Strength Through Weakness

Welcome to the intense podcast for child family. Tuesday, September 21, inability and weakness are usually seen as gifts from God different perspective as you learn to gain strength through weakness, another in our series on the health of the holiness the world shows that they very far and provoked the Bible, the woman who is strong is strength and might and power and force and affluence that affects the world. They are greatly impressed by others there greatly impressed with the size greatly impressed by the light and the power that walk in the entirely different direction on a whole different wavelength than we who are believers yet. Isn't it strange how we court their favor, and the result of courting their favor. Is this.

We have little by little allowed them to infiltrate their humanistic ideas into the is that you and I preaching the gospel. They believe that the world is man centered. This book says that the world ought to be God centered that in the life of a person is not his ability or his talent but rather the talent the ability of the might the strength of God, so that in mind, I want us to look this morning out of the theme strength through weakness and I want to get a pencil piece of paper out toward the end of the sermon level to give you six things that you need to get a hold of that Paul learned about the source of his real strength when we think about strength and our weakness is almost a look at several things in the first of all is this and that is the presence of the weakness in our life and all of us have different types of weaknesses, but we all have our weaknesses in the life of Paul with your Lotusphere beginning in verse seven he says. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Everybody has an opinion as to what Paul's problem was I don't know what Paul's problem was.

I have an opinion just like you did but it was a very definite thing that he had to deal with on a recurring basis in his life, something that continually harassed and the word buffet means it's taken from the word knuckles, which means that he felt like he was being sucked in the job constantly reoccurring. He had this problem. He had a weakness in his life like all of us do. Another problem is that most of us think that the evidence of strength is to deny weakness that if we expose our weakness if we confess our weakness.

Someone won't think that we match up to their expectation. Paul settled the battle of other man's expectations. The only thing that mattered to him as God told him the basic truth is that as long as God was pleased with him.

It matters not what the world for, but he had to wrestle through this day of the presence of this weakness in his life. You and I have wisdom when we begin to see things from God's perspective, that is, we see them as he sees them. Paul had a change of attitude. Paul suddenly got his eyes open. He saw that the very thing that at one time he pleaded with God to remove became the source of his greatest strength and you see we have been brainwashed for the world.

The man who confesses his weakness of the world as I knew it couldn't do it, but the saint of God who says yes I am weak I cannot in my own strength while the world looks with disdain upon that God takes great pleasure in the man of the woman who is honest about their weakness. The second thing you want to notice here is this.

He says if you'll look in verse seven. Again, a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Now the question comes, what was the purpose of this particular problem that Paul had noticed what he said he had said in the first few verses about this 12 chapter he said that God years ago had given him a tremendous revelation back. He says it was so intimate, so light is so profound. He says I was so lifted up. I'm not sure I was there in the spirit or in the body pieces.

I'm not sure about that. I just know that God did something mighty and wonderful in my life, but in order to keep Paul from getting out of line getting Prout egotistical wanted to do God just balance that all by allowing him to be continuously buffeted by Satan. Let's be honest, God blesses your life and he blesses your ministry, and he gives you tremendous victory, but somewhere in your life this morning. There is one thing that you have to keep going back to you say Lord, why don't you get rid of it and you self-confessed advocated ideal that I have surrendered to my promises.

You work twice as hard. You got all those things. All of us have done and you look around and there it is staring you in the face. Could it be that God has allowed that to keep us ever conscious of the fact. Don't get too big for your britches that we don't like the world is like at the world says a metal to be self-sufficient you're not depend upon anybody. We are living in a society that hates lis pendens and wants to be independent. We will a permissive society.

I will do what I please. When I pleased the way I please. I will have to ask anybody going in responsibility and no accountability. I just want to be my own self not only strong man. The only problem with that is it is totally unscriptural and Paul had a difficult time learning that lesson the purpose that God had in mind was to teach Paul. The dangers of pride and the absolute essential spirit of humility. When we talk about having a servant spirit. What is the servant spirit, but the spirit of humility willing to get down on the level of someone else and serve them regardless of the consequence. And God knew that was tremendous intellect that he given Paul to be awfully easy for him to depend upon his intellect to depend upon his devotion to Jesus.

That is the problem sometime that we missed man even in his devotion to Jesus Christ and his total commitment to him can sometimes resort to depending on his own degree of devotion to God as a reason for God blessing God isn't going to allow us to depend on anything but heal as a person, not our ability not even our faith, not even the degree of commitment we have to him. So what is he do he just takes is everything. He just peels off another layer. He just keeps stripping is often stripping is often stripping assault pruning is down sending us down chiseling away because God doesn't want to risk losing your influence and your testimony and your witness. So what is he do he keep stuff on there. When you notice the purpose in Paul's life.

There are three words that you and I could write down number one is first of all, inability you see God's purpose was to bring into a place of total personal inadequacy. We don't like to admit that we don't want to face that we think of a man has enough education and has enough degrees if he has enough experience and he has enough ability that he can do anything.

And sometimes we misquote and misuse. Philippians 413 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and sometimes reload prone to think ought to be a little heavy on the first part can do all things Paul said through Christ who is continuously pouring his strength in the modeling so that God's purpose was to show him and revealed to him and to bring them to a place of other dependence upon God. The second thing was instruction to teach him the problem of pride in his life. The value of humility and to reveal to him that God's grace was sufficient for everything that God: to do is see God always has instruction in every thorn he allows in her life that if we respond in the wrong manner and we will be anxious and we want to get them resentful toward God and blame someone else.

We gonna miss the truth, but he always has a word of instruction, Lord, what are you trying to teach me in this given situation and the third thing is the inspiration you see, Paul says that what at first seemed to be a real problem with him. He said he saw the Lord that he would remove this thing and then verse nine he said my grace is sufficient for the for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Then posted. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my on infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities what Paul discovered his life was this very thing, that one time he wanted to have removed from his wife became the motivation it became the inspiration because he knew whatever he was feeling the worst and the whole bottom dropped out.

He knew that the mighty supernatural power of God was about to be released initially so that that which was the weakness of his life became the inspiration. It became the thing that Paul began to bubble and be glad about.

He says I take pleasure in these environment so that you not need to ask the question Lord. This weakness that you've allowed in my life. This continuous buffeting of Satan. This continuous harassment of the devil.

These continuous satanic attacks. What is your purpose.

There will always be to bring us to the point of incapacity, the part of instruction that part of inspiration to begin to look at that bank not as a black spot in their life to become the pivotal point whereby the Lord Jesus Christ is able to release there was his almighty power could you be honest this morning and say that you had rather learn a divine principle which would change your relationship to him. Deepen your understanding of him deepen your intimacy with him or have the problem of the weakness of the buffeting remove and you wouldn't dare answer that quickly because it depends upon what is.

Some people say get rid of the buffeting but look what you miss and we have to decide if we had rather know God on a deeper level. All we rather have just about ease, comfort and pleasure. You see, we say oh you mean the unlimited, unconditional, undeserved love of God, all the thorn that's right. Which would you rather have well when the stick comes and we really get Chad. We rather have peace from, but only on these were quietly contemplating God. We rather have the floor.

If we can experience the unconditional unlimited undeserved law of God in developing those growing into a sense of oneness and warmth and intimacy with him so that we have to look at the thorn our flesh to ask the question what is it doing in my life. Is it building me up or is it carrying me down and that will depend upon our response yet how many of us buckle on the little work. How many of us will get away and so I just can't do it, but Paul says he learned the secret and I will share with you six things I want you to get these down six principles here that I believe that Paul learn that made it possible for him to turn his weakness and of the point of strength in his life. The six statements number one, the mighty strength of God is best demonstrated is best demonstrated at airport of weakness. The mighty strength of God is best demonstrated up one of weakness.

