1 Corinthians 10:11-14 Overcome the Wilderness!

1 Corinthians 10:11-14  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Paul compares the wilderness experience with the life we live as Christians.  We face many temptations, many diversions, and find many other gods to serve, especially ones of our own interest.  He tells Christians that even though we have been freed from slavery by Christ's marvelous work, even though He has provided us a way to exist in this land of desolation, we must beware of the inclinations of the flesh: grumbling about our situation in life; serving the self first before God and others; indulging in fleshly pursuits such as promiscuous behavior, either in reality or in our thought life; pursuing other answers to our lives such as variant philosophies, ideologies or religions; defining life and its realities purely by what our physical senses perceive.  We know that the Jewish people's inclinations led them to grumble about not having water or the right kind of food.  Their inclinations led them to serve other gods as soon as they could not see Moses in their midst.  They allowed fleshly desires to lead them into sexual activity with prostitutes who served other gods.  They fell into fear because their senses told them that they would not survive in a harsh land of limited means.  God punished them as an example to us that He wants obedience from his children.  All of these temptations and inclinations are still with us in our Christian lives.  We are still going through the wilderness, and outside of Christ, it is a desolate land, without enough spiritual food to feed us, an environment that threatens our spiritual survival.  What are we to do with our present existence?  How are we to live?  Yes, the Promised Land is ahead, but how do we live in this present world?  Where do we find hope?  Certainly, the gospel has an answer for us.  As Peter wrote: In his great mercy he (God) has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  (1 Peter 1:3-7)

Today's scriptural focus is for all of us regardless of how long we have lived IN CHRIST.  We must be careful how we live, how we think, what we attach ourselves to, for our flesh is still with us.  No matter how many miracles you have seen or experienced, no matter how free you feel in the Lord, you must remember the words of the scriptures above.  All the Children of Israel experienced mighty miracles in the desert, yet a certain number of them failed to endure with God; they failed to be faithful to Him.  Paul's warning is, So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  He is telling the Corinthians to keep their relationship with Christ up-to-date, and not to let this relationship with him depend upon such things as past spiritual interactions with Him or on the miracles that He previously performed in their lives.  He desires for them to be close to God regardless of the temptations that exist in the wilderness.  He knows the wilderness and that what it has to offer will not sustain the spiritual lives of the Corinthians.  He is asking them to have a life of faith, a life of believing in God regardless of the circumstances.  As we read in the word: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  (1Peter 4:12-13)  Sometimes our present circumstances look rather gloomy and desperate.  At times, the surrounding environment of the world might look better and more hopeful than our current spiritual existence.  We might believe if we just broadened our allegiance to include the ideas of others or tweaked our spiritual lives just a little toward our worldly desires, that we would be happier, more successful.  But Paul reminds them in his letter to the Corinthians that flesh leads to death while FAITH IN God IS LIFE FOREVER.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.  Paul concludes his warning about this wilderness experience by saying that God will provide a way out of your temptation if you flee from idolatry.  He tells them that believing and relying on anything other than God means destruction and death.  They must place their complete trust in God: serving and worshipping him alone, THE GIVER OF LIFE.  If they do so, they will experience his strength on life's journey.  If they fail to rely on him, thinking they can stand on their own reasoning and strength, his power will not rescue them.  Paul's teaching is important especially for those who minister the gospel to others because they need to depend upon God's strength.  Paul says, even though you have felt God's anointing and have seen his great works, you are capable of falling away from his divine will.  You cannot live a double-minded life.  You cannot trust in God while also trusting in your own lifestyle, abilities, or personal idols.  Your life has to be a life of complete trust and faith in God.  Others may put their trust in reasoning or in their senses or they may grumble that there is no water, no food, no way to exist out here in the desert.  They may say we must do something different; we must find answers other than just faith in God.  If we do not find other answers, we will die in this wilderness.  But Paul tells the Corinthians, Christians should run the race of life as winners, for it leads to eternal life.  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)  Dear friends, your life must be hidden with Christ in God at all times.  You must rely on him alone.  You must be up-to-date in your spiritual walk, in step with the Holy Spirit.  Leaders, when there is no water, no food, you must believe that God will intervene and rescue a grumbling people.  Run in such a way as to get the prize, no matter how foolish you might look, be known as a man or woman of faith, God's faithful servant.   

