Introduction:
A. Several years ago the Public Library in a certain town had a service called "Dial-A-Tale."
1. Anytime a young child wanted to hear a fairy tale, he or she could call the number and listen to a pre-recorded reading of a short fairy tale.
2. Unfortunately, however, the telephone number was only one digit different from the home of a minister named Tom Erickson.
3. Because the children often made a mistake in dialing the number, Tom would get frequent calls from a child looking for a fairy tale.
4. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to explain to the children that they had dialed a wrong number, Tom felt he had only one alternative.
5. He obtained a copy of Three Little Pigs, and set it by the phone.
6. So whenever a child calls, he simply reads them the tale.
B. I think this is a beautiful illustration of yielding personal rights.
1. Tom Erickson had the right not to have to answer these calls.
2. He had the right to avoid the invasion of his privacy.
3. He had the right to change his telephone number.
4. But he willingly gave up those rights and ministered to the needs of children.
C. Today as we turn our attention to 1 Corinthians 9, we see that the Apostle Paul had practiced this same principle in his own life and ministry.
1. To some, chapter 9 looks like the beginning of a long digression from the discussion of eating meat sacrificed to idols in chapter 8, but nothing could be further from the truth.
2. Paul has not moved on from addressing the idol meat question; rather, he is just approaching it from a different direction.
D. Paul’s indirect approach in chapter 9 is particularly crafty, because it allows him to “kill two birds with one stone,” so to speak.
1. It allows him to address his practice of financial support, while at the same time address his larger argument about idol meat and the requirements of love.
2. Back in chapter 8, you will remember, Paul called upon the “strong” at Corinth to limit their freedom for the sake of the “weak.”
3. In the last verse of that chapter, Paul pointed to himself as an example, saying that he would never eat meat again if it caused his brothers and sisters to fall.
4. That statement launches Paul into a chapter long discussion of his rights as an apostle and his willingness to give up those rights.
I. Paul Defends His Rights (9:1-14)
A. For whatever reasons, Paul’s authority as an apostle was in question there at Corinth.
1. So Paul began with an assertion of his identity as an apostle.
a. He had, in fact, seen the risen Lord.
b. And he had, in fact, started the church in Corinth.
2. Then Paul listed some of his rights as an apostle with a series of rhetorical questions.
a. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Yes.
b. Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us? Yes.
c. Don’t we have the right not to work for a living, but to be supported? Yes.
B. Next Paul offers the arguments in support of God’s workers being paid.
1. He says, “Look at the soldier - You wouldn’t expect him to serve at his own expense.”
a. We wouldn’t expect the soldiers fighting the war in Iraq to pay their own plane ticket to get to the battle ground, pay for their own accommodations and food while they are there, etc.
b. Clearly a person representing their country in a war has every right to expect that their country will pay them for their service and cover their expenses.
2. He says, “Look at the farmer - You wouldn’t expect the worker in the vineyard not to eat some of the grapes.”
3. “Look at the shepherd – you wouldn’t expect the shepherd not to drink some of the milk.”
4. Paul doesn’t end his argument with just human reasoning and rationale, rather he adds the biblical evidence for his conclusion.
5. He says, “Look at the Law of Moses – Deut. 25:4 says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.’”
a. Then Paul asks is it really about oxen that God is concerned – not really, he says this for us and our sake.
6. Paul’s final illustration for the argument of the right of financial support for God’s workers is the temple priests.
a. Don’t those who work at the temple (ie., the priests) get their food from the temple? After something has been offered on the altar, don’t they get to eat some of it? Yes, of course.
7. Paul’s summary statement is verse 14, “In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
8. So having clarified his rights as an apostle, Paul moves to his surprising example.
II. Paul Gives Up His Rights (9:12-18)
A. Three times Paul maintains that although he has these rights, he voluntarily does not make use of them.
1. Verse 12, “But we did not use this right.”
2. Verse 15, “But I have not used any of these rights.”
3. Verse 18, “…and so not to make use of my rights in preaching it.”
B. Why in the world did Paul give up his rights?
1. That’s un-American, isn’t it?
2. Doesn’t Paul know that if he doesn’t look out for himself, nobody else will?
3. Paul certainly didn’t have the attitude that many people have – “I’m going to get what is mine.”
C. No, Paul gave up his rights for the sake of the Gospel.
1. Verse 12, “But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”
2. Verse 19, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”
3. Verse 23, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
4. Writing to the Philippians several years later, Paul told them that Jesus did the very same thing – He gave up His rights for the sake of others (Phil. 2:5-11). Praise God that He did!
III. Paul Lives Without His Rights (9:19-27)
A. Paul wanted to “win as many as possible” more than he wanted to exercise his rights.
1. Therefore, to the Jews he became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
2. To those under the law he became like one under the law, to win those under the law.
3. To those not having the law he became like one not having the law, so as to win those not having the law.
4. To the weak he became weak, to win the weak.
5. Bingo…there’s his main point.
6. To the “strong” who wanted to demand their rights and exercise their freedoms, and who cared little about the “weak” and their hang-ups, Paul said, “You’ve got it all wrong.”
7. For the sake of the gospel and the salvation of others, we have to be willing to become all things to all men.
8. That is not only true in an evangelistic sense (which isn’t Paul’s primary focus here), it is true in the ongoing salvation and sanctification of the church.
