Message for THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, May 14, 2017 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister Strength For Today II Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV) Each year as Mother's Day approaches I really wrestle with whether or not to preach a Mother's Day Sermon. Early on in my ministry I believed that mothers looked forward to hearing a good Mother's Day Sermon and they would be greatly disappointed if I didn't preach one. But the longer I have been in the ministry I have reached the conclusion that many mothers aren't offended if I don't preach a Mother's Day Sermon. In fact, many have told me over the years that they would just as soon hear a good gospel message than to hear a Mother's Day Sermon. And so to all you mothers and grandmothers here today, we love you and we honor you and we appreciate all that you have done and still do for us,, and we wish each and everyone of you a very Happy Mother's Day. And I hope you won't be too upset with me if I preach a message that will not only encourage you as mothers, but encourage all of us who are here today. ******************** PAUSE ********************
I L L U S T R A T I O N One of the most rewarding things the LORD has ever given me the privilege of doing in all my years in the ministry was preaching on a daily radio program back in the late 1990's and early 2000's called Strength For Today. I had the honor of sharing that broadcast with Bob Moulden, Elbert Lilly, Dolan Baker and Bill Pollock. Perhaps some of you can remember listening to that program. The strange thing about preaching on the radio is you don't know how many people are listening or if anyone is even listening at all. But over the seven year run of that broadcast, we preachers came to realize that GOD WAS USING THAT RADIO PROGRAM TO MINISTER TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. Just as the title of our radio program suggested, there were lots of people out there listening who just needed Strength For Today. They just needed hope and encouragement and strength from the word of GOD that God was going to see them through a difficult circumstance or trial they were going through. ******************* Perhaps it is you who needs STRENGTH FOR TODAY. Maybe you are dealing with some marital issues...or family issues...or health issues...or work-related issues that are weighing you down with discouragement and a sense of hopelessness and despair. Maybe your greatest concern right now is not whether you have the strength to make it through another week or another month or another year. Maybe your greatest concern is DO I HAVE THE STRENGTH JUST TO MAKE IT THROUGH TODAY?
This morning as we look at the example of the apostle Paul, my prayer is that GOD will use this message to strengthen and encourage all of us as we face our daily struggles. Please turn with me in your Bibles to II Corinthians chapter twelve. And let's read verses 7-10. II Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV) 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ****************************
In the kingdom of GOD everything is exactly opposite to the way the world thinks. In the kingdom of GOD... We conquer by surrendering. We find rest by taking upon ourselves the yoke of Christ. We reign by serving. We are made great by becoming small. We are exalted when we are humble. We become wise by being fools for Christ s sake. We are made free by becoming bondservants. We become first by placing ourselves last. We win through losing. We live by dying. And here in our scripture text, Paul tells us in verse 10... When I am WEAK,, then I am STRONG. I will have more to say about that a little later. ************ I have just two simple points to share with you in today's message.
First of let's consider... I. The TRIAL Paul Faced (vs. 7,8) In verses 1-6 of this twelfth chapter of II Corinthians Paul writes about a supernatural experience the LORD had given him that none of the other apostles ever experienced. In fact, no man before or after Paul experienced what he did. Paul wasn't sure if it was an in the body or out of body experience. All he knew is that he was caught up into heaven and there he saw things no man had ever seen before and he heard things that no earthly tongue can even begin to describe. When that supernatural experience was over, Paul could have easily have boasted about having seen things no man had ever seen and heard things no man had ever heard, but the LORD made sure that didn't happen. Verse 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelation, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
What Was Paul's Thorn-In-The-Flesh? That's the million dollar question that has been debated by theologians and Bible scholars virtually since the time Paul wrote this second letter to the Corinthians. The possibilities are endless! Some believe Paul's thorn-inthe-flesh was epileptic seizures. Some believe it was a speech impediment or chronic earaches. Some believe Paul's thorn-in-the-flesh was his estranged wife who was a constant source of discouragement. Some believe it could have been an on-going battle with fleshly temptations. Others believe it was the relentless persecution that Paul endured every where he preached. Some even believe Paul's thorn-inthe-flesh was his grotesque physical appearance. While we will never know for certain this side of heaven, there are two very plausible possibilities of what Paul's thorn-in-the-flesh may have been. One very real possibility is that Paul suffered recurring migraine headaches that were the aftermath of having contracted malaria while preaching in the mosquito infested region of Asia Minor. The word thorn actually means stake. If you have ever suffered a migraine you probably felt like someone had driven a stake right through your head. Another very real possibility is that Paul's thorn-in-the-flesh was poor eyesight. Some believe that when the Lord struck Paul with blindness on the road to Damascus that he never fully regained his sight as a constant reminder of that
