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What if God’s Power Shines Most When You Stop Pretending? | Andrew Farley — Transcript

by The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley · 5,925 words · 848 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00All right. Well, as I said, we're
0:01continuing our series and actually
0:03finishing our series called Fragrant
0:05Faith: Spreading the aroma of Christ.
0:09So, I invite you to go to 2 Corinthians
0:11chapter 11 if you want to join along.
0:13I'm going to begin with a reading, not a
0:15teaching, but a reading from 2
0:17Corinthians 11. And as we look at this
0:20passage, uh, I'm not going to teach on
0:22it, but I want you to see what Paul is
0:25doing here before we launch into 2
0:28Corinthians 12. Just watch the picture
0:31that the Apostle Paul is painting about
0:34his experience, about his journeys,
0:36about the trouble he's been in, and ask
0:39yourself why. Why is he doing this?
0:41Well, I'll tell you why. I'm going to
0:43give you a preview of coming
0:44attractions, and that is that Paul has a
0:48chip on his shoulder. There are people
0:50that are calling themselves the most
0:52eminent apostles, super apostles, better
0:55teachers than Paul, and that they should
0:58be heard more than him. And so, oh
1:01Corinthians, you who love great speeches
1:04and brilliant orations, you should pay
1:08heed to the super apostles, the most
1:11eminent speakers, the most convincing
1:13debaters. You should listen to us
1:16instead of the Apostle Paul. And that is
1:19essentially what Paul is defending
1:21against. He's saying, "Whoa, whoa,
1:22whoa." First of all, it's not about
1:24cleverness of speech. It's not about how
1:27brilliant you are at debating or
1:29presenting. It's about the power of
1:31Christ. And by the way, I have earned
1:34the right to be heard. That's what he's
1:37saying. Now, watch as Paul builds the
1:40case saying, "I have earned the right to
1:42be heard by you." 2 Corinthians chap 11,
1:47we begin in verse 21. But in whatever
1:49respect anyone else is bold, I speak in
1:53foolishness. I am just as bold myself.
1:56Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they
1:59Israelites? So am I. Are they
2:02descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are
2:06they servants of Christ? I speak as if
2:09insane.
2:11I more so. in far more labors, in far
2:14more imprisonments, beaten times without
2:18number, often in danger of death. Five
2:21times I received from the Jews 39
2:25lashes. Three times I was beaten with
2:28[clears throat] rods. Once I was stoned,
2:31three times I was shipwrecked. A night
2:34and a day I have spent in the deep. Now,
2:37he's not done. The passage continues. He
2:40says, "I've been on frequent journeys in
2:43dangers from rivers, dangers from
2:45robbers, dangers from my countrymen,
2:48dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in
2:51the city, dangers in the wilderness,
2:53dangers on the sea, dangers among false
2:57brethren. I have been in labor and
2:59hardship through many sleepless nights,
3:02in hunger and thirst, often without
3:06food, in cold and exposure. Apart from
3:10such external things, there's the daily
3:13pressure on me of concern for all the
3:16churches. Who is weak without my being
3:20weak? Who is led into sin without my
3:23intense concern? Wow. Wow. You talk
3:28about a resume. And then over here, what
3:31do you have on the other hand? The
3:32alternative. Oh, some slick talkers,
3:36some people who give great
3:37presentations, some people who are
3:40masters of debate. And so Paul is
3:43saying, I got the resume. I got the
3:45experience. I met the the the
3:48resurrected Christ on the road to
3:50Damascus. I was tutored by him in the
3:53wilderness for years. I'm legit. I'm the
3:57real deal. So don't be suckered by the
4:00sales pitch of self-improvement as the
4:03slicktalking Greek speakers come to you
4:06with brilliant speeches.
4:09I've been there. I've served. And so
4:12Paul is basically saying there's a
4:15difference between a a scarred soldier
4:18and a parade uniform. You know, you go
4:22see a military parade, some of them look
4:24amazingly clean, and yet many have never
4:27served in a battle. Paul has served in
4:29battle. And he's saying, "Look at my
4:32scars. Look at the trouble I've been
4:34through. I'm a I'm a marathon runner.
4:36I'm nearing the finish line. I've got
4:38scarred knees. I've got wounds to prove
4:40it. I'm I'm my my lungs are on fire. I'm
4:44exhausted.
4:46And I'm running the race to get the
4:48message out. and I'm the real deal. See,
4:51that's what Paul is saying. All right.
4:53So, with that as the backdrop, you've
4:55seen a little bit of sarcasm on one
4:58shoulder. You've seen a a chip on the
5:01other shoulder. Paul's got a
5:03personality.
5:04He's not just some father mock from
5:06MASH, some monk, you know, across the
5:09lake living a a life of uh just pristine
5:13humbleness, humility all the time. No,
5:16he's got a personality and he's letting
5:19it show for a purpose. He's sort of
5:21mocking that they idolize certain
5:25speakers who are good with words and
5:28he's saying it's not the words, it's the
5:30message. It's not the speaker, it's the
5:32gospel.
5:34So with that, we launch into chapter 12.
5:37Now he continues and he says, "Boasting
5:40is necessary though it's not profitable,
5:43but I will go on to visions and
5:45revelations of the Lord." So this is
5:49going to get interesting because he's
5:51competing with the slick talkers and
5:53he's already told you how much trouble
5:55he's been through. Guess what he says
5:57next? Also, I've seen stuff. I've seen
6:02stuff and I'm not even going to tell you
6:04what I've seen because I'm not supposed
6:06to tell you what I've seen, but I've
6:08seen stuff and so I will go on because
6:12apparently with you people, you
6:15Corinthians, apparently boasting is
6:17necessary. Doesn't seem profitable to
6:20me, but I'll do it. So, look what I've
6:23been through and now look what I've
6:26seen. I have been privy to some heavenly
6:30revelations and information that would
6:33dazzle you if I spoke of it in detail.
6:36That's what he's saying.
6:39So, it's like you're you're watching a
6:41movie or watching a play on a stage and
6:44and now Paul's about to tell us he was
6:46watching that film and suddenly the
6:49curtain slipped and he saw behind the
6:51movie. He saw behind the screen. He gets
6:54to see behind the scenes of earth and he
6:56gets a little look into heaven. He's
6:59about to tell us this. I know a man, he
7:02won't take credit. He's not saying it's
7:04himself. Third person, I know a man in
7:07Christ who 14 years ago, whether in the
7:11body, I don't know, or out of the body,
7:13I don't know. Only God knows.
7:16He says such a man was caught up to the
7:19third heaven. So we got to talk about
7:21this because are there three heavens?
7:24What's he mean? Well, the first heaven
7:26of course is the sky. You look up and
7:28you see birds flying. You see clouds in
7:31the air. That is the first heaven. The
7:33second heaven [snorts] is outer space.
7:36You look beyond the sky and you see the
7:38the sun and you see stars and you see
7:40the beauty in a night sky. You study
7:43astronomy and you see this second
7:46heaven. But the third heaven is the
7:48spiritual heaven. the one that we talk
7:50about as believers. And so this is what
7:53Paul is referring to. I had a glimpse. I
7:57had some moments where I got to see the
8:00third heaven. So it's almost like a, you
8:03know, picture an astronaut. An astronaut
8:07uh gets in a a ship of some kind and
8:09leaves Earth and goes out and then looks
8:11back at Earth and it's just just this
8:13little blue marble. That's it. and your
8:17whole perspective is is blown up and
8:21then you come back to earth and you see
8:24earth in a totally different way. Now I
8:27can't speak from experience that's never
8:29happened to me but lots of people have
8:31gone out looked at earth the vastness of
8:33the universe and then come back and
8:36lived on Smith Street in Detroit.
8:40And so you see what I'm saying? It will
8:42blow your mind and change your
8:44perspective. And that's what happened to
8:46the Apostle Paul.
8:49So he says, "And I know how such a man
8:52whether in the body or apart from the
8:54body, I I I don't know." He says, "Was
8:57caught up into paradise and heard
9:00inexpressable words which a man is not
9:03permitted to speak." Now, pardon me, but
9:07Paul's expressable words are already
9:11rich and deep enough.
9:14What Paul says in the book of Romans,
9:17are you kidding me? What Paul says in
9:20Galatians, are you serious? There's
9:22something beyond this, deeper, more
9:25inexpressable? Look at the current
9:27gospel as we know it. The gospel in
9:30human terms presented by Paul, the God
9:33of the universe, allows us to go rogue,
9:37go independent as we are suckers for
9:40self-improvement in the garden. We say,
9:42"I'd rather have good and evil. I want
9:44knowledge. I want morality. I want
9:46ethics. I want self-improvement. I want
9:48to eat of this tree so that I can be
9:50more godly." That was the first sin. So
9:53that I can be more godly through knowing
9:56good and evil. And God says, "You're
9:58going to die if you do that." And that's
10:00the beginning. And then God pursues us,
10:03saves us, indwells us, seals us with his
10:06spirit, [snorts]
10:07releases us from all debt, cancels our
10:10sins, past, present, and future,
10:12forgiven forever, and then puts us in
10:15perfect relationship, not getting closer
10:18to God. No, erase that from your minds.
10:20It doesn't exist. There's not a person
10:23in this room, there's not a person I'm
10:25talking to right now that is getting
10:27closer to God. That doesn't exist. You
10:29are either in Christ or in Adam. And the
10:33phrase getting closer to God is not
10:34biblical. Why? Because it's not
10:37progressive. You are close by the blood
10:39of Christ. You are close by the
10:41resurrection of Jesus. That's what
10:44brings you close. And so, do you see
10:46what I'm saying? This is already almost
10:49inexpressable
10:51that you could walk around Dallas, that
10:53you could make your way around Texas and
10:55around the world being one with Christ.
10:58It's [snorts] you in him and him in you
11:00and you and him and him in you. And even
11:03as you express yourself, your own
11:05personality, even as you are being you,
11:08you get to express Jesus at the same
11:10time. That is a big wow. That is
11:14mysterious. That is wild. That is the
11:17thing of Hollywood films and beyond. I
11:20mean this idea of fusion that you are
11:22vine and branches one with Christ.
11:25Romans 6 says crucified with him buried
11:28with him raised with him. Ephesians 2
11:31says seated with him in heavenly places
11:34right next to God at God's right hand.
11:37You can't get any closer than right
11:40there in him.
11:42And that is almost inexpressable. We
11:45spend our days, we will spend decades
11:48trying to fathom the depths of this
11:50gospel. What does it mean, Lord, to be
11:53one with Christ? What does it mean to be
11:55seated in heaven already? But here I am
11:58in Texas, but I'm in heaven, but I'm in
12:01Texas, but I'm seated at your right hand
12:03right now, past tense. What can this
12:06mean? It is nearly inexpressable.
12:10And Paul is saying, "What I saw was even
12:14further down that road.
12:17There's groanings too deep for words.
12:20It's inexpressable. It's it's an even
12:23bigger wow. I wish I had words to
12:25express, but I don't." This is what this
12:28man is saying. He's caught up into
12:30paradise, the third heaven. He has seen
12:33some stuff, and yet he won't speak of
12:36it. You know why?
12:38because then they think he's the big
12:40deal. Now, I'm going to ask you just as
12:43a side note,
12:45watch as Paul talks about it without
12:48talking about it.
12:50And then ask yourself, why are there so
12:53many people out there talking about it?
12:56Oh, I've had a revelation. Oh, I died in
12:59a in a hospital bed and I went to heaven
13:01for a few hours and I came back. I wrote
13:03this book. Let me tell you all about
13:05what I saw.
13:06And then you find out later it's a
13:08charade. Why are there so many people
13:11talking about it when the Apostle Paul
13:14refuses to talk about it? He's had the
13:16legitimate experience and his lips are
13:19sealed. We see fabricated experiences
13:23and everybody wants to write a book
13:25about it or a movie or tell you a story
13:29so that the focus is on
13:32them and what they've experienced.
13:35Paul won't have it. He won't go there.
13:38He speaks in third person with no
13:40details.
13:42And so we see in verse 5, on behalf of
13:44such a man, I will boast. I'll brag
13:47about that man. But on my own behalf, I
13:50will not boast except in regard to my
13:55weaknesses. Wow. You see that third
13:59person distancing himself from it. I'll
14:02brag on that guy. So what is Paul doing?
14:05I got to say, it's sarcastic and it's
14:07brilliant. Here's what he's doing. He's
14:09saying, "You want a legit apostle? Oh, I
14:12could blow them away. You want the real
14:14deal? I could tell you stories about
14:16heaven. But actually, what I'm going to
14:18do is I'm going to defend myself while
14:20presenting a third guy, you know, a
14:22third person guy over here. I'm going to
14:24brag on that guy for a minute. not claim
14:27ownership of what he experienced, but
14:30also just kind of claim ownership to
14:32defend myself as the real deal. You see
14:35that? Oh, I could. It's like say I could
14:37tell you stories, you know, and he could
14:41have said, I know a guy named Paul
14:43who's a Pharisee of Pharisees. Oh, not
14:45me. I'm talking about this other guy. I
14:47know a guy or I know a guy who knows a
14:50guy. Right? And so he begins to tell
14:52this story distancing himself but
14:54defending himself at the same time.
14:58Verse six, for if if I if I do wish to
15:02boast, I will not be foolish. For I will
15:05be speaking the truth. I mean this stuff
15:07happened. But I refrain from this so
15:10that no one will credit me with more
15:13than he sees in me or hears from me. Now
15:16that is some wisdom. I don't want to
15:19hear about the experience you had
15:22flopping around on the floor in church
15:24like a fish or being knocked over, slain
15:27by some guy up front in a suit. I don't
15:29want to hear about the dream you had and
15:32about how you think you've predicted the
15:34return of Christ. I don't want to hear
15:36your stories. I want to see what's in
15:39you and hear what's from you.
15:42Reality standing right in front of me,
15:44not fairy tales. Do you know that Christ
15:47lives in you? And are you expressing
15:50him? And are you proclaiming the
15:53finished work that he did for all of us?
15:57Because this other stuff, the dreams and
15:59the visions. Colossians 2 warns against
16:01it. Paul says, "I I fear for you guys.
16:05You taking your stands on visions
16:07inflated by a fleshly mind about what
16:09you've seen."
16:11and and and and Paul in Colossians 2, he
16:14says you're it's like you're detached
16:16from the head who is Christ. Fix your
16:18eyes back on him, not on dreams and
16:21visions and experience chasing. It's
16:24about Christ, not experience chasing.
16:27It's about what Jesus already did, not
16:30what he showed you last Tuesday in a
16:32dream.
16:35And so Paul is not interested in that.
16:37He wants the real deal. And that's what
16:39he's saying here. here and he's speaking
16:41quite plainly
16:43because of the surpassing greatness of
16:46the revelations. For this reason, to
16:49keep me from exalting myself, which he
16:51says twice here,
16:53there was given me a thorn in the flesh,
16:55a messenger of Satan to torment me, to
16:58keep me from exalting myself. All right.
17:02Now, this is a tough one. I'm going to
17:04be candid with you. This is a tough one,
17:06I think, for Christian scholars to
17:09reconcile uh with the goodness of God.
17:12Is God zapping people with thorns? Is
17:15God sending demons to Christians? Is God
17:18delivering messengers to humble you and
17:21crush you and put you in a corner until
17:23you say, "I submit. I surrender." I want
17:27you to notice in this verse and in the
17:30next verse, there's some passive
17:32language. I find that curious. Paul does
17:36not say God gave me the thorn. Paul
17:40says, "A thorn was given to me." Past
17:43tense. Now, if we fast forward to verse
17:47eight, what you're going to see next is
17:49I asked the Lord three times that it
17:52might leave me. Now, he didn't say that
17:55you take it. So, he never says God gave
17:57it and he never says God's taking it.
18:00It's this passive language. Now, how
18:02many times in the book of 2 Corinthians
18:05or Romans or Ephesians or Galatians is
18:08Paul very plain about what God has done?
18:11Dozens, hundreds of times, he has said
18:14God did this, right? God created the
18:17world. God sent his only son.
18:21God reconciled us to himself. God did
18:24these things. Plain and simple. But here
18:26there's this curious language. And I'm
18:28not asking you to be convinced about
18:30anything. If God gave Paul a thorn,
18:32fantastic. I submit. I'm just saying it
18:35doesn't say that. It says a thorn was
18:38given to me. Now, have you ever heard
18:40someone say this is my lot in life or
18:43this is what I have to go through or
18:45this is the card I've been dealt. How
18:48about that one? This is the card I have
18:51been dealt. Some people are born with uh
18:54physical ailments. Some people are born
18:57with impairments of all kinds. Some
18:59people are born uh even you know some
19:01scientists believe there's uh chemicals
19:04at work that lead us toward a certain
19:06bent or a certain temptation like uh
19:09well fetal alcohol syndrome right
19:11there's a programming there that might
19:13make a person more disposed to struggle
19:16with something
19:18I don't know I don't know but you could
19:20say that's the card I was dealt so here
19:24is a card that Paul was dealt it I'm I'm
19:28not saying yes and I'm not saying no,
19:30but I'm saying God used it. God worked
19:33in it. God used it. And the language is
19:37certainly curious at least. So now with
19:40that in mind, there was given me a thorn
19:42in the flesh. What could that be? Well,
19:45you study some some commentaries and you
19:48look at all the Christian viewpoints and
19:51uh you know, some people will say it was
19:53a an eyesight problem. Okay? Other
19:57people will say it was an annoying
20:00person following Paul around saying,
20:03"Don't listen to that guy."
20:06Lots of theories. I'll have you notice
20:09it says a messenger of Satan. So that
20:12clues you in a bit. There was given me a
20:15thorn in the flesh, a messenger of
20:17Satan. So, does that mean a demonic
20:19presence accusing him? Or does that mean
20:21a legalist phariseaical opponent who was
20:25constantly saying, "Paul, Paul's here.
20:27Throw him in jail. Paul's now in
20:29Ephesus. Put him in prison. Paul's now
20:32in Galatia. Get him locked up again."
20:34Could be, could be, could be some
20:38annoying messenger saying, "Don't listen
20:40to that guy." or trying to get him put
20:42in prison or opposing him, coming in
20:44right after him. As soon as Paul exits
20:47town, this guy comes into town and tries
20:50to ruin everything. Oh yeah, Paul's
20:52good, but let me tell you about Moses.
20:54Paul's good, but let me tell you about a
20:56mix of law and grace. Could be could be
20:59a demonic presence that's not not in
21:02him. Christians are not possessed, but
21:05Christians can be accused. Revelation
21:07says that uh he the enemy is the accuser
21:11of the brethren. He accuses us day and
21:13night. So we can get accusations and
21:15temptations. Maybe maybe Paul was
21:18tormented by a particular temptation or
21:20accusation.
21:22So we don't know for certain. But I
21:24guess the biggest point of all and this
21:27this is really the big deal is God
21:30doesn't take it away.
21:32And that's okay. God doesn't take it
21:34away. And so actually we see that Paul
21:38prayed three times. So I'll have you
21:40notice the answer was no.
21:44And that's okay and submit to that
21:47because that means that uh this is the
21:50apostle Paul
21:52the writer of more letters than anybody
21:54else in the New Testament. And he prays
21:57three times. He's got all the right
21:59theology. He's got all the right faith,
22:02all the right motives,
22:04all the right beliefs, everything. He
22:06prays and God says, "You know what? I
22:09think uh my grace is good enough for
22:11this one." What? But God, I mean, don't
22:16you want to be efficient? Look, Paul is
22:19getting bogged down in these
22:20distractions. Lord, don't you want to be
22:23more efficient? Think of all the people
22:25we could save. Think of all how much
22:28better the impact would be if if there
22:31wasn't a struggle with this sickness or
22:34illness or distraction or annoying enemy
22:36or accuser if Paul were not inundated
22:40with all of that. He could focus.
22:44And God's answer to that is look, I'm
22:46God and you're not. And look at the Old
22:48Testament. I took my time. And look at
22:51the New Testament. I let him be in
22:54prison. If I were all about efficiency,
22:58then none of that would have happened.
22:59God is not about efficiency. And we
23:02don't understand all that. Like, you
23:05know, guys, I I have I have shared this
23:07in pieces, but I've struggled 40 years
23:12with a physical ailment. And I have
23:14prayed not three times. I've prayed
23:165,000 times about the the fatigue and
23:21the irritability and the headaches and
23:24the tension and everything that the
23:26blood disorder causes. I have high iron
23:28and thick blood and it affects me and
23:30every eight weeks I have to go exchange
23:32like an oil change, right? G get the old
23:35blood out, flush it out, let the iron
23:37levels go down, let the viscosity go
23:40down. And then eight, you know, one,
23:42two, three good weeks. The fourth week
23:44is average. The fifth week is below
23:46average. The sixth, seventh, and eighth
23:48weeks I don't even want to tell you
23:49about. And then I go reset and the cycle
23:52starts over.
23:54I tell you that to say you have your
23:56thing. There's something you have that
23:59you've been through. Maybe you're over
24:01it, maybe you're not. Maybe you're in
24:02the midst of it. Maybe there's no light
24:04at the end of the tunnel, but you've
24:05prayed. You've you've prayed three
24:07times. You've prayed 300 times. And
24:10sometimes the answer is not a magic wand
24:13that's waved and it all goes away.
24:16Sometimes it's you know what my power is
24:19made perfect in your weakness and my
24:23grace is enough. And you just have to
24:25say to that okay Lord I believe you. I
24:29believe you. And there are people at the
24:32front rows of churches across the world
24:35trying to get healed
24:37and they haven't been healed in 40
24:39years, 50 years, 60 years. And they're
24:43trying to get healed. And some of them
24:45are told it's their fault. They're told
24:47it's their fault because they didn't
24:49believe hard enough. They didn't have
24:51enough faith. Look, Paul has all the
24:53faith, all the belief. He's an apostle.
24:56And the answer is no.
24:58The answer is no. Not right now.
25:00Resurrection body, yes, someday. Heaven,
25:03face to face with me, yes, someday. But
25:06right now, my grace is enough. And I
25:08want to teach you dependence in your
25:11weakness. It's like a cracked pot. Not a
25:15crackpot,
25:17but a cracked pot. It's not a perfect
25:20vessel, but the light shines through.
25:24And because it's not a perfect vessel,
25:26the light of Christ can shine through.
25:30and he has said to me, "My grace is
25:34sufficient for you, for power is
25:37perfected in weakness. Most gladly,
25:40therefore, I will rather boast about my
25:43weaknesses, so that the power of Christ
25:46may dwell in me." Wow, that is some deep
25:50stuff. Maybe too deep for words. My
25:53grace is enough. My power is perfected
25:56in weakness. So if you're following what
25:59Paul is learning, whether we've learned
26:00it or not, what Paul is learning is I
26:03could be with you in weakness and I
26:06could be with you in dependence and I
26:08could not even try to compete with those
26:11Greek speakers. I could not try to be
26:14the most eloquent or the most awesome. I
26:16could tr I could purposely sell myself
26:19short. I could be known for blabbering
26:22on. I could be known as a poor speaker.
26:25And yet guess what? If if the power of
26:27Christ is in me, then I will be teaching
26:30you something more powerful than they
26:32can even dream of.
26:34Because it's not about being slick. It's
26:38about being sure of the finished work of
26:40Jesus.
26:42And that applies to you and me because
26:44we can be ourselves and be human and be
26:47frail and be fragile and be legit and
26:51express Jesus more than ever because of
26:53it.
26:54People are not repelled by your
26:57weakness. They warm to it.
27:01People are not repelled by your
27:03transparency. They go, "Whoa, she's a
27:06real person."
27:08I struggle with that as a a pastor. The
27:11moment you're a pastor, uh people think
27:14you're you're you're not a real person.
27:17Uh they they think, "Oh, you're too
27:19busy. You would never want to hang out.
27:21You're too busy. You're too you're up
27:22here doing important
27:24We're just people. We're just people.
27:27Then, uh, you know, you you cut through
27:30all of that because you're going, you
27:32know, you're pushing your grocery cart.
27:34I'm pushing my cart down the aisle and
27:36somebody sees me and the cart turns
27:39around and goes the other way and you
27:41go, "Oh, I know what happened. They
27:43missed church recently."
27:48You know what? Uh there's no rule and
27:51measuring stick and there's no standard
27:54and there's no guilt and there's no
27:56condemnation and what is that? What is
27:58that? That is Bible belt junk.
28:02That is not Christ.
28:05So boast in your weakness. Be legit. Be
28:09yourself. You you don't have to project
28:11anything. And when you're real, people
28:14warm to that rather than being opposed
28:17to it. They think, "Wow, that person is
28:20legit and real and authentic and uh I
28:23got problems just like they do."
28:26Therefore, Paul says, "I'm well content
28:29with weaknesses, uh with insults, with
28:32distresses, and with persecutions, with
28:35difficulties for Christ's sake. For when
28:38I am weak, then I am strong."
28:42So he has this thorn and you know as
28:45they say every every rose has its thorn
28:48right and that's what we are in Christ
28:51the fragrant aroma of Jesus a rose you
28:55might say but in Paul's case he speaks
28:58of a thorn and when there's a thorn
29:00there with the rose you kind of got to
29:01just be careful as you grasp it right
29:05it's a delicate situ but it's a rose but
29:07there's a thorn but it's a rose but
29:10there's this annoying, nagging
29:14thorn and it can be painful.
29:17That's your life. Planet Earth is the
29:20thorn. Jesus Christ is the rose.
29:24That's our lives.
29:26Planet Earth comes at you. Jesus works
29:29in you.
29:31And we say, "Take the thorn so I can be
29:33a perfect looking rose."
29:36And he says, "You will be. You will be.
29:39But right now,
29:41this is what we're doing. This is what
29:43we are doing. I'm in you. You're in me.
29:46I'm in you. You're in me. We're doing
29:48this together. And it's not going to
29:50look perfect. It's going to look messy,
29:52but I'm telling you, you're a
29:54masterpiece.
29:56I've made you a masterpiece. You're a
29:58masterpiece in the midst of the mess.
30:00And some people see a conglomeration.
30:02They see a little bit of mess, a little
30:04bit of masterpiece. They can't see
30:05perfectly, but God does. God sees
30:08perfectly. that you're his masterpiece
30:10even in the mess.
30:14All right. Well, we finish with this.
30:15This is how Paul closes out uh he closes
30:18out the letter by saying this. For
30:21indeed he was crucified because of
30:23weakness, yet he lives because of the
30:25power of God. For we also are weak in
30:28him, yet we will live with him because
30:31of the power of God directed toward you.
30:35Well, I love that. Uh what Paul is
30:37saying is you don't sit there and look
30:39at a table lamp and say, "Wow, that
30:42table lamp is really powerful."
30:45What you say is, "Is that thing plugged
30:47in?" Because that's what matters. It
30:49matters that it's plugged in. Don't fall
30:51in love with the the lampshade and say,
30:53"That's the wow." That's not the wow. It
30:56could be an incredible lampshade, an
30:57amazing looking lamp, but is it plugged
31:00in? And Paul is saying, "We're plugged
31:03in. You were unplugged from Adam. You
31:06were plugged into Christ. You're plugged
31:08in and it's him in you. I no longer
31:12live, but Christ lives in me. But the
31:14life I now live because now I'm alive
31:16again. The life I now live, I live by
31:19faith in him because I'm plugged into
31:21him.
31:23So he finishes with this test. This is
31:25the test I give people on the radio. If
31:28you've heard our radio broadcast, we do
31:30a live call in five five nights a week
31:33and on Sunday afternoon. So, six days a
31:35week, all we do is is turn on the the
31:40technology and take questions. There's
31:43no sermon. There's no prep. There's no
31:46outline. We're helping people.
31:49And some people don't know if they're
31:51saved.
31:52And so, they call in and they say, "Uh,
31:56I just don't know. I don't know what to
31:58think about me and God right now because
32:00and they tell you their story. And you
32:02know what I ask them? Uh do I ask them,
32:04"Hey, have you been baptized?" No. Do I
32:07ask them, "Hey, have you been going to
32:08church lately?" No. Do I ask them, "Hey,
32:10have you have you been reading your
32:12Bible?" Uh-uh. That's not my question.
32:14Because 2,000 years ago, most people
32:16were illiterate. They couldn't read.
32:19My question is very simple, and I've
32:22asked it 500 times on the air. Does
32:25Jesus Christ live in you? And you know
32:29what they say? It's about it's about
32:316040. 60%
32:34say yes within 5 seconds. Yes. They
32:38might take a moment and they can't say
32:40no. They say yes. He does live in me.
32:43The other 40% they say stuff like well I
32:47grew up in the church and uh my parents
32:50they were Presbyterian.
32:52Oh that's cool. But I didn't ask about
32:56your parents or denomination. Does
32:58Christ live? Well, I don't read my Bible
33:01much, but I Well, you know, I went to a
33:03confirmation class when I was No, no,
33:06no, no, no, no. Does Christ live in you?
33:10See, that's the question. And that that
33:12changes everything. Now, watch this as
33:14Paul asks this very thing. Verse five,
33:17test yourselves to see if you are in the
33:20faith. examine yourselves or do you not
33:23recognize this about yourselves that
33:26Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you
33:30fail the test. He doesn't ask what
33:33denomination, what background. He
33:35doesn't ask about your your baptism or
33:38your schooling. He doesn't ask any of
33:40that. Does Christ live in you? And I'm
33:44just going to say this for the sake of
33:46saying it. Um we want to impact people,
33:49right? And how many times do you have 60
33:53seconds in your life to say something
33:56spiritual to somebody? Those
33:59opportunities are precious. When
34:02somebody, a young person, any person,
34:05your next door neighbor, your best
34:06friend, a relative over the holidays,
34:09there's a moment and they're asking you
34:11something and there's that moment and
34:14you could say, "Oh, I sure wish you'd I
34:18wish you'd come to church with me.
34:21Oh, I wish you would read your Bible. It
34:23changes everything." And you know what
34:26they're thinking? Yeah, Bible. Sit down
34:28with an hour highlighter notes. Never
34:30done it. Don't know what it says. Where
34:32do I start in Habach? What do I do? What
34:34are you talking about? What are you
34:36talking about?
34:38That's not the sales pitch.
34:41The sales pitch is I got to tell you
34:44what Jesus Christ has done for me. And I
34:48got to tell you that when he lives in
34:50you, it transforms everything. No more
34:53guilt, no more shame.
34:56I get connected for free. Forgiven for
35:00free because of the cross and the
35:02resurrection. Wow. This is it. This is
35:05everything. All I ever hoped for. Thank
35:08you, Jesus. When you start bragging on
35:10Jesus, that's the message. Not church,
35:14not Bible reading. Jesus.
35:17I'm just telling you, when you have your
35:1960 seconds, I know it's easier to sell
35:23somebody on church. It's a southern
35:25thing to do in the Bible belt. Come to
35:27church with me. That's fine. Nothing
35:30wrong with that. But that's not focused.
35:34It's easier to say, "Oh yeah, my faith
35:36is important to me." That's what the
35:38politicians say. "My faith is
35:40important." Faith in what? Faith in who?
35:42Faith for what are you talking about?
35:45I understand that there's a fumbling of
35:47our words. There's that little moment
35:49where it's uncomfortable. But I'm
35:51telling you, if you put the focus on
35:53Jesus, that's where it's at. Does Jesus
35:57Christ live in you?
36:01But I trust that you will realize that
36:03we ourselves do not fail the test. And
36:06then he closes the letter. I won't teach
36:09on it, but I'll read it here. Paul says
36:11goodbye. And his final words. Finally,
36:14brethren, rejoice. Be made complete. Be
36:18comforted. Be likeminded. Live in peace
36:21and the God of love and peace will be
36:24with you. Greet one another with a holy
36:28smooch. All the saints greet you. The
36:32grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, there's
36:35grace. And the love of God, there's
36:37love. And the fellowship of the Holy
36:40Spirit, not in and out, in always. The
36:43fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be
36:46with you all. Wow, that's a great way to
36:49end it. Grace and love and fellowship,
36:52connectedness.
36:54Now, we got a whole lot to celebrate. We
36:57got a whole lot to be thankful for.
36:59Let's tell our daddy father what we
37:01think. Let's pray together. Father, uh
37:04we love your word. Wow. We love what you
37:08teach us. It is incredible uh that we
37:11can be one with you. No more flimsy
37:14gospel for us. No more getting closer
37:17through quiet times. Nope. We believe
37:19you brought us close. No more getting
37:22close through performance. No, we
37:25believe the resurrection made us one
37:27with you forever. We believe. Yes, we're
37:31learning and growing. Yes, there's
37:33process and progress in that. Yes. But
37:36we believe you that we are righteous and
37:39holy and blameless and that we are the
37:42fragrant aroma of Jesus. Thank you that
37:45Christ lives in us. Wow, that is
37:49everything.
37:51In his name we celebrate. Amen.

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