The Right Reasons

Transcript

Good morning. Good morning. Well, if you’d be so kind as to turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. I’m going to give you another break this week because we’re going to be preaching a whole chapter, so you can remain seated while I read this. If you don’t have a Bible, there should be a Bible in front of you under the seat. So welcome to take that Bible and you can find our portion of scripture on page 899. First Corinthians chapter 9.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord? And to others, I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink?

— 1 Corinthians 9

(ESV)

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? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say the same? 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? Does he not certainly speak 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. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things

— 1 Corinthians 9

(ESV)

from you? If others share this right claim on you, do we not even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure everything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision, for I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting, for necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel, for if I do this of my own will, I have a reward.

— 1 Corinthians 9

(ESV)

But if not my own will, am I still entrusted with a stewardship? What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as to not make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law, though not being myself under the law, that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.

— 1 Corinthians 9

(ESV)

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 might share with them in its blessings. 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.

— 1 Corinthians 9

(ESV)

Family, this is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Would you take a moment to pray with me? Our Father and our God, we do pray that you would give us the help of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s Apostolic Authority

We need help to understand what your word has for us this morning. And so we pray, oh Lord, that your spirit would draw near, illuminate the text, and would you cause for the truth in your word to penetrate our hearts and transform us into the image of Jesus. This is why we’ve come, to hear from you. So we pray that you would speak to us. In Christ’s name, amen. Well, as you can see, there’s a whole lot to unpack this morning. Well, given the amount of text we’re covering, I’m going to try to keep us flying at around 3,000 or 30,000 feet, I should say. And my hope is to give us a general idea of what Paul was conveying to the Christians in Corinth and how Paul’s principles might speak to us in terms of our life together as a church. Now, I’ve broken up our text into five sections to help us along.

So we’ll look at the reminder, the rights, the relinquish, the reward, and the race. Before we dive too deep into our text, it’s important to understand that this portion of scripture is in every way connected to the text that Andre preached last week. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to that sermon, my encouragement to you would be go to the website and listen to that sermon. He did a wonderful job explaining how love should lead us to forego our freedoms if those freedoms cause for our brothers and sisters to violate their conscience and sin. Now, Paul ended his argument last week with this powerful but punchy statement in verse 18 when he wrote, therefore, if food makes my brother or sister stumble, I will never eat meat lest I make my brother or sister stumble. Now that statement, in a general way, encapsulates the principle of sacrificial love and consideration

for the conscience of others in our church and their spiritual well-being. It’s a principle that Paul doesn’t simply preach about, but actually embodies in his life and ministry. And really throughout this whole chapter, chapter nine, Paul continues that same line of thought, expanding the idea of sacrificial love and consideration for others by using his own life as a living example of how he himself relinquished his personal rights for the sake of the gospel and for the consideration of his brothers and sisters. And so here, Paul moves us from the hypothetical of eating meat to the actual rights that he’s given up for their benefit. Through this living example, Paul encourages the church in Corinth and us this morning that giving up our rights for the right reasons is, in fact, the right way to live. Now, just by way of context, which will better help us understand Paul’s train of thought

here, it’s important to remember, and I’ve mentioned this before, that the Corinthian culture was deeply immersed in philosophy and debate. In fact, there were some philosophers in Corinth who actually made a living by peddling their philosophy for profit. Many of these philosophers relied on patrons who would financially support their teaching. These philosophers engaged in a practice where they would give just a little bit of knowledge, but only enough to entice their patrons to pay for more of their teaching. This was a strategy to continually extract money, effectively swindling their followers. By parsing out their teaching in small doses, they created a dependency that kept their patrons coming back seeking more wisdom, but never really being satisfied. So Paul was deeply concerned to distance himself from these patron philosophers so that he would not be associated with those who would peddle wisdom or philosophy for profit.

And so to avoid this, Paul did two things. First, he focused on knowing nothing among them except Christ and Him crucified, relying solely on the power of the gospel rather than engaging in these kind of philosophical debates or pushing worldly wisdom. And secondly, and this is the main thrust of his argument here, he refused to accept financial support from the church in Corinth to avoid any connection to these kind of paid philosophers. In his mind, the very appearance of being a patron philosopher was a possible hindrance for the gospel and a potential hindrance to his brothers and sisters. And that is fundamental to understanding what’s actually going on here with Paul’s argument. Now before Paul begins to build his case on the rights and privileges that he will relinquish for the gospel, he first reminds the Corinthians of his apostleship. Now why does Paul do this?

