Now, we've been looking here
in 2 Corinthians, and we're in chapter 10, the end of chapter
10, and Paul says, But he that glorieth let him glory in the
Lord. For not he that commended himself
is approved, but whom the Lord commended." Now, it doesn't make
any difference if you pat yourself on the back and you say, what
a good job you're doing, and you're happy with it. It doesn't
matter if all of us get together and pat one another on the back
and say, what a good job we're doing. Now, I would say this,
and I don't say it critically, but I'm just saying it as a way
of observation. Most churches, today that call
themselves churches, exist as mutual admiration societies. And they go about encouraging
and patting one another on the back and saying, well, you're
doing a good job, I'm doing a good job, we're all doing a good job,
I'm sure the Lord is satisfied with all of this. But as we look
at what Paul says here, he said, He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. That doesn't have anything to
do with men. See, when men go around the Lord, that takes it
out of the realm of man, does it not? And the Lord said that
we are to not let our right hand know what our left hand is doing. But what he meant there was you
don't need to be concentrating on what you're doing. Because
if the right hand not even knows what the left hand is doing,
then the only thing that the purpose of all that we say and
do is to be unto the glory of God. And any other reason is
a false reason. It doesn't matter what that reason
is. If it's not for the glory of God, Paul said, whether therefore
you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of
God. For not he that commendeth himself
is approved, but whom the Lord commended." Now who is it that
the Lord commends? He has approval of one. He is
approved of His Son. He is satisfied with His Son. And when he sees his people and
he says to them, well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter
thou into the joy of the Lord, he is not taking into account
all the wonderful things that they've done in their life. But
he is taking into account the righteousness of his Son. And
he says, well done. Thou good and faithful servant."
Because there's only one thing that will satisfy the Lord, and
that's perfection. Now that's something that's lost
in the minds and eyes of people because, you know, when we were
in school and we had a hard test and nobody did good on the test,
We always wanted the teacher to grade it on the curve. Even if the best students didn't
make but an 85 on it, then we wanted it to kind of even out
and make it a little better. Well, the Lord does it great
on the curve. He has one standard of righteousness. And there's only one who ever
met that standard, and it's Christ. And so that is the standard by
which all of God's people measure up. And they do measure up. We
measure up perfectly in the sight of God, not because of what we've
done, but because of what Christ did. And you know, if I die and
leave this planet never having ever communicated anything else
to anybody, I would hope that would be the thing, that we would
understand that the Lord is the righteousness of His people.
from beginning to end, and all that's in between, and all expectation
that any of us have of being acceptable in the Lord's sight
would be found in Him. He that commendeth himself, not
he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commended.
And then Paul goes into this next chapter here. seeking to set forth before these
Corinthians the fact that the Lord sent Him to preach. And that He wasn't doing it to
gain anything from them, but He was doing what He was doing
simply because that was what He was compelled to do. But there were some evidently
that had come among them that were perhaps more polished, they
were more skillful, perhaps they didn't appreciate some of the
doctrine that Paul set, and they were trying to undermine some. In this Corinthian church, they
were trying to steal away that which Paul had set. And so Paul
spent some of his time Not in order to boast of himself, but
to show the Corinthians that the Lord had indeed sent him.
And so he says here to them, Would you God, you could bear
with me a little in my folly, and indeed bear with me. He says,
you know, just humor me for a few minutes. He says, just hold on
a minute and listen, I just want to tell you something, and you
don't have to believe it or not, it doesn't make any difference
to me, but just listen to me. Bear with me in my folly. I'm
going to tell you something that some men might think is foolish. For he said, I am jealous over
you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear lest by any means
as a serpent beguile thee through a subtlety, so your mind should
be corrupted for the simplicity that is in Christ." Now, we've
looked at these verses, and so as Paul says to them, I want
you to bear with me a little in my folly, and he goes on through
this passage of Scripture, and he recounts to them the things
that he had done, that the Lord had sent him to do. And he begins
here in chapter 12 with the same sort
of a thought that he began there in chapter 11. He says, bear
with me a little in my folly. Now, he comes to chapter 12 here,
and we've talked some about those things that he spoke about, about
if somebody comes preaching another Jesus whom we've preached. He
said, you know, there's a lot of preaching going on, but he
said not all of it is the same. Now there are those that tell
us, well, everybody, we're all trying to get to the same place.
Let's just don't argue with one another or whatever, and let's
just all get along. And you know, one man's message
is as good as another. Now there's some truth in that.
One man's message is as good as another. I mean, one man's
message is no better than another one. But if God sends a message,
then that supersedes all others. And that's what Paul is saying
here. He says, I'm not coming to you in the power of the flesh.
He says, I'm coming to you in the power of the Spirit of God
as the Lord sent me into the world. And so it is indeed that
some have come preaching another message and getting you off the
track. He comes through this chapter
and he recounts for them the journeys
and the perils and the different things that happened to him.
And he says, If I must need glory, I will glory of the things which
concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which is blessed forevermore, knoweth that I lie
not. In Damascus the governor, under
Aretas the king, kept the city of the Damascenes, or of Damascus,
with a garrison desirous to apprehend me, and through a window in a
basket I was let down by the wall and escaped his hands."
Now, he's recounting the fact that when he was converted, The leaders there, as Paul was
raised up by the Lord, and he went into the city of Damascus
and was preaching Christ in the synagogues. And they said, well,
this won't ever do. We've got to kill this guy because
he's a high-up leader and a Pharisee and he'll be subverting people.
So the governor of Damascus determined to kill him. But the disciples
laid him down in a basket over the wall and he escaped. Now
you can read about that in the ninth chapter of Acts. But he's
recounting it here. Now why is he telling them all
this? Is he just telling them so because he wants them to pat
him on the back? No, he said if a man is not commended
by the Lord, then he's not commended. He says, I don't care what you
think about it. He says, I'm just telling you
what the truth is. And so he says, bear with me
in my folly. Again, basically, because here's
what he says. He says, it is not expedient
for me doubtless to glory. Now that's kind of a convoluted in my estimation, I think that
if you go and you kind of look at that in the original language,
probably doubtless was not the best word as we use it that could
have been put in there. Because in some ways it kind
of makes it sound like it's saying something that it's not. Because
what he's actually saying here, I believe would be, I'm not trying
to correct this, But I think it would read better in our understanding
if it went like this, it is not expedient for me therefore to
glory. Because that word can be translated
as therefore. But it wasn't in this case for
whatever reason. But he said, it is not expedient
for me therefore to glory. He says, I'm not interested in
glory, but he said, I'm going to come and tell you about visions
and revelations of the Lord which He gave me. I knew a man in Christ
above fourteen years ago. It had been approximately 14
years since Paul was let down in this basket. But he said at
some point in time, and we don't know the exact time frame of
when Paul was here, when he is specifically speaking, but I
believe he is speaking sometime shortly after that. occurred,
that his conversion occurred, I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago. Now, you remember that he said
in another place he was as one born out of due time. And he
says, I didn't confer with flesh and blood. And he is an apostle. Now, an apostle is someone who
was directly taught by the Lord, who is a witness of the resurrected
Christ. Now, we don't have any record
in the Scripture that Paul was any of those things insofar as
the earthly ministry of Christ was concerned. But what Paul
is speaking about here is the fact that he did receive direct
revelation from the Lord, as the other apostles did, and he
was a witness of that resurrected Christ. And I believe that what
he's saying about here is that this occurred during the time
that he left Damascus and conferred with no one. And he says, I knew
a man in Christ above fourteen years ago. He's kind of speaking
in the third person here, I knew a man so as not to say, well,
you know, this is what happened to me. Now you'll notice, and
there's been a bunch of them, these people that write these
books about they went to heaven and they did all these different
things, you know, and they died and they came back and all that.
And they always talk about, well, they did it. Well, Paul doesn't
even boast about having done it. He says, I don't even know.
He says, I can't tell you for a fact if it was me or if I dreamed
it. I don't know if I actually went
there or if I was just kind of in a trance or something. He says, whether in the body
I can't tell or whether out of the body I can't tell. I don't
know if this was like a vision or if I actually went there in
flesh and blood. He says, I don't know. And he
says, I'm not trying to boast and I'm not trying to prove anything
by this. He said, but God knoweth. But
he said, this one thing I know, he said, this one that I'm talking
about here was caught up into the third heaven. Now, the third
heaven is a reference to that realm which is beyond the natural.
things that don't appear in the present moment. That is, you
can't see them with these eyes. And Paul's speaking about that
here. And he's not making a boast of it, but he's just setting
it forth. He says, I was caught up to the third heaven, and I
knew such a man. And again, he's going to reiterate.
He says, I know it's true. You ever had something that you
know to be true, but you don't know exactly how you know it
to be true? Well, he's saying, I know this is the true thing.
He says, I can't explain it. He says, I don't have a complete
understanding of it all. But I knew such a man, whether
in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth. But he says, it doesn't make
any difference because here's the truth of it. I do know this,
how that he was called up into paradise, that is, the third
heaven, and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful
for a man to utter." Now, he said he heard stuff that he
couldn't even tell you. Now, that doesn't make any sense,
because the natural man does. Well, Paul, go on, tell us what
you say. He says, I can't. He says, it's impossible for
me to tell you. I mean, the things that we see
are the things that God is pleased to give us to see, but what is
there to see that we can't even comprehend? It's not possible
in this realm with these tongues and these minds to comprehend
it. Now, you know, and just kind
of a side note, I mean, John, when he was given visions that
he was given, of the New Jerusalem, and he spoke of there being a
street of gold. Now, a lot of times in songs
and stuff, and people get talking about there's going to be streets
of gold. Well, the Scripture doesn't ever speak about any
streets of gold. It speaks about a street of gold.
And I believe that's very important. Because it's not like there's,
you know, this avenue and then there's this bunch of side streets.
There's one street. And it is a street of gold. And
it has reference, of course, to the glory of Jesus Christ.
There is only one thing of glory. But you see, John, in describing
those things, now, do I believe that there is that the heavenly
Jerusalem has in it a street of gold that you could dig up
a piece of gold and take it up there with you and compare it,
and it would be that? No. He was describing something
in the grandest terms that it was possible for a human to describe
it, and he said it was gold, and here's the amazing thing,
he said it was clear as glass. Now, have you ever seen any gold
that was clear as glass? I mean, what does that even mean? I don't remember if it's in the
book of Ecclesiastes, but I believe it is. It talks about apples
of gold and pictures of silver. Now, I've thought about that
some. You know, that's a glorious thing,
but have you ever seen apples of gold and pictures of silver?
I mean, that's how we depict it, but
what is that? It's just the most glorious thing
that a man could describe. Well, Paul said that when this
man that he's talking about, he couldn't even describe it.
He said, I heard things there that is unlawful, impossible
for a man to utter. He can't set it forth. He says, I can't tell you about
it. But he said, it was the real truth that was given to me. It was a glorious thing. Not
that which was of the flesh. I knew such a man, how that he
was caught up in paradise and heard unspeakable words, which
it is not lawful for a man to utter. And he says, Of such an
one will I glory, yet not of myself. I will not glory, but
in mine infirmities." So he says, I'm not going to spend a lot
of time patting myself on the back about having been counted
so great in the Lord's sight that I was carried up to this
heaven." It doesn't make any difference about that, he said.
He said, the fact is that the Lord, in His mercy and in that
glory, He taught me things for His own glory. And he said, I
won't boast of myself. I want glory in myself. having been there, because he
said, I don't exactly know how I was there. But he said, what
I will do is I will let all the glory be His. I will not glory
in myself, but I will glory in that man that was called up there,
because it is that spiritual realm. Now you know when the
Scripture speaks about the resurrection of the body, it talks about in
the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. And it speaks about the fact
that that which is natural is natural, and that which is spiritual
is spiritual. And that which is natural cannot
be spiritual, and that which is spiritual is greater than
that which is natural. And he said the body that's put
in the ground, just like a seed that's put in the ground, That
body that comes as a seed is put in the ground, and when it
comes up, it doesn't come up. A seed doesn't come up, does
it? A seed was put in the ground, but a seed is not what came up,
but what was in the seed did come up, did it not? Now that's
a glorious thing because you see, he said that body which
goes into the ground is a natural body, but that body that comes
out is a spiritual body. You know, people will debate
that sort of a thing and all this, and some people, they try
to say that, well, you know, there's no really such thing
as the resurrection of the body. Well, the Scripture says there's
a resurrection of the body. The Lord Jesus Christ was raised
in a body. And so I believe we're going
to be raised in a body, but it's not going to be the same body,
is it? It's going to be the same body in the sense that when the
Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, they knew who He was, did they
not, when He was pleased to reveal Himself to them. So He could
be seen. In fact, the Scripture says that
He ate when He was with the disciples on the seashore there. So it
was a real body, but it was a spiritual body. It was beyond the realm
of the natural concept of things. Remember they were in the upper
room? And the Scripture says the doors
were shut. And all of a sudden he was in there. Now how is that? I mean, how did he do that? Well, dear brethren, those are
things that are beyond the realm of human understanding. Paul
says, I'm not glorying in this in the flesh, because I don't
even know much about it in the flesh. But he said, the Lord
taught me some things that I can't really 100% explain, but nonetheless
I know they are true. And I believe this is a fact,
that when God teaches a man his truth, when He teaches him that
the truth that Jesus Christ is the Savior of sinners, He communicates
something to that man that cannot be explained in human, natural
terms. Now, we can talk about that we
believe these things, we can rejoice in it, but dear brethren,
the communication of that truth to the soul of a man is a mystery
that cannot be explained. The Lord said to Nicodemus, except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Now how
does that new birth happen? How is it that one moment a man
is walking along with no consideration
of true spirituality, and then in the next moment, laying on the road and he's saying,
who art thou Lord? How does that happen? Who can
explain that? You know, is there a formula
whereby a man can cause that to occur? Is there something
that the religious experience that a man can seek out and find
that will bring that to pass? No. It's that which comes from
God. It's the mercy of God visited
upon a man. And that's what Paul is speaking
about here. He says, I didn't have anything to do with it.
He says, I'm going to go along minding my own business. And
all of a sudden he says, I'm not sure what even happened,
but I was caught up into a place that it's unlawful for men to
speak of. For though I would desire to
glory, I shall not be a fool. We can't glory in being the sons
of God, because we didn't make ourselves
the sons of God. He made us the sons of God. But
yet we would desire. It's a glorious thing, is it
not? When the Lord communicates to
the soul the sweetness of what it is to be a child of God, it
is a sweet thing. And we would desire the glory
in that. And there's nothing wrong with
glorying in that as long as we glory in the grace of God as
having put us there. We don't think, well, we did
something to cause it to occur. But he said, though I would desire
the glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth, because
it would be foolish for me to glory. in this. Now, you know, a lot of people
go over in visions and what not, and they go on a speaking tour
to tell everybody of all the visions they had and all of these
different things. You know, they're out there,
they'll tell you, you know, all the different stuff they've experienced
and done and all that. Paul said, I'm not going to get
into all that. But he said, I'll 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." I don't want people to
magnify me, he said. I don't want to be lifted up.
I want you to see what you see. He said, just look at what you
see. I mean, if I'm speaking the truth of God to you, then
receive it as the truth of God. But don't receive it because
I said it, but because you have been taught that it is the truth.
And then he says, in the same manner as you should
not think of me above that, he said, the Lord has brought me
to a place where he says I can't even rejoice in it, I can't even
glory in it, unless I should be exalted above measure through
the abundance of the revelations. Because you see, the Lord gave
him such truth that it was necessary that he afflict him that he might
be humbled lest he should be lifted up. Now, you know, the
Lord is full of mercy to His people. And what the world would
not consider to be mercy is often the way the mercy of the Lord
is revealed. Paul says here about it, he said,
Perhaps if the Lord hadn't put this affliction upon me, he says
I'd have went on a speaking tour and I'd have boasted about all
these things, revelations and what not that I had and I'd have
built myself up in the minds of men, but he said the Lord
humbled me. Now we don't know exactly what
this thorn in the flesh was, a lot of speculation about what
it was, Some have speculated that this messenger, this 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. Some have speculated
that perhaps it was Paul's, that he had real bad eyesight. Because,
of course, he has, you know, others to write his letters for
him. He doesn't write them himself. And he says in one of the apostles,
see how great a letter I have written in mine own hand. He
is speaking about the fact that he signed the letter in a large
script. And some would say he did so
because he had poor eyesight. I don't know. Some have said
that perhaps it was some speech impediment that the Lord gave
him. I kind of lean towards that because
there is a lot of evidence in the Scripture And he speaks to
the Corinthians about this, about the fact that in speech he is
not eloquent. Maybe he had a lisp,
or maybe he had some other speech impediment, or maybe he was afflicted
in some fashion through some of the beatings or whatever.
you know, that came from him, or that he was not a perfect
man in that sense. In some way he was afflicted
according to what he's saying here. And he says, I prayed three
times that the Lord would remove this from me. You know, he's
thinking like all of us. I mean, we think whatever happens
to us that would hinder us a little bit, we need that all taken care
of, don't we? I mean, you know, if we've got
an aching leg or something, we want that aching leg to be taken
care of. I mean, it just becomes a priority
to us. All these things, men are constantly
doing that. Now, I'm not saying there's anything
wrong with that in the flesh, but I'm just saying that's how
the flesh works, doesn't it? It wants to be rid of whatever
affliction. He said, I asked the Lord three
times to take it from me. Now, I guess Paul didn't have
much faith, did he? I mean, if these preachers are
telling us you've got to have faith to be healed or whatever,
and if you haven't enough faith, you'll be healed. Evidently,
Paul didn't have it, did he? Because he prayed three times,
the Lord removed this thing from him, but the Lord did not remove
it from him. But he said this, 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 the power of Christ may
rest upon me." He said, I gladly take the infirmities that Christ
might be magnified in word and deed through me. He says, it
makes no difference to me what these afflictions that have come
upon me are. He says, I glory in them. I thank
the Lord for them. And brethren, you know that,
we can learn something from that. I mean, to be thankful in all
things when things don't work out just like we wanted them
to be. In fact, when things work out opposite to the way we wanted
them to be. Because that's what happened
with Paul. They didn't work out like he wanted. He wanted one
thing and he got something else. And so it is. that he said gladly,
will I glory in my infirmities. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions.
He said, these things that come upon me, he says, I'm glad when
they come. I'm reminded of Peter and John
after they were beaten in the book of Acts. It says they rejoiced
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the cause
of Christ. See, that's Paul's mindset here. He's not concerned with those
things. And he says, in persecutions and distresses, for Christ's
sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong. Now, that doesn't
make any sense to the flesh, does it? I mean, the flesh thinks,
well, you've got to be strong, brother. We've got these folks
that tell us all the time, brother, you've got to be strong and you've
just got to take the bull by the horns and you've just got
to do it and all that. Well, when a man confesses that
he's weak, that's when he is strong. When a man knows that
he has no strength of his own, but that his strength is in Christ,
That's when a man is the most strong, is it not? I mean, the
glory of God is magnified. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. I am become a fool in glory. Ye have compelled me, for I ought
not to have been commended of you. So he's kind of, he's told
them all this, and then I think he's kind of saying, well, he
says, maybe I've said too much. He said, because, you know, the
natural tendency of the flesh is even to take something that
is unto the glory of God and turn it into something that brings
glory to us. Now, you know, I've been around
a lot of people that it's almost like a badge of honor to them
to talk about how wicked a person they are. Now, we are a wicked
people, and you can't exaggerate that. But you can kind of, I believe it can become an activity
of the flesh to just sit around and talk about how wicked you
are in order to try to outdo one another. has to be more wicked
than the other. Look, all that doesn't matter.
