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. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. 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. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. (NIV1984)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I don’t think any of us were here when this building was constructed, but even if we weren’t how do you think it was accomplished? Do you think a couple of guys went to the Pastor and said, “We think it is time to build a church— what do you think?” Do you think the Pastor said, “That sounds like a great idea— I will help you!” 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? Then after nailing some 2 x 4’s together do you think they mixed up some concrete, poured it into that form and then built this church? 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? No need for a property committee! Probably not!
To build a church like this you would need to dig deep down into the ground and pour some footings. 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. 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.
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— that is, the Church that meets within this building. With that in mind, let’s conclude our sermon series on the subject of God’s will by seeing how this portion of Scripture reveals to us: God’s Will for His Church— Build Wisely! As we study this text we will see that there are two truths to remember when it comes to building God’s Church wisely. First, let’s see how necessary it is to build God’s Church on the only proper foundation. Then let’s see how necessary it is to protect what God Himself is building in us and through us.
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 proper foundation. Look at how clearly that truth is brought out in the opening verses of our text. Paul writes, “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
The apostle Paul founded the Christian congregation in Corinth on his second missionary journey. (See Acts 18:1-18) For a year and a half Paul proclaimed the Word of God in Corinth. For a year and a half Paul faithfully laid the foundation for the church in Corinth, the only proper foundation for God’s Church which is Jesus Christ. Once Paul had laid that foundation as an “expert builder” the Lord led him to leave Corinth and go to the city of Ephesus. After Paul left Corinth other men, men such as Apollos and Cephas, continued to build on the foundation that God’s grace had allowed and enabled Paul to lay.
This is the blueprint that the Lord wants His people to follow as they continue to build His Church down through the ages. The only proper foundation for God’s Church is Jesus Christ, His Son. Why is Jesus the only proper foundation for God’s Church? Think about it, my friends. 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. The rains could easily wash away the soil from underneath this building and eventually the entire building could collapse.
As the Son of God, as this world’s only Savior from sin Jesus is the only One who has the power, the strength, the ability to support His Church— all across the world and down through the ages. That is why the Holy Spirit had Paul remind us “each one should be careful how he builds.” 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’s Church with the goal of causing it to come crashing down. But as Jesus Himself told the apostle Peter, when God’s Church is built on the proper foundation, when God’s Church is built on the confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” then not even the gates of Hades will ever be able to overcome God’s Church! (See Matthew 16:13-20)
Since many of you have known this truth for perhaps your entire life, you might be wondering— what other foundations do people use to try and build a church? 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 “cheaply” as possible. Permit me to highlight just three.
First, there is the false foundation of works. Instead of proclaiming the glorious Scriptural truth that your eternal salvation is 100% the result of what God has done for 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 do for God. There is some “decision” that you have to make before Jesus will come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. There are specific works of penance that you have to perform before your sins can be forgiven. There is a certain amount of suffering that you have to endure after you die so that you can be “purged” of your sins before you are allowed to enter into the blessedness of heaven. That is the false foundation of works.
Second, there is the false foundation of what I call “strawberry Jell-O and whip cream.” 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: deep down inside we are all “good” people; God loves everybody and would never condemn anyone to an eternity of suffering in hell. (See II Timothy 4:2-4) 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. That is the false foundation of human emotions.
And finally, there is the false foundation that has troubled so many churches down through the ages— a foundation that teeters on a mortal sinful human being. Instead of building God’s Church using the authority of God’s holy Word and the power of God’s holy Sacraments there are churches which are build upon “rules taught by men” (See Matthew 15:1-9). There are churches that are built upon the charisma and personality of the pastor. When the “rules” change the people get confused. When the pastor leaves or when the pastor disappoints the people become disillusioned. That’s what happens when a church is built on a false foundation.
Now I am very confident that everyone here today would love to see our congregation grow. 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! While that may— or may not— 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. No, my friends, the Lord is concerned that His Church, that is, the Church that meets within this building is built on the only proper foundation— which is His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s why God’s will for His Church is that we do indeed build wisely.
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’s will for building His Church wisely also includes protecting what God Himself is building in us and through us. I see this truth brought out in verses sixteen and seventeen of our text. Paul writes, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”
I see two ways to apply these verses. First, each of us needs to apply these words to ourselves. You and I are a part of God’s Church purely by His grace and His mercy. Through the power of His Word and His Sacraments our faith is indeed built on the only proper foundation— Jesus Christ. The Triune God Himself has entered into our hearts and made us His temple— a “sacred” temple as Paul brings out here in our text. We need to protect God’s temple, my friends. 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. (Pointing to the cross) We need to make sure that the things we do and the words we speak bring glory and praise to our heavenly Father. 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. Yes, my friends, building God’s Church wisely includes protecting the part of God’s Church that we see every time we look in a mirror.
Secondly, building God’s Church wisely includes protecting the other parts of God’s Church that gather together with us here in this building. We are not just a random group of independent individuals who just happen to meet in the same place on Sunday mornings. God Himself has brought us together as a family of believers. God Himself has made each and every one of us an important part of His Church. God Himself has connected us to each other like “living stones” (I Peter 2:4, 5) built on that one proper foundation which is Jesus Christ. We need to see each other as brothers and sisters in the faith. We need to treat each other as important parts of God’s Church. We need to love each other as precious souls— souls for whom the Son of God lived and died and rose again. Yes, my friends, we need to protect all of God’s Church— that is, the Church that meets within this building.
I am confident that when this church building was being constructed the goal of the people who did the building was to build wisely. They made sure that they built on a proper foundation— and the building is still here! Now, you and I continue to make sure that we protect what God has allowed us to build. That practical reality helps us to remember that God’s will for His Church is that we build wisely, my friends. “By the grace God has given” us let’s strive to make sure that we are always building God’s Church on the only proper foundation which is Jesus Christ. “By the grace God has given” us, let’s strive to make sure that we always protecting what God is building in us and through us.
To God be the glory!
Amen
