Why Boasting Is Never Beautiful for Those Born Again

No human being should consider boasting of his or her accomplishments. Prideful boasting is never best. Meekness of humility is what’s appreciated by God and man. The Word of God says “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” — you find that reference in Matthew five and verse five. Illustrating this truth a drunkard of a husband spent the evening with his happy friends at a bar. He boasted that if he took all of his friends to his house at midnight and asked his Christian wife to get up and cook supper for them, that she would do it without complaint. The crowd that heard this drunk man boasting dared him to do it and bet money that he was full of bologna. So the drunken crowd went home with him and he made the unreasonable demands of his wife. She obeyed, dressed, came down, and prepared a very nice supper just as quickly as possible and served it as cheerfully as if she had been expecting them. After supper one of the men, a little more sober than the others, asked her how she could be so kind when they had been so unreasonable, and, also when they knew she did not approve of their conduct. Her reply was, “Sir, when my husband and I were married, we were both sinners. It has pleased God to call me out of that dangerous condition. My husband remains in it. I tremble for his future state. Were he to die as he is, he will be miserable forever; I think it my duty to render his present existence as comfortable as possible.” This wise and faithful reply affected the whole company. The husband thanked her for the warning, and gave his heart to Jesus and became a way better husband than he had ever been.¹ God turned the foolish boasting of this man – a lesson he hopefully clung to for the balance of his days. Why Boasting is Never Beautiful for Those Born Again — that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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#S4-020: Humility: How to Put On God’s Glory Suit [Podcast]

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Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

No human being should boast in God’s Presence — that messes with your fellowship. If you want top boast, boast in the Lord.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
This week’s question is:

Question: Share a story where you can boast about some good thing God did in your life. Leave your comments in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 47 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 42 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Prayer

Podcast Notes

Well, again welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, help us see and know that the high way is the low way — the way up is down. Open our eyes to the value of humility and the negative impact of prideful boasting. We ask you to do this in Jesus, Powerful Name. Amen.

Boasting Is Never Beautiful: What Paul Told the Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 (ESV) — 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Boasting: The Expression of Pride

Relationships are vitally important to the human experience.
That’s a fact most would buy into.
One individual wrote the following, and so right at the start we have the Quote of the Day.

Human beings are relational, and they possess their lives—themselves—only by way of relationship. I alone am not myself, but only in and with you am I myself. To be truly a human being means to be related in love, to be of and for.²

I like that – you are not yourself by yourself.
You are who you are because of others.
Most vitally, you are who are because of God the Father.
If you are in a close relationship with someone, that means there are some things you know about that person who casual acquaintances don’t.
There’s a knowledge that comes with relationship, that’s the point.
Here we are, in a relationship with the Most High God.
There are some things we should know about Him because of that closeness.
Paul, by the Spirit of God, clues us in to one of these areas.
There is a reason God does things the way He does.
Look at verse twenty-nine

‘so that no human being might boast in the Presence of God.’

Boasting in front of God about your actions or accomplishments can negatively affect your relationship.
I should say fellowship rather than relationship.
Being a child of God by grace through faith is relationship.
Walking with God and getting to know your Father God on a day to day basis is fellowship.
No human being should boast in God’s Presence — that messes with your fellowship.
Why? You’re taking credit for God’s part.

Boasting: The Definition

The Greek word ‘boast’ is the one we want to look at and, with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.
The word ‘boast’ means to operate in pride over something, to glory, to pride oneself, to brag.
Boasting is the verbal expression of a prideful heart.
You understand – pride is of the heart.
That’s what Mark recorded Jesus as saying.

Mark 7:20–23 (ESV) — 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

What does pride in the heart look like?
Well, you can know what it sounds like — it sounds like boasting.
Boasting is what pride looks like on the outside.
Trouble is on the horizon if you insist on partaking!
And, with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.

One of the terms of Colleen Cudney’s probation for her 2012 DUI conviction is that she is not supposed to drink at all, and must take random Breathalyzer tests. In March 2014, she boasted on her Facebook page that she passed a test even though she’d consumed alcohol the day before. What she didn’t think about before posting her boast was that Facebook is a public forum. A local police officer saw the post, and she was arrested for violating the terms of her probation. Cudney displayed her lack of wisdom in two ways: one is the obvious choice to post her probation violation in a public forum; the other is the choice to continue to drink when she obviously has a problem.³

You see the terrible triplets – boasting, pride, and arrogance, brought Colleen down.
A wise person will learn from other peoples errors.
If boasting brought Colleen Cudney down, it will bring you down because God’s Laws show no respect of persons.
You know that’s right – if you a child of God intentionally jumps out of a ten story window, the Law of Gravity will pull that person to their destruction just the same as if a child of devil jumped out the window.
You cannot violate laws of nature and get God’s power to work for you.

Boasting Expresses Wickedness

So, we understand now that boasting is bad — but just how bad is it?
Listen to Psalms ninety-four.

Psalm 94:3–4 (ESV) — 3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.

How long shall the wicked exult?
That’s a little blind to us – it might be better to translate this as ‘how long shall the wicked by victorious.’
Note the descriptors: wicked, arrogant, evildoers and, boast.
The wicked are arrogant in their speech — the wicked are evildoers — the wicked are boasters.
Boasting is part of the sin nature, an infection in the heart and flesh of an unsaved man.
Well, what about a saved man?
In a new creation man, [if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation — 2 Corinthians 5:17] the infection is gone from the heart but it’s still in the flesh.
I don’t have time to go into that but it’s so — check it out for yourself.
James wrote a letter to born again people and listen to what he told them.

James 3:5–6 (ESV) — 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

The tongue is a small member that boasts — that’s why you should guard the tongue and give God all the glory — all of it!
I hope that by the end of this podcast, you will see the negative effects of boasting and reel it in.
Don’t boast — instead give God the credit.
The Lord used my spiritual dad, Kenneth Hagin, in the prophet’s ministry.
The revelation gifts of the Spirit, the Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, and Discerning of Spirits worked in his life.
In his messages, he would share some visions that He had and some revelations and conversations he had with the Lord.
The Lord would show him something from the Word and Brother Hagin would say something along these lines.

“Lord, that beats all I ever saw. I’ve read the New Testament 150 times and portions of it more than that.”

He used to give this ‘score’ on his Bible reading.
He would say it repeatedly because he would share these conversations he had with the Lord many times.’
One day he was at it again — “Lord, that beats all I ever saw. I’ve read the New Testament 150 times and portions of it more than that” and the Lord told him, ‘Stop saying that.’
And, you know what, he did.
I used to wonder why the Lord told him that — could it be because of the dangers of ‘boasting?’
It’s easy to get over into this and not even realize that what’s coming out of your mouth is stealing the glory that should only go to God.
As used by God as my spiritual dad was — he was a humble man — but, despite that, it’s easy to get off track.
Boasting in your accomplishments never leads to a good end.
We need to know why that is.

Why It’s Not Right to Boast In Your Accomplishments

So, what’s the antidote to boasting?
What is the way to recognize it? — how do we correct it and get rid of it?
Here’s a piece of wisdom from the Word of God.

1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) — 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Here’s the question you must answer correctly — What do you have that you did not receive?
The giftings, talents, abilities, personality, drive, intelligence, etc. that helped you produce results — where did all that come from?
When you trace all of this back, you end up at God.
He gave you the giftings, talents, abilities, personality, drive, intelligence, etc.
He gave you the faith to believe Him for the open door — that faith came from His Word.
It didn’t come from you.
By yourself — you’re not that sharp.
Everything you have, you received from someone else.
Everything.
Others taught you the skills that you possess.

Boasting and Humility

Some people possess a false humility because they are not recognizing that in every area of your life, there’s a God-ward part and a man-ward part.
Humility is getting the parts right.
Which part was God and which part was you cooperating with God — you see, bottom line — it’s all God.
Now, if you wanted to put a percentage on this, God’s part is 99%.
What I have or what I’ve done or what I’ve achieved is because of the grace of God and his power in my everyday life — that’s 99% of the who am I, what I possess equation.
The 1% left?
That’s your cooperation with the Spirit of God and, He even helped you with that.
Your will is an integral part of God’s plan for you – your 1% matters.
You must choose to say Yes to Him – to follow Him, to obey Him, to respond to the promptings of the Spirit of God in your heart.
So you see, there is a man-ward side to every move of God.
The Lord wants to bless you exceedingly, abundantly above all, you ask her, think, but you have to say yes to that. The Lord wants to elevate you: your giftings’ — He wants your giftings’ to come out in full force, but you have to say yes to that.
God wants to bless you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
But you know what?
You’ve got to say yes to that.
Humility is getting the balance right between the parts and talking in line with that.
Your boasting then will be what God did and not what you did.
Now, there are four scriptures that will help you keep boasting in check.
I’ve already shared one of them with you — 1 Corinthians 4:7
What do you have that you did not receive — the answer is zero.
Everything you have has a source other than yourself — the very food you eat that gives you the energy and strength to do what you do comes from God.

Scriptures that Keep Boasting in Check

Galatians 6:3 (ESV) — 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

There is no reason to boast because you are nothing in yourself.
Everything you are, you are because of the Father God.
Everything you are as a child of God, a believer, is because of whom you are In Him.
People under the sound of my voice have spiritual gifting(s) and aptitudes.
They come from the Father God.
People may say, “Wow, you are pretty talented.”
You are talented because God gave you those talents.
People may say, “Wow, you are so pretty, so or you are so handsome.”
You are because God made you that way.
Ditch the self-esteem — God made your body just like He wants it.
People may say, “Wow, you are so smart.”
You are nothing in yourself.
In fact, if you don’t have Jesus in your life, your intelligence is questionable.
Going to hell is the dumbest thing anybody has ever done.
You can go on and on, but you get the point.

Psalm 127:1 (ESV) — 1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Get this now: If ‘nothing is trying to produce something, – what is that?
Nothing producing something equals nothing.
That is God’s math.
So boast in what God has given you, not what you have produced because you are nothing in yourself.
Here’s the third verse to help you with boasting.

1 Corinthians 8:2 (ESV) — 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

Child of God, it’s time to wake up — You know nothing by yourself.
You were not born with the knowledge you now possess.
That is reality!
Your mother taught you your ABCs.
Papa stepped up and taught you how to change a tire.
School teachers taught you reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Some individuals possess higher IQs and have a faster learning ability.
That ability came from God.
You couldn’t find the church door without the Holy Spirit of God working in your life.
You know nothing by yourself.
Remember, it’s what you learn after you think you know it all that counts.

Psalm 51:17 (ESV) — 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Here’s a fourth verse to help you with boasting.

John 15:5 (ESV) — 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

There’s no reason for idle bragging and boasting because in reality, you can do nothing by yourself.
Spiritual life is a dependent life.
Apart from Jesus, you can do nothing.
Dependence means being led by the Spirit.
It means having no mind of your own.
Dependence means a willingness to do whatever He asks of you becuase no matter how it looks — He has both the plan and the answer.
Just in case there is any doubt, the Greek here in John 15:5 reads like a double negative.
Apart from me, you can do NOT NOTHING is how the verse reads in the original language.
What does NOT nothing mean?
Are you serious? — it means what it says — nothing!
Even Jesus had this testimony that apart from His Father, He could do nothing.

John 5:19 (ESV) — 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

He repeated the same just a few verses later.

John 5:30 (ESV) — 30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Jesus is your example in idle boasting — He didn’t do it and you shouldn’t either.
If he can’t do anything by himself, you can’t either.

What You Should be Boasting About

Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be boasting at all.
There are some things we should brag about.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 (ESV) — Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

If you’re going to boast, boast that you know Him.
Boast that you know the Lord practices Covenant Love. [that’s what stedfast love means.]
Brag on God because you know the Lord practices justice and righteousness.
These are great areas to boast about.

An Example of Godly Boasting

Psalm 18:31–42 (ESV) — For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— 32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. 33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. 36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed. 38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. 39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed. 41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them. 42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

Nice the Psalmist refers to what God did.
Boasting in the Lord means you’re giving the credit where credit is due.
David indeed accomplished great things.
He had great physical strength.
David had extraordinary riches – ‘you have made me great….’
He won great physical battles as commander and chief of the armies of Israel.
But, God did all of that and the one time he didn’t recognize God by numbering Israel, great judgement fell.
You can read about that 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21.

1 Chronicles 21:1–8 (ESV) — 1 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah 470,000 who drew the sword. 6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab. 7 But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. 8 And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

Prideful boasting is not appreciated by both God and man.
You guys have a great God week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

#S3-016: How to Obliterate Temptation in Jesus Name [Podcast]

__________
References:

Adapted from AMG Bible Illustrations ↩
Benedict XVI, In the Beginning, A Catholic Understanding of Creation ↩
Jim L. Wilson ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

Why Boasting Is Never Beautiful for Those Born Again

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Sixteen

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Podcast Notes

Boasting Is Never Beautiful: What Paul Told the Corinthians

Boasting: The Expression of Pride

Boasting: The Definition

Boasting Expresses Wickedness

Why It’s Not Right to Boast In Your Accomplishments

Boasting and Humility

Scriptures that Keep Boasting in Check

What You Should be Boasting About

An Example of Godly Boasting

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Podcast Notes

Boasting Is Never Beautiful: What Paul Told the Corinthians

Boasting: The Expression of Pride

Boasting: The Definition

Boasting Expresses Wickedness

Why It’s Not Right to Boast In Your Accomplishments

Boasting and Humility

Scriptures that Keep Boasting in Check

What You Should be Boasting About

An Example of Godly Boasting

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