Good evening. We're going to be in 1 Corinthians Finishing up chapter 2.
And going into the first little bit here of chapter 3.
So I'll just read where we're going to get started from.
We'll go from there. We'll start in verse… Chapter 2, verse 10.
For to us, God revealed them And just for context, them is the wisdom, God's wisdom and a mystery that was hidden that was predestined beforehand.
That. To us, this wisdom was going to be revealed.
For to us God revealed these things through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things.
Even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of that man?
Which is in him. Even so the thoughts of God, no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God.
Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom But in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God.
For their foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them. Because they are spiritually appraised.
But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.
For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ. So I was thinking as I was studying this portion.
In verse 11, for who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of that man?
Which is in him. Even so, the thoughts of God, no one knows except the Spirit of God.
And we have received… That spirit, freely given to us.
And that we might know the things. That were freely given to us by God. I was thinking about that I was thinking about the generosity of God.
How…
I think there's a lot of times, I remember taking a call one time when I worked for the 911 center how the person got on the phone and is like, this the apostle of the whatever and the prophet and the she had this like four minute long introduction on like what her title was
And it was all these really like… religious… ideas. And she was one of the more Arrogant people that you'd ever talk to. So it seemed kind of contradictory, obviously. But it was just… It was interesting because it was interesting because
Why do people… feel the need to give themselves the title, I'm the apostle of the whatever, I'm the prophet or I'm the I'm the this thing or I'm the that thing. Like, why would somebody feel the need to do that
I think it's because it's because it's because… There's a deficit that they feel within themselves.
That if they have this title or if they have that title that somehow like raises them up.
Raises them up above other people. They're more spiritual than somebody else. They're better qualified or whatever.
I was thinking about the generosity of God. And how he has freely given to us his spirit.
And it's not just for a select few. It's for everybody who is a follower of him.
The portions are… generously bestowed on everybody the same.
The outworking might be different. But God's spirit is not diminished in me.
Or in you or in some other… It's the same spirit. And I was thinking about that how I don't… Maybe… none of you have had this happen. I don't know that I've personally had it happen, but I was thinking about like.
If somebody were to do something in my name. I guess a good example would be our children.
Our children go out into the world and they bear our names. And sometimes when they don't behave the way that we know that we've like taught them, it feels like a slap in your face right like I've instructed you i've instructed you
I know that we've gone over this 100 times, a thousand times, a million times. And how is it that you're behaving so poorly still? And so it does kind of feel very personal when that happens.
But I was thinking about… God and how he He's given us his spirit. He's given us his name.
And we go out into the world and we behave the way that we behave.
I'm sure that I haven't always brought honor to the name of the Lord.
And yet he freely bestows it on us.
In… overwhelmingly generous proportions.
And it's an incredible thing. We don't need to be… the apostle of the third and fourth or whatever like we don't have to be those things.
It's good enough to be a follower of Christ. You know what I mean? Like… That's enough.
And everything that we need to know has been revealed to us in the scriptures. We don't need… there's not more hidden knowledge about God out there that we have to somehow get in order to find fulfillment in Christ.
We don't need… We don't need something else extra biblical.
We have it all. In the person of Christ as revealed through the scriptures And that's enough. That's good enough. And how thankful we are.
To be his children, how thankful we are to… the written down word of God.
That we can access at any point… at any point and know exactly God's heart towards us, God's mind toward us, God's actions toward us.
And what he expects from us. It's an incredible thing. This we have received freely, that we might know the things of God.
Things given to us by God. In verse 14, but the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they're foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they're spiritually… appraised. I know that some translations
Use the word discerned, I think. I think some of them might even have the idea of judged.
This is the New American Standard. I like that word appraised.
I like what that signifies. Especially in verse 15 when it says… He who is spiritual appraises all things.
Yet he himself is appraised by no man. I was thinking about that word appraise. So we use that most commonly when we're talking about like real estate, like somebody would give an appraisal of the real estate. So it's kind of determining the value.
It's going to be able to kind of separate The good pieces of property and the bad pieces of property and give it a sign it a worth, if you will.
So what it's saying here is he who is spiritual assigns value or makes a good judgment about all things.
Yet, he himself is appraised by no man.
I was thinking about that. How as we're going through the world and as we're interacting with Things that aren't good or bad, right?
They're just things. We assign value to them.
