Alba 2-2-2025
GLORY IN THE LORD
I Corinthians 1:26-31
In 2008, there was a movie released called “Four Christmases”. It tells the story of a couple who try to avoid family gatherings and their dysfunctional families by traveling abroad. So during Christmas they planned a relaxing vacation in Fiji, but heavy fog grounds the entire airport. They are unexpectedly interviewed by a television news crew, notifying their families that their holiday plans are now canceled, which forces them to visit all four of their divorced parents in one day.
Now, I have not seen the movie. But Steve Shepherd did, and here is what he said about it. “Elaine and I recently saw the movie, 'Four Christmases.' It was a comedy, but also had some mockery to it. There was one scene where actor Vince Vaughn played the part of Joseph in a church play and Reese Witherspoon played the part of Mary. It was funny and yet it wasn't funny, because Vaughn, in his idiocy, over-played his part to the point where he got all the glory. All attention was given to him in that church play instead of pointing to the Christ child.” Shepherd said, “And that's the way it is in our world. People want to steal the glory of Christ for themselves.”
James 4:10 tells us to humble ourselves in God’s sight so He can lift us up. So we’re told to be humble, yet this is one of the biggest challenges for most of us.
There seems to be a constant, and built-in, need to impress others. We try to do it by our words and actions. For example, with the passion for sports that many have, they love to brag about whose team is the best. With The Super Bowl next week, it is a time for boasting – that is if it is your team or favorite player involved in the big game. Only two teams have made it – only one team will claim victory. At the end of the game, there will be only one team that is boasting as champions. The other will go home disappointed that despite all their boasting, their team failed to win the championship.
All of this proves that boasting isn’t something that just kids do (you know the phrase, “My dad can beat up your dad”). But our text for today, First Corinthians 1:31 warns us about improper bragging. It says, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” What does it mean to ‘glorify’? Well, it means to elevate, and to give honor and praise. It means to put value on something or someone.
When writing to the Corinthians, Paul was paraphrasing Jeremiah 9:23-24 that says, “Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,' says the Lord.” Paul applies this verse, this Old Testament principle, to Christians today. None of us should be so foolish as to boast in ourselves or in any other human being. Our praise belongs only in the Lord. It will not be hard to truly glory in the Lord, if we...
1. Remember What We Were Then (Before we became Christians)
When Paul writes to the church in Corinth, he wants these new Christians to remember where they came from: Out of darkness into the light. So he describes the people in the church in I Corinthians 1:26 and says, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.”
Wow! Imagine if I stood in front of you this morning and said, “You people at Alba Christian Church were a bunch of losers before you joined this congregation. Nobody here was successful in business, most of you weren’t that bright, none of you came from a good family.” That sure doesn’t seem like the right thing to say to a congregation of Christians.
But Paul did not use these unflattering descriptions of the Corinthians to belittle them, but to remind them that they had no basis for boasting. The fact is, not many of the members in Corinth had much to boast about in the world outside the church. Most were not rich. They were not the movers and shakers in society or the trendsetters. Instead they many were thought to be slaves or blue collar workers. Not many had much of an education.
Why does Paul remind the Corinthians about this? He wants them to understand and appreciate God’s great gift of His grace. And Paul is reminding them that in God’s eyes it doesn’t matter what job they might hold, or who their parents are, or how many people they know, or how much money they have. He wanted the Corinthians to remember how they were brought to faith. They had been told the amazing news that through the death of a man named Jesus their sins could be forgiven. And accepting that message of the cross brought them to believe in Jesus and be forgiven of their sins.
He reminds them of these facts because it’s hard to appreciate God’s grace unless they really understand their situation. Their situation and every human being’s situation is the same. In God’s eyes all people are equals – we have all sinned. We all deserve eternal punishment. So we all must remember what we were, sinners undeserving of salvation, undeserving of forgiveness. Yet God has mercy even on the likes of us. That is a reason to give glory to the Lord! We have nothing in ourselves to glory in the fact of our salvation.
However, Paul’s point is not that you have to be a fool or poor to be a Christian. Notice that Paul repeatedly says “not many” rather than “not any.” Some of the world’s wise, influential, and wealthy people have been saved, not many, but some. So what is Paul implying here? His point is that being wise or influential or of noble birth is not a necessary qualification for becoming a Christian.
These verses make it very clear that being highly regarded by the world is in no sense an advantage in the eyes of God. The wise, influential, and wealthy people of the world need just the same amount of God’s grace in order to be saved as the world’s ordinary folk. God’s grace can reach anyone --- the wise and the illiterate, the influential and the unimpressive, the rich and the poor. No matter who we may be, our boast is in the Lord.
Now it is true that Paul did boast about something in himself. It was when he prayed for healing that didn't happen. And the Lord's message was “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” So Paul's reaction was, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) He was willing to boast about how weak he was and give all the glory to God.
Before becoming a believer in Jesus, Paul prided himself in knowing and doing all that the Lord commanded. But by grace, God reached out and saved Paul from his own self-trust that would only bring eternal, self-destruction. He says in Philippians 3:7-8, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
From his own experience, Paul knew that the people in Corinth needed a reminder about how far God had brought them. That wake up call would put their pride back in place. They had nothing to offer God when He called them to faith. If they were going to brag about someone who is great, God was their only choice.
Yes, when we remember what we were, we will fall on our knees and give glory to the Lord. But also, we will give the Lord glory if...
