Have you seen these cups, or trophies, or shirts, that say #1 Dad? I’ve wondered, what would happen if two dad’s had a t-shirt on that said, #1 DAD? Do they have to fight to settle that? I have a cup that says, #1 Dad in the galaxy, Do I have to fight an alien dad that has the same cup? Now I know, that those shirts and cups, are given out around Father’s day to let a dad know how much their kids love them. But I also know that kids say things like, “My dad could beat your dad up.” So if a kid who thinks that, also gives their dad #1 Dad paraphernalia, I think the expectation, at least from the kid, is there right?
Well it’s this idea about being the best, being #1, comparing ourselves with others, that brings us back to our summer series where we’re going to pick it back up in the letter of 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, verse 16. And as we do, let’s bring our minds back up to speed on where we are in our study.
In the last three weeks we have begun to see Paul deal with the the false teachers, or what he calls “super-apostles,” that are entering into the Corinthian Church. As we saw him begin to address these false teachers, we saw him confront the idea that he is humble in person but bold in letter. When in fact he conducts himself in bold humbleness, which is to say, he addresses the problem, but with the intention to bring restoration to the situation. Paul doesn’t change his approach. In reality, we interpreted him as being harsh, based on our state of mind, rather than reading his letters as he intended them, with restoration in mind. From that, we talked about how we are called to that same bold humbleness, where we are to confront sinful situations, with the purpose of restoring relationships.
Following that, last week we talked about the super-apostles, how you can tell those types of false teachers, because they seek to complicate things, they seek to gain more by burdening others, and they look good on the outside, but their lives are corrupt. Once we are on the look out for those things, we can counteract them, by first being a servant to our brothers and sisters, and to follow people are the most serving among us. Service is one of the greatest signs of a Christian, and is the key ingredient of a Christian leader.
Now that we have these two things in our minds, we can continue to read as Paul deals with the “super-apostles.” But a quick word of warning, remember, as we read this next part, Paul is still using foolish talked to get his point across. So there is a ton of sarcasm and hyperbole in our reading today. We also have to read through chapter 12 because the thought cannot be cut up and still make sense.
So let’s read together 2nd Corinthians, chapter 11, starting in verse 16, and going all the way through chapter 12 ending on verse 10
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
12:1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
v.16-21
Paul starts out with the foolish talk once again, and he does this from the perspective of flesh boasting. Flesh boasting is when we talk about achievements, that we have done and who we know, instead of boosting about what God has done.
Paul does this, because the Corinthians seem to like it. They take people into their church who are all about themselves. They bear with people who talk about all they have done, and because of that, they become slaves, they get devoured, they get taken advantage of, and as Paul says it, they get struck in the face.
It’s here that Paul sarcastically apologizes for being too weak to hurt the Corinthians in such a way. In a sense, Paul’s saying, “Hey, maybe I should have. Maybe I should have been weaker and hurt you.” Of courses this is done by hyperbole; Paul wants the Corinthians to think through the difference in his ministry and the ministry of the “super-apostles.” Their’s is a ministry that sounds good, but keeps people in bondage, whereas Paul’s might not be as flashy, but it seeks to set people free.
v.22-29
This is the part, where I’ve heard a lot of people say they read Paul and he just seems to like to talk about himself. What they don’t realize is that he’s acting as if he was one of those “super-apostles.” Paul’s throwing out all of his credentials and showing how they compare. By doing this, Paul is showing how foolish it is for these guys to bring their resume to the fight, when his resume is vastly more impressive.
It’s like the banquet table parable of Luke 14. Where Jesus sees the guests taking their seats and then presents a situation where a person takes the highest seat and gets moved to a lower seat, and a person who takes the lower seat and gets moved to the higher seat. Then Jesus poses the question, which is better? Obviously, the better situation is the one who was the person that got exalted to a place of higher honor, rather than be dishonored by being take out of his perceived honor.
Here, Paul is showing how much more honor he has because of his work, when compared to the “super-apostles.”
v.30-10
That’s where he begins to change the direction. He begins to show what real boasting is. Christians don’t boast in who they are, what they have done, or the things that they have achieved. No, they boast in Jesus.
Paul boasts about escaping out a window in a basket, because God saved him. He then boasts about a man who had this amazing vision that God gave him. The identity of this man isn’t given, but a lot of scholars believe it was Paul himself. If it is Paul, it supports his point, that isn’t about what happened that’s to be boasted about, but God who did it.
Then Paul boasts about the thorn he was given by God. This thorn was a “messenger from Satan.” Some say it was a physical ailment, some say it was demonic attacks, others say it was Paul’s wife name Thorn, I think it was the “super-apostles” that attacked him. But the identity of the thorn isn’t important, it’s the purpose of it. It was allowed to occur so that Paul, though he could boast in all the things about himself, would stay humble. Paul recognizes that and embraces it, because through his weakness, God is glorified. That God’s grace is sufficient.
So because of this, Paul is now content, not in what he is or what he has accomplished, but in the grace and mercy of God, because, as he finishes this connective thought, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
And this is the point. Everything we are, everything we’ve done, doesn’t mean anything. There’s always someone smarter, there’s always someone strong, there’s always someone braver, there’s always someone who does what we do, but better. I’m not the best teacher, preacher, dad, husband, counselor, pastor, driver, baseball player, or whatever else, but I have Jesus, and that’s what matters. All those other things will fall to the wayside, and only Jesus will endure into eternity, so I’ve got it all. This goes back to Paul’s point in the last section, that we possess all things in Jesus.
But since I have Jesus, and I realize that my resume isn’t what’s important, he can work through me to improve all those other aspects of me.
This past week, I had the honor of speaking at Dr. Stephen Fisher’s memorial. The one thing that stood out in my mind, was that people were sharing what they loved about him. He was a great physician, a great father, a great outdoorsman, the list went on and on. But when I got up there, I was overwhelmed to share, that all the things people loved about Steve, came from Jesus. So if you loved something about Steve, what you really love is Jesus through Steve. I invited people to know the Jesus that Steve knew.
That’s the type of person God is calling us to be. People, who, through our recognized weaknesses, God works. And then when we are recognized for that work, we point back to Jesus, and say, “He didn’t I’m just in his service.”
God is calling us, not to a place where our own strength matters, but where I weaknesses are utilized to bring glory to him. This goes with Paul’s opening words to the Corinthian Church, from 1st Corinthians 1:27, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…”
Last week, I showed you a bunch of books on leadership. One of the big things that happens in leadership training, is an emphasis on strength. People say things like, “Play to your strengths and delegate your weaknesses.” That can help, but in reality, as believers, we need to recognize that we only bring weakness to the table. If we think, our strength is sufficient, it will become an idol, which will lead us into pitfalls, and we won’t see the greater work of God. But through weakness God works, and brings about awesome things.
Noah built an ark, Abraham went to a foreign land, Joseph saved his people, Moses got them free, Joshua conquered the land, and the list continues. God uses the weaknesses we have to bring about his work, for his glory. We usually recite Romans 5:8, “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” But right before that in verse 6, Paul wrote, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” In our weakness, God works.
This week I want to challenge you to take a paper and put two headings on it. First, write, “My strengths,” under which, make a list of all your strengths. Everything you consider you’re good at. Then on the other side, write, “My weaknesses,” under which, make a list of all the things you’re bad at. Then for the next week, seek God in understanding how weak your strengths actually are. I’ve done this through comparing myself to those who are the best at those things. I know I’m not the best pitcher, because there’s people like Randy Johnson, Curt Shillings, Greg Madox, and Nolan Ryan.
Then after you’ve sought God to humble you in your strengths, seek him to work in your weaknesses. I’ve done this by asking God what he can do for his kingdom through something that I think is worthless. I wasn’t a public speaker, and I would sweat bullets before going in front of people, now looking at me now, just a little sweat.
God is calling us, not to our own strength, but to his strength through our recognized weakness. Let us be a weak people, who accomplish awesome things, by fully relying on the Holy Spirit to achieve them. Amen.
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