OPENING/INTRODUCTION

Good morning!

Thank you so much for having us here again.

As a church, we are very happy to help in serving you as you wait on the Lord to bring a pastor here to lead you.

I want to encourage you… the seasons of waiting… the seasons of the unknown… the seasons where you don’t even know what direction to go…

God brings those seasons so that we trust Him more.

As part of our church Bible reading plan this last week we have been reading through and memorizing Psalm 23.

I have also been listening a lot to 2 songs I love based on Psalm 23, so it has been in my mind a lot.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

As I was meditating on that this morning, I thought about what sheep…

Is there anything that they worry about? Anytime I’ve seen a picture of them, they seem pretty care free as they graze.

As God led His people through the wilderness, that’s what He wanted for them...

To simply trust Him!

Don’t worry… God has it all under control!

I know it’s easier said than done, but that’s what God wants for you as well.

Don’t worry, fear, grumble or complain… just confidently, and patiently wait for God’s plan, in His timing!

I am really excited you all are going through this series…

I would love to go through this series at our church as well.

Bill Friesen began this series 3 weeks ago with his sermon, “Help for the Uniquely Stagnate Christian”

He challenged you to think about where you are in your spiritual lives…

Are you where you want to be?

Are you stagnate?

Like a pond… no new, fresh water coming in…

We should be like a river that moves, and has fresh water flowing through us.

We know that in our Christian lives we are not always growing, but if we take the 30,000 foot view of our lives, we should she progressive growth.

2 weeks ago Randy Fehr talked about, “Living as Those Made Alive in Christ”

Randy shared the vivid image of a septic tank…

Are we allowing the sludge in our souls to build up without addressing it?

We should be filled with God’s Word, and His power through His Spirit, flowing through us, getting rid of the filth in our souls as we strive for the purity and holiness God has called us to.

Last week John Dyck talked about “Delight: Finding Your Necessary Motive”

John talked about what we find to be the greatest delights in this world.

Are we clinging to the stuff of this world...

Or do we truly understand the delight that there is to be found in obedience to Christ, and living for His glory in light of all that He has done for us?

This morning I will be picking up the next sermon in this series on “Distinctive Discipleship”.

My sermon is entitled...

Disobedience: Confronting Your Sinful Leanings

We all struggle with sin.

This is nothing new to us as Christians.

But the longer we allow specific sins to have a foothold in our lives, the more control they have over us.

Through habit, these things become more normal to us, and we don’t really think of them anymore.

The problem with this is that these sins eventually don’t even bother us anymore.

They become so accustomed to them in our lives, that we aren’t grieved by them anymore.

Greg Gilbert, in his book, “What is the Gospel?”, shares a story of a parking ticket he received.

I just paid a parking ticket the other day. It was easy. I read the charge against me, flipped the ticket over, checked the box that said "I plead guilty to the charge," filled out a check for $35 to the Metropolitan traffic citation department, sealed the envelope, and dropped it in the mail.

I'm a convicted criminal.

For some reason, though, even though I checked the "guilty" box, I don't feel terribly guilty. I'm not going to lose any sleep over my walk on the wrong side of the law. I don't feel the need to ask anyone's forgiveness, and now that I think about it, I'm even a little bitter that the ticket was $10 more than the previous one I got.

Why don't I feel bad about breaking the law? I suppose it's because, when you get right down to it, breaking a parking regulation just doesn't strike me as being all that important — or all that heinous. Yes, I'll be sure to drop an extra nickel in the metre next time, but my conscience isn't exactly torn up over the whole thing.

One thing I've noticed over the years is that most people tend to think of sin, especially their own, as not much more than a parking in fraction. "Yes of course," we think, "technically sin is a violation of the law handed down by God on high, and all that, but surely he must know there are bigger criminals out there than me. Besides, nobody was hurt, and I'm willing to pay the fine. And come on – there's no need for a whole lot of soul-searching over something like this. Is there?”

