1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse, I don't know, 15 is where we're going to pick up. And I'm going to read, actually, beginning in verse 11, just to help us get back up to speed a little bit on this wonderful topic of not self-indulgence, not the flaunting of rights and privileges that are due to Paul, especially in terms of material blessings that comes back to those who preach the gospel, and more particularly him as an apostle. So verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 9 says, if we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this authority over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this authority, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. But I've used none of these things. And I'm not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case. For it would be better for me to die than have anyone make my boast an empty one. For if I proclaim the gospel, I have nothing to boast, for I'm under compulsion. For what was me if I do not proclaim the gospel? For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward. But if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me, what then is my reward? That when I proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge so as not to make full use of my authority in the gospel. He has been talking about these material blessings, just daily living, as he's given examples earlier in this text about the soldier. The soldier doesn't provide his own kit as he goes out to battle. He's provided for by his commanding officers and by the nation in which he represents, a vineyard. Keeper does not forego, you know, all the fruit is for selling, it's for other people. No, every now and again that vineyard keeper is going to grab a cluster of grapes and enjoy it and eat it. Same as one who shepherds the flock. Yeah, I'm going to eat the milk from it. It's not a sin to do that. And then he gives the example, of course, of the ox. The ox, don't muzzle the ox while it's threshing. Let the ox have grain while it's doing its work there. And then he gives the example. God was concerned about the ox, but he's more concerned about us, for our sake, verse 10. Because again, the plowmen, going back to another analogy, the plowmen ought to plow and hope, the thresher to thresh and hope, we're sharing the crops. And then we get into verse 11, where he says, if we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? Paul, in this text, from the beginning of chapter 9 through the end, really, is defending his apostolic right to receive money, payment for his services. And not just him as an apostle, but others who labor in the gospel, sowing spiritual things, preaching the word of God, as he has described all throughout this text. And he says, look. It's not extraordinary. It's not unusual. It's not something that, oh, you should be ashamed of yourself, taking money from the church. No, that's quite to be expected. Absolutely, it is. And so he is both vigorously throughout this opening verses defending the right for preachers to receive their support from the gospel, those who minister should should live from the gospel, but he's also at the same moment vigorously defending his right not to exercise his right, not to receive the money and the material blessings from the churches that he serves, particularly the Corinthian church. He, on the one hand, is establishing his right, and then says, I don't do that. I don't use any of that right. I have nothing. In fact, he makes a very bold statement as we look here. in this text. He is both advancing the gospel, that's his primary concern. He wants to do nothing that would somehow give an offense, a stumbling block, a tripping hazard, a little barrier, barricade against the advancement of the gospel in this world. And if he has to do things that would would impinge or, you know, pinch on his exercise of his rights, his privileges, his role as an apostle. I mean, really, a talker or apostle. I mean, he's quite a fella, Mr. Paul is. And he says, ah, forget about it. I am a slave. I am a steward. I am a servant. Nothing that I do I want, excuse me, I do not want to do anything that would somehow make the gospel unattainable to those whom God is calling. He is exercising self-sacrifice. I mean, he could just as well demand a payment. He could demand tuition or a fee or have patrons that would supply for him. He says, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to exercise self-control and all these things. I'm going to work hard for the provision of my material goods, I need food, clothing, shelter, all these things, and he's providing for those with him. It's not just himself, he's providing for those other travelers that are with him, ministering also alongside Paul. There is a need for money. You know, money's kind of a handy thing around, but you don't focus your whole life about money. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. So we don't want to do anything like that because you get pierced with all kind of pangs, 1 Timothy 6 discusses. So he is, again, at one hand advancing the right of preachers to receive money. He says, I'm not going to take any advantage of that. I'm not going to misuse that authority. I'm not after that at all. He says, I have used not just a few of these things. I've used none of these things. None of these things that I have been emphasizing in the first 14 verses of chapter 9, I don't do any of these things. I have used. I have applied for. I have not accepted the payment of churches for my services. Now, we've looked at some examples where he did receive money from churches, but not in a this for that, not in a, a quid pro quo basis, based on his teaching. Therefore, they paid him these wonderful gifts. No, it was a love gift from the Philippian church, even perhaps from the Thessalonian church. He's mentioned that no one was active