro, this is not a dietary. Isn't that interesting though we do that in other words if you spread out. And I always think of what you say. If it has a mama of a face. And I've still puzzled at that brother.

I mean, it's it's such an astounding statement and I think about. I like everything with a mama and a face. And so if you set before me Dandelions, I just don't have any interest or jello. What cranberry sauce and so what do I do?

I pay no attention to it. I have no desire to see its benefit. I have no care for it at all. That's that's the negative. So when you think about it and we come to something like this this morning where we are Commanded to have the same care for one another.

It's very important that we understand what's motivating us. What's behind the the scenes if you will what's driving us? Why are we doing it? How do we demonstrate it and again to what purpose? And here's an example.

I thought about this is a while ago and We were out to dinner with somebody and this person was about the most self-serving person I would say I had known in a long time and we were with a bunch of people our kids and whatnot and we went out to dinner and This person was only in it for himself.

It was a him and The thing that struck me and he ruined our dinner because all he cared about was what he he was hungry what he wanted to eat and how fast he could eat what he wanted to eat whether We either wanted to or not wanted to or whether it affect us or not, it was so self-serving that it destroyed the whole dinner and.

And I thought about I've never forgotten that and it really is a demonstration of what we do when we don't care. We just don't have any interest in it. It's the only thing that we care about.

Selfishness.

And so as we think about these things and this is this is why when you read the scriptures to me It's so important that we don't rush through. Take them piece by piece try to try to expand them in your mind.

Okay, what is what is same care mean? What is greeting me? What is a loving me all these different aspects of of these things in the one and others and I think it's important for us To understand that now in the context here if you were to read in first crit.

Well, we put this way first Corinthians was written to a church in Corinth. That's a blessed church, wasn't it? And Paul says that in the opening of the book you are blessed above. But so many others well one of the reasons why Paul writes first Corinthians as well second for this but in first Corinthians He writes it because although they were blessed Although they were privileged Although they were gifted.

They had a lot of issues didn't they? I mean brother Keats spent Probably two years on preaching at first Corinthians, right? Remember what he said in the very beginning. He said we're going to deal with a Problem church, right?

And if you think about it as Paul's working through first Corinthians He's dealing with this whole thing. And what were the problems? How did they manifest themselves? Well, there were. That Was certainly manifested but what what what was Part and parcel with all there were divisions member.

I'm Paul. I'm a Paul. I'm a Cephas. I'm over palace. There were divisions. There were schisms. There was disunity. They demonstrated that they did not have the same care for one another but they used Outward things.

To justify their actions and again. Those that were in many ways different from their little group. They had no interest in them same thing. They did not have the same care for mother right because and so again when you have the same care for somebody.

You become selfless because you're looking to provide Versus when you're selfish you could care less just like I said They can throw all the jello, you know, we ran out of toilet paper during the COVID thing.

Why do we run out of jello? But anyway when you think about it and Paul's leading through first Corinthians and we get through specifically first Corinthians 12 to first Corinthians 14 Paul is dealing with very Pointed issues he dealt with the incest issue in chapter 5 right in other issues chapter 6 about them suing one another and all these things and as he works through it and now he's coming through it in this area of gifting.

And they have wrong understanding with that. They they were gifted but they use their gifts in a wrong way to the wrong end. Right and when you start doing that you lose any care that you have and you will make no provision For anybody else but yourself and and then again everybody else that's in your little group, right?

So.

As we think about these things and as we come to it And as you think about what Paul is doing is a couple of things. I want to focus on in just a few minutes. One is this. There are diversities in a body just as Paul uses the examples is diversities in our body, right?

But one of the keys for us to understand as to both why and to what purpose is.

That.

If you think about it, it all must be understood clearly. Under the under the headship Lordship of the Spirit of God. I want to just focus in on that. So Look at it in. Even in verse 3 he says no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

Verse 4 now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit and then if you come down to Verse 7 but the manifestation of the Spirit again that's the person of the Spirit of God is given to each man and if you look at verse 8 to 1 is given the word of wisdom how through the Spirit and The word of knowledge how through the Spirit and to another faith by the same Spirit and to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit and you can continually read through this section.

In verse 11 1 and the same Spirit works all these things. Distributing to each one individually as he wills. And as you read through these verses. You will see that everything is under the direction of the Spirit of God and so if you and I Do not demonstrate Biblical care for one another then I submit to you.

We are grieving the Spirit of God. It's not just an issue of like or dislike it's not just an issue of I. Could I might it's a command and to and to violate that is really to offend God. That's one of the ways I believe we agreed the Spirit of God.

We do not do what the Spirit of God has called us to do. And so, you know, we use things and we put things in categories, I think. Well, um, I don't do this and I don't do that. Therefore. I'm being led by the Spirit of God.

And and that's great. What about the things? What about the positive things that we are commanded to do and and I believe these one and others are commanded us. It's it's not optional. You know, you can say well, you know, I don't I don't go to the bar.

Okay.

Good God bless you, but but that doesn't necessarily mean we're fulfilling our responsibility. Does it? Absolutely, right and and again you think about that. Um, it's not. We need forgiveness not only for what we we don't do that we ought to do.

But for doing what we ought not to do right and what it and one of the things that that we don't do too Very often is do what the Spirit of God has commanded us to do. And so I wanted to highlight that because I think it's essential if we're gonna show care for one another we're really gonna have to work through the issue that We are charged as God's people.

We are privileged as God's people and and we are If you will put in each other's Pathway by divine purpose Just think about that. I mean we could every one of us can go through a story how it wound up here.

So Jack and Shirley been here, you know 430 years. And some of us have been here a couple years some of us might have been here six months and some of us might just Been there come in today, but here's the thing.

Nothing is random. Again for us who believe in the sovereignty of God we have been put in each other's path by the design of the Spirit of God in order that we might fulfill the Responsibility given to us by the Spirit of God and especially in these areas of caring for one another.

So again It's not random. It's purposeful it's designed and You know wanted to get to that point and right understanding. I believe we have to learn to be Submissive. Right certainly in a relationship if you care for your wife you got to be submissive right and if you care for your husband gonna be submissive and and the children have to be submissive parent and even the parents have To be submissive to the children to their to their needs and to their and to some extent to their wants and their designs.

Right.

So this whole area is that you and I would have the same care for one another because We are charged to have the same care for one another and in order to do that. We don't have to be Submissive to that command whether we like it or not.

Right, and that's one of the things we struggle with. We we struggle with this whole area of Doing what we like rather than what we should do. Right. I mean, I love to go fishing. I was just talking about Lee and brother Mike about yesterday.

I went fishing and just for a little bit and I enjoyed myself and it's a pleasure and I make provision for it. I make sure I got my. I Broke one of my poles yesterday. No, it's terrible. I did cry.

But.

I make provision I make sure I have my poles and I have my pole holes in my bait box and I was good ready to roll so I made provision. And again there has to be this thought in our minds friends that It is so important.

That we understand that God has ordained that we ought to be together. It's not forever I mean we will be. I'm not talking about eternity, right? Because I said that we said at all time you think you used to me because you're gonna see me for a while and.

But we have been put together for a very specific purpose at this point every single one of us and that leads us into this whole idea of The diversity issue that I find it interesting by the way. That's that's the big buzzword today, right?

Well, one of the buzzwords is we need to have diversity. Diversity is strength. Diversity is this. Diversity is that. And then we go and totally mess up what that means. Right because what do we do with with with that whole thing?

We start putting people in the very buckets that Paul says we ought not to put a man, right? And what's the result we bite and devour one another? And we fight over it. Generational interest. It is I mean if we could we could define if we would enlist Categories of things that cause us to do that.

It would be amazing how many things we come up with certainly generational things right. Age. Background education. Interest prosperity. Vocation.

Even the way we talk.

Goodness, I don't know how many people still and I you know. Y 'all know I'm a Yankee and I'm trying my best to not be seen as a Yankee, but I'm a Yankee. You tell him baby absolutely. And that's not really.

