Laying Down Our Rights (pt.2)

0:53Kobe had unbelievable talent, but it was his incredible discipline, his single-minded focus and self-control when it came to working out and recovering and eating right that made him a Hall of Famer instead of merely a great player. Last Sunday, Kobe, along with his teenage daughter and seven others, died in a helicopter accident just outside of Los Angeles. He was 41. His disciplined life reminds us of what can be achieved with single-minded focus. And his untimely death reminds us that life is fragile and that no one is promised tomorrow.

1:51This morning, we're going to be challenged along those two fronts as we look at the back half of 1 Corinthians chapter 9 to lead disciplined, self-controlled lives, to receive an imperishable crown from Christ, and to lead our lives with a singular focus on making disciples. As I left you with a question last week, I'm going to leave you with a question this week. And it is this: Will you become all things to all men for the sake of the gospel?

2:29Let's take a look at the text together now. We're going to be picking up in verse 19, but first I want to remind you that what Paul did in verses 1 through 18 was that he established that he is free. He is free to exercise his rights or to lay down his rights as a Christian and as an apostle of Jesus Christ. And not only that, Paul is free from being controlled by the expectations of others. He does not have to exercise. His freedom. He doesn't have to give up his freedoms just because others expect him to do so.

3:06But I want you to see very clearly, and I think you will see this in the passage today, Paul was also free from the tyranny of his own freedom. Because you see, real freedom is the ability to exercise your rights or to lay down your rights at your own discretion. Real freedom does not mean that you always have to lay down your rights, and real freedom doesn't mean that you always have to exercise your rights either.

3:37Look at what he writes in verse 19. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. Look what he wrote in Galatians chapter 5 on the screen. For you are called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. That wasn't just something that he taught the Galatians or that he taught other churches as he traveled there and established them and preached among those people. This was something that he lived out everywhere he went.

4:21Paul was free from all, but he made himself a servant to all to win as many as possible. And in verses 20 through 22, He's going to explain what he means when he says, I became a servant to all by highlighting three different groups. He's going to highlight the Jews or those under the law. He's going to highlight the Gentiles or those outside the law. And then he's going to highlight the weak. First, Paul highlights the Jews and those under the law. Look what he says. To the Jews, I became as a Jew in order to win Jews.

5:02Now, what in the world is he talking about? He is a Jew, he's the Jewest Jew. Look at his biography, his autobiography in Philippians chapter 3, verse 5. He says he was circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As to the law, a Pharisee. You can't get any more Jewish than that. But when Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus, friends, Paul received a new identity.

5:45Now, our culture has talked a lot more about identity in the last decade or so, but you have to understand that identity has always been a huge deal in the Middle East. Always been a huge deal. Because it's such a melting pot. Of all these different cultures, people care a great deal. We look at the Middle East conflicts and we say, I don't understand, I don't get the difference between a Sunni Muslim and any other kind of Muslim, but they do.

6:17I don't know the difference between a Syrian and an Iranian, they do. This has always been a huge deal in the Middle East. And so, what Paul is telling us is that when he was on the road to Damascus and Jesus met him, his identity changed. No longer did he identify as a Hebrew of Hebrews, now he identified with Christ. And so radical was his transformation that he even changed his name from Saul to Paul. Friends, this is so important for us to grasp, especially at a time in our culture when so much is made out of how we choose to identify ourselves.

7:03When you receive Christ by faith, you receive a new identity. The most important thing about you is not what country you were born in. It's not what your ethnicity is. It's not the color of your skin. It's not where you went to school. When you become a believer in Jesus Christ, the most important thing about you is that you are now a son or daughter. Daughter of God. You are a member of the family of Christ.

7:37That becomes the most significant part of our identity. But what Paul is saying here is that to reach the Jews, to reach those who shared his ethnic and religious background, Paul is willing to put back on the mantle of Judaism. He's willing to do that. He's willing to lay down his rights as a Christian, and he would submit to both the Mosaic law and Jewish customs in order to win Jews and those under the law. What that meant was that he was going to have to alter his practice again. Remember, he's been following Christ for a long time at this point, decades. He's going to have to alter his practice again to observe the Sabbath, which was Saturday.

8:22That meant that every Saturday he's now back in the synagogue. It meant that he was going to have to restrict his diet to only what was allowed in the Mosaic law. He would have to submit himself again to all of those Jewish purification rites, the washing of hands and the washing of dishes and all these things, so he didn't offend these brothers. He wanted to win them. He didn't want to unnecessarily offend either ethnic Jews or Gentiles who had converted to Judaism and were now obeying the Mosaic law and all of these Jewish customs.

8:58Now, at the end of verse 20, Paul is quickly. Remind the Corinthians and modern readers like us that he was no longer under the Mosaic law. Why? Because Jesus came to fulfill it. That's the whole point. Jesus fulfilled everything written in the law of Moses from his birth to his death, and he did it perfectly. So Paul and any believer no longer has to observe the Mosaic law. And yet, he was willing to observe not just the law, but the traditions of the elders as well in order to win Jews and anyone else living under the law.

9:36That is laying down your rights. Second, Paul highlights those outside the law. Those outside the law here, he's referring to Gentiles who never converted to Judaism, which was nearly all of them. And what you have to understand about the Gentiles is that they were almost the exact opposite of the Jews. The Jews were monotheistic, the Gentiles were polytheistic. The Jews and their religion affected every minute of every day of their lives. What they did, what they wore, what they ate. The Gentiles, whatever faith that they had, it really didn't impact their day-to-day life very much. The way you have to think of the Gentiles is the way that you think of kind of like the culturally religious person here in America. Maybe they go to worship weekly, maybe they go to worship monthly, maybe they go to worship worship. On the big celebrations like we would call Christmas and Easter, but that's it. It had no real bearing on their everyday life. If you could identify a primary religion among the Gentiles, it was the cult of Caesar. It was emperor worship, just adopting whatever the state valued, essentially.

10:48And so Paul says that for these people who were outside the law, he too, in spite of his Jewish background, he became as one outside the law. So, what did that mean? That meant that if they were in the marketplace or hanging out on Saturday afternoon when good Jews would have been in the synagogue, he was right there with them. What that meant is that if there were vendors selling shirts that were made of mixed materials, just forbidden in the Jewish law, Paul is not only talking with them and sharing his faith, but he might pick up a new shirt.

11:26That means that if he goes over to an unbeliever's house and they are serving bacon-wrapped bacon bites covered in bacon bits, that Paul is like, Give me some more of those. I want those. Paul is free to do these things because the Mosaic law has been fulfilled by Christ. He's not free to do these things because the Mosaic law doesn't matter anymore. That's why he clarifies. Look at what he says. Not being outside the law, but under. The law of Christ.

12:03You see, Paul was not antinomian. He was not lawless. He was not some renegade doing whatever he felt like whenever he felt like doing it. It's just that now he's no longer under the law of Moses, but the law of Christ, the perfect lawgiver who fulfilled the law perfectly. So, friends, many believers will ask, how does the Mosaic law apply to us as Christians? Well, friends, the short answer is it doesn't. It doesn't apply to us as Christians because it's been fulfilled by Christ. What does fulfill, or what does rather apply to us as Christians, is what Paul calls the law of Christ, which flows from the first and second greatest commandments, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

12:56So every command of Christ, along with every command that we find in the New Testament that flows from those commands, that is what applies to us as Christians as the law of Christ. It's an outworking of the greatest commandment to love God and the second greatest commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Look at what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 13 on the screen. Owe no one anything except to love each other. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments you shall not commit. Adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

13:42Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. So Paul laid down his rights. He became all things to these people who are outside of the law. And then, third and finally, Paul highlights the weak. And when he says the weak, what he's doing is he's referring back to these people that were referred to in chapter 8 of this letter. Take a look on the screen at 1 Corinthians 8, 8, and 9.

14:15He wrote, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. So food, as Paul says, will not commend us to God. We will not earn his favor by eating certain things. But it's also true that we are no worse off for eating certain foods. There's no food that we can eat that will forfeit his favor either.

14:53Many in the Corinthian church understood this. They ate anything from the meat market. And they ate whatever was set before them at the tables of their unbelieving friends and relatives. They never asked the question, now, was this meat sacrificed to Athena? Because if so, I can't eat it. Was it sacrificed to another god or goddess? If so, I can't. They just ate the steak. They were happy to have that. The problem is that there was a group of people in the Corinthian church who struggled with this.

15:25They viewed meat that had been previously sacrificed to an idol as something unclean that Christians should not eat. Now, two things are true about these weaker brothers. First, they were not trying to be difficult. Their consciences really were bothered by the fact that this meat was previously offered to an idol. Second thing, they were wrong. They were wrong. And yet, Paul writes to the stronger believers and he says, take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

16:09Paul even said that he was willing to never eat meat again. I want you to think about that. I mean, I know some of you are vegetarians or vegans. For the rest of us, think about that. He said he would never eat meat again. Even I can't live off of lucky charms. He said he would never eat meat again if it would make his brother. Stumble. He was willing to lay down all of his rights so that he could help them grow in their theological understanding and practical application. Friends, how different is that than what we have been taught in our culture? We have been taught that if somebody doesn't like the way that we are living, they're a hater and they can deal with it.

16:53Well, Paul says, no, I'm not going to adopt that attitude. He would not employ shame or guilt to try to change their minds. No, what does it say? He determined to win them, to win them through his teaching and his example, through his willingness to lay down his own rights. And friends, that takes us to the climax of the passage. Look at what he writes here. Verse 22. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

17:42You see, the reason that we sometimes employ our freedoms and sometimes lay down our rights is to save as many as possible. Winning as many as possible to Christ is the goal. Earlier in the same passage, Paul wrote that he has made himself a servant to all, why? That he might win more of them. Now, friends, mature Christians are rightly suspicious when any particular believer or any particular church becomes obsessed with numbers. But we have to be clear: every single person is going to spend eternity somewhere, either in heaven, in a place of permanent blessing, or in hell, in a place of permanent torment.

18:48Because that's true, we cannot allow our right fear of overemphasizing numbers become an excuse for our disobedience in evangelism. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. Go and make disciples. A disciple is a follower of Christ who is praying and working to make more followers of Christ. We are never commanded to go and make converts. We cannot convert anyone. That's God's job. Our job is to. Be faithful in our proclamation of the gospel, the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection on behalf of sinners like us, and to lead lives that point those people to the truth of the gospel and the reality that Jesus is alive and is in fact living in us through the Holy Spirit. That is our role.

19:57And friends, if you're going to be a disciple maker, then you've got to become a bridge builder. You've got to become a student of your neighbors, your coworkers, your family members, your friends. You may not be a car person, but if your neighbor is really into cars, then it would be really great to go over there and ask if you can watch and learn to start building a relationship with that person. If you're not into certain kinds of music, but your coworkers are, it would be great for you to at least become familiar with some of the artists that they listen to so you can strike up conversation.

20:44If you don't love the outdoors, but your extended family loves to hike and camp, then friends, for the sake of the gospel, it would be good for you to lay down your rights and to consider going with them to spend an extended period of time. conversation. Paul said he became all things to all people so that by all possible means he might save some. Now one important clarification is necessary because we might wrongly conclude that the key to guaranteed success in evangelism is contextualization.

21:30In other words, if we faithfully proclaim the gospel and we contextualize by becoming all things to all men, then the gospel message will be irresistible. But friends, if we faithfully proclaim the gospel, we will make some enemies. Look at what James Every White wrote in his book, Meet Generation Z. The goal is not to be enemy-free, as if Christianity at its purest is so winsome and compelling that no one who gets it will ever reject it. No, the gospel is scandalous and offensive. Many will openly reject it, not to mention its moral mandates. The problem isn't having enemies, it's having the right ones and for the right reasons. Don't have enemies because you are intentionally offensive in spirit and interrelational dynamics. Don't have enemies. Because you are caustic and abrasive. Don't have enemies because you are unfeeling and unloving.

22:37Do have enemies because you stand for truth. Through his example, Paul has encouraged us to lay down our rights to serve others, to become all things to all people to win them to Christ. But he closes this passage with a reminder not to neglect our own spiritual health in the process. Take a look at verse 24. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.

23:42Corinth was home to the biennial Isthmian Games. At the time, they were second in importance only to the Olympic Games. So a running analogy would have hit home with these people. To compete in the Isthmian Games, you can get a competition. You had to be a Greek citizen, and you had to compete according to the rules. If you weren't a Greek citizen, you couldn't compete, and if you didn't train according to the rules, you were automatically disqualified. You didn't lose your citizenship, but you lost the opportunity to compete for the prize, which was a wreath that was usually made of pine or celery leaves. I don't know why anybody would want to wear that on their head. Celery leaves? I don't even want to eat celery.

24:32The games were such a big deal that these athletes, just like the Olympic athletes today, they trained basically year-round. They exercised self-control in all things, in their workouts, their recovery, their diets. And so, Paul's point here is that these people were disciplining their bodies. They were exercising self-control. They were living in a single-minded way to receive this perishable wreath. This thing that was going to wilt and wither in a matter of weeks or months. How much more then should we as Christians discipline our bodies, exercise self-control, and live in a single-minded way to receive an imperishable reward from Christ?

25:21Paul didn't want to be disqualified from receiving his imperishable reward. After years of preaching repentance and faith and holiness to others, So friends, he made sure to discipline his body and keep it under control, which understand, in first century Corinth was a real task. It was one of the most sexually immoral cities in history. And so he worked hard. We are called in the same way to be in the world. We're called to be in the world as Christians. We are called to reach the world and to fulfill the great commission. So creating Christian bubbles, social enclaves that are completely separate from the world, is not what we are called to as followers of Jesus.

26:14But friends, let us not forfeit eternal rewards for the fleeting pleasures of sin because we underestimated the power of temptation, the deceitfulness of our own hearts, and the enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. If you're not yet a follower of Jesus, maybe you thought that all Christians cared about was getting themselves to heaven, that they really didn't think about or pray about, be concerned about anyone besides themselves. And I hope that this morning, Paul's example of giving up everything, his homeland, his religion, his ethnic identity, his rights, his safety and security, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ encourages you today.

27:21I pray that you see this man who willingly laid down his rights and his freedom so that others could hear the gospel message. And I sincerely hope that you have at least one Christian in your life who you could point to that is continually laying down his or her rights, continually praying for you, continually sharing the gospel for you, so that you might know the same hope that we have. Friends, remember, we are not promised tomorrow.

27:56And so my hope today is that you would consider the person and the claims of Jesus Christ, who never once said that he was a good teacher. In fact, the one time someone called him a good teacher, he corrected them. He was not a good teacher. He was not merely a moral person. He claimed and proved to be the Son of God who lived and died and rose again as he said he would on behalf of sinners. And so I appeal to you this morning to receive. Christ by faith to turn from your sins and to put all of your trust in him as your only hope for salvation.

28:40And if you are already a follower of Christ today, maybe you've realized that you haven't been a disciplined disciple. You haven't exercised self-control in all things so that you could devote your best efforts to winning as many to Christ as possible. Maybe you've lost focus in the midst of this spiritual war, this cosmic conflict for the souls of men and women and children. You recognize that you believe the gospel, but you are no longer living your life exclusively for it and for its advance.

29:19If that's the case, and friends, it's the case for basically every one of us to some degree, then God's call to us today is to acknowledge that, to confess our sin, and to devote ourselves in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the grace and acceptance of Jesus Christ, to once again giving our lives away for the good of others so that they too could know what we know, salvation in Christ Jesus. Since creation, God has been calling and purifying a people for his own possession.

30:00His ordinary way of doing that is through us, the church, and our proclamation of the gospel. So ask yourself today: Am I willing to become all things to all people for the sake of the gospel? Let's pray. Father, what an example. What a challenge that we have in the Apostle Paul and the way that he lived his life. We know that he, too, was a sinful person. And so even he didn't always live up to his own lofty standards.

30:58But that doesn't excuse him and it doesn't excuse us for not seeking to become all things to all people so that by all possible means we might save some. Father, we ask for help to rededicate our lives, to discipline ourselves, to become singularly focused on the work that you've given us, which is making disciples of all nations for your glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.