Paul's Example of Giving

Of his apostleship because there are others in the church here and others roaming about who are claiming that they are apostles, they are false apostles, Paul talks about that in chapter 11 here. And Paul doesn't look like an apostle, he's a short, weakly he says, his bodily presence is weak, his speech is contemptible, he does not speak well, as a matter of fact in this chapter 11 he talks about his rudeness of speech, he's not an eloquent individual, plus his eyesight, he's got very bad eyesight. And so you, an apostle, it kind of doesn't fit, it doesn't really meet the requirements as far as man is concerned because we learned about looking on the outward appearance is not how we're to judge and we talked about comparing ourselves with others and there's a comparison going on between Paul and Peter and the Apollos and other apostles, all these things are happening here in Corinth and in the early church and so Paul is having to defend his apostleship.

Now last time we talked about this idea of boasting and not boasting in ourselves but boasting in your brother and sister as long as it's not flattery and especially boasting in the Lord. And so what's interesting here is after talking about boasting, Paul is going to boast about himself, believe it or not. He's going to boast because he's trying to authenticate his apostleship and to prove to the Corinthians that he's an apostle.

We're going to look at one of the ways, the first ways he does it this morning but there's a number of ways and probably they're going to be a little surprising to you because I don't know what you think of when you think of proving that I'm an apostle, probably more of the miracles and signs and wonders and all these things but Paul's going to take a different route to prove that he is one of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and so we'll spend the next couple of messages on that. And so chapters 11 and 12 are attempts by the apostle here to show that he truly is an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ and so let's look into starting in chapter 11 here, verse number 1. Let's pray and then we'll take these verses and look at them. Heavenly Father, Lord may you give us wisdom, we think of all the wisdom that you have and the promises of any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth it not and it shall be given unto him.

And so Lord we ask you this morning that you would impart unto us wisdom. As we go down through these verses may you teach us for our own personal life and even as a congregation, teach us how to walk in such a way as to please you and to honor you and to be fruitful in this life Lord. We pray your blessing on every ear and every heart here as we minister for your sake.

We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Alright I'm going to start off here in verse number 1 and here's how he prefaces all he's going to share with regards to his own proof of apostleship. He says in verse number 1 of chapter 11, Would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me.

This is going to be folly but I want you to bear with me in this folly of me trying to prove myself to you that I am truly an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's going to do some things which we've been learning are not proper to do but he's going to preface all these things with I'm speaking as a fool or this is foolish or this is folly. And I want to go down and show you some of these here in chapter 11 and chapter 12.

If you look here, look at verse number 5. He says for I suppose I was not a wit behind the very chiefest apostles. Now didn't we learn that we're not to compare ourselves with others? Here Paul is comparing himself with other apostles so he's speaking foolishly. Look down to verse 16.

I say again let no man think me a fool if otherwise yet as a fool receive me that I may boast myself a little. That which I speak I speak it not after the Lord but as it were foolishly in this confidence of boasting. Again boasting in ourselves we've learned is foolish.

It's arrogance. And yet Paul is going to take a liberty here to boast of himself and some of the things that he is doing but he prefaces it. So I give us all the privilege to say hey if you want to boast in yourself just start out by saying I'm speaking foolishly right now.

This is as a fool would speak and then go ahead and share what you'd like to share. But verse 23 let's keep going. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool.

I am more. And he goes down and talks about how he is more abundant in labor and stripes and all the things that we'll get to here in a few weeks. Again he's comparing himself.

In a sense he's lifting himself up but he says I'm speaking as a fool. So bear with me in my folly of what I'm doing here. Chapter 12 verse 1 we mentioned this last time.

It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. And I knew a man in Christ who 14 years ago whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth such had one caught up to heaven. So this man is the Apostle Paul himself but he doesn't share his own name here.

He talks about another individual but jump down to verse number 6. Of such in one will I glory yet of myself I will not glory but in mine infirmity. So here he is the person he's talking about and then he says I'm going to glory in that person that was in the body or out of the body I cannot tell but I think most of us believe that that's Paul himself. He's talking about himself but jump down to one more here.

