The love of God causes us to triumph in our weaknesses
In lesson 3 we began talking about the power of God's love.
God's love is not only revealed in our lives, but it has powerful effects in our life. There are some very powerful things that the revelation of God's love cultivates within our heart.
In lesson 3 we saw that the revelation of God's love casts out fear and dispels unbelief from our lives.
We looked at John 21. Jesus stepped into the disciples prison of fear and unbelief, revealing to them the cross. From this we learned the more we understand God's love behind the cross, the more that revelation of God's love sets us free from our prisons of fear and unbelief.
So here is the third truth I want to share on:
The love of God causes us to triumph in our weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ...
The Christian life is the triumphant life! It's a life of experiencing Christ's victory in our spiritual walk. One of the places where the love of God triumphs is in our weaknesses.
Luke 22:31-34 And the Lord said, Simon! Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.
Moments before going to the cross, Jesus told Simon, Satan desires to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Yet, the question I want to ask you is this: who is Satan's attack really against? In sifting Simon, who is the enemy really attacking? The answer is 'Christ.' The answer is 'the testimony of Christ in Peter's life.'
Remember, in Matthew 16 Jesus declared to Simon, "I am going to call you Peter, which means 'a rock.' Because of your proclamation of faith, I no longer call you Simon, but now I call you Peter, which means 'a stone."
Now what is a rock? What is a stone? It is something very solid and strong. It is something you can build upon because it is an unshakable foundation.
So in sifting Simon Peter, Satan is really attacking the testimony of Christ in his life.
In essence, Satan is saying to the Lord, "Jesus, you called this man, Peter, a rock, but I want to show you that he is all straw. You called him 'a stone,' but I want to prove to you he is all grass and stubble. There is no substance to this man's faith whatsoever. I want to prove to you that whatever faith is in this man, it is nothing more than chaff blown away with the wind."
When I look at this story, whether Satan realizes it or not, it just looks like one more attempt to try and discourage Jesus from going to the cross.
"This is is what you're going to the cross for?! This is what you are going to commit the message of the cross to?! You're going to be horribly crucified, only to place the gospel into the hands of someone who is nothing more than straw blown around in the wind?! Preposterous!"
Yet, do you know what I love about this story?!
Jesus knew Peter's faith was going to temporarily fail in time of distress. However, Jesus was not discouraged by Peter's failure. Jesus was not disappointed by Peter's waver of faith. Why? Because Jesus knew the bottom line.
So what is the bottom line? But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.
Jesus is telling Peter, "Because I am praying for you, what the enemy considers to be weakness and failure in your life is going to be the very thing God is going to use to make you a great strength to the body of Christ. Because I am praying for you, what the enemy considers to be frailty and failure in your life is going to be the very thing God is going to use to cause you to become a pillar of strength in the church. Be of good courage, Peter."
Brothers and sisters in Christ, because God loves us and His love is unfailing in our life, those places in our life that we see as weakness and failure will miraculously become places of deep strength. They will become something God will gloriously use to edify the body of Christ. Those places in your life that the enemy is constantly pointing at and asserting, Weakness and failure! Weakness and failure! Weakness and failure! Those are the places where Jesus is saying, God is going to use that. God is going to use that. God is going to turn it around and use that for the strengthening of His people.
God's love triumphs in our places of weakness and failure because those are the very things God will use to work a deep strength in our lives to edify the body of Christ.
God be praised!
What an encouraging word!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you were blessed
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