We are continuing to look here
in the book of I Corinthians chapter 3. Now the abiding theme in all
that we have looked at that Paul has said up to this point in
this book is that if we would glory, that we would glory in
the Lord, that there is nothing of man that is of any lasting
power or nature or worth. God does not use men because
He needs to. He uses men because He wants
to. He uses men because it pleases
Him. And when men get lifted up in
their mind, or they lift up other men in their mind as being something,
when in reality we are nothing, then they have missed the mark.
And so may the Lord help us as we look at this passage of Scripture
Because this is a passage of Scripture which is often used,
and it's kind of like Paul said all of these things, and then
right in the middle of it, he changed gears and he changed
what he was saying. And that's the way most people
look at it, because what they look at is they consider that
what Paul is saying here in these verses we looked at last week
is that men can do something to earn a reward before God,
but some may not, but they'll get saved anyway, and so it doesn't
really make any difference anyhow. But we should always try to do
the right thing so we'd earn that reward. Now that's kind
of how the view normally is, but I don't think that's at all
what Paul is saying here. And I think if you look at the
context of the passage, it's very clear. That's not what he's
saying. So I want to begin here, and
we're going to read some of these verses again and maybe make some
comments and hopefully get a little further along here. It says,
So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth,
but God giveth the increase. To me, that is the most important
passage of Scripture in this chapter right there. And if you
understand that and you get the implication of what he is setting
forth there, then the rest of this becomes very plain. And so he says here, that neither
is he that watereth anything. Well, surely he is something.
No, he said he is nothing. That doesn't make any difference.
Because it doesn't make any difference. The watering and the planting
is not the important thing. Now anybody that's ever been
a farmer knows that to be true. If you've ever grown a garden,
it's not the watering, it's not the planting, but it's God that
gives the increase. Because you can plant it just
like it's supposed to be planted. You can get you an almanac, and
you can plant it on the signs of the moon if you want to. I
mean, you can plant potatoes when the sign is in the feet,
and you can do all that stuff. I've never studied into that,
but I remember my grandpa and all, they used to really go in
for that. And I'm not saying that the Lord
hadn't ordained such things as that to be earthly wisdom. But when all is said and done,
You can do all the things that you're supposed to do as far
as planting and watering is concerned, but it just might not turn out.
I mean, sometimes the plants don't do it. Sometimes the pine
trees don't grow. I mean, sometimes that's just
the way that it is, and why is that? Because it's God that gives
the increase. And so what Paul's saying here,
the watering and the planting, They are just things that God
has ordained to come to pass, but they are not what our focus
is to be on. We are not concerned with planting
or watering, but we are concerned with giving glory to the One
who brings the increase. Now, He that planteth and He
that watereth are one, they are the same. It does not make any
difference. He said, And every man shall
receive his own reward according to his own labor. Oh, well, great! Now what is he saying there?
Is he saying that some men are going to get a reward based on
their labor that is going to be greater than others? No. What
he is saying is all men are going to get exactly what their labor
is worth. Now what did he say their labor was worth? He said
they are nothing. Isn't that what he's trying to
tell the Corinthians? Look, it's not Paul. It's not
Apollos. So Paul and Apollos are both
going to get the reward associated with their labor. Now what is
their reward? They just simply did what the
Lord said for them to do. I mean, that's the reward of
their labor. That's it. Just like that parable that Brother
Al mentioned and we spoke about last week about the parable of
the workers in the vineyard. They shall receive the reward
of their labor, that which God has ordained for them to have.
But it is not as though they are going to get something special.
That is not the point of what he said. Men are going to be
rewarded according to what they do, which is ordained of God,
and all will be according to His purpose. And what we deserve
is nothing. So do not let your mind get ahead
of what the context of the passage is here. Every man shall receive
a reward according to his own labor. If your labor and your
worth in the kingdom of God stands out above all others, you are
going to be rewarded for that. Now, according to what he said,
is that going to occur? Is it? I mean, the Lord doesn't
send men into the vineyard and doesn't pay them, does He? No. When He sends men into the vineyard,
He pays them. He did in that parable, did He
not? But you see, the reward is The
reward of grace is the reward of mercy, but it's not the activity
that causes it, it's the grace that precedes it. And the labor
that a man bestows is the blessing itself. Paul said, look, I'm
not asking you to give me anything. He said, my reward is to see
you walking in love one towards another. Because you see, that
is the mercy of God. And working among God's people
is the working of God among His people. That is that thing. That
is His blessing. But whatever it is that a man
does, all men are going to be rewarded according to their labor. Not individually as it amounts
to one doing more than the other, But the Lord is not going to
send a man into the vineyard and not pay him. Neither is He
going to call on His people to follow Him only to abandon them. He said, if I told you these
things are so, they are so. He said, if I told you I'd come
again, I'm coming again. And so it is. that He is faithful. See, everything that we find
out as we study through the Word of God is not that God rewards
men according to their faith, but God is faithful to His people. And He causes them to be people
of faith even when their faith falters. Because you see, even
when we don't Oh, I don't have any faith. You know, even when
we're in that shape and we find ourselves, well, we can't believe.
Lord, help us to believe. The Lord's giving them faith.
Because you see, the Lord gives even the man that trembles in
fears and doesn't think he has any faith, He gives him faith.
Why? Because he's constantly calling
on the Lord. Now, only the people that are
of the faith are going to be calling on the Lord. Now a lot
of people, they have so much faith they don't need to call
on the Lord. They can just do it themselves.
I mean, they've just got the faith, brother. Brother, we've
got the faith. Well, let me tell you, when a
man has faith, he's going to be on his face before God pleading
for mercy and help. That's what faith causes a man
to do because true faith causes a man to trust the Lord, not
his self, not in his own way. but in the way of the Lord. And
so we are laborers together with God. Now how are we laborers
together with God? Are we in partnership with Him?
He says, You do this and I'll do that. Now that's kind of the
message that you hear quite a bit today. Well, God has to do His
part and man does his part. That would be a bad situation
there. Because every time that I try to do my part, I mess it
up. My part wouldn't get me very
far. No, if it's not God, the one
that's doing it. But yet, you see, He has brought
us along as co-laborers and He has brought us along and He has
put us in this situation where we are laborers together with
Him, but He's doing all the work. You ever been on one of those
jobs? I mean, you know, when you were
a little kid, and your dad took you with him to do something,
and you were out there, and he was doing some stuff, but you
were helping him. Now, were you really helping
him? No, you was actually a hindrance to him more than you was a helper.
But he said, come on, you're going to be a laborer together
with me. And you just, buddy, you were, man, we went out there
and did that. But who did it? Did you do anything? No, you didn't do anything. He
did it. But he, in his mercy and kindness,
he said, you're a laborer together with me. And he said, didn't
we do a good job? And you said, boy, we did. But
you see, we are laborers together with Him. He is the one doing
the work. He is the one who is the power
in this situation. You are God's husbandry, He says. That is, you are the ones that
God is doing the work in. He is performing the work. The husbandry has to do with
farming or being a vineyard keeper. I mean, that's what husband,
animal husbandry is raising animals. And so we're his husbandry. He's
raising us. He's bringing us along the way.
Now, when the cows, you know, they get all fat and ready to
go to the market, can they say, man, we did a good job? You know,
old Joe over there, He really deserves something great, something
better than Frank over here. You know, Frank, he ate really
on one side of his mouth, but Joe, he put it in his mouth,
and when he chewed his cud, he really did a good job. No, we're
his husbandry. We're just what we are. We're
just what God made us to be. And there is no glory in that
except the glory is His, and we want to give Him the glory.
