1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,576 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,688 --> 00:00:06,584 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,672 --> 00:00:09,672 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,696 --> 00:00:10,760 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,616 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,648 --> 00:00:16,300 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,168 Now, come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,224 --> 00:00:21,700 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,938 This morning, we can turn to 2 Corinthians, chapter 12. 10 00:00:27,994 --> 00:00:29,570 If you have your Bibles, turn there with me. 11 00:00:29,610 --> 00:00:31,230 2 Corinthians, chapter 12. 12 00:00:32,090 --> 00:00:34,770 On the back of your bulletins this morning, you should have seen 13 00:00:34,810 --> 00:00:37,730 an outline, and you can follow along with our outline here this 14 00:00:37,770 --> 00:00:38,114 morning. 15 00:00:38,202 --> 00:00:40,514 If you'd like to fill in the blanks, you can do that. 16 00:00:40,682 --> 00:00:45,442 I can do my best to make sure that you guys get those blanks, and 17 00:00:45,546 --> 00:00:48,162 we can hopefully all learn something from the Lord here this 18 00:00:48,186 --> 00:00:50,856 morning as we study second Corinthians, chapter 12. 19 00:00:50,978 --> 00:00:54,400 The title of the sermon this morning is Sufficiency in Suffering. 20 00:00:54,980 --> 00:00:56,732 And no one wants to talk about suffering. 21 00:00:56,796 --> 00:00:58,684 That's not a very popular topic. 22 00:00:58,732 --> 00:01:01,516 But the reality is, is that all of us to some degree, are dealing 23 00:01:01,548 --> 00:01:05,340 with some element of suffering in our lives, whether it be physical, 24 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:06,764 emotional, or spiritual. 25 00:01:06,812 --> 00:01:08,972 But we're all dealing with elements of suffering. 26 00:01:09,036 --> 00:01:10,668 And, you know, a lot of times we. 27 00:01:10,724 --> 00:01:13,308 We have a difficulty in how to deal with that suffering. 28 00:01:13,404 --> 00:01:15,884 And the Bible tells us that there's something in our life that 29 00:01:15,892 --> 00:01:20,380 we can find that can bring us sufficiency, which means we can know 30 00:01:20,500 --> 00:01:24,124 God and we can know his grace and know that he is enough in the 31 00:01:24,132 --> 00:01:25,708 midst of our difficulties. 32 00:01:25,884 --> 00:01:28,972 There's a lot of people looking for sufficiency in a lot 33 00:01:28,996 --> 00:01:29,708 of areas. 34 00:01:29,844 --> 00:01:31,596 And those areas would be empty areas. 35 00:01:31,668 --> 00:01:34,652 Those areas would be areas that are going to give temporary 36 00:01:34,716 --> 00:01:36,924 sufficiency, but not complete sufficiency. 37 00:01:36,972 --> 00:01:40,492 So we're going to study this morning what it means to have sufficiency 38 00:01:40,556 --> 00:01:42,316 in suffering in accordance to God's word. 39 00:01:42,348 --> 00:01:45,094 So Second Corinthians, chapter 12, we're going to start in verse 40 00:01:45,142 --> 00:01:48,870 one, and we're going to see here that Paul describes. 41 00:01:48,950 --> 00:01:50,086 Here's your first blank here. 42 00:01:50,158 --> 00:01:52,690 Paul describes a supernatural experience. 43 00:01:53,070 --> 00:01:55,590 Paul is going to explain something that happens to him. 44 00:01:55,630 --> 00:01:57,590 This is a unique experience to him. 45 00:01:57,710 --> 00:01:59,398 This doesn't happen to everybody. 46 00:01:59,494 --> 00:01:59,798 Okay? 47 00:01:59,814 --> 00:02:00,966 This doesn't happen to. 48 00:02:01,038 --> 00:02:02,102 This never happened to me. 49 00:02:02,126 --> 00:02:04,102 If it happened to you, I'd love to have a conversation with 50 00:02:04,126 --> 00:02:04,502 you. 51 00:02:04,606 --> 00:02:07,830 But essentially what happens here is that Paul says, I had an 52 00:02:07,870 --> 00:02:08,450 experience. 53 00:02:08,870 --> 00:02:10,494 He's going to talk about a vision now. 54 00:02:10,502 --> 00:02:13,614 He's not going to know if this was something that he did in the 55 00:02:13,622 --> 00:02:14,718 body or out of the body. 56 00:02:14,774 --> 00:02:16,126 We're going to get to that here in a few moments. 57 00:02:16,158 --> 00:02:19,454 But he says in verse one, it's not expedient for me, doubtless, 58 00:02:19,502 --> 00:02:22,030 to glory, meaning, I don't know if this is going to help, that 59 00:02:22,070 --> 00:02:24,254 I'm going to glory in this boast, in this, but I'm going to 60 00:02:24,262 --> 00:02:27,022 explain to you what I've experienced in visions and revelations. 61 00:02:27,086 --> 00:02:30,382 He says, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 62 00:02:30,446 --> 00:02:33,182 So he's about to explain something that happened to him in 63 00:02:33,206 --> 00:02:34,356 a supernatural way. 64 00:02:34,478 --> 00:02:38,504 Verse two, he says, I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago. 65 00:02:38,672 --> 00:02:41,448 Now, at first glance, this might look like he's talking about 66 00:02:41,504 --> 00:02:44,648 somebody else, and some scholars believe that maybe he is. 67 00:02:44,784 --> 00:02:47,544 But I believe through context and reading the rest of the passage 68 00:02:47,592 --> 00:02:50,872 and his understanding of what happened, that he's speaking in the 69 00:02:50,896 --> 00:02:51,688 third person. 70 00:02:51,824 --> 00:02:52,312 Okay? 71 00:02:52,376 --> 00:02:55,000 So Paul is saying, I know a man, and that man is him. 72 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:55,336 Okay? 73 00:02:55,368 --> 00:02:57,000 So he is speaking in the third person. 74 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,034 So he says, I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago. 75 00:03:00,152 --> 00:03:02,238 Whether in the body, I cannot tell. 76 00:03:02,374 --> 00:03:02,894 Okay? 77 00:03:02,942 --> 00:03:05,662 So he says, I don't know if I did this in my body or out of my 78 00:03:05,686 --> 00:03:06,206 body. 79 00:03:06,358 --> 00:03:08,814 Um, but he says, God knows. 80 00:03:08,862 --> 00:03:12,574 God knoweth such a one caught up to the third heaven. 81 00:03:12,702 --> 00:03:16,542 Okay, so the, the next point there is that he was taken to the 82 00:03:16,566 --> 00:03:17,006 third heaven. 83 00:03:17,038 --> 00:03:20,062 Now, we could stop there and talk about what that means, because 84 00:03:20,086 --> 00:03:21,694 some people said the third heaven. 85 00:03:21,822 --> 00:03:23,614 Does that mean that there's three different heavens? 86 00:03:23,662 --> 00:03:25,470 No, that's not what he's talking about here. 87 00:03:25,510 --> 00:03:28,722 In, in their culture, their understanding would have been that 88 00:03:28,746 --> 00:03:31,586 there are three different types of heaven, but not the heaven 89 00:03:31,618 --> 00:03:32,562 that we're thinking of. 90 00:03:32,666 --> 00:03:36,066 The first heaven would be just the sky, the atmosphere that we breathe. 91 00:03:36,098 --> 00:03:39,362 Okay, so the first heaven, as you look up, you see the sky, you 92 00:03:39,386 --> 00:03:41,346 see the clouds, that would be the first heaven. 93 00:03:41,378 --> 00:03:44,386 The second heaven would be what we call space, okay? 94 00:03:44,418 --> 00:03:46,866 Heavenly bodies, the stars, the planets. 95 00:03:46,978 --> 00:03:49,938 And then the third heaven would be where they would understand 96 00:03:49,994 --> 00:03:52,914 that that was the place of God, that was the place of eternity. 97 00:03:52,962 --> 00:03:56,024 That was the place above the second heaven. 98 00:03:56,072 --> 00:03:58,616 So he says, basically, I was taken to heaven. 99 00:03:58,648 --> 00:03:59,960 That that's what he's saying here. 100 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,192 And so he says, verse three. 101 00:04:01,216 --> 00:04:04,472 And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I 102 00:04:04,496 --> 00:04:05,000 cannot tell. 103 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:05,848 God knoweth. 104 00:04:05,944 --> 00:04:07,288 So, so he repeats that again. 105 00:04:07,344 --> 00:04:09,208 So there's some uncertainty there. 106 00:04:09,344 --> 00:04:12,232 And, and I think the reason why that's there is because we need 107 00:04:12,256 --> 00:04:13,576 to know that it doesn't matter. 108 00:04:13,728 --> 00:04:16,712 And so he isn't aware if he traveled in the body or out of his 109 00:04:16,736 --> 00:04:17,064 body. 110 00:04:17,152 --> 00:04:20,328 He can't properly describe what he hears there because. 111 00:04:20,384 --> 00:04:22,250 Because look at what verse four says. 112 00:04:22,290 --> 00:04:27,002 He says how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable 113 00:04:27,066 --> 00:04:30,074 words, which is not lawful for a man to utter. 114 00:04:30,122 --> 00:04:33,850 So he says, I can't describe to you what I heard, and I'm not 115 00:04:33,890 --> 00:04:36,310 permitted to share what happened in this experience. 116 00:04:36,770 --> 00:04:37,962 So you would say, what's the point? 117 00:04:37,986 --> 00:04:39,082 Why is he explaining this to us? 118 00:04:39,106 --> 00:04:41,546 Because he's about to explain the eternal perspective. 119 00:04:41,578 --> 00:04:45,050 He's about to explain why he's teaching what he's about to teach. 120 00:04:45,130 --> 00:04:47,916 So he says, I was taken to paradise, I was taken to heaven. 121 00:04:48,018 --> 00:04:50,488 I can't describe what I heard. 122 00:04:50,664 --> 00:04:52,456 And only, you know, we could guess. 123 00:04:52,488 --> 00:04:53,848 Like, I wonder what he heard. 124 00:04:53,944 --> 00:04:55,240 And then secondly, he says, I. 125 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:55,800 I can't even. 126 00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:56,696 I'm not permitted. 127 00:04:56,728 --> 00:04:59,096 I'm not allowed to share with you. 128 00:04:59,168 --> 00:05:03,304 Okay, so this is an experience that Paul has. 129 00:05:03,392 --> 00:05:07,224 And this experience fuels Paul's eternal perspective. 130 00:05:07,272 --> 00:05:09,096 I want you to think about that phrase here this morning. 131 00:05:09,168 --> 00:05:11,128 Eternal perspective. 132 00:05:11,304 --> 00:05:12,424 Eternal perspective. 133 00:05:12,472 --> 00:05:14,744 Now you would say, what does that mean for us as a Christian? 134 00:05:14,792 --> 00:05:17,008 That means that our focus, our. 135 00:05:17,064 --> 00:05:21,984 Our goals, our dreams, our life should not be, biblically speaking. 136 00:05:22,032 --> 00:05:25,232 It should be not centered on this earth. 137 00:05:25,376 --> 00:05:28,416 The material things, the things that we're dealing with, maybe 138 00:05:28,448 --> 00:05:32,768 with work or with our physical or with our finances. 139 00:05:32,864 --> 00:05:36,448 It's eternal perspective, meaning my perspective on things 140 00:05:36,584 --> 00:05:38,096 is about the future. 141 00:05:38,168 --> 00:05:41,096 It's about eternal things, heavenly things. 142 00:05:41,208 --> 00:05:41,480 And. 143 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,704 And we even see this taught in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4, 2 Corinthians, 144 00:05:45,752 --> 00:05:49,896 chapter 4, verse 17, Paul says, for our light affliction, meaning 145 00:05:49,928 --> 00:05:52,408 this thing that we're dealing with now, these struggles that we're 146 00:05:52,424 --> 00:05:55,800 dealing with now, this world that we're dealing with, this life 147 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:58,776 that we're dealing with, which is but for a moment. 148 00:05:58,968 --> 00:05:59,272 So. 149 00:05:59,296 --> 00:06:01,816 So, so Paul says the eternal perspective is this. 150 00:06:01,888 --> 00:06:05,272 Seeing the issues that we have as light afflictions, understanding 151 00:06:05,336 --> 00:06:09,826 that it's temporary, it's only for a moment, worketh for us a far 152 00:06:09,898 --> 00:06:12,962 more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 153 00:06:13,026 --> 00:06:17,026 Meaning the things that we're doing now should matter for eternity. 154 00:06:17,138 --> 00:06:20,770 The things that we're doing now should be invested into eternity. 155 00:06:20,930 --> 00:06:21,666 Verse 18. 156 00:06:21,738 --> 00:06:25,874 While we look not at the things which are seen, so see, the 157 00:06:25,882 --> 00:06:28,386 eternal perspective is not looking at the things that we see, 158 00:06:28,538 --> 00:06:30,830 but at the things which are not seen. 159 00:06:31,130 --> 00:06:33,954 For the things which are seen are temporal. 160 00:06:34,002 --> 00:06:37,140 That word temporal means earthly, temporary. 161 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,800 But the things which are not seen are Eternal. 162 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,464 So Paul says, focus your life on the things that are eternal. 