1 Corinthians 3 - The Gospel Lived In The Church

All right, 1 Corinthians 3. But I, brothers,

could not address you as spiritual people, but

as people of the flesh. I forgot to do the children's

thing. It's okay. Just totally popped in my brain.

Like right now, but it's too late. I'm sorry,

kids. I will get it right one week. I'm telling

you. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for

you were not ready for it. Even now you are not

yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For

while there is jealousy and strife among you,

are you not of the flesh and behaving only in

a human way? For when one says, I follow Paul,

and another, I follow Apollos, are you not being

merely human? What is Apollos? What is Paul?

Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord

assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered,

but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants

nor he who waters is anything, but only God who

gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters

are one, and each will receive his wages according

to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers.

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

to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled

master builder, I have 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. Now, if anyone builds

on a foundation with gold, silver, and precious

stones, wood, hay, and straw, each one's work

will be 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. 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. Do you not know that you are

God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in

you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will

destroy him. For God's temple is holy and you

are that temple. Let no one deceive himself.

If anyone among you thinks he is wise of this

age, let him become a fool that he may become

wise. For the wisdom of the world is folly with

God. For it is written, he catches the wise in

their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the

thoughts of the wise that they are futile. So

let no one boast in men. For 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. You are Christ and Christ is God's.

Now. A couple things you need to be reminded

as we're going through this. There is this stirring

up, this quarreling happening among the people.

They're literally debating over who follows who

and arguments and just acting completely childish.

And what Paul is doing here is he's rebuking

them for that and the reality of what their responsibility

is and who they are. It's very important. In

other words, Paul is clarifying the identity

of the people here. They are the church of Jesus

Christ, the temple of God, the people of God.

And he's saying, so act like it. That's really

what he's saying here. Now, there are going to

be four principles as usual. And then we're going

to go through the verses, okay? True spiritual

maturity is seen in how we live amongst one another.

So you want to see how mature a people are? Watch

how they live with each other. Okay. In John

13, 34 through 35, it says it this way. A new

commandment I give you that you love one another

just as I have loved you. You also are to love

one another by this. All people will know that

you are my disciples if you have love for one

another. Pretty simple, isn't it? Paul clarifies

some things here in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 1

1 Corinthians 3:1–3

through 3. But I, brothers, could not address

you as spiritual. In other words, the word spiritual

means to be controlled or governed by the Spirit,

by the Holy Spirit. He could not address them

as people who are governed and controlled by

the Holy Spirit, but only as people of the flesh,

people who are worldly and sinful. So how should

God's people be described in how we live and

how we... communicate with each other how we

deal with conflict how do we deal how do we as

God's people should live with each other especially

around the community in which we reside are we

governed controlled by the spirit no Paul says

he actually calls them as infants but as people

of the flesh as infants in Christ as childish

untaught and unskilled is the word infants here

He calls them childish. You're unskilled in the

simple things of God. You can't even do the basic

little things. And that's exactly what he says

in verse 2. I fed you with milk. This word fed

means to offer water. The simplest thing that

I could give you as an infant is water. That's

the idea. It's a simple gesture. It means to

teach teachings easy to understand. I gave you

easy to understand truths about Christ. How do

we know that? Because the word milk literally

means simple truths. So this is what he says.

I gave you a drink of simple truths. I gave you

a drink of simple truths, the simple things that

are easy to understand, but you didn't even understand

those things. And look what he says and continued

in verse two, not solid food. I didn't give you

solid food. I gave you simple truths, easy to

understand truths. What is solid food? Solid

food is that which delights and truly satisfies

the mind. That's the deep things of God. Are

we going to be just satisfied with the simple

things that Jesus died on the cross, was buried

and rose again on the third day, which is simple,

but still difficult. We read that in chapter

two of first Corinthians, did we not? But the

reality is the simple things of God. Are we going

to settle there or do we want to know our God

as fully as we possibly can know him now? We

should want to know him more. As the scripture

says. So this solid food, Paul could not give

them because they couldn't even deal with the

simple things. And so he says, that which delights

and truly satisfies the mind. We read that in

Psalm 119, did we not? In Psalm 119, it says

that the word of God is a lamp unto my feet.

