Strong & Weak

Welcome Statement

Last week we talked about how we are to provide that middle-way, that narrow path, for a world that is totally off course in its understanding of servanthood, humility, and selflessness. We are going to expand on how we provide that, by understanding this week, how we are called to be strong in our relationship with Christ, but weak in other ways. Which is it God? Am I supposed to be strong or weak? We’ve heard language many times on both ends in scripture that call us to be strong and resilient in the face of adversity, but we also see many scriptures that call us to accept the weakness we find ourselves with. We are going to start with a call by Paul to take on the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10–18 NRSV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

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In this short passage, we see Paul calling on the Church of Ephesus to find themselves strong in the lord. He describes the armor of God, there’s a board game I recall playing as a kid called the Full Armor of God where the objective of the game was to get all of the pieces of armor on, they were like little magnet pieces that sat on the board. I don’t remember the rules, but It did help me learn the different pieces of the Armor of God: Belt of truth: Protects against lies from the enemy Breastplate of righteousness: A piece of armor that appears in Isaiah 59:17 Shoes of the gospel of peace: A piece of armor that provides readiness Shield of faith: A piece of armor that can extinguish the flaming arrows of evil Helmet of salvation: A piece of armor that protects the mind from disobedient thoughts Sword of the Spirit: A piece of armor that can be used as both a defensive and offensive tool These different things, are not a literal armor, but obviously a metaphor for the spiritual protection we put on when we let the Holy Spirit encompass our entire lives. It becomes a powerful visualization for what God really is doing in our life, protecting us from so many things we are both aware and unaware of. No longer do we rely on the flesh to get us up in the morning, but it is Christ Jesus that we rely on. He is the one pulling us out of whatever war we find ourselves embattled in, between dark thoughts and hardship. We find ourselves completely clean of our mistakes, our missing of the mark, our sin, and he pushes us forward. He is the one carrying US on his shoulders.

Paul understands this clearly, as he acknowledges the weakness of his own body, his flesh, the deadness of the old man in him.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NRSV

even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

He argues that it is once you become weak, you become strong. How many times have you seen people have spiritual transformations in the trenches of hardship? How many times have you witnessed only profound spiritual truth during your own tough times in life? This isn’t to glamorize the harder parts of life, nor to rationalize why suffering is okay, it’s simply that every time that sin abounds, whether it’s the sin of the world pressing us down, or our own sin about to crush us, grace abounds even more. We see this understanding as a continuation of the surrenderance at God’s Altar, you can find this language quite plainly as far back as 2 Chronicles in the old testament.

2 Chronicles 20:20–23 NRSV

They rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you will be established; believe his prophets.” When he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy splendor, as they went before the army, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the Ammonites and Moab attacked the inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them utterly; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Jehoshaphat and the Israelites fasted, this fasting protected them during this time. How? It was because they realized their weakness as a nation, that they were hopelessly outmatched in human terms. But we find the Father in the midst of this terror, causing the Ammonites, Moabites, and Ebonites to attack eachother instead in confusion by diverting them down the wrong path. How is this possible? Does prayer really work in this way? I believe it does. Rarely any of us, myself included, truly surrender in such a way, we live in modern times where everything is explained by Science, or we think it is, and that makes us rationalists. We believe in America this hyper-individualism, where you can pick yourself up by the bootstraps, and rarely do we realize, it’s Christ picking us up by the bootstraps. That almost sounds like sacrilege to the American dream, of self-sustainance and being independent, but no human, has ever gained true independence, until they take on the Yoke of the Cross, the Yoke of Christ. It’s insanity, to rely on Christ and the body of his Church, to most people, the world doesn’t understand it. But that’s why we are not OF this world, we are in CHRIST. Christ is our identity. This does not mean we do not work, or do not try, no, Paul gives practical advice in many of his epistles on how to be a contributing member of society, it is just that we must always have this understanding at the forefront, of our frailty, and our miniscule presence we give to the world, Christ is who leaves a mark, and a name. No one will remember after hundreds of years most of us, whether we were strong or not, if people do remember you, it is because they remember Christ IN you. That is why we are stronger in Christ. I can tell you, wholly focusing on rationality and your own mind WILL make you weak in all the wrong ways. It’s not until you recognize your own weaknesses, and give them up to God, do you truly put on the armor of God. It is a surrenderance of our own egos and wills. This is why Christ says the first will be last and the last will be first, it’s this understanding of breaking cycles and barriers.

Matthew 20:25–28 ESV

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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Old Testament Point #1

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New Testament Reading - Book 1:1 ABC

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Closing Statement

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Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the armor that you provide in our lives for that assurance we are truly in your arms. Lord, help us this week to surrender once again everything we need to surrender, even the things we don’t want to, to you at your altar, so that we truly can find our shoulders and burdens lifted, and find ourselves uplifted by the carrying of the cross in our lives. Help us to surrender as Christ did, God incarnate, who surrendered to you multiple times, especially when he said in John “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Let us recognize our own spirits needed to be committed to you always, not just at death, we know that Christ showed this meekness in his everyday life to rely on your divine glory, even when he could have easily handled it on his own. He showed us the path, help us with the Holy Ghost to be on fire to follow this same path of weakness and meakness, so we can show this broken world how one can be transformed, and truly be, a part of the body of Christ.

Amen.

Doxology / Benediction / Closing

May you Have a Blessed Sunday, and rest of your Week! Amen!