My Grace is Sufficient | 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 | 07/19/26

A few months ago, I was listening to

some music and an ad came on. It was an

ad for a local private school trying to

show off how intelligent its fifth

graders are.

In the ad, there was a little girl

talking and she says, "If I had to

choose between a friend who was needy

and a friend who is self-sufficient,

I would choose the self-sufficient

friend because they wouldn't have to

depend on me for anything."

Maybe you've heard this ad. The

impression we're supposed to be left

with is, "Wow, this is a highly educated

child.

I want my child to be wise and

discerning like this child." Now, I'm

not insulting this little girl because

she just probably read a script that was

given to her. Um, I'm also not insulting

the school. I'm I'm simply wanting to

point out that we as a society have

bought wholesale and we teach our kids

that strength and self-sufficiency

are premier virtues.

Being able to do it yourself, to make it

on your own, to never need anybody is of

incredibly high value.

We all struggle with wanting to be

self-sufficient or at least to present

and portray that kind of strength. We

also want to make sure that we have

strong friends so that we're not dragged

down by weak and needy friends.

Now, I recognize there's great value to

a society of independent people. It

increases prosperity for the strong. It

increases freedom for the

self-sufficient. These are not

inherently bad things. But there is a

dark side to self-sufficiency.

The dark side is that we can lose sight

of our need, our desperate need,

our complete absence of meaningful

power, our total lack of control. We

forget that we utter we are utterly

dependent on the grace of God to do

anything in this life. And we get this

way because we're so accustomed to being

able to affect change in our lives.

It's an attitude of I can do it myself.

The problem is that we all eventually

encounter moments where our weaknesses

are exposed and we actually can't do it

ourselves.

There's always going to be a moment

where we're shown to be insufficient.

And all the while, it's the grace of God

that's raining down on us when we're so

busy trying to control everything,

trying to increase our comfort, trying

to bolster our security. It's the grace

of God that comes in and introduces

something that we cannot control. That

just throws a wrench into the gears of

our perceived control.

Something that he brings into our lives

that we cannot escape from. Some

suffering, some trial, something we

can't outwit, something we can't buy our

way out of, something we can't muscle

our way through or strategy strategize

our way around.

When we get to that place where we

believe we can do it all ourselves, God

in his infinite mercy and grace brings

us something to show you no, you can't.

You cannot do it yourself.

He is so good that he will expose your

weakness. He will reveal your need. He

will help you to your knees so that you

will feel your total insufficiency

and your absolute dependence. Count it

all joy, West Hills, when this happens

to you.

We might be getting weaker, but God is

showing himself more powerful in that

moment.

And this is exactly what Paul

experienced and explains in our text

this morning. Paul has spent the last

few chapters of 2 Corinthians boasting

to the Christians in Corinth about his

weaknesses. He feels like an absolute

fool for having to stoop to this kind of

level of defending himself by his

boasting. But his hand was forced into

this kind of childish argumentation

because the false teachers or the super

apostles as he sarcastically refers to

them. These wolves in sheep's clothing

have crept into the church in Corinth

and promoted themselves to the

leadership of the church by boasting

about their great strengths, their

accomplishments, their accolades, and

their credentials.

So Paul has to fight folly with folly.

He begins to boast, but not about his

great feats,

but rather what he has suffered for the

gospel.

Last week, Paul gave a long list of the

trials that he underwent in his service

for Christ. And this week, he opens up

and gets even more vulnerable. He gives

us a glimpse of probably the most

painful suffering that he has had to

endure, although he doesn't open up all

the way. Our text this morning is 2

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 12. So, if you've

got your Bibles, go ahead and make your

way over to 2 Corinthians chapter 12,

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

and we'll read verses 1-10.

Paul writes,

"I must go on boasting, though there is

nothing to be gained by it. I will go on

to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago

was caught up to the third heaven.

Whether in the body or out of the body,

I do not know. God knows. And I know

that this man was caught up into

paradise, whether in the body or out of

the body, I do not know. God knows. And

he heard things that cannot be told,

which man may not utter. On behalf of

this man, I will boast, but on my own

behalf, I will not boast, except of my

weaknesses. Though if I should wish to

boast, I would not be a fool, for I

would be speaking the truth.

But I refrain from it so that no one may

think more of me than he sees in me or

hears from me.

