Surrender Your Rights
Messy Church - 1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsWe are to surrender our own rights so that others might be saved.
Notes
Transcript
If you have your Bibles, please open them to 1 Cor 9:19
Tonight, we are continuing our series called ‘Messy Church’ where we are looking at one of the most dysfunctional churches that we read about in the New Testament.
The Corinthian church had all sorts of problems,
as we have already seen, they were a people that are divided from one another even though the gospel was supposed to unify them
They were a church that was marked by sexual immorality, even though the gospel called them to purity and holiness
and last week, we learned that they even ate foods that were offered to idols, and this was leading other Christians into idolatry.
Now, it’s really important that we remember what we learned last week, as chapter 8 sets up what we are going to hear this week.
Remember what Paul said,
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”
Paul is saying that in a way, it is okay to eat all kinds of food, even food offered to fake gods, because those gods aren’t even real… and our God, the one true God, created all foods for us to eat and to enjoy!
But Paul doesn’t stop there:
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
Paul reminded the Corinthians that there were some who once sinned by worshiping these idols, and so their eating these foods was actually causing some Christians to return to idolatry.
So what is the solution to this problem?
Paul tells us;
13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Paul says, even though the Corinthians and he had the right to eat the meat offered to idols, they ought to surrender your right for the good of others so that they would not fall back into sin.
Abstaining from food that is offered to these idols is all in the backdrop of what we will hear tonight. Now we won’t hear about food offered to idols in chapter 9, but Paul will return to that subject in chapter 10.
So now that we are reminded of the context of this week’s chapter, let’s stand together for the reading of God’s word.
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.
Let’s pray.
As Americans, we love our freedoms and our rights.
I’m curious, how many of you are familiar with the term ‘inalienable rights’
Inalienable rights are the rights that no one can take away from you.
We are taught that our inalienable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Those are my rights that no one can take from me. And as long as I am on infringing on others inalienable rights of another person, I can do whatever I want.
So in the most basic sense, the reason stealing is against the law, is because stealing infringes upon the inalienable rights of another person.
But on the flip side, if you aren’t infringing upon a person’s inalienable rights, we are told that we can do whatever we want in your own pursuit of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We Americans love our freedoms and our rights.
But for those of us who are in Christ we have a different law. Our law, is not the pursuit of life liberty and happiness, rather our law is to love one another as we love ourselves. In other words, what is good is not simply serves us well, rather what is truly good is that we do all things for the good of others.
In fact, this is why the gospel is so precious to us, and why we are so serious about sharing the gospel with others. For true life is found only in Jesus Christ, for apart from him we will have eternal death. True liberty is only found in Jesus Christ, for all who are in Christ are free from the power of Sin and Death, and because we are in Christ, we are free from the Law. And in Christ, we have true happiness. In fact, if we are in Christ, we don’t even need to pursue happiness, for our joy has been found in Christ. This is why Paul, when he was in prison facing the threat of death, he was able to say that he had found the secret to contentment. He had joy that was found in Christ, and as long as he had Christ, his joy could not be taken from him no matter what happened to him.
Paul was so commited to loving others well, and giving them life, liberty and happiness in Christ through the preaching of the gospel, that he was willing to lay down all of his rights, and freedoms, so that others could find life in Christ. That’s what this whole chapter is about. Listen to how Paul puts it starting in chapter 9 verse 1.
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
Now remember, by the end of Chapter 8, Paul was about talking about not eating meat for the good of others. But all of the sudden Paul is defending his credentials as an apostle. It might seem like he has completely forgotten what he was writing about, as this subject seems to come out of nowhere, but he does this, because there were many in the Corinthian church who looked down upon Paul. They didn’t see him as one with authority, rather they saw him as a mere servant rather than an apostle… and since he was just a servant to them, they refused to pay him for his work.
Listen to how Paul continued:
7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
Paul provides three back to back examples of how workers do their work for the benefit of their labor.
soldiers, farmers, and shepherds all do their work and receive some sort of payment in return for their service.
How many of you have jobs? Do you get paid for your job? If you didn’t get paid for your work would you be a bit irritated?
Of course you would, because you should get paid, but it’s not just me or Paul who think you should get paid…
8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.
The quote about not muzzling an ox comes from Deuteronomy. Paul’s point is that even the OT Law shows that those who work should receive a payment for their work!
But it’s not just for the sake of the ox or for the farmer… Paul is saying that the law says this for his own sake as an apostle!
11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
What’s the point that Paul is trying to make?
He is saying, he deserved to have been payed for the gospel labor that he did among the Corinthians.
the problem was that the Corinthians were willing to pay some of the other preachers for their efforts, but they didn’t want to pay Paul for the work that he did
This is what Paul says in v12,
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. 13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
The OT Law repeatedly showed how the temple priests were to receive payment for their work
Paul even refers to what Jesus taught his disciples.
9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.
What’s the point?
1. The worker is worthy of their wage.
1. The worker is worthy of their wage.
The OT Scriptures repeatedly testified to this, and Jesus himself taught his disciples the same thing.
Paying a worker for their labor is good, right, and lawful.
When workers are treated with justice, God is honored and glorified.
And when workers are treated poorly, God’s anger burns against those those who mistreat them because their actions are motivated by greed and sin. We could spend a good deal of time talking about gospel ethics when it comes to work and payment, but this is not Paul’s main concern in this chapter, so this isn’t going to be a main concern for us tonight either.
Paul is pointing out that he should have been paid for the work that he did. But he never did receive payment for his gospel efforts by the Corinthians. We can actually read about how Paul made money during his time in Corinth in the book of Acts
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
Notice that Paul was not a vocational Apostle at this point, meaning he wasn’t getting paid to preach. Rather he had to make tents for money so that he could share the gospel with others on the Sabbath.
But Paul did his work without pay happily! Listen to Paul here get to the point that he is trying to make in 1 Corinthians,
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.
Paul’s is saying… hold on to your money, I’m not after your offering… Paul’s aim in writing all this isn’t that he get the money that he deserved from the Corinthians… So why is he writing this?
Paul continues…
16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Paul is saying, he laid down his right to get paid, because his calling to preach came from Jesus Christ. And since his call came from Christ and not the Corinthians, Paul points out that he has a greater reward from Jesus that is coming than any payment that he might receive from any of the churches. (more on this in a bit)
But since Paul didn’t receive payment for his efforts, the Corinthians looked down upon him as if he wasn’t a worthy apostle.
They thought of him as more of a servant under their authority, rather than one who had authority from Christ to lead them and guid them. They forgot that Paul was a free person and not a servant… and that’s the point that Paul is making
Listen to these powerful verses:
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.
This is where chapter 9 connects to what we saw last week in chapter 8…
Remember at the end of chapter 8 Paul said,
13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
We see Paul’s motivation to abstain from eating meat, and why the Corinthians should share in that motivation
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.
Here Paul lays out an entirely new motivation for how he operates…
he doesn’t do things simply because he can because of his gospel freedoms and rights…
he does all things for the sake of others so they might be saved.
Now there are a ways to misunderstand Paul here…
When Paul talks about becoming a Jew to the Jews, he isn’t saying that he abandoned the gospel for his old way of life as a Jew again…
And when he talks about becoming a gentile for the gentile, Paul isn’t saying that he became godless by doing all sorts of unrighteousness
Paul’s point is that he will lay aside his preferences, his freedoms, and his rights so that others might hear the gospel and be saved.
This is what missionaries do all the time… they go to other cultures, and leave their own comforts of home all so people can hear and receive the gospel.
Paul is telling the Corinthians that he surrendered all of his rights, even his right to get paid, for their good and their salvation. And they should do the same for others.
Here’s the point I want us to recognize,
2. We must lay down our rights for the sake of the gospel.
2. We must lay down our rights for the sake of the gospel.
Connect this back to the subject of eating meat offered to idols…
Paul is urging the Corinthians to lay aside their right to eat meat for the sake of others so they might hear the gospel and be saved, and so other Christians wont return to their old way of life.
But this has so many other applications as well!
