Welcome to the Power Hour
Today I will be talking about Paul's thorn in the flesh.
II Cor 11:21-12:1
21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
Jump to
II Corinth 12:7-10
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.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 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.
If you notice that Paul talks about a lot of the things that he is going through to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ AND then he goes into his thorn in the flesh.
So wouldn't his thorn in the flesh be the trials, the problems, the persecutions that he experienced. As we take stands for the Lord Jesus, won't we experience that same thorn in the flesh, to some sort of degree by reading...
II Tim. 3:12
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
Some Christian preachers say it was bad eye sight. Those who claim that is giving God a bad name since he was blinded and God HEALED his eyes. Or bad knees or Luke was with him to take care of him since he was a physician???? CAN'T you see it?, the disciples were saying in the name of Jesus be healed EXCEPT for Luke, he was using his medical abilities STRANGE TO SAY THE LEAST.
John 15:20, the Lord Jesus Christ said,
Watch what he says again,
"20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."
Jesus is ONLY talking to the believers who are walking in the Spirit, in obedience to God, not walking in carnality, filth and the like. I WALKED in junk, garbage, sin and it will kill you PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALLY IF there is NO REPENTANCE. I praise God that I turned from it before It killed me, hell was waiting to claim me as one of its own.
BACK to the thorn… God will NOT take away the thorn in the flesh that we will have as we follow him. "…ALL that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution". Paul was asking God to take something away that he could not take away, so to speak.
We as Christians are telling the cults, false religious systems to read in context and there are times that we need to practice what we preach.
IN CONTEXT, Paul is talking about all the things that he went through while preaching the gospel. SO God COULD NOT take away his thorn in the flesh since ALL believers walking in the Spirit will have it. Jesus told us we would experience hate, abuse, turmoil, whatever the world can give us in the natural to show us they hate us like they hate him.
Verses 23-28
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
NOW go to verse 32
32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands
That was the last verse in chapter 11, Paul is still on the same subject in the next chapter.
II Corinth 12: 7 in chapter 12
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.
I have heard all kinds of things supposedly being Paul's thorn in the flesh from bad eyesight to bad knees to having Luke as a physician to take care of him, etc. But what does the word say was his "thorn in the flesh"?
God is the one who healed Paul's eyes after he was blinded going to kill some more of God's people. I think that is giving God a bad character reference as the GREAT physician. Regarding Luke, the physician; I believe that he healed others like the other disciples did. He laid hands on them in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above every name. I can't find anywhere that he took out his shot needle or medicine and did it that way.
II Corinth 12:8
"8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me."
He asked the Lord to remove the thorn from him three times, that it might depart, what is the "it"?
I see in context with this chapter Paul is talking about the overall junk, garbage that he was going through almost daily.
II Corinth 12:9
These verses also shows us that "infirmities" is the same as "weaknesses" which is the opposite of strength. We need to read in context but if we read the word like a lot of cults do then "weakness" can be "diseases or whatever". But we see the two words are together in verse 9. Paul is showing that to be "infirm" is to be "weak" and God's strength is made perfect in weakness. I ALSO BELIEVE that infirmities can be sicknesses and diseases but it based on context. I WILL SHOW you want I mean in a few minutes.
"9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
But God's grace is sufficient for Paul as it is for us. The Lord takes us through some HARD TIMES COMPARABLE to our WALK AND GROWTH in him. He is comforming us to the image of his Son, causing us to walk as overcomers by his Spirit in our lives.
The power of Christ on our lives is totally sufficient for whatever we go through in this life. NOTICE Paul says that God said his strength is made perfect in weakness then he shows in the same verse that the power of Christ may rest on him showing that God's strength is the power of Christ, hence God in human flesh.
Listen closely to what Paul says in next verse
II Corinth 12:10
"10 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. "
Paul DOES NOT say HERE that he takes pleasure in "diseases, sicknesses" and the like.
The word says in John 10:10 that the thief - Satan- came to steal, kill and destroy. Don't give Satan's calling to God, he doesn't want it. Satan and God do NOT work together. God is a healer, deliverer, provider, help in trouble. He is the all sufficient one. He is God and there is none other.
Heb 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Psa 28:13
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Throwing in another side note that fits here, we read in
A final side note for now.
Matt. 8:14-17
"14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
God is a healing God for those who are walking in obedience to him and seeking his face and calling upon him in faith which is the only way we can please him. Heb 11:6 Faith is just believing God and taking him at his word. Some tell me that it is talking about "spiritual" healing, whatever that is? Anyway is context again, we see that he healed Peter's wife's mother and many others who had physical problems. SO HERE is one place where "infirmities" CAN mean "sicknesses and diseases", context SHOWS us that TRUTH.
Heb 6:4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Here Paul is talking about certain Christians who fit this scenario, if they shall fall away. Who are the they? The ones who fit verses 4-5.. I believe that Paul is one of those believers whom he is talking about here. Based on II Corinth Chapters 11 and 12 we were just talking about this fits him as it does others who have walked deeply with God.
This was Paul's cry after he met the Lord of glory and it should be our cry too.
Phil 3:8-10
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;