06PM March 27 1 Corinthians 3 10_15 Ridgeview Revival_2

March 27, 2006—Ridgeview Revival

The “Kingdom Workers” Series – Part 2

What Does a Kingdom Worker Believe?

Heart-Held Convictions of Heaven-Minded Saints

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Intro:  The Barna Research Group surveyed a nationwide sampling of Americans & asked them to give reasons why they would return to a church they have visited. Of the 22 different factors named, including worship styles & community outreaches, the top 7 reasons for selecting a church, given in order of their importance, were:

1     Theological beliefs

2     How much people care

3     Quality of sermons

4     Friendliness to visitors

5     Help to poor & disadvantaged

6     Quality of children’s programs

7     How much you like your pastor

          So the top 2 reasons that people would return to a church they had visited & potentially become members of that church; the top 2 reasons were what you believe & how much you care! All the other reasons flow out of the 1st 2 of what you believe & how much you care.

          A lot of churches say they are friendly churches & that’s wonderful if they are. But friendliness came in at #4. A lot of churches promote their children’s ministry as a big drawing point for visitors. & it’s important to have a quality children’s ministry. But in the survey, those looking for a church didn’t even put children’s ministry in the top 5!

          What’s really important to the world is what you believe & how much you care! & really, when you stop & look at the ministry of Jesus on earth, that’s exactly what He concentrated on teaching. His 2 commandments were to love God supremely & to love others sacrificially. He said that summed up the whole Law & all the prophets taught. & it boils down to what you believe & how much you care.

          So tonight, picking up where we left off last night, we want to look at our text & find the heart-held convictions of heaven-minded saints & see how that ties into the 2 most important factors of those looking for a church home.

Let’s read all about it from our text in…

1 Corinthians 3 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, & another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation w/gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, b/c it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

- Now there is a difference between a conviction & an opinion. An opinion is something that you hold. But a conviction is something that holds you.

- So notice the 1st conviction of the saints is…

1. The Firm Foundation on which we stand. (vv. 10a, 11)

- Paul writes to the believers in Corinth that it is…

    A. The firm foundation of God’s Grace. (v. 10a) 10a According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation…

- Literally Paul is saying, “The grace that comes down to me from God, which He has granted, furnished & supplied, has enabled me to be effective in the work of God.”

- So Paul is giving glory to God for anything & everything that he may have accomplished in life. Paul knew God did it through him.

- Therefore, Paul was standing on the firm foundation of God’s grace that worked through him.

- Yes, God had used Paul to establish many churches on his missionary journeys. But Paul did not take credit for any of them. Those churches were planted by God for His glory.

- BTW, in the NT as churches were planted, what was really happening was that God was planting in people a passion for God. It was a passion to know God & to serve God from a heart of love.

- That’s what we need today in America! We need churches that are planted on the firm foundation of God’s grace; planted on a passion for God; planted out of a deep abiding love for Him!

- We don’t need churches that are transplants of other churches; built after model churches. We need churches planted by God’s grace for His glory on His passion!

- & Paul said that, “as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation.”

- The word translated “master builder” in the original is the word from which we get our word ‘architect.’

- It means more than just someone who draws the plans for a building. To them it meant the one who actually planned & built the building. It was a combination of what we call architect & general contractor.

- It means someone w/the skill & knowledge to devise a plan & carry it out.

- So Paul here identifies himself as a “foundation expert.”

- & that’s evident as you look at his missionary journeys. Paul always went to the Jews 1st. He always went to the synagogues b/c the gospel was for the Jew 1st & then to the Greeks.

- He knew that God would draw some of the Jews to faith in Christ & he also knew that the rest of the Jews would eventually throw him & all who believed his message out of the synagogue.

- But Paul then had a group of converts to help him win the Gentiles of that city. He already had a core group w/which to work to win the lost! What a strategy! Platform!

- & Paul says it was all from God by His grace.

- But the Bible also tells us that the foundation on which we stand is…

    B. The firm foundation of God’s Gift. (v. 11) 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

John 3 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

- Jesus is God’s gift; Jesus is the firm foundation on which we stand!

- & there is no other foundation that can be laid except Jesus Christ.

- Many so-called religious leaders try to build a following on good morals; on Christian ethics; on Church traditions; on Church history; & even on humanism or good works.

- But there is no other foundation that will not crumble except Jesus Christ.

- When the winds of life & the storms of this world are raging, those other foundations are sand & cannot sustain what is built on them.

- But the foundation of Jesus Christ is the Rock on which His Church is built & He will never stumble; He will never crumble; He will never fail His Church or His children!

- God has given us the firm foundation on which to stand & it’s none other than Jesus!

- & all of the Scriptures point to Jesus as that foundation.

- The OT predicted His coming & His incarnation.

