The Simplicity In Christ Jesus - [2 Corinthians 11:1-4]

The Purpose of Our Lives Is to Glorify God

Well, since we last met here, hundreds and yet thousands of folks have gone off into eternity. And yet the Lord has been pleased to allow us to remain for a little short while. And we are grateful for that and thankful for every moment that the Lord gives us here upon Earth to be the lights, as our pastor has been teaching us about, to be the salt, to shine for a period of time for not the purpose that people would look at us and think something great of us, but that they might look and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Our lives are of him and through him and to him are all things. Everything that we do, Paul wrote the Corinthian church in the first Corinthians chapter 10, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

And the idea is, is that folks would boast in Christ, that they would look to him. And I mean, they might look at us and see something's been done in our lives that is wonderful, that is amazing. But of course, ultimately, we know and what we ought to try to portray to them is, is that we would not be who we are and what we are and we would not speak or behave or act in the way that we do other than the grace of God, other than God taking us to be his very own and changing our hearts and making us his dear people.

Let's before we come to the study this morning, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father, we do thank you and and we do praise you for the wonder of life. We understand that we are frail creatures, Lord, we're clay pots and our lives are very brief.

Your word describes it in such a way that it is like faster than the weaver's shuttle. And Lord, our, our days are fleeting by and yet our times are in our God's hands. And we can trust you and we do and we look to you, Lord, even in this moment when we want to just sit before your word and to be taught.

Lord God, that you would open up our hearts, that that we would learn, that we would grow, that we would be challenged and that we would not be satisfied to stay the way that we are, but to be always pressing forward, to be always wanting to learn and to know more so that we would live a better testimony for Christ here upon earth, that people would speak well of him.

And so we ask that you would take this time and please make it profitable for our souls and give us something to speak about in our hearts internally as we meditate upon this truth and and Lord also that we might speak one to another to encourage each other in the things of God and the struggles of of life and just to be able to encourage each other to go on.

So help us not to be caught in mediocrity but to go on and excel and to grow and to be changed and Lord we know we need to be changed. Forgive us our sins even this day and bless us we would pray in Jesus name.

Amen. If you would turn with me please to the book of 2nd Corinthians. We're going to have a study this morning in the first few verses of 2nd Corinthians in chapter 11. Excuse me. When our children were very young, and of course I don't think it ever really stops, but I know when they were very young and you would walk with them in public especially in a place where there was a busy street, you would always be careful to hold their hand or to let them know or warn them of something that was coming because you were because we I mean we cared about them and we didn't want any harm to come to them.

False Apostles and Another Gospel in Corinth

And in this chapter 2nd Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul is helping, warning his dear children spiritually. The Corinthian church. This is a church where Paul had labored amongst and the gospel had come to them and God had saved people and a church was established and yet there were things that were happening at that time and the ministry of the apostle Paul whenever he would go around preaching and God would open hearts and people would be converted and lives would be changed and Paul would go on to the next city, what would happen many times is people would come right behind him on the tails of his leaving that area and they would come with false teaching.

They would come with their self-righteousness and pride and many of these were so-called apostles leaders from Jerusalem and what they would come in and try to do is of course get a gathering amongst themselves for power for control or for pride whatever whatever reason and they and they would teach false doctrine.

They would come behind Paul and say Paul says it's all of grace and that's good and it's Christ yes and it's it's wonderful but and you gotta you have to be careful anytime you hear it's only Jesus and then somebody says but what is going to follow is probably very dangerous and they would come and they would say yes you need to believe in Christ but you also need to adhere to the law or you need to be circumcised you need to add something to Jesus this salvation in Jesus because it can't be I mean it just can't be just that you know we believe that you must have these other additional things to make it complete to make it to fit the message that they were trying to speak of and the apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 11 notice in verse 4 he says for he that come that cometh pre pre he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom you have not whom we have not preached or if you receive another spirit which you have not received or another gospel which you have not accepted you might well bear with him here he's saying there's another Jesus another spirit another gospel and that's what these people were teaching another Jesus and and and there's no difference today in the day in which we live I mean people teach and and portray another Jesus that is not the Jesus of the Bible it's quite.

I mean we see this in many of the various religions uh that are around us saying that he's not the son of God or he does not have the power to save or he can save and he can bring you up to this point but you you know you can forgive your sins up to this point but you must take care of the sins afterwards or I mean he Jesus never was the eternal son of God.

And on and on and on there there is another Jesus that is being uh perpetrated then in the New Testament time and today not only another Jesus but but another spirit. And he says another gospel. I mean this this reminds us of course of of Galatians chapter one when Paul was warning that region he's you know that that somebody had somebody had beguiled them somebody had he uses in the word in the King James bewitched them to take them away from the gospel of Jesus Christ to another gospel to try to convince them that what they had already received was not good enough.

It wasn't the message it wasn't the gospel. And Paul says in Galatians 1 if any man comes to you preaching another gospel let him be a curse let him be anathema. Because because there is no other gospel there is only one gospel it's the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's the gospel of salvation through through faith alone by grace alone in Jesus Christ. And the same thing was happening in Corinth. These dear people that the apostle Paul loved and cared about were having these false apostles come and and deliver this message to try to take under themselves the following.

And Paul was adamantly opposed to this. And Paul cared for these people. And you will see this in in as we as we look through the the study this morning there are times when those folks would come supposedly from Jerusalem bearing credentials bearing letters supposedly uh showing and proving that they were the true teachers that they were the true apostles.

And when Paul begins this chapter he says I I hope you can bear with me in my folly. He's saying I hope you can I hope you can just put up with me a little bit in foolishness of what I'm going to have to do here.

And what he's going to have to do is he's going to have to show them and vindicate his apostleship. He's going to have to declare to them that um that he is an one of the apostles sent from God with the only true message.

And he does this often in the in the epistles. If you read through you'll notice he'll say he'll say things that they say this about me. But let me tell you God is the one who did this marvelous work in my life.

God is the one who revealed his son Jesus Christ to me. God is the one I didn't get it from the other apostles. You remember at the beginning of his testimony he did not spend time with them. He was off in the desert he was learning and and as it he was directly receiving revelation and truth from God and God was equipping him for the ministry that that he would have throughout all of this region.

And in this first um in this first um verse here what he is saying and what has happened is is that it appears as if that the Corinthian church has accepted the claims of false apostles. They have received them they've listened to them.

They're hearing their false message. And they have um laid some credence to these people that what they have been teaching is correct. And they've opened up themselves to that teaching and that authority of these false apostles.

And though Paul did not want to commend himself because you'll see that at the end of of chapter at the end of chapter 10 he says um let's see in in chapter 10 he says in verse 12 for we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves.

So there's some people that put themselves forward. There's some people that have as Jesus said in John chapter 10 they have not come into the sheepfold the proper way. They've come in over the wall stealthy deception crafty subtlety with man's philosophy with this false teaching and they basically promoted themselves.

They've said we're pastors we're teachers we're apostles. But they're not apostles of God. They're not teachers of God. And they come in with this false message and they commend themselves. They put themselves forward.

And Paul says we're not that type of people those people they they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves among themselves. They're not wise he said because how it ought to be done and all the boasting and all the all the promotion and all the putting into the ministry the apostle Paul always goes back and he doesn't say well it was some other man or some university or some school of the prophets or whatever somebody promoted me and put me in the ministry.

You'll notice when he when he when he starts his his epistles off many times he says Paul called of God or an apostle of God or or um you know he's sent from God saved by God. I am in first Corinthians 10 he says that I am what I am by the grace of God.

He was not a self-made apostle. He was a God-made man. He was a God-called man a God-saved man a God-called man. And they don't. They're listening to these other false teachers and Paul is going to have to put himself forward.

