HUMBLING DOWN TO LIFT THE GOSPEL UP

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on September 26, 2021 under 2021 |

Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; September 26, 2021 from 2 Corinthians 11:5-15

Theme: We should be willing to humble ourselves down so that the gospel can be lifted up high.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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The apostle Paul was a unique man in history. He was a true apostle—commissioned by the Lord Jesus Himself to proclaim the message of the gospel.

But sadly, Paul had to defend his apostleship before the Corinthian Christians. There were false teachers who were making their way into the Corinthian church, and were trying to elevating themselves by discrediting Paul. And so, in 2 Corinthians 11:5-15, in defense of his apostleship—and more importantly, in defense of the gospel that Jesus gave him to preach—Paul wrote these words to his Christian brothers and sisters:

For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows! But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:5-15).

These false apostles—whom Paul very boldly refers to as ‘ministers of the devil’—were trying to make Paul look like a loser in the eyes of the Corinthians. But the amazing thing is that Paul was willing to be thought of as a loser (as far as merely human standards and worldly values were concerned), if it would result in the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ being lifted up high.

And his example makes us ask, “Would we be willing to do that for the gospel in our own time? Would I myself be willing to be thought of as ‘less’ in this world’s eyes, so that the message of Jesus Christ could spread more and save others?”

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Now; way back at the beginning of his first letter to the Corinthian, Paul made a remarkable admission. He basically said that the gospel of Jesus Christ seems particularly suited to the kind of people that this world despises and considers to be inferior. Do you remember when Ted Turner once infamously said that Christianity is ‘a religion for losers’? There was a very qualified sense in which Paul might have agreed.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, he wrote to the Corinthian believers—who were great admirers of human success and worldly standards; and reminded them that the people of this world think the message of salvation through faith in the cross of Jesus is foolishness.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

The life-changing message of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross—and faith in the good news of that message—is the greatest force there is. It has the power to change lives in a way that no other power on earth can. But the unbelieving people of this world don’t see it that way. They can’t. It all looks like foolish nonsense to the unbelieving world. And as a result, that same gospel—so despised by this world—ends up making the exalted wisdom of this world look foolish. Paul went on to write;

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (vv. 26-31).

In the end, we are the greatest winners that there ever could be. As it says in 1 John 5:4;

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 5:4).

But we’ve got to remember that, from the standpoint of the superficial, temporal kinds of things that are valued and esteemed by this fallen and ungodly world (that is to say, the kind of standards that this world uses to measure sophistication and intelligence and power and success), our faith in the cross of Jesus looks like a religion for people who just don’t measure up. And that means that, if we are going to embrace the message of the gospel of Jesus, and faithfully proclaim it to this world—if we are going to proclaim the life-transforming message that changes lives and saves souls, and rescues lost people from the just judgment of the wrath of almighty God, and that gives people eternal life—then we’re going to have to stoop down low in the eyes of this world in order to do it.

Paul very definitely felt that. That was what was behind his words in this morning’s passage. And what his example shows us is that we should be willing to humble ourselves down in the eyes of this world so that the gospel can be lifted up high.

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Now; Paul’s situation was very unique from our own. In his case, he was working to defend the integrity of his apostleship from false teachers who were trying to destroy it. You and I face different challenges in our situation than Paul faced in his. But God nevertheless included this passage in His word for our benefit. Let’s walk our way through it verse-by-verse; and then, afterward, let’s draw some conclusions for our own experience in this world.

In verse 5, he wrote, “For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles.” And when he wrote those words, he wasn’t thinking of the true apostles of our Lord Jesus—that is, the men that the Lord appointed to bear witness of Himself in this world—the Twelve. Rather, Paul was thinking of the false teachers who were troubling the Corinthian church. They were daring to call themselves the true apostles—the ‘eminent apostles’. And they were trying to make Paul out to be a pretender and a loser.

