I Corinthians 10:1-13

Hebrews 3

In our passage today Paul was asking the Corinthians to examine their spiritual life.

Specifically to look for sin in their life.

Why? The spiritual fruit that was coming out of many of the Corinthians lives was that of someone who was never saved to begin with.

So as we look at this confrontation we will also examine our lives for sin.

Remember - Whatever sin touches it kills.

At the end of the message today I want you to - evaluate your life for sin. When you discover sin - take action to remove it.

Read I Corinthians 10:1-13

Pray

(Slide) Opening - Picture Violet. Some of you are familiar with the super heros “The Incredibles”.

The Incredibles are a family of 4 all who have their own super power

Dad - Super Strength, Mom - Elastigirl (super stretch body), (Like old school plastic man, DC Comics), youngest Dash - super fast speed, older sister - Violet - has the Force Field.

The force field is a defensive weapon. You can’t crush or hurt violet when her force field is up. She can stand next to you and place the force field around you. Protect you.

In almost every episode of the Incredibles you will see Violet use her super power of force field at least once. The enemy attacks, or a building is going to fall on someone & Violet covers herself or someone with the force field.

If you had the force field around you, you were ok. Nothing could hurt you.

The Corinthians and the Hebrew in the O.T. people had a Force Field Theology.

The Corinthians thought. “As long as I’m Baptized and have taken the Lord’s Supper, I’m OK - nothing spiritually can bring me down. I’m untouchable.

-The Corinthians were basing their salvation on the fact that they had been Baptized and had taken the Lord’s Supper.

-We know only faith in Jesus work on the cross - saves us.

-Paul is concerned that some of the Corinthians thought they are saved by their works, confronts them in our passage. Paul is also confronting the Corinthians about their sin & that some of them might not be saved at all.

Transition - Paul begins the confrontation with Scripture.

I. Confrontation with the Scripture, vs. 1-4

He says, There was another group that has Force Field Theology...

Paul begins to compare and contrast the Hebrews and the Corinthians.

The illustration - Hebrew’s Wilderness Struggle

Paul tells the Corinthians - Do you remember Moses and the Hebrew people who escaped from Slavery in Egypt? Do you remember the 10 plagues?

Moses lifted His staff and God parted the Red Sea and they went though the Red Sea on dry ground.

The Moses Hebrews people had a Force Field Theology - just like you do Corinthians.

Paul says, You Corinthians relate your water Baptism connecting you to Jesus like the Hebrew people related to their following Moses through the Red Sea.

-Problem is… Walking through the Red Sea didn’t save the Hebrews in a spiritual way.

And Baptism doesn’t connect us to Jesus in a saving way.

Paul says, Corinthians do you remember how God gave the Hebrew people special food and water?

-Every morning when the Hebrews woke up their would be Manna (holy frosted flakes) on the ground for the people to pick up and make into food.

-and God even cracked open a big rock and poured water out for the Hebrew people and all their livestock to drink.

Paul makes this parallel between the Old Testament Hebrews and the Corinthians.

Paul said, You Corinthians think that eating the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper saves you. The Hebrew people thought eating manna and drinking miracle water saved them.

-You both think that your spiritual religious works saves your soul.

-However, There are no religious works that save your soul.

Paul gives another spiritual parallel between Moses Hebrews and the Corinthians.

The Hebrews thought. If we have Moses, the special bread, the special water from God…we have a spiritual force field.

The Corinthians thought - If we have Baptism, the special bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper I too have a spiritual force field.

Nothing can spiritually touch me. I’m good. I’m safe from temptation. I’m spiritually safe from sin.

Application - It is easy for those who are religious to think the same thing. If I go to church, If I give to the offering, If I’ve been baptised, If I am a church member … I’m saved.

or - I’m safe from sin. Or the sin I do is ok - my good overcomes my bad.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Paul confronts the Corinthians by using scripture. When you confront someone spiritually. The best place to start is to use scripture.

*** Quick side comment. At this time in the 1st century the New Testament had not been put together and organized yet. Notice how Paul confronts the Corinthians. He uses the Old Testament. He doesn’t use the words of Jesus. He doesn’t bring to mind a letter that was written by Peter that was in circulation. He uses the Old Testament. My friends. 90% of the Old Testament still applies to us today. And Paul knew that.

Transition - When you confront someone or when you are confronted you see the scripture, then you are given a warning.

II. A warning is given - vs. 5-6

-You read the Bible or you listen to a lesson in Sunday School or podcast. You feel convicted or spiritually concerned.

