2 Corinthians chapter 12. I want to read to you beginning
in verse 1. Read down through verse 11. It is not expedient for me, doubtless
to glory, not profitable for me to glory. I will come to visions
and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago, where the end of body I cannot tell, or
whether out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, such and one
caught up to the third heaven. 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, and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such and one will
I glory, I'll boast, Yet on myself I will not boast, but in my infirmities. 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, unless 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 three times, that it might depart
from me. And he said unto me, My grace
is sufficient for thee, 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. 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. I am become a fool in glory,
and ye have compelled me. I ought to have been commended
of you, for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostle, though
I be nothing. Verse 12. Truly the signs of
an apostle were wrought among you in all perseverance, patience,
in signs and wonders, and in mighty deeds. Paul's thorn in the flesh. But
we want to deal with the context of this for a little while. Paul
was the cheapest of the apostles, of all the apostles. But especially
the apostle to the Gentiles, and especially the apostle here
to these Corinthians, by the instrument in the Lord's hands,
He had begotten them through the gospel that He preached.
He came into this church, He preached unto them the gospel
of Christ, and they believed it and were saved by it. If he
was an apostle to anybody else, he was to these Corinthians.
And also, he says here in verse 12, not only that he had preached
to them, and that his preaching had come to them in such power
in the Holy Ghost that it had converted them, but he says here
also, there's other signs that I'm an apostle among you. The signs of an apostle were
wrought among you. In his preaching, he said, I
endured, I persevered when I faced afflictions there. The Lord had
helped me. And signs and wonders and mighty
deeds were done by this apostle there at Corinth. So they had
no reason to doubt of his apostleship. Now what had happened? Paul had
come here. They had received the gospel,
been saved by the gospel under his preaching. He had left. And then, as often had happened,
false apostles, false teachers had come in behind him, attempting
to undermine his authority as an apostle and pervert the gospel
of Christ. And what they were attempting
to do with this church was to corrupt their minds from the
simplicity that was in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he
tells them there in chapter 11. Corrupt your minds from the singleness
that's in Jesus Christ. Simplicity. Christ is all. Christ is all. He's all God requires. He's all we need. In Him dwells
all the fullness of the Godhead body. You are complete in Him. I profess to know nothing among
you save Christ and Him crucified." And Paul says, since you are
risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. For you
are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. You need
nothing but Him. Keep your hearts, keep your minds,
keep your affections upon Him. Cleave to Him with purpose of
heart. The life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith of the Son of God. Live upon Him. He not only is our life, He is
our living. These false apostles were seeking
to corrupt the minds of these Corinthian believers from this
simplicity, the pure and single-hearted devotedness and devotion that
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at something else. Seek
for something else. Get your mind off Christ. You
need to get beyond Him." They tell what the fellow said. That's
what they were telling these. Paul said, I fear for you. You've received these guys as
though they're somebody. And I'm afraid you're going to
receive another gospel, another spirit, That was what these false apostles
were attempting to do. But before they could turn these
Corinthians from the gospel, they had to undermine Paul's
authority as an apostle. And that they were having difficulty
doing. They hated this apostle. They were filled with utter contempt
for him, and the reason they were filled with contempt, they
could not refute his gospel. He would sit down to debate with
them, and they would get so mad because they could not refute.
He spake with wisdom. He spake with authority. He spake
with clearness. And the reason he did so, he
had one foundation from which he argued. One premise. And that's
the Word of God. That's the Holy Scripture. And when this man opened up the
Old Testament Scriptures, these false apostles could say nothing.
And they were filled with contempt. Ambrose Bierce said this, contempt
is the emotion we feel for an opponent. whose arguments are
too formidable to refute. That's how they felt. Contempt,
because they were not able to refute his arguments. So what happens when you can't
refute someone's arguments? You attack him. You attack the
messenger. You can't out-argue the Apostle,
so you attack the Apostle himself. Look here in chapter 10 and verse 10. Here's
what they were saying. They used all kinds of arguments
to turn these hearts and minds of these Corinthian believers
against the Apostle. Here's what they were saying.
