Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Last Week’s Recap

Does Paul Have Christian Freedom

Why Doesn’t He Use Them

Last Week’s RECAP

If you’re not careful, you’ll think that Chapter 9 is about an entirely different subject, but DON’T DO THAT!

This is the same subject.

Paul is simply turning their and our attention from Corinthians towards himself because he wants to offer himself up as an example of what it means to wrestle with the question, “What does it mean to live free in Christ”

Paul is saying for those of you asking “Why should we be bound by these weak folks saying that they can’t eat food offered to idols when WE KNOW that those idols are false, WE KNOW that the food in and off itself is not evil, and WE KNOW we have been given all this freedom in Christ?”…for those of you asking these questions take a look at my life!

Question #1: Does Paul Have Christian Freedoms?

This is a valid question because by now a couple of thoughts could have been running through the heads of the Corinthians concerning Paul.

If you don’t know by now, Paul is NOT LIVING A VERY LUXURIOUS LIFE!

Paul probably enjoyed more material comforts in His life before Christ then He did after.

In this very letter to the Corinthians, he has always communicated his present circumstances...

So naturally, there are possibly two questions running through the Corinthian church concerning Paul?

1. Paul, do you have to live like that?

What about your freedoms?!

or maybe even

2. Paul, are you really the apostle you say that you are?

Maybe you’re living like this because you have no other choice!

To those potential questions, Paul dedicates the first half of this chapter.

Let’s start with verses 1...

Paul begins by asking the Corinthians 7 questions that all are intended to be answered YES...

The first question is the foundation that all the others are built upon: “AM I NOT FREE?”

Yes, Paul, of course, you are!

You have freedom in Christ!

Of course after his comments in chapter 8, it may be easier for the Corinthians to second guess how he understands that freedom.

I mean the same man who taught us that food is not unclean is now saying…I would stop eating meat all together if my brother stumbled because of it.

Folks hearing him make a such a declaration might be led to ask?

What kind of Freedom do you truly have Paul?

Are you really free!?

To that Paul would say YES!

But not only am I free, I’m an apostle!

I’ve witnessed the sight of the resurrected savior with my very own eyes and heard his voice with my very own ears.

And if anyone in the world was able to validate this truth, it would be YOU!

1 Corinthians 9:1-2 “...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.”

Paul is saying here, “If any of you have questions about my rights as an apostle, CHECK MY RESUME, and you’ll likely find your faces on it since it is because of the apostolic work the Lord performed through me that many of you know Jesus and are connected to his church...”

So, YES I’m free in Christ and yes, I have knowledge as one who’s been visited by the resurrected Savior and discipled by His very Spirit, and you are the evidence of my apostolic calling.

In other words, I unequivocally have rights to a lot of THINGS!

So Paul, does, in fact HAVE Christian FREEDOM which means the question then becomes “What kind of Freedom!”

If someone were to ask?

What kind of things?

Paul would turn their attention to verses 3-15.

In these verses Paul gives a full defense for all of the rights that he has at his disposal as an Apostle of Christ…again starting in verse 3...

First, Paul points to the Corinthians in order to say, “I have all the same freedoms that you have!”

You have the right to eat and drink - Well, so do I, but I’ve chosen not to use it...

Second, Paul turns his attention to the other Apostles as if to say “I have the same freedoms and rights that they have!”

James and Peter have Christian wives.

So there is no prohibition to me having a wife.

No I’m not married, but I CERTAINLY could get married if I wanted to exercise that freedom!

Third, Paul turns his attention to the issue of compensation and care for the preacher/pastor as if to say “I HAVE A RIGHT TO MAKE A LIVING FROM MY GOSPEL WORK AS WELL!”

He first appears to make the case that the other apostles are being taken care of

In other words, the other apostles are not working odd jobs in order to make ends meet.

They are being compensated for their work in the Gospel and while I’m working another job and Barnabas is working another job in order to not burden the churches we serve.

WE HAVE A RIGHT TO RECEIVE FROM THOSE CHURCHES!

