Unshakable Foundation
1 Corinthians Series
CCCAG 8-3-25
Scripture- 1 Corinthians 3
Within a year of God calling me to the ministry, we had a large blowup in our church. Our senior pastors to suddenly resigned and moved away. Eventually, so did the youth pastor, leaving me, the rookie pastor to help out as a kind of interim pastor.
Obviously, I was still very wet behind the ears in ministry. In fact, I had only been a Christian for 8 years.
While I could run a huge accident scene with calm and confidence as a paramedic, when it came to ministry, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself. Largely, because I was still struggling with the idea of being a pastor.
I didn’t live a very good life before I came to Christ, and that was always was weighing on me. The fact that Jesus forgave me off all that mess was incredible enough, but the fact that God wanted me in the ministry was almost laughable.
I was the epitome of 1 Cor 1:17- that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.
So now here I am, barely a year into the ministry. I was in bible school, but I haven’t even taken the sermon preparation class yet. I’m juggling my studies, working full time, two young girls to raise, and feeling like a total newbie.
During this time, the church board decides to have a 3-night revival and calls a relatively famous evangelist, Dr. Randy Cadwell, to preach it Sunday through Tuesday.
He was *incredible*. The Holy Spirit moved like wildfire; folks were fired up, hearts were stirred, and the services, scheduled from 6pm to 8pm ran until after midnight each night.
On Tuesday night as the service wound down, I remember sitting on the front pew watching as the last few people were getting prayed for.
I had a realization that tomorrow night, in this very place I would be leading the Wednesday night service.
I felt like the guy who had to come to bat after Babe Ruth slammed a baseball into orbit. There was no way I’d ever come close to that kind of greatness, and was feeling pretty self-conscious about it.
I felt like a flickering birthday candle next to a blazing bonfire.
Suddenly, someone plops into the pew next to me. It was Randy, wiping his face with his handkerchief. In his typical southern Arkansas accent, he said, “Now that was CHURCH!”.
I remember chuckling and saying, "Well, they definitely won't get anywhere near what you've brought when I'm leading the service tomorrow."
I stopped and turn to me and grabs my arm.
"Johnny," he says,"you are the called shepherd of these people. I tried to be a pastor once, and was miraculously rescued from that fate by a secret ballot that kicked me out of that position. I'm just a hired hand. Your words have God's pastoral power behind them, no matter how it might seem to you. I will never have that with these people. Sure, I got them riled up, but you will be the one who helps them grow and will be with them with everything in their lives. Never compare yourself to another man or woman of God. God is calling you to fulfill your ministry, not mine."
While his words gave me a little confidence at that time, I now look back on them and see how right he was.
His words reflect the heartbeat of what the bible is unpacking in 1 Corinthians 3.
The Corinthian church was all tangled up in divisions. There was unhealthy idolization of human leaders like Paul or Apollos. It led the people to forget the real foundation.
Paul's response to this mess?
In 1 Cor 3, he emphasizes that if Christ isn't our foundation, we simply won't stand. He reminds us that human leaders are just tools in Christ's toolbox—arguing who's best is like debating if a hammer is better than a screwdriver.
Both are vital in their roles, but the Master Builder is Jesus.
_______________________________________________________________
Let's read the passage together, shall we?
1 Cor 3:1-9 CSB
"Brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and behaving like mere humans? For whenever someone says, 'I belong to Paul,' and another, 'I belong to Apollos,' are you not acting like mere humans?
"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
Prayer
Let's unpack this chapter section by section
______________________________________________________________
I. Recognizing Legitimate Ministry (Verses 1-9)
The bible starts right here by addressing the Corinthian church's immaturity. He couldn't speak to them as spiritual adults but as "babies in Christ," feeding them milk instead of solid food because they weren't ready.”
Why is Paul saying that?
Because their actions were reflecting their lack of spiritual maturity. They were showing themselves to be Corinthians and not Christians.
Remember, those who lived in Corinth valued things like oratory skill- the more polished and forceful a speaker, the more people would flock to them. In Corinth, it was the person who sounded the best that was heard, not the person who actually preached truth.
Sounds familiar right?
In our world of celebrity pastors and viral preachers, it's easy to fall into the same trap, isn't it? We idolize the messenger and forget the message.
That’s why Paul says- you are acting as mere humans.
Stop and think about that statement for a moment.
Mere humans.
Do you realize that as a Christian, you have access to power that other people don’t have? In the coming weeks, we will look at some of those powers, but I want you to begin to accept this truth this morning- you are a spiritual superhuman. You need this realization to understand the rest of the book of 1st Corinthians.
So, spiritual superhero, get your cape ordered, and let’s continue.
Verse 5- "What then is Apollos? What is Paul?" he asks. They're just servants—tools through whom faith came. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Neither planter nor waterer is anything special; it's God who makes things flourish.
This is key to recognizing legitimate ministry: If a preacher, teacher, or minister operates in the Holy Spirit's power, they'll never draw attention to their own gifting. They'll always point you straight to Christ.
What I’ve learned, and what I’m trying to share with you this morning is this: Arguing over who's the "best" leader, best speaker, best minister or preacher is as silly as claiming a hammer is superior to a screwdriver. Both are essential in a carpenter's toolbox, right?
The hammer drives nails, the screwdriver tightens screws—each for its intended use. In God's grand workshop, believers and leaders are His instruments, each with a role assigned by the Lord.
Application: Let me ask you- Are we guilty of this in our own lives?
Do we follow a celebrity minister more than we pursue Jesus? This can be dangerous because it makes us blind to any faults they may have.
Or how about putting all of your hope in a political leader?
Do we watch more news or online videos than spend time feeding our spirits? (guilty)
As believers, let's check our hearts—am I growing in spiritual maturity, or still sipping milk when God has offered me steak?
Paul calls us to move beyond fleshly squabbles and celebrate how God uses diverse tools for His glory.
This isn't about diminishing more well-known Christian leaders; it's about right perspective.
Just like in my opening story with Dr. Caldwell? Very early in my ministry he showed me this in pointing me back to my calling, not his charisma. True ministers do the same, saying, "Look to Jesus, not me."
Let’s continue in 1 Cor 3. Although Paul is continuing the argument around following one leader over another, he is also showing us something that can be very mysterious to us- the judgment seat of Christ.
_______________________________________________________________
II. All of us will be judged and rewarded by the Foundation They Lay Down (Verses 10-15)
10- "According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Whenever we see the word judgment in the bible, we can become uncomfortable. Most of the time, we think of this word only in it’s negative connotation. Most of the time judgment is talked about in church, it refers to a punishment or hell, but that’s not the only kind of judgement seen in the bible.
There is a judgment coming for all believers.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2Co 5:10)
The judgement seat of Christ occurs immediately after the rapture, and before the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
This is the Judgment Seat of Christ, also known as the Bema Judgement.
The word Bema in the Greek means a raised platform or tribunal, and in the culture that the bible is addressing here it conveys an evaluation of performance-
It’s like how an Olympic gymnast who just did their routine awaits the judges to hold up their score cards.
That’s how the Bema judgment will occur- Jesus HIMSELF will grade our performance as Christians.
This occurs BEFORE the Wedding Supper of the Lamb
This is where having a cultural knowledge of the time and place these books of the bible were written is crucial.
At a Hebrew wedding, the clothes worn to the wedding were provided by the families of the bride and bridegroom.
This is why in Matthew 22, the Gospel tells of people who get garments to attend a wedding feast. Both of these scriptures apply to the Bema judgment.
Let me illustrate this with a picture- my graduation picture when I got my bachelor’s degree for nursing
*SHOW PICTURE*
The robe- provided- everyone there had the same robe and cap.
For us at the Bema judgment- this will be the white robe given to us by Jesus symbolizing His blood covering and canceling out our sin.
However, You’ll see in the picture that I’m also wearing various medals, stoles, cords were earned through extra effort. Those are allowed and even encouraged to be worn.
Before you go out and take your seat at the celebration, you have to pass by a screener who checks what you are wearing.
If I had tried to walk in wearing a pin showing I was a firefighter or paramedic, I would have been told to take it off- that’s not the purpose of this event.
That is what the Bema judgment is like in a nutshell, and a real example of what Paul is talking about here.
All believers, are judged by the foundation they lay and what they build atop it. If it's gold, silver, costly stones—enduring, precious materials—they'll withstand the test.
These are acts done in faith and obedience to the call of God on our lives.
But what about what we build apart from Christ? Things done that were not biblical, or done in selfish motive?
That is the wood, hay, straw. Some of these things you might have done with good intentions. Some of it might have even been beneficial to yourself or others- but the foundation wasn’t Christ.
Just like I couldn’t wear something that had nothing to do with nursing to my graduation, we will not be able to wear things that have nothing to do with Jesus to the wedding supper.
The bibles says everything we have done will be revealed. I don’t think it will be our sin as our robes cover that, but those things we did for ourselves and not the Kingdom will burn up.
Work that survives gets rewarded- you will wear that to the wedding feast, like person in the military wears their medals proudly on their chest.
Those who have no works to show- they still get the robe, but they will have no reward other than attending the feast and heaven afterwards.
The bible says, “They are saved, but only through fire.”
This is why we really need to understand this- this will be our eternity in heaven.
We should always aim to remove the "wood, hay, stubble" from our lives—those figurative impurities—so Christ can build solidly on His foundation. Are we as believers pointing people to Jesus as the unshakeable base, or layering on shaky stuff?
Paul warns: Be careful how you build!
The third truth we see in 1 Cor 3-
_______________________________________________________________
III. We Are God's Temple (Verses 16-23)
Through this chapter, the bible is building up to this amazing truth:
1 Cor 3:16 "Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?"
This is one of the Bible's most vital concepts for living out our faith! We are God's holy temple—mobile embassies of His Kingdom in this broken world.
It’s hard to express how mind-blowing this truth would be to the people of the first century.
Remember, everyone, especially the people of Corinith, were building lavish temples to various deities, and the Hebrews were no exception with Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem.
But now, through Christ, *we* are that temple—individually and corporately as the church. The Holy Spirit resides in us! This means we're carriers of God's presence wherever we go. At work, in the grocery store, scrolling social media—we're ambassadors of God’s Kingdom here on earth, representing the King.
But with that privilege comes a warning:
"If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are."
The divisions in Corinth were damaging this temple, so that is why Paul strongly and emphatically urges unity.
He also urges us not the be divided in your hearts- set apart Christ as LORD.
Throw away those things you KNOW are wood, hay, and stubble. Things you know that if the judgment seat of Christ happens tonight, would burn away, leaving you with only the robe of righteousness- showing that you did the bare minimum to enter heaven.
Jesus is worth more than our minimal effort. He who gave HIMSELF up for our salvation is worth our best efforts in living for HIM on this earth.
And it’s not like HE expects you to do this by yourself.
If you are a believer in Christ- you are a spiritual superhuman, endowed with the power of God, the presence of Jesus, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit at your disposal to use to promote and promulgate HIS kingdom.
All Rise
Finally, I leave you with this- fulfill your ministry. Dr. Caldwell’s advice to me guides me to this day.
Fulfill your ministry.
If you try to fulfill or copy someone else’s ministry- wood, hay, and stubble will be the result.
But if you trust God and HIS wisdom and plan for your life:
Oh the beauty of the costly stones you will be showing off at the wedding supper of the lamb, and for all eternity.
Prayer/altar call.
