1Corinthians 10A (2013)

Transcription

1 1Crinthians 10A (2013) At the end f chapter 9, Paul was discussing his tw reasns fr chsing t restrain his liberty at times One reasn was t demnstrate lve fr ther Christians by nt becming a burden fr them Specifically, Paul refrained frm taking financial supprt, thugh he a right t expect it He did s t avid burdening the church But Paul placed greater emphasis t his secnd reasn fr this decisin He argued that restricting his persnal liberty was a strategy fr increasing his effectiveness in ministry And greater effectiveness wuld garner him even greater rewards frm the Lrd S fr Paul, restricting persnal liberty was a means t an end He culd please his Lrd all the mre by making these persnal sacrifices And by pleasing the Lrd, Paul knew he was earning smething far mre valuable than anything he set aside Then tward the end f chapter 9, Paul came t his central pint n Christian liberty 1Cr. 9:27 but I discipline my bdy and make it my slave, s that, after I have preached t thers, I myself will nt be disqualified. Paul uses an arresting term Paul says he des nt wish t be disqualified As we learned last week, he means disqualified frm enjying the benefits f serving Christ Paul preaches t thers that they shuld please the Lrd and prepare fr their judgment day 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 2 f 11 And he desn t want t risk an chance he wuld lse any ptential fr his wn reward He says we must discipline ur bdies t ensure that psitive utcme The discipline Paul is talking abut is that f denying ur flesh, restricting ur liberties, when necessary And ding s purpsefully t accmmdate the needs f the Gspel Like an athlete that must deny his bdy certain things while pushing it t perfrm s that he might take hme the prize he desires Simply put, it s nt enugh that we have been given salvatin We must wrk ut that salvatin t the end that we please the Lrd by ur chices and decisins We exercise self-cntrl ut f lve fr thers, yes But we als d s fr ur wn eternal interests And that was Paul s fcus Furthermre, if we d nt make a pint f exercising self-discipline in restraining ur liberty, then there s a gd chance ur lack f selfrestraint will eventually becme sin One day we re enjying ur liberty by eating meat sacrificed t an idl The next mment, we re becme cmfrtable participating in the idl wrship ceremny that precedes the meal One mment we are enjying watching PG-13 mvies The next mment...what will we be willing t accept? Again, the prblem isn t that enjying liberty is wrng The issue is are we spiritually mature enugh t cntrl these desires and even put them aside altgether when spiritual demands warrant? 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 3 f 11 Nw as we enter chapter 10, Paul mves t illustrating his cncern using an example frm the histry f Israel 1Cr. 10:1 Fr I d nt want yu t be unaware, brethren, that ur fathers were all under the clud and all passed thrugh the sea; 1Cr. 10:2 and all were baptized int Mses in the clud and in the sea; 1Cr. 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual fd; 1Cr. 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, fr they were drinking frm a spiritual rck which fllwed them; and the rck was Christ. 1Cr. 10:5 Nevertheless, with mst f them Gd was nt well-pleased; fr they were laid lw in the wilderness. Paul ften uses this phrase Fr I d nt want yu t be unaware... (the agne )t intrduce a new thught as prf f an argument And here s Paul s prf by way f example: the natin f Israel in the desert The Israelites serve as a pwerful example f hw a failure t restrain sinful, fleshly desires can t destructin in ne frm r anther Frm their experiences, Paul will then make an applicatin t the Crinthian church Paul starts by drawing ur attentin t the fact that all these peple shared a cmmn set f experiences r knwledge He says the Jewish fathers (r ancestrs) were all under the clud A reference t seeing the physical manifestatin f the angel f the Lrd in the desert They were under the clud, because Gd used the clud t shield the peple frm the desert sun during the day It was evidence f Gd s lve, and mercy and kindness Secndly, the peple all passed thrugh the sea Ging thrugh the Red Sea prved Gd s pwer t deliver us frm enemies As well as His pwer t destry thse wh ppse Him Thirdly, this grup was baptized int Mses 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 4 f 11 Paul is using the wrd baptized in the sense f being baptized int ne bdy The entire natin experienced a type f baptism as it passed thrugh the sea and entered int the cvenant f Mses Finally, the entire natin received pwerful examples f Christ in the frm f manna, the bread f life frm Heaven and they drank frm the rck that pictured Christ S the natin f Israel in the desert can be seen as a picture r example f the believer individually Just as that grup experienced Gd s mercy, deliverance, baptism, a cvenant relatinship, and cmmunin with Christ, s des the individual believer tday While they received thse things as shadws, we receive them in their full frm S then what mre might we learn frm their experience? Paul ges n 1Cr. 10:6 Nw these things happened as examples fr us, s that we wuld nt crave evil things as they als craved. 1Cr. 10:7 D nt be idlaters, as sme f them were; as it is written, THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY. 1Cr. 10:8 Nr let us act immrally, as sme f them did, and twenty-three thusand fell in ne day. 1Cr. 10:9 Nr let us try the Lrd, as sme f them did, and were destryed by the serpents. 1Cr. 10:10 Nr grumble, as sme f them did, and were destryed by the destryer. In a remarkable statement f prvidence, Paul says the Lrd rchestrated the events f the 40 years in the desert s that His children culd learn imprtant lessns We culd prbably cnsider this statement all by itself fr an entire lessn The peple f Israel were brught ut f Egypt in such a dramatic way and were ushered thrugh 40 years f experiences fr ur sake And fr the sake f all believers wh culd benefit frm learning f the experience 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 5 f 11 S what d we learn frm studying Israel perid f wandering in the desert? Paul says the central lessn fr believers shuld be that we nt crave evil things Paul is nt suggesting that this generatin f Israel were all believers On the cntrary, scripture makes clear elsewhere that this generatin f Israel was an unbelieving generatin lacking faith Nevertheless, the cllective experience f the natin hlds imprtant lessns fr the individual believer when it cmes t self-restraint In cmparing their natinal experience in the desert t ur persnal experience in faith, Paul briefly mentins fur mments in thse frty years First, he says dn t be idlaters as sme in Israel had becme Paul is referencing Exdus 32:6 In that chapter Israelites sit dwn t bserve the Lrd s sacrifices in a cngregatinal meal Ex. 32:1 Nw when the peple saw that Mses delayed t cme dwn frm the muntain, the peple assembled abut Aarn and said t him, Cme, make us a gd wh will g befre us; as fr this Mses, the man wh brught us up frm the land f Egypt, we d nt knw what has becme f him. Ex. 32:2 Aarn said t them, Tear ff the gld rings which are in the ears f yur wives, yur sns, and yur daughters, and bring them t me. Ex. 32:3 Then all the peple tre ff the gld rings which were in their ears and brught them t Aarn. Ex. 32:4 He tk this frm their hand, and fashined it with a graving tl and made it int a mlten calf; and they said, This is yur gd, O Israel, wh brught yu up frm the land f Egypt. Ex. 32:5 Nw when Aarn saw this, he built an altar befre it; and Aarn made a prclamatin and said, Tmrrw shall be a feast t the LORD. Ex. 32:6 S the next day they rse early and ffered burnt fferings, and brught peace fferings; and the peple sat dwn t eat and t drink, and rse up t play. We can easily Paul s reasn fr raising this example 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 6 f 11 The peple wished t engage in a religius meal service In the pagan traditins f Egypt, religius services invlved elabrate meals and were ften fllwed by sexual acts with prstitutes wh served the wrshippers Sund familiar? The pagan temples in Crinth perated in the same fashin S Israel lnged t eat and play, which is a euphemism fr sexual immrality, but they lacked a spiritual leader t lead them in the ceremny Mses was unaccunted fr, s the natin enlisted Aarn and asked that he create an idl s they culd party It s as if we were dying t have turkey and stuffing, s we demanded that smene invent a reasn t celebrate Thanksgiving Ntice in v.5 Aarn declares tmrrw will be a feast And then the peple prceeded t party Can yu see Paul s pint in this example? When we let ur fleshly desires cntrl us, they will eventually lead us int serius sin What starts as a desire fr fd becmes a desire fr sexual pleasure And sexual sin became a cause fr idlatry It s a slippery slpe, s anytime we give in t ur flesh, we can t be sure where it s ging t lead ultimate The enemy is crafty He knws ur weaknesses He will tempt ur flesh in ne capacity t get us cmfrtable with living in ur flesh Once we are practiced in allwing ur flesh t rule ur hearts, then he walks us further away frm gdliness 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 7 f 11 Befre we knw it, we re giving in t serius sin Paul uses three mre examples t reinfrce the same pint, but each add a new element t the pattern In v. 8 Paul warns us f anther time the Israelites were drawn int immrality In Numbers 25 the Israelites fllwed after their sexual lusts t take daughters f Mab as wives This was a sin in direct disbedience t the Lrd s cmmands Ntice hw their disbedience began Num. 25:1 While Israel remained at Shittim, the peple began t play the harlt with the daughters f Mab. Num. 25:2 Fr they invited the peple t the sacrifices f their gds, and the peple ate and bwed dwn t their gds. Num. 25:3 S Israel jined themselves t Baal f Per, and the LORD was angry against Israel. Once again, the sin began with an invitatin t sit and eat Fllwed by an invitatin t bw dwn and wrship false gds The Israelites were s desirus f the fd and the wmen that there were willing t wrship false gds t get what they wanted In v.9 Paul reminds us f the episde f the serpents in Numbers 21 Num. 21:4 Then they set ut frm Munt Hr by the way f the Red Sea, t g arund the land f Edm; and the peple became impatient because f the jurney. Num. 21:5 The peple spke against Gd and Mses, Why have yu brught us up ut f Egypt t die in the wilderness? Fr there is n fd and n water, and we lathe this miserable fd. Num. 21:6 The LORD sent fiery serpents amng the peple and they bit the peple, s that many peple f Israel died. Once again, a fleshly desire ruled their hearts and led them t sin against the Lrd Prmpting the judgment f the Lrd 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 8 f 11 Finally, in v.10 Paul describes a mment frm Numbers 11 Num. 11:4 The rabble wh were amng them had greedy desires; and als the sns f Israel wept again and said, Wh will give us meat t eat? Num. 11:5 We remember the fish which we used t eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melns and the leeks and the nins and the garlic, Num. 11:6 but nw ur appetite is gne. There is nthing at all t lk at except this manna. Num. 11:33 While the meat was still between their teeth, befre it was chewed, the anger f the LORD was kindled against the peple, and the LORD struck the peple with a very severe plague. Num. 11:34 S the name f that place was called Kibrth-hattaavah, because there they buried the peple wh had been greedy. If the pattern isn t clear by nw, then we re nt paying attentin Greedy, fleshly desires set a trap fr the sul, and the fall inevitably came Our liberties ffer us limitless pprtunities t enjy the life Gd has granted us in Christ, but with great pwer cmes great respnsibility t qute Marvel cmics We must live in cntrl f ur fleshly desires We must exercise sund and sber judgment cncerning when and were t enjy ur liberties And ur enjyment must be self-disciplined t ensure we dn t harm thers r lead urselves int spiritual ruin The Spirit gives us everything we need t exercise that cntrl, if nly we re willing t rest in Him instead f ur flesh But Paul makes clear ur success depends n ur willingness t endure the challenges that every athlete knws N pain, n gain 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 9 f 11 1Cr. 10:11 Nw these things happened t them as an example, and they were written fr ur instructin, upn whm the ends f the ages have cme. 1Cr. 10:12 Therefre let him wh thinks he stands take heed that he des nt fall. 1Cr. 10:13 N temptatin has vertaken yu but such as is cmmn t man; and Gd is faithful, wh will nt allw yu t be tempted beynd what yu are able, but with the temptatin will prvide the way f escape als, s that yu will be able t endure it. These events came upn the unbelieving generatin f Israel t teach all men an example, especially fr thse wh have received the fullness f Messiah If we think we re s strng in ur faith that we have nthing t fear in exercising ur liberty, then take heed The Israelites fell int temptatin and sin time and time again Despite seeing wndrus miracles f Gd in the desert, nevertheless they culdn t stand against their wn flesh S nly a fl believes he r she can stand easily in the face f temptatin The Crinthians were self-assured and cnfident They believed they culd enter the temples, eat the meat, enjy the party and nt get burned But their cnfidence was a sign f immaturity nt maturity The mature Christian is the ne wh recgnizes the danger f serving the flesh The mature Christian stays far away frm temptatin They recgnize that every man is susceptible t a fall, just as Paul says in v.13 N man is immune t the pwer f the flesh N ne is strng enugh t avid a slip if they entertain their flesh s desires Sner r later we ll all end up regretting ur lack f selfdiscipline 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 10 f 11 Paul says ur defense is nt cckiness but humility and reliance n the Spirit Even as ur flesh brings a temptatin, the Lrd is ever present giving us an escape, if nly we will take it That escape will cme in a variety f ways But whatever way it cmes will required we take advantage f it Peter eches this truth with the example f Lt 2Pet. 2:7 and if He rescued righteus Lt, ppressed by the sensual cnduct f unprincipled men 2Pet. 2:8 (fr by what he saw and heard that righteus man, while living amng them, felt his righteus sul trmented day after day by their lawless deeds), 2Pet. 2:9 then the Lrd knws hw t rescue the gdly frm temptatin, and t keep the unrighteus under punishment fr the day f judgment, Remember when Gd prvided Lt an escape frm the cming judgment, He sent angels t drag Lt and his family ut f the city But they depsited him utside the city yet still within danger f the destructin Lt still had a chice t make...return t the city r run t the muntains By taking him ut f the city, the Lrd mved him away frm the pint f temptatin, prviding him an escape But Lt had t take advantage f the pprtunity S then Paul gives us the bttm line t all these examples 1Cr. 10:14 Therefre, my belved, flee frm idlatry. When we bil all this dwn, we end up with a simple rule f thumb Flee frm idlatry Yes, we have liberty And yes, we can enjy in peace thinks that entrap and deceive the unbelieving wrld 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 1Crinthians 10A (2013) 11 f 11 But can t live flishly thinking that such things have n pwer t deceive r entrap us t Our flesh still lives fr a time, and it has pwer t draw us away t idlatry If we live in ignrance and withut a healthy cncern fr ur flesh, we will grw spiritually lazy Mre and mre, we ll say yes t ur flesh And ne thing will lead t anther The church in Crinth wanted Paul s blessing t enjy the pagan meat in the temples, because they assumed Christian liberty did away with the cncerns f such things But Paul reminds the church that liberty is nt a defense t the pwer f the flesh t lead us astray We must remember that the test f bedience and lve is nt hw much we exercise ur freedms, but hw well we keep thse freedms under cntrl f the Spirit Our best defense is a gd ffense Flee immrality When yu see yur flesh drawn by a weakness, then respnd like an athlete wh is training t win a race Discipline that weakness Train yurself in righteusness s that yu might strengthen yurself against that temptatin Take whatever steps are necessary t steer clear f the fall yu knw is cming if yu give int yur flesh We ften tell urselves that ur sin patterns are unavidable r beynd ur ability t cntrl, but scripture tells us the truth When we find urselves crrupted by ur flesh, ur mistake was entertaining the early temptatins We said yes t ur first desires f the flesh, which then led us t a place where we culdn t say n any lnger 2014 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.