2 Corinthians 11:23-25 are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane I more so in far more labors in far more imprisonments beaten times without number often in danger of death five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes three times I was beaten with rods once I was stoned three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I have spent in the deep this is Paul talking about his journeys why did Paul travel with a doctor Luke was a Doctor Paul traveled with him why did Paul travel with a physician you read this stuff you understand he needed a doctor he was always having something physical done to him and when I read this it is just incredible to understand what happened to Paul beatings, stoning, these kinds of things if you look back in 2 Corinthians 4 he calls these things in verse 17 for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory whoah, whoah whoah you call momentary light affliction being beaten with rods being stoned 40 stripes save one I listened to a good friend of mine Rick Renner who is a Greek scholar taught on what some of these things were it was just amazing to hear what it was 39 stripes what that was, was this just listen to this this is what happened to Paul it happened 3 times they had 3 straps of hide that had pieces of bone and glass and metal sharp things attached to these nine whip lashes they would tie a man to a post and tie his feet to the ground strip him naked take that whip and it would whip and wrap around him and then they would jerk and those sharp objects would tear pieces of skin and they would do this it said 39 times there, 40 minus 1 it doesn’t literally mean 39 what it means is 40 lashes was thought to kill a man so you do it until 1 more would kill him Paul says that this particular thing happened to him 5 times you know this man had a revelation of what it means by His stripes I was healed then it says he was beaten with rods what is that that’s where they tie you again and they take a big metal baseball bat type of thing they beat your feet and the goal of being beaten with rods I thought it was just like taking a bamboo stick and slapping somebody on the back caning but no the goal of being beaten with rods was a Roman torture designed to break every bone in your foot every toe bone every ankle bone why so you would never walk again this was done to people that were a threat to the Roman empire that they did not want to travel and spread a message anymore and so Paul had this done to him 3 times can you imagine walking into town here’s the amazing thing you just read over this stuff in the book of acts we won’t take time to do it now but there’s one instance where Paul had this happen to him and it says he got up the next day walked about 26 miles to the next town and started preaching what? he had every bone in his feet broken one day and the next day he gets up and walks 26 miles and starts preaching again this guy had a revelation of healing he got healed every single time it’s interesting that it says here beaten times without number often in danger of death what it says in the King James deaths it uses plural deaths most people only get one you die that’s sort of it Paul says deaths and it was plural and he tells us about the time that he was stoned and when you read that in Acts again this is an amazing thing stoning is a Jewish torture it’s not a torture it’s just a means of putting some one to death I’m told they were put in a pit and people would take large stones like this and aim specifically for the head that stoning was not over until the skull was split open and you could see the brains gush out that’s when you knew the person was dead Paul had this happen to him and again it says the brothers gathered around him prayed, raised him up and they went on again to the next city I don’t know if the guy had a headache or what I mean this is just incredible Paul had a relationship with God where these things really didn’t matter to him he called them momentary light affliction and it seems like he got healed every time, time after time after time after time and Paul is explaining this to us when I read that I think Lord I need to have a relationship with you like that I want to have a revelation of healing like that it’s almost as though Paul would come into town and they’d tell him you stop preaching about Jesus Christ or we’re going to beat you with rods meaning we’re going to crush all the bones in your feet and Paul says I really can’t stop sharing what I’ve seen and heard about the Lord but I understand you have to do, what you have to do I don’t resist you I’m not a rebel I submit to your authority and they say no you stop or we’re really going to beat you with rods crush all the bones in your feet Paul says that’s ok go ahead and do what you need to do could we do it quickly because I’ve got a meeting tonight it’s almost like this doesn’t matter this is momentary light affliction if I need to continue going on preaching the Lord will heal me no problem this is Paul’s life we read some verses like that and I don’t think we really get what happened to him the reason I’m sharing that with you this morning is I want every one of us to have a revelation of healing like that I want every one of us to have a revelation there’s nothing people can do to us from the external that really matters because even if we need to get raised from the dead to carry on accomplishing God’s purpose God will do that He’s absolutely faithful Yeshua already died shed His blood for healing I just pray that today you’d get a revelation of healing like Paul had a revelation of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His vision and His purpose through you like Paul had you may not experience being beaten or stoned or any of those things in your lifetime all of us have experienced rejection and betrayal and people lying about us stealing from us those kinds of things and some of us get so angry and upset just about those minor things the point I want you to see today these things we’ve just read being stoned having every bone in your feet crushed Paul calls these minor light affliction not worthy to be compared to the glory that God has for us not only in this life but in all eternity let’s just pray Father would you give each one of us a revelation of what that means who you are that you are worth so much more than any of these things that these things don’t even matter and Lord I pray that you’d give us a revelation of healing like Paul had that if somebody emotionally wounds us you’ll heal us if somebody physically wounds us you’ll heal us and God that you will accomplish your purpose through us I pray that for everyone watching today in the name of Yeshua Ha Mashiach Jesus the Messiah Amen