Now, in order to deal with this Paul takes several more verses because he knows how funny we get when we start talking about compensating preachers…:-D

In order to support his position that laborers of the Gospel should be taken care of by those who reap the benefit of their labor in the Gospel, Paul points to three supporting pieces of evidence: The EVERYDAY (v7, 13), The Scriptures (v8-10), and The Christ (v14)

1. THE EVERYDAY (v7, 13)

Paul begins to build his case for his RIGHT to receive financial support and care by pointing to three different examples in verse 7:

A soldier doesn’t go to war on his own dime for a country.

The country who reaps the benefit of his protection compensates him for that protection.

If a gardener never got the opportunity to eat from his own produce, we would consider it cruel.

We would consider it crazy if a shepherd said he wasn’t allowed to drink the milk produced from the sheep he cares for.

I know managers at restaurants who not only pay their employees but they give their employees a free or discounted meal everyday they’re working and serving the restaurant because those that are responsible for the produce should be able to reap from the produce.

Paul’s point is that the servant of the Gospel is really no different than any of these everyday examples.

In fact, Paul highlights those working in the temple in verse 13 to make the religious connections for those who may be tempted to avoid those connections.

2. THE SCRIPTURES (v8-10)

Next, Paul turns from the everyday to making his case directly from Scripture for compensation.

Paul’s point is not that God was calling us oxen in Deuteronomy 25.

His point is like a similar statement we find in Matthew 6 when Jesus is encouraging us to not worry.

He points to the birds and reminds us that if He cares enough to feed and care for them, He is willing and able to feed and care for us.

He then points to the flowers and remind us that if He cares enough to clothe them in splendor then we can rest assured that He will provide clothing for us!

Paul is using making a similar connection with the oxen…If God desires that we take care of the ox when he works in the field and make sure that he can reap compensation from the field he works, then how much moreso does it apply to those who labor in the fields of the Gospel!

Should they not be able to be compensated from the harvest they work and gather!!

And then finally he makes one defense for the compensation of the Gospel workers

3. JESUS CHRIST

Jesus when he sent the disciples out for the work of missions, he told them

So, from everyday life Paul makes the case, from OT Law Paul makes the case, and from the NT Christ Paul makes the case.

The position has been fully defended leaving Paul to say in verse 11 and 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?

By now the many uncompensated and underappreciated preachers are shouting with this SERMON YES AND AMEN!

And they would be right to do so, if they are underappreciated and uncompensated...

The body would always do well to show love to those who are pouring themselves out for the sake of the flock...

HOWEVER, if we think this is the point of Paul’s defense then we would be mistaken...

Paul has spent all of these verses DEFENDING HIS RIGHT TO HIS RIGHTS...

In other words he has spent all of this time trying to make the point that the reason I’m not exercising my rights IS NOT because I do not have rights.

I HAVE them and they are authorized by nature, by HOLY LAW and by Jesus himself.

I HAVE rights and they are authorized by the gift of salvation that I have in Christ and the appointment that I’ve been given by Christ to Apostolic Ministry!

I have plenty of rights!

So why is Paul choosing not to use them?

That’s the second point!

Why Does Paul NOT EXERCISE ALL OF HIS RIGHTS and FREEDOMS?

We see it first show up in latter half of verse 12.

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.

Paul’s reason for not fully exercising his rights is because he does not want to put ANY obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ - The Good News of the Arrival of the Savior who enters into a sinful world and lives the LIFE for a people who could not hold to His righteous demands and dies a death to take the eternal penalty that all of those people deserved...that we deserved...in order to offer eternal life in the New Heavens and New Earth with Him for all who would turn from their life of sin and embrace Him as Savior and Lord.

Paul says I will NOT PUT ANY OBSTACLE IN THE WAY OF THAT GOSPEL being delivered to those in need of it...

Now catch this…THIS GOSPEL that PAUL has received freedom from is also the same Gospel that he is willing to lay down His freedoms when necessary!

In other words, the Gospel in which we’ve been given FREEDOM actually trumps the FREEDOM that we’ve received from it!

Also notice one more thing about verse 12...