Self-Discipline for the Mission
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Good morning,
if you have your Bibles let me invite you to open with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 9.
We will begin reading in verse 19.
The Corinthians are challenging Paul’s ministry and methods.
And at this point in the letter, Paul is in the midst of providing his defense.
This is my defense to those who would examine me.
In verses 1-18, Paul explains why he had intentionally not accepted any financial support from the Corinthians.
He had not wanted to put any obstacle in the way of the gospel.
He had not wanted them to assume that he was like other wisdom teachers who performed their teaching for personal gain.
He wanted them to see the primacy and the power of the gospel message.
Today, we will see Paul continue his defense and an explanation of his ministry philosophy.
As we read, I want you to take special note of what Paul prioritizes.
Take note of what the end goal is for Paul.
9 times in this paragraph, Paul articulates what he is trying to do with a purpose clause.
Take note of the phrases, “so that, in order to, or for the sake of”
he is showing us what his goals for ministry are.
So let’s read and then pray for understanding.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Lets Pray
The Christian life is a marathon.
Its a long, exhausting, sweaty, painful, one step in front of the other, up hill, over obstacles, run, toward the most incredible eternal glorious prize imaginable.
The Christian life is a boxing match.
Its a slug fest in a ring with our sinful flesh, a hostile world, and all the demonic forces bent on our destruction.
We box and weave, and move, and we go round for round until we hear the final trumpet.
This is the imagery Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 9, but its imagery used throughout the NT.
An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
In 1 Corinthians 9, the race analogy helps us in two ways.
It helps us reflect on the prize toward which we run.
And it helps us reflect on what this race is going to require of us.
So we are going to look at three prizes in this text that Paul articulates,
and three requirements for the race before us.
Firstly, three prizes:
Three Prizes We Run to:
#1 We Run to Win People to Salvation
Notice the causal statements.
v. 19 “that I might win more of them”
v. 20 “that i might win those under the law”
v. 21 “that I might win those outside the law”
v. 22 “that I might win the weak”
v. 22 “that by all means I might save some”
What is Paul’s prize?
He is trying to win all kinds of people to saving faith in Jesus…
And if your new to Christian lingo, you might be thinking, what does Paul mean by the word “save”
“save” from what?
It is a word he has used already in 1 Corinthians, so lets let his words fill in the gaps for us.
look back at chapter 1, verse 18.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
This is the gospel message in summary.
Every human being is perishing.
We are all spiritually dead because of our sin against God. ,
and we are all physically dying because of sin’s corruption of the world..
And if we physically die while we remain spiritually dead, we will enter into a state of eternal perishing.
We will pay for our sins against God forever…
UNLESS we trust God’s payment for our sins.
God loved the world, and sent Jesus to pay the price for the sins of the world through death on a cross.
And now anyone who believes in the word of the cross, that Jesus was truly God in human flesh who paid the price for us, we can be saved.
Thus verse 18 again.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Without believing the word of the cross, people will go into an eternal state of perishing.
And thus our mission in the world is to tell people about the word of the cross that is the power to save.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
The salvation of others is a prize for which Paul Labored.
And it is a prize toward which we should labor.
Think of all the things you could live your life for,
All the things you could prioritize,
all the goals you have whether career goals or financial goals or relational goals
Could there be any more worth while goal than to see others come to saving faith in Jesus?
Could there be a greater purpose to live for than helping others find eternal life?
#1 We Run to Win the Salvation of Others
But its not just their salvation that we labor for… we get to enjoy this work along the way as well. listen to how he describes his ministry in verse 23.
23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Three Prizes We Run to:
#1 We Run to Win the Salvation of Others
#2 We Run to Share in the Blessings of the Gospel
Paul wants to expand your motivation for evangelism here.
He doesn’t just run after the eternal salvation of people.
He also runs after the joy of sharing in the blessings of the gospel with new Christians.
That word “share” has at its root the same word for “fellowship” or “participation” that describes the first Christian church in Acts 2:42
Acts 2:42 (ESV)
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
The gospel message is more robust then a ticket you receive that gets you to heaven when you die.
The gospel message includes with it countless blessings to be enjoyed here in this life.
When a person places faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior,
they receive the gift of God’s Spirit,
they begin a journey of God sanctifying them, growing them, and using them for his mission,
they join a church full of people who also have the Holy Spirit,
They devote themselves to a fellowship,
and together they participate and they share in all the blessings of being children of God.
The gospel doesn’t just create converts, it creates communities called churches that share in the blessings of the gospel.
