The Lord

The Lord’s Two Bodies

We have an important lesson tonight. The title of it might sound just a little bit strange—The Lord’s Two Bodies. I know that someone is going to say, if you think about it, I didn’t know there was but one body, the church. Well, that’s right, the Bible says that, but the Bible also teaches that there are two bodies. One of those is the literal body of Jesus Christ, and the other one of course is the church. It is interesting to pursue this line of study and realize that the physical body of Jesus Christ which He had here upon the earth, parallels to a very close extent the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. I’ve chosen to present this this way tonight to help us remember as we go out of the building tonight that the body of Jesus while he was here upon the earth was this and that, and the church also, that we’re apart of is this or that, just like the body of Jesus.

I don’t know much about the physical body of Christ as far as His physical appearance is concerned is concerned. In fact, about that, I don’t know anything. Possibly, He was just in outward appearance just an average person. I know the artist conception of that varies. We have all kinds of depictions of Jesus, but no one knows. And, that really isn’t important. What is important is that He was given a body; a physical body, and that body was the instrument through which He did the will of God while He was here upon the earth about 34 years.

In Acts 10:38 the apostle Peter at the household of Cornelius said, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” That body that Jesus had upon this earth was miraculously formed. A miracle brought it into existence, and then it continued on by natural law. Now, you may recall Matthew 1:18 where it says that the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” The virgin birth of Christ is a fundamental part of New Testament doctrine, and it is inconceivable to me that anyone today would presume to stand in the pulpit (as some evidently do) and say, “I do not believe the Bible record about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.” Who not only deny that, but possibly many other miracles that are recorded in the Bible. May we just suggest that any preacher who would believe that, and could not believe in the virgin birth of Christ or any of the miracles that He did, ought to do the world a favor, and the church a favor, and step out of the pulpit and stay out of it! Because he has no business there. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is a wonderful thing. Here was a young virgin by the name of Mary, and that which was conceived in her was of the Holy Ghost. So that as a result of his birth, people could say, “this is the Immanuel” or “this is God with us.” In the Hebrew letter 10:5, the Hebrew writer said, representing Christ who is speaking, “a body hast thou prepared me.” In Heb. 2:14, it says that, “for as much as the children…the nature of man.” So, He humbled himself, He became obedient unto God, even unto the death of the cross, and God has now highly exalted Him. But, the point we’re making is that Christ had a body of flesh and bone just as you and I do, and that this was the thing that He used to do the will of God.

Think about His eyes. The eyes of Jesus Christ were used as He surveyed the great harvest field around Him and saw a world that was perishing. His eyes were looking heaven-ward as He called upon His heavenly Father and acknowledged that God had set Him into the world and even prayed that He glorified ….His ownself… to have the glory that He had before the earth was formed.

The ears of Christ were attuned to the cries of those that came to Him from every side. There was one instance where He was going up to Jerusalem for the last time and on the road there were two blind men sitting. The blind man called out and said, “Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me.” And, of all the statements in the gospel record, this surely is one of the greatest. It says that He stood still. Here was Jesus on the way to Calvary, Knowing full-well that there He must die. And yet, when a poor beggar by the wayside called out and said, “have mercy upon me,” Jesus stood still and certainly had mercy upon that man as He granted him his request.

What about His tongue? Wherever Jesus went in three and a half years of ministration of the word of God, He preached; He used that tongue to teach and to tell people about God and about the things that where possible for them through His teaching, as He preached that great Sermon on the Mount, as He taught His disciples privately. He used His tongue as an instrument that God had given Him to do His will upon the earth.

The shoulders of Jesus Christ were just broad enough and strong enough to bear the burdens of humanity. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah 53 said “He hath born our grief’s and He has carried our sorrows.” Who would ever forget that picture of Jesus as the old rugged cross was laid across His shoulders, and He literal went down through the dusty streets of Jerusalem on that spring day to the place called Calvery where they crucified Him. He bore in Himself our sorrows and our griefs, not just by carrying the cross upon His shoulders, but by letting Himself be nailed upon it at the place of the skulls. So His shoulders bore the burdens that are ours.

His hands, Oh what hands of Jesus! The hands that at one time, even at the age of twelve held the word of God, and He used it to talk to the learned people there in the temple in the city of Jerusalem. Going up to Nazereth where He’d been brought up. There was given to Him a portion of the book of Isaiah and there in His hands He cradled that old role of God’s word and read a passage from it, Isaiah 61 and explained that this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears. His hands were upon little children to bless them. His hands were laid upon those who had leprosy. His hands were laid upon the eyes of those who had never seen in all of their lives. Then finally, those hands of Jesus with those palms pressed flat against the wood was nailed to the cross. The hands of Christ were used continually as He was here upon the earth in the body that God gave Him. His hands were clean, His hands were pure, and His hands were open as He did the will of His God.

In other words, the many members of the body of Christ all worked together to accomplish the purpose of God here upon the earth. Well, you say, “so what!” Well, here in Ephesians the fifth chapter, about verse thirty, Paul draws some conclusions about the teaching that had been made about marriage. He said there is a relationship between a husband and wife that is like the relationship between Christ and the church. In verse thirty, He says, “for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” So the Lord has a body of flesh, but He also has a body of spirit, a spiritual body. So, it can be said that you and I are part of His flesh and of His bones and that there is a very close relationship between the two.

How many bodies did He have? Well…you say, “Blaine, isn’t that a silly question?” Yes it is, cause you know He had just one body. I can’t imagine Jesus being out here in a boat on the Sea of Galilee in one body, and then being up there in the temple in Jerusalem in another body. Can you? The very thought is outrageous, isn’t it? He had just one body that God had prepared for Him. In fact, in 1 Cor. 12:20 is says, “there are many members, but one body.” Just one body. And, that earthly body, what happened to it? That was crucified, it was buried, and then on the third day it was raised from the dead, and by that resurrection He was declared to be the Son of God with power (Ro. 1:4). Go down outside the city of Jerusalem and there see Jesus as His disciples were gathered around Him and for the last time they behold that body that they have recognized as the one they’d known so well; that they had seen crucified; that they knew had been buried, and yet here is this body forty days later in their presence. And we see that body as it begins to go up toward heaven. And finally, a cloud receives Him out of their sight. That is the last appearance that they have of Him, as far a physical sight was concerned. Later, we’re told that He appeared to Saul of Tarsus and Saul said, “I saw Him,” or “He was last of all see of me also as one born out of due time.” And Stephen saw Him when he was dieing. For he said, “I see Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” John, the man who wrote Revelation, and an apostle, saw Him as on Patmos Isle he was recording the last book of the New Testament, called the Book of Revelation. But the body of Jesus had been glorified, and there His prayer was answered. After His body of flesh and humiliation had served its purpose it went back into heaven into the presence of God. And there was answered the prayer, “will you give me the glory that I had with thee before the world was,” and there is where you and I believe that body is tonight, in whatever form it may be. It is certainly not flesh and blood as you and I understand it, but the glorified Christ is in heaven. Its work on earth done.

Now, He has another body, and this body, we already know, is the church. And it makes you wonder, if this body of Christ, the spiritual body of the Lord were just as busy as His fleshly body was, what a great change there would be in our world today! I’m reminded of an incident that happened one time near a football field. Someone asked a noted coach, “what contribution do you think the game of football has made to physical fitness in America?” To the man’s surprise, the coach said, “very little.” Well, now sir, would you please explain that? Well, he said, “here’s the situation. Down on the field we have twenty-two men who are playing, and who are desperately needing rest, but up here in the stands we have 40,000 people who are sitting, and talking, and eating popcorn and peanuts.” You know, I’ve thought about that so many times. You and I are a part of a great brotherhood—the body of Jesus Christ, and if we could just get ourselves aligned with the fleshly body of Jesus, as far as duties and responsibilities are concerned, we have enough potential power in the churches of Christ today to turn this world upside-down. But too many times, we find the few who are carrying the burden, and sometimes in the heat of the day, and the majority of the church sitting on the sidelines eating popcorn and peanuts! We just need to realize that as a part of the body of Jesus Christ, that there is one body, but many members, and as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we being many are one body in Christ. And every one members, one of another.