We can determine their worth, whether they're things that are worthwhile to invest time and energy in. We have You know, we're kind of… we have a limited amount of resources. So the things that we do, it's important, right? The things that
We're about, those are important. And so the spiritual person applies value or discerns what the value is or praises everything and yet he himself is not appraised by man. So our value is not in what somebody else says about me or what somebody else thinks about me or what anybody
Feels about me or whatever. So our value comes from somewhere else. So where is our value or what is our value?
So I think it's right in here. Our value is assigned by God.
We've received his spirit. We're his children. That's our value in the very next verse.
We have the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ. That's been assigned to us.
That's been applied to us. I'm not sure we could have anything more valuable than that.
His very… righteousness, his very… has been given, freely given to us.
So what man thinks… What man says… that's not that's completely irrelevant.
What God says, that's what matters. And so it's God who assigns our value. He's the one who appraises us. He's the one who judges us.
And this idea of we have the mind of christ is That's holy ground.
That's a lofty thing to to have to be of the same mind, to have the same mind.
Every once in a while You know, Jamie and I will be making decisions separately from one another.
We've had conversations where Jamie will be like, well, I had to make this decision, but I was pretty sure you were going to be fine with whatever the decision was. So I made the decision.
So, like, even though we were… physically apart from each other. We had the same mind in the matter, right?
She was thinking, okay, I'm assessing whatever the circumstances Not just with her own mind, but also with my mind.
And able to make a decision that was a good decision. And It's not a one-for-one comparison, but it's similar, right? We have the mind of Christ. We have access to the mind of Christ. We have it in the… holy scriptures.
We have it in the Holy Spirit. And as we're going through life, as we're assigning values, as we're determining the things that we're going to spend our limited resources on.
Whether they be time or actual commodity, you know, money, materials, things like that.
We have the mind of Christ. And so as we're going, we can kind of make good decisions.
And… It's an incredible thing that God has given us.
And it's something that I often fail to like really grasp is that The mind of Christ is available to me all the time.
And… It's something that I want to learn how to like lean into more and more as I'm As I'm going along.
Starting in chapter 3, verse 1. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as the spiritual men, but as to men of flesh.
As to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you are not yet able to receive it.
Indeed, even now you're not yet able, for you're so fleshly.
So this… this fleshliness of the Corinthians. I think Paul's telling them specifically about the mind of Christ. Look, you have something a lot better that you have access to and yet you're still kind of reverting to this fleshliness.
And… He wants to deal with them like they're spiritual people, like they're mature people.
And yet they're just kind of stuck. That's something I really appreciate about the Bible.
Specifically the New Testament and specifically the epistles It's written to a diverse group of people.
And at the beginning of 1 Corinthians. In chapter one, he says, I think my God always concerning you.
So Paul is thankful for these people. And yet they have problems. They're not as mature as they should be. They have real issues.
They have real things that they're struggling with. And yet he's still thankful for them. And I was thinking about that, how… I don't know that I… I don't know that I'm always thankful for the people who are around me at whatever level, wherever they are at.
And that's something that I need to learn is that in Whatever circumstances I find myself We can still be thankful for the people, even if they're not maybe where they ought to be. There's still something to be thankful for and we can help them.
Again, there's real problems, but then there's real solutions. And there's real help that's being offered here.
So to these fleshly… people who aren't… who are not yet ready for solid food.
Paul tenderly is kind of coming along them and pointing this out, but then helping remind them you have the mind of Christ. There's something more here and uh And he's trying to point out to them, when you act in very specific ways
This is an outworking of that fleshliness. For there's jealousy, there's strife among you.
Are you not fleshly? Are you not walking like mere men?
So mere men… It's this idea that there's something more. There's something better out there available to you.
We don't have to be mere men. We don't have to live like worldly people, we have the mind of Christ available to us.
And we can… Act accordingly.
We can live up to that level
And it's always there. It's… It's always readily available to us. We have access to it at any time.
And I was encouraged by that. We don't have to live with jealousy and strife and do the flesh.
Live according to the flesh. We can do something different. In verse 4, for when one says I'm of Paul and another I'm of Apollos.
Are you not mere men? What then is Apollos, and what is Paul?
Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
I planted Apollos watered. But God caused it growth.
And there's this… We're about to see this emphasis on It's the work of the Lord.
That matters. The one who plants, the one who waters. We all have different opportunities. We all have different parts that we play in the body.
But it's it's It's God's ministry.
