Don't let there be foundation issues

Faithful, loyal are words that we are familiar with, especially within the confines of marriage, and church? This morning we are going to look at the foundation of the church (the family), the field of the church and the quality of the church as related to the church at Corinth and see what we can learn and apply.

Corinthian problem - Loyalty to man

Question: Do you think the church today can have some wrong loyalty problems?

Question: What things can we become loyal too today?

In this chapter Paul is calling on the divided church to be wise as he paints a picture that the church (body of believers is):

A family whose goal should be to mature (1Cor3:1-4)

A field whose goal is to grow (quantity) (1Cor3:5-9)

A temple whose goal is quality (1Cor3:9-23)

(Transition) so having said that, Paul is coming from a place where the church was divided over the baptizers not the creator. People were being loyal and trying to be disciples to the person not the Savior. As Paul gets into this chapter Paul points out some division and foundation issues so to help them to be united.

A family: grow to maturity

This section uses words like spiritual, carnal, babes, milk and points to some behaviors that bring division and hinder growing to maturity.

Previously Paul has explained there are two kinds of people in the world, saved (spiritual) and unsaved (natural), now he will expand more within the saved people of two kinds of people the mature and the immature (or the carnal).

Christian maturity happens when the Word of God, coupled with the Spirit of God teaches the man of God and transforms him. The immature still lives for the flesh and can get choked out by the things of this world because they have not grown beyond milk, nor grown roots.

1 Corinthians 3:1–2 NASB95

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

1 Corinthians 3:3–4 NASB95

3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

A couple of quick points:

Division, foundation issues here are demonstrated by the immaturity of the body (vv.1-2)

Paul says he could not address them as spiritual people (1Cor3:1)

Division, foundation issue here is causing the body, the believers to act, behave like unbelievers(vv.3-4)

Why? For they were still carnal, and proof of carnality was envy, strife and divisions (1Cor3:3)

Paul gives illustration, they were following man, not Christ, that was the issue he addressed in chapter 1

Paul was a spiritual father to them having spent 18 months there establishing the church, feeding the church, growing the church but there is a maturity issue. They were not maturing in their faith and there was divisions happening because of it.

(milk and meat of the word picture inserted here)

Paul says in (v.2) he fed with milk, not meat. You, i’m pretty confident are familiar with the term, in fact let me ask a question.

Question: What does the term milk and meat of the word mean?

Something to consider:

Many say the milk is the easy things in the world, and the meat are the deeper things in the word

Consider this passage as an alternative (Heb5:10-14)

Hebrews 5:10–11 NASB95

10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. 11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Hebrews 5:12–13 NASB95

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

Hebrews 5:14 NASB95

14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Is the milk what Jesus did for us on the earth, as God’s perfect sacrifice? And the meat is what Jesus is doing now in heaven on our behalf?

Either way about it, we know the milk, meat is the word and it is spiritual food whose intent is to bring to spiritual maturity. It is:

Milk (1Pt2:2)

1 Peter 2:2 NASB95

2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

The purpose of the milk according to (1Pt2:2) is to grow in respect to salvation.

Bread (Mt4:4)

Matthew 4:4 NASB95

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

According to Mt4:4, bread is needed but so is every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Meat (Heb5:11-14)

we already mentioned this passage in Hebrews a few minutes ago, so I will press on.

And even honey (Ps119:103)

Psalm 119:103 NASB95

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Ps119:103 infers that the word is sweeter than honey! So eat up!

To mature we need a mixture of it all, a balanced diet, and the Corinthian church was not on a balanced diet and it was causing carnality and divisions.

Spiritual maturity is pretty easy to distinguish, the immature knows enough for salvation, may know some of the bible stories and facts of Jesus life and ministry on earth, but not the truth and the ministry of Christ in heaven as our High Priest, our mediator and that was evident in the Corinthian church as Paul pointed out in (ref only 1Cor2:6-7).

It was said that the gospel must be preached to the lost but it is also just as important to interpret the Gospel to the save. This is the application of the gospel truths.

(Illustration) Letters are not written to unbelievers, such as Romans was not about how to be saved, but was about what all was entailed in their salvation and what they are to do with it! It is the interpretation of the “deep things of God” mentioned in (1Cor2:10).

the Mature in Christ love one another, the babes here in Corinth are carnal, fleshly and are bickering over who was the greatest preacher and who to follow.

Part of my job, my calling, my duty, my responsibility it to preach the gospel to save the unsaved and to mature the body of Christ through the ministry (service; application) of the Word. Help people to know God has given them gifts, gifts with a purpose to be used for the maturing of the body (another Corinthian problem is they were using gifts for self and that is addressed more in chapters 12-14)

(Transition) So ministry (service, application) is about loving, feeding, discipling the body to grow to the fulness of Christ for there is a field out there to be tended too.

A field: grow in quantity

Paul uses this section to show that the solution to the division is to focus on God who gives the growth and not on the laborers for all are needed.

