WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.879 The title of my sermon today is Christian Liberty, 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:09.259 Part 2, Rights and Responsibilities. We're going 00:00:09.259 --> 00:00:11.240 to be looking today at 1 Corinthians chapter 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:17.559 9, verses 1 through 18. We've been steadily going 00:00:17.559 --> 00:00:20.679 through this book, sometimes covering a few verses, 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:24.370 sometimes more. And today we're going to attempt 00:00:24.370 --> 00:00:27.289 to cover these first 18 verses of this chapter 00:00:27.289 --> 00:00:31.010 and then look at the following or the remaining 00:00:31.010 --> 00:00:35.350 verses the next time. Let's hear the word of 00:00:35.350 --> 00:00:39.390 the Lord as it is given by inspiration of the 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:43.250 Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul. 00:00:45.210 --> 00:00:50.649 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:54.630 seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work 00:00:54.630 --> 00:00:58.310 in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, 00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:03.409 yet doubtless I am to you, for you are the seal 00:01:03.409 --> 00:01:07.790 of my apostleship in the Lord. My defense to 00:01:07.790 --> 00:01:11.829 those who examine me is this. Do we have no right 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:15.069 to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take 00:01:15.069 --> 00:01:18.230 along a believing wife, as do also the other 00:01:18.230 --> 00:01:21.530 apostles? the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:25.090 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right 00:01:25.090 --> 00:01:29.629 to refrain from working? Whoever goes to war 00:01:29.629 --> 00:01:33.090 at his own expense, who plants a vineyard and 00:01:33.090 --> 00:01:36.209 does not eat of its fruit, or who tends a flock 00:01:36.209 --> 00:01:38.290 and does not drink of the milk of the flock, 00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:42.730 do I say these things as a mere man? Or does 00:01:42.730 --> 00:01:45.849 not the law say the same also? For it is written 00:01:45.849 --> 00:01:48.689 in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle an 00:01:48.689 --> 00:01:51.969 ox while it treads out the grain. Is it oxen 00:01:51.969 --> 00:01:54.409 God is concerned about, or does he say it all 00:01:54.409 --> 00:01:58.209 together for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:01.530 this is written. That he who plows should plow 00:02:01.530 --> 00:02:04.609 in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be 00:02:04.609 --> 00:02:08.409 partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual 00:02:08.409 --> 00:02:13.069 things for you, is it a great thing if we reap 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:16.419 your material things? If others are partakers 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:18.699 of this right over you, are we not even more? 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:22.759 Nevertheless, we have not used this right, but 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:25.159 endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.060 Christ. Do you not know that those who minister 00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:31.340 the holy things eat of the things of the temple? 00:02:31.860 --> 00:02:34.620 And those who serve at the altar partake of the 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:37.620 offerings of the altar? Even so, the Lord has 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:40.680 commanded that those who preach the gospel should 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:46.219 live from the gospel. I have used none of these 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:50.099 things, nor have I written these things that 00:02:50.099 --> 00:02:54.500 it should be done so to me. For it would be better 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:58.500 for me to die than that anyone should make my 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:02.479 boasting void. For if I preach the gospel, I 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:06.219 have nothing to boast of. For necessity is laid 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:11.840 upon me. Yes, woe is me if I do not preach the 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:15.139 gospel. For if I do this willingly, I have a 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:19.020 reward. But if against my will, I have been entrusted 00:03:19.020 --> 00:03:23.520 with a stewardship. What is my reward then? That 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:27.120 when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:31.199 of Christ without charge. That I may not abuse 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:36.539 my authority in the gospel. Let's bow before 00:03:36.539 --> 00:03:39.159 the Lord and ask for his blessing and illumination 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:42.360 on this word. Our Father, we come to you, Lord, 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:45.699 with this word. Lord, this pouring out of the 00:03:45.699 --> 00:03:49.659 heart of the pen of Paul as he wrote to the Corinthians, 00:03:49.819 --> 00:03:52.699 Lord, and we seek to understand this today. Lord, 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:55.659 so we pray that you would open our eyes, open 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:59.000 the ears of our understanding, Lord. Illuminate 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:01.259 us by the Spirit that we might understand this 00:04:01.259 --> 00:04:04.780 word, that we might hear it. and apply it properly 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:08.419 and appropriately. As for your blessing, Lord, 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:11.699 that everything that I say may be pleasing to 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:14.599 you and according to your word. I pray in Jesus' 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:26.439 name. Amen. When God grants liberty to his children, 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:31.860 he also gives them certain rights. These rights... 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:37.139 come from god for they are endowed by our creator 00:04:37.139 --> 00:04:41.839 these rights are unalienable meaning that they 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:47.220 cannot be taken away by man among these are life 00:04:47.220 --> 00:04:53.040 liberty and property and god's law surrounds 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:55.939 them with the direction of his divine commands 00:04:55.939 --> 00:05:00.689 thou shalt have no other gods before me Protects 00:05:00.689 --> 00:05:03.310 our liberty from all who would be gods over us 00:05:03.310 --> 00:05:08.829 or would seek to replace God. Thou shalt do no 00:05:08.829 --> 00:05:13.250 murder is the right to life. And thou shalt not 00:05:13.250 --> 00:05:17.290 steal and thou shalt not covet are the rights 00:05:17.290 --> 00:05:21.089 of property. The fundamental rights that we've 00:05:21.089 --> 00:05:25.230 all come to see because God has granted them 00:05:25.230 --> 00:05:29.019 to us within the fences of his law. Now you may 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:30.899 notice that some of the statements I've just 00:05:30.899 --> 00:05:34.439 made sound much like the beginning of the Declaration 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:38.379 of Independence, which is as it should, for the 00:05:38.379 --> 00:05:40.560 principles of liberty found in the Declaration 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.540 of Independence did not come from the Romans, 00:05:43.579 --> 00:05:45.959 it did not come from the Greeks or Greek philosophy, 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:49.019 but it came from Jerusalem, from the word of 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:51.720 God given to Israel as a model to the nations. 00:05:53.389 --> 00:05:56.110 Our founders looked very much to the instructions 00:05:56.110 --> 00:05:59.970 given by God to Moses in the Exodus and the founding 00:05:59.970 --> 00:06:03.449 of the Israelite nation. Now Christian liberty 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:07.769 as I've defined it last week consists of the 00:06:07.769 --> 00:06:11.689 following aspects of freedom. Christian liberty 00:06:11.689 --> 00:06:14.750 is freedom from the bondage of sin and the death 00:06:14.750 --> 00:06:19.430 that accompanies it. Secondly, it is freedom 00:06:19.430 --> 00:06:21.689 from the doctrine and the commandments of men. 00:06:22.940 --> 00:06:26.800 Thirdly, it is freedom from the law of ceremonies 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:30.540 in the Old Testament that found their fulfillment 00:06:30.540 --> 00:06:34.839 in the perfection and the sacrifice of Christ. 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:38.600 This would include the sacrificial laws, the 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:41.879 need to be circumcised, the laws of purity and 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:44.339 cleanness or uncleanness, and the dietary laws. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:49.019 Fourthly then, Christian liberty is the freedom 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:53.649 from matters indifferent. And by the things indifferent, 00:06:53.949 --> 00:06:57.370 I mean that those are things that God has not 00:06:57.370 --> 00:07:01.769 specifically commanded or forbidden. We are free 00:07:01.769 --> 00:07:08.269 to choose within the fences of God's law. In 00:07:08.269 --> 00:07:12.129 this, we do not sin if we do something or if 00:07:12.129 --> 00:07:16.050 we do not do something. Now this liberty, though, 00:07:16.149 --> 00:07:18.930 is to be appropriate. It is to be expedient. 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:23.009 And it includes love for our neighbor. Where 00:07:23.009 --> 00:07:26.269 there is liberty, we have the right to be able 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:30.310 to do what we want. But there are three biblical 00:07:30.310 --> 00:07:35.310 criteria in the use of this liberty. One is this. 00:07:35.430 --> 00:07:39.819 Is it expedient or advantageous? 1 Corinthians 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:43.600 10, 23, all things are lawful for me, but not 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:48.519 all things are helpful or expedient. Secondly, 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:52.879 does it edify or is it a stumbling block? Again, 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:56.819 1 Corinthians 10, verse 23, all things are lawful 00:07:56.819 --> 00:08:02.639 for me, but not all things edify. And then thirdly, 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:07.139 am I under the power and control of this liberty? 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:10.379 In other words, is it controlling me instead 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:15.160 of me being guided by the Holy Spirit and controlling 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:19.740 it? Again, 1 Corinthians 6 verse 12. All things 00:08:19.740 --> 00:08:22.579 are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:26.360 All things are lawful for me, but I will not 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:39.500 be brought under the power of any. largely free 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:43.299 from the control and the compulsion of the state 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:47.139 against God, but also in which Christians can 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:49.620 freely serve as civil magistrates at the federal, 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:52.840 the state, and the local levels without compromising 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:55.820 the word of God. And in this way, we are able 00:08:55.820 --> 00:08:58.480 in various degrees to implement and to draw from 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.480 God's word in the practice of Christian liberty 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:04.299 in the civil government. Now, this was not so 00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:06.379 for the first few centuries of church history 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:10.820 after Christ, in large part because being a civil 00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:14.559 servant in the Roman Empire meant it required 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:18.419 offering to idols. It was a requirement. Whenever 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:20.279 they would meet together, they would always give 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:22.639 an offering to an idol first. It might have been 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:25.580 a small thing, a little kind of an icon or something 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:27.580 at the door before you go into the room, but 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:29.639 it was simply required. And if you didn't, you 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:32.610 were punished by Caesar. It was very important. 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:36.389 They viewed the emperor as God. And it was not 00:09:36.389 --> 00:09:39.350 until Constantine ended this requirement around 00:09:39.350 --> 00:09:42.570 the year 310 that Christians could then serve 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:46.230 and rule, except for a few anomalies such as 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:48.629 Erastus, the treasurer of the city of Corinth, 00:09:48.710 --> 00:09:52.029 which is mentioned in the New Testament. The 00:09:52.029 --> 00:09:54.590 passage before us today continues with the subject 00:09:54.590 --> 00:09:57.629 of Christian liberty and it focuses on rights 00:09:57.629 --> 00:10:00.149 and responsibilities because they go hand in 00:10:00.149 --> 00:10:04.090 hand. Paul asserts his liberty and his rights 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:08.450 as an apostle vigorously, but then he shows us 00:10:08.450 --> 00:10:11.970 the framework that he operates in. His passion 00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:17.330 is to proclaim the gospel, and to that end, he 00:10:17.330 --> 00:10:20.549 is willing to lay down some of his rights to 00:10:20.549 --> 00:10:24.490 remove hindrances to gospel preaching and to 00:10:24.490 --> 00:10:29.269 ministry. He demonstrates that liberty does not 00:10:29.269 --> 00:10:32.809 simply mean that we get to do whatever we want 00:10:32.809 --> 00:10:37.909 to at all times, but rather liberty and the blessings 00:10:37.909 --> 00:10:41.690 of liberty mean that we are able to do what God 00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:45.389 has called us to and to live then as free men 00:10:45.389 --> 00:10:50.669 and