Sermon Tone Analysis

What are your Motives for Serving?

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Paul is building on the theme or working together and undoing the individual conflicts he had found in the church.

Illustration of working together for the common good of the church.

phil

Different group were gathering around personalities and causing envying, strife and divisions.

Vs 8 each man shall receive his reward for what he has done.

vs 9 Then he gave two examples of farming and building

On a farm there are those that plow,plant, water and harvest.

On a building there are many different crafts.

Plumbers, carpenters etc...

They all have to work together

I The Foundation

Continuing with the idea of building, the apostle first of all acknowledges that anything he has been able to accomplish has been due to the grace of God.

By this he means the undeserved ability from God to do the work of an apostle.

Then he goes on to describe his part in the beginning of this assembly at Corinth: “As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation.”

He came to Corinth preaching Christ and Him crucified.

Souls were saved and a local church was planted.

Then he adds: “And another builds on it.”

By this, he doubtless refers to other teachers who subsequently visited Corinth and built on the foundation which had already been established there.

However, the apostle cautions: “But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”

He means that it is a solemn thing to exercise a teaching ministry in the local church.

Some had come to Corinth with divisive doctrines and with teachings contrary to the word of God.

Paul was doubtless conscious of these teachers as he penned the words.

3:11 Only one foundation is required for a building.

Once it is laid, it never needs to be repeated.

The Apostle Paul had laid the foundation of the church at Corinth.

That foundation was Jesus Christ, His Person and Work

1 Cor 3:10-

Key - Continuing with the idea of building, the apostle first of all acknowledges that anything he has been able to accomplish has been due to the grace of God.

He came to Corinth preaching Christ and Him crucified.

Souls were saved and a local church was planted.

Then he adds: “And another builds on it.”

He came to Corinth preaching Christ and Him crucified.

Souls were saved and a local church was planted.

Then he adds: “And another builds on it.”

However, the apostle cautions: “But let each one take heed how he builds on it.”

He means that it is a solemn thing to exercise a teaching ministry in the local church.

Some had come to Corinth with divisive doctrines and with teachings contrary to the word of God.

Paul was doubtless conscious of these teachers as he penned the words.

3:11 Only one foundation is required for a building.

Once it is laid, it never needs to be repeated.

The Apostle Paul had laid the foundation of the church at Corinth.

That foundation was Jesus Christ, His Person and Work

Not every minister, however, labored to the same effect in this building process.

Paul had laid a foundation in Corinth with the message of the Cross.

Apollos too had labored beneficially in Corinth ().

Apparently so also had Peter, whom Paul here called “Cephas” (; ).

But as Paul wrote, someone else was ministering in Corinth, and Paul’s words to him and others like him were a warning.

3:11.

Jesus Christ alone was the foundation, the basis of salvation ().

But others had come to Corinth and preached a different gospel ().

Perhaps such a one was present in Corinth when Paul wrote this letter.

2 cor 11.3-4

II The Function

The materials used in the building may be interpreted in at least four ways: (a) The gold, silver, costly stones refer to the enduring quality of the builder’s work; and the wood, hay, or straw suggest work that is temporary and valueless.

This view is supported by “work” (v.

13) and “what he has built” (v.

14).

(b) The three expensive materials suggest sound doctrine which the builder “builds” into people’s lives, and the three valueless materials are false doctrines.

(c) The first three materials refer to the worker’s worthy motives, and the other three point to his unworthy motives (cf.

4:5).

(d) The “gold, silver, costly stones” refer to believers who constitute the church (this is supported by similar uses of the metaphor in Eph.

2:22; 2 Tim.

2:20; and 1 Peter 2:5), and the “wood, hay, or straw” represent unregenerate people present in the church (chorton, rendered “hay” in 1 Cor.

3:12, is used of unbelievers in James 1:10, where the NIV renders it “wild flower”)

1 Cor 3:12

The materials used in the building may be interpreted in at least three ways:

(a) The gold, silver, costly stones refer to the enduring quality of the builder’s work; and the wood, hay, or straw suggest work that is temporary and valueless.

This view is supported by “work” (v.

13) and “what he has built” (v.

14).

This view is supported by “work” (v.

13) and “what he has built” (v.

14).

1cor

Teaching - lasting -

Teaching temporary - Revelation and theorys

(b) The three expensive materials suggest sound doctrine which the builder “builds” into people’s lives, and the three valueless materials are false doctrines.

healings, health and wealth , excessive teaching on the spectacular

Teaching temporary - Revelation and theorys

(c) The first three materials refer to the worker’s worthy motives, and the other three point to his unworthy motives (cf.

4:5).

Motives for Work

To glorify God

To gain position

To help others

To help self

Brokenness over the lost

Number to fill a church

Teaching temporary - Revelation and theorys

Subsequent teaching in a local church may be of varying degrees of value.

For instance, some teaching is of lasting worth, and might be likened to gold, silver, or precious stones.

Here precious stones probably do not refer to diamonds, rubies, or other gems but rather to the granite, marble, or alabaster used in the construction of costly temples.

On the other hand, teaching in the local church might be of passing value or of no value at all.

Such teaching is likened to wood, hay, and straw.

This passage of Scripture is commonly used in a general way to refer to the lives of all Christian believers.

It is true that we are all building, day by day, and the results of our work will be manifested in a coming day.

However, a careful student of the Bible will want to note that the passage does not refer primarily to all believers but rather to preachers and teachers.