Sermon Tone Analysis

4 weeks ago today to took a break from 1 Corinthians and dealt with Abortion in America and Tim Hughey taught on Father’s Day.

Now we come back to where we left off in 1 Corinthians.

Today we settle back into 1 Corinthians 9 and talk about Running for the Prize.

Have you ever had a time that you disciplined your body & mind to achieve a difficult but worthy goal - when your focus on the future prize was enough to drive you in the present - to put in the time, effort, and sweat to win the prize?

And have you ever thought about putting in that kind of effort - not for a trophy, money, or prestige - but with the goal of knowing Jesus and helping others know Him?

You do know that all other goals will eventually fade away.

Your financial accomplishments won’t matter much when you are taking your last breaths on this side of eternity.

Your fitness accolades won’t last either.

You will get older.

Your fitness abilities will fade and this old body will wear out.

But what about your spiritual growth and impact on others?

That is something that will not fade away.

And THAT’S what Paul is front and center when he writes, “Run in such a way to win the prize.”

PRAY

This will help us get some traction in the context.

Paul had talked about the freedom he had - he could eat food even sacrificed to idols, because idols are FALSE - there is no other God who creates, judges, & redeems.

Believers who knew this were being stumbling blocks to younger believers who couldn’t yet understand this truth.

But some of these believers cared more about their FREEDOM than their younger brothers’/sisters’ faith.

Paul refused to do that writing these words...

1 Corinthians 8:12–13 (CSB)

Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ.

Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.

With that as our backdrop, Paul continues with these words...

1 Corinthians 9:1–2 (CSB)

Am I not free?

Am I not an apostle?

Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?

Are you not my work in the Lord?

If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

If anybody is free it would be an apostle of Jesus - those who have seen Jesus - which Paul had (Acts 9:1-22; Ac 22:6–11; 26:12–18; 1 Cor 15:8).

Yet Paul limits his own freedom in order to encourage these people he loves so much.

They are the seal of his apostleship.

Just as a seal from a signet ring gave proof as to who the letter was from, Paul’s impact on the lives of Corinthians prove that he was truly an apostle of the Lord Jesus, called to carry the gospel message to them.

1 Corinthians 9:3–5 (CSB)

My defense to those who examine me is this: Don’t we have the right to eat and drink?

Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?

Couldn’t Paul exercise his freedom to eat or drink whatever he wanted?

Yep…but he didn’t.

And then Paul notes that and the Lord’s brothers (Jacob/James & Judah) and Cephas (Peter) were married.

Catholics maintain that Peter was the first pope.

Not true, as Roman Catholicism didn’t become authoritative until the 6th century (with Pope Gregory I - 590 CE).

Plus, if Peter was the first pope, then he was married, and that ought to do away with necessity of priestly celibacy.

Couldn’t Paul exercise the same freedom - to marry and bring his wife with him?

Sure.

But he didn’t.

1 Corinthians 9:6–7 (CSB) Or do only Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from working?

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?

Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit?

Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?

And the answer is, “Of course.”

The one who works is provided for by those whom he serves.

But Paul and Barnabas chose not to use this freedom either.

They continued to work on the side rather than refrain from working another job.

Paul was a tent maker who lived by that trade in Corinth (Acts 18:2-3) rather than receive compensation he deserved.

WHY? We’ll get to that it just a moment.

1 Corinthians 9:8–10 (CSB)

Am I saying this from a human perspective?

Doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain.

Is God really concerned about oxen?

Isn’t He really saying it for our sake?

Yes, this is written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop.

This quote about not muzzling an ox comes from Deut 25:4.

God’s people were commanding not to force the ox to work for you without feeding it while it’s working for you.

And, Paul implies, if God commands that animals be “paid” for their work, then God is much more concerned that people are paid for their work.

So, Paul notes this more important principle is written for the sake of those serving the church - that he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop.

Listen as Paul drills down deeper.

1 Corinthians 9:11–12 (CSB)

If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:13–14 (CSB)

Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar?

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

In the Old Covenant system the Jewish priests who served at the temple would be given some of the meat from the offerings of the altar (Lv 6:16,26; 7:6,31–32; Nm 5:9–10; 18:8–20,31; Dt 18:1).

This illustration would have made sense to pagans as priests at the temple of Apollo and Aphrodite would have eaten from the offerings as well.

And now in the New Covenant Paul notes that “the Lord” - that would be JESUS - has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

1 Corinthians 9:15–16 (CSB)

For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I written these things that they may be applied in my case.

For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast!

For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach—and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

1 Corinthians 9:17–18 (CSB) For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a commission.

What then is my reward?

To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gospel.

Why didn’t Paul capitalize on his right to receive compensation?

There are probably a couple of reasons.

Paul was a Pharisee who had been trained to teach the Scriptures, but also to work a trade.

Pharisees were the blue-collar religious leaders of their day, man who rubbed shoulders with the working class because they WERE the working class.

(Sadducees were the elite class.)

Paul didn’t want to be indebted to anyone.

People like Paul who traveled from town to town supported themselves in one of four ways: charging fees, staying in well-to-do households, begging, or working at a trade.

Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 173.

Staying at a wealthy Corinthian’s house or receiving money from someone like this might mean they might expect Paul to support his political agenda.

Paul didn’t want the effectiveness of his ministry to be impacted in any way.

This is why he lived with the Christian couple he worked with - Aquila & Priscilla (Acts 18:1-3).

1 Corinthians 9:19–20 (CSB)

Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law.

While Paul was free from all, not indebted to any man, he CHOSE to become a slave to everyone.

In the Old Testament, a Hebrew who sold himself into slavery to repay a debt had to be set free on the 7th year of his work, but…he could CHOOSE to remain as a permanent slave, by having his ear pierced as a sign of his desire to stay (Ex 21:2-6).