You know if you pay attention in the song service you'll be fed before you even get to the sermon and I was just sitting there tonight thinking what a blessing to be in a church where we by God's grace have a wonderful resource there in the psalms and hymns spiritual songs and what we're trying to do as you may have noticed we we're seeking to expand our repertoire of godly music in the church and one of the ways to do that is to have a group sing a hymn from the hymn book to you so that was hymn 151 And so, like we did this morning, the recent men's ministry and song, we sang that as a congregation and now you've heard that twice today, I think we should be able to sing that as a congregation. It's another good way to learn a new hymn actually, is to have it sung to us. a couple of times and then get it into our hearts and minds so we can sing it as a church. So pay attention to the hymns, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs and you'll be ministered to, your heart will be strengthened, you'll be edified, the offertories, appreciate the the time and clearly the prayerful spirit in which our pianists approach the selection of the Offertrees and again some of those are new hymns that we're getting familiar with and looking at the words and being edified and strengthened. So before the preacher even opens the Bible hopefully you've been fed in your soul by these wonderful marvelous scriptural themes we've been meditating on in song. Turn with me please to 1 Corinthians and chapter 9. And it's an encouragement too, to see people engaged in the singing. Brother Mark Assage was into it tonight, that was good to see, amen. He was just really, his heart was in it, and from what I could see up here, and that's a blessing. Even a bit of a hand motion going there over the hymn book, so he was really into it. Okay, 1 Corinthians, but praise the Lord, it's good to have our hearts in the singing, isn't it? 1 Corinthians and chapter 9, and we continue tonight in our series through 1 Corinthians. into a new chapter in our last lesson we looked at the whole theme of meats offered to idols it was a major issue that confronted the early church and Paul had to deal with that and deal with the whole matter of Christian charity really and how that we should have a a willingness to surrender our own rights or perceived rights for the sake of weaker brethren in the assembly. We are called as believers not to a life of self-centeredness but to a life of being others-centered. the selfless and so that's what first Corinthians 8 teaches us we need to consider other believers besides ourselves and be willing to yield our own rights even in things that may be legitimate if necessary for the sake of others and the Lord can help us with that as we seek to work that out in practice but tonight we're dealing with the theme Paul defends his apostleship and then I've given it the longer subtitle Paul defends his apostleship and illustrates selflessness and don't try not to remove chapter 8 from your mind because even though Paul deals with a number of things in chapter 9 the whole thought about meats offered to idols and Christian charity and surrendering our rights is still very much in his thinking because when we get to chapter 10 and he will return to the subject of meats offered to idols. And so what we have in chapter 9, he really accomplishes two things quite masterfully. He defends his apostleship against certain attacks that have come against him. At the same time, if you keep the context of chapter 8 in mind, you will notice that Paul himself is an illustration of the truths he's just taught in chapter 8. because Paul is going to discuss amongst a number of things but he's going to discuss the whole matter of the financial support of God's men and then he will share his own testimony that in relation to the Corinthian church he chose to forfeit taking any support from them. He rather, as a missionary church planter, took financial support from other churches. So Paul was not against the financial support of God's men. That's very clear. But he took support from other churches so that he would not be in a position of taking financial support from the Corinthians. And the reason he did that was because, again, of that spirit of love and wanting to reach people in that context. And Paul was conscious that at that time, with the pagan context of Corinth, if he had taken support from the Corinthian Church it could have been used against his ministry, it could have been a stumbling block in that context so he took support from other established churches in order to be a missionary church planter as it were in that setting. interestingly the Apostle Paul was attacked over this whole matter of financial support but not because he took support from the Corinthian Church, they criticized him for not taking support from their church. Now they can't have been Baptists because I think most I'm just being silly but most churches imagine that the pastor don't worry about supporting me most of you like thank you pastor that's no problem at all okay but they had it's amazing really isn't it how how the different angles of attack that can come against God's men Paul's apostleship was under attack because he didn't take financial support from the Corinthian church. So there's really a weaving together of two main strands of thought here. There's a defense of Paul's apostleship, at the same time he is illustrating how he had made a selfless decision in the spirit of what he just taught in chapter 8. that's very very clear as you keep chapter 8 in mind work through chapter 9 and then move on into chapter 10 where he returns to the subject of meats offered to idols there towards the latter part of the chapter in chapter 10 I believe it is okay but let's read the text shall we as a starting point 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and reading from 1 verse 1 to verse 14 the Bible reads am I not an apostle Am I not free? Have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you, for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this. Have we not power to eat and to drink? 