God's Building
1 Corinthians 3
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Thank God for the foundation He has given us.
11. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
But the foundation is the beginning. You must build upon it. Salvation must be lived out.
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Faith must be practiced. You must build -
And you must build rightly.
Illus. God told Noah to build the Ark. He gave him specific instructions.
Ge 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
Ge 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Ge 6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
We don't know exactly what gopher wood is, but it was probably cypress, which was common for building ships and is highly resistant to decay.
The pitch would have been bitumen, or asphalt, which is pliable, sticky, and waterproof. We use a form of it, tar, to patch our roofs from leaks. Asphalt would have been readily available in the Dead Sea area.
The boat was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high - a size and shape that would make it nearly impossible to sink or overturn.
It also had rooms to house the various animals and windows to let in air and what sunshine there may have been.
You see, God was very specific because He knew what He was doing.
God always provides directions and materials for building.
We are building also. We are building a life. God has specific instructions and materials for building that life.
16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Illus. There were three little pigs. You know the story. The first built his house of straw, and the big bad wolf came and huffed and puffed and blew that house down.
The second built his house of sticks, and the big bad wolf came and huffed and puffed and blew that house down.
The third built his house and bricks, and the big bad devil came and huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed and could not defeat that believer because he had built with the right stuff.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Are you building with the right stuff? What are we to build with?
Matthew 7
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Do you see? We build on the Word of God.
… whosoever heareth these sayings of mine…
And we build with the Word of God.
… and doeth them…
Every aspect of our lives must be based on God's Word. Every decision must be consulted with him in prayer and study.
Every need must be presented to Him.
Every problem must be laid out before Him.
1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.