Christ Methodist Church Memphis
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Christ Methodist Church Memphis
Wisdom and Christian Liberty (Part B) | Rev. Paul
What matters more, holding tightly to your rights or laying them down for the sake of others? The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians challenges us to rethink Christian freedom, self-control, and what it really means to live for the gospel.
[0:18] Amen. Today's scripture reading is going to come from 1 Corinthians 9, verses 1 through 14.
[0:25] 1 Corinthians 9, starting in verse 1, we'll go through verse 14.
[0:33] Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord. 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. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord in Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living, 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? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.
[1:48] Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 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. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
[2:17] 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. 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, In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel This is the word of God for the people of God.
[2:51] Amen and amen. I greet you this morning in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My name is Paul Lawler. I have the honor of serving as a senior pastor of Christ Methodist Church. We welcome you today, and particularly those of you that may be a first-time guest. We're delighted that you are here. Let's pray for just a moment. Lord, we weave this prayer with the prayers already being lifted before your throne by the prayer group presently, praying for everyone gathered in this sanctuary in the narthex, that as they pray there, we also pray that you would pour out the revelation of Jesus Christ. We trust in the person of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus. And it is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
[3:45] So, church, last week we talked about Christians who have the right truth with the wrong heart. You may remember we talked about Christians who have right knowledge but move in the wrong spirit. So, some Christians at Corinth, as you remember, were eating meat at dinner gatherings, eating meat at temple in which it's been sacrificed to idols. And we're aware that this was creating a stumbling block for younger Christians that maybe were newer in the faith and God seeking to grow and develop. And they're asking a very logical question. How can you associate your lives with the worship of idols? And we discovered that it was impossible for the Corinthian Christians, or it was possible, pardon me, to become so puffed up in knowledge, so puffed up.
[4:44] Their so-called rights, that they trampled on the faith of younger Christians who were currently at a more vulnerable stage of development. We learn together that as followers of Jesus, we are not to put stumbling blocks before other Christians where our actions could violate their conscience and prevent them or in some way cause stumbling blocks before them as they develop as followers of Jesus. So, you may remember that I cited last week that Paul deals with this topic over the course of three chapters.
[5:22] And so, as we move into chapter 9, the Apostle Paul continues to reason with the Corinthians. But Paul does so by reasoning why he has not asked the Corinthian church for any financial support as he ministers to them. So, to the casual reader, if you're just reading over this without doing any study on what's actually happening here, you might read this as an interruption. But this is not an interruption, because here's what's happening. The Apostle Paul suddenly is using his own life as an illustration. So, Paul is using himself as an example of one, get this church, who's willing to give up his rights for the sake of the gospel,
[6:10] who's willing to give up his rights so that he sees other Christians grow and mature in their faith. And so Paul is demonstrating that he had a right to receive financial support from the church, but he is refusing financial support from the church. So let's ask a question.
[6:32] Well, we'll answer that question in a few moments. But first, let's take a moment to look at the reasons that he cites that he has a right to receive financial support from the Corinthians. And what he does, he gives five reasons. We're going to move through these fairly quickly, and well, you'll be the judge of that. But five reasons. Here's the first one, his apostleship. Now, that may not seem like much on the front end to you, but just bear with me for a moment. Church Corinth was a very difficult church, or excuse me, a very difficult city to reach for the gospel. You may think that the cultural winds in Western culture surrounding human sexuality kind of push strongly against a biblically-informed sexual ethic. But in Corinth, those oppositional winds were like hurricane force winds. But what's happening as the Apostle Paul has come into Corinth and he begins to proclaim the truths of God, the love of God, the gospel of God, what's happening, loved ones, is.
[7:46] Is that there's a greater power inside of Paul than any power outside of Paul. There is a greater power and an eternal truth dwelling in the Apostle Paul than any gale force win at work outside of the Apostle Paul, because the truths that Paul is sharing are emanating from our Creator. The truths that Paul is sharing are emanating from the one true sovereign God of the universe.
[8:20] The truths that Paul was sharing are baked into universal reality. And so as Paul persevered, Paul persevered because he had personally seen Jesus. He had been with Jesus. This is an apostle who had been called up to the third heaven and had seen heavenly realities, eternal realities. He persevered because he knew what Jesus taught and the words that aligned with the heart of God were true and that they had implications for those who had ears to hear. Paul persevered because he knew deep down that there would be people in Corinth in whom God Almighty was drawing to himself in the power of his grace, and through them God would birth his church at Corinth through them. And Paul is testifying, as he sets his rights aside, that the proof of my apostleship is not only that I have been with Jesus, that I have seen Jesus, but the proof of my apostleship being sent from God is you, the church at Corinth itself.
[9:39] And Paul is affirming the proof of the call of God, of him being sent by God, as the proof of his apostleship by the results of the fruit that only God could produce through his life. This is why Paul is saying things like this. Look with me, verse 1 and 2. Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 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. The proof of my apostleship is you. And then he goes on to reason logically. By the way, he is a master at reasoning and polemics and cogent thought.
[10:29] One of the things, this is not in the notes, loved ones, but one of the things we overlook is that the Apostle Paul is not only a devoted follower of Jesus, he is a massive intellectual. And he reads, or goes on to write, pardon me, verse 4 and 5, he reasons, do we not have the right to eat and drink? This is a euphemism for compensation.
[10:52] Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and brothers of the Lord in Cephas. That's a reference to Peter taking his wife along with him as he is involved in ministry and the trajectory of the church in providing compensation. And so Paul is appealing out of the lens of his apostleship, but he also appeals out of the lens of just human experience when he says, basically, everyday experience teaches us that a workman is worthy of his wages. Look with me at verse 7. Paul says, 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. In other words, Paul is affirming that the Christian worker has a right to expect benefits from his or her labors. And if it's true in the secular realm, it is also true in the spiritual realm. And then he appeals to the Old Testament law, because the Old Testament was the Bible of the early church. And he says in verse 11, if we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
[12:07] And then he quotes the Old Testament to back up what he's just said when he quotes Deuteronomy 25.4, you shall not muzzle an ox when it's treading out the grain. Martin Luther said about this passage, this is not written because of the oxen, since they do not know how to read.
[12:28] The point is, is that it's a metaphor. It's a metaphor for the Christian worker. And Paul had not received any financial support from the Corinthian church. He's laying aside his rights. We're going to get to the why in a moment. But he had received financial support from other churches. The Philippian church had sent him multiple gifts when he was on mission to Thessalonica. And we also know that when we get to 2 Corinthians, this is why he says to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 2.18, he says, I robbed other churches, he's using hyperbole, taking wages of them to do you service. In other words, I'm being supported by the church even as I serve you at Corinth. And so we see that he substantiates this out of Old Testament law, but he also substantiates this out of Old Testament practice. Look with me if you have a Bible open to 1 Corinthians 9.13. This will not be on the screen. I quote, Paul says, do you not know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered at the altar? And what's happening here is he's pointing to the picture of how the Levitical priests lived. Now, if you would, tech team, I think, did I provide a slide for that? I may not. There we go. Bingo.
[13:53] Bear Bryant used to say that. I just had to throw that in. Excuse me.
[13:58] But the reason I'm providing, I wanted to take a moment and just give you the Old Testament passages that support this, is because we as a church have a goal of planting 30 organic churches. Organic churches are churches that meet house to house, and the reason that's highly practical is because we're targeting two areas of the world, Northern Africa and Asia. But there are also organic churches in North America. And sometimes when I've sat in seminars dealing with organic churches in North America, I hear the presenter present certain scriptures around this and leave out others, in which the presenter will make the case that in organic churches, everybody works secular jobs, including the leader, and that frees up the funds to follow the Old Testament model that all money goes to the poor. All the tithes go to the poor. And they make the statement that that's how it was in the Old Testament. And I just encourage you, church family, to have the mind and heart of a Berean Christian and search the scriptures for yourselves to see if these things are true.