in the giving and receiving except you alone. And even on multiple occasions, I think the Philippian church provided or sent a love gift to him, not because he was in their ministry, because he was kind of in Philippi for a very short time. Remember how that all went together in Acts 16? A very short time he was in Philippi, but had such a devotion with Lydia and the jailkeeper, right? Tremendous, tremendous ministry there in that church in Philippi that was, well, believers anyway. And they just had this affinity and love for Paul that he did receive money, did receive gifts from them. And we looked at some examples of that even in Acts 18, how he gave himself to laboring and tent making, but then when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, he was able to give himself fully to the gospel because he received money from that church. But he does not go out and say, well, I'll teach you, you know, I'm here for the whole day, but you've got to pay up first. Or he just didn't receive donations, didn't receive the payment from the churches that he served, and he took it as a mark, not so much of boastful, negatively boastful. He's going to use that word twice in this text, boasting. But it's not a negative, selfish, arrogant, proud, condescending kind of thing. No, his boast is the glory that he has to serve without pay or serve without a fee. And he explains why that is such a key thing to him. But he says, look, I have I'm defending this right for preachers to live by the gospel, and I have used none of that. I want nothing to do with that. I've used none of these things, he says here in verse 15. And he goes on, he says, I'm not writing these things so that it would be done so in my case. I'm not somehow playing reverse psychology and saying, oh, don't do this. Kind of like if you remember the story about the Brer Rabbit, don't throw me into that briar patch. Don't do that. Oh, that'd be horrible kind of thing. Paul is not arguing in that. He's not arguing. All these wonderful things that he's saying, which are true and just excellent things for churches to know, don't do it for me. Just because I'm arguing this, don't do it for me. Don't send me your money. I don't want this to be done in my case or for me. He's writing these things. And of course, he's most likely speaking these things to a scribe, an amanuensis, it's called, one who wrote down Paul's dictation. And so he says, I'm writing these things, but I'm not trying to be a rascal and say, well, don't do this. He's saying no over here, but then he says yes over here. No, it's nothing like that. He is absolutely confident and convinced in his mind that he should not personally receive fees and payment for his services. Now, notice he emphasizes, I am not. I am not writing. And in fact, that emphasis was back in the beginning of the verse. I have used none of these things. He had been talking about we before and earlier in these verses. We have authority. We have done this. We've preached this. And earlier in the chapter, he talked about I and the one who, in verse two, I am, if others, I'm not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you're the seal of my apostleship." So he's talking about his personal work in the Corinthian church, but then he broadens his perspective and talks about we as Christian preachers, but then he comes back and here I am now through verse 18. He's saying this is my personal commitment, my conviction before the Lord. I'm not going to use any of these things, and I don't want it to be done so. Don't think that I'm trying to trick you into giving me money. I don't want it." And he makes this statement, which is really, really a strong statement. In fact, he interrupts himself and doesn't finish the thought even. It's kind of, a lot of translations do fine. It's not like this is horrible or anything, but a lot of translations kind of smooth over, if you don't mind, the abrupt change of thought that Paul has in this verse. This last phrase, it says, it would be better for me to die. It would be better for me to die than, but he doesn't finish the thought. He doesn't finish that statement. You'd expect to have, okay, a little bit of grammar. This phrase, to die, is an infinitive. You'd expect another infinitive, in fact, a contrasting infinitive. It'd be better for me to die than to live, the expected contrast. Well, live, how would you live? Live by the gospel. live by means of me ministering the gospel, that's how I live. He says, no, I don't want anything in relation to that. It would be better for me. And that's the contrast or the comparison that he's used at other times, even back in chapter 7. It's not a moral argument, good versus evil. It's a good, better, best kind of a situation, more advantageous. It'd be better for me, good for me, preferable to me. I would rather die." You think, Paul, good grief. Can't you just accept a gift, a salary from the church? Can't you just take, you know, humble yourself and be able to receive gifts? He says, no, I'm not going to. He's going to explain it in just a moment. He is really animated, really convinced in his mind, very much a convictional statement. No, nothing. Nothing will I receive from churches. So he interrupts his thought. He doesn't finish that idea. It's better for me to die than to live by the gospel, I would say. And then he really brings in this last phrase, which here is translated, have anyone make my boast an empty one. He basically says, No one shall nullify my boast. No one is going to take this boast from me. No one has the right or the prerogative or the ability even. He's not going to be confused or deceived into receiving some kind of a salary from the churches that he serves, nothing like that. And you think, well wait a minute, didn't he raise a lot of money? Wasn't he going to 1 Corinthians 16 mentions a collection and 