Question

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My Grace is Sufficient for You

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 

Key verses 8-9a

1. Read verses 1-4.  What did he go on to boast about? (12:1-4) Why did he boast about his visions and revelations? Why was this special to him?

2. Read v. 5-8. Why did he describe it in such a self-effacing way? (12:5) Until now, why had he refrained from mentioning this vision? (12:6) What was the danger of having such a surpassingly great revelation, and why did God allow Satan to torment Paul? (12:7) At first, what did Paul do about this? (8) 

3.  Read v.9. What was God’s unexpected answer to Paul’s prayer? What was God trying to teach him? (Ro 8:28,35) Like Paul, how can we have Christ’s power rest on us? (12:9b, Heb 5:7-9)

4. Read v.10. What did Paul begin to delight in? (12:10) In light of this, what attitude should we have toward all our own weaknesses and sufferings? (Jas 1:1-5)

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• 2 Co12-01-10-q.docx

Message

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When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Key Verse: 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

If someone boasts about himself, he is considered to be a fool. But Paul did not mind being called a fool when he boasted about himself because he boasted about his sufferings and weakness. He said, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (11;30) Today Paul’s boasting about his weakness continues. Let’s study what, why, and how Paul boasted about his weakness and find the meaning and purpose of his boasting, especially through ‘Three Reasons and Four Steps’.

First, Paul’s boasting about the surpassingly great visions and revelations. (1-4) Fourteen years before Paul wrote this letter, probably even before he started his missionary journey, Paul had a great spiritual experience. He saw a vision from the Lord. What was it? Look at verses 1-4. “I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” In order to make himself humble, Paul used the word of a third person such as ‘a man in Christ’, ‘this man’ and ‘he’ instead of the word ‘I’. In this vision Paul went into the third heaven, which is paradise. We don’t know exactly how many heavens are above, but in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the third heaven Paul heard inexpressible things which no one is permitted to tell. Probably Paul saw and heard all the heavenly things which were written in the book of Revelations chapter 4. In Revelations 4 John the Apostle went up to heaven in his spirit. In heaven he saw a throne in the center, where someone who sat had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four elders who were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. In front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear crystal. In the center around the throne, four living creatures sang songs of praise day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (Rev 4:1-8) Paul must have seen and heard all these surpassingly great revelations fourteen years ago.

Second, boasting about the thorn in the flesh (5-7) Look at verses 5-7a. “I will boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations.” Paul didn’t boast about these visions and revelations for the sake of the church. It would be okay for Paul if he spoke about these visions because he told the truth. Still, he refrained because no one wanted to think of him more than himself. Because of these great revelations some might admire Paul as a man with supernatural power or follow him as someone special. Paul feared God and knew who he was. He knew that he was a mere man who lived only by the grace of God.

There is another reason for him not to boast about himself. It was the thorn in his flesh. Look at verse 7b-8. “Therefore, in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.” Paul said that God gave a thorn in his flesh so that he might not be conceited. We don’t know what the thorn was. Some say that it was his chronic eye disease since his eyes had been hurt by the great light when he had met Jesus on the way to Damascus. (Ac 9:18) Others say that it was ‘covetousness’ according to Romans 7:7. Still, others say that it was the revelation. We don’t know which was the thorn, but Paul said that this affliction was a thorn in his flesh and a messenger of Satan which had tormented him. So, Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from him because it was too painful for him to bear and too bothered to ignore.

What was the Lord’s answer to Paul’s plea? Look at verse 9 a. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The Lord Jesus didn’t comfort Paul by saying, “Oh no, Paul! I am sorry for your affliction. I will take it away sometime later when God allows.” But he said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The Lord Jesus said that his grace was enough for Paul to receive. Indeed, before he was converted, Paul was a murderer and persecutor of the church. He even approved St. Stephen’s execution before the crowd. (Ac 7:60) Paul must have been condemned and thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur if God would judge him according to what Paul had done. But Jesus forgave Paul all his sins and called him to be an apostle. In his first letter Paul confessed this grace of God in this, “But the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God was with me.” (1 Co 15:10)

We all have a thorn in our flesh whether it is big or small. King David’s thorn was the sin of adultery with the wife of Urijah. Whenever he remembered this mistake, he was tormented. I have a thorn which is covetousness. God provided all things necessary more than I need, still I seek for something more. What is your thorn? There are three reasons why God allows the thorns in your flesh. First, through the thorns you repent. Whenever the thorns hurt you, you repent. Second, through the thorns, you become humble, admitting how weak you are. Third, through the thorns God reveals his power. Therefore, we give thanks to God for the thorns through these three reasons. Amen!

