“Bad Examples for our Good”
(1 Corinthians 10:1-13)
Series: Chaos & Correction (1 Corinthians)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
•Take your Bibles and join me in 1 Corinthians, chapter 10 (page 772; YouVersion).
We are continuing our verse-by-verse expository study of 1 Corinthians. Ever since chapter 8 Paul has been answering the Corinthian church’s question about whether it was appropriate to eat meat that had come from animals sacrificed in the worship of false gods.
Paul answered by explaining that idols are really nothing at all and that Christians are generally free to eat such meat so long as it didn’t violate the conscience of another. Christians should be willing to set aside their freedom when doing so benefits the spiritual wellbeing of others. This truth leads to greater application of Paul’s teaching, namely that Christians should live their lives in such a way that their behavior brings others closer to Christ rather than pushing others further away from Christ.
Paul ends chapter 9 with a call for discipline and self-control. Like an athlete who spends months in strict training in order to win the prize, so Christians should train themselves, disciplining themselves, doing whatever it takes to win others to Christ. They should be willing, then, give up our personal rights for the sake of the Gospel. Failing to do so may lead to the Christian’s disqualification.
To be disqualified means somehow to fall out of favor with God so that the Christian’s witness is harmed and he loses some sense of God’s blessing. And lest we think this could not happen to us—that somehow we will never “disqualify ourselves” by abusing our freedom and failing to put others first and live for others—Paul gives us a little history lesson that we may learn from the examples of others.
•Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
•Pray.
Introduction:
Twice we are told in this passage that we can learn from the bad examples of others. You can learn from good examples and you can learn from bad examples. You can learn from both. This morning we’re looking at bad examples.
And so I want to speak this morning on the topic, “Bad Examples for our Good.” And we’re going to learn about the bad examples of the nation of Israel. These are examples not to follow, but to flee. The behavior is not behavior to emulate, but to eradicate. So with that mind, “Bad Examples for our Good,” write this down, number one:
I. Learn from the Past (1-5)
It’s often said that those who fail to remember the past are bound to repeat it. It’s important to learn from the past. That’s why Paul begins here. He’s like, “Let me give you a little history lesson here.”
And if you’re like I was in high school you may have an aversion to studying history. You may feel like the guy in that song, “Don’t know much about history, don’t know much biology.” You want to sing it, don’t you?!…Thank you Sam Cooke, soul music pioneer.
Paul says, “Let me illustrate how it is possible to abuse our freedoms. Let’s just consider our forefathers, the folks who wandered for 40 years in the desert. From Egypt to Canaan—40 years of wandering—40 years of abusing their freedom, engaging in sins of idolatry, immorality, testing God, and murmuring.” They were disqualified in some way, disqualified from receiving something of the Lord’s blessing and reward, certainly disqualified from entering the Promised Land (with exception to Joshua and Caleb).
Look again at verse 1 as we “Learn from the Past.”
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers (their forefathers; the folks back in the Old Testament) were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
Most of you are familiar with God’s leading the Israelites out of bondage—400 years of bondage in Egypt—God led them through the wilderness, leading by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. He also miraculously led them through the Red Sea. Verse 2:
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
He’s writing symbolically here. Just as our Christian baptism identifies us with Christ, so those who followed Moses were identified with him, as though being baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Paul is not teaching about the doctrine of Christian baptism here; he’s using it as a metaphor to describe those following Moses in the wilderness. Verse 3:
3 all ate the same spiritual food (namely the manna in the wilderness),
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
You’ll remember how Moses struck the rock in the wilderness and God brought water from the rock to bless the Israelites. Paul is noting that God was with them during their 40 years of wandering, that Christ Himself, Messiah Himself, was spiritually present with them, providing their needs. That’s the idea behind Paul’s saying, “and that Rock was Christ.” Paul is a Christian, looking back and so he can see God was there all along, the Spirit of Christ was there, God meeting their every need.
5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Now Paul is going to flesh-out this statement in the verses that follow where he calls attention to four main sins of the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. These four main sins are described in the following verses, as idolatry (verse 7), sexual immorality (verse 8), testing God or tempting Christ (verse 9)and complaining or murmuring (verse 10).
So Paul says in verse 5 that, because of their behavior, “God was not well pleased” with “most of them,” arguably with all of them except Joshua and Caleb. God was not pleased with these folks and their behavior led to their being “disqualified,” loss of blessing, keeping them from entering the Promised Land. They died, “their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”
These verses remind us that experience alone is no guarantee of favor with God. Learn from these people of the past. These are folks who were in, around, and even immersed in spiritual activities, but were out of favor with God.
Regularly hearing God’s words and participating in Christian activities like preaching, Sunday school and other activities is no guarantee that one is in favor with God.
Baptism does not automatically place one in good graces with God. Going to church does not do it. Paul says our fathers were all baptized into Moses and ate the manna in the wilderness. They drank water from the rock. They took part in the supernatural, “but with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”
Again, one’s experience alone is no guarantee of spiritual security. Someone says, “But I had this experience. I saw this vision or I dreamed this dream,” or what have you. Be careful not to base your beliefs purely on experience. We must take every experience and subject it to the scrutiny of Scripture. The Bible is our highest authority. We rest finally and fully in the Word of God.
Have you been saved? Do you know that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior? This is of paramount importance, more important than whether you are a church member or you have been involved in spiritual things. Is God “well pleased with you” because He sees you in His Son Jesus Christ? God says to His Son, “This is My beloved Son. With Him I am well pleased.” Do you know that He is well pleased with you because you are in His Son? He is the only way in!
So here is this historic example. Paul is like, “You Corinthians are a bit like the nation of Israel. They were set free from bondage. You have been set free from bondage. They were set free from Egypt. You have been set free from sin. They were heading to the natural Promised Land. You are heading to a spiritual Promised Land—but be careful! They were overconfident about their situation. Consequently, they fell into idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, and complaining and they were disqualified. They ‘ran out of bounds.’ You be careful. You guys are going to be tempted to do things that are wrong. Watch out. Guard yourselves from sin. If your forefathers fell into sin, know that it can happen to you. Don’t be disqualified.” Learn from the Past. Number two:
II. Live in Purity (6-11)
Verse 6 again:
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
Paul says, “These folks in the wilderness wanderings of the Book of Exodus serve as bad examples for our good.” They are examples of how not to live. They lived in sin. You live in holiness. They lived in impurity. You live in purity. Verse 7:
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
You can source this event in Exodus 32. Most of you are familiar with the background. If not, go back this afternoon and read Exodus 32, okay? It talks about their idolatry.
In the previous chapters Paul is like, “Look, there is nothing to meat offered to idols, okay? You can eat it without worrying. You are free.” What he does here in chapter 10 now is to caution these same Corinthians about being so confident in their freedom that they actually go to idol feasts and sit down to eat. We’ll see this in greater detail in the next couple weeks, Lord willing.
Paul teaches that it’s one thing when you’re sitting down in someone’s home and they’ve purchased some meat from the market next to the pagan temple. But if you’re going to an idol-worshiping, meat-eating party, well that’s an entirely different matter altogether. Stay away from there! “Do not become idolaters as were some of them.”
And what is true for the Corinthians is true for the Kentuckians. Don’t become idolaters. Learn from the past and live in purity. Don’t put anything before God. Don’t love anyone or anything more than God. When you do that, you become and idolater.
This includes your love for that particularly besetting sin. When you choose to sin, you are saying that you love that sin more than you love God. Idolatry. Live in purity. Verse 8:
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;
Again, read Exodus 32 for the fuller account. Sexual immorality is as great a concern today as it was in Paul’s day and as it was in Moses’ day. Sexual immorality is variously described as fornication, sexual sin before marriage or outside of marriage. Living together or being together in intimacy is sin. Sex with another person other than your spouse is sexual immorality—namely adultery. It is a sin. Pornography is a sin. Fulfilling your own lusts by looking at others and treating them as objects to fulfill the lusts of your body is sexual immorality. Homosexuality is a sin. Recall back in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and following. Remember you are different, Christian. You used to be that way, but now you are different: washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So keep your temple pure! Live in purity.
Husbands, fathers, stop looking at pornography. Wives, mothers, you too live in purity. Young men and young ladies, keep your temples pure. Live in purity. Verse 9:
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
Write down the source for the background: Numbers 21. Read all about it there. The people of God tempted God. Paul speaks as a Christian here when he writes of tempting Christ. Same God. Same sin. The people of God put God—put Christ to the test—by testing His patience. Like a parent who says to his or her child, “You are testing my patience!” Any parent ever say that or any child ever hear that?
They were testing the Lord with their complaints. They were like, “Why has the Lord led us out of Egypt?! There’s nothing here in this wilderness! We wish we had never left!”
Have you ever argued with God? God, what are You doing?! What are you thinking?! Do You have any idea what’s going on in my life?! Be careful not to tempt Christ, to test God. Live in purity. This sin of complaining to God is similar to the next sin of complaining in general.
Tempting Christ or testing Christ is largely that of complaining to God. Verse 10 is largely that of just complaining in general, including complaining about others, criticizing others. Verse 10:
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Numbers 14 and 16 give the fuller account. The people of Israel complained about God and they complained about the leadership of Moses and Aaron. They said, “Let’s select our own leader and return to Egypt.” They complained about their spiritual leaders and God killed thousands of them.
Now, I’ll resist the temptation to say, “Look what happens when you complain about your spiritual leaders here in this church! You know, ‘Don’t complain about your ministerial staff!’” But there is a real warning here. Don’t complain as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer. God doesn’t like murmuring and complaining.
So Paul comes back to a problem he had addressed in earlier chapters of 1 Corinthians, the problem of division and disunity in the church. Disunity happens when folks criticize others.
We need to look at our church as a family. You don’t criticize your family, at least you shouldn’t. Michele cooks me something and I criticize. I’m too weak to do it face-to-face so I send her an email: “The cooking this evening was sub-standard. If you are really about glorifying God in all things, try cooking a different way. Prayerfully, your brother in Christ, Todd.” That’s silly, right?! She’s family, she’s my wife.
Verse 11:
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
We are the ones “upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” We are living in these last days of redemptive history, the last days before Christ’s second coming. So learn from the past, live in purity, and number three:
III. Look Out for Your Pride (12)
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
You think the nation of Israel—those people in the Old Testament—you think there was something especially bad about them? You think they were uniquely goofed-up? Paul says, “It can happen to you.”
Look out for your pride. Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. As Solomon puts it in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
You can disqualify yourself by sinning just as the people of the past.
Now one of the key ways to avoid sinning is found in a promise spelled-out in verse 13 and I was going to preach through verse 13 this morning, but I’d like to come back to this verse next week, Lord willing, and bring an entire message on overcoming temptation. But if you want to go ahead and write down this point you can have it all together in one place, from verse 13 is the fourth and final point:
IV. Lay Hold of God’s Promise (13)
And that promise is how God is faithful to help you overcome temptation. And we’ll talk about overcoming temptation next week, Lord willing.
So I want to end here at verse 12 and let me say that verse 12 is a good memory verse: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
This truth permeates the entire passage. There is a real danger to overconfident living.
There is a real danger to saying, “I’m not like one of those persons!” I don’t sin like that! I’m okay! I don’t engage in idolatry, sexual immorality, I don’t complain to God or criticize others!”
And you feel as confident as a guy standing on a ladder, cleaning out the leaves and junk from his gutters. “I’m okay up here. Just me and my ladder. I don’t need anyone to steady it.” And you shift your weight just a bit and the ladder creaks and cracks, and slips and slides—and down you fall with such force that you break your body and bruise your ego.
Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Learn from the past, live in purity, look out for your pride.
•Stand for prayer.
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