I just want to go an overview in verse 11 of chapter 12 he says I am become a fool and glorying you have compelled me for I ought to have been been commended of you for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles though I be nothing. So again a comparison. So this whole chapter 11 and chapter 12 is is a desire for him to show himself truly as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ and you can put yourself in his shoes it's like I don't want to have to say these things but I'm going to say them because there are false apostles and there are people being confused and so I'm going to bear with you bear with me in my folly I'm just going to speak it like it is and so we're going to look at some of those things.

Let's start here in verse number two here for I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy chapter 11 verse 2 I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Now if you're at the wedding here with my daughter I talked a little bit about this idea of a chaste virgin you have to picture here Paul is the father of these babes in Christ this is his family here he has given birth to them through the preaching of the gospel they are his sons and daughters in the faith and so as a father much like myself or any father here we want to present a chaste virgin to the husband and so that's Paul's analogy here I desire to present you as a congregation my children as a chaste virgin unto Christ a chaste virgin if you think about a chaste virgin a chaste virgin is one who has a pure affection that's what chaste means my heart is purely toward you you know it wouldn't be a good thing if for example Emily and she's not here she went home it was kind of a touching morning this is this morning she left our house for the last time you know and took her stuff and went and we had a lot of tears this morning but a chaste virgin you know it'd be a tragedy if in Emily's heart she had affections for two or three different guys and she comes to the altar and she has other affections and Tony is one of those three or four affections that would be a tragedy yes it would be a tragedy that would not be a chaste heart a heart that has one affection and that affection is is for the Lord Jesus Christ and so when we come to the altar Paul's desire is that when the church comes to the altar there would only be one love one love one affection and that affection being the Lord Jesus Christ and that's a father's heart my daughter I give my daughter this man and she has only one love and that's this young man and so brothers and sisters let's make sure we haven't left our first love you know and we're we're attached to other things love not this world and that's a broad subject neither the things of this world if any man loved the world the love of the father is not in him and as we approach the day of the wedding when the Lord Jesus will come and we'll be caught up to meet him in the air let's make sure that we come down the aisle with a heart that has a chaste affection for the Lord Jesus Christ that that the apostle Paul whose heart was to when that day comes that everyone in Corinth that this church could be a chaste virgin presented to the Lord Jesus and so having an affection that is pure and meant to be a virgin to not commit adultery with the world and not be immoral with the world and you know we we know what physical immorality is here but also spiritual immorality and James in the book of James chapter 4 James mentions spiritual immorality he says this in verse 1 from whence come wars and fightings among you come they not hence even of your lusts at war in your members you adulterers and adulteresses know you not that friendship with the world is enmity with God now most people think well that's makeup and that's jewelry and and that's you know dress actually a lot of these things it's it's a spiritual it's a spiritual adultery you have the same spirit that the world does you go out there in the world and there's a spirit of debate a spirit of strife a spirit of fighting and yet I go into the church and the same spirit is there it's the same spirit and so it's a worldly spirit you adulterers and adulteresses know you not that friendship with the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God and so having intimacy you know I like intimacy but intimacy with the things of this world I am connected very closely with the spirit of strife I connect real close with it I'm intimate with the spirit of strife I'm intimate with the spirit of envy I'm intimate with the spirit of lust all those things are out there in the world I'm intimate with the spirit of covetousness just like you see in the world they're going after things they're going after money and I'm intimate with that too my spirit is close to that spirit I'm an adulterer and adulteress and so uh not being intimate with this world right before he says this in James 4 he says in James 3 verse 14 but if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts glory not and lie not against the truth this wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual and devilish sensual you think of sensuality someone committing adultery someone committing fornication they're being sensual in the spiritual realm having a spirit of strife in your heart having envy towards your brother is spiritual adultery it's being sensual in the spirit and so a chaste virgin and I think if the apostle Paul would have established the church here at remnant christian fellowship his heart would have been oh I want you all to be a chaste virgin in that day when you are married unto Jesus Christ that there would simply be one affection that you'd have one eye a single eye towards him and that you would not come down the altar with a with a heart that's full of loves and affections that are outside of of the Lord Jesus well let's look at verse number two here again it says for