3: UNIFIED: God's People for God's Purpose (1 Cor 2:6-3:23)

A Church that is UNIFIED is a beautiful, powerful sight to behold. When God’s people work together for God’s purpose, lives are transformed and God is pleased.

But…when God’s people don’t work together, when they jockey for position and allow for division, lives aren’t transformed and God is NOT pleased.

Which kind of church will WE choose to be?

That’s what the apostle Paul addresses in the chunk of Scripture we cover today.

Last week we saw how Paul began to correct this beautiful church because of the mess they were allowing in - divisions had arisen as the people were drawing battle lines over those who taught them and those who baptized them. Paul had to remind them that...

The message of the Cross is more important than the messenger. Let’s keep the main thing…the main thing.

1 Corinthians 1:17–18 (NIV)

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Paul was keeping the main thing…the main thing - the simple message of the Cross of Jesus which demonstrates that our sin is so serious and God is so gracious.

This message is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to those who are being saved.

I wonder how many here today could share how the message of the Cross has proven to be the power of God to you, as you share how you have been forgiven and transformed by the Risen Jesus!

And it’s in the Risen Jesus that we see God’s incredible wisdom.

1 Corinthians 2:6–8 (NIV)

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

God’s wisdom, declares Paul, is a mystery that has been hidden. This is why PAUL HIMSELF, a well studied, well trained Jewish Pharisee, could not see the mystery of the crucified Messiah in the Old Testament writings. At one point of his life, Paul thought that this message about a crucified Messiah was foolishness - which is why he stood against followers of Jesus.

But this same man, now transformed by the message of the cross, gives his life to persuade others that God’s wisdom -what was once a hidden mystery - has now been clearly revealed in the crucified Messiah.

Anyone who reads Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22 should see these Old Testament writings DO speak of one who would be brutally beaten and killed as a substitute sacrifice for others.

One who reads the New Testament writers will notice their many quotations of Old Testament writings giving evidence that Jesus IS the Messiah.

But before Jesus came to Earth, you couldn’t read the Old Testament writings and put this puzzle together. But now God had revealed the mystery through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus!

1 Corinthians 2:9–11 (NIV)

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” [Is 64:4]— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

You don’t know my thoughts right now, and I don’t know yours…isn’t THAT a good thing!?

For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? The only way we can know each others’ thoughts is by sharing what we are thinking with one another.

So too, no one can know what God is thinking unless He reveals it to us. Thankfully, He has!

1 Corinthians 2:12–13 (NIV)

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

The Gospel message that Paul and the other teachers like Apollos and Simon Peter speak is not something they made up from their own human wisdom, but words taught by the Spirit.

But just as the person who doesn’t know Spanish can’t understand or appreciate what is spoken in Spanish, so too...

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (NIV)

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Jesus - God the Son, knew the thoughts of God the Father. And now followers of Jesus have the Holy Spirit Who tells us about God’s thoughts. Since the Spirit knows the Father’s thoughts just as Jesus knows the Father’s thoughts, so Paul makes the incredible claim that we have the mind of Christ.

Or as Craig Blomberg puts it: “the Spirit brings Christ’s thoughts to believers by living in them.”

Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 65.

Again, think of it this way. You don’t know what I’m thinking, unless…I tell you what I’m thinking. When I share my thoughts with you, you have insight about me that others don’t. So too, those who have God’s Spirit are enabled to know what God has revealed to them, but the person without the Spirit cannot understand them.

This, by the way, is why those who follow Jesus can have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the Scriptures - because God’s Spirit gives them the ability to understand and apply the Scriptures.

This is often referred to as the doctrine of illumination - the concept of light being cast into a dark place to allow one to see what was once hidden.

John MacArthur “The doctrine of illumination does not mean we can know and understand everything (Deut. 29:29), that we do not need human teachers (Eph. 4:11–12), or that study is not hard work (2 Tim. 2:15). It does mean that Scripture can be understood by every Christian who is diligent and obedient.”1

1 John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 65.

Are you THAT? Diligent and Obedient. Are you GROWING in your faith, seeking the Lord’s will, and obeying what He says?

OR....are you just in neutral coasting through life and being pressured by our ungodly culture?

Now Paul has to address those in the Corinthian Church that were doing just that. But I want you to NOTICE what he calls them at first [brothers]

1 Corinthians 3:1–4 (NIV)

Brothers and sisters [term for “brothers” but certainly does not mean men only], I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly [CSB, NET, ESV = flesh - giving in to sinful physical desires] —mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

Paul calls these people his brothers/sisters. He doesn’t say they aren’t Christians, but he DOES say they sure aren’t acting like Christ. Instead of maturing, these people are acting worldly.

The Greek term used here means “flesh” giving in to sinful physical desires (as rendered by CSB, NET, ESV)

These adults are acting like infants, instead of growing up. They are still needing others to give them milk rather than being able to eat solid food.

God wants you to grow in knowledge of Him and grow to acknowledge Him by your daily obedience. This happens by reading the Scriptures, being taught the Scriptures, and going to live out what you read.

If you’re a new Christian, we want to help you grow. We want to give you the basics (Starting Point is an example of that), but we want you do more than SHOW UP, we want you to GROW UP.

It’s precious to hold a little ones and feed them from a bottle, but that would be WEIRD if an adult was attempting to hold another adult and feed him/her from a bottle!

As we have already discussed 2 weeks ago, the immaturity of this church is demonstrated in how these people have divided over the messenger rather than uniting on the Message of the Cross.

And this is just silly, because...

1 Corinthians 3:5–6 (NIV)

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

Think about this illustration. One farmer plants and the other farmer waters, but the farmers don’t make the seeds grow. Only God makes things grow.

People in that day would pray to their gods and offer sacrifices for fruitful harvests. They understood the human task of planting and watering, but what happened under the ground was mysterious and determined by the gods.

Even with today’s knowledge, it is still mysterious to consider how a dried up seed planted in fertile soil and fueled by water, sunlight, and the right temperatures - can spring up from the ground and grow fruitful. Humble Christian farmers still recognize that, despite their hard work, God gets the credit for making things grow.

For example, KT is about to baptize his precious 11 year old daughter - Bailey. Through the course of her 11 years, Bailey’s own family been used to bring her to where she is today. But God has also used many other people in this church to plant and water. And here is the result.

BIG TRUTH: God’s people work together to accomplish God’s purpose.

KT baptizes Bailey

WHO gets the credit for Bailey’s young life being changed? We will give God the credit for using His people.

1 Corinthians 3:7–9 (NIV)

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

These 'farmers’ have different tasks but they are working for one purpose, to see God’s field grow and become fruitful.

And now Paul shifts to another word-image that the Corinthians would certainly understand and appreciate. He not only calls them God’s field, but He also calls them God’s building.

Corinth was littered with buildings, from homes, to shops, to sacred spaces. I’ll show you one significant archaeological find in a moment.

1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (NIV)

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [see Matthew 7:24-27]

The foundation of any building is crucial. It doesn’t matter how pretty or how solid the rest of the building is. If the foundation is faulty, then - in time - the whole building could collapse.

The foundation is Jesus Christ, and everything He says. Jesus used this illustration when He spoke about those who built on bedrock versus those who built on sand in Mt 7:24-27…imagery for those who obeyed His words versus those who did NOT.

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (NIV)

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

All builders understand that there will be an inspection to see if the work performed is worthy. So too, there is a Day that will test the quality of each person’s work. Those who cut corners will be found false, while those who abide by the requirements will be found true.

And just as fire would burn up wood, hay, or straw while gold, sliver, and costly stones would survive, so the actions and intentions of our work for the King will be revealed as worthy or not.

The corner-cutting builder (Christian) will not be burned up with their works, but there will be a sense of smoke-smelly shame contrasted with the reward for the Christians who do the right things for the right reasons.

If THAT DAY were TO-DAY, would the things you say you’ve done for the Lord survive? And how might our church change for the better if we worked to build the Kingdom with the right actions and intentions!

And then Paul makes this incredible statement that had all kinds of implications for the Christians in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 (NIV)

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

The Christians living here saw all the temples to all the false gods on a daily basis. And they had no building that could compete with the glorious structures surrounding them. For example:

The temple of Apollo - which still has remnants standing today. The roof was supported by 40 massive columns.

Then beyond the temple of Apollo on the mountain, was a temple of Aphrodite (Latin - Venus)

[back to vss. 16-17] But God’s temple is not a building, it’s a BODY of believers - God’s temple is not a place made of stone, but a people made of flesh, in whom God’s Spirit dwells.

We are to be a UNIFED people...

BIG TRUTH: God’s people work together to accomplish God’s purpose.

And so it is that Paul sums all this up - about being UNIFIED around the Message of the Cross, about working TOGETHER to accomplish God’s purpose - with these words...

1 Corinthians 3:18–23 (NIV)

Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

This Church needed to humble themselves and appreciate that those who become fools in the eyes of the world, to become wise in Christ Jesus. And those in Christ have been given all things. They didn’t have to pick sides on which leader they followed, because ALL these godly leaders are for their growth and blessing.

Instead of claiming, “I belong to Paul, Apollos, or Cephas”, the church should recognize that ALL OF THEM…belong to us!

So too, we are to remember that all the things that we can fear - the world, life, death, the present, and the future - all are under the authority of God who loves us and will be faithful to us through it all.

This language is similar to the language of Romans 8:35-39. Let’s conclude with reading it and basking in the hope it offers to us!

Romans 8:35–36 (NIV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Romans 8:37–39 (NIV)

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That’s the kind of hope we are to live in, until we see our King face to face. But until that day, let’s commit to be...

BIG TRUTH: God’s people working together to accomplish God’s purpose.

What if every person here acted like we are AWARE of the Day that is coming, when Jesus will test the quality of our work to? What if we lived to please Him over anybody else?

And what if we worked together as a team, giving glory to Jesus instead of worrying about which of us getting the credit? Let’s live like THAT!

If you want to talk more about that, please call YOUR STAFF

or YOUR DEACONS.

PRAY

___________

discussionquestions Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? Explain your answer.

Read 1 Cor 2:6-16. Share the difference you experienced in understanding the Scriptures BEFORE you trusted Jesus and how came to understand the Scriptures since committing to follow Jesus. Why is there such a stark contrast between the two? (Go back and look at your notes on “the doctrine of illumination” for more insight.)

Read 1 Cor 3:1-9. Why didn’t Paul consider Apollos to be his competition? Do YOU ever fell competition with other Christians? If so, what are some practical things we can do to view them like teammates rather than opponents?

Read 1 Cor 3:10-11. How is Jesus the foundation of our faith? Read Matt 7:24-27. What’s the difference between those who claim Jesus and those who really know Him?

Read 1 Cor 3:12-15. Share about a time when your actions/intentions might have looked worthy to others, but the Lord viewed as unworthy. Share about a time when another person was serving Jesus well with their actions and intentions. Share some simple ways we might serve Jesus this week with right actions and intentions.

Read 1 Cor 3:16-17. How does knowing that this passage is written to the collective church (not individuals) challenge you to protect & grow God’s people instead of dividing or discouraging God’s people? What are some practical ways we can build up God’s people?

Read 1 Cor 3:18-23 and Romans 8:35-39. If you are willing, share something you fear (we all have fears). How do these passages can encourage you to overcome that fear?

Share prayer needs and pray for one another. Continue to pray for our Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade. Pray for Christians in Ukraine and Russia to carry the message of Jesus with them wherever they go.