(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And it's interesting to even just this last part of that verse 15 whose end shall be according to their works The false prophets are always trying to like make salvation by works And you know what that is how they're gonna be judged Okay, you will be judged according to your works. You know, that's a scary thing The proud Pumpest person thinks it's great And they don't realize no when God says you'll be judged we work should be judge according all your works And that anything what you think might have been good that you've done in your life Doesn't actually pay for all the sins that you've committed whoa, oh Wait, didn't we just read you know to him that that know what to do good and do it the not to him at his Sin on Sunday, I think that was so I preach on that Ouch yeah, thank God. I'm not being judged according my works That's a scary thought saved by grace The false apostles these Satan's ministers they're described in Jude and in 2nd Peter 2 and you think about the apostle Paul just had mentioned Earlier in this chapter how he didn't take anything from them and his needs his wants were supplied by them in Macedonia And he's kind of making an issue that why was he making a big deal of that because What we see described about the false apostles false prophets They make merchandise of people they're in it for the money. They don't care about the people. So we already know that about That type of people about the children of the devil. So they so discord and he's trying to explain that's not me And he's not he's not out there trying to pit people against each other They're trying to do that about him though, they're trying to pit the church against Paul Let's keep reading your verse number 16 I say again let no man think me a fool if otherwise Yet as a fool received me that I may boast myself a little That which I speak I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were Foolishly in this confidence of boasting He is he brings up multiple times now how he's basically just being foolish as he's gonna now start to boast of himself a little But again, the point is to is to show the stark contrast and difference verse number 18 seeing that many glory after the flesh I will glory also say okay you want a glory after the flesh there, buddy Let me let me get brought down to your level for just a minute here. I'll glory after the flesh, too He says in verse 19 for you suffer fools gladly seeing ye yourselves are wise. Hey, he's like hey you suffer fools gladly So I'm gonna make myself a fool so you could suffer me, too Right. I mean you're already suffering these fools. You might as well suffer me then now, too For ye suffer if a man bring you into bondage If a man devour you if a man take of you If a man exalt himself if a man smite you on the face This must be what these guys were actually doing Because he's saying you're suffering these guys to come to be among you to try to teach you whatever and say these things in your company And you're allowing these fools to come in and do this He's saying you're you're allowing this if a man brings you into bondage because that's what they're gonna do if they're gonna try to You know They preach either lasciviousness or just even just preaching the wrong gospel and in getting people away from grace Preaching bondage if a man devour you or take of you, right? So that's why he's saying look I didn't I didn't take of you. I'm not trying to Go after your stuff and after your money. I'm not I'm not focused on those things I don't care about those things, but these people do They exalt themselves The apostle Paul's trying to abase himself and Humble himself and there they exalt themselves. So the romance might you on the face He said, you know what the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual but these guys sounded carnal Because again, even even in in there what he was relaying about what they were saying about him. Oh when he comes in here He's gonna be like this weakling Because they're probably looking for the physical fight That if that's the type of guy they are yeah, they're gonna be the ones that want to smite him in the face He's like it's not about that Verse 21 I speak as concerning reproach as though we had been weak How be it wherein so so ever any is bold. I speak foolishly again He's he's getting you know We need to understand when he says this many times he's all about speaking foolishly that this isn't something that we should just be doing At all, right, he's proving a point and making it very clear Okay. Hey, is anyone bold? I'm bold. Also, are they Hebrews? So am I are they Israelites? So am I are they the seed of Abraham? So am I? Right. These are all the things that they would boast themselves up. Oh, so you know what I'm the same thing I'm a Hebrew. I'm an Israelite. I'm a child of Abraham. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool I am more because they're coming in claiming to be these apostles or false apostles I'm saying so. Oh, they're the ministers of Christ who say you know what I am more And now he's gonna go through this list of reasons why He is more of a minister than they are Because this is not gonna be A Characteristic of them at all Because they puff themselves up and want to make themselves look really good and really pies are really holy They're just like the Pharisees love the chief seats in the uppermost room and all these things now the father of all is gonna explain why He's a real minister of God and and the things that would go along with someone who's going to serve Christ and actually be a minister and Keep this in mind because this is also good learning for anyone who just thinks that serving Christ is gonna be this bed of roses that like oh Now I'm gonna have this life that everybody else is gonna look to and want to be me Right the lifestyle evangelism. Wow. You're just I mean, I just want in your life. I just want to be you Well, let's read about the Apostle Paul how he was more of a minister and see if that's the thing that people in this World are gonna look at and be like wow. I wish I could be you In labors more abundant in stripes above Measure like I can't count how many times I've been beaten bloody in prisons More frequent. Yeah, cuz that's desirable, right? Yeah. I just want to go to jail a little bit more In deaths often means often deaths I I'm sorry, that's not appealing I mean we all have to die physically once but he's like in deaths oft Man of the Jews five times received by 40 stripes save one 40 stripes save one how many is that 39? Five times Now Thing about that a stripe From a whip is drawing blood. That's why he calls them stripes. I mean, it's leaving at the very least If it's not drawing blood you're getting a big welt. Okay, just Try to be conservative about this you're getting this big. Well Okay, one two three four Five Six Seven how bad do you think you're gonna feel at seven? Eight 39 39 God capped it off at 40 So that it just wouldn't be vile that it wouldn't just go You know repulsive and just totally inhumane But that was the limit That wasn't the standard It was the limit. It's like okay, whatever pun if you're gonna do this punishment Judges it cannot exceed 40 So the Pharisees just to make sure that they wouldn't exceed for they did 39 just in case they miscounted or anything like that To make sure that they kept underneath that law. That's why they would do that That 39 That's a lot That's a lot of stripes five times 195 195 stripes Guarantee you that's not what the false apostles are boasting about He's showing how he suffered right verse 25 thrice was I beaten with rods Once was I stoned He's not talking about pot Talk about people picking up rocks and pelting him in the head Until they thought he died Thrice I suffered shipwreck a night and a day I have been in the deep I mean being out in the middle of the sea for a night and a day Not fun in journeyings Often now get this there's a word that's gonna keep popping up as we read the rest of verse 26 In perils of water in perils of robbers in perils by my own countrymen in perils by the heathen in perils in the city in Perils in the wilderness in perils of the sea in perils among false brethren It's perilous It's dangerous He's like anywhere. I go whether I'm in the city or out in the wilderness Right urban world there's perils Whether someone's gonna rob me here or jump me there, or you know I'm gonna be met whatever whatever the case. It's all dangerous Whether whether I'm among the heathen or my own people it's like I'm just always in danger Verse 27 in weariness and painfulness In watchings often In hunger and thirst in fastings often In cold and nakedness That's the life. I want to live right there That's not what the world's saying that's not what anyone's like I want I want that But because he suffered all these things and he suffered these things for the cause of Christ He's gone through these things, and he still has remained faithful That's why he can boast of these things of being a greater minister of Christ Because Christ led the way that as he suffered we should suffer and if I was Paul saying hey If suffering is gonna bring me more Christ like how about this suffering? What do you got to show? And then in verse 28 he says beside those things that are without Which is everything you just mentioned here everything that happens externally That which cometh upon me daily the care of all the churches So in in the midst of all of these perils of all these dangers of all these things of all these deaths and beaten beatings and everything else My duty and my job is to care for the churches Like that's I have to do that and that itself is a burden and a work and a labor and then you got to deal with people that don't actually care about what you're doing and Just show up and expect to have everything for them and Oh Paul come here and do this for me and do that for me it's like I Just was stoned and now I'm here to serve you. But yeah He says who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not This is good for us to get our minds, right Oftentimes we focus so much on ourselves And our needs and our you know, this and that what about the guy that's helping What about his needs what about what he's going through, you know, and he's not saying this to get sympathy. That's not the point But you know people might complain about being weak or whatever Look at what he's going through It's the same guy they're gonna turn to you and treat like trash I mean the Bible says about Jesus, you know that that he was beaten and afflicted and You know What you know we look at we turned as it were our face from him right, like the people just just didn't even want to look at him and like we're ashamed of him and and He came to bear the burdens of the whole world to bear the sins of Everyone and to heal the sick and to bear the infirmities and to do all of that selfless work and suffering for the people and the people were just like No And this is similar what the pasta Paul is describing here is like I'm going through all of this stuff for other people and then He's not being treated Appropriately the bottom line. I mean it says, you know, people are still just talking trash about me But he's still but he still Stays focused and does what he's supposed to do in the midst of all that in spite of all those things He still goes and he's like I'm not charged with any of you and you know what? I'm still not gonna be charged with any of you and I'm still gonna do this I'm still gonna serve you I still love you and I care about you and I still want to present you as his chaste virgin to Christ I Verse 30 if I must needs glory I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities And I guarantee you that's not what the false apostles were glorying over They were going over themselves and they wanted to Boast of this stuff that was not within their measure if you remember from previous weeks as he's saying, you know what? We reached unto you with the gospel. I'm not gonna go beyond our measure, but we went unto you and beyond Because these guys are just riding on his coattails and claiming all these victories and claiming all this work and claiming all this stuff that they Didn't do that. They're you know going off of other people's works and we didn't do that Anybody's saying at the end of the day though? If I'm gonna glory at about anything I'm gonna glory about the things that are my infirmities my weaknesses the things that that I go through my sufferings How glory over that? And you know, honestly I think that can help you When you do have to go through the hard times if you are suffering for the cause of Christ Hey glory in that Not in a sense of lifting yourself up but in a sense that The more you do these things God is going to exalt you and he will reward you So that is a true cause of glory because you know, like hey, I'm gonna have riches in heaven It's a reason to be happy about that And if Christ suffered so much I could suffer this much and if you know And if I go through this stuff and I deal with this stuff patiently then you know what God's gonna have this crown of life for me Verse 31 the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed forevermore Knoweth that I lie not In Damascus the governor under a read as the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison Desirous apprehend me and through a window In a basket was I let down by the wall and escaped his hands So he leaves us with this last story in this in this chapter that you know He's been tracked down It hasn't been easy for him to the point to where he's like trying to escape by being let down in a basket From a window to like escape these all the perils that he's dealing with This is what the apostle Paul's going through this is not the The the Billy Graham and the Joel Osteen and these other false so-called apostles that are out there trying to boast of themselves or whatever and show their their pearly white teeth and Want to brag about how much money they have and and whatever he's like no that these are the signs of a true apostle This this is what it's about These are the things that that you need to be aware of and focused on Let's borrow as I board a prayer your heavenly father. Lord. We thank you so much for For your word and for the great truths in the Bible dear Lord. I pray that you please help us to Have a spirit that's more like the Apostle Paul and definitely like Jesus Christ dear Lord where we are willing to go through any Dangers or perils or troubles or persecutions or beatings dear Lord for the cause of Christ To just continue to faithfully preach the word regardless of who's offended by it dear Lord and that we would be strong enough and bold enough to be able to To continue and and Lord I pray that you would please help us to one of ourselves to be grounded and solid in our own faith and that we wouldn't be Drawn away by by any deceivers and that you would help us to secure others who may not be as strong in their faith that they would get rooted down and and firmed up in what they believe that That none of these deceivers would be able to have an impact on Those of us here dear Lord. We love you. It's in Jesus name. We pray. Amen All right, we're saying one last song before we are dismissed Brother Peter, please lead us Song 418 am I a soldier of the cross Let's sing this out in the verse Oh Hey church, great singing. Thank you so much for coming you guys You