The Reminder

Well first, before he can begin to highlight the specific rights that come with being an apostle, Paul must first remind them that he is indeed an apostle. Given Paul’s tone and his words in this section and in other parts of his letters, especially 2 Corinthians, it seems that some in Corinth either doubted or just straight up denied his apostolic authority. So in a brilliant move, Paul addresses his church with a reminder of his apostleship while simultaneously offering proof to his critics concerning his apostolic authority. And in so doing, Paul effectively kills two birds with one stone. And we see this in verses 1 and 2 with the reminder. He writes, Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord? 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. Now in these four kind of rapid fire rhetorical questions, Paul forces his church to affirm what they already know to be true. And Paul’s beginning defense of his apostleship is rooted in the reality that he has physically seen Jesus. Now despite how some Christians today think about apostles, seeing the risen Lord is a fundamental requirement to being an apostle. Though Paul was not one of the 12 apostles who walked with Jesus during his earthly ministry, he was nonetheless an apostle because he saw the risen Lord Jesus. And Paul’s proof of his apostolic ministry was twofold. First, it was based on his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, where the resurrected Jesus appeared to him and asked, why are you persecuting me? And then commissioned him to go and preach to the Gentiles, the kings and the leaders. This encounter with Jesus is the fundamental evidence of his apostolic authority.

But secondly, Paul points to the believers in Corinth as his evidence of his apostolic authority. This is why he asks, are you not my workmanship in the Lord? And so even if others deny or doubt his apostolic authority, Paul asserts that the Christians in Corinth are the seal of his apostleship, meaning their very existence as believers is the proof that he is an apostle sent by God to reach the Gentiles and to plant churches. In other words, the transformed lives of the Christians in Corinth serve as the fact check for his apostolic ministry. And so Paul is concerned first and foremost to make it abundantly clear, I am an apostle. And the reason Paul is so concerned to prove this is that being an apostle comes with certain rights and these rights form the basis of the privileges he relinquishes for the sake of the gospel.

And we see that beginning in verse three with the rights. He says, this is my defense to those who would examine me. So he’s speaking to his critics. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 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? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? So here Paul begins his transition by using this kind of if this, then that approach. Essentially Paul is saying, if I am an apostle, which I just proved, then that means I have certain rights. And then he proceeds to ask three rhetorical questions that all point to one main question and one obvious affirmation concerning his rights. And essentially they all boil down to this. Since I am an apostle, do I not have the right to financial support from the church?

This is what he means when he asks, do I have the right to eat or drink? Since eating and drinking are fundamental to living, financial support is necessary to secure both of those things. He also mentions the right to take along a believing spouse, which just simply highlights the need for financial provision. If Paul were traveling with a spouse, like some of the other apostles, there would certainly be no question about the church’s obligation to provide for their financial needs. It’s highly likely that the wives in the congregation would say, babe, look, he’s got a wife. We got to pay for his support. The mere presence of a spouse would provoke the church to support him financially. And finally, he asks, do we not have the right to refrain from working for a living? In other words, is it unreasonable to expect that we shouldn’t have to be bivocational

or work another full-time job while dealing with the spiritual affairs of the church? The answer to these rhetorical questions is a resounding yes. As an apostle and as a pastor, you should be supported by the church. You should have the freedom to provide for your spouse. And you shouldn’t have to work another job. And to clear up any confusion about these rhetorical questions, Paul provides a breakdown concerning work and compensation for clergy in three categories. First is the natural order of things. Second would be the Old Testament scriptures. And third, the very words of Jesus. So first, in reference to the natural order of things, he says in verse 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? The resounding response should be no one.

It’s pretty simple. A soldier shouldn’t have to give up his own money to give his life for his country. He should be paid enough for his life. He shouldn’t have to pay for his own food or his guns or his ammunition. If he’s fighting for his country, his country should bear the burden of compensating him for his service and provide him everything necessary for the work of being an effective soldier. And the same goes for a gardener. If a gardener does all the work of planting a vineyard with the aim of selling produce, is he not entitled to profit off of his produce? Or even partake in some of its own produce? Of course he is. It’s his garden. He worked to produce the fruit. He should be able to live off of the fruit. And it’s the same thing with the shepherd. He obviously would be entitled to some of the milk.

The Rights

It goes without question. Essentially, Paul is saying that in the natural order of things, we intuitively understand that we should be compensated for our work. We are entitled to the fruit of our labor. But Paul, who is never consistent with giving worldly wisdom based on the natural order of things, well, he, like a good pastor, then appeals to the Old Testament scriptures. In verse 8, he writes, Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Here Paul quotes directly from the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 25.4 where God gives this law to protect the rights of animals that work on the farm. Now, I’m sure most of you have heard this passage before. Do not muzzle an ox. I’ve heard this passage probably a thousand times.

I sort of knew what it meant, but I never really took the time to understand it until this week. And just a side note, in my study to try to better understand why Paul would appeal to this particular text, I came across a commentary of one of the greatest scholars alive today. His name is Tom Schreiner. And Schreiner doesn’t give us a lot of help, but instead he references this obscure article written by an Old Testament scholar on this very strange passage on not muzzling an ox. And what’s crazy is that obscure article was written by none other than Jan Verbruggen. I could have just taken Jan out for lunch. It’s a very helpful article. It’s long, but it’s good. Anyway, why does Paul quote this particular passage on animal rights? What is he trying to communicate here? Well, essentially, here’s the breakdown of what Paul is getting at with not muzzling

an ox. In ancient times, farmers used oxen to help separate the edible parts of grain from the husk. The way they did this was to take the husk and put them on a solid flat surface, which they called the threshing floor. And as the oxen walked over the husk on the threshing floor, the weight would begin to break apart the grain from the husks. And then someone would come along to collect with their tool all the edible parts of the grain. And so the law about not muzzling the ox was in place so that while the oxen were working, they could eat some of the grain that they were treading on. If you muzzled the ox, he would cover up his mouth. The oxen couldn’t eat. And so it was only fair that since the oxen were doing all the hard work, they should be able to eat some of the grain.

Paul uses this image and law to make it a point that ministers have rights to live off of their gospel work. In fact, Paul argues that this law was written not just for oxen. I mean, oxen can’t read, right? But this law was written more specifically for us. This is why in verse 9, Paul says, is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak 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, which makes complete sense. Paul goes on to make his point by saying in verse 11, if we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, which there were other men that did, do not

we even more? In other words, if the Corinthians are supporting others in their gospel work, which they were, we know that from his other letters, shouldn’t Paul and his companions be supported even more since they helped establish the church? It would be unfair for them to not live off the church’s financial support because of how much they’ve spiritually supported the church. But then Paul continues his appeal by referencing the Old Testament practices. We see that in verse 13. He says, do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? Now throughout the Old Testament, specifically in Numbers and Leviticus, priests working in the temple were allowed to receive food directly from the offerings. So when people brought their food or animals as part of their sacrifice or worship, the

priests could take some of those offerings for themselves. This was a way of supporting them in the temple. And Paul here is saying there’s no difference between what they were doing and what we are doing. But Paul doesn’t stop there. As if the Old Testament was not enough, he then appeals to the very words of Jesus, and we see that in verse 14. He writes in the same way, the Lord, that is Jesus, commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. Now where and when did Jesus say this? Well, we see this essentially in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and I’ll just give you one. Mark’s gospel, chapter 6, verse 7 through 11, and he called the 12 and he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag,

no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, wherever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. In other words, Jesus instructed his disciples not to take provisions for themselves, but to go and give the gospel and then live off the gospel. In other words, God has designed it in such a way that those who labor in the gospel should be supported by those who receive the gospel. Now why does Paul go to such great lengths to prove that he has the right to receive financial support from the church? Is he building a case that they need to start coughing up some support for him?

For his ministry? Is his aim to build a theology of clergy and work? No. While he does offer some unique perspective on how we should support ministers of the gospel, how pastors should be paid by the church, that’s not his primary motivation. With all the evidence of his apostolic authority and with all the natural and biblical support for receiving financial support, what’s remarkable is that Paul’s entire argument about his financial rights are only to reveal how he willfully relinquishes those rights. And we see that in the second half of verse 12 and verse 15 with the relinquish. He writes, nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. In verse 15, but I have no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure

any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. So this is why Paul makes financial support just such a big deal. He builds up his rights only to throw down those rights for the sake of others. When Paul first came to Corinth, he stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, who were tent makers. Essentially they worked with leather, and he basically worked with them. He made his living as a tent maker. And the reason why Paul chose to do that, as I said in the intro, was because of Paul’s awareness of these patron philosophers in Corinth who were known for peddling philosophy for profit. And so for the sake of the gospel and his concern for how people might perceive him, he chose to willfully forfeit his biblical right to receive financial support from the church and work a full-time job instead.

And by doing this, he prioritized the integrity of the gospel message above his own rights. Paul literally puts his money where his mouth is. Now, I don’t know if you know how much work goes into pastoring and preaching. This is a lot, okay? I never knew it until I started pastoring. It’s a lot of work. And to do that work with all the other dynamics of maybe managing a whole other career, in my view, is almost impossible. It’s almost impossible, which should put into perspective and cause for you to be exceedingly thankful for the many sacrifices our lay pastors give for the sake of the church. Our lay pastors give a lot more than most lay pastors. You see, Paul understood that if he were to be perceived among the people solely for financial gain, that would impact the way they would understand the gospel.

It would severely hinder people from receiving the substance of his message. Since the Corinthians were accustomed to seeing philosophers paid by patrons, Paul wanted to avoid any association with that practice. In fact, Paul was so passionate about this reality that he literally says, I would rather die. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my boasting. And what does Paul mean when he says boasting? Isn’t boasting a bad thing? Doesn’t he condemn it? Well, the word boasting here could also mean joyful declaration. So Paul is concerned that no misunderstanding might potentially rob him of joyfully declaring the gospel. And then Paul does something interesting here. He kind of juxtaposes boasting with reward, and we see that in verses 16 through 18. He writes, for if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting, for necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.

For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching, I may present the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. Now, what is Paul getting at here? Essentially, Paul says that preaching the gospel is something that he must do. It’s by necessity. So there’s no room for boasting in his preaching because you don’t boast in something that you have to do out of obligation or you’re compelled to do. In other words, Paul has made himself a slave to Jesus Christ, his master. And in so doing, he’s been given this command by his master to preach the gospel. This is why he says, woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.

Now, when was he commanded by his master to preach? On the road to Damascus, Acts chapter 9, specifically in verse 15. The Lord tells Ananias that Paul is a chosen instrument to proclaim, that is to preach the gospel, to proclaim his name to the Gentiles, kings, and the people of Israel. Paul later describes his command or this obligation to preach the gospel in Galatians 1, 15 and 16. But when he who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, that means obligated me, was pleased to reveal his son to me in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. So God set Paul apart, called him by his grace to reveal his son, meaning God obligated Paul to preach the gospel among the Gentiles. And Paul wanted to complete the task that his master, the Lord Jesus, set before him.

Now, if Paul was made a slave to preach the gospel by Jesus, and his master gave him this task to preach, then there is no reward for it. He’s simply doing what his master has tasked him with. This is why Paul tells him that if he had come to them willingly of his own choice, then he would expect financial compensation or a reward. But because he’s under obligation from the Lord, he is simply to fulfill his duty as a good steward. So if he’s under obligation to preach, then what constitutes his reward? How does he receive his reward? And for what does he receive his reward? Well, he gets his reward by giving up his rights. It’s not the preaching that he’s rewarded for, but the fact that he gives up his rights for preaching that gives him his reward. And it’s not just his preaching, it’s Paul’s very life.

The Relinquish

And we see that in verses 19 through 23. He says, for though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews, I became as a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law, though not being myself under the law, that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law. To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. Listen to what he says here. I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I might save some. So Paul in his ministry exercises a flexibility with his freedoms and his rights.

When he’s among the Jews, he becomes like a Jew. Though he’s not under the law, he lives as though he were under the law for their sake, which means he adapts to Jewish customs and traditions so that he can minister to them effectively. He follows Jewish laws to avoid offending them, ensuring that if they’re going to stumble over anything, they’re going to stumble over the gospel. Just in case we think, well, that’s Paul. Paul was a bit radical. He doesn’t call all of us to do the same thing. Well, Paul called Timothy to do it. In fact, in Acts 16, verse 3, Paul had Timothy, whose father was a Greek, circumcised to avoid hindering the ministry among the Jewish people. That’s a big deal, to get circumcised. To the Gentiles, those outside the law, Paul says, I became like a Gentile, meaning he didn’t adhere to certain Jewish customs that were not required for salvation.

