READ 2 CORINTHIANS 12:6-10: Read the text. Have a quiet moment for a minute after reading the passage so people can take time to reflect.

MAIN IDEA
Weaknesses humble us to recognize our need for His grace and see the power of Christ displayed.

SERMON SUMMARY:

• Paul was defending his ministry against false teachers in Corinth.

• These false teachers were boasting about their credentials, and spiritual experiences.

• Paul responds with sarcasm and even participates in their boasting to expose the foolishness of boasting in these things.

• Paul brings his defense to a close. Instead of boasting about his credentials and extraordinary experiences, Paul now boasts about his weaknesses.

• Paul had experienced extraordinary revelations and spiritual experiences that he could have boasted about, but he chose not to.

• He had a “thorn in the flesh” which God allowed to keep him from becoming conceited.

• When things are going well, we can become self-sufficient and forget how much we need God. Weakness develops humility by exposing our limitations and reminding us that we truly need to depend on God.

• Regarding Paul’s weakness, he pleaded with God three times to remove it. It is okay to ask God to remove our weaknesses, but we must trust God even if He does not.

• God did not remove Paul’s weakness. Instead, He told Paul that His grace is sufficient and that His power is made perfect in weakness.

• Instead of changing Paul’s circumstance, God uses the circumstance to change Paul.

• We may not always receive the answer we want, but we will always have the grace we need. Weakness draws us near to His grace.

• Paul learned that his strength did not come from his own efforts to be strong enough, but from Christ’s power resting on him. 

• We don’t have to be enough because Christ is enough.

• When we cannot fix a situation, we are reminded to turn to Christ and depend on His grace and His power.

• We don’t need to be ashamed of our weaknesses. Instead, we can bring them to Christ and embrace our dependence on Him.

DISCUSSION QUESTION
What is one weakness or difficulty in your life where you need to trust God and depend more on His grace?