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Jim's
Manuscript
July 4,
2010
"The Power Of
Weakness"
2 Corinthians "True Comfort" Series
(Part 12)
Text: 2
Corinthians 12
Today is Independence Day
Paradoxically, Independence Day gave us the freedom
to practice our dependence!
That paradox is not hard to understand for many of
us, however, because we know how true freedom works. True freedom is
not the freedom to do whatever you want. I mean, how free is a fish
that decides to jump out of the fish bowl. He may be "free"
momentarily, but he is not truly free. We are truly free only when we
are dependent on God. Our freedom is an expression of dependence, when
we are free to live and breath and able to serve God.
My message isn't really a 4th of July
message. Today's message is not about our nation as much as it is about
us as individuals. We are continuing our series out of 2 Corinthians.
It is interesting to me however that there is a connection with Fourth
of July themes. When are we truly strong? We are truly strong when we
recognize our own dependence and live under God.
What we are about to study today has incredible
relevance for us. 2 Corinthians 12 gives us the secret of power in our
lives. There are amazing paradoxes and surprises in this chapter. So,
let's look into the Power of Weakness.
Focus: "When I
am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Before we read the chapter, let me give you a brief
overview. As we read the chapter I don't want you to miss the forest as
you gaze at a fascinating tree. There are many fascinating trees here.
As To Visions and Revelations, If I must...
Paul continues the matter of
"boasting" which he feels so
awkward about, but he must, for their sakes, help them to realize that
the false accusations and commendations and comparisons of the so called
"super - apostles" (11:5; 12:11)
of Corinth had to be exposed by the truth. He has already labeled these
self appointed "super-apostles"
as "false apostles", and
"deceitful workmen" (11:13).
So here is a question to help you see the forest.
On what matters does Paul minimize his boasting
(reigning it in) even though the "boast" is true, and on what areas is
he willing to boast openly?
At first he will continue the comparison as it
relates to "visions and revelations",
but he will use this comparison to shift to a different boast
altogether. Look for it.
Why will he minimize his boast about visions, and
openly boast about his weaknesses?
2 Corinthians 12:1-21 (NIV)
1
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. 11 I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me
to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least
inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am nothing. 12
The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were
done among you with great perseverance. 13 How were you
inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you?
Forgive me this wrong! 14 Now I am ready to visit you for the
third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is
not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to
save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15
So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself
as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be
that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that
I am, I caught you by trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through
any of the men I sent you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and
I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we
not act in the same spirit and follow the same course? 19
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves
to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ;
and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you
to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there
may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander,
gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that when I
come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over
many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity,
sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
The Power Of Weakness
(A Poetic Outline)
I received an unusual early morning phone call from
one of our members on Tuesday. It was just to tell me to have a good
day, and to sing my song.
I said, "sing my song?--I may have to figure that
one out. "
He said, "You don't have to figure it out, I just
thought it would encourage you."
Interestingly, the first thing I thought of was
that all the points in my outline that I was working on up to that point
in my week had been an unusual effort. I was working on them in an
unusual literary way. The points rhymed. Maybe this was my song? If
it is or not, I don't know, but I do know this, my outline is out of the
ordinary this week. Some of you are going to be pleased to have help
figuring out the blanks ahead of time knowing that the outline is a
poem. But it really isn't figuring out the blanks I'm after as much as
figuring out how life works. I think this will help you. It helps me.
I don't have it all figured out. But boy there is amazing stuff here.
To Keep From Pride... (12:7)
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.
Actually the thorn was not in his side, but in his
"flesh". I took artistic license to make it rhyme with pride.
Actually, "thorn in your side" is a biblical phrase, but it refers to
the enemies of God's chosen people. The enemies they were supposed to
dispossess, but when they were not faithful in following through, these
enemies were a constant and nagging problem to them--a thorn in their
sides. So, whereas, "thorn in my side" usually refers to people, the
phrase here is "thorn in my flesh". That is why most would agree that
the thorn is a physical ailment that has troubled Paul. There is some
physical ailment that was given to Paul as a strange gift from God. How
strange? Well. Normally you think of God's gifts as wonderful things.
But this was a strange one.
God Gave A Thorn In My Side (12:7)
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.
This gift was something he was
"given" (12:7). Although it
doesn't say it at this point directly, it was given by God, to
accomplish a good purpose.
This strange gift then was from God, but it was a
messenger of Satan. Let's let that sink in for a moment. God sometimes
allows bad things...at least what we call bad things, into our lives, for
some yet unknown but good reason. At first, we consider it as an awful
thing. We plead with God to take this bad thing away, much as Paul did
here. And we will see that in a moment. But when something comes as a
gift from God, it is a good thing.
In God's sovereignty, he allowed this strange gift
to be given to Paul, and although, I believe Satan meant it for Paul's
harm, and to slow down his ministry, and frustrate Paul, God allowed it
to perfect his power, and amplify it, and accelerate his ministry in
ways Paul never could have imagined. So, although Satan meant it to
handcuff Paul, and slow Paul's effectiveness down, he is unable to see
God's hand, and God's purpose was to give Paul greater effectiveness and
power.
Paul was constantly reminded by this strange gift
that it was not about him, and it was not about now. It was about God
at center stage, and God's glory for eternity. God helped Paul avoid
the illusions of his own strength or giftedness to cause him to overlook
divine power.
And Though Satan Tried and Tried (12:7)
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.
And Three Times I Cried (12:8)
8
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
Professional baseball player John Olerud's daughter
Professional baseball player John Olerud's
daughter has a rare genetic disease. During one of her medical
treatments, the Boston Red Sox first baseman held his infant daughter
while doctors attempted to insert an IV. Olerud described the look in
her eyes this way: What's going on? I thought you were my dad,
protecting me, and you're holding me down and allowing them to poke me?
How can you say you love me and let somebody do this? Knowing that even
if he could tell her why all this was happening, she wouldn't
understand, Olerud could only say, "You've just got to trust me."
Olerud saw an important faith lesson in that
experience. "Sometimes with our suffering, you look to God and say,
'God, this does not make any sense. I'm getting hammered here, and you
could change it.' I'm sure he's looking at us saying, 'I can't tell you
why I'm doing this. It is in your best interest. You just have to trust
me.'"
Stephen Nordbye, Charlton, Massachusetts;
source: The Boston Globe (6-24-05) pp. D1 & D6
My Request Was Denied (12:9)
9 But
he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness."
Why? God's Way Of Prying Us Out of Our Rut
Christian author and speaker Joni Eareckson
Tada writes:
I'm a quadriplegic, yet I can drive a van (my
hand is secured to a big joystick so I can steer, accelerate, and
brake). I enjoy being independent, so if there's something I can do, I
will--even if it means tackling the drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant
by myself.
Remember, my hands don't work. That's why
last week when I cruised into the drive-thru lane to order hamburgers
and Cokes, I prayed for the fellows at the pick-up window. Lord, give
them patience
and give me a smile. Then I moved to the intercom to place my
order.
When I'd finished explaining "no cheese" and
"extra mustard packets," I told the voice on the intercom that I was
disabled. There was a pause. Then, "Okay
no problem."
I pulled up to the delivery window and
smiled. Sticking my arm out the window, I asked the cashier to take the
10-dollar bill that was folded in my arm splint. That was a cinch. While
he fished for my change, I asked him to place it in the paper bag along
with the hamburgers. At that point, the server bagging my order looked
over his shoulder. Both boys, confused, gave each other a look that
said, Do you know what she's talking about? 'Cause I don't! I smiled and
slowly repeated my instructions.
They got the message--and even wrapped my
change in a napkin before they dropped it into the bag with the food.
Then they handed me my order. I had to ask, "Could you please lean out
your window and wedge the bag between me and the van door?" Both boys
looked at each other again. "I can't reach for the bag. Remember?"
"Oh, yeah," they laughed, then hung halfway
out the pick-up window to lodge the package between my wheelchair and
the door. "Are you set? Are you okay?" they asked in all sincerity.
"Great job," I assured them. "God bless you
guys!" They slapped the side of my van as I drove off. When I glanced in
my rearview mirror, they were waving good-bye. Thanks, God, for
answering prayer. That could have been awkward, but it turned out to be
fun!
This is the daily stuff of my life. It always
involves more than simply picking up hamburgers or the dry cleaning. It
involves a chance to make God real to people. A chance for them to
serve, to feel good about themselves, to experience a new way of doing
things.
Problems are often God's way of prying us out
of our rut.
Joni Eareckson Tada, Holiness in Hidden Places
(J. Countryman, 1999), pp.47-49.
So Sufficient Grace Could Be Supplied (12: 9)
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."
Don't always assume every bad thing is a good
thing.
Don't be afraid to pray to have the thorn
removed. Pray that it is removed. Pray for God's blessing. Pray
boldly.
But when God reveals to you his plan, you may want
to change your tactic. Paul prayed 3 times. Not 4, not 64. He
stopped asking for God to remove it once he heard from God on the
matter.
John Stott's Weak Preaching
Once when he was to preach at the University
of Sydney in Australia, John Stott lost his voice. He says:
What can you do with a missionary who has no
voice? We had come to the last night of the [evangelistic campaign]. The
students had booked the big university hall. A group of students
gathered around me, and I asked them to pray as Paul did, that this
thorn in the flesh might be taken from me. But we went on to pray that
if it pleased God to keep me in weakness, I would rejoice in my
infirmities in order that the power of Christ might rest upon me.
As it turned out, I had to get within one
inch of the microphone just to croak the gospel. I was unable to use any
inflection of voice to express my personality. It was just a croak in a
monotone, and all the time we were crying to God that his power would be
demonstrated in human weakness. Well, I can honestly say that there was
a far greater response that night than any other night. I've been back
to Australia ten times now, and on every occasion somebody has come up
to me and said, "Do you remember that night when you lost your voice? I
was converted that night."
Student Leadership, (Spring 1993), p. 32
Now why do you suppose so many were spiritually
impacted that night?
No credit or glory went to John Stott. That was
part of it.
Here was the biggest part of it however. Because
of John's Weakness, he prayed more, and others prayed more. The whole
meeting hinged on prayer, and asking for strength in the midst of
weakness.
Lately We've Been Going About This All Wrong... we've
been doing church in the natural, pointing people to our strengths. We
need to operate in the supernatural. We need to operate from our
weakness. To pray, pray, pray, knowing that apart from God's strength
we can do nothing. Inviting people to church should also be in the
supernatural. We should not simply be getting people to come because we
are "strong" in this, or that, on some human comparative level. We
should be entering into the desperation of weakness, pray, pray, pray.
We need to do Evangelism out of weakness; we need to be doing church out
of weakness. We need to be walking with God out of our weakness.
Because when we are weak, then we are strong. Seriously, I'm not
exactly sure how to lead us as a church in this. I've really been
wrestling with this passage, but I fear we are tending to do things from
our strengths, and we've got to change that. We've got to get back to
doing things from our weak and desparate cry for God, and His strength
in everything.
The secret of power is found in operating knowing
our weakness, and need for God.
And Perfect Power Applied (12:9-10)
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Normally, we think of our burdens as things that
are heavy that we carry. Paul has hit on something here. He sees his
burdens as something that carries him. God gave him burdens to keep
carrying him back to that perfect place of dependence.
Our burdens carry us back to God.
Power of Weakness?--On Christ I Relied (12:9-10)
In Decision, Joni Eareckson Tada writes:
Honesty is always the best policy, but
especially when you're surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom
during a break at a Christian women's conference. One woman, putting on
lipstick, said, "Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your
wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!" Several women around her
nodded. "How do you do it?" she asked as she capped her lipstick.
"I don't do it," I said. "In fact, may I tell
you honestly how I woke up this morning?"
"This is an average day," I breathed deeply.
"After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 A.M., I'm alone until I
hear the front door open at 7:00 A.M. That's when a friend arrives to
get me up.
"While I listen to her make coffee, I pray,
'Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up
in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don't
have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no
resources. I don't have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I
have yours? God, I need you desperately.'"
"So, what happens when your friend comes
through the bedroom door?" one of them asked.
"I turn my head toward her and give her a
smile sent straight from heaven. It's not mine. It's God's. And so," I
said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, "whatever joy you see today was
hard won this morning."
I have learned that the weaker we are, the
more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger
we discover him to be.
Joni Eareckson Tada, "Joy Hard Won," Decision
(March 2000), p.12
The Power Of Weakness
(A Poetic Outline)
To Keep From
Pride...
(12:7)
God Gave A
Thorn In My Side
(12:7)
And Though
Satan Tried and Tried
(12:7)
And Three
Times I Cried
(12:8)
My Request
Was Denied
(12:9)
So
Sufficient Grace Could Be Supplied
(12: 9)
And Perfect
Power Applied
(12:9-10)
Power Of
Weakness?--On Christ I Relied
(12:9-10)
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