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Sermons

June 30, 2019

Baptized Into the Body of Christ by the Spirit

Dave Zuleger (South Campus) | 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many.1 Corinthians 12:12–14 

Introduction: We Have the Whole Holy Spirit

We have talked about the ministry of the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell inside of us to remind us that we have a new a new home in Jesus. He dwells inside of us to point us toward Jesus at the points where we used to turn toward sinful satisfactions. The Holy Spirit also makes spiritually dead people alive to see Jesus as beautiful and as a Savior instead of boring and silly. Jesus said, “You must be born again,” and it is the Spirit that does this work to make blind people see.

And this week we’re going to look at how we are baptized in the Spirit into the body of Christ.

This is the promise of the New Covenant: For all who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, he sends the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of them. The fullness of God dwells in us! It should cause us to pause in wonder that the Holy Spirit has made his home in us.

In the Old Testament, we often see the Holy Spirit come upon a certain person—a prophet, or priest, or king—for ministry purposes. But, the promise of the New Covenant is that the Holy Spirit dwells inside every believer. John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would come and usher in a new era of the Holy Spirit: 

“I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”—Mark 1:8

We have the whole Holy Spirit dwelling in us. There are some that would seek a second experience of the Holy Spirit that would mark having the full Holy Spirit or a second blessing. But, we don’t believe that here at Bethlehem. We believe that the promise of the New Covenant is that if you are trusting in Christ you have the whole Holy Spirit.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”—Ezekiel 36:26–27

And if that is true, then we should be encouraged by the power and presence of God among us individually and as a body.

We’ve looked at the Holy Spirit as the one who causes individuals to go from spiritually dead to alive. We’ve looked at the Holy Spirit as the one who acts as our individual comforter to point us home toward Jesus. But, the New Testament also teaches us that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit in such a way that brings us into a family—into a body.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.—1 Corinthians 12:12–14 

The particular body we are baptized into in the Spirit is the body of Christ. We, as the people of God are the representation of Christ from the time he ascended to heaven until the time he returns. His blood-bought family is his blood-bought body here on earth. 

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.—Acts 1:1

Luke, the writer of Acts, says that in his first book, the Gospel of Luke, he dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. So, now that Jesus is gone, how will he continue to do things and teach? 

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now … But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”—Acts 1:4–5, 8

He will do that as he baptizes a people with the Holy Spirit and into the body of Christ—to continue to witness to the work of Christ. In Acts 2 we see the Church begin among the Jews as they are baptized with the Spirit and speak of the mighty works of God. We see the Church start among the Gentiles when the apostles come down to baptize them in the Holy Spirit in Acts 8.

In fact, in Acts, the Holy Spirit is the promised presence of God and power of God to all who will trust in Jesus.

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”—Acts 2:38

We are meant to see that we live in a new age of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the people of God for ministry as a fulfillment of what was promised in the Old Testament:

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”—Acts 2:17–18 (from Joel 2)

So we who trust in Christ are baptized in the Spirit of God into the body of Christ to continue the spread of Christ to the world. I want you to feel the weight of that commission this morning and then feel the confidence of the power and presence of God among us because we have the whole Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Enables Our Unity in the Body of Christ

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.—1 Corinthians 12:12–14

Here, we see that just as the body is one and has many members—eyes, feet, noses, hands, and toes—so it is with Christ. The body is meant to work together because it is one.

What unites the body of Christ? What brings about unity in the people bought by the blood of Jesus? That we are baptized in one Spirit. That’s the picture. A group of diverse people who all have been drenched or immersed in the Holy Spirit. Or at least it should make a difference. That we have the Holy Spirit working among us, transforming us, changing us, keeping us—it should make a difference.

The Corinthians are divided. They are fighting over which preacher they like best. They are letting sin go unchecked. They are suing each other in court. They are dividing over spiritual gifts. They are dividing over gender roles. The Lord’s Supper is even dividing them.

What is the way that they can act as the one body of Christ and not a divided group of people? How can they use their gifts in love and not jealousy? Paul says it is the power of the Holy Spirit. The fundamental thing that unites this group of people is that they have been immersed in the Holy Spirit and therefore are set apart into the body of Christ for the cause of Christ.

Paul is saying that these classic things that often define, divide, and create different statuses and classes of people—ethnicity and economics—need not divide anymore in the one body of Christ because we share the one Spirit of Christ. Every person in the body is baptized in the one Spirit of Christ. Everyone is needed in the same way in the body of Christ. Everyone is necessary in the body of Christ. No secondary status or value should divide the body of Christ. Rather, the Holy Spirit baptizes the people of God in order to make much of Jesus. He’s the treasure we love by the Spirit, and he’s the one we proclaim by the Spirit. We are his body. 

Bethlehem, would you lay down your secondary preferences and stop being divisive with them and instead let the Holy Spirit and the cause of Christ be what defines us? In a world that is divided in so many ways, we have great hope to be united. Do you believe that what defines you most is that you have been purchased by the blood of Jesus and baptized in the Spirit into the body of Jesus? Is that your highest priority? I’m serious. This is a big deal. We’ve forgotten the beauty and stunning reality of what defines us as Christians.

We divide over secondary issues and attack each other over these things. We divide over politics as if that is what saves us. We divide over health choices and education choices as if they could save. We divide over third-tier theological applications. We divide when we are hurt by others as if the church is not a place made up of sinners. We need to do better and act like a people immersed together in the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ. When we divide over these things it causes pain in the body. When a member of the body is hurting, it means we can’t be all we are called to be for the cause of the work of Christ.

Now, most of the time when we think of our bodies, our toes don’t get much credit. But, these last few weeks one of the joints on one of my toes has been messed up. It’s been really painful. And it’s made it hard to walk and hard to sleep and hard to concentrate, which has had an effect on my whole body and how I function. 

This is how it is in the body of Christ. We are one body, baptized by one Spirit, to carry out the one mission of Christ. When one part is cast aside, or hurting, or when the body is divided and not working all together how it is supposed to, things don’t go well. 

We begin to play unrelated, uncoordinated solos all over the place—like a worship team singing all different songs—instead of coming together for a beautiful harmony that shows the world our unity as the body of Christ in the Spirit of Christ. We begin to be divided over preferences and past hurts instead of uniting and rejoicing in one another’s gifts and differences. We let bitterness reign instead of forgiveness.

So, if you find yourself at odds with others in the body, ask for forgiveness or grant forgiveness. We are one body. We are the body of Christ. Christ should not be divided. His blood has purchased our oneness and his Spirit empowers it.  

Would you take a moment right now and pray for God to make your heart “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4) among this body? Even now, would you resolve to rejoice in the oneness you share in Christ with this blood-bought family at the South Campus? We are the one body of Christ meant to be on mission together for the cause of Christ. 

The Spirit Empowers Our Ministry as the Body of Christ 

And all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.—1 Corinthians 12:13–14 

So, Paul has talked about how all have been immersed or drenched in the one Spirit of Christ into the body of Christ and now he says all “drink of one Spirit.” This idea of drinking has a kind agricultural idea of the water that comes and supplies what the plant needs to grow. The diverse members of the one body are all dependent on the empowerment of the Spirit. 

Now, notice when a band or orchestra plays or a choir sings and you hear the beautiful harmony happen, it is not that everyone is playing the exact same note. It is that the distinct notes come together as one for a beautiful song. 

And in this analogy, in the body of Christ, the Spirit that unites us does not do away with our differences, but unites us in the body of Christ and then empowers us toward the one common goal of advancing the kingdom of Christ. We need to drink of the Spirit. There is too much that needs to be done and the problems are too great without the power of the Holy Spirit.

I long for us to be a place that cares for each other well. That means we need small group leaders and counselors and mentors and elders and deacons and prayer team members to rise up among us. I long for us to be a place that reaches out to the neighborhoods and the nations with the gospel. That means we need evangelists and global partners and church planters to rise up among us. I long for us to be a place where our little ones are safe and love Jesus. That means we need nursery workers and Sunday School teachers and faithful parents to rise up among us. I long for us to be a place that is welcoming and loving. That means we need greeters, ushers, Information Desk workers, coffee-makers, and potluck food-bringers to rise up among us. I long for us to be a church that seeks the good of the community around us. That means we need people who have a heart for refugees, immigrants, the poor, the outcast, and those involved in human trafficking to rise up among us.

We all drink of one Spirit, but we all are called to different things. Don’t be mad if everyone doesn’t feel called to your thing, but encourage their calling. 

That is too much for any one of us to do, and it is too much for us to do in our own strength. But, God has empowered the many parts of the body to move forward as one by the power of the Spirit—and by his empowering grace, it can happen.

Application: We Long for More of the Spirit

So, feel the weight and the excitement of what God has done in your life if you’re trusting in Christ. He’s given you the whole Holy Spirit and put you in the body of Christ to continue the work of Jesus to advance his kingdom.

This is the will of God for your life. This is what God is doing in your life. He means for you, by the blood of Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to advance the kingdom of Christ as part of the body of Christ. He means to enable our unity and empower our ministry together as one body moving forward together for the sake of Christ. You are needed here. We are one body. We have the whole Holy Spirit. I want you to know that you have the whole Holy Spirit all the time and are empowered for the cause of Christ, wherever you are. 

And yet, even though we have the whole Holy Spirit, we long for more of his presence and his power among us.

And the New Testament has a category for this—it’s called being “filled with the Spirit.” This is a time where God supplies more of the power and presence of the Spirit to glorify the name of Christ through and among his people (see Acts 4:8, 4:31, 13:9). 

And I bring this up here to stoke your expectation for what we hope happens as we gather together as a body: 

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.—Ephesians 5:18–21

What are we doing as we gather to worship as the body of Christ baptized in the Spirit of Christ? We are asking the Lord to fill us with the Spirit. And the parallel with drunkenness here is helpful, because it helps us understand what “being filled with the Spirit” means. It means to be under the influence of the Spirit. It means to have the Spirit controlling our actions and mindsets and hearts to give thanks to him. 

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?—Galatians 3:5

Notice, that for Christians, God still supplies the Spirit in fresh way as they trust him more. 

How do we understand this? Here is an analogy. Today is our anniversary. The status of our marriage hasn’t changed over those 12 years. We’ve been married the whole time. And yet, we haven’t just settled for that status quo. We’ve tried to know each other more, to understand each other more, to love each other better, to have deeper fellowship and joy. We want to be on the same page and live life together well for the same purposes. We want to experience more and more of the fullness of all that marriage offers. I love the ever-advancing fullness of knowing Kelly.

So it is with Christ. We are married to Jesus. We are baptized in the Spirit into one body. We belong to him. Yet, we want to experience the ever-advancing joy and fullness of knowing Jesus. We want to be on the same page with him in every moment and live life for his purposes. We don’t want to settle for the status quo. We want more of his presence and power for the further advance of his name. We want to be more and more under the influence of the Spirit, controlled by him for the sake of Christ every second of our life. 

We want to see God do big things—mountain-moving type things of reaching our neighborhoods and the nations with the gospel. Mountain-moving type things like sustaining people in suffering or healing people from suffering. Mountain-moving things like working forgiveness in hearts. We’ve seen him do it, and we want to see him do it again.

And we believe the Bible teaches us that as we devote ourselves to the Word and prayer individually and as a blood-bought family, God loves to fill his Spirit-baptized people with more of his Spirit for the sake of his Name. We belong to God and he is faithful. He will not let us go. We have the whole Holy Spirit. And we long for more.