But he doesn't want to. And that's why he says here just put up with me a little bit in my folly. I'm going to I'm going to need to commend myself. I'm going to need to vindicate my apostleship. And you'll see at the end of this chapter if you'll notice.

And we won't go there. He says in verse 22 are they Hebrews so am I. Are they Israelites so am I. Are they at the seat of Abraham so am I. This kind of reminds you of his testimony in Philippians chapter 3 doesn't it.

Where he goes through and he says I'm a Hebrew of the Hebrews tribe of Benjamin and all basically the same thing. Here are they ministers of Christ. I speak as a fool. I am more in labors more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent.

He had the he had the mark of the testimony of Christ upon his life. Not that he just had the easy street. Some of these other some of these other teachers Paul says in other places is is they take the easy road.

Then there's no persecution in what they're teaching what they what they're bringing is it's Christ. And whatever else you know seems good. The legalism the tradition the rituals. You can hold on to that stuff keep that and you can.

But but Jesus too. And there's no persecution. Paul's message was Christ and Christ alone. And everything else is anathema cast it out and that was why it was. It was the cross of Christ. It was so offensive and they did not want to hear it.

And Paul's ministry wherever he went as he was speaking as he was preaching he he went through tribulation. He had difficult times in his ministry. He said five times I received 39 stripes. I was beaten three times stoned once and then all these journeys and shipwrecks and weariness and pain and and sleepless nights and thirsting and fasting and nakedness of cold and cold in verse 27.

And then in verse 28 besides those things that are without all of those things that that come from without all the persecution and all the people that were attacking him for his ministry he says that which verse 28 comes upon me daily.

The care of all the churches. The apostle Paul had a heart for the people of God. He had a heart for the churches that God was establishing. He cared so much for these people that he was willing to give himself for them.

And he had the daily pressures concerning the care of the churches. It would be so easy for the apostle Paul to say those Corinthians they are a mess. They and I don't and I don't have to deal with. I mean I can just check out of here.

I don't I don't need to deal with all their problems. I mean you know there's immorality in the church. They're taking each other to court. There's a misuse of the spiritual gifts. And on and on and on and on.

He says I'm out of here. I'm going to go on to greener greener pastures. But he cared for them and he and he wanted to help them and deal with them. Daniel. Does he do that concerning those people. Or well he doesn't.

From what I remember he doesn't he doesn't do that of them. But he does it of himself and he and he. And he speaks of the the fact that God had called him that he had seen Christ. You know the risen Christ and all these all the all the conditions that are there for an apostle that he does fulfill them.

And more than anything what's so incredible about Paul's credentials. He says you know what's most important. It's not this piece of paper that I can pull out of my pocket. It's not the title that I have.

He says you to the to the churches that he's speaking to you are you are the vindication of the ministry that I've been given of God. It is saved and sanctified souls. He says you are my crown and you are my glory.

God has stamped his put a stamp of approval on my ministry by the fruit of that ministry. These other people these other people all they got is proselytes. But they don't have changed lives. They don't have people who are are regenerated people who have been taken out of idolatry and and brought into the kingdom of God's dear son in there and now they're following the true and the living God.

What they have is people who just follow in them and their teachings and just going on in tradition and ritual the same old same old. But what Paul what what Paul has seen in his life is that God has given him souls.

God has given him spiritual children. And those spiritual children he's completely concerned about. And that's what this chapter is all about here. Notice what he says in verse 2 11 2 he says for I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy for I have espoused you or I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

He's the apostle Paul here in this I mean the only way that he was going to to to make an impact upon them. And what he was trying to do was is that he felt the need to set forth his credentials because this was the only way that he could see that they would be able to understand that his teachings were the truth because they seem to place this importance upon the person or the personality.

And Paul doesn't. I mean he doesn't normally like to do that in his. And when he goes from place to place he all he likes to do is declare the message knowing that he was sent from God. But he needed to kind of step back here a little bit and and declare who he was and what God has done.

And these false apostles they bragged about themselves. They tooted their own horns. And we see that today all over the place. I mean we we see people that they they they brag about the fact that they have the large numbers.

Or they brag about the fact that they have the big healing ministry. They brag about the fact that they're selling the most books or whatever it might be and they promote self. But what does the apostle Paul promote in the in the last part of chapter 10 as he's dealing with all this.

Don't commend myself. It's not wise to do that. Notice what he says in verse 16. Chapter 10. Verse 16 to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

He said this is what his his desire was his. He did not want to go to places where people had already established a ministry and we're doing something for God. His desire was to go someplace where they where there was no work.

Paul these false teachers were doing just the opposite. The apostle Paul was plowing the ground. He was with sweat and with tears and with just great with great effort and sacrifice. He was going into these places and and even at the persecution and at the possibility of losing his life he was going in and the gospel was being presented and people were being saved.

And these other people were coming right by behind the trail to try to pick up you know and capitalize upon what the apostle Paul was doing. But what they were doing of course was twisting the message.

It was a perverse message. They were coming in with something that was completely opposite of what the apostle Paul if he was teaching Christ alone and they did anything else they were negating the whole message and coming up with their own and what Paul says.

Notice what he said what he they presented themselves in in chapter 10 verse 17. He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Or whoever is going to boast let them boast in the Lord. For not he that commends himself is approved but whom the Lord commends.

It's not the person that commends or puts themselves forward as being the authority or as being teachers. It is it is those that God has done that to. I mean I've I've over the years folks that I've that I've talked to in ministry and especially some young men who have gone off to like Bible college or going to seminary sometimes they don't even know why they're going.

They don't know what they're there for. It's because maybe in some cases a bunch of people in church said hey you ought to be a pastor or you ought to be a missionary go ahead and go to Bible college and not really thinking about what they're doing.

Not that they're not that they're intentionally doing something that is wrong. But they haven't even ascertained what the will of the Lord is for their own lives and just listening to other folks and go.

They're not sent of God. You know what I mean they're not. Maybe they're going to be used in some other capacity in the church of God. But then there's other people whom God has put their his hand upon and they believe that God has called them to ministry and they go to be prepared and equipped for that which they know what God has done in their lives.

And it is God that is enabling them and God that is sending them not them sending themselves. Do you see the difference between the two false teachers. They're sending themselves promoting themselves tooting their own horn coming with their own message and trying to get a following after themselves.

And Paul says no my boast is in the Lord. I'm here by the by the grace of God I'm saved and by by the hand of God it is God. The apostle Paul sells it sends says this elsewhere. He says God put me in the ministry.

That's a whole lot different than me putting myself in the ministry. The false teachers that's what they did not of God not come not not sanctioned not approved not sent by God. But they were self-exalting and yet they did not have the divine favor of God like the apostle Paul did.

And when Paul sees this coming into the church and these teachers coming in and begin to spread their message Paul says I'm jealous over you. I'm jealous of you with a godly jealousy. I mean he was so concerned to the point of being jealous for them for their spiritual well-being.

That's what it is. They did not want. I mean he did not want them to be led astray. He did not want them to go off the the path of pilgrims progress to not to not stay straight. He did not want them to uh to lose the ground that they had already gained through the message that they had already received.

And that's very important to this teaching this morning. They had already received everything they needed to hear from God concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ. They've gotten the message. They didn't need to hear anything more.

And they didn't need to hear it be twisted or tuned or tweaked. They had received the gospel of God from the apostle Paul. And and here he says I'm jealous for you because I've betrothed you or I've espoused you to one husband Paul was their spiritual father.

They were like a daughter whom to him whom he had betrothed to Jesus Christ when they were converted they were united with Christ. And his desire was is like a father who would want his daughter to stay and remain pure to save herself for the marriage.

The apostle Paul's desire was for them to stay spiritually pure and have a passion for Christ and for Christ alone until the day of the marriage until the day when they would be brought home to be with him in the marriage feast of the lamb.