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? Who goeth to warfare any time at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say are these things as a man, or sayeth the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Does God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he that plougheth should plough in hope, and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, 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. 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 of the things of the temple, and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I've used none of these things, neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me. For it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. Let's leave the reading there and ask the Lord for his help tonight. Thank you Lord for your word, we ask for your blessing upon it now as we seek to faithfully expound it in Jesus name, Amen. I have several introductory points there to bring to your attention if you want to note them in your outline. Number one, the background to the passage, and I already touched on that in my first remarks, although there is some digression from the theme of chapter 8, that theme remains in the Apostle's mind as he will return to it in chapter 10. Paul had been attacked over the matter of financial support specifically in relation to his decision not to take support from the Corinthian church. Turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter 11 to see a companion verse on this where Paul addresses this and we get a few more details here in chapter 11. 2 Corinthians 11 verses 5 to 12, robbed other churches it's a hyperbole there it's a it's a dramatic way of just stating that he had taken support from other churches Paul didn't literally rob as a thief but it's a very it's called hyperbole or hyperbole depending whether you're English or American there okay but it means to It's an exaggerated statement or an alarming statement to give an effect, okay? I robbed other churches taking wages of them. So Paul was not against a paid ministry. We'll talk about that a bit later. Some people say, well, you know, there's no such thing as paid ministry in the New Testament. No, it's actually a biblical thing for God's men to be supported in the work of the gospel. But Paul in this instance was given wisdom from God not to take support from a very young fledgling church but to take support from other churches in order to plant that church and that's a good model, that's why very often missionaries take that model, they're supported by mature established churches so then they can go and plant another church maybe in a foreign field or pagan culture, etc. And in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore, because I love you not, God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion, that where in their glory they may be found even as we." And then he goes on to deal with false teachers, false apostles. It seems that Paul was given wisdom to discern that in the context of Corinth, it was wise for him not to take a salary from the church itself because it would have opened him up to certain attacks and accusations and obstacles. And certainly you can see that as a missionary church planter, as Paul was in a pagan culture with a lot of religious charlatans around, Paul was willing to surrender that legitimate right to financial support from the church and rather take wages from other churches He took their support from the Macedonian churches there, particularly their reference, that included the Philippian church, read Philippians 4, they were regular supporters of the Apostle Paul, so that he would not be burdensome to the Corinthian church. But he'd been attacked for that, alarmingly and surprisingly. So that's the background to the passage. What's the burden of the passage? Well, I've mentioned it already, Paul masterfully accomplishes two goals. First, he defends his apostolic credentials against the detractors. Second, his personal testimony illustrates the truths he has just outlined, specifically the importance of surrendering one's rights in Christian love for the sake of others. One commentator summarises this section well in the following words... He shows that in other ways he accommodated himself to the opinions and prejudices of others, verse 19 through 23, and become all things to all men, so there's a servant spirit there, self-denial. He reminds his readers that nothing good or great could be attained without self-denial, verse 24 to 27. So that's the background of the passage, the burden or the main theme of the passage. Then look at the breakdown of the passage. I'll give you here a suggested outline for chapter 9 and in verse 1 and 2, Paul defends his apostolic qualifications. Paul defends his apostolic qualifications. Number 2, Paul answers his opponent's objections, verse 3 to 14. Number three, Paul shares his personal illustration, verse 15 to 23. Number four, Paul preaches a powerful exhortation, verse 24 to 27. Tonight, we're just going to cover the first two of those points. Now, I want you to notice an interesting feature of the text. If you go down and read the verses, you will notice that there are 18 question marks. the first 14 verses if I counted them correctly. Punctuation is important by the way, you need to understand punctuation. Okay and here you have 18 question marks and you can see Paul's very powerful inspired logic where he just slices through his detractors arguments. A question can be very powerful. The wrong kind of question, questions, false teachers love questions, don't they? And they use questions to cast doubt on the Word of God and Satan loves questions, as God said. But in the right context, questions can be very powerful and here Paul is being moved by the Spirit of God and it's very powerful logic he uses here And a lot of these questions are really what we would call rhetorical questions, where the question really has an implied answer, and it takes your mind down a certain train of thought. So, as we look at the text here, bear that in mind. Paul is really dealing with this defense of his apostleship. Paul came under a lot of accusation, and Paul came under a lot of attack in his Christian ministry. No surprise, Paul was a giant of the faith. I mean, he was used of God to really spearhead the work of the gospel to much of the known world. He was used of God to pen a large percentage of the New Testament. And as a faithful preacher, as a faithful man of God, he was attacked from every angle. Now, none of us could ever claim to be anywhere near the level of the Apostle Paul, but we certainly do see a principle here that faithful men of God will be accused, faithful men of God will be attacked. it's amazing what people can come up with to attack God's men. So let's look at that first heading tonight. Number one, Paul defends his apostolic qualifications, verse 1 through 3. You'll notice that the word apostle appears twice in these verses and the word apostleship, same root word, once and so that's what he's doing, he's defending his apostleship. Verse one, am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you. For the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer, apologia. Okay, it's where we get our word apologetics. Paul is giving an apologetic here, he's giving a defense of his apostleship, my answer, my apologetic, my apology to them that do examine me is this. So Paul defends his apostolic qualifications. that was very important. And I want you to notice what I would call, firstly, the main qualification. And that's found in verse 1. Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Obviously Paul was free from slavery, he was a free citizen. But the most important aspect is found there in the words, have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord. Now why did Paul draw their attention to that? Because the primary qualification of an apostle was that you had to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ and if you go back to the book of Acts chapter 1 and verse 21 to 22 when they were looking for a replacement for Judas they had to find a man who was amongst a few other things principally an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. And so if you ever come across some person on YouTube who claims to be Apostle so-and-so, you know, but you don't have to listen to any of their teaching, you know they are making a fake claim. Because to be an Apostle, according to Acts chapter 1 and according to this clear verse here, you had to be an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the office of an apostle was really an early church office. The Bible says in Ephesians 2 that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. So once the foundation has been laid, then the building can proceed on top of that foundation, right? And you don't go back and continually keep laying the foundation. The ministry of the apostles was a foundational ministry. It was there for the establishment of the early church. But once the early church was established and once the apostles died off, that office ceased of necessity. It just couldn't continue going. There could be no apostolic succession because to be an apostle, you had to be an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus. that clear? That's actually very important because there are people out there in the Christian realm that claim to I'm Apostle so-and-so and Apostle so-and-so and sometimes they're females. I'm Apostle, I don't know, Sharon or something but anyway. So you have to be careful of that okay and watch out for these false Apostles, these false teachers. It's okay, I know that's not you. Sorry John. Okay, so the main qualification, have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Paul puts this forward as a defense. He was an Apostle and he was qualified to be an Apostle because he was an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Let it be. By the way, there are good men, if you want to listen to sermons, there are good men I can recommend. You don't need to listen to Apostle Roy or Apostle whatever his name is, are you understanding me there? You don't need to listen to these guys on YouTube. YouTube can be a good resource, at the same time it's really a curse. Because any yahoo can publish himself on there. And the fact that someone's done a video doesn't mean that that individual has any wisdom at all. That person might have zero wisdom. Like some of these couples who've been married for three years and they have a YouTube channel teaching you about marriage. I'm thinking, seriously, seriously, how much do you learn in three years of marriage about that much? You learn a few things, but honestly, that seems to be a bit of a trend as well. You get these people on there, and I'm not saying you don't learn anything in the first few years of marriage, but you don't learn a whole lot when you goo-goo-ga-ga those first couple of years, okay? The test comes probably a bit later. Let's move on. So the main qualification there, the eyewitness of... you had to be an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus. Number two, the ministry qualification. Paul reminds the Corinthians, he says you're questioning my apostleship, have I not seen Christ Jesus our Lord and, excuse me, Corinthian Church, aren't you evidence of my apostleship? Don't you owe, humanly speaking, your conversion to the ministry God gave me? so Paul is highlighting here the fruit of his apostleship, the fruit of his calling and the fruit of a man's ministry does testify to the character of his ministry on some level, absolutely. So Paul reminds them that they were really living testament to the truth that he was an apostle. Now you say, why was it so important for Paul to defend his apostleship? Well, as I said, God used Paul to pen a large percentage of the New Testament. Whether he was an apostle or not is actually a big issue. Because if Paul was not an apostle, if he was some religious charlatan, then we have a big problem in the New Testament because a large amount of our teaching for practice in the local church and doctrine comes from Paul's epistles. So this was important for Paul to defend his apostleship. And sometimes people say, well, you know, as a preacher, you should never defend yourself. Well, actually, sometimes there is a place, if it's for the greater cause of upholding the integrity of the ministry, there is a place for that. I know that we have to learn to be very much dead to a lot of things and not always defend ourselves. But Paul's motive here clearly is not self-focused. It's to do with the integrity of his calling and the ramifications of what was being put forward by his detractors. So conversion is a divine work of God and the fact that God had done that through Paul as his instrument should have reminded them that he was the real deal. Side note, it is a bit sad isn't it, that sometimes people can turn on and attack the human instrument that God used to bring them to himself. A faithful pastor perhaps, that happens sometimes. Now sometimes you have a situation like David Cloud. David Cloud was reached by a Pentecostal brother and he's still to this day very thankful for that. but he doesn't go along with the Pentecostal errors. And maybe that's your situation, even if you were led to the Lord by someone who didn't have all their doctrine right, you should always be thankful for that person for the rest of your life, even if you can't follow them on some of those doctrinal issues. There should be an appreciation in your heart for the human instrument that God used to bring you to himself, there should be. Doesn't mean we worship them, doesn't mean we follow them blindly but in this case when you've got someone like Paul, there's something wrong with you if you're attacking a man like the Apostle Paul but that's one of the characteristics of a carnal church. Carnal people tend to attack preachers. carnal people, that's a major issue at Corinth, tend to attack preachers because something's not right in their Christian lives. So Paul refers to the Corinthians here as the seal of his apostolic ministry. and a seal in the ancient world was used to authorize documents, you would have sometimes a signet ring with a certain pattern on it that would then be impressed in wax for example, maybe the Emperor's seal or the King's seal or a high dignitary and that's the picture here. So Paul says you're the evidence, you're the seal, you're the confirmation, you're the proof of my apostleship. So Paul defends his apostolic qualifications. Second heading, we note Paul answers his opponent's objections. He answers his opponent's objections. So do you see the picture there? The Apostle Paul was being carnally examined. the word there is diacrino means to be judged, it means to be scrutinized and it's not a nice feeling to be carnally scrutinized. Now there should be accountability with God's men certainly but this was an examination of the wrong kind, in fact it's the same word used previously in the book where Paul says he that is spiritual judgeth all things. So there's the right kind of examination, there's the right kind of spiritual discernment, the right kind of judgment, but here they were examining, they were attacking Paul's apostolic credentials and Paul had to give an apologia, an answer to that. he presents several arguments in favour here of financial support for gospel ministers. So Paul is absolutely for the financial support of gospel ministers and he goes into a somewhat lengthy discourse really putting forward that that is to be expected, that is the right approach, in fact it's even ordained of the Lord that they that preach the gospel should live of the gospel. Then he will get, and we'll get into this in the next message, then he gets to a personal testimony where he shares why he, of his own voluntary will, had actually foregone that legitimate right for the sake of the Corinthian church and thereby he exemplified the truths of chapter 8 of considering others. So, but in these verses Paul does present several arguments in favour of the financial support for gospel ministers. So, the first one there, the authority, letter A, the authority for financial support and you'll notice there is a reoccurring word in those verses, it's the word power. word power comes from the Greek word exousia, which has the idea of power in the sense of authority. Verse 4, have we not power, exousia, to eat and to drink? Verse 5, have we not power, exousia, to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas, So the key word there is power, the same word is translated elsewhere, authority, 1 Corinthians 15 24, jurisdiction, Luke 23 7 and right, Hebrews 13 10. When you read in Romans 13, the powers that be, that's referring to government powers, so It does have that sense of a place of authority. So Paul is emphasizing here, through these questions, that this was a legitimate authority for those in spiritual leadership. Have we not power to eat and to drink? Okay, we have the right to be supported in basic necessities. Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife? I don't believe that Paul's primary thought here is to defend the right of Apostles to marry, though that is certainly involved there. He's talking about leading about a wife in a ministry context and how those traveling ministers of the gospel, accompanied by their wives, should be supported by the churches. That's what he's referring to, that's the context as we go down here. only in Barnabas have we not power there's that word again to forbear working so the authority for financial support it's a legitimate thing then let it be the second point here the arguments for financial support the arguments for financial support and there are three or four of them three of them sorry three number one logical argument, the logical argument, verse 7. Notice that he presents three more questions and they're all self-explanatory. Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? Now you understand that without me explaining it don't you? What's the implied answer? Well essentially no one. You don't go to war at your own expense. It's quite legitimate, it's quite logical that if you're going to war, the government or the country that sent you will cover the cost of that and probably even pay you. Second question, who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Again, self-explanatory, you understand that? The picture of a vine dresser, or you could say a farmer, gardener, if you invest time into the cultivation of a vine, then it is perfectly legitimate for you to enjoy some of the fruit of that vine. What's the context? Support of gospel ministers, it's not wrong for the preacher to receive some financial support in return for his spiritual labors, that's totally reasonable, so there's a logical argument here. Third question, or who feedeth a flock? and eateth not of the milk of the flock.' You understand that tonight, even if you're not a farmer, a farmer is entitled to reap some benefit from his investment in the flock, whether it be sheep or goats, in the case of those dear fellows up at Maipo, okay? So, dear people, all right, So the point is simple here. It is a normal and legitimate thing for the laborer to reap some rewards for the investment of their time and energy. A soldier who goes to fight for his country does not do so at his own expense. He is paid for his sacrifice. It is perfectly reasonable that a vine dresser or herdsman will enjoy some of the fruits of his labor. Now I think that each of these illustrations are in many ways an apt description of the ministry. The ministry involves warring, working, Tending, leading and feeding. W.E. Vine writes, As the shepherd tends the flock, so the pastor sees to the spiritual welfare of those under his charge. Accordingly, as the soldier, the planter, the shepherd all expect maintenance as the results of their labors. So he who ministers the word has a right to expect to be maintained in view of the service he renders. And so it is important, Paul does make it very clear that this is the normal order of things and this is what is of God and what is to be expected and he reinforces this in other passages as we'll see. And it is important to understand God's heart and mind on that because there are some out there that object to the financial support of pastors or object to the financial support of missionaries. I've met them. Oh, well, if you're a missionary, you just go by faith and don't take any support from any churches. So the question I'd like to ask people who believe that, are you prepared to live that way? Are you prepared to give that a go? Well, if that was what the Bible presented, if it was unscriptural to take financial support, then we wouldn't do that. But it's very clear, Paul is making a clear logical argument, a clear case that this is what is meant to be. Okay? Now, so he gives the logical argument, and then number two, what I would call the scriptural arguments. Paul now appeals to the Old Testament to bolster his case. Look at verse 8 and 9, 8 through 10, read it with me on the count of two, one, two... So Paul appeals to really common knowledge or common logic. verse 7 with those three illustrations. Now he appeals to the Scriptures and he says well am I just saying these things as a man or does the law reinforce this? Does the law say the same thing? And then he gives a quotation in verse 9, for it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. So, Paul takes us back to this Old Testament quotation and I did mean to write down the reference, I believe it's in Deuteronomy, pardon? 25.4, thank you very much. How did you know that? Don't worry about it. Okay, Deuteronomy 25 verse 4, that's the command that Paul is referring to and it's actually, it's an interesting insight into the mind of God. And God commanded his people, if you're using the ox there to tread out the corn, and understand that the word corn, at the time the KJV was translated, was a broad term encompassing a lot of different grains. So the oxen were very often used to thresh out the corn, to thresh out the various grains, the various crops that they reaped from the fields there. And so it's an insight into the mind of God. God said that ox is working hard, Okay, and it's treading out the corn. They've probably got the ox, probably, you know, in some sort of pit, walking around and threshing out the corn. There's productivity, there's fruit as a result of the labors of the ox. And God said, you allow that ox to reap a little bit of the benefit from his labors along the way. And if you will let that ox, God didn't say this, but this is the result, if you let the ox eat some of the grain, well, he'll be a happier ox. he'll probably work well as well. So God said don't you muzzle him, don't stop that ox from eating some of that grain, you allow him to do that as he works and labours because you're getting a lot of benefit from the efforts of the ox. So how on earth is that what to do? Well, when you see your pastor, think ox, okay? No. No, Paul is using this as an illustration from the Old Testament because he says, he actually makes it very clear that God actually gave that command, not just for the oxen's sake, but for our sakes, that we might understand a principle. Paul is making it very clear that God gave this command, yes on one level to look after the beasts of the field there, but on a higher level God actually gave that command that we might understand something of his mind and might understand a principle for Christian ministry here. Now we understand that a preacher is not in the ministry for financial gain. In fact one of the qualifications of the past is that he is not to be greedy a filthy lucre. So don't get the idea tonight that the preacher should be in the ministry for what he can get. But the passage is simply teaching it's absolutely right and appropriate to give some financial aid to the men who are laboring in the work of the gospel. if they are sowing into you spiritual things, it's not wrong if they reap some material things back from you. Make sense? Right, so the Apostle Paul appeals to the same scriptural argument in 1st Timothy 5, you might like to turn there otherwise I'll read it to you, 1st Timothy 5 and verse 17 and 18 in relation to the support of diligent pastors. Listen to the words of Scripture here. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor. There's that laboring word, working word. In the Word and Doctrine, for, and here's the quotation again, to back up that argument, to back up the command, for the Scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the laborer is worthy of his reward. So, Paul in this passage quotes from the Old Testament, from the Deuteronomy 24-5 passage, he also quotes from a New Testament reference, so to bolster his argument here that faithful pastors should be supported in 1st Timothy chapter 5, he cites the Old Testament quotation from Deuteronomy and he also cites our Lord's teaching from the Gospels and you can look that up in Luke 10 verse 7 where basically you have the statement along those lines, that the labourer is worthy of his hire. I believe the exact words are from our Lord's lips. So God's Word is clear, from this passage faithful pastors should be respected and remunerated by the flock. That's quite clearly there in the passage, they're to be counted worthy of double honour, it's a mindset, counted, it's the way you think, okay, and dash out, not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn and the labourer is worthy of his reward. So these passages clearly refute the notion that it is wrong to pay a gospel preacher a salary. It refutes the idea, and this is a quite a common idea in some of the brethren circles, they're very against what they call paid ministry. But God's word is not against paid ministry, in fact it says that faithful elders are to be counted worthy of that. that they're to be qualified of course, they have to be ruling well and labouring in the word and doctrine, those are the qualifications. If the pastor is ruling well, that's his job in the house of God, he's a good overseer and then he's labouring, the word has the idea of to work to the point of exhaustion, and you say well how do I know? You will know. You will know if your pastor is feeding you from the word, it doesn't take too long to work out if the pastor's dishing up dish slops or feeding you solid food from God's word. And so that should motivate you, okay, in the right sense, not to... not this mega star preacher thing with a private jet and multi-million dollar house, and that's not what we're talking about. Just on a simple level, the heart of the flock should be, my pastor's investing in me spiritually, I want to help him financially. And this is not coming from any spirit of ungratefulness on my part, I know I can speak for Pastor Dan and I, we're very grateful as a church, you're very generous with us. and I'll commend you for that, we're very, very thankful for how you lovingly support us and very generously support us, so I'm not trying to get a pay rise by preaching this message tonight, okay? I'm just helping you though, because sometimes people do, sometimes if their attitude's not right, people can get their hackles up... again, I haven't sensed that spirit much here, but some people do, they really get quite carnal about the pastor's salary, you know, the hair on the back of the neck stands up, or they get hot under the collar, that shouldn't be, that should not be. It should be exactly as Paul says, if we've sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things? And he uses the word carnal there, not in a sinful sense, but in the sense of that which is material. So, be aware of that in case there's any doubt there or people might say, oh, did your pastor get paid a salary? I know that some groups, it's kind of like their badge of honour, our, you know, the Cooneyites, for example. That's one of the big things they'll challenge you on if you come across the Cooneyites. How many of you have heard of the Cooneyites? they're a cult, they deny the deity of Christ and other things but they believe you have to be a part of their group to go to heaven, they're quite conservative in certain aspects but anyway, that's one of the things they'll say to you, it is your past to get a salary, or our ministers don't take any salary, okay. Well that's going beyond the clear teachings of the Apostle Paul. Now Paul voluntarily gave that up within a certain context but he didn't have to, he's making it clear that this is a legitimate exercise of authority as it were, it's a legitimate thing and to be expected but he for reasons he will outline chose not to exercise that right in the Corinthian context from their church but took money from other churches. So... Okay, so we have an Old Testament quotation, then we have an Old Testament illustration and I'm going to get you to drop down to verse 13 and 14. Read it with me on the count of two, one, two. So, Again, very simple logic, and if you have an understanding of the Old Testament, you will know that the priests who served in the temple were sustained by temple offerings. True. They were allowed to take certain, and I can't give you all the detail off the top of my head here, but there are certain offerings, or certain portions of offerings, the priests were allowed to take, and the upkeep of the priesthood was by the freewill tithes, offerings, and obviously the sacrifices that were given by the people. So Paul makes it very clear. So he's again highlighting this principle here and by that illustration those who served in the temple were supported from the temple and then Deduction verse 14, those who are ordained, those which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. So the Lord has ordained the same principle to apply in the church age with ministers of the gospel. It's quite a strong word. God has ordained this, means to be appointed or commanded. So it is a biblical thing. In the church age, Paul says this principle carries over. In the Old Testament, those who served in the temple were sustained by the temple. And in like manner, those who are ministers of the gospel, they should be sustained there by really the support of God's people. Does that make sense? They which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. Very biblical thing to do. Now where does he say verse 11? Okay, I think I've talked about that already, if we've sown unto you spiritual things, yeah, he says in verse 11, if we've sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things? I spoke about that, didn't I? Okay, so clear sowing and reaping principle here for the ministry, the preacher invests in you spiritually, therefore it should not be a great thing to you or a big deal if he reaps some material support. Makes sense? So it's a two-way... in fact this is my next point, got lost in my notes there for a moment. So point number three, the reciprocal argument. So we have the logical argument, the scriptural arguments, Paul appeals to the Old Testament, and then number three in verse 11 and 12, the reciprocal argument. This is to be a reciprocal arrangement and the Apostle highlights here that the sowing and reaping principle applies to ministers of the gospel. It should not be a great thing or a big deal in our minds that spiritual support should be rewarded with financial support. Make sense? So the preacher invests in you and sows into you spiritually, And it should not be viewed as a great thing or a big deal, to put it in simple language, if he reaps some material support. Again, that's not his motive. He's not there to enrich himself, the humble man of God, but it is absolutely appropriate to have that reciprocal arrangement where the preacher's investing in you and you support him. And that's very biblical. There's another verse that really reinforces this. communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. So you say, who are those who have been taught in the word? Well, that's you. If you're sitting under a faithful ministry, you're being taught in the word and you are to communicate and you study that word, it doesn't mean just to verbally communicate. You're to communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things, has the idea of communication in the sense of material support, as I understand the word there. So again, it's that two-way street. Okay, faithful men investing in you spiritually and then you having a heart to ease his financial burdens and it's a wonderful arrangement that God has ordained. And then Paul pointed out that if other ministers, verse 12, were free to exercise such authority over them then how much more Paul and his ministry associates. If others be partakers of this power over you, ah not we rather, but he says nevertheless we have not used this power but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. So Paul makes it very clear in this passage that the support of gospel ministers is appropriate, he makes it clear it is right, 1st Timothy 5, you look at that passage, very clear exhortation, very clear command, that labour is worthy of his hire, but as we will see in our next message, Paul within this particular context chose to forego that, in order to achieve a higher purpose and rather take support, his financial support from other churches as he planted the church at Corinth and so Paul's doing a couple of things here, he's defending his apostleship, he's laying out a very clear scriptural scriptural framework for the support of gospel preachers and then he will share his own personal testimony, again in defense really of his apostleship, as to why he chose to forego that support from the Corinthian church in that particular context. leave it there for tonight and we'll come back to that God willing in our next message as we continue to look into that chapter and what the Lord would have us to learn. So maybe a concluding question in light of tonight's message for you to ponder on is, do you have a scriptural view of the financial support for God's men? and it's a very biblical thing, as I said Paul was not against financial support of gospel ministers, he makes that very clear in that passage and makes it very clear even in that example because he took wages from other churches, so Paul was not against paid ministry, it's right and if you have faithful men then you should have that desire. Lord we thank you tonight for your word and we thank you that your word covers everything that we need And we thank you Lord for the overall picture here of Paul's willingness to surrender his rights at times for the good of others and we pray that we would in like manner be prepared to yield our rights Lord and to be very focused as we will see on the salvation of the lost that we might by all means save some. So bless us now as we go our separate ways as we close this service, Amen.