Build 1 Corinthians 3:8-16 November 3, 2013 We re going to start with a little game. I m going to show a series of structures. Burj Khalifa, Millau Viaduct, Ulm Minster, Gateway Arch. All amazing structures. Turn to your neighbor. What do you think they all have in common? They are the tallest of their own type. Tallest building, bridge, church, and national monument. They also have another thing in common. One day, they will all be reduced to a pile of rubble. Jesus was at the temple in Jerusalem with his disciples one day, when they looked around and said, What massive stones! What wonderful buildings. Jesus said, Do you see all these great buildings? Now one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down. One day, it s all going to be rubble. Buildings are often meant to impress and inspire. And they do, but when you think about it, one day, one day, every bit of the most impressive building will be reduced to rubble. And so the question becomes, what are you building in life? Because you are building something. And that s where we are going to start in our message today, titled Build. And if you ll remember in the month of September, we started a sermon series on the purpose of our church and that is to make mature disciples. And a mature disciple is someone who loves God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we have four B words. Each one describes something we think each person must be doing to be a mature disciple. Those four words are can anyone remember? Belong, Become, Believe, Build. We want each person to have a healthy sense of belonging at our church. We want each person to become transformed and that means bringing into the light and being healed from some of the brokenness of our past. We want each person to be believing, and this is key obeying God s word to us. Not just some of it, but in those areas where we naturally struggle with obedience. And we have tools, ministries, classes, that will help you grow in each of those areas. Now, we took a month off from that series to do another sermon series, which you re probably not supposed to do normally, but we did it. But we re back to the B s. Today, we re talking about the last B Build. You are building something with your life. What are you building? 1
And the reason I know that everybody is building something is because God is a builder. That s the very first thing that God reveals about himself in the Bible he s a builder. He builds the whole universe. And he doesn t just slap it together. There is some very deliberate design. You see that when you look at the different days of creation described in Genesis 1. If you haven t read through that ever or lately, what it describes is each day builds on the previous one. God creates the earth. Then God creates water. Then God thrusts up land in the water. It s not ready for animals, yet, because there s no food. So then God creates plants, then fish and birds (not before there were seas), then finally animals, and then people. Each day, building on the last. Orderly, well thought out. God had a plan. And his crowning achievement is when he made human beings. God said: Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness... Genesis 1:26 (NIV) No other part of creation was made in God s likeness. But we are. And the Bible uses special words to describe how God made man and woman. Genesis 2:7 says: Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground... Genesis 2:7 (NIV) The Hebrew word for formed means to shape or mold first time it s used in the Bible. God distinguishes how he made man from how he made the rest of creation in Genesis chapter 1. He shapes and molds man just like an artist would a clay piece of pottery. There s some delicacy there. Now the Hebrew word for God making woman is actually the word for build. Genesis 2:22 says: Then the Lord God made (built) a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man... Genesis 2:22 (NIV) There are lots of words God could have used to describe how he made woman. Why the word build? That s the first time that word is used in the Bible. I think God wanted to point something out. With Adam, the first human, he serves as the first form for all human beings. And God wanted to make a statement. Just as Adam was a work of art, so each person is a work of art. Each unique. Each individually shaped by God s hands. 2
But when God made women, he really went outdid himself. The thought, the complexity. Now, husbands, don t try to pay your wife a complement and say, You are one complex woman. That may be true, but don t pay her that complement. Tell her, God really outdid himself when he made you. The bottom line is that God is a builder. And he built us as amazingly complex, beautiful beings. Whenever you are going through one of those days, remind yourself that you are handcrafted by God, an amazingly complex and beautiful person. And because you are made in his image, you are a builder, too. So turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 8. We are going to look at four questions you can ask yourself to make sure you are building the right things in life. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God s service; you are God s field, God s building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved even though only as one escaping through the flames. 16 Don t you know that you yourselves are God s temple and that God s Spirit dwells in your midst? So, first question: Am I building something that will endure forever? You can build a number of different things with your life, and you are building something. The Apostle Paul, who wrote this book, uses different metaphors. You can build with gold, silver, stones, wood, hay, or straw. You can use lots of different materials. But there is one guarantee. At the end of your life, what you ve built with your life, it goes through the furnace. Some stuff survives. Some gets burned up and does not. 3
If you want to use your life to have a lasting impact, you have to build the right things. What are the things that we can build that will endure forever? There are only two things. One is the person you are and your relationship with God. Two: your relationships with others and their relationship with God. Those are the only two things that will make it to the other side after we die. Occasionally, funeral directors will have to provide clothing for the deceased they are burying. So, there are special suits that can be purchased. And they are like regular suits in every way but one. Can you guess what that is? They don t have pockets. You don t need pockets if you re not able to take anything with you. We can build up all kinds of impressive things in our lives. Impressive amounts of wealth, impressive homes, retirements. From a worldly perspective, they are mighty impressive. But that s the kind of stuff that is wood, hay, and stubble, and one day, it s all going to get burned up. However, if you build others up, if you help others to know Jesus and put their faith in Jesus, that will last forever. If you are building others up so they can be those