God’s work in this world is the ministry of reconciling sinful people to Himself through Jesus Christ. We were a people who were dead in our sins and one the cross Jesus took our death upon Himself so that we may have life.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

God reconciles sinful people to Himself through the means of the preaching of the Gospel. Jesus and Jesus alone is our message. God does not reconcile anyone to Himself through a message of the Law, through a message of social justice, through a message of religious mysticism, through a message of moral improvement, through a message of psychological healing, through a message of political change, through a message of racial harmony, through a message of cultural compromise, through a message of entertaining excitement.
All of these messages have replaced the Gospel of Jesus in church after church from the first century. And every time the Gospel of Jesus is replaced with some other message, the life of the church wanes and dies. These are Gospels that promise hope, but provide despair . . . they promise light, but deliver darkness . . . they promise joy, but deliver fear. Satan is behind every message that supplants the ONE message of God . . . the message of Jesus who is Savior, King and Lord of all.
The defense of the Gospel of Jesus was a key theme in Paul’s first letter to the precious church in Corinth:

. . . but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:22–24 ESV)

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1–2 ESV)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV)

In the church in Corinth, the “super apostles” are replacing the life-giving message of the Gospel with a message that is more palatable, more attractive, more reasonable, more relevant to the age, more effective in winning over the lost world. Paul defends His apostleship in this letter, not for personal advantage, but for the sake of the life-giving Gospel message.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord,” (2 Corinthians 4:4–5 ESV)

Truth: Essential to the true spiritual transformation of any person is the Gospel of Jesus. This Gospel calls sinners to repent of sin and to embrace Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior. Without a true Gospel response to the true Gospel of Jesus every spiritual experience is counterfeit and does not reconcile a person to God.

Once reconciled to God, God continues His work in every believer by transforming us into the image of His Son.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)

God calls this process of transforming His people into the likeness of His Son “sanctification”. Where there is no sanctifying work of the Spirit, we are right to question the saving work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is holy. He does not give us new life in Jesus to let us live our life in sin and rebellion.

Main Idea: God works all through our lives to transform us into the image of His Son.

Question: How does God sanctify us?

The primary and central means that God uses to reconcile us to Himself and to transform us into the image of Jesus is the the Word of God which is the Gospel of Jesus.

Application: If you wish to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus, immerse yourself in the preaching of the Word, the reading of the Word, the meditating upon the Word, the memorization of the Word and the praying through the Word.

With that fundamental understanding, we open our Bibles to 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul reveals three spiritual experiences that God uses to sanctify His people. Paul uses himself as an example of God’s working through these three experiences.

Three Sanctifying Experiences in the Believer’s Life

Experience #1: Joyful Elevation

As the follower of Jesus lives by the Spirit of God, we can anticipate that God will sometimes elevate our experience with Him to new heights. These joyful experiences are designed by God to give us a taste of what is to come so that we will be encouraged to endure the pains and pressures of this present world. When I think of the biblical record, I see God recording these experiences for our consideration over and over and over. I think of Peter, James and John on the Mountain of Transfiguration. I think of the two walking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. I think of David as he slays Goliath. I think of Elijah calling down fire from heaven on the water soaked sacrifice. I think of Moses meeting with the LORD on Mount Sinai. I think of Peter’s encounter with the angel when he was in prison.
In every case, these elevated experiences were sudden, unexpected, unscripted, unplanned, short-lived and sparse in the lives of the most faithful of men and women. There is no formula given for us to experience these elevated moments. There is no praise given to the one who receives for such blessing. There is no encouragement for us to pursue them. But God gives these elevated moments sovereignly and graciously to His people at the time that we most need them.
Let us listen to Paul tell us of one of his many elevated moments.

“I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 12:1 ESV)

Paul wishes he did not have to boast about his credentials as a minister of Christ sent by God. But the super apostles claimed that they were God’s men and that Paul was an imposter. They boasted in their eloquence, in their wisdom, in their spirituality, in their leadership abilities, in their visions from God, in their powerful impact on people. They said, “Hey, God speaks to us directly. The Holy Spirit speaks through us! Follow us! Do not follow that weak, self-centered, small man named Paul.”

Paul hates to make his own boasts. But if he does not defend his apostleship, the Gospel will be lost in this church.

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” (2 Corinthians 12:2–4 ESV).

Notice four important details of this experience:

1. Paul does not tell anyone about this experience for 14 years. Why did Paul wait so long to tell this story? Because it is not that important. This experience of being transported to heaven is not essential to Paul’s ministry of reconciling people to God. Paul keeps the first things first. And this experience is not among the first things. Paul knows that people are dangerously attracted to stories of this kind. He avoids that!

Can I caution you against anyone who makes an experiences like this central to their life and ministry? Jesus is too important to be crowded out of the spotlight by elevated experiences.

2. Paul’s testimony about this experience is brief, vague, cautious and humble. Paul does not make the details of this amazing event the focus of his message or his story. He does not promise to help other people to have this experience too. He does not use this experience to raise money, to sell books or to gain an audience. He does not tell some parts of it because he knows Deuteronomy 29:29:

““The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”(Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV)

Can I caution you against anyone who uses an experience like this to make money or to gather a following? Jesus is too astounding to be impressed by elevated experiences.

3. Paul is reluctant to tell of his experience. He calls himself a “fool” for having to share it with the church. He understands the danger that people would move away from Jesus and to mysticism. In his letter to the churches in Colossae, Paul warns about Christian mysticism:

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on . . . worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Colossians 2:18–19 ESV)

Can I caution you against anyone who goes into details about visions and is proud to offer you more than the Jesus of the Bible offers you? Jesus is too valuable to trade for the trinkets of mysticism.

Truth: If you seek an experience you will lose Jesus. If you seek Jesus, you will have all the experiences you need.

4. Paul’s elevated experience is not initiated by anything that Paul does, but is initiated solely by God. Paul does not share a road map where he or others can repeat this experience. Paul does not provide a formula to have access to these events. The life-giving truth of the Gospel does not rest on subjective, untestable claims. It rests upon the objective, historical events of Jesus’ life and death.

We have churches whose ministry is built upon offering Jesus PLUS special elevated experiences. They have classes that will teach you how you too can bypass Jesus as your Mediator and experience the direct voice of the Holy Spirit. They convince people that Jesus that can be encountered in special ways through mystical practices. These new revelations of Jesus promise to be much more exciting and life-changing than the simple Jesus who reveals Himself to us through the Gospel . . . through God’s Word.

Can I caution you against anyone who offers you special access to God through some other medium than the plain Gospel which is accessible to all? The Jesus of scripture is too complete to need additional revelation. The Jesus of scripture makes Himself too accessible to require secret paths of access.

In recent years, I have wondered what I have done wrong in my preaching and teaching ministry. Too many people have sat under the teaching here at Bethany and then been lured away into the mysticism that destroys souls. I would stand on my head if it would help to communicate the wonder of the Gospel given to us once for all! I would dunk my head in a bucket of cold water if it would keep one more soul from being captured by such a counterfeit Gospel!

With all that said, I believe that God often uses elevated experiences to encourage our faith and to strengthen us for some trial ahead. I have had too many times when I have opened my Bible and found myself weeping over the loving presence of God. I have had occasions where God intervened to communicate a clear, specific direction when I felt confused about important ministry matters.
I have never ASKED nor SOUGHT such experiences. But God has graciously given them to me. Their memory even now helps me when Satan buffets my mind with doubts and fears.
Here Paul is taken up to Paradise . . . the place of God’s presence. One commentator writes, “The word Paradise comes from a Persian word which means a walled-garden. When a Persian king wished to confer a very special honour on someone specially dear to him, he made him a companion of the garden and gave him the right to walk in the royal gardens with him in intimate companionship. In this experience, as never before and never again, Paul had been the companion of God.
When the Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross and the criminal on the cross said, Jesus remember when you come in your kingdom, the Lord Jesus said to him, “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.” So paradise . . . is the place of God’s presence, . . . and it’s the goal of all who are redeemed through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Illustration: Brother Jim. Lost his little girl at three months to sudden infant death syndrome. Mr. Donut. Stranger came up to him and spoke a specific word of encouragement and then left. It took a moment for Jim to feel the effect. He ran out the door to find the man. And he was gone.

