ES1COR05 1 Corinthians 3:1-15
Notes
Transcript
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 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. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 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. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Intro
We belong to a Kingdom and are citizens of it. But this Kingdom cannot be found here on earth except among its various people who are scattered throughout the countries of this world. We have our passports stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit. So, why do we act in the same way, respond and react in a way as those who are around us? What makes us different? As children of the King we are Princes, and Princes act in and are trained in a different way. Princes do not behave as other men as there is a purpose to their lives. In fact their whole life is dedicated to what they are to become – Princes are destined to become Kings. All that they are to be is consumed in this process. So, to act in a merely human way; to act as others in the world, is to act in a way contrary to God and His ways. We a called a peculiar people, a holy nation. We are not called to be the same, we are a separated people, we are in the world but we are not of it, we are aliens and therefore we should act in a way that is alien to this world.
1-3
The immaturity of the Corinthian Church was astounding. Here, in the NIV, they are described as worldly but the word here is literally ‘composed of flesh’. They were simply taken up by the physical; they were under the power of their impulses. As a result they were infants in relation to Christ. Yes, they were born into the Christian family but they had no growth and so were stunted, babies, immature. They were not submitted to the Spirit of God even though they had become Christians, this is not in doubt, for see in verse 1 they are ‘in Christ’. They had made a spiritual beginning but that was it. Paul had to go over old ground for their decisions and behaviour was as it was before they had come to faith to the point that they accepted the prevailing culture as valid for their lives.
When Paul says: ‘I gave you milk’ what is it that he means? They were still at the very basics stage: And the basics are: That Jesus died on a cross and rose again delivering them from their sins, giving them new life and can now approach God free as a bird because He loves them. Now for these Christians that is all they thought they needed to know. It is enough, indeed, to get them over the line, so to speak, as far as coming to faith and being translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. But that was it. They were still living as if they were part of the world.
And what does this mean for those in the world? Well, those in the world live for themselves for they are the centre of the universe; they are egocentric. They know that, in actual fact, they are not the centre of the world but their living betrays that they still think they are. They would seek their own pleasure, their own desires. This is how the Corinthian Christians still thought in practice. They were physically orientated. That leaves us with the question whether that is true of us, of me, of you?
3-4
They were still thinking as those in the world think. They had not been transformed. They had stayed or became like the surrounding culture. God’s will had been jettisoned for their own desires. I mentioned before that the orators would ridicule others in competition and attempt to create strife through jealousy. And we see that this is what has taken root here.
Even in the Christian fellowship he saw evidence that the people were divided against each other trying to gain some kind of superiority. Who you followed would be whether you are in the elites or not. I have experienced this in a Church where everyone wanted to join one particular house-group which were the spiritual elites. The Corinthians were guided by the way leaders impressed them, appealed to their feelings, excited their interests, or confirmed their prejudices. The Corinthian Church was unable to go on with God, unable to go any further in their Christian lives because they were caught up in a political struggle in the Church over personalities. It is still a fact that Churches split over such things and people go to certain churches because of certain personalities and their styles. It is alright to avoid certain churches over certain types of doctrine or if the leadership is more concerned with their status rather than glorifying Jesus but not for other reasons. The Church that you should be going to is the one God has called you to, and if God has not called you to anywhere then you are to continue to be committed to the one you are going to.
Is it possible that such arguments could arise in our fellowship? God has called us to be committed to one another – we are to be living out our lives in a way that honours God and the fellowship here. In the past Christians met every day for prayer and breakfast for the fellowship with God and each other. Personally, I think that this is a great idea that we could do here. That takes real commitment. As a result the fellowship would be built up in a way that it hasn’t done to date.
The main danger lies in becoming a clique, our own little club that excludes other Christians who comes along or who simply, for time constraints, cannot make it. But if we are not committed to meeting on a Sunday and a Wednesday then there is no hope for any other kind of fellowship that takes us a step further. It is my belief that we all should be committed to these particular meetings we have each week; this is not popular for me to say from the front, probably, but I will say again – we should all be committed to meeting on Sundays and Wednesdays. Is this not what it says in:
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
5-8
Then Paul demolishes the arguments about whom to follow for, says Paul, they are only servants. And note in verse 5 Paul asks What is Apollos, what is Paul? Not who is Apollos or Paul, but what. And that reduces them further in that they are simply instruments or tools for God to use as He sees fit. Yes, Paul and Apollos planted and watered at a point in the past but it is God who gives growth and continues with His ongoing actions. Paul and Apollos and every other leader are powerless to cause growth. Now I have been accused here of not causing the numbers to go up as if I have power to cause growth. I and we are called to work but only God causes growth. And each worker will get a wage from God for what they do. Again it is not just the minister who is a worker. Paul sees the Church as a society that is united in working to the Lord. If all work well, the society works well. Of course, there is also the wage we get when we have stood at the Judgement Seat of Christ.
9-11
We are co-workers in God’s farm. I like the word ‘labourer’; it is a word that conjures up ideas of back-breaking work whether in the coal mines or bricklaying or as gardeners. Are we labourers in God’s harvest-field? What does it mean for us to be labourers? What is expected of us? To be a labourer is no easy thing…to be a labourer means that we have to work! And this work gets wages. These are not works to get to Heaven or improve our chances with God. The work of the cross is finished, therefore, there is nothing for us to do to get saved other than our initial response to believe and trust in Jesus’ name. We cannot improve our standing in the sight of God – if we are forgiven then we remain forgiven, if we have been made holy then we are still holy – and how can you improve on that? Well we can’t! But all the same, we are called to work hard.
What is the foundation that Paul laid? Well, He tells us, it is Jesus Christ. This was the declaration of who Jesus is and what He has done and that ultimately is the work of the cross. What did it mean for Jesus to work? Jesus laid down his life to redeem us from the clutch of hell. This labour was very hard, very costly. This was no easy work. In the Garden of Gethsemane the struggle became apparent – but to do God’s will was all-encompassing. Jesus is our example. We are to do God’s will whatever the cost, however hard the work. The Gospel, through Paul’s preaching as well as ours, is the foundation of the Church. If this is undermined the Church cannot stand for it is then no longer a Church. But if we build upon the Gospel then Jesus remains the foundation and He is present with that Church.
12-13
I have much to say about labouring and working and I will come back to it again next week. God willing, but suffice to say today, that if we want to grow and not remain as babies we need to consider how we are building upon the foundation that is laid, for, it makes clear here, that we will build, each of us and together some sort of edifice. And there will be a fire to pass a quality test. Some of the materials are those you would find on every building site: wood, hay, stubble. Almost every house is built with these. But can it stand the fire test? As I say, if you want to be normal, or physical or worldly, then you would build with these. But if you want to move onto things that will surpass the ravages of fire, things I have never seen on a building site: gold, silver and precious stones. Plainly, these are other-worldly. These survive the test of fire.
If we labour for ourselves for our own material wealth then this kind of work will be burned up but if we labour for Jesus then our work will last. Is it our destiny as Christians to live mediocre lives where we are lazy and do not work for the Kingdom of God? If we continue to favour one person above another and cause divisions then that work will not last for it will not fit on the foundation of Jesus Christ. There is a penalty to pay if the work is not satisfactory. The penalty will not cost you your salvation, for the salvation of the church builder does not rest upon the success of the church he has built; but his reward, if they do well, seems to have a double dimension: the delight in the effective existence of the church, and the happy destiny of their life in the coming age.
God’s call is for the church to become the Spirit’s community—a community whose life, decisions, fellowship, care, and so on prove the Spirit’s guiding presence in the fellowship that is built upon the foundation of the cross. Anything else will prove insufficient and burn up.
The wisdom of the world which is crumbling all around is in its consumerism, individualism, in its want for gain of riches, power and fame but we as Christians are not of this world – we are of another Kingdom. When we pray Lord, ‘let your Kingdom Come’ we have to realise that part of the answer lies in us in the humility, sacrifice and service that we perform.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The Church is God’s building and Christ is the foundation. The Church is God’s and Christ is its Head. The Church is God’s idea and we should remain part of the community. There is no room for individualism; individuals must see themselves as co-workers on God’s field. No one has higher status than anyone else; God alone is the owner who employs everyone with different gifts for the same task. And, even though individualism must be jettisoned God will test the quality of each member’s work. Each one is responsible for utilising his or her gift(s) to build God’s building on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Communion
Communion
We come again to the table and all that love the Lord Jesus are welcome to partake in it. If you do not wish to at this time let the bread and wine pass you by. No one will think any less of you and will respect your decision.
The purpose of this table is not only to remember what Jesus has done for us but to remind ourselves that we are one body with Jesus as our head. In the New Testament way of doing things we would have shared in one loaf and one cup indicating that we are united to Christ and to each other. Above all, we are here to remember again the price of sacrifice. The wages of sin is death. And Jesus paid this wage in full. Sin was judged in Jesus as we read in:
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus the Innocent became sin for us so He could receive the full cup of God’s wrath. It is not something to forget. It is the only reason why we can go free. Which is why a little earlier the Scripture says:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Let us hear the words of this institution and partake with gratefulness:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Benediction
Benediction
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Brown, D. R., & Twist, E. T. (2013). 1 Corinthians. (J. D. Barry & D. Mangum, Eds.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Orr, W. F., & Walther, J. A. (2008). I Corinthians: a new translation, introduction, with a study of the life of Paul, notes, and commentary (Vol. 32). New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Vang, P. (2014). 1 Corinthians. (M. L. Strauss, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 20:45 07 March 2020.