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 talk about this collection for the Well, not for him, right? It's a collection for the saints in Jerusalem, and he's gathered churches in Macedonia and Achaia, taking all this money and taking it back to the saints in Jerusalem, as he's argued. Well, he doesn't argue here. Similar to what he says in verse 11, if we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? uses that similar concept to relate to the Jews back in Jerusalem. If you are sharing in their spiritual things, shouldn't you also bless them with material things? And so he does raise money, but it's not for him. He carries it and deposits it to the church, with the church there in Jerusalem. He says, I don't want anybody, nobody's gonna take my boast, nobody's going to empty or nullify or cause catastrophe to my my glory, my delight in serving the Lord without pay, without any kind of fee, without any expectation, without a hand out for people to fill. You know, he's preaching the gospel, he's holding forth the word of truth, and yet, come on, give some back to the old preacher guy. No, nothing like that. He will allow no one Again, the emphasis is here, he's talking, building this contrast to, better for me to die than to, and he says, nobody's going to take my boast. Nobody's going to empty that from me. Nobody can somehow make me serve for pay. He says here in verse 16, what's this about? Paul, good grief. It's just money. People want to show love to you. Is that a big deal? Well, showing love is one thing. He's happily to receive a gift from the Philippian church particularly. But he says, look, verse 16, if I proclaim the gospel, by the way, I didn't mention this, there are five fours, not five fours, like fifth, third. No, it's five fours, F-O-R, like for this reason. He's explaining himself. And he has five of these in these few verses here. Here's maybe the first one or the second. I forget which one we're looking at here. But five, you can underline them there. And he also has a series. I think there are four total if-then conditional statements. The last two are in a set. And so here's if I proclaim the gospel. And you could supply the word then. then I have nothing to boast. I'm under compulsion. If I proclaim the gospel, if I am here giving this gospel out, if I'm the one who is preaching and sharing the word of God, then look, there's nothing for me to boast in that because I'm under compulsion. It is my duty. I am doing these things because God has brought these things for me. If I proclaim the gospel, it's not anything You know, oh, you're great. Good job, Paul. Congratulate yourself. Pat yourself on the back. That's really a good job. He says, no, there's nothing to boast about that. I have, as it says here, I am under compulsion, or there is a necessity that is placed upon me. There is a compulsion, a commission even, Paul would say, that has been placed upon me. Where he says, you know, I'm not I'm not boasting in an arrogant kind of selfish, you know, selfish pride kind of sense. No, this is a glory, a gladness to serve Christ, to serve the Lord, and having the purity, the cleanness of conscience that says no. I'm doing this. I would do this regardless. People pay me, don't pay me, and don't pay me, he's getting after. But I'm doing this not because I want to congratulate myself. You have to look back, by the way, at, well, even Nehemiah. Some of the things that he did, and he has this phrase, it's repeated several times in the last couple chapters there in Nehemiah, where he's doing these wonderful things for God, you know, beating people up and calling all people names and because of their violating of God's law and violating God's holiness and different things. And he has this line, Lord, remember me for good, or remember this to me for good. Put this as a positive checkmark to my account. And Paul says, I'm not after that. I'm not, and it's not evil to say that. We do things, we want to please our Lord, we want to bear fruit for him. He's the one that gives the fruit, by the way. But Paul says, look, I am not boasting. I have nothing to boast about if I just do my job. I'm just doing my job. God has called me. I'm under compulsion. I have this mandate from the Lord to speak his word, to proclaim the gospel. He says, the process, the practice of evangelizing. And by the way, this statement, if I proclaim the gospel, proclaiming the gospel, it's a present tense. It's an ongoing thing. It's not just a once, you know, he comes into a city, he preaches the gospel once, and he looks, where's the nearest restaurant? I want one of those five star, like, what do they call them? A Michelin star rated, whatever. Is that five star? I have no idea. But he says, you know, I've done my work. Now I can relax for a week. Well, no, he's there to plant a church. He's there to preach the gospel. He starts in the synagogue, then when they kick him out, he preaches next door, which he did in Corinth, right? The house of this guy, probably his full name, perhaps, is Gaius Titius Justus Eustace, who hosted Paul after the synagogue in Corinth, passed him out right next door. He picks up preaching the gospel. So he's doing it, not on a once and done kind of thing, but just continually preaching and house to house and individually, all these. So he's given to this whole thing. He says, there's nothing that I can boast about. I'm just doing my work. I have a necessity. I have this pressure upon me. I have a burden from the Lord. Now, it could be, and we could relate to it this way, an inner compulsion to preach the gospel. something that he has committed himself to, that he has an inner drive and devotion to do it, which is, that's wonderful. The subjective call to preach could be in his mind here. I think probably more likely he is talking about the external call that Jesus Christ himself came down, Acts 9 and other times in Acts, recounts his salvation testimony, and he describes the fact that I don't have a choice in this. I didn't choose this life. I didn't choose this whole situation. God is the one who chose me. And he says on various occasions, even from my mother's womb. Galatians 1, God, when God, who had set me apart from my mother's womb and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me, said I might proclaim him as good news among the Gentiles. He talks about what he did after that. But it's a divine call from him. Even before he was born, God had this necessity, this compulsion, this direction for Paul's life. He says a tremendous passage, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, beginning at verse 7, describing his own burden, his necessity, his compulsion to preach, but even the difficulties that he endured. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 7, he says, we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. In every way, afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always caring about in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you." He understands. This is a life and death situation. Now, not in the same way he says, it'd be better for me to die than to live by the gospel. But he says, this is my life and life which I have embraced. God has called me to it. I'm going to manifest or demonstrate the crucified Christ in my life. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, he said, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body. He is a dead man, a dead man walking. Paul is a slave of Christ Jesus. It doesn't matter what he does in life, what happens to him in life, he's going to serve Christ to the end. You can give me money. I don't want your money. I don't want your money. In fact, he says it elsewhere, and we'll look at it here, where he says, I don't want what you have to the Corinthians. I want you. I want your life. I don't want your stuff. I want you. I want you to be walking in truth. I want you to be manifesting, demonstrating, proving the power of the Holy Spirit in your lives. I want to see Christ formed in your lives. He says, this word rather, came from the Lord to Ananias. Remember when Paul was going up to Jamascus to persecute the church, he was stopped on the road by the Lord, and Ananias afterward was told by the Lord, go, this is the Lord talking to Ananias, go to him, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Acts 9 and verse 15 and 16 says that. So he has this, mandate, a divine external commission or call to do this ministry. Last quotation here, Romans 11 verse 13 says, That word there is my flesh, my flesh and blood kind of thing, my fellow countrymen and save some of them. So that's what he's after. He's preaching the gospel of the Gentiles, but he wants the Jews, his fellow Jews, his kin, his flesh and blood to be saved, come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is the compulsion he has. It's not for himself. Forget about me. I'm just a servant. I'm a conduit. I'm a servant, a steward, one of the menial kind of manual labors in God's harvest. God's the one giving the increase. I'm going to do my part, he says. I'm under compulsion. Look, I don't have a choice in this. He's going to mention this here in just a moment. I don't have a choice in this. Not that he's against this work of the gospel. He's very much given, committed his life to it, but it's not for personal gain. It's not for personal pleasure, personal comfort, prestige, fame, honor, all these things. Forget about that. I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, he says, Galatians 2.20, you can finish that thought. So he says, look, there's nothing really for me to boast about if I'm proclaiming the gospel. I'm under compulsion to do this. I have a divine mandate to do it. And then he says, look, this, woe is me, here's another four, for woe is me if I do not proclaim the gospel. So we have another four and another conditional statement. If I do not proclaim the gospel, woe, then woe comes to me." And you think, well, that's not, is that bad? You don't like woes? Well, no. Woe being a chastisement from the Lord. If I don't fulfill my duty, if I don't fulfill my commission, my Lord's going to have problems with me. He's going to find fault with me, and I don't want anything to do with that. If I do not proclaim the gospel, then I have the expectation of divine judgment. Again, it's not so much an inner conflict or turmoil that he has, something that he's distressed if he doesn't have an opportunity. He does have that, but that's not really what he's after here. He has this idea, I'm going to displease God. God who has, again, chosen me from my mother's womb and set me in this place, and I have this mandate, I have this opportunity. Especially in Corinth, remember the whole thing, the Lord appeared to him in a vision and said, I have many people in the city. You're going to have a lot of opposition too, but I have many in the city that need to hear the gospel, that are going to come to faith. So what was me if I do not proclaim the gospel? He goes on, another four here in verse 17, and another if statement. Actually, a combination if, or compound if statement. If I do this voluntarily, hey, I have a reward. But if against my will, well, I still have a stewardship entrusted to me. So again, the contrast, explanation, Paul, why are you so animate about this? It's just money. It's just stuff, food, basket of oranges or tomatoes or something. What's the big deal? He says, no. I want a reward in the fact that I do this without charge. I do this not because I'm in it for the money, and that would be not something that the Corinthians would fight fault with so much, because they viewed philosophers, which in some regards they viewed Paul as just another itinerant philosopher, as they had in that Greco-Roman culture, that would charge fees or