Perfected in Weaknesses | Aug. 24, 25 | Pr Raph

Perfected in Weakness

Weakness is to protect us

A couple of days ago, on my day off, I took my two boys out for a bike ride. After a while on the trail, one of them challenged me to a sprint back home. We raced with all we had, lungs burning, bodies overheating, until we crossed the finish line at the house. I sat down, gasping, saying, “I need cold water,” and the next thing I knew—I fainted. I had heat exhaustion. I woke up to the sound of my boys saying, “I’m calling 911,” and though I whispered, “No, hang up,” the dispatcher had already sent paramedics.

As embarrassing as that moment was, it was also important. I learned that in just five days, paramedics had responded to over 400 calls for the same thing—and not just tourists or visitors, but Floridians. People who thought they could handle the heat but ignored their weakness failed to hydrate and collapsed.

Just like my body forced me to stop before I did real harm to myself, God ordains weakness to protect us. 

Our weaknesses are not punishments—they are protections. God uses them to slow us down, humble us, and keep us dependent on His grace. Paul calls his weakness a thorn in the flesh, but he realized that what he thought was a limitation was actually a safeguard, keeping him from destroying himself with pride.

Weakness is not the enemy. In Christ, our weaknesses are often the very tools God uses to protect us, so that His strength—not ours—carries the day.

2 Corinthians 12:1-9 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The world craves strength that delivers us out of weakness, but biblical Christianity offers something radically different: the power of Christ in weakness.

Why is pride so dangerous?

Pride is dangerous because it puffs us up, blinds us to need, distorts God’s Word, and shuts us off from His power. Pride turns knowledge and gifts into tools for self-exaltation rather than love. 

Paul warns that a church leader.

(1 Tim. 3:6). “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil”

The “condemnation of the devil” is pride—thinking more highly of oneself than one should, which leads to ruin.

Pride is Lucifer’s sin, his downfall, and his weapon against us. Ezekiel’s lament over the king of Tyre is often read as a window into Lucifer’s origin and reveals 

Ezekiel 28:17 17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

To embrace pride is to walk the same path that turned an angel of light into the prince of darkness. Humility, by contrast, positions us to receive grace, walk in truth, and magnify Christ.

Who is behind that?

2 Corinthians 12:7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

Paul says his thorn was “a messenger of Satan.” Why would Satan want to keep Paul from pride? Satan’s business is to produce pride, not prevent it. The answer lies in God’s sovereignty. Satan intended the thorn for torment and destruction, but God overruled it for Paul’s humility and holiness.

The very enemy who longs to lead us into pride becomes the unwitting servant of God in producing humility.

Imagine a person standing in a pitch–black cave with no light at all. They are completely blind to what’s around them. No matter how much truth is spoken, without the Spirit opening their eyes, they remain in total darkness. It is like trying to explain the color blue to someone who has never seen the sky before. It is like trying to explain what spicy is to someone who has never tasted pepper. That’s the first group—no spiritual sight whatsoever.

2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” 

Now, picture a second person who has a flashlight but keeps it fixed only on the shadows in the corners. They can name every bat, every crack, every dark spot, but they never look up to see the opening in the ceiling where the sunlight pours in. That’s like believers who recognize the reality of demons and attacks but stay fixated there—always talking about the devil, always looking for what’s wrong. They have some discernment, but it is limited.

But God calls to be seated with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). 

From there, all the troubles that once looked enormous appear very small against the backdrop of His glory. 

Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. […]

The sovereign Lord who reigns above the devil’s attack—and who holds us secure in His mighty hand.

What Satan means for ruin, God bends for redemption.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Behind Satan’s malice stands God’s mercy. The hand that permits the thorn is the hand that sustains us with grace, ensuring that instead of being destroyed by pride, we are delivered into deeper dependence on Christ.

What are these weaknesses? 

“Weaknesses” in this text is not what we usually say, like “You know, driving in traffic is my weakness. Porn is my weakness. Laziness is my weakness.”

He is not talking about destructive, sinful habits or moral failures (like lust, overeating, laziness, or lack of discipline). Paul would never boast in sin, nor would Christ’s power be “perfected” in deliberate disobedience.

Instead, weaknesses here refer to circumstances and experiences that make us look and feel fragile, inadequate, or powerless.

Paul called it a thorn. No one knows for sure. Some suggest it may have been a physical ailment, a chronic illness or weakness. Others think it could have been constant opposition from an enemy.

What matters is not the exact identity but that it was painful, humiliating, and persistent—something Paul wanted desperately to be rid of. But later, he describes a list of thorns, or weaknesses. 

2 Corinthians 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

These are painful realities we cannot control—insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities.

Insults

These are verbal attacks meant to shame, mock, or belittle your faith, convictions, or way of life.

Some of you have been stepping out in faith—using the Seven Good Things resources to share the gospel with friends or coworkers. You know the courage it takes. And sometimes, instead of gratitude or curiosity, you’re met with silence… or worse, with mockery. Maybe someone smirks and says, ‘You actually believe this stuff?’ Or they turn your words into a joke so everyone else laughs at your expense. In that moment, you feel exposed, embarrassed, and weak. 

