God's Answer to Our Pride
Tom Shrader walks through 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, examining Paul's account of being caught up into the third heaven and the thorn in the flesh God permitted to guard him against pride. He emphasizes that God sovereignly allows suffering not as punishment but as protection, keeping believers dependent on Christ rather than on their own abilities or reputation. Drawing on the lives of friends and fellow ministers, Shrader calls his congregation to pray, remember God's sufficient grace, and even rejoice in trials, because weakness is the very condition in which God's power is most fully displayed.
“I would rather suffer obediently than prosper disobediently, because I know my obedient suffering is as temporary as my disobedient prospering.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: 2 Corinthians
Recorded: 2003 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 53 min
Themes: pride, suffering, weakness, grace, humility, dependence on god, trials, rejoicing, struggling with pride, going through suffering, feeling weak, pastor, worship leader, minister in ministry, navigating hardship, spiritually mature believer
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, 2 Corinthians 10:17, 2 Corinthians 11:24, Galatians 1:12, Acts 9, Acts 16, Acts 27, Exodus 4, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:13, James 1
Theological Themes: sanctification, divine sovereignty, thorn in the flesh, sufficient grace, pneumatology, spiritual weakness, boasting in christ, kenosis
Full Transcript
Introduction: Desperate for the Lord
Gary's gesture said it all — "Thank Him." That is a perfect introduction to the study today, because that is what Paul is trying to say to us. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 1, he talks about boasting. He says boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable.
If you have been with us, you know this background, and it is absolutely essential that we have it. Paul is saying that he is caught in a bit of a dilemma. He would prefer not to be someone who boasts, and he certainly does not want to brag. He follows his own advice. If you look at chapter 10, verse 17, he says, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" — boast in what God does.
Paul keeps in front of us not his accomplishments, but his weaknesses. He is constantly trying to deflect any praise that is offered to him toward Christ. That is so contrary to what we see around us.
What Paul Does Not Boast About
Notice what Paul does not boast about here. He does not boast about his credentials. He does not mention people who have come to faith through his ministry. He does not talk about large crowds that have gathered around him, or miracles that have been done through him. All of those things are true, and he certainly could speak to them — but he does not.
In contrast with the world around us, Paul boasts of what you find in chapter 11, beginning in verse 24: the beatings, the hardship, the persecution, the distress, the suffering, the pain, and ultimately the humiliation of being lowered out of town in a basket.
Are We Truly Desperate for Him?
Here are the words you probably sang just a few minutes ago: "This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me. This is my daily bread, Your very words spoken to me, and I'm desperate for You, and I'm lost without You." Do you really believe that?
It is fairly easy sitting here to say yes, and you probably mean it. But that is not the only question. When you hit the office tomorrow and that door opens, do you really believe you are desperate and lost without Him? Or do you walk in saying, "The pro from Dover is here — everybody step back, I'll handle it"?
What is the secret to a ministry like Paul's? What is the secret to a life lived with that kind of dependence on God? It is singular: they are desperate for the Lord, and they understand that they are lost without Him. They understand what Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the branches; apart from Me, you cannot do a thing." The dirt may fly around you, you may build large congregations or get people to listen to you, but it has no eternal value. The very point that you are here — to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever — will be missed unless you first understand that you are lost and separated from Him without His presence.
Paul's Dilemma and the Trump Card
Paul is saying he does not like this boasting. Remember the background: there are attacks coming at him from those who have either infiltrated the church at Corinth or at least influenced it. They are attacking him personally, attacking his integrity, and attacking his apostolic authority. Paul is forced not simply to defend himself, but to defend the gospel, the truth, and God's authority. His apostolic authority must be defended.
So Paul says, "Okay, here we are." And it seems to me that at this point he plays the trump card. He could have pointed to this accomplishment or that one, but instead he says, "Boom — take a look at this." Boasting is necessary, it is not profitable, but he will do it.
