Savage Street Church of Christ

Class: Investigating and Defending the Gospels #14

Listen to the Class:

Purpose: To show that the apostles had pure motives when they preached about Jesus

Investigating and Defending the Gospels #14

Did the apostles have ulterior motives?

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • March 2, In the year of our Lord, 2016

Prelude:

1. What motivates people to promote what they know to be a lie?
   1. The love of money
   2. The love of sensual pleasure
   3. The love of power
2. Were the apostles guilty of any of these?

Persuasion:

1. Did the Love of Money Motivate the Apostles?
   1. The record shows how they lived:
      1. Mark 10.21–28 shows that the apostles thought as Jesus did.
      2. 1Co 4.8–13 shows the apostles lived as Jesus did.
      3. 2Co 6.4–10 confirms this also.
   2. If the love of money drove these men, they failed miserably.
   3. They taught against materialism:
      1. James 5.1–5
      2. James 2.5
   4. No one in the first century disputed how the apostles live.
2. Did the Love of Sensual Pleasure Motivate the Apostles?
   1. Peter and the other apostles were married.
      1. Matt 8.14
      2. 1Co 9.5
   2. Polygamy was common in the first century, yet
      1. what did Paul say of the marriages of elders?
      2. 1Ti 3.2
      3. Tts 1.6
3. Did the Love of Power Motivate the Apostles?
   1. How do the lives of the apostles compare with the lives of popes?
   2. Was leadership in the church an asset or liability to one’s self?
   3. Did the apostles compromise their message to avoid persecution?
      1. Remember 1Co 4.8–13; 2Co 6.4–10
      2. 2Co 11.22–33
4. The Apostles and Their Message
   1. Did anything, other than reporting the truth, motivate the apostles?
   2. Were the apostles biased?
      1. What about Paul?
      2. Did the apostles seek Jesus or did He seek them?
      3. Did they have erroneous ideas about Him initially?
      4. When they heard of the resurrection, did any of the apostles believe?