TAKING HEED – 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on December 31, 2017 under 2017 |

Preached New Year’s Eve Sunday, December 31, 2017 from 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Theme: Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

This morning, on this last Sunday of the year, I ask that we look together at some words from the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10.

This is part of a letter that Paul wrote to his fellow Christians in the ancient city of Corinth. He was addressing several serious problem in their Christian lives and church conduct. And among the things he dealt with, he addressed the fact that many of these professing believers were feeling so self-confident in their spiritual stand before God that they went into pagan temples to eat from the food that had been offered in worship to idols. In the process, they were drawing dangerously close to actually participating in pagan rituals; and they were bringing harm to the consciences of their fellow believers.

They were inappropriately prideful in their ‘maturity’ in the faith; and were walking very near the edge of sin in such a way as to put themselves in danger of falling off the edge. And so, Paul wrote—in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13—and reminded them of what happened to some of the Israelites in the Old Testament times; spiritually ‘advantaged’ people who also dabbled close to the edge of sin. He said;

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 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.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 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. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:1-13).

I have felt led that this is a passage—and a very serious warning—for us to consider as we approach the coming new year.

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Let me share with you how it was that I came to be drawn to this passage. It so happens that I have been reading lately from the Old Testament story of King Solomon.

Solomon was truly one of the greatest men of the Bible. In fact, I would say that he was one of the most remarkable human beings to ever have walked on the earth. He was a man who had been outstandingly blessed by God. In fact, he was given the nickname “Jedidiah” at his birth; and that is a name which means, “Beloved of the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:24-25). He had the privilege of being the son of King David—the greatest king of the history of ancient Israel—the king that God said was a man after His own heart. Solomon was the appointed heir of David’s throne. He would have been raised with the greatest possible spiritual nurture. And in adulthood, God uniquely graced him with remarkable wisdom, so that he was truly the wisest man who ever lived. And what’s more, God blessed him with astonishing wealth and prosperity; so that people from all over the known world marveled at his wisdom and his riches and his manifest blessedness of God. When it came to living a faithful life before God in his day, it would be hard to imagine anyone who would have had greater spiritual advantages than Solomon.

And yet, Solomon ended badly. He had disobeyed God and had taken women from pagan lands to be his wives; and those women led him away from God and into the worship of idols. Solomon—the wisest man in all the earth; who had the greatest advantages and blessings from God that anyone could ever imagine; whose early years seemed to hold such great promise—ended up a spiritual shipwreck in his later years.

Now; I believe Solomon eventually repented. That’s what the Book of Ecclesiastes seems to suggest to us. But how could such an outstandingly privileged and advantaged man as him have ended up such a spiritual disaster in the end? I believe that it’s because he was overly confident in his privileges before God, and that he allowed himself to draw close to the edges of sin. By bits and pieces, he went too far—until he fell tragically over the edge into sin and loss. As it turns out, spiritual advantages—even the greatest of advantages—cannot protect us from falling if we deliberately choose to play around with temptation.

Now, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; this makes me think of the many people I have known in my own Christian life—and from even the earliest years of my Christian life. I am happy to say that many of them are still walking with the Lord. But there are also many who, though they started off strong in the Lord and seemed so promising, are now no longer walking with Him. They had fallen off the edge somewhere along the way; and ended up denying the Lord who they once said that they loved and followed. And quite frankly, this is something that terrifies me—not only about myself, but also about many of us who are here this morning.

We live in a time that is very much like the times in which the Corinthian believers lived. All around us are tremendous pressures to fit in with culturally acceptable areas of practice and pursuits that God’s word declares to be sin. The temptations to ‘walk close to the edges’ of God’s prohibitions are perhaps more powerful and more prevalent now than they have ever been. And if we do not do what the apostle Paul urges us to do in his words to the Corinthians—and ‘take heed’—some of us who seem strong in the faith today may soon end up suffering terrible eternal losses for which we much give an account on the day when we stand before the Lord.

