A Thorn in the flesh
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - July 19, 2009
Captain Moy Hernandez, Jr.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (This is God’s word and we believe it!)
There can be no doubt the apostle speaks of himself.
The apostle gives an account of the method God took to keep him humble, and to prevent his being lifted up above measure, on account of the visions and revelations he had.
We are not told what this thorn in the flesh was, whether some great trouble, or some great temptation. But God often brings good out of evil even when the enemy means it for evil in our lives.
If God loves us
Now this thorn in the flesh is said to be a messenger of Satan which he sent for evil; but God designed it, allowed it and overruled it for good. Think of this, prayer is relieve for every sore, a remedy for every difficulty; and when we are afflicted with thorns in the flesh, we should give ourselves completely to prayer.
If an answer is not given to the first prayer, nor to the second, we are to continue praying. Troubles are sent to teach us to pray; to teach us to depend and trust on God more than on ourselves and they are meant to remind us to remain in prayer.
Though God accepts the prayer of faith, yet he does not always give what is asked for. As he sometimes grants in wrath, so he sometimes denies in love. When God does not take away our troubles and temptations, yet, if he gives grace enough for us, we have no reason to complain.
Grace signifies the good-will of God towards us, and that is enough to enlighten and enliven us, sufficient to strengthen and comfort in all afflictions and distresses. After all His strength is made perfect in our weakness!
Therefore his grace is manifested and magnified. When we are weak in ourselves, then we are strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; when we feel that we are weak in ourselves, then we go to Christ, receive strength from him, and enjoy best the supplies of Divine strength and grace. But we must recognize this weaken condition of ours and the need for it instead of denying it in our lives.
By the wise and gracious providence of God. A thorn in the flesh - A visitation more painful than any thorn sticking in the flesh. A messenger or angel of Satan to pummel me says Paul- Perhaps both visibly and invisibly; and the word in the original expresses the present, as well as the past, time.
All kinds of affliction had befallen the apostle. Yet none of those did he denounce. But here he speaks of one, as above all the rest, one that crushed him with weakness, and by the pain and humiliation of it prevented his being lifted up mere, or, at least, not less, than the most passionate head ache could have done; which many of the ancients say he labored under.
Paul seems to have had a fresh fear of these buffetings every moment, when he so frequently represses himself in his boasting, though it was extorted from him by the utmost necessity.
But God said to the apostle in answer to his third request. My grace is sufficient for you - How tender a resistance on God’s part! We see there may be grace where there is the quickest sense of pain.
My spiritual strength is better displayed by the weakness of the instrument (we are the instruments). Therefore I will glory in my weaknesses rather than my revelations, that the strength of Christ may rest upon me. In other words don’t boast in your action but let your faith reflect your actions and God will boast for you!
The Greek word properly means, may cover me all over like a tent. We ought most willingly to accept whatever tends to this end, however contrary to flesh and blood.
Our weaknesses whether proceeding from Satan or men. For when I am weak - Deeply conscious of my weakness, then does the strength of Christ rest upon me!
We often think negative thoughts when we read or hear this particular passage of scripture. We come to see this particular thorn that Paul speaks off as some sort of limitation or restriction on our otherwise “perfect” service of God... well perfect in our own twisted view at least!
But yet this lesson of humility, this God inspired lesson of trust is not intended to pertain anything else but the real need that exist for each of us to always trust in God for every aspect of our lives.
It is a lesson that reminds us that we are indeed weak but that this weakness should not be a guiding factor in our lives. But a reminder of how much we need Jesus!
Before we can go any further we must identify at least in our own understanding what sort of thorn is Paul referring to in his letter to the church in Corinth of which there are three leading theories or interpretation.
Perhaps you are currently experiencing a similar thorn in your life at this moment so I encourage you to listen for the remedy will also be given at the end!
The first interpretation pertains to the physical body. This may refer to an actual ailment that Paul suffered. Perhaps headaches, body pains or maybe even eye sight issues. This is particularly supported by many scholars do to the particular way in which Christ Called Saul who then became Paul into his service. Remember he took his sight for a few days!
The second meaning is figurative. Not a physical manifestation of a problem or a limitation, but perhaps referring to personal opposition or even persecution both by physical or even spiritual realms.
The last theory on the meaning of this passage comes in the spiritual realm. This particular interpretation would suggest that Paul’s thorn was an actual temptation that he faced in his life. Whether it was a temptation of power, or success or personal pride, who knows, but it is this interpretation that I wish to focus on this morning.
