Strength Training
Resilience Training • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Sermon series: Resilience Training.
16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or setbacks, to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant sources of stress. It's not just about bouncing back to the original state but also about learning and growing from the experience, becoming stronger and more capable as a result.
What if I told you, you could get stronger physically by having someone else do the heavy lifting?
Understanding that resilience is not about self-sufficiency, but about reliance on God's strength.
9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
My grace is sufficient for you
What is grace? It is God’s provision for our every need when we need it.
For generations it has been said:
God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and in His mercy He does not give us what we do deserve. - Slide
Someone made an acrostic of the word grace:
God’s Riches Available at Christ’s Expense. - Slide
9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
for my power is made perfect in weakness
Who’s power? God’s not ours. Who’s power would you rather have?
9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
so that Christ Power may rest on me.
When we get out of the way of our self-sufficiency and strength then and only then can God’s power rest on me.
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I delight in: Weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
How many of you have weaknesses right now?
What do all 5 of these things do to you as an individual? It tears you down.
(US Military boot camp) - How is it that an undisciplined and disrespectful young man changes through boot camp?
10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
For when I am weak, THEN I am strong.
When do we get strong? When we are weak. Not our strength but His.
1. For when I am weak, THEN I am strong.
Illustration: Consider a sponge that absorbs water. When it is squeezed and emptied, it can absorb even more. Similarly, when we are emptied of our own strength, we are in a position to be filled with God's grace, which is more than sufficient to sustain us.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
2. Our weaknesses highlight God’s strength.
Slide: Cracked Pot with Light shining though it.
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Illustration: Think of a cracked clay pot with a candle inside. The light shines through the cracks, making the pot more beautiful. In the same way, our weaknesses allow God’s power to shine through us, making us vessels of His glory.
3. In Christ, our weaknesses are turned into strengths.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Be strong in / connect to
Illustration: Little fish stay as close and connected big sharks. Why? So bigger fish don’t eat them.
4. Our weaknesses allow God’s strength to be perfected.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Illustration: Consider a broken bone that, when healed, often becomes stronger than before. Similarly, when we admit our weaknesses and allow God to heal and strengthen us, His power is perfected in us, making us more resilient than ever.
5. Trusting God brings peace in the midst of chaos.
3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Illustration: Picture a child sleeping soundly in a storm because they trust in the protection of their parents. When we trust in God, we find peace even in the midst of life's storms, knowing He is in control and will see us through.
7. God’s presence gives us confidence in all circumstances.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Illustration: Think of a soldier who is confident because they know their commander is right beside them. Similarly, we can face any challenge with confidence because we know that God’s presence is always with us, guiding and protecting us.