Now for the benefit of visitors, we're studying in our evening service Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. And we're about halfway through that epistle and the passage that we're going to look at later and read now is chapter 9 verses 1 to 18. First Corinthians chapter 9 Beginning to read at verse one, let us hear the word of God. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus, our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don't we have the right to food and drink? Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the law say the same thing? For it is written in the law of Moses, do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us. Because when the ploughman ploughs and the thresher threshes, They ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything. rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rites. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet, when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward. if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this, that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it. Amen. We pray for God to bless his word and to give us understanding of it. Let us turn in our Bibles to this passage of God's word which he brings before us this evening for our consideration. 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verses 1 to 18. And I've given the study the title Rights and Restraint. Rights and restraint. Let us just remind ourselves of where we had reached at the end of chapter 8 in our study in 1 Corinthians. Paul has been writing to the Corinthians about their practice of eating meals in heathen temples. And they said you should not do that. You should not go to these temples and participate in these meals. And if they were to ask him what is wrong with that, he would say, apart from anything else, it is having a damaging effect on your weaker brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is shaking their faith and throwing them into confusion. So I want you, he says, to restrict your freedom for the sake of your brothers and sisters in Christ. And it appears that this teaching had been given to them before and they had challenged this teaching and were arguing with the apostle. And they had two arguments that they brought against Paul's teaching here. They said that he was inconsistent himself. Sometimes he ate this meat and sometimes he didn't. And Paul is going to deal with that argument in verses 19 to 27. And then their second objection was, well after all Paul isn't really a proper apostle and we don't have to listen to him. He has no right to lecture us or to give us commands. Who does he think he is? And it is that argument that Paul is going to be dealing with in the first 18 verses of the chapter. He asks in his first two questions, he deals with the two issues. His first question is, am I not free? And we look at that, God willing, next week. Am I not free to decide in different circumstances what I'm going to do? And then his second question, am I not an apostle? Paul is very, very agitated here. He is emotionally aroused. I'm sure you noticed that as I read the chapter, there were a talent of questions. There are in fact 16 questions in the first 18 verses of the chapter. Question after question after question. Rhetorical questions. Here is a man who is very agitated by their attack on his apostolic status. You aren't the proper apostle, he says. We don't need to listen to you. Paul says, I am an apostle. And in verses 1 and 2, he gives two reasons for that. He says, have I not seen Jesus, our Lord? This was a mark of an apostle. An apostle had to have seen with his own physical eyes the risen Jesus. That is why there are no apostles today. And any who claim that title apostle are false apostles. An apostle had to have seen Christ. And Paul says, I saw him with my own eyes. And then he says, are you not the result of my work in the Lord? You are the seal of my apostleship. Of course I'm an apostle, he says. I've seen Jesus. And I have been used by Jesus to build your church, to be your spiritual father. How can you possibly think I'm not an apostle? Now why did these people say that Paul wasn't an apostle? Why did they attack his apostleship? Well there were several reasons. But the one we're face to face with here is a strange one. The Corinthians didn't think Paul was an apostle because he worked for his living. He worked with leather. He made military equipment and tents and material for horses and a whole range of things. He was a working man. When he was in Corinth, we read in Acts 18.3, he worked with Aquila and Priscilla as a tent maker. He earned his own living. He says in 1 Corinthians 412, we work hard with our own hands. And the Greek people were very different from the Jews because the Greeks despised manual labour. The Jews honoured it, but the Greeks despised it. They had no time for anyone who worked with their hands. The Greek teacher Aristotle wrote that there are two classes of humanity. There are those who study and read and teach and philosophize, and there are others who work with their hands. And he said, these are like beasts. They are not worth educating. They are little better than animals. So the Greeks despised people who worked with their hands. Two of their philosophers, Plato and Socrates, taught without charging for their teaching. And many of the Greeks despised them because they didn't charge for their teaching. They taught free. Plato, Socrates they said. Foolish people. Their teaching is not worth anything. And so when Paul came into Corinth, into this Greek city and worked for a living, these Greeks despised him. They said he's not a proper teacher. He's not qualified. He's not worth listening to. He can't be a real apostle. A working man like that? And it was very offensive to them. They were ashamed of him. They were embarrassed by him. All their pagan friends had full-time philosopher teachers. Their teacher was a little man who got his hands dirty in a workshop all week. We see this coming out in 2 Corinthians. For example, 2 Corinthians 11.7. Listen to what Paul says. Was it a sin for me to lower myself by preaching the gospel to you free of charge? Is that a sin? Again, in the same book, chapter 12, verse 3. How were you inferior to the other churches? Except that I was never a burden to you. Forgive me this wrong, he says sarcastically. They felt they were inferior because their teacher worked for his living. He didn't accept support from the Corinthians. And so Paul is facing this issue head on in this chapter. He says in verse 3, this is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. And the first heading of our study tonight is Apostolic Rites. Apostolic Rites, verses 3 to 14. And in these verses, Paul is arguing that he has as much right to a salary as any other apostle. He has as much right to be paid full time for his preaching as any other apostle. Look at the questions he asks in verses 4 to 6. Don't we have the right to food and drink, he says? In other words, to salary, to pay, to a livelihood? Don't we have the right to have our livelihood provided by the church? Of course we have. He says, don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us? That doesn't just mean to be married, but to have his wife's expenses met. Apparently Peter and the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord travelled with their wives. And the churches met the expenses of their wives as well as the preachers. And Paul says, haven't we that right? Of course we have. Or again he says, is it only Barnabas and I who must work for a living? Are we the only two who have to work? Can everybody else get a salary but no salary for us? Is that fair? So he's arguing very forcibly here, I have a right to be paid for my preaching. I have a right to be supported. I have a right to a salary from the church. And he sets out, in the remainder of this section, five strong reasons why he has a right to be supported by the Church. Let me just look at them very briefly with you. This is a simple chapter in 1 Corinthians, not like some of the very difficult chapters that we've had in the past. At least the explanation is simple. The application isn't simple. as we'll probably see. It's simple enough to understand. It's not so simple to apply it. But his argument is very clear. Look at the five reasons he gives. Firstly, in verse 7, there's a reason from everyday life. From everyday life. Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Is a soldier expected to buy his own helmet and his own sword and his own shield and his own food? Certainly not. He's supported by the people he works for. Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Is the farmer not allowed to receive a reward for all his work? Of course he is. Who tends a flock? and does not drink of the milk? Do you expect a shepherd to work for nothing? Of course you don't. The man works and is entitled to a fair return for his work. So here are three very down-to-earth examples, very appropriate for a preacher or a minister. A soldier, a planter, a shepherd. He says they all live by their work, should I not? The second argument in verses 8-10 is from Old Testament law. Doesn't the law say the same thing? For it is written in the law of Moses, do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. He's referring there to Deuteronomy 25 verse 4. The animal dragged a piece of heavy wood with spikes or sharp edges in it, over the grain. And as he did that, the grain was threshed. And God said, that animal is allowed to eat of the grain. You don't put a muzzle on it. It can stop and it can take a mouthful of the grain that it is threshing. It's doing the work. It's entitled to a reward. And Paul says, is God just talking about animals? No, he says he's not. He's saying that anyone who works has a right to be supported as a result of their work. And then his third argument is from common justice in verses 11 and 12. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support, shouldn't we have it all the more? He says, think of all I've done for your church. The months I spent preaching and teaching, the effort I put in, have I no right to support? If I've sown this fertile seed, should I not get a material reward? You're giving support to other people who have done so much less for you. Have I no rights in this matter? And in common justice, you'd have to say, well, yes, the man has worked so hard, he deserves support. And then his fourth reason, in verse 13, he thinks of these two reasons later on, is the provision made for priests. Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple? And those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar. Both Jewish priests and pagan priests were paid for their work. They were given a portion of the sacrifices of the meat and the grain and the oil and the grapes. We read in Numbers 18.21 that the Levites were to be given a tenth of all the offerings. That was their inheritance in Israel. And he says if God provides for the priests in the Old Testament, if the pagans provide for their priests now, should Christians not provide for their apostles? And then his last argument, the strongest of all in verse 14, is the Lord's command. The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. Perhaps he's thinking there of Matthew 10, verses 9 and 10. Jesus says to his preachers, do not take along any gold or silver or copper. in your belts, for the worker is with his keeper. So these are the five arguments that Paul uses here. His case is simple. He's criticized. People say you're not a real apostle. You have no right to support. Paul says I am a real apostle and I do have right to support. And he gives five very, very strong, powerful reasons why he has an absolute right to receive a salary from these people. His apostolic rights. Then secondly, and amazingly, surprisingly, unexpectedly, he moves on to what we could call apostolic restraint. Apostolic restraint. Verses 12b and 15 to 18. He says, but we did not use this right. We have a right. We have a right. But we didn't use it. We didn't claim it. We restrained ourselves. Again, verse 15. I have not used any of these rights. I haven't asked you, he says, for a penny. I preached the gospel to you free of charge. It was my right to be paid, but I haven't used that right. And he says in verse 15 that he is certainly not hinting that he should be paid. He's not giving him a little nudge of the elbow and saying, how about my backdated salary? He says, look at verse 15, I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die, he says. This is very surprising, isn't it? It takes so much time showing that he has a right to a salary. And then he says, but I didn't use it. And I don't want it. And I'm not hinting that you should give it to me. In a sense, he says, although I do have a right, in another sense I don't have a right. Verses 15 and 16. When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward. If not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. I can't pat myself on the back and say what a wonderful fellow I am, how good and kind it is of me to preach. I am compelled to preach. I have to preach. I've nothing to boast about. I've nothing to praise myself for. I can't say, oh look all it's owing to me because I preach. That's not the reason for my restraint. We find the reason in verse 12. Here is why Paul would not receive a salary from the Corinthian Christians. We put up with anything. rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Now we don't really know what Paul means here because he doesn't tell us. Perhaps some people were making false accusations. Perhaps people were saying these Christian preachers are just in it for what they can get out of it. It's a good cushy job. Plenty of money and not much work to do. Perhaps people have said that in Corinth. And that was hindering the gospel. And so in order to shut their mouths, Paul said to himself, well I'm not going to take any money. They're not going to say that about me. I don't want the gospel to be hindered. Or perhaps again, and we've had this earlier in the epistle, perhaps people were comparing the preachers with the pagan teachers. The pagan teachers were well paid. Do you remember how we saw in chapters 1 and 2 that many of the Corinthians wanted their preachers to be like pagan philosophers, great orators, very highly educated men, preaching very elaborate intellectual sermons. Paul says, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to preach the simple gospel of the crucified Christ. It's the power of God. I'm not going to get involved in wisdom of words and high fancy intellectual theorizing. I'm not going to be like a pagan teacher. Perhaps that's why he didn't receive a salary. Perhaps the people in Corinth were unusually poor. You remember we read a couple of chapters ago about a present crisis in the church and their circumstances. It was good for people not to marry. There was some crisis going on. There was famine in these years. Maybe there was unemployment. Maybe it would have been a great burden on the church to try to support it. And Paul didn't want to. Or perhaps it was like the situation in Thessalonica. There were a lot of lazy, idle Christians who were sitting about waiting for Jesus to come back and weren't doing an honest day's work. Remember Paul said to the Thessalonians, I work with my own hands. Perhaps he felt he had to set a good example to these people. We simply don't know. There were other times when Paul was quite willing to accept a sacrifice. when the Philippian Christians sent him repeated gifts. He was delighted. He thanked them for their support. He acknowledged their goodness and he was able to lay aside his tent making and give himself full time to preaching the gospel because the Philippians were paying his salary. But for some reason, on this occasion, in this place, there was a compelling reason for him not to exercise his right. He says it would hinder the gospel, and rather than hinder the gospel, I will not use my right. He goes on to say in verse 18 that this is his reward. His pay is no pay. His reward is this, that in preaching the gospel, I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching. Paul says in Corinth, I want my ministry to be an example of my message. The gospel is free and I want the preaching of the gospel to be free. So this is Paul's argument. On the one hand we have apostolic rights, on the other hand we have apostolic restraint. These people are refusing to listen to Paul because they say he isn't a true apostle. He answers that he is an apostle and has got full rights as an apostle. And the reason why he doesn't use them is a reason why they should listen to him more and respect him more, rather than despise him for not receiving a salary, they should honour him for not receiving a salary. Rather than refusing to listen to him for not being paid, they should listen to him all the more for being paid. I hope that's all pretty straightforward. It seems straightforward to me compared with some of the passages we've had. But then the question arises, what has all that to do with us? And that's what I'd like to give the rest of our time to. So thirdly, we turn to present application. I start with a very simple and obvious application, and then move on to two applications which I think are more important, but perhaps a little bit more difficult to grasp. I want to say something first about what preachers deserve, then secondly, why rights can be asserted, and thirdly, when restraint should be exercised. The first is the simplest. perhaps the most embarrassing. What preachers deserve. Well this passage tells us that preachers deserve support, financial and material support from their people. So that they can give their full time and effort to the ministry of the word. And Paul sets out that case very plainly and very clearly. And he gives these five powerful biblical and common sense reasons why those who minister by the Lord's command, by Old Testament and apostolic example, by everyday life and common justice, why they deserve to be supported by the Church. And without a shadow of hesitation, he makes that case very forcibly and strongly. And this passage is very applicable to those Christians, and there are still some who think that ministers or preachers shouldn't be paid, who have a suspicion of those who receive a material reward for preaching. And we would lovingly urge such Christians, if we were talking to them, to sit down and read and think about 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and the case that is made there. This passage also speaks to the many congregations who underpay their ministers, who neglect them and compel them to live in a state of anxiety about material matters or of comparative want. And this passage would say that that is a sin on the part of the people of God. and that it is a wrong thing for them to take from their ministers that which is their God-given right. However, I'm not in that position happily, so I'll not take any more time to elaborate that point. But that is the obvious application of the passage. The minister, the pastor, the preacher, does have a right to support from his people. Let me move on to a second question, I think a more interesting question. Why are rights can be asserted? I wish it had been another three quarters of an hour, but I'm not going to take another three quarters of an hour. To me the interesting aspect of the passage is this, why does Paul make such a fuss about rights which he has no intention of claiming? Now think about that. He's going to give up these rights. He's not going to use them. He doesn't want the salary. Why does he make such a point that he's entitled to a salary? Because he does. He makes a very, very strong point of it. He emphasizes it, he underlines it, he marks it in red. He gives five separate reasons. for rights which he does not want to claim and doesn't intend to claim. So why does he assert his rights? And what does that say to us? Are there times in your life when it is proper for you to stand up for your own rights? And what is owed to you? And what you deserve? And what should be given to you? And this passage would say yes, There are times when it is right and proper, following the apostles example, for us to assert our own rights. And let me give two reasons or two occasions why it is right or proper to assert our own rights. The first is for the sake of justice and for other people. For the sake of justice and for other people. Paul is quite free to give up his own rights, but he's not free to give up the rights of other men. He's not free to give up the rights of other apostles, or of other preachers. If he doesn't choose to accept a salary, that's up to him. But he's not able to say no preacher should accept a salary. That wouldn't be right. There were perhaps men who needed support. Many didn't have a trade. Many weren't strong enough to earn a living. Paul couldn't deny their rights. He had to assert his rights for the sake of justice. Now that's a complicated thing but let me try to explain it as simply as I can. It's important for us to understand that in the Bible there's a difference between personal ethics and social ethics. In other words, there's a difference between what I should do as a private individual and what I should do as a citizen. For example, if a burglar breaks into my house and is captured, what is my duty as a Christian? Well, I have two duties. My duty as an individual, as a private person, is to forgive that murderer freely and wholeheartedly. My duty as a citizen, on the other hand, is to see that he is arrested and punished by law. Now I would be very wrong if I went about for days and months filled with hatred and bitterness and anger against that man, feeling resentful and hating him and wanting ill to happen to him. That would be sinful. Forgive those who despitefully use you and persecute you. Jesus says forgive them. But I would be equally wrong As a citizen, if I were to say to that burglar, well I'm a Christian, just go on your merry way, I'm not going to ring the police, I'm not going to do anything about it, that would be equally wrong. He might go and burgle some old lady, some poor person. You see the difference, there's a difference between personal ethics and social ethics. For example, the Sermon on the Mount is personal ethics. If somebody slaps you in the cheek, let them slap your other cheek. If somebody takes your coat, give them their cloak as well. If somebody compels you to go a mile, go two miles with them. That's our duty as individuals. But that isn't our duty as citizens. You couldn't run a country on that basis. You couldn't have economy, you couldn't have law and order, you couldn't have civilised life. There is a distinction We are called often to give up our rights as individuals, but at the same time we are called to maintain our rights as citizens, to insist that we have a right to be treated fairly, to be treated within the law, to be treated with dignity, to receive what is due to us, otherwise society collapses. And Paul asserts his rights, not just for his own sake, not even at all for his own sake, but for the sake of his brothers, for the sake of what is true and what is right and what is proper. In other words, as Christians, we are not called in society to be doormats. We are not called to let people at work just trample all over us. and break all their promises and undertakings and we can't say anything because we are Christians and Christians have to be meek. The Apostle gives us a good example here. He very calmly and authoritatively makes quite clear what his rights are. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact it is our duty in society. to make clear what our rights are. For if we give them up, then they'll be taken away from everyone. And the wicked will prosper. And injustice will prosper. And you won't have a society. There's another reason we can assert our rights to avoid being misunderstood. Paul was misunderstood. People said, ah, he knows he isn't an apostle. He's got a guilty conscience. He knows he hasn't true authority because he doesn't take any salary. And it often happens that Christian meekness, Christian restraint is misunderstood. Let me give one example from our own Reformed Theological College. We're very happy to have people from the general public coming into Some of our lectures, not all of our courses, but some of our courses are open. People who are retired, students, others who have an interest come in and sit in our classes. And in order to have as many people come to those classes as possible, we have reduced our fees to the lowest level we can possibly have. So it is really absurdly cheap. I think tremendously good value. You can listen to me lecturing for 10 hours for £15. Now that's a bargain. Now some years ago, somebody showed an interest in coming to our classes. And we explained what the classes were and what the fees were. And eventually they contacted us and said, no, we've decided to go elsewhere. And we said, oh, that's fine. Do you mind telling us why? And they said, well, their fees were much higher. So we thought that their courses must be a good deal more valuable because they were charging more for them. But what's the case in point you see? You restrain yourself and you're misunderstood. And Christians sometimes can be seen as soft and feeble and cowardly and timid and not willing to stand up for themselves. The teacher at school who is always given the bad class, because we know, dear, you're a Christian and you don't mind. Well, that teacher, there will be a point when she will have to say, but I am a Christian, but actually I do mind and I'm not teaching that class this year. We could be misunderstood. Paul was misunderstood. And for our own sake and for our Saviour's sake, we may need to make clear our position. It is not wrong to assert our rights. For the sake of justice, for the sake of society as a whole, for the sake of other people, for the sake of our own reputation and our Saviour's name, we can assert our rights. Then one final question. When, on the other hand, should we exercise And Paul gives us the key principle. We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. We put up with anything. Paul says, I'll give up all my rights if it helps the gospel. If it helps the gospel. He was dealing with people who were obsessed with their rights. That's what the Christians talked about in Corinth. Morning, noon and night. Our rights, our rights, our rights. Paul wanted to say to them, forget about your rights. How could he say that if he insisted on his own rights? For the Corinthians, the ultimate catastrophe would be to lose their rights. For Paul, the ultimate catastrophe would be Verse 16, Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. This passage says to us, not only there are times when we can assert our rights, but there are also times when we should restrain ourselves. And when we should not claim those things which are our rights. When we should deliberately surrender our rights. Something that is fair, that is honest, that is just, that is owed to me. But for the sake of the gospel, I'm not going to claim it. That's what Paul's talking about here. Now you say to me, when are those times? Well, I can't answer that question for you. I can't give you a list of rules or a rigid blueprint. It has to be your choice. It has to be your free, willing, glad choice. I don't know when you should not claim the rights which God has given you. Only you can answer that question. But there are times for all of us. Life's circumstances are so different. The decisions are so complicated. What may be right for one person may not be right for another. There are no simple answers. We have to seek God's guidance from moment to moment. But Paul, in these circumstances, on the one hand made it clear that he had certain rights. He wasn't weak. And on the other hand, he said, but I'm laying them aside for the sake of Christ, for the sake of his people, for the sake of the gospel. This passage is saying to us this evening, you do have rights. Of course you have rights. But there will be times when you shouldn't claim them. We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. What in the final analysis is really important to us? Is it that we should get what we deserve, what is our right, what is owing to us? Or is it that we should Follow the Savior who gave up everything. We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel. May God help us and guide us. My friends, I know it's not easy. That's why we need the Holy Spirit each day. May God help you and me to know when to be firm and when to give up our rights gladly. for the sake of Christ. Amen.