have patrons that would support them. Or they'd be out on the street corner asking for money, and then once they get enough to buy food, then they'd go out and do their philosophizing and preaching and stuff. So that was a customary thing. Paul says, no, I don't want any reward like that. I am not doing this for pay. If I were to do this, I'd like to be a preacher of the gospel. I think I'll go ahead and do this. That's the kind of voluntary situation he's talking about. If I do it based on my own gumption, well, fine. I would expect a reward in that. I would expect money. I would expect material things if I were doing it according to my own will and decision. But that's not what happened. That's not what happened at all. His decision, remember going to Damascus, was to persecute the church, not to raise up the church, not to preach this Jesus. When Jesus says, it's hard for you, Paul, to kick against the goads. What are you doing that for? Why would you fight against me? Well, who are you, Lord, that I'm persecuting? Well, I'm Jesus of Nazareth. Now, you get up and you do what I tell you to do. I'm paraphrasing, but he says, look, if I were to do this, I'd like to serve in this capacity. Well, you would expect payment. But he says, if I do it against my will. And this phrase, or the word here translated voluntarily, and then that phrase against my will, those are opposites. If I were to do this something out of my own heart, out of my own desire and affection, I value this, and so I did the things to pursue it, versus the opposite, not so much I'm doing it contrary or violating my will or somehow just you know grin and bear it kind of thing just do it kind of thing It's a negative connotation. I think what he's getting at there, he's just saying, I didn't have a choice in the matter. It wasn't something that was put up to me. Hey, would you like to do this, Paul, or this over here? And A or B, re-preacher of the gospel or persecutor of the church. You know, if it were me, in his natural flesh, persecuting the church, absolutely. Philippians 3. I'm zealous for the law, pharisee of the faith. All these things. He was so much about that. That was his will. His new will now is this, to preach the gospel, and it is something that is so contrary to what he was used to growing up. It is having this idea of of having a force, again, a compulsion, a pressure upon him that he serves not willingly. He's not chafing against God's direction in his life, but he's saying, it's something that, it's not my will. It's not something I chose to do. God chose me. And he defends that in so many different regards. Galatians 1 particularly says, I didn't decide this, and I didn't get my teaching from other people. I got it from the Lord himself, the mandate to preach. I'm a slave. I'm a messenger of God. And he gave me the message to preach, too. I didn't make it up. I didn't learn it from other people. I learned it from him. And so far as our present age, and really all ages, are so concerned about the will of man, do we have free will or not? Really, it doesn't matter. We want God's will. We want to do His will. We want to be so committed to what God is doing, so that we want our will, our volition, to be so lined up with Him. So do we have free will? Doesn't matter. Do what God wants you to do. Fulfill His thing, because that's the best thing for us. It's not like, again, His word is burdensome. It's not something that, oh, I have to love the Lord with all my... What's lovable about God after all? How would I want to serve Him? I want to enlighten God. He is the living God. He's the only source of life and of joy and of happiness. So it's not like, you know, I want what is horrible. That's what unbelievers do. They chase after that which they think is going to satisfy based on their own fleshly wants and desires and will. And it is a destroyer. It is death in a cup. death in a magazine, death in a relationship, come to the Lord for life. And that's what Paul is saying here. Look, if I were to do this based on my own volition, I would expect a reward. But it's against my will. It's contrary. Or just forget about my will. I have a stewardship. I've got to do this. This is a mandate from the Lord. And this idea of stewardship, he's already introduced this idea back in chapter 4. Chapter 4, first couple of verses, he talks about this reality of his identity, his service to the Lord. And he says, this is what we are. Anybody can come and evaluate me, and he's going to talk about examination, but we won't get into that right now. We are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. So we're serving Christ and a menial kind of slave labor for Christ, and we are stewards of the mysteries of God. Serving is accomplishing the will of the master. Stewarding is managing that master's property. Managing that which belongs, not to the steward, but to the master, to the owner of these things. We're stewards of the mysteries of God. And what does he say in verse 2? It is required, by the way, of stewards that one be found faithful. Don't you go out there and manipulate or misuse your stewardship. There was a situation back in Isaiah 22 where Isaiah found fault. It was God's word come through Isaiah against this steward. named Shebna, who was using all these wonderful privileges and rights as a steward for his own purposes, for his own selfish gain. He was in charge of the royal household. Isaiah 22 and verse 15 says, and you go tell that Shebna, that steward of the royal household, he's done. He thought he was going to make big things for himself. No, no, sir. I'm going to take what he had, I'm going to give it to somebody else. And that false work of stewardship, he was not found faithful. Do you remember the parable that Jesus told in Luke 16 about the unfaithful steward manipulating, mismanaging the owner's assets, squandering his possessions, it's called, Luke 16. A rich man who had a steward, the steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions. You don't do that. You don't do it. You have a stewardship, a management of God's property. It's been entrusted to me. This idea of stewardship, Paul emphasizes several different times, or three times at least, in his writings, Ephesians 3 and verse 2. You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you. I'm responsible for the message. preaching this message, but it's for your benefit. I don't get any benefit out of this. If any benefit that Paul provides, it is not material, it's not physical, it's not temporal, it is the boasting that Paul has. They're walking with the Lord. They are mature in Christ. They are complete in Christ. I labor, Paul says, Colossians 128, I labor teaching every man, admonishing every man with all wisdom so that I may present every man complete in Christ. That's what I'm after, not for the personal gain, not for the fame and prestige. I'm after the advancement of the gospel and the conversion of souls, particularly, Paul has a burden for Gentiles, yes, but particularly his Jewish kinfolk. Colossians 1, 24 and 25 also talks about this stewardship from God given to me for you so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God. And then again, in 1 Corinthians 4, which we looked at, he talks about this stewardship. It's not his own stuff. It's a stewardship entrusted to me. And that idea of entrusted, having been committed to him for Paul's care. Hey, Paul, I'm giving you my treasured possession, that is the gospel, and my elect people, those who are going to come to faith. I'm giving these to you, Paul. You better be faithful in what I've given to you. Don't change my message, and don't mess with my people. And Paul is so concerned about that. I mean, good grief. Galatians 1 again, he says, if I or anybody else comes and preaches the gospel contrary to that which I've already preached to you, Let him be anathema. Don't even listen to him. That's not even, don't mess with the message. And then he's so concerned about those who are in Christ, doesn't want to cause any stumbling, anything that would violate the conscience or the faith of those who are in Christ. He is not gonna do it. He's also not gonna put a hindrance or a stumbling block in the path of those who are coming to faith in Christ. Very concerned about the message and the receivers of the message. The stewardship which has been entrusted to him. This is what happened in the past. This is the commission that he received, the mandate to represent Christ, standing before kings, the Lord said about Paul. And I'm going to show him how much he's going to suffer for my namesake. But he's going to bring my message even before Caesar. And you remember the whole thing when he appealed to Caesar there in Caesarea. And I think he stood before Caesar. in Rome and the whole court drama that he had at the end of Acts, really the whole narrative from Acts 21, goes on with this deal about the Jews in Jerusalem finding fault with him. And he takes his case before the court, standing before the governor, Felix, and then Festus, and Agrippa, and then Caesar, finally, and whoever else heard his message. And he has been entrusted with this thing. He wants to be found faithful. This passage in 1 Thessalonians 2 speaks about this. And really, his idea, his concept about his, he doesn't labor for money. He's not interested into that at all, does not want to accept any money. He's there to work hard. He is there to, fulfill the stewardship that has been entrusted to him. 1 Thessalonians 2, beginning at verse 3, he says, our exhortation does not come from error, or impurity, or by way of deceit. But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who examines our hearts. For we never came with a flattering word, as you know, nor with pretext for greed. God is witness. Nor seeking glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you. a burden in material things. You know, we could have expected material stuff from you, but we proved to be gentle among you as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. In this way, having a fond affection for you, we were pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives because you had become beloved to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and our hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to anyone, any of you, we proclaim to you the gospel of God. Paul's sense of being entrusted with this message motivated and directed his whole attitude, his affection toward these people. the manner of his ministry, not for, you know, as a with flattering word, oh, you're just so wonderful, you're just so great, and I just want to know you better, you're just the best people in God's kingdom. Flattery, what's that about? You're trying to manipulate things through your words. Or with a pretext for greed as a way to, as again 1 Timothy 6 describes those who view godliness as a means of great gain. There's money to be had in the Word of God kind of thing. Boy, you can get a lot of followers, which is what Acts 20, Paul warned about that. There's going to be certain men of you, beloved Ephesian elders, who are going to teach strange doctrines. Why? to take away disciples after you, not just the disciples, but their pocketbooks and their money. You want their money. No, Paul says, we didn't come with a pretext for greed. We're not seeking glory for men, even though we could have thrown our weight around and kind of said, kiss the ring and where's the red carpet and where's this fancy food and all. Paul says, I don't want anything like that. I have a stewardship entrusted to me, something that's committed to me, and I have the expectation to be found faithful. So he says, verse 18. What do I get out of this whole deal? If I'm not into the material things, if I'm not in the glory from men, if I'm not into, if I were a man pleaser, what would he do? Change his message. Because his message is, it's a stumbling block to the Jews. What do you mean? Circumcision doesn't mean anything. And we have to repent and confess our sin, believe in Jesus, turn away from our sins. What is that? We are Jews. So he's preaching the gospel, which is offensive to the Jews. It's this foolishness, abject foolishness to the Greeks. They say, what is this, crucified and resurrected Jesus? It makes no sense. Paul, you are crazy. And they dismissed him. Now, you're pleasantly entertained by his words there in Acts 16. So what does Paul get out of this? This here, what is his reward? What is his payment? Verse 18 says, this is what I'm after. When I proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge so as not to make full use of my authority in the gospel. He's after this reward. He his reward that he serves without pay. He serves without encumbering his heirs. Remember back in verse 12, he says, I don't want to do anything that would somehow cause hindrance, cause a stumbling block to the gospel of Christ, a tripping hazard to those who are coming to faith. His reward is that he does not encumber his heirs and he provides or offers this gospel without fee, without tuition, without a charge. The way that he says it here, this may offer the gospel, he doesn't say it the same way as he does here anywhere else in his writings. He uses another word, he uses the word evangelize or announce, preach the gospel. Here it's the idea of placing the gospel in front of people. And that's all he's doing, really. He places, he teaches the gospel. He holds it out because that word, right? Romans 116. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It's not his manipulation, his clever tactics, his PowerPoint presentations or keynote or whatever the thing. He is putting that message before the people and expecting God to fulfill his promises. Wow! God honors his word. His word will not return unto him void. It will accomplish the purpose for which God sent it. So his work is just to offer, to present that gospel. And he does it here without charge, without any kind of fee, with any kind of tuition or expense, it cost nothing to listen to Paul. He can come and it's very helpful because again, as Paul, his labor, what he did with his hands, he was not a blue-collar, or excuse me, a white-collar worker. He was a blue-collar worker, tent maker, worked with his hands, got his hands dirty, got calluses on his hands, had to have tools, required other stuff. He was in the midst, I mean he could be with those elite, kind of high society kind of folks, which he was on occasion. These Corinthians at least thought that they were all high society. But he was down there working in the, Paul, you're working down with the tradesmen. He says, yes, because they can't afford one of your famous philosophers come down to the tradesmen's area and preach their message of whatever. I'm here working, but also preaching. I'm able to have access to people who would not be able to afford. I mean, if Paul charged what he was worth, He would make a killing. He says, I'm not into it for money. I'm here to serve. I'm here to put no stumbling block in the eyes of other people. He mentions this again in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12, this idea of working without charge. 2 Corinthians 12 beginning at verse 13 says, In what respect were you, Corinthians, and the rest of the churches except that I myself did not become a burden to you? You know, financially obligated. Forgive me this wrong here for this third time I did come to you and I will not be a burden to you. Here's where he says, I do not seek what is yours, but you. For children ought not to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. So I will most gladly spend and be fully spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?" There in that last sentence, he says, I will most gladly spend and be fully spent. Here's the opposite of what he has here, this idea of without charge, without spending. People don't have to spend to hear my word, hear my gospel. Here he says, If anything is going to be spent, it's going to be me. I will spend myself, and he even compounds that statement. I'll spend myself, but I'm going to be just poured out. There's going to be nothing left for me. I'll be fully spent for your souls. Paul is so concerned. You give nothing to me. I'm going to give everything I have for you. Why does he do that? Because he is an apostle of Jesus Christ, because he is pouring out his life just in the same manner as our Lord Jesus poured out his life for us. He gladly spent himself. He fully spent himself, such that he could say at the cross, finished, and he committed his soul to the Heavenly Father. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? Would you just accept me for who I am? Would you not be embarrassed that I am an apostle, but also a tent maker, just a poor lowly tradesman? You know, I could make full use of my authority, as he says here back in verse 18 of chapter 9. I could make full use of authority, but I'm not going to do it. I could flaunt my apostolic credentials. I could flash my little congressional medal or a pin and get access to all. If you have one of those key cards that gets you into all the doors, Paul says, I'm not going to do anything like that. I am going to spend and be spent for you. And the contrast, though, we have different examples of preachers, prophets, apostles, whatever, that were not in it for the ministry, not in it for the advancement of the message or for the conversion of the people. Give me some money. What do you got? What do you got to give me? Balaam. Remember him? Paid. Well, hey, King, what do you got to give me? Oh, I got this. OK, I'll work for the Lord. Yeah. No, Balaam. Don't use Balaam