Ministry_of_Weakness
Ministry of Weakness
STRANGE MINISTERS
Ron Dunn
2 Corinthians 12
Open your Bibles to the second letter of the Corinthians, chapter 12. I am going to read verses 1-10. The opening verses of this chapter may seem a little strange. Paul is speaking of himself in the third person. Paul is giving his personal testimony of a time when he was caught up into the third heaven. He says it happened fourteen years ago. As you study the book of Acts,this probably took place on his first missionary journey, perhaps when he was stoned at Lystra and left for dead. We don't know.
In the first few verses, Paul is speaking about his own personal experience of God catching him up and showing him a vision of what it meant to be in heaven with the Lord.
1It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2I knew a man in Christ above 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. 3And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. 6For 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. 7And 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. 8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And 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. 10Therefore 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.
You have a third heaven and a thorn in the same chapter. My, how real that is to the Christian experience! Do we ever get to the place where we think that heavenly experiences exempt us from all difficulties? It is true in the lives of many of you here that in the very same chapter of your lives you have experienced a high spiritual exaltation and a low satanic depression. Did you know that heavenly experiences are dangerous? There comes a very special kind of danger to those people who are blessed of God, among whom and in whose midst God moves.
Notice in verse 7 that Paul mentions this statement twice: lest I should be exalted above measure, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Paul was frustrated like some of you at the turn of events. One minute he is caught up into paradise. Not a living soul has ever made that trip and come back except Jesus Christ. Paul said, I saw things that were not lawful to write about. I saw things you wouldn't believe. I was caught up into paradise. I don't know whether I was in the body or the Spirit. It doesn't make any difference. I was there. I saw the glories of that place. God gave me an abundance of revelations.
But after that a very frustrating thing happened to me. Suddenly I was thrown into the valley of depression and despair. I prayed three times for God to deliver me from this, and he never did it. I think that is a startling and frustrating response to a man's prayer. I know there are many of you here who can identify with the Apostle Paul. You've been a little frustrated with some of the things that have happened to you because in one minute God has so marvelously blessed you, lifted you almost to the third heaven—you made it to the second. If you had stood on tiptoes, you could almost have seen over into the third heaven. You never dreamed life could be so filled with joy. You never dreamed there could be so much ecstasy in just living everyday life. God has lifted you up to heavenly places, and you've walked in that realm of glory, praising the Lord and rejoicing, your heart as light as air.
Then all of a sudden you fall flat on your face. Mountains of obstacles stand in your way. Depression comes upon you. Difficulty comes, sickness settles upon you-- infirmities, distresses, persecutions. You can't figure out what in the world is going on. What has happened? You pray, Lord, remove this thing! Yet God doesn't answer in the way you want him to answer. It's not inconsistent as far as God is concerned for you to be lifted up to the third heaven in one moment and to have a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, at the next moment.
The greatest revelation that Paul ever had was not the revelation that he received when he was caught up to the third heaven; it was the revelation he received when he had the thorn in his flesh. The greatest revelation you ever receive from God, and the most profitable, is not one that you would receive by being caught up into paradise today and having your eyes exposed to all the glories of that place. The most profitable and greatest revelation you can receive is the revelation you can receive from understanding the ministry of the thorn. Why in the world does He work like that?
As I was studying this passage, I began to remember other incidents in the Bible, and I found that this is God's method of working. If you will go back and trace the great prophets and heroes of the Old Testament, you'll find the same thing is true. Moses' most severe testings followed his greatest spiritual experiences. It was after Elijah conquered the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel and witnessed the fire of God falling that we find him whimpering under a juniper tree, praying that he would die.
Immediately after Jesus' baptism when the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him as a dove, and the voice from heaven cried out, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, Jesus was plunged into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, to fast and to pray for forty days.
If some of you have come from mountaintop experiences into the valley of depression, I want you to know that you are in good company. Don't be surprised! Why does God do it this way? Why, after God gave Paul that marvelous vision and that abundant revelation, did he allow Satan to buffet him with a thorn in the flesh?
God did it to keep Paul useable. God does it in your life to keep you useable. I said a moment ago that heavenly experiences are dangerous because heavenly experiences have a tendency to make us spiritually proud and presumptuous. Paul recognized that he was in danger of this because he says twice in verse 7: lest I should be exalted above measure--lest I should be puffed up and think that God has favored me above other people, lest I think I can just coast the rest of my life on this marvelous experience. There is nothing that will so soon disqualify you for God using you and glorifying himself in you than your spiritual pride and presumption. God can only glorify himself through us, and use us, when we are kept in the position of humility and abasement and weakness.
I want us to see four things as we look at this passage of Scripture. First of all, what is the principle that is enunciated in this passage? What revelation came to Paul? Notice in verse 9: and he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: (here's the principle) for my strength (God's strength) is made perfect (brought to completion) in weakness. There it is. God says to Paul and to you and me, Christian, the reason I allow these difficulties to come into your life is because your weakness is the stage on which I display my power and strength. The condition for God displaying his power in our lives is not our strength and our ability; it is our weakness and our inability.
Let's read in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, beginning in verse 26:
26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not any mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen (notice three times in these verses that he says, God has deliberately chosen) the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are (Why?): 29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Three times Paul says God doesn't simply use what he can; God isn't getting along the best way he can with what he can get. God has deliberately passed by the great, the noble, the strong, the wise. God has deliberately chosen the foolish and the weak and the base things of the world. Friend, God doesn't use you in spite of your weakness; he uses you because of your weakness. You say, I have so much ability. God can use this if you will give it up like Paul did in Philippians, chapter 3: but what things were gain to me, those I counted as garbage.
I have a little pet peeve. It is to hear somebody talk to a lost man like this. Oh, you have so much ability. There is so much you could do for the Lord. If you would just give your heart to Jesus, there is just so much you could do for God. That is the world's greatest mistake. We talk about some Christians who are carnal, living lives of defeat, and say if they would just get right with the Lord, man, what they couldn't do for the Lord. They have so much ability, talent. Listen, God deliberately chooses the things that are base and weak. God does not use you in spite of your weakness. I wish we could understand this. We think that God is just getting along the best way he can. God just has to make do with what he has. Paul says that God deliberately chooses these things so that he can be glorified and exalted. The only way God can use you is when he can be glorified in you. God is not going to use this church if he cannot be glorified in the using of it. The only way that God can be glorified in the using of our lives and bodies is if we recognize our utter weakness and inability. God is constantly reminding us that we are just dust. He lets these thorns in the flesh come to us in order to remind us of our weakness—to make us weak, to show us our weakness and inability.
You remember over in 2 Chronicles, chapter 26, King Uzziah was a man whom God had greatly blessed. We are establishing the principle that God's strength is made perfect when we are weak. We read in verse 15: And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad. There is a modern success story. King Uzziah has gained power and prosperity. He said when we have to fight battles now, we've got it made. I had cunning men to invent engines, machines. We are going to set these on the towers. My name is spreading abroad all over the land. I'm becoming famous. Notice what he says: for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. King Uzziah was marvelously helped by God. How long? God helped him as long as he was weak. When he became strong, there was no more help. When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.
Do you know what happens in the lives of a great many Christians who enter into the Spirit-filled life and God begins to bless. Your heart is lifted up to your own destruction. The principle by which God operates in our lives is to remind us that we are dust, and he is constantly weakening us by drawing out of us our own strength so that he can be glorified in our lives.
When D. L. Moody first went to Britain years ago, one of the British reporters went to interview D. L. Moody and watch him as he preached and conducted his services because he was trying to find out the secret of this man's success. Here's what he wrote in his newspaper: Mr. Moody uses bad English, has a high pitched voice, speaks with a nasal tone, is overweight, and generally rough. I can see nothing in Mr. Moody to account for the success of his work. When Moody read that, he said that's the secret. There is no way to explain this work except the power of God.
Some of you have been praying, Lord, use me. All right, the first thing God has to do if he is going to use you is to weaken you and to abase you and to humble you. That's the principle.
Now, let's examine the process. How does God do this? Paul says unless I should be exalted above measure there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. This is the process. God says I can only use you, I can only be glorified in your life when you are weak. Here is how I am going to make you weak: there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. That word thorn means a wooden stake that impales someone to a tree or a cross. The verb form of that word means to crucify. Here is the picture that Paul is painting. He says there was given to me a stake that nailed me to the wall and nailed me to the floor. Paul says I besought the Lord thrice to remove it. If anyone has their prayers answered, it ought to be the Apostle Paul. I would like to have him praying for me. This is a startling response. God didn't answer. He didn't remove that thorn in the flesh. Paul prayed three times. I'll bet that was the only time in his life he had to pray three times for something. He was frustrated just like some of you have been. Some of you have said, oh, Lord, I could serve you better if you would change circumstances. Lord, if you would put me in a different position, if you would give me a different situation. Friend, what is the thorn in the flesh for you this morning?
It is significant that Paul does not identify his thorn in the flesh. Some people say they know Paul was married because it says he had a thorn in the flesh. That's just speculation. Paul doesn't identify the thorn in the flesh because what it was is not important. It may have been some physical infirmity or disease. It could have been anything. We know that it wasn't spiritual or moral defeat because God would have removed that. But it was something that Paul looked upon as a handicap. It was some kind of physical obstacle or handicap.
A wife prays, Lord, I could be a much better Christian if you would just change my husband. Sometimes teenagers pray, Lord, I could glorify you more, serve you better if you would change my parents. Lord, if you would move me to another position, or town, or give me this, or change this circumstance in my life, then I could serve you. Is that the way you've been praying?
Notice Paul's great revelation. He says, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me. You mean to tell me that a thing can be of the devil and God at the same time. That is right. It was a messenger of Satan and yet a gift of grace at the same time. I think that's good. God uses the devil, and that must frustrate him something awful. The devil comes along and says, Paul, I have something that is just going to wipe you out. You've been causing me no little trouble.
Paul was known in hell. The people over in Acts had tried to cast out the demons. The demons answered and said, Jesus, I know and Paul I know, but who are you? Paul was famous in hell. He was a constant thorn in the devil's flesh. The devil said I am going to destroy your effectiveness, your ministry. You've just had this tremendous spiritual experience and think you are on top of it all. I'm going to show you what I can do and inflict you with a thorn in the flesh. God said, thank you, Satan, that's just what I wanted you to do. You played right into my hands because I know Paul real well, and he was beginning to get a little bit of a "holier than thou" attitude. He was beginning to coast just a little bit, to get lifted up just a little bit through all these great experiences that he has had. I want to thank you because you have played right into my hand. If God couldn't use the devil, he would kill him. The only reason God allows the devil to do what he does is that God is using him.
What's your thorn in the flesh? Is there some difficulty? I'm not talking now about moral or spiritual difficulty. Those things God always removes. It may be physical illness; it may be a job situation that you wish could be changed; it may be a thousand things that could be your thorn in the flesh. God allows Satan to buffet you. Why? So that he can keep you useable.
Let's move on and explore the possibility of this principle. The principle is that God's power is made perfect when I am weak. The process is God makes me weak by giving me thorns in the flesh. Let's look at the possibilities of this. In verse 9, he says: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. He says there are two glorious possibilities once you realize the principle by which God works.
First of all, I can have victory in the midst of my difficulties and sufferings. Paul says most gladly therefore will I glory. That word glory means to give a shout of triumph. Sometimes people want to know if shouting in church is scriptural. It is. The word glory means to shout. Paul says he will give a shout of victory in his distresses. Why? The revelation of God changed his viewpoint, the way he looked at the distresses that came into his life. I want you to remember this. If there is a thorn in your flesh, a situation that seems to be unbearable, a circumstance in your life that presents difficulty and distress, and you pray and God doesn't remove it, the next thing you are to do is praise him for it. Praise him because God is going to use that to glorify himself in your life.
