I Corinthians 3
I Corinthians 3 • Sermon • Submitted
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I Corinthians 3:1-16, Rough Draft
I. Leading by challenging, vs. 1-4
II. Leading by discipling, vs. 5-9
III. Leading by building, vs. 10-17
IV. Leading in humility (Gospel?), vs. 18-23
Intro - God calls all Christ followers in some way to lead others. The thought of being a spiritual leader makes most of us really nervous.
Why? We know how much we fail spiritually. Many of us who appear to have it all together on the outside know our inward struggles. We know our thoughts, attitudes, inward sins...
Did Paul struggle with inward sin? Yes
Did Paul allow his imperfection to keep Him from leading spiritually.
God has called some to lead formally in a named “position”.
Sunday school teacher, deacon, pastor.
Most of us God has called to lead in “un-named positions”. He has called you to lead out of your everyday life.
Story about those who doubt of being used
In today’s passage we see that Paul leads the church at Corinth through several important issues holding back their spiritual growth.
Transition - Paul steps into a confrontational part of his letter.
I. Leading by Challenging spiritual distractions, vs. 1-4
Paul confronted the Spiritual distraction of divisions/conflict.
These divisions/conflicts distracted the Corinthians from spiritual growth.
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?
In this challenge - this spiritual confrontation, Paul says this ...
A. You are not mature in your faith.
How would you feel if someone told you. You are not mature in your faith?
Offense, doubt, confusion, anger, it would get your attention.
Paul calls the Corinthians in verse 1 “people of the flesh (wordly, carnal)” and spiritual “infants”.
What does Paul mean by these offensive terms?
People of the flesh/Carnal - Those who have come to Christ, but have their mind not on the eternal or the spiritual, but on their own wants and desires.
Illustration
“Babes in Christ” - A baby has a very restricted diet. You wait to even give them the simple watery rice cereal until the baby is 4 months old. You can’t give them soft scrambled eggs or finely chopped meat. Their little system just can’t handle it. Their gut has not matured.
Young moms give the babysitting grandparents strict orders on what the baby can and cannot have because certain foods the baby isn’t ready for. As soon as mom drops off the baby, grandad shares his ice cream with his grandchild.
Babes in Christ aren’t ready for challenging spiritual teaching about the depth of God and how He works.
Those mature in Christ = people who are spiritually eager to have deeper teaching challenge them.
In the church in Corinth their spiritual immaturity came out in factions, divisions and unnecessary disagreement.
Vs. 3 says, “there is jealousy and strife among you.”
This theme of division and strife among the Corinthians is a theme that Paul keeps hammering at in I Corinthians. We will see it again in future chapters.
Be reminded that for the Corinthians the division came because they lined up behind leadership personalities - they did not line up behind Jesus.
Paul, Apollos, Peter … There were divisions.
Why is strife and division a big deal? Jesus High Priestly Prayer
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
Unity in the body of Christ is a big deal.
There are 2 kinds of disagreement that happen in churches:
1. Disagreement over primary issues, truly big deals.
Think of these as the boarders to our country. These boarders are really serious when the line is crossed.
2. Disagreement over secondary issues, minor issues. Think of these as state boarders. They mean something when you cross them, but don’t have the seriousness or weight of crossing a country boarder.
I want you to hear this. *** The wise and mature Christian sees the importance of discerning between primary and secondary issues.
-There are times that disagreements happen. It is ok to have disagreements. A family is going to have disagreements.
-Here is a practical question you must ask when a disagreement begins.
"Is this issue spelled out in the Bible so clearly that it cannot be compromised on?” Is it a big deal? Is it a primary issue.
“Is this an issue about the character or person of God or the Gospel?”
“Is this an issue about Holy living or a believer’s lifestyle?”
-If it is, you might be dealing with a primary issue.
BUT
You are dealing with a secondary issue when:
-A passage of scripture is unclear and could have 2 different interpretations.
You have a secondary issue when...
-You are dealing with an issue of preference.
-You prefer a certain style of teaching, preaching, or music.
-You prefer to sit in pew rather than chairs.
-You prefer to go to a 10am church service rather than 11am.
-You prefer to have your Sunday School school class at the church instead of meeting in someone’s home.
-In Sunday School you prefer to use the quarterly over a different kind of study.
-You prefer a different paint color on the walls.
-When you are talking about a doctrine that is not clearly laid out in scripture.
Maturity is seeing what is a secondary issue and what is a primary issue.
-To my people pleasing friends. or my fearful or anxious friends
When someone teaches something clearly wrong or if someone publically sins in an obvious way (primary issue) and your refuse to stand up because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or start a conflict. That’s immaturity. This is being a babe in Christ.
-To my conflict enjoying friends. When you fight over secondary issues. When you raise your level of intensity over something that is not a primary issue. When you go one facebook or pick up the phone and needlessly run your mouth. When you bring unnecessary conflict over a small issue - a secondary issue. - You show your spiritual immaturity.
This is what God wants for you.
-To be able to disagree on secondary issues and not get hostile or our feelings hurt about it. To be able to talk about secondary issues, agree to disagree and be closer friends for it.
This is what God wants for you.
-When you have a disagreement with someone about a primary issue. God wants you to go behind a closed door and have a calm, loving, serious conversation. Where in conflict you love your neighbor. After you conflict is resolved, do not advertise it.
Hear me very carefully.
God does not want you to avoid all conflict.
He wants you to avoid unnecessary conflict.
He wants you to handle necessary conflict in a way that bring honor to Him.
This sets us apart from the World. This brings us closer to work through disagreements. It grows us spiritually.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
So, Paul leads by being willing to confront the Corinthians in something that is hurting them spiritually. Maybe God is calling you to speak to someone who needs to be spiritually challenged over something that is holding them back spiritually.
Transition - Paul goes on in his leadership challenge and ...
II. Leading through a Discipleship Challenge, vs 5-9
It was clear that the Corinthians were very mistaken on how discipleship works.
Here Paul teaches the very basics of how discipleship happens.
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.
Paul says these men you line up behind aren’t prestigious. They are servants.
The word servant here means...
vs. 5, Servant = someone who serves at tables or a servant with a master, there is humility here. We see that Paul is not in the business of self promotion.
vs. 6, describes the basics of how discipleship happens.
One person plants, one person waters, God is who does the work.
We praise Him for the transforming He brings.
In the most fundamentals of discipleship we need 2 things:
We need people to plant and water. We need God to bring the growth.
Illustration - let me give you an example.
In the Student Ministry I was involved with here is what would many times happen.
Students would be taught and experience small groups weekly, all throughout the year. Planting and watering all throughout the year.
Usually at a retreat when there was an intense spiritual we would see a harvest. There would be a very noticeable outward response of many.
-You would see the growth and harvest - from all the planting and watering.
-There were micro responses happening every week. Sometimes you would see them in small group time, in a private conversation, or in a worship time.
-Was it the great retreat or camp experience that brought the growth?
-No, it was just one of many ways of God working in: watering, planting, harvesting.
-Sometimes churches have revivals. You see similar responses.
We make the mistake to think that people bring spiritual change in the hearts of others.
Pause
Illustration - Jonathan Edwards was one of the great preachers of the Great Awakening in the 1730’s, massive spiritual revival in our nation. Jonathan Edwards was probably the most intelligent and greatest mind ever to come out of North America - brilliant. He used by God to bring one of the biggest revivals this nation has seen. He was a revival preacher.
This is said about his preaching -
As John Gerstner has said, “From the standpoint of delivery, he possibly was one of the most mediocre the Church has ever known. He had none of the grand eloquence of George Whitefield or that powerful or sonorous voice. Apparently there were no real gestures, just a solemn reading of the manuscript, …,
In discipling and leading others. In planting and watering...
God doesn’t need you to have a magnetic personality.
God doesn’t need you to be a motivational speaker.
God simply uses your faithful and obedience. God uses the faithful, available and teachable.
If you are a Christ follower. You are called to plant and water in someone else’s life. You are all called to make disciples.
He wants you to be spiritually investing in others lives
Start spiritually gardening. Plant and water, plant and water - depend of God for the harvest.
Transition -
Review - So far we’ve seen that:
-God wants us to handle well the spiritual distraction of conflict.
-That God calls us to be invested spiritually in others lives.
-Thirdly we see Paul lead through Spiritual building.
Paul takes us from a planting watering gardening example to a building example.
III. Leading through Building, vs. 10-17
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.
A. Build Carefully
Paul was very careful with how he evangelized the lost and discipled believers.
Paul’s expectation is that you would also be careful in how YOU evangelize the lost and disciple beleivers.
Look at end of verse 10, “...Let each one take care how he builds upon it.”
Look at this specific language “Skilled master builder” “Let each one take care how he builds upon it.”
Paul is very intentional and careful in how He leads others spiritually.
He is building a TEMPLE.
What is this TEMPLE? The people of God.
The Church, body of Christ is the Temple of God?
This building, the church house is not the Temple, God’s people are the Temple.
vs. 16 - “Speaking of building”
You are the temple of God. “You” is plural.
Believers are the temple of God.
God dwells in his people. The spirit of God dwells in us.
God dwells in us.
No where in pagan or any religious system is it taught that a deity in Spirit resides in His people.
B. The Foundation
And Paul is very clear about the foundation.
The foundation, the most important part, is Jesus Christ.
C. Choose the right materials
You called to help construct the building (the body of Christ), vs. 10
What are the materials that God asks us to use?
The precious stones of: God’s Word, God’s strength, Love, Faith, Patience ...
These are materials that will last forever.
There are materials that won’t last, but will fail.
What are those materials: Our human wisdom, human strength, human agendas, human effort. These things will not last.
Illustration - Hurricane building???
Application
After Christ comes back there will be a day of judgement.
What you sowed with God’s truth and faith will last.
What you sowed in your own effort for your glory will burn up.
You will be rewarded for what you sowed in purity and faith.
Scrooge analogy - Many of you remember the Disney cartoon based on Charles Dicken’s “The Scrooge.”
Scrooge is granted the ability to see the effects of his actions in the past, in the present and what the effects of his actions would be in the future.
When Scrooge looked back at his life he wished he could have changed it. He realized that he had squandered his life.
Scrooge had a 2nd chance to change his life and he made change.
There is a happy ending. There is a generous and a joyous Christmas.
He had an awakening before it was too late for him.
There will be an awakening for all believers.
When you go to heaven - there is a new awakening.
I Corinthians 13 tells us that when we see Jesus that we will have a perfect knowledge. The spiritual things we didn’t understand or get in this life we will see and know.
However, by the time you are in heaven, it’s too late to change your past human life to gain reward from God.
Sea Shell -
John Piper tells a story of a retired couple that was highlighted in a magazine. They retired to a beautiful place in Florida called Sanibel Island. It’s know for its white Gulf beaches and beautiful sea shells. This couple retired and many times a week picked beautiful sea shells.
The last 10-20 years of their life were to be spent walking the beach and collecting sea shells.
What will this couple say when they get to heaven?
Hey God! Look at all these sea shells!!!
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Sea shells do not build up the body of Christ.
Sea shells will not survive God’s judgement.
When you choose to avoid unnecessary conflict and invest in others lives spiritually. This builds up the body of Christ.
What is the body of Christ?
If you realize that you have squandered your life after you die. There is no second chance to change.
What’s the take away? Awakening in your life has to happen now. (x2)
What materials are you using to build a spiritual house? ???? Better apllicatoin Q
Paul gives a warning about destroying God’s temple.
Through division or false teaching in a church.
-We keep unity in a church when we choose to follow Christ rather than human personalities.
-When you choose to teach the scripture and not something different.
-When you serve and do ministry with the desire to please God and build up His people.
IV. Gospel, vs. 18
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.
In the Greco Roman world of Paul’s day - to follow Christ was considered foolish.
In America today to follow Christ and to believe the Bible is considered foolish.
Paul is warning you now, Don’t be deceived - wisdom about what is right and wrong in this age is foolish to God.
Become foolish by this worlds standards and wise by God’s Standards.
Follow Jesus.
Q - Have you made the choice to follow Jesus?...
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Gospel (Humility)
Is this issue worth having a serious disagreement over?” “Will this issue effect whether or not I can worship or do ministry with this person?”
Can I tell you, there are differences that are legitimate primary issues where people have to lovingly part ways.
Example: Bill Cain, Baptizing babies
We are friends, I would be happy for him to preach in this pulpit. If he invited me to come to his church and baptise his grandchild. I would lovingly decline. I don’t hold to infant Baptism. ?????
-Examples of primary and secondary issues.
Question - How does a Christ follower mature their spiritual gut so they can feed on the dense rich food of God?
Answer - By exposing yourself to challenging teaching.
-Read your Bible.
-Read Christian books from trustworthy authors
-Podcasts of trustworthy teachers
Practically - You need some inspirational/encouraging music or devotionals. Inspirational is needed sometimes, but it is like birthday cake icing. It gets you pumped up, but fades quickly.
Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.
If you are not already feeding yourself spiritually, you will have to make a daily time for this.
***Post online links to teachers & music that is trustworthy. (Sound?)
Trustworthy - I can’t name them all, but here are a few.
John Piper
Louie Giglio
Charles Swindoll
Matt Chandler
Francis Chan
Charles Stanley
David Jeremiah
Alistar Begg
Adrian Rogers
Tim Keller
Ravi Zachariah
John MacArthur
Warren Wiersbe
Encouraged to avoid:
This will step on someone’s toes. If you think I am wrong please give me grace. If you chose to listen to these speakers, please do so discerningly. A few of these speakers started off strong, but have gotten off track.
Benny Hinn
Kenneth Copeland
Joyce Meyer
Joel Osteen
Steven Furtick
John Hagee
Jesse Duplantis
Andy Stanley (the last several years has gotten off track)
And so with these terms “Fleshly/Carnal” and “Babes in Christ” we are beginning to get a picture of the spiritual health of the church in Corinth. It is rightly said that the church in Corinth was the most unhealthy church seen in all of the New Testament writings.
-With that, we have a lot to learn from their mistakes.
One big mistake was seen in who they thought spiritual growth came from.
vs. 3-9, Jealousy Strife, following Paul or Apollos vs. 4
THIS IS WHAT I WANT FOR YOU.
THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU.
GROWING IN HIM. NOT TO BE STUCK SPIRITUALLY, BUT taking steps forward. Enjoying your walk with God. Most importantly - enjoying God. Enjoying getting to know more of Him.
vs. 5-9,
A. God gives the growth (vs. 6-7)
-The planters and waterers are not anything. Humility
B. Planters and Waterers work together (are one). There is not a competition vs. 8
C.
vs. 12, Hodge believes the precious stones are good doctrine. No mention of works done with proper motive.
vs. 16, Temple of God, Hodge applies to the church collectively. Question, Does the Shechinah (glory) of God reside in the believer or in The Church proper. The answer - No, The Sheckinah Glory is the visible manifestation of the presence of God. This would not be normative in the believer.
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The second thing we need is ourselves to be planted and watered.
-One of the best ways to be invest spiritually in others lives is to fill yourself up spiritually. To feed yourself spiritually.
-We always start with regular Scripture and prayer.
-There is a resource that I have to commend to you:
PODCASTING - It’s where through your smartphone or on the computer you listen to messages/sermons/teachings.
-When you drive, work in the yard, cleaning the house, wash the car … its a great way to get spiritual food.
For me - this applies to both I & II.
So here is the teaching Paul is giving the Corinthians - Stop making your spiritual focus about following personalities and being distracted by divisions. This is poisoning your spiritual walk.