Swift Creek Baptist Church
Warm Hearted Church with a Heart Warming Message

Sermon notes prepared by Steve Felker, Pastor of Swift Creek Baptist Church; (c) 2001

"Finding Strength in Trials"  
2nd Corinthians 12:1-10    

    Intro. In my years of ministry, I have noticed that some of God's children go through some very, very difficult times. And some of these same people seem to be fine Christians. So, we raise the question, "Why do bad things happen to God's people?" Well Paul shares with us in these verses one answer, right out of his own experience.
    Something else that our text will reveal is the secret of experiencing the Lord's power in your life. We can and should serve the Lord in His strength. I don't know about you, but I want to experience the power of God in my ministry. And I don't want to serve God in my meager strength, but in the Lord's great and mighty strength. And what about strength for daily living? Don't you want to be strong when you face the difficulties, trials, and temptations of life? Do you want victory instead of failure? Well listen carefully this morning, and you will learn the secret of strength from the Lord.
    First, let me give a little background to my text. As we have already seen, the charges and self-praise of Paul's enemies forced him to vindicate himself, and boast to some degree. He really didn't want to do it and yet they forced his hand. Did others boast of religious experiences? Well, Paul says, I suppose I can boast too. So in the first part of our text we see:

I. THE PRIVILEGES OF PAUL

    God gave many privileges to Paul, and one was very special. So let's see first of all:

        A. The Delineation of the Privileges - In v.1 he mentioned the visions and revelations that he had received from the Lord. After all, he was an apostle, and he was to proclaim God's Word, not his own. Furthermore, in v.7 he says that he had received an "abundance" of revelations. For example, he had personally seen the Lord Himself on the road to Damascus. You may recall that he had a night vision in the city of Corinth. He was very disturbed, very discouraged at that time. The Lord came to him and said, "Paul, don't be discouraged. I've got much people in this city. Everything is going to be fine." Then, beginning in v.2, he gives an example of a revelation from the Lord that was the greatest of all. Note several aspects of this experience:
            1. The Time of This Experience (v.2a) - He dates it for us. He says it happened fourteen years before he wrote this epistle. Some believe that would be approximately the time when he had made his first missionary journey. They say that because Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra, and they suppose Paul may have gone to heaven during the few moments he was apparently dead (Acts 14:19-20). Others place the event prior to that, while he was in Tarsus, or ministering in Antioch. If that's the case, then this experience took place right before Paul began to be used as a missionary in a most marvelous way.
            2. The Place Where He Had This Experience- Paul went to the presence of God for a while. Note that Paul was "caught up" to heaven. That is the same word that is commonly used to refer to the rapture, when believers will be caught up to the meet the Lord in the air when He returns.
Where was he caught up to? Paul identifies the place in two different ways:
                a) The Third Heaven (v.2b) - Why does Paul call heaven by such terminology? Alone, the Greek word for heaven could refer to one of three possibilities. There is the first heaven where there are the birds of heaven. There is the second heaven where there are the stars of heaven. Then, there is the third heaven, which is the abode of God. How ridiculous it was for the Russian cosmonauts to say they didn't see God when they went into space, the 2nd heaven. They didn't go far enough, friend! They must go to the third heaven to find the throne of God.
    `Then, in v.4 he uses another word to describe this place:
                b) Paradise (v.4a) - That word is not a Greek word. It was originally a Persian word, denoting a park, a pleasure-garden or "a royal garden," full of flowers, trees, and fruit. The concept is intended to give us a little idea of how wonderful heaven must be. The word "Paradise" is found two other times in the New Testament. It is the word which Jesus used on the cross: "Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). Jesus Himself tells us what place He referred to by that other word from the cross: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" (Luke 23:46). So it refers to the abode of blessed, departed spirits, where they dwell in the presence of God. It is also used in Rev. 2:7, "…To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." Surely this links heaven to the former Garden of Eden. Through sin Paradise was lost. But through the Savior, Paradise will be regained!
    By the way, are you going to this wonderful place called heaven, and Paradise? Well notice who was it that was caught up to heaven? It was "a man in Christ" (v.2a). Friend, only those "in Christ" go to heaven. People are not in Christ by natural birth. You are not in Christ because your father was in Christ before you were born. You are not in Christ because you have had a praying mother. You yourself have to be born of God. Jesus said in John 3:7, "Ye must be born again." Besides, I am afraid that if some of you were suddenly caught up into heaven without any inward change, you wouldn't be there long before you would be seeking to get out of that holy place because you have not a nature that is in touch with heaven. You do not appreciate the things of God now; how could you expect to enjoy them if you went to heaven as you are? If this world is your real home, then heaven is not.
            3. The Medium (v.2, 3) - Paul immediately addressed a question that will occur to his readers: "Was this a bodily transfer into Paradise similar to that of Enoch and of Elijah, or was it a transfer only of the soul, like that of the other saints at death? Paul simply does not know. Observe that it is possible to be thoroughly conscious, and yet be out of the body. The body is not the real man. That always helps me when I think of my loved ones gone over to the other side. The body left behind in the casket is not the real person.
            4. The Message (v.4b) - Paul says nothing about what he saw or what he felt but mentions only that he heard. And even then, he cannot tell what he heard. The words were intended for him alone, and not as a revelation to be communicated to men in general. For this reason Paul perhaps had never revealed this experience before now. This was evidently some special encouragement that God gave to Paul. God does that sometimes for His children. Look at the pain and the distress mentioned in 11:23-28 (read). As if to forearm him against all of it, and so that he might not break down in his spirit under this frightful, never-ending load, the Lord let him have a taste of Paradise, and hear these words. You can bear much pain, and death itself, when you have hope that the Paradise of heaven awaits you immediately after death.

        B. The Danger of the Privileges - There is indeed a danger to the privilege. There are 3 dangers that I see here, as expressed by Paul:
            1. Boasting in Himself (v.5) - It would have been very natural for Paul to have boasted about this experience. After all, what other apostle had until this time been in heaven? Another person in Paul's place might shout: "I, I have been in Paradise!" and exalt himself above all his fellow men. Another man might tell about it on every possible occasion. So when you have had a great experience from the Lord, you need to be careful how you talk about it. As you can see from v.2, Paul speaks of this experience in the 3rd person, probably to maintain a sense of humility, and also because he was simply passive during this experience. But everything tends to show that the apostle is here talking of himself. He probably wrote in such a way so that boasting about himself would be completely removed.
            2. Others Might Think Too Highly of Him (v.6b) - Why was this a concern? Because it would rob the Lord of credit. You need to be careful about exalting preachers and others in your own mind. If God is blessing someone's ministry, it is not the instrument that is to be praised, but the One who wields the instrument, the Lord Jesus.
            3. Pride (v.7a) - Paul realized soon after this experience that such an exalted privilege could work against him, in exalting his pride. However highly the Lord Jesus favors and blesses His ministers, He is able to use none unless they be lowly as He Himself once was when He walked on earth. Such alone are able to transmit His gospel, as Paul said in 4:7, "that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from us.".
And so because of these dangers, we see secondly:

II. THE PROBLEM OF PAUL

    Life has a way of balancing privileges with problems. So many of God's greatest servants have had problems or afflictions in their lives. You have a spiritual privilege, yet physical problems are sometimes placed in your life to balance those two. Evangelist David Ring has a memorable introduction as he addresses a new audience. He says, "I'm David Ring. I have Cerebral Palsy. What's your problem?" We all have problems. What is yours? We all experience problems of various kinds. Paul was not exempt from such problems, even though he was a very dedicated Christian.
    Now let's see first of all:

            A. The Source of this Problem (v.7b) - There were two sources of his problem.
                1. The Physical Source - Paul's problem was called a "thorn in the flesh." What was Paul's thorn in the flesh? We don't know. We can only speculate. The phrase, "in the flesh," probably denotes the sphere or locality of the suffering; it was a bodily, not a spiritual, affliction. Then the fact that it was compared to a "thorn" may indicate that it was painful. The word can refer to something as big as a pointed piece of wood, a pale, or a sharp stake. In the least it refers to a splinter of some sort. The former was the meaning in classical Greek, but the latter was the more common meaning in the papyri. In the LXX it is usually thorn. A thorn or splinter of wood in the flesh is a common experience, and easily understood. But this thorn was deeply imbedded, and not able to be removed. And the Lord intends that it shall remain so. Though the thorn was associated with the flesh, the pain was not necessarily in the flesh. It could have resulted in emotional pain, like "hurting" his pride, as in a speech problem or other defect. Finally, in v.9 Paul indicates that it is a "weakness." In Galatians 4:13 Paul mentions that he had a physical infirmity. Many commentators believe Paul's problem was very poor vision. In Galatians 6:11, we find that he mentions that he had to write in large letters, which would indicate that he did not see well. It could have been some other physical problem such as headaches, rheumatism, some nervous disorder, or even epilepsy. But we just don't know. It is best that we not know, so that whatever problem we have, it will fit Paul's description here.
            2. The Spiritual Source - Paul also identifies this problem as "a messenger (angelos) of Satan." He had a hand in this affliction. But do you know that Satan cannot do one thing against the child of God until the Lord gives him permission? That is the lesson of the book of Job. The devil has a certain amount of latitude, but God is still on his throne. God is still running the show, friend. The devil is not sovereign in this universe. In Job 2:7 we see that Satan intends to afflict Job to destroy his faith. But God allows Satan to test Job, to prove his faith victorious. The Lord is going to outfox the devil in every situation. Job remained faithful to the Lord, and in the end was much better off, both spiritually and materially. Something may be sent into your life, and it may be bad, and God may permit the devil to send it into your life, but if you are a child of God, it will somehow work for your good, as we see here in this text.

        B. The Purpose of this Problem (v.7b) - This thorn in the flesh would be used of Satan to "buffet" Paul. Derived from the word for "knuckles," it means to strike with the fist so that the hard knuckles make the blow sting and crush. Have you ever felt like the devil was beating up on you? Well, Paul did! Why was Paul so buffeted by Satan? Paul states the purpose here, "lest I be exalted above measure." Paul is indicating to us that the problem he had did not come to his life because he was sinning, but actually it came into his life to keep him from sinning. Here is a man that is totally dedicated to the Lord. There never had been a man any more dedicated than Paul was. By the way, that could be a very great encouragement to some of you who suffer. Though perhaps most suffering is due to sin, not all is.
    Now the problem of Paul led to:

III. THE PRAYER OF PAUL

    Paul gives an example of what the Christian is to do when facing a problem. We are to take it to the Lord in prayer. Phil. 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." So let us take everything into His presence-thorns, stakes, and wounds, let us take them all to Him, and be sure that we shall take none of them in vain. So let's see first of all:

        A. The Request of Paul (v.8b) - Paul did what we normally do. He prayed that the problem would go away. So often that is what we want, and that is what we pray. We also see:

        B. The Repetition of Paul (v.8) - Paul prayed the same request 3 times. Jesus taught His disciples to "keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking" (Mt. 7:7). In one or more of His parables He encouraged persistence in prayer. Paul's petitions are an echo of Gethsemane. There, Jesus "thrice" prayed that the cup might pass from Him. And so here the servant, emboldened and instructed by the example & teaching of the Master, "thrice" reiterates his human and natural desire for the removal of the problem. But then in v.9 we see:

        C. The Refusal of the Lord (v.9a) - The Lord heard him the first time and the second time, as well as the third time. It was not that the Lord did not hear his prayers; it was that the answer of the Lord was "No." Sometimes you and I keep asking the Lord for something to which He has already answered no. If He doesn't give us what we ask for, we think the He doesn't care about us, and that He has not answered our prayer. But the Scriptures teach us that our prayers must be in accordance with the will of God. 1 John 5:14 says, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
    Think of the many "No" answers to prayers recorded in the Bible. Abraham prayed, "0 God, that Ishmael may live before Thee." Now Abraham meant, "Let him be the inheritor of the promises." But God said, "No; in Isaac shall thy seed be called." God knew what was best. Moses prayed, "0 God, let me go into the land," and God said, "Do not talk to Me about that any more; you cannot go in." David prayed for the child of Bathsheba, "Heal the child, and let him live." But God said, "No; I won't heal him; I am going to take him Home," and David bowed his head at last and said, "He cannot come back to me, but I will go to him," and David's heart was drawn toward Heaven in a way it would never have been otherwise. Elijah was the man who could stand before King Ahab, but ran away to the juniper tree when Jezebel was after him. He said, "Let me die." How thankful we are today that God did not grant that request.
    Have you a thorn, some great trial, some infirmity, something that is just burdening your heart? You have prayed and prayed, "0 Lord, deliver me from this." It may not be the will of God to deliver you. You can understand when you see not only the refusal of the Lord, but also:

        D. The Reply of the Lord (v.9a) - "He said" translates the perfect tense, denoting a past, completed act, of which the results continue to the present time. The Lord's answer is ever in Paul's ears. God spoke to him, and that settled the matter forever. He said He would not remove the thorn but that He would give Paul the grace to bear the thorn. For there are two ways of lightening a burden, one is removing the burden, and the other is increasing the strength of the shoulder that bears it. And the latter is normally God's way. So God is not granting his request, but He is solving Paul's problem. And so that leads to my last point. In addition to the problem of Paul, and the prayer of Paul, we see in our text:

IV. THE POWER OF PAUL

    In the last of v.9 we see that Paul was more than willing to endure the pain and humiliation of his thorn, "that the power of Christ may rest upon me." "may rest upon" is from episkenoo. Paul had experienced the power of Christ taking up residence in his body, and what a grand resource for living and service!
So do you want tasks equal to your strength, or strength equal to the tasks that the Lord has for you? Do you want an easy life, free of trials, void of victory, or do you want strength and power to overcome the difficulties of life? Well let's see first of all:

        A. The Source of this Power (v.9a) - Christ is the source of this power, for it is the "power of Christ" (v.9b). So it is spiritual strength. But as we see here, it is a product or gift of "grace." And the Lord did not give him grace, but opened his eyes to the grace that he already had in Christ, for he said, "My grace is sufficient for you." Grace is the boundless favor of the Lord, with all that it bestows, including pardon and peace, support and deliverance, comfort, strength, assurance, hope, joy, and every gift. This grace is mightier than "the thorn." It will support him in every ordeal.

        B. The Sufficiency of this Power (v.9a) - It is sufficient for the sufferer without the added favor of healing. This is, of course, because spiritual good is better than material. If we are right in assuming that about fourteen years had passed since Paul made his prayers and heard this answer from the Lord, we have these long years as evidence that the grace did prove sufficient for Paul.
Friend, God's grace is sufficient. You need not look to another source of strength.

        C. The Prerequisite of this Power - He wrote in v.9b God's reply, "My strength is made perfect in weakness." Then he wrote, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." The "infirmities" meant are such as are mentioned in ver. 10. Then in v.10b he wrote in conclusion the great, abiding principle, "when I am weak, then I am strong." The weaker I am the better opportunity Christ has to manifest Himself in me. God works with broken, weak vessels. As long as we sinners imagine that we still have some power, we are unfit instruments for the Lord's hands. All the self-conceit and confidence have to be taken out first. But when He has reduced us to utter nothingness, then with such a tool the Lord can do great deeds.
    The lowlands hold the water, and, if only the barrier is open, the gravitation of His grace does all the rest and carries the flood into the depths of the lowly heart. His strength loves to work in weakness, only the weakness must be conscious, and the conscious weakness must have passed into conscious dependence. Strength that conceits itself to be such is weakness; weakness that knows itself to be such is strength. The only true source of Power is God Himself; and our strength is ours but by derivation from Him. And the only way to secure that derivation is through humble dependence, which we call faith in Jesus Christ. And the only way by which that faith in Jesus Christ can ever be kindled in a man's soul is through the sense of his need and emptiness. So when we know ourselves weak, we have taken the first step to strength; just as, when we know ourselves sinners, we have taken the first step to righteousness. So a grief, a trial, an incapacity, a limitation, a weakness, which we use as a means of deepening our sense of dependence upon Him, is a blessing, and not a sorrow. They are all intended to open our hearts to receive more fully the influences of His omnipotent and self-sufficing grace.
Here, then, is a lesson for those who have to carry some cross and know they must carry it throughout life. Only when they are emptied can they be filled. The only way of your ever being made strong is that you shall recognize your sinfulness, your abject poverty, your utter emptiness. Then you will understand the paradox, "When I am weak, then am I strong."

    Conclusion: I once heard of a man who was very wealthy and lived in a lovely and magnificent manor house. He had grown up away from God, and then was struck with that dread malady, paralysis, and for many years he had to be wheeled about in a chair, and as a result of that affliction, unable to get out and enjoy the things of the world. But through his affliction his heart turned to the things of God and he found Christ. They used to wheel him down to the gathering of the saints, and trying to half raise himself in that chair he would praise God and say, "0 God, I praise Thee for my dear paralysis." He knew that if God had not permitted that infirmity to come upon him, he might have lived and died in independence of God.

  To find out how to order more of Pastor Felker's sermon notes or cassette tapes of his messages,  please write to 
Pastor Felker. at P.O. Box 235, Colonial Heights, VA 23834

Sermon Index |  Back Home