Series: Identity Revealed

by Pastor Nate Walther

Fourth Sunday of Epiphany, 02/01/2026

            “No one likes a braggart… but everyone likes to brag.”  That’s not to say you will brag – again, we know people don’t like that! – but who doesn’t bristle when you don’t get credit for something you did well?  If others are praised for a job you know you could have done better?    If they get the raise, or the award, or the promotion that should have been yours?

            Here’s something interesting: do you know what God doesn’t tell us today in his Word?  God doesn’t say, “don’t boast!” Isn’t that something?  It shows us there can actually be something godly in boasting, something good in ascribing credit to what is useful, virtuous, and productive.  Granted, like all good things in the world, Sata & sin quickly attempt to twist boasting into a matter of selfishness & arrogance, but there’s a reason why the Bible writer Paul speaks positively of boasting.  The key question is when & where should we boast? 

            Today we answer that by saying BOAST IN BLESSINGS.  Since blessing comes from God, that means we should boast in what God has done.  Our sermon text makes that point.  The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Christian congregation in Corinth, which may have been the most gifted church he served.  They spoke in tongues, they had received prophecies from the Lord, and they possessed wisdom and intelligence.  And you never would have expected all of that from this group.  Listen again to what we heard in our sermon text,

“²⁶ Consider your call, brothers. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view—literally, what Paul says is, “you were not wise according to the flesh”—inthings our world looks at that affect flesh and blood, the Corinthians seemed to have nothing to contribute!  “Not many (of you) were powerful—that’s a word for them that would have suggested a political kind of power, which mean tthese weren’t the movers and shakers in their society.    “Not many were born with high status”—no Kennedys or Clintons among them, nor Schroeders or Gurgels if we want to think of it in terms of big WELS families…  However, “²⁷God chose the foolish things of the world… the weak things of the world… the lowly things, the despised things, and the things that are not… to do away with the things that are…”   Why was that?    If God is perfect, why not at least start with those who are less imperfect then others? It was “²⁹ so that no one may boast before God.” 

You see, there may be different capabilities among people, but that doesn’t make any of us is capable or “good enough” before God.  That’s actually why God chose a lesser group with the Corinthians, so there would be no confusion: “³⁰ Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us the wisdom from God, namely, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.  God did this so that, just as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the LORD.’” The fact that good things did come out of such an unlikely group only proved it wasn’t about what they could do, but about what God could do.

It’s a picture for our lives too, if only we look for it.  Because how gifted are any one of us really?  How wise or powerful are any one of us?  For that matter, what mistakes have we made that could have turned out so much worse?  Perhaps along with me you can think of ways you’ve treated your spouse poorly, yet instead of it devolving into divorce they only showed you grace!  Or have you ever been distracted while driving, you know the danger in picking up your phone but you do it anyway, yet you’ve never gotten into an accident or hit anything or anyone!  Or what about when you’ve done the bare minimum in your calling, you’ve wasted so much time and talent through laziness or pride that could have been used to accomplish more & help more people, yet here is someone is in tears thanking you for making such a difference in their lives!…  And all you can say is, “It was nothing,” because it was nothing. 

How is it that when others look at you and me, they see is good Christians? They see well put-together families, good law-abiding citizens, people using their gifts and talents only to help people?  It’s just one example where—if we are honest about all God’s blessings to us—we may wonder how our lives ever turned out so good!… And how did they?…  In the mirror of our sin, don’t let Satan blind you of the Gospel.  God stepped in.  God chose you.  God lovingly claimed you in baptism and washed away your sin… Then God “wisened” you up with his Word.   He warmed your heart with the love a Son who died for you.  Now he manages to do some good through me and through you… Again, boasting is good when it’s about blessings, when it’s not subjective and meant only to build oneself up, but identifies things from God that are righteous and holy…  So yes, boast!  Boast in others, boast in your coworkers and friends and kids and grandkids when you see God working in their lives, and give God the glory for it!  And when others praise you, boast about what God has worked through (and indeed, in spite of!) you; and again, give him the glory. 

It’s boasting that will sound different in the ears of this world. I was reminded of that in an interview with the New England Patriots’ young star quarterback, Drake Maye.  That’s right, the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl after the shortest rebuild ever.  You’d think after six Super Bowls under Tom Brady, they wouldn’t be any good for at least a few decades, yet here they are just a few years later.  And maybe like me, that means you don’t want them to win! Except, I find it hard to root against a guy like Drake Maye.  Do you know what he said when he was asked about their success?  He boasted like all good athletes!… but not in himself or his teammates.  Rather, he boasted in the Lord.  He said, “I’m just here for the good Lord, and blessed with all that he’s given to me, and I want to live all my life through that.”  Drake Maye is a strong believer in Jesus, it’s the first thing you see on his Instagram profile!  That’s what we want our identity to be as Christians too.  Our question in everything should be, “how can I use what God has given me to bring Him glory?”  As we do so, we will be amazed at the things God produces in our lives, just as he has done for an NFL Quarterback in the 21^st Century or like he did for a Corinthian Congregation in the 1^st Century.

On that note, let’s just take a minute before we end this sermon to think of all the blessings God has produced in our lives.  Because it’s not just that we so often get credit for what God has done for us, there are so many other blessings God gives to us that we enjoy!  Nice vacations, great homes, delicious and plentiful food, vehicles that can transport us thousands of miles on a day’s pay, tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars (perhaps even more than that) in our savings or retirement accounts, and that’s to say nothing of our families, kids, and grandkids…  Then, on top of that, God worked eternity for us?   We will live forever in luxury better than this –even if you’re lacking some of that in this world, you’re still going to get so much better?…  And finally, wherever you & I fall into sin, and maybe things didn’t turn out so well in our lives, and we painfully realize it should disqualify us from all of God’s blessings?  For that the only one who ever had every right to boast in himself because he had no sin still humbled himself to suffer and die for our sins?  Are you kidding me?!… In a world that says, “don’t boast”, boast in your God!  Call a good thing a good thing, and let everyone know it!  Amen.