I also need to remind everyone
that we will not have an evening service the 24th, December the
24th. But on the 31st, the last Sunday
in the month, we will plan to have a fellowship after our evening
service. Now, if you will, let's open
our Bibles again to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Last week we looked at the first
eight verses in this unusual chapter. I say unusual because
in it the Apostle Paul felt the need to boast. He begins the
chapter by asking that they bear with him in this folly. Would
to God you could bear with me a little in my folly. And we saw that what he means
by folly is boasting. Boasting in self which he also
calls foolishness. Now we should recognize that
it was for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel that Paul
engaged in this folly, in this boasting. This would never this
would never have been called for had it not been for the false
teachers who came to the church in Corinth and they were given
a hearing. They not only came to the church
in Corinth but they were given an hearing and they brought another
gospel which as the Apostle Paul says in Galatians chapter 1 is
not another because there's only one gospel but they brought another
gospel gospel which mixed works, man's works, with Christ and
His finished work. And not only did they do that,
but they undermined the authority of the Apostle Paul. And I closed
the message last week with verses 5 through 8, in which I said
that Paul defended first his apostleship. You notice in verse
5, he said, for I suppose I was not a wit behind the very chiefest
apostles. He defended his apostleship. And then number two, he defended
his knowledge in verse six, but though I be rude in speech, not
in knowledge, not in knowledge. And then in verses seven and
eight, He defended the fact that he refused to receive financial
help from this church at Corinth. Now in the verses we're going
to look at tonight, verses 9 through 21, the Lord willing, there are
three things that I want to emphasize. First, Paul reveals why it was
that he refused their financial help. You notice in verses 9
through 12, And when I was present with you and wanted, I was chargeable
to no man, for that which was lacking to me the brethren which
came from Macedonia supplied. And in all things I have 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. Now, Achaia was a large area,
and of course, Corinth was the main city of that area. But in Achaia, in this area,
the Apostle Paul said, no man shall stop me of this boasting
in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore, because I love you
not, God knoweth. 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." Now, in
his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul taught what
God had ordained. He taught what was the responsibility
of the church toward their minister. what God had ordained in this
matter of supporting the pastor. If you will, turn back with me
to 1st Corinthians chapter 9. Keep your place there, of course,
but look back to chapter 9. 1st Corinthians chapter 9. And first, notice in verse 14,
he said, hath the Lord ordained." Now
what he is teaching here, and we're going to look at this in
a little more detail, but what he is teaching concerning the
support of a pastor, he makes it ever so clear, this is what
God has ordained. This is the way that God has
ordained that those who preach the gospel, that they should
live of the gospel. Now let's go back to verse 1
in this 1 Corinthians 9 and began there. Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen
Jesus Christ our Lord? And that was one of the requirements
to be an apostle, to have seen the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Are not you my work in the Lord? He's the one who had brought
the gospel to the church in Corinth. If I be not an apostle unto others,
yet doubtless I am to you, for the seal of mine apostleship
are you in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine
me in this, have we not power to eat and to drink? In other
words, don't we have that right? to be supported, to have our
food and drinks supplied by the church. Have we not power to
lead about a sister, a wife, as well as the other apostles
and as the brethren of the Lord in Cephas, just like the apostle
Peter? He had this right to have a wife
and for them to be maintained. Paul said, don't I have that
same right? Have we not this same power?
Are I only and Barnabas? Have not we power to forbear
working? Are we the only two ministers
who it is incumbent upon us to work with our hands and earn
our living? Are we the only two men, Paul
and Barnabas? Are we the only ones? Who goeth
to warfare any time at his own charges? Our country, we have
armed forces, don't we? We have Army and Navy and Air
Force and Marines and Coast Guard. And not any of those people who
join or who are inscripted into those services ever are charged
with buying their own weapons. You know, it's your job now to
buy you a tank. No, no. No one goes to warfare
at their own expense. That's just not the way it is
done. This is so obvious, isn't it?
And who planteth a vineyard, who goes out and plants a farm
or a field, and doesn't eat the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth
a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these
things as a man? Am I just saying this as a man,
or does the Word of God declare this? Does the Word of God teach
this? or saith 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." There's that ox, you know, he's just pulling,
maybe on one of those things where they go round and round
and round, you know, they're treading out the corn. Well,
wouldn't it be inhumane not to let that ox eat some of the corn? I mean, even We'd take care of
an animal in that way. Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth
of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care of oxen? Is that the reason God said that
in the law? Or saith he it altogether for
our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this
is written, that he that ploweth should plow in hope, and that
he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we
have sown unto you spiritual things, in other words, we've
brought the word of God to you, we've preached the gospel to
you, we've sown spiritual things unto you, is it a great thing
if we shall reap your carnal things? Isn't that just right? If we have brought spiritual
food to you that we partake of the carnal food that you supply,
If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used
this power. 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?
In the Old Testament, when God instituted the temple worship,
those priests, they were busy offering sacrifices, lighting
the lamps, making the showbread. I mean, it was just work after
work, day after day. But they were provided for. They
were provided for. A certain part of those animal
sacrifices was given to them. When men brought a meat offering,
which was meal, a certain amount of that meal was to go to the
priest, the wine, a certain amount to go to the priest. In other
words, God in the law had provided that those who ministered in
spiritual things that they partake of the altar, those things that
were brought. Even so, now here it is, 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 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. Now let's go back
to our text. So Paul in the first letter he
taught and he showed how it was right for the church to maintain
their ministers and this was what God had ordained. He made
that clear. And Paul knew that this was his
privilege. But he chose not to do so at
Corinth. Now, in the text we're looking
at tonight, we just read a few minutes ago, he tells them why
he refused to take financial help from them. By not accepting financial help
from the church at Corinth, you notice he says, he cut off occasion
from them which sought occasion. Let's read that here in the text
tonight. When I was present with you and
wanted, I was chargeable to no man for that which was lacking
to me, the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied. And
in all things I have 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. Wherefore, because I love you
not, God knoweth. Now, as is typical of the Apostle
Paul in so many places in his letters, when he answers a question,
he always answers first with a negative and then a positive. And so you see, he answers why
he had refused to take financial help from them first with a negative. And the negative is, is it because
I do not love you? Is that the reason? No doubt some maybe had charged
him of that. Why? He receives help from the
churches of Macedonia, but here he is among us, among you, here
in Corinth, and he will not receive help from you. He doesn't love
you, obviously. That's the reason he doesn't
do it. And so Paul answers that question with a negative. Why? Because I love you not? God knows. Actually, Paul calls God to be
a witness by those words. God knoweth. God knows all things. And God knows the love that I
have in my heart for you in Carth. That's not the reason. That's
not the reason I have refused to accept financial help from
you. But notice his positive. The
positive reason is, verse 12, but what I do that I will do
that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion. In other words, by occasion he
meant that there were some who would look for something in this
matter of receiving financial help to use against him and to
use against his ministry. When you think about it, this
occasion. You know, there's always been
people. There are people today. And there were people in Paul's
day. And this occasion, some of the
people might think, well, if he accepts financial help, that's
the only reason he's preaching. That's his motive in what he's
done. All that he's done, his motive
is strictly monetary gain. That's what he's after. So Paul
cut off all occasion, no one, because he would not accept financial
help from them, no one of those false teachers. That's who he's
talking about. None of those false teachers
who have visited you in Corinth are able to accuse me of being
an hireling. Not so. Not so. And a second
thing, if Paul did accept financial help from the Corinthians, and
Paul knew that these men, at heart, most of them, that's what
they were after. And they would have Paul to use
as an excuse. They would tell the Corinthians,
well, it's only right you support us. You support Paul. And Paul
knew that they would misuse and abuse them. The false teachers,
they claimed to be superior to Paul. Actually, they claimed
to be superior, to be in a closer relationship with the Lord Jesus
Christ, and this would show by Paul refusing to accept financial
help from this church, this would show if those men really were
willing to live like Paul lived, if they really were superior
to Paul. Because Paul would work with
his own hands, and we know from other scripture that Paul learned
both how to be abased and to abound. I will say, Paul says,
by doing this, I've cut off all occasion. They cannot accuse
me for preaching for money. They cannot use me as an example
to exhort money from you. And number three, they can only
show themselves to be superior to me if they're willing to live
as I live. Now that's the first thing. So
that's the reason that Paul said that he had refused to accept
financial help from them. And in the verses we looked at
last time, he actually told them, he said, I robbed other churches.
I took offerings from other churches so that I might preach the gospel
to you freely. We support our missionaries,
don't we? We love to support our missionaries. They go to
these foreign countries. And in most of those countries,
they could not work to earn a living to begin with. But we want them
to be able to go and to preach the gospel freely, freely. And that's a real blessing to
be able to support missionaries, isn't it? Now, here's the second
thing. Paul reveals who they were, who
these people were that desired occasion against him in verses
13 through 15. And he says five things about
them. Five things about these that
sought occasion. Number one, they're false apostles. For they are false apostles.
What is a false apostle? Well, it's a man who claims to
be an apostle, but he's not an apostle. Who is a false Christ? And our Lord said many would
come in His name. Who is a false Christ? Anyone
who is not the Christ. Who is a false prophet? Everyone
who is not sent and ordained of God and given his message
from God. These are false apostles. They were not commissioned by
Christ. And they did not have the gifts
of an apostle. And I would encourage all of
us to take note of this because in the day in which we live,
you hear people acting and talking as if everyone had these gifts. There were gifts of an apostle,
gifts that distinguished these men. They had power, healing
power. Some even raised the dead. Those gifts were given to them.
The New Testament had not been completed, and it was necessary
that they had those gifts, those miraculous gifts, to authenticate
their ministry, their message, the gospel. The second thing he says about
them, they're deceitful workers. They're false apostles, and they
are deceitful workers. In other words, they're men who
use deceit in teaching. They were workers. Notice he
said they're deceitful workers. Oh, they're workers. You see
them going up and down the streets, knocking on doors, and giving
out their literature. And they're busy, they're engaged,
they're working, but they're deceitful workers. And they use
deceit in their work to deceive the people. Look back to chapter
four, here in 2 Corinthians chapter four. Verse one and two, he said, therefore
seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we
faint not, but we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. These men were deceitful workers.
Not Paul. Not walking in craftiness. And
notice this, not handling the word of God deceitfully. Not handling this precious word
of God deceitfully. Have you ever heard the saying,
the end justifies the means? These were deceitful workers.
And they believed that the end justified whatever means they
might use, even if it meant taking the Word of God and manipulating
it and using it to teach something that the Scriptures do not teach. Number three, they were false
apostles, they were deceitful workers. Number three, they were
men who transformed themselves into the apostles of Christ.
They were never called and they were never sent by Christ as
his apostles, but they gave themselves the title and claim to have a
more intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and Paul. They claim to be more devoted
to Christ than the apostle Paul. And number four, they were men
like Satan in this sense. They were false apostles, they
were deceitful workers, They transformed themselves into the
apostles of Christ, and they were men who were like Satan
in this sense. Just as Satan transforms himself
into an angel of light, so did they. You know, most people today,
and it's sad, but it's true, most people today think that
Satan, when they think about the devil, they think about him
being out here in the dens of immorality and the saloons and
the nightclubs and the houses of ill repute. And no doubt he's
in those places, but where Satan does his most sly work is in
the pulpits. In the pulpits. Yes, he transforms
himself into an angel of light. These men did the same thing.
They pretend when he came to Eve, think about Satan, when
he tempted Eve in the garden, You would think he had her best
interest at heart, wouldn't you? I mean, you would think that
he was really concerned about Eve and how she could be better
off. He transformed himself into an
angel of light. But all the time, his heart was
to deceive her, and she was deceived, and of course, she disobeyed
God. And then, Satan transforms himself into
an angel of light, he attempts to substitute anything, if he
can get you, if he can get me to trust in anything other than
the Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work, he's happy. He
doesn't care what it is, no matter if it's our morality, if it's
our church membership, If it's our faithfulness, whatever, if
he can accomplish that, he's happy. If he can convince us
to trust in anything other than Jesus Christ and his finished
work in our place and in our stead. And then notice the fifth
thing, he says, they are ministers of righteousness. Now, the question
is, What kind of righteousness? Ministers of righteousness. Whose
righteousness? Ministers of whose righteousness? Is it Christ's righteousness?
Is that... Are they ministers of Christ's
righteousness? Is that what they preach? Is
that what they teach? That Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness unto everyone that believeth? Or is their message
of righteousness something that you earn by your obedience? Well, we know the answer. It
is Christ's righteousness alone that justifies. These men were
ministers of righteousness, but it wasn't Christ's righteousness. It was the righteousness of men. And notice what Paul says, the
end of these false teachers. Look here in verse 15. 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.
This is the end of these false apostles, false teachers, deceitful
workers. Their end, of course, will be
eternal separation from God. And those who follow them the
same. Now here's the third thing. In
verses 16 through 21, Paul asked not to be thought a fool. Not
to be thought of as a fool. You notice he says, I say again.
In other words, he's going to repeat what he said in verse
1. Would to God you would bear with me a little in my folly.
And indeed bear with me, I say again. I'm repeating myself. Let no man think me a fool. Let no man think me a fool. But if you do, if you do consider
me a fool, receive me that I may boast a little. Let me boast
a little. Now it's true that when a man
boasts and brags on himself, he just hangs a big sign on his
back, ìConsider me to be a fool.î Thatís right. Paul knew that. Anytime a man brags on himself
and boasts in his great work and his works of righteousness,
and his deeds, and how much he gives, and how much he witnesses,
and how much he prays, how much he sacrifices. Just know this,
Paul says, he just hung a big sign on himself. He's a fool. He's a fool to boast in that
matter. Bear with me in this now. Bear
with me. And don't count me a fool in
doing this. Because there's a time for everything,
the wise man said, and there's a time when this is necessary. It was necessary for Paul to
do this boasting. When? When the glory of God was
at stake and when the good reputation of a faithful minister like Paul
was concerned. Both was the case. glory of God
in the salvation of sinners, and the reputation of a faithful
minister. And so it was time, it was necessary
for him to act in this foolish way, by boasting. The false apostles, they maligned
and they vilified him, and they needed to be answered. They needed
to be answered, and so Paul does just that. Now let's go through these verses.
Verse 17. That which I speak, I speak it
not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly in this confidence
of boasting. Paul acknowledged that this was
normally, this was not normally the way of a Christian to speak. The way he's about to speak,
Paul acknowledges, this is not the way a Christian normally
speaks. A child of God glories. A child of God boasts, but not
in himself. A child of God boasts and glories
in the person of Jesus Christ and in him alone. And so Paul
acknowledges the way I'm going to talk, I recognize is not the
way a believer, a child of God, normally speaks. A Christian
boasts in glories in the Lord and in his finished work, not
in himself. Verse 18, seeing that many glory
after the flesh, I will glory also. This shows that the false
apostles were many, because he said many, many, and that they
gloried or boasted in outward, external things. And Paul lets
them know that if they thought, if these men, if they thought
they had the right to boast in these things, they were worth
boasting in, that he had as much as them. You remember when he
said, are they, in fact, later in this chapter he asked, are
they Hebrews? So are we. In Philippians chapter
3, I believe it is, when he said, you know, he was a Hebrew of
the Hebrews, circumcised the eighth day, the tribe of Benjamin,
And he just went right on. He had all these things that
they boasted in. He could boast in them too. But
he said, seeing you, in verse 19, suffer a fool. Suffer fools
gladly seeing you yourselves are wise. Seeing you're so wise
that you suffer these people to take advantage of you. And notice how they took advantage
of them. He said, For you suffer fools
gladly, seeing you yourselves are wise. For you suffer if a
man bring you into bondage. Here's a man who comes and he
begins to teach you that you've got to obey the law, even though
Christ has redeemed us from the law. That Christ is the end of
the law. And yet you suffer that man and
allow him to bring you into bondage to the law. If a man devour you,
here's a man who takes advantage of you, taking your money and
things of material things. If a man take of you, if a man
exalt himself, he just brags on himself. And if a man smite
you on the face, and that was considered to be the worst form of rebuke, to smite someone on
the face. And that's what Paul said. You
have suffered these men to do the same to you. They've spoken
down to you. They've spoken to you as Gentiles,
as uncircumcised men. All the time, they've taken advantage
of you. You've suffered this, suffered
them to do this to you. Now, let's close with verse 21. I speak as concerning reproach,
as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is
bold, I speak foolishly, I am bold also. In other words, those
men among you, those false teachers, they reproach me and they accuse
me of being weak. Remember, we've seen this before.
He's weak when he's among us, he's strong and bold when he's
writing us a letter. They accused me of being weak.
Paul said, I confess, I confess. I confess myself to be less than
the least of all the saints. I sure do. But not, he says,
not in my gospel. Not in my ministry among you. No. I am bold. I am bold. If anyone does any
boasting, I am bold. In other words, he knew that
he was called of God, sent of God, used of God in Carth. And the gospel he preached was
the gospel which was not after man. but after Christ. Well, I pray that the Lord would
bless these words as studied