I believe is his name is one of the commentators I’ve read after doing on this study, and he had something interesting to say. It’s very, very good. He said, two infallible tests of an authentic Christian worker, somebody who’s engaged in the Christian ministry. He said, One is faith, the other is fruit. You see, in Paul, verse number two, he said, Are not ye the seal of my apostleship, or Ye are my seal of apostleship? He said you’re the fruit. You’re the proof that God has sent me to you. There’s fruit that follows. Okay? So there’s certain privileges. He expresses his rights. And then he also cites the cases of other apostles, the brethren of Christ, the brothers of the Lord according to the flesh, the half brothers of the Lord and seafood, which is Peter. And it is interesting that Peter is referenced in verse number five, talking about reading about a wife. And there are people that still deny that Peter was ever married. Isn’t that amazing? If Peter wasn’t married, why in the world would you have a mother in law? Does that make sense? Anyway, he has the right to physical maintenance. He said, have not allowed to eat the drink. Obviously, the Church should take care of those that are serving the church and allow them to eat and drink. And like to say our church has done that graciously for many years. And I don’t know. I’m sure as long as they’ve been able to, they’ve taken care of. At least that’s my understanding, and that’s a blessing. Wife. I have the privilege to read about a wife and a family. I have the privilege to forbear working. He said, who goes to warfare? He uses the illustration here. Who goes to warfare anytime at his own charges. We will send our military out without pay. Do we? We send them out to fight for our freedom, fight for our country. And we probably don’t pay them as much as they deserve to be paid, but we do send them money. We pay them. Who played us have been able to eat us onto the fruit thereof. How many of you grow a garden this year? How many of you ate of the garden this year? Right, that just expected to do. I got some beer that ate of my garden. Who feedth a flock and Edith not as the milk of the flock. He said, if somebody takes care of the sheep, they’re going to be taken of the milk of the sheep or something from the sheep. Say all these things as a man or say it’s not the law, the same. Also, he’s using the illustrations of custom. He’s using the law, he says, for it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. So there is you’ve got some oxen that are helping the farmer harvest the corn. Here is the wheat that was grown, and they helped harvest the wheat. But you’re not going to put a muzzle over the mouth of the ox. If the ox gets hungry while he’s processing that process, the wheat, he’s going to be able to feed himself while he’s going along. So you got to take care of the animals that God employs in the world. Look at what he says. He makes this reference. He said, Death, God take care for oxen, god cares for his creatures. But verse number ten, or cycling altogether for our sakes, and the answers this question for our sakes, no doubt this is written. So it’s the illustration, and that he the plowed hope, and that he that threshold and hope should be particular for his hope. If we have so many spiritual things, is it a great thing? If we shall reap your cosmetic things, we explain something that many of you probably know just around the same page. The Apostle Paul would receive an offering, sometimes from different places where you go from a church at Philippi. I think they sent an offering to him, at least on two occasions, may have been more. But he never received any offering from the Church of Corinth. He always worked with his own hands to supply his own needs here to Church of Corinth. And he did so for a certain reason. He didn’t want to give any reason for anybody to turn away from the Gospel, and he discusses that a little bit later. So here’s what he’s talking about doing the time. He said, if we are so in your spiritual things, is it a great thing? If we shall reap your carnal things, how many of you expect, say, better beer or better Jim or better Joe to come and do work at your house and not charge to do it for free? It’d be nice. We wouldn’t expect that, would we? Try doing that with the AEP next time. You would not have power for very long if I was being 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. This is how much the Apostle Paul cared for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He said I said, no, that matters. I don’t want to even hinder anybody from receiving the Gospel. Verse 13 do you not know that they which minister about holy things leave the things of the temple and they would wait at the altar, or tears with the altar, using the illustration of priests in the Old Testament when they were administering the temple, the things that were offered and became wholly through their offerings in the temple, the priests would then eat of those things. And partake of those things God cared for that. God cared for them through those means. Even soul had to live ordained that they would preach the Gospel should live with the Gospel. And again, our church does great with that and not just here with your pastor now and your pastor beforehand, but with the missionaries that we support. I bless the Lord for that. I’m grateful for that. I think about that this morning. What our small church is able to do, the gracious giving and the big heart that our church has, that’s a blessing. You don’t get that everywhere. And I don’t have any intents I know you don’t have any intent of slowing down. Amen. Let’s get as many initiatives as we can support and keep on pressing forward. They respect the Gospels to live with the Gospel. He said, let me find my notes on this. I want to make sure I say what I’m wanting to say. He said that he had the privilege of freedom from manual or mental preoccupation. This is why I had to look at my notes. I can’t remember all these privilege of freedom from manual or mental preoccupation that he might occupy his time solely in Christian service and receive support from the church. Now, in today’s time, and I’m sure in these times there were abuses of those privileges, there are many people that abuse that privilege. There are false ministers of the Gospel, those who don’t even declare the Gospel. There are those who seek the ministry as a means of employment who’d rather I heard one preacher jokingly say one time that I just don’t want to say it, but it’s just not worth saying. There are those who are in the ministry who have not been called or down to be in the ministry. There are those in the ministry who are covetous and who will or have already lost the power of God in their life because Bible says don’t be greedy or filthy. Lucre right so the responsibility there, if you’re in the ministry, to not worry about those savages. Paul said, talking about the excesses and abuses, he said it just makes sense that God would provide for his servants through those that they minister too. That makes sense. And we are engaged in it already. We do that. We do that well. He said, I didn’t take anything from you and I did it for this reason. I denied myself just for the simple things and I did it for this reason, he said. 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 it were better for me to die than that any man should make my glory and void. Said, I would rather die than somebody not receive the gospel because they misunderstood what was happening here. Or somebody said for the money or I don’t know what people say now, but he said, I would rather die than have somebody or my actions bring a reproach upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 16 for though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of where necessity is laid upon me, your worries unto me if I preach not the gospel. So if I don’t do what God has called me to do, then war is under me. I said, I’m looking for the judgment of God. Said, I have no other choice, no other option than to give what God has given me. And we’ll just step out of the ministry side of things and apply this to all of our lives. God has called us all to be witnesses for Him. Would you agree with that? He’s called us all to be witnesses for Him. And we don’t do it for the approval of men or for any other reason. We do it to be pleasing to God. He said, I would rather die than to not please God than for somebody to not be saved. If I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. He said, I’m forever in these privileges because I want to please my Lord and Savior and I want to win the lost. In the next chapter, he repeats something he said in chapter number six. He said, all things are lawful, but all things are not expedient. He said, I could take these privileges. Think about it in real life and each life will be different. I have a different application or illustration here. But what you could do may be a hendrich to somebody else receiving the gospel which you could exercise is your privilege. And Paul said, I would rather die. I deny myself these privileges because I want to see somebody get saved and not be hindered from the gospel. So I’ve got a calling in my life. I know I’ve got a calling. He said, verse 18. I know what my reward is. His motive was mean and not money. That’s a good motive to have, isn’t it? It was far greater satisfaction to give than to get. Like I said, try telling that to AEP. So don’t you know, Mr. Power Company, that it’s more blessed to give than to receive? I don’t think they’ll quite understand that. But it is true. It is a blessing to be able to give. Like tonight, what we were able to do. And I haven’t mentioned it. I’ve forgotten to mention that there in the morning service mission at Sunday school. But this evening we have a basketball there. That’s for brother Joe and sister Terry. So if you have any thank you, Jacob. If you have any more that you want to give to them, please put that in the basket on your way out, okay? Thank you already for what has been given. That’s been a blessing to them and a help to them. It’s a greater reward than the material things is the reward of joy that I get. You know, when you give out of yourself, is it not more? Don’t you get more joy than the person that’s receiving that. I know the person receiving it gets a blessing, gets a joy. But God fears your heart and your soul with more joy, right? He said that’s a greater reward. Then he said verse number let me read number 18. Verse 18 again. What is my reward then? Maybe 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, he said, I’m no man’s servant, yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more. So I’m going to relate the best that I can to whoever I am dealing with. He said, I’m not compromising my convictions or laying my standards. Like what one person who said he said it’s a mobility in manners. I’m mobile in manners, but not morals. In other words, I can adjust the way I talk with someone, relate to someone on my life experience in honesty. Don’t put yourself out there where you’re really not that they’re not in morals. Don’t lower your standards, not in sinning. Does the Gospel did by sinning to get an open door. So here’s what I mean by that. It would not be wise for you and me to go to a bar to sit down and have a drink with somebody so we have an opportunity to give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ because there’s nothing there that you’re saying to them that would be any different than what they already know. You’re partaking of their sin. You’re not telling them that they need to be saved from that. It’s not a relaxing of savage, but rather a restricting of your own liberty that you have in whatever areas. So that is where we be persuaded to follow. Christ selfindulgence has never won any victory. And Paul recognized Christian liberty, but also recognized the restrictions of Christian consecration. Therefore, I was reading after Said made this statement out agree with us that we need more discipline and more sacrifice. The world will never be won to Christ by Christians whose lack of consecration gives them no distinction from the world about them. We’ve got to be different. We got to be separate. We’re called by Jesus Christ, we’re calling him. He’s changing us day by day by day. Our talk should be different. Our walks will be different. The way we dress, the way we carry ourselves. It should all be different. It should come from within. All right, verse number 19. For now I’ll be free from all man, even if I made myself served unto all, that I might gain the more and unto the Jews I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews. That’s why he went and kept the feast and sat with the Jews and went into the temple with the Jews, went to the synagogue with the Jews to have an opportunity to give them the gospel to them that under the law, as under the law that I might gain them under the law to them that are without law. Talking about the Gentiles as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. Seen what he’s saying. He said, those who did not have the law of Moses weren’t living in the law of Moses. Said, I’m free from the law of Moses. I’m saved. I have a greater law in grace. I served the word Jesus Christ and I became as a gentile. Being a Christian. I’m no longer jewelry gentile, necessarily. I’m saved in the church of Jesus Christ. He said, I became like a Gentile to them, not without law. I did not lower my standards. I did not sin. But I’m trying to win them that are without the law to the week became I was weak and I made gaining weaknesses what he made reference to in chapter number nine. I made all things to all me that I might by all means save some. The burning desire that he had was to see some soul get saved. I tell you, we were to have revival in our church, in our communities, in our nation if God’s people would just get that verse in their heart. I’m setting aside my liberties and I’ll become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. That should be our heart’s desire to see folks come to know the Lord as Savior. He said, in this I do for the Gospel’s sake that I might be partaker thereof with you. Now, his reward, verse number 24. Know you not that they which run in a race run all but one, receiveth the prize, so run that you may obtain. And every man that’s trialed for the mastery is tempered in all things. Now, they will be able to obtain a corruptible crown. But we an incorruptible. There are race for you and me, an incorruptible crown, and here’s the conditions to receive it. We’ve got to run the race that’s been set before us. What race has been set before you won’t be the same exact race that’s set before me, but there’ll be some similarities. It’ll be faithfulness to the Lord. It’ll be a heart that loves the Lord or seeking after the Lord that’s running the race. I mean, with Isaac preached out of this chapter sometime back, he said, everything that’s striving for the mastery is temperate in all things. We keep our bodies temperate. We don’t here’s what I mean. We keep our bodies in subjection. This flesh will rear its ugly head on many occasion, so we got to keep it in subjection. It’s okay to eat pumpkin pie. It’s not okay to eat a whole pumpkin pie every day for a week. That’s probably not good, right? Although pumpkin is good for you, it has some beneficial parts to it. So if you’re going to eat pie. Pumpkin pie. Be the best one to eat. But it’s not good to eat pumpkin pie. The whole one, every day. Maybe one day. I’m just kidding. We won’t do that either. But keep your eyes. And here’s why the calls. And I will just make sure I say this the right way. Here’s what I’m trying to say. And you know this. You know this principled truth. We’re a spiritual man and a festive man. The one that we feed more will win. We feed the fleshly man, even if it’s not in sin, even if it’s just in things that may not necessarily be sinful in themselves. When we keep feeding the flesh of the man, the spiritual man is going to starve. We got to yield to the spirit of God and his control. That’s why I had it written down much more. It sounded a lot better in here somewhere, but that’s okay. He said, I therefore so run. Mart is uncertainly, so fight. I not as one that beat at the air. He said, I’m running to obtain this incorrectly crown. He said no place. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, forgetting those things that come behind, reaching forth to those things you tried before. So fight on. I just want to beat it the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, when I appreciate others, I myself should be a cast away. He said, I don’t want to be I don’t want to be unusable by God, disqualified from service, a caster. It’s not his salvation that he’s concerned with. He has at once talked about his salvation in this chapter. He’s talking about his service, his work. Right. He said, I don’t want to be put on a shelf out of God’s use anymore. I want to be used by God. No matter how old we may get or how young we are, god has a purpose in playing presence better. Frank mentioned a little bit ago, we can get to the point where we become unusable, unwilling to be used by God. He said, I don’t want to be a castle. I don’t want to be disqualified from service. I don’t want to be a reproach or a hindrance of somebody that’s trying to trust the Lord as a savior. I don’t want to be kept from running the race to please my Lord, kept back from doing what God wants me to do because I’ve disqualified myself. So that’s why I keep under my body, breathe in this objection. That’s why, by any means, when I appreciate it, I’m excited to be cast away. So we have liberties again. It’s okay. Can you tell what I’ve got in the fridge? I’ve got a little bit of pumpkin pie in the fridge, and it’s calling my name. I can hear it. I love pumpkin pie, but there are certain things. If I knew that there was someone in this congregation and I know now, somebody will tell me that pumpkin pie offended you because there was something in scripture, I’d probably just slap you upside the head. But if somebody truly had that belief, you know what I should do? I should refrain from eating pumpkin pie at least while the person is here, right? And then we explain to them why pumpkin pie is good and healthy and nutritious. But anyway, that’s way off topic. What are you saying here? He said, I’m willing to forego the liberties I think I have so that somebody can be saved, hear the gospel. I haven’t had faith missions here presented in a while. COVID kind of messed a lot of things up. And I read Lady God Overcome every year and talk about giving to missions with faith promise. And we’ve still got forms and we’ll do that again. We’ve been given good to missions. Let’s not stop, let’s not give up on that. But as one of the preachers, I came here for a bit of God and one of the preachers used to use this illustration. So what little bit of money you could have went to McDonald’s with, they got a cup of coffee you could have saved each week or each month and give to a missionary and what could you and I forego that we could have helped support the work of the Lord a little bit more, a little bit better. And it’s not putting us under bondage. It’s really given out of a heart full of love for the Lord. It’s not hard to forego that last piece of pumpkin pie for your spouse. If you really love your spouse and you listen to Rachel back there. It’s about keeping my body, bringing up a subjection that’s not by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away. So what is the application? Well, fruit indicates our faith. There ought to be some action and some fruit in our lives. Alan Rippath, another faz reading after he said the faith that has qualified a man for heaven gets into his feet, his hands, his mind, his tongue. In other words, it’s expressed in the body, in our physical matter. Our faith will take us to church, right? Our faith will make us read our Bible, pray, sing. He said. In other words, if a man’s faith in Jesus Christ does not begin to make his whole body move in the will of God, there is no evidence that it is saving faith at all. We’re new creature, new creation in Christ Jesus. All things are passed away. All things have become newly created in Christ Jesus unto good works, right? So what are we leaving behind for the gospel’s sake? Are we willing to leave behind certain things for the fairness of the gospel? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone? Hey, can I leave your gospel track? Are we willing to forgo some things to give more towards the ministry yielding to the Spirit of God? See, maybe you’re thinking like, I’m realizing that I can’t do this my own strength, this flesh, is too much for me. God said, I can do it through you. We yield to the spirit of God. You realize this is a requirement for the followers of Lord. Mark 834 35 says we need to call the people under him with his disciples also he said to them whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Save his life shall lose it. Producer shall lose his life for my sake, and the Gospels the same shall save it. Luke 923 this word is added, says, take up his cross daily and follow me. Something we’ve got to be involved in daily. We say this the spiritual compensation is much greater than the cost that’s required for following the Lord. What we give up, the Lord pours on top, over and over and over again. Galatians Six nine let us not be really well done for a due season. We shall reap if we faint not right. 115 58 we’ll be talking about that here soon. Therefore I’ll be able to breathe and be steadfast. Unbelievable. Always abounding in the word of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not invading the Lord, this chapter could be provided the Apostles privileges that would be allowed, but his privileges that he forent. Foregone that he foregoed that he left off so he wouldn’t be a hindrance and that he would please His Lord and Savior. How’s that apply to my life? What are we willing to forgo? What are you willing to forgo? What am I willing to leave behind? Am I leaving my own? The apostle Paul said he would follow the Lord. He may not have realized everything that was in store, but it didn’t matter. Whatever was in store, he said, I’m willing to go. Sometimes we draw lines. He said, I’m willing to go, but what we really need is I’m willing to go up to this point. And after that we have to talk about negotiate. I want to get to this point. The Apostle Paul said, I’m going to give everything to you, Lord, because you gave everything for me. He never forgot what God did for Him. We say to you, Church, that God has given us everything. He given us himself. He deserves our very best. We have to be willing to give ourselves to Him, whatever that may be, whatever that may require. Amen. All right, let’s stand with heads bound and eyes closed.