163 00:06:44,512 --> 00:06:45,680 Now, why is he saying that? 164 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,672 Because Paul has seen what the end is all about. 165 00:06:48,776 --> 00:06:51,360 Paul understands that this life in. 166 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,008 In its material form is. 167 00:06:53,064 --> 00:06:57,104 Is so small, it's so temporary, it's so insignificant 168 00:06:57,152 --> 00:06:59,632 in the picture of what it means to be in heaven with our Savior 169 00:06:59,696 --> 00:07:00,448 forever. 170 00:07:00,624 --> 00:07:04,544 And so this experience that he has gives him the perspective that 171 00:07:04,552 --> 00:07:05,824 he's about to teach on. 172 00:07:05,912 --> 00:07:09,872 He's about to teach us in Second Corinthians, chapter 12 what 173 00:07:09,896 --> 00:07:14,288 it means to suffer in the spirit, to understand what it means 174 00:07:14,344 --> 00:07:18,020 to go through difficulties with the eternal perspective. 175 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,064 And so God gives him this opportunity to know this perspective. 176 00:07:22,112 --> 00:07:25,552 And I hope this morning that as we study this passage, that we 177 00:07:25,576 --> 00:07:28,032 can also have this perspective as well. 178 00:07:28,216 --> 00:07:33,826 So verse five, he says, of such a one will I glory, yet of myself, 179 00:07:33,938 --> 00:07:35,330 I will not glory. 180 00:07:35,410 --> 00:07:38,402 Now, we've talked about this word glory so far in this study. 181 00:07:38,506 --> 00:07:40,066 It means boast, okay? 182 00:07:40,098 --> 00:07:42,658 It means that he's going to sit there and boast about something. 183 00:07:42,714 --> 00:07:47,170 He says, I'm not going to glory in myself, but in mine. 184 00:07:47,330 --> 00:07:48,470 Infirmities. 185 00:07:49,530 --> 00:07:50,674 Okay, infirmities. 186 00:07:50,722 --> 00:07:51,618 What are infirmities? 187 00:07:51,714 --> 00:07:52,402 We're going to get to that. 188 00:07:52,426 --> 00:07:54,230 But essentially it's inadequacies. 189 00:07:54,730 --> 00:07:56,870 It's its weakness. 190 00:07:57,530 --> 00:07:58,322 Okay? 191 00:07:58,466 --> 00:08:00,258 Paul says, I glory. 192 00:08:00,434 --> 00:08:01,538 I boast. 193 00:08:01,714 --> 00:08:04,626 I celebrate my weaknesses. 194 00:08:04,818 --> 00:08:07,230 That's something that we don't hear very often. 195 00:08:07,930 --> 00:08:12,578 And Paul's saying, in the eternal perspective, we are boasting. 196 00:08:12,674 --> 00:08:15,202 We are celebrating where we are weak. 197 00:08:15,266 --> 00:08:16,370 Now, why would he say that? 198 00:08:16,410 --> 00:08:17,762 How could he say that? 199 00:08:17,946 --> 00:08:19,042 He's going to get into this. 200 00:08:19,066 --> 00:08:20,834 He's going to explain this eternal perspective. 201 00:08:20,882 --> 00:08:26,462 So an acknowledgment of personal inadequacies and weaknesses 202 00:08:26,606 --> 00:08:30,430 bring us to a place of glorying or boasting or celebrating 203 00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:32,610 our infirmities, our weaknesses. 204 00:08:32,950 --> 00:08:35,486 So there must be a place in our life when we have the eternal 205 00:08:35,518 --> 00:08:38,926 perspective that we acknowledge our inadequacy. 206 00:08:39,038 --> 00:08:40,894 Now, when I say inadequacy, it means this. 207 00:08:40,982 --> 00:08:41,326 And. 208 00:08:41,398 --> 00:08:44,926 And I know this isn't a common, popular, modern preaching 209 00:08:44,958 --> 00:08:46,660 style, but this is it, guys. 210 00:08:46,790 --> 00:08:51,768 We are not enough in and of ourselves, in our flesh, in our humanity, 211 00:08:51,864 --> 00:08:56,024 in our sin, we are not enough to overcome the struggles that we 212 00:08:56,032 --> 00:08:57,544 face here in this world, okay? 213 00:08:57,672 --> 00:08:59,944 And the Bible says that we have to. 214 00:09:00,032 --> 00:09:03,848 To have the eternal perspective, acknowledge my inadequacy, 215 00:09:03,944 --> 00:09:08,856 to save myself, to be a good person, to overcome pain, to overcome 216 00:09:08,888 --> 00:09:12,568 suffering, to overcome loss, to have the eternal perspective means 217 00:09:12,624 --> 00:09:13,352 I am weak. 218 00:09:13,416 --> 00:09:13,800 And I. 219 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:14,974 I embrace that. 220 00:09:15,112 --> 00:09:19,282 I realize that I'm nothing outside of my relationship with God. 221 00:09:19,346 --> 00:09:23,266 And so this acknowledgment of the truth brings something that God 222 00:09:23,298 --> 00:09:26,390 calls us all to have, and that is humility. 223 00:09:27,210 --> 00:09:30,530 So acknowledging my inadequacies brings me to a place 224 00:09:30,570 --> 00:09:33,826 of humility, which brings me to a place of grace. 225 00:09:34,018 --> 00:09:36,642 The Bible says in many occasions in the New Testament that 226 00:09:36,666 --> 00:09:40,780 God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 227 00:09:40,970 --> 00:09:44,184 He's not going to exalt those who exalt themselves. 228 00:09:44,312 --> 00:09:47,352 And so Paul says to have the eternal perspective, to know what 229 00:09:47,376 --> 00:09:51,912 it means to live for eternity, for heaven, for those things that 230 00:09:51,936 --> 00:09:53,768 we can invest for the kingdom of God. 231 00:09:53,864 --> 00:09:58,264 It means to realize my own inadequate inadequacy, my own infirmities, 232 00:09:58,392 --> 00:10:02,060 my own weakness, and then come to a place of humility. 233 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:09,132 And so he says in verse 6, for though I would desire to glory, I 234 00:10:09,156 --> 00:10:12,220 shall not be a fool, meaning this is foolish for me to glory myself, 235 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:13,452 for I will say the truth. 236 00:10:13,516 --> 00:10:17,020 But now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that 237 00:10:17,060 --> 00:10:20,172 which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. 238 00:10:20,196 --> 00:10:22,860 And so what we're gonna see here is that Paul comes to a place 239 00:10:22,900 --> 00:10:23,840 of humility. 240 00:10:24,260 --> 00:10:24,620 He. 241 00:10:24,660 --> 00:10:27,724 He comes to a place in his life to realize that his weaknesses 242 00:10:27,772 --> 00:10:31,180 are there to humble him, to get him to a place where he's not 243 00:10:31,220 --> 00:10:34,276 above what God has called him to be. 244 00:10:34,388 --> 00:10:37,556 And the Bible says in the book of Romans, I believe that we shouldn't 245 00:10:37,588 --> 00:10:39,892 think higher of ourselves than we actually are. 246 00:10:40,076 --> 00:10:42,260 And so there's that reminder there of humility. 247 00:10:42,340 --> 00:10:44,884 There's that reminder there of our weakness. 248 00:10:45,012 --> 00:10:46,788 That is the eternal perspective. 249 00:10:46,884 --> 00:10:48,916 The eternal perspective is, I am not enough. 250 00:10:48,988 --> 00:10:50,036 I need something else. 251 00:10:50,068 --> 00:10:52,532 I need someone who can save me. 252 00:10:52,556 --> 00:10:53,972 I need someone who can help me. 253 00:10:53,996 --> 00:10:57,780 I need someone else's power to bring me strength in my own life. 254 00:10:57,820 --> 00:11:00,084 And so that brings a humbled response. 255 00:11:00,132 --> 00:11:02,082 Now, as I don't know about you, but there's been times in my 256 00:11:02,106 --> 00:11:05,106 life where I have, and I've alluded to this in the last few weeks, 257 00:11:05,178 --> 00:11:08,002 I've come to a place where I've realized that I cannot do this 258 00:11:08,026 --> 00:11:08,866 on my own. 259 00:11:09,018 --> 00:11:09,378 I. 260 00:11:09,434 --> 00:11:10,546 I cannot. 261 00:11:10,738 --> 00:11:13,442 I cannot overcome the struggle that I'm facing. 262 00:11:13,506 --> 00:11:14,690 I don't have enough strength. 263 00:11:14,770 --> 00:11:16,050 I don't have enough patience. 264 00:11:16,130 --> 00:11:16,770 I don't know. 265 00:11:16,810 --> 00:11:18,066 I don't have enough wisdom. 266 00:11:18,178 --> 00:11:18,450 And. 267 00:11:18,490 --> 00:11:21,506 And the Bible says that in and of ourselves, we are inadequate. 268 00:11:21,618 --> 00:11:22,130 Um, I. 269 00:11:22,170 --> 00:11:24,146 I know I've given this analogy before, but I'll. 270 00:11:24,178 --> 00:11:24,338 I'll. 271 00:11:24,354 --> 00:11:27,212 I'll quickly bring it back into our minds. 272 00:11:27,306 --> 00:11:31,480 Um, I started teaching back in Florida when I was, I think I had 273 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,500 just turned 23, might have been 22, I can't remember exactly. 274 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:41,224 I was fresh out of college and I was called to teach a high school 275 00:11:41,312 --> 00:11:43,096 senior English class. 276 00:11:43,248 --> 00:11:47,256 And I remember thinking, I'm going to ruin these kids lives. 277 00:11:47,408 --> 00:11:48,312 I'm going to ruin them. 278 00:11:48,336 --> 00:11:50,312 They're not going to be able to get into college, they're not 279 00:11:50,336 --> 00:11:51,000 going to be able to read. 280 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:54,106 Now by the way, they, most of them knew how to read by their senior 281 00:11:54,138 --> 00:11:54,378 year. 282 00:11:54,434 --> 00:11:55,642 But I'm like, I'm gonna ruin it. 283 00:11:55,666 --> 00:11:56,138 I know it. 284 00:11:56,194 --> 00:12:00,122 And so I remember getting the, the, the curriculum and getting my 285 00:12:00,146 --> 00:12:03,770 lesson plans together and I was just like studying it all night. 286 00:12:03,810 --> 00:12:06,282 Like I was pulling an all nighter, preparing to teach. 287 00:12:06,426 --> 00:12:08,922 And, and, and I remember just saying like, lord, I, I need your 288 00:12:08,946 --> 00:12:09,082 help. 289 00:12:09,106 --> 00:12:11,990 And I remember driving on the first day of school. 290 00:12:12,290 --> 00:12:15,514 I was, I was in my car and I was driving and I remember weeping, 291 00:12:15,642 --> 00:12:17,210 thinking like, lord, I need you. 292 00:12:17,250 --> 00:12:18,950 I can't do this, I'm gonna fail. 293 00:12:19,290 --> 00:12:24,386 And that was a sense of inadequacy in my own life, realizing 294 00:12:24,418 --> 00:12:26,722 that I'm not enough. 295 00:12:26,906 --> 00:12:28,082 And God helped me in that. 296 00:12:28,106 --> 00:12:31,650 And that was a moment in my time in my life that I realized how 297 00:12:31,690 --> 00:12:32,530 inadequate I was. 298 00:12:32,570 --> 00:12:35,266 And there has been countless times after that that have reminded 299 00:12:35,298 --> 00:12:37,150 me of how inadequate I am. 300 00:12:37,450 --> 00:12:40,242 I remember another time that I felt really inadequate was when my 301 00:12:40,266 --> 00:12:42,514 son was born, my very first child. 302 00:12:42,682 --> 00:12:47,452 And we brought him home and we, I was just staring at him and 303 00:12:47,476 --> 00:12:48,620 I remember just weeping. 304 00:12:48,700 --> 00:12:50,316 And Alicia's like, are you okay? 305 00:12:50,428 --> 00:12:51,900 And I'm like, no, I'm not. 306 00:12:51,940 --> 00:12:52,860 I don't know what to do. 307 00:12:52,900 --> 00:12:53,820 I'm gonna ruin his life. 308 00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:55,372 He's just, he's a human being there. 309 00:12:55,396 --> 00:12:58,332 And I didn't, I don't have a manual to say to do this and do that. 310 00:12:58,356 --> 00:13:00,108 She's like, you know, we're, we're gonna be okay. 311 00:13:00,204 --> 00:13:02,572 And, and I remember my inadequacy in that and how much I 312 00:13:02,596 --> 00:13:03,436 needed the Lord. 313 00:13:03,548 --> 00:13:06,172 And, and I think in our lives we have to get to that place because 314 00:13:06,196 --> 00:13:09,660 sometimes it's tempting to get that way when it's fresh in our minds, 315 00:13:09,820 --> 00:13:13,244 but when we've done something over and over and over again, we 316 00:13:13,252 --> 00:13:14,604 get to a place where we feel like, you know what? 317 00:13:14,612 --> 00:13:16,944 I think I got this, I think I got this life thing handled out. 318 00:13:17,032 --> 00:13:19,328 I, I think I've got this marriage thing figured out. 319 00:13:19,384 --> 00:13:21,760 I think I've got this religion thing figured out. 320 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,080 And what we have to do is we have to come back to the place of 321 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:25,376 saying lord, I need you. 322 00:13:25,448 --> 00:13:28,208 And Paul says, hey, there is that humble spirit that comes along 323 00:13:28,264 --> 00:13:29,920 with this eternal perspective. 324 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:31,440 And so what was Paul's problem? 325 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:32,980 He says, you know, I'm limited. 326 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:34,928 You say, what was Paul's problem? 327 00:13:34,984 --> 00:13:36,864 Well, he probably had a lot of problems. 328 00:13:36,912 --> 00:13:37,120 Like. 329 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,632 Like, we have a lot of problems, but we're gonna see more 330 00:13:39,656 --> 00:13:39,952 about it. 331 00:13:39,976 --> 00:13:42,576 In verse number seven, it says, unless I should be exalted 332 00:13:42,608 --> 00:13:46,224 above measure, meaning, you know, lest I get to a place in my 333 00:13:46,232 --> 00:13:49,120 life where I feel like I'm above everybody else through the 334 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:50,704 abundance of revelation. 335 00:13:50,752 --> 00:13:53,776 Meaning, he's like, I've had a lot of heavenly experiences. 336 00:13:53,808 --> 00:13:57,104 I've had a lot of godly experiences, so therefore, I probably 337 00:13:57,152 --> 00:13:57,664 could boast. 338 00:13:57,712 --> 00:14:00,128 But then there's been something given to me that's there 339 00:14:00,184 --> 00:14:01,632 to humble me. 340 00:14:01,816 --> 00:14:05,780 He says, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. 341 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,180 Paul says, this thorn was given to me. 342 00:14:10,370 --> 00:14:11,178 That's his problem. 343 00:14:11,234 --> 00:14:14,810 He recognized that he was given this thorn in the flesh for 344 00:14:14,850 --> 00:14:15,898 a purpose. 345 00:14:16,074 --> 00:14:17,950 This isn't just an accident. 346 00:14:18,290 --> 00:14:20,234 He doesn't believe that this just happened. 347 00:14:20,282 --> 00:14:24,170 And it's just his bad luck that he has a thorn in his flesh. 348 00:14:24,250 --> 00:14:27,146 He has realized that this thorn has been given to him to humble 349 00:14:27,178 --> 00:14:27,750 him. 350 00:14:28,290 --> 00:14:30,842 And I think a lot of times in our life, we get to this place where 351 00:14:30,866 --> 00:14:34,154 we see this teaching in Second Corinthians, chapter 12, and we see 352 00:14:34,162 --> 00:14:36,700 this thorn in the flesh, and we say, well, this is just something 353 00:14:36,740 --> 00:14:37,900 that I've got to get rid of. 354 00:14:37,940 --> 00:14:39,804 This thorn in my flesh I've got to get rid of. 355 00:14:39,812 --> 00:14:41,900 And that's Paul's immediate thinking here. 356 00:14:41,940 --> 00:14:43,676 Paul's like, I need to get rid of this thorn. 357 00:14:43,708 --> 00:14:45,100 I need to get rid of this problem. 358 00:14:45,220 --> 00:14:47,276 I need to get rid of this thing that's irritating me. 359 00:14:47,348 --> 00:14:48,332 It's actually more than that. 360 00:14:48,356 --> 00:14:51,580 If we read further, we're going to see that it's beating him 361 00:14:51,620 --> 00:14:52,200 down. 362 00:14:52,580 --> 00:14:55,868 And I don't know about you, but I think that all of us can relate 363 00:14:55,884 --> 00:14:59,052 to Paul to a degree, that there is a thorn in our flesh. 364 00:14:59,116 --> 00:15:02,542 There's something that's holding us back from pursuing things 365 00:15:02,566 --> 00:15:03,070 in our life. 366 00:15:03,110 --> 00:15:03,534 Maybe it's. 367 00:15:03,582 --> 00:15:04,782 Maybe you say, what's a physical thing? 368 00:15:04,806 --> 00:15:07,086 For me, I would do this, but this thing in my life is holding 369 00:15:07,118 --> 00:15:07,662 me back. 370 00:15:07,766 --> 00:15:11,342 Maybe it's an emotional thing, maybe it's a trial, maybe it's a 371 00:15:11,366 --> 00:15:13,326 spiritual struggle that you're going through. 372 00:15:13,398 --> 00:15:16,942 But the Bible says here that Paul recognizes that this thorn was 373 00:15:16,966 --> 00:15:18,770 given to him for a purpose. 374 00:15:19,190 --> 00:15:19,550 Now. 375 00:15:19,590 --> 00:15:22,526 Now, some would argue, was this given to him by God or someone 376 00:15:22,598 --> 00:15:23,038 else? 377 00:15:23,134 --> 00:15:27,502 I would argue that this thorn was allowed by God for Paul to find 378 00:15:27,526 --> 00:15:28,690 a place of humility. 379 00:15:29,050 --> 00:15:32,354 A lot of times we see things in our life that we consider negative 380 00:15:32,482 --> 00:15:35,410 as directly from the enemy, directly from. 381 00:15:35,450 --> 00:15:36,578 This is from Satan. 382 00:15:36,674 --> 00:15:39,362 But the truth is, is that God does allow certain things to happen 383 00:15:39,466 --> 00:15:43,474 to test us in our faith, to bring us to a place of humility so 384 00:15:43,482 --> 00:15:45,890 that we can realize that, hey, it's not about me. 385 00:15:46,010 --> 00:15:47,410 I'm not doing this on my own. 386 00:15:47,450 --> 00:15:49,074 I can't do this on my own. 387 00:15:49,162 --> 00:15:52,466 And so Paul says, I was given this thorn for a purpose. 388 00:15:52,498 --> 00:15:54,654 And that purpose is seen there in verse seven. 389 00:15:54,762 --> 00:15:56,598 It says that it was given to them to. 390 00:15:56,654 --> 00:15:58,486 To not be exalted above measure. 391 00:15:58,598 --> 00:16:05,062 But then we see that Satan uses this thorn as a tool to harass 392 00:16:05,126 --> 00:16:05,730 him. 393 00:16:06,270 --> 00:16:09,382 So, so that very thing that God has allowed to happen in your 394 00:16:09,406 --> 00:16:10,774 life, that is giving you a. 395 00:16:10,862 --> 00:16:15,494 A struggle, suffering if you will, Satan will use that against 396 00:16:15,582 --> 00:16:18,070 you for the cause of beating you down. 397 00:16:18,110 --> 00:16:22,860 It says there the messenger of Satan, to buffet me. 398 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,176 You say we don't use that word very often, but what does that mean? 399 00:16:26,248 --> 00:16:27,616 That, that essentially means this. 400 00:16:27,688 --> 00:16:30,540 To beat him up, to punch him down. 401 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:36,752 Satan is using this thorn in Paul's life to beat him down, to 402 00:16:36,776 --> 00:16:40,048 wear him out, to get him to a place where he feels like he wants 403 00:16:40,064 --> 00:16:40,336 to quit. 404 00:16:40,368 --> 00:16:43,056 I don't know about you, but it, it never feels good to get beaten 405 00:16:43,088 --> 00:16:43,568 on. 406 00:16:43,704 --> 00:16:45,936 Paul says God has allowed this. 407 00:16:46,008 --> 00:16:50,032 But, but Satan is using this thorn to beat me down, to harass 408 00:16:50,096 --> 00:16:50,700 me. 409 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,336 And, and I think that in our lives we can all relate to that. 410 00:16:54,408 --> 00:16:57,296 We can all relate to a sense of, you know what, I feel like I'm 411 00:16:57,328 --> 00:16:58,480 beaten up in this. 412 00:16:58,600 --> 00:16:59,584 Feel like I'm broken. 413 00:16:59,632 --> 00:17:01,552 I feel like I can't get through this. 414 00:17:01,656 --> 00:17:03,820 And so Paul is desperate here. 415 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,616 He says, you know what Satan is, is, is beating me up, lest I 416 00:17:07,688 --> 00:17:09,776 should be exalted above measure. 417 00:17:09,808 --> 00:17:12,912 Again, he recognizes the purpose is to bring himself back 418 00:17:12,936 --> 00:17:14,360 to that eternal perspective. 419 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,096 He brings it back to this idea of humility. 420 00:17:17,288 --> 00:17:19,256 I don't want to be exalted above measure. 421 00:17:19,288 --> 00:17:23,768 I want to be checked into my rightful place in the submission 422 00:17:23,864 --> 00:17:24,520 to God. 423 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,272 So, so the question would be then a lot of people will ask, what 424 00:17:27,296 --> 00:17:28,376 was Paul's thorn? 425 00:17:28,488 --> 00:17:28,760 Right? 426 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:30,660 We all want to know what Paul's thorn was. 427 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,368 I don't know, and I don't think anyone specifically can know 428 00:17:35,424 --> 00:17:36,840 now what his thorn was. 429 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,592 Those that were living with Paul at that time might have been 430 00:17:39,616 --> 00:17:41,784 able to see a visible thorn in his flesh. 431 00:17:41,832 --> 00:17:44,262 Maybe there was a, a crippling element to him. 432 00:17:44,286 --> 00:17:46,102 He wasn't able to walk properly. 433 00:17:46,246 --> 00:17:47,590 Maybe there was a pain. 434 00:17:47,670 --> 00:17:51,414 I've read so many, so many commentators who have their theory 435 00:17:51,462 --> 00:17:52,406 of what it was. 436 00:17:52,558 --> 00:17:55,558 Some thought that it might have been some sickness like malaria 437 00:17:55,654 --> 00:17:59,206 that was causing him to have severe headaches, that was causing 438 00:17:59,238 --> 00:18:00,598 his vision to be messed up. 439 00:18:00,734 --> 00:18:01,382 Could have been that. 440 00:18:01,406 --> 00:18:02,374 We don't know for certain. 441 00:18:02,462 --> 00:18:06,086 But we do know that that thorn affected three elements of Paul's 442 00:18:06,118 --> 00:18:06,406 life. 443 00:18:06,478 --> 00:18:08,086 It affected him physically. 444 00:18:08,278 --> 00:18:10,964 He mentions that, but it affected him mentally. 445 00:18:11,012 --> 00:18:11,172 Right. 446 00:18:11,196 --> 00:18:13,844 And we know how sometimes something physical can affect us 447 00:18:13,932 --> 00:18:16,244 in our mental state about how we think. 448 00:18:16,332 --> 00:18:17,876 We start to believe lies. 449 00:18:17,988 --> 00:18:20,628 We start to allow what Satan is throwing in our life to become 450 00:18:20,684 --> 00:18:21,284 the truth. 451 00:18:21,412 --> 00:18:24,180 And then we see that it does eventually affect him spiritually. 452 00:18:24,260 --> 00:18:27,716 So there's a physical element to the thorn, there's a mental element 453 00:18:27,748 --> 00:18:30,836 to the thorn, and there's really ultimately a spiritual element 454 00:18:30,868 --> 00:18:31,588 to the thorn. 455 00:18:31,684 --> 00:18:35,652 How are we going to allow this thorn in our flesh to dictate the 456 00:18:35,676 --> 00:18:36,292 truth to us? 457 00:18:36,316 --> 00:18:38,532 Are we going to allow the thorn to dictate the truth of the 458 00:18:38,556 --> 00:18:39,112 enemy? 459 00:18:39,236 --> 00:18:42,352 Are we going to allow the thorn to dictate the truth of the 460 00:18:42,376 --> 00:18:43,008 Lord? 461 00:18:43,184 --> 00:18:46,784 The thorn in the truth of the Lord is there to keep me humble in 462 00:18:46,872 --> 00:18:47,568 needing him. 463 00:18:47,624 --> 00:18:48,912 I need the Lord in this. 464 00:18:49,016 --> 00:18:51,744 The thorn in the flesh on the side of Satan's truth is this. 465 00:18:51,832 --> 00:18:53,168 This thorn is something that I. 466 00:18:53,224 --> 00:18:55,344 That allows me not to do what God wants me to do. 467 00:18:55,432 --> 00:18:56,656 Therefore, I need to give up. 468 00:18:56,728 --> 00:18:58,064 Therefore I'm a failure. 469 00:18:58,112 --> 00:18:59,904 Therefore I'm not the Christian I need to be. 470 00:18:59,992 --> 00:19:01,984 So I can't do what God wants me to do. 471 00:19:02,072 --> 00:19:02,320 So. 472 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:05,500 So there's two sides of how we respond to the thorn in our life. 473 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,128 The thorn is an inevitability. 474 00:19:08,224 --> 00:19:10,432 We're all going to face suffering, but how do we deal with 475 00:19:10,456 --> 00:19:10,736 that? 476 00:19:10,808 --> 00:19:13,184 And so Paul comes to God in the right way. 477 00:19:13,272 --> 00:19:15,540 Paul comes to God with prayer. 478 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:18,480 If you lack wisdom, pray, ask him. 479 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:19,936 That's the book of James. 480 00:19:20,128 --> 00:19:23,040 If you're hurting, as the Bible says, go to him and ask him 481 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:23,968 for healing. 482 00:19:24,144 --> 00:19:25,952 We even saw in Hebrews chapter four. 483 00:19:25,976 --> 00:19:27,584 Here, I want you to see this with me. 484 00:19:27,672 --> 00:19:28,752 Keep, Keep your finger in. 485 00:19:28,776 --> 00:19:30,624 Second Corinthians, we're going to come back here, we're going 486 00:19:30,632 --> 00:19:31,612 to look at Paul's prayer. 487 00:19:31,696 --> 00:19:34,356 But Hebrews chapter four, we did this as our scripture reading 488 00:19:34,388 --> 00:19:35,076 this morning. 489 00:19:35,228 --> 00:19:35,780 This is. 490 00:19:35,820 --> 00:19:39,380 This is one of my favorite passages of scripture because it 491 00:19:39,420 --> 00:19:43,732 allows us to understand that as a believer, in our standing with 492 00:19:43,756 --> 00:19:46,916 God, as a child of God, we have access to God. 493 00:19:47,108 --> 00:19:50,292 So While you're in the midst of the pain and the suffering, you 494 00:19:50,316 --> 00:19:51,460 have access to God. 495 00:19:51,540 --> 00:19:54,196 You, you, you have a direct line to him. 496 00:19:54,348 --> 00:19:59,220 You, you have that personal opportunity to know him in that way. 497 00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:03,060 And so it says here in verse 14 of Hebrews chapter 4, seeing then 498 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:06,276 we have a great high priest that has passed into the heavens. 499 00:20:06,308 --> 00:20:07,460 Jesus, the Son of God. 500 00:20:07,540 --> 00:20:08,852 So what does that mean? 501 00:20:08,876 --> 00:20:11,396 That means this Jesus is our high priest. 502 00:20:11,588 --> 00:20:14,120 Now, what was the role of the priest in the Old Testament? 503 00:20:14,780 --> 00:20:15,620 Rhetorical question. 504 00:20:15,660 --> 00:20:15,924 I'll. 505 00:20:15,972 --> 00:20:16,788 I'll answer it for you. 506 00:20:16,844 --> 00:20:20,212 The role of the priest was to be the intermediary between God and 507 00:20:20,236 --> 00:20:22,360 man, the middleman, so to speak. 508 00:20:22,860 --> 00:20:25,972 So now we understand in the New Testament that Jesus comes as 509 00:20:25,996 --> 00:20:29,030 our great high priest to connect us, us to God the Father. 510 00:20:29,110 --> 00:20:31,222 Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. 511 00:20:31,326 --> 00:20:32,806 So Jesus is our high priest. 512 00:20:32,918 --> 00:20:36,086 So because of that, it says, let us hold fast our profession, 513 00:20:36,118 --> 00:20:40,422 meaning hold tight to what we believe, stand true in what we have 514 00:20:40,446 --> 00:20:40,966 been told. 515 00:20:41,038 --> 00:20:44,230 And then he goes on to say, for we have not a high priest which 516 00:20:44,270 --> 00:20:46,886 cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, meaning 517 00:20:46,918 --> 00:20:50,182 this Jesus, who is our high priest, understands everything that 518 00:20:50,206 --> 00:20:51,222 we are going through. 519 00:20:51,326 --> 00:20:52,470 You know what your thorn is? 520 00:20:52,510 --> 00:20:53,382 You know what your thorn is? 521 00:20:53,406 --> 00:20:54,310 I don't know what your thorn is. 522 00:20:54,350 --> 00:20:56,200 You know, Jesus knows about your thorn. 523 00:20:56,700 --> 00:20:59,160 And Jesus has experienced that infirmity. 524 00:20:59,500 --> 00:21:01,988 Jesus humbled himself when he came to this earth. 525 00:21:02,084 --> 00:21:04,900 The Bible tells us that in Philippians chapter two, in other 526 00:21:04,940 --> 00:21:09,284 places that Jesus came and didn't just come in and abuse people 527 00:21:09,372 --> 00:21:13,044 in his deity, as like the Greek gods would remember some of 528 00:21:13,052 --> 00:21:14,820 the mythology that you would study. 529 00:21:14,940 --> 00:21:17,220 It would say that these Greek gods would come and use their power 530 00:21:17,260 --> 00:21:18,148 to manipulate people. 531 00:21:18,204 --> 00:21:22,670 No, Jesus came and limited himself, still fully God, but yet 532 00:21:22,710 --> 00:21:25,422 allowed himself to go through the pains and sufferings that we 533 00:21:25,446 --> 00:21:26,250 go through. 534 00:21:26,550 --> 00:21:29,534 And so it says here that we have a high priest who isn't above 535 00:21:29,582 --> 00:21:31,246 us, who isn't beyond us. 536 00:21:31,318 --> 00:21:32,446 He knows your pain. 537 00:21:32,558 --> 00:21:33,742 You ever been betrayed? 538 00:21:33,806 --> 00:21:35,570 He knows what it means to be betrayed. 539 00:21:36,790 --> 00:21:37,886 You ever been slandered? 540 00:21:37,918 --> 00:21:39,310 He knows what it means to be slandered. 541 00:21:39,390 --> 00:21:40,206 You ever been beaten? 542 00:21:40,238 --> 00:21:41,758 He knows what it means to be beaten. 543 00:21:41,854 --> 00:21:43,614 Jesus knows all of our pain. 544 00:21:43,662 --> 00:21:44,542 He's been there. 545 00:21:44,646 --> 00:21:45,678 He's gone through that. 546 00:21:45,734 --> 00:21:48,898 But then there's a distinction here, and this is what makes us different 547 00:21:48,954 --> 00:21:49,794 than him. 548 00:21:49,962 --> 00:21:53,074 Lest we think that Jesus is just one of us, it says at the end 549 00:21:53,082 --> 00:21:59,970 of verse 15, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet 550 00:22:00,010 --> 00:22:01,030 without sin. 551 00:22:01,530 --> 00:22:04,322 The distinction is, is that Jesus went through all of our struggles, 552 00:22:04,386 --> 00:22:06,610 but he overcame them in perfection. 553 00:22:06,770 --> 00:22:09,938 All of us face struggles and we're hurting, but we have someone 554 00:22:09,994 --> 00:22:10,946 who cares about us. 555 00:22:11,018 --> 00:22:12,338 We have someone who loves us. 556 00:22:12,394 --> 00:22:14,766 We have someone who knows what we are going through. 557 00:22:14,858 --> 00:22:18,694 Isn't it so much more of a blessing when someone comes alongside 558 00:22:18,742 --> 00:22:21,238 of you and tries to help you that has gone through the struggles 559 00:22:21,254 --> 00:22:22,370 that you've gone through? 560 00:22:22,750 --> 00:22:23,270 You know what? 561 00:22:23,310 --> 00:22:25,078 Like, maybe they've gone through the same struggle and they've 562 00:22:25,094 --> 00:22:26,198 come by and said, hey, you know what? 563 00:22:26,254 --> 00:22:28,902 This is what you're going to experience and this is how it's going 564 00:22:28,926 --> 00:22:29,558 to be. 565 00:22:29,694 --> 00:22:31,846 And there's going to be times where you need to call out to God 566 00:22:31,878 --> 00:22:33,222 in this time and this way. 567 00:22:33,326 --> 00:22:35,782 That's a lot more beneficial than someone coming up and saying, 568 00:22:35,806 --> 00:22:37,862 well, I've never experienced what you've had, but you know what? 569 00:22:37,966 --> 00:22:38,902 I'm here for you. 570 00:22:39,006 --> 00:22:41,254 Not that that's wrong, but what I'm saying is that there's a 571 00:22:41,262 --> 00:22:42,022 better connection there. 572 00:22:42,046 --> 00:22:45,152 And so what we can see here is, is that Jesus has been, as it 573 00:22:45,176 --> 00:22:47,968 says there, tempted in all points, like as we are, yet without 574 00:22:48,024 --> 00:22:48,304 sin. 575 00:22:48,352 --> 00:22:49,728 But then here's the verse, here's the. 576 00:22:49,784 --> 00:22:51,072 Here's the main thought. 577 00:22:51,256 --> 00:22:54,896 Let us therefore, because of that, come boldly or confidently 578 00:22:54,928 --> 00:23:01,696 unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace 579 00:23:01,888 --> 00:23:03,740 to help in time of need. 580 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:05,500 So it's this. 581 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,072 You might be going through a hardship, you might be going through 582 00:23:09,096 --> 00:23:11,278 something that you can't, you can't handle on your own strength. 583 00:23:11,374 --> 00:23:15,166 The Bible says that if you are a child of God, you have confidence 584 00:23:15,278 --> 00:23:17,550 that you can go to him and you can have access to Him. 585 00:23:17,590 --> 00:23:20,750 Just like my children can come to me at any point and I will do 586 00:23:20,790 --> 00:23:22,526 everything I possibly can to help them. 587 00:23:22,598 --> 00:23:24,206 Okay, that is the picture. 588 00:23:24,238 --> 00:23:26,014 But I'm limited as a dad. 589 00:23:26,142 --> 00:23:26,526 I. 590 00:23:26,598 --> 00:23:28,158 I'm not perfect as a dad. 591 00:23:28,254 --> 00:23:31,870 But we have a perfect heavenly Father who will be there for us in 592 00:23:31,910 --> 00:23:32,686 time of need. 593 00:23:32,758 --> 00:23:33,758 And what does he give us? 594 00:23:33,814 --> 00:23:35,610 Exactly what we need. 595 00:23:36,050 --> 00:23:38,170 Find grace to help in time of need. 596 00:23:38,210 --> 00:23:41,722 It is his grace that we should be hungering for in the midst of 597 00:23:41,746 --> 00:23:42,186 our struggle. 598 00:23:42,218 --> 00:23:43,226 And so what does Paul do? 599 00:23:43,298 --> 00:23:46,522 Paul comes to God theologically in the right way by 600 00:23:46,626 --> 00:23:48,538 asking him something in prayer. 601 00:23:48,634 --> 00:23:50,430 And so what is his prayer? 602 00:23:51,650 --> 00:23:52,346 Verse 8. 603 00:23:52,418 --> 00:23:59,242 For this thing I besought or begged, pleaded with the Lord thrice 604 00:23:59,386 --> 00:24:01,270 that it might depart from me. 605 00:24:01,740 --> 00:24:05,460 So Paul asked God to remove the storm from his life. 606 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:07,060 Isn't this what we always do? 607 00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:09,636 Isn't this in our humanity, what we ask for? 608 00:24:09,708 --> 00:24:10,932 God, get rid of this. 609 00:24:11,036 --> 00:24:12,148 Take this out of my life. 610 00:24:12,204 --> 00:24:13,604 I don't want this pain. 611 00:24:13,732 --> 00:24:15,332 And that's a true statement. 612 00:24:15,516 --> 00:24:20,292 None of us, in our flesh, in our humanity, love pain, okay? 613 00:24:20,356 --> 00:24:23,252 Or at least if we're in our right minds, we don't like that. 614 00:24:23,356 --> 00:24:27,412 And so what we want, naturally speaking, is for God to remove the 615 00:24:27,436 --> 00:24:27,956 struggle. 616 00:24:28,068 --> 00:24:30,880 I've been there, I've had a struggle in my life that I've said, 617 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,120 lord, please take this away from me, please. 618 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,472 And, and, and I didn't pray like, lord, whatever your will be 619 00:24:35,496 --> 00:24:37,920 done, Lord, if it's your will, take it away. 620 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:39,952 I was just saying, lord, take this away from me. 621 00:24:40,056 --> 00:24:42,624 Almost to the sense of like, this is the right answer. 622 00:24:42,672 --> 00:24:43,856 I know what your will is. 623 00:24:43,928 --> 00:24:47,872 But Paul says that he asked God to remove this storm from his 624 00:24:47,896 --> 00:24:48,176 life. 625 00:24:48,248 --> 00:24:52,496 And then we see that he repeatedly asked God for this deliverance. 626 00:24:52,528 --> 00:24:55,862 It's not like he just asked God one time and God told him to 627 00:24:55,886 --> 00:24:56,086 wait. 628 00:24:56,118 --> 00:24:58,710 And Paul just got impatient and said, well, I give up. 629 00:24:58,830 --> 00:25:01,366 No, Paul says, I, I, I prayed three times. 630 00:25:01,518 --> 00:25:04,822 Now, you could look at that and say he prayed three times. 631 00:25:05,006 --> 00:25:06,166 Some people would even argue. 632 00:25:06,198 --> 00:25:08,822 I've, I've heard some commentators say that the use of 633 00:25:08,846 --> 00:25:11,782 that word, three times meant he repeatedly, more than three times, 634 00:25:11,806 --> 00:25:12,102 did it. 635 00:25:12,126 --> 00:25:14,118 It was like just a figure of speech. 636 00:25:14,214 --> 00:25:16,310 Either way, he asked them three times, at least. 637 00:25:16,350 --> 00:25:16,646 Okay? 638 00:25:16,678 --> 00:25:18,054 Repeatedly he asked them. 639 00:25:18,142 --> 00:25:20,800 He asked God for deliverance. 640 00:25:20,990 --> 00:25:23,932 I don't know about you, but there has been times in our life, 641 00:25:24,116 --> 00:25:26,908 in my family's life, that we have asked God for deliverance. 642 00:25:27,004 --> 00:25:28,124 We've prayed for it. 643 00:25:28,212 --> 00:25:30,444 And sometimes God answers to the affirmative. 644 00:25:30,492 --> 00:25:32,840 Sometimes God does remove things from our life. 645 00:25:33,220 --> 00:25:37,772 But if it be his will, because we're gonna see here in the life 646 00:25:37,796 --> 00:25:41,440 of Paul, it is not God's will for the thorn to be removed. 647 00:25:42,900 --> 00:25:45,548 And sometimes we would look at Paul and we would go, what's wrong 648 00:25:45,564 --> 00:25:46,480 with Paul's life? 649 00:25:46,580 --> 00:25:49,016 What's he doing wrong that God didn't take that thorn away? 650 00:25:49,088 --> 00:25:49,384 Nothing. 651 00:25:49,432 --> 00:25:49,688 Right. 652 00:25:49,744 --> 00:25:52,648 We see he does everything right in the context of Scripture. 653 00:25:52,744 --> 00:25:54,680 We see that Paul is trying to serve the Lord. 654 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:56,840 Paul is trying to proclaim the truth of the gospel. 655 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,048 And I think that this is important for us to understand. 656 00:25:59,184 --> 00:26:01,176 Sometimes we're doing everything that we can for the Lord, 657 00:26:01,208 --> 00:26:02,700 and there's still going to be the thorn. 658 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,560 It's not a matter of God not loving us. 659 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,656 It's not a matter of God forgetting about us. 660 00:26:07,728 --> 00:26:11,432 He says there that he asked God to remove it three times. 661 00:26:11,536 --> 00:26:12,606 But then what? 662 00:26:12,648 --> 00:26:17,070 We see that God answers him in an unexpected way. 663 00:26:17,610 --> 00:26:19,310 An unexpected way. 664 00:26:20,010 --> 00:26:23,890 I think all of us, the way that we're taught and the way that 665 00:26:23,930 --> 00:26:29,218 we, even in our humanity, think that if God loves us, he'll 666 00:26:29,234 --> 00:26:30,130 do what we want. 667 00:26:30,250 --> 00:26:32,738 Or if God loves us, he'll take away our pain. 668 00:26:32,914 --> 00:26:33,858 God loves us. 669 00:26:33,914 --> 00:26:35,650 He'll make everything smooth in my life. 670 00:26:35,690 --> 00:26:37,976 But that's not the truth. 