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2 Timothy 3.1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
For men will be…lovers of themselves unthankful brutal lovers of money unholy despisers of good boasters unloving traitors proud unforgiving headstrong blasphemers slanderers haughty disobedient to parents without self-control lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God… having a form of godliness but denying its power.
And from such people turn away!
Do you find your Christian walk to be feeble and frail? Perhaps true Godliness has been robbed from you through one of these behaviors. Today, we will look at the next three: boasters, proud and blasphemers. All three in essence say:
Look at me! Look what I did. I don’t need God.
They are a wickedly complimentary of each other. Blasphemers attribute to men what only God can do; or, attribute to God what only men can do. Pride dethrones God and takes credit for what God has done. Boasting is putting that pride to words. Let’s take a look at what Scripture as to say about these three.
Boastful
- Psa 5.5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.
- It is a very fearful thing to consider God’s hate. Boasters proclaim their own glory instead of God’s.
- It is a very fearful thing to consider God’s hate. Boasters proclaim their own glory instead of God’s.
- Psa 94.4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
- It is a defining characteristic of evil people that their speech is disrespectful and boastful. ALL evil people boast about themselves.
- It is a defining characteristic of evil people that their speech is disrespectful and boastful. ALL evil people boast about themselves.
- 1 Cor 4.7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
- Boasting is in effect denying or ignoring that you have NOTHING you didn’t receive from God. From the moment of conception, your first breath, everything you received as a child, and now what you have as an adult…. Every single thing was given to you. In the same way your parents gave you EVERYTHING when you were young, God gives you everything now.
- Did you create anything? Do you instill in yourself the talents you have? Did you give yourself life?
- Think. Name one single thing that you can take credit for being the original source of? What you have, what you have done, what you are or the very fact you are alive.. which part of it was not given to you? What reason then do we have to boast about anything of ourselves?
- James 4.14-16 …whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
- Boasting is great foolishness. We don’t know if we will be alive one minute from now. We could drop stone dead of a heart attack.
- Boasting is pure arrogance and evil in the Lord’s eyes. It is saying “thank you ME” instead of “thank you God”.
Proud
A couple of paragraphs can’t do justice to this subject, as it is the very essence of sin. Pride in its most basic form is replacing “God” with “me”; putting “me” where only God should be.
Life + ME – God = pride
Life + GOD – me = holiness
I didn’t do so well at “gozintuhs” in math, but I understand simple adding and subtracting. Sanctification in simplicity is ADDING God and SUBTRACTING myself in my everyday life. The scriptures are so brutally plain and convicting that they need no commentary from me:
- Ps. 10.4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
- Prov 6.16-17 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look…
- Prov 16. 5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
- 1 Pet 5.5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
- Isa 13.11 “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Blasphemers
The proud boast, “I did it”. Blasphemers go one step further and actually speak or think evil against God. They remove from the Lord His rightful attributes, power and sovereignty. Or worse, they openly and arrogantly attribute wickedness to God, proclaiming His inability, flaws or non-existence. Some common examples we hear often today:
- Well if God really cared He wouldn’t…
- If God is really a God of love how can He…
- I don’t need God. He never did anything for me.
- God is for the weak-minded who need a crutch.
- Some God… He can’t even stop suffering and hunger.
- God himself couldn’t…
Then there are less obvious examples of blasphemy:
- God “told me”… followed by yet another unscriptural “revelation” which is so common in Christianity today.
- The name of God is invoked as support for white supremacy, violent religions, ungodly tolerance, the eradication of moral judgment and the pursuit of any religion as a means of earning salvation.
- God is characterized as an all-loving, all-accepting, kindly old man with a smile who eventually will accept anyone who is faithful to some religion or is basically a “good” person.
Blasphemy is crediting God with anything sinful, or speaking directly against what is true about God. It is the natural progression to boast because of pride originated in a blasphemous idea of God.
Blasphemous ideas cultivate pride delivered via boasting.
All three of these sins are contributable to removing God from His rightful authority and position and putting ourselves there. Whether or not we can articulate it, pride and boasting come from conscience or subconscious blasphemous conclusions:
- God can’t or won’t do what He says
- God isn’t, or is less than, what He proclaims
- God is either unwilling or unable to keep His own word
- God is exaggerating, lying or deceived
Therefore I will be the king of my existence. I will bring attention to “me” and exalt myself because deep down I have blasphemed God, daring Him to challenge my ascension to the throne of life.
“Gather around people and listen to me declare how good I am: I have done it, I have achieved it, I have built it, I have earned it. I am a good person and have accomplished many things. And surely God will see that my goodness and greatness have earned me salvation.”
You would never say that! Right? You may never be bold enough to utter the words, but does your behavior shout it for all to hear?
Lord, we ask you today to remove boasting, pride and blasphemy from our hearts. Create in us clean hearts that have a pure understanding of our complete dependence on you. Help us to truly understand we have received all things from You and have nothing to boast about of ourselves. May it cause us to be the opposite of boastful, proud blasphemers… humble, thankful and worshipful. May we boldly speak of our dependence on You, of Your goodness and righteousness; and may we boast only in the death of our dear Savior. Amen.
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