What’s He Gonna Say About 2018?
Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
And our memory refresher verse(s) for today is(are) …
Galatians 5:22-23
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Please open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
Today, at this present time, there are roughly 36 hours left in the year of our Lord, 2018.
As you look back over this year in your mind, did you have a successful year?
More accurately, did you have a spiritually successful year?
I’m not talking about just your Bible reading and prayer life and your gathering with fellow believers to worship as important as they are. Then, what am I talking about?
In this world there are two main categories of people; those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus for salvation and those who have not.
Those who have not placed their faith and trust in Jesus for salvation did not and cannot ever have a spiritually successful year. They cannot have spiritual success in any way because their faith is misplaced into something other than Christ.
However, the Scripture we will be reading today is about those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus for salvation but are at different levels of spiritual maturity.
They, of course, will have differing impacts in the world for the cause of Christ and the kingdom of God.
In this passage we find that the believers in Corinth are immature Christians.
They are fighting among themselves about what spiritual leader they follow.
Paul ends up telling them that the different leaders are nothing and Christ is everything.
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
May the Lord bless the reading of His Holy Word.
(Prayer for the Lord’s help with the message)
So, let’s take a quick walk through these verses …
1 Corinthians 3:10
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.”
- Paul has laid a spiritual foundation not by his own strength but by relying on the grace of God
- Paul laid a foundation but the work is always shared by others in the body of Christ
- Even though the beginning of this passage was speaking about different teachers Paul brings it around to encompass all Christians
- Build carefully!
1 Corinthians 3:11
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- There is only one true spiritual foundation; Jesus Christ
- What does it mean to lay a foundation?
- To lay a foundation would be to help someone who is seeking eternal life to understand that Jesus is the only way to the Father
- Memory Scripture - John 14:6-7 (recite)
- A genuine Christian would never proclaim any other way to eternal life
1 Corinthians 3:12-13
“If any man 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 man’s work.”
- Gold, silver and costly stones = a mature believer building according to the will of God, instructed by the Word of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit
- Wood, hay and straw = an immature believer building without seeking the will of God, without knowing the Word of God and attempting to accomplish the task in their own strength
- “The Day” will bring it to light - “The Day” = the return of Jesus Christ and the Judgment Seat of Christ before which all Christians must stand and give account
1 Corinthians 3:14-15
“If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved - but only as one escaping through the flames.”
- The one who has built with Godly wisdom will receive a reward
- The one who has tried to accomplish anything of value through his own strength and resources will suffer loss, filled with shame before the Lord
- He, however, will be saved because, even in his foolishness he never forsook his faith in Jesus
OK. So, as each one of us has had 364 days in 2018 to be builders in the Kingdom of God.
Have those days been filled with a life that has brought benefit and value to the Kingdom of God, or, have those days been filled with worthless activities that will be nothing but soot after they have been judged by the Lord.
Will I receive a reward from the Lord or will I suffer loss, barely escaping with my soul intact?
Someone may say, I really don’t care as long as I make it to heaven.
Tell me how that fits with the two great commandments?
Matthew 22:37-40 (read or recite)
If you’re someone who claims to really not care as long as you make it to heaven then you have no concept of Who God Is and should be filled with fear for you may not be saved at all.
I’d like to finish with a song by Point of Grace that asks the question, “What’s He Gonna say about me?” when I stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Final comments and prayer.
