September 25, 2011

Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / 1 Corinthians: Building God's Church

1 Corinthians: Boasting in the Lord

Sermon Series: 1 Corinthians: Building God's Church

Title: Boasting in the Lord Text: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Message: Boasting in the Lord

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
 

Introduction: The story is told of a lion with a big ego went up to a monkey and roared. “Who’s the king of jungle. “Why…you are, Mr. Lion,” said the monkey with fear in his voice. The lion went on and found a zebra. “Who’s the king of jungle?,” he snarled. “There is no doubt about it…you are Mr. Lion,” said the zebra. Seeing a turtle crossing his path the lion bellowed, “Who’s the king of the jungle?” Scared out of his shell the turtle said, “You are Mr. Lion. You are the king of the jungle.”

Then the lion came upon an elephant. Once again he roared out the question, “Who’s the king of jungle?” The elephant used his trunk to grab the lion. He spun him around over his hand several times, dunked him in a mud hole, and slammed him into a large tree. Dazed and dirty the lion said, “Just because you didn’t know the correct answer, was no reason to get upset.” (Michael Otterstatter)

Funny…and relevant. In spite of evidence to the contrary, we are still filled with thoughts of how great and important we are. Because it’s human nature to want to boast about our accomplishments.

• When we get good grades in school, we say, "Hey Mom! Look at my report card! Look at all the A’s and B’s! Isn’t it great?!"

• When we do well with our new diet, we tell our friends, "Guess what? I’ve lost 30 pounds! This is the lightest I’ve been in five years!"

• And when we get a new car, we drive it to all our friend’s houses. And we say, "Look at what I got! Isn’t it a thing of beauty? Who’s the man?

We like the attention. But understand there’s nothing wrong with feeling a sense of joy and satisfaction over how God has blessed us.
But… when we start boasting about what WE have done rather than what God has done…we’ve crossed the line.

Paul, in our text this morning wants us to stay as far as possible from that line, and he gives us good reasons to keep our distance.

Transition: Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1:26. For it’s there we’ll hear Paul encouraging us to ‘boast in the Lord’.

I. 1 Corinthians 1:26 Before you were called

ILL: A great spiritual revival of the 19th century began when D. L. Moody viasited in Cambridge University in England The story is told that the whole University was outraged that this backwoods American preacher would dare to speak in the center of culture of the English world. They knew that he "murdered" the King's English. So the students who were not Christians decided that when Moody spoke in the chapel at Cambridge they would boo him off the platform.

Moody stepped to the edge of the platform and looking directly at the students who were gathered there, he said:

• Young gentlemen, don't ever think God don't love you, for he do!

The students were dumbfounded by that beginning. Moody went on and in a few minutes he again said:

• Don't ever think God don't love you, for he do!

Something about the very ungrammatical structure of these words captured them. The intense passion of this man spoke right to their hearts.

Later that day, a student sought Moody out for a private interview, and Moody led him to Christ. A great awakening came to Cambridge University at the hands of that uneducated, humble servant of God. (Ray C. Stedman)

Like many of the Cambridge students, the Christians at the church in Corinth were status seekers:

• they wanted to be cool,

• they wanted to be powerful,

• they wanted to be rich,

• they wanted to be famous

not unlike many Christians in the church today. Paul knew that and brought them to their knees when he wrote:

Read: 1 Cor. 1:26

Now it might sound like Paul is insulting the Christians at the church in Corinth. He’s not. He’s reminding them, and us, that God reaches out to the common, ordinary people in life. We should see that as a demonstration of His grace.

It’s as if Paul was saying: Look at yourselves, remember who you were before you were a Christian:

• Not many of you were wise by human standards. You messed up…a lot.

• Not many of you were influential. You couldn’t get anybody to listen to you.

• Not many of you were of noble birth. You didn’t have a great dad…in fact some of you didn’t even know your dad!

BUT…remember when we see the word BUT in Scripture, underline it because it usually involves a significant contrast, one God wants us to learn from.

