The Power of Weakness

Just that, the title of our main message is The Power of Weakness. The scripture focus that we'll be turning to today in the New Testament is found in 2 Corinthians 12. We're going to begin reading verses 7 through 10. 2 Corinthians 12 verses 7 through 10. This is a timely message, as we have heard and we know of the many weakened circumstances, the weakened state, that many of us find ourselves in, or that many of our loved ones are in. And in coming to this moment, as recorded here for us in 2 Corinthians 12, I will tell you that we once again encounter the fact that God's wisdom usually contradicts man's wisdom. And one such contradiction is revealed here in this passage we will see. Because for man to be strong means that we are able to do it all by ourselves with no help at all. To be strong means to be able to take control of situations. To be strong means to be able to control one's emotions and physical circumstances. However, in contrast, the Bible is full of language about the strength found in weakness. And in fact, the Bible proclaims that there's power in weakness. See if you can pick up on this language here. Let's read this together. I hope it'll be an encouragement to us who find ourselves perhaps in a state of weakness. 2 Corinthians 12. Let's begin in verse 7. Paul writes, Unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, this thorn, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he God said to me, My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore, Paul says, therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. Why? Well, he says, for when I am weak, then I am strong. That's tough there. An amazing passage, and it really is amazing what Paul is expressing here. You know, I think I can confidently say, only in the Bible does this idea exist, where someone is strongest and can be their strongest in their lowest moment. It's the idea that when people are weak, if they submit in that weakness to God, he then can take over and lift them up with his strength. It's the idea when someone is at their weakness, they are most often more dependent upon God, and it's this important idea to understand that that, then, response actually glorifies the sacrifice that Jesus made at the cross. It glorifies Christ because in those moments of weakness, we turn to God for help, and when we do, it glorifies God because we're inviting him to bear it with us. You see? And so, beginning to kind of unravel this idea, I want to begin with a question for you this morning, and I may ask it more than once today, but it's this. I wonder if you've ever considered the possibility that your limitations, your handicaps, your burdens, your personal obstacles, these weaknesses may actually prove to be the key in your usefulness to God. Let me ask that again. Have you ever considered the possibility that your limitations, your handicaps, your burdens, your personal obstacles, all those weaknesses may actually prove to be the key in your usefulness to God? It's a good question to ask because it's not uncommon to hear others say or even to find ourselves saying in the quietness of our heart. You know, if I didn't have these obvious weaknesses, then I think God could make more use of me, right? But obviously, with these limitations, I can't be of much service, and I really can't make much impact for God. You know, if only my circumstances were a little bit brighter, then I think I would be useful. If only my health were a little bit better. If only my mind were a little bit quicker. If only my tongue would capture better words to express myself in a better way. You know, and it goes on and on. Those notions or those statements really are akin to what Paul quotes earlier in Scripture where he says, you know, if only I weren't a mere clay pot. In other words, if only I were someone other than who I am. The discovery of that new person, I think I would be the kind of individual useful to God for his kingdom, and we're tempted to play the part, as Paul suggests, we must not play, where the clay says to the potter, why have you made me like this? We won't turn there, but for your notes, that's all found in Romans 9 verse 20. Romans 9 verse 20.

And even yet, one of the things we're really tempted to do when we're confronted with our weaknesses is to look around and to look upon other people and say, you know, if I was just a little bit more like him, if I was just a little bit more like her, if I were, or if I could only become, then I could make an impact, you know, for God and the circumstances around me.

And with that, though, as your pastor, may I lovingly respond to those kind of statements by saying and asking, okay, do we really think that we're just some random collection of molecules, molecules that just happen to be put together as a result of some random occurrence of events? Do we really think that? Or do we believe what the Bible says that we were created purposefully and wonderfully and we were created by divine hands, intricately made in our mother's womb, fashioned according to his God's divine purpose, created by his handiwork, and he has made every single one of us unique, useful individuals.

And therefore, even in our limitations, even in our handicaps, even in our weaknesses, which he permits, or which he's actually given to us, he uses as the key in our usefulness for him. I wonder if you believe that. It's the truth.

In all the world, there is no one like you. Since the beginning of time, there has never been a person like you. No one has your smile. No one has your eyes. No one has your hands. No one has your hair. No one has your voice. No one has your handwriting. No one paints with your particular brushstrokes. No one in the universe has your exact perspective or experiences or sees the things exactly like you do. You are different from every person ever created in the history of mankind, and therefore, you are the only person in creation that has your particular set of abilities. And while there may be always someone who can do something better in a particular thing, this or that, the fact is no one in the world can reach the quality of the combination of your talents. You're unique, and in your uniqueness, there is enormous value for God in his purposes. Please realize God has made you for a special purpose. He is a job that no one else but you can do. Only one has the unique and right combination of what it takes, and it's you.

