Transcript

Counterfeit Christians

2 Corinthians 11:7-15
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Pastor Randy Smith

A couple years ago I arrived at an interesting conclusion. I suddenly came to the realization that I express my appreciation more to a sales clerk than they do to me after purchasing their product. When they return my credit card or hand me the change or pass along the receipt, I will commonly say, "Thank you." In a sense, isn't that backwards? Shouldn't they primarily be thanking me for patronizing their business? Oftentimes they are silent in this matter.

Here's why I think that's the case. Everybody is in it for themselves. Pleasing me as a customer has little significance in the mind of a nineteen-year-old girl working the checkout line at K-mart. Whether I come back or take my business to Walmart, she's still set to receive her $8.38 per hour. What's my business to her? It's not her store. Who am I to her? An individual she'll probably never see again. What motivation does she have to treat me with any respect and gratitude?

I once remember engaging a pizza store owner from Toms River in a nice conversation at his restaurant. He was friendly and upbeat. In his heart he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Then he asked where I live. When I told him I'm from up north in the Wall area about 45 minutes away his face dropped, his smile disappeared and almost abruptly he ended the conversation. I no longer had any value to him. His kindness was all a show because he thought I was a local customer.

There are people that enter the church that are sadly no different. There is a purpose for the church. There is a way people should be treated in the church. But for some people their driving motives as to why they are here or how they treat people is much different. Perhaps it's to gain customers for their business. Perhaps it's to gain a following for their egos. Perhaps it's to gain attention or sympathy for their problems. Perhaps it's to gain money for their wallets.

In the church, like anywhere else, there are genuine people and there are phonies. In today's message we are going to see how to tell the difference between the two, a record that Paul seeks to set clear for the congregation in Corinth 2,000 years ago between himself and the false teachers.

1. Motivated By Love

The first point, true believers are motivated by love. You can see that Paul says that in verse 11, "Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!"

The Bible teaches us that God is love (1 Jn. 4:16), and therefore everything we do in order for it to be considered respectable, must be motivated by God's love as well. The Bible is complete with examples and exhortations. Love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10). Love is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The greatest commandments are to love God and love others (Mt. 22:37-39). Without love we are nothing (1 Cor. 13:2).

When the Corinthian church was seeking to determine whom they should follow, Paul pitted himself against the false teachers and said in verse 11, "I…love you." Then he appealed to the highest authority. "God knows I do."

Philip Hughes commented, "There were no depths to which these intruders were unwilling to descend in order to alienate the Apostle [Paul] from his dearly beloved children in the gospel. Hence Paul's question, 'Why? Because I do not love you?' and his protestation, 'God knows,' it is a real cry from the heart. Words and explanations and justifications are out of place when the relationship of love involved is that between a father and his children. Before God both he and they need no persuasion that this accusation is a cruel and damnable falsehood. No man on earth had a warmer and more devoted heart than the Apostle Paul. Love was the impulse of his whole life and ministry as Christ's Apostle. And so he leaves this shocking and monstrous insinuation that he has no love for them to the judgment of God who knows and will vindicate the truth. And in so doing, he also leaves it to their consciences" (2 Corinthians, p. 390).

Paul repeatedly affirmed his love for this church: 2 Corinthians 2:4, "For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you." 2 Corinthians 12:15, "I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?" I suppose talk is cheap. Okay, talk is cheap. Therefore Paul throughout this letter pointed out examples of his love for the church: 2 Corinthians 1:6, "But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort." 2 Corinthians 4:8-12, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you."

What if someone from this church (and I'm not suggesting we do this!) approached you after the service and said, "You are nothing but a phony in this place. You come here with no concern for others despite your visible, kind disposition. You are motivated only by self-gain." Could you in response tell that individual, like Paul, with a clear conscience and say, "My interaction with others is all motivated by love, and God knows my heart to be true in this matter." Could you point to any examples?

This is exactly where Paul goes in this section of 2 Corinthians. One of the big accusations against him was that he didn't charge for his ministry. We've talked about this already. Again, he mentions it in verse 7. "Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge?"

You see, the way it worked back then was teachers, philosophers and orators were expected to charge for their services. The price they were able to receive was proportionate to the quality of their services. Therefore, the indication of your success and the value of your message was gauged as to how much you could receive for a speaking engagement.

Paul didn't collect any money from the Corinthian church. We'll get to his reason why in a moment, but for now it is important to understand that his practice made the greedy false teachers very uncomfortable. Since they were in it for the money as "peddlers of the Bible" (2 Cor. 2:17), they were not about to offer their services free of charge. Therefore they found a convenient way to use Paul's generosity against him based on this cultural understanding of how and why speakers should be paid.

They'd claim his refusal to take money was a personal admission and proof that his message was worthless and his ability to communicate it was substandard. It was an easy way to convince the very gullible Corinthian church that he was not the true apostle that he claimed to be. Paul is forced to defend himself (not for his ego, but for the sake of the Gospel) and the core of his defense comes back to his love for the church.

So how is not taking their money an example of his love?

After saying he did this to "humble himself" in verse 7, he continues in verses 8 and 9, "I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so."

Paul knew his adversaries were only in it for the money. Therefore in a desire to separate himself from them, he made the conscious decision to offer his services for free. Elsewhere in his letters he made it clear that those who preach the Gospel may earn their living from the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:1-19; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18). Yet he chose to forsake this right at his own expense in order that nothing would discredit his ministry.

As he says in verse 9, he desired in no way to be a "burden" to the church. Rather he placed the burden for his support on his own trade as a tentmaker and on other churches, as he says in verse 9, in the Macedonian region. In verse 8 he uses irony to say he "robbed" other churches to serve the Corinthians. So despite the attacks on his motives, he knew this was the right decision, and he wasn't planning on making any changes.

Why would he let the false teachers determine his convictions? Why would he stop doing what he believed was right just because he was getting a little pressure from unbelievers? Despite the opposition, Paul plans to remain steadfast. Verse 10, "As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia." Verse 12, "But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting."

All this was a sign of Paul's love for the church (verse 11). Love was the motivating factor that determined how he conducted himself in the life of the church. Selfless love, imitating the example of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For even He, it says in Mark 10:45 "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

So I ask yourself again, how much are you willing to sacrifice, how much are you willing to deny yourself if it means you can show the love of Jesus to others in this church and like Paul, put their needs above your own to prove your love for them? Is it the need to show up on time to model faithfulness? Is it the need to find a new seat to minister to others? Is it the need to hang out after the service to encourage others? Is it the need to get involved in one of our many ministries? Is it the need to write to someone a note of appreciation or encouragement? Is it the need to come out and pray on Wednesday nights? Is it the need for something outside the walls of this church such as a visit or act of service?

Remember the cashier in my introduction? I mentioned that there was nothing to motivate her to treat me with respect. Yet there is one thing! If she became a believer in Jesus Christ and was moved by the Holy Spirit she would act in a way to honor her employer and have a thankful heart and treat people with kindness! So we can shake our head at the young unbelieving cashier who's only working for her paycheck, but how many of us come to church as believers with the same attitude? If there is one thing that the life and death of Jesus teaches us, it is sacrificial love. And beyond the family (which is a given), how many of us are really able to "boast" as Paul did in verse 10 over the ways we are demonstrating sacrificial love for others in this church? Christ tells us, "I love you" and he went to the cross to prove it. You tell the church, "I love you" and you prove it by (fill in the blank).

2. Motivated By Deceit

So Paul showed himself to be the real deal because he was motivated to follow Jesus revealed by sacrificial love. On the other hand, as we move to the second point, the false teachers showed themselves to be the imposters because they were motivated to follow not Jesus, but Satan revealed by their deceit.

In verse 13, in contrasting himself as a true apostle, Paul says these "men are false apostles (pseudapostolos), deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ."

Throughout this letter, Paul has been taking shots at these guys. Now the gloves are off and he delivers his hardest blow revealing the core reality of their hearts.

First of all they are disguised workers of deceit (verse 13). They are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing. They sound sweet, interesting and concerned. They probably appeared to be a more attractive option. When compared to Paul, their clothes, credentials and communication were more appealing to the carnal mind. Most would no doubt follow them as the real apostles. However, when examined closely, they were nothing but parasites. They were deceitfully using the church for their own selfish and materialistic gain no different than a whole slew of men and women are doing in God's church in our time.

This trait of deceit binds all the false teachers throughout all of church history together. Romans 16:18, "For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting." 2 Timothy 3:13, "But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." Titus 1:10-11, "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of [financial] gain."

Second, they are ultimately workers of Satan. Look at verses 14 and 15. "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness."

The driving force behind these false teachers was the Devil. Quite often we picture Satan as diabolical madman running around with a pitchfork and smelling like sulfur tempting Christians only in the most vile and heinous sins. I attempted to explain in my blog this week the fallacy of that assumption. He's way smarter to accomplish his purposes than the ways we'd expect and often attribute to his undertaking. He'll fight around the clock to get what he wants in the end, but he'll take his time and very subtly pull people his way oftentimes without their slightest recognition. Sadly it is often not until the water is deep over one's head before they realize how far they and their family have drifted away from God. As Screwtape counseled his apprentice demon, Wormwood in C.S. Lewis' classic, "Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

Satan is the prince of darkness, but he often uses his "smiling light" to achieve his best purposes. His effectiveness is limited when he comes as an open enemy, but oh so very powerful when he comes as a friend, when he comes as an "angel of light" (verse 14), like a Judas among the apostles. Even at our Lord's exposure of Judas at the Last Supper, the disciples still were clueless as to whom the imposter might be. Wow! False teachers among the Corinthians. So inviting that this redeemed church chose these men over the apostle Paul! That's unbelievable! Why waste time and energy to persecute a church when that church simply allows Satan to join them? The great Trojan Horse! "The father of lies" (Jn. 8:44). The "angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).

Satan is forever seeking to counterfeit the truth as a disguised "angel of light." Paul called the New Covenant a "ministry of righteousness" (2 Cor. 3:9) , therefore Satan will disguise himself and his servants as "servants of righteousness" (2 Cor. 11:15). As we learned last week from verse 4, Satan's servants can even get away with preaching to the church "another Jesus" and a "different spirit" and a "different gospel" and they get them to believe it!

So how can you tell between Satan's people and Jesus' people? How can you tell between Satan's work and Jesus' work? You examine the content of what you hear with the Bible and you judge the deeds by the character that should be expected of a true believer. You examine what's being achieved. Jesus liberates. Satan enslaves. Jesus serves. Satan uses. Jesus heals. Satan abuses. Jesus is selfless. Satan is selfish. Jesus died on the cross and ascended to heaven. His true followers are promised the same. Satan's end is the "lake of fire." His followers are promised the same as well, verse 15, "whose end will be according to their deeds."

When Paul first wrote to this church in 1 Corinthians 1:2 he referred to them as "those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling." We often assume that only unbelievers follow Satan. That's true if we remove the word "only" from that sentence. According to what we have learned about this Corinthian church, genuine believers can follow him as well. Scripture and history teach us that even the most stalwart Christian can fall for the deception of the evil one and at times make a significant nosedive in their faith. I've witnessed this more often than I wish to count. And many have yet to recover. The enemy deceives them to pull them down through self-righteousness, self-confidence and self-esteem. Then the enemy deceives them to keep them down through self-regret, self-despair and self-pity.

I think you know about my Grace Quotes ministry. This past week I sought to contact one of the ministries I have used for additional permission and came across this on their website:

"In September of 2013, the board of Vision Forum Ministries was informed by Mr. Phillips that he had been involved in an inappropriate extra-marital relationship with a woman who had asked that her identity be kept confidential … In light of the serious sins which have resulted in Doug Phillips's resignation from Vision Forum Ministries, the Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of all involved to discontinue operations. Mr. Phillips said, 'My sin has resulted in great pain within the Body of Christ, some confusion, and has given the enemies of God reason to rejoice. This is heartbreaking to me… I just want to be clear for the sake of peace within the Body of Christ, that the tragic events we are experiencing, including the closing of Vision Forum Ministries are my fault, and that I am sincere that I should not be in leadership, but must spend this season of my life quietly walking a path of proven repentance… There are no words to describe the magnitude of shame I feel, or grief from the injury I caused my beloved bride and children, both of whom have responded to my repentance with what seems a supernatural love and forgiveness. I thought too highly of myself and behaved without proper accountability. I have acted grievously before the Lord, in a destructive manner hypocritical of life messages I hold dear, inappropriate for a leader, abusive of the trust that I was given, and hurtful to family and friends… I am most sensitive to the fact that my actions have dishonored the living God and been shameful to the name of Jesus Christ, my only hope and Savior (summarized).'"

So by all means, let's make sure we are getting our marching orders from Jesus Christ as He delivers them through His true servants teaching His Bible. Let's also make sure we are continually examining our own character to be confident our behavior is more in line with the One who is the true light as compared to the one who disguises himself as an angel of the light. Take your eyes off of Jesus and you are easy prey for Satan. Soon you'll progressively begin to imitate his character: deceit, selfishness, bitterness, anxiety, despair, insincerity and pride. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you are in a place of safety. Soon you'll progressively begin to imitate his character: selflessness, truth, self-control, kindness, thankfulness, joy, sincerity and love.