Boasting in the Lord

Introduction

Kids say the darndest things sometimes. Do you remember being a child, and saying something just completely ignorant? I can think of several ignorant things I’ve said well into adulthood. But one of those things that sticks out as particularly striking in my mind as an adult, and especially as a parent, was something that I said to my mom in the first grade. I remember coming home one night from school and my mom asking how my day went, to which I replied “Good! I love school. I don’t know if I’d rather live with you and dad or Mrs. Miller (my first grade teacher)”. My mom, understanding that I was being a completely ignorant little twerp, said “Well why would you want to do that?” To which I replied “Well, because she’s nice, and fun, and stuff!” My mom replied “but does she put a roof over your head, and feed you?” “Well.... She gives me chocolate milk and cookies, so I mean it’s pretty close!” It’s extremely childish, but I didn’t understand what it meant that my parents were my parents. That concept had no meaning until after that. I’m sure my mom could have gone on a long diatribe about all she had done for me (which is a great list), but she spared twerpy little me all of that and simply pointed out the basic provision that her and my dad provided for me, that, let’s face it, no one else was willing to provide.

In much the same way, the apostle Paul found himself in Corinth, ministering to the people whose faith had been brought to life by means of the Spirit, in his work, seeking to take their nourishment and shelter under a different authority who was not qualified to do what Paul did for them. Not only this, but unlike my first grade teacher, who likely wouldn’t have offered me dinner, this other source of authority was encouraging the Corinthians to leave the well qualified shelter and nourishment afforded by Paul’s apostleship, and move to the unfortunately weak leadership of false apostles.

Stand with me as we read from God’s word. May these be the most illuminating words you hear this morning.

2 Corinthians 10:7–18 ESV

Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Exposition of Text

Recap

So last week, we saw the apostle Paul call his opponents to back away from what they seemed to be asking - that he be consistent between his letters and his presence with them. His opponents were telling the believers at Corinth that Paul being “weak” in person, and “strong” in his letters, and that this inconsistency was not something that showed one approved of by God as an apostle.

Paul called his readers to be careful what they wish for, as they just may get the consistency they desire - and it will not be pretty if it happens.

In our text this week, the apostle Paul continues to defend his apostleship with reorienting the Corinthian’s idea of what shows a person as approved by God as His apostle.

The New Covenant Servant Leadership (v. 7-8)

Paul begins by calling his readers to see things as they truly are. He tells them that “if anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we”. Now when Paul speaks of being “Christ’s” here, he is most likely not talking about simply being a Christian, but rather being an apostle or servant of Christ in a particular capacity, which is what he will be arguing for in the next few chapters.

If you will remember, Paul has told the Corinthians back in chapter three, that they do not need a “letter of commendation” from others to confirm his work and apostleship, but rather, the Corinthians themselves stood as Paul’s letter of commendation because of the work of the Spirit that was accomplished through Paul’s work among them. Paul tells them

2 Corinthians 3:1–3 ESV

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

So Paul has already shown that he is Christ’s servant in this capacity among them, which is evidenced by their obedience to Christ.

But Paul also wants the Corinthians to understand what the final goal of the New Covenant ministry that he is doing among them is. In , the prophet tells Israel that

Jeremiah 31:27–28 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord.

You see, the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah had far different ministries to the people of Israel than Paul has to the people of Corinth. Isaiah and Jeremiah were prophets that were sent for the destruction of God’s people - Isaiah is told:

Isaiah 6:9–10 ESV

And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:9-

while Jeremiah is told in that his job is to prophecy the destruction of Jerusalem to the people of Israel. These were bleak times for the people of Israel, and the vast majority of the prophets seemed to have had similar ministries in Israel.

But the New Covenant ministry that Paul and the apostles are given is the exact opposite - though tearing down may happen - as we saw in the last text, such as the fortresses built up by those who oppose Paul, it is for the building up of God’s people, not for their tearing down, as so much of the Old Covenant ministry was for. Paul finds this ministry to be a good reason for boasting.

The New Covenant “Tearing Down”

Why would Paul find this cause for boasting? Well see, some at Corinth, as we saw last time, were saying that Paul was being inconsistent, and that he was not not being strong in his presence as he was in his letters. But see, part of the New Covenant ministry of building up, requires some tearing down. Anyone here ever bought a previously owned home, or particularly an old one? The house my wife and I bought is over 100 years old, and let me tell you, it is so patently necessary to tear things up before you can fix them, isn’t it?

