Part 2 of the series "One Body...many members" recorded in January 2011 at the South Shore Communnity Church in MontrealQuebec

1. Tested by Fire 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 Pastor Tony Silveira

2. 1 CORINTHIANS 3 1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.

3. 1 CORINTHIANS 3 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

4. 1 CORINTHIANS 3 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

5. 1 CORINTHIANS 3 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

6. 1 CORINTHIANS 3 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.

7. 1 CORINTHIANS 3 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

8. He tells the congregation that they are: People of the flesh Infants in Christ A. Spiritual people versus People of the flesh

9. Babies grow and replace milk by solid food Paul is telling them that their growth stopped

10. Christian service is about partnership and not rivalry! CHURCH IS NOT A PLACE TO ATTEND BUT A PLACE TO SERVE

11. Without a good foundation buildings are at risk to collapse. The same is true about our Spiritual Life! B. The Apostle builds a foundation then others build upon it

12. 1 Corinthians 3 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

13. 1 Corinthians 3 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.

14. 1 Corinthians 3 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

15. The foundation which is Jesus Christ is established by Apostolic authority. The Church is then called to built upon it. This statement is not a doctrinal issue but a practical matter. There are plenty of situations in which a Church can have the wrong foundation.

16. BAD FOUNDATION

17. Churches with a fellowship foundation. Everything they do is centred in social events, dinners, tea parties, fellowship retreats, small group gatherings with the purpose of fellowship, etc. The Wrong Foundation

18. Churches with a "Bless me" foundation. All the activities are centred in receiving and getting. Receive the anointing, receive the gifts, receive prosperity, receive encouragement, receive deliverance. People are not encourage to give anything else than their money to support the ministry. The Wrong Foundation

19. Churches with a leadership foundation. Everything they do is centred in promoting the leaders The Wrong Foundation

20. Paul then warns that their work for the Lord will be put to the test. C. Tested by fire - God tests to approve and not to condemn VERSE 17

21. Genesis 22:1 After Abraham had walked with God for over 50 years, he was tested to go to a higher level. "After these things, that God did test Abraham"

22. 1 Corinthians 3 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw

23. 1 Corinthians 3 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

24. 1 Corinthians 3 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

25. 1 Corinthians 3 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

26. What is the Test of Fire? Hebrews 12:29 "for our God is a consuming fire."

27. What is the Test of Fire? Deuteronomy 4: "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

28. God is a consuming fire there are two different kinds of things that will be touched by the fire. Some things will be consumed and they disappear, a second group will resist the fire and will remain.

29. Only God can judge us righteously "How can you judge what you don't know? How can you evaluate what you don't understand?"

30. GOD WIL JUDGE US Will our work be judged as gold, silver and costly stones, or is it wood, hay or straw? God will judge our work one day and he will reward us according to the quality of what we do for him.

31. 1Corinthians 3 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Our Salvation is not put in doubt but our reward is.

32. SALVATION Like people running away from a burning house some Christians will not loose their salvation but God's reward will be completely lost when the test of fire is missed.

33. Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

34. ENDURANCE WILL YOU PASS THE TEST?

37. 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith

38. 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith

39. Paul finishes this part of the letter to the Corinthians by giving them a very severe warning. D. God will destroy whoever destroys his Church VERSE 17

40. 1 Corinthians 3 16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

41. 1 Corinthians 3 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

42. ESV Bible commentary The one who destroys God's temple (in this context, the church) is not part of God's people and so faces eternal destruction on the final day, just as God eventually destroyed the Babylonians who had destroyed Solomon's temple.

43. ARROGANCE is at the root of the divisiveness in Corinth

44. ESV Bible commentary The Corinthians need to learn that they ultimately belong to God, not to the leader who baptized them ( 1:13–17 ), who was himself only fulfilling God's purposes ( 3:7 , 11 ; 4:1 ). They should, therefore, boast only in God ( 1:29 , 31 ).

45. Webster’sDictionary defines arrogance as an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions

46. Proverbs 10:17 People who listen when they are corrected will live, but those who will not admit that they are wrong are in danger.

47. Let us submit, learn and pass the test. You and I need to ask ourselves- Is my relationship with God producing fruit?

48. 1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers and sisters, don't think like children. When it comes to evil, be like babies, but think like mature people.

49. ARROGANCE Arrogance brings destruction and arrogant people will not pass the test of fire.