Well, I guess not, at least not if you think of sin in that cold way. But…

change slide

according to the Bible, sin is a lot more than just a violation of some impersonal, arbitrary, heavenly traffic regulation. It's the breaking of a relationship, and even more, it is a rejection of God himself — a repudiation of God's rule, God's care, God's authority, and God's right to command those to whom he gave life. In short, it is the rebellion of the creature against his creator.

What we need to understand is that sin seperates us from God.

This is what happened in the garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve sinned, and though God atoned for their sin and clothed them, they were no longer allowed in His presence.

This is because God is holy. He cannot be in the presence of sin.

We must understand that…

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

For the wages of sin is death

As NT Christians though, we understand this is why Christ had to come.

We need to know the other half of that verse that says…

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we have been delivered from death, to eternal life.

Praise God!

As we walk in this wonderful truth though, we must be putting to death the deeds of the body, as we strive to walk in obedience to God and His Word… striving for holiness and righteousness…

So that we will experience the joy of God’s wise rules, and…

So that others will see the wisdom of God in His wise rules.

As we confront our sin, and obey God’s Word, He will give us victory!

Our text this morning is 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.

Paul wrote this letter to the church in the city of Corinth.

The city of Corinth was in a strategic location for trade, and because of this was filled with sexual immorality, religious diversity, and corruption.

The church that was planted by Paul struggled under these pressures, so Paul wrote to them to encourage them to fight for unity and purity.

Here in chapter 10, Paul warns them of God’s discipline using the Israelites in the OT as an example.

The Israelites had been chosen by God to be His people.

They received His special blessings, presence and protection…

But turned away from God, and began to find their assurance in their heritage.

The first thing I want us to see this morning is that…

Obedience Leads to Assurance

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years suffering cruel punishment under Pharaoh.

Then God sent Moses, and delivered His people by performing great and mighty signs.

As they:

crossed the Red Sea,

received God’s law at Mt. Sinai, and

journeyed toward the Promised Land

They experienced God’s favour.

But that did not mean He was happy with them!

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.

EXPLAIN

Israel had been saved by God from slavery in Egypt…

They had His presence going with them in the fire and the cloud…

Christ Himself, the Rock, was following them... providing for their physical and spiritual needs…

and yet… God was not happy with them.

Because of their disobedience God destroyed that generation in the wilderness, and did not permit them to enter the Promised Land.

WHY???

We’re going to see some of their specific sins in the next section, but here we need to note that had become overconfident.

They began to trust in themselves and their own ability, rather than realize their dependance on God.

This caused them to coast, rather than pursuing God’s plan whole-heartedly.

Right before this section where Paul uses Israel as an illustration, he says in…

1 Corinthians 9:24–25 ESV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

1 Corinthians 9:26–27 ESV

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

At one point in Paul’s life, he lived just like the Israelites.

Proud… arrogant… living with a sense of entitlement…

But now that Paul was a true Christian, changed by the grace of God, he no longer lived for himself.

Now he was willing to force his body into submission and obedience to God, and spreading His gospel.

ILLUSTRATION — THE ROYAL FAMILY

Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the royal family.

Phoebe Tatham, writing for Hello! magazine, shared a bit about Prince George, the son of Prince William and Duchess Kate.

The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her eldest on 22 July 2013 at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London. In a rare occurrence, his birth was only the second time that three generations in direct line of succession to the throne have all been alive at the same time.

The eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is third in line to the throne after his father Prince William and grandfather Prince Charles.

George was just a normal baby.

Yes, we know that every child is made in the image of God, and therefore special and precious…

But simply speaking, there was nothing that unique about him.

He had fingers, toes, eyes… all the normal body parts babies have…

and yet we know, that he is a vastly different baby from every other baby because of who his parents are.

George is not just George… but Prince George!

He is a part of the royal family!

The stereotype of royalty is that they are entitled, and selfish… unable to relate to others because they have had everything handed to them on a silver platter.

They are above the law… the normal rules don’t apply to them, and they can get away with just about anything.

When Prince George is older, and bears the responsibility of leading a country, he will have to decide whether he will lead from a feeling of entitlement, or from a deep sense of humility that recognizes he had no say in who his parents would be… he is there because the God of the universe sovereignly placed him there.

MAIN POINT

This is exactly what the Israelites missed!

They had received all of God’s blessing, not because they deserved it, but because of His sovereignty in choosing them.

Rather than this leading them to humility because they did nothing to deserve it, it led to their sense of entitlement!

And as God blessed them, it led to their sense of superiority over others.

What we need to learn this morning, is that…

God’s blessing does not equal God’s favour

They thought since they were God’s people they were okay.

They were experiencing His presence/blessing… so all is good right?

WRONG!! God demands obedience from His people.

He wants them to trust and depend on Him.

The Israelites were disciplined by God because they did not trust/follow His Word.

They had deceived themselves!

APPLICATION

We cannot assume that God is happy with us just because we are experiencing His blessings and privileges.

We can’t assume we are experiencing God’s favour because of our heritage… like being Mennonite.

We can’t assume we are right with God because we made a past confession of faith (walked an aisle, said a prayer);

God demands our obedience!

He has saved us TO something… that something is obeying His Word as we build His kingdom here on earth.

The only way we can be sure that we are God’s children, is if we walk according to His Word.

Jesus said this in John 14:15

John 14:15 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

A person that understands what Christ has done for them, and has had their heart transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, will surrender itself in humble submission and obedience to God’s Word.

And when we obey God’s Word, we can have the assurance that we are truly His children.

TRANSITION

The Israelites had become entitled as a result of God’s calling…

As we will see… this led to their sin… which led to God’s discipline.

We need to learn that sin leads to discipline, but…

Obedience Leads to Blessing

As we read the OT, we are constantly confronted with two ways of living, and two consequences of which way we choose.

This is known as the:

“Retribution Principle”

If you obey, you will be blessed.

If you disobey, you will be cursed.

ie. “You get what you deserve.”

We have to be careful here… because as we just learned…

God’s blessing does not equal God’s favour.

Nor does suffering mean God’s is unhappy with us.

We have many stories in the Bible about godly people who suffer.

Job is a case in point.

That’s one of the reasons this book is so important… so that we understand that godly people DO suffer. Job’s friends think he is sufferig because of sin, but that is not the case.

We also have many stories in the BIble about sinful people who thrive.

Psalm 73 is a lament from Asaph, who is grieved over sinful wicked people who don’t seem to have any cares in this world, while the godly suffer.

Maybe you can think of people in your life like that… people who are walking completely contrary to God’s ways, and yet don’t seem to experience anything but good.

So… while we can’t look at blessing and assume it’s God’s favour…

and we can’t look at suffering and assume it’s God’s punishment…

we must understand that is what God, in His Word teaches.

Part of the misunderstanding comes with knowing what true blessing is.

While the blessing and the suffering may not always come in this life, we know that ultimately…

the greatest blessing we can have is to be in God’s presence free from sin forevermore… and…

the greatest punishment we can have is to be in hell, away from God’s presence forevermore.

EXPLAIN

With that in mind, we turn to Israel and her sin… which brought God’s judgement.

1 Corinthians 10:6–8 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.

This is a reference back to when Israel was camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

Moses had gone up to receive the 10 Commandments, and had been up there for 40 days.

During that time, the people got impatient, formed a golden calf, and began worshiping it!

God’s judgement came on them and about 23,000 people died.

Paul continues…

1 Corinthians 10:9–10 ESV

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.

Numbers 21 records the Israelites putting Christ to the test.

As the people are travelling, they become impatient…

They do not trust God and His plan, even though He has been faithfully leading and providing for them.

This led to God’s punishment by sending snakes… leading many to die.

Numbers 16 records some of the leaders of the Israelites raising up a rebellion against Moses, the Lord’s appointed leader.

At that time God causes the earth to swallow up the Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and all their household and belongings…

Then fire consumed the 250 men offering incense…

And this led to more grumbling, so God sent a plague that killed another 14,700.

The Israelites were guilty of idolatry… worshiping other gods…

The Israelites were guilty of sexual immorality…

The Israelites were guilty of not trusting God, but testing Him…

The Israelites were guilty of grumbling and complaining…

Their disobedience led to thier punishment.

Because of their failure to obey God’s Word, and trust His plan, they brought God’s judgement and wrath on themselves.

MAIN POINT

What we need to understand is…

God’s discipline is for correction, NOT punishment.

Notice…

1 Corinthians 10:11 (ESV)

Now these things happened to them as an example

God brought punishment on His covenant people to teach them… so that they would turn from their sin and walk in His ways.

In Leviticus 26, God reiterates the blessings that Israel will have if they obey God.

God will bless them with rain,

the crops will yield fruit,

they will have security,

God will protect them,

they will have God in their midst...

God also reiterates the curses for disobedience.

But interestingly, the discipline is progressive.

If you don’t listen… then I will bring disease…

If you still don’t listen… then your enemies will defeat you…

if you still don’t listen… then I will… and so on and so on...

God’s discipline is meant for correction… not for punishment.

If God can bring about progressive discipline, then surely He could just wipe them off the face of the earth if He wanted to.

But that’s not what He wants to do… and we should be thankful He doesn’t or none of us would be here right now.

He is seeking to use the discipline to draw His people back to the right path.

ILLUSTRATION — PARENTING

This is supposed to be the point of our discipline to our children.

For those who have children, you know how difficult this is.

When we allow our frustrations and emotions to control us, we end up disciplining out of a sense of revenge.

“Since you did this, now you deserve this...”

This sort of discipline has the purpose of getting even… or getting back.

In our better moments as parents, our discipline has the purpose of redemption… restoration...

The purpose of that discipline is to show love, and encourage them to change behaviour.

This discipline wants what is best for the child.

We long for their obedience, so that they can experience the best for their life.

APPLICATION

This is exactly what God’s intention is for us as His people.

He wants us to experience the best this life has to offer…

And that comes through living life according to His Word and His ways…

no matter how ridiculous it seems.

When trust God at His Word, and live in obedience, then we will experience His blessing.

TRANSITION

When we trust and obey God’s Word:

We can have assurance that we are His children… and

We experience His blessing…

The last benefit of obedience that we are going to look at this morning is…

Obedience Leads to Victory

The Israelites were wrong in assuming that God didn’t want what was best for them.

They were questioning what He brought into their lives…

Questioning what he was allowing them to go through and experience.

They did not believe that God wanted what was best for them.

But God DOES want what’s best for us!

God desires to lead us, bless us, and give us victory… if we will trust Him and His ways.

EXPLAIN

1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV

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.

God disciplined His people as an example to them…

but He also wrote them down to instruct us.

Maybe some of you have heard this saying before…

A good man will learn from his own mistakes. A great man will learn from the mistakes of others.

We are wise if we don’t have to learn for ourselves, but can trust God enough to learn from others.

They were written down for our instruction…

1 Corinthians 10:11 (ESV)

… on whom the end of the ages has come.

We are closer to the end than the beginning!

As I was thinking about this, I thought of a sports. It doesn’t matter what sport you pick…

At the beginning stages of the game, each possession, each play, each mistake, doesn’t seem as important.

But once you make the playoffs… as you get closer to the end of the game… all the little details matter so much more.

In the dying seconds of the game, you draw up the play you want, exactly the way you want it, giving your team the best opportunity to win the game.

That is how we should be thinking about our lives!

We are closer to the end than the beginning…

Closer to the return of Christ…

Closer to God’s wrath and judgement…

Closer to spending eternity in God’s presence…

And now that we have the example of Israel… how God disciplined them because of their disobedience…

How much more intentionally should we pursue God, and obedience to His Word?!?

1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

We cannot be complacent like the Israelites were!

We cannot rely on our heritage… or a prayer we said…

We need to truly evaluate our lives.

Are we in Christ?

Have we truly trusted in His sacrifice?

Have I surrendered my life to the One who gave up everything for me?

Or am I relying on something else?

With a verse like this we have to be careful not to think that God is playing games to mess with us.

This could lead us to despair, where every time we sin we question whether we are truly saved.

God does not want us to be questioning our salvation every day…

But He issues these warnings so that we can beware those who are not truly His children.

God wants His children to be victorious…

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

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.

We are all struggle, and though none of our situations are exactly the same, there is a commonality in what we go through that is universal.

This is not meant to minimize your situation… but meant to comfort you.

There is nothing new here that God can’t handle!

Notice though… this passage does not say that you will NOT be tempted.

We ARE going to be tempted!

BUT, God will provide a way out.

This tells us that the temptation is not meant to derail us.

ILLUSTRATION — TODDLER CHALLENGE

Many parents were trying this challenge with their toddlers.

The parents leave the toddlers with candy, or some kind of treat, and tell them not to eat it until they come back.

The parents then leave the room, and wait a minute or two before coming back.

They have set up a camera, and we get to watch as these kids struggle with the temptation to eat the candy, or to obey their parents rules.

The parents really have no other agenda than to see what their kids are going to do.

Some are surprised that their children obeyed… while other kids just go for it!

This is not how God operates!

He’s not bored… and brings temptations and trials into our lives to see what we will do… and then punishes or blesses us based on what we do.

He has a purpose in the things He allows us to go through…

It is meant to grow us… to prove that we are God’s children…

MAIN POINT

We need to understand that…

God brings testing to cause us to trust Him more.

Job… case in point.

Satan thinks that Job will turn away from God when trials come…

God, on the other hand, knows His children…

He knows their heart…

He knows their faith goes deeper than material blessings in this life.

The same God who was there in the blessing, will be there in the trial and suffering.

He wants us to trust Him more than we trust in ourselves, or the things of this world.

APPLICATION

We struggle to believe this in our lives.

We see temptation as a negative thing.

But we can be sure that whatever temptation comes into our life, must be filtered through God first.

He then only allows what He knows we can handle, and also provides the path to victory.

He wants us to succeed… He wants our “Obedience to Lead to Victory.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Sin can cause us a lot of trouble.

We learned the trouble and discipline the Israelites brought on themselves with their sin.

God was faithful to punish them. He was in a covenant relationship with them, and faithfully disciplined them JUST AS the covenant stated!

We too are in a covenant relationship with God. We must take that seriously.

We need to be confronting our sinful leanings… we must be confessing our sin, and turning from it.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Do you doubt your faith in God?

Do you struggle with lack of assurance?

Do you feel like God is not answering your prayers… not blessing you?

Do you feel like you are not experiencing victory?

Maybe you have sin in your life that needs to be dealt with.

The fact that God would discipline us for our sin should not discourage us… but encourage us!

He does it because He loves us. Discipline keeps us on track, bringing us back to the path of righteousness.

THIS WEEK:

Set aside some time to pray and ask God what sins there are in your life that you have become complacent about. Maybe you already know what it is!

Maybe you’ve been allowing this sin to have control over you, and it is festering in your soul.

We NEED to be in God’s Word daily, so that we are being led by His Word, and not just doing what is right in our own eyes.

The Israelites tried that and it doesn’ work!

If we’re honest… each of us has tried that… and it doesn’t work!

As we are in God’s Word, He will reveal sin in our lives so that we can:

Confront them!

Confess them! and;

Conquer them!

Paul had to discipline his body to keep it under control… and so do we!

As we confront sin, and strive for obedience to God’s Word, we will have:

Assurance

Blessing

Victory

Let’s pray!