The first thing that Paul prayed he did right. He prayed and wanted it to be removed. But after it was not removed, he realized then through the revelation of God that he wanted it to stay there because it is a minister that I have given to you. I am going to use this. You need to change your viewpoint regarding difficulties, distresses, and obstacles in your Christian life. If God will not remove them, then you know that God is using them for his glory. I repeat that we are not talking about spiritual and moral failure. You can never use sin as an excuse this way. It is things that are not morally and spiritually wrong. You begin to praise God for them. When a Christian realizes the principle by which God operates in his life, he can look upon any distress, persecution, difficulty, or tragedy and say I will give a shout of victory in this because I know God is using this. He wants to use it if I will allow him to glorify himself in my life.
The second great possibility is that the power of Christ is made available to us. He says, most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities in order that the power of Christ may rest upon me. That word rest means a tent spread over us. It is the only time it is found in the New Testament. Paul says that the power of Christ is like a tent spread over me, and I live under the shelter of the power of Christ. Every moment of my life I am sheltered by the power of Christ, and the power of the Risen Lord abides on me. It is made available to me.
Notice that the power of Christ dwells in him and abides on him only when he glories in his distresses. It's a chain reaction. Some of you say, preacher, I've had troubles, distresses, infirmities, but I haven't seen the power of Christ in my life. I haven't witnessed the power of Jesus glorifying in my life. No, because you have not gloried in those infirmities. You've complained, griped and grown bitter. Do you know what will turn the trick? When you get the heavenly viewpoint and agree with God and say, Lord, I know you have sent this as your gift of grace, and I praise you for it. I glory in it because I know it means you are working in my life.
Now, the third thing--let's enter into the provision. What is that provision? Paul says, Lord, take this thorn from my flesh. God gave him a better answer. He said I am not going to take the thorn from your flesh; I'm going to give you something better. My grace is sufficient for thee. The provision—and again we meet the "wizard of is." He doesn't say my grace will be sufficient. He doesn't say my grace someday can be sufficient. He says my faith IS sufficient, is—right now, present tense. Right now my grace is sufficient. I think that has to be the world's greatest understatement: my grace is sufficient for thee. He could have said a lot of things; for example, my grace just completely overwhelms every problem. He says: my grace is sufficient.
You heard the story of the man who bought the Rolls Royce. It is their policy not to publish the horsepower of their engines. This man paid all that money for the Rolls Royce and felt like he had a right to know how many horsepower he had under that hood. He kept asking them, and they kept sending him back letters saying that it is their policy not to disclose the amount of horsepower in our engines. He kept on, sent telegrams, went to the head office, and demanded to know. The people said we have to give this man some kind of answer. He is never going to let us alone. The next time he wrote demanding how much horsepower was in a Rolls Royce, he received a telegram with one word on it: adequate.
That's what God says. Paul says, Lord, you just don't know the problems I'm going through. Look at my situation. Lord, look at this difficulty, this infirmity. Lord, do something. God says: my grace is adequate, sufficient for thee. So Paul says, thank you, Lord. I know it is. Take it by faith. Praise the Lord for infirmities. Praise the Lord for difficulties. Praise the Lord for thorns from the devil. My grace is sufficient for thee. It is sufficient for you, no matter what the situation.
That's how God has been working in your life these past weeks and months. Some of you have been a little perplexed about the turn of events in your life. You've given Jesus everything you know to give him and totally, without reservation, yielded your all to him. He has lifted you up to high spiritual experiences, and then the roof has fallen in on you. You've not been able to understand it.
Lest you be lifted up above measure, there was given to you a thorn in the flesh so that you might walk, not in the power of your own strength and experiences, but knowing that his grace is sufficient for you.
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