SERMON NOTES!
LEARNING TO LEAN
When your strength ends, His strength begins.
MAIN IDEA
God never intended for us to carry the full weight of life alone. We become strongest when we place our full weight on Him.
Introduction: Everybody Is Leaning on Something
Every person in this room is leaning on something. Some lean on money. Some lean on their education, position, experience, family, health, or ability. Some lean on the approval of people. Others lean on their own plans and understanding.
Those things may support us for a season, but every earthly support has a breaking point. Money can disappear. People can disappoint us. Health can change. Plans can collapse. Feelings can lie. Our own strength can run dry.
But there is One who has never failed, never weakened, never changed, and never dropped anyone who placed their life in His hands. His name is Jesus!
Some of us are exhausted because we have been carrying something God never asked us to carry alone. We have tried to solve it, control it, explain it, hide it, and fix it. We have smiled in public while breaking in private. We have told everybody else, ‘God is faithful,’ while quietly wondering how much longer we can stand.
The Lord sent this word to tell you: You do not have to stand in your own strength. You do not have to carry tomorrow before tomorrow arrives. You do not have to know every answer. You only have to know where to lean.
Leaning is not a sign that faith has failed. Leaning is what faith looks like when human strength has reached its limit. Leaning says, ‘I cannot—but God can. I do not know—but God knows. I cannot hold this together—but God is holding me.’
Jacob was old. His body was weak. His journey was nearly over. Yet the Bible does not leave us with the picture of Jacob complaining. It leaves us with Jacob worshiping while he was leaning. His legs were weak, but his faith was strong. His body was failing, but his worship was still alive.
You can be leaning and still be worshiping. You can be hurting and still be praising. You can have tears in your eyes and still have a testimony in your mouth. The enemy thought your weakness would silence you, but your lean is about to become your worship!2. Lean When Your Strength Runs Out
1. Lean Away From Your Own Understanding
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
2. Lean When Your Strength Runs Out
We know how to praise when we feel strong. But what do we do when we are tired—physically tired, mentally tired, emotionally tired, and spiritually tired? What do we do when we are tired of fighting the same battle, praying the same prayer, and waiting for the same answer?
Notice that God does not shame the weary. He gives them strength. He does not reject the weak. He increases their power. Your weakness does not make you useless to God; it makes room for the power of God.
Paul wanted God to remove the thorn, but God gave him sustaining grace. Sometimes God changes the situation. Sometimes He changes us in the situation. Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and proves that His hand can keep us steady in the middle of it.
The enemy says, ‘You are weak, so you are finished.’ God says, ‘You are weak, so now My strength can be seen.’ The enemy says, ‘You cannot take another step.’ God says, ‘Then let Me carry you.’
3. Lean While You Are Waiting
Waiting is one of the hardest classrooms of faith. We know God can do it. We believe He has the power. What we do not understand is why He has not done it yet.
Abraham waited for Isaac. Joseph waited in prison. David waited to become king. Israel waited for deliverance. The disciples waited in the upper room. The promise was real, but there was still a process between the promise and its fulfillment.
The waiting room is not a wasted room when God is in it. While you are waiting, God is working. While you are waiting, God is strengthening your roots. While you are waiting, God is arranging things you cannot see.
A delay is not always a denial. Silence is not absence. Just because you cannot see movement does not mean heaven is inactive. Roots grow in the dark. Oil develops under pressure. Gold is purified in fire. Faith becomes strong while it is waiting.
Do not walk away because it has taken longer than you expected. Do not stop praying because the answer has not appeared. Do not surrender your promise because the night has been long. Morning is still coming!
You cannot learn to lean on Someone you do not know. Trust grows through relationship. We learn His voice in prayer, His character in the Word, His nearness in worship, and His power through the Holy Spirit.
God did not tell you to decorate your burden, manage your burden, or hide your burden. He told you to cast it on Him. Prayer is the holy exchange where we give God what is crushing us and receive the peace that only He can give.
Some people bring a burden to the altar, lay it down, and pick it back up before leaving. But surrender says, ‘Lord, this is too heavy for me, but it is not too heavy for You. I release my need to control the outcome.’
The Holy Spirit is not merely present to make us feel something in a church service. He is our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, and Guide. When we do not know what to pray, He helps us. When we feel empty, He fills us. When we feel weak, He empowers us.
Proverbs does not say, ‘Trust in the Lord with part of your heart.’ It says, ‘with all your heart.’ You cannot fully lean on God while keeping one foot planted in fear and the other planted in control.
Think about sitting in a chair but refusing to put your full weight on it because you fear it might collapse. You are touching the chair, but you are not resting in it. Some believers are close to God, but they are not resting in God. They pray, worship, and hear the Word, yet they still carry every burden as if everything depends on them.
God is saying, ‘Put your full weight on Me. I will hold you.’ He is strong enough to hold your family, your future, your health, your ministry, your children, your finances, and the thing keeping you awake at night.
Partial trust produces constant anxiety. Full surrender produces supernatural peace. You may not know what God will do next, but you know He will remain faithful.
Not some of it. All of it. Not only the part you can explain. All of it. Not only what looks spiritual. All of it. Put the full weight of your life on the everlasting arms of God.
6. Lean Until Your Weakness Becomes Worship
Jacob’s staff told a story. It reminded him of miles traveled, battles survived, mistakes forgiven, and promises kept. He had wrestled with God. He had walked with a limp. He had buried people he loved. He had seen his family broken and restored. Now, at the end, he leaned on that staff and worshiped.
His lean was not proof that God had abandoned him. His lean was proof that God had carried him. The staff was not a symbol of defeat; it was a witness that every time Jacob had been weak, God had remained faithful.
Your limp does not cancel your testimony. Your scars do not disqualify your worship. Your tears do not mean you have lost your faith. Sometimes the most powerful worship comes from people who know what it is to lean.
Anybody can praise God when everything is easy. But when you praise Him with a broken heart, when you worship while waiting, when you lift your hands with tears still on your face, hell hears a sound it cannot understand. You are declaring, ‘My situation did not change who God is!’
David said, ‘I walk through.’ The valley was real, but it was not permanent. The darkness was frightening, but it was not final. The Shepherd was present, and His presence changed everything.
You may be in a valley, but you are going through it. You may be in a battle, but you are going through it. You may be in a season of grief, uncertainty, or disappointment, but this is not your final destination.
The Shepherd is with you. His presence will keep you. His hand will guide you. His strength will carry you. You may have entered this season crying, but you are coming out with a testimony. You may have entered confused, but you are coming out knowing that God is faithful.
Underneath your fear are everlasting arms. Underneath your grief are everlasting arms. Underneath your uncertainty are everlasting arms. Underneath the place where you think you are falling are the arms of a God who cannot fail.
Conclusion: You Are Not Falling—You Are Learning to Lean
Peter stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. When he focused on the wind and waves, he began to sink. But when he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand.
Peter began to sink, but he did not go under because Jesus was close enough to catch him. You may feel like you are sinking, but the hand of Jesus is still reaching. You may feel like you cannot hold on much longer, but your hope is not in how tightly you can hold on to God. Your hope is that God is holding on to you!
Maybe everything that used to hold you up is shaking. Maybe God is removing false supports so you can discover that He has been underneath you all along. You are not falling apart. You are falling into the everlasting arms.
When you cannot stand, lean. When you cannot see, lean. When you cannot understand, lean. When you cannot pray a long prayer, whisper ‘Jesus’ and lean. When the night is dark and the battle is fierce, lean until morning comes.
Altar Call: Bring God the Weight
The altar is open for tired people. It is open for those carrying family burdens, fear about the future, grief, sickness, financial pressure, disappointment, or private pain. You have been strong for everybody else. Tonight, the Lord wants to be strong for you.
Do not bring God a polished version of your pain. Bring Him the weight. Bring Him the fear. Bring Him the questions. Bring Him the part you cannot tell anyone else. Come and place your full weight on Jesus.
1. Lean Away From Your Own Understanding
When your strength ends, His strength begins.
| Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” |
MAIN IDEA
God never intended for us to carry the full weight of life alone. We become strongest when we place our full weight on Him.
Introduction: Everybody Is Leaning on Something
Every person in this room is leaning on something. Some lean on money. Some lean on their education, position, experience, family, health, or ability. Some lean on the approval of people. Others lean on their own plans and understanding.
Those things may support us for a season, but every earthly support has a breaking point. Money can disappear. People can disappoint us. Health can change. Plans can collapse. Feelings can lie. Our own strength can run dry.
But there is One who has never failed, never weakened, never changed, and never dropped anyone who placed their life in His hands. His name is Jesus!
| Psalm 46:1 (NIV) “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” |
Some of us are exhausted because we have been carrying something God never asked us to carry alone. We have tried to solve it, control it, explain it, hide it, and fix it. We have smiled in public while breaking in private. We have told everybody else, ‘God is faithful,’ while quietly wondering how much longer we can stand.
The Lord sent this word to tell you: You do not have to stand in your own strength. You do not have to carry tomorrow before tomorrow arrives. You do not have to know every answer. You only have to know where to lean.
Leaning is not a sign that faith has failed. Leaning is what faith looks like when human strength has reached its limit. Leaning says, ‘I cannot—but God can. I do not know—but God knows. I cannot hold this together—but God is holding me.’
| Hebrews 11:21 (NIV) “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” |
Jacob was old. His body was weak. His journey was nearly over. Yet the Bible does not leave us with the picture of Jacob complaining. It leaves us with Jacob worshiping while he was leaning. His legs were weak, but his faith was strong. His body was failing, but his worship was still alive.
You can be leaning and still be worshiping. You can be hurting and still be praising. You can have tears in your eyes and still have a testimony in your mouth. The enemy thought your weakness would silence you, but your lean is about to become your worship!2. Lean When Your Strength Runs Out
1. Lean Away From Your Own Understanding
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
2. Lean When Your Strength Runs Out
We know how to praise when we feel strong. But what do we do when we are tired—physically tired, mentally tired, emotionally tired, and spiritually tired? What do we do when we are tired of fighting the same battle, praying the same prayer, and waiting for the same answer?
| Isaiah 40:29 (NIV) “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” |
Notice that God does not shame the weary. He gives them strength. He does not reject the weak. He increases their power. Your weakness does not make you useless to God; it makes room for the power of God.
| 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” |
Paul wanted God to remove the thorn, but God gave him sustaining grace. Sometimes God changes the situation. Sometimes He changes us in the situation. Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and proves that His hand can keep us steady in the middle of it.
The enemy says, ‘You are weak, so you are finished.’ God says, ‘You are weak, so now My strength can be seen.’ The enemy says, ‘You cannot take another step.’ God says, ‘Then let Me carry you.’
- When your hands are weak, lean on His hands.
- When your heart is broken, lean on His heart.
- When your mind is overwhelmed, lean on His promises.
- When you have no words left, whisper the name of Jesus!
3. Lean While You Are Waiting
Waiting is one of the hardest classrooms of faith. We know God can do it. We believe He has the power. What we do not understand is why He has not done it yet.
Abraham waited for Isaac. Joseph waited in prison. David waited to become king. Israel waited for deliverance. The disciples waited in the upper room. The promise was real, but there was still a process between the promise and its fulfillment.
| Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” |
The waiting room is not a wasted room when God is in it. While you are waiting, God is working. While you are waiting, God is strengthening your roots. While you are waiting, God is arranging things you cannot see.
A delay is not always a denial. Silence is not absence. Just because you cannot see movement does not mean heaven is inactive. Roots grow in the dark. Oil develops under pressure. Gold is purified in fire. Faith becomes strong while it is waiting.
| Psalm 27:14 (NIV) “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” |
Do not walk away because it has taken longer than you expected. Do not stop praying because the answer has not appeared. Do not surrender your promise because the night has been long. Morning is still coming!
- Lean when the door stays closed.
- Lean when the report is frightening.
- Lean when the money is low.
- Lean when your family is under attack.
- Lean when heaven seems silent.
- Lean until the promise becomes your testimony!
You cannot learn to lean on Someone you do not know. Trust grows through relationship. We learn His voice in prayer, His character in the Word, His nearness in worship, and His power through the Holy Spirit.
| Psalm 55:22 (NIV) “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” |
God did not tell you to decorate your burden, manage your burden, or hide your burden. He told you to cast it on Him. Prayer is the holy exchange where we give God what is crushing us and receive the peace that only He can give.
Some people bring a burden to the altar, lay it down, and pick it back up before leaving. But surrender says, ‘Lord, this is too heavy for me, but it is not too heavy for You. I release my need to control the outcome.’
| Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” |
The Holy Spirit is not merely present to make us feel something in a church service. He is our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, and Guide. When we do not know what to pray, He helps us. When we feel empty, He fills us. When we feel weak, He empowers us.
- Lean into His presence until fear loses its grip.
- Lean into His presence until peace guards your mind.
- Lean into His presence until faith rises again.
- Lean into His presence until your praise becomes louder than your problem!
Proverbs does not say, ‘Trust in the Lord with part of your heart.’ It says, ‘with all your heart.’ You cannot fully lean on God while keeping one foot planted in fear and the other planted in control.
Think about sitting in a chair but refusing to put your full weight on it because you fear it might collapse. You are touching the chair, but you are not resting in it. Some believers are close to God, but they are not resting in God. They pray, worship, and hear the Word, yet they still carry every burden as if everything depends on them.
| Psalm 37:5 (NIV) “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.” |
God is saying, ‘Put your full weight on Me. I will hold you.’ He is strong enough to hold your family, your future, your health, your ministry, your children, your finances, and the thing keeping you awake at night.
Partial trust produces constant anxiety. Full surrender produces supernatural peace. You may not know what God will do next, but you know He will remain faithful.
| 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” |
Not some of it. All of it. Not only the part you can explain. All of it. Not only what looks spiritual. All of it. Put the full weight of your life on the everlasting arms of God.
6. Lean Until Your Weakness Becomes Worship
| Hebrews 11:21 (NIV) “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” |
Jacob’s staff told a story. It reminded him of miles traveled, battles survived, mistakes forgiven, and promises kept. He had wrestled with God. He had walked with a limp. He had buried people he loved. He had seen his family broken and restored. Now, at the end, he leaned on that staff and worshiped.
His lean was not proof that God had abandoned him. His lean was proof that God had carried him. The staff was not a symbol of defeat; it was a witness that every time Jacob had been weak, God had remained faithful.
Your limp does not cancel your testimony. Your scars do not disqualify your worship. Your tears do not mean you have lost your faith. Sometimes the most powerful worship comes from people who know what it is to lean.
Anybody can praise God when everything is easy. But when you praise Him with a broken heart, when you worship while waiting, when you lift your hands with tears still on your face, hell hears a sound it cannot understand. You are declaring, ‘My situation did not change who God is!’
- I leaned on Him in the valley—and He kept me.
- I leaned on Him in the fire—and He covered me.
- I leaned on Him in the battle—and He fought for me.
- I leaned on Him when I had nothing left—and He became everything I needed!
| Psalm 23:4 (NIV) “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” |
David said, ‘I walk through.’ The valley was real, but it was not permanent. The darkness was frightening, but it was not final. The Shepherd was present, and His presence changed everything.
You may be in a valley, but you are going through it. You may be in a battle, but you are going through it. You may be in a season of grief, uncertainty, or disappointment, but this is not your final destination.
The Shepherd is with you. His presence will keep you. His hand will guide you. His strength will carry you. You may have entered this season crying, but you are coming out with a testimony. You may have entered confused, but you are coming out knowing that God is faithful.
| Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV) “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” |
Underneath your fear are everlasting arms. Underneath your grief are everlasting arms. Underneath your uncertainty are everlasting arms. Underneath the place where you think you are falling are the arms of a God who cannot fail.
Conclusion: You Are Not Falling—You Are Learning to Lean
Peter stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. When he focused on the wind and waves, he began to sink. But when he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand.
| Matthew 14:30–31 (NIV) “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” |
Peter began to sink, but he did not go under because Jesus was close enough to catch him. You may feel like you are sinking, but the hand of Jesus is still reaching. You may feel like you cannot hold on much longer, but your hope is not in how tightly you can hold on to God. Your hope is that God is holding on to you!
Maybe everything that used to hold you up is shaking. Maybe God is removing false supports so you can discover that He has been underneath you all along. You are not falling apart. You are falling into the everlasting arms.
When you cannot stand, lean. When you cannot see, lean. When you cannot understand, lean. When you cannot pray a long prayer, whisper ‘Jesus’ and lean. When the night is dark and the battle is fierce, lean until morning comes.
Altar Call: Bring God the Weight
| Matthew 11:28 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” |
The altar is open for tired people. It is open for those carrying family burdens, fear about the future, grief, sickness, financial pressure, disappointment, or private pain. You have been strong for everybody else. Tonight, the Lord wants to be strong for you.
Do not bring God a polished version of your pain. Bring Him the weight. Bring Him the fear. Bring Him the questions. Bring Him the part you cannot tell anyone else. Come and place your full weight on Jesus.
- Come if you need strength.
- Come if you need direction.
- Come if you need peace.
- Come if you are tired of carrying it alone.
- Come if you are ready to exchange your burden for His rest.
1. Lean Away From Your Own Understanding