Weakness That Testifies to Strength

This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “II Timothy” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, March 6, 1988.

Sermon transcript

The scripture this morning is from 2nd Timothy, chapter 2. We are beginning with verse 1, and we will be reading through verse 13. hear the Word of God. You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others. Thou, therefore, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that woreth entangleth himself in the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.

Consider what I say. and the Lord give the understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel, wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds. But the word of God is not bound. Therefore, I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

It is a faithful saying, for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we believe not, yet he abided faithful, he cannot deny himself. Let us pray together briefly. Father, your word has been given to us. And it is our light. And it becomes. That by which our life is sustained. Father.

Prosper your word. that your servants may be encouraged. Also, may your word have its full effect in confronting also those who are without faith. Father, we pray that you may be gracious in bringing to yourself those whom you have known from all eternity. those, then, Lord, that would be within the range of your word this day. Father, fill up your assemblies with those drawn by your word.

We pray it in Christ’s name. Amen. Weakness, like a virulent disease, breeds weakness. As if born to it, the spirit infected by weakness watches that weakness spread effortlessly. seemingly of itself, how powerful weakness is. Strength, like a rare and delicate organism, like a fragile artifact, demands protection. A defense. Care. Constant attention. Strength. Strength is dependent. Ironically. Dependent. How weak strength is.

But strength, while weak, speaks boldly. It boldly addresses itself to weakness. For all its frailty, it preaches powerfully. unashamed of it. On the other hand, weakness for all of its power cannot admit to its own name for weakness is ashamed of itself. Yet, weakness, as if by root of a proud boast, lives from within itself.

It derives a strength from itself. It justifies itself with reams of rationalizations, concealing its identity behind a screen of self-righteousness and self-satisfaction. Strength, however, rests upon a source, a wellspring outside of itself. Strength, as the Apostle Paul speaks of it, has its source in God. and in that gospel which Paul calls the power of God, with its promise of a crown of righteousness above, and its promise of life and immortality in God’s heavenly kingdom forever. Such strength as this, the world sees as weakness personified. That world itself, glory, in its own weakness. Oblivious. To its. Sadly. Timothy. That pastor at Ephesus, beloved by Paul, as if he were Paul’s own son, is growing stronger in the world’s weakness, but weaker in heaven’s strength. Specifically.

Timothy is weakening in the grace of his calling. By which he has been set apart to the ordained ministry. Paul must say to him, Be strong, my son. But further, Timothy is in danger now of becoming the carrier of a spiritually lethal disease that will multiply weakness in others and make them immune to any real spiritual strength. You see, if he, being weak, then goes about his ministry in that weakness, what will be conferred upon or confirmed in those who follow him, but that weakness.

Paul, therefore, is writing to Timothy to remind him of the gift of God’s strength given to and to encourage him in that strength that lies beyond himself in what Paul calls the grace that is found in Christ Jesus. The first verse of that second check. But you ask how could Timothy, one so close to Paul, find himself in need of such a reminder, in need of such encouragement. How could Timothy, one with such a calling and such a confirmation in that calling, find himself in need of such a reminder, in need of such encouragement? It is because of the natural propensity towards weakness, living in him and also in those called of Christ that lives still despite their love for Christ, even their desire to serve him. Weakness lives in him despite the strength given him, and that weakness, if left unchecked, breeds weakness.

We must be, as Timothy was, encouraged with regard to strength. Paul would say to you and to me, as well as to Timothy, be strong in the Lord. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord. and in the power of his mind, put on the whole armor of God, that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. That strength, which demands constant care, watchfulness and protection, is presently being neglected by Timothy. The source of that strength is outside of Timothy himself.

It is the grace or the gift of God found in Christ Jesus, which then Paul goes on to define By way of those things mentioned in the second verse of the second chapter. The things which Timothy heard from Paul originally in the presence of many witnesses. Therefore, you see. This strength of which Paul speaks in its fundamental and most basic form is none other than that strength, that grace found nowhere else but in the gospel and in its articulation. The grace given Timothy is to preach that gospel Those things which he heard in the presence of others was that gospel. And he now, by the charge of Paul, is to entrust that gospel to faithful men who will teach in turn others. But certainly You respond, Timothy can’t be losing touch with the gospel, something as basic as that, can he?

Oh yes. The weakness seems to need no encouragement within the heart, while strength needs all the encouragement. If our eyes are diverted from the source of our strength, how easily we pull apart or lose our way. It is the gospel itself then, that is in the balance.

