I've entitled the message for
tonight, Legitimate Boasting. Legitimate Boasting. Legitimate Glory. Now, we've
all been around boastful braggarts, haven't we? People who seek to
convince us regarding how gifted and wonderful they are. You've
been around people like that. I've been around people like
that, maybe you're one of them. Proverbs 27, 2 says, Let another
praise thee, and not thine own mouth, a stranger, and not thine
own lips. Proverbs 25, 14 says, Whosoever
boasted himself of a false gift is like clouds without rain. and without water. God hates
pride. He hates it. He hates pride of
face. He hates pride of race. He hates pride of place. And most especially, he detests
the pride of grace. In 1 Corinthians 4, verse 7,
the Apostle said, Who maketh you to differ from another? And what do you have that you
didn't receive? That God didn't give to you?
Now, if you received it, why do you glory? Why do you boast? Why do you rejoice as if you
didn't receive it, but it was actually something that you achieved? Now. In salvation. Human boasting has no place,
does it? Ephesians 2, 8, 9 says, by grace,
are you saved? Through faith. And that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man
should boast. Paul said in Romans 3, verse
27, where is boasting then in this thing of salvation? Where
is it that you can boast and take credit? Where is boasting
then? It's excluded, he said. By what law? Works? What works
do you have? Nay, but by the law of faith. Now, that being said, we're going
to boast in something. Every one of us, there's something
that we will personally boast and rejoice in. This word is
translated by four different words in the New Testament to
boast, to glory, to rejoice, and to joy. Now, boasting is
a good thing, isn't it? To boast in the Lord, to boast
in Christ, it's a good thing. Now, Paul said in 2 Corinthians
11, 17, he spoke of the confidence of boasting. Now, what you boast
in, what you glory in, is what you actually have confidence
in. And what makes you happy? Now, what do you boast in? What do you glory in? What do
you rejoice in? What do you actually have confidence
in? When God looks in your heart,
what does he see that you have confidence in? And what is it
that actually makes you happy? Now, while most boasting is ill-grounded,
illegitimate, and distasteful, there is a well-grounded boasting. Turn to 2 Corinthians 10. Verse 17. Paul says to the church at Corinth,
But he that glorieth, he that boasts, he that rejoiceth, He
that has confidence, he that glorieth, let him glory in the
Lord. Now, there's the one legitimate
place to glory, to have confidence, to be happy. He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Not in his works, not in the
things that he does, but in the Lord. For not he that commendeth
himself is approved, A lot of folks do that, self-commendation,
but it means nothing. If I commend myself, what does
it mean? Nothing. It's not that person who commends
himself that is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. What led Paul to make this statement? The church at Corinth had been
founded by the Apostle Paul, and you'll remember it was a
very large church. Remember where the Lord told Paul in Acts chapter
18, fear not, don't hold your peace. He said, I have much people
in this city. And they hadn't been called out
yet, but there were a large number of God's elect in the city of
Corinth. And the Lord told Paul, you preach
there and you keep preaching there. And Paul preached there
for 18 months. And the Lord established this
church at Corinth. But Paul wasn't a pastor. Paul
was an apostle. And in time, he had to leave
this place and he went to seek to preach the gospel in other
places. That's what he was always doing.
He preached the gospel here for a while and he'd go somewhere
else and preach the gospel. Then he'd go somewhere else and
preach the gospel. He was the Apostle Paul. He was
the man God used to establish so many different churches. Now, after he was gone, there
were some men who sought to discredit or call into question the Apostle
Paul. They came into the church that
Paul had founded and attempted to get people to listen to them
rather than Paul. Now, that would be like me going
to Daniel and telling the people at the Grace Baptist Church where
Don Fortner is the pastor. You all don't need to listen
to him. You need to listen to me. That would be called self-promotion,
wouldn't it? It would be evil. It would be me seeking to draw
away disciples after myself, which is what false prophets
do. They seek to influence and draw away disciples after themselves.
And this was going on at the Church of Corinth. These men
were coming in and seeking to discredit Paul. They were stretching
themselves into other men's labors, even taking credit where credit
was not due. You can read about this, actually,
from chapters 10 through 13. Paul is addressing this issue. Now look what he says in verse
seven, the second Corinthians chapter 10. Do you look on things
after the outward appearance? After the way things look on
the outside, and you say, well, he must be somebody God's blessing.
Look what's taking place. If any man trusts to himself
that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again,
that as he is Christ's, Even so, are we Christ and these fellows
were claiming a special relationship with Christ and implying that
Paul didn't have one. And Paul is simply saying the
they claim this relationship. Well, I have this relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want to look things according
to appearance, look here, look in chapter 11, verse 22. He says
regarding these people, are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. I've got the same pedigree they
do. Are they the seed of Abraham? Me too. Are they ministers of
Christ? Now, I'm speaking as a fool.
