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Sermon | 1 Corinthians 12:26–27 | 2026 February 15
Title: Sermon | 1 Corinthians 12:26–27 | 2026 February 15
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:26–27 (ESV)
Date: 2026 February 15
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Translated by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)
Theme: Through our union with Christ, we begin to experience shared suffering and shared joy among brothers and sisters.
Question: How can we truly share in one another’s suffering and joy?
Transition: We need to understand the following aspects of this condition.
Key Word: Aspects.
Introduction
Today we continue our sermon series, “The Church Loving One Another.”
I. Knowing the Shared Suffering and Shared Joy of One Body
1. The shared suffering and shared joy within one body are very easy to understand. When we have a toothache, our whole body feels uncomfortable. When we have diarrhea, our entire body feels miserable. The human body is composed of nine major systems. These systems are intricately interconnected, crossing and overlapping with one another, cooperating together to form one single human body. Among all the members, suffering and joy are borne together.
2. At the same time, when we see beautiful scenery, taste delicious food, or hear beautiful music, it is not merely one sense that experiences joy; the whole body experiences joy. This kind of joy is holistic; it is not localized.
3. The relationship between body and soul is similar. When all parts of the body function normally, our mood is also good. But when we feel spiritually oppressed, our body will also show symptoms.
4. All of this proves that the human body is one whole. It cannot be divided. No part is redundant, and no part needs to be added. For example, the appendix— for a long time people thought it was unnecessary. Doctors even removed it from infants. But later it was discovered that the appendix is an immune organ. It helps maintain the balance of intestinal flora and can promote intestinal peristalsis.
The Bible uses precisely this analogy when it speaks of the church as a body.
II. Meditating on Jesus Sharing in Our Suffering and Joy
1. Yet we and our brothers and sisters are physically separated. How, then, can we share in one another’s suffering and joy?
We must first reflect on how the Lord Jesus shares suffering and joy with us. The Lord Jesus is most glorious, yet He was unwilling to enjoy that glory alone. Seeing our misery, He desired that more brothers might enter into that glory.
In reality, because of our sin, we were unable to enter that glory. Therefore, the Lord Jesus was willing to suffer together with us. He willingly bore our debt of sin and endured the suffering that we could not endure. Then He rose again for us, so that we might enjoy glory together with Him.
2. Thus, the Lord Jesus took the initiative to identify with us. He actively entered into our situation in order to bear our debt of sin. For Him, this identification meant immense humiliation and abasement. It meant self-denial and suffering. Our problem is precisely that we cannot humble ourselves and deny ourselves.
Our human nature constantly seeks to exalt itself. We pursue human glory. We desire human praise. We do not want to be regarded as inadequate. We cannot humble ourselves, because humbling ourselves means the denial of self. Or we may say in our hearts, “I do not need you to praise me or affirm me, but you must not publicly slander me or defame me and cause me to lose face.” Yet a person who seeks self-glory will be especially sensitive about his own feelings. He will exaggerate his emotional reactions and often feel offended.
In truth, genuine humility requires a strong inner foundation. It requires receiving great comfort and peace in God the Father. A person who has not truly received inner comfort cannot truly humble himself. True humility must follow true comfort from the Father.
When a person is especially competitive and especially in need of affirmation, it often reveals deep insecurity. We hope to find our value through the approval of others. But in order to identify with us, the Lord Jesus relinquished all self-valuation. He endured the humiliation and contradiction of sinners, and He did not answer back or defend Himself.
3. Because of the Lord Jesus’ suffering for us, we may share with Him in the glory that comes from the Father. John 17:22–23. The Lord Jesus humbled Himself, suffered with us, and brought us the hope of resurrection. This is what His suffering together with us has accomplished. His suffering for us was complete identification. It was substitutionary death.
Therefore, the Lord Jesus’ sharing of suffering and joy with us brings us new life, blessing, and hope.
III. Sensing That We Each Belong to Christ’s Body
1. Because of Christ, what kind of relationship do we have with other brothers and sisters? We are to be one, just as the Triune God is one. This is a complete unity, a thorough unity, a unity in which one cannot distinguish one from another. The depth of this unity is something we rarely consider. We need to repent.
2. The union among the members completely surpasses any earthly relationship. The most intimate relationship we can imagine on earth is blood relation, or what the world calls sworn brotherhood—“Not seeking to be born on the same day, but seeking to die on the same day.” Yet the relationship among Christians surpasses all such relationships.
3. Why did God choose the nation of Israel? Because they were all descendants of one man, Abraham. They were originally brothers, and God wanted them to love one another. Love within one nation is relatively easier.
But have we ever considered that all humanity are actually brothers? We are all descendants of Noah. Our relationship with every human being is that of brother and sister—Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Americans, Europeans, people of the Americas, Africans. At the most fundamental level, we are all brothers and sisters.
Yet humanity today has completely forgotten this brotherly relationship. Among ethnic groups, nations, and social classes, we slaughter one another. This is what God hates.
4. God caused all humanity to come from Adam and Eve so that humanity might love one another. Our biological siblings once all resided in our father’s body. All humanity once resided in the body of one man, Noah. This is a scene and topic we seldom contemplate.
Human unity was meant to be instinctive. Brotherly love should have been an expected reality. But because sin entered, humanity became something entirely different. A tiger does not eat its cubs, yet human kings repeatedly kill their own children. Royal family massacres have become common.
After sin entered human society, what God intended as brotherly love became brotherly murder. Cain killed Abel. Now, in Christ, God calls us to restore the relationship of brotherly love. This was God’s original design. God desires that the humanity He created be one, just as the Triune God is one.
IV. Experiencing Shared Suffering and Shared Joy in the Church
1. Only when we deeply understand the relationship among the members of the church can we truly share in one another’s suffering and joy. This member is truly my brother or sister—closer even than biological siblings. This relationship is real and heartfelt.
2. Then, when one member suffers, we can truly feel his pain with him. We desire that he may soon be delivered from his suffering. We must depart from being centered on our own feelings and instead be centered on God’s feelings.
3. When one member among us is honored, we can rejoice with him. What he has, we regard as ours. We do not envy him, hate him, or try to pull him down. This also is an emotion centered on God.
4. Only such a community truly glorifies God. This is an extremely difficult process. It requires continual self-denial. This process must begin with those of us who consider ourselves to have grown spiritually. We must first deny ourselves, first crucify our old self, first take the initiative to care for others’ feelings, first share in others’ suffering and joy. Then we may lead more people into this community, where all share suffering and joy together.
In this way, this group begins to depart from self-centeredness. No longer do we center on our own feelings or gains and losses, but we take the mind of Christ as our mind. Such a community is glorious.
Conclusion
May God lead our church into a deeper unity.
Questions
1. How do we think about God’s relationship with us?
2. How do we understand our relationship with other brothers and sisters?
3. How do we practice sharing in the suffering and joy of other members?
I. Knowing the Shared Suffering and Shared Joy of One Body The idea of shared joy and shared suffering within one body is easy to understand. For example, when someone has diarrhea, the whole body feels miserable. The various systems of the body are intricately connected and work together to form… Read more
I. Knowing the Shared Suffering and Shared Joy of One Body
The idea of shared joy and shared suffering within one body is easy to understand. For example, when someone has diarrhea, the whole body feels miserable. The various systems of the body are intricately connected and work together to form one human body. A single hand contains bones, muscles, and nerves—sharing both pain and joy. When one sense experiences pleasure, all the organs rejoice together. When we eat delicious food, see beautiful scenery, or listen to music, the whole body feels delight. It is holistic, not partial.
When a person is angry, even eating and sleeping become difficult. When the body is joyful, the soul also rejoices; when the soul rejoices, the body is uplifted as well. Every organ is interconnected. Therefore, the body cannot be divided, and no part is unnecessary.
In the past, people thought the appendix was useless. Some surgeons would remove it incidentally during an operation. Others had their tonsils removed. But now it is known that the appendix is an immune organ that helps maintain the balance of intestinal flora and promotes intestinal movement. The tonsils are also important immune organs, rich in lymph nodes. Every member shares in suffering and joy together—this metaphor is not difficult to grasp.
But how can the coordination among bodily members become coordination among people? This is a great challenge. Yet God intends for people from completely different cultural backgrounds to share one another’s suffering and joy. This is something almost unimaginable. If another brother or sister has something joyful in their life, what does that have to do with me?
II. Meditating on How Jesus Shares in Our Suffering and Joy
To understand shared suffering and shared joy, we must first reflect on the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and us. The Lord Jesus enjoyed the worship of angels and possessed heavenly glory. Yet when He took on human nature, He entered into suffering that is, in a sense, unbearable. People may love their pets—even wash a stray dog and bring it into their homes—but the Lord Jesus, so to speak, entered into the doghouse Himself. In this sense, Christmas marks the beginning of Christ’s suffering. For the infinite divine nature to assume finite human nature is itself a humiliation.
There was only one reason: the Lord Jesus came into the world to bear the suffering we could not endure and to carry the debt of sin we could not bear. He was unwilling to enjoy glory alone; He desires that we share in that glory with Him. God was not willing for us to perish in sin and hell, so the Lord Jesus came into our hell in order to redeem us into the kingdom of heaven. Because He was willing to suffer with us, to bear what we could not bear, and to rise again for us, we are able to partake of glory.
Thus, the Lord Jesus’ active identification with us—entering into our condition and bearing our sins—is the very essence of salvation. When others face difficulties, we tend to distance ourselves. But the Lord Jesus voluntarily entered among those who had no connection to Him and willingly bore suffering. Every portion of glory we receive comes from His personal entrance into our afflictions. Yet we often lack the heart to sympathize with others’ suffering—this is an area in which we must repent.
Jesus knows each of us. He enters into our circumstances, feels our sorrows, bears our pain, and rescues us. We are called to have the mind of Christ—to step into others’ suffering, to feel their pain, just as Jesus has done.
This completely contradicts human nature. People seek to exalt themselves and to receive praise. To humble oneself requires self-denial, which people are unwilling to practice. We enjoy recognition and affirmation. During the New Year season, people like to tell relatives and friends about the house or car they have bought. This reveals vanity—a refusal to acknowledge weakness and a need for others’ approval. Those who pursue self-glory emphasize their own feelings; behind this lies an unwillingness to humble ourselves and serve others.
True humility requires tremendous inner strength and deep peace. The Lord Jesus was able to identify with us and humble Himself because He possesses complete divinity. Therefore, He did not hesitate to suffer with us.
Human self-protection produces indifference and emotional coldness between people. The coming of the Lord Jesus completely reverses this condition. Through His suffering, He enables us to share in His joy. He desires that we carry this joy into the suffering of others. The more deeply we grasp Christ’s work—His humility and self-giving—the more we are able to enter into the suffering of others.
Several years ago, there was a famous Korean web drama, Squid Game. It portrays human nature with striking realism. The story centers on a group of debt-ridden people competing for a large cash prize. Each time someone dies, the prize increases by 100 million won. Every participant must try to eliminate others in order to survive; in the end, only one person remains. No one is willing to sacrifice themselves for others—everyone seeks self-preservation. The male protagonist, however, is portrayed as someone willing to sacrifice himself to preserve others, and in the end, he wins.
People in the story show little concern for taking others’ lives. Human nature is depicted as deeply corrupt—willing to harm or even kill for personal gain. For the sake of one hundred million won, a person can destroy another, because the other seems unrelated to oneself. Ultimately, the game is revealed to be designed by wealthy individuals out of boredom and evil intent. In the end, the designer stands ashamed before the protagonist. What makes the drama moving is that, intentionally or not, its story echoes the pattern of Jesus Christ.
What truly moves the human heart is the idea of giving up oneself for the sake of others. And in reality, there is indeed One who gave Himself for others—the Lord Jesus Christ. He personally entered our world and shared in our suffering.
