When I am Weak, Then I am Strong

Judges 7:1-7

“Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on …”

Just do a high level overview of this one.

2 Cor 11

What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

2 Cor 12

I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. 7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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.

Paul does a little boasting (Abraham’s descendent, servant of Christ, beaten, shipwrecked, in danger, cold, hungry, etc.). He’s setting himself up against certain opponents who are saying they’re something great and speaking against Paul’s “apostolic authority.” They seemed to be questioning the Corinthians about him and doubting him to the Corinthians.

There’s a lot at stake. *Who will the Christians listen to? Who should they trust? I’ve got these people over here, I’ve got this guy over here. Remember there is no NT, and written copies of the OT were read in the Synagogue. A person would have really had to establish their credibility and standing within the community to be seen as a thought leader. Sounds pretty similar to today.

Don’t we inherently trust someone more when we know their life, their faithfulness, hardships—what they’ve overcome, seen their commitment? Someone who has loved us and stuck with us? I think that’s why Paul is trying to “boast”—he’s saying he’s earned the right to speak into their lives. He’s not just coming around selfishly looking for something to gain from them.

“I know a man.” Why didn’t he just say: hey that’s me!? Futile boasting, did not contribute to the common good (12: 19; 1 Cor 12:7). Paul not a special Christian! He was just a “man in Christ.” Not an “apostle of Christ” or persecuted believer. Did recognize the honor of being the recipient of a vision (vs. 5). So he had some pretty awesome revelations and to ensure he didn’t become “conceited” he was a given a thorn. Whole bunch of different ideas about what this is.

Thorn

Three general categories:

Spiritual or psychological anxiety

Opposition. Opponents in general, or those at Corinth Accusations, “false apostles,” those who reject Paul’s apostolic authority.

Physical malady—

All sorts of physical problems suggested from epilepsy to eye problems, hunchback, etc.

constant persecutions/beatings/insults

As a preacher of J.C. endured constant persecution. I say I go to church and someone looks at me funny, and I’m embarrassed. You know the old saying about the number of positive things it takes to outweigh the negative? Seems like Paul was constantly encountering negativity.

Whatever it was, here are some of the characteristics of the “Thorn”:

Given to Paul as a direct consequence of the revelations he received.

Caused him acute pain (physically or psychologically) which caused him to seek its removal

He regarded it simultaneously as a gift from God and an instrument of Satan

It was permanent (God denied its removal) yet its exacerbation's were intermittent

It was humbling because it was designed to curb/prevent spiritual arrogance

It was humiliating, comparable to receiving blows to the face

It caused Paul to feel weak, yet the weakness it cause was an object of boasting.

Probably better that we don’t know what it is because if we did, many of us wouldn’t struggle with it and we wouldn’t take away this broader perspective.

*I’m guessing many of us have things in our lives that fit the description above that we wish would just go away?

*What are things that we have done—what have we tried—to rid ourselves of these weaknesses?

Prayed, complained and whined to people, tried everything to change our circumstances, avoided, etc.

Maybe we’ve done everything except accept and welcome it.

*Why is that?

We don’t like pain and discomfort, we are used to being comfortable, and our society is about power/control. If something is wrong or broken, fix it!

We don’t like to be uncomfortable, we like our comfy chair by the fire, our various ways of medicating our selves, etc.

Strengths based living idea. Live out of your strengths, don’t try to fix your weaknesses—but that’s what we do.

Help for overcoming your weaknesses from the internet:

Here’s a few things to help you conquer them. Make a detailed picture without that weakness, an image in your mind. Next write it down, get yourself a planner and make a list, get a plan together, work on it every day. Start living into that image one day at a time, by building that weakness. Ask yourself questions, how do you release this weakness, who did you learn this weakness from. Now go and unlearn it, get a new plan and start living it one day at a time. It’s that simple, just prioritize your dream and live into it.

Weaknesses be gone!

The first step in this process is to stop procrastinating. You may have complained and griped about these weaknesses for years, but now is the time to act. Procrastinating will not eliminate the problem, nor will it allow you to work successfully to overcome it.

The next step is to stop avoiding your weak spots. If you really want to work on them, you must face them head-on. You will need to be relentless in your pursuit of elimination or reduction.

Fighting your weaknesses will require that you are mentally and emotionally aware at all times. It means that you are going to literally “stalk” your shortcomings until you change them or until they no longer concern you.

Avoiding the task or putting the task off until a later date can only serve to damage your attempts and your self-esteem. You will need to make a dedicated decision to work on your weaknesses every day.

Other ways to reduce or eliminate your weaknesses include:

Visualize your life without the perceived weakness.

Set realistic goals to overcome the weakness.

Work toward that goal with every action and interaction in which you engage.

Talk to others about your attempts to overcome this weakness.

Catch yourself actually not doing the “thing” and reward yourself.

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I wonder if Paul found himself browsing the web in the Amazon self help book section and tried some of these techniques. He certainly tried prayer.

The Lord’s reassuring answer was to remind him of the reality of his present situation and his standing before God.

2 Cor 12:9-10

“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. 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.”

*Maybe sometimes we need to be reminded of our present status and our standing before God? He loves you, he accepts you, he is with you, he wants what’s best for you, you are his beloved child. You will never run dry, you needed nothing more. His grace is sufficient. We don’t need self improvement, actualization, power or control. We need to rest in this knowledge that in our weaknesses Christ’s power rests on us.

Now rather than plead for release from the “thorn” Paul welcomes weaknesses and glories in them most gladly as a means to the realization of the power of Christ abiding on him.

“My grace is sufficient” Phillip Hughes says “This is the summit of the epistle, the lofty peak from which the whole is viewed in true proportion. From this vantage point the entire range of Paul’s apostleship is seen in focus—his calling, his conversion, his weaknesses, his trials, and his labors, his conquests and his exaltations—all fall into place; and as the splendor of the sun lights up and transfigures the dark ravines of a great mountain, so the grace of God transfuses and triumphs over, and even through, what is least impressive in the Apostle’s constitution.”

May we be able to say along with Paul: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

The ice is thin enough for walkin' The rope is worn enough to climb My throat is dry enough for talkin' The world is crumblin' but I know why

The storm is wild enough for sailing The bridge is weak enough to cross This body frail enough for fighting I'm home enough to know I'm lost Home enough to know I'm lost

The land unfit enough for planting Barren enough to conceive Poor enough to gain the treasure Enough a cynic to believe

Confused enough to know direction The sun eclipsed enough to shine Be still enough to finally tremble And see enough to know I'm blind And see enough to know I'm blind

It's just enough to be strong In the broken places, in the broken places It's just enough to be strong Should the world rely on faith tonight

Eph 2:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Cf.

1 Cor 15:10

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them —yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

2 Cor 4

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

9a: Grace, Weakness, Power: *What does that sound like? Cross

Put you on the spot a bit:

*Let’s name or mention some of our favorite scriptures that we know about the weakness and the power of the cross.

Col 2

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

In his moments of greatest weakness and shame, Jesus “triumphed”

Heb 12

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Phil 2

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature[b] of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Paul’s weaknesses were not self induced, they were given to him. And what was given to him was a grace sufficient for him to triumph through a power not his own and to rejoice because in that Christ was glorified.

“Frail” by Jars of Clay

Exposed beyond the shadows You take the cup from me Your dirt removes my blindness Your pain becomes my peace

If I was not so weak If I was not so cold If I was not so scared of being broken Growing old I would be... I would be... I would be...