Built To Last

(What or who is your themelios?)

Big Idea: A foundation that is built on Jesus Christ is a foundation that is built to last.

Intro: Timber Hills Reno Story

The first thing I looked at was the foundation. If the foundation was good, then I knew I had something I could work with. If the foundation was bad then I was moving on baby.

Then I needed to check the bones of the house. Was the original builder somebody that used cheap and off brand materials, or was this a builder that took his work serious.

I could quickly assess the situation and determine whether or not this was going to be an investment or a nightmare.

1. It first took a vision…
2. Then we had to build a plan…
3. And finally we had to work hard and persevere

Background:

Paul is challenging this newly formed church to be united together after he receives a troubling report about the divisive spirit between which leader is greater. They were too focused on the messenger and lost sight of the message.

Question: Isn’t that easy for us to do as well? We focus on the messenger or the methods and lose sight of the reason why we’re building.

While the leaders should be respected, they should never be a cause for disunity or dispute. The focus should always be on Jesus. Surely this would have made a more prideful man feel really good about himself right?! But not Paul!

The only foundation which could possibly unite all of the body together is Jesus Christ alone. Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” (1:13)

“One Christ necessitates one united church” - The Jesus Bible

Paul is constantly urging the church to maintain unity. Eph 4:3 “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Jesus prayed that through unity others would understand the Gospel. (John 17:20-26)

See, they understood that the key to significantly advancing the kingdom was not found in a big church, not a loud church, not in a creative church, but in a united church.

There are no superstars in the task given to us by God, but we are all members of a team. We become most useful on the team when we set aside our desires and wants for pure obedience to what God is calling us to do.

Acceptance of God and His approval is all we need. (3:7-9)

In this chapter there are three different pictures Paul paints. Church as family and the goal is maturity (milk and solid food), church as a field and the goal is quantity or fruit (field and sower), and then there’s church as a building which represents quality. We’re going to be focusing on the latter text. Church as a building and laying a proper foundation (or themelios) :)

Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 (The Foundation and The Building)

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Pray:

3 Main Points:

1. The right foundation (9-11)

   1. Building with no foundation and all the right materials. Sounds ludicrous, but isn’t that easy to do? Nobody would do that!

      1. Question: What are you building your foundation on? Wealth, success, security, fame?
      2. Be careful how you build. You could be building everything on something that is not built to last. Something that will not stand when times get hard.

      3. Illust: A man who died suddenly at 40.

         2. What is the text referring to that is being built?

      4. Some assume this is referring to spiritual growth. Aka, characteristics, disciplines, and discipleship.

      5. Some think it is referring to sound doctrine.
      6. Others see it as a reference to building the local church.
      7. All of the above is possible and I believe it’s ok to keep an open mind with its specific meaning.
      8. Question: Are we building on Christ and His foundation, sound doctrine and practice that is from Christ? RIGHT DOCTRINE AND RIGHT LIVING which will stand forever? Or is it built on our own knowledge, wisdom, and effort, therefore temporary and fleeting?

      9. Everything must go back to this principle of foundation! What is your foundation, how are you connecting to that foundation, what are you building on that foundation?

         1. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 7. Everything we do is going to go back to the Word and Jesus Christ! 8. Application: What does it take to build something? Time, money, patience, perseverance, vision, etc. Building something requires effort and focus, building something that is valuable requires sacrifice and commitment.
            3. A building is only as solid as its foundation. (Pause)
            4. Paul is speaking to the local church at Corinth and is discussing the building of that corporate body.

      10. Eph 2:19-22 says “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

      11. “The church does not belong to the preacher or to the congregation. It is God’s church.” - Warren Wiersbe

          5. The word expert or skilled is “sophos”, it means wise.

      12. Paul does not think that he has mastered the art of building God’s church, but he used wisdom and discernment as he laid the foundation which is Jesus Christ.

      13. The right materials (12-15)

          1. Two for sure ways to destroy a building. Building on no foundation or build with cheap and crappy materials.
          2. Question: How are you contributing to the building of God’s church? Your contribution to the church will be revealed on judgement day.
          3. Good work will be rewarded and inferior work will be discounted.
          4. This is a point that I want to make before moving on. You have two different type of builders in this text. Both built on the foundation, but each builds with different materials. Do you notice who is revealing the work? Jesus!

      14. How easy is it for us to judge other people's work?

          1. That church doesn’t love the city!
          2. That church isn’t outward focused!

          3. That church doesn’t care about community! 2. Paul said to the church at Philippi “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” Philippians 1:15-18 3. Here's how I'd apply that. The Day will test each builder's own work, so be careful not to cast judgement on other brothers and sisters that are on the same foundation that might have different gifts, styles, structures, or vision than we do!

          4. We should be known for fighting for each other, and not with each other.

          5. The devil is not afraid of a big church, but he better be terrified of a united church! AMEN?!
             5. DL Moody is known to say that “converts should be weighed as well as counted.”

      15. Paul emphasizes the importance of both.

      16. Faithful ministers of the Gospel should be able to both share the Gospel and build the church in the Word of God.
          6. Illust: Perfection Painting and wanting to do quality work.

      17. The right perspective (16-17)

          1. We are a united assembly. The body of Christ!
          2. We do not have competing interests and we are absolutely not independent of each other, we are in this thing together. One family, one army, one body joined together in Jesus Christ.
          3. What’s something you could do this week to strengthen your ties to fellow Christians here in Boulder?

      18. It may be small, but something we’re doing as a church is providing coffee and Spruce Confections goodies to local churches in our area.

      19. We want all of our brothers and sisters to know that we have their backs and are going to support them, fight for them, and love them well.
      20. It’s the ONLY WAY!
          4. Just as our bodies are the temple (6:19), so the local church is God’s temple. This is HIS house. And this is something that we believe so convictionally that we will never change.
          5. For us this is a life and death commitment. Methods change, convictions are forever.

Back to the Big Idea: A foundation that is built on Jesus Christ (ALONE) is a foundation that is built to last.

3 Walking Points:

1. Are you building? (V10)
2. What’s your foundation? (V11)
3. Are you giving your best? (V12)

Question: What is your vision? What type of builder are you? How is God calling you to contribute? What’s your foundation?

Illust: In 1998, Ford Motor Co. spent tens of millions of dollars on a new slogan: “Built to Last” and reserved “Built Ford Tough” for the company's pickup trucks. Both slogans are familiar to us, and both succinctly state what Ford vehicles deliver: quality, power and reliability.