Weak in Him

II Corinthians 13:4: [4] For 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.

"Not in ourselves but where? In Him. His weakness was going to Calvary. Listen, the things that allow you to be able to say, 'I'll be weak; I won't struggle, I won't make it about me, I won't have it to be in my resources' . . . The thing that takes your resources off the table is the Cross.

"I don't need to tell you that you don't like to take them off the table. It's not OUR weakness; it's HIS weakness. It's who He is for us.

Paul says in II Corinthians 12:9: [9] 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.

[10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

"You notice he doesn't just talk about physical weaknesses? He talks about reproaches, necessities, persecutions, distresses. Paul just lumps all of our sufferings together in one basket and he says, 'I'm willing to glory in those things, because when I'm weak then is the power . . . ' We've got this 'treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.'

"But what I want you to understand is it's not your weakness in yourself that lets it be the power of God; it's that we're weak in Him.

Romans 8: [17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

[18] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

"How do you suffer with Him? You understand how to suffer for Him. There's a present suffering.

"The key in that is how do you respond to it? 'I reckon.' When you respond to the present sufferings with the same attitude that the Lord Jesus Christ had about His sufferings, you think about them the way He thought about them. Then you're suffering with Him, are you not? Then we are weak in Him.

"Our weakness, rather than being something that destroys us, becomes the place where His crosswork becomes our glory and thus we live through the power of God. We have victory because we have His victory.

Galatians 2:20: [20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

"That's why it's not about you; it's about who God has made you in Him and having that be what grips your heart and lives through you for His glory.

Go to II Corinthians 4:16 and you see it again: [16] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Colossians 1: [11] Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

[12] Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

"Now, do you think that would frustrate your Adversary? He tries his dead-level best in whatever realm it would be and it all it does is increase your patience and longsuffering?! All it does is increase your ability to endure.

"You do it with joy because you rejoice in the Lord. You say, 'In every situation I've got something to be thankful for in Christ Jesus.' You see, we're weak in Him. That's what the grace of God does."

(new article tomorrow)