Things That Are Contrary to God's Design 4
Notes
Transcript
Paul taught the Corinthians some types in the OT:
Upon their redemption through the blood - God brought them into a protecting and caring relationship with Him pictured by the cloud
God separated them to Himself from the world pictured by the Red Sea
God supplied their needs as is pictured by the manna and the water giving rock
The wilderness pictures a Christian learning, growing, and beginning to follow Christ as a disciple
The promised land is a beautiful picture of a child of God living in the will of God. This is a Christian that is seeking to get the Gospel to others.
Paul knows the blessings, the battles, the struggles, and the power of His God in the promised land. He knew what it was like to stand in awe of what God had done, and He earnestly desired for the Corinthians to see what God can do in the promised land.
However, he knew that there were some things that can easily creep into a Christian’s life that are contrary to God’s design and purpose for the child of God. Paul now begins to warn the church, Christians, of fighting what God is trying to do to restore our lives.
When a flock of crows invades a field of corn, the birds customarily station two sentries in a nearby tree to keep watch and warn the rest of any danger. Once, two people succeeded in sneaking up on a flock of crows and scaring them before the sentries had given warning. The birds burst into flight, immediately attacked and killed the two sentries, and then flew off. The irresponsibility of those sentries could have cost the entire flock their life.
A lustful heart for life before salvation
A lustful heart for life before salvation
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
Lust is often shown in the Bible as an evil desire that leads us away from that which is good or right
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
They weren’t lusting after just the food. The food was the reason they justified their lusts in their hearts.
The reason was deeper than this; they said, “Our soul is dried away.”
Soul - breath or life - What the Israelites stated was that God was not sufficient for them, and God did not give them life but rather death.
This was a direct attack upon the very premise of Who God is. God is life!
I remember the old life. I could feast upon anything I wanted. Whatever desire I had I could fulfill. God brings me into a relationship with Him as His son, and now He teaches me that I ought not do whatever feels good or I desire to do?
The desire of lust is taking root. It pulls us away from that which is right.
And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
Moses describes the goodness of what God has provided
Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
Why was God angry:
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.
KE-BROTH-HOT-TAH-VAH - Graves of lust
HOTS-AY-ROTHE
They found out that that what they wanted could not satisfy them:
And he gave them their request;
But sent leanness into their soul.
They got what they wanted, but they were not filled
This is where lust leads - getting what we want, but never filled
My Favorite Illustrations You See What You Seek
Someone said that a vulture soaring through the air does not see the beautiful landscape, brooks, flowers, and green grass. It sees only the dead rabbit under the bush, because that is what it is seeking.
A heart that is never settled upon the Lord
A heart that is never settled upon the Lord
Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Paizo - to play v. — to be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children.
References dancing and making merry
The word is kin to empaizō, used almost entirely in the New Testament for mocking Christ. It is only a short step, indeed, from idolatry to mocking Christ and using His blessed name as a curse word. - J Phillips
God had given them the commandment:
He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
The people grew impatient and didn’t want to wait any longer
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Notice what they did:
And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.
The people had just come from Egypt where they worshipped many things as idols:
Cats
Crocodiles
Bats
Beetles
Frogs
Falcons
Sacred bulls
Incarnation of the god Apis
Like Pharoah was an incarnation of Ra (the sun god)
Even embalm the bull, placed in a sarcophagus and entombed in the city Serapium
This animal was chosen because it symbolized the courageous heart, great strength, and fighting spirit of the king. Apis came to being considered a manifestation of the king, as bulls were symbols of strength and fertility, qualities that are closely linked with kingship.
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Things got out of hand quickly:
And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
Judgment would swiftly follow:
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
This would be very real for the Corinthians - idols were everywhere
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 5628 Simple People’s Idols
Dr. F. B. Meyer tells of going to a meeting of the Salvation Army where it was announced an exhibition of idols was to be displayed. He said, “I expected to see idols from India, Africa, and the South Seas. But instead of that eight young men stepped to the rear of the platform and returned, each bearing a large sheet of cardboard. One card was covered with pipes, cigars, and tobacco; another with sham jewelry, feathers, ribbons and things of that sort. There were eight cards, each covered with things that had been idols to some.
“A man behind me pointed and said, “That was my pipe.” A woman said, “See my bow of ribbon?” These simple people felt that these things had become idols to them and they had given them up.”
Oh how sweet it is to trust in Jesus, and to make Him our God and Lord
No guilt - instead we find love and peace
No unanswered prayers - Rather prayers that are heard and answered
A heart that follows deception
A heart that follows deception
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
This part of the journey of Israel takes place approximately 30 years after the story of Moses receiving the commandments of God
Balaam - was hired by the king of Moab - to curse Israel - Numbers 22
At first he did not come to the king, but disobediently went the second time
When he rode his donkey - and the donkey could see the angel of the Lord with a sword ready to end Balaam’s life
The story of Balaam’s journey ends with he talking to his donkey and the donkey taking back to him
God then tells Balaam to go to the king of Moab, but only speak that which He instructs
4 times the Balaam instructs the king of Moab to build altars
4 times Balaam offers sacrifices to curse the Israelites
Each and every time God turns the cursing of Balaam into blessing for Israel
The king of Moab was furious - I paid you to curse them, and you have instead blessed them!
Before Balaam leaves, he gives a piece of counsel:
The men of Moab cannot defeat Israel - God has blessed them and they will defeat you
However, I have learned that God desires His people to live holy to the Lord
If Israel is corrupted, God will bring judgment upon them and that may give you the upper hand you’re looking for.
Try corrupting them through your women
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
The people of God began allowing the influence of their hearts to turn them from God
The began going to Baal-peor:
Baal - means - lord - in the context of an owner
Peor - is the mount
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Through their heart’s leading to satisfy a fleshly desire they:
Replaced God with that which justified their desire
Removed them from the Promised Land that they were so near to - this mount was very near to Mount Nebo that God brought Moses to in order for him to see the Promised Land.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
God’s grace is stronger than sin! Jesus defeated sin on the cross!
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Before salvation we served sin - it was our master - we were slaves to sin
When ones gets saved, puts their trust in Jesus for salvation - something happens - sin has lost it’s power!
We are free to serve Christ, live eternally!
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
God’s grace enables us the opportunity to say, “No” to sin!
This is something we must remind ourselves continually
God I need help with this!
Multiple times a day!
If we allow the desires of the flesh to win the battle of temptation:
And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
1,000 were the ringleaders in this deception, and Paul highlights the number of those that followed along
A heart that dares God
A heart that dares God
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
Have you read something, sat back, scratched your head, and thought, “What did I just read?” or “What does that mean?”
Pictures of road signs
When one reads this verse, often the initial reaction is to ask ones’ self, that very question. Let’s get the context of this verse to understand what Paul is teaching the Corinthians.
And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.
God had given the people a great victory:
Families were back together
Their enemies were destroyed
The temptations were removed
They were free
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
They continue the journey to the Promised Land - The journeying in the wilderness is coming to an end
The journey is difficult and the forget the victory God had given them through His goodness and grace
Their parents and/or grandparents learned a lesson about 30 years prior to this:
They complained about the manna and no water and God provided so much meat to eat that they were disgusted by it and the deadly disease it brought to them
This generation knew the story
Parents teaching their children as they ask for something different - Don’t complain! God has given us food. Your grandparents complained and they are no longer with us because of the diseased meat. Be satisfied with the manna. This is food from Heaven. Angels eat this!
New parents teaching what their parents taught them.
Moses, Aaron, and the Levites reminding the people over and over again to be thankful for the manna God had given them freely every day.
But, after a victory and a hard path, they chose to look at the good manna and be disgusted by it! They said, we don’t even want to see this bread any longer!
God was gracious the first time and gave them their heart’s desire. It did not satisfy them.
This time, there was swift and unannounced judgement:
And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
Tempt - to test v. — to put to the test in order to ascertain the nature of something, including imperfections, faults, or other qualities.
Thoroughly putting someone to the test
Satan did this when he tempted Jesus:
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Satan was using Scripture to test whether Jesus would tempt (test) God:
For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands,
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus’ response spoke to the heart of what Satan was trying to do:
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
First bitter complaint because there was no water to drink - Ex 17
Ortez - (Jarod’s family - 2 brothers) - cheeky - get this grin on his face
Spring - trees growing - one particular tree on a narrow road would hit the side of the bus
He would lower the window to watch the tree branches swing into the bus
The first 2 weeks I was gracious and warned him to put the window up
The 3rd week I had one of the workers watch him to make sure he didn’t put the window down
A week or 2 passed he started putting the window down and stick his hand out the window. Waited until the tree was almost to the bus, pull his hand in quickly, and close the window just in time before the tree branches hit the window.
This happened a week or 2, and then I decided not to warn him. He was testing what I would do. On this occasion, the bus was driving a little faster than before and he miss-timed his actions. He didn’t get the window closed, nor did he get his hand inside the window. The tree hit his hand and a loud “Ouch” followed by a face full of leaves! He was okay. He never did it again.
God says what He means, and means what He says.
This is what the Israelites were doing - I know what you said God, but we are going to do it anyway. I know we should be thankful, but I’m going to complain anyway. I know it’s God’s provision, but I don’t want it! What are going to do, God!
Notice what the Israelites did:
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
It is a sin to try God’s patience; to test His grace. How far can we go? Does God really mean what He says?
It is foolishness to tread on God’s kindness and forbearance.
God through His love and goodness has given us what we need. To test this is sin!
The cure for this sinfulness:
And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
It was unusual, but God meant gave it to them as an illustration of what would come:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Corinthians were abusing God’s grace through their divisions, tolerance of immorality, quarrels, attacks on Paul’s leadership, their lawsuits, abuse of the Lord’s Supper, and compromise on idolatry. They were tempting God and Paul subtilly reminded them that there was judgement until they looked to Jesus.
The cross is not just where we come to get right with the Lord and become a child of God. It is where we stay right!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee,
And mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;
And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Have you ever heard the expression “face the music”? Here’s how that phrase came about.
Many years ago, a man wanted to play in the Imperial Orchestra, but he couldn’t play a note. Since he was a person of great wealth and influence, however, he demanded to be allowed to join the orchestra so that he could perform in front of the king. The conductor agreed to let him sit in the second row of the orchestra. Even though he couldn't read music, he was given a flute, and when a concert would begin, he would raise his instrument, pucker his lips, and move his fingers. He went through all the motions of playing, but he never made a sound.
This deception went on for two years. Then one day a new conductor took over the Imperial Orchestra. He told the orchestra that he wanted to personally audition all the players to see how well they could play. The audition would weed out all those who did not meet his standards, and he would dismiss them from the orchestra.
One by one the players performed in his presence. Frantic with worry when it was his turn, the phony flutist pretended to be sick. The doctor who was ordered to examine him, however, declared that he was perfectly well. The conductor insisted that the man appear and demonstrate his skill.
Shamefacedly, the man had to confess that he was a fake. That was the day he had to “face the music.”
How many of us will be looking at our Heavenly Father one day, and “facing the music” that we played was not what God desired, but rather what our heart justified and desired?
A park ranger at Yellowstone National Park was leading a group of hikers to a fire lookout. The ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio distracting, so he switched it off. As the group neared the tower, the ranger was met by a nearly breathless lookout, who asked why he hadn’t responded to the messages on his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group, and the authorities were trying to warn them of the danger.
Any time we tune out the Holy Spirit or ignore the warnings of the Bible we put ourselves and those around us in danger.