Corinthians chapter 9 tonight. Look at me at verse number 1. The Bible 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, yet doubtless I am to you. For the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. My answer to them that do examine me is this, have you not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister or wife as well as other apostles and as the brethren of the Lord in Cephas? Or I only in Barnabas have not we power to forbear working. Who goeth to warfare any time at his own charges? Who planteth the vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? And who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? Or sayeth not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care of oxen? Or God take care for oxen? Or sayeth he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt this is written. That he that ploweth should plow in hope, and that he that thresheth in hope shall be a 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 unto about the 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 have used none of these things, neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me. For it would be better for me to die than that any man should make my glorying void. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me, what is my reward then? Verily that when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do thank you again for tonight. Thank you, Lord, that, Lord, you are a faithful friend to us, Lord, you never will leave us, you never will forsake us, Lord, that wherever we go, God, whatever we face, Lord, you're going to be with us. I do ask you tonight, Lord, as we get into the word of God, would you make it clear to us tonight, make it personable, God, put it on our level tonight, Lord, in our hearts and our ears. And Lord, just thank you, Lord, that we have a guidebook. We have something, God, that we can, Lord, build upon our lives or we can operate the church and run the church, Lord, according to the word of God, Lord. And we thank you tonight, Lord, that we're not just shooting from the hip trying to figure things out, Lord, but you are, Lord, guiding us and directing us, God. I'm thankful, Lord, that our church is founded upon and is gonna stand upon the word of God. And just ask us tonight, Lord, that you'd just simply help us one more time. Would you help me behind the cross of Calvary, God, in and out of myself. with your spirit to use me one more time for your glory make preaching God what you desire it to be this evening God and I'll be careful to give you the glory and all the praise Lord I love you and I thank you in Jesus name we pray amen and amen we're picking back up here in first Corinthians chapter number nine we I think we took a break from it last week I tell you what that Tuesday service messed me up and threw off my whole calendar, all that kind of stuff. I was telling the Lord sorry for not going to midweek service last week, and I was reminded that I did go. I just went on a Tuesday. But Tuesday to Sunday seemed like an eternity, just out of my natural rhythm. But we come back tonight. We're back in Paul's press conferences. He's asking questions that have been directed towards him and given to him from those believers in the church at Corinth. And he's been answering those as we've been going through these past few chapters of the book of Corinthians. He's answered them honestly. He's answered them respectfully. He's answered them thoroughly, he's answered them correctly, and seeing that it is possible because he's been inspired by the Holy Ghost as he's given these answers. His answers have not been swayed by public opinion, nor have they been swayed by personal acceptance, right, of wanting to be accepted by those at the Church of Corinth, or for personal gain, which means when you answer questions honestly, respectfully, and as they ought to be answered, that means you're not always going to make people happy. and they're not always gonna like your answers, but it's easier to go to bed at night knowing that you've told someone the truth, you've told it respectfully, you've told it honestly, you've told it in love, but that does sometimes cause people to not like you. And we're gonna see here tonight that there's this question that's been posed to Paul, and we don't have it directly tonight, but it's almost as if like chapter number nine, you could easily begin to say, man, who's Paul mad at? Who is Paul aggravated with? And the reality is, the question's been posed, and it's something that Paul deals with not just here, but in some other epistles that he deals with in his ministry. And it's those asking Paul, why should we listen to you? Out of all the people that we ought to listen to, Paul, why should we listen to you? What credentials do you have? What authority do you have that we ought to listen to you or allow what you tell us to be what we are going to build our lives upon, how we're going to run the church, and how we're going to operate as a church? It's as if they're accusing the man who literally God used to bring the gospel to Corinth, that had God not sent Paul there and allowed Paul to go there, well, there would never have been a church started and all that kind of stuff. And now they're stepping back and saying, why do we got to listen to you? You know, what authority do you have that we must listen to what you're telling us here? And one of the things we can take away from Paul's response to that is that a well-expressed and reasoned explanation goes a lot farther. than an angry, hastily response, an accusatory rebuttal. And so let's listen to the next part of Paul's press conference as he answers the question, why should we listen to you? Why should we listen? Notice from one tonight, Paul's rhetorical questions. How many of y'all like rhetorical questions? I like them as long as I'm not the one being asked. When I'm doing the asking, I like rhetorical questions. But when we are being asked that, we often realize that they're trying to get a point across here. And Paul could have easily, and he does this in a different epistle, that he lines out All these things that he has done for Christ and what God has allowed him to do, not bragging, but just simply saying that he has allowed the grace of God to work in his life and God has used him in a mighty way. But Paul doesn't list credentials here in verses one and two because he's trying to belittle those at Corinth, but he's trying to help them to realize exactly who God has sent to them and who God has allowed to come into their life. allowed to do these things there at the Church of Corinth. But rather, instead of just saying, well, I've done this, I've done this, I've done this, I've done—he doesn't send them a resume, but he asks them questions. One, he knows the answer to them, but he also knows that those at Corinth know the answer to them. In essence, this is not new information, right? Paul's not saying, like, well, I Am I an apostle? I don't know. Am I free? I don't know. But no, he's saying, if you answer these questions honestly, then you're going to realize that God has placed me here and God is using me to be a help and a blessing to you. So rather he puts them in a form of question, not because he wasn't sure, but he knew as they answered those questions, they'd come to the right realization. And so question number one here is, was Paul an apostle? Well, of course he was. Now, we see it back, you know, 2,000 years of history later on, we would no doubt question that tonight. But Paul is being questioned, is he an apostle? In the Bible, and he's going to say later to the church at Corinth, yes, I am an apostle. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5, 15, 8. And last of all, he was seen of me also as of one born out of due time." Right? And an apostle for the Lord Jesus Christ. His experience, his calling was different, no doubt, from the original ones that walked with Christ, but Paul meets the qualifications of an apostle there in the first century church. So yes, was Paul an apostle? Yes, he was. Was Paul free? Well, yes, he was, right? He wasn't being forced to do this. God wasn't dragging him along and making him do this as some kind of slave. No, Paul had made the choice to choose to follow Christ and to serve the Lord. He wasn't being forced in this position, but chose to do so. So was Paul free? Yes. Was Paul an apostle? Yes. Had Paul seen the Lord? Yes. Had Paul seen the Lord? Yes, he had. In Acts chapter 9, verse number 5, we see Paul's testimony of his salvation. And the Bible said right there, and he said, unto who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And so tonight, you say, well, preacher, that's just Jesus speaking to Paul. Which is interesting, though, you go down, further down into the chapter, down to verse number 17, and we know that God sends Ananias to Paul, after Paul's salvation, to disciple Paul and to pray for Paul and to be a blessing to Paul. Ananias, no doubt, he's cautious towards it, because this is not just Paul, this is also Saul of Tarsus, who has murdered Christians and all that kind of stuff. Well, Ananias goes anyway, and here's what Ananias says in verse number 17. Ananias went his way and entered into the house, putting his hands on him and said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee. Right? And then Paul said right there in chapter number 15, I seen the Lord. And so those oftentimes that characteristic, that requirement of an apostle was one who had seen the Lord, had laid their eyes on the Lord and We understand the original ones, right? We see that there. They walked with him, they talked with him. But Paul has had a similar, although slightly different experience. He has meets those qualifications of being an apostle. He himself had seen the Lord. And had Paul stopped right there in verse number one, stopped right there with that third question, have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Right, he has made a case for being an apostle. He has made a good case for being an apostle. He's met the qualifications there. There's no question about that. And having a place of authority in the early church. But notice the last question in verse number one. Paul leaves it in the lap of the believers there at Corinth. He said, are not ye my work in the Lord? Are you not yourselves evidence of that God has called me and God has anointed me and God has appointed me to this special position, are you not evidence of that? Right, and so this question leaves it right there in the lap of the church at Corinth in these believers, well because if they say no, well now they're denying everything the Lord's done for them. But if they come to realize, yes, there is a work of the Lord that has been started here because God has used Paul. It helps them to realize that Paul is a position and a person of authority here in the local church and here in the first century church. So those believers either, they could have questioned the first three, right? They might not have been there. They might've heard it secondhand. They might've just heard it when Paul came into Corinth for the first time, preached the gospel, shared his testimony. They might not have been there. But they had been there when the Lord saved them. They had been there when the Lord began to work in Corinth and began to build that church there. And so Paul said, is it not evidenced among you that God used me to do a great work here at Corinth? And that had God not sent me here, well, none of this would have happened. And so Paul makes these rhetorical questions and gets his point across to them that, yes, I am, why should you listen to me? And it's not that Paul is some great, that he just makes up God's word itself. God is using Paul, God's speaking through Paul. But God said, listen, you ought to listen to me because God has qualified me and God has appointed me. Therefore, it would do you good to listen to me. to take heed to what I'm saying to you. And so we have to ask ourselves, could we say the same thing tonight? I know that I've been faithful in the area of discipling others, helping grow someone else's faith in their walk in Christ, along with my own personal relationship with Christ. But have I reached out, have I helped to disciple other believers in a way that when there was a doubt, why should I listen to you? I continue to allow you to influence my life." Well, look back at your life and look at God's word that I've given to you and I've helped you to understand. Has God not worked in your life? And if he has, then please allow me, continue to have that influence and that encouraging place in your life to teach you. And that's not just from the past of the people, that's from each and every Christian tonight. That there ought to be people that we've invested in that we can look back and say, God has done a work in their life. And therefore, not because we want selfish gain, not because we want glory, we want God to work in folks' life and God to build them up. But we can look back and say, listen, if I told you from God's Word before and it worked, why not continue to... listen to God's Word as it's given to you. So, Paul asked some rhetorical questions. You know, am I this? Am I that? And he knows the answer to it and so do the church at Corinth. He said, now listen to me. Here's why you ought to listen to me. One, he gives them some questions. Number two, Paul's answer to examination. Paul's answer to examination. Look at verse number three. My answer to them that do examine me is this. Right? Now, if Paul would have been from Hephazabah, he would have said, go run and tell this. Go run and tell them. Right? Here, those that got questions, those that are examining me, it's so interesting, and listen, Paul is graceful, and Paul is a mature believer, and we can see here tonight through the writings that God uses that I wouldn't have handled this like Paul. I'd have been sarcastic, I'd have been aggravated. I probably would have said things that I later had to go back and say, I'm sorry for the way that I said that. Right, because here is a church that is not willing to examine themselves and the sin that they've been committing and the craziness they've been allowing. Oh, we're gonna examine Paul to make sure he's worthy to tell us what to do. I'd have said, hold on a second. And every word after that probably would not have been right. But Paul said, hey, go tell them this. Right, those who are examining me, he said, go tell them this. And he's got some more questions. Paul, you know, God uses Paul, but it's some wonderful, wonderful ideas and thoughts that are given to us tonight that these questions, man, the answer to them, it's building upon a principle here. And Paul is that, we talked about this, you know, Paul was that, had that lawyer style that he backs you up into a corner and he kind of leaves it there and you just realize he's right, right? And you can argue with him all you want to, but you're not going to win, right? You're not going to come out on top because he's simply right. So he asked, do we not have power to eat and drink, right? Here's what Paul said, as an apostle, right, as one of an authority, am I allowed to eat and drink? Am I allowed to eat food that is necessary to live and drink liquids that are necessary to survive? Of course you are, Paul. You're allowed to do that. He goes on to say in verse number five, have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as others, apostles, as the brethren of the Lord, and a Cephas? All right, do we understand that God has a schedule and a system of authority? That there are those that take positions of authority, whether it's in the church, whether it's in the home, whether it's on the job. Authority is, listen, preacher, I don't like authority, I don't want anything to do with it. Well, you're gonna have a hard time living life. Right, because no matter where we are, no matter what situation we're in, whether it's in the church, in the world at home, there is a system of authority. And God designed it that way. God is the supreme authority. Everything else falls underneath him. But in the home, God has established an authority system. All right, a chain of command in that sense. And Paul's saying, is that right? Are we supposed to, are we allowed to have authority, positions of authority? And of course we are. This world would be chaos if there was no authority. Right, imagine if you showed up on Sunday morning and you just walked in, you say, all right, what are we going to do? I don't know. Whatever we're going to do, we're going to do it. Right? And that would be utter chaos. Right? So authority is a good thing. So Paul is making, yes, I'm allowed to eat. Yes, people are allowed to be in authority. People are allowed to have leadership positions. And then he goes on to say in verse number, verse number Six, or I only in Barnabas have not we power to forebear working. And so if it's good for everybody else, if everybody else is allowed to eat, if all the apostles are allowed to eat and drink, and some are allowed to marry, and some are in positions of authority, and there are some that are being supported financially, and those that are being supported so they can continue to do the work of God, is it okay for them to do that, but then me and Barnabas have to be the only ones that work? So now we're starting to see tonight that this question isn't just so much, why should we listen to you, Paul, but why should we continue to support you? Or why should we support you? Why can't you just go get a real job, Paul? Why can't you just be bivocational? Why can't you just support yourself? Why should we have to do this along with you? And so it's like someone's taking offense to Paul. in Barnabas, right? Just going around starting churches and living off the support of those churches. How dare you? Why should we have to do this? And so the original question of why should we listen to you has an additional caveat, which is why should we support you instead of you supporting yourselves? And so Paul answers that question. In verse number 7 Paul says, living off what you labor in is sensible. It makes sense. Look at verse number 7 and 9. Who goeth to warfare any time at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? And who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Right, that's interesting. You ever ate milk? It had to have been goat's milk or something, right? But notice here, that is sensible to live off where you labor, right? And so he gives us these questions here in verse number seven tonight. What person goes to warfare? What king leads a country into warfare with only the guns in his house? No, he uses the charges and he uses those of his country and those of his nation, right? And so he uses those where he's labored, where he's led. He uses those to go to war. What keeper of the vineyard, right, doesn't every now and again sneak a grape or drink of the juice of his vineyard or his vine? That's acceptable, right? How many of y'all grew a garden this year? Did you give everything away? Or did you keep some for yourself? That's sensible, right? That's where you labored at. You spent $45 to get one zucchini. Right, and so it's sensible to not. And he goes on to say, what shepherd doesn't drink or eat of the milk of his own flock? Where he labors at, where he works at, where he's invested at, it is okay for it's, Paul said it makes sense. Right, this is not some crazy idea. He said it makes sense for those to live off where they're laid. First of all, it's sensible. Verses eight and nine, not only is it sensible, but we see it's scriptural. Look at verse number eight to nine. Say I these things as a man, or sayeth not the law the same also. Then he goes in verse number nine, for written in the law, right, of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the ox, or the mouth of the ox, that tradeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? or saith he altogether for our sakes. Right, so he gives another example. And he goes, listen, am I just coming up with this? Even though I think he's made enough sense in the first three examples. But he goes, this isn't just me. God set it up this way. Let's go back to the law of Moses. Paul said, you can argue with me all you want to. Good luck arguing with God. He said, let's go back to the law of Moses and see if God is for, God is against someone living off where they labor. And we're gonna see it or not. Notice the imagery here is an ox grinding corn in the millstone, right? It's being treaded out. It's being turned into gristle or it's being turned into grit in that sense or flour. And the law of Moses says that ox ought not to be muzzled. What do you mean? What does that mean, preacher? In essence, it was not right for the owner of the mill to starve the ox while he was making gains off the ox, where the ox was laboring and working. And so he said, you ought not to muzzle the ox. It is absolutely okay for that ox to walk around while he's grinding out corn to get a few bites himself. Think about it this way. Here it is, I'm gonna keep this oxen from eating a couple handfuls of corn while he's making me tons of flour. Right, and so Paul said, listen, God set it up this way. It doesn't make sense to muzzle the ox, to starve the ox while they're laboring where they're supposed to labor. So preacher, what if the ox just eats corn and doesn't do any labor? Get rid of the ox. Right? And get an ox that's not afraid to work. But don't muzzle him. Right? Don't starve him and expect him to be happy. Don't starve him and expect him to be productive. Don't starve him and expect him to enjoy his labor. Right? Listen, you keep starving the ox in that sense, man, an ox just gets mad. I don't want to be in the way of an ox. That is mad. But listen, not only is it sensible, but not only is it also scriptural, and so Paul was saying, listen, us desiring a carnal thing, and not that it's a worldly thing, but us asking for a supply of a physical need or a physical necessity that we have. He said, one, it makes sense, but two, he said there's a scriptural backing behind this. Does God not take care of the oxen, or does God take care of the oxen, what it says? If God cares about an animal, making sure they're taken care of properly tonight, how much more would he care about those whom he has called to serve him in his church? to make sure that they're being taken care of tonight. Not only is it sensible, not only is it scriptural, notice this, living off of your labor causes and brings satisfaction. Look at verse number 10. We're saith he altogether for our sakes. For our sakes, no doubt, Paul just answers no question. He didn't do it just for the oxen. He did it for those who are serving the Lord. Those who are in those positions of authority. No doubt this is written that he that ploweth should plow in hope. Right, and that he that threshes the hope shall be a partaker of his hope. Imagine tonight that all you ever did was plow, but you never seen any fruit, you never seen any growth. Well, guess what? You'd become very discouraged. Right, you spend your $45 and you don't get your one zucchini. Right, and that happens year after year after year after year after year. You know what you're gonna say? I quit. I'm done with this, right? There's no hope here, right? But as long as there's even a spring, a spring, a sprinkling, an inkling, you know, we've grown gardens before, and we go out there, we work the ground, or nowadays, we put it all in five-gallon buckets, and we plant the seed, and we watch. We watch. And that first little leaf comes out of the ground. I'm excited. Oh, just a moment, just a few more days and we'll be picking tomatoes or be picking sugar snap pea, whatever it may be, right? We'll get so, because there's just a little ounce of hope. We see the smallest growth and we become excited. And so what Paul's saying here is, listen, not only is it sensible, not only is it scriptural, but when a man invests or a person invests in somebody else, and there's a recognition of it, and there's an appreciation of it, and there's a sprinkling of hope, he realizes his plowing is not in vain. His plowing has a purpose, and it may not be the biggest tree in the orchard, it may not be the greatest success in history, but when you see hope, it's saying, I wanna keep plowing. I wanna keep working, I wanna keep doing what God has called me to do. See, oftentimes, I know some of y'all, when I got these verses, oh, preacher gonna fix us all about money tonight, but the reality is this evening, right, there's so much more to that. Can I say tonight, you wanna know what blessed my heart on Tuesday night? The pie blessed my heart, but more than that. They said, really preacher, that's it? That's all you came for? No. But listen to y'all testify how God was using his word and working in your life and how you've studied it now and you've got into it and you've dug into it and God's answered and God's worked and God's shown you things. Can I say that is hope? That makes me want to plow even more. And it may not always be fun plowing, but plowing's plowing, and plowing's gotta get done if you want something to grow. But when I see something grow, it's like, man, thank you, Lord. I mean, I lost my mind, I was discouraged, and God said, why don't you just hush and listen? Right, because just a little bit of hope goes a long way. Listen, I know the majority of our sports teams in here, a little hope goes a long way. A little hope goes a long way. And so notice here tonight, Paul said when there is a reaction or there's an appreciation shown, saying, listen, and using Paul as an example, Paul, thank you so much for coming and preaching the gospel. I don't know where my family would be, Paul. I don't know where we'll be at tonight, I don't know what we'll be going through, but Paul, you came and preached the gospel, and God saved us, we believed him, we trusted him, he changed our life, and Paul, we understand that God is calling you away, and we can't go there with you, and Paul, I know it's not much, but here's a gift. Paul said when there's that appreciation, when there's that inkling of hope, right, there's an encouragement to continue to plow. Look at verse number 11 tonight. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, it is a great thing if you shall reap your carnal things. If a man sows and plows and labors in the spiritual, it only makes sense to have the carnal physical needs met as best as possible. as best as possible tonight. And so we see her tonight when there's this appreciation, when there's this thank you in a sense, and it doesn't have to be money. Listen, you can cook a dinner, those kind of things. And I'm not just talking about me tonight. Think about it this way. When's the last time we on purpose showed appreciation to someone who's invested spiritually and greatly into our life? I don't have money to go buy them a gift card. You can write them a letter. I know stamps are going up, but they're still under a dollar, I think. And listen, I can't speak for everybody, but a handwritten note goes a whole lot farther than an email and a text message. Right, to take the time to show that appreciation. Hey, I wanna let you, thank you for plowing in my life. I wanna let you know your plowing's not in vain. I wanna let you know that what you invested in me, what you taught me, what you showed me, it has brought forth fruit in my life, and thank you for that. Paul said it brings satisfaction. right to those who have done the plowing. When's the last time you went to someone who has invested in the labor of your life spiritually and gave them some kind of tangible, something they can hold on to? Well, preacher, they just know that. I don't have to say they just know it, preacher, but like I said, when you hand them something, bake them some cookies and take it to them. I just wanna tell you thank you for investing in my life. Not only are they gonna like the cookies, but you're gonna help them and encourage them. Right? We don't understand how far that goes. And someone's like, it'll encourage them to continue plowing and treading and hope. Cause I realized my labor and our labor is not in vain, that God is making a difference and God is working and God is moving. And so here Paul was saying, listen, those gifts that you were going, you give, he said, they are an encouragement to me. They are a help to me. They helped me continue to plow and keep doing what God has called me to do. And then notice at number three tonight, Paul's explained reasoning. verses 12 through 18. Paul explains, he's made his point. It makes sense for those to live, those who labor to live off where they labor. He said it's scriptural. It is, you know, it brings a true satisfaction. And so Paul said, listen, we have, I don't want to say the right, but we have, there's nothing wrong. with having that expectation. There's nothing wrong with having those needs met. And so Paul has made his case. He's proven his point. He's answered those answers to the question that was given to him with common sense in the scriptures. And in verses 12 through 14, Paul simply says, even though I could have done so, even though I would not have been wrong to ask, Paul said, I didn't. I wouldn't have been wrong to expect. Notice what it says right there in verse number 12. Nevertheless, we have not used this power, right? We have not used this power, but suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Paul said, not only did we not ask this, let me tell you why we didn't ask this. Imagine how awkward it would have been if Paul would have showed up to Corinth and said, hey, I'm gonna preach the gospel to y'all, but before you do, you gotta make sure you pay me a salary. That'd be awkward. And so Paul understood, listen, when I showed up in Corinth, I was there to preach the gospel knowing that God was gonna save folks, God was gonna build a church there, God was gonna start a church there, and there was gonna be a need that was gonna rise later on, and here's how you deal with it. Here's how you make sure that it's right. And so he said, listen, I could have, and I'd have been right in doing so, and wouldn't have been wrong in doing so. He said, but we did not. We did not do so, because we did not wanna hinder the gospel from going out. Paul in essence is saying, listen, y'all needed the gospel more than you know how the church is supposed to operate at the moment. Right? What good is knowing how a church is supposed to operate if you don't know the gospel? Right? And so Paul lays it out for him. And so he explains, I could have, we could have, but we did not. Then Paul goes into further depths of his reasoning as to why he didn't do this. One, he didn't want to enter the gospel, but notice verse number 15 and nine, he didn't want to be mislabeled. Look at verse number 15. Paul said he did not want the optics of being one who was in it for the money or selfish reasons. Look at verse number 15. But I have used none of these things, neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me. Paul said, I'm not writing this because I want you to send me a love offering. Paul's not, I'm not explaining this to you because I feel like you owe me some kind of money. He said, I didn't get in it for money. I didn't get in it for fame. I didn't get in it for glory. He said, I don't want to be misled. He said, I'm making it real clear to you, I could have and you ought to, but I'm not expecting that from you right now. I'm not demanding, and this is Paul said, I'm not going to be sitting here in my prison cell eventually thinking, I'll tell you what, I'd be happy once the Corinthians finally send me a love offering. That's not Paul's heart behind it. He don't want to be mislabeled about this. He goes on to say in verse number 15, that it should be so done unto me, for it were better for me to die than any man should make my glory. Paul said, I'd rather die. and then be found and be pointed out and be made out that I'm just in it for glory, that I'm just in it for myself. Paul said, I'd rather die than be mislabeled or to mislabel the gospel. So he didn't want to be mislabeled, notice this, verse number 16, he viewed his ministry as a necessity. Look at verse number 16. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. It's a necessity. Paul said, I'm not doing this so I can draw a paycheck. I'm not doing this so I can get a love offering. I'm not doing this so some sweet person bakes me cookies. He said, I'm doing this because I need to. It is a necessity in my life to woe unto me. It's not that God was gonna strip Paul's salvation away if he didn't do it. Paul said, I've thought about every circumstance where I don't and I can't think of a good outcome if I don't preach the gospel. I need to. Woe unto me if I don't. Right, so Paul viewed his ministry as a necessity. Let me ask you now, how do you view your ministry? Those that you minister to. Is it convenience? When I can, I will. Or is it a necessity? If I don't do what God desires me to do, woe unto me. I can't think of any good positive outcomes if I don't do what God has called me to. Then verse number 17 and 18, Paul said, listen, keep your reward, I already have one. I'm not writing this so you send me something. I'm writing this so you know where my heart is, where I stand, and I already have my reward. Look at verse number 17, for if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me, what is my reward then? Verily that when I preach the gospel, I may take the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. Here's what Paul's saying, if I do it willingly, well, I already have my reward. I already have it. I get to serve the Lord. I get to bring glory and honor to his name. I get to tell the glorious gospel to those." And he said, if I do it out of obligation or as a job, he said, this dispensation of the gospel has been committed to, if I just view it as a job, my reward is merely that which I'm paid. I'm only going to do it if it's got a good love offering, if it's got a good salary, if it's got a good benefit system. I'm only going to do it then whether it's your reward. Paul says, so if I do it as an obligation, if I do it as mere as a job, yes, the gospels can go forth, but I'm selling out for a cheap reward. Paul said, I already have my reward. Now that I get to glorify the Lord. What was his reward? That he could say that he had preached the gospel without charge, without abuse. That he had taken advantage of the authority that God had given him. Why should we listen to you, Paul? Paul said, because I'm in it for the right reasons. Paul, why should we support you? Because it makes sense. And that's what God designed it to. But Paul said, even if you don't, I'm still going to do what God told me to do. Because that's what I'm in it for him and for nobody else. Let me ask you, would you be a better Christian? Would you be more faithful to your studying the word of God, reading the word of God, serving the Lord? Would you be more faithful to it if there was some kind of compensation attached to it? If you got up every morning and God said, listen, if you read my word, I'll give you $100 a day. Oh, preacher, I'd do it then. Don't tell on yourself tonight. If the answer would be yes, would you be okay with knowing that your love of money is greater than your love for the Lord? I mean, Paul hits us in the heart tonight. Why do I do what I do? Is it for an earthly award? Yes, it is a blessing when you give those out. But if that's what you're looking for, and that's what you're expecting, and that's what's going to require for you to do what God wants you to do, well, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Preacher, why do you do what you do? Because God saved me. God changed my life. Preacher, why do you desire to raise your kids right and to teach them and to train them right? Is it because you want them to make sure you get taken care of instead of going to the nursing home? Well, that'd be wonderful. Do you want them to be successful and, you know, pay your retirement? That'd be great. Preacher, why do you desire it? Because God saved me. God saved me. Why do you desire, why do you do what you want? Because God saved me. And any moment I stray from that, any moment I start to entertain those ideas, I'm going in the wrong direction. Thank God for the blessings. Thank God for the rewards. Thank God for those who have encouraged and helped along the way. Thank God for tangible rewards. Thank God for every love offering. Thank God for every blessing you've given to me tonight. But if you didn't give it to me, my heart is settled. I'm still going to serve him. and I'm still gonna live for him. I don't wanna be one who is motivated by money. Right, because money's money. You'll have today, be gone tomorrow. But Jesus saved my soul for all of eternity. And so tonight, why should we listen to Paul? Because Paul makes sense. And Paul had the spirit of God on him. And why should we do what we do? Because we love the Lord tonight. Simple, plain as that. Anything else, any other motivation, just chunk it. Do it because you loved them or because you love them to not.