Much the same way, Paul wrote to the Corinthians for reproof after his tearful visit, and that “tearing down” of reproof is something that had to happen, so that proper repair could be made. But Paul’s purpose in his letters was not to frighten the Corinthians, but to prepare them for the repair that they needed, for their building up under the New Covenant ministry.

Again, Paul reminds them that when they come this time, they will be as they were in their letters toward those who are unrepentant.

Proper Boasting is Always in The Lord

Last week, we sang “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us”, and

Paul finishes this section of the chapter by reminding the Corinthians that there is a standard for boasting, and that there is a standard for commendation - but it is not what his opponents seem to think. Paul says that his opponents are boasting and commending themselves, and using themselves as the standard for their commendation. But Paul seems to do some boasting too, so what gives? Why does Paul rebuke those who boast and commend themselves, when Paul does the same thing? Well, primarily because Paul isn’t doing the same things!

Paul boasts very willingly in his work and in the work of others, but Paul does this within the confines of a particular standard. Paul tells the Corinthians that his boasting will be confined to the work done by others, or in the work done by them in the area assigned by God. Paul concludes this discussion by laying out for them the standard by which boasting and commendation should be done. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Paul pulls this from Jeremiah chapter 9, where Yahweh tells His people that if they are going to glory in something, they need to glory in what Yahweh has done, not what they have done. The implication of this is obvious, when Paul is boasting of his work among the Corinthians, he is not boasting of his own work, but the work that God has done through him among the Corinthians.

Application

Giving our Leaders Proper Commendation

Boasting

What are we to do with a text like this? Well, the primary application is that Paul is calling the believers in Corinth to see rightly that Paul is approved because of the work in the Spirit that is being done among them.

So often, especially in America, we tend to want leaders in the Church who speak well, who are able to entertain us, who do the things we want and the things we like. But see, Paul turns this on it’s head. He is being charged with being weak in bodily appearance and his “speech of no account”, both claims that he does not refute. Rather, Paul rests his right to apostleship upon God’s commendation of him.

Sometimes, we don’t like what we see when we look at particular leaders - not anything that we can pin down as a spiritual wrong-doing. We simply don’t like their style or personality, or such. But the problem with that, is that most often, we see wrong. Paul’s first injunction to the Corinthians in this text is to see rightly! God commends leaders of His choosing, and we should work to see rightly, instead of deciding their approval based on our preferences of style, personality, and program.

We’ve all known someone who had the “disneyland” parent problem - when parents are separated, there can be one parent who does the work in providing and disciplining children, while the other parent simply does what the child enjoys.

Paul’s opponents are much like the “disneyland” parents, catering to the desire for the miraculous that the Corinthians had. Let us not fall into this trap, let’s not be the pesky first grader who tells our parent, the leader that God has placed over us, that we would rather live with the teacher who God has not placed over us.

Baptist Church Membership

Finally, as Baptists, we believe in what is called “regenerate church membership”, it is part of what makes us Baptist. You see, Presbyterians baptize infants because they believe that blood relation is enough to get you into the New Covenant, not saved, but into the New Covenant. But as Baptists, we baptize believers primarily because we see the New Covenant’s “new” feature as the fact that the members of the New Covenant are actually God’s people as opposed to the mix of believing and unbelieving people under the Old Covenant.

So why are we talking about this? Because Paul gives one of the primary features of the New Covenant ministry here - for building up God’s people. But you see, there is a tearing down that happens too. The difference is, under the Old Covenant, when God sent His servants to tear down, all were torn down. But under the New Covenant, the tearing down is only for those who claim to be in the New Covenant, but are not actually believers.

Believers will stand through, and be built up by, the tearing down that occurs through New Covenant ministry, but as we saw last week, those who are non-believers, will not stand through the tearing down which occurs as part of New Covenant ministry. This is why, as baptists, we believe in regenerate church membership, because we believe in the effective ministry of the word - just as Paul’s ministry was the scent of death to some and the scent of life to others, this New Covenant ministry will tear some down, and build others up.

As the praise team comes, and we sing “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us” again, let us reflect on how we view our leaders in the Church, and let us ensure that we are in Christ, and will find ourselves standing and being built up by the ministry that our leaders do, rather than being torn down because we find that we aren’t in Christ. Let’s pray.