What Are You Bragging About?
Pastor Don Carpenter
A Beautiful Mess / 1 Corinthians 1:26–31
THE NOBODIES OF THE CHURCH
Janet Reno, Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton administration, was interviewed on “60 Minutes” on June 26, 1999. She seems to hold this ancient opinion of Christians. Here is how she defined a cultist:
“A domestic terrorist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second Coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; who have a high level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools their children; who has accumulated survival foods and has a strong belief in the Second Amendment; and who distrusts big government. Any of these may qualify a person as a cultist but certainly more than one of these would cause us to look at this person as a threat and his family as being in a risk that qualifies for government interference.”
Let me put it another way, we are the last ones picked to be on the team on the school playground or we are still sitting on the sideline while everyone else has been picked to dance. Let me just take a chance, has anyone here received a personal call from one of the Presidential candidates inviting you to a fundraiser BBQ? Nobody here is on the A list?
When the world wants to make changes they go after the rich, the wise, and celebrities. The world goes after people with a following. But for all its wealth and intelligence and influence, the world doesn’t come near accomplishing the good that the nobodies of the church get done. This brings glory to God.
(From a sermon by Ed Sasnett, Nothing to Add, 6/2/2010)
The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the “Beautiful Mess” of the Church at Corinth. These Believers were truly saved and were growing as a functional local Body of Christ… but they had several problems that needed to be addresses. That was the purpose of Paul’s first Epistle to the Corinthian believers.
One of their biggest issues was the issue of division. They had split up by following different leadership styles within the church. Last week, we saw that Paul exposed the fact that God does not use man’s flashy wisdom, but instead uses the foolishness of preaching … and the preaching of the cross to save those who believe, therefore it was not the clever or winsome personalities that were getting the job done… so there was no reason to split over style.
Today we will see how Paul continues with this thought. There is no reason to divide over perceived skill or prowess, because God purposefully avoids using that to build the kingdom. So this begs the question, what are you bragging about?
The Focus of God’s Call Silences our Bragging
1 Corinthians 1:26 KJV
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
33.312 ?????d; ??????a, ??? f; ????????????b: to urgently invite someone to accept responsibilities for a particular task, implying a new relationship to the one who does the calling—‘to call, to call to a task.’
?????d: ??? ? ??? ???????? ???? ??? ??? ?????????? ???? ‘(God) called you to this through the good news we preached to you
Invitation to experience of special privilege and responsibility, call, calling, invitation. In our lit. almost exclusively of divine initiative.
Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 549). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Wise
32.33 ?????b, ?, ??: pertaining to understanding resulting in wisdom—‘prudent, wise, understanding
Mighty
87.43 ?? ???????: important persons, based upon their power or influence
Noble
87.27 ???????a, ??: pertaining to having high status, with the possible implication of special family relations contributing to such status—‘high status, important.’
John 6:44 KJV
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Purpose of God’s Choice Silences our Bragging.
1 Corinthians 1:27–29 KJV
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
The Foolish to Confound the Wise
32.58 ?????b, ?, ??: (derivative of ????? ‘foolishness,’ 32.57) pertaining to thoughts devoid of understanding and therefore foolish—‘foolish, nonsensical, to be nonsense.
The Weak to Confound the Mighty
The Base Things to Destroy the Established Things.
87.59 ??????, ??; ??????, ??: pertaining to being obscure or insignificant, with the possible implication of lacking in noble descent—‘low, insignificant, inferior.’
??????: ?? ????? ??? ?????? … ????????? ? ???? ‘God chose … what was inferior in (the eyes of) the world’
So No One Steals the Glory God Deserves!
Jeremiah 9:23 KJV
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches:
There is a World War II story that shows how the smallest deed can make all the difference. During the last months of the War, the British conducted daily bombing raids over Berlin. One night the bombers were attacked by a large group of German fighter planes. During the dogfight one of the Bomber Planes got separated from the protection of British Fighter Planes. They watched helplessly as a German Fighter Plane came within range. Bullets whizzed by over and over until five bullets slammed into the fuselage of the bomber near the gas tank. The crew braced for the explosion, but it never came. Fuel poured from the bullet holes, but there was no explosion. After landing, a mechanic handed the pilot 5 bullets he had pulled from the plane. The pilot carefully opened the shells. They were empty — except for a tiny wad of paper with a note that read: “We are Polish POWS forced to make bullets. When guards do not look, we do not fill with powder. Is not much, but is best we can do.” Five tiny bullets, made by a few weak and lowly prisoners … but for the Crew of that British Bomber it made all the difference. God often chooses insignificant people and events to bring about His great purposes.
From a sermon by Terry Blankenship, The Insignificant Church, 10/14/2009
The Outcome of God’s Grace Changes The Focus of Our Bragging.
1 Corinthians 1:30–31 KJV
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Ephesians 2:10 KJV
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Wisdom
Ephesians 1:17 KJV
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Righteousness
2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Romans 8:33 KJV
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Sanctification
John 17:17–19 KJV
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Redemption
Titus 2:14 KJV
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Therefore If You Have Been Made Into Anything, Brag on God!
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 2:36 PM January 21, 2022.