And so the minister, the one who's actually performing the ministry The one who's being ministered to.
They all belong to God, and it's his work and he's the one who's accomplishing it. He's using us I was talking with Nate today, Appleton, who I work with.
And he was telling me about a situation that he was able to kind of come alongside a brother.
And really encourage him and help kind of like make a decision Or they're in the process of making a decision or whatever.
I was just marveling about how Like the Lord uses all of us. It takes all of us. It's a whole body.
And we all have a place in it and we all are needed.
A body isn't just an arm or a foot, it's the whole thing.
And how each member is integral in order to to be able to minister to everyone Like, I don't have… I'm not going to be able to reach certain people because we don't have the same interests or we don't have the connection or we don't have
I don't have the time or whatever. So I can only… do so much. And he can only do so much. But if we're working together It can be this wonderful thing where the whole body is encouraged because He's working and I'm working and Dan's working and Alex is working and Joel's working. And we're all working.
The whole body's edified because of it. And the whole body's reached and there's outreach happening and there's people who are supporting each other. And it's this beautiful thing.
And that's what he's getting at here. Corinthians are thinking in terms of men You're following Paul, you're following Apollos, but that's not you're missing it. It's higher up than that. It's something different.
Paul and Apollos are just servants of the God who's doing the work and it's his work and he's the one who's doing it.
God is causing the growth. So neither the one who plants Nor the one who waters us anything, but God who causes the growth?
Now he who plants and he who waters are one But each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. I always used to… Kind of read that with the emphasis on We are God's fellow workers and you are God's field but That's not right.
It's God's workers. It's God's field. It's God's building. It's him. It's about what he's doing.
It's him who's causing the growth. It's his workers. It's his field, it's his building. He's the one who's doing it. The emphasis is on him.
And… On Sunday, Neil was talking about the great white throne judgment and um Tonight in the this last little section here that we're going to talk about This is the judgment seat of Christ, or this is the judgment that we're going to be a part of. The great white throne judgment is reserved
As Neil was talking about, for the unbelievers, the people who are not following Jesus Christ will never make that decision. It's a terrible judgment.
We can be thankful that That isn't our fate.
But we will have a judgment. It's not going to just be Like… we die and then it's just all over and everybody's assigned their harp and their wings on their way into the pearly gates and you know whatever like what we do matters.
And what we do is going to We are going to, in a different way, but in a way Stand before Jesus and give an account for our lives.
And… I think it would be easy to be fearful.
I don't think that's the reaction that should be, that we should be having. I think The reaction instead should be one of hope and and One of knowing that we're going to be standing before God In all of his mercy, in all of his grace exhibited toward us.
And he's not looking to punish us. He's looking to reward us. He's looking for something In which we've done well and something that we've done for him
So it's I think of it more as an awards banquet than a judgment, right?
Judgment has such a negative connotation. This is like he's looking for something to… for which that we've done well for him and he wants to reward us for it.
That's… kind of what this next section is going to.
But in verse 8, Paul alludes to it. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
So the ones who work, the ones who plant, the ones who minister and are ministered, we're all one in the body. We are the body of Christ.
And yet how each one… moves and operates within that body is going to be individualized and is going to be specifically brought to the attention We're individually going to stand before the Lord and be judged according to our labors.
So here in verse 10, according to the grace of God, which was given to me as a wise master builder.
I laid a foundation and another is building upon it, but let each man be careful how he builds upon it.
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
So that's… Like, that's the crux.
What's the foundation that we're living on? That's the first aspect of the judgment.
Was it on the foundation of Jesus Christ? If it's on anything other than Jesus, it's not gonna It's not going to work. The wise man builds his house on the rock. The foolish man builds his house on the sand.
Waves and the wind hit the one that's on the sand and it falls down. So if… We are building on something other than Jesus.
It's not going to last. It's unsubstantial. If it's Jesus and something else, you have a mixed mortar for your foundation And that's not going to last either. So it's… on the foundation of Jesus Christ and on him alone.
That our work is to be That's what our labor is.
To be… directed toward. It's on him.
Verse 12, now if any man builds upon… the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw.
Each man's work will become evident, for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.
So… We have this opportunity, like I said, we have limited resources. We have limited time.
And what we do matters. The Lord is looking to reward us.
If there's nothing there to reward. He's not going to lie. He's not going to make stuff up. Like, oh, yeah, that was… That was, even though it was completely fleshly, yeah, whatever.
You can still get a reward and you get a reward and you get a reward like That's not what he's talking about here.
There are things that are… There are things that can endure the fire and there are things that won't.
And… I think that's what he's trying to get at here. Your work will be… evident on the day that is revealed of a fire.
The fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. I was thinking about how it says quality and not quantity.
And how… Even if we do like one thing for the Lord.
That's good quality, right? Like… It doesn't have to be… oftentimes been discouraged that I'm not, you know.
25 times. I don't remember. You're a Convert fan. I'm not looking for Abbott Elementary. Why is that not on there?
Fill in a name of a great name hero of the faith and, you know, who had all these opportunities and all these adventures and did all these amazing things. And the quantity is just staggering but like That's not… That's not what…
We're talking about, he's talking about the quality of each man's work.
And so what is… the quality of our work. Are we doing… anything for the Lord is anything directed toward him and It doesn't have to be much. It doesn't have to be grand. It doesn't have to be this huge thing.
We can do… Lots of small things. We can do a few small things for the Lord.
And those are precious to him. I was thinking about the The widow who gave the two mites in the temple She didn't give much.
And yet the Lord saw that as being of substantial value because of the quality of the offering. It was everything that she had and she gave it freely.
And… You know, we look around and sometimes in the church building and it's like there's lots of things that we can do like specifically take out the garbage, pick up, you know, pick up pick up Some… chairs or some tables. It doesn't have to be much.
It doesn't have to be a significant grand thing. It can be something small, but if it's done for the Lord with a heart of of gratitude in the heart of gratitude Thanksgiving to him.
Like that seems to be more of what he's about than… Then, you know, big… traveling…
Ministries that reach far and wide. He's after our hearts. And that's what's going to be revealed here.
Which… I think, again, is a very It should be a reassuring thing for us.
We have somebody who's, if nothing else. Incredibly gracious and merciful to us.
And I think he'll judge us with according to that grace and to that mercy.
In verse 14, if anyone's work which he has built upon it remains He shall receive a reward, and if any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss.
But he himself shall be saved. Yet so as through fire.
So there is a real reward for the for people who are building on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
And this is… as clear of a sign as any, I think, as there are in the New Testament about a person's eternal security.
You're not going to lose your salvation if you Don't… If your life isn't altogether pleasing to the Lord, you're still going to be saved, but there just might not be much of a reward there for And so that is…
It is a warning for us, and yet it is Also.
A reminder that Even little things that are done. It's the quality, it's not the quantity. If you came to the game late, you don't have to worry about it. I always think about the thief on the cross.
Never was baptized, never took communion, never did a single thing For the Lord. And yet… Jesus said, today you'll be with me in paradise.
This individual has been used for generations upon generations of people who are using that as an example of this person's faith and his turning to to Jesus, even at the 11th hour, literally.
As a road to salvation for is open to anybody and I wouldn't be surprised if this simple act of faith by a dying man on a cross, he's rewarded for that one day because I wonder how many hundreds, thousands
Of people have been saved because of is very, very simple and short ministry for the Lord of just simply dying.
But wouldn't you believe that God would reward this person like I would. I would believe that uh… like God is trying to find things to reward us for. That's his father's heart toward us not trying to… figure out a way to like keep all the rewards to himself and not share them with us or whatever.
He's looking for ways to bless us. It's an incredible thing to be his child. So it is a warning.
For us to be vigilant, to… to look for ways to to serve and to build up the body and to build Use what we have in order to edify each other, to reach the lost.
It is a warning, but it's also… You know, something that we… We should rest in, too, that the Lord is going to deal graciously with us.
And how much we have to be thankful for? So.
That's all I've got. Heavenly Father, thank you. For your word, thank you that you have revealed everything that we need for life and godliness.
That you have revealed Jesus Christ. Your plan from before the foundations of the world to that you enacted at just the right time to save us.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into the world to save us, for your
Submission for your humility, for your love. And that you were willing to endure the punishment that we deserved.
That we might be your inheritance and that we would get your inheritance. This is a marvelous thing.
And we're just so thankful to be your children. Thank you that in your word you've revealed to us that we have… your very mind and that we can see the world as you see it. That we don't have to be mere men.
But that we can… live lives that are pleasing to you that one day will even be rewarded for. We confess that this is not what we deserve.
And yet we're thankful that this is a good lot that's come to us.
And all these