One of the ways that they were doing this was by boasting on how much more educated they were than Paul in the fields of worldly philosophy and rhetoric. Those were the standards that were held up high for anyone who wanted to be a teacher in the ancient Greek world. These false teachers had apparently come from Jerusalem, and were trying to teach the Corinthians that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough for them. They were teaching them that they needed to be schooled in philosophic wisdom, and that they needed to follow the rules and rituals and regulations of Judaism—but all in a Greek style. In verses 3-4, he had told the Corinthian believers;

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! (vv. 3-4).

That’s the threat that those false teachers imposed. They were teaching false doctrines that were misleading people away from the simple faith in Jesus that the true apostles had taught. But they were doing so in a way that was admittedly impressive to the human eye and ear. They were esteemed in their academic resumes; and were well-trained speakers who could hold an audience by the power and persuasiveness of their words.

Paul, however, was someone who—though educated—they had been portraying as a poor speaker and unimpressive teacher. Paul quoted what they were saying about him in 2 Corinthians 10:10;

“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (10:10).

That may have been, to some degree, true. Perhaps Paul was an unimpressive speaker. Maybe he wasn’t very exciting to look at or to listen to. But I think you’d agree with me that he was far from a poor communicator. Just read his letters. The words that he wrote have been words for the ages. They were words that were guided by the Holy Spirit. And that was because God—one day—brought that brilliant man to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. God transformed his heart, and put the knowledge of the truth into him, and uniquely called and commissioned him, and gave him an authorized, Holy Spirit-guided message for the world—along with the other true apostles of Jesus Christ.

In verse 2 of our passage, Paul said, “Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.” He and his ministry team had been the real thing to the Corinthians. Those Corinthian Christians had seen his life up close—and they could tell he was an authentic ambassador for Christ who bore the true message of salvation. As he said in 2 Corinthians 4:1-2;

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:1-2).

There was no question about it. Paul was worthy of all the respect and honor that belonged to an authentically appointed apostle of Jesus Christ.

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But in spite of that, he was willing to be thought of as ‘inferior’ in this world in order to proclaim a life-changing message that would save the Corinthians’ souls. And how did he do this with respect to the Corinthians? He did it by refusing to be supported by them during his long ministry among them. He refused to take any money from them. In verse 7, he asked them, “Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?”

In Acts 18, we’re told about how he came to the Corinthians. He lived with a Christian couple named Aquila and Percilla; and he worked with them in their tent-making business. That would have been hard work. Paul was able to hold up his hands once and say, “you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me” (Acts 20:34). Those worn-out hands probably showed it clearly. Taking on manual labor was something that no self-respecting ‘teacher of wisdom’ would ever have done in those days. But he humbled himself in that way in order to ‘exalt’ those Corinthians—so that he could preach the life-transforming message of the gospel to the Corinthians freely—ministering to them without pay.

In fact, he went on to tell them in verse 8, “I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.” He didn’t ‘rob’ those other churches literally, of course. But he appealed to those other churches to help pay whatever expenses he couldn’t cover with his own labors—and that was from churches that could ill-afford to give!—in order to support a ministry among very wealthy Corinthians! In the first part of verse 9, he went on to say, “And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied.” The churches up north—who had put themselves into poverty to help others—also provided for Paul’s ministry to the Corinthians. And in the latter half of verse 9, he added, “And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.” That had been his policy toward the Corinthians the whole time long; and it was going to stay his policy even to the time he was writing.

This was a boast that he made with regard to his ministry toward them—that he accepted no money for his work among them. He said in verse 10, “As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.” Achaia was the region in which Corinth was located. And he made sure that everyone in the area knew that this was his policy. And in verse 11, he adds, “Why? Because I do not love you? God knows!” He anticipated that some of the Corinthian Christians might think that he refused to receive anything from them because he didn’t really love them. But that wasn’t the case at all. It was because he wanted to protect the truth of the gospel he preached to them from those who were teaching false doctrine.

If you were to look back to 1 Corinthians 9, you would see a little bit more of his thinking on this. He told them back then that he had a right to expect to be paid for his work. He labored hard; and he taught that the worker is always worthy of his hire. He affirmed that—ordinarily—those who minister in the gospel have a right to make a living from their work. And then he said;

But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:15-18).

