The Signs of a True Apostle - 2 Cor 12:12

Good morning and welcome to Kootenai Community Church adult Sunday school. It's okay if you ignore me. I had teenagers.

I'm immune to it.

Opening Prayer and the Need for Miraculous Word

So we will be in chapter 12 of 2nd Corinthians again. My voice is doing fall things so even though fall has skipped us my fall voice hasn't. Let's open in prayer. Father we thank you for your miraculous word this morning, which you vouchsafe to us and gave us for Learning to be like the Lord Jesus Christ and for properly worshiping and acknowledging you and for coming to salvation.

Lord there is so much that you do through your word that we are far too. Far not as not as a grateful as a people as we ought to be. But this morning we are grateful. We know that you have something for us.

As you do every day as we study your word. And so we look forward to that this morning by the teaching and by the teaching and illumination of your Holy Spirit. Might we honor you and all that we say and do and we'll thank you for what you're going to accomplish today and throughout our Lives in Jesus name.

Amen. So we have been working our way through 2nd Corinthians, and we're at chapter 12 verse 12 and I thought it appropriate at this point to bring up something. We studied in 1st Corinthians and We'll get to it after we do our reading so this morning for context sake let's start at verse 11.

And read to the end of the chapter 2nd Corinthians. Chapter 12 verse 11. Remember Paul is before we start reading remember Paul is Struggling with this idea that the Corinthians have had to have elicited from him.

His response to them of giving them his apostolic credentials. He doesn't like boasting. He never has liked boasting. And it's actually the Proverbs teach that another man should speak your praises and not your own lips.

And so Paul is is dealing with a people who have Accepted false teaching not wholesale, but their church has allowed it and they should have known better and one of the things that they have Imbibed is this idea of super Apostles.

So there's nothing new under the Sun nothing and Paul is having to deal with that throughout this section of Scripture. He's he's letting the Corinthians know that while he doesn't like boasting. He will give them his credentials so that they can compare them with the false Apostles, and he calls himself and the other Apostles Peter and James John the true Apostles and We'll see that we'll see how that plays out.

We're going to look at the signs when he talks about the signs of an Apostle. We're going to look at that today. Chapter 12 verse 11. I have become foolish. You yourselves compelled me. Actually, I should have been commended by you for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent Apostles even though I am a nobody.

The signs of a true Apostle were performed among you with all perseverance by signs and wonders and miracles. For in what respect were you treated as an inferior as inferior to the rest of the churches except that I myself?

Did not become a burden to you forgive me this wrong. Here for this third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden to you for I do not seek. What is yours, but you for children are not responsible to save up for their parents?

But parents for their children and I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls if I love you the more am I to be loved the less. But be that as it may. I did not burden you myself nevertheless crafty fellow that I am.

I took you in by deceit. Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you. Have I I urge Titus to go and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you?

Did he did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps? I'm gonna stop there because a new interest a new thought is being introduced here, which we won't get to for a while.

Why the Corinthians Should Have Defended Paul

So back last week We finished at verse 11. I have become foolish. You yourselves compelled me. Actually, I should have been commended by you for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent Apostles even though I am a nobody.

Paul maintains his humility. By reminding the Corinthians that he thinks of himself as no one but God has God and his sovereign choice has decided to use Paul to bring the gospel to bring the Word of God to the New Testament churches as they are being formed and He was The founder of the Corinthian Church.

They received the Word of God from his mouth directly. They saw him perform signs and wonders he's going to talk about that and yet at some point they began to believe false teaching and You know what?

It's like when someone says, you know that Cornell he He makes an awful lot of money at that home or surplus store. Why does he drive such an old rig and The words and hey, you know and you know, that's just not true and then later on you go.

Yeah, and he's weird to boot. Now I'm Humorizing it but the fact is when we stop and let things enter our minds. About somebody else that's being talked about without going to that person. We can be we can think the wrong things ourselves.

