Why Are You Here?

INTRODUCTION

Opening Illustration

In a video with over 19 million views ,

Simon Sinek gives a talk called, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”,

In the video, he shares a story about the Wright brothers.

Back in the early 20th century,

there were many groups trying to become the first to achieve powered man flight.

They were racing to see who could fly first.

You probably know that it was the Wright brothers who were the first to fly.

But you probably have never heard of Samuel Pierpont Langley.

Langley was also trying to be the first to fly.

and he had everything he needed to be successful:

He was well educated, and had lots of connections…

He had received $50,000 by the War Department… and

He hired the most intelligent people money could buy.

Langley and his team got a lot of publicity!

The New York Times followed him everywhere,

so everyone was rooting for him.

So why haven’t you ever heard of Samuel Pierpont Langley?

Orville and Wilbur Wright lived a few hundred miles away, in Dayton, OH.

They had none of the advantages Langley had:

They had no money…

They used money from the proceeds of their bicycle shop.

They had no education…

not a single person on their team had a college education…

not even Orville or Wilbur.

And they had no one rooting for them…

The New York Times followed them nowhere!

The difference was, the Wright brothers were driven by a cause, a belief, a purpose.

They believed if they could figure out how to fly,

it would change the course of the world!

Samuel Pierpont Langley was different.

He wanted to be rich and famous.

The people who believed in the Wright brother’s dream,

worked with blood, sweat, and tears…

while Langley’s team worked for the paycheck.

There are stories of the Wright brothers taking five sets of parts when they would go out,

because that’s how many times they would crash before supper.

But eventually, on December 17th, 1903,

the Wright brothers took flight!

And nobody was there to see it.

People only found out a few days later.

And Langley proved even more that he was motivated by the wrong thing…

after he found out… HE QUIT!

He could have improved on their technology, but he didn’t.

He wasn’t the first to do it, he didn’t get rich/famous, so he quit.

Summary

The Wright brothers succeeded because they were driven by a purpose…

they were motivated because they believed they could change the world.

And the people on their team bought in to their vision,

and were fuelled by the same passion!

Simon Sinek goes on to say…

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

“If you want to inspire people, start with why.”

If you have a powerful purpose for why you do what you do,

it will have a powerful impact on others around you,

and will attract others.

Your motivation… WHY you do what you do,

is more important than WHAT you do.

Transition to Sermon

So my question to you all this morning is…

Why Are You Here?

Why did you come to church this morning?

Why do you give up your Sunday mornings to come to church?

Is it because that’s how your parents taught you?

Is it something you do out of habit, and you don’t even really think about it anymore?

Maybe you don’t even know why you come to church.

You’ve just gone to church for so long you don’t even think about it.

You just come every week, and find a place to serve where needed.

Or maybe…

You don’t come all that much…

just whenever it’s convenient… or you come when

there’s nothing else more interesting… or you come when

you weren’t out too late the night before… or

the kids weren’t too fussy.

If you don’t regularly come, and you are here today, don’t think that’s a coincidence!

God is trying to reach you and speak to you!

So I ask again...

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

This may not seem to be all that important,

but your motivation for coming to church

is more important than the fact that you’re here.

WHY you do what you do, is more important that WHAT you do.

FCF

Our tendency is to think very little about our motivation… our WHY…

and instead focus on our works themselves… our WHAT.

And then we make judgements about ourselves and others based on our actions.

Proposition

This morning we are going to:

find the right motivation for being part of a church.

We’re going to see this by seeing how God views His church.

God is motivated by a deep love and passion about His Church.

And He wants to:

Grow us, and use us, because He values us.

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, we confess this morning that we are prone to legalism.

We tend to be just like the Pharisees,

who were careful to follow the letter of the law so that they looked good on the outside…

but their hearts were cold and lifeless on the inside.

They honoured you with their lips, but not with their hearts.

Forgive us for our sin of oftentimes caring and fearing more what others think of us,

than caring and fearing what You think of us.

Would you soften our hard, calloused hearts this morning,

and ignite us with a passion for Your glory through how we serve you in this church,

which You have purchased with Your own blood, and made holy!

We thank You that we can come to You in Jesus’ name!

He is the only One who can make us right before You…

their is no other name by which we can be saved!

Through our faith in Him, we no longer have to fear condemnation for our sin,

but have been given new life through His Spirit who now lives in us.

Through Your Spirit in us,

strengthen us with a deep love, and passion for You, and for one another,

as we build Your kingdom here on earth!

Amen!

Scripture

Announce Scripture

1 Corinthians 3:5—17.

Introduce Scripture

1 Corinthians is a letter Paul wrote to a church he started in the city of Corinth.

This city was heavily influenced by the world because it was a common trade route,

and the church of Corinth oftentimes followed the wisdom of the world,

rather than God’s wisdom,

and paid for it jealousy and fighting!

Last week, Pastor Jake showed us how we can only have wisdom from God through His Spirit.

And even though we have God’s Spirit living in us,

there is still a battle between the Spirit and our flesh.

And Paul tells the Corinthians…

“You’re acting like a bunch of kids!”

Re-Announce/Read Scripture

1 Corinthians 3:1–17 ESV

1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 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. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

MAIN POINTS

God is deeply passionate about His church!

And we can see that in a number of ways in this passage.

The first way is…

1. God Grows Us

What Paul teaches us is that…

it is God alone who is responsible for the growth of His people, His Church.

The Corinthians were elevating certain leaders,

and Paul says that this was a sign of their immaturity.

By elevating certain leaders over others, they were acting according to their flesh.

EXPLAIN

The reason we shouldn’t elevate certain leaders over others is because…

a. We serve God

1 Corinthians 3:5 ESV

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.

Paul is saying,

“Why would you want to elevate us as leaders?

We are servants of God!

Our ministry is pointing you to the God of the universe,

why would you want to look to human leaders?”

This shows Paul and Apollos’s humility.

They were never trying to draw a crowd of followers to themselves.

They rightly understood they were servants of God,

and therefore worthy of nothing.

Another reason we shouldn’t elevate certain leaders over others is because…

b. We serve together

1 Corinthians 3:6–8 (ESV)

6 I planted, Apollos watered…

8 He who plants and he who waters are one

Paul and Apollos had different roles in serving the church,

but they were on the same team.

They were not in opposition to one another,

but working together for the good of the church.

Paul was telling the Corinthians not to elevate and compare them, because…

Paul and Apollos saw themselves as servants,

called by God to fulfill a specific work for the good of the church.

They each had a unique task,

but they were one,

working together!

Another reason we shouldn’t elevate certain leaders over others is because…

c. God gets the Glory

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 ESV

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Here Paul acknowledges the work they did as servants of God.

They were faithful to the call God had given them,

but their effort is not what produced the growth…

that was God!

To elevate leaders… is to give them the credit for growth that God gives!

God alone gets the glory,

because God alone gives the growth!

Summary

God is gracious to give the church leaders,

but we must not compare them, and elevate them over one another,

because it is God alone who gives the growth!

ILLUSTRATE

My wife, Jessica and I decided to start a small garden this year.

There were a lot of people who helped make it possible:

Jessica and I worked together to build a few planter boxes…

The kids helped fill them with soil, compost, and ash…

Jessica and her brother Thomas picked up plants/seeds from a nursery,

then worked together to plant them…

Jessica has been faithfully watering the garden in the morning/evening…

and on a couple occasions I have watered them as well.

We have not gotten any harvest yet,

but the plants have been steadily growing every day.

There were many hands involved in making the garden a reality.

Though we all worked together, doing a certain part of the work,

do you know what none of us can do?

MAKE THE SEEDS/PLANTS GROW!!!

We could argue about who’s role was most important:

“I think Joe’s role of building boxes was most important.

If you don’t have a box, you have nowhere to put the seeds!”

“I think the kids role of filling the boxes was most important.

If you don’t have soil, you can’t grow plants!”

“I think the nursery’s role is most important.

If you don’t have seeds/plants, you have nothing to grow!”

“I think Jessica’s role is most important.

You won’t have plants if you don’t water them!”

Summary

The truth is, ever step was necessary.

We were all working together,

and yet despite all of our hard work…

NONE OF US CAN ACTUALLY MAKE PLANTS GROW!!!

So we don’t get the credit!

APPLY

Brothers and sisters,

this is the same in the church!

We shouldn’t elevate leaders over one another,

because although they are working hard for the good of the church,

they cannot produce any growth…

they cannot change hearts…

they cannot make people obey God…

“I follow Jake, because he’s been here for 12 years, he’s older, and he’s brought stability…”

“I follow Joe, because he’s served in the music ministry so long…”

“I follow Jonah, because he’s from Florida and says “foy-er”…”

Brothers and sisters, we can do nothing to produce growth.

Only God can grow us!

As servants of God, we are dependent on Him for growth.

We are simply servants, doing what God has called us to do.

Not only that, but we are not in competition with one another…

we are working together as a team to lead Christ’s church!

Summary

We must not elevate pastors, other leaders, or anybody else in the church.

They are simply servants pointing you to God.

Give God the glory, for He alone gives the growth!

Transition

While it is only God who gives the growth…

2. God Uses Us

What an incredible truth this is.

God provides the growth,

and could do all the work Himself,

but we have the privilege of being the ones who bring about the growth.

God doesn’t need us,

but graciously allows us to be a part of the growth that He is bringing in the hearts and lives around us.

EXPLAIN

What Paul shows us is that…

a. Each one of us has a role

1 Corinthians 3:10 (ESV)

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.

God had called Paul to be His witness in planting the seed of the gospel among the Gentiles.

Then he started churches from those who believed in Jesus.

Then Apollos came afterward and watered the seed Paul had planted.

He continued to build on what Paul had started.

Summary

Though God gave the growth,

Paul and Apollos both had a unique role to play in it.

Each one of us has a role, and…

b. Each one of us is expected to build

1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (ESV)

10 Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Notice there’s not an option here…

Paul doesn’t say…

“IF you’re going to build, take care how you build…”

He says…

“LET EACH ONE take care how he builds upon it.”

The assumption is that:

we have all been saved by God’s grace…

we have all been welcomed into His family, the Church…

we have all been given a role to play in helping it grow…

and we are all expected to help build!

Summary

The foundation of God’s Church is Jesus Christ,

and so we must take care to build in such a way that it brings glory to Christ, and not ourselves…

but we are expected to build!

One of the reasons for this is that…

c. Each one of us will be held accountable

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (ESV)

12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

We all have a unique role to play in God’s Church…

We are expected to fulfill our role and help build the Church… and

We will all be held accountable for HOW we built the Church!

We can either build with long-lasting and valuable materials…

or we can build with that do not last and are cheap.

Paul does not give examples of what work is good and long lasting,

but Daniel Akin and James Merritt, in their commentary on 1 Corinthians say…

“Spiritually speaking, the key in many cases between good and cheap building material is motive. Think, Why do I do what I do? Whose glory do I work for?” — Daniel Akin & James Merritt

God is going to test each of our work one day.

We will be held accountable for how we built His church,

and His judgement will be right!

Summary

God is the one who provides the growth, yet, in His grace…

He has given each of us a role…

expects us to use it… and

one day he will test our work, and hold us accountable for it!

ILLUSTRATE

As a teenager, I worked as a roofer for a year.

One day we went to a home to do a repair.

Wind had blown shingles off the roof, and we were going to replace them.

When we got there, there were shingles all over the place,

so we began cleaning them up.

As we picked them up, we noticed there were no nail holes in the shingles.

