“In What We Can Boast”  Jer. 9:23,24; Phil. 3:7-11

A movie and then a renewed tv series came out about a Mexican hero named “Zorro.”  The mask was always intriguing, and left you wanting to know more.  My favorite cowboy growing up was “The Lone Ranger”.  He would help somebody, rescue them from evil bandits, free them from authorities that had gone bad and people would be left saying, “Who was that masked man?”  A couple of years ago a man was drowning in 20 foot water in Maui and the Hollywood action figure-now governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saved him.  God comes to our rescue.  He is our Savior.  He comes saving us from evil, rescuing us from guilt, setting us free from past failures, giving us hope when we feel there is no way out.  He comes to the rescue and we are left wanting to know Him better. 

      If we have only heard of God, but have not really experienced God’s saving power, we may not care to acquaint ourselves with God more.  But if we are familiar with God’s power and grace, we would be foolish to not want to know more of God.  If you were going to go bankrupt, and someone that you didn’t know stepped in and paid all your bills for you, wouldn’t you want to know that person better?  I think it would be kind of callous to not care about someone who helped you so.  Jesus has paid our debt.  He has set us free from the burden of our moral bankruptcy.   Would you not care to know the one who gave His life in order to save yours?  If the coast guard saved your life, wouldn’t you want to know the guy who came to get you?  If the EMS guy saved your life in the ambulance, wouldn’t you want to know that person’s name?  If a policeman came and caught the burglar at your house, wouldn’t you want to know the poleman’s name?  It would seem unbelievable if one of these rescued us and we ignored them afterwards.

A television plot portrayed two best friends caught in a tense situation.  They both loved the same woman.  Later the two men were competing against each other in a parachute competition. Both jumped out of the plane at the same time.  But when one of the men pulled his ripcord, his chute failed to open.  His death seemed sure.  However, the other man noticed his predicament, maneuvered into position through freefall, and tied himself to his friend's tangled canopy. Then he opened his own chute.  The pair came down together and landed safely.  But the real shock came after they had hit the ground.  The rescued friend got up and walked away without even thanking the one who saved him.

   Now, this story is fictitious, but it sounds a little like the real-life event described in Luke 17.  Ten lepers, on their way home from a meeting with Christ, suddenly realized that He had healed them of their dreadful disease.  He had saved their lives. But only one, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus to say, "Thank you."

      Jeremiah in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament are calling us to this high goal of knowing God better.  They are not talking to people who are outside the household of God, they are talking to the people of God.  Paul, the great leader, is talking about Himself.  He is talking about what drives him to endure the trouble, heartache, and pains of life that can at times be almost overwhelming.  If someone looked at your life, would they say that your main reason for being is to know God? 

      Jeremiah says, Let the wise man boast not of his wisdom; nor the strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his riches; but if anyone wants to boast let them boast of knowing and understanding God. Today what do we boast about?  We boast about our abilities.  But one day our abilities will stop.  The greatest body builders will one day lose their ability to be body builders.  The greatest beauties will one day lose their earthly beauty.  Do not boast in your youth and strength.  Do not boast of our wisdom.  Despite however much we romanticize it, our collective wisdom is small compared to the potential in the universe, and one day our minds will fail us.  I have seen this first hand with brilliant men who get alzheimers or senility in their old age.  The wisdom of man does not last forever.  Love God with  your mind, but do not boast in your mind in and of itself.  Wealth is a blessing of God.  It can increase greatly or it can be lost.  As the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, we will have to leave our wealth for someone else behind us, and there is no guarantee that wealth will not be wasted foolishly.  Billy Graham astutely pointed out there is no trailer behind a hearse.  Today people boast about just the things Jeremiah was speaking of: strength and beauty, intellectual prowess, and wealth.  Jeremiah was speaking to a people under a death sentence.  Jeremiah knew the Babylonians were coming to take his people away.  All the beauty they had could not stop them.  All the strength they had could not stop them.  All the wealth they had could not stop them.  All the wisdom they had could not stop them.  It is the same with death.  Beauty or strength cannot stop death.  Wealth and wisdom cannot stop death.  It is coming.  But there is one thing that not only outlasts any kind of death or setback, but also helps us endure any setback or death—that is the knowledge of God.  Today people can brag in different ways.  It takes effort to not be pretentious when you are blessed.  We can brag with our titles, the tags on our clothes, our  various trophies.  We can flaunt the gifts we have before others.  But today it is all too common to only whisper about our relationship with God.  To speak of our faith may offend someone.  But my friends, it may point someone who needs rescuing to the One who can rescue them!
IT IS POSSIBLE TO KNOW GOD

There are many people who just dismiss all knowledge of God altogether because we can’t see Him.  Often I hear people today say things like- yeah, I believe in heaven- but how do you really know there is a God out there?  Who really knows?  But there are many things we do not see that we believe.  I believe a seed will grow if I plant it- I believe that by faith.  I believe in the sun when it is not shining.  I have never been to Russia, but I believe it exists.  I’ve never met Napoleon but I believe he has lived.  I believe that the engineers who put my car together knew what they were doing even though I don’t know them by name, nor have I ever met them.  My point is we know so very much by faith- why do we stop when it comes to God?   I know there is a God more assuredly than I know anything else about my life.  I may not live through the week.  I do not know what the future of this country or my own future holds- but I KNOW who holds the future.  I know Him, and it is a certain knowledge- based as all knowledge is- on faith. 
      Yet we must hold this knowledge with humility.  With every bit of knowledge in this life, there is a level of uncertainty.  We hold the truth of God, but we must hold it in humility.  While it is true we must speak of knowing God- we are not commanded to brag.  In the book of Job- Job doubts- yet he never stopped believing in God;  but his friends are certain how God should work- putting God into a box.  Yet God commends Job and criticized his friends.  There is always a level of uncertainty in this life- now we see through a mirror dimly.  I have been married to Kay for 30 years.  Yet she still shocks me and surprises me.  I know her- I know her well- I am always growing in knowledge of her- and yet I am surprised.  With God we may not know all of Him, but we can truly know some of Him with certainty.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS FOR KNOWING GOD

We can know about Christ.  We can know who he is historically.  We can say, “Never did a man speak like this.”  You can know all about Jesus but not know Him.  How many have heard about Christ and read about Christ, and that is enough for them. But I hope for you and me that is not enough.  The apostle Paul did not say, “I have heard of him, on whom I have believed,” but “I know whom I have believed.”   [C.H. Spurgeon, Sermons 1888 p. 84 ]

Some are convinced that they should know Christ, but they stop there.  Maybe a grandparent has told them about Jesus.  Maybe they remember the faith of an uncle, aunt, or neighbor.  But second-hand spirituality will not get you into heaven. 

It is said that many an author puts his/her picture on the cover of a book because once people read the book; they want to know what the person is like behind the book.  I hope that is true when you read the Bible.  I hope the Bible spurs you to want to know Jesus better. 

There are many people who just dismiss all knowledge of God altogether because we can’t see Him.  Often I hear people today say things like- yeah, I believe in heaven- but how do you really know there is a God out there?  Who really knows?  But there are many things we do not see that we believe.  I believe a seed will grow if I plant it- I believe that by faith.  I believe in the sun when it is not shining.  I have never been to Russia, but I believe it exists.  I’ve never met Napoleon but I believe he has lived.  I believe that the engineers who put my car together knew what they were doing even though I don’t know them by name, nor have I ever met them.  My point is we know so very much by faith- why do we stop when it comes to God?   I know there is a God more assuredly than I know anything else about my life.  I may not live through the week.  I do not know what the future of this country or my own future holds- but I KNOW who holds the future.  I know Him, and it is a certain knowledge- based as all knowledge is- on faith. 
            Some know Jesus because they have heard of or read about what he does.  Jesus healed and helped, taught and led;  He was a shepherd and servant; Many call out to this Jesus who does for others when they are in trouble. They know of Him, but they do not seek to really know him- to love Him.  Jesus is more than someone who does things for us or for others.  We need to seek to know Him as a person.

Many even talk to Jesus but do not know Him.  We may know his name, and may know to ask him for things, but that is where it stops and this level of knowledge is fairly shallow.  You may know someone at work or at school that you feel comfortable asking for help or for a favor- but you do not really know them.  You do not know the name of their parents, or their character, or that you can trust them, and that you can entrust yourself to them.  A believer may speak of and to Christ regularly and often but still not know Him.  Once Jesus asked Philip, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me?”  Would he say that to you?

If someone invites you to their house, that is a different kind of knowledge.  Maybe you have invited Jesus into your life.  Invite Him to come in, and talk with Him, but also seek to know Him better.   My hope is that you call Jesus your friend and your brother.  You can have a brother that you don’t know, or you can have a brother that you know.  To know Jesus is a satisfying knowledge. The more you know Christ, the more you want to know.  The higher you climb, the better the view, but also the loftier the summits that you see. The more you know Christ, the freer you will be from the burden of your guilt and past.  The more you know Christ the more strength and hope you have to face the problems and hurdles of life.  Paul said he considers everything else as a waste except for knowing Christ.  Everything else is a waste of time, a waste of life.  Jesus is not a masked man.  He stands at the door knocking, waiting for you to open the door of your heart to Him.  May you seek this Prince of Peace, and may you find Him!

^{Jer. 9:23}This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,

²⁴but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

^{Phil. 3:7} Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to
know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the
resurrection from the dead.