671 00:26:38,138 --> 00:26:40,108 That's not biblically accurate. 672 00:26:40,284 --> 00:26:43,132 We know that sometimes God does answer to the affirmative. 673 00:26:43,196 --> 00:26:44,720 Sometimes God answers yes. 674 00:26:45,460 --> 00:26:47,360 Sometimes God says to wait. 675 00:26:47,860 --> 00:26:52,680 But sometimes God answers no, because he has something better. 676 00:26:53,060 --> 00:26:54,716 You would say, how could this be better? 677 00:26:54,788 --> 00:26:55,308 It's that. 678 00:26:55,364 --> 00:26:58,160 Going back to the eternal perspective. 679 00:26:58,740 --> 00:27:02,400 So, so, so what is God's answer? 680 00:27:03,300 --> 00:27:04,442 Verse 9. 681 00:27:04,636 --> 00:27:08,382 And he said unto me, my grace. 682 00:27:08,446 --> 00:27:09,614 This is God talking. 683 00:27:09,742 --> 00:27:13,090 My grace is sufficient for thee. 684 00:27:14,310 --> 00:27:16,010 Now we could just stop there. 685 00:27:16,550 --> 00:27:20,250 The end of the sermon could be, his grace is sufficient for what? 686 00:27:20,950 --> 00:27:22,014 Fill in the blank. 687 00:27:22,142 --> 00:27:24,078 His grace is sufficient for our pain. 688 00:27:24,174 --> 00:27:26,014 His grace is sufficient for our loss. 689 00:27:26,102 --> 00:27:28,798 His graces are sufficient for our inadequacies. 690 00:27:28,894 --> 00:27:31,598 His grace is sufficient for our sins, salvation. 691 00:27:31,694 --> 00:27:33,598 We could stop there and say, his grace is sufficient. 692 00:27:33,614 --> 00:27:34,574 And that's all God. 693 00:27:34,702 --> 00:27:36,462 God didn't even have to answer Paul. 694 00:27:36,606 --> 00:27:38,814 But all God could have said is, paul, my grace is sufficient. 695 00:27:38,862 --> 00:27:39,310 Get over it. 696 00:27:39,350 --> 00:27:39,902 Move on. 697 00:27:40,006 --> 00:27:44,910 But Paul, seeking after the Lord, God gives him an answer. 698 00:27:45,070 --> 00:27:47,310 God doesn't always give us an answer. 699 00:27:47,390 --> 00:27:50,370 Sometimes God just says, my grace is sufficient. 700 00:27:51,190 --> 00:27:52,910 But then Paul learns more. 701 00:27:52,950 --> 00:27:56,590 Here says, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength. 702 00:27:56,670 --> 00:27:59,022 God's strength, his dudamos, his power. 703 00:27:59,126 --> 00:27:59,552 More. 704 00:27:59,646 --> 00:28:00,588 Think about it this way. 705 00:28:00,644 --> 00:28:08,000 God's power is made perfect or complete in weakness. 706 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:11,724 So what God is telling Paul is you want to see my power working 707 00:28:11,812 --> 00:28:12,748 in your life. 708 00:28:12,884 --> 00:28:14,588 Understand your weakness. 709 00:28:14,764 --> 00:28:16,716 Understand your inadequacy. 710 00:28:16,908 --> 00:28:20,236 There's no way that you can understand my power unless you rely 711 00:28:20,268 --> 00:28:20,924 on me. 712 00:28:21,012 --> 00:28:23,500 And so God does not remove the thorn. 713 00:28:23,660 --> 00:28:24,892 God does not remove the thorn. 714 00:28:24,956 --> 00:28:26,734 God says, no, Paul, I'm not removing it. 715 00:28:26,812 --> 00:28:27,910 And here's why. 716 00:28:28,290 --> 00:28:32,590 For my strength is made perfect in weakness. 717 00:28:34,290 --> 00:28:41,034 So God reminds Paul that his grace is sufficient, that it's God's 718 00:28:41,082 --> 00:28:43,190 power that's needed and not Paul's power. 719 00:28:43,490 --> 00:28:43,866 It's. 720 00:28:43,898 --> 00:28:44,106 It's. 721 00:28:44,138 --> 00:28:46,986 It's God's power that's needed, not Paul's comfort. 722 00:28:47,178 --> 00:28:49,546 And I think that's something that we have to realize in the midst 723 00:28:49,578 --> 00:28:53,086 of our eternal perspective, as we pray to the Lord, that when God 724 00:28:53,118 --> 00:28:55,262 answers a certain way, his way is the right way. 725 00:28:55,366 --> 00:28:56,766 And sometimes it's not easy to swallow. 726 00:28:56,798 --> 00:28:58,110 It's not an easy pill to take in. 727 00:28:58,150 --> 00:28:59,102 We say, you Know what, Lord? 728 00:28:59,166 --> 00:29:00,750 I want this to be gone for my life. 729 00:29:00,790 --> 00:29:02,462 I don't feel like I'm adequate. 730 00:29:02,526 --> 00:29:04,494 I don't feel like I can actually get done what you want me 731 00:29:04,502 --> 00:29:04,942 to get done. 732 00:29:04,966 --> 00:29:05,966 God says, it is my grace. 733 00:29:05,998 --> 00:29:06,750 That's sufficient. 734 00:29:06,830 --> 00:29:09,370 Because when you are weak, I am made strong. 735 00:29:10,950 --> 00:29:13,006 And so God gives him his purpose. 736 00:29:13,118 --> 00:29:14,890 What was God's purpose in this? 737 00:29:15,670 --> 00:29:16,318 It's this. 738 00:29:16,374 --> 00:29:22,706 It's understanding that this sufficiency is understanding our 739 00:29:22,778 --> 00:29:23,730 insufficiency. 740 00:29:23,810 --> 00:29:24,866 I want you to see it this way. 741 00:29:24,938 --> 00:29:28,002 Understanding God's sufficiency has to be seen through 742 00:29:28,026 --> 00:29:28,994 our insufficiency. 743 00:29:29,042 --> 00:29:29,906 Now, what does that mean? 744 00:29:29,978 --> 00:29:33,842 That means that if I think that I'm enough, I'm not gonna go 745 00:29:33,866 --> 00:29:34,706 to God for. 746 00:29:34,778 --> 00:29:36,230 For anything. 747 00:29:37,050 --> 00:29:39,602 If I think I've got this under control, I'm not gonna see the need 748 00:29:39,626 --> 00:29:41,314 to go to my heavenly Father. 749 00:29:41,442 --> 00:29:44,098 And so what God is telling Paul is you have to understand your 750 00:29:44,154 --> 00:29:48,070 insufficiency to come to me and understand this sufficiency. 751 00:29:48,410 --> 00:29:50,898 You have to know that I'm enough by understanding that you're 752 00:29:50,914 --> 00:29:51,762 not enough. 753 00:29:51,946 --> 00:29:54,082 That's what the purpose of this is. 754 00:29:54,186 --> 00:29:59,282 And so our weakness, our infirmities, our suffering is an 755 00:29:59,306 --> 00:30:04,434 opportunity for God's power, His power to be seen in our life. 756 00:30:04,522 --> 00:30:06,898 You want to see God's power all over your life? 757 00:30:07,034 --> 00:30:09,234 Understand and embrace your weakness. 758 00:30:09,362 --> 00:30:12,926 Understand and embrace your suffering and say, lord, it is your 759 00:30:12,998 --> 00:30:15,214 power that's allowing me to move forward. 760 00:30:15,302 --> 00:30:18,686 It's your power that can be a testimony to others in the midst 761 00:30:18,718 --> 00:30:20,030 of our difficulty. 762 00:30:20,190 --> 00:30:20,558 This. 763 00:30:20,614 --> 00:30:22,574 This isn't what we want to hear. 764 00:30:22,662 --> 00:30:25,534 We want to hear that God's power is seen through just victory 765 00:30:25,582 --> 00:30:30,446 after victory and painlessness and successes on the top of the mountain. 766 00:30:30,558 --> 00:30:33,630 And folks, the truth is, is that biblically speaking, it's really 767 00:30:33,670 --> 00:30:36,090 in the pain that we can see God's power. 768 00:30:36,630 --> 00:30:39,262 And that's why we can see the saints in the New Testament saying 769 00:30:39,286 --> 00:30:39,614 this. 770 00:30:39,702 --> 00:30:41,582 Hey, I glory in my infirmities. 771 00:30:41,646 --> 00:30:41,870 I. 772 00:30:41,910 --> 00:30:43,294 I rejoice in my pain. 773 00:30:43,342 --> 00:30:44,702 I rejoice in my loss. 774 00:30:44,806 --> 00:30:47,710 Because that's how God can teach us and move us and have his 775 00:30:47,750 --> 00:30:49,118 power seen through our life. 776 00:30:49,254 --> 00:30:53,294 And so our weakness is an opportunity for his power to be seen. 777 00:30:53,382 --> 00:30:55,054 We want people to see God's power. 778 00:30:55,142 --> 00:30:58,526 We embrace our inadequacy, inadequacies and say, hey, look, 779 00:30:58,598 --> 00:31:00,430 I was not enough, but God was. 780 00:31:00,550 --> 00:31:02,814 And therefore, that's the best testimony. 781 00:31:02,942 --> 00:31:05,970 And if I come to someone and say, hey, okay, let's say. 782 00:31:06,010 --> 00:31:07,634 Let's say a billionaire walks through our doors. 783 00:31:07,682 --> 00:31:08,482 Maybe they did this morning. 784 00:31:08,506 --> 00:31:10,834 Maybe you're A billionaire this morning, like, I talk to you 785 00:31:10,842 --> 00:31:12,194 after church, we can talk about something. 786 00:31:12,282 --> 00:31:12,930 Just kidding. 787 00:31:13,010 --> 00:31:13,602 Just kidding. 788 00:31:13,666 --> 00:31:15,330 But if you're a billionaire and you walk through the church and, 789 00:31:15,370 --> 00:31:18,322 and, and they, they sat down right here and I, and I get up here 790 00:31:18,346 --> 00:31:19,506 and I preach, I say, you know what? 791 00:31:19,578 --> 00:31:21,634 Some of you are struggling financially out there. 792 00:31:21,722 --> 00:31:25,522 And so if you trust in Jesus, he'll give you all the finances that 793 00:31:25,546 --> 00:31:26,402 you ever needed. 794 00:31:26,466 --> 00:31:28,562 And this person sitting up there going, well, I mean, I've got 795 00:31:28,586 --> 00:31:29,570 all the finances I already need. 796 00:31:29,610 --> 00:31:30,402 I don't need. 797 00:31:30,586 --> 00:31:31,588 I don't need God for that. 798 00:31:31,634 --> 00:31:35,200 That now for other people, maybe that's where God steps in. 799 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:35,776 Right? 800 00:31:35,928 --> 00:31:39,408 But we understand that that person would not connect with that. 801 00:31:39,544 --> 00:31:42,208 So, so then I would say, okay, maybe some of you guys are, you're. 802 00:31:42,224 --> 00:31:43,136 You're having car trouble. 803 00:31:43,168 --> 00:31:43,920 And you know, may. 804 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,368 Maybe if you just trust Jesus enough, he'll give you a new car. 805 00:31:46,504 --> 00:31:48,500 He's like, well, I've got like 16 cars. 806 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:50,380 They're all brand new. 807 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:51,280 So. 808 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:54,420 So, so I'm not appealing to his inadequacy. 809 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,632 Okay, so what do I have to point to the picture to? 810 00:31:57,656 --> 00:31:59,064 I have to point the picture to this. 811 00:31:59,192 --> 00:32:02,520 None of us, no matter how much money we have in the bank, no matter 812 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:06,920 how healthy we are, no matter how many people call us boss, the 813 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:09,688 truth is, at the end of the day, we are all inadequate because 814 00:32:09,744 --> 00:32:11,208 of our sin. 815 00:32:11,384 --> 00:32:14,600 There's nothing that that person could do to earn their way 816 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:16,552 to heaven, to buy their way to heaven. 817 00:32:16,616 --> 00:32:17,672 There's nothing that they can do. 818 00:32:17,696 --> 00:32:20,040 So we point out the greatest inadequacy. 819 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,512 And the greatest inadequacy is that I am a human that's flawed and 820 00:32:23,536 --> 00:32:24,520 I have a sin nature. 821 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:29,010 And, and I need Jesus to save me and to change me and to come into 822 00:32:29,050 --> 00:32:32,130 my life and allow his spirit to guide me. 823 00:32:32,250 --> 00:32:36,642 And so the power of God is seen through the transformation of 824 00:32:36,666 --> 00:32:39,874 a person who was dead in their sins to a person who is now alive 825 00:32:39,922 --> 00:32:42,962 in their sins, or, excuse me, alive in their, in their spirit. 826 00:32:43,026 --> 00:32:46,130 And so the truth is, is that at the end of the day, we don't point 827 00:32:46,170 --> 00:32:49,842 people to the smaller aspects of things. 828 00:32:49,946 --> 00:32:52,922 We point people to the biggest aspect of change, and that is the 829 00:32:52,946 --> 00:32:54,138 change of salvation. 830 00:32:54,234 --> 00:32:56,618 So I want, I want you to think about it this way. 831 00:32:56,674 --> 00:32:58,762 God's response was not removing. 832 00:32:58,906 --> 00:33:01,950 Instead of removing, God strengthened. 833 00:33:03,090 --> 00:33:07,130 So God did answer Paul's prayer, but instead of removing the 834 00:33:07,170 --> 00:33:12,810 thorn, he strengthened Paul to be able to deal with that thorn and 835 00:33:12,850 --> 00:33:15,850 allow God's power to be seen through the midst of his ministry. 