Title: GRACE THAT MAKES US GLAD
Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (RSV), "And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, ’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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."
Truth: "b. Visions and revelation – whether they are of angels, Jesus, heaven, or other things - are more common in the New Testament than we might think.
i. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, had a vision of an angel (Luke 1:8-23).
ii. Jesus’ transfiguration is described as a vision for the disciples (Matthew 17:9).
iii. The women who came to visit Jesus’ tomb had a vision of angels (Luke 24:22-24).
iv. Stephen saw a vision of Jesus at his death (Acts 7:55-56).
v. Ananias experienced a vision telling him to go to Saul (Acts 9:10).
vi. Peter had a vision of the clean and unclean animals (Acts 10:17-19 and 11:5).
vii. Peter had a vision of an angel at his release from prison (Acts 12:9).
viii. John had many visions on Patmos (Revelation 1:1).
ix. Paul had a revelation of Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:6-11 and 26:12-20).
x. Paul had vision of a man from Macedonia, asking him to come to that region to help (Acts 16:9-10).
xi. Paul had an encouraging vision while in Corinth (Acts 18:9-11).
xii. Paul had a vision of an angel on the ship that was about to be wrecked (Acts 27:23-25).
xiii. So, we should not be surprised if God should speak to us through some type of visions and revelations of the Lord. But we do understand that such experiences are subjective, and prone to misunderstanding and misapplication. In addition, whatever real benefit there are to visions and revelations of the Lord, they are almost always limited to the one receiving the visions and revelations. We should be rather cautious when someone reports a vision or revelation they have regarding us.
xiv. ’How often people have wanted to tell me about their visions! I am always suspicious. I want to know what they had for supper the night before! If people have visions of this sort they are silent about them.’ (Morgan)"
Guzik, David. "Study Guide for 2 Corinthians 12." Enduring Word. Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006. 2010. 22 Jul 2010.
________ AuthorID=2&contentID=8025&commInfo=31&topic=2%20Corinthians& ar=2Cr_12_1 > God’s sufficiency and supply is available to truly born again Christians. Our text speaks of some most uncomfortable things that assailed God’s servant Paul the Apostle. He is attempting to convey the thought that his sufferings were for Christ’s good. Paul noted that when he was weak, then he was strong. This was a heavenly principle at work in this man’s sufferings and weaknesses. Can we imagine this duress with contentment? A bad hair day throws some modern day folk out of kilter. There is a tendency, a proclivity, to think or say: "I’m just suffering for Jesus." In actuality, one may be hurt or suffering. The manner in which pain or suffering is handled (attitude toward or reaction to) is what brings glory or shame to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please, let us consider, in the context of the passage of Scripture before us, some truths that are available. One may ask, "available to whom?" It is vital to note that, in the following discussion, truly born again disciples of Jesus Christ are in view. Please observe: The Grace Giver, The Promise, and The Result. As we cogitate on the Grace Giver, this One who promises help and direction, we quickly discover that it is none other than the Almighty God of the universe who spoke to Paul; and, today, speaks to us the words "My grace is sufficient." The God-man who cannot lie will give us grace and glory--His grace for our endurance and His glory to emanate from us the marvelous, wonder working power implicit in God’s love. One’s good and active interaction with his Savior and Healer can be a channel of benefit to others. The unbeliever, for example, taking note, can be exposed to the love from heaven that can redeem from sin and can heal all diseases. Not only is Jesus the Christ dispensing His unmerited favor and His divine healing to believers, but also He is making intercession between sin-tainted mankind and a heavenly, holy, ever righteous God the Father. Hbr 7:25 (ASV), Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Christ as our attorney pleads our cases before the everlasting Judge. Now, it is wonderful that our attorney is also the son of the judge. What wonderful grace! What a marvelous Grace Giver! In our text the promise is "grace sufficient." If one needs much grace, then much grace will be provided. Grace enough for what? The most needful provision will be that of salvation--the redeeming of the sin- blackened souls of men. Christ the Grace-Giver has once for all settled the tension between sinful men and a Holy God. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit 1Peter 3:18 (RSV). Right now God’s grace is more than enough to make us perfect in weakness! It delights to forgive. It delights to deliver and keep from physical hunger and spiritual blindness. Presently, not last week, not next month because our God is an on time God. All genuine needs can be supplied (Philippians 4:19, KJV). Satisfaction is available to longing and trusting hearts. An additional promise of supply is found in Psalm 84:11, (KJV); For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Spiritual and physical hunger alike are addressed by Jesus. PROVISION Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning... He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all... Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply. Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992. The Lord is our Shepherd (Psalm 23, KJV), Sun and Shield (Psalm 85:11, KJV). The Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, also provides support for His children. (Many earthly dads do not.). God’s grace bears up in the midst of all trials and temptations-- all thorns and thistles that come our way. As it was with Paul, it can be with us. God’s grace enables us to receive His revelation and not become prideful. More than a few church goers have been accosted by the ostentatious, obtrusive, pushy, and persistent "super-saints" who want to tell us, especially new converts, what God has told them for us to do, i.e., God’s will for our lives. They have yielded to the temptation to become prideful concerning their perceived revelations. Pray for them. Be patient with them. 1Timothy 4:12 (KJV) "...but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Proverbs 16:18 (KJV) Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Aren’t we glad the Apostle Paul was not that way. "Paul’s vision was so impressive that it would have been easy for him to be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations. He could have gloried in himself, or caused others to glory in him because of this experience. Paul was not immune to the danger of pride. No one is. ’The best of God’s people have in them a root of pride, or a disposition to be exalted above measure, upon their receipt of favours from God not common to others’ (Poole) To prevent being exalted above measure, Paul was given something: a thorn in the flesh was given to me. In this, Paul reveals the real reason for telling of his heavenly vision: not to glorify himself, but to explain his thorn in the flesh."____Bible Scholar David Guzik Please remember that the Lord had promised Paul grace enough to go the distance. Now, by extension, that promise can be applied to today’s believers. Praise be! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The grace of which we speak not only saves, supplies, and supports, but also, gives the where-with-all to overcome. There is a dormancy of power in the saints to overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil and no be overcome by them. Grace sufficient to slay the power of sin within. Grace that is more than adequate to turn the dark shadows of death into forerunners of glory. The Grace Giver and the promise of the Grace Giver has been considered. We have arrived at the point where thought must be given to the results. Much has been said and written, but the results put the finishing touch on the whole matter. I will not keep us in suspense--gladness and power to the faithful believer are some of the end results of the pregnant passage of Scripture we have been considering. It can be observed that we are made glad because everything that is needed for this race that we are running is promised by such a loving and faithful Savior. Romans 8: 32 (KJV) states, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" The power of Christ rested upon Paul because he [Paul] rejoiced in his weaknesses, the weaknesses that enabled him to lean, all the more, on the Almighty and His promises. Matthew Henry commented on 2 Corinthians 12:10: "And the reason of his glory and joy on account of these things was this-they were fair opportunities for Christ to manifest the power and sufficiency of his grace resting upon him, by which he had so much experience of the strength of divine grace that he could say, When I am weak, then am I strong. This is a Christian paradox: when we are weak in ourselves, then we are strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; when we see ourselves weak in ourselves, then we go out of ourselves to Christ, and are qualified to receive strength from him, and experience most of the supplies of divine strength and grace." ___Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on 2 Corinthians 12." . Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996. 2010. 24 Jul 2010. AuthorID=4&contentID=1763&commInfo=5&topic=2%20Corinthians& ar=2Cr_12_10 > "Oh, there must be the weakness of man, felt, recognised, mourned over, or else the strength of the Son of God will never be perfected in us." ___Spurgeon Please do not ignore the Grace Giver and His promises. Seasoned saint draw fresh enthusiasm, desire, and commitment. To the unsaved, now is a wonderful time to become a Christian. Now is the appointed time. Today is the day of salvation.
