The Believer's Strength, 24 June 2018
24 06 18 Filed in: Sermons | Stewards of the Gospel
The Believer’s Strength: Grace for Every Trial
D6 Series— Stewards of the Gospel
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Series Overview: Believers are to love God and love their neighbor, being good stewards of the gospel, the good news.
Big Idea: For the believer, there is grace for every trial.
A paradox is a puzzling statement which seems to be contradictory yet is actually true.
G.K. Chesterton wrote, “There is nothing that fails like success.”
George Orwell said, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
A Hollywood actress was quoted as saying, “Deep down, I’m pretty superficial.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “God hides things by putting them near us.”
News analyst Edward R. Murrow said, “Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.”
The first-century rabbi Hillel wrote, “My lowliness is my loftiness; my loftiness is my lowliness.”
The Bible is actually full of paradoxes.
Jesus said, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
Warren Wiersbe lists some others:
The joyful fear of the LORD.
The more we give, the more we receive
When we choose to go down, God lifts us up
Our foolishness leads us to God’s wisdom
By standing still, we go forward
We must lose our life to save it
When light becomes darkness
We lead others by serving them
Knowing love that passed knowledge
We see the invisible
Losing what you never had
We are yoked to be free
Some shy away from paradox, preferring principles, promises, and precepts, yet paradoxes can be powerful tools in understand the Bible and God.
Wiersbe notes, “Paradoxes attract our attention, challenge our faith and provoke us into thinking deeper and asking wiser questions. They lead us into truths that, if we act upon them, will help us to grow out of spiritual childhood and into the blessings of spiritual maturity.”
Last Sunday we mentioned a few:
…known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:9-10)
No wonder some have called it the Upside-down Kingdom!
Our series Stewards of the Gospel is looking at Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, a city in Greece which was invaded by false teachers who were critical of Paul’s character and biblical message. Although Paul is not writing to First Alliance Church Toledo, this letter is certainly for us. First we looked at the Believer’s Quest of having an eternal perspective rather than being consumed with this moment and this world. Last week’s text was about the Believer’s Testimony, our call to be growing in holiness, distinction from the world. We are to think different…or more grammatically, think—and act—differently. This does not mean we are to go out of our way to act weird, not does it mean to isolate ourselves from unbelievers, but rather we are to live attract, compelling lives that cause people to ask the reason for the hope we have, our faith in Jesus Christ.
Today’s message is entitled The Believer’s Strength: Grace for Every Trial. Whether you are my best friend or someone I’ve never met, I know one thing about you…you are either in the midst of a trial, coming out of a trial, or about to experience a trial. I don’t mean to frighten you, but trials are a part of life in this world, in these bodies. Trials can make us bitter…or better. Paul and Timothy had some radical things to say about trials and today’s passage is packed with paradox, including this doozy:
When we are weak, we can be strong.
2 Corinthians is a rather lengthy letter. It originally contained no verse or chapter numbers, but today we have such markers to help us read and study together. In chapter 11, Paul boasts about his credentials as a Hebrew, a Jew, a servant of Christ. He boasts of his sufferings for Jesus. In defending himself against the false teachers who have invaded the church, he says
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. (2 Corinthians 11:30)
There’s a paradox for you! Chapter twelve begins
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
This is a fascinating text. He uses the third person to describe his experience with the unseen realm where God dwells…paradise. This vision occurred around AD 43 but there is no other known record of this vision.
Not long ago we did a series on heaven and hell, during which I said heaven is where God is and hell is where God is absent. Whether or not there are clouds and harps in heaven or flames in hell is not really important. In addition, it’s worth restating C.S. Lewis who said, “All that are in hell, choose it.” (The Great Divorce). We can choose to be with God now and forever, or we can reject God and be absent with Him now and forever.
But what did Paul actually see in his vision? Genesis describes paradise in the Garden of Eden prior to sin. Revelation describes what it will be like someday. Judaism at the time of Paul conceptualized a third paradise, the hidden paradise of this in-between period, the place Jesus spoke of to the thief on the cross when he said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
We all have many unanswered questions about heaven, but suffice it to say from our text that Paul had a glimpse of paradise.
I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. (2 Corinthians 12:5)
He again says he will boast about his weaknesses. Who does that?!
Imagine social media if everyone posted photos of themselves when they get out of bed rather than their made-up, fancy selves. How often do people boast about their failures on Facebook or post videos of themselves—not others—striking out in baseball or falling off their bike? One of the problems with social media is we compare our average day with the highlight reels of others.
Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. (2 Corinthians 12:6-7a)
It’s difficult to catch every nuance of these statements since this was written in Greek to a church about two thousand years ago, but he seems to simultaneously stating his accomplishments while dismissing them…a paradox?
But in verse seven he reveals one of the most provocative statements in the entire Bible.
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (2 Corinthians 12:7b)
That’ll get your attention! What was this thorn in the flesh? Nobody knows. Some theories include
- Psychological struggles such as grief or sorrow
- Intense temptations
- His opponents who were persecuting him
- A physical affliction like poor eyesight, migraines, or malaria
- Demonic harassment
Since he mentions a thorn his flesh, many think it may have been something physical. We don’t know. We do know he did not welcome it.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. (2 Corinthians 12:8)
I don’t know about you, but when I have a major trial, I pray more than three times! Then again, these three pleas paralleled Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking the Father for "Plan B" rather than crucifixion, yet honoring the Father's will.
Prayer is so much more than asking God for stuff like a cosmic Santa Clause. Instead, it is talking not merely to, but with God. Any good dad loves to talk with his kids, and every good dad says yes, no, and later when asked for something. But they always hear and respond.
The same is true for our Heavenly Father. He is always listening, but sometimes says no or later. We don’t always know why, but God can be trusted. Always. In Paul’s case, God had something better in mind than removing his thorn.
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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Paul received greater grace from God in the midst of his weakness. No doubt his dependency upon God developed his character, enhanced his humility, and gave him empathy for others.
I know all three have been true in my life after nearly a decade of dealing with our daughter’s serious health issues. I prayed more than three times for her healing! I think I prayed three times every second! I desperately wanted to watch God do an instant miracle and get us out of the hospital, but He had other, better ideas.
I rarely know why God chooses to heal some and not others, to bring instant freedom from addictions to some while others struggle throughout their life. I just know God is God, He knows best, and we are to pray, believe, and trust.
When we embrace our limitations and depend upon God, He can do so much more in and through us than we can if we try to take matters into our own hands. One of my greatest fears in serving at First Alliance Church is getting in God’s way, striving to use my abilities rather than being fully dependent upon God. There’s a real tension because obviously there are things I need to do—work I need to accomplish—such as leading a discipleship Huddle or preaching a sermon, yet in order for God to truly speak through me, I need to have a posture of surrender and openness which makes space for the Holy Spirit in my life and the lives of those I encounter.
Some of my best sermons—or the sermons I thought would be the best—have had seemingly little impact on people, yet often when I’ve felt weak and labored through a message—desperate for God to move through and despite me—I’ve received the most positive feedback. My ongoing prayer is, “LORD, have Your way in me. Crush my agenda. Break my heart with the things that break Your heart. Speak in and through me, that I may decrease and You might increase.” To quote Jesus’ cousin John,
He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)
I like to be in control. I like to be strong. I like to have abilities and skills to accomplish things—so I can get the credit—I mean, so God can get the credit!!! Paul concludes,
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
There’s something amazing about trials. They put things into perspective. We truly are weak, but dust. Sure, we might feel good about cooking a gourmet meal, catching the touchdown pass, receiving a diploma, or fixing a leaky faucet, but at the end of the day we are but dust. Jesus said it plainly,
“…apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5b)
The original Greek word for nothing means…nothing!
So What?
God’s Kingdom is filled with paradox. When I am weak, then I am strong. Unshakable faith comes from having your faith shaken. Although it’s not usually my first thought, when faced with trials, I can delight—for Christ’s sake, knowing that my weaknesses force me to get out of the way and let God get the glory.
The stories of weak people used by God are endless. A paraplegic named Joni Eareckson Tada has become a bestselling author, speaker, and even painter. A shark took surfer Bethany Hamilton’s arm, but not her story which—like Joni’s—has been documented in both a book and movie. Our own Christian & Missionary Alliance President John Stumbo also spent months hospitalized and continued to have serious health issues, yet his story has inspired countless lives and he depends upon God’s daily bread, strength for each new day.
Where God guides, He provides…everything we need, including Himself.
Where are you weak? What trials are you experiencing today? God’s not absent. In fact, He draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). His power is made perfect in weakness. His grace—unmerited favor—is sufficient. When we are weak and acknowledge our need for God, His presence and strength provide all we need.
