Paul asks a rather unusual question
in verse five, when he says, who then is Paul? Who is Apollos? Now that is his response to what
was said in verse four, for while one saith, I'm of Paul and another,
I'm of Apollos. Are you not carnal? Look in chapter
one, verse 11. For it hath been declared unto
me of you, my brethren, by the house of Chloe, that there are
contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one
of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, I of Cephas and
I of Christ. That was the issue. Some were saying, I'm a Paul. Others were saying, I prefer
Apollos. Some were saying, I like Peter
best. And then the real pious one said,
I don't listen to any man. I follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
I feel there's more benefit. and spiritual growth from Paul's
preaching. I get a lot more out of his preaching.
Somebody disagrees, not me. I get a whole lot more out of
Paul's preaching. He's a lot better speaker, mighty
in the scriptures, an eloquent man. I'm moved by his preaching. I'm inspired by his preaching.
Paul seems kind of dry to me. Then somebody else says, I like
Peter. Peter's been around a whole lot
more than these other two guys have. He was with the Lord when
the Lord walked on the earth and what boldness he demonstrates.
I benefit more from Peter's preaching. That's who I like. Then the real
pious one said, I don't listen to any of them. I listen to Christ. He's the one I want to hear.
I don't want to listen to a man. I want to listen to Christ. What does Paul say about that?
Verse four of chapter three. For while one saith, I'm of Paul
and another I am of Apollos. Are you not yet carnal? You're thinking and acting like
unbelievers in thinking that way. pitting one preacher against
another, thinking one is of more benefit than another. You know,
when I was thinking about this issue going on in the church,
and I can see different factions getting together and discussing
which preacher you benefited from the most by listening to
him. There's some you benefit more
than being under them and somebody else. What I thought about, this
is the same principle as infant baptism. Somebody's saying, well,
where are you coming up with that? Well, the people who practice
infant baptism, I'm amazed that anybody does it, because there's
nothing in the scripture about it. I've heard people say, well,
it takes the place of circumcision. Show me the verse where it says
that. That's not in the Bible. But when somebody practices infant
baptism, they won't say, well, I think my infant's saved by
this. I think this makes him saved
by being sprinkled or whatever. I don't know of anyone who thinks
that, but they do think this, they're more likely to be saved.
They're more likely to experience spiritual benefit. I mean, we're
making a promise to make them live under the fear and admonition
of the Lord in that sense. So I think that that way of thinking
is the same thing. It can't hurt. You'd be better
off. You'd be more spiritually beneficial by doing this than
by listening to this man or that man. Now, Paul asked this question
in verse five, with regard to that thinking, you're better
off listening to this preacher. I'm not saying you'll be saved
just simply because you're listening, but you're better off. You're
more likely to be saved. You're more likely to experience benefit
and growth through this man or that man, pitting one against
the other. Paul then asked this question,
who then is Paul? That's a good question, isn't
it? Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? I can say a lot of things about
who Paul is. You know, I was reading some secular literature. Well, that means non-biblical.
It wasn't even religious. And they were talking about the
five most influential men to Western civilization, Western
thought. Paul was in that group, the Apostle
Paul. He's one of the men who have
influenced thinking, the way we think. Who was Paul? Well, look what
it says about himself in this chapter, verse 10. According
to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master
builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon.
He says, God made me a wise master builder, an architect. Do you
know that the Lord used Paul more than anybody else to expound
the gospel? What a blessing this man has
been under the hand of God. Look in second Corinthians chapter
12. Verse one. It's not expedient for me, doubtless
to glory. I will come divisions and revelations
of the Lord. Now. Verse two. He's talking
about himself, and he speaks with such humility, and I think
as much as anything else, he's talking about the new man. I
knew a man, the new man. The old man's not brought into
heaven. If he was brought into heaven, he says, I don't know
if I was in heaven or on earth. I don't know what it was. But
look at the humility with which he speaks when he says, I knew
a man in Christ above 14 years ago, whether in the body, I cannot
tell whether out of the body, I kind of tell God knows such
a one caught up into the third heaven. Now the third heaven, the first is
where the birds fly. The second is where the galaxies
are. The third is somewhere else. It's where God is. Of course,
I don't understand all that. But Paul says, I was caught up
into the third heaven. And as a matter of fact, he said,
I heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful for a man to utter. When somebody tells you they've
been to heaven, if they have anything to say about it, you
know they weren't really there. I just don't believe any testimony
somebody gives. I was in heaven. One time a lady
said, I've been to heaven four times. Died four times, went to home.
I said, oh, OK. But he was taught directly the
gospel by the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what was going on. Who's Paul? Well, he's a man
that was brought up into the third heavens and Jesus Christ
taught him the gospel directly. Now, look what he goes on to
say about that. He says in verse three, I knew
such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot
tell. God knows how that he was caught up into paradise and he
heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter.
Of such a one will I glory, yet of myself I will not glory, but
in my infirmities. For though I would desire the
glory, I will not be a fool, for I will say the truth. And
now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which
he seeth me, or that heareth of me, and lest I should be exalted
above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was
given to me." Who gave it to him? God did. There was given
to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I
should be exalted above measure. Now you put yourself in Paul's
place. I put myself, if I was brought up into the third heaven
and you aren't, man, I must be somebody. But
the Lord delivered Paul from that kind of thinking. by giving
him this thorn in the flesh. What was it? Who knows? But it
was a thorn in the flesh, and it was very painful. But the Lord brought him up into
the third heavens. Who is Paul? He was brought up
into the third heavens. You remember his conversion experience. It's
recorded in Acts chapter nine, Acts chapter 22, and Acts chapter
26, how the Lord appeared to him in a light above the brightness
of the sun. Who is Paul? The one the Lord
appeared to. Remember when Ananias came to
him and said, the God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that
thou shouldest know his will and see that just one and hear
the words of his mouth for thou shalt be his witness unto all
men of what you've seen and heard. Who was Paul? One God determined
would be his witness. What about Ephesians? The book
of Ephesians. Paul wrote the book of Ephesians
and someone once said that it's the most sublime of the New Testament
epistles. And I certainly wouldn't argue
against that. He deals with things in Ephesians, eternal union.
the work of the father, the son, and the spirit in salvation in
chapter one. He goes into chapter five about
how marriage is nothing less than a picture of Christ and
his relationship with his church and his oneness with his church.
I mean, sublime things. But look, turn with me now to
Ephesians chapter three, and he tells us how he knew. Who
is Paul? Well, look here. Ephesians chapter three. For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner
of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if you've heard, of the dispensation
of the grace of God, which is given me to you. How that by
revelation, he made known unto me the mystery as I wrote a four
and a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand
my knowledge and the mystery of Christ. How did Paul know
all this stuff? Because God revealed it to him.
Perhaps it happened in heaven at that time. whereby when you
read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which
in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it's
now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers
of the promise in Christ by the gospel, where have I made a minister
according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by
the effectual working of his power unto me, who am less than
the least of all saints. Is this grace given that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ? Who is Paul? Pretty impressive
resume, isn't it? How the Lord used this man, the
apostle Paul. Who's Apollos? Well, he's introduced
to us in Acts chapter 18, if you'll remember. The Scripture
says he was an eloquent man and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man knew the Old Testament
like no one they'd ever come across. And when Aquila and Priscilla
heard him preach, they took him to a side. I think he just knew
Old Testament truth and they gave him the New Testament truth,
and he started preaching Christ more perfectly, and more clearly
after this, and he mightily convinced the Jews, the scripture says,
and that publicly, that Jesus is the Christ, and he was such
a used man in the New Testament. People said, boy, I love his
preaching. He's mighty in the scriptures. I'm just moved by
his preaching. He speaks to me much more than
Paul does. Paul's logical. Apollos is moving. Who is Apollos? You know, if you compared Paul
and Apollos, you know, people in the Church of Corinth said,
with regard to the Apostle Paul, his bodily presence is weak. There's nothing impressive about
this man. His speech is contemptible. And he said, regarding his own
speech, his speaking ability, he said, I'm rude in speech,
meaning I'm unskilled in speech. Maybe he's like Moses. I mean,
Moses said, I'm slow of tongue, I can't speak. And if you compared
Paul and Apollos, Apollos was a mighty speaker, moving people. Paul said I'm rude in speech,
but not in knowledge, not in understanding. Well, somebody
says, I prefer Paul. Somebody else says, I prefer
Apollos. And that's when he asked this
question in first Corinthians chapter three, verse five, who
then is Paul and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed,
even as the Lord gave to every man I have planted, Apollos watered,
but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth
anything, neither he that watereth. Who
is Paul? Nothing. Who is a Paulist? Nothing. Instruments. Ministers by whom you believed. Instruments. Implements. Shovel. Rake. Plow. Hoe. You look at somebody with this
big, beautiful garden, and you don't think, what kind of shovel
did they use? What kind of plow did they use?
That must have been a great plow. Oh, what about that? You don't
talk about the instruments. One's as good as another, the
one who used the instruments. That is the point. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Instruments,
implements, a garden rake, that's it. By whom you believed, faith cometh
by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Now, Paul had already
said in this epistle in chapter one, verse 21, he said, it pleased
God by the foolishness. of preaching to save them that
believe. This is what God uses, the preaching
of the gospel. Does that put any special place
for the preacher? Is there a clergy and a laity,
there's the preachers, there's the servants of God, and then
there's the common folks? That kind of thinking is anathema. It's evil. All of God's people
are God's clergy. Clergy and lay people, that's
the most ridiculous, man-made. There's nothing to it. Paul said,
who is Paul? He's nothing. Who is Apollos? He is nothing. An instrument. Do you glorify
the preacher when you say, please God, by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe? No! He's just the shovel. He's just the rake. He's just
the plow. He's an instrument that God uses. He is not above
anyone else. The Lord gave you a man to communicate
his gospel to you. And the emphasis is God sending
you a preacher. It's not the preacher, but God
sending him with the message he gives him. This is the way
the Lord speaks. And you know, I know in my own
experience, You know, when I have assurance that God is speaking
to me, when I hear the preaching of the word, that's when the
Lord speaks to me. I would rather hear than preach.
And it takes just as much grace to hear as it does to preach. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Look what he says in
verse six. He says, I planted. Apollos watered. I sowed seed. Apollos came back
behind me and watered it. I planted. Apollos watered, but
God gave the increase. I didn't give the increase, neither
did Apollos. God gave the increase. Now here's
what this means. Salvation is of the Lord. That's what Jonah found out,
isn't it? When he was in the belly of the whale. He concludes
at the end of that prayer, salvation is of the Lord. And that's when the whale spit
him out. Salvation is of the Lord. Now what does that mean?
Salvation is of the Lord. It's a term I use probably every
week at some point during the preaching of the gospel. Every
aspect of salvation is of the Lord. It's God doing his own
work. I love that scripture. Somebody
read it the other day. He that hath begun a good work
in you will perform it into the day of Jesus Christ. Who began
it? He did. Now whatever you're talking
about with God's salvation is of the Lord. Election. It's of
the Lord. He chose you. And he didn't look
to see whether you would be able to help him or add anything to
him or whether you'd be a good witness or whether you'd be a
good preacher. He chose you simply because he would. For the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. Election is of the Lord. Redemption. Well, let's talk about the incarnation,
Jesus Christ. This amazes me. Jesus Christ
became the second person of the Trinity, the God-man, became
flesh. He was in his mother's womb as
a seed. And he did this first because
he loved his father and he wanted to glorify his father. But let
me give you another reason he did it. He did it because he
loved me. He did it because He loved. He
was willing to become flesh. He was willing to be made sin
so that I would be with Him forever. And that's true of every single
believer. He loved you. That's why He became
flesh. He loved you. And He was gonna
make sure you were gonna be just like Him and be with Him forever. His redeeming work on Calvary's
tree when he was nailed to the cross, that's of the Lord. Why
the scripture says him being delivered by the determined counsel
and for knowledge of God, you have taken and with wicked hands
have crucified and slain. This is God's purpose. This is
God's will, what took place. He willed his son to die on Calvary's
tree. And by his death, he put away
sin. When he said it is finished,
sin was gone. He was delivered for our offenses.
Raised again for our justification. Justifications of the Lord. I
mean, to think that I stand before God right now while I'm talking
to you, and I'm very well aware of my sinfulness and my weakness,
and yet I stand before God as one who's never sinned? That's
what justification is. I've never sinned. I have the
very righteousness. Christ never sinned. And if I
have his righteousness, I never sinned. Christ never will sin.
Me either. I stand perfect and complete
in him. That's of the Lord. The increase
is of the Lord, isn't it? Every aspect of salvation. If
I'm born again, you know why? He birthed me by His Spirit. That's of the Lord. Do I persevere? Do I continue in the faith? Yes,
I do, but I know why. That's of the Lord. I'm kept
by the power of God through faith and to salvation. It's God that
giveth the increase. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
12. Who is Paul? Paul saw them setting up one
preacher against another and all the wrong ways of thinking
that came out of it. You say, well, how could believers
get so messed up and think something like that? Well, because we're
flesh. I mean, this was a church, these
were real believers, and look how messed up they were, and
you and I will be just that messed up, apart from the grace of God.
Now, look what Paul says of himself. Who is Paul? Verse 11. I've become a fool in glory,
and you've compelled me, for I ought to have been commended
of you. For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles. Though
I be what? Nothing. Nothing. Who is Paul? Nothing. Who is Apollos? Nothing. Instruments by whom
you believed. You take every preacher, and
I mean a gospel preacher, I'm not talking about a professional
preacher. You take every preacher, and what are they? Nothing, and
they know it. I know it. I know it. You're nothing. Right. Right. And I'm looking at a bunch of
other nothings. Isn't that so? But I'll tell you this, I'm somebody
in Christ Jesus, and you're somebody in Christ Jesus. And our sense
of well-being isn't in anything we do, it's in who he is and
we're in him. Paul. You know he never even called
himself the Apostle Paul, just Paul. Paul, an apostle. He recognized that
God made him an apostle. I'm an apostle by the will of
God. That's my credentials. God willed me into this position.
It's his purpose, but I'm just Paul. No Reverend Paul or right
Reverend Paul or pastor Paul, or even the apostle Paul, just
Paul, just Paul. an apostle of Jesus Christ. God took this nothing and made
him an apostle for his own glory to declare the gospel for the
calling out of his sheep. Paul recognized that. Now look back in first Corinthians
three. Now verse eight, now. He that planteth and he that
watereth are one. You know, there's no competition
in the kingdom of heaven. You know, that's what they were
doing with Paul and Cephas and Apollos. They were making them
kind of a competition thing. Who's being the most used? Who's
being the most blessed? Who is it that seems to be the
one who you get more out of? And like I said, Can't you see
how easy it would be to fall into that kind of thinking? I
mean, it's easy and yet this is exactly what Paul is combating
because whenever that is an emphasis, Christ is no longer the emphasis.
That's the danger of this. And that's why he's bringing
this up. Who is Paul? Who is Paulist but ministers
by whom you believe. Salvation is of the Lord, not
of Paul or Apollos. I'm sure it grated on Paul to
hear these preachers comparisons, pitting one against another.
He said, you're carnal. It's the product of envy, strife,
and division. Now, I esteem. And you esteem
anybody who preaches the gospel. We esteem them very highly and
we should, the scripture says to. If they esteem themselves highly
and think of themselves as something more than a nothing, I don't
have the same view of them and neither do you. Though I be nothing. Now look what he says in verse
eight. Now he that planteth and he that
waters are one and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor. Now we're going to get more into
that next time as we go on into this passage of scripture, but
let me say this right off the bat. I know from the light of
other scriptures, this is not talking about one person getting
a higher reward in heaven than another person. When that is
dealt with in Matthew chapter 20, everybody got the same thing,
didn't they? In the parable of the workers
in the vineyard, the one hour workers and the 12 hour workers
were given the precise same thing. As far as that goes, didn't Christ
say, I am thy exceeding great reward? He is our reward. There's no question about that.
And this is not talking about higher rewards in heaven, and
actually in the context as we look at this, he's talking about
preachers here. When he's talking about some building, Paul said,
I've laid the foundation, take heed how you build upon, and
he talked about those who use wood, hay, and stubble, and those
who use gold, silver, and precious stones. We're gonna get more
into that, but he did say, now he that planteth and he that
watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor. Now the reward spoken of here,
is, well, let me show you in the scriptures what it is. Turn
with me to 1 Corinthians 9. Now, his own reward according
to his own labor. Now understand this, the preaching of the gospel is
a labor. You know somebody once, I think
it was Austin Gruber really, he said he wanted to be a preacher
because you only had to work two hours a week and that's it.
