Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Introduction

Live long enough and do the same kinds of things and you start to notice patterns emerge in your life.

One of those for me: every church I served as an associate staff member took on a building project.

One renovation and 3 additions.

Pretty exciting to go through the process: vision, architect, decision making, fund raising, ground breaking, digging, foundation, building, inhabiting.

Vision

Architect drawings

TODAY: Story of building a church but not in the way we

think of it today.

Background

READ 1 CORINTHIANS 3:10-17

The church in Corinth, as it had in other places, started off meeting in the synagogue.

Synagogues had a number of rabbi’s or teachers and traveling teachers were allowed to join in.

Hard line Jews seemed to always be around to stoke the opposition when Paul's missions became vibrant, successful.

They made him leave the synagogue.

He went to the house of Justus, right next door, and this apparently became his new preaching base.

They were made up of primarily pagan worshipers; people who were dissatisfied with it finding themselves attracted to Judaism's morality and monotheism but repelled by its nationalism and ritual practices.

They found Christianity a faith that satisfied.

All over the map socioeconomically.

Paul is writing to a church in the busy, proud, intellectual city of Corinth as usual, about a problem they have.

All over the map socioeconomically.

Hard line Jews seemed to always be around to stoke the opposition when Paul's missions became vibrant, successful.

They made him leave the synagogue.

He went to the house of Justus, right next door, and this apparently became his new preaching base.

Master builder - director/commissioner of works

Pagan gods worship was the substance of their society

People made allegiances to their favorite

Similar to Today’s christian celebrity culture but worse

They couldn’t make a total break from this and the Church was in the world, as it had to be, but the substance of the world was in the Church.

In Corinth he lodged with Aquila and Priscilla, Jews who had been expelled from Rome by a decree of the Emperor Claudius (which most date in ad 49).

The Church was in the world, as it had to be, but the substance of the world was in the Church.

All over the map socioeconomically.

The

Paul was troubled by the ‘tendency on the part of some members to make the break with pagan society as indefinite as possible … The Church was in the world, as it had to be, but the substance of the world was in the Church.

Parties had been formed attaching themselves to the names of Paul, Apollos and Peter, and even that of Christ.

Paul spent a lot of time dealing with this and clearly he regarded it as very serious.

A case of incest, but the church had not censured the offender.

‘They found it hard to hate the sensuality which in their earlier days they had regarded as divine.’

There was a quarrelsome spirit.

Members had taken one another to court.

First and foremost 1 Corinthians is a letter directed at the reformation of conduct.

Not only does Paul deal with problems which have a way of recurring in other ages and regions; he gives us the principles on which to act.

He deals with everyday problems ‘from a central point of view, and places everyday troubles in the light of eternity’.

HAD TO STOP.

What is great about Paul: He deals with everyday problems ‘from a central point of view, and places everyday troubles in the light of eternity’.

We’re Building

Radcliffe basement remodel

Every church building project had a point person: foreman, etc.

Here, metaphor not for a building, but a people.

Paul calls himself the Master builder

Architect

Supervisor of the work of building

One who laid the foundation for someone else to carry on the work of building

Build up/upon; builds - a work that he calls “grace” from the Lord.

Paul's work at Corinth is described as the grace God has given.

A Sacred Temple

Here, metaphor not for a building, but a people.

OT Temple

Temple - also means sanctuary.

Greek

There are two Greek words for ‘temple’, hieron, which includes all the temple precincts, and naos (used here) which denotes the shrine proper, the sanctuary.

It points to the very presence of God.

God's spirit lives in the Corinth believers.

A People, Not a Building

emple is singular, but you is plural; the reference is to the church

We are building you, the temple of God - Disciples

- body is temple of the Spirit within you...you have from God.

Therefore, we are not our own.

Build the church and you will rarely get disciples.

Build disciples and you will always get the church.

- body is temple of the Spirit within you...you have from God.

Therefore, we are not our own.

Where God’s presence dwells

- body is temple of the Spirit within you...you have from God.

Therefore, we are not our own.

God has made his dwelling among us to be our God and us his people.

As his temple, distinct, can't agree with worship of anything else (idols).

Where God’s presence

Because it is God’s temple anyone who fails to react rightly towards it is guilty of no light sin.

The seriousness of the divisions at Corinth is seen in the light of this understanding of the church.

God has made his dwelling among us to be our God and us his people.

As his temple, WE ARE SACRE

We can’t agree with allegiance to or worship of anything or anyone else.

To engage in making divisions is to destroy the divine society.

- God has made his dwelling among us to be our God and us his people.

As his temple, distinct, can't agree with worship of anything else (idols).

Foundation

The foundation of what Paul is building up in them

- the lives and faith of disciples and the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

Cornerstone

- Christ is the cornerstone - the stone put in place at the outer corner of two intersecting walls and the apostles and prophets are the foundation.

What Paul says about laying the foundation and building on it - foundation and cornerstone are in place.

We build (make more able) disciples who are being joined together, growing together into a holy temple.

OT Temple

- as we come to Jesus the living stone; rejected by men but chosen and precious; like that living stone, we are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offer ourselves to serve the Lord in ways that please him through Christ.

Partnership

We get to do this together!

We are partners in growing/building faith.

Each one has a part to play: Foundation laying (Jesus), building on the foundation, etc