I believe that most of you who are born again could point to elevated experiences. I think it is common among the saints. There are varying degrees, but elevated experiences are common. If you have not yet had such an elevated experience, do not seek it. We are no where encouraged to pray for such. If you need one to help you grow like Jesus, your Father who loves you knows what you need. He will give you one according to your need.

What sanctifying impact do these experiences have upon our soul? I think three-fold benefit of elevated experiences:
1. These elevated experiences may humble us. They make us think how small and unworthy we are. They take away all boasting in ourselves.
2. These elevated experiences may convince us of God’s love for us. They make our hearts glad with praise that God’s love for us is deeper than our deepest problems and stronger than our weaknesses.
3. These elevated experiences may prepare us to stand firm in faith during dark times of spiritual attack.

Paul warns us that elevated experiences CAN damage our souls. Let us pursue God’s good purposes when we are given them.

5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.” (2 Corinthians 12:5–6 ESV)

Paul wants no praise or attention for this experience. He glories in Jesus and His cross alone. Paul uses words of caution as he shares this experience.

It is sad that I must say more words of caution than I do words of affirmation about these elevated experiences. But I must because Satan so often uses counterfeit experiences to lead us away from Jesus:

“Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”
(Lamentations 2:14 ESV).

Dangers of spiritual experiences:
1. They can be counterfeit and not authentic.
2. They can tempt us to feel superior to others.
3. They can tempt us to evaluate our worship by something other than our obedience.
4. They can tempt us to criticize Jesus’ servants.
5. They can tempt us to become dependent on them.
6. They can tempt us to diminish God’s Word.
7. They can tempt us to take our eyes off of Jesus.

What is most important to Paul about his experience with God? He begins this story by saying, “I know a man in Christ.” The basis of Paul’s joy and confidence is not his elevated experiences, but is his standing in Jesus. He stresses that he is a man in Christ. Earlier, he wrote,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Most significant question is not whether you have had mystical experiences, but whether you are a man/woman IN CHRIST. This is the foundation of spiritual life . . . this is the key that opens heaven’s door and places us in God’s family.

Experience #1: Joyful Elevation

Experience #2: Painful Declination

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV)

Paul moves from God’s use of the sublime to sanctify us to God’s use of suffering. After such a euphoric experience with God, Paul understands that he could have become conceited and self-exalting. Nothing hinders spiritual growth and fruitful ministry like pride. So God is gracious to Paul and He sends him what Paul calls a “thorn in the flesh” to sanctify him and preserve his character.

Question: How vulnerable must we all be to the soul-destroying sin of conceit that God went to such lengths to protect even Paul from it?

Notice WHO gives this thorn to Paul. Paul says it is a messenger from Satan to harass him. He knows that the devil uses pain to discourage and disrupt faith. Suffering in itself is not sanctifying. Suffering can be VERY destructive to our soul. Satan purposes to knock Paul away from worship like he did Job in the OT.

But notice also another hand at work: “So to keep me from becoming conceited . . . a thorn was given me.” Did Satan want to keep Paul from becoming conceited? NO!!! Paul is talking about God’s purpose in the thorn. God gave him this thorn for His good purposes. Joseph, “Man meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

Truth: The devil is involved in our lives, but he is never ultimate. God uses the devil to bring His kind purposes into our lives. The devil has been conquered by Jesus and has no power to do anything apart from God’s wise permission.

Many have guessed what this thorn is. The list of possibilities is endless: malaria, epilepsy, bad eyesight, nerve pain from his beatings to name a few body pains. Others suggest that his thorn is some person who harasses Paul. Others suggest some specific temptation to sin or even some demonic presence. BUT Paul does not tell us anything more specific. WHY?

So that we all would identify with Paul’s struggle with trials. God most often uses suffering in the lives of His children to help us grow in faith and to conform to the image of Jesus. We think of Job as a prime example. But nearly every story of God’s faithful is one of suffering: Joseph enduring his brother’s betrayal. David enduring Saul’s hatred. Moses enduring the people’s grumbling. Daniel enduring the lion’s den. Peter enduring prison.

