First Corinthians 9, I want to
read the first 14 verses. First Corinthians 9, verse 1
says, Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord?
If I be not an apostle unto others, yea, doubtless I am to you. For
the seal of mine apostleship are you in the Lord. Mine answer
to them that do examine me is this. Have we not power to eat
and drink? Have we not power to lead about
a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren
of the Lord in Cephas? Or I only in Barnabas, Have not
we power to forebear working? Who goeth a warfare any time
at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth
not the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock and eateth
not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man,
or sayeth not the law the same also? For it is written in the
law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that
treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen,
or sayeth he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no
doubt, this is written. that he that ploweth should plow
in hope, and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of
his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual
things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
If others be 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. Do you not know that they which
minister about holy things live of the things of the temple?
And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar.
Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel. Now do we have a general idea
of what he's talking about? I don't know of anything more
difficult, really, I thought about all the
subjects I would have to deal with being a pastor going verse
by verse through the scriptures and I dreaded some of them. But
I don't know of anything that is more difficult than dealing
with what the scripture says about the physical aspects of
money. It's just, you all have put me in the best
possible position to deal with this that I could ever dream
of. I thought about taking the time to just list the things
that you've done for me since I've been here just in the last
year. And I thought, no, they all know
what they've done for me. We'd be here all morning listing things
you've done for me. But you take such good care of
me and my family, I feel like I'm not teaching us anything.
I'm just repeating what we already know. But the fact of the matter
is, if a true pastor, there's a lot of false pastors out there.
And if a true pastor has been given a heart for God's people,
and I believe God, I know he has, he's given me a heart for
you. Man, I love you. I thank the Lord all the time
that I don't live somewhere else. I want to be in Kingsport with
the people in Kingsport, and I love my brethren, I do. But
God has given me a heart to be here, here. And if God truly
gives a pastor a heart for God's people, the last thing on this
earth that he wants is to be a burden on them. That's the
very last thing he wants. The last thing I want is for
you to suffer at my expense. Also, the last thing that a true
preacher wants is for God's people to ever get the idea that he
is in this for their money. It's just, when God's in it,
it's just not the case. It is just not the case. Look
at verse 15, 1 Corinthians 9 verse 15, but I have used none of these
things. Paul told them everything he,
by God's word, has a right to. But he said, I've used none of
these things, neither have I written these things that it should be
so done unto me. I'm not telling you these things,
so it'll be done to me. He said, for it were better for
me to die. It'd just be better if I died. than that any man should make
my glorying void." All of my glory and praise and everything
turned from Christ and me start wanting to glorify this flesh
right here. He said in verse 16, for though
I preach the gospel I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is
laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. He's saying I have to do this
regardless. I have to. I have to. Woe from God would be unto me
if I did not preach his gospel when that's what he's called
me to do. Woe from God would be unto me. Look at Jonah. When
God has called me to do this, I have to do this and I want
to do this. I truly do. So Paul is saying
right here, I'll preach the gospel whether I receive any support
or not. And I just want everybody to know we've been here three
years. I pray God has us here for 43
more minimum. And if during that course in
time he purposes for all you to go poor. If everything dries
up and everybody goes poor, I just want everybody to know I'll preach
for free. If God will give me a message, if He'll bless it
with His Spirit, you don't have to pay me. You just don't have
to pay me. Paul would not receive any support
from Corinth. He did from other places. He
had to. But he would not receive any support from Corinth. He
considered them to be babes in Christ. He knew that they didn't
understand these things yet. He wanted to prove to them that
he was speaking on God's behalf and not his own. And when we
deal with something like this, that's number one priority. We're
speaking on God's behalf and not our own. And that's why he
started this the way he did. If we're going to deal with this
subject of support, that's what all this is about. We're only
going to deal with it in light of what God has to say about
it. So Paul says in verse 1, Am I not an apostle? That's how
he starts it. Am I not an apostle? God truly
made 12 men to be apostles. 12 men. He did that for the purpose of
writing God's word. There are no more apostles. The
catalog is finished. No more need for apostles. God
spoke through these men. And Paul says, this is not my
word, everything I'm writing here is the word of God himself.
