Topsy-Turvy Christianity 2, Weakness is Strength – 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 7 to 10
7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Strength is Strength isn’t it? – Simple!
Strength, muscle, power, might. Quite the opposite of weakness.
God turns this upside-down. He says “Weakness is Strength!”
The Backdrop: some were saying “we need more than Paul taught”. A “Super-Christianity” of visions and experiences.
Scene 1: A thorn (verse 7) – Paul won’t boast of his vision or experience. He warns about what boasting brings – painful thorns.
Scene 2: A Rejected Plea (verses 8 & 9) – when the answer is “No”. Only in weakness are we driven to Him.
Scene 3: A New Resolve: (verses 9 & 10) – embracing the thorn.
Scene 4: A New Motto (verse 10), “weakness is strength” or “Strength is strength” – which is yours?
