Genius: Weaknesses Transformed

I said that “genius” describes somebody who has exceptional intellectual and or creative abilities and each and every one of us has a type of genius. Genius works first by God’s choosing. When you are chosen by God, and all of us sitting in this room are chosen by God, we are filled up with the Spirit of God. You don’t need to earn the genius. Nor are you building to that moment to serve God and do something amazing after you learn something. No. As soon as you are called and chosen, you have the genius latent within your soul. You see, when God calls, He also enables and that is genius. We are all geniuses because God is in me. Christ is in all of us. That is what we got through our act of faith. So it’s time for all of us to believe that the genius in all of us can be manifested in life around us and actually start doing things that show Christ’s genius alive within all of us. No more settling. No more fearing inability, but believing in doing. I want to go back to the example about the genius of drug dealers I was using last week: But you also have to understand that the genius within you is not about you, nor is it for you. That’s the wrong purpose of genius. So, going back to this drug dealer idea that I threw out there at the beginning of this sermon. I could use my genius to being a fantastic drug dealer instead of a faithful pastor in Christ. I could use the same skills that I have as a pastor and use them to be a fantastic drug dealer. The big problem there is that I would be using my genius, given by God, that is Christ in me, for me, when clearly that the genius within me is about the glory of God. It would be intents of my genius to get kids to buy my drugs as opposed to share with them the life giving gift of salvation through Jesus. You know what I’m talking about here? See a drug dealer doesn’t use his or her gifts well like described in 1st Peter 4. “God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well…” (v10). Now, I want to shift gears a little bit. Going from, talking about last week, the genius that is in all of us—who is Christ, and therefore we are gifted by being in the image of God, to our weaknesses. I know the idea of weakness is the dichotomously the opposite of being a genius, but you need to hear me out for a second. I want to posit that there is a reason for our perceived or inherent character weakness or weakness. And that reason is so that when we are weak, then, by the genius, who is God in me, is evidently strong. Which, if you think about it, is actual brilliance! When I go on job interviews, usually I get a question in the mix of things: well, what do you think your weaknesses are. Most people would have one weakness: “I work too much” – it’s the humble brag. You know what I’m talking about. But when I go into that interview and the interviewer asks me that question, I got three weaknesses right of the bat, and the interviewer is either flabbergasted saying, “damn, this idiot just lost his job opportunity.” Or the interviewer is saying, “wow, what honesty, he doesn’t belong at this company.” Either way, it blows them away because my weaknesses are so clear to me that most of you are like, “yeah, that’s true.” So here I go: first weakness—I’m incredibly distrusting. I know I’m a pastor, how can I not see the goodness in people. Well it’s because nobody is really good and pretty much everybody got their own interests out first, so there is no way I can trust you; because when I do, I’m going to get burned. Yeah, a lot of you can raise your hand and admit that. Second, I am not good at emotion or empathy. It’s a weakness because it makes me less human and too robotic. It drives everybody nuts because I’m really icy. My third weakness, I tend to jump before looking. Yeah, I will go into things, without thinking it through—mostly because I know I can accomplish and do things, if I wanted to, so I don’t really think about the consequences. Yeah, I know. Those three things aren’t that bad for a set of weaknesses; but they are, because I take those examples to the extremes. Perhaps you can’t relate to that. Let me just give you my top ten weakness: 1. Argumentative – God, I hate devil’s advocates 2. Dishonest – it’s the reason I distrust 3. Short-tempered, Combative – it’s why I avoid people 4. Need to Always be Right (Conceited) – this is me, but some people… 5. Perfectionist, Nit-Picking – I hate this in people. 6. Being the Victim – I call this being a loser. 7. Selfish – obviously you know why I don’t like this. 8. Stubborn, Rigid (Inflexible), Narrow-mindedness – yeah, I have this tendency. 9. Vain, Prideful (Haughty) – I dream of strangling people like this. 10. Humorless, Inability to Laugh at Yourself – Yeah, I got this too. The point I’m trying to make here is that I realize that we are human, that we DO bleed, and that we’re NOT perfect. When I’m in a calmer state of mind, I willingly accept that I can empower myself by striving to make improvements to my overall character. And isn’t that just what life is truly all about? Learn to be yourself, accept yourself, AND, if at all possible, progressively make changes towards improving yourself? Each of us can be compared to an artist’s unfinished canvas, a work in progress, a potential masterpiece in the making. Yet no masterpiece, or person, is ever quite finished. There seems to always be another stroke of paint for the artist to add, if he really thinks about it long enough. This is where genius happens—God’s genius! 2 Corinthians 12, let’s go. 1 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. 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.—2 Corinthians 12:1-10. So the Apostle Paul, let me give you some context, is talking about himself in third person. He was the one that was having the visions and out of body experiences that nobody in their right minds should ever want because when John the revelator got ‘em visions and out of body experiences, he saw Revelations. Just saying. The reason he is boasting about himself in third person—aka, humble bragging, is because the Corinthian church was getting wrapped up in who has which spiritual gift—who is more or less genius in their community. Yeah, the same thing we do now, they did 2000 years ago, who believes in evolution now? Those atheists seem kind of dumb when you think about it don’t they. Okay, But he’s going on and on about how he is the most genius out of all of them because he not only went up out of body, he ascended above the sky and the space and got up to what he calls “third heaven” or “paradise” – aka Aslan’s country if you don’t believe in heaven. So in order to keep him real. And when I mean real, so that his genius doesn’t actually mislead him down a slippery slope because that’s what happens when we forget where our genius comes from, he was given a weakness. His weakness, I think, was a physical weakness, I real deformity, unlike our “character” weaknesses that we like to talk about. I think he was actually oozing puss out of his eye or he was a gimp. I’m not sure and the Bible isn’t really clear about that. I only know those things from tradition. But regardless, it kept him from being ever able to boast in his genius. He was never ever able to do anything on his own with his genius because of his weakness. Paul prayed about that. If you had any sense, you would pray about your weaknesses too. I pray all the time that my weaknesses, don’t begin to alienate the people I love; rather, I pray that the people I love, love me more than the alienation my weaknesses create, but that’s another story altogether. Let’s look at verse 9. I love this verse, and this is my favorite verse of all Scripture because I tell myself this all the time, when I am found weak or when I mess up in my life and make a horrible mistake because I tend to jump before looking: 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. We experience weakness, we have weaknesses in our lives because that is what causes the genius of God, the power of God to dwell upon our lives and influence us. Let me hear an Amen to that. I want to go to verse 10—I want us to think upon that word, “content.” Because Paul isn’t saying that we should be okay with having flaws and weaknesses – I use both words interchangeably. I know that’s what some of us are thinking. Let’s go back to my analogy about life being like an unfinished canvas, a work in progress… well, Paul is saying that his “content” is not the laziness of accepting his weakness, but being excited and delighted about having the weaknesses so that God can work genius within us. There is a dynamic changing and altering of faith that happens when we accept our weaknesses, not as something we have to change behaviorally, but as a part of our lives that are being shared with the people we’re living life with and being metamorphasized into a genius that only God can leverage and alter for His goodness. Let’s go to Matthew 14:25. I want to give you a Biblical example, because if I used my own example, it would just annoy you and reveal way too much. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” – Matthew 14:25-33 Peter had the same weakness I have—the dude didn’t even think about what he was going to do. You see the other disciples, they were all probably thinking, “what the heck? There’s a ghost that sounds like Jesus!” And probably calculating the mathematical possibilities of it really being Jesus walking out in the middle of the lake. Peter was like, “whatevers bros, I’m jumping in.” Remember, Peter doesn’t look before jumping right. Well, he had his doubts and Jesus says, “why did you doubt—because if you’re the foundation that begins a faith movement, you shouldn’t have done something so irrationally like that—it’s a weakness! God used that weakness of his into a genius that is boldness. Last passage in Acts 4. 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:13-20 Peter’s weakness was used to be a strength to herald the church into a new era. So today, I want you to believe that the same thing can be true about the weaknesses you see in you and the weaknesses that you see in others that annoy you. That God will redeem those weakness and transform them into strengths and that genius of God will be ever present in that transformation. Let’s pray.