women. This chapter is written in this framework 00:10:50.669 --> 00:10:56.679 of the discussion of liberty. Paul uses the occasion, 00:10:56.940 --> 00:10:59.299 as he often does, because he's going to do this 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:02.080 again in 1 Corinthians 10 in a different way. 00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:05.159 He illustrates the principles that he teaches 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:10.720 by giving a clear and full exposition on other 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:13.399 things that fit within that. And that's the case 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:19.100 here. In this, he gives the fullest and the clearest 00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:22.379 explanation and exposition in all of the New 00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:25.850 Testament. about the subject of remuneration, 00:11:25.929 --> 00:11:28.149 or that is the material support of Christian 00:11:28.149 --> 00:11:32.110 ministers, and how he was willing to give that 00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:37.269 up for the sake of the gospel. So today, there's 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:39.529 two major subjects that we're considering. One 00:11:39.529 --> 00:11:43.009 is liberty and rights, and the second is the 00:11:43.009 --> 00:11:47.029 responsibility of a congregation to support those 00:11:47.029 --> 00:11:51.230 who minister to them. In this, he gives a very 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:54.950 personal... and powerful illustration of how 00:11:54.950 --> 00:11:57.870 he operated with the rights that he had and the 00:11:57.870 --> 00:12:01.490 liberty to lay it down for the sake of faithful 00:12:01.490 --> 00:12:06.629 gospel ministry now in this i am not giving this 00:12:06.629 --> 00:12:10.269 in any way with any kind of self -interest or 00:12:10.269 --> 00:12:15.350 self or or desiring for myself in what we have 00:12:15.350 --> 00:12:18.419 done here I am completely blessed and happy and 00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:22.740 satisfied with. I am simply giving an exposition 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:25.519 of this scripture in what it teaches about it. 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.269 So I want that to be clear. Firstly, Paul asserts 00:12:29.269 --> 00:12:31.710 his apostleship and his freedom in verse 1 and 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:34.750 2. He says, am I not an apostle? Am I not free? 00:12:34.889 --> 00:12:37.690 Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not 00:12:37.690 --> 00:12:40.289 you my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle 00:12:40.289 --> 00:12:42.970 to others, yet doubtless I am to you, for you 00:12:42.970 --> 00:12:45.610 are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. And 00:12:45.610 --> 00:12:48.830 so he begins with asking questions to those who 00:12:48.830 --> 00:12:51.389 were examining him. Evidently there were some 00:12:51.389 --> 00:12:53.929 who were questioning his apostleship and his 00:12:53.929 --> 00:12:57.159 authority. Some may have not been happy. with 00:12:57.159 --> 00:12:59.940 his writings or his teachings. And so they were 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:02.039 kind of like asking, are you really an apostle? 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:04.440 Or they're questioning his apostleship. And to 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:08.320 those, Paul establishes and defends his apostolic 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:12.240 credentials. He does so by asking powerful and 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:15.500 passionate rhetorical questions. All of these 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:19.620 expect a yes answer. He begins, am I not an apostle? 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:23.299 Yes, you are. Am I not free? Yes, you are free. 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:25.980 Have I not seen the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord? 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.820 Yes, you have. Are you not my work in the Lord? 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:32.240 Yes. And with these questions, Paul declares 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:35.899 that he has the right and authority of an apostle. 00:13:36.100 --> 00:13:39.120 This apostolic charge, indeed, came from Jesus 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:43.159 himself on the Damascus road by revelation, as 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:46.009 well as through Ananias. when Paul went to him 00:13:46.009 --> 00:13:48.990 when he was blind. Now, Jesus also may have appeared 00:13:48.990 --> 00:13:51.649 to Paul during his three years in Arabia shortly 00:13:51.649 --> 00:13:54.990 after his conversion. Note that one of the marks 00:13:54.990 --> 00:13:57.789 in the proofs of an apostle is that he physically 00:13:57.789 --> 00:14:01.950 saw Jesus. This was also the criteria in Acts 00:14:01.950 --> 00:14:06.649 1 when the church replaced Judas after he died, 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:10.529 after betraying Christ, and then the replacement 00:14:10.529 --> 00:14:13.320 was to be one. who, as it is written in Acts 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:16.220 1, was a witness with us of the resurrection. 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:19.440 In other words, he had to have been one who saw 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:23.960 the resurrected Christ in person. This is an 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:27.279 important note. There are no more apostles today 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:31.840 in this same way. The ones that were are now 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:33.919 the foundation of the church together with the 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:38.120 prophets. And if someone claims to have apostolic 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:42.149 authority and to add to the word of God, Run 00:14:42.149 --> 00:14:45.889 from them or else confront them for they do not 00:14:45.889 --> 00:14:50.070 carry this authoritative office. Paul then also 00:14:50.070 --> 00:14:53.990 defends his apostolic rights by the success of 00:14:53.990 --> 00:14:58.309 his own ministry to them. He says that the Corinthian 00:14:58.309 --> 00:15:02.710 believers themselves are the seal of his apostleship 00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:05.850 in the Lord. This is the proof of it. They're 00:15:05.850 --> 00:15:11.519 proof that he was an apostle. Paul began this 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:14.080 work from ground zero in Corinth with the help 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:17.200 of Silas and Timothy. He was completed by the 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:22.139 Spirit and he was ordained by the Spirit to preach 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:25.580 the gospel and to shepherd those who believed 00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:29.059 there in Corinth for a year and six months. This 00:15:29.059 --> 00:15:33.059 is in Acts 18 verses 1 to 17. There's a few notable 00:15:33.059 --> 00:15:36.659 things about this defense. He notes, first of 00:15:36.659 --> 00:15:40.149 all, That despite the problems that the church 00:15:40.149 --> 00:15:44.370 in Corinth had, Paul still views them as a success. 