WWUTT 1467 Each One's Work Will Become Manifest (1 Corinthians 3:13-14)

The Foundation of Christ and the Gospel

A foundation has been laid, which is Christ and his gospel, and now a building is being built upon that foundation, not just in love and good works, but most especially in the teaching that we are taught when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text, studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ. Thank you for subscribing, and if this has ministered to you, please let others know about our program.

Here once again is Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky. We come back to our study in 1 Corinthians 3. As with yesterday, I'm gonna start reading in verse 10, and we'll go through verse 15. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder, I 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 the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will 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 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.

Now, I went a couple of extra verses, but we'll stop there for now, keeping everything in context. So, Paul has shifted metaphors. We talked about that yesterday. He's gone from talking about working in a field to working on a building, and he says, like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation, and what is that foundation?

It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the only foundation there is. Remember the analogy that Jesus gives in Matthew chapter seven about the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man builds his house upon a rock.

The foolish man builds his house upon the sand. Basically, the foolish man builds his house on no foundation. That's essentially what's being said there, but the wise man builds his house on a foundation.

There is no other foundation but stone. Even your house is built on like a stone slab. There's a concrete pouring that is done before this building is erected. So, whenever we talk about a foundation for a building, we're talking about a foundation that's made with stone.

That is the foundation, and so the only rock that we can build upon is Christ. Every other foundation is not a foundation at all. All other ground is sinking sand, as we sing in the hymn. On Christ, the solid rock I stand.

All other ground is sinking sand. Hence why Paul says here that no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. That's verse 11. So, you can't replace the foundation.

You change the foundation to something else, the building falls. You're just taking it off its foundation, the building will collapse. But we're talking about a church here that's being built. Once again, going back to 1 Peter 2, you like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house unto the Lord.

Paul says here that you are God's temple and God's spirit dwells within you, okay? And he's addressing the whole church that way. Now, here in this context, verses 16 and 17, we'll get to this tomorrow.

But as Paul says that you are God's temple, he's talking about the whole church collectively. In chapter six, where he says your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, he's talking about that singularly.

So, right now he's addressing the whole church, not just individual persons, although that would certainly apply to individual people. But we're talking about building up the church of God. Paul came and laid a foundation and the church in Corinth is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, the declaration of his gospel.

Later on in chapter nine, let me turn there. This is 1 Corinthians 9, verse one. Paul says, am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord? Right, so Paul, again, as a master builder, I built up.

So, aren't you, the church there in Corinth, aren't you my workmanship in the Lord? Here's chapter nine, verse two. If to others, I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

So, the existence of this church in Corinth is evidence of Paul's apostleship, that Christ has appointed him to this work, because now having proclaimed the gospel of Christ, churches are being built and they're being built on the foundation that is clearly Christ.

What is this church built upon? You should be able to look at it and see that it's Christ. Even though so many wrong things are going on in this particular church in Corinth, even though there's so many things that Paul has to correct, they're still on a right foundation.

They need maturity, because once again, going back to chapter three, verse one, I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. It's not that they aren't believers, Christ is there, and Paul even says that again here in verse 11, that the foundation is there, which is Jesus Christ.

But you guys need to grow up. You need to be built up. And what needs to be built on this foundation needs to be those things that endure to the end. Those things that won't endure, the analogy is that they are wood, hay, and straw, they'll be burned up by fire, there won't be anything left of them.

But those things that are pure are gold, silver, and precious stones. Consider what Paul said to the Colossians in Colossians chapter three. He says, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

So setting your minds on things that are above. Jesus says in Matthew chapter six, in the Sermon on the Mount, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So clinging to those things that are of Christ, as Jesus will go on to say in Matthew six, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

All the things that you need will be added to you as well. The things of Christ are that which is gold, silver, and precious stones. It's being built up upon Christ, who is also the foundation. But wood, hay, and straw, these are worthless things.

These are things of the world. These are things of the flesh that Paul is warning the Corinthians about. That work will not endure to the end. It will be destroyed in the judgment. Those things that we cling to that are worldly are not going to endure to eternity.

There are so many different things that we waste our time on that have no eternal value to them whatsoever. Clicking through stupid videos on YouTube or reading through tweets way longer than you probably should.

Being concerned with what people are saying on Facebook. Then you go beyond just social media things. Gossip, slander, talking ill of somebody else, holding on to a grudge that you have against somebody else.

These things are all of the flesh. They're all worldly. They will be burned up ultimately in the end. There is no eternal lasting value in any of that. And my friends, I do believe that when you get to heaven, at the moment that you arrive there, I mean, ultimately we're in the presence of God forever.

So what we're going to be glorifying is Christ. But at the very beginning of our eternity, I think there is going to be something of regret, especially when we're talking about the purification by fire that's going on here in 1 Corinthians 3.

There is a judgment that even Christians will undergo when we enter into eternity. So there's going to be a moment there at least where we're going to regret that we did not invest more in those things that have eternal value so that we might have an even greater reward that we can honor Christ with for eternity.

Now, the ultimate reward we get is Christ, but we are given a crown. We read about in Revelation, you read about the elders throwing down their crowns, right? The 24 elders seated around the throne, they throw their crowns down before the throne.

They've been given a crown so that they might honor Christ with that crown. So you're going to receive a reward. And when we get to glory on that day, I think there's going to be a little bit of regret that you don't have more that you could offer.

There were things that I could have done that were more eternal in value that would give me more that I could honor Christ with here for all eternity. John Gerstner was R .C. Sproul's mentor. And I remember hearing Gerstner say one time, one of the benefits that we have on this side of heaven as Christians who are still in this world, one of the benefits that we have over those saints that are already in heaven is that we're still being sanctified.

We are still storing up treasure for heaven that we can take and then honor Christ with in that eternity in which we will dwell. So that's one benefit we have to still being on this earth, though we desire to go and be in heaven with Christ, that would be far greater.

But while we're still here doing the work of Christ, we're able to store up treasure in heaven that we may offer to Christ for eternity as we will worship him around that throne. That's a beautiful thing to consider.

You might not ever think about, what are the benefits really of being here on earth? Wouldn't it just be so much greater to just, hey, I can just die and go to heaven? Well, here in this life, you are continuing to be sanctified so that your reward in heaven will be that much sweeter when you have treasure that you may offer Christ and worship him at his throne.

So we need to consider that. We need to consider that about this life. We have this life and only this life now to be in service to Christ, storing up treasure in heaven that we may honor him and worship him with that treasure that we will be given.

And so continue to serve the Lord and serving him in such ways that we're investing in eternal things, not in worldly, earthly, temporary things. Now, there are certainly worldly things that we can enjoy.

I'm just going to keep it real simple. Let's say a good meal, spending time with family, laughing and having good conversation, going out and playing some games and having fun like a sports outing together or something like that.

These things we might look at and we might say, well, aren't those things worldly? I mean, how are those things eternal? Because even when I eat food, it just gets digested in my stomach and I expel it.

So how is any of that of eternal significance? Well, even these things that we enjoy here on this earth can roll up into praise to God. God, thank you for this. Like you read a good book. You just enjoy the art of storytelling.

Well, that can still roll up into praise unto the Lord. Seeing how God has done these things in creation, even given people imaginative minds, showing his glory and his goodness in all that has been made.

Even in things like this, we can, for us as believers, it will roll up into praise to God. A good meal rolls up into praise to God. We can even see the eternal significance of having a great family dinner because we know that we will join Christ at the wedding feast of the lamb with all the children of God in glory.

So as we enjoy those small things here on earth, we recognize, hey, there's something even greater than this that's coming in glory forever with God. So in this way, those things that we enjoy on earth even have an eternal significance to them.

For the person who is an unbeliever, the joy terminates on the experience. So they might enjoy a good meal as well, but then after that meal is over, they're kind of filled with despair. It's like, what do I need to do to get back to that again, to get back to that high of having a good meal, of drinking a little bit in excess so that I can get that buzz or get drunk or whatever else.

So the unbeliever is constantly trying to get back to that state of emotional bliss, which does not have any eternal significance because then once the bliss is over, it's just over. Now I need to go back and I need to find a new bliss.

For us who are Christians, we enjoy these things and we think to ourselves, man, how much greater is heaven gonna be than this when I am with my Lord forever? So in that way, even those earthly things that we enjoy can have an eternal treasure attached to it.

Now, I'm just kind of following a certain train of thought right here. I don't wanna leave the context of what we're reading in 1 Corinthians 3. Let's come back to it again. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest for the day we'll expose it.

Each one's work, whose work? Whose work is Paul talking about? Well, remember, he's talking about his own work. Like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation and then what happened after that? Someone else is building upon it.

Let each one take care how he builds upon it. So there's two ways to interpret this. The way that you're most often gonna hear this interpreted is someone's gonna say that each one's work is kind of what I just described.

The work that we do or the things that we do that are clinging to Christ that have eternal significance, that's storing up our treasure above in heaven, right? So that's one way you're gonna hear this talked about and that's the most common way this gets interpreted.