I don’t want to suffer such loss; and I don’t want any of my brothers and sisters to suffer such loss either. So please—as we come to consider this coming new year—let’s take the time right now to walk through this important warning from Paul. Let’s pay attention to his earnest call to ‘take heed’ to ourselves, ‘lest we fall’.

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First, notice how Paul takes his readers back in their memory to the things they read in the Old Testament. He shows them, in the first five verses, the great advantages that the ancient people of Israel had before God; and proves that …

1. MANY WHO HAD GREAT SPIRITUAL ADVANTAGES NEVERTHELESS FELL THROUGH SIN.

Notice what he tells them. First, he says, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud …” (v. 1a). Here, he reminds the Corinthians of how God—as He brought the people of Israel out of their bondage in the land of Egypt—had done something remarkable for them. Exodus 13:21-22 tells us about it when it says;

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people (Exodus 13:21-22).

Think of that, dear brothers and sisters! They had immediate and visible leading from God. They would always know where He wanted them to go! What a great blessing!

And then Paul says of them that “all passed through the sea …” (v. 1b). And this, obviously speaks of the remarkable power of God that He put on display before them as He parted the Red Sea for them and allowed them to pass through on dry ground. The amazing story of this astonishing event is told to us in Exodus 14. How could any of those ancient Israelites have failed to be awestruck at the power of God on display on their behalf?

Paul goes on to say of them, “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea …” (v. 2). To be ‘baptized’, in this sense, meant to be brought through an experience that would permanently change someone’s life and would identify them by that experience once and for all. And here, I believe Paul was saying that in going through the Red Sea by the leading of that pillar of cloud, they were forever identified as God’s chosen people under the shepherding hand of Moses—the great lawgiver of God. In Exodus 19:4-6—at Mount Sinai—God entered into a covenant with them and said,

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4-6).

What an awesome moment that was! What a privilege!—to be identified forever as God’s people; under the leadership of one of the greatest saints of God who ever lived!

Paul then reminds the Corinthians that these ancient people of Israel “all ate the same spiritual food …” (v. 3). This speaks of the way God provided for them on their way to the promised land. He gave them manna—food from heaven—sufficient for every day’s needs. We’re told about this remarkable provision in Exodus 16. Imagine it! Miraculous provision for all that was needed—for every single day—direct from the hand of God!

They were also given water in the desert. Paul writes, “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (v. 4). Do you remember that story? In Exodus 17, we’re told of how God provided them with water when He commanded Moses to strike the rock. And we’re told a remarkable thing; that the rock that Moses struck, and that provided water for the people, was an Old Testament symbolic representation of Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus once said;

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).

Not only did the ancient people of Israel have a constant supply of literal water whenever needed; but they also had the ‘spiritual water’ from the Son of God available to them—spiritual grace to constantly refresh and strengthen them and support them along the way to the fulfillment of all that God was giving them.

Now; can you think of a greater set of blessings and advantages than those that the ancient people of Israel had? They had God’s direct leading of them, His unlimited power at work on their behalf, the privilege of being His chosen people, the blessing of His hand providing directly all that they needed, and the constant refreshing of His presence and help. These ancient people truly had a front-row-seat to the power and provision and blessedness of God on display! And what’s more, we are told repeatedly that this was true of ‘all’ of them. What privileges and advantages the ancient people of Israel enjoyed under Moses.

“But,” as Paul tells us, “with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness” (v. 5). This may speak of the fact that the entire generation that was delivered from Egypt died in the wilderness because of their disobedience and unfaithfulness. But it’s more likely that this speaks of the various individual ways that the judgment of God fell upon them for their acts of unfaithfulness and wickedness. That, it seems to me, is what Paul goes on to speak of.

And what a lesson that is for you and me, dear brothers and sisters! You and I may have great spiritual advantages. In fact, it would be very true to say that—in Christ, in this present age of grace, and under the blessings of the New Covenant—we enjoy even greater advantages, and far more in number, than those ancient Israelites ever could have enjoyed. But just having spiritual advantages will not protect us from falling off the edge—or from suffering terrible eternal loss—if we foolishly choose to play around near the precipice of sin.

