The Danger of Pride mixed with ignorance - part ii

Illustration: Circle, circle, dot, dot now I got my coodie shot - Just because Israel had been so richly blessed of God did not mean they were not susceptible to disqualification.

What are evil cravings?

Evil cravings are desires that arise out of our sinful nature. These lusts are, at their most basic level, an effort to give us what only God could give us: eternal pleasure in Himself. Lust is the pursuit of immediate relief with hopes that it will bring eternal pleasure.

Where do evil cravings reside? -

Evil cravings reside inside of every human being. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust.

What do evil cravings do?

Evil cravings, when allowed to develop, take control of an individual’s life. Evil cravings bring a person into slavery.

What do evil cravings require?

Evil cravings require belief. “Belief?” you say. Yes. One must believe that what pleasure they will produce will bring ultimate satisfaction.

What do evil cravings look like in life? (proofs)

(1) Idolatry (v. 7) -

Do not be idolaters” This is a PRESENT MIDDLE (deponent) IMPERATIVE with the NEGATIVE PARTICLE, which usually means stop an act already in process. This OT quote refers to the idolatrous orgy of . - PLTC: I and II Corinthians

The sexual aspect of the term “dancing” is seen in the same Hebrew word used in of Isaac making love to Rebekah. - PLTC: I & II Cor.

As Prior points out, “if we were to ask virtually any Third World Christian what is the most common and destructive sin in the Western church, the answer would invariably be ‘covetousness’.” -

Application of idolatry:

Today, there are those who genuinely and mistakenly believe that worship at the altars of cultural gods: Entertainment, Economic Success, and Education. “if the god which people look to is that to which they give all their time and thought and energy, men and women still worship the works of their own hands more than they worship God.” - NDSB 1-2Co

f the god which people look to is that to which they give all their time and thought and energy, men and women still worship the works of their own hands more than they worship God.”

We should be deeply burdened about the growing rate of men and women engaging in pornographic entertainment. It enslaves the mind and has behavioral affects.

We should be deeply burdened about professing believers who are trying to live for the god of money. They work multiple jobs and their commitments to the Lord and the Lord’s people are incomparable to their commitment to money.

We should be deeply burdened about believers who are worshipping at the idol of education. While you education may be important, there should never be a question as to where you allegiance lies. Don’t be guilty of being the hypocrite who says that you love and believe Jesus but your life shows you love and have faith in your educational pursuits.

The good news is that we are gloriously assured that God is faithful and that he does provide a way of escape so....

God is more trustworthy than any idol you may be prone to believe in. - three questions:

what is the one thing that you cannot live without?

what receives the majority of your thought life?

what does your bank account reveal?

(2) Fornication (v. 8) -

“This Baal-peor was the god of the Moabites who was worshiped by the prostitution of virgins. Idolatry and fornication were in that case inseparable.” - EBC

This practice was something that was not uncommon in the Corinthian culture as well. In , Paul is speaking of the cultural Temple prostitution that existed.

There is something about being overpowered with pleasure that causes us to allow or be distracted from deeper things that are taking place. What becomes evidently clear is that this pleasure led to open idolatry.

Paul is showing how IDOLATRY & SEXUAL IMMORALITY ARE TIED TOGETHER. The first acts appear to be physical but they led to spiritual acts. Garland points out that “[i]n the minds of most Jews, sexual immorality and idolatry were two sides of the same coin

Garland points out that “[i]n the minds of most Jews, sexual immorality and idolatry were two sides of the same coin

Application of fornication:

Though temple prostitution is not common in our immediate culture, it should be noted that the body of Jesus Christ as reserved as a sacrifice for God. Because we have accepted this sacrifice of Christ in our place, it only stands to reason that we worship God by offering our physical bodies as holy sacrifices for the one true God.

This means that any sexual practice that is outside of the realm of God’s prescription of marriage should not be engaged in. Marriage is the sacred place where the faithfulness of Godhead is to be displayed. So, as cross-believing Christians, when we enjoy the pleasures of marriage - we show forth the glories of the true God; but when we engage in illicit practices we are actually acting in direct contradiction to the God and Savior we claim. We are acting selfishly without regard for our God and His Christ.

The good news is that we are gloriously assured that God is faithful and that he does provide a way of escape so....

God is more trustworthy than any physical pleasure you may be prone to believe in.

Question to ask:

Are you currently consumed by the pursuit of physical pleasure?

