You take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3 this morning. While you're turning there, Proverbs chapter 5 verse 21 says, For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. How do we stand before the gaze of God? How do we individually, how do we collectively as a church, how do we stand before the holy gaze of a righteous God? 1 Corinthians chapter 3 is where we are this morning. We last week looked at the evaluation that will take place of every believer's service or ministry for God. It tells us in there in verse 12, if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, 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. If any man's work shall abide, verse 14, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. Verse 15, if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, yet he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. We learned last week that God gives us not only the grace to live for Him, to serve Him, He also gives us the grace to be rewarded by Him. It's all of God, all by God, all for God. We're going to continue on this week beginning at verse 16 and looking at the reality of God's evaluation of the church. You'll see the expression repeated, it says in verse 12, now if any man, verse 13, every man's work It says in verse 15, if any man's work, and then we find in verse 17, if any man, no doubt the individual is highlighted in this passage, but when we come to verse 16, he's going to be addressing the church in particular. The Corinthian church was in a wicked city and the Corinthian church had problems. But God loved them, Paul loved them, and he wanted them to understand who they are in Jesus Christ. He says in verse 16, no ye not, that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. So what is the church? What is it? It's a term from the marketplace, ecclesia. It's a called out group gathered together to do business. The term is baptized in the New Testament by the Holy Spirit of God who explains that's what we do. We gather together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the gospel that he's given to us. We gather together to serve and to worship and to glorify him until he comes again. That's who we are. But who does the church then belong to? Does it belong to the pastor, the longest member? Does it belong to Christ? So what is it and whose is it will determine the church's future. We know that God will one day test every man's ministry by fire. That's what we learned about last week. And God will reward Christians accordingly. But what of the collective? What of the church? In Revelation 2 and 3, it seems to indicate to us in the Bible that God that the Lord Jesus Christ will evaluate assemblies. So how do we measure our church's ministry? It'd be foolish for us to take a worldly system, a worldly means of measurement, to evaluate what we're doing. That'd be like taking a car's dipstick and checking your temperature with it. Or taking a blood pressure cuff and applying it to your car's tire to see if there's enough air. It doesn't cross over. And so for us to look at a secular system and try to evaluate what God is doing in this church would be foolish. It just doesn't make sense. In fact, that's what we're told in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. God works through foolish things. It says in verse 27, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Paul demonstrated by his own example. He says, I came in weakness and God worked. And so as the church is thinking about who they are, finding their identity as a church, they need to understand that God is going to evaluate them differently than any other secular organism or organization. We find that the church itself, in verse 10, is built upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, according as the grace of God, this is chapter 3, verse 10. which hath given to me as a wise master builder. I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon, but let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. So Paul is elevating the ministry of the local assembly, and he wants to help us understand our responsibility to Jesus Christ in his church. Several years ago, I began seeing signs posted in front yards. And they say, you matter. I think they were, the intention was for suicide prevention, helping people understand that they have a value. In Jesus Christ, we find our identity, but we have, as true believers, we find that we are, as was sung by the choir this morning, we are complete in Jesus Christ. could I suggest this morning in this passage we're going to find church matters. It was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and it's here to accomplish His work in the world. Church matters. You as a church matter. In verse 16, we find that this church, the New Testament local church, he says, know ye, the second word there, ye, is plural and it's speaking of the collective, not the individual. Speaking of the church. Know ye that ye are the temple of God, that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. So the church, first of all, it does belong to God. To possess it, But then also to protect it. Look at verse 17. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. So God promises to protect his church. Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. But God will protect his church. But we also find out that the church is God's, but it's also ours. It's yours in Jesus Christ. continue on reading with me he says in verse 18 let no man deceive himself if any man among you seem to be wise in the world let him become a fool that he may be wise for the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God for it is written he taketh the wise in their own craftiness and again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain two references here one from Job and one from Psalms and he's explaining essentially what he's been saying all along What is wise to the world is foolish to God, and what is foolish to God is wise to the world. And he explains here in this passage that this church is to be not evaluated from a world system perspective, but from God's perspective. Look at verse 21. Therefore, let no man glory in men. So the church is ours, he says, for all things, end of verse 21, are yours all the resources God has entrusted to the church belong to all of us in the church God's provided in fact some of those resources are people we found back in chapter 2 or 3 verse 5 who then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers by whom he believed even as the Lord gave to every man God has given resources to the church but then the challenge comes in verse 21 let no man glory in men it's not all about the men It's about the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter 4, we find that the church has been gifted to accomplish its work. Ephesians 4 verse 11, and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure and the stature of the fullness of Christ." And then verse 14 tells us that we'll be protected through that. God has gifted His church, and for you and I, the church certainly belongs to Christ, but it also belongs to us in a sense, right? All the resources of all the church belong to all the church. Verse 21, It says, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ, and Christ is God. And so the church is yours with its resources, but also there's a weight of responsibility, right? We are responsible to God for the church, each of us. individually and collectively. Responsible for our ministry, for our service, but we're responsible as a church for what happens in the church and how we work for Christ. Let's bow together for a word of prayer. Father, open now our eyes to your truth. We recognize not only did you speak this world into existence, but you have created us anew by sending your son, Jesus Christ, who when we received him, when we believed on him, we were given eternal life. I pray, Father, now, guide us now by your word. Instruct us to know you more, to love you more, to faithfully serve you in your church. In Jesus' name, amen. So the church is God and the church is yours. This last week, as people were preparing for the hurricanes, I noticed one particular picture of a man who had put down straps over his house. Anybody see that picture? You know, I think the technical term is tie-downs. I remember the first time I bought some, we had bought a mattress at Costco, and I didn't know how I was going to get it home. And so I bought some tie-downs also from Costco. Ratchet straps, you know what I'm talking about. And we ratcheted it down, and we made it home. Generally, tie-downs work. And as far as I know, the man who was in Florida who used the tie-downs on his house, he put them from the front yard to the backyard, and he was holding his entire roof down with two tie-downs. I think it was brilliant. It's so much what a man would do, right? You ladies are dying. You're like, yeah, I could see my husband doing that one. I think, just to use that example here, I think Paul gives us two tie-downs for our understanding of the local church. It's gonna help prepare us for what may be potentially damaging storms in the future. Two tie-downs that we're going to look at from this passage of scripture. A tie-down is something that's used to protect something that is valuable to you. So the first one we see is the tie-down of Christ's view of the local church. I believe the Apostle Paul draws from Christ's understanding of his own church. In verse 16, the tie-down of Christ's view of the church. It's good, it's helpful as you read scripture to pick up on not only the characteristics of Christ, but the passions of Christ. The things that he prefers, the things that he desires. And I believe that's unfolded for us here in this passage. I think Paul reveals to us how Christ feels about his church. He sees it as a temple to be protected. He presides over it. Know ye not, verse 16, that ye are the temple of God. Now you know, you know this, don't you? Chapter six, he's gonna tell us individually that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You know that. But here he's speaking collectively as of the body, right, of a local church here. He's talking to the church of Corinth. I think later on he'll broaden that to include all believers in just a moment. But he's talking to this local church and he's telling you, telling them, that they are a part of a temple that God means to protect. God desires to protect his church. Christ is seen as the head of the church. In Ephesians chapter one, we find after Christ was resurrected from the dead, verse 22 says, and he hath put all things under his feet, under Christ's feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Make no mistake, Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Jesus Christ is the head of this church. Jesus Christ is. It says in verse 21, Not only does he have the authority of the church, but we see a superiority in the church. Ephesians 2 verse 21, In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are built together for the inhabitation of God through the Spirit. And Paul in Ephesians was talking to a congregation made up of Jews and Gentiles, a congregation that had slaves and masters, a wide variety, rich and poor, all in one congregation. And he's telling them in Jesus Christ, specifically the Jews and Gentiles, you're one in Christ, and He rules you all. We see He is the head, but we also see His heart. He loves the church. There's several descriptions we have in the Bible of the church. It's called a body. It's called a field. In fact, we saw that earlier in 1 Corinthians 3 in verse 9. For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry, his field, and ye are God's building. So we see the church as a body and a bride and a field. and a building and all these help us to understand who we are as a church. But ultimately remember we're His. We belong to Him. Look what it says there in verse 17. God will protect His church. It says if any man defile the temple God just as the Old Testament temple was to be set apart to be sanctified to be protected So God protects his church and his church again. It isn't the walls of the building. We're in it's us Gathered together united together in Jesus Christ as a congregation God seeks to protect us what we have together in him again. We're not just a human organization We're not just a social club. What are we? We are an organism, a spiritual organism. And who dwells in us individually? The Holy Spirit dwells in us collectively. The Spirit of God dwells in us together as a church. But there are those, right? He says those that would defile the temple. There are those whose heart is to destroy God's church. to destroy local churches, maybe physically setting fires. A number of years ago, when we lived in Marysville, there was a man who was upset. Something happened years ago in the church, and so he drove his car into the church, and he set his car on fire. As far as I know, he survived, and the church did build a new building, but there are those who would seek to physically destroy it, but there are also those who would seek to spiritually destroy it, cause divisions, and we know that was a common problem here in Corinth. Chapter one, verse 11, we find he says, he says now, or verse, yeah, verse 11, he says that there are contentions among you, right? Over in chapter three, verse three, He says there is strife and divisions and carnality, envying, all these things were happening in the church. And so they were breaking up into parties, having their favorite preacher, their favorite teacher, their favorite spiritual guru, and they had aligned themselves under those people or under their preferences. And what is happening here? Paul says, I can't even feed you because you're so spiritually, your growth is stunted, you're spiritually immature. And it's been fed by this pride, the pride of your heart that's divided yourself against yourself. So there would be those though, perhaps those who are professing believers who are not believers. And I think if you look at the entire book of 1 Corinthians, I think that there's very well a possibility that there may have been those in the church who are causing problems who were true Believers, because the entire book begins with, in chapter one, verse two, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. He recognizes the collective, the church here, as our true believers. But there may be those who are believers who are being divisive in the church. So there's those who might set to destroy the church, and maybe you have met those. Maybe you have come across those who say, well, if it's not gonna be my way, bless the Lord, it's not gonna be anybody's way. And I have met those who themselves closed down a church because things weren't going their way. There are those who would destroy the church. There are those who would divide the church. And again, this party mindset, these factions in Corinth, this was taking place. There are those who would seek to cause division. We know Proverbs chapter six tells us God hates that. He hates those who would sow discord among the brethren. There are those who would deceive the church. It could be the unbelievers who are false teachers. Much of the New Testament talks about those, but there are those who maybe are true believers who themselves have been deceived and are seeking to deceive others. And then there may be deluders. If the salt hath lost its savor, it stands forth good for nothing. Those who would seek to water down the true pure gospel of Jesus Christ into whatever easy believism or watering down the sanctified Christian life. So there's nothing left. There's nothing to identify us as God's children. What will God do with those? He says in verse 17, if any man defiled the devil, seeks to destroy the church is what he's talking about. Him shall God destroy. So God's going to destroy the destroyer. And I think that for the unbeliever, perhaps a false teacher, they will suffer eternally, right? There are degrees of punishment in hell. They will suffer for that. But I believe as well. Are you saying that there are true believers that will lose their salvation? Absolutely not. The Bible does not teach that. But there is a cost to be paid. There is a price to be paid by true believers who speak, seek to divide God's church. I think that was happening in Corinth. It was a problem that could be solved, but there were people who were resisting the will of God by dividing with one another. I think God will deal with them in their own lifetime, in God's way. You say, well, spell that out for us, Pastor. I can't. I don't know. But God says he'll deal with it, and I'm taking it at his word. He'll deal with it. When there are those who seek to destroy or divide or deceive the church, I think God will deal with them. So tie down number one is tie down the fact that Christ's view of the church, let's see it from his perspective. He sees it as not only something worth protecting, but also something that's worth being provided for. Paul says in verse 10, it was God's grace that allowed him to be the church planter. It was God's grace in him. So it wasn't of Paul. It wasn't of natural ability. It was the Holy Spirit of God who not only brought him to faith in Jesus Christ, but it was the work of the Holy Spirit of God through Paul to do the work. And it was God's grace that did this in him. God provides for his church. Romans chapter 12 in verse 3 it says, For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For we as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office. So we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another. God provides for His church. He gives us what we need to do what God has called us to do. Look what it says in verse 21. For all things are yours. All of God's gifts to all of His church are for all of His church. And so we can say, What it tells us in verse 22, Paul, hey, he's a part of us. Apollos, he's part of us. Ephesus or Peter. I mean, in a sense, we own them, right? They're a part of who we are. They're a part of our spiritual genealogy. They belong to us. They're ours. I mean, it's not like picking teams in grade school. You know, I want to be on Mike's team. Oh man, he picked Mike before he picked me, and I'm not on Mike's team. And sometimes with the children's groups, you know, if you count off the kids one, two, one, two, one, two, you know, the kids before, they line themselves up so they know that they can be with their friend, you know. When it comes to the local church, it isn't talking about dividing us against one another here. That was the problem in the Church of Corinth. We are united in Jesus Christ. And so all of God's gifts are given to us. So hey, Spurgeon's on my team. Moody's on your team. We're all on the same team together. All of God's gifts are for all of his church to do his work in the world. So God has provided for his