Everything in you wants to come back with a sharp reply, to prove you’re not a fool. But when you resist anger, when you don’t retaliate, when you embrace the weakness of being thought foolish. Because that’s the very place where Christ’s power rests on you, the insult that was meant to belittle you becomes the stage for His strength.

The weakness comes from resisting the urge to strike back, letting yourself appear weak for Christ’s sake.

Hardships

Circumstances that press you into a situation you did not choose and cannot easily escape.

 I’ve had brothers come to me with tears in their eyes, saying, ‘Pastor, I’m losing hope on hope. My business hasn’t sold anything for weeks. Pastor, this family trial has dragged on so much longer than I ever thought I could endure. Pastor, because of this tariff war, my income is shrinking, my expenses are rising, and I feel powerless.’ That’s what hardship feels like—you’re stuck in a place you never chose and can’t control. And yet, it is exactly in that helplessness that Christ speaks: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ The very trap you feel pressed into can become the place where His sustaining power carries you, where His strength proves greater than your lack.

The weakness is the sense of helplessness when you can’t change what’s crushing you.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Persecutions

Direct opposition, unfair treatment, or mistreatment that comes because of your faith in Christ. This may include abuse, exploitation, prejudice, or even violence from those hostile to your witness.

It’s unjust and targeted, yet Christ calls us to endure.

Matthew 5:10-12 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I think of Pastor Simon Peter in Pakistan, who is on a mission to bring social change by giving free education to the children of brick-factory slaves. You’d think everyone would celebrate a ministry like that—but because of the number of conversions, some radical Muslims became enraged. They began threatening children and women during their worship services. That’s persecution. It’s open hostility against Christ and His people.

Now, we may not face that level of persecution here. But don’t miss this—persecution has many faces. Sometimes it’s not a mob with threats, but the quiet poison of jealousy. When envy creeps into someone’s heart, they spread lies about you. They resent you for things you’re not responsible for. They deliberately speak ill of the church, of the pastors, and of you. Those words cut deep because they’re unjust.

2 Cor. 12:10 ‘For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with persecutions’ 

Why? Because even when you are treated unfairly, Christ’s power shines through your endurance. The world sees you not lashing back, but leaning on Him.

Calamities (or distresses/difficulties)

Overwhelming pressures, crises, or crushing weights that bend and break you down.

These can be personal disasters, family crises, or national tragedies that feel unbearable.

Psalms 34:19-20 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Matthew 7:24-25 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

This is an excerpt of a Facebook post I posted on September 22, 2016. 

Ninety days ago, a storm hit our family with devastating force. The accident of our little Joab, only two years old, felt like the winds and floods beating against our house. But by God’s grace, our home did not fall—because it has been founded on the Rock. Jesus is the very foundation, the architect, the builder, the servant, and the strength holding us up.

Many lives collapse under far smaller “breezes”—a financial disagreement, careless words in the family, a minor disappointment. Why? Because the words of Christ are heard but not practiced. Without Jesus, what we call life is merely waiting for death; what we call achievement is distraction; what we call home is rubble. But when Christ is the Rock, weakness becomes the place of His strength, and grace gives us power to love, forgive, and endure.

So even through tears, we give thanks. Jojo is already with Jesus, and we are held fast by His comfort and hope. 

“He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). 

We look forward to embracing you, our friends who prayed for us, and telling together the stories of how Christ kept our houses standing by His grace. Truly, “Christ in you [is] the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). — Raphael, Juliana, André, and Pedro

In all those weaknesses, you are powerless. The flesh recoils at that, because it doesn’t want to look weak. We don’t like weakness. Our flesh wants to “have the last word,” to escape hardships, to strike back when insulted, to feel strong and in charge.

What the market wants is power from weakness, out of weakness, away from weakness. And what Christianity offers is power in weakness. That message doesn’t “sell” well. Which is why so much of biblical Christianity gets distorted in mass markets. People want self-sufficiency, not dependence.

But only Christ is glorified when grace is magnified. Come to Jesus, and He will meet you in weakness. His grace will sustain you, and His power will be displayed through your helplessness. Real strength is not found in grasping for control but in surrender.

What to do?

Pray Persistently

Paul pleaded with the Lord three times for his thorn to be removed (2 Cor. 12:8).

Bring all your cares to Him. Pray about everything. Hold nothing back. Don’t stop asking until God makes it clear His answer is “No” or “Not yet.”

Keep crying out to God in weakness—He invites us to ask. Some of you did not even try to do that. Today's the day.

Surrender in Humility

Paul surrendered. He laid down self-reliance, cleverness, and pride. Renounce self-confidence and boast only in Christ. Humility is not optional—it is the soil where grace grows.

Wait for Grace to Display God’s Glory

Instead of removing the thorn, God promised sustaining grace. Our hardships are not wasted. They are the stage on which God magnifies His strength through our frailty.

Isaiah 40:29-31 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.