I mean, the Spirit of God, when the Spirit of God works upon
a man, He's going to convince him of sin, righteousness, and
judgment according to what the Scripture says. That's the work
of the Spirit of God. And He convinces some men of
those things in greater detail and measure than He does others.
And so we don't need to outdo one another in talking about,
you know, I mean, Paul said he was the chief of sinners. And
I feel quite sure that all of us, taught by the Spirit of God,
have found ourselves in that same position from time to time. But it's not a grading scale.
I don't have to feel more wicked than you or whatever. You know,
the Lord is able to show you what you are by nature. And you
don't have to measure up to my standard, nor do I have to measure
up to yours. See, I've heard people say, well,
you know, he don't act much like he's repentant or whatever. Well,
you know, I don't know how a person is supposed to act when they're
repentant. But I know this, that the Lord works repentance in
His people. And He causes them to mourn for
their sin before Him. I know that for a fact. Now how
that manifests itself, I don't know. See? And it's not for us
to know, because these things are the working of God in the
people of God. And so Paul says, I've become
a fool in glory. I don't even want to go in that. I ought to have been commended
of you for nothing. Am I behind the very chiefest
apostles, though I be nothing?" I don't want to find any room
to glory, even though it's a fact that you ought to consider the
fact that I am an apostle. And I didn't tell you these things
to glory. But the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all
patience in signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is there
wherein you were inferior to other churches, except it be
that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong."
Now, as we have spoken, I think we might have mentioned this
last week or a week before sometime, about the fact that evidently
there were some of these false preachers coming among and trying
to steal away the flock of God there at Corinth. And they were
saying, well, you know, Paul, if he really was interested in
you and what not, he'd be here among you and he'd be living
off of you. I mean, he'd be taking money
from you. And because he's not, that shows he doesn't care. You
know, if you really believe that my ministry is good, you'll send
me some money. I mean, we've got plenty of those
today, don't we? I mean, I've heard them tell us that the Lord
was going to have to quit next week if you don't send them your
money. I mean, they might not even be
able to preach anymore if the Lord doesn't send them. Well,
let me tell you this. If the Lord sends somebody to
preach, He'll provide for them in some fashion. Now, He may
provide for them by causing the people of God to dig in their
pockets and support them. That might be how He does it.
He might do that. But the Lord will never, ever
not support those whom He sends. That makes no sense. If He sends
a man, He'll provide for him, will He not? I mean, does a country
raise up an army and then they just tell them, well, go over
there and fight the best you can? I mean, what do they do?
They give them the weapons to fight with. They send them. It
wouldn't make any sense. to send an army to fight a battle
and not provide for them. The Lord provides for those whom
He sends. And He didn't send His people,
those whom He sends, into the world to beg other people to
give them money. And Paul said, you know, would
you rather? You know, forgive me this wrong.
I mean, I've ministered to you. I've suffered these things and
I've gone through all of this for your sake. But you're upset
with me because you think I should have taken something from you? Well, forgive me for doing you this wrong. No, basically,
I think he's being very sarcastic there myself. He's saying, you
know, I haven't harmed you at all. He says, I've tried to help
you. And you're looking at this in the wrong way. And so we're
going to stop right there. But you know, in all things,
whether it be by many or by few, the Lord is able to perform His
work. And Paul said, you know, I'm
not coming here talking to you because I think that I'm the
only one that can do this. But he says, I do know this,
the Lord did send me to do this. And he said, whether or not I'm
the only one that can do it or not is beside the point. Or whether
or not I'm the only one that the Lord will send. But he said,
the Lord did send me. And he says, I will do that,
which the Lord sent me to do. And you can look at it, and if
you don't like it, that's your business. You know, you need
to weigh it up and see if what I've told you is the truth and
what I've told you bears witness with the Spirit of God. And as
we look at the Word of God, that's how we need to judge that which
we see and hear. Don't take something because
somebody says it, because they're brother so-and-so, Because it
doesn't make a difference who they are. That's what Paul said.
It doesn't make a difference. They say, I want glory in that.
He says, I just want glory in the Lord. And he says, if the
things I've spoken to you are true, receive them. If not, then
go on and take whatever you're going to take. May the Lord help
us.