experience. In Paul's writings to the Galatians he mentions a couple of things that certainly would lend credibility to poor vision being his thorn-in-the-flesh. Galatians 4:15b (NKJV)... For I bear witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. And then in Galatians 6:11 (NKJV) Paul writes, See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand. Regardless of what Paul's thorn-in-the-flesh may have been, it is obvious it was something Paul lived with every day... something that weighed upon him...something he wished he didn't have to struggle with. How do we know that? In verse 8 Paul said, Concerning this thing I pleaded with the LORD three times that it might depart from me. And that brings us to our second key point. Let's consider... II. The TRUTHS Paul Learned (vs. 9,10) In verses 9 and 10 Paul reveals two valuable truths he learned about handling life's hardships that we too must learn TRUTH #1: God's Grace Is Sufficient Verse 9 And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me. GOD didn't give Paul an EXPLANATION,, He gave Paul a PROMISE. And that promise was, My grace is sufficient for you. In other words, I am going to give you something far better that removing your thorn-in-the-flesh. I am not only going to give you the strength to live with your thorn-in-the-flesh I am going to use your suffering to build your character and make you a stronger, and a wiser, and a better man. Charles Spurgeon once said, God will always honor our prayers; He will either pay us in silver or in gold; and sometimes it is a golden answer to prayer to deny us our request, and give us the very opposite of what we seek. Sometimes the very thing we ask GOD to take out of our lives is the very thing that magnifies God's grace, and God's strength and brings GOD the most honor and glory! illustration: Just after being fired as head coach of the Houston Oilers, the late Bum Phillips said, There are two kinds of coaches in the NFL, them that's been fired and them that's going to be. Well there are two kinds of Christians, too! Those who are hurting and those who are going to hurt. The fact that the apostle Paul, who is arguably the greatest preacher of the gospel this world has ever known, lived with chronic suffering of some kind tells us that regardless of how godly we may be...regardless of how high our calling may be from GOD...none of us are immune to suffering and hardship.
In his book Take Comfort Bob Russell writes... Just because you take your children to Sunday School doesn't mean they will never use drugs. Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you'll never get cancer. Just because you tithe does not mean you will never feel the tension of financial strain. Just because you marry a Christian doesn't mean you're going to live happily ever after. Just because you're driving to Church doesn't mean you won't have an accident. (TAKE COMFORT by Bob Russell, p. 213, STANDARD PUBLISHING COMANY, Cincinnati, OH Copyright 1991) Any time we struggle with an on-going trial or we go through a very difficult situation it is our human nature to ask WHY? Why is this happening to me? Why has GOD allowed this to happen? Why doesn't GOD do something? We are full of why questions! Warren Wiersbe says there are three possible reasons for our suffering: Sometimes we Christians suffer simply because we are human. We live in a fallen world full of sickness and disease and accidents and tragedies; and being a Christian doesn't make us immune to any of those things. Sometimes we Christians suffer because of our disobedience and foolishness. Christians often make some very unwise choices in habits and lifestyle that will eventually bring physical, emotional, or spiritual suffering.
ILLUSTRATION: When I was preaching in Mt. Vernon, Indiana there was a dear, sweet lady in our Church by the name of Lorene Griffith. When Lorene was a teenager she started smoking cigarettes. And throughout her whole adult life she became so addicted to nicotine that she was smoking 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day. Eventually she developed emphysema and then lung cancer which took her out of this world. You see, sometimes we bring suffering and trouble upon ourselves by our own unwise choices. And then sometimes suffering is a tool that God uses to build godly character in us. In other words, suffering is sometimes a blessing not a punishment. I believe that is what Paul's thorn-in-the-flesh was. Despite the fact Paul asked GOD three times to remove his thorn-in-theflesh Paul knew his infirmity was a blessing rather than a punishment. Remember what Paul said back in verse 7? And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, (now listen closely!) lest I be exalted above measure. What is Paul saying? He is saying, I know deep down in my heart that this thorn-in-the-flesh...this suffering I deal with each and every day ultimately is for my own good. God has allowed me to have this suffering to keep me humble...to keep me from being puffed up with pride...to keep me in my proper place.
Brothers and sisters, WHAT IF that trial...that hardship...that suffering...that problem...that burden...that difficulty that we think is making our lives worse is actually the tool God is using to mold us and shape us into the man or woman that GOD wants us to be? What if that thing we have asked GOD to remove from our lives is actually making us stronger, and better, and more like Christ? Anything that causes us to pray more...anything that drives us to God's word more...anything that causes us to lean on GOD more and depend on GOD more and trust in GOD more is a blessing. Any trial or suffering we go through that magnifies our weakness and magnifies God's strength is a blessing. Any trial or suffering that we go through that brings glory and honor to GOD is a blessing. This doesn't make our trials and suffering more pleasant, but it helps us to understand that behind every trial, every trouble, and every hardship we go through GOD HAS A PURPOSE AND A PLAN. ILLUSTRATION Several years ago some of you may remember me requesting prayer for my dear friend Johnny Adkins who received second and third degree burns over a great percentage of his body. For months Johnny was confined to a bed in the burn unit at Baptist hospital in Winston Salem. (NC) One day I was talking with Johnny on the
phone and he told me how GOD had used this terrible accident that nearly took his life to open all kinds of doors for him to share Christ with his doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. Johnny has since gone to be with the LORD. But in those last two or three years of his life, GOD used Johnny's suffering to bring great glory and honor to Himself as many lives were touched by Johnny's testimony about his faith in GOD despite his terrible scars and suffering. In the midst of his suffering, Johnny Adkins learned the truth the apostle learned and that is GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT. That is the truth you and I must learn if we are to have STRENGTH TO FACE LIFE'S TROUBLES EACH AND EVERY DAY. We must learn that GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT...GOD has all we need...god will give us all we need...and GOD IS ALL WE NEED. GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT! That brings us to the second truth Paul learned and that was... TRUTH #2: When I am WEAK,, then I am STRONG v. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul is not saying, It gives me great pleasure to suffer or I really enjoy going through great trials and hardships. What Paul is saying is, Since so many benefits result from all my trials, and since all my hardships give me the opportunity to become more like Christ and to grow closer to Christ, I will rejoice in my sufferings.
If you will stop and think about it, it is those times when you and I are the weakest we are actually the strongest! Most of us pride ourselves in being able to handle most anything life throws at us. We like to think we are strong enough to handle anything! But it is when we think we are the strongest that we are actually our weakest. When we trust in our own sufficiency rather than the sufficiency of GOD we are as weak as weak can be. Paul says, For when I am weak, then I am strong. When we have exhausted all our resources. When we have done everything we know to do. When we have reached our limits. When we have come to the end of ourselves. When we have tried everything we know to try. When we are at wit's end and cry out to GOD, Dear Lord help me, I can't do this! That is when you and I are the strongest. When we STOP trusting in ourselves and START trusting in GOD we become strong! When we STOP being so self-sufficient and start relying upon the sufficiency of GOD we become strong.
He Giveth More Grace C O N C L U S I O N He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength as our labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials He multiplies peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father s full giving is only begun. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again. (Annie Johnson Flint, He Giveth More Grace Copyright 1941, renewed 1969, Lillenas Publishing Company ) I leave you with this closing thought. OUR FAITH cannot grow without trials. If our faith is to grow we must go through trials and hardships and problems. Life's troubles move us towards GOD. Life's troubles move us to pray. And it is in the midst of our greatest difficulties we learn what the apostle Paul learned and that is: GOD'S GRACE IS TRULY SUFFICIENT, FOR GOD'S STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN OUR WEAKNESS.
And when BY FAITH we get a firm grasp on this wonderful truth we will discover STRENGTH FOR TODAY!