Not as you might expect, For you see, as Paul develops his position with Timothy, it’s not as if he’s bringing before Timothy the particulars of the gospel story, rehearsing for him again the death of Jesus Christ, for instance. No, but what he is bringing before him is his own suffering and the fact that he, Paul, is facing imminent death himself. Timothy may well be able to contend himself. I’m not recoiling from the cross of Christ, but Paul is saying to him, You’re recoiling from my cross. And my suffering and my shame have become an embarrassment to you. What is your attitude after all, Timothy, towards my chains? My chains are judged by the world as appropriate because I am a criminal, an evil man. What is your attitude? Timothy is recoiling from Paul. He thinks he may well recoil from Paul and not lose Christ. It’s not true. Weakness, then, in Timothy regarding Paul is breeding greater weakness still.

Paul is in prison, you know well. Judged a criminal, you know that also. His suffering and plight is a scandal, his weakness condemned by the world’s strength. But Paul is bold to declare, not only to those who have imprisoned him, but also to Timothy, that his weakness is a testimony to the gospel’s strength and power. And while Paul is going from strength to strength, Timothy is moving from weakness to weakness. He is weakening before the assault of the world’s power and strength. He is actually becoming strong in his resistance to Paul’s weakness. Increasingly, he moves in a direction that will render him incapable of handling at all the scandal of the gospel, let alone the scandal of Paul.

The suffering connected with that gospel, specifically the suffering endured by Paul in prison, these things become odious to Timothy. Paul is not making the connection overtly. It is laid between the lines. He leaves Timothy to draw the proper conclusion.

In the end, my son, your offense at me is an offense at Christ. Now, as powerful as Paul is in his weakness in addressing. As powerful as he is in that just as powerful, if not. Just as powerful If not subtle, is he in presenting a solution to the dilemma that faces.

After Timothy, you read down through the verses that we’ve read this morning together. You may be struck yourself with a certain omission. We’ve already alluded to it in connection with Paul’s exposition of his own suffering, but note now its omission here as he would give encouragement and direction to Timothy. What is missing is any specific, definite, overt reference to the cross of Christ, and that for reasons The remedy to Timothy, as much as it may well be grounded in that cross, is even better referred to the resolution of that cross. That resolution being then a resolution for Timothy, if he but see it. Therefore, rather than concentrating upon the crucifixion of Christ, what Paul is doing is presenting to Timothy the resurrection. And he’s presenting it along the lines of a certain well-constructed argument. He is telling him, sow the sufferings out there, Timothy, one of it.

Why don’t you grow up? But don’t you understand that regardless of the suffering and the pain that you’re called upon to endure, I’m telling you that the power of the gospel that I declare has a resolution to that suffering that far exceeds the pain by virtue of its glory and its gain. Why do you think I’m going through this? Why do you think I endure all these things? Because I know that there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, and that my heavenly Father will bring me finally to his kingdom above. And I am certain of that. I am persuaded of that infallibly.

While it may be, Timothy, that you are losing your grip upon the gospel as it regards the sufferings of Christ, more particularly you are losing your grip on the gospel as it pertains to the resurrection. For you can see no reason why you should endure hardship or suffer pain in this world. But there is every reason. For the sake of this gospel, which the world judges as weakness itself. I will suffer anything. For I know that the crown promised to me is promised to you. And to all God’s left. They with us shall see eternal glory. Why the soldier?

Does not he himself teach you these things? He suffers hardship. He undergoes pain. And that. For an earthly reward, the approval of his commanding officer. And the athlete. He goes through all of his training. denying himself and suffering in that training for what? A crown, a prize.

And the farmer, laboring in his field, all of the sweat that pours down from his brow, all of the calluses on his hand, all of the agony that he has known in his life, For what? That the crop may be produced, and that he may share in the harvest. Why, if it’s like that for the soldier, and for the athlete, and for the farmer, how much more you? The pain for the gospel’s sake is inevitable.

It will come. But it’s worth it. For I have not seen, nor hear, heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man all those things which God has prepared for those who love Him. And the suffering of this present moment is not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. If we die with Him, we shall live with Him. If we suffer, we shall reign with Him in glory.

What a gospel. What a gospel. Are you not willing to endure any hardship yourself? All suffering for the sake of this gospel. If you are, glory is yours. There may be a powerful Lord in which the world rejoices, but it after all is only a weakness. Lord, there may be a weakness. In which the church rejoices, but in the end it is the power of God. And Lord, that shall be well proved. In the day of Christ. And is already being proved in us. Who trust in you? We pray father. That we would be strong. In the grace that is found in Jesus Christ and in his gospel. Amen.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.