[15:15] Because the Old Testament practice was that the Levitical priests lived off the sacrifices and the offerings that were brought to the temple. Now, you may ask the question, Pastor Paul, what's the point? The point is, if the Old Testament ministers in the Old Covenant were supported by the people in whom they ministered, should not God's servants who minister under the New Covenant also be supported? This is Paul's point. And then he appeals to the teaching of Jesus. Again, this will not be on the screen, but if you have your Bible open, look with me at verse 14, where Paul writes, in the same way, the Lord, he's referring to Jesus, Jesus commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. Now, what passage is he referring to? There are multiple passages. I'll cite one. When Luke was talking in Luke, excuse me, when Jesus was talking in Luke chapter 10 and instructing his disciples as they go out and minister the gospel and the kingdom, Jesus said, remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide for the laborer deserves his wages. Now, these are five arguments that the Apostle Paul shares and proves conclusively to the Corinthian church, here it is, that he had a right.
[16:40] He had a right, a biblically-centered, kingdom-oriented right to expect the Corinthian church to support him in his ministry. Yet, he deliberately refused their support. Question.
[16:59] Why? Why? Why? Because Paul wanted to give the Corinthian church a living example of what he's been talking about. Should not the stronger believers in the church be willing to set aside their rights for the development of younger believers in the church? And when I say younger, you know I'm not talking chronologically. In other words, like you're 13. No, younger as in new in the faith, developing in the faith, getting grounded in the faith. Was eating meat sacrificed to idols? In other words, the Corinthians, as they're eating meat sacrificed to idols, are demanding their own rights. Remember last week, it's just a hunk of metal, these idols, or a piece of wood. It's just a thing. And Paul is reasoning with them that you are causing other Christians to stumble because they associate your eating meat sacrifice to idols with idol worship. And so Paul is sharing that there is a higher love that you're called to, caring for the impressionable young believers among you. So, let's answer the question together. Why does Paul, the apostle, set aside his rights?
[18:23] Number one, because the apostle Paul burns with a white-hot passion for the gospel, and so should we hear the word of god paul says but i've made no use of any of these rights he's setting his rights aside.
[18:47] Nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. I'm not out for you to compensate me. That's not the motive here. I'm not in it for the money, Paul's saying. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon to me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. for I do this of my own will. I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I'm still entrusted with a stewardship. 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? I will lay my rights aside for the sake of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Paul wanted the gospel as he shared it with the Corinthian believers and those young in the faith to be free from any obstacles in the minds of the Corinthians, any obstacles in the minds of
[19:52] those who've yet to come to know Christ or those that are new in Christ. Paul had been given a divine stewardship by God. And what was Paul's ultimate reward?
[20:06] The joy of preaching the gospel without charge. And this meant before the Corinthians that nobody could accuse him of having underhanded motives as he ministered among them or sharing underhanded methods where it was about the money.
[20:25] Now, loved ones, we all know, I don't think there's a person in this sanctuary that's not aware that we certainly, when you turn on certain TV stations or even listen to certain radio programs, that there has been an overemphasis on money among some in the kingdom. Can anybody amen that? It's true. And we also are aware that it has brought great reproach on the name of Jesus. But that's not Paul's motive. He has a right, but he's laying his rights aside for the sake of the gospel.
[21:11] Let's pretend a child is at Disney World, and the child is having a great time laughing, joy on roller coasters, but the child, as he's having a great time, doesn't realize that he's lost his parents. They're separated. But he goes on, and he's unconscious of this for a while because he's having a great time going from ride to ride and doing this and doing that, just going about his business. But he is completely oblivious to the fact that he's lost his mom and dad.
