Series: 1 Corinthians
Title: God Will Do It!
Text: 1 Cor 3: 12-20
Date: November 5, 2015
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
“God will do it!” It will help us understand our text, if we see the application the Holy Spirit gives to us through Paul. These are the lessons Paul is working towards; the lessons he is teaching in our text tonight.
1 Corinthians 3: 18: 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.
1 Cor 3: 21: Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours.
Even when it seems bad to you, believer, God is in control working it all for you—even the trials and errors.
1 Corinthians 4: 5: Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, [in each day of grace, in each day of trial] who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
We are very quick to put our hands to God’s work, especially when it comes to God’s preacher and our brethren. When we are surprised by a sour note or by a wrong action, sadly, though we may have known the brother for years—we are apt to quickly make him an offender for a word.
It is a good thing to do as the apostle John said, try preachers by the scriptures.
1 John 4: 1: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
But it is bad thing when we are quick to make our judgment, our condemnation, pronouncing a true, faithful brother as a false preacher or false brethren—and we begin to sow discord—simply because they sound a brief few sour notes or because they make a few errors in judgment or because we just don’t like something about the way they preach.
Then we make ourselves to be wiser than Christ our Head. Then we glory in men—ourselves and others and what we brought to pass—rather than Christ and his good providence. Then we make ourselves the judge and put ourselves in Christ Judgment seat.
If the whole building is to be a spiritual building; if we are to be "living stones" built up, and built upon, our living Head then every stone in this spiritual temple must be laid by Christ through the Holy Spirit. We must be corrected by Christ our Head and kept and grown by Christ.
Therefore, everything of our sinful nature—our self-wisdom, self-glorying and self-condemning—must be burned up so that we trust our sovereign Savior to work in his preachers and in his people. So that Christ may be all: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. And so that we might be made to trust Christ in all things for time and eternity!
REVIEW
Whatever any believer does which is honoring to Christ—whether laying or building—it is only by the grace of God—1 Corinthians 3: 10: According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and [by the same grace of God given] another buildeth thereon.
We have no room to glory in men. We have no room to exalt one over another. We all, whether laying the foundation or building on it, do so—in truth—only by the grace of God given, by God giving the increase.
So Paul gives a warning—1 Corinthians 3: 10:…But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Christ crucified is the only message to be preached and Christ the one we must wait to make it effectual because God will have Christ his Son given all premenience. Everything is in and by Christ. God the Father elected a people in Christ. Christ successfully redeemed his particular people. God the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ: he quickens and calls each one from death to life in Christ. Christ our Head personally works in power, in the heart, to constrain his people to good works—not using law—but through faith and love. Christ shall correct each one through his gospel and it shall be a great fiery trial for us when he does. Yet, beginning to end Christ is All and in all.
Therefore, Christ must have the preeminence in every message, in every doctrine, in every act of providence, in every work, in every heart, especially in our waiting on him to build up his children—“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
But what if a believer errs therein?
Here is the main point: Christ, our sovereign Head, shall bless and correct all his preachers and his people, through the gospel, in his time. Therefore, all we do is preach Christ, support the preaching of Christ, pray to Christ, wait on Christ and give Christ all the glory.
CHRIST WILL MAKE MANIFEST
First, Christ our Head—not you and not me—will make manifest his true work while burning up our works of error—“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;” (1 Cor 3: 12)
Everything you and I do—as God’s true preacher and true people—is either building by and from Christ or we are building with our own fleshly efforts. But we are all building on Christ our Foundation at all times.
“Any man” means all God’s true elect people—God’s true preacher and God’s true people who are chosen, redeemed, regenerated, and preserved. God’s true witnesses in the pulpit or pew—any man.
When we build upon Christ our Foundation using “gold, silver, precious stones” it is by God’s grace alone, by God’s working. Then we use precious doctrine which comes from Christ the Rock himself. By God’s grace, we use that which is of God and cannot be consumed away by the fire of trial. The Gold, the Silver, and the Precious stones are all of the Rock, of Christ the Foundation.
But when we build upon Christ using “wood, hay and stubble” it is of our flesh, our vain wisdom, our vain strength, our self-condemnation. These are things that are not of God but are earthy—wood, hay and stubble. These materials represent false doctrines of man’s wisdom, man’s methods, and man’s efforts used to correct and get folks on our side. They are things which can be burned up by the fire of trial because they are not of God our Savior.
Let me illustrate. These true believers at Corinth had been founded by Christ on Christ through the preaching of Christ. They began bearing witness of Christ building with gold, silver precious stones from Christ the Foundation. But they turned to their flesh. They began to find fault with certain preachers and certain brethren. They began to talk about it. Then they began to attempt to correct it by their wisdom rather than waiting on Christ through the preaching of the gospel. They were Christ’s redeemed, regenerated people but they were now using wood, hay and stubble.
So what did Paul do? By God’s grace, Paul is here building on Christ the Foundation using gold, silver and precious stones. He is declaring Christ. He is declaring that just as only Christ could redeem his people from our sins, likewise, as our Head only Christ can correct his preacher and his people in spirit and in truth. Paul is declaring Christ the one Foundation, using the gospel of gold, silver and precious stones.
Here is his important point. Christ will make every man’s work manifest—“Every man’s work shall be made manifest:…” (1 Cor 3: 13)
Again, in the context, “every man” speaks of every true child of God. Whether God’s true preacher has fallen into some erroneous doctrine or means or whether God’s people are trying to erroneously condemn one preacher or brother while exalting another, using fleshly strength to correct or be it God’s people are truly trusting Christ, exalting Christ and waiting on Christ.
God shall make every man’s work manifest in the day Christ comes forth in the fiery trial--“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.” (1 Cor 3: 13)
Be sure to get this. Christ is the trying Fire. In the day of trial, Christ will send his preacher with his gospel of gold, silver and precious stones—exactly as Christ was doing at the church of Corinth, right here, with his apostle, Paul. Christ shall come forth in the message into the heart of his child through the Holy Spirit. Christ the Fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is whether it be of him—gold, silver precious stones—or whether it be of our flesh—wood hay and stubble.
We can see this in Malachi 3. We apply this passage to the time when Christ sent John the Baptist then came to his temple in the flesh. Christ was the fire who tried who was his and who were not. But it applies to our text because Christ does this still when he comes forth in the gospel and in providence to try his people.
Malachi 3: 1: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2: But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 3: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, [those he has made priests unto God] and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
So from Christ—not us—every believer shall receive a reward according to what each believer used to build on Christ. “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.” In other words, we shall reap what we sow—“If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” (1 Cor 3: 14)
How does any believer’s work abide. It is by God’s grace, to God’s glory alone, that the believer built with Christ, prayed to Christ to make it effectual, waited on Christ to do so. His work is of Christ, of grace, and shall abide. His reward is that Christ receives all the glory for the work and for being the one foundation. His reward is Christ saved his people and made his building to stand and Christ saved him.
But the child of God who turns to his own fleshly efforts, shall meet a different outcome. Indeed, Christ shall save him. He is redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Justice cannot demand a second payment of him. Yet, Christ shall save him by fire, by destroying all his fleshly building of wood, hay and stubble—“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Cor 3: 15)
How will he be saved? He will be turned by Christ, to Christ, through this gospel of Christ. Everything else will be burned up. Through fiery trial, Christ will make him see that everything he thought was useful is useless ash, burnt up as wood, hay and stubble by Christ himself!
Please do not miss the main point. Christ shall do the manifesting—not us. If we would build using gold, silver, precious stones then look to Christ, speak of Christ, ask Christ to bless it and wait on Christ. Anything else is wood, hay and stubble and Christ shall burn it up in order that we might be saved.
GOD WILL DESTROY THE DESTROYER
Secondly, what if a man is indeed false and attempts to defile (destroy) Christ’s church? The answer is the same, God—not you and not me—will take care of that man—“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17: If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Cor 3: 16-17)
God did everything to make his true church his holy temple—not you and I. “Ye are God’s temple”—God’s building—built by God’s grace. “Ye are God’s temple” built by God’s blood. “The Spirit of God dwelleth in you” who were dead, defiled, and unable to live. The Spirit of God gave us life and faith. The Spirit of God keeps us by dwelling in us. Therefore—by the work of the triune God “ye are God’s holy temple.”
So if God did all this to make you his holy temple then we can be sure that God—not you and not me—will take care of any enemy who attempts to defile his people, his church.
Do you see? Paul is preaching gold, silver and precious stones. If he were telling us to do something of ourselves to correct our brethren or to expose the defiler rather than trusting Christ, then he would be preaching wood, hay and stubble.
GOD’S THREE APPLICATIONS
Lastly, let’s look again at the three applications given us by the Holy Spirit. We will only read them for now.
One, do not deceive yourself. Rather than attempting to be wise in our flesh, let us become a fool and trust Christ our Wisdom—“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. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” (1 Cor 3: 18-20)
Two, do not glory in men. Do not glory in the flesh by turning to fleshly strength. But know that all things are ours and are being worked for us by God whether we deem them good or bad—Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 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.” (1 Cor 3: 21-23)
Do you have a preacher in error? Wait on Christ. Do you have a brother in error? Wait on Christ. Even this error is for God’s true child to teach you that Christ shall not fail. Wait and you will see.
Three, wait on our Lord Jesus to judge and correct rather than taking matters into our own hands—“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” (1 Cor 4: 5)
If we take matters into our hands, we will create division among brethren and much sadness, and sadly, we may be praised of men for doing so. But Christ will cause all his true people to wait on him and, by Christ’s working in us, we shall receive honor from God.
Amen!