1 Corinthians 10:6-11 Slipstreaming Christians

1 Corinthians 10:6-11  Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.  Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.”  We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.  We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes.  And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel.   These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Often Christians live in the slipstream of others.  The slipstream in the physical world is a place immediately behind a fast moving object.  Reduced air pressure from the vehicle ahead, plus a forward suction pressure from behind, allows the second vehicle to be pulled along by the fast moving car or plane ahead of it.  Many times Christians depend on their pastors as that first vehicle.  They are pulled along spiritually depending on how the pastor lives or teaches.  When the pastor is not there, or the right spiritual help is absent, or the right Christian book is not in their hands, many Christians flounder because they lose contact with their slipstream.  We see this in the story of the golden calf in the Old Testament.  Moses is on Mt. Sinai, away from the people;  consequently, they revert to their old ways: When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us.  As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”  (Exodus 32:1)  Absent from their spiritual leader, their inspiration, the Israelites quickly go back to the lifestyle that is familiar to them.  The new life of faith is lost because their leader is not present to encourage them, to help them keep the vision of the Promised Land in their heads.  In today's focus, Paul warns the Christians not to turn back to their old habits and ways of living.  He reminds them that their spiritual lives should be up-to-date, present with God through the unctions and inspirations of the Holy Spirit.  They should remember that God brought judgment upon the Children of Israel when they wandered away from God in their daily lives, losing faith in God by murmuring against Moses, his chosen leader.  Paul wants Christians to know that this God they serve is the I AM of the past, present, and future.  He is long-suffering, but judgment is his prerogative, his choice when necessary.  

We see God's holiness illustrated in the New Testament with how He dealt with Ananias and Sapphira and their deception.  

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.  

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?  And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?  What made you think of doing such a thing?  You have not lied to men but to God.”  

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.  (Acts 5:1-5)

 

Of course, God's judgment of Ananias and Sapphira made the people around this incident fearful.  They realized God was present with them wherever they were, in all situations.  As with the Israelites in the wilderness, with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night journeying along with them, so it is with Christians who have the Holy Spirit present with them in all places.  The people of God receive his blessings, but they also might face his judgments if they chose sin and deception over life and truth.  God has promised the Holy Spirit to live in us.  He has given us this wonderful gift so we might live his life in victory here on Earth.  John wrote: 

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  (1 John 5:3-4)

  We do not need to be in someone's slipstream, depending on another person's spirituality or understanding of God.  The Holy Spirit came to teach us all things.  We are his representatives, but we must listen to him or we will have to depend on someone else's understanding of God and the works of Jesus Christ.  When Stephen was brought before the 

Sanhedrin, he

 told the Jews their forefather's would not listen to God because their hearts were hard.  God sent them spiritual leaders to teach them obedience to God, but they would not pay attention to them; instead, they persecuted and even killed them.  They turned back to their old lifestyle in Egypt.  Stephen said even though they witnessed the miracles of God in the wilderness, they rejected God. 

 Stephen concludes, 

But our fathers refused to obey him.  Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.  (Acts 7:39)  Paul warns the Christians not to turn back to Egypt in their actions and minds but to follow Christ by faith, even as he follows Christ by faith.  As he wrote to the church in Rome:  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”  (Romans 1:17)    

Fellow breakfast companions, Paul writes this letter so the Corinthians might not set their hearts 

on evil things as they (the Israelites) did.  Setting yourself on evil things means wanting to go back to Egypt, wanting to re-establish your old life.  You want to worship the idols of the past.  Looking back is desiring to maintain your life in the world of sin, seeking the pleasures of the unredeemed world before you knew Christ.  But God has changed you, cleansed your heart, and given you new affections.  You love others and desire to do good to them through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  You want others to prosper and find freedom in Christ.  You want them to be saved and healed.  You want the best for them in all situations by faith.  Literally, you are a NEW CREATURE, designed to serve, to encourage, to help those in need.  God has placed his Spirit in your heart to guide and to comfort you.  You have SET YOUR HEART IN GOD'S LAND OF FREEDOM and not in the land of Egypt where you lived in bondage to sin.  The land of Egypt is for self and sinful desires, the land of the Spirit is for freedom to serve others, looking out for their welfare.  As we walk with the Lord, we can gauge where we are by our love for people.  If we love little, we need to move closer to the Lord.  If we love deeply, we still have room to move closer to the Lord, for He gave his life for all, the sinner and even his enemies.  If you desire to commit totally to God, to hear and to obey his voice, start helping others, praying for others, loving others.  In that mode, the self will fall away, and the Spirit of the Lord will take control.  The voices of this world will not tempt you; all the glittering attractions of the former life will grow strangely dim in the light of God's love for others.  He loves you with a divine love; He desires your companionship.  God also seeks your integrity to carry the Good News to the world.  The Spirit of God knows us; knows us better than we know ourselves.  As we are honest with the Spirit, He will change us and help us shine for him.  He is the Potter and we are the clay.  As the psalmist wrote:  The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.  (Psalm 138:8)   We ask the Lord to help us to be what He desires for us, to make us better servants in his family.  Bless you all as you journey on his pathway.    

1 Corinthians 10:1-5 Alive in the Promised Land!

1 Corinthians 10:1-5  For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.  They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.  They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.  Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.  

Their bodies were scattered over the desert.  Whose bodies were scattered?  The chosen, the people God delivered from Egypt, did not make it to the Promised Land because of disobedience to God who had miraculously delivered them from slavery.  God had provided a way out of bondage for them through the blood of lambs sprinkled over the sides and tops of their door frames.  This blood prevented the Angel of Death from entering their houses to kill the firstborn in their families.  The Angel of Death, the judgment for sin, spared them that first Passover night because they were protected by the blood of the lambs.  However, this visitation of death to the Egyptian households caused great trauma for the Egyptians when they discovered the death of their firstborn.  Yet, the blood of the sacrificed lambs freed the Jewish people from Pharaoh's hands.  Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.  During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites!  Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.  Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go.  And also bless me.”  (Exodus 12:30-32)   Pharaoh finally told the Children of Israel to leave Egypt for they were a scourge on his people.  Consequently, the chosen left Egypt, crossing the Red Sea on dry land; then they traveled through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.  However, even though God had delivered them from slavery, brought them safely through the Red Sea, provided manna from heaven and quail to satisfy their desire for meat, and supplied water from the rock, they refused to serve God with their whole hearts.  Some of them even carried the gods of Egypt with them as they crossed the wilderness.  This spiritual amnesia and willful sinning brought great judgement upon them.  Finally, their cowardice to enter the Promise Land because of their lack of faith and trust in the God caused them to die in the wilderness.  They had rejected Caleb and Joshua's account of God favoring them to take the land. Therefore, God sent them back into the wilderness to die.  He would not bring a faithless, sinful people into the Land of Plenty.  He chose judgment for them, not deliverance.  Except for Caleb, Joshua, and the young, God left their dead bones in the wilderness.  

Paul expresses to the Corinthians this account of the Children of Israel and their wilderness experience to implant an understanding that they must continue in faith, believing in the new work that God has created in them.  They are to leave behind the old life of sin and debauchery.  They too were delivered from the land of slavery by the blood of a lamb, CHRIST JESUS, THE LAMB OF GOD.  Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross delivered them from death, the just consequence of their sins.  He made them righteous, freed them from Satan's power.  As the Children of Israel experienced the Red Sea, they experienced a water baptism, separating them from their old lives in Egypt.  As the Israelites experienced the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night, representing God's presence with them; the Corinthian Christians experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  As the cloud and pillar directed the journey of the Children of Israel in the wilderness, so does the abiding Spirit of God direct Christians in their daily walk.  The Children of Israel survived by eating and drinking that which God provided; Christians eat and drink of Christ Jesus himself, receiving sustenance to walk out this life.  However, the Jews experienced all these wonderful acts and interventions of God, yet oftentimes were faithless and sinful in their daily lives.  They chose their old lifestyles and beliefs over God's dominion, his authority.  They chose their idols of self-will, self-desires, fulfilling the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.  Paul says God did not set you free from the slavery of sin, so that you might indulge yourself in fleshly pursuits, fulfilling the desires of sinful flesh.  The flesh and its desires are contrary to the will of God and to citizenship in the Promised Land.  He asks them what he asked the Romans: How can people saved by grace continue in sin?  How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  (Romans 6:2)  If you continue in sin willingly, God has no choice but to place his hand of judgment upon you.  You will not end your life in the Promised Land: you will end up in the desert, feeding off the dusty refuse of this world.  The fruit of the world will never sustain the spiritual man or woman.  Paul tells the Corinthians they cannot tempt the Lord God with their wayward lifestyle and escape retribution.  God knows every action in their lives, every intent of their hearts.  He will not tolerate open, sustained sin when such a great price has been paid for their salvation.  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  (Galatians 6:7)   

We who are IN CHRIST are present with him because of faith in his works, not ours.  This means we are walking this life with and in his presence.  The Children of Israel had the pillar of fire at night and the cloud during the day to direct them, guide them.  We have the Holy Spirit IN US to oversee us.  But just as the Children of Israel could choose to do their own thing even though they were constantly in the presence of God, we also have that freedom.  We can be negative towards God and others if we choose.  We can please ourselves and our wills by placing ourselves in preeminence, consequently, placing God and his will as secondary or as an afterthought.  We are still free-willed individuals, made completely in God's LIKENESS.  As new creatures in Christ we have tremendous freedom: “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)  Now, the choice is ours whether we choose God's perfect will or our will.  Are we free from slavery yet still choosing to sin, still looking back to Egypt for our satisfaction in the flesh?  Are we seeking the comforts of this world or are we willing to be servants to others?  Are we looking for what we can get out of the world: our bucket list?  Or is our bucket list for others?  Is our bucket list, God's list for us?  Is our bucket full with the words we want to tell others about God or is our bucket filled with longing for what we can get out of this place called Earth?  We heard a well-known pastor say, "The only thing a Christian should have on their bucket list is the will of God."  Paul tells the Corinthians to beware of the ways of the flesh, for the flesh and its desires will lead to destruction.  The way of the flesh is death; the way of the Spirit is eternal life.  If your desires are to see everything you can see in this world; to experience everything you can experience; to be satiated by every entertainment that can be consumed; beware, for tomorrow you will die and meet your MAKER.  He will ask you what you did with the lifespan you were given.  Did you focus on his concerns, desires, and wants for your life, or did you focus on your concerns, desires, and wants?  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man,  "WHERE ARE YOU?" (Genesis 3:8-9)