Not Psalm 119. The word of God says, how can

a young man keep his way pure? By living according

to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you. So the whole

point is that everything concerning the psalmist

in Psalm 119 is the word of God matters to him.

It is his delight and it truly satisfies as honey,

as sweet as honey. But, Paul says, for you were

not ready for it. What were they not ready for?

They weren't ready for the delights that truly

satisfy the mind. They weren't ready to eat the

solid food, the meat. People want meat, but you

can't eat meat. Because you're not ready to eat

it. And that's why when we're preaching and teaching,

and we're teaching deep things of God, it's kind

of like we got to do a little bit here and a

little bit there. Sometimes I got to give you

broccoli, and you don't want broccoli. You want

the steak, right? Rare to medium rare. Salty.

Mushrooms with some fried onions. Yeah, you want

that, but you got to be able to drink the milk

first. And so, Paul goes on, and even now you

are not ready. For you are still of the flesh.

You are still worldly and simple. Why? Look what

it says in the rest of verse 3. For while there

is jealousy and strife among you, are you not

of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Now, second principle. Well, let me say it this

way. That proves the reality. Of mature believers.

Is they don't get into jealousy and strife. For

foolish reasons. You shouldn't be in jealousy

and strife at all. As a matter of fact. Principle

number two. All of God's people are one in Christ.

No one is more valued than the other. Very important.

Galatians 3 .28, there is neither Jew nor Greek.

There is neither slave nor free. There is no

male and female, for you are all one in Christ

Jesus. Why do I share that? Because in verses

4 through 9 of 1 Corinthians 3, Paul gets into

this understanding that Apollos and I are of

the same fabric. Look what he says here. For

one says, I follow Paul. And another, I follow

Apollos. Are you not being merely human? Yes,

you're being merely human. When you're not talking

about the reality of following Christ and Christ

alone, and he is the final and only one that

matters, and you continue to look at others as

a source of hope and not look to him as a source

of hope, you are being merely human. This should

speak volumes today. What then is Apollos? What

is Paul? Slaves through whom you believed. Servants

through whom you believed as the Lord assigned

to each. God has assigned Apollos to do something.

And God has assigned me, Paul, to be the apostle

to the Gentiles. My responsibility is different

than Apollos' responsibility. But there is one

mission that we're both on. And guess what that

is? The gospel. If Apollos waters and I plant,

that's all that matters. Because planting the

gospel and watering with the gospel is the gospel.

That's his argument here. I planted. Apollos

watered. But who gets the growth? Who makes the

church grow? Who builds the family? God gave

the growth. So what's a planter? Nothing. Who's

a waterer? Nothing. What's it matter if I plant

and it doesn't get water? Or if I water and it

dries up, does it matter? Because in reality,

there's something has to happen for that to grow.

It's just a seed and it's just a water. God makes

it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who

waters is anything. Because without God growing

it, it's not going to grow. But only God who

gives the growth. God takes a dead seed and makes

it alive. Lanny would probably know this more

than most. He plants a lot of seeds, and I can

probably guarantee that about 20 or 30 percent

of the seeds that he plants never grow. Why?

Doesn't matter how much he waters it. Doesn't

matter how deep he plants it. If God doesn't

grow it, it's not going to grow. That's the point.

Look what it says here in verse 8. So he who

plants and he who waters are one. This word one

means one and the same. Same importance and esteem.

We are the same thing. I'm the gospel planter.

He's the gospel waterer. What's the same? Gospel.

It's the same thing. One and the same. What's

the same? The mission. I want you to hear that.

That's the mission. You want to know what the

church's responsibility is? It's to preach the

gospel. The church's responsibility is to not

take the seven mountains of influence. It's to

preach the gospel. The church's responsibility

isn't to go and take the government. It's to

preach the gospel. That's the church's responsibility.

It's the one mission that God gave for us to

do. And we can't even get that right. We want

governments. We want seven mountain mandates

and dominion and Christian nationalism. But we

can't even get the gospel right. And if you can't

be faithful with the little, how in the world

could you be faithful with the much? How about

if we get people saved? How about if we preach

the gospel and watch God save people as he grows

it? And as a result of converted, real, true

believers, then we start having a godly government

and a godly schools and a godly. But no, we want

to go and try to take over. To do what? Not preach

the gospel. You can't even preach the gospel

to your neighbor, right? What's most important?

