I Corinthians 9:13  Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
14  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
15  But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.
16  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
17  For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
18  What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

In our text today God continued to direct the apostle Paul to address the responsibility of saints looking after the needs of those who minister the Word to them. Paul was not a beggar. He was not a wealthy man. He did not have some fancy mansion up on a mountain that he could retreat to whenever. He did not have jets sitting in hangars ready for his next jaunt. He did not even own a camel to ride on. He walked many places. He took ships, but they were not his own. He was a humble servant of God who was not looking to get rich off the Gospel. He was not a marketer. He spoke plainly as led by God.
The saints in Corinth needed to reflect on what they should have known. They should have known that the Old Testament priests were supported by the other tribes. The priests were of the tribe of Levi. They were to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. The other tribes were to look after their needs. There were certain parts of the animals that the people brought as sacrifices to God, that the priests were to take for themselves. God looked after their needs as they ministered to the needs of the people. We know there were corrupt priests like Eli’s sons who took parts of the animal that did not belong to them. We also know that God dealt with that. Those men died at the hands of the Philistines. Eli fell backward and broke his neck and died, when he heard that the ark had been captured by the Philistines. He had done such a poor task of teaching the people, that they assumed the ark was a good luck charm. God stepped in and showed Israel that that ark was to be a holy ark that represented the holiness of God. He could and did remove His presence from that ark and allowed the Philistines to take it and place it in the house of their false god. God showed the Philistines that He was holy and all powerful. Dagon fell down before that ark and the second time he fell, he broke apart. The Philistines learned the wickedness of playing around with the holy God. The Jews were supposed to show them that, but they failed to do so.
Paul reminded the Corinthian saints that God set up the way for the priests to be looked after as they were supposed to do the important work of teaching the people the Word of God.
In verse 14 Paul used the former illustrations to remind these saints that the Lord had ordained that those who preach the gospel should live off the gospel. God was able to supply the needs of the saints. He required that they would give in obedience to His Word. A godly preacher is not in it for the money. He does not manufacture tear jerker stories to try to get people to feel sorry for him. He is busy proclaiming the Word of the Lord. He trusts the Lord to provide for his needs as he faithfully serves the Lord.
God was directing the apostle Paul to preach these words. The Corinthian saints had so much to learn. Their carnality needed to come to an end.
In verse 15 Paul stated that he had not taken anything from the saints in Corinth. He had not asked them for money. He was commanded by God to write these words. He was told to write them under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. God told him to address this matter. He was not looking for help from those who did not want to help him. Paul stated that he would rather die than have someone accuse him of trying to twist their arm for money. He was content to do without because he knew of the glory of preaching the Gospel. He knew the blessing of seeing souls saved and churches established. He knew that God would take care of him and he would not die until God said it was time for him to die. He suffered stoning and shipwreck and imprisonment and many other things. He did not complain about any of that. He just wanted to serve the Lord. However, the Lord told him that part of serving Him was to teach saints the importance of these very important matters.
In verse 16 Paul stated that even though he preached the gospel, he had nothing to glory of. It was not his gospel. The power was not in him. He was simply the messenger that God chose to preach the gospel. He was called to be an apostle. He was trained by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach the gospel. He would have been sinning if he had chosen anything else to occupy his time. He was not going to be another Jonah. Jonah sinned against God in running away from his calling. He later reluctantly preached the gospel and then waited for God to destroy Nineveh. When the people repented and God spared them, Jonah was angry with God. He had preached such a message of judgment and he could not wait for God to destroy those wicked Ninevites. Jonah did not understand the mercy and grace of the Lord.
The apostle Paul was not like that. He knew he had to preach the gospel. That was his calling, He would be under God’s judgment if he did not obey Him. He loved to preach the Gospel. He loved the people and wanted them to know God’s blessings.
In verse 17 Paul stated that he had a choice to make. He could do his task willingly and receive God’s reward for doing so. He could also do so begrudgingly; but either way, he had no other option. God never makes a mistake in His calling of someone. He promises to be with His faithful servant every step of the way. He provides all the blessing that is needed. If the preacher preaches in protest to God, he will lose out on the blessings. God’s Word is what is important. God’s Word is powerful and It will do Its’ work when it is proclaimed. We need to use God’s Word, not man’s perversions. The apostle Paul had a duty to God to preach the gospel.
In verse 18 Paul answered the question: ‘what’s in it for me’? Paul made it clear here again that he was not in it for the money. If the preacher does his God-called duty, he will preach the whole counsel of God. That will include the preaching that Paul did in the previous verses. The saints need to be taught the blessing of giving to the work of the Lord. The saints do not need to concern themselves with the thought that maybe the pastor will get rich. A godly pastor is not in it for the money.
Paul stated that he would not put a price on the gospel. He would not abuse the power that was rightfully his to expect support from the saints for what he was doing. He would rather have their hearts right before the Lord, than have them give because they felt coerced. As we noted yesterday, God knows the cost of living in any place. Whether it be in an expensive city like Vancouver or Toronto, or a less expensive place like rural parts of this country, God knows the cost. He also knows that people in Vancouver and Toronto and the rural parts of this country need to hear the gospel preached to them faithfully and consistently. The love of God sent Jesus Christ to this earth to suffer and die and shed His blood on the cross of Calvary. The love of God motivates the true child of God that is called to preach, to go out and preach. He does not demand a certain salary in order to go and preach; he does not demand a certain fee to preach. He preaches because he is called to preach. He trusts the Lord to provide for him. He is not looking for glory. He wants to serve God faithfully and see souls saved and saints strengthened in the faith. He is willing to face abuse from those who do not love the Lord.
Jesus warned that the disciple is not greater than his Lord. He also warned that those who live for God will be hated by the world. He reminds us that He was hated by the world, and His disciples should not expect anything better. The compromised preacher who is seeking to accommodate the world, is not serving God. He is in it for his own glory. He wants to make a name for himself. A good name is important. That good name starts with receiving that good name from God. The praise of man will bring a snare.
It is interesting to note that there is no funeral message recorded for any of the apostles. The Bible does not even record how they died. Other records give us that information. God never recorded that. We do not know how many people were there when any one of the apostles was buried. Maybe no one was there. God shows us that was not important. They had their names written in the Lamb’s book of Life. They are resting in heaven now. Their troubles are over. They will receive new bodies soon. It did not matter to them how well received they were on this earth. They wanted to be well received by the Lord. That should be the desire of every God-called preacher. Just serve the Lord faithfully and leave the results in God’s hands. He will do His work. His reward is better than anything this world could ever offer.
Pastor Bartel