Beyond the Limits

[Christsfreeservant]

“But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:13-18 ESV).​

What does it mean to “boast beyond limits”? It would be to claim something to be true beyond what is true, like to give off an image about oneself that is beyond what is really true. It would be to try to make oneself look better than you really are. And it could even be for the purpose to try to hide what is really going on, to try to hide sinful attitudes and thinking and behaviors from coming out into the open, wanting them to remain behind the curtain where no one else can see them. It is to give off a false persona.

And the Lord is directing me this afternoon to center on this subject, not to go into the history of Paul’s particular situation, but to deal with the subject of, not only what it means to boast beyond limits, and what all that might entail, but what it looks like when someone commends himself in a way in which the Lord does not commend him. So this could be like someone bragging that he is walking with the Lord when he is still walking in sin, or acting outwardly as though he is for God, when he is against God.

For it is all about giving off a false image of oneself that is not true to the person’s true nature and thinking and attitudes and behaviors. And sometimes this is done as a way of trying to hide a person’s secret sins and his secret attitudes, thinking, and behaviors. But it doesn’t always work. For out of the heart the mouth speaks, and when there is anger, bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness stored up in the heart, sometimes that comes out of the mouth, and the coverup is revealed as phony.

Another way in which this can be expressed is seen in this passage:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye” (Matthew 7:1-5 ESV).​

Now this is not teaching that all judging is wrong. This is teaching that hypocritical judging is wrong, when you have a mound of sins piled up in your own life that you have not dealt with and reconciled and gotten rid of, and yet you are critical of others who may have only a small speck in their own eyes. And so you may lash out at those with only a small speck in their eyes while you continue on with that log still in your own eye, which you may be trying to cover up, hoping that no one will notice it.

For, since you are someone who is trying to look better than what you are so that people will believe you are living beyond what you are really doing, this definitely engages much deception and coverups and perhaps even false accusations against others, perhaps others who can see what is going on. And you don’t like that, and so you might go all out to try to destroy their reputations so that others will think badly of them, and so that others will not believe them, but so they will believe you, instead. People do this!!

If they are concerned about getting caught or getting found out they may destroy another person’s life, if necessary, in order to keep their own sins hidden safely away from being exposed. For it isn’t just that they are trying to present an image of themselves beyond limits, but they are actually living sinful lifestyles that go beyond God’s proper limits regarding how we are to live. But they are trying to keep that hidden (secretive), and so they are bragging beyond what they are really living.

Now this is not speaking of those who have no knowledge of God. This is speaking of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who know the Scriptures. So they know the way out of their sinful conditions, but they have not yet chosen to take the way out God provided for them. They may try some things in the flesh to try to not go certain places, at times, but those always fail eventually, because they are of the flesh and not of God. And so they continue with that log still in their eyes.

They know the solution is out there. They know what Jesus did on that cross to free us, not just from the punishment of sin, but from our slavery to sin, but they will not go the distance to put into practice what he has provided for them, even though they know that it will do the job if they will surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, and if they will submit to the Lordship of Christ, and if they will choose to say “No!” to sin and “Yes!” to God and walk now in his ways and in his truth and in his power, where there is true victory!!

So, if that is where any of you are today, putting on a show of righteousness on the outside while you are still living in deliberate and habitual sin, in secret, I pray that you will bow the knee to God, surrender your lives to him, truly repent of (turn from) your sinful lifestyles, and by the grace of God, and in the power of God, now walk in obedience to the Lord and to his commands (New Covenant) in holy living. For God has called all of us to forsake our sins, to obey him, and to walk in righteousness and not in sin.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.