Free to Serve

Opening

Opening Illustration

Who would be willing to give up their own freedom,

to try and save others?

That’s exactly what Harriet Tubman did.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in 1822

From a young age she was forced into hard labour,

getting beaten for smallest of mistakes.

At the age of 27, she risked her life to escape slavery.

She was able to escape through a group of people using the Underground Railroad.

Once she reached Pennsylvania, which was a free state

she was free! Free from:

all the pain and torture…

all the work and bad conditions…

to live her own life.

So what did Harriet Tubman do with her own freedom?

She dedicated her life to saving others!

She felt the Lord leading her to go back to help others escape to freedom.

A year after escaping, she made her first trip back rescue her family.

Over the next 10 years she made at least 13 trips,

saving around 70 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

Every journey was dangerous,

but she willingly risked her own life and freedom to save others.

Transition to Proposition

As believers,

who have placed their faith and trust in the sacrifice of Jesus,

we are free!

We have been freed from the power of sin and death over us.

Our sins have been forgiven,

so we no longer fear death.

Praise God! We are free in Christ!

So what should we do with our freedom?

Should we hold on to our freedom,

and make sure that nobody forces us back into any sort of legalism again?

Or is there a higher purpose/calling for our freedom in Christ?

Transition to Title

This morning we are going to see that we are free…

But we should not use our freedom for our own pleasure/satisfaction.

In Christ, we are…

“Free to Serve”

We should strive to use our freedom to serve others.

This is how we:

Live Strategically for the Sake of the Gospel

Scripture

Scripture Announcement

1 Corinthians 9:19—27.

Scripture Introduction

The past few chapters Paul has been emphasizing our freedom in Christ.

But he’s been casting a vision for using our freedom for the good of others.

Pastor Jonah showed a couple weeks ago

how Paul instructed us to use our freedom with knowledge

to build others up.

Pastor Jake showed us last week

how Paul instructed us to use our freedom with money

to give generously for the good of others.

This week we are going to see how

Paul instructs us to use our freedom to serve others

to win souls to Christ.

Billboard

This morning we will see how we can:

Cultivate a Heart for Winning Souls

Master the Art of Winning Souls

Chart a Path for Winning Souls

Re-announce/Read Scripture

1 Corinthians 9:19–27 ESV

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.

Prayer for Illumination

Lord…

MAIN POINTS

As believers who have experienced the freedom of Christ,

the first thing we need to do is…

1. Cultivate a Heart for Winning Souls

Before we can talk about HOW we live intentionally to win people to Christ,

we need to cultivate a heart that WANTS lost people to be saved!

Until we do, we will never sacrifice our freedom to share the gospel with others.

Explain

In verse 19 of our passage today Paul said…

1 Corinthians 9:19 ESV

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.

Paul had been enslaved to a legalistic, Jewish mindset.

After having his eyes opened by Jesus,

Paul realized he had followed all the rules, but missed Jesus.

Now Paul was free in Christ!

Yet, in his freedom, he CHOSE to be a servant to all!

WHY?

Why would someone willingly become someone else’s servant?

TO WIN THEM TO CHRIST!

He knew that those who don’t know Christ,

are as blind as he was before his conversion,

so he had compassion on them.

He knew that they were lost,

and it was only through hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ that they could be free.

So he gave his freedom to serve others,

in hopes they too could be free!

Paul had been saved from darkness by the power of Jesus,

and now he recognized that…

He could be the channel through which God could bring others to Christ

For this reason, he decided to live his life in a strategic way

so that others could experience the same freedom he had in Christ.

Summary

Paul had experienced the life change that Christ brought into his life,

and he longed for others to experience that life-change as well.

Paul had cultivated a heart for winning souls to Christ,

and therefore willingly surrendered his freedom to serve others.

Illustrate

We see an example of Paul living this out in the book of Acts.

In chapter 16 we read that Paul went to city of Philippi.

While there, they cast out a demon from a slave girl.

Her owners were not happy about it,

since they made lots of money from her fortune-telling,

so they had Paul and Silas put in prison.

Then we read in…

Acts 16:25–28 ESV

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

If the jailer had killed himself,

Paul and Silas could have gone away free,

but Paul risked his own freedom because of his heart for others.

That night, Paul shared the good news

that they could be saved through believing in the Lord Jesus.

That very same night,

the jailer and all his family believed in Jesus and were baptized into the family of God.

Summary

Paul was more concerned about winning souls,

than his own personal rights and freedom.

Apply

Brothers and sisters…

You have been saved from slavery to sin, and fear of death.

Now you are free!

You have peace with God,

and the promise that you will inherit eternal life through our faith in Jesus Christ.

You could choose to use our freedom by keeping it to yourself,

and using it for yourself…

But what you need to recognize is that…

You could be the channel through which God could bring others to Christ

You all know people who are lost in their sin.

Family members…

Coworkers…

Friends…

They are slaves to sin, and they don’t even know it!

Do you have a heart for them?

Can we say we truly love them if we are not concerned for their souls?

What is the value of someone’s soul?

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon, a preacher in the 1800’s had to say about the value of a soul:

“You may tell how serious it is to lose the soul, from its intrinsic value. The soul is a thing worth ten thousand worlds; in fact, a thing which worlds on worlds heaped together, like sand upon the sea shore, could not buy. It is more precious than if the ocean had each drop of itself turned into a golden globe, for all that wealth could not buy a soul. Consider! The soul is made in the image of its Maker; “God made man,” it is said, “in his own image.” The soul is an everlasting thing like God; God has gifted it with immortality; and hence it is precious. To lose it, then, how fearful! Consider how precious a soul must be, when both God and the devil are after it. You never heard that the devil was after a kingdom, did you? No, he is not so foolish; he knows it would not be worth his winning; he is never after that; but he is always after souls. You never heard that God was seeking after a crown, did you! No, he thinketh little of dominions; but he is after souls every day; his Holy Spirit is seeking his children; and Christ came to save souls. Do you think that which hell craves for, and that which God seeks for, is not precious?” — C.H. Spurgeon

Do you see the value of the souls around you?

Do you think they are worth saving?

God could use us, to give them freedom from sin and fear of death!

We need to cultivate a heart for winning souls to Christ!

We need to pray and ask God to help us feel the weight of the lost around us…

So that we understand they will die in their sin if they do not accept Jesus.

But so often, we are too afraid to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.

Maybe we don’t know how to bring up the conversation,

especially if it’s someone we’ve known for awhile.

Transition

As we keep going through our passage this morning,

Paul is going to show us how to…

2. Master the Art of Winning Souls

Now, let me start by saying

there is no magic way of winning people to Christ.

When we share the good news of what Jesus has done,

we are like a farmer scattering seed…

We have no idea where the seed will take root and grow.

Growing the seed is God’s job.

Our job is simply to be faithful to sow the seed by telling others about Jesus.

But Paul does give us a helpful principle to use in reaching others,

which is that:

WE MUST BECOME LIKE THEM!

Paul became like others,

so that he could build a bridge to the gospel.

Explain

To Master the Art of Winning Souls

The first thing we must do is…

a. Become like others to show them Christ

1 Corinthians 9:20–21 ESV

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.

Paul was willing to become like those he was ministering to

with the hope that he would have an opportunity to show them Christ.

No matter who he was around,

he tried to become like them in order to win them.

Paul is very careful to say that he did not go so far as to sin.

He would go as far as he could without sinning to reach people for the gospel.

To the Jew

When Paul was with Jews who followed the law,

he was willing to follow some of those traditions and laws.

He was not bound to the law,

but knew this could give him an opportunity to share the gospel.

Eg. Circumcising Timothy.

To the Gentile

When Paul was with those outside the law,

he was willing to be more lenient because of his freedom in Christ.

He would draw the line at sinning against Christ,

but knew this could give him an opportunity to share the gospel.

Eg. Eating meat offered to idols.

He was willing to sacrifice his freedom with less important issues,

to focus on the BIGGEST issue…

salvation in Christ!

Andrew Naselli

Christian liberty for Paul is not “I am fee to do whatever I want to do.” It is “I am free to be flexible for the sake of the gospel.” — Andrew Naselli

Transition

The second thing we must do to Master the Art of Winning Souls is…

b. Become like others to grow them in Christ

1 Corinthians 9:22 ESV

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.

Paul was willing to become like those he was ministering to

with the hope that they would grow in Christ.

It seems most likely here that Paul is referring to weak Christians.

Back in chapter 8 of 1 Corinthians,

Paul talks about the weaker brother,

who thinks food offered to idols is being offered to a real “god”.

Rather than insisting on his own rights and freedoms in Christ,

Paul is willing to become like those who are weak in Christ,

to help them grow in Christ.

Paul cares so much about the spiritual growth of his fellow believers,

that he will say in…

1 Corinthians 8:13 ESV

13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

He was willing to sacrifice his freedom in order to become weak,

so that he could help them grow in their understanding,

and experience the freedom that we have in Christ.

Transition

The third thing we must do to Master the Art of Winning Souls is…

c. Become like others to overflow in Christ together

1 Corinthians 9:23 ESV

23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Paul was willing to become like those he was ministering to

with the hope that he could overflow in Christ with them.

This is because sharing in something is the ultimate end of enjoying that thing.

Have you ever noticed that when we experience something,

we love to tell others about it?

And we even encourage others to take part as well.

“I read this amazing book… you have to read it!”

“I watched that new movie… you gotta see it!”

“Have you tried Costco’s soft serve ice cream??? It’ll change your life!”

We haven’t fully enjoyed something until we have shared in it with others.

Paul had received the incredible blessings of God,

and had no desire to keep it to himself.

He longed to share in the blessings of God with others.

Summary

Paul longed to:

Show others Christ…

Grow others in Christ… and

Overflow with others in Christ.

To do this, he mastered the art of becoming like others,

so that by any means possible,

he might win souls to Christ.

Illustrate

Growing up my Dad loved to take us kids fishing.

Over the years he taught us:

how to tie a line…

how to bait a hook… and

how to cast.

I now have a basic knowledge of fishing,

but there is a lot more that someone needs to know to be good at it.

You may be tempted to think fishing is about luck…

Until you spend time with someone who really knows what they’re doing.

One of the most important things you need to know,

is what types of lures and bait to use to catch certain types of fish.

If you want to catch a bass… you need to use plastic worms or crank-baits.

If you want to catch trout… you need to use fly lures.

If you want to catch pickerel… you need a lot of money…

because you need

a boat…

special lures…

and worms.

You don’t put the things you like on there,

or you likely won’t catch anything!

If you want to catch fish,

you know what they like to eat,

because that’s what you have to lure them in with.

If you want to catch fish,

you need to surrender your rights, your desires,

become like them so that you can catch them.

That is the art of fishing!

Apply

If we understand that apart from Christ,

people are lost…

If we truly care about their souls,

and want to win them to Christ…

we need to master the art of becoming like them!

Remember...

You could be the channel through which God could bring others to Christ

We need to be willing to conform to those around us in order to reach them with the good news of Jesus.

This means we will need to become like them.

This doesn’t mean that are willing to sin…

But like Paul, we need to think strategically about how we can

share the gospel, and share the good news of Jesus.

Examples

Maybe you don’t know much about hockey, football, or some other sport,

but you’re willing to learn about your coworkers favourite team,

in order to start a conversation where you can share the gospel.

Maybe you love talking about politics,

but you are usually only interested in sharing your opinion, and talking down to others,,

which makes people NOT want to talk to you.

Maybe you use your freedom in Christ to ask about their political beliefs, and what they value,

so that you may have an opportunity to share the gospel.

We can’t always insist on:

things that interest us…

sharing our opinions…

things we disagree on which will put an obstacle between us…

We must leverage every conversation in such a way as to be winsome.

We are seeking to earn their trust/favour/respect,

so that we can talk to them about Jesus.

In any circumstance,

an important skill to learn is what a professor of mine called,

“Bridges to the Gospel”

As the other person is talking,

be listening for things they have said that you can use to lead the conversation to spiritual things.

We must be willing to use our freedom to serve others,

by becoming like them, so that we have an opportunity to help them:

know Jesus,

grow in Jesus,

overflow in Jesus.

Transition

We’ve seen that Paul had a heart for winning souls to Christ,

and that he had mastered the art of becoming like them to win them to Christ.

Next we will see Paul…

3. Chart a Path for Winning Souls

If you want to win at anything,

you need to make a plan and stick to it.

You need to chart a path of how you’re going to get there.

That’s exactly what Paul begins to talk about.

He knows what race he is running…

He knows the prize that is up for grabs… SO…

He has a plan for how he’s going to win!

Explain

The first thing we have to do when charting a path/making a plan,

is we have to decide what we are trying to achieve/what race we’re running.

Paul’s encouragement to us is…

a. Run the race of winning souls to Christ

1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV

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.

Paul uses the analogy of running a race,

which the Corinthians understood,

since they the Isthmian games were held in Corinth.

Corinth was a commercial hub connecting many places,

so it was a great location for competitions like this to be held.

They were held every two years,

and the competition included foot races.

Paul’s point is that though there are many who compete in the race,

only one person wins,

so they give it all they got!

Paul knew what race he was running…

the race for souls to come to Christ!

He has repeatedly said that he desires to “win” people…

That was what he saw as the victory.

As followers of Christ,

we need to know what race we are in…

It is the race of winning souls to Jesus,

and we should run to win!!

Transition

The next thing we have to do when charting a path/making a plan,

is we have to know what the prize is.

Paul’s encouragement to us is…

b. Run the race with an imperishable prize

1 Corinthians 9:25 ESV

25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

The athletes in the Isthmian games had to be incredibly self-controlled and disciplined if they wanted to win.

The prize for their victory was a wreath,

usually made of some sort of green, leafy material:

Originally it was a wreath made of dry wild celery,

but then changed to a pine wreath in Roman times.

In any case, the wreath probably didn’t last very long… it was perishable.

A runner who wins a race receives a crown that fades,

but also there’s a good chance someone else will win it next time.

But Paul knew that he was running a race that had an IMPERISHABLE prize!

