Whose Rights?
1st Corinthians Series
CCCAG October 12, 2025
Scripture- 1 Corinthians 9 (CSB)
Introduction –
I’m going to step into the confessional this morning to help set up the main idea in chapter 9.
Before coming to Whitehall, I had several opportunities to take pastoral positions elsewhere. One in particular stands out — around 2005 a church in Cudahy, Wisconsin called me. I looked them up-the building was enormous, I believe it was a former Catholic church that even had a school attached, and from the outside it was beautiful.
But inside, it was a church in crisis. They had just gone through huge church fight and were down to about 20% of their congregation of a few years prior.
They needed a pastor who could step in, bring healing, and possibly save the congregation from closing its doors.
Here is the kicker-It would have been a bivocational role, just like what I do now.
But back then, I was a paramedic making far less than I do today. The district advised that if I took the assignment, I’d need to move to Cudahy as commuting from Kenosha wasn’t realistic. So, I started looking into what that would mean for my family.
And that’s when reality hit. Cudahy was a wealthy suburb of MKE so housing prices were far beyond our reach. The only way to make it work would have been to sell our home and move into an apartment, barely scraping by. I remember sitting at my kitchen table, praying hard, trying to convince myself that it was a step of faith.
But if I’m honest, it wasn’t faith that stopped me — it was fear.
I wasn’t ready to give up my comfort. I wasn’t ready to let go of my sense of security, the pride of finally owning a home after clawing my way up from nothing.
Homeownership was a badge of accomplishment for me, proof that despite my childhood’s efforts to destroy me, I’d preserved and made it. And when God asked me to lay that down, I couldn’t do it.
In the end, I told the district and the church no. On paper, it was a practical decision. But looking back, it wasn’t just practicality — it was me holding on to what felt like mine.
My right to security.
My right to comfort.
My right to keep what I had worked so hard for.
Most of us have had moments like that. Maybe it’s not about selling a house or moving across the state, but sooner or later, God asks each of us:
“Will you trust Me enough to lay down what you’ve earned — for what I’ve called you to do?”
In other words, will you surrender your rights and trust God? It was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. As we mentioned last week about the nation of Israel in the desert after the Exodus- I had to take another lap.
Giving up our rights is a hard thing to do.
In fact, We live in an age obsessed with rights.
People march for them, post on social media about them, and build entire identities around them. “I have a right to speak my mind.” “I have a right to live how I want.” “I have a right to be happy.”
But what happens when those “rights” collide with the cross of Jesus Christ?
For the Christian, it should be simple. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
That’s one of those bible verses that is easy to quote but hard to live out day to day.
Because if I’m bought, then I don’t own myself. My rights belong to the One who purchased me.
Chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s living example of that truth. After defending the right of ministers to be supported, he immediately lays that right down.
Not because he’s weak or timid — but because he’s free of worrying about tomorrow, which makes him free enough to surrender himself to Jesus Christ and the gospel mission with everything he has within him.
So one of the questions we will be answering this morning isn’t whether we have rights — but whose rights they really are.
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The bible really lays this out over a couple of chapters.
We have to keep in mind that the chapters within the bible weren’t placed there until about 1227 AD by Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the verses not until 1551.
I’m saying this because chapters 8 and 9 flow together like two halves of the same heartbeat.
In chapter 8, Paul deals with eating meat offered to idols. He says, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” Mature believers might know that idols are nothing, yet love might lead them to lay down their freedom to eat meat offered to an idol so a weaker believer isn’t harmed.
Chapter 9 shows Paul living that out when it comes to his right to demand a salary for the spiritual work that he is doing for the Corinthians and other Gentile churches.
He reminds the Corinthians that he’s an apostle, a founder of their church, a man who labored among them at great cost. By every standard he deserved their financial support — yet he refused to take it. Why?
So no one could accuse him of preaching for profit. His motive had to be pure, or the gospel would lose credibility.
So the flow of Paul’s thought is this:
Christian maturity is not about how much freedom you can assert;
it’s about how much freedom you can surrender as an act of worship.
That’s the context behind the chapter today. Let’s read the beginning of it.
1 Corinthians 9:1-6
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 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.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from working? 7 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?
Prayer
Rights Claimed, Rights Surrendered
1. The Apostle Paul starts by showing he Had the Right to Receive money or a salary for his work. ( vv. 1-6 )
He does this to lay down the foundation of what he is teaching them and us this morning.
He opens bluntly: “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?”
He’s reminding them that apostleship isn’t a title — it’s a calling sealed by sacrifice and given by Christ HIMself.
Paul had planted their church. He had labored among them.
He and Barnabas had the same right as Peter and the other apostles to receive material support.
The principle is simple:
Those who serve spiritually have the right to be supported materially.
He uses common-sense examples:
• A soldier doesn’t pay his own expenses.
• A farmer eats from his crops.
• A shepherd drinks the milk of his flock.
Even the Law of Moses said, “Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.”
If God cares that much for an ox, how much more for His servants?
So yes — Paul had rights.
He earned them. He was a graduate of the greatest religious school of his time. He was widely considered the most eminent rabbi in all of Israel before he met Jesus on the Damascus road.
And that’s what makes his next statement so powerful.
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2. Paul Chose to Refuse (vv.15)
15 “Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right. Instead, we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.”
The Greek word for “hinder” literally means to cut into — like digging a trench across a road to stop someone from passing.
Paul would rather work with blistered hands as a tentmaker than risk digging a trench across someone’s path to Jesus.
He knew how cynical people could be.
The Corinthian culture was full of traveling philosophers and public speakers who charged for their wisdom.
Paul wanted no confusion between a manipulative salesman and a self-sacrificing servant.
So he gave up a good thing — a biblical right — for a greater thing:
so that no one would stumble over the messenger before hearing the message.
That is why I love being bivocational.
Most pastors can’t say, “I work a regular job just like you do to make ends meet so don’t tell me how the church is some “get rich quick scheme” for the pastor.”
I actually know real people- not just the people on their best behavior when they come to church. I see them in the midst of their normal lives, the mess sin has made in their lives, and am there to give them an opportunity to talk to someone just like them, with a special insight into the spiritual realm.
I wouldn’t give that up for anything. Even if we grew to 1000 people by this time next year, I’d still want to be bivocational so I can talk to people where they are and not just acting spiritual in front of the pastor.
This is also why Paul loved his position as a tent-making apostle- one that works a full time job in addition to doing ministry.
He was able to-________________________________________
3. Preach as a Steward, Not an Owner (vv. 16)
He writes, 16 “If I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because an obligation is placed on me; and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
Notice that word: obligation.
Paul isn’t a freelancer in God’s kingdom. He’s under orders.
The gospel isn’t his personal project — it’s a trust placed in his hands.
He says, “What then is my reward? To preach the gospel free of charge.”
There’s joy in knowing you’ve done what’s right for the right reasons.
Paul’s satisfaction came not from applause or pay, but from obedience to a call placed on his life.
I’ve shared this before, but God called me to the ministry in July of 1999 after hearing a sermon on being a bondservant to Christ.
The Spirit spoke to me, almost audibly, “Study to show yourself approved, and I will make you a minister to my people”
I wrote it in my prayer journal, showed it to Tammie who, like me, scoffed and thought that was a crazy idea.
I could see God smiling as all of these thoughts went through my head. I didn’t know His road for me for the next 15 years would be basic training in ministry.
That moment in time, the call of God what got me through it.
This was really cemented in my soul when I went through my ordination interview, Larry Leibe was the district superintendent at the time. He asked me only one question-
“Tell me about your calling”. I did an abridged version of it, but he made me tell him my whole life story before the call.
At the end he said, “Remember that. That is the story and testimony of your calling. You need that when the times grow dark, everyone questions you or hates you, and you feel like giving up. Your calling should anchor your every decision”
This is why Paul was so resolute. He was simply living his calling.
That enabled him to
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4. Paul Became All Things to All People (vv. 22b-23)
“Although I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, to win more of them.”
He’s saying: “Freedom isn’t about being above people — it’s about being available to them.”
He adapts without compromising truth.
To Jews, he speaks as a Jew.
To Gentiles, as one outside the Law.
To the weak, he becomes weak.
His flexibility isn’t hypocrisy — it’s empathy. It’s about meeting people where they are, not expecting them to perform to a level they aren’t even familiar with.
He bends his preferences, never his principles.
Why? “I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.”
Right there is the heart of what Paul is teaching us here-
Rights surrendered ? people reached ? joy multiplied.
He finishes this chapter using something we all can related to- a footrace.
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5. Paul’s Final Image – The Race (vv. 24-27)
Paul ends with an illustration every Corinthian knew — the Isthmian Games. Their version of the Olympics.
