No Other Foundation: Church Anniversary

No Other Foundation

First in Lent

Collect for First in Lent: O Lord, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thine honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Collect for the Season of Lent: Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thirty-sixth Anniversary of Founding of Covenant Church

Sermon Text:  1 Corinthians 3:9-17 (pp. 289-90, Pew Bible)

9 ...ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For no man can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation with 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 test every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereon, 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 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, and ye are that temple.

In Mississippi there is a band of soil called Yazoo Clay that stretches across 11 counties. There are two special things about Yazoo Clay. It contains of lot of fossils. The primitive whale Basilosaurus was collected from Yazoo Clay. The other thing about it is that it is sponge-like. It drinks up water and expands, and, then when it dries out, contracts. This creates severe problems for roads and homes. Highways become like rollercoasters. Homes develop cracked ceilings and walls and, most important, cracked foundations.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 St. Paul writes about a building, foundation, and builders.

Building. St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “Ye are God’s building.” But what kind of building? Later in the chapter he makes that clear: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” The Corinthians are a particular type of building, a temple.

The first House of God was not a building but a tent we call the Tabernacle. God gave very specific directions about constructing the Tabernacle. A fence surrounded it and inside the fence, but outside tent, there was a basin where there the priests washed, and a great altar where they offered sacrifices. Inside the tent were two rooms separated by a thick curtain. The larger room was called the Holy Place. In it were candlesticks, a table where bread was placed each day, and a small altar where incense was burned. The smaller room behind the curtain was called the Most Holy Place. In it was a large box with several items, the most important which was Israel’s copy of the covenant, a Tablet on which the Ten Commandments were written. The top of the box was covered with gold. Two figures of angelic-like beings called cherubim were on top.  Their wings arched over the top, which was considered the Throne of God. The top was called the Mercy Seat. Only one person, the High Priest, could go into the room and he only once a year. When he went in, he sprinkled sacrificial blood on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of the people. When the Tabernacle was completed a glorious cloud, the sign of God’s presence, filled the Most Holy Place. Many years later, King Solomon built a permanent Temple in Jerusalem. It was much like the Tabernacle only more elaborate and ornate. Once again the cloud of God’s God’s glorious presence descended and filled the building. It was so overwhelming the the priests had to stop ministering for a while.

With that background St. Paul said to the members of the Corinthian Church, “You are God’s building; you are God’s temple.” That congregation did not have anything resembling the Old Testament Temple; they did not even have a place like this church in which we are meeting today. They probably had no building at all unless it was a rented hall. It may be they were meeting in homes. How then could St. Paul say they were God’s temple? He explains, “Do you not know you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” What makes a temple is the presence of God. The church gathered in worship is the temple of God. Jesus promised that wherever two or three are gathered in his name he will be in the midst of them by his Holy Spirit.

Right now we are in God’s temple. What makes it God’s temple? Not that it was consecrated by our Bishop. Not the simple but beautiful furnishings. It is not a temple when it is empty. This is the temple of God because you are here, and you are worshiping, and when you are gathered here worshiping God, God is present by his Spirit. It’s wonderful that we can meet in this place set aside for God’s worship, but if we met outside, or in the  school building across the street, or in the Rectory next door, we would still be God’s Temple.

Because the church is God’s temple where he is present by his Holy Spirit, we ought to be concerned about the holiness of the church and her members and about the reverence of our worship, because, as St. Paul warns, “If any man defile the temple of God, him will God will destroy. For the temple of God is holy, and ye are that temple.”

Foundation. Good builders pay careful attention to foundations of their buildings. When I was a seminary student in Mississippi, a member of the Board of Trustees gave money to build a large and beautiful chapel in memory of his wife. When the construction began, because of the presence of Yazoo Clay, deep holes were drilled in the ground, and concrete was poured into them to provide a stable foundation for the chapel.

What kind of foundation was laid for the church-temple in Corinth? St. Paul himself laid the foundation: “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation...For no man can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ is the only foundation on which any Christian church may or can be built. What does it mean for Jesus Christ to be the foundation of the church?

It means first that the church believes and confesses the truth about who Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became man. As the eternal Son, he shares fully in the divine nature of God the Father. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, no less God than the Father. In time, when he was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, he became man. As man, he was as fully human as are you and I, except with regard to one important thing. He did not have a sinful nature, and he never committed sin. Yet, he experienced all the needs and weaknesses that belong to us as fallen human beings. He was tempted and tried in every way we are. He was mortal. He could and did die. He is the God-Man, one Person who has two natures, God and man.

For the church to be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ means also to believe and confess what Jesus Christ did for our salvation. He lived a life of complete devotion to God. He always pleased his Father in heaven. He said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me.” He lived the life we should, but cannot,  live, a life of total obedience to God. He is the only truly righteous man who ever lived. During his ministry he preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and did miracles which revealed both the power and the mercy of God. At the time appointed by his Father, he submitted to being condemned by Jewish and Roman authorities, and was crucified. When he was crucified, he took upon himself the guilt of our sins, and died suffering the curse and condemnation of our sins. He remained under the power of death for three days, and then rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death. Forty days later he ascended to heaven, where he now sits on the throne, the Sovereign Lord ruling over the world for the benefit of his church. He will come again at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead, and to raise his people from death to eternal life and glory.

The church’s message based on who Christ is and what he did is, “Repent and believe the Gospel. Repent of your sins, and commit yourself in faith to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.” Tis is good news!

Paul says, that no one can lay any foundation for the church other than the one he laid, which is Jesus Christ. Whatever is built on any other foundation is not the church.

Builders. If you’ve ever had a house built or had an addition put on, you know how important it is to hire a good builder who will use quality materials. You can hire a builder who will charge less money, but often that is at the cost of inferior materials and workmanship.

Paul had laid the foundation, but that other ministers who followed have been building on it. There are two kinds of builders:

I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon...Now if any man build upon this foundation with 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 test every man’s work of what sort it is.

Some use the kinds of costly materials that were used to build Solomon’s temple - gold, silver, precious stones. Others use cheap materials - wood, hay stubble.

The infallible test of the materials will come on the Day of final judgment, when each builder’s work will be evaluated, as if the materials of a building were tested by fire. The cheaper materials of wood, hay, and stubble will burn up. The more expensive materials of gold, silver, and precious stones will not be consumed by the fire.

This was a warning to to all ministers then - “let every man take heed how he builds on the foundation”  - and it is a warning to all Bishops and Presbyters today, including those who serve this congregation. The foundation of Jesus Christ was laid in the New Testament Scriptures. But what materials are we using? The only materials that will produce true Christians and stand the test of judgement are the faithful teaching of God’s Word, the right administration of the Sacraments, and wise pastoral care of the members of the parish.  If, in the interests of being liked or successful, or in the interests of numerical growth, we compromise God’s Word, are careless in administration of the Sacraments, or fail to provide faithful pastoral care, we will be building with wood, hay, and stubble.

Thirty-six years ago, this church was established on the only foundation upon which the church can be built - Jesus Christ. Since then ministers have built on that foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, or with wood, hay, and stubble. And now, right now - please get this - you are God’s temple where God is present by his Spirit.  

God himself is with us;

let us now adore him,

and with awe appear before him.

God is in his temple;

all within keep silence,

prostrate lie with deepest reverence.

Him alone do we own

as our God and Savior;

praise his name forever.