1 Corinthians 9

Rights Laid Down: The True Cost of the Gospel

Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 9

A few years ago, I met someone who had reached a critical point in their health journey. Because of some choices they had made and the condition their body was in, they came to a place where their life was genuinely at risk. They realized something had to change.

But what stood out to me was not just that they wanted to live longer. A lot of people want more years. What they really wanted was more life.

They wanted to be there for their children. They wanted to watch them grow up. They wanted to experience the moments that they knew they would miss if they continued down the same path. They didn’t just want more time—they wanted the ability to enjoy that time.

And so they made some difficult decisions.

They started saying no to things they had every right to say yes to. They changed what they ate. They changed their habits. They changed their routines. Not because those things were necessarily wrong, but because they realized that some things they enjoyed in the moment were keeping them from the future they desperately wanted.

Nobody forced them to make those changes. They still had the freedom to eat whatever they wanted. They still had the freedom to live however they wanted. But they came to understand something:

Just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean it will help you reach the thing you value most.

The prize changed the way they viewed their preferences.

And thats the same tension we find in 1 Corinthians 9. Paul is writing to a church that is focused on their rights. They are asking, “What am I allowed to do? What freedoms do I have? What belongs to me?”

And Paul’s answer is surprising. Paul doesn’t say, “You don’t have rights.” In fact, Paul says the opposite—he does have rights. He has freedoms. He has privileges. But Paul has discovered something greater than his rights: the gospel.

Because when you truly value the gospel, it changes the way you view your freedoms. You begin to realize that your rights are not just something to protect; they are something you can surrender for the sake of others.

And this is where we have to be honest with ourselves, because this is not just a first-century struggle. This is a human struggle. Every one of us has something in us that says, “What about me? What do I get? What are my rights? What am I entitled to?”

But the gospel introduces us to a completely different way of living. The gospel doesn’t ask first, “What do I have the right to do?” The gospel asks, “What will help someone else encounter Jesus?”

Because when the gospel becomes the greatest treasure in your life, surrender stops feeling like loss. It starts looking like love.

BIG IDEA: Because we demonstrate the depth of our commitment to the gospel is revealed by how readily we lay down our rights for the sake of others.

1. Recognizing Our Rights

1 Corinthians 9:1–12 “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”

Paul starts by saying, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?”

In other words, Paul begins by establishing something important: he does have rights.

Paul is not arguing that believers don’t have freedoms. He isn’t saying rights are bad. He isn’t saying freedom is wrong. In fact, his whole argument depends on the fact that he has freedom.

Paul had the right to receive support from the church. He had the right to food and drink. He had the right to receive compensation for the work he was doing.

He even gives common examples. Soldiers don’t pay their own way to war. Farmers eat from the harvest they cultivate. Shepherds drink from the flock they tend.

Paul’s point is simple: there is nothing wrong with having rights.

The question is not, “Do I have rights?”

The question is, “What am I willing to do with my rights when the gospel is at stake?”

All of this is the build up. This is all the set up.

Paul is saying, recognize our rights. Recognize the rights that I have. You have rights and I have rights. He is in essence calling out, what almost feels like a double standard of the spiritually strong Christians in Corinth. They want to boast in their rights and their freedom, they want to impose their freedom on others, even when it might cause someone else to stumble.

Paul is attacking the puffed up nature of those with all the knowledge.

This is not something that we have to work hard to grasp in our world. In the corinthian culture, there was a strong desire to fight for and preserve individual rights. I have the right to do this. I have the freedom to do this.

This is as western of a thought as you will find. There is nothing more American than don’t mess with my freedom.

Paul never says that our freedom and our rights are wrong. But he does say they can get in the way of what matters most. This is the part that we struggle with the most if we are really honest. It’s recognizing that my freedom isn’t the most important thing.

My rights aren’t the most important thing. In fact, truly understanding the gospel helps me to understand that it’s not about me at all. It’s about Jesus. It’s about his kingdom.

So Paul say, we didn’t exercise our right to be paid from yall. Rather, we didn’t want anything to hinder the gospel of Christ.

This is one of those moments that we need to stop and let the Holy Spirit examine us.

What freedoms do you hold on to that get in the way of the gospel?

Maybe it’s not a major theological issue. Maybe it’s something much more ordinary.

Maybe it’s the right to always be comfortable.

The right to always have my way.

The right to never be inconvenienced.

The right to spend my time exactly how I want.

The right to say what I want online.

The right to protect my schedule.

And none of those things are necessarily sinful. But the question is: could I be holding so tightly to my rights that I miss opportunities to love people?

Because the gospel has always advanced through people who were willing to release what they had a right to keep.

And if we are going to be the church we claim to be, that we are passionate for the one, that we want to see 1% of this area come to know Jesus over the next now 2 1/2 years, we have to be willing to lay down our rights at times in order to not hinder the gospel.

Paul knew that there would be those that didn’t appreciate him receiving a material blessing. He could have asked for it, it was well within his rights to do so. He chose not to.

Paul now takes the argument even further. He moves from recognizing his rights to explaining why he willingly releases them.

Because in the kingdom of God, surrender is never empty. When we lay something down for the sake of the gospel, God always has a greater purpose in mind.

2. Reward in Relinquishment

1 Corinthians 9:13–18 “Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.”

Here is where people want to make arguments for pastors not receiving any kind of compensation. They say, “See! Paul didn’t get paid!” Well he was cared for by other churches, just not the churches in Corinth. Yes, he was a tent maker and he supported himself that way. This was not Paul arguing that pastors and preachers shouldn’t be compensated.

This was Paul revealing the reward in the relinquishing of his rights. Paul discovered something many of us struggle to believe: the reward of surrender is greater than the satisfaction of holding on.

If we go back for just a moment to last week. There were those eating the pagan idol meat. Paul is saying, if you want meat from there, that’s fine, just know there is a greater reward when than indulging in our freedom. That reward comes when we let go of that freedom in order to let the gospel be spread. Paul says my reward comes when I don’t make full use of my right and the gospel is preached.

Are we willing to lay down our rights so that the gospel might be shared? Sometimes the greatest "right” we wrestle with is our comfort. Consider this, Paul would have had a more comfortable life had he received material payment from the corinthians. Sure he could have lived a little nicer. But for him, it wasn’t about his comfort it was about the gospel.

This is the entire point. Sure the meat from that market might be cheaper, sure I could get paid and live a little better. But the entire point is that we are called first to the kingdom of Heaven and the advancement of the gospel. We still have our rights and our freedoms, we can still use those and exercise those. But when they get in the way of someone knowing Jesus, we’ve really missed out on a greater reward.

So often, I’m as guilty as anyone, we choose the right to our comfort over loving others enough to not hinder the spread of the gospel.

Where are we letting our rights get in the way? Where are we letting our freedom hinder and stop the gospel?

Or better yet, the question we have to ask is, “What am I unwilling to surrender because I believe it makes my life better?”

Because sometimes the greatest barrier to the gospel is not persecution. Sometimes it is preference.

Sometimes it is not that we hate people. Sometimes it is that we love our comfort more than we love their eternity.

3. Serving Through Sacrifice

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Just when you think Paul might be done, he carries it even further. He says, I’m free. But I made myself a slave to everyone. Why? To win as many as possible.

Whats the prize in this? People finding Jesus. For Paul, people were worth the inconvenience. People were worth the sacrifice. People were worth laying down his rights.

This is where we have to wrestle with the heart of the gospel. Jesus did not come to earth because we were convenient. Jesus did not save us because we were easy to love.

Jesus laid down his life, because he was compelled by his love to do so.

Paul says, laying down my freedom in order to see people won to the lord is better than my comfort.

This is one of Paul’s famous lines. I become all things to all people that I might save some. I love that Paul clarifies this statement before he even gives it.

If they were under the law, I would act as if I was under the law. Why? So not the become a stumbling block. If Paul shows up to meet with those under the law, he was like what are we having tonight, pork chops? Lobster? Oh, how about a side of bacon!

Guess what, he just became a stumbling block. He was more concerned with getting them to follow Jesus then to correct the issues with being under the Law.

In the same way, with those that didn’t have the law, he would engage with them, but only as long it wouldn’t interfere with being under the law of Christ. What does Paul mean here. Well he had already given them guidelines for certain things that were not acceptable for a believer. He wasn’t going to engage in sexual immorality in order to see someone come to know Jesus.

So Paul serve them through sacrifice. He would put aside his freedoms, he would put aside his rights. He would become what they needed in order to see them come to know Jesus. From there, discipleship would begin, sanctification would begin.

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Are we driven by the gospel or are we just thankful we know it? I know that feels a little strong, but we have to grasp the magnitude of the moment. We have to see the need around us. This world needs Jesus. Now is not the time to be caught up trying to flex our freedom in Christ. Now is the time to evaluate if there are freedoms that I am practicing that get in the way of my witness, my testimony, or my sharing of the gospel.

Lets do all of this that we might share in the blessing of the gospel.

Paul has shown us that gospel commitment changes how we view our rights. But now he shows us something else: gospel commitment requires discipline.

Because surrender is not a one-time decision. It is a way of life.

4. Discipline Drives Devotion

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Paul ends with something I can’t relate to. But many of you can. Running. I am not a runner. I thought at one point in my life I would be a runner. But truth be told. Nope. I’m not.

But I can make sense of training. If you have a competition that you are training for, like a physical competition, there are things that you have to say no to. It doesn’t mean they are wrong or that they are bad, just that they are going to get you to the prize. They aren’t going to help you accomplish the goal.

We have several runners in our church. I mean real runners. To me a real runner is anyone who is crazy enough to run over 5 miles a week. For all the real runners in the room, you just thought to yourself, that’s a very low threshold. I know. I don’t run.

Some of yall have trained and trained for different marathons. I hear some of the times that you have run your marathons, I know that you trained!

In that training, there were days you had to get up early to beat the heat, there were days when you had to run in the rain, because it was your only chance to get in your miles. There moments when you could have chose the cheeseburger, but you picked the chicken, rice, and broccoli instead.

You see training require discipline. It means that you have to say no to certain freedoms in order to work towards the prize. If you show up to the race you haven’t trained, you will surely not do well. You might not even finish the race. Let alone hit your time.

Paul tells us that as great as running a race is, there is nothing wrong with it. The crown, the trophy, the medal that you receive wont last.

Paul says in my ministry, in my life as a follower of Jesus, I don’t run aimlessly. I put myself through strict training, learning to say no to things that will cause others to stumble, learning to say no to things that will affect my witness. I run in such a way that will only help me point others to Jesus. I run in such a way that my life is the living testimony of grace and mercy.

The beauty is one day we will get a crown that will last forever. Then we get to lay our crown at the feet of Jesus. There is no greater reward!

Paul ends with the desire to make sure that his life doesn’t disqualify him for the prize. He wants his life to be lived in such a way that others don’t miss the truth of the gospel because of how they see Paul live.

When our lives don’t reflect the gospel we preach, the world sees a problem. That causes others to say, if they live just like me, whats the point?

Hear me church, hear me young believers. Becoming like Jesus takes work. There is a heavy reliance on the Holy Spirit to help us become like Jesus. We have to be willing to allow the work of self-control take over as we become like him, so that the gospel isn’t restricted by how we live.

Paul ends this chapter by reminding us that this life is a race. And if we are going to finish well, we have to live with discipline. We have to learn to say no to things that may not be wrong but may keep us from what matters most.

But church, we cannot miss the reason we do this.

We do not surrender our rights because we are trying to earn God's love.

We surrender our rights because we have already experienced God's love.

The greatest example of this is Jesus.

Jesus had every right to remain in heaven. He had every right to be worshiped. He had every right to never experience suffering, rejection, or the cross.

But Philippians tells us that Jesus, though He was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used for His own advantage. Instead, He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant.

Jesus laid down His rights for us.

And now, because of what Jesus has done for us, we get to live differently. We get to say, “My comfort is not the highest priority. My preferences are not the highest priority. My rights are not the highest priority.”

The gospel is.

People finding Jesus is.

Eternity is.

So the question for us today is not simply, “What am I allowed to do?”

The question is, “What am I willing to lay down so someone else can know Jesus?”

Because the depth of our commitment to the gospel is revealed by how readily we lay down our rights for the sake of others.

Church, may we be a people who are not known by what we demand, but by what we surrender.

May we be a people who are so passionate for the One that we are willing to lay everything else down so others can find Him.