Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

1 Corinthians 3:10-16 ESV
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

I.FROM AGRICULTURE TO ARCHITECTURE (10-11)
A.Jesus is the foundation of the church.
B.The Corinthians were to work with God to build a church upon the foundation of Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

II.THE CHURCH AS THE NEW TEMPLE (16)
A.The corporate church is the new Temple of God.
B.The church is now responsible to carry on corporate worship of God and to represent the presence of God on the earth. (Exodus 19:5-6, Matthew 18:20)
C.To represent God, the church must be holy, redeem its community, and be diverse. (Ephesians 3:6-11)

III.THE PERMANENT AND THE PERSIHABLE (12-14)
A.Temples are built to last for eternity. Houses are built to last a lifetime.
B.Judgment Day will reveal the wisdom of our choice of material in building the church.

IV.SHAM OF PURGATORY & SURENESS OF CHRIST (15)
A.The judgment of believers is not purgatory.
B.We can’t expatiate our own sins by performing penance.
C.Jesus has paid our penance and already expatiated our sin.

NEXT STEPS
1.Plant your feet in the wet cement of the Gospel and refuse to move

NEXT WEEK:
1 Cor 3:18-23 — Built To Last Forever, Not Just For Now