Christ’s Power Made Perfect in Our Weakness
Notes
Transcript
[OPENING PRAYER ]
INTRODUCTION 3 min
Today’s Topic:
God’s grace is sufficient in our weakness. We’ll work through 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
We will explore two questions:
What are the weaknesses that Paul has in mind here when he says, “The power of Christ is made perfect in weakness”?
What is the purpose of such weaknesses? Is there a goal or an aim for why the weaknesses come?
Answering these questions will give us the strength to live, endure, even thrive in the midst of our weakness.
We’ll continue working through 2 Corinthians, Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth. In chapter 11 we see there were false teachers who had come to Corinth, twisting the gospel and claiming to have divine authority.
Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.
Paul ironically names these false teachers “super-apostles” because they are claiming to be superior to Paul. Paul is humble, physically persecuted, self-supporting, lowly, and physically ailing. The super-apostles were just the opposite—bold, talented, respected, healthy. From only outward appearances, they seem to be the successful ones, while he looks like a failure.
While these super apostles were boastful in their successes, Paul was more concerned about the gospel, boasting in God’s sufficient grace, sufficient grace that satisfies his soul, even in weakness.
2 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV)
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
Name a few:
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
When Paul responds, he does not entertain their boasting directly. He does not say, “I have more money and fame” or “My revelations are bigger or better.” Oh, no. He says his revelations are different, and he communicates truth differently.
Let’s see what we can learn from how Paul communicates:
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
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. 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.
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— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—
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.
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.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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 upon me.
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.
In verses 1–4, Paul describes what amazing revelations of God’s glory he had been given — he was caught up into paradise and heard things that cannot be told on earth.
1 - atmosphere
2 - moon, stars sun
3 - Gods presence
What Weaknesses?
What Weaknesses?
What are the weaknesses Paul has in mind here when he quotes Jesus as saying in verse 9, “My power is made perfect in weakness”? And then says, “I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses”? And then again in verse 10 says, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses”?
Commonly we think about weakness of our flesh in giving into temptation. weakness of our sins. like saying I have a weakness for lust; or I have a weakness for gluttony.
Greek word astheneia: incapacity — lack of physical, natural, or preternatural qualifications.
Four Other Words to Fill Out the Meaning
Four Other Words to Fill Out the Meaning
I think the safest way to answer is to let the four other words in verse 10 fill out what he has in mind. What he summarizes as weaknesses in verse 9 he spells out in four other words in verse 10: insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
Insults — when people think of clever ways of making your faith, lifestyle or words look stupid or weird.
Hardships — Situations or physical ailments forced upon you. You didn’t plan for it, but it happened and you feel trapped.
Persecutions — Wounds from prejudice against your Christian faith. Like “You’re Christian, you must be sexist or you must be homophobic”
Calamities — Life’s unexpected circumstances that weigh you down and overcome you with stress.
So you can see that what Paul has in mind here is not sin. He is not talking about a kind of behavior — . Paul is not talking about bad choices that we make. He is not saying the power of Christ is perfected in my bad choices. Or, I will all the more gladly boast of my bad choices. Weaknesses here are not imperfect behaviors.
What These Weaknesses Are
What These Weaknesses Are
So the answer to our first question is that weaknesses are not sins, but experiences and situations and circumstances and wounds that are hard to bear and that we can’t remove either because they are beyond our control or because love dictates that we not return evil for evil.
The Lord referring to Paul in Acts 9:16 says:
for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Not human frailty. It is God ordained suffering that God allows. Identifying with Christ’s weaknesses.
What is the Purpose of such weaknesses?
What is the Purpose of such weaknesses?
What is the purpose of such weaknesses? Is there a goal or an aim for why the weaknesses come? Why insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities, troubles? Why can’t I find a job? Why am I trapped in this awful marriage? Why does my dad have cancer? Why can’t I have children? Why do I have no friends? Why is nothing working in my life?
There are 2 purposes of your weaknesses- depending on who you choose to listen to.
1. Satan has a purpose with your weaknesses
2. God has a purpose with your weaknesses
Satan’s Purpose to Discourage You
Satan’s Purpose to Discourage You
First, he says that Satan has the purpose to discourage you or harass you (v. 7). And so it is ok to pray for relief. That’s what Paul did until he got word from the Lord. Pain is not a good thing in itself. God does not delight in your suffering. Satan does, and he must be resisted.
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!
Weakness
God’s Purpose to Glorify Jesus
God’s Purpose to Glorify Jesus
Ultimately, God’s purpose in our weaknesses is to glorify the grace and power of his Son. This is the main point of verses 9–10. Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
That means God is present and seen clearly in these moments.
It’s not about us, it’s about God.
God’s design is to make you a showcase for Jesus’s power. We are a showcase through our weaknesses.
The deepest need that you and I have in weakness is not quick relief, but the well-grounded confidence that what is happening to us is part of the greatest purpose of God in the universe — the glorification of the grace and power of his Son — the grace and power that bore him to the cross and kept him there until the work of love was done.
That’s what God is building into our lives. That is the meaning of weakness, insults, hardships, persecution, and calamity.
The gospels contain an account of the time the disciples and Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Jesus was arrested.
Paul prayed 3 times for his thorn in the flesh to leave him.
In the garden Jesus prayed to his Father three times, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
These prayers reveal Jesus’ mindset just before the crucifixion and His total submission to the will of God.
The “cup” to which Jesus refers is the suffering He was about to endure.
Boast in Your Weakness
Boast in Your Weakness
So yes, pray for your weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecution, and calamity to be removed. But don’t be surprised if God’s answer is no. Instead rest in his sufficient, over-whelming grace. Seek God’s purpose in your weakness and boast to all your friends, family, co-workers.
Because God uses the weakest image, death, as a source of power and salvation.
[CLOSE IN PRAYER]
Now it’s time to eat and drink from Christ’s cup.