1 Corinthians
An Example of Love
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
March 23, 2003
Intro:
A. [If Sermon Offends Thee]
A preacher came to the breakfast table with a cut on his cheek.
His wife asked him what had happened.
He replied that he was concentrating on his sermon while shaving and cut his face.
His wife said, “Maybe you should concentrate on your shaving and cut your sermons.”
B. [Long-Winded Driving]
A pastor and his wife were driving to visit Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas.
Their daughter asked the inevitable question, “Are we almost there?”
The father said, “No, we are still 150 miles away.”
She asked, “Well, how long is that?”
“Well, honey, it’s about three more hours.”
She didn’t say anything for a few moments as she thought about what three hours must be.
She leaned forward from the back seat to the front, making sure she could see her mother’s face and said, “Mommy, is that as long as one of Daddy’s sermons?”
C. Today we’re up to the 9th chapter of 1 Corinthians.
1. And Paul is going to say a few things about apostles in this chapter, but I will warn you ahead of time that the things that he is saying are not really his point.
2. Now I know that that may sound a little strange.
3. The points that he makes are right, Biblical, and should be followed today.
4. But there is really a much deeper point that Paul is making.
5. See if you can tell what it is as we begin reading the first 6 verses, where he states that…
I. Paul has the right to be called an apostle (1-6)
1 Corinthians 9:1-6 (NIV), Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas ? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?
A. Here, Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions that the answer to each is clearly, “Yes.”
1. Am I not free? Yes.
2. Am I not an apostle? Yes.
3. Have I not seen our Lord? Yes.
4. Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Yes.
5. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Yes.
6. Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us? Yes.
7. Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? No.
B. But what Paul is getting at here is that he is an apostle an apostle and he has the right to be called an apostle.
1. Paul was pointing out to the Corinthians that there is clearly evidence that he had been called by God to be an apostle.
2. Paul was pointing out that since it is obviously true that he was indeed and apostle, he had the right to refer to himself as an apostle.
3. Paul was pointing out that since he is obviously an authority, he had the right to exert the authority of an apostle.
C. Paul says that he clearly meets all of the criteria for being called and apostle.
1. Every requirement that there was of an apostle, Paul met.
2. There were benefits of being an apostle that Paul chose not to accept, but he meet all of the requirements of an apostle.
D. Paul has every right to be called an apostle and enjoy all of the benefits entitled to that office; now…
II. Paul has the right to be paid as an apostle
1 Corinthians 9:7-12a (NIV), Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
A. In this section Paul delineates another right that he had as an apostle.
1. Paul very clearly states that a preacher of the gospel has every right to be paid for his work as an apostle.
2. Paul says that he, being an apostle, has every right to be paid for preaching the gospel.
B. Paul begins with the illustration of a soldier.
1. “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?”
2. Clearly a person representing their country in a conflict or war has every right to expect that their country pay them.
3. No one would expect our men and women in Iraq should love their country so much that they should voluntarily subject themselves to chemical and biological weapons with no remuneration.
4. No one expects to be a soldier at their own expense.
C. Then Paul speaks of a vineyard worker.
1. “Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes?”
2. Clearly anyone who grows grapes has the right to eat some or all of the grapes.
3. Workers in the vineyard ought to enjoy some of the benefits of their work.
D. Then Paul mentions those who oversee a flock.
1. “Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?”
2. Clearly, farmers have the right to benefit from their work; they have the right to drink from the milk.
3. Farmers have the right to enjoy some of the benefits of their labor.
E. Then in verse 8, Paul says those are human illustrations, but their is Biblical evidence as well.
1. In verse 9 Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 25:4, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”
a. An ox working in the field should not be muzzled to keep him from eating the crops.
b. The Bible says that when an ox is working in the field, he should be allowed to eat from the fields that he is working in.
2. But Paul asks, “Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely He says this for us, doesn’t He?”
a. Paul says that God is actually saying this because farmers have the right to reap the rewards of their own labor.
b. Anyone who works has the right to reap the rewards of their work.
c. So not only does Paul cite human examples, he also quotes the Word of God.
3. And Paul says in verse 11 that all of this is evidence that those who devote their lives to sowing spiritual seeds have the right to be paid and reap the benefits of their spiritual farming.
a. “If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?”
b. Ministers of the gospel have a right to be paid.
c. In 1 Timothy 5:17 & 18, Paul says, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’”
5. And as an apostle, Paul says “If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?”
a. Paul says that as an apostle, he had the right to be paid.
b. There were others who were being paid and they deserved it.
c. But Paul says that because of the work that he had done, he deserved even more money than they had received.
d. Paul says that he should be paid more than they did because he had done more than they had.
F. I know that this can be a touchy subject.
1. I know that there are some preachers who are over paid.
2. But for every preacher that is over paid, I can show you ten others that are under paid.
3. Paul gives very clear Biblical teaching that those who devote themselves to furthering the kingdom of God ought to be paid.
G. Paul was an apostle who deserved to be paid for his work, but...
III. Paul gave up his rights for the cause of Christ
1 Corinthians 9:12-18 (NIV), If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.
A. It is clear here, that for some unknown reason, there were many who did not consider Paul an apostle.
1. Paul is defending his apostleship here against their accusations.
2. Paul has clearly made the case that those who denied his apostleship, had no case.
3. Those who said he wasn’t an apostle didn’t have a leg to stand on.
4. It took Paul only 12 verses to prove that he was, in fact, an apostle.
5. Paul is indeed an apostle!
B. But even though Paul was indeed an apostle, he did not exercise the rights of an apostle.
1. Even though Paul was an apostle he did not use any of these rights.
2. And he was not saying this to try to persuade them to let him use his rights.
3. His rights were God-given and he did not need the approval of men.
4. God made Paul an apostle and God gave Paul the rights of an apostle.
5. Paul did not need the approval of men to be an apostle.
6. And Paul did not need the permission of men in order to exercise the rights of an apostle.
7. Paul was an apostle, but he did not use the rights of an apostle.
C. What was wrong with Paul?
1. Certainly, Paul must know that if he doesn’t look out for himself, nobody else will.
2. Surely Paul knew that he had to go and claim everything that was his.
3. Paul had rights and if he wasn’t getting them he should go to Washington and demand his rights.
4. He should gather up all of those others like him that aren’t getting their way and try to harness a political party into giving them the rights that they deserve.
5. Surely Paul knew that he must demand the rights that he deserved.
6. But then if Paul was called by God to be an apostle, then he could do whatever an apostle did whether everyone liked it or not!
7. He was an apostle of God and surely, Paul knew that no human being could tell him what to do.
8. Paul didn’t have to answer to anyone, but God.
9. There must be something wrong with someone who doesn’t demand his or her God-given rights.
10. Someone should have taken Paul aside and explained to him why he needed to demand his God-given rights.
D. Why didn’t Paul exercise his rights?
1. I told you that there was a much deeper reason why Paul was saying what he was saying that even though he had rights, he had not exercised them.
2. As I said, everything Paul says about paying pastors and ministers and elders and apostles is correct and Biblical, none of this is really his point.
3. Well this is where we have to put this section of scripture back into the context of the preceding chapter.
4. Last week, you may recall that I preached chapter 8 and I called the sermon Knowledge vs. Love.
a. You may think I’m nuts, but everything in chapter 9 is based on the question about eating meat in chapter 8.
b. But I’m telling you that this surface stuff about apostles and preachers is truthful and should be followed.
c. But there is a much deeper point that goes back to chapter 8.
5. In the sermon last week, I explained to you what Paul was teaching in chapter 8 about knowledge and love.
a. There are certain things in the Bible that are absolutely always right or wrong.
b. There are other things that need to be looked at in knowledge and love.
c. We have to consider what others will think when they see us Christians engaged in those activities.
d. There are some things that it may be OK for a Christian to do, but if a non-Christian sees us doing them, will their faith be destroyed?
e. Love demands that we consider others before we engage in those activities.
6. Paul said in chapter 8 that if eating meat would cause another person to fall into sin, then he would never eat meat again.
a. That was something in Paul’s culture that a Christian needed to be concerned about.
b. And there are things in our culture as well that Christians need to be careful about doing in front of others.
c. Because in chapter 8 Paul says that Christians need to give up some of their rights for the sake of others.
7. And in chapter 9, Paul immediately uses himself as an example of giving up some rights for the sake of others; Paul uses himself as an example of love.
E. Paul gave up some of his rights as an apostle, for the good of others.
1. Paul did not exercise his right to call himself an apostle, in order not to offend those who questioned his apostleship.
2. Paul did not exercise his right to marry a wife and take her with him in order to not offend those who were weaker in their faith.
3. Paul did not exercise his right to be paid for preaching in order to not offend some people.
4. In his culture, he knew that if he exercised all of his rights as an apostle there were many who would not be saved because of it.
5. Paul knew that many would be turned off in his culture if he exercised all of his rights.
6. Paul was using himself as an example of the truth that he was teaching in chapter 8.
7. Paul was using himself as an example giving up your rights for the cause of the gospel.
8. Paul was using himself as an example of how a Christian ought to behave.
9. Paul is showing us that we should not go about insisting upon our rights.
10. Christians shouldn’t demand their rights.
F. Christianity isn’t about rights; its about being a servant.
1. In Chapter 6, verse 19, Paul said, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
2. Christians know that they don’t deserve anything that we have.
3. Everything that we have was given to us by God.
4. When we come to the foot of the cross, we give up our rights and become a slave; a slave of Christ!
5. Christianity isn’t about rights; its about grace.
6. You see, grace and rights do not go together.
G. And back in chapter 8, Paul said that sometimes when we exercise our rights, we lead others astray.
1. 8:11,12, “So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.”
2. Paul gave up some of his rights in order to not lead others astray.
Conclusion:
A. Now contrast this with our society’s love affair with “rights.”
1. Our society has most certainly gotten into some sort of love affair with their so-called “rights.”
2. Every one seems to be demanding their rights.
3. Every time you turn on the news there’s another group that is demanding their rights.
4. But I must say that demanding of rights is unchristian.
5. Paul explains clearly that Christians should not insist upon their rights, in fact Christians should give up some of their rights for the sake of others.
6. And Paul offers himself as an example of this kind of love.
7. Paul gave up many of his rights for the sake of the gospel.
8. Is there a freedom that you are exercising that could destroy someone else who sees you doing it?
B. Christianity is about grace, not rights.
1. During a heated debate at a church’s board meeting, one of the overheated deacons rose to his feet and with clinched fists declared, “I have my rights.”
Quickly and sensitively, one of the older men replied, “You don’t mean that. If we had our rights, we would all be in hell.”
2. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
And Romans 6:23 states, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
3. According to these two verses, to insist upon our rights, what we all deserve is to die and go to hell.
4. I don’t think I’m interested in demanding my rights, are you???
5. I’m interested in the part that says, “the gift of God is eternal life.”
6. I’m not interested in my rights; I’m interested in eternal life.
7. I’m not interested in what I deserve, I’m interested in grace!!!
8. How about you?
9. Which do you chose?
10.Do you want to be part of those demanding their rights or do want to seek grace?
11.Will you demand your rights or will you give up your rights in order to demonstrate love?
C. Pray
D. How do you need to respond to God’s Word to you today?
1. If you need to receive His grace today, we offer you that opportunity.
2. If you need to repent of exercising a freedom that is destroying others, I encourage you to do that.
3. How do you need to respond today?