1 Corinthians 3:5–6 NASB95

5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:7–8 NASB95

7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

1 Corinthians 3:9–10 NASB95

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

(One plants, one waters picture inserted here)

Jesus spoke of the field and the seed (individual) and Paul makes it now collective (the church) that ought to bear fruit. The church is to bear fruit by planting seed (individually), watering, the seed and watching the seed grow and produce fruit. So may we now turn and look at the verses and grab some key things.

Paul and Apollos are but ministers to those whom the Lord gave (1Cor3:5)

Diversity, each of us, as in then has a diversity of gifts and a diversity of responsibilities, one prepares the soil (plows), one plants, one waters

Paul planted, Apollos watered, God increased (1Cor3:6; Act2:46)

Another important thing to grasp here is there should be a unity of purpose. No matter the position or possession, we are serving the Lord together, and we are all needed for we are all one according to (1Cor3:8)

And that God causes the increase as also seen (Ref to Act2:46) and the lord increased the numbers of those being saved!

The planter, nor the waterer do not matter, it is God who causes the increase (1Cor3:7)

In fact the planter and the waterer are one (1Cor3:8)

You are God’s fellow workers, field, building (1Cor3:9) also see (Jn4:34-38)

Another point to grasp is even though there is a diversity of ministry there is a unity of purpose and within that unity should be a unity of spirit, a humility of spirit.

It is not the human laborers that produce the harvest, it is God and this lines up with Act2:46. God has chosen to use man (laborers) as His vessels just as Jesus spoke of in Jn4:34-38 and one day we all, laborers will rejoice together.

John 4:34–35 NASB95

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.

John 4:36–37 NASB95

36 “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’

John 4:38 NASB95

38 “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

Gathering fruit for life eternal where the one who sows, and reaps rejoice together!

God gives instructions and expectations of the Church, to increase the field by:

Producing fruit of the Spirit (Gal5:22-23)

By holiness (Rom6:22)

By giving (Rom15:26)

By works, good works that is (Col1:10)

By praise (Heb13:15)

So that, souls may be won to Christ! (Rom1:13)

Fruit has seed, seed can be planted and grow more fruit, much fruit all to the glory of God! - you may chose to note down Jn15:1-8 for your own study about producing much fruit to God’s glory.

So, be a good sower of good seed, God’s seed, God’s word for we know satan is trying to do the opposite. He wants you to just rest and do nothing so there is no plowing, planting, watering, harvesting.

(Transition) so don’t be lazy, don’t be divisional like the problem with the Corinthian church, learn from them and Paul gives great words in this next section.

Temple whose goal is quality

We know we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor6:19), but the church is the temple (1Cor3:9), the body too and Paul draws and illustrates that.

(The church is the temple picture inserted here)

We individually are the temple but collectively we are the temple and each of our works, including collectively will be judged one day by fire (1Cor3:13) so materials, foundation, matter! God is concerned about the quality of the church and uses Paul to convey that in our section here.

Note: If you are not turned in your bible to 1Cor3, might I suggest you do that now, for this passage is long and you need to be able to look, glean, pull from it!

1 Corinthians 3:9–10 NASB95

1 Corinthians 3:11–12 NASB95

11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

1 Corinthians 3:13–14 NASB95

13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.

1 Corinthians 3:15–16 NASB95

15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:17–18 NASB95

17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.

1 Corinthians 3:19–20 NASB95

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.”

1 Corinthians 3:21–22 NASB95

21 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

You need to build on the right foundation, that being Jesus Christ (1Cor3:11)

Paul was determined to preach Christ and Him crucified (1Cor2:1-2) that is the foundation that was laid out, founded in them when he came to them. That is the only foundation that will stand the time. The Corinthians problem was they were divided over men, over personalities vs united by Jesus Christ.

The foundation is poured through the gospel, and without a good foundation nothing else will stand.

The right materials need to be used, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw (1Cor3:12)

Ones work will be evident, personal work, collective work as the church will be known on the Day because it will be revealed by fire (1Cor3:13-14)

If work is burned there will a loss, but not of salvation (1Cor3:15)

Paul is addressing wisdom still, wisdom of the world, wisdom of God, wisdom in the church and that only comes through the wisdom of God through the Word of God that came from the Spirit of God.

Word is milk, meat for the family

Word is seed for the field

The Word is the materials used to build the foundation.

The loss mentioned in (v.15) is not salvation, but of reward.

Remember the church there is dividing over men, it did not say unbelief, so this is not an salvation issue.

D.L. Moody speaking of quantity and quality said this.

“Converts should be weighed as well as counted. God is interested in quality as well as quantity.”

If time permits get to these:

Build according to God’s wisdom, Gods plan (1Cor13:18-20; Php2:12-13)

Build with right motive, to God’s glory (1Cor13:21-23)

Wow, what a section tonight, what an opportunity to learn and to grow (mature and produce fruit). May we be a people who continue to feed on the word to bring maturity, plant the word and water with the word so there may be increase and much fruit. All the while relying on Christ for that is where our sufficiency is and not us!