as an example. Peter, rather, in 1 Peter 5 says, elders, you don't work for dishonest gain. You work eagerly. Whatever the pay is or is not, you don't do it for the money. You're not motivated because if you are motivated for the money, you're going to have a message that attracts more people, that attracts more money. Or you're going to hobnob or fraternize, excuse me, with those who are the wealthy people in the church. Oh forget the poor people, they don't have anything to give. But the wealthy people, I really need to get them on my side. Don't do it. It's gonna affect your message, it's gonna affect your ministry. Don't be in it for the money. Again in 1 Timothy 6, there are men who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. That somehow, boy, if they're in the ministry, they can get a lot of, you know, fleecing the flock as it were. Titus 1 and verse 11 talks about those in Crete who are false teachers, and they are upsetting whole households, whole families, teaching things they should not teach. Why? For the sake of dishonest gain. That's what they're after. That's their whole message or their method. And Paul says, no, no, no, no, no. He is giving an example. And again, there's a broader context. And that is, don't, you Corinthians, exercise your rights to the detriment of those around you. Yeah, you can eat everything. You can go to the temple, pagan temples, and eat the food sacrificed there. Fine. But if that offends a brother in Christ, a brother for whom Christ has died, don't do it. I would never eat meat again, ever, right? So that I would not somehow violate other people, causing my brother to stumble there in verse 13 of chapter 8. That's the larger picture. He says, don't be so self-indulgent. I'm not going to make full use of my authority. I'm not going to flaunt my rights as an apostle. And Corinthians, you don't do it either. Rights are given for us by God, but they can also be set aside. Remember, because Paul said this is a mandate from God, this is a directive, a commandment from Christ that those who, there in verse 14, the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. That is a provision of the Lord for his people, for his preachers, that is to say. It's not a commandment, well, preachers, you make sure that you have a a clear statement of, you know, if you go into this place, conference speaking or church ministry, make sure you clarify your salary, make sure you get your demands out there right front and center, because the Lord directed you, no, this direction, this commandment is for the church, or rather to the church, to the churches, in response to or for the benefit of those who preach. It is not a commandment, you know, make sure that you demand your rights as a preacher. No. Churches, you make sure that you pay those who preach the gospel to you. You show your affection, your love, your devotion to the man, yes, but to the Lord who sent him to this church. And so here he says, I'm not going to use it as an apostle. I could flaunt my authority in the gospel. I could flaunt this word authority can be the presence, but also just the rights and privileges that are inherent in the work of an apostle. There are different preachers even nowadays that are just so admired and adored by churches around the world, and they recognize, there's nothing so great about me. All I'm doing is preaching the Word to them, and they love me because I give them the Word of God." Clearly unadulterated, not trying to flatter, not as a pretext for greed. Paul says, look, I don't want to do anything that would somehow violate my work of taking the gospel of God and entrusting it to his people. He does not do it himself, and he gives the example, following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he gives that example to the Corinthians. You use your rights, your privileges, for showing love. Yeah, you can know all these things, but love puffs up. Excuse me, knowledge puffs up. Love edifies. Love seeks the benefit of the other person. You do that. I mean, yeah, you could do all these things for yourself. What are you going to get out of it? Food, clothing, shelter, a little bit of gold, big pocketbook. Forget about that. You serve for your eternal reward. And that is what Christ himself, the master of all stewards, he will give in that day. And that's much better. In the meanwhile, live to serve other people. Love them. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. This profound message of Christ and the example that Christ himself did laid down for us that he spent himself and he fully spent himself on the cross for us and we have a salvation rich and free and we should then lay down our lives for the brethren. We should be so willing to think of other people as more important than ourselves, to do our ministry as a happy steward, as a slave, fully convinced that we are doing your will and expecting your reward. We are grateful that you have promised even your apostles a wonderful, what are we gonna get out of this? And you promised there's gonna be good things, crown of righteousness and all those wonderful things, but please help us to be more. in this age, given to the work of sharing your word and of honoring those who teach the word, but having the expectation of eternal rewards. And the best thing about it is to know you, have a true knowledge of you, and to be in your presence. We pray that that day would come soon. Please help us to finish well. There are a lot of failures in our midst that just are shocking and shameful, but we look to you. Please help us to finish, and to finish well. Help us to have that expectation, that desire, when we stand before the Lord, that He would say, well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master. Please help us to finish well, to love, serve, and meet needs as we are able. We thank you and pray in Christ's name. Amen.