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Pastor David Mitchell
Turn with me to 1st Corinthians chapter 3 this morning. We started week before last talking about our foundation on the rock. And I want to complete that Thought this morning. We'll look at a couple of different passages today, then we did last time so begin with 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 11 for other foundation can no man lay.
And that is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now I want to stop there and let's look at this Phrase other foundation can no man lay. It's in the present active tense and It's saying that you can't lay it that way.
What the grammar teaches is you can't lay this foundation in the present active tense. It has to be laid by God because Jesus is the foundation and As we studied last or time that I was here Sunday before last.
Only the Lord can lay this foundation in your life. You can build upon it, but only he can lay the foundation. So the very first part of 1st Corinthians 3 11 proves that with the grammar. No man can lay this type of foundation.
If it's an other foundation other than Jesus Christ. Verse 12 says now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones Wood hay and stubble we see two different groups two groups gold silver precious stones Wood hay and stubble so there are at least two ways we can build upon the foundation.
Even if we have Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. You can build things that will last. Or you can build things that will be burned away such as wood hay and stubble. Doesn't mean you've lost your salvation.
It just means you've lost your service and the rewards that come with it. This is very real. This is a very real and startling Warning that God gives us that there will be a day of reckoning for the Christian.
Not a day of judgment because we've already been saved. But there'll be a day of reckoning for the works that we do in this body whether they be good or evil. Now it goes on and gives us more detail about this day of reckoning in verse 13.
Every man's work shall be made manifest. There won't be any way to hide any of the things we do. Any of the things that we've done the motives behind it will become clear on this day and what day is it?
It says every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it. So there is a day in human history that when that day comes upon us it will automatically and instantly declare the motives behind the works.
Because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. This word that says every man's work shall be made manifest the word in the Greek means shining apparent both publicly and externally.
Now what about this day and when is this day why does it say it's a day in which fire will reveal the works. We're gonna come back to this passage in a moment, but for now, I'd like you to turn to Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 11.
Let's talk about this day that is coming. That will reveal Our works. Isaiah chapter 2 verse 11. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men Shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
You see the phrase that day. That's a word formula that all throughout the Bible refers to the day of the Lord. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty and upon everyone that is lifted up.
And he shall be brought low verse 17 and The loftiness of man shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in That day so only the works that we do that exalt him will remain after this day is over and the idols He shall utterly abolish anything that we do in our lives because we're worshiping things other than God.
I mean we're worshiping things instead of God. Those things will be burned off like wood hay and stubble. They'll be utterly abolished and They shall go into the holes of the rocks. Now. This is what the lost men will do.
They'll try to escape God's wrath and justice. They'll go into the holes and the rocks and into the caves of the earth For fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Now this same event that takes shakes terribly the earth and It causes the lost to want to go hide in the holes and in the rocks and in the caves. This same event will also burn off our wood. Hay and stubble stubble.
Those of the Christian in that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold Which they made each one for himself to worship. They will cast these to the moles and to the bats. They'll be worthless in that day To go into the clefts of the rocks and to the tops of the ragged rocks for fear of the Lord and for the glory Of his majesty when he arises to shake terribly the earth.
It says that again a second time it said that phrase. See she from man whose breath is in his nostrils for where in is he to be accounted of? Man will be counted as nothing in that day now go to chapter 11.
Please Isaiah chapter 11 verse 10. This is the same day in which the Christians would hay and stubble. We stubble will be burned off. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse that's Jesus Christ Which shall stand for an ensign of the people?
To it to that ensign shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious. Now that that is upon those of us who are saved we go through this day. The wood hay and stubble is burned off and Then there is a glorious rest that we have for all eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.
It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time To recover the remnant of his people when was the first time and isn't it interesting? The Jew has this verse to read in his Old Testament scriptures.
He should know that there's a first time in a second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria and from Egypt and Pathros and from Cush and Elam and Shinar and from Hamath and from the Isles of the Sea.
A lot of people think that phrase the Isles of the Sea refers to the United States. Who knows? But that means God is going to bring the Jews back from all over the world back to Israel in this day. Now go to chapter 17 in verse 7 at that day we're still talking about the same day that was in our passage in first Corinthians 3 a Day when it's as if fire will burn and and and test our works the works that we did in Christ Will hold up and even be made pure by this fire.
But the works that we did in the flesh will be totally consumed By the fire of his presence and of his eyes. At that day shall a man look to his master his maker and his eyes Shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.
This is where I think the fire is. I think the fire is in his eyes. When we look to our maker in This day and his eyes shall our eyes shall have respect for the Holy One of Israel. Those eyes will burn right through any insincere works or things or words or anything we did in our life that was not of him and by him and for him and He shall not look to the altars when we see Jesus as He is you will have no desire for your gods your other gods the things in your life that you raised up higher than him.
We shall look at the altars the work of our hands. Neither shall respect that which his fingers has made either the groves or the images will lose all respect for anything in our life That was other than Jesus Christ.
This is the same as the wood hay and stubble being burned away right before our eyes in that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bow and in uppermost branch in an uppermost branch which they left because the children of Israel and There shall be desolation in that day.
That's the great tribulation period now. Let's go back to first Corinthians chapter 3 that describes the day that's coming. We Think of that day is a day of tribulation for the lost but we need to understand it's also a day of burning off of the wood hay and stubble for the saved and There's room there for either view that you hold whether you believe the rapture occurs before the seven-year tribulation or at the end.
Whichever you believe there is going to be a time that involves this overall time period. When the wood hay and stubble will be burned off. So it's not just a day of reckoning for the lost it's a day of reckoning for God's children.
Judgment begins where at the house of God. Now back to first Corinthians chapter 3, let's look at verse 14. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward. Now the phrase shall receive Is in the future in the Greek they call it the deponent voice but we translate that into the active in English and So this is I want you to think this is interesting because this is in the active tense if any man's work abide Which he hath built he shall receive the receiving of the reward is in the active tense.
Which means you will reach out and receive it. But look at this verse 15 and if any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss. But he himself shall be saved yet. So as by fire this phrase suffer loss is not in the active voice.
It's in the passive so while you will be able to reach out and receive the reward for the true works that the works that last through this fire. On the other hand the man who will have his works burned.
This is something that shall be done to him. It's in the passive tense. This is something that will be done to you by the Lord himself. This burning of the bad works that would hay in the stubble. So the suffering of loss is passive voice it happens to us.
It is done to us if we have works in our lives when we reach that point where we look him in the eyes. And he sees the insincere things we did and said if we have not confessed them. And brought them before the Lord already.
Then they shall be brought before him to face to face and he will do this to you. He will burn it off. We don't know what that means, but we just know after this event. There won't be any of that sinful lustful idolatrous.
And that's left in us at all so It says we shall suffer loss and Then it also says he shall be saved. However, this is also in the passive voice. That means you can't save yourself when you're at that position and God is burning the very evil works off of you.
He is then at the same time saving your soul. He has to do that because there's no way you could do it yourself. So if any man's work be burned he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved. Yet, so as by fire.
There's your eternal security, isn't it? We can have our works judged, but at the same time our souls remain saved through this event. Now I go to Hebrews chapter 3. Let's talk a little bit more about foundation.
But then we move up and talk a little bit about the house. It's built upon upon the foundation. The house is what represents this these works. The gold the silver or the wood and the hay. Hebrews chapter 3 verse 5 for this man was counted worthy of More glory than Moses in as much as he who hath builded the house has more honor than the house.
Now let's stop and get on a slight rabbit trail on that verse that verse proves the deity of Jesus Christ. Because it compares Jesus to Moses and the Jew at that time. Naturally they lifted Moses up very high and This is in the book of Hebrews.
So this was written to the Hebrew believers of that day and to the Jews at large. To listen to this truth found in this book. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses talking about Jesus Christ.
Why was he counted worthy of more glory? Because Moses Had Honor. But Jesus is the one who built the house which meant Moses was one of the houses Jesus built. So the builder of the house has to have more honor than the house.
Proves that Jesus was higher than Moses. The Jew needed to hear that Verse 4 for every house is builded by some man, but he that built all things is God. This is a beautiful verse very simple. But here's what it says to those in the world around us who believe that all of this is an accident of nature.
Who believes that it all evolved somehow? Just very simple logic that Paul states here in this verse in Hebrews he said well if you look around you He said there is absolutely nothing in the universe around you that you look at.
That your mind doesn't immediately tell you by nature that there is a creator of it behind it. If you look at a house if you drive by a house your mind knows intuitively that there was a builder of that house and He uses that simple logic to say that he that built all things is God.
How can you look at the Big Dipper and think it just showed up one day? It'd be like looking at the house across the street and saying I drove by one day. It wasn't there. I came by the next day and it was there but nobody made it.
And yet people say that about the universe every day in our universities and our school systems everywhere across the world. But he that built all things is God so if you can find a thing you can know there's a God behind it that built it there is a creator that built it and Moses barely was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after.
But Christ as the Son over his own house whose house we are. And that's the phrase we were coming to whose house we are. If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. So the Bible not only teaches that Jesus is our foundation, but it teaches that we are his house.
So he's our foundation yet. We are his house. We are given as a gift and that's going to be the next topic. We take up in our series of doctrinal studies is that God has given us as a gift to Jesus Christ.
Start that next Sunday the Lord willing but the thing is He's the foundation. We are the house and we belong to him whose house we are now. We move into a negative portion in this passage the word if is.
A word that troubles many people but we've studied it many times in the last few Sundays. This if does not belong to the born-again believer. It belongs to the congregation. That has three kinds of people in it sometimes especially the larger ones.
It would have lost goats lost sheep and saved sheep. Remember that. So since the book of Hebrews was written to the Hebrews which included lost Hebrews who were elect and lost Hebrews who were not elect and saved Hebrews.
Then the if is placed here. It's placed here for the lost sheep. Only one of the three is this for. The one who is sitting out there thinking he's saved but he's not really saved yet. But he is going to be saved in God's good time.
The if is placed there for this person because what it does is it brings doubt if he is counting on his own works or his own goodness or his own religiosity. This word will bring doubt into his heart mind about his own salvation.
But we're his house if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm and to the end. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost said today if you will hear his voice Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
If we go into the Old Testament, we can see a fine study of this word if. Because we see a nation that was called the people of God and yet we see that not all of them were saved. So we can see congregations today in our churches who call themselves Christians and we can see that not all are Christians.
And that's why the if is placed there. We've covered this many times lately. So I won't go any further with that word if we know that we've proven already that it's not written to the born-again elect person.
There is no condition for his salvation. His salvation was sealed before anything was made that was made. Now numbers chapter 14 verse 22 turn to that if you would Should have given you a little head start.
I could have let you turn there while I was Contemplating. The fact that the elect have been in God's heart and mind before anything was made. Numbers 1422. Because all those men which have seen my glory and my miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness.
That's not unlike a person sitting in church and seeing God's glorious gospel preached every Sunday. Which I did in Egypt in the wilderness and have tempted me now these ten times. So there were people who saw the miracles of God who still came back and tempted God even though they had seen the miracles.
And they did not hearken unto his voice. Surely they shall not see the land which I swear unto the fathers neither shall any of them that provoked me see it. But my servant Caleb now look at this. This is beautiful.
My servant Caleb. He says none of these others will see it. But my servant Caleb in other words, nobody's gonna see this except Caleb my servant servant. Because he had another spirit with him. Look at that phrase.
He had another spirit with him. So Was saved Caleb saved and brought into the promised land because of his own Righteousness and goodness and the fact that he had stronger self belief generate self-generated belief or whatever.
I Mean was it Caleb's doings that caused him to be? An apple in God's eye here as opposed to all those who laid dead out in the wilderness. No, Caleb is not the one who put this different spirit on himself.
God did and that amazing so You worry about the if it's only because you're not saved yet. Because if you're saved you understand that you're in the position you're in because God has given you another spirit.
Not because you did anything. If he got God has already given you an excellent spirit you have that spirit and it cries out Abba Father and it was not of your doings and. And so look at Caleb what a beautiful picture every one of them will die and rot in the wilderness except for Caleb because he had another spirit with him and Have followed me fully.
That's what the Holy Spirit allows us to do him. Will I bring into the land? That's the promised land which pictures victorious Christian living. Wherein to he went and his seed shall possess it as well.
Exodus 17 7 look at that one. This verse in Exodus 17 7 examines a little bit What it truly means to tempt God. It's the greatest definition of tempting God in the whole Bible. And I'm not just saying that because I'm in this verse today.
It's really true. It is the greatest Definition of tempting God Exodus 17 7 and he called the name of the place Masa and Maribah because of the Chiding of the children of Israel you see they were tempting God they were chiding Complaining and because they tempted the Lord saying is the Lord among us or not?
The best definition for tempting God is when you act like God is not with you. You act like God is not present seeing with everything you're doing hearing everything you're saying. Seeing your heart and mind that he's not there to protect.
He's not there to help. He's not there to love you. He's not there to be kind and gentle to you. He's not there to help you through whatever you're in. He's just not there when you feel that way you are attempting God.
You can't feel that way if you're filled by the Holy Spirit, by the way, you can only feel that in the flesh. I remind us we think far too often that we're spirit-filled all the time. Because we have knowledge we have knowledge of the Bible.
We're Bible people. We're in the word all the time. So we assume that we're spirit-filled all the time, but we're not. And if we'd be honest in examining our own hearts, we can tell when we're not if we just be honest.
Anytime we doubt God or question God. We're in the flesh. Anytime we treat another brother or sister unkindly. We're in the flesh. Anytime we exhibit any of those spirit fruits of the flesh when we're exhibiting those we're not in the spirit.
We are in the flesh. But God has given us an excellent spirit. We always have the opportunity to come back and be filled with the spirit. Then we got to go clean up the mess we made while we were in the flesh.
Now let's go back to verse 9 in Corinthians. 1st Corinthians chapter 3. We see how this relates now. This is being told to us in the New Testament times. When our fathers tempt your fathers tempted me proves me and saw my works 40 years.
Wherefore I was grieved with that generation and said they do always air in their heart and they have not known my ways. Don't let that be said about you. Young people children listen to me. Don't grow up and let it be said about you.
That your ways are foolish and you have errors in your way. Because you have not known God. And you don't know God's ways. So I swear in my truth. They shall not enter into my rest. Even if you're a Christian and you're walking around the flesh.
There's no way you can enter into God's rest. You can't be in the promised land of victorious Christian living. You're gonna be out in the wilderness for a while. And if you're not careful, you may just stay out there and die out there.
We have to make sure that we don't do that. We have to that's why the if is there for every person to examine his own heart. Where am I today and the wilderness or do I have? That excellent spirit that God's given me like he God gave Caleb where I believe and I'm following the Lord.
Wherefore I was grieved. He said So I swear in my wrath that they shall not enter in verse 12 take heed brethren. So we're supposed to look at this story. We're supposed to look at this story where they were all called the children of God, but most of them died in the wilderness Because of their unbelief.
We're supposed to look at this story and take heed today now in today now in this time. That it is possible for us to be called the children of God and be filling our lives with wood hay and stubble. Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the Living God.
Now this word departing is interesting and I'm going to contrast it with another word in a moment that helps us understand this even better this word departing from the Living God is his stay me in the Greek and Actually, it's oppa his stay me and It's combined of two words the word oppo which means against and the word his stay me which means to stand.
So this is saying take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. Standing against the Living God. That's what it means departing in this verse standing against the Living God.
Oppo his stay me now verse 13, but exhort one another daily while it is called today. Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast Until the end and I want you to look at this word confidence.
Because the word confidence is Hoopoe his stay me. It's got the same Greek root only instead of starting with oppo which means against it starts with Hoopoe, which means under. So you could look at it this way.
It says take heed Brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in standing against the Living God. For we however we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our standing under.
Steadfast to the end. The beginning of our standing under Christ standing under his umbrella standing under the wings of God. If we hold the beginning of our standing under God positionally of being in God and underneath God's protection steadfast to the end.
We are in fact shown to have been partakers of Jesus Christ. This word Departing and this word confidence are amazing contrasts. The Greek words are almost identical. To stand but one is to stand against and the other is to stand under God's hand.
Steadfast to the end means stable without wavering. The end in the Greek here is telos which means a definite point or goal and it means the point aimed at this goal. So your life is aimed at a goal and the life of the one who doesn't waver is one who just goes towards that goal.
He goes towards the target. He does not miss the target at all. Now I go to verse 15 back in 1st Corinthians Chapter 3 verse 15 while it is said Today if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation.
If you will hear his voice. For some when they had heard did provoke. How be it not all that came out of Egypt by Moses? But with whom was he grieved 40 years was it not with them that had sinned whose carcasses fell in the wilderness and To whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not.
They did not have this excellent spirit that Caleb had a spirit of belief same spirit Jesus Christ had. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of Entering into his rest any of you should seem to Come short of it.
What an amazing passage for the church. We should examine our hearts once again to see if we have this Wonderful spirit of Christ living in our hearts that causes us to want to be like Caleb youthful even in his old age.
Youthful and strong as a 30 year old man, even in his old age. Pictures how we should be spiritually. We should be youthful. We should have the love of Christ that a youthful Groom has for his bride and yet we should we should be strong and We should keep that even if we've been walking in the Lord for 40 years.
We should still have that. That's the spirit Caleb had. Let's stand and have prayer together. We've learned that our works shall be tried by fire in that day. And we've learned that we can only follow to the end if we have the Spirit of God.
Father we thank you for your word today. We thank you for how often you give us the Old Testament scriptures to shed light on the New Testament truths that we have and They give us more details more colors more understanding.
And Father we thank you that you've revealed to us that we need to always examine our hearts and make sure that we are true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and that only if we are his followers and follow to the end are we true.
And Lord we thank you that you've given us a spirit even now that crieth out Abba Father. There therefore we may know now even before we reach the age of our road. That we will hit the target that our whole life is aimed at.
We thank you father that you are the one who is behind all those passive voices in the Bible. You're the one who does these things to us? Lord help us examine our hearts today for any unclean thing any wood hay or stubble that we may have been building on this marvelous foundation of Jesus Christ.
May we Burn that off Today rather than waiting for you to do it to us. May we confess it to you? May we be made right before you by confessing our sins. Lord we thank you for the time of fellowship. We can now have together.
We ask you to bless our meal bless our evening service in Jesus name. Amen.