Scroll down for full message
There are two things I would like to look at, arising out of
these few verses of Paul's writing.
The first is his use of the word ‘boast.’
Now, I was always told growing up that boasting was bad. “You're
not supposed to boast.” “Don't be boastful.” “Boasting is an expression of
pride and pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins."
Is boasting bad? Well, yes and no.
When we look at the original language, Paul uses this same
word ‘boast’ in verses twelve and fourteen, once as a noun, and once as a verb. The way he uses them gives us slightly different nuances,
slightly different emphases.
In
verse twelve he says, “This is our boast; our conscience testifies...” The
commentaries I used in preparing for message point out that that this is a
noun: “This is our boast.” It’s a thing, something that Paul has.
The
definition that I found most helpful is that a boast is a “legitimate
confidence rooted in what God has enabled one to do.” “My conscience testifies...”
Paul’s boast is a legitimate statement of something that God has enabled Paul
to do.
Paul
has looked at his own life and has seen what he has done well. He has obeyed
the calling of God with integrity, with sincerity, with pureness of purpose,
with wholeness of motivation, with honesty, with openness. He has looked within
himself and he knows that he has not been motivated by selfishness, by self-importance,
by a paycheque. He has not been motivated to manipulate or to control
vulnerable people for his own ego. He has examined his own heart and found
there that his “conscience testifies” in his favour. He has a legitimate
confidence.
Of
course, sometimes our confidence is not legitimate. The heart is deceitful
above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Sometimes
our heart tells us lies.
In
the book of James we see the same word ‘boast’ used in a very different way. “...you
boast in your proud intentions and all such boasting is evil” (James
4:16). So how come James’ boasting is evil and Paul's boasting is legitimate?
If
you look at the two passages, and the context in which the word is used, it's easy to see that what makes the difference between legitimate
boasting and evil boasting is what we are boasting about. James is warning us
against arrogance and against self-sufficiency. He's urging us toward trust in
God and trust in God is exactly where Paul’s boast arises: from his trust in
God. It is rooted in what God has enabled him to do.
In verse fourteen, Paul uses the word boast slightly
differently; “...you can boast of us, just as we will boast of you in the
day of the Lord.” Here the word is a verb. This is an action. This
is something that he's doing. The first ‘boast’ is something that he possesses.
Here it's something he's doing and the definition for the verb ‘to boast’ is “to
give complimentary testimony.” In the first case, Paul is encouraging
himself as much as anybody else. In this case, he's encouraging and speaking
about other people. He is not patting himself on the back. He is patting
somebody else on the back.
In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Paul uses the same word. He says, “When
I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated
to preach.” He's reminding himself and reminding us that he has no reason
to congratulate himself—to tell people how wonderful he is—because all he's
doing is obeying God. Rather, the ‘boasting’ that he looks forward to doing in
the “Day of the Lord” is an offering and a receiving of mutual joyous
celebration.
That is the second thing I want to look at, that made such an
impact on me.
In verse fourteen, Paul says that he's looking forward to the
Day of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Day of the Lord is the term that's used in
both the Old Testament and the New Testament for the day when God rules: when
God will judge all of humanity, when God will re-instantiate creation with a
new heaven and a new earth, when we will stand in the throneroom of heaven with
our perfected feet dusted with the soil of the new Earth.
The Day of the Lord is the day when, as God's people—as those
who have followed faithfully, as those who have fought and overcome in battle
with the enemy, those who have entered eternity in the light of the face of
Christ Jesus--we will have a voice. We will have a perfected voice.
In the Book of Daniel we read that in the Day of the Lord,
the holy people of the Most High will be given the Kingdom.
In Jesus’ words we read that those who had left everything to
follow him will judge the twelve tribes.
In John's writing, we read that in the Day of the Lord, those
who are redeemed through the power of Christ's shed blood are made a Kingdom
and priests who will serve God by reigning on the new Earth.
In Paul's writing, we read that the saints—that's us—will judge
the world and the angels.
We're not sure exactly what that looks like. We're not sure
exactly what that will entail. But it's very, very clear that these Spirit-inspired
writers all understood that what awaits us in eternity... is Life! Full life,
and life together! With that in mind, read those words, “I will boast of you in
the Day of the Lord.” See if it doesn’t capture your imagination.
Imagine standing in the throneroom of the new creation. And
with your perfected voice having the opportunity to speak, and to say, “Hey,
you guys! Hey, let me tell you about that Calvary Baptist Church! Who they
were, and who they became!”
And in the same way, I imagine standing in that throne room
and with my perfected ears hearing someone say, “Hey, what about that Ruth? Let
me tell you who she was! Let me tell you who she became!”
That is a moment when I will boast of you. And I hope I will
give you reason to boast of me.
This passage really hit home for me as I start on this new
season of ministry here at Calvary Baptist. For Paul, these words are sort of a ‘mission accomplished.’ For me, Paul’s words provide a ‘mission
statement.’
As I begin my ministry here, as I look forward to spending
weeks together in this space or meeting people in cafes or in their homes,
praying, talking, sharing, communion. As I look forward to meeting with the
Deacons and the Directorate and getting an understanding of who we all are
together and what is happening in this congregation. As I look forward to
getting to know you. I look to these verses as guardrails, providing guidance,
providing accountability born of Paul's experience.
I mean, Paul was a genius. He was a rock star. He was massively
gifted. He was hugely intelligent. Whether or not he was likeable is something
that we debate. But this was a guy who had been personally visited by Jesus after
the Ascension. After Jesus ascended to heaven, he came looking for Paul. If
anybody had an excuse to get a little bit ego trippy, Paul was that guy. He
qualified for pats on the back. He qualified for self-congratulation. But he
didn't go there.
Instead, he fell back on the “legitimate confidence” that was
rooted in what God had enabled him to do: to work with integrity, to work with
godly sincerity not depending on worldly wisdom, but on God's grace.
I can't stand here on this first Sunday and promise you that
I will agree with everybody on everything, because if I tried, my head
would probably explode. I can't promise to triple attendance on Sunday mornings
in six weeks. I can't even (sorry, Art) promise that I will go knocking on
doors, getting people to donate barrels of potatoes. I can't promise you those
things.
But I will promise you this; I will promise you that with
God's help, one day when your new Pastor comes and it is time for me to step
away, that I will have ministered and worked in such a way that my conscience
will testify that I have conducted myself in the world and with you, with
integrity and with godly sincerity, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God's
grace.
So that in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be able to boast
of me just as I will boast of you.
For full message:
Comments
Post a Comment