So to keep me from becoming conceited

because of the surpassing greatness of

the revelations, a thorn was given me in

the flesh, a messenger of Satan to

harass me to keep me from becoming

conceited.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord

about this that it should leave me. He

said to me, "My grace is sufficient for

you. For my power is made perfect in

weakness. Therefore, I will boast all

the more gladly of my weaknesses so that

the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ, then I am

content with weaknesses, insults,

hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

For when I am weak, then I am strong."

This is the word of the Lord.

Right out the gate in verse one, we see

Paul continue his theme of boasting. He

says, "I must go on boasting though

there's nothing to be gained by it. Even

though he knows it's foolish and that

he's adopting his opponent's style of

arguing, he boasts."

His boast moves from boasting about his

sufferings to boasting about the

revelations that he experienced. Look at

verse two. I know a man in Christ who 14

years ago was caught up to the third

heaven. So first of all, who is this man

that Paul is talking about? This man

that he says he knows who had a

revelation. Who's Paul talking about?

Well, he's talking about himself.

He starts talking about himself in the

third person probably because he

couldn't bear the foolishness

of boasting to this level. He didn't

like bragging about his visions. And so

he says it as if it happened to someone

else. He's like, "I have a friend who

had these great visions and we're just

supposed to fill in the blank." Oh, this

is Paul.

Paul is that friend. We know Paul's

talking about himself because of the

rest of verse 7 where he says that he

received the thorn because of the

revelations that he received. So now

that we understand that Paul's talking

about himself in the third person trying

to be modest while still boasting, did

you notice in verse two how he said in

this vision he was taken to the third

heaven? What is the third heaven?

There are many different theological

schools of thought on this, most of

which are pretty poor interpretations.

For example, I heard one of my more

charismatic friends argue that the third

heavens is a place of spiritual ecstasy,

a non-physical space where God meets

with you in a special prayer and gives

you revelations for this life.

They would say that this should be a

common experience for all believers.

Mormon theology takes this verse to mean

that heaven has layers or tears to it.

The more faithful you are, the higher

level of heaven you can achieve. This

third level of heaven is the highest

heaven in Mormon theology.

It's actually not that complicated,

though.

There are three ways in which the Bible

uses the word heaven or heavens. The

first way is simply referring to the

sky,

like within the earth's atmosphere.

For example, in Genesis 1 verse 20, as

Genesis 1:20

God was speaking the universe into

existence, we read, "And God said, let

the waters swarm with swarms of living

creatures and let birds fly above the

earth, above the earth, across the

expanse of the heavens."

The way the Bible is talking about

heavens here is just the sky. It's the

place where birds fly. The second way

the Bible talks about heaven is outer

space, like beyond our atmosphere.

An example of this is in Genesis 1:14.

Genesis 1:14

And God said, "Let there be lights in

the expanse of the heavens to separate

the day from the night. And let them be

signs for signs and for seasons." He's

talking about the sun and the moon and

the stars, the galaxies, the planets.

This is the second use of the word

heavens. It's outer space. The third use

of the word heaven is paradise.

And that is what Paul's talking about

here in our text when he says the third

heaven. We know this because he says

that he was caught up to the third

heaven in verse two. And then in verse

three, he says he was caught up to

paradise. So he's saying those two

things are the same place.

Look at verse three with me. And I know

that this man was caught up into

paradise. Whether in the body or out of

the body, I do not know. God knows.

So it's not as complicated as many

people make it out to be. First heaven,

the sky. Second heaven, outer space.

Third heaven, paradise.

But now what's paradise?

The word paradise is actually only used

three times in the entire Bible. But

it's less complicated than you might

think. This too is less complicated than

you might think. Paradise is mentioned

once here in our text where Paul

compares it to the third heaven or just

heaven.

But then we get a little more clarity in

Luke 23:43

Luke 23:43

when Jesus is being crucified and he

says to the thief on the cross, "Truly I

say to you, today you will be with me in

paradise."

Meaning that after the thief dies, his

soul will be with Jesus in the presence

of God.

And the last time the word paradise is

used in in the Bible is in Revelation

Revelation 2:7

2:7 where Jesus says, "He who has an

ear, let him hear what the spirit says

to the churches. To the one who

conquers, I will grant to eat of the

tree of life which is in the paradise of

God."

So in both of these other two instances,

paradise is simply talking about the

presence of God. It's the spiritual

dwelling place of God. The angels live

there.

Now, there's so much more that could be

said about this place, paradise, but we

have a series on heaven coming up in

about three weeks, and I don't want to

rob from Elliot's sermon, so we'll just

leave that there for now. If you have

questions about this idea of heaven,

don't worry. We're going to address this

thoroughly in a couple of weeks. So,

putting this all together, Paul is

saying that he was transported either in

body or in soul into the very dwelling

place of God.

The Apostle John had the same experience

in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 where he

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

saw the Lord seated on the throne. The

train of his robe filled

the earth. Now John, for John, it was

clearly a vision, but for Paul, he's not

sure if it was a vision or if he was

actually transported to heaven.

Then Paul tells us kind of what happened

when he saw this vision of God. He says

in verse four,

"And he talking about himself in the

third person again, he heard things that

cannot be told which may not one may not

utter." So Paul is bringing this boast

before the Corinthians really to silence

the fake apostles who were boasting

about their spiritual accomplishments.

It's like they're boasting about their

speaking abilities and their spiritual

gifts and the amount of money they make

in their ministries. And Paul just comes

in and says, "Great. I saw God."

What are you going to say to that? Super

apostles. Not so super anymore, are you?

There should be no more arguing,

no more debate.

And Paul can't even tell the Corinthian

impostors

what he saw because it was far too

glorious.

He's like, "I'm not even going to I'm

not even going to dignify you with a

description of what I saw. Your ears

couldn't handle it. Your mind would

explode if I could tell you this."

Paul goes on in verses five and six, on

behalf of this man, talking about

himself again, I will boast, but on my

own behalf, I will not boast except of

my weaknesses. Though if I should bo

wish to boast, I would not be a fool,

for I would be speaking the truth. But I

refrain from it, so that no one may

think more think of me than he sorry,

think more of me than he sees or in me

or hears from me. I've got a typo in my

sorry about that.

Let me just paraphrase these two verses

for you. Paul is saying that he is too

embarrassed to outright say

that it was him who had this vision. But

he makes it abundantly clear that it was

him. He's kind of like telling the

Corinthians without telling them. He's

like, "Hey, my friend knows way more

about God than your false apostles do.

He saw God, so you should listen to him.

And he is me.

Are you really going to make me say it

or have you figured it out yet? You

really going to make me say that I was

the one that was transported to heaven

or saw a vision of heaven?

He's trying to tell them that he's got

more to boast about than the impostor

apostles without stealing glory from

God. He's trying to walk that balance,

that fine line, trying not to lift

himself up.

So, how do you prove you're more

qualified without exalting yourself?

well, quite awkwardly like he does with

a lot of potential for misunderstanding

that Paul is trying to walk this fine

line. And then here's the final thing

that I find most interesting about all

of this. Paul has been doing all of this

subtle third person boasting in the

first six verses of our text. But that's

actually not what he's going to boast

about. That's just setting him up. All

of that explanation about this amazing

vision of God being transported to

heaven, hearing things and seeing things

that he could never repeat. All of that

was just leading to his real boast.

But what's the real boast of Paul? Look

with me at verse 7.

So to keep me from becoming conceited

because of the surpassing greatness of

the revelations, a thorn was given me in

the flesh, a messenger of Satan to

harass me, to keep me from becoming

conceited.

So believe it or not, Paul is not going

to boast about the vision or his

revelation of God. He's going to boast

about the thorn.

The boasting about the revelation was

just to get to this boast.

Now, what is this thorn that he

references? Well, he never actually

tells us what it is, but he does tell us

five things about this thorn.

First, this thorn was given to him so

that he would not become consumed with

self-importance.

It was given in response to the

revelations. God gave Paul visions of

heaven, visions of himself, but then God

also gave him a thorn to keep him

humble.

Now, this word that we have translated

as thorn in our English Bibles could

just as easily have been translated as

stake,

as in a spike.

Now, a stake or a spike conjures up two

images for me. The first is a means of

execution. In the Roman world, it wasn't

uncommon for a stake to be used in the

execution of criminals. In the same way

that a cross was used, the Romans were

experts in brutality and stakes were

used for impaling prisoners or they were

sometimes used as crosses. Not all

crosses were shaped like this one here.

Sometimes they're just a vertical post

without the crossmember and a criminal

would be nailed to that stake.

So that if that's the imagery that Paul

has in mind with his thorn or stake

analogy, Paul could be saying something

like this. When God gave me these sights

of heaven, he also gave me a cross to

bear, a stake for wounding me, a slow

death to die.

So that's one image that the word stake

conjures up. But there's another image,

especially if you recognize that Paul

was a tent maker. What is a tent stake?

What is it for?

It keeps a tent grounded. It holds it

down when wind wants to come and make

the tent fly away. So Paul could be

saying that God gave him some form of

suffering to keep him grounded when his

pride wants to take him flying because

of the greatness of the reol revelations

he received.

Alternatively, Paul could just mean a

thorn like from a thorn bush, something

sharp and painful. We can speculate

about whether he meant thorn or stake,

but ultimately we know its purpose. It

was to prevent him from pride, to keep

him from pride. So, that's the first

thing we learn about this thorn. Here's

the second thing that Paul tells us

about the thorn. It was given to him.

Given like a gift

by the Lord, as in the Lord gifted this

thorn to Paul.

He views it as coming from the hand of

God himself.

This is going to be the thing that he

boasts in. Remember, he's not boasting

about the revelations. He's boasting

about the gift that was given him in

response to the revelations. He is

boasting about this thorn. He views it

as from God. Now, how can something

super painful be viewed as a gift?

How can you recognize something as

really painful as is a gift from God?

I'll tell you how this worked in my

life. One time, a long time ago, I had a

friend who was constantly insulting me.

He had no idea how offensive his

comments were to me. He would often

degrade me in front of other people. He

would speak to me in condescending ways.

He usually compared himself to me to

make sure that he looked better than me.

Back then, I didn't have the guts to

stand up for myself. I was just trying

to turn the other cheek. And I was also

getting so mad at this friend who kept

injuring my ego. But then this verse

came to mind.

It transformed the way that I was

thinking about the insults that were

targeted at me. And one day, as I was

praying about the unfairness of the

injuries to my pride, I became convicted

of my pride.

I remembered how prideful I am. I

remembered how dangerous pride is.

I came to see these humiliating comments

of my friends as God's way of humbling

me.

God was using this friend to kill my

pride. And my pride was trying to kill

me.

Now, I don't tell you that story to

encourage you to suffer abuse quietly or

anything like that. The good results in

my life don't excuse the bad behavior in

his life.

But I tell you this to point out that

sometimes God brings painful thorns into

your life to humble you.

Sometimes he gives you the gift of a

stake to hold you down when the winds of

pride want to take you flying.

As hard and as painful as the thorn is,

if it kills your pride, then it is a

priceless gift from God.

Eventually, I was able to confront this

friend in a spirit of humility instead

of a spirit of injured pride.

He actually repented and changed.

Now, obviously, my thorn was nothing

compared to Paul's thorn, but I do have

a category now for thorns and stakes

that are actually painful gifts from a

loving God.

So, the second thing Paul tells us about

this thorn is that it's a gift from God.

Here's the third thing Paul says about

the thorn. It was in the flesh. It was

in the flesh. Many Christians over the

centuries have wondered what Paul's

thorn could possibly be. And many have

speculated that it was some sin struggle

or it was the opposition that he faced

from the Jews in every city that he went

to. And those are possible thorns,

possible interpretations. But given the

fact that Paul has had no trouble naming

his sin struggles in other places in

scripture, he has no trouble describing

the opposition from the Jews in every

place that he goes. I don't think that

that's what it is. I lean towards the

camp that views Paul's thorn as a

physical ailment because he says it's in

the flesh.

Now, Paul was discreet about what it is,

but it's probably in his body. I've read

so many scholars who've tried to

speculate what physical malady Paul must

have had, and it always kind of sounds

like one of those TV ads for medication.

You know, the the part where they're

like giving all the disclaimers really

really fast for like five minutes. I'm

not kidding. Some commentary sound like

this. Paul may have had a speech

impediment impediment. I sound like I

have a speech impediment.

Paul may have had a speech impediment,

dysentery, blindness in one eye, chronic

back pain, arthritis, Crohn's disease,

limes disease, heart disease, chronic

obstructive pulmonary disease, fatty

liver disease, nearsightedness, or

far-sightedness. If you experience any

of these symptoms, consult your doctor

right away.

A lot of people have tried to pin down

the exact ailment of Paul.

But the truth is Paul just doesn't tell

us.

And that's a good thing. Like if Paul

told us, hey, I have diabetes. We'd be

like, type one or two

because I have type two. And you don't

hear me bragging about it.

We would be tempted to compare our

suffering. I don't really have type two

diabetes, guys. Don't don't worry.

We'd be tempted to compare our

suffering, our physical and emotional

pain with his pain and to render a

judgment as to whose is worse.

We'd be tempted to excuse ourselves from

the meaningfulness

of our pain that God has brought into

our lives. And we'd be like, "Well,

Paul, I have a bigger thorn than you.

Surely God can't be using my pain, my

thorn in my life because my thorn is

bigger than yours, Paul.

Then on the other hand, if Paul was

like, "God gave me crippling depression

and suicidal ideiation." We'd be like,

"Oh, that's worse. That's worse than

what I have." Maybe God is using Paul's

thorn for good, but not my thorn because

my thorn is too small compared to his

and therefore can't be meaningful. We

would wiggle out of the meaningfulness

if Paul told us what it was.

I think Paul intentionally says, "God

gave me blank

so that you could take your thorn and

you could fill in the blank for your

story."

Of course, you haven't seen the same

revelations that Paul has. But so many

of you have been given thorns of your

own to keep you from becoming conceited.

Stakes of your own to keep you grounded.

Your own cross to carry where your

self-sufficiency is meant to go and be

crucified.

And just like Paul's thorn

is not your thorn.

The purpose of Paul's thorn is not the

purpose of your thorn.

God was working humility in Paul. Maybe

he has a different purpose with your

thorn. Maybe you need to grow in faith.

Maybe you need to grow in dependence.

Maybe you need to grow in compassion for

other people who are suffering. Have you

ever asked God why he gave you a thorn

if you have one?

It's fine to ask him to take it away.

You can say, "God, please take this

away." But if he says no, then you say,

"Okay, then why is it here? Why have you

given this to me? I recognize it's a

gift from your hand. Now, why? What do

you have for me to learn from this

thorn?

Thorns are always meaningful. They are

never random from your loving father.

Here's the fourth thing that Paul says

about this thorn in verse 7. It was a

messenger from Satan.

Now, if you're like me, you're asking at

this point, how can something be at the

same time a gift from God and also a

messenger from Satan? How can those two

things happen at the same time? Well,

I'll tell you how. What Satan means for

evil,

God means for good. And God is stronger

than Satan.

Satan would like nothing more than to

inflict

thorns on the children of God, to hurt

us, to torment us. So badly was Satan

wanting to hurt Paul, to get his hands

on Paul, to punish him for his mission

to the Gentiles. But Satan cannot see

what God sees. Satan does not know that

God was using Satan's devilish plan to

keep Paul humble and therefore to defeat

the far greater threat to Paul's soul.

and the greater danger to to God's

glory. And that was Paul's pride.

Satan's like, "I can hurt Paul." And

God's like, "I can kill his pride and

bring myself glory."

That's that's the bigger threat.

Satan will try to get his hands on God's

people. And if God allows him to, it's

only because he has a higher purpose.

Recognize that. If Satan afflicts any of

God's people, it's because God has

permitted it and is using it for a

greater end than Satan has.

Here's the fifth thing that Paul says

about his thorn. He pleaded with it,

pleaded with God three times for it to

be taken away. Paul was not immediately

content with the thorn in his life. It

was just too painful for him to accept

it and just move on. He needed it gone.

I'm sure he had all the same rational

justifications that we have when we pray

to God to take away our suffering. God,

how can I serve you with this weakness?

Don't you want me to be healthy and

painfree so I can be a happier

worshipper?

Don't you want me to have all the money

and security I need so that I won't

struggle with this crippling anxiety?

You surely don't want me to suffer like

this, do you, God?

I'm sure Paul prayed every single one of

those human prayers.

Even Christ prayed our very human

prayers in his greatest moment of

anguish as he stood in the shadow of the

cross. Just like Paul, Jesus prayed

three times in the garden of Gethsemane

as he considered the cross that was

coming for him the next day. The cross

that would at the same time be the most

painful gift from his father and the

most cruel messenger of Satan.

The night before Christ was nailed to

that cross, he prayed about the cross,

saying, "My father, if it be possible,

let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless,

not as I will, but as you will."

Three times Christ prayed this prayer.

Three times he begged the father to take

away the cross, to remove the thorn that

was coming, to make the stake

unnecessary. But Jesus said this word,

this beautiful word, nevertheless.

Nevertheless, you were saved by I

nevertheless.

Had Jesus not said nevertheless, had he

not submitted to his father's will and

surrendered to his father's plan, the

cross would not have happened and you

would still be in your sins. You would

still be a slave.

But he said, "Nevertheless,

not my will, but yours be done."

Isaiah 53:10.

Isaiah 53:10

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush

him.

To crush him.

Do you hear that?

I do not will for the cross. I plead

with you to take it away. Nevertheless,

not my will, but your will be done. It

was the will of the Lord to crush him.

And crush him he did

for you and for me.

Do you see what was happening in the

garden?

Jesus prays three times for the father

to remove the cross from him. And the

father said, "No, there is no other way,

my son. There is no other way to save

our people but through the cross. I must

crush you. I am doing something glorious

through the cross.

And then Paul follows the example of his

master. He pleads with Christ three

times to remove the thorn. Christ. He's

pleading with Christ. Christ who knows

exactly how he feels.

And how does Christ respond?

Look at verse nine.

My grace, Paul, is sufficient.

My grace is sufficient for you. For my

power is made perfect in weakness.

My grace is sufficient for you. Six of

the most powerful words, the the most

powerful phrase ever spoken. And if this

is true for Paul and his unknown thorn,

then this is also true for your

fill-in-the-blank thorn.

Whatever your thorn is, ask him to take

it away. And if he says no, he doesn't

just say no. He also says my grace is

sufficient for you.

If I take away your throne, your thorn,

you'll miss the throne.

If I take away your thorn, you'll miss

the grace that is coming for you.

Now, what is the grace of God? We've

defined the word grace a few times in

this series in 2 Corinthians. Let me

just remind you

God's grace is his undeserved,

unmmerited favor.

God's free, voluntary gift of love,

mercy, and power extended to sinners who

deserve judgment, not kindness.

So when Jesus tells Paul, "My grace is

sufficient for you," that's what he

means. He's saying, "My love, my mercy,

my power is extended to you, Paul. Even

though you have not earned it, all of my

resources are for you. All of my power

is at work in you. All of my love is on

you. Don't you think this thorn is worth

it?"

Yes, Paul, you get excruciating pain,

but along with the thorn, you get

inscribable grace.

These words minister to me more than I

can describe in the biggest crisis of

faith I ever had.

It was a couple of years ago when we

started foster care and we got a little

girl into our home who's now our

daughter Olivia.

When you sign up for foster care, you

commit to something that is very, very

difficult when you're trying to adopt.

You commit to be for the reunification

of the child to their biological

parents.

And if you are intent on adopting this

child, you're really torn between those

two things, between what you're

hypothetically committing to

reunification to their parent and

wanting to this child because you've

already given them your heart.

And I remember there was a time when

Olivia was a couple years old and she

still wasn't ours by right. She was

still a ward of the state.

And the county was threatening to take

her away and reunite reunite her. And

that's not a threat. They're allowed to

do this. It's what they're supposed to

do. But there were to me it was a

threat. I'm going to take your child.

This is how I perceived it, not how they

said it. I'm going to take your child,

Jason. and I'm going to give her to a

very dangerous home

where she probably won't live very long.

And I remember thinking in that moment,

I don't know if that happens, Lord. I

don't know if my faith will survive.

I don't know if my faith will survive.

With your own kids, when you're when

you're scared of a threat, with your

biological kids, you you increase

security, right? You you're more

careful. You put up cameras around your

house, right? you don't let them ride

their bike in the street or whatever.

You can you can take things into

control. There's nothing you could do to

control

the the rightful

owner of this child, for lack of a

better word, the caretaker of this

child. There's nothing you can do to

control them, to stop them from coming

in and taking your child in this

situation. And I remember just being

terrified that this was going to happen.

And I remember these words, Jason, my

grace is sufficient for you.

You are too weak to protect this from

happening to stop this from happening.

You are not in control of this situation

at all. And so if she's taken away, my

grace will be there. It will be there

just as much as you need it and as long

as you need it for. And it got me

through that little crisis of faith, a

big crisis of faith. Really,

my grace is enough.

If you lose your daughter,

you'll have grace and it will be worth

it. It will be worth it.

Look at the second half of verse 9.

And notice Paul's response to Jesus's

all worthy, all sufficient grace.

Therefore, this is Paul responding to

those six words. Therefore, I will boast

all the more gladly of my weaknesses.

I'll boast about my thorn. I'll boast

about my loss

so that the power of Christ may rest

upon me. I love this. This is so

beautiful. We thought Paul was going to

be boasting about his visions at the

beginning of the text, but no. The

revelation of God, the trip to heaven,

was just the reason that he got the

thorn.

The thorn was the thing that he boasts

in. It's because of the thorn that he

gets the grace. And when he gets the

grace of God to meet him in his

weakness, he also gets the power of God

resting on him. So Paul can boast not in

his visions but in his suffering, in his

weakness.

Now look at our last verse, verse 10.

Paul says, "For the sake of Christ, then

I am content with weaknesses. I'm

content with weaknesses, insults,

hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is the secret weapon of weakness is

that it's through weakness that God

brings strength. It's through

foolishness that he brings wisdom. This

is the upside down nature of the kingdom

of God. Through weakness, he brings

strength. Through folly, he brings

wisdom. Through defeat, he brings

victory. Through the cross, he brings

the empty tomb. Through crucifixion, he

brings resurrection. And through

humiliation, he brings exaltation.

This is our God. This is our king.

It's through the thorn that he brings

the power.

And here in verse 10, we have our

application.

This is what we do with this text as a

church.

I am content.

I am content. Paul says with weaknesses,

insults, hardships, persecutions, and

calamities. Can you say that, West

Hills? I am content with my thorn. I am

content with whatever God brings into my

life that hurts me because I know what

he's doing is better and worth it

because he's bringing grace along with

the pain.

Can you say, "I'm content with

weaknesses, insults, hardships,

persecutions, and calamities.

I'm content with my thorn. Can you add

to Paul's list? Can you say, "I'm

content with poverty? I'm content with

chronic illness. I'm content with

cancer. I'm content with losing my loved

one."

How can you be content?

Because even in loss, you have

everything because you have the grace of

your God.

If you have God's grace, you have

everything that you need. On your worst

day, you can say, "I am forgiven. The

grace of my God, the the blood of my

Christ covers my worst days, my worst

sins. I am a recipient of the grace that

I did not earn." After a catastrophic

failure on your part, you can say, "I

have enough. I have his grace." In the

midst of deil debilitating pain, you can

say, "I have enough. His grace is

sufficient. I am not sufficient, but he

is. He is enough.

As individuals, we must recognize that

his grace is sufficient for you. But

there's an application for us as a

church as a whole.

Have you noticed that we're in a strange

season in this church?

The past few weeks, we've driven off

wolves like we've never seen before.

Perhaps Satan thinks we're vulnerable.

West Hills, we're not vulnerable.

We are incredibly weak.

But that just means that the power of

God is for us.

When we are weak,

Satan doesn't know this, but when we are

weak, we are incredibly strong.

Can you imagine if Jesus was like the

script writers of that ad that I

referenced at the beginning of the

sermon, the ad for the private school?

What if he only wanted friends who were

self-sufficient, who didn't need

anything from him?

What if he only loved people who had it

all together, who were strong enough and

had everything in their life under

control,

who could make it on their own?

If those were the only people that Jesus

would befriend, then none of us would be

his people. None of us would be his

friends.

Praise God that he loves insufficient

people and then he gives us his

allsufficient grace. Let's pray.

God, we praise you for this

indescribable amazing grace.

We don't have visions of heaven like

Paul does, but we have your word, your

revelation,

and it's magnificent.

It teaches us, it instructs us. Now,

Lord, I pray that it would help us by

your spirit that you would help us to be

content.

Make us a content people

who see our suffering and our trials

as purposeful.

as producing in us the eternal weight of

glory. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.