Paul's Thankfulness in Adversity

Well, good afternoon. For just a few minutes, I want to read with you, first of all, in Romans chapter 7. Romans chapter 7, and just to put some thoughts before you that relate to the Apostle Paul and his thankfulness. And what is interesting to my mind is that it's almost ubiquitous, his thankfulness in many of his different writings.

And it's exemplary to us, and it's also an inspiration to us. It's very instructive. But what I want to try to draw your attention to is his thankfulness in the face of adversity, in the face of difficult circumstances.

I remember that there used to be a plaque on our wall that said that most men can smile. Back on the home where I was raised in Sarnia, most men can smile when life goes by with a song, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile when everything else goes wrong. And I thought that this is somewhat apropos to what we learn about Paul.

It's an interesting study all on its own to look at the different things that he is thankful for, and how many times, and how many different assemblies, and how many different opportunities he seizes to express his gratitude for the people of God and for what God was doing among them. He was a man who was, if you like, it's a people business. And he was a person who related to the people that God had brought across his path, that he had been brought into their path, and the multiple works that he had seen established.

It's very instructive for us. I suppose before I go too much further, I should also say that as you would expect, the icon, the one that stands out in terms of gratitude, even in the face of adversity, is none other than the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. You'll remember that in Matthew's gospel chapter 11, in the face of his rejection in cities where he had performed some of his most mighty works, that the Lord Jesus rejoices in spirit.

And he says, I thank the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes. So he's thankful even in the face of rejection. You remember in the great emotion of Lazarus and his death, and how much this was affecting the heart of the Lord Jesus.

You remember at the grave of Lazarus, he says, Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me always. But he says, it wasn't because he needed to tell a father that, but it's that he's going to speak this on on the behalf of those that were listening, so that they might believe that thou has sent me. He was there in the upper room, and he's facing in anticipation of the darkest experience that he would ever have in his eternal experience.

And he takes the bread, and he gives thanks. And likewise the cup also, and he gives thanks. The Lord Jesus is the example, without par, without equal, without rival, of one who in the midst of dark adversity and circumstances that were contrary, could be marked by thanksgiving.

But just to take it, as I mentioned to you already, we'll look in Romans chapter 7. And notice here at the end of this chapter, and most of us can relate to this. And so this is maybe a little word of encouragement to anybody. I don't know what age group you're in.

But some of us, especially at the beginning of life, and as we're starting out in our Christian experience, we sometimes are discouraged. And it seems like we can identify with Paul as you walk and talk with him through Romans chapter 7, and he comes down to the end. And here's what he says in verse number 24.

This is in light of the liability of the sinful flesh, the sinful condition. And here's what he says in verse number 24. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? So there is a great note of despair.

This is a very despondent man. This is a very discouraged man. And yet at the same time, at this very pit in which he is wallowing in great despair, all of a sudden he pivots, and he anchors his thinking upon something that actually is the source of his, of solving this dilemma, of delivering him.

And he says, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so I just was thinking that's a very precious statement. That's a statement almost like in mid-flight, almost in mid-stride.

Here he is with all this darkness, all this discouragement. You might almost say that he is actually defeated, and he sees no way out, and he sees no way around. There is no good that can come from that evil principle of sin which is within.

And he understands that within me, that is within in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. And he understands very well, even in the words of Jeremiah the prophet, that the heart is deceitful, or the heart is twisted. It is twisted.

It is deceitful above all things. It couldn't be any more corrupt than it already is. There is a an incorrigible problem within every one of our persons.

And it well could take us to this great abyss of despair. But in the midst of this dark moment, he lifts up his expression to God with gratitude and says, I thank God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So that's a wonderful thing. I suppose I've read that for years, and I've normally gone in my mind to the rapture. Or I've gone in my mind to when a person goes home to be with the Lord.

Because then you're delivered from the power of sin. Then you're delivered from the very presence of sin. And what a moment, what an emancipation that is going to be for every one of us.

Thank God that that's going to be our experience. And what a deliverance. And I'm sure that that must be involved here.

But I like to think that it's more than just the return of the Lord Jesus Christ or a person going home to be with the Lord and is freed now forever from the shackles of sin. I'm wondering if it isn't more immediate. And I'm wondering if it isn't a segue into what follows in the next chapter.

And of course all of you that are have been reading the Bible for any time at all. And many here that have been reading it far more than myself would well know that the secret for success over the issue of your sin that lies within is found through the power of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ both at the cross. Because at the cross as the opening verses of chapter 8 will make clear that the that the the what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh.

God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin pronounced a robust, a rotund statement and declaration against sin in the life of every child of God. So his death upon the cross speaks and and strikes the death knell to the power of sin in your life and mine. And what causes that to actually come into and translate into everyday normal consistent experience.

Not perfect. It'll have its exceptions. But thank God through the power of the Spirit of God who is spoken of in chapter 8. I think it's around 19 times or so depending on how you interpret one or two of the expressions.

Well, we have the abundance of reference to the Spirit of God. And you hardly have any reference to him in chapter 7. Because victory over the flesh and victory over self and victory over sin is not through the law and it is certainly not through the power of the flesh. But it is alone through what happened at the cross that is now harnessed and brought home in powerful reality in our lives by the Spirit of God.

And that can be your normal everyday experience. And it can actually be so normal as to become routine. So you need not despair.

Paul says took a look within and it's pretty dark. Pretty dismal. Pretty discouraging.

