Grace is Sufficient

Introduction

Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize, God is two steps ahead of you? This past week seemed to be the case where God already knew what was coming and was shaping conversations around. Something I have adopted and agree wholeheartedly with is including grace in every sermon. While on the topic of grace, a certain passage came up where Paul talks about the Lord about taking away something that tormented him. In response to Paul’s pleading with telling him, the Lord tells him “My grace is sufficient for you”. If you have noticed, there have been quite a few sermons lately where we have talked about the way in which the world will not be fair, life will have obstacles in our way, and many other ways in which life here was not promised to be smooth sailing.

The life of the church is not immune to this struggle either. Some folks have expressed concern about what is happening and whether the church is going in a direction or would be forced to go in a direction. These are part of the Sunday afternoon/evening discussions here at the church.

In the end, what does working through these things produce? Faith and growth. This is where God works well and we see in our weakness grace works sufficiently. List to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

2 Corinthians 12:2–10 NRSV

2 I know a person 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. 3 And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. 5 On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7 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. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 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. 10 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.

Trouble in the text

Paul had experienced and witnessed and been part of many great things. He had spent his life memorizing the scripture and teaching it. He had a personal encounter like no other where Jesus spoke directly to him and struck him blind and then gave him his sight back. Paul had spent years teaching the gospel news to many different churches and he saw growth and hope in each one.

In this Corinthian church some were challenging his authority and whether he was indeed an instrument of God. In some ways it was not a new challenge but I can imagine it was frustrating over and over to have to defend yourself before others. However, imagine your best laid plans becoming frustrated because of others trying to overthrow your plans. Paul was dealing with a group in the Corinthian church who were supposedly superior to Paul and his teachings. Can you imagine the church you love having a group come in and try to undo all your hard work? If that was not enough, Paul had his own personal tormentor from Satan to did not relent in fighting and arguing against Paul. While we don’t know what that tormentor did to Paul, we know Paul begged three times for the Lord to take it away. It was not something that was easy to ignore but something that disrupted Paul’s work and plans.

At times, I am sure Paul felt helpless in fighting against these people trying to overthrow the church. Paul was wearisome of this thorn in his flesh. Paul needed to understand grace worked powerfully in Paul’s weakness.

Grace in the text

When Paul begged God to take away this tormentor, he was told “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So Paul instead of trying to prove his superiority to this other group, he realized it was not his need to prove something but to allow God to work in his helplessness, in his frustrated state.

Paul endured much for the sake of the gospel and many of his plans were frustrated both others. Boasting was the strategy this other group used in trying to prove themselves superior to Paul. Paul refused to boast in himself but only boasted in what the Lord does through us in our weakness. Grace abounds and grace causes us to be content in all seasons. Paul learned that despite others trying to undo his work, despite this thorn in his flesh, the work of Christ always continued. Despite enemies that seemed to be frustrating the work he had carried out, in his frustration and inability to control the situation, Grace abounded and the Lord’s work was done. In other words, it was not his ability to become a super apostle like these others tried to claim to be, it was simply the way grace worked through him despite all these deficiencies and weaknesses.

Trouble in the world

How easy is it for us to think of our own challenges in this world today? It is easy enough to find opposition to the gospel news. It is easy to find resistance to living as Christ calls us to live. It is easy to find churches being torn down and battered. It is easy to find churches dividing themselves up in trying to make the perfect church.

It is not hard for us to see all of our own shortcomings and feeling unable to combat the forces at work trying to tear down the church or make it irrelevant. Do we not also face those obstacles where it seems like we just don’t have what we need to be perfect Christians leading the world? It might not be much of a stretch to seem like you have daily reminders of your weaknesses or shortcomings.

We need to focus more on how grace is working in us despite our weakness. Just like Paul, it is not about our perfection but it is all about boasting in God’s work despite these things that make us weak in the world’s view.

Grace in the world

So where do we see God’s grace working through or in despite of our weaknesses. For one, I am not a sophisticated, clever, smart person who is able to read a room and the people in it and adapt my words. I am not equipped to easily see through a person’s words and understand beyond the surface level what they are meaning or intending. In other words, most times I am pretty simple in what I say and what I understand.

Yet, that does not stop me from being able to speak words that reach people in ways I was unaware would happen that way. There are times where I am preaching and need to say something off script but don’t understand why I am saying it or what effect it may have. What I have learned is that my weaknesses, and yes I can name much more easily all the things I wish I was better at, yet God’s grace works through my weaknesses without limits.

On a side note, please read this passage carefully to understand what that thorn in Paul’s flesh was. It is not a tool by which Paul was made better and stronger. It was a messenger of Satan who tormented Paul. We don’t need one of those to be made better by God. God’s grace is sufficient to shape and mold us into who we can become.

What I ask of you today is to look beyond what you can’t do, and see where God has done despite your shortcomings. How many times have you felt it would have been easier to not come to church, to pray another time, or the many ways in which we are not properly motivated to be excited about God and our relationship. Despite all this, you are here now by God’s grace which overcame that moment of weakness.

Let go of control over your life and trying to gain all the missing things that would make you better. Instead when you let go over control, you can watch grace work powerfully through your weakness.