Dancing with God 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Crossroads October 6, 2013

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1 Dancing with God 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Crossroads October 6, 2013 Part 1 As we have been reading the last two chapters of 2 Corinthians we have noticed that Paul has been doing quite a bit of boasting. Have you ever wondered what the boasting is about? He calls it being foolish in an ironic sense ironic because its not foolishness at all. For many of us, when we encounter Paul boasting like we have been reading, it seems out of place. It seems to run against our Christian values of humility and tolerance. This week we again find our understanding of what Paul is saying is not a theological argument but the keen use of rhetorical technique like a surgeon s scalpel. Page 1 There is a reason that we have encountered Paul boasting. If you have your Bibles, I would encourage you to write a few notes in the margins in order to put the boasting within its context. First, we notice a significant change in Paul s voice in chapters In Chapters 1-9 Paul has been dealing directly with the Corinthian church and indirectly with his opponents. As we have said this book has included a very intentional use of rhetorical skill. It was a very established form of argument where the speaker only alludes to the major issue under dispute in the early stages of the argument, reserving the full discussion of the real bone of contention for the end of the discourse where it is attacked, using a lot of emotion, in a direct way. Paul has used 9 chapters to gain the willingness of the church to listen to his whole appeal and then in chapters he takes them to what he wants them to see. What has been simmering on the back burner for 9 chapters his bone of contention with his opponentsis brought to full boil in At that point and within this form of rhetorical discourse, the audience expected, they waited for the argument to include both self-praise and self-defense, blame for the opponent, and contrast against his opponents. And that is exactly the kind of rhetorical technique at work. Chapters signals that Paul is in the final stages of his argument because his bone of contention against his opponents is brought to the front burner. Paul has to prove that the accusation made against him, that he is a false apostle is a false accusation. He is their spiritual father and wants to help the Corinthian church. So now you know what Paul is doing. Now you know why he is boasting. However, Paul stood against this norm in a very significant way. He refused to boast about himself and

2 his actions (and this might reveal his opponents as false apostles more than anything). He boasted about what has happened to him but he boasted about what God has done through what has happened to him. He has gone to great lengths to show that God has been the point of all his work and all his struggle and all his suffering and all his hardship and that this is what makes him a true, authentic apostle of the church. One who through hardship has proven his integrity and his character in Christ and not of his own merit. It is why the church can follow his direction when it comes to living for Christ and how they can see the charlatans for what they are. It s not HIM it is Christ in him that makes him authentic. Page 2 Paul says, If I boast, I shall boast in the Lord. And that s what he does. We will get to the passage for today later. This part of the sermon is another look at what Paul is doing in the text so we read it honestly and do not take it out of context then try to apply it incorrectly. Have you ever thought during this sermon series, I wish I could think like Paul and use language to skillfully share my faith? So, let me ask you a couple questions you may have already read in an from Joyce - Do you get intimidated when people challenge you concerning issues of faith? Do you wish you felt more equipped in knowing how to articulate what you believe? Author Gregory Koukl in his book, Tactics demonstrates how to keep any conversation moving with thoughtful, artful diplomacy. He shows you how to adopt an engaging, disarming style even when people raise objections. You will learn how to communicate the compelling truth about Christianity with both confidence and grace if you have ever thought you wanted to be more skilled in this art don t sit on your thumbs. Engage people in your faith. Paul s example in 2 Corinthians is that this ability is very important.

3 (1)Dancing with God 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Part 2 (2) We needed to be reminded that there are social, cultural, and rhetorical conventions at work in this text. Part 1 of the sermon was a brief look at those conventions. What we need to do now is build a bridge between what was happening then to us today. Page 3 We have arrived at chapter 12 in our study of 2 Corinthians. This passage contains one of my favorite scripture verses. Verse 9 My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness Because I am of the Star Wars generation I imagine (3)Yoda saying, hmm, strong in the Lord he is, yes powerful he has become in weakness. Of course, I am a Jedi Knight fighting evil for the good of the Crossroads and God s kingdom. Lets read what God put in Paul s mind and heart for us today 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (4) I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 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 (5) 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses 6 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. The importance of ecstatic experiences to the Greco-Roman world. Because Paul revealed this unrevealable vision he was seen as a very special person, taken up by God to a special place, and given inside information. It was highly regarded and reveals that the Corinthians had badly underestimated him. Paul knew that and he raises the bar of their expectations teases them. 3 rd person argument is strange but it as an inoffensive way to boast. He is a bit ashamed of getting to the place of needing to do this so he removes himself a little.

4 But these kinds of experiences are not the most important criteria for an apostle to be measured. We live on the earth and that s where God brought Paul (6) 7 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. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. (7) 9 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. 10 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. Page 4 (8-9) The difference between Paul and his adversaries was in his interpretation of his hardships not in the fact that he had suffered and his opponents had not. Paul says that if he boasts it will be in weakness (not strength) because he believes that God s power springs into action, it is made manifest - through such trial and tribulation. Where there is pride and arrogance in self, and self strength, and self dependency and self sufficiency Paul is saying that there can be no divine power, for the very existence of Christ s power in Paul depends on his humility and weakness i Now doesn t the attitude and perspective of self sufficiency sound exactly like what north American life is all about? Having ALL we need and not needing anyone or anything for any reason? Isn t that the goal of life? The question for this morning is how much of that philosophy of life has become part of our faith north American Christianity? It is absolutely certain that there are social and cultural conventions at work in the church, in our lives, in our faith and how we live it out. How much is the question. (10)That s our bridge. It is still true today and it is one we must cross. Christian Character and the integrity of our lives of faith are revealed in how we interpret what is happening in our lives. Who or what we depend on to sustain us not only during hardship but at all times reveals the existence or absence of Christ s power in any believer. What we do with struggle reveals who we depend on and if that dependence makes any difference at all. Humility and weakness Paul says are what releases this power of Christ in and through the life of any follower of Jesus. It stands in absolute contrast to our social and cultural norms.

5 Eileen Herrera Sent an last Thursday, while I was writing out this message. She said. We received this blog from the pastor of Pismo Beach New Life church, Rev. Ron Salsbury, who has been battling protate cancer for 8 years. To the Entire Church at New Life Community Church Pastor Ron s Blog October, 2013 Stage Two Ignition! As most of you know, I ve been diagnosed with Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma, which is cancer of the blood. A PET scan revealed cancer in four lymph nodes in my neck, but the whole rest of my body was clear! That was good news. Yesterday, we received the results from a bone marrow biopsy I had done on 9/30 to see if it was in my bone marrow. Good News! It is not! Thank you Jesus! And, thank you all for your prayers! Page 5 So, I will start chemo therapy on October 14 th and have six 21 day cycles. This means I ll get injected on the 14 th and then again 21 days later. This cycle will be repeated six times. It will be tough, but doable. I will lose my hair. However, I will not lose my faith, or my trust in the One who has brought me through thus far! I will not lose the love and support of my family, friends and flock! This time the odds are in my favor, but God is still in control! The morning after my diagnosis, I was alone with God on the floor on my face and in His sweet presence. He gave me a mental picture of the ignition of a 2 nd stage booster rocket. Can you see it? You know, as the space launch hurls heavenward the first stage booster falls away and the 2 nd stage ignites with a flash of burning power? Can you see it now? As I saw this picture, I felt like God was saying to me, This is not the end, but a new beginning! This will be the ignition of a second stage of life and ministry for you, your family and your church. I shared this vision with my church family the following weekend, and you won t believe it, our bass player in the band that weekend actually works at Vandenberg A.F.B. and installs the camera on the noses of missiles! He ed me video of a 2 nd stage ignition! And, as I shared this the next weekend, I was unaware that a missile was being launched that morning! Another friend ed me a picture of the 2 nd stage ignition over the Central Coast that had happened that morning! So what does all this mean? I don t know. What I do know is that I feel ignited for what God has in store. And I know it s going to be good!

6 And, guess what stage my doctors have placed me in with regards to my cancer? Stage two!!! So dear ones, buckle up. Ignition has occurred. Heaven, we don t have a problem. What we do have is a mission! Guided and powered by the Spirit of the Almighty God! God is good and so is our future! Page 6 So, I ll be preaching in a baseball cap. I hope we can all handle it. And if you see me weeping more, it s not that I m afraid, I m just overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and support of so many and for the sense of power I feel in this second stage ignition! I m still going to run the City to the Sea Half Marathon for World Vision and clean water for Africa. I ll start chemo the following day. If you want to sponsor me just go to and give online. Every $50 provides clean water for an African child for life! I may be slow, but I WILL FINISH! We all have a race to run, with challenges to overcome. Let s run strong, run free, and keep our eyes on Jesus! Our races may be different, but our finish line is the same! In the end, death never wins! We do! Thank you again for your love, support and prayers! Amazingly Graced, Pastor Ron Interpretation of our circumstances must always be made with the cross as our ultimate truth. (11)Grace is sufficient and we dance with God a dance that is both vulnerable in our weakness and bold in his strength at the same time. It was not just that a thorn was sent to Paul. The Lord also told him that his grace was enough. (12)That grace was not a healing grace but grace to endure. It is there that we begin to understand boasting in the Lord. When we know (13)the paradox of enough that Christ s power is completed it comes to fullness in the midst of human weakness...in the middle of where we are most vulnerable. (14)And it is when we allow God to fill our weakness and vulnerability with his grace that he becomes powerful in and through us.

7 The Biblical Principle and Promise at work. When it is evident that we are weak then it will be equally evident that the power and miracles and confessions of Christ are not coming from a human source but from Christ at work in us. (15)Weakness makes the vehicle transparent so the real source of strength and power and light and righteousness, and goodness, and godliness, and love, and hope, become evident strength is reliance on God dependence on God and not on ourselves. Page 7 We do not know what Paul s thorn was. It really isn t worth going through the lists of speculation but it was somehow evident to others because the opponents were using it against him. It doesn t matter and I believe it is (16)the wisdom of God that we do not know because it is where we connect with Paul and where we connect with the principle of this passage. God becomes strong in our weakness the thorn in our flesh whatever that is. (17)What s the thorn in your flesh? Pride? Insecurity? Lack of Confidence? Wealth, a need for money for security? Need to Control? Over confidence masking insecurity? Inadequacy? Living as a victim? Shame? An addiction? A physical or mental handicap? Cancer? A broken family? Divorce? A difficult marriage? Co-dependancy? Having been abused sexually, physically or emotionally and the shame that blankets your soul We live in a world that tells us we are supposed to struggle to be, or at least to appear to be strong in order not to be weak. This presents an equally powerful and opposite reality that happens when we struggle to fill our weaknesses by compensation. The weaknesses end up controlling us more that we realize. I ll tell you how this hit me personally. I grew up in a disengaged family system. Love was not openly expressed, there was very little support shown for each other (rarely ate together, took vacations, had very little supportive conversation, As a high school/colegiate athlete I remember my parents coming to only a couple of my cross country or track meets). Even though we lived under the same roof and there were exceptions like Christmas and birthdays, we were most often on our own. My parents very suddenly split up and divorced a couple years later. When that happened there was little to hold us together so we all went our own ways to deal with the brokenness. A result I have issues of abandonment that come from a disengaged and broken family system. If I try to compensate for that on my own what happens is when situations emerge today that

8 touch this weakness I react by disengaging pulling away and sometimes becoming angry though I do not express it outwardly. We are presented a gospel which says that when I am weak, then I am strong. I am learning what it means to allow God to fill this weakness so that it is not in control of my reactions. We lay down our weakness to Jesus. For me that means God leading me from disengagement to being meaningfully engaged with you. Page 8 (18)What s your thorn in the flesh your place of vulnerability and weakness - where god seeks to bring you from self sufficiency and self dependence you dependence on him. I will end with this and ask if this has a deeper meaning and I encourage you to simply listen and allow God s Spirit to speak to you Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 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. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8 Verse 26-28, 31, 37 His grace is sufficient = We do not have to be strong on our own He helps us in our weakness = We do not have to be strong on our own He turns weakness into strength = We do not have to be strong on our own So that Christ power and life may rest upon us and we become strong in him I don t know about you but that s just encouraging to me Sources i Conflict and Community in Corinth. Ben Witherington p. 458