Advertise on podcast: Living Hope Family Church Marana Sermons

Paul is a free man, and nobody owns him, yet he chooses to make himself a servant to everyone. With Jews he lives like a Jew, with Gentiles like a Gentile, and with the weak he becomes weak. That’s not people-pleasing, and it’s not compromise. It’s a man who will do whatever it takes to reach whoever is in front of him for the sake of the gospel. Then he makes it personal: he runs this race with everything he has and disciplines his body like an athlete in training, because he refuses to spend his life calling others to finish a race he quit himself.

Paul spends the first part of 1 Corinthians 9 proving he has every right to be supported by the church. Soldiers, farmers, and shepherds all live off their work, the Law says not to muzzle the ox, and the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel get their living by the gospel. Supporting those who teach God's Word is God's design, not optional generosity. But the interesting thing is that though Paul proves he has this right, he doesn't use it. He doesn't want anything to get in the way of the gospel.

Our purpose in life is to advance the Kingdom of God. God has entrusted us with many things that are meant to be used in a way that results in productivity and fruits in the Kingdom of God. Today we look at how to use our lives to further the Kingdom of God and what pitfalls get in the way.

Paul wraps up his marriage teaching with some specific situations — what about a father who's unsure whether to let his daughter marry, and what about widows who want to remarry? Then he pivots to a completely different topic that has the same underlying issue: food sacrificed to idols. The mature believer knows an idol is nothing, so eating that food is no big deal — but knowledge without love is dangerous. If your freedom causes a weaker believer to stumble, you're not walking in love. And wounding a brother's conscience? Paul says that's sinning against Christ himself.

Paul lays down a principle that cuts through a lot of the Corinthians' anxious questions: bloom where you're planted. Whether you're Jewish or Gentile, slave or free, married or single — God called you right where you are, so don't assume you need to change your circumstances to be fully devoted to him. He makes a genuine case for the gift of singleness, not as a lesser calling but as a freedom that allows undivided attention to the Lord. His goal isn't to restrict their lives — it's to help them live fully for God in whatever lane they're in.

The Corinthians had sent Paul a list of questions, and marriage was at the top. Paul gives thoughtful, pastoral answers: marriage is the right place for sexual intimacy, and spouses shouldn't withhold themselves from one another. He addresses the unmarried and widowed, those wanting to leave a marriage, and those married to unbelievers who want out. His pastoral instinct throughout is toward peace — don't be looking for a reason to blow up your life. God's call is to peace, and God can work through the situation you're already in.

Some of the Corinthians had a slogan: "Everything is permissible." Paul doesn't throw the phrase out — he just puts guardrails around it. Not everything is beneficial. Not everything builds you up. And when it comes to sexual immorality, the body isn't a minor issue — it's going to be raised from the dead, it's a member of Christ's own body, and it's a temple of the Holy Spirit. That changes everything. You are not your own. You were bought at a price. So honor God with your body.

Paul can't believe what he's hearing — believers are hauling each other into secular courts. He asks them a pointed question: if you're going to judge the world and angels one day, can't you figure out how to settle a dispute among yourselves He challenges them to take the humble road, even if it means being wronged. He then names a serious list of behaviors that have no place in the kingdom — and reminds them that some of them used to live that way. But they've been washed, sanctified, and justified. That's who they are now.

Guest speaker Pastor Emmanuel shares how important Eternal life is. He encourages us to guard what has been given and ensure that we continue in the faith.

There's something going on in Corinth that even the pagans would be shocked by. It seems a man is sleeping with his stepmother, and the church is apparently proud of how tolerant they're being about it. Paul is having none of it. He calls them to grieve, to act, and to remove this person from the fellowship. This is not as a punishment but as a last-resort act of love, hoping his spirit might ultimately be saved. He also clears up a misunderstanding: he's not asking them to avoid all sinners in the world. He's asking them to hold each other accountable inside the family.

Paul gets a little sarcastic here — and it's worth feeling the sting of it. The Corinthians are acting like they've already arrived, already reigning, already sitting in comfort. Meanwhile Paul and the other apostles are hungry, homeless, beaten, and treated like the world's garbage. He's not writing this to guilt them — he's writing it as a father who loves his kids and is genuinely worried about them. Timothy is coming, and Paul himself may follow. How he comes depends on them.

Paul wants the Corinthians to see how upside-down their thinking is. They're fighting over human teachers when everything already belongs to them in Christ — Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future. All of it is theirs! He then describes what apostles actually are: not celebrities, but stewards — servants entrusted with the mysteries of God, whose performance review comes from God alone, not from the crowd.

Paul gives the Corinthians a loving but direct diagnosis: their arguing and division is a sign they haven't grown up yet. They're still on a spiritual milk diet when they should be eating solid food. He wants them to see their leaders — Paul, Apollos, whoever — not as rivals but as teammates on the same construction crew. God is the one building something, Christ is the only foundation worth building on, and everyone needs to be careful about the quality of what they're contributing to that building.

Join as guest speaker Pastor Charlie Ferrera of River of Joy Christian Ministry & Family Fellowship in Manila, Philippines shows us evangelism isn't just a suggestion—it's a command from Christ, and following Him means we actually obey it. There's real urgency behind this, because eternity is at stake for every soul we come across, and that's not something we can afford to put off. This assignment has been entrusted to every believer, not just a select few, so winning souls is a responsibility we all share.

This week, Paul continues with speaking on the wisdom of the Gospel and the revelation of what it really is, verses seeing it from an outside perspective. In other words, seeing it from the natural perspective or the spiritual perspective.