This isn’t just about abstaining from food offered to idols
this isn’t just about refusing payment for an apostle or a pastor
How does this apply to you who are in middle school or high school?
It means that you first and foremost preach the gospel...
If you’re not willing to preach the gospel to others, then all of this has no application…
This is about surrendering all of your rights, for the sake of Jesus Christ
what rights am I talking about?
Well consider this… you lay down your life, your liberty, and even your pursuit of happiness....
This is what Paul did…
Think about the way Paul laid down his happiness for others…
He worked harder than anyone, just so that he could get the gospel to others…
he left his home
he left his Jewish heritage
And he did it all for free, taking up the job of a tentmaker just so he could preach free of charge.
Paul gave up all that he knew and loved, just so that the gentiles would hear the gospel…
What would it look like for a student to surrender their happiness for the sake of the gospel?
Well it might mean that you share the gospel and become that awkward Christian who everyone hates
It might mean that you are even intentional to build relationships with those who are difficult to love, just so you can have an opportunity to share the gospel with them....
It might even mean that you give up your interest and passions, and you make gospel proclamation your thing…
It could even look like you using your interests and passions to leverage the gospel in circles that you wouldn’t have otherwise!
Think about how Paul gave up his freedoms for the sake of the gospel…
Though he was free, Paul said he became a servant to all…
So too we become servants of all, meaning are to love and care for one another without expecting payment in return…
And even our life, we give up our life for the sake of the gospel…
Sometimes this is metaphorically speaking, and other times we literally give up our life for the gospel…
I love our youth staff, because they give up the comforts of their evening on a work night to preach the gospel to you, and they do it all for free.
Missionaries move from the comforts of their home in an effort to get the the gospel to new people
Paul, died in his effort to get the gospel to the gentiles
What do we lay down our rights?
All the leaders here in surrender our Wednesday nights to you students, and Paul did it for the Corinthians, because Jesus did this for us…
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.
But what motivation do we have then to serve Christ and one another?
If we don’t receive payment, we don’t look to our own interests in all these ways, then what motivation can we have in our efforts to make Jesus known?
Listen to Paul:
23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
We share in the blessings of those who receive the gospel?
What does this mean?
Well Paul continues:
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.
3. Our motivation in all things should not be our perishable rewards, rather we are to work for our eternal reward that is found in the gospel.
3. Our motivation in all things should not be our perishable rewards, rather we are to work for our eternal reward that is found in the gospel.
Is Paul contradicting the gospel here? Saying that we should work for our reward? No not at all!
He is saying, that because Jesus has saved us by grace apart from works, all of the sudden the Christian has a whole new way of living… they seek not the things that they once desired, but now they seek the things that are eternal!
How many of you work hard to compete in sports?
Paul uses this metaphor when he says, that runners work hard to receive a crown, but it is a crown that will perish.
In Paul’s day, victorious athletes would get a leafy crown, but just like any bouquet of flowers, they are alive one day and they die the next only to be thrown away…
So too, every reward that we receive in this life will perish.
How many of you work hard to get good grades?
You do know that someday, your grades won’t matter anymore right?
The last time my high school GPA mattered was when I applied for college…
There are a number of you who love music… How many of you work hard to get good and music?
You work tirelessly for hours to preform… and after its all said and done, how long does the praise last after a concert or a recital? An hour, maybe two. But it quickly fades into eternal insignificance…
Even in the work that I do, I do get paid… but that money will not last forever. We all come into this life with nothing, and when we die we can’t take any of our treasures with us.
So, if we know how to work hard for rewards that do not last, how much more should we work for the unfading crown of glory?
Paul is saying, that this is his motivation in all things…
not that he gets ahead, not that he get’s his reward that he deserves, but instead he works for Christ’s words… well done thy good and faithful servant.
We can all get distracted from this…
There are times that I forget who I serve…
There are times when I think I’m working for the elders
or I think I am working for the families here in the church
or I think I am working for you
Or the approval of anyone else…
May we not loose sight of who we truly work for… We work for Christ.
Let this be our one aim… that we glorify Jesus in our life and make him known…