In verse 8, Paul has introduced the idea of rewards, READ. Verses 10-15 is one of the major passages on the subject of rewards in the Bible, READ. The subject of rewards can be unsettling for some Christians. They feel it appeals to selfish instincts, and unworthy motives. We will talk about some of these later. For now, let's examine what Paul says in the details of this passage.

10 "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

"By the grace God has given me" v.10

Paul explains what he means here, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1 Co 15:10

He traveled further, established more churches, experienced more persecution and hardship, and wrote more Scripture than all of them. But Paul attributed his success to the grace of God.

"The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power." Re 4:10-11

In our subject on rewards, we must remember that we will be rewarded for our response to God's grace; our response to his working in us.

"continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Phil 2:12-13

"I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it." v.10

The word for "master builder" comes from the word meaning architect.

The foundation consists, as he says in v.11, in the foundational teachings of Jesus Christ and the authentic salvation experience he had led them to.

"They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." 1 Co 10:3-4

"But each one should be careful how he builds." v.10

By allowing such dissension to exist, they did not build wisely.

Be careful you can damage the building and it can affect your rewards.

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." v.11

Begun to replace the church's true foundation.

Not on the crucified Christ, but human wisdom and thinking.

!12 "If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

"If any man builds on this foundation" v.12

Because Paul spoke of any man, his words applied every believer.

What is it to build on this foundation.

Immediate context: strengthening the church body through.

"to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Eph 4:12-13

Serving the church by using our spiritual gifts: teaching, encouragement, contributing to the needs of others, leadership by being diligent, showing mercy.

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" Ro 14:19. Edification means "to build up."

Our own personal growth in Christ, therefore manifesting the fruits of the Spirit, is building upon the foundation.

These works flow from faith and include everything that pleases God, aligns itself with kingdom priorities, and advances his purposes in the world.

"using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw" v.12

"his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work." v.13

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light (the nature and quality of each man's work. v.13) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." 1 Co 4:5

"If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward." v.14

The fact of rewards

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 2 Co 5:10

"The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great." Re 11:18

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." Re 22:12

The nature of believers rewards remains unspecified here

In 1 Cor 4:5 it will be described as "praise from God."

Some rewards are described as Crowns

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Co 9:25

Rank and responsibilities in the millennial kingdom.

"His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things ("take charge of ten cities" Lk). Come and share your masters happiness!" Mt 25:21

"The highest reward for mans toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it." John Ruskin

The quality of Christian living, the feeling of being guilt free and connected to God, the blessing of helping others and living a moral life, is often the greatest reward.

The purpose of rewards

Rewards are used by God to cheer us amid the sufferings we encounter while serving Christ.

"He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward."

Heb 11:26

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Ro 8:18

In heaven, rewards wont matter! The greatest reward for me will be getting into heaven itself.

There will be no tears in heaven

Must factor in "he will suffer loss" v.15

Working directly for reward is not effective motivation

A painter, in order to paint at a high level, must love painting; the subject he paints, the materials he uses. The painter who paints for reward or for a big payday will find that he can't seem to paint at all. There is no authentic motivation there. It takes love and devotion to produce anything of real value in life.

We can imagine that Mother Teresa will be highly rewarded in heaven for her self-sacrifice and devotion to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in Calcutta India for over 40 years. But, we all can easily see that if her motivation was simply to receive heavenly rewards, that motivation itself would have fouled every effort she made to help others.

People are intuitively smart, they can read false motivation. Jesus describes the "hireling" in John 10. When the wolf attacks the flock, "The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." There will be no rewards for people who do not care for those they are serving. The hireling is trying to get reward (salary) by doing the task coldheartedly. All tasks in the Christian life are to be done out of love.

If you say, "No one ought to do right for the sake of reward," I go further and say, "No man can do right for the sake of reward." A thing in itself right, done for reward, would, in the very doing, cease to be right." At the same time, if a man does right, he cannot escape being rewarded for it. George MacDonald

"If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." v.15

He asserted that the trouble they caused would detract from their eternal rewards.

We can think of such things as unconfessed sin, wasted time and talents, squandered opportunities, neglect of spiritual things, ignorance or indifference in regard to God's Word and God's will, prayerlessness, worldliness, carnality.

No matter how much is worthless, no believer will forfeit salvation.

They shall be saved, yet so as through fire. The thought here is of a person who runs through flames without being burned, but who has the smell of smoke on him-barely escaping!