At least part of Paul’s reward that he runs after is the joy of sharing in gospel blessings with others.
Its a huge reason why we as a church want to plant more churches...
New churches planted in new places become communities of people who share Jesus with each other and with their neighbors.
One of the goals of church planting is that more might be won to Jesus through churches of people sharing in the blessings of the gospel.
Over 8 years ago, First Baptist Church of Kenner sent us out to plant St. Rose Community Church,
Through the witness of the members of this church Kelsi and Zach Huhner came to saving faith in Jesus.
They got married yesterday and now as a couple living in St. Rose they will continue to win people to Jesus.
On Friday night, I had a sort of surreal moment at their rehearsal dinner.
As we sat in a room one-by-one giving testimony and thanking God for Zach and Kelsi’s marriage.
I looked around, and I saw Andres and Carly, and Paige, and Dahlia, and Zach, and Kelsi…. and I thought to myself… I got to watch these people be won to Jesus… I have gotten to share in the blessings of the gospel with these people… and that is a prize worth running after again and again for the rest of my life.
To be a soul-winner is the happiest thing in this world. And with every soul you bring to Jesus Christ you seem to get a new heaven here upon earth.
Charles Spurgeon
Three Prizes We Run to:
#1 We Run to Win the Salvation of Others
#2 We Run to Share in the Blessings of the Gospel
#3 We Run to Obtain Eternal Reward
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
The Isthmian games were held in Corinth.
It was a big spectacle second only to the Olympics.
Athletes would train, and work, and prepare, to compete on the world’s biggest stage.
And the winners would receive a wreath for their head made out of some kind of leaves or greenery woven together.
All that work, all that training, all that sacrifice, to be awarded a crown that would rot and wither away within a couple weeks.
The picture serves Paul’s analogy well.
We don’t run to receive a perishable wreath like the rest of the world.
We run to receive imperishable reward.
The souls that are saved through our witness are an eternal reward.
Not only will they be with us, but Paul acknowledges throughout his writing that their will be eternal reward in heaven for our lives and ministries as God’s servants in this life.
Paul has already commented on this in 1 Corinthians chapter 3.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Paul acknowledges that their will be reward for ministry done on the foundation of Jesus Christ through the sharing of his word.
I don’t know what all that means or what that will look like on the last day…, but I know this, I want to live for my Savior and my Lord until the day I see him face to face, and as faithfully as I can through all my brokenness and sin, I want to present to him my life that was poured out for his purposes.
I want to be able to say with confidence what Paul was able to say at the end of his life.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Now if thats what I am running to…., then we must ask a follow up,
how then should I run?
we have seen three prizes, now lets look at the three aspects of Paul’s running.
Three Ways to Run:
#1 We Run with Single-Minded Purpose
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
To run a race and to win a race requires that you stay the course.
It requires that you know the route.
that you not take detours along the way.
that you not waste time.
It requires that you run with a single-minded determination to get to the finish line.
To box an opponent requires that your punches are calculated.
If you waste energy swinging at the air, you will get knocked out.
To win a fight, you need laser focus on your opponent, where he moves, how he moves, and what windows of opportunity you have to land a punch.
No matter what the crowd does, or what the opponent does, you have to be focused on the task at hand.
This is what Paul has advocated for earlier in chapter 7.
35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
Now what does this mean for you?
Does it mean you throw out all other pursuits?
Does it mean that everyone in the room needs to go into full time vocational ministry somewhere?
No, It means that you always keep before you why it is God has placed you in the place and the profession he has placed you in for such a time as this.
You don’t quit being a nurse, or teacher, or a secretary, or a business owner to lead people to Jesus.
You become the best nurse, or teacher, or secretary, or business owner you can possibly be for the primary purpose of winning people to Jesus in that space as a missionary to those particular people.
Undivided devotion to the Lord, doesn’t mean you exit all of life in this world like a monk living in a cave.
No, it means you live your life in this world, but as you maneuver life in this broken world, you always have your eyes on the prize, that is, the winning people to the Lord Jesus Christ, and spending eternity with them.
We run with single-minded purpose…
Do you see your life through that lens?
When you decide where you will eat, do you consider where will provide you the best opportunity to build a relationship and share the gospel?
When you decide how to spend your Friday night, or your weekend, do you consider how you can enjoy yourself, while also building a relationship with someone so as to share the gospel with someone?
When you come to church on Sunday mornings, do you have an eye for those visitors, who fought through the awkwardness and the fear and the insecurity to enter these doors this morning?