Yet Paul does not resent this thorn. He prays for its removal, but he does not question God’s goodness over it.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4 ESV).

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7 ESV)

Truth: God often brings us low to raise us up!

Martin Luther boiled the process down to three influences in our life: prayer, meditation on the Word and affliction sent from God. Christian, if you reflect upon your life, do you not find it true that the times you grew the most in your faith were the times when you suffered the most extreme trials. Very little growth comes to us without suffering.

Do you have a thorn in the flesh? What pains you to the point of distraction and discouragement?

Truth: Our thorns are our greatest assets. God has a kind purpose behind them. The power of God is not manifested in us through our strengths and triumphs, but through our weaknesses and our sufferings.

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.” (2 Corinthians 12:8 ESV)

We are right to cry out to God when we are in anguish! Paul did! Jesus did in the Garden and from the cross. Sometime God DOES remove our thorn! Let us pray for ourselves and for each other! But sometimes God’s answer is better than our request.

Truth: In our suffering we discover God and His sufficiency.

Experience #1: Joyful Elevation
Experience #2: Painful Declination

Experience #3: Ample Provision

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest (dwell) upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

Someone notes recently how the word “sufficient” does not seem to do justice to the truth of God’s grace. The words “lavish”, “extravagant”, “abounding” seem better suited to describe grace. But sufficient is the word here. Why? I think Paul uses it in an understated way to point to the anxious thoughts that often adorn our sufferings. We ask, “Will God’s supply be enough to help me in my need?” I think of a starving man who is taken by the King to a castle for a meal. He thinks, “I am starving here. Will there be enough? As he approaches the banquet hall, he boldly tells the King, “I hope this is not rude, but I am really really hungry. Will there be enough food for me here?” As the King opens the door to the banquet hall where table upon table is filled with the finest meats, fruit, vegetables, desserts, soups and seafood, the King smiles, “My banquet is SUFFICIENT for you!”

The word “sufficient” is the word which means “that which fully satisfies a person.” God’s grace fully satisfies . . . regardless of how massive the need, His grace is more. God is God’s infinite supply to match our desperate need.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Our power does not come from our talents, our resources, our experiences, our impact, our strength. Our power comes from God who loves to give His strength to a weak people.

Truth: Only the weak come to God for help. If we are not weak, we will never know His power.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest (dwell) upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

“. . . the worst trial a man may have may be the best possession he has in this world; that the messenger of Satan may be as good to him as his guardian angel; that it may be as well for him to be buffeted of Satan as ever it was to be caressed of the Lord himself; . . . The worst form of trial may, nevertheless, be our best present portion.” Charles Spurgeon

The word “rest” or “dwell” in verse 9 point us to the tabernacle of the Old Testament. At the tabernacle, God met with His people. Here our life’s pains and struggles are the point of God “dwelling” with us. We know that God is near in our pleasant days. But it is in the dark, difficult seasons that God reveals Himself as our Father who loves us, as the Creator who provides for us, as the KING who protects us and as our Shepherd who tenderly cradles us in His arms. We KNOW His power in those moments.
Friend, can I convince you to take this promise personally? God’s grace IS sufficient for you!
His grace is enough to satisfy you in your yearning.
His grace is sufficient to comfort you in your mourning.
His grace is sufficient to uphold you in your faltering.
His grace is sufficient to win the battle in your in your fighting.
His grace is sufficient to overcome in the face of your enemy.
His grace is sufficient to guide you in your confusion.
His grace is sufficient to supply for you in your desperation.

Whatever you are going through . . . His grace is sufficient FOR YOU!!

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV)

How do you think others will know of the power of Christ in your life? Not your riches. Not your talents. Not your strengths. Not your triumphs. Jesus’ power is put on display through our weaknesses. For when we are weak . . . then and only then are we strong!

Conclusion: God’s work in this world is the ministry of reconciling sinful people to Himself through Jesus Christ. Are you reconciled to God?

Main Idea: God works all through our lives to transform us into the image of His Son.

Three Sanctifying Experiences in the Believer’s Life

Experience #1: Joyful Elevation
Experience #2: Painful Declination
Experience #3: Ample Provision