Don’t Be Unaware
1 Corinthians 10:1-5
ESV
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
It is possible to profess faith in Jesus Christ, to regularly
participate in worship services with the church, to go to Bible studies, and attend
small fellowship groups; to be involved in ministry, to tithe, to have daily
devotions, to witness for Christ to others, and to even be a pastor of a church,
and yet not have genuine believing faith in Jesus Christ that is followed with
obedience to our Lord.
For, not everyone has faith. Not everyone who professes
belief in Jesus Christ is walking by faith. Many who profess to believe in
Jesus are still walking according to the flesh, doing what their evil hearts
desire. They have all the outward appearance of being people of faith, and yet
their hearts are far from God. They give lip service only to our Lord while in
secret they live in idolatry and for selfish gain.
As Examples for Us
1 Corinthians 10:6-11
ESV
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil 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 rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
And, who is Paul talking to here? He is writing to the
church. He is telling the church – those who profess faith in Jesus Christ –
that what the children of Israel of old did, in relationship to God, in
disobedience to their Lord, was written down for us, as an example for us, so
that we don’t follow in the way of disobedience as they did and thus were
destroyed. And, by “destroyed,” he meant that they did not enter into God’s
eternal rest.
So, the children of Israel had all the opportunities available
to them to have wonderful walks of faith with God (with Christ), and yet the
majority of them turned their backs on God and they went their own way. They
became idolaters, and engaged in sexual immorality, and they desired evil
rather than good. They were party makers, just thinking of self, just wanting
to have a good time, playing games, and not taking God seriously at all.
They probably thought they didn’t have to. After all, they
were God’s people, right? They were the chosen ones, the children of Israel.
They thought they were secure because they were physical descendants of
Abraham, so they thought they were a cut above everyone else in the world. They
probably thought that they were indestructible and that because God had always protected
them that he always would.
And, there are a lot of people today who feel the same way.
They have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, they go to church, they
participate in worship services, are involved in ministry, give their money to
the church and think they are good to go and that how they live their lives
doesn’t matter, because they are in this privileged class of people called “Christian.”
But, our Lord dispels that theory, that notion, all
throughout the New Testament, and particularly he does right here, too. For
these things were written down for us as examples to us so that we don’t follow
in the same way as the children of Israel did and end up being cut off from God
– not being one of the “frozen chosen,” because we think our sinful lifestyles
no longer matter to God now that we are “saved.”
And, our Lord makes it real clear all throughout the New
Testament that genuine faith in Jesus Christ results in walks of obedience, not
of sinless perfection, but that sin no longer reigns supreme in our lives. Sin
is no longer our master. Jesus Christ is now our Lord (owner-master), and we
now follow him wherever he leads us. We now walk (in practice) according to the
Spirit of God and no longer do we walk (in lifestyle) according to the flesh.
Take Heed Lest You
Fall
1 Corinthians
10:12-13 ESV
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
So, the caution here is for us to take heed if we think we
stand secure with Christ on a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but if
we don’t follow that confession of faith with walks of obedience to our Lord.
For, that is what happened with the children of Israel. They made a profession
of faith in God, but scripture says most of them did not follow it with
obedience, which was the mark of true faith. And, so they did not enter into
God’s eternal rest.
I hear many who profess faith in Jesus Christ either feel
they have the liberty to keep on in their sinful practices without guilt, while
claiming who they are in Christ, or else they believe it is not possible to
resist Satan and to flee temptation. And, so they have bought into a lie which
tells them that they will never be free. Some of them have been convinced, too,
that their struggle with sin is an incurable sickness and that they can’t help
it. And, so they live defeated lives, still bound in their sin, while freedom
is being promised them.
So, we need to know the truth here that will set us free. We
have to know that Jesus died on that cross, not just to forgive us our sins,
but to free us from our slavery (addiction) to sin. He has given us the way out
from underneath temptation to sin. We just have to take the way out he provided
for us. We just have to want to be free, and then we need to rely on God to help
us, and then take the steps he tells us to take.
Bottom line in all of this is that a lot of people are not
walking in freedom, not because freedom is not available or attainable, but
because they love their sin and they don’t truly want to be free. And, so they
repeat the same cycles of sin over and over again while making the same old
lame excuses for why they are still not free, many of them for a very long
time, too.
So, if we want to be free from slavery to sin and walk in
our Lord’s holiness and righteousness, we have to believe Jesus died to set us
free, and we have to take his way of escape. We have to resist Satan and flee
temptation, and we have to cut out of our lives all that is leading us into
sin. We have to then walk by the Spirit so that we don’t fulfill the lusts of
our flesh. And, daily we must die to sin and self and take up our armor of God
with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us, for this is WAR!
But, we don’t have to do this in our own strength. Jesus
will give us all that we need, and he has already given us all that we need to
fight off Satan and temptation to sin, and to walk in victory over Satan and
the flesh. And, victory in Jesus is possible! It is attainable! We just have to
believe it and seize it! And, we have to walk in it in the power of God’s
Spirit living within us and not give the devil a foothold. And, then we will
know true peace! And, we will walk in freedom! And, we will have the joy of the
Lord! Amen!
I
Will Lift My Eyes
An
Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based
off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not
sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we
need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend,
indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
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