He adapted some of their cultural practices, living under the freedom of the gospel to share the gospel with them. To the weak, he became weak. This relates to what he discussed in chapter 8, where he accommodated those with weaker consciences. Paul became all things to all people. Now, this doesn’t mean that he was being insincere or that he was changing who he was. Paul wasn’t just a code-switching person. His love made him flexible and adaptable for the sake of others. Here Paul emphasizes, he is free from human control. But though he is free, he chooses to be a servant or a slave, not just for Christ, but for all of the believers. And in so doing, Paul fulfills Jesus’ words to the disciples in Matthew 20, 27. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.

Paul in his ministry to the Corinthians imitates his master Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve. Why does Paul do all this? Why give so much for the sake of others? I mean, he has the right to do whatever he wants to do. Verse 23, I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Brothers and sisters, did you notice how many times Paul said, all? Five times. And really this just speaks to the fact that there is nothing, absolutely nothing he was not willing to give up for the sake of the gospel. I wonder, how much are you willing to give up for the sake of the gospel? Or for the sake of your brothers and sisters? How much time are you willing to give up? How much money? How much emotional bandwidth are you willing to give up?

How much comfort? How many miles? How many preferences? How many freedoms? How many social media posts? Do those things ever even cross your mind? If we truly love each other, like I know we do, then we should not just be thinking about the kinds of things that can be adjusted, but actually adjusting and relinquishing those kinds of things for the sake of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Paul, through his flexibility and his sacrificial life to all things, to be all things, he follows the pattern of Jesus, who became all things to all men, that he might save some. I mean, just a brief snapshot of the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus dined with tax collectors and prostitutes, and he was called all kinds of names because of it. Jesus drank water given to him by a Samaritan woman, of all people.

Jesus engaged with unclean lepers. Jesus spoke in the synagogue with the religious people. He spoke with Pharisees, but he walked and talked and did life with social outcasts. Jesus sets the example of accommodating himself to the culture and circumstances of the people so that he might reach them with the gospel and save some. And listen, he did it all without sin and without compromising the demands of the gospel. Never once did he sacrifice or compromise the demands of the gospel. I mean, Jesus, in an ultimate sense, well, he became sin for us to save us. 2 Corinthians 5.21, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And how was Jesus made to be sin for us? By taking upon himself the sin of the world and all of its legal demands, carrying it

upon himself. He gave up his divine rights. He left the perfect fellowship with the Spirit and the Father and took on human flesh, became a man so that he might die for our sins. That’s a lot of rights to give up for our sake. And he did it so that anyone who believes in him might be forgiven of their sins and made righteous. In Jesus, we get this great exchange. He takes all of our sins and gives us all of his righteousness. And he offers this forgiveness of sin and righteousness to anyone. All that he requires is that you turn from your sin and trust in him. And if you’re here this morning and you don’t know Jesus, you can do that this morning. He is yours. Ask anyone in this room, what does it mean to be a Christian? And they will talk with you.

The Race

They will show you what it means to follow Jesus. Well then Paul closes his argument with an illustration to help us apply his principle of giving up everything for the sake of the gospel. And we see that with the race in verses 24 through 27. He says, 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. Paul uses runners in a race as a metaphor for the Christian life to illustrate the kind of conditioning, the kind of self-control and discipline required to win.

And listen, it’s important to note that Paul is not suggesting that only one Christian will win the prize. That would be to take the metaphor way too far. Instead, Paul is exhorting all Christians that we must be willing to make sacrifices to live the Christian life well. I mean, think about this. What kind of athlete, professional athlete does no training? I mean, many of you have run, you know, all kinds of 5Ks, all kinds of stuff, right? What would it look like to just roll out of bed with no training and run that race? Pretty bad. It sounds like something I would do, it would be all bad. You have to have a lot of self-control and a lot of discipline. An athlete that doesn’t think about conditioning his body is an athlete who will never finish the race. Paul with this illustration is being all things to all men by contextualizing his message

for the Corinthians who were very familiar with athletic competitions. Just as there were competitions concerning debate and rhetoric, there were even more competitions concerning athletics. Corinth was known for hosting the Isthmian Games, which was second only to the Olympic Games. That’s how prominent their athletics were. So the Christians in Corinth understood what it took for athletes to win. They knew that athletes would have to give up their rights and their freedoms to condition themselves for their sports. I mean, they had the right to eat whatever they wanted. They could do nothing and just eat Oreos all day. But if they wanted to win, they would have to choose to avoid those things that they had the right to do. They would avoid those things because those things would negatively impact their bodies and significantly reduce their chances of winning. These athletes subjected themselves to all kinds of hardship, all kinds of pain, giving

up all kinds of privileges to win. And what did they receive for winning? A perishable crown. In Corinth, the first place winners would receive a wreath made of pine needles and celery. Imagine all that conditioning, all of that sacrifice, all of the training, all of the denial of your rights and freedoms just to win a wreath that would wither and fade in only a matter of weeks. I mean, how many of you have seen celery just two days out of the refrigerator? It’s like shriveled up, it’s just garbage. And that’s exactly what they were running for. Literal garbage. Paul tells them, we condition ourselves and we give up our rights in the Christian life because we will receive an imperishable crown, one that will never fade. He’s saying that giving up our rights for the right reasons is the right way to live

because we have a reward that is eternal. Christ himself, the prize of life is Jesus. And while Paul is on the topic of running the race, he closes with a sobering encouragement that serves also as a warning. He says, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. I mean, family, what good is it to commit the whole of your life to Jesus if in the end you become disqualified? All your efforts will have amounted to nothing. That’s a very dangerous thought. I’ve been thinking about that last part, keeping my body under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. That’s weighty. And he’s not just speaking to pastors here. He’s speaking to all of us. All your efforts will amount to nothing if you’re disqualified from the race. We got to finish the race without being disqualified.

And Paul’s method of preventing disqualification is to discipline his body and keep it under control. How are you doing in that area? Are there things that you are putting into your body that are helping you? Or are there things that you are putting into your body that are hurting you and hindering your race? Are you living as a servant of Jesus Christ, giving up your rights and your privileges for the sake of the gospel and the brothers and sisters in your church whom you’ve covenanted with? Or are you indifferent about that? Are you investing in your own personal spiritual disciplines, conditioning yourself? And what I mean by that is, are you reading God’s word daily? Are you praying consistently? Are you dying daily? Or are you just like, I’m chill? Are you living for that which is perishable? Indulging yourself in this world, in all that this world has to offer with no spiritual

benefits that are hindering you from finishing well and receiving the prize, Christ Jesus himself. Brothers and sisters, I think this text, it demands a response from you. Now listen, while Paul addresses us individually with this illustration, the beauty of this illustration is that it also applies to us corporately. Paul could be asking the church, what are we doing as individuals that are affecting the whole church body? Are our actions helping or hurting others who are running this race? Think about that when you post on social media. Think about that when you take so much pride in pushing your rights that you just don’t care how it impacts other people. If we are doing things that are causing our brothers and sisters to stumble, you shouldn’t do it. Those might even be good things. You should relinquish your rights for the sake of your brothers and sisters because

eternity is at stake. I mean, could you imagine people in our congregation who struggle with a particular issue, their conscience is weak and you do nothing to help them and they set course for disaster and you become the means by which they become disqualified? I don’t know if I could live with that. Brothers and sisters, my constant prayer for us as a church is that we would grow in giving up our rights and our everyday lives for the brothers and sisters in our church. Because listen, this is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us. I’m not asking you to do what Christ Jesus has not asked you to do. Lay down your life for your brothers and sisters in the Lord. And there are so many ways that we do this well. And for that, I am exceedingly thankful. And I praise God for that.

But we can grow in so many ways. And that’s my prayer for us, amen? Let’s pray. Our Father and our God, we thank you for how your word corrects us and confronts us and more than anything, transforms us. Jesus, O Lord, we ask this morning that our hearts, as they are submitted under your word, would be moldable. That you would cause for us to think about the freedoms that we have and the rights that we have. And we would consider all those things as nothing if they don’t help our brothers and sisters in the Lord or if they impact our gospel witness. We pray, God, that you would constantly put before our eyes a sense of conviction and discernment for the things that we so freely and rightfully do. Help us to be others-oriented with our life and with our practice. We pray these things in Christ’s name, amen.