Jesus' dream was
that the members of his church would be one. It's the same oneness that
God hopes will occur within a marriage. But Satan's plan is to destroy
the unity that Jesus wants for his body. And so far Satan has been pretty
successful. He has been able to get us to develop an "Us against them"
mentality. Which is why some Christians prefer to call themselves a
Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Presbyterian, instead of just a Christian.
And pastors are guilty of the same thing. They get jealous when they
hear about other churches growing when their church isn't. They get
upset when a member leaves and starts to go to another church. They
too have developed an "Us against them" mentality.
I want you to know that even though I often compare myself with the
superstar preachers of today, I don't view them as my competitors. I
don't feel as though I have to compete with any of them for your loyalty.
It's not like I'm worried that you are going to quit coming and start
staying home to watch Charles Stanley instead.
I want you to know that I view the superstar preachers of today as counterparts
to the ministry. That is because I know that it takes hearing something
about 6 times before the message will become real to us. So if they
reinforce what I teach, or vice versa, then eventually the seed that
God's Spirit plants will come to fruition. And as you fall more passionately
in love with the Lord Jesus, you will let the Spirit lead you instead
of your flesh, and the result will be that will God be glorified through
your life. Which is my only motive for ministry. And that is what Paul
is talking about in this passage.
In
v. 5-9, Paul rebukes us for exalting the
man of God above God himself. The reason why we exalt men above God
is because we don't understand God's sovereignty. We have a tendency
to put people who the Lord uses on a pedestal. But in doing that, we
are ignoring the fact that the Spirit is the one who gives people the
gifts & callings. What Paul wants us to see is that pastors are not
little gods, they are just servants of God-v. 5.
The first lesson the Spirit wants us to see is that the person who preaches
is nothing but a tool in God's hand. Most Bibles have translated the
1st word in v. 5 as "what," instead of "who." Since the word in the
Greek is a neuter pronoun that is the best translation. It's kind of
humbling to think that no matter how many great feats you may do for
the Lord, you are just a what, not a who. Although we should never forget
who we are in Christ, but as far as our positions in the church, we
are nothing more than tools in the hand of God that he uses to build
his church and advance his kingdom.
Paul tells us that he & Appollos are nothing but servants. The term
servant in v. 5 is not an ecclesiastical title, but it is the description
of what a pastor does. A pastor is nothing more than a servant, whose
calling is to serve the members of Jesus' church. In this analogy Paul
is simply saying there is no basis for elevating a pastor to the status
of a spiritual superstar. Your allegiance should be to Jesus Christ
alone, not to me, or any pastor you may sit under. For God is the one
who produces the results-v. 6-7.
Please don't get the idea that your labor for the Lord is insignificant.
The truth is that since God, who doesn't need us to build his church,
has chosen to use us to build his church, gives the work we do in the
church tremendous worth and value. The main problem most of us have
is over the fact that God has sovereignly given some people gifts &
talents that are more spectacular than others. And this means that some
of us will be in the limelight more. But just because you serve more
behind the scenes doesn't mean that you are any less important in God's
economy.
I want you to know that pastors struggle with the sovereignty of God
just as much as you do. This really has become evident since the phenomenon
of the mega-church began. Pastors have bought into the lie that the
sign of God's success is to have a large membership. And since every
pastor wants to be seen as a success, they are trying to copy the techniques
that the mega-church pastors use. Which has caused some of those who
pastor the mega-churches to market the way they do church.
And pastors flock to their seminars, or buy their books, and then try
to implement the principles in their church. Although some have been
successful, most aren't. And the results are often devastating.
What pastors fail to see is through the sovereignty of God, he has gifted
certain men to pastor large flocks. And God has also gifted certain
men to pastor small flocks. But neither one is more successful in God's
eyes because both of them are operating through the gifts the Spirit
has given them. But if they try to build their church by copying an
other man's program instead of being led by the Spirit, they will be
end up being driven by the need for success instead of being satisfied
in fulfilling their calling. And the results will be that they will
hurt a lot people by stepping on them as they are trying to climb the
ladder of success.
Paul was very successful in bringing people to a saving faith in Jesus
Christ. And he was the most successful church planter in the history
of the church. But he never took credit for what he did, nor did he
ever try to get others to follow his methods. Even to Timothy, his spiritual
prodigy, he didn't tell him to copy his ministry. Instead Paul told
Timothy to "Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through
the laying on of my hands." (2
Tim. 1:6) Paul understood the sovereignty of God. Which is why he
tells us: "By the grace of God I am what I am." (1
Cor. 15:10)
In v. 6, Paul tries to help us understand God's sovereignty through
an agricultural metaphor. In doing so, he shows us that there is a place
in God's economy for all of us. Let me ask you this question: In planting
a garden, what is the most important part?
Is it toiling up the ground and getting the fertilizer on the soil to
make it rich? Is it planting the seed into the right depth? Is it watering
and pulling up the weeds so the seed can grow? Is it picking the crops
when they're ripe? The answer is that each of these steps is important.
If you neglect any of these steps, you will never have a nice garden.
And the same is true with the growing of God's church.
But the problem in today's church is that some churches believe that
they are the best because they are the seed planters. They are like
Paul whose main goal was to introduce non-Christians to Jesus Christ.
The problem with merely being a seed planter church is that unless you
water, feed, and pull up the weeds, the seedlings will never grow.
Then there are the churches who believe they are the best because they
water & feed the seedlings. They are like Appollos whose main goal was
to see baby Christians grow into full maturity. The problem with merely
being a church that waters & feeds is that evangelism is often not seen
as a priority.
So what a church needs is to have a proper balance. Churches need to
plant the seed of the gospel every time they meet, but they also need
to provide the spiritual food & water the seedlings need in order to
produce much fruit for the glory of God. But this brings me to my second
question: Who is the one that causes a seed to sprout and then to grow?
After all, not everyone who plants a garden is successful. There are
some people who can't even keep an artificial plant alive.
The answer of course is that God is the one who causes our gardens to
grow. Since that is true in the natural world, wouldn't that be true
in the spiritual world as well? Therefore, let me ask you this question:
Who is the one that causes churches to grow? The answer of course is
God. Notice that twice Paul says that God gives the increase in vv.
6 & 7.
Now there's a danger when we talk about the sovereignty of God. The
danger is that we have a tendency to sit back and let God do it all!
While it is true that God does it all, it is also true that he does
it all through us. Someone once said: "There is only one way to make
dreams come true. That is to wake up and go to work!"
Spiritual growth only occurs when we cooperate with God. Which means
first of all someone has to prepare the soil for the seed of the gospel.
Then someone has to plant the seed. Then someone has to take the time
to water the seed until it sprouts. Then someone else has to be diligent
in pulling the weeds to keep them from killing the plants before they
have a chance to bloom. And finally, someone has to come along and pick
the fruit or it will rot on the vine.
Since it takes all of us working in God's garden to grow God's church,
there should be no jealousy or quarreling among us. In the church no
servant is superior/inferior to the rest. We're working together, not
in opposition to one another! Or as Paul says, we are all co-laborers
in the building of God's church-v. 9.
What Paul is saying is that you and I are the construction workers.
Now this does not contradict the claim Jesus made when he said: "Upon
this rock I will build My church." Rather it recognizes that Jesus is
going to build his church through subcontractors like you & me. We've
got to get to the point where we can see that we're all on the same
team. And our only objective is to collectively glorify the Lord by
using our spiritual gifts & God-given talents to build each other up,
and advance his kingdom.
Can you imagine what our worship service would be like if I tried to
do everything? I know that that I can't do it alone. Not only do I need
the Lord's help, but I also need those who serve in the nursery, those
who teach our children, those who serve in our music ministry, those
who spend their time during the week in prayer for our services, along
with the countless other things y'all do behind the scenes, in order
for this church to be what it is.
Notice that in the last part of verse 9 that Paul switches metaphors
from a garden to a building. Even though he switches metaphors, the
message is the same: The Church is God's building. He owns it, he occupies
it, and therefore, it belongs to him-v. 10.
The Greek word translated "expert builder" means architect. The architects
of the early church were the apostles & prophets that God used to lay
the doctrinal foundation for the building of the church. Paul's words
here might sound a little egotistical except for the fact that he makes
it clear his involvement is only by the grace God.
I have been convicted by the Spirit to de-emphasize my title. My flesh
really likes it when people call me Pastor Bob. But the Lord convicted
me that pastor is what I do, not what I am.
I've got to tell you what the Lord used to convict me of this. A couple
of weeks ago I heard a pastor talk about this on the radio, and the
Spirit began to convict me that I was guilty of this. But I didn't listen
to his voice.
Then Carol & I went to the movies the other day, and we saw a preview
for the movie "The Cat in the Hat." And the Spirit used the preview
to convict me once again of what I had heard on the radio. In the story,
The Cat in the Hat lets 2 other cats out of a box. And he calls them
Thing One and Thing Two.
The Holy Spirit convicted me that God, like the Cat in the Hat, has
let me out of his box so I can serve him, by serving you as the pastor
of this church. I'm merely Servant 1 or Servant 2. The Lord doesn't
want you to revere me as the Senior Pastor who is faster than a speeding
bullet, who can stop a locomotive, and who can jump over tall buildings
in a single bound. Instead, he wants you to see me as a servant, who
along with the rest of the servants of this church, are here to help
you grow in your love with Jesus Christ.
The reason why I don't want you to revere me is because sooner or later
y'all are going to go through a trial that is so great that I'm not
going to be able to rescue you. And when that happens, I don't want
your relationship with God to falter. But if you build you relationship
with God upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, when "The rain comes in
torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against your house,
it won't collapse, because it is built upon the rock." (Matt.
7:25)
Paul then goes on to tell us that the true church can't be built upon
on anything else but Jesus Christ alone-v. 11. I know that this is not
a politically correct position to take, but it is the biblically correct
position to take. Look at the foundation the early church fathers laid
for us concerning this fact: "For Jesus is the One referred to in the
Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has
now become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else! For there
is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.'"
(Acts
4:11-12) "We are His house, built upon the foundation of the apostles
and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself." (Ephesians
2: 20) "As the Scriptures express it, 'I am placing a stone in Jerusalem,
a chosen cornerstone, and anyone who believes in Him will never be disappointed."
(1
Peter 2:6)
This thrice-fold declaration from God proves that Jesus is the only
foundation for the church. And faith in him is the only way a person
can be saved. So let's boldly go out into our world, and proclaim along
with our spiritual ancestors the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Not only does God gives us the material to use for our foundation, but
he also tells us what kind of materials he wants us to use to build
his church-v. 12. God wants us to build his church out of costly material
like gold, silver, and precious stones. Not out of cheap material like
wood, hay or straw! Let me give you some examples of these 2 kinds of
materials.
I would suggest to you that a heart of service is costly material. While
the attitude, "Let someone else do it, because I've done my time," is
cheap material. Coming to church with a heart of worship is the former;
coming to impress others is the latter. When you stand up to peer pressure
and maintain a strong witness, that is gold, silver and costly stones
in God's sight. When you bow to the pressure of the crowd and pretend
you don't know Jesus, that is wood, hay and straw in God's sight.
When I feed you the Word of God, I am using costly material. If I were
to just tell interesting stories, I'd be using cheap material. If I
start to preach more about politics than I do about prophecy, I would
be using cheap material. If I seek to glorify myself rather than glorifying
in the Cross of Christ, I am building with faulty material.
The reason Paul exhorts us so seriously about the materials we use in
building God's church is that one day the building inspector is going
to come and inspect the quality of our workmanship-v. 13. Nowhere in
the Bible are we told that God will test the quantity of our work. If
quantity were important, the thief on the cross wouldn't have had a
chance. He didn't have even one day to serve the Lord. The only work
he did was to rebuke the other thief for not realizing who Jesus was.
He said, "'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But
this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me
when You come into Your kingdom.'" (Luke
23:40-42) The thief's rebuke of the other thief, and his request
of Jesus were works that God counted to as gold, silver, and precious
stones. We see this when "Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth,
today you will be with Me in paradise." (Luke
23:43)
God isn't numbers-driven the way we are. God is not going to ask me,
"How many people did you preach to each Sunday?" Instead he is going
to ask me, "How faithful were you to my Word? Did you preach in the
power of the Spirit rather than in your own power and intellect? Did
you live at home what you preached at church?"
And I think you will be asked similar questions, like: "Did you honor
my name in your business? Did you teach your children the truths of
my Word? Did you love your spouse as Christ loved the Church?" Doing
these things may never get you an official title in the church, but
they are, nevertheless, critical to building the church, the family
of God.
Building the church has as much to do with the way we live our lives,
the way we parent our kids, the way we show love for our spouses, and
hospitality to strangers, as it does with teaching Sunday school, or
preaching, or singing in the music ministry. When my son was growing
up, he could have cared less whether or not I preached a good sermon.
The only thing that mattered to him was whether or not I was a good
daddy. Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, lost his kids because
he devoted more of his life to preaching 2/3 times each week, then to
practicing what he preached at home 24/7.
Notice next that The inspection we will face will either result in either
a reward or a fine-v. 14-15. Have you noticed that in today's society
people will not volunteer to do anything unless they get a pat on the
back, or unless they get some kind of public recognition. The same is
true within the church. Despite the privilege of getting a written invitation
to join in the work of building God's church, we will only do so if
along with the invite is the promise that we will receive the praise
of men. It is a shame that most of us don't realize the pleasure that
comes when we work only to give God the glory. When we allow God to
be glorified through our good works, there is waiting for us in heaven
rewards that will bless our hearts more than any joy that comes from
being praised by human beings.
One of those rewards is a crown: There is a crown for bringing people
to Christ; a crown for looking forward to Jesus' coming; a crown for
enduring trials because you love the Lord, and a crown for being faithful
in your responsibilities. If you receive this crown, then you will be
given another reward.
That reward will be to serve with Jesus during his 1,000 yr. reign on
earth. I've given God my top 3 choices: Gatlinburg, Yellowstone, or
anywhere in Australia. The rest of the world is up for grabs. But I
believe the greatest reward you will receive is the day when you hear
Jesus declare to all the inhabitants of heaven: "Well done, good and
faithful servant! Come and share your Master's happiness!" (Matt.
25:21 & 23)
This passage not only teaches us that there are rewards waiting for
us in heaven, but it also teaches us that there are punishments waiting
for us in heaven as well. The concept of punishments & rewards is not
difficult for us to understand. For it is a law that God has built into
the very fabric of our world. It is based upon the spiritual law that
states says: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps
what he sows." (Gal.
6:7)
We know plenty about the present consequences of sin, whether it is
STD's for promiscuity, liver disease for drunkenness, or poverty for
gambling. But what we often ignore is the fact that the consequences
of how we live now will follow us even into eternity. This doesn't mean
that we are going to be kicked out of heaven, but it does mean that
we are going to have to answer to Jesus for how we lived.
One day all of us are going to have to give an account for our actions.
On that day, if we have lived other than exemplary lives, we will be
just like Adam was in the garden after he got caught sinning. We too
will want to hide as those secret sins we thought no one knew about
are exposed for all of heaven to see. The reason for that is because
we will be so ashamed for how we lived.
Erwin Lutzer has a chapter in his book, Your Eternal Reward, that is
entitled "Tears in Heaven." It accurately describes the sorrow some
of us are going to experience when our secret sins are revealed as we
stand before Jesus. As we are convicted about those things we didn't
do, and those things we shouldn't have done, Lutzer believes will break
down and cry.
Look at what he wrote, "I believe there are good reasons why there will
be tears in heaven. When we reflect on how we lived for Christ, who
purchased us at such high cost, we might weep on the other side of the
celestial gates. Our tears will be those of regret and shame, tears
of remorse for lives lived for ourselves rather than for Him who loved
us, and released us from our sins by His blood. Perhaps we would never
cease crying in heaven if God Himself did not come and wipe the tears
from our eyes."
Let me close with some words of wisdom that one my welding instructors
told the class, that hopefully will help us to see the kind of judgment
that we as Christians will all have to face. He said: "Some of you will
be welders, and some of you will end up cleaning Porta-potties." Now
both of these are honorable jobs. And we do need people to clean the
Porta-potties. But of the 2, which would you rather do? All of us are
going to be given a job in heaven that is based upon how faithful you
were to the work God assigned you while you were alive. But do you really
want to spend the rest of eternity cleaning out portable toilets?
My final question to you this morning is "Which judgment are you going
to?" Every person in this room is going to either stand before Jesus
at what the Bible calls "The Judgment Seat of Christ." Or your are going
to stand before God Almighty at what the Bible calls "The Great White
Throne Judgment!" The former leads to an invitation to spend eternity
in heaven as your reward. The later leads to an eviction notice to depart
from God's presence to spend the rest of eternity being punished in
a place called hell.
The good news is you can escape the Great White Throne Judgment by making
now a reservation for the Judgment Seat of Christ. All you have to do
is to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for you that
you might have the gift of eternal life.
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