Love vaunteth not itself

1) Paul listed more than a dozen qualities for love in 1 Cor. 13.

2) Some of his descriptions are positive and some are negative.

3) The first two qualities (suffering long and kind) are positive qualities.

4) Then the apostle employed two descriptions to tell what love is not.

a) Love does not “envy” (this was discussed last week).

b) Today we look at another negative description of love in the middle of verse 4.

c) We find that love does not “vaunt itself.”

d) In the NKJV translators chose different wording: love does not “parade itself.”

5) Vaunt is a very rare word; it is found only here in the New Testament.

6) The noun form of the word described someone who was talkative, an exaggerator.

7) It referred to someone constantly asserting himself and in the process wounding others with words.

8) Basically Paul’s description refers to arrogant and boastful speech that injures others.

9) One source described it as “unbounded arrogance.”

a) At one point or another all have what is commonly a “bad hair day.”

b) When there is a bad hair day, we and others know it.

c) Bad breath can be in a slightly different category – we may have it and we may not know it.

10) We have likely stood next to someone who had breath so bad it could be smelled 10 feet away.

11) The person with the bad breath did not realize he had the problem.

12) Vaunting oneself is more like bad breath than bad hair.

13) People have a serious problem, but they usually do not seem to realize it or care about it.

14) We might not be too surprised to find vaunting in the lives of the unsaved.

15) Paul was writing to Christians in the Corinthian letter.

a) What would motivate a Christian to act in this way?

b) What type of spirit is in someone so they will brag and boast plus hurt people in the process?

c) There may be different causes, but one basis seems to be pretty common: self-importance.

16) People are often filled with feelings of self-importance.

a) Throughout the Bible this subject is addressed, and certainly Paul is one author who deals with it.

b) In Rom. 1 Paul showed how the Gentiles were guilty of sin and worthy of punishment.

c) HE said the Gentiles had nothing about which to boast.

d) Then he turned to the Jews in chapter, 2, people who had received a special law from God.

e) Jews felt important; they were ready to boast. They did boast.

f) Paul had to say in Rom. 3:9, “Jews and Greeks are all under sin.”

g) When we look at the writings of Paul we will see statements like, “wise in our own conceits.”

h) “There is no basis for boasting.”

17) People do like to feel big and important. They certainly like to talk, and often about themselves.

18) Often feeling big leads to sounding big. Sounding big often means tearing down others.

19) It is often the case that someone is torn down so another can be elevated.

20) God tells us that none of these things are associated with love.

a) When people are puffed up in their hearts, it will show in their actions.

b) This is precisely what we find with the Corinthian congregation.

21) Paul could have said in the 13^th chapter, “loving Christians do not brag.”

22) He did not say that. He said, “love does not vaunt itself.”

23) Love is the restraint that keeps this bad behavior from taking place.

24) When people brag and boast, there is a perfect catalyst for problems.

25) Next week we hope to look at the next quality and some of the problems caused by arrogance.

26) Today I will simply mention a German proverb: boasters and liars are first cousins.

27) It is very difficult to boast without embellishing the truth.

a) For the sake of argument let’s say we do boast of ourselves and we are factual in every way.

b) We are actually the smartest, strongest, fastest, richest, and most lovely person on earth.

c) Even if all the facts are accurate, we make ourselves look better than we really are.

d) When this is done we engage in a form of deception.

e) We present ourselves in a way where we unjustly boast.

28) When we look at the word in 1 Cor. 13 we should be remind of a story Jesus told in Lk. 18.

29) The Lord said there were “two men” who “went up into the temple to pray.”

a) One man was a Pharisee; the other man was a “publican.”

b) At least some who heard this story probably drew an instant conclusion.

c) They must have thought the Pharisee would come out on the best end of things.

d) The publican (a tax collector—a sinner by the standard in that day and time) would receive judgment.

e) Before Jesus gave a judgment about which man fared well, He spoke of how the men prayed.

30) Listen to verse 11 of Lk. 18 – READ. Think about what this man said.

a) “I am not as the rest of men.”

b) If this is all Jesus had said, we would not know how to complete the thought.

c) Perhaps this man thought he was worse than most people.

d) The Lord said the man was proud; arrogant; puffed up.

e) The end of the verse 11 says: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

f) This man looked at his life and he was bigheaded. He was satisfied.

g) He also tore down the fellow who had come to the temple to pray.

h) Here was a man who was supposed to be well versed in religion.

i) Based upon what the Holy Spirit said through Paul in 1 Cor. 13, he didn’t love.

31) This man was, however, full of himself – verse 12 – READ.

32) There is no reason to believe this man was lying.

33) He surely told the truth about all the things he said.

34) In giving this information Jesus shows us that telling the truth is only part of what God wants.

35) Truth is necessary, but it must be associated with the right attitude. Pride is a very dangerous thing.

36) Today there are still people who live their lives just like the Pharisees in Lk. 18.

a) Last week I was thinking about a man I met about 20 years ago.

b) He was and is a very smart man. As a Christian he has done a lot of good in many parts of the world.

c) This man has made a choice to embrace a certain sin.

d) He knows his choice is wrong but he believes God will forgive him because he has done so much good.

37) His attitude and belief are rooted in pride. He is like the Pharisees in Lk. 18.

38) Jesus said such an outlook on the spiritual part of life is a very bad thing.

39) Staying with Lk. 18 we now turn to the second man – verse 13 – READ.

a) This man “stood afar off.” A reason for standing a ways off is given.

b) This man viewed himself as a sinner. He would not “lift up his eyes to heaven.”

c) He recognized his shame and spiritual condition before God.

d) He simply said, “God be though merciful to me a sinner.”

40) Here is a man who had no pride as we are using the word.

41) He chose humility. Notice too that he did not tear down the Pharisee.

42) Jesus saw both men and drew a conclusion – verse 14 – READ.

IN LUKE 18 WE SEE A MAN BOASTING AND TEARING OTHERS DOWN VERBALLY (BY HIS SPEECH). WHILE THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST COMMON WAY TO ENGAGE IN THIS WRONG, IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY.

a) It can be done with a look.

b) It has been said a picture is worth a thousand words.

c) People can be boastful by the way they act.

d) A big headed person can demonstrate that by the way he walks, holds his head, etc.

e) Actions can say to people, “I am better than you are.”

f) Think back to Lk. 18 – where did the publican stand? He was “afar off.”

g) The place where he positioned himself spoke volumes.

2) We want to pay attention to avoiding the negative quality in 1 Cor. 13 because it can be a problem.

a) Imagine a situation where someone needs help.

b) Who wants to go to a know-it-all and ask for help?

c) Who wants to seek aid from someone who is always bragging he has all the answers?

d) That is bad enough, but imagine being chided and berated for seeking assistance.

3) This can happen where people have different levels of education.

a) A person with less education may feel intimidated by someone who has more.

b) They may feel like they do not know how to ask a question or they might just sound stupid.

c) The person with the greater education can take away fears or worsen fears.

d) This principle applies to those who are less in rank or may work for us.

e) In the spiritual realm it has application to those who do not understand the Scriptures as well as we do.

f) Will we brag about the knowledge we have?

g) Will we use our knowledge to tear people down?

4) If we boast about what we know, people will generally not want to have much to do with us.

5) If a spirit of self importance is within us, we should expect some terrible consequences.

a) I am ashamed to admit it, but some people have had some terrible experiences in the church.

b) A general example would be something like this.

c) A braggart teacher was teaching a class; someone asked a question.

d) The teacher responded by saying something like, “How could you not know that. everyone knows that.”

e) The class was shocked and the person who asked the question was devastated.

6) No matter how much a person knows, a Bible class who likes to brag is a dangerous teacher.

7) There is a very substantial risk of doing serious damage to a class member.

8) What is needed is humility, and this quality will be explored more next time.

9) We need to be on guard against what has been described this morning.

10) One way to do that is to ask ourselves why we tell something.

11) Do we tell something to make ourselves look good (big), or is there another purpose?

12) That question will help check the problem described in 1 Cor. 13:4.

13) One might wish that Paul did not have to tell Christians about this quality.

14) He did need to list it because Christians are as susceptible to sin as anyone.

15) All who are old enough to know right from wrong sin.

16) Thankfully God has provided a cure for sin.

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