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Now; the Holy Spirit has recorded these tragic stories in the Old Testament for us for a reason. It was so that we may be instructed by them. Paul goes on to say, “Now these things became our examples …” God wants us to learn from those tragic stories of the past. Those stories have an ‘educational’ purpose (which, by the way, is why we should make sure we read our Bibles regularly, and not neglect the Old Testament).

That leads us, then, to the next point that Paul makes for us. After reminding his readers of those ancient ‘fathers’, he goes on, in verses 6-10, to show us that …

2. THESE HAVE BECOME EXAMPLES THAT TEACH US NOT TO FALL AS THEY DID.

Paul doesn’t deal with generalities here. He goes on to speak in very specific ways. First, he warns that we can fall through lusting after evil things. He says, in verse 6, “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted” (v. 6). Do you remember the time in the Old Testament when the people of Israel complained about food? They didn’t like the ‘manna’ that God was providing for them daily. They wanted the foods that they had eaten in Egypt (even though they must have forgotten that they had been slaves in Egypt; or that God was leading them to a rich land of their own that was filled with far better things than even the best granaries of Egypt offered).

So; God did for them what He so often does in judgment to a wicked and rebellious people: He gave them what they wanted. He allowed an enormous flock of quail to fall upon them; and they gorged on the meat in a very greedy and ungodly manner. Numbers 11 tells us about it. As a result, they were struck with a terrible plague; and the Bible tells us that “they buried the people who had yielded to craving” (Numbers 11:34). How terrible when we lust after evil things in defiance of God’s will for us—and when God then allows us, in judgment, to have what we want!

Paul goes on to say, “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’” (v. 7). Do you remember that story? That’s from Exodus 32. After Moses had gone up to the mountain—and after he had delayed in coming back—Aaron had fashioned a golden calf for them; and they fell down and worshiped it. They said, “This is our god”; and they worshiped in the sinful ways of the pagan peoples all around them—eating and drinking in excess. And they did worse! The phrase “rose up to play” is meant to say euphemistically that they gave themselves over to terrible acts of immorality. As a result, many of them were put to death in judgment from God.

This may have been the very kind of thing that the people of Corinth were in danger of falling into—stepping into pagan temples and eating the meat that had been served to idols. You and I may think, “Oh, but I’d never fall into ‘idolatry’. I’m too mature in my faith to ever do that.” But every time we embrace the world’s ideas about God—things that are clearly not true of Him, or whenever we allow ourselves to be made to believe that certain practices or habits are ‘acceptable’ in His sight when His word clearly declares such things to be sin, we are daring to ‘redefine’ God in order to suit our desires; and that’s nothing in the world but idolatry! ‘Changing God’ to suit our desires is always a dreadfully dangerous and damaging thing to do our own souls! It’s horrifying to think of the destructive and deadly paths down which such compromises have eventually led people!

Paul goes on to say, “Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell …” (v. 8). This speaks of one of the most tragic failures that the people of Israel ever committed. It was when they made an alliance with the pagan peoples of Moab at Peor; and then attended some of the sacrifices that the Moabites made to their false gods; and then began to be influenced by their ritualistic practices; and finally ended up entering into acts of sexual immorality with them. Numbers 25 tells us about it; and Moses spoke often of it. He referred to it with sorrow as “the matter of Peor”; where many of the people of Israel joined themselves with the worship of Baal. As a result, the fierce anger of the Lord fell upon His people; and many of them were put to death.

The eventual allure of it was the ‘sexual liberty’ that has been the destruction of so many lives. Just think back, brothers and sisters, on how many otherwise-strong, professing Christians you know of who have made shipwreck—and ruined their ministries and testimonies and marriages and lives, and suffered terrible eternal loss—through just that very thing! Think of how many of them became bitter and hard-hearted toward spiritual things afterward! Did any of them, once they started down the deadly path of compromising with sexual sin, ever imagine that they would end up where they ended up?

Paul goes on to say, “nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents …” (v. 9). We’re told this strange story back in Numbers 21. The people of Israel had disobeyed God and had refused to enter into the promised land that He was giving them at the command of Moses. And so, they were made to wander in the desert for forty years. And yet, as they wandered, they dared to complain against God for it—even though it was their own sinful rebelliousness that made it happen. They said to Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” As a result, God sent fiery serpents into their midst that bit them; and many died as a result.

We’re told that Moses was instructed to raise up a serpent on a pole; and everyone who looked at the raised serpent lived. This, we’re told later in the New Testament—in the third chapter of John’s Gospel—is a picture of Jesus on the cross. And isn’t it interesting that we’re told here by Paul that those ancient Hebrews ‘tempted Christ’ in saying what they said? Do we do the same thing to our Lord whenever we resist and rebel against His good will for us and the leaders He places over us?

And finally, Paul includes a sin that might surprise us to find in the list. He said, “nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (v. 10). This speaks of the story that we find in Numbers 14. It tells the story of the time when the people did not enter the promised land; because they believed the ‘bad report’ of the land that had been given by ten of the twelve spies that were sent ahead. The people heard the bad report, and complained and grumbled against God; and dared to say, “If only we had died in Egypt!” What a horrible thing to say! We’re told that those who brought this evil report of the land “died by the plague before the LORD” (Numbers 14:37).

Did you know that grumbling and complaining against the Lord was a great sin? It’s something that not only hardens our hearts toward God and that speaks against Him in unbelief, but that also leads others down in despair and destruction. To complain against God in this way is to dare to say that we know better than He does—or that we deserve a better deal than He’s giving us! What a blasphemous thing to do!

So think about it, dear brothers and sisters. ‘Lusting after evil things’; ‘becoming idolaters’; ‘committing sexual immorality’; ‘testing God in unbelief and rebelling against the leaders He places over us’; grumbling and complaining against God’s will for us’—these are ways that the ancient people of God, blessed though they were with such great advantages, nevertheless fell into terrible eternal loss.

And we are in danger of doing the very same as they did—if we do not take heed.

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Now; note what Paul says in verse 11. He reminds us; “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” (v. 11).

We live under far greater spiritual advantages than those ancient peoples did. We live under the fulfillment of so many things that were only prophesied to them from afar. We live after the time in history that the Son of God has come and redeemed us on the cross; and after God’s written word has been completed and preserved for us. We live far near to the end of God’s redemptive plan for the ages than any other generation. We live in the time when the only thing yet to be completed in God’s program is the return of our Savior to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

We live under tremendous spiritual blessings and advantages. And that’s why we must beware. As Paul tells us in verse 12; “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul may have been reflecting the words of Proverbs 16:18; which says,

Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).

It is pride that causes us to think that we are so strong and mature that we don’t need to worry about playing around the edges of sin. But because so many others in the past—so who had such great spiritual advantages—themselves fell; and because their stories are preserved for our instruction, so that we don’t fall as they did …

3. THEREFORE, LET THOSE OF US WHO THINK WE STAND TAKE HEED LEST WE FALL.

What logical force Paul uses to bring us to this clear admonition! We who are the most confident in our strength and maturity as Christians are the ones who most need this warning; because we are in the greatest danger!

And how thankful we can be that he also offers this final word of encouragement in verse 13. It is a precious verse. It happens to be the first verse I ever memorized in my Christian life … and I testify that I did so for a good reason! Paul writes;

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (v. 13).

We can be sure that God has hold of us; and that He also exercises complete sovereignty over everything that ever comes into our lives. He will not allow any temptation to come upon us except that it first passes His approval for us. And when He allows it to come to us—along with it—He always provides a way for us to escape temptation and to be delivered from evil.

So; we are never forced to fall over the edge. We have a way of escape. But note: a ‘way of escape’ implies that it is still our choice. Will we choose to take that way of escape? Or will we ignore it—and foolishly play around with temptation to our own loss? Will we trust pridefully in our own power and our own wisdom and in our own sufficiency? Or will we realize how vulnerable we are, and choose to cling tightly to our Lord Jesus Christ, and make sure that we place our feet only where He walks?—far from the ledge?

May it be, dear brothers and sisters, that in the coming new year we will make it our serious resolve to ‘look to ourselves’—to ‘take heed’!