The Gospel of Love 1 COr 9:1-11

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Intro: The Corinthian Church had a heart problem. They were not loving each other as they should, and they were not showing their love for God to the lost world around them. The “gospel of love” in our generation has major flaws, but we want to be careful we don’t swing the pendulum too far the other way. The preaching of the Gospel is motivated by love for God. (Love will drive you to sacrifice in a way that duty cannot.)

My preaching of the Gospel is driven by my Love for God. How can evaluate the priorities of your heart in proclaiming the Gospel?

1. My Gospel witness is more important than the honor I could demand: v9:1-2

Apostolic authority:

1 Cor 1:1 “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,”

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1 Cor 4:9 “For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.”

1 Cor 9:1 “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?”

1 Cor 15:9 “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (After describing the calling of the others…)

Definition of an apostle (“one sent on a mission”) is one whom God has sent on an errand or with a message. An apostle is accountable to his Sender and carries the authority of his Sender. An apostleship is the office an apostle holds.

(John 17:6–20; Matthew 10:1–4; Mark 3:14–15) Original Apostles, (Acts 1:21-26) The replacement of Judas according to a prophecy.

(Acts 1:12–26) Candidates to replace the original needed to have been with Jesus during the whole three years that Jesus was among them. That is, he needed to see Jesus’ baptism when the Heavenly Father validated Jesus’ person and work. He needed to have heard Jesus’ life-changing teachings and see His healings and other miracles. He needed to see him on the cross and to have seen Jesus walk, talk, and eat among the disciples after His resurrection.

In China… the poem… “The Chalice”

1 Pet 5:5-6 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”

Maybe the reason we dont share the gospel as we should is we are more rooted in pride than we can admit. Truth is, we can’t be used very well until we are willing to have our pride stripped away. Isnt that what Christ did.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2. My Gospel witness is more important than the freedoms i could indulge in: v 9:3-7

food, wife, a living

(9:4) I have the right to eat, even in the temple of an idol.

(9:5)I have a right to a wife (which we know he was at one time married: is either a widower, or divorced for the right reason… assumed widower because of how he words “take a believing wife”

Incidentally, this is proof that Peter had a wife: “as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas” 1 Co 9:5. Sorry Catholic friends… (Jesus healed her: Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4.38-39)

(9:6) I have a right to make a living...

Ill: Lesson with our kids… you dont have anything in this world that belongs to you. So the lesson...with our kids on our money… learning not to spend it all eating out and on energy drinks and 7dollar coffee drinks. You are free to spend your money however you want… but its not wise. You are free. Example???

Everything Belongs to the Lord:

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”

Deut 10:14 “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.”

Prov 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;”

Hag 2:8 “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.”

1 Cor 10:23 ““All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.”

It may be that we dont share the Gospel as we ought because we are spending all on our freedoms instead of sacrificing to share the gospel. Church planters wont go to the field because they cant make a 50K salary, or why somebody can’t give up a Saturday to go knock on doors.

3. My Gospel witness is more important than the benefits I expect: v 9-10

Paul was saying, as an apostle I should expect honor, just like the Plowman, thresher, or even the stinking oxen.

The threshing floor was where wighted boards would be dragged by oxen or horses over the grain to crack the grain… sometimes they would simply let the animals walkover it… the thresher is doing this with expectation that his going to get something out of it. God was even concerned with the oxen… Deut 25:4 ““You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” The animal should get to eat while he works it.

Chic-fil-a feeds their employees. Give an example....??

Wages were a legal expectation from the Lord Lev 19:13 ““You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.”

Even the Oxen had a legal expectation from the Lord. Feeding. This is not a construct of western civilization, or a tool of oppression like math… this is actually, expressed in the law of God.

Phil 3:7-11 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Maybe i’m not interested in the same benefits Paul is talking about. The Gospel is that important.

Conclusion: Paul was an Apostle, Paul had honor he could demand, Paul had freedoms to indulge in, there were benefits he should expect… and yet he said “nevertheless.” v

The Preaching of the Gospel is motivated by love. Love will drive you to sacrifice in a way that duty cannot.

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