Can We Talk About Your Thorny Issues?

6th Sunday after Epiphany, 2/16/25 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 Can We Talk About Your Thorny Issues? I. What are they? II. What do you do with them? A few days ago, I researched the subject “positive thinking.” Of course, I encountered the incredibly popular self-help book The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vicent Peale, which was published in 1952. But I wanted something more recent, and I wasn’t disappointed. Virtually every respected health information web site had something to offer on the benefits of positive thinking: WebMD, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Psychology Today. But I didn’t spend much time reading the information those sites offered on positive thinking. I never intended to. I simply wanted to be able to confirm what you probably already knew: there is plenty of “help” out there if you want to think more positively about your life. But information on the opposite position also exists in abundance.What am I talking about? Dealing with the issues that are confronting you. I’ll admit that being negative about everything all the time is not healthy, but so is not dealing with the issues. Simply trying to be positive about the negative leads to pretensions, doesn’t it? We’ve all met people who let us know that their life is a dream, that things are going so well for them, and they want you to know just how well they are doing…ad nauseum. And all the while they’re telling you how wonderful their life is, you’re wondering what issues they’re covering up. Most Bible students have difficulty remembering all of Paul’s missionary journeys and what happened on them, but they probably remember what Paul reveals to the world in this portion of his Second Letter to the Corinthians. He had issues. Well, at least he had one issue, and it was a biggie. It was so big that Paul felt it was a hindrance to his being a better apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. But he didn’t hide it. He let the Corinthians know. In doing so he put it out there for the whole world to know. Paul had an issue. And he certainly had others; after all, he was a sinful human being just like we are. But I’d rather not discuss what may or may not have been Paul’s issues. This morning I’d rather discuss yours. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to stand up and let everyone know what they are. You know them well enough yourself. And I know mine all too well. But let’s ask the question anyway. Please give me your permission to do so. Can we talk about your thorny issues? It’s my prayer that our Lord’s assistance in answering that question will lead us to him as our Savior and the solution to all our issues in life. I. If you are reluctant about sharing the truth about your thorny issues, you’re not alone. According to various studies, a significant portion of patients—often estimated to be around 70-80%—tend to withhold some information from their doctors, meaning they hide a large percentage of the truth, with common reasons including embarrassment, fear of judgment, and not wanting to appear difficult. And you know what? Jesus, your Great Physician, knows it! So, don’t play that game! It might appear at first that Paul did. As I stated earlier, when he wrote these words to the Corinthians Christians, he was letting the whole world know he had a thorny issue, but he never comes out and states what it was. The only thing he admits is this, “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” From these words we know that his thorn in the flesh wasn’t spiritual, psychological, or emotional. It was physical. It had something to do with his body. That tidbit of information has been enough for Bible scholars to speculate at great lengths just what his thorn in the flesh was. I won’t make this sermon unnecessarily longer by delving into any of them. It’s possible that the Corinthians Christians didn’t even know what Paul’s thorn was. So, why wouldn’t the Holy Spirit have caused Paul to let his readers and us know? I can think of several reasons and the best one for our purposes this morning is this: so that we can better identify with Paul. Every one of us can say, “Paul had a thorny issue in his life. So do I.” So, what’s yours? It’s likely something that you pray about, just as Paul did. It’s something that bothers you. It probably has for a long time. Maybe even your entire life. And you’ve prayed to the Lord about it far more than the three times Paul did. So, why doesn’t the Lord take it away? Why doesn’t he solve this thorny issue in your life? Why doesn’t he lift the burden this thorny issue is causing you so that you can live happier? If you didn’t have this issue confronting you each day, imagine all the good things you could accomplish for others and your Lord each day. But the Lord chooses to let you continue to deal with it…every day. And here’s the divine answer to all those questions about your thorny issue: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Your position is that your life would be so much better without your thorny issue. God’s perspective is that your life is so much better with your thorny issue. Why? Because it reminds you every day that you aren’t so great, so powerful, so wonderful. No pretenses. You really don’t have everything in your life in order. There’s at least one aspect of your life in which you need your Lord’s help. In other words, your thorny issue drives you to Jesus, your Savior. And there’s no better place to be. Let me repeat: Your thorny issue drives you to Jesus, and there’s no better place to be. So, it appears that Jesus intends for you to continue dealing with your thorny issue for the time being. Perhaps for the rest of your life on earth. That might be more than a little depressing. “You mean my thorny issue doesn’t get resolved this side of heaven?” Maybe not. And thank God for it! Yes, thank God for it. Why do I say that? Because the sinful human heart—mine included—has a wicked propensity to self-idolize. And you and I see it in others all the time. We meet and know people who think far too much of themselves. If your thorny issue prevents that from happening, then praise God! Let that thorny issue remind you every day of your natural