Yeah, yes we do and we do it to an end that we might. To what you said sister is that we have a tendency to gravitate towards those that Fit our mindset, right? But remember if we go back to that thought that the spirit himself Has put the members in the body as it pleased him.

Not as it pleased us, but as it pleased him it changes the mindset right again.

Yes.

Right we create all kinds of fences and boundaries and and. Somebody sent me a text the other day. Some of you guys are gonna laugh because you're already sort of stuck. Somebody sent me a text yesterday that said I saw a bumper sticker on the back of the car and someone says I missed the Bronx.

So so then it goes on it says. So I broke into the car stole the radio and I left a note that said.

I hope this helps.

So when you think about.

But yeah. We come up with all these all these things in our own mind to to keep us and again one of the keys is why? Because we are bound together by the Spirit of God because God has called every one of us into his kingdom and God has purposed that our diversities would be a Strengthening for unity not disunity.

And again, that's why I think in society we get it so.

Wrong.

Because we go back to what you just said we we we they don't look like me. They don't smell like me. They don't like Jell-o I like Joe kind of you know kind of that kind of thing and and it's so bad and we need to get away from.

It so.

Many things right? They don't dress like me. Don't talk like me. They don't think like I do. They have the same interest. Paul blows this all away as we work through it because he starts talking about the body.

And it makes such perfect sense and he says in such clear language. If the foot you'd say because I'm not a hand. I'm not of the body. Is it therefore not in the body? Basically, I can almost hear Paul saying come on.

If if the ear should say because I'm not an eye I'm out of the body. Is it there for another body? Come on? If the body were if the whole body were an eye where would be the hearing. If the whole we're here and where would be the smelling.

But now verse 18 is such a key verse, but now God has sent the members each one of them in the body just as he pleased and If they were all one member, where would the body be? And again, if you think about that that that's there's such a.

There's So much wisdom in it because it's so it's so Clearly before us and yet we ignore the very things in nature. That God intend is to teach us spiritual things, right? You know, we always go to that verse the heavens declare the glory of God and firmament shows us what this handiwork.

Well, guess what? All the creation declares the glory of God not just the heavens and the Sun and the moon and the stars in the oceans. You and me it's our bodies. It's it's it's it's all of it put together and we really need to to think about it and it's such a strong illustration.

If you think about it, I'll care for each other. Should be even as was mentioned and it should be it should be strong and it should not be Managed by us. I'm not saying we ought not to do something, but I'm saying we're not the.

We're not the one who writes the agenda. God has already written that agenda right. Christ died for his people. And so our care for one another has to be strong and has to be even if you look at verse 25 and here's really where we get to the point of.

One of the great reasons of why this should happen and to what end first 25 that there should be no schism in the body. But that the all but that the members should have the same care for one another.

So again as we said we're greeting. And then all the other one another's I should greet you as I greet you as I greet you and you should greet me as. Again and it doesn't that doesn't destroy the fact that we are all different, right?

Because there are things that bind us together. There there are those areas of age. I mean. It's it's a little more difficult for someone who's a little bit older. Maybe to have the show the same camp for someone that's a little bit younger because we think that they're just not smart as us.

And there are differences and there are interests and there are there are many other factors but We need to work through that right because in essence God's Word is colorblind. If you understand what I mean, right it ought to be are we like that?

Or again, are we. Let me ask you to think about this rain just just feel are we more like the Pharisees than we think. That's that's a big question for all of us to take home and to digest. Am I I'm I am so opposed to the Pharisees, right?

But am I a Pharisee and maybe it's not in a religious way. But but maybe it's in in the way I live my life or the way I don't live my life. But we were you gonna say something.

Okay Yeah.

Yeah, I'm in the long time gone. I think I missed this. I'm a long time ago that they say I Don't know who they are, but they have their own office. It says the Bureau of a and and they say that you form an opinion of somebody within three seconds of meeting them and.

What do we use to do that? We use appearance we might use. He talks like a Yankee. They live close to me well, they live over there anyway three seconds and and if and we don't know the fact. We still form some code, but in three seconds.