Tom Erickson, a minister, received frequent calls from children trying to reach a storytelling phone line with a similar number. Rather than complain, he obtained fairy tales to read to the children when they called. Paul discusses sacrificing rights for the sake of others, using his own willingness to forgo payment as an apostle to help the gospel. Keeping the eternal reward in focus requires discipline, like athletes training for competitions, including sacrificing rights and priorities for fellow Christians.

2. Several years ago a Public Library had a
service called
“Dial-A-Tale.”
Anytime a young child wanted to hear a fairy
tale, they could call the number and listen to a
pre-recorded reading of a short fairy tale.
Unfortunately, however, the telephone number
was only one digit different from the home of a
minister named Tom Erickson.

3. Because the children often made a mistake in
dialing the number, Tom would get frequent
calls from a child looking for a fairy tale.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to
explain to the children that they had dialed a
wrong number, Tom felt he had only one
alternative.
He obtained a copy of Three Little Pigs, and
set it by the phone. So whenever a child calls,
he simply reads them the tale.

4. I think this is a great illustration of yielding
personal rights.
Tom Erickson had the right not to have to
answer these calls.
He had the right to avoid the invasion of his
privacy.
He had the right to change his telephone
number.
But he willingly gave up those rights and
ministered to the needs of children.

5. Today as we turn our attention to
, we see the Apostle Paul had practiced this
same principle in his own life and ministry.
To some, looks like the beginning of
a long digression from the discussion of eating
meat sacrificed to idols in , but
nothing could be further from the truth.
Paul has not moved on from addressing the
idol meat question; rather, he is just
approaching it from a different direction.

6. Paul’s indirect approach in is
particularly crafty, because it allows him to “kill
two birds with one stone,” so to speak.
It allows him to address his practice of
financial support, while at the same time
address his larger argument about idol meat
and the requirements of love.
Back in , you will remember, Paul
called upon the “strong” at Corinth to limit their
freedom for the sake of the “weak.”

7. In the last verse of that chapter, Paul pointed
to himself as an example, saying that he would
never eat meat again if it caused his brothers
and sisters to fall.
That statement launches Paul into a chapter
long discussion of his rights as an apostle and
his willingness to give up those rights.

8. ESV

12. For whatever reasons, Paul’s authority as an
apostle was in question at Corinth.
So Paul began with an assertion of his identity
as an apostle.
He had, in fact, seen the risen Lord.
And he had, in fact, started the church in
Corinth.

13. Then Paul listed some of his rights as an
apostle with a series of rhetorical questions.
Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Yes.
Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife
along with us?
Yes.
Don’t we have the right not to work for a living,
but to be supported?
Yes.

14. Next Paul offers the arguments in support of
God’s workers being paid.
He says, “Look at the soldier - You wouldn’t
expect him to serve at his own expense.”
We wouldn’t expect the soldiers fighting the
war in Middle East to pay their own plane
ticket to get to the battle ground, pay for their
own accommodations and food while they are
there, etc.
Clearly a person representing their country in a
war has every right to expect their country will
pay them for their service and cover their
expenses.

15. He says, “Look at the farmer - You wouldn’t
expect the worker in the vineyard not to eat
some of the grapes.”
“Look at the shepherd – you wouldn’t expect
the shepherd not to drink some of the milk.”
Paul doesn’t end his argument with just human
reasoning and rationale, rather he adds the
biblical evidence for his conclusion.

16. He says, “Look at the Law of Moses.”
ESV
Then Paul asks is it really about oxen that God
is concerned – not really, he says this for us
and our sake.

17. Paul’s final illustration for the argument of the
right of financial support for God’s workers is
the temple priests.
Don’t those who work at the temple (ie., the
priests) get their food from the temple?
After something has been offered on the altar,
don’t they get to eat some of it?
Yes, of course.

18. Paul’s summary statement is verse
So having clarified his rights as an apostle,
Paul moves to his surprising example.

21. Three times Paul maintains although he has
these rights, he voluntarily does not make use
of them.
.
.
.

22. Why in the world did Paul give up his rights?
That’s un-American, isn’t it?
Doesn’t Paul know that if he doesn’t look out
for himself, nobody else will?
Paul certainly didn’t have the attitude that
many people have – “I’m going to get what is
mine.”

23. No, Paul gave up his rights for the sake of the
Gospel.

24. Writing to the Philippians several years later,
Paul told them Jesus did the very same thing –
He gave up His rights for the sake of others.
Praise God He did!
ESV

29. Paul wanted to “win as many as possible”
more than he wanted to exercise his rights.
Therefore, to the Jews he became like a Jew,
to win the Jews.
To those under the law he became like one
under the law, to win those under the law.
To those not having the law he became like
one not having the law, so as to win those not
having the law.

30. To the weak he became weak, to win the
weak.
Bingo…there’s his main point.
To the “strong” who wanted to demand their
rights and exercise their freedoms, and who
cared little about the “weak” and their hang-
ups, Paul said, “You’ve got it all wrong.”
For the sake of the gospel and the salvation of
others, we have to be willing to become all
things to all men.

31. That is not only true in an evangelistic sense
(which isn’t Paul’s primary focus here), it is
true in the ongoing salvation and sanctification
of the church.
What good does it do to demand our rights
and destroy our brother or sister in the
process?

32. What is required to put all this into practice is
discipline.
Paul turns to an illustration that was so familiar
to the Corinthians.
The Isthmian Games, much like our Olympic
Games, were held at Corinth every two years.
Those who competed in those games went
into strict training.
The crown that they were awarded for victory
was truly perishable.

33. The victory wreath at the Isthmian Games was
made of withered celery – can you imagine?
So Paul’s point hits hard – “If these athletes
push themselves to the limit in training to win
that pathetic crown of withered vegetables,
how much more should we maintain self-
discipline for the sake of an imperishable
crown?”

34. What lessons can we take with us today to put
into practice?
Let me offer three applications.
First, We learn that we should be willing to
SACRIFICE.
Christian maturity consists not only of knowing
your rights and freedoms, but of being willing
to give them up for others.

35. Charles Swindoll gives a good illustration of
this when he describes a baseball team
playing a very important game.
It has the bases loaded in the bottom of the
9th inning.
It is trailing by one run.
One of the strongest batters comes to the
plate.
He looks down at the third-base coach and
sees the sign to bunt.

36. “Bunt,” he thinks to himself, “I’m the best hitter
on this team.
I’m leading the team in hits.
I’m going to hit away.
No one is going to tell me to bunt.
I have a right to swing hard for the bleachers.
Just think what a grand-slam home run would
do for my reputation.”
That baseball player was only thinking about
himself – his rights – what would make him
look best.
He wasn’t thinking about the team and what is
best for the team.

37. The same kind of selfish attitude can befall
Christians or the church as a whole.
“I have the right to have my favorite pew.”
“I have the right to have my favorite teacher or
preacher.”
“I have the right to have us sing my favorite
songs – all the old ones or all the new ones.”
“I have the right for the service to be shorter or
longer.”
“I have the right for people to adopt my ideas.”

38. I offer these as just examples of possible
selfish thoughts and attitudes we might
encounter.
Are we willing to sacrifice for the good of
others and the church as a whole, or will we
demand our rights and freedoms?
True Christian freedom is exercised in sacrifice
and service.

39. Christians who insist on exercising their right
to do whatever they like have become captive
of their own rights.
If and when we find ourselves campaigning on
the platform of defending our own rights, then
we have lost sight of the gospel.

40. The Christian life is all about focus, self-control
and training.
We cannot expect to grow spiritually without
putting forth a concentrated effort.
Certainly, I’m not trying to downplay the role of
the Holy Spirit in the maturing process.
Paul told the Philippians

41. ESV

42. In this passage we see something of the
cooperation required between us and God in
accomplishing His good purpose.
Paul uses the Isthmian Games and we can
use the up-coming summer Olympics to
illustrate the kind of discipline required.
Paul says,

44. There’s no way an Olympic athlete could show
up to the marathon run or the 200-meter swim
over weight and out of shape and expect to
compete or even finish the race.
No, serious preparation and on-going
discipline is required.
Paul describes knowing the course, knowing
the opponent, and how he harshly disciplined
himself physically.

45. We must know the same – we must know the
rules and the course God wants us to take, we
must know the enemy we are battling against,
and then we must discipline our body, mind
and soul.
It is hard to overemphasize the importance of
our brothers and sisters in God’s family, times
of worship and study, and private discipline of
prayer, Scripture, study and service.
All these things make us ready and fit for the
contest.

46. Finally, We learn to keep our eyes on the
PRIZE.
The prize that we must keep in clear focus is
the heavenly reward of our eternal relationship
with God.
Unfortunately, our heavenly prize is unseen
and is intangible, yet it is the thing we must
keep clearly in focus.
Paul appropriately described the challenge of
straining toward the heavenly prize when he
wrote,

47. ESV

52. We want to run in such a way as to win the
prize and not be disqualified for the prize.
To do so will require sacrifices for the sake of
our brothers and sisters.
To do so will require discipline.
And to do so will require a concentration on
our heavenly goal.
May God have mercy and give us the strength
and help we need to finish the race and win
the prize.