When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
There is one of the most beloved gospel songs "You Are My All in All" by Dennis Jernigan as our Choir sang today:
You are my strength when I am weak.
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my All in All
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my All in All
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my All in All
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my All in All
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Dennis Jernigan's song "You Are My All in All" is his confession throughout his weaknesses: There was a time when Dennis Jernigan had no strength left, when his flesh was buckled beneath the power of temptation.
From his early age in a small town Boynton, Oklahoma on, Jernigan felt that the intensity of his homosexual feelings grew inside him.
After graduation from college with a degree in church music, still struggling with his homosexuality, Jernigan wanted to know more about God, and he figured the
best place to do that was seminary. But three days before Jernigan was to leave for seminary, he got a call from a Christian friend. He said to Jernigan: "Would you consider moving to Oklahoma City, living with us and just giving God a chance?"
Jernigan accepted the offer, moved to Oklahoma City and took a job as a school bus driver. He said the time following college graduation was when he "fell off the deep end" into sin.
But in November of 1981, he attended a concert by the Christian group Second Chapter of Acts, unaware that the events of that night would change the direction of his life forever. Jernigan said: "I went expecting to be entertained and I came away with my heart changed."
Inspired by the words of the group's lead singer, Matthew Ward, Jernigan realized he could surrender his homosexuality to Christ and be freed at last from its powerful grip. He walked away from the gay lifestyle that night, convinced that if God said he could be freed, it must be the truth.
Jernigan likens his process of leaving the gay lifestyle to Lazarus coming out of the tomb: "A lot of the old grave clothes that used to bind me are still around my heart. But I am in the process of ripping those away, day by day, moment by moment."
Jernigan decided not to share his past with anyone--including the woman he eventually married, Melinda. He worried that if he told her, he could lose her, along with their children.
Yet, his conscience kept telling him that it was time to get honest. He took his wife out and told her that he had struggled with homosexuality.
His wife began to weep and thanked him for telling her. What he feared most never happened. They now have nine children.
Dennis Jernigan's life illustrates that God is bigger than our weaknesses and that there is no sin or weakness beyond His reach.
Paul was a man of spirituality, healing power, and of mysterious revelations and miraculous experiences. Yet, he told us that he was given a thorn in his flesh.
What was a thorn in his flesh?
As Paul did not tell us what it was, we do not know for sure.
But some scholars say that it was an eye disease, other scholars say that it was an epilepsy, and some other people say that it was his speech impediment.
Yet, some other scholars claim that it was Paul's failure in evangelizing his fellow Jews. His gospel was well accepted among the Gentiles, but not accepted by the Jews.
Paul called it "a messenger of Satan" as people including his opponents looked down upon him because of this. They probably said, "Did Paul really heal other people? Let him heal his own sickness! He cannot heal his own sickness. He is so poor in his speech. He is an unqualified pastor!"
The thorn in his flesh, the messenger of Satan, tormented him.
Why was the thorn given him in his flesh?
It was given him to keep him from becoming conceited or getting puffed up because he had received surpassingly great revelations from God.
Furthermore, the thorn let Paul come closer to God by praying to him unceasingly.
Sometimes we may encounter difficulties or sufferings.
But difficulties or sufferings are not necessarily bad things to us when they make us pray and come closer to God.
What was Paul's reaction when the thorn was given him in his flesh?
Three times he prayed God to take it away.
"Three times" means he prayed God until he got God's answer.
God answers our prayers "yes" or "no."
Please remember that "no" is also God's answer.
God answered "no" to Paul's prayer, and said to him in verse 9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
"My grace is sufficient for you."
God's grace is always sufficient for each one of us as he gave us salvation and eternal life by having let his Son Jesus Christ die on the cross for us, unworthy ones to be saved.
"My power is made perfect in weakness."
God's power is made perfect in human weakness.
It was not Paul who was able to make his ministry for Gentile churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia and Achaia successful.
It was God whose power was made perfect in Paul's weakness.
If your weaknesses make you see God's power working perfectly by means of you, what would you do?
You will not be ashamed of your weaknesses. Rather, you will boast about your weaknesses. Your weaknesses may not be thorns in your flesh anymore as Christ's power may rest on you.
They may torment you once in a while, but you may be thankful to God even for the thorns in your flesh.
What are your weaknesses?
Are you willing to boast about your weaknesses rather than your strengths?
Because of your weaknesses, you acknowledge that you are a weak person, you pray harder to God, being humbled and kneeling down before him.
David confessed in Psalm 23:5, "My cup overflows" while he was being chased by enemies, as he knew that his cup, his weak life, was always filled with God's grace and power.
Paul says in verse 10: "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties."
His opponents criticized him: "If Paul was really an apostle from God, how come he was caught so often, beaten and thrown into prison? Why could he not heal his own disease?"
But as Paul was answered by God, he was not so much concerned about his opponents' insults or condemnation.
"When I am weak, then I am strong."
When you acknowledge that you are a weak person, and thus come closer to God and lean on him expecting for his help, you feel that you become strong not by your power and ability but by God's power and his grace.
So, we confess, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. I delight in weaknesses, in poverty, in sickness, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
You are my strength when I am weak.
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my All in All
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my All in All
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my All in All
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my All in All
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name
Dennis Jernigan's song "You Are My All in All" is his confession throughout his weaknesses: There was a time when Dennis Jernigan had no strength left, when his flesh was buckled beneath the power of temptation.
From his early age in a small town Boynton, Oklahoma on, Jernigan felt that the intensity of his homosexual feelings grew inside him.
After graduation from college with a degree in church music, still struggling with his homosexuality, Jernigan wanted to know more about God, and he figured the
best place to do that was seminary. But three days before Jernigan was to leave for seminary, he got a call from a Christian friend. He said to Jernigan: "Would you consider moving to Oklahoma City, living with us and just giving God a chance?"
Jernigan accepted the offer, moved to Oklahoma City and took a job as a school bus driver. He said the time following college graduation was when he "fell off the deep end" into sin.
But in November of 1981, he attended a concert by the Christian group Second Chapter of Acts, unaware that the events of that night would change the direction of his life forever. Jernigan said: "I went expecting to be entertained and I came away with my heart changed."
Inspired by the words of the group's lead singer, Matthew Ward, Jernigan realized he could surrender his homosexuality to Christ and be freed at last from its powerful grip. He walked away from the gay lifestyle that night, convinced that if God said he could be freed, it must be the truth.
Jernigan likens his process of leaving the gay lifestyle to Lazarus coming out of the tomb: "A lot of the old grave clothes that used to bind me are still around my heart. But I am in the process of ripping those away, day by day, moment by moment."
Jernigan decided not to share his past with anyone--including the woman he eventually married, Melinda. He worried that if he told her, he could lose her, along with their children.
Yet, his conscience kept telling him that it was time to get honest. He took his wife out and told her that he had struggled with homosexuality.
His wife began to weep and thanked him for telling her. What he feared most never happened. They now have nine children.
Dennis Jernigan's life illustrates that God is bigger than our weaknesses and that there is no sin or weakness beyond His reach.
Paul was a man of spirituality, healing power, and of mysterious revelations and miraculous experiences. Yet, he told us that he was given a thorn in his flesh.
What was a thorn in his flesh?
As Paul did not tell us what it was, we do not know for sure.
But some scholars say that it was an eye disease, other scholars say that it was an epilepsy, and some other people say that it was his speech impediment.
Yet, some other scholars claim that it was Paul's failure in evangelizing his fellow Jews. His gospel was well accepted among the Gentiles, but not accepted by the Jews.
Paul called it "a messenger of Satan" as people including his opponents looked down upon him because of this. They probably said, "Did Paul really heal other people? Let him heal his own sickness! He cannot heal his own sickness. He is so poor in his speech. He is an unqualified pastor!"
The thorn in his flesh, the messenger of Satan, tormented him.
Why was the thorn given him in his flesh?
It was given him to keep him from becoming conceited or getting puffed up because he had received surpassingly great revelations from God.
Furthermore, the thorn let Paul come closer to God by praying to him unceasingly.
Sometimes we may encounter difficulties or sufferings.
But difficulties or sufferings are not necessarily bad things to us when they make us pray and come closer to God.
What was Paul's reaction when the thorn was given him in his flesh?
Three times he prayed God to take it away.
"Three times" means he prayed God until he got God's answer.
God answers our prayers "yes" or "no."
Please remember that "no" is also God's answer.
God answered "no" to Paul's prayer, and said to him in verse 9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
"My grace is sufficient for you."
God's grace is always sufficient for each one of us as he gave us salvation and eternal life by having let his Son Jesus Christ die on the cross for us, unworthy ones to be saved.
"My power is made perfect in weakness."
God's power is made perfect in human weakness.
It was not Paul who was able to make his ministry for Gentile churches in Asia Minor, Macedonia and Achaia successful.
It was God whose power was made perfect in Paul's weakness.
If your weaknesses make you see God's power working perfectly by means of you, what would you do?
You will not be ashamed of your weaknesses. Rather, you will boast about your weaknesses. Your weaknesses may not be thorns in your flesh anymore as Christ's power may rest on you.
They may torment you once in a while, but you may be thankful to God even for the thorns in your flesh.
What are your weaknesses?
Are you willing to boast about your weaknesses rather than your strengths?
Because of your weaknesses, you acknowledge that you are a weak person, you pray harder to God, being humbled and kneeling down before him.
David confessed in Psalm 23:5, "My cup overflows" while he was being chased by enemies, as he knew that his cup, his weak life, was always filled with God's grace and power.
Paul says in verse 10: "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties."
His opponents criticized him: "If Paul was really an apostle from God, how come he was caught so often, beaten and thrown into prison? Why could he not heal his own disease?"
But as Paul was answered by God, he was not so much concerned about his opponents' insults or condemnation.
"When I am weak, then I am strong."
When you acknowledge that you are a weak person, and thus come closer to God and lean on him expecting for his help, you feel that you become strong not by your power and ability but by God's power and his grace.
So, we confess, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. I delight in weaknesses, in poverty, in sickness, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
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