Chapter 10, verse 10. For his letters, they say, Yes,
his letters are weighty and powerful. Anybody can write a letter. You
can go get a few commentaries and get your dictionary out and
come up with some big words on why to write a weighty and powerful
letter. But, his bodily presence is so
weak, and his speech is so rude. He's not a handsome fellow. And he don't speak in eloquence.
Look at him and listen to him. You think he's an apostle? You
think God would call a man like that to be an apostle? And in chapter 11, they had many
arguments against the Apostle Paul, but this is some here in
the context. The Apostle Paul wouldn't receive any money, any
support from this church. They wanted to support him. Even
there when he preached to Mama, he wouldn't take a dime from
the congregation. And these false apostles come
to him and they said, you know why that he's not receiving any
money from you? He don't even like you. He don't
love you. He don't care to offend you.
You offer him money and he won't even take it. You know why Paul wouldn't take
it? These false apostles were preaching for money. And they
said, Paul is too. Paul's preaching for money. Paul
said, I ain't took a dime from that church. And I'm not going
to. But he said, what are those guys taking from you? How many special offerings have
you taken up for them? How many checks have you slipped
to them on the side? Oh, they may in pretense not
be taking the salary, but how much money have you given them?
How much property have you left to them? They're rich people.
And he said, the reason I'm not taking any money from you is
for this reason. If they say they have pure motives
in preaching, then let them preach just like I do. Let them go out
and get a job and come and preach to you on Sunday. See how long
they preach then. But he tells them here in verse
10, in chapter 11, as the truth is in Christ. No man shall stop
me of this boasting in the regions of Akiva. I'm not going to quit
not taking anything from you. I'm not going to take a dime
from you. That's what he said in verses 6-11. Wherefore, because
I love you not? That's what they're saying. Paul
just don't love you. God knows. God knows. God knows
I love you. God knows that's why I'm not
being taken anything from you. I love you. With all my heart
I love you. But the more I love you, the less you love me. That's
what he told us. And I imagine, the Scriptures
don't say, but I just imagine these false apostles also said,
you know the reason he won't take any money from you? He has
no confidence that he's an apostle himself. So he's ashamed to take
money from them. And one reason these false apostles
were able to take advantage and undermine the apostles' authority
was because of Paul's whole attitude and his disposition. What kind
of man was the Apostle Paul? Well, he had a lot of the spirit
of the mastery. He served out of humility. He
served in lowliness of mind. I was among you in meekness and
fear and much trembling. He was among them as a brother,
as a preacher. I am the least of the apostles. I am less than the least of all
saints. He would not defend his authority
as an apostle unless they forced him to. And it's because of the
kind of man that he was. And that's what they had forced
him to do here in these verses, in these chapters. Look what
he says in chapter 11 and verse 6. He does defend. He had to defend his apostleship,
his authority. But boy, he didn't like to do
that. He was an apostle, a chief of the apostles. But he didn't
glory in that. He called himself Paul. Paul. And that's what they referred
to him as. Nobody called him reverend. Very few times they
called him brother. It was just Paul. And he liked
that. He was just one with them. But he said here in chapter 11,
verse 6, But though I be rude in speech, yes, I am rude in
speech. I don't speak with eloquence, yet not in knowledge. I know
more than ever one of you. That's what he said. I've received
more revelations than any of you. I understand God, I understand
Christ, the workings of the Holy Spirit, His purpose and predestination,
the Gentiles being called in. I understand all of what God
has revealed here and sent me to preach. I have knowledge more
than any of you. And if anybody wanted to refute
that, sit down and talk with them. Debate it. And he says here in verse 16,
I say again, let no man thank me a fool. You think I'm a fool? If otherwise, yet as a fool receive
me that I may boast myself a little bit. Then he begins in verse
17, and he begins to boast. He says it's foolishness for
me to do this, and I don't want to do this. But he said, you've
compelled me to. You force me to defend my apostleship,
my authority. And he says in verse 17, that
which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were
foolishly, in this confidence of boasting, vain boasting. But
this is the truth. Seeing that many boast after
the flesh, I'll boast also. For you suffer fools gladly,
seeing you yourselves are wise. You suffer if a man bring you
into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if
a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. You don't
like humility. I've been among you as a humble
person. You don't even like me. Here these fellows come taking
advantage of you and ruling over you and oppressing you. And you
like that. You highly esteem them. I speak as concerning reproach,
as though we had been weak, albeit whosoever is bold. I speak foolishly. I am bold also." Look at this
now. Are they Hebrews? So am I. They've got nothing
on me. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham?
So am I. Do they profess to be ministers
of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more.
In labors more abundantly, and he was, wasn't he? Nobody established
as many churches as this apostle that we know of. Nobody traveled
the distance that he traveled that we know of. Nobody had the
converts that he had that we know of. In labors, look at his labors.
Let him boast a little bit. And I'm glad he did this. I'm
glad they compelled him until he finally rose up and said,
I'm going to show you what I've done. I'm going to tell you what
I've done. Those guys bragging what great laborers and workers
they are, let me tell you about what I've done. And you know
I'm glad he did because we wouldn't have known this, would we? You
read through the book of Acts and you don't find much in this,
a little bit of it, but not much. But look at this. In labors more
abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent,
in deaths often, Of the Jews, five times received I forty stripes."
Say one. Thirty-nine stripes. Five times.
Three times was I beaten with rods. A lot of people died on
the first beating. Once was I stoned. Three times
I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I have been
in the deep. In journeyings often. in pearls
of water, in pearls of robbers, in pearls by my own countrymen,
in pearls by the heathen, in pearls in the city, pearls in
the wilderness, pearls in the sea, pearls among false brethren,
in weariness and painfulness and watchings often, in hunger
and thirst and fastings often, in cold and nakedness." I tell
you, there's no wonder old Mark couldn't travel with him. and
probably a lot of other people too. That's probably why Demas
left. I can't take it anymore. And
these guys have the nerve to say he's not an apostle? Besides those things are without,
those things which come upon me daily, the care of all the
churches. Who is weak? And I am not weak. If I run into a man that's weak,
I become weak. that I may gain the wick. Who
is offended? And I burn because of it. If
I've offended anybody, I'm burdened. I burn within until the fence
is removed. If I must need glory, I will
glory of the things which concern my infirmities. I don't want
to glory, he said. But you compel me to. Then he goes on in verse 30 and
31. And he tells about the governor of Damascus seeking his life
to arrest him. And they led him down through
a window and he escaped infirmity. Now he goes on here in verse
1 of chapter 12. Look at this. Paul is going to
rehearse an experience he had over 14 years before this. I
don't know if he just happened to think of this or what. But
he said, I want to tell you about an experience. I will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord." And then in verse 2 through verse 4, what an experience. Look at two or three things about
this experience. I knew a man in Christ over 14
years ago. Such and one was called up to
the third heaven. There's the first thing. Ain't
that amazing? Ain't that a wonderful thing?
Can you imagine that? caught up into heaven, the paradise
of God, he said. The Father's house. Going beyond
the clouds all the way into the throne room. Heaven is thy throne. And here this man stood in the
throne room of God. Heaven itself. Ain't that amazing
in itself? And secondly, he says this about
this experience. In verse 4, I heard unspeakable
words that it is not lawful for a man to utter. Words, no doubt
from the lips and heart of the incarnate God Himself. Somebody
said this, and let me mention these things. What did he hear
and what did he see? Did he see Christ in His glory? There had to have been something
to see. Father, I will that they be with
me that they may behold My glory. Well, He's there in heaven in
His glory. Here's a man caught up there. Did he see the Son
of God in His glory? Did he see those angelic farms? The thrones and dominions and
principalities and powers? Did he see the glory and the
beauty of the souls of the departed saints? They're there. Did he hear them in their speeches
and their songs? Singing in those melodious voices? Those happy creatures? Was this why he said, I have
a desire to depart and be with Christ? Did he look on the book
of life? Did He speak with Enoch and Elijah
and other glorified saints, glorified in their humanity? Was He told
the date when the fullest of the Gentiles would come in? Was
He let in on the mystery of the nation of Israel being saved
in the latter days? Was He told the mysteries that
weren't even revealed in the Holy Scriptures are recorded
there? that none of us will know until the last day. What did
he see and what did he hear? Whatever it was, he said, I can't
speak it. I can't speak it in Hebrew. I
can't speak it in Greek. We couldn't speak it in English.
It's a heavenly language. It's not lawful to be uttered.
Wouldn't that be experience? Caught up into the third heaven. Hearing things and seeing things. Thirdly, think about this. Paul
wasn't conscious whether he was in the body or out of the body. He wasn't conscious of being
in his body. If he'd have been in his body,
he'd have been conscious of it. You know why? Oh, wretched man that I am. who
shall deliver me from the body of this death." Brothers and
sisters, wouldn't it be an amazing thing if just for a while, to
be taken out of this body, not to be conscious anyway of being
in it, wouldn't that be amazing? Conscious of sin, conscious of
the weakness of this frame, Who shall deliver me from this body? He was out of it, at least not
conscious that he was in it. Oh Lord, give me such freedom.
Give me such freedom. Free from the sense of sin. Free
from the burdens. Free from the cares. Free from
the infirmities of this body. and caught up into that holy
and happy liberty, I was caught up into the third heaven. And fourthly, think about this. Is this experience that Paul
just mentioned here, is this just a preview? Is it just a
foretaste? of what awaits every person who
is in Christ. I knew a man in Christ, he said. In Christ. He had the privilege
of being caught up because he was in Christ. All those in Christ
will eventually be caught up into heaven and will see and
hear no less than he saw. and to hear. He that overcometh
will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst
of the paradise of God. That's where you're going to
wind up, dear child of God. Right where He was. And you're
going to hear what He hears. And you're going to see what
He sees. Everybody who is in Christ, in Christ, Notice what he says here in verse
5 of chapter 12. Of such a one will I boast. He separates himself from himself.
Yet I of myself I will not glory. He first says in verse 5, Of
such a one will I glory. He doesn't even mention himself
as being caught up. He speaks as though it's someone
else, but we know it's him. from the context in verse 7 and
8. But he speaks as though it's somebody else. I know such a
one. And he said, of such a one will
I glory. I glory of that one that's caught
up into heaven. That man, that blessed man, I
glory. Won't you glory? I tell you,
you let me find myself in heaven. I'll be glorying. I'll be glorying
that this poor sinner has obtained, redeeming mercy, redeeming love,
redeeming grace. I've finally made it. You think
I won't run and leap and jump and praise God and glory? Look at me now. Look at me now. Yes, we'll glory. We'll look
at ourselves and there will be such glory revealed in us and
upon us. We'll glory. You won't keep from
it, Glenn. Paul said, I'll glory in that.
Yes, I'll glory in that one that was caught up. I'll glory in
Him. But yet He comes back down and
He says, this fellow that's back down to earth now, myself, this
earthly self, I'm not going to glory in Him. I can't glory in
Him. I'll glory in my infirmities,
my weaknesses. Now he says here in verse 6,
look at this, this is interesting. For though I would desire to
glory. If I desire to glory, I'm not
going to be a fool. I don't want to glory. It's foolish
to glory. It's foolish. I could glory and say the truth
in it, he said. I could tell you more than I've
told you. You want experiences? I can tell you all kinds of experiences.
I can tell you what God has done with me, to me, in me, and not
be lying about it either. I'll tell you the truth. There
ain't no sense in me doing that. He said that's foolish. It's
foolish. But now I forbear. I refrain from this boasting.
I'm not going to tell you any more of my experiences. Why?
Lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth
to be in me, or that he heareth to be in me." Now what's he saying?
What's he saying? Let me say it like this. You
and I don't want people's estimation of us. We don't want people's estimation
of our character. Who we really are. to be based
upon what we've told them of our experiences. We want people's estimation of
us to be based upon what they see in us, in our daily walk,
in our daily action, and what they hear honest men say about
us. I don't care about these televangelists
floating around in the clouds, and you think that's where they
are if you listen to them sometimes. I don't care a thing about their
experiences, do you? Come down out of the clouds and
let us see how you walk when you're in this world. I know
how you say you float, but how do you walk? Don't tell us about
your burning desire to take the gospel to foreign lands. We've
heard such boasting for years, and how you want our money so
you can take the Gospel there. And yet we've never heard you
preach the Gospel. Why don't you try preaching the
Gospel in its purity, in the grace of it, and be faithful
in it, and let us watch you suffer because of it, and then maybe
we'll consider supporting you, and sending our checks to you.
But don't tell us. Show us. Who am I? What am I? You see it in my everyday life.
And you see what I am by what honest people says about me.
That's what Paul is saying. Don't rely too much on what I
tell you of my experiences. I may be exaggerating things. Listen to me at church when I
preach, yes, but follow me home. Go to my job with me. Go down
to the local restaurant with me and see how I treat the restaurant
lady and the person. Walk with me to my neighbor's
house. Talk with him about me. If people would quit listening
to these televangelists, tell their tall tales, and brag about
their Holy Ghost filled meetings, and just take them at face value,
they wouldn't have such a high opinion of them. Paul said, I'm
not telling you any more of my experiences. I know what you'll
do, you'll start glorying in me. You'll start esteeming me
too highly because of my experiences." He said, I'm not going to do
it. I forbear. I refrain from doing it. Lest
any man think of me above that which he seeth me to be, and
he hears of me to be. That's what I want, ain't you?
Show me. Show me. We ought to get a big sign. Ride out to Missouri and get
one of those big signs. Show me. And carry it around
with you. And some of these fellows come
up and start bragging. Just pull it out. Show me. Show me. Don't tell me anything. Show me. Show me. In verse 7, look at this. unless I should be exalted above
measure through the abundance of these revelations, God revealing
things to him. There was given to me a thorn
in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me unless I
should be exalted above measure." Poor, poor Christian. Look what
a paradox he seems to be. He had revelation from the Lord
and he had a messenger from Satan. Ain't that a paradox? It seems
like he had one foot in hell and one foot in heaven at the
same time. He had visions in his mind and
thorn in his flesh. Grace and pride in the same man. Christ in his heart. and a devil
in his flesh. Poor Christian. I tell you, I
feel sorry, brothers and sisters, for anybody who thinks they can
make it in their own strength. And who glories in the energy
and trust of the arm of the flesh. Who is a Christian? My, my. Look at it. Here he is. caught
up into heaven and pulled out as it were into hell at the same
time. There was given to me a thorn
in the flesh. It's futile to try to figure
out what this thorn was. I tell you, if you read commentaries, they have stretched, speculated, The best one I think
I've ever read, I read a few years ago and I still chuckle
when I think of it. One guy was so serious in trying
to prove that Paul's thorn in the flesh was his bald head. I still think about that sometimes
when I stand in front of the mirror. And I think, oh no, I
just can't take this any longer. This is too painful. It's just
too painful. A thorn in the flesh. Losing
his self-esteem. There's no sense. You're looking.
There's no sense in us trying to figure out what this thorn
was. Look at it like this. How would you have felt if you
would have had a thorn in your flesh? Instead of trying to figure out
what the thorn was, figure out what the effect, what the consequences
is of having a thorn in your flesh. Can you imagine having
a thorn in your foot? Wouldn't that be awful? It would
affect the way you walk, wouldn't it? You'd always have to be given
to it. You'd always be conscious. You'd
limp. It would have an awful effect
upon you. You couldn't run. What if you
had a foreign in your backside? You'd forget and you'd sit down.
Oh, and you'd scream. What if it was in your back?
You couldn't lay down and rest. What if it was in your hand?
You were always bumping it. It would affect what you were
doing. It would affect your work. What if it was in your eye? A thorn in the flesh. What is it? It would be a continued
pricking, a pain. You'd always be mindful of it,
wouldn't you? Sometimes it would be festering
up. Sometimes you'd be afraid it
was going to get infected. Sometimes it would be bursting
open and running. You'd always be conscious of
it. A continued pricking and pain. Maybe some of you have a thorn
in the flesh. You have something that constantly
almost grieves you. You're aware of it. Very seldom
you can put it out of your mind. It bothers you. Why did Paul have such a thorn
given him? There was given to me, that seems
somewhat cruel, don't it? There was given to me a thorn. I have two thorn trees out in
my yard back down over the hill. What would you think if I had
brought a little pouch of them here this evening? And I come
up to each one of you and say, I want to give you something. Give me the bottom of your foot.
Let me see your naked back. That seemed awful cruel, wouldn't
it? That's what happened to this man. There was given to me a
thorn in the flesh. Why? Lest I should be exalted
above measure. The Lord has blessed me And I
am so depraved that I'll begin to get proud of my grace, proud
of my blessing, proud of my revelation. Look at me! I was called up into
the third heaven. Can anybody boast like that? The Lord loves His people so
much and He hates pride so much He will afflict them sore to
hide pride from them. I've never seen a Christian worth
his weight in mud but that he had experienced some
affliction and it had humbled him. I don't care if you're just
a Christian sitting in the pew. I don't care if you're a preacher
in the pulpit. You're not worth your weight
in mud. if you've never been humbled through affliction. Knowledge
puffeth up. If the Lord is going to teach
us, He has to keep us down. I don't know a single preacher
that is not afflicted in one way or the other. And if you're
here this evening and you're a good Christian, I bet you could
tell me something that you've gone through yourself. Keeping
you down. keeping you from pride. Afflictions
are tough. Thorns would be uncomfortable
to say the least, but the alternative is worse. Pride. I'd rather weep over my perceived
failures and my weakness and my loss than to be lifted up
in pride because of my successes. It was necessary for this apostle
to have this thorn in the flesh, lest he should be exalted above
measure. What did he do about it? Verse
8, With this thing I besought the Lord three times, that it
might depart from me. What should you and I do in our
trouble, in our anxieties, And could you imagine when this
thorn was first put in there? Can you imagine how that surprised
him? There it was. Suddenly, the pain
of it, the affliction of it. Shocked. Fear. And what did he
do? He went to the Lord in prayer. He sought the Lord in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything
to God in prayer. Somebody said, it's the least
I could do is to pray. That's the best thing you could
do. That's the greatest thing you
could do. And Paul prayed three times.
The Lord Jesus prayed three times there in the garden. Father,
let this cup pass from me. I tell you, there's no sense in us being
discouraged. I mean, if the Lord doesn't hear you the first three
times, go three more times. Go three more times. and go until
He says to you what He says to Paul. My grace is sufficient
for you. And then you can bear it. He'll
either take it away from you or He'll give you grace to bear
it. Brothers and sisters, I cannot stress enough prayer. I tell you, it's a remedy for
every ill that I've ever faced in my own heart is prayer. When
I went to the brethren, I've went to the commentators, I've
went to other pastors, seeking advice, seeking strength, seeking
directions, and I ain't found it. And finally, I've gone to
the Lord in prayer. My grace is sufficient for thee. This word meant several things,
but two of them was this. This word sufficient, what meant?
What meant? To raise a barrier. To raise
a barrier. The Lord Jesus said, My grace
will raise a barrier against your affliction. Against this
thorn. I set the time that it would
come. I set the degree of it. How painful
it will be. How burdensome it will be. And
I set when it will leave. I've raised up this barrier.
