Power In Weakness

Power in Weakness Sunday 04/28/2013

Intro: God’s Power rest upon us as believers. When is the Power of God resting upon us at its strongest point? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9b “for My (God’s) strength is made perfect in weakness”. Who’s weakness? The Power of God is the strongest for us when we are at our weakest in the flesh. When you are going through a very trying time, God says look to Him and He will show you His power, His purpose and His plan for you. Satan wants you down and in despair, he wants you living in sin and feeling defeated.

Transition: In our passage Paul gives us encouragement.

Body:

I. 2 Corinthians 12:7 God allows things in our life for a purpose. Find the purpose; find God’s Power in your life.

A. Paul states that God allowed a thorn in his Flesh to come from satan to buffet him.

1. Satan’s purpose was to strike him down to make him despair and feel defeated.

2. God’s purpose was for it to keep him from being exalted above measure.

3. To keep him from being prideful.

4. It was given to him to keep him dependent upon the Lord and upon the Lord’s Power in his life.

5. The same applies to our lives.

6. Satan wants to strike us down and make us despair and feel defeated.

7. God wants to have us dependent upon Him and have His Power strongly affecting our lives.

B. We are told in Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Sin is one of our thorns in the flesh let’s take it further our Sin Nature is our biggest Thorn in the flesh.

1. Every believer has a besetting sin that so easily besets them.

2. A sin that engulfs them and keeps them coming back to it over and over again.

No matter how much we try to overcome it we seem to get no relief from the temptation of this sin yes there are periods of not giving in which do occur. If that one is overcome then another one comes and the battle is on yet again.

3. God’s Grace is sufficient for us because we have been eternally, securely saved and we have 1 John 1:9 confession of sin which brings back fellowship with God.

4. Forgiveness is available and promised to us through confession of sin. We have the power of God in our lives.

5. His strength the word strength and power here are from the same Greek word.

6. Dunamis: strength power, ability. We get the English word Dynamite from this Greek word.

7. So we are told by Paul he HAD a Thorn in the flesh that came from satan and buffeted or engulfed him from time to time just as we have a sin that doth so easily beset us and buffets us from time to time.

C. Verse 8 Paul says he ask the Lord to remove it from him.

1. Three times he ask for it to be removed.

2. He begged God for it to be removed.

3. But God didn’t remove it.

4. God forgives us when we sin but He doesn’t remove the temptation to sin from us.

5. When we are saved God doesn’t remove the Old Sin Nature from us.

6. Only it’s domination over us, we are no longer slaves to the Old Sin Nature.

7. God has given us the Power to overcome temptation.

8. We don’t always utilize that power we give in and are beset by that sin that so easily besets us.

C. God gave Paul the answer to his prayer.

1. God’s Grace is sufficient.

2. God’s Power is made strong in our weakness.

3. Christ power rest upon us when we get out of God’s way.

4. We must choose to heed God’s word.

5. Notice God did answer Paul’s prayer.

6. Just not the way Paul desired Him to answer.

II. When we follow James 4: 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. And 1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

A. Paul says in our weakness God becomes stronger in our lives.

1. James says, when we humble ourselves God will lift us up.

2. Peter says when we are humble under God’s authority God will exalt us in His time or in due time.

3. His Grace is sufficient in our lives Paul says.