Sermon Notes
BODY OF CHRIST
WORD PICTURES OF THE CHURCH – Part 3
May 11, 2025
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1:22-23
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:4-5
Two Pictures of the Body
1. A Body That Is Dependent
- Jesus Christ is the head of the church.
- Every member needs to be connected to the head.
- Every member needs to be responsive to the head.
2. A Body That Is Interdependent
Characteristics We See in the Body of Christ
- Unity
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may
be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent
me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — 23 I in them and you in me — so
that they may be brought to complete unity.
John 17:20-23a
- Diversity
There is one body, but it has many parts.
1 Corinthians 12:12a
- Mutuality
So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:5
Small Group Discussion Questions for the Week of May 11, 2025.
Opening
1. What is a group, team, or community you have been a part of that has been influential
or important in your life?
Digging Deeper into the Scriptures
Read Ephesians 1:22-23 and Romans 12:4-5
1. How does Paul describe the church? How is this different than the way people
describe the church today?
2. Describe the relationship between Christ and the church depicted here? What did
God place under Christ’s control?
3. How and why does Paul use the illustration of a human body?
4. What sorts of things can we do as a whole group that we couldn’t do (or at least not
as well) by ourselves? How does the church benefit from having all sorts of people with different gifts and talents?
Applying the Scriptures
1. Where have you had the most joy serving in a church? Where do you think God
might be leading you to serve today?
2. What role does the church play in your life? Why do you need the church? Why
does the church need you – what do you offer the church?