Architects & Builders of God’s Building, the Church & Temple of God, 3/8/26

Today we come to the next passage in the book

of 1st Corinthians as we have been steadily working

our way. We are in chapter 3 verses 9 through

17. I'd like to speak today on architects and

builders of God's building, the church and the

temple of God. Let's look at our passage here

and read from God's word beginning in verse 9.

For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's

field. You are God's building. According to the

grace of God which was given to me, as a wise

master builder, I have laid the foundation, and

another builds on it. But let each one take heed

how he builds on it. For no other foundation

can anyone lay than that which is laid, which

is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this

foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,

wood, hay, and straw, each one's work will become

clear, for the day will declare it, because it

will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test

each one's work of what sort it is. If anyone's

work which he has built on it endures, he will

receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned,

he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved,

yet so as through fire. Do you not know that

you are the temple of God and that the Spirit

of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple

of God, God will destroy him, for the temple

of God is holy, which temple you are. Let's pray

and ask for the Lord's blessing on this time.

Father, I pray today, Lord, that you by your

spirit would illuminate this passage and give

us understanding. I pray, Lord, that I might

teach it properly and according to sound doctrine.

I ask, Lord, that you would send forth your spirit.

We look to you and we depend on you, O Lord,

as we consider what you say to the church in

this passage. We ask for your blessing in this

time together. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

You are God's field. You are God's building.

With these words from Paul the Apostle in verse

9, there seems to be a shift in metaphor from

that of a field to a building. That is of the

new temple in the New Jerusalem that was prophesied

in the Old Testament and written about in the

New Testament. And yet, is it a shift? Or is

it perhaps even a combination of the two? G .K.

Beal seems to think so and points out that in

the Old Testament, the Garden of Eden, that is

Israel's garden -like promised land, and Israel's

future restoration in a garden -like land, were

either equated or associated together with a

temple. As Peter Lightheart summarizes, the Bible

moves from the Garden of Eden in Genesis where

Adam was to act as a gardener priest, and it

goes to the final city, which represents the

perfection of that garden. Thus, the two metaphors,

that of you are God's field and you are God's

building, are quite tied together. You are both

a field and God's building. Now, the word begins

here with you are, and as you may know, The Greek

language has many more tenses than what English

language does. And so sometimes when you get

into translation of the Bible, it's hard to convey

everything. So this you are is, now get this

straight, second person plural present indicative.

Okay? So let me repeat that. Second person plural

present indicative. Y 'all right now are God's

building. You are God's temple. You are God's

people. You are God's field. This beautiful temple

resides in Zion, that is God's city, which is

a place of worship. Christ's church functioning

as a city set on a hill that brings healing and

life to the nations. The final state then of

all believers is not a return to the primitive

garden, but it is a glorified garden in the city

of the New Jerusalem. This, of course, is contrasted

with what John in Revelation calls the harlot

city. The city of Babylon. This is a destructive

city. It is doomed for damnation. And from which

God's people are called to flee. As he says in

chapter 18 verse 4 of Revelation. Come out of

her, my people, lest you share in her sins and

lest you receive of her plagues. So we see this

huge contrast between the city of man that is

the city that is doomed for destruction, also

called the Babylon or the harlot city. And we

see the city of God, which is also a beautiful

temple. We're going to be speaking a little bit

more about that. Now, it's important to emphasize

this. Because so many Christians have a very

low view of Christ's church, which is the temple

of God. And they think that all that is important

is, like the Josh Turner song, me and God. Just

me and God. Me and God. And as long as I can

worship anywhere, that's all that matters, whether

that's in the field or in the mountains each

weekend or on the beach or in the privacy of

my home where I stream a sermon online. Well,

indeed, you can worship God in prayer everywhere

at any time, and that is a glorious and wonderful

truth. God's church, however, is described in

corporate terms. You all, in other words. As

a building with many stones being built together

into this glorious temple. You all are that building.

Even as Peter describes in chapter 2 verse 4

and 5. Which we read in our responsive reading.

Coming to him as a living stone. Rejected indeed

by men. But chosen by God and precious. You also.

As living stones are being built up together

in a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer

up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through

Christ Jesus. This is corporate sacrificial language

or as we call it covenant renewal worship. God

builds us up. God feeds us together from his

word and sacrament. And we, what do we do? Why,

we offer up sacrifices to him. That is, spiritual

sacrifices of prayer, of confession, of consecration.

And thus we together worship our God, our triune

God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Now Paul

speaks of this building in two senses. The first

sense is, in the church small c catholic that's

the church catholic which means universal this

is not referring to the roman catholic church

it is the church that is it's christ's church

throughout all ages in the past and present and

in all places and we are all built up together

into this glorious building and city that is

built over centuries and even millennia this

is the sense for example in hebrews chapter 12

Hebrews 12:22

verse 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and

to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,

to an innumerable company of angels, to the general

assembly and church of the firstborn who are

registered in heaven, to God the judge of all,

to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus

the mediator of the new covenant, and to the

blood of sprinkling that speaks better things

than that of Abel. You have come to this. This

is the grand and glorious edifice of the church

of Jesus Christ. It's a beautiful temple that

is throughout all the time of the ages and is

found throughout the whole world. So that's the

first sense of a building that Paul speaks about.

But the second sense... And this is the one from

the passage today, is that when he is speaking

of a building, he's speaking of an individual

church. He is writing to the church at Corinth,

the Corinthian church. It's what we might call

the church particular. It's the congregation

in Corinth in his time, the one that he founded

as recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 18.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

This local congregation is also called a building.

And Paul is the master builder who laid the foundation

for it. So let's move now into the passage here

and look at it and examine it more closely. The

first thing is beginning in verse 10. According

to the grace of God, he says, which was given

to me as a wise master builder, I have laid the

foundation and another builds on it. But let

each one take heed how he builds on it. So our

first point is a skilled and a wise master builder.

Paul says, according to the grace given to me.

That is, Paul, the former persecutor of the Christian

church, was going to far off places in order

to do what? To apprehend, to imprison, and to

call for the execution of Christian believers.

This man was changed by the power of God. He

was converted by the grace and the mercy of God.

Paul describes this. To King Agrippa in Acts

Acts 26:11

chapter 26, verse 11, he says, I punished them

often in every synagogue. I compelled them to

blaspheme and being exceedingly enraged against

them, I persecuted them even. To foreign cities.

But then he goes on to tell the king. How Jesus

commanded him. After being struck down by the

light. After speaking to him. And calling him.

What does Jesus say to him? He says Paul. Rise

and stand on your feet. Or Saul actually his

name was then. Rise and stand on your feet. For

I have appeared to you for this purpose. To make

you. a minister and a witness both of the things

which you have seen and of the things which I

will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from

the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles

to whom I now send you. to open their eyes in

order to turn them from darkness to light and

from the power of Satan to God, that they may

receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance

among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

It's all in Acts chapter 26. God miraculously

Acts 26 · chapter mention

changed this man from being a persecutor to being

the persecuted. He called him to serve him. How?

As a builder of his church. He continues, verse

19, he says, Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not

disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared

first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and

throughout all the region of Judea and then to

the Gentiles that they should repent, turn to

God, and do works befitting repentance. This

is the grace given to Paul. And he says, according

to the grace given to me, it is the grace of

the mercy of God toward him in granting him unmerited

favor in sparing his life, giving him a new regenerate

heart and fitting him for a new calling. But

this is also in giving him a grace gift, a grace

gift as an apostle and as a church builder and

planter. Paul is then later sent out by the church

in Antioch with Barnabas and then Silas to travel

throughout Asia and through Europe to evangelize

and to build churches, as he puts it in Romans

15, 17, in every area where Christ was not named.

This is Paul as a master builder. He writes this.

He's a wise master builder. He has laid the foundation

that others will build on. Now the word master

builder means both a designer and a builder,

an architect and a supervisor in the erection

of the building. Paul was not a novice. He was

one who was skilled in wisdom, and he laid the

foundation of the Corinthian church, as well

as many others. But we're in this passage, in

the book of Corinthians, and this is the sense

of the context, as was his custom in many cities.

How did he begin? Well, he first went into the

Jewish synagogue, and he taught the word of God.

Now, this was a great advantage in one respect,

because synagogues in the Roman Empire taught

out of the scripture, that of the Old Testament.

And many Gentile people who were God -fearers

came there, came to the Jewish synagogues to

hear the word of God. They wanted to hear the

word of God. So they didn't become proselytes,

but they came to hear the word. And so, therefore,

many Gentiles were biblically literate. They

had been hearing God's word. And this gave Paul

an excellent place to begin because as he would

go into the synagogue, he was a visiting rabbi

and he would be asked to read and to give the

sense of the passage, which he readily accepted.