I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ now I just want to throw this out I want to give you my two cents here on espousal I know a lot of people don't like that word but but it's a good word it's a new testament word it's a it's a biblical word we are espoused to Christ Paul says we are espoused unto him and in the testament and in the old testament this idea of espousal is is the way that marriage came about when a man desired a wife he purchased her with a dowry you can read about that in the old testament and these are pictures these are examples are shadows for us and and and the Lord Jesus when he came to find a bride what did he do he purchased us he purchased us with his own blood he paid a dowry and not only that he gave gifts unto us just like it was there with Eleazar when he gave gifts to uh uh Eleazar gave gifts to Rebecca and uh he purchased us and he he gave gifts and so the Lord here is is showing us an example and I don't you know we got a couple of young people who are in involved in relationships are going to get married here in the future I believe you may be critical of this but I believe we ought to show the biblical example I believe when the Lord wants to marry his son I believe he says here's how I'm going to do it I'm going to espouse a bride and then in the future we're going to have a wedding we're going to have a marriage and and I think you ought to use biblical words you know the world uses different words they use dating they use engagements they use words like that but but God uses espousal uses words like betrothal and I think you ought to to use his words because they're teaching us something so during that espousal period you see this Mary and Joseph but but it's a there's a spiritual reality in that espousal period the husband goes and prepares a house that's what the husband's supposed to do Jesus said I go and prepare a place for you and so even right now the Lord is preparing a place for his bride and there's going to be a wedding off in the future but he is going to prepare a place he says and when I come I will take you to that place that prepared place comes down out of heaven in Revelation 21 that that beautiful city where we dwell with him forever it's a house it's a mansion he says it's a it's a mansion as many rooms and so then when through marriage we dwell together forever and that's why in a New Testament when you come together in in marriage and matrimony that there is no divorce no divorce because what the Lord is trying to picture here is when we marry him in eternity there will be no separating from that point on there is no divorce now the Bible does say that during the espousal period just like Joseph and Mary if you're espoused to some man and you come to find out that man is unfaithful or that woman is unfaithful Joseph was mindful to put her away and brothers and sisters let's be real the the truth the doctrine is that if we as a people we as a church during this espousal period are fornicating and living unfaithful lives then the Lord is mindful to put us away if we choose to abandon him but once the marriage takes place you don't have to worry about that anymore that's eternal and so there's a lot of good things there we don't want to spend a lot of time on on all the the examples here but someday Matthew 25 says there's going to be a cry come the bridegroom comes go you out to meet him and those who are wise are going to go out to meet him they're going to rush go to the wedding and those who are foolish are going to stand outside the door and they're going to knock and say open unto me and the Lord's going to say I don't know where you are I know not whence you are and so so this idea of a chaste virgin and let's let's really work on that our hearts our affection that we that we would not love this world or any part of it all right let's keep reading here in verse three it says but I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ for if he that cometh preaches another Jesus whom you have not preached whom we have not preached or if you receive another spirit which you have not received or another gospel which you have not accepted you might well bear with him now there are those who are preaching a false gospel and though it's very similar to the true gospel there are false teachers and false apostles if you jump down to verse 13 it says for such are false apostles deceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ and so Paul is dealing with false apostles and the truth of the matter is any place you find truth you'll find error right beside it any place you find truth the devil is going to try to contaminate and confuse and destroy truth and so we talk about teachers there's false teachers you talk about signs and wonders there's false signs and wonders you talk about apostles there's false apostles and so they attempt to to destroy that which is truth and so there are there are people that Paul is contending with and this goes everywhere I mean I think Chad mentioned it's not just in Corinth it's it's all over it seems like every church it's kind of like that parable of the wheat and the tares the Lord goes out and sows good seed the devil comes behind and puts tares amongst the wheat while men are sleeping and in the early church the the apostles went forth they preached the truth they planted churches but if you look at some of these accounts the devil came right in behind and tried to sow in them discord and strife and false doctrine and so it's happening here here it's one of the things is Paul's not an apostle don't listen to him he has no authority we are apostles well I want to read to you here another church very familiar passage here in Galatians this is a another church that Paul established Galatians chapter 1 verse 6 he says I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel remember there's another Jesus there's another spirit there's another gospel you I just planted that church six months ago and now I hear already the enemy is trying to sow another gospel which is not another but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ but though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which you have we have preached unto you let him be a curse as we said before so say now I again if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received let him be a curse so this is a very serious thing and uh one of the things that the other church is facing is you have the gospel but then you have the gospel perverted you have the spirit of Christ perverted you have everything that is truth the devil is coming along to pervert now you think of the word pervert you think of it maybe on a sexual level but it's taking sexuality which God intended and twisting it it's still sexuality but it is perverse it is twisted and so it has the name Jesus in it you hear a lot of that it's Jesus it's the gospel it's the spirit it's all those things but it is perverted it's twisted and here in Galatians one of the things they did was they added to the simplicity of the gospel and that was Paul's concern that the devil like he did Eve would would pervert your minds from the simplicity of the gospel now in Galatians we don't have time to go through this they didn't deny God they weren't denying the truth but they were twisting it they were saying Jesus Jesus saves yes the gospel but you have to put in circumcision add add circumcision into it and keeping the law of Moses you have to do those things and in doing so they would pervert it or they would twist it just like um just like the Bible says here the Lord or excuse me Paul gives the example here of of how the serpent beguiled Eve he says but I fear less by any means as a serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ brothers and sisters the gospel is a simple message amen and if you're sitting here this morning and you think this whole thing is confusing you're listening to the wrong voice because the gospel is a simple message as a matter of fact it's so simple and God's made it so simple that even those who have no religious experience can believe it on the first day of hearing it and understanding some of you haven't heard my testimony but I didn't grow up in a religious home my parents were moral people but we never taught the Bible we had a family Bible in the cabinet but we never read it as a family didn't pray together as a family we went to a very liberal Presbyterian church every once in a while and I had no concept of uh of the gospel I was I was drinking and carousing and doing the things that teenagers do until one day I read a simple gospel track which explained the way of salvation and without any religious training I was able to believe the gospel and to be born again it doesn't take education it doesn't take wealth it's it's a very simple message and if your gospel is a confusing gospel you don't have the true gospel you know living back in the garden was very simple you know you gotta it's hard to imagine the way that Adam and Eve were but they were totally naive totally naive they had never even been tempted like this temptation so they were in the garden and all they knew was all these trees we get to eat of and just stay away from that one it's a very simple life we could walk with God and and we eat all these trees and just just that one's is we don't touch that's fine went on I don't know how long it went on they they had a great time but the devil came in and he confused the matter confused it did God say did God say that you're only eating these trees and not eat that tree huh are you sure you're going to die you know what I think that if you eat that tree you're going to be like God knowing good and evil you know that was the first time that a temptation had ever come to them we think of temptations everywhere but on their naive and tender hearts huh I shall be like God and so you know that same serpent he acknowledged that God existed he acknowledged truth he said yeah I I agree with you you know these things you're only supposed to eat all these other trees but just not that one but the serpent confused her and then she and Adam ate of the tree and so Paul said just like that you know just like the serpent deceived Adam and Eve so or Eve so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ let me just remind you here this morning that the gospel is simple it is a simple message I'm going to read it to you and just let it be the gospel here's what Paul says in his first letter to Corinthians moreover brethren I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you that which also you have received and wherein you stand by which also you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain for I delivered unto you first of all that which I received how that Christ dined for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures that is the gospel and a lot of people today oh that's not enough you got to do this you got to do that you got to do this and people get confused believe for God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life simple so simple that little six seven eight year old children can come and be born of the spirit of God well let's keep reading because I want to get down here to Paul's first proof here or argument that he is truly an apostle let's keep reading here in verse number five for I suppose I was not a wit behind the very chiefest apostles but though I be rude in speech he's he acknowledges that but though I be rude in speech yet not in knowledge but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things now that's important verse there here is his basis here's his foundation for his argument of his apostleship is and that is his life before them he says in the last part of verse six but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things