Today’s message is from 2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10. From 2 Corinthians chapter 10 on (where we started in this part of 2 Corinthians two weeks ago) the apostle Paul is defending his ministry to the Corinthians. He is not defending himself but trying to persuade the Corinthian believers that he is who he says he is and that what he has been teaching them and preaching is the absolute truth—and that what certain others have been teaching and preaching are lies—lies that will lead to their destruction. Today’s passage is about Paul’s willingness to suffer for Christ and our need for absolute humility and complete dependence on him. All of us have this same need. We need to learn from Paul—willingness to suffer for Christ, absolute humility and complete dependence on him. “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart. No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” (Heb. 4:12, 13) The word of God convicts us of sin. We have to humble ourselves and repent.

As we read the passage, remember as always, that we are reading the word of God. The word of God does convict us of sin—and I’ve quoted those two verses, Hebrews 4:12, 13, before and will probably quote them again. The Holy Spirit uses the word of God to convict us of sin. We need the word of God to be convicted of sin. Without conviction of sin, there can be no repentance. But there is something else that is absolutely essential. Let me read the next three verses, Hebrews 4:14-16: “Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” (Heb. 4:14-16) Jesus is our high priest. We need God’s mercy.

As always, I encourage you—in fact, I admonish you—all to read your Bibles every day. Study and meditate on the word of God. (Admonish, by the way means, 1a) to indicate duties or obligations to; b) to express warning or disapproval to, especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner; 2) to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to.) So I admonish you (choose whichever definition you like) to read the word of God every day.

¹⁶I repeat: no one should consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little. ¹⁷What I say in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly. ¹⁸Since many boast from a human perspective, I will also boast. ¹⁹For you gladly put up with fools since you are so smart! ²⁰In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits you in the face. ²¹I say this to our shame: we have been weak. But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:

²⁸Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches. ²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? ³⁰If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. ³¹The eternally blessed One, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, knows I am not lying. ³²In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me, ³³so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

^12:1It is necessary to boast; it is not helpful, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. ³I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—⁴was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak. ⁵I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. ⁶For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, ⁷especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. ⁸Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. ⁹But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians~11:16-12:10)

“I repeat: no one should consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little. What I say in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly.” (2 Cor. 16, 17) Paul is feeling a little embarrassed to talk about himself. Maybe his motives aren’t completely pure. Maybe he wants to boast a little, but is also afraid that they will think he is egotistical. It’s seems hard for us think or know that our motives are pure—or even to have pure motives. I think we will struggle with that as long as we are in this present fleshly body and in this present life. Nevertheless, Paul’s goal is for the Corinthians to have confidence that he’s telling them the truth when he gives them the word of God, the true gospel. The “fools” that Paul is referring to in verse 19 were not teaching the truth.

If you remember from last week’s passage, Paul explained that Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light. So it’s no surprise that his servants also appear as messengers of light. Satan is a liar and a murderer and has been right along. Jesus says so. So what do you think Satan’s servants are? It’s Satan’s servants that Paul wants to discredit. These are people who are teaching things that lead to death.

False teachings frequently sound great. The messengers sound like angels of light. But the appeal is to pride and selfishness. “Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.” This is what Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:3.

The false teachings appeal to our own desires. They appeal to us when we want to save our own lives rather than giving up our lives for Jesus and the gospel. (If you want to save your own, by the way, you may remember that Jesus says, you will lose it. The way to keep your life for eternal life is to give it up for Jesus and for the gospel.)

Look at verses 19 and 20: “For you gladly put up with fools since you are so smart! In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits you in the face.” The false teachings make us slaves—slaves to sin—slaves to self-centeredness and rebellion. Beware. They can be very appealing, but they are very destructive. (I mentioned the Boundaries book last week.)

Look at verse 22: “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.” The false teachers were Jewish. So is Paul. If being a Jew is any credentials for teaching the truth (and certainly our ancestry or ethnicity isn’t), then Paul’s credentials are certainly better than those of the false teachers.

Because Paul brought this up—that he was a Jew—I suspect that the false teachers were teaching that you have to keep the Jewish ceremonial law in order to be saved. That sure isn’t what my self-centered ears itch to hear. But for some it appeals to pride: “I keep the Law. That makes me better than you are.” I talked about it last week. These kinds of things may not have much appeal to us, but there are still plenty of teachings today that appeal to pride and selfishness. I talked about some of those last week, too.

Let’s go on—verse 23: “Are they servants of Christ? I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, near death many times.” Some of the people who were critical of Paul may have been servants of Christ. But the false teachers certainly weren’t. They were servants of Satan. Paul suffered a lot to bring the salvation of Jesus Christ to the Corinthians and to many others. False teachers are not generally willing to suffer much.

You know, I don’t imagine that the Corinthian church was a “mega-church” with thousands of members like the mega-churches we have today. But having a huge congregation is not necessarily what makes you a good servant of Christ. It’s how much you are willing to sacrifice for Jesus—to do his work. And I have to say that I’m not trying to make excuses for this particular church—if you’ll put up with my foolishness. It’s true. It’s not how many people you serve, but how much you love Jesus and how much you are willing to sacrifice to serve him. Paul did, however, plant quite a few churches, but, nevertheless, his credentials are how much he was willing to suffer to do so.

Now look at verse 24. Paul says that he received the 40 lashes minus one from the Jews. I’ve read that they would apply 13 lashes each to your right side, you left side and to your back. They did it that way so that there would be something left of you after they were finished. That’s how severe the beating was.

Tom Thomin was in Harbin in China as a missionary back in the ‘90’s. In Harbin, in the winter, it goes for long periods of time without the temperature ever getting above zero. 40-below or lower is not uncommon. In Tom’s apartment building, they only had hot water for about two hours each day. The heat was only turned on to keep the temperature above freezing. On the other hand, Tom was never beaten.

You know, I can’t even imagine living with temperatures in the 30’s indoors. In the winter, I can have a sweater and my winter coat on at 68 degrees and still be cold if I’m sitting still. (One time I was encouraged by a missionary to go take the gospel to China. I thought, “No way. I’m too old.” I was younger than I am now.)

You know, when you go to China as a missionary, you can’t tell them you want to enter the country as a missionary. You have to enter as an English teacher or have some other business. They (I am told) will look the other way if you spread the gospel very discreetly because they want to have English teachers and have found that the Christian English teachers are more reliable. If you are caught openly preaching the gospel, probably—probably—the worst thing that will happen to you is that you will be arrested and deported. (On the other hand, if you are a native and are caught spreading the gospel, you will go to prison.)

Well, if you are a foreign missionary and are arrested and deported, that doesn’t sound too bad. But how would you actually feel if you were arrested and deported—pretty scary. And most of us are afraid to share the gospel in this country for fear that we will offend someone or be ridiculed and insulted.

Let’s go on. Let’s look at verses 28 through 30. Paul says, “Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses.”

Part of Paul’s burden and struggles were his concern for the churches. He felt the pressure day by day. He said to the Thessalonians that they (Paul, Silas and Timothy) were gentle among them “like a mother caring for her little children.” (2 Thess. 2:7) Do you think mothers worry about their children? They do! Paul had the pressure of this same concern day after day. What do you think he did about it? Here’s what he says in Philippians 4:4-7. This is God’s admonition to all of us, also:

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians~4:4-7)

“The peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Think of all that Paul went through because he wanted people to know Christ. It doesn’t make us look like very much, does it? I think that if Paul hadn’t followed this teaching (rejoice in the Lord always), he wouldn’t have had a chance. If we don’t follow it, we won’t do much for Christ, either.

³¹The eternally blessed One, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, knows I am not lying. ³²In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me, ³³so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. (2 Corinthians 11:31-33)

¹It is necessary to boast; it is not helpful, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. ³I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—⁴was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak. ⁵I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. ⁶For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, ⁷especially because of the extraordinary revelations. (2 Corinthians~12:1-7a)

You know, the Bible doesn’t say much about heaven. (The “third heaven” is paradise. Most people understand that the first heaven is the air where the birds fly around. The second heaven is where the sun and moon and stars are. But that the third heaven is where God’s throne is.

Do you remember what Jesus said to the criminal on the cross next to him when he was being crucified? The man said to him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Do you remember how Jesus answered? Jesus told the man, “I assure you: today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) What a beautiful salvation.

“Paradise” means “garden”. I think it’s a reference to the garden of Eden. In Revelation 2:7 Jesus says, “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God—the garden of God.” The “tree of life” was in the middle of the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were free to eat the fruit from it. But, after they disobeyed God, they were expelled from the garden so that they couldn’t eat from the tree of life. In the third heaven, we will be free to eat from the tree of life.

The Bible doesn’t really say much about heaven anywhere. In today’s passage, Paul heard “inexpressible words that a man is not allowed to speak”. I think that what Paul saw and heard was so great that it was beyond his ability to describe it. It also seems clear that the Lord doesn’t want us to know more than what he has already revealed to us. All we need to know is that it is very great. (I’ve read various stories where the authors have tried to give a description of heaven. It always seems to be a let down. They try to make it sound great and I know that if I had anything like any of them describe here on earth I would think it was wonderful. But somehow what they describe still seems to be a disappointment. Maybe it’s because I think we would eventually get bored. I think that’s it. But that kind of thinking is definitely worldly, fleshly thinking. If I bring the question up to Mooma, she says, “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be good.” I think that’s God’s message to all of us, too. Anyway, I believe that God’s message to us through the apostle Paul is that heaven will be so great that there is no way we could understand it in our present condition. Let’s go on:

^7bTherefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. ⁸Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. ⁹But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians~12:7b-10)

All of us are subject to pride. If you have pride—maybe I should say, “very much pride,” because I don’t think anyone is completely without pride in this life—if you have very much pride, you are absolutely useless to God. Pride is the sin of the devil: “You said to yourself: ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit.” (Isa. 14:13-15) “I, I, I , I...” Pride makes you absolutely useless to God. “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” (Prov.~16:18)

Therefore... Therefore, so that Paul wouldn’t exalt himself, he was given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger from Satan. (“Messenger”, by the way, is the same word as “angel”. An angel from Satan was sent to torment Paul. There are God’s holy angels and there are Satan’s angels. Satan’s angels are apparently angels that followed Satan when he rebelled against God.) Anyway, Jesus would not take away the thorn from Paul’s flesh. He said the his grace was sufficient for Paul. The grace of Jesus is sufficient for us, also.

To serve God—even to enter his kingdom—you have to be humble. The first beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matt.~5:3) (“Beatitude” means “blessing”, by the way. Maybe you all knew that.) “Blessed are the poor in spirit...” The word “poor” means “destitute”. It doesn’t mean that you just have low income. It means that you are absolutely dependent on someone else for your very survival—destitute.

²Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. ³“I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt.~18:2-4)

I used to wonder what it meant to become like children. I asked Mooma one time and she said that little children are more innocent. Little children may be more innocent, but they are certainly anything but innocent. They are rebellious and self-centered and use manipulation to get what they want. They are sinners just like the rest of us. They have to be taught. And have to be saved by grace just like the rest of us.

But there is one fact that you can’t deny. Little children are completely dependent on others for all of their needs—and they know it! That why they have to be taught not to whine and cry and not to be manipulative. Jesus says, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” To be humble means to know that you are completely dependent on God—that you can’t do anything without his power. If you think you can be self-sufficient, you will not enter the kingdom of God. (And I would have to add that becoming humble is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. But it starts with being converted. You have to humble yourself to admit that you need a Savior—that you need Jesus.)

And, by the way, I might add that pride is something that is taught in our culture as a positive thing. It’s desirable. We appeal to it as a motivation to do a good job: “Take pride in your work.” It’s a false teaching. Pride is not a positive thing. It leads to destruction. It’s the sin of the devil. Our motivation must be that Jesus loves us and died for us. I could go on, but I’ll save it for another time.