I Corinthians 9:1-19
Notes
Transcript
I Corinthians 9:1-19
I Corinthians 9:1-19
Pray
Introduction -
Have you ever been in a conversation with another adult. The subject was sensitive - Death, physical intimacy, mental health … A child comes in the room or comes near and you change the subject.
Yes, absolutely - we’ve all done that.
Why do you do that? Why do we change the subject?
Because we love the child. We want what is best for the child.
let me ask you this question - Do you have the right to keep up the conversation and talk about whatever you would like to? Yes.
Because your desire what is best for the child, in that moment you do not make use of your right.
Your motivation is a motivation of love.
In our passage today Paul is using his life as an example of how to effect the Gospel going out by not making use of his rights.
He has the right - but he doesn’t make use of all his rights. By not making use of his rights, the Gospel is not hindered going out.
At the end of our message today my hope is that you will examine your life, and come to see that there are times that it is wise not to exercising your rights for the sake bringing greater attention to the Gospel.
Read the scripture
Intro - Illustration
Have you ever been in a discussion with someone and been so overwhelmed with evidence that you had to change your mind?
Alissa teases me that I get on food and cooking kicks. Where I get stuck cooking the same thing over and over until I feel like I’ve mastered it.
Recently Alissa pointed this out.
Dad, are you on one of your cooking kicks again? No, I dont’t do that.
She said, then why did you make shrimp fried rice 4 out of the 6 days.
“Well, when you put it like that...”
I had to give it to her. I couldn’t deny the evidence.
Sometimes we are given so much evidence, it’s hard to refute something isn’t true.
Paul does this today with His rights.
What was his right? To receive financial support as a proclaimer of the Gospel & God’s Word?
Paul then, in 14 verses, gives 5 supporting evidences of why he had this right to receive financial support. In the end you couldn’t disagree.
Even if you disagreed with 1 or 2 of his evidences there were 3 or 4 more evidences. It was convincing.
Paul says this,
1. Paul had rights ...
3-6, Other Christian workers get the right of financial support.
Peter gets it & it is enough to bring his wife along as well.
the other Apostles and Christian workers get it.
If they get it, it is owed to me too.
vs. 7, Worldwide custom for workers to be supported.
Soldiers are paid. Soldiers don’t go to war at their own expense.
Vineyard workers share in the crop.
Shepherds get milk from the flock.
vs. 8-10, O.T. example of the Ox.
-Do not muzzle the ox, while he is stomping on the grain. Let him eat a little.
-This is a spiritual truth. Those who sow spiritually should be able to reap materially.
4. vs. 13, Old Testament Temple workers and Priests receive their food from the Temple and Sacrifices.
In the O.T. God instructed some of the temple sacrifices meat to be put in a big cook pot. When the priests dinner time would come, He got a giant fork. He would get to thrust it into the pot one time. One attempt.
What he pulled out was his dinner portion - that was it.
5. vs. 14, Jesus Commanded it.
Read verse 14.
14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
Then Paul ties a big bow on it and says, verse 11-12.
11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
And the reader of the letter in Corinth is forced to say,
Well - once you’ve given that argument, with that evidence, I guess you are right.
Transition - and Paul then says something that would surprise everyone.
II. Paul had rights … that he chose not to exercise...
I have the right, but I’m not exercising it.
-If you were to offer me money, I wouldn’t take it.
CSB vs. 12b, we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.
There was one goal that trumped everything - The Gospel going out.
-If it helped the Gospel going out, Paul would do it.
-If it hurt the Gospel going out, Paul would refuse to do it.
In this case, receiving financial support would hurt the Gospel going out.
How is that?
Historical - In New Testament Roman times if you wanted an education or if you wanted to learn something, both secular or spiritual, you had to pay for it.
All teachers were private teachers. There was not public education.
In much of the worlds history. Information was a power that only the wealthy and the elite could afford.
The wealthy and elite kept information to themselves.
In Paul’s day Teachers, Philosophers & Spiritual Guru’s made a living by charging for private lessons.
The rich would invite the teachers in and support them financially while they taught.
Sometimes these Spiritual Guru’s & Philosophers would take advantage to selfishly get more money & milk it for all it’s worth.
-Can’t you hear a Spiritual Guru, a well known Shaman, say to a group of wealthy adults at the end of a good class.
-And if you come to tomorrows special class, I will tell you the secret of having the blessing of Zeus over sickness in your family. The charge for tomorrows class is $1,000.
-Sickness abounded and medical treatments were sketchy at best.
-Yes, they want the secret to the God’s favor over sickness.
-So they would eagerly pay big money.
-And eventually the spiritual teachers would get a bad reputation.
Paul did not want anyone to be able to lump him in with these Prophets of the Parthenon. These spiritual rip off artists.
Paul was ministering and bringing the Gospel to virgin territory. The people he was ministering to had zero knowledge of the Old Testament, of biblical knowledge … of how a minister was to be financially supported.
The last thing he wanted to do was to be associated with any spiritual guru or teacher who was taking advantage of anyone.
So, he does something that was unheard of. He does something that would make him stand out in the culture.
Paul does the exceptional.
He gives his teaching, his information away for free.
He happily gives away what others would charge large sums for.
He would not look like the pagan teachers.
The stumbling block of payment or being a person that took advantage of others for money would be gone.
I want you to lean into this - spiritual teaching.
Here is what Paul is teaching...
The Gospel is so important that if there is anything that would be a distraction of people hearing the Gospel, get rid of it.
So important, that it is worth not exercising some of your rights.
Let’s give some examples:
Example 1,
I learned when I was 28 years old that the preferences I had for college football teams needed to stay in the background of my life.
I was raised in a different state and I follow and like teams that others who grew up in this state in don’t.
When I worked with teenagers I found out that the fun College football banter - back and forth - some of my students couldn’t handle.
In fact, some had a hard time listening to spiritual truth, because of that difference.
You say, well, that’s a 16 year old for you.
No, adults are worse. There are some adults who are so overly sensitive or spiritually immature about football that they will refuse to listen to spiritual/eternal truth because they don’t like the team you route for.
-Because my football preferences are a spiritual stumbling block to some - I am really cautious about how I talk about College Football.
-I don’t get to enjoy it like others do.
-I would rather not exercise my right, and have the Gospel be more effective.
-So, there is a simple cultural pleasure that I dial down in my life for the sake of the Gospel.
Example 2 - I took a ministry trip several years back to South East Asia.
The city I was doing ministry in had a glorious love and respect for deer. In the middle of their city park there was a large artistic water fountain and statue of beautiful deer with antlers.
This Asian region that this city existed was lush, green, beautiful, warm - but had almost zero wildlife.
This country had done such a poor job of wildlife management that all the wildlife had been killed off.
In training before the trip my team was taught how to not be an offense to the locals, & culturally what not to talk about.
Don’t talk about historical political uprisings in Asia.
Don’t discuss freedom of speech.
Don’t talk about hunting.
-While the Asians in the area I was in knew Americans hunted, they could not imagine how someone could kill such majestic animals, that were adored in their city and region.
-Because they had such few wildlife resources, anyone who killed such a beautiful animal was a monster.
Question - Did I have the right to talk about hunting and express my views and experience? Yes
-Would it have been a stumbling block to the Gospel? Yes
Yes. And because the sharing of the Gospel is more important that my personal preferences, I had to make a decision to not exercise this right.
Example 3, Political Speech
Pastors are allowed to have political opinions and outside the pulpit pastors have the right to express their political opinions as much as they want.
The Gospel is more important than my political opinions & it should be more important to you as well.
Unless I know someone well, I typically will not engage in political conversation.
I put aside the exercise of that right, so I can leave room in the relationship to talk about Jesus.
My friends, Can I share with you something that leaves me confused and discouraged? Would you allow me a rebuke?
Many of your political postings and some of the general humor you post are a brick wall that is keeping others from seeing Jesus in your life.
Most of you know where I stand politically, and we would have agreement politically.
Many of the angry posts, the posts that make fun of political figures, the posts with swearing in them, the posts that are sexual in their joking ...
These are a brick wall that keeps others from seeing Jesus in your life.
I Thessalonians 4:11-12 Paul says this
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.
You say, Preacher - you are talking about not speaking up. We are losing ground in our nation because we are not speaking up.
No, I would like you to speak up.
-Slow down your political speech.
-Pick up the banner of talking to others about Jesus.
-He is the only true solution to our problem.
Transition???
And so we come to our last verse, The queen of the chapter.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
III. Paul had rights … that he chose not to exercise…so he could win more people to Jesus.
Question - I am willing to give up so I may win more?
I will give up because Jesus is worth it.
Transition - Paul was eager to give up, because His Savior chose to not exercise His rights.
IV. Jesus set down His rights.
Jesus laid down his rights to save traitors and sinners.
Jesus laid down the comforts and glory of heaven so He could lay down on a cross and have his hands and feet nailed down.
Jesus shed His blood to make a payment for sin.
He is calling you right now to surrender to Him.
To give to Him your right to be King of your own life.
To receive Him as King and savior.
Will you confess your sin and trust in Him right now?
When you consider the eternity of others … isn’t it being wise making a decision to not exercise your rights in some relationships so you can keep the door more open to share Jesus.
-What people are in your life, that bringing an extra measure of sensitivity and love to, will keep that door open to them hearing you, when you share with them about Jesus
Hear me clearly. I am not talking about Christians laying down their inalienable rights to free speech or bowing to political or cultural powers and not speaking up for Godly values. That is not what this is about.
What I am talking about is relationships in your everyday life ...
Live a quiet life … & facebook
That left Paul with a problem. He didn’t have any money.
How did Paul support Himself?