For the Scripture reading, we turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. We read this in connection with the instruction of the Catechism in Lorsay 21, question and answer 55 on the communion of the saints. Let's read the whole chapter, and the focus this morning as we look at The catechism is going to be on verses 24 through 27. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore, I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, But it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all, to profit everyone. For to one is given by the Spirit the word, the utterance of wisdom. To another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. To another, faith by the same spirit. To another, the gifts of healing by the same spirit. To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, discerning of spirits. To another, diverse kinds of tongues. to another the interpretation of tongues, but all these worketh that one and the self same spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, the human body, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. For the body, the human body, is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, 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? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set, now hath God appointed 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, now we start paying closer attention here if we can. 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 hath tempered the body together. having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the member should have the same care, the mutual anxiousness, 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 it's talking about the human body. Now he says, now ye are the body of Christ. and members in particular. And God hath set, God hath appointed some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities 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 tongues? Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." So far we read God's holy and infallible Word. It's on the basis of this passage of Scripture and on the basis of many passages that we have the instruction of Lord's Day 21 of the Catechism, question and answer 55. We're looking at the Apostles' Creed, we're looking at what true faith believes. Jesus as our Savior delivers us from our sins by giving us a true faith. Now the question is, what does that true faith believe? And we've been working through the articles of the Apostles' Creed to see what that true faith believes. And now we come to the article on the communion of saints. What do you understand by the communion of saints? First, that all and everyone who believes, being members of Christ, are, in common, partakers of Him and of all His riches and gifts. Secondly, that everyone must know it to be his duty, readily and cheerfully, to employ his gifts for the advantage and salvation of other members. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the last time we were in the Catechism, we looked at question and answer 54, and we looked at what we believe concerning the Holy Catholic Church. We looked at the idea of the church, and we looked at that idea under the figure of a city, the church as a city. If you remember, we looked at Psalm 87, which we already sang this morning, and we looked at what the church is as the city of God, the city that God has founded, first of all, in his eternal decree of election, and second of all, which God has founded through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, And then we also looked at this church as the city which God has chosen for his dwelling place. To dwell with his peculiar people, people whom he gathers from Ethiopia, from Egypt, from Tyre, from Philistia. People born from every nation, tongue, and tribe. So that they are regenerated in the church and their life is found in the church. This morning, we come to the next question and answer on the communion of saints, and this morning we're going to make use of another, a different figure for the church, the church now as a body, the church as the body Christ. I think we're all very familiar with that figure. We just read a whole chapter on that figure. Just as a human body is made up of many different parts, eyes and ears and a mouth and hands and arms and legs and feet, and yet all these different individual parts of the body are united into one whole, And just as the human body has that one whole, yet with many parts, is fearfully and wonderfully made, intricately put together, just so it is with the church. The church is a body, like a human body, that has many parts, many members, and very different members, just as different as the hand from the eye. Members from all different backgrounds, all different gifts, members with all different gifts and talents, and yet they're all united as members of one body. They're all united to Jesus Christ in that personal relationship of friend, that bond of faith, by which we're united to Christ, and then by virtue of that union to Christ, we're also personally united to each other. United according to God's eternal decree, put together in the body just as God has set us, just as it has pleased God. Well, I think we're all very familiar with that figure. What we want to do this morning is go a little bit deeper with that figure and dwell on the idea of how the church as a body is tempered together. We come across that word in verse 24. of 1 Corinthians 12, and that's what we want to look at this morning, what the church is as a tempered body. And I think that's very fitting for us as we look at the communion of the saints because that's what this idea is talking about, the communion of the saints. So that's our focus this morning. We want to focus on that idea of the communion of the saints by making heavy use of the inspired words of 1 Corinthians 12. verses 24 through 27. We take as our theme this morning, communion of the saints being tempered together. And we look at that theme under three points. First, we look at what that tempering is. We look at that sacred union. That's the first point, a sacred tempering. Second, we see that this is a tempering that forbids schism. And then third, we look at how this is a tempering that requires care. If you have your Bibles open with me, we're going to be working through these verses in 1 Corinthians 12 as we look at the instruction of the catechism. In 1 Corinthians 12 verse 24, the apostle writes, for our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. That's verse 24. Then in verse 27, the apostle clarifies what he's focusing on. He says, now ye, now you are the body of Christ. So the idea is that we as members of the body of Christ have been tempered together, just as the different parts of a body have been tempered together. We have been tempered together in a sacred tempering. Well, the question we immediately face is this, what is tempering? Children, let me ask you. Young people, I can even ask you, do you know what tempering is? What this word is talking about in verse 24? Well, it's used in the Old Testament as well when it talks about really mixing the different ingredients for the sacrifices at the temple. The word tempered here in the text, or in verse 24, has the idea of to mix together, to mingle, or to unite. To mix several parts together so that they combine into one united structure. They combine together in order to make one organic, living, united whole. That's the word tempered. To mix together to become one. For example, think of your mother doing some baking in the kitchen, perhaps. She's making chocolate chip cookies, and she has to get all these different ingredients, and she has to mix them together in a bowl, and she mixes them so that they're so mixed together that you can't separate them from each other anymore. It's one big glob of ingredient. That's the idea of being tempered together. For another example, this is really how steel is made. By bringing iron and carbon together under high temperatures, you get them to mix together so that you have the steel as the product. And then what you can do is you can make different kinds of steel that are made up of slightly different ingredients. You have a harder steel and you can have a softer steel, and then what you can do is you can mix them together. And by mixing and mingling different steels together, you can make the kind of steel that is perfect just for your purpose. So for example, you're trying to build a sword. And so what you want, you want to have hard steel so that you can keep that nice sharp edge on the edge of the blade for cutting through hard material. But at the same time, you want soft steel. You don't want such hard steel that it's brittle so that as soon as you hit it, the sword snaps in half. So you mix hard and soft together in a very careful way, tempering steel, you can use it that way, mixing things together so that they're blended, bonded together in a very intimate way. For another example of tempering, just think of how the apostle uses the word here in 1 Corinthians 12. The body, the human body is something that is tempered. And what the apostle means is this. Look at all the different parts of the body. All different ingredients, you might say. All different parts of the body. And they're all unique. The hand is much different than the eye. And the ear is working much different than the leg or the foot. And yet God has brought these very different parts together so perfectly, so that while they remain unique, and they're all different from each other, they're also intimately united together to each other. Not only is the hand connected to the head, Not only is the eye connected to the head, not only is the foot connected to the head, but the hand is also connected to the eye and connected to the foot, together, so that they share one life. They're in fellowship with each other, so that in their fellowship, what you have now is a body, a united body. And you can't really have a body without that kind of unity, without that kind of fellowship among the different members of the body. The body is tempered together. And if you think about how the body is tempered together, it really is a striking thing to think about. Because the body is made up of all different kinds of parts, isn't it? There are strong parts, like your hand maybe, and there are very delicate and feeble parts, we might say, like our eyes. There are comely parts, beautiful parts, the apostle says, and there are also those parts that are less comely. That's verse 22. Members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. all the different parts of the body, whether they're strong, or feeble, or delicate, or comely, or uncomely, they're all put together, and they're all necessary. Verse 23, he writes, 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. And what he's saying there in verse 23 is this, look, your body parts are looking out for each other. So that if I think that I have unattractive feet, what do I do? I don't cut off my feet, but I adorn my feet with beautiful sandals or beautiful shoes. Or maybe I think I have unattractive hair, or maybe there's that sensitive skin at the top of my head because I'm bald. What do I do? Well, I take the care to put on a hat. I put on nice clothes. I put on appropriate garments to cover my midsection. And the point is, look, your body is so tempered together, so mingled and mixed together, that the beautiful parts of the body are actually looking out for the less beautiful parts. The stronger parts of the body are taking care to look out for the weaker parts of the body, because the body knows. We need those less comely parts and we need those more feeble parts. And so the body as a perfectly united whole is looking out for itself. The comely parts and the uncomely parts are so tempered together that they're fitting each other perfectly. They exist and function together and they care for each other. Think of it this way. What if the different parts of your body had this attitude? What if your face had the attitude that said, well, I'm so beautiful, but look at those lowly feet. They're not beautiful. Let me simply cut off those feet and be rid of them. They're spoiling my beauty. What if the hand said, well, I wish I was as beautiful as the colorful eye, but I'm not. So maybe I should just sulk here and do nothing because, well, I'm not the eye. That would be horrible. But that's not how it is, because the body is so tempered, it's so united. There's such fellowship and unity among the members of the body that they're all serving each other, caring for each other. Even those more feeble parts or more uncomely parts, we don't look down upon them, we help them. We pay maybe even special attention to them so that they are honored. We clothe them and bestow upon them honor. That's what it means to be tempered together. Well, of course, the focus of the apostle here and the focus of the Lord's Day, of this article, of this question and answer, is not on the human body. The focus is on the church and on the communion of the saints. And the point is this, just as it is with the physical body, just so it is with the church of Jesus Christ. Now, ye are the body of Christ and members in particular, says in verse 24, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. You see, that's the communion of the saints, what we've been describing. God has so tempered the individual members of the body of Jesus Christ. God has so united us together, so mingled us, and so mixed us together, that though we are all distinct persons and distinct parts, Nevertheless, we are brought together into a real, organic, living union with each other. Not only is there my own individual connection to the head, Jesus Christ, through the bond of faith, so that I'm a partaker of Christ and of all his benefits, we all know that, but there is also this, I'm intimately united to the other members of the Church of Jesus Christ in just the same way as the parts of a human body are connected to each other. And the point is, God has so tempered us together that by His grace and by His Spirit, we live towards each other in just the same way that the parts of a human body live towards each other. All different members there are in the body of Christ, in the church of Christ. There are outwardly stronger members and outwardly weaker members. There are more comely parts to the body and less comely parts. We're not identical. Some have this gift that these people lack. And these people over here have a gift that these first people lack. And God has put us so perfectly together that we fit. We fit like a body. Everyone has his place. and everyone has his gift. That's being tempered together. And where there are uncomely parts, we don't have the attitude, well, let's just cut off those parts of the body. No, we give them even special attention. We bestow upon them more abundant honor so that the whole body enjoys honor together. The whole body understands we all need each other. That's how God has framed us together, fearfully and wonderfully made. We need the eyes for seeing. We also need the feet for walking. We need the ears for hearing. We need these members. We need these members. And everyone has their place. There might even be those parts of the body where we wonder why we need those things. I think about my human body. Why do I need my pinky finger? Why do I need my pinky toe? It's such a small member anyway. And then I say to myself, well, I love my pinky finger. I love my pinky toe. And when I stub my pinky toe against the wall, then I don't say, oh, stupid pinky toe, I hate my pinky toe. No, but I cry. The pain from the pinky toe shoots through the whole body. And then maybe I say next time, maybe I should wear shoes. I'm looking out for that little member of the body. That's how it is in the church. That's what we mean by the communion of the saints. Now what's worth emphasizing in the first point of the sermon is this, this communion of the saints we're talking about, this tempering of the body is sacred. It's a sacred tempering. And it's a sacred tempering precisely because this is something God has done. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 24, for our comely parts have no need but God. but God hath tempered the body together. We don't bring about the communion of the saints. The church as the body of Christ is not man's doing. This is God's doing. First of all, it's God's doing when God ordained what the church should be in eternity. And God ordained not just the church as this body, but he ordained every single part of the body He ordained the place in the church for every single individual member of the church. He ordained the communion of the saints. So that this figure that he's using in Scripture is perfect of the body, head and all the parts of the body. Second of all, it's God's doing when God purchased the legal right for the communion of the saints through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When man fell into sin, man didn't deserve any communion anymore with anyone. Man didn't deserve the life of communion. He didn't deserve to enjoy the life of fellowship and unity that we enjoy in the church of Jesus Christ. Man didn't deserve the bond of love that we now enjoy with Jesus and that we enjoy with each other as fellow members of the body. But God purchased it for his people through the atoning, sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. And then third of all, it's God's doing, it's a sacred tempering, because it's God's doing through Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, when He works this communion, He establishes it, and He realizes it in the life of the congregation. uniting the elect children of God to Jesus Christ and to each other. It's the Holy Spirit. That's where we are in the Apostles' Creed, right? God the Father and our creation, God the Son and our redemption, and now we're in the third section, God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification. This is the work of God the Holy Spirit who brings about this union of the communion of the saints. It's the Holy Spirit who not only joins each individual member of the body to the head but also who mixes and mingles and tempers all the members of the church with each other. That's the communion of the saints. And the point is twofold. First of all, the point is this. We're reminded again that the church is God's handiwork. We don't make the church. The church is not man's handiwork. This is not man's church. It's not my church. This is God's church. It's not your church. This is God's doing. And second of all, the point is this. That makes this union. sacred. That makes the communion of the saints, something we enjoy, something maybe we take for granted as something we experience all the time, it makes it sacred. It's holy. It's precious. And this is true not just for the universal church, right? The application here isn't just for my communion of the saints with those on the other side of the earth, as if we say, yes, I'm tempered together with all believers throughout the world in this invisible bond. No, but the application is, the reality is, this is also true for me and for my place right here in the local church, as the local church is a manifestation of the universal church. And if you look at 1 Corinthians, the whole book, this is really the context. This is really why the Apostle Paul is writing this whole chapter on the communion of the saints for the saints in Corinth. Paul is saying, you saints in Corinth, in the local congregation at Corinth, God has tempered you together. with each other right in that local church. God has made you a church. He has made you the body of Christ. God has not only united you to Jesus Christ, your own, you might say personal salvation, but God has united you to each other. This is what God has done, the church in Corinth. And your calling is to work out and live out that communion of the saints right there in your local congregation. And for the saints at Corinth, they needed a lot of work. We'll look at that in a moment. I think that's relevant. Because I think sometimes there's the temptation for us to think to ourselves, I just wish I could handpick the members of my own church. You know, take these people that I like from over here, maybe take these people that I like from over here, and we can bring each other together, and we can make up our own church. Right? Well, that might seem like a nice idea, but beloved, that's very man-centered. That's treating the church as if it's man's church, my church. Because the reality is, only God can temper a church together. Only God can actually fit you together in a way where you truly fit together the way you're supposed to. That's exactly what he's dealing with in the church at Corinth. Don't split up. Recognize your place in the body and the place of others. It's a sacred tempering. This is God's work. And that means I depend upon him for that tempering, and that means that I I treat the tempering that He has done here in this church as a holy and a precious thing. Well, that leads us nicely into the second point of the sermon. It's a sacred tempering, and therefore it's a tempering that forbids schism. That comes straight from the text. Actually, multiple times in this letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle uses that word schism. It's translated in other passages as divisions. but it's the same word. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 25, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. The point is, we must not try to disrupt, attack, or undermine the communion of the saints, the tempering of the body through schism. Now, what is schism? Well, the English word schism comes straight from the Greek word. The Greek word is schisma. It's the same word. And the word means a division. As I said, it's translated in other passages. Actually, if you look at chapter 11, verse 18. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions, that there be schisms. among you." It's used there, it's also used in chapter 1. And the word means a division, or it means a tear, like tearing a piece of fabric in half. Schism is that act, it's the sin of making division in the body of Christ, trying to separate what God has joined together. That's schism. And schism takes on many different forms. As I already said, this was a serious problem in the church at Corinth. You know of it. There were many in the church who had this kind of party spirit. I'm of Paul. I'm of Apollos. I'm of Cephas. I'm of Peter. And there was division. There was this clique in church over here. There was this clique in church over here. And there was division. They were each thinking to themselves, my clique is better than their clique. My people are better than those people. and they're all part of the same body. That's schism. Whenever you have this idea, let's make a little church within the church. That's schism. Think about it this way. Let's make a little body, a little full human being right here in this part of my physical body. That's weird. That's what schism is. It's division. It's dividing up the body. Schism takes on the form of talking about others as either conservatives or liberals. That family in the church is liberal. And then maybe the person on the other side says, well, that family who says they're liberal, that family is legalistic. And you make division. No, we're all part of the same body. We're all part of the same family, all part of the same household of faith. And to use different terms that way, making that division is schismatic. It's dividing what God has put together. Schism can also take place this way, right? My own personal attitudes that I pity myself when I say, I'm not the I. I wish I was the I, but I'm not the I. And then he says, well, since I'm not the I, then I'm not gonna be part of the body. Or he says, I'm going to be the I if I'm going to be part of this body. That's schismatic. That's really where schism begins, right? Schism begins when I'm dissatisfied with the place that I've been given and I start to envy others. That's what they were dealing with in the church at Corinth. I don't have the gift of speaking in tongues? Well then I'm not going to use whatever gift I have been given, I'm not going to use that for the church. I'm going to compete for that gift. Today, someone might talk this way. I want to be an office bearer. And if my name doesn't get up for nomination, well, then I might just leave and I might join another church so that I can serve as an office bearer there because I have gifts and that should be my place in the church. That's schismatic. Schism is also this, having the attitude. Well, if someone wants to have that attitude, let them go their way. He can walk out the door. We don't have any need of him. And then we say, I have no need of you. Schism is also, and that's schismatic. Schism takes place when we attack a person or the name of another member in the church. Schism takes place also when a person tries to bring false doctrine into the church. In fact, in the Bible, the word for heretic can actually be translated schismatic. That's what a heretic is. He's a schismatic, right? Three forms of unity. Orthodoxy, unity. A heretic is one who attacks that unity, tries to bring division. All such schism is forbidden. As verses 24 and 25 say, God has so fashioned the body together that not only is schism forbidden, but it's unnatural. It doesn't make sense. This is not God's doing. God has so fashioned the body that the effect is that a schismatic spirit is an alien spirit. It's a foreign spirit. This is not God's purpose, this is not God's design, and we may not allow it in the church. It's an attack on the communion of the saints. Think again of the human body. When one member of the physical body hurts, what happens? Well, the whole body hurts. Last week I was on vacation playing catch in the water and I stubbed my pinky finger playing catch. And how did my body instinctively react? Well, it instinctively reacted by going like this. Ow! Right? My whole body cradled over my pinky and wanted to protect my pinky. Think of the Olympics on TV when an Olympian has a sore muscle, just one sore muscle, one leg maybe. It affects his whole body. It affects his whole or her whole ability to compete. When one member hurts, the whole body feels it. And it's the same also when a member of the body is glorified. What happens? Well, the whole body shares in that glory. Again, my thoughts turn to the Olympics. When an Olympian wins gold in the shooting competition, what happens? It could be any sport, but I think of the shooting competition because a lot of that is just hand-eye, right? Just hand-eye. But what happens when someone wins gold? When that man or that woman stands up on the podium, it's not just his hand and his eye that get to the podium and stand on the podium. No, it's his whole body. The whole person receives the honor. You don't make division there. You don't make division in the body. And the point is, that's just how it is in the church. Just as there is that perfect love and cohesion and sympathy among the different members of the human body, because they are tempered together, just so, that's how it is, that's how it ought to be in the lives of the members of the local congregation, in the communion of the saints. If I see another member in church who has exceptional gifts, and they have those gifts for being an office bearer, or leading Bible study, or being able to bring that word of comfort to another person that maybe I, in my circumstances, just can't reach the same way, I rejoice. I'm not envious. I rejoice in that gift. That's a gift. And that kind of attitude should be automatic. That should be natural. Yes, let's build each other up. But it isn't always that way, is it? Sometimes it seems like the church suffers from like an autoimmune disease, like what some experience in their bodies. It's that the church is making war within itself. And then others don't even care about what's going on and they just walk away or turn the other way. And then we've forgotten what the church really is. And that's really false doctrine, right there, being put into practice. A different conception of the church has entered my mind than what the apostle is presenting here in sacred scripture. The point is, schism is forbidden in the church. It's not of God. It's not only unnatural, it's wicked. Really, it's unbelief, right? Because what does true faith believe? True faith says, I believe the communion of the saints. I believe this. This is an article of faith. I believe not only my own personal union to Jesus Christ, that I'm a member of Christ by faith and a partaker of all His riches and gifts, but I believe that the church, this church, has been tempered together by God. Just like the church in Corinth was tempered together by God. I believe this church has been tempered together by God. This is God's handiwork. So that by the Holy Spirit, we love one another. We care for one another. And there is a conscious awareness that we are mutually dependent on one another in this local congregation. Maybe, speaking off the cuff now, Maybe in West Michigan with all kinds of saints and all kinds of Reformed churches, we don't experience that so keenly, but that's the reality. This church, we're mutually dependent upon each other. I experienced that, I believe you do too. God has put us together as members of a body to care for each other and do each other good. And so what does that tempering require? Well, it requires care. It requires mutual care. And again, that's coming right from scripture, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 25, that there should be no schism in the body, now this, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And that language, that the members should have the same care, it could really be translated this way, that the members should have mutual, the same, mutual, anxiousness, care, right? Be careful for nothing, be anxious for nothing. That's the word there. I think that's the idea at least, mutual anxiousness. And then verse 26, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Again, that's what characterizes the human body. The different body parts have been so tempered together, mingled and mixed together, that they share one life and they care for each other. The body naturally sympathizes with itself when one member is in pain. And when the body is in good health, it's like the whole body is exulting in that good health. My body has a care for the whole body, right? What happens if my heart is at risk for a heart attack? You know what happens? The whole body starts getting up even earlier in the morning so that I have time to go to the gym and work out and get back in shape so that my heart is better off. That's the care of the members of all the body for the heart. That's mutual anxiety. That's the same care in the body. And now that's just an illustration. That's how it is in church. That's part of the communion of the saints. That's a pretty powerful comparison, isn't it? I think the catechism puts it so powerfully. A whole sermon could be devoted just to that language in the second half of Answer 55. that everyone must know it, we must know it, we must understand it, to be his duty readily and cheerfully to employ his gifts for the advantage and salvation of other members. That's strong language. I'm ready, I'm cheerful to use whatever I've been given for the advantage and salvation of the other members. But that's how it is, isn't it? In the body. The hand doesn't live for itself, the eye doesn't live for itself, the eye isn't living for the hand, and the hand isn't living for the eye, but they're living for the whole body. Because the hand and the eye both know, without the whole body, where are we? We're dead. And that's how it is in the church, mutual care and concern. A care for the whole body, and then every member in particular. The question this morning is this, is that? Here's some self-examination for me and for you. Is that what describes you? This body needs you as a member. And you might not think it, but you need the other members of the body. Are you living for the salvation, for the advantage of the other members of this body? Do you know it to be your duty? We're going to read it in the Lord's Supper form tonight and again next week. This is maybe even a step soft or a step back, but it's pretty straightforward. Have you laid aside unfeignedly, without any fakeness, have you laid aside all enmity, hatred, and envy? And do you firmly resolve, henceforward, to walk in true love and peace with your neighbor? I'll tell you this, beloved. It was an eye-opener for me last week Sunday. My family and I were on vacation. We went to a local church in Ludington just to take in the experience, right? That's an opportunity for a minister when he's on vacation, experience another church and another worship, a different worship than what we have here. But when we went through that worship service, when the worship was done I was experiencing a deep sense of grief. Because in my estimation, at least, I know it was just one worship service, so just a various snippet of a picture, but just based on the preaching, what we were witnessing in that brief moment, the church we were worshiping at appeared to be in a state of spiritual starvation and weakness. I don't need to go into the details. I know the church that I belong to isn't perfect. But as I considered all these things, I thought to myself, is this the state of the church today? My brothers and sisters in the Lord, is this what their Sabbath's day, the heart and the climax of the Sabbath day, is this what it's consisting of? Is this how many Christians are getting by? Is this in my future, if I don't count as jealous, if I don't count if I'm not jealous over the blessings God has given me. And so there was this kind of anxiousness, a grief regarding the sad state of many churches. And I thought to myself, I need to be jealous. I need to be jealous over the place God has given me here in this church. I mean, just as a member of this church. I need to be jealous over the communion of the saints here, this local body of Christ. I need to be jealous over you. And I need you to be jealous over me. And we need to have that mutual anxiety. We need to keep working together, working hard in these latter days for the advantage and salvation of the other members. And of course, we need to keep relying on God's grace and beseech God for the right spirit, for that tempering that only he can work in the church. of Jesus Christ. But I guess my point was, we must not take the communion of the saints for granted, beloved. Don't stop caring about each other. This is part of the riches of salvation given us by God in Jesus Christ to enjoy. The communion of the saints is a beautiful thing. It's an article of faith, I believe it. But as I believe it, I also know that it's real. It's real day by day in the life of the church. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve the life that I enjoy, the fullness of life among brothers and sisters who are zealous for the Lord. I don't deserve to be a partaker of Christ and all His riches and gifts. I don't deserve to be here in church among the assembly of God's people. I don't deserve this. You don't deserve this. We don't deserve this. May God give me the grace. May God give us all the grace to have these truths etched in our hearts, to have this idea of being tempered together in our hearts so that in thankfulness we appreciate what He has done, we make the most of the communion of the saints God has given us in church. May God give it in His grace. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, in Jesus Christ alone, we come before Thee asking for Thy blessing. Give us this communion of the saints. Give us Thy Spirit. Build up and increase Thy church and give us a mutual love, the same care, one for another. Unite us, knit us together in the bonds of love and build us up unto the perfection of the church, to the glory of the head of the body, Jesus Christ. to the glory of thy most holy name. Use this preaching to that end, edify us and strengthen us, lead us in thy ways, shape our thoughts so that practically we are impacted and we go in a right way. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.