Becoming the Church God Wants Us To Be

INTRODUCTION: 4 year anniversary.

We have grown from around 50 to just shy of 400 average.

Since Covid - kids have grown from 10 - 93 last week.

29 since Covid baptistms.

We must follow Jesus only. - 1 Corinthians 3:4-9

1 Corinthians 3:4 ESV

4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

we are tempted to follow after people instead of God.

1 Corinthians 3:5–6 ESV

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Apollos - young man who had a passion for God, but was corrected. He became their pastor.

Paul

Servants. - That’s who they are. They are servants! That’s all

I planted - planted what- the Gospel.

Apollos watered - He is the one who contingently fed you. This is needed and important.

But God gave the growth - spiritual growth. That’s work you and God need to do. If you are soley dependant on me.

planted and watered - aroist. Gave the growth - imperfect. Ongoing.

1 Corinthians 3:7 ESV

7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

I’m not important, no one is bug only God. You aren’t either.

All good comes from God alone.

1 Corinthians 3:8 ESV

8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

are one - some wanted to follow after Paul. Some wanted to follow after Apollos.

recieve his wages according to his labor - what wages. Payment for what he did.

1 Corinthians 3:9 ESV

9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

fellow workers - we are the same team.

You are God’s field, God’s building. - the church members were the field. The plant was the gospel in them. growing them.

We must build our lives on Jesus - 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

1 Corinthians 3:10 ESV

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.

Grace - of gift of being an apostle.

like a skilled master builder - he isn’t saying he is a master builder, but he did what a master builder does. (MASTER BUILDER????) Title, like forman.

They would likely build some of the house yourself. But it was built on the foundation. Ephesians 4 as well. Everything had to be perfect. in the foundation otherwise the rest of the teaching would be off.

Someone else is building upon it -

Let each one take care how he builds upon it - That is for everyone one.

1 Corinthians 3:11 ESV

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the only foundation. That is what this church is built on.

MAYBE END HERE!??????

1 Corinthians 3:12–13 ESV

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.

You can build the foundation with something that will last or something that will burn up.

3 little piggies.

The day - that day of the Lord. We would call it the bema seat -

The fire will reveal it. - God will judge our works.

ILL - Story of man who wanted money . Wife wrote a check in the casket.

1 Corinthians 3:14–15 ESV

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.

Spend your life doing good for God.

What you did for Christ will last.

only as through fire -

Nothing to give back to Jesus.

CONCLUSION - Nehemiah - sword and hammer.

Nehemiah 4:13–18 ESV

13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” 15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.