But I think there's a more direct context than that. This is related to teaching and teachers more than it's related to you doing Christian things and storing up treasure above where Christ is. I think that still has something to do with it but the immediate context here is still regarding teachers because Paul said, someone else is building upon it.

I laid a foundation, someone else is building. He talked about previously, Apollos being a fellow worker and that there are other teachers who are going to be doing this work, who are gonna be building up on the foundation that is Christ.

What Paul says, let each one take care how he builds upon it. What is being built upon it? Is it gold, silver, precious stones? Is it that stuff that actually comes from the word of God? Because it is only by God's word that we are sanctified.

And every time I talk about this, I make a reference to John 17, 17. In Jesus' high priestly prayer, he says to the father, sanctify them in your truth, your word is truth. So for us to be grown in holiness and sanctification, we need the word of God.

The person who comes along and teaches, may that teaching be the word of God. That is the gold, silver and precious stones being built on a foundation that is Christ. But what about wood, hay and straw?

Well, that's everything that does not pertain to Christ. That doesn't mean everything has to have a Christian label on it in order to be good. It just doesn't have any eternal value to it. Consider something that Paul said to Timothy, this is first Timothy chapter four, I'm gonna start reading in verse six.

If you put these things before the brothers, well, put what things before the brothers? One of the doctrines that he had talked about in the four verses before that, you can go read that. And he warns about those who are devoted to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, but rather we need to be devoted to those things that are of God.

So if you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths, rather train yourself for godliness.

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is a value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. So there is some value Paul says to bodily training, though it may not have eternal value, right?

What do we mean by bodily training? Well, an example of that might be fitness, working out, keeping your body disciplined, might even have something to do with a mental health. That's all well and good, it just may not have any eternal value to it.

It's good, there is some benefit to bodily training, but it's godly training, godliness is a value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life that is to come. Now, there are certainly sinful things that we need to stay away from entirely.

That's not even of the wood, hay and straw that Paul is talking about in verse 12. It's just wretched, sinful, godless stuff that we should have nothing to do with. It tears down the house of God rather than builds it up.

At least the wood, hay and straw are building materials that can build up, but when the building is purified by fire, it doesn't last, it gets burned up, doesn't have anything of eternal significance to it.

Are you starting to notice the difference here? So the wood, hay and straw, they aren't sinful things, they just don't have any eternal value to them. We need to be most invested in those things that are going to last for eternity, those things that are gold, silver, and precious stones.

And this is, again, going back to the teaching and the teachers that we listen to. There are some teachers out there who may not necessarily be heretics, but they're also not teaching you things that are beneficial unto eternal life.

There are certain teachers that you just don't hear the gospel from them very often. You don't hear them talk about repenting of sin. You don't hear them talking about the judgment of God that is coming against all unrighteousness.

They just say things that are light and fluffy and feel good. There may be a certain place for that here and there, but you need to be listening to those who are giving you the eternal treasure of God's word, gold, silver, and precious stones.

And each one's work will become manifest for the day will disclose it. The work of that teacher will become manifest on the day of Christ when it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

The work that the teachers have done, even. Remember that James 3 .1 says, not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach, we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Paul is putting himself right there because again, as he says in chapter nine, verse two, that the church there in Corinth is the seal of his apostleship. They are his treasure. They are his reward. As we even go on here in 1 Corinthians into chapter four, Paul says, this is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself for I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted.

It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

Then each one will receive his commendation from God. What's he talking about there? The teachers who build on that foundation. So listen to those things that are of God and what will be built up will be a spiritual house unto the Lord.

Don't pay as much attention to those things that would be in the category of wood, hay and straw for they're gonna be burned up on that day. And they will not yield any treasure that may be offered unto the Lord.

Now, even though we're talking about teaching and teachers here, the responsibility is still upon you to listen to those who are sound in good teaching. And they teach you those things that are building you up into the head, who is Christ Jesus.

That stuff which is gold, silver and precious stones. It has to begin with the doctrine first, but then what the doctrine produces is godly living. And then you just talk about the fruit of the spirit in that case.

Galatians 5, 22 and 23. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is going to be the fruit, the evidence of the spirit in your heart of the good doctrine that has been planted there by solid teachers, teaching that which comes from the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So fixate yourself on that doctrine and what is produced in you is a fruit unto righteousness. Heavenly father, we thank you for this message here today. And I pray that we, indeed, we find the greatest value in those things that come straight from the word of God.

Those teachers that teach the full counsel of God that we may have built upon this foundation, gold, silver, and precious stones, wonderful eternal treasure that we may offer unto the Lord in glory. Grow us in your likeness that we may be made more like Christ.

Until that day we see him face to face. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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