[21:58] The Apostle Paul comes into Corinth. People are busy doing this and that, enjoying life. It's Disney World. But they're completely oblivious to their condition, to their lostness. And Paul's motive is the love of God. To share with them that there's a God who's created them. There's a God who loves them. There's a God who hung on a cross for them to reconcile them to God. A God that will deliver them from an impending judgment and wrath unless faith is placed upon God's gift who took the wrath and judgment of God and bore our sin and sets us free.
[22:51] And so why does Paul set aside his rights? Because Paul burns with a white-hot passion for the gospel out of love for God and love for people, and so should we. Secondly, why does Paul set aside his rights? Because the apostle Paul is willing to build a bridge with people who are far from God, and so should we. Look with me again, verses 15 through 18. For thought that I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them to the Jews. I became 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. 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. To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I might share with them in its blessings. Now, church, let me tell you what Paul's not saying. Paul is not teaching.
[24:09] Or advocating that a follower of Jesus becomes a chameleon. Paul is not a compromiser who adjusts his message to please an audience. Paul is an ambassador of Jesus, not a politician. When Paul preached to the Jews, he started with the Old Testament patriarchs. This is what he means by, when I'm trying to win Jewish people, I become as a Jew. When Paul preached to the Gentiles, he began with the God of all creation. This is what he means by building a bridge with Gentiles. In other words, it takes tact to make contact. Paul gave up his rights to win the Jews. Paul gave up his rights to win the Gentiles. And like Jesus, the apostle Paul humbled himself by becoming a servant. I think about many of the examples that I've heard through the years when men and women light up for the gospel. In a church family.
[25:07] I think about a brother I knew in Christ in my small group, and he said, hey, Paul, I'm building this relationship with this guy at work. He loves model ships. I said, well, that's great. Glad to hear that. And he shares, I've taken up a little bit of an interest. It really doesn't interest me that much, but I've been researching model ships so I can build a better relationship with him and just enter into conversation with him. Can I lovingly give you a pointer on sharing the gospel? Here it is. The gospel, this takes a lot of pressure off. The gospel is shared best when you have a deep relationship with someone. I'm not saying having a cold conversation never works. There are lots of stories that work like that, but when you enter into relationship with someone, you earn a right to be heard. And this man was in my small group.
[26:08] Giving up his rights. He has no interest in model ships, but he's giving up his rights and he's becoming a good listener so that he could build a bridge with this unbeliever to share the gospel with him, which might take place in a month, might take place in a year, might not take place if he's young for 50 years. But he loved the man, entered into relationship with the man, salt and peppered the gospel in their relationship, giving up his own rights, humbling himself as Jesus, as a sent one, humbled himself when he came to us. Why does Paul set aside his rights? Because Paul is willing to build a bridge with people who are far from God, and so should we.
[26:55] And then third, why does Paul set aside his rights? Because Paul knows there is an eternal prize awaiting him in heaven, and so should we.
[27:07] Look at the word with me, verses 24 through 27. Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body. I keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. Now, first of all, Paul's being culturally relevant because the Corinthians were not only familiar with the Greek Olympic games, but they were also familiar with the Isthmian games that were held right in their own culture, and Paul knew that they could easily identify with this metaphor. An athlete must be disciplined. I remember my basketball coach, and I remember at the end of practice, he would call us all together for a dreaded moment.
[28:10] And that was, we ran what were called suicides. Some of you might remember running suicides, where you run to the foul, you sprint the entire time, foul line back, half court back, opposite foul line back, other end of the court back, or the coach would decide just to let you turn in a new direction with a blow of a whistle, and you would run these things. I often thought that these should not be called suicides. They should be called homicides because I thought the coach was going to kill us. But the coach had good intent, is that you were entering the discipline in.
[28:46] Honing your body for endurance so that in the game, when the game's on the line with 35 seconds to go, you've got more enduring power than the other team. And so Paul is using this metaphor that they could identify with, an athlete must be disciplined. And in order to be disciplined, Paul makes the point that every athlete should exercise or does exercise self-control. The Greek term for self-control here is a verb meaning to keep one's emotions, impulses, or desires under control.