The heartbeat of the church. The gospel. Nothing

matters more. For we are God's fellow workers.

Verse 9. We are co -laborers. We are associates.

We are helpers. As I said in first service, if

you guys know Ted Sales, he's an amazing electrician.

But every electrician, as a matter of fact, Andrew

knows about this. Before you became like your

own business owner, An electrician, you were

what? A helper. He was an apprentice. Well, guess

who the chief architect of his church is? God.

Guess who's building his church? God is. Guess

what you are? You're a grunt, a gopher. You're

an assistant. You're a co -laborer. You're a

helper. That's what we do. Why can't we be happy

with helping? No, we got to build our own kingdoms.

We can't even build a kingdom that he's given

us. How about if we remember that, that we are

his workers, fellow workers. You are his field.

The word field here means cultivated field. It

means a land already prepared and being fruitful.

That's what that means. Not that God is making

a field. God has already made the field. It is

a completed field and it's producing fruit. You

are that farmland. You. Isn't that amazing? We

are God's building, meaning his structure and

his temple. I want you to hear that. You're not

making a field. God made the field. You're not

making a building. God already made the building.

How about just play the part you're supposed

to play? And that's exactly what he says concerning

the body. One wants to be an ear. One wants to

be an eye. Can the eye say, I don't need you?

Third principle. God will not only judge our

lives lived in service, but especially on how

we work, care, and guard his church, meaning

his people. We're not going to be judged just

on our lives and how we lived. We're going to

be judged in how we steward. Galatians 6 .10.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good

to everyone, especially those who are of the

household of faith. 1 Corinthians 3 .10. According

to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled

master builder, I laid a foundation. So what's

this mean? That Paul, trained by God to be a

builder of the church, he laid a foundation that

was already laid. What is the foundation? Jesus

Christ, the chief cornerstone, the gospel of

Christ, and the doctrine of Christ. All of it

is Christ. There is no other foundation besides

Jesus. You want an excellent education system?

Build it on Jesus. You want an excellent government?

Build it on Jesus. You want an excellent medical?

Build it on Jesus. But the problem is those foundations

and those things aren't built on Jesus. Wrong

foundation. Think about it. The only thing that's

built on the foundation of Christ is this church.

Now, look what it says here. And someone else

is building upon it. So here's what Paul means.

I, the Apostle Paul, went to you, Corinthian

church, and I preached Christ and him crucified.

And I have taught you the simple truths of doctrines

concerning the foundational things of faith.

And I have given you the gospel, Christ, the

gospel, the foundational things of Christ. And

now you, as a pastor, elder of the church, you're

building upon something that I had already laid

for you to build upon. And guess what? Someone

laid a foundation here in 1884. You know what

that foundation was? Go over to the old church,

bottom left corner, Lutheran Reformed Church,

built on biblical reform theology. That's what

this church was built on. And it's been here

for 142 years. Why is this important? Because

it's about sound truth. It's about doctrine.

It's about Jesus Christ. It's not about what

I want, what I feel, what I think. It's what

does the word of God say concerning himself?

That's really what the church has been built

on. And it's still thriving for each one. Take

care how he builds upon it. I'm just building

upon what was already laid 142 years ago. I didn't

get the privilege to plant. I get the privilege

to build upon what was already built. For no

one can lay a foundation other than that which

is laid, which is Jesus Christ. There's your

answer. What is the foundation? Jesus. Now, if

anyone builds on a foundation with gold, silver,

precious stones, hay, wood, and straw, each one's

work will become manifest for the day we'll disclose

it. Now, I know I've heard, I mean, I used to

teach this wrongly until I started growing up

spiritually. Because we've all been told, like,

it's all about what I do for Jesus. It's about

my ministry. What I do, am I going to do it with

gold, silver, and precious stones? The church

here, he's talking about a foundation that's

already been laid in Corinth called the foundation

of Jesus Christ. And the church of Corinth is

being built upon this. And there's someone who's

coming and building upon what was already laid.

