Summary: This message reminds us that in spite of the difficulties that wemay face in life, God has already given us everything we need, especially the gift of His grace.

GODSfS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

INTRODUCTION:

A. Since this is Thanksgiving week, let me begin this morning by asking you one simple question: gFor what are you thankful?h or gAre you thankful?h

1. I have to admit that I tend to look at what I do not have and donft always appreciate what I do have

2. What do you want that you donft already have?

a. Many times our desires are simply to the have new and improved version of what we already have

b. Bigger house

œ Faster computer

œ Newer car

œ Better job

c. What do you want that you really need?

3. You and I need to realize something

a. God has already given us everything we need!

4. In spite of what difficulties you may be going through right now

a. In spite of your financial situation

b. In spite of your health

c. Even in spite of your sin

d. God has given you everything you need„Ÿor at least He has made it available and you need to accept it

ILL> In his book, In the Grip of Grace, Max Lucado tells this story. Here is the scene: You and I and a half-dozen other folks are flying across the country in a chartered plane. All of a sudden the engine bursts into flames, and the pilot rushes out of the cockpit.

gWefre going to crash!h he yells. gWefve got to bail out!h

Good thing he knows where the parachutes are because we donft. He passes them out, gives us a few pointers, and we stand in line as he throws open the door. The first passenger steps up to the door and shouts over the wind, gCould I make a request?h

gSure, what is it?h

gAny way I could get a pink parachute?h

The pilot shakes his head in disbelief. gIsnft it enought that I gave you a parachute at all?h And so the first passenger jumps.

The second steps to the door. gIfm wondering if there is any way you could ensure that I wonft get nauseated during the fall?h

Each of us comes with a request and receives a parachute.

gPlease captain,h says one, gI am afraid of heights. Would you remove my fear?h

gNo,h he replied, gbut Ifll give you a parachute.h

Another pleads for a different strategy, gCouldnft you change the plans? Letfs crash with the plane. We might survive.h

The pilot smiles and says, gYou donft know what you are askingh and gently shoves the fellow out the door. One passenger wants some goggles, another wants boots, another wants to wait until the plane is closer to the ground.

gYou people donft understand,h the pilot shouts as he ghelpsh us, one by one. gIfve given you a parachute; that is enough.h

Only one item is necessary for the jump, and he provides it. He puts it in our hands. What He gives us is adequate for the task. But are we content? No. We are restless, anxious, even demanding.

e. Itfs like the old saying, gSometimes you canft see the forest for the trees.h

5.

In spite of all of the claims by insurance companies, God is the only one that you can really trust to provide

a. Itfs only when youfre in His hands that you are in the good hands people

b. Only He is the rock of our salvation

c. That is the message that God was trying to get across to Paul and the same one that God wants us to understand today

6. READ: 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

I> WHEN GOD SAYS NO

A. vs 9

1. Do you ever say no to your children or grand-children

a. I donft know of any parent that always says YES to their children

b. Yet, there are some people that truly believe that God should always say YES to their requests

c. They want God to be like the jeanie in the bottle who pops out whenever therefs a problem and says gYour wish is my command.h

2. It is true that we are to take our requests to God

a. PHI 4:6

in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

b. But we need to allow God to answer„ŸHis way

3. There are times that answers seem to come quickly

a. However, there are other times when answers seem to be slow or donft come at all

b. So you pray and wait, pray and wait

4. What do you do if God gives you the same answer He gave to Paul

a. My grace is sufficient „Ÿmy grace is enough

b. Is it? Are you satisfied with that? Can you live with that answer and be content?

B. Content

1. Contentment refers to...

gA state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than he already has.h„ŸLucado

a. What if Godfs only gift to you was His grace„ŸHis gift of salvation?

b. You beg him to heal you dying spouse

c. You plead with him about your job situation

d. You implore him to help your child

e. What do you do if Godfs answer is, gMy grace is enough.h

2. Letfs try to look at it from Godfs eyes

a. When he sees us here on earth His knows that there is one thing that we need more than anything else

b. He knows that we need to be saved from hell, and because of that He gives us his grace

c. So, if God did nothing more for us than save us from hell, do any of us have the right to complain?

œ As Christians, God has saved us from eternal punishment and yet we complain that our bodies grow old and our bones ache

œ As Christians, God has given us heavenly riches„Ÿeternal life„Ÿyet we gripe about our financial condition

œ God has said that hefd provide for our every need but we complain about the things that we have collected over the years need repair

3. Here is the good part„ŸGod has not given us gjust salvationh

a. Most of us here this morning would say that God has given us His grace and much much more

b. He blesses our lives continually

c. Daily we can see God working in us, through us, and around us if we will keep our eyes open and look

4. We praise God for all sorts of things in our lives and I believe we should

a. We praise God when the difficult surgery is successful

b. We praise God when the doctor says gthe cancer is goneh

c. We praise God when there is an accident and no one was hurt

5. Is God any less wonderful when He allows bad things to happen?

a. Is God any less wonderful when He calls His people home?

b. Can we still praise God then?

c. Is God still good when He says NO?

6. God told Paul, gMy grace is enough.h

a. So Paul had to continue dealing with what he calls his gthorn in the fleshh

II> PLEASE TAKE AWAY THE THORN

A. I think that it is fitting that Paul does not come right out and tell us what problem he is dealing with

1. By calling it a thorn in the flesh, you and I can relate to Paul

a. Most of us here this morning would admit that we too have a thorn in the flesh„Ÿsomething that seems to always want to pop up its ugly head in our lives

b. An addiction to alcohol, drugs, pornography

c. A quick temper

d. Lack of forgiveness

e. Gossip, hatred, lust, envy

f. If we had to point to one thing, one sin, that ate away at us, most of us here could say what it is without giving it any thought.

2. Paul said he kept going back to God asking for relief from this pain in his life

a. Three times I pleaded witht the Lord to take it away from me

b. Godfs answer - My grace is enough

B. Paulfs thorn in the flesh - some possible candidates

1. Sexual temptation - lust

a. He was a man, single

b. It may be that he had a real problem with this

c. He talks in Romans as we might in trying to describe how this sin affects us

d. ROM 7:18-19

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. [19] For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.

2. Opposition

a. It may be that every time Paul tried to do something that there was someone to try to keep it from happening

b. If he wanted to go one way, he would be pushed to go the other

c. Paul hints at this in VS 7 - a messenger from Satan

d. There were those who questioned his apostleship

e. Some questoined his message and his motives

f. Truly Paul was tormented, beaten„Ÿliterally

g. 2CO 11:24-26

[24] Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, [26] I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.

3. Paulfs abrasive nature

a. Letfs face it„ŸPaul lacked tact

b. GAL 2:11

When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.

c. When John Mark wanted to go with Paul and Barnabas on their second missionary journey, Paul would not let him go because John Mark and turned back the first time

œ Paul held his ground so much that it split up the team of Paul and Barnabas

œ Later Paul writes that John Mark was helpful to him in his ministry

d. He may have been a little too brash at times

4. His body

a. Some feel that Paul may have had eye trouble

b. It could be that when he was blinded on the road to Damascus by Godfs light that he never fully recovered

c. He wrote of the Galatians that gyou would have taken out your eyes and given them to me if that were possibleh

5. His Lack of Charisma

a. When we read through the letters that Paul wrote, when we read about his successes, we problably picture a firery evangleist that can really hold his audience on the edge of their seats

b. 2CO 10:10

For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."

C. So letfs step back for a minute and take a good look at Paul

1. Tempted often

a. Beaten regularaly

œ Opinionated

œ Near-sighted

œ Unimpressive in person

b. I have to admit, that thatfs not the Paul I always imagined

2. Here is the real kicker

a. In spite of all of Paulfs flaws and short-comings, God was able to use him in a mighty way

b. That means that in spite of your short-comings, in spite of my flaws, that God can use you and me, too

ILL> We used to often visit with a small church near Uniontown, PA. One night there was a man there just a few years older than I am now who was praying at the table. He had a terrible stuttering problem. I figured with his difficulty in praying that he would end his prayer quickly, but I was wrong. I was impressed that he was willing to pray. I was even more impressed by the congregation that had evidently encouraged him in spite of his stuttering problem.

c. We must be willing to be used by God

III> GRACE IS ENOUGH

A. I believe that it was appropriate for Paul to pray about these things.

1. Couldnft Paul serve God better without temptation?

a. No enemies to hold him back

b. Couldnft Paul serve better if he had a little better bed-side manner, better eyesight, a charasmatic appearance?

2. In our wisdom, we might say, gWell, sure. Paul could have been so much more.h

3. What does God say?

a. My grace is enough

4. It may have been temptation that allowed Paul to embrace Godfs grace

a. It may have been his suffering that allowed the sufferingfs of Christ to come alive in his life so that he could share with others

b. Would it have had as much an impact for Paul to write, gRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice.h if you did not know all of the struggles that he had

œ If you did not know that he was in prison when he wrote it

c. It may have been Paulfs lackluster appearance that forced him to really upon what God could do instead of what he, Paul, could do

d. My grace is sufficient!

B. Lefts talk about your life.

1. Do you ever wonder why God doesnft remove that thorny temptation from your life?

a. It may be that He wants you to rely on Him and His power and what God can do through you

2. You may wonder why God doesnft change your personality and make you like someone else

a. Smooth the rough edges

b. Make you more like Him

c. He will. Hefs just not finished yet.

3. You may wonder why God doesnft give you some skill, talent or ability

a. God has given you the tools to do what He has asked you to do

4. You may wonder why God doesnft heal you

a. He has healed you

b. By His stripes we are healed

c. He may simply give you the soul now and give you the perfect body when you get home

IV> CONCLUSION:

A. When I look around this room I see a group of people who have carry with them some of lifefs battle scares

1. Lost loved ones

ILL> In just a few days it will be six years since my father passed away. My mother would tell you that itfs not any easier now than it was 6 years ago when he died.

a. Health problems

2. Financial problems

3. You may be in a fix and you donft know which way to turn next.

a. God says, gMy grace is sufficient.h

4. God doesnft always calm the storm. Sometimes He helps you through the other side.

B. Are you willing to accept His gift of grace?