Testing By Fire

Transcript

GR 2345
05/01/2022
Testing by Fire
1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Gil Rugh

We’re going to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 in your bibles. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. The first major section of the book that goes through chapter 4 deals with divisions, the conflicts, the disagreements. And that all the way for every person who has a position that they are taking, ‘oh, this is the major thing’, and it really is a diversion from what is the major thing for the church, the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our allegiance to Him, our desire to honor Him. And the truth that is consistent with that. And the divisions that exist are contrary to that. So, Paul is dealing with it. Personalities become involved, he uses himself as an example, Paul as an example, he’ll mention Peter, all good men. But you fail to understand, they are preaching the same message. So, the divisions are contrary to God’s plan. It’s a denial before the world of what God has accomplished for us in Christ Jesus.

In verses 5-9 of chapter 3, we looked through the first 9 verses, but in verses 5-9 we noted six points. We pulled those together in summary and let me just mention them to you as we begin our study today.

In 1 Corinthians 3, we begin with verse 5.
1. The Lord gives certain servants to be instruments through who some come to faith in Jesus Christ. That was in verse 5 of chapter 3. So, you see where the attention gets drawn here, the Lord gives certain servants, there is one Lord, there are many servants. And He’s used some of them to bring others to faith in Christ.
2. Secondly, God’s servants have differing responsibilities, but it’s God who produces the growth. So, the initial salvation, the growth in that salvation, ultimately comes from God. So, God gives out the responsibilities, so why would we be dividing over it? We’re to be united in our commitment to the Lord and what God is doing. Not dividing among the different responsibilities given. We recognize that, we appreciate it, but it’s God who produces the growth. Otherwise, nothing really is happening spiritually.
3. It’s not the servants who are significant, but God who causes the growth. That’s in verse 7, it’s neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. That’s it. So, we can appreciate the diversity God has brought into existence in the church with the differing gifts, but it ought to join us together, because it’s God working to produce the unity and accomplish what only He can.
4. God’s servants work together to one end. Now, “he who plants, and he who waters are one.” That’s it. What are you working toward? You have your own area of giftedness, area of ministry in the body. Somebody else has a different area of ministry in the body. We appreciate one another and the diversity. At different times, God uses different ones in a special way in our lives. We appreciate that. But we don’t want that to become the focal point. The focal point is, God used them to accomplish His purposes. They are all working toward one end, is the goal.
5. Rewards will be given to servants according to their toil, not their success. That’s the last part of verse 8, “each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” We put the word ‘success’ in there, but it’s his won labor. External success, there is some of that that comes at different times, there are times it doesn’t. Paul ministered the word in Corinth and established a church, that’s great. He ministered the word in Athens before he came to Corinth, and there’s no record of a church established. Was Paul not effective? Was he not faithful in his service? No, God causes the growth. And that’s true as we exercise, that gives us unity and harmony in our working together.
6. The last point, the workers and the church all belong to God. “We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” So, no matter what analogy, what metaphor, what picture you’re going to use of the church - a field, a building - it’s God’s working. And as we are each used individually, to accomplish God’s purpose together, the field, the building, the field is developed, the building is built, and all the glory and all the credit goes to God. So, some of you work faithfully and get very little credit. Some of us work, maybe even less faithfully and get more credit. But ultimately, God is the one who is working in and through all of us.

Now, using two analogies in this section, he used the field, then he uses a building. So, he’s talked about the field in the first part of chapter 3, using the picture of the church as a field. And the different workers all contributing what God has gifted them to do. But God is producing growth, or in the building.

Now in verse 10, he’s going to talk about the building, the church as a building. These are metaphors, pictures of the church. You could picture and talk about the church as like a field. Now you can talk about it as a building. That’s what he’s going to do, move to talking about the church as a field to a building. Because what he’s doing, remember is dealing with divisions in the church at Corinth, that don’t belong there. You are working in God’s field. And God is producing the growth. And now He’s going to show in the building the foundation is Jesus Christ. And it’s God who’s constructing the building, and we are instruments He’s using. So, part of what happens, and it happens subtly, is we get our eyes off of what God is doing and begin to focus on what man is doing, and that leads us further and further, away, unless there is a correction made. And that’s what happens over time, to churches, denominations and so on. Pretty soon, they are religious structures, but they really are not a biblical church any longer. So, he’s going to develop the analogy of a building.

Look at verse 10, “According to the grace of God which was given to me.” That’s foundational to everything. We are servants of the living God. We’re nothing special in and of ourselves, it is God’s grace that enables us to be successful and effective in a work that He has gifted us to do. He’s sovereign, verse 5, the last part of it, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed,” note this, “even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” And when we lower our focus to the servant, then if we don’t correct that, we get further and further away from what God is doing. And pretty soon, the servants become everything, and we have a religious organization called a church, but its not the church in the New Testament sense any longer. We need to stop and refocus again, and that’s what Paul was doing. “According to the grace of God which was given to me.” Paul has been gifted in a way that not many others have been and down through history have been. But he was just a servant. We are benefiting 2000 years after Paul has passed off the scene, by studying his letter. This is not all about Paul, its all about the God that Paul served. The truth that we’re looking at in the word, is the truth that the God that Paul served, revealed through Paul. So, Paul says, “According to the grace of God.” Grace, by definition is something undeserved, unmerited. “The grace of God which was given to me.”

So, like a wise master builder, a wise master builder, we get the English word ‘architect’ from this Greek word. We just transliterate it over into English. The idea here, is he was entrusted with the responsibility of getting the building founded and constructed properly. Well, boy, wish we had a Paul today, I wish Paul was here. No, we don’t need Paul, because the God who made Paul a servant, is still working today. So, we’re studying what God revealed through Paul and implementing it. And we struggle with some of the same things. That’s why for 2000 years, this letter has been an important part of the church. Because it’s a guideline for us. “Like a wise master builder I laid a foundation.” So, he’s using himself and he used Apollos as examples. In 1 Corinthians 2:2, Paul says, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Now, there are books written, multiple books written on how to build a church. Paul says very simply, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” I came to Corinth, and I preached Jesus Christ was crucified. He was raised from the dead, I preached the gospel so we could, by the grace of God, He drew some to salvation. When they heard that message, we could establish a church, and build a church out of that. This is the foundational work that the apostle Paul did. We think, well, we need to do all these things. Well, we need to be sure we’re being biblical each step of the way.

So, he laid the foundation. He’s writing back to Corinth now, some 5 years after he established this church, he’s writing to them. And what? I laid the foundation, like a wise master builder, another is building upon it. He didn’t feel like the work is done, now we just keep reiterating. No, I laid the foundation, I was used to bring people to salvation in Christ, through faith in Him. We’re back to chapter 2:2, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” I came to Corinth and preached that message. Some of you responded, now another has come and built on it. And when Paul left Corinth, as we noted in the book of Acts, I believe chapter 18, Apollos came. And Apollos ministered further truth and built upon it. Paul didn’t view that it was done now you’re saved. I’ve had people who have attended Indian Hills over the years that have said, well, I’m saved, that’s all I care about. I’m going to heaven, that’s all that really matters. It’s not all that really matters. And we’re in a circle here, because when you start telling God what really matters about His work, you need to backup and say, maybe I don’t really know the God of the bible. Maybe I just have some information about Him and I’m acting on that. But I really don’t know Him. Because how can I tell Him. He tells me, I don’t tell Him.

So, another is building on it. Listen to Romans 15:20, you can turn there, it’s only a page or two back. Romans 15:20, I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation.” Then he quotes from the book of Isaiah supporting that. He didn’t do anything original, he did what God originated in the salvation He provided in His Son. He preached that.

Now, it’s not that it’s done. And we’re going to build on that. The builders will be no different than the one who laid the foundation. He’s one who by the grace of God given to him. “I laid a foundation, another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it.” So, we don’t want to lose sight of the vision. And this is an ongoing problem, the letter to the Corinthians was recorded in our scripture as part of our completed scriptures, so that we would learn from it. We’ve had divisions as a church the many years I’ve been here. Some maybe I caused, some of them were caused by others. But the fact is, what happened when we had divisions. Well, number one we have to look, is it really doctrinal. Many years ago, I’ve shared this with you, I took a whole week out, my secretary made appointments and people came to see me through the week, why they were leaving. But they always said, well, it’s not doctrinal, it’s not the teaching, now we don’t want to debate about that. Well, then what is it? Then the Lord moves people on, that’s fine. But we need to be careful. “Each man must be careful how he builds on it,” the end of verse 10, that’s crucial. We must be careful. If the Lord is leading you, this is not the only church in town, He may lead you out of town to another church in another place. We want to be careful that I’ve not lost my perspective, because if I do, then I leave and I take that lost perspective with me and pretty soon I’m further away from the truth than when I left. I want to be careful, I’m leaving, I believe God wants me in another work. He’s going to use me there. Fine, but we want to be careful how we build upon. And this is the emphasis of verses 10-17, how you build upon the foundation, that’s it. How do you build upon this foundation?

The foundation hasn’t changed. You can have a religious organization called a church, but it’s not a church if it’s not built upon the foundation of the preaching of Jesus Christ, His death on the cross as payment in full for sin. Salvation by faith in Him alone. And we have many churches, we have churches in this city who are no longer built on that foundation. They are just a religious organization. Each person must be careful how he builds on it.

So, we’re only talking about genuineness here. Paul will recognize, and some of what he says as we move through this section, he doesn’t know ultimately whether he’s dealing with believers or unbelievers. But he’s writing, addressing them as believers, realizing that some may just be reflecting the fact they just went through the motions, they don’t have true understanding. Each man must be careful how he builds upon it. “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Let me read you what one person wrote about this. Paul does not mean that it would be impossible to construct a community on a different basis. Only that such a community will not be the church. So, if you’re not building on the foundation, verse 11, which no one can lay, other than Jesus Christ. It’s His, He is the foundation. So, we have churches today that name the name, but they are no longer building on this. They have departed from it, Roman Catholicism and most Protestantism, is not built on the foundation that has been laid by God for the church which is Jesus Christ. There is no other foundation. This is a problem with God’s people, from the Old Testament as well as the New. The church does not begin until Acts 2. But the people of God in the Old Testament were the nation Israel. And they had a similar problem. Isaiah 28:16, you have it in the margin of your bible, let me just read it to you. “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be ashamed.’ ” That’s the foundation ultimately for the nation Israel. It was established by Christ, but the nation Israel rejected Him, so they are set aside in judgment, and the church begins in Acts 2. There will come a time when the church will be removed from this earth at the rapture. And then we have the seven-year tribulation where God works with the nation Israel again to bring them ultimately to their knees to trust in Christ as their only firm foundation. But Isaiah had to deal with a nation in rebellion against God. Anytime a prophet came up in the nation Israel, it was a sign of spiritual decay. Just keep that in mind. Anytime you’re reading one of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, it’s a sign there is spiritual decay going on among the people of God.

The apostles now pickup and we have prophets for the church. The word of God comes… Here we have the first four basic chapters after the introduction. Deal with what? Division in the church at Corinth, which was to be a unified church, under the authority and leadership of God, but they had divided among the different personalities that they became enamored with.

Verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 3, “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident.” So, we’ve got the different materials, some of which are metals, some of which are not. There’s one foundation, verse 11. So, when you move away from that foundation, verse 11, Jesus Christ, His finished work on the cross, you’re just dealing now with a religious organization. And there were many of those in Paul’s day. But the problem is, now the Devil is working as such to do away with the foundation, but still call it a church. All it is, is a religious organization, it is not the church. For you can’t lay any other foundation, so we’re only talking about the church that is really built on it. But the problem is, now when we’re building on it, the Devil doesn’t quit. He begins to fragment it so that you don’t have a stable building, an effective building. So, “if any man builds on the foundation.” So, we’re building on the foundation. So, we’re talking about true believers here. They are building on the foundation of verse 11, the only foundation for the true church. “If any man builds upon the foundation.” You can either build with gold, silver, precious stones. So, things that are precious and enduring. Or you can build with wood, hay, straw, the end of verse 12. The contrast between the two kinds of materials, one which is valuable, the one which is worthless. The one which can endure the test of the fire that’s going to come, or the one that cannot. So, then you can have something that starts with a good foundation, but you build worthless buildings. If you’re building wood, hay and straw, because it’s going to be tested by fire. Well, wood, hay and straw might make a decent looking building for a time, but it’s not going to endure. It can’t pass the test. So, we’re dealing with those that are valuable materials, those that are invaluable materials, that’s the point of verse 12. You can build on the foundation. This is the scary thing. You can be founded on Christ, but we can build something or wood, hay and straw.

Verse 13, “each man’s work will become evident.” Each man, so there’s a corporateness and there’s an individual aspect to this. There is the church, which is the body of Christ, manifest in local churches, like the church at Corinth, that Paul wrote to. But each man’s contribution to the developing of that church, each person will be individually evaluated, what they contribute. Each man’s word will become evident, manifested. This is… we read the commentaries on it, here’s what one said, “even where the foundation is Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, there is the danger of later shoddy workmanship and inferior materials.” So, we want to be careful. Oh, yes, we’re a church, yes, we believe in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, payment in full for sins, faith in Him alone, that’s what saves you. And I have said, I’ve had people that in the past that have attended Indian Hills and moved on. You know, that’s good enough for me, as long as I’m gong to have… it’s not good enough. And when you start telling God what’s good enough, you need to backup and look again, and say, have I really placed my faith in the foundation? Because something is wrong here. Oh yes, I believe what God said, I believe He’s provided salvation in His Son, and that’s all that matters to me. As long as I’m going to heaven, I don’t care a lot about rewards, I’ll be going to heaven, can’t be bad, right? That’s right. Well, then it’s good enough for me. It’s not good enough for God. God simply says, it makes a difference, “each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.” Each man’s work begins and ends, verse 13, as we have it, each individual is going to be tested by fire. I don’t want to build a building out of straw, when I’ve been told that the testing process will be to set it on fire. I want to build something durable, gold, silver, precious stones. The idea the precious lasting, I don’t want to build something temporal and transitory. The fire will rest the quality of each man’s work.

This is not to determine your eternal destiny. That’s if you’re building on the foundation. If you don’t have this foundation for your life, personally as well as corporately for the church, you have nothing. You can attend here, be born here, raised here, die here, have your funeral here, and spend eternity in hell. Nobody said, going to a church. You have to be placed into the body by one Spirit. We’ve all been baptized into one body. Without that, you have nothing. That comes to personal, individual faith. Now, I’m responsible individually, for the part I contribute to the growth of the body. That’s the ‘each one’, “each man’s work, will become evident,” in verse 13. Because it will be tested by fire. This is the reward. Back up a few pages into Romans again. Romans 14:10, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then each one of us shall give an account of himself to God.” And the misuse of the idea of judgment here, there’s a correctness, because Paul is using the correct view of it. But it’s using proper materials, we’re contributing, and we realize, we’re contributing to the growth of a building God is building. Paul says, I’m the wise master builder, the argument, like he comes, here’s the plan, here’s the building, oh well, I’ve decided to use this, and we can get by with more inferior materials here. We’ve had buildings that, over the years have become disaster. And we say, well, yes, they overlooked this point. We watch television programs and sometimes we’ll point out, a bridge or a building and they show a building collapsing, and they say, well, they find out they used an inferior, they didn’t build it according to instructions. That’s what we’re talking about. Now, you can build on the genuine foundation, but you can build with worthless materials, that’s the point here. He’s not talking about unbelievers who have infiltrated. He’ll mention the possibility, but the reminder, verse 11, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” So, if you’re not building on that, you’re just here. But we want to be careful that we are building on the foundation and then we’re building with quality materials. And it’s the day of judgment, “the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work,” verse 13.

So, that’s the judgments seat, where we’re going to be judged for our rewards. ‘Well, just as long as I go to heaven, that’s all I care about.’ Well, God says I should care about something else. ‘Oh, I don’t care what He says. I wish you wouldn’t even talk that way.’ What are we saying? ‘All I care about is that I’ve trusted Christ, that’s good enough for me.’ Well, God says, He’s going to bring us before Him, and put what we’ve done now as His children to the test. And you can pass the test and be saved, and come out with nothing. ‘Oh, well, I’m going to heaven, that’s good enough.’ Well, you know, in one sense, it sounds good enough. But the other, God says it’s not good enough. So, I’m back again to the basic question, who’s in charge here, God or me? I’m picking out what I decided I like about what God says. “If any man’s work”, verse 14, “which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss.” But note the end of verse 15, “he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Now, I say, look, as long as I’m going to heaven, isn’t that the goal? Well, yes, we share with the unbeliever, if you’re going to go to heaven, you must place your faith in Jesus Christ. But there is more to it. God is not done, He’s building a building, the church. And each part has something to play, so when He saved you, He put you into that building to contribute something. And if we’re not careful, you multiply ineffective materials, you have a shoddy building, you really have nothing to reward. So, we’re talking about rewards here, we’re not talking about initial salvation. Because the end of verse 15 says, “he himself, will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Each man will be tested, to receive a reward according to his own labor, verse 8 said. Each one, “each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.”

Then you come down to the verses we’re looking at, in verse 15, and he will receive a reward on top of the initial salvation. Perhaps the area of ruling in the kingdom and whatever. The details aren’t unfolded here. One person put it, it’s possible to build a church with such shoddy materials, that at the last day, you’ll have nothing to show for your labor. But there are people who are saved, and this is where now, we get into a point, I don’t know whether I’m dealing with a believer or an unbeliever. I don’t need to know. Paul addresses them according to the commitment they’ve made, they’ve expressed. But what will be the outcome? He doesn’t ultimately know. He can warn them, but ultimately only God can do the judgment.

So, verse 15, “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” So, that’s the balance with verse 14, if you have things that remain after the fire, you’re rewarded for those things. If you don’t’, your life has been a waste. But you’re saved. Well, that’s all that matters to me, as long as I’m… Well, wait a minute, we’re back here. God hasn’t told me every detail, I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. It makes a difference. The foundational difference is, are you going to heaven or hell. But now that you’ve said, well, I’m settled, I’m going to heaven, now I’m contributing. God has made me part of His body, the church, that meets in this local place. Well, what am I contributing? Well, I come on Sunday, and I hope the sermon isn’t too long, I’ve got things to do, I’m out of here. And basically, I show up, my faith is in Christ and that’s good enough for me.

Well, realize on this day, when we stand before the bema seat of Christ, it was worthwhile, it did make a difference. It seemed like all I did was grind it out. I was faithful, but I worked, and I labored, and I didn’t get much credit for it. Then, we’ll find out, well, yes, but God was using you to accomplish in His building, what He wanted done. And you’re rewarded on that. We’re back to, you’re rewarded for your labor, not your success.

He's come down through verse 15, and a warning. Now, he’s ready to address, verse 16 and 17, “Do you not know.” In the beginning, I think there’s 10 rhetorical questions in 1 Corinthians. “Do you not know” - this is something you should be aware of, but you’re acting like you don’t. It’s like you say to your kids when they’re little and they do something, don’t you know any better? You’re not asking. No I don’t. Well, that just gets them in deeper, because of course they’re supposed to know better, it’s a rhetorical question. It’s just a question that’s driving home a point. So, here is his question, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” What don’t you understand here? Oh, yes, I’m a child of God, I’ve placed my faith in Him, I’m part of what God is building, then I am both a contributor to the development of the building and I’m a beneficiary of the developing of the building, because I’m growing. You are a temple of God. Now, he’s talking about the church here. Later in Corinthians, he’ll talk about your individual body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. That ought to affect your thinking about morality and how you conduct yourself. But here, he’s talking corporately, that you are a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you. We are something important, we are what God is doing in the world today. We, as a local church in this place, just like the local church that Corinth was. It’s not the church at Rome, but it would be very much like the church at Rome. They could benefit from the letter to the Romans, as the Romans could benefit from the letter to the Corinthians. Because what? There is one God. One Lord, Jesus Christ. One indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of each individual believer and in the life of the body, that is meeting in this place. The Spirit of God dwells in you, because you’re the temple of God.

Come over to Ephesians 2, Paul is talking about the church here, and in verse 19, “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.” In the picture here, basically the same as we had in Corinthians. “In whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” So, that’s the same picture, you are the temple of God. The Spirit of God dwells in you. We’re built on the foundation. We’re studying the book of Corinthians, by one of the apostles of the church. The apostles and prophets help lay the foundation, but Jesus Christ is the corner stone. Similar picture, just a little different emphasis. In Corinthians, Paul is talking about the foundation, the corner stone is the key element in determining the layout of the foundation, as it was originally was in Paul’s day. Now you’re being built.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 3, the Spirit of God dwells in you. In you as the church. Now, here’s where we get… now we’re going to move to possibility of unbelievers. Because he says in verse 17, “If any man destroys the temple of God,” the church, the place where God now dwells, the Holy Spirit dwells in each individual, He dwells in us as the church, meeting in this local place. So, verse 17, “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” So, now, this becomes very key. What part am I playing in the development of the body? We’ve realized some people are believers in Jesus Christ, they’re saved, their eternal destiny is secure, but when it comes to being evaluated for rewards, it’s going to be burned up. But we also have those who are, now these are not outsiders, as much as insiders, they destroy the church. There are unbelievers who have infiltrated and dressed themselves, so to speak, to look like believers. But really, when it comes down to it, they are doing something destructive. And this is a transition that occurs, we see it in some of our major denominations what happens. Being Methodist background, I could speak to that. Well, you get infiltrated, and pretty soon, the infiltrators take over the building. And now, it’s no longer on the foundation, because we’ve moved it over here. And it’s just doing good things and getting together, singing songs. You know, the Lord is not going to send people to hell for eternity, what kind of God would do that? And pretty soon, we’re just building a religious organization. The Spirit of God dwells in you, the church.

So, that’s what the true church is. Now, “if any may destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him.” Now, wait a minute, I thought it said that you would be saved, verse 15, “he himself will be saved”, now he says God will destroy him. And that’s where we get into now, some of these, they’ve crossed the line. They’re destroying the church. They are revealing their character, they are subjects of destruction. True believers will never be destroyed by God. But there are people who can be part of the church, if we’re not careful, their influence begins to spread. But they will be judged by God. You can read the history of some of our denominations, and individual churches within them. I was reading a Methodist since being a former Methodist as I mentioned, but from the middle 1800’s, those men, boy, they could have preached at Indian Hills. But now, over time… I shared with you, when my parents got saved, not through the Methodist church, but the Methodist church pastor evidently was a believer. He sat there and cried with them. I know what you’re saying, I know where you’re going, but I can’t do it, I have my retirement here. Well, so be it. So, there are those who are true believers, who are not contributing to the growth. There are those who are believers who are not contributing to the growth. There are those who are not believers who look like believers, who are actively destroying the church. Only God can sort it out. “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy.” It’s a temple of God, talking about the church, because the Spirit of God dwells in the church. Dwells in the individual. He also dwells in this local body. And that’s what makes the ministry of the word, His truth, effective in lives. Paul doesn’t sort out who is who. He doesn’t say, now this person is someone doomed to destruction. I don’t know that Paul knew. He’s just warning here. “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him.” You’ve crossed the line here. You’re not building with poor materials, you’re undermining the purpose, ultimately God will destroy him. Because I can’t tell. There are people who have left here, I think they are solid, good believers, and the Lord is leading them to another church. There are people I wonder about, are they really saved? Did they really know the Lord? Ultimately, the Lord decides.

Verse 18, “Let no man deceive himself.” Let me read you something that one commentator said, before we move on, “Paul assumed that the community can be destroyed by insiders, not by outsiders. The dividing line between poor building and destruction, is not clearly marked out. Making Paul’s initial warning, to beware how you are building, all the more pertinent.” If what you’re doing is destructive, what makes you think you can fit under well-I’m-saved kind of idea.

So, verse 18, verses 18 to 23, he contrasts the world’s wisdom and God’s wisdom, which was the subject through chapter 2, Chapter 1:18 – Chapter 2:16. He talked about the world’s wisdom and God’s wisdom. And what is suddenly happening, and its happening in a major way, and it happens down through history, and it’s happening in this country, that the world’s wisdom is drawn in. We don’t deny, at the start, the truth of what God has said. But we act like, now we have a wisdom that we have learned from the world, and we’re going to utilize what the world has, and we’re going to bring it in and mix it. Not denying we believe everything you believe. I’ve been in conversations with a number of people over the years. I was in a graduate program at a seminary, I finally went in and told the Dean, I can’t stay here. Oh, Gil, you fit well. But I hold different understanding of God’s word than you do. Oh, that’s fine, because we appreciate, we need the differences here. I finally told them, you don’t understand, I’m afraid if I stay, I’ll become like you. And you know, to the very end, he was very nice. Let me just tell you, your place in this program, will be open if you change your mind in the next year or two, you just let us know, you’ll be welcome back into the program. You go away, you think, is it me? Boy, he was so nice. No, now that organization has gone much farther away from the truth.

So, verse 18, “Let no man deceive himself.” Be careful, “If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.” And we’re back to what he talked about in chapter 1:18 through chapter 2:16. The wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God, and that’s where verses 16 and 17, you bring out the issue. Yes, I’m saved, my faith is in… But there is a question, are you really part of the destruction of the church and what God is doing? So, Paul says, “Let no man deceive himself, if any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.” And you’ll note “among you,” “let no man deceive himself,” “if any man among you.” So, he’s talking about now, the problem and the challenge of the church doesn’t come from outsiders who might delude them, it comes from within. And people who claim to be a believer and are accepted as believers, but they are not. “If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.” I mentioned the seminary I attended for a while, they didn’t deny the basic truth, back in those days, 45 years ago or so. Now, they are more open in what they reject of truth. What happens? “If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age”, you think you’re so smart, you need to bow and become foolish. I’m just placing my faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. You’re raised in this church, well, you know, I’m smart. Wait a minute, you have to become a fool from the world’s perspective. He may become foolish so he may become wise. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, ‘He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness,’ ” from Job 5:13. We won’t turn there for time. “And again”, and now he quotes from Psalm 94, “ ‘The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.’ So then let no one boast in men.” Danger, you know what happens is, you get these smart, intellectual people who come in and who claim to be believers, and they begin to make an impact and an influence. Well, yes, I could see it. And we wed that with our message of Christ, we’ll be much more effective. And pretty soon, we don’t realize that what the wisdom of the world does, is it ultimately destroys the wisdom of God. I mean, how did we get major denominations where they are today?

Oh, well, they should have recognized that. If comes more subtly. It’s like the Devil tempting Christ. Well, doesn’t the scripture say, cast yourself down, and He’ll make sure you don’t hurt yourself? Well, yes, the scripture does, let me think about that. No. So, the Devil knows how to use scripture in an abusive way, in the wrong way. So, we want to not lose sight of the fact that the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. And he quotes two Old Testament, because this is not new. The working of the Devil is not new. His plan is not new. And He’s willing to take time. So, for this church, the church at Corinth, the church at Indian Hills, 2000 years later. We’re not just going to bring somebody in who denies all these basic doctrines, of course not. Subtly bring in and wed the two. You know, the world has got some wisdom here, we need to adopt the wisdom of the world. No. We cannot. And as soon as you think, well, now we fit into the world, and the world admires us. The world doesn’t admire fools. You have to become a fool in the world’s thinking. Well, we can have both.

“So, then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” What don’t we understand? What do we want? We want to be successful. We want the world to admire us, and look to us and say, yes. Wait a minute, you belong to Christ, Christ belongs to God, all things belong, ultimately. I don’t care what the world thinks. I don’t care what the world has to offer. So, the subtle ways that these things infiltrate in, we’ve seen it in major seminaries, having graduated from seminary many years ago, I can see… Would I recommend men to that seminary now? No. There were three seminaries of bible school I recommended, but the bible schools have all folded up now, pretty much. But what about the seminaries? Well, I don’t think that I’d recommend them. Because why? Well, you have to be viewed by the world as wise, or your degrees are not worth anything. So, then we have to wed the wisdom of the world, and some men come through that alright, some men don’t. So, the deterioration continues.

Trust that we as a church will stay true, we’ll stay faithful to the word. The world may not admire us. The world may say, well, if you make these adjustments, you’d have a lot more people. Well, only God can change a heart. And when He changes a heart, He changes the focus. We have to be careful that we don’t begin to make adjustments, because we have the truth, and we’re not going to deny the truth, we won’t deny the truth like the seminary I mentioned. Like the seminary I graduated from. Over time, adjustments, changes, and the evangelical schools that were recommended when I graduated from bible college, they wouldn’t be recommended today. And we have another seminary, and then it begins to roll over. So, they start another, and we’re trying to fit into the world’s system, with a system which is totally contrary to the world. That strikes you where you are. Maybe you come to this church, because you think, well, my parents come here, I come here, I’m fine because, you know, I come to this church. And I don’t do bad things. Well, if you really ever recognized you’re a lost sinner, without hope in the world, doomed to an eternal hell, and Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is God’s testimony to you, that unless you place your faith in Him alone, you’ll be condemned. Well, you know, I believe basically what my parents believe. That won’t get you to heaven. You have to believe. Whether your parents believe it or not, that Jesus Christ died on that cross, paid the penalty for sin. Now, we have to be careful to build on that, as the church and to build on it, and to build on it.

If Christ doesn’t come for a hundred years, I don’t have any expectations that this church will be where it is today. You know, I would like to think it would be, but by in large, the pressures of the world are relentless. But we take it a step at a time. I think the board have been concerned about that, with a new man coming in to fill the pulpit. I’ll be here checking on him with you, sitting there. We trust we will go on. For how many more years, we leave that in the Lord’s hands.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for Your grace. Thank you for the provision of Your word, a word that is unchanging, because You are the unchanging God. Lord, we want to be faithful to You. We want to be true to Your word. In good times and bad times, difficult times and in times of blessing and ease. We just pray Your blessing on the days ahead. Pray that we will be faithful with Your truth. We pray for Jesse, as he makes the adjustments to come. Lord, we pray Your blessing on his ministry of the word. And our ministry together as we serve You in the days ahead. And we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.