In 2 Corinthians, chapter twelve, Paul does something very interesting, (and in a way), quite startling. Paul contrasts the great blessings, the awesome, awesome blessings in life, (which we have from God), and places them side by side with the difficulties, trials, troubles, and afflictions that come into our life! Listen to what he says about himself, in 2 Corinthians, chapter twelve. First of all, he is going to talk about this awesome, almost unbelievable blessing that he was given from God. He says,

"I know a man in Christ, (he is talking about himself), I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven (for the Jews, the first heaven was the sky, the second heaven was up to the stars, and the third heaven is God’s home itself). And so, "I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven, (God’s home itself) whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows, and I know that this man, whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know but God knows, was caught up to paradise, and heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that."

So here, Paul had an experience that no one else in this world has had. He was physically caught up to Heaven - a sinner in Heaven! He saw the sights of Heaven! He saw the people in Heaven! What an awesome, profound gift that Paul had been given by God! What a blessing! Then, he was permitted to come back to this earth.

You and I have received

awesome blessings

from God!

It does not matter who you are – we have blessings that make us unique, blessings that make us special! It could be a blessing that you have in your spiritual life. You may have a very strong, deep faith in Christ, as your Savior. You may have the great blessing of being able to express your faith very clearly to other people. You may have the blessing of being able to pray fervently. You may have the blessing of being able to show Christian love to people in a way that most people can’t.

You may have, (and I know all of you do have) many other blessings, beside just the spiritual blessings - awesome blessings from God. You may have a wonderful home life, which is a great blessing from God. You may have a great amount of wealth, which is an awesome blessing from God. You may have great physical health, which is an awesome blessing from God. You may have an excellent personality, which everyone is attracted to, which is a great blessing from God. You may have many friends, more than the normal person, which is a great blessing from God. You may have any combination of many, different great, great blessings from God.

On the other hand, besides those great blessings from God, Paul talks about his trials. He says that he was given a thorn in the flesh that tormented him. So, here he had these great blessings from God. We know that Paul was a very blessed man, but we also know that he had extreme trials. We do not know what his thorn in the flesh was, and it does not matter, because scripture would have told us, if it mattered. But what we do know is that Paul underwent some very, very difficult type of physical suffering that was very, very hard for him to endure.

And you, also, although you have great blessings from God, have trials, troubles, and difficulties that you endure and that are very, very difficult for you to endure. The list could be limitless, as to what they are. For example, you may have troubles in your home, domestic troubles, at home. That can be very, very difficult to endure. You may be hungry, because you don’t know where the next paycheck is coming from. And that can be very, very difficult to endure. You may have a very difficult time making friends, and you are lonely. And that can be very, very difficult to endure. You may have great trouble at work, because your boss and your coworkers don’t get along with you. And that can be very, very difficult to endure. You may have a sickness, or are suffering because of the death of a loved one. That can be very, very difficult to endure. There are many, many trials and troubles that we have to endure.

And so, here in I Corinthians, chapter twelve, Paul lays these two side by side. These surpassingly great revelations that he was given, a great awesome blessing from God (same with you, great awesome blessings from God) and then he lays down all the trials, troubles, and difficulties. What Paul does in our scripture reading is tie them together. He shows the relationship between these great blessings we get from God, and the trials that come from God. Listen to the connection that Paul makes between the two, in our scripture reading today, when he says,

"To keep me (to keep me, Paul) from becoming conceited, because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me."

Paul tells us one of the purposes, one of the reasons that God permits trials, troubles, difficulties, afflictions, and suffering to come to His people, who are greatly blessed. Paul says it about himself, (who was a strong Christian), when he says, "In order to keep me from becoming conceited."

You see, Paul knew that he still had a sinful nature. Oh, our sins are covered. They have been paid for, and they are gone in God’s eyes, but we still have that sinful flesh, that sinful nature. Paul also knew, although he was a great man of God, he knew he had a sinful nature. He knew that Satan can take those great blessings from God and Satan can work on our sinful flesh and our sinful nature. Satan can cause our sinful nature to look at those great blessings from God and he can turn them to our great disadvantage. Paul knew, he knew because of his sinful nature, "I can become conceited, because of the great blessings God has given me. I could think to myself, ‘Look at how special I am. I got to go to Heaven. I got to see Heaven. Nobody else has gotten to do that before. Look how God must care about me! Look how God must love me! Look at what I must be worth!’"

Paul knew that he could become conceited and become full of himself. He knew that he would then begin to rely on himself, rather than on God and on his Savior. And what a danger that was. And so, Paul says, "To keep me from becoming conceited, because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

One of the benefits that suffering brings to Christians is that it mortifies the flesh. It puts to death our sinful nature. Because Paul had this thorn in the flesh, this great suffering, (which we don’t know what it was), it caused him to be tormented, to look at that suffering and focus on that suffering, rather than look at his blessings and say, "What an awesome person I am. How great I am. I don’t need God, because I have all of these great blessings." It caused him to mortify that sinful nature and not become conceited.

We have a sinful nature. I have a sinful nature. You have a sinful nature. And you know, because of the great blessings we have from God, our flesh, our sinful flesh can become very easily conceited. God may give you physical attractiveness. And it is easy for our sinful flesh to become conceited and say, "Look at how special I am. People must really like me." And then you become self reliant, and begin to think, "I don’t need God. I have my looks."