Philippians 3:14 ESV

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The imperishable prize of being in God’s presence through Jesus Christ,

lasts for eternity!

That honour will never fade!

Transition

Therefore we ought to…

c. Run the race with discipline and focus

1 Corinthians 9:26–27 ESV

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.

Since the value of the prize is so great,

Paul lives with the utmost discipline and focus.

Think of the athletes in the games,

how disciplined and focussed they are,

and what do they get out of it?

A leafy crown, and the honour of winning… at least for that year?!?!

We know that there is a far greater prize than anything here on earth…

Eternity in heaven with our Saviour.

How much more should we discipline and focus our lives for that prize?!?

Summary

Since eternity of souls is at stake,

we must disciplined and focused,

as we seek to win souls to Christ.

Illustrate

This past Summer, the Olympics were held in Paris.

Over 10,000 athletes competed in 32 different sports,

in front of billions of viewers world wide,

in hopes of winning the gold medal.

As I was talking with a friend about the Olympics,

and some of the people who had won a gold medal,

he asked if I knew the gold medal is not made of solid gold?

Did you know this?

I guess I had not given it much thought…

Based on an article on read on Forbes website…

about 95% of the gold medal is silver,

and about 6 grams of gold is used for plating it.

Interestingly, the gold medals used to be made out of pure gold.

The last time solid gold medals were used was 1912.

A solid gold medal today would be worth around $40,000.

Since the gold medals given out this year were not solid gold,

they were worth only about $1,000.

Think of all the countless hours of:

disciplined training and eating these athletes do…

forcing themselves out of bed to go to the gym…

denying any unhealthy food to build muscle and be fit…

Think of all the times they said no to spending time with friends/family…

because they needed to train.

Think of all the money they would have to invest,

in order to get the best trainers,

eat the healthiest food, and

go to the best gym.

They willing sacrifice and discipline themselves in all these areas,

for a gold medal that’s worth $1,000???

Now, I know it’s not about the medal,

but what the medal represents…

being the best in the world…

But the medal, and your victory,

are going to fade away!

Apply

Brothers and sisters,

souls are worth more than a gold medal!

Peter says that a believer’s genuine faith is…

1 Peter 1:7 (ESV)

7 more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire

Through our faith,

we are running a race,

for which we will receive a prize that will never fade away!

We will be with God, in heaven, for eternity!

God has saved us from the corruption of the world,

and given us an undefiled hope in heaven!

But God has not saved us to keep this good news to ourselves.

There are those who do not know what Christ has done for them.

God has called us to share the good news with them…

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 ESV

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

As ambassadors for Christ,

we must live intentionally…

we must chart a path for winning souls.

It’s not going to happen by accident!

You need to think of the people you come into contact with on a regular basis,

and come up with a plan of how you’re going to be intentional to gain access to them.

You need to strategize how you can give up your freedom,

in order to become like them,

so that you can find an opportunity to share the good news of what Jesus has done for them.

You could be the channel through which God could bring others to Christ

Closing

Illustration

In 1731, Anthony Ulrich,

a former slave,

pleaded with the Moravian church

to send missionaries to St. Thomas,

where he had been enslaved.

He told them that in order for them to reach the slaves,

the missionaries would have to become slaves themselves.

This was because the slaves had to work all day,

and after sunset they were not allowed out.

For this reason,

working alongside them was to be the only way to reach them.

John Leonard Dober and David Nitchsmann were ready to answer the call.

They were willing to give up their freedom and be sold into slavery,

to become like the slaves,

in order to win their souls for Christ.

As it turned out, the law of the land

did not allow someone to sell themselves into slavery.

So they had to find another way.

They ended up travelling to St. Thomas as free men,

and worked alongside the slaves as they preached the good news of Jesus to them.

Even though Dober and Nitchsmann did not have to sell themselves into slavery,

they knew they would have to endure much suffering because of where they were going.

They are said to have shouted from the boat as they left…

“May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of this suffering.”

And that’s exactly what happened.

Because of their willingness to surrender their own freedom to become like others,

God eventually saved thousands of souls through the spread of the gospel.

Christ Connection

This is how Jesus loved us.

He willingly sacrificed Himself and His freedom

to become like us,

living the perfect life we could never live…

dying the death we deserved…

defeating death through His resurrection…

ascending to heaven to plead for us before God’s throne.

One day Jesus is going to return,

and take those who have trusted in His sacrifice,

and give them the eternal reward of being in His presence for all eternity.

Have you placed your faith in God’s Son?

What is stopping you from doing that today?

We would love to talk with you about that!

Final Exhortation

If you have put your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour,

you are free from the power of sin and death!

You could be the channel through which God could bring others to Christ

Use your freedom to serve others,

to become like them in hopes that you can share the good news of Jesus with them,

in order to win their souls to Christ!

Closing Prayer