SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). The Family – Maturity (vs 1-4)
(2). The Field – Quantity (vs 5-9a)
(3). The Temple – Quality (vs 9b-23)
SERMON BODY
Ill:
• A Hallmark Father's Day card contained these words:
• "Dad, thanks to your lectures I never change horses in the middle of a job worth doing,
• I know the squeaky wheel gets the worm,
• And I never count my chickens until I've walked a mile in their shoes;
• And you thought I wasn't listening!"
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul must have felt;
• That the Christians at Corinth were not listening to him!
• Because they were not displaying any evidence that they had learnt anything!
Ill:
• They reminded me of the little boy who came home after his first day of school;
• When they asked him how it went he said:
• “That was a complete waste of time,
• I can’t read, I can’t write and they won’t let me speak!”
• TRANSITION: Out of the mouths of….
• Or as one parent said : “Out of the mouths of babes and suckling’s…
• Came many things that should have stayed down!”
• Well, I guess everyone in this room has said it at some-time to someone;
• Those immortal words; “Grow up!”
• Or a similar phrase; “Why don’t you act your age?”
• Now there is nothing wrong with babies;
• They are – up to a point – delightful creatures.
• But the trouble with babies is they require a lot of care.
• They are messy, they dribble, they spill things.
• Quote: Someone has described babies as:
• “Alimentary canal with a mouth at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other!”
• Nobody minds when a baby acts like a baby – that’s normal!
• But when a child of 5, or 10 or 15 years of age;
• Still needs to be burped and bathed and changed and fed - something is wrong!
Now that is what the apostle Paul is saying in these verses:
• Spiritual babyhood is fine for babies;
• But it is terrible for those who should be spiritually mature!
• Growth of course is important to all of us:
• ill: From the moment you were born you were weighed and measured.
• ill: As children how many of you had a growth chart or marks on the wall/door frame?
• Growth is the sign of a healthy child;
• And if a child is stunted in their growth it usually it means that something is seriously wrong
• Growth and development is the first illustration used in this passage this morning!
Ill:
• Before we look at that let me give you a few signs, evidences to gage where you are at:
• (They are of course tongue-in-cheek):
• 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
• You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
• You hear your favourite song playing…on an elevator.
• You watch the Weather Channel.
• Jeans and a jumper no longer qualify as being "dressed up."
• You're the one calling the police because those kids next door won't turn down the music.
• You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
• 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
• You listen to a list like this hoping for one saying that doesn't apply to you.
(1). The Family – Maturity (vs 1-4):
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly – mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?”
• The apostle Paul came to Corinth in the winter of A.D. 50;
• He planted a church there and stayed about 18 months,
• (You can read all about it in Acts chapter 18 verses 1-17);
• He then moved on to Ephesus (Acts chapter 18 verses 18-19)
• And it was while he was still based in Ephesus;
• That six or seven years later he wrote this letter.
• As a city Corinth was not much different from our world today:
• It was populous, proud, prosperous, philosophical, and polluted.
• As the Church that should have stood out like a light in the darkness;
• Was sadly full of problems; full of disagreements and adolescent behaviour.
• And sexual immorality.
• So the apostle Paul inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit penned this letter.
• And as we break into the letter at this passage this morning (1 Corinthians chapter 3);
• We have three illustrations, three images to challenge and encourage us.
Ill:
• One of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark.
• But if you catch a small shark and confine it,
• It will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium you put it in.
• Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured.
• But if you turn them loose in the ocean,
• They will then grow to their normal length of eight feet.
• That also happens to some Churches:
• Some Christians may be physically old but they have never spiritually developed.
• And the challenge of these first few verses is:
• Are we growing old in our faith or are we growing up!
• Now in the physical realm;
• We grow from children, to teenagers, to adults.
• It is an automatic process that happens without us really noticing.
ill:
• As parents we have all had the experience of seeing our children;
• And suddenly realising their trousers don’t fit - they are two inches too short.
• Every so often children seen to have a growth spurt.
Note:
• Now in the spiritual realm the experience can be very different;
• The number of years you have been a Christian;
• Does not necessarily mean you are growing up in your faith!
• Just growing old in years!
• Some Churches are full of grey-haired babies!
Ill:
• A man, after 25 years with one company,
• Was still doing the same old job and drawing the same salary.
• Finally he went to his boss and told him he felt he had been neglected.
• “After all,” he said, “I’ve had 25 of experience.”
• His boss sighed and said:
• “You haven’t had 25 of experience, you’ve had one experience for 25 years.”
• These Corinthian Christians were immature and not fully grown;
• They had the experience of salvation but not a lot else!
• ill: you could describe then as grey haired babies!
Ill:
• like babies these Corinthians desire to be fed, burped, changed and entertained.
• They were babies who had become accustomed to being babies.
• They liked the cuddly comforts of the crib.
• They like to partake of a diet of milk;
• Not only is it sweet, but it goes down smoothly and is easily digested!
• But there comes a time in the life of every infant;
• When they grow beyond the milk stage and develop a taste for solid food.
• Should this not happen;
• It is always a matter for grave concern for the parent/medical staff.
God want healthy children:
• He wants us to grow! To become mature, fully grown adults.
• Notice in verse 2 we see two marks of spiritual maturity.
(1ST). MARK OF MATURITY IS SOLID FOOD (VS 2):
“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.
Indeed, you are still not ready”
• Solid food is something you can sink your teeth into”
• ill: Old joke – ‘You know you are getting old when you sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there!’
• Solid food is not a formula warmed to body temperature and bottle-fed;
• It is something that takes work, it takes time and preparation.
• It is not something to pacify your palette;
• It’s substance to produce a strong, healthy body.
• Questions:
• Christian how well are you eating?
• Can you feed yourself or do you depend on the preacher in the pulpit doing it all for you!
• Teaching from the pulpit and house-groups are meant to compliment your diet;
• Not be the beginning and end of your spiritual diet!
(2ND). MARK OF MATURITY IS RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS (VS 3):
“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”
• The mature Christian seeks to practice love and get on with other believers;
• Immature Christians sing about love but display jealousy or gossip about others.
Ill:
• The Christians at Corinth were like children in a playground;
• Instead of saying; “My dad is better than your dad, my dad has more than your dad”
• They were arguing over which preacher, which leader was the greatest;
• All divided in their opinions (verse 4);
• “…one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’”
THE PROBLEM IS THEIR EMPHASIS WAS ON MEN NOT GOD.
• Paul and Apollos were only servants doing what God had asked them to do;
• Paul and Apollos knew it was God alone who gave life to their efforts.
• If the Christians at this Church in Corinth (and any other Church);
• Wants to mature and grow it will be as they look and depend on God.
Quote:
• When we depend upon organization,
• We get what organization can do, and that is something.
• When we depend upon education,
• We get what education can do, and that is something.
• When we depend upon money,
• We get what money can do, and that is something.
• When we depend upon singing and preaching,
• We get what singing and preaching can do, and that is something.
• When we depend upon charismatic and gifted leaders,
• We get what charismatic and gifted leaders can do, and that is something.
• But…When we depend upon God,
• We get what God can do, and that is everything!
You can almost hear the apostle Paul saying: “Grow up!”
• Peter, Paul, Apollos are only men, leaders, servants who pointed you to Jesus.
• If you want to claim allegiance to them then act like them;
• Encourage, support and love one another.
(2). The Field – Quantity (vs 5-9a):
“ 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. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. 9 For we are fellow workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Ill:
• A man is driving down a country road;
• When he spots an old country farmer standing in the middle of a huge field of grass.
• He pulls the car over to the side of the road;
• And watches the farmer just standing there, doing nothing, looking at nothing.
• The man gets out of the car, walks all the way out to the farmer and asks him,
• "Excuse me mister, but what are you doing?"
• The farmer replies, "I'm trying to win a Nobel Prize."
• Puzzled the man asks; “How?”
• The farmer replies:
• "Well I heard they give the Nobel Prize to people who are out standing in their field."
• TRANSITION: In these verses the apostle Paul views the Church as a field;
• A field that ought to be producing a crop.
Question: How did this illustration relate to the Corinthians?
Answer: Twofold
(1ST). DIVERSITY OF MINISTRY.
• One person plants a seed.
• One person cultivates the soil.
• One person waters the plants.
• One person harvests the fruit.
• This idea is that of diversity, everyone pitching in, every member ministry;
• The apostle Paul develops later in this letter;
• When he compares the Church to a body with many different parts.
Ill:
• Mount Everest is called the world's highest mountain;
• It is 8,848 meters high (29,029 ft in old measurements)
• In May, 1953, two men became the first in history to climb to the top of Mt. Everest;
• Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand beekeeper and explorer,
• And his Sherpa guide from Nepal, Tenzing Norgay.
• They reached the summit together and attained instant international fame.
• On the way down from the mountain peak,
• Hillary slipped and started to fall.
• He would almost certainly have fallen to his death,
• But Tenzing Norgay immediately dug in his ice-axe and braced the rope;
• Linking them together, saving Hillary’s life.
• At the bottom of the mountain;
• The international press made a huge fuss over the Sherpa guide’s heroic action.
• Through it all Tenzing Norgay remained very calm, very professional,
• And very uncarried away by it all.
• To all the shouted questions he had one simple answer:
• “Mountain climbers always help each other.”
• TRANSITION: Members of a Church should be helping one another;
• Serving one another, ministering to one another!
(2ND) UNITY OF PURPOSE.
• One person plants a seed.
• One person cultivates the soil.
• One person waters the plants.
• One person harvests the fruit.
• No matter what we do for the Lord – it is important;
• Because verse 8 tells us each person is part of the harvest.
• “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose,
• And they will each be rewarded according to their own labour”.
• The apostles Paul and Peter and other important leaders like Apollos;
• These men were not competing with one another;
• Rather they were each doing the job that the Lord had asked them to do!
• They may have had different callings and ministries;
• But they had on purpose – there was a unity of the Spirit present!
(3RD) THE NEED FOR HUMILITY:
• Let me emphasise again that it is not human leaders that produce results:
• Gifted leaders are essential to any Church – that is why we have the gift of leadership;
• And why the New Testament emphasises qualities of Church leadership.
• And yet, ultimately it is not human leaders that produce results:
• Verse 6: It is the Lord of the harvest ‘who gives the increase’.
• The Corinthian Christians saw leadership as a competition;
• And failed to realise that different leaders and different styles;
• Were meant to compliment us other and not compete with each other!
(3). The Temple – Quality (vs 9b-23)
9b“God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you?
Ill:
• I like the story of the man who was asked the question:
• “What is your Church preference?”
• He replied (tongue in cheek): “Red brick”
• TRANSITION: God compares his Church to a building;
• A building built with quality materials!
(1ST) THE RIGHT FOUNDATIONS (VS 10-11).
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
ILL:
• It is visited each year by thousands of people,
• It is one of the great tourist attractions in the world,
• It stands 179 feet tall and is a work of beauty,
• The problem is the architect built it on 10 feet of foundations.
• The leaning tower of Pisa,
• Is externally impressive but was a disaster waiting to happen!
• And it has only survived to this day,
• Thanks to the knowledge and skill of many different experts.
• TRANSITION: A Church must be built on the right foundations:
• And that foundation is Jesus Christ!
• He alone is the lasting foundation who spans time and different cultures.
• These Corinthian Christians were emphasising personalities – Paul, Apollos etc.
• When they should have been emphasising Jesus Christ.
Ill:
• The foundation is the most important part of the building;
• Because it determines the size, shape and strength of the structure.
• Therefore if Jesus Christ is the foundation;
• We must we must get to know everything about him;
• His life, his teachings, his death, resurrection and his eventual return.
• Any Church that departs from the teachings of Christ is doomed to fail.
• Without the firm foundation of Jesus Christ;
• The building becomes weak and wobbly,
• The walls will crack and the whole structure collapses.
Note:
• The apostle Paul could say: “…I laid a foundation and someone else is building on it”.
• The ‘someone else’ was other leaders and teachers who followed on;
• Such as Apollos and Peter etc.
• These men were not in competition with the apostle Paul;
• Rather they were complimenting and continuing the work he started.
Ill:
• A visitor was walking around a building site;
• He came across a carpenter and said; “Excuse me what are you doing?”
• The carpenter replied; “I am cutting some wood”.
• He came across a stone mason and said; “Excuse me what are you doing?”
• The stone mason replied; “I am shaping this stone”.
• He came across a labourer pushing a wheelbarrow & said; “Excuse me what are you doing?”
• The labourer replied; “Sir, I am building a cathedral!”
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul & Apollos and the apostle Peter;
• Were ‘building a cathedral’ – they had the big picture in view!
• They were not building individual empires;
• Rather they were complimenting one another in building the kingdom of God!
(2ND) THE RIGHT MATERIALS (VS 12-17).
“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their 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 person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”
The apostle Paul describes two contrasting types of building materials in these verses:
• THE NEGATIVE MATERIALS: ‘Wood. Hay and straw’;
• That which is temporary, ordinary, cheap, easy to obtain.
• ‘Wood. Hay and straw’ were cheap, combustible materials;
• Mainly used for temporary construction;
• Wood used for framework and hay and straw as roofing materials.
• A single spark could very quickly turn then entire construction into a pile of ashes!
• THE POSITIVE MATERIALS: ‘Gold, silver, costly stones (probably marble & granite)’.
• They were permanent, beautiful, valuable and hard to obtain.
• You can find ‘Wood. Hay and straw’ in your local area;
• But if you want ‘Gold, silver, costly stones’ you will have to mine for them!
• These stones take effort & hard work because they were quarried, cut, shaped and fitted;
• The apostle Paul’s point is clear:
• Not only are we to build on a strong foundation – Jesus Christ;
• We must also build our lives out of materials;
• That will stand up to the ravages of time and testing!
In conclusion:
Three main illustrations/metaphors are used in these verses:
• (1). The Family – Maturity of character (vs 1-4)
• Question: Am I growing up in my faith or just growing old?
• (2). The Field – Quantity of service (vs 5-9a)
• Question: Am I helping, serving, ministering to other people in the Church?
• (3). The Temple – Quality of materials (vs 9b-23)
• Question: Am I building with the right stuff!
Ill:
• A new hair salon opened for business;
• The problem was it opened right across the street from the well-established barber shop.
• The new shop put up a big bold sign which read: "We Give £7 Haircuts!"
• Not to be outdone, The old master barber put up his own sign: "We Fix 37 Haircuts!"
• TRANSITION: Let’s not do anything cheap and effortless for Christ;
• Let’s give him the quality and effort he deserves;
• Let remember that we are his representatives and we are building his Church!