Now, if that man comes and builds with gold,

silver, and precious stones, and you participate

as a worker, as a collaborator in helping to

lay the stonework of the building, is it gold,

silver, and precious stones? Or is it wood, hay,

and straw? Is it really worthless service and

worthless work? That's what he's talking about

here. This is really about building the church,

not building my little ministry. Are we partnering

with God, doing what he's commanded us to do,

building what he's commanded us to build, and

one day he will come and establish his kingdom

forever, for the day will disclose it. That day

we will know who did the work because it will

be revealed by fire. That word fire there means

judgment, wrath. It's cleansing, purification.

The fire will test, there it is, what sort of

work one has done. If the work that anyone has

built on the foundation survives. Do you hear

that? Work. is building, built on the foundation

that already exists, 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 the fire. What is the foundation?

The foundation is Jesus Christ. Concerning what?

The temple of God, the church. So what's our

responsibility? Build the church. Do you not

know that you are God's temple? That God's spirit

dwells in you, not only in you individually,

but he dwells in you as a people. Isn't that

important? God will destroy. If he destroys God's

temple, God will destroy him for God's temple

is holy. And you are that temple. Since all things

concern God's people, we must. Become fools so

that we may become wise. Wisdom is to be skilled

in the ways of God. That's what true, real, biblical

wisdom is. To be skilled in the ways of God.

Ephesians 5, 15 through 17 say it this way. Look

carefully then how you walk. Not as unwise, but

as wise. Making the best use of the time because

the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish,

but understand what the will of the Lord is.

What is God's will? His word is his will. His

word. This is the will of God right here. If

you want to know God's mind, it's in his word.

If you want to know God's ways, it's his word.

If you want to know what God thinks, it's his

word. If you want to know what God commands,

it's his word. So let no one deceive, verse 18

through 23, let no one deceive himself. If anyone

among you thinks that he is wise in this age,

let him become a fool that he may become wise.

If you think you're wise, if you think you know

what it is to live in this world, please become

foolish so that you can become wise and skilled

in the ways of God. For the wisdom of this world

is folly. Do you hear that? Let no one boast

in men. Are we boasting in Christ? Are we boasting

in men? That's a good question. Where's our hope?

In Christ or in men? Who do we want to become

like? Like Christ? Or like a man, I am a Christian.

I am a believer. We are Christians. We are believers.

We are not Charlie Kirk. We boast in Christ and

Christ alone, not in men. For all things are

yours. This word, this term literally means all

things concern you. I want you to hear this.

All things concern us. Why? Because all things

concern the gospel. All things concern you, whether

Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life

or death or the present or the future. All things

concern you. All are yours, it says here. This

is not a dominion statement. This is a proclamation

statement. All things concern you in whether

it's Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or

life or death or present or the future. All of

it is concerning you, priest of gospel. Priest

of gospel is what he's saying here. You are in

Christ. You are Christ. You belong to Christ

and he belongs to you. You are his temple. You

are his people and he is our God. That's what

this means. All things concern us because it

concerns the gospel. And we are in Christ. What's

interesting is I think they could have translated

this a little bit better at the end where it

says, Christ is God's, meaning God owns him.

No, what I think really is said here, especially

when you look at the original language, it says,

if we are in Christ, Christ is God. All things

concern you and you are in Christ and Christ

is God, the ruler of all things. That's what

this means. How do we know? Because it fits the

context of everything that's been said here.

So that's my challenge to you. So in closing,

we must be truly spiritually mature in how we

live among each other. That we must, as God's

people, know that we are one in Christ and that

all of God's people are valued in him. We must

also... Understand the importance and the responsibility

of how we are to work and care and guard for

his church. That's what matters. And lastly,

concerning all things, it is about the gospel

because we are in Christ and he is our God. That's

what all this means. It's like, why are you fighting

over dumb and foolish things, Corinthians? You

belong to Christ and he is God. That's how he

ends it there in chapter three. Father, I want

to thank you so much for your goodness and faithfulness.

Thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you that

your word is true, that you are the God of all

creation, and that you have called us as your

people to do the work, to be fellow workers,

helpers with you in accomplishing your purpose

and plan and in building your church and that

the gates of hell will not ever prevail over

her. We praise you and thank you for your faithfulness.

In Jesus' name, amen.