Why Paul Warned About "Another Jesus" — 2 Corinthians 11:4

Welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a 30-minute walk through the Scriptures, teaching in-depth Bible truths that change people's lives. Now, here's your host, Les Feldick. We'll get right back into 2 Corinthians and pick up where we left off in chapter 11. And oh, goodness, I think we'll just jump in at verse 4, 5. I thought we were going to get through the whole chapter last half hour, and we only got three verses, so I'm off schedule. Okay, for those of you joining us on television, again, we just appreciate so much hearing from you. And as I've said before, when you write, say you feel like you're sitting right here in the studio, this is exactly what we try to—you know, when we first were asked, when we were first asked to teach on television, of course, Iris and I just put it out. No way. We dragged our feet for three months, and there's no way we could ever consider ourselves something for television. But after finally the Lord had laid it on us, and we decided we'd at least explore the possibilities, you know, and we came up here and talked about these things. We never dreamed, we never dreamed it would go more than six months and we would die a natural death, and that'd be the end of it. But the Lord has seen fit to keep expanding it, and like I said, we just appreciate so much hearing from all you folk all over the country now. I think we've heard from people in every state in the Union, except maybe Utah. I don't think we've gotten any from Utah, but we're now getting letters from every other state in the country, and every one of them are such a blessing to read. You know, that was one of the reasons I was kind of reluctant to go into this, because of all the horrible hate mail I'd be getting, and, you know, I just sort of thought that'd be part of it. But, you know, we've only had two or three since we've started, and they weren't so much against me personally as they were against Christianity in general, so that doesn't hurt quite so much. But it has. It's just been such a complete surprise to us that Iris and I just can't get over it. So anyway, we love to hear from y 'all, and all the things are available. I said y'all, didn't I? Boy, that made an okey out of me. See, my wife starts grinning over there, you know. For those of you out on television, she's a native Oklahoman, and of course I came from northern Iowa, but whenever I use one of these Oklahoma statements, she just grins from ear to ear. So anyway, that's all part and parcel of our ministry. We're in it together, and that again was a miracle of God, how He brought us together. And we talk about it every day. Who would have ever dreamed that we'd be used the way we are? Well anyway, like I said, everything is available on videos and books and audiotapes, and if you're interested, you just call us, and we'll get them out to you. Okay, let's go back into 2 Corinthians chapter 11, and let's just pick up where we left off now. Verse 4, we commented on it just in our closing seconds. 4, Paul says, "...if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus." Now what do you suppose he's talking about? Well something other than the One who died for the sins of the world, and rose in power and glory from the dead. Now you don't hear that too much anymore. We hear a lot of preaching about Jesus, which I'm reminded of when I was still teaching up in Northern Iowa. I had a Saturday night class of young people, whole house full every Saturday night, and that was just after the Jesus movement of the 60's. You remember all that? And that's what they were. My, they just loved, I remember their favorite song, and they would sing to guitar music, here comes Jesus walking on the water. Well that was the only Jesus they knew, was the Jesus of earthly ministry. They just knew nothing of the Christ of Calvary. They knew nothing of the shed blood. They knew nothing of the power of His resurrection. And hey, they're not alone. This is most of Christendom tonight. They know all about Jesus. They know all about Christmas. They know all about Easter. But the power of the work of the cross, oh hey, that's something that has been long gone forgotten I'm afraid. But oh, Paul says, if they come preaching another Jesus than the one that he preached, which was, you remember I Corinthians 1.18, for we preached Christ crucified, see, unto us who are saved, the power of God unto the lost, its foolishness. And now he says it again, that if people come preaching another Jesus, then what, he says, which you have not received, or another gospel which you have not accepted, then you might well bear with him. And now verse five, here comes the crowning statement of his defense of his apostleship, and how many times hasn't he used it. For he says in verse five, I suppose I was not a wit behind the very chiefest apostles. Who was that? Peter, see, I'm not a wit behind him. Now move across the page, at least in my page, in my Bible, over to chapter 12, verse 11. We may have time to hit it again before the half hour is over, but in case we don't, let's read it now. Chapter 12, verse 11, I am become a fool in glorying. You have compelled me, you've forced me. Why? Because of their constant accusing him of not being a rightful apostle. He had no authority. He didn't have letters of commendation. He couldn't say, as I said here a couple of programs ago, he couldn't say, well, I ministered with Christ for three years, like Peter could. And so here it is again. You have compelled me to boast or to claim his apostleship, for I ought to have been commended of you. But was he? No. He should have been. He was the one who brought them out of paganism. He was the one who brought them into the light of the gospel of the grace of God, and now they're turning against him and not even giving him credit for it. And so he says, I ought to have been commended of you, for in nothing, for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles. Now you remember what I told you several programs ago? The Holy Spirit, by inspiration, over and over repeats things that need to be repeated. Here's two of them in two chapters. Chapter 11, he says, I am not one whit behind the chiefest apostles. A few verses later it's repeated again, for in nothing am I behind the chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. See Paul doesn't claim to be anybody, but oh, when it came to be an instrument of God, he was everything. All right, I've been alluding to it, and I'm not going to be able to get by without going to it. Galatians chapter 2, oh, I just love these verses when I defend Paul's apostleship along with him, because like I said before, I hear it so often, well, lest I follow Jesus. I'm not going to go about what some man says, well, who in the world do they think is speaking through this man? Galatians. Oh, let's start verse chapter 1. I'm not going to finish 2 Corinthians anyway, am I? Galatians chapter 1, verse 11 and 12. Galatians chapter 1, verses 11 and 12. But he says, I certify, I guarantee, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. He didn't pick up someone else's mantle, for I neither received it by man, neither was I taught it by other men, but, and I'll put the verb back in, I received it by the revelation of Jesus Christ. All right, then you come on over to chapter 2, verse 5. They have now called him up to Jerusalem. This is the great Jerusalem council of A .D. about 51, which I've mentioned so often on this program, is a parallel chapter with Acts 15. And at this council now, they've been coming down on him to back away from all of the claims of his apostleship and embrace Judaism and circumcision, along with, of course, a belief in Christ. All right, verse 5. Look what he says, by inspiration, I'll never take that away from him, that as the Holy Spirit inspired him, he says, to whom, that is to these men in Jerusalem, Peter, James and John and the rest of them, to whom we gave place by subjection, you see what that says? He was under pressure. But he says, we didn't give in to them, no, not for an hour. And what was the end result of not giving in to those Jerusalem leaders? That the truth of the gospel might continue with you, who, Gentiles. Verse 6, but of these who seem to be somewhat, now remember what I alluded to a couple of programs ago? Who is he talking about? The 12, who thought they were still head and shoulders above him, but they're not. They thought they were, but their authority had slipped through the cracks and his had ascended and so these who seem to be somewhat, whatsoever they were, past tense, sure they had been. They were the 12. They were Jesus' chosen vessels. But Israel has rejected it all, and Israel is slipping away. It's just a few years after this is written that the Temple will be destroyed, and Jerusalem is destroyed, and Israel goes into a dispersion amongst the nations. Oh sure they had their time, but because of Israel's unbelief, they lost it, and so they seem to be somewhat, verse 6 reading on, for they who seem to be somewhat in conference when they really started comparing notes of doctrine, not experience, when they compared doctrine, then what happened? In conference they added nothing to me. Now when it came to experience, who could have had the most? Well the 12. My, look what they had experienced. All the miracles. Peter could even say, well Paul, I walked on the water. He did, until he sunk, but he made a few steps on the water. And they could rehearse all that. They had the experiences, see. But old Paul had the doctrine. Paul had the revelations from the ascended Lord, see. I. So he said in conference, they added nothing to me. But on the other hand, contrary wise, when they, the 12, saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision, the Gentiles, was committed unto me, as the gospel of the Jew, or the circumcision was, and again I like to add the verbs only for clarification, as the gospel of the circumcision was committed unto Peter. For he who wrought effectually in Peter through the apostleship of the Jew, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles. What do you mean by the same? The same Christ. The same God. The same Lord Jesus who commissioned the 12 to go to Israel, and they followed Him for three years. They ministered under Him. They carried it on in the book of Acts. But Israel rejected it all. It all went through the pipe, and now the apostle Paul comes to the front, and he becomes the