Sermon Tone Analysis

! THE TROUBLED - TRIUMPHANT CHURCH

!

Sermon 27 – “For the Sake of the Gospel”

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STAND & READ 1 Cor.

9:1-18

* *

*Introduction*

Two weeks back, we began a new section in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.

This section, which runs from chapter 8-11.1, has as its theme *Christian Liberty….our

freedom in Christ.*

In this section, Paul is responding to what was probably a slogan in the Corinthian church, coming from Paul’s teaching of our freedom in Christ…..from this teaching, they understood their freedom as absolute, “All things are lawful for me..” (6:12; 10.23).

This issue at hand is the eating of food and drink offered to idols.

In chap.

8, the Apostle gives us the Law of Love….best

summarized by Gal.

5.13 - “For you were called to freedom, brothers.

Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

*14* For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Our freedom is found in obedience to Christ and in walking out the gospel that won us this freedom.

It is a freedom that is never self-centered, but other-centered….it is freedom to serve others through love.

Now, having set down this Law of Love in chapter 8, the Apostle Paul moves to give us an example of the Law of Love in action.

Paul wants us all to learn the priority of love over freedom…..the gospel over our own rights….the

love of others over the love of self.

And the example he gives *first *is his own life -his rights as an Apostle

*Paul develops this by* (1) defending his position as an Apostle; (2) the rights of every Christian minister of the gospel; (3) His setting aside those rights for the sake of the gospel message he preaches and lives!

*Paul Defends His Apostolic Authority *

vv.1-3

* *Am I not free?

Am I not an apostle?

Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?

Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?

*2* If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

*3* This is my defense to those who would examine me.

Paul begins with four questions….all

having the assumed answer “yes”.

He is a Christian and therefore free because of the work of Christ.

It is a freedom we all have as Christians because:  of the perfect obedience of Christ – his life lived without sin as he carried out, in perfection, all that our Heavenly Father commanded…said all that He was commanded to say; because it is through the sacrificial and unjust death of Christ on the cross – an unjust death necessary to satisfy the just claims of God to judge and punish each of us for our sins and rebellion against our Creator; we are free because God made (laid upon) Jesus His eternal Son to be sin so that we might live and become God’s righteousness (2 Cor.

5.21).

We are free from enslavement to sin, to death, to self – through the shed blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Paul says your slogan is “I’m free!

All things are lawful for me!”  Well, I am certainly free….but

I am also an Apostle!

I have seen the Lord and answered his call on my life to preach the gospel to the Gentiles!

(Acts 9.15)…You should readily see this….after

all, you are the result of my work for the sake of the gospel….you

are the Lord’s harvest from the preaching of the gospel!

Look and see….you are the seal of my apostleship!”

Remember, in the ancient world a “seal” was used on shipping containers, letters, and other things to indicate the authenticity of what was contained within!

It was a sign that the shipment or letter was really from the one who owned the seal.

The Corinthian church was a living seal….living

proof that Paul’s apostleship was the real deal!

*3* This is my defense to those who would examine me.

– Paul says, “This is my defense…when someone questions my apostolic authority – I point them back to this, ‘I have seen the risen Lord Jesus’ and I point them to you, Corinthians!”

*Paul Lays Out the Rights of **Christian** **Ministry*

 1 Cor 9:4-6

*4* Do we not have the right to eat and drink?

*5* Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

*6* Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?

Notice that 3x in these 3 verses is the word “right”….in

the KJV – “power”.

This Grk word /exousia _______________/ has a broad meaning in the NT – it is the same word used to speak of the preaching of Jesus as that of authority!

(Mark 1.27)

But here, it means “having freedom to choose and or act; the right to decide.

{The KJV rendering it power probably blurs the lines of understanding a little for this text.}

So, what are these rights Paul lays out? (They all deal with the right to be supported in the Ministry)

1.    Do we not have the right to eat? – Possibly a play on the central question of this section – freedom to eat food sacrificed to idols.

But more directly, the Apostle and pastors and missionaries have a right to provision of food.

Easy enough!

2.    Don’t we also have a right to bring along a believing wife…like the other missionaries and even Cephas (Peter)!

Most commentators take this not as explicit approval of ministers marrying (although we find that this in verses such as 1 Tim.

4.3), *but here the emphasis is on support for the minister and his wife*, *understanding that his wife is a valuable part of his ministry*.

3.    “is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?”

Paul is saying that both he and Barnabus have a right to be supported in their gospel ministry without having to work outside of the ministry.

By implication, the other apostles and pastors….Peter, James, Mark, Timothy, etc all are receiving support from the churches in which they minister.

What we will see is that Paul, in declaring his right to be supported, is going to emphasize his giving up that right for the sake of the gospel!

*Examples to Support His Rights*

Human Custom

1 Cor 9:7

*7* Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?

Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit?

Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

Again, Paul uses rhetorical questions to buttress his argument; simple examples from everyday life:  A *soldier* doesn’t supply his own rations when he’s sent off to war!

The *one who plants* does so with the intention of eating of the harvest!

The shepherd tends the flock and derives nourishment from the flock!

Although all 3 of these have great OT roots as illustrations of men God calls to ministry….the

primary usage here is to drive home the Apostle Paul’s argument…that those called of God to ministry have a right to support from the church.

God’s Law

vv.8-11 “*8* Do I say these things on human authority?

Does not the Law say the same?

*9* For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.”

Is it for oxen that God is concerned?

*10* Does he not speak entirely for our sake?

It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

*11* If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

Paul turns from human practice (what is common in the world) to God’s commands.

Then Paul cites a passage from Deut.

25:4 “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.”

and explains it!

In case you misunderstand, Paul says, is the primary concern here for the oxen or for mankind?

Paul says it’s us!  Scripture declares God’s love and providential care over his animal creation: Ps.147.9 says God “gives the beast his food.”

and Jesus spoke of our Heavenly Father feeding the “birds of the air” (Matt.

626).

*But here, Paul interprets this verse from Deut.

as,* “if the ox is to be paid for his work (allowing him to eat while working…which a muzzle would prevent), *how much more so God’s workers!

The General Rule is this:  man should be paid for his labor.