Can we not? Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever assumed anything? I never have. Today in the last 20 minutes. Because I've been too busy trying to figure out how to make that stupid computer work.

These these these Corinthians should have gone to Paul and it's much more difficult maybe back then but it could have been done and it Was important enough to do he said you should have commended me. They knew who he was.

They knew what he was. He didn't go there for two days preach the gospel and leave. He was there for 18 months. He was there for a year and a half. He spent time in their homes. I don't want to bog down here.

But the point is He had to become foolish. He said and so now the Corinthians are weighing these signs and wonders now these false apostles have no signs and wonders. They have nothing but they have the ability to put a little worm of thought in someone's mind and that worm of thought begins to work and without following proper biblical procedure and Asking the person who is being accused getting together with the person who is being accused.

That worm of thought has produced this breakdown in the Corinthian Church in in many people. And so we pointed out last week when a good man or a woman is being maligned Improperly or properly and those who know better sit in silence.

They are participating in that sin. They are just simply participating in that sin and let it not be said among the believers in modern-day Christianity that when we see Someone who is being falsely accused.

We just sit in silence. This is what caused partly caused the breakdown in the Corinthian Church.

The Signs of a True Apostle and the Three Miraculous Eras

So.

One of the things that was apparently happening was Paul was being maligned about the things that he did. And so in verse 12, he says this he says the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance By signs and wonders and miracles.

He had to persevere in producing those signs. It's a it's a lot of work to be to do what Paul had done In his 35 or so year ministry traveling throughout the Mediterranean area bringing the Word of God to so many people.

So another reason that the Corinthians should have risen to Paul's defense is that they had witnessed his remarkable abilities given to him by the Father. For the accomplishment of establishing the church the New Testament era was one of three eras in which It was accompanied by signs and wonders and I I thought that I would just break this down.

I've taught this section before About the cessation of the gifts of some of the sign of the sign gifts. But and I was going to just break out the Apostle, but I thought it would be better Just to keep it in context and all it'll take us a little bit of time to go through and as it did last time.

But there have been three eras in which the signs In which God accompanied men and men who were proclaiming the Word of God were accompanied by signs and wonders. The New Testament era was one of those three eras Paul claimed to be a now you can't oh, yeah, I guess I am online.

You can see this used to be able to say well, you can't see this because I'm not but now you can that's terrifying. He was a true apostle. He claimed to be a true apostle as Opposed to the false apostles the super apostles biblical terminology demonstrates two types of apostles the original twelve to which were Adam Matthias and Paul and subtracted Judas.

These men were commissioned personally by the Lord Jesus Christ to establish the church and transcribe through inspiration the Holy Scriptures. We have gone through this information when we studied 1st Corinthians, but it bears repeating.

Because true apostleship was a gift of the Holy Spirit. We must look at that office in light of the contents and in light of the concept of the continuation or cessation Of said of that gift which was given at the advent of and during the history of the forming of the New Testament Church.

One of the more important controversies in the church today is the concept concept of continuation or cessation of the sign gifts. It is important to note that The Holy Spirit continues to work in the world today.

Every time he regenerates a sinner that is a miraculous work and God can heal can he not but what does he require? Nothing, he's sovereign. He can heal at will in an instant. He created the only reason he created the earth in seven days six days and resting on the seventh is because he chose to Spread it out over that time.

Was he not able to simply snap his Sovereign fingers now. I'm using a human terminology and anthropomorphism and Instantly create everything he could have but for the purposes of all of the redemptive history that would come later He would be able to God would be able to tie things back to the creative days of to the several The six days of creation of creation.

That's why he chose to do that. He can heal today. Every time he regenerates I said a sinner that's a miraculous work. God moves as he is wishing as he wishes and he is not constrained by anything. The question is are there certain times in history when we can see that God supernaturally empowered humans to do miraculous things.