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Now; those who had been teaching false doctrine to the Corinthians—who had been presenting themselves as ‘the eminent apostles’; and who had been trying to tear Paul down in order to lift themselves up—would never have done such a thing! They were in it for the money. They expected to be paid for their teaching—even though the content of their teaching was falsehood. And so, Paul was yanking the rug right out from under them by doing what no self-respecting false teacher or phony preacher would do. He humbled himself before the Corinthians in a way that none of those ‘esteemed’ teachers would ever think of doing. He conducted his long and laborious ministry among them for free. That was the only way that he could convince the Corinthians that the gospel he preached to them was the truth—and the things that the false teachers were telling them were lies. As he said in verse 12, “But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.”

Paul got very serious about how important it was to silence those false teachers. He said in verse 13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” Just how destructive these ‘ministers of the devil’ were among the Corinthians is told to us in verses 20-21;

For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! (vv. 20-21).

No wonder Paul was so determined to silence those false apostles. He was so determined to do it that he was even willing to humble himself in the eyes of the Corinthian world, and to be laughed at by ‘sophisticated’ people—setting aside his rights as a true apostle, and becoming instead a teacher who had to take on side-jobs to support himself—in order to silence the false teachers and to lift up the gospel.

How willing would you and I be to do the same kind of thing in our time?

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Now; as I said earlier, Paul’s situation and circumstances are different from ours. But there are some important lessons we can learn and apply. First of all, we need to recognize that, in this world …

1. WE MAY BE WORTHY OF HONOR AND RESPECT.

The apostle Paul certainly was. He was a true and genuine apostle. As he said in 2 Corinthians 12:11-13;

I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong! (2 Corinthians 12:11-13).

He truly had a right to be respected. He truly had a right to be supported. And in a similar way, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you and I are also truly worthy of respect and honor. We may be worthy of respect for our natural talents and abilities and education and insight. But more than that; the fact is that as those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we are worthy of the most respect of all; because we have been made the bride of our Lord Jesus Christ! As it says in Revelation 1:6, the Lord Jesus has made us ‘kings and priests’ to God. We are destined for eternal glory as those who will share in the rich inheritance of Jesus Himself forever. We—among all people of this world—are worthy of the greatest honor and respect.

But true though that may be, as Paul’s example shows us …

2. WE MUST BE WILLING TO BE HUMBLED IN THIS WORLD’S SIGHT.

We must be willing to let go of any of the honor and respect we might be able to receive from this world, and be willing to be despised in this world’s eyes—to be thought of by the world as losers—for following Jesus. This was certainly the case for Paul with respect to his ministry. As he wrote in 1 Corinthians 4;

For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).

And why? Was it because he and the other true apostles were actually like that? Not at all. Rather it was because, out of love for the Corinthians, they were willing to be associated with a message that the world despises and thinks of as foolish. If we take up and follow Jesus faithfully, He said that the world will hate us; because it hated Him.

Dear brothers and sisters; if we are going to be faithful to our Lord, then we must be willing to be thought of as foolish in the sight of this world—and even take on tasks and methods at which this world turns its nose. But as Paul’s example also shows us, it’s for a glorious and honorable reason.

3. THIS IS SO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL MAY BE LIFTED UP.

The more we truly love our Lord who died on the cross for us, and the more we truly love the power of His life-changing gospel, and the more we love the lost people around us, the more willing we will be to lay down our right to be respected and honored in order to get rid of anything that might stand in the way of the gospel.

The apostle Paul was very willing to do this. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, he wrote;

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

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So, dear brothers and sisters; we may not be in the same kind of circumstance as this truly humble yet truly great man named Paul. But let’s learn from his godly example. Like him, let’s be willing to be humbled down low so that the gospel may be lifted up high.

Most of all, let’s do it for the sake of our Lord Jesus, who humbled Himself low for us.

EA