Allow me to briefly explain why I believe this to be the case. We all face temptations in our lives, even Jesus faced them at the beginning and throughout his ministry.
If fact as Jesus was wondering in the Desert during his times of testing, the devil tempts him in three different ways and Jesus responds to him every time using the very word of God from the book of Deuteronomy and even from Exodus in the passage of the Ten Commandments.
In a sense what Jesus is doing is rebuking the devil and the promise of scriptures is that when we rebuke our temptations they leave us and then God’s angels are able to come and tend to us and comfort us. Do you believe this? Say Amen!
Another great example of how we should deal with our temptations is found in the book of James 4:7 which reads:
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
In this passage the apostle James instructs us that we are not to only rebuke the devil, but that we first must submit to the will of God, them actively resist the devils advancements and finally we are promised that the devil will not merely leave us but he will flee from us.
It is very easy in the mist of our situations as we face the giants of our lives to lose focus of the fact that God is bigger, he is more powerful, he is mightier than any attack of the devil.
He is even bigger than any stature or position we ourselves may ever think we have attained or deserve. So as we submit to His will we are assured a full victory!
The third great response to our spiritual thorns, our temptations in our lives is found in the book of 1 Peter 5:8-9. Peter was indeed a stubborn follower of Christ as we ourselves tend to be from time to time, but thank God for the clarity of his thought in this passage which reads:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Peter reminds us that not only are we to rebuke the devil and submit to God and resist the devils attacks, but as we resist that we are to stand firm and fight! Fight? Yes fight because as we remain committed to God, God will grant us a share in the victory which is already his! If God is for us who can be against!
But why does God allow us then to go through these temptations? Why does he allow these frustrations in our lives? Sure he could spare us after all we understand that it is God’s will that no one should perish but that all may come to a saving knowledge of His Son.
In the end it is His right as our creator and provider and eternal God to test our faith in him, but even in difficulty the scriptures remind us that...
We should count it all joy when we fall into various trials (thorns), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting... James 1:2-6. Amen!
Now according to Paul’s own writings and testimony in our passage for today there are three main reasons why God may allow us to partake of this thorny cup.
The first reason why God allows this to happen in our lives is so that we will not boast about our own apparent personal gains and abilities. And boy do we ever boast! I’ve been a Christian for so and so years, I do so much around the church, I share my faith with a million people a day… yet where is the evidence, the fruits of our actions as we spoke about last week? If we are not laboring according to the will of God and depending upon God for strength, it does not matter what we do it will not be effective, but all we do is fool ourselves!
Isaiah 40:28-31 - Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
1 Corinthians 4:10 - We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!
Are you beginning to see the pattern? Only in our humble surrender to God may be find success in our endeavors, only in his boasting of our faithfulness may we do great thing for his name sake!
Secondly God allows these thorns in our lives so that we will learn to trust in God’s grace, after all it is in our weakness that that Christ’s strength is made perfect!
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Psalm 37:3-5 - Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Amen! Do you see what possible when rely on God instead of ourselves? He grace indeed becomes sufficient for our need.
And last but definitely not least, I believe God allows these thorns in our lives so that in our weakness Christ’s powers will be more apparent and evident to others. In other words so that God may always receive the glory! But you say how can I do that I am a simple servant!!!
1 Corinthians 1:27 - But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. These foolish and weak things of the world are you and I my friend and God has chosen us!!!
1 Peter 4:16 - Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
Romans 8:37 - Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
In the end God’s plan of eternal salvation for us all will make our perceived suffering worthwhile. As we come to a clear understanding that that gift of love and grace is more valuable than any fame, wealth, any personal boasting concerning our faith or advancement or promotions or recognition that the world may tells us that we need in order to be successful.
Christ measures success not but what we have gained or acquired but by the level of weakness (maybe even our failure) in our hearts and the subsequent surrender of ourselves to his will.
After all we are already aware of one of God’s greatest promises for each of us concerning our futures, our well beings, and the personal and intimate thoughts that he has for us all. Jeremiah 29:11 reads:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. We can trust that God has our best interest at heart, he tells us so!
Just like Paul in recent times I have been called to suffer in accordance to a thorn that has been given me. Like Paul perhaps, through the guiding of the Holy Spirit I have discovered this particular thorn to be equally strong all in three areas.
First in the physical body, as I have been dealing with illness and physical weakness. Although I try my best not to show it, I am humbled daily by the weaknesses and limitations of my own body.
