10/20 Sermon - How do I love when faith is at stake?

How do we love when faith is at stake?

1 Corinthians 9:7-12, 19-23

1. Loving our family and friends can be kind of tricky, can’t it?

How do I tell my mom that I’m going to start rooting for a different team?

How do I tell my dad I actually don’t like his specialty dish that much?

How do I tell my sister that I think her boyfriend is bad news?
Do I put up my athletic awards up when I know my brother will be jealous?

It’s hard to love our family and actually live like it.

How much more so with someone’s faith in mind?

Today, we’ll look at the question: How do we love when faith is at stake?

2. Paul begins this question with a talk about wages.

- Do soldiers risk their lives and not get paid? Do vineyard farmers and shepherds work long hours and not get paid? Of course not!

- And the same is true for spiritual workers like Paul, and other pastors and missionaries. They ought to get paid for their work.

- But then Paul says: “In my case, I gave up the right to a wage.” He was doing mission work, often with a hodgepodge group of people, starting churches then moving right away, so an income wasn’t always possible.

- Paul gave up an income to spread the gospel. He uses himself as a picture.

- How did he love others when their faith was at stake? He gave up certain rights that he should have had, like a wage, to spread the gospel.  

3. Paul continues the example of his life. Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews, I became a Jew, to those under the law, I became as one under the law, to one without the law, I became as one without the law. To the weak, I became weak, so that I might win some to Jesus, to the gospel.

- Paul is NOT saying that he got drunk at bars or committed sin, or hung out with hardened sinners to spread the gospel. He’s not saying that.

- What Paul IS saying is this: No matter what ethnic group, what religion, he met people where they were at. There is so much diversity in the world… but also division. If they were Jews, maybe he observed some Jewish customs, although he didn’t have to. If they were Romans, maybe he observed some Roman customs, although he didn’t have to. If they were a weak brothers or sister in Christ, he was gentle with them.

- How did Paul love others when faith was at stake? Paul had freedoms, he was confident in the gospel. But often, he gave up those freedoms to meet people where they were at, in order to win them for the gospel.

4. As Americans, do we sometimes idolize our rights?

- “I have my right to… do say whatever I want, do whatever I want.”

- That’s true. That’s our American right. Again, do we idolize our rights?

- It’s so easy to only think about me, my opinions, my wants, my needs.

- If someone disagrees, thinks differently, then their foolish.

- Or if my actions hurt others, well, tough luck.

- Or we ask the question, “What’s in it for me?” We view relationships and decisions in our life with a selfish, “What’s in it for me?” mentality.

- How do we love when faith is at stake? Often, we don’t love. We’re selfish.

5. What did Jesus say? Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For ever the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.

- Thank goodness that was not our Savior’s attitude.

- We live in sin. We’re selfish. We idolize our rights. But when our salvation was at stake, Jesus gave up everything.

- Jesus served us by coming in weakness and humility, he served us by living a perfect life in our place, he served us by giving his life to cover our sin and buy us back from sin. He served us by rising from the dead and giving eternal life to all who believe in his name. Because he served us and gave his life for ours, God sees you as perfect, holy, sinless.

- The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many, for you.

- Paul is a great example of living for others, but Jesus is not just the perfect example, he the Savior from our selfish lives, the redeemer from our self-centered decisions and attitudes. Jesus served us, he gave up everything, to ransom us and bring us forgiveness and life.

6. This brings us back. How do we love others when faith is at stake?

- Think about our freedom.

- We have freedom! Paul says, “I am free and belong to no one!” That’s what Christ means for us. There are NO outward rules or regulations we need to keep. We don’t need to do anything to please God. Salvation and eternal life is a free gift given to you. AND we live in America, a land of more freedom than most of history.

- Yet, Paul says in chapter 8, Be careful that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. Often, loving others, our friends or family or neighbors, involves not using our freedoms. A) not fighting about politics or sports b) Don’t shun someone just because hey live contrary to God’s Word, c) don’t judge someone if they think or look different from us.

7. How do we love others when faith is at stake?

- Think about their faith.

- What did Paul say, again and again? I gave up my freedom to win as many as possible. To win the Jews, to win those under the law, to win those without the law, to win the weak, I became all things to all people so that, if at all possible, I might save some.

- Paul saw every single person in his life as either a child of God, or a potential child of God, someone who might believe.

- That’s my encouragement to you. In every interaction or relationship you have, view others as children of God, or potential children of God.

- You parents, your children, your friends, your neighbors and co-workers, don’t think of them like that! All of them are children of God or potential children of God. And so our thought process is this: How can I win them for the gospel, for Jesus? How can I put their faith first?

- This might involve giving up some of our freedoms and rights.

8. How do we love others when faith is at stake?

- I could talk about applications all day. There are so many! (I won’t).

- Here are some: If children or sibling reject God, where do I draw the line?

- Should I go to the wedding of a co-worker who is a different religion, or homosexual, or living together with their partner?

- Should I spend time with my friends and family who often, but not always live immoral lives or engage in sinful behavior?  

- Where do I draw the line when I interact with any unbeliever?

- I am not going to answer these questions for you 😊.

- Every situation is different. Maybe you DO go to a unchristian wedding in one case, and you don’t in another, to take a stand.

- Two principles come to mind, and they’re both from 1 Corinthians 10: 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

- No matter what, we always give glory to God. Sometimes that involves standing up for what we believe in.  

- No matter what, we put someone else’s faith and salvation ahead of my freedom and rights. Often times, that involves sacrificing our own rights.

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.