For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Now if we perform any good works,
why is that? Because He created us unto that. He made us that way. He caused
it to come to pass. If any good work arises out of
those things that we do, it is because of Him. And He's the
One. We are God's husbandry. We're God's building. Now, can that window right there,
can it take glory that it's a window and it lets light in? While the
old couple of studs that are between the window there, well,
they are just holding up sheetrock. I mean, can the window say, well,
look at me, I am a window. I let light in. And the stud
that is holding up the roof, he says, that is nothing. He
says, I am holding the roof up. Brother, we are part of the building.
That is God's building. He owns the windows. He picked
them out. He made them just exactly like
He wanted, the size He wanted them to be and everything. We
are God's building. We are God's husbandry. We are that which He has formed
according to the good pleasure of His will, according to the grace of God. Now, can the hand say to Him that formed it, why hast
thou made me thus? Can a foot say, well, I'd rather
have been a knee? No, because a foot is a foot
and a knee is a knee. It's God's building. It's the
body of Christ. He made it like He wanted it
to be and He's the one that will have the glory in it. According
to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master
builder. Paul was a wise master builder.
The Lord gave him an apostleship. And he said the church is built
upon the foundation of the apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief
apostle. And so it is that it is according
to the good pleasure of God. He said, I have laid the foundation
and another buildeth thereon, but let every man take heed how
he buildeth thereon. Now, are we just set out willy-nilly? No, God has ordered the things
that we do, but yet at the same time, He has caused us to exhort
one another to love and to good works, and we ought to take heed
how we use those things that God has given. Can we thwart
the purpose of God? Of course not. But we have made
labors together with Him, and He has called us to participate
in it. And He has called these things
to come to pass, and we exhort one another to build wisely upon
that foundation. For other foundations can no
man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. There
is not another message that we have been sent with than this.
There is not another basis upon which we would set forth the
truth of God. You cannot tell men what the
truth of God is if it does not begin and end with Jesus Christ. Now, you know, this room right
here would not even contain the microfilm that the books would
be put on Things that people have written about God that they
claim to be true. But for the most part, if they
miss this, they're of no use whatsoever, are they? Because
if we don't tell men what the truth is, as it is in Christ,
who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Then what have
we told them? I mean, you know, if we teach
people that, you know, they've just got an indomitable human
spirit, and if they just think they can, they can do something,
and all of those things that the world flocks toward and the
encouragement, you know, one to the other and we can do all
these things if we just band together and all of this stuff
just like we did on the hills of Shinar where they built the
Tower of Babel. You know, but we get together,
we can do this thing. I mean, that's a good example,
dear brethren, of men working together. Wasn't it? I mean, they really did it, didn't
they? They were doing great things. But you see, they did it unto
their own glory. But you see, that's not what
we're called to. And we're to build upon one foundation,
and we've got no other message than that. And if we're going
to tell people the truth, then we're going to have to point
them to this, because no other foundation can be laid than that
which is laid. Now, a foundation, you know,
faith, Men think of faith as being an activity. Do you have
faith? Faith is not an activity. Faith
is an operation of God that works in a man to cause him to rest
in something. That is what faith is. Faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. That's what faith is. Faith is
the gift of God. But what is faith? It's Christ. I mean, He is the basis of faith. If you don't have a foundation
upon which your faith is placed, then it doesn't make a difference
how much you might believe something. If it's based on the wrong thing,
it's going to be wrong, isn't it? I mean, you can believe that
the earth is flat, and a lot of people do. But it may not be flat. In fact, I don't think it is
flat. But if you base everything that
you believe on what you consider to be the fact that the earth
was flat, and that turns out not to be right, guess what? Your faith wasn't worth a plug
nickel. Here is where the whole point
of the matter comes in. You see, by the grace of God
we believe, by faith, that Jesus Christ is the one who He says
He is. And upon that we take our stand.
And upon that we live or die. I mean, that is where it is.
