WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:02.279 I'm going to invite you to, if you have your 00:00:02.279 --> 00:00:05.400 Bibles, go with me. We're going to the book of 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:10.220 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 2 Corinthians chapter 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:16.059 12 and verse 7. Amen. And I'm going to point 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:21.160 you to a passage of Scripture here that I think 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:26.140 many of us have heard or are familiar with, written 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:31.250 by Paul. And I want you to... Read along with 00:00:31.250 --> 00:00:34.030 me in verse 7. We're going to read verse 7 through 00:00:34.030 --> 00:00:38.689 verse 10 of 2 Corinthians chapter 12, giving 00:00:38.689 --> 00:00:41.369 you a time to flip there or scroll there. Amen. 00:00:41.390 --> 00:00:44.210 How many of you are there now? Amen. All right. 00:00:44.329 --> 00:00:46.590 All right. All right. You guys are on point today. 00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:51.070 Praise God. It reads this way. And lest I should 00:00:51.070 --> 00:00:58.520 be exalted above measure by the abundance. of 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:03.640 the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:10.719 to me, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:16.519 I should be exalted above measure. Concerning 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:20.140 this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:25.150 that it might depart from me. And he said to 00:01:25.150 --> 00:01:29.790 me, my grace is sufficient for you. My strength 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:36.670 is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most 00:01:36.670 --> 00:01:41.030 gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:46.290 that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, 00:01:46.290 --> 00:01:51.129 I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, 00:01:51.189 --> 00:01:58.859 in needs. in persecutions, in distress for Christ's 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:07.219 sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Amen. 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:10.319 Why don't we pray? Father, we thank you for your 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:14.860 spirit that we feel so strongly, so beautifully, 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:18.099 wonderfully in this place today. God, we have 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:21.439 come. as a group of people lord with a made -up 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:25.300 mind to worship you today to gather in this place 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:29.020 lord for such a time as this and now god i ask 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:32.680 that as we go into your word that you would speak 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:35.979 to us anoint our hearing so that he who has an 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:38.719 ear would hear what the spirit is saying to the 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.599 church god and anoint my lips of clay god to 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:45.500 speak in this moment in this moment god what 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:49.810 you want to express to your church, your people. 00:02:49.870 --> 00:02:53.710 God, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Everyone say 00:02:53.710 --> 00:02:57.129 amen. I'm going to give this a title right on 00:02:57.129 --> 00:03:04.810 the cusp, Thorn Theology. Someone say thorn theology. 00:03:06.889 --> 00:03:10.090 I have taught in Bible college for many years. 00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:12.449 In fact, I am now the director of our district 00:03:12.449 --> 00:03:14.909 Bible college, and we have lots of theological 00:03:14.909 --> 00:03:20.069 classes. different subjects, pastoral theology 00:03:20.069 --> 00:03:24.150 and apostolic theology. But you know what's not 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:28.409 in our curriculum? Thorn theology. But maybe 00:03:28.409 --> 00:03:30.569 we'll add that, Brother Jose, after today, huh? 00:03:30.770 --> 00:03:35.729 We might add that to the curriculum because thorn 00:03:35.729 --> 00:03:40.250 theology is something that the Apostle Paul introduces 00:03:40.250 --> 00:03:45.150 us today in this very transparent portion of 00:03:45.150 --> 00:03:49.750 writing. As he is opening up to the church in 00:03:49.750 --> 00:03:52.069 Corinth in his second letter, a church that he's 00:03:52.069 --> 00:03:55.349 developed a relationship with as an apostle that 00:03:55.349 --> 00:03:58.650 he helped establish. He's writing some things. 00:03:58.870 --> 00:04:03.289 And as typical of Paul, not only does he lay 00:04:03.289 --> 00:04:08.289 theological foundations, not only does he teach 00:04:08.289 --> 00:04:13.430 the word of God and biblical spiritual principles 00:04:13.430 --> 00:04:17.949 of Christ. the doctrines of Christ, but also 00:04:17.949 --> 00:04:25.509 at times he gives the reader a view. He opens 00:04:25.509 --> 00:04:28.689 up his life to the reader so that the reader 00:04:28.689 --> 00:04:31.870 might see or the church might understand some 00:04:31.870 --> 00:04:36.629 of his own personal understandings, revelations, 00:04:36.629 --> 00:04:40.490 and for the reader to see that even him as the 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:45.540 apostle was... still growing and learning a work 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:50.439 in progress. From his very encounter on the road 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:54.480 to Damascus, we see that the life of the Apostle 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:58.860 Paul is kind of an open book. A little different 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:02.420 from the other apostles and disciples that were 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:05.839 fortunate enough to learn under the instruction 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:09.720 of Christ, such as Peter or John or some of the 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:13.579 other disciples. Peter was one of the more prominent 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:17.360 ones. But Paul's life is a little different because 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.879 he was not a one of the original 12 disciples. 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:26.920 He wasn't handpicked in the way that Peter, James 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:31.079 and John and some of the others were in the beginning 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:35.019 of Christ's ministry. At that time, Paul was 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:40.259 still very much a Pharisee and he had an anti. 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:44.980 Christ theological point of view and made it 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:48.420 his personal mission that as the church was being 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.939 formed to persecute the church. As many of us 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:55.139 know, this was Saul of Tarsus before he became 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:58.939 the Apostle Paul. And so his trajectory looks 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:01.579 very different from that of the other disciples 00:06:01.579 --> 00:06:05.620 of the other apostles. And it gives him a very 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:09.120 unique perspective. on the Christian faith, very 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:11.620 unique perspective on what it means to serve 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:15.439 God. He was not an eyewitness to many of the 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:18.459 things that Christ did in his three and a half 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:21.959 years of ministry, but he probably, like many 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:28.860 others, heard and was a listener through secondhand 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.939 information about what Christ did, but he had 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:35.839 that encounter. that moment on the road to Damascus 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:40.660 as he was intent on persecuting and carrying 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:43.779 out every threat that he breathed out against 00:06:43.779 --> 00:06:45.939 the church. He made it his personal mission in 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:49.399 life to persecute the church. But there we see 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.699 in the book of Acts, I believe it was Acts 9, 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:57.699 where God encounters him in that famous scene 00:06:57.699 --> 00:07:02.300 in Scripture where he is probably knocked off 00:07:02.300 --> 00:07:05.990 of his horse. blinded by a bright light, and 00:07:05.990 --> 00:07:11.189 a voice from heaven tells him, why are you persecuting 00:07:11.189 --> 00:07:16.209 me? And tells him it's hard to kick against the 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:19.430 goads. And he has this personal encounter with 00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:24.649 God. And we see from the very beginning of Paul's 00:07:24.649 --> 00:07:30.089 journey, this very transparent life, one that 00:07:30.089 --> 00:07:34.170 is... brought to the forefront, one that we begin 00:07:34.170 --> 00:07:38.209 to see just how real God begins to work in his 00:07:38.209 --> 00:07:43.329 life and how his life is an open book from that 00:07:43.329 --> 00:07:47.209 moment. All the dirty details are left there 00:07:47.209 --> 00:07:52.009 on the front page of Scripture. He isn't afforded 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:56.569 the opportunity to go back and scrub out and 00:07:56.569 --> 00:07:58.910 redact some of the things in there. It's all 00:07:58.910 --> 00:08:02.279 put out there, all the things that... that we 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:05.439 may want to gloss over or tuck away. It's all 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:10.040 out there in the open for everyone to see. But 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:13.759 this really set the stage for the kind of apostle 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:17.439 that he would become. A few weeks ago, we talked 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:19.540 about, or I mentioned a little bit about Paul 00:08:19.540 --> 00:08:25.019 and the struggles that he confesses to us about 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:29.139 how there is this other law at work in him that... 00:08:29.480 --> 00:08:33.299 that even when he wants to do good, there is 00:08:33.299 --> 00:08:37.059 this contrary force, his flesh, that is pulling 00:08:37.059 --> 00:08:40.340 him in the other direction. And I find that refreshing. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:45.039 I find that just encouraging for me to know that 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.940 even somebody like him was struggling and battling 00:08:48.940 --> 00:08:52.379 within himself. And in that same spirit, in that 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:57.200 same... Type of that same theme or that same 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:00.399 spirit, the same atmosphere. We see Paul writing 00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:05.519 yet again about an area of his life that as for 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.860 me as a Christian, I find once again refreshing. 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:14.240 In chapter 12, he begins and he starts talking 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.679 about these wonderful things that God has shown 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:19.720 him. I won't read it there, but you're free to 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:22.139 read it on your own. He talks about a vision. 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:26.539 That was so profound, so majestic, so supernatural. 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:28.600 He said, I don't even know if I was having an 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.360 out -of -body experience or a bodily experience. 00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:34.799 But he talks about this moment, this divine, 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:38.740 supernatural moment that he has. And he said, 00:09:38.779 --> 00:09:41.720 the things that I saw were inexpressible. He 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:43.360 said, I can't even repeat these things. They're 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:47.360 so holy. They're so awesome. They're so powerful. 00:09:48.649 --> 00:09:51.809 I can't even put into words the things that I 00:09:51.809 --> 00:09:56.309 saw. It would cheapen it. If I try to explain 00:09:56.309 --> 00:09:59.509 in human terms what happened, what I saw, it 00:09:59.509 --> 00:10:02.149 would cheapen, it would dilute it. It would water 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:05.029 it down. It was so awesome. It was so holy. And 00:10:05.029 --> 00:10:07.850 so, you know, he's talking about this great thing 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:10.370 that God is doing. God is showing him in his 00:10:10.370 --> 00:10:14.250 life. And he doesn't even tell us what it is. 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:17.129 He's like, just trust me. It was awesome. It 00:10:17.129 --> 00:10:20.370 was great. And in the moment that he's telling 00:10:20.370 --> 00:10:23.350 his readers, he's telling the church about these 00:10:23.350 --> 00:10:28.070 great things, it must have dawned on him there 00:10:28.070 --> 00:10:31.669 that as he's expressing these things, as he's 00:10:31.669 --> 00:10:33.830 talking about the great height that God has taken 00:10:33.830 --> 00:10:36.370 him to, talking about the wonderful things that 00:10:36.370 --> 00:10:39.070 God has blessed him to be able to experience 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:42.610 and to see, not just with his natural eye, but 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:45.230 with his spiritual eye, he has seen things that 00:10:45.230 --> 00:10:49.070 perhaps nobody has ever seen or ever will see. 00:10:49.269 --> 00:10:51.389 I mean, you know, Paul is just talking about 00:10:51.389 --> 00:10:54.570 these wonderful things, but then he says in verse 00:10:54.570 --> 00:10:59.129 7, unless I should be exalted above measure by 00:10:59.129 --> 00:11:01.570 the abundance of the revelation, he said, a thorn 00:11:01.570 --> 00:11:05.649 in the flesh was given to me. He said, a messenger 00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:09.230 of Satan to buffet me, or in other words, to 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:14.070 harass me, to torment me, lest I be exalted above 00:11:14.070 --> 00:11:17.620 measure. So Paul begins to tell us about an area 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:21.919 of his life that is a touchy subject. He begins 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:25.799 to show us that in spite of the great knowledge, 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:28.320 in spite of the wonderful things, the blessings 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:31.440 of the Lord and his life and the great places 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:35.240 that God has allowed him to go as a man of God, 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:38.220 as a preacher, as an apostle, he says, but there 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:42.440 is this one issue that I have in my life that 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:47.399 has kind of brought me back down to earth. He 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:51.419 tells us that despite these heavenly things that 00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:54.320 he's experiencing in his life, that there is 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:57.240 this thing that keeps his feet grounded right 00:11:57.240 --> 00:12:02.940 here in this world. Lest he become boastful, 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:06.240 lest he become proudful, lest he think that he 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:09.299 is somebody greater than he truly is. He said, 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:12.620 there is this one thing in my life, and he calls 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:16.919 it a thorn. Someone say a thorn. Calls it a thorn. 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:21.860 And he wants us to understand that serving God 00:12:21.860 --> 00:12:32.360 is beautiful, but even roses have thorns. Can 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:36.240 I tell you that on your way to smelling the roses 00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:39.120 that God has, you're going to encounter some 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:43.799 thorns. And sometimes those thorns... are not 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:46.659 so easily removed. And so Paul is telling us, 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:48.940 look, there is this thing in my life and it's 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:51.500 a messenger of Satan. And now that's an interesting 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:55.659 term that he uses, a messenger of Satan. In the 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:59.639 original word, that word messenger is the same 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:03.980 root word for angel. So he's not just talking 00:13:03.980 --> 00:13:08.429 about some... Random thing that happens in life. 00:13:08.490 --> 00:13:10.149 We all know that life is filled with just sort 00:13:10.149 --> 00:13:13.350 of accidents and random things that come. Just 00:13:13.350 --> 00:13:15.629 the rain that falls on the just and the unjust. 00:13:15.870 --> 00:13:17.909 There are just difficulties that we deal with 00:13:17.909 --> 00:13:22.110 in life. Amen? Let me give you an aging or a 00:13:22.110 --> 00:13:26.149 hurting body. Amen, right? I got no amens when 00:13:26.149 --> 00:13:30.250 I said that. Help me out, folks. There's nothing 00:13:30.250 --> 00:13:34.440 we can do about getting older. Now, God, can 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.440 you turn back the hands of time? Well, that's 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:40.320 just a fact of life. That you're not going to 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:42.279 feel as robust and as strong as you were when 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:46.139 you were, you know, a young whippersnapper. And 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:47.840 all the energy in the world, you know, that's 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:49.600 just life. And there are other things that are 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:54.559 just part of life. Paul's not talking about just... 00:13:54.889 --> 00:13:57.330 Things that happen because life in general, like 00:13:57.330 --> 00:13:59.350 Jesus said, in this world, there will be trouble. 00:13:59.450 --> 00:14:01.110 There's going to be trouble. We live in an age. 00:14:01.149 --> 00:14:05.149 We will get sick sometimes. Amen. That person 00:14:05.149 --> 00:14:07.230 at work sneezes on you. You're like, why didn't 00:14:07.230 --> 00:14:10.750 you call in sick? You're not getting any awards 00:14:10.750 --> 00:14:14.269 for coming in here. You know, you're not. Stay 00:14:14.269 --> 00:14:18.730 home. Because we know that if you get around 00:14:18.730 --> 00:14:21.149 somebody that sneezes, you've got the flu. There's 00:14:21.149 --> 00:14:23.289 a good chance if you're not careful, right, you're 00:14:23.289 --> 00:14:26.289 going to get. You're going to get sick. That's 00:14:26.289 --> 00:14:28.610 just a fact of life. If you got sick because 00:14:28.610 --> 00:14:30.330 you were hanging around someone that was sneezing 00:14:30.330 --> 00:14:32.970 and coughing, don't go blame the devil. No, wear 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:36.230 a mask next time. Or don't get around that person. 00:14:36.330 --> 00:14:39.129 The devil is after. No, that's just, there's 00:14:39.129 --> 00:14:41.129 sickness. There's viruses. There's bacteria. 00:14:41.590 --> 00:14:45.309 These are just normal things that happen. And 00:14:45.309 --> 00:14:48.190 can we become discouraged? Can that kind of add 00:14:48.190 --> 00:14:51.049 on to whatever it is? Absolutely. I'm not saying 00:14:51.049 --> 00:14:53.049 don't pray that God would heal you. I'm not saying 00:14:53.049 --> 00:14:54.690 that those things are not real. They are real. 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:57.789 But what Paul is talking about here is not just 00:14:57.789 --> 00:15:00.549 the facts of life or the realities of living 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:03.870 in a broken world and living in a broken and 00:15:03.870 --> 00:15:07.190 an aging and a deteriorating body. He's not talking 00:15:07.190 --> 00:15:10.330 about that, folks. He's talking about something 00:15:10.330 --> 00:15:14.940 that hell. or that the enemy has done against 00:15:14.940 --> 00:15:18.299 him. He's talking about something that is purposeful, 00:15:18.299 --> 00:15:22.919 that has been strategically planted in his life, 00:15:23.019 --> 00:15:27.460 that God himself has allowed. Now this is going 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:29.840 to be an uncomfortable moment, an uncomfortable 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:33.700 subject for us today, but this whole series is 00:15:33.700 --> 00:15:36.519 about the battles. Someone say the battles. The 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.059 battles that build us. We think that getting 00:15:39.059 --> 00:15:42.519 built in God, growing in God, developing in our 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:44.820 relationship with Christ is just reading another 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:47.799 book and attending another seminar and going 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:50.820 to another service and getting prayed for more. 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:53.100 Those things are wonderful and they can help. 00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:55.919 But I come today, the Holy Ghost sent me here 00:15:55.919 --> 00:16:01.360 today to talk about thorn theology. Thorn theology. 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:03.879 This is nothing you're going to get. You're not 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:06.269 going to get this in a book, my friend. You're 00:16:06.269 --> 00:16:08.669 not going to get this with the latest best -selling, 00:16:08.690 --> 00:16:12.769 you know, top 10 Christian book on Amazon. You're 00:16:12.769 --> 00:16:14.990 not going to get this on a YouTube clip. You're 00:16:14.990 --> 00:16:17.049 not going to get this on a podcast. Man, look 00:16:17.049 --> 00:16:20.149 at all these notes. This is foreign theology. 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:23.870 These are things that we learn about God and 00:16:23.870 --> 00:16:26.870 His plan and His purpose in our life by simply 00:16:26.870 --> 00:16:30.409 allowing God to bring us through those valleys, 00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:34.870 allowing God to work in us, and trusting Him. 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:40.419 And still serving him and loving him and giving 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:44.220 of him, of ourself to him, even when he doesn't 00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:47.840 do the thing that we so desperately want him 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:53.090 to do. The question before us today is not whether 00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:55.190 you can serve God when things are going right. 00:16:55.289 --> 00:16:58.509 Not when you can serve God when it's all, you 00:16:58.509 --> 00:17:01.529 know, rose petals and a garden, you know, a bed 00:17:01.529 --> 00:17:04.509 of roses. But can we still serve him and love 00:17:04.509 --> 00:17:07.890 him and serve others when there's a thorn in 00:17:07.890 --> 00:17:12.210 our life? Can we still pray with thorns? Can 00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:13.970 we still worship? Let me tell you something. 00:17:14.730 --> 00:17:18.369 If you can learn how to serve God with a thorn, 00:17:18.390 --> 00:17:21.430 there's no devil in hell that can ever cause 00:17:21.430 --> 00:17:27.180 you to backslide. Come on. If you can learn how 00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:31.819 to keep on pressing on and serving God and come 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:34.180 to church Sunday after Sunday, if you can keep 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:36.940 on worshiping, keep on giving, keep on doing, 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:40.440 with a thorn in your life, let me tell you, you've 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:43.619 got longevity in your spirit. You're the kind 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:50.230 of saint that's going to endure to the end. This 00:17:50.230 --> 00:17:53.170 is the key. The key to being saved. We think 00:17:53.170 --> 00:17:55.309 that you get baptized, filled with the Holy Ghost 00:17:55.309 --> 00:17:57.730 in Jesus' name, and that's all that it takes 00:17:57.730 --> 00:18:00.650 to be saved. No, that's the starting point. If 00:18:00.650 --> 00:18:02.269 you haven't been baptized, you've got to get 00:18:02.269 --> 00:18:05.269 baptized in the name of Jesus, be filled with 00:18:05.269 --> 00:18:07.849 His Spirit, and salvation comes. But listen, 00:18:08.009 --> 00:18:11.170 it's not just that. The Bible says, Jesus said, 00:18:11.230 --> 00:18:17.099 He that endures to the end shall be saved. Which 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:20.160 is why we don't preach the once saved, always 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:23.880 saved gospel. The Bible says to work out your 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:26.799 salvation. Someone say work it out. Come on, 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:30.380 say it again. Work it out. Work out your salvation, 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:36.460 he said, with fear and trembling. And Paul is 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:41.160 giving us thorn theology so that we can work 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:46.289 out our salvation. And he says about this thorn, 00:18:46.309 --> 00:18:52.509 a thorn is a painful thing. It hurts. It might 00:18:52.509 --> 00:18:57.069 wound you. It might cripple you in some way. 00:18:57.289 --> 00:19:00.529 But he said, look, in verse, go with me to your 00:19:00.529 --> 00:19:02.529 Bibles again. He said in verse 8, he said, concerning 00:19:02.529 --> 00:19:04.789 this thing. Now, he doesn't tell us what it is. 00:19:06.269 --> 00:19:08.730 I'd like to know what it was. You know, what 00:19:08.730 --> 00:19:12.480 was that thorn? Scholars. speculate about what 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:14.660 the thorn might be. They think that perhaps a 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:18.680 thorn was a physical ailment. Others think that 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:21.980 perhaps it was more just a spiritual thing, an 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:24.980 oppression. And others, they think maybe it was 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:27.400 a relationship or somebody who was a thorn. I 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:30.119 heard an amen. I've got a couple of thorns. My 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:35.500 neighbor. No, I'm just kidding. We don't know 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:38.740 what it is. Amen. So while Paul's being transparent, 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:40.819 I mean, he's not showing us all of his cards. 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.000 He's not saying, but he said concerning this 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:49.400 thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:54.359 it might depart from me. Now, taking into account 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:57.220 everything that I have learned about Paul, Paul 00:19:57.220 --> 00:20:01.079 was a man of prayer. Paul was a man of the spirit. 00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:04.740 He walked in the spirit. I think Paul had a clear 00:20:05.690 --> 00:20:10.210 and consistent connection with God. I think that 00:20:10.210 --> 00:20:12.970 when Paul prayed, most of the times God answered. 00:20:13.369 --> 00:20:17.329 That's just my perception of Paul is that Paul 00:20:17.329 --> 00:20:19.930 was a man of prayer and that he believed in the 00:20:19.930 --> 00:20:22.549 doctrine of prayer. How many of you believe in 00:20:22.549 --> 00:20:24.930 prayer today? Come on, how many of you believe 00:20:24.930 --> 00:20:29.730 in prayer today? And how many of you know that 00:20:29.730 --> 00:20:35.180 God is a God who answers prayers? So for Paul 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:41.240 to say, I prayed about this thing on three separate 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.079 occasions. Now, he had marked these moments in 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:47.819 his mind where he had prayed earnestly to God. 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:52.920 God, here I am again, little old me. It's me 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:56.599 again, God. And I've got this one thing. And 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:58.759 if you would just remove this one thorn, Lord, 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:05.599 life would be so much easier. And then God told 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:09.180 him, no. All right, well, maybe there's just 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:11.460 something else I need to learn. You know, maybe 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:13.299 I'm not ready yet. You know, these are the things 00:21:13.299 --> 00:21:16.240 that we tell ourselves when God doesn't answer 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:20.500 according to our wishes. Well, maybe there must 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:22.720 be another lesson. And so some time went by, 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:25.799 and he prayed again. And the answer was still 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:27.579 no. He said, well, Paul, maybe it's just not 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:32.680 my season. Huh? Maybe the next season God's going 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:35.259 to do. This is just not my season. And so more 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:38.059 time goes by and he prays again and still the 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:42.059 answer is no. Can I tell you that no is also 00:21:42.059 --> 00:21:48.740 an answer? Someone say no is an answer. Sometimes 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:52.940 God has answered your prayer. And the problem 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:55.180 is that you just haven't accepted what the answer 00:21:55.180 --> 00:22:00.140 is. And we keep praying for God to change his 00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:04.519 mind. And God said, no, on this one, you're the 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:08.319 one that's going to have to change. So he said, 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:10.099 praise and praise and praise. And God keeps saying, 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:15.819 no, no, I'm not going to do it. And there came 00:22:15.819 --> 00:22:19.240 a point where Paul realized, okay, if God's not 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:22.279 going to answer this specific thing, there must 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:25.759 be a reason. And the Lord spoke to him. You see, 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:28.539 God's going to answer you. It may not be what 00:22:28.539 --> 00:22:31.119 you want to hear, but watch what he tells Paul 00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:34.940 in verse 9. Look at this. Look at this with me. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.740 And he said to him, my grace, someone say my 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:44.920 grace. My grace is sufficient for you. For my 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:50.799 strength is made perfect in weakness. So God's 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:56.380 answer to Paul's plea to remove this painful. 00:22:57.069 --> 00:23:02.329 thorn in his flesh in his life was that listen 00:23:02.329 --> 00:23:06.089 in other words I'm not going to remove this but 00:23:06.089 --> 00:23:08.490 here's what I'm going to do for you Paul because 00:23:08.490 --> 00:23:13.529 I love you because I'm still your God because 00:23:13.529 --> 00:23:18.329 I haven't abandoned you Paul just because I didn't 00:23:18.329 --> 00:23:21.849 answer you in the way that you had hoped or dreamed 00:23:21.849 --> 00:23:27.369 of Paul I'm still your God and I'm still In control. 00:23:28.630 --> 00:23:32.230 I haven't stopped being your God. I still love 00:23:32.230 --> 00:23:35.190 you with an everlasting love. I've got a plan 00:23:35.190 --> 00:23:38.910 for you that's unshakable. But Paul, and saint 00:23:38.910 --> 00:23:41.750 of God, this is what you needed. The reason why 00:23:41.750 --> 00:23:45.529 it's still there is so that my grace would be 00:23:45.529 --> 00:23:48.849 sufficient for you. I want you to understand 00:23:48.849 --> 00:23:52.599 that not everything will be fixed. Overnight, 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:55.799 not everything will be removed in our life according 00:23:55.799 --> 00:23:59.000 to our liking. And that is very difficult for 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:02.799 us to accept at times because we have never stopped 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:05.559 believing. We never stopped confessing that God 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:08.900 can do it. But there are certain things that 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:12.859 God says, the reason I have allowed the enemy 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:16.299 to touch this area of your life, the reason I've 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:19.880 allowed this problem to persist is so that you. 00:24:20.430 --> 00:24:24.809 can grow in grace and so that you will understand 00:24:24.809 --> 00:24:34.029 that my grace is more than enough. But there 00:24:34.029 --> 00:24:36.450 are two things that Paul gets a revelation of, 00:24:36.490 --> 00:24:38.730 and I'll be just a few more moments. Amen. Two 00:24:38.730 --> 00:24:40.930 things that Paul gets a revelation that I pray 00:24:40.930 --> 00:24:43.789 that every one of us here today, the Holy Spirit 00:24:43.789 --> 00:24:45.970 wants you to get a revelation of two things. 00:24:45.990 --> 00:24:49.289 Number one, the grace of God. And number two, 00:24:49.349 --> 00:24:55.289 the strength of God. He said, number one, he 00:24:55.289 --> 00:24:59.170 said, my grace is sufficient for you. You're 00:24:59.170 --> 00:25:04.089 learning. The value of grace. God is trying to 00:25:04.089 --> 00:25:07.660 teach somebody here today. What grace is all 00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:12.240 about. Because we have been fed, many of us, 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:16.859 a false concept of grace. That grace is simply 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:22.400 the favor of the Lord for blessings and for increase 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:27.480 in our life. That grace is simply, you know, 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:31.019 the blessings of God and the goodness of the 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:35.579 Lord. And yes, those are manifestations of grace. 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:41.119 But God's grace is manifold. There are various 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:45.119 expressions of grace. And one of the most important 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:49.359 ones that we must learn and we must contend with 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:53.160 in our own lives is the doctrine of grace that 00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:57.460 sustains us when our problems won't leave us. 00:25:57.619 --> 00:26:01.559 The doctrine of grace that holds us and is more 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:05.390 than enough for us. It's grace. Even when you've 00:26:05.390 --> 00:26:08.230 got that problem in your life, that situation, 00:26:08.730 --> 00:26:11.910 it's grace that'll still let you get a good night's 00:26:11.910 --> 00:26:14.029 sleep. Oh, I'll come to preach to somebody right 00:26:14.029 --> 00:26:17.950 now. It's grace that'll still let you keep walking. 00:26:18.269 --> 00:26:21.730 It's grace that even when your world is falling 00:26:21.730 --> 00:26:25.349 apart in that one area, you still can wear a 00:26:25.349 --> 00:26:28.890 smile on your face. And it's not fabricated. 00:26:28.890 --> 00:26:32.849 It's not phony. It's not fake. It's the grace 00:26:32.849 --> 00:26:36.150 of God. That says I might have this problem. 00:26:36.410 --> 00:26:40.410 But God has still been good to me. I wonder if 00:26:40.410 --> 00:26:42.910 somebody can give the Lord some praise here today. 00:26:46.309 --> 00:26:49.549 We learn grace. But you're not going to learn 00:26:49.549 --> 00:26:54.309 grace. Now you can learn theologically. You can 00:26:54.309 --> 00:26:58.809 learn the doctrine of grace. Through study of 00:26:58.809 --> 00:27:02.390 the New Testament. But you're only going to learn. 00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:07.619 what true grace that is sufficient is to what 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:12.700 I've called thorn theology. And he said, not 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:17.700 only will I give you a revelation of grace, but 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:22.599 of strength. Somebody say strength. He said, 00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:29.519 my strength is made perfect in weakness. Think 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:32.460 about that for a moment. Think about what the 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:36.339 Lord is telling us about how strength in the 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:41.720 kingdom of God works. God's strength is not activated 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:46.000 fully until his strength has a place in your 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:50.980 life to set up its power. And the only way God's 00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:55.700 strength can have its effect in our life is when 00:27:55.700 --> 00:28:00.740 something gives. In other words, He can't be 00:28:00.740 --> 00:28:05.559 strong in areas that you refuse to let go of. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:09.339 He can't be strong in areas where God's not going 00:28:09.339 --> 00:28:15.039 to get in a. in a match with you. Something has 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:19.579 got to give. And this is illustrated very profoundly, 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:22.579 and this might be next Sunday's message now, 00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:26.779 when Jacob wrestled with God. God said, if you 00:28:26.779 --> 00:28:28.720 really want to see my blessing, then something's 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:34.900 got to break. And he touched his hip. See. Can 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:36.819 I tell you what the issue is as I get ready to 00:28:36.819 --> 00:28:39.519 close? The issue is we want God to give us more 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:43.759 strength, but we don't want any weakness. We 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:46.259 don't want to be weak in an area. We don't want 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:48.779 to struggle. We don't want to have a need. We 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:52.339 don't want to be broken in any way. And God is 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:54.579 saying, if you really want my strength to be 00:28:54.579 --> 00:28:57.079 revealed, if you want me to see how awesome and 00:28:57.079 --> 00:29:00.980 how powerful and how mighty I am, then I will 00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:03.900 allow some things to happen in your life so that 00:29:03.900 --> 00:29:06.779 you will know that I am God and that I am the 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:09.019 one that is holding you. I'm the one putting 00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:12.900 food on your table, not your employer. Come on 00:29:12.900 --> 00:29:16.559 now, somebody. Are you hearing me today? I'm 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:18.839 the one that's putting food on your table, not 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:20.759 your employer. But you would never know that 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:23.720 unless God had put you in a situation where all 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:29.019 you could do was depend on him. You'll never 00:29:29.019 --> 00:29:32.529 know him as a friend. That sticks closer than 00:29:32.529 --> 00:29:35.069 a brother until you've been betrayed by people 00:29:35.069 --> 00:29:36.950 who you thought were your friends and you thought 00:29:36.950 --> 00:29:38.769 you could trust and you thought would be there 00:29:38.769 --> 00:29:41.910 for you. Then you realize that, ha, he is the 00:29:41.910 --> 00:29:45.390 God that will never leave me nor forsake me. 00:29:45.450 --> 00:29:48.029 Would you stand with me this afternoon? Somebody 00:29:48.029 --> 00:29:56.079 say amen. I want to grow in grace. I want to 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:58.839 grow in the strength of God, but I must do so 00:29:58.839 --> 00:30:02.359 with an understanding that God is going to use 00:30:02.359 --> 00:30:07.359 my weaknesses. Can I tell you that sometimes 00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:09.819 the thing that we're praying for God to remove, 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:15.799 that if he removes, you know, there are some 00:30:15.799 --> 00:30:18.279 things that if God answered your prayer, you 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:24.869 wouldn't be back next Sunday. I'm going to say 00:30:24.869 --> 00:30:29.029 it again. Amen? There are some prayers that if 00:30:29.029 --> 00:30:32.630 God actually prayed, you wouldn't be back to 00:30:32.630 --> 00:30:35.930 church next time. He said, whoo, not me. There 00:30:35.930 --> 00:30:39.309 are some things that if God did, you wouldn't 00:30:39.309 --> 00:30:45.430 serve him the way you would had he left that 00:30:45.430 --> 00:30:50.049 thorn there. He said, but why? Why would God 00:30:50.049 --> 00:30:52.930 do that to me? It seems like a little messed 00:30:52.930 --> 00:30:55.009 up, huh? Like, God, why would you hold out on 00:30:55.009 --> 00:31:00.250 me like that? Someone say, why, God? Because 00:31:00.250 --> 00:31:02.470 God knows you better than you know yourself. 00:31:04.750 --> 00:31:08.170 He made you. He wired your brain. He understands 00:31:08.170 --> 00:31:11.410 what makes you tick. He understands the buttons 00:31:11.410 --> 00:31:13.809 that need to be put. God knows you better than 00:31:13.809 --> 00:31:19.529 you know you. And in his supreme, listen, in 00:31:19.529 --> 00:31:25.930 God's knowledge, His all knowledge about your 00:31:25.930 --> 00:31:28.990 life. There are certain things that God knows 00:31:28.990 --> 00:31:35.509 that if he does things always the way that we 00:31:35.509 --> 00:31:45.150 want. He knows why it's there. And if he always 00:31:45.150 --> 00:31:50.220 did what we always wanted him to do. He knows 00:31:50.220 --> 00:31:53.980 that probably that would be the thing that takes 00:31:53.980 --> 00:31:59.119 us away. Some of us wouldn't pray the way we 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:05.539 pray without a thorn. Hello, somebody. Oh, my 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:09.420 God. In fact, you learn how to pray. You see, 00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:11.400 you don't even really learn how to pray until 00:32:11.400 --> 00:32:17.180 you have a thorn in your life. You know what 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:18.519 I mean? You know what I mean, Brother David? 00:32:18.990 --> 00:32:20.609 Like, read all the books on prayer you want. 00:32:20.910 --> 00:32:22.609 There's some good ones out there. Maybe I should 00:32:22.609 --> 00:32:24.130 write one, too. I don't know. There's some good 00:32:24.130 --> 00:32:28.009 ones out there. There was a whole series of praying 00:32:28.009 --> 00:32:30.009 books a few years ago. The Power of a Praying 00:32:30.009 --> 00:32:31.549 Husband. The Power of a Praying Wife. The Power 00:32:31.549 --> 00:32:35.690 of a Praying... And that's wonderful. But none 00:32:35.690 --> 00:32:38.009 of those books will teach you how to pray like 00:32:38.009 --> 00:32:42.750 a thorn will. Can I tell you where I really learned 00:32:42.750 --> 00:32:45.009 how to get a hold of God? When I had a need in 00:32:45.009 --> 00:32:49.740 my life. Jesus. And all I could do was cry out 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:56.299 to God. A thorn in your life will make you forget 00:32:56.299 --> 00:32:58.640 about what time it is and how long you've been 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:01.920 there because you're so desperate for the presence 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:10.240 of God. You really learn how to praise God. Can 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:12.740 I tell you what I really teach you how to worship? 00:33:13.539 --> 00:33:18.440 Not the latest song on CCM or... Erwan and Caleb 00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:21.779 and all that. The latest song is not going to 00:33:21.779 --> 00:33:24.140 teach you how to worship and how to praise God. 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:26.660 You know what's going to teach you? A thorn. 