Sinners Made Saints — Strong Foundations

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:10-16

Theme: Christians are to build a spiritual house, and we are to build it on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ

Date: 08/1/2021 Title: 1_Corinthinas_06 ID: NT07-03

In the founding documents of Harvard University we find the following paragraph:

Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, Let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him. (Proverbs 2:3)

To lay Christ in the bottom refers to making Christ the foundation of the student’s life. The big problem, however, was what Harvard proceeded over the ensuing centuries to build on top of the foundation. Somewhere along the way, Harvard — a school started by Christians for the education of Christians — began building with wood, hay and straw. The irony is that Harvard is today considered the “gold” standard of higher education while at the same time has become an institution that has become exceptionally areligious — and even hostile toward Christianity. In 2019 38% of Harvard students classified themselves as agnostics or atheists.

Paul would remind us that while the foundation of your spiritual life, and the foundation of the Church is critical, it’s hardly all that matters. It’s not enough to have a solid foundation. The rest of the structure must be built of quality materials. The building materials must be worthy of the foundation.

We are to build.

We are to build on a solid foundation.

We are to build carefully.

We are to build with the future in mind.

I. WE ARE TO BUILD

“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.” (1 Corinthians 3:10, ESV)

1. the text of 1 Corinthians 3 is clear ... individually and corporately Christians are engaged in a building project

a. but it is not just any building we are erecting

b. in 1 Corinthians 3:16 Paul says that the building we are putting up is a temple

1) and it’s not just any temple, it’s God’s temple

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV)

2) much of the failure of believers living a sanctified life characterized by good works stems from ignorance of this great truth ... you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in you!

2. we are to be about the business of constructing our own Christian life, but we are also involved in the construction of other Christian’s lives

a. Paul is teaching the Corinthians that building the Church is a community event that involves each and every member

ILLUS You might say that it is reminiscent of an old-fashioned barn raising where an entire community comes together to erect an edifice.

b. in Ephesians Paul calls the Church an holy temple in the Lord and that it is builded together for an habitation through the Spirit

3. when it comes to building our spiritual life, three things stand out in vs. 10

A. WE HAVE THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR BUILDING OUR SPIRITUAL HOUSE

1. Paul calls himself here the wise master builder, and the word for master builder, is the word from which we get our word architect

a. but Paul really uses this word in a different sense than we use the word architect today

2. to us an architect is the man who thinks up the building — he conceptualizes it; he designs it; he sees it in his mind's eye; he plans it, and programs it, and draws the designs for it

a. in that sense God is the architect of the church

b. Jesus told his Apostles, "I will build my church," (Matthew 16:18) and in Hebrews 3:3 Paul says that the one who builds the house has more honor than the house itself and the one who is building the house is Jesus Christ

ILLUS. Sorry Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the church does not belong to you. Sorry Justin Welby, but the Church does not belong to you. Sorry Cynthia Fierro Harvey, but the Church does not belong to you. Sorry Ronnie Floyd, but the Church does not belong to you. For those of you who are wondering those are the respective heads or executive leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

1) GOD has conceived His Temple; He has designed it; He has planned its structure; He has programmed its activities, and He continues to do so, so He is really the architect in that sense today

ILLUS. We have an example of this in the Old Testament. In the Book of Exodus, there are eight chapters of detailed instructions from God as to how Moses is to build the Tabernacle. It includes the materials to be used, the decor on the inside, the rituals and kinds of sacrifices that are to be established. God didn’t tell Moses, “Build me a temple and use your own imagination on how to do so.”

2) in the same way, God gives instructions on how we are to build our own personal spiritual house

3) there is one supreme, over-arching requirement ... it is to be a holy Temple

c. sadly, too many pastors, and too many churches, and too many denominations are re-imagining how to build the church, and it has little to do with Christ, his gospel and sanctified living

3. while architect is the word used by Paul in vs. 10 a term that better describes what Paul speaks of here is contractor

a. Paul is a master contractor

1) he is skilled; he knows his business; he is filled with grace; he is helped by the power and the Spirit of God

b. as such he comes equipped to go to work and lay the foundation as he did in Corinth and everywhere else he went, preaching and teaching the doctrines of Christ

4. every Christian is a contractor of their own spiritual life

a. the responsibility of a contractor in construction is the execution of the work activities that are required for the completion of the building project

b. there are lots of responsibilities, but three are essential ...

1) 1st, it’s your responsibility to estimate the needed materials and equipment necessary for the project

a) the very first thing you need are blueprints that guide the construction

b) God has given us a detailed guide for building our spiritual house — it’s called the Bible

2) 2nd, it’s your responsibility to anticipate potential modifications of the project

a) sometimes the architect of the building wants to add a wing, or change the configuration of a room, or change the pitch of the roof

b) similarly God sometimes comes and says, “I know this is where you thought your spiritual life was going, but my plans for your life have changed — they’ve enlarged”

c) you can either walk off the job in a huff, or you can grin and say, “Let’s do this!”

3) 3rd, it’s your responsibility to establish good communication skills with the architect of the building if you’re going to build to suit

ILLUS A “build to suit” is a building or space specifically constructed to the client's needs. It is a way of developing property where the contractor has constructed a building to the specifications of a particular tenant or type of tenant.

5. your spiritual house is a build to suit project

a. God, through His Holy Spirit, it the tenant who has taken up residence in your life

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, ESV)

1) are you sensitive to the day-by-day specifications God has for your life?

2) are you building your spiritual life to suit yourself or to suit God?

B. SOME WILL BUILD A BETTER SPIRITUAL HOUSE THAN OTHERS

1. in vs. 10 Paul writes According to the grace of God given to me

a. every Christian is to build their spiritual house according to the grace God supplies them

1) the question must never be “Does my spiritual house measure up to my neighbor’s spiritual house?”

2) the question is, “Am I building the best spiritual house I can with the knowledge, equipment, time and stewardship available to me?”

ILLUS. Virtually every believer knows the name of Moses. He was Israel’s greatest prophet. He confronted Pharaoh, led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery, guided them across the desert, and gave them The Torah. Every believer who has been a Christian for any length of time knows the name of Moses. But how many of you know the name Bezalel? He was the chief artisan of the Tabernacle and was in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant. But Bezalel didn’t work alone. He brought in other artisans to do their part.

b. here were two men who each had different gifts, different abilities and different callings

1) Bezalel’s job was not to be the best Moses he could be, but the best Bezalel he could be

2. are you building the best spiritual mansion you can with the gifts, the abilities, the intellect God has given you, or are you satisfied with a spiritual tar-paper shack?

C. WE ALL NEED SPIRITUAL SUB-CONTRACTORS IN BUILDING OUR SPIRITUAL HOUSE

1. also in vs. 10 Paul says, I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it

a. contractors don’t always have the expertise or abilities that are needed for completing all construction work by themselves

b. for that reason, contractors also need to call in subcontractors who are able to complete some parts of the project

2. Paul was not a Lone Ranger missionary

a. we know that the Apostle had numerous traveling companions who all worked together in establishing and growing churches

1) we’re familiar with names such as Luke, and Barnabas, Silas and John Mark, Epaphras and Onesimus

2) in the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Christians at Rome the Apostle mentions 29 men and women who where colleagues in ministry

3. building your spiritual house is an iron-sharpens-iron-effort

a. in one of his many proverbs, King Solomon wrote, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17, ESV)

b. I will never build my spiritual house without the help of my Christian wife, Christian friends, and Christian co-workers

4. God’s people are to be about the business of building God’s Temple

... We Are Expected to Build Our Spiritual House

II. WE ARE TO BUILD ON A SOLID FOUNDATION

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11, ESV)

1. Paul makes clear that the purpose of a foundation is to build something on it

ILLUS. When we drive home to Linda’s family, as we hit the junction of Hwy. 109 and State Road W you can look up to your left and see a large mansion on a bluff overlooking the Meramec River. The house is notable because of it’s size and its color — a deep sunflower yellow. The reason I mention it is because for many, many years before the house was built, the foundation sat there; bare and stark with no structure built upon it. Someone went to great lengths and great expense to clear the top of the bluff, excavate, create a footing, set basement foundation forms, and pour concrete. The forms were taken down and then nothing happened. Then finally, one year, when we went home for Thanksgiving I noticed that someone had finally started building a home on that foundation.

a. I think this illustration is a sad analogy of too many professing Christian’s lives

1) they come to Christ, a spiritual foundation of redemption is firmly established, but then something happens and it’s years before they begin building their spiritual life, if they do at all

2. contractors do not lay foundations and then walk off and leave them

a. if they do, it is a sign they have run out of money; they are not able to finish what they have started

1) God forbid that be a reality in a true believer’s life

b. as the apostles laid the foundation by giving us the Gospel, they also gave us the Scriptures that we might build up our own spiritual house, and in building up our spiritual house build up the larger Church

c. as others are added to it, and as they grow and develop and become mature and strong in Christ, love and compassion, mercy, truth and grace begin to flow out of their lives instead of confusion, weakness, hostility and anger and all the things that were once there

3. no one on earth, no human being (“no man”), said the apostle Paul, can lay any acceptable foundation other than Jesus Christ

a. he is the eternal and immovable Rock of our salvation

4. unfortunately, too many professing Christians build their lives on, false foundations, false hopes, and the lure of worldly success

a. similarly, they will seek to build the church on false visions of success — like size, numbers, facilities, and programs — while neglecting the preeminence of Christ

b. our hearts are inclined to supplant Jesus and replace Him with our own designs

1) the Bible has a word for this — it’s called idolatry

... We Must Build on a Solid Foundation

III. WE ARE TO BUILD CAREFULLY

“ ... 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.” (1 Corinthians 3:10–11, ESV)

1. Jesus Christ alone was the foundation, the basis of salvation

a. but others had come to Corinth and preached a different gospel

“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:4, ESV)

ILLUS. Before a builder lays the floor and raises up walls and a roof, he first constructs a rock-solid foundation with rebar-reinforced concrete footings. Concrete piers are also placed under certain portions of the structure. Only then can they build the house itself.

b. it’s the same, and even more important, with our walk with the Lord

c. if we don’t establish our lives on God’s prescribed foundations, all the rest of our spiritual efforts will falter and even fail

2. when Paul writes let each one take care how he builds upon it he means one cannot haphazardly throw building materials into a foundation and expect a glorious temple to appear

A. THE QUALITY OF THE BUILDING MATERIAL DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF THE STRUCTURE

“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—” (1 Corinthians 3:12, ESV)

1. the Apostle’s point is simple, we can build our spiritual house with things that are imperishable or we can build with material that is perishable

a. each one of us is responsible for how we build on the foundation of Christ

b. in the Bible’s use of construction metaphors, it tells us that we are not merely building a spiritual house that Paul compares to a temple, but that together we become stones in a larger structure that is a holy temple of the Lord

“in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21, ESV)

2. building the Church is a colossal, multi-generational building project

ILLUS. On the upper west side of Manhattan lies the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I’ve been in it and it is a magnificent structure, and wonderfully beautiful. It is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, and the world's sixth-largest church by area. Begun in 1892, it is still under construction with only two-thirds of the proposed building completed. Like many of the great cathedrals in Europe, it’s construction has gone in fits-and-starts, and it may be another one hundred years before it is completed. Because of the quality of the material used it’s a building that will stand for centuries to come (if the Lord tarries).

3. my point is two-fold

a. 1st, that six generations of masons and stone cutters have worked on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine — it’s been a long-term project

1) building your spiritual house is a long-term project — it begins the moment you’re saved and continues until the Lord calls you home

b. 2nd, God is deeply concerned about the quality of the spiritual materials that go into your spiritual life

1) are they materials that will stand the test of time?

4. "What are you building with?" that is the great question

a. is it gold, silver, precious stones?

b. or is it wood, hay, straw?

c. with this metaphor Paul intends to say that the superstructure must correspond to the substructure

1) the materials used to build the structure must match the preciousness and durability of the foundation

5. Paul uses the imagery to show how people are building their spiritual life

a. some live by the Word, apply it to their daily lives, and develop spiritually as they seek to edify themselves and fellow believers

1) these people are vitally interested in sound doctrine and “the pure preaching of [God’s] Word”

2) they build their spiritual houses with the precious metals and stones of the living Word, worship, and Christian fellowship

b. others lead shallow lives with a veneer of Christianity

1) they seem to be satisfied with living in ordinary houses made of wood, hay, and straw

B. THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES OF SHABBY BUILDING

ILLUS. Every time a building collapses for unknown reasons — like in Florida a month ago — the investigation always centers on 1) the quality of the building materials, and 2) the maintenance of the building. Frequently they find both to be wanting.

1. there are dangerous consequences of building failure if the materials we use in building our spiritual house are not in keeping with the greatness of Christ who is the foundation

a. 1st, there can be injury to the church

1) are we building our lives, and are we building the church with doctrines, and attitudes, and behaviors that create a glorious edifice?

2) are we building with materials that have no eternal consequences?

3) if we use shabby materials, real damage can come to the church

b. 2nd, there will be a builder’s loss of reward

1) it is possible to be a Christian, but to be a Christian who makes no earthly difference for Christ because your building your life with an eye to what the world thinks of it rather than what Christ thinks of it

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)

c. 3rd, there can be the destruction of the Church and ourselves

1) the third consequence of shabby building is that it can become so contrary to the foundation that we destroy the very church in which we serve and ourselves with it

2) sadly, we live in a day when vain philosophies like Critical Race Theory, and false Gospels like the Prosperity gospel are the wood, hay, and straw of our era

3) they are destroying believer’s lives and they are destroying churches

“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17, ESV)

2. we must never forget that the saints of God will be judged

a. we will be judged in two capacities

1) we will be judged as sons (Hebrews. 12:5-11)

a) this judgement results in chastisement down here

b) it is the eternal Father disciplining His children so that we might walk in holiness

2) we will be judged as servants (2 Corinthians 5:10)

a) this is God’s judgment in heaven when our lives will be reviewed and our good works assessed

b) both rebukes and rewards will be dispensed at this judgement

b. in both of these, our salvation is absolutely secure because it is based on the good work of Christ on Calvary, and not our good works

IV. WE ARE TO BUILD WITH THE FUTURE IN MIND

“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.” (1 Corinthians 3:13, ESV)

1. why is Paul so concerned about the spiritual growth of the believers at Corinth?

a. the Apostle knows that our eternal rewards in God’s Kingdom depend on how we lived for Christ in the kingdoms of this world

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, ESV)

b. a time is coming when our Lord’s searching eyes are going to examine all our Christian lives

1) he will look at what they have been made of, and what we are building with

ILLUS. When I stand before Christ some day, I want to hear, ““ ... ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:21, ESV).

2. what are you building on the foundation of Christ in your life?

a. will it stand the test of time?

Conclusion

May we be ever vigilant to keep Christ as the foundation of our lives and our Church.

May we determine to build well using the very best of spiritual materials ... faith, hope and love.

May we always depend on the Scriptures as the blueprints for building our own spiritual house and the larger house of the Lord — his Church.