Corinthians chapter 12. We're going to see the first 10 verses there, but because we're getting into a document almost to its end, let me give you some words of context before we jump into the passage per se. Paul planted a church around AD 51 and 52. Sometime after that he went to Ephesus, planted another church where he received messengers from the church of Corinth, bringing issues that would prompt him then to write 1 Corinthians. Later then, Paul heard of difficulties there in the church of Corinth and made a quick trip there by the sea from Ephesus to Corinth and back. We read about that in the book of Acts. But that visit in particular did not go well. Paul later referred to it as a visit made in sorrow. He's going to speak in those terms in 2 Corinthians 2, 1. We don't know much of the reason, the particulars as to why that trip was indeed so sorrowful. But we know that Paul was opposed, that he was offended even. Chapter 2, verse 5 and verse 10 of 2 Corinthians shows us that. So he sent another letter that is not even in our Bibles. But he sent it through Titus. We know that. And in that letter that he refers to in 2 Corinthians as a strong letter, he strenuously rebuked them for certain things that were going on. And especially for these so-called false or super apostles that he's going to refer to so often in the second letter to the Corinthians in our Bibles. Yet further reconciliation was necessary. Correction was needed. And so we read in 2 Corinthians, as we go through the pages of this letter, we notice that Paul had a particular concern of defending his ministry against the accusations of certain false apostles or super apostles in an ironic way of him to correct them. You read that. in chapter 11 verse 13 of 2 Corinthians. They were clearly challenging Paul's authority and the integrity of his ministry. While we do not know the precise identity of these enemies, for our purposes today we can understand that they were most likely projecting an image for Christian leadership and Christian life. An image that life should translate in proficiency and power. rather than weakness and dependence upon Christ's strength. This is why, since 2 Corinthians 10, Paul has been defending his ministry against these imposters. Who, as far as we know, were boasting on their lineage, on their accomplishments, and on some alleged ecstasy. or mystical experience, ecstatic or mystical experience. In our passage this morning, Paul is concluding his defense. That's the context of the passage we are about to read and meditate upon. What is remarkable about this passage that spoke so loudly to my heart and powerfully to my heart as I was preparing this sermon, is that Paul defends his ministry in such a way that he sets forth many principles. and especially one that should be very evident and can be very powerful and freeing to your Christian life as well. With that in mind, let us read the passage before us, 2 Corinthians 12, page 970 in European Bibles. I must go on boasting, though there is nothing to be gained by it. I will go on visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which men may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast except of my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with 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. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so 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. Let us pray one more time. Heavenly Father and glorious Lord, be with us. as we, in our weakness, meditate in the power of your grace and your word. Thank you, Lord, for such a marvelous word that has so many different genres, authors, timelines, all displaying the glories of Jesus Christ and his work. May he speak to our hearts this morning. May your church recognize the voice of its shepherd. as its under shepherd speaks out of a place of weakness. But may your power be evident in the gospel. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. My friends, the heavens declare God's glory. We know that very well. We are very blessed to live in a place that we can contemplate that, not obstructed by skyscrapers and things of the like. Day to day pours out His speech. Night and night reveals knowledge to those who have eyes to see. And even though they utter no words, you see, God calls us to observe golden nuggets of wisdom that He has spread throughout the created order. Go to the end and learn how to be diligent in your work. Observe the ocean and understand the value of constancy. by the continuous flow of its waves. Look at a mother, a blessed woman of the Lord, who displays precisely, so clearly, human frailty and pain, as many of you women know, being perfected through the divine power of bringing life into this world. My power is made perfect in weakness. I remember thinking about that, having a frontline role to all the birth of our children. But in a fallen world, it is not always colorful. Living in a world tainted by sin is a complicated business indeed. It is a roller coaster of states and emotions. And that's the nature of Christian life. More than a continuous ascent to heaven, we sometimes fall, don't we? are lifted up by the Lord's hand, by His grace alone. In this life we experience joy, we experience sorrow, we experience delight, and we experience disgust, hurt, and healing, birth, but also death. If we seek understanding, then It is helpful