The Church & The Future (Creed Part 4)
Sunday, May 24, 2026
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being 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 the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Big Idea
You weren't made to do this alone. And the story has a good ending.
The Discussion
- 1 Corinthians 12 — The body metaphor. "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you.'" You're not the whole body. You're a part. And every part matters. The toe isn't glamorous, but try walking without it.
- Church kids — "You can't do this alone. Stop pretending you've got it all together."
- New kids — "You belong here. You're not an outsider. You're a body part. The body needs you."
- Key line: "God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." You're not an accident in this room.
- Revelation 21 — No more death. No more tears. No more pain. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes." Heaven won't be boring — it'll be more real, more vivid, more alive than anything you've ever experienced. "Everything sad is going to come untrue."
What This Means for Us
- The church is the preview of the future. When we love each other, we're showing the world what heaven is going to be like.
- You need other people. And other people need you.
- The future is good. Not because things get easy — but because God wins.
Discussion Questions
- What body part do you think you are? (Gut answer.)
- For the new folks: what's been your experience so far? What's surprised you?
- If heaven is going to be more real and more alive than this, how should that change how you live now?
This Week
Read Psalm 139:23-24 and Proverbs 10:9 before next Sunday. Come with one note and one question.
Full Resources (Handout & Reflection)Missed This Week?
📺 Watch the livestream at hillsidechristian.org/live