Free From All to be a Slave to All

Transcript

GR 1328
06-11-06
Free from All to Be a Slave to All
I Corinthians 9:19-23
Gil Rugh

We're studying 1 Corinthians together on Sunday mornings, and I'd invite you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9. The Apostle Paul's life was filled with a consuming passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He never ceased to be amazed that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and most amazing of all in Paul's mind was that God would save him, such a wretched, vile, undeserving sinner.

Turn over if you would to 1 Timothy 1. You know it's sad that often after we have been believers in Jesus Christ for a while things become routine for us. And even the most amazing truths become just everyday ordinary facts. You know it's like when you drive a car, when you first got the chance to drive a car it was exciting, got your license the first time you went out, you were on your own. I mean, this is really life and you are free and you are going where you want to go. And after you do it for a while you don't even think about it. You go out and get in your car, I mean, I can literally say I don't think about it. I got in the car one day, turned on the ignition, jumped on the gas and backed up and heard a thud. I forgot to open the garage door. You just get in the car all the time and don't even think about it. Another time I remembered to open the garage car, jumped on the gas and bang! I forgot there was a car parked in the driveway. They say preachers are terrible insurance risks because they are mindless. But you know sadly when you come over to our Christian life and you have a new Christian and they are saved and they are filled with zeal and they just can't talk enough about this and they want to talk to everybody about it. After we've been believers a while, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Oh yeah, that's wonderful, when are we going to be done here? You know they just become old things, and I know we traffic in those things which are so wonderful, but they become commonplace. One of the remarkable things about the Apostle Paul is it never became commonplace to him that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It never became just ho-hum that he had been saved by the grace of God.

Look at 1 Timothy 1:15, it is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Think of that. The Son of God, the creator of all came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. I mean, amazing grace, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of those sinners. I don't know if Paul was the worst sinner who ever lived, it's hard for me to think that that was so, but in his mind it was. That's one of the things that keeps us on track. When I begin to just be amazed, I don't know how people can be so sinful, I don't know how they can be so vile, how they can be so terrible. That's an indication I have begun to lose perspective. For Paul he was never overwhelmed by how terribly sinful other people were because he never got over the fact that he was the worst of sinners. In fact he says in the next verse, yet for this reason I found mercy, that in me as the foremost, the chief of sinners, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Paul said, you know the only reason I could think that God would save such a worthless wretch like me is he wanted to give hope to everyone else, that he's a God of perfect patience. If He saved the Apostle Paul, He can save you. Now you know with that kind of perspective Paul never got so self-righteous that he couldn't understand how other people could be so sinful. That kept his perspective. He never got over the amazement that God would save him, and he knew how vile and wretched he was. And yet God saved me. That gives hope to everyone. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Do you ever get over that? That Christ saved you? Why are you sitting here, one redeemed by His grace, why you? Do you ever cease to be amazed and marvel? Not only did Christ Jesus come into the world to save sinners, but that He would save me, of all people. So that's Paul's perspective.

Back up to Philippians 1. This caused Paul to see everything in light of its impact upon the gospel rather than its impact on him personally. If you keep your focus on Jesus Christ and His coming into the world to save sinners and you are the worst of those sinners, you don't begin to look at everything and how it impacts you, but you look at everything and how it impacts the gospel. And that's what the Apostle Paul does. His hardships aren't the big thing, his suffering, his pain, his difficulties aren't what absorb him. But everything is filtered through how does this impact the gospel, what does this mean for the gospel, how will this impact my ability to share Jesus Christ. He writes his letter to the Philippians, and you remember this is one of the prison epistles because he wrote it while he was in prison in Rome. And you might think he has a lot to talk about regarding his suffering and how unpleasant it is to be confined as a Roman prisoner, and how difficult it is to lose all your privacy and have a Roman soldier with you day and night, 24 hours a day, to be so restricted to not be able to go to various places and preach the gospel and establish churches, and how uncomfortable it was in trying to sleep at night and so on. You know what he says in Philippians 1:12? Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. My circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. My circumstances are that I am a prisoner in Rome, my circumstances are I have no privacy, I have no life of my own. My circumstances are I don't get to sleep in my own bed, I don't get to pick my own food.

My circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. That's what it's all about for Paul. You know what? Being in prison in Rome has provided unique opportunities for me to share Jesus Christ, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ, and that's why he's in prison, no other reason, he talked too much about Jesus Christ, has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian guard and to everyone else. Think about it. How are you going to get to the royal guard? Are you just going to walk into Rome some day and say, where are the royal guards, where are the governor's guards, where are those special, unique Roman soldiers assigned to guard prisoners with their life? I want to share the gospel with them. Wouldn't happen. You know how God ordained it happen? Paul gets arrested and shipped to Rome and he's not sitting on a hard bench thinking, I don't have any opportunities to share Christ. Woe is me, my freedom is gone, my health is deteriorating. I can't eat this wretched food, I can't sleep at night. Lord, won't you ever get me out of here. You know what he is doing? He's talking to the guy next to him who can't go anywhere either. That Roman soldier, you know what? He's on duty, he can't leave. So Paul's perspective, I can't go anywhere, but neither can he. So let's talk. And we've got hours to talk. And when he leaves somebody else will come, and on it goes. You know what? Throughout the whole Praetorian guard they've heard about Christ. Paul wasn't thinking about himself. He wasn't writing letters, pray that I'll get delivered, pray that God's grace will sustain me through this wretched time. I can hardly endure it. I want you to rejoice with me. I'm in a unique opportunity to share the gospel.

I'm reminded, one of our number who recently went home to be with the Lord, sharing. What a unique opportunity being in the hospital had provided for sharing the gospel with nurses and hospital workers. What a way to look at it. It's the way Paul would have looked at it. What a unique opportunity to share Christ with those I might not have otherwise had opportunity to talk to.

Most of the brethren trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment have far more courage to preach the Word of God without fear. People are hearing, believers are seeing how God is using Paul in prison and they're getting more bold to go tell others about Jesus Christ. Some to be sure are preaching Christ, even from envy and strife. Some also from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What a wretched situation. People actually preaching the message of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God directing Paul here, their motive being they want to add to his distress, make his imprisonment more unpleasant to him.

You know what Paul says? May God judge those wretches, may He bring my misery and more upon them. Look at the next verse, what then? Only that in every way whether in pretense or in truth Christ is proclaimed and in this I rejoice. Bottom line is, Jesus Christ is being preached, and that's all that matters. If my circumstances get more difficult, if there is more pressure upon me, that's not what matters. You know what matters? Jesus Christ is being proclaimed. You see for Paul everything is about Christ, everything is seen in light of my preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So come back to 1 Corinthians 9. He'd been instructing believers in the church at Corinth on the proper use of their liberty. You've been set free in Christ, now how do you use that freedom? Paul has used himself as an example. In chapter 8 verse 13 he said, I would never use my freedom in a way that would cause a weaker Christian to stumble. So I have freedom in Christ, but my freedom is limited by its impact on your growth as a believer. Now he has gone further in chapter 9 to talk about the fact that my freedom is further restricted by how will this impact my sharing the message of Jesus Christ. So at the end of verse 12 he says, we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. He gave up his right to be supported by those he proclaimed the Word of God to because he didn't want there to be any question about his motives, any hindrance to the gospel. So he is willing to suffer added hardship, added difficulty because that will make his ministry of the gospel more effective.