Transition: Let’s see what the BUT is about.

II. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God chose

Read: 1 Cor. 1:27-29

ILL: During a Billy Sunday evangelistic campaign, a mentally impaired boy came faithfully each night to sing in the choir. “Joey was not very bright,” said Homer Rodeheaver, the well-known song leader for Billy Sunday, “but he never missed any of our meetings and wouldn’t leave until he shook my hand. Sometimes I was embarrassed by the way he constantly tailed me, and I secretly wished he’d go away.”

Then one evening a man came to Rodeheaver and said, “Thank you for being kind to my son Joey. He’s not right mentally, but never has he enjoyed anything so much as singing in the choir. He even worked hard doing simple chores for people so he could contribute to the collection.

Through his pleadings my wife and five other children came to this evangelistic campaign and have now received Christ. Last night his 75-year-old grandfather, who has been an atheist all his life, was saved, and tonight his grandmother also came forward. Now our entire family is converted!’” (Our Daily Bread,)

BUT…God chooses the foolish, the weak and lowly things to accomplish His will. And what is God’s will? That people from every tribe, tongue and nation, would place their faith in Jesus,

• not based on what they have done, for Christ

• but for what Christ has done, for them.

So that no one may boast before Him. Paul is saying we need to give credit where credit is due…God alone receives the glory and praise for saving those who are lost.

Paul reminds us that

• When we boast about our self, we don’t edify God, we edify our self.

• When we boast about our self, we take the glory away from God and put our self in the spotlight.

Transition: There is however; a right way to boast.

III. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 It is because of

Jesus Christ

Read: 1 Cor. 1:30-31

We boast...the text says in the Lord. Why? It is because of God that we are IN Christ. What does that mean? A lot actually, but in this context it means 4 things.

1. Because we are in Christ, Jesus is our wisdom.

The idea here is through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross, we now ‘get it.’ The message of the cross is no longer foolishness to us. We have the wisdom of God to see Jesus for who He truly is…our Lord and Savior.

2. Because we are in Christ, Jesus is our righteousness.

Through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross, we now have a right standing before God. Forgiven and made new.

3. Because we are in Christ, Jesus is our holiness.

Through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross, God declares us holy. We need to be holy so that we can boldly approach the throne of grace so that we might receive mercy.

4. Because we are in Christ, Jesus is our redemption.

Through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross, we have been redeemed, bought out from the kingdom of this world and are now citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Basically, Paul is saying those who embrace the message of the cross

• Are able to live in fellowship and peace with God.

• Gain a new perspective on life.

• Begin to see things from God’s point of view.

• So they no longer want to boast in themselves, they boast in the Lord.

Conclusion

So…who’s the king of the jungle, in your life?

I was reading recently Psalm 44 …

Read: Psalm 44:1-8

How did they hear about the works of God?

• Verse 1: their father’s boasted about the things God did for them

• Verse 2: Gives testimony to what God did, again boasting in the glory of God.

• Verse 3: the Jewish people fought- but they understood they won because of God’s intervention.

• Verse 4: now, because of the boasting of their father’s, the sons have faith to claim victories in God’s name.

• Verse 5-7: they knew they could not trust in their own strength/wisdom- but in the God that they served.

• Verse 8: this is the verse that challenged me

In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. (ESV)

There is something here the church needs to learn.

• We need to hear each other ‘boast in the Lord’.

• Our children need to hear us ‘boast in the lord’ here and out there.

• Therefore, we need to be’ boasting in the Lord’.

Why? Well, God’s Word commands it. It that’s not enough, we benefit from it.

• We are strengthened, encouraged, built up,

• We understand, a little better, that it is God alone who works the good works in our lives,

• Therefore we can trust Him, hold on to Him, love Him.

Today is a very special day! Why?

• Not because it is Sunday, or something of importance happened on this day in history.

Today is a very special day because it is a day when we can boast about our God.

Read: Psalm 34:1-3 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! (ESV)