“Thorns”
II Cor. 12:7-10
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
[Prayer]
· As I address you today, I do so with the power of God on my life, and the Word of God on my tongue.
· As I address you today, I do so with full understanding that the words I speak, one day will be my judge.
· As I address you today, I do so voluntarily; freely. Not for personal or professional gain. Not for the accolades of men or angels. But for honor. Honor that is given by the Lord Jesus Christ, to His faithful servants.
Yet, as I address you today, I do so, a changed man. Different than I was even a year ago. I have a different mindset. Different goals. Different temperament; made different from the inside out, through the Divine hand of God. Changed, because I needed to be changed.
For you see, there was once a time when
· William Noel perceived that he was an agent of change, rather than the instrument of God.
· William Noel thought that building a church was like building a house; although difficult, it could be accomplished by a steady hand and determined mind.
· William Noel focused on building the church instead of building the person.
Yes, I address you as a changed man.
As I stand before you today, I see widows, single moms, and fatherless children. I see men, struggling to be who God created them to be. I see young adults having to make decisions that will affect their lives forever. I see children being drained of hope itself.
What man, in and of himself, could address the needs of such a people?
As a changed man, I stand before you today to do just that. To share a word from the Lord on the subject of ‘Thorns’. For you see, among us today I also see preachers, and preachers’ wives, missionaries and Christian authors, musicians and singers. And, the only thing standing between what they ARE, and what they WILL BE, are ‘Thorns’.
Your pastor is not blind to the suffering that that his flock is enduring.
· He can see it in your eyes; how that life has slowly and steadily beaten you down.
· He has heard it in your prayers, how you, in generalities speak of yourself, hushing the specifics of your situation.
· He can sense in you’re your service. How you, against the will of the flesh, choose to give what you cannot afford, in the hope of aiding someone suffering less than yourself.
You look not for pity, but for patience; patience to be faithful one more day. Patience to be found faithful when Jesus returns for His church.
The Apostle Paul experienced some of your plight, and he, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned one such experience in II Cor. 12. It is here that Paul speaks regarding his personal life. His personal experience. The words of this chapter are stirring to the careful readers. For, it is here that we learn about the man of God AFTER his Damascus Road experience. We learn about the man of God AFTER his missionary journeys. We learn about the man of God AFTER much of his public ministry.
Here we learn about Paul’s ‘thorn’; his ‘thorn in the flesh’, that made him such a powerful servant of God.
Verse 7 reads, ‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.’
The first point I want you to consider this morning is, ‘Thorns Remove Pride’. Two times in this verse, Paul tells us why thorns are necessary. Without thorns, we would become ‘Proud’
And, all it takes is one! One thorn, placed in the right place, at the right time. One thorn, like that of the Apostle Paul, can change a man or woman, to the glory of God.
You see, although Paul was saved and right with God…and although God had used Paul in the past, God knew there was a part of Paul that would not come out apart for the presence of thorns. And by ‘thorns’, I don’t mean the physical sticky things you see on a rose, or a bush.
· I mean trials…. tribulations… and troubles.
· I mean Discouragement… Disappointment, and Disasters
· I mean Hardships… Suffering… and Problems, in general.
God allows thorns to come into the lives of His children so as to remove Pride and make us humble, and more useable for His service. God is looking for a humble, contrite and broken individual… not someone who is Proud.
The proud man comes a dime a dozen. You can find him at “First Church of the Fat Cat”, in his $800 suit, and $500 shoes. You can find her sitting in the pews of many a churches, in her flamboyant outfit and personality to match. They praise God for what they have. But, take away the things, and you take away their reason to praise!
This is not the case with someone who has been humbled by thorns. You see, thorns often time appear when we least expect them. They attack the things we take for granted. They hit us in the areas that are most precious to us. When a person has been humbled by thorns, by Trials, Tribulations and Troubles, they can praise God in spite of anything life throws their way.
No, God is not looking for the proud man or woman. Instead, He is looking for the meek…the lowly… the humble. He’s looking for the man or woman who has had pride removed from their lives by ‘thorns’. But unfortunately, we ain’t born meek… we ain’t born lowly….,we ain’t born humble…, so He has to break us in the area of pride and MAKE us the way we should be. And, He does this by using thorns.
Now, thorns come in a thousand forms, with a hundred different names, but their goal is the same: to remove Pride, to break our reliance on the flesh, and to release the power of God in our lives.
Paul was a great man of God before this experience. The things that he accomplished for God are second only to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, God knew there was even a greater man in Paul, if He could get Pride out of Paul’s life. So, He used a thorn. A thorn in the flesh. A thorn from a messenger of Satan.
Many Bible commentators believe that Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ was actually physical blindness. After living all of his life with normal eyesight, God allowed a ‘messenger of Satan’, a demon, to come and rob him of the ability to see.
Mark it down, many of the physical problem that Christians are faced with are actually spiritual attacks from Satan himself. God allowed it in Paul’s life, and He’ll allow it your life, as well.
But, imagine how Paul must have felt. After publicly repenting of his past sins of persecuting the church, and faithfully serving God all these years; only to have a demon take his sight! Surely he questioned God’s love! Surely he doubted God’s sovereignty. Surely he murmured against God’s choice.
No, church family, he did none of these things. The Bible tells us that he rejoiced. Look at verse 10. “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: …”
This kind of response should not surprise us. Paul had a great example to follow, in that of Jesus Christ. Although we like to think of Christ as a man with a smile on His face and a song on His tongue, nothing could be further from the truth. Isaiah 53 describes Jesus as a ‘man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.’
Our Lord and Saviour knew what it was like to be sad. To be disappointed. To be frustrated. Jesus once said, “…O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?…”
The Lord Jesus Christ knew a thing or two about thorns! And, the Christ that served as Paul’s example is ready to serve as yours!
· He wants to show you how to be more than a conqueror, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
· He wants to show you how to have joy unspeakable and full of glory, in the midst of trials and tribulations.
· He wants to show you how to do the impossible and see the invisible, while bearing the burden of your thorn.
You see, Christian friend, God knows that our use-ability can be stretched, extended and maximized if He can get pride out of our lives. So He allows, no, He ordains, suffering, sorrowing, and hardship to be our companions. He orchestras all things, both good and bad, to work together for our good. He commands the natural and the supernatural to bring us to the point that we let go of the limitations of the flesh, and take hold of the power of the spirit.
So, what’s your thorn?
· It may be the thorn of ill-health, like the Apostle Paul.
· It may be the thorn of material loss, like that of Job.
· It may be the thorn of pride like that of King Nebuchadnezzar. You might remember that it was King Nebuchadnezzar that became full of pride, and God bought him down to walking on all fours, and eating grass like a wild animal.
If you are ever going to reach you maximum potential for the Lord, pride has to go. And, God uses the thorns of life, to get rid of our pride.
You might be going through something right now, that God has allowed to happening in your life. Why?
· Not because He hates you; because He loves you.
· Not because He’s forgotten about you, but because He is fully knowledgeable of you, and what you need.
God has allowed it to happen, the way it did, because thorns remove pride.
The Bible says “God resisteth (or opposes) the proud, but gives grace unto the humble”! The thorn, the trials, the tribulations that you’re faced with today, are actual blessings sent from God, to remove pride and make you more useable in His sight!
The second thing I see in this text is found in verses 8 and 9. The Bible reads, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Write this down, number 2: Thorns attract grace. Number one, was Thorns Remove Pride. Number two is Thorns attract grace. Have you ever gone out a night while wearing cologne or perfume? What happened? Every mosquito in Oklahoma county found you, didn’t they? Why? Because mosquitoes are attracted by the sweet scent of cologne.
Well the same thing can be said about Grace. Grace can be defined as receiving something you don’t deserve, but definitely need.
· When a Christian is buffeted with thorns, God’s grace will find them.
· When a Christian is tormented with thorns, God’s grace will seek them out.
· When a Christians is beaten down by the thorns of life, God’s grace is sufficient for them.
In verse 8, Paul prayed a prayer that you and I have probably pray at some time or another. He prayed, “God, take it away.” Have you ever prayed that prayer? Have you ever had a trial or tribulation so bad that the only thing you wanted from God was for Him to take it away?
Remember, when God allows the thorns of life to come your way, His grace is sufficient to see you through. The same thorns that you’re trying to pray away, are being used of God to attract, pull towards, and draw near, the grace of God in your life.
And, notice that Paul didn’t pray once. He didn’t pray twice. He prayed the same prayer three times: “Take it away!” “Don’t let it be this way” “Put things back the way the used to be”
Now, I don’t know this for certain, but I believe that the Apostle Paul had a powerful prayer life. Remember, this is the man who God chose to use to write most of the New Testament. When God wanted a man to pen the exact ‘jot and tittle’ from His very lips, He chose Paul.
If this is true, I believe that when Paul prayed, God listened. When Paul prayed, angels were dispatched. When Paul prayed, time and space laid down at his mercy. Yet, here, in verse 8 we see the prayer of the Apostle Paul being answered….in the negative! While Paul prayed for God to remove this messenger of Satan that had robbed him of his sight, God said, ‘No, Paul, I allowed them to take your sight. But, they can never take your vision!”
What? God told Paul ‘no’? That’s right. And there are times when God, in His wisdom will tell you and me ‘no’ when we pray. Instead of giving us what we asked for, He chooses to give us what we need. And, what the church needs now is more Grace.
Grace that will keep us in the fight. Grace that will help us be faithful till the end. Grace that will cause us to sacrifice all for the sake of the call. Grace that is greater than all our needs.
Mark it down, church family, when God allows a thorn to come into your life, there’s a truck load of Grace right behind it. Why? Because thorns attract Grace.
· Consider the grace that Noah found. When God was preparing to destroy the entire world and itself inhabitants, Noah found grace.
· Consider the grace that Lot found. Again, when God was preparing to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their perversion of homosexuality, Lot found grace.
· Consider the grace that you and I have found. Do you think that you and I would be here today, in the house of God, apart for God’s grace? Grace that keep us our of harms way, even when we willfully, and knowingly, left the protective arms of the Lord.
And God has promised that His grace is sufficient. His grace is enough for anything and everything you’ll ever face. His grace will never run out or grow weak. His grace is just what the doctor ordered for your trials … tribulations … and thorns of life!
Lastly, I see that thorns release strength. Write it down: Thorns Release Strength.
Today we have a church full of pretenders. I’m not speaking necessarily of Grace And Glory, but rather to the body of Christ, at large. We have men and women pretending to be something that they’re not. Strong.
They believe they’re strong in their prayer lives, yet their prayers go unanswered. They believe they’re strong in their teaching lives, yet their students are not interested in what they say. They think they’re strong in their witnessing lives, yet no one comes to faith in Christ because of them.
Yes, today we have a church full of pretenders. Why? Perhaps because they ran away for their thorns. When God appointed a thorn in their lives, they ran; ran away from the source of their strength. Not knowing that in weakness is how we become strong.
Just like every Christian has a guardian angel… and just like every Christian has a cross to bear… I believe every Christian has a thorn in the flesh that God has ordained just for them.
And, don’t forget WHERE this thorn is placed… in the flesh. Ephesians 5:29 says, “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it…” And that is the Gospel truth.
Our flesh, our body, is our best friend. We pamper it, we nourish it, we spoil it. We buy it gifts, we take it on trips, we do everything within our powers to make sure that it is always taken care of. And, it is here that the messenger of Satan attacks. It is here, where God commands the messenger of Satan to attack. God knows that unless our flesh is brought under the lordship of Jesus Christ, we will never do great things for Him. So, a thorn in the flesh is necessary. Your own, personalized thorn in the flesh.
We hear it often, ‘What God has for me, is for me’, well this could not be more true than when it comes to your thorn. You see, God knows the potential that you have for building His kingdom. He knows that, locked up inside of you, is the God-given ability to shape and change this world. But, He also knows that the only way to get this potential out is by releasing it with the thorns of life.
Consider Hebrews 11; the faith chapter. several of individuals, both named and unnamed, are listed for our admonition. In each and every case, the saints honored by being listed in the faith chapter were acquainted with thorns.
· Abel was killed because of the jealousy of his brother
· Noah was mocked as a preacher of God’s word
· Abraham was called to forsake family and friends, and move to a place he knew not of
· Joseph was sold into slavery by his flesh and blood
· Moses, a man with a speech impediment, was called to leave the riches of Pharaoh and live in the back side a mountain.
Then consider the sufferings of Samson, of David and of Samuel. Consider the trials of those not mentioned by name: cruel mockings, scourgings, and imprisonments. Verse 37 tells us they were stoned to death, and some were even placed inside of hollowed out logs and sawed in half. Yet and still, in verse 34 of the faith chapter, we read these words, “…out of weakness were made strong…”
How did men and women, who were made out of the same stuff as you and I, do such things? Thorns! You see, each and every inductee into the Hall of Faith was a person well acquainted with thorns. With suffering. With hardship. With trials. With tribulations.
Just as their thorns help place them in the Hall of Faith, your thorns can do the same for you!
· It is only when we have reached the end of our own strength, that we can experience the strength of God.
· It is only when we have come to the end of our own ability, that we will experience the ability of God.
· It is only when we have reached the pinnacle of what we can do for God, that we learn what God can do through us.
Paul learned this in II Cor. 12. When he prayed, not once, not twice, but three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed, God said,
· “Be still, and allow Me to release My power through you!”
· “Be still, and watch what I can do through you, using thorns.”
· “Be still, and let me use you for My good pleasure.”
· “The thorn may take your sight, Paul, but it can’t touch your vision”
· “Paul, it’s when you’re weak, that you’re really strong.”
And, He’s telling you the same thing, too! No matter what your thorn is, it’s your thorn, not mine. No matter how long you’ve been called to bear your thorn, God grace is still sufficient. Regardless of what others may say or think, it is through the faithful surrendering to the will of God in this area of your thorns, that you will find power to bear, and conquer life.
Conclusion
So, what’s your thorn? Your health, or lack thereof? Your finances, or lack thereof. Your family and other relationships? Regardless of what your thorn may be, we’re called to thank God for our thorns. For it is through thorns that we remove pride, attract grace and release strength in our Christian lives.
God may have used you in the past, but He knows that there are greater works still within you. And these works will only come out with the aid of a thorn. A trial. A tribulation.
Your thorn in the flesh is just that…your thorn in the flesh.
· It’s there to get rid of pride.
· It’s there to supply you with Grace.
· It’s there to give you strength.
Don’t run from it, embrace it. Thank God for it. Because, the only reason He gave it to you is He knows you can do even greater things for the Kingdom, than you’ve done so far.
