Boasting In The Lord

BOASTING IN THE LORD

Holy Ground Spirit Filled Church

Pastor: Joe M. Garza

3-19-06

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:31

1 Corinthians 1:31 (AMP)

So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord

Jeremiah 9:24 (NIV)

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

INTRODUCTION:

I hope you will agree with me this morning that in order to love deeply there are things you must deeply hate. You could think of examples yourself. To love children deeply you must hate any mistreatment or neglect that destroys them. If you love clear-headed and respect, you have to hate alcoholism and drug addiction. If you love freedom you have to hate slavery and totalitarianism (it’s a government with one political group maintains complete control; dictatorship)

The reason we start with this observation is because we are about to tell you something God hates, and we know that the word hate by itself has a negative and unattractive ring to it. But we want you to realize from the very outset that God’s hatred is the reflex of his love.

a. The only reason anybody should hate anything is because it replaces or ruins something beautiful and wonderful

*Hatred should always stand in the service of love

----if you hate anything, it should be because you love something more

*So when I tell you that God hates something, we want you to hear that hatred as the echo of his love.

----He hates what He hates because it replaces or ruins something beautiful

A. The thing our Lord hates more than anything else in this world is human pride

Proverbs 6:16-17 (AMP)

These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: [17] A proud look (the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.

*God sees the pride in the heart and hates it there

*When it prevails to that degree that the show of men’s facial expressions witnesses against them that they overvalue themselves and undervalue all about them, this is in a special manner hateful to our Lord

----in other words, pride is proud of itself and sets shame with boldness and resists authority

Psalm 101:5 (AMP)

Whoso privily slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off from me; he who has a haughty look and a proud and arrogant heart I cannot and I will not tolerate

*People take pleasure in wounding their neighbor’s reputation secretly

----WATCH ME! If you raise or spread false stories, to the prejudice of your neighbors good name, the word of God says, “him will I cut off from my family and court”

a. Their are haughty, conceited, ambitious people

*None do more mischief in a family, in a court, in a CHURCH, for only by pride comes contention

----people with a haughty look and a proud and arrogant heart do not aim at doing good

----WATCH ME FREAK YOU OUT! They only aim at getting more power or be more greater for themselves and their families

----GOD RESISTS THE PROUD

Proverbs 16:5 (AMP)

Everyone proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the Lord: be assured I pledge it they will not go unpunished (Proverbs 8:13; 11:20-21)

Isaiah 2:11 (NIV)

The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day

Jeremiah 50:31 (KJV)

Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee

*Jesus said in Luke 16:15, “What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

*In Acts 12:23 it says that an angel of the Lord struck Herod so that he was eaten with worms and died because when he received applause from the people he did not give God the glory but took it for himself

----God hates human pride

b. This is the root problem in the church at Corinth

[We are going to take a quick survey of the letters to Corinth to see if this is so, and also to see just what pride is. Ask these two questions as we go……]

1. Is pride the root problem at Corinth?

2. What actually is pride?

1 Corinthians 1:29 (AMP)

So that no mortal man should (have pretense for glorying and) boast in the presence of God

1 Corinthians 1:31 (AMP)

So that, just as it is written, “Let Him Who Boasts, Boast In The Lord”

1 Corinthians 3:7 (AMP)