I Corinthians 3:9-23
- we're studying the book of I Corinthians and tonight I'd
like us to look at the second half of chapter 3
- we said at the beginning of this study that chapter 1:10
through chapter four form a unit where Paul is talking
about some major themes or ideas that fit together
- what "major themes" has he addressed so far?
1) unity in the church (I am of Paul, I am of Apollos...)
2) wisdom - the Corinthians didn't understand the
difference between the wisdom of God and the
wisdom of man
- and how their belief in God and his Word
would not be accepted by those who didn't
know Christ as Savior
- they needed to stop trying to make it
acceptable by altering it or watering it
down
3) carnality - how the Corinthians needed to grow up in
their faith, and become more spiritual and
less fleshly
- what we're seeing is this - Paul is making an overall
argument about the unity of the church
- but he does so by adding additional truths to the
subject that are very important in and of themselves
- so we've been trying to study those subjects
individually because they're very important - but
we're also trying to fit those subjects back into
the overall argument of unity in the church
- we're going to find that same thing to be true tonight
- READ I Cor. 3:9-23
- Paul changes the analogy in this passage
- INPUT - in what verse does he actually make the shift?
(9 - you are God's field, God's building)
- (by the way - this is an aside - but don't you love the
variety of Scripture? - God has been so good to us in
giving us so many different word pictures, and different
ways of thinking about the Christian life)
- so we're talking tonight about "Being A Building That
Pleases God"
- Paul says -
I. Start With The Right Foundation
- INPUT - why is it important to have the right kind of
foundation in a building?
- INPUT - the foundation for the Christian is who? (the
Lord Jesus Christ)
- we need to add to that the Word of God because we're
talking about the Lord Jesus as He's revealed to us in
His Word
- Jesus told the Jews in John 5:39 that the Old
Testament "bears witness of" Him
- the gospels tell the history of his earthly
ministry
- book of Acts tells the history of Jesus building
His church
- epistles are commentaries on Jesus' message and
work
- book of Revelation tell of His reigning and
imminent return
- Paul says - If you're going to be the kind of person who
is like a building that pleases God - you've got to
have the right foundation
- "For other foundation can no man lay, than that which
is laid, which is Jesus Christ"
- The Lord Jesus Christ as He's revealed in his Word must be
every person's foundation, and it must be every church's
foundation
- let me just say that if you've been attending here but
you've never had a definite time in your life where you've
- recognized your sin
- placed your faith in trust in Jesus Christ as Lord or
Savior
- you don't have the right foundation
- Any of the other truths you here around here won't work
without it
- you'll be frustrated trying to be a better husband or wife
- you won't be able to pull off raising your kids for God
- you won't be able to get a handle on obeying biblical
principles of finance
- because you don't have the right foundation
- the highway of time is littered with corpses of people who
- tried to build a life on the wrong foundation
- tried to build a family on the wrong foundation
- tried to build a church on the wrong foundation
- tried to build a denomination on the wrong foundation
- that will never work
- The Church's one foundation, is Jesus Christ her Lord
She is His new creation, by water and the word
From heaven he came and sought her, To be His holy bride
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died
- Paul moves on and says:
II. Build The Right Kind Of Building
- while what we've just been saying is very important,
especially for the person who has not yet trusted Jesus
Christ as personal Savior, that is not the thrust of
this passage
- Paul is talking about the importance of building on this
foundation because of the impending judgment that every
believer in Christ will face, called the judgment seat
of Christ
- now let's talk about what some other passages of Scripture
say about this subject to be sure we're on track before
seeing what these verses say
- the Bible talks about a number of judgments that different
kinds of people will have to face at different times
- the two most prominent ones are the Great White throne
Judgment and The Bema Seat Judgment (also known as the
judgment Seat of Christ)
- INPUT - who is judged at the Great White Throne Judgment?