we have shown you that we are of the truth we have shown you that we are truly apostles by the testimony of our life and that's what he's going to use here as a defense of his apostleship and if you go down through the rest of chapter 11 and on into chapter 12 he's going to talk about his life before them how he lived before them to prove the truth of his apostleship now we're going to look at the first one here for the rest of our time this morning it starts out in verse number seven have I committed an offense in abasing myself that you might be exalted because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely oh boy if only those who watch these televangelists could could study this passage right here Paul says now let me show you something here's here's why and you ought to see my life here's why I can testify before you that I am sincerely an apostle unto you and that is I have abased myself that you might be exalted I have lived before you and I have he says in Galatians I have spent everything the more I spend I have spent everything on you and the more I love you the less I be loved he he gave himself to the church at Corinth he says I abased myself to try to lift you up to exalt you and one of the ways he abased himself is he said I preached to you without asking for a penny I preached the gospel of God freely and one of the things I've taught you all over the years and we actually when we memorize the book of Jude one of the things that you see from false teachers and false apostles is that they fleece the sheep and so it is today brothers and sisters if you hear anyone saying give me money I need a plane give me money I need a big house give me money I need a new car and all these kind of things it's it's it's an obvious sign that this is a false prophet that this is a false teacher actually those who follow the spirit of Jesus Christ are the ones who spend and are spent and who abase themselves and who lay down their lives for the sheep Jesus said I'm the good shepherd I give my life for the sheep but the hireling is not so and so he starts his defense right here you've watched me I've lived poor among you I've given you everything I've had a shirt off my back I've not asked a thing of you false apostles were fleecing the sheep there's a there's two passages in the new testament that deal specifically with with false apostles and one of them is in second Peter I'd like to read to you here how Peter describes false apostles he says this and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you having eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin begotting unstable souls a heart they've exercised with covetous practices give me give me I need you know passing the offering plate not getting enough passing it again but it's but Paul says a true minister someone who is truly an apostle certainly will abase himself and exalt others you know the Lord Jesus was not in it for the money at all he had no place to lay his head and so the first way that that Paul tries to show that he's a true apostle is I've abased myself for your benefit for you to be exalted so don't get involved in any ministry that is money seeking and always looking for money and especially those who are trying to build bigger places and have a more luxurious life there's a lot of them around it's just not the spirit of Christ Jesus came and gave everything he gave his life he went out of pauper he had not a place to to bury he didn't have a place to bury him they had a borrowed tomb he had basically nothing because he gave everything one of the qualifications for an elder I know we're thinking about eldership one of the qualifications for an elder is one who is not guilt not greedy of filthy lucre not somebody who's who's in it for the money oh I won't hopefully don't embarrass my wife but we gotta I gotta make an announcement here we got a brand new offering box back there and brother James did you work that out who did that for us who built it Wayne Troyer so I asked Chad if we could maybe get a better box ours was falling apart and so his beautiful box back there came a couple weeks later and so I had this great idea I'm going to sit it right up here on this front table and I moved that over and that was last Sunday I put it up there in the front and I thought maybe if you want to bring your offerings you could come up here at the front and put them in there and anytime during the day and and I thought it was a great idea and my wife sat back there and said get that box off that table and get it back here in the back and she was so adamant about it I thought she's going to leave the church she was so adamant so it's not about money the hireling he's there for the money but the true shepherd is a lover of the sheep there's a lot of verses we could talk about with regards to covetousness and and false teachers but be aware of those who who are trying to get something from you instead of being one who wants to give second corinthians let's go back there second corinthians chapter 11 again here and keep reading in verse number eight here's an interesting verse I robbed other churches taking wages of them to do you service I don't know what it is about Corinth but Paul is is getting nothing he's not asking for anything but he says I robbed other churches was he a robber he felt like he was robbing other churches but but he was needing other churches maybe he put out a a a message saying hey I'm I'm in need of help I need some support can some of you churches in Macedonia send something my way to help because I don't want to be a burden here to the church at Corinth so Paul did need some support and at times he would get it from others verse number nine 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 and so that's his heart to not be a burden on the congregation says here's why I'm an apostle because I am willing to be abased