And that's his focus in verses 19-23. He talked in the first 18 verses about giving up his rights. Now he turns the emphasis in verse 19, though I am free for all men, I have made myself a slave to all. I am using my freedom to commit myself to slavery so that I might win more. It's not all about my freedom, it's not all about my rights. It's all about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how I can win more people to Him. And for that I gladly give up all of my freedom and make myself a slave to everyone. We start getting all caught up in the debates and discussions and arguments for our freedom, and I'm free in Christ and nobody is going to put restraints on my freedom. We're no longer defending the gospel, we're defending our selfish ideas. Paul says, I'm ready, I'll enslave myself to everyone. That's how I go about my ministry. I consider myself their slave. How can I serve them in such a way that they will hear the gospel and have the least possible obstacle to responding to that message of Jesus Christ?

So we begin with verse 19 as he talks about how he has used his freedom as a slave. Though I am free from all, that's been established. He has been freed, free in Christ. He asks the question in chapter 9 verse 1, am I not free, am I not an apostle? He focused on the rights he has as an apostle and how he chose not to use those rights, particularly for financial support. Now he picks up that question, am I not free? Verse 19, though I am free from all I have made myself a slave to all. The way this is worded in the Greek text, the two words for all here are right together. We've talked before, word order in Greek can be arranged according to the emphasis you want to give. So though I am free from all, to all I have made myself a slave. I am free from all. I want you to understand, I understand freedom and I'm free from everyone, their restraints, their restrictions. But to all I have enslaved myself. He understands his complete freedom, but he has used that for complete slavery. Free from all but to all enslaved.

Paul wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 5:13, for you were called to freedom, same word as free here, brethren. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. And there's our word. To serve, to act as a slave. Use your freedom to act as a slave. Do not use your freedom, now, to do as you would please, as you would desire, but use your freedom to serve others, other believers in helping them grow, non-believers in helping them come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Turn back to Mark 10. In Mark 10 Jesus gives instructions to His twelve disciples. You know we live in a self-centered world, that's not new. That's characteristic of sin, it focuses on self. We have been made new in Christ and now we are being conformed to His image. And Jesus addressed His disciples and in verse 42 He called them to Himself and He said to them, you know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you. Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. Now note the example. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. The Apostle Paul is just modeling his life after Jesus Christ. In fact when we get to 1 Corinthians 11:1 he will say, you imitate me as I imitate Christ. What did Christ do? He came and made Himself a slave of all, He gave His life as a ransom for many. Paul said I have chosen to use my liberty to enslave myself to others, that I might win more. He died to give His life a ransom to pay the penalty for my sin. I now am willing to be a slave and give my life that others might come to know the One who loved them and died for them.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 9. But he says in verse 19, though I am free from all men I have made myself a slave to all so that I may win more. Verb to win means to win, to gain. He's talking about the salvation of the lost. Five times in these verses he's going to talk about winning more, winning others. The end of verse 19, that I may win more. Verse 20, so that I might win Jews. The end of verse 20, so that I might win those who are under the law. The end of verse 21, so that I might win those who are without law. The end of verse 22, so that I may by all means save some. That's what it means to win them, to save them. Not that Paul saved anyone in and of himself, but he becomes a partaker of the gospel as he'll say in verse 23, in its marvelous work of salvation when he gives it out. So that I might win more. That's what it's all about for Paul. Looking at everything now, this is my situation, this is my circumstance, this is my freedom. How can I use it to win more? I am in prison, I'm in difficulty. How can this be used to win more? I'm at Philippi in Acts 16 and I've been beaten and thrown into the inner prison. How can this turn out for the furtherance of the gospel? Silas, let's sing the praises of God. Before the evening is over the Philippian jailer and his family are saved. Who knows about other prisoners? Everything has to be, I want to win more, I want to win more, I want more to come to know the Savior.

He gives an example beginning in verse 20, to the Jews I became as a Jew. Paul himself was Jewish, he could function with Jews as Jews lived. No problem. He didn't have to, because he knew as he wrote to the Galatians that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. Being a Jew or not being a Jew has nothing to do with my relationship with Christ and salvation by grace through faith. I am free from all obligations that I might have had as a Jew. But that doesn't mean that I can't function as a Jew when I am with Jews.

To those who are under the law, which would be Jews, particularly as responsible to the requirements of the Mosaic Law. To those who are under the law as under the law, though not being myself under the law. I mean I'm no longer under the Mosaic Law. He wrote about that extensively when he wrote to the Galatians. But you know what? That doesn't mean I can't observe certain things in the law if it would make me more effective. That's a flexibility. Back in chapter 8 verse 8, food will not commend us to God, we are neither the worse if we do not eat nor the better if we do eat. So you know what? I know now I can have a ham sandwich. But you know what? That doesn't mean I have to have a ham sandwich. So if I am out with the Jews who are rather strict, I don't have to say, by the way, I'll take a ham sandwich. I'm buying, ham sandwiches for anyone? What am I trying to prove? I want them to know I have liberty. I mean, I'm proving what Christ does for you, He sets you free. You're just proving what a selfish bumbler you are. Why make that an issue? You're not better if you eat or better if you don't eat, so why do you want to distract the attention and turn it away from the true issue? I mean, I'll have a salad. I don't have to eat that.

So I'm not under the law, Paul says, but that doesn't mean that when I am with those who are under the law I can't choose to do that. Now if it were a compromising of the gospel, he rebuked Peter in Galatians 2 because Peter ate with Gentiles. But when Jews from Jerusalem came he separated himself from the Gentiles. Then Paul rebuked him because there he was saying by what he was doing that the Jews are better than the Gentiles, and the Gentiles are defiled. So there was inconsistency. The problem wasn't whether Peter made adjustments, the problem was Peter was being a hypocrite.

When we were in Israel we went to the Wailing Wall. Men have to put a little cap on their head to go to the Wailing Wall. I put a cap on my head. What am I going to do? I don't put a cap on my head for anyone. Why? Does the Bible say you can't put a cap on your head? No. Well the Jews want men who go to the Wailing Wall to put a cap on their head, so put a cap on your head. Ladies aren't allowed to go there in sleeveless garments. So when they were told we would be going to the Wailing Wall, the ladies wore garments with sleeves. Why? Don't we want to prove our liberty? We don't have anything to prove in that. It's a non-issue, so let's not make it an issue. Believers are great for thinking they're defending freedom and making overblown issues out of things the Bible doesn't make an issue of.

That's what Paul is saying, I'm thinking about how will this enable me to share the gospel with them more effectively. So rather than giving a debate at lunch with Jews over ham sandwiches, let's just take that out of the equation, and I'll be like they are, and I'll wonder what they want and what they would eat. And I'll eat like they are. Then we can talk about things that really matter, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's not make things an issue that aren't an issue. That's what Paul is saying. And let's think about our freedom now and how it can be best used to reach more people with the gospel.

Verse 21, to those who are without law as without law. In other words, the Gentiles. They never did live under the Mosaic Law. So when I'm among the Gentiles I don't have to make any issue of the Mosaic Law, it says this is what you ought to do. It's a non-issue. It's an issue for Jews so I make adjustments for them. I mean in Acts 16 Timothy who was part-Jew and part-Gentile, Paul had him circumcised so he could have a more effective ministry among the Jews since he was part-Jew. But when the Jewish people, the Judaizers, wanted Titus to be circumcised, Paul planted his feet and said, absolutely not. You know, we have to know enough of the Bible to know what the issues are and when to stand and when not to. We have many believers, professing believers, running around proclaiming their stand on issues that have nothing to do with what the Bible says we ought to be taking stands on. They are weakening the impact of the gospel. Christianity gets noted for stupid things, being for this and against that, and it has nothing to do with the gospel. The principles that Paul has established are greatly misused.

Those who are without law as without law, but qualification here. This is important. Often those in reformed theology accuse us dispensationalists of being antinomian, being lawless because we don't believe we are under the Mosaic law. Paul says to those who are without law as without law, meaning without the Mosaic Law as he talked about in verse 20. Because obviously no one living in the Roman Empire was totally without law just generally. But the Gentiles were not under the law. Paul wrote about this to the Romans in Romans 2.

But when I say I am without law and live without law you understand, I'm not under the Mosaic Law but I am under the law of God, the law of Christ. Now that's an important distinction. The Gentiles are those who live outside the law, Romans 2:14. They are not under the Mosaic Law. But when I say now I am not under the Mosaic Law, Paul even as a Jew realized that he's not under the Mosaic Law now in Christ. I don't mean I am lawless. I am under the law of God, the law of Christ. In other words, I am accountable to God to do everything God has told me I must do as a believer in Jesus Christ. I am under obligation not to do anything He has told me not to do as a believer in Jesus Christ. But I'm not under the Mosaic Law. There oughtn't to be any confusion on this. Every time the Bible talks about law, it's not talking about the Mosaic Law. Here he clearly makes a distinction about being under the Mosaic Law and being under the law of God. The law of God is not the Mosaic Law for us, the law of Christ is not the Mosaic Law. We are not under the Mosaic Law.

Now a number of the things that were required in the Mosaic Law are also required today. Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated for us who are in Jesus Christ. The command to keep the Sabbath day is not repeated for us in the church, so we don't keep the Sabbath day. I know there are people who say we have the Christian Sabbath, Sunday. Don't do that. I mean, it's just not true. The Sabbath is the seventh. You could gather sticks on Sunday and that was fine, you gathered sticks on Saturday and you got stoned. You couldn't get away with saying wait a minute, different Sabbath. There is only one Sabbath, it is Saturday, folks. We do nine of the Ten Commandments not because they are the Ten Commandments but because they are told to us as those who are in Christ in the New Testament. We're not trying to tell people you have to keep the Ten Commandments. That is to undermine the gospel. The whole book of Galatians is about the fact we're not under the law. So he says, I'm not under the law. I can be with Gentiles and not be concerned about keeping the Mosaic Law. They don't, never did keep the Mosaic Law and when I'm ministering to Gentiles, the Mosaic Law is a non-issue. Now you understand when I say I am without law, I'm not without the law of God, I'm not free to do as I please, I'm not without the law of Christ. I have to do all that is required of me as one who is in Jesus Christ. If you love me you will keep my commandments, Jesus said. He didn't say, if you love Me keep the Mosaic commandments. If you love Me you will keep My commandments. So that is the distinction. I hope we're not confused on that. I get frustrated every time I read the reform theologians who want to say, they are antinomian, they don't believe we're under the law. We're not under the Mosaic Law, but we're under the law of God, the law of Christ. That's different than the Mosaic Law. We ought to keep it distinct.

All right. So that I might win those who are without law. Paul's purpose in everything he does in using his freedom. You see these are matters of freedom. Can you have a ham sandwich? Yes. Do you have to have a ham sandwich? No. So you decide in this situation what would be best for my testimony for Christ. That's all. These are matters of freedom, now. There are areas where we have no freedom, that's why Paul is in prison. There are things he could not adjust on, he could not be flexible on.

Verse 22, to the weak I became weak that I might win the weak. Back in chapter 8 verse 11 he says, through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whom Christ died. There he is talking about a Christian who is weak, doesn't understand fully yet the freedom we have in Christ. I don't think that's what he is talking about here in verse 22, to the weak I became weak that I might win the weak, because he is talking I became all things to all men so that I might by all means save some. In chapter 8 verse 11 he's talking about those who are believers, brethren in Christ. Here he is talking about the weak who are unsaved. In Romans 5:6 Paul said, for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. While we were still helpless. That word translated helpless is the same Greek word translated weak here in verse 22. While we were still weak, we had no ability to help ourselves, to save ourselves. Christ died for the ungodly. So in 1 Corinthians 9:22 I think that is the weak he is talking about, the helpless. To the weak, to the helpless I became helpless that I might win the helpless, the weak. In other words, he didn't come with a gospel of one who is arrogant. Now thanks to your good church and you have me here to help you. We read in 1 Timothy 1. What did he say about himself? The foremost of sinners. I mean he's the one who persecuted the church, put Christians to death and God saved me. So Paul never had the problem that some of us have, I just don't like being around those dirty sinners. I don't want to be around people who are immoral, I don't want to be around people who are homosexual, I don't want to be around people that do this. We shouldn't be partakers of their deeds, but you know Jesus Christ was criticized for being a friend of sinners. He would eat with sinners. His attitude wasn't I want to be as far away from sinners as I can, I don't want to be defiled. How can I get that kind of attitude when my Savior, the One who knew no sin, could come and become a friend of sinners? He said, I didn't come to call the righteous to repentance, I came to call sinners. How are we going to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ and His message of salvation for sinners when we don't want to be around sinners? I just feel dirty when I get home. You know I don't like my job, I work next to sinners. That's like Paul saying he's in a Roman prison and I don't like it because this guard is a sinner. You know how he saw it—what an opportunity. Why do you think maybe God put you in that job next to that sinner? How is that sinner ever going to get redeemed? You know how? In God's grace a messenger will come and he will hear. And by God's grace he will become a believer. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. You know sometimes our greatest complaints are about our greatest opportunities.

I have become all things to all men so that I might by all means save some. That's Paul's philosophy. And if there is any verse of scripture that is being twisted by the church today, I'm afraid this is it. I've become all things to all men so that I might by all means save some. We think this becomes an excuse for doing all kinds of things because we want to be relevant, we want to reach the people of our culture.

Let me read you what some others have written before I express my opinion. And of course I'm only reading those that are right because they agree with me. His accommodation has nothing to do with watering down the gospel message, soft pedaling its ethical demands or compromising its absolute monotheism. Paul never modified the message of Christ crucified to make it less of a scandal to Jews or less foolish to Greeks. The preacher of the changeless gospel could adapt himself, however, to changing audiences in seeking their ultimate welfare, their salvation. Another wrote, thus although this passage is sometimes interpreted to mean that we should feel free to reshape the gospel when we move from culture to culture, that is exactly what Paul does not mean.

You know one of the basic rules of hermeneutics and interpreting the scripture, in interpreting anything, is context determines meaning. Sometimes when helping our children with their vocabulary, they're going to learn the meaning of a word we'll put it in a sentence and they begin to learn something of the context. Well you know we just don't quote 1 Corinthians 9:22, I've become all things to all men so that I may by all means save some. Well that's a biblical verse, now what does it mean? It means we're trying to reach people of our culture so we have to become culturally relevant. I'm reading a large book off and on on truth. It has some great things. The writer is a disciple of Francis Schaefer, I appreciate much of what they say and much of what this person says. However, I think they miss the point, they're talking about to be relevant we have to learn the philosophy of our day and be able to relate to people intellectually. The problem with Christianity is it doesn't become intellectually relevant.

You know what? Paul is dealing with people like that and he said he didn't do that. In fact the best place to start a letter is at the beginning, and so we started in chapter 1 of the letter to the Corinthians. Now we shouldn't forget chapter 1 and chapter 2 when we get to chapter 9, so when he says I become all things to all men that I might by all means save some, we need to remember the context of that. Go back to chapter 1. Paul could be very flexible and he could be rigid as iron. There are some things that he will not give a fraction of an inch, and there are other things he will give up without a thought. Look in 1 Corinthians 1:17, for Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. Not in cleverness of speech, not in the wisdom of word, literally, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. There is something I cannot adjust on, I'm going to share the message of Jesus Christ crucified as the only payment for sin. And unbelievers, those who are perishing, are going to think it's stupid, moronic, foolishness. Down at the end of verse 21, God was well please through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believed. For indeed Jews ask for signs, Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness. Now he said in chapter 9, I want to do whatever I can to remove any hindrance to the gospel. But that does not include altering the message of Christ, that does not include any change in the gospel. I know the gospel is a stumbling block to the Jews, but all I do is preach the gospel to the Jews, and they stumble. I know the Greeks view the message of Christ crucified as foolishness, but I give no ground here. All I do is tell the Greeks there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. We preach Christ crucified, I know what the Jews want, I know what the Greeks want and I know what God's plan is.

Jump down to chapter 2. For when I came to you brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. We don't need to know more about the philosophers of the day. You know we're still studying the philosophers who were great in Paul's day, their writings have been around for hundreds of years, men like Plato and Socrates and so on. You don't find Paul using that as his “in” with the Corinthians. You know what you got from Paul in Corinth? I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that your faith will not rest on the wisdom of men but on the power of God. You know what is wrong with the world? Not that Christianity is not intellectually credible, not that we are not scholarly enough in our approaching the wise men of our day, not that we don't relate well enough to the culture, but that we have fear and trembling and we don't follow through like Paul did, even though we are in fear and trembling. He preached the gospel.

I was with you in weakness and fear and much trembling, but what did he do? Next verse, he preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It's just like I didn't know anything else. This guy's an idiot. Doesn't he know anything about Plato? Guess not. All he talks about is the cross of Jesus Christ, all he wants to talk about is there is a way of salvation for you, there is forgiveness, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He died to pay the penalty for your sin. But what about Plato? What about him? Well don't you want to impress the Greeks that you have wisdom? No, I want to tell you about Christ.

So when he says I become all things to all men, there shouldn't be any confusion here. We adapt. Now remember that. Some day we'll remodel and change the carpet, so what? We might even change the seats. I didn't say we would. You know when we put padding on these benches there were people who said, why do we have to put padding on benches? I went to church when I was growing up and our church never had padding. Why do you need padding? You don't. Is it wrong to have padding? No. Is it right to have padding? I don't know, you're sitting on it, I'm not. I mean it's a non-issue. What if we change the seats and they are a different style, we don't use church pews anymore? Will that matter? Doesn't matter. You know what I find myself thinking about? What will provide the best seating for people who are going to do the most important thing in life, and that is study the Word of God, and not say my bottom feels like it has needles in it. If we can take that away, that distraction, fine. And then the unbeliever comes away and says, I feel like I'm in the 1700s, they're sitting on the same kind of seats they did. You know we do a lot of things. We have air conditioning, the church I grew up in didn't have air conditioning. Why do we need air conditioning? Are you not willing to sweat for the Lord? You're not serious. That's all right, the old time churches didn't have heating systems either. You're not willing to freeze for the Lord, you're not willing to follow Him. And then they never had speaking systems, so I guess if you can't hear, get down front. Not a bad idea.

You know all these things we don't need to argue over, they're non-issues. We'll talk about them, someone will have to decide, then we'll go on. Part of what we ought to think is we do want to provide the best kind of setting for people. I don't want people to come in and say, I guess you have to sit on the kind of seats they had in 1742 if you're interested in the Bible. Doesn't matter. I'm not opposed to benches. I'm not arguing one way or another. These are the kinds of things that don't matter. We have freedom. I mean we could take all the seats out and everybody bring their little blanket and we'd sit on it. It wouldn't be anymore biblical, any less biblical. Those are just things we don't want to fight over, churches oughtn't to battle over. They are non-issues. We want to do all things for the gospel.

Back one more verse. I do all things for the sake of the gospel that I may become a fellow partaker of it. That I may become a fellow partaker of it. You know what the basic word translated fellow partaker, it's a compound word, the basic word is koinonia. Koinonia means to share in common together, to fellowship together. I do all things for the sake of the gospel so that I may become a fellow partaker in it. You know what? I want to share together in the gospel. Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 1:5 and thanked God for their participation, there's our word, their fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. What is he talking about? I want to join together in the message of the gospel. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. But faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. In God's plan He has placed the message of life in a messenger. He'll write later to the Corinthians and say, we have this treasure in earthen vessels that all the glory may belong to God. So we are privileged to become partners with the gospel and its work of salvation. Paul says, that's what my life is about. He's a prisoner in Rome, what's he thinking about? How can I become a partaker in the gospel's work of salvation? That's why he can say, I become all things to all that I might by all means save some. He doesn't save anyone and yet he does because it's God's plan that a messenger pass on the truth of the gospel. And the gospel is God's power of salvation, but I was the one privileged to share it. I became a fellowshipper in the gospel, a partaker of the gospel. I became part of Almighty God's work in the saving of that soul. There is nothing but nothing that can stand with that in significance.

Isn't it amazing how dumb we become, how speechless we are in the presence of the unbeliever, lost and without hope, doomed to an eternal hell. I just couldn't get it out, I told him God bless you, so I got a word of witness in. What do you mean, you got a word of witness in? I mean, we try to soothe ourselves. There's one thing I want to tell you before we part ways, you know God says we are sinners. I understand that because I am as bad as anyone. Something marvelous happened. God sent His Son into the world to die for sinners. Now He tells us there is one God and one mediator, one go-between between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We'd like to tell you, Jesus Christ died for you and if you will place your faith in Him, He'll forgive you and cleanse you. Isn't that a simple message? Isn't it amazing how we can stumble around, bumble and when all is said and done we never did get it out very clearly. Why? Well you know it is partly due to the whole sinful state in which all creation lives. Paul says I was with you in fear and weakness and much trembling. But he got it out. So you are afraid, so you are trembling, so your knees are knocking, so your mouth is turning to cotton, so your insides are churning. Spit it out. Now you might have to tell them, I'm so nervous I can hardly talk, but there is something I have to tell you. You're lost and on your way to hell and Jesus Christ came to earth so that you can be saved. You need to hear that. You're going to offend a lot of people, the majority of the people you tell that to will be offended. Paul is sitting in a Roman prison when he writes to the Philippians because he talked too much about it. We think look at all the people who got saved. You know what Jesus said? The way to hell is broad, the gate that puts you on the way is a wide one and most people are going down that road. There is a narrow gate and a narrow road. We join with the Apostle Paul in enduring all things for the sake of the elect that they might come to salvation which is in Christ. I know that only those that God is sovereignly pleased in His grace to penetrate their rebellious heart will ever respond in faith. My role is to give off the flavor or aroma which is the knowledge of Jesus Christ in every place and let God do what only He can do with that. And what a privilege it is to be part of the gospel.

So that's how Paul uses liberty. I have freedom to do a lot of things, I have the same freedom not to do a lot of things. Now everything is sifted through this one prism. How will this enable me to win them for Christ? I can't compromise the message, I can't hold back on the gospel, I can't change anything about Jesus Christ and what He has done. If sharing this over a salad would be better than sharing it over a ham sandwich, bring on the salad. We make adjustments where we can and we stand unshakable when it comes to the proclamation of truth.

Let's pray together. Lord, it is easy to study the life of the Apostle Paul and to see his passion for the gospel. Lord, we would desire that same passion to be characteristic of us, that single focus to realize Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. We are privileged now as those who have been redeemed to give ourselves as slaves for others, to do what we might find unpleasant, frightening, terrifying so that they might hear the truth and be saved. How privileged we are to give our lives in the sharing of the message of Jesus Christ. And Lord I pray that we might take our eyes off ourselves and our difficulties and our problems, the things we consider hardships and turn our attention to that which matters for eternity. We thank you that we have a Savior who came into the world to save sinners. Lord, I pray for any who are here today who are confused in their thinking, who attend this church, who may serve in a variety of ways, but they've really never come to know the Savior. I pray that your truth will penetrate their rebellious hearts, that they might have the testimony that Paul had, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst and know something of His grace. Thank you, Lord, that we know of that grace through faith in Him. We pray in His name, amen.