2. Remember Who We Are Now (that we are Christians)
I Corinthians 1:30 says, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” He is saying that as believers, we are in Christ. Through faith, repentance and baptism we become members of His body. Jesus took the judgment for sin on Himself when He died on the cross. And because of that, we who are in Him can share in His resurrection life, both now and in the final resurrection.
The Corinthians had many reasons to glory in the Lord. And we also can glory in the Lord because He has given us so much to boast about. What did Jesus do for you? Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Jesus freed you from sin's consequences. Jesus forgave your sins. Jesus gave you entrance into God's kingdom, God's family. So what is this telling us? If you're going to brag, brag about Jesus.
Remembering who we are in Christ should cause us to glory in the Lord and give Him praise. Now look more closely at verse 30. It speaks of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
In Christ Jesus we have received God’s wisdom for our salvation. In His wisdom God chose to use weak and foolish things to display to the world His strength and wisdom. He didn’t want the world to rely on it’s own power, its own ingenuity, its own decisions. He wanted the world to rely on Him, no matter how foolish the message may appear, no matter how weak the means may be. You see, He chose the cross.
Why did God choose to use such a lowly instrument as the cross to win our salvation? Paul tells us in verse 27, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” God chose to win salvation for us in this way in order that He might receive full credit. And God, in His wisdom, provided a plan for salvation that continues to forgive sin. His wisdom continues to provide comfort. His wisdom continues to ensure salvation. And while science is always having to adjust when something new is found, this wisdom will never be obsolete.
And Jesus Christ is our righteousness. In Him we become righteous before God. It is the righteousness of Christ that God accepts. Any good that we have done doesn't compare. Because our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). But when we are in Christ, God looks at us as being completely right because of His grace and mercy. In Christ, we are declared righteous, and the demands of God’s holy law have been met for us. Because of the righteousness of Christ, God is able to look at us as though we lived our entire life in complete harmony with what pleases Him. Oh, give God glory!
And also, Christ is our sanctification. Sanctification deals with consecration and holiness. In Christ we are called holy and we have His perfect obedience to the Law credited to us. It means we are set apart for God and His purposes. The Corinthians had seen their practical lives changed by the power of the gospel of Christ. He had become the source of their holiness. Sanctification has to do with our nature, our character and our conduct. In Christ Jesus we are declared righteous and made ready to move on to sanctification, growing in righteousness, and God’s further work in us. Sanctification calls for us to become more like Jesus. And that gives glory to the Lord.
And Jesus is our redemption. He alone made it possible. In the Greek language redemption means the ransom price someone pays to buy someone else back from another. All believers have been “bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Even though we had no value to brag about, the price God paid to buy us back from Satan is something to brag about. The life of His Son was the price tag He put on us. Jesus paid the price with his own blood on the cross. We have been bought back from the power of sin.
In Christ, we have been redeemed. In Ephesians 1:7-8 the Apostle Paul made his boast about that measure of God’s love saying, “In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” That is our redemption. Redeemed from the pit of destruction. Bought back from damnation. All of this was made possible through Christ’s suffering and death. That is the only way that it has been made possible. Anything else falls far short. If we put our hope and trust in anything else we are sure to be disappointed.
Our redemption is God’s greatest act of love. Our redemption is where God showed just how much He loves us. He was willing to sacrifice His own Son so that we might be with Him forever in heaven. We have many reasons to glory in the Lord.
The wise man cannot boast, “I am saved because of my intellect.” The influential man can’t boast, “I am saved because of my power.” The wealthy man can’t boast, “I am saved because of my money.” Boasting in ourselves has been eliminated.
Becoming a Christian isn't like solving a puzzle, or like climbing Mount Everest. You don't get to look back, and think, "I did it. Yup, I'm amazing. I figured it out." God is determined that He will be the one to receive glory and honor.
And every time someone gives their allegiance to Jesus, all they can do is point to God's grace, and praise Him. They can't pat themselves on the back. The glory belongs to the Lord. What He did for us, we could never do for ourselves.
If salvation was the responsibility of the individual then everyone in heaven would be able to take credit for being smarter than those who don’t make it. Instead, our hope, our comfort, our certainty rests on Jesus – the One who has done it all.
So boast if you will. Boast that the Lord has made you holy and righteous. Boast that He has made you wise for salvation. Boast that He has won your redemption. Boast not only in words, but boast also as you live your life in a way that reflects thankfulness in your heart. And give the Lord glory.
CLOSE:
Thomas Gainsborough was an artist in the 1700s. He painted portraits and landscapes. Among them, one of his best known was the picture called “The Blue Boy”. Gainsborough was said to have not only been an artist, but also a man who greatly desired to learn music.
He bought a great variety of musical instruments that he would attempt to play. On one particular occasion, he went to hear a great violinist. Charmed by the musician’s talented performance, Gainsborough bought the violin from the musician.
He thought that if he could use the same violin that the great master of music had used, he would be able to play beautiful music also. He very soon realized that the beauty and charm of the music was not a result of a special violin, but the result of the skilled master who played the violin.
And any time that we start taking credit for the difference in who we are now compared to what we were before becoming a Christian, that is not beautiful music. It is out of tune with the truth of the song that should be in our hearts – all praise to the Lord. May our praise be to and of Him. He is the Master who gave us the song of our redemption.
And that song of redemption is for any and all who come to Christ in obedient faith.