The same you, by the way, who probably this last week perhaps thought or verbalized some of those phrases, you know, if only I didn't have this weakness, if only I was as strong as I used to be, this or that, you know, as if somehow or another the creator of the ends of the universe who redeems you in Christ, who establishes your coming and going, has somehow taken his hand off the brush, and somehow the brush has begun to paint your life all on its own. No, no, not at all.

Now, why do I begin this way? Well, it's the very issue that Paul is addressing here in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, and this passage that we just read. You know, Paul acknowledges, remarkably, the apostle Paul acknowledges the same challenges in weakness in his experience. And you'll notice he mentions five of them. Did you see this? What are the five? Look at verse 10. These are Paul's five weaknesses. They're listed there. Infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, distresses. Distresses.

Infirmities, physical weakness.

Reproaches, those are insults, right? Weakness from receiving insults.

Needs, meaning not having the ability to have the proper resources to accomplish what you need to accomplish. You're lacking. Persecutions. You're being abused by others. That was part of the experience of Paul's weakness. And finally, distresses. Distresses. If you look up that original word, that deals in the realm of anxieties and sadness and depression.

Quite an interesting list, isn't it? And you know, if Paul was alive today, right, I would certainly reach out to Paul and say, hey, apostle Paul, would you come and speak to us here in the London congregation? We would love for you to give your perspective in life. And the place would be brim full, no doubt. Everybody's waiting. Here is this giant in his work for God, the mighty apostle Paul. He's able to come and speak victory, power, might in his service to God. And he comes, and he says, well, you know, thank you all for being here. I'd like to talk to you along the lines of five different areas. First of all, I want to tell you how incredibly weak I feel right now.

And I'm really getting it from all sides. You can't imagine the the insults I'm receiving. It's making me so weak. And the hardships and the persecutions. In that end, honestly, I'm dealing with a lot of anxieties right now and depression.

And you would say, and I would say, this is the apostle Paul. I might question that I invited him to come speak to us, you know. But remarkably, we see in this passage, he's not only able to get to not only the point of acknowledging these things, these weaknesses, but you'll notice he's able to actually flip the script and actually boast in them. And even better, he says he takes pleasure, pleasure in these weaknesses. How is he able to get to that perspective, you know? Well, I can tell you, he didn't get there immediately. This was a perspective that God developed in him and that he grew to see.

And what you'll find is this whole letter of 2 Corinthians, it's a very personal letter in many ways written to God's people. And here in these four verses here that we just read, he's really at a crossroads. And this really is a breakthrough of him coming to this understanding. Because leading up to this moment in this declaration of boasting and finding pleasure in his weaknesses, leading up to this, he was receiving the type of circumstances that if he would have allowed it would have just knocked him off his feet and knocked him off the course of his work for Jesus Christ.

Leading up to this moment, there was incredible weakness he was feeling from all kinds of things. One of the things, as he mentioned, was these accusations that were being laid upon him. In fact, let's build up to this moment in chapter 12. By going back a little bit, go back a few chapters to chapter 10, if you will. Second Corinthians chapter 10, and we're going to look at beginning verse 1.

I just want to show you some of what Paul was going through. And I hope by you hearing these things, I hope you can relate to the apostle Paul more so after today than ever before. Have you ever been accused of of things that weren't right? And have you ever found yourself weakened by those experiences? We'll look at chapter 10 and verse 1. First, one of the things Paul was being accused of was being a coward. That he was a coward. Second Corinthians 10 verse 1, Paul says, Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, listen, who, he's speaking of himself, who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent, I'm bold toward you.

Okay, let's stop there. So one of the accusations, and you pick up on this in other parts of Scripture, is what he's saying is when he would come before the people, he was very timid. And it came across as kind of being a timid coward. But when he was absent them, he was very bold. So they were saying, Okay, yeah, when you're when you're away, Paul, and you're riding, oh, you're very strong, you're very bold, and you're riding, and then you come before us, and you're nothing but a coward.

Look how timid you are. You know, they said about him, you're a pushover. So he's receiving and feeling that he was very lowly in their presence, and bold when when he was away. Man, just think of how weak that would make him feel. He's trying to be a servant, a strong servant of God, and this is his experience. This is a weakness he had. Second accusation, and by the way, they were so willing to pounce on these things as they saw them.

The second thing that they accused him of was being a sinner, was being unrighteous, and kind of a hypocrite. Look at verse 2. This is what they accused him of. They jumped on this. He says in verse 2, But I beg you that when I am present, I might not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh, he says. So stop there. So here, and amongst other parts of this letter, the accusation was, you may be talking it, you may be preaching it, but you ain't walking it. That was the accusation. You're a sinful person. You're a hypocrite, they would say to him.

Have you ever had that accusation? Have you ever been weakened by people making accusations or have opinions about you that you know are not right, but you feel weakened by it because perhaps like Paul, you're timid and you don't know how to answer those accusations. This was a charge against him. Just one other, and there's so many of these attacks meant to weaken and to bring out Paul's weaknesses. One of the third accusations was that he was just kind of second class. Just kind of second class, not much. If you go down to verse 12, they were saying he wasn't able to stand up to the elite of the day.

Verse 12, he says, Paul says, for we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, are actually not wise, he says. So if you collect Scripture around this time, what they were saying is that Paul was just not qualified to be speaking anything in this realm of spirituality, and that he was really just second class. Not much. So Paul, you're a croc. The people with you are a croc. Your whole ministry is a croc.

Why don't you just take yourselves and get out of here? Why are you even here? And these were just some of the accusations. We could go through all of this if we had the time, but they were highlighting and pulling out all of his weaknesses, all of his limitations, and putting it right back on him. And here's Paul, and he's leading this group of men, and he's trying to establish this church, and he finds himself not bold in person. He finds himself in all this weakness. And I'm sure some of those accusations, you know, inspired by the devil, are kind of hitting home. And he might even be thinking to himself, man, maybe I'm not qualified. Maybe I am a hypocrite because I am still suffering with some of these struggles. Yeah, I am kind of timid. And honestly, if they saw my heart, I am a coward in many ways. So he found himself needing to step up, needing to capture a perspective, needing to defend. He needed to defend not so much for himself, but he knew he's raising up future leaders, and he's raising up a church, and he knew those same people were going to accuse them and come after their weaknesses. So he needed to grab on to some perspective in a defense. He needed to defend these things. He needed to show by example, by how he would respond. And so he does just that. And in the following chapter, in chapter 11, he decides to respond. He decides to straighten his shoulders, set his feet, and respond to these things. And he responds to all this accusations of weakness in the most unexpected and profound way.

And it's unexpected and profound because he doesn't stand and begin to boast in his strength. All right? Rather, in a remarkable way, in an unexpected way, he stands and he begins to boast in his weakness. Weakness. He begins to highlight all of his weakness. Let me show you this. So the straightening of his shoulders and the broadening of his stance and the beginning to respond to these people, it begins in verse 16. And it's kind of leading to this climatic moment that he's going to get to in verse 23. But I think it might be profitable for us to build to the climatic moment in verse 23.

Look here, beginning in verse 16, how he begins to build upon this incredible moment and boasting in his weakness. Verse 16, he says, I say again, here we go, let no one think me a fool, otherwise at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little bit. What I speak, what I'm about to say, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were foolishly in the confidence of boasting. So he says, I'm about to boast to you. Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, okay, I also will boast. Verse 19, for you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise. For you put up with it, if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exhausts himself, if one strikes you on the face. To our shame, I say that we are too weak for that. But in whatever anyone is bold, I speak foolishly, I am bold also, he says.

And so here, when he says, he's about to begin here, when he says up in verse 17, that he's going to speak a little foolishly, and it's not according to the Lord, here it is. But he's going to turn it on him in just a moment. Here's the foolish speak, if you will. He's about to bold. He says, I am bold also, there at the end of verse 21, he says, are they, you know, to whom you're comparing me with? Are they Hebrews? So am I, he says. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak a little foolishly, he says. I am more.

And he's building here. You know, you're trying to tear me down. If you, you know, Paul says, if you want to speak about heritage, if you want to speak about qualifications, he says, I am more than all of you. If you want to meet toe to toe, I am the boasting, bold Apostle Paul. There's nothing y'all have on me. And I'm sure they were just ready at this moment for him to start just laying out these qualifications, these accolades and accomplishments. And he says, I am more. And then he flips the script. And the second part of verse 23, second part of verse 23, I am more, he says, he probably paused. I am more in labors, more abundant in stripes above measure. I am more in prisons more frequently, in deaths more often. And they would have been perked up at this time. So, so he's flipping this notice what he's boasting in now. He's not boasting in strength, he's boasting in weakness. Verse 24, for from the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and day I have been in this deep in journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own from my own countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils of the sea, perils amongst false brethren, in weariness and toil. So he's saying I am more in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often. I am more in hunger and thirst. I am more in fasting often, in cold and nakedness. Besides all these other things, what comes upon me daily? My concern for all the churches? Who is weak that I am not weak? Who is made to stumble that I do not burn in indignation? Verse 30, if I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. My weakness?

Gentlemen, he was said, if you want to talk about heritage and qualifications, I'll speak foolishly for a little bit. I am more, but I am more, he says, in my weakness. That's how I am more, he says. And what's the point he's making?

Well, it is in the apparent weaknesses which hold the key to power. All right, so let me just ask the question that I begin with. Have you ever considered the possibility that your handicaps, your limitations, your weaknesses, your anxiety, your fears, all those things, all the things that are present in your experience of weakness, rather than be a deterrent to your service to God, actually are the key to usefulness. This is the amazing truth. This is the perspective and truth that's throughout all the Bible. So I want you to start flipping the switch in your life, just as Paul is this progress that Paul is making here.

Again, this is a truth that if you get a hold of it, it'll revolutionize your life. I just want to show you an example. This is the truth of the Bible. If you just want to keep your marker here, I just want to give you a couple of examples of this. Turn back to Exodus 3. We're not just going to spend too much time. We could go throughout all the Bible to have this truth of power and weakness displayed to us. Here in Exodus 3, of course, is the classic here. Let me catch you up as you're turning there. Exodus 3, we're going to begin in verse 1. So here, let me catch you up. God determines to liberate his people out of Egypt. Pharaoh and the power and the strength of Egypt is unmatched. God's people are in total subjection. It seems like there's no prospect for them to get out of the bondage. God determines he's going to do it. He's going to come down, and he's going to come to one who is a shepherd. Exodus 3, verse 1 and 2. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Median, and he, Moses, led the flock to the back of the desert, and he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And there the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Let's stop there for a moment. So God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of course, comes to Moses, the angel of the Lord, verse 7. And the Lord said, verse 7, I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I've heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrow.

Moses might have said at this point, okay, well, why are you telling me? Verse 10, he discovers why God is telling him. Verse 10, Come now, therefore, I will send you, shepherd, to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. Can you imagine? I'm sending you, he says here. I'm coming down to you. You know, I think Moses at this point would have probably looked behind his shoulder to see if, you know, who he's talking to, you know, surely it can't be me, Moses would have said. And then look at verse 11. Moses responded, I'm here for you, Lord, I'm ready. No, verse 11. Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?

And you know, why is Moses questioning God here? Well, Pharaoh, Moses, palace, tent, strength, to say the least, weakness, tower, you know, a shepherd out in the middle of nowhere, you know. Are you sure, God? Do you know who I am? And immediately, Moses begins to think of all of his handicaps, and all of his weaknesses, and all of his limitations. Go forward to chapter 4 verse 10. Chapter 4 verse 10. Here it is. Have you done this? Yes. Then Moses said to the Lord, chapter 4 verse 10.

Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent. Neither before nor since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. Let's stop there. Lord, let me remind you of all my weaknesses, right, so that you might reconsider here. As if being slow of speech and slow of tongue, all of a sudden the Lord is like, oh, okay, that's right. Man, I'm glad you reminded me of that.

In fact, those things, Moses, are the very reason I'm coming to you. To you.

That's exactly why I came. It's exactly why I ignited this bush. It's exactly why I'm calling to Paul you. None of that takes me by surprise. You, Moses, a picture of total weakness, are going to go to the palace of Pharaoh, and you're going to say, and you may even stutter when you say it, let my people go.

Saying to Pharaoh, you know, you can imagine that knock on the palace doors, you know. Someone's here to see you, Pharaoh. Who is it? I don't know. It's a shepherd who's speaking some notion about us releasing his people.

I could go through the whole of the Bible. We will not turn there, but Gideon, man, that is a classic. I invite you to read that for your studies. Gideon was not only part of the smallest clan, but he was part of the smallest family of the smallest clan. For your notes, again, we won't turn there, but it's Judges 7. Judges 7. God comes to Gideon. He says, I want you to vacuish the Midianites, and you find this whole staga that occurred with Moses happening with Gideon. Gideon said, I'm not the person. Obviously, you got the wrong person, God. Far too many people. I'm the smallest of the smallest, he would say. Not only that, but God says, you know, Gideon, I hear you, but I think we still have too many people. We need to whittle this down. I think I want to do it. Let's do it with 300 people. I think that's a good number. I'm going to have you lead 300 people against this Midianite army where it's described when you looked out upon them as if they looked like just swarm of grasshoppers, you know, just out. Tremendous numbers, vast numbers, a whole desert covered with them.

