Скачать или смотреть Everything for the Gospel // Chris Meads // 1 Corinthians 9:1-18

In this sermon, Pastor Chris Meads continues his verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians, focusing on chapter 9. He opens with the central idea that a person's loves and commitments can be measured by what they're willing to give up. He uses the Apostle Paul as an example of someone who made the gospel his absolute priority, giving up everything else to know Christ and make Him known.

The sermon examines how Paul establishes his rights as an apostle through a series of rhetorical questions. Paul confirms his authority, particularly in Corinth where he founded the church, and then lists his legitimate rights: the right to eat and drink, to marry a believing wife, and to receive financial support for his ministry work. Paul builds his case for these rights using multiple examples: soldiers who don't serve at their own expense, vineyard workers who eat from their harvest, and shepherds who drink milk from their flocks. He further supports his argument with references to Mosaic Law and Jesus's own command that gospel workers should make their living from the gospel.

However, the crucial turning point comes when Paul reveals that he deliberately chose not to exercise these rights. Instead of accepting financial support from the Corinthian church, he worked as a tentmaker to support himself. His reasoning was to avoid creating any obstacle to the spread of the gospel. In Corinth, where many traveling preachers and philosophers made their living from teaching, Paul wanted to ensure that no one could accuse him of preaching for financial gain.

Pastor Meads emphasizes that Paul's "boasting" about giving up his rights wasn't about self-promotion, but rather about demonstrating the supreme worth of the gospel. Paul would rather die, he claims, than have anyone take away his ground for boasting in offering the gospel free of charge. This connects back to the previous chapter's discussion about giving up rights for the sake of weaker brothers and sisters in the faith.

The sermon draws contemporary applications, using an example of a well-known pastor who, despite his valuable teaching, has limited his gospel influence by being unnecessarily inflammatory about non-essential issues. Pastor Meads challenges his congregation to consider whether their exercise of freedoms helps or hinders the gospel's advance. He shares a personal example of serving local school teachers with breakfast without any agenda, demonstrating how giving up rights to self-promote can create unique opportunities for gospel witness.

The sermon concludes by emphasizing that Paul's ministry wasn't about personal choice or reward, but about faithfulness to a divine commission. Paul's reward was the ability to present the gospel free of charge, removing any potential barriers to its reception. Pastor Meads calls his congregation to follow Jesus' example of emptying himself and giving up his rights for others, trading a self-focused life for one that glorifies God and builds up others.

Throughout the sermon, Pastor Meads maintains that this sacrificial approach to Christian living is not optional but essential, representing the difference between merely wearing a team jersey and actually being on the team. He concludes with a prayer asking for strength to engage in the daily battle of maintaining an undivided life focused on knowing Christ and making Him known.

Thank you for watching this sermon from GracePoint Church. To learn more, visit gracepointcoppell.org.

Sermon Title: Everything for the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:1-18)
Sermon Series: 1 Corinthians | Part III: A Devoted Church
Speaker: Chris Meads
Date: January 19, 2025

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