sinful condition and your daily sins against your holy God. And may it drive you to Jesus, your Savior from sin, who went to the cross with thorns jammed into his skull in order to die for you on the hill called the Skull. II. Paul ends our text with this oxymoron, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” We think he wrote those words about 55 AD. Within 10 years, Paul would appear to be at his weakest. Paul might have been beheaded. That would have been “humane.” Perhaps on his knees or lying prone on his back, he faced one or more ferocious lions who tore at his flesh while masses of psychologically sick Roman spectators watched the carnage as a form of entertainment. And all because he refused to deny Jesus as his Lord and Savior. From almost any vantage point, the world would say Paul lost. He failed. He was a colossal disappointment. Not so. At that point Paul lived this truth: nothing in this world matters. The only thing that matters is my relationship with Jesus. And there it is—my confidence and yours as we deal with our thorny issues in life. Are you facing an issue for which there seems to be no solution? Is there something in your life that squeezes the joy out of your heart? Does daily and nightly pain drive you to wonder how much longer you can endure it? Are there times when your thorny issue causes you to dream of just throwing in the towel and giving up? Realize that’s when you—like Paul—are at your weakest. Weakest physically. But that’s also the moment when you can be the strongest. How? In Christ. In Christ. And that’s the way life is in God’s kingdom. It’s upside down. Jesus spoke about that very thing in today’s Gospel reading. In another portion of God’s word we read, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17). And with that divine truth in front of us, we can join Paul in declaring, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” Can we talk about your thorny issues? I hope so. If so, here’s one more question: How do you react to them? For every time you have fallen apart spiritually, given up on God, blamed him for what you face, go to the cross of Christ. There’s the One who faced the thorny issue of your sins and the hell you deserve and came out on top. He died and rose again to assure you that no thorny issue in life can separate you from the love of God. Your Lord is using all things in your life to keep you close to him and to draw you to himself in amazing glory once your thorny life is ended. As you bear your crosses each day, keep your eyes of faith on the cross of Christ. There’s your hope. There’s your certainty. There’s your guarantee. Your life here in this thorny world and your eternal life are in the hands of your loving Lord Jesus. Can we talk about your thorny issues? Let’s do that as we remain under the cross of Christ. Amen.

How Should You Fish?

5th Sunday after Epiphany, 2/9/25 Luke 5:1-11 How Should You Fish? I. Impress them with Jesus’ power. II. Invite them into Jesus’ presence. “You wanna go fishing?” What’s your response to that question/invitation? Well, I can think of two extremes. On the one hand, fishing is one of your favorite past times. You would go fishing every day if you didn’t have other things that you had to do. You dream about being out on the water in your watercraft of choice, casting your baited line into the shimmering water, and just waiting for the bobber to plunge beneath the water’s surface and the accompanying tug on your fishing line. In fact, you love fishing so much, you wouldn’t care if you didn’t catch anything. You simply enjoy fishing. At the other extreme, you can’t imagine yourself fishing. The fact that you don’t particularly like to eat fish only fortifies your aversion to fishing. You consider it to be a waste of time and money. Just the thought of baiting a hook makes you nauseous, let alone cleaning a fish if you should be so horrified to actually catch one. You want no part of sweating in the sun or suffering through seasickness. Those are the two extremes I can imagine in answer to the invitation, “Wanna go fishing?” A few of you are on one end, and a few are on the other, and the rest of us are somewhere in between. This morning’s sermon text is the familiar account of the miraculous catch of fish and Jesus calling his disciples to fish for people. If you attended Sunday School as a child, this lesson was certainly in the curriculum. It might even be one of the most memorable accounts you can recall. And the application is always the same. Just as Jesus called Peter and the others to fish for people, so he calls you and me to do the same. And that calling is more than just an invitation, “Wanna go fishing?” It’s even more than an opportunity. There’s an expectation included. That expectation emanates from the will of our God who wants everyone to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. He wants everyone to follow him. And that means he wants every one of his current followers to go fishing for others. So, the question before us this morning is not from the lips of Jesus asking us, “Wanna go fishing?” We know that he wants us to go fishing and even expects us to go fishing. And that’s why our question is, “How should I fish?” In other words, what should we do to fish for people as Jesus asks us to do? How should you fish? Keep that question in mind as we have the gracious opportunity to spend some time in God’s word this morning. I. Do I have your attention? If not, “Hey! Yoo-hoo!! Up here!” Why did I just do that? Because I know how difficult it is to cause someone to pay attention. And part of the reason for that is that I’m just up here speaking to you. There are no theatrics. No pyrotechnics. During this 15-minute sermon I can’t possibly hold your attention the way that this evening’s Super Bowl Half-Time Show will. And that’s the way it is every day all day long. The amazing things grab our attention. The mundane doesn’t even garner a glance from our eyes or a second of our time. But look again at the impressive events on this day in the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus. It starts out in a rather familiar way. “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.” Jesus spends time preaching to the people. In last Sunday’s gospel reading, that’s exactly what we heard Jesus state that he came to do—to go and preach to as many people as possible. On this day he used the natural astounding acoustics of the water to reach the ears of a crowd of people. We don’t know exactly what he told them, but a good guess would be that he told them that he was their Messiah, their long-awaited Savior from sin. That’s an impressive message when you actually stop to ponder it. But from a human standpoint, that message doesn’t hold an impressive candle to what Jesus then did. I don’t need to re-read it. He told Peter to put out into deep water and let down his nets for a catch of fish. And that command seemed like nonsense to an experienced, professional fisherman such a Peter. You catch fish with nets in shallow water, not deep. And you don’t fish during the heat of the day. But Peter complied. He complied and was astounded. Our text states that he and James, John, and their other companions were astonished. If the crowd was still on the shore, I imagine they were as well. Nets breaking under the weight of the catch. Two boats full of fish. Impressive to say the least. And the miracle of Jesus wasn’t for nothing. It accomplished what Jesus desired. They were amazed. Impressed with Jesus’ power. And that answers our question, “How should you fish? How should you fish for other people?” Impress them with Jesus’ power. But what can you do? How will you impress people with the power of Jesus when you’re fishing for them? You can’t count on performing a miracle yourself, and don’t expect Jesus to do one either. At least not one like filling a net full of fish. Instead, let the fish you are fishing for see the miracle that Jesus has done for you and still does in you every day. Let others see Jesus through you. Let others see what Jesus has done for you. You don’t have to contrive an amazing story that every news media outlet would love to show. Instead, impress them with how much you’re just like they are regarding your faults and fears, your dangers and depressions, your sorrows and sins. Impress them by telling them you know what their life is like because you’ve been there. At times, you still are there. But Jesus used his power to transform you, to give you certain hope and a guaranteed future. He’s brought meaning and purpose to your life. You live each day surrounded by his love and filled with his inner peace and joy. When you go fishing for others, you don’t have to impress them with a net full of fish. Just share how Jesus has used his power to impress you. II. The world-famous Augusta National Golf Course was historically exclusive, and that didn’t sit well with many people. Only white men were allowed to be members. Then it opened its membership to all men. And just a few years ago it began welcoming women into membership as well. Telling someone, “You don’t belong here,” or “You can’t belong here,” is counter cultural, to say the least. But people still say or feel, “I don’t belong here.” It happens all the time, to all of us, if we’re honest. We find ourselves in a place or a situation which seems as if we don’t belong. And we’re compelled to leave…immediately. Peter experienced that same thing. After witnessing the miracle of Jesus, Peter exclaimed, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” The Greek word here for “sinful” is noteworthy. There are several words for “sin” in the Greek, and the one used here emphasizes the status of being an outcast. It’s used for the type of person who was shunned by society for their shameful life. Here Peter used it to describe himself. And he was correct. As a sinner, even if he wasn’t an outcast from society, he had no business in the presence of Jesus, the holy Son of God. Because he was sinful—like the rest of us—he deserved to be banished from the presence of God forever—in hell. But what does Jesus do instead? Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” He didn’t shun Peter; he accepted him. He invited him into his presence. He wanted to assure Peter that he was the solution to Peter’s sinful condition and his daily sins. Peter was washed clean—made holy—sanctified by Jesus. And as such, Jesus had plans for Peter. He invited—he called—Peter to follow him. Why? So that he could fish for people. He called Peter to the highest vocation any person can attain—to be in the service of Jesus, the Son of God, fishing for people. Jesus wanted to use Peter—even with his shortcomings—to carry out the glorious work of calling other people into the kingdom of God where there is full forgiveness, new life, and eternal salvation. And he does the same for you and me. He calls us to do the glorious work of calling other people into his kingdom. Fishing for people. So, how should you fish? Invite them into Jesus’ presence. “Acceptance” is a huge issue in our society. Too often it’s marked by the number of social media “friends,” likes, and having the most up-to-date information about that’s happening in your life available for others to enjoy. At least, that’s what we like to think. Or, we measure acceptance by our performance. As long as we’re going above and beyond what’s expected of us, we deserve to be accepted, and if not, then that’s their issue, not ours. I’m sure there are other methods of obtaining acceptance. Too many of them reside in our fragile psyche. And that’s not unique. I’m guessing it’s that way with every person. Every fish. Every person—every fish—longs for acceptance to one degree or another. So, how about knowing and then sharing this great truth: Jesus, the holy Son of God, brims with loving acceptance of sinful people. That doesn’t mean he tolerates sin; it means he loves each and every sinner. He loves me. He loves you. He showed it when he died on the cross for you. That’s right—he died to invite you into his holy presence for eternity. And he wants to do the same thing with every person. Every fish. And we are the ones going fishing every day. Again, if acceptance is a huge need for everyone in our world, then here’s a point of contact between you and others. Jesus invites them in. Jesus loves them. And he uses us to share his invitation and his love. So, go fishing this week! And next Sunday, let me know what you catch! May Jesus richly bless your fishing this week! Amen.