2 Corinthians 12
Chuck Smith on 2 Corinthians 12
Verse by verse, taught on Sunday nights: the C2000 series, 1979 to 1985, and the C3000 series, 1985 to 1999. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Sunday Nights, 1979 to 1985 (C2000)
Verses 1–2
It is not expedient [necessary] for me doubtless to glory. [But] I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above [about] fourteen years ago (12:1-2),
Or over fourteen years ago.
Verse 2
(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) [but] such a one [was] caught up to the third heaven (12:2).
Now, I've heard preachers talk about Paul's out of the body experience, and they said that he had one of these out of the body experiences. Well, that's interesting that they know that. Paul didn't know himself, and it happened to him. Paul said, "I really don't know if I was in the body or out of the body." Now if you go back fourteen years, you come back to Paul's stoning at Lystra, and it is possibly this very experience that Paul is talking about. You remember that they stoned Paul at Lystra, and they dragged him out of the city thinking that he was dead, and his friends stood around him weeping? They thought, "Oh, poor old Paul. He's had it, you know." His limp body lying there, and the guys had gone home who threw the stones. "Hey, we've killed him. We got rid of that guy now." And his friends are there crying. And suddenly Paul's eyes began to flutter, and he gets up and he says, "Hey, let's go back and preach." Paul, you got to be crazy.
Now it is possible that Paul actually was dead and that his spirit was taken up into heaven at that point. And it could be that he is referring . . . it was about fourteen years, a little over fourteen years that he had written. Before he had written this epistle that he says, "I knew this man in Christ just a little fourteen years ago, and whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don't know." Whether or not I was actually dead or alive is what he is declaring. "I may have been dead and actually had an out of body experience. My spirit, I know that my spirit went into heaven. I don't know if I was really dead or alive. I don't know that. But I know that my spirit went into heaven."
Now brings up an interesting point: the fact that Paul didn't know if he were dead or alive, but he did know that his spirit was in heaven, consciously there, hearing things that were so glorious it would be a crime to try to describe them, shows that the spirit immediately is there in the conscious state in heaven when you are dead. Paul said, "I don't know if I was dead or alive." If at death you went into a slumber state, then Paul said, "Well, I had a glorious vision. I couldn't have been dead because you know, I knew what was going on." But in reality he's saying, "I don't know if I was dead or alive. What I do know is I was caught up to the third heaven. Whether in the body or out of the body, I don't know. But I do know I was caught up."
Verses 3–4
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise (12:3-4),
You remember Jesus said, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
Verse 4
and [I] heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter (12:4).
Or which is, more literally, "a crime to try to describe." There is no language; there are no words that can describe the experiences that I had.
I read once of a little girl who was blind, but the problem was not irreparable. And a great physician performed a series of operations on her eyes. And they were taking the bandages off slowly, a few at a time, to allow more light to penetrate to the optic nerves, until finally they took off the last bandages. And the little girl, sitting there on her mother's lap as the bandages were removed, looked around. For the first time could see her mother's face, the doctor's face, the room. She got off of her mother's lap, walked over to the window, looked outside. Saw the blue sky, the green grass, the flowers, the trees, the children playing. She burst into tears. Came running back to her mother. Fell under her arms sobbing. Her mother said, "What happened? What's wrong?" She said, "Oh, mommy, why didn't you tell me it was this beautiful?" She said, "Well, sweetheart, I tried but it's just hard to describe in words the colors, the clouds, the sky. I did my best."
When we get to heaven we'll go up to Paul and say, "Paul, you were here. Why didn't you tell us it was this beautiful?" "I told you, man. Be a crime to try and describe it." There are no words that can describe the glory, the beauty. You know, it's because of our misconception of heaven or a lack of faith that we grieve over the Christians who died. "Oh, what a shame. He had his whole life in front of him. He was so young. What a shame." Oh, what a blessing. He doesn't have to go through this cruddy world.
You know, if you really understood heaven, the glories, the . . . that we should weep over someone. God no, weep for yourself 'cause you're still around. But don't weep for them. That's foolishness. "Caught up into paradise. I heard these things, these words. It will be a crime to try and utter them."
Verses 5–6
And of such a one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities [my weaknesses]. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say [tell you] the truth: but now I forbear [I'm holding back], lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that [which] he heareth of me (12:5-6).
"I don't want you to think . . . I don't want, you know, to think that I'm some, something or somebody because God has done all of this for me that you know, I'm something special." Paul wasn't trying to elevate himself in their eyes. He was forced to just defend his place because the truth that he proclaimed was being challenged. And that's the only reason why he was declaring these things to them, because the truth was standing in jeopardy. But he said, "I'll tell you what I really glory in. I glory in my weaknesses."
Verse 7
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure (12:7).
So Paul here now makes reference to this thorn in the flesh. And the Greek word is actually a stake or a tent stake. Now, when those Bedouins set up their tents, which incidentally is the job of the woman, the men don't even know how to handle them; they don't know how to set a tent up. They could make good coffee, but they don't know anything about setting up a tent, that's woman's job. They have to . . . women have to take down the tent, carry the tents and set up the tents when the guy decides to, you know, move a bit.
Of course, he has to determine when it's time to move. That's his job. Not enough green grass here for our sheep, we better move along, you know. And he determines where they'll pitch the tent, but then it's the woman's job. But out there in the wilderness, I mean, they really get some good howling wind. So they take these tent stakes, about eighteen inches long or so, and they drive these tent stakes in to hold the tents against those desert winds.
Paul said there was this tent stake in my flesh. The spike, this stake really. Not a thorn, not a little irritant. This thing was really major. "There was given to me," interesting statement. Now I'm sure that as Paul was praying that it be removed, he didn't know that it was given to him. That's something he discovered in prayer. This thorn in his flesh, whatever it is. And God doesn't tell us what it is, and I think that that is deliberate that it wasn't told us what the thorn in the flesh was. There are hints; there are those that have made their guesses. Some believe it was an oriental eye disease that made Paul very repulsive to look at. Some believe that it was malaria fever, a special form that they have around Asia there that so incapacitated him and left him with constant migraine headaches. There have been all kinds of guesses, but we don't know. The scripture is silent and so it's only guesswork. And really, you're better off if the scripture is silent that you remain silent.
I believe that God deliberately didn't let us know what his thorn in the flesh was because any of us who have any thorn in the flesh can relate to Paul and relate to his experience. You see, if we knew exactly what it was, we'll say, "Oh well, that's Paul, mine's different. God could do it for Paul, but you know, mine is so different than Paul." The fact that we don't know, we can all relate to it. Because it was a bothersome thing; it was a painful thing. It was a weakness. He calls it an infirmity, and we have the word infirmary, infirmity, they are both the same root. An infirmary is a hospital, a place where the sick people are taken. And so Paul talks about this infirmity, a weakness, an ailment. Whatever it was.
There was this messenger of Satan buffeting him, but Paul discovered that "there was given unto me." In other words, he discovered that there was a divine purpose for it. It was something that God had allowed in his life.
Verse 8
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me (12:8).
"Now three times," Paul said, "I sought God that He would remove it." Asking God to take away that very thing that God had brought to him. "That it might depart from me."
Verse 9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (12:9).
So Paul came by the spirit to a totally new attitude towards this thorn in his flesh. Where at one time he was praying to be delivered, no longer was he praying to be delivered but now he speaks about, "I glory in it."
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities [this weakness] (12:9),
"Because God's strength is made perfect in my weakness, I will glory in the weakness."
that the power of Christ may rest upon me [that God's power might be manifested in my life] (12:9).
Verse 10
And then he says,
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities [this weakness], in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (12:10).
Why? Because I am now experiencing God's strength. So the way that Paul dealt with the thorn in the flesh. You see, God didn't answer his prayer as he prayed it, because God is sovereign. God doesn't have to answer my prayers as I pray them. God is not a genie. He isn't there to fulfill three wishes. He isn't there to bow to my demands. I'm not running the universe. And if I have good sense, I won't even seek to run my own life. But I will commit the keeping of my life to Him. I will commit my destiny to Him. I will seek His guidance and His direction. A man is a fool who tries to direct God to condescend to his will, to his demand.
What do I know? What do I understand the things that are going on around me? I see such a minuscule part of the total picture. I have been so mistaken in my judgment on issues because I didn't know the whole truth. And when I knew the whole truth, I was so embarrassed by what I said. Oh, look what I did. Do you know what I did? Now I found out the whole truth, you know. I told that guy off. I told him how stupid he is. And he's the judge. I have to face him next week, you know. Man, if I'd only known, you know. And so here I am so limited in my understanding and knowledge and yet I say, "All right now God, this is what I want You to do and if You want me to keep serving You, You better do it, you know. Or I won't believe in You anymore. If you don't come through on this one, Lord, forget me." And here we're trying to twist God's arm and force God, and you know, cause God to bend to our wills.
Paul prayed; He got an answer. It wasn't the answer that he was praying for. Many times, this is true. God doesn't give us what we ask for because He has something better. And what God had for Paul was a greater revelation of Himself. "Paul, no matter what you're going through, my grace is sufficient for you. I'm going to see you through, Paul." "My grace is sufficient for you and my strength will be made perfect in your weakness."
Now you see, this new revelation gave Paul a totally new attitude towards the thorn. Rather than complaining and griping and saying, "Oh God, take it away. God, remove this thing," he says, "Oh, all right. I glory in that thorn, you know, because through it I've come to a deeper relationship with God where I know more of His power in my life than I've ever known before." "A messenger of Satan to buffet me." But God has turned it into an instrument of His to bring me into a greater experience of God's power working in my life. And so I take pleasure in this weakness. Because when I am weak, hey, then I'm really strong. The changed attitude that came to Paul through prayer.
And many times that's the greatest effect of prayer, and the greatest answer to prayer is not the taking us out of the circumstance, but God's all-sufficient grace taking us through the circumstance with great victory in our hearts. A far greater witness to the world. That if, in going through this trial, in going through it I maintain a happy, joyful spirit of victory in my heart, that's a far greater witness than if I forced God to, you know, come to my rescue and save me out of this dilemma.
Verse 11
Paul said,
I am [have] become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me [but you've forced me to do it]: for I ought to have been commended of you [for really all the while you should be commending me] (12:11):
"Here I . . . you're forcing me to commend myself. But I should have been commended by you."
for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing (12:11).
