1 Cor 3 Saintly Singles: How To Be In, But Not Of The World

Good evening and Happy New Year!

It’s good to be with you all again!

If you’re new with us, or haven’t come in a while to our Orchard Singles ministry, we’re delighted you’ve joined us! …

intro: Tim, pastoral resident,

Our Series this year at The Orchard Singles is entitled: Saintly Singles: How to Be Holy, Not Hellish.

We are digging deep into the Biblical Book of 1 Corinthians to discern from the LORD God how you and I,

You — Singles in their 40s, 50s and up,

and a few of us in different life seasons

can resist the corrupting influence of sin,

and GROW in the beauty of Christ-likeness.

Before we begin,

If able, would you stand for the reading of God’s Word?

1 Corinthians chapter 3 X2; I will be reading from the ESV.

Read Text

The word of the Lord!

Prayer… Written out

Holiness of God, Trembling before His presence…

the hideousness of sin “Loathsome in our sight”; HATRED of evil…

beholding the beauty of holiness...

***You may be seated!***

Start Timer**

Our Message tonight is entitled:

How To Be Holy: In, But Not Of The World!

We all live IN this world.

And Jesus, the Lord of heaven, doesn’t want us removed from this world —

To go find some safe lodge somewhere in the mountains far off from political tension, social chaos, culture wars.

No, His plan for us is to remain IN this world — but not to be OF this world;

- Stained,

allured,

influenced to the point of being unmistakable

and indistinguishable from worldly people,

who do not know God.

God’ will for YOU is to be set apart,

to be HOLY !—

A bunch of Saintly Singles who shine like lights in the midst of a dark and crooked generation.

You all — free from the various demands and anxieties a spouse brings

— have GREAT privileges in this season of life, irrespective of whatever burdens or griefs you may bear

Tonight, from 1 Cor 3 we will see 4 ways to BE a SAINT, a holy one,

Who is IN but demonstrably not OF the world…

Someone who stands out supernaturally,

Whose sweet fragrance,

suggests membership in a royal race, a different class, a heavenly nation!

4 Ways To Be Holy: In, But NOT OF the World

- How To Not Be A Worldly Christian

Number 1: The First Way Not To Be Of The World

Grow Up (1 Cor. 3:1-4)

Verse 1 reads, “But I, brothers...”

The apostle Paul here addresses his audience, as “brothers”;

you can include “sisters” here as well.

So, Paul is speaking to brothers and sisters in Christ, to Christians!

At the beginning of his letter, Paul makes this clear:

1 Cor 1:2 “To the CHURCH of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified [a word meaning: set apart/made holy] in Christ Jesus, called to BE saints...”

Like a father drafted overseas,

far from his young family,

penning a letter of care and concern to them;

Paul writes to his spiritual kids,

to a local church he planted,

A congregation of people MADE holy by Christ,

- called by Christ

out of their sinful ways

TO a life of sainthood.

The Corinthians thought they were doing GREAT, full of blessings and resources, even experiencing wonderful manifestations of the Holy Spirit!

But what Paul says next in v.1 was going to deal a big blow to the Corinthians’ lopsided self-image.

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh—[carnal (KJV)!],

as infants in Christ.” (v.1)

He continues, “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even NOW, you are not ready, for you are still of the flesh.”

You all are babies! Infants in Christ!

I want to feed you the MEAT of God’s Word — the depths of God’s wisdom in the incarnation

of the fulfillment of Old Testament promises in a reconciled Jew-Gentile nation in Messiah

of the wonders of the New Creation and God’s plan to unite ALL things in Christ

But…

You’re not ready for it.

You’re not spiritual people — Christians who believe, discern, and grow in the truths of God’s revelation, applying them to life through the power of the Holy Spirit!

You’re fleshly —

looking more like unsaved pagans, then adopted sons and daughters of God...

While you should be grown by now, adults able to chew and digest sound doctrine and accept hard Truth,

You haven’t even grown TEETH!

(pause)

What was the Corinthians’ problem?

Why were they grossly immature?

Well, its clear they neglected the means of grace around them.

Like a baby, they left their food on their weaning table,

or picked it up and threw it on the ground

rather than consuming it

Rather then meditating upon,

and putting into practice all that Paul, Apollos and other leaders had taught them,

they preferred the insights of Corinth’s philosophers,

passive toward God’s word,

but active in the self-help instruction and entertainment of Greek orators

And so they STAYED spiritual babies,

And behaved like them too.

V. 3 continues, “For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos’, are you not being merely human?

Like a baby that’s hungry, sleepy, and teething at the same time,

the Corinthians made a fuss,

envying and decrying others in a childish competition of “which preacher is best.

Rather than living according to their renewed nature,

they lived by their instincts

responding according to their old nature.

You may have read or heard of the studies that show the tragic consequences of babies who don’t eat or receive the care they need in infancy and early childhood;

Not only can they die, but if they make it into adulthood,

Almost every capacity of theirs is severely stunted.

That’s number one:

Grow Up!

How NOT to be a worldly Christian —

Don’t stay a baby, or behave like one - GROW!

Number 2:

Don’t Exalt Leaders (X2)

v.5 “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to teach.”

The Christians of “Corinth Community Church”,

had known the ministry of various pastors in their time.

The Apostle Paul had led the initial converts in their city to Christ (Acts 18:1-11)

After a couple years, Paul moved on,

and Apollos, the famous preacher, was sent to build up the believers and grow the church there (the end of Acts 18)

Now, it seems, they were shepherded by a few elders from the household of Stephanas (1 Cor 16:15-18)

Having been served by many different men, gifted in different ways,

The Corinthians began to argue and fight about which leader they liked best,

Dividing from one another in leader-based factions

“I follow Paul” said some.

“We follow Apollos!... he knocks every sermon out of the park!”

Others, we’re told in chapter 1,

probably with scoffing and a sense of superiority,

said, “I follow Christ.” (1:12)

Can’t beat that, huh?

And Paul here lays all of this foolish quarreling to rest.

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul?”

Mighty Men? Wonder Workers?

(Pause)

Servants.

Servants!

Weak vessels used by Jesus to teach you the gospel,

humble servants through whom JESUS brought you to faith.

A lot more people farmed back in that day.

So Paul runs with this metaphor, “I planted, Apollos watered, but GOD gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only GOD who gives the growth.” (vv.6-7)

Us ministers, we each have our role to play — some of us start things, plant the seed of truth;

others continue things--water the seed by subsequent encouragement and teaching,

But we — the workers — are NOTHING!

“Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything”!

Not even saint Paul, the greatest church planter, witness, and martyr the world has seen

“Only GOD.”

“GOD, who gives the growth.”

God is EVERYTHING.

We CANNOT forget,

that without God’s help and grace,

the most captivating,

most eloquent,

most impressive and spiritual person you know,

is USELESS to bring about any eternal good.

Do you believe this?

Maybe you’re facing temptation to boast in a particularly dynamic leader,

A pastor in your church

Even a political candidate

THIS person, you feel, does GREAT good,

they should be followed and defended,

even to the point of fighting your siblings in Christ

to assert this leader’s superiority over all others

In the face of this temptation:

Be careful!—

Such behavior,

such boasting,

reflects unredeemed human pride,

worldly-mindedness,

not the mind of Christ.

And as such,

it provokes God’s judgment.

And REMEMBER:

At least with leaders in the Church, who are genuine men and women of God,

THEY’RE ON THE SAME TEAM!

As v.8 says, “they are ONE”— they have the same purpose

the same mission:

make. God. known!

That’s number 2: How To Be Holy?

Don’t Exalt Leaders.

Number 3:

Build With Things That Last

In v. 10, the apostle builds

- not on the field/farm metaphor,

but on the metaphor of construction.

v.9 “We — Apollos and I -- are God’s fellow workers”

- “YOU [Corinthian Christians] are God’s field, God’s building.”

Paul explains in v. 10, “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it.”

“I’m the first construction worker who came to Corinth,

surveyed the land, prepared the lot, and laid the foundation.”

The foundation, Paul clarifies, in v.11, is Jesus Christ Himself.

“No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

JESUS is the FOUNDATION for the building that is God’s Church.

If the Church is to be constructed into a beautiful and sturdy palace for God’s presence

it’s going to have to be built on this foundation

and this foundation alone.

“No one,” Paul asserts, can lay another foundation!

All other foundations,

The SLAB upon which a church builds its identity and vision,

Whether the prosperity Gospel: making people wealthy and healthy;

- The social justice Gospel: merely fighting for the change of societal systems and racial equality;

- or simply the name and platform of their charismatic leader,

All substitute foundations

are sinking sand — a colossal disaster in the making.

They are doomed to the same fate

as we hear in those tragic accounts of poorly constructed apartment complexes, residential areas,

decimated when earthquakes strike.

I laid the foundation, and “someone else” is building upon it” says Paul.

Well that someone else was whoever was currently pastoring their church - perhaps the elders from Stephanas’ family!

But Paul’s application broadens beyond the work of elders and deacons, of those in vocational ministry.

