When Prayer Seems to
Fail
Book of 2
Corinthians Chapter 12
The biggest problem
in the church of today is that the Word of God is not accepted as the
truth. It is a great misunderstanding to think of the Bible as just a
book of ancient writings. The Bible is the actual Word of God! The
Bible is an actual message from Heaven to humanity! God Himself is
the author of the Bible!
When we understand
these things, we can then begin to understand what God is saying.
Heb 11:6 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.
After all what is
"faith"?
Heb 11:1 Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen.
"Substance"
is something real, not imaginary, something solid! Faith is the
assurance of things we hope for! Things we hope for are our personal
achievements.
"Evidence"
is the things that enables the mind to see the truth. The evidence we
see is also the proof of things we cannot see. A Supreme being with a
supreme cause for His creation.
Faith then is
"Believing all the Word of God".
When we accept the
Word of God as the truth, we can then enter in to a new life, a new
mode of power and a new mode of existence!
Col 3:1 If ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Listen and believe
what the Apostle Paul writes by the Holy Spirit:
*****2Co 12:1
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions
and revelations of the Lord.
It is never a good
thing to boast of our accomplishments because we could not accomplish
anything long lasting without the Lord in our lives!
Paul had begun this
church at Corinth by the power of God and because of false teachers
Paul saw the need to defend his ministry.
Paul's salvation was
real.
Paul's call into the
ministry was real.
Paul had to defend
his calling.
Paul began his
boasting by lifting up the Lord. Paul is saying "let me tell you
what the Lord has revealed to me".
*****2Co 12:2
I knew a man in Christ 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.
2Co 12:3 And I
knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot
tell: God knoweth;)
First if we skip
down to verse 7, where Paul says "lest I be exalted" we can
see that "this man" Paul was talking about was himself!
Paul had kept quiet
about this for 14 years and the truth is, deep matters between
ourselves and God should never be subject to boasting unless there is
a real reason to do so!
No doubt Paul had
many revelations from the Lord on many different occasions. This was
the birth of the Church of Jesus Christ and we know Christ is very
involved in His Church!
Paul recognizes that
he did not know what the state of his consciousness at the time of
this revelation. In other words, Paul knew he had a vision and he had
seen clearly what God had wanted him to see but he did not know if
the soul was in or out of his body. Paul did not know if he was
conscious or unconscious.
Just so we are
clear, the third Heaven is God's dwelling place! The place where the
clouds are is the first heaven, the place where the stars are the
second heaven. Even the Apostle Paul rejected the notion of 7 heavens
and we should also!
No doubt that as
Christians we are all a part of the Body of Christ:
Rom 8:29 For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
Rom 8:30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified.
Paul had a glorious
vision that had only one answer.
*****2Co 12:4
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
The third heaven and
paradise are then the same place.
Paradise is then the
unseen world! The spiritual world! The spiritual dimension of being!
These two worlds are
separated by a great gulf that is impassable. One world a place of
sorrows, known as Hell, which continues to enlarge itself because of
unbelief and the other Paradise where all believers go at the very
moment of death.
Paradise is a
picture of Heaven and Heaven is where God dwells in all His presence
and glory.
It would never be
against any law for Paul not to speak of Paradise, the truth is there
are simply no words in any language that can describe the beauty of
Paradise.
Isa 64:4 For
since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by
the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath
prepared for him that waiteth for him.
We should understand
that there is nothing in the Word of God that is to be hidden and God
does not hide anything from us. God just ask us to believe the words
He gives to us!
Paul's life was all
about the "Gospel". Paul's life was with the Lord, Paul's
dreams were of the Lord, Paul saw God as not many see God. Paul heard
a Voice that not many hear because most people have of a lack of
"faith".
This is the One in
which we all should praise and glorify!
*****2Co 12:5
Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in
mine infirmities.
2Co 12:6 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.
Paul was answering
his critics who said that he had no authority to preach the "Gospel"
but Paul does not stay there long, because Paul knows that our true
strength comes from our weaknesses!
It is when we know
our weaknesses that we can depend on the strength of the Lord. This
is not speaking of our weakness of sin but our weaknesses as servants
of the Lord and they are different for every one of us.
These are our
difficulties in this life, our great afflictions and even our
persecution.
We all, at some
time, have tendency to glory in our own accomplishments even when we
are foolish to do so but we must always speak the truth and that
without exaggeration. The truth of the Lord must never be seen as
boasting!
It is a fact that
Paul had many visions and many sessions with the Holy Spirit or there
could not be so many books of the New Testament which carries his
name!
Paul clearly
understood that these things did not make him special in any way. In
fact, had Paul refused God would just have used someone else!
*****2Co 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.
The Strong's
Dictionary describes this thorn as a bodily annoyance or a
disability.
A "thorn"
can also be anything that is troublesome to our mission to serve
Jesus Christ.
Paul also says this
thorn was "the messenger of Satan to buffet him".
We could also say
this was a "demon".
To "buffet",
means "to beat with the fist"! So, Paul's thorn was
certainly something evil!
We know that a thorn
can cause pain and a thorn is impossible to forget. A thorn always
seems to make contact with something as we go about our daily
routine. To stop this, this thorn must be removed!
*****2Co 12:8
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from
me.
2Co 12:9 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.
Obviously, this was
something Paul could not do himself and something that no other human
could do for Paul.
Remember Paul had
all the powers given to him by the Lord.
Paul had the power
to heal others but he could not use those powers on himself!
We should clearly
understand, it is the Lord Jesus who chooses His servants and the
mission of each servant.
It is the Lord who
oversees their qualifications, their support, their trials and their
deliverance from those trials. When that person has a problem and
they do not take it to the Lord they show that they do not belong to
the Lord! To Paul his prayers seemed to fail.
Notice Paul sought
the Lord on 3 separate occasions to remove this obstacle of pain by
the time he had written this epistle and it is possible he did so on
other occasions.
We should understand
the purpose of this life time trial of Paul. (lest I should be
exalted above measure)
It is obvious that
pride can be our greatest enemy after all it was pride that ruined
the life of Lucifer and God tossed him out of Heaven along with his
followers.
We are to always be
humble servants of the Lord and constant physical pain can be the
greatest humbler.
But there is an even
greater reason than this!
The Lord Jesus
Christ sets us free from the bondage of sin, but the Lord does not
give us independence to serve ourselves!
Php 2:4 Look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others.
God says we are to
bear one another’s burdens.
Notice things happen
to us because we live in a sinful world, but our trials come from the
Lord for His reasons and one day we will understand that these things
had a real purpose that we may not understand while we are living.
In this case of
Paul, God appointed this evil and Satan with the Lord's permission
inflicted it.
Job 1:9 Then
Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10 Hast
not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all
that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands,
and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But
put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And
the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power;
only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So, Satan went forth from
the presence of the LORD.
Satan needs to have
God's permission to bring evil on a child of God! If God allows it
then God has His own reasons for doing so!
How did this affect
Paul?
****It made Paul a
better missionary!
God wanted to reveal
His power in Paul. The weaker the vessel the more God will be
glorified!
Grace is the
unmerited favor of God. God's presence, God's love, God's favor, and
God's blessings are all we need in this world to do the work that the
Lord has given us to do. In fact without God's grace we would falter
and fail in our mission!
God's Grace can
carry us through any circumstance we face in this world!
We see that Paul
suffered physically and many times this is true of others but there
can also be spiritual suffering.
A self-sufficient
person is saying that they do not need God!
So the truth is, we
should all glory in our infirmities so the world can see the power of
God in our lives!
*****2Co 12:10
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.
This may sound like
a hard saying but in fact it is the truth if we remember that God can
only do things that are the right thing to do, all the time!
We can take pleasure
in the weakness of our mind and body, when we know the power of Jesus
Christ will overcome those things.
We can smile and
keep going, when we are ridiculed for serving the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can always feel
secure, knowing that God will always meet our needs.
We can always feel
safe, knowing that we are in the hands of the Lord when persecution
comes.
We can always feel
the victory, even when we are in tight situations and it looks like
there is no means of escape, the Lord will make a way.
All we need to
remember is that the power of Christ Jesus is much stronger than all
the combined forces that mankind can put together!
Mat 19:25 When
his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who
then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But
Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible.
Nothing on this
earth can overcome the "will of God"!
*****2Co 12:11
I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to
have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very
chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
2Co 12:12
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience,
in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
Paul is saying, "to
many of you I may seem to be a fool" but in fact this church was
in error "because they had not defended their Pastor".
Every church who has
a Pastor who preaches the truth of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ"
must come to his aid when he is attacked by those who do not follow
the Word of God.
We cannot pick and
choose what part of God's Word we will follow. We must accept all
God's Word as the truth and we must rightly divide the Word of God to
keep it in context.
There will never be
a volume 2 of the Word of God. There will never be a revised version
of those old Hebrew and Greek scrolls.
We already have the
truth of God in our possession!
Every Pastor should
ask himself if he can defend his ministry before Jesus Christ.
Every Pastor should
ask himself if he is following the lead of the Holy Spirit in his
ministry.
Every Pastor should
ask himself if he is totally committed to the truth of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
If he can be
positive in his answers, then he needs to stand on his ministry and
that church needs to stand with him at all cost!
2Ti 1:11
Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of
the Gentiles.
2Ti 1:12 For
the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not
ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
A church that stands
with such a man of God, will not be inferior to any other Bible
believing place of worship!
*****2Co 12:12
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience,
in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
2Co 12:13 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.
Paul ended verse 11
saying "though I be nothing".
We are all nothing
in comparison to the Lord Jesus Christ!
We can only boast in
the Lord, we would fail without Him.
We can only trust in
the Lord, if we trust in anything else we will fail.
We are nothing to be
considered in the work of the Lord, the Scriptures will be fulfilled
with or without us!
What is the truest
sign of a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Jas 5:20 Let
him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his
way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins.
Paul had done this
many times. Paul had also planted many churches.
Paul had been
consistent in his Christian life after his salvation and his calling.
These people had
witnessed supernatural miracles showing the Divine Power of God.
These people had
seen wonders that could not be explained with man's knowledge.
These people had
witnessed many things that just could not be explained away,
acknowledging the Power had to come from God.
Act 19:11 And
God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
Act 19:12 So
that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or
aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits
went out of them.
Anything that any of
the other Apostles could do had been witnessed by this church by the
hands of Paul!
In fact, the only
thing Paul had done differently was to refuse to demand that this
church support him financially.
Paul says, "if
this was wrong then forgive me".
2Co 11:9 And
when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man:
for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from
Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being
burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
What Paul was saying
was, it was this body of believers who had wronged their Pastor!
In fact it seemed to
Paul, that the more he loved them the less he was loved by them!
In fact, Paul's
critics accused Paul of using the money given for Jerusalem to help
him in his ministry which was an absolute lie.
*****2Co 12:14
Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be
burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children
ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the
children.
2Co 12:15 And
I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more
abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
2Co 12:16 But
be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught
you with guile.
It is a fact that if
we have a sin that gets us in the most trouble we are usually quick
to believe that all others are just as prone to it as we are but that
is simply not true. Over and over again, Paul was accused of making
money from his ministry as if it were a business. We can be sure that
those false critics were guilty of this very thing. In fact, the more
they could stir up the people of the church the thicker their wallets
got.
The truth of the
"Gospel" is that God requires a personal surrender!
Paul was not
interested in what these people possessed, Paul was interested in
their person. (I seek not yours but you)
At one time,
scientist thought that the earth was the center of the planetary
system and then they became confused about the heavens.
When it became clear
that the Sun was the center of our system they began to see how truly
organized our solar system was and it open the doors to exploration.
When we see
ourselves as the center of law and order in the universe all other
things are confusing but when we make the Lord Jesus the center of
all life, confusion becomes order and reality.
Jesus Christ seeks a
personal relationship with each, and every one of us. Jesus Christ
seeks us. Jesus first saves the soul and then expects our reasonable
service until He has us all. This universe already belongs to God to
do with as He wishes!
Paul was not seeking
their money.
Paul was not seeking
their praise.
Paul was not even
seeking their affections.
Paul was trying to
get them to give themselves over to the Lord Jesus Christ!
This is the purpose
of every minister of Jesus Christ!
We are then to
follow the Word of God and make application of the Word of God to our
lives.
The treasures of
Paul were his love and his mercy which came from the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Eph 3:8 Unto
me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to
make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from
the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all
things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10 To
the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly
places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus
our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In
whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of
him.
God as our Father in
Heaven is laying up all His riches for His children of "faith"
the body of Christ!
These Corinthians
could not say that Paul had been a burden to them in any way. Paul
had truly preached the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ freely and
it could not be denied!
The critics then
said that Paul had deceived them when he sent Titus and those other
two to prepare these Corinthians in advance for those collections
making Paul out to be a criminal.
Every man called of
God must always be on guard against greed and worldliness and giving
the impression that he is a cheat or a thief.
Joh 10:11 I am
the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12 But
he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are
not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and
the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13 The
hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the
sheep.
Joh 10:14 I am
the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
And Paul responded
to these accusations:
*****2Co 12:17
Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
2Co 12:18 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?
2Co 12:19
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.
Paul clearly
understood that he was accountable to God and not to men!
It is obvious that
Titus and those with him also had made no request for financial
support. Paul had anticipated that he would be accused of using any
monies that were gathered.
Titus walked in the
same Holy Spirit as the apostle Paul.
Every minister must
be willing to preach the Word of God freely when it is necessary!
Titus walked in the
same methods as Paul.
Titus lived in the
same manner as Paul, "according to the Word of God".
Titus just like Paul
worked with his own hands to supply his needs rather than be a burden
to this church.
The ministers of God
must never show "covetousness".
Paul was not
defending himself, in order for them to judge his actions. Paul was
called to build the church and not to tear it down
Paul was called of
God, he answered only to God, God expected Paul to keep his ministry
clean.
Paul only desired
for this church to repent and return to the work of the Lord and this
a quickly as possible.
It is for certain
that God will unmask every deceiver in His own time!
The Apostle Paul did
the things he did for the "Bride of Christ".
What had John the
Baptist said?
Joh 3:29 He
that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the
bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because
of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
Joh 3:30 He
must increase, but I must decrease.
These are the same
feelings of Paul and every true minister of God!
Paul also had the
same "Fatherly Fears" as our Father in Heaven!
*****2Co 12:20
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:
2Co 12:21 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.
We can be sure that
Paul was still not completely sure this church would repent and may
still reject his ministry.
Paul feared that the
church would not deal with these false teachers and Paul's critics.
Those evil attacks
against Paul would have to cease in Corinth if the church was to
survive and then Paul listed some things that can cause any church to
divide.
1) Debates:
Quarreling within the church that cause strife.
2) Envyings:
Jealousy among the members.
3) Wraths: anything
contrary to the Word of God
4) Strifes:
Contention, law suits, caught up in things just to prove you are
right.
5) Backbitings:
Speaking evil of one another, spreading rumors, hurting some one's
good name without cause.
6) Whisperings:
suggesting evil things of each other.
7) Swellings: Pride
and conceit
8) Tumults:
Interrupting the worship service for no reason but just to do so.
9) And being
unrepentant!
We know of one who
had relations with his father's wife but it is obvious that there
were others who were committing such sin.
Any and all
relationships outside the relationship of one man and one woman in
marriage, is sin and is an abomination to God!
It was obvious that
some in this church had refused to repent and Paul was sure to
address this issue when he returned to Corinth and Paul was making
them aware.
Act 17:30 And
the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men
every where to repent:
Act 17:31
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world
in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the
dead.
We need to clearly
understand if we refuse to repent of our sin, God will never hear our
prayers!
Psa 66:18 If I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
If God will not hear
our prayers they will certainly fail!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