9. What good does it do to demand our rights and destroy our brother or sister in the process?
B. What is required to put all this into practice is discipline.
1. Paul turns to an illustration that was so familiar to the Corinthians.
2. The Isthmian Games, much like our Olympic Games, were held at Corinth every two years.
3. Those who competed in those games went into strict training.
4. The crown that they were awarded for victory was truly perishable.
5. The victory wreath at the Isthmian Games was made of withered celery – can you imagine?
6. So Paul’s point hits hard – “If these athletes push themselves to the limit in training to win that pathetic crown of withered vegetables, how much more should we maintain self-discipline for the sake of an imperishable crown?”
Conclusion:
A. What lessons can we take with us today to put into practice?
1. Let me offer three applications.
B. First, We learn that we should be willing to SACRIFICE.
1. Christian maturity consists not only of knowing your rights and freedoms, but of being willing to give them up for others.
2. Charles Swindoll gives a good illustration of this when he describes a baseball team that is playing a very important game.
a. It has the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning. It is trailing by one run.
b. One of the strongest batters comes to the plate.
c. He looks down at the third-base coach and sees the sign to bunt.
d. “Bunt,” he thinks to himself, “I’m the best hitter on this team. I’m leading the team in hits. I’m going to hit away. No one is going to tell me to bunt. I have a right to swing hard for the bleachers. Just think what a grand-slam home run would do for my reputation.”
e. That baseball player was only thinking about himself – his rights – what would make him look best.
f. He wasn’t thinking about the team and what is best for the team.
3. The same kind of selfish attitude can befall Christians or the church as a whole.
a. “I have the right to have my favorite pew.”
b. “I have the right to have my favorite teacher or preacher.”
c. “I have the right to have us sing my favorite songs – all the old ones or all the new ones.”
d. “I have the right for the service to be shorter or longer.”
e. “I have the right for people to adopt my ideas.”
4. I offer these as just examples of possible selfish thoughts and attitudes that we might encounter.
5. Are we willing to sacrifice for the good of others and the church as a whole, or will we demand our rights and freedoms.
6. True Christian freedom is exercised in sacrifice and service.
7. Christians who insist on exercising their right to do whatever they like have become captive of their own rights.
8. If and when we find ourselves campaigning on the platform of defending our own rights, then we have lost sight of the gospel.
C. Second, We learn the importance of DISCPLINE.
1. The Christian life is all about focus, self-control and training.
2. We cannot expect to grow spiritually without putting forth a concentrated effort.
3. Certainly, I’m not trying to downplay the role of the Holy Spirit in the maturing process.
4. Paul told the Philippians to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Phil. 2:12-13)
5. In that passage we see something of the cooperation required between us and God in accomplishing His good purpose.
6. Paul uses the Isthmian Games and we can use the up-coming summer Olympics to illustrate the kind of discipline required.
7. Paul says, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” (vs. 25)
8. Paul said, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (vs. 26-27)
9. There’s no way that an Olympic athlete could show up to the marathon run or the 200 meter swim over weight and out of shape and expect to compete or even finish the race.
10. No, serious preparation and on-going discipline is required.
11. Paul describes knowing the course, knowing the opponent, and how he harshly disciplined himself physically.
12. We must know the same – we must know the rules and the course God wants us to take, we must know the enemy we are battling against, and then we must discipline our body, mind and soul.
13. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of our brothers and sisters in God’s family, times of worship and study, and private discipline of prayer, Scripture, study and service.
14. All these things make us ready and fit for the contest.
D. Finally, We learn to keep our eyes on the PRIZE.
1. The prize that we must keep in clear focus is the heavenly reward of our eternal relationship with God.
2. Unfortunately, our heavenly prize is unseen and is intangible, yet it is the thing we must keep clearly in focus.
3. Paul appropriately described the challenge of straining toward the heavenly prize when he wrote, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
4. One of the highlights of my year for the past 15 years has been our men’s mountain hike.
a. How beautiful is God’s creation, and how breath-taking to view it from on top of a mountain.
b. And how wonderful to share the experience with brothers in Christ!
c. One of the interesting challenges we face is that of focusing on the goal before us even though we cannot see it.
d. The top of the mountain is usually not visible from the bottom of the mountain.
e. And as we climb, we sometimes catch a glimpse of a peak, but it is usually what is called a false peak – a small peak on the way to the main peak.
f. So throughout the day as we huff and puff up the mountain, we do so with the invisible prize in our mind.
g. We know the prize is there and that if we just keep climbing and don’t give up we will make it, and it will be well worth the effort.
5. The same is true with the Christian life and the heavenly prize.
6. We can’t see it from here, but we know it is there and we know it will be worth it.
E. And so we want to run in such a way as to win the prize and not be disqualified for the prize.
1. To do so will require sacrifices for the sake of our brothers and sisters.
2. To do so will require discipline.
3. And to do so will require a concentration on our heavenly goal.
4. May God have mercy and give us the strength and help we need to finish the race and win the prize.
Resources:
The (Im)Perfect Church (Studies in 1 Corinthians), Rubel Shelly, 21st Century Christian, 1983.
First Corinthians (Interpretation – A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching), Richard Hays, John Knox Press, 1997.
1 Corinthians (The NIV Application Commentary), Craig L. Blomberg, Zondervan, 1994.
1 Corinthians (Bible Study Guide), Charles R. Swindoll, Insight For Living, 1977.
“The Rights and Duties of the Christian Leader,” Sermon by John A. Huffman, Jr., February 19, 2006.
