There is an old story about a man in China who was walking on a rain slick road. He lost his footing & fell into a ditch filled with mud. He kept sinking deeper & deeper in the mud. The more he struggled to get out of the ditch, the deeper he sank.
As he was sinking in the mud, a man of a certain religion came by. He looked at him & said, “My what a predicament you are in. Here is a paper that tells you ten ways to get out of ditches.” The man started reading & he tried all ten ways to get out of the ditch, only to discover that the harder he tried the deeper he sank.
Then another man of a certain religion came along & looked at him, & said, “You are in a terrible condition, but I have good news for you. If you’ll take 5 steps toward me, I’ll take 5 steps down to meet you, & then together we will walk out of the ditch.” But the man said, “I couldn’t even take the 5 steps. The more I struggled the deeper I sank in the mud.”
Then Jesus came by. Jesus looked at him, took off His crown & His royal robes, & got down in the ditch with him & He pushed him until his feet were on solid ground once again. The man said to Jesus, “From sinking sand you lifted me. With tender hands you lifted me. From shades of night to plains of light. Oh praise you Jesus, you lifted me and put my feet on solid ground.” I would like you to think about this story and put it in your own life through this sermon today.
Weakness, Trouble, and desperation! We all have it. We all experienced it. We all can relate can’t we?
In the Epistle Letter read today of 2 Corinthians, we have encountered a very descriptive example and even an approach to a problem that seems to plague humankind. In Pauls letter to the people of Corinth, some theologians call it ‘Pauls Fool Speech’ as it relates to a very specific problem that Corinth, and us today are well adverse in. Weakness!
So when we think of weakness, what comes to mind? For some, it may be words like failure, loser, faithlessness, fault, imperfection, Achilles’ heel, and so on. In today’s society, throughout the world, weakness is also something that is a specific problem when it comes to people. For instance, American being known for ‘The land of the free and home of the brave!’ Is there anything in that statement that shows weakness? Not really! But is America weak? Absolutely! There are areas all nations are weak in. Weakness is something that is not only misunderstood but not perceived correctly. Mainly impart of human pride.
Here is food for thought! In a known magazine of Forbes, it is reported in 2021, 47% of Americans stated to receive any therapy, whether professional or by other means, is a direct sign of weakness and as a result, these individuals will remain in their current state because of the fear, or façade of being weak.
Paul is telling us friends in this letter about how weakness is NOT the end of it all. There is something to be said about weakness. For starters, it is NOT for us to remain in that state.
When it comes to pain and suffering as a weakness, Paul tells us also in the letter about his weakness he experienced. He asked God three times to remove this thorn of the flesh, what that truly is, we don’t know. But inspite of Pauls efforts, what was God’s response “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
So right here friends, paul is telling the people of Corinth and us today, weakness is something not to be ashamed of. Atleast, it should help us see that only through Gods grace and power, we humans being weak and helpless because of sin, are unable to remove ourselves from sins power apart from God’s help. Basically means we can’t do it by ourselves.
Why weakness?
Think about it, how much pain and suffering can we truly handle on our own? Whats the one thing that really is a deciding factor if we will or wont make it, or do something. Do we not all have strengths and weaknesses? For those that do not know God, how much abuse do they put themselves through to avoid pain and suffering.
Just this week, I had an anxiety attack that I get sometimes. It comes from my PTSD and other aspects, but the one thing that I instinctively say to myself, God, is this really necessary? There was no danger around me, but yet I still felt it. I do try to avoid situations that I know are hard for me, but with Gods help, I strive through them. Do I always succeed, no! But I never give up.
Listen to what Paul says, “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, In needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul is clearly telling us friends, in this life, we will NOT face adversity without victory as long as we put Christ into the focus of our life. However, weakness should NOT define who we are either. For instance, weakness is not a cop-out for doing very little and just throw it off to people ‘I’m weak and that’s the status Quo. Theres no reason to change because I am who I am, weak.”
That is NOT what Paul is displaying here. We are NOT to remain in a state of denial or in a sobbing sad story of how terrible it is. Weakness, just as paul gave us, is a sign that we need a savior. We need a redeemer. We need a friend, to come to our aid and give us strength. Why? Because we can’t do it alone! God not only loves us, but he wants to meet all our needs.
So how far does this weakness carry into our lives? Well lets me read from Pauls first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 10. “No temptation, or trial, has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Here you read about temptation, which also means trials.
What this is basically saying friends, with Gods Loving grace, ever faithful service to us, his people, we will be given the ability to bear what we go through, whether anxiety, depression, family problems, financial difficulties, medical concerns, what ever it is that sinks us into the mud and mire. He will lift us up and out onto solid ground.
How many of you enjoy going to doctors? A true story arose in 1994 about a man in London who had an experience. The man needed bladder surgery, but he couldn’t overcome his fear of doctors and hospitals. So he self-reliantly did what had to be done. He tried to perform the surgery upon himself. Tragically he got an infection and died. The coroner said, “Unfortunately, his drastic remedy went wrong. A simple operation would have solved the problem.”
Just as many don’t trust doctors and hospitals, many people wont trust God. In their self-reliance, they destroy themselves.
So what do we have to do? We must learn to trust God, in every aspect of our lives.
Friends, not just when we ‘THINK’ we need him, not just when we ‘FEEL’ we need him. But in every area of our life. Christ wants to be Lord and Master of each one of us, to show us just how loving he is. Not just when things go south, but in every area.
Think about this, when we only allow Christ to have access to parts of us, what parts will we give him? Most often its what we can’t handle. But the other areas, things we ‘think’ we can handle, honestly we have no control over either, but it seems more suitable for us to give over the ‘bad’ stuff as it doesn’t comfort us.
Weakness is NOT a sign that we are feeble. What it actually does, it gives God glory. It shows God that we, his children, depend on God's power and ability to be the only way to conqueor sin effectively. It shines brightly to God that ‘Yes Lord’, I’m willing to allow you full access to my life! Paul boasts about his weakness for Christ!
When we think of weakness, we normally do not think of Jesus do we! Listen to what Jesus done, “Then He said to them, My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
What do we do? What did Jesus do? Go to God period.
Jesus sets the example, we go to God in prayer. We bring our petitions, our request to God and always give thanks to him.
God desires us to pray to him during our weakest points, and even our strongest. I am reminded with the prophet Job, God told his three friends “I will have my servant Job pray for you.” God didn’t really need that, but God desires it deeply for us to go to him in Prayer. That’s how we communicate justly and righteously, is in Prayer.
So when we think on weakness, we should always reflect on going to God first, even in the middle of something. What ever it is. Remember friends, our greatest trials are followed by our greatest triumphs. No Christian is exempt from pain, and when pain and problems exist, he provides sufficient grace to go through it. Amen