2 Cor 12:9-10 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. 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.
	I do not think that there are any here who do not realize that the times in which we live are becoming more perilous than at any other time in the history of humanity. This does not mean that we, as Christians, are being physically tortured and martyred, as in the first days of the church. No, the times we face are even more perilous because of the increased deceitfulness with which we and our children are being seduced. The world power tried to use force and violence as a means to destroy the name of Christ and the early church, His followers. Rather than being the end of Christ, it only served to show just how fully needed He was to the lost of this age. As the church was being daily persecuted, in a futile attempt to annihilate it, the residents of this earth found the increasing need for Christ. They sought after the peace and refuge that the Christians found in Christ, even while facing the complete loss of life and limb. There was a certainty in the truth of to Whom they belonged that proclaimed the glory of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. As more Christians faced the lions and the fires, so did more and more of the onlookers see the truth and seek after a greater knowledge of the One for Whom these Christians gladly offered up their lives. 
	These persecutions served only to show forth the inadequacy of this world age to comprehend the full power of the resurrection of the Only Begotten Son of God. As this age sought other methods of reversing the growing attraction to Christ, it began to try to water down the church through methods of assimilation. Rather than to outrightly destroy the church with violence, there began a seduction of the church through the use of governmental power and the corruption of money. The age saw a weakness in the practitioners of Christianity, and let it be seen that if one called him or herself a Christian, there was an open door for the treasures of this age. Wealth and influence brought a wholesale change within the church. The once despised of the world became seen as the very method of receiving glory and adoration unto itself in its apostasy with this world. The fall of Solomon paled in the utter decay of the heart of the church rulers as they practiced all sorts of vile and criminal intents upon the people of the nations in the name of Christ. 
	Never has the name of Christ been seen as the vicious antithesis of the truth and love which He brought and manifested unto the lost of humanity. The world power has seemingly found an avenue to continue its attempts to destroy the witness of Christ. It has incorporated itself into the very midst of what used to be a holy and blameless expression of God’s Love.
	The history of the human race is labeled as His Story, and yet it is perverted with the abuses that have been propagated by those who have called themselves Christians. Entire civilizations have been eradicated in the false claims of men who brought forth crosses while at the same time exterminating those they were claiming to save. Christianity is now portrayed as an evil influence upon the development of the non-European nations. It is seen as the seed of dissention in the bulk of this world’s chaos. Christianity is given the blame for all the destruction that has plagued the earth since the fall of Rome. 
This is the view that sees only the human side of the history of mankind. It is based on humanistic and intellectual beliefs that refuse to acknowledge the reality of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is accepted only in the terms of being a great teacher of the Hebrews. He is merely an exceptional figure in history who has had great influence over the course of the development of European Civilization. There is an aspect of sadness in the hearts of these scholars because they hold that the rest of the development of the civilized world is ignored by this viewpoint. They decry what they see as the idea that the only the history affected by Jesus and the church, the European-slanted view, seems to be relevant. Entire vestiges of Asian, African, and Native American cultures, as examples, have been wholesalely discarded to promote Anglo-Saxon, Judeo-Christian viewpoints. 
	This world age has found a sounding board in the educational system of this time. The history books are now apologetic in the records of history. They are relegating the Christian viewpoint into one for which we should consider sorrowfully. There is an ever-expanding trend to promote everything but Christ in the history that we give to the youth of our country. Every religion is promoted as just as valid, if not better than Christianity. Teachers can invite all other religious figures into the classroom to provide the history and the basic tenants of their religious beliefs, but not one who would promote Christ. The name of Christ is forbidden to be spoken, except as a curse. The logic behind this is that the children are raised in a Judeo-Christian environment and have no further need of its indoctrination. They need to be exposed to the beliefs of other cultures and societies in an effort to balance their belief systems. 
	All of this is simply an introductory background. It is to show the utter need of the truth of the passage of our consideration in the lives of all Christians, young, old, middle-aged, wed and unwed. Every Christian is facing the need to rely upon Christ in a living and personal manner, as delineated in the truth of this verse… 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. 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. We need to learn the comfort of facing everything in terms of taking pleasure in the life that we have in Christ. This means that we need to recognize that we are not to be caught unaware. We are not to be so gullible that we do not see the corruption that is being promoted in the society through which we are sojourning on this earth. 
	If we look at the history of mankind with the view of looking unto Christ, we see very clearly the course of humanity and where it is leading its captives. We see through the haze of the lies that are being taught to the young of this age. We see the course of action and hatred that is being instilled in the young hearts of our posterity. We already see the vile evidence of the decay of the moral fiber that once was so loosely entwined in the principles of this country, let alone the world. And, we solemnly recognize the fact that we can have no expectation of anything else but hatred and turmoil and extreme turbulence in the times in which we have been called to live forth Christ on this earth.
	That is the key, don’t you see. We can find ourselves in dismay and in an utterly distraught and hopeless condition as we view this age. Or, we can see it for what it is and count on the Lord to make us that which is His pleasure to meet the reproaches, the persecution, and the distresses that are launched upon us. We can crumble before the weight of the seemingly countless horrors of this age, or we can stand in the full knowledge that greater is He who has conquered this world, than the defeated power of this age. Our vision is not that of the superiority of the European influence above the rest of the world’s culture. Our emphasis is not that the rest of the world pales in comparison to the history that we have been taught. Our hope is not that our children will be spared from the lies that are being propagated in their classrooms, in the theaters, in the music, in the movies and in their associate’s false words of wisdom. No, our hope, our only hope, rests in the Lord Jesus Christ. He, Alone, is able to wrest the lost from the claws of this worldly beast. Jesus Christ Alone has the power to break asunder the chains that keep this world’s inhabitants in its slavery to self. He, Alone, Our Lord Jesus Christ, has the ability to protect and to keep our young, our old, and our middle aged unto Himself, in Love and to provide complete safety in the impenetrable protection of the Holy Spirit. 
	It is in Christ that our hope resides. It is in the personal relationship that is ours with Him. It is as we submit ourselves unto His loving hand of mercy to work His will into our lives. That is one of the deepest prayers that we should have concerning our young in the Lord. We must constantly hold them up in the Love of the Lord to come into the living relationship, early in their lives, that will give them the anchor in Christ needed to face this world’s violent attacks. 
	Too often we find ourselves trying to be the ones who safe-guard our young ones. I am not saying that we are not to be responsible parents. That we should allow all kinds of danger to be pummeled on the heads of our children. Far, far from that! No, I am saying that when we try to protect them out from our own fear of what is going on, we run the risk of only making things worst. We need to learn that there is a time for us to speak, a time to act, or a time to be quietly still, in prayer, in the strength of the Lord. We need to learn a complete reliance on our God to see us through all the aspects of the day that is our inheritance in Christ. We will return to this thought in another avenue of its truth, but let us follow through on the reliance that we need to have as parents. 
As has already been pointed out in detail, we are in an age that is lusting after the souls of our children. We are seeing the complete revulsion to all that God desires in children. Where once they were taught obedience, restraint, honor, and respect, this age is promoting disrespect, instant gratification, non-constraint of morals, and that the end justifies the means. In 2 Tim 3:1-4, we have the words of the Apostle Paul But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;… There is little doubt that we are seeing this evidenced in our society and in our homes. The question is how do we face it in our homes, in our children? Fortunately the Apostle Paul went on to answer this in 2 Tim 3:14-15. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. We must, first of all, continue in the way that Christ has taught us. We need to live in complete obedience to the Holy Spirit, completely in line with His Word. The second thing is to live forth from Christ in our homes, and in the community. We must hold the things of God as valued above all else. We must cherish the times that we have with the Lord, with each other in the Lord, and with our family in the Lord. We must seek after the Lord to instruct us how to teach our children of His ways and of His Love. There should be a reverence for all that is holy and of the Lord in our homes. We must be on constant guard that everything of our lives, our thoughts, our words, our actions, our reactions, and our feelings, every aspect is completely unto the Lord, to His glory. 
	When our children see the value that we place on God and on the things of God; When our young become enveloped in the love of God through the members of the church; When our hearts open up to the Lord in complete submission and trust to have Him see our loved ones through every moment of every day, then will our children be enabled to face the onslaughts of this age. They will be fully covered in the Love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. We need to show, in life, the value of reading and studying the Word of God, together. We need to spend the time, together, discussing and seeking the Holy Spirit to open up the passages, and the truth of those passages and the life that they contain. We need to talk of the Bible stories and the people of scripture with an eye to what God intends to bring forth unto His Glory in each verse. 
We need to pray together and to value that time of prayer, not as a ritual, but as a time of direct, verbal communication with our Sovereign Lord. We need to discuss the value of prayer and just how vital it is to our every moment on this earth as the link of Life that we have in Christ. We need to discuss the joy as He answers those prayers and share in the fellowship of the great awesomeness of our Omnipotent Lord God Almighty. We need to hold forth the truth that sometimes God’s answer to a circumstance is beyond our comprehension, but that God is always faithful beyond all measure to bring about His Glory in every situation. We need to recognize that God’s intent is always the best in every situation to His Beloved in Christ.  Our family needs to appreciate the fact that in those times, when God’s response is no, it is the best answer that we could receive. His Omniscience should be valued above our limited understanding of what seems to be taking place. 
A key verse that should be the anthem of each family is Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. It should be understood that in our families, there is a confidence in God to make all things work together for good, even those things that seem to be tragedies, those things that seem to be great trials and tribulations, those things that are unpleasant in this world …God causes all things to work together for good… 
This is a great challenge in our families. I am not saying or advocating that we can do this as a chore, as a custom, or as a strict adherence to some penal code. When we have that attitude, it becomes a laboriously unpleasant task which will soon become nothing more than a ritual that has to be done or else. No. We need to seek after the Holy Spirit to work into our hearts the desire to have these elements of our Christian walk become as natural in our lives as it is to breathe and to sleep. It should be so evident, if we do not live our lives according to these elements, as it is when we are sleep deprived. Something, everything is amiss and difficult to deal with. Our hearts should be so desirous, as a Christian, to have Christ live His Life out from us, that we feel off-balance and incapable if we strive to do it on our own. 
Why is this so important? Why is this passage so critical?   …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. 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. It is so vital because it describes the only manner in which we can face the challenges of this world age and survive. It is as we become weak in our selves, even unto the complete death of self, that Christ can have the complete freedom to touch the lives of others through these willing vessels that we have offered up unto Him. As John states in John 3:30-31, He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 
When we consider that it is our children at stake, our young people, our newly weds, all who must face the tribulations of this perverted age, we must take this life in Christ to heart. We cannot force them to accept our words, but they cannot and will not be able to refuse the life that they see operating in us. As our children are brought up in homes where the value of Christ is preeminent, it will make a difference. They will have a different value system in place in their lives and in their hearts that will keep them unto the Lord. That does not mean that they will be perfect. That does not mean that there will be no difficulties or rebellion. Hardly! In a sense it probably means that there will more uproar and trials in that family than in a neighboring home. But, the key difference will be that, as those outbursts occur, as those rebellions take place, as those turmoil envelopes the household, Christ will be seen as the answer. Rather than resorting to the things of this world which serve only to ensnare and to enslave in its fruitlessness and dismay, we hold fast to the Lord as He is working out His good pleasure in our homes. Our children may stray, but they can never escape from the love that they experience in the heart of Christ that we, as their parents, live unto them.
As well, the young of the flock need to be nurtured with the same love from all the members. There should be a place of safety in the midst of the church as we gather together for worship and praise unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hearts should be so open to allow Christ to touch the needs of these young ones, young Christians, young married, these Beloved of God. There is no place for us to look down upon them if we know they have strayed. Never! They should always be met with open arms and wit the prayers that they will come through everything intact, in the love of the Lord. As they struggle, we should be a bulwark in Christ to give them the safety and the security that they so often seek after in this realm, but will never find. They are our lives, and we should hold them forth unto the Lord in all willingness to lay down our lives for their sake. There is none here, who does not need the expressed love of Christ in order to make it through the hours and days of our journey on this earth. So much more seems to be needed as Christ is drawing our young ones unto Himself. We are the chosen vessels through whom God can touch the lives of the youth, can give them a harbor from the typhoons and tsunamis of this age, and hold them close to the very heart of God in our thoughts, in our attitudes, and in our prayers.
I also mentioned the young married, the newly weds, of which I consider myself to be since I am constantly learning that I know so little about the wonderful wife that the Lord has brought into my life. We need to give encouragement and support to our married as they are growing together into one in Christ. It is not an easy adjustment as the Lord points out the need to set aside personal wants and goals in favor of His full desire for the marriage. Marriage is so important to God because it is such a vivid expression of the relationship that is ours with God, in Christ. There is a constant growth of appreciation for the awesomeness of our God as we learn of His ways and of the fullness of His Love in our beings. Because it is so much part of the very heart of God, marriage is especially attacked by the power of this age. Any true expression of Christ is still a target for the wrath of this world. Our young married couples need to know that they are going through a normal, Christian experience as they are brought through these fiery trials. Our newly weds, our young married, need to know that they have the support and the prayers of the fellowship holding them up unto the Lord for His love to cover and to teach and to guide and to establish that oneness in Christ that must be at the center of any marriage. This world has perverted marriage into an unrecognizable sham, with only the lurid vestiges of self to be expressed. 
We need, as the church, as the Body of Christ, to stand on behalf of the marriages and to offer up our hearts to the Lord in sacrifice for the sake of these fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They are just beginning the course of their married walk on this earth. They will need every hug, every kindness, every encouragement, and every prayer in order to become the full expression of Christ, as He has ordained. 
This challenge that is before us is impossible, apart from Christ. Without Him, without the comfort and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and without the truth of the principles of His Word set before us in scripture, we would flounder. But God! Oh how I love that phrase. But God, out of the infinite knowledge of all that would be in our paths, has provided the only effective manner in which we can face every trial, every tribulation, and every assault of this age. As we read in Eph 2:4-8 …but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly (places), in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, (it is) the gift of God;…
As our text points out so eloquently it is by the grace of God that we are able to walk on this earth with no fear of death, no fear of the power of this age, no fear of trial or persecution. As a matter of fact, every trial and persecution serves only to work more to the glory of God in our lives. As we are told by the Apostle Paul, concerning the promise of God
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. 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.