That's the direction I want to go. I think it was Austin. Maybe
some of you all thought that, but at any rate, the work of
the ministry, preaching the gospel, is a labor. And every time I
preach, by the grace of God, without exception, I give it
my all. I don't ever want to ever get
up when I know I haven't given myself to the prayer and the
ministry of the word with regard to everything I do. I never, you know, I've heard,
I've heard preachers actually say, well, I didn't have time
to prepare. No, you need to, you need to
stop doing something else and prepare. I don't care what it
was. You never go into the pulpit without doing your best. It's a labor, and there's a reward
in that labor. What is that reward? Well, you're
there in 1 Corinthians 9, 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. For if I do this thing willingly,
I have a reward. And it's not talking about some
kind of reward in heaven either. If I do this thing willingly,
I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation
of the gospel is committed unto me, what is my reward then? Verily
that when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ
without charge that I abuse not my power in the gospel. That's
the reward. To not abuse. That's the reward. Is that all? That's a great reward.
As far as heaven goes, my reward is Christ. And your reward is
Christ. And it's, I'm not going to get
some kind of higher, you know, soul, you know, that the fundamentals
got the soul winners crowns and the, you know, the different
rewards you get. No, no, my reward is Christ. Turn to Acts chapter
20. Acts chapter 20. Verse 17, and from Miletus, he
sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church, and when
they were come to him, he said unto them, you know, from the
first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I've been with
you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind. That's the first thing he said.
You remembered he's nothing. Serving the Lord with all humility
of mind. And with many tears and temptations
which befell me by the lying weight of the Jews, I kept back
nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and
taught you publicly and from house to house. Same message
in public and private, testifying both to the Jews and also to
the Greeks, repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. And now behold, I go bound in
the Spirit into Jerusalem. Not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, save the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city,
saying the bonds and afflictions abide me, but none of these things
move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy." There's the reward. And the ministry which I've received
is the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. If the Lord enables me to do
that. That's my reward. Turn to second Timothy chapter
four. Verse six. For I am now ready to be offered. I'm ready to die. And the time
of my departure is at hand. I fought a good fight. Well,
how's that? I finished my course. What do
you mean by that? I've kept the faith. Henceforth, there's laid up for
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give to me at that day. And not to me only. but unto all them also that love
his appearing. Do you love his appearing? Do
you love his appearing when he stood as your surety before time
began? Do you love his appearing when
he appeared upon this earth and kept God's law perfectly? Do you love his appearing when
he was nailed to the cross for you? Do you love his appearing
when he was raised from the dead and went to the Father? And do
you love his appearing right now as your intercessor? And
won't you love his appearing when he returns and every eye
sees him? We love his appearing, don't
we? And that's the reward, not just of the preacher, everyone
who loves his appearing. There was a, I've given this
story before but it never fails to speak to me. There was a young man that was
actually the heir to the Borden dairy empire. His parents were millionaires.
And he was supposed to run the show. And he wanted to be a missionary. And his dad was opposed to it. He didn't want it to happen,
but the man wouldn't be swayed away from it. And he went
to, I can't remember what country
it was, but it was Egypt. He went to Egypt in order to
learn Aramaic so he could go to China to preach. He left everything
in order to do that. And do you know, three weeks
later, he was dead. He got spiral meningitis and he died and nothing
was accomplished. A wasted life. I mean, he didn't
do anything. What good could he have done
if he would have stayed? But he just goes there and dies. No
one hears the gospel through this man. And he's still buried
in Egypt to this day, but they sent his Bible back and some
of his belongings back to his dad. And his dad opened that
book and it had these three statements. No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets. Now that's the way I want you
and I, by his grace, to serve the Lord. Not hoping for a higher
reward in heaven, but because of who he is. No reserve, no
retreat, and no regrets. We're getting ready to take the
Lord's table. The Lord said, this do in remembrance of me. The reason he said that is how
often do you and I forget the Lord? In his mercy, in his grace, he
never forgets us. But in his mercy and in his grace,
he's given us the Lord's table to remember his broken body and
his shed blood as everything in my salvation. When we take the Lord's table,
We are remembering that because of what he did, we are clean
before God without seeing perfect in his sight. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the Lord
Jesus and the salvation that's in him. We ask that as we eat the bread
and drink the wine, we will remember his broken body for our sin and
his shed blood for our complete redemption. Oh, Lord, enable
us to do this in remembrance of thy son. In his name we pray. Amen.