2 Corinthians - Lesson 12A

• Okay guys, welcome back. It’s good to see everyone this morning. Before we begin, I just want to let each and every one of you to know that you guys are a blessing to Daffney and myself, and I really appreciate you guys allowing me the opportunity to teach you the Bible.

  • It’s truly been both a blessing and an honor over these past 10 years, and every Sunday we both look forward to seeing all of you. So, thank you for being a part of this fellowship.

• Now, with all that said, as everyone knows we are in 2 Corinthians the 12th Chapter, and when we last left off, I left you with some homework to do. I wanted everyone to read and study 2 Cor. 12:1-6; a section of scripture that my NASB translation entitles ‘Paul’s Vision’.

  • You may remember from last week’s teaching how we highlighted the fact that Paul made an abrupt shift in his writing. Where? In Chapter 11. He was addressing some men inside the church who were working diligently to downplay Paul’s authority. Specifically, his position and authority as an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

  • This one man or men, who were at this point telling the Church at Corinth not to listen to Paul, that they, too, were Apostles and that Paul had no more authority than they did. They went as far as to cut Paul down when they said in 2 Cor. 10:10-11:

2 Cor. 10:10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
2 Cor. 10:11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.

• In other words, they were saying in layman’s terms (these men were saying to the church), Come on guys, seriously, look at Paul. Paraphrasing here, do you really think God would pick this man to be an Apostle? After hearing those words, Paul compared what they said to that of boasting in the flesh, and his response to that was,

  • “You people (speaking of the church), you people value things that have no spiritual value, things you can see, things in the flesh, and so if that’s the way it’s going to be, well then, if I can’t beat ‘em, I guess I’ll join em, so let me boast a little in the flesh”.

    • And from there, Paul went on a rant of sorts, explaining in Chapter 11:22-27, how, as an Apostle he had experienced horrific abuse as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. It was as if Paul was saying, since we are boasting in the flesh, then let’s compare notes.

    • I have they been imprisoned. I have received from the Jews 39 lashes five times. I have been beaten with rods. I have (they have) put ourselves in danger in various ways.

    • Experienced extreme labor and hardships, sleeplessness, hunger, extreme thirst, no food, exposed to the cold. And with that trip down memory lane, I would say if Paul was trying to prove a point, he pretty much trumped anything they were boasting about, at least as it related to their sacrifice for Jesus Christ.

  • And then, as we moved into Chapter 12, Paul continued with the same theme, but he shifted the topic. He somewhat abruptly shifted his tactic, further proving his point at the end of verse 1 into verse 2, and this is what we read:

2 Cor. 12:1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 Cor. 12:2 I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
2 Cor. 12:3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—
2 Cor. 12:4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
2 Cor. 12:5 In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses.
2 Cor. 12:6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

• Now, I left you with some homework to do last week. I wanted you to study for yourself and see if you could identify who this man was; this man that Paul references in verse 2. I also wanted to see if you could identify what this ‘third heaven’ business was all about, along with the reference to Paradise. And then, how does all of it tie back to the topic of boasting.

  • So let me dig in a little bit and see if my explanation of this person and these places lines up with what you studied. Beginning with the man. Paul said, one more time:

2 Cor. 12:2 I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
2 Cor. 12:3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—
2 Cor. 12:4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 

• Last week I told you how important it is that you read and re-read the text over and over again. And let me say, that statement gives you just a little preview. An intro into what I am going to be teaching you this coming Wednesday night when we begin our class, “How to study your Bible in a way that you are preparing to teach someone else what you’ve learned.

  • Which, just an FYI to you, is the way you should study scripture. The Bible was never to be read like you read a novel. We are to marinate in it, absorb it, and to do that in the most effective way with the greatest possible maximum impact.

• So, Paul is speaking of a man he knows in Christ, who 14 years earlier, he says, “Whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

  • So, who is this man? Well, before I give you the answer, which I am sure you have already discovered on your own, especially if you have access to this new thing called the ‘inter web’, which is turning out to be a pretty big deal in case you didn’t know. So, if you looked up the answer it would be really easy to figure out.

  • Especially if you read a commentary on the topic by a Bible teacher, it would be fairly easy to decipher who this mystery-man is. But before revealing his identity, what I want to know is, would it be possible to figure out the answer without the use of commentaries or the internet? Would it be possible to figure out who this man might be strictly using your Bible?

    • The answer is yes, if you stay in context and if you were to cross-reference some of Paul’s words in other parts of the Bible, or say, maybe study the Greek maybe? You could figure it out. For grins and giggles, let me show you how to figure it out. First of all, as I said, you must start by asking yourself the question, what is the context of the teaching?

    • Context is always the key. So, what is the context? Paul has been writing about this man or men who have infiltrated the Corinthian Church. Men who have (among other things) been boasting about their accomplishments to the people of the Church of Corinth. Comparing their ‘accomplishments’ in the flesh to those of Paul’s and using those accomplishments in the flesh as proof of their Apostleship and authority.