apostle of choice. And then verse 9, and when James and Peter and John. Now, it's interesting, I always feel that in Scripture there is a reason for the order of names. And here, Peter is not first. It's not Peter, James, and John. In fact, the James of Peter, James, and John is already dead. He's been beheaded. This James is the one who wasn't even in the 12. But who is at the head of the list? James. Peter has already lost his place of primary authority. He's not even moderating this meeting. James is, who was not even apostle, you see. And so when James and Peter and John, who, what's the next word? Seemed. Now, what does that mean? They weren't really, but they thought they were. And so when these who seemed to be somewhat, or perceived the grace. Reading back, I lost it. And when James and Peter and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived or understood the grace that was given unto me, that is to be the primary apostle now. They gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship. They shook on the whole deal. And they all agreed. That we, Paul and Barnabas, should go to the heathen, that's Gentiles, the non-Jew. And they would go, I'm adding the verb, I know that. And they would go where? To the Jew, to the circumcision. Now, they can only go to the Jew a few more years, because the Romans overrun Jerusalem. And Israel ceases to be a viable entity. They're scattered into every nation on earth. But for the next few years, yes, Peter and James and John are going to hold forth amongst the children of Israel. But it was practically a lost cause because of Israel's unbelief. But that's exactly why Paul has to constantly defend his apostleship. Because, of course, those 12 men in Jerusalem, as well as the leader, refuse to give up their authority. And that's human. Again, that just shows me their humanity. Like I told somebody a while back, I've got nothing against Peter. I'm going to be just as anxious to meet Peter one day as any of the rest of them. But it just shows their humanity that they just were not ready to relinquish that power and authority, and admit that this Jew now is in the place of God's using an instrument. All right, coming back with me then to 2 Corinthians, verse 6. "...but though I be rude in speech..." See, he didn't have all the grammar in exact order, evidently. "...but..." He wasn't rude when it came to knowledge. "...but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offense in abasing myself, that you might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed..." Or he took, evidently, a certain amount of wages. "...I robbed other churches..." That is, in other areas of Greece. "...taking wages of them to do you service." In other words, Paul, I think against his better judgment, actually took some offerings from those four poor people up in Macedonia. And okay, remember I pointed out several weeks ago that Greece is mountainous, and usually there was very little means of making a living, of growing crops and so forth, and so they were poor. But nevertheless, from that poor, destitute area, he did take money, so that he wouldn't have to take a dime from Corinth, which was a wealthy, commercial city. And I wouldn't doubt that there were some pretty well-to-do people. In fact, I know there were. There were well-to-do people in the Corinthian church. You saw that back when they goofed up the Lord's Supper, by bringing all their expensive food and wines and so forth. And so Paul says, "...I spared you who could have afforded it, giving me any money, and instead I took it from those poor folks up in the mountains." Alright, reading on. Verse 9. "...And when I was present with you and wanted, I was chargeable to no man. For that which was lacking to me, the brethren which came from Macedonia," Northern Greece, poverty -stricken Greece, "...they supplied, and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia." Remember geography. Macedonia was Northern Greece. Achaia was the southern half of Greece. Alright. Verse 11. "...Why did the apostle Paul condescend so much to these carnal, fleshly Corinthians?" His answer is, "...because I love you." Because he loved them, see? Verse 11. "...Wherefore? Because I love you, God Noah." Verse 12. "...What I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire occasion, that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we." In other words, steeped in the truth of the revelations from the Ascended Lord. Now verse 13, 14, and 15. Tremendous doctrinal verses. Doctrinal. And what is it? "...For such are false apostles, for such are deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." Now what do you suppose they were doing? Well, they were using much the same language that Paul did. Oh, they would make reference to Christ? They would make reference to His death, maybe? His burial and resurrection? They'd make reference to the Holy Spirit? Sound familiar? I hope it does, because that's exactly what we're up against. Oh, they use all the seemingly right terminology, but it is totally empty of doctrine. All right? And now look at verse 14. "...And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of..." What? "...light." See? Oh, he appears as though he is the one to be worshipped. He's the one to be listened to. But it's still Satan. He doesn't change except for his outward appearance, and so he's transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, since Satan is driving this, and he has people totally confused because of his outward appearances, therefore it is no great thing if his ministers..." Whose ministers? Satan's. "...if his ministers..." Satan, the angel of light. "...so it's no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as..." Now, they aren't are, but they're transformed "...as the ministers of righteousness whose end..." That is, their eternal doom, "...is going to be according to their works." That's what the Book says. That's not me talking. This is what God's Word says, that these people who seemingly can almost shine forth like an angel of light, and they seemingly have got all the power, and listen, the world is full of it tonight, and yet their end is going to be according to their works. Now, the great old Bible scholar from England said back in the early part of this century, referring to these kind of things, he said, "...I can envision the day when these people will stand before the great white throne," which, remember, is a place of only the lost, and he says, "...they will stand there and suddenly realize that their faith wasn't what they thought it was." And see, here's where we have to be so careful, that what we see and hear, does it line up with the Word of God? If it doesn't, then I very cautiously would say they could very well be a minister of Satan, who is the angel of light. All right, now in the few moments we have left, I'm not going to be able to finish what I really wanted to in chapter 12 anyway, so we'll take these few moments that are left to again review what you've heard over and over since we've been in Corinthians, and that was the sufferings and the pressures that the Apostle Paul came under in order to get the Gospel to you and I. Now, you want to remember, our salvation is based on what Christ has done for us, but the one who got the message out to the Gentile world, whereby you and I have heard it, we have the Word in our hand, is this man. And he literally was sold out to Christ. All right, now verse 16. I say again, "...let no man think me a fool, if otherwise yet as a fool receive me that I may boast myself a little." In other words, he said, let me just tell you why I think God has used me as greatly as He has. That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly in this confidence of boasting. Remember I told you last program, when Paul says, I speak not by commandment, I'm not necessarily being inspired, yet he was or wouldn't be in here, because not a word is in this book that the Holy Spirit didn't cause each one of these writers to write. All right, now then he just comes on through and we'll just glance through them quickly. He said, verse 21, "...I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, I speak foolishly, I am bold also." Now verse 22 I think gives us a clue. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? Who do you think he's talking about? The people that are constantly opposing his apostleship. And it was Jews. Now I'm not going to say here that it was definitely the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, but way down deep I kind of think so, because they're still not ready to accept the fact that these pagan Gentiles could enter into a salvation experience without becoming a part of Judaism. But that's speculation. The Scripture doesn't say it. But whoever he's referring to, it was Jews. Because that's what he says. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? Sure. So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Now you see, this meant everything to a Jew. In fact, we're not going to finish anyway, so come on back to Acts. Come back to Acts chapter 3. And this was the very ball work of these men. And Peter, of course, here is speaking. Acts chapter 3, dropping down to verse 12. I guess this is about as far as we're going to get. And when Peter saw it, that is the arousing of the crowds when they healed the lame man, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we made this man to walk? Now look at verse 13. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers. What does that tell you? Hey, that was the very engine of everything they were doing, was their heritage going back to the father of the human race, Abraham, and the covenant men, Isaac and Jacob. See? And this is what just motivated these Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. And so Paul says, you think I'm not part of that? You think I'm not an Israelite? Well, I'm a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and in Philippians he said, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. Through the Bible is a partner-supported ministry. If this program has been a help to your study of the Scriptures and you'd like to see others enjoy the teaching, your support would be greatly appreciated. Write to us at Les Feldick Ministries, 30706 West Lona Valley Road, Kenta, Oklahoma, 74552. Or call 1-800-369-7856. Remember, all programs are available in printed form, audio cassette, and videotape. Be sure to tune in next time to Through the Bible with Les Feldick.