Antioch Odessa
Matt 1 Cor 9
  • All My Boast Is In Jesus
  • All Creatures of our God and King
  • Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me
  • Good morning church, it is so good to be back with you. Last weekend I was in Nashville visiting my brother. I am so excited that you are here today because it shows me that you see the importance of being committed to a local and sound bible teaching church. It also shows me that you fear God and have a desire to obey Christ. One of the things that we believe in here at Antioch is that it truly matters to have a high view of God and His word. There are many churches today that seek the very opposite of this. They have a high view of man and want to please men therefore they have a low view of God and His Word. We must be on guard against this. Why? Because our Mighty God is exalted which means that He is sitting on His throne which is far above us, and He is our sovereign King. God must be treated and worshiped with a profound reverence and respect and we do not take that lightly. Our greatest prayer here at Antioch is that God’s people would have a love for Jesus and a deep hunger and thirst for righteousness. We pray that people would see the beauty of the gospel of Jesus through whom we are reconciled.
    When we have a deep respect for God the result will be that we will have a deep respect for His word.
    Psalm 138:2 ESV
    2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
    How are we too act or behave in the church? Well the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15 that the church is to be the pillar and buttress or pillar of truth. The truth is found only through one source and that is God’s eternal word. As a pillar, the church holds up the truth by teaching it. And it supports the truth by defending it and passing it on to the next generation. A solid biblical church will always have a high view of God’s Word and a desire to pass it on too the next generation. That means here at Antioch God’s Word will be the final authority over all our beliefs and practices and for that I am thankful.
    With that being said turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Over that last year we have been studying the book of 1 Corinthians. We took a short break throughout this summer to look at the Attributes of God and today we are picking back up from where we have left off. We have taken a look at the first 8 chapters of this book. So, in case you were not here with us or have forgotten, let me catch you up.
    The apostle Paul founded the church in Corinth. However, a few years after leaving the church, Paul began to hear some disturbing reports about the Corinthian church. What in the world was going on in Corinth? This church was full of division, full of pride, and they were excusing sexual immorality.
    Paul also took time to give the Corinthian church instructions on marriage and celibacy in chapter 7. And finally Paul talked to the church about food sacrificed to idols and their Christian freedom.
    The point here is that the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians in an attempt to restore the Corinthian church to its foundation which was the Lord Jesus Christ.
    More than anything Paul desperately wanted the church to understand the gospel of Christ and how important it was to walk in the wisdom of the Spirit and not in the folly of the world.
    The title of our message today is, “The Principle in Practice.” As Paul begins chapter 9 he is laying out a defense to those who have judged or examined him in a negative way. Paul shows why he has the right to be supported. Paul shows us this through the example of his own life. (Story of the Principle in Practice with my father.)
    Paul is just coming off a defense of why someone should not eat meat that is sacrificed to false idols. His point in chapter 8 and verse 13 is that we should not do anything that might cause our brothers and sisters to stumble like eating meat sacrificed to idols, even if we have the liberty and right to do that thing. Paul states that we are to take care that this right of ours does not somehow become a stumbling block to those who are weak. There are things in our own lives today that could cause a brother or sister to stumble. If you are drinking alcohol in public and a brother or sister who has an alcohol problem sees you drinking it could cause them to stumble. So, don’t do it. Going to the movies could cause a brother or sister to stumble and so Paul says don’t do it. Be wise and be cautious.
    Paul now ties that issue with the issue of receiving compensation for preaching and teaching the gospel. So, you may ask what exactly is Paul defending here? The people in the Church at Corinth know Paul very well. Paul stayed in Corinth for close to 2 years and was responsible for leading many of them to Christ. Of course there may have been new people in the church who questioned Paul’s apostleship. We also know that shortly after this Paul will begin to address the false apostles who look like they are true apostles of Christ and yet they were not. We see this in chapter 11 of 2 Corinthians. Since Paul did not feel free to take support from them for his ministry, it looks like problems began to come to the top here in chapter 9. This is why Paul takes the opportunity to now discuss these matters.
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    There are 3 lessons that I want to point out to you today. In fact, 3 things that I want you to notice here.
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    1. Notice Paul’s Questions.

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    1. Fíjese en las preguntas de Pablo.

    1 Corinthians 8:13 ESV
    13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
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    1 Corinthians 9:1 ESV
    1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?
    1 Corinthians 9:2 ESV
    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.
    First Corinthians 8 and verse 13 really ties together chapters 8 and 9. Paul will not do anything that causes a brother or sister to stumble in their faith, even if this means that he still has the liberty to do it. This would include eating food that was sacrificed to idols or receiving a compensation for preaching God’s Word. So, as we begin chapter 9 Paul gives us a personal example of the point he was making in chapter 8. Paul begins his defense by sharing 4 rhetorical questions with the answer being assumed as yes.
    A. Paul is free in Christ.
    Paul begins his defense with an assumed proof of liberty. “Am I not free?” “Free” means that Paul was no longer bound by the Mosaic restrictions like certain food laws or even circumcision. What Paul wants us to see here is that freedom can belong to each and every Christian because when we turn from our sin and place our faith in Christ. the Lord saves us, He delivers us from sin and sets us free. There were many times that the Corinthians had shared about their liberty in Christ. In fact, they recognized that they were free and now Paul takes time to mention that he too is free. Galatians 5:1
    Galatians 5:1 ESV
    1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
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    B. The second question Paul brings to the table is that he was an apostle, because he was called by Christ Jesus. We read about his personal conversion on the Damascus road in Acts chapter 9. This question is similar to the first question Paul throws out, but it shows us because he is an apostle of the Lord Jesus he would most definitely have freedom.
    Did Paul teach about whatever he wanted to teach about? No. Did Paul teach with his own authority? No. Paul preached, ministered, and served through the power of his Savior Jesus. Christ called Paul and commissioned him to take the gospel to the Gentiles. We see this in Acts 9.
    Acts 9:15 ESV
    15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
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    Paul gives us 2 proofs or verifications of his genuine apostleship.
    (1.) He personally saw the risen Christ. One of the ways to verify a true apostle is that they had to be an eyewitness of Christ and his resurrection. As the disciples began to look for a replacement for Judas this was one of the requirements.
    Acts 1:21–22 ESV
    21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
    There are people today who claim to be a modern day apostle and the reason we know that this cannot be true is because they have not seen the Lord Jesus. Of course Paul was not part of the original disciples who were with the Lord during his earthly ministry, but we know that Paul saw the Lord three different times. The Lord appeared to Paul in Acts chapter 9 and Paul had two visions of Christ in Acts 18 and in Acts 22. This is why Paul could say that he was a witness to having personally met the risen Christ.
    (2.) The second proof was the Corinthian church was proof or was the seal of his apostleship. MacArthur notes here, “that in ancient times seals were used on containers of merchandise, on letters, and on other things to indicate the authenticity of what was inside and to prevent the contents from being substituted or altered. The seal was the official representation of the authority of the one who sent the merchandise or letter. What was under the seal was guaranteed to be genuine.” The believers in Corinth authenticated his apostleship.
    All of these reasons prove that Paul was a genuine apostle and it shows us that his ministry and work were of the Lord. Church, understanding these truths calls us as believers to honor God-given authority, to practice liberty with love, and to stand firm on the eyewitnesses foundation of the gospel.

    2. Notice Paul’s rights.

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    2. Observe los derechos de Pablo.

    1 Corinthians 9:3 ESV
    3 This is my defense to those who would examine me.
    1 Corinthians 9:4 ESV
    4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink?
    1 Corinthians 9:5 ESV
    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?
    1 Corinthians 9:6 ESV
    6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
    Paul continues his defense and the rights of his apostleship as he addresses those who are trying to examine his credentials in verse 3. The phrase that Paul uses here is why do you sit in judgment on me? Why are you examining me? So, Paul points back to the prior verses that he had personally seen the risen Christ and the the believers in Corinth were his work in the Lord. What Paul was really pointing them to see was that when people questioned his apostleship he was pointing them back to his vision of Christ and to the believers.
    Having affirmed his freedom and apostleship Paul asserts his rights that help us see his authority.
    A. The first right Paul mentions is to be financially supported from the churches. Paul is saying here do we not have right to eat and drink? You may laugh at this or think that this is silly but Paul takes time to address this. As Paul has given his life in service to the Lord he is saying I have the right to be taken care of by food and drink. We see the example of this just a few verses later and also in 1 Timothy.
    1 Timothy 5:17–18 ESV
    17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
    B. Paul also addresses the right to marriage. The next right that Paul shares here is do we not have the right to take along a believing wife like the rest of the apostles? Even though Paul himself was single, most of the other apostles were married. While Paul remained single, he had the right to find a godly woman and to be married. The point here is that being married would help these men as they ministered to people and as they served the Lord. There are so many things a godly wife can do to help her husband.
    -She can pray for him.
    -She can help support him and encourage him.
    -She can serve other women in the ministry.
    -She can offer wise discernment and be a listening ear.
    All of these things are so needed in ministry and can help pastors, shepherds, and elders in so many ways as they help shepherd the flock. The principle that we see here is the importance of paying or supporting missionaries, pastors and those who are devoted to full time ministry so that they don’t have to work outside of the home. They also need to be there for their wife and children. One of the leading causes today for divorce is that husbands are always gone, and they need to be there to help lead their families, and the wife is to be there to be supportive of her husband. The church and God’s people should look for ways to help be supportive of its ministers.
    C. Finally, Paul lays out the right to be exempt from other types of manual labor. Paul and the other apostles had just as much right to be supported in their ministries and not pick up a side job as they gladly served their Savior. While this was no easy task, and there was much traveling and persecution, Paul took joy in what he did. He worked as unto the Lord. More than anything Paul wanted others to know about the good news of the gospel and so he served voluntarily.

    3. Notice Paul’s examples.

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    3. Observe los ejemplos de Pablo.

    1 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
    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?
    Paul lays out this simple illustration or example that everyone would have been familiar with and could relate too. He shares 3 helpful things with us. Again these are explained by a series of rhetorical questions.
    -The right of the soldier. Soldiers would have been involved with fighting all day and therefore it would have been ridiculous for them to go and work after they were done fighting. No soldier would have had to supply his own provisions like food and clothing at his own expense. His upkeep is provided for him as part of his own wages.
    -The right of the farmer. Every farmer who works hard on a vineyard can eventually expect to eat some of its fruit. A farmer would not go and work and not get anything in return. They would have been expected to get paid or be paid through part of the crops that they brought in.
    -The right of the shepherd. Even a shepherd can expect to drink some of the milk that is produced from his flock. The point here is that food and drink are part of the expected payment.
    Paul’s point here is that all of these examples were taken care of for their labor. Paul is saying that it is the right thing to do in regards to normal work in society, and even more so it is fitting for men who serve the Lord to be taken care of. Paul gives us these examples to help us see the Scriptural support of God’s ministers as they serve. While Paul decided that he did not want financial support, we do see the principle of this message. God always takes care of those who he has called to serve him through his people. And God shows us that His mission will continue to advance as His servants are provided for.
    (Close in Prayer)
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      • Psalm 138:2ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 8:13ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:1ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:2ESV

      • Galatians 5:1ESV

      • Acts 9:15ESV

      • Acts 1:21–22ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:3ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:4ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:5ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:6ESV

      • 1 Timothy 5:17–18ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:7ESV

      • Matthew 16:18ESV

Antioch Odessa
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