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:31.880 Because until you have learned how to lift up 00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:34.619 your hands and open up your mouth and say, I 00:33:34.619 --> 00:33:38.740 will bless the Lord at all times. Come on now, 00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:44.279 somebody. And his praise shall continually. That 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:47.039 you haven't learned how to worship yet. But when 00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:50.079 that thorn is there. And yes I've got a problem. 00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:53.799 But I've come to bless his holy name. Anyhow. 00:33:54.059 --> 00:33:56.779 Come on. Is there somebody with the worship in 00:33:56.779 --> 00:33:59.960 your heart today? Is there somebody that can 00:33:59.960 --> 00:34:03.380 lift your voice in worship today? Lift your voice 00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:13.719 in praise today? I'm not telling you to like 00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:18.719 the thorn. I'm not telling you that we are to 00:34:18.719 --> 00:34:24.119 pretend that these thorns are comfortable. No. 00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:28.699 What I've come to, through the Holy Ghost today, 00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:31.679 is to tell you about thorn theology. The greatest 00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:33.639 lessons that you will learn about God are those 00:34:33.639 --> 00:34:36.300 uncomfortable places in your life that God has 00:34:36.300 --> 00:34:39.320 yet to answer and maybe never will. But here's 00:34:39.320 --> 00:34:42.099 the point, is that if you could serve him that 00:34:42.099 --> 00:34:46.179 way, then you can boast like Paul did. I don't 00:34:46.179 --> 00:34:48.460 know. I have read this so many times. I have 00:34:48.460 --> 00:34:51.300 read this and I have thought to myself. I don't 00:34:51.300 --> 00:34:53.900 think I'm there yet. I'm just not there. I'll 00:34:53.900 --> 00:34:55.800 be honest with you, church. I'm not ready to 00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:58.219 say I take pleasure in affirmities. Can I be 00:34:58.219 --> 00:34:59.920 real with you? How many of you are going to be 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:02.980 real right now? I'm not at that level yet. Maybe 00:35:02.980 --> 00:35:05.980 some of you are. God bless you. Share with me 00:35:05.980 --> 00:35:08.500 your secrets. But I'm not ready to say, like 00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:11.960 Paul, I take pleasure in affirmations. I'm struggling 00:35:11.960 --> 00:35:15.619 with saying in reproaches. I don't know if I 00:35:15.619 --> 00:35:18.460 can say I take pleasure in needs. And certainly 00:35:18.460 --> 00:35:21.329 not persecutions. everybody to how about you 00:35:21.329 --> 00:35:23.010 you want everybody to like you i want everybody 00:35:23.010 --> 00:35:26.300 to like me i'm not ready to take uh you know, 00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:29.820 take pleasure in distresses. I'm not ready to 00:35:29.820 --> 00:35:32.519 do that. But here's what, but if I can just today, 00:35:32.760 --> 00:35:35.179 here's all you've got to do today. All you've 00:35:35.179 --> 00:35:37.900 got to do is, I'm not saying that when you leave 00:35:37.900 --> 00:35:39.780 this place, you're going to start thanking God 00:35:39.780 --> 00:35:41.800 for all the problems you have in your life. I'm 00:35:41.800 --> 00:35:44.300 just boasting of my infirmities today. I'm not 00:35:44.300 --> 00:35:46.579 telling you to do that. But all you've got to 00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:50.000 do today is accept that if God allowed it, then 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:53.599 obviously God sees a need. If God is allowing 00:35:53.599 --> 00:35:56.369 that thorn, then there is There's something that 00:35:56.369 --> 00:35:59.250 God is trying to work in your life. And if you 00:35:59.250 --> 00:36:02.989 can just praise God for that. Say, God, I don't 00:36:02.989 --> 00:36:06.650 understand it all yet. I'm not at that level 00:36:06.650 --> 00:36:09.230 yet, God. I don't know if I'm there yet. But 00:36:09.230 --> 00:36:13.230 here's what I know. That when I am weak, then 00:36:13.230 --> 00:36:17.530 I am strong. When I can lay it down at your feet. 00:36:17.710 --> 00:36:21.239 When I can surrender. When I can submit. commit 00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:25.480 when i can god put myself in your hands god then 00:36:25.480 --> 00:36:27.860 i know everything's gonna be all right i wonder 00:36:27.860 --> 00:36:29.840 right there where you are if we can just go before 00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:32.820 god in prayer there's somebody here today that 00:36:32.820 --> 00:36:36.320 just needs to touch the throne of god oh it could 00:36:36.320 --> 00:36:39.340 be that god will answer but it may not be the 00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:42.539 answer that you want but in the end god will 00:36:42.539 --> 00:36:45.320 give you the grace come on there's a grace that's 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:48.360 here right now there's a grace that god is working 00:36:48.360 --> 00:36:52.300 in your life oh Oh, hallelujah. I wonder if you 00:36:52.300 --> 00:36:54.920 can praise him even with that thorn. I wonder 00:36:54.920 --> 00:36:58.019 if you can pray even with that thorn. I wonder 00:36:58.019 --> 00:37:01.559 if you can touch God. I wonder, oh, hallelujah. 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:06.179 Oh, the grace of God is here. The joy of the 00:37:06.179 --> 00:37:09.400 Lord is my strength. Come on, anybody got joy? 00:37:09.420 --> 00:37:12.679 I'm not talking about fleeting happiness. That's 00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:15.579 up one day and down the next. I'm talking about 00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:19.889 the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord. Is 00:37:19.889 --> 00:37:23.809 my strength. Is he your strength today? Come 00:37:23.809 --> 00:37:26.789 on, is he your strength today? How many of you 00:37:26.789 --> 00:37:31.349 want that joy? The Bible says that in his presence 00:37:31.349 --> 00:37:36.210 there is fullness of joy. And that is right hand 00:37:36.210 --> 00:37:40.210 pleasures forevermore. So right now for the next 00:37:40.210 --> 00:37:44.090 60 seconds, I'm asking for somebody to step into 00:37:44.090 --> 00:37:48.289 the presence of God. Somebody to let your heart 00:37:48.289 --> 00:37:52.489 go. and get into His presence where the joy of 00:37:52.489 --> 00:37:56.389 the Lord is, where the grace of God is, where 00:37:56.389 --> 00:38:00.389 the strength of God will be found. Come on, somebody 00:38:00.389 --> 00:38:03.090 open up your heart today. Somebody open up your 00:38:03.090 --> 00:38:06.690 worship. Open up your mouth today. Let the Spirit 00:38:06.690 --> 00:38:09.510 of God let it dwell. Come on, hallelujah.