Glorious Boasts
Advent 2023
December 24, 2023
Rev. Tim Barton
In this Advent sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 the speaker contrasts destructive self-boasting with Paul’s boast in Christ, urging believers to yield to Christ’s majesty by embracing weakness, prayer, and dependence because God’s power is perfected in our weakness.
Summary
Preaching from 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 as part of an Advent series on the majesty of Christ, the speaker warns that false teachers in Corinth drew people away by boasting about themselves, whereas Paul boasted only in Christ and in the wonders of God’s grace. The sermon emphasizes that God delights when we boast in our human weakness—illnesses, limitations, and suffering that humble us—because such weakness drives us to depend on Christ, and it is there that God’s power is made perfect. Prayer and fasting are highlighted as disciplines that accompany humility and dependence. The central call is to yield ourselves fully to Christ, recognizing His worth and majesty, and to live in continual reliance on God’s grace.
Key Points
- Context: Advent series on the majesty of Christ from 2 Corinthians.
- Passage: 2 Corinthians 12:1–10 and Paul’s testimony.
- Problem: False teachers in Corinth promoted self-boasting and drew people away from Christ.
- Contrast: Paul’s single-minded focus—he boasts in Christ and God’s works, not in himself.
- Key truth: God delights when we acknowledge and even boast in our weakness because it points us to Him.
- Practical implication: Weakness (sickness, limitations) humbles us and fosters dependence on Christ.
- Spiritual disciplines: Prayer and fasting accompany humility and reliance on God.
- Call to action: Yield yourself to Christ; recognize His majesty as worth any cost and live by grace.
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