Let Us Boast in the Lord!

1 Corinthians 1:25-31
A baby lying in feed trough-- is the living God of the universe. A humble carpenter-- is the King of Kings and Lord of lords. A man who stands in a line of sinners at the Jordan River waiting to be baptized-- is the sinless Son of God with whom the Father is pleased. A dying man on the cross-- is the Savior of the world.

It is this picture of Jesus that filled Paul’s mind when he wrote: The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The greatest intellects who have ever lived cannot think their way into heaven or reason their way into salvation. The mightiest men who have established empires cannot storm their way into the presence of God. The world’s most wealthy people cannot buy their citizenship in God’s kingdom.

Fellowship with God- and a place in his kingdom- and eternal life-- come to us only when we believe in Christ crucified for the sins of the world. This is the foolishness of God and the weakness of God that is wise enough and strong enough to take his enemies and makes them into his sons.

As further proof that God’s ways are not our ways, Paul turns his attention from the One who gives salvation-- to those he gives salvation to—you and me. Paul wrote:

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.

Every time I read these words I always wonder to myself how the Corinthians took them--hearing them for the first time.

Imagine getting a letter from your pastor and him saying, “Well, you are not the smartest folks in the world and you’re not the most influential folks in the world and you’re not the most important folks in the world”. I think we would be offended, wouldn’t we! It flies in the face of how we like to see ourselves, doesn’t it!

We tell ourselves an “aw shucks” false humility, “Well, I’m no Einstein but I’m plenty smart enough to know what’s what”. “I’m not a world leader but I’m the “go-to” person at work, the person that can be counted on to get things done”. “Sure, I’m not a celebrity, but everyone in Kingsville knows me”. And we carve out these sad little worlds for ourselves where we are wise- and we are powerful- and we are of noble birth.

But we’re not. Just like the Corinthians—just like the vast, vast majority of Christians-- we are regular folks who the world has never heard of and never will hear of: unknown, average, and at the mercy of forces in the world beyond our control.

But the great wonder and miracle of our identity as Christians is that God chooses people just like us as the recipients of his grace. Paul wrote that:

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

What really matters—what makes all the difference in who we are-- is not what the world’s attitude is towards us-- but what God’s attitude is towards us.

He made a point of choosing the weak and the foolish and the low and the despised so that the entire world would know that their life with God rested completely on his grace-- rather than their own accomplishments.

He chose the foolish-- so that the wise of the world would abandon their pride that keeps even the possibility of God’s existence at arm’s length.

He chose the weak-- so that the strong of the world would learn that it is not their efforts that earn them a place with God but his work alone.

He chose the low and the despised of the world-- so that the rich and the famous and the accomplished would understand that all people stand perfectly equal around the cross in their need for salvation.

God chose the foolish and the weak and the low and the despised to be his children and he saved them by: the foolishness of preaching- and the weakness of a peasant baby- and the lowness of a man who died a criminal’s death on the cross.

He did this to tear down the great human impediment to salvation: our pride. Paul wrote that God chose who he did and saved them the way he did: so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

Of all human sins, pride is the most dangerous. It was there in Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve counted their own wisdom wiser than God’s clear word of warning-- and that sin of pride has been passed down to us and resides in our sinful flesh.

Pride not only lifts us up above our fellow human beings (which is bad enough!) but it displaces God from his rightful place in our hearts.

Pride tells us that we know better about our lives than the Word of God. Pride makes us unwilling to forgive others. Pride keeps us from admitting that we are sinners who stand in need of God’s forgiveness. Pride convinces us we can make our own way to God rather than crying out for his mercy. Pride is what caused the downfall of man in general-- and pride is what causes our alienation from God in particular.

God knows this about us. That is why he chose the way of salvation that he did—that is why he chooses the people that he does—so we can come before him in humility as the weak, powerless people that we are--and simply receive the blessings he gives to us in Jesus. Paul wrote that it is because of God alone that:

We are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

How many times over the course of our life have we sung the words: “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to they cross I cling”? How many times have we sung: “Just as I am without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me”? How often have we sung these words-- and not meant a word of it?!

But these words from our hymns ARE a true confession of the words of the Bible that we have before us this morning: it is because of God ALONE that we are in Christ.

He chose us in Christ to be his own before the creation of the world. He created us and gave us life. He sent his Son to live and die for us and rise again. He has brought us to faith in Jesus through the preaching of the cross. And he has promised to hold us safely in his almighty hands until we stand in his presence.

It is because of God ALONE that we believe in- and are saved by- and abide with- Jesus Christ who is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

And so what does Paul mean by this? He means that everything we need for a life with God in this world-- and the world to come-- can be found in only one place—and that is in Jesus.

Jesus is our wisdom. Everything we need to know about God can be found in Jesus Christ. Everything we need to know about what a God-pleasing life looks like can be found in Jesus Christ. Everything we need to know about what life and death and eternity hold for us as Christians can be found in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is our righteousness. The holiness and goodness and faithfulness of Jesus, his loyalty to his heavenly Father and commitment to do his will—is the only righteousness that counts in God’s sight for salvation. It is the only righteousness in which there is no flaw. And that righteousness is ours through faith in Jesus.

Jesus is our sanctification. God calls us to holiness. Christ calls us to take up our cross and follow him. And the enduring strength to live a holy, humble, selfless life like our Lord’s comes through Jesus Christ as we hear his voice in the word and receive his real presence in Holy Communion.

Jesus is our redemption. His blood was the price he paid to set us free from sin and death-- free from the burdens and guilt of the past—free to live as God’s people.

Because Jesus is everything to us: Any thought of relying on our wisdom and strength when it comes to our life with God simply falls by the wayside when we see all that God has done for us and continues to do for us in Christ.

Any pride we might have vanishes from our heart when we learn that from beginning to end our salvation is from God. And any temptation to boast about who we are or what we have done cannot stand before the righteousness and wisdom and sanctification and redemption which is ours in Christ.

Therefore, Paul says: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” There is most certainly a place for boasting in the lives of those who are weak and foolish and low—but it is not boasting about who are and what we have done that is to come from our lips-- but boasting about the great things that God has done for us in Christ.

All around us are those who think that their life matters because of who they are and how much money they have and what they have accomplished—people who will one day learn just how empty and alone they are because they don’t have a life with God.

Before that day, we have an opportunity to tell them of the great things God has done for us in his Son Jesus Christ and the difference that makes in our lives and the love that God has for them too. May God grant that we would always be people who are glad to boast in Jesus! Amen.