Secondly in the figurative as there seem to be people in my life at every level of involvement, both in the church, and at work and even at school and in my private life who bring constant sorrow and personal persecution to my faith and commitment to God.
Finally in the spiritual, as represented by the temptations of my life. Indeed temptations for power and personal power, for advancement and recognition. Temptations that lead me at times to exalt myself above God’s desire place for me.
Temptations that also cause me to believe that I deserve additional blessing from God when I have not done anything to earn then or merit them.
I have had no other option but to be humbled and submit myself to the full will of God. And although I have prayed as Paul did to have this thorn remove from me, the answer keeps coming back the same: My grace is sufficient for you!
Maybe you are in a similar situation, in fact I know you are and the remedy for your pain and suffering for your need is like mine, God’s grace is sufficient.
So as we close this morning, let us touch on the meaning of this phraseology from God and recognize once and for all where our hope comes from and from where our redemption, strength and uplifting derives from.
When we think we are done and cannot go any further; when we think that our strengths to produce for God’s sake are depleted and unreplenishable; when we have difficulty understanding the reasons for why certain things happen in our lives; God says simply lean on me, trust in me, fight with me, be victorious in me because my grace will indeed be enough for your given situation.
Although out of pure grace God does not impute our sins to us, He nonetheless did not want to do this until complete and ample satisfaction of His law and His righteousness had been made.
Since this was impossible for us, God ordained for us, in our place, One who took upon Himself all the punishment we deserve. He fulfilled the law for us. He averted the judgment of God from us and appeased God’s wrath.
Grace, therefore, costs us nothing, but is cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself. In other words Grace is God’s faith in Action.
You see grace is not earned or purchased by us, there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn it or deserve it, but it is freely given to you and me by Jesus’ willful sacrifice on the cross.
There is a story of a man who stole some wine from emperor Napoleon Bonaparte private pantry. When the emperor found out he sentences the young men to death. The boy’s mother begged the emperor to show grace and mercy. The emperor responded by saying he does not deserve mercy or grace. To which the mother responded if mercy and grace where things to be deserved they would not be mercy or grace. The story tells that the young soldier was forgiven and let go.
My dear brothers and sisters what thorns are you being called to bear or simply suffering through? Are you merely surviving their affects in your lives or can you with full assurance affirm this morning that you are leaning on God’s mercy and grace for your continual strengthening and further developing of your faith in God?
God knows our situation whether it be frustrations at work or with the family. A need to pay the rent or provide for our children. Dealing with difficult people.
Maybe even the issues surrounding our inabilities and unwillingness to share our faith with others. God knows and he says trust in me. My grace is sufficient for you for in your weakness I am made strong. In your weakness I will be glorified and other will come to know who I am, says the lord! Let us stop pretending that things are all right, because clearly they are not. Whatever your issues today simply lay then at the foot of the cross of Jesus.
Last Sunday my wife invited us all to come forward and today I want to do the same. I want you all to stand up please and come up here to this place of prayer here in the front of this chapel and seek the answers to these questions and concerns! Pray and listen!
Have you prayed for your situation to be resolved, for that pain, frustration to be taken away? Bring it to God right now and realize that he is indeed at work in your life for the sake of his kingdom through your situation.
Once we do we will discover our purpose and God’s will for our lives and we will then be better servants and vessels for God. Would you like that? I know I do, I pray it every day!
You see to feel weak is not a negative thing, not if it causes us to draw near to God, resist the devil and fight him off under God’s guidance for in the end the victory is ours!
Join me now then as we come to God not just as individuals but as a corporate body of believers. Let’s pray.
- We all have our weaknesses
- Thorns (physical, figurative, spiritual)
- Temptation, pride, people, mental, slothfulness, apathy inactivity, unwillingness to trust in you
- You allow this so that we will trust in you and not merely on ourselves
- Teach us how to trust you
- Teach us to boast in your grace and not in our own pious ways
- If the thorns we are called to carry must not be removed from us then allow us to accept our weakness in your understanding and to claim the victory and the strengths that you grace will provide in its place.
- Teach to boast concerning the work you perform in our lives not anything of our own doing
- A blessing for each of us here your children – we come and humble ourselves before you today and affirm that will resist we will rebuke and we will engage the thorns of our lives in your name and for your name sake as you guide us Lord!
- We’ll be careful to always give you the honor and the glory for ever
