1 Corinthains 3:10-15 – Building A Superstructure – Bible study

1Corinthians 3:10-15 Building A Superstructure I. \#10-11\ A Foundation Is Laid A. Paul talking to the church at Corinth says that he has laid the one and only foundation, Jesus Christ. 1. This is a reference to salvation. 2. Most everyone here during this evening service will profess to know Jesus Christ as their Savior, hopefully all. 3. However, should there be one who has entered the doors tonight without having trusted Jesus as their Redeemer, let me encourage you that there is no other way to heaven, no other way to God, no other way to peace and happiness, and no other way to eternal life. 4. We must come to Jesus by faith and repentance or be eternally lost. B. Paul had preached that message to that church, and I have preached it to this one. 1. The message that Jesus and Jesus alone saves is the very foundation upon which the true church, the Christian faith, and our personal conversation rests on. Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 2. Anyone who says differently is a liar, a thief, and false prophet. So said Jesus Christ Himself. John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 3. If you have built your hope upon anything else, I pray you will rip it up tonight and lay the sure Foundation. C. However, as you suspect, that is not the heart of the message tonight. Instead, we look to build up the Christian. II. \#12\ A Superstructure Is Raised A. The foundation is sure and complete. 1. There is nothing else to do to the foundation. 2. However, every Christian is charged to build a structure upon it. 3. There are, perhaps, several names which could be given to this structure, but the simplest to understand is LIFE. 4. The life you live from your salvation to your death is your super- structure. B. There are four questions you need to ask yourself about your life and the foundation that you have claimed. 1. Are you building anything at all? a. As I have said, every Christian is given a foundation and a charge to build upon it. b. Are you? c. I am not asking if you are building something strong or beautiful. I am asking if you are building anything at all. d. Some do not. (1) The sum of the life of some people is little of nothing. (a) They are not very good to their mate. (b) They are not very good to their children. (c) They do not work very hard. (d) They do not have much ambition. (e) They do not get involved in the lives of others. (f) They do not take stands over important issues. (g) They have no cause which is important to them. (h) They have no friends because they have never been friendly. (i) When they die, a few may visit the cemetery, but more than likely, they will get planted in the ground without any fanfare, visitation, or recognition. (2) Friend, a life that doesnt give to anyone is a structure left totally unbuilt. (a) It is sad when a person comes to the end of their life and you can see they never did anything with it. (b) It is a shame that some people cannot see what an insignificant life they are livinglike, "Its A Wonderful Life" in reverse. (c) Least you misunderstand, I am not saying that a life can or should be measured by the attendance at the funeral. (d) Rather, life can and should be measured by the impact had while still alive. (e) Are you impacting anyone at? 2. Are you building anything spiritual? a. Not only do some have NO impact, but others have the ONE-SIDED impact. b. Like a gigantic structure with expensive doors and windows, elaborate exterior, the best flooring that can be installed; yet, there is no roof on it. (1) No roof, no joists, no protection from the weather on top at all. (2) Such are the lives of some. They invest much in the worldly things they handle but nothing at all in the spiritual. c. Perhaps I need to say again, but I am still speaking to the Christians here. I say that because you might wonder. (1) You see, some will be missed more at work than at the church. (a) They showed up faithfully to make a dollar but seldom if ever to worship. (b) They have promoted themselves through hard work at the jobsite but never lifted a finger in the things of God. (c) They have fishing or shopping buddies in the neighborhood but dont know anyone at church. (d) They have done nothing in the spiritual world at all. (2) Their family knows they can count on them but the family of God doesnt know them at all. (3) They give checks to charity but not one to Gods church. (4) Simply put, they are not building anything spiritual. (5) How much of our life can be measured in the spiritual? (a) So how much of our life can be measured in prayer? (b) How much can be measured in worship? (c) How much can be measured in Bible study, winning the lost, helping a fellow human being? 3. Are you building with the right materials? a. Heres a riddle. (1) What is large and religious, but wont stand up? (2) Anything spiritual that is built with worldly materials. (3) Why? Because you cant build a spiritual structure with worldly materials. b. Paul specifically addresses this in the text. (1) He describes the spiritual materials – gold, silver, and precious stones. (2) He also describes the worldly materials – wood, hay, and stubble. (3) Paul leaves the message as a picture. (a) He does not tell us what things might be consider gold, silver, precious stones and what things might be wood, hay, stubble. (b) Perhaps he did that because it is not always easy to tell which is what. (c) Or perhaps he did that because the people of his day would have never dreamed just how worldly the people of our day might become. i. worldly music ii. indecent dress iii. carnal entertainment iv. a diet of Bible less sermons in church v. powerless prayers vi. Sitting under unqualified ministers in spiritually devoid church vii. Supportive of sinful, even abominable, actions in a world where common sense has taken a permanent holiday (4) This is not the kind of life that God intended we build on His foundation! (a) We must throw out mans philosophies, theories, and opinions. (b) We have better material from which to build our lives. i. We have the Word of God. ii. The leadership of the Holy Ghost. iii. Truths that have been tried and tested and found sound. 4. Are you building a quality structure? a. This is our life and we do have a great impact in how it will turn out. b. Even with building a spiritual life with the right materials, we must be wise as serpents. Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. c. The older I get the more I realize that it is not just doing the right thing, but it is also doing it in the right way. (1) A quality superstructure must be mixed with the sands of love, mercy, kindness, gentleness, and forgiveness. (2) It must also be poured with the water of righteousness, godliness, boldness, and justice. (3) When these two are mixed in correct proportion, a cement is produced that will weather all the storms of life; but what wisdom and understanding is needed to build such a structure. III. \#13\ A Test Is Coming and Rewards Will Be Giving A. Paul does not give a lot of details on the topic of the test either. 1. Because he pictures it as a "fire," most suppose it will be a spiritual test. 2. There is such a spiritual test coming, one that will test the very structure the life we have built. a. It is called the Bema Seat of the Judgment Seat. Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. b. Those references give that judgment a name and most feel that our text gives it a description. (1) Christ Himself will put His righteous fire to structure of our life and burn away every worldly thing that was laid on that foundation. (2) I suppose in that day, some of our foundations will look a lot like the persons who never did anything at all. (3) However, some who built, who build spiritually, who built with the right materials, who built wisely, we have a superstructure built that will easily withstand the test of Christs fire. B. However, this test may not all be spiritual. 1. Typically, when you build a house, you have to live in it. a. When you are living in a house, you dont have to wait until the spiritual test comes to see what it is made of. b. You can see it on a daily basis. 2. So it is with life. a. There will be one final spiritual test, the Bema Seat, but I suspect that you are going to know a long time before that what kind of structure your life is. b. The winds of lifethe tornadoes of problems, the hurricanes of disappointments, the floods of problemsthese will test your life on a regular basis. c. If you are building your superstructure wrong, these ill winds will leave your life in broken shambles. C. But the good news is that you dont have to wait or fear the tests that come. 1. You can build a structure today that is strong, solid, and sure. 2. Build it upon the Bible. 3. Build it by investing into others. 4. Build it with love, kindness, forgiveness, and with righteousness, equity, and truth. 5. Build something that you can live with all the days of your life in contentment and happiness.