I'm more. I'm more. In labors more abundant,
in strides above measure, I've been beaten I don't know how
many times for preaching the gospel. These fellows haven't.
Imprisoned more frequent in death often, he goes on to talk about
all these things that the Lord privileged him to suffer for
his sake. And he says in verse eight. Second
Corinthians chapter 10, for though I should boast somewhat more
of our authority, which the Lord has given to us. For edification,
not for your destruction. Now, Paul had this special apostolic
authority, but he said this authority that's been given to me, it's
for your building up, not to tear you down. That's God's purpose
in giving me this. He said, I should not be ashamed
of what the Lord has done in me. I have legitimate reason
to have confidence, to glory in what the Lord has done in
me and through me. And he's given me this special
apostolic authority. Verse nine. Now, here's what
they were accusing him of. He says, that I may not seem
as if I would terrify you by letters. They said that all he
does is try to scare you with these letters that he writes
to you. They were referring to first Corinthians. And if you
look in that first epistle to Corinthians, there's 14 or 15
issues that he deals with and he rebukes them throughout that
letter. And these fellows were saying
that I may seem as if I would tear a few by letters, for his
letters say they are weighty and powerful, of great weight
and strong, but his bodily presence is weak. There's nothing impressive
about him. You look at him and you think
this is God's prophet. His bodily presence is weak and
unimpressive, and his speech is contemptible. He can't even
speak well. I mean, Something wrong with
this man. Verse 11. Let such in one thing
this. That such as we are in word by
letters when we're absent. Such will we be also indeed when
we're present. We're not one way in our letters
and one way in our physical presence, we have the same message and
the same authority. Now, look what he says in verse
12. May the Lord impress us all with this, verse 12, for we dare
not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some
that commend themselves. Self-commendation, self-promotion. But they, measuring themselves
by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. And my marginal reference says,
regarding this word of not wise, they understand it not. They
don't get it. They don't get it. Now, what
is it that demonstrates they don't get it? Well, they compare
themselves with others. Now, everybody in this room,
you can find somebody that you can compare yourself to, and
you can come out looking better than them. You can find somebody
that you're a little bit more faithful in, a little bit more
moral in, a little bit more strong in, and you can say, I'm in pretty
good shape compared to that person. Now, if you compare yourself
to somebody else, you have used a corrupt standard of measurement.
Now, let's say somebody says, I'm better than you. I mean,
look, I'm more faithful than you. I'm better than you. I've
put my life up against yours, and I'm better than you. Well,
congratulations. So what? So what? Does that make anything? Absolutely
not. The only one we're to compare
ourselves to is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Any other comparison
you make with yourself and somebody else to try to find some kind
of hope that maybe I'm all right because I'm better than this
person or I'm doing better than this person. is corrupt. You're putting yourself beside
a corrupt standard of measurement, and it's absolutely wrong. And
he tells us people that do things like this, they just don't get
it. They don't get it. They're looking for some kind
of goodness in themselves rather than looking to Christ alone.
They understand not and they don't get it. And Paul says we
dare not do that, get ourselves in the group that commend themselves.
So they comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. Verse 13. But we will not boast
of things without our measure, but according to the measure
of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even
unto you." Now, these men had come into where God had used
Paul to save the Corinthians, and these men were trying to
draw away disciples after them. They came into this place where
God used Paul to establish it, and they said, don't listen to
Paul, listen to me. They were trying to put themselves in other
men's labors and other men's work. And you're not supposed
to do that. Verse 14, Paul said, We don't,
we stress not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached
not unto you. We did come to you preaching
the gospel of Christ, and you heard the gospel through us.
For we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel
of Christ, not boasting of things without our measure, that is,
of other men's labors. And that's what these fellows
were doing. They were coming into the church and trying to take credit where
credit was not due. But having hope, Paul says, that
when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by
you according to our rule abundantly, and we'll be enabled to preach
the gospel in regions beyond you, and not to boast in another
man's line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth,
he that boasts, he that rejoices, he that has confidence, he that
has joy, Let him glory in the Lord. Verse 18, for not he that
commended himself is approved, but whom the Lord committeth. It's not that one who commends
himself that's truly approved. May the Lord deliver. I'm sure
I've done it. I've tried to commend myself before. You've tried to
commend yourself before, but it's foolishness. Don't do that.
