Christ’s Power is Made Perfect In Weakness

Discussion

Christ’s Power is Made Perfect In Weakness

Perfect in Weakness is not a common or lovely phrase. It denotes humility; Power in Weakness is confusing to those who have power today or influence over others, but not to Paul who trusted in the Lord for his strength and grace. We will explore this section in the context of fear and worries and specifically the narrative that Paul takes to help his readers find pride and joy in God’s grace and power through an unconventional method. Regardless of how our weakness manifests, through Christ we find victory can be complete.

Notes on The Greek:

• Scholastically, Paul describes a historic event where Christ told him that “His grace is sufficient” or to avail off as there is no need for assistance with Him.
• The power of dunamai is miraculous. A force.
• Weakness (astheneia) is a frailty or malady.

Another reading might lend one to say the unstoppable force of Christ in frailty/malady made Paul complete. For this he could boast or vaunt (kauchēsomai) to all that the Power of Christ rested on him through weakness. Wow, just think about that for a minute. Weakness that would otherwise be a fault or drive him to fall away, this weakness Christ said made Paul complete. “My Grace is Sufficient” in other translations of Scripture.

Personal: Fear blinds us to trust the Lord

While no one has explained what malady that Paul suffered with, sometimes our weaknesses stress us out like it did Paul. This stress or weakness itself gives birth to more fears. In my own life, when my two small children got sick, my own fears worsened as children are not as strong nor do they articulate finely how their illness affects them. That scared me seeing them coughing and wheezing, and I felt the need to get on my knees and ask God to take away the illnesses. Truthfully, I was not helping myself by watching on social media kids hacking and coughing, in hospitals, in some cases literally on life support, etc.

Fear hides our honoring of Christ above all

As I was praying, my mind came to 2 Corinthians 12:9 repetitively, and I felt Jesus was there with me. He then reminded me of these verses and also added that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. That is important here, because Paul was told that the dunamai power of Christ was sufficient for him to literally set aside other things for Christ. My weakness in fear, I was forgetting whom I should be honoring greatest of all. Who is all-powerful, who is the Great Healer over all illness than the Lord Himself? Once my mind found rest in Him to provide for my children, the cough and wheezing lessened and the natural treatments I was using appeared to work better, and gradually the cold is going away.

Tying the Personal back to the Narrative

Paul was not being told “to stuff it” or not complain about his circumstance. Instead, he was reminded the way of Christ’s power was that he needed nothing else to be complete. Just like me, Paul was writing to the Corinthians how his personal problems drove him to seek earnestly the Lord’s help. Not just quietly praying but fervently seeking the Lord and here Christ replied, “My Grace is sufficient for you” even in weakness. You see, Jesus Himself was told these same words before He would go to the Cross and had asked several times for the cup of wrath to pass Him; So He reminded Paul as He does us that He understands our concerns, too.

The Point

Christ’s grace is sufficient for us to be complete in Him. We can be confident, even boast how the Lord uses our weaknesses to bring Him glory.

Key Points

When we have weaknesses, we can find power in how God uses it to affect others for the Gospel. We may feel weak or ashamed in a worldly sense, but still find reasons to boast loudly our confidence in Christ and give others great encouragement.

When we pray, our Lord is gracious enough to help us understand His will. Even though we may not fully understand humanly why the Lord loves to use weakness, we know “Your Story Matters To Jesus” to all that seek Him.

Conclusion

What do we do with Trials and Tribulations? Do we let our weaknesses and fears override our trust in the Lord’s grace? Or do we seek the Lord safety? Honor the Lord in those situations; He is powerful and knows how to get us out. If we seek Him we will find rest for our souls and the grace of Christ will be ours to calm and remove fears.

Application

1. Weakness and maladies are nothing compared to the miraculous power of Christ.
2. Christ’s Grace makes us sufficient for His work.
3. We can choose to boast in Christ so that His power can be shown to others
4. Our view of weakness is not like Christ’s view.

Correction

• Do I fear the Lord more than my weakness?
  • Am I honoring Him?
• Do I seek His advice or am I accepting weakness as an excuse?
  • Remember Paul chose to boast in Christ. He did not merely accept his condition but was able to articulate why God was worthy of honor
• Today’s worries should not confuse over what God has given us. Do we honor God in those situations?

Encouragement

• The Weakness that you have in life, God can use it powerfully.
  • He is mighty and knows how to get you out.
• We may be defined by our Weaknesses, but God shows Grace and Power to influence others.
• If you seek Him, you can also find rest for your soul and the peace of Christ will be yours to calm and remove fears.