Visions and Revelations Defined
Let me give you two definitions. The word "vision" simply means a visual experience that God has provided, and "revelation" is truth that God has imparted — and it may be imparted through those visions. These are important because Luke told us that for a person to be an apostle, they had to see the risen Christ. Indeed, Paul has. In the book of Acts, Luke mentions six visions that Paul has, and there may be more.
They are not all of Christ, by the way. In chapter 9 of Acts, Paul sees a man named Ananias. In chapter 16, he sees a man from Macedonia. In chapter 27, he sees an angel of the Lord — but he also sees the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. These are sightings, visual experiences that God provided for Paul, and they also involve revelation, the imparting of truth. In Galatians chapter 1 verse 12, Paul is speaking of the gospel and says, "I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul's Reluctant Boasting
Paul begins this chapter by saying he does not want to participate in boasting. We saw that all through chapter 11 — he kept saying this is foolish, this is foolish, but it is necessary. The stakes are too high for him to ignore it. And so he says he has had visions from the Lord, revelation from the Lord, and then he tells us about one of those experiences.
Look at verses 2, 3, and 4. Paul writes: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows — was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak." A casual reading of that grabs your attention. Something significant is going on here.
Paul Speaking in the Third Person
There are some very clear things we can learn from these verses. First, Paul is speaking autobiographically. He is strangely speaking in the third person, but this man he knew in Christ was Paul himself. Paul tells us that fourteen years ago — somewhere around 41 or 42 AD — he had this experience, though we do not know the exact circumstances surrounding it.
It occurred somewhere, probably, between his return to Tarsus and his departure on a missionary journey. Verse 2 says he was caught up into the third heaven, and verse 4 says he was caught up into paradise. That is not two separate experiences — that is the same experience. So here is Paul, fourteen years prior to the writing of this letter, saying: I was caught up. I was caught up into paradise. I was caught up into the third heaven.
The Three Heavens
Jewish thought used the word "heaven" in three distinct ways. The first is to speak of the earth's atmosphere — the canopy that hangs over this planet, the sky and the clouds we look up and see. The second is to speak of the universe: the galaxy, the stars, the solar system and beyond.
That universe continues, at least in our knowledge, to grow. I have done a lot of reading recently, and I watched a little of the NASA channel yesterday. They were discussing a probe hovering between the gravitational pull of the earth and the gravitational pull of the sun, sending back extraordinary real-time pictures of explosions and bursts on the sun, and pictures of comets striking it. That is the nearest star to us, and it reminds us just how minuscule we are in this universe. That is the second use of the word "heaven" — the idea of the universe.
The third use is God's dwelling place: paradise. Paul says he was caught up into that third heaven — God's dwelling place. When Jesus says to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise," that is what He has in mind.
What We Can and Cannot Know
So what can we learn? Paul is speaking autobiographically of an incident that occurred fourteen years before the writing of this letter — an experience that took him beyond the earth. Paul said he did not know whether he was within his body or out of his body, and it seems that the body was not what was significant.
What struck me in preparing for this was that many commentators wrote many pages speculating about whether it was in the body or out of the body. If Paul himself did not know, how would they know? He told you he cannot know it. He did not know, and neither do we.
It was an extraordinary vision — and yet Paul could not tell what he saw or what he heard. Apparently, the words he heard were intelligible to him, but he was not permitted to repeat them. Imagine the impact that experience had to have on his life and his ministry. It had to deepen his understanding of God and of who He is, and deepen his love and his desire to be with Him.
This fully explains why Paul says, "Whether absent from the body to be present with the Lord" — he is torn in two directions. He wants to remain with the church, but going to be with the Lord holds something he has already had a foretaste of. He is ready to go. And it is with all of this behind him that Paul now deals with the matter of boasting.
Paul's Refusal to Boast
Paul simply said to them, "Don't look at me, look at the ministry, look at the fruit, look at the way we dealt with you." These are all the things we've talked about over the last few weeks. We didn't take any money from you. We didn't put any hardship on you. We went out of our way to make sure that we treated you in the best way possible. We did deal with the sin that was in your life. And he said, "You need to understand, I am an apostle. That's the charge. I've seen the Lord. God has communicated to me through visions and revelation."
Verses 5 and 6 return again to this repetitive theme. Paul said, "On behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weakness." All he was going to brag about — all he brought to this whole gathering, to this whole relationship — was his weakness. God is responsible for the good actions in Paul's life, and to Him be the glory.
You just witnessed this a moment ago. The microphone was off so you didn't hear it, but as Mike was talking about Maggie being tested and proven, she said, "God is good. Praise Him." That is exactly what Paul is saying. He continues: "For if I do wish to boast, I shall not be foolish, for I shall be speaking the truth." Paul is saying, "Listen, if I wanted to get into this game, I could tell you some extraordinary things, and they would all be true." But then he adds, "I refrain from this so that no one may credit me with more than he sees in me or hears in me." Paul did not want to elevate himself beyond the realm of ordinary humanness.
Pride Among Church Leaders
I want to stop and comment on this, and I'll return to it again when we close. This strikes me as absolutely contrary to the attitude I see among many church leaders, especially among those you see on television.
I look around even at some of the authors we would read and carry in our bookstore, and they are pretty carried away with who they are and what they've written. Have you got my latest book? Have you read my latest article? I've had a new insight on that. But they are tame compared to what you see on television.
Among so many in charismatic circles, you see this pattern repeatedly. One church starts something — the laughter movement, for instance — then another picks it up, and another, and then it disappears just as quickly. About a decade ago, one of these men claimed to have been caught up into the third heaven. He came back, wrote a book, went on television, and built an entire teaching ministry around it. Once he started, a whole series of others followed. Just a month or two ago, I saw one of them describing what he saw when he went to heaven — conversations with David and all of this detail. I don't know whether they went to heaven. I doubt it. But if they did, their response was certainly different from Paul's.
Paul said, "I'm not going to say anything to you about it other than I went there." These men have a whole marketing department built around it, and it doesn't seem right. Why does Paul tell us he doesn't want to boast about it? Because he said, "I don't want you to lift me up." That's what happens — someone tells a magnificent story, and you say, "Wow, he's really something." Paul seems to understand what is the most hideous characteristic you can develop in your life, and that is pride. He understands how it works. He says, in effect, "If I start down that road, before long you'll be asking me to sign your Bible."
The Thorn in the Flesh
Verse 7 is absolutely riveting. Just let it say what it says. "And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation" — in other words, because of the extraordinary moment Paul was given — "for that reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, to keep me from being prideful and arrogant."
That is an extraordinary verse. I've heard all sorts of people ask, "Why would God do this? Why would He give the Apostle a thorn?" All you have to do is read it. He told you why. See the words "because" and "for this reason." Because of these extraordinary things God was doing in Paul's life, He allowed Satan to bring a thorn in the flesh — a messenger sent to buffet him. We will look at all of that in a moment, but do you see what is being said?
I cannot read or teach 2 Corinthians 12 without thinking about Larry Wright. Many of you know Larry, and some of you don't, so indulge me just a moment to make sure everyone understands who he is. He was a man who by far had the most profound effect on me, my life, and my ministry.
When Pride Meets Pain
My family had a friend named Larry who died about two years ago. On vacation, we'd sit around having these discussions: if you were locked in a room and had to listen to the same CD over and over for 30 days, what would it be? What are the three worst movies of all time? If you could pick anybody to be your mom and dad, who would you pick? If you could come back and witness any event in history, what would it be? And one question was: if you could only listen to one Bible teacher for the rest of your life, who would it be? We heard all sorts of answers — MacArthur, Swindoll, John Piper, Spurgeon. I said Larry Wright.
I didn't really mean it as flattery. The way Larry connected with me, I could just listen to him. He opened the Scripture, God used him, and if you could rewind back 25 years to what this city was like spiritually, Larry was a major player in shaking things up.
When Larry was here for my 50th birthday, I wheeled him out in a wheelchair. He'd had his knees replaced and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis so severe that to open a car door, he'd back up to it to get enough leverage to fall forward and pull. His car key was mounted on a stick so he could get enough leverage to turn it. His hands were all gnarled. He couldn't button a button or tie a tie. We were up in Portland at a conference, and I went to pick him up from his room to tell him it was time to go down. He said, "Tommy, I need some help. I can't zip my pants." I said, "Oh buddy, we are above and beyond the call of duty here, my friend."
And I'm not kidding — I heard dozens of people say, "Why would God do that to Larry?" The answer might be right here. As Larry would tell you himself, he was the most proud, arrogant, selfish man that ever lived. And there wasn't a lesson that went by where people didn't beat a path up to that pulpit to say, "That was unbelievable, Larry. That was extraordinary, Larry. You've changed my life, Larry." You cannot take a constant barrage of that without it affecting you.
The Danger of Spiritual Pride
Ray Stedman, pastor for years at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, writes this: "The most dangerous threat to any servant of Christ is spiritual pride. I want to confess to you that that is the thing I fear most in my ministry. So many nice things are said to me. I get so many strokes, so many boosts to my ego. I fear, lest I begin to believe them, that some of these compliments represent remarkable abilities that I possess. Pray for me. Pray that I do not fall in this area."
God has been good to me because He keeps people around me who keep me grounded. I believe this, and while I don't think of myself as a great student of human nature, I do think I understand people very well, and I certainly understand my own heart pretty well. Paul nails it cold. He says in verse 6 that he is not going to tell them about his revelations because they will elevate him, and when they do, he knows he will like it — he will naturally be vulnerable to it.
The Thorn in the Flesh
And so God gives Paul a thorn in the flesh. What is that thorn? There are all sorts of possibilities that have been put forward: bad eyesight — at the end of Galatians he wrote, "You notice I'm writing this in my large letters in my own hand" — or a speech impediment, epilepsy, headaches, disfigurement from beatings, a sensual passion, or a difficult relationship. MacArthur is helpful in sorting through this by going back to the language. Paul says he was given a messenger from Satan, and MacArthur points out that those very words carry with them the idea of a demonic person, not a physical illness.
Here is what Paul said — verse 7: "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me." That verb translated "buffet" always refers to ill treatment from other people. My suspicion is that there were people in Paul's life who were the source of this suffering. He was able to handle the beatings and all those other things — it was the people. In any case, it is a messenger from Satan; Satan is the immediate cause. But I think we need to grow comfortable with the fact that God is the ultimate cause, because Satan would not have been allowed to send this messenger into Paul's life if God had not permitted it.
Everything Is Either Caused or Allowed by God
This brings us back to our own lives. Let me remind you of what we say here continually: everything in your life is either caused by or allowed by God. When God speaks to Moses in Exodus chapter 4, He asks this question: "Who makes the deaf, who makes the dumb, who makes the blind? I do, says the Lord." When Moses goes to Pharaoh and says, "Let my people go," and the plagues come upon Egypt, the tenth plague is the slaughtering of the firstborn in every Egyptian household. Scripture says this: "The Lord struck them down."
Does that line up with your view of God? It may not. It certainly doesn't line up with the view out in our culture today. Most people can't even believe there is a hell, because they don't think a loving God could send a sinful, wretched person there. So they certainly cannot begin to accept that this cancer, this death, this pain, this hurt, this anguish is ultimately God's responsibility — in the sense that God could stop it. Because if God cannot stop it, then He is not God.
Praying Through Pain
In your life, you are going to encounter suffering, pain, hardship, and difficulties. Susan and I were talking about it the other day. A lot of our friends are now having to deal with their aging parents. God was so gracious to take Susan's mom quickly and not allow prolonged suffering. But we see people who, at one point in time, had their parents putting Huggies on them, now putting depends on their mom and their dad.
There was no dad like my dad. Nobody could bring the heat like dad. Every night after dinner — not once in a while, every night — we went out in that backyard and played catch until you could not see anymore. As soon as I could bring just a little bit of speed, he would take it up a notch. He wasn't afraid to plant it right where I couldn't catch it, and to hit me. I'm almost over that.
There was a day I will never forget. He was catching and I was pitching, and I put it in that awkward spot — not down, not up, but right in the middle — and I caught him right smack in the palm. I saw him twitch, and I thought, "I got him." Nobody could bring it like that. But now he can't throw anymore. He was a fly fisherman who used to make his own flies. Now he can't even read the paper. How much hurt and pain is there in watching that? That is just the normal flow of life.
Or consider the reversal of that. I was taking a brief nap this afternoon, and there was a show on — I don't even know what channel, because I was dozing off — and there was this three-year-old kid with cancer, going through all these treatments. He was the cutest kid. And he died. That goes to all the extremes and everything in between. Someone came up this morning and said, "I just lost my job on June 6th." It all falls somewhere in between.
What Paul Did in the Midst of Suffering
What do you do in the midst of that pain and suffering? I'm not trying to say that you have the same situation Paul had — the thorn in the flesh and all that goes with it. All I'm saying is that as Paul suffered, I think we can look to his life, see how he handled it, and find principles that apply to us.
Look at what he did. Verse 8 makes all the sense in the world. Notice who he prayed to. He didn't pray to a saint and ask the saint to go to the Lord. He didn't pray to some sort of intermediary. He went right to the Lord — three times. I don't know the exact words, but I know the content: he prayed, "Get this thorn away from me. Take it away."
There is nothing wrong, when there is hurt, pain, or grief in your life, with going to Him and saying, "Take it away. I don't want it." I think you need to add to that, "If it be Your will." One of the things Larry used to say is this: "I would rather suffer obediently than prosper disobediently, because I know my obedient suffering is as temporary as my disobedient prospering." That is pure genius. So is there suffering in my life? Yes, there is going to be. Do I want it? No, not really. Not suffering seems to feel better. But the attitude is: God, if I need it, I want it.
God's Answer: Sufficient Grace
Paul says he prayed three times. There is no indication here that the thorn in the flesh was taken away. Did God answer his prayer? Absolutely. He answered it with grace: "My grace is sufficient." The verb is in the present tense, conveying the idea of grace that is constantly available — to us, to you, to me.
"I can do all things," Paul writes, "through Him who strengthens me." Years ago, a college football team had a little towel with Philippians 4:13 on it — and they apparently went three and eight that year. They missed it, as we so often do with Scripture, taking it out of context. What Paul is actually saying is: I know how to live with a lot, I know how to live with a little, and I can live through anything through Him who strengthens me. That is the grace God gives.
Larry's Witness
At one point, Larry had cancer. You could literally see the cancer growing in his neck. I'm not exaggerating — I would see him one week, see him the next week, and the neck was visibly larger. Finally the doctor said, "We have to go in there and at least explore." They thought it was a tumor of some sort but didn't know exactly what it was.
It was a Wednesday. I was in Tucson teaching. I called and learned he was in surgery, so I drove back and went straight to St. Joe's. As I was driving, I was singing praise songs, worshiping, praying for Larry. I walked in and they said, "It's cancer." They had to go in and do a radical procedure to remove it. He literally went from about a fifteen and a half, thirty-three to about an eight and a half, thirty-three. I remember my reaction — I just began to cry. I got away and sat in a stairwell at St. Joe's for a while.
Then they came out and said, "He's in recovery and he wants to see you. He's groggy, but he's asking where you are." I went in, and he was drifting in and out. I was struck by the way he looked — they had him stapled closed and that whole section was gone. And so I said one of those bright things and asked, "Did it hurt?" He was groggy, and all he could say was, "My grace is sufficient."
You can't fake those moments. I had a minor procedure in January, and the last thing I said to the nurse was, "Don't let one soul in this room until I am totally"—
God's Grace in the Midst of Suffering
You cannot fake what comes out of a person in their most vulnerable moments. What comes out is what is inside. I spent a great deal of time with Larry, and through all of that physical pain, I never once heard him complain. How did he endure it? God's grace is sufficient. It was sufficient for Paul, it was sufficient for Larry, and here is what matters most — it is sufficient for you.
I don't know what you are going through right now. With this many people in a room, I guarantee there is a great deal of hurt and pain at varying levels. So what do you do in the midst of that?
The Call to Come to Christ
If you are not a believer, you need to come to Christ. No matter how much you try to suppress it, no matter how much positive thinking you bring to bear, in the quiet of your heart when you are alone and no one else is around, you know you cannot handle it. You may say otherwise to the people you work with, to your friends — but you know the truth. Perhaps you simply do not know what else to do. Here is what to do: run to the cross. Run to Jesus Christ. Come in repentance and faith.
Will He take away the suffering? Maybe. Maybe not. But what He will do is join you in the midst of it. And suddenly, that thing you did not think there was any way you could survive — there He is with you.
There is an infomercial that seems to be everywhere now about anxiety. How do you get rid of anxiety? Come to Christ. It is free. You do not need to buy anything. Come to Christ. For those of you who are already Christians, this means being anxious for nothing. That does not mean there is never a moment of tension, but Jesus says to us over and over again: do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid.
Romans 8:28 — For Those Who Love Him
Why should we not be afraid? Because of what we know. Paul tells us in Romans 8:28: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose." This promise is not for everyone in the room today without distinction. If you are here and you are not a Christian, do not draw hope from this verse on your own terms. Your only hope is to come to Christ.
Paul's posture was this: there is hurt and there is pain, and all things considered he would prefer it to be gone — but if God wants him to have it, then bring it on. Because his strength, his power, is matured and perfected in weakness. He closes with these words: "Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
On the surface you might look at that and think, what an extraordinary man Paul was. But remember what Jesus said — I am going to leave, and you are better off that I am gone, because I am going to give you another. The Comforter. The one who comes alongside.
The Subtlety of Pride, Even in Spiritual Matters
I want you to understand how dangerous, deceptive, and subtle pride is, even in spiritual matters. Do not entertain thoughts that you are something remarkable in yourself. You are desperate and you are lost. Are there good things happening in your life? There may well be. And to God be the glory, because He is doing them in you and through you.
Three Things to Do in the Midst of Hurt and Pain
So what do you do in the midst of hurt and pain? Three simple things. Do what Paul did — pray. Then remember: God's grace is sufficient. He is not going to allow you to be tested, tried, or tempted beyond that which you can endure. If your suffering is this high, His grace is higher. It is bigger.
You need perspective. I know that when you are in the midst of pain it can become very narcissistic — your trial, your tribulation, your hardship. But you need something bigger than the hurt and the pain and the suffering. That perspective comes from knowing God, knowing who He is, watching Him work in your life, and understanding His strength.
You pray. You remember. And then — and this may sound strange — you rejoice. "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials." Why? The answer is right there in James: because the testing of your faith produces endurance. Isn't that what you want? At least, isn't that what we give lip service to? We say we want to grow close to Him, to be strong in Him, to have a vibrant relationship with Him more than we want anything else — more than silver, gold, house, or car. We say we want what others seem to have. We say we want to be like the Apostle Paul.
Then you had better be ready, because it is suffering that produces that characteristic in your life. That is good news. It says that pain has purpose and sorrow has purpose. God works it for good.
An Invitation
Maybe you are hurting today. Maybe you would like someone to pray with you. There will be people at the front of the worship center after the service. It is not a confessional — it is simply someone who can pray with you and talk with you. Or speak to the person who invited you here today. We are glad you are here. It is a privilege for us.