Do you have an eye for those who may be sitting in this room, but who feel so out of place… they don’t understand the gospel, but they understand that they need something to change in their lives… and though they don’t look like it, they are desperate for someone to speak with them and to share with them the blessings of the gospel?
Don’t come to this gathering every week and gravitate toward the people you know.
In fact, I am going to give you a challenge. When we close this morning, find someone you don’t know, tell them your name, and ask them how you can pray for them this week.
Evangelism is not a program at church… it is a way of life for church members.
It’s a way of life that must be trained for, labored for, fought for.
It comes as naturally to us as running a marathon.
25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Three Ways to Run:
#1 We Run with Single-Minded Purpose
#2 We Run with Self-Control and Discipline
You can’t just up and run a race one day.
You have to train for it.
You have to prepare for it.
Some of you planning to run the upcoming half marathon need to hear that this morning.
Running a race, requires self control and discipline before the race ever begins.
It requires that you consistently do the hard things that you know will help you reach the prize at the end.
It requires that you take control over your schedule, your eating habits, and your training regiment.
And Paul says the Christian race that we run requires no less discipline and self-control Then training for the race.
Without self-control and discipline, you are in danger of disqualifying yourself in front of others.
Without self-control, instead of winning others to Christ, you may actually turn others away from Christ.
But what does it mean for us to be disciplined and self-controlled in our mission to win people to Jesus?
It means you exercise self-control to read and know Bible
We can’t say woe is me, I don’t know the Bible enough to run this race,
if we have made no effort to discipline ourselves in reading a section of the bible every day.
If you want to win people to Jesus, you need to know Jesus’ word,
and the only way to know Jesus’ word, is to read it every day.
And you won’t notice any difference at all at first.
Like someone who went to the gym for a week, you will be discouraged, because you feel sore and you see no results.
Reading the Bible is like that… meditating on it every day is not like getting plastic surgery… you don’t read it, go to sleep, and wake up changed.
its a lot more like the growing roots of tree near streams of water… slowly and steadily deepening and strengthening under the surface… so that when the storm comes… you can’t be moved.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Exercise self control to read and know the Bible.
Exercise self-control to pray for the lost
We can’t say woe is me, this lost person in my life will never come to faith in Jesus, if we have made no effort to participate in the most powerful thing God has given us…. consistent prayer on behalf of the lost.
Let’s pray daily for the people God has placed in our lives, that they might be won to Jesus.
Jesus’ says our Father knows how to give good gifts.
Jesus says we should give ourselves to prayer with persistence and patience.
And that is not an easy thing to do.
Preacher Martin Lloyd Jones says this,
“Everything we do in the Christian life is easer than prayer.” - Martin Lloyd-Jones
The disciples fall asleep in their prayers over and over again.
But Jesus commands that we stay awake and that takes discipline and self-control.
Its a discipline, Jesus models.
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Jesus strategically chose a time, and a place to pray.
This is a real moment in history… without alarm clocks… Jesus wakes up earlier then everyone else, tip toes around the sleeping disciples, walks through the quiet village to a place in the wilderness or on a mountain, so that he could spend time in communion with the Father.
Let’s do the same.
What kind of discipline do you need to introduce to your daily life so that you can run the race with a greater degree of single-mindedness?
What kind of self-control do you need to introduce to your daily life so as not to disqualify yourself and misrepresent the gospel you believe in?
Three Ways to Run:
#1 We Run with Single-Minded Purpose
#2 We Run with Self-Control and Discipline
#3 We Run with Selflessness (v.19-22)
Let me direct your eyes one more time to 1 Corinthians 9.
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
Paul goes on to show that he would sacrifice any right, any cultural practice, any reputation to open door to share the gospel with someone.
To speak with Jews, he gladly submitted to Jewish law and custom, to earn a hearing with them.
To the Gentiles, he sat at the table with sinners and pagans, to earn a hearing with them.
Paul’s life was no longer about serving himself and his own preferences.
His life was about making himself a servant to all, so that he might when them to Jesus.
This doesn’t mean that Paul would participate in sin to win sinners…
It doesn’t mean Paul would ignore God’s word, in order to share God’s word…,
It means Paul prioritized no personal preference, no cultural expectation, and no tradition, rather he became all things to all people that he might win some.
Paul says, “though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all.”
in other words, “I am following in the foot steps of Jesus.”
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus is saved us by walking among us, and sacrificing for us.
And now we get to participate in the salvation of others by walking among them and sacrificing for them.
May God do that through us over and over again until we finish the race And we can say
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Lets Pray
Songs: