Total Commitment Vs. Just A Contributor Series

Text: 1 Cor. 9:19-27

Before we begin, I want to share with you a story. This is a story that you’ll often learn in business classes, when you’re learning about partnerships in business, and I think it’s kind of applicable to what we’re going to be learning today… It’s called the Pig and the Chicken.

One day a pig and a chicken were walking down the road when all of a sudden the chicken clucks out, “Hey pig, I think we should open a restaurant.” The pig snorts a little and then says, “Maybe so. What would we name it?” The chicken replies, “Ham n’ Eggs.” The pig thinks for a moment and says, “No I don’t think that would be a good idea.” The chicken looks puzzled and asks why, and the pig says, “Well because, for you, it just requires a contribution. But for me, it requires complete commitment.” (Taken from an illustration on Sermon Central)

The reason I say that’s applicable is because there are many within the Body of Christ who are just contributing… while there are others who are fully, and totally committed. And that is kind of what the Apostle Paul is saying in our text this morning. That the Christian life takes full, and total commitment.

Let’s go ahead and open up our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 (READ).

Now you’ll notice here that Paul’s concern is reaching the lost. In verse 19 he says he makes himself a servant – “That I might win more of them.” In verse 20 he talks about winning the Jews. And winning those under the law. In verse 21 he says he wants to win, “those outside of the law.” In verse 22 he says he became as weak so as “to win the weak.” And finishes that verse by saying he’s become all things to all people so that by all means he might save some. And he summarizes that concept in verse 23 by saying, “I do it all for the sake of the Gospel.” And that goes with what we’ve been seeing the last few times we’ve been here in 1 Corinthians. Paul laying aside what he is rightfully deserving of, in order to preach the Gospel and reach the lost. Paul setting aside his freedom and liberty so as to not be a stumbling block.

Now Paul is not advocating for pragmatism here. He’s not saying, to be a hypocrite and pretend to be like one group or another group in order to win them to Christ. And he’s not saying he compromised the Gospel message, or truth. What you win them with is what you win them to, so Paul is not being disingenuous here. He’s not advocating that we pretend to be something in order to win people to Christ. That’s not what he’s done, or what he’s talking about at all. But how is it that Paul is able to go and preach to Jews and Gentiles? How is it that Paul could go and preach to the philosophers and intellectuals on Mars Hill in Athens, and then go and preach to the Galatians who were more of the blue collar type of guys, and preach it to the Roman soldier who was guarding his prison cell?

Well first of all, Paul knew and understood that the fundamental need of all humanity, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, whether you’re black or white, whether you’re rich or poor, whether you have a PhD, or a GED… the fundamental need of humanity is to be saved from the wrath of God, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.

Our fundamental, most important, most pressing need is to be saved.

Paul understood that regardless of your background, regardless of your ethnicity, regardless of your bank account – all men are sinners, separated from a holy and righteous God, and that we needed to be reconciled. We need forgiveness. We need to be rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light.

So Paul knows this… he knows that folks need to hear about Jesus… but how does he go about doing it. Well… Look at verses 24 and 25 (READ). Ok… so before I break down what these verses are saying, let me finish my train of thought. I just asked how does Paul go about sharing the Gospel? Well Paul is writing to the Corinthians here, and he’s been talking about our freedom in Christ, and the love we have for one another in Christ, which is really the theme of all of 1st Corinthians… loving one another, and loving the Church. And he’s just been talking about sharing the Gospel.

Which is one of the greatest acts of love we can do for others…