church. And he's protected his church. He is providing for his church. He is protecting his church. Tie down number two is the church's view of Jesus Christ. Notice the beginning of verse 21, let no man glory in man, not man-centered. The work of the ministry, the work of the local church is not to be man-centered. Do you understand that? There's men like Diatrophes in 2 John. And the Bible tells us that here was a man who wanted all the attention for himself, who wanted to be the final voice in every decision in the church. He's condemned. In fact, turn there with me, if you would, 2 John, verse 9. John writes, I wrote unto the church, but diatrophies, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, verse 10, If I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words, and not content therewith. Neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and that casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. And so we understand something. There is a natural desire for us to identify with people. People gravitate towards personalities. It's a natural human instinct. But when it comes to the ministry of the local church, there's no man that's supposed to take the center stage. It's Jesus Christ alone. Christ is the center of the work, not man. But the church is the center for his work. He continues on there in the end of verse 22, he says, or things, excuse me, he mentions Paul and Apollos and Cephas, then he says, or the world, or life, or death, or things present or things to come. What is that talking about, pastor? All of God's created universe is at our disposal to accomplish the work of God. A.T. Pearson made the comment, he said, the stars are vying for the privilege of being the light to lead the child of God into faithful service for Christ. God is willing to not only give us gifted people the resources that he's provided by his grace through the ages, but God is also willing, according to this passage, he's willing to bend his own creation to accomplish his will through his church. He says, or the world, or life, life itself. God will use life. And he seems to make the statement this way. The created world, nature, doesn't have a choice. But we do. We can resist obeying God. But if we obey, if we submit ourselves to God and His will to do His work in the world, guess what? God can cause nature to bend to allow us to do God's will. He says the world or life or death. And hasn't it been true that God has even used the loss of life, those who've been faithful martyrs, to the death. He has used even their death to accomplish His purposes in the world. He says, or things present, or things to come, all are yours. So God uses creation to contribute to the work of God. Matthew 28 gives us the instruction. We're to go into the world, make disciples of all nations, and then baptize them, and train them, and teach them. That's our calling. I was talking to a friend this week who was telling me about a church in Southern Ohio, and the pastor just had an extreme burden to plant other churches. And he says, initially he planted two other churches, and those two other churches have planted four and five churches each, and those four and five churches now are actually reproducing. And he said, It just happened that way. And he said, the story goes, that man had pastored for some 60 years, and he'd come to the pulpit one Sunday, and he said, well, I suppose it's time that I'm done being your pastor. My assistant pastor, he'd do a good job for you. Thank you. And then he left, and then he never pastored there again. But what a vision. You say, well, what a great man. No, what a great God. God is at work in the world today through people who are foolish enough to trust him, to do what he said he would do. And God will bend all creation. Now, I know, maybe you're getting a little bit sleepy, a little bit bogged down in what we're talking about here. Okay, understand this. The church is important. And God said, I will bend everything I have created to fulfilling my purpose to the church which I have bought with the shed blood of my Son, Jesus Christ. I will do my work. The question is, will we do it with him? And I think that's what Paul was saying to the church at Corinth. He was appealing to them. In verse 23, he reminds them, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's. So we could be, as a church, we could be personality-driven. We could be preference-driven. Or we could be Christ-centered, spirit-directed, God-empowered. How foolish it would be for us to measure our ministry by secular standards. pithy preaching, oppressive systems and structures, performances. But what of the presence and the power of God? What we have is greater than anything we could ever dream up. What God wants to accomplish in the world is bigger than what we can comprehend. And He wants to do it through us. I mean us, together, as a church. So the church belongs to Christ, but Christ has provided the church for you. If God takes the church this seriously, why don't we? Father, I thank you for your word, and I thank you for the reminder from Paul of who we are in you. We know one day you will certainly, by fire, try our works. Those that are wasted will be burned up. But Lord, by your grace today, through the work of your Spirit, each of us individually, as we serve you, are building gold and silver and precious stones, so long as it's built on Christ. And Father, collectively then as a church, we find that we also house you. We house you as your temple. You will protect your church. And I pray that we would value not only your protection, but what you've given to us to do your work in the world. Help us to not take lightly the things that you underscore. Help us to value what you are saying in these verses. That you care so very much about what we are together as a body. You care that we're not divided. You're concerned that we're not deceived. and you put your almighty resurrection power behind your promises for us to be what you've called us to be, to do what you've called us to do. Father, if there's one here who has never trusted Christ as Savior, and this morning they stand guilty before you, I pray that they would see Jesus Christ, who died for the church, died for them, and if they come to him today by faith, he'll receive. In Jesus' name, amen.