836 00:33:16,010 --> 00:33:16,282 So. 837 00:33:16,306 --> 00:33:17,906 So you might be dealing with something right now. 838 00:33:18,018 --> 00:33:20,258 You might be saying, lord, I want this to be taken away from me. 839 00:33:20,314 --> 00:33:21,698 I don't think that's a wrong prayer to pray. 840 00:33:21,714 --> 00:33:21,890 I. 841 00:33:21,930 --> 00:33:22,786 I think it's okay to pray. 842 00:33:22,818 --> 00:33:25,186 Lord, if it's your will, take this away from me, and maybe God 843 00:33:25,218 --> 00:33:27,550 will take that thorn away from you, and I hope he does. 844 00:33:27,850 --> 00:33:30,242 But the other side of things is that maybe you're going through 845 00:33:30,266 --> 00:33:33,442 a struggle, and maybe you need to ask God for the strength to be 846 00:33:33,466 --> 00:33:37,490 able to bear that struggle so that God's power can be seen through 847 00:33:37,530 --> 00:33:40,310 your life, so that you can be a greater testimony for the Lord. 848 00:33:41,530 --> 00:33:43,110 That's God's purpose. 849 00:33:43,940 --> 00:33:44,300 So. 850 00:33:44,340 --> 00:33:47,120 So there's sufficiency of God in our suffering. 851 00:33:47,540 --> 00:33:48,844 God's there with you. 852 00:33:48,932 --> 00:33:50,268 He understands you. 853 00:33:50,404 --> 00:33:51,836 He understands your pain. 854 00:33:51,868 --> 00:33:52,892 He understands your suffering. 855 00:33:52,956 --> 00:33:57,036 He doesn't condone our sin, but he understands that we are inadequate 856 00:33:57,068 --> 00:33:59,920 humans and that we need him as a savior. 857 00:34:00,340 --> 00:34:02,780 And so let's see more about what this is all about here. 858 00:34:02,820 --> 00:34:06,764 Let's see what Paul's practice is because of this theological truth 859 00:34:06,812 --> 00:34:08,572 that God just teaches Paul. 860 00:34:08,716 --> 00:34:10,277 What is Paul's practice? 861 00:34:10,403 --> 00:34:11,665 Because that's what we have to do. 862 00:34:11,737 --> 00:34:15,281 We have to take the lessons that God teaches us and apply that 863 00:34:15,305 --> 00:34:17,745 to our lives in practical ways. 864 00:34:17,937 --> 00:34:20,625 Because it's one thing for me to know that, hey, when I'm weak, 865 00:34:20,657 --> 00:34:21,393 God is strong. 866 00:34:21,481 --> 00:34:24,065 But then what does that look like in my life? 867 00:34:24,137 --> 00:34:27,069 Well, let's look at verse number nine. 868 00:34:28,169 --> 00:34:34,849 Paul says, most gladly, therefore, because of what God just 869 00:34:34,889 --> 00:34:41,216 told me, most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in 870 00:34:41,368 --> 00:34:46,560 my infirmities, his weaknesses, his inadequacies, that 871 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,740 the power of Christ may rest upon me. 872 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:56,176 So Paul says, okay, I'm not gonna glory in my spiritual victories. 873 00:34:56,288 --> 00:34:59,840 I'm gonna glory in where I'm weak so that God's power can rest 874 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:00,240 on me. 875 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:01,420 I need his power. 876 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,098 Verse 10, verse, Therefore I take. 877 00:35:05,234 --> 00:35:06,538 Now, this is hard, okay? 878 00:35:06,634 --> 00:35:09,562 I'm not saying any of us are probably gonna be here today, but 879 00:35:09,586 --> 00:35:11,658 this is what the eternal perspective brings. 880 00:35:11,834 --> 00:35:16,430 Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities. 881 00:35:17,090 --> 00:35:19,910 Now, remember what Paul has been talking about here for the last 882 00:35:20,210 --> 00:35:21,210 12 chapters. 883 00:35:21,290 --> 00:35:22,602 He's been struggling. 884 00:35:22,666 --> 00:35:26,442 He talked about last week, his pain, getting beaten, getting shipwrecked. 885 00:35:26,506 --> 00:35:32,132 So he says, I'm gonna glory in the infirmities, in reproaches, in 886 00:35:32,156 --> 00:35:36,788 necessities, in persecutions, in distress, for Christ's sake. 887 00:35:36,804 --> 00:35:39,124 He's not talking about, like, I'm just going to cause issues in 888 00:35:39,132 --> 00:35:40,884 my life and then glory in those. 889 00:35:40,972 --> 00:35:43,300 He says, when I live For Christ, this is what I face. 890 00:35:43,340 --> 00:35:44,468 I'm going to glory in that. 891 00:35:44,524 --> 00:35:46,052 I'm going to take pleasure in that. 892 00:35:46,156 --> 00:35:49,280 For when I am weak, then am I strong. 893 00:35:49,820 --> 00:35:51,220 So what Paul is teaching here is. 894 00:35:51,260 --> 00:35:51,508 Is. 895 00:35:51,564 --> 00:35:55,150 Is a teaching of the more weak you get in Christ, the more strong 896 00:35:55,190 --> 00:35:58,558 you get in Christ, the more weak and more submissive you become 897 00:35:58,614 --> 00:36:01,486 to Christ, the more and the more dependent you become in Christ, 898 00:36:01,558 --> 00:36:03,150 the more powerful you are in Christ. 899 00:36:03,190 --> 00:36:04,750 And so what's Paul's practice? 900 00:36:04,830 --> 00:36:07,970 Paul recognized his complete dependency in God. 901 00:36:08,310 --> 00:36:11,790 This lesson that Paul has taught is a lesson of dependence. 902 00:36:11,950 --> 00:36:14,526 We're taught in America to be independent. 903 00:36:14,638 --> 00:36:16,174 We don't need any strings attached. 904 00:36:16,222 --> 00:36:17,806 We want to be our own people. 905 00:36:17,878 --> 00:36:21,092 But the truth is that the Bible teaches something opposite. 906 00:36:21,206 --> 00:36:22,440 We have to be. 907 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,120 It's a necessity to be dependent on God to understand his 908 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:29,224 will, to understand his power, to understand his direction in our 909 00:36:29,232 --> 00:36:29,780 life. 910 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:35,768 So Paul sees the need for dependency, and Paul sees the blessing 911 00:36:35,864 --> 00:36:37,740 in suffering for the Lord. 912 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:43,736 So, so when we see suffering only as a negative, of course we're 913 00:36:43,768 --> 00:36:45,480 going to deal with suffering as, this is bad. 914 00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:46,104 This is terrible. 915 00:36:46,152 --> 00:36:47,156 I gotta get rid of it. 916 00:36:47,248 --> 00:36:49,916 But when we understand that when we're suffering for Jesus, it's 917 00:36:49,948 --> 00:36:54,588 a blessing, then it's a little bit more tolerable for us to understand 918 00:36:54,724 --> 00:36:55,676 that bigger picture. 919 00:36:55,708 --> 00:36:57,276 Now go back with me. 920 00:36:57,348 --> 00:37:00,636 So with that in mind, okay, now that you have that perspective, 921 00:37:00,748 --> 00:37:05,164 go back to Second Corinthians, chapter four. 922 00:37:05,252 --> 00:37:06,732 Go back to Second Corinthians, chapter 4. 923 00:37:06,756 --> 00:37:09,052 We already quoted this passage, but I hope that this will 924 00:37:09,076 --> 00:37:11,020 be a different perspective for you when we go back. 925 00:37:11,140 --> 00:37:16,530 Okay, so Paul says, now there's a blessing in suffering. 926 00:37:17,030 --> 00:37:17,770 What? 927 00:37:18,230 --> 00:37:19,390 What's this blessing? 928 00:37:19,470 --> 00:37:20,750 How could this be a blessing? 929 00:37:20,830 --> 00:37:23,854 Go back to Second Corinthians chapter 4, but go with me to verse 930 00:37:23,902 --> 00:37:24,670 number 16. 931 00:37:24,790 --> 00:37:25,070 We. 932 00:37:25,110 --> 00:37:28,910 We started in verse 17, but go with me to verse 16, he says, for 933 00:37:28,950 --> 00:37:32,330 which cause we think not, meaning we don't lose heart. 934 00:37:33,430 --> 00:37:39,912 But though our outward man perish physical the flesh, yet the 935 00:37:39,936 --> 00:37:41,688 inward man is renewed day by day. 936 00:37:41,744 --> 00:37:47,448 Meaning though our outside flesh is in pain and suffering, the 937 00:37:47,504 --> 00:37:51,128 inside man, the inward man, the spirit is renewed for our light 938 00:37:51,184 --> 00:37:51,800 affliction. 939 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,632 That's what we're going through now, which is but for a moment. 940 00:37:54,696 --> 00:37:58,408 Temporary worketh in us a far more exceeding and eternal weight 941 00:37:58,424 --> 00:37:58,920 of glory. 942 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:02,216 He says, I'm willing to suffer for Jesus because of the eternal 943 00:38:02,248 --> 00:38:02,860 reward. 944 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:04,420 That's what he's saying. 945 00:38:05,050 --> 00:38:07,762 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the 946 00:38:07,786 --> 00:38:11,122 things which are not seen, for the things which Are seen, are temporal, 947 00:38:11,186 --> 00:38:13,106 temporary, material. 948 00:38:13,218 --> 00:38:16,402 But the things which are not seen are eternal, spiritual, for 949 00:38:16,426 --> 00:38:17,154 the kingdom. 950 00:38:17,282 --> 00:38:20,338 So he says, I'm willing to go through this. 951 00:38:20,474 --> 00:38:22,850 And the book of Romans actually talks about this more, too. 952 00:38:22,890 --> 00:38:25,426 Paul talks about this, and for the sake of time, we won't go there. 953 00:38:25,498 --> 00:38:28,290 But Paul basically says, the little affliction that you face now 954 00:38:28,330 --> 00:38:32,490 is going to be nothing in comparison to the great riches, the 955 00:38:32,530 --> 00:38:35,242 great blessing that it'll be to be with our Savior one day. 956 00:38:35,346 --> 00:38:39,354 So it's seeing it from the eternal perspective, suffering now 957 00:38:39,442 --> 00:38:40,790 for the next few years. 958 00:38:42,610 --> 00:38:46,106 But if I'm doing it in the name of Jesus Christ, I'm doing it 959 00:38:46,178 --> 00:38:49,146 with the purpose of serving him and loving him and eventually 960 00:38:49,178 --> 00:38:50,746 receiving my rewards in heaven. 961 00:38:50,858 --> 00:38:53,162 And so the very last blank there is this. 962 00:38:53,266 --> 00:38:56,990 Paul finds the strength of God in his trials. 963 00:38:58,380 --> 00:39:01,540 The trials are what brought him to understand God's strength 964 00:39:01,620 --> 00:39:02,240 more. 965 00:39:03,740 --> 00:39:06,580 We all know, I believe, I believe sitting here this morning, 966 00:39:06,620 --> 00:39:10,040 I don't know, everybody here see some new faces, and that's wonderful. 967 00:39:10,700 --> 00:39:12,000 But here's the thing. 968 00:39:12,780 --> 00:39:16,804 Hopefully you understand theologically, study of God, knowing 969 00:39:16,852 --> 00:39:19,956 God, that God is all powerful. 970 00:39:20,148 --> 00:39:21,140 I think, I think if I. 971 00:39:21,180 --> 00:39:23,682 If I took a poll this morning, I said, how many of you believe that 972 00:39:23,706 --> 00:39:24,546 God is all powerful? 973 00:39:24,578 --> 00:39:26,310 I think we would all check that box. 974 00:39:26,730 --> 00:39:29,170 So it's one thing to know it in our minds, it's another thing 975 00:39:29,210 --> 00:39:33,410 to believe that in our hearts when the struggle comes, is God really 976 00:39:33,450 --> 00:39:34,178 all powerful? 977 00:39:34,274 --> 00:39:36,242 When I've had this happen. 978 00:39:36,426 --> 00:39:39,970 So it's going back to understand that when God gets you 979 00:39:40,010 --> 00:39:42,818 through these struggles, when God preserves you through these struggles, 980 00:39:42,914 --> 00:39:45,682 he is displaying his power to you. 981 00:39:45,706 --> 00:39:48,642 Even though we know that he's all powerful, he's displaying his 982 00:39:48,666 --> 00:39:50,590 power so that we can experience it more. 983 00:39:51,290 --> 00:39:53,010 And so, you know, I. 984 00:39:53,050 --> 00:39:56,670 I think that the best way that I can describe it is this. 985 00:39:57,130 --> 00:40:00,034 From the very moment my children were born, I tell them that 986 00:40:00,042 --> 00:40:01,458 I love them as much as I can. 987 00:40:01,514 --> 00:40:02,002 Okay? 988 00:40:02,066 --> 00:40:03,266 I tell them that I love them. 989 00:40:03,338 --> 00:40:05,150 I try to show them that I love them. 990 00:40:05,690 --> 00:40:10,050 When my child, let's say Micah, my oldest, was two years old, 991 00:40:10,170 --> 00:40:11,746 he understood that I loved him. 992 00:40:11,818 --> 00:40:12,290 Okay? 993 00:40:12,370 --> 00:40:14,434 There was a working understanding that I loved him. 994 00:40:14,522 --> 00:40:18,962 But now that he's almost 10 years old, he understands more that 995 00:40:18,986 --> 00:40:21,330 I love him today than when. 996 00:40:21,370 --> 00:40:22,098 When he was 2. 997 00:40:22,154 --> 00:40:22,514 Right. 998 00:40:22,602 --> 00:40:26,050 Did it mean that I love him more now than that he's nine than 999 00:40:26,090 --> 00:40:26,786 when he was two? 1000 00:40:26,858 --> 00:40:27,282 No. 1001 00:40:27,386 --> 00:40:28,786 I loved him the moment he was born. 1002 00:40:28,818 --> 00:40:29,458 I loved him. 1003 00:40:29,514 --> 00:40:33,890 There's nothing I loved more inside this world, outside of my 1004 00:40:33,930 --> 00:40:36,450 relationship with my heavenly Father and my wife than my first 1005 00:40:36,490 --> 00:40:36,738 child. 1006 00:40:36,794 --> 00:40:40,978 Okay, I loved him, but he understands my love more now. 1007 00:40:41,034 --> 00:40:41,298 Why? 1008 00:40:41,354 --> 00:40:43,590 Because he's experienced that relationship. 1009 00:40:44,270 --> 00:40:45,782 I tell my kids all the time, have I. 1010 00:40:45,806 --> 00:40:47,062 Have I ever told you that I love you? 1011 00:40:47,086 --> 00:40:48,214 And they're like, yes, dad. 1012 00:40:48,342 --> 00:40:49,686 Every day you tell me. 1013 00:40:49,758 --> 00:40:50,486 And I said, yes. 1014 00:40:50,518 --> 00:40:50,870 And I. 1015 00:40:50,910 --> 00:40:51,110 And. 1016 00:40:51,150 --> 00:40:51,302 And. 1017 00:40:51,326 --> 00:40:53,606 And the reason why I do that is because I want them to experience 1018 00:40:53,678 --> 00:40:55,142 and know my love more. 1019 00:40:55,246 --> 00:41:00,262 And so when he's 16 years old, when Nora's 15 years old, I'm not 1020 00:41:00,286 --> 00:41:01,750 gonna love them anymore at that point. 1021 00:41:01,790 --> 00:41:04,038 But what they're gonna do is they're gonna know me in a greater 1022 00:41:04,054 --> 00:41:06,598 way and know that dad loves me more. 1023 00:41:06,734 --> 00:41:08,486 And so I think that's the same thing with us. 1024 00:41:08,558 --> 00:41:10,806 We know initially that God is all powerful. 1025 00:41:10,838 --> 00:41:11,012 We. 1026 00:41:11,046 --> 00:41:12,056 We know that he loves us. 1027 00:41:12,128 --> 00:41:15,768 But when we experience his presence in the midst of difficulty, 1028 00:41:15,864 --> 00:41:19,576 we understand his love and we understand his power more. 1029 00:41:19,648 --> 00:41:22,792 And we're able to rest and trust in that power more. 1030 00:41:22,976 --> 00:41:26,312 And so I want you to see here this morning that it isn't necessarily 1031 00:41:26,376 --> 00:41:30,040 God's will for all of us to go through the same type of struggle. 1032 00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:32,440 I think many of us struggle in different ways. 1033 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:35,672 But what I will say is this, though you might struggle in this 1034 00:41:35,696 --> 00:41:39,186 area, and you might struggle in this area, and you might struggle 1035 00:41:39,218 --> 00:41:39,970 in that area. 1036 00:41:40,090 --> 00:41:43,010 Jesus understands all of our struggles, and. 1037 00:41:43,050 --> 00:41:46,642 And therefore his love for us and his power for us is perfect in 1038 00:41:46,666 --> 00:41:47,090 every way. 1039 00:41:47,130 --> 00:41:50,082 Therefore, if I'm going through this, it must be that God 1040 00:41:50,146 --> 00:41:51,426 is allowing this to happen. 1041 00:41:51,498 --> 00:41:55,250 Therefore, I will glory in this time so that I will say, lord, 1042 00:41:55,330 --> 00:41:57,230 what are you gonna do through this? 1043 00:41:57,530 --> 00:41:59,970 Who can know you through this pain and suffering? 1044 00:42:00,130 --> 00:42:05,110 Who can I point to you through the midst of this trial? 1045 00:42:05,550 --> 00:42:06,838 And so here it is. 1046 00:42:06,974 --> 00:42:07,462 Here it is. 1047 00:42:07,486 --> 00:42:08,694 And I struggle with this. 1048 00:42:08,782 --> 00:42:12,410 It's a selfless perspective. 1049 00:42:12,990 --> 00:42:14,198 It's not about me. 1050 00:42:14,334 --> 00:42:17,766 If life is about me, then my struggle is the end, right? 1051 00:42:17,838 --> 00:42:18,534 Because I'm. 1052 00:42:18,582 --> 00:42:19,366 I am. 1053 00:42:19,518 --> 00:42:20,566 I am the first. 1054 00:42:20,638 --> 00:42:21,782 I am the one. 1055 00:42:21,886 --> 00:42:26,374 And so if I'm going through the struggle and I'm the center of 1056 00:42:26,382 --> 00:42:28,838 my universe, then it is the end. 1057 00:42:28,974 --> 00:42:31,342 But if the center of my universe is not me, it's. 1058 00:42:31,366 --> 00:42:34,142 If the center of the universe is Christ, all my struggle is. 1059 00:42:34,166 --> 00:42:37,050 Is an opportunity for me to point people to Christ. 1060 00:42:38,470 --> 00:42:39,678 So it's a humility. 1061 00:42:39,774 --> 00:42:42,254 It's that eternal perspective that Paul talks about. 1062 00:42:42,422 --> 00:42:42,702 And. 1063 00:42:42,726 --> 00:42:43,982 And this isn't popular. 1064 00:42:44,126 --> 00:42:44,430 This. 1065 00:42:44,470 --> 00:42:47,742 This isn't something that I would get up and say, hey, are you 1066 00:42:47,766 --> 00:42:48,910 going to feel good after the service? 1067 00:42:48,950 --> 00:42:51,570 Like, I don't I don't feel any of us going, well, wow. 1068 00:42:52,390 --> 00:42:53,198 I want to. 1069 00:42:53,254 --> 00:42:54,190 I want to suffer. 1070 00:42:54,270 --> 00:42:55,422 I want to struggle. 1071 00:42:55,566 --> 00:42:57,210 But the reality is. 1072 00:42:57,580 --> 00:42:59,520 The reality is, is that we will. 1073 00:42:59,900 --> 00:43:02,628 The reality is, is that if we live long enough, someone's gonna 1074 00:43:02,644 --> 00:43:03,840 be taken away from us. 1075 00:43:04,300 --> 00:43:05,220 That hurts. 1076 00:43:05,380 --> 00:43:07,924 We live long enough, we're gonna feel physical pain. 1077 00:43:08,052 --> 00:43:11,000 If we live long enough, we're gonna be attacked by the enemy. 1078 00:43:11,340 --> 00:43:14,196 And so this is not me saying, hey, you know what? 1079 00:43:14,268 --> 00:43:16,820 Let's just all grin and bear it through the struggles. 1080 00:43:16,900 --> 00:43:19,860 It's preparing you for the struggles that will happen in your 1081 00:43:19,900 --> 00:43:21,860 life and saying, we point to Christ. 1082 00:43:21,980 --> 00:43:24,468 And it's the perspective through the struggle that means everything. 1083 00:43:24,524 --> 00:43:27,050 Because Paul could have looked at it as this. 1084 00:43:27,990 --> 00:43:29,678 This is all Satanic. 1085 00:43:29,854 --> 00:43:31,454 Therefore, I'm just gonna give up. 1086 00:43:31,542 --> 00:43:33,118 Cause Satan is obviously beating me. 1087 00:43:33,174 --> 00:43:35,678 Or he can say, yes, I was given this thorn. 1088 00:43:35,774 --> 00:43:36,862 Satan is using this. 1089 00:43:36,886 --> 00:43:39,038 But I'm not gonna let him dictate his truth to my life. 1090 00:43:39,094 --> 00:43:40,622 I'm gonna allow God's truth to dictate. 1091 00:43:40,686 --> 00:43:43,822 And so Paul follows the proper path of thinking biblically. 1092 00:43:43,886 --> 00:43:46,030 He goes back to Second Corinthians, chapter 10. 1093 00:43:46,150 --> 00:43:48,942 Take every thought into captivity and bring it before Christ. 1094 00:43:49,046 --> 00:43:54,454 And he realizes in this case that this thorn is not from the enemy 1095 00:43:54,502 --> 00:43:55,718 that ultimately defeats him. 1096 00:43:55,774 --> 00:43:58,726 This thorn is ultimately God, bringing him to a place of humility. 1097 00:43:58,838 --> 00:44:00,086 And so what he did was he. 1098 00:44:00,158 --> 00:44:04,070 He took that thought and he put it through the lens of Scripture. 1099 00:44:04,150 --> 00:44:06,854 And he saw that this is not something for me to quit in. 1100 00:44:06,942 --> 00:44:09,062 This is something for me to push forward and understand the power 1101 00:44:09,086 --> 00:44:09,686 of God. 1102 00:44:09,798 --> 00:44:12,630 So the struggle that you're going through right now, take that 1103 00:44:12,670 --> 00:44:14,502 struggle, take those thoughts that you're having. 1104 00:44:14,606 --> 00:44:17,160 Put those thoughts into captivity, bring them before Christ. 1105 00:44:17,270 --> 00:44:19,716 Match up those thoughts to the word of God and say, you know what? 1106 00:44:19,788 --> 00:44:21,060 That is a biblical way to think. 1107 00:44:21,100 --> 00:44:23,200 Or, this is not a biblical way to think. 1108 00:44:23,900 --> 00:44:25,332 And I would encourage you to do that. 1109 00:44:25,356 --> 00:44:27,204 I would encourage you to take the struggle that you're going through 1110 00:44:27,212 --> 00:44:30,932 right now and interpret it through scripture, not through the 1111 00:44:30,956 --> 00:44:32,164 world, not through your friends. 1112 00:44:32,252 --> 00:44:34,436 We learned the wrong way to do that through Job, right? 1113 00:44:34,508 --> 00:44:36,244 Remember what Job's friends told him when he was going through 1114 00:44:36,252 --> 00:44:36,820 that struggle? 1115 00:44:36,900 --> 00:44:39,268 Well, Job, it must be something that you're doing wrong. 1116 00:44:39,364 --> 00:44:41,060 Go ahead and confess to the Lord. 1117 00:44:41,220 --> 00:44:43,320 Job's like, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. 1118 00:44:44,190 --> 00:44:44,710 And so. 1119 00:44:44,750 --> 00:44:47,142 So we don't look at people's struggles and immediately say, well, 1120 00:44:47,166 --> 00:44:50,262 there must be in some type of sin that we learned that through 1121 00:44:50,286 --> 00:44:51,030 Scripture. 1122 00:44:51,190 --> 00:44:53,446 What did Job's Wife say, well, just curse God and die. 1123 00:44:53,478 --> 00:44:55,222 I mean, that's just what you need to do. 1124 00:44:55,406 --> 00:44:56,370 It's over. 1125 00:44:57,630 --> 00:44:59,446 We know that wasn't the right path. 1126 00:44:59,638 --> 00:45:03,510 And so we don't listen to opinions around us unless those opinions 1127 00:45:03,590 --> 00:45:04,726 align with Scripture. 1128 00:45:04,838 --> 00:45:07,382 We don't listen to the thoughts that are in our minds that 1129 00:45:07,406 --> 00:45:08,582 are contrary to Scripture. 1130 00:45:08,646 --> 00:45:12,002 We listen to the thoughts that are coming from scripture, from the 1131 00:45:12,026 --> 00:45:14,818 Spirit, and we say, hey, this suffering is an opportunity for me 1132 00:45:14,874 --> 00:45:19,122 to understand the sufficiency of Christ, the sufficiency of his 1133 00:45:19,146 --> 00:45:19,346 grace. 1134 00:45:19,378 --> 00:45:22,270 I want to go back to that, that main thought, and this is it. 1135 00:45:22,650 --> 00:45:26,630 When God responded to Paul, my grace is sufficient. 1136 00:45:27,450 --> 00:45:30,322 That's the same response that he has for us in every area of our 1137 00:45:30,346 --> 00:45:30,578 life. 1138 00:45:30,634 --> 00:45:31,042 You know what? 1139 00:45:31,066 --> 00:45:33,778 I've had folks that have come to me with struggles, and I don't 1140 00:45:33,794 --> 00:45:34,706 know the why. 1141 00:45:34,858 --> 00:45:37,150 I don't know why this person had to pass away. 1142 00:45:37,460 --> 00:45:39,420 I don't know why you have to have this sickness. 1143 00:45:39,500 --> 00:45:42,556 I don't know why this had to come about the way that it came about. 1144 00:45:42,628 --> 00:45:44,540 I don't know why you had to face this abuse. 1145 00:45:44,620 --> 00:45:47,564 But all I can say, theologically speaking, biblically 1146 00:45:47,612 --> 00:45:48,716 speaking, is this. 1147 00:45:48,868 --> 00:45:53,080 His grace is sufficient for what you're going through. 1148 00:45:54,020 --> 00:45:57,548 His Grace is sufficient in every inadequacy in our life. 1149 00:45:57,684 --> 00:46:00,844 His grace is sufficient for that abuse that you faced in the 1150 00:46:00,852 --> 00:46:01,164 past. 1151 00:46:01,252 --> 00:46:03,924 His grace is sufficient for the pain that you're facing, for 1152 00:46:03,972 --> 00:46:07,140 the doctor's note that you're going to get here maybe in the future. 1153 00:46:07,180 --> 00:46:08,388 And you say, what in the world? 1154 00:46:08,444 --> 00:46:10,324 I never expected this to happen in my life. 1155 00:46:10,412 --> 00:46:12,004 It's, his grace is sufficient. 1156 00:46:12,132 --> 00:46:14,468 Maybe your workplace is a difficult workplace and you don't 1157 00:46:14,484 --> 00:46:15,700 think you can face tomorrow. 1158 00:46:15,780 --> 00:46:17,316 His grace is sufficient for that. 1159 00:46:17,388 --> 00:46:19,204 His grace is sufficient for your children. 1160 00:46:19,292 --> 00:46:21,044 His grace is sufficient for your family. 1161 00:46:21,132 --> 00:46:22,852 His grace is sufficient for your marriage. 1162 00:46:22,916 --> 00:46:25,588 His grace is sufficient in this world today. 1163 00:46:25,724 --> 00:46:28,692 All we have to do is point to his grace and say, that is what we 1164 00:46:28,716 --> 00:46:28,948 need. 1165 00:46:29,004 --> 00:46:31,146 We don't need this, we don't need that. 1166 00:46:31,218 --> 00:46:33,690 We need his grace and we need to plead for his grace. 1167 00:46:33,770 --> 00:46:35,242 We need to hunger for his grace. 1168 00:46:35,306 --> 00:46:36,650 We need to live in his grace. 1169 00:46:36,730 --> 00:46:39,402 We need to distribute his grace the best that we can in our 1170 00:46:39,426 --> 00:46:39,754 lives. 1171 00:46:39,842 --> 00:46:41,354 And then lastly, I would say this. 1172 00:46:41,442 --> 00:46:43,866 When we go back to that analogy of that, that billionaire 1173 00:46:43,898 --> 00:46:46,778 that, that you know has everything in this world except for 1174 00:46:46,834 --> 00:46:49,690 forgiveness in Jesus Christ, we go back to understanding that 1175 00:46:49,730 --> 00:46:52,730 his grace is sufficient for our salvation. 1176 00:46:52,890 --> 00:46:54,790 I don't care what you've done in your past. 1177 00:46:55,580 --> 00:46:58,880 Well, I can't Come to Christ because what I did. 1178 00:46:59,420 --> 00:46:59,972 Or. 1179 00:47:00,076 --> 00:47:01,700 Or you don't know who I was before. 1180 00:47:01,820 --> 00:47:02,100 Or. 1181 00:47:02,140 --> 00:47:04,820 Or I can't come to church because of this issue in my life, 1182 00:47:04,860 --> 00:47:05,316 folks. 1183 00:47:05,428 --> 00:47:07,380 His grace is sufficient. 1184 00:47:07,540 --> 00:47:09,556 His grace is sufficient for everything. 1185 00:47:09,708 --> 00:47:10,948 And so what we say is this. 1186 00:47:11,004 --> 00:47:11,924 We come to Christ. 1187 00:47:12,012 --> 00:47:14,080 You don't get saved by cleaning up your life. 1188 00:47:15,340 --> 00:47:16,884 You don't get saved by saying, you know what? 1189 00:47:16,892 --> 00:47:20,580 I'm gonna try to remove all of the sin, and now I can come to God. 1190 00:47:20,740 --> 00:47:21,348 It's this. 1191 00:47:21,404 --> 00:47:26,114 Come to God in your brokenness and plead for his grace. 1192 00:47:26,162 --> 00:47:29,730 Because it is only his grace that can wipe away those sins, that 1193 00:47:29,770 --> 00:47:32,754 can cleanse you from all unrighteousness, as the Bible says. 1194 00:47:32,922 --> 00:47:35,874 And so this morning, hey, if you don't know Jesus as your Savior, 1195 00:47:35,922 --> 00:47:38,162 if it has been something in your life that you have said, you 1196 00:47:38,186 --> 00:47:39,826 know, I've tried to do the best I can. 1197 00:47:39,898 --> 00:47:41,314 I've tried to be a good person. 1198 00:47:41,402 --> 00:47:42,850 I've tried to give to the church. 1199 00:47:42,930 --> 00:47:44,082 I've tried to serve. 1200 00:47:44,146 --> 00:47:44,722 But you know what? 1201 00:47:44,746 --> 00:47:46,834 I just don't feel like I'm enough, folks. 1202 00:47:46,962 --> 00:47:51,644 You in love, me, all of us are not enough. 1203 00:47:51,812 --> 00:47:53,388 His grace is enough. 1204 00:47:53,444 --> 00:47:54,284 That's what that means. 1205 00:47:54,372 --> 00:47:55,532 Sufficient means enough. 1206 00:47:55,636 --> 00:47:57,160 His grace is enough. 1207 00:47:57,940 --> 00:48:00,460 So if you need his grace today, come and ask him for it. 1208 00:48:00,500 --> 00:48:02,124 Say, lord, I want your grace. 1209 00:48:02,252 --> 00:48:04,876 I'm confessing before you all of the problems in my life. 1210 00:48:04,948 --> 00:48:08,156 I'm confessing before you all the sins of my past and my present 1211 00:48:08,228 --> 00:48:08,972 and my future. 1212 00:48:09,076 --> 00:48:10,892 And I'm asking you for forgiveness. 1213 00:48:10,956 --> 00:48:13,084 I'm asking you for your grace. 1214 00:48:13,212 --> 00:48:17,454 Because as the Bible says, for by grace are ye saved through faith. 1215 00:48:17,582 --> 00:48:19,694 And so it's believing in the grace of God. 1216 00:48:19,742 --> 00:48:21,662 It's believing in the sacrifice of God. 1217 00:48:21,726 --> 00:48:23,502 It's believing in the power of God. 1218 00:48:23,566 --> 00:48:27,198 It's believing in him and him alone to get me to a place of salvation. 1219 00:48:27,294 --> 00:48:29,742 But, folks, we might have a lot of people here today who have 1220 00:48:29,766 --> 00:48:31,678 trusted in Jesus Christ as savior. 1221 00:48:31,854 --> 00:48:35,310 But yet in our lives, we are not hungry for his grace. 1222 00:48:35,470 --> 00:48:37,470 We have tried to do things on our own. 1223 00:48:37,590 --> 00:48:39,790 We've tried to do this marriage life on our own. 1224 00:48:39,830 --> 00:48:41,994 We've tried to raise these children on our own. 1225 00:48:42,102 --> 00:48:44,082 We've tried to do this workplace on our own. 1226 00:48:44,106 --> 00:48:46,626 We've tried to be bosses or employees on our own. 1227 00:48:46,698 --> 00:48:48,594 We've been trying to do all these things on our own. 1228 00:48:48,682 --> 00:48:51,010 Here's the time where we can say, lord, I'm turning it over to 1229 00:48:51,050 --> 00:48:51,346 you. 1230 00:48:51,418 --> 00:48:53,870 I need your grace in this area of my life. 1231 00:48:54,410 --> 00:48:56,750 I need your grace in every area of my life. 1232 00:48:57,290 --> 00:49:00,110 There's a song that says, I need the every hour. 1233 00:49:00,650 --> 00:49:03,070 I think we could also say, I need the every second. 1234 00:49:03,370 --> 00:49:05,122 I need the every millisecond of my life. 1235 00:49:05,146 --> 00:49:05,490 I need. 1236 00:49:05,530 --> 00:49:07,864 Your grace's grace is sufficient for you. 1237 00:49:08,002 --> 00:49:10,044 If you're going through something today that not. 1238 00:49:10,132 --> 00:49:11,920 Maybe no one even knows. 1239 00:49:12,340 --> 00:49:13,596 Maybe it's a sin issue. 1240 00:49:13,668 --> 00:49:16,332 Maybe it's an issue that you're not able to let go in your 1241 00:49:16,356 --> 00:49:16,492 life. 1242 00:49:16,516 --> 00:49:17,660 You say, this has gripped me. 1243 00:49:17,700 --> 00:49:20,040 I mean, my family doesn't even know this. 1244 00:49:20,660 --> 00:49:21,452 I'm gonna tell you. 1245 00:49:21,476 --> 00:49:22,400 God knows. 1246 00:49:22,900 --> 00:49:24,640 And his grace is sufficient. 1247 00:49:24,980 --> 00:49:26,668 His grace is sufficient for you. 1248 00:49:26,724 --> 00:49:28,636 Maybe you say, man, I'm working in this area of bitterness 1249 00:49:28,668 --> 00:49:29,052 in my life. 1250 00:49:29,076 --> 00:49:31,548 I'm so bitter against this person because of what they've done 1251 00:49:31,604 --> 00:49:31,948 to me. 1252 00:49:32,004 --> 00:49:32,812 I'm so bitter. 1253 00:49:32,876 --> 00:49:36,094 His grace is sufficient in forgiveness, maybe even say, you 1254 00:49:36,102 --> 00:49:36,350 know what? 1255 00:49:36,390 --> 00:49:36,750 I just. 1256 00:49:36,790 --> 00:49:38,718 I've lost my desire to love him. 1257 00:49:38,774 --> 00:49:40,254 I've lost my desire to serve. 1258 00:49:40,302 --> 00:49:42,030 I've lost my desire to read his word. 1259 00:49:42,110 --> 00:49:43,070 I've lost my desire. 1260 00:49:43,150 --> 00:49:43,902 What's going on with me? 1261 00:49:43,926 --> 00:49:45,406 I don't know what's wrong with me, folks. 1262 00:49:45,438 --> 00:49:48,366 Maybe it's just relying on his grace more and realizing how inadequate 1263 00:49:48,398 --> 00:49:50,350 we are in the midst of this world. 1264 00:49:50,470 --> 00:49:52,862 And so I would encourage you this morning, plead for his grace. 1265 00:49:52,926 --> 00:49:54,014 Rest in his grace. 1266 00:49:54,142 --> 00:49:55,470 Celebrate his grace. 1267 00:49:55,550 --> 00:49:56,670 Glory in his grace. 1268 00:49:56,750 --> 00:49:58,370 Glory in your infirmities. 1269 00:49:58,790 --> 00:50:00,366 Celebrate your infirmities this morning. 1270 00:50:00,438 --> 00:50:01,948 Sometimes it's just the admission of it. 1271 00:50:02,014 --> 00:50:04,128 I think all of us sometimes think, like, hey, if I don't address 1272 00:50:04,184 --> 00:50:05,420 this, it's not real. 1273 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:08,976 You know, I remember looking in the mirror, and the older I'm 1274 00:50:09,008 --> 00:50:12,128 getting, you know, the more problems I see in myself, and I'm 1275 00:50:12,144 --> 00:50:14,192 like, maybe if I just don't look in the mirror, it'll all go 1276 00:50:14,216 --> 00:50:14,400 away. 1277 00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:15,728 Okay, it's still coming. 1278 00:50:15,784 --> 00:50:16,592 It's still coming, right? 1279 00:50:16,616 --> 00:50:17,296 Age is coming. 1280 00:50:17,368 --> 00:50:18,304 All these things are coming. 1281 00:50:18,392 --> 00:50:19,616 And so it's the reality of this. 1282 00:50:19,688 --> 00:50:23,936 Just ignoring an issue in our life doesn't make it go away, right? 1283 00:50:24,008 --> 00:50:27,088 It's actually recognizing the issue in our life and saying, lord, 1284 00:50:27,104 --> 00:50:28,220 I need your help. 1285 00:50:28,660 --> 00:50:33,068 And so for some of us today, maybe it's just a mission of my inadequacy 1286 00:50:33,164 --> 00:50:35,836 so that God can come in and fill that void. 1287 00:50:36,028 --> 00:50:37,452 So I encourage you to think about that here. 1288 00:50:37,476 --> 00:50:39,692 This morning, we're gonna ask everyone to stand up, every head 1289 00:50:39,716 --> 00:50:41,596 bowed, every eye closed as the music plays. 1290 00:50:41,708 --> 00:50:44,572 This morning, if you need to come forward and just rest in that 1291 00:50:44,596 --> 00:50:48,268 biblical truth of his grace and his sufficiency, hey, I encourage 1292 00:50:48,284 --> 00:50:49,356 you to come forward this morning. 1293 00:50:49,428 --> 00:50:49,932 Celebrate. 1294 00:50:49,996 --> 00:50:50,524 Boast. 1295 00:50:50,652 --> 00:50:52,300 You can boast on something this morning. 1296 00:50:52,420 --> 00:50:55,968 Boast in your infirmities and the need of for his grace. 1297 00:50:56,144 --> 00:50:58,224 Maybe some of you need Jesus Christ as your savior. 1298 00:50:58,272 --> 00:51:01,344 You need to trust in him and him alone for your salvation. 1299 00:51:01,392 --> 00:51:03,344 We're going to have some folks up here that can show you from the 1300 00:51:03,352 --> 00:51:05,408 word of God what it means to know Him. 1301 00:51:05,544 --> 00:51:09,232 Maybe, maybe you've been wrestling with this thorn. 1302 00:51:09,296 --> 00:51:13,056 I don't know what this thorn is, but this thorn has been pulling 1303 00:51:13,088 --> 00:51:16,512 you down and holding you back and getting you to a place where 1304 00:51:16,536 --> 00:51:17,424 you don't want to be. 1305 00:51:17,512 --> 00:51:20,672 Hey, that thorn is there to show you that you need God more. 1306 00:51:20,776 --> 00:51:21,744 Go after him. 1307 00:51:21,832 --> 00:51:22,592 Seek after Him. 1308 00:51:22,616 --> 00:51:24,060 He's seeking after you. 1309 00:51:24,360 --> 00:51:28,128 The Bible says that draw nigh to God or draw close to God and He 1310 00:51:28,184 --> 00:51:28,640 will. 1311 00:51:28,760 --> 00:51:29,456 That's a promise. 1312 00:51:29,488 --> 00:51:30,800 He will draw close to you. 1313 00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:32,272 He will draw nigh to you. 1314 00:51:32,376 --> 00:51:34,720 Maybe some of us need to just draw nigh to God today. 1315 00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:36,620 Maybe we've drifted so far. 1316 00:51:37,560 --> 00:51:38,880 We need his grace. 1317 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:40,160 We need to know Him. 1318 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:42,528 We need to understand his power. 1319 00:51:42,584 --> 00:51:44,720 Maybe you've been sitting in that pew going, I know God's all 1320 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:45,200 powerful. 1321 00:51:45,280 --> 00:51:46,512 I know God's all loving. 1322 00:51:46,576 --> 00:51:49,242 I, I, I know that he has all these things, but I don't feel like 1323 00:51:49,266 --> 00:51:50,250 I'm experiencing it. 1324 00:51:50,290 --> 00:51:52,010 Hey, get to know him more. 1325 00:51:52,130 --> 00:51:54,778 And as you get to know him more, those things that you know 1326 00:51:54,834 --> 00:51:56,794 in your mind will begin something. 1327 00:51:56,882 --> 00:51:59,434 It will begin to grow in your heart what God is already doing. 1328 00:51:59,522 --> 00:52:03,034 And that is to remind you of his love and his power and his grace. 1329 00:52:03,162 --> 00:52:05,306 So if you need to be reminded of that here this morning, I encourage 1330 00:52:05,338 --> 00:52:05,818 you to come. 1331 00:52:05,874 --> 00:52:07,110 Some have already come. 1332 00:52:07,570 --> 00:52:09,882 I'm going to pray and you can come and follow as well. 1333 00:52:09,906 --> 00:52:11,770 Lord, I pray that you be in this time of invitation, working 1334 00:52:11,810 --> 00:52:12,602 hearts and lives. 1335 00:52:12,706 --> 00:52:16,010 I pray that you can help us to understand that your grace is sufficient. 1336 00:52:16,170 --> 00:52:19,722 Lord, I pray that you can strengthen us, encourage us, help 1337 00:52:19,746 --> 00:52:23,226 us to see where we fall short and where you come in in your power 1338 00:52:23,378 --> 00:52:24,266 and in your control. 1339 00:52:24,338 --> 00:52:25,786 Lord, we thank you for your love and grace. 1340 00:52:25,818 --> 00:52:26,906 In Jesus name, Amen. 1341 00:52:26,938 --> 00:52:29,350 As the music plays, follow as the Lord leads here this morning. 1342 00:52:30,130 --> 00:52:32,794 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 1343 00:52:32,842 --> 00:52:33,594 podcast. 1344 00:52:33,722 --> 00:52:36,310 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1345 00:52:36,690 --> 00:52:38,996 If you would like to find out more information about our church 1346 00:52:39,028 --> 00:52:42,644 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1347 00:52:42,772 --> 00:52:45,560 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1348 00:52:46,060 --> 00:52:50,516 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch 1349 00:52:50,548 --> 00:52:53,236 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast. 1350 00:52:53,348 --> 00:52:58,040 Please subscribe and follow along for future podcasts and updates. 1351 00:52:58,380 --> 00:52:59,540 Thank you so much. 1352 00:52:59,660 --> 00:53:00,484 God Bless. 1353 00:53:00,612 --> 00:53:01,660 Have a wonderful day.