1 Corinthians 9: It's About We, Not Me

Have you ever had a friend that was a lot of fun in small doses? You could only stand them for a little while before they became hard to deal with? This is what I think about when I think of Corinth. They were in a large international metropolis filled with people from various backgrounds. It was likely a fun place to be for a visit. However, living there was probably a different story. Paul is in Ephesus when he receives word that the church in Corinth is at it again. Divisions and quarreling are breaking out everywhere over wild things... trust me... wild things. They are a church in division. Paul has a frank discussion with them on the need for harmony among the various people groups, the need to rally around the essentials, how to conduct proper worship services without hurting each other, and so much more. The real-life soap-opera needs someone to make sense of it all.

Let’s read it together.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Bible Breakdown
• 2:14 It's About We, Not Me
• 5:20 Paul's Case for Apostolic Rights
• 8:45 Sacrificing Rights for the Gospel
• 9:50 Finding Common Ground with Everyone
• 11:35 Running to Win and Daily Challenge

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

Speaker 2: 0:23

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, 1 Corinthians 9. Today's title is it's About we, not Me. It's like Dr Seuss, right, it's about we, not me.

Speaker 2: 0:39

I had this situation one time where my wife and my girls and I were on a trip. We were driving a long, long way and everybody was sleeping at the time, and so I decided I was going to get out, get some gas, get myself some coffee and some snacks and get back in the car. And I went and did all of that and as soon as I got back on the road, my wife looked at me and she said did it even occur to you that we might've wanted a snack? And I, finally, I tried to like, like, squirm around a little bit, but like, but you were asleep. I was like no, it did not occur to me, I was just whatever, whatever. I cannot tell you how many times since then that, before I stop, my wife says, by the way you know, and it wasn't because I necessarily was trying to be selfish, I just wasn't thinking about them, I was just thinking about me in that moment. And Paul is going to talk about how thinking about me and not about, we can lead to a whole lot of unintentional problems. We're going to get to that in just a moment.

Speaker 2: 1:40

But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel. We are very much getting closer to our 1,000 subscriber goal. Thank you so much for helping us create this community. Listen to on the podcast. You guys are doing amazing, leaving us those five-star reviews. Keep sharing it with everybody because, man, the more we dig, the more we find, and we're not just digging here on the podcast, but on the Facebook group, which is where you can go at the Bible breakdown discussion. Man, we are digging and finding gold in God's word Cause, man, the more we dig, the more we find, and we are finding amazing things.

Speaker 2: 2:11

And just in case some of you guys are wondering, some folks have been asking me if we have merch like, do we have like t-shirts where you can get a logo or stickers, stuff like that? To be honest with you, I hadn't really thought about it until very recently, and so if you would like to know about if we were to ever make t-shirts that said the Bible breakdown, if you would like us to make some of those. Let me know in the comments, go to the Bible breakdown discussion. Let me know, and if I have enough of you who want them, I'll make some. I've been wanting my wife to make some and if there's enough then we'll get it ordered somewhere. Okay, all right. Well, if you've got your Bibles and you want to open them, up with me to 1 Corinthians 9, which, by the way, yesterday I told you the wrong chapter Today is chapter 9.

Speaker 2: 2:53

Paul is going to double down on what he was doing. Remember, paul is writing to a divided church. They really need some therapy. So Pastor Paul is doing some family therapy and he spent the first two or three chapters saying man, we're rallying around God's word, I'm your spiritual father. So let me go get a switch, because I'm about to spank everybody up in here. Like he's just saying don't do this, don't do that, how in the world, you know? Just going crazy on them. And he's just really trying to bring a sense of harmony among the believers.

Speaker 2: 3:27

Yesterday he was talking about the idea that we don't live for ourselves, don't let your freedom cause division or cause a weaker brother or sister in Christ to stumble. Well, he is going to double down on this even more and just talk about how we don't live on an island, we live for one another. And he's going to go even further to say how he gives up his rights so that he can serve one another. And that's so very important because we live in a culture that says the exact opposite and it is really creeped into the church where you know, we go to church. And as long as the music is our favorite songs, as long as the preacher preaches my favorite style, as long as the coffee is my kind of coffee and all this kind of stuff, I'm going to go. But if the church doesn't fit my needs, I'm going to go find one that does. Can I tell you that's dangerous, because at some point they're going to sing a song you don't like.

Speaker 2: 4:20

At some point the coffee's not going to be hot. At some point the coffee's not going to be hot. At some point the pastor's not going to preach your message. And what are you going to do when that happens? We have to be so very careful that we don't think of the church and we don't think of Christianity as a consumer product, because if you think of it as just a product to be consumed, you're not going to be able to get the benefit of being part of a family. You know, a family is not a product to be consumed. It is a community to be engaged, and that's exactly what the church is, and that's what Paul is going to say. He's going to say man, I've got just as much right to demand anything I want. If anybody can be about me, it could be me. However, I'm going to do the opposite and I want us to dive into this together today and really be encouraged, but also challenged, with how we see one another in the context of Christian community. So, if you've got your Bibles 1 Corinthians 9, paul's going to hurt our feelings.

Speaker 2: 5:14

Verse 1, here we go. Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus, our Lord, with my own eyes? Isn't it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord's apostle. This is my answer to those who question my authority. Don't we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? Don't we have the right to bring a believing wife with us, as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers do, as Peter does? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves? What soldier has to pay his own expenses? What farmer plants a vineyard and doesn't have the right to eat some of its fruit? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn't allowed to drink some of the milk? What shepherd cares for a flock of sheep and isn't allowed to drink some of the milk? Am I expressing merely a human opinion or does the law say the same thing? For the law of Moses says you must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain. Was God thinking only about oxen when he was saying this? Wasn't he actually speaking to us? Yes, what he's saying is is If anybody has the right to have the preference, if anybody has the right to sit at the head of the table to have it my way, then it would be the leader he's like that's what I should be able to do. So he's making the case that if anybody could have their own way, it would be him, and then he shows you what he does with it.

Speaker 2: 6:54

Verse 11,. Since I have planted spiritual seed among you. Aren't we entitled to a harvest of physical food and drink? If you support others who preach to you, shouldn't we have even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the good news about Christ. Don't you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple and those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the good news should be supported by those who benefit from it. Yet I have never used any of these rites and I am not writing to suggest that I will start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge.

Speaker 2: 7:43

Yet preaching the good news is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn't preach the good news. Now, this is obviously coming from maybe some the letter that had come before, where they were trying to figure out Paul's motivation for all the things he was doing and he was saying look, no, it is perfectly okay for the one who pastors the church to be paid and supported by you. That's God's way of doing it. So that's what we say, that pastors and staff members of churches. It's perfectly fine that they're supported by the church. He's saying my motives are not for that. My motives are very different. He says this in verse 17. If I were doing this on my own initiatives, I would deserve payment, but I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust. What, then, is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the good news without charging anyone. That's why I never demand my rights when I preach the good news.

Speaker 2: 8:43

Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I'm not subject to the law, I did this so that I could bring Christ to those who are under the law. When I am with Gentiles, I do not follow the Jewish laws. I, too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ, but I don't ignore the law of God. I obey the law of Christ. In other words, he's saying I don't just go and sin, I just don't do all the extra traditional stuff. So he's not saying that when you are with sinners, you sin. He's saying I don't sin, I just don't do all the extra stuff because I'm trying to be with them Verse 22, when I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the good news and to share its blessings.

Speaker 2: 9:51

Don't you realize that in a race, everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win. All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So what Paul is doing is he's loading them up. Fear that, after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified. So what Paul is doing is he's loading them up Because tomorrow we're going to read why that matters and how they relate to one another.

Speaker 2: 10:29

Paul is saying if anybody could have a preference, if anyone has a right to require something of you, it's me. However, I'm not doing that. Instead, I am giving my life to serve others, and he's using that as an example, as a good father would show his kids, not by just telling them, but by living it in front of them. He's saying follow my example, as I follow Christ. This question Are you living your life in such a way to make a difference? Are you living your life in such a way to fulfill all of your dreams, all of your desires, all of your inclinations, and then, if you have time, you give something left over to Christ?

Speaker 2: 11:11

It's a pretty convicting statement, isn't it, when you listen to what Paul is saying. He's saying this to a city that was full of fun and good times, and let's all go do what we're going to do. Remember, it's the Las Vegas of first century Rome, and so there's all these things and there's always opportunities to get rich and always opportunities to do stuff. And he's saying I want you to take a moment and don't think about what you can get out of the world, but take a moment and think about what you can give into your world and how you can serve one another for the sake of Christ. It's very convicting when you think about it, and so your challenge for today will be today, when you go throughout the day, don't think about how you can conquer the day. Think about how you can serve somebody today and watch what will happen with the rest of your day, because we don't just live for me, we live For we.

Speaker 2: 12:00

Let's pray God. Thank you so much for today. Thank you for your goodness, thank you, god, that you always help us course correct. And, lord, we live in a world where it's easy to forget about the fact that it's about we. But, lord, I'm praying today that you'll help us to remember that it's about so much more than we can imagine. When you saved us, you set us free so that we don't have to be selfish, but we can think about others Freely. We have been given Freely, we give to others. I pray you will help us, lord, to see our life today as a chance to make a difference and, as we do, you'll add joy after joy to our life. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen. Well, family therapy session for the Church of Corinth is over again today. And don't forget God's word says in 1 Corinthians 10, whatever you do, whether you're eating or drinking, do all to the glory of God no-transcript.