“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.” Proverbs 25:14 (KJB)
“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.” (ESV)
boasting
How We Push Down Our Enemies
“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work Thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
Thou didst drive out the heathen with Thy hand, and plantedst them; Thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst a favour unto them.
Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
Through Thee will we push down our enemies: through Thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But Thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.
In God we boast all the day long, and praise Thy name for ever. Selah.” Psalm 44:1-8 (KJB)
Boasting In The LORD
“I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:1-3 (KJB)
The Question of Tomorrow
“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1 (KJB)
Boasting in the LORD
“I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:1-3 (KJB)
There is a whole lot of boasting going on. I boast of one thing, and then another. So do you. I know of no one who has not made a boast of one thing or another. Let me post a question; Do you ever boast in the LORD? Do you boast of His greatness, His power and authority? Do you boast of His so great salvation? Whoops! That was three questions.
God is great to boast in. Boast of a work He has accomplished in your life; and be sure to credit Him, not yourself. When we boast in the LORD we take credit from our own achievements and give them to the One to whom they belong. That is where humility really begins.
The humble will always glorify the LORD with words and with a life that shows forth the power and glory of Jesus.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. Amen
It all begins in recognizing Jesus as your Lord and Savior; the Son of God and God the Son.
God of Our Hope
The God of Hope
Romans 15:1-33
The chapter begins with summing up of the previous teaching of considering others in our demeanor, actions, and deportment. We need to act in accordance with what will glorify our Lord, and keep our brother or sister in Christ from falling.
Paul even means that we go much further than tolerating a brother’s weakness, but rather do all possible to strengthen them in faith. Carry their load. Carry them when necessary.
We are to see to it that we with one mind and one mouth glorify God together, “even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Having the heart, mind, and mouth like unto that of Jesus Himself. Being likeminded together, with Him (vv. 1-7).
Paul was obviously a believer in God’s promises. He understood that Jesus was the fulfillment of the promises of God, and their confirmation.
1. The Confirmation of the Promises came by Jesus Christ (v. 8). The Old Testament is full of promises. Promises of the coming One. A Deliverer. The Messiah. A Savior who will save the people from their sins.
In Jesus’s birth He confirmed Scripture. Born a Jew. Born in Bethlehem. Called a Nazarene. He fulfilled the law.
He was a healer; healing the lame, and the blind. Lepers were freed from their sores, the dead were raised to life. He walked on the water, stilled storms, fed multitudes, and cast our demons
Only few followed Him, and still chose to go to the cross and die for our sins as the suffering servant (Isaiah 53).
2. Jesus Confirmed the Promises by Opening the Gate for all people. Paul reminds his readers that God’s plan has always been to include all people no matter what their race or nationality or culture (vv. 9-13).
“Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.” Psalms 18:49 (KJV) v. 9.
(v. 10) “Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.” Deut 32:43 (KJV).
(v. 11) “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.” Psalms 117:1 (KJV).
(v. 12) “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:” and “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:1, 10 (KJV)
All our hope and power is from the Spirit of God; the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
3. Something in which to Boast (vv. 14-21). When is it right to boast? We can boast of the faith, work, patience, boldness, and goodness that others do through Christ Jesus.
We can boast of the goodness of God, and what He has done in us, and through us.
To boast of anything concerning Jesus’s mighty deeds is a good boast.
4. Through Prayer for the Sovereign Leadership of the Lord in our lives and other’s lives we can grow in trusting The God of Hope (vv. 22-33). The following was the desire of Paul’s heart, and his requests from the Roman Christians.
To be delivered from the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem;
That his work and ministry for Jerusalem would be accepted by the believers;
That he would be able to visit them – at Rome – in the will of God and be “refreshed” = renewing joy, peace and rest; with them.
God is the sovereign One. He directs the affairs of all people in all lands. His will will be done despite our arrogant, self-styled, self-willed disobedience.
Wisdom, Praise, and Boasting
“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.” Proverbs 27:1-10 (KJV)
Some thoughts on Proverbs 27:1-10…
Verses 1-6 – Boasting, pride, arrogance, leads to sorrow (vv. 1-2). The anger and wrath of the cruel is heavier on their own lives than is a stone over a wells mouth (vv. 3-4).
“The rabbins have a curious story on this subject, and it has been formed by the moderns into a fable. There were two persons, one covetous and the other envious, to whom a certain person promised to grant whatever they should ask; but double to him who should ask last. The covetous man would not ask first, because he wished to get the double portion, and the envious man would not make the first request because he could not bear the thoughts of thus benefiting his neighbor. However, at last he requested that one of his eyes should be taken out, in order that his neighbor might lose both.” Unknown
The rebuke of a friend is sweeter than the flattery of an enemy (vv. 5-6).
Verses 7-10 –
“Prov. 27:7–10 These four proverbs each teach an element of wisdom that can stand on its own, but they have additional application when taken together. Verse 7 deals with honey, a pleasant treat, and v. 9 deals with oil and perfume, luxuries that here represent a banquet (an ancient host provided perfumed oils for his guests at a banquet). Also, v. 7 says that something bitter is sweet to a hungry man, while v. 9 speaks of the sweetness of earnest counsel. Together, vv. 7 and 9 suggest that it is good to have friends for the occasional party, but it is better yet to have a friend willing and able to give good advice. Verse 8 speaks of someone who wanders far from his home (his immediate family) and leaves it unprotected, while v. 10 concerns someone in need whose brother (his immediate family) is far away. Together, they teach that there are benefits in remaining close to family, but a person should not hesitate to turn to a true friend when in need.” From the ESV Study Bible pp. 1181 & 1182.
Prophets Speak – Christmas Day 160
“And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” Isaiah 12:4-6 (KJV)
What do I want for Christmas?
Today I want to always see God as the One and only who is worthy of all my praise, and worship; I want to boast of Him, His power, His works, His grace, His love, His Sovereignty, His presence…; I want to always see that He has done the “Excellent things” that are known in all the earth; and I want my voice to ring throughout the whole world, starting at home, and my community of His greatness.
Standing Fast In Liberty
Points from this mornings sermon (2/28/16).
Galations 5:1 ff
- [When we..] Hold fast, stand pat in the liberty of Jesus Christ (Gal. 5:1-6)
- We will walk in love (vv. 7-15).
- We will walk bearing the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 16-26).
- We will be compassionate toward others (6:1-5)
- We will be generous in our Sowing, and God’s blessing in Reaping of the Spirit (vv. 6-10).
- We will boast only in the Cross of Jesus Christ, and give Him the glory (vv. 11-15).
- We too will bear in our bodies the “marks of the Lord Jesus” (vv. 16-18).
-Tim A. Blankenship
Boasting
“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” Psalm 111:1 (KJV)
Boasting seems to be a trait of all humanity. Men and women do it quite frequently. I do it. My friends and family does it. Boasting about our achievements, our children, our work, our recreation, our homes, our cars; well, you get the picture.
What does this verse have to do with “Boasting”? The first “Praise” is for the part of the word we use “Halleujah” which means “Praise the LORD” or to boast of Him. What more can we boast of than the greatness of our God, our Saviour, our King, and our LORD.
The second “Praise” has to do with our reverence and worship to the One who is worthy. When you feel like boasting of your greatness; think again of the Greatness of the only One who is worthy of our boasting.
Our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength should be given to boasting of the greatness of the Lord. Let it be seen in your life.
Lord, let it be seen in my life.
See 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 for further study.
The Fire and Hammer 