Sermon notes from 13 September 2015
1 Corinthians 9 verses 11 – 27
These Corinthian believers just
like you and I are not superheroes but had their faults, shortcomings just like
you and I. Here the apostle Paul writes
to them and through these verses demonstrates to us what a man he was. Here’s a man who has a passion for
souls. Look at the passion of a soul
winner. What passion do we need for
winning souls? We need that longing to
go out and spread the gospel, not just the job of the evangelist or preacher. In Revelation 3 the Lord is speaking to John
on Isle of Patmos. When it came to
Laodicea he said they were lukewarm, were going through the motions, neither
hot or cold. The Lord wanted them to be
either one or the other. We need to be
hot and need to be careful that we don’t get lukewarm.
As Paul speaks here of the soul
winners passion, he speaks of the support
of the soul winner. From this teaching
see how Paul says it is a team effort.
It is not just one preacher or evangelist, not left to one man but all
in this together. Verse 23 “And this I
do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.” What Paul is saying to this group is ‘we are
in this together.’ You and I are as
important as the evangelist is. Paul is
speaking here of the financial support of the preacher but as we look at that
we see a great picture encompassed here.
Paul is saying here the preacher is bringing them into one area, one
goal, one aim. Verse 13 taking the
principle back from the Old Testament.
Do you remember the priest in the Old Testament scriptures? When he came with the sacrifices to the
temple, he lived off those sacrifices.
He took the meat that was offered by the people. Verse 14 brings them up to date “even so hath
the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.”
Verses 11 and 12 according to these
principles Paul was saying ‘I have come into your midst and preached the gospel
and you have given the preachers the money needed for them.’ Rightly so Paul says to this group ‘I am
telling you what God ordained from the preacher, you are to finance the
preacher.’ That is your part in the
gospel spread. Encompasses not just the
preacher. The people gave finance to the
preacher. He goes out to proclaim the
gospel, they gained nothing from it.
Paul says I haven’t claimed that, used none of it. Verse 12 talks of power. If people have claimed that authority over
you from God well that is fine I haven’t used that power. I was as much entitled to that as the next
person. We have not used this power but
suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. There were people saying ‘he is only here for
the money wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Paul says I don’t want your money lest people say exactly that and the
gospel be hindered. The gospel can be
hindered by the preacher. There could be
someone unsaved out there and there could be something hindering them accepting
the gospel because of a preacher. The
fact that we are trying to prove here is that the congregation was financing
the preacher. That was their part. That is my part in the extension of the
gospel. We are all in it together for
the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In
Romans 16 we read of Phoebe as a “succourer of many”. She encouraged Paul to preach, that was her
job. Then we hear of Priscilla and
Aquilla, a husband and wife team who opened up their home to me. When I had nowhere to stay they gave me a
job. We support the gospel
together. They watched out for Apollo
who was a great preacher. Priscilla and
Aquilla realised he didn’t have the full gospel so took him aside and taught
him the full gospel message. That is
what Paul means here, sowing and watering.
1 Corinthians 3 verse 7. There is
more to watering than just praying, more to planting that preaching. Paul is given an example as we work together.
The source of the soul winner.
The gospel he preaches and proclaims.
The power of the gospel is when it is presented. It is the power of God unto salvation. Something begins to happen when it goes
forth. The spirit takes the word and
applies it to people in the congregation.
We will not see the lives of men and women changed. We will not see people saved until we take
the gospel and nothing else. Paul deals
with that in Romans 10 verse 13 – “for whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.” That is simple
message but that is all the Bible is. Have you ever called in sincerity on the
Lord? Bowed your knees at the cross,
looked on Christ as his blood was shed for you?
Saw him as God’s Son, the once for all sacrifice for your sin and mine? Realised you will never be in heaven without
him. It comes down to one call, just to
lift your voice and acknowledge you have sinned. He has paid the price for that sin and he
will come to your heart. The
responsibility of it. Romans 10 verse 14
“how then shall they call on him of whom they have not believed and how shall
they believe on him of whom that haven’t heard.” If you have never heard the name of the Lord
how can you be saved and how shall they hear without a preacher? We are in this all together. What a responsibility we have. Ezekiel “when I say unto the wicked thou
shalt surely die and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the
wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in
his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand.” (chapter 3 verse 18) If you don’t preach the gospel and the
congregation perish in their sin I will hold you personally responsible for
that. The God of heaven says that. What a responsibility. When you take the call of the preacher you
are taking on some responsibility. What
about you and I? Is there someone you
haven’t warned this week?
The sacrifice of the soul winner.
Paul was prepared to go and preach the gospel but many things he had to
forego. Romans 9 verse 3. Paul is saying “I wish that I would be
accursed for God that somehow I might see all my brothers saved.” He meant the nation of Israel. I wonder this morning could we say the same? Paul would forego his financial reward. He didn’t want that. Think of the sacrifices he made just to
preach the word of God. He loved the
gospel so much. Is there something we might
sacrifice today to see a soul saved?
“Lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.” He didn’t want praise from man or for someone
to look at him and say ‘if that is a Christian I don’t want anything to do with
it.’ Paul was so passionate. He was
afraid in case anything would hinder the gospel. We need to be sensitive. One area was argument of meats served in Corinth. Those who brought meat before market maybe
before this offered to a pagan god as a sacrifice. Then the Christian would go down and eat that
meat. Someone comes to Paul and says ‘I
know that this meat was purchased, offered to an idol, should I eat that? Paul takes an argument up in chapter 8. There is no harm in it. There is no such thing as idol. Done out of ignorance. You can eat that meat must be careful
though. If anyone with a sensitive
conscience saw you eating that meat and realised it was offered to pagan gods
it could be offensive in their eyes.
Paul says I would rather not cause offence to anyone. Is there something
we would do that would somehow offend someone else? Maybe the places we would go to, someone
looks at us who is not a Christian, wouldn’t want to go there. Things we say, habits we have, no harm in
them. Maybe someone sees no harm in
them. Wouldn’t it be better not to
offend anyone? Paul valued souls so
much. The soul that is in your bosom
today is of far greater value than all this worlds riches yet that soul stands
in danger of being lost.
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