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Good morning and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. Thanks for joining me today.  The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated in New York City in September 1882. By 1894, 24 states had adopted Labor Day celebrations and in 1894. President Grover Cleveland declared the first Monday of every September a national holiday. It all began as a suggestion from a labor union official who thought workers deserved a day of recognition for their critical role in building America. America has always depended upon hard workers to make the country what it became. While men did not design, plan, nor build the kingdom of God, God does commend those who work for His kingdom and His glory. God designed the church in such a way that it in many respects relies upon the work of His people to maintain and expand it in this world. That doesn’t mean that God is somehow powerless without us, nor does it mean that our work has put God in our debt, but simply that God’s design is for His people to work for His cause and help get heaven’s will accomplished here on earth.

Christ pictured His people as workers in at least one of His parables. In Matthew 20:1, the Savior said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”  Jesus goes on to describe how the landowner hired workers at the beginning of the day but also hired workers after the day was nearly gone and how all received the same pay. There are several principles to be gleaned throughout the parable – one of which is the underscoring of His great kingdom teaching that the last will be first and the first will be last. But for this lesson, I simply want us to see that Jesus likens us to workers in a vineyard. We don’t earn our keep. Our labor certainly does not merit salvation or any other benefit from the Master. But He does intend for us to be workers in His spiritual vineyard. Not only is that the illustration He draws from in this parable, but there are also many other references in the word of God which teach us that we are to be a working people if we are to please Him. I want to talk about the vital role of the worker in the Lord’s vineyard today and talk about what kind of workers the Master is looking to employ.

Work is an honorable thing in the eyes of God and conversely, laziness and idleness is a sin. The apostle Paul, a scholar and intellect, worked with his hands to make a living, in part, that he might set an example to the church. He then said that if a man will not work, neither should he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10) Solomon likewise commended the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 saying “She watches over the ways of her household And does not eat the bread of idleness.” (Proverbs 31:27)   Paul told Timothy that the church is not to support younger widows who can marry or are yet able to make their way in the world because they will “learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies…” (1 Timothy 5:13)  Yes, there’s danger in the life of a person who doesn’t have work to do and something to occupy their time and their hands. If at all physically possible, we are to be working and productive people and hard work should be celebrated by society and by God’s people.  But we’re not merely talking about laboring for our physical bread. We are to be busy workers in the kingdom of the Lord as well.

In the parable we cited in the beginning of the program, Jesus pictured His subjects as being workers put into His employ. Then, in Mark 13:34 he pictured the kingdom this way saying, “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.” Much later, the apostle Paul would tell the Christians in Corinth, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) Paul also told them in 2 Corinthians 6:1 that he and the other apostles were “workers together with Christ…”

There’s much work to be done in the kingdom of God. The Lord does not save men and women so that they can sit idly by and wait to go to heaven. He gave us responsibilities and tasks to attend to here on earth. And those responsibilities never cease so long as we live here, and the church remains in this world. What kind of work does God have for us to do? Well, one thing is the work of enlarging the borders of His kingdom – that is – to bring souls to him. This is a work in which every Christian should be engaged in one form or another. Paul referred to our labors to spread the truth and win converts as “our work” in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. Are you engaged in that work? Do you use the influence you have over others in your life as a means of introducing them to Christ and pointing them to the truth?  There’s the work of building up the church. We are to encourage and exhort one another (Hebrews 10:25). We are to bear one another’s burdens by strengthening the spiritually weak and restoring the fallen. (Galatians 6:1-2) We are to be busy attending to our own growth in Christ and in the faith (Galatians 6:4-5). We’re to be busy ministering to the needs of others, as others have said, being the hands and feet of Christ in this suffering world. There’s no shortage of work to do as long as we live, and God expects those who He allows into His vineyard to be about that work. Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

What kind of workers is God counting on? Anyone who runs a business knows there’s much more at stake than just finding people who want a job and a paycheck. The owner or the manager wants good workers. When they put out the ‘help wanted’ sign, they usually have a certain quality of worker in mind. And it’s not just knowledge of the field they’re looking for. You can have all the expertise in the world, but you haven’t got much of an employee if he or she doesn’t possess some characteristics that describe a desirable worker in any field. In fact, the education and training will be a lot easier if they bring to the workplace certain attitudes and behaviors. They will excel – they will go far – and they will win the praise and the appreciation of the person who hires them. Let’s think about some of the characteristics of spiritual workers who please the Master and ask yourself, does God see you as that kind of worker?

First, God wants those who will work OBEDIENTLY. If a person cannot and will not follow orders and instructions, they will be a problem for any organization. I had an acquaintance who had a hard time keeping a job. It just never seemed to work out. What the problem ended up being was that she was never content to just go and do what they told her to do. She went into the job complaining and criticizing the way the company was run and decided she would do things her way. As you might imagine, that didn’t go over so well. Christ doesn’t need our counsel in how to run His vineyard. He knows what He is doing, and He wants workers who will be humbly obedient.  Jesus asked in Luke 6:46, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” Jesus isn’t looking for CEOs to revolutionize the church. He isn’t looking for consultants to reinvent and refine His mission, message, and method. He is looking for obedient workers. We work for Him and not ourselves. We are to serve at His pleasure and not our own. We are to do things in the way that He specifies and not however we see fit. He defines the work that is to be done and it is His prerogative alone to tell us how He wants it to be done and He will reward us in the last day based upon whether we faithfully and obediently did His bidding. When our Lord told the parable of the pounds in Luke chapter 19, he left His subjects and told them to do business until He returned. You recalled that two of them did as he instructed them to do and one did not. The ones who conscientiously did with the money he left what he asked them to do were commended by the nobleman in verse 17 by saying, “…’Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’” Notice He described the man as FAITHFUL. The word Jesus used means, according to Thayer, ones “who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties. He is faithful because you know he will do his best to follow the instructions of the Master.

But not only does He want workers who work obediently, but He desires those who work DEPENDABLY. That word ‘FAITHFUL’ in the parable we just cited also refers to “one who can be relied on”. Just like any employer values workers they can count on, so Christ desires laborers He can depend on as well. In fact, I don’t know of anything any business, or any supervisor appreciates any more than one who is always at work when he or she is supposed to be and on time and ready to get to work. The same holds true in the vineyard of the Lord. In my years of secular work, it was very frustrating to work with people who could not be depended on. Something always came up. They might be at work, and they might not. It made it hard for that business to operate like it’s supposed to; it made things more difficult for those who DID show up to work; and it gave the boss a low estimate of their value as an employee. Most companies will only put up with that so long, and then you’re out. But friend, it’s just as serious of a matter when the Lord cannot depend one in His church as well.

Could you be described as a dependable worker in the kingdom of God? Can the church count on you? Is your seat conspicuously empty when for some reason beyond your control you’re not able to be present? The apostle said we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as a church in Hebrews 10:25. Some of the early Christians were making a practice or a habit of doing just that. One of the meanings of the word forsake is “to leave helpless or in straits.” Friend, if you’re a Christian, the church depends on you. You can’t criticize the church for not being any stronger, active, zealous, or fruitful than you are – because you’re just as much a part of it as anyone else. The word faithful is used again and again to describe the Christian in the New Testament. When one is faithful, he doesn’t put other things before the service of Christ. When one is faithful, he won’t leave the cause of Christ in the lurch because jumps ship or runs and hides when the work gets difficult or even dangerous. Some people run hot awhile and then they run cold awhile. You can’t depend on them. Be thou FAITHFUL even unto death and Christ will give us a crown of life, according to Revelation 2:10. Are you that kind of laborer? Trustworthy? Dependable? Committed to the very end regardless of what obstacles, what distractions, or what difficulties may arise along the way?

