This document summarizes a sermon on 1 Corinthians 13:5, which says love does not brag. It defines bragging as boastfulness and discusses how some in the Corinthian church were arrogant about their wisdom, wealth, or spiritual gifts. The sermon teaches that Christians should not boast but should humble themselves, as God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Believers' worth comes from understanding God, not their own accomplishments or status.

1. Love “does not” brag
By: Brian Birdow
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 13

2. Objective of Lesson
1. To define brag.
2. To understand how bragging impacted the
church at Corinth.
3. What things should we brag about?
4. How to handle a boastful and arrogant person.
5. What attitude will God bless.

3. 1 Corinthians 13:5
✓Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;
love does not brag and is not arrogant (NASB 95)
✓Love “does” patient, love “does” kind(ness) Love
“does not” burn with envy; love “does not” play
the braggart and is not arrogant (puffed up).
✓Love does the opposite of short temperedness. It
denotes patience with people rather than
circumstances. Love remains kind the whole
time.

4. Definitions
1.Brag - boast oneself, parade it self, the idea of
trying to make yourself superior to other
people.
2.Arrogant or Puffed up — to inflate, like to
inflate a balloon, loftily, proud. Thinking you
are more important than another person.
3.Braggart - is someone who boast about
achievements and status.

5. Bragging, Boasting &
Arrogance in Corinth
‣ 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 …turn with me please…
‣ Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise
man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man
boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his
riches;
‣ but let him who boasts boast of this, that he
understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who
exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on
earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord

6. Bragging and Arrogance in
Corinth
★ 1 Corinthians 3:21; 4:6-7, 14-21; 8:1
★ The Corinthians are puffed up concerning
idols, knowledge, certain men, miracles
and in particular the nine miraculous gifts.
Even sin in the church (5:2)
★ Status-seeking and triumphalism ran
rapid at Corinth

7. The world expects…
1. Sell yourself, I did ________. I came up with__
2.Tell all of your associations, clubs, and leagues
you belong to.
3.To tell of the college you graduated from and
the gpa.
4.To ask what is the brand and cost of your
clothing or purse.

8. Jesus teaches against bragging
‣ Matthew 6:2 "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and
in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say
to you, they have their reward in full.
‣ Matthew 6:5 ”When you pray, you are not to be like the
hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues
and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
‣ Matthew 6:16 ”Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face
as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that
they will be noticed by men when they are fasting Truly I say to
you, they have their reward in full.

9. What the Christian values
• Luke 1:15 For he shall be
great in the sight of the
Lord, and he shall drink no
wine nor strong drink; and
he shall be filled with the
Holy Spirit, even from his
mother’s womb.
• How the Lord views us!
• He shall be great in the
sight of the Lord.

10. How to handle those who
boast and brag
✓Numbers 12:1-15
✓Note vs. 3 &13
✓Numbers 16
✓Note how Moses
responds in vs. 4

11. An attitude that God blesses
✓Genesis 18:27 Abraham answered and said,
“Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the
Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
✓Genesis 32:10 I (Jacob) am not worthy of the
least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all
the faithfulness that you have shown to your
servant, for with only my staff I crossed this
Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

12. An attitude that God blesses
• Matthew 3:13-14 Then Jesus came from Galilee to
the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John
would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be
baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
• 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 Not that we are sufficient in
ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but
our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us
sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of
the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life.

13. Summary
• Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own
mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
• 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the
mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may
exalt you,