Money can do the same thing. A good personality can do the same thing. A great family life can do the same thing. There is a danger that our sinful nature will cause us to become conceited, and so, slip away from our faith and loose our faith in Christ, as our Savior. One of the blessings of suffering is that it keeps us from becoming conceited. It humbles us, causes us to turn to our Savior, and see our profound need for our Savior, and not to find our strength or reliance in the blessings God has given us, but in our Savior alone - and in nothing else. And so, Paul says,

"To keep me from becoming conceited, because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

Secondly, not only do those trails and troubles serve to mortify or put to death our sinful nature so that we do not become conceited, so that we do not become arrogant, and proud, and finally fall away from God, but secondly, they certainly serve to cause an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit - an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit!

As a pastor, if you came up to me privately, and personally were to ask me, "Pastor, when you look at all the people in the congregation, which ones pray the most and pray the most fervently? Which ones dig into scripture the most? Which ones really want to hear the Word of God the most? Which ones have the most patience? Which ones are the most long suffering?"

Do you know what my answer would be to you? I would answer, "Those who have suffered the most. Those who have suffered the most have learned to pray the hardest. Those who have been through the greatest trials, have learned to go to the Word of God, and dig deepest in it, to find their comfort and strength there. Those who have had to live with unrest in their lives, because of struggles, have learned to go to scripture to find their peace and their patience in the Word of God."

Those trials, tribulations, and sufferings that God may send into our lives, or permit to come into our lives, God intends through those to bless us, to give us an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Look at what happened to St. Paul. What did St. Paul, who had the thorn in the flesh, say? He said, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me." That thorn in the flesh, whatever it was, drove Paul to pray. It was not just some surface prayer. He says, "I pleaded with the Lord," fervently.

It would have been something to be in that room with Paul, and hear him pour out his pleas to God, his dependence upon God, committing all his cares to God. God says,

"Cast all your cares on me,

because I care for you."

God also says,

"Call upon me

in the day of trouble

and I will deliver you."

Paul was clinging to those promises, and in fervent prayer, coming before God.

And so we know, as Christians, not only do trials and troubles serve to mortify our sinful nature, but they also serve to cause an increase of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our life, for which we are thankful to God.

But, most of all, trials and troubles that come into our lives serve to cause a strengthening of our Christian faith. They serve to cause a strengthening of our Christian faith.

God did not take away the thorn of the flesh for Paul. God knew what was best for Paul. But, what God did say to Paul was this:

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect

in weakness."

God drove Paul right to one thing, and one thing only, and that was grace. When we go through trials and troubles, which we cannot take away, we are driven to God’s grace.

You may not be able to take away your financial troubles.

You may not be able to take away your health troubles.

You may not be able to take away the domestic troubles you have at home.

You may not be able to take away the fact that you do not seem to be able to make any friends.

You are not being able to take away the fact that your loved one passed away.

When we cannot take away any of those things, we are driven to the One, who by His grace alone, we depend upon. Grace is undeserved, unmerited favor.

How do I know, when I am going through trials, troubles, tribulation, and suffering (the things that I cannot take away), how do I know that God cares about me? How do I know that God loves me, through all of those things? How do I know that He will hold me in His hands? How do I know that He will bless me, through all of those things?

God drives me to His grace.

When I dig into scripture, and I ask the question, "Does God still love me? Does He still care about me?" I am driven right to the Gospel. The Gospel shows me, proves to me, assures me, and comforts me. There is no question, no doubt, at all, in any way whatsoever, of the love, the absolute love, mercy, goodness, and loving kindness that God has toward me, although I may be suffering. What do I see in the Gospel?

I see that God loves me, a sinner.

I do not deserve to have Him love me in any way, whatsoever. I deserve to have Him abandon me, to cast me into Hell, shut the doors, and not let me out for eternity. That is what I deserve. But, what do I see in scripture? I see that God loves me, me, so dearly (and you can say the same thing. He loves you so dearly,) that He gave His own dear Son. His own dear Son, though He is stronger than all in the universe, took on weakness. And in weakness, His Son suffered beyond any suffering you and I will ever suffer in this life.

He suffered the wrath of God, for my sin.

He suffered death for me.

He suffered Hell for me.

Does God love me? Does God care about me? Oh, in the Gospel I see nothing but a good and gracious, loving and caring God who loves sinners, (me included), so much that He would not withhold His highest, and dearest treasure, but pay whatever price it took to make me His child. Driven to that grace, then a Christian goes forward and says, "I know, I know that no matter what the suffering, I know that no matter what the trials, I know that no matter what the affliction or the trouble, I know that God loves me. I know that. My faith is strengthened through His Word, and its promises. I know that God will take care of me, through all of these trials and troubles, whether He takes them away, or leaves them, giving me the strength to bear up under them."

St. Paul could say this, "Therefore I will boast, I will boast (not about his blessings) I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

When I am weak in myself,

then I am strong

in God’s power and God’s grace.

It has been said that what we do, serves other people. What we do, serves other people. What we suffer, serves us. If God permits suffering to come into our lives,

it is there to serve us,

to mortify our sinful nature,

to increase the gifts of the Holy Spirit,

and to strengthen our faith in Christ, as our Savior.

And so, we go gladly forward in our Savior’s name.

Amen.