to exalt you now he talks at length here in his first letter and the first letter to Corinth I'd like to go back if you would turn to first Corinthians chapter nine and go over this this is his heart here and he does the same thing here in first Corinthians nine he argues about his apostleship in first Corinthians chapter nine verse one I want to read a rather lengthy passage here in verse one he says am I not an apostle am I not free have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord are not ye my work in the Lord if I be not an apostle unto others yea doubtless I am to you so here he's he's dealing with this idea if they question his apostleship for the seal of my apostleship are you in the Lord my answer to them that examine me is this okay here's here's your here's my answer same thing first thing he starts off with have we not power to lead about a sister a wife as well as other apostles and as the brethren of the Lord and Cephas or I only in Barnabas have we not power to forbear working can't we stop working and laboring and expect the church to support us verse seven who goes to war for any time in his own charges or who plants a vineyard and eats not the fruit thereof or or who feeds a flock and eats not of the milk of the flock so it's only right if I'm laboring amongst the flock to receive support and help verse seven or verse eight say these things as a man or sayeth not the law the same also for it is written in the law of Moses thou shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn doth God take care of oxen so if you got an ox that's doing work you know he's on that wheel and he's grinding grinding all day you feed him you don't starve the ox verse 10 or sayeth he it all together for our sakes for our sakes no doubt this is written that he that he which plows should plow in hope and that he that threshes in hope should be partakers of his hope there should be something out there hope verse 11 if we have shown unto you spiritual things he showed me the church at Corinth is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things if others be partakers of this power over you are not we rather he's almost appealing to the church to help out physically nevertheless we have not used this power but suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ do you not know that they which minister about holy things live the things of the temple and by the way in the old testament those priests they ministered in the house of God and they got to eat the sacrifices and the breads and all the things that were offered they were they got to partake in some of those things and they which wait at the altar are partakers of the altar alter now look at verse 14 even so has the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel and so Paul had already taught this subject and and he also used this to appeal as far as his apostleship I'm abasing myself I'm I'm asking for nothing even though it's right it's a right thing for you to support and to give by the way let me ask this question who took care of Jesus who took care of his needs you know he walked around and preached he didn't have a job who supported him that may be kind of humbling for us to accept but you know the bible says and I'll read the passage here that he was supported by the women that followed him many of the women let me read to you what it says here in Luke chapter 8 and in Luke chapter 8 verse number 1 it says and it came to pass afterward that he went throughout every city and village preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God and the 12 were with him and certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities Mary called Magdalene out of whom went seven devils and Joanna the wife of Chusa Herod's steward and Susanna and many others which ministered unto him of their substance wow probably were rich maybe some of them were rich and said we're going to support him that's interesting as you wonder where did the Lord get his support to just be preaching and preaching on a regular basis in 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 let's go back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 in verse number 9 it says this 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 now it's interesting to me that that Paul was a tent maker and we we don't know that because Paul shared it but we know that from the book of Acts and guess where Paul it was told that Paul was a tent maker he's in Corinth right here he's in Corinth and in Acts chapter 18 verse 1 it says after these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth and found a certain Jew named Aquila born in Pontus lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla and came unto them and because he was of the same craft he abode with them and wrought he worked for they before by their occupation they were tent makers so in the oldest mix Paul is putting together a few tents and selling them and making money so that's his life I mean he's preaching the gospel he's pouring out his life he's not receiving support but he's making tents along the side and some people from Macedonia are sending things down to try to support him and even those that are with him and all this is to show that I'm an apostle and that's that's his first argument there's going to be a couple more arguments he makes but all these other guys they're hirelings they're taking from you I'm just pouring it out for you verse 10 here in 2nd Corinthians let's read a few more verses and I want to go to one passage in the Old Testament here 2nd Corinthians chapter excuse me chapter 11 and verse number 10 says 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 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 for such are false apostles now you can see this today hey I'm a prophet of the Lord Jesus God has given me this beautiful Learjet and God has given me this beautiful