“talking FEET” In The Body S10e51 1cor12:21

Feet are talking in today's passage.  That's the nice way of saying it.  They are actually complaining about three things:

1. They complain about who they are and what they do. "I'm not a part of the body!"
2. They complain about who God is and what He does "I don't like your arranging!"
3. They complain about who others are and what others do "I have no need of you!"

It is a ridiculous scene.  Feet complaining, not functioning, not cooperating, not appreciating, throwing stones at other body parts, throwing stones at their Creator and His design for the Church.  

Listen 7 minutes as we listen to the feet rant and rave in a disordered way.  We all have something that we can learn from complaining feet.  Please listen on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, or linked with an email or FB.  Then like, share, reTweet, repost so other "talking feet" out there can hear it. bewithme.us

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:00

Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to episode 51 A B with me, we're in the book of First Corinthians and today we're going to have talking feet, talking feet in the body of Christ and the feet are going to be complaining, they're going to have three complaints. One of the complaints is about themselves. I don't like the gift I've been given. The second complaint is against God himself, that I don't like the way you have arranged and appointed. And then the third complaint is about others. It's like, I don't like the gift that you have. I have no need of you and the gifts that you have. So these feet are going to offend in three ways. They're going to offend with regards to themselves and others and God Himself. All right. So here we are, this is an in a passage about unity, about spiritual unity, about gifting Unity, Unity, this is from 12, four, five and six. It says now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit variety of service, the same Lord varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all. So that's the good news. The bad news is what happens in verse 12, where a foot starts to complain. So let's listen to the foot today. We're just as the body is one is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. We're in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body, Jews are Greek, slave or free, and all were made to drink a one spirit, for the body does not consist of one member, but many. Here we go with the foot. If the foot should say, because I'm not a hand, I do not belong to the body. That would not make it any less part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I'm not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell. But as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be, as it is, there are many parts yet one body, and then here's where it complaints about another person, the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Nor again, head to the feet, I have no need of you. Okay, let's stop there. Alright, so today we have talking feet. And the first thing that foot does, is saying, I want to be something else, I choose to be something else, I do not want my gift of foot dumb. And in saying that, the foot is saying is forgetting that they are created, that they're built into a body, that they're seen by God, that they've been redeemed by God and supplied in a particular way, for the common good for the body. So they're forgetting, I forgot that I'm gifted, not just at belief, with salvation, but I am gifted to supply the body, the army of God, if you will, for the common good. So God gives gifts, not primarily for you, gave you the gift of salvation that was for you. But then he says, I'm going to give you something else, which is going to be for everybody. For the common good. I'm going to give you foot dumb, I'm going to give you hand dumb. And we have this foot here saying because I am not a hand that is going to make a ridiculous conclusion, which is therefore I don't even belong to the body. And scripture says it doesn't change the reality. You are a part of the body. You're just a complaining part of the body. You're forgetting fellowship, you're forgetting the common good. And he's going to get to eventually hear the next little bit as soon as we finish this complaint part is going to be about love. You forgot how to love you forgot to love. So he's saying that all cannot have the same good What if you would have What if you all were the same body part? Well, that reminds me of a Civil War battlefield on the morning after a big battle and multiple surgeries. And what you have there is a collection of amputated, isolated, disconnected feet and arms that are in desperate need of bones and nerves and circulation and blood supply and can action to the body. So you have this foot saying, I don't want any part of the body, I'm not a part of the body. Well, really, is that really what you want? It's a, it's a terrible conclusion, because what you end up with is the Civil War by the battlefield remnants. Sorry for the for the bad imagery. So what we have here is a unified God unit unified spirit arranging as he choose. And one of the other complaints of of this is, is God, I do not like your choice. And therefore, kind of like I don't like you've got doesn't actually say that, but that's what it's getting at. So you've chosen me, you're using me. And rather than saying, I want to be the best non complaining foot out there, you're saying, I am going to complain. So let's say, I want to think about having a dislocated shoulder. So if you've anybody who's ever had a dislocated shoulder, it's the reply is, this is the shoulder talking, I want to be back where I belong. And then I can stop making so much noise, I want to function as a helpful, quiet shoulder, I want to be back to being a non complaining and be that indispensable shoulder shoulder as a part of the body as he chose me as he chose me to function with others. And then this final thing, this is the most injuries here is the one part of the body saying it to another part of the body, I had no need of you, what part of your body is indispensable, let's say other than maybe your body fat. Let's cut off five, five pounds of your body, you get to choose which five pounds it is. You could sit here all day and argue back and forth. Well, do I want to cut off my quadriceps or whatever? You're gonna have a hard time with that. With that answer, every part is very important. So what should the foot say if the Fit foot should tuck it should say, first of all, go to church and say to every other person there I have need of you. And I'm glad that I am a foot I'm glad that God made you and I am glad that God made you a shoulder and be grateful. Your Lord, you have a perfect place for me in a perfect body that you're trying to function. And regarding others, it's a joy and a glory to see you being the best ankle that you possibly can be I appreciate your functioning and accept you. And then to god oh god, you're amazing. You've glorified yourself by making this great body and appointed and arranging parts. So I don't want to complain about myself or others and I don't want to complain about you God. So if the feet could talk, what should they say? Let's listen today. Thanks for listening.