Bibles this evening to 2nd Corinthians
chapter 12 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 going to read the first 11 verses
here 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 about
fourteen years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether
out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth, such an 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 or possible for a man to utter. Of such an
one will I glory, yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine
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. And 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. And 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. Therefore, I take pleasure in
infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions
and distress for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. I am become a fool in glory.
You have compelled me for out to have been commended of you.
For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though
I be nothing. I want you to notice the Apostle
Paul in verse 10 tells us that he took pleasure. He took pleasure
in what most of us would rather not experience. He took pleasure
in what most men and women seek to avoid. He took pleasure in
infirmities. And the word I believe would
be better understood in weaknesses rather than infirmities. He took
pleasure, can you imagine that? He took pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses
for Christ's sake. Now let me say it wasn't as though
he enjoyed these things. That's not what he means at all.
But he saw, he had learned, Remember he told the church at Philippi,
I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. We learn in our Christian life,
don't we? We learn, we grow in grace and
knowledge of the Lord. And yes, even an apostle, a great
apostle like the apostle Paul, he had learned Not that he enjoyed
the weaknesses and reproaches and these things that he names,
but he saw how God brought good out of them. He learned how that
God brought good out of these things. Because, you see, these
things made him to recognize and know his weakness. His weakness. His inability. and caused him
to look out of himself to Christ, who was his strength. You know,
I found a proverb that I believe is a good commentary on this
verse of scripture. It's a proverb in chapter 27
of Proverbs, verse 7, and it says, the full soul, now think
about this, the full soul loatheth an honeycomb. And honeycomb is
sweet, isn't it? But a full soul loatheth an honeycomb,
but, and here's the contrast, but to the hungry soul every
bitter thing is sweet. When a person is full, when a
person is full of himself, full of his ability, full of his knowledge,
full of his self-sufficiency, full of his power. He doesn't
recognize his need, so much so that he loathes that which is
sweet. But when a person is hungry,
when a person is empty, he knows himself to be without strength,
without power, without ability, even that which is bitter is
sweet. Now Paul, again, he is not saying
that he found pleasure in the infirmities, but that they served
him to know his weakness, and he enjoyed the fact that when
he was weak, then he was strong. For then he received the power
of Christ. How did Paul come to this place
of taking pleasure in infirmities? How did he come to this place?
Well, let's see. Let's see in this passage of
Scripture what he tells us about it, and let us at the same time
pray that we too may learn from his experience. He begins by mentioning a vision. A vision that he said He had
experienced above 14 years before he wrote this letter, this epistle
rather, of 2 Corinthians. And he was caught up to the third
heaven and to paradise. Remember our Lord told that thief
that was being crucified the day that our Lord was crucified
and he looked to Christ and he said, Lord remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom. Our Lord told him, today thou
shalt be with me in paradise. Paul said, I had a vision about
14 years ago, and in this vision, he doesn't say, I. He said, I
know a man. He doesn't, he's talking of himself
in the third person. But he said, he was caught up
into the third heaven and Can you imagine that? Heaven, the
place where the Lord Jesus Christ is, the place where all of God's
saints are tonight who have left this world. Those who are victorious. They're with the Lord Jesus Christ. In paradise, Paul said, I was
caught up, or I knew a man, rather, that was caught up to the third
heaven, to paradise, and heard words that are unspeakable. Now, he may be referring to his
conversion. We're not sure. He had more than
one vision. I know that. We're told that
in the scriptures. But the fact that when he appeared
before King Agrippa in Acts Remember when he appeared before those
various Roman kings and governors. When he appeared before King
Agrippa, he related his experience. How that he was on the road to
Damascus and he had the papers, the letters to persecute those
of this way or that way. That is, those who trusted in
Christ. But that at noonday he saw a
great light and he was blinded. And the Lord Jesus Christ appeared
to him. He spoke to him. And after Paul
related this experience to King Agrippa, then he said, I was
not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. So it's possible he's
relating his experience here in 2 Corinthians 12 that he had
that day on the road to Damascus. Such an experience, you have
to admit, what about Ezekiel's experience? You ever read Ezekiel
chapter 1? The experience he had when God
in a vision appeared to him? What an experience. Such an experience
might cause a person to glory or to boast. As he says in verse
5 and 6, of such an one will I glory, yet of myself I will
not glory, but in mine infirmities, in my weakness. 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." Now, let's look at five things in these
verses that the Apostle Paul mentions. I said, how can we
see the Apostle learning to take pleasure in weakness, in these
things that he mentioned, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, and in distresses. How did he learn to take pleasure
in these things? These are things that none of
us would enjoy. And again, I mentioned he didn't
enjoy going through these things, but he realized the end result. These were the cause but the
effect. He would see his weakness and
look out of himself to Christ and Christ's strength and Christ's
power would be upon him. Now the first thing that we notice
here, he tells of a thorn in his flesh in 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, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me. What was the thorn? in his flesh. Well, he doesn't
tell us. And because he doesn't tell us,
this has allowed men to conjecture and suppose all kinds of bodily
sicknesses and bodily diseases and weaknesses that the Apostle
Paul may have suffered. All of these guesses, and one
may be as good as another. I mean, you just pick whatever
you want to guess, if you think it was a bodily infirmity. But here's something for us to
consider. Would bodily pain, if he is talking
about some thorn in the flesh, that is a bodily sickness, some
sickness in his flesh, would that have prevented his soul
from exalting, from the glory in himself that he's writing
about. If it was a thorn of bodily sickness,
would that have prevented him, his soul, prevented his soul
from glorying? And that's the subject of the
passage, isn't it? Whatever this was, you notice
he tells us that it was the messenger of Satan to buffet him. Now seeing that this was a messenger
of Satan, it may have been that he was distressed by some temptation,
some suggestion, some one of Satan's fiery darts that was
hurled at him. We don't know. Was it that after
such a vision, I think caught up to the third heaven, that
the thorn in his flesh brought home to him the fact that even
after having such a blessed experience, this vision, that he was still
like every other sinner who was saved by the grace of God. After
having such an experience, he was still just like every other
sinner saved by the grace of God. He still had to write, for
I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. What he wrote in Galatians was
just as true of him as is true of you and is true of all believers
in all ages. The flesh lusteth against the
spirit. In other words, that old man,
that nature, which is referred to as the flesh, That old principle,
that love sin, that just like a, would wallow in sin, like
a hog wallows in mud. That old nature. Paul said, the
flesh lusteth against the spirit. That new nature, that is, that
which is born of the spirit, is spirit. And these are contrary,
the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that
you would. You cannot do the things that
you would. As a believer, you would live
without sin. You just would. You would never
sin again. That's what you would desire.
You'd never have another evil thought, never have another temptation,
a lustful thought, or anything like that. But you can't do that. That's what you would do. But
you can't just live in those lusts, in that lifestyle that
you once lived in. You can't do that either. Why? Because of the spirit. So the
flesh and the spirit lust one against the other. And Paul,
after having such a vision, such an experience of being in heaven,
hearing words that are unspeakable, that he found that he was just
like every other believer. Every other child of Adam who
is saved by the grace of God. You know, there's only been one
person. And thank God for this one person.
But there's only been one person who could say this. And he did
say this. Satan cometh. Oh, he came to
Christ, didn't he? Satan cometh. But he went on
to say, and findeth nothing in me. There was nothing in Christ
to respond. You see that the sin is not being
tempted, it's giving in to the temptation. But there was nothing
in Christ that Satan could appeal to. Satan cometh and hath nothing
in me. But the fact that I want to mention
or make clear to all of us, Paul, even after such a vision, still
had in him that which Satan could work upon. Therefore, he said,
he buffeted him. He buffeted him. Many a child
of God finds the same experience. I'd be surprised if not every
one of us here tonight, as God's children, those of us who know
him, That we have not had the same experience to be tempted
and then to question if we really are saved or not. If we really
are children of God. Well I would say this to all
of us. We must heed Peter's admonition. Be sober. Be vigilant. Because your adversary the devil
as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Now
notice, whom resist steadfast in the faith. How do you resist
Satan? By faith, by trusting in Christ,
by looking to Christ. Knowing the same affliction,
Peter goes on to say, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing
the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in
the world. There hath no temptation taken
you, the apostle Paul said. There's no temptation taken you,
which is not common to men. But God is faithful, who will
with the temptation make a way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it. So the first thing we notice
here is that Paul, in learning to take pleasure in what all
of us naturally would want to avoid. He tells us that he was
given a thorn in his flesh. Now second, he recognized that
this was given to him. Notice that in verse, again in
verse 7. And lest I should be exalted
above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was
given to me. He recognized that this was given
to him. You know our Lord in John chapter
10 speaks about Satan and he said he comes to destroy. But
we know the one who rules over all things And Satan is no exception. Satan is no exception. He is
under God's control, God's rule. And Paul knew that this thorn
was given to him. Yes, Satan buffeted him, but
the thorn itself, whatever it was, whatever it was, it was
given to him. And we know who is the giver. Who is the giver. We think of
God the Father. He's the one who gave His only
begotten Son that we might have everlasting life. We think of
God the Son who gave His life that our sins might be washed
away. And we think of God the Holy
Spirit who superintends all of providence so that all things
work together for good to them who are called, to them who love
God and are called according to His purpose. Do you remember,
there's a passage in Genesis, I've thought of it many times,
but Jacob Jacob had some experiences in life, didn't he? I mean, God
loved him. He was chosen of God. But he
had some experiences in his life. And one time, this is what I
have reference to. One time he made this statement. All these things are against
me. All these things are against
me. Poor me. He had a pity party, didn't he?
All these things are against me. And yes, as far as he knew,
Joseph was dead. And one of his sons, I can't
remember his judo, was in Egypt as a surety, Benjamin. All these things are against
me. Either he did not know or he did not believe that all these
things were working for his good. Because they certainly were.
How many times do we feel like that? This is against me. All these things are against
me. No. We must by faith, as again as
Peter said, whom resist steadfast in the faith. Believing God,
believing God's Word. And Jacob did not know that all
of these things that he thought were against him were actually,
in the end, for his good. And he would be together again
with all of his children. You know there's a scripture
in Jeremiah, Jeremiah 29 in verse 11. which says this, and this
is God speaking, for I know, and we don't know. Things happen
in our lives and we certainly don't know. That's the reason
I said we've got to believe, we've got to trust God. By faith,
this was given unto me. It didn't just fall out of heaven,
it didn't just spring up from the ground, no. This was given
unto me. Whatever it is, it was given
unto me. And God says, for I know the
thoughts that I think toward you. I know what I think toward
you. Well, what do you think, blessed
Lord? Thoughts of peace and not of
evil to give you an expected end. So that's the second thing. He had a thorn in the flesh.
Second, he recognized that this was given to him. And third,
he acknowledged the good. He acknowledged the good that
was going to come out of this, lest I be exalted above measure. Read again, 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, the
messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest I should be exalted
above measure. Even the Apostle Paul, even he
was not exempt from the temptation to pride, to glory in this experience. Now pride, we know, is something
that God hates. Scripture says there's six things
that God hates you. Seven is an abomination unto
the Lord. And the first thing he mentions
is pride. You see these revelations, these
visions that Paul had, there would be a tendency for him to
be lifted up in pride. God didn't give everyone these
visions. Not everyone had these experiences,
but he did, but Paul acknowledge that it was for his good, lest
he be exalted above measure. As I said, pride is something
that God hates, and pride, listen, pride is a sure way to forfeit
God's blessings. It's a sure way to forfeit God's
blessing. You know this verse, but look
with me in Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 66. 66, verses 1 and 2. Thus saith the Lord, The heaven
is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house
that you build unto me, and where is the place of my rest? For
all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have
been, saith the Lord. But to this man will I look. You want God to look upon you
in favor, grace, power, use you? To this man will I look, even
to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. And that's the very thing that
these infirmities and these other things that he mentions in this
passage produced in Paul. In Psalm 51 and verse 17, the
psalmist said the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. He
had sinned. He had sinned grievously with
Bathsheba and having her husband killed and in repentance in Psalm
51. He knew he could have brought
a thousand sheep, ten thousand sheep, and had them all sacrificed
and their blood poured out and their fat burned on the altar.
But he knew that would not appease God, propitiate God. The sacrifices
of God are broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. Oh God,
thou wilt not despise. Always think about King Nebuchadnezzar. He learned by experience this
problem of pride, didn't he? And when he had his senses restored
to him, he said this, those that walk in pride, he is able to
abase. God is. Those that walk in pride,
he is able to abase. Now, here's the fourth thing
back in our text. He went to the throne of grace,
verse 8. For this thing I besought the
Lord thrice that it might depart from me. He poured out his heart
unto God in prayer. He besought the Lord, he tells
us, three times to remove this. And I'm sure, I'm confident,
that every time he prayed and asked God to remove this thorn,
he said, not my will, but thy will be done. I just am confident
that's the way He prayed. That's the way all of us should
pray. Not my will, but Thy will be done. When we ask in His name,
and for Christ's sake, His will to be done, we know that we have
what we ask. We really do. When we ask in
His name, for Christ's sake, according to His will, and that's
what we want, right? That's what we want. We want
His will. If we want our will over His
will, that's not prayer. There's no way that's going to
be answered. God's will for Paul in this matter
was not to remove this thorn. Whatever it was, God's will for
Paul was not to remove it. Not to remove it because God
had something good that this thorn would affect in his life. And fifth, Paul received the
Lord's gracious answer. Verse 9, My grace is sufficient
for thee. My grace is sufficient for thee. We were talking the other night,
a couple of us men, back in the prayer meeting, and we were talking
about the fact that most of us in that room, at least, we had
gone through enough experiences and had always found God's grace
sufficient. And yet, every time we find ourselves
in a new difficulty, We are somewhat anxious, somewhat perturbed. But listen, there is no situation,
there is no weakness, there's no distress that any child of
God will ever be in that his grace is not sufficient. Now
that's just so. Look back with me and I'll close
with this, to 2 Corinthians chapter 9. 2 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse
8. And God is able. When I read
about God being able, I always think about old King Darius when
he ran out there that morning to the den of lions and asked
Daniel. Is your God able to deliver you
from the lions? He knew that most gods weren't. But is your God, Daniel, is he
able? Daniel said, yes. He'd come up
out of the lion's den, didn't he? But those conspirators, they
were put into the lion's den, and their God was not able to
deliver them. Our God, the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, God is able to make all grace abound
toward you, that you always, having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work. Look at the number of times
we see the word all. God is able to make all grace
abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency
in all things, may abound to every good work. No wonder the
Apostle Paul said in our text, Therefore, I take pleasure in
infirmities, in weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am
weak, then am I strong. I trust the Lord will bless this
message to all of us here tonight.