mansion and God has given me all these automobiles and God has given me this nice suit and God has filled my wallet with a million dollars and this is the proof that God is with me and I'm blessed people say oh wow yeah well send me more and there were people like that in that day and Paul says let me show you what a true apostle is I have nothing and I have abased myself that you might be helped and exalted and that's where the true apostles are that's where those are who are following the Lord Jesus who laid out an example for us to follow look down to verse 20 because I want to read one more verse in the Old Testament jump down to verse 20 we'll get ahead of ourselves here he's talking about these false apostles he says for you suffer if a man bring you into bondage that's what they do if a man devour you that's what they do if a man take of you that's what they do if a man exalt himself that's what they do if a man smites you on the face that's what they do these false apostles were abusing you taking advantage of you and you can see that today all over I want to look at one Old Testament verse and then we'll be finished turn with me to 1st Samuel chapter 8 1st Samuel chapter number 8 this is the story here of where the Israelites were asking for a king if you might remember that story and Samuel didn't like it and God said to Samuel don't worry about it you know give him a king because they just don't want me to reign over them so give him a king you know this is the this is the truth here it's the same thing in human nature you get someone who's leading a group of God's people who's abasing himself who has nothing who is laying his life down like Paul who doesn't speak well who who is looks weakly and is blind and and everything looks like this is not an apostle then you have some shiny individual with a three fee suit and is wealthy and is and is polished and all these things and human nature gravitates to that person and then they find out that that person is going to take from them and is going to abuse them and use them not that three fee suits are bad but wealth and this is exactly what what God tells Samuel here in 1st Samuel chapter 1 I'm not going to read down through all of it what I want to do here is just bring out what the Lord told Samuel to tell them in verse number 10 of 1st Samuel chapter 8 it says and Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that ask of him a king now notice the word take here throughout this passage take t-a-k-e and he said this will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you he will take your sons and appoint them for himselves jump down to verse 13 and he will take your daughters to be confectionaries to be cooks and bakers verse 14 and he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive yards even the best of them and give them to his servants verse 15 and he will take the tenth of your seed verse 16 he will take your men servants verse 17 he will take the tenth of your sheep he's a taker and you know you can just listen to a person or watch a person's life if you want to know whether they actually are being led of the spirit of God or a false spirit and you can watch are they givers or are they takers are they abasing themselves and taking the low road or are they exalting themselves and so yes I mean you can follow the flashy you can follow the rich you can follow the lear jets you can follow the mansions you can follow the tv evangelists and and you'll find after 10 or 15 years that they're going to strip you of everything you got they're takers or you can follow someone like the apostle who's there just giving he said in the book of Galatians he said I will therefore gladly spend and be spent though the more I love you the less I be loved and that's the spirit of an apostle and so when when Paul has to defend his apostleship he doesn't talk about his miracles he he doesn't talk about his great sermons he doesn't talk about things that we might put up there as qualifications he starts out by saying look at my life how I've just poured myself out for you and and ask for nothing in return that is the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the way that's not just for the apostles and prophets and pastors and teachers that's for all of us amen and we would all follow his example and say it's not about me accumulating it's not about me getting it's about me abasing myself and helping other people that's the path where we want to go and so he's going to go on here I'm not going to continue but we're going to go on he's going to bring up some other things that show he's truly an apostle and we'll look at those next time all right why don't we have a word of prayer and we'll close Lord we thank you for truth thank you that it directs us here in the midst of a wicked world even those who claim the name of Jesus and claim the spirit and the gospel that yet they are going in a different course they have a different spirit a different desire they are takers Lord may we discern and understand truth and those who are following of the true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and Lord individually give us the grace to take a step more and more to live a life that's abased that we give ourselves for the for others we lay our lives down for one another and for the Lord Jesus Christ losing our life for your sake in the gospel may the word of the Lord find a place in our hearts here this morning and truly may we be chaste virgins Lord in that day when we come down the aisle with the Lord Jesus Christ that our heart is truly single and in love with you I think of the passage there in Corinthians Paul says if any men love not our Lord Jesus Christ let it be anathema maranatha let it be damned when Jesus comes even so come Lord Jesus so bless us Lord search our hearts know our ways see if there have been any evil and in us we pray in Jesus name amen