00:15:44.750 --> 00:15:48.429 He views them as a true church of God with great 00:15:48.429 --> 00:15:52.600 potential and gifts. We saw this confidence back 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:56.419 in chapter 1, verses 7 through 9, that, as he 00:15:56.419 --> 00:15:59.559 said, they should come short in no gift, eagerly 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:01.480 waiting for the revelation of the Lord Jesus 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.320 Christ, who will also confirm you to the end 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.759 that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:10.000 Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you were 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:12.759 called into the fellowship of his Son, Christ 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:16.360 Jesus our Lord. Paul was not discouraged by their 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:21.029 problems. He loved them. As his children in the 00:16:21.029 --> 00:16:23.610 faith. And these two long letters. The first 00:16:23.610 --> 00:16:25.950 and second Corinthians. Which are actually second 00:16:25.950 --> 00:16:28.429 and third. Because the first one we do not have. 00:16:28.929 --> 00:16:31.350 These long letters that he wrote to them. Are 00:16:31.350 --> 00:16:34.830 proof of the love that he had for them. Even 00:16:34.830 --> 00:16:38.389 to the church in Laodicea. In Revelation chapter 00:16:38.389 --> 00:16:44.690 3. Jesus tells them. As many as I love. I rebuke 00:16:44.690 --> 00:16:48.950 and chasten. Paul's correctives that are given 00:16:48.950 --> 00:16:53.070 in this book to them are because he loved them 00:16:53.070 --> 00:16:56.590 and because they were a true church of God, but 00:16:56.590 --> 00:16:59.830 they needed some rebuke and some correction. 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:06.190 This should encourage us that even when there 00:17:06.190 --> 00:17:09.950 are difficulties and problems or even when there 00:17:09.950 --> 00:17:13.309 are sins, we should not immediately then run 00:17:13.309 --> 00:17:16.119 and say, oh. I see this sin. I've got to run. 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:18.259 I've got to find something else. No, we work 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:22.480 through it. We pray. We work toward the betterment 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:24.519 of it. And, of course, there is such a time, 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:28.380 as Jesus speaks of again in Revelation 2, where 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:31.299 he removes the candlestick from a church because 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:34.759 they are no longer a true church of God at all. 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:38.079 But that is not the case here, even with all 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:42.960 their problems. It should be no surprise to us 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.640 that Paul considers them the seal of his apostleship 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.940 in the Lord. For God himself revealed to Paul 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:52.180 that he should speak, that he should not keep 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:55.519 silent, for the Lord was with him, and that he, 00:17:55.579 --> 00:18:00.660 that is God, had many people in this city. Acts 00:18:00.660 --> 00:18:05.000 chapter 18, verse 11. So in defending his apostleship 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:08.359 by the success of his ministry to them, Paul 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:11.769 shows that this can be done well. In other words, 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:16.150 long -term success in a church is a testimony 00:18:16.150 --> 00:18:20.690 to the excellence of her leaders. Are the people 00:18:20.690 --> 00:18:24.410 joyful? Are they obedient to the Lord? Are they 00:18:24.410 --> 00:18:27.509 loving one another? Are they growing in the knowledge 00:18:27.509 --> 00:18:29.809 and the truth of God's word and being fruitful? 00:18:30.410 --> 00:18:33.390 Are they being a light to the world, a city that 00:18:33.390 --> 00:18:37.269 is set on a hill that gives glory to God? If 00:18:37.269 --> 00:18:40.009 these things are happening, that is a testimony 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:45.309 to the blessedness of their leaders. But we must 00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:49.829 be very careful with this. It does have the apostolic 00:18:49.829 --> 00:18:54.710 stamp of approval, but we must be careful to 00:18:54.710 --> 00:18:58.930 see how we define success. Success should not 00:18:58.930 --> 00:19:01.029 be measured by the size of the congregation. 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:04.220 by the amount of people that make a profession 00:19:04.220 --> 00:19:08.779 of faith at an emotional altar call, or the dynamic 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:11.940 preaching of the preacher, or the feeling of 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:14.339 worshipfulness that you get in the worship service, 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:17.500 or all of the programs that a church may have. 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:21.819 Rather, success must be measured by the testimony 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:25.640 of Christ, by the faithfulness in using the gifts 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:29.960 that God has given, by the acknowledgement and 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:34.089 confession of sin. by fervent love of the brethren 00:19:34.089 --> 00:19:37.910 and praying for one another, by soundness in 00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:41.869 doctrine and all of the other marks of faithfulness 00:19:41.869 --> 00:19:46.230 in a church. Those are the measurement of success 00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:50.569 and not all of the hype, all of the glitz, and 00:19:50.569 --> 00:19:54.190 all of the other things. Too often success is 00:19:54.190 --> 00:19:57.009 measured by other measures than what I have just 00:19:57.009 --> 00:20:02.099 outlined. Paul then moves on. In verses 3 to 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:08.440 14, and he gives a vigorous defense of his apostolic 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:13.880 rights to be maintained and supported by the 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:17.819 churches. He begins by stating the obvious. My 00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:23.049 defense to those who examine me is this. To those 00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:25.789 questioning his authority and apostleship who 00:20:25.789 --> 00:20:28.289 were standing in judgment of him and centering 00:20:28.289 --> 00:20:33.190 him, he will offer a defense. Now Jesus did not 00:20:33.190 --> 00:20:35.990 defend himself against his accusers, but this 00:20:35.990 --> 00:20:39.730 was because it was a clear plan ordained of God 00:20:39.730 --> 00:20:42.710 that wicked men would crucify him and put him 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:46.210 to death. And while there can be times where 00:20:46.210 --> 00:20:48.450 it may be wisdom for Christians not to make a 00:20:48.450 --> 00:20:52.829 defense and simply to suffer, Most times, Christians 00:20:52.829 --> 00:20:57.250 should make a good and strong defense against 00:20:57.250 --> 00:21:01.009 those who would defame them, not by responding 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:03.970 as kind as Brother Ty spoke about this morning, 00:21:04.109 --> 00:21:08.750 but in responding with truth and clarity accompanied 00:21:08.750 --> 00:21:11.730 by a Christian witness. And that is what Paul 00:21:11.730 --> 00:21:14.690 is doing here. His emphasis and directive in 00:21:14.690 --> 00:21:18.329 this section from verses 3 to 14 is that since 00:21:18.329 --> 00:21:22.529 the laborer is worthy of his hire or of his wages, 00:21:22.549 --> 00:21:25.829 as Jesus says in Luke 10 verse 7 and Matthew 00:21:25.829 --> 00:21:29.230 10 verse 10, those who preach the word of God 00:21:29.230 --> 00:21:32.289 and minister to the flock of God should live 00:21:32.289 --> 00:21:36.130 from the gospel. That is, they should be blessed 00:21:36.130 --> 00:21:41.430 by support and remuneration. from those to whom 00:21:41.430 --> 00:21:46.009 they minister this is their right and god gave 00:21:46.009 --> 00:21:49.730 that right paul is going to go at great lengths 00:21:49.730 --> 00:21:53.390 to describe all of the reasons for this both 00:21:53.390 --> 00:21:58.069 biblical and from everyday life first of all 00:21:58.069 --> 00:22:01.150 he enumerates certain rights of an apostle in 00:22:01.150 --> 00:22:04.069 verses four to six do we have no right to eat 00:22:04.069 --> 00:22:06.109 and drink do we have no right to take along a 00:22:06.109 --> 00:22:08.940 believing wife Or is it Barnabas and I who have 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:12.240 no right to refrain from working? So that is, 00:22:12.259 --> 00:22:14.950 they had the right to eat and drink. to be maintained 00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:17.390 with the necessities of life at the expense of 00:22:17.390 --> 00:22:19.970 the churches. Now this was particularly needful 00:22:19.970 --> 00:22:23.049 for those who were traveling, like Paul and Barnabas 00:22:23.049 --> 00:22:25.049 and Silas and all of the young men traveling 00:22:25.049 --> 00:22:27.890 with them to minister the gospel throughout the 00:22:27.890 --> 00:22:30.470 whole areas of Asia and Europe in which they 00:22:30.470 --> 00:22:33.430 were traveling. They endured such great privations, 00:22:33.529 --> 00:22:36.910 hardship in the travel, perils in the sea and 00:22:36.910 --> 00:22:39.990 on the land, and persecution being driven out 00:22:39.990 --> 00:22:43.049 or even stoned and beaten. They had the right 00:22:43.049 --> 00:22:46.130 to take a believing wife, as other apostles did. 00:22:46.329 --> 00:22:48.230 They had the right to have a wife with them, 00:22:48.309 --> 00:22:50.910 where she also would be supported and maintained 00:22:50.910 --> 00:22:56.390 of the necessities of life. Though Paul and likely 00:22:56.390 --> 00:22:59.609 Barnabas were single, the other apostles, as 00:22:59.609 --> 00:23:02.509 he says here, were married, as were the brothers 00:23:02.509 --> 00:23:06.660 of Jesus and even Peter himself. There is the 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:09.519 right that he also shared with Barnabas to refrain 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:12.440 from secular work or from regular work, from 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:15.319 day -to -day work, and be supported. So this 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:17.740 goes further than food and drink, and it speaks 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:20.839 of support to the extent of not having to earn 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:24.759 a living by working at another occupation. So 00:23:24.759 --> 00:23:26.900 Paul asks them these questions. Do I not have 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:30.380 all of these rights as all of the other apostles 00:23:30.380 --> 00:23:34.490 do? Then he goes and illustrates this from everyday 00:23:34.490 --> 00:23:37.750 life and he asks more questions. Who goes to 00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:40.730 war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard 00:23:40.730 --> 00:23:43.190 and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a 00:23:43.190 --> 00:23:45.309 flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? 00:23:45.690 --> 00:23:49.049 He draws from the common life in which they live, 00:23:49.130 --> 00:23:51.930 things which they easily understood. Now interestingly, 00:23:52.170 --> 00:23:55.849 he draws from three examples that are also found 00:23:55.849 --> 00:24:00.910 in the word of God as being metaphors. for christian 00:24:00.910 --> 00:24:04.569 believers but christian believers are to be soldiers 00:24:04.569 --> 00:24:07.430 for the lord they are god's field in their vineyard 00:24:07.430 --> 00:24:11.410 and they are called a flock one of the principles 00:24:11.410 --> 00:24:14.970 of faithful teaching is to use everyday illustrations 00:24:14.970 --> 00:24:17.710 that bring home god's truth to everyday life 00:24:17.710 --> 00:24:20.839 and paul does this very skillfully Who goes to 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:23.640 war at his own expense? A soldier does not serve 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:26.720 at his own expense. Just as we here in this country 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:29.799 support our military, so also should a congregation 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:32.920 to their ministers. This imagery is used in various 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:35.920 places, such as Paul's exhortation to Timothy 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:39.980 in 2 Timothy 2, 3 -4. You must therefore endure 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:44.660 hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. You 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:48.299 are a soldier. And so he uses, he blends this 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:51.759 here just as we support our soldiers, so also 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:54.359 we should support the ministers. He then asks 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:57.500 who plants a vineyard and does not eat. A vineyard 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:00.440 planter is able to eat the fruit of their labor. 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:04.880 In 1 Corinthians 3, he says, I planted, Apollos 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:09.240 watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:12.160 he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:15.180 but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:17.940 and he who waters are one, and each one will 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:20.920 receive his own reward according to his own labor. 00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:24.220 For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:28.359 field, you are God's building. And then he uses 00:25:28.359 --> 00:25:30.759 the illustration of one who tends a flock, and 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:34.000 do they not drink of the milk of the flock? A 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.740 shepherd does drink of the milk. and God's people 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:39.720 are the flock. Jesus is the good shepherd. His 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:42.400 people are the flock, or the sheep, as Jesus 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:45.720 talks about in John 10 and in Luke chapter 12. 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:48.859 Elders are commanded to shepherd the flock of 00:25:48.859 --> 00:25:52.400 God in 1 Peter 5, verse 2 and 3. And in Acts 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.460 20, 28, in his parting words to the ministers 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:59.059 and elders of Ephesus, he said, take heed to 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:02.740 yourselves and to all the flock among which the 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:07.039 Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.599 the church of God, which he purchased with his 00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:13.000 own blood. Then he moves on. To support his argument 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:15.240 from the law of Moses. You see how here he's 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:18.140 just building a case. In one after the other. 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:22.119 Verses 8 through 10. Do I say these things as 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:24.619 a mere man? Or does not the law say the same 00:26:24.619 --> 00:26:27.079 also? For it is written in the law of Moses. 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:30.019 You shall not muzzle an ox. While it treads out 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:32.819 the grain. Is it oxen God is concerned about? 00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:35.400 Or does he say it all together? For our sakes. 00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:38.670 For our sakes no doubt this is written. That 00:26:38.670 --> 00:26:42.109 he who plows should plow in hope and he who threshes 00:26:42.109 --> 00:26:45.349 in hope should be partaker of his hope. So this 00:26:45.349 --> 00:26:47.829 is the verse from Deuteronomy chapter 25 verse 00:26:47.829 --> 00:26:51.210 4. It's a very interesting illustration because 00:26:51.210 --> 00:26:54.369 Paul argues from the lesser to the greater in 00:26:54.369 --> 00:26:58.170 this law. Now this scripture is set in a passage 00:26:58.170 --> 00:27:00.589 that provides for the humane treatment of people. 00:27:00.930 --> 00:27:04.349 And God also cares for the animals that serve 00:27:04.349 --> 00:27:07.460 the people. This is Deuteronomy 25. But Paul 00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:10.740 takes this command and he applies it in a much 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:13.880 greater way. If God so cares for the animals, 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:18.319 how much more those who labor for him. Jesus 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:21.960 does this. He does the same thing in the Sermon 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:25.359 on the Mount in Matthew 6, verse 30. If God so 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:28.019 clothes the grass of the field, which today is 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:30.099 and tomorrow is surrendered to the oven, will 00:27:30.099 --> 00:27:34.059 he not much more clothe you, O you of little 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:37.640 faith? Paul says this is written together, all 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:42.539 together for our sakes, so that those who plow 00:27:42.539 --> 00:27:46.079 and who thrust should do so in hope of sharing 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:49.140 in the harvest. From the first setting of the 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:52.079 plow and the ground to threshing the grain when 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:55.759 it is ripe and harvested, so also those who labor 00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:58.900 in the word and doctrine can expect to receive 00:27:58.900 --> 00:28:02.839 earthly blessings, but also the hope of eternal 00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:06.250 life. and rewards for being faithful servants 00:28:06.250 --> 00:28:10.890 of the Lord. This passage, and a number of others 00:28:10.890 --> 00:28:13.769 in the New Testament, give apostolic authority 00:28:13.769 --> 00:28:17.549 for how to interpret the Old Testament commands 00:28:17.549 --> 00:28:21.470 and precepts. They are not to be understood only 00:28:21.470 --> 00:28:25.930 in the direct sense to the people to whom they 00:28:25.930 --> 00:28:29.990 were given, but they are also illustrations of 00:28:29.990 --> 00:28:35.359 greater truths some of which we see the apostles 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:39.119 teaching. They argue from the lesser to the greater. 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:41.880 Now to do this requires great carefulness and 00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:44.880 skill, and of course the apostles also had the 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:47.819 inspiration of the Holy Spirit in how they did 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:51.460 that. Fourth then, Paul makes an application 00:28:51.460 --> 00:28:55.519 to the gospel ministry, verses 11 to 12, beginning 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:58.880 of verse 12. If we have sown spiritual things 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:02.869 for you, Is it a great thing if we reap your 00:29:02.869 --> 00:29:06.089 material things? If others are partaker of this 00:29:06.089 --> 00:29:10.390 right over you, are we not even more? Paul does 00:29:10.390 --> 00:29:12.309 not leave them in any doubt about this subject, 00:29:12.529 --> 00:29:17.269 showing how those who sow spiritual things have 00:29:17.269 --> 00:29:21.269 a right to reap material things. If others share 00:29:21.269 --> 00:29:24.190 this right over the Corinthians, Paul and his 00:29:24.190 --> 00:29:27.250 companions have an even greater claim because 00:29:27.250 --> 00:29:31.119 he and those with him Founded the church. They 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:34.960 labored hard and long. To build up this congregation. 00:29:35.579 --> 00:29:39.420 From the very beginning. Number five. He gives 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:41.819 further arguments from the practice in the temple. 00:29:41.980 --> 00:29:46.440 At the Lord's command. Verses 12. The second 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:50.660 part of verse 12. To verse 14. Nevertheless. 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:55.880 We have not used this right. But endure all things. 00:29:55.980 --> 00:30:00.240 Lest we hinder. the gospel of Christ. Do you 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:02.700 not know that those who minister the holy things 00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:05.400 eat of the things of the temple, and those who 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:07.859 serve at the altar partake of the offerings of 00:30:07.859 --> 00:30:11.480 the altar? Even so, the Lord has commanded that 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:15.579 those who preach the gospel should live of or 00:30:15.579 --> 00:30:19.759 from the gospel. Now Paul alludes to where he 00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:22.799 is going with this in the subject of rights and 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:27.250 of liberty. He says, He's just given this whole 00:30:27.250 --> 00:30:30.170 list and he's going to give a few more. He gives 00:30:30.170 --> 00:30:32.650 this whole list showing them, this is incumbent 00:30:32.650 --> 00:30:36.470 on you. This is your responsibility. But, and 00:30:36.470 --> 00:30:41.369 it's my right, but we have not used that right. 00:30:41.829 --> 00:30:46.769 We have not used this right, both me and my companions. 