Sufficient Grace

Suffering is a human inevitability in a fallen world. Suffering takes many forms and is caused by many factors. Sometimes our suffering is caused directly by our own sin. Sometimes it is the sad result of living in a groaning world waiting to be set free from sin in general.

Paul lays out 4 principles of Suffering from his own experience with the saints in Corinth.

1. God Sometimes Directs Suffering

2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

Thorn = a pointed piece of wood, a stake.

An “angel” (demon) from Satan. What was it? We don’t know for sure. Possibly a physical problem with his eyes or other physical problems (gout, diabetes, etc.)? Maybe it was the very false apostles misleading the Corinthian church. If Satan wanted to hurt Paul, it would make sense that he would attack the thing that he cared about the most in this world - the church.

2 Reasons for the stake

To Torment him. Torment = beat or treat with violence. Effect

To Restrain him (repeated twice). Purpose. Paul had seen indescribable visions of heaven. The steak (thorn) was to pin his pride to the ground so that he could effective for Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary God Uses Suffering to Make Believers Humble

This is a good reminder of the foolishness of those who try to tell Satan and demons what to do and where to go. If we could command demons, we might thwart the purposes of God with our faulty assumptions. -MacArthur

Paul experienced the mountain top of visions of heaven, but to bear it he had to experience the forsaken valley of pain.

polished rocks in a cove beaten by the waves.

2. God Doesn’t Always Remove Suffering

2 Corinthians 12:8 ESV

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

Ways to respond to suffering in life:

Bitterness. “How could God do this to me?”

Give Up. “Whatever. God doesn’t care so why should I?”

Fight it. “I am going to beat this thing. It will not beat me.” If it is the purpose of God, then fighting it will only wear you out and distract you from allowing God to use you in a powerful way through your suffering.

Paul prayed, but God’s answer was no.

How do you handle suffering. Have you prayed about it?

If it is physical, there is a possible remedy:

James 5:13–16 ESV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Like Job. He could have cursed God and died as he was encouraged to do.

3. God’s Grace Helps in Suffering

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Is Sufficient = is continually sufficient.

2 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary God Uses Suffering to Display His Grace

The story is told of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who was riding home one evening after a heavy day’s work, feeling weary and depressed, when the verse came to mind, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

In his mind he immediately compared himself to a little fish in the Thames River, apprehensive lest drinking so many pints of water in the river each day he might drink the Thames dry. Then Father Thames says to him, “Drink away, little fish. My stream is sufficient for you.”

Next he thought of a little mouse in the granaries of Egypt, afraid lest its daily nibbles exhaust the supplies and cause it to starve to death. Then Joseph comes along and says, “Cheer up, little mouse. My granaries are sufficient for you.”

Then he thought of a man climbing some high mountain to reach its lofty summit and dreading lest his breathing there might exhaust all the oxygen in the atmosphere. The Creator booms His voice out of heaven, saying, “Breathe away, oh man, and fill your lungs. My atmosphere is sufficient for you!” (pp. 256–57)

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

4. Suffering Makes Us Weak and Strong

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Power is made perfect in weakness. Often we don’t see the power of God because we are trying to live in our own power. God may be sending trial after trial and suffering after suffering to weaken us. We often defy the weakness and declare our strength rather than fall upon the grace of God and accept our weakness so that we can see the power of God displayed in our lives.

I did that very thing and in many ways failed when I had to find a full time job. I was indignant. I had to work harder that I had ever worked in my life. Rather than fall upon the grace of God. I hated it. It was humbling and embarrassing. Didn’t God want me to serve Him as a pastor? Why was he making it so difficult? I fought it, complained, felt sorry for myself, got angry with God about it. It took a while for me to surrender (though I don’t think I totally surrendered the way that I should have). I look back on it now and realize that God was using that experience to make me into the pastor that He wanted me to be, not the pastor that I had envisioned myself to be.

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV

10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Content = well pleased, delighted. Having a mind at peace so as not to object or oppose.

How should we respond? Contentment with our insults. peace of mind with the hardships. Pleased with the persecutions that you endure.

Amazing! In the midst of suffering, when we are our weakest, His power can then rest on us.

Believer’s Bible Commentary F. Paul’s Revelations Support His Apostleship (12:1–10)

William Wilberforce, who led the fight to abolish slavery in the British Empire, was physically weak and frail, but he had deep faith in God. Boswell said of him, “I saw what seemed to me a shrimp become a whale.”