I've entitled the message for
tonight, Paul's Two Fears. And I believe that everybody
in here would agree with me that we spend far too much time fearing
things that we really shouldn't fear. What's going to happen in this
economy? What if I lose my job? During my retirement years, I
lose everything. What if I lose my health? What
will happen to me if this takes place or if that takes place?
And we have different scenarios that we fear. If that happens,
we're in trouble. What shall we eat? What shall
we drink? Whither withal shall we be clothed? It's generally fears regarding
tomorrow. I could go on and on, but may
the Lord enable us to not give in to these fears. God is on the throne and everything
is going to be just fine. Isn't that wonderful? But there are some good fears. The fear of the Lord. is the
beginning of wisdom. That fear of the Lord that makes
you afraid of sin, that's why you're afraid of sin, because
you're afraid of the Lord Himself. That fear of the Lord that makes
you afraid to look anywhere other than Christ only, you're afraid
to. Now, that's a good fear. Now,
Paul, the apostle, two times in all of his writings, Did he
say, I fear? And he was not someone who was
given to false fears. He had a reason for saying what
he did. And these are two fears that you and I ought to have. He said, I fear. Said this to
the church of Corinth. I fear. I fear this for myself. I really do. I fear this for
myself right now. I fear this for you. I fear,
lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety,
through his deceit, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that's in Christ. Now, whenever someone is corrupted
from the simplicity of Christ, here's what takes place in verse
20 of chapter 12. Now, this is the end. This is
the product of being corrupted from the simplicity that's in
Christ. For I fear lest when I come, I shall not find you
such as I would, not being corrupted from the simplicity of Christ,
and that I shall be famine to you such as you would not. You
won't want me to come this way, lest there be debates. In beings. Rats. Strife. backbitings, whisperings, swellings,
and tumults. That's what I fear. And that is what happens when
one is corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ Jesus. Now,
let's talk for a few moments about the simplicity. The simplicity of Christ. I love
thinking about the simplicity of Christ. Simple. Names, single, singular, simple,
as opposed to double, compound or complex. The simplicity, the
onlyness that's in Christ. We have a simple salvation. It was said by Simeon, Now let
us thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen
thy salvation." Christ Jesus himself is salvation. We have a simple cause of salvation.
It means only one. Simple. Only. Singular. The cause of the salvation of
everybody who is saved is because they are united to the Lord Jesus
Christ. That is the cause. Union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. Being in Him. So that when God sees you, He
sees you in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is the cause of salvation. That is the only cause of salvation. Union with the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a very simple righteousness. I glory in that. His righteousness,
His obedience before the law of God is my personal righteousness. It's not a mixture of anything
else. It's His only. We have a very simple righteousness. And we have a simple ground of
forgiveness. Ephesians 4.32 says, Be ye kind,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
sake, has forgiven you. Why did God forgive me? For Christ's
sake. He didn't forgive me because
I asked Him to forgive me. He didn't forgive me because
I desired forgiveness, although I have asked Him to forgive me,
and I do desire forgiveness. He forgave me for one simple
reason. For Christ's sake. We have a simple understanding
of scripture. You know, I know whatever verse
in this book means. Every single one of them, there's not one
I don't understand. I might not understand how I
get there, but the Lord said in John 539, you search the scriptures. He was talking to the Pharisees.
You search the scriptures. And in them, you think you have
eternal life. You think if I can just obey
this command and obey that command, I'll be in good shape. But they
are they. Every scripture, they are they
which testify of me. Every single one of them. We have a simple object of faith. Christ. You know, I don't have
any faith in my faith. I really don't. I don't even
have any faith in myself. I do have faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I am relying on Him only. That He is all I need and that
everything that God requires of me, I have in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We have a simple ground of assurance.
Now listen to me, I have assurance that I'm saved. Now, when I say
that, there's not a day that goes by in my experience when
at some point I don't ask myself the question, how could you be
saved? How could you be saved and think something like that?
How could you be saved and do something like that? That happens
every single day. So I don't want to say I always
have perfect assurance and never doubt. I like what Spurgeon said
to one fellow. One fellow said, I never doubt.
He said, I never had a doubt about you. He said, I always
knew you were a hypocrite. That's a strong language, isn't
it? But that being said, I do have
assurance that the Lord loves me, that he saved me, that I'm
accepted and beloved. And here's the ground of my assurance. He that spared not his own son. That's my assurance. He that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall
he not freely? I love that word freely, not
looking for reason in me. How shall he not freely give
us all things? That's my assurance that what
Christ did purchased my assurance, my salvation and everything else. We have a simple message, only
one message. Scripture says they cease not
to teach and to preach. Jesus Christ. Paul put it this way. I determined
not to know anything among you to consider even anything worth
talking about or considering, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. We have a simple motive. I mean,
only one motive. His glory. That's the only motive. Any other
motive is a wrong motive. Here's glory. It's not complicated,
is it? I mean, this thing of simplicity, not even two things
to make a choice between. I'm glad I'm not even giving
two things to make a choice between. Just simple. The simplicity that's
in Christ Jesus. We have a simple objective. David
put it this way in Psalm 1715. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I'll be satisfied. This is when
I'll be satisfied. This is my objective. I'll be
satisfied when I awake in thy likeness. That's my objective,
to simply be made like Christ. Can you imagine? And this is
the believer's objective, to be perfectly conformed to his
image. We have a simple ground of boldness
on Judgment Day. Now, I think of Judgment Day.
Can you imagine having boldness on Judgment Day? Well, listen
to this scripture. 1 John chapter 4, verse 17. We
may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is,
so are we in this world. How's he? He's holy. So are we. He's without sin. So are we. He's in absolute security, seated
at the right hand of his father. So are we. As he is, whatever
you can say about him, you can say about the believer in this
world. That means right now, right now,
as he is, so are we in this world. That's our simple boldness regarding
judgment. I'm not afraid to be judged.
Would you be afraid for the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged? Would
you be afraid of what would take place if the Father looked him
over, through and through? You know, he wouldn't find anything
but that which is well-pleasing this time, would he? Well, that's
the way it is for the believer, in him as he is. So are we right
now in this world. And we have a simple answer to
every question. All things were made by him and
for him. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. That covers everything. Now, when something is corrupted,
and this is what Paul feared, he says, I fear about you being
corrupted from the simplicity of Christ. When something is
corrupted, it goes bad. And that's because something
else is introduced. It's no longer simple. It's no
longer single. It is now compound. and complex,
and the false apostles were seeking to corrupt them from the simplicity
of Christ. Look down in verse 13 of chapter
11. For such are false apostles,
and these people were working with the Corinthian church. They
were in the midst of the Corinthian church. For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ. And this is no marvel for Satan
himself. He's transformed into an angel
of light. Therefore, it's of no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness,
whose end shall be according to their works. Now, the way
they were doing this, these false apostles, and this begins in
chapter 11, and it's carried out all the way to the end of
this book. They were trying to discredit Paul. You see, if they
could discredit Paul, they said he's his bodily presence is weak. His speech is contemptible. He
says one thing and does another. He always attempts to discredit
him. But if they could discredit him,
his message would be discredited. Look in verse 11 of chapter 12. Now, he'd been glorying in a
foolish way to answer the accusations of the false apostles. And he
says in verse 11, I've become a fool in glory. You've compelled
me for I ought to have been commended of you for nothing. Am I behind
the very cheapest apostles? Though I be nothing. Now, that's
so important that he knew he was not behind the very cheapest
apostles, and he also knew this about himself. I'm nothing. I'm
nothing. I love that. phrase or song or
whatever it is. I'm a poor sinner. And nothing
at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all. That's such a blessed place to
be. When you're already at the bottom,
you can't go down. But that being said, you can't get any higher
than that. Being a nothing and having Him as your all in all. Now he said in verse 12, truly
the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience,
in signs and wonders, and mighty deeds. All the signs of a true
apostle will work before your eyes. Verse 13, for what is it
wherein you were in fear to other churches, except it be that I
myself was not burdensome to you and didn't seek support from
you? And he uses some sarcasm. Forgive me this wrong. Behold,
the third time I'm ready to come to you, and I'll not be burdensome
to you, for I seek not yours. I'm not trying to get from you,
but you. For the children ought not to
lay up for the parents. The children ought not to be
saving for the parents, but the parents for the children. And
I will very gladly spend and be spent for you. I love you,
though the more of this one, the saddest verses in the Bible,
he says to the church of Corinth, though the more abundantly I
love you, the less I be loved. That's one of those just very
sad verses, but it's true with the way that their attitude had
been to it. But be it so, I didn't burden
you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I
caught you with Guile. He was there accusing me of this.