[29:26] And so as he runs with this metaphor, what would have been known culturally is Olympic athletes had reputations for self-control as they were preparing for an event related related to sex and diet. And according to some reports, some swore an oath that they did not have sexual intercourse, eat certain meats, or drink wine for 10 months prior to the games. And these are the very issues and concerns that the Apostle Paul has been addressing in chapter 5 and 6, leading up to giving up your rights. He is exhorting the Christian at Corinth to exercise self-control related to sexuality and diet. And he uses the metaphor of winning and gaining the prize trophy is what motivates the athlete unto self-control and that the prize of winning the gospel race is eternal life with God himself. And this is the opposite of what he says in verse 27, been being disqualified from the race, and he shares that the prize ahead for the Christ follower is not a perishable wreath like the Olympics or the Isthmian Games, but no.
[30:50] An eternal reward that's imperishable. But Paul also makes a reference to boxing. You may have noted that. And that when he boxes, he fights with skill. He's not referencing fighting against other people or other believers. His opponent is his own body, church family, with its fallenness, It's immoral desires, which are to not control him. This is why Paul says, I discipline my body. He is using the metaphor of an athlete. He exercises self-control so he doesn't fall away from God. He doesn't apostatize. He keeps his body under control so that he does not engage in immoral sex, nor fail to give up his own rights for the sake of building bridges with those who are being developed in the faith. And because he knows that the sexually immoral, as he's already covered in chapter 6, will be disqualified from inheriting the kingdom of God, he brings this loving word to the Corinthian church. And I would remind you.
[32:19] These words parallel the words of the Master, of Jesus himself. When he navigates us through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, and he gets to these crescendo verses when he says to his followers, understand this, there's life on the Broadway. There's the Broadway.
[32:47] But the Son of God said the broad way leads to destruction. And then there's life on the narrow way that leads to life. And what Paul is doing here is sharing words of life. Words that work for the believer. Words that strengthen and edify and demonstrate the love of God, the glory of God, in and through the church of God.
[33:24] This morning at the 8 o'clock prayer meeting before this service began, there was an image that came to mind, and it was a rag. And I prayed it in the group. I just prayed it back to God. It was a rag being wringed out. It was dirty. It was filthy, but it was being wringed out. And then as I saw this image as we were praying, I know this sounds a little mystical. It just is what it is. But as I saw this image as we were praying, the rag was all patted out and then this bleach washed over it. It was totally clean.
[34:05] And I thought about the words of Scripture, where the Bible teaches us that our righteousness is as filthy rags. And I thought about what the Scriptures teach around the cleansing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[34:27] Come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. I think about the beauty of what God has done in Christ. When the scriptures tell us that he is the one who knew no sin, yet he bore our sins at the cross. So that you and I would become the righteousness of God made clean. I think about the scripture that says, if we confess our sin, God's faithful and just to forgive us. But it doesn't stop there and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[35:15] This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the gospel that is your hope, our hope. This is the gospel that was the beachhead in the city of Corinth, even when the cultural winds were blowing so hard against the message. This is the truth that permeated the hearts of people and birthed them into the kingdom. This was the Apostle Paul's passion. And it should be ours as well for the glory of the Son of God.
[35:51] In Jesus' name, amen. Let's pray.
[36:00] Jesus, as we reflect on what you did through your servant, Paul, in the church at Corinth, we thank you that this servant not only loved you, but loved people enough to share the good news of the love of God through Jesus with them.
[36:24] And Lord, we would not be in this sanctuary today apart from his faithfulness, the faithfulness of Christ and his suffering in and through the cross. But we give you thanks that as our hope is in Jesus, that at the cross, you did bear our sins. At the cross, you have reconciled us to God. And at the cross, we are birthed into a new and eternal kingdom. And we pray, Lord, rejoicing before you in the beauty of boasting in the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ in, over, and through our very lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.