Sermon Summary
· Good works easily lead to pride. And this can lead to a sense of works righteousness which leads us away from saving faith in Jesus.
· Paul was in danger of letting his virtue and blessings turn into a source of personal pride (2 Corinthians 12:6-10).
· God gave Paul a thorn in his side to stop him from becoming conceited.
-
- The nature of the thorn is unknown so that we may read our own thorn into the text.
- Paul has an experience of strength which leads to an experience of weakness which leads to an experience of strength.
- Strength and weakness, in our faith, work together to move us forward.
· When a bad thing happens to you, whether it is sin or circumstance, there is both a message from God and a message from Satan attached to it.
-
- My increasing weakness or strength will result in whichever message I choose to listen to.
- Satan’s attachment is indifference, self-pity, and guilt but God’s is “my grace is sufficient for you.”
· When we are weak we are strong because it takes us out of the equation and replaces our self-reliance with God’s grace.