Verse 1, am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others,
yea, doubtless I am to you. For the seal of mine apostleship
are ye in the Lord." Some were questioning his apostleship. And they did not want to support
him. They thought he's not truly called
of God. And so they didn't want to support
him. And men who we believe are not truly called of God, we don't
have a heart to support them. I don't have a heart to send Joel Osteen to dine. I don't
believe he's called God and I don't want to support him. And so they
were calling Paul's apostleship into question and the reason
is because he was not one of the original twelve. Judas was
an apostle but he was not God's apostle. God didn't use him to
save one soul or write one word of scripture. Paul truly was
the twelfth apostle. Go with me over to Acts chapter
1. Here is the qualification or
the requirement to be an apostle. This is what was required to
be an apostle. Acts 1 verse 21 says, Wherefore
of these men which have accompanied with us all the time that the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us, being from the baptism of
John unto that same day that he was taken up from us. They had to learn this gospel,
hear this gospel, be called into the ministry from Christ Himself
in the flesh on this earth. They had to be with Him. They
had to be called by Him. Verse 22. beginning from the
baptism of John until the same day that he was taken up from
us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."
They also had to personally witness the fact that Christ did indeed
rise from the dead. Personal witness. They had to
see him after he rose from the dead. Look at Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 10 verse 39, and
we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land
of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on
a tree. Him God raised up the third day
and showed him openly. not to all the people, but unto
witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink
with him after he rose from the dead." We ate and drank with
him. Boy, that's precious, isn't it? And as we go through John,
we're about to close out the book of John, it keeps saying
many things he did, many wonderful signs he did that are not written
in this book. Can you imagine for 40 days,
Everything he told these men and they sat down and they had
dinner with the Lord and they said, we saw him. We ate
and drank with him. John said, that which we have
seen, that which we have looked upon, our hands handled him. That was the requirement. You
had to be taught from Christ himself and you had to witness
his resurrection and Paul said, I am an apostle. I am an apostle. It's recorded four times in the
scripture that Paul saw the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back to Acts
chapter 9. Acts chapter 9 verse 3 says,
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus. And suddenly there
shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the
earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling
and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And
the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it
shall be told thee what thou must do. That was the first time.
Look at Acts 22. Acts 22 verse 17 says, And it
came to pass that when I was come again to Jerusalem, even
while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance and saw Him. saying unto me, make haste and
get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy
testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that
I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed
on thee. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed,
I also was standing by and consenting unto his death and kept the raiment
of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Depart,
for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. Paul said,
I saw him. I saw him right there. Acts 23
verse 10 says, When there arose a great dissension, the chief
captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of
them, commanded the soldiers to go down and to take him by
force from among them and to bring him into the castle. And
the night following, the Lord stood by him. That's amazing
to me. Now, the Lord has already ascended,
but he came back and he stood by him. And said, be of good
cheer, Paul, for as thou has testified of me in Jerusalem,
so must thou bear witness also at Rome. The last one is in 2
Corinthians 12. 2 Corinthians 12 verse 2, Paul
talking about himself, he said, I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell or whether
out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth. Such in one called
up to the third heaven, And I knew such a man, whether in the body
or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, how that he
was called up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which
it is not lawful or possible for a man to utter." So Paul
said, I'm an apostle. I am an apostle. I've seen the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he said in Galatians, if
you turn one page or two pages over to Galatians chapter one,
Verse 11, But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which
was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it
of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ. Verse 15, But when it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by
His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him
among the heathen. Immediately I conferred not with
flesh and blood, neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which
were apostles before me, but I went into Arabia." I didn't
go to Jerusalem and talk to all the other apostles. He said,
I went into Arabia and returned again unto Damascus. Then after
three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him
15 days. But other of the apostles saw
I none save James, the Lord's brother. Mount Sinai is in Arabia. Mount Sinai, you know, where
the Lord came down and it caught on fire. And Galatians 4 tells
us that Mount Sinai is in Arabia. And it's believed by many that
God took Paul to Mount Sinai, same place he took Moses, sat
him down and taught him law and grace. And Paul says, after three
years, just like the rest of the apostles, after three years
I went and saw Peter and James. So Paul said, before I talk about
any of this money and support and all those things, he said,
I'm an apostle and this is not my word, it's the word of God
Almighty. All right, now go with me back
to 1 Corinthians 9. Verse 1, am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others,
yea, doubtless I am to you. For the seal of mine apostleship
are ye in the Lord. He's saying you've seen the success
of God's ministry here and you know and believe that this is
of God and that I've truly been called of God to preach his gospel. Verse three, mine answer to them
that do examine me is this, to those who question me and my
motive in the ministry, is this, verse four, he said, have we
not power to eat and drink? The word power means privilege.
Liberty, it means the right. Necessity, we have the same necessities
you have. That's what he's saying. We have
the same necessities you have. Verse five, have we not power
to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and
as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Cephas is Peter,
and Peter was a married man. And it's ironic to me that the
one apostle that the Catholics cling to as their first pope
The one they've chosen to acknowledge is really the only one that I
know of who was a married man. I mean, I guess the other ones
were, but there's something in there. He's a married man. It's
crazy. But Paul said, I have the same
privilege as Peter or anybody else to be married. In 1 Corinthians 7, he dealt
with marriage. The reason he brings this up
is the context of support. What he's saying is, somebody
who's been called to preach the gospel, if he's married, he has
two mouths to feed instead of one. He has two bodies to clothe
instead of one. In this day and age, he has,
you know, it's not a necessity, but two cars to drive instead
of one. Two showers that need hot water
instead of one and she's his responsibility
not to mention children. Scriptures are clear if a man
is a husband and a father it's his responsibility. And just
because the Lord calls a man to preach, it doesn't mean his
necessities and his responsibilities go away. They just, you know,
vanish and go away. And the Lord has given you all
such an awareness of that. I knew it from the moment I came
here. After talking to Brother Tony for about five minutes,
I realized this man has a heart. I'm glad he's not here. He has
a heart to support not only the ministry, but me and my family.
I believed it from minute one. And I can tell the Lord has given
everyone here this, and I'm just, I'm grateful to you. I'm very
grateful to you for being so sensitive to our needs. Verse
six, he said, or I only in Barnabas have not we power to forbear
working? Do we not have the right to not
work a regular job? We don't have the right like
the other preachers to not work a regular job for the sake of
the ministry. Paul did work while he was in
Corinth. Turn with me to Acts chapter
18. He did work so he could tell
them this. Acts chapter 18. Verse 1 says, After these things
Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth, and found a
certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy
with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudus had commanded all
Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. And because he
was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought, for by
their occupation they were tentmakers." So Paul was a tentmaker in Corinth. That's where he did it, in Corinth.
Acts chapter 20 verse 33, he said, I have coveted no man's
silver or gold or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know that
these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that
were with me." But look what he says back in 1 Corinthians
9 verse 7. 1 Corinthians 9 verse 7, Paul said,
Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? Who goes
to war for a country? Who enlists in an army? And his
country sends him overseas to go to war. Who goes paying his
own way? Buying his own food? Buying his
own clothes? It's all issued to him. Buying
his own ammunition? None of them. They just don't
do that. He says, who goes to warfare
any time at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth
not the fruit thereof? You know one person that has
ever dug a garden and planted a garden and tilled a garden
and weeded the garden and worked and wrought and not eaten any
fruit out of it? Or who feedeth a flock and eateth
not of the milk of the flock? I thought about a milk, you know,
a dairy farmer. Goes out every morning, every
night, he milks those cows. Somebody asked him, is milk any
good? I don't know, I'm not allowed to drink any of it. Verse 8,
say I these things as a man or sayeth not the law the same also? He said, am I making this up
or did God say this? Verse nine, for it is written
in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox
that treadeth out the corn. And that's almost word for word.
Deuteronomy 25 for the Lord said, don't put a muzzle on the mouth
of the ox while he's treading out the corn. So he won't eat
some of it as he works. He said in verse 9, doth God
take care for oxen? Did the Lord only give that law
just to take care of the ox? Verse 10, or saith he it altogether
for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt this
is written, that he that ploweth should plow in hope that there
will be something to reap. And he said that he that thresheth
in hope should be partaker of this hope. All he's saying is
everyone who works ought to receive compensation for it. That's all
he's saying. You go work your job all week long, come Friday
at five, you ought to get your paycheck. Our Lord said in Matthew
9, pray the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers. And that's what preachers are,
they're laborers, they're workers, servants. Verse 11, if we have
sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall
reap your carnal things? If others be 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. May this never be about money. That is my hope. May this never, never be about
money. I'm the greatest expense on this
ministry. I realize that. I realize that
it has to be this way. It just has to be this way. And
I'm so grateful for your support. I truly am. I could never express
to you how thankful I am for your support. In just a minute,
you're going to see why. I'm going to tell you truly why
I am so, so grateful that you support me. But may money never
hinder the preaching of the gospel of Christ. Never, may it never
be a hindrance. He said, you know, if we've sown
unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall
reap your carnal things? Most churches, most grace churches
have gone to a box. We have a box and we don't even
have a sign that says gifts and offerings on it. But anyway,
most people have gone to that, but it wasn't too long ago that
Everybody still passed the plate. And years ago at 13th Street
in Ashland, in a Sunday morning service, this little boy nudged
his mom. She said, what is it? He said, when I grow up, I want
to be the pastor. And she said, why? He said, because
he gets all that money up there. Two big old piles of money sitting
up there. It all goes to the pastor. Well, you know, I'm a
great expense. I realize that. But may money
never hinder the preaching of the gospel of Christ. Never.
Never. It's a necessity in moderation. Just moderately. Moderately. It's a necessity in moderation,
but may it never be a hindrance, a point of contention, an offense. I can't help it. Whenever you
all gave me that car, I thought, I hope this doesn't offend anybody. And I don't think it has. You
don't give me that impression. But it's humbling. It's humbling, but I would never
want it to be an offense. And I'm grateful for it. I want
you to know that. He said, Do you not know that they which
minister about holy things live of the things of the temple,
and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel. Now I'm going to close this up,
but let me show you that in Numbers 18. Turn with me over to Numbers
18. Numbers 18 verse 20. It says, And the Lord spake unto
Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land. Aaron was the
high priest. No inheritance in their land,
neither shalt thou have any part among them. I am thy part and
thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And behold, I have
given the children of Levi, the ministers in the temple, I've
given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel. for an inheritance, for their
service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle
of the congregation." So that's why the Lord told Israel to give. He didn't need, He gave it all
to them in the first place. What do we have? What can we
offer Him? I'm going to do something for the Lord, you know. He gave
it all to them in the first place, but He told them to give. for
many reasons, but one of them being to support the Levites
who ministered in the temple. Look at Deuteronomy 18. Deuteronomy
18 verse 1 says, The priest, the Levites, and
all the tribe of Levi shall have no part nor inheritance with
Israel. They shall eat the offerings
of the Lord made by fire and his inheritance." A lamb would
be brought to the Lord. They told the children of Israel,
bring a tenth of everything you have. They had a sin offering
that needed to be made, so they'd bring a lamb or something. The Levites that ministered in
the temple, they didn't buy that lamb. They didn't go out and
buy it. They didn't raise that lamb, feed that lamb, shear that
lamb. They didn't do anything. But
the people brought that lamb and the Levites sacrificed it
to the Lord, and that's what God provided for them to eat.
They ate the meat of it. It didn't just go to waste. And
the Lord hasn't changed. This is how he's purposed to
provide for his preacher still to this day. Whatever comes in,
this is what supports his preacher. Back with me to 1 Corinthians
9. Verse 14 says, Even so hath the
Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live
of the gospel. 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 in void. For though
I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is
laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach
not the gospel." I say with the Apostle Paul, I'm not telling
you this that it should be so done unto me. That's not the
reason that I say this. It's not for my gain. It's not
for my gain. And I don't want it to ever be
about that, but it is clear to me that God has given you a heart
to do this for me. If God calls a man to preach,
God will call people to support him. It's just how the Lord operates.
And I'm grateful to you for it. I'm so grateful because the end
of verse 16 says, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.
Woe is unto me and you take care of me so well, I'm able to give
all of my work to studying and preaching. All of my actual labor,
the time in my life that is labor can be given to studying and
preaching. And my prayer is that woe will not be unto me and woe
will not be unto you. And I'm going to close with this
statement. This is the greatest reason. This is the greatest
motivation. When I when I read this, I thought if I would start
the Bible study with this, we could have a nine second Bible
study. This says it all. This says it all. John Gill said. God's ministers must be supported. So they can labor in the word,
not loiter in it. Not just stand around, you know.
Dig in it. Dig in it. It takes time and
it takes energy. And pray for me that God would
give me the ability and the heart to go to work in the field and
dig a trench in it. I mean, dig deep in it. I pray
that God would start opening my eyes and my heart to the word
now like he never has. If I've been scraping at the
surface, let's start digging in it. Anyway, thank you so much for
your support, enabling me to try to do that. All right, you're
dismissed.