When I went bankrupt, many relatives sought to distance themselves from me. Of course, if one starts a company and goes bankrupt, one must bear responsibility. Yet do you not sense a certain coldness—a lack of grace, as if there were no room for failure?
This world often resembles a kind of “Squid Game,” constantly exploiting and destroying others. Like Qin Shi Huang, who sacrificed countless lives for his own glory, this reflects the character of Satan’s kingdom. But in God’s kingdom, so that His people might share in glory, the King steps down from His throne and becomes a sacrifice of atonement. Only within this story are we enabled to bear one another’s sufferings.
III. Realizing That Each of Us Is a Member of Christ and IV. Experiencing Shared Suffering and Shared Joy in the Church
We were born from the same origin. In a sense, we all came out of one ark—we are all descendants of Noah. Why does God repeatedly choose one particular people? Because He desires that this people love one another. It should be easy for one nation to love each other, shouldn’t it? Yet even the killing of one’s own brother is common. Cain wanted to kill Abel because God was pleased with Abel. Because Jacob loved Joseph, Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him. Fundamentally speaking, humanity consists of brothers and sisters. God caused Adam and Eve to bring forth the whole human race so that we might love one another.
“The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.”
— John 17:22–23
God’s requirement for brothers and sisters in the church is that we be one just as the Triune God is one—perfectly one. This message astonishes us. God desires such a beautiful relationship among believers that we would reflect the unity of the Trinity—of the same essence, the same honor, and the same glory. The expression of this relationship is shared suffering and shared joy.
“When one member is honored, all rejoice together.” Yet people tend to exclude or mock the one who is honored, and to question God: Why do I not have such glory? If I were to train Xiaoran to become the next pastor, do I truly desire his success? Another person’s success may mean your own marginalization. If everyone follows him, who will follow me? We tend to cling to what we have and refuse to humble ourselves.
Why do we always need to be valued? Because our hearts have not found true peace in the Lord Jesus. When others are honored, we may wonder why that honor was not given to us. Jealousy arises. When we see others prosper, we may weep alone or even place stumbling blocks in their path. The Lord Jesus desires that we enter together into God’s glory. We must have a heart that seeks to build others up and give thanks to God for their gifts. In the church, we should hope that those we nurture will surpass us.
Could God have kept John Calvin from dying? Certainly. Then why did God allow him to die? Why do generations of spiritual giants pass away? Because God wants more people to experience His grace and witness His faithfulness and power. The Holy Spirit filled Paul so that he could serve the church. It is God’s glory—not any individual’s glory.
Why can we not tolerate others surpassing us? Why does it cause such pain? Because we have not truly accepted others—or ourselves—in our hearts. How can we share in another’s suffering? Because we can enter into their affliction. And we can do this because the Lord Jesus first entered into ours. Yet we are often unwilling to relinquish our own glory and still long for others to think highly of us.
When I previously worked in a foreign company, I always wanted to perform well before my boss. I hoped he would see my competence, so that when promotion or salary increases came, he would not forget me. But now, when ministry bears fruit, I no longer speak about it to others. Why? Because it was Jesus who accomplished it in the first place.
When we are brought into the kingdom of heaven, we will praise the Father, and God will receive the glory. At that moment, we will experience the highest joy. Jesus’ purpose is for us to share in that joy, and so He leads us to glorify God.
Though what we do is worth nothing—like filthy garments—and in the ancient Greek world we would have been people no one wanted, God is willing to make us His brothers.
Shared suffering and shared joy lead us to a deeper understanding of salvation. We have forgotten that our ancestors once walked out of Noah’s ark together in love. When we read the news today, it is filled with murder and stories of the wealthy and powerful. We admire the strong, the most beautiful women, the finest weapons. But God’s culture is a culture of shared suffering and shared joy. When brothers and sisters suffer, we suffer together; when they rejoice, we rejoice together.
A shallow understanding of salvation prevents us from identifying with others. We must lay down our pride. We are not the “most important person” who must be honored by others. The Lord Jesus is the most important One—yet He went to the cross. When we arrive in heaven, the Lord Jesus will applaud our love for one another, and we will be filled with gratitude.