00:30:47.390 --> 00:30:51.269 Though it was their right, they chose to endure 00:30:51.269 --> 00:30:55.890 all things. Why? So that they would not hinder 00:30:55.890 --> 00:30:59.650 the gospel of Christ. And he's going to speak 00:30:59.650 --> 00:31:02.069 more of this in verse 5. But here he just slips 00:31:02.069 --> 00:31:05.150 it in. Before then he goes on with additional 00:31:05.150 --> 00:31:12.269 illustrations. He then continues with these. 00:31:12.410 --> 00:31:14.390 This time he goes back to the temple worship. 00:31:14.769 --> 00:31:17.809 To the priests and to the Levites. Those who 00:31:17.809 --> 00:31:20.480 minister the holy things of the temple. also 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:23.400 eat of the temple. They share in the offerings. 00:31:23.980 --> 00:31:27.079 This is instructive, and it's all laid out very 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:29.599 clearly in Numbers chapter 18, verses 8 through 00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:32.259 14, as well as others. I'm not going to read 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:34.660 them. It's simply there is a fact that they lived 00:31:34.660 --> 00:31:37.200 off of the offerings that came to the temple. 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:40.359 And then he says, the Lord has commanded that 00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:42.480 those who preach the gospel should live from 00:31:42.480 --> 00:31:46.210 the gospel. Jesus himself speaks of this. Paul 00:31:46.210 --> 00:31:48.329 is probably referring to Matthew chapter 10, 00:31:48.369 --> 00:31:51.849 verse 10, and to Luke 10, verse 17, I'm sorry, 00:31:51.930 --> 00:31:55.069 verse 7. Speaking to the apostles as they were 00:31:55.069 --> 00:31:58.509 sent out two by two to minister, Luke 10, 7 says, 00:31:58.829 --> 00:32:01.849 and remain in the same house, eating and drinking 00:32:01.849 --> 00:32:04.970 such things as they give, for the laborer is 00:32:04.970 --> 00:32:08.750 worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to 00:32:08.750 --> 00:32:11.930 house. Now, Paul also teaches this in other places 00:32:11.930 --> 00:32:16.440 in the epistles. Galatians 6, verse 6. Let him 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:21.019 who is taught the word share in all good things 00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:25.539 with him who teaches. And then in 1 Timothy 5, 00:32:25.700 --> 00:32:29.619 verse 17 to 18, let the elders who rule well 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:33.720 be counted worthy of double honor, especially 00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:38.720 those who labor in the word and doctrine. For 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:41.460 the scripture says, you shall not muzzle a nox 00:32:41.460 --> 00:32:44.720 while it treads out the grain. The laborer is 00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:49.539 worthy of his wages. Now, Tertullian, the historian, 00:32:49.960 --> 00:32:53.420 one of the early church fathers, describes how 00:32:53.420 --> 00:32:56.059 this happened, how they did this in the late 00:32:56.059 --> 00:32:58.519 2nd and early 3rd century, somewhere between 00:32:58.519 --> 00:33:03.380 197 and 220. He writes, the stipends of the clergy 00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:05.839 were at first from voluntary offerings at the 00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:09.240 Lord's Supper. At the love feast preceding it, 00:33:09.690 --> 00:33:12.710 Every believer, according to his ability, offered 00:33:12.710 --> 00:33:16.089 a gift. And when the expense of the table had 00:33:16.089 --> 00:33:19.630 been defrayed, the bishop laid aside a portion 00:33:19.630 --> 00:33:23.970 for himself, the presbyters, and deacons, and 00:33:23.970 --> 00:33:27.809 with the rest relieved widows, orphans, confessors, 00:33:27.809 --> 00:33:31.329 and the poor generally. That's how they applied 00:33:31.329 --> 00:33:35.430 this in their day. Paul has gone to great lengths 00:33:35.430 --> 00:33:38.490 to impress upon the Corinthians. and upon all 00:33:38.490 --> 00:33:43.529 the church of God this principle. This is the 00:33:43.529 --> 00:33:46.950 God -given right of those who minister. But in 00:33:46.950 --> 00:33:50.269 so doing, while this is in the context of liberty 00:33:50.269 --> 00:33:53.410 and rights, he is putting it in their mind that 00:33:53.410 --> 00:33:57.490 they ought to be doing this. He wants them to 00:33:57.490 --> 00:34:00.650 know the principle, and he instructs them in 00:34:00.650 --> 00:34:05.470 it, even while stating that he has not used this 00:34:05.470 --> 00:34:10.320 right. Nor will he. It is not just that he hasn't 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:14.639 been using it. He is not going to. This leads 00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:18.679 us to the final point. Paul's voluntary refusal 00:34:18.679 --> 00:34:23.079 of these rights. And this is 15 to 18. He says, 00:34:23.099 --> 00:34:26.300 but I have used none of these things. Nor have 00:34:26.300 --> 00:34:29.019 I written these things that it should be done 00:34:29.019 --> 00:34:32.800 so to me. For it would be better for me to die. 00:34:33.360 --> 00:34:35.920 Then that anyone should make my boasting void. 00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:39.440 For if I preach the gospel. I have nothing to 00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:43.079 boast of. For necessity is laid upon me. Yes 00:34:43.079 --> 00:34:46.639 woe is me. If I do not preach the gospel. For 00:34:46.639 --> 00:34:49.900 if I do this willingly. I have a reward. But 00:34:49.900 --> 00:34:52.940 if against my will. I have been entrusted with 00:34:52.940 --> 00:34:56.059 the stewardship. What is my reward then? That 00:34:56.059 --> 00:34:59.960 when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:04.539 of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:13.599 my authority in the gospel. In verse 15, he states 00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:18.360 how he has laid down this right that he has. 00:35:18.579 --> 00:35:22.739 He says, I've used none of these. I have not 00:35:22.739 --> 00:35:24.480 written these things so that it should be done 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:27.800 so to me now. He is not writing to claim support 00:35:27.800 --> 00:35:31.019 now. So there's no self -interest in this passage. 00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:34.880 In fact, he would rather die than have anyone 00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:38.559 make his boasting or glorying void. He willingly 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:43.420 laid down his rights on this matter and gave 00:35:43.420 --> 00:35:48.059 up his liberty. Why? Well, he goes on to explain. 