Embracing Grace: Strength in Trials and Weakness

Grace is such a wonderful subject we do not we know this song amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved your breast like me i once was lost with but now i've found i was blind but now i see one of the sure foundations of the christian journey has got to be grace and we love to talk about god's grace there are many definitions of this word of grace for some grace means god unmerited favor in our lives brothers grace is god giving to us that which we don't deserve and some even go further [00:01:34]

say that god's grace is a special gift to us yes that's gorgeous grace but have you ever stopped to think that there is a back side of grace yes there is another side of grace that nobody likes to talk about that is the key that is that is that is blessed that has never played on our personal living that we don't like to touch so we know that god's grace is evident when we get that which we don't deserve but i'm going to tell you it's also evident when we also get that which we don't like what better person to preach about this side of grace was paul but see paul had been through it paul had had uh busy persecutions and pain and hardships and trials and rejections and if there was anyone who understood that side of grace it was him [00:03:00]

Paul had seen what no other mortal had seen and with that kind of ministerial success it can be easy to get the big hand so Paul said that there was given to me a thorn in the flesh in other words Paul said in order to keep my humility God said Paul I'm going to have to let you bleed I'm going to have to give you this thorn now there are some scholars that like to start the argument on what Paul's thorn could have been some people say that Paul's thorn he had trouble with his eyesight some believe that he was criticized on his messages for example I hear somebody saying well Paul's a great writer but he can't preach or some people go further and say that he wasn't a handsome man they think that he was a short and his face had some sort of contusion [00:04:29]

The point I'm trying to make is that if God allowed Jesus and Paul to go through some pain, then he will also allow us to go through the same pain. There was given to me a thorn in the flesh. But we have to keep walking. As we walk further, we see that it was satanically enforced. Verse 7 says, by the messenger of Satan, to buffet me. He says that a thorn came from Satan to distract him slay him. I don't want you to miss this. As I said earlier, God allowed him to have this thorn. [00:07:31]

Even the devil has to ask to bring pain into your life. Remember Job? Have you considered my servant Job? So, if you're going through some pain right now, don't be shocked that somewhere God has rattened on you. See, the fact of the matter is, if God allows you to go through some pain, that means he can trust you with the responsibility. He can trust you with that pain. It means that he knows that. I can trust you with pain. I can trust you with a situation because I know you can handle it because the race is not given to the swift, but it's given to those who can endure. [00:08:29]

Paul says I had a desire to boast. I had an urge to brag, but it was the thorn that kept me from doing so. In other words, the thorn reminded him of his humbleness. Yeah. Those who teach unpopular truths today must have power from on high to combine with their doctrine or their efforts will be of little account. This is what Ellen White says. The precious grace of humility is sadly wanting in the ministry and the church. Men and women who preach the truth think too highly of their own ability. Thank you very much. [00:09:39]

those who preach the truth think too highly of their own abilities truth really will lead a man to exalt christ and the truth and to realize his utter dependence upon the god of truth it is painful she says to learn lessons of humility yet nothing is more beneficial in the end the pain attended upon learning lessons of humility is in is in consequence as of our being elated by a false estimate of ourselves so that we are unable to see our great need vanity and pride fill the hearts of men and god's praise alone can work a reformation [00:10:27]

and ugly in prayer. I mean, have you ever gotten ugly in prayer? I mean, have you ever had to ask God, like, you didn't care how you looked, are you not coming down your rose tears, running down out of your eyes, running down your face, because you knew that you had to be the only God, particularly. So I can imagine God in your prayer, please, God, remove this thorn. God, please give me some relief. Please, God, take this pain away. Please, God, heal my body. Please, God, cure the cancer. Please, God, get me through college. Please, God, heal my marriage. Please, God, don't let my father die. Please, God, heal my mother. Please, God, bring my favorite child back home. Have you ever had to get ugly in prayer? [00:14:58]

For you see, after he had prayed, begged, and pleaded, God spoke. Paul, you are my son. You are a great preacher. A great pastor. A great teacher. You heal the sick. Cast out demons. You even train young ministers and the way they should go. But Paul, my answer is no. Request denied. And some believe that Paul's prayer wasn't answered because he didn't have faith. Or some say he wasn't sincere. But this is Paul we're talking about. This is no newcomer, baby Christian. This was Paul, an apostle of Jesus, and God told him no. And the reality of this is that God doesn't have to tell you yes. [00:16:42]

God isn't obligated to do anything for us. Because as Paul says, if he doesn't do anything else, he's already done more than enough. And see, this is where Christian maturity comes in. see christian maturity states that we ought to pray that in god's wisdom he'll do his best not in our wisdom he'll do what i need to do see i heard a pastor uh the other day he preached an irresponsible sermon and he said in the sermon that everybody he ever prayed for got here [00:17:47]

and see the problem with that statement is it lacks christian maturity because when we pray it will be immature for us to think that god is obligated to do for us what we think he ought to do all right see i'm learning that whatever gives god glory that's what he's going to do if he wanted to heal you he would yeah want to save your marriage he would i want to bring your child back he would but sometimes god will allow you to go through that with that pain that mess that messes you up that you don't like to give him glory there was give it to me a thorn in the flesh you now church this is where i want to swing out of with that because not only was his prayer sincere not only was the answer expedient [00:18:24]

when you're about to throw in the towel when you're about to give up and you can't see how you're going to get through that's when god steps in oh god push me yes the pain is still there the pressure is still there from all sides but god is right there pushing you through keeping you sane while you're going through there was given to me a thorn in the flesh but listen to paul's response after his request is the request is denied now remember that christian mature now talking about [00:23:09]