What I learned that day is that some roofers take short cuts.

On a hot day, when the roof and the tar on the shingles is hot, it will stick down and stay in place without nails.

This means roofing companies can get a lot more shingles on when they don’t nail them down,

which means they get the job done faster,

and make more money.

Unfortunately, you don’t make a very good name for yourself.

When the home owner called the company back to do the repair, he found out the roofing company that had put the shingles on was out of business.

Summary

This roofing company had done the work,

and when the wind and storm came,

it revealed the quality of their work…

which was not good!

APPLY

One day the work that we do… or don’t do… will be exposed.

God has given saved us from our sin and given us a role to play in the building of His Church,

and he expects us to be at work doing that.

One day you will stand before God to see if your work will last.

Did you seek first God’s kingdom above all earthly treasure?

Did you serve God’s Church and help build it on the foundation of Christ?

Did you seek God’s glory, or your own?

The thing is, we can get away with looking good while we are here on earth.

It is not always seen from the outside that we are holding back from God.

Most times we’re good at covering up the fact that we’re living for ourselves.

But we can’t fool God!

He will expose our shortcomings!

In God’s grace, our salvation does not depend on our works.

It rests in our faith in Christ.

But don’t we want to please God, our Saviour…

make His name great…

and build His kingdom???

Summary

The amazing thing is that…

Though God gives the growth, He uses us to bring it about.

We have the privilege of playing a part in the building of God’s Church,

which will last for all eternity!

Transition

The reason God is passionate about warning us to be careful how we build is because...

3. God Values Us

God is the one who grows His Church,

and He Uses His children to be a part of that growth,

and we are to be careful how we build His church…

because we are His special possession…

God values us!

EXPLAIN

He places such a high value on us because…

a. God has made us holy

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

The word for “you” here in verses 16 & 17 is plural.

So it reads like this…

16 Do you (all) not know that you (all) are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you (all)? 17 God’s temple is holy, and you (all) are that temple.

God has made us, His Church, holy!

We are His special possession!

We have His Spirit dwelling in us as a Church!

“Just as Yahweh resided in the temple under the old covenant and in Israel, so now God’s Spirit dwells in the new temple, the church of Jesus Christ.” — Thomas R. Schreiner

We hear this so much that it doesn’t really register anymore,

but we should be stunned by the truth that…

The sovereign God of the universe dwells in the Church,

which is made up of a small group of insignificant people.

Summary

God values us, and has made us Holy by His Spirit.

Transition

Since we are so valuable to Him…

b. God will defend us

1 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)

17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him.

It’s hard to imagine Paul using any strong language than this!

God has placed such a high value on His church, His people,

which He has purchased with His own blood,

that He will destroy anyone who destroys His church!

Notice Paul says, “If ANYONE…”

It doesn’t matter who you are,

God will destroy you for bringing harm to His temple…

the people in whom He dwells.

Summary

God places incredible value on His people, His church…

He has made them holy… and

He will defend them!

ILLUSTRATE

In 2002, the movie “John Q” was released.

Denzel Washington plays John Quincy Archibald,

a factory worker whose son, Michael, collapses during a baseball game.

At the hospital, John and his wife Denise,

learn that their son, Michael,

has an enlarged heart and needs a transplant to survive.

The problem is,

their health insurance won't cover the expensive procedure, and

they don't have the means to pay for it themselves.

Desperate and out of options, John takes drastic measures.

He arms himself and takes the hospital's emergency room staff and patients hostage,

demanding that his son's name be added to the transplant list.

Throughout the standoff,

John becomes a media sensation,

and a symbol of the struggles many face with the healthcare system.

As police and negotiators try to end the situation peacefully,

John's love and desperation for his son drive him to extraordinary lengths to save Michael’s life.

At one point even offering to sacrifice his own life,

if that means his son can have his heart and live.

Summary

John was willing to do anything,

because of how much he loved and valued his son!

He was even willing to give his own life,

in order to save his son’s!