(3) Temptation (towards God) (v. 9) - ;

Let us, therefore, take notice, that the fountain of that evil against which Paul here warns us is impatience, when we wish to go before God, and do not give ourselves up to be ruled by Him, but rather wish to bind him to our inclination and laws. - Calvin

Paul now takes up the request of Israel to have meat instead of manna. What is Paul driving at here with the Corinthian believers? There were some who were trying to partake of both the Lord’s Table and the Table of the pagan cultic gods. See . Paul is showing that there can only be one allegiance according to which the Corinthians live spiritually and ethically. Their lives cannot be marked by trying to court two gods and seeing how far you can go until God moves his hand to stop you. See .

Application of Temptation:

My top priority is serving Christ. - Timmis, Steve; Chester, Tim. Gospel-Centred Life (p. 55). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

Timmis, Steve; Chester, Tim. Gospel-Centred Life (p. 55). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

This is one of the tragedies of modern Christian decision-making. There are several points to make here:

Gideon fleece-decision making is not a normative principle of scripture.

Decisions should be based upon clear, rightly-interpreted and applied principles of scripture.

Decisions that sin against your own conscience should be avoided. - Romans 14

This means that in

Believers should not attempt to sin with the hopes of seeing how elastic grace is. Your lives should be marked by a clear devotion to Christ. -

But true wisdom goes even deeper. ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction’ ( 7). We like to think of ourselves as consistent, rational beings making rational decisions, but the reality is that our reason is shaped by our hearts. We find reasons for doing what we want to do.

There’s not necessarily anything wrong with this when the desires of our hearts are pure. The problem is that our reasoning processes are often corrupted by our sinful hearts.

We all too easily ‘rationalise’ impure desires. So true wisdom and wise decision-making begins with the fear of the LORD. It begins with a recognition of the holy God, who knows the secrets of people’s hearts....Many Christians make life choices by deciding the kind of lifestyle they want. Then they choose a job to fund that lifestyle, then a home nearby, before finally choosing a local church.

In fact, the choice of lifestyle is often not a conscious decision at all. Instead, our assumptions about an appropriate lifestyle are shaped by the values of the world around us. The result is leftover discipleship.

My commitment to the church and Christian service comes from the leftovers of my time and money. Instead, we need to shape our lives around a biblical vision of the good life with the enjoyment and glory of God at the centre. Our top priority is serving Christ. So our decisions should begin with church and ministry, not lifestyle and job.

God, however, says ‘in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others’ ( 5). We are members of one body. We belong to one another. This means that we can’t make decisions without regard for the Christian community. Our principle should be: we involve the Christian community in decision-making to the extent that our decisions affect the community. This doesn’t mean that the community or its leaders tell people what to do in their personal lives, but it does mean that we should: make decisions with regard to the implications for our Christian community; and make significant decisions in consultation with members of our Christian community. - Timmis, Steve; Chester, Tim. Gospel-Centred Life (p. 57). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

Timmis, Steve; Chester, Tim. Gospel-Centred Life (p. 58). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

Timmis, Steve; Chester, Tim. Gospel-Centred Life (p. 57). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

- Timmis, Steve; Chester, Tim. Gospel-Centred Life (p. 57). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

The good news is that we are gloriously assured that God is faithful and that he does provide a way of escape so....

God is more trustworthy than any temptation you may be prone to believe in.

(4) Murmuring (v. 10) - to express oneself in low tones that are not readily distinguishable or 14 or .

What is the only alternative that brings victory over evil cravings?

The word that Paul uses is vivid (ekbasis). It means a way out of a mountain pass. The idea is of an army apparently surrounded and then suddenly seeing an escape route to safety - NDSB

The only alternative that brings victory is trusting in the faithfulness of God over trusting in the faithfulness of lust.

If lust is the pursuit of immediate relief with the hopes that it will bring eternal pleasure, then God’s faithfulness is quite the opposite. God’s faithfulness is the full assurance that God himself is the only eternal reward worthy of temporary endurance.

What can we say about the faithfulness of God. In Christ, God has provided and escape that is always present. Notice the options implied in the verse:

(1) We are tempted to believe that the trial I have is unique to me.

(2) We are tempted to overlook the obvious faithfulness of God.

(3) We are tempted to believe that we cannot persevere.

(4) We are tempted to believe that we have to make our own way out.

(5) We are tempted to believe that we cannot bear it.

We are tempted to believe that the fruit is still pleasant to the eyes, one to be desired, one to make me wise. In so believing, we are not believing in what God has clearly said.

The good news is that we are gloriously assured that God is faithful and that he does provide a way of escape so....