He he wanted them to stay pure until that time. And because of this this passion that he had this concern that he had provoked him to jealousy when he when he was hearing and uh knowing that false teachers had come in among them notice what he says.

It's almost it's to the point where where um he is so concerned in verse three he says. But I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety or craftiness so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

He said he was fearful of them. And what was it over it was that Satan who had beguiled Eve would come in and through his craftiness and subtlety he would also take them away. He would also lead them astray.

He would also corrupt their minds. He would also ruin their testimony. He would also take the power out of the church. Because he would he would replace truth with maybe even a half truth which is not a whole truth.

Half truth is not a truth. And that's what. And that's what took place. And I'd like to hold your place here and just look with me quickly in Genesis chapter three because he makes this reference here the apostle Paul he says the danger that the Corinthian church was facing was that they could fall prey to Satan's lies to Satan's trickery.

And in Genesis chapter three you'll remember this is where the serpent that was more subtle or more crafty Genesis 3 -1 more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made comes to the woman.

And he says yea has God said. Now what did God say already beforehand. Well in Genesis chapter 2 and in verse 16 the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.

That's what God had said. That was the word of God. That's what God had commanded. That was God's will. Satan now comes to Eve and you'll notice the attack is he comes to the to the weaker vessel. Adam is not around.

He gets her while when she's alone and she's unprotected by her husband. And he comes up craftily. And he begins to plant seeds of doubt by saying has God said. So he's questioning what what is he questioning.

God's word God's authority God's command God's will. He begins he questions that. And basically he's saying is is it true that God has restricted you from all the delights of this wonderful place. You know he's has God really said that.

I thought God was a good God. Why is he keeping something from you. I mean he's limiting your pleasure. He's limiting your enjoyment. There must be some mistake. I mean did God really say that that you couldn't eat of that.

God really didn't limit you did. He and the woman says to the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden verse three. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden. God has said you shall not eat of it.

Neither shall you touch it lest you die. So he's got to get even more tricky and more subtle. Somehow Satan has got to convince Eve that what she's about to do is the right thing to do even though God has said the opposite.

That's what he's got to. It's what he's got to do. He's got to get her to to trick her to bring her to a place where she thinks that what she's about to do is the right thing. Because God could not have said what he had said.

That's his idea. That's the. Do you think he's acting any differently today. No. Because we see that in in Corinthians. And we'll get back there. The serpent says unto her you won't die. You shall not surely die.

There's this deception. His lies. Satan's lies are always laced with a promise of a benefit. There's always going to be some benefit in what he says. You're going to get something out of this Eve. You're not going to die.

God knows the day that you eat that your eyes will be opened and you shall be as God's knowing good and evil. So what he's doing he's saying is God is limiting you. God is restricting you. I mean there's much more for you to enjoy.

And you see in just the opposite God had set the boundary. God had set the line that they were to that they were to live in in in in the um and and there's there was freedom within that boundary that God had set up.

But God always sets up a boundary for our protection. Always. The law saying in the 10 commandments thou shalt not kill is not restrictive just in the fact that it just stops us from doing what we might want to do.

I mean it's a very good law because it preserves life doesn't it. It's protective. It's it's because of the the hand of the God who loves us and made a covenant with his people to keep them and to watch over them.

And all that God does is not that it's restrictive but that's what Satan is doing. He's coming in and saying God is an ogre. God is restricting you. You know. And you you just can't enjoy all that you ought to enjoy.

And you know God has has God really said that is that what God really means. And what is he going to do. He is going to interpret God's message for Eve. He's going to put his spin on it. He's going to make it sound better.

He's going to make it sound as if she really didn't understand what God was saying. I mean Adam and Eve must have really missed it. And you know what. You're not going to die. You know what's going to happen if you eat.

You're going to be as God's knowing good and evil. What happened. Verse 6. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes. And a tree to be desired to make one wise.

And then she took the fruit ate of it and gave it to a husband. And he did eat. And what. Catastrophe utter catastrophe from from the from the garden with its fruit and its wonder and its splendor comes.

