Pauls Apostleship & Freedom - Part 2
1 Corinthians 9:15-23 · Bob Eckel · Jun 26, 2016
1 Corinthians, No. 25
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926535365067

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Great lesson today. This really is really an outstanding section of scripture and I really kind of at the beginning kind of thought that this is kind of just a continuation of what we were dealing with last week but in fact it's it's packed with meat and I think it's the second part of the scripture this morning that's going to be particularly exciting and applicable to our day-to-day existence. Okay, we're in verse 15 of 1 Corinthians 9. Remember last week Paul was kind of apologetic in a way, kind of defensive, and ultimately came out of there victorious, and now we see what follows that scripture. And I think Roger will finish up on this chapter next week, which is also running the race to science text. So we'll see how Paul takes us down the path in his ninth chapter of the epistle to the church at Corinth. Verse 15.

But I have used none of these things, neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me. For if it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying voyage, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of.

For necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me, What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain them more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law is under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law. To them that are without law is without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. And I made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." Wow. A lot of meat here. So, let's begin. First verse, chapter 9, verse 15.

But I have used none of these things, all the things he was defending last week, nor have I written these things, that it should be done so to me. For it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. Notice his description of the things. These are written words that we looked at last week that he's already expressed in this chapter as boasting or another interpretation would be glorifying to some extent.

So let's go back and look at verses 4 through 6 and 12. That's kind of uniquely the verses he's speaking of. So verse 4, have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles as the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? For I only and Barnabas have not the power to forbear working. Verse 12, if others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

Remember, Paul is refusing to be paid for sharing the gospel. And these are the things that he's declared. And ultimately, it would be better for me to die than anyone should make my boasting void. In other words, he's willing to die for the fact that he's taking a position not to be reimbursed for his time. He'd rather die than ultimately be reimbursed and have this be used to taint him going forward. put that into context. Is Paul trying to make the church at Corinth feel guilty by not supporting him?

What do you think? Do you think that's in context what we're looking at here? No, Gary, you're right. In no way is he making the church guilty. He's just saying preaching gospel is really on business. To be reimbursed is nice, but I don't want it because preaching gospel is so important. So no, I don't think he's trying to make them feel guilty. He's just stating a position that's really theologically sound in the Lord Jesus Christ and the desire to share the gospel. Now, is this how the church today supports its elders and missionaries?

What do you think? I don't think in Holly Hills. That's not what I've experienced here. Well, I'll tell you. Many bodies of believers, or even mainline churches with a mixture of believers and non-believers, make you feel guilty for not supporting the pastors and all that sort of nice shit.

Kind of a lesson here. Kind of an unintended lesson, but it's something that I think we need to heed and look to for guidance in terms of being a cheerful giver like we talked about last week. Any thoughts there about this? Here when Matt was at Fort Carson, he's going to a private Bible study there. The guy is doing a solicited funds and that was kind of taken back by that. He went there just for some fellowship with some believers and the guy was soliciting funds and is what it is. No, the Lord's got his work to do, and he calls upon us to know about that work and to respond by faith.

But remember, the principle of giving in the New Testament is being cheerful. And if you're not cheerfully giving, God doesn't need your coin. So a guilt trip is not what Paul's doing here at the Church of Corinth. He's simply stating that preaching the gospel is so important, I don't want to be paid and have my message tainted. All right, good. And look at the alternative.

Does Paul really, is he willing to die, physically die? That's what the scripture says, isn't it? And he was put in circumstances wherein death was imminent, wasn't it, many, many times. We're not reading about all those trials and tribulations he went through right here in this particular chapter, but we know he did go through them. So preaching the gospel was really his task, and ultimately he was willing to die for that.

Now we don't need to identify with that. Maybe we should. But if you're trying to identify with that, you're asking your flesh to do something that your flesh is not willing to do, right? So then you do feel guilty. When we live by faith, it's the Lord that walks through us in that faith to do what we need to do. But Paul feels so strong about the spread of the gospel that this is an alternative that he's ultimately up to.

Second Corinthians 11.10, as the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Just one example of the fact that he's moving on to share the Lord here, mostly with the Gentile nations.

All right, good. Verse 16, for if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of for necessity or to glorify him for necessity is laid upon me. Yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. So the Lord has placed a burden on him, and this isn't to the flesh. Paul knows what the flesh is all about. This is the new man in Christ Jesus, wherein there's a burden. to share the gospel, and woe if he doesn't. Was Paul's necessity of preaching a burden?

No, I don't think so. We just kind of addressed that. And we see a hint of that in Galatians chapter 1. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.

So, I mean, this is the unique experience we know so little about. And when we all get to heavenly places, one thing I want to find out about that teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ of Paul for three years in the desert. That must have been absolutely incredible. But we don't know anything really about that, do we? We just know he was separated and taught by the Lord himself to prepare him for the task before him. Amazing. Just amazing. Can you think about being taken away for three years and the Lord Jesus Christ himself is instructing you? Why wouldn't God provide us the details about that? I don't know. I'm going to ask him if I can remember anything intellectually from this experience down here.

Why woe? Is it woe of the flesh? Is he grieving the spirit? Is that what we're talking about? Woe here? So the woe is maybe grieving the spirit in Paul's circumstance, right? Because he's been called to a very specific mission. Other thoughts? So woe is kind of of a flesh because we're whipping our flesh for things we don't do, but Paul is uniquely prepared and capable only of doing what he was asked to do. When you've been assigned by the Lord and there's an accountability on those things there is in all circumstances a very specific command that he's called to and obviously we saw on the road to Damascus that for him specifically God was willing to intervene in a very specific way. For us as believers I think we would Maybe not. Assume that the apostolic commission. Yeah, that would be risky. You know, think about the Bible without Paul.

You know, I've seen some ranking of the greatest people of all time, and this is world system rankings. And Paul was at the top. I keep in mind this is world system. So you know, even if the world system puts Paul at the top, the Lord Jesus Christ is like second or third. I'm serious. I saw this a few years ago, ranking of the most famous people of all time.

Paul was number one and the Lord was second. I think he was third, actually. I don't remember who second was, but I'm not going to go there anyway, because whatever I mention, you're going to put that in your mind and never forget it. I don't remember, but you can look it up on Google or something. All right, so Paul was called to a specific task.

The woe is if you will, grieving the Spirit. This was his task. And the woe is the Spirit of the Lord, not Paul's flesh. When we go to woe, it's usually about the old man that we're woeing. We don't measure up, or if we fall in short. There's something that we think the Lord's calling us to do, but the flesh doesn't want it. Anyway, I'll let that be. But woe is often the flesh, but I don't think so here.

Jeremiah had a similar view, and I quote Jeremiah 29. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. That's kind of a neat Old Testament application of the Lord was so strong in Jeremiah in his prophecy. that he couldn't hold back, stating what he did about his nation and how much of a failure they were before the Lord. I'm thinking of Jeremiah and Paul going through something way similar.

Woe a tree in motion. Woe a tree in motion. Oh yeah, woe a tree in motion. That's an old early rock song. Can you name the person who did that song? Anybody? Poetry in motion. Okay, Johnny Tillotson. And I would die for that, like Paul would die for that. Now I have all this trivia from like the late 50s, early 60s. Forgive me, I can play it if you want. All right. And you said it correctly, only I needed to listen better. Put poetry in motion. 1 Corinthians 9, 17 and 18.

If I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship, what is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

So this kind of working for rewards kind of thing. Is that what Paul's doing, working for rewards? I don't think so. He's called to a task, isn't he? And the reward is bringing people to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the reward here. It's not for him to get a white or red or purple ribbon at the end of the race. We've got the Olympics coming up. There's no kind of competition here. Paul is being rewarded for preaching the gospel and bringing people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whose will? Paul's or the new man in Christ? No. His task, his purpose, his spirit-led mission, and this is the flesh that we are talking about here. Romans 7, 18 and 19, we know that the old man gets in the way here, just as a reminder of something we all know.

For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, nothing good dwells, for it will be present with me, but now to perform what is good, I do not find that. For the good that I will do, I do not. But the evil I will not do, that I practice. I don't think that's what we're looking at here. But we all know that the law of nature, whether it be the law of Moses for the Jew, or the law of self-consciousness, or whatever, the law of self, gets in the road done for each and every one of us. That's not what Paul is talking about here.

He's talking about a spirit led life. Paul answers this, doesn't he? He says, for if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. So if he does this willingly, again, it's spirit-led mission. But against his will, he's kind of saying, gee, this is a lot of hard work. This is something that doesn't seem to be really what I want to do today or even tomorrow. then ultimately he in fact is not carrying out the mission God has given him.

So what is his pay? What's the reward here? To freely give out the gospel. Again he answers himself, that when I preach the gospel I may present the gospel of Christ without charge. Now the charge, what charge do you think he's talking about here? in context, first of all. You don't have to pay something. You don't have to do something. Yeah.

He's not being paid for this effort. Again, he's not being reimbursed. And remember, his will, according to the Lord, is not to be paid, because he didn't want to have that as ultimately something analytical after the fact that he was ultimately doing something against his will. So his will in the Lord is to take on this task in the absence of any reimbursement. But remember, he also provided evidence last time when we looked at other scriptures that reimbursing our pastors is perfectly scriptural, something we should do. But for this time, in this circumstance, Paul said, no, I don't want to be paid. And it's not of himself, but the new man in Christ Jesus that ultimately is empowering him to do this without any reimbursement.

So let's look at Acts 9.15. But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. This is Paul, Acts 9, road to Damascus. And this is the Lord's communication to Ananias, I believe, ultimately about what Paul's task was going forward.

Romans 9.16 Then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Well in that example of that would be when he was about to explain himself there in the Temple in Jerusalem and the guy gives the human cry saying man of Israel help this clown is going to pull something cute. And instead of that, he just let God handle the details, and the Roman soldiers came in and picked him out of the jaws of death, literally. That's true. Okay. Other thoughts here? Alright, let's go ahead then. Verse 19, bouncing in here.

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more. So ultimately, how do you interpret I'm free from or out of all men? How do we put that into context and into understanding? He's not obligated to men. I'm sorry? He's not obligated to men. Okay. Not obligated to men, meaning men's agenda? Right. Okay. Out of all men or free from all men? Not co-opted.

What do we think about as believers as we think about freedom? What does freedom mean to each one of us? Remember Christ said, ultimately when I make you free you will be free indeed. What was he talking about being free? Truth for one for sure, but the truth plays out in what? The truth will make you free, but what's the truth in each and every one of us?

We have the power now to live a life without sin, don't we? We didn't have that power before. So we're free to live by faith a life that's without sin. Now we all fall short of that, but remember, we're made righteous. He hath made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I think 2 Corinthians 5.21. Gary? We're free in Christ. We are. But free from the penalty of sin and free from the power of sin and free from sin eternally, right?

We need to remind ourselves of that constantly. As you put the intellect to your day-to-day existence, you don't feel that way, do you? Because you're burdened down by inadequate thoughts and deeds and everything else that comes up. But boy, positionally, you've got to look at Scripture positionally. Unless you start there, you're going to be dragged under. day in and day out.

Paul is free from all men, he is free from the world system in terms of what they stand for. He is free to share the Lord by the power of the Spirit, by his ongoing faith. Why does Paul say I have made myself a servant to all? Hasn't the Lord done this? Does Paul make himself a servant to all by some sort of cognitive agenda here?

But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant, I mean Christ said that, that's Matthew 23 which is Matthew to the Jew, that I might win them all. So to be servant under all really is ultimately to the servant to the unsaved to bring them to salvation.

And now turn it into a glodogram. A glodogram. You want to tell the class what a Galettogram is? Well, God give me the power to tell you this good news. I am proud of this position. Or something like a Galettogram. We can always count on Tom for some intellectual humor here. This is good.

Alright, so his task again is to bring people to the Lord. Being a servant of God, if you think about being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, what is his mission for the body of Christ? One of our responsibilities by faith is to bring people to the Lord. Go ye into all the world is not really to be interpreted simply that we all need to go to the Pacific Islands or we need to go to Central Africa. The best interpretation of the Great Commission is in your going. That's true of all of us, in our going, the people we relate to and touch base with. And that's what we're looking at here, to win or be a servant to all that we might ultimately, being a servant, open up the gospel to them in a way that they would come to know the Lord.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ that is coming? For you are our glory and joy. He's talking about the people who ultimately are saved in the body of Christ and ultimately to those who would be coming to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews, and to those who are under the law as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law. To those who are without law as without law, not being without law towards God, but under the law towards Christ, that I might win those who are without law, to weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak, and I become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. He's not leaving anybody out here, is he? Just at the other end of the parenthesis. Yeah, it got left out. You want to come up and put this in here? I don't think I can do that on the screen. All right, so this is... I didn't bring my magic marker.

This section of the New Testament is so often quoted. In Rome I do what the Romans do. The Jews do what the Jews do, and this is also exemplified elsewhere in scripture. So I thought we might look at None but the Hungry Heart from yesterday, which I thought was pretty timely, and I have that to read here before you. Do many of you turn to this? I look at this every day. I don't want credit for that, it's just something that would help me up each morning. All right, so this is yesterday, so just listen to this. I didn't print it out because it would have been too long. The title of yesterday's message by Myles Stanford was Plus or Minus Question Mark.

For in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision, but faith worketh by love. Galatians 5.6. So Myles then says grace plus law equals death, whereas grace minus law equals life. Law is perfectly righteous and holy.

But it really doesn't play a role in our day-to-day existence, or should. Covenant theology, which has molded the major theological conceptions for many generations, recognizes no distinction as to ages, therefore can allow for no distinctions between law and grace. Many of us came out of that background, didn't we?

This dominating attitude of Coventanism must account for the utter neglect of life, truth, growth in all of their works of theology. No more representative theological dictum from the covenant viewpoint has been formed than the Westminster Confession of Faith, which valuable and important document recognizes life-truth only to the point of imposing the Ten Commandments on Christians as their sole obligation and in spite of the teachings of the New Testament which asserts that the law was never given to Gentile or Christian. While freeing believers from the bondage of Rome, the Protestant Reformation brought them back in a large measure under the bondage of Sinai. The Reformation took away one set of bindings but bound the believers with another and this has atrophied the spiritual life of multitudes. Not a single cluster of living fruit ever was or ever will be called from the tree of legality. Law can only produce dead works from which we need to have conscience purged just as much as from wicked works. And he ends the section by saying, stand fast therefore in the liberty or freedom in which Christ has made us free. Okay, so let's see how that relates to this section. What's the gospel to the Jew? What's the gospel? The first Corinthians 15 gospel of Christ was crucified for the sin of the world, buried and risen. Okay, so how does the Jew view the gospel?

No, I'm going to correct you on that one. I'm going to say that. Okay, that's good. 1 Corinthians 1.23, but we preach Christ crucified under the Jews a stumbling block. So what do you think of when you think of a stumbling block?

Well, that's a nice story, but there's always an excuse about Christ being the Messiah, as being the Savior of all men for all times. The resurrection they typically doubt. They think the crucifixion is just a nice story, may have occurred. Christ was a prophet or a teacher. We hear all this stuff with a barrier between their own sin and what Christ did for them personally.

So to the Jew, now keep in mind Paul in context is talking about getting the gospel to the Jew and Gentile. But to the Jew, Christ is a stumbling block. And we'll come back to that here in a second. And to the Gentile? What's Christ to the Gentile? Now, Tom. Foolishness. But we preach Christ crucified under the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness. And I guess in context, let's interpret the stumbling block and foolishness and how it relates to us today. Examples.

To get Timothy into the synagogue, Paul had him circumcised and he kept the feasts. So the verses that relate to that are in Acts 16.3 and Acts 18.21. So here, him, Timothy, would Paul have to go forth with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was a Greek. So here's an example where Paul doesn't believe that circumcision is necessary anymore, but to appeal to the Jews, Timothy got circumcised. If I were Timothy I'd say no thank you. He went along with what Paul thought was important.

Bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that comes in Jerusalem, but I will return again unto you if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. I'm not sure I recall exactly where that occurred in Acts. We taught Acts, Roger, but I don't remember exactly where he's reciting from. But he went to the feast. The feast was a Jewish kind of deal. But he shows up at the feast because he looked, you know, I'm a Jew first. And if I go to the feast, who knows who might be interested in knowing about the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then to the Gentiles, on Mars Hill, Paul gives an example of this sign to the unknown God, saying, look, you're worshiping this unknown God, which is worthless, by the way, but he's in the Gentile and the pagan space, that he could appeal to the Gentile using that sign as an opportunity to share the gospel to those who are around. So in context, then, to interpret stumbling block and foolishness, these are the examples of how Paul used various circumstances to try to reach people in whom Christ or the gospel was a stumbling block, and in people who looked at it as foolishness. Is Paul compromising himself here?

No. I mean, he's kind of putting a little law into this message of grace, but yet by faith he felt that this was a necessary step to ultimately open up the door for the gospel in the Jewish nation and for the Gentile. I mean, just relating to people. You're relating to the Gentiles and the Jews. Right. I think each one of us need to kind of heed that type of flexibility as we're with people in terms of where people are at and what might be said that might be most influential in terms of their interest in the gospel. OK, so Paul teaches us that adjustment and adaptation can be made without compromising the truth. The truth, think about this now.

First of all, without the resurrection, we said this before, we have no faith. And if all the Bible is true except the resurrection, our faith is dead, it's vain, it's worthless. But secondly, what calls us to the Lord Jesus Christ? I mean, the resurrection makes you say, gee, do I believe this or I don't? But you could believe in the resurrection and still not be saved.

You've got to understand the basis of it. But isn't it truth that calls us? Why do we study the Bible? Because we believe it's the source of all truth. that puts everything into perspective. So the truth is the trump card for everything we do as believers.

I came to the Lord personally at age 30 because I came to the understanding that really the Bible is probably true. When I came I was a little reluctant to think all this stuff is really true because I'm in science and medicine and I deal with data. I want data to support all this. But I didn't need to be convinced when I reached that point of realizing that I was a sinner and needed to be saved by grace.

And it's the truth that is the lifeblood that we all have in terms of sharing the gospel with the Jew or the Gentile or in our day-to-day walk. So can anyone share any experiences here about the Jew and stumbling block and the Gentile foolishness? I mean, I certainly can. I hang out with a lot of Jewish people in academic medicine. And I'll tell you, I've had the chance to share the Lord with so many Jewish people. And to my knowledge, none have come to be saved. But there's often a question kind of interaction that can last for a half hour to an hour with Jewish people.

And the issue is an intellectual one. And the intellectual one, you know, I don't believe Christ is who you say he is. But nevertheless, you know, a testimony is helpful, but the testimony doesn't save anybody. It's biblical truth that brings people to salvation.

But with the Gentile, I'll tell you, there are Gentiles I hang around with, too, who occasionally want to know where I'm coming from on an issue that comes up that may go beyond what I do in the workplace, and we have no conversation. think I'm just out in left field someplace. Because to the Gentile, the non-Jew, it's foolishness. It's crazy. How can you believe that stuff? The only reason I express this here is I have been there and done this. And it's not like I'm forcing the gospel down people's throats.

Boy, when you're with a group, you're out to dinner after a day of reviewing grants, or I'm at a university as a visiting person and everything, you go out to dinner, things come up. And they come up like evolution and creation. It comes up there. It comes up in other aspects of your life.

And suddenly there's a crack door. And if you move through that crack door by the power of the Spirit, the Jew then often is capable of carrying on a conversation. I'm generalizing here, of course. But the gentile, for the most part, you have no conversation. One issue that comes up often is abortion. I believe, I hope all you do, abortion is murder. What can we call it other than that? But boy, once I say something political comes up, I say, well, my first assessment of the candidate is he or she believed that abortion is wrong. And at that point, there's no conversation. Because once I say that, we have no further conversation. So, I mean, I'm not trying to influence your political persuasion. All I'm saying is that the opportunities to share the Lord with a Jew is a very different experience than it is with a Gentile. Now, I'm generalizing. There can be exceptions to this, but in general. Randy?

The common misconception in presenting the Gospel, I think, that I've run into over time is that we need to reason with people intellectually, and that there's this intellectual bridge that will bridge this gap between wherever they're at to where they'll be saved and the reality is that there may be hot topics like abortion or whatever else that can broach the subject but it always points to Christ and sin and then having to make that faith decision and so when it comes to those things On multiple occasions I've had to talk with people and I'll say, oh you think you're an atheist and you have no faith. But you have faith. So now that we have to admit that you have faith, it's just in humans.

Now let's talk about what this means. What are the consequences? And there are so many people who have never been told that they walk by faith. Yeah. Each and every day everything they do, right? that then you say, okay, my faith is just in something else. You happen to walk by faith as well. are basically evil. And if you ask the world system, what do you think they're going to say? Basically good people. Yes, there are things that come up that maybe you're tainting at experience, but man is basically good. And right there, either that's time or a technical foul. You can call that whatever you want.

But it's often a springboard into an additional conversation. When you confront people with sin, that's where the gospel is your salvation. If you try to go some other direction, if you are just negotiating about the falsifiability of a cosmological view, oh well, I don't believe in evolution, or I do believe in evolution, don't take the Bible literally in the creation, or I do. You're having intellectual discussion, but you're not confronting them with the issue of their sin, and their gospel doesn't come up.

So we have to be aware of that. But first of all, it's doubting God exists or not thinking God exists. Or alternatively, it's believing that man is basically good and we have a few faults. Everybody knows, everybody says, well, I know she or he's looking down at us from heaven. I keep thinking, really? I mean, how many times have you heard that? People commenting on a relative or a friend that's died. Anyway, but this is an important part of scripture. Because it just shows we need to be flexible with the people we're with. And by the way, you don't slam the gospel down people's throat.

I want to see the door cracked enough that there's a little bit of inquiry. And once there's inquiry, the Spirit leads. And he'll take you up to a stumbling block. where you can't go any further. Ultimately, you're looked at as foolish, and then you just leave it to the Lord. Our job is simply to plant the seed and share the gospel. The Lord, by his great grace, brings people to salvation. Other thoughts about what I think is a very important scripture.

So this is all the part of the freedom that Paul speaks about. He's got the liberty and freedom to let this gospel be shared differentially with the Jew. or the people who are a law unto themselves. Paul was a Jew and knew all their traditions and ways, but yet he was called to the Gentiles. And by that knowledge of the Gentile world system and the power of the Holy Spirit within, his preaching of the gospel has had endless impact. Again, I'll go back to what I said 15 minutes ago or so.

What would the Bible be without Paul? I mean, we'd still have the truth. We have the epistles of John, we have the epistles of Peter, but without Paul, we'd be missing a whole lot of stuff, wouldn't we? Gary? No Romans. You know, and that relates to something. This is maybe just my opinion, but you know, Romans is so foundational in terms of doctrine and application of doctrine.

When most people get saved, the recommendation is to go to the book of John. Now, John's fine and wonderful, But until you have a good understanding of Paul, John then comes in later and really would put what John wrote in perspective. The nice thing about John is it's a gospel account where Christ himself was alive before he was crucified and risen. But it's more church related, isn't it, than the other synoptic gospels.

All right, good. Moving right along here. Notice he became a Jew as a Jew. Why? There's neither Jew nor Greek. Oh, and here's the point here. Notice he became as a Jew. Paul is a Jew, but here's another important kind of theological position. There's neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither bond nor free. There's neither male nor female. For we're all one in Christ Jesus. We're believers. We're in the body of Christ.

We're Christians, not Jews and Gentiles. And Paul, that's why he said, I became as a Jew. Paul was a Jew. He was a Jew that was exemplary in terms of the legal system, but yet he's no longer a Jew. He's becoming as a Jew, to the Jews, so that doors might be opened because of his understanding.

What's the law toward of Christ? What are we thinking of when we're thinking the law of Christ or the law toward Christ? All right, well, Romans 8.2, for the law of the spirit of the life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. So the law of Christ is ultimately the law of being free from the penalties of sin and death.

The second thought, Romans 10.4, for Christ is the end of the law of the righteousness to everyone that believes. And finally, Galatians 6, to bury one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ. What the law of Christ is is a new nature. a new creation. The law of Christ isn't accomplishing a series of commandments.

He says I think in 1 John maybe one of the commandments is that you love your neighbor as yourself. How are you doing that by the way? It's interesting when you think about loving your neighbor as yourself. The flesh isn't capable of doing that. But the new man in Christ Jesus is capable of love. And if you put that on, and don't think you have to like your neighbor, you just have to love him, it takes the burden off, doesn't it?

And keep in mind, our citizenship is in heaven. We view things from an eternal perspective. So a day-to-day issue that comes up, we have to give it to the Lord and not be burdened by it. We have freedom to ultimately live a new creation out by the power of the Spirit in our lives. What does Paul mean when he said he became weak, became I weak, and become all things to all men? What's Paul mean there?

Well, you're good, Cheryl, I'm sorry. Identifying with him? Well, right. I think it relates to kind of the Jew gentile experience here in terms of his being flexible in terms of how he shares the gospel. But I think what he says when I became weak, I think this is an atmosphere of humility. It doesn't mean weak, impotent, he has no power. It just means I've kind of taken a position to be dependent.

Yeah, Brandon? Well, we talked earlier in eight about the weakness that was there for the food and the meat offering. Yeah, right. So I think there's a good parallel there where we have this idea that the weak, I became weak. Oh, you don't want to eat meat and sacrifice to idols?

Fine, let's go. We'll go have some broccoli. It'd be great. I'd like that. And so, yeah, it's just it's one of those things where I think we think of weakness, but I think he's just covered weakness here and thoroughness. I think that's a pretty compelling definition. Well, Ann, that's good. I'm glad you referred back to that.

I think the atmospheric humility is reflected in a couple of places in 15.1 in Romans. We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak and not to please ourselves. So in a sense, you're identifying, you're becoming able to understand the problems of the weak. And the weak may be poor, the weak may be sick, the weak may be weak in absence of power because they're They're not saved by grace.

So Paul can identify and get into that space. 1 Corinthians 10. 33. Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profits, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Again, it's a sacrificial life of faith that Paul's living out. I'm weak with the weak, and I'm strong with the strong. I'm going to appeal to everybody in a way that ultimately is appropriate for reaching them with the message of truth. And what's this? This is an exchange life.

For we are fools for Christ's sake. But you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You're distinguished, but we are dishonored. So the whole concept here of ultimately being in that exchange life position, we're wise in Christ but yet made weak. but through that weakness we're actually strong.

Strength comes out of weakness. Weakness isn't pathetic here. We're not talking about laying back and feeling sorry for ourselves and depending on the Lord to say I can do nothing. In a sense it's that. It's not self-pity and depression and all that kind of thing to be very weak. It's really understanding who we are in Christ. A new life empowered by the power of the Spirit makes us weak but ultimately gives us strength. week again is the ability to identify. Verse 23 and the last verse for today.

Now this I do for the gospel sake that I may be partaker of it with you and I kind of didn't provide much with this verse other than kind of a one-liner at the bottom. Not only the gospel but I think the fellowship that follows. I mean think about You know, Holly Hills are gathering of believers here. I mean, we come here to learn the word of God and be admonished and uplifted by that, but we're also here to fellowship one with the other about the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I'm thinking here that Paul is saying, I do this for the gospel sake, that ultimately you're going to hear the truth. We're going to bring people salvation. But I want to share that with you. I want to be partaker of that with you.

You know, we've had a Bible study in our home for a number of years. I don't call it a Bible study, it's just fellowship around the Word of God. I don't teach in that gathering, we just fellowship around the Word. You know, eight to ten people every couple, two to three weeks.

I must admit, one of the prayer needs I would share with the class in closing is all my children, I mean, of the five, I see active faith in two or three, but none are going to local bodies, they're not getting fellowship, any of the five. They're all saved, but a couple of them really need that badly. Peter in particular is really in need of believers, Christian fellowship. What do you do as a father with grown kids between 30s and early 40s? You don't tell them what to do, right? But yet, I'm confident they're all saved, but they're just not hanging out with other believers, even a local body or their friends. That's a big concern.

I'll leave that to the class to help pray along that line. Here's our lesson for today. The bottom line is we have a new life in Christ Jesus. We are here to let the world know about that. The Jew and Gentile come from different perspectives. We need to be flexible, we need to be spirit-led, and we never force the gospel. I think sometimes we damage the gospel message by forcing it. This has to be spirit-led, and we'll allow the Lord to play out in each of our circumstances for that. Any closing thoughts or questions?

Well, I think a lot of that has to do with what we're talking about here, that fellowship the fellowship that follows, and that fellowship is, I think the word always follows. Always what? Always follows. Always follows. It should follow anyway. It does.

Well, we experience that here I think, don't we? I think like last week's question, when the Lord entered Jerusalem on that donkey, And those people saw him when I say that. They saw who he was and the miracles that he had done. And God never thinks, oh shoot, I should have put a bit more in there for him. No, he's got exactly what he's saying there. It always follows. Despite the miracles, though, nobody believed them, did they? No. Other thoughts? Closing? Thank you. Let's close in prayer.

Father, we're grateful for the word of the Lord given to us in the spirit of that interpretation. We pray that that interpretation has been consistent with the truth you want to reveal. And we're thankful for Paul. Paul is very special. And I think without him, we'd have partial truths. We'd still have the crucifixion and resurrection. dependent so much on your working through him in a new nature to really reveal to us such important information that relates to our life day in and day out. Thank you for the service to follow. We raise you, raise us up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.