APPLY

John 15:13 ESV

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

And this is exactly what Jesus did for us!

Even though He was fully God,

He was willing to come and shed His own blood,

to pay for our sins…

to make us holy… and

have His Spirit dwelling in us.

We have become God’s holy temple,

His prized possession,

and He values us, His people, His church!

This is why He is committed to making it grow!

He desires for His church to become all that it should be.

And for everyone here this morning who has put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour,

He wants to use YOU to make it grow!

The question is:

Do you value the church the way God does?

Do you realize that you are God’s people, the church, and are God’s holy temple?

Do you realize that God’s Spirit dwells in you, His people, His church?

Do you realize that God has gifted you, and wants to use you to help His Church grow?

God values Us… His people… His church!

He has made it holy and promised to bless it…

He has promised that the gates of hell won’t prevail against it because He will defend it…

He has promised to return to save His church and dwell with them for all eternity!

CONCLUSION

Do you value the church the way God does?

Why Are You Here?

Why do you come to church?

Do you come to church because…

God Values Us…

because He has made Us holy, and His Spirit dwells in us.

God Uses Us…

He has graciously given us a role to play to be a part of growing His people…

BUT IT IS…

God who Grows Us…

He is the One working in and among His people,

growing them into the image of their Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Or do you come to church out of habit…

that’s how you were raised…

it’s just something you do to clear your conscience?

That’s not a very powerful motivation,

and it will not sustain you when life gets hard…

it will be easy for you to quit,

and try to find satisfaction in something else,

just like Samuel Pierpont Langley.

OR…

You could be fuelled by a powerful motivation like the Wright brothers…

a passion and belief that you can be a part of changing the world!

Brothers and Sisters,

this passion and motivation comes when we view the Church the way God does.

The Church is made up of people who have been saved from their sin,

and they are the only thing Jesus is coming back to save!

We must be passionate about giving glory to God for His salvation!

We must be passionate about helping one another become more like Christ!

We must be passionate about sharing the only message that can save the world!

Closing Thoughts/Key Ideas

Maybe the Holy Spirit has stirred your heart this morning,

and you’re interested to know how you can serve His Church.

We have a sign up sheet on the table in the foyer, and in the breezeway,

where you can sign up to learn more about the different areas you can serve.

We are always looking for people to help!

Don’t just come here with a high view of the pastors and other leaders,

expecting them to do all the work.

It’s not about us! We’re nothing special!

We are just servants of God who are working together to build His Church.

God has uniquely gifted YOU to help build His Church,

and there is great joy, blessing, and reward in being a part of what God is doing!

Point to Christ/Gospel Call

Membership

Maybe you’re here this morning,

and you’re not a part of this church,

but you’d like to find out more about what it means to become a member.

There’s nothing special about us as a church over and above other faithful churches,

but if you feel at home here, and would like to join us as strive to become like Jesus,

we would love to talk with you about that.

You can fill out Connect Card… or connect with us online.

Gospel

Maybe you don’t even know why you’re here this morning…

you don’t much about Jesus or church!

I want to ask you a question…

If you were to die today, on a scale of 1—10, how confident are you that you would go to heaven?

Maybe you feel like you’re a pretty good person…

You know you’re not perfect,

but pretty good.

I mean, you probably haven’t murdered anyone this week!

So, maybe you’re a 6 or a 7…

Let me tell you something,

you can’t get into heaven unless you’re a 10!

You have to be perfect!

“Who can do that?”

There’s only one person that ever has, and it was Jesus!

And when He died on the cross, He took our place…

He paid for your sin, and my sin!

And anyone who repents/turns from their sin,

and believes in Jesus will be saved!

If God is stirring your heart this morning,

don’t resist that!

Come and talk to us after the service,

or connect with us…

we would love to talk with you about how you can get all of your sins forgiven,

and have a 10 out of 10 assurance today that you will be in heaven!

Let’s pray!