2nd Corinthians chapter 11 There is an important message
in this chapter That you're gonna see we're gonna go through this
and you're gonna see that he deals with some different things
but there is one message that he is saying in all of this and
I hope the Lord will let us enter into it and Let's begin by reading
through this and seeing what he has to say. 2 Corinthians
11 verse 1. Would to God you could bear with
me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me. Don't bear with
them. Bear with me. That's what he's
saying. He's about to expose false prophets. And what he's saying is, follow
me as I follow the Lord. If anybody follows the Lord,
that's the mercy of the Lord, that's the grace of the Lord,
the calling, the drawing, the leading. But he is just, we're
gonna see in this, he's honest and sincere. He's just saying,
I'm just having to tell it like it is. And he's saying, don't
bear with him. Bear with me, follow me as I
follow the Lord. Verse two, for I'm jealous over
you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. All I want
is for you to be with Christ. Come the end. That's all I want. That's my motivation, my goal,
my reward. greatest reward we can, any believer
could have is that the Lord would bring more sheep into the fold. Keep us and keep more. Verse 3, but I fear lest by any
means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so
your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ. There is one message There is
one truth, one Savior, one salvation, one way, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's it. Verse 4, for if he
that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached,
a Jesus who is not God manifest in the flesh. A Jesus who is
not all-powerful, almighty, seated on the throne, the High King
of heaven and earth. Verse 4, if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive another
spirit which you have not received, a spirit that points you to anything
other than the blood of Jesus Christ. Verse four goes on to
say, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, a gospel
that cries anything other than scriptures alone, faith alone,
grace alone, Christ alone, the glory of God alone. If he that
cometh preaches anything other than that, he said at the end
of verse four, you might well bear with him. Don't put it past
us to fall for anything. Don't put it past this flesh
to fall for anything. Verse 5, For I suppose I was
not a wit behind the very chiefest apostles. I was chosen by God
just like the rest of them. And any man who the Lord does
call in any capacity says the same thing. If a man is called
to preach, he says, God laid hold of me. I didn't do this.
If a man is called to believe, He says, God laid hold of me.
I didn't do this. It doesn't matter what capacity
it is. And Paul is saying, I was taught the gospel, and in his
case, directly by the mouth of Jesus Christ, just like the rest
of the apostles. Everything that I am, I am by
His grace, just like the rest of them. Verse six, but though
I be rude in speech, simple, Just simple. I'm not a good match for the
educated of the world and these big minds and these big words.
I don't know the big words. He said, I'm not in knowledge.
Paul knew the big words. He just wouldn't use them. Just
like our Lord wouldn't use them. And he said, we have been throughly
made manifest among you in all things. I've not shunned to declare
unto you the whole counsel of God. all the fullness of the
Godhead in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 7, have
I committed an offense in abasing myself that you might be exalted
because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? And the word freely right there
literally means without taking any wages, no pay, He said, have
I offended you over the fact that I won't take anything from
you? Does the fact that I'm not willing to defraud you or insinuate
defrauding you, even though Corinth was one of the wealthiest congregations
there were. A long time ago, we did a little
intro to Corinthians and saw where they were located. Lots
of commerce, two seas met. And they were a very wealthy
congregation, but he said, I haven't taken anything from you. And
he said, does that offend you? Verse eight, I robbed other churches,
taking wages of them to do you service. And when I was present
with you and lacked, I was chargeable to no man for that which was
lacking to me, the brethren, which came from Macedonia supplied
the poorest congregations. Macedonia were very, very poor. We saw that in chapter 8, chapter
9. He was saying, out of their great
lack, they've just given abundantly. And he said, they supplied what
I needed. And then he went on to say in verse 9, and in all
things I've kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and
so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in
me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Corinth, And the other churches
around Corinth were in the region of Achaia. And they were just
bombarded with false prophets. Bombarded with them. Who were
all in it for filthy lucre. It always comes back to money.
