so many truths in that song,
Sweet Hour of Prayer, that calls me from a world of care. Isn't
that so? When you really do enter into
true prayer, you get a break, just a little break from this
world of care. So grateful for that. Go with
me to 2 Corinthians 12 again. Second Corinthians 12, as I just said to you, we have
some brethren going through great trials and difficulties right
now that we know of. And we have some brethren who
are going through great trials and difficulties right now that
we don't necessarily know of. Many brethren are suffering many
things right now in many ways. And knowing that led me to this
scripture. And I believe in my heart that
I have a word of comfort and I have a word of hope for Anyone
who's in that case right now, anybody who is in that case,
that real desperate case of trial and burden and need. Verse 10,
2 Corinthians 12, verse 10 says, therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. Paul said, when I am weak, that's
the moment that I'm strong. That's the moment that I'm strong. And I want us to really take
notice of the fact that he was not saying, when I am weak, that's
the moment that I pull my bootstraps up and really dig in and find
my second wind and get myself out of that hole. That's not
what he's saying. If that happened, if somebody
did that, in that very moment, that person would be weak. When we are strong, we are weak. You know that? That is so. When we are strong, in whatever
way you want to say it is, when we are strong, We are weak. What Paul is telling us right
here is, when I am weak, really weak, that's the only moment
that I'm really strong. When I'm in a moment of absolute,
utter weakness, that really is the only moment that I'm strong. Now let's see why he is saying
that and what that means. All right. Look at verse one. He said, it is not expedient
for me doubtless to glory. Paul said, it is not good for
us to glory in anything concerning us or anything that we've done. The Lord said through the prophet
Jeremiah, he said, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich
man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me. That's it. Paul told
the Corinthians, if any man glory, Let him glory in the Lord. He
told the Galatians, God forbid that I should glory save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's it. Only the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ. So he said, it's not good at
all for us to boast of ourselves in any way, shape or form. But
he said, I'm going to tell you this for your benefit. I'm going
to tell you this for your benefit. Verse one, it is not expedient
for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above
14 years ago, and he is speaking of himself. Verse seven proves
that he said, lest I should be exalted above measure. So he's
speaking of himself. Verse two, I knew a man in Christ
above 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell or whether
out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth such and one caught
up to the third heaven. We have the heaven here where
the birds fly. We have the heaven above that
where the planets and the stars fly. and then the heaven where God's
kingdom is. He said, I went there. And every time I'm here, I just
want to get lost in the thought of this. I want to get lost in
wonder of the things that he heard and such on and so forth,
but that's not our message tonight. Yet we can still get lost in
this thought for just a minute. Paul said, I went there. And he said, I don't know if
it was just my soul that went there or my soul and my body. He said, maybe my body went there. I can't tell, God does. That's
amazing. Verse three, and I knew such
a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell,
God knoweth. How that he was caught up into
paradise. Wouldn't you like to just get
lost right there for a little while? It's gonna be paradise. If Christ is in the room, it's
paradise. If you're standing there looking
at Jesus Christ face to face, literally hearing the tone of
his voice, it's paradise. Verse four, how he was caught
up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful. That means not possible for a
man to utter. I heard holy words, righteous
words, sinless words. He said, I heard the actual conversation
of heaven. And he said, the conversation
was so glorious. I can't repeat it to you. So
glorious. He said, this literally happened
to me. This literally happened to me.
I'm sure he believed his body went there. Doesn't matter. The
soul is the person, but verse five, he said of such in one
will I glory. He said, I will glory in the
fact that this happened. He said, yet of myself, I will
not glory, but in my infirmities. For though I would desire to
glory, and who wouldn't? Who wouldn't? Who in the flesh
wouldn't want to glory or boast about this happening to them?
And I'm not even talking about in a proud, self-righteous way,
but who wouldn't want to run and tell, you're not gonna believe
what just happened to me. Verse six, though I would desire
to glory, I shall not be a fool. He held it in on purpose. I shall
not be a fool for I will say the truth. But now I forbear,
lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth
me to be or that he heareth of me. He said, I'm going to tell
you this one little truth. I'm going to tell you one little
piece of it, and then I'm going to stop right there. I'm not
going to tell you what all was revealed to me. Everything that was revealed
to me while I was there, I'm not going to tell you that. He
said, because then you would start looking to me and it would
take your eyes off of Christ. So he said, I'm not going to
do it. Verse six, for though I would desire to glory, I shall
not be a fool. For I will say the truth, but
now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which
he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should
be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations." Revelation after revelation. You know, when you first hear
where he said, it's not even possible for me to tell you what
I heard. It's kind of like he just, my mind thinks he just
heard conversation, all these conversations going on. And it
just wasn't even, you know, possible for him to relate that to us.