In chapter 12, Paul explains that its EVERY Christian’s responsibility, to use his or her spiritual gifts for building up the body of Christ, to serve the common good.

And here in v. 10, Paul commands: “Let each person take CARE how he builds upon it.”

Be CAREFUL how you build.

If you’re not CAUTIOUS with EVERY step of the building process:

as every construction worker knows,

framing the home

installing HVAC, Plumbing, Electricity

Adding insulation

Affixing drywall

there can be GREAT consequences.

The same is true of us and the local church of which we are a part.

If a construction worker uses clay when he’s supposed to use cement, or plastic when he’s supposed to use steel,

things can go south very quick for the occupants of the structure.

So, using Old Testament Temple imagery,

Paul adds, “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones” — beautiful, strong, and valuable materials...

or “wood, hay, and straw--

each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will Disclose it.”

Here are the options for every Christian.

If you are in Christ — you are born again and love the Lord --

Then you have been enlisted to the greatest building project

the world has ever seen!

Not one of you is exempt from duty.

This sacred blueprint puts Dubai’s most magnificent and cutting-edge structures to shame;

- its an artifice that makes angels in heaven stand in admiration and awe.

And before you are two sets of materials:

gold, silver, and precious stones

wood, hay, and straw

And you’ve been notified,

that a Day is coming,

when a Great Fire will sweep through,

TESTING every nook and cranny of this Temple

To see what’s durable,

And what’s not.

Along with this foreknowledge,

Your Heavenly Foreman

cautions you:

“Be careful how you build.”

“Be careful with WHAT you build.”

This Day of Fire, in vv.13-15,

is not purgatory, as some have wrongly taught,

nor is it the fires of hell.

The FIRE, we are told,

is a fire that “tests what sort of work each one has done” (v.13)

to TEST,

to PROVE the quality of what each worker contributed to the Temple of God

This Day is the Day of Judgment,

The divine blaze here doesn’t torture or condemn its victims,

But it DOES burn up certain Christians’ labor from their days on earth,

Causing them to “suffer loss” (v.15)

(pause…)

The Spirit clarifies,

It’s not the loss of their souls, thank God

their salvation remains a gracious gift of God,

they still dwell upon Christ the foundation

But they will suffer the grievous loss

of heavenly reward,

of the seals and tokens of a fruitful ministry

of a job well done

Forfeiting crowns that would only add to your eternal joy and delight

in the God of your salvation

So brothers and sisters,

What biblically-faithful church has the Almighty God called you to?

What talents, time, and treasure has He given to you?

USE what He has given!

USE the gold and precious gems of grace given to you,

to build into eternity!

Number 4:

Know Who You Are

The Spirit of God now poses a question in v.16,

“Do you not know that YOU are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (vv.16-17)

Here God makes it explicit.

The Temple we are all building is the CHURCH.

The “you” here is plural in the original Greek,

Do you not know that Y’all are God’s temple?”

Church of Corinth: together YOU make up the sanctuary of God,

- the Home of God Himself!

As a congregation,

- God’s Spirit dwells in unique measure among you.

We know from 1 Cor 6 that every believer’s body is also a temple of the Holy Spirit;

We are individually temples of God’s Spirit,

but the point here being made is different.

Every faithful, local church—

is God’s temple, the Dwelling Place of the Holy Spirit,

in that neighborhood,

that city.

Every Gospel-preaching, Baptism and Communion-practicing assembly,

is a geographical representation,

an outpost,

a campus, you could say,

of THE Church,

The universal PEOPLE of God,

Who together make up God’s TEMPLE,

God’s Special Residence.

V17 emphasizes that “God’s temple is HOLY.”

Because we Christians forget this fact

the fact that in the eyes of God

we ARE holy,

we already HAVE been SANCTIFIED by faith in Christ,

We HAVE been set apart from the domain of darkness,

that we fall into all sorts of lies and traps.

“Oh, I’m just a sinner, like everybody else.”

“This is just my personality; this is just my culture,

I can’t help it! I can’t change.”

“I’ve done this thing for much too long, there’s no point to keep fighting.”

Before long, we justify sins and vices,

capitulating in our spiritual battles,

making peace with compulsive behavior,

content with our neglect of assembling with other saints.

Without realizing,

That when we wander out of God’s sheepfold,

We lie exposed to the ravenous Wolf.

When you separate from the sanctifying influences of a true and mature body of believers,

You're more likely to adopt false teaching

get swept away by useless quarrels and debates

and end up a shell of a person,

who hurts, rather than helps the faith of others.

But here is a divine wake-up call!

Brothers and sisters — those of you who belong to God’s Church —

YOU are part of GOD’S Temple!

YOU are members of God’s HOLY Dwelling!

EACH of you are like Living Stones,

Each ONE a necessary and precious part,

of God’s Building.

And here I must give a warning:

If you continue long in resistance to God’s grace,

Coming to Christian fellowships,

Yet holding to the world’s wisdom and values...

Professing to be a Christian,

Yet regularly stirring up conflict and indulging in immorality,

If you threaten the well-being of genuine sheep,

and the unity of the church,

by your corrupting influence,

I repeat the words of v.17:

“If you destroy God’s temple, God WILL destroy you.”

(pause)

“For God’s temple is HOLY,

and YOU,” brothers and sisters of various churches,

ARE. THAT. TEMPLE!”

Don’t Forget Your Identity,

KNOW Who You Are!

So here they are,

4 Ways To Be Holy from 1 Cor 3 — To be IN, but not OF the world.

Grow Up

Don’t Exalt Leaders

Build With Things That Last

Know Who You Are

The problem is, life is hard.

The devil is strong, prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking who to devour.

And we are IN the world,

- surrounded by its polluting influences day and night.

It isn’t EASY to grow up — there are growth pains

It’s all too easy to put our earthly heroes on pedestals

It’s difficult to lay down what’s easy and comfortable,

to take up a trowel and work with all our might

And with past sins accusing us,

our sinful nature raging within us,

and sadly some churches failing us

its easy to lose sight of our blood-bought,

HOLY status.

But thank God, we are not left to our own devices to PURSUE the holiness,

without which no one will see the Lord.

How can you successfully, albeit imperfectly, GROW into full maturity of faith?

How can you bear MUCH fruit for God,

through a life lived with purpose and eternal impact?

Our chapter this evening gives us some ways.

First,

You may not yet be born-again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and given new life in Him.

You cannot be holy, let alone a saint who winsomely points others to the beauty of God,

if you are not first born from above.

This is the point of v.18: “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you THINKS that he is wise in this age, let him become a FOOL that he may become wise.”

The GOSPEL of Jesus Christ is foolish to the worldly person,

The one who thinks himself rather smart and reasonable.

But to the one quickened by God’s Spirit,

The NEWS of God’s Son CRUCIFIED for sinners,

and RISEN from the dead,

IS true wisdom!

The only way to BEGIN one’s journey in holiness, and in the path of salvation,

is this:

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Become a fool in the world’s eyes, for Christ’s sake!

And be baptized by water into His Body!

2. Secondly,

If you haven’t already,

Become a MEMBER of a Church with Spirit-Empowered, Christ-exalting Pastors Who Feed You (2:3-6, 10,13, 3:2)

Ask yourself,

“Do these elders impart the wisdom of God from the Word of God to me?”

In the words of 2:13:

“Do they impart the things of God in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths” in a clear and Christ-centered fashion?”

“Do they preach the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified:

His absolute sovereign Lordship over all creation,

the depravity of human sin and its consequences,

the uniqueness of Jesus, the God-man, as the only Savior,

Who saves us by grace through faith,

which produces good works in us?”

Ask, “Are these leaders unashamed with teaching me the whole counsel of Scripture, sound doctrine, spiritual meat,

“so that my FAITH rests not in the wisdom or gifts of men, but in the power of God?”

There is no perfect church, but if the answer is YES to all 4,

THEN commit yourself to faithful participation in regular worship and fellowship,

In weekly Bible Study in a small group — we have many Life Groups of which you can become a part (just talk to me or Pastor Luke)!

And ask where there are needs in this church,

and in the broader kingdom of God --

put on your boots and helmet,

and build others up,

by the grace that God supplies!

3. Thirdly, and lastly,

REMEMBER What is YOURS in Christ (3:21-23)

The last two verses of Chapter 3 are breath-taking:

“Let no one boast in men,” God says.

“FOR, ALL things are yours,” Christian.

Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter),

or the world

or life or death

or the present or the future---

ALL are yours,

and you are Christ’s,

and Christ is God’s.

Because Christ belongs to the Father,

and WE belong to Christ,

EVERYTHING in the universe—even the things that seem miserable

ARE FOR YOU.

Sovereignly and graciously ordained to sanctify you.

IF you LOVE GOD,

ALL THINGS—including your past, present, and future,

Are BEING WEAVED together for YOUR GOOD:

your conformity to Jesus Christ, your communion with Him,

and your ultimate sharing in His glory!

Would you pray with me?