Good and Evil Motives in Preaching

In this part of the sermon: This section details the two contrasting motivations behind the preaching: the 'wickedly motivated' preachers driven by envy, strife, selfish ambition, insincerity, and pretense…

An analogy of a driven, selfishly ambitious worker who attributes the same base motives to others, illustrating how those with wicked motives project them onto others.

You follow me? For instance if you're at work and there is someone in your place of business who is driven to produce not because of any genuine concern for the company not for any genuine concern for anything beyond his or her own selfish ambition and being envious of the top dog in the office in the shop wherever it may be a person who is driven by those motives thinks that everyone else who shows any ambition is driven by the same motives.

20:20 - 20:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the two contrasting motivations behind the preaching: the 'wickedly motivated' preachers driven by envy, strife, selfish ambition, insincerity, and pretense…

An analogy of an outgoing, selfless young lady in school being perceived by a 'queen bee' as having selfish ambition, further illustrating the projection of base motives.

You see it? It's that way in the school. You let a young lady come in who's attractive and outgoing and she just naturally likes people and she speaks to people she has no ambition to be the little queen bee so that all the little drones will buzz around her every time she goes hither and yonder she just is an outgoing selfless disinterested person well you let someone you see who wants to be the queen bee get in the presence of a person like that because they are driven by selfish ambition and envy they attribute the same motives to that person and I'm convinced in my own mind as much as I ca...

21:02 - 22:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the two contrasting motivations behind the preaching: the 'wickedly motivated' preachers driven by envy, strife, selfish ambition, insincerity, and pretense…

A narrative reconstruction of how Paul's arrival and prominence in Rome might have stirred envy among established local preachers, leading them to preach Christ with renewed vigor out of rivalry.

You see it? It's that way in the school. You let a young lady come in who's attractive and outgoing and she just naturally likes people and she speaks to people she has no ambition to be the little queen bee so that all the little drones will buzz around her every time she goes hither and yonder she just is an outgoing selfless disinterested person well you let someone you see who wants to be the queen bee get in the presence of a person like that because they are driven by selfish ambition and envy they attribute the same motives to that person and I'm convinced in my own mind as much as I ca...

21:02 - 22:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the two contrasting motivations behind the preaching: the 'wickedly motivated' preachers driven by envy, strife, selfish ambition, insincerity, and pretense…

A quotation from commentator Lenski vividly describing the envy of preachers who feel overshadowed by others' gifts and influence, reinforcing the interpretation of the wicked motives.

that position Hendrickson and then Lenski let me just quote Lenski because he makes this so vivid they preach because of envy and strife that is because these men are envious of Paul and thus intend to raise up strife and dispute with him the meanness thus manifested is the greater because of the because their own boldness in preaching was due to the way in which Paul's case was going they had the benefit of that and this was the manner in which they repaid it many of this type have appeared in the church who are envious because God has given greater gifts in more influential positions to othe...

24:00 - 25:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that your heart is a 'sink of iniquity' and you need a new heart and spirit from God.

A quotation from John Calvin on this very passage, where he relates Paul's experience to his own, highlighting how ambition can turn the gospel into a weapon against godly pastors.

of the heart things as vile and wicked as these things will emerge the great reformer at geneva had occasion to write on this very passage ambition is blind nay it is a raging beast hence it is not surprising if false brethren snatch a weapon out of the gospel for harassing good and godly pastors think of it snatching a weapon out of the gospel for harming good and godly pastors paul assuredly says nothing of which i have not myself had experience you see experience exegeted this text for the great reformer at geneva a shockingly realistic commentary on the human heart but then secondly it con...

40:12 - 41:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of the 'cursed spirit of ministerial jealousy,' which is a 'creeping plague of the clergy.'

A metaphor describing ministerial jealousy as a 'creeping plague' that afflicts clergy who cannot rejoice in the gifts or usefulness of others.

and in a sense the motive for your actions is the key to the true quality of the action that's why paul says in first corinthians four or five judge nothing until the time come when the lord appears then he shall make manifest the secrets of men's hearts and every man shall have his praise from god that's why paul could say in second corinthians five nine and ten wherefore we are ambitious whether at home or absent to be well pleasing unto him we have this great burning ambition to please him why for we must all be made manifested laid bare at the judgment seat of christ then shall everyone re...

41:41 - 43:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not rejoice if the Christ preached is not the Christ of Scripture (God and man, whose death is the only basis for pardon, appropriated by faith alone).

A metaphor describing God's sovereignty as the 'soul of good animating a body of evil,' where evil motives provide the 'fuel' for the gospel's fire.

preached profusely and earnestly you can't rejoice the apostle paul could because he had a realistic understanding of what the church would be but then fourthly this passage contains a powerful demonstration of the sovereignty of god here we see what we would recall the soul of good animating a body of evil as one has said evil provides the fuel on which the fire of the gospel feeds here are these evil motives envy rivalry faction jealousy insincerity there they are throwing the logs on the fire and it's the gospel that's consuming the logs and sending out heat and light that's an amazing disp...

46:52 - 48:21 Read in full sermon

The point: The answer to your 'galling chain' (husband, wife, sickness, job disappointments) is not to get rid of it, but to let it point you to Christ and find sufficiency and grace in Him to rejoice.

A personal anecdote from Martin's childhood about his parents' rule that 'it takes two to make a fight,' illustrating how Paul's grace-filled response broke the cycle of retaliation.

nature may help you to bite your lip and bear it but only grace can so work in the heart that you dance where left to yourself you would mourn what a wonderful savior paul had and it was christ who did this for him he tells us that later on in chapter four i can do all things through him who strengthens me from within but my dear christian friend you are joined in living bonds to the same savior and the same grace is available in christ to you and to me oh that we in our circumstances may lay hold of that grace so that regardless of what men women and others on the outside or even within the a...

53:26 - 54:56 Read in full sermon