(unbelievers)
- INPUT - when does that judgment take place (at the end of
the millenium)
- INPUT - where in the Bible could a person read more about
that? (Rev. 20)
- INPUT - who is judged at the Bema Seat Judgment?
(believers)
- INPUT - when does that judgement take place? (sometime
during the Tribulation)
- INPUT - Why is this judgment called the Bema Seat
Judgment and what image does that call up?
(in the Olympic games, the awards were distributed
to the victorious athletes from the Bema seat)
- INPUT - what other passages of Scripture talk about this
judgment?
- Romans 14:10 - "But why dost thou judge thy
brother, or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? For we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ."
- II Cor. 5:10 - "For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone
may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad."
- other passages would be Matt. 25:21 and 23 and Rev. 22:12
where Jesus said - "And behold, I come quickly, and my
reward is with me, to give every man according as his
work shall be."
- so we're talking about the Judgment seat of Christ, that
takes place sometime during the tribulation, and if you are
a Christian (a believer in Christ) you will be there
- now let's look at what Paul said to the Corinthians about
building so that we might give the best possible account at
the judgment seat
- when Paul says, "Build the right building"...
A. the issue is not salvation
Paul makes this point very clear
1. clear from the text
- INPUT - how do we know from this passage that a
person's salvation is not in question at the
judgment seat of Christ?
v. 15 if any man's work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss; but he himself shall
be saved
v. 12 - if any man "build on this foundation"
- point is - while Paul wants believers who can
give the best possible account at this
judgment, the person could never do so
poorly that they lost their salvation
- that’s clear in this text, and its clear in others
2. clear in others
- Can you think of some other passages that teach
eternal security, that a believer's salvation
will not and cannot fall under condemnation?
- Rom. 8:1 - There is now, therefore, no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus
- Rom. 8:31-39 - nothing can "separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord"
- I Cor. 15:3 - "...Christ (is the one who) died
for our sins"
- cf. Gal. 1:4, I Peter 2:24, Col. 2:13,
I John 2:12
- John 10:28-30
- so the passage makes it very clear that while this
judgment is very important, its not a person's
salvation that is being judged
- now, I'd like to just pause there and say – that’s not
the way it'd be if I were the Lord
- none of this eternal security business
- If I had designed it, salvation would be completely of
works
- a person would never know until right at the very end
if they really were going to make it to heaven
- and if you asked me, "why'd you design it that way?"
- I would have said – that’s the only way you can
motivate people - absolute fear of their eternal
destinies
- but praise the Lord I didn't get to make that decision,
and either did you
- because instead, the God of heaven made that decision
- yes, we'll be judged
- but it in the context of a loving God who has
provided salvation freely by his grace
- He desires our works to be not out of fear of the
future
- but out of hearts of love, in response to what he's
already done
- in a very real scene - the Judgment Seat of Christ, while
not determining our eternal destiny, will determine how
much we appreciated the fact that our eternal destiny was
secure
- so the issue here is not salvation, nor is the issue:
B. (The issue is not) works that can be observed
- this is a critical point in understanding what Paul
is saying about this judgment
- we're not talking about the Lord counting up all
the times we went to church, and then adding the
number of times we served in the nursery, added to
that how many times we we taught SS, factoring in
the solos we sang and the times we witnessed
- this is not near that simple (or maybe we should
say - near that behavioristic)
- INPUT - how do we know that we're talking about God
judging something other than works that can
currently be observed?
v. 13 - "every man's work shall be made manifest"
- (become evident(NASB) - shown for what
it really is (NIV))
- "it shall be revealed by fire"
- see, why the fire?
- why is Paul saying its something that will only
be revealed on that day?
- the answer is - "there's many things about serving
the Lord and living for him that are not readily
apparent to the naked eye"
- see, its not, "you sang 68 solos – that’s 2 crowns"
- "you sang 34 – that’s 1!"
- see, we're talking about works that cannot easily be
observed
- its true that there many things about serving for God and
living for Him that are not readily apparent to the naked
eye."
