Date: Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, February 20, 2011

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Title: You are God’s temple

This verse—"Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?"—has the ability to comfort you, and it has the ability to scare you. It can scare you when you seriously consider what you do with your body, what you accomplish with your body, how far short you fall in serving the Lord as you serve your fellow man in your body.

To demonstrate how this truth can scare you, we consider a host of verses from today’s lessons, along with the Old Testament and Gospel. I begin at the beginning of the Epistle, as the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write, "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation . . ."

It might sound like he’s bragging, but Paul isn’t interested in puffing himself up; he’s interested in demonstrating the proper use of God’s gifts. And, that’s where we see our sins. Can you say that you have used your life, and the grace that God has given you, like a skilled master craftsman? I sure can’t. Most of the time, the greatest skill that I have exhibited is irritating people as my mouth spouts off whatever pops into my head.

We know how it is with employees: if you don’t do the work you have been prepared to do, you’re out of a job, and, yet, God has prepared you to do the job of His disciple. He has given you the grace to do the job. How are you doing with that grace?

Sadly, the disgrace keeps piling on, as we move to verse twelve: "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it . . ." What Day is Paul talking about? He’s talking about the Last Day. He’s talking about the judgment.

What do you think? On Judgment Day, do you want to have the opportunity to tell the world how you deserve to live in eternal Paradise because of how you built on God’s grace foundation with gold and silver and precious stones—that is, with what is both treasured and durable—or, would Judgment Day reveal that you used God’s gifts on those things which can be easily burned up and destroyed—wood, hay, straw—that is, things that have no lasting value, and are easy to come by—that anyone, without God’s grace, can get for himself?

Don’ worry, it gets worse. Verse eighteen: "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." Earlier, in this letter to the Corinthians, Paul talked about worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom. Paul professed to know nothing of wisdom except for this: Jesus Christ and Him crucified, which, Paul said, was a stumbling block to everyone who does not believe.

But, even to you, who do believe, does your wisdom begin and end with Jesus Christ? Actually, most of us fall into the trap of thinking that we are pretty hot stuff. This one is wise in building things, and this one is wise in his book-smarts, this one can recite every bit of trivia known to man, and this one can . . . and we puff up ourselves, thinking we are so very wise, but our worldly wisdom doesn’t even match the wisdom on the tip of God’s pinkie.

Yet, hear us: "I’d never be so dumb as that Detroit Tigers’ player, Miguel Cabrera, and get caught drunk driving." We just love to point out the failings of others, especially when they are not our failings. We are quick to call them idiots, morons, and stupid people.

Verse nineteen: "For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness.’" This always reminds me of children, who think they are so smart, doing something they know they shouldn’t be doing, thinking they are getting away with it, and yet their parents are completely onto them. I have to confess, some of my favorite moments in parenting were when I said to my child, "Do you think I’m so dumb that I don’t know what you’ve been doing?" Do you ever think about the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, when you think that you are getting away with your sinful thoughts, words, or deeds?

I fear that, if I were to dwell too much on the Old Testament lesson, you would feel like I’m piling on. Did you note how many You shall not statements there were? "You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely . . . You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him . . . curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind . . . do no injustice in court . . . be partial to the poor or defer to the great . . . go around as a slanderer . . . or stand up against your neighbor . . . You shall not hate your brother in your heart . . . take vengeance or bear a grudge . . ."

Why does your Lord specify these things: stealing, lying, harassing, cursing, tripping, unfairness, playing favorites with the rich while pushing away the poor, besmirching each other’s names, hating and bearing grudges, and taking out your vengeance? The Lord specifies these things because these are what He sees in us. He doesn’t see His Holy Spirit working in us, but he sees us—He sees you, the very people whom He has called by the Gospel, washed clean in Holy Baptism, continually fed and nourished in the Lord Supper, whom He has called to be the light of this dark world—He sees you acting like you are still part of this dark world.

Indeed, are these not the very things at which we, as a community, are the worst? If we are skilled craftsmen at anything, we are skilled at lying, cursing, playing favorites, slandering, loving our friends and hating our enemies, and finding just the right ways to take out our anger. We are skilled at these because we have so much practice.

And, yet, you know full way what your Lord Jesus says, as we heard in today’s Gospel: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."

If you counted on your behavior—how well you live up to God’s commandments—as to whether or not God would pull out His wallet, show your picture around, and brag about how it is so obvious by your thoughts and words and deeds how the Holy Spirit lives in you . . .

That’s why you don’t count on your behavior. That’s why you do what?—you count of Jesus’ behavior. You don’t point at what a skilled craftsman you have been with God’s commandments, but the skills of Jesus perfectly fulfilling them. You don’t rely on how wise you are, but on the wisdom of Jesus. You don’t count up all your good works as silver and gold to pay your way into heaven, but count on the holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death of Jesus as the good work which is silver and gold of the price of glory on your behalf.

Hear, again, the sermon verse, and, this time, be comforted: "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" Because God’s Holy Spirit lives in you, you are God’s temple. You are holy, for Jesus is holy, and Jesus has given you His Spirit. You are forgiven all of your sins, because He purchased the forgiveness of sins by being nailed to the cross with the sins of the world, and He has given you the Spirit of His forgiveness.

You are forgiven, you are saved, you are spiritually alive, for Jesus is the skilled craftsman of your life. He is the precious cornerstone of your faith. In Jesus Christ, you are God’s temple, and Jesus’ Holy Spirit lives in you now, so that you live in Jesus, forever. Amen.