And you're asking me, Gideon said, to go out against them with 300? That's right. Well, we are weak, and they are strong, you know.

This is one of the major themes of the Bible. So if you find yourself in weakness, it may be the exact place God wants you to be.

One more.

God looks down from heaven. He determines he's going to send one to be the atoning sacrifice for sin. Where does he send him? To Bethlehem, some nondescript little place in a nondescript little country on the backside of humanity, born to a no-name individual, total obscurity, steps on the stage of human history. They ask, isn't that Joseph's son? Isn't that Mary's son? Why is he saying all these things? And there he is, hanging at his crucifixion in total weakness, a pathetic picture of weakness. What could ever come from that? What could ever come from that?

Surely our Savior is going to be a king far away in some castle, you know. A conqueror. But it ends in a crucifixion.

Well, he was raised. He sits at the right hand of the throne. And in the meantime, he's putting together a people who look like what? Look around. Look around. What does the average congregation of God's people, what characterizes them the most, would you say? Strength? No. Weakness? Are we strong and mighty? What do we look like? Are we up for the task? Are we up for the task? You know. Now, there is so much legislating against us. There is so much weakness.

And God looks down and says, perfect. Perfect. Why? Because his strength is made perfect in weakness.

Moses, the fact that you are slow of tongue and slow of mind, you know, that's perfect. It's perfect. I'm telling you. So what limitations do you have? What disabilities? What weaknesses do you have? Begin to couch them in the proper perspective. Well, as we work to a conclusion, I want you to be thinking about some of the weaknesses in your life and how today you might flip the script on them to where you can even, where you will boast in them and even get to the spiritual maturity level of having pleasure in them. As we wrap up, let's turn back to the scripture that we began with, that ultimate, wonderful, climatic moment. They are found back again in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 7 through 12.

You know, it's a remarkable thing that God, what he could do from the human perspective, God could have taken these weaknesses away from Paul, but this thorn was the very thing that was going to make Paul, and make him for God's purposes. So 2 Corinthians 12, verses 7 through 10, here it is again. You know, lest I should be exalted above measure. In other words, lest I should boast in my heritage or my abilities, you know, which he was the foolish talk that he mentioned, lest I should be exalted above measure concerning this thing, I pleaded with this thorn, I pleaded with God three times that it should depart from me. But he God said, my grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, here's the flip of the script, I will boast in my infirmities. Why? That the power of Christ may rest upon me. In fact, I'm going to take pleasure in my infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, distresses, for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

You know, he asked God if he would take it away. God did not take it away there, because the purpose of these thorns, there's a far grander purpose, we know, the purpose of the world, seeing God's grace through these thorns, if you will. What are some of the graces that come from the weaknesses that you're experiencing? What are some of the graces? I thought about this in preparing this message, and I'd just like to leave you with a few before we conclude of how you might view some of your weaknesses and how it actually can be the power by which you accomplish God's work. I see at least some of these things in the weaknesses.

Perhaps you do, too. It has forced me, my weaknesses, have forced me to live daily, independent faith on God's grace, right? Our weaknesses may force us to live daily upon his grace. My weaknesses, here's another one that you might relate to, my weaknesses have heightened my gratitude for those whom God has placed around me to strengthen me. So your weaknesses actually might make you have gratitude for those whom God places around you. Perhaps you can relate to that. Be set with my weaknesses. Here's one. I am more prone to deal gently and patiently with others who are going through weaknesses of their own. That's a good one. You know, you know, be set by my own weaknesses. Boy, I can be gentle and patient with others. There's, that's powerful. That's a powerful aspect of weakness. Maybe one more.

I can see how it has seasoned much of my insights that I would not otherwise have seen. Wow. Experiences of weakness, they will give you a perspective like no other, no other, a godly perspective. In other words, I see how God has manifested his power completely through the weaknesses he's allowed in my life. What are some of the ways your weaknesses have made you useful? Well, I hope after a study like today and after we've been able to take this journey and reach this climatic point with Paul, that we are able to utter these words and understand that God's grace is sufficient and that his, we see how his strength is made perfect in weakness so that we can then begin to boast and even rejoice in some of the infirmities that God has allowed in our lives because of what they've produced. May we turn our focus away from the weakness and turn it on to the gift of God's strength and what it can do in our lives. Is it a thorn? No, it's a rose. Is it a weakness? No, it's my strength. Why? It's because God's grace comes to me and that is my power in weakness.