Thankful for a Thorn [Part 2]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright guys and I need you to keep growing because I'm using you to change the world and my power is limitless in my grace is unfathomable to drink it to its deaths come to another message of good news I've been deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series victorious living as presented, it rebuild the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with her throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now.

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More on this later in the program but right now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright in the express immediate glorious presence of God so probably present was the spirit to him and the visions that he had Paul unaware of himself, so he didn't know whether he was in his body or whether God is just, had just raised them to some kind of ecstatic vision, but he speaks of himself in the third person any just says I know a man in Christ.

Why does he say that way.

He's saying essentially that this experience that I've had of God is not because there's something special about me is just because I'm in Christ and honestly, the experience of God is available to anybody in Christ. Remember, a big part of the issue we been seeing in second Corinthians is that there were one or more people in Corinth who are lauding themselves as super apostles, and they were saying that Paul was not glorious enough that he was too weak. He had too many weaknesses. He didn't seem impressive when they'd seen him in person. He didn't seem to be didn't seem to be boisterously eloquent seem to be strong in his letters, but not strong in his physical person and and they were trying to discount his apostolic status and so Paul and Chapter 11 has gone and said I'll tell you what I've been through and that he comes this point. He said that now I gotta tell you about spiritual revelations, probably. There were some false leaders in Corinth that was the thing look at all these revelations and visions and trances and things that we've had in prophetic times we got there trying to establish their leadership basins and Paul is utterly reluctant to share anything about this, and then he doesn't share hardly any specifics about all he saying this is a stop on hunting will talk about this on minute just tell you I have been in the presence of God so vividly I can tell you if I was in my body or not, but I'm not talking this part of this is that there are just some things that are too holy into animate to talk about.

You'll talk about the most intimate things that you share even with another human being spouses don't comment share about all of their intimate interactions because that would just prove that it was an actual intimacy because something that makes it animate is something they are not share with somebody else and I've had times like this with God is very clear to me this is between me and this is me and God and and is not to be shared.

Paul speaking of these visions. This way, and then he says that this thorn in the flesh was given. It is subject of much much commentary and I don't like the ESV's translation of this word that is rendered here, conceded in verse seven to keep me from becoming conceited something is right work. The word literally angry is exalted. The reason I don't like this word conceited is because conceited been stuck on yourself and really prideful and we just don't see any evidence that this was Paul's battle. Paul's everywhere he goes in everywhere. He writes he is talking about the paradox of God's power in our weakness and he knew all his new all of his earthly credentials. His resume was so strong.

One of the most erudite men of his age and so many miracles that it taken place there and think that because he had the special revelation from God that he was gonna become conceited, like everybody, look at me how great I am. That is so far from but I now get to.

I think that in just a moment, but he says that I was given a thorn in the flesh and the way it reads it's unclear who the subject is a thorn was given. It's in the it's in the passive citizen say God gave me a thorn specifically say Satan gave me the phone. I think the reason the languages carefully passive here is there are things in our life come to us from the powers of hell as an attack against us. And yet God is so sovereign and so why is that though the enemy has intended it for evil God is minute for good. That's what Joseph said right to wrap your mind around this somehow that you don't have to ever attribute evil to God but units understand that in this world with all of its evil and all of his sin. God is committed to bringing out good from every circumstance.

For those who love him are called according to his purposes as a great solace to us so thorn was given and commentators and scholars and preachers have contemplated what is this thorn, and generally falls into four different categories that people will say here's what the thorn is the first one is that there was some sort of sinful temptation that was besetting to Paul. I think part of this began without getting too technical about this, but in the the Latin translation of the Bible the whole day of the word that was used in Latin referencing and this and this passion for the word stimulus and from that word to some of the Roman Catholic interpreters began to suggest that perhaps Paul struggled with lust and so this became one of the prevailing ideas. The thorn was that Paul had this besetting besetting sin a problem with that is isn't it really hard to believe that if Paul came to the Lord and asked him diligently to give him help and being read of the problem of lost or something like that, that the Lord would say no and making sense. The second type of category that's given of this is that perhaps Paul had an emotional impairment like depression or anxiety. The problem with seeing Paul in that light, is that this is the Paul who never gives us any appearance of depression.

Despite all of the circumstances that he faced effect so much of what he taught us was that I've learned to be content in every circumstance and that you can rejoice in the Lord always and so to imagine that Paul was beset with an emotional impairment doesn't seem consistent with everything else that we read and certainly we don't see him being held back by fear. This is one of the boldest men who ever lived, seem to be an emotional impairment and so then the next category. The third it is.

This is the most popular category to assign interpretation of the thorn.

It was something physical or physical ailment that he had people have suggested everything from epilepsy to and I disease and perhaps some of suggested Paul was nearsighted.

He writes in one place he with what large letters I live I ride don't know that for sure, but if thorn if the big problem is these nearsighted that I can be an apostle and challenge right will have more teaching moment from today's imported series facing a problem when examining Christian friends said something like that. The problem was such next dictation of course is that telling someone that they have my faith doesn't actually help the person have more faith once more faith can we do to get more faith in his highly acclaimed book, God mimics Pastor Alan Wright describes when the most important biblical pathways to building your faith, remembering God's presence in your life.

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Any reference in this text, or elsewhere, to suggest that this was a physical problem. It's a misunderstanding of difficult pulses thorn in the flesh is talking about a physical infirmity Paul when he speaks of the flesh speaks of that which is not spirit that which is not controlled by the spirit of that which is is and sometimes still of the sinful nature sometimes that which is of the earthly realm. That's when we talked about and the reason I think is important to belabor this for a moment, is that you say that James five says to pray for the sick and so that's what we do as a church we pray for the sick.

Not everybody we pray for is instantly healed but we do what God tells us to do. We believe for healing and God is for our healing and so it is a making sense for him to give Paul an injection of some kind of sickness that is going on somehow leading. Although many people suggest that the fourth gets closer to the truth and that is it.

People suggest it was the opposition that he always face the thorn was with the persecution of the opposition that he faced like the Judaizers, he faced in the Galatian church and all that heresy are the ones that were challenging his apostolic authority in Corinth and always being persecuted and so for the insulin closer to I think the truth but even with this scholars point out that that the grammar for speaking of the thorn is singular and it hardly makes sense to think of all these different oppositions and in the singular, but more importantly, Paul is speaking about something that happened 14 years prior to his writing this and if you just did that when he is writing this and when he had come to be called by Christ. There was a 10 year gap before he even speaking about this and he was persecuted right from the very beginning so it's not like something happened and then he started getting persecuted so I don't think those categories really fit. What is the thorn in the flesh think it's just very simple fact of really. I've read so much about this and I don't know why it seems to be complicated.

The grammar is clear enough that says in verse seven of thorn was given me in the flesh, using your English translation in this is the way should be rendered, a messenger of Satan to harass me.

That's what the thorn is so messenger of Satan.

The word in Greek is in Angulo's an angel, angel, means messenger was an angel of Satan. So there good angels and their angels of Satan.

This was a demon.

This is a demonic assignment against the apostle Paul Ellis of 11. We are all in a spiritual battle offends modern sensibilities to talk about Angels and Demons. It offends our modern sensibilities and think that there's an invisible spiritual battle. We would rather explain everything by some natural means or some physical means we are in a spiritual battle and so what is Paul saying here he is saying something that I absolutely understand, and I think anybody that's walked very long what Christ could understand this, he is saying that at times the spiritual battle that he faced this invisible battle that sense that you come up against something that is heavy and dark and discouraging and weighty. He said it it is it fits me was the old language harasses the word used here but like a ship buffeted by waves or a boxer. That's buffeted up against the ropes is like everywhere I go I preach the gospel and there is there's a will there's a way of spiritual opposition and its heavy other times at night where I have to wake up in the middle of the night did not feel the presence of evil and I got to my knees and the word and seek out your name sometimes can even go into a community without realizing that I am spiritual battle up against me, he said. I pleaded with them three times.

Could you me the special privilege of getting a free ticket out of the spiritual battle against the no man in this world felt that way I did something God could you just give me a little vacation from the battle, sometimes I'll try that on vacation known lecture, vacation okay and I got a free ticket on the spiritual battle is a good time only need to read the Bible don't need to pray only the worship and about the third day vacation is like got the worst fight you ever had with your spouse and your in a grumpy mood rest.

You know you not like you don't free ticket out of the spiritual battle every day you put on the armor of God every day you dress yourself and the supremacy of Christ, grace and love every day you put on the full armor every day you pray every day you cling to the word every day you call upon the power of the Holy Spirit always just say this is a heavy hell has limited resources. The assignment against Paul. Must've been waiting. He wanted out of it and God said no I'm not going I'm not going to do for you what I did and he didn't even do for Jesus you're going to be in this world until there's a new heaven and a new earth you're gonna be in the spiritual battle it might feel like a thorn. Some say that it should be translated as steak and it is painful but that spiritual battle, knowing that you're up against a spiritual enemy that very thing. Paul is what makes you want to come and draw upon my grace and my grace is sufficient for you, I don't think Paul was saying God let me have a thorn so I wouldn't become conceited. I think what he meant is that I was given a thorn so I wouldn't be satisfied because once you've experienced what God asked what would Paul experience of the Lord, you could come to a place of complacency and what you say. What better experience. Could there be of this. I just like to stay at this and God said no I need you to keep growing because I'm using you to change the world and my power is limitless, and my grace is unfathomable how long you to drink it to its depths. It is, I'm really foolish today.

I have no idea why I have been need to clean the gutters out for a long time and put it off and put it off and some reason I had the willpower to do it.

It just happened to be in the afternoon and happen to be 93°.

I got up on the roof and spent about two hours because they gotten very clogged or could just blow them out. I had to get down about pine needles. Now that they're going. What am I doing out there. This is a mistake. I'm too old for this is feeling so hot and so sweaty.

I said this is this is what it feels like to get heat exhaustion. It netted down for me what my doing, but I had to finish the job.

When I came down I was so thirsty, you know the kind of thirst I'm talking about where when I got the water could get enough and he unknowingly feels this, but is like water. I could feel it not just come in down my esophagus and into my belt and I could feel it going in every cell of my body. My whole body like a sponge which is water now. There a lot of things that I like better than water tailwinds cappuccino chocolate chip is one of them mixed in with perhaps Morse would you know what strange on that hot July afternoon. You could aligned the entire assortment of tailwinds ice cream in 10 gallon jugs in front of me and say have all you want not sound on any of it. I just want water because my first put me in touch with the deepest need that I have. This is what Paul experienced an very high level. The intensity of the battle made him like the deer that pants at the water broke the deer that been chased by a predator, the one that the psalmist saw and said as the deer pants at the water broke, so my soul pants for you, the living God. Paul I want you to go even deeper in my grace drink deeper on my power and Paul got the message and he said, so here's what happened. A surprising grace. Just when you think you've experienced the fullness of the grace of God. You go into intense battle and you have to go even closer to God and you realize his grace is even deeper than I thought. His power perfected in my weakness, and so Paul said, I have learned that if I'm going to boast. I'm not opposed to about all the wonderful experiences I've had in God. I will boast about my weakness and how I would most certainly fail in the spiritual battle.

If I try to fight the powers of hell by my own fleshly abilities. I'll get nowhere. But what I have found is it this enemy that's always chasing me about his calls me to run to God daily in and day out, and that's my life God and I found out will it powerful. It's a wonderful when I'm weak. I am powerful is like the seagull that sit there waiting on a cheese doodle and some data happened to make it use those wings on watching the little boy eat and assured of symptoms or gives G0 labor also in three or four-year-old boy with a great delight for a little boy to build to do this all a sudden he realized there's about 50 seagulls and he looked up with a big grin and he took off running at the seagull. That's a feeling of power that shakes a bunch of seagulls up into the air and all of them been sitting there for half hour (do also and you realize that weight a minute. They can fly, but they didn't fly until they were chased. You have Christians the same power that raised Jesus from the dead at work in your mortal body in and through you.

Sometimes the spiritual battle is heavier than others. Every single one of us knows what it feels like to just say I wish I didn't have to face a spiritual battle and I wish I could tell you all you don't have to, but even Paul had to and is not a bad thing because that thorn will make you love God and taste of his goodness deeper and deeper place gospel right in today's teaching you how to be thankful for a thorn in our series on second Corinthians. Please stay with us. Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life. In today's final word in every moment, in the earliest stage danger and having them. He was surprised by blessing every moment Jeff knew the direction to take you from listening moments of God's grace been covered by the sands of time just gone unnoticed in the rush of life. Your life is full of God moments when you make a gift will send you a special bundle pastor and went hearts during birth God moments feeding them containing all his audio messages on the subject.

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We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and data work. I've heard it said and it sounds really tricky when you first hear about someone said you know there is a sense in which I'm thankful for my sin. For if I didn't have it. I wouldn't understand and to be thankful for thorn sometimes you go back and look at those hard places of life. Anything will. I wouldn't want to redo that, necessarily, but I am so grateful for the experience of knowing God was near me when I first preached this message.

It was coming after a very hot weekend as a share to the message I spent probably foolishly a couple hours on the roof and 90° is work on gutters and I was so thirsty when I came down it's a deeper meet there's one thing the site yellow thirsty. But then there's that. I am so thirsty and we've had some more hot weather this summer and I think anybody that has experienced at that deep thirst you know there's something there is a way in which there is a part of you sick and not really appreciate water and less you have the deepest thirst and there's a part of a spiritually that without some of the thorns we've experienced in our life we would not know the depth of thirst and the safer of the refreshing replenishing grace of God in our lives and so I never thankful for thorn in the sense of oh I'm glad to be suffering no right but I am thankful for how it is drawn me to God and that means everything.

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