The Weakest Christian

Psalm 6:2  Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

 

Matthew 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

 

Luke 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

 

·         This generation of Christians, more than any other, has sought to make God in their image. They’ve created a Savior who is little more than a buddy; His will for them always seems to be exactly what they want, and He is never disturbed by their willful sin! Let’s be clear – weakness is not repeated, willful sin! If you are consistently, willfully making choices in opposition to God’s Word, you’re a sinner, not a saint! But if you are sincerely attempting to serve God, this message is for you – no matter how many times you have fallen or failed!

 

Romans 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

 

Matthew 12:20  A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

 

Psalm 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

 

·         Every one of us has weaknesses. There are physical weaknesses, emotional weaknesses, relational weaknesses, financial weaknesses, intellectual weaknesses. There are things your body can’t do. Some of us even have fashion weaknesses!  We have all different kinds of weakness.

 

·         The real issue is not, “Do I have weaknesses?” but “What am I going to do with my weaknesses?” What we normally do is deny them, defend them, excuse them, resent them and most of all hide them – we don’t want anybody to see our weaknesses!  Then God comes along and says, “You know what I want to do with your weaknesses? I want to USE them.” That doesn’t make sense to us; we think God only wants to use our strengths.

 

Isaiah 55:8-9  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

·         God is smarter than you. The way you think He should work is often the exact opposite of the way He really works in life. He says, “I don’t want to work around your weaknesses. I don’t want to work in spite of your weaknesses. I want to work through your weaknesses!”

 

1 Corinthians 1:27-29  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.

·         God purposely works through weak people. Why? Because it shows His power! God is not impressed with strength, we are!

Zechariah 4:6b  Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

·         That’s good news, because most of us are not extraordinary people.  We don’t have bodies like the models. We don’t have extraordinary intellect. We’re just normal, ordinary, average people. God says “That’s okay, because I don’t choose to work through natural strength. I choose to work through natural weakness so that My power can shine through.”

·         Again, when we talk about weakness we’re not talking about sins or character flaws that you can change (like overeating, impatience, greed, laziness).

·         Weakness is any limitation in my life that I inherited or cannot change. There are all kinds of limitations like that.

o    Physical defects you were born with

o    External circumstances you cannot control

o    Unexpected financial setbacks

o    Relationship pressures within your family

o    Emotional tendencies you are predisposed toward

o    Some talents are completely beyond your ability

2 Corinthians 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

·         The thing about clay pots is that they break easily, they are not indestructible. But more than that, every clay pot has inherited design flaws, it is imperfect. We are just ordinary containers, but we have a great God! Someone wrote a book entitled, “God Uses Cracked Pots.” You’re the kind of person God wants to use!

·         The Bible not only tells us to ADMIT our weaknesses, it tells us to be THANKFUL for our weaknesses! “You’ve got to be kidding!  I want to come to church and take a magic pill to get rid of all my weaknesses. I don’t want you to tell me to be grateful for them – I want to be free from all of them.” Why in the world would anybody be thankful for their weaknesses? Because there are many benefits; weaknesses are actually blessings in disguise!

1 Corinthians 1:25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  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. 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.

·         Being thankful for our weaknesses guarantees God’s help, and it also causes you to value others. You make a strong rope, not by making one solid cord, but by putting a lot of strands together. That’s the value of unity, and the value of a church family. We’re all weak in different ways, and at different times – but we’re strong together!

Romans 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

Romans 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2 Corinthians 11:29-30  Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

1 Corinthians 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

·         The greatest thing that weakness does for us is it gives us a MINISTRY. God put us on earth not just to live for ourselves, but to help other people. Your greatest ministry will flow out of your weaknesses. Your greatest life message is going to come out of your deepest hurt. The very thing that caused you the most grief and pain, God can use as a message to other people to encourage them. The thing you’re most embarrassed about, the thing you’re most ashamed of, the thing you don’t want anybody else to know about – God wants to use that to encourage other people.

Hebrews 11:32-34  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong …

·         God always uses weak people. He turns weakness into strength!

MOSES

Anger was Moses’ greatest weakness; he killed an Egyptian, broke the tables of stone, and smote the rock twice. Yet only he and Jesus were called “meek” in the Bible, which means “anger under control.”

DAVID

David lusted after another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, and then had the man killed. But later he was called “a man after God’s own heart” when God turned that weakness into strength.

ABRAHAM

Abraham is called the father of faith, but his greatest weakness was his lack of faith. One time, he had his wife pretend to be his sister because he doubted that God could protect him from the enemy who wanted her.

GIDEON

When God wanted Gideon to become Israel’s deliverer from the Midianites, He called him a “mighty man of valour.” Gideon was hiding from the enemy at the time, but God still used him!

 

PETER

Jesus called Peter a “rock” but he was anything but stable! He was impulsive and violent, and he even denied the Lord. But look at him on the Day of Pentecost after God turned his weakness into strength!

JACOB

Jacob was a deceiver, a manipulator and a schemer. He made one mess after another and then ran from it. He ran his entire life, until the night that he wrestled with God. He said, “I’m not letting you go until you bless me!” And God said, “Okay, I’ll bless you!” He touched Jacob at his greatest point of strength – the thigh that helped him run! Forever after, he would walk with a limp. Why? So he couldn’t run from his weaknesses any more, and so he would have a constant reminder to depend on God!

·         Pain sensitizes us to the hurts of others. If you want to have a Christ-like ministry, that means sometimes other people are going to be helped, encouraged and even healed by the wounds in your life. Jesus Christ received wounds in His body and we benefited from it!

·         What’s the bottom line? Stop using your weakness as an excuse as to why you can’t do anything for God! It may be the very thing He wants to use to bring glory to Himself!

 

Joel 3:10  Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

 

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Isaiah 40:29-31  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

·         “But I have fallen and failed! I’m so weak!”

Micah 7:8  Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

·         “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.”