Audio Sermons

Firstly read Genesis chapter 50 verse 12 to first 21. The verses relate to Jacob's death.

Main reading 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7-10

This is a transcript of a sermon that was preached on Sunday morning 1st March 1998 by Pastor Neil Evans.

Over the last few weeks we have been looking at John and the high a priestly prayer. What we saw a few weeks ago that when the Lord Jesus prayed for the disciples he asked for God to take the disciples out of the world. We read that he says that the disciples were sent into the world and they would experience the tribulation. Last week we looked at 2 Corinthians Chapter 12 and saw that Paul referred to a thorn in the flesh. Today we will turn back into that chapter to look at Chapter 12 verses 7 to 10.

Read Corinthians Chapter 12 verses 7 to 10.

Last Sunday morning we said that a thorn in the flesh was probably an illness for Paul but for us it could be illness or something we wish wasn't in our lives. It may be something we wish wasn't there or something we wish God would take away from us. Perhaps it is something that grieves us, or something that hurts us. When Paul Prays take this from me God says to Paul my concern is not take it away from you but to use it, to use a thorn in the flesh as something which will prove to Paul that God's grace is sufficient for him. This would be something Paul could learn from, and draw him nearer to God as a result of living with this thorn in the flesh. So what we've seen is that God can use a thorn in the flesh to bring us nearer to Him. God can use a thorn in the flesh to humble us because we all have a tendency to be proud. God can also send the thorns in the flesh to assure us how much we need God instead of relying upon ourselves. Having looked at this passage last Sunday I talked about it with some people I think there's a danger of us saying to ourselves this is very hard doctrine. It can be very hard to think God would say to us I am not going to take away that illness, that problem, that affliction. In fact God says He would use it for good. We will find this hard to believe. In the light of that, this morning I want to ask what is alternative?

If we're not going to see our thorns this morning as things which God sends and uses, to bring us closer to him how else can we see them? I would suggest three other ways of looking at our problems.

Firstly, you and I get to a point in our lives where we begin to suffer or we begin to have a problem, we begin to experience a thorn in our flesh. We could say God take it away from us we don't like it. God would say "I would like to do it, but it is something it out of my control and I do not have the ability to get rid of this thorn in your flesh". How many of us this morning would want to have the view that this would be God's response, would we be saying that God was not in control of everything? I am sure none of us would want to worship a God who says "I cannot help you up because I am not in control". You see I am trying to say that if you're not going to believe that God sends these thorns and God uses them to draw us closer to him then you're left with one view. The view is that God is not in control and he won't help us when we need him the most. I'm sure none of us would accept a view such as this.

The second view is that we approach God wanting to take this thorn away from us. Then God says…. "well it's up to you. If you could try harder, if believe hard enough, trust hard enough, then that thorn in the flesh will go from you". So you see," it is up to you ",says God, "and if you work hard enough you can overcome you thorns". Now this view is very common and I am sure we all know of people who have gone forward for, say, healing in a service and asked for an illness to be healed. They have gone forward and been prayed for but nothing comes for them and they are then told it is because they do not enough have enough faith, they are holding Him back, that's the reason why they have illnesses. Let me ask you do you really want to hold a belief like that? Is there anything more discouraging to be told you have an illness because you do not have enough faith? Is there anything more likely to make you more discouraged and downcast when you're praying to God, "heal me", only to be told you have not enough faith? I want to say to you, that if you're not prepared to accept that God sends thorns and uses them, you're left with a view that God isn't in control, or you're left with a view that it is my fault because I have no faith. You are saying that you must strengthen your faith, try harder work harder at your faith. The verses into Corinthians 12 do not say that to Paul hadn't enough faith or didn't trust enough. God doesn't say this.

