The Ministry: Taking Heed How We Build
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Just as important as What we Build, is How we Build!
The church in Corinth was in severe straits. There were some troublemakers and opinionated cliques in the church who were about to destroy the church. Because of this they were endangering their eternal destiny, and they desperately needed to realize this. One of the answers to a divided church is for every believer to be a wise builder and laborer within the church.
Division Destroys
Wisdom wins
10 According to the grace of God which has been given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, but another builds on it. Now let each one take heed how he builds on it.
11 For no one can lay another foundation than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble,
13 each one’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on the foundation endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss. But he himself will be saved, still going through the fire.
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy. And you are His temple.
The Means of the Building
The Means of the Building
10 According to the grace of God which has been given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, but another builds on it. Now let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay another foundation than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Paul was a wise master builder.
What made Paul a wise master builder?
First of all, Paul understood it was not because of his natural ability but rather because of Charis that he was a wise master builder.
Charis Given
Charis Given
The word “grace” means to be enabled, empowered, and equipped to do the job. It was God’s power, God’s gifts, God’s abilities that were given to Paul to do the job. Paul was only the instrument through which God built the church.
Now note a crucial factor: Just like last week, Paul was not talking about a literal vine but rather fruit of the process of God using people to produce fruit, more people to create a beautiful vineyard for HIM.
Paul was not talking about a literal building. He was talking about people. The church was not a building; the church was a body of people who truly believed in Jesus Christ. God gave Paul the grace—the strength, power, and ability—to reach people for Jesus Christ and to assemble them together into a body to worship God and to honor His Son, Jesus Christ. Where they met did not matter.
They could meet in a home, a hut, a cave, a field, a back yard, a public building, or a church building.
What mattered was that they were one in their …
• Faith - trust in the Lord
• Obedience - belief and worship of God
• Purpose - mission to reach their neighbors and the world with the message of God’s great love
Paul said he was a “wise masterbuilder.”
The word wise means skillful.
A wise master builder has to have a plan and a purpose.
Paul did not approach the task and project unthoughtfully. He thought long and hard; he kept his mind upon the task. He did not allow the pleasures of the world to distract him; nor did he allow the desires of his own flesh, which sometimes ached for less demanding work, to interfere.
Paul knew what God had called him to do, to plan and establish churches all over the world, so he did it as a “wise” architect and building superintendent.
Others built upon Paul’s work in Corinth. When Paul left Corinth, God raised up others to labor and to continue building the church.
They would include …
• the ministers
• the leaders
• the teachers
• the members who served and carried on the ministry of the church in order to build it.
This should include all members of a church, for all members are certainly to be building the church through their witness and service for the Lord.
Every member is either building or destroying the testimony and strength of a church.
There is the clear warning—let every believer take heed how he builds upon the foundation of the church. The foundation has been laid, and it is strong. It shall never be moved. It is now to be built upon, but everyone in the church, minister and layman alike, must take heed how he builds upon it.
How many of you church members are building up the church?
How many are building wisely and skillfully upon the foundation that has already been laid?
Christ Generated
Christ Generated
There is the only foundation, Jesus Christ Himself. All other foundations are as sinking sand. They cannot stand up against the storms of life. No man—no matter who he is—can lay any other foundation that can last. All other foundations will crumble and be destroyed forever.
What does it mean to say that Christ is the only foundation?
Only Christ is sufficient for the foundation of our lives and the church.
Only Christ’s teachings and doctrine is sufficient for the foundation of our lives and the church.
Only Christ is sufficient to build a true New Testament Church.
Therefore, there can only be 2 kinds of
The Material of the Building
The Material of the Building
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble,
13 each one’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on the foundation endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss. But he himself will be saved, still going through the fire.
There may be only one foundation, and it may be laid by Christ and His apostles, but there are many different kinds of materials within the market of the world. And the believer must choose which material he will use to build his part of the church.
Choicest Goods
Choicest Goods
The Choicest Materials are the permanent and valuable materials, the materials that are not corruptible and do not deteriorate and decay like the things of this earth. Permanent materials last forever; they are incorruptible and undefiled and do not fade away. Scripture says they can be compared to gold, silver, and precious stones.
The reference is to dedicated, spiritual service that helps build up the church.
What are the Choicest materials?
Scripture describes them in many ways.
A couple examples would be as follows.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law.
5 For this reason make every effort to add virtue to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge; 6 and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness; 7 and to your godliness, brotherly kindness; and to your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these things reside in you and abound, they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But the one who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brothers, diligently make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.
Cheapest Goods
Cheapest Goods
There are the Cheapest Goods, the perishable and combustible materials. They are the materials and things of this earth that are corruptible; that rust, decay, and deteriorate. Scripture says they can be compared to wood, hay, and stubble.
What are the cheapest goods?
They would speak of things that are done out of the will of God, or things that are done out of a mean spirit, or things that are done out of selfishness, etc. They differ from the other materials in that flames immediately destroy each of these. The reference is to shallow activity with no eternal value.
Again, Scripture describes them in many ways.
Treasure, Wealth, Cares of this World
19 But the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Works of the Flesh
19 Now the works of the flesh are revealed, which are these: adultery, sexual immorality, impurity, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, rage, selfishness, dissensions, heresies,
There is the day of inspection. The building of the church will be inspected to determine the material we built Christ’s church with.
Notice:
Conclusion Gathered
Conclusion Gathered
The building was started in order to be finished. When it is finished, the inspector, the Lord Jesus Christ, will come to either approve or disapprove it.
7 so that you are not lacking in any gift while waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Every man’s work, the work of every believer, will be manifested and declared. No believer will be exempted. Every single believer will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and have his works tried and tested by the Lord. Every single work will be tested, and the truth and quality of his work will be exposed. This, of course, is a reference to the judgment seat of Christ.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his recompense in the body, according to what he has done, whether it was good or bad.
10 So why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us no longer pass judgment on one another, but rather determine not to put a stumbling block or an obstacle in a brother’s way.
How will they be tested?
Shockingly, by fire. In the Bible fire is constantly used as a symbol of judgment and terrible trial. The building is to be set afire, and only the permanent materials of the Spirit will survive the fire. All the materials of this earth will be burned and consumed and gone forever.
The first part of this verse tells us that there is the potential that some part of our works will remain after they have been put to the fire. Wouldn’t it be a glorious thing to see some of what you did for Jesus actually remain? Many will!
What happens to your works all depends on you!
The believer whose works survive the fire will be rewarded greatly. Crowns, Rewards dealing with our rule and reigning with Christ, and our riches and wealth.
While some of our works will remain, others will be destroyed before our eyes. This will surely be a painful time for every believer. There will be many tears shed right here!
The believer whose works perished in the fire will suffer loss.
Notice again that the believer who may see his works burn will still be saved.
I cannot stress it enough that the issue here will not be about salvation! This was settled when you received Jesus. Now, some might take this and say, “Well, I’m saved! I can do as I please and live any way I want to and it doesn’t matter.” If you are really saved, you won’t think like that! If you are really saved, there will be a part of you that will long to please the Lord. If you are saved, despite your best effort, there will be times when you will serve the Lord. If you are saved, you will prove it by living for the Lord, at least some of the time!
The Message for the Building
The Message for the Building
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy. And you are His temple.
Components Grasped
Components Grasped
The word temple is singular, but the word “ye” is plural. Scripture is saying, “you [all the Corinthian believers] are the temple and sanctuary of God in whom the Spirit of God dwells.” The stress is upon the presence of God: His very presence dwells within the sanctuary, within the shrine proper. The point is powerful: God dwells among all the believers of the church. The Spirit of God dwells within the church—in a very, very special sense—no matter where they meet. The church itself, the body of believers, is the sanctuary for God’s presence.
This is extremely important. It is a truth that should be stressed just as much as the Spirit indwelling the body of the Christian believer, for defiling the temple or the church is to result in severe judgment (1 Co. 3:17). This is the very point Paul is making. The Corinthian church was being defiled by some. Some were grumbling, misbehaving, and being divisive. They were in danger of the severest judgment. They needed to learn and fear, for they were defiling the very temple of God, the sanctuary in which God’s own Spirit dwelt.
Note that the punishment is not specifically described. It is simply made clear that he who does such a terrible thing as trouble a church will suffer a terrible punishment. He will be destroyed: wrecked, torn apart, ripped, devastated.
Comprehension Grasped
Comprehension Grasped
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness,”
20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours,
23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
“Therefore let no man boast in men.”
“Therefore let no man boast in men.”
This ministry is yours,
You are Christ,
And Christ is God’s.