If a man is not called of God and sent of God with the Message
of God and the glory of God at stake it always comes back to
money always Self in some way shape or form Paul said I'm going
to prove How opposite the truth is from what you're hearing from
these men? by making myself to be the opposite
of what they are and He's telling they're trying
to bleed you dry and And this is his illustration to him. They're
trying to bleed you dry. I'm taking nothing from you.
That's the difference in our message. Their message is what
are you going to do? The message of truth is what
has God already done? Their message is what you must
give. The true message is what God
must give. They say work, your cost is high. God says rest,
your cost is free. Paul said, I'm trying as hard
as I can to preach that to you and prove it to you. Verse 11,
wherefore, why am I doing that? Because I love you not? Absolutely
not. He said, God knows the truth
of the matter. Verse 12, but what I do, that I will do, that
I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion, that wherein
they glory they may be found even as we. For such are false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no
great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works."
Satan's great work is not in the bar. It's not in the drinking establishment.
It's not in those places. His great work is in the church. That's where his great work is. And in the name of God's glory
and God's honor. In the name of his. Glory defending
God. He denies God's gospel. Here's how we can see his work.
He denies God's gospel. He quenches God's spirit or that's
his aim. That's his desire. and his desire
is to divide God's sheep. Deny the gospel, quench the spirit,
divide God's sheep. He discredits the pulpit, and
he works through the puke, and he's so good at it, if it were
possible, God's elect would be deceived. They'd be stolen away. Thank God it cannot be done.
That just cannot be done. Now, God's people may be deceived
because we're all ignorant sheep, but they cannot be stolen away.
They're in the shepherd's fold, and they're in the shepherd's
hand, and he's in his father's hand. It just can't be done.
Cannot be done. Verse 16, I say again, let no
man think me a fool. If otherwise, yet as a fool,
receive me, that I may boast myself a little." What he's saying
is, boasting of yourself is foolish. Defending yourself is unwise. I want to try to learn that and
remember that. Defending yourself is unwise. Boasting is foolish. But he's about to tell them,
I'm not defending myself, I'm defending the gospel I preach.
And I'm not doing this for my benefit, I'm doing it for yours.
Verse 17, that which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord,
but as it were foolishly in this confidence of boasting. I'm about
to speak as a man, that's what he's saying. I'm going to quote
what fleshly men say. I'm going to point out what fleshly
men highly establish. And if all that men and women
are gonna do, if all they're gonna focus on and be impressed
with and give credibility to is what they can see on the outside,
if they're gonna think on these things in a fleshly way and ask
questions in a fleshly way, I'm gonna answer them in a fleshly
way. Verse 18, seeing that many glory
after the flesh, I will glory also. For you suffer fools gladly,
seeing ye yourselves are wise. Wise in the ways of the world,
or consider. We consider ourselves to be wise.
How foolish the wisdom of man is. Put a Selah right there. Dwell on that for a minute. How
foolish the wisdom of man is. I really think we ought to do
things this way. How foolish. the wisdom of man
is. Verse 20, for you suffer, you
put up with, you gladly receive. If a man bring you into bondage,
if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself,
if a man smite you on the face, don't you greatly desired. Don't you wish that people who
were under the bondage of these false prophets, these deceitful
workers, don't you wish that they could have their eyes open
to what's going on and what they're under? He said in verse 21, I
speak as concerning reproach as though we had been weak. How
be it whereinsoever is any bold? He said, man, I'm speaking foolishly.
I'm speaking as a man. I don't enjoy this. He said, I'm bold also, meaning
confident. Are they confident? I'm more
confident. Are they confident in what they're
telling you? I'm more confident. I'm speaking as a fool, but I'm
telling you this is the truth and that is a lie. Listen to me, don't listen to
them. I speak as a fool. God knows. Verse 22, are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of
Abraham? So am I. What he's saying is
that means nothing. Not only is it irrelevant, not
only is holding to stock and tradition and fleshly accomplishments,
Fleshly names, letters of the law. Not only does all of that
mean nothing in this, it must be shunned. It must be discredited. It must be gotten rid of. It
must be considered a hindrance. It must be considered a hindrance.
I've thought before, I'll tell you something I've thought in
my mind. People ask me, they've asked me many times, where'd
you go to school? Where'd you go to seminary? And
you know what I've thought many times? It would have been so
much easier had I just gone, so I could just give them a name,
and then they'd be happy, and we could be done with that. Because
they want that credibility in that letter of the law. That's
what they want. That's going to determine whether
or not their flesh decides if they're going to listen or not. Thank God He overrules all that. He overrules all that. And what
Paul is saying right here is to the true God-called preacher,
not only is that stuff irrelevant, we know it's irrelevant, but
it must be shunned. It must be discredited. The men
that I know who did go to seminary have all denied it. They've all
denied it. Gotten rid of it. They consider
it a hindrance, a hurt, a loss. And that's what a man must do
before God will use him. Any fleshly attainments must
be gotten rid of. Paul was the only apostle with
a formal religious education, and before God would use him,
he had to get rid of it. He had to, with his own lips,
confess, it is all, and I wrote down a stronger word than this,
D-U-N-G, Dung. That's just all it is. Verse 23, are they ministers
of Christ? They're calling themselves ministers
of Christ. He's about to ask them, where's
the suffering for Christ's sake? Our Lord said, the world shall
hate you for preaching the truth. He said, if they rejected me,
they will reject you. He said in the world, you shall
have tribulation for my namesake. And he said, these men are living
in the lap of luxury. Wealth, fame. Verse 23, are they
ministers of Christ? Buddy, I'm speaking as a fool.
He said, I am more. I am more. In labors, more abundant. He said, nobody has given themselves, and I don't
say this, Paul is saying this, nobody has given themselves to
the preaching of the gospel like I have, spreading that gospel
like I have. In stripes above measure, how
many stripes have they received for preaching the blood of Jesus
Christ alone? He said, in prisons more frequent. How many nights have they spent
in prison for preaching God's election? How many nights? I'm speaking as a fool. In deaths,
often. I've been so almost dead, I just
think, I just consider myself died. Verse 24 of the Jews five
times received a 40 stripes saved one They had it figured out that
it was highly possible for a man to die from receiving 40 stripes. So they pulled one back Just
to keep him alive So they could do it to him again 39 Stripes
verse 25 thrice was I beaten with rods Lord willing we're
going to see one of those tonight. I Once was I stoned. When a man picks up a stone to
stone somebody else, he has one goal in mind. Death. Keep hitting his head until that
man is dead. And he said this was all for
preaching Jesus Christ. Thrice I suffered shipwreck. Three times ships went down. A night and a day I have been
in the deep. In journeyings, often, almost
every time I journeyed, I was in danger of water, in danger
of robbers, in danger of mine own countrymen, in danger by
the heathen, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness,
in danger in the sea, in danger among false brethren, in weariness. You know, sometimes we get tired.
And we think we're weary. This man knew weariness. And painfulness. This man experienced
bodily pain. You know, you go through something
and it's painful. And then after that, the pain starts setting
in. Those beatings probably dislocated joints and he had shoulder pains. I mean, who knows what all? In watchings often, here this
man of God had to keep watch to see if anybody was about to
attack him. In hunger and thirst, I mean hungry. In fastings often, and that means
just complete, utter prayer to God, just pouring his heart out. In cold and nakedness. Beside
those things that are without, here's the greatest, greatest
one of all, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all
the churches, the burden and the heartache and the worry over
souls that comes with this calling. I'm just not even going to expound
on it. But I tell you this, if you have any worry over the souls
of your children, or the souls of your parents, or the souls
of... you can enter in somewhat to what it's like to worry over
every soul that the Lord has put under your... whatever He puts us under. You
worry about people's financial situation. You worry about people's
happiness. You worry about their safety,
you worry about all those things, but then ultimately you have
a worry over their souls. And Paul didn't have one congregation.
Paul traveled to all the churches. Verse 29, he said, I'm just a
man like everybody else. Who is weak and I'm not weak. Who is offended and I burn not. But here's the point of it all.
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern
mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which is blessed forevermore, knoweth that I lie
not. In Damascus, the governor under
Aretas, the king, kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison. Desirous to apprehend me, he
wanted to cut my head off. And through a window in a basket,
I was let down by the wall and escaped his hands." That was
his first trial in Damascus, where the Lord spoke to him.
Saul of Tarsus knocked him off his horse. Lord, what would you
have me to do? He said, you go into Damascus,
it'll be told you what to do. Ananias came to him, scales fell
from his eyes, and immediately here come the trials. They wanted
to cut his head off for denying the law he preached before. in turning to the true and living
God. Immediately they want to cut
his head off. And he said, I now see that that happened for a
purpose, and I see who that purpose is. It's all for the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Every bit of it. Here is the
message in everything he just said. It is all for Christ's
sake. All of it. Everything is for
the gospel of Christ's sake. Everything I am, everything I
have, everything I do, it's all for the glory of God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Spirit. My life is in Him. Therefore, my life is for Him. He said, just listen to this,
He said in Acts 20, that the Holy Ghost witnessed in every
city that bonds and afflictions awaited him. But he said, None
of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself,
so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which
I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of God. He's saying right along with
John the Baptist, I must decrease. It has been testified to me all
these heartaches that are going to come and all these trials
that are going to come and you're going to preach this message
boldly and be hated for it. He said, that's fine. It doesn't
move me. It doesn't. I must decrease. I must. I must. Now I have wondered why The Lord
made it so that it has to be that way. Why did it have to
be that way? Why did it have to be that way? God's preachers are not the only
ones who suffer for his namesake. God's people do too. Why has
God made it to be this way that all of these trials do come for
his namesake? I believe in this. We can see
a little bit of why it is. God in His kindness and in His
mercy is going to teach His people through whatever means necessary
to completely be dependent on Christ. And that's a reality. God is going to teach His people
through whatever means necessary to completely be dependent on
Christ. If we have any knowledge, I promise
we'll be so proud of it. Any worldly wisdom, we'll be
so proud of it, and God is able to knock it right out from under
us. If we are trusting in horses,
God is able to knock them right out from under us. Paul had a
horse literally knocked right out from under him on the way
to Damascus. Put him down. If we are trusting
in ships, you know, we get on this big
ship, well, this thing will get me across the ocean. God is able
to knock them right out from under us. How many ships did
Paul have knocked out from under him? Think about this from a
literal point of view. By the end of his life, I guarantee
you, every time he walked the plank and stepped foot on a ship,
he was convinced in his heart, this ship means nothing. If Jesus
Christ does not get me across this ocean, I'm not going across
this ocean. I'm convinced of it. I mean,
I am in the hands of my Lord. Are we trusting in success, in
riches? He can knock them right out from
under us. He can get us to a place where we honestly say either
God is going to fill my belly or my belly is not going to be
filled. In loving kindness, God will
knock every crutch out from under us until we have nothing left
to lean on but our Lord Jesus Christ. nothing left to lean
on. He will, in loving, tender mercy,
put every one of his children into a saving position that cries,
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord
Jesus. If any man glory, let him glory
in the Lord. If any man boasts, let him boast
in his own infirmities, his own weakness, and the strength of
His Lord. My inability is all ability. My insufficiency is all sufficiency. We know that if God did not knock
these crutches out from under us, we would lean on every single
one of them. We know we would. It is great
kindness and mercy when He does just that. Painful. Painful, but it's kindness. And
it's our great blessing. We'll close with this. Chapter
12 verse 9 says, He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for
thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly,
therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. When he puts us in a place where
we're so weak, all we can do is look to him. That's all we
can do. The place where we're so weak,
we realize if he does not catch us, I'm about to fall. When he puts us in that place,
that is a place that is the strongest position we've ever been in.
That is a firm foundation. Cannot be shaken, cannot fall.
Paul said, if I must glory, I'm going to glory in my weakness
and I'm going to glory in his strength. And we leave it right
there. All right. You're dismissed.