Thorns and thistles and briars and sweat. And and this friction between man between Adam and Eve. And being cast out of the garden the fall him being the federal head. And all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

And it was here we could see the source of this of of of this temptation. Of course being Satan. God hasn't said that the seeds of doubt and deception. And the trickery is still the same. Back in 2nd Corinthians 11.

Notice what Paul says. I mean it was it was. I mean you think about it here you are out in the woods and a snake rears up its head and begins to talk to you and tell you something opposite what God said.

I mean somehow not only in his deception and his craftiness. Satan transforms himself there. And he speaks there. I mean it's something something's different there because she's not surprised she's not shocked.

She listens to this voice. And she listens to the serpent talking to her. And somehow he has transformed himself a way to come across in such a way that he seems like an authority. And you know what. God doesn't really express himself clearly.

Let me tell you what I think God said. And you get this twisting of the message. Same thing happens today. The apostle Paul says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 verse 14. And well notice I'll start I'll go back up to 13.

For such are false apostles. These are the people that Paul is warning them about deceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ saying that they are the apostles of Christ when they're not.

And he says and no marvel. For Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. I mean he doesn't always come with the pitched fork and the horns and the in the fire. And you know the smoke coming out of his uh ears or nostrils or whatever.

And you know looking uh ugly and grotesque. False teaching sometimes comes packaged very brilliantly and with splendor and sophistication and and people will receive it. And it sounds so good. I mean you you just think back about all the stuff.

I know you might look at some of the things you might say absolutely ridiculous. But just think about the I think it was the Betty Edie embraced by the light. You remember all that and the book the bestseller and all that.

It sounded so good. You know people dying and you know light at the they they're seeing light. And you know and and and everybody is going to be embraced and taken in and everybody's going to be okay.

You remember all the all the teaching about um the uh the Toronto blessing with the people when the charismatic movement and it was you know all this outward demonstration of inwardly what the holy spirit was doing.

And people were roaring like lions and barking like dogs. And and thousands of people bought into it and bought all the books and went after it. I mean it sounds so plausible it sounds so good. But it's just it's just deceit packaged in a sophisticated way.

So hopefully people will will receive it. And that's that's what satan has done in the early church. What was the means that that he used to take away the power of the church and to split them up. What was what was it that satan had done.

Anybody remember what was happening at the beginning of the of the book of acts begins with the letter p. It's persecution and it was scattering the saints. But when that no longer worked what what satan did and what he does is he's he's going to come into the church and corrupt it from within not to scatter them get them away from each other but to enter in like the wolves coming in and sheep's clothing.

And have these people teach things that are incorrect false teaching to lead people's hearts astray. And how's that done. They are they come in if satan can transform himself as an angel of light verse 14.

Therefore it is no great thing verse 15 if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works. Paul says they're going to come in also. And that's what happened in corinth.

They have come in with this uh with this other jesus. They've come in with this other uh spirit in this other gospel which is not another gospel. And paul you notice even in verse 4 paul's attack of the false apostles was not personal.

It was not a personal attack. He didn't come in and say you know um these guys he did not attack in this case here he's not attacking their character although he knows about that. He's not making any personal statement about them personally about their attitude their motive or whatever he is making his his.

His attack is not personal but it's doctrinal. It's their teaching because what a person believes affects the way that they live. What you embrace in your mind and what what what comes into your your gates your ear gates and your eye gates in the mind and what you put yourself um before and begin to to think about and meditate upon and it captivates you and you embrace it and you're attached to that.

You begin to put feet to it and you walk in it. What we believe affects the way that we live. And these people were coming in with a false message and paul feared that they would embrace these lies as he says at the end of verse 4 which you have not this this uh gospel which you've not accepted you might bear well with him you you.

It's as if you're going to accept this. You're going to embrace these lies that damn souls to hell and and and remove people from something that's very important. Satan's desire is to destroy and corrupt and strip the church of her power.