The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
\nFebruary 19, 2017
\nI Corinthians 3:10, 11, 16-23<\/p>\n
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.\u00a0 But each one should be careful how he builds.\u00a0 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?\u00a0 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.\u00a0 Do not deceive yourselves.\u00a0 If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.\u00a0 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.\u00a0 As it is written:\u00a0 “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”\u00a0 So then, no more boasting about men!\u00a0 All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future\u2014all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think any of us were here when this building was constructed, but even if we weren\u2019t how do you think it was accomplished?\u00a0 Do you think a couple of guys went to the Pastor and said, \u201cWe think it is time to build a church\u2014 what do you think?\u201d\u00a0 Do you think the Pastor said, \u201cThat sounds like a great idea\u2014 I will help you!\u201d\u00a0 Do you think they might have shown up early on a Saturday morning with their shovels and a big mug of coffee, pounded some stakes in the ground, ran a string from stake to stake and then used their shovels to take off the sod?\u00a0 Then after nailing some 2 x 4\u2019s together do you think they mixed up some concrete, poured it into that form and then built this church?\u00a0 Do you think that after they had finished building this church they would have simply put some stain on the outside and some paint on the inside and then just forgot about it?\u00a0 No need for a property committee!\u00a0 Probably not!<\/p>\n
To build a church like this you would need to dig deep down into the ground and pour some footings.\u00a0 Then you would have put some rebar down or some road mesh or whatever is the modern day equivalent and poured lots and lots of concrete to make a nice solid foundation.\u00a0\u00a0 And once a building is constructed there is always going to be some type of maintenance that needs to be done or else the building will quickly deteriorate and perhaps even be ruined.<\/p>\n
Just as we would want to be wise when it comes building our church, so also the Lord our God wants us to be wise when it comes to how we are to build and maintain His Church\u2014 that is, the Church that meets within this building.\u00a0 With that in mind, let\u2019s conclude our sermon series on the subject of God\u2019s will by seeing how this portion of Scripture reveals to us:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0God\u2019s Will for His Church\u2014 Build Wisely!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 As we study this text we will see that there are two truths to remember when it comes to building God\u2019s Church wisely.\u00a0 First, let\u2019s see how necessary it is to build God\u2019s Church on the only<\/strong> proper foundation.\u00a0 Then let\u2019s see how necessary it is to protect what God Himself is building in us and through us.<\/p>\n Just as it was absolutely necessary to lay a proper foundation before this church was built, so also it is absolutely necessary that the Church which meets within this building is built on the only<\/strong> proper foundation.\u00a0 Look at how clearly that truth is brought out in the opening verses of our text.\u00a0 Paul writes, \u201cBy the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.\u00a0 But each one should be careful how he builds.\u00a0 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The apostle Paul founded the Christian congregation in Corinth on his second missionary journey.\u00a0 (See Acts 18:1-18)\u00a0 For a year and a half Paul proclaimed the Word of God in Corinth.\u00a0 For a year and a half Paul faithfully laid the foundation for the church in Corinth, the only<\/strong> proper foundation for God\u2019s Church which is Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Once Paul had laid that foundation as an \u201cexpert builder\u201d<\/em> the Lord led him to leave Corinth and go to the city of Ephesus.\u00a0 After Paul left Corinth other men, men such as Apollos and Cephas, continued to build on the foundation that God\u2019s grace had allowed and enabled Paul to lay.<\/p>\n This is the blueprint that the Lord wants His people to follow as they continue to build His Church down through the ages.\u00a0 The only<\/strong> proper foundation for God\u2019s Church is Jesus Christ, His Son.\u00a0 Why is Jesus the only<\/strong> proper foundation for God\u2019s Church?\u00a0 Think about it, my friends.\u00a0 The foundation is what holds up the entire building. If people had tried to construct this building without first laying a proper foundation the entire building would shift and move as the ground shifts and moves.\u00a0 The rains could easily wash away the soil from underneath this building and eventually the entire building could collapse.<\/p>\n As the Son of God, as this world\u2019s only Savior from sin Jesus is the only <\/strong>One who has the power, the strength, the ability to support His Church\u2014 all across the world and down through the ages.\u00a0 That is why the Holy Spirit had Paul remind us \u201ceach one should be careful how he builds.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The temptations of the world around us, the attacks by Satan and his legions of demons and the desires of our own sinful nature are constantly trying to undermine the foundation of God\u2019s Church with the goal of causing it to come crashing down.\u00a0 But as Jesus Himself told the apostle Peter, when God\u2019s Church is built on the proper foundation, when God\u2019s Church is built on the confession that Jesus is \u201cthe Christ, the Son of the living God,\u201d<\/em> then not even the gates of Hades will ever be able to overcome God\u2019s Church!\u00a0 (See Matthew 16:13-20)<\/p>\n Since many of you have known this truth for perhaps your entire life, you might be wondering\u2014 what other foundations do people use to try and build a church?\u00a0 Sadly, there is no shortage of false foundations that people have used and continue to use to try and build a church as quickly and as \u201ccheaply\u201d as possible.\u00a0 Permit me to highlight just three.<\/p>\n First, there is the false foundation of works.\u00a0 Instead of proclaiming the glorious Scriptural truth that your eternal salvation is 100% the result of what God has done for <\/strong>you (Pointing to the cross) there are many many churches today which teach that your eternal salvation is at least partly dependent on what you <\/strong>do for <\/strong>God.\u00a0 There is some \u201cdecision\u201d that you<\/strong> have to make before<\/strong> Jesus will come into your heart and be the Lord of your life.\u00a0 There are specific works of penance that you <\/strong>have to perform before <\/strong>your sins can be forgiven.\u00a0 There is a certain amount of suffering that you <\/strong>have to endure after you die so that you can be \u201cpurged\u201d of your sins before <\/strong>you are allowed to enter into the blessedness of heaven.\u00a0 That is the false foundation of works.<\/p>\n Second, there is the false foundation of what I call \u201cstrawberry Jell-O and whip cream.\u201d\u00a0 Instead of boldly teaching both Law and Gospel, sin and grace, repentance and forgiveness there are many churches which simply tell people what they want to hear:\u00a0 deep down inside we are all \u201cgood\u201d people; God loves everybody and would never condemn anyone to an eternity of suffering in hell.\u00a0 (See II Timothy 4:2-4)\u00a0 While that kind of preaching may leave a person feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside, it does nothing to prepare a sinner for the instant that they find themself standing before the Judgment throne of a holy, just and perfect God.\u00a0 That is the false foundation of human emotions.<\/p>\n And finally, there is the false foundation that has troubled so many churches down through the ages\u2014 a foundation that teeters on a mortal sinful human being.\u00a0 Instead of building God\u2019s Church using the authority of God\u2019s holy Word and the power of God\u2019s holy Sacraments there are churches which are build upon \u201crules taught by men\u201d<\/em> (See Matthew 15:1-9).\u00a0 There are churches that are built upon the charisma and personality of the pastor.\u00a0 When the \u201crules\u201d<\/em> change the people get confused.\u00a0 When the pastor leaves or when the pastor disappoints the people become disillusioned.\u00a0 That\u2019s what happens when a church is built on a false foundation.<\/p>\n Now I am very confident that everyone here today would love to see our congregation grow.\u00a0 There may even be people here today who think that if only we would change this teaching or if only we would do that differently then we would have more people in church!\u00a0 While that may\u2014 or may not\u2014 be true, we need to remember that the Lord is not impressed by how many cars are in the parking lot or by how many people are in the chairs on Sunday morning.\u00a0 No, my friends, the Lord is concerned that His Church, that is, the Church that meets within this building is built on the only<\/strong> proper foundation\u2014 which is His Son, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 That\u2019s why God\u2019s will for His Church is that we do indeed build wisely.<\/p>\n Once we are following the blueprint that God Himself has given to us for building His Church wisely, then we also need to remember that God\u2019s will for building His Church wisely also includes protecting what God Himself is building in us and through us.\u00a0 I see this truth brought out in verses sixteen and seventeen of our text.\u00a0 Paul writes, \u201cDon\u2019t you know that you yourselves are God\u2019s temple and that God\u2019s Spirit lives in you?\u00a0 If anyone destroys God\u2019s temple, God will destroy him; for God\u2019s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n I see two ways to apply these verses.\u00a0 First, each of us needs to apply these words to ourselves.\u00a0 You and I are a part of God\u2019s Church purely by His grace and His mercy.\u00a0 Through the power of His Word and His Sacraments our faith is indeed built on the only proper foundation\u2014 Jesus Christ.\u00a0 The Triune God Himself has entered into our hearts and made us His temple\u2014 a \u201csacred\u201d<\/em> temple as Paul brings out here in our text.\u00a0 We need to protect God\u2019s temple, my friends.\u00a0 We need to make sure that the way in which we are living our lives honors the God who has done so very much for us.\u00a0 (Pointing to the cross)\u00a0 We need to make sure that the things we do and the words we speak bring glory and praise to our heavenly Father.\u00a0 We need to make sure that the Truths we hold so near and dear to our heart, the Truths that we strive to share with the people around us are not based on the shifting sands of human opinion, but on the rock-solid foundation of Christ and His Word.\u00a0 Yes, my friends, building God\u2019s Church wisely includes protecting the part of God\u2019s Church that we see every time we look in a mirror.<\/p>\n Secondly, building God\u2019s Church wisely includes protecting the other parts of God\u2019s Church that gather together with us here in this building.\u00a0 We are not just a random group of independent individuals who just happen to meet in the same place on Sunday mornings.\u00a0 God Himself has brought us together as a family of believers.\u00a0 God Himself has made each and every one of us an important part of His Church.\u00a0 God Himself has connected us to each other like \u201cliving stones\u201d<\/em> (I Peter 2:4, 5) built on that one proper foundation which is Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We need to see each other as brothers and sisters in the faith.\u00a0 We need to treat each other as important parts of God\u2019s Church.\u00a0 We need to love each other as precious souls\u2014 souls for whom the Son of God lived and died and rose again.\u00a0 Yes, my friends, we need to protect all<\/strong> of God\u2019s Church\u2014 that is, the Church that meets within this building.<\/p>\n I am confident that when this church building was being constructed the goal of the people who did the building was to build wisely.\u00a0 They made sure that they built on a proper foundation\u2014 and the building is still here!\u00a0 Now, you and I continue to make sure that we protect what God has allowed us to build.\u00a0 That practical reality helps us to remember that God\u2019s will for His Church is that we build wisely, my friends.\u00a0 \u201cBy the grace God has given\u201d<\/em> us let\u2019s strive to make sure that we are always building God\u2019s Church on the only <\/strong>proper foundation which is Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \u201cBy the grace God has given\u201d<\/em> us, let\u2019s strive to make sure that we always protecting what God is building in us and through us.<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany February 19, 2017 I Corinthians 3:10, 11, 16-23 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.\u00a0 But each one should be careful how he builds.\u00a0 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus 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