Sermon Brief
Date Written: July 17, 2014
Date Preached: July 20, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: A Series in 1 Corinthians
Sermon Title: Paul’s FOCUS –Souls Won not How it is done
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 [NLT]
19Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. 22When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
Essence of the Text: Paul understood the important thing…that was that Message over Method was his focus! His focus was souls won to Christ!
Essence of the Sermon: We must understand that our focus must be on souls won. Our method can and will change but the message we present will NOT!
Main Question(s) of the Sermon: Where is OUR focus today? What is our attitude? Is it focused on sharing the Gospel or is it more worried about HOW we do it?
Applicable Objective of the Sermon: You will hear the:
WORD PROCLAIMED: Paul attitude was to share the Gospel with all people God placed in his path.
WORD EXPLAINED: Paul understood he must focus his efforts on sharing God’s message, and not worry HOW he does it…
WORD MADE PERSONAL: We must understand that it is your responsibility to share the Gospel! HOW you do it is NOT as important as THAT you do it…
Introduction
When the British came to the Americas in the late 1700s to put down what they believed to be a petty rebellion by inadequate forces… they came with a battle plan that had worked for hundreds of years and had won MANY MANY battles!
The British were eventually defeated by this ‘inadequate’ foe and they were pressed to surrender by a force that they believed simply could NOT defeat them…
What happened? Why did the British army… supposedly the most well trained and most well equipped army in the world at that time fall to such an inadequate force?
Well it was because they approached the battle the way they had ALWAYS done it and the landscape had changed. The enemy did not ‘meet’ them on the battlefield but engaged them in guerilla warfare… and raids… and surprise attacks.
Ultimately the British lost because they were not able to adapt to what needed to be done to win the war. Now I see what happened there in direct correlation to our passage of Scripture this morning AND to our situation here at Oak Park…
You see Paul knew that the battle ground with Satan and those outside of God’s grace was a changing battleground and that he would have to adapt his methods for each battle… and because he was willing to do this, his victories were many!
However, in contrast to this our church, as is the case with MANY churches in America. We have NOT been willing to adjust our approach to the battle we are in… and we must understand that we ARE in a spritiual war for the souls of the people in our community!
If we don’t understand that basic premise, then we are lost as a church. We must be willing to fight the battle with any method available to us so that we see people come to Christ.
Now I don’t want to say that this fellowship is totally against different methods because we have seen many changes over the past 2-3yrs… but we must continue to seek ways to reach our community…ways that we MAY not see just yet, but ways that are ‘out of the box’ thinking so that we can reach some for Christ.
This is what we find Paul saying in this particular section of Scripture in 1 Cor 9:19-23. His focus has diverted from the false teaching to a focus on what the people SHOULD be doing and that is reaching their city for Christ! That they should be willing to have the attitude of a servant and serve God to see people won to Christ!
Let’s look at what Paul says and how we can apply this to our lives today! He says in v19[show v19 here – keep on screen]
19Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.
“Free” man = ell-you-theh-ross –means to be free of obligation, for the Jewish Christians Paul used this word to mean that they were free from obligation the Law of Moses…
This word contains the same ‘root’ word and meaning that Jesus used in John 8:32, ‘…the truth shall make you free…”
The TRUTH of God’s word frees us from obligation to the old covenant and intertwines us within the New Covenant in Christ! That covenant is based on God’s grace that ‘frees’ us from the bondage & guilt of sin & redeems & justifies us!
Paul said he was a ‘free’ man spiritually. A man who no longer had obligations to serve the old Law or covenant, but was freed & justified before God thru the New covenant in Christ.
BUT… just as Paul did not hold onto his right’s in being recognized & compensated as a minister of the Gospel… Paul did not believe his ‘freedom’ in Christ was something to hold him back from any service. So although he WAS free, Paul made the choice to become a slave!… a slave to all people
The Greek word for slave is due-loss, which is the same word used for the ‘deacons’ in Acts 6…in that context they were chosen to serve tables at the church for the widows & orphans.
However, in Paul’s context, he was chosen by God to serve by sharing Christ with ANYONE and EVERYONE who crossed his path…
When we read a record of his conversion in Acts 9:15…Paul says he was called as minister to the Gentiles, but not only the Gentiles, but really to whomever crossed his path… [show/read Acts 9:15 here]
15But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites.
This calling was fine with Paul & he accepted it because he was willing to take on the attitude of a servant.
What we need to understand is that a servant does NOT question his master, but simply does what the master requires of him. A slave or servant is how Paul viewed himself when it came to his service for Christ.
Now, in our society today, that type of attitude does not sit very well with us because we have been conditioned by our society to question authority…
We have been told that we should be able to speak our mind and express our own opinions & attitudes. BUT when we take on the role of douloss or servant… our attitude must be that of a true servant who does not question HOW or WHY, but complies to what the master requires.
The attitude of a true servant meshes well with line from the poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Lord Alfred Tenyson that basically states a soldiers axiom in battle and that is:“Mine is not to question why, mine is but to do or die…”
In our service to God, we are not called to question why, or who, or what from God’s direction, but we are called to DO what He calls us to do… Paul understood that servant attitude and adopted it into his life!
Now you may have worked for someone who did not only want you to get the job done, but they were also going to tell you HOW to do the job… I’m here to tell you that God is NOT like that!
God desire is that people hear his message, and He allows us to use our personalities & strengths to share His love… His desire is that people hear His message of love and redemption, but He gives us the freedom (we are free in Christ) to share it by whatever means necessary.
Now when I say by whatever means necessary… I am speaking of things that do not violate the commands of Christ.
We cannot share Christ and be true TO Christ by doing things in an immoral or unethical way… BUT here is where MOST of us drop the ball… As believers, we should NEVER shy away from immoral or unethical people because they are the ones who NEED Christ… right?
So Paul sets the bar for the believer here… we ARE free of obligation to the Old Covenant and we are FREE in Christ, but our hearts must have the attitude of a servant, that even though we are free, we should be willing to serve our Savior AND those around us who need Christ!
You see it did not matter to Paul that God had saved him and had made him free… what mattered to Paul was that God had called him to share His love…for Paul to share his faith…
What we find here is that Paul’s attitude was that of a servant willing to serve His master! This is the attitude we must have to serve Christ faithfully in our world today!
Paul then begins to describe just what that attitude looks like when put into action in his life…[show v20 here]
20When I was with the Jews: I lived like [became] a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law.
This was Paul revealing that when he was around the Jewish people. The people taught the Law of Moses and those who believed they were bound to the Law of Moses… those who were still looking for the coming Messiah… When Paul was around these people, he made a transformation in his life!
Here Paul uses the Greek word ginn-oh-my to describe the transformation he was making in his life. This word is an action verb meaning to become OR to come into existence!
In other words, Paul who was FREE from the law (free ‘in Christ), brought himself to ‘become’ or ‘live’ AS if he was under the law so he could bring witness of Christ to those who were living under the Law!
…lived under that law
When he did this he actually lived out the Law and practiced what these Jews believed to be salvation thru the Law, although his teaching would eventually point them to Christ and the freedom they have in Christ.
I believe that Paul used this type of witness to actually enable him to reveal the inadequacies of the Law and to project the superiority of Christ! This was not Paul being a hypocrite, this was Paul reaching people where they were…
I believe He did this to gain their attention & respect… after all, if he was willing to live as such, they would have to at least give him respect for his actions toward the law…
Now, this method was counter to what he had taught when he taught people that they were free from the Law… But the fact of the matter was that Paul was willing to subject himself to the bonds of the Law so that people could have the opportunity to meet and know Jesus!
Now when Paul did this and he was living as under the law, he KNEW that he was NOT subject to the Law, but only that he was living under the Law to gain an audience with those who held the Law as sacred. Paul understood that you must meet people where they are…
Paul understood this because Jesus met him where He was… Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus… met him when he was at his worst…
When God saved you… did he wait for you to clean up and come to Him? Absolutely NOT, he met you where you were! This is Paul understanding that concept and putting it into practice in his own life…
He goes on to describe that this is NOT just something he does with the Jews BUT this became a way of life for him! This became his life ‘attitude’ toward sharing Christ with others! [show v21 now…]
21When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
The Gentiles were viewed by Jews as nothing more than dogs. God had chosen them and God had elevated them but had NOT chosen the Gentiles… so they were less than human in the eyes of any God-fearing Jew. But Paul did not see Gentiles in this manner! …when I am with the Gentiles…
No good Jew would hang out with a Gentile, but here Paul openly proclaims that his lifestyle included hanging out with Gentiles! This is because Paul saw the Gentiles through the eyes of Christ!
The Gentiles were lost and needed a Savior just like those who were trapped under the oppression of the Old Covenant and the Law. They were trapped in sin and lost without a Savior.
Paul made the conscious choice to meet them where THEY were! Paul was NOT pious toward them but had the attitude that he would meet them socially or societally…wherever they were!
Paul did not believe himself better than they were…although Paul knew that God DID choose the Hebrew nation as His chosen people…
Paul also knew that God had called him to share Jesus with ALL the Gentiles! This was God’s plan and Paul was fully committed to it and surrendered to God’s direction!
I want us to understand WHO Paul is speaking about here. He is NOT speaking about God-fearing Gentiles who had begun to practice the Jewish faith…
Paul was speaking about OPEN pagans who practiced idol worship and pagan ritual. These people were NOT anything near the Jews Paul encountered. Paul says that these people…do not follow the Jewish law
He openly consorts with these people in order to introduce the to Jesus Christ! He does so though without compromising his core beliefs or principles.
Look what he says, …I do not ignore the law of God which was him saying. Guys I am around them but I am NOT sinning against God!
There were many who believed that simply being around the Gentiles would cause one to become unclean or unholy or sinful… Paul did not buy into that, but instead submitted the God’s calling to reach the Gentiles with the message of Christ as Savior!
Paul was willing to go to the most fundemental Jew and share Christ…
Paul was also willing to go the most pagan of the Gentiles and share Christ…
He did so by meeting them where they were! He knew he could win MANY to Christ by being where they were…
But Paul then gives a more generic description of his service attitude… in v22 he speaks about the ‘weak’.[show 1st v22 here…]
22When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
Now who is Paul speaking about when he spoke about the ‘weak’ here in v22? Was he speaking about those who stumbled because of eating meat sacrificed to idols? No, this is not who he would be speaking about.
Those who stumbled because of meat sacrificed to idols would have been weak minded believers. People who struggled with their walk in Christ… THIS is not what Paul was focusing on here in these verses!
The focus of ALL these verses is a missional attempt to win people TO Christ, not strengthen their walk in Christ! So when Paul says, ‘…the weak…’ in this passage we can take it that he more than likely is referring to the ‘weak’ of society.
Paul was speaking about those who were oppressed by the ones in charge. People like the land owners, patrons and employers (masters)… He would have been speaking about the slaves of his day as well…
When we see Paul writing this about the weak we can take it to mean that Paul was willing to debase himself to the point of poverty and subjection to meet someone where they were for the sake of Christ!
I believe it is safe to say that he would adopt any custom or lifestyle of those who were low on the social totempole and he would meet them where they are… and then he would share Christ with them!
Many of Paul’s detractors had accused him of eliteism and said that Paul believed he was ‘better’ than anyone else because he claimed that he had met Jesus… because he had once studied as a Pharisee… because he truly believed he was better!
However, nothing could be further from the truth about Paul. Paul was a humble and willing servant of Christ who was willing to set himself aside to see the kingdom of God advanced!
Paul WAS a very confident and intelligent man, but his spirit was in the right place when it came to serving God. He understood that as John the Baptist said in John 3:30 (ESV), “He must increase but I must decrease…”
He realized it was Christ who was Lord and he submitted to His calling on Paul’s life! Paul was willing to submit to the dregs of society to share Christ! He says he was willing to …[be] with those who are weak…But just as important, Paul was also willing to actually …share [in] their weakness…
This would be like today YOU going down to Tchoupatoulis street under the expressway and ministering and witnessing to the homeless…
We shy away from that… these are the dregs of society and for the most part we want to stay away from them. But here it says that Paul was willing to BE with them and to experience what they experienced. It is like us going down there and living with them while we witness to them…
The premise here is simple… it is NOT easy, but it is very simple! If we follow Paul’s example… which was a direct result of Jesus’ example (i.e. woman at the well)… we need to meet people where they are!
We cannot rely on our standing in society or our position in the church or our supposed importance in the community… we must place ourselves under the Master and submit to His calling… ours is NOT to ask WHO, but ours is to share WHO!
There is a song I want you to listen to right now… it is a fairly old song, but the message speak loud and clear to what I am saying… we must meet people WHERE they are!
Play music video here…
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ… I stand before you a convicted man. I have heard the message of today’s sermon. I have heard the message of this music video and I have to ask MYSELF…
Why don’t I have the attitude that Paul reflects in this passage? Why don’t I have the attitude of this video that if I am part of the body, I should be GOING!
I know I stand convicted, but I also know that there are those of you here today that are feeling that same conviction… There are those here who DO have this attitude, but we all fall short when it comes to service to our Lord.
I am telling you that as a body… as individuals we ALL must surrender any pretense of WHO we are and become the servant God has called us to be…
I am telling you that we cannot stay inside these walls… we cannot stay inside our own homes… we cannot stay within the comfort levels we can tolerate… but we must become His arms reaching out to this community!
We must become the hands touching and healing those around us! We must become the Words of Christ teaching those around us of our God!
We must become the FEET of Christ and take His message INTO our community! We must become the LOVE of Christ that shines so bright that people don’t see the church… they see Christ and His love!
Are we the body? Yes we are… the question is what are we going to do about it? I believe we have become so worried about how we do it or what we do… that we lose sight that God does not care about our methods… God cares about His message reaching the lost!
This means we must have the attitude of Paul here… an attitude that does not hold to tradition or ceremony… that does not care about outward apperance or what others may think about what we are doing or who we are reaching…
Paul says in v22 that his desire was to …find common ground with everyone this was so He could meet them where they were!
22When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
Have you reached out to your neighbor to find a common ground where you can share?
Have you reached out to that person you see at the store on a regular basis?
What about that worker at work?
Or that student at school?
Or your family member who just doesn’t seem to fit in?
Well preacher, you don’t know what I am doing? I don’t see YOU doing anything either! What are YOU doing? Well I have an answer to that question… my answer is that I have NOT been doing enough, and as I have stated over the past few weeks, God is convicting me to change and do more for Him and I am moving in that direction.
I am going out into our community and prayer walking the neighborhood. I am sharing Christ with my server at the restaurants, I am sharing Christ with the check out lady at Walmart or WinnDixie or Rouses or whatever store I visit…
You are right I do NOT know what you do and I am not here to judge you… I am here to equip you with the Word and to challenge you to be a DOER of the word and not just a ‘hearer’ of the Word.
So don’t take this message as a message of judgment from me… it is a message of judgment from the Lord on ALL of us! ME included!
But preacher I don’t know what to do? I don’t know what to say? Well Paul gives us instruction on this and the instruction really simple… in v23 Paul says, 23I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
“…I do EVERYTHING…” is what Paul says, that means there are NO limits to how you can share the Gospel with others and share the blessings of Christ with others.
I know it is scary! I know it is intimidating! I still get butterflies when I go to speak with someone about Christ! I know that we live in an ever growing hostile world toward the Gospel, but I also know that our calling in Christ has NOT changed! I know that we are called to GO and make disciples!
The question is not how, but who… we must reach out to those God places in our path. For me it is going to be different than it will be for you. When God places someone on your heart…
He doesn’t expect you to pray about it and then call the pastor or a deacon to go and make a visit… He expects YOU to go! He expects YOUR obedience!
Paul’s focus was not on HOW things got done, but it was focused on WHO needed him! Christ called him to share the Good News with those who were lost… that included Gentiles, kings and the Jews! Ordinary people, people of position and power and his own countrymen!
We must have this same attitude! I am going to open up the front of this church for prayer. I am calling on our church to respond to this message from God. I am calling for you to come and make a commitment to God that you will take on the attitude of Paul.
That attitude is the same attitude that Christ desires us ALL to have…an attitude that focuses NOT on how we do things but on WHO we do them for… we are called to love and seek after those who are lost! Let us be the church that answers God’s calling! As Jason plays I am calling you to come…
If you are here this morning and you do NOT know Christ as Savior. He is calling to you! He loves you and desires to see you part of His family… I challenge you to come pray to receive Him as your Lord and Svior this morning… won’t you step out as Jason begins to play!
