Maybe I could have titled this message, “the anti-prosperity gospel”. Because the real gospel is contrary to the popular theology that claims that being a Christian excludes you from trials, sickness, poor finances, family troubles and all the rest. I'm sure you've all heard that false gospel hawked by television peddlers who claim that if you just believe enough all your wildest dreams will come true. They profess the kind of religion that thinks that the unsaved will be drawn to God by the gilt and gold of successful Christians living the American dream.
Because that is exactly what it is; the American dream. It’s not the reality of Christians living in China, or the Middle East, or most of the rest of the world. They wouldn’t recognize this prosperity, health, wealth and happiness gospel that guarantees an American version of upper middle class to all who believe. And it certainly wasn’t the gospel of the Apostles either. Perhaps these modern peddlers think God is just partial to Americans.
The truth of the gospel actually tells us that trials and tribulations are an important, if not essential element in our sanctification process. Just as we are utterly unable to enter into the Kingdom by any righteousness of our own, but by the grace of God have been granted Christ’s righteousness in exchange for our sins, so is our sanctification process founded on the same principles. As we are being formed in the image of Christ, it is necessary for God to use trials, weaknesses, tribulations, sorrows, health issues, etc, to take us out of the process and allow the Holy Spirit to do that which is necessary to bring glory to God.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” What that means is that you and I are just clay pots. Not shiny, gilt edged gold pots. No, what is special about you and I is not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside. The only value in us is in our content, not our ornament.
That’s why 2Cor. 3:5 says, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” So, it is possible that what I consider to be weakness in myself or my circumstances is actually key to my usefulness in the Kingdom.
Paul is a great illustration of that principle. He was a man of great learning. He had climbed the ladder of success in Judaism. He had been saved by a direct appearance of Christ. And to top it all off, he had been taken up into the third heaven and heard and seen things that he wasn’t even able to talk about. He had reason to boast. So God gave him a thorn in the flesh. Something to keep him humble, or else he would not have been useful to the Kingdom. He would probably have been insufferable like so many of us are when our pride has reason to boast.
2Cor. 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 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. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
What weakness do you have that you are dealing with today? I’m not talking about sin. I’m talking about some burden you bear that you are struggling with God to remove from your life. But it could be that thing you’re asking God to take away is the very thing that enables Him to be able to use you. Our weakness can release the power of God. Sometimes, for our good, God gives us thorns.
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