The Sifficiency of Grace

Discouragement is no respecter of persons.

Paul was under great pressure, 2 Corinthians 1:8.

2 Corinthians 1:8 “8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.”

Paul had founded this church, Acts 18:1-8, serious problem arose, so heated, he had to send Timothy 1 Corinthians 4:17; letter of 1 Corinthians was written.

1 Corinthians 4:17 “17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.”

Matters grew worse, Paul had to make another painful visit, 2 Corinthians 2:1.

2 Corinthians 2:1 “1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.”

Still no solution, Paul wrote a more severe letter, 2 Corinthians 2:4-9; 7:8-12.

2 Corinthians 2:4-9 “4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. 5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.”

2 Corinthians 7:8-12 “8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.”

After a great season of distress, Paul meets Titus, gets a report that the problem was solved.

People suffer for three reasons:

Suffering has a way of finding me, life breaks down, getting older and more susceptible to normal problems, Job 14:1.

We’ve been foolish, and obedience and the Lord must chasten us, Hebrews 12:5-6.

God is wants to shape me, Romans 5:3-5.

Occasion of the Argument...

Paul is discouraged and depressed, the church he loved, the people he loved, and the gospel he loved was falling apart, turning against him, and being perverted, 11:1-5.

Forced to write an informal letter giving an extensive defense of his apostolic credentials.

Paul is challenged with the task of saying what is true, and remaining humble, 11:22-12:6.

This is foolish, it’s not a Christ like, 11:17-18, but Paul is being forced, 12:11.

Two Introductory Take-Aways:

The closer you are to people the more it hurts. The deepest pain of life is inflicted by those for whom we care the most.

The true measure of a person’s humility is the ability to boast and still remain humble in spite of great success.

Paul digs deep, 12:1-6, 14 years ago, bare bones description of being raptured to “third” heaven – the very presence of God.

“Surpassing greatness” hyperbole, “exaggerated, overstated, spiritual experience outside the scope of normal.” 12:7.

Paul considered this a private matter; preparation for ministry.

Subjective individual nature and not important to no one else.

Thoroughly ecstatic — so ecstatic that Paul didn’t know the nature, 12:3.

Paul saw the redeemed awaiting the consummation of their salvation, bestowal of their resurrected bodies, and waiting for the new heaven and new earth.

Paul heard things he was forbidden to speak about, 12:4.

Paul speaks in the 3rd person; maintains a humble disposition.

The revelation is unverifiable, unreliable, unrepeatable, and unexplainable.

Why? “This thing happened for Paul’s own sake, for a man who had awaiting him troubles hard enough to break a thousand hearts needed to be strengthened in a special way to keep him from giving way and to help him to persevere undaunted.” – John Calvin.

Paul was granted a greater view of glory to handle the difficulties of his ministries, 11:24-29.

Ecstatic experiences could not be the driving force in the church.

Authority in the church would be under one source; the Word of God.

How a person lives determines a true follower of Christ, 12:5-6.

What is the consequence for this revelation; a thorn, 12:7.

Paul was not immune to failure; pride. The best of God’s servants have the potential of falling to sin, in Paul’s case, pride.

“conceited” overly proud; overly confident; lift self-higher; to be over elated.

It is the same attitude of Satan and Antichrist, Isaiah 14:13-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 6:16-17.

The thorn came from God. The ecstasy of heaven, the agony of a thorn. Divine wisdom determined this is what Paul needed.

Paul states the argument was not to exaggerate my life, but to explain the thorn.

The thorn was obvious to everyone, the vision was a great secret. Physical ailment. Galatians 6:11.

“Thorn in the flesh” sarx, the physical body, and yet, in a moral sense; unredeemed flesh, proud flesh, Romans 6:19; Romans 7:5, 8, 23.

The thorn was the cause for contempt, criticism, questioning Paul’s legitimacy, 10:10.

Paul viewed the thorn as a blessing from God, not a weakness or unbearable burden.

“keep me” particle of negation, denies the thought of the thing (conceited) to stop it before it becomes an issue; “from becoming.”

This was no minor irritation, but a stake impaled into the life of Paul; it is that BIG!

“thorn” skolops root word “tent stake” sharp stake; anything pointed at the end; something to be driven deep to hold in place.

God drove this thorn deep into Paul’s life to bust his spiritual bubble, knock him off his spiritual high horse.

“Messenger of Satan,” tempt Paul in the area of pride. (2x mentioned).

God is in control of this thorn in Paul’s life.

Given by God!

Satan is permitted to throws his two-cents in.

Satan knows our weaknesses, and he knows how to use them against us; further tempt Paul to be conceited.

