What It Means to Be Weak in Jesus
People like winners
• Every day on earth there are contests to see who is best at something.
• Olympics, contests, leagues – everybody cheers for the winners.
• People respect strong people – healthy, disciplined, practiced, pretty.
So,
• What does it mean to be strong?
• What does it mean to be weak?
1 John 3:1-10 (KJV)
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Praise God! We that are saved by the Blood of Jesus are His Children!
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Philippians 2:12 (KJV)
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
“fear and trembling:” Luke 12:5 (KJV)
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
“work out your own salvation”
Salvation is not by works but continuing your salvation in a right relationship with God is works.
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
God will not be mocked. You can’t be playing around with Sin
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Jesus is the only one who is able to take away our sins because he was sinless.
You can’t Save yourself because of your sin.
That’s why we need and depend on our savior, Christ Jesus!
We rely on Jesus every day,
picking up our cross,
crucifying our flesh (desires, fleshly appetites that hinder our spirit working with God’s spirit that is in us)
In other words, I’m not going to crowd out the Spirit of God in me with all my fleshly moaning’s and groaning’s of want’s and needs.
That’s why we fast.
That’s why we pray
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
John does not teach that believers do not sin,
John is speaking of a character, a habit.
(Otherwise he would not say 1 John 1:8-2:1 (KJV)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
So, it is the character, a habit of practicing sin that should not be in us
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Remember, you have a strong enemy in the devil.
He is a deceiver.
You may not think much about that.
You may feel like you’re too smart to be deceived.
But I want to warn you that deception is prevalent among many believers today. And you may be one of them!
People who are deceived don’t realize they are deceived.
I know that sounds very basic but,
if you confront someone who is deceived and tell them that they are deceived they can’t see it.
So how do you know you’re not deceived?
First, you must realize that you are very vulnerable without Jesus.
When you are practicing and continually practicing sin,
you’re losing more and more of your relationship with Jesus.
There is no way God will indwell in a sinful body.
You are not going to bring the Holy Spirit into the bar.
Into pornography.
Into drug addiction.
Into illicit affairs.
Into fornication or adultery.
God will not abide in someone that practices sin
Is why we need to be delivered of our sin.
And not just when we are born again but we need to continually pick up our cross. Every day examine ourselves and see and search our hearts if there is any sin in us. We must admit that we are sinners.
We must admit that we have sinned
And we must rebuke that sin and flee from it!
Cast it out!
That’s why Paul says not to let these things be named among you.
Ephesians 5:3 (KJV)
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Not only must you realize that you are vulnerable without Jesus.
You must also see that if you have sin in you, you are NOT right with God!
Look at the Next Verse:
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
If you continue in sin, you are of the devil.
You keep on thinking those things,
dwelling on those things in your heart.
Taking in all kinds of profanity and garbage around this world into your life.
It’s going to affect you.
It’s going to bring you down.
It will discourage you.
It will get a hold of you and it will affect your marriage,
your family, your job and all aspects of your life.
Sin is a trap in the devil wants to snare you.
Keep away from sin and keep your focus on Jesus!
John goes on to say:
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
You are saved to destroy the works of the devil in this world and you can’t do that with sin in your life.
Your saved to destroy the works of the devil
Destroy the works.
Don’t become the works or you will be destroyed.
Why do you think many people will say in the last days,
Matthew 7:22 (KJV)
22 “…Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
These people became the works of the devil by their false prophecies,
and false teachings that glorified themselves and NOT GOD!
You say, “brother Tom, I’m not teaching false things”
You are teaching false things if you are living one way and telling people to live another way.
If all they see in you life is a Facebook post
But they don’t see that in your actions/works in living for Christ.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
“whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;”
he who has been saved and remains God's child does not practice sin.
“for his seed remaineth in him:”
God’s seed is “The divine principle of life.”
“and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
Again, John does not teach that believers do not sin,
but is speaking of a character, a habit.
Throughout this Epistle John deals with the ideal reality of life in God,
in which the love of God and sin exclude each other as light and darkness.
1 John 1:5-7 (KJV)
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
There it is!
“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil”
“Manifest”: Plain, open, clearly visible to the eye or obvious to the understanding; apparent; not obscure or difficult to be seen or understood.
So, understanding all this, what does it mean to be weak in Jesus?
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (KJV)
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
As John taught us, we need to be honest with ourselves, understanding that we are sinful and we are weak.
We need THE savior daily in our life.
Daily we need to come to Christ.
I’m not saying you get saved every day. That’s silly.
But we maintain our salvation on a daily basis.
Every day that passes that we don’t feed the Spirit of God in us, we become weaker spiritually.
Becoming weak spiritually is not what Paul is talking about here in 2 Corinthians 12
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Just as John taught, we are dependent on Jesus.
We are dependent on God to live this life.
We are weak but he is strong!
Paul said: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I glory in my infirmities because that makes me weak,
dependent, vulnerable to the Holy Spirit.
And when I realize that, “Christ may rest upon me.”
This is the opposite of pride.
The devil fell because of pride.
Too many people in the church have pride.
We don’t need to boast about anything other than what Jesus has done for me. What Jesus is doing for me.
What Jesus is going to do for me.
When is the last time you took, “pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:”?
“for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Weakness is you Understanding that YOU Cannot to ANYTHING without JESUS!
Don’t buy anything,
don’t do anything,
don’t go anywhere,
don’t plan anything,
don’t say anything,
don’t give anything,
don’t do anything without Jesus being involved in it!
Because I understand my weakness in my own abilities and I depend on Christ, that’s what makes me strong!
Now I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me!
Now I can ask anything in his name and it shall be done!
Now I can ask that mountain to be removed and cast into the sea and it shall be done
Now I can’t bound anything on earth and it shall be bound in heaven
Now I can lose anything on earth and it shall be loosed in heaven
Now I can have greater faith that works with me to destroy the works of the devil.
Now I can say the name of Jesus and cast out devils
Now I can say the name of Jesus and people will be healed
Now I can say the name of Jesus and you will be delivered from your infirmities, from your sickness,
from your disease,
from your addictions,
from your sins that easily beset you,