Interesting, isn't it? "Hey, I'm not behind any of those chief apostles but I'm nothing." God help us to realize that. We are all nothing. And when you think you're something, then you've deceived yourself and you're in a dangerous position. When you really think, begin to think that you are something. God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, Paul."
Whatever God does for you, He does on the basis of His grace, not because you deserve it. But because He is so loving and kind, and thus, each of us can experience the all-sufficient grace of God 'cause none of us deserve it. Gives God the opportunity to work.
Verse 12
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds (12:12).
Now Paul here declares that a mark of the apostle was really the gift of miracles. There were signs and wonders and mighty deeds. This is a part of the credentials, you might say, of an apostle in those days. That's one of the things that they look for in an apostle. That there have . . . that they have these mighty deeds wrought through their ministry.
Verse 13
For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong (12:13).
"The only thing that you were inferior to other churches is that you didn't give any money. I mean, you didn't support me. And so forgive me this wrong, but,"
Verse 14
Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you [I'm going to come to you the third time]; and I will not be burdensome to you [this time either]: for I seek not yours [for I do not seek what you have], but [I seek] you (12:14):
I love that. "I'm not here because I'm wanting to be enriched. I'm here because I love you. I don't want your possessions, I want you."
for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children (12:14).
You know, I shouldn't be inheriting from my kids. They should be inheriting from me. I should be laying up for them. I shouldn't go and say, "Hey, son, I really need some help this week. Can you help your old man out, you know?" They do, they follow this. They believe this scripture. They come and say, "Hey dad, can you help me out?" That's the way it should be and I love it.
Verse 15
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you (12:15);
I love that. Don't you? This attitude of Paul towards them. "Hey, I don't want what you've got. I want you. And I'm glad to spend and be spent for you. As a parent, I want to lay up for you. You don't need to lay up anything for me. I will very gladly spend and be spent for you."
Verses 15–19
though [it's interesting, there's a paradox] the more I love you, [the less it seems that you love me] the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I [seek to] make gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus [take advantage of you] make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying (12:15-19).
"We are there, and our desire is to build you up; our whole purpose is to build you up." You know, there is a subtle philosophy of ministry that is extremely important. And many people don't catch it. You know, there are many people that come here from all over the world to discover the secret of Calvary Chapel. They want to find the secret and go back and do the same thing in their communities. And they sit for a couple services and they get hold of Romaine and say, "What's your secret?" And he says, "We don't have any." "Oh, come on, you can tell us." And there is a subtle thing here though. People don't usually catch it. But Paul mentions it here.
There are many ministries that exist for the purpose of being ministered to. There are many radio programs that exist for the purpose of being ministered to. "Now folks, we want you to write in this week. We need your help and we're going to be going off the air if you don't support this ministry." This ministry is supported by God's people. And they're always presenting their needs and they are seeking to get you to minister to their needs. And they exist to be ministered to by the people.
That was not Paul's ministry. Paul's whole purpose was to minister to the people. Not to take from them, but to give to them. And so that is the philosophy upon which we founded Calvary Chapel: to give to the people, to minister to the people, not to seek to be ministered to by the people. And that is why you are never asked to give. We give you the opportunity, if you so desire, to give. And we say, "The ushers will come forward and receive." But we don't say, "Now folks, we ask you not to give from the top of your purse but from the bottom of your heart," and you know, all these clichés and all, you know. We don't do that kind of stuff. It's there. If you can give cheerfully and hilariously, fine. If not, keep it, you know. And we're very open with this because we are not here to be ministered to. We're here to minister. We're not here to receive. We're here to give. And that's the basic philosophy behind the ministry, and it was borrowed from Paul. We seek to build you up.
Verse 20
For I fear, lest, when I come (12:20),
Paul says,
I shall not find you such as I would (12:20),
"I'm coming again this third time, and I'm afraid that I'm not going to find you like I would like to find you."
Verses 20–21
and [I'm afraid] that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not [you're going to find me not what you would like to see]: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed (12:20-21).
Paul is saying, "I am afraid that when I come, if things aren't straightened up, that I'm going to really be bewailing you because God's going to wipe some of you out." Actually what he's declaring, he's talking about some of them will actually be like Ananias and Sapphira. You remember how God struck them dead? And Paul is warning the Corinthians, "Unless you clean up your act, I'm afraid that I'm going to be standing at your funeral. That the power of God's Spirit working through my ministry and my life will really come down heavy and hard and some of you will die."
Several years ago, we were approached by our supervisor to take a pastorate out in the Chino area, which we were rather reluctant to do. It was a large church, but the pastor who had been there who had founded the church had gotten into some moral improprieties and had to leave. The people were shattered, and the supervisor wanted me to go out and to take that church and try to pull it together. And so we went out and we spoke at the church and other pastors went and spoke at the church, and the church was then to vote upon receiving a pastor. And I told the supervisor that I didn't think that I was interested, that I had a smaller church but I enjoyed being where I was and the ministry I had to those people. And yet, in my heart I sort of felt that God was asking me to go there. That was really God's will but I was trying to fight it, because I didn't necessary care for the area to live and I enjoyed living where I was at the time. And so, they were to have a church membership meeting and to vote. And the supervisor said, "Well, would it be all right with you if I left your name on the ballot as they vote for their pastor? Would it be all right with you if I left your name on the ballot?" I said, "Well, yes, as long as I don't have to go. You know, I still have the option of not going." He said, "Yeah, you . . . I won't force you to go, but I'd like to have your name on the ballot."
So I said to my wife, I said, "You know, we'll put a fleece out to the Lord, and if on the first ballot the church would vote unanimously to have me as their pastor, then we know it's God's will and I'll go." I figured I was, you know, covering my bases, and in sort of a cheating kind of a thing, but I didn't want really, want to go in my heart. But yet I felt, you know, that God was saying, "Go." So we received a phone call from the chairman of the board and he said, "Pastor Smith," he said, "the church voted tonight for their new pastor, and on the first ballot, they voted unanimously to ask you to come as their pastor." And I said, "Are you sure it was unanimous?" He said, "Yes." I said to Kay, "What do we do now?" She said, "Well, it looks like we better go." So we prepared to go out there.
Well, the Wednesday night before we were to start on the Sunday, there was a lady in the church who decided to get a group of people together to support the pastor who had to leave because of the moral improprieties and to try to block our coming. And so she had started this little undercurrent in the church. Started calling people, and started this undercurrent in the church against us. That Wednesday evening, prior to our going on Sunday, she was struck by a car and killed. A very interesting thing. Because I definitely believe it was a situation like with Paul. "I don't want to be grieving over you, you know, if I come and find you in these conditions, and I find myself really grieving over you." God will deal severely, if He has to, with His church and for His church. And on other occasions we have had things like this happen. No, not that I am of Paul, or that I'm anything, but it's God's work, and a person who dares to lay their hand against God's work is really putting himself in a very precarious position.
I wouldn't dare touch the work of God. I could relate other similar stories that we have seen. But a person who takes upon himself to touch the work of God is putting himself in a very precarious position and Paul is warning them of this.
Sunday Nights, 1985 to 1999 (C3000)
Chapter introduction
Let’s turn in our Bibles to 2 Corinthians, chapter twelve.
This first verse of chapter twelve is a little difficult in the original Greek language, that is, the construction in the Greek language. It doesn’t translate well into English. They did the best they could.
It is not expedient (They have translated) for me doubtless to glory. Basically, what Paul is saying is that you are more or less forcing me to boast or to glory, yet it is not really of any value. So, he has as we have mentioned before, in these last chapters, he is dealing with the detractors, who had followed him in Corinth. Paul had founded the church there. He had gone into uncharted territories with the gospel, a very strong church was raised up in Corinth. Paul spent a couple of years there ministering to the church. When he moved on, there were false teachers that came in. And they began to denigrate Paul, challenging his apostleship, challenging the gospel that he had preached, the gospel of grace. They were seeking to put their own trips on the people. They were seeking to bring them under the law and thus Paul is sort of defending though he said it really isn’t necessary nor should it be necessary. He’s defending his call to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. He’s defending the gospel that he preached to them.
So he has been talking about the things that he experienced as a minister of the gospel. They included the difficulties as far as personal punishment or pain or suffering that he experienced personally. The beatings, the stonings, the imprisonments, the shipwrecks and the daily pressures that came upon him as he dealt with the many, many churches that had come out of his ministry that he was still seeking to deal with the problems, that would arise as they would be brought to him, whereever he was. And so, now he goes from the physical aspects of the ministry, as an apostle, to the Spiritual things. So he said, I really, you sort of forced me to glory, but yet I know it’s of no value.
So I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. He is going to talk now about the visions that he has had. The revelations that God had given to him. He starts out with a very fascinating experience.
Verses 2–4
I knew a man in Christ (he is talking about himself) above fourteen years ago,
(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man,
(whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Now, about fourteen years prior to the writing of Second Corinthians, Paul was preaching in Lystra. It’s recorded in Acts (Acts 14:19-21), chapter fourteen. And while he was ministering there in Lystra, the Jews stirred up the people against Paul. They stoned him. They thought he was dead. They drug his body out of the city. His companions also thought he was dead! They were standing around weeping because he had been such a valiant soldier of the faith. And as they were standing around him, weeping, suddenly his eyes sort of fluttered. He opened them up and said, well, let’s go back into the city. I didn’t finish my message! He was a tough guy!
But whether or not he was dead or alive, Paul, himself, said, I don’t know. And that is what he means by, whether in the body or out of the body. Whether or not I had an out of body experience. I don’t know. God knows! That’s not the important thing. During this time, he said, I was caught up into the third heaven.
Now, the Bible does speak of three heavens. It speaks of the atmosphere around the earth as the birds flying in the heaven. It speaks of the celestial heavens as God placed the sun and the moon and the stars, in the heavens—the limitless expanse. And then he speaks about the dwelling place of God, that place in the universe where is the throne of God, the actual place of God's dwelling, His throne in the heavens. So, the Bible makes mention to the three heavens, the atmosphere, the celestial heaven and the dwelling place of God.
The Jews spoke of seven heavens. The Mormons sort of picked up the seven heavens, so they talk about seven stages of heavens and degrees of glory and so forth. But it’s not really Biblical. The Bible mentions the three. The third heaven being God's dwelling place. And so I was caught up into the third heaven. He calls it paradise. He was caught up into paradise. And I heard unspeakable words or, again, I heard things that to attempt to describe them with words would be a crime.
In modern philosophy they talk about the possibility of having an ultimate experience. Now just what that ultimate experience might be, they don’t know. And whether or not anyone has ever had that ultimate experience, they don’t know. Because the problem with this ultimate experience is that because it is the ultimate experience, there are no words to describe it. If you had it, you wouldn’t be able to share it with anybody because it is so beyond anything that it is impossible to try and describe it to someone else. So if you said, oh, last night I had the ultimate experience. If the person would say, well, tell me about it, you would know that they know nothing about the ultimate experience, because if they knew anything about the ultimate experience, they’d know that you can’t tell about it. You can’t describe it. There are no words to describe it.
Well, in a sense, Paul had an ultimate experience. He was caught up into Paradise, the third heaven. There he heard things so glorious that he said that it would be a crime to try to describe them in human language because words have not been invented, words have not been created that can describe the things that I experienced there. They were beyond description. And any attempt at describing would be criminal because it would be so much less than the actual experience to try and reduce it to words, would be criminal.
How would describe the beauty of say, the sunset at our last baptismal service? As the sun set down over the horizon and the skies were colored in that beautiful pink and orange and all. As the colors were reflected across the water and the palm trees were siloletted on the sky on the other side of the bay, if you had a person who was blind, how would you describe that scene? The beautiful rippling water, the various colors of the sky, the clouds and all, how would you describe it to a blind person? You would say, oh it was the most beautiful pink. Pink? And it was sort of orange. Orange? And if they had felt something before with sort of a rough skin, people said, that’s an orange. But you see, you would do your best, but it would be inadequate. You would realize that I can’t put into words or into word pictures, the beauty of that scene.
I read one day of a little girl who was born blind. When she was about six years old, she was examined by a doctor. He said he felt that an operation could be performed that would allow her to see. Now up to this point her mother had done her best to describe the world in which she lived. She tried to describe to her blue sky, fluffy clouds. She tried to describe green grass and colored flowers. She tried to describe what the world looked like. She daily spent time with her, trying to paint word pictures to the little girl. And the prospect of her being able to see was exciting and so they went through the operation. Daily they would remove more of the bandages. They didn’t want her to be shocked with just a bright light to begin with. So they had bandages over her eyes and daily allowing a little more light to hit the optic nerve so that it wouldn’t be a total shock when the last bandage was removed. So finally the day came when the last bandage was removed. She was sitting on her mother’s lap. And as the bandage was removed, for the first time she could see her mother’s face. For the first time she could see the room that her mother had described, the big window in the front of the room. And she ran over to the window and looked out. For the first time she saw the blue skies, the fluffy clouds, the children playing, the green grass and the pretty flowers. She burst out in sobs. She came running back to her mother, just sobbing. Her mother said, what’s wrong sweetheart? What’s the matter? She said, Mommy, why didn’t you tell me it was this beautiful? The mother said, well honey, I tried. But you see, there are some things you just can’t describe.
So Paul is saying that about heaven. It would be a crime to try and to describe it in human language because it would fall so fall short of the reality of the glory and the beauty that is there.
We used to sing, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace. I want to see My Savior’s face for heaven is a wonderful place. I want to go there.”
And truly as Paul talks about this glorious experience. And he’s not certain whether he was in the body or not, whether or not I was dead or alive, I don’t know. Basically in the body or out of the body is what he is saying, I don’t know if I was dead or alive. They thought he was dead. His friends thought he was dead. He doesn’t know. All I know is that I was caught up to the third heaven. I was taken into Paradise and there the glorious things that I heard.
Verses 5–6
Of such an one (That is the one who had this glorious revelation and glorious experience.) will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities
(weaknesses).
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
So Paul said, I’m not going to try and describe everything. I am going to forebear, because, number one, I don’t want you to think of me more than I am.
You know, it’s interesting that we so often put people sort of on spiritual pedestals. We put them on a pedestal, the Billy Grahams and these men. We sort of put them on pedestals. We think, oooh, they are so close to God! And usually, in our minds, we put them on a higher pedestal than they actually are. There is a danger about that. It’s so tragic as they say, idols all have feet of clay.
So often times people, sort of put themselves on a pedestal. Then the truth is revealed about them, the Jimmy Bakers, the Jimmy Swaggerts, and so many of the television personalities. Somehow TV has a way of elevating a person to a “star” status. We begin to think of them more highly of them than they really are. Then we hear the truth. They have feet of clay. We are devastated to find out that they have a drinking problem or they have a sexual problem. It devastates us because we are prone to elevate them higher than they really are. So Paul is trying to guard against this. I’m not going to boast. I’m going to forebear. Lest you think I’m really better than I am, more highly of me, than I actually am, you should think of me above that you see me to be or that which you hear of me.
Verse 7
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
Paul had this wonderful revelation of heaven, an experience, caught up into the heavens. And there an abundance of revelations. He had three years of personal tutoring by Jesus in the deserts of Arabia, where the Lord spoke to him and taught him. He gave to him the revelation of this glorious gospel of grace that he was to take to the Gentile world. Because of the abundance of these revelations, it would be easy to become exalted. To sort of get on a spiritual pride trip and think of others as spiritually inferior and begin to look down on others as you begin to exalt and elevate yourself. And lest people exalt and put him on that pedestal, Paul said there was given to him this thorn in the flesh, a minister of Satan buffeting him.
The word thorn in the Greek is stake. It is the Greek word for a tent stake. So it was not just a little rosebush thorn. It was a severe malady. Now just what the thorn was, Paul doesn’t tell us. So any speculation on our part is just that, speculation. It is worthless, because anyone has a right to his own opinion. We don’t know what it was. Most commentators believe that it was an eye problem.
There is an Oriental disease that causes your eyes to run. It is very ugly because there is a constant running of your eyes. It hinders your sight. Paul was constantly squinting with this stuff running out of his eyes. It was not pleasant to look at.
In his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 6:11), which we will start next week, at the end of the letter, he says, you see how large a letter I have written to you in my own hand. In the Greek, it is the size of the letters I wrote in my own hand. And so he had to write in big letters because of his poor eyesight. So some have suggested that that was his thorn in the flesh.
Perhaps in verse ten, Paul is describing what the thorn is. He said I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the reproaches and in being in necessities and in persecution and distresses for Christ’s sake.
All of these things that Paul suffered for the sake of Jesus Christ, it could be a culmination of all of these things. We don’t know. We have to leave it there. We don’t know. Paul calls it a minister of Satan. It is buffeting him. He sees the purpose. It is to keep him humble because of the abundance of the revelations that he had, lest he be exalted above measure. It was to keep him humble.
Verse 8
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice,
Now you think of Paul, you think, oh man that guy is so close to the Lord. You know, the Lord would do anything for Paul. You know he would answer any prayer. But here’s Paul, three times praying that the Lord would remove this infirmity.
Verse 9
that it might depart from me.
And he (The Lord) said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
So Paul responds. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I’d rather have the infirmity and know the power of Christ than to be strong and powerful and all in my own strength and not have the relationship that I have with Christ and the revelations that He has given to me.
Don McClure, who was an assistant pastor here years ago, and is now pastoring our Calvary Chapel in San Jose, recently had a stroke. As a result of the stroke, the pressure, as I understand, sort of blew out the retina in his right eye. He is now blind in his right eye. And I was talking to Don about it. I called him up to sort of console him. Don was saying, Chuck, you know God has done so much in my life, spiritually, through being blind in my right eye. He said that He has taught me so many things. He has shone me so many things about myself. He said I’ve always been so aggressive. I’ve always had to, you know, had to pass everybody on the road. I would just always be so aggressive. Now, he said, I have to be careful. I find myself driving in the right lane because I can’t see cars that will pull up on the right side of me. I’m like a little old man driving now on the right lane. And he said but the things that the Lord has taught me through this are so glorious! I wouldn’t go back to having both eyes for anything because the lessons I’ve have learned, the growth that I have had and experience, the things that Christ has taught me and done for me through this, are worth the loss of that eye.
That’s sort of what Paul is saying. Yes, I have a thorn in the flesh. Yes, this is a ministry. Yes, I did seek the Lord for deliverance, but I wouldn’t trade what I have now for a strong healthy body. I wouldn’t exchange it, the abundance of the revelations that were given to me, basically, this relationship that I have come to know in the Lord in His strength and His power in my life.
Verse 10
Therefore, he said, I glory in my weaknesses that the power of the Lord might rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
God's strength, the Lord said, will be made perfect in your weakness. Wherever we feel that we are strong, we think we can handle it. We think that we don’t need help. We are capable. That is the area where you are most apt to stumble or fall because you are trusting yourself. You are relying upon your own abilities, your own power. And no matter how strong you may be, one day you are going to come up against a situation that is bigger than you and you’re not going to be able to handle it. And if your are that kind of person, self-confident, capable, when you come up against a thing where you aren’t able to handle it, you are devastated and destroyed.
In the areas where you are weak, you know you are weak and you know that I’ve got to trust in the Lord in this. In those areas, His strength is then made perfect in your weakness and you’re able to stand. You are able to stand. You can go through things that you never dreamed that you could go through because you know you can’t go through it so you are forced to rely upon the Lord. You receive then His strength. What a difference between His strength and my strength, between His abilities and my abilities! How good it is when I have learned to trust the Lord and to draw from Him, His strength. Thus, as Paul said (Phil. 4:13), I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Verse 11
Paul now sort of apologizes. He said,
I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me:
You forced me. I hated to do that. He didn’t want to bring up these things, but because of the challenge against him by these false teachers, he was forced to do it. I am become a fool in glorying, but you forced me.
for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. What does that say about the rest of the apostles? We’re nothing! Because a person stands and teaches the Word of God, doesn’t make him any higher. We have that tendency, that human tendency of elevating people and sort of lifting them up, but we’re nothing! We are servants of Jesus Christ. That’s all! And so Paul said, I’m not behind the chiefest apostle, yet I am nothing. It means that they are nothing either. I mean, we’re just, all of us, on the same plane. The Lord sees all of us on the same level. So many times, people say, oh, I want you to pray for me because I feel you are closer to God. Not so! We are all equally close to God. Paul said (Acts 17:28), in Him we live, we move, we have our being. We’re surrounded by Him. We are all close to God!
Verse 12
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
Now you should be commending me. I was the one that brought you the gospel I lived among you an exemplary life. I shared the truth. I shouldn’t have to be defending myself to you.
When these guys came in, you should have been defending me, because the signs of an apostle and this was their constant accusation. He’s not a true apostle. Paul said the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. Now this was one of the signs of apostleship—the working of miracles, signs and wonders. Those were the marks of an apostle. Paul said, those were wrought by me among you, the proof of the apostleship, the power of God working through Paul’s life.
Verse 13
For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, (The work that I established there wasn’t inferior to the other churches.) except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
I didn’t take any offerings. I didn’t take from you. Forgive me this wrong. The Bible says you are not to muzzle the ox that treads out the corn, that the laborer is worthy of his hire. So Paul had every right to receive support from them.
Writing to the Galatians, in our next book that we will study, Paul said (Galatians 6:6) that they that are taught in the word ought to communicate unto those that teach them in all things. That is they should support them. And yet, Paul said, the church there in Corinth that I established was not inferior to any of the churches except the fact that I didn’t receive from you. Forgive me this wrong!
Verse 14
Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you:
I’m not coming to receive for myself.
for I seek not yours, but you: (I’m not seeking anything that you have. I’m not seeking any of your money, your position. I’m seeking you. My love is for you.)
for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. (Jeff, you can just erase that one out of your mind. He quotes this one to me all the time.)
Verse 15
So Paul said,
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you;
I’ll give you all I have. I’ll gladly spend and I’ll be spent for you. I’m not looking for anything from you! Oh man, what a different attitude this is from so many ministries today that are constantly appealing for funds. They are constantly developing new gimmicks to try to get people’s support. They are constantly having emergencies in their ministries that call for extra donations. Paul said, I’ll gladly spend and be spent for you. I’m not seeking your money. I’m seeking you!
though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. Paul said the more abundantly I love the less I seem to be loved, a difficult thing!
Verse 16
But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
It was not a burden, but I just caught you with trickery.
Verse 17
Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
Did they come and say, Paul is in desperate need? He needs an offering right away. He says, please send him your money.
Verse 18
I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
Paul is trying to point out these fellows that have come in and are putting me down. Notice the emphasis they are putting on money! The emphasis as far as your supporting them, giving to them so that they can live a lavish lifestyle. Notice how they are doing that.
Peter wrote that there were false prophets among them who used feigned words or deceitful words in order to made merchandise of you, the mark of prophet, the deceptive words, the deceptive gimmicks to make merchandise of the people. But those that I sent, didn’t they walk in the same way that I did?
Verse 19
Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.
I’m speaking the truth in Christ. Anything and everything I do is for your sake. It is for your being built up. I’m not looking for anything for myself. My heart is for you. I love you. And I’ll gladly spend and be spent for you because of my love.
Verse 20
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:
I don’t want that! I want to come and have this loving experience with you. I don’t want to have the divisions and the backbitings and so forth.
That’s something that has been a bane in the church through the years. Those argumentative people who are constantly trying to foment strife and problems as they argue over words, over meanings and so forth. They are trying to create divisions. Paul said, I don’t want that. I don’t want to find you that way and you surely don’t want to find me that way!
Verse 21
And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
Paul is saying, I don’t want that God should humble me by using me powerfully.
You remember in the early church in the case of Sapphira and Ananias (Acts 5:1-11) where when God was moving in a mighty way and the hearts of the people were touched. Some of the people began to sell their possessions and bring the money and lay it at the apostles’ feet. That certain couple, Ananias and Sapphira, sold their property. But they held back part of it for themselves. They came hypocritically making a pretense that they were giving everything, when in reality they were only giving a part. Now, it’s very obvious from the Scriptures, that the sin was not in giving a part of it.
Peter makes that very plain. While you owned it, was it not your own to do with it as you pleased? Did anyone ask you or force you to sell it? Did anyone force you to bring everything that you gained from the sale of it to the church? The answer was no, to all of those questions. Their sin wasn’t in holding back. Their sin was that of hypocrisy, pretending to give all when in reality they were holding back, in order that people might think of them more highly than they really were. To think of them as, oh, look at them. Did you see that? They were exalting them.
And of course the punishment was very severe. Ananias fell over dead. An hour or so later, when his wife came in with this same hypocrisy, she fell over dead, the power of the Holy Spirit in the early church!
Now Paul is saying, I don’t want to come and be humbled by people falling over dead. And I will bewail some of you. That is what he is saying. I don’t want to bewailing some of you. It is a serious thing to lay your hand against the work of God. It is a very serious thing!
Several years ago, when I first started in the ministry, there were some people who had started to come to the church. They were of what is known as the “Jesus only” persuasion. That is that Jesus is the only one. He is the Father. He is the Son. He is the Holy Spirit. Jesus only. There in Tucson there are quite a number of “Jesus only” people. That is where we were pastoring at the time. And this family started coming to church. He started arguing in the adult Sunday School class, his belief of “Jesus only”. It was brought to my attention. He had preached it to me a lot. But I’m not really one to argue Scripture. I don’t’ to argue Scripture. So he would quote some Scripture that he felt backed his position. I’d say, yep, that what it says. So he thought that I believed him. But I didn’t bring up well, you know, who was Jesus praying to when He said, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? And was He a ventriloquist when He came up out of the water and the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, saying this My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. I didn’t bring up those kind of things. I was thinking them, but I didn’t want to get into an argument.
So because I didn’t argue, he thought I agreed. He was wrong. But he thought I agreed. So in the Sunday School class he had convinced some other people that this position of “Jesus only” was Scriptural and correct, so they really created quite a commotion this one Sunday morning. They said, well the pastor believes this!
The teacher came to me and said, Pastor Smith, do you believe this? I said no, I don’t believe this. Well he said you are going to have to go and straighten him out and let them know.
I went to them and said, look, I don’t believe in the “Jesus only” doctrine. I believe that there is one God, but He is manifested in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the three personalities or the three persons of the Godhead. Oh, this was like blasphemy to them. The fellow went into a prophecy. He saw a casket. He looked in the casket and there I was lying in the casket. I had two weeks to repent and tell the congregation that I, you know, believed in “Jesus only” or you know, they would carry me out of the church in that casket.
They gave me until Saturday night to determine whether or not I was going to share the truth with the church the following Sunday. And if I didn’t share the truth they weren’t coming back. Well, I said I don’t need until Saturday night. I can tell you right now that I don’t believe the “Jesus only” doctrine. I see too many flaws in it. Oh don’t say that, we’ll call you Saturday night. I don’t need until Saturday night. I can tell you that right now. Well, they called me Saturday night. He repeated his prophecy. They didn’t show up that Sunday, nor the other families that they influenced.
But the Lord was gracious. We actually had more people the following Sunday than we had when they were all there. So, God was gracious to us in that regard. The problem was though within two weeks, he died. I said to my wife, he saw the casket, but he just saw the wrong face. But it’s a serious thing to put your hand against the work of God.
Several years ago we were called to go out to the Los Serranos community church to pastor. The church has gone through a very hard experience. The previous pastor was discovered to be molesting some of the boys in the church. He had been arrested by the sheriff. They had made some kind of agreement that if he would leave the country or leave the area, you know, go back to Arkansas or something, they would not press charges. So, the families of some of the boys that were involved in this molestation were there in the church, they were boys in the church. They, naturally, wanted to kill the guy.
But then, then there were other people who had a deep love for him. He had been there for thirteen years. He had started the church. And so it was a large church and the supervisor asked me if I would go out and take it. I really didn’t want to. In my heart I loved the church I was pastoring. We were in Huntington Beach. I loved to surf in Huntington. It was just a good life. I didn’t want to go out there. It’s smoggy and all, out there near Chino.
So, the church was going to have three different pastors to come and speak. Then they were going to vote. I went out and spoke because as a favor to the supervisor. Then I called him and told I wasn’t interested. He said, well, would you just leave your name on the ballot? I said well, all right, I can do that, I guess. So I told my wife, honey, I really don’t to go out there. I put out a fleece to the Lord and when they vote, unless they vote for me unanimously for me on the first ballot, we won’t go. That will be our sign. And I thought I was safe you know. That was an impossibility. And so the Lord, though began to give me a Scripture several different times in Isaiah that was so applicable in that situation. The Spirit of Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach the gospel, to heal the brokenhearted. I said, oh, no, no, no. But it seemed that that Scripture was showing up everywhere.
And so on Sunday evening I received a call from the chairman of the board. He said, Pastor Smith, the church has just had their vote, as far as the new pastor. He said they voted unanimously to invite you to come on the first ballot. I said, oh my! So we felt that it was the Lord’s will. You know submission is not doing what you want to do. We make a mistake about that. Oh, I am submitted to the Lord as long as He asks me to do what I like to do, you know. I’m in total submission. Submission is doing what you don’t want to do.
It’s not where I wish to be nor where I wish to go, for who am I that I should chose my way? The Lord shall choose for me. It is better for I now. So let Him bid me come or go or stay. And so it was a hard decision. We moved.
But the interesting thing was that after we accepted the invitation from the church, there was a lady that started to call up people and say, you know, our pastor really needs our support. We need to rally behind him and this Chuck Smith, you know, and started to create dissension. It was the Wednesday night before the Sunday I was to start. She had started the week before, this dissension. On Wednesday night as she was going to church, she was hit by a car and killed. It was just one of those things where God said, don’t touch my anointed. Do my prophets no harm. Paul is talking about this kind of a thing where God deals severely with those who are causing problems within the church. It is a dangerous thing to put your hand against the work of God.
And so Paul is saying, I don’t want when I come to Corinth, that there be these things going on that the Spirit of God will humble me before you by actually demonstrating His power and I will bewail some of you.
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
We’ll go through these things, these accusation that are being made. But as the Old Testament said, that everything was to be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses. You weren’t to accept the witness of one. It had to be in the mouth of two or three witnesses, everything shall be established.