Acknowledging Weakness

Scripture:

1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

2 Corinthians 12:5–10 “In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses. For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me. Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Romans 8:26–27 “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Intro:

2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I find that when people share their stories, they often highlight the offence and downplay their weakness

Rare to see people lead with their weaknesses. Or lead with their sin.

Acknowledging weakness is painful. We cannot acknowledge our weakness. We have an aversion towards it. It kills us.

In theory, we believe we are not perfect. But in practice…. How do you respond to correction? Are you actually able to handle honesty? Do we hold grudges? Are you frustrated with people often? Do you have a hard time apologizing to people?

1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

That is why even apologizing to people is incredibly painful. The fall back/humiliation afterwards. Some of us can not even begin to acknowledge our sin

But it is when we can acknowledge our weakness be able to identify it. That’s when real life beings.

The Gospel:

What a horrible way to live. Shervin you just want us to focus on our weakness.

There are two truths we must hold firmly. The first truth is that we are weak. The second truth is we are loved. If you only hold one, and ignore the other, it becomes a bit of a problem.

Scenario 1: I am weak. Not loved

Scenario 2: I am not weak. I am loved

Scenario 3: I am weak. And I am loved.

Romans 5:6–8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Psalm 103:13–14“Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our form; He is mindful that we are nothing but dust.”

Romans 8:26–27 “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Application:

Anticipate: It is so depricating to believe you are weak. It is only in Christ, where I can be both humble, because I know I am nothing and confident, because I am everything to Him.

Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

It is not the rejection of weakness that makes me strong. It is the acknowledgement of my weaknesses. Acknowledging the not so sexy parts of my life. The things that are not neccearily sin.

I am not the best husband. I am not the best teacher. I haven’t reached the standard of where I am and what I should be. And you know what. In Christ, you glory in that. You revel in the standards you could not meet.

2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Read 1 John 1:8 Why can it be hard for Christians to acknowledge that they are sinners or that they sin? Should a christian believe that they are a sinner?

Our actions often reflect how we feel about ourselves. How have you responded to criticism or correction recently? What does that say about you?

Romans 5:6-8 Do you fully embrace these two truths. That you are inadequate and yet you are loved? How does this reflect gospel truth?

Read 2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10. What does this passage say about boasting in weakness. Why is it hard to boast about the less glamorous things about our lives? How can we start to boast about our weaknesses, even in our minds?

What is the healthy, biblical way to think about weakness? What is the healthy, biblical way to think about sin?