kinds of people, who will help others to know Jesus, that will last forever. So what are you building in the first place? Question two: What am I doing to build up the church? Now, there is a way to misunderstand this. And the way to misunderstand this is to feel guilted into giving your time or money to keep the church building open and the paid staff fed. And as much as I like for my family to eat, and for this building to have heat and air conditioning and electricity and a roof that doesn't leak, that s not why I am here, and that is not why you are here, and that isn t why you are supposed to give your time or your money. Unfortunately, there is nothing that will grip our hearts like money. That s why Jesus talked so much about money he talked more about money than heaven or hell. But because making money and spending money and saving money can so grip our hearts, when we hear someone talking about building up the church, we can assume it s all about pressuring us into giving more. Why should we give our time and money to build up the church? It s about the purpose of the church in the first place. Why did God build the church in the first place? Here s what the Bible says: 19 You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God s people and also members of his household, 20 built... with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building... rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. Ephesians 2:19-21 (NIV) 4
Okay, that s nice fancy religious language. What does it mean to be a temple in the Lord? Paul says in verse 16 of today s passage: 16 Don t you know that you yourselves are God s temple and that God s Spirit dwells in your midst? To be God s temple means that you are a special place for God s Spirit. If we really are the temple, that means we are a place where when people come, they feel God. I was thinking about this. What is it that helps a person feel God s presence? The Bible says:... where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV) Here s how I feel the presence of the Lord when I am freed from everything that tries to imprison me. That means if I my heart is gripped with worry, where I get paralyzed with fear, when I m freed from that. If I have some addiction in my life, I m freed from that. When I m just heartbroken and sinking in discouragement, when I m rescued. When I m afraid of being a failure, or when I wonder how in the world are things going to work out, or when sin tendencies in my life keep messing things up and make me miss opportunities when I m freed from that. In one word, when I m given hope for a better future. That s when I feel God s presence. What does it mean to build up the church? It means to do whatever I can to give hope to someone else. That s why we are here. So we an collectively do that. This can come through the words that I say. Proverbs 12:25 says: Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad. (NASB) Our words are just so important. So a third question, goes along with what are you doing to build up the church this is a more specific question: What am I saying to build up others? Here s a short list of how you can give hope through our words: When you make someone feel welcome, even though they may not look like you or dress like you. 5
When you look into someone s life and affirm the good that God is doing. When you help someone face an uncertain future by affirming your faith in a God that is unyielding in his commitment to take care of his children, and when you follow that up with a willingness to walk with that person through the uncertainty to ensure that nobody stays in need. When you empower someone to serve by helping that person see his or her gifts and use those gifts, and then encouraging that person to use them. And yes, that means asking. The number one factor of whether or not someone becomes involved, uses their gifts, serves in a ministry is being asked by someone else. God has built up his church, and we can build up his church, so that we can show his presence by giving hope to people who are in all kinds of bondage. That s why I am here. That s why God has put you here. To build up that kind of church. That is why we give our time and money so that all we have can be used by God to give hope. And a fourth question, because God has gifted each person, How am I using my gifts to build up others? Our memory verse is 1 Peter 4:10: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. (NIV) God has given each Christian a gift. And it s pretty common for people to think that there s only a small set of Christians, usually the paid church staff and pastors, who can do the real heavy lifting and meaningful work in ministry. But do you know why God has called some to be pastors in the first place? Why God has given some people the gift of teaching? Or why God has given some people a special ability to know God s word and discern what God is saying to Christians today through his word? Ephesians 4:11-12 says: 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up... (NIV) There you have it. Being a part of a church is supposed to be uplifting and inspiring. Worshiping together should help our weeks start in the right way. But, 6
being a part of a church is about building about being built. We are a building. You have a purpose. Paul writes: The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:8 You each have a unique labor. Each has a gift to share. But we have one purpose. And that is building up this building the body of Christ. For centuries, it has been giving hope that God so loved this world he gave his Son. And his Son loved this world and gave his life. And so we can give, too. We can share our gifts. What s your gift, and how are you going to use it? Once Christmas is over, we re going to have a special class on Sunday mornings to help you understand your gifts from God, and how you can use them. How are you using your words to build others up? Words are so important. What are you doing to build up the church? What are you building that will last forever? That is, building up people and your relationship with God? Everyone is building something. What are you building? 7
Build: Discussion Guide 1 Corinthians 3:8-16 1. Read 1 Corinthians 3:8-16 2. What are examples of things people build in their lives. Think of non- physical things that we build. 3. Think about having what you have built tested by fire. As you look at your life, what are you intentionally building that will survive and endure? 4. Tell about someone who has influenced deeply who you are today. How have they and do they influence you? 5. What is one person you feel that God is asking you to intentionally build up? 6. What are you doing to intentionally build yourself up and your relationship with God? 7. How have you served in ministry? Which roles have been particularly meaningful to you? How would you assess your gifts? 8. If you are discussing this with others, like your family or small group, consider sharing with one another how you see each other s gifts. How could you see each other serving in ministry? 8