Credits: some ideas from D6.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
D6 Series— Stewards of the Gospel
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Series Overview: Believers are to love God and love their neighbor, being good stewards of the gospel, the good news.
Big Idea: For the believer, there is grace for every trial.
A paradox is a puzzling statement which seems to be contradictory yet is actually true.
G.K. Chesterton wrote, “There is nothing that fails like success.”
George Orwell said, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
A Hollywood actress was quoted as saying, “Deep down, I’m pretty superficial.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “God hides things by putting them near us.”
News analyst Edward R. Murrow said, “Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.”
The first-century rabbi Hillel wrote, “My lowliness is my loftiness; my loftiness is my lowliness.”
The Bible is actually full of paradoxes.
Jesus said, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)
Warren Wiersbe lists some others:
The joyful fear of the LORD.
The more we give, the more we receive
When we choose to go down, God lifts us up
Our foolishness leads us to God’s wisdom
By standing still, we go forward
We must lose our life to save it
When light becomes darkness
We lead others by serving them
Knowing love that passed knowledge
We see the invisible
Losing what you never had
We are yoked to be free
Some shy away from paradox, preferring principles, promises, and precepts, yet paradoxes can be powerful tools in understand the Bible and God.
Wiersbe notes, “Paradoxes attract our attention, challenge our faith and provoke us into thinking deeper and asking wiser questions. They lead us into truths that, if we act upon them, will help us to grow out of spiritual childhood and into the blessings of spiritual maturity.”
Last Sunday we mentioned a few:
…known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:9-10)
No wonder some have called it the Upside-down Kingdom!
Our series Stewards of the Gospel is looking at Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, a city in Greece which was invaded by false teachers who were critical of Paul’s character and biblical message. Although Paul is not writing to First Alliance Church Toledo, this letter is certainly for us. First we looked at the Believer’s Quest of having an eternal perspective rather than being consumed with this moment and this world. Last week’s text was about the Believer’s Testimony, our call to be growing in holiness, distinction from the world. We are to think different…or more grammatically, think—and act—differently. This does not mean we are to go out of our way to act weird, not does it mean to isolate ourselves from unbelievers, but rather we are to live attract, compelling lives that cause people to ask the reason for the hope we have, our faith in Jesus Christ.
Today’s message is entitled The Believer’s Strength: Grace for Every Trial. Whether you are my best friend or someone I’ve never met, I know one thing about you…you are either in the midst of a trial, coming out of a trial, or about to experience a trial. I don’t mean to frighten you, but trials are a part of life in this world, in these bodies. Trials can make us bitter…or better. Paul and Timothy had some radical things to say about trials and today’s passage is packed with paradox, including this doozy:
When we are weak, we can be strong.
2 Corinthians is a rather lengthy letter. It originally contained no verse or chapter numbers, but today we have such markers to help us read and study together. In chapter 11, Paul boasts about his credentials as a Hebrew, a Jew, a servant of Christ. He boasts of his sufferings for Jesus. In defending himself against the false teachers who have invaded the church, he says
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. (2 Corinthians 11:30)
There’s a paradox for you! Chapter twelve begins
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
This is a fascinating text. He uses the third person to describe his experience with the unseen realm where God dwells…paradise. This vision occurred around AD 43 but there is no other known record of this vision.
Not long ago we did a series on heaven and hell, during which I said heaven is where God is and hell is where God is absent. Whether or not there are clouds and harps in heaven or flames in hell is not really important. In addition, it’s worth restating C.S. Lewis who said, “All that are in hell, choose it.” (The Great Divorce). We can choose to be with God now and forever, or we can reject God and be absent with Him now and forever.
But what did Paul actually see in his vision? Genesis describes paradise in the Garden of Eden prior to sin. Revelation describes what it will be like someday. Judaism at the time of Paul conceptualized a third paradise, the hidden paradise of this in-between period, the place Jesus spoke of to the thief on the cross when he said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
We all have many unanswered questions about heaven, but suffice it to say from our text that Paul had a glimpse of paradise.
I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. (2 Corinthians 12:5)
He again says he will boast about his weaknesses. Who does that?!
Imagine social media if everyone posted photos of themselves when they get out of bed rather than their made-up, fancy selves. How often do people boast about their failures on Facebook or post videos of themselves—not others—striking out in baseball or falling off their bike? One of the problems with social media is we compare our average day with the highlight reels of others.
Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. (2 Corinthians 12:6-7a)
It’s difficult to catch every nuance of these statements since this was written in Greek to a church about two thousand years ago, but he seems to simultaneously stating his accomplishments while dismissing them…a paradox?
But in verse seven he reveals one of the most provocative statements in the entire Bible.
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (2 Corinthians 12:7b)
That’ll get your attention! What was this thorn in the flesh? Nobody knows. Some theories include
- Psychological struggles such as grief or sorrow
- Intense temptations
- His opponents who were persecuting him
- A physical affliction like poor eyesight, migraines, or malaria
- Demonic harassment
Since he mentions a thorn his flesh, many think it may have been something physical. We don’t know. We do know he did not welcome it.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. (2 Corinthians 12:8)
I don’t know about you, but when I have a major trial, I pray more than three times! Then again, these three pleas paralleled Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking the Father for "Plan B" rather than crucifixion, yet honoring the Father's will.
Prayer is so much more than asking God for stuff like a cosmic Santa Clause. Instead, it is talking not merely to, but with God. Any good dad loves to talk with his kids, and every good dad says yes, no, and later when asked for something. But they always hear and respond.
The same is true for our Heavenly Father. He is always listening, but sometimes says no or later. We don’t always know why, but God can be trusted. Always. In Paul’s case, God had something better in mind than removing his thorn.
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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Paul received greater grace from God in the midst of his weakness. No doubt his dependency upon God developed his character, enhanced his humility, and gave him empathy for others.
I know all three have been true in my life after nearly a decade of dealing with our daughter’s serious health issues. I prayed more than three times for her healing! I think I prayed three times every second! I desperately wanted to watch God do an instant miracle and get us out of the hospital, but He had other, better ideas.
I rarely know why God chooses to heal some and not others, to bring instant freedom from addictions to some while others struggle throughout their life. I just know God is God, He knows best, and we are to pray, believe, and trust.
When we embrace our limitations and depend upon God, He can do so much more in and through us than we can if we try to take matters into our own hands. One of my greatest fears in serving at First Alliance Church is getting in God’s way, striving to use my abilities rather than being fully dependent upon God. There’s a real tension because obviously there are things I need to do—work I need to accomplish—such as leading a discipleship Huddle or preaching a sermon, yet in order for God to truly speak through me, I need to have a posture of surrender and openness which makes space for the Holy Spirit in my life and the lives of those I encounter.
Some of my best sermons—or the sermons I thought would be the best—have had seemingly little impact on people, yet often when I’ve felt weak and labored through a message—desperate for God to move through and despite me—I’ve received the most positive feedback. My ongoing prayer is, “LORD, have Your way in me. Crush my agenda. Break my heart with the things that break Your heart. Speak in and through me, that I may decrease and You might increase.” To quote Jesus’ cousin John,
He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)
I like to be in control. I like to be strong. I like to have abilities and skills to accomplish things—so I can get the credit—I mean, so God can get the credit!!! Paul concludes,
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
There’s something amazing about trials. They put things into perspective. We truly are weak, but dust. Sure, we might feel good about cooking a gourmet meal, catching the touchdown pass, receiving a diploma, or fixing a leaky faucet, but at the end of the day we are but dust. Jesus said it plainly,
“…apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5b)
The original Greek word for nothing means…nothing!
So What?
God’s Kingdom is filled with paradox. When I am weak, then I am strong. Unshakable faith comes from having your faith shaken. Although it’s not usually my first thought, when faced with trials, I can delight—for Christ’s sake, knowing that my weaknesses force me to get out of the way and let God get the glory.
The stories of weak people used by God are endless. A paraplegic named Joni Eareckson Tada has become a bestselling author, speaker, and even painter. A shark took surfer Bethany Hamilton’s arm, but not her story which—like Joni’s—has been documented in both a book and movie. Our own Christian & Missionary Alliance President John Stumbo also spent months hospitalized and continued to have serious health issues, yet his story has inspired countless lives and he depends upon God’s daily bread, strength for each new day.
Where God guides, He provides…everything we need, including Himself.
Where are you weak? What trials are you experiencing today? God’s not absent. In fact, He draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). His power is made perfect in weakness. His grace—unmerited favor—is sufficient. When we are weak and acknowledge our need for God, His presence and strength provide all we need.
Credits: some ideas from D6.