00:35:48.780 --> 00:35:51.980 In the last, in the next few verses, he said, 00:35:52.099 --> 00:35:56.780 preaching the gospel is a necessity and it has 00:35:56.780 --> 00:36:03.500 been laid upon me. He says, woe is me if I do 00:36:03.500 --> 00:36:06.800 not preach the gospel. Now, in order to understand 00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:09.940 this, we need to go back and remember how he 00:36:09.940 --> 00:36:15.079 was called by God. Paul was then known as Saul, 00:36:15.260 --> 00:36:22.039 was a persecutor. He hated Christians. He hated 00:36:22.039 --> 00:36:28.019 Christ. He was on his way to Damascus to capture 00:36:28.019 --> 00:36:32.400 more believers and to put them in prison. And 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:36.940 God arrested him. God knocked him to the ground, 00:36:37.059 --> 00:36:41.360 blinded him, and said, I have appeared to you 00:36:41.360 --> 00:36:45.900 for this purpose. to make you a minister and 00:36:45.900 --> 00:36:48.179 a witness both of the things which you have seen 00:36:48.179 --> 00:36:50.559 and of the things which I will yet reveal to 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:53.800 you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people 00:36:53.800 --> 00:36:58.719 as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send 00:36:58.719 --> 00:37:03.219 you to open their eyes in order to turn them 00:37:03.219 --> 00:37:07.659 from darkness to light and from the power of 00:37:07.659 --> 00:37:11.139 Satan to God that they may receive the forgiveness 00:37:11.139 --> 00:37:14.769 of sins and an inheritance among those who are 00:37:14.769 --> 00:37:19.329 sanctified by faith in me. This is recounted 00:37:19.329 --> 00:37:22.309 by Paul himself in Acts chapter 26, verse 16 00:37:22.309 --> 00:37:26.210 to 18. If he preached of his own free will, he 00:37:26.210 --> 00:37:28.730 would have a reward and be blessed in it. But 00:37:28.730 --> 00:37:32.829 this was a stewardship entrusted to him by God, 00:37:32.989 --> 00:37:36.670 and he is under an obligation to God, and so 00:37:36.670 --> 00:37:42.429 he will not accept. All of this that he has just 00:37:42.429 --> 00:37:46.969 said is an example of how it should be. What 00:37:46.969 --> 00:37:50.329 then is his reward? It is that in preaching the 00:37:50.329 --> 00:37:56.769 gospel, he can present it free of charge. Free 00:37:56.769 --> 00:38:00.550 of charge. So as not to make full use of his 00:38:00.550 --> 00:38:03.750 right in the gospel and that he would not abuse 00:38:03.750 --> 00:38:11.530 his authority in the gospel of Christ. He wanted 00:38:11.530 --> 00:38:14.190 to present it free of charge. Now in Corinth, 00:38:14.329 --> 00:38:17.610 it is said that they had a huge system of patronage. 00:38:18.070 --> 00:38:20.429 And so when there was patronage, that when you 00:38:20.429 --> 00:38:23.769 would pay money as patrons, you expected something 00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:26.230 in return. And there was a real tie in there 00:38:26.230 --> 00:38:29.389 with expectations. And so it could be that that 00:38:29.389 --> 00:38:31.610 was also in Paul's mind, but he does not say 00:38:31.610 --> 00:38:33.909 specifically that. That's just one of the historical 00:38:33.909 --> 00:38:38.699 facts. From the abuser of men. Paul is now so 00:38:38.699 --> 00:38:41.480 constrained by the love and the command of God 00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:44.079 that he takes great care not to live in the old 00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:47.519 ways. While he possesses full apostolic rights, 00:38:47.719 --> 00:38:51.360 including the right to financial support, he 00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:54.559 deliberately sets them aside so that nothing 00:38:54.559 --> 00:38:56.920 would hinder the free advance of the gospel. 00:38:57.280 --> 00:39:01.940 Thus he is a living illustration of the principle 00:39:01.940 --> 00:39:06.760 of limiting one's liberty for the sake of others. 00:39:07.389 --> 00:39:11.829 and of loving his neighbor as himself in this 00:39:11.829 --> 00:39:17.690 he is truly a powerful example we're going to 00:39:17.690 --> 00:39:20.809 see more of that as we look further in this chapter 00:39:20.809 --> 00:39:26.909 of the pressing that he had from god in his ministry 00:39:26.909 --> 00:39:32.489 as he went throughout the roman world how do 00:39:32.489 --> 00:39:35.630 we apply this for us today well first of all 00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:39.840 we must understand that what Paul lays out here 00:39:39.840 --> 00:39:44.920 is to be an expected norm. This may not necessarily 00:39:44.920 --> 00:39:48.699 mean full -time support, but at least there is 00:39:48.699 --> 00:39:52.320 to be a giving and a responsibility to care for 00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:56.699 those who minister to us. Now, in order for support 00:39:56.699 --> 00:40:00.360 to happen, God's people must first be of a willing 00:40:00.360 --> 00:40:04.300 mind to give. This was emphasized in the Law 00:40:04.300 --> 00:40:06.980 of Tithes. And of the free offerings that were 00:40:06.980 --> 00:40:10.260 given in the Old Testament. And it is reinforced 00:40:10.260 --> 00:40:16.059 by the command. To cheerfully and to freely give. 00:40:16.539 --> 00:40:21.739 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7. So let each one give. 00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:27.599 As he purposes in his heart. Not grudgingly or 00:40:27.599 --> 00:40:32.960 of necessity. For God loves a cheerful giver. 00:40:33.219 --> 00:40:38.190 So when you give. Give cheerfully. Secondly, 00:40:38.269 --> 00:40:44.250 this principle does not give the right for ministers 00:40:44.250 --> 00:40:49.409 to live opulent lifestyles on the backs of the 00:40:49.409 --> 00:40:55.389 poor. As some practice in our day into their 00:40:55.389 --> 00:41:00.630 shame. Their people are poor, destitute, and 00:41:00.630 --> 00:41:05.280 yet... They constantly emphasize giving sacrificially, 00:41:05.300 --> 00:41:10.199 even inventing a doctrine that if you give all 00:41:10.199 --> 00:41:13.000 of your money or almost all of it, even to your 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:15.219 own detriment, God's going to pour hundreds and 00:41:15.219 --> 00:41:19.659 hundreds of percentages on you. It's true that 00:41:19.659 --> 00:41:22.039 God does give grace and God gives to the giver, 00:41:22.079 --> 00:41:26.360 but they apply it in a very ungodly way. They 00:41:26.360 --> 00:41:29.760 constantly emphasize this, and yet they live 00:41:29.760 --> 00:41:33.449 in luxury. with very expensive clothing and houses 00:41:33.449 --> 00:41:38.369 and vehicles and a way of life. This principle 00:41:38.369 --> 00:41:42.949 does not give that right. Thirdly, sometimes 00:41:42.949 --> 00:41:46.690 the minister does not need the financial support. 00:41:46.869 --> 00:41:49.909 He might have inherited wealth or have other 00:41:49.909 --> 00:41:53.750 investments or be bivocational or have a particular 00:41:53.750 --> 00:41:58.019 thing like the Apostle Paul did here in... saying, 00:41:58.159 --> 00:42:01.059 no, I will not accept this. No, you should not 00:42:01.059 --> 00:42:05.840 give this. Even when this is the case, this mind, 00:42:05.920 --> 00:42:07.800 however, should still be in the congregation 00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:11.380 that they are willing to give, willing to support 00:42:11.380 --> 00:42:15.119 in this way. And if they're not able to give 00:42:15.119 --> 00:42:19.860 monetarily, then turn that into support of prayer 00:42:19.860 --> 00:42:23.940 and encouragement and of thankfulness for the 00:42:23.940 --> 00:42:26.920 ministry. This should have been the mind. of 00:42:26.920 --> 00:42:29.659 the Corinthians. Even though Paul would not take 00:42:29.659 --> 00:42:32.500 it in the actual giving, then they should have 00:42:32.500 --> 00:42:34.920 just simply been all that much more in their 00:42:34.920 --> 00:42:37.420 support and prayer and love and encouragement 00:42:37.420 --> 00:42:42.860 to him. Fourthly, the overarching principle is 00:42:42.860 --> 00:42:45.639 that in the use of liberty and of rights and 00:42:45.639 --> 00:42:47.880 responsibilities that come with that liberty, 00:42:48.179 --> 00:42:52.219 there are times to give up those rights for various 00:42:52.219 --> 00:42:56.909 reasons. Thus, rights must always be coupled 00:42:56.909 --> 00:42:59.630 with the responsibility to love.