Sermon Tone Analysis

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.