Thirdly when Christians suffering from a thorn in flesh say to God "take it away from us". What we're saying is that we think God is punishing us in some way. We believe God is punishing because we'd been disobedient or because of being lax in our spiritual lives or because of sinning we won't give up and we carry on. So we say God punishes us until we realise where we are going wrong. And even in the Bible there is a case where there was a man who lost his position and sores covered his body, his friends mocked him, this was Job. People around him wanted him to admit it was his fault and he was being punished for his sins but that had not been his condition. Job. However, didn't saying anything like that. Job knew that God didn't go around punishing because we have a God who is merciful and long-suffering and gracious. God sent His Son to be punished for us. So the Lord Jesus Christ took the punishment God has for a Christian's sins. Let me ask you, do you think that God punishes us for our sins in this way? You may well say that we read in Hebrews about God disciplining in us. Isn't that why God is sending an illness or something when we have been disobedient? In Corinthians we read that these things helped Paul come closer to Him and be more disciplined to improve a relationship with Him. If we do not see this today that God's unceasing love does this for us then what do we say? We have to say either God is not in control of them or we did not have enough faith or just that God has punishing us. What view do you have this morning?

I would like to bring to you and what is my understanding of the Bible this morning. My belief is a one which is encouraging for us to believe in. There is hardly a person here this morning who would be free from difficulties over the weeks we will be able to remember a heartache or problem. There is something in our lives which we wish hadn't happened at all which is still going on. There is something that grieves us. There are things we wish God would take away from all of us we all have to suffer each day. How are we going to respond? Especially when we say God take these away and He doesn't do it on times. How do we think about this? Well, the only hopeful way is for you and I to begin to see these things is that God is firstly in complete control of them. We mustn't just see that thorn as an illness they can be all sorts of problems it can be anything which grieves us and we wish wasn't true of our lives. Whatever the thorns will be we would like to say take away or heal us. First hear me say that God is in complete control of each one of these things. By God being in control, God has a plan and a purpose for our lives in which these thorns play a part. God will be in control of the times, people, effects and what the effect will be. He is in total control. We can also say that God in his wisdom has designed each one of them for good in our lives. God has planned that they should be in our lives at certain times and in certain ways because he is in total control of the Universe. God in his wisdom designed these thorns for each one of us. He designed them to fit us individually for maybe a thorn in my flesh is not a thorn in yours it would not give you a problem but it gives me a problem. He has designed thorns to deal with me and my needs and what God needs to do in my life. God is in control of them and designs them specifically for us.

Can we not see that in Paul's case there was perfect timing. He had been taken to heaven and saw things he could never express. He didn't have the words to express what he'd seen. He had been told not to say what he'd seen as it was for the future. Just after this in God's time a thorn came along, a plan, to affect Paul at a certain time in God's plan. He is saying to us, that God plans things to happen at a certain time knowing exactly how it will be. Paul is an example of how God times thorns in the flesh. He is also example of how God fits thorns to people's needs. It was a problem that humbled Paul. It made him feel weak mortal and ordinary. God designs a thorn to achieve a certain thing in our lives. God is in control, planning everything, and designing things. He designs things for good, showing us that in the Lord God we have one whose grace is sufficient for us. How will we ever learn that if we never have a thorn? We will never learn that the will of God is sufficient. We will never learn that through him we can be strong when we're weak. We will never learn unless he strews our way with thorns.

We must have a positive attitude to thorns and not say "take this away from me", and to feel bitter. Let's learn from Paul as we close this morning. Remember the reading for us morning

"I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake"

He doesn't say to God, does it have to be this way? He doesn't question God by asking why. He doesn't say that does he? He says that when he understands what the thorns are assigned to do and that through these thorns I am nearer to God and learn more about God and prove God. He says about them

"Therefore I take pleasure"

You see he says that he takes pleasure. He doesn't say that he doesn't want them or doesn't like them. He doesn't say it. Verse nine

"Therefor most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

I wonder this morning. Can we be the sort of Christians that rely on the grace of God and see differently the things that give me pain. That we recognise that they have a strength in God and cause the strength and power of God to rest upon me. Let's ask for God to be seen through me saying that when we're weak we can be strong in the grace of God, by the grace of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to pray for God to help us in this way. Amen.