5/17/26 “A Foundational Faith”
“A Foundational Faith”
1 Corinthians 3:1-23
One of the most impressive buildings in the world is the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
Here’s a few interesting facts about the Pentagon:
It’s the world’s largest low-rise office building with 6.5 million square feet of floor space....that’s enough to fit 3 Empire State buildings within its borders.
It has its own zip codes (actually, 6 of them!)
It’s capable of housing 40,000 employees at one time.
It contains 7,754 windows and 17.5 miles of corridors.....yet because of its unique spoke-and-ring design, it’s never more than a 7-minute walk to anywhere else in the building.
The Pentagon was constructed during WWII, and was officially completed on January 15, 1943...just 16 months after it had begun.
...this was possible because 15,000 construction personnel worked around the clock to get it finished.
The Pentagon was initially estimated to cost $35 million, but the final bill came in at $83 million dollars....that would be around $900 million in today’s economy.
But perhaps the most impressive component of the Pentagon is its foundation.
Workers used 700,000 tons of sand and gravel from the nearby Potomac River to construct the 41,000 concrete pilings that stabilize the structure above the unstable marshy ground of the Potomac floodplain.
Because of the massive weight of the building, the foundation was absolutely crucial in keeping the building from settling into the sandy, wet ground.
As impressive as the visible portion of the Pentagon building is....its invisible foundation is of even greater significance.
Our passage of scripture for today describes another vital unseen foundation...
....that being the foundation of Jesus Christ for the universal Church body....as well as in the life of the individual believer.
Whatever we do corporately – or individually – as Christians....
Whatever spiritual structures we build with our lives....they MUST be built upon the solid foundational pilings of the person and work of Jesus Christ
....Otherwise, those buildings will have no eternal value whatsoever.
Paul begins writing about this foundational aspect of our faith in verse 10 of today’s passage....but, first, let’s back up to the beginning of chapter 3 to help provide some context...
Verse 1 (1 Corinthians 3:1) says, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ.”
Paul goes on to say in verse 2 (1 Corinthians 3:2) “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready for it.”
Like newborn babies that can only ingest milk....the Corinthian believers were not moving beyond the stage of spiritual infancy....the meaty, deep truths of the faith were still unknown to them...
As John MacArthur writes, “Nothing is more precious or wonderful than a little baby. But a twenty-year-old with the mind of an infant is heartbreaking. A baby who acts like a baby is a joy; but an adult who acts like a baby is a tragedy.”
If you recall, the city of Corinth was the ‘Las Vegas’ of its time...
It was known far and wide for its sin-saturated traditions and its hedonistic practices...
...The culture in Corinth was all about self-indulgence...its mantra was ‘If it feels good, Just do it”....
And it was this self-serving ideology that had crept its way into the church...
So much so, that the Holy Spirit directed Paul to continue writing here in Chapter 3 to the Corinthian believers about their need to reject the worldly influence of the culture around them...
They had allowed the sinful traditions of the city in which they lived to stunt their spiritual growth and maturity....
Paul uses the analogy of infants on milk who are not yet able to eat solid food as an illustration of the Corinthian believers...
They were believers...but they were immature believers...stunted believers.
Many of them were genuinely saved...but they lacked the maturity to consistently bear good spiritual fruit in their lives....
Their attachment to the culture around them stunted their spiritual growth.
Some of you – like Lisa & I - enjoy hiking out West
As one gains elevation in the mountains, something interesting happens to the trees and vegetation along the trail...
The flora begins to get smaller....less vibrant....less robust....less flourishing
Finally, at the alpine tree line – the highest altitude that trees can grow – It’s around 11,000 feet out in the Rockies
....It’s at that altitude where you find short, stunted, twisted, gnarly trees that sort of resemble Japanese bonsai trees....
Because of the harsh wind, cold temperatures, and nutrient-starved soil conditions in their environment...these trees are unable to grow beyond a certain stage of development....
The Corinthian believers lived on the “Spiritual Alpine Line” of faith.
They were stunted by their environment of self-indulgence....
They were twisted by their desire for hedonistic pursuits....
The tree of the church itself – rather than being a lush and vibrant plant of obedience – had become a fruitless, gnarly tree of disobedience.
....much of this spiritual stunting of the Corinthian Church had to do with where it was growing...
BUT...unlike biological plants that have no control over where they grow.
The Church in Corinth had a choice as to how much influence the culture could have upon them.
Just because a church may be located in a town known for its godlessness & immorality...
...it does not mean that a body of believers in that city or region must necessarily be influenced by the culture around it!
It doesn’t have to remain on baby milk forever....
If its members intentionally and obediently stay in the scriptures...God’s infallible - and final authority - on all matters in life....
If everyone literally (and figuratively) is on the same page in this way...
The culture will never touch them.
If they remain committed to being obedient in prayer....the culture will never touch them.
If they remain committed to being accountable and available to each other....the culture will never touch them.
Brothers & Sisters...we live in a world that is not that much different than that of 1st century Corinth.
Not just the immoral behavior of others around us...but what we are exposed to through things like the internet, through television, movies, radio, podcasts...
There are so many ways in which – if we are not careful – we can allow the culture to influence our behavior and decisions in such a way as to leave us as stunted, ineffective, followers of Christ....
...and that is exactly what Satan wants us to be.
If he can’t reach a soul that has been sealed for redemption by the Holy Spirit....
...You better believe he’ll do his best to make that person ineffective for Christ.
Make sure that doesn’t happen to you....and - by extension – to our church.
If all of us remain committed to practicing the disciplines of the faith....reading our bibles, spending time in prayer, congregating together....
Satan won’t have a prayer in his attempt to derail this group of believers!
Beginning with verse 3, Paul goes on to remind the Corinthian church that their immaturity was the reason why they were experiencing division in the church....
...returning to the example he brought up back in chapter one – dealing with groups of people within the church aligning themselves with certain teachers like Paul, or Apollos, or Peter.
...Paul elaborates on this a bit more here in chapter 3.
He describes this allegiance to particular personalities as a symptom of their deeper disease....that of worldliness...
The world worships and elevates its human heroes – because that’s all it knows...
It idolizes human kings and lords....because it does not know the King of kings, and the Lord of lords!
It worships human athletes....and entertainers....actors...musicians...politicians....speakers...youtubers....
The world worships created things....because it does not know the creator of all things!
Paul says that the church is being worldly and disobedient when it acts in such a manner.
We cannot let divisive horizontal affections regarding specific teachers drive a wedge between us....or between us and God.
In verses 5 through 9, Paul explains why we in the church are never to elevate other human beings to a level higher than anyone else.
Verse 5 (1 Corinthians 3:5) says, “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
People who use their spiritual gifts of preaching or teaching are servants just like everyone else who serves by utilizing their gifts for others...and for the Lord.
Now....some parts of the body of Christ inherently get more attention than other parts of the body...
For instance, the mouth receives more attention than the foot....the eyes receive more attention than the hand....
But all are needed for the body to function properly....and one part is never more important than the others...
In fact, scripture tells us that those serving within the church who do the less desirable tasks should be given higher honor than those who receive more attention!
Listen closely to what Paul writes in chapter 12 (1 Corinthians 12:21-25) of this same letter. Beginning in verse 21, we read, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ and the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.”
This – I believe - is one of the most important passages in scripture...and we’ll see it again in a couple months when we get to chapter 12....
What it’s saying here is that every single one of you is needed in order for this church body to function effectively for Christ....
...and, not only that, but that those of you who faithfully perform duties that go relatively unnoticed....
You – YOU – are the ones who deserve special honor!
Not those of us whose work is easily noticeable...
Can I be honest with y’all this morning?
It makes me very uncomfortable when I hear people comparing one bible-based church leader to another....or one pastor to another...
....folks, there’s just no room for that in the church.
Biblical preachers and teachers are simply using the gifts that God has given them to proclaim His Word...and to point others to Jesus.
...just like a trustee would use their gift of repairing a leaky faucet...for Jesus
...or a church secretary would record the minutes of a meeting....for Jesus
...or a church treasurer would cut a check...for Jesus.
I mean....It would be ridiculous if I were to compare Marlene’s handwriting on a church check - to the handwriting of the treasurer from the church down the street... (Oh, Marlene...your handwriting is SO much better!)
That would be silly, right?
Why, then – when it comes to bible-based pastors and leaders in the church – is it suddenly alright to divisively vocalize your preference for one teacher over another?
The immature believers in Corinth were engaging in these kinds of ungodly comparisons when it came to leadership....and people’s stubborn alignment with one teacher’s style over another...
...Paul was basically telling them to ‘Grow up’ .... to ‘knock it off!’
No pastor’s style will please everyone in a given church...
....and no church leader is anywhere close to perfect....nor should they be treated as such.
....Pastors are ordinary people who are susceptible to sin...just like everyone else...
One way to think of it is this: Teachers and preachers in the church are like waiters and busboys at a restaurant...
They bring the food of the gospel to others...but they’re not the ones who make the food!
If praise is to be given, it ought to be given to the maker of the food...
The Master Chef.....The Lord, Jesus Christ.
Or....like farmers who plant seeds in the Spring....pastors preach sermons that hopefully will plant spiritual seeds...
....but only God can make those seeds grow in the soil of the hearts of those who hear it....
The greatest farmer in the world cannot make a single seed grow...neither can the greatest preacher in the world make someone give their life to Jesus...
Only God can do this.
So....whenever we give each other praise for something done within the church, make sure that we are – ultimately – giving God the glory.
Paul is stating in these verses that we – His children – are incapable of doing anything for the kingdom by ourselves....
...It is God who works in and through all of our efforts
...Anytime we see spiritual success...or experience the Lord’s moving through another individual....
....Sure, acknowledge the individual....but make sure to give God the praise!.....and no one else.
Case in point....I appreciated your reaction to the Mother’s Day song from last week...
...But Let’s Just make sure we’re giving God all the glory when dispensing appreciation, right?
...whether its a special number....or a picture on a wall....or a plaque on a piece of furniture....or recognition of some other variety....
Jesus is the one who deserves all the glory....all the praise...
He is the one who moves through our efforts....and we – God's Children - are just the vessels in which He uses to accomplish His Will.
Finally, in verses 10-23, Paul discusses the need for Jesus to be the foundation upon which we build everything else...
....individually - as well as corporately.
Verse 11 (1 Corinthians 3:10) reads, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Like the mighty foundation below the Pentagon, Jesus needs to be our mighty – spiritual – foundation upon which we build the structure of our lives.
...If someone builds their life upon anything other than Jesus....
...It will certainly fall into the muck & the mire of cultural immorality & sin
Many of you know the words of Jesus from the sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 7:24-27) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
If Jesus is the foundation of your life....the life structure that you have built....and continue to build....
....It will be capable of withstanding the winds of trouble and trial that come your way.
But Paul goes on to write about....not just the foundation in Christ....but the structure that is on that foundation.
...Even if Jesus IS the bedrock of our lives, it does not guarantee that the structure built upon that rock will be a quality one.
Verse 12 (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) reads, “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood ,hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”
Look at those things that Paul describes as building materials...he goes from the most desirable (Gold) – down to the least desirable (Straw)
As believers...we have the choice to build our spiritual house with materials that are either solid and strong....or materials that are flimsy and weak.
Materials that will easily burn up...or materials that can withstand the heat....
...and sometimes the outward structures made of wood – or hay – or straw can look good....until the winds and the rains of life test them....
...And God knows our motives.
Sometimes, the outward building may look great....but if our sacrifices for the Lord are performed with improper motives...it will be like termites internally eating through the bones of the house....
....making it susceptible to falling in upon itself.
It is then that these structures are revealed for what they are...
This is why – as believers – we need to make sure that our motives our pure before the Lord.
For instance:
Am I helping my neighbor move to a new home because I hope to collect on the favor sometime in the future?.....
Am I volunteering at the food drive, but inwardly judging people’s need for food based upon the vehicle they drive?
Am I singing a song in church just so people will give me compliments?
Am I giving a lot of money to the church with the expectation that my significant donations will result in significant power?
Doing these ‘good deeds’ with ‘bad motives’ is like building a house of straw...and a little bit of wood...
It may look alright from a distance....but when Satan huffs and puffs on it....
The structure is coming down....leaving very little reward for that individual someday in heaven.
Good works mean nothing to God if our motives are impure and selfish...
So, to wrap up:
Essentially, Chapter 3 of 1st Corinthians is a reminder for all of us that if we build the structure of our lives with good motives upon the rock of Christ....the eternal foundation.
Then we will experience a sturdy, healthy spiritual life while on this earth...
...and we will receive a reward for that solid life-structure someday when we enter our heavenly abode...
Build your life upon Jesus...with pure motives....and watch how God will use you to further His kingdom!
Let’s Pray.
