Power Surge 1

Sermon Text: 2 Corinthians 12:8 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

Sermon Title: Power Surge Pt 1: Power Outage

Point 1: There must be a plea for God’s power vs 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. The text says Paul prayed three times. The Greek word for three as it is used in the text means he prayed multiple times not just three time and that was it.

a) 1 Thes 5: 17 Pray without ceasing Topray without ceasing means not to faint or lose heart or lose faith

b) Pray don’t beg. Begging has to do with lack of faith. Begging has to do with you don’t believe the person will do it so you think if you change how you ask it will happen. If I BEG…Matt 6: 5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogue… (7)…do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words (8) your father knows what you need

c) James 4: 3 You have not because you ask not and when you ask you ask in a midst (wrong motives)

Point 2: God’s power works best in your weakness 7(b) …there was given me a thorn in my flesh, to torment 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

a) Was it physical?

b) Was it mental?

c) It was a handicap that Satan used against Paul

Point 3: God’s power is brought to completeness in my weakness 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong

Three times Paul asked for relief. Three times God answered his prayer vs. 9 He [God] said… a direct word from God answered…God said the following:

a) My power works best in…

b) My power is brought to its...

c) My power and your pain...

Life Application

1. Ask God for power to overcome your pain 

2. When you have done all you can do to stand, stand

3. Don’t pray for the pain to stop pray for the power to increase