Test of Fire
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Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
"Everything we have is gone”
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“Everything we have is gone”
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These words were spoken just 10 days ago by a family of four in Jones, Oklahoma.
Sue Lawson and two of the three girls were at home at the time the fire started but were able to escape to safety unharmed.
However, all their belongings were destroyed.
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They lost everything.
Their home...
Their barn...
Their belongings...
Their most sentimental possessions...
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The Jones lived in that home for 23 years...
But as a news reporter covering the story said,
“23 year and countless memories turned into ash within hours.”
One of the little girls who was close to her grandpa that passed started crying and said,
“We don’t have any pictures of Papa Bob.”
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Bob, Sue Lawson’s late husband, built the barn and the wraparound porch on the property that they lived at for 23 years.
His craftsmanship is now just a memory.
Sue said,
“My husband had worked so hard and the fireman said, ‘oh, that’s why it went up so fast.”
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This sad story is the perfect illustration for our text this morning.
Today we are going to explore what it looks like working hard and having your work put to the test...
The test of fire.
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Sermon Introduction
Sermon Introduction
So, please turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians.
We will be conducting our study in Chapter 3 and focus on verse 10 through 15.
Our message this morning called “Test of Fire”
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
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1) The Only Solid Foundation
1) The Only Solid Foundation
Verses 10 & 11: 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. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Before we can go any deeper in this passage we first need to understand the truth in verses 10 and 11.
You see, the most important part of a building is the foundation.
If your foundation is weak then it doesn’t really matter what you build on top of it.
It just won’t stand up when the disaster strikes.
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Keep in mind the parable of the wise and foolish builders.
Look with me real quick at Matthew 7:24-27:
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Hear Jesus is taking about building your faith on something solid like rock.
That would be His words...
That would be the Word of God...
That would be the Scriptures.
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In verses 10 and 11 of our passage, Paul is talking about the solid foundation that is the subject of Scripture.
Paul is talking about the person that Scripture points too.
He is talking about the only real solid foundation...
Jesus Christ.
Regarding this topic, John MacArthur says,
“It is Jesus Christ and Him alone.
In a sense, it is all of Scripture, for all of Scripture is both from and about Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament predicted and prepared for His incarnation.
The gospels tell the history of His earthly ministry, and Acts the history of His church in its early years.
The epistles are commentaries on His message and work, and the book of Revelation is the final testimony of His reigning and imminent return.”
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Jesus Himself said in John 5:39:
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
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Without Scripture we can’t come to proper understanding of who Jesus really is.
MacArthur additionally says,
“Some builders have tried to make the foundation of Christianity to be church tradition, others the moral teachings of the human Jesus, others ethical humanism, and still others some form of pseudo-scientism or simply sentimental love and good works.
But the only foundation of the church and of Christian living is Jesus Christ.
Without that foundation no spiritual building will be of God or will stand.
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So, this is about the biblical and true Jesus as the foundation of our salvation.
Before you can build a spiritual house you need to be a genuine born again believer.
You need to trust in the infallible and inerrant Word of God.
You need to trust in the Good News.
You need to trust in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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That Good News starts in Genesis when God created everything...
But man fell and sin entered the world.
Humanity had a death sentence.
You and I deserve death.
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I can’t sugar coat this for you.
In fact, I won’t.
Because this is part of the Good News.
Because what we deserve is not were the story ends.
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God in His grace and mercy and love sent His Son to be a sacrifice.
Evil men did evil things.
Jesus was betrayed, beaten, humiliated, blooded, and murdered on a cruel cross.
This Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the greatest act of sin by us.
You and me.
We did that.
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You don’t believe me.
Look at your whole life.
Those sins that you made...
Those sins that I made...
They are the nails that dug into our Saviors hands and feet.
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Jesus lived a sinless life.
He didn’t deserve to die like a common criminal.
But you deserve death...
I deserve death...
And He knew this.
For Jesus knew what was in the heart of man.
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And He still did it
He still volunteered to give His life for us.
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As I read once on a social media post...
“God saw the very best of me and still decided to forgive me for it anyway.”
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I can’t sugar coat this for you.
In fact, I won’t.
Because this is part of the Good News.
Because the story does not end at Calvary.
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Three days passed, Church...
Three days passed and our Savior was raised from the dead by the Father...
Through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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His resurrection means that His perfect work on the cross was accepted by the Father.
That means those who put their trust in Jesus, surrendering to Him as Lord, are covered by His blood.
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
That is a promise that you can build your faith on.
Jesus is the foundation of the life of a transformed believer.
So, our foundation is really a gift.
Keep in mind Ephesians 2:8-9:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
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So Beloved, our salvation is a gift.
We did not earn it.
Keep this in mind as we continue our study.
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So, now that one is saved, what are we to do?
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Well, there is a reason we are not just zapped up to heaven the moment we are saved.
After we receive the gift of salvation...
We have work to do...
We have a house to build.
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Let’s take a look a the following verses.
2) The Test of Fire
2) The Test of Fire
Verses 12 & 13: Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 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.
It is true that Christians will not be judged with regards to their salvation.
As it says in Romans 8:1:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
But our works will be judged on that day...
“The day” referring to the the Judgment Seat of Christ.
This is when the Lord will evaluate the believer's life with the purpose of giving them eternal rewards.
Take a look at 2 Corinthians 5:10:
10 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.
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So, as verses 12 and 13 make clear, all the works we do will be put through a test of fire.
As a believer you will have the rest of your life to produce works.
Those works will vary.
Some will be equivalent to gold...
Some other works will be regarded as silver and precious stones...
These quality materials would represent dedicated, spiritual service that builds up the church.
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Other works you do will be viewed in the eyes of God as wood, hay, or straw.
These inferior materials would represent more shallow activity that do not have eternal value.
These works are considered worthless.
Although it should be noted that these would not refer to activities that are considered evil.
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All the works you have done for your whole life after the day you are saved will be collected.
These works may all may seem like valuable work.
The collection of your works may make a very impressive looking structure.
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But what is it really made of?
That time you shared the gospel with your neighbor may be gold.
That time you invite a friend to church may be silver.
That time you lost your job in order to not compromise your faith may be a precious stone
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As you look at other works you have done you may see:
That time you gave to a homeless person so you could secretly and pridefully share with your friends what you did may be wood.
That time you “won” the theological debate online with the right facts but the wrong attitude may be hay.
That time you with good intentions share your favorite “Christian” book filled with bad theology with a friend may be straw.
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All your works will be put to the fire.
Only the works you have produced that have been accomplished in His power and for His glory will survive the testing fire.
The ESV Study Bible says it this way:
“Work that Christians do in Christlike faith and obedience will survive and be rewarded;
work done in the power of the ‘flesh’ or in disobedience to Scripture will not.”
I also like how The Expositor’s Bible Commentary puts it:
“Those whose works are consumed by the fire will themselves escape the flames (as if they were to jump out of the burning wooden structure they had built) and will be saved alone, without any works of praise to present to Christ.”
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Keep on your mind 1 Corinthians 14:12:
12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
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So, did your works build up the Kingdom of God?
Or did your brothers an sisters in Christ have to do damage control because the act you preformed did more harm than real good?
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Did you sit under preaching and teaching that contained meat?
Or did you spend your would Christian walk eating baby food?
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In the eyes of God are you a mature believer that understands the Word of God?
Or are you a child in the faith, understanding the very basics but very little past that?
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Are you able to identify false prophets and false teachers, seeing their clear heresy?
Or are you a little more easily deceived by the grand manner of speech of bad teachers?
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What are you building your house with?
Let’s finish our passage to see why this matters.
3) The Future Reward
3) The Future Reward
Verses 14 & 15: If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Which of your works will survive?
Those works made of wood, hay, and straw will not make it.
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They will just be a pile of ash on that Day.
But the works you have done that are make of gold, silver, and precious stones will survive.
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Please note that the loss of the works made of cheaper material will be counted as a loss.
Imagine something you thought was done for the glory of God turned out to be a liability or self-serving.
Just like the Jones family mentioned at the opening of this message...
You will watch what you valued so much be burn to nothing.
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Yes, you survived, but you have nothing else.
The New American Commentary on 1 Corinthians says the expression “saved, but only as through fire” seems to be a metaphor like “brand plucked from the burning” or “saved at the last moment” or “escaping by the skin of one’s teeth.”
So, your rewards do matter.
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Your salvation is a gift.
You don’t earn a gift...
A gift is given.
But a reward is a reflection of what you do with the gift God gave you.
Will you have any rewards that reflect the thanks you have for the gift God gave you?
What are you going to do now?
Where are you building your rewards today?
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Remember what Jesus said:
Matthew 6:19–20 (ESV)
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.
Have you built your structure with treasures that can stand the fire?
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this:
In 2007, in Southern California, over 2,000 homes where destroyed in the time span of a week due to wildfires.
Arial images of the areas effected by the fires show a valleys of ash and destruction.
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However, something fascinating can be seen in some of these images taken from a bird’s eye view.
One photo shows a single home standing while everything around is a pile of ash.
Another photo is of a neighborhood that is gone excepts for three homes.
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You may be wondering what is the explanation of this?
Why did these homes survive yet all the other homes around them burn to the ground.
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The secret is in the material used to build these homes.
All of these homes were built with fireproof walls.
They were built with what is called insulated concrete forms or ICF.
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ICF blocks are stacked together to form the exterior walls of the home...
And then concrete is poured into the hollow core to create a highly insulated...
And wildfire-resistant, concrete-and-steel wall assembly.
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Concrete and steel ICF walls have a 4-hour fire rating as opposed to 15 minutes for a comparable wood-framed wall.
ICF walls have been tested up to 2,000° Fahrenheit for up to four hours in fire conditions.
Wood-framed walls usually collapsed within 60 minutes...
But ICF walls do not experience any structural damage in that time frame.
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So, church...
You have to ask yourself...
“What are you building with?”
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It is true that we are not saved by good works but we were made to produce good works as it says in Ephesians 2:10:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
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Yes, you may have a solid foundation of Christ...
But what are you building on top of that foundation?
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Will it stand the fire test.
Will you have any rewards?
What kind of treasures do you have?
Are you building with wood, hay, and straw?
Or are you building with silver, gold, and precious stones?
And ultimately...
Are you laying up for yourselves treasures on earth?
Or are you laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven?
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I will leave you with the words of our Savior from Revelation 22:12:
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
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All the Glory to God.
Amen.
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Now if you will all stand to your feet...