"Called to Boast"
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 54:16
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· 7 views"Called to Boast!" Based on 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Our focus and the order of our thoughts and actions matter to God.
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Notes
Transcript
Opening prayer, dedication
Music ministry
107 Let's Just Praise the Lord
Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord
I Will Boast in Christ Alone
Word of God [Gem]
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Message “Called to Boast”
I truly look forward to spending time preparing for Sunday messages
Preparing these messages helps me to focus on God’s Word through the week
It also trains me to look for how God is working in my life on a daily basis
Since information on the upcoming sermons is available on the website
I pray that each of you are spending some time reading God’s Word and coming prepared to hear what God has prepared each week
May God prepare your hearts and minds to hear and obey as God has prepared me to read, listen, learn and communicate God’s Word today-amen!
I love people, truly I do
But I am not as fond of the actions and attitudes of some people
I am not a fan of those who boast
I do not have an affinity for bombastic or narcissistic people
Because they, by definition, have an inflated view of themselves
I would bet that most of you just thought of a few people who fit those descriptions
I could cherry-pick Scripture and say that boasting is sinful
So, how can I title a message “Called to Boast”?
By the end of the message, I hope to make that clear
In the beginning of our core text today, 1 Corinthians 1:26 (a)[through “,”]
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
If Paul is telling us to “Consider our calling”, we should stop and talk about what our calling really is, right?
So let’s call this our first takeaway
Takeaways:
Know your calling
We could talk all day about our “calling”
Thankfully, Paul is fairly specific in what he means by calling
Refers to God’s calling to be saved by accepting Jesus
In most first-century churches only the noble or priest class were called to salvation
Paul reminds us that we are ALL called to accept Jesus as Lord regardless of our station in life
That means, rich or poor
Of Nobel birth or farm servant, God has called ALL of us to Him-PTL!
That even includes us gentiles. God has called YOU to Him
I love having that affirmation
Then Paul pulls the earthly rug out from under us in the next phrase of 1 Corinthians 1:26 (b) [not…standards]
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
The world does not think very highly of MOST of us
We are not “special” in a worldly sense
As verse 3 describes
Most aren’t born to noble families
Most don’t have super-high social status
This was true of the church in Corinth just as it is true at Grace Church
And THAT shouldn’t matter to us as Christians
Which leads us to our second takeaway
Takeaways:
Know your calling
Know whose standard applies
We will ALWAYS feel inadequate if we look at ourselves through the lens of earthy standards
In part because earthly standards change by the whim of the day
How much money do you make
How much money to you give to charity
How many educational degrees do you have
What kind of work do you do
How many children do you have and how much do THEY make
How many adult children live in your household ..AGAIN
Those are some of the earthly standards we are judged by
But, thankfully, God has a different standard
As Christians, it is God’s standard that should matter to us, not that of the world
If you want a Bible passage to to help you choose well daily, consider John 15:18-19
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
This passage reminds us that we are CALLED OUT of this world by God
And if we accept the call to ignore this world and focus on God instead
THEN this world will hate you
I know some of you are not fans of math, but this example works mathematically
If a mathematical equation works when working from the left to the right, then if must work going the other way too
It’s the same for our relationship to the world and God
If we do the things that please the world or the culture
Then we are not pleasing God
If we do the things that please God,
Then the world will hate us
THEREFORE
God is NOT pleased when we do the things that please the world
AND
The World is NOT pleased when we do the things that please God
To put it is simple terms
If we try to do the things that make us popular or powerful in the culture, then we will not be pleasing God
Have you noticed how “enlightened” some people think they are?
How there is an effort to treat people who have been mistreated in the past better than those who weren’t mistreated?
God’s standard is that we treat everyone like they are a child of God, because they are
It is morally wrong for us to mistreat anyone for the benefit of someone else
Regardless of what the culture says, each one of us has a personal responsibility to treat everyone with love and respect
Takeaways:
Know your calling
Know whose standard applies
Focus on God’s standards
We make choices or decisions all day long
With every thing we type, say and do
So, when you join me in getting banned from social media for going against community standards
I pray it is because you were shining the light of Christ into the darkness that the culture seems to grow so well
After all, we Believers care about being judged by God’s standard, not the “community standards” of Facebook, NextDoor or whoever
As Christians, our legacy (which is what is left after we leave our earthly bodies), is not about physical wealth
Our legacy is one of how we served the Kingdom of God
It matters to God that we tried to lead or shepherd our families to a relationship with Jesus
It matters to God that we did not deny God in the marketplace and town square
It also matters to God that we NOT try to sit in judgement of others and THEIR sin as if we are blameless on our own
It is in love that we tell the truth
Our whole goal and presentation in life should be driven by 1 Timothy 1:5
5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
It is with THAT heart that we can live out Ephesians 4:15
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
That’s how we get closer to God’s desire for our lives here on earth
May our hearts be pure as we tell God’s truth in love
All because we can’t love someone on one hand and help them sin with the other
Just as we can’t judge them for their sin without dealing with our own sin
As I have grown in spiritual maturity it becomes clear to me that God really likes to turn things of this world upside down
That’s really 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 isn’t it?
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
The last will be first, the poor are rich, etc.
All these things address our perspective or the way we look at things
If something looks advantageous from a earthly perspective,
it very well might be a negative from a godly perspective
But NOT necessarily
Certainly, the world celebrates or boasts about financial wealth (although that is changing)
God doesn’t have a problem with financial success
The problem is when people boast as if the success comes from personal superiority and the wealth is misused
Give joyfully from whatever your blessings
Whether large or small by earthly standards
God measures your heart,
In the parable of the talents we learned that God was concerned with how we use what we have
That gifts should be used to multiply in the Kingdom of God
not to hold on to things in fear of loss
but to invest them for Kingdom growth
Since we are supposed to be good stewards of our time talent and treasure, I have to ask
How are we investing our time?
How are we investing our talents or abilities?
How are we investing our financial treasure?
Are we bragging or boasting about how much of any of these things we have?
Do we brag about how we spend our time having fun or pursuing a hobby?
Hobbies are great and healthy, but there should be significant time spent in Kingdom work too
And you can use your hobby to shine God’s light, right?
Or are we afraid we might offend our friends, so we keep God out of our hobbies?
Do we use our knowledge to build things?
Great, but do we bring God into the conversation?
Are we public in acknowledging that it is God who gives us the ability and to God we give the glory?
Do we give God the glory for the financial wealth we all enjoy?
Or are we just quietly enjoying the fruits of our labor?
As quickly as God gave us these abilities and other blessings, God can take them away
Are you ready to give God the glory even if your investments turn bad (whether temporary or permanent)?
In all humility and kindness, because we are representing the King of Kings
This is our final point, which is
Takeaways:
Know your calling
Know whose standard applies
Focus on God’s standards
Boast in the Lord only
I wish every family would spend time working through Jeremiah 9:23-24
Jeremiah 9:23–24 (ESV)
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
I started by saying that boasting is seen as being bad
Without context, this “might” be true because boasting about yourself IS bad and sinful
The term boast as used in Jeremiah and in 1 Corinthians means this
vb. admire, eulogize; praise; exclaim Halleluiah; be praised, praiseworthy; boast. Greek equiv. (Praise and Thanksgiving), (Worship), (Joy).
Boasting is obviously not ALWAYS wrong
We need to be very clear
Don’t admire, praise or worship or give glory to yourself
There are plenty of people who commit this sin
Instead, always
Always, Admire God
Always, praise God
Always, give glory to God
Always, worship God
Don’t give in to the temptation of pride
Always give thanks for what God is doing in, with and through you
In other words
Boast in the Lord, only and always
AMEN!
Closing Hymn/Invitation:
210 Jesus Paid It All (1,2,3)
Pastoral prayer/Benediction