Leverage Your Life – “1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

Leveraging Your Life: Week 1 “Leveraging Your Life”

1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

³² Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God,

³³ just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.

¹ Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

• In our series Leverage Your Life
• We will examine together
• How God has used and continues to use ordinary people to turn the world upside down.
• This 6-week study explores how to:
• Leverage Your Life
• Seek First The Kingdom
• Deepen Devotion
• Stick Together
• Think Multiplication
• Engage Our City
• Today, let’s look at the first one together, “Leverage your life”
• “What is the purpose of life?”
• Throughout history, people have sought to find its meaning:
• In success, relationships, possessions, and personal achievements,
• Yet these temporal pursuits, instead of giving one purpose
• Often leave an emptiness that only God can fill.
• The Apostle Paul contrasts these temporal ideas
• And gives a clear definition of the true purpose of Life in 1 Corinthians 10:31,
• Stating that everything we do should glorify God.
• And when we Glorify God
• It moves our life from just trying to satisfy the temporal
• And gives our life eternal significance,
• Understanding that every action, no matter how small, can point to His greatness.
• How?
• With Leverage…
• The word Leverage means:

“Using Something To Its Maximum Advantage For A Greater Purpose.”

• In this case, leveraging every aspect of our lives for God’s glory
• And when we do
• It causes others around us to benefit
• Often transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
• In a culture focused on self-promotion and individualism,
• Paul’s message challenges us to shift our focus to God and others.
• Asking each of us to answer a question
• How are you using your Dash?

The Dash Poem
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.

He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years.

For that dash represents all the time that they spent life on Earth.
And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand the way other people feel.

Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?

• Today, as we consider the true Purpose of life to Glorify God
• And How it plays out in our personal Dash
• We will explore three practical ways to leverage our lives:

1. Leverage Your “Whatever” For God’s Glory
2. Leverage Your Life For The Benefit Of Others
3. Learn And Live From Jesus

• Let’s begin with the first practical way

Leverage Your “Whatever” for God’s Glory

1 Corinthians 10:31

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

• The context of this verse shows us
• That even the most ordinary mundane actions can reflect God’s greatness when done with the right attitude of the heart.
• Glorifying God means showing off His attributes—His goodness, holiness, and love—through our lives.
• This includes our actions, attitudes, motives, and our words.
• What does that look like practically?

Work:

• Approach your work as a calling, not just a job.
• Regardless of your occupation,
• Work with integrity, excellence, and joy as a testimony to God’s goodness
• To the watching world around you

Family:

• Use your roles as a parent, child, or sibling to reflect God’s love.
• Teach, serve, and encourage your family in ways that honor Him.

Recreation:

• Enjoy hobbies and leisure activities, but do so in ways that reflect moderation and gratitude.
• God Should Never Become Second Place To Our Activities
• Share the Story of Eric Liddell

Eric Liddell, famously known as the “Flying Scotsman,” was a devout Christian and an exceptional athlete. Born in China to missionary parents, Liddell became a track star in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was heavily favored to win the 100 meters, but when he discovered that the heats would take place on a Sunday, he refused to compete. Liddell’s unwavering commitment to honor God’s Sabbath shocked the world, but he stood firm in his convictions, choosing faith over fame.

Instead of the 100 meters, Liddell trained for the 400 meters, a race in which he was not expected to excel. Despite the odds, he not only competed but won the gold medal, breaking the world record. Before the race, someone handed him a note with a verse from 1 Samuel 2:30: “Those who honor me, I will honor.” This verse became a testimony of God’s faithfulness in Liddell’s life.

After the Olympics, Liddell gave up the life of fame and fortune to follow God’s call as a missionary in China, where he served tirelessly until his death in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Even in his final days, Liddell remained a witness to God’s love and grace, selflessly serving others.

• Avoid letting recreation distract you from God or others.
• Instead, use it as a platform to bring glory to God

Worship:

• Glorify God intentionally in public and private worship.
• Let your participation in church, prayer, and Scripture study flow into all areas of your life.
• Take a moment and Reflect on your current “whatever” moments.
• Are there areas in your life where you can better Glorify God in your attitudes, motives, and words?
• Remember to glorify him means showing off His attributes—His goodness, holiness, and love—through our lives.
• Here is the reality
• These things are hard to do on our own
• In the church planting world, we often say,
• “PRAYER IS THE WORK.”
• For you and me to align our “whatever” to bring God Glory
• It will take prayer
• Jesus says it this way in

Matthew 7:7-11

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.

• I call it the A.S.K. Principle
• So that is what we are going to do

Prayer Points: A.S.K

1. Commitment to Glorify God in All Things:
   • “Lord, help us to see every moment and every action—whether big or small—as an opportunity to glorify You. Give us the heart to honor You in our work, relationships, and daily routines.”
2. Faithfulness in the Mundane:
   • “Father, teach us to value the small, ordinary tasks as acts of worship. May we approach even the simplest duties with joy, knowing they are significant in Your eyes when done for Your glory.”
3. Empowerment to Reflect Christ:
   • “Holy Spirit, empower us to reflect the love, humility, and character of Jesus in every situation. Guide our hearts, words, and actions so that others may see Your light through our lives.”

• Let’s look at the second practical way

Leverage Your Life for the Benefit of Others

Why? Because their coming to Christ may depend on it!

1 Corinthians 10:33

³³ just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.

• Paul gives us his own personal example of how
• He tries to live in such an away
• That his, life is not about how he can benefit himself
• But how he can benefit others
• He further clarifies this in

Acts 20:24 (when he says)

“But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”

• Paul’s key to living this way was having an eye on eternity
• He chose to focus on the lostness of those around him over personal comfort and gain
• What does that look like practically?

Relationships:

• Build intentional relationships with those who do not yet know Christ.
• Show genuine care and concern for their lives.
• Practical Step: Make time for a neighbor or coworker to share your testimony or invite them to a church event.

Service:

• Volunteer in ministries or community initiatives where the gospel can be shared through words and actions.
• Example: Serving in a Mission southside while also taking opportunities to speak about the hope found in Christ.

Sacrifice: (sacrificial living)

• Be willing to make sacrifices, such as time, money, or personal convenience, to help others come to know Christ.
• It should hurt and, at times, feel inconvenient

Story of Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot, along with four other missionaries, sought to share the gospel with the Huaorani people of Ecuador in the 1950s. This indigenous group had little contact with outsiders and was known for their hostility. Despite the risks, these missionaries prioritized the salvation of the Huaorani over their own safety.

On January 8, 1956 (The 69th anniversary was just 4 days ago), they were martyred by the very people they were trying to reach. However, their selfless sacrifice inspired countless others to take up the call to missions. Eventually, their efforts bore fruit as the Huaorani people came to faith in Christ through the ongoing ministry of the missionaries’ families and others. Jim Elliot’s famous quote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose,” perfectly reflects the heart of leveraging life for others’ benefit and salvation.

• How can you live in a way that prioritizes others’ salvation?
• Who in your life needs to hear about Christ?
• Ask God for courage and opportunities to share the gospel.

Prayer Points: A.S.K.

1. Prioritizing Others’ Salvation:
   • “Lord, help us to live with eternal priorities, seeing the spiritual needs of those around us. Teach us to reflect Your love and truth in a way that points others to the hope found in You.”
2. Intercession for Specific People:
   • “Father, we lift up [name(s)] to You, asking that You prepare their hearts to receive the message of the gospel. Open doors for meaningful conversations, and let Your Spirit work in their lives.”
3. Courage and Opportunities to Share the Gospel:
   • “Holy Spirit, give us boldness to share the good news of Jesus Christ, even when it feels uncomfortable. Provide us with opportunities to speak about Your grace and wisdom to do so with love and clarity.”

• Let’s look at the third one.

Learn and Live from Jesus

1 Corinthians 11:1

¹ Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

• Paul tells us to ^“Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
• What was Paul imitating?
• Jesus Mission, Humility & Obedience
• First Jesus Mission

John 20:21

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

• What was he saying…The father sent him to seek and save the lost
• And he tells us to go and do the same

Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

• We are called to Live with intentionality by aligning our lives with Jesus’ mission to make disciples
• And to share the gospel where we live, work, and play.
• What About Jesus’ Humility?

Philippians 2:3-11

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

⁴ Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

⁵ Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,

⁶ who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
⁷ Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,
⁸ he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
⁹ For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name,
¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth—
¹¹ and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Jesus’ Humility is summed up in the work of the Gospel
• Jesus’ humility and obedience, culminating in His sacrificial death, set the ultimate example.
• Not that we need to now go and die but that we
• Emulate Jesus’ humility by putting others’ needs above your own. Philippians 2:3 reminds us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”
• Choosing to listen, serve, and prioritize others without expecting anything in return.
• Lastly Jesus Obedience
• Jesus’ example wasn’t about grand gestures but about daily acts of service, love, and submission to the Father’s will.
• We are called to follow Jesus’ example of obedience to the Father’s will,
• Even when it’s difficult.
• Examine your life: Are you following Jesus’ example in humility, obedience, and mission?
• Pray for specific ways to imitate Him more fully this week.

Prayer Points: A.S.K.

1. Humility:
   • “Lord Jesus, help us to walk in humility, putting others’ needs above our own. Teach us to embrace a servant’s heart and to reflect Your example of selflessness in our daily interactions.”
2. Obedience:
   • “Father, guide us to obey Your will in every area of our lives. Show us where we need to surrender, and give us the strength to follow Your commands with trust and faithfulness.”
3. Mission:
   • “Holy Spirit, inspire us to live intentionally for Your mission. Open our eyes to opportunities to share the gospel and make disciples, and give us the courage to step out in faith to proclaim Your love.”

• Final Challenge Bible Reading Plan
• Together, as a congregation, I want to challenge us to study the Gospels, looking at how Jesus lived, served, and loved, then applying those lessons to their own lives.
• Before the Cross: The Life of Jesus bible reading plan

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/876-before-the-cross-the-life-of-jesus