2024-09-15 Sermon Notes - Daniel Lyons' Notes

type:
  - "[[Sermon Notes|Sermon Notes]]"
speaker: "[[Archibald Allison]]"
date: 2024-09-15
location: "[[Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]]"
passage: "[[2 Cor-12#v9|2 Corinthians 12:9-10]]"
sermon series: Allison on 2 Corinthians
sermon link:
subjects:
title: Christ's Power Perfected in Weakness
takeaways:
publish: true

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.

Points

❓: How can you pray for strength when you are weak?
The weaker we are, the more clearly God's strength can be displayed.
- When we are weak, God can respond, thus making it clear that it was Him and not us that answered our prayers.
- Paul: "I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me."
  - By glorying in Paul's weakness:
    - Paul humbles himself
    - Paul takes credit off of himself.
    - Paul places the glory on Christ.
    - Paradoxically, it is by becoming weaker that Paul receives Christ's power
  - "the power of Christ may rest on me":
    - rest here is the word tabernacle. Tent. Dwell. God dwells with us.
Christ's sake is the foundation of this:
- Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ's sake.
- Christ is the source of my peace.
We want to be strong in ourselves, and yet we are weak and unworthy.
- Isaiah 40:29 : He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
- ❓: Haven't you noticed that when you realize your sin and unworthiness, that it is then that you are strongest in the LORD?
Case study: Joseph
- Joseph was "strong" in his own eyes.
- Joseph became weak: beaten, sold as a slave, thrown into prison.
- It was when Joseph became weak that he was humble enough to realize that he needed God.
Case study: two debtors: Luke 7:41
Humility benefits our Gospel witness.
- When we realize that God could save us (wretched, weak and sinful as we are), then we realize, wow, If God can save me, God can truly save anyone!
You will not find satisfaction when you come to the Lord's table, full. You must come empty, and hungry. Then you can eat and be satisfied.
Benefits of weakness:
- 1. Christ centeredness:
  - When I am weak I realize that I need Christ and he must be the center.
- 1. We trust God more than ourselves:
- 1. We learn to pray better:
  - We pray when things are going well.
  - And we pray when we are too weak to go on.
  - And through that we find strength in Christ
- 1. We learn to walk by faith and not by sight.
  - It is the weak man who:
    - is able to cling to the promises of Christ
    - clings to the things of God: his Word, his Spirit
- 1. Divine guidance in the gravest of difficulties
- 1. Fellowship with God
  - Isaiah 57:15 : God says: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite."
- 1. we learn the benefit of bearing our cross even when we are weak
  - Isaiah 40:30-31 : those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
- 1. We learn to cast all our fears on Christ, and take solace in His mercy:

Application

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2024-09-15 Sermon Notes

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