You know, it's just bigger than us. That's not what happened.
He stood there receiving revelation. God was just revealing, this
is what this is, this is what this is, this is what Abraham
is, and Hagar, and Sarah, here's Isaac and Ishmael, here it is. Truth, just after truth, after
truth, it was just boom, boom, boom. Verse seven, lest I should be
exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations. There was given to me a thorn
in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should
be exalted above measure. Now let me tell you all something,
okay? Let's just pause and stop for just a minute. Let me tell
you something. You and I have been given an
abundance of revelations. Do you know that? Directly from the third heaven
Spirit of God, we have been shown truth after truth after truth. Stories have been revealed. Revelation
after revelation after revelation, by the Word of God, in the Word
of God, concerning the Word of God, who is a person. Things that are very difficult
to even put into words. You know, the Lord opens a door
of witness for you and somebody finally ask you about the gospel
you believe. And it's like, OK, go. And it's almost like it's not even
possible for this man's mouth to utter what I'm so convinced
of. Does that make sense? Our Lord has revealed things
to us that if he would allow us to, we would become so lifted
up over it. This is so, this is not maybe,
this is yay and amen. If our Lord would allow us to,
you and I would become so lifted up with pride over this. Honestly, we in our flesh would
become exalted above measure, thinking we are something when
we are nothing. Thinking somehow we are better. I got this. Y'all don't, but
I do. If left alone, we would think
somehow we must have been better than everybody else to be included
in God's election. Somehow, somehow we must have
been smarter or wiser than everybody else to be able to believe the
things of God when the vast majority of this world can't. We can,
they can't. Something in me must have been
worthy of God's love, worthy of God's choice, worthy of God's
favor. If God did not give to us thorns
in the flesh, there is no doubt we would be exalted above measure.
No doubt. If the Apostle Paul feared that
for himself, then you and I ought to fear that for ourselves. We
just really should. The Lord God omnipotent, the
Lord God almighty is the one who gives the thorn. He's the
one who gives the thorn. He's the one who gives the buffeting
to his people. Thorn means prick. That's what
it means. Thorn means prick. Buffeting
means a punch in the gut. You know, sometimes we need that.
Sometimes it takes a little prick. Sometimes it takes a punch in
the gut. And although our Lord used the
means of His pawns, He used His creation, which He controls and
uses to carry out His bidding, the messenger of Satan. Although the Lord used that means
to carry it out, it was the doing of the Lord. It was the doing
of the Lord. Verse 7, and lest I should be
exalted above measure, Through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Thank God, not
the spirit, not the soul, the flesh. The flesh, the flesh that's temporary
anyway. The flesh that's sinful and rotting
and dying. The flesh that God's people can't
wait to get rid of. The flesh, verse 7, lest I should
be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of
Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure for
this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from
me. The Lord gave it because it was
needful. And as soon as he gave it, Paul
wanted it to be gone. But it was needful. For Paul's good, it was needful. Had the Lord just taken it away?
No doubt, Paul would most definitely have been exalted above measure. Thinking not only do I hold the
revelation, the revelations, you know, the mysteries of his
will, the secret things of God, but I also hold influence with
him. I pray and he answers. I say and he does it. You talk
about exalted above measure. This whole thing really is going
however I want it to go. That's what would happen if we
said, Lord, please do this, and he just did it. Verse eight, for this thing I
besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. And
he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee. You're going to wait on me. You're
going to look to me. You're going to trust me. This
will increase your faith, the gift of faith that I give to
you. This will increase your patience,
the gift of patience that I work in you. This will increase your
graciousness toward others who go through the same thing. The same trials. This is what's
best and come the end of it, you will see that and you will
say that. The end of this thorn and buffeting
will prove to you, and it will cause you to say, God's grace
truly was sufficient. It truly was sufficient. I have
a couple of moments in my life. I've never been through real
trials. I believe they're coming, but I've never really been through
big trials. But I have a couple of moments
where I can look back on them and say with absolute confidence,
God's grace was sufficient. He really was. Verse nine, and he said unto
me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Whose weakness? Paul's weakness,
my weakness, your weakness. His strength is made perfect
in our weakness. In our own strength, we can't
even see His strength. That's just so. In our own strength,
we can't even see His strength. When we're strong, we're not even looking to His
strength. It's only when He empties all
of our strength out of us that we see the perfection of His
strength. The cross of Calvary. The cross
of Calvary. That was our weakness. All right. The cross of Calvary was our
weakness. This world sees the cross of
Calvary as being his weakness. But not God's people. They don't
see it that way. They have been broken from kicking
against the pricks of the revelation of truth. God's people see that
the cross of Calvary was their weakness. That cross came because
of our weakness. What the law could not do in
that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh And by a sacrifice for sin, he
condemned sin in the flesh. That was his strength. That was
his strength. That cross was the strength of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The moment that we see our weakness
before God, that's the problem with man is he sees himself as
being strong before God. That's the problem for men and
women. But the moment we see our weakness before God, our
weakness to redeem ourselves, our weakness to stand before
the judgment throne, people are just so ready. When I get there,
I'm going to stand and I'm going to ask God, Oh my goodness. God's people want to go crawl
under the rock in their weakness. When the God's people see the
strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, in their weakness, his strength
is made so perfect. Is his strength not perfect? The strength of his righteousness
toward the law. How strong is his righteousness
compared to that just strict law? Oh, it's very strong. It's stronger than the law. The strength of his satisfaction
of justice. God demands justice. He is a
just God. What is the strength of Christ's
ability to satisfy God's justice? Oh, he's very strong in that. The strength of His redeeming
blood, this wretched, vile sinner that I am, can His blood really,
really pay the price to redeem my soul? Most definitely. His strength is made perfect. His strength is so perfect to
us in seeing our weakness. That's how it is in salvation,
and that's how it is through the entire walk, the entire life
of a child of God. When it comes to the eternal
redemption of our souls, His grace was sufficient. Not by
works of righteousness, which we did. It wasn't in our own
strength. But according to His own purpose
and grace, He saved us. It was the strength of His grace
that was sufficient. And when it comes to the daily
cares of this life, it is going to be proven to us that His grace
will always be sufficient. If He has given you faith in
Him, you will see that and you will say that every time. I'm telling you this, it may
take a minute to get through the trial. Weakness is still weakness. Weakness
looks like weakness. But after that trial is over
and you turn around and look back on it and see all the grace
that God poured over it, that's what you're going to see. You're
going to walk away from this a little bit, get away just a
minute, and you're going to turn around and look back on it. You're
going to see huge piles of grace. You're going to see how God's
grace got you through that. And you're going to say, His
grace was sufficient. Then you're going to turn to
your brother and say, brother, I'm so sorry you're going through
what you're going through right now. But I'm telling you from
personal experience, his grace is sufficient. He's going to
get you through this. You're going to be glad. Verse 9, He said unto me, My
grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will
I rather glory in my infirmities. That word glory means trust,
believe, no matter what the outcome is. By his all-sufficient grace,
I will trust and believe that the power of Christ will rest
on me come the end of this. Verse 10, he said, therefore,
I take pleasure in infirmities. Take pleasure means I will see
it as being good. It does not mean trials are now
my favorite thing to go through. Mm-mm. It means I will endure them willingly,
patiently, seeing them as being good. And God's people actually
do this. They do this. I'll endure this willingly. If
God has you in a trial and you believe that's God's will for
you, do you want to be anywhere else? I'll endure this willingly. I'll
endure it by his grace patiently. I'll see it as being good. I'll
see it as being God's grace to me. Realizing that it's all coming
from his hand. That right there is called the
way of escape. The way of escape. All right,
just listen. This is first Corinthians 1013. It says, there hath no
temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God
is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape that you may be able to bear it. That is the way. Realizing that his grace most
certainly will be sufficient in this. And it will end in my good and
his glory. That's the way of escape. Verse
10 says, therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. This is all because of Christ
and what Christ has done for me. He said, for when I am weak,
weak in my flesh, weak in myself, it's not, Pleasant to be weak
It's not pleasant to be weak in the flesh. It's not pleasant
to be weak in self, but it's the best way to be It's the best
way to be because he said when I am weak Then am I strong strong
in Christ strong in faith toward Christ realizing that He's the
only hope I have in this. He's the only one I have to look
to in this. In that moment, God's people are strong in His purpose. I know what my purpose is, but
He's making known to me what His purpose is. And I'd rather
Him have His purpose. Strong in His will, strong in
His providence, strong in His desire, strong in His grace,
His mercy, His goodness. Never am I looking to Him more
than when He puts me in a place where I can no longer look to
myself. Never. Never am I looking to Him more.
And to Him be the glory for that. As difficult as it is from time
to time, to Him be the glory for that. Amen.