Stop Bragging - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ statement is jealous of you see and whatever we buy we embezzle his glory. Instead of saying what the Lord is done in your life you tell people what you got candy joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana going pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world and that I send the right is a lot more obvious to me that this guy said is a tomorrow the next day me to go to another place and I'm going to be there year to do business and make some money that's only bragging to you see it's interesting, bragging, always assumes things and are some assumptions going on here. He says you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow and are you just a vapor that appears for a little while and then you vanish away matter was a promise tomorrow. Sorry, not next year. You're presuming things when you brag you always presume things he said I'm going to do this. Notice he then says instead you want to say if the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that I can presume when anything with the Lord my life my direction.

My success belongs to the Lord. It doesn't belong to me but whenever I brag and tell you what I'm going to do. I'm embezzling the Lord's glory. Notice what James then says, but as it is. He says you boast in your arrogance while you boast in your arrogance that were boast Cox all my only time an entire New Testament.

You see that word boast their Cox all my literally it means a wandering quack. That's what made put it in American West. A snake oil salesman somebody it does arrive, saying something will be able to deliver something that never really does. That's what he says here about bragging, but as it is, you boast in your arrogance.

Now watch all such boasting is evil when you rather seen the word misguided a mistake evil.

I mean Isis is evil. Yes Isis is evil. Bragging is evil that's not my opinion that's what the words bragging is evil while why because in embezzle's the glory of God see what does belong to God is something you embezzle and try to own for yourself pieces. Therefore, to the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it to him and his sin.

You see, no bragging, there's no place for no are you sure what why is God so uptight about this. Why is it so important to go with me to first Corinthians chapter 6, first Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 19 and here Paul explains it in a little bit different way. In verse 19 of chapter 6 of first Corinthians, Paul says, or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, that you are not your own, for you have been bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body the dulcet does the God glorify God. He gives four reasons. Here one God is taken up residency in each and every one of us to a child of God when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ were indwelt by the Spirit of God to therefore you are not your own, you're not your own anymore.

You belong to God you been born again into the family of God. Three. You were bought with a price.

You were redeemed, you were purchased with a price not gold and silver, Peter says, but with the precious blood of Christ. You have been bought with a price. Therefore, he says you need to glorify God, not the empty vessel you see of my tongue is going to brag of my tongue is going to get praise it better not be for me, it better be for the Lord to save me. The God who created me see that's what he is saying this is really serious stuff, the God when I illustrate that I want to go with me to the book of acts chapter 12 the book of acts chapter 12 in verse 20. I could've gone to a lot of places I for example you could going to the Old Testament with Nebuchadnezzar member Nebuchadnezzar this great king of Babylon, and he made a statue of himself and it was 90 feet high and the only reason it wasn't tolerance. Probably that's all they could do. He got a 90 foot statue and asked everyone to come and worship him now if that's not bragging, I don't know what is and how that turned out for. I did end up like a cow chewing the cud eating grass. What was the message there is it what is God saying I don't share my glory. I don't care for king of Babylon, and here we got a New Testament example of it. This is Herod Agrippa. The heat in verse 20 will be Herod Agrippa. He's the grandson of Herod the great who was Herod at the time of Christ. This is now Herod. He was very angry with the people of Tyree and Sidon. Now you understand Herod Agrippa tightly inside or outside his territory is very powerful man. He has the largest territory of any of Agrippa's grandchildren.

He is the tetrarch of Rome and he's angry at Tyree and Simon are upset about their phrase going to do something to and so it says with one accord, they came to him and having one over blasters the Kings Chamberlain.

They were asking for peace because their country was fed by the Kings country.

They didn't want to get on his bad side, the people would star it says or put on an appointed day, Herod, having put on his royal apparel took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. Now you have to read something into this comes outside the Bible little bit extra biblical Josephus, the Jewish historian is antiquities. He writes about this event. What what that Herod Agrippa look like any says this.

The occasion was a feast in honor of Herod's patron, the Roman Emperor Claudius, and it says Herod put on a garment holy of silver of the contact stirred. That was truly wonderful and came into the theater early in the morning, at which time the silver of his garment was illuminated by a fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it and it shone out in the surprising manner he called himself in real silver head to toe and then headed facing the sun when he came out and of course the sun hit the silver so you can get an idea of just how grand he must've looked and noticed then what happens.

The people kept crying out in verse 22. The voice of a God and not a man. This is a God look at him.

Listen to him and Josephus writes that when the people did this, Herod did neither rebuke them nor reject their empires flattery.

The next verse, and immediately an angel the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory. And he was eaten by worms and died while that's a bad day. I mean, you start people are saying you talk like God, you look like God and of warm food that's a statement is the surest glory is jealous of his glory. You see, and whenever we brag we embezzle his glory.

Instead of saying what the Lord has done in your life you tell people what you've done. We can do that. So were left with the question, what does it take to stop right. I thought about this a lot all week was trying to think out what is it that we really need to do to stop bragging and this is what works, at least for me.

Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2 Ephesians chapter 2 verses eight and nine very famous in Paul's going to talk about our salvation and is going to make a very important point in verse eight he says this, for by grace Cara's it means gift unmerited favor. That's grace. For by grace you have been past perfect tense. It's over your saved for by grace you have been saved through faith, there's the instrumentality my part faith and that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God and then he says this not as a result of works, so that no one may boast receipt. What did you do to be saved.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, and then an amazing statement.

You might say no, no, I can remember. I really wrestled with this and then I put my faith in Jesus at this great guy did as that's true, but understand there is no merit in having faith. Everybody has faith. Faith is universal. If I am a staunch atheist. I am a man of faith. I have faith in me.

I have faith in my intellect and I say there is no God. Now I can prove that but I can say it because I have faith. Everybody has faith. You may have faith in boot are you may have faith in you see you may have faith in anything. There's no merit in having faith. The merit comes from the object of your faith and that's what we brought to this.

We believed but we didn't do anything you see. And God knows our heart because you know if you did anything to get saved you know what you would do you brag about. And by the way a lot of people were that way when you know how does a person get saved well Jesus did something. I know that you got the good person that's me.

You gotta go to church. Most the time I do that you have to give something I don't give up. I give some you see any ideas. And that's how I'll be saved. That's bragging is his knowledge by grace. It's a gift all you can do with the gift is receiving. There's nothing else you can do it on earth you don't deserve it, you just receive it. You see my point would be this that whenever you truly embrace the grace of God. The bragging will stop when you truly understand and embrace the grace of God, the bragging. I want to show you one more picture that is close go with me to Luke chapter 23 Luke chapter 23, beginning in verse 13 we read these first verses down the 17 first, the day of the crucifixion Pilate summoned the chief priest and the rulers of the people and he said to them, you have brought this man to me as one-to-one sites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined him before you. I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against them nor he says no, nor has Herod, for he sent him back to us and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by him over and over again. Pilate wants to get rid of this responsibility because he knows this, not just I've examined him is not starting a rebellion.

It says now he was obliged to release to them. He said at the feast one prisoner file. There is a tradition, the Romans would release one prisoner. Now you gotta believe the pilots thinking it's gotta be this fellow, but you're never going to let that happen. But I want you to imagine with me a little bit different scene.

There's a man was all alone in a cell is no one but him. It's the day of his appointed death. He's a rebel is a murderer. He knows what's going to happen to. He is seen men crucified. He is seen men beg for death and crucifixion. Just imagine how he felt at this time.

You see, his name is Broadus. Just imagine how he felt. This is when I die from my just going to be X, and be crucified, just imagine what this was like and then we pick it up and it says they cried out altogether. In verse 18 away with this man. Release Ross Rob was he sitting in a cell that they just chant my name they say Baraga's waitlist now is listening and he hears the whole thing may be a chain release for Ross Perot office release for Ross Perot office. What the chanting release for Ross Perot office.

Just imagine if he's there and what he's thinking.

While Pilate wanting to release Jesus addressed them again and they kept calling out saying crucified him crucified him, and he said to them, the third time, why, what evil is this man done. I am finally in him no guilt demanding death.

Therefore, I will punish him and release him object look to be scourged Romans that I will let him go, but they were insistent with loud voices asking that he be crucified. And their voices began to prevail, and Pilate pronounced the sentence that their demand be granted any release the men that they were asking for good been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder be delivered delivered Jesus to their will. Could you imagine that he hears his name, he hears them talking and all of a sudden he hears the cell open and someone says to him with regard to this to him.

You're free to go.

I do think Broadus felt what would be your first thought. I think my would be. This is too good to be true.

It is amazing I'm a murderer, likely murdered a Roman city and now I'm released to go not want to change gears just a moment here, you're in a dusty self so my you're awaiting the final judgment just like Broadus. Just you are sitting all by yourself. You know what's coming because you know there's none righteous, no not one. You know that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

You also know that like sheep. All of us have gone astray. You know that and you know something else. The wages of sin is death, not just temporal death on the cross. Eternal separation from God, eternal, that you know all that, and you're sitting there and you hear what you think is the executioner's footsteps in the cell door opens and you refuse to make eye contact and you hear the voice arise stand up and you do is not the executioner's Jesus and he puts his arms out to you. You pulls you close the woman says I'll die for you see, I'll go. I'll die for you and what that is. That's grace. That's what grace is. That's what grace has done. You see is an amazing thing is wanting to say boy we love going out in the world of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus and tell the whole world that Christ died for their sins.

And that's really a wonderful thing to proclaim that as loudly and as long as we can, but isn't somehow sweeter whispered in your own ear.

He loves me. He came to my cell. He embraced me. He told me he would die in my place.

You see, that's the picture of the grace of God when ever you truly embrace the grace of God. The bragging will stop it did with Paul and it can with us.

We need to stop writing the spring father my prayer this morning is simply this. We know we brag. We know that we want the approval and adulation from other people, but father, I just pray that we temper that that we put whenever we can. In the context of these words are total reliance and dependency on you and our Lord Jesus Christ, we would have no hope of anything but execution, but you love the world so much. You sent your son to die. Your son loved us so much that he not only lived the perfect life but he was our substitute on the cross, father.

You were so pleased with that sacrifice you raised him from the dead.

He's ascended into heaven and bites is simply putting our trust and faith in him we have the promise of eternal life, promise to avoid eternal judgment, not because of anything we did that because of your abundant grace.

Father I pray that that becomes our mindset as believers in Jesus Christ, and each and every opportunity we have when we can give you the praise when we can. Most of you, and brag about you.

We take advantage of that opportunity for your glory for our good Christ bathroom on the radio ministry or fellowship nor if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the good or great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well at Fellowship in the Word.

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Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt, unseasoned and heart. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order