Don't do that. It's whom the Lord commends that's
approved. And if I have eyes to see, I
can see whether or not the Lord's commending a man or whether that
man is commending himself. Now, there is legitimate boasting.
We all are going to glory in something. What can a believer
legitimately boast in? That means what can I actually
feel good about? What can I have confidence in?
What can I rejoice in? What is it that actually makes
me happy? What makes you happy? Now, I can tell you right off
the bat before I go into this passage of scripture, this is
what everyone pretty much in the world is pursuing their own
happiness. I want to be happy. I want to
be happy. I want to be happy. Now, if that's
what you're pursuing, I can guarantee you're not going to be happy.
You're going to be miserable. We're to pursue to do that which
is right, not that which makes us happy. But what is it that
makes a believer happy? What does a believer have confidence
in? What does a believer actually rejoice in? Well, here's a passage
of Scripture that we quote very often, turn to Galatians, Chapter
six. I'm going to look in the New
Testament at what a believer is said to glory in. Now, this is Paul the Apostle
speaking. This is the man that God used
to write scripture. This is the man that God took
into the third heaven, and the Lord Jesus Christ taught him
the gospel directly. This is the man that God used
to establish all these different churches. He called himself,
without arrogance, without self-promotion, I am the wise master builder. God used the Apostle Paul, like
nobody else, to expound the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
what is Paul going to glory in? Well, look what he says in verse
14. But God forbid that I should glory. And remember who this
is. This is the man who was beat,
ended up dying as a martyr for the cause of God in truth. This
is the man God used more than anybody else to preach the gospel.
God forbid that I should glory Him save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, by the cross, He doesn't
mean the wood. He doesn't mean the wood. What would you give for some
of the wood, maybe just a splinter of wood that was used, that our
Lord was crucified on, and maybe even had his blood on it? What
would you give for some of that? Nothing. Nothing. That's what
I'd give for it. Nothing. He's not talking about
the wood. He's talking about the doctrine. He's talking about the actual
accomplishments of Christ on the cross. Now here's what I
glory in, that when he said, it is finished, my salvation was finished. All that God requires of me,
I have. And I don't have the minimum
entrance requirements. I'm saying it can't get any better. I can't have any more. I can't
have any more. I glory, I have confidence, I
rejoice in what Christ accomplished on Calvary's tree. That's what
I glory in. Not my words, not the way God
has used me. I love that passage of Scripture
where the disciples come back in Luke chapter 10 and they're
so happy. They say, Lord, even the devils are subject to us
through thy name. I mean, the demons are screaming
when they come around us and we cast them out. Oh, we feel
so good about this. He said, don't glory in that,
but glory that your names are written in the book of life. Turn to Hebrews chapter three. Verse five, and Moses barely
was faithful in all his house as a servant. For a testimony
of those things which were to be spoken after that Christ as
a son over his own house, whose house are we? The dwelling place
of God, the habitation of God, whose house are we if we hold
fast the confidence. And the rejoicing, that's the
same word, glory, the glory, the rejoicing, the boasting,
Of the hope, firm to thee. Now, let's think for a moment
about the hope. The hope, what is my hope? I have hope. What is my hope? And I'm to hold on to that hope,
the confidence in that hope and the rejoicing, the happiness
in that hope, the confidence in that hope. What shall we say
then to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? The very fact that he says this
lets us know that he is not for everybody in this sense. Isn't
God for everybody? No, he's not for everybody. Not
in any sense of the word is he for everybody. Well, who's he
for then? Look up in verse 28. And we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now, this is
who he's for, those who love him, those who are the called
according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, then he also called, and whom he called,
then he also justified, and whom he justified, then he also glorified. Now, what should we say to these
things? If God be for us, those he foreknew, those he predestinated,
those he called, those he justified, those he glorified, if God be
for us, who can be against us? There's nothing to be intimidated
by. There's nothing to be afraid of. If God be for us, who can
be against us? Verse 32, he that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not? What could possibly prevent him
from freely, note that word freely, there doesn't have to be a reason
in you, freely give us all things. Now, here's my hope. There's
absolutely nothing that can prevent God from freely giving me everything. You see, he spared not his own
son. And therefore, he's going to freely give me all things.
Look in verse 33. Here's my hope. Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies
it. Here's my hope. There's nothing
you can give me for. There's absolutely nothing to
condemn me for because God justified me. That means I have no guilt.
That's my hope that God justified me. On Calvary's tree, my sin
became his sin. He put it away. His righteousness
is mine, and I'm justified before God. Now, that is my hope. Verse 34, who is he that can
condemn? It's Christ that died. There's
my hope. I can't be condemned because
Christ died for me. That's the only hope I have.
But what a hope that is. This is the most glorious hope
there is. Oh, and I want to hold fast to the rejoicing of this
hope. Verse, Who is he that get him? If it's Christ that died,
yea, rather that's risen again, who's even at the right hand
of God, who also makes intercession for us, who shall separate us
from the love of Christ. We can't be separated from the
love of Christ. That's a good hope, isn't it? Oh, what a hope
that is. And we're made partakers of Christ
if we hold. This hope, this rejoicing in
this hope. Do you rejoice in this hope? Is this what you have confidence
in? Is this what makes you happy? Well, I'm speaking for myself. This is all I have confidence
in. And this makes me happy. Happy. That's my hope. Now, the next turn to Romans
chapter five, we read of three Rejoicings in Roman Chapter 5. Verse 10. For if when we were
enemies. We were reconciled to God by
the death of his son. Now, when were we reconciled?
When we believed? When we repented? When we turned
things around? No, it says, if when we were
enemies, when we didn't know Him, when we had no love for
Him, if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son. Much more, being reconciled,
we should be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also
join, now that's the word, we rejoice. We glory, we boast in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we've now received the
atonement or the reconciliation. Now, we glory in what he did
for us and we receive. How do you receive something?
Well, he gives it to us and we receive it. It really is that
simple. If I got a hundred dollar bill
and I say, here, this is for you. You take it and receive
it. It's that simple. We believe
what he says and we receive it and we glory in this reconciliation. Look back up in verse two. Romans
chapter five, by whom also we have access by faith into this
grace wherein we stand and rejoice. There's that word again, we glory,
we boast, we rejoice in hope. of the glory of God. Now, the glory of God is not
some kind of nebulous, meaningless term that religious people use.
Glory! Glory! That's not what the glory
of God is. The glory of God is His capacity
to save people like me and you by His sovereign grace. Now,
that's the glory of God. In Exodus chapter 33, when Moses
said, I beseech you, show me your glory. He was praying to
these people who, right after God had delivered them from Egyptian
bondage, you know what they did? They got together and made them
a golden calf and bowed down to it and said, These be thy
gods, O Israel, that delivered thee from Egyptian bondage. Now,
that is a wicked bunch of people. And I look at that and I think,
if I was God, you know what I would have done? I've sent everyone
of them to hell. Good thing I'm not God, isn't
it? Good thing. We ought to be glad. We ought
to be happy. But the Lord said, I'll make
my goodness pass before you. I'll proclaim my name before
you. His attributes. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious. That's His glory. We rejoice
in His capacity. The glorious God has the capacity
to save me. Simple as I am, helpless as I
am, weak as I am in and of myself, He has the capacity, the ability
to save me in a way that honors His justice, that honors His
mercy, honors His grace. I have glory in that. I'm happy. You know, that makes me happy.
And that's the only thing that I have confidence in, that salvation
is His work. The only thing I have confidence
in is that my salvation is not according to my will, but according
to his will. That makes me, I rejoice and
I'm happy in that we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Verse three, and not only so, but we also glory in tribulations. We also glory in trials, we also
glory in difficult things that just rend our heart. Now, how
can you honestly say that? I hear you talking, but how can
you honestly say that and mean it? You know, it's possible to
say something and not mean it. I glory in trials. Do you really? Do you really? Well, let's look
what these trials do. Not only so, but we also glory
in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience,
and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh
not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. Now, we don't
draw glory in those trials in and of themselves. No way. I don't like trials. I don't like them. I'd love for
everything to just be easy. I'd love for everything to just
downhill. But I glory in this. The trial
is what God has sent. And all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to His purpose. And He is using this to bless me. It may not seem
like a blessing. It may seem horrible. But all
things work together for good, and we glory in that. I don't care what's happened.
We glory in that. Turn to James 1. Verse 9. Let the brother of low degree of baseness, somebody who is a nothing. Let
the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. You know, some little statement
that I really love. It's very special to me. I say
this to myself quite often. I am a poor sinner. and nothing
at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all. And I can't tell you the joy
I get from that. I'm so fine with being a nothing.
And Him being all. Let the brother of low degree
rejoice, glory, boast, be happy. That's the one God exalts. And
then it says in verse 10, but the rich. And that he is made low, let
him glory, this rich man that has everything, so to speak.
