Malcolm Cox

“Toiling to build the church well”: 1 Cor 15:58; Eph 3:20-21 1. Toiling in Vain A. Meaningless “when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”(Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV11) “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” Eccl 2:18 1Cor. 9:26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. B. Unspiritual Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves. Ps 127:1-2 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus C