Shalom, my dear brothers and sisters. We are going now, with the help of the Lord, to continue with the study of 2nd Corinthians, and in this portion of the reading, we will read 2nd Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 1 to 21. Hopefully, you have your Bibles with you. Please turn with me to 2nd Corinthians, chapter 12, and I would like to read the Bible. We read the whole chapter. So follow me, please. We read, It is not expedient for me, doubtless, to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ, in Mashiach, above 14 years ago. Whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, such an one caught up to the third heaven.

And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth. How that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful. For it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory. Yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth. But now I will say the truth. But now I will say the truth. But now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seemeth me to be, or he heareth of me.

And lest I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of their revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

I am become a fool in glory. Ye have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended of you, for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly, the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me, this wrong. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you, I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek not yours, but you. For the children are not to lay up for their parents, but the parents for the children.

And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not burden you, nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you. We speak before God in Christ. Well, dearly, dearly beloved brothers and sisters, I finish to read these 21 verses of 2 Corinthians chapter 12, an extremely interesting chapter, because in this 12 chapter, beloved brothers and sisters, the apostle Paul is about to conclude the letter to the Corinthians. And what does he say, that while he had such an amazing experience, that the Lord had given unto him and used him through this experience and teaching that he received from the Lord, that he could communicate with the Corinthians and many other local churches in Asia Minor.

Yet, yet at the same time, yet at the same time, yet at the same time, he did not want to exalt himself, but he humbled himself, and that the Corinthians themselves did not treat him right. The apostle Paul intended to come to the Corinthians, but unfortunately, as we have learned throughout the second epistles that they were influenced by false apostles, by those who claimed to serve God. And instead of recognizing the apostles in the apostles, they listened to the apostles, and that the apostles had in their midst, they listened to the false apostles. We have read of these false apostles in the 11th chapter. In verse 13 of chapter 11, we read, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, of the Messiah.

And no marvel, verse 14, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. And therefore, it is no great thing, if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, Paul continues to appeal to the Corinthians and present himself before them as the one that truly served them. And exposing them as to their conduct and behavior, and as to their lack of acknowledgement of his service to them. And so now notice this. After we have concluded in the previous chapter, this is chapter 11, where the servant of God knew and knows best, and he behaved.

This is Paul as a father to the Corinthian believers. And he presented himself as one that had godly jealousy over the assembly at Corinth, one who has concern for the Corinthian believers, who warned them, and who had a generous way he ministered to them. And now in these verses of the 12th chapter, the apostle, the apostle, Shaul Paul, is continuing now to show them the experiences that he had before the Lord. And the fact that he wanted to confront the Corinthians and really to expose them of their wrongdoing so they can now change and appreciate his ministry in their midst. Now again, we are in the second letter of the Corinthians.

In the first letter, Paul wrote to them a long letter that exposed their reality in their local assembly. In the second letter, Paul is opening his heart and sharing with them his love for the Corinthian believers and how he humbled himself before the Lord and before the believers there in serving them as a father served his own children out of love and concern for them. Now, in this 12th chapter, Paul presents before the Corinthians his experience that he had in paradise in the first 10 verses. And then in verse 11 to verse 21, Paul had to confront the Corinthians and actually to shame them for their behavior. So, very interesting, beloved brothers and sisters, in the first 10 verses, Paul show and reveal some truths that we would have never known unless he wrote it in this second letter to the Corinthians.

In verses 1 to 10, he shared with the Corinthians his experience in paradise. Can you imagine, beloved brothers and sisters? So, this section is really the climax of Paul's defense of his apostleship. In other words, he is really bringing now in his writing to the Corinthians the climax. He is showing to them how different he is in comparison to the false apostles whom the Corinthians follow after and whom the Corinthians believed to instead of setting them aside and believing what the Lord have done through the Apostle Shaul Paul in their midst. So, this is the climax. And in order to avoid exalting himself, the Apostle Shaul Paul described himself here in the third person in these 10 verses of 2 Corinthians chapter 12.

So, he shares his experience and he shared them with the Corinthians in the third person because he did not want to exalt himself. So, you notice what we read. God honored Paul, God humbled Paul, and God helped Paul in his ministry. You know, beloved brothers and sisters, God would honor any servant, any servant who seeks to please the Lord. God will ultimately honor him. That expression, it is not expedient for me, in other words, I don't want to boast. It is not common for me to boast. You see, the false apostles that came to Corinth and turned the believers there against Paul, they boasted themselves.

They boasted themselves in so many ways. So, you see, Paul really showing to the Corinthians, instead of me boasting myself as these false apostles boast themselves. So, I want to show you how God had honored me, and I'm sharing this with you, but again, brothers and sisters, I want to mention that Paul does not use himself in the first person as he's presenting this, but he's using this revelation for the Corinthians in third person. So, you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, he says, it is not expedient for me, doubtless, to glory, but he says, I'm going to come, and I'm going to share to you about the visions and revelation that I have received from the Lord.

So, that word for expedient, or doubtless, so he kind of said, this boasting will do no good, but I must go on, and I must share with you what happened to me in my life, and how God has dealt with me, how the Lord has dealt with me. So, he says, it is not expedient for me, doubtless, to glory, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. This is verse 1. Remember, beloved brothers and sisters, that we have already seen in Acts chapter 9, and if you remember in verse 3 that we have read there, how the Lord revealed himself to Shaul, when he was on the way to Damascus.

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Shaul, Shaul, why persecutest thou me? You see, already, on the way to Damascus, while he opposed the early Jewish believers of 1st century, the Lord appeared unto Shaul, Paul, from heaven. This is the Messiah, Jesus, Yeshua, from heaven, appearing unto Shaul, and speaking with him from heaven. In chapter 2 of Acts, in verse 6, we read, Paul was relating to the men and brethren what happened to him on the way to Damascus. We read in verse 6, as he was relating the same event, he said, And it came to pass, As I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

You see, he was relating to his brethren and the fathers in Jerusalem, in the Hebrew language, what took place when he was initially opposing Yeshua and the followers of Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah. And so there is so much to say, God gave Paul so much revelation, that what Paul revealed to us here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12, is not everything, but some of the revelation that he received, so he can relate this to the believers at Corinth, who followed initially after the false apostles. Let me just mention one or two more verses in Acts chapter 16, in verse 9, we read, And a vision appeared to Paul at night.

There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. This is when the apostle Paul took Timothy and circumcised him, and he was on the way to go towards Macedonia. And you remember, we read that a man from Macedonia beseeched him, as Paul saw that vision in Acts 16, in verse 9. In Acts chapter 18, this is actually when Paul was at Corinth. Shaul, Paul said in verse 9 and 10, listen to what we read. Then spake the Lord to Paul. The Lord was speaking to him, showing himself through visions to the apostle Paul. Imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, revealed himself to Paul again and again and again and again.

This is fascinating as we read these verses. Now, just another verse to mention for us here as we study this portion. In Ephesians chapter 3, the apostle Paul received the truth of the church, of the assembly, where we read in chapter 3, And for this cause, I, Paul, verse 1, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me towards you, How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when I ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Mashiach, of Christ, Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body, and partakers of his promises in Christ by the gospel.

The revelation of the revelation of the mystery of Christ, that the Gentiles will be fellow heirs with the Jews in this heavenly body of Christ, the church, the assembly, was a revelation that Shaul Paul received from the Lord as well. So, visions and revelations, Paul received so many times, which he conveys it to the Ephesians, to his brethren, the Jewish people in the city of Jerusalem, in the book of Acts, And here in 2 Corinthians, he revealed the revelation that he had received, and the experience that he had had in paradise, in paradisos, in heaven. So, now notice that. We read in verse 2, 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, and verse 2, God honored Shaul Paul by not only showing him visions, but also he honored him by taking him to heaven and back down to earth.

That is unusual experience that a normal individual do not experience. This was unique to a few individuals in biblical history of whom we read. And so, for example, in the book of Revelation, we read of Yohanan, John, that he received visions. And you remember, the Lord said to him, Come up hither in chapter 4 of the book of Revelation. Here we see how God honored Paul by taking him to heaven and then brought him back to earth. Notice Paul says in verse 2, I know a man in Christ. Notice, he doesn't say, it's me. He says, I, Paul. No, but he, because of his humble attitude, he doesn't want to mention that fact that it was him.

So, he's saying, I know a man. I know a man in Christ, in the Mashiach, about 40 years ago. Whether in the body, I cannot tell. Or whether out of the body, I cannot tell. God knows. Such an one caught up to the third heaven. So, in verse 2, the apostle, Paul, using a third person, but applying it, really, he's speaking of himself, but because he didn't want to exalt himself, he uses this in a third person. And he says, notice that, I knew a man in Christ about 40 years ago, whether in the body or I cannot tell, or whether it is out of the body, I cannot tell.

But God knows of such a man in Christ, but God knows of such a one that was caught up to the third heaven. Now, this is extremely interesting, beloved brothers and sisters. It was about 14 years earlier, we can say it about 43, 44 A.D., sometime after the apostle Shaul Paul departed from Tarsus. After chapter 9, he received a revelation from Yeshua the Messiah, and he received salvation. He became a child of God. And after chapter 11 and onward in the book of Acts, then we find out that the apostle Paul is now looking back to the period of time, some 14 years earlier, from the time that he writes 2 Corinthians, and he's speaking to the Corinthians and telling them how that 14 years ago, whether it was in the body, meaning that whether he was taken with his body to heaven or, notice, out of the body, or with his spirit, out of his body.

So, whether it was entirely with the body or without the body in the spirit, he's saying, I would like you to know that such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And you notice this, beloved brothers and sisters, this expression, the third heaven is very interesting because the first heaven is the sky and the clouds which we see before us. Right? As we lift up our eyes and we look to heaven, in Hebrew it is called Shamaim, we look to the heavens, to the Shamaim, and we see what is before us. We see the sky, we see the clouds, and it is kind of evident before us.

That first heaven is really the sky and the clouds that are set before us. The second heaven would be the planets, the stars, the sun, the moon, the outer space, beyond. Although we can see the stars and we can see the sun and the moon, but it is really outside of what is known to us to be that first heaven. The second heaven would be the planets, the stars, the sun, the moon, in the outer space. And Paul knew that he was taken to the third heaven, beyond the sky and the cloud, beyond the stars, the sun, and the moon in the atmospheric heaven. He, he was caught up to the third heaven.

And the third heaven, beloved brothers and sisters, is God's abode. It is, according to verse 4, called Paradisos, or Paradise. In Hebrew the word is Pardes. It is the immediate presence of God. And it is extremely interesting to see how the apostle Shaul Paul is informing the Corinthians of an event that took place. And the reason that he is informing them concerning that is because he wanted them to see how much blessed they were. And how he, who could exalt himself, came to them in simplicity and present before them the gospel, leading them to Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah. Now, there is a verse that I want to read in 1st Kings, chapter 8, and verse 30.

You remember there, when Shlomo, Solomon, finished to build the temple in the city of Jerusalem. We read in verse 30 of 1st Kings, chapter 8, the words of King Solomon, who said, He hearkened thou to the supplication of thy servant and of thy people, Israel, when they shall pray toward this place, namely the temple in Jerusalem, in Jerusalem. And hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, forgive. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, heaven is God's dwelling place. And Shaul Paul knew that because being a Hebrew, being a Parush, a Pharisee, he knew very well that this heaven, beyond the first heaven, which is the sky and the cloud, beyond the atmospheric heaven, which is the stars, sun and moon, the outer space, this is the third heaven, according to 1st Kings, chapter 8, and verse 30, it is the dwelling place of God.

In the Psalms we read, in Psalm 2, and verse 4, we read, He that siteth in the heavens shall live, the Lord shall have them in the region. The Psalms of Israel said, look, the one that sit in the heavens, this is God. He will laugh at those that turn against him. He will have them in derision, those that oppose him and oppose his word. So, the first heaven is really that which is set before us, what we see, the sky and the clouds, right here, the heaven, the immediate here before us, the atmospheric heaven that is right before us. Then we have the second heaven, it is the celestial heaven, which is the outer space, it is beyond here.

It is where the stars, the sun and the moon and the many, many planets are there. But the third heaven is the home of God, it is where God dwelleth, as King Shlomo said in 1st Kings, chapter 8, and verse 30. In the book of Hebrews we read, and I think I should read this verse to us all. In Hebrews chapter 9, there in verse 24, we read, beloved brothers and sisters, we read that for Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands. This is after Yeshua, the Messiah finished the work of redemption, so he didn't enter into a place made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Beloved brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, is appearing in the presence of God for us. And Paul presents these men, I knew a man in Christ, before 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knows. Such a one caught up to the third heaven, God's abode, God's home. The Father's house is another expression that we first hear of it in John chapter 14. So in God's presence, there are blessings. In God's presence, there is a blessing and joy and sin is not there. And beloved brothers and sisters, in a unique way, Paul is presenting that person in Christ was taken to heaven, was caught up to heaven, and he is now beginning to expound to the Corinthians what took place there.

And I'm going to remind you again, to remind you again, that in the presence of God, there are blessings. In the presence of God, there is no longer any sadness and sorrow and sin. But you see, also, in the spirit realm, there are places for those who rejected God, who died and left this world without sins forgiven. We have Gehenna, we have Hades, we have the abyss, and the lake of fire, where eventually all the unregenerated individuals will spend eternity, sadly. But that's the reality that we have in the word of God. In fact, the book of Revelation, as it almost closes the whole word of God in chapter 20, we sadly read of those that will end up to be ushered into eternity, into the spirit realm, where there are places where unbelievers will spend eternity there.

We read in verse 15, whosoever was not found, written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. Very sad, beloved brothers and sisters. But Paul is presenting here now paradise. He is presenting here the third heaven. And he is presenting himself in a third person, I knew a man in Christ. Such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And so now, as he mentioned this in verse 2, from verse 3 onward, beloved brothers and sisters, Paul was continuing to share with the Corinthians. He says in verse 3, he said, I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knows.

He says, really, he himself do not know, but God knows how he had taken him to heaven for a specific reason, beloved brothers and sisters. We learn from verse 4, he says, Paul, that he was caught up into paradise. Notice he used the word paradisos in the Greek, paradise, to be the third heaven. The third heaven is paradise, and this person that was caught up to paradise, to the third heaven, he heard, listen to this, verse 4, unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Notice that, unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to even utter. And so, from verse 4, we learn that Paul was caught up into paradise.

Paul heard unspeakable words, which is not ordinarily being spoken. It's not something that's normally being spoken. And then we learn from this, that the fact that this is the place where God is, where the Lord Jesus, the Messiah is, this paradise is a place where the beauty of God is, and the peace, the shalom is there, and the Messiah is there, and the blessing that all the believers will enjoy when the time comes, and the Lord will take us to be with him in heaven. Read in Ephesians chapter 2, that we are seated with Christ, with the Messiah in heaven. We also read in Ephesians 2, verse 21 and 22, that we have a position in heaven.

And we also know that while we are not yet taken to heaven, the promise here, that we will one day be taken to be with the Lord Jesus, the Messiah in heaven. Paul experienced this for a short season for a purpose, but we have this assurance that Shaul Paul and all believers will one day go to meet the Lord and to be with him in heaven. Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah said to the disciples, in John 14, verse 1, Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house. There are many mentioned. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. And I will receive you unto myself that, listen, where I am, there ye may be also. Oh, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, this is the promise that all believers receive because we receive the forgiveness of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, who paid for our sin and sin. We trusted in Him, and the promise is that all those that belong to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, will have everlasting life and will spend eternity with the Lord in heaven. So, now, in verse 5, Shaul Paul continued to say to the Corinthians, he did not want to glory in this, but he rather gloried in his own infirmities.

So, in verse 5, after we read that, you know, a man in Christ, above 14 years ago, whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether it is out of the body, I cannot tell, but God knows, such an one was caught up to the third heaven, to paradisos, to paradise, to pardes in Hebrew, to a place of the Lord Jesus, to a place where the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who entered into the immediate presence of God, to heaven. Now, in verse 5 and 6, Paul now says, in verse 5, Again, notice how Paul directs the attention away from himself and away from all the glory that he has experienced and the vision that he has seen and the revelation that he received.

And he's saying, look, if I'm going to glory, I'm going to glory or to be, to boast in my infirmity, because God does not want me to boast in all the unique places and the unique privileges that he had given to me. He wants me to be a servant, to minister to you, and to, if I'm going to boast in anything, although I've seen much and I received many revelations, I'm going to boast in my infirmities. And so, in verse 6, Paul did not want anyone thinking too much of him. You know how natural it is for us to seek to have the preeminence, to seek to glory in ourselves, to seek to take, you know, a high place, and God resists the proud.

He gives grace unto the humble, and Paul is a good example. So, in verse 6, For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth, but now I forbear. And lest any man should think of me above that which he sees me to be, or that he heareth of me. You see, brothers and sisters, it is very natural for us all to follow men, and to exalt men, but Paul wanted to exalt the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. And he didn't want that the Corinthians will be occupied with himself, but he wanted the Corinthians to be occupied with the one who saved them, namely the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah.

And so he's saying, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And now notice what he says. Not only he's showing to us that God had honored him by giving him the privilege to be caught up to the third heaven, to God's abode, to the place where the heaven of heavens, where the Messiah Yeshua is, for a specific reason. He received revelations that are unique, such as the truth of the ecclesia, of the heavenly company, the church, which was not known before, but was revealed to the apostle Shaul Paul. In his days, when he was caught up to a third heaven, but now, because of all the revelation that he received, we learn that not only did God honor him, but God also caused Paul to be humbled.

He humbled Paul. And so verses seven and eight, we read, lest I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelation, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. So notice this, beloved brothers and sisters, the apostle Paul received such revelation beyond a comprehension. So because of this, the Lord have allowed him to experience suffering. You see, sometimes believers suffer because of our own foolishness, but sometimes God allow us to suffer in order to build a godly character in our life.

And that's what happened with Shaul Paul. This thorn in the flesh that he received, notice that he received it in order that, lest I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelation, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh. Now you notice that, he used the word in verse seven, lest I should be exalted above measure. So we know that, when he said in verse two, I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago, that man was him. In verse seven, he's saying, lest I should be exalted above measure, they were given to me a thorn in the flesh. So he received abundance of revelations.

Abundance of revelations that Paul received, information and revelation concerning the plan and the program of God. And in Acts 20, he used the expression, the whole counsel of God. And the whole counsel of God is in relationship to the church, to the heavenly company, to Israel, the earthly company, to the world, and God's dealing with the world. So lest I should be exalted above measure, Paul is saying, through the abundance of the revelation, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Notice this expression, there was given to me, it was a gift. Now we don't look at challenges and maybe suffering at the time as a gift from God, but there was given unto him, Paul is saying here.

And notice a thorn in the flesh. That expression, a thorn, is almost like a pig in the flesh. And the flesh here does not necessarily mean the flesh that is upon the bones in our bodies, but the flesh can also mean the sin nature that we have. In other words, you see, Paul elsewhere said, for example, in Galatians 5.16, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. In other words, that flesh in Galatians 5.16 speaks about the sin nature that we have. In verse 17 of Galatians 5, Paul continued to say, the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.

So, the believer's flesh is the old nature, and the spirit is the new nature, the divine nature that we have. And there is a constant conflict between the flesh and the spirit. And therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, therefore, the apostle Paul is saying that he received a thorn in the flesh. And notice that the messenger of Satan to buffet me or to blow me, lest I, notice that again, lest I should be exalted above measure. So, again, we learn that twice in verse 7, the eye of verse 7, that is Paul, is the one that the man in Christ, which he knew, that was caught into the third heaven.

So, now, the Lord had given him, that was given unto him, a thorn in the flesh, lest he should be exalted above measure. Now, what is that thorn in the flesh, is presented by many, mentioning the fact that what is that thorn in the flesh? Beloved brothers and sisters, sometimes God allows us to experience trials and suffering. He allowed even Satan to attack God's people. And the purpose behind us, of course, is that the believers in the Lord Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, will learn lessons and develop a godly character. You remember how Satan said to God about Job? He said to him, you have taken care of Job, but he said, you have made a hedge around him.

You made a hedge around his house. And he says, if you but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face. In other words, God allowed him, he said to him, the Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in thy power only upon himself. So, put not forth thine hand, so Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. So, in Job 1, in Job 2, beloved brothers and sisters, we learn of what God allowed Satan to do to Job. But Job, eventually, he remained faithful and he did not curse God. And he developed in Job, the godly character.

Well, it's the same thing happened in the life of the apostle Shaul Paul. And so, sometime, beloved brothers and sisters, God has to humble us. And here, God has humbled Paul by giving to him a thorn in the flesh. But notice, what was that thorn in the flesh? It was a messenger from Satan, or a messenger of Satan. That is a messenger of Satan. This is a demon that was attacking Paul to buffet him, to blow him, lest he should be exalted above measure. Again, we can see the link between chapter 11 of 2 Corinthians and chapter 12. Because in chapter 11, we also have heard from the apostle who says that which he said about the false prophets, the false apostles, and that Satan himself is transforming into an angel of light.

And no wonder, he said, his ministers, his servants, his demons, false angels, they transformed themselves as ministers of righteousness. They come to appear as servants of the Lord as if they are using the false teachers. This is angels using fallen angels, using false teachers to beguile God's people. And here we have a messenger of Satan that buffeting Paul on an ongoing basis. Lest, Paul says, lest I should be exalted above measure. So, beloved brothers and sisters, the question often is being asked, you see, what is that messenger of Satan, who is he, and what is the thorn in the flesh? Some suggested that he had an eye problem.

Some suggested that he has some infirmity in his walk, in Paul's walk, and so on. But it seemed to be that the word thorn, the flesh here, does not speak about some infirmity in the body, but the flesh here has a reference to that sin nature that Paul has, like you and I, and constantly this messenger of Satan attacking Paul or seeking to cause him to walk in the flesh, to pride himself, to exalt himself, to walk, you might say, in the flesh, that he himself was warning the Galatians and others not to walk in the flesh, to walk in the spirit. And so it seemed to be that constantly the apostle Paul was under the attack of Satan and his messenger because Paul knew much.

And that's why Paul, as a servant of the Lord, knew so much that wherever he preached the word of God, the Lord used him to lead many to come to know Yeshua the Messiah. You remember what the Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, said to Hananiah about Paul. When Shaul, Paul accepted Yeshua, he said to him, Go thy way, he said to Hananiah in Acts chapter 9, verse 15. For he is a chosen vessel, this is Shaul, He is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him, verse 16, how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

So, beloved brothers and sisters, because of the many revelations that Shaul Paul received from the glorified Messiah, he is received now as a gift. We read here, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh. That thorn in the flesh is much more than just a little thorn that you and I have in our toes or our feet when we walk on some ground. It's much more, it's like a pig that is to constantly to buffet him. Notice that, this thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, to buffet me, to blow me, to attack me, to harm me, to cause me to walk in the flesh and not to walk in the spirit, to exalt myself, to pride myself, and so on and so on.

That is the thought that we have, beloved brothers and sisters. God allows Satan to afflict Paul like he did so when he allowed him to afflict Iov, that is Job. Satan really buffet. He's constantly, it's like giving him a punch, it's constantly attacking him. The Lord allowed the messenger of Satan to do so, but by doing so, Paul had to humble himself and to depend upon the grace of God. And that's why, notice that we read in verse 8, For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. Paul prayed, and he asked the Lord three times to remove this thorn in the flesh.

And as he prayed, three times he beseeched the Lord, beloved brothers and sisters, asking the Lord to remove this from him. You know, it reminds us of this verse in Mark chapter 14, where the Lord himself, according to verse 32 to 41, And they came to a place in the garden of Gatshmanim. You remember when Yeshua went in anticipation to go to the tree, to go to the cross. And you know what we read. And he says unto his disciples, Sit here while I shall pray. And he says, and he taken with him Peter and James and John. And you remember, he began to be so amazed and to be very heavy.

And he says unto them, My soul, exceedingly sorrowful unto death, And tarry ye hear and watch. And we read in verse 35 and onward, He asks, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee. Take away this cup from me. Not what I will, but thine be done. And we read that he hath done so three times. He beseeched the Lord, his Abba, his Father. And you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, had to die on a shameful cross. The holy one, the harmless one, the undefiled one, Had to pay for the sin of this world. And so he must die. And although we read that he went again, three times he prayed.

And yet he said at the end, Not my will, but thine be done. Now in the case of the apostle, Shaul Paul, He is of course a sinner that is saved and forgiven. But God really blessed him and honored him by giving him to see things and to be in paradise, In paradisos, to receive revelation beyond, no one has seen such revelations as Shaul Paul has seen. But yet God also, knowing Paul being a sinner, like all of us, A failing person that needs grace from the Lord. He humbled him and he sent, he allowed him to have this, As a gift he gave him, this thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, To buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure.

Now, beloved brothers and sisters, we read in the next verses, Verses 9 and 10, that God not only honored Paul, Not only humbled Paul, but also he helped Paul. The Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, helped Paul. And so we read in verses 9 and 10, Notice that after Paul said, I besought the Lord thrice, That I, that it might depart from me. Now we read in verse 9 and 10, And he, this is the Lord Jesus the Messiah, Said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, Paul now continued to say, Will I rather glow in my infirmities, That the power of Messiah, the power of Christ, May rest upon me.

And so, the Lord Jesus promised grace to Paul. He promised him, And he promised him, And he said to him, Even though Paul asked for three times, Once again and again, He asked for the departure of this thorn in his own flesh, Which was much more than just a little thorn in his body, But it was an attack of that messenger, That demon that attacked Paul on an ongoing basis, To seek to cause him to walk in the flesh, In his sin nature, And not to walk in light of the Holy Spirit of God. And all these attacks that he received on an ongoing basis, And we see it throughout the life of the Apostle Paul, Beloved brothers and sisters, Especially with the Corinthians, Who attacked Paul, Who turned against him.

So, Paul is saying, He asked for the Lord to remove it from him, And God, The Lord Jesus, The Messiah, Promised grace. So, the Lord provided grace. He provided grace for the Apostle Paul to be able to continue on. And so, he said to him, My grace, My grace, Notice that, Is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect through weakness. If I am going to use you, Paul, To be my servant in a world that is filled with opposition, If I am going to use you, I will provide you with the needed grace. It will be my grace. Remember, We already read, In the Gospel of John, The law God gave to this world through his servant Moshe.

But in order to provide grace and truth, He sent the Messiah himself, The Lord Jesus the Messiah. But grace and truth came through Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah. God provided grace in the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And so, The Lord promised, My grace is sufficient for thee, Paul, He is saying to him. But secondly, He said, For my strength, If you are going to be strong, In serving me here in this world, You will need my grace, And then, You will have to be weakened, In order to be spiritually strong. In Acts chapter 20, In verse 32, We read, Paul said, Now, brethren, To the Ephesians elders, I commend you to God, And to the word of his grace, Which is able to build you up, And to give you an inheritance among all them, Which are sanctified.

It is the grace that comes from God. And Paul commended the elders of the Ephesians, To the word of God's grace. And God's grace is able to build us up, And to help God's people, To grow spiritually, And be strong spiritually. So, In verses 9 and 10, Beloved brothers and sisters, Paul's, Tell the Corinthians, What the Lord Yeshua, The Messiah, Told him. My grace is sufficient for you, Paul. Also, He said, My strength, In order to be strong, It may be perfect in weakness, In dependence upon me, Paul. If you are going to be spiritually strong, You need to be weakened. Meaning that you cannot depend on yourself, You have to depend on me.

It remind me of Jacob, When Yaakov returned from being away, And the angel of the Lord, This is the pre-incarnate Messiah, Met him. Yaakov wrestled with that man, That was the pre-incarnate Messiah, Yeshua. He wrestled with him, Until that man, Namely the pre-incarnate Messiah, Touched the hollow of his thigh, And caused him to be crippled. And it was only then, When Yaakov, According to Genesis 32, Turned around, And did not wrestle anymore, With that man, But he clung to him, And he said, I'm not going to let you go, Until you bless me. This is exactly what happened, To us in our lives, That as long, That we trust in ourselves, And we are strong in ourselves, We are not going to be, Spiritually strong.

But the only time, When the Lord calls us, To have some kind of challenges, In our lives, That cause us to trust in him, To cling to him, To believe on him, To depend on his grace, And his strength, Then the Lord can use us, And help us to be, Spiritually minded, And a blessing, As we serve the Lord, Here in this world. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, In verse 10, Paul continued to say, Therefore, This is 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12 and verse 10, Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, In reproaches, In necessities, In persecutions, In distresses, Why, Paul? Why do you say that? Well, he says, In verse 10, I do so for Christ, For the Mashiach's sake, And then he says, For when I'm weak, Then I am strong.

Beloved brothers and sisters, What a lesson to learn from Shaul Paul. Dependence upon God, Trusting God, Depending upon the Lord Jesus, Although he allows us, Although he allows us, Sometimes to have thorns, In our flesh, The only way, That we will be able, To have the grace of God, And the strength of God, In our life, Is when we cling, To him. And Shaul Paul, In these 10 verses, Of 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Presents before the Corinthians, How God honored him, By giving him to see, Many revelations, That no other person, Have ever seen it, Including, To be caught up, To the third heaven. But the same God, The same Lord Yeshua, That honored him, He also humbled him, So he can serve him.

And you and I, Sometime need to be humbled, In order to be able, To serve the Lord better. But as we are humbled, By the Lord, As Paul received, A thorn in the flesh, A messenger of Satan, To buffet him, That he should not be, Exalted above measure, Then the Lord also, Helps, Along the way, His servant, He helped the apostle, Shaul Paul. In verse 9, He said, My grace is sufficient, For thee, For my strength, Is made perfect, In weakness. And so Paul, Could say now, Most gladly, Therefore, I rather glory, In my infirmities, That the power, Of Christ, The power of the Messiah, Might rest upon me, The spiritual power, To serve him, Here on earth, Might rest upon him, Therefore, I take pleasures, In infirmities, And reproaches, In necessities, In persecution, In distresses, For Christ's sake, For when I am weak, Then I am strong.

Well, beloved brothers and sisters, I will conclude here, With verse 10, Of 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 12, Although we read the whole chapter, But beloved brothers and sisters, It is amazing, To see how Paul, Appeals to the Corinthians, And sharing with them, The experience that he had, And the lesson that he learned, In order that he will be able, To be a servant of our Lord, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Well, until the next time, My dear friends, God bless you, And we say to you all, Shalom, Shalom.