
Crossing Culture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-18
What about Me?
Someone might be watching this and wondering, “How can you guys just keep going through Scriptures in a time like this?” And if you have had that thought I appreciate the question and concern. It’s a valid one.
In the midst of all that is going on in the world how can we teach 1 Corinthians? There’s two things I want to say to that.
We are very aware of all that is happening and God’s heart for us all in this time. We continue to put out daily devotionals to encourage as well as remain available to pray or assist anyone in need.
God’s Word is the Balm- the healing we need in this time. No one has been more aware of our situation than the Lord and we do well to continue to place ourselves at His feet in worship AND in obedience. We don’t go through the Scriptures without an awareness of current events!
But we do commit ourselves to letting God speak to us still. More than ever we need to know God’s heart.
Paul is going to use his own life to try and make the point that sometimes we have rights and liberties that need to be foregone for the sake of others. Sometimes there is something bigger at play than us getting what is ours.
1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 9:1-2
Claim 1: Roman Citizen
Claim 2: An Apostle
2 Corinthians 11:5-7, 11-12 5 For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? … 12 But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ
3 My defense to those who examine me is this:
4 Do we have no right to eat and drink?
5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? —1 Corinthians 9:3-6
7 Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?
8 Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about?
10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?
12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. —1 Corinthians 9:7-12
The soldier does not have time to produce his own rations, and so they are provided for him.
The keeper of the vineyard expects to eat some of the grapes and to drink some of the wine he has labored to produce.
The shepherd tends the flock with the expectation that he can drink of the milk of the flock.
In every case, the laborer expects to eat or drink some of the fruits of his labor.
These are basically secular examples. Some might object that Paul is not speaking so much from divine wisdom, as from that which is merely human.
Paul therefore turns to the Old Testament Scriptures, particularly to the Law of Moses, where we read this instruction: “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing”
Two things I want to point out and then we move on-
- Paul takes an OT passage and applies it directly into a NT context. By doing this he shows us how we are to read and apply the OT. He uses the principle of support and applies that to a modern context.
- In the world, we use this same principle: it’s called profit sharing.
12 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar?
14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
15 But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.
16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. —1 Corinthians 9:12-18
So here is the question: Are you willing to show and share the love of Jesus as if Christ were making his appeal through you?
Before you answer this let me ask another question: are you willing to let the lesser things go for the sake of the gospel message?
- A person’s politics?
- Their stance on social issues?
- Their personal vices (smoking, drinking,)?
- Their background or reputation?
- Their income level?
- Their sexual preference?
Are you willing to overlook these things and build a relationship with people?
Life if filled with choices. You CANNOT and will not have it all. You must decide what is most important and let the other stuff go. Rather than diluting our energy on lesser things, we must focus on the main issue: Being LOVED by God and LOVING others.