Runners, boxers, competitors giving everything for a temporary crown of leaves.
Paul uses this analogy and says, “I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
Paul brings up a great point- if you are going to live up to the call of God upon your life, some things might have to go.
My former pastor used to say this to his son who grew up in the church-
“Others may, but you may not” meaning that his son had to walk a different road. That meant giving up some of those questionable things we talked about last week.
In Paul’s situation- when he was with Jewish people, Ham wasn’t on the menu.
For Gentiles- grace and forgiveness was the focus, not ridged obedience to the Jewish ceremonial law.
Or, eating meat from the market place, even if it was cheaper because it came from pagan temples.
He disciplined himself so that he was not offensive to anyone on a personal level so that the message of the Gospel might go forth without anything getting in it’s way.
For us, it’s just not about giving things up. It’s about filtering your freedom through the calling and mission God has given you.
Does this promote the mission, or hinder the mission?
Simple.
He’s not talking about losing salvation, but losing credibility and reward.
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Application – Our Modern Obsession with Rights
You and I live in a country where “rights” are almost sacred words.
And in civil life, that’s good — our founders built protections against tyranny.
But spiritually, when we bring that same mindset into the kingdom, we get trouble.
We start saying things like:
• “I have a right to my opinion.”
• “I have a right to be treated better.”
• “I have a right to serve only where I’m comfortable.”
And the Holy Spirit whispers, “Actually, you were bought with a price.”
Freedom in Christ isn’t about independence — it’s about availability.
It’s not “I get to do what I want,” but “I’m free to do what He wants.”
Let me give you a picture.
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Illustration – The Firefighter’s Gear
When a firefighter suits up, every piece of gear has a purpose — boots, helmet, the airtank, turnout coat.
But all of it is designed for one thing: the mission.
Once the alarm sounds, his personal comfort stops mattering.
It doesn’t matter if the suit is heavy or hot. It doesn’t matter if the smoke stings his eyes.
The goal is clear — get inside that burning building and save lives.
Imagine if a firefighter said, “I have the right to stay cool. I have the right to be comfortable.” And refuse to put on the gear and enter the building.
Someone would die.
That’s what Paul’s talking about.
When the gospel alarm sounds, our personal rights take a backseat to the rescue mission Jessus has assigned to the church and it’s members.
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You may ask, well, what Rights Might We Need to Lay Down?
1. The Right to Be Understood.
Sometimes obedience makes you look foolish. Do it anyway.
One time a patient told me something very profane. The doctor asked me what he said, and I repeated it using only the first letter of the profane words. He looked at me mockingly and said I won’t explode if I say the words. To him that was stupid of me for not repeating the words, but to me it was being obedient to God and sensitive to the Holy Spirit living within me.
And most important, it kept the Gospel witness intact.
A second right you might have to lay down is
2. The Right to Be Honored.
People may never see the hours you serve or sacrifices you make. Serve anyway.
Trust that your reward is waiting, but really our reward is the salvation that was bought for by Jesus. Anything else we get is just icing on the cake, and like the 24 elders in the book of Revelation, we cast those crowns of reward at the feet of Jesus anyway.
The third right you might have to lay down is
3. The Right to Be Comfortable.
Christian living and especially Ministry will stretch you — emotionally, physically, spiritually.
That’s the weight of the armor. However, you’re not expected to carry it on your own. Jesus said “My burden is easy, and my yoke is light”. He will take the majority of that load for you.
The 4th right you might have to lay down is
4. The Right to Control the Outcome.
You sow, God gives the increase. You can’t dictate results.
Sometimes the loneliest ministry is the person who breaks up the unplowed ground. It’s full of roots, stones, clay, and it’s backbreaking, slow work that never seems like it’s doing or producing anything.
These people who spent decades doing this will show up to heaven thinking all I have are callus’ and a broken back for decades of labor. I really think Jesus will simply say, “Turn around”.
They will turn, and see multitudes of people they never met that are in the kingdom because of their sacrifices, hard work, and dedication to the mission. All of that pain, toil, and loneliness will fall away, and it will all make sense, and be worth it when they hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into your reward.”
In the end, These rights aren’t taken from us by God, they’re rights we offer in worship.
Every time you surrender one, the gospel advances another inch.
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Conclusion – The Joy of Belonging
So whose rights are they, really?
The answer depends on whose name is written across your heart.
Because in the end, the question is not “What do I deserve?”
but “Whose rights are these, anyway?”
Communion/Prayer
