Introduction

Grab your Bible if you could and turn to the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 3. First Corinthians is in the New Testament, after the gospels, after Acts and Romans. Our current sermon series is “There’s No Place like Home”. We’re discussing God’s plan for the homes of followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The metaphor around which we are framing our discussion is the construction of a physical building. Each week a different aspect of a building us used as an analogy to a truth from God’s word for our homes. Last week [the preacher] talked about windows to illustrate not only the transparency we should have before one another, but the amazing truth that we are completely transparent before God—He knows everything; there’s no hiding—and yet He loves us, Christ died for us (mess that we are), and the Holy Spirit works in us to help us grow in grace.

We’re talking this morning about walls. And here’s the way I’m taking that analogy: Walls are what you build on top of a foundation. They define what the building looks like and how the space inside is utilized. And so, in our metaphorical usage, they represent what we build on top of our foundation in Jesus Christ—our faithful obedience and the ways we go about discipleship in our homes.

I think it’s been said every week, but it bears repeating: this is not just a series about parenting, although there’s certainly a lot of application to be made there. It’s not just a series about marriage, although again, there’s a lot of application to be made there. The broader theme is that our homes are to be places of thoughtful, deliberate discipleship. That happens as parents and children, husbands and wives, grandparents and grandchildren, every opportunity of hospitality, even how we spend our own time in that place we call home.

That being said, I want to be upfront and say that this message is probably going to have a little more direct application to parenting than some of the other messages in the series. Part of that is who you are stuck with speaking this morning—I’m in the thick of that parenting stage, and so a lot of this morning is coming out of my own struggles and how the word of God is speaking to me. Part of it also, however, is by design. We’re talking about discipleship in the homes this morning and one of the main relationships where that happens is between parents and their children.

Before we read the passage, just a few points of background to help us follow what’s going on here, since we’re kind of jumping into the middle of an argument. The apostle Paul is the author of the letter of 1 Corinthians. It was Paul who originally preached the gospel to this city and founded the church. Years later, when Paul is writing this letter, the church in the city of Corinth has some serious issues—immorality, theological confusion around worshipping idols, etc. The specific issue he’s addressing in this passage is division, pride, factions. Different cliques in the church had apparently aligned themselves with certain teachers or personalities and were elevating them above the gospel and unity in the church. For our purposes this morning, the particular issue of factions isn’t our focus, but in addressing that problem Paul will get into some general principles about discipleship. Our focus is going to be on verses 10 through 15, but to give some context I’m going to start reading at verse 1 of chapter 3.

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

—1 Corinthians 3:1–15

General illustration

Our family has lived back in Pennsylvania for over 6 years now. Before that, however, we were in Florida for just about 4 years. And during the entire time we lived down there, right along Interstate 4—which is one of the main roads into Orlando—there was this really conspicuous unfinished 18-floor office tower. It was nicknamed the “Eyesore on I-4”. It had a foundation, and most of the steel framing shell, but then only like an eighth of the building had any walls, a bright reflective glass; the rest of the building was open to the elements. And it was that way for like 10 years.

Many of you know the parable in the Bible were Jesus talks about the man who started to build a tower but then didn’t plan well and left it unfinished. This was straight out of that. Every pastor in the central Florida area had the perfect illustration when preaching on that text. Which was really ironic because the building was owned by a televangelist ministry, so, you know … you should know better. You need to build with a plan, with care.

That’s Paul’s main point, and our main point, in this passage—at the end of verse 10, when he says “But each one should build with care.”

Foundation revisited / moralism

Before building, however, you need a foundation. Now, we already talked in earlier weeks about the necessary foundation of our homes, but I want to revisit that briefly (1) because that’s where Paul starts in our passage, and (2) as a warning against a particular error to avoid as we apply God’s word this morning.

Verse 10 – “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

The foundation is the key structural component of a building that establishes the strength of everything else. A weak foundation (like sand) isn’t going to bear the weight of a life well lived. Our sure foundation is Jesus Christ—the gospel. That’s the truth that must be central and the controlling paradigm for everything else.

I want to reemphasize that because the rest of this morning we’re going to be talking about building on that foundation. The walls represent our faithful obedience—the good things we do in response to the gospel. There’s a temptation to skip or neglect the foundation of the gospel and skip directly to the training and discipleship. If we do that, however, we fall into an error which I would suggest is one of the most popular religions in America today: moralism.

Moralism reduces Christianity to the idea that what God really wants is improvement in our behavior. Albert Mohler, who writes about Christian worldview, had this to say about moralism, specifically as applied to parenting:

The child who is “raised right” pleases his parents and other adults by adhering to moral conventions and social etiquette. A young person who is “raised right” emerges as an adult who obeys the laws, respects his neighbors, gives at least lip service to religious expectations, and stays away from scandal. The point is clear — this is what parents expect, the culture affirms, and many churches celebrate. But our communities are filled with people who have been “raised right” but are headed for hell.

—Mohler, Albert. “Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel—And Why So Many Christians Think It Is.” https://albertmohler.com/2009/09/03/why-moralism-is-not-the-gospel-and-why-so-many-christians-think-it-is. Accessed 7 October 2018.

Moralism is NOT what we’re all about this morning. This is not intended to be a series about raising socially responsible children or having a happy, satisfying marriage. Our hope is our homes would be places where the gospel is taught and lived out, which will result in a priorities that reflect the Kingdom of God, which will then translate into changes in our actions and behavior, because hearts have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Building with care

So that’s our foundation. But here’s the thing about a foundation. It’s never alone. How useless is a foundation if you never actually get around to building anything on it? Likewise, our faith, if sincere, is always going to be accompanied by actions. Paul continues:

Verse 12 – “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.”

In the situation in Corinth, Paul is talking about discipleship within the church. Paul laid the foundation—he preached the gospel to the Corinthians and they believed—and then others built on that foundation. That is, others came in and were involved in teaching and discipleship with these new believers. And Paul’s point is that some approaches to discipleship are evidentially more eternally effective than others.

Gold, silver, costly stones (gemstones, or more likely granite / marble)—these are expressions of beauty, the assumption being that a skilled craftsman is at work. The work is valued; work is undertaken with care. There’s some question among Bible scholars whether wood is to be taken as a positive or negative in this verse. On the one hand, wood is strong and durable, and it requires care and skill to build effectively with it. On the other hand, the illustration moves next to testing by fire, and of course wood is going to burn. You can choose which way you want to go with that; either way doesn’t change the point of the passage. By the time you get to hay and straw, however—those just aren’t going to survive; those represent an approach to discipleship that is careless or motivated by worldly priorities.

Based on the problems in the church—divisions, factions—these was apparently a lot of discipleship of the hay and straw quality going on in the Corinthian church. The methods themselves led to a church that looked exactly like the rest of the world. That’s the criticism Paul makes in verse 3. Their behavior exposes that they are still worldly, fleshly. Which would have been a tough thing for them to hear, because as you read the rest of the book the Corinthians really thought they were spiritual and doing awesome. See if this sounds familiar to any other culture you know: there was a lot of enthusiasm, and prosperity, emotional zeal, success the ways that the world defines success. But in the things that really matter, Paul points out that they were immature.

Paul is addressing in this passage discipleship within the church. It’s a pretty direct application from there to our topic this morning, discipleship in our homes. How are we doing in our homes? Are we building—discipling—in ways that demonstrate careful, strategic thought on the priorities of God’s Kingdom? Or when we stand back and honestly evaluate, even though there might be a lot of success in ways that the world considers significant, in the things that really matter, are our priorities any different than the unbelieving world?

Responsibility and security

This is a really hard message to deliver, because I am very much aware of how often I fail as a parent and husband to be thoughtful and deliberate about the discipleship in our home. And my family is here, and they are certainly aware of how inconsistent I am. This is definitely not a “hey, I’m awesome, follow my example” message. Far from it. It’s an opportunity for us together to let the Word of God press on us, challenge us.

That’s why I think this passage here is so appropriate. It is holding before us, very strongly, two truths that can seem to be at odds, pressing hard on us both to take seriously our responsibility and assuring us that despite our weakness, we are fully secure in Christ.

Verse 13b – “…the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

There’s a healthy sense of fear and responsibility that should press into us and motivate us to think carefully and strategically about what we are doing. This passage deals with the end of this age, which is ultimately where all our work will be judged. There are things being said here that raise a lot of questions, and we don’t have the time nor, quite frankly, do I feel adequate to explain them properly. I struggle with explaining the concept of rewards and loss in light of eternity. But don’t let the difficult details distract from the main point: it matters how we disciple. Some of the things we get so worked up about—good grades, popularity, athletic success—(can I say this?) just aren’t going to make a huge eternal difference. If we say that our foundation is Christ, what’s that look like practically in our homes? How is that making a difference? Does the way we spend our time and money reflect those priorities?

This passage also emphasizes that, whatever our realm of discipleship is, we’re going to be accountable. That’s especially important for us to hear in a church like ours where we are blessed to have so many great programs: children’s and youth ministry, Sunday school, parenting seminars, small groups that are coordinated to provide fellowship and discipleship. Those can, and should, be a part of our strategy, but not to the point where we fell like we can just outsource our responsibility to the programs. When all is said and done, the student ministry team is not going to be held accountable for how I raise my children. That falls on me as a parent.

And if you are thinking, “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” then your first step of taking responsibility is to ask for help. We are blessed to be part of a congregation with an amazing staff, any of whom would be delighted to have this conversation with you.

At the same time, as we feel the weight of that responsibility, in Christ we are completely secure. When we mess up, and we will, God will snatch us out of that burning inferno. Maybe you are in a place right now where you recognize that you’re building with hay and straw. That work might not last, and you will suffer that loss, but God still holds you secure. Repent, find those costly stones, gold, and silver with which to build, and get at it.

I want to finish this morning by returning to the first analogy that Paul used. Before comparing us with a building, he talked about a field. Here is the confidence we can have as we pursue discipleship in our homes.

Verse 6 – “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

We are called to be faithful, but the results are the work of God. This passage calls us to be careful, thoughtful, in how we are building, but at the end of the day God is the power at work to change the hearts of our children, the hearts of our spouses, the hearts of our friends and family, our own hearts.

This truth has a very important application. In the midst of our “doing”, which is appropriate, we need to be a people of prayer, pleading for the Lord’s help. We have so much material abundance, information at our fingertips, social connections, that we lose our sense of desperation and recognizing that it is God who causes all the growth. With that being in mind, let’s pray…