Week 21: 2 Corinthians 13:3-6

since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.

2 Corinthians 13:3-6

Hey there promise movers!  Hope you all had a great week moving with us on the promises of God.  If there is something cool that God did in your life through these promises, or just anything else that He has been faithful in (we know that He is faithful in all He does) please let us know about it!  Nothing makes me happier than reading praise reports on the goodness of God!  We can even post them to this blog so that everyone can get in on the fun.  It is just so awesome that we are able to bring glory to God through our testimony...just another one of the multitude of gifts He has given to us.

This week we are going to focus on the power that we have in God.  2 Corinthians 12:9 is probably a more familiar verse to some of you, so we are going to start there to get an idea of what we are required to do in order to cash in on this promise.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 is when Paul talks about the "thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan" sent to torment him.  He prays to God three times to remove this thorn, and God answers Paul's prayer; just not in the way he was expecting.  God says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."  Ridiculous concept, huh?  We cash in on God's promise of power by allowing ourselves to become weak.  It's just not logical.  That's because it's theological!

I really love how Paul puts this in verse 7, that this thorn was given to him "to keep me from exalting myself."  That is why we need to become weak.  God doesn't do power struggles.  He IS the power.  You have the free will to recognize it or not.  He will not fight you over it though.  You want to keep your power over battling a certain addiction or controlling what you do at work? He is going to let you.  If that's what you want though, you aren't going to have His power.  I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to let God's power do the work in my life.

Now let's turn to 2 Corinthians 13:3-6.  I love Paul's swagger that comes through in this section.  It's a Holy Spirit swagger.  Jesus Christ is not weak!  Let's get that straight right now.  That's my one beef with The Bible Series on the History channel.  Jesus is portrayed as this weakling flipping tables over in the synagogue.  Yes, Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God.  NEVER forget though, He is also the Lion of Judah.  Our God has teeth!

That's what Paul is talking about here.  Yes, Jesus was hung, in weakness, on a cross.  We too have that same weakness in us, that we died to our sins in the same manner that Christ did.  Jesus Christ didn't stay "weak" though.  He didn't stay in the grave.  I read this quote in a fabulous book by Henry and Melvin Blackaby called Experiencing the Resurrection,  and it still gives me goosebumps every time I read it.

Jesus said that those who remain in their sin will surely die (John 8:24). So He died in our place and went to the grave - but with the full confidence that the power of the Father was sufficient.  And indeed, the Father went after Him and reached down into the darkness and laid hold of His Son.  With all the power of Satan and his demons straining to secure the grave, the righteous hand of the Father found its way.  And the power of the almighty God ripped His Son from the eternal chains meant for you and me.  The resurrection power pulled Him from a pit of darkness back into the kingdom of light.

Praise be to God!  Jesus now reigns over the kingdom of light and has complete dominion over all principalities and powers.  Talk about power!  It all belongs to Jesus.  And the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now in His hands.  Anytime a person cries out to Jesus in repentance and pleads for forgiveness of sin, He hears.  He has been there; He knows the way to rescue your soul. 

I don't know if I really have to write anything else!  Jesus Christ was the perfect example for us.  He was not, is not, has never been, and will never be weak. Yet He became weak to the point of the cross so that His Almighty Father could make Him strong.  That is the example He asks us to follow.  That we become weak to whatever weakness He calls us to, because in doing so we become strong.

So Paul urges us, "test yourselves to see if you are in the faith."  Are you bearing good fruit?  TEST YOURSELF!  You can't and won't have the power of Christ unless you are in Him.  Like we said last week, it's all about your position in Christ.  If you are in the True Vine, you will bear good fruit.  If you aren't bearing good fruit, you need to take a look at your position.

So get in position this week.  Go all in with the True Vine that is Jesus Christ.  Bear good fruit and walk in the power of the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the Great I AM!  Let His righteous hand rip you from the clutches of Satan just as He did 2,000 years ago with His own Son.

MOVE IN THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION!