1 Corinthians - Part 6

Introduction

Review: A few weeks ago we began a series on 1 Corinthians. Just to remind you what we’ve covered so far:

Corinth was a major City - very large, cosmopolitan

Corinth was a beautiful, yet wicked place.

Corinth was located at a major commercial crossroads - this is why it is so prominent.

The Church at Corinth had been planted by Paul - He had spent 18 months there working.

He has written back and forth to them once and he’s now received word from one of the House Churches that there are some problems in the Church. He’s also received a letter from them to ask him some pastoral questions.

He writes 1 Corinthians to respond to the issues in this Church and to answer their questions

Our First week, we said he begins dealing with their issues by reminding them of their identity. He reminds them who they are

They are set apart and sanctified in Christ Jesus

They are “Saints”

They are members of a bigger body of believers all over the world.

Our Second week we said that Paul moved to reminding them of Who God is and what he had done for them.

Paul reminds them to be thankful to God.

Paul reminds them God had given them everything they needed to live as Saints

Paul reminds them that the Faithfulness of God is their foundation

God had called them into fellowship with himself. This idea of fellowship means and intimate sharing. A better word might even be “communion.”

Our third week we talked about how Paul begins to address divisions within this Church.

They are supposed to be united - With one voice, one, mind, and one purpose.

Instead they are divided

Paul Says - “Stop being divided! Christ is not divided and we don’t follow a man, we follow Jesus!”

Our Fourth week, we looked at how Paul Addressed these divisions: By appealing to the cross!

Last week we talked about how Paul defines Spiritual Wisdom and Spiritual Maturity.

Opening Story/Illustration:

Transition to Text:

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:5-23

1 Corinthians 3:5–23 NLT

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. 10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” 20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.” 21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

State or Setup Main Idea: Good Workers are Needed to See God’s Church grow towards maturity.

Transition to Points: Let’s look at this passage this evening.

The Church and its leaders belong to God!

This passage contains three metaphors for the Church.

The Church as God’s field

The Church as God’s Building

The Church as God’s Temple

As we look at this passage, let’s remember that Paul’s definitions focus on the Church as a whole.

For Paul, the Church is not an institution, but a gathering of the people of God.

The Church must be viewed communally, rather than individually.

This is tough for us

Like we said last week - The biggest idol in our culture is individualism. It’s the air we breathe.

But when we come to scripture, we have to realize they didn’t think the way we do AND God did not set things up for us to be disconnected individuals, but members of his body, the church!

God’s Field

In this passage, Paul is trying to say that individual workers in God’s field should blend in the background of God’s overall work of the Kingdom.

Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God did the mysterious work of making grow what the field hands had done.

Who is more important: the planter, the one who waters, or the one who gives the increase?

Instead of honoring workers, the Corinthians should be honoring God.

The leaders should have the attitude of humility as simply one of God’s field hands assigned a particular task, rather than one who should have a special place of honor and recognition.

We need leaders who fade into the background and let God have the spotlight.

We need leaders who recognize that they are nothing more than field hands in the field of God!

Jim Cymbala Story:

GODLY LEADERS ARE HUMBLE!

God’s Building

We need leaders who are accountable to God for what they build!

Paul has carefully built the building God wants, built upon the foundation of the gospel of Christ crucified.

Now, other who build upon that foundation must take care to build in keeping with the foundation or they will be judged! Shoddy workmanship or human building plans or worldly trappings must not be included this building.

The church cannot be crooked or unstable because the builders did not conform to the pattern of the foundation. Otherwise, the building inspector will come and the builder will be punished because of their negligence.

The inspector will come and inspect the materials used.

This judgment will reveal the building materials and their value.

If judgment or hardship reveals shoddy materials, the builders will be held responsible for the loss and injury to the people who occupy the building.

There is fearsome accountability!

Illustration: When we were in Florida, our church went through a massive building and relocation. I learned sometimes the cheapest bid isn’t the best bid. I watched the headache when contractors used the wrong material or did shoddy work. There were a couple of times we had to fire whole crews and hire new people. But before you could get in, there would be an inspection by a building inspector. I’ll never forget the day we got final approval to be in the building. The inspectors job is to make sure the building is safe for people to occupy. IF WE PLACE SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON EARTHLY BUILDINGS, HOW MUCH MORE RESPONSIBLE DOES GOD HOLD THOSE WHO BUILD HIS HOUSE?

GODLY LEADERS REALIZE THEY WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!

God’s Temple

This is the last of the metaphors for the church.

Again, Paul’s emphasis is on the Church community, rather than the individual.

God’s Spirit resides in the gathered believers and it is they who constitute the new Temple of God.

This would have been an outrageous claim!

The Spirit of God does not reside in a physical building - BUT IN THE GATHERED COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS!

Notice again the warning here: If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person.

Leaders, then, are stewards of this Temple.

Illustration:

GODLY LEADERS ARE FAITHFUL SHEPHERDS WHO WATCH OVER THE TEMPLE

Everything Belongs to God!

Paul concludes this entire section by reminding us again about worldly vs. spiritual wisdom.

These last verses are a summary of what he started in 1 Corinthians 1:12

1 Corinthians 1:12 LEB

12 But I say this, that each of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” and “I am with Apollos,” and “I am with Cephas,” and “I am with Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:21 LEB

21 So then, let no one boast in people. For all things are yours,

He reminds them - Don’t you know that all things, including God’s workers, life, death, and the present and the future are all theirs in Christ?

Everything belongs to God!

They had forgotten that they and everyone else belongs to and should be submissive to God and God alone.

God owns them and decides what is best for them

God has decided that they should live with the mind of Christ, the crucified and service-oriented way of life that leads to humility, peace, and unity.

The church belongs to Christ and all other things - structures, attitudes, decisions, nature of ministry, everything - should flow out of that singular realization!

Conclusion