  • And so, Paul joins in and compares his hardships and sacrifice for Christ to their superficial works as a counterpoint to their point. And he continues this same theme into Chapter 12:1, where he then makes a shift (not in topic but in tactic) here in verses 2-4.

  • But then, after he shifts tactics for a few verses, he then returns in verses 5&6 and picks back up and returns to writing about boasting again. And so, what this tells us is that even though it appears Paul may be shifting topics, in reality he is not. He is shifting his tactics. Meaning, where he began by speaking about boasting in the flesh. About the things men could see outwardly. He now says in verse 1, that:

2 Cor. 12:1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

• In other words, I must boast in the flesh because you guys are boasting in the flesh. Because apparently, all their boasting has made an impact on this church’s trust factor. But then Paul says, “I will boast but it isn’t beneficial because it has zero spiritual value. So let me take it up a notch, and to do that, let me begin by talking about visions and revelations of the Lord”.

  • Now remember, Paul has been writing delivering counterpoints (if you will) to everything these men have been saying. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that they have been possibly citing some type of paranormal experiences they have been having. Which is why Paul shifts to talking about visions and revelations.

    • Just a side note, these visions and revelation experiences are not new to Paul. He has a total of six of these experiences throughout the scriptures. Just so you know. Anyway, Paul shifts tactics and begins speaking about visions and revelations, and his mention of these experiences gives you a hint into who this man is, and into what this ‘third heaven’ business is all about.

    • And so, what we know is this; Paul is still putting forth his defense, but as I said, he changes his tactics, and we know this is a shift because he returns to talking about boasting once again in verses 5&6, which clearly tells us he has not left his original topic, but in fact he has stayed right in line with the original topic for the exact same purposes of establishing his credibility as an Apostle.

  • So, with all that said, if Paul is still making an effort to establish his credibility, but has simply changed his tactics, then who might this man be? It is himself. The only difference is he has shifted to referencing himself in the third person, which, let me say, wasn’t unusual in Rabbinical writings. And Paul was a Rabbi.

  • So, this man that he knew 14 years earlier was himself, and the hint we get comes at the end of verse 1, when he says:

2 Cor. 12:1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

• In other words, all this boasting is getting us nowhere, so let me make a shift. Let me take it to the next level. Let me show you I am by recounting an experience I had where I was called up to the “Third Heaven”. And he says:

2 Cor. 12:2 I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven

• What he is saying is, I don’t know if I was called up into the third heaven physically, or if it was a vision while I remained on earth. But God knows. So, what is this ‘third heaven’ place? Well, to begin answering that question, the first question that pops into my mind is, is there a First Heaven?

  • Or, maybe even better than that, is there a Second Heaven? Anyone know? Yes, there is. The first heaven in scripture refers to the atmosphere where the birds fly, where the clouds and sky reside. And if that’s the case (which it is), then where is the second heaven?

  • It’s outer space, where the moon, the sun, and the stars reside. And if that’s the case, then where might the third heaven be? It’s the place where God dwells. The Heavens. Third Heaven is the place we refer to as Heaven. But there is another place mentioned in verse 4, a place called Paradise:

2 Cor. 12:4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 

• So, paradise, where is that? Is it some other place? No, it’s a synonym for Third Heaven or just plain Heaven as we know it. But how do I know all of this? Well, when you study the Greek and Hebrew you see Heaven mentioned many times. As a matter of fact, its mentioned over 700 times throughout the Bible, but as we have just learned, when the scriptures speak of Heaven, it is not always heaven as we think of Heaven.

  • Just listen to Isaiah 55:8-10, where Isaiah says the following:

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

• Obviously, Isaiah isn’t speaking about the Heaven we’ve all been taught about. This heaven relates to the atmosphere. Then, in Psalm 19:1-6, David wrote this about the second Heaven – the universe:

Psalm 19:1 The heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their expanse declares the work of His hands

• This is an obvious reference to the universe (outer space). Now, in neither of these verses do we hear about the heavens being called the first heaven or the second heaven. But it’s inferred because their descriptions are totally different, and when you read where Paul mentions the Third Heaven, you can assume there is a 1st & 2nd Heaven, which is an obvious reference to the Heaven that we all think of. The place where God dwells.

  • So, now that we have established that Paul is referring to himself, just in the third person, this should also give us insight into why Paul has shifted his tactic by recounting his interaction with God. He is fighting fire with fire. It’s a crescendo of sorts, as further proof of who he was in comparison to who they were.

  • And one more thing. When you back up and re-read this dissertation, all the way back into Chapter 11, remember the Bible was not originally put together with verse and chapter breaks. Translators put those in, but they didn’t appear until somewhere around the 14th & 15th centuries.

    • And so, if you know that, then you would know that this section of scripture here in Chapter 11 and 12 are continuous run-on sentences. Which also tells us that Paul didn’t just go off script and he wasn’t crazy.

    • He was still in the mode of trying to prove a point, and if you hold tight with the context and remember the point he is trying to prove, which was that he was a true Apostle and that these men were not, that they were in fact false teachers, and proof of that lies in their boasting in ‘fleshly things’, such as their appearance and their speaking ability – their defense (if you will).

    • Their boasting in the flesh actually works against them. When you put all this together it will speak to you, give you insight into how the person he is talking about, the man he knew 14 years earlier, was none other than himself.

  • But why does he shift to speaking in the third person? One word – humility. Because he doesn’t want to boast. He doesn’t want to receive credit for what happened to him and for what he saw when he was in Heaven. And how do I know that?

  • I know it because that’s actually what he says in verses 5 and 6. Listen to it one more time:

2 Cor. 12:5 In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses. 
2 Cor. 12:6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

• In other words, he is trying to prove his point by referencing someone he knows who was called up into third heaven, which allows him to shift from talking himself, about me, me, me, to that of speaking about someone else whose experience will serve as proof of his Apostleship.

  • And for that reason, he references this man’s spiritual experience of being called up to Third Heaven as a backup to who he is, as proof through someone else’s experiences. And I will tell you that if Paul did decide to boast about his visions and revelations, he could become quite a celebrity. But he doesn’t.

  • All because God does not honor men when they elevate themselves in the eyes of other men. Humility is the key here folks. Any time we brag or elevate ourselves, God is not in it. Which means there can only be 1 ‘King of the Hill’ in the life of a believer, and it can never be the believer.

    • And I want to talk about this for just a minute because it’s so important. Any time we increase in the eyes of men (in any form), the flesh increases in our lives and the spirit decreases. And I believe that God, through The Spirit, lets us know internally when we are doing that, when we are elevating ourselves.

    • Here’s an example. Have you ever told somebody something, something you were proud of, maybe it was about a promotion or a raise, or something you bought, a house, land, vehicles, some type of possession, and then immediately you feel bad about it? What you are feeling is conviction. Conviction about elevating yourself.

    • This is why Paul is speaking in the third person. He is trying not to brag on himself, while at the same time defending his position.

• So, the question is, how can we do this? How can we, when we are attacked or talked about, how can we defend ourselves without elevating ourselves, because our natural instinct when someone attacks us is to fight back, because an attack automatically excites our flesh, causes us to get angry, to lash out, and to immediately counter someone’s point with our own point.

  • And we most often do that by highlighting everything we have done or accomplished in the flesh. Things that we think disproves what that person or persons is saying. The question is, is that what we should do? The answer is NO. But how do I know that?

  • Well, once again I know it because I know what the Bible tells me pertaining to this topic, along with what I see displayed in the life of Paul (among others). In other words, I know it because the overarching theme of scripture tells me that God is to be the center of our world. Not ourselves. And that in everything we do, our lives should point people back toward God. Not towards ourselves.

    • This is why Paul doesn’t say, well guys I didn’t want to have to do this, but I was called up into the Third Heaven, and I have personally interacted with God. I heard inexpressible words that no other Apostle has heard. And oh, by the way, you want to know what God told me.

    • Notice he doesn’t tell them what God told them. Paul is so cognitive and aware of his position before God that he dares not try and elevate himself. But at the same time, he is trying to defend himself, which turns out to be a difficult position to be in. He must be humble, be direct, be truthful, but never have this church look at him as the man.

  • Hmmm, and this is all highlighted by what he says at the end of this section and on into the next section. And this is where we will close this morning, which by the way, leads into a very famous verse of scripture, one that theologians have debated throughout the centuries. They are still debating it today.

• Let’s read the end of this section and then move into the next section. One more time, follow with me verses 5&6:

2 Cor. 12:5 In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses. 
2 Cor. 12:6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

• Real quick, notice what Paul says. He will not boast except about his weakness, which is not boasting in the eyes of men. When we boast in the eyes of men, we don’t boast about our weakness. We boast in our strengths. So, Paul’s boasting isn’t really boasting at all.

  • And then he says, I won’t boast because I do not want anyone to credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me. Paraphrasing here, I want my life to do the boasting about who I am.

  • What a powerful commentary for all of us sitting here today. Our life should be our witness. And just so you know, our life is what speaks the loudest to the world around us, not our accomplishments here on earth, rather it’s the display of the Fruits of the Spirit that speak the loudest, with humility being top of the list.

    • And so, with all that said, let’s close, which is where we will find this famous verse that has been so highly debated.

2 Cor. 12:7 Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 
2 Cor. 12:8 Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. 
2 Cor. 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 
2 Cor. 12:10 Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

• What a mouthful. So, Paul says, “so that I may stay humble”. God gave me a thorn in the flesh, a reminder, something that will ground me so that when I begin thinking highly of myself, I will reflect back and float back down to earth. And whatever it is (this thorn in the flesh), God placed it there through a messenger of Satan (wow), and it torments Paul, preventing him from elevating himself, or as I said, keeps him from thinking too highly of himself.

  • So, how about them apples, folks. God sent a messenger of Satan to torment Paul, all so that he wouldn’t become prideful and lose sight of his position before God.

  • What I want you to do this week is the same thing you did last week. Take these verses and go study them for yourself. And as you leave today let me give you a little insight into one of the focuses of next week’s lesson. God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, and He does the same thing to us. So, how might that be?