OK, I caught you in what you were doing. Did I make a gain
of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? Were they looking for
money? I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. The false
apostles would say, he's just doing this for the money. He
said, you can't get this from me in any way. Did I make a gain
of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and
with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you?
Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps?
Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? We speak
before God in Christ, but we do all things dearly, beloved,
for your edifying. This is why we do what we do.
I'm seeking your benefit." And the false apostles were trying
to put a question mark on Paul. And then he expresses this fear,
but I fear. Verse 20, I fear, lest when I
come, I shall not find you such as I would. And that means not
being corrupted from the simplicity of Christ. I fear that I'm going
to come and find you corrupted from the simplicity of Christ.
And here's what will happen as a result, that I shall be found
unto you such as you would not, lest there be debates, endings,
wrath, strife, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, and tumults. Now,
these eight things that he mentions would be the result of being
corrupted from the simplicity that's in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, let me remind you about the church at Corinth. He had
written 1 Corinthians to this church, the first epistle to
the Corinthians, and he was dealing with some very specific things. In the first chapter, he warned
them about the divisions that were amongst them. And then in
the third chapter, he talked about envy, strife and ambition. And he said, you're carnal and
walk as men. And then in the fifth chapter,
he spoke of fornication, sexual sin that was going on. In the
sixth chapter, he talked about the fact that they were suing
each other. Can you imagine somebody here bringing somebody else in
the church to before a court of law and suing them? And then
in chapter eight, he talked about the abuse of liberty. And in
chapter 10, he talked about people mixing religion, trying to join
Christ with Belial, trying to mix things. And then in chapter
11, he talked about the abuse of the Lord's table. They were
actually becoming intoxicated at the Lord's table. And then
in chapters 12 through 14, he talked about the abuse of gifts.
And in chapter 15, there were some who were even denying the
resurrection. And he dealt with all these things
in 1 Corinthians 15. And evidently, some people responded
the way they should, because he said in 2 Corinthians chapter
7, verse 8. For though I made you sorry with
the letter, that letter where he was dealing with all those
problems in the church and Before I go on, the Church of Corinth is an example,
not an excuse, but an example that a church is a bunch of sinners
saved by grace. And there's sickness, there's
sinfulness, there's weakness. And you see that in the church
at Corinth. And anytime you start looking
for a perfect church, remember, If you join it, you've ruined
it. Don't do that. This church was a church filled
with problems. And yet Paul called them brethren. Brethren. That's an encouragement
to me, it's not an excuse in sin in any way, but just looking
at the reality of what things are. This church had so many
problems and some of the people responded in a very positive
way. And Paul says in verse 8 of 2
Corinthians chapter 7, For though I made you sorry with a letter,
I do not repent, though I did repent. For I perceived that
the same epistle hath made you sorry. Though it would be for
a season, I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that
you sorrowed to repentance. For you were made sorry after
a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us, and nothing.
They responded positively to this letter, but it seems as
Though when he begins chapter 11, he's speaking to the people
who did not respond positively to this letter, and they had
not repented, and they still acted in a way that really troubled
him. And so he says to them in this
20th verse, for I fear lest when I come, I shall not find you
such as I would, and that I will be found unto you such as you
would not. You don't want to know, you don't want to experience
the way I'm going to come. Now, Paul had apostolic authority,
and I don't know what all that means. I'm just glad nobody has
it now. You know, because he could deliver
people to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. He could strike
people blind. He did that in Acts chapter 13.
He had some kind of apostolic authority. And he said, the Lord
has given me this power, not for your destruction, but for
your edification. But my, my, I mean, I think about that. What
if I had that power? you'll be careful I'm glad I
don't have that power. I really am. I'm glad I don't.
If I had it, I'd abuse it. It's hard. Well, whatever. But
he says you won't want me to come using this apostolic authority.
Look what he says in Chapter 13. This is the third time I'm
coming to you in the mouth of two or three witnesses. Shall
every word be established? I told you before and foretell
you as if I were present the second time and being absent
now right unto them which year to for sin and to all others
that if I come again, I'll not spare. Now, what all he means
by that, I don't know, but it doesn't sound good, does it?
I wouldn't want to deal with apostolic authority where they
had supernatural power to punish people and they could do it.
And I don't understand it much, but at any rate. He says, you
won't want to see me when I come like that, and then he names
these eight things. Now, these eight things are the result of
being corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ. Debates. quarreling, getting in fights. That's the invariable result
of being corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ. There's some
other agenda other than Christ is all. And people are going
to be arguing and quarreling over so many different things,
debates. And then he speaks of envy. This
is the most base emotion. Envy, being envious of the gifts,
the possessions, the place, the blessings of others. That's so
base to be envious of somebody. Now, if you're completing Christ,
if Christ is all, you don't envy. You've already got everything.
You only envy what you don't have. But if you have all things, you
don't feel envious and you don't envy people you love. If I love
you, I'm delighted in the blessing you have. I'm delighted in the
place you have. I'm not envious of it if I love
you. But when someone's corrupted
from the simplicity of Christ, that's the direction they go
in being one another. And then he speaks of wraths,
outbursts of temper. People who are quarreling and
envious of one another will have outbursts of anger toward each
other. Then he speaks of strife. I'm
afraid when I come, I'm going to see strife, ambitions, rivalries,
people competing with one another, people trying to outdo one another
and outshine one another. It's the opposite of love and
humility. It's the opposite of taking the
lowest seat and wanting your brother to have a higher place
than you rather than a lower place. And then he speaks of
backbiting. Speaking evil of people behind
their backs rather than seeing them as they are in Christ. Backbiting and gossip and slander
and speaking evil and always calling into question other people
rather than seeing them as they are in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the spirit of love and grace. And then he speaks of whisperings,
secret slander and suspicion. Swellings. That's talking about
pride. Swollen with pride by pride only,
cometh contention. Now, when someone is corrupted
from the simplicity of Christ, this is what's going to happen.
These eight horrible things. And he says in verse 21, unless
when I come again, my God will humble me among you and that
I shall bewail many which have sinned already and have not repented
of the uncleanness and fornication. and lasciviousness, absence of
restraint, which they have committed. Now, this was what was going
on at the Church of Corinth, and this is the second fear that
came from the first fear. If someone is corrupted from
the simplicity of Christ, these eight words are going to describe
the direction they've gone. Now, with regard to these eight
words and the simplicity that's in Christ. Where People are united in the
simplicity of Christ. There's no debates. There's no
argument. See, we have the same agenda.
The glory of Christ. People aren't fighting. Where
we have the simplicity of Christ, there's no envy. For two reasons. Number one, I'm not envious because
I have everything. Christ is all. I have all. What is there to envy? There's
nothing to envy. Envy is such a base, base reaction,
being envious of the graces or the place of other people. But
if you really believe that you have all in Christ, you're not
going to be envious of anybody. And remember, people who love
the simplicity of Christ can't help but love them, can you?
You know, someone who actually loves being saved by Christ only. Someone who loves having his
righteousness only. Someone who loves being forgiven
for his sake only. They rejoice in the glory of
the gospel. Your heart goes out to them,
doesn't it? You love those people. I mean, you can't help but love
them. You don't envy people that you love. And then when you have
the simplicity of Christ, there's no reason for outbursts, no contention,
no envy, nothing to get mad about in the simplicity of Christ.
And there's no strife or what that is actually is rivalry and
competition. Now, you see this so much in
churches, people trying to outshine one another. Not real churches,
but religious institutions. We ought to be careful, by the
way, we use the word church, but trying to outshine one another.
I'm more blessed. I'm godlier. I'm, you know, just
just a competition. And that's so contrary to the
spirit of grace, it's even seen where we're trying to get a higher
reward in heaven. I want a higher reward than you.
I want to have a higher position in glory than you. That's so
contrary to the spirit of grace. That's contrary to the spirit
of love. You know, when you have Believers
together, when we're not corrupted from the simplicity of Christ,
you know what we got? We got fellowship. We got fellows in
the same ship. That's as good a definition as
I know of a fellowship. Fellows in the same ship, going
the same place, saved the same way, rejoicing in the same message. No strife or rivalry. When we're not corrupted from
the simplicity of Christ, there's no backbiting. No backbiting,
no attacking. No calling into question others. No, there's a genuine love for
them. No whispering. No. Honest and we're not corrupted
from the simplicity of Christ, we're honest and above board,
no swelling where we, you know, where we believe that we're nothing
and he's all there's no swelling there, is there? No tumult or instability. Simplicity is never unstable. Now, Paul expressed these two
fears, and you and I ought to have these two fears, beginning
right here. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, I'm scared
to death right now, and I know it will happen to me apart from
the grace of God, and that's why I ask him to deliver me from
it. I'm afraid of being corrupted from the simplicity that's in
Christ. You think about how easy it is
for you to be led astray. You think about how easy it is
for you to fall before temptation and how easy it would be for
us to be corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ. Now, I fear
that. I fear it for myself. I fear it for you. I fear it
for this church. May the Lord deliver us from
that. And I fear what Paul said, and this is what happens when
someone is corrupted from the simplicity of Christ. This is
the kind of actions that take place. I fear that when I come,
there'll be debates, envying, wrath, strife, backbiting, whisperings,
swellings and tumults. Oh, may the Lord deliver us from
that and cause us to not be corrupted from the simplicity, the singleness,
the onlyness that's in Christ. Now, we're getting ready to observe
the Lord's Table together. And when we observe the Lord's
Table, the Scripture warns about eating
or drinking unworthily. So everybody here ought to be
careful in taking the Lord's Table. What is the requirement
for taking the Lord's table. There's only one requirement.
Very simple. One requirement. Faith in Christ. You believe the gospel. You believe. You rely on the Lord Jesus Christ
if you really believe that his broken body and his shed blood
is everything in your salvation. If you believe that, the Lord's
table is for you. And you ought to take the Lord's
table. I used to dread the Lord's table
so much when I was younger, because I'd think of that if you eat
and drink unworthily. And I remember people would say
things like, you know, if there's any known sin in your life, you
can't take the Lord's table and stuff like that. And I just think,
look, every sin I have is known sin. You know, I mean, what what
a what a terrible burden. But what a glorious thing it
is when I'm confessing and taking the Lord's table. And this is
what I'm confessing right now as I'm taking the Lord's table.
I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. But Jesus Christ is my
all in all. And this is something we do together.
It is something we do as a church when you meet together. We don't
take the Lord's table by ourself. I think there's something powerful
in the fact that we're doing this together, believing the
gospel. together. So let's pass out.