to consider two extreme images that the Bible even uses as illustrations to talk about the extremes that we go through in this life. And those images are a couple, and they are the mountaintop experience and the valley experience. Two extremes. Each has its place in your life. And if you live long enough, or if you have lived long enough, you probably have gone through both in your existence. And even if today you can't see yourself in either one, because they are extremes, you're probably going to see yourself in between, probably closer to the mountaintop or to the valley. Depends on your situation. You are indeed certainly in between them if you're not in one of them right now. The mountaintop, as you may know, is a place of glory, is a place of revelation, is a place of excitement. Because when you are at the mountaintop, you can see clearly. You can see far from you. The valleys are like the valley of dry bones or the valley of the shadow of death. The valley is a place of suffering, of struggle, of endurance. It can be very dark. It can be pretty deep. But even during the day, if you are in a deep, deep valley, you can even see the stars as we are reminded by the marvelous book of prayers, The Valley of Vision. And it is from that book that I learned to learn by paradox. That the way down, I quote, is the way up. That to be low is to be high. That the broken heart is the healed heart. That the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit. That the repenting soul is the victorious soul. That to have nothing is to possess all. That to bear the cross is to wear the crown. That to give is to receive. That the valley is the place of vision. And that is what I pray God will do to us this morning. He will wisely teach us through paradox. That's what Paul is trying to do here as an instrument of the Holy Spirit. And so I invite you to contemplate two things with me in this passage. First, weakness in might. Weakness in might. And second, mighty. Might in weakness. First thing that I want you to see is weakness in might. I think that those points are on the back of yes, on the back of your bulletin. Verses 1-6, weakness in might. In these verses, you see Paul is, quote, boasting, though he recognizes that there is nothing to be gained by boasting. In other words, it is not a profitable exercise to boast. Yet, Paul engages in boasting for the Corinthians' sake, for them. In a sense, he is speaking like a fool to save them from their foolishness. Surprisingly though, while it's clear that he's speaking of himself, about an experience that he has gone through. He even explicitly says that in verse 7. In the beginning of these verses, he writes even misleadingly by referring to himself in the third person. Opinions on why he wrote in that manner vary. They go from, well, Paul was being very humble. He didn't want to say that in the first person. That's humility. Others were like he had a great existential encounter with God, so much so that he even didn't feel like himself anymore. Well, there's a huge spectrum here. And honestly, it's not that important for us to know the precise reason for him to do that. We're not engaging in exegetical psychology when we're reading the Bible, if it's not in the text. But the thing is, regardless of his motives, he wrote a circumspect, a cautious, a brief account of a glorious experience. And so, Paul was caught up in the third heaven. And this expression, the third heaven, refers to God's most immediate and heavenly presence, refers to the invisible realm where God dwells. And if you think about that, what an experience Paul had. He was caught up to God's presence in such a glorious way that he wasn't even sure if he went there in the body or not. While there, he also says that he heard things that are so lofty that he lacks human language in order to express it. The original here reads literally, inexpressible words. It was a pretty dramatic and glorious experience, you see. However, unlike these false prophets that he is rebuking, he is reluctant to speak of such things. Remember that in verse 1, he first mentioned that such a boast wasn't necessary or profitable. It was indeed an exercise, as our point says, of weakness. in might, in the ability to show might to actually show weakness. And so further, I want you to notice that this happened, this experience happened 14 years ago and that was the first time that he mentioned and even so reluctantly. Well, imagine that tomorrow morning, A caravan of black SUVs will be parked outside your house, and men in black suits and an earpiece like this would come up to you and escort you to a close-by helicopter, take you to Washington, D.C., and the president wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with you and actually reveal to you what's actually in Area 51. On your way out, he will tell you, hey, keep this secret between the two of us, please. I mean, I guess, I think you would feel pretty important after such a meeting, regardless of your thoughts about the current or previous administration. Let's take that off for a moment. And when you return to home, you would have a fantastic experience to share. Though you may not want to reveal details for your safety and even out of an ethical duty. You see, my friends, Paul experienced something far greater than this. And so if you were in Paul's shoes going to third heaven, chances are you would feel quite important, you see. Many would probably boast about that thing for the rest of their lives. Their experience would be in every Christmas card from now on. Perhaps you'd start a new streaming series on the topic, the third heaven. The first 100 subscribers would get a free t-shirt with your picture on it. But Paul says, I don't even want to talk about this. And that's very interesting. Why is he acting in such an unusual way? We are eager to share when we have such glorious experiences such as this. Why is he acting in such a way? What is the spirit guiding him to teach us even by the way that he writes here? What principle can we learn here? Well, Paul knows that boasting in anything but Christ is an exercise of weakness in might. He does not want, verse 6, anyone to think more of him than one sees or hears from him because his testimony is about Christ. Well, recognizing here the value of wonderful Christian experiences that we go through life from time to time, and it is even a part of the path that the Lord has for us, certain mountaintop experiences in our lives, Paul does not rely on those experiences for his credentials, you see. That's the key. Not as a Christian man, not even as a Christian man, let alone as an apostle. He does not wave his third heaven card around. You see, Paul relies on verse 5. Paul relies on the Lord's ability to get him through his many weaknesses. And what the Lord accomplished through him despite these same weaknesses. And so he points to his life and to his doctrine, not to mystical ecstatic experiences. And so, my friends, we learn that profound Christian experiences can come our way. Key moments in our lives when the presence of God is so real, our spiritual vitality is so pungent, and yet we should treat them lightly. We should not become proud because of them, but we should be humbled by them. Notice something with me here. Mountaintop experiences can be good, but they also present several dangers to our fallen and sinful hearts. Aside from the pride that comes with going through the experience itself, there is the danger of living the rest of your life of the past. Thinking that we are more mature than we are because of some tremendous or isolated experience, religious experience that we had in the past. Well, I see that a lot with seminaries. I saw that a lot in my heart. Well, it's so easy for you to read so much about theology, and you read, I love the Puritans, and you read them, and they had such a godly way of going through life, and you read about their experiences, and you as a young man, you think, man, I'm great because I'm reading them, and I almost feel like I'm borrowing their experience, but I have not walked the walk with the Lord yet, so who am I, what am I thinking? And so all of a sudden you, when you see in your face with your, frailty with your immaturity. And that can happen with experiences in your common life. You don't need to be a seminarian to go through stuff like that. Maybe when you first became a Christian, you were cozy and warmed up with the flames of your new love found in Christ. You used to grow like crazy. You would fast. You would be dedicating yourself to memorizing scriptures. But that was a while ago, you see, and you're still living off of those experiences, you see. There is a temptation to think that because you went to the mountain once, that's where you still are. Even if now you may be neither cold nor hot, but look warm. And so if that's you, I call you to remember where you have fallen. What happened? Repent and do the works you first did. If not, the Lord will come and remove the lampstand from its place. Revelation 2.5. There is also a danger in the mountaintop experience of becoming accustomed to those intense, thrilling feelings that you feel like you always need them. This is particularly tempting for younger people, but it can touch us all. I mean, as much as I like conferences, some people are always in conferences and never in the church. And that is not right. It's almost like for your marriage to keep going on, you need to be on a cruise every month. You need to have a celebration anniversary every week so that you keep going. No, it's the ordinary food that makes life enjoyable. It's the ordinary means of grace that will sustain you. Not those thrilling experiences, though good they may be, they are dangerous. They can be dangerous. And that's the point here. But notice, God works in our lives, typically. He brings extraordinary things to our lives out of the ordinary ways. The ordinary means of race, precisely this, what we are doing here. And so to expect to always have a thrilling experience in your Christian life, or even because you expect trying to manufacture such experiences, is an exercise of weakness in might. That's why we don't play with your emotions in our worship. We want to show you. The will of God for your life. But there is a way. There is a better way and that brings us to our second point. It's the way to become mighty in weakness. Mighty in weakness, verses 7 through 10. In verse 7, we have Paul's famous thorn in the flesh. In the third heaven experience, Paul was so uplifted that now he needed to be brought low. Many speculate about that thorn and much has been written about it. Such fascination to me is sad because people usually seem to be more interested in what the text does not say while shifting other people's attention from what the text is actually saying. That can't be good practice. What does the text say then? The Greek word here that is translated as thorn refers to something pointed, something such like a stake or for impaling or a medical instrument or a thorn indeed. And the metaphor here carries the notion of something that is very sharp and painful, which sticks to your skin deep in your flesh. And by the will of God, it defies extracting flesh. here can mean either Paul's physical body, but can also mean his sinful inclinations, as in the lust of the flesh that we read in other passages. So it could be something either harming his body or causing pain in his soul because of his sinful inclinations. It was a pretty broad spectrum of possibilities, right? It could be virtually many things. Praise the Lord for that because it is wide enough to apply to the thorn in your flesh. I think it's brought like this by divine design. All of us have had the experience of having a pain that doesn't seem to go away. Paul calls it here, a messenger of Satan. Calvin puts it on this ground, quote, that as all temptations are sent by Satan, Whenever they, temptations, assail us, they warn us that Satan is at hand. And that is something that we usually ignore. There are people in our 21st century that are either intensely lunatic mystical, but there are also people that because we're so advanced, we forget about the spiritual world and we ought not to ignore the enemy of our souls. Never. Again, the thorn's purpose back here to our tax was to humble Paul and keep him from being conceited. That's what the text is saying. Lest he become exalted in himself. To such an end then this thorn would harass, would buffet, would torment him. The idea behind this word that is translated in these different ways here is that of striking someone's face with the back of your hand. That strike that is not much to hurt but to humiliate. That's what the thorn is doing to him. The passive voice here in this verse implies that God was the one who placed that thorn upon Paul. After all, God is sovereign among all affairs and even uses wicked Satan as an instrument in his fatherly and wise and wonderful plans for us. You cannot pass the first chapter of the book of Job without recognizing that. The thorn effectively cured any mistaken euphoria that Paul's vision might have evoked. God wanted Paul to remain humble and fully aware of his weakness. You see, the thorn pierced any pride that might have surged within him because of his grand entry into heaven. And the result was that Paul, from that, learned to deal with others with the gentleness and meekness of Christ rather than with the arrogant puffery of Satan. So Christian, the lesson for you. is that being tormented by a messenger of Satan is infinitely better than being ruined by pride. Being tormented by a messenger of Satan is infinitely better than being ruined by pride. It was and continues to be a gift from the Heavenly Father for the one who needs to be brought low. And oh, how much we need that. The book of Job even reminds us that God will use Satan to polish our faith into the jewels he, God, predestined our faith to be. A faith that boasts in the Lord despite satanic buffets is a faith that is mighty in weakness. Though he slay me, yet I will trust him. Job 13, 15. I wonder if you have ever prayed. I had never before a couple of days ago, but I have now. Lord, topple me over before I tear things down. If living to old age means that I would ruin some of what you have done through me, let me die a young man or a woman. That's your case. Think about the kings of Judah. Isn't that the pattern? There is this recurring pattern of God's men being brought low and those men would then call upon the Lord's name. Then the Lord, as merciful as He is, He would lift that man up. Give him his strength back and then he would become vain and superficial and conceited again. And then we read in, for example, 2 Chronicles 12 verse 1, when the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord and all Israel with him. And then you go to 2 Chronicles 26, for example, you hear about the the promising kingdom of Uzziah until we get to verse 16 of chapter 26. But when he was strong, he grew proud to his destruction, for he was unfaithful to the Lord. The pattern repeats itself over and over and over. So, brethren, even more dangerous then life's unwanted valleys is walking in strength. Therefore, beware of where you are strong because it is there that you are more susceptible to attacks. Perhaps you can see this principle more clearly in others than yourself, but it's usually the case with us, isn't it? It's usually to look away than to look in the mirror, always. How close is people's virtues usually connected to their greatest vices? What is your strength, money, IQs, athletics, looks, charisma, offspring, influence, success, music? Whatever it is, whatever area you are strong, that is where you are the most susceptible to attacks. And so, whenever weakness can come your way, to crush your pride. The wisest thing for you to do is to receive it gratefully. Trust me, I know this is really hard, but this is the way. Listen, no enemy in your life is so sinister, so stubborn or so strong as your pride. Do you believe that? You should. And that means that any realization of your weakness, anything that can kill some of