- The Gospels record the history of His earthly ministry.

- The book of Acts records the history of His early church.

- The epistles are commentaries on His message & His work & how to live for Him.

- & the book of the Revelation is the final testimony of His imminent return & His eternal reign!

- There is no other foundation that can be laid! & the word “can” in v. 11 means, “the ability by natural power or rightful power.”

- No man has any other right or authority to lay any other foundation; to preach any other doctrine of salvation; Acts 4 12 …for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

- IOW to preach Christ or to share Christ w/others is to share the fundamental, foundational truth of the Church!

- It’s sharing the gift of God which He gave so, “…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

- & that life is found only in Jesus Christ! He is the Way, the Truth & the Life & there is no one greater; no one else on which to build the course of your life.

- Jesus is, as Thomas exclaimed on the day he saw Christ risen from the dead, “My Lord & my God!”

- Is Jesus your Lord & your God? If not you have built your life on a sandy foundation that cannot stand the storms of life!

- Jesus Christ is God’s gift to all who will believe! & we stand on the firm foundation of His grace & His gift!

- The Apostle Paul is talking about what kingdom workers believe. He’s writing about the convictions we hold as saints of God. It’s the firm foundation on which we stand &…

2. The Careful Consideration w/which we build. (vv. 10b, 12-13)

- Jesus is the foundation on which we build. Therefore, we are to carefully consider how we build on that foundation…

    A. Through self Examination. (v. 10b) 10b …as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, & another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

- As w/any building, the foundation is just the 1st step in the process.

- Paul had laid the proper foundation for the gospel by presenting Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives & the Savior of all believers.

- He had in effect, pointed people to the truth about Jesus.

- & now it was up to the individuals who responded to God’s gift of grace to properly build on that proper foundation.

- The word translated “builds” is in the present tense & tells us that we are continuously building on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

- The “each one” spoken of in that v. primarily refers to all those who came after Paul.

- It primarily refers to those pastor-teachers & elders who were leaders in the Corinthian church.

- These men were to carefully continue to teach the deep truths of God to those under their leadership.

- But this passage has a much broader sense of application. It not only applies to church leadership but to every individual believer.

- Every one of us, by the words we say & the things we do, are teaching the word of God.

- Therefore, we all have the same responsibility to take heed how we build.

- & the word translated “take heed” is also written in the present tense & that means a continuous action.

- We are to continuously watch; understand; grasp how we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

- & v. 10b is a command! It’s not Paul’s suggestion, its God’s command!

- We are to examine our motives; our attitudes; our desires; our passions & make sure they are in line w/what God wants in us!

          [You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day; by the things that you do & the words that you say. Men read what you write, whether faithless or true. Tell me, what is the gospel according to you?]

- People are always watching to see how Christians respond; how they react when problems arise.

- & if they are watching us, we must be watching ourselves to make sure that we are carefully building on the true foundation of Jesus Christ!

- The careful consideration w/which we build through self examination should prepare us for the day when we receive…

    B. Our final Evaluation. (vv. 12-13) 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation w/gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, b/c it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.

          [In 1994, Patricia & I went to San Paulo, Brazil on a mission trip w/a group from our church & a few others from the Baptist Association. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon & as we were making our way to the hotel, we could see shacks that people had made of anything they could get their hands on; old doors, plywood, pieces of boards, boxes, you name it.

          We were told that those people were too poor to build a house out of proper materials, so just used whatever they could. & they put those “houses” anywhere there was an empty spot. So you could see these “houses” down every street & sidewalk & in every vacant lot. They just used whatever they could to make a place to live.]

- But when it comes to building on the foundation of Jesus Christ; when it comes to building our lives for the glory of God; we are not to use any old material we can find.

- We are to use only the best materials. & what are the materials w/which we build?

- Paul talks about, “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw.”

- But does he literally mean that we use those types of materials?

- It was not unusual, during the times that Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth, for builders to actually use precious metals & jewels in the construction of buildings.

- But I would venture to say that not many of us today are building w/gold & silver.

- So what exactly, does Paul refer to here?

- The gold, silver & precious stones are naturally the best of materials.

- The gold, silver & precious stones are the works of the believer as motivated by the Spirit of God.

- These are godly works done in godly ways for the glory of God.

- These are selfless acts of kindness; sacrifices made for others; opportunities taken as presented in divine appointments to work for the glory of God.

- It’s not your natural talents or your spiritual gifts – but how you use those to build your life for the glory of God.

- Now the wood, hay & straw are inferior materials which will not stand up to the test of fire.

- These are the selfish acts or the ulterior motives which you thought would be best for you & so you were not concerned w/caring for others. You were not concerned w/living out your faith so that others could be drawn to Christ by your example.

- & so, the materials that you use to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ will be tested by fire to see what sort of materials you used.

- So not only are we to be concerned w/the firm foundation on which we stand; we are also to concern ourselves w/the careful consideration w/which we build; & we must also concern ourselves w/…

3. The Eternal Endurance for which we work. (vv. 14-15)

- I’m sure you don’t want to waste your life.

- I’m sure you don’t want to stand before your Lord & not have anything to show for the life you lived.

- & so…

    A. We work toward the specific Promise. (v. 14) 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

- Believers who have the right motives & the right conduct & have served well are all building w/gold, silver & precious stones.

- & for the use of these materials; for the evidence of right motives & conduct & service, those believers will receive rewards.

- But I want to point your attention to the little 2 letter word in v. 14 “it.”

- That word refers to the foundation of Jesus Christ!

- IOW you could use the best materials of gold & silver & precious stones; you could have the best of intentions & have the best attitude of helping others & serving selflessly; you could do all that & build it on a foundation other than Jesus Christ & have absolutely no reward at all!

[Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life and it will soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in that day my Lord to meet,
And stand before His judgment seat;
Only one life and it will soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me, Father, a purpose deep,
In joy, or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life and it will soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.]

2 Corinthians 5 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

- Are you working toward that specific promise? Are you using the best materials as you work to build your life? Are you laying up treasures in heaven?

- Remember, Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure lies, there will your heart be also.”

- We are to work toward the specific promise of reward, but that can only happen as…

    B. We work toward spiritual Preparation. (v. 15) 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

- We can easily fool ourselves into thinking that anything we do in the name of the Lord is serving Him.

- Remember that Paul thought the same way. He was persecuting the followers of “The Way” who were the early believers in Jesus. & Paul thought he was doing service to God by trying to stamp them out.

- Just b/c you are sincere in what you are doing does not mean that it’s done for God’s glory or even that it’s God’s will.

[The terrorists who executed the plan of 9-11 were sincere in their belief that what they were doing they were doing for the glory of Allah according to the will of Allah. But Allah is not God! Therefore, they could not possibly be pleasing to God b/c they were not seeking Him!]

- Sincerity is not the issue; following the will of the one true God is!

- So we must be careful to prepare ourselves spiritually to be able to discern the will of the one true living God.

- If we are not discerning of His will, we may find on that day that we are saved, which cannot be taken away once we truly possess it, but we many find that we wreak of the smell of smoke b/c everything we thought would bring us reward was burned to ashes!

- What we may think is gold by our standards, is really straw by God’s standards.

- What we may think is silver by our standards, is really hay by God’s standards.

- Therefore, we must prepare ourselves by comparing ourselves w/God’s standards.

- IOW we compare ourselves w/His word, His Son, His will & then we can gain His reward!

Conclusion:  I began this message by telling you that what really matters to the world around you is what you believe & how much you care.

- What you believe really does make a difference. & not just to those who may come to visit your church, it makes a difference to God!

- You are building your life each day on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

- You are constantly building; even when you don’t know it; even when you think nobody’s watching; you are still building on the foundation.

- & what you build is a direct reflection of what you believe.

- Ladies & gentlemen, the whole unredeemed world is watching to see what you build b/c it directly reflects what you believe.

- They read about Jesus from your life! What are you telling them?

- Let me also say that what you are building, also tells them how much you care.

- If your life is lived more for self than for Jesus, then you tell the world you care more about yourself than anyone else.

- If you are building just for the rewards you may receive from the Lord, your motives are selfish & sinful & you distort the message of Jesus Christ w/your life!

- Oh, how I long for my own life to be different!

- How I long to the church of Jesus Christ to return the actions of Acts 2!

- How I long for God to be glorified in us that the world could see Him exalted, holy, worthy, in all His magnificence & be drawn to Him!

- Is that the desire of your heart?

- Is that how you feel about your own life?

- Is that something about which you pray?

- O that God would rend the heavens & come down!

- O that He would be seen in the beauty of His holiness & the majesty His of glory!

- & O that He would begin in us!

Invitation: 

          Has God spoken to you tonight about the eternal destiny of your soul? Has He revealed to you your lost spiritual condition? Are you ready to come to Him in repentance of sin & place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior? If so, I invite you to come.

          Or maybe God has challenged you to really look at your life. Maybe what you need to do is to tear down the edifice you are building to yourself & begin tonight to build your life for the glory of God! If that’s what you sense God telling you, I invite you to come & offer yourself afresh & anew to the Lord of glory.

          Or maybe you have a particular burden on your heart tonight that you want to share w/your pastor. Maybe it’s become too much for you to bear alone & you need to ask for help in taking it to the throne of grace. I invite you to come & lay that burden on Jesus. He can handle it.

          Tonight, as God deals w/you. I invite you to come; I encourage you to come in obedience to your Father in Heaven.

Hymn