NO MERE MEN—1Corinthians 3:1-23(3:1-9; 9-17; 18-23)
—SECTION 2(3:9-17)Their Building—part 2
Attention:
When it comes down to it, without tools, Mere Men’s abilities are severely limited, accomplishing only a very small amount of the work they desire.
All mankind realizes that their world is in need of a savior. Realizing that No Mere Men can accomplish the world’s greatest need…dealing with sin.
Paul reveals the traits of unspiritual men.
Unspiritual men are unable to exist in harmony.
Why are the unspiritual unable to live in harmony?
Because...
As we discovered previously—No mere men can Overcome...
—SECTION 1(:1-9)—
1. IMMATURITY(:1)
2. DIET(:2-3a)Sustenance
3. ENVY(:3bi)
4. STRIFE(:3bii)
5. DIVISIVENESS(:3biii)
6. BEHAVIORS(:3b)
7. MINISTRY(:4-5)
8. SIGNIFICANCE(:6-7)
9. LABOR(:8-9)
—SECTION 2(:9-17)—
10—No mere men can Overcome…
BUILDING(:9-17)
A. FOUNDATION(:9-11)
10—No mere men can Overcome…
BUILDING(:9-17)
Explanation:(:9-17)
These all come back to the church’s being carnal evidenced thru their being Envious, Striving, & ultimately, Divisive(:1-3).
B.—EDIFICE(:10b)Actively Build upon
“…& another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”
Other people would build upon the “foundation” which Paul had set in place(“laid”).
All men are called upon to pay close attention to the manner in which they build upon the foundation. Thereby, many builders of succeeding generations are employed in the building.
“Another”(See :10—“Other”)—allov—Adj.—1) Another, other. Allov as compared with eterov denotes numerical in distinction from qualitative differences; allov adds ('one besides') Strong—a primary word; “Else,” i.e. Different(in many applications).
“Builds on”2X(See :12, 14)—epoikodomew—1) To build upon, build up. To finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid [or] To give constant increase in Christian knowledge & in a life conformed thereto. Strong—To build upon, i.e. figuratively--To rear up. Used 8X.
“Take heed/Be Careful”—blepw—1) To see, discern, of the bodily eye; 2) metaph.--To see with the mind's eye; 3) in a geographical sense--Of places, mountains, buildings, etc. turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it. Oraw gives prominence to the discerning mind, blepw to the particular mood or point. When the physical side recedes, oraw denotes perception in general (as resulting principally from vision), the prominence being in the mental element. Blepw on the other hand, when the physical side recedes, gets a purely outward sense. Skopew is more pointed than blepw, often meaning "to scrutinize, observe".
“How”—pwv—Particle—1) How, in what way. Strong—an interrogative particle of manner; In what way?(sometimes the question is indirect--How?); also as exclamation--How much!
Argumentation:
Eph. 2:19-22—“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers & foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints & members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Eph. 3:1-12—“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles-- if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery(as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles & prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, & partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him.”
The Church is God’s designed/chosen agent of declaration to a lost world & to an unseen world!
1Cor. 8:1—“...We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies[builds up].”
Lk. 14:25-33— Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned & said to them, “If anyone comes to Me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters, yes, & his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross & come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first & count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, & is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, “saying, ‘This man began to build & was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first & consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation & asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
The Church is composed of disciples!
Illustration:
Empty foundations along Hwy 98 in Franklin County/They serve no use!/Where is the Building/What was it supposed to be? or What did it used to be?/Foundations are intended to support an Edifice/BUILDING’s EDIFICE
Wesley Thompson’s Dam across the creek/Somehow he was able single-handedly to construct a dam of clay & pebbles which stopped up the entire creek(normally shin-deep) taking the depth above the dam to a depth up to our shoulders(a major feat for a little kid)/Completely cut off the creek below the dam to a mere trickle & some puddles!/BUILDING’s EDIFICE
Examine your life! ?Has it been dedicated to God’s glory or your own?
Application:
?You a ‘Mere’ Man/Woman?
?Your life(Building) patterned upon the EDIFICE of Christ Jesus?
10—No mere men can Overcome…
BUILDING(:9-17)
Explanation:(:9-17)
These all come back to the church’s being carnal evidenced thru their being Envious, Striving, & ultimately, Divisive(:1-3).
C.—QUALITY(:12-15)
:12—“Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,”
Men can build upon the “foundation” of Christ with a variety of materials. The choice of such materials is up to the individual Christian. The materials chosen can be either precious(uncorruptible) or common(corruptible).
But the true point of determination of a material’s fitness for such a “foundation” as Christ, is in its ability(unscathed) or inability(consumption) to survive the fire of God’s judgment(:13).
Pure “gold”, “silver” & “precious stones” will survive unscathed thru such “fire.” Whereas “wood”, “hay” & “straw” are no match for “fire” & become, in fact, fuel for it.
Paul is informing/warning the Corinthians of their own condition that they are building with tangible/temporal material. They are to build with that which will last/ remain eternally!
:13—“each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.”
The work of each individual & institution will be declared for what it truly is—whether from God(eternal) or from creation(finite).
The “Day”(of the Lord) is a specific “Day”(time in God’s plan of redemption) in which the “fire” of God’s judgment will ‘burn’ & ‘shake’ all things in earth & in the heavens(Heb. 12:25-27) so as to reveal & remove/destroy those things which cannot endure such divine attentions.
*Heb. 12:25-27—“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
*Isa. 2:12—For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud & lofty, Upon everything lifted up-- And it shall be brought low--
Isa. 13:6-9—“Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt, And they will be afraid. Pangs & sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath & fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it.”
Consider a building which is detonated for removal. The entire structure falls apart under such stress as it is unfit for.
Every “work” of man is “tested” for its quality in the end. It must withstand the rigors of God’s determinations. God’s “fire” is determinative for our every action, motive, thought, consideration, etc.
Each person’s work will become plain/evident, i.e., the material will be shown to be either corruptible or incorruptible,...Temporal or eternal.
“Work”2X(See :14)—ergon—1) Business, employment, that which any one is occupied—1a) That which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking; 2) Any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind; 3) An act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasized in opposition to that which is less than work. Strong—from a primary (but obsolete) ergw(to work); Toil(as an effort or occupation); by implication--An act.
“Become/Made”—ginomai—1) To become, i.e. To come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2) To become, i.e. To come to pass, happen; 3) To arise, appear in history, come upon the stage; 4) To be made, finished; 5) To become, be made. Strong—To cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. reflexively--To become(come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.).
“Clear/Manifest/Evident/Obvious/Shown for what it is”—fanerov—Adj.—1) Apparent, manifest, evident, known; 2) Manifest i.e To be plainly recognized or known. Strong—from fwv; Shining, i.e. Apparent(literally or figuratively); neuter(as adverb)--Publicly, externally.
“Declare/Show/Disclose/Bring...to light”—dhlow—1) To make manifest; 2) To make known by relating, to declare; 3) To give one to understand, to indicate, signify. Dhlow is to render evident to the mind, of such disclosures as exhibit character or suggest inferences. Strong—To make plain (by words). Used 7X.
“Revealed”—apokaluptw—1) To uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up—1a) Disclose, make bare; 2) To make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown. Apokaluptw is an internal disclosure, to the thinking believer, & abiding. The apokaluptw or "unveiling" precedes & produces the fanerow or "manifestation"; the former looks toward the object revealed, the latter toward the persons to whom the revelation is made. Some question this explanation. Strong—To take off the cover, i.e. Disclose.
“Fire”2X(See :15)—pur—1) Fire. Strong—a primary word; “Fire”(literally or figuratively, specifically, lightning).
“Test/Try”—dokimazw—1) To test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; 2) To recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy. Strong—To test (literally or figuratively); by implication--To approve.
“Sort/Quality”—opoiov—Pronoun—1) Of what sort or quality, what manner of. Strong—Of what kind that, i.e. How(as) great(excellent) (specifically, as an indefinite correlative to the definite antecedent toioutov of quality). Used 5X.
:14—“If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.”
If the work survives the fire unscathed, then it is acceptable before God. The work has been of God & for His glory.
*The quality of our work is crucial.
The quality of our work will be put to the ultimate test.
We will be rewarded for the work that “endures”/survives/remains standing thru the fire.
“Work”(See :13)—ergon—
“Built on”(See :10, 12)—epoikodomew—
“Endures/Remains/Survives”—menw—1) To remain, abide; 2) To wait for, await one. Strong—a primary verb; To stay(in a given place, state, relation or expectancy).
“Receive”(See :8)—lambanw—
“Reward”(See :8)—misyov—1) Dues paid for work—1a) Wages, hire; 2) Reward: used of the fruit naturally resulting from toils & endeavors—2a) in both senses--Rewards & punishments, 2b) Of the rewards which God bestows, or will bestow, upon good deeds & endeavors, 2c) Of punishments. Strong—apparently a primary word; Pay for service (literally or figuratively), good or bad.
:15—“If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
We will “suffer loss” of all of our life’s “work” if it is consumed by God’s “fire” of judgment. Our life’s “work” is intended to flow from our relationship to God in Christ.
However, even though a Christian’s entire life’s work may be lost, the true Christian shall be “saved” at a price...The overarching consequence of the worldly-distracted(fruitfulness choked by thorns) follower of Christ is that because his “work” is lost, he is thus “saved’ as if “thru fire.” He will escape hell to enter heaven but with absolutely nothing of his previous life. This pictures someone who loses their entire household in a house fire, escaping with only the clothes on their back. Thereby such a person’s loss will present eternal consequences—loss of reward(:8, 14).
“Burned”—katakaiw—1) To burn up, consume by fire. Strong—To burn down(to the ground), i.e. Consume wholly.
From—kata—a primary particle; (prepositionally) Down—&—kaiw—apparently a primary verb; To set on fire, i.e. Kindle or (by implication) consume
“Suffer loss”—zhmiow—1) To affect with damage, do damage to; 2) To sustain damage, to receive injury, suffer loss. Strong—To injure, i.e. (reflexively or passively)--To experience detriment. Used 6X.
“Saved”—swzw—1) To save, keep safe & sound, to rescue from danger or destruction. Strong—from a primary swv(contraction for obsolete saov, "safe"); To save, i.e. Deliver or protect(literally or figuratively).
“Yet so as”—outwv de wv—--—outwv—Adverb—1) In this manner, thus, so. Strong—In this way (referring to what precedes or follows).—&—de—Conj.—1) But, moreover, &, etc.—&—wv—Adverb—1) As, like, even as, etc. Strong—probably adverb of comparative from ov; Which how, i.e. In that manner(very variously used).
“Through”—dia—Prep.—a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; Through(in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional).
Argumentation:
1Cor. 9:24, 25—“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”
Js. 4:17—“Therefore, to him who knows to do good & does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Php. 3:13, 14—“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
2Tim. 4:5-8—“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, & the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, & not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
1Cor. 4:5—“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness & reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”
Mat. 24:45-47—“Who then is a faithful & wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.”
Mat. 25:21—“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good & faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ”
Rev. 2:5, 10; 3:2, 10, 19—“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent & do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly & remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.”.....“...Be faithful until death, & I will give you the crown of life.”.....“Be watchful, & strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”.....“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”.....“As many as I love, I rebuke & chasten. Therefore be zealous & repent.”
Rom. 12:1, 2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Gal. 6:1-5—“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, & so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, & then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, & not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.”[3:8]
Illustration:
We went to a restaurant in Apalachicola & I ordered an Oyster Po’ Boy/It was delicious!/The restaurant used ‘select or prime’ oysters in the sandwich(I had never seen such before!)/I thought, “Man this is great!”/Some time later we returned to the same restaurant where I ordered another Oyster Po’ Boy/It was good but not the same because they used ‘standard’ oysters/Building’s QUALITY
‘Holmes on Homes’ TV show/Corrects the blunders & false promises of others that are—shysters, frauds,unscrupulous(AKA—Do Dahs)/Mike Holmes is there to ‘Make it right’—Undo the bad & replace it properly/Building’s QUALITY
Anyone who has experienced or ‘inherited’ inferior work—Used Cars...built(Yugo; Pinto, etc.) &/or repaired with ‘second-rate, substandard’(not inexpensive but cheeeep) parts & labor—Homes...Built &/or repaired with cheap parts & labor/Building’s QUALITY
There is a huge market for mobile homes due to the economy’s downturn with loss of jobs/Mobile homes versus stick-built homes—Affordability separates them/Building’s QUALITY
Commercial vs. Residential or Public/Requirements for each is different/Generally commercial is a ‘step up’ from Residential/The difference is associated with money/?What are you willing to spend(sacrifice/give up)?/Building’s QUALITY
Commercial internet is faster/Building’s QUALITY
Your best for the Owner/Building’s QUALITY
Again...Wesley Thompson’s Dam/Placed properly & of sufficient Quality so that it held back enough water to dry-up the creek below it!/Building’s QUALITY
Application:
?You a ‘Mere’ Man/Woman?
?Your life(Building) patterned upon the QUALITY of Christ Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
No mere men can Overcome...
—SECTION 2(3:9-17)—
10. BUILDING(:9-17)
B. EDIFICE(:10b)
C. QUALITY(:12-15)
A. FOUNDATION(:9-11)
—SECTION 1(3:1-9)—
1. IMMATURITY(:1)
2. DIET(:2-3a)Sustenance
3. ENVY(:3bi)
4. STRIFE(:3bii)
5. DIVISIVENESS(:3biii)
6. BEHAVIORS(:3b)
7. MINISTRY(:4-5)
8. SIGNIFICANCE(:6-7)
9. LABOR(:8-9)
Christians are no mere men!
Rather we are super-natural men!
Able to instill freedom & justice & the Christian(Truthful) way!
Presented 09/14/2014pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