Job 1:8-12

“Torment” means “to strike with the fist; knuckles; closed fist.” Constant fight! (The man who is being most blessed of God is being most pounded on by the devil)

Take-Aways:

Knowing too much about God can be potentially dangerous.

God limits the revelations of himself. (There is nothing NEW about God. It maybe NEW in that you just learned something that has always been true about God.)

God balances our blessings with burdens.

Thorns cannot be viewed as annoyances, but aversions to character defects.

This turned the argument of Paul’s critics on its head. This loathsome thorn (the very thing his critics saw as evidence that God was not with him) was proof of the transcending superiority of the experience when raptured into the presence of God; effect on Paul.

Paul reverts back to first person, 12:5, stating that it is more beneficial to boast about weaknesses, (5 times Paul mentions ‘weaknesses’).

Is grace sufficient? Is there sufficient grace to help in every issue of life? 12:9.

“My” Jesus knew something about thorns, Paul was not alone in this.

“Grace” God does not skimp on grace. Grace is a dynamic force, an active agent through every season of suffering.

“Sufficient” Grace is enough! Plenty of grace, grace stacking up, 8:9; 9:14.

Take-Aways:

Today’s church denies the sufficiency of God’s grace for all of life’s problems, supplementing it with the humanistic theories of psychology.

Derided as antiquated, simplistic, and naïve.

Divine grace may be sufficient for solving shallow problems, but deeper issues require therapy.

Tragic delusion for God’s people to imagine that the answers to life’s problems lie outside of His all-sufficient and unbounded grace.

Christ is declaring the total sufficiency of grace for every need of life. God’s grace was sufficient for the deepest pain Paul (or any other believer) could ever experience. The way of escape is the endurance of grace, 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 4:16. The sentence is Jesus’ continuous, and final answer. The thorn must remain, but also the assurance of love and help.

The Apostle is supported under it by that grace of Christ which finds in the need and abjectness of men the opportunity of showing in all perfection its own condescending strength.

Grace is a force: it is a heavenly strength bestowed on men for timely succor; it finds its opportunity in our extremity; when our weakness makes us incapable of doing anything, it gets full scope to work.

Paul find contentment. Grace outweighed his trial. He does not give revelations/visions another thought, grace hovers over him. Weakness and suffering he will never escape, grace is sufficient. Weakness gives a strong witness to the greatness of grace. Rather than Paradise being his boast, he boasts in grace, 12:10.

What is the Point of Thorns?

Exposure of true spiritual condition, 12:5-6. It will peel back the veneer!

Trouble is the true test of who a person is. Pain strips the veneer back and the real you is exposed.

Suffering reveals motives, integrity, what a person is made of.

Subjective ecstatic experiences cannot define life, but only what is objectively true about God.

Thorns are not outside the will of God; God uses what is necessary to form people.

Don’t use some experience justify my authenticity, but rather my proven track record.

Drive us to God, 12:8. Prayer becomes a serious matter.

Paul now acts like the Jesus, 11:17; three times Jesus prayed for the cup to be removed, Paul prayed three time for the thorn to be removed, cf. Matthew 26:36-46.

Paul’s prayer was a passionate, heart-rending plea like that of Jesus in Gethsemane to his loving Father.

Whenever Christ says no to our desperate passionate pleadings, the no is freighted with his perfect, compassionate goodness and love; My grace is sufficient…

“he said” in the Greek tense, “he has said,” God is not talking to thorns, He is talking to Paul.

God wanted Paul to find comfort in grace, not in the relief and removal of the thorn.

God’s denial of Paul’s request turned out to be to Paul’s greater good because it was to God’s greater glory.

Power in weakness, 12:9-10.

Having a proper perspective on trouble, trials, and suffering is the cornerstone of Christian living; for Christ’s sake!

There is no value in the endurance of hardships and indignities in them-selves. There is no virtue in suffering.

Paradox of Power; weakness . My weaknesses empowers effectiveness for Christ, Christ’s power and glory undeniably evident.

The lower I go; the higher Christ becomes. The weaker I am, the stronger I am for Jesus.

It is when believers are out of answers, confidence, and strength, with nowhere else to turn but to God that they are in a position to be most effective.

Conclusion/Exaltation: Don’t be so insistent on God removing the thorn.

God is behind my thorns.

It is revealing things about myself I never knew.

God is keeping me from character deflection.

I’m becoming more serious about prayer.

God’s grace is enough.

My weaknesses are about Jesus, 2 Corinthians 12:11; 1 Corinthians 3:5-9.

Weakness is effectiveness in making much of Jesus in our lives.