your pride should be received as a gift from God, whatever that thing is, even if it's a thorn in the flesh. Because my friend, if you are God's child, he means to keep you safe, even from yourself. There are so many of my sins that I don't see. My wife and my kids already see them. I am sure of this. I know I am more prideful than I am aware of. And you probably are too. We are full of self-reliance, self-regard, self-conceit. We live to be recognized and liked. We think that we are better than others. We really do. Don't lie to yourself. And maybe you're thinking, that's not me. Perhaps it's this person here right by me. Which only proves the point, you see. We all need much humbling from the Lord and from His gracious hands. So let us prepare to receive it when it comes our way. To receive it gratefully, not bitterly. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Brethren, when you are brought to see your spiritual poverty, you are in a position to be blessed. God brings us low because He loves us. He wants you to see how mighty He is in your weakness. Also notice that Paul did not receive what he prayed for. Verse 9 should end any notion that Christians receive whatever they ask for. Still, Paul persistently prayed. But notice also that he stopped praying when he learned the purpose that God had for the thorn. Three times God said, my grace is sufficient. At a certain point, Paul understood that's God's purpose for this in my life. And he stopped praying for it. This is a call to while also diligently call for deliverance from God, for God to deliver you. It is okay to do that. You should do that. But while you ask, ask also for understanding and wisdom so that you would receive what God wishes to impart to your heart when you're going through thorny situations in your life. And the most challenging part of saying this, because the most challenging part of suffering, probably more than half of our struggles when we are suffering, is when we ask, God, why? When suffering seems purposeless, it's almost unbearable. So if the Lord can give you the light and the wisdom to see what he's doing in you through it, for he's doing something, it will be much more bearable. And so, even if you can't, pinpoint a particular purpose for your affliction this morning, you are called to understand God's grand scheme and purpose for every affliction under the sun for a Christian man or woman or child. It is so that Christ may dwell in you and it is the Christ that dwells in you that wants you to taste and see His goodness. And He tells you, my grace is sufficient for you because my power is perfected in weakness. What do you think Joseph thought? He didn't have the book of Genesis. He didn't have the end of the story. What about Abraham? Good as dad, 100 years old. Can't have a son. And God says, you'll be a father to many nations. When Moses said, Lord, I am of having tongue, the Lord said, I'm going to use that tongue to lighten the burdens of my people. When Gideon was preparing for battle, he said, Gideon, you have way too much people. Let's reduce that. Let me give you some more weakness so that my power may be perfected through you. David, you are the youngest. Go fight Goliath. His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, you shall take upon yourself weak flesh, bones, and a soul. And you shall in this way, and through your death, bring life to many people, so many that none may count. And in you all my promises will be, will find their amen. For you, my only begotten Son, are mighty in weakness." Fellow Christians, Perhaps you are in the valley this morning and God wants you to realize this is not because He has abandoned you. Instead, He wants you to think like this, I am in the valley, which means God is up to something big. There is power coming my way. Jesus will rest upon me. Grace will be made sufficient. His power will be made perfect in my weakness. I wish I weren't in this valley, but since I am, God must be up to something good. Expect blessings in the valley. We all love the mountaintops, but I want you to remember And as we begin taking lessons from nature, remember also that water always continuously runs down from the mountain towards the valley. And so it is with grace, which always flows down. Grace is meant to rest upon those who have been brought low. While the world insistently display its weakness in might, God perfects His power in the godly ones through their weaknesses. May we all learn from this fantastic paradox. Amen. Let's pray, brothers and sisters. Dear Father, You have loved Your people. and sent Jesus to redeem them. Oh, Jesus, you have loved us and assumed our nature. You shed your own blood to wash away our sins. You wrought righteousness to cover our unworthiness. And together with the Father, you sent us your Spirit. Oh, Holy Spirit, you have loved us and entered our hearts. And there you have implanted eternal life. You have revealed to us the glories of Jesus while powerfully reshaping us in his likeness through the seemingly weakness of the ordinary means of grace. Plant the seed of the word deep into our hearts that it may bear much fruit. Let us find your light in our darkness, your life in our death, your joy in our sorrow, Your grace in our sin, Your riches in our poverty, Your glory in our grief. O Lord, this we pray in the Lord Jesus Christ's holy name and all God's people said, Amen.