A careful study of the scriptures reveals that there were three periods of time in which God allowed humans to do things normally only he would do and in the New Testament God gave both permanent gifts which edify the church throughout the Church Age and Temporary gifts which were signs to confirm the Word of God and to confirm those who would bring that word and found the church the first time in history was the Exodus from Egypt and in the life of Joshua a period of about 65 years.

During that period of about 65 years Moses and Joshua were energized by the Holy Spirit and did marvels and wonders. Moses was a meek man with a proper sense of his own inability and he was used by God in miraculous ways.

He was reluctant and afraid because he knew his own limitation and God had to enable had to enable him and even prod him Exodus 6 28 through 30 now It came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt.

That the Lord spoke to Moses saying I am the Lord speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you. But Moses said before the Lord behold, I'm unskilled in speech. How then will Pharaoh listen to me?

Exodus 7 1 and 2 then the Lord said to Moses see I make you as God to Pharaoh and Your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh.

Let this that that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. Prior to this confrontation with Pharaoh Moses had Already been charged to speak to the people of Israel on God's behalf and he was even reluctant to do that God had to as it were convince him that Jehovah could empower a human to do things that were beyond human ability.

Exodus 4 15 and 16 you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth and I even I will be with your mouth and his mouth and I will teach you what you are to do more ever. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him.

Now this is all to kind of set up what we understand so we can see what is going on in the New Testament Church here. And how these people are improperly Ascribing to these false Apostles the powers of an Apostle this putting the words into someone's mouth is the very definition of prophecy and Inspiration and so along with the parting of the Red Sea the plagues and all the other wonders that Moses performed.

We see that for a period of about 65 years God allowed men great latitude in performing wonders for his glory and to confirm what he was doing with and in Israel. The purpose of allowing Moses and Joshua to perform these miracles was to validate what God was doing through them it was to confirm that Moses was actually God's prophet and was to be heard and Obeyed a couple of observations about Moses and the prophets.

God gives the criteria by the way for a prophet in Deuteronomy chapter.

13.

Deuteronomy 13 1 through 5 if a prophet or a dreamer of Dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder and the sign or the wonder comes true concerning which he spake to You saying let us go after other gods.

Whether you have known Whom you have not known and let us serve them you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your Soul, where do we?

Find information to give us the ability to discern if it's a proper person to go after or not Holy Spirit through the scriptures. If it is spoken against or for in the scriptures, that's where we look you shall follow the Lord your God and fear him and you shall keep his commandments and Those were written down and you shall listen to his voice and serve him and cling to him.

But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he is counseled rebellion against the Lord. The Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery to seduce you from the Way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk so you shall purge the evil from among you.

This was Old Testament Prop procedure. Remember that criteria the prophet of God is 100 accurate. Excuse me if there is the least bit of deviation from existing scripture and the prophets message. It is a false message.

If the prophet makes a prediction that does not come true. This perfectly validates that the person was never a prophet in the first place. They were a liar and are a liar and a schemer and a blasphemer.

The second period of time that God supernaturally emplowered men to perform what he normally does. Was the time of Elijah and Elisha between 860 and 795 BC again a period of about 65 years. During which Elijah performed the amazing miracle of calling down fire on the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel.

1st Kings 18 31 through 39 Elijah took 12 stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob. To whom the word of the Lord had come saying Israel shall be your name. So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord.

And he may he built a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the oxen pieces and laid on it laid it on the wood. And he said fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering in the wood.

And he said do it a second time and they did it a second time and he said do it a third time. And they did it a third time. And the water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice elijah the prophet came here and said oh lord. The god of abraham isaac and israel today. Let it be known that you are god in israel and that I am your servant.

And I have done all these things at your word. Answer me Oh lord answer me that this people may know that you oh lord are god and that you have turned their heart back again Then the fire of the lord.

Fell.

And consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it they fell on their faces and they said the lord. He is god the lord.

He is god. And again, the express purpose of this miracle was to validate that elijah was god's prophet and that he was indeed authentic. The third period of miracles occurs in the new testament from the onset of the ministry of the lord Jesus until the death of the apostle john which lasted about 70 years.

The lord jesus worked more miracles than anyone prior to him or anyone after his miracles were strictly to validate his ministry Ministry and to confirm that he spoke the words of god. John 5 36. But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of john for the works which the father has given me.

To accomplish the very works that I do testify about me. That the father has sent me there. It is Those works testify about me that the father has sent me. When the people saw the miracles he performed they were convinced and and this indeed was the purpose of the miracles.

John 6 14. Therefore when the people saw the sign which he had performed they said this is truly the prophet who has come into the world. John 7 31. But many of the crowd believed in him and they were saying when the christ comes He will not perform these he will not perform more signs than those which this man has.

Will he? Matthew 11 33 through 5 and he said to him. Are you the expected one john the baptist or do we look for someone else? Jesus answered him and said to him said to them go and report to john what you see and hear and see the blind receive sight.

The lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear and the dead are raised up and the poor. Have the gospel preached to them. John 10 24 and 25. The jews have then gathered around him and were saying to him How long will you keep us in suspense if you are the christ tell us plainly jesus answered them.

I told you.

And you do not believe.

The works that I do in my father's name these testify of me. John 10 37 and 38. If I do not do the works of my father. Do not believe me, but if I do them. Though you do not believe me believe the work so that you may know and understand that the father is in me.

And I am the father. The miracles jesus performed were not primarily a tool of evangelism. But were rather for authentic authentication of his ministry and a demonstration that he was indeed who he claimed to be.

When peter preached his great sermon in jerusalem, this was one of the themes. He reminded the crowd that jesus performed great wonders in their presence and this in fact attested to them that he was from god.

Acts chapter 2 22. Did I skip one?

Yeah, thank you.

Men of israel listen to these words. Jesus the nazarene a man attested to you by god with miracles and wonders and signs which god performed through him in your midst. Just as you yourselves know these miracles authenticated that jesus was Directly from god.

In fact, he was god himself. Not only did jesus perform miracles himself. But he gave this power to the apostles as well acts 14 3. Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the lord who was testifying to the word of his grace.

Granting granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. Acts chapter 9 11 and 12 god was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of paul. So that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick.

And the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. Romans 15 18 and 19. For I will not presume to speak anything except what christ has accomplished through me. Resulting in the obedience of the gentiles by word and deed.

In the power of signs and wonders in the power of the spirit so that from jerusalem and roundabout as far as eliricum I have fully preached the gospel of christ. Hebrews 2 3 and 4. How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

After it was at the first spoken through the lord. It was confirmed by those To us by those who heard god also testifying with them by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the holy spirit according to his will.

This power to perform these signs and wonders was explicitly to confirm that the apostles were speaking the words of god. And doing the work of god miracles are not found hither thither throughout the scriptures.

Of course god can work a miracle anytime he wants to. But the signed gifts such as miracles given to men to perform clearly happened only three specific times in biblical history. And the the gift of apostleship Was a gift given at a particular time in history.

And it went away At the end of the new testament. We'll see that This was said by One commentator put it this way. He said miracles do not on the pages of scripture vaguely here and there and elsewhere indifferently without a signable reason.

They belong to the revelation periods and appear only when god is speaking to his people through accredited messengers declaring his gracious purposes. Their abundant display in the apostolic church is the mark of the richness of the apostolic age in revelation.

And when the revelation periods closed the period of miracle working had passed by also And was a mere matter of course as a mere matter. Of course when this revelation period closed the mirror the mirror the period miracle working had passed by.

Also as a mere matter, of course God the holy spirit has made it his subsequent work not to introduce new and unseated unneeded revelations into the world. But to diffuse this one complete revelation Through the world and to bring mankind into the saving knowledge of it and he uses the scriptures to do that.

No.

Peter. Is there any place in scripture where there is a verse that says this is the end of the revelation period? And there is not. There is not. Any at any time during the period of moshua moshua and joseph joshua and moses.

See how easy you can you can do new scripture. And the period of elijah and elisha and during the new testament period. What what we. I'm wondering why paul didn't heal timothy. I mean, that's just one little little question.

You could ask them. There's a number of things throughout the remainder of the new testament That indicate that this was winding down towards the end when john finally passes from the scene in patmas.

And brings us the book of revelation. Yes. Yes, so in philippians chapter 2, um, we have the account of timothy and epaphroditus.

Therefore.

So looking at verse 26 because he was longing for you all Epaphroditus and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick for indeed he was sick to the point of death. But god had mercy on him and not on him also Only but also on me lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly in order that you may see him again. When you see him again You may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. Therefore receive him in the lord with all joy and hold men like him in high regard because he came close to death.

For the work of christ risking his life to complete what was division in yours. Deficient in my service for you. I better go back to that and make sure in your service to me new scripture jim. So jim pointed out that it's it's clear that there's a progression through the book of acts an explosion of miracles.

Followed by propagation of the word of god and less and less of the miracles necessary. As the new testament period wears on to where we get to the end. Um, there are none. There's nothing nothing in that respect happening.

But the word of god is still going forth with power and with force and with results any rate, uh. What I wanted to get to it if we get to it this morning we're talking about miracles and some of the sign gifts, but the point is one of the gifts was the gift of the apostolic office the office of apostle.

Apostleship as a Temporary Gift and the Closed Canon

So.

So it is evident that spirit scripture anticipates and teaches that miracles are not the normative method of god. In dealing with humanity, this is not every day. Did you see a miracle yesterday? See you this morning 10 minutes ago.

You.

Nathal says I got up. It's a miracle. Yeah, I I can tell you there's been mornings when I got up and it was more than a miracle. But we we tend to throw that word around it's like we throw the word love around.

I love chocolate chip cookies. But not in the same way. I love my wife. I mean, they're not even on the same page. There needs to be like the greeks had five words. Was it five words? Four words for love and then there was one more that was kind of about love.

And and we don't have that we love chocolate chip cookies. We love kittens. I don't really like kittens, but I I know some of you do so. Now, you know how bad I am. We love our wives. We love our husbands and and but it's the Demonstration of the things that we do for each of those categories that shows what the difference of that love is.

So it's evident That god doesn't deal Normally with miracles in any time of history. These were explosions of miraculous occurrences that were used to authenticate his Intervention if you will in history for a specific purpose and the specific purpose of the new testament time Was to was to introduce the church and finish the scriptures so that people would have.

Um.

The body of christ to repair to they would have a place to go after salvation and be built up and and Love one another and be able to work together to bring the gospel to the rest of the world. And the scriptures would be finished so that they would have the final Direct revelation of god that could be used and it is sufficient for everything.

We need we don't need an apostle today. A big a apostle. Now, we're going to talk about that. There's some differences about that word. It's it's another word that the new testament uses in two ways. Concomitant to the ending of the miracles is the ceasing of the gift of apostleship.

Not all of the gifts that the holy spirit gave to the church are offices. But all of the offices are in fact gifts. In ephesians chapter 4 the apostle notes paul the apostle notes that christ Gave gifts to men.

And then and then he ascended and it says again that he gave gifts to men. Then down in verse 11 The gifts are listed and in this particular case those listed gifts are positions or offices prophets evangelists pastors and teachers.

Ephesians 7 11 but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of christ's gift. Therefore it says when he ascended on high he held he led captive a host of captives and he gave gifts to men.

Now this expression he ascended. What does it mean except that he also had descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens so that he might fill all things.

And he gave some as apostles some as prophets some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers in order to be an apostle.

Big a.

A person had to meet three qualifications. Number one you had to be a witness in person Of the resurrected lord acts chapter 1 21 and 22. Therefore. It is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all.

The who.

Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have an accompanied us all the time that the lord jesus went in and out among Us beginning with the baptism of john until the day that he was taken up from us.

One of these must be a witness with us of his resurrection. They had to have been witnesses from the beginning to the end of the lord's ministry physically. Number two you had to have been personally appointed by the lord.

Acts chapter 1 verse 2 until the day when he was taken up into heaven after he had by the holy spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had chosen and in that time. You'll notice specifically throughout the scripture.

The apostles are differentiated from the disciples. The apostles were disciples but not all of the disciples were apostles. And that's easy to see. I I could have plastered we could have read scripture for three hours.

Number three number three you had to be able to work miracles. Matthew chapter 10 1 through 4 jesus summoned his 12 disciples. Do you think he had more than 12 at that time? By matthew chapter 10, of course he did.

But he summoned his 12 disciples. Who's he talking about. Is there any doubt about who he's talking about? He's talking about the 12 apostles. He summoned his 12 disciples and he gave them authority over unclean spirits.

To cast them out and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Now the name of the 12 apostles. As if there was any doubt are these. First simon who was called peter then andrew his brother and james the son of zebedee and john his brother philip and bartholomew thomas and matthew.

The tax collector james the son of alpheus and thaddeus simon the zealot and judas iscariot the one who betrayed him. Those are the 12 disciples who were also apostles. And there are none other named.

Now it's pretty much accepted church doctrine that there were 12 apostles plus paul. Of course the apostles after the resurrection chose a replacement for judas to bring the number back to 12. Each one of them met the three qualifications just mentioned.

Further as paul says in second corinthians when he was present in corinth. He worked in a manner that identified him as an apostle. Did paul see the lord jesus in person? You bet he did and it was the most interesting personal appearance of all.

He got knocked off a horse. Yeah, I I just can't imagine it must have been absolutely unbelievable amazing. Which we're just reading now the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance by signs and wonders a miracle.

It is also accepted teaching that after the death of john. There were no more apostles other than in aberrant sects and cults who still think that the gift of apostleship is continued. There is no definitive scripture that stipulates that the gift of apostleship ceased.

There is simply the fact that the 12 plus paul were known to have performed the signs of apostleship and fulfilled the three qualifications. Numerous times we may see other new testament notables designated as apostles such as barnabas in acts chapter 14 verse 14 epaphroditus in philippians 225 andronicus and junius.

In romans 16 7 and james the lord's brother in galatians 119 in the sense that barnabas Epaphroditus and others are apostles. So are we? Because the word means ambassador. In the general sense, are you not an ambassador for the lord jesus christ today?

Hopefully we are good ones by his grace. We were not tasked with the founding of the church and in a specific manner that those 12 And paul were and so neither are we called as paul was called an apostle of jesus christ first timothy 1 1 paul an apostle of christ Jesus an apostle of christ jesus according to the commandment of god our savior and of christ jesus who is our hope.

Each one of the 12 and paul were taught directly by the lord. Jesus christ. Commissioned by him and sent out by him. This is the specific. This is a specific office that has ceased the office apostle was a gift as mentioned earlier.

And it is one of the gifts that has ceased. Noting this that the gift of apostleship ceased and it being the one most associated with miracles. We see that the ending of certain gifts is not unusual in ephesians chapter 2 paul explains in a succinct manner Salvation and the forming of the church.

He reminds that it is by grace We have all been saved and that even that faith that we exercised Is a gift of grace to achieve salvation. We are his workmanship.

We are.

We are his workmanship. We were formerly dead in our trespasses and separate from christ. We had no hope. Of having been we had no hope. But having been far off formally we are now brought. We are now.

Let me start over. I got new glasses. This is going to be my excuse for today. And they're not focusing correctly yet, or maybe i'm not. Oh, that's much better. We are his workmanship we were formerly dead in our trespasses and separate from christ we had no hope.