What’s There to Boast About? (2 Corinthians 11:19-31)

For many years I served on the Board of Foreign Missions for the REC.  Once a year we would travel to South Carolina to Summerville … the headquarters of the Diocese of the Southeast.

The hotel that we stayed at was across from a large Walmart.  At that time there were no Walmarts near where I was living in New Jersey … and so it was a real novelty to go in there.

That brings us to Sam Walton … the founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club … which is the largest private employer in the United States.

Here was Sam … a multi-millionaire … dressed in jeans … driving around in an old beat-up pick up truck … with the requisite gun rack … and he lived in the same house … a very-modest three story house … that looked like it was cut out of a Philadelphia row-house!

He didn’t drive around in flashy or expensive cars … or live in a big mansion … in other words … he didn’t boast about his wealth and say look at me … I am very rich!

In the same vain …  a couple of weeks ago there was an article about Warren Buffett … also one of the richest men in the world … who drives around in a 10 year old Cadillac, eats at McDonald’s and lives in a modest house.

Again … not one to boast in his wealth.

And that brings us to our Epistle lesson for today from 2 Corinthians 11 … where the Apostle Paul talks about what he could boast about … and what he actually did boast about.

But first … a little background to that 11^th chapter … where apparently there were false teachers in Corinth who were boasting that they were of the same faith as the Apostle Paul.

Paul had noted … and rightly so … that he proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ … the Gospel … free of charge.

He even said that he “robbed” other churches as not to be a burden to them … even when he was in need.  And for that he had no problem in boasting about what he did.

But there were others who were claiming that they were doing the same thing as the Apostle Paul … but this was not the case.

As we read in 11:12-14: 

““But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.””

Then he goes on to say … that if anyone had a reason to boast about who he was and what he did for the furtherance of the Gospel … in service of the Lord … it would be me … Paul.

So then he lists who he is and what happened to him and his sufferings for Christ … listen again to all that Paul went through: 11:21-29

““To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold — I speak foolishly—I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?””

Then in conclusion he says: ““If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.  The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.””

A better translation would say: ““If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.””

In other words … in spite of his weakness … in spite of his thorn in the flesh that we read about in other places … the only thing that he would boast about is the fact that in spite of his weakness … God used him to further the Gospel of Jesus.

I am sure that when he speaks of his weakness … he is also referring to his time before God revealed to him … when his sinful nature manifested itself in his zeal … and he persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ.

We remember that the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul … then called Saul … on the Damascus road.  

Then God choose Ananias to go see Paul … and lay hands on him that he might receive his sight back.

Ananias … knowing who Paul was … objected … and so we read:

“““Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.””

… to which the Lord responded …

“““Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.””

We read about all that Paul suffered … and it was a fulfillment of what the Lord had said to Ananias.

However … in spite of that … Paul would only boast in his weakness … and how God still used him to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to much of the known world.

Look at the maps in your Bibles … to see the travels of Paul on his journeys … and we see that he traveled much … and suffered much … eventually being executed for his unwavering faith in Christ.

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Throughout the scriptures we see God using ordinary  people to accomplish His divine will.

I think of Moses … who … when God revealed Himself to him and commissioned him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt … Moses gave excuse after excuse as to why God should choose someone else.

We read his last excuse in Exodus 4:10: ““ Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.””

In spite of his objections … God used Moses to lead his people out of Egypt.

And then I think of David … who was a simple shepherd whom God had chosen to be king … and to write a multitude of Psalms … in spite of the fact that he was an adulterer and murderer.

And then think about the Apostles that Jesus himself had chosen … simple fisherman … a tax collector … 

It is safe to say that none of them would qualify for the Mensa society for high IQ people … and yet … they changed the world,

They took the good news … that Jesus came … that he died … and that he rose from the dead for the sins of the people that believe in him … all of whom … with the exception of John … died for their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord!

And there’s the Apostle Paul … who prior to his being commissioned by Jesus himself would be considered the smartest … or at least … the most educated of the Apostles.

He was a student of Gamiel … one of the foremost of Jewish scholars.

Before his conversion as he was defending himself in Jerusalem … Paul said: ““ “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today …””

But … not only did he note how he was raised and what he had learned … he also told those in Jerusalem what he had done:

““I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,  as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.””

Paul was on his way to further persecute those who trusted in Christ as Savior when the Lord Jesus revealed himself to Paul on his way to Damascus.

The rest … as we know is history … that by the grace of God … Paul became a witness for him … suffering many thing for Jesus … and yet … he remained faithful to what God had called him to do … even to his execution.

If the Apostle Paul considered himself weak … weak because of his sin … weak because his past life … what does that mean for us?

What excuse do we use for not telling others about the faith that has been revealed to us?

Let’s fact the fact … that we are all sinners … and yet … God has called us out of darkness into the light of His salvation.

And in doing so … in spite of our standing … in spite of our past  … or our social status … our wealth … or lack of it … God has called us … not to boast in who WE ARE … but to boast in Him and who He is AND what HE has done for us.

As Peter tells us:

““But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; …””

As Christians we have something that the unbelieving world does not have … we have an eternal hope.

Regardless of who we are … regardless of our social status … our intelligence … we have something special … given to us by God!

As Peter tells … and it is the reason that we should be praising God … 

““Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.””

We have something that the rest of the world does not have … eternal life and all the blessings of our salvation … the privilege of prayer … the privilege of worship … the forgiveness of sins … knowing that God is with us in all our circumstances …

… all of which we have … despite our weaknesses.

And so while we don’t have any cause to boast … we do have cause for great thanksgiving for what God has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ.