(#042) 1 Corinthians 9 - Maturity Demands Unfair SacrificeTribulations, perseverance, proven character, hope
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church
Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries, we make a difference by teaching the Word of God from God’s perspective and not from man’s perspective. Isaiah, Chapter 55, Verse 9 says…
ISAIAH 55:9 “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth…so are My ways higher than your ways…and My thoughts higher than your thoughts…says the Lord.”
Comfort comes from hearing the Word of God as the Lord intended. Welcome to the lesson!
At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God. As the Lord He is 100% Deity…He is God the Son, a member of the Triune Godhead. He is also 100% human just like you and me, and His name is Jesus Christ. The Lord…God the Son…became flesh…Jesus Christ...and lived among us. He is the uniquely born One…100% God and 100% man in one Person forever…He is the Sovereign God of the Universe…and He is the Jewish Messiah. The Lord was not sent by God the Father to judge the world, but that the world would be saved through Him. He died on a Cross to make the ONLY perfect payment for sin in the eyes of God the Father through shedding His blood. As a result of His victory at the Cross, we are fully and forever forgiven of our sins.
As those who make Barah Ministries our spiritual home, we are Christians. Being a Christian means we believe in the DEITY of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with Him. You heard it right…Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. The Lord Jesus Christ is a Person … He is not a “thing” … and He is not a concept. Just as we do with anyone whom we love, we spend time getting to know the Lord. Since the Bible is His exact thinking, we come together to learn about Him through the study of His mind, the Word of God. God has an enemy, Satan, “the ruler of this world.” He is a liar who deceives the whole world, including you. He doesn’t want you to get to know God, and he interferes with your chance to know God.
The Word of God is the truth that keeps us aware of Satan’s insidious deceptions. As believers in Christ, we are in union with Christ, and we have the victory over Satan through our Lord, who has overcome the world.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Maturity Demands Unfair Sacrifice
LESSON INTRODUCTION
In First Corinthians, Chapter 8, the apostle Paul introduces the idea that the mature must forgo certain freedoms for the benefit of the immature. First Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 13 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 8:13 Therefore, if food causes MY BROTHER (a fellow believer in Christ) to stumble, I (Paul) will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.
Even though it was Paul’s right to eat! The Lord sacrificed in an even greater way by forgoing His rights as Deity for the sake of all mankind… Philippians, Chapter 2, Verse 8…
PHILIPPIANS 2:8 Being found, in appearance, as a man…the Lord humiliated Himself (by being in the form of man and by being in submission to God the Father)… becoming voluntarily obedient to the Father, even to the point of death on a Cross.
In today’s lesson, as we continue our study of the next passage, we’ll see what Paul was willing to give up in the protection of the gospel message. And just as we do every month, we’ll remember our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by celebrating The Lord’s Supper…we’ll learn that His work at the Cross OBLITERATED worry.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Let's hear some music! For those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are secure, always resident in safety, and always deriving our courage through Him. Psalm 46, Verses 1 to 3 say this…
PSALM 46:1 God is our refuge and our strength…an omnipresent help in times of trouble.
PSALM 46:2 Therefore, we will not fear anything…even though the earth should change and even though the mountains should slip into the heart of the sea…
PSALM 46:3 …even though the earth’s waters roar and foam…even though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
No matter what the world throws at us we are safe in union with the Lord and we are loved. The group Culture Club says this LOVE HAS A NAME…Jesus! Let’s listen!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
LOVE HAS A NAME Culture Club
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank you for giving us the calmness of the everlasting hills…thank you for providing mental serenity in the midst of the chaos of this world… thank you for continuing to prosper us even while others around us are losing everything…
Teach us how to be a blessing to those in our periphery…give us the courage to lead them to a relationship with Christ so they can share in our peace…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Maturity Demands Unfair Sacrifice
The passage under study extends from First Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 1 to First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 1. The subject matter must be investigated as a whole, although we can’t teach it that way. We attack it verse-by-verse. The next part if the passage is First Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verses 1 to 14…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you…for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:3 My defense to those who examine me is this…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:4 …do we not have a right to receive support so we can eat and drink?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working to support ourselves?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not drink the milk of the flock?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Mosaic Law also say these things?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox to prevent it from eating grain while he is threshing grain.” God is not concerned primarily about oxen, is He?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written because the plowman has the right to plow in hope, and the thresher has the right to thresh in hope of partaking of the crops.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much to ask if we reap material things from you?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:12 If others partake of this right over you, should we not do so all the more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:14 So also, the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.
We’ll look forward to beginning our study of this passage next week. When we return from our five-minute break, we’ll take the offering and then we’ll celebrate The Lord’s Supper.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Maturity Demands Unfair Sacrifice
Today, my prayer is that God the Holy Spirit opens your heart with a spirit of generosity. It is my sincere hope that He gives you a burning to desire to provide your treasure as the means of distributing the gospel message through this ministry so that it can be enjoyed by all around the world. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
ACT 7:51 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised both in heart and in ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit…you are doing just as your fathers did.”
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU David Bauer, Instrumental
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Obliterated Worry
Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ in The Christian Way of Living. The Lord demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with His believers by creating a way to keep on sharing His body and His blood with us, just as He did with His apostles on the night before His death. Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16…
LUKE 22:14 When the hour had come (and His crucifixion was near) … the Lord Jesus Christ reclined at the Passover table…and the apostles reclined with Him.
LUKE 22:15 And the Lord said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer … ”
LUKE 22:16 “…for I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you that I shall never again eat this Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God the Father.”
In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…
First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26 …as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.
The Lord’s Supper Celebration is a time when the resident members of this congregation join hands through the miles with our non-resident members, and we demonstrate our unity by remembering our Lord together. This is a celebration for which we set aside time. We don’t do it on the move.
During the Lord’s Supper Celebration, Jesus wants His believers to look back to the Cross for a moment. He wants us to REMEMBER how He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness. He wants us to REMEMBER the sacrifice of shedding His blood to cover our sins. He wants us to REMEMBER the deliverance to the resurrection life He orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light. Most of all, the Lord wants His believers to look forward with ANTICIPATION that He is coming again.
As believers in Christ, when we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, we ask ourselves in reflection, “What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?” This month we acknowledge that at the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ obliterated worry. What is worry?
WORRY The tormenting of self with anxieties…suffering from disturbing and manufactured thoughts…to fret…a feeling of uneasiness…a fear of trouble…the feeling of being under constant threat.
What are some of the things we worry about?
THE TOP TEN THINGS WE WORRY ABOUT
Work Money Being Late A friend or relative’s health Our health
THE TOP TEN THINGS WE WORRY ABOUT
Relationships Missing a plane or bus Not waking up to our alarm Our appearance Our family’s safety
What effect does worry have on us? We get anxiety…we panic…we get a feeling of impending doom…we create fears (in the form of the "worst-case scenario"). Worry robs us of focus and the ability to think. Worry causes a debilitating reaction in our body that makes us tired and sad. Worry triggers a host of health problems that are too numerous to mention, among them rapid breathing, headaches, and irritability.
You are free to worry. When you have freedom, you can do anything you want to do. Yet First Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 23 tells the true story of freedom…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 10:23b All things are lawful…but not all things edify.
Worry does not build you up. If you worry enough, can you stop the bad things you are worrying about from happening?
We're living in a time where worry is rampant. People wonder, "When are we going to return to normal?" As you hear people around you express their worry about these "unprecedented times" … that thing we are learning to parrot daily…are you joining the pity party by manufacturing worry in your soul about things you can't control?
One of our biggest worries is what God thinks of us. The Cross makes it clear. First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 24…
FIRST PETER 2:24 …and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the Cross…so that we might die to the sovereignty of sin and so that we might live to the righteousness of the resurrection life…for by Jesus’ wounds you were healed.
Worry is a sin. At the Cross, the Lord obliterated all sins, and especially the sin of worry. He calms us with these thoughts…First Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 14…
FIRST PETER 3:14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not worry about the world’s intimidation…and do not be troubled…
Joshua, Chapter 1, Verse 9…
JOSHUA 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 94, Verse 19…
PSALM 94:19 When my worrying thoughts multiply within me…Your consolations delight my soul.
Jeremiah, Chapter 17, Verses 7 and 8…
JEREMIAH 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust IS the Lord.”
JEREMIAH 17:8 “For this man will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream…and the tree does not fear when the heat comes…but its leaves will be green…and the tree will not be anxious in a year of drought nor will it cease to yield fruit.”
Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 6 and 7…
PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Stop worrying about anything…instead, in everything by prayer and petition with an attitude of thanksgiving…let your requests be made known to God the Father.
PHILIPPIANS 4:7 And the peace of God the Father, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds (flooding your souls with peace)…you who are in union with Christ Jesus.
Matthew, Chapter 11, Verses 28 to 30…
MATTHEW 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden (with worry)…and I will give you rest.
MATTHEW 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…for I am gentle and humble in heart…and you will find rest for your souls.
MATTHEW 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Psalm 23, Verses 1 and 4…
PSALM 23:1 The Lord is the One who keeps on shepherding me…I cannot lack anything.
PSALM 23:4 Even when I walk through my very own death shadowed valley…I cannot fear…YOU with me! Your rod and Your staff…they comfort me.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body…and be thankful.
Psalm 55, Verse 22…
PSALM 55:22 Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you…He will never allow the righteous (believers in Christ) to be shaken.
Proverbs, Chapter 12, Verse 25…
PROVERBS 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down…but a good word makes it glad.
Psalm 56, Verse 3…
PSALM 56:3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
So when you are inclined to worry, just take a look at the Cross. Remember what the Lord did there to obliterate your concerns. A Person who dies for you has everything else in your life covered as well. Rest in Him. Know that He considers your problems to be His responsibility.
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION Enjoying the Lord’s Supper Elements
Let’s remember Jesus in the way He told us to remember Him. Obeying our Lord’s command, we keep on celebrating the Christ and His Cross regularly. We eat to remember who He is as a PERSON. We drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made to deliver us. We remember with gratitude what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done to save us. Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…
MATTHEW 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body (which is being broken for you).”
MATTHEW 26:27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, Jesus gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you…”
MATTHEW 26:28 "…for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Let’s listen to the Lord. Let’s keep on eating this bread…let’s keep on drinking this cup…let’s do both to remember Him. Let’s keep on being transformed by His life…His death… His burial…His resurrection from the dead…and His Word.
SONG INTRO
James, Chapter 1, Verse 17 says…
JAMES 1:17 Every good thing is given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from God the Father…the One in control of the heavenly lights…with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
Let’s enjoy the elements as we listen to the Lord’s Supper song…ALL GOOD GIFTS.
LORD’S SUPPER SONG ALL GOOD GIFTS Godspell
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
The closing message of this study is the most important message of this study. We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU.
First and foremost, this message is for the benefit of believers in Christ. First Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 15 says…
FIRST PETER 3:15 …believers…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts…always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you (the absolute confidence provided by your faith in Christ)… and give the defense with gentleness and respect…
Second, this message is for unbelievers, so you can be saved. Whether you know it or not, you were born a sinner. That’s bad news for you. Sinners need a Savior. The good news is that this gospel message offers you the chance to make the most important decision of your life, the one outlined in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
Here are seven things for you to consider if you are seeking a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
POINT 1 There is a God, and He is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth
The first four words of the bible confirm His existence…Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1…
GENESIS 1:1a In the beginning, GOD…
God isn’t shy about telling you who He is…Joel, Chapter 2, Verse 27…
JOEL 2:27b I am the Lord your God, and there is no other god…
God is your Creator…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…
JOHN 1:3 All things came into being through the Lord…God the Son…and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
POINT 2 The Creator Created You
You are one of God’s creatures and He had a purpose in mind when He created you. Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 26…
GENESIS 1:26 Then God the Father said, “Let Us (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) make man in Our image…according to Our likeness…”
You are a spiritual being, and as such, you require a spiritual life.
POINT 3 God Has a Plan for All Mankind
God is organized…Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 23 tells us that the earth and the universe were created…
ACTS 2:23a …by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God the Father…
God made all of His decisions in eternity past and we watch them unfold every.
POINT 4 God Has a Personal Plan for You
Because God created you, God knows you intimately and He knows you by name. Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 30 says…
MATTHEW 10:30 “…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
God custom made you and He custom made a life designed specifically for you.
POINT 5 God Reveals Himself in Ways That Make Sense to Human Beings
God wants you to know Him. He is not hiding from you. He is not hard to get to know…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…
ROMANS 1:20 For since the creation of the world the Lord's invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His DEITY, keep on being clearly seen by everyone… being understood even through what has been made (as reflected in the things of nature)…so that all mankind are without excuse (in the matter of knowing of the existence of the Lord).
God doesn’t work in mysterious ways. He is completely predictable.
POINT 6 God’s Enemy, SATAN, Does Not Want You to Know God
Satan does everything he can to keep you ignorant about God. Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verse 4…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4 …the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel…so they might not see the glory of Christ…who is the exact reflection of God the Father.
Are you aware of the ways Satan is lying to you about God?
POINT 7 You Owe God a Hearing
Since God created you, you at least owe him a hearing. He has placed a desire inside of you to know what is beyond yourself and what is beyond this life that is visible to you. Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, Verse 11…
ECCLESIASTES 3:11a The Lord has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set a (desire for a) knowledge of eternity in everyone’s heart…
Do you spend ANY of your time getting to know God?
SUMMARY There is nothing more important for you in this life than a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…
JOHN 1:12 But whosoever received Him, to them the Lord Jesus Christ gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Jesus Christ’s name…
Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life (right at that moment) … but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
Consider these things and then get to know the Lord…TODAY! Do it now!
SONG INTRODUCTION
God loves you. It’s a fact! First John, Chapter 3, Verse 1 says…
FIRST JOHN 3:1 See how great an unconditional love God the Father has bestowed on us believers in Christ that we would be called children of God the Father…and so we are. For this reason, the world does not know us…because it did not know Him.
If only the world knew what June Murphy sings from God’s perspective to all mankind…YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEG ME TO LOVE YOU.
CLOSING SONG YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEG ME TO LOVE YOU June Murphy
CLOSING VERSES
A Doxology of Praise to Our God
PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Stop worrying about anything…instead, in everything by prayer and petition with an attitude of thanksgiving…let your requests be made known to God the Father.
PHILIPPIANS 4:7 And the peace of God the Father, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds (flooding your souls with peace)…you who are in union with Christ Jesus.
JUDE 1:24 Now to Jesus Christ…the One who is able to keep you from stumbling…and the One who is able to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy…
JUDE 1:25 …to the only God…our Savior…through our union with Jesus Christ our Lord…be glory…majesty…dominion…and authority…before all time…and now…and forever. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
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