All to All - Loving God

Kelsey Harmon

5th After the Epiphany, Year B

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Emmanuel, Houston

Isaiah 40:21-31

Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Mark 1:29-39

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

    I have never given a sermon before, so bear with me, and I hope you all enjoy it. I am basing my sermon after a reading from first Corinthians, in which Paul is writing a letter to the church he created in Corinth.

Paul was told by God to go out and spread the gospel, and Paul had no problem in doing so. I believe he felt honored to do as God told him. Paul is now an apostle, who is writing a letter to his church to instruct them on how he was successful in creating the church there, partly because they’re having concerns of whether he is an apostle or not.      Paul doesn’t ask for a reward after preaching the gospel. Which, to me at first didn’t sound so surprising, I mean why would he? but that’s what  made people question Paul’s actually being an apostle. Preaching and not to getting a reward, people thought that was suspicious. But he was an apostle, because God came to him and sent him to share and spread the gospel. I think rather than a physical, monetary reward, Paul felt incredible inside with self-assurance.  He had a good feeling inside for doing as God told him.

God will not love us any more than anyone else if we proclaim the gospel, but he will not neglect us either.  Being a Christian, a follower of God, It’s not a pyramid where we’re trying to get to the top and then become God’s favorite.  There’s no game of favorites with God. Following God consists of what we think of ourselves and how we feel inside. Sucking up to a teacher may get a student a good grade, but God is not that teacher.  He is a teacher, but not that teacher. The reward Paul receives is knowing he did the right thing by obeying God. 

We do things our family or friends ask of us because we love our family.  I care what they think of me, I don’t want to disappoint them, for their sake.  God cares for us. So I think of how Paul responds to God’s request as how we relate to our families, it’s similar, we and Paul do as God would do asks us to do because it is the right thing. 

The other thing Paul said in his letter is that he became all things to all people.  I like to think of it as not just being a part of one clique at school, but all cliques, thus, making the barriers not in existence. Numerous people are friendly towards everyone. Therefore, they are liked by most, similar to Paul. Paul didn’t become like a Jew to make fun of the Jewish culture, not to be hypocritical, but rather to embrace other people and show his respect to them. He wasn’t disguising himself by surrounding himself with so many different kinds of people.

If my friends like country music, I’ll listen to it and like it if I wish to do so. I won’t pretend to like it.  A high school student who is all to all (traverses cliques) might do so to have more friends, to be on friendly terms with more people, to have more unity among the people of the school.

Paul too, changed how he was with different people. Paul was gifted with the fact that he was open-minded enough to approach so many different kinds of people.  Paul shared the Gospel’s blessings.  He thought he’d be closer to the people of God by sharing the Gospel.  He’d be a happier person and so share more in the blessings of the Gospel.  He’s not doing it for the money or for the attention. He’s doing it for God and the Gospel. 

Paul asked for no reward because he didn’t feel like it’d be the right thing to do. Paul lived be two rules…LOVE God and LOVE your neighbor. and that’s why he went out to share the gospel with all his neighbors. I am not saying we must all go out and force God’s word onto everyone we encounter with bullhorns in our hands, but just to love God and our neighbors. 

Knowing God, the Gospel, God’s love and redemption of the world, and coming into relationship with God through the gospel was salvation for Paul.  That was Paul’s reward.  That’s all he wanted. That’s why he was all to all, to help bring the gospel to people in order to bring them to God.  Amen.