Read verse 9a again. The Lord said, “for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Jesus means that his power is fully revealed through our weakness. In other words, God displays his power when we are weak and when we depend on him. When we think we are strong, we do not depend on God. When we do not depend on God, God does not reveal his power. The more when we depend on God, the more God displays his power. The more when we are weak, the stronger God’s power is displayed.

When we feel very weak, it is the time for us to meet God deeply and experience his power through prayer. God wants us to live by faith, not by sight. This is the reason why God led his people to the desert for 40 years. When they were hungry and thirsty, they cried out and sought God. When they were afraid of their enemies, they cried out and sought God. But after they entered the Promised land and enjoyed milk and honey, they forgot God. They began to worship idols. This is the reason why Jesus called his twelve disciples and disciplined them to live by faith in God. In the book of each gospel Jesus disciplined them to depend on God in the time of troubles. When they were helpless and felt weak, they turned to Jesus.

Paul experienced how God’s power was made perfect in his weakness. In the previous chapter he boasted about his sufferings and hardships during his mission trips. He was beaten, flogged, stoned, and imprisoned by his enemies. He was hungry, thirsty, and naked many times in dangerous situations. At that moment Paul prayed to the Lord. He sought God and asked for his help. Then the Lord strengthened Paul with resurrection power. God’s love and grace raised him from the dead. So, Paul got up and entered into the city of Lystra again after he almost had been stoned to death. In the middle of his mission trips, Paul must struggle against the thorn in his flesh. He must fight against the message of Satan. Still, Paul was strong because he was in the Lord. The Lord’s power circulated his body and soul until he finished his mission. So, Paul confessed this in 9b. Look at verse 9b. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Amen!

Among us is there anyone who feels weak and sick spiritually? This is the best time and opportunity for you to experience the power of God. This is the chance for you to meet God personally and deepen your personal relationship with him. So, don’t be afraid of your hardships. Do not be ashamed of your weakness. Come to Jesus and bring all your weakness and sickness to him and be strengthened and healed. Amen!

Third, when I am weak, then I am strong. (10) Look at verse 10. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul said to the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always. (Php 4:4) When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, he was in prison. In prison most people became sorrowful and angry. But Paul was joyful even in prison. He also encouraged the Thessalonians to be joyful always and give thanks to God in all circumstances. (1 Thes 5:16-18) How could he do so? This is because Paul saw and believed the cross of Jesus. In the cross of Jesus God made his power perfect in Paul. In the cross of Jesus God displayed his love for sinners once for all.

The cross of Jesus looked foolish to the eyes of those who are perishing. The cross is the symbol of shame and failure to the unbelievers. But the cross of Jesus is the power of God for those who are being saved. Jesus who was hung on the cross looked the most pitiful and weak image in human history. He was naked, nailed, and hung on the tree. Jesus who was hung on the tree looked so weak and pathetic. As the prophet Isaiah prophesied, “nothing in his appearance that we should desire him...” (Isa 53:2b) Bu in the cross of Jesus God displayed his atomic power of love for this world. God revealed his unchanging and unconditional love for sinners like you and me. God showed his tremendous faithfulness by keeping all the prophecies and promises in the Scriptures. When we see this Jesus on the cross, we become strong. When we remember this unconditional love of God behind the cross, we become strong. When we are moved by the Holy Spirit, we will rise again like a soaring eagle. Therefore, in Jesus we become strong. Because of Jesus we become powerful in our weakness. When we think of the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, our thorns in our flesh are nothing! Amen! This is the reason why Paul said in verse 10, “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Now we know how we become strong when we are weak. Paul the Apostle teaches us the four steps. The first step is fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Fix our eyes on Jesus no matter what may happen. The second step is praying in his name. Prayer is the channel to receive the power of God. Jesus also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was weak. The third, let us praise the Lord and sing hymns. Praising has power to drive away the elements of darkness and open the door for us. Paul and Silas sang hymns in a jail, then the door of the jail was widely opened. The last step is mediating the word of God and holding it. “Have Faith in God!” (Mk 11:22) “If you can? All things are possible for him who believes.” (Mk 9:23) Amen!

When you feel weak and suffer from thorns in your flesh, do not be dismayed. Do not lose your heart but give thanks to God. Fix your eyes on Jesus and pray. Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Amen! If you give up because of hardships or affliction, you sin against God. There is no failure or despair in Jesus Christ because God works in all things for the good of those who love him and called for his good purpose. (Ro 8:28) Amen!

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• 2 Co12-01-10-message -7th draft.docx