[0:00] I greet you in Jesus' name this morning, the one who forgave us that we might forgive others.
[0:19] ! Amen. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 3. This morning, I want to look at this chapter, and of course we'll go elsewhere, but the apostle challenges here about the foundation that we are building on and what we are building with.
[1:09] I believe that this message, yes, it's for us, but it is that we examine our own selves, but also might clarify a little bit some of the false prophets that we see out there and what they are building.
[1:41] In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we'll start in verse 6. Verse 6. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
[1:56] So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
[2:16] For we are laborers together with God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.
[2:36] But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
[2:49] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
[3:14] If any man's work abide, which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.
[3:32] Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.
[3:45] For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
[4:02] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
[4:14] And again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours.
[4:24] Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
[4:39] Now, like I said, what I want to look at this morning is what are we building on and what are we building with?
[4:49] And we will spend the rest of our time here this morning looking at those two things. As we look at this, we will start here for a little bit, but we will continue on, maybe coming back to this again later.
[5:12] But, you know, they had a controversy. Some people said they're following Paul. Some said they're following Apollos, and so on. But Paul makes clear here.
[5:24] He said, I have planted Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. And we are labors together with God.
[5:36] And then he challenges them. He said that the grace of God has been upon him and helped him to be a wise master builder.
[5:50] And he laid the foundation. And others are building on this foundation. And he warns them to take heed how they build.
[6:01] And today, this is the challenge to us. One of the challenges to us is what are we building on? For other foundation can no man lay.
[6:15] And that is laid is Jesus Christ. In Ephesians, I want to read a couple verses there. He writes here, and he says, And we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
[6:54] So what are we building? We are building the temple of God. And what is this temple for? It is for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
[7:07] And so we must take heed, and we must earnestly take heed how we are building this temple of God. Because there's other places, there's verses where, well, in chapter 6, in chapter 6, he says, Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?
[7:34] And in another place he says, That if any man defile the temple, him will God destroy. And so, as we labor in the kingdom of God, as we live our lives, you know, if we are a Christian today, then this applies to us.
[7:56] Whether we're ordained in the ministry, or a missionary somewhere, or we're living here in Plains, Montana, and we're living our life day by day here.
[8:08] Are we building on the true foundation? And what are we building with?
[8:20] And he mentions here, If any man build with gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, hay, and stubble.
[8:33] And then he says that our work will be tested. It will be manifest. It will be tested by the test of fire. And we all know that wood, hay, and stubble will burn when the fire comes.
[8:50] But the gold, and the silver, and the precious stones, it will survive that test of fire. So very simply, let me just say that I believe that the difference here is whether we are building by the Spirit of God, or are we building in our own strength, building to build up our own name, building to establish ourselves in a further place, or are we building the kingdom of God, and maybe even ourselves staying hidden, our name not known, led by the Spirit of God.
[9:43] Very simply, I believe that is how this would divide out. Jesus Christ is the true foundation.
[9:54] He is the only foundation. Now let's look at chapter 1 and chapter 2. We started in chapter 3, but we'll just back up a little bit.
[10:09] Here we have the apostle in chapter 2, verse 2. I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.
[10:21] You know, I believe that the apostle, he faced many things in his day, just like we face today. Even many of the same things he faced, because the Word of God is so relevant to our day.
[10:39] And I believe that, you know, that the deception of the enemy and the opposition of the enemy was same and just as great as it is in our day.
[10:53] But the apostle said here that he will know nothing among them but Jesus Christ and him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
[11:07] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power.
[11:19] So I believe here we have the two options, demonstration of the spirit and of power. That's the gold and the silver and the precious stones, but enticing words of man's wisdom.
[11:35] That's wood, hay, and stubble that will burn up someday. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
[11:47] Today, let me ask you, are you standing? What are you standing on and what is helping you to stand? Is it the wisdom of man?
[12:00] Is it the thinking and the wisdom of man, the things that you have come up with? Or is it by the manifestation of the spirit of God?
[12:13] Is it by the power and the strength of God that you are standing today? Is your faith based in the power of God?
[12:27] Now let's go back to chapter 1. And we will start in verse 17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
[12:50] You know, and let me just put in here, let me just inject that I believe today many men are trying to preach the gospel with wisdom, human, with wisdom of man, wisdom of words, and trying to explain it in a way that the carnal mind can accept it or to appease that carnal man.
[13:21] But that's not the way the Apostle Paul preached and instructs us to do likewise. The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.
[13:43] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise?
[13:57] Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
[14:22] For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness.
[14:38] But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
[14:50] You know, just think with me here what the Apostle is saying and what he faced in his day. You know, the Jews, to the Jews preaching Christ, you know, they stumbled over Christ.
[15:05] They rejected him. And so, and so to the Jews, Jesus was a stumbling block and they couldn't accept him. And the Greeks, to them, this was just all foolishness.
[15:21] But yet in the midst of that, there were some Jews and there were some Greeks that came to the knowledge of the truth and became a part of the church in that day.
[15:37] Unto those that are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
[15:53] You know, and let us, you know, let's keep this in mind. Let's allow this to soak into our hearts that our own wisdom is foolishness in the sight of God.
[16:12] And the weakness of God is stronger than men. We, in our own strength, are no match for the devil.
[16:25] And God is so much greater than the devil. The weakness of God is stronger than men. Ye see your calling, brethren, How that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.
[16:46] But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.
[17:01] And base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and all, and things which are not to bring to naught things that are.
[17:17] You know, this makes no sense to the natural. But God has chosen that the things that we cannot see will bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.
[17:35] You know, the best that we can do in the flesh, the best that this fleshly man can do is nothing in the sight of God.
[17:46] It is of no avail. We can of our own strength never please God. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us.
[18:02] Now if we are in Christ Jesus, Christ is made to us wisdom and he is made to us righteousness and sanctification and redemption that according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
[18:21] Lord, you know, if we will glory, let us glory in the Lord. If we lift up anything, let us lift up Jesus.
[18:35] Let us lift up him. We never exalt self. We never exalt ourselves or any man, but we exalt Jesus. You know, we cannot save anyone, but we can point them to the one who can.
[18:56] But we must point them to Christ and not to ourselves. the things which are to bring to naught things that are not.
[19:19] You know, there's a verse somewhere that says that the things that are seen are temporal, they will pass away.
[19:32] But the things that are not seen are eternal. And are we? Let us live for the eternal. Let us live for the eternal. Isn't that, isn't that the difference between, between building with gold and silver and precious stones or wood, hay and stubble is building, building for the temporal or building for eternity.
[19:58] Yes. Yes. the apostle Paul, not with wisdom of words, but preaching of the cross.
[20:13] Preaching of the cross, not with the wisdom of words, but to lift up Christ and him crucified. not in word, but in power.
[20:25] Not, not, not in wisdom of our words, but in simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our wisdom.
[20:40] He is our righteousness. He is our sanctification and he is our redemption. In 2 Corinthians chapter 3.
[20:57] 2 Corinthians 3 verse 5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
[21:14] Our sufficiency is of God. It is only as the Spirit of God can work in us and through us.
[21:25] Verse 6. Who also has made us able ministers of the New Testament. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.
[21:42] God, through the Spirit of God, has made us able ministers of the New Testament. And what, what are we talking about? The ministration of grace, the, the, the New Testament.
[21:58] The dispensation of grace, the dispensation when we are forgiven and our sins are washed away.
[22:09] They're not just covered like we heard earlier. They're not just covered by, by the blood of goats or lambs or, or a bullock, but they are, they are washed and cleansed and, and carried away by the blood of Jesus.
[22:25] Jesus. And his grace is here. His grace is upon us. His grace will lead us and will take us on.
[22:41] He has made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter. You know, any man can take this word and, and hammer it, you know, and, and, and, and take, take parts of this word and, and, and make a law out of it.
[23:04] He says here, that does not bring life, but the spirit of God brings life when this word is preached by the spirit of God.
[23:17] able ministers of the spirit, the letter killeth, the spirit giveth life. Jesus said, it is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.
[23:41] In 1st Peter, in 1st Peter chapter 4, verse 10, here he says, as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
[24:08] If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God or as the utterance of God. if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever.
[24:31] Amen. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. You're not in the wisdom of men, not in, not in the wisdom and of the things that man concocts and cooks up.
[24:48] No, but to speak what the Spirit of God has brought, to speak according to the ability that God gives.
[25:00] This is very challenging. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. That word oracles means the utterance of God.
[25:13] It is only by the Spirit of God that is the only way. Yes. In 1 Timothy, no, in 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter, chapter 3, verse 5, says, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away.
[26:01] You know, it is easy for humanity to have a form of godliness. But it is not such an easy thing to fake the power of God.
[26:17] I know there's, there is that, but Jesus warned us that men will come and they will do great works and so on and not by his power.
[26:35] But he says here, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away. And what brings a man to this place?
[26:48] You know, we won't read all of these verses, but I'm going to read verse 1 and 2. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[27:01] Perilous times will come. And we look at the rampant sin and homosexuality and all of the things that are exalted in our day and we think of that.
[27:14] But notice the very first thing that he names here. He says his men shall be lovers of their own selves. Men will be lovers of their own selves.
[27:27] You know, when a man loves himself more than others and more than God, when a man loves himself more than he loves God, it will bring the things that are listed here.
[27:41] And it's a very ugly list. Covetous and boasters and proud and blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.
[28:08] All of those things are things that come out of loving self and being selfish and living a selfish life and exalting self rather than exalting Christ.
[28:23] And that leads to having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof. And he tells us to turn away from such.
[28:40] In Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. Here he's talking about Israel and how they rejected the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
[28:59] Remember we had seen in Corinthians about that Jesus is our wisdom and our righteousness and our sanctification and our redemption.
[29:11] But here yes he's talking about Israel but I believe this applies to our day as well. Verse 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge.
[29:32] It's a zeal of God but they rejected the true knowledge of God. They being ignorant of God's righteousness they go about to establish their own righteousness and they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
[29:53] You know let's just break this apart a little bit. The only righteousness that we have is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that we receive when we're born again when we're born when we're born again by the spirit of God and washed by the blood of the lamb and the spirit of God comes into our heart and makes his abode in us.
[30:21] That is when we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But here he's talking about a people that are ignorant of this righteousness.
[30:34] They've rejected the righteousness of Jesus Christ and because of that they want to live a good life but they try to establish their own righteousness that they might be accepted of God and that will never work.
[30:54] There's no way that you can live a life good enough to be righteous in the sight of God. So they're ignorant of God's righteousness and they go about to establish their own.
[31:10] says they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. So it is only as we submit ourselves to the righteousness of God when we submit ourselves and we come we humble ourselves at the foot of the cross and we acknowledge our sin and our life of sin and our sin nature and we lay it down and Christ comes into our heart.
[31:44] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. You know in the Old Testament they lived their lives the best they could.
[31:56] They lived their lives the best that they knew how and then they slaughtered a lamb to cover their sin every year. You know they'd have to do another one and it would cover their sin and they would live the best they could but now we don't do that anymore.
[32:16] We give our life to the Lord Jesus and the Holy Ghost lives within us and we live a new life. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.
[32:29] Old things have passed away and all things have become new. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. talking about this righteousness verse 6 says but the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise the righteousness of Jesus Christ we receive it by faith we receive it by faith when we put our faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus you know and what saith it what is this righteousness saying in verse 8 the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation with the heart we believe we believe that the
[33:46] Lord Jesus is the son of God and he gave his life he shed his blood for us he forgave he forgives us as we come to him and with our mouth we need to confess that yes I believe in the Lord Jesus and in his shed blood and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation hallelujah the righteousness of Jesus Christ will become our righteousness if we will confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead we shall be saved hallelujah in first Corinthians again in chapter chapter two verse five it says that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of
[34:54] God we do not put our faith in men but we put our faith in the Lord Jesus and in his finished work on Calvary that is where we put our faith that is who we preach that is what we preach that is why the apostle Paul said I would know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified yes the Lord Jesus and the power of the resurrection life verse 12 1st
[35:57] Corinthians 2 now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual but the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned the natural man receives not the things of the spirit you know remember remember the wisdom of the natural man it is nothing it is foolishness in the sight of
[37:00] God and the natural man cannot receive of the spirit of God it is only it is only as we as we receive as we are that new creation in Christ that we will receive of the things of God almighty the wisdom of God we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery the apostle said even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory now Galatians chapter six you know we we have many I believe in our day that are making a fair show in the flesh and they're trying to impress people and they're trying to show a form of godliness and they might even show the wisdom of this world and they might show signs and wonders and we will look at that in a little bit but here in
[38:32] Galatians chapter six verse seven be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not be not deceived God is not mocked you know there's many deceivers out in this world today I believe it's in first John where he talks about there's many deceivers and and they're out in the antichrist spirit and all of that but he says God is not mocked you know it might be difficult for us sometimes to see the difference and to see that a man is not right and that a man is a deceiver but God is not tricked
[39:49] God is not mocked God knows the heart and he knows he knows what's driving a man in Hebrews what is that verse the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and the joints and the mirror and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart God knows the very thoughts and intents of our heart he says whatsoever a man soweth that will he also reap if we sow to the flesh we will reap of the flesh if we sow to the spirit we will reap of the spirit life everlasting yes are we building with gold and silver and precious stones are we sowing to the flesh the wood hay and the stubble that will burn up someday let us not be weary in well doing in due season we will reap if we faint not you know sometimes we're tempted to get weary sometimes we're tempted to think what's the use but in due season we will reap if we faint not verse 12 yet as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh
[41:37] I believe we see that in our day in this in the day that he wrote this he says they were they were constraining people to be circumcised and so on but there's many in our day trying to make a fair show in the flesh to make a religious showing in the flesh but it's an abomination to our God yes in Romans Romans 16 verse 17 and 18 now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple you know we must have discernment the discernment of the spirit of
[42:45] God and and we'll yet get to a few verses that will help us with our discernment let us keep this in mind those says they make a fair show in the flesh and by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple in second Timothy and two he says at verse rightly dividing the word of truth let's read it so we get it right study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth are we rightly dividing are we taking this word and trying to prove my point with it and trying to prove that I am right and trying to prove that I am accepted you know when we are in
[43:52] Christ we have nothing to prove we are there we have the life of Christ within us he goes on and he talks about men who were preaching false doctrine and it says he says here that they're overthrowing the faith of some but verse 19 nevertheless the foundation of God stand assure the foundation that we've been talking about that we talked about in the beginning the foundation of Jesus Christ it stand assure this word will stand forever we can build on this word we can know it will stand forever yes but the foundation of God stand assure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his and let everyone that name of the name of
[45:00] Christ depart from iniquity! God knows who you are God knows your heart he knows every detail of your heart the very thoughts and intents of your heart he knows it all and there's nothing hidden that will not be uncovered there's nothing you know Proverbs says no in Luke it says there's nothing covered but it will be revealed I believe it also says that the things that are whispered in the closet will be shouted from the housetop you know there's nothing nothing that God does not know we cannot hide anything from him you you can cover your sin you can cover things that you don't want people to know Proverbs says he that covereth his sin shall not prosper but whoso confesses and forsaketh will be will be blessed something like that he says he whoso confesses and forsaketh shall have mercy yes hallelujah!
[46:20] I want to go to Matthew 7 for just a little bit yet!
[46:36] Matthew 7 he admonishes us to enter in at the straight gate straight enter ye in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in there at verse 14 because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly their ravening wolves ye shall know them by their fruits you know and and it's so simple
[47:52] Jesus made it so simple you know if the fruit is not good the tree is not good we'll see that as we read this do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles no when you want grapes you go find a grape vine yes when you want apples you look for an apple tree fruit even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit a tree is known by his fruit fruit men are known by their fruit the bible tells us even a child is known by his doings someday we will give an account of what we have done what is the fruit coming from our life are we building upon the
[49:36] Lord Jesus Christ or are we building on some other foundation are we building on the firm foundation you know if we would read the rest of this chapter you know it talks about the wise man and the foolish man the one the wise man he built on on the rock and the foolish man he built on the sand what are we building on are we building on the firm foundation are we building on the rock Christ Jesus are we building with gold and silver are we building are we building by the spirit of God are we governed by the spirit of God like Phil said when he was here are we governed by the spirit of God are we empowered by the spirit of God are we are we functioning in our own strength are we are we operating in the wisdom of men are we speaking by our own wisdom are we speaking by the spirit of God verse 20 again says verse 21 not everyone that saith unto me
[50:59] Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works then will I profess unto them I never knew thee depart from me ye that work iniquity you know we can think of others that are in this category but let us make sure which category we are in today are we are we in submission to the spirit of God are we walking in the submission of the spirit of God not in word but in power and in demonstration of the spirit of God in
[52:12] James he said submit yourselves to God resist the devil and he will flee from you God resist the proud but he gives grace to the humble other foundation can no man lay but the foundation of Jesus Christ are we building on that foundation how is it one more verse a very I love this Galatians 614 verse we either read or I quote it verse 12 as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh yes but now verse 14 but God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our
[53:35] Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world the cross of Jesus Christ you know in our day people reject the work of the cross you know what does a cross do it's an instrument of death that old man it must die on that cross that old man it must be brought under daily and the work of the cross in our life what will it do it says by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world if we embrace the cross of Jesus Christ and we embrace the working of the cross of Jesus Christ that cross it will be a barrier between you and the world it will stand there that when you when your flesh desires to go after the things of the world you will come up against that cross and there it will die unless you avoid it it will keep you it will keep you in the hour of trial it will save us it will keep us from sowing to the flesh as we embrace the cross of our
[55:22] Lord Jesus are we embracing that cross God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world are we building on the true foundation are we building with gold and silver are we building with wood hay and stubble may the Lord bless Thank you.