And then he would preach Christ and demonstrating

how to preach Christ out of the Old Testament.

And we can learn a lot from this because the

Old Testament is filled. not just with wonderful

stories, but it speaks of Christ. Even the stories

in the Old Testament that we read, you know,

those children's stories where we think of them,

that, you know, we tell the stories to children

about David and Goliath and about the children

of Israel going through the Red Sea and how God

parted the waters and how God delivered them

from their enemies so many times. You know, for

example, the one where, you know, enemy to the

people of God is so worn out and he's so tired

and so he comes into the tent of this woman and

he asks for milk and for bread and a place to

lie down and so he does. She gives him something

to eat and he lays down and what does she do?

She picks up one of those big tent pegs and drives

it through his head and kills this commander

against the people of God. Well, these are not

just stories. but rather they illustrate christ

in many ways so for example noah and the ark

noah and the ark is being saved from the waters

of destruction just as we are saved by christ

and we're made a member of the covenant by baptism

i told you that just told you the story of jail

the crushing of the head of the captain of the

army what does that prefigure it prefigures christ

crushing the head of the serpent which was which

promise was given to Eve. And notice when you

read through the Testament, how many times it

speaks of the crushing of the head of the enemies

of God. This is all pointing to Christ who would

do this to the evil one, to Satan. And then there's

also David. He's slaying the giant Goliath with

a stone from the sling and then cutting off his

head again, showing the same thing. So Paul would

preach the Old Testament and he would point to

Christ. Then when the Jews would cast him out

of the synagogue, he would take those who were

converted to Christ, both Jews and Greeks and

all the other Gentiles, and he would begin a

local Christian church. He would ordain elders,

establish church order, and then he'd move on

to another place and he'd do it all over again.

That was what God had given him to do. And that

is exactly what happened at Corinth. What I just

described to you happened in the synagogue. When

they threw him out, they then started meeting

as the Christian church right beside the synagogue

in the house of one named Justice. He then later,

after he would move on to another place, he would

send others in to help the church to grow and

to mature. These are what he describes as building

on his foundation. They would water the plants.

They would lay the stones of the building. This

is, for example, what Apollos did at Corinth.

It's what Timothy did, what Titus did, and there

were many others. They would both work with Paul,

and then they would also be sent to other places

to serve for a time. And then Paul gives this

admonishment. He says, but let each one take

heed how he builds on this foundation. He says,

I have laid the foundation. I am a wise master

builder. Others will build on this foundation,

but let each one take heed how he builds on it.

Every congregation is either being built up or

being torn down. And so this is an admonition

to ministers of God that they must take heed

on how they build Christ's church. Careful thought

and prayer. and consideration on how the structure

is to be built and to be maintained so that each

local body will last for many generations. This

is why we here at this church, we're a little

over two years old, Grace Reformed Church of

Weezer. We must be thinking and praying about

this in the congregation. How do we build it

well on the foundation that is laid so that it

continues on in the faith? and doctrine of our

Lord Jesus Christ, not only in our lifetime,

but in the lifetime of our children and our grandchildren

and our great -great -grandchildren, and hopefully

for hundreds of years. So Paul's going to develop

this theme a little bit further in the next verses.

He's going to describe the building, that it

needs to be built with living stones. And these

stones should be gold, silver, and precious stones

that will endure, and not ones that are made

out of wood or hay or straw, which will not endure.

Then he moves on in verse 11, he says, For no

other foundation can anyone lay than that which

is laid. which is Jesus Christ. So in the first

place here, he says, I'm laying a foundation,

but he says, there is no other foundation other

than Jesus Christ, the one that is already laid.

So I think what he's doing is not just a play

on words. What he's saying is, when I go into

a new city, I lay the foundation, that is, I

preach Christ. I begin with Jesus Christ and

him crucified. That must be the basis of any

church of Jesus. It must be. If it's anything

else, it won't turn out right. In order for a

building to endure the test of storms, of time,

and the winds of adversity and persecution, the

building must be built on a right foundation.

This is the principal rule of architecture. If

the foundation is wrong, the whole building will

not turn out right. It must be strong. The foundation

must be strong. It must be correct in size relative

to the size and the shape of the building being

built on it. That foundation, he says, is Jesus

Christ and him crucified. The true church of

God can never deviate from or lose their tenacity

to the solid doctrines of the faith, which must

be that of Jesus. That of his birth of a virgin,

his sinless life, his death upon the cross as

atonement for man's sin and his resurrection

from the dead and his ascension to the right

hand of the Father where he rules and reigns

over all. foundation must be there it must be

firm it must be laid for these are crucial doctrines

and teachings they cannot be abandoned nor can

they be changed now jesus said and he promised

that he would build his church we know that he

is the foundation but he also says that he would

build his church We see Jesus saying this in

Matthew chapter 16, verses 18 to 19. He says,

Matthew 16:18–19

I also say to you that you are Peter, and on

this rock I will build my church, and the gates

of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will

give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and

whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed

in heaven. Now this is the fulfillment of two

prophecies, two or more, in the Old Testament.

That spoke about this in chapter 28 verse 16.

Said behold I lay in Zion. A foundation. A stone.

A tried stone. A precious cornerstone. A sure

foundation. Zechariah also prophesied of it in

chapter 6 verse 12. Thus says the Lord of hosts

saying. Behold the man whose name is the branch.

From his place he shall branch out. And he shall

build the temple of the Lord. Yes, he shall build

the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory

and he shall sit and rule on his throne. So he

shall be a priest on his throne and the council

of peace shall be between them both. Jesus is

the foundation and Jesus is the builder. He will

build his church. But how does Jesus do this?

Well, he does it with gifted people that he calls.

to do the building in each day and time. And

that is what Paul was saying here. He said, I

am a wise master builder. In other words, I've

been commissioned by Christ to build his church,

and I need to do it well. I need to do it with

wisdom. So also for us, while the foundation

is already laid, yet we as ministers must also

lay the right foundation and build on it in the

local church. We cannot simply claim to be a

member of the church universal without being

attached to and members of a local congregation,

a place with elders and ministers of God, a place

where we put love into action, we love one another,

and we worship God together rightly. Paul said

he did this in Corinth as a wise master builder,

as God's minister and his servant. Throughout

all time, this must be done by making sure that

the church is started in the right way and by

preaching and emphasizing and teaching the supremacy

of Christ and of his great work, his position

and his glory based upon the word of God. I have

seen churches start. over other various common

beliefs. And it might just be something that

is in vogue at a particular time. Back in the

day, when there was a real strong push for homeschooling,

churches would start because, what did they have

in common? It wasn't a lot of doctrine. It was

because they were homeschoolers and they wanted

to visit together with other like -minded homeschoolers.

They wanted to have a church together. And it

didn't work out very well because the foundation

that was laid was not right. Or there are others.

where churches start because of hurts and wounds

from a previous experience, so they want to create

a space where people can commiserate together

and share together in the hurts that they've

had, and then they try to call it a church. Again,

there's great blessing of being able to get support

from other people, but that's not the reason

for a church. It needs to be founded on Christ

and the worship of Him. With his word as the

rule and guided by his spirit. It cannot just

be the fact that we have some particular common

interests. Everyone must have the right and the

proper foundation. And we must take heed to this

and not cheat. In the foundation. Or use inferior

materials. And this brings us to the next point.

The kind of material. That is used to build.

So Paul goes on and he speaks to this. Again

using metaphors. In verse 12. Now if anyone builds

on this foundation. With gold. Silver. Precious

stones. Wood. Hay. And straw. Each one's work

will become clear. For the day will declare it

because it will be revealed by fire. And the

fire will test each one's work of what sort it

is. If anyone's work which he has built on it

endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's

work is burned, he will suffer loss. But he himself

will be saved, yet so as through fire. Now this

is a metaphor that requires... A little bit of

digging, because what is this all speaking about?

What's the gold, the silver, what's the hay,

the straw? What is this fire that is spoken of

here? Is this speaking of some type of purgatory

as taught by the Roman Catholic Church? Indeed,

they pointed to this, but I don't think... that

that interpretation is correct. So let's look

at it further and see if we can understand what

Paul is saying in this passage. Well, first of

all, it's obvious that the metaphors are not

referring to actual gold or silver or precious

stones or of wood, hay, and straw. Paul might

have been thinking of the beautiful and costly

stones of the temple in Jerusalem. They were

resplendent with gold and silver, and there were

also many precious stones. But he is not describing

a cathedral or a physical temple because he says,

you all are God's building. You all are. So he's

not describing erecting an actual physical building

made out of stone or gold or silver. or of wood,

hay, and straw. They represent something. So

what is it that they represent? Well, the reference

in the next verse is each one's work. Each one's

work will become clear. So which work is this?

