Introduction

Welcome back to another week of church! We are so excited you decided to join us today, as we continue our series, Grace Under Fire. Throughout our series we’ve talked about different ways God’s grace functions in our lives. Oftentimes, this grace is felt in the midst of a “fire” of some kind. God uses the “fire” in our lives to refine what He has already given us.

Today, we’re going to dive into a section of Paul’s story where we see the same kind of refining taking place. If you know anything about Paul, you probably know about the writing he did to different churches and people in the New Testament. He was influential in spreading the Gospel and even had a personal encounter with Jesus like none other!

Although Paul has a miraculous and powerful testimony, he was a real problem at one point. He was in the business of persecuting Christians, whom, interestingly, he would eventually identify with through a radical transformation in Christ.

Pauls’ life journey highlights how truly amazing the grace of God is. And, because we have so many writings and letters from Paul, we get a unique view into his life, his struggles, and his triumphs.

Today we’re going to jump into 2 Corinthians, where we pick up Paul’s story as he shares about his “thorn in the flesh.”

God uses the “fire” in our lives to refine what He has already given us.

Main Teaching

Now, no one really knows exactly what this thorn was that Paul keeps referring to. However, his posture through the “fire” is one we can still learn from today. You see, when we understand God’s grace sustains us each and every day, there are three specific responses I believe are important to talk about…

Did you notice what Paul says right before the climactic moment of this passage? In verse 8, he says “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium