"SUFFICIENT GRACE!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte
2 CORINTHIANS 12:2-10
Paul had been given an unrecordable glimpse of the Paradise waiting
all who belong to Jesus Christ. We read books written by people who claim
to have had some experience similar to Paul's, and there seems to be an
element of smugness that creeps through the books. Having such an experience
would tend to make one heady. To avert that, God gave Paul what we know
as "a thorn in the flesh" with the express purpose of humbling
him in light of his astounding revelation. This was a messenger from Satan
which God had allowed to afflict Paul in some way. It is not my purpose
here to debate the nature of the thorn, but possibilities range from epilepsy
to poor eyesight to a host of hostile Jews antagonizing him constantly.
As Paul recognized his need for humility so must we; as God humbled
Paul, He will humble us; and as God provided grace for the trial, so He
will provide for us. When we go through difficult times we might be like
the bride and groom who spent their wedding night in the bridal suite of
an elegant hotel. Everything ran late, so by the time they arrived at the
hotel, the night was nearly spent. Entering their bridal suite, they were
surprised to find only a sofa, some chairs, and a table, but no bed. Fortunately,
the sofa was a hide-a-bed, but one with soggy springs and a lumpy mattress.
They were too tired to protest or demand other accommodations so they spent
a fitful night on a terrible excuse for a bed. Besides being chagrined,
they were also somewhat humiliated. Their experience parallels ours as
it did Paul's.
- PAUL'S THORN IN THE FLESH HUMBLED HIM: V7:
- Thorn is actually too mild a term. Stake is more appropriate. The word
denotes the implement used by barbarians to impale quivering victims. Paul
truly suffered, probably in some physical manner, for the express purpose
of preventing conceit, arrogance, or self-exaltation. The result was that
he realized his inadequacy and dependency.
- Sometimes we, too, need a dose of humiliation. The Bible makes it clear:
James 4:6 "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace
to the humble." Why is that? What is there about pride that sets God's
heart against it?
- Pride is a sin in itself: Proverbs 21:4 "Haughty
eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin."
- Pride minimizes others and discounts their worth.
- Pride makes us feel superior to others.
- Pride creates an inordinate self-sufficiency.
- Pride causes us to act impetuously as though nothing can hinder us.
The Psalmist said, "They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Thy people, O Lord,
and afflict Thy heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger,
and murder the orphans. And they have said, 'The Lord does not see, nor
does the God of Jacob pay heed.'" Psalms 94:4-7.
- Pride causes us to become our own god, a law unto ourselves and the
captain of our own lives.
- C.S. Lewis said, "It was through pride that the devil became the
devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state
of mind. ... Nearly all those evils in the world which people put down
to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride. ... Pride
always means enmity -- it is enmity. And not only enmity between
man and man, but enmity to God." ("Mere Christianity." Simon
& Schuster, N.Y., 1980, pp. 110-111.)
- No wonder God hades pride. No wonder when God sees pride,
He sends some difficulty to humble us:
- He allows the consequences to our arrogant actions. Proverbs
11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with
the humble is wisdom."
- He causes the confounding of our lofty plans. Proverbs 16:1
"The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue
is from the Lord."
- He sends some sort of chastening, maybe in the form of the rebuke of
other people such as when Nathan indicted David for the sin of adultery
and murder. 2 Samuel 12:7.
- God will humble the proud! It isn't that God wants us to be lower than
a slug's belly; it is that He wants to know us and for us to know Him and
pride is the great sin that will prevent that.
After the miserable, humiliating night, and after greeting the new day
with a sore back and a lousy attitude, the new husband rose to his responsibilities
and marched to the lobby where he accosted the management and demanded
an explanation and insisted upon having things set right. Paul, too, lifted
up his lament. He did what we all must do when life confounds us.
- PAUL APPROACHED THE PROBLEM THROUGH PRAYER: V8:
- Notice that Paul prayed three times; it is not a casual praying, it
is earnest entreaty, it is imploring God to act.
- It is clearly right to pray repeatedly about the same thing; Jesus
prayed in the Garden three times making the same request. Nor should we
place a three-time limit on prayer. We ought to pray until the answer comes,
and then accept the answer.
- What do we often do instead of pray?
- We worry, fret, panic, come unglued, and grow frantic.
- We get angry, pout, sulk and demand better treatment.
- We try solving the situation in our own might, wisdom and effort.
- We attempt to be brave, stoic, and to keep a stiff upper lip.
- We seek to escape the problem through alcohol, drugs, sex, amusement,
and acquiring material things.
- Know that God knows what is happening to you and that He is at work
in it, through it, and by it for your ultimate good; what He is waiting
for is your turning to Him, seeking His face, making your request known,
and then trusting Him.
While the frustrated young man made his complaint, the manager remained
calm. "Did you open the door in the room?" he asked. The husband
returned to the room a little less huffily. He did not know what the manager
meant, but was about to receive an unexpected answer to his complaint.
Paul knew what he wanted to happen and let God know about it; but he, too,
was in for a surprise.
- PAUL WAS GIVEN AN UNEXPECTED ANSWER: V9:
- God did not remove the thorn in Paul's flesh. Now God always answers
our prayers; sometimes, "Yes!" sometimes, "No!" Sometimes,
"Later!" This was a time when God's answer was, "No, not
that way, but this!" His prayer was answered by grace to endure the
problem God would choose not to remove.
- Let's talk about grace for a moment.
- Grace is the undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor and love of God.
- It is God working of His own volition and upon no good in us to:
- Save us: Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"
- Keep us: 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient
for you, for power is perfected in weakness."
- Provide for us: 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able
to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in
everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;"
- God may not give us what we so urgently request but will always give
us grace! It has been put differently by different people:
- When God closes a door he opens a window; or when God closes one door,
He opens another.
- When God denies a believer's request He has something better to provide.
- When God says, "No!" it is because "Yes!" isn't
the best answer.
- If God doesn't solve your problem, He will give you grace! If God doesn't
give you the means to solve it yourself, then He will give you grace to
endure it! He will always, definitely, surely give you the best answer
to your persistent, fervent prayer of faith.
The young husband went back to the room and discovered that the door
he and his bride thought was a closet was, in fact, the way into a beautifully
furnished bedroom, where they also found their complimentary fruit basket
and chocolates. The management had wanted to please. The bride and groom
just hadn't taken full advantage of the hospitality. It was there all along.
Paul already had the answer to his prayer, too, but it was an answer to
which he had to be alerted. So with us. You may bitterly lament your situation;
God has grace for you. You may be oppressed with a sense of guilt and failure;
God has grace for you! You may fret and fuss about what the future may
hold; God has grace for you! His answer may not be what you exactly want
or ask, but it will be grace -- and it will be enough! His grace is enough
to forgive all your sins; His grace is enough to give you a new life; His
grace is enough to assure you of eternal life; His grace is sufficient!
His grace is sufficient for the young and the old; for men and for women;
for the learned and the ignorant. There's no other word for His all
sufficient grace but amazing. Come to Him, receive His amazing grace.
Bride and Groom story: LeRoy Lawson,
"Blessed Are We!" Standard Publishing Co., Cincinnati, p.13.
Return To Archive
Return To Index