Who Am I?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Call to Worship
Call to Worship
The Lord is in His Holy Temple.
Let all the Earth keep silent before him.
I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the House of the Lord.
Our feet shall stand within Thy gates Oh Jerusalem.
Song- It Overflows Medley (Ronzel Pretlow)
Song- It Overflows Medley (Ronzel Pretlow)
You won’t leave here like you came
In Jesus name...
Bound oppressed
Afflicted, sick, or lame
For the spirit of the Lord is still the same
You won’t leave here like you came...
I won’t leave here like I came
and WE won’t leave her like we came in Jesus name...
Because it over....flows....
Their was a woman in the service
That was speaking in other tongues
Praying in the spirit… Lord your will be done
And all the while that she was praying
The spirit touched my soul
I said I know that feeling, it overflows
Now when the Lord comes, let the spirit have his way
You’ll feel better tomorrow than you feel today
Your chains will be broken
That’s how it goes
I know that feeling, it overflows.
Opening
Opening
Praise the Lord. Today, I want to do things a bit differently as I want us to walk throughout our text on this morning in a manner that we may be more accustomed to in Bible Study. We are going to do what we call, expository preaching. Where we read some text and then I will go through the process of breaking our text down for our mutual benefit and understanding.
It is a very well-known passage of scripture, but I believe that by doing an in-depth exploration of the text we can improve our understanding of the text and walk away feeling just a little bit stronger and feel encouraged as we face the fight of our walk in salvation.
Give Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 1-9
Give Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 1-9
Prayer
Prayer
Give Subject: Who Am I?
Give Subject: Who Am I?
Background
Background
1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
The opening line for this chapter may seem innocent and simple enough, but to put i frankly, at this juncture in his text the Apostle Paul is tired.
The meaning of this text comes out much clearer if read from the Message Bible if you will allow me to offer that comparison.
1 You’ve forced me to talk this way, and I do it against my better judgment. But now that we’re at it, I may as well bring up the matter of visions and revelations that God gave me.
Now, what we have to remember about the Pauline Epistles (of which 2 Corinthians is one) is that while to us they are holy scripture at the time of their authorship they were letters from a Christian leader to his followers.
I think it is important that we put that in perspective because many times we take the Word of God out of its context and we therefore lose the true meaning of it because we are trying to impose our limited view on a limitless text.
Many times you wonder why God does not send you revelation… its because he cannot trust you with it.
You are too busy seeking interpretation but God wants a people that will receive revelation.
So, the Apostle Paul is writing a letter to the Church at Corinth in response to things he had heard and what had been shared with him in part through prayer and in part through letters from the people in Corinth.
He has spent the last several chapters, 10 & 11 asserting his own apostolic authority because the people had been accusatory to him and his ministry.
Paul had been faced with a great many difficulties in his ministry, including; his health, imprisonment, persecution, beatings, and many other sufferings that befell him due to his walk with Christ.
So Paul was in bad shape and as such decided not to pay visit to the Church in Corinth to spare them the trial and burden of accommodating him and his ministry while he gathered himself together.
Isn’t it funny, when you try to spare other people your burden they try to place the blame on you and ridicule you for choices you made to their benefit.
And so, having spent the last few chapters writing about the importance of remaining steadfast against false teachers, false prophets, and those who would seek to usurp the authority of real leaders within the Christian Church, Paul goes to establish his own authority.
To do so, he begins his account of God’s visions and revelations to not only showcase the true power of God but to also give the people insight into what a true calling of God brings upon your life.
However, Paul was reluctant to even begin this account because he did not want to brag but he felt it wise because it may be of value to those he was writing.
Of course, little did he know that it would help us these 2000 years later where we are still being edified by his words.
Exposition
Exposition
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
He recounts the experiences of a man (Many theologians assert it is Paul himself speaking about his experience in the third person but it can be argued based on the language used he is referring to the experiences of another man).
In any case the man is taken into the 3rd Heaven… the throne room of God himself
If I had time I would take you to the Book of Job 1 or Revelation 4 where the Bible speaks of Biblical Councils where the Angels and other beings are before God and they discuss matters of importance for the heavenlies.
So the man is brought into a room where God’s cabinet convenes and much like the Cabinet of the US President matters of Top Secret were discussed…
Languages used that have never been heard....
Technologies revealed we did not invent...
The man literally saw things that Heaven ruled it illegal for him to utter...
What has God revealed to you that you allow yourself to talk about too much;
We spend so much time praying for God to reveal new things to us but this leads me to believe that many of us cannot be trusted with his revelation because our mouth is too big.
Plans for business
Plans for ministry
Plans for our family
Plans for our finances
Plans for our Godly relationship
Plans for our marriage
But we spend so much time talking about the plan and do not let God work the plan out for us...
We have to remember the text says it was unlawful to utter not unlawful for you to see. Its not that God won’t reveal new things to you but CAN HE TRUST YOU WITH HIS SECRETS.
CAN GOD TRUST YOU WITH THE BIG STUFF
CAN GOD TRUST YOU....
Now we know of the amazing things that God can do;
This goes beyond the minor prophesies of the false prophets and teachers who seek to undermine Paul.
Paul is letting the Church at Corinth know that he is indeed called, chosen, and anointed to do the work of the ministry in spite of the attempts to discredit him and his calling.
5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
These verses present an interesting conundrum because in verse 5 he says
Of such a one (referring to the man who has seen that which is unlawful to utter) he will glory
But he does not allow himself to get any glory but he does glory in the infirmities
Perhaps his boasting of the “man” who received the revelation is rooted within the power of the revelation itself.
For truly it is an amazing thing when God gives you a vision and it is something to marvel at when God elects you to receive glory in the form of great revelation especially when it pertains to things that go beyond the confines of lawful utterance
But then when he looks at himself it is almost as if Paul does not seem himself as worthy of receiving glory.
Despite being the same man to have received the message, in the latter years of his ministry Paul has learned and grown to understand that in ALL THINGS we must give thanks unto the Lord for his many blessings and his great mercy.
This takes us to verse 6 where Paul makes it clear that for him to seek glory would be a foolish thing....
Paul has learned in the 14 years since encountering this vision that to seek out glory, to revel, in glory is not only unnecessary but is actual foolishness.
And so Paul has humbled himself to take the necessary steps back from an attitude of self-righteousness.
What do we try to take God’s credit for in our lives?
Our jobs.
Our families.
Our success...
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
And so, because God knows Paul he sends a thorn in his flesh to temper him in his walk with God.
God says I will give you new revelation but I must also hold back your flesh.
Because I will give the revelation to your spirit but your FLESH will act contrary to the revelation so I have to keep your flesh in check, otherwise you will get full of yourself.
So Paul you can write good but I cannot let you be a good preacher so you cannot lay claim to my glory.
Abraham, I will give you a son but I will make sure your loins are dead when I do it so you cannot lay claim to my glory.
Moses, I will make you a deliverer and a prophet but I will give you a stutter to humble you from glory.
Peter, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but before the cock crows thrice you will deny me...
John the Baptist you will set the stage for Jesus Christ to come but I will cause you to be imprisoned when he comes.
David, you are a man after God’s own heart, but your hands are too soiled to build me a house.
And many of these things are visited upon us by our own hand or through our own mistakes.
But that does not make any of these things less effective as a thorn in the flesh because they keep you humble.
These things let you know that YOU ARE NOT GOD… no matter how hard you try.
The danger is not having the thorn in the flesh, but indeed the danger is in ignoring the thorn in your flesh.
In what ways are you allowing your flesh to get in the way of your spirit.
Do an inventory of yourself and realize… what am I facing because I have not killed enough flesh to walk in that area of the spirit.
That is what Paul is saying here.
He says I have a thorn in my flesh to remind me that the flesh is still there… The thorn is in my flesh so I do not get too caught up in the spirit to feel the flesh.
And the thorn is only there because of HIS FLESH.
Your flesh may be why you can preach deliverance on Sunday and go home to hell on Monday.
Your flesh may be why you can pray someone out of the morgue on Tuesday and can’t pray a headache away on Wednesday.
Your flesh may be why you can raise thousands of $’s on Friday for the Church and your lights be off at 5:05 on Monday.
Could it be that God has given you a thorn in the area of your flesh you have not yet killed...
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And so Paul goes to the Lord and asks for relief from the thorn.
He asks for relief from the burden.
Relief from the pain.
Relief from the struggle.
But what do you do when God says no?
Conclusion
Conclusion
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
And God says unto Paul, my grace is sufficient…
Paul does not glorify in his flesh but glorifies in the affliction that comes as a result of his flesh.
The fact that your flesh is in rebellion is in fact a sign that God is not done with you.
If your flesh was not in rebellion it would in fact mean that your spirit was in one mind with your flesh.
But because your spirit is seeking God, your spirit rebels.
But no matter the will your flesh may have, because it has a will that is outside that of God’s will… and yet God can keep you in spite of because HIS GRACE is sufficient.
We have to get to a place in God where we allow his grace to take root in our lives and strengthen us beyond the limitations of our flesh.
The question was asked at the beginning of our message… who am I?
The answer is very simple.
You are not your flesh.
You are not your mistakes.
You are not your thorns.
You are not even the flesh you live in.
But in fact, you are a child of the Most High God.