The pawn in which we are the week is is the point in which God can demonstrate his mighty power of the most effective. Secondly, Al realized weakness can become the greatest potential of our strength. Al realized weakness. I didn't say just there weakness but I realized weakness. If you don't realize it's a weakness it will be that potential, but I realized, weakness can become the greatest potential of strength in our life and this is what happened to Paul instead of dwelling upon it every time the thorn pierced him every time he had an electric reoccurring attack of a Satanic attack. What happened that was the moment I believe that you and I could go back and know what was happening to Paul intimate is a person. Some of these greatest epistles. Some of the greatest messages in these epistles may have been at the point when Paul was suffering, his greatest harassment from site. The third thing I want you to notice and I believe he learned this when God told him about his grace. That is the mighty strength of God, the mighty strength of God is constantly available. I want to notice the word he uses here. He says in verse nine.

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my on infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me abide upon me. You know what that says. It says that Paul live under the umbrella of the mighty strength of God because he kept in with his weakness to the power how to do it. He lived. He says the mighty power of God is resting upon him. He walked under the umbrella of the strength of God, not of his own strength that in his own ability, not because he was a Jew, not because he may have been eloquent, not because he was a tremendous intellect. He won't listen. He walked in the Valley of constant weakness under the umbrella of the supernatural strength of God which meant that he was always living in God's strength is always available before thingamajig notices this he learned that God strength always was tailored to meet his immediate need that God strength was tailored to meet his immediate need a weakness that is God wants us living in other dependence upon him so that at the moment of weakness. What do we do we cry out to God. You see, he wants us dependent upon him. He doesn't want us living in the security of the world. He wants us living in the security of Jesus Christ. He says what the strength of God was abiding upon him resting upon him constantly. The next thing I want you to notice and I think this is one of the two major keys here, the mighty strength of God in Paul's life the mighty strength of God was in overflow of his personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the mighty strength of God in his life was in overflow of his intimate relationship with the Lord. I think this is where we need to take a moment to take stock of ourselves, but we do oftentimes we began to serve the Lord and we got to serve him and serve him and serve him and sometimes we forget that God isn't interested in our service. He's not interested in how many sermons we break having activities we care on the programs we put up God is interested in that God is interested primarily in our seeking him. He wants to be the object of her affection he wants to be the object of our pursuit. He wants to be the desire of our heart, he moans to be the object of our pursuits and our longing.

Our most intimate desire. So what do we do we pursue things, activities, objectives, and programs and God gets lost in the last why would you get is this the key to the release of the mighty strength of God is not only that intimate relationship, but it is the spirit of other dependence upon him, the spirit of other dependence. You see, we don't like that we don't like to feel dependent upon anyone or anybody but you see the secret. The key to the whole thing is to recognize our inability and our weakness and to live everyday independence. You wrap it all up and said he lived by faith. The only people who live by faith of those who have learned to live in dependence upon him, but dependency is a keyword and my willing to get up tomorrow morning and so I Lord I know that in my own strength I cannot but I know that you can do through me all that you desire. If I'm wise not to depend upon you notice.

We depend upon him for the things we think we cannot do. We don't depend upon the things we are skilled at doing. And here again, Satan gets us. We are able to do well. The things we don't depend on him for doing throws. The only problem is we are barren and fruitless. He wants us to be fruitful and Paul was fruitful because he learned to live in other dependence upon the Lord constantly, day after day notice how he says it he said to me, my grace is sufficient for the for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, but the power of Christ may rest upon. I don't know what you weaknesses this morning with this. I do know that if you are willing to put your faith and your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you willing to surrender your life to him.

Confess your sins to him, repent of your sins and bow before him, and submission. He will forgive you pardon you Clint. You and the mighty power of God will move into your life and that which is the gray area of weakness in your life and become the pawn at which God will send you his greatest blessing and I want to challenge this morning and examine your weakness. Be honest about what it is.

Confess that the Lord, and that no longer to pray for God to remove. Pray that God will give you the wisdom to love it that it may become the source of your greatest strength thank you for listening to strength three weakness if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley more intense ministries and had started writing this podcast is a presentation of intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia