1 Corinthians 10:14-22 - Idols Are Not All that Important

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 - Temptation is Normal

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 

You Will Be Tempted

 

V. 12 - “Therefore” - Now, Christians, learn from others’ mistakes. You do not need to go to the school of hard knocks. “Experience is a dear school, but fools will learn in no other way.” (B. Franklin) (I think that is who said that.) We do not need to screw up our lives by making bad decisions. Well, actually that is how we screw up our lives - making bad decisions. When we operate our lives without all the facts or ramifications of the situations we face, making good decisions is blind luck. (Pro 17:10; Eccl 7:5) Preaching, teaching, mentoring each other in our faith is essential for our growth in Christ.

“Let him who thinks he stands take heed” - I just read today in Psalm 10: the psalmist is bragging how well he is doing, and then a little trouble happens and he appeals to the Lord for help. (See also: Pro 8:33) Apparently he got a little over-confident. That is a reminder to us that any success we have is because of the Lord and our faith in Him. When things seem to be going well for you, don’t think, “Look at what I’ve done!”, or “I did this!”

V. 13 - “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man” - You may think that “this” has never happened to anyone else. But we see in Ecclesiastes, “So there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9)

“God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able” - Don’t Panic. You are not on your own. Fighting against temptation and sin seems overwhelming at times - is there nothing I can do to stop this litany of failures? It is not you against the forces of evil, by yourself. Praise the Lord!  We read in Ephesians, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) Although demonic forces are arrayed against us, Jesus has overcome all this! He is victorious! “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. “ (Pro. 3:5-6) I know that is Old Testament, but the thought is the same. We constantly fight against temptations and sin, and will constantly fail unless we call upon Jesus, trust in Him, rely on Him. See: “Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Zec. 4:6)

So the following from Ephesians shows us the tools: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:12-17)

“but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” - That is: you are not one your own in this spiritual battle. Do not be deceived, your decisions with regard to temptation and sin is a spiritual battle. Will you follow after your own ungodly lusts, or will you let the Lord guide you. “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.” (Jude 1:18-19)

God Himself is deeply invested in your well-being. He is providing His Holy Spirit to each of us. Think on that! God’s own Spirit is in you. He is not forced upon you, but is ever ready to act whenever you ask. See also: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life… Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:18-25)

Keep yourself in the love of God. He is able, and He will keep you from stumbling in sin when you ask. Think on this: humbling yourself before and to God, praying to Him will bring you blameless to Him, with great joy. Because we have someone who has all glory, majesty, dominion and authority before God’s throne speaking for us, defending us, who gave His life for us.

What more could you ask?

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1 Corinthians 10:6-11 - Examples for Us

Verses 6 through 10 of this chapter warns us to refuse to be blasé about our salvation. The example given is the Jewish nation - God rescued them from slavery under Egyptian pharaohs; He fed them and watered them for 40 years in the desert region of Sinai; He conquered whole nations to provide them a place to live. The record is clear from Genesis through 2 Chronicles - God took care of them completely. Even so, it took almost nothing for them to turn on God, disobey and follow false gods. That is the example presented here. The Jews had every thing they needed for faith in God and Christ. The message is: don’t fall into the same spiritual trap. Be strong and courageous in your faith in Christ. Be of the Same Mind and Spirit

1 Corinthians 10:6-11

6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to pray.”
8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.
9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.
10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

We Can Learn From Our Ancestors

V. 6 - “Now these things happened as examples for us” - They were not set up simply to be warnings for us. I do not believe God is saying, “See what happens to people who do not obey me. This could happen to you” Nor did He decide to wipe some people out as object lessons. On the other hand, it has been fairly clearly stated that disobedience has negative consequences, and that obedience and faithfulness to the Lord has positive consequences.< /p>

There are several lessons. God’s blessings flow to those who don’t earn it - God chose Abraham, Isaac, David to demonstrate His grace and mercy. They did not earn the grace shown. These examples are samples of the declaration: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) The Lord saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, even though most of the Jews were fairly ignorant of the Lord God. God brought victories to Israel during the exodus and during the takeover of the Promised Land - and these people were not faithful followers.

“so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved” - It is indisputable that the Jews chased after some evil things and practices. Some of the things they ‘craved’ were sinful - worshipping idols and false gods, etc., - but some were were fairly ‘natural’. They wanted food, water, safety. It seems that many were willingly ready to jump to the conclusion, “You brought us out here to die!” It wasn’t very often that their response to a perceived crisis was to go to the Lord in prayer and supplication.

V. 7 - “Do not be idolaters, as some of them were” - I tend to think of idolators as people who worship some false god or another person. However, it goes deeper than that. Whether it is food, or golf (any sport or activity), or cars, or politics, etc., anything that grabs our attention and keeps it away from the Lord - that may be idolatry.

“The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to pray.” - (See: Exo. 32:19) This was from the golden calf incident - they went about their lives oblivious to their sin. This statement is different than the defiant, “Eat. Drink. Be Merry, for tomorrow we die!” We can get so wrapped up in our lives and activities that the Lord is not part of our existence. He is not just on the ‘back burner’, but not even on the stove.

V. 8-10 - “Nor let us act immorally… try the Lord… grumble” - Three incidents from the Exodus saga, see: Num. 25:1-9; Num. 21:5-9; Num. 16:41-49. In the first, the Israelites were consorting (immorally) with Moabite women and even marrying them, thereby disobeying the Lord’s commands. In the second, the Israelites accused God and Moses of trying to kill them in the desert. Some of the people accused Moses, Aaron, and God of bringing them out of Egypt just to kill them (Note: this was just after God had dealt with rebellious Levites in a spectacular way!). In each case, the Lord was being challenged - they were not going to be told what to do, or not to do, by Moses, Aaron, or even God. (Does that sound familiar in your life?) It does not end well for them.

V. 11 - “they were written for our instruction” - If you are like me, you must be wondering why Paul is including ancient Jewish history in a letter to some Gentiles in Corinth. There probably were some Jews in the church, because he usually started each mission in a synagogue wherever he stopped. These incidents from Numbers were most likely taught to Israelite children in school or synagogue. (On the other hand, considering the state of history education in the U.S., maybe the Jewish children were also ignorant of their past. On the other, other hand, looking back at Old Testament account sometimes it seems the Jews didn’t seem to learn from their own mistakes even when taught.)
The facts of God’s miracles for the Jews, his chosen people, are amazing and we are fortunate to have this recorded history. The facts of God’s judgements against His own people are just as astounding! We can see that God is intensely interested in His people and their successes, and equally concerned when they fail. It is clear God does not ignore His own, especially when they begin to stray - He takes corrective action.

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1 Corinthians 10:1-5 - Our Ancestors

Outline - Chap. 10
10:1-5 - Our Ancestors
10:6-11 - Examples for Us
10:12-13 - Temptation is Normal
10:14-22 - Idols Are Not All that Important
10:23-33 - Do All to Glory

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Paul is addressing questions from the Corinthians, and problems in the church of Corinth. He moves the discussion from support of his ministry (ch. 9:1-11) and serving the Lord as a calling - not just apostles, preachers and missionaries but all believers. In this chapter, he is warning them against over-confidence. He takes them all the way back to the Exodus.

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1 Corinthians 10:1-5 - Our Ancestors

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 and all ate the same spiritual food;
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.
5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.

A Brief History...

V. 1 - “For I do not want you to be unaware” - This sentence makes sense for both the Jews and Gentiles to whom Paul was writing. To the Jews, Paul was reminding them of their history. To the Gentiles, he was helping them see that Christianity did not pop out of the blue fully formed - Christianity has a history, a foundation going back to the earliest Jewish history - Genesis and Exodus.

Do you need to know about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc., to believe that Jesus can take away your sin? No, you do not need know all that. But it can help understand some facets of our faith. Does knowing about Moses, David, or Solomon make accepting Christ as Savior ‘automatic’? Absolutely not!

“our fathers were all under the cloud… through the sea” - Two primary images of Jewish history are crossing the Red Sea (Exo. 14ff), and the Lord speaking to the Israelites from a cloud (Exo. 16:10; 19:16-20; 24:18-18; 33:9-10; 40:34-38). The trip through the Red Sea - on the dry seabed, walls of water to the right and left - was the capper of the miracles the Lord provided to free the Israelites from bonds of slavery in Egypt. That was not the only miracle God provided to them. He fed them for forty years on their travels through the Sinai Desert - manna, quail, and water.

V. 2-4 - “all were baptized into Moses… same spiritual food… same spiritual drink” - All the people of Israel went through the same experiences in Egypt, in the desert, and crossing into the promised land. The sacrament of baptism had not been instituted yet, not until Jesus Christ, our Lord commanded it. (See: Matt. 28:18-20, et. al.) (See note 1, below)

Paul is not referring to the Christian church ordinance, but to going through the same experience - similar to ‘trial by fire’ or ‘baptism under fire’. Jesus also used this same idea in response to a request by James and John. “They said to Him, ‘Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’ They said to Him, ‘We are able.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.’ “ (Mark 10:37-39)
The Israelites witnessed the same miracles as Moses - the 10 plagues visited upon Egypt, (Exo. 7:20-12:32) the parting of the Red Sea, (Exo. 14:10-31) clothes that never wore out, shoes that never fell apart, etc. The Israelites ate the same manna as Moses (Exo. 16:4-12), ate the same quail (Exo. 16:13-16). They drank the water that miraculously came out of the rock (Exo. 17:6ff). These miracles are amazing, but without being flippant they are not vitally important.
What is important is that the power and protection of the Lord Almighty was demonstrated. The Jews had done nothing to deserve salvation. It might not be a stretch to say they deserved the opposite. Their complaints were ridiculous! They were freed from drudgery and slavery and yet they longed for ‘the good old days’!

“the rock was Christ.” - The tribes saw the same miracles Moses and Aaron saw. Little did they know, and seems that little did they care, it was Jesus Christ acting for them under the direction of God the Father, and by the power of the Holy Spirit to work these miracles. (See devotion book “The Songs of Jesus” [Keller] for Sep 27th)

V. 5 - “Nevertheless” - How could you become “Ho hum” about the display of God’s power, daily. Imagine standing on the sea shore, watching the impending doom coming toward you. They were defenseless against the Egyptian war machine! And then, that mighty army - cavalry and chariots - was swatted away like you would a fly. It was there, and then it wasn’t. This kind of thing happened over and over for 40 years.

“with most of them God was not well-pleased” - Over 600,000 men came out of Egypt, with their families and household goods. For the next two years or so, God supported them by His grace and power. They vexed Him to the point He said He was ready to wipe them out and start over. (See: Num. 14:11-23) Moses appealed to God, who relented. The adults who rebelled were denied entrance to the promised land.

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Note 1: Bible dictionaries designate ‘Baptism’ as an ordinance of the Christian faith, along with communion. Moses, Aaron and some of the priests washed themselves and their clothing before performing some of the Jewish ordinances. It seems these were to cleanse the person and clothes before the ceremony. Followers of John the Baptist were immersed as a show of confession of sins in preparation for the coming of the promised Messiah. (See: Matt. 3:6, 13; Mk. 1:5, 9, et. al.) And, as noted before, our Lord Jesus Christ commanded baptism in His ‘Great Commission’. Baptism is a physical announcement that you have accepted and believed in Jesus Christ and His saving work - death on the cross for our sins, resurrection and ascension into glory.
Some churches insist that “if you aren’t baptism you aren’t saved”. (Likewise, there are churches that believe if you don’t take communion, your sins cannot be washed away and you could be lost…) I do not hold to either of those positions. Baptism is a one-time demonstration of your faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Communion is an ongoing celebration of that same life saving sacrifice - body and blood of Christ. In almost every instance in Acts two things happened when someone heard the Gospel and believed: they confessed (spoke) of their faith and belief in Jesus; they were baptized to demonstrate that belief. (See: Matt. 16:16; Acts 1:5; 2:38, 21; 8:12-13, 36-38; 22:16, et. al.)
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1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - Discipline to Win

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

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V. 24 - “Run in such a way that you may win.” - No half measures. The 2021 Summer Olympics is on. The commentators for the various sports tell us how hard these athletes train, how long - hours and hours, day after day - the commitment.

V. 25 - “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.” - We cannot improve at a sport if we don’t practice. Even practice must be disciplined. Hitting a bucket of balls on the driving range is just hitting balls unless done with purpose and plan. The same commitment and discipline is needed to grow in your faith. A snarky question from several years ago, “So you say have been a Christian for 15 years. Is that 15 years of experience, or one year’s experience 15 times?” The imperative is to know and grow in Christ.

“They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” - You may receive a medal when you win, and can cherish it as long as you live. Any ribbon, medal, or floral arrangement is impermanent. Jesus tells in a parable, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ … But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ “ (Matt. 25:21, 31-34) He links doing a job well here on earth to eternal rewards from the King of Kings.

V. 26-27 - “I discipline my body and make it my slave” - It is much more than spiritual discipline which necessary. It is the physical discipline - getting up in the morning, making the time to study the Word, to pray, to witness and share the gospel - fueled by the will to obey our Lord. We can say, “I ought to get up and do…” Good intentions are a dime-a-dozen. I know that sounds trite, or cold. However, Paul writes in Romans, “But what does it say? ‘THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART’-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’ ” (Rom. 10:8-13)

Note: believing results in righteousness.

Note well: confessing Christ - out loud - brings you to salvation. The physical act demonstrates the spiritual commitment. (I am not saying if you don’t speak it your soul is lost - there may be circumstances… )

But resisting the call to confess your faith in Jesus Christ could be problematic. See: “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 10:33) Refusing to say you believe is de facto denial.

“I myself will not be disqualified” - Not talking about salvation, but approval from the Master with respect to our service for Jesus.

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End of Chapter
(30-Jul-2020)