In the Ephesian letter, chapter one and verse 20, we’re told that Christ is the head of the body, and God have Him to be the head over all things to the church which is His body. Now, if we are members of the body of Christ, and we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone, isn’t it a natural conclusion that what Jesus Christ did upon this earth in person, as far as His ministrations of the world is concerned, is very similar to our ministration today as His spiritual body? There is a likeness between the two. There has to be, and that, surely, is shown by this passage of scripture, we’re flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. Now, let’s go back. He is the head of the body, the church.

Just as the body of Jesus began with a miracle by being conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. So was there in the early church, the church of the first century. The church that began in the city of Jerusalem, associated with it, many miraculous happenings, or events. And those miracles, that were performed by the apostles, and those upon whom they laid their hands got the church on its way in the absence of a written revelation called the New Testament scriptures. You see, they had no written record to go by. The teachings of Christ were not in written form, and so miracles were needed to bring that revelation to Paul and Peter and James and John and Philip and Bartholomew, and other inspired teachers and prophets in the church to enable them to edify one another and to teach those who were outside in the world. In other words, to give them inspiration, and in the second place, miracles were done to confirm that what they were doing was the work of God, and the things they were saying were the things of God. They were the things that God had put in their minds to say. They had to confirm it! And that is found in the last part of Mark, the 16^th chapter, about the last verse. It says that these people to whom the Lord spoke, “went everywhere preaching the word. The Lord working with them, confirming the word with signs following.”

And so there was a miracle connection with the entrance of Jesus into the world. And my friends, the church of our Lord Jesus Christ started in the world with miraculous powers, but the thing that converted them was not a miracle. How many times do you hear someone talk about the miracle of the new birth? I deny that the new birth is a miracle! The new birth that is talked about in the New Testament is not a miraculous working, as some would say, of the Holy Spirit directly, miraculously, in the heart of a human being. And when we try to make something so mysterious out of the new birth by which we all become a part of this spiritual body of Christ. It is not a miracle. It is a working of God’s spiritual laws. People were not converted by miraculous power. The people on the day of Pentecost were convicted of sin (Acts 2:37), by the things that they heard Peter preach and they were convicted by what they heard as the gospel fell into their minds and they believed that, and they repented of their sins, and they were baptized and they were added to the church. But that was not a miracle. A miracle is an act or a happening in this natural world that departs from nature’s laws. A miracle would be raising the dead. A miracle is restoring sight to the blind, instantly, to someone who has been born in that condition, and so on. But the new birth is the working of God’s spiritual laws. “We are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:20). Everyone of us here tonight, were not converted by miracles, just as Jesus, when He was brought into the world, miracles were present there, but the things that He did as a human being are the things that you and I do as a human being. The miracles were to prove that He was the Son of God. You and I are born again of water and of the Spirit, by simply obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s it! The church had miracles in its beginning, just as Christ had miracles at His beginning but He lived about 34 years according to God’s natural laws as a human being performing miracles along the way. If He had not performed a miracle after that, He’d still have been a human being just as you and I are.

So tonight, if we want to be a part of the body of Christ, His spiritual body, there’s just one way to do it. And that is to obey the gospel, just they did and you can read about in the book of Acts. Hear the gospel of Christ, believe it, repent of sins, confess Christ, and be baptized for the remission of our sins. That’s it. It’s just so simple. We almost have to have help to misunderstand that, it’s too simple to misunderstand. For if they would grasp, to hear about Jesus Christ, believe He is God’s Son, turn from our sinful past, change our minds, our wills, and confessing that faith be immersed in water for the remission of sins just like the Eunuch did, and go on our way rejoicing. That’s the new birth that we are tonight enjoying the benefits of that new birth in the family of God by our gospel obedience. But now what?

Is there anything in particular about the church that the world would consider as being especially noteworthy? The body of Jesus, as far as we know, was not anything outstanding. The world looks at the church today and they see, well, a group of people. They see something that has blemishes and imperfections in human beings, but they understand what the body of Christ, it is the family of God. But as far as the world looks upon the church, there’s not anything particularly outstanding about it, I don’t believe. But to us, we understand that this is a demonstration of the wisdom of God and has been in God’s eternal purpose from the very beginning.

In the work that Jesus did, we see a prefiguring of our work. What did Jesus do? Forget about the miracles. We can’t do those, and we do not need those. But how did Jesus use His body? Well, we’ve already mentioned that. What about His eyes? He said in John the forth chapter, speaking to the woman at the well in Sameria, “say not there are yet four months and then cometh the harvest, but I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look upon the fields for they are white, already unto harvest. Jesus saw the need, and those of us who are members of the church of Christ see the need, our eyes ought to be used for that very purpose of seeing those around us who are in need of hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see? The Lord’s depending on us! We are an extension of Him. We represent Him, and He isn’t going to come down tonight from heaven and look upon this world in person and say, “well, I see some needs over here and I’m going to go over and take care of it.” But instead He put that in the hands of human beings. And He says to us, as the body of Christ, “you be my eyes. Don’t be blind! See, lift up your eyes and look and see. See a field of white unto harvest.” It’s already there. All ready ready to be harvested.” How many times have you, ever heard in prayer, as we look to our Lord of the harvest say send forth workers into thy harvest for the laborers are few but the harvest is so plentiful? Don’t you think we ought to pray that? And that certainly is true. The Lord is depending upon you and me to see this great need, this great harvest. If we do not, then the body of Christ is blind.

We must be the ears of Jesus Christ. There is a man of Macedonia that Luke tells us about, that Paul heard calling out. In Acts 16, He said, “There was a man over in Macedonia saying come over into Macedonia and help us.” They gathered that they’d been called over into that work and they went into Macedonia. Who is there upon the earth today who are going to hear the Macedonian call today from those around us who are in sin? Who is the Lord depending upon? I have seen a sign hanging over the exit of a church building before saying, “you are now going into the mission field.” It makes sense doesn’t it? We had gone into worship, then we departed into the mission field. That’s right. Whether it’s overseas; whether it’s right in the next state, whether it’s the next town, or whether it’s right here in this very town, we’ve gone into the mission field. And the Lord Jesus says, now I heard the call of the people while I was on the earth. Now you’re my body, you function for me and look and see and hear those cries that come and respond. Just as the Lord stood still on the way to Jerusalem and heard the cries of a poor needy man. So, He’s saying to us, “you listen to those cries and you hear.” One of the sweetest things about Jesus that I think you could ever think of is the fact that even though He was God’s Son, and He had left the glory of God and came to this earth, that He would listen to what His heavenly Father had to say to Him as He read the word of God. Don’t you think that we ought to listen to God as He did? Listen to what the Lord said in His word and take heed unto it. We must be His eyes, and we must be His ears.

Then we must be the shoulders of Christ. All around us, even in the church of our Lord, there are those who are in need of having some burdens eased. In Galatians 6:1f: “if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one with a spirit of meekness, considering thy self, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We look unto the Lord for help in bearing those burdens, but at the same time, we know our own responsibilities, and we use our shoulders for other folks to cry upon and bear the burdens of other people in working on behalf of Jesus Christ. We have to be His shoulders.

We must be the arms and the hands of the Lord. The Lord Jesus, one time when He was here, had some little children come to Him. The parents brought those children, and they tried to keep them away, and Jesus said, “let them come.” “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven.” The Lord seemed to love little children. Don’t you think there is a good lesson there for us? We have such a wonderful privilege, and it should be such a joy to be able to look down upon little children and love those little children and train them and bring them up in the nurture and in the admonition of the Lord. And eventually see them to come to Christ. “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” What and opportunity, and what a privilege the church has to teach children! What a responsibility and privilege the home has to bring those children up in the right way!

One of the great, crying need of America tonight is Christian homes. We need more fathers and more mothers who’ll take the time with their children that they brought into this world to take the time with them and teach the right from wrong and instruct them and bring them up in the right way. I think there is a derelict attitude on the part of so many people in doing this very thing that God commands us to do. We must be the body of Christ and be His hands and arms to encircle those who are given to us by the Lord and do our very best, not only as parents, but as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The feet of Christ; what were His feet doing? Well, they were going into the temple. They were making those long journeys to Jerusalem. I think He must have made three to observe the Passover, maybe four that’s mentioned in the New Testament. Those feet carried Him in to the homes of the lowly and the meek, as well as into the homes of those who were well to do. Into the homes of sinners, or those who were looked upon as siners. But everywhere He went He tried to do His Father’s will and to be a blessing to those with whom He was in contact. His feet carried Him, primarily, teaching and preaching the word of God. That’s the responsibility of the church. For our feet carry us on our arrands on whatever we can do to save the lost and bring them to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that they might be saved.

He has how many bodies? One body that the Lord gave Him to do His work. If we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones, then the Lord has just one body. That body’s the church. He never had but one body. The Bible says there’s just one body. That’s all there is, and we ought to keep that in mind and try to glorify God in that one body which is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What happened to the body of Jesus Christ when it was taken into heaven? What happens to His spiritual body? First Corinthians 15:51f:

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, that’s a wonderful concept? That the body of Jesus was glorified and put at the right hand of the Father. So Christ says to us, if we’ll overcome I’ll arrange to sit with you in my throne, as I also have overcome and have sat down with my Father on His throne.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thes. 4:13-17)

There’s the glorification of the church. That’s wonderful isn’t it. So there is a parallel presented to us. The body of Jesus isn’t here.. not His physical body, it’s up in heaven, now glorified, but we have His spiritual body. As His spiritual body does for Him those things He would do if He were here upon the earth. We try to speak as we know He would speak. We try to live as we know the Lord would have us live, and as He would live if He were here. And so we are just extensions of the Lord Himself. That’s a great challenge, isn’t it? Can you think of any greater than that? I don’t think so.

So what’s the conclusion? If you’re not a Christian tonight, I wish we could say something that would appeal to you in a way that would cause you to respond to the gospel invitation. Honestly, if it were possible, I would be willing tonight, and would be happy to do it, to have John take me up here to this baptistery and immerse me repeatedly for every lost soul here in this building, but that isn’t possible. That’d be silly. Only you can make that choice; only you can make the decision. We hope tonight that you’ll do that. If you will, this is what will happen. You’ll be delivered from the power of darkness and you’ll be translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. You’ll be brought out of the realm of the Devil and brought into the realm of Christ. You’ll be delivered from the guilt and the power of sin and be made free in Christ Jesus. You’ll have membership, as a member of that one body, the church. With your particular function to do according to your ability, and you can serve God faithfully all the days of your life from this time on, and know that the Lord sees and will help you and guide you and guard you by the counsel of His word. He’ll hear your prayers. You will lay your head upon you pillow tonight and say it is well with my soul. What a wonderful consolation! How is it with you tonight? Can you honestly say if I were to die before morning light comes, it would be well and it would be all right? I wouldn’t trade that consolation folks, for anything upon this earth. A million dollars, ten million dollars, no price could buy it. Someone says, “Blaine, do you think you’ll go to heaven?” Yes, I do. If I did not believe that, I’d be the most miserable man upon this earth tonight. I’d be afraid to leave this building knowing that I could go to hell and miss out. Tonight, think seriously, think soberly about these things. And come in obedience to the gospel of Christ. Make things right between you and the Lord. He died for you because He loves you. He says come unto me. Tonight, will you come?