The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

October 20, 2024

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

How’s Your Followership?

Followers of Christ Make Selfless Sacrifices!

19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (NIV1984)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“What’s in it for me?” It’s easy to look at life through the lens of that question. It’s easy to make decisions based on perceived personal benefit. It’s easy to look back over our life and with 20/20 hindsight see that on more than one occasion we have done precisely that. Either consciously or unconsciously we have made decisions based on the premise of “What’s in it for me?”

Do we ever do that when it comes to our faith? Do we ever look at Christianity through the lens of personal gain? In our Gospel lesson for today we see that Jesus’ disciples did just that, didn’t they. While James and John were the disciples who were bold enough to ask Jesus, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” Mark also tell us, “When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.” We are no different from James and John. We are no different from “the ten.” There are times when we want to know, “What’s in it for me?” There are times when we want to know if there is a personal, visible, tangible benefit to being a follower of Christ.

As we conclude our sermon series entitled How’s Your Followership? we are going to focus our attention on a follower of Christ who gives us a wonderful example to follow. It is— the apostle Paul. Today let’s see how the apostle Paul shows us how to live this truth: Followers of Christ Make Selfless Sacrifices!

In this portion of his letter to God’s people in the city of Corinth God the Holy Spirit has the apostle Paul place a great deal of emphasis on the “freedom” we have as followers of Christ. In 1 Corinthians chapter eight Paul reminds this congregation— a congregation that included both Jews and Gentiles— that they are “free” to eat whatever food they wanted, even if that food had been brought as a “sacrifice to an idol.” At the very same time Paul gave God’s people this caveat: “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak…if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall” (1 Corinthians 8:9, 13).

In the opening portion of 1 Corinthians chapter nine Paul emphasizes that as an apostle of Jesus Christ he has certain “rights.” Paul has the “right” to “take a believing wife” along with him on his journeys. He has chosen not to exercise this “right.” Paul reminds the congregation that he has a “right” to receive “a material harvest” from them since “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). He has chosen not to exercise tis “right.”

The overarching question that needs to be answered here is the question— Why? Why did Paul choose not to get married? Why did Paul choose not to get paid for sharing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others? The answer to the question of “Why?” is found in our theme for today— Followers of Christ Make Selfless Sacrifices!

Paul summarizes what this means when he says in the opening verse of our text, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” A more literal translation here would be, “Since I am free from all men, I make myself a slave to all (people) in order that I might win over a larger number.”

Paul had a keen understanding of how a follower of Christ exercises the “freedom” that Christ won for them on the cross of Calvary’s hill. (Pointing to the cross) A follower of Christ does not use their “freedom” to “indulge the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:13). A follower of Christ uses their “freedom” in joyful service to the Lord. Like Paul we know that we belong to Christ. Like Paul we know that we have been redeemed, we have been “bought back” from the power of sin, death and the devil at the cost of the holy, innocent, precious blood of the Son of God. Like Paul we know that on a spiritual level we are not under any obligation to any human being. Like Paul we don’t need to impress anyone. Like Paul our only allegiance is to Him. (Pointing to the cross)

Because Paul knew that Christ has set him free, as a follower of Christ Paul wholeheartedly embraced what Jesus said to His disciples in our Gospel lesson— “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). Paul saw himself as a servant of everyone he met. While Paul knew that only the Holy Spirit could create the gift of saving faith in the heart of a sinner, Paul was so totally dedicated to sharing the message of the Gospel with others he viewed his purpose in life as “gaining,” as “winning over” souls for Christ.

That’s the example that we would do well to follow, my friends. With the absolute confidence of knowing that through faith in Christ we have been given the unparalleled gift of true eternal “freedom” we are now “free” to selflessly serve Christ by selflessly serving others. With the absolute confidence of knowing that through faith in Christ we have been given the unparalleled gift of true eternal “freedom” we can strive to follow Paul’s example and “make ourselves a slave to everyone, to win over as many as possible.”

What does this mean? Paul tells us exactly what this meant for him. Look at verses 20-22. Paul writes, “To the Jew I became like a Jew, to win over the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win over those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win over those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.”

As powerful as these words are they become even more powerful when we see them in the context and in the culture in which the apostle Paul lived. Paul was not only Jewish by birth, but he was the epitome of what it meant to be Jewish— especially in Paul’s day and age. Paul highlights his Jewish pedigree when he says in his letter to the Philippians “If anyone thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless” (Philippians 3:4-6).

Paul’s Jewish pedigree meant that he completely understood what it meant to be Jewish! While his faith in Jesus as the Messiah assured Paul that he was free from the condemnation of God’s holy Law, while his faith in Jesus as the Messiah assured him that he was free from observing the customs and the festivals and the rituals that God’s people had been observing since the days of Moses, Paul understood what it was like to have a conscience that was bound to all of these observations and all of these requirements. Paul knew how to relate to the Jewish people who were still following Judaism because he was once just like them!

That bond, that closeness with his fellow Jews gave Paul a unique advantage when it came to sharing with them the “freedom” that comes through faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Paul could share with them the “freedom” that comes from knowing that since Jesus has kept God’s Law perfectly— as their Substitute!— they were “free” from the guilt and the condemnation that comes from knowing that they could not keep God’s Law! They were free from their futile attempts to live up to God’s standards of holiness and perfection— because Jesus freely gives them the holiness and the perfection they need to live in God’s Kingdom for all of eternity!

Look around my friends. There are many people today who are living under a very similar burden of legalism. They may belong to a church or to a religious organization that is very clear and very strict about what is expected of them. If and when they fail to “measure up,” the guilt and the hopelessness can quickly become overwhelming. If God allows you to cross paths with someone who is caught in the trap of legalism or if you already know someone who is trapped in this type of spiritual quicksand— use the “freedom” that He (Pointing to the cross) has given to you. Reach out to them in a way that reflects the selfless sacrifice that Jesus made to save them and do everything you can to “win over” their soul for Christ. This may require that you open up to them about a time in your life when you were caught in a similar trap. This may require you to confess to them that there are still times when your own conscience tries to burden you with the heavy yoke of legalism. But when the Holy Spirit opens the door of the prison they are in you can lead them to the foot of the cross and share with them the joy of knowing what Jesus has done to free both you and them!

On the flip side of that same spiritual coin Paul talks about selflessly serving those who do not know and who did not trust in God’s Law. In Paul’s case he was referring to the Gentiles who did not know what God revealed to His people in His holy Word. Many of these Gentiles may have been living their lives in the same way that many people today are living their lives, namely, however they want! Did Paul shun them? Did Paul avoid them? Did Paul simply write them off and let them march down the “wide road” (See Matthew 7:13, 14) completely oblivious to the fact that at the end of that road there is a cliff— a cliff that will plunge them into eternal ruin and destruction? Not at all! Without compromising his faith, without denying his Lord in any way, shape or form Paul reached out to them with the life-saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Who are the “spiritual Gentiles” of today? That question becomes very easy to answer when we look around in our life and ask ourselves, “Who do I know who is living their life in a way that reveals that they simply do not know or do not care about what God says in His holy Word? Who do I know who is living their life however they choose to live it without any regard for the cliff that is waiting for them? Even if— even if!— no one’s face comes into focus, you know that there are indeed many people who fit the description of being a “spiritual Gentile” today.

What can you do, what can I do, what can we do as followers of Christ to follow Paul’s example? What we don’t want to do is simply ignore them. What we don’t want to do is act like the priest or the Levite in Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:21ff) and “pass by on the other side of the road.” What we do want to do is follow the example of Paul who in reality was following the example of Jesus. On more than one occasion Jesus was condemned because He was willing to reach out to lepers and tax-collectors, prostitutes and “sinners” so that He could share the Truth with them and “win over” their soul! What we can do is be willing to step outside of our comfort zone and without compromising our faith and without denying our Lord be willing to share the message of the Gospel with people who might be seen as the “outcasts” of our society today. This may indeed “cost” us. It may cost us some of our time. It may cost us some of our material resources. It may even cost us our relationship with someone we considered to be our friend. But no matter what it may cost us, as followers of Christ we are willing to make that selfless sacrifice!

Now look at the first part of verse twenty-two. Paul says, “To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.” Who is Paul talking about here? Is he talking about believers or unbelievers? For today’s purposes let’s consider that Paul is talking about both the “weak” believers and the “weak” unbelievers! There are indeed “weak” believers. They do indeed have faith in Jesus as their Savior, but it is a “weak” faith. It is a faith that has not been strengthened through regular use of God’s holy Word and God’s holy Supper. Since Paul never forgot his own past and since Paul was acutely aware of his own ”weaknesses” (See Romans 7) he wanted to approach the “weak” believer in a way that would enable him to share God’s Word with them with the goal of strengthening their faith and not driving them away. Once again Paul is a very good example for us to follow!

The ”weak” unbeliever includes everyone who does not even realize how “weak” they are. They unknowingly give in to all sorts of sins that keep them trapped in their unbelief. We need to approach these people in a way which reveals that we understand why they yield to their sinful weaknesses— because sometimes we do the very same thing. Yes, they need to hear God’s Law so that they can see how their sin separates them from God. But they also need to hear the glorious message of the Gospel so that God the Holy Spirit has the opportunity to bring them to faith and make them followers of Christ.

“What’s in it for me?” As followers of Christ we know that the answer to that question is: Everything! Because of the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross we have the confidence of knowing that our eternity is already guaranteed! Because of the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross we can consciously avoid getting caught up in the “rat race” of this world. Because of the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross we can dedicate our life to selfless service— service to Christ (Pointing to the cross) and service to others. Because of the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross we are willing to make selfless sacrifices in our life so that we can say along with Paul, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

To God be the glory!

Amen