And that thorn will do you no more harm than what I purposed
it to do. The devil, whatever the messenger
is, he hates you. And he wishes to do you harm,
but I've risen up a barrier against it. My grace is a barrier. The word means to ward off or
to avail. My grace will ward off It will
avail. You'll not sink. You'll not sink. My grace is sufficient for thee. My grace. My grace. Nothing else. My grace. I don't need anything else, brothers
and sisters. That's the fountainhead of all I need. Everything I need
is found in this fountain. Grace! Grace, grace! What can save a sinner? What
can supply every need that he has? What can support him through
this awful world of trials? What can cause him to overcome? Grace. My grace. My strength is made perfect in
your weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will
I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in
these infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecution
and distresses for Christ's sake. I don't take pleasure in sinful
infirmities, but I take pleasure in these infirmities, for when
I am weak, Then I am strong. Look over in one place with me.
Look over in Isaiah chapter 40. The power of Christ may rest on me. Isaiah chapter 40. Look in verse 25. To whom will you liken me? Or
shall I be equal, saith the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high. Behold, who hath created these
things, that bringeth out their hosts by number? He calls them
all by their names, by the greatness of His might. He is strong in
power, therefore not one of them fails. He upholds them. Why saith
they, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord?
And my judgment is passed over from my God. Have you not known,
have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the
Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not? Neither is He weary. There is no searching of His
understanding. He gives power to the faint. And them that have no might,
He increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up
with wings as eagles, and shall run and not be weary, and they
shall walk and not faint." I want to be weak. I want to reach the place where
I have no strength left in myself. then I can live upon the strength
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, God, bring me there. Bring
you there. Not to live in your own strength.
When you come to the place where you have no might, that's where
you'll begin to live upon His strength and His might. Back
to our text, and I'll close with this. Chapter 12 and verse 11. I have become a fool in glorying. I have been glorying like a fool,
so foolish. But I did it because you compelled
me to do it, to defend my apostleship. What you should have done, I
ought to have been commended of you. For in nothing am I behind
the very cheapest apostle, and you know that. You know who I
am. You know what I've done. And
look at this. Though I be nothing." Right back
he goes. He cannot exalt himself. It's
not in him. He's been humble, ain't he? He's
been brought low. He's living upon Christ. And
when you live upon Christ, you don't have a high opinion of
yourself. You don't have too much problem out of your self-esteem. I be nothing. One man said this,
and I'll read this in close. that those who are most favored
in the Christian life and most honored of God, should not he
be unwilling to take a low place and to regard and speak of himself
as nothing? Listen now. He is nothing compared
with God. I'd be nothing. Compared to God,
I'm nothing. Compared with the angels, that
are holy, what are we? Nothing. As creatures compared
with the vast universe, what are we? Nothing. Now Adam, a
speck compared with other Christians, the imminent saints who have
lived before us, what are we? What are we compared to John
Bunyan? Have you ever read that John spent over 12 years in prison
for the cause of Christ? What am I compared to him? What
am I compared to Tyndale and Husk and some of those guys whose
bones they burnt for putting the Word of God in the hands
of the poor? Nothing. We're nothing. Compared
with what we ought to be and might be. and will be. What are we now? Nothing. Let
a man look over his past life and see how vile and unworthy
he has been. Let him look at God and see how
great and glorious He is. Let him look at the vast universe
and see how immense it is. Let him think of the angels and
reflect how pure they are. Let him think of what he might
have been, and of how much more he might have done for the Savior.
Let him look at his body and think how frail it is, and how
soon it must return to the dust. And no matter how elevated his
rank among his fellow worms are, and no matter how much God has
favored him as a Christian, or even as a minister, or as an
apostle, He will feel, if he feels rightly, that he is nothing. The most elevated saints are
distinguished for their deepest humility. Those who are nearest
to God feel most distant from Him. They who are to occupy the
highest place in heaven feel most deeply that they are worthy
of the lowest in this earth. What am I? I am nothing. I am nothing. We have one hope,
don't we? We have one to glory, and that's
our Savior. God bless His Word.