What does he glory in? In his riches? No, but that he's
made low and he's made to see that he's nothing but a sinner
saved by grace. Turn to 2nd Corinthians, chapter
one. Verse 12. For our rejoicing,
our boasting, our glorying. Is this. This is what we boast
in. The testimony of our conscience,
we're not making this up, this is real. That in simplicity and
godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God,
we've had our conversation in this world. Now, here's what
I glory in. And this is the testimony of
my conscience. I'm not just talking. This is
real. In simplicity. I'm getting ahead of myself to
next week because I'm going to preach on the simplicity that's
in Christ. But I love this idea of simplicity, because you think
about how complicated religion is. Religion is so complicated, I
mean, you never can really figure out just what it is you're supposed
to do. I mean, there's so many different things. It's complicated. But the gospel is so simple.
Christ. Is all. That's simple, isn't
it? He's all my righteousness. simplicity
and godly sincerity. I'm sincere about this thing,
simplicity. Christ is all. He's all my salvation. Not with fleshly wisdom, I haven't
figured this out by the wisdom of the flesh, but by the grace
of God. It's by the grace of God that
I believe that Christ is Simply, only, all my salvation, and I'm
sincere in believing that that's by the grace of God. Now that
is what I rejoice in. I rejoice in simplicity, godly
sincerity, not fleshly wisdom, but the grace of God. Turn to 2 Corinthians 12. I want to first read the last
sentence of verse nine of Second Corinthians, chapter 12. Paul
said, Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory. There's
the word glory, rejoice, boast. In my infirmities. In my weakness. In my powerlessness. You rejoice in that? How so? Look back up at the first part
of verse nine. And he said unto me, and this
is after Paul had asked the Lord three times to remove that thorn. Now, what was that thorn? Nobody
knows. Somebody who tries to make a conjecture about it is
foolish. God doesn't tell us what it is. But I know it was
a thorn in his flesh. A thorn in the flesh is very
painful. Very painful. And it had something
to do with his flesh. And we had no idea what it was,
but we know that he asked the Lord three times, let this be
removed from me. beating me down. It's beating
me black and blue. I can't handle this. Let this
be removed from me." Now, look at the Lord's answer. Verse 9, He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee. For My strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will
I rather glory in my infirmities, in my weakness, that the power
of Christ may rest upon me." Now, he's not glorying in the
weakness itself, but he's glorying in the fact that the power of
Christ rests in his weakness. When I'm weak, Paul said. When
I am weak. It's a good thing to be weak.
It's a good thing. When I am weak, then and then
only am I strong. Galatians 6, verse 1, Brethren, If a man be
overtaken in a fault, in a sin, some weakness of his
flesh, can you understand that? Can
you understand how a man can be overtaken in a fault? Sure, you do, if you have any
idea of who you are. If a man be overtaken in a fault,
ye which are spiritual, restore such a one. In the spirit of
meekness, considering yourself, lest thou also be tempted, really
believing if I'm tempted in the same way, I'll fall the same
way. That's why we pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation.
I don't even want to be tempted. Lord, just don't let me be tempted.
That's the only way I won't fall is if I'm not tempted. So don't
even let me be tempted. Considering yourself, lest thou
also be tempted, bear ye one another's burdens. You know, that fellow's sin is
a burden to him. Your sin's a burden to you. Bear
ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
For if a man thinketh himself to be something, when he is nothing,
he deceives himself. But let every man prove his own
work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone. Then
shall he have boasting and glorying in himself alone, and not in
another." Now, that's easy to compare ourselves to weaker believers
and think we're special, but we're wrong. We're not to prove
ourselves by other men's sins or actions. But if we can find
in ourself some evidence of the grace of God. And, you know,
I can I can find in my heart right now some evidence of the
grace of God. I'm looking to Christ right now.
He is my righteousness. We can rejoice in ourself alone
and not in somebody else. And finally, turn to first Corinthians,
chapter one. Verse 26. For you see your calling, brethren. Have not many wise men after
the flesh. Not many mighty. Not many noble are called. I don't see any famous people
in here. Not a one. That's a good thing. 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 naught things that
are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are
you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom. Christ is my wisdom before God. And God can have fellowship with
a wise man when he has fellowship with any believer. Christ is
made unto us righteousness, the very righteousness of God. He's
made unto us sanctification, holiness. He's made unto us redemption,
deliverance, that according as it is written, he that glorieth,
he that boasts, he that has confidence, Let him glory in the Lord. Now, this is what makes me happy.
This is what I have confidence in. And I'm proud of this. I'm proud of this. I'm proud
of the gospel. I'm not proud of myself, but I'm proud of the
gospel to save me. This is a gospel that glorifies
God. And I'm proud of it. I'm proud
of the gospel I preach. I rejoice. I have confidence. If this is so, he's made unto
me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption. I have confidence
in that. And it makes me happy. It makes me happy. He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. And as we prepare to observe
the Lord's table together, let's do so glorying in the Lord.