But not only does God want those who work OBEDIENTLY and DEPENDABLY, but He also commends those who work EAGERLY.  Here is another characteristic that just about any employer values – a worker with a willing and eager attitude; a grateful worker who looks for opportunities to make the business succeed – to help others – to pull their weight – and to go the extra mile when needed. Who wants to fool with a worker who begrudgingly shows up to work and who complains and murmurs about every task they are assigned to do. I would suggest that Christ is looking for laborers who come to work in His vineyard with a grateful and eager heart. And I can tell you something else, you’ll enjoy the work a lot more when you approach it with such an attitude. The day will go much faster and the rewards will be far greater when you put your hand to the plow with a mind to work and a heart to serve.

Jesus told another parable that’s recorded in Luke 17:7-10. Listen to Christ now. He says: “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ “” Do you see the attitude that Jesus exposes? Here’s a man who did everything commanded of him. He did an honest day’s work in the field. So, what’s wrong? Is Jesus saying we should not do our duty? Of course not! He is showing us that we are not earning something by our service. Our reward is given by grace. That shouldn’t make us sit back and do nothing. It should make us work all the more and do so with a humble and grateful attitude – not grumbling and complaining. Not doing the bare minimum to get by – but serving the Lord with all of our heart because of what He has done for us.

And finally, not only is He looking for those who will work OBEDIENTLY, DEPENDABLY, AND EAGERLY, but also URGENTLY. Just as their only so many hours in the day to complete the work a day demands in the office, the factory, the farm, or wherever it may be, there are only so many fleeting hours left in the day of life on this earth. Time is moving along in its rapid flight and the sun is racing toward the western horizon for us all. Jesus keenly recognized this fact during His own time on earth. Jesus lived just a little over 33 years. Only three and half years of that were allotted to His ministry and fulfilling the ultimate purpose in His coming to earth. He said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” Jesus knew He only had a short time to do the will of His Father and He set His hand to the task before Him and made use of every minute, every hour, and every day.

This life is short and the Christian has only a little time for God to use him here on earth. Paul said “…knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11-12). He said in Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  The work of God is serious business, and it is urgent business. And if we do not treat it as such, we may look up one day and say with the people of old: Summer is ended, the harvest is past, and we are not saved.

Is obedience to the gospel an urgent thing with you? Ananias asked Paul “What are you waiting for, arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16). Is the kingdom of God and its affairs urgent as far as you’re concerned, or are you more concerned with making a living, getting by in this world, pursuing the things of earth? Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all those other things will be added to you, the Savior taught.  Night is coming when no man can work – and therefore we need to be working for the Lord today. Not only do we need to be working obediently, faithfully, dependably, and eagerly – but we need to be working urgently.

 

©2023 BibleWay Media. All rights reserved. BibleWay Media grants permission to copy this material for personal use. Permission is also granted to distribute this transcript as long as it is reproduced in its entirety, used solely for its original purpose of spreading the gospel, and attribution is given to the author and Let the Bible Speak.

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Greetings and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. Did you know that preachers can sometimes get you into trouble? Yes, preachers are not always what they should be and who you may think they are. That’s not a modern problem. It was an ancient problem as well. Our lesson today comes from a story recounted in the Old Testament and it deals with two preachers, one younger and one older. And you might suppose the younger, more inexperienced preacher would have been the source of the problem but in this case, it was the other way around. A young preacher learned some hard lessons from the older one – in fact, they cost him his life. I’m talking about the story told in 1 Kings 13 during the days of King Jeroboam.

We read now from 1 Kings 13, verses 1 thru 10. It says: “And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.” So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. Then the king answered and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’ ” So, he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.”

If the story ended there, it would be an inspiring story of courage and fidelity to God. But it doesn’t end there. An older preacher in Bethel enters the picture and things quickly go downhill. There are some important lessons we should learn in our desire to obey and please God. This young prophet learned them – but too late.

This happened after the division of Israel into the northern and southern kingdoms. The glory days of a united Israel as it was in the days of David were over. Solomon had continued his father’s dynasty but later in his life had allowed his pagan wives to turn his heart away from God and when he died, the kingdom fell into the hands of his haughty son, Rehoboam. Rehoboam foolishly refused to listen to the older and wiser heads and instead relied on the advice of the younger men. This resulted in the division of the nation into the Northern and Southern tribes. Despite Rehoboams pride and foolish conduct, God did use Rehoboam and for a time, Judah and the southern kingdom were considered faithful to God.

Jeroboam, on the other hand, became king in the north and quickly led HIS people into idolatry. The temple that Solomon built and where the presence of God had been manifest was in Jerusalem – in the south. This was to be the place of worship and sacrifice. But that presented a problem for Jeroboam because he feared that if his people continued to travel to Jerusalem to worship, they would get down there and they would be influenced to defect and turn back to Rehoboam, the southern leader. Jeroboam couldn’t have that and so, he came up with a compromise. He had two golden calves made and set in the northern cities of Dan and Bethel and told the people to go there and worship instead. Well, that was wrong. Just like it’s wrong and sinful anytime men propose a substitute for the worship God has prescribed and introduce an innovation that is an addition and contrary to what we read in God’s word. That’s still wrong today. It was wrong for ancient Israel because, number one, the temple was in Jerusalem, and Jeroboam didn’t have God’s authority to set up another place of worship. And it was also wrong because it was a sin to worship a golden calf instead of the living God. Any unscriptural innovation is sinful and constitutes man’s will-worship (Colossians 2:23) instead of worshipping God in the way He has prescribed (John 4:24).

Well, God would not let Jeroboam’s false worship go unchallenged and unrebuked because He sent a young prophet from Judah up to Bethel to preach against Jeroboam’s compromising arrangement. The bible doesn’t name this young preacher, but it does picture him (at least as he sets out on his mission) as being faithful and courageous. It would take a brave man to go before a king and flatly condemn his religion but that’s what this young preacher was ready to do. He wasn’t going to Bethel to have peace talks with Jeroboam. He wasn’t planning to win Jeroboam by his charm and by smooth and flattering words. He went to Bethel to tell the king in no uncertain terms that the worship he had established was wrong and condemned by God.

The bible says that this young man went to Bethel and happened to find Jeroboam himself burning incense at his false altar. Without hesitation, the fiery young prophet spoke up and said that God would destroy Jeroboam’s altars. Speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he prophesied that some 300-years later, Josiah would be born, and that God would use him to execute God’s judgment upon Bethel and its altar. To show that God was speaking through him, the prophet announced a miracle would take place. God would split the altar there before their eyes and the ashes of its offerings would be poured out. Well, that brought Jeroboam’s “church service” to a halt and the angry king raised his hand toward the young prophet and told his guards to seize him. But as he did, his arm was frozen into place and just like the prophet had predicted, the altar was broken in two. There was no denying that God had expressed his disapproval and the king had a sudden change of heart. He asked the prophet to pray to God to reverse his paralysis and the prophet did.

When Jeroboam’s arm was made whole again, he was grateful and asked the prophet to go home with him and eat and drink. Still courageously determined to obey God, the prophet refused. God had told him that he was not to eat and drink while there and was to quickly come home taking another route than the one by which he went there. To have eaten with the king would have compromised his message and showed that he approved of what was going on there. God did not want this prophet to compromise by extending fellowship to Jeroboam and his false worship. So, the prophet bravely turned away to go back home a different way than he came.

Well, that’s all well and good except there was an old preacher who had stayed up there in Bethel after the division of the kingdom and his sons went home and told their father what they had just seen. This old prophet was in a compromised position himself. He couldn’t go along with Jeroboam’s false worship but for whatever reason, he hadn’t taken a very firm stand against the king. He too was like some in our own time who might prefer that things be done in the right way, but they don’t have enough courage and conviction to do anything about it. The old man’s curiosity is aroused by what his sons tell him, and he wants to talk to this young prophet. His motive is somewhat a mystery. It may be that he simply wanted to have some collegial association with a fellow prophet. After all, he would have been isolated and probably lonely having remained up north when all the other prophets had migrated to the south. Someone suggested that perhaps he was a bit jealous of the young man. Maybe he was feeling sort of washed up and put out to pasture and when he heard of the young man’s zeal and determination, it stirred up feelings of envy and so forth. Unfortunately, things like that have happened among preachers. But it may have been the other way around! Maybe he was feeling a little dejected and discouraged up there by himself and dismayed by the rotten religious culture of where he was living, and maybe he was inspired by what the prophet had said and done. Nonetheless, he wanted to see and talk to the younger preacher.

Listen now, continuing in verse 12: “And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So, they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ” He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (He was lying to him.) So, he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.”

Uh oh! What has happened to our young preacher who set out from Judah on such a noble mission and with such courage and determination to please God? For all the fidelity he showed when the idolatrous king tried to get him to compromise, it is now different when another preacher comes and offers the same compromise. Regardless of what the older man’s motive was, the fact remains that he lied to the younger prophet. He told the young man something claiming it was the word of God, but it wasn’t! He was misrepresenting the word of God.

Friend, this is where we all must be the most careful. The world is full of voices and influences that try to lead us astray – no doubt. Satan appears in many forms, and he speaks through many messengers. Yes, he certainly tries to appeal to the believer through the outside world – but I would suggest that the means the Devil uses to the greatest effect in leading souls astray and condemning them is through the compromising voice of false teachers and preachers. Here was a prophet who was claiming that God had told him something that God never did say. He got the younger and more inexperienced and naïve prophet to believe a lie because it was coming from someone who claimed to be a man of God.

It’s easy for a person who is trying to do the will of God to recognize the lies of the outside world. It’s more challenging to discern truth from error though when the source of error is someone who claims to be speaking on behalf of God. Paul warned of this very thing when he wrote his second letter to Corinth. There were those claiming revelations that God didn’t give them, and they were working to turn the church away from Paul, who was a divinely inspired and chosen apostle of Jesus Christ to listen instead to them and their false ideas. Paul warned the church that Satan insidiously works to deceive people by means of those who claim to be representatives of light and truth, but they speak things that are false and that will lead people astray and to condemnation. He spoke of them in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 saying that they “…desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

Paul, likewise, warned the elders of the church in Ephesus “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:29) And Jesus, Himself, warned in Matthew 7:15 “”Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”  You see, Paul and the other apostles DID speak on behalf of Christ. The Holy Spirit inspired their teachings and their writings giving them authority that no other can possess, then or now. That means that their words are the standard by which any religious claim must be measured. The Apostle John said, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) How do we test the spirits? How do we judge the words of preachers who claim to speak on behalf of Christ? We turn to the words of the apostles – the New Testament scriptures! In 1 Corinthians 4:6 Paul said, “…that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written…” (1 Corinthians 4:6)

The problem this young prophet (who WAS living in the age of revelations – when God was still speaking through living prophets) the problem he had was that he knew God HAD spoken to him and yet, he was willing to listen to what someone else claimed God had said which contradicted what he knew God HAD already said. Now, we’re not living in the age of living prophets and new revelations and the giving of new truth – but our world is nonetheless filled with those who claim to receive such revelations. Our religious world is filled with preachers, organizations, and movements that claim to be supernaturally led by the Holy Spirit, apart from the already revealed word of God. But my friend, the bible teaches that the revelation of Christ and His will is complete! Jude said that “faith was once and for all delivered to the saints…” and that we are to “earnestly contend” for THAT faith. That means we reject any and every claim, any and every doctrine, any and every practice that is not given in the word of God. This young man was led astray though because he listened to the lying prophet. Maybe the age and gravitas of the older prophet compelled him. Apparently, the older prophet was convincing when he told him God has revealed this contradictory truth to him. It didn’t matter. When the young prophet listened to him and heeded him, he sinned and ultimately lost his life.

If you read on in 1 Kings 13, you’ll learn that after the old preacher lied, God really did speak to him and told him he had done a terrible thing to this young man. That young man who started out so well would be killed on his way home. And that’s exactly what happened. The old preacher was then filled with regret and remorse and went and gathered up the remains of the young man and gave them a proper burial and mourned his demise.

That’s all a strange story but it’s a poignant and powerful story that out to teach us all some important lessons. God doesn’t contradict Himself. He doesn’t tell one person one thing and tell someone else something different. God doesn’t reveal one thing in His word and then send the Holy Spirit to reveal something else to man today. It should also teach us that believing the wrong thing is a mistake that has eternal consequences. Truth matters. Where we get that truth matters. I don’t care how many universities a man has attended, how many books he has written, how many letters he has after him name, or how fluently he reads Greek, he might can be a tremendous help and resource in our study of the word of God – but he’s not inspired. And listen, if what he says or what he advocates or what he practices is different than what you can plainly read in the word of God – you need to ignore him. Eternity is too long, the truth is too precious, and your soul is too valuable to just believe what others say in religion. There is one lesson you and I need to learn from this lying prophet – judge everything you see and hear by the word of God. Judge the truth claims that you don’t know by the truth you know and not the other way around. And at the end of the day, be determined and stay determined to obey what God has said in His word – nothing more and nothing less.

 

©2023 BibleWay Media. All rights reserved. BibleWay Media grants permission to copy this material for personal use. Permission is also granted to distribute this transcript as long as it is reproduced in its entirety, used solely for its original purpose of spreading the gospel, and attribution is given to the author and Let the Bible Speak.

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Welcome. I’m glad to be with you today and I’m thankful for a few moments of your time to look into the word of God. One of the most common questions people ask about God is why He allows suffering, especially in the lives of His own people who love Him and are trying to serve Him. It seems logical that if God is Sovereign over this world and if He possesses all power that He could and would easily remove any difficulty and pain from the lives of His children. But He doesn’t. Why? There are several reasons suggested in the Word of God but today, we want to focus on one.

God sometimes allows us to suffer for our good. You say, but that doesn’t seem right. Perhaps it seemed that way even to the Apostle Paul, but he came to understand that it’s true, nonetheless. And it led to him having a completely different perspective on his trials and tribulations – of which Paul experienced many.

Let’s read together from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 12:1-8. There he writes: “It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I “pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.”

What were these visions and revelations to Paul about and what was this thorn in the flesh given to him? What did one have to do with the other and most importantly, what was God doing to Paul in all of it? What lesson did he learn and is there a lesson for us too?

One of the Apostle Paul’s greatest challenges and annoyances in his ministry was the influence of Judaizing teachers among the churches. These false prophets were preaching a perverted gospel. They had corrupted the truth by adding to the gospel the ordinances of the Old Testament law, especially circumcision. These men were infiltrating the churches Paul had established throughout the Greek world and they were binding tenets of the old covenant upon new believers. At the same time, they were telling the churches not to pay attention to Paul. They were undermining his influence and challenging his credentials as a true apostle of Christ. Paul faced this all throughout his ministry because he was converted and made an apostle later than the others. Some were suspicious of Paul and accused Him of preaching a false message and so they wanted to turn churches like Corinth against him.

Paul made a vigorous defense of his apostleship and his message by pointing to several things. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, he shows them that he was not some charlatan who was simply fleecing them for money by preaching a false and seductive message. Rather, he says that he had refused to take any money from them. He had every right to take financial support as a preacher, but he would not charge them for his work so they could not accuse him of falsely preaching for money. He then points to his Jewish credentials. The Judaizers claimed to follow the laws of Moses, but Paul reminds them that no one was more of a Jew by birth or background than he. Third, he points to his many sacrifices and sufferings he had willingly endured for their sakes. He had subjected himself to poor treatment, outright persecution, deprivation, almost lost his life, and selflessly devoted himself to the care of the churches. Those are not the characteristics of a hypocrite.

But then, greater than all, Paul cautiously shared with them a great experience the Lord had granted to him many years before… it was an experience others could not claim. The Judaizers who were trying to upstage and outshine Paul could not make such a boast, but Paul could. He says in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

The first thing we should see is that God HONORED Paul. Paul was privileged to be an apostle and be used by the Lord as one of His select ambassadors and with that, God had imparted several visions and revelations to Paul. A vision was when God would supernaturally transport one in mind or person to see something. Such visions were rare and granted to only select ones in the age of revelation. By “revelations”, he means that God had supernaturally revealed certain things to Paul. We can read of several such experiences in the book of Acts, for example, and these were exciting and exclusive things Paul was allowed to see and receive. Perhaps the greatest of all of them was this one which so overwhelmed Paul that he was careful in speaking of it. In fact, there were aspects of this vision that God would not permit him to tell anyone about, specifically, the things he heard spoken while there. Paul, in spirit and maybe even in his body was transported TO the third heaven (which refers to the abode of the godhead and the angels) and INTO Paradise. It was such an awesome and glorious experience that Paul even refers to himself in the third person as he describes it.

If it all sounds mysterious to us, imagine being Paul. He couldn’t even fully comprehend what had occurred. For example, he wasn’t sure whether he went there mentally or in his literal body. We don’t know why God took him there or what God showed him or what he said to him while he was there, but God had some purpose in giving Paul this grand privilege! There is no doubt that God honored Paul with this marvelous experience. Can you imagine if God were to allow some preacher in our own time to experience such a thing? Do you think they could keep it quiet like Paul apparently had for so long? Of course not! They would write a book about their 7 minutes in heaven, or they would sell it as a thrilling movie plot. There would doubtless be a speaking tour and they would make the rounds on the TV and radio talk show circuit. If their claim were believable, millions would clamor to see them and meet them. They would instantly become a star in the evangelical world. There would be little limit to their fame and the stature because of the experience they had had. Even as great of a man and humble of a servant of Christ as Paul was, it was a temptation for Paul to use this sensational vision and other revelations he had received as a means of acceptance and popularity with the people.

We’re not living in the apostolic era and since all truth that God intended to reveal to man has been revealed, we’re not living in the age of such visions and revelations as Paul and others received. However, sometimes God uses people in remarkable ways. Sometimes, preachers are incredibly talented, or they are given great opportunities for ministry and used by God and with such perceived honor comes the temptation to pride and self-importance. Such is true with the Christian in general. Some are used by God in great ways and are especially effective in the church or possess talents, opportunities, and privileges that others do not. And when doors always seem to be opened and not shut; when our successes seem to outnumber our setbacks; when our dreams are never replaced with disappointments, you would think we would glorify God for such success but that’s rarely the case.

Ironically, the easier the Christian experience seems to be, the colder our faith often grows and the more distant from God we drift. God taught Paul an important lesson. The lesson Paul learned was that it may have been tempting to boast about all the visions and revelations, the honors and the privileges, the victories, and the successes, but such boasting was misplaced, and it was wrong. In verses 5-6 he says: “Of such a one (speaking of himself and the honor he had received) I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.” Paul is saying that I could brag about this experience, and unlike others who apparently had tried to impress the Corinthians with incredulous claims of miraculous experiences, Paul would have been telling the truth. But Paul didn’t want their estimate of him to be based on his claims of how God had honored him. He wanted their faith to be in God and not in man. And that’s the very lesson that God was teaching Paul himself… for Paul to place his faith in God — not in Paul. What do I mean by that? I mean that Paul, like the rest of us, had to learn that it is not what Paul had done for God, but what God had done for Paul. You see, God may have honored Paul but then God humbled Paul because God didn’t want Paul thinking more of Paul than he should have. So, notice what he says in verse 7: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”

To keep Paul from becoming proud and self-sufficient (which is always a temptation to man when he enjoys successes in life), God balanced his successes with suffering. Just as God had honored Paul, He then humbled him, and Paul had to learn how to take both from the hand of the Lord. What was Paul’s mysterious “thorn in the flesh”? The bible doesn’t not explicitly tell us, and bible students and theologians have an array of ideas about the matter. If we were to list and explain them all, we would need much longer than the time of this program! What clues do the scriptures give? Whatever it was, Paul calls it “a messenger of Satan to buffet me…” Of all the theories, there are two general ideas that have merit. One is that this was a LITERAL fleshly affliction; that Paul was dealing with some illness or physical disability that was causing him great pain and annoyance. One frequent suggestion is that Paul was nearly blind. Some have theorized that he is referring to a case of Malaria he had contracted. Others think kidney stones, and yet others think perhaps it refers to migraine headaches.

But then there is the possibility that Paul is speaking more metaphorically and referring to the persecution he had to face from unbelieving Jews. The phrase “thorn in the flesh” comes from three words in the original text which could be translated “in the flesh” which would likely refer to something literally bothering Paul’s fleshly body, but it could also be translated “FOR the flesh” which would carry more the idea that whatever this was, the word flesh simply means it was something Paul had to deal with as long as he lived in the flesh, or in his temporal body. If that be the case, it is likely referring more to a circumstance such as the violent opposition he was facing in his ministry.

Either explanation could fit the language as best we understand it. We know that sometimes Satan was allowed to afflict people with illness as a test of their faith, such as in the case of Job. But we also know that peoples and nations can be symbolically referred to as thorns, as well. I won’t argue with you about it, but I personally tend to believe Paul was referring to the persecution he faced nearly everywhere he went. In Numbers 33:55, the Canaanites, for example, are referred to as “irritants in the eyes and thorns in the sides of the Israelites.” Also, when Paul says this thorn was a messenger of Satan to buffet him, the word “buffet” means to strike with the fist and is the same word used by Mark to describe the abuse Jesus received at His trial.

At the end of the day, however, it’s not important to know WHAT the thorn was as much as it is to understand the PURPOSE the thorn served. This thorn was allowed by God to accomplish something in the heart and life of Paul. Listen to the English Standard Version in verse 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.” You see, God allowed Paul to suffer to keep him from thinking too highly of himself and to keep him from forgetting his reliance upon God’s strength. Friend, that should help anyone who is a Christian understand the point of much of the suffering in our own lives. Don’t we often ask, “why would God allow such trouble to come into our lives if we are trying to live for Him?” “If God cares about us, why doesn’t He take these problems away?” It may indeed by physical problems – disabilities, sicknesses, limitations… But it may also be other types of difficulty. Maybe it is antagonization and opposition from unbelievers or false brethren. Maybe it is even the consequences of past sins and failures. You know, God is gracious and willing to forgive, but that doesn’t erase the earthly consequences of our sins and sometimes there is pardon yet there is punishment in this life. And the prouder we were when we sinned, the farther and harder the fall! There are many who live with hard regrets bitter reminders and will never fly quite as high as they might have had they never fallen into some sin. It may be some other limitation that you think keeps you from being all that you think you should be for Christ. Have you ever stopped to think that “thorn” might just be for your own good? It was for Paul! Painful as it was and painful as it may be for you or for me, it is for our good if we’ll just stop and look at it through the eyes of God. Because, before we close, I want you to see that God humbled Paul so that He could then HELP him. Paul earnestly prayed to the Lord, three times or on three different occasions. He was doing business with God and begging God to take away what he viewed as an obstacle to his success in the ministry. But notice how God answered in verse 9: “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

You see, Paul needed to learn that any strength he had was in and through God. He had to painfully learn a lesson that most of us could stand to learn ourselves as we tend to become conceited and self-sufficient. God hates pride and He loves His people too much to let us go on living in something that He detests. If we refuse to humble ourselves, then we destine ourselves for ultimate destruction. Paul WAS humbled and he learned to accept God’s help instead of resenting the suffering – and in the end, God was glorified by the humble and committed life of this faithful servant.

Listen to him in verse 10: “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Friend, that’s the whole point in Paul’s thorn in the flesh. That’s the lesson Paul learned from his sufferings and that’s the lesson we should learn from our sufferings. Lean upon God for His grace and His help. Don’t become bitter about suffering, learn to be blessed by it. Say, like Paul, “His grace is sufficient”, and realize that God, as Paul told the Corinthians earlier in this same letter, chapter 4:16-17, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

 

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