- so what are the issues at the Judgment Seat of Christ?
C. Instead, the issues are:
1. motive
- why did that person do what they did
- see, there's something we can't know of another
person now
- I can't say why a person did what they did
- I can't know why you came to church tonight,
and you can't tell why I came
- in fact, Paul is going to say in the next
chapter, I have trouble judging myself
sometimes
- but listen - at the judgment seat of Christ - our motives
will be revealed
- and immediately, all at once, why we've done what we've
done for God will be made manifest
- and you'll have a Sunday school teacher over here, whose
work is tried, and because it was done for the right
reason -- will come out like gold - and will receive a
great reward
- then you'll have a Sunday school teacher over here, who
taught the same number of years, the same number of
lessons -- but did it for selfish reasons, or with a
bitter/legalistic spirit--that work will be tried, and it
will go up in a puff of smoke
- there will be no reward
- see, we're talking about issues that are not easily
observed, like motive...also like:
2. quality
- now you might say - quality can be easily observed
- not necessarily
- its true some folks perform their service for the Lord
is such a shoddy way that the lack of quality is
apparent to all
- some folks have the view - that if its done for the
Lord, its OK to do it half way
- I heard some fellows talking about building a building
up at one of the camps our fellowship use to own
- they got a bunch of guys together to dig the foundation
by hand to save money
- they started saying they needed to dig it 40 inches
- but the higher the temperature got, the shallower the
required footing depth got
- now, not a one of those guys would have allowed that on
their own homes, but this was just something for the
Lord
- you can go look at that building today, and put your
fist in the crack in the wall, because it was done in a
shoddy way
- so its true that some folks will not be rewarded for
work done for the Lord because it was obviously done in
a shoddy way
- the lack of quality was apparent to all
- but--remember - at this judgment, we're talking about
things being revealed that were not apparent before
- that can be true of quality as well
- here's why - God does not apply universal standards to
the quality of an individuals work
- see, we have trouble understanding that because we're
used to universal standards
- if Caterpillar wants to compete in the international market
- their engines have to meet industry standards
- those standards are applied across the board to
Caterpillar, Allis Chambers, ________
- the same standards of quality are applied across the
board
- but that’s not the way it is when it comes to measuring the
quality of service for God
- here's why - because only God has the ability to measure a
person's ability, and opportunity--and then compare that
to the quality of the output
- let me try to illustrate that
- let's say we gave you a sheet of paper tonight and said
"grade the sermon" (we're not going to do that, by
the way)
- let's say you had all kinds of categories to use as
part of the evaluation
- let's say we get all done - and you come out with a
grade (B- ,or whatever)
- now, we say - come back tomorrow - and we're going to
ask you to do the same thing with another fellow
- he gets up - gives exactly the same message, exactly
the same voice inflections, exactly the same
illustrations - everything exactly the same
- what grade would you give him? (you would have to give
exactly the same grade)
- Why - because as far as you were able to determine
- the quality was the same
- but I say to you that the issue of quality is much more
complicated in the mind of God because he has access to
information that you and I will never know about fellow
servants of God
- things like ability, potential, opportunity
- its very possible - that the Lord would judge those same
two sermons in an entirely different way
- why?
- fellow 1, hypothetically, used all his abilities, all
his potential, made the best of all his
opportunities
- and still produced a sermon that only received
a B- by those around
- but in the Lord's eye's it received highest
marks (gold, silver, precious stones)
- while fellow 2 - who gave the same sermon, and received
the same grade from his peers
- was graded far lower by the Lord
- because he didn't use his abilities, potential
- he didn't make the best of His God given
opportunities
- therefore, in the mind of God, the quality was
not near what it should have been and therefore
is judged as wood, hay, and stubble
- but apart from the person himself - that information would
have never been known until the judgment seat of Christ
- where everything is made manifest
- a third thing that will be made manifest is:
3. service
- now you might say - now, wait a minute
- the first issue I don't have any trouble with (motives
can't be known)
- the second - I can see your point - God has more data in
evaluating quality than we do
- but how could that apply to service? Service is readily
apparent to all
- how is that you say that some folks service won't be made
manifest till the judgment seat of Christ
- the answer is this - the vast majority of work for God
takes place behind the scenes
- by far!
- by far, the vast majority of work for God and living for
God takes place behind the scenes
- that kind of work will not be evident to any of us until
the judgment seat of Christ
- but on that day - I believe there will be some real
surprises
- where secret, behind the scenes service for God will be
made manifest
- service like this
- like the person who has prayed faithfully for the
people of God and the work of God for years
- that kind of service (though it had always
been private, behind the scenes, will be made
manifest) - and will be rewarded
- and the person who's ministered to folks who are ill
- behind the scenes - no big splash - but
faithfully for years - that will be made manifest
- and the person who was a consistent testimony at
work
- or the person who sought to raise his family quietly
for God
- not all the serving for God and living for God that is done
is readily apparent
- but at the judgment seat of Christ, it will be made
manifest
- see, I think we need to think of this way
- right now, if we had to line folks up based on the way we
believed they would be rewarded, top to bottom - today
we'd do it one way
- but at the judgment Seat of Christ - when all is revealed
- I believe in many cases that lineup will be radically
different
- for some here tonight, that should be a source of great
encouragement
- for others - that should be a source of great concern
- Paul says - the foundation is secure
- but if you want to be a building that pleases God - be
so very careful to build the right kind of building on
that foundation
- not only one that is apparently "reward worthy" now
- but one that will be worthy of reward when the
secret things are revealed at the judgment seat
of Christ
- now, let's talk about:
D. How to be prepared:
1. check your faith
- the judgment seat of Christ is first and
foremost an issue of faith
- the way the Corinthians were behaving
demonstrated a lack of belief in a coming
Judgment Seat of Christ
- they were all concerned about the evaluation of
men
- if men approved of their beliefs and deemed
them to be wise for holding those beliefs
- they were concerned about the wrong test!
- a couple of good questions for all of us to ask
tonight are:
"How often do I think about the judgment seat
of Christ?"
"What if it were today?"
- Am I prepared and getting better prepared for
this critical day?
- of course, you understand that the purpose of being
prepared is to be able to turn and cast those crowns back
at the savior's feet in praise and adoration to him
- but what a terrible thing for a believer to be "saved,
yet as by fire"
- where his work and service for God are deemed to be
wood, hay, and stubble - and therefore - no reward
2. check our service
- What will the judgment seat of Christ reveal
about my private life? my private, behind the
scenes service for Him?
3. check our quality
- not only - am I reaching the status quo - but
am I striving for excellence in God's eyes
- using my opportunities, abilities,
potential
- so that even when all of that is revealed -
the Lord could say, well done, my good and
faithful servant
4. check our motives
- hey, listen, its a sobering thought to think
about some things that will go up in smoke
- I'm quite sure some sermons will go that route
- some prayers will go that way
- a few solos and special numbers
- some family devotions
- a witnessing opportunity
- it's not just a matter of passing the test
today
- we're talking about being more and more
prepared at the judgment seat of Christ
Paul applies this principle to several areas in the next
verses
III. Apply These Principles To The Way You Think About The
Christian Life
- you can see how all this ties in with the themes we've
studied in previous weeks
A. Be sure you're applying right standards to yourself
v. 18 - by the standards "of this age
- they were concerned about the present exterior test
of men than the coming interior test of God
B. Be sure you're applying right standards to others
- NIV - v. 21 - "No more boasting about men!"
- there's no reason to run around with these banners
about "I'm of Paul", "I'm of Apollos"
- there's a lot of reasons why that’s wrong - but one
reason is that there's a lot about the service of
those men that you don't know yet
- you might be lining yourself up behind a bum steer