"The Power of Weakness"

The Power of Weakness

Part 2

   

   In order to overturn Satan's rebellion and its dire consequences, our Lord's eternal purpose in Christ involves putting Himself at every seeming disadvantage.  He will ultimately redeem creation by displaying not only the power of His infinite strength, but also by the might of His invincible weakness.  The message communicated will be the evil and insanity of created beings choosing to believe that they can possess being and ability apart from the Giver of all things.

   "The weakness of God is stronger than men" declared the Apostle Paul (I Corinthians 1:25).  It's stronger than devils also.  

    "You, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:13-15)." 

    Note the mention of the cross, and the immediate reference to the spoiling of principalities and powers (referring to the demonic hierarchy).  Calvary and its victory resound through the ages to proclaim that in His weakest hour, the Lord Jesus accomplished the greatest triumph over His enemies.  The cross that impaled our Savior fell, as it were, upon Satan and his minions, bludgeoning them into a bloody pulp of defeat.  The result?  The Lord Jesus rose again from the dead three days later.  Conversely, twenty centuries later, the devil's defeat continues to be displayed as weakness over and over again serves as the seedbed of the Lord Jesus' victory.

    "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:35-37).

    As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, the Satan who deluded himself into believing that he originated his own strength must be defeated by the Christ who, as God, possesses infinite power, but who foregoes the application of such ability in order to live in dependence on His Father.  Thus, we must expect our present experience to involve the appearance and even the substance of weakness regarding our conditions, circumstances, and situations.  Our Lord may sometimes reveal great power in our lives. Quite often, however, such power will operate so behind the scenes and under the surface that it hardly seems noticeable.  This accounts for much of God's seemingly strange way of showcasing the victory of the crucified and risen Christ in our lives.  He presently defeats His enemies through weakness rather than strength, fulfilling His purposes amid the appearance of futility.  Indeed, when God seems least present and active, He is often most dynamically on the scene and working.  The Christ in whom we trust revealed such veiled glory in His own earthly lifetime.  The same Christ now lives in us, and we do well to expect that He will walk a similar path in our life and experience.

    God presently allows the devil, the world, and the flesh to display their strength, such as it is.  They seem to win, they seem to rule, they seem to dominate.  Nevertheless,  our Lord continually wins quiet victories again and again and again, frequently wielding weakness as His weapon.  At the end of all things in their present existence, the triumph will be revealed.  The weakness of God will overcome and destroy the strength of His enemies.  The crucified Lord Jesus will reign as the risen Christ forevermore.  Those in whom He lived will reign with Him.  The Light will shine, the darkness will dissolve, and the lesson will be learned:  "Thou art God alone" (Psalm 86:10).  Weakness will have won, revealing that God at His seemingly feeblest is greater than all others at their seemingly strongest.

Sometimes it seems that the enemy of our soul wins

over and over and over and over again.

But if we could see the truth much more clearly, my friend,

we'd see Christ triumph once again and again,

over and over and over and over again.

\

The tomb is empty, the Throne above occupied.

For Christ is risen again, from death glorified.

Oh remember when hot, stinging tears fill your eyes,

the triumph He's shown so many times in our lives,

Over and over and over and over again.

Forever draws nigh, we will be with Him there soon, my friend.

The trials of this life will be gone when we're with Him in Heaven.

And glories we'll see, majesty without end,

that sing the glad truth, Christ is risen again,

Over and over and over and over again.

"Though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

(II Corinthians 13:4)

Weekly Memory Verse

    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"