Who will deliver me from this body of sin? This instrument of sin? Having a chokehold, a stranglehold on my life as a Christian? He says, I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So another little verse that is linked to this and you might have some other examples that you could find on your own. But another one that came to mind that's kind of struck out and stood out to me, struck my mind, was in Acts chapter 28.

Acts chapter 28. Acts chapter 28, just a few pages before, in verse number 11. Acts chapter 28 and verse number 11.

And it says, and after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria which had wandered in the isle whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse we tarried there three days. And from thence we fetched a couple and came to Regium.

And after one day the south wind blew and we came the next day to Putioli where we found brethren and were desired to tarry with them seven days. And so and so we went toward Rome. And from thence when the brethren heard of us they came to meet us as far as Abbi Forum and the three taverns whom when Paul saw he thanked God and took courage.

So I don't know what kind of label you would like to put on that one. But if the first one has to do with the struggle with sin and the means of deliverance, I thought in this particular case you could say this has to do with the sweetness of brotherly warmth and fellowship. It's a moment of encouragement.

So it also gives us a little insight and there's other verses that point to this too that Paul was very human. He was a man subject to like passions as we are. And the and the struggle in Romans chapter 7 you could say maybe it's hypothetical.

It could actually be very personal. It might be Paul's own personal experience. But whatever way here he is again and and there's been a long and arduous trip.

It's been a long time since he's been at any assembly. It's been a long time since he's broken bread. He's never been to Rome before.

He has long and he has written I think it was maybe three years before this that he wrote Romans in which he was hoping and praying and had for a long time been hoping that if by the will of God he might have a prosperous journey that he might be able to come to them. That he might share some some benefits, some gift with them, some fruit with them, that he might be able to share the gospel and see fruit in the gospel among them. And uh in the meantime, he's already given them this great tome of teaching that is uh is is just uh is just a magnet for any student of the scriptures.

Any any person that loves the word of God and loves the gospel you cannot help but love and fall into the trap of Romans of the epistles of the Romans. And uh but uh here he is and he's come through quite uh quite a a time. There's been high seas.

There's been storms. There's been he never expected that he would have this kind of a journey to Rome that God would answer his prayers in this way. From Caesarea and now here here he is uh coming to Rome some 1500 miles and it's uh, it's been uh some say well, we're four months on on the way.

There's been shipwreck. There's been soldiers. There's been suffering.

There's been all kinds of difficult a difficult time, a difficult struggle. And uh here he is and uh, it's amazing to watch his spirit in the midst of the storm on the on a on a rolling raging deck. You can read it in chapter 7 where he's able to affirm to those other passengers on the boat that he uh that he believed God and my time is almost gone.

So I got a couple of minutes left so but before I get lost in all the details all just to note here that here comes this point and there's men and uh they have come as far as from Rome. In one case they've traveled 33 miles from Rome. In another case they traveled 43 miles and they traveled it on on foot and here he is walking himself the last 130 miles.

He's going to be walking it on foot with the other people there. So it's an arduous experience in the midst of all of that difficulty. He's tired.

He's likely worn out. He's weary. He's worn down.

And just at that moment here comes two delegations of men and they're going to meet with him and as he meets with them, he doesn't even know what kind of a welcome he's going to get from Rome. He's written to them. He hasn't heard back from them.

And now all of a sudden he's getting this very encouraging moment and when he saw them it says he thanked God and he took courage. That's one of the benefits of coming to a conference like this. The fellowship of other believers and its sweetness and it revives your spirit and when you see them you can rejoice and you can take courage.

You can thank God and take courage. The last point, verse that I want to, you gotta always have three, right? So the last one is in 2nd Corinthians and chapter 2. 2nd Corinthians chapter 2. And we're just going to scandalously and swiftly walk over this but chapter 2 and verse number 12 of 2nd Corinthians. Furthermore when I came to trust to preach Christ's gospel and the door was opened unto us of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit because I found not Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them I went from Thessalonians to Macedonia.

Now thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. Well, this is a this is a tough moment in the life of Paul and he kind of holds us in suspense here until chapter 7 of verse number 5 as he takes this discourse into talking about the defense of the wonderful ministry and the magnitude of the gospel and its mercy and all of its benefits and effects. But just in the meantime he's telling us a little window into the suspense, the distress, the disturbance, the burden that was on his heart.

Paul was not only in the business of seeing assemblies established he was not only in the business of seeing the gospel spread out. Paul was actually in the business of seeing assemblies salvaged. It's a wonderful thing.

It's not always on the radar. It doesn't always necessarily provoke the same interest or excitement or emotion even among believers. But thank God for every effort known or unknown in which there are assemblies beleaguered and beaten and sometimes badgered by very bad men or simply decay and departure and discouragement on the verge of collapse and closing the doors.

How wonderful it is when there can be men like Paul and they can have a heart for assemblies that need to be recovered and rescued. So thank God for outreach work that is going on in many different directions in many different places by many different brethren, but also thank God for any that are making an effort to look at assemblies and to pour in time and effort and investment to see such places recovered. When Paul received the news back, he was just thrilled to the core of his being and he thanked God which was able to manifest the savor sweetness of Christ across his ministry as he sought the labor for God as this passage would bring to our attention.

So three times when Paul thanks God despite the liability of the flesh, despite a very long and arduous trip and time of trial, and despite an assembly that was lurching from one disaster to another, and he's written a letter and he's just paralyzed by anxiety and concern until he hears back from the man that took the letter, Titus, to come back and tell him hopefully the good news and not the bad news. So may God just bless his word and help all of us not only in good times, but also in difficult times to be a worshiper and to know something of thanking God.