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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 8th January 2006 PMLET THE ONE WHO BOASTS BOAST ABOUT THIS.. Pastor Linton Smith Do you recall boasting about something or someone else boasting about something?Boasting can be irritating can’t it?A story in the Grand Rapids Press told of one man who irritated his friends. [I will modify it for the Australian scene] He owned a small imported car.. and was for ever bragging about how economical it was. His friends decided to do something about it. Every day one of them would sneak into the parking lot where he kept his car and pour about 10 litres of fuel into the petrol tank. So the braggart was getting absolutely phenomenal economy.. well over 100 kms to the litre! His friends really enjoyed it when he tried to convince people he was telling the truth… and enjoyed it even more.. when they stopped topping up his tank.. and saw what this did to his bragging.We do not like boasting.. so why do we boast?It seems to me that we do it because it makes us feel better than others.. makes us feel secure and significant. It also seems to me that the things we boast about may give us a clue to what it is that makes us feel significant.. what we truly value.. what we think is important.Tonight we are looking at a scripture about boasting. Jeremiah 9:23,24.. This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. Trouble was coming for Jerusalem. The Babylonians had come to power.. there was not a nation that could stand against them. Jeremiah was trying to warn his people. And what were they doing? Bragging about their their wisdom.. their strength.. and their wealth. They were scared.. felt very insecure.. and insignificant compared to the Babylonians.. and tried to bolster their own feeling of security and significance by boasting about their wisdom, strength, riches. Jeremiah warned them and warns us against finding security and significance in these things.First of all he warns us against finding our security and significance in..o WISDOMIn Jeremiah 9:23 Jeremiah says,This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom..” But isn’t wisdom a good thing? Isn’t education a good thing? Let’s turn to the New Testament.. to Paul.. for the answer. Wisdom is a good thing – but it is nothing compared to the wisdom of God. The Apostle Paul writes.. 1 Corinthians 1:25.. The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom. So it makes sense to trust God’s wisdom – not our own! And when it comes to what is really important – knowing God – our wisdom cannot help us! Paul writes.. 1 Corinthians 1:21.. Since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. We try to know God by our wisdom. We mount our arguments.. about the wonders of the Universe.. the stars.. planets.. and the wonders of the human body.. the human brain.. and conclude that these wonders point us to an intelligent Creator.. We look into our own hearts.. and see a hunger there for some kind of god.. and conclude that a god must exist.. we see our hunger for something after death.. and conclude that life must go on.. but we cannot know God this way. We can know Him only through the foolishness of what was preached.. the good news.. about Jesus.. the Christ.. being crucified and rising again.. He revealed God.. said.. anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.. and opened the way for us to approach the Father.. I am the way, the truth and the life.. no one comes to the Father but by me. When I was just a young Christian I came across something in a Christian magazine that has helped me greatly – Religion is about man’s best effort to reach up to God.. Christianity is about God’s best effort to reach down to us! When we believe in Jesus.. we know God!Next he warns us against finding our security and significance in..o STRENGTH In Jeremiah 9:23 Jeremiah says, This is what the LORD says: “Let not.. the strong man boast of his strength..”We all value strength. One of the things we want most is healthy, strong bodies.. and mental and emotional strength. What is wrong with that? Let’s turn to the Apostle Paul once again. He writes.. 1 Corinthians 1:25.. The.. weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. So it makes sense to trust God’s strength – not our own! Paul did. His life was full of struggles. He struggled with illness. He reminded the Galatians that it was because of an illness that he visited them and preached the good news to them.. he experienced all manner of hardships from floggings to being stoned and left for dead.. and on top of that he suffered from what he calls a ‘thorn in the flesh’. We do not know what this was.. only that it troubled him greatly.. and he prayed three times that the Lord would take it away. How did God respond? Paul writes.. 2 Corinthians 12:9.. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. He discovered that the strength he needed was God’s strength! He trusted in God’s strength.. and was strong indeed. A weak man who became a giant! When we believe.. we know God.. and like Paul.. can live in His strength. Then he warns us against finding our security and significance in..o RICHES In Jeremiah 9:23 Jeremiah says,This is what the LORD says: “Let not.. the rich man boast of his riches..” But isn’t it better to be wealthy than poor? Yes.. wealth can give us a better lifestyle.. and even a longer life.. when used wisely.. Let’s turn to Paul again.. he wrote to Timothy.. a young pastor.. 1 Timothy 6:17.. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Wealth helps us.. but riches are uncertain. They can be taken away from us.. by war.. natural disasters.. and economic down turn. One day you have them.. the next you may not.People discovered this in 1929.. In one week in October.. and many rich people became poor people in a single day. And that was not the end of it. The market continued to fall until it bottomed out in July 1932.. By that time it had lost 89.2% - and it did not recover for another 22 years!So Paul says.. do not put your hope in wealth – it is so uncertain! Instead.. put your hope in God. Then he says to Timothy..1 Timothy 6:18,19.. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.He is not saying.. Don’t save for the future.. but he is saying.. do not be greedy… do not think about this life only.. think about the one to come.. be generous and willing to share.. lay up treasure in heaven.. take hold of the life that is truly life. Get things in perspective! Focus on God.. eternal life! Jeremiah warns us against finding our security and significance in wisdom.. strength.. riches.. and then he urges us to find security and significance in God. In Jeremiah 9:24 he says, “But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. This is where we find true security and significance – when we know God. We might say, “I Agree with that.. but boast about it??” When we boast we are not boasting about ourselves.. we are boasting about God.. giving the glory to Him.. because it is all down to Him.. that we understand and know Him! Paul: Therefore, as it is written: “let him who boasts boast in the Lord” [1Cor 1:31]. He sent Jesus so that we could know Him. Jesus.. came as a babe.. lived.. taught.. could say.. anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.. then died.. to open the way for us to be forgiven.. and reconciled to God.. and to have eternal life.. and when we have eternal life.. we know God! Jesus said.. John 17:3.. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. He sent Jesus.. then He sent the Holy Spirit so that we could be like Him.Jeremiah speaks of knowing God.. that He is the LORD.. who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.. This is what God is like.. and He does not merely want us to know what He is like.. he wants us to be like Him.. and we can be.. with the help of the Holy Spirit! Paul writes.. Galatians 5:22,23.. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That is the kind of people God wants us to be.. like Jesus.. and we can be.. when we live in the strength the Spirit gives. How? First of all.. believe in Jesus.. then you will know God.. He will give His Spirit to you.. then consciously and deliberately depend on the Holy Spirit!
LET THE ONE WHO BOASTS BOAST ABOUT THIS..
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