Boasting the Right Way

Boasting the Right Way

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Main Idea: Boast in what God does.

Purpose: To know who God is and what He does.

                 I am the Lord (who God is)

                 who practices (what God does)     

Fallen Condition Focus: People boast in what they are.

I. Introduction:

1. Question: I assumed that everybody experience rebellion against their parents.

• Have you rebelled against your parents? What triggered you to rebel?

• When Satan rebelled against God, what triggered him to rebel?

2. When our first parents started to rebel against God, the sin of pride reigns in their hearts.

3. This pride is one of the three general categories of sin.
1. Lust of the eye
2. Lust of the flesh
3. Pride of life

4. The truth of the matter is, since we came from Adam, pride is also reigning in us.

5. This pride has an action called boasting. We boast from time to time.

Transition: However, if there is a right way to be angry, there also be a right way to boast.

          Let us open our Bible in Jeremiah 9:23-24

II. Body

    Background:

The book of Jeremiah is a prophesy against Judah after the northern kingdom was invaded by the Assyrians. During that time Jews were not right with God, and they were about to face the judgment of captivity. They were in rebellion against God, they are boasting against God.

   

Note: The passage is framed by statements, "Thus says the Lord" and "Declares the Lord

 The Lord God speaks through a prophet with different purposes:

Judgment, Covenant-Promise, Character, Command

God is commanding the Jews to boast the right way:

The repeated word: boasting (hillel means to boast, or glory in the name of)

God is not against the act of boasting, but he is against to an act of boasting because of its objects.

God mentions the three objects that people are boasting of that describes them.

1. The wise boasts in his wisdom
2. The mighty boasts in his might
3. The rich boasts in his riches

The reason why God forbids to boast in these:

1. We depend on our possession and not to God. (emphasis: his).
2. Our lives will revolve around in the things that we possess.

Illustration:

• Do you love Teleserye?

Explanation:

Our own wisdom, might, and riches, will teach us depend on ourselves

Example: If you are in a certain problem that you think it is not that hard.

Our own wisdom, might, and rich, will control, abuse, and despise other people

Example: government leaders, rich people, church leaders

God mentions what should be our boasting

1. Know God

2. Understand God

We go to the church every Sunday, attend Bible study, enroll in Theological class, spend time in our devotion, Bible reading, reading supplemental books to understand God.

What God wants us to know and understand about Him? His Practices

1. Steadfast love

2. Justice

3. Righteousness

Why God practices in these things?

    He delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness.

III. Conclusion

God forbids us not to boast in our own wisdom, strength, and riches because as we delight in these we will do the very opposite of the things He delights.

• Instead to practice love, we will practice hatred to our neighbors.

• Instead to practice justice, we will practice injustices, deceptions,

• Instead to practice righteousness, we will practice wickedness and ungodliness.

• Testimony of Jon Bennion Pedley

I was actually about 13 when I made my conscious decision – I chose the world and not God. I fell sick with an illness that causes more damage and harms more people across the globe than any other. I fell sick with a disease called Selfishness.

Over the past eight years I’ve seen the difference that Jesus has made in my life. One dramatic difference is that from drinking ten pints of Stella and two bottles of wine a night, I’m now teetotal – God took away my addiction. I couldn’t have done it myself so I took it to God and I made my sobriety the centre of my relationship with him. If I have booze I can’t have Him because I turn my back on Him when I drink – and that is an easy choice. The other big difference is that, as you know, I’ve stopped chasing money and started serving the God that I love and the people that he loves most……..I now try to live my life in a way that pleases Him

Boast in what God is doing, treasure them by practicing them as you live.

Is God your delight? Are His delights your delights? Or still you delight on the things you have.

Boast the right way.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

6/26/17