Now, in the hypothetical world of men, if it turned out that
was not true, then we would be of all men most miserable, would
we not? But you see, that's the place
where God in His mercy and kindness has brought us, and we believe. We believe. I mean, what is that? I don't know where that comes
from. I believe, just like the Ethiopian eunuch says, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that. I mean,
I'm putting my whole hopes in that. I'm putting all my eggs
in one basket. That's the place whereon I'm
standing. That's the foundation that he's talking about here.
That's what faith is. It's built upon an object, a
foundation. And another foundation can no
man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if
any man builds upon that foundation, gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble, now notice that there's no break in that.
He doesn't say, If he builds on this foundation gold, silver
and precious stones, then this is going to happen. But if he
builds on it wood, hay and stubble, this is going to happen. He didn't say that, did he? He
is saying here, now, what men build upon this foundation, that
is, those things that we as men, whether it is Paul or it is Apollos
or it is Cephas, those are gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay and stubble. When I am on message, it is gold,
silver, precious stones. But dear brethren, being a man,
There's wood, hay, and stubble mixed in with the best thing
that I've ever done. The best thing you've ever done. That's just what it is. That's
the way it is. And so it is that because man,
as he said here, he said, who's Paul? Who's Apollos? If we build
on those things, he said, he's not giving a situation where
he says, this will happen if you do this and this will happen
if you do that. But what he is saying is, I believe
what he is pointing out, is that all of the works of man are wood,
hay, stubble, precious stones, and these things as God ordains
for them to be. Now if a man comes along and
he becomes mistaken, and I tell you something that I believe
is true, but it turns out that it is not. I mean, say for instance,
if I'm teaching some passage in the Scripture that I think means one thing, but
in reality I was wrong how that turned out. Now, is the Lord
sitting back and saying, well, he messed up, so that's wood,
hay and stubble, and so consequently that's going to all be burned
up? No, I'm telling you this. I believe this is the true thing.
I believe this is what he's saying. All of the works of man are of
no lasting value. It doesn't matter what you build
upon this foundation. You need to take heed how it
is, but it doesn't matter what you build with it. You are going
to be saved so as by fire if any man's works be burned up.
I hope mine are burned up. Do you want your works to be
the basis upon which the Lord is going to reward you? Really? I mean, realistically? Are you
saying, Buddy, I can't hardly wait until I get up there and
the Lord is going to say, Well, Buddy, look at all this stuff
you did and here it is. This is all gold and precious
stones. Are you looking forward to that? I'm not. Because I know
what my stuff is, it's just going to be burned up. And I'm thankful. Because you see, my hope is built
on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not
trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. See, that's the foundation upon
which I stand. It's not upon these things that
are going to be burned up. They're going to be forgotten.
I mean, do you think they're going to build a shrine to you
in heaven so through the ages to come people are going to come
and say, look at all the great things He did? Never going to
even think about it. Because the eyes of all those
people that are gathered there are going to be focused on one,
the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him is all of our hope. He is that foundation upon which
we stand. Every man's work. shall be made
manifest. Paul's is. Peter's is. Apollos' is. John's is. Al's is. Daniel's. Joshua's. Caleb's. Everybody. It's going to be made
manifest. And it's going to be lacking.
I mean, it's going to be seen for what it was. It wasn't anything. Now that isn't real assuring,
is it, to the man that's trusting in those things. But to the man
that's trusting in Christ, he could care less. It's not about
what I do, it's what Christ has done. Now does that mean then
that I don't have any regard to these things? Of course not. Why? Because brethren, let every
man take heed of our bills. Why? Because we have been called
unto a great and mighty work. It is just not a great and mighty
work that depends on us. It depends on the glory of God.
It depends on the grace of God. It depends on the mercy of God.
But we are compelled by the grace of God. As Paul said there, he
said, According to the grace of God
which is given to me as a wise master builder, I have built. How do you do it? Grace. So you think there is going to
be a special place for Paul? I don't think so. Because why? Because Christ,
every man's work is going to be shown to be what it is. Now,
right now, every man's work appears to be different, doesn't it? I mean, every man's work appears
to be different now. Those who are called by the grace
of God. But in that day, every man's
work is going to be made manifest to be what it is. If any man's
work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. Are you planning on that? Do you think your work will abide?
Do you think that's what Paul said? You're going to receive
a reward if your work doesn't burn up? You know, here comes
the fire and everybody says, boy, I hope mine stands up. No. It's going to all be burned up,
dear brethren. It is going to all be burned out. If any man's
work abide which he hath built thereon, he shall receive a reward. God, look, when the fires of
judgment come, if a man actually could stand, if he is going to
stand, that is the time. But do you know whose works are
going to stand when the day of God's judgment is made manifest? Do you know whose works are going
to stand? There is one man that has been born a woman whose work
will stand the test of time and the fires of God's judgment.
And it is that work which the Lord Jesus Christ has performed
and he is that one who shall receive a reward. And the one
reward that he will have is that those people which belong to
him and are hidden in him shall be found to be without sin. before Him in love. If any man's
work, but if yours does, it'll be the same way. But I hope you're
not counting on it. I hope you're not trusting in
it. I hope you're not expecting it. But I've often thought, and
of course I used to look at this this way, and years ago, And
it always, after I got to knowing a little bit about a few, or
the Lord showed me a few things along the way, it always caused
me a puzzle. Well, how on earth, what would
that process be like? I mean, how can a man be, you
know, oh, I sure hope I get a reward when I get there. We are all
saved as so is by fire. If we make it in, it will be
by the skin of our teeth only because God who is rich in mercy,
with the great love wherewith He loved us, snatched us as a
brand which is burning from the flame. I mean, when He pulled
us out as a burning coal, we were already on fire. And He
pulled us out of the fire that we might not be utterly consumed. And what are we going to boast
in? I mean, what more would we want than such a thing as that? If any man's work shall be burned,
he shall suffer loss. Well, everything. I mean, you
know, these things that we... Paul said, I count all these
things but loss. He says, I count them to be as
done. Now, they were a value, but they're not a value to us
now. We count them as loss. We're going to suffer loss. But
he himself shall be saved, yet so is my fire. Know ye not that
ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
in you?" Now dear brethren, that's our hope. That's the basis and
place upon which we stand. It's the glory of God revealed
in Jesus Christ. And the wood, hay, and stubble
and all of these things are indeed the works of men, and they're
going to be shown to be exactly what they are. Just like Paul
is saying, it's not of Paul, it's not of Apollos, don't be
caught up in this. He said, don't be as babes, but
he says, I'm giving you some meat now. Because you see, this
is the meat of the kingdom. This is a kingdom, not of flesh
and blood. It is not a kingdom where we
go around patting one another on the back because we did such
a good job. But the kingdom of God is righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. And the only place where that
is found is in Christ and in His grace as He has drawn us
into His field of labor and made us laborers together with Him. Now, brethren, that's grace,
isn't it? That's mercy. That's kindness. I mean, it's
not about what men do. Now, I'm going to tell you, there's
no other message on earth that men hate more than the message
of the gospel of the grace of God, because that doesn't make
any sense to the man in whom the law is written in his heart,
because that law that's written in his heart says An eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth. If you do good, you're going
to get this. If you do bad, you're going to get that. That's just
the way we are. And so grace doesn't make any
sense to the natural man. In fact, it makes him mad. Because
if you tell a man, look, you know, it's all depending on what
God does, not what you do. Oh, he doesn't like that. Well,
that's just not so. It does matter what I do. What
I do is important. What you do is not important.
What God does is what's important. And that's what Paul's message
is to the Corinthians. Just quit wrangling and fighting
over who's of who or what. What difference does that make?
We're of God. We're His husbandry, His workmanship. And by the grace of God, He'll
bring us to the place that He would have us to be.