In the context, it is not the Corinthians themselves

who are under scrutiny right here, but it's rather

the work of those who have led them. Or those

who have built them. In other words, it's their

leaders. It's those who are ministering to them

and guiding them. It's referring to their teachers

and their teaching and the doctrine and the works

that result from the teaching. Those who were

building on the foundation. Let me say that again.

It must refer to the teachers and their teachings

and the doctrine followed by the works that came

from that teaching. Gold and silver and precious

stones, they are the teaching that builds up

the church. It is sound doctrine that edifies

the hearers and motivates them to do good deeds

that glorify Christ. And wood, hay, and stubble

or straw, that is doctrine that is wrong. It

is in error and it brings forth bad works. Many

times when Paul extols the grace that has been

given to us in Christ and the forgiveness of

our sins through the blood of Christ, he then

immediately shows how the good works must follow

that. We are not saved by our good works, but

they must follow. They must follow. And he emphasizes

that in a whole number of passages. And I'm not

going to read them for the sake of time. But

Ephesians 2 verse 10 and Philippians 2 verse

Ephesians 2:10 Philippians 2:13

13 and Titus 2 verse 14 and chapter 3, 8 and

Titus 2:14

14. This is the teaching as Paul says in 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 6:3

6 verse 3. It is wholesome. It accords with the

words of our Lord Jesus Christ and doctrine that

accords with godliness. All ministers then are

called to teach and preach, to build the congregation

in such a way so that the church of God is built,

God's people are edified, and they are sanctified

through the word, and their lives are changed

as they put what they are taught into practice.

This is what needs to happen in the preaching

of the word. It refers to putting off the old

man and the sins of the flesh and spirit, but

also the active obedience to Christ in putting

on the new man and seeing the fruits of the spirit

blossom and grow. And then God's people take

dominion on the earth as God's people and as

his instruments of mercy and of grace and of

love and of building in a way throughout all

of time. He then says, every man's work will

become clear on the day of Christ. Now, this

day can certainly only mean, in my opinion, the

day of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's found in chapter

1, verse 8 of 1 Corinthians. This day would especially

make manifest the counsels of the heart. 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:5

4, verse 5. It is a day when God will judge the

secrets of men. Romans chapter 2, verse 16. and

Romans 2:16

he will make all men manifest before the judgment

seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 10.

Again, the immediate context is that of ministers,

those who are building the church, and they stand

before Christ. even though there is application

to everyone. But as each minister stands before

Christ, his work becomes clear. It becomes manifest

and evident. For as Paul says, the day will declare

it because it will be revealed by fire. And that

fire will test each one's work of what sort it

is. Is this speaking of a real fire, of actually

flames that come out? Or is it a fire that reveals

and tests the work that is done? So what is this

fire that Paul speaks of? Now some think that

it's the fire of judgment. Referred to in 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 1:7

1 verse 7. It's when the Lord Jesus is revealed

from heaven with his mighty angels. In flaming

fire taking vengeance on those who do not know

God. And on those who do not obey the gospel

of our Lord Jesus Christ. Is that the fire that

Paul is speaking of? I think not. Because the

language here is not speaking of the fire of

damnation. Judgment as in destruction. It is

not referring to the fire of hell. But this is

a probing fire. A fire that reveals. It reveals.

Perhaps a better explanation is found in the

beginning of Revelation where John sees Christ.

And he describes them this way in Revelation

Revelation 1:14

1 verse 14. He says of Jesus, his head and hair

were white like wool, as white as snow, and his

eyes like a flame of fire. Like a flame of fire.

When Joss saw him, he fell to his feet as one

who was dead. So awesome and terrifying was this

sight. And so what happens to us when we stand

before Christ and he turns his eyes as a flame

of fire upon us and everything. is revealed every

thought every teaching every doctrine every work

and those works and teachings that built the

temple of christ and the edified christ people

those will remain those are the ones that sound

biblical truth those are the ones that will remain

as gold and as silver and as precious stones

But the ones that were wrong doctrines, the teachings

that were built on man's wisdom and on human

philosophy, doctrine that does not accord with

sound doctrine, those burn up and the minister

suffers loss. The loss of reward, he sees his

works vanish, burnt up like a fire devours wood

and hay and straw. This is very sobering. The

Pillar of Commentary says, and I quote, Building

materials that will be burned up are those in

keeping with human wisdom instead of the wisdom

of God, which is the fullness of the message

of the cross. Remember the context here. The

context is that some of the Corinthian teachers

did not want to preach Christ crucified. They

did not want the simple truths of the gospel,

but rather they wanted men's wisdom, human philosophy.

And Paul here is saying that's the kind of work

that when revealed before Christ is going to

burn up like wood and hay and straw. But here's

the astonishing thing, though. If the foundation

is right, that of Jesus and him crucified, the

person who was doing that teaching is still saved

through that fire. It says he will suffer loss

yet. He himself will be saved, yet so as through

fire. So this passage, I think, then, describes

three different types of ministers, of those

who are giving the word of God and attempting

to build the church. There are those, number

one, who are faithful. They build upon the foundation

with right doctrine and with right practice,

and they receive the reward. of their labors

now there are a whole number of rewards that

are talked about in the scripture that we might

look at in a brief moment the second one then

is the carnal or the immature and somewhat unfaithful

minister they still have the foundation right

but they have many other things wrong they still

believe in jesus they preach salvation through

christ but they have many other things that are

wrong and those wrong teachings have many bad

effects. These are still saved so as through

fire but they lose rewards. I can think of a

number of examples of these. and obviously I'm

not going to spend much time on this, but I think

of those who would preach salvation by grace

through faith, but they also teach what we call

easy believism. That is, your life doesn't need

to change. You just need to confess Christ. Just

pray the prayer. Pray the sinner's prayer, then

it doesn't matter what you do from then on, you're

going to be saved. You're going to be saved eternally.

That's a wrong doctrine. It does great injury,

and yet, in so doing it, They believe in salvation

by grace through faith, and they preach Jesus

Christ and then crucified. It's a wrong doctrine,

even though they have the foundation right. We

see the same thing. That also, by the way, is

called no lordship salvation. In other words,

Jesus could be your savior, but not your lord.

Huge problems with that theology, and it has

wreaked much havoc in Christ's church. They may

be saved. Think of the Corinthians who were elevating

human philosophy and reason. I think that some

of the teachings of dispensationalism fall into

this category. All of these wrong doctrines have

very real effects. We cannot minimize that. And

yet, because they are true believers in Christ,

they will be saved. That is my understanding

of what this passage is teaching. But then, there

is a third category. And that is those who do

not get the foundation right. They do not get

the foundation right. They are destroyers who

defile God's temple. And we're going to jump

ahead and look at verse 17. If anyone defiles

the temple of God, God will destroy him. These

are those who undermine the authority of God's

word and who deny the very basics of Christian

faith and doctrine. The doctrines and teachings

that we confess each Lord's Day in our confession

in the summary of the apostles of the Nicene

Creed. The word is the same. As they destroy

the temple of God, God will destroy them. As

they defile the temple, God will defile them.

It's the same word used there of these. And we

can think of a number of examples of these. I'll

simply give just a couple. We can think, for

example, of which we tend not to think of this,

but Islam really is a Christian heresy. Because

what did Muhammad do? He said, oh, I believe

in Jesus, but it's Jesus in this kind of a way.

And by the way, there's a greater prophet. And

so by it, he completely undermines the teachings

of Jesus, even while he says they're good. And

yet he denies the Trinity. He denies the essence

of Christian faith. And he believes in jihad,

a holy war against all the infidels who are also

Christians, by the way. And so, you know, we

just see him. What happens to him? God will destroy

him and all those who teach. doctrines like that.

These are works -based religions. I could think

of Charles Russell, who founded the Watchtower

Society, also known as Jehovah's Witnesses. I

could think of Talmudic Judaism, those who reject

Christ in that way. These are works -based religions.

They are damnable heresies that lead people astray

and into perdition, and they are an affront to

Christ. Those, they are defiling the temple of

God and God will destroy them. They will suffer

destruction. Note, unless you think my words

are too strong, think of what Paul said in the

book of Galatians chapter 1. He said that those

Galatians 1 · chapter mention

who preach another gospel are accursed by God

for doing so. Verse 8 of Galatians 1. or an angel

from heaven preach any other gospel to you than

that which we have preached to you, let him be

accursed. And then he states it again for further

emphasis. As well those who have taken away or

added to the word of God, which is expressly

forbidden in Revelation 22, verse 18 and 19.

Revelation 22:18

And so these are great warnings to us. There's

the faithful. building on the foundation. There

are the carnal or the somewhat unfaithful or

the immature. They have the foundation right,

but many others wrong. And then there are those

who don't even have the foundation right, and

they are destroyers who defile God's temple and

experience the judgment of damnation from God.

Well... Let's close this up as we look at this

passage here. I'm not going to be able to spend

much time today on verse 16 and 17. Lord willing,

I'll do that in the next sermon. But I still,

though, would like to remind you all that you,

as the people of God, you are called by his name

and you are the temple of God. He says this so

clearly. You, you all. Again, the same type of

you plural here. You are the temple of God and

the spirit of God dwells in you. The temple of

God is holy, which temple you are. Paul is here

depicting the Corinthians and indeed all Christian

churches as part of the end time temple which

was prophesied in Malachi chapter 1 verse 11.

Malachi 1:11

From the rising of the sun to its going down,

my name shall be great among the Gentiles. In

every place incense shall be offered to my name

and a pure offering, for my name shall be great

among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. This

is the temple described in the latter part of

the book of Ezekiel where the waters flow out

from underneath the threshold of the temple toward

the east and those waters bring healing to the

nations and along the banks of the river will

grow all kinds of fruit used for food fruit bearing

trees all year long because their water flows

from the sanctuary this is the spiritual temple

of God and you all as Christian As a Christian

church, you are part of this temple. You are

living stones, Peter says. You are being built

up together in him. You have a glorious and a

wonderful inheritance. And those who teach and

preach in this temple of God must make sure that

they teach and build up the congregation with

the wisdom of God and not the foolishness of

men and man's wisdom. Now, the congregation,

you all, you have a part to play in this as you

are the ones who affirm the calling and the qualification

of your ministers. Paul warns Timothy of the

time when those in the congregation will not

hear because they will not endure sound doctrine,

but according to their own desires, because they

have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves

teachers and they will turn their ears away from

the truth and be turned aside to fables. So whereas

ministers are called to preach the pure word

of God, the congregation is also called. to have

pure hearts that desire the truth of God and

not fables, idle tales, and false doctrine. So

this is also laid on us all. So take this seriously.

You all are the temple of God. The Spirit of

God dwells in you, and this temple is yours.

Like Peter says in 1 Peter 1 .15, as he who called

you is holy, so also be holy in all your conduct

because it is written, be holy for I am holy.

Finally then in the last application, faithfulness

to Christ brings reward. It brings reward on

the day of Christ. Now this is not just speaking

of the eternal state. of enjoying the glories

of heaven with Christ. It is that indeed, but

there is also rewards that are given. Here are

some of them. 1 Peter 5, verse 4. When the chief

1 Peter 5:4

shepherd appears, you will receive the crown

of glory. That does not fade away. So there's

a crown of glory that's a reward. Matthew 10

Matthew 10:42

verse 42. Whoever gives one of the little ones

only a cup of cold water in the name of disciple.

Assuredly I say to you he shall by no means lose

his reward. The rewards given even just sent

for simple acts of service. So simple as giving

a cup of cold water. Then there's Matthew 24,

Matthew 24:45

verse 45. Who then is a faithful and a wise servant,

whom his master made ruler over his household

to give them food in due season? Blessed is that

servant whom his master, when he comes, will

find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you, he will

make him ruler over all his goods. I don't understand

what all that's going to be in the future state,

but there it is from Jesus himself. And then

there's Revelation 2 in verse 7. He who has an

ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the

churches. To him who overcomes, I will give to

eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst

of the paradise of God. And then again in Revelation

Revelation 2:10

2 verse 10, be faithful unto death and I will

give you the crown of life. These are some of

the rewards for God's people. And so to you as

individuals, to parents, as you work with your

children, to all others, as you minister Christ

to those who are around you, God will bless you

with rewards. Plus you have eternal life on top

of it all. And isn't that glorious? For you all

are the temple of God. Let's pray.