-In your spirit you sense a warning or in your mind you realize a warning … I didn’t realize I did that. Or I’ve knowingly been doing that, God wants me to stop.

Paul gives a warning in verse 5. “God was not pleased with them...” and then in verse 6 says, “this example is for you” so you are not disqualified.

-Read verse 5 & 6

“God was not please with them” “They were overthrown”

When we read Hebrews 3:16-4:2, here is what we find out. The first generation of Hebrews was not saved.

Vs. 6, Paul says to the Corinthians. This False Force Field theology doesn’t work.

If you think you are saved by Baptism or the Lord’s Supper, you aren’t saved either.

Turn in your Bible’s to Hebrews 3:16-4:2

Vs. 5, There is a very difficult teaching in verse 5.

The Hebrew people did not enter “The Spiritual Sabbath Rest in God”.

What is this “Sabbath Rest”?

This spiritual sabbath rest you enter by faith in the Good News. The Gospel. Salvation.

Reread vs. 2.

Here is the teaching, The 1st generation adult Hebrews trusted in Moses, Manna and miracle water to save them.

They did not have faith in God as their Spiritual Savior.

-They fell in the wilderness spiritually condemned, not forgiven by grace through faith.

Gospel - When you have saving faith in Jesus you rest from trying to earn your salvation or be good enough.

Rest in the fact that Jesus did the work that you could not do for yourself.

He paid the price for our sin on the Cross, out of love and compassion for you.

-Now, today you rest in the fact that you are loved and accepted by the Father, not by your spiritual achievements, but by what Jesus did on the Cross.

-The older Hebrews thought they were Ok because they had Moses, and they ate the special bread (manna) and they drank the water from the rock God provided.

In the book of Hebrews, Don’t be like the Israelite Hebrew people who failed to believe the good news.

-Don’t be like the Hebrews who God was not pleased.

-Be like those who by faith rest in Christ, and one day hear, Well done my good and faithful servant.

-You are trusting in something other than faith alone to save you.

Because you have done religious things - been baptized and gone to

Corinthians, you are in danger of being disqualified. You are in danger of not winning the prize - the crown of your salvation.

You are in danger of busting Hell wide open as a religious person.

Transition -

Both the Hebrews and the Corinthians took their force field theology one step further. They said … Because of my Force Field Theology I can go anywhere, hang out with anyone, and do anything I desire and I’ll be spiritually protected. No spiritual harm will come to me.

-Can I tell you, this sounds a lot like Witch Craft.

Here is essentially what the Corinthians were saying, Because I’ve been dunked in the magic water, eaten and drank the magic food (special potion) - I’ll be protected from spiritual temptation.

And so the Corinthians didn’t guard their lives from Temptation. They thought they had a Force Field.

Transition - Paul confronts them with 3 sins they are struggling with.

III. 3 sins to avoid, vs. 7-11

Read vs. 7-11

A. (slide) The Temptation to Go back to our old way of life,

Read vs. 7,

O.T. Moses up on the Mountain for 40 days, The people panic & ask Aaron to make them a new God to follow - and the Golden Calf, Idolatry.

-Many of Moses’ Hebrews turned back to their old way of life of Idolatry in Egypt. Believing the old god’s of Egypt would be better.

Q. Where was their Force Field? Being a follower of Moses didn’t keep them out of sin.

Paul warns the Corinthians of the same sin. He says,

-You guys think you can go back into all the Cult Temples all over your city. You think you can eat the food at the alter in the cult temples. Your Force Field won’t protect you. You will get pulled back into idolatry.

-You were called out of Idolatry to false God’s. Now some of you are back in it.

Illustration - This is just like the alcoholic (who has worked the 12 steps) going to hang out in a bar and thinking, “ I’ve worked the 12 steps, I can go back to the bar - the 12 steps protect me. And the Alcoholic can’t figure out why he keeps drinking.

-If you are going to have success over the temptation of addiction you have to escape the environment of temptation.

-If you are going to be done with your old way of life - you have to avoid the environment.

-Do you know what Romans 6 says about the old way of life you were saved out of? Stab it in the heart & twist the knife. Put it to death.

B. (slide) Temptation of Sexual Immorality, Read vs. 8,

Moses O.T. Hebrews had a problem with Sexual Immorality.

Numbers 25 - While the Hebrews people were in the dessert with Moses their camp was near the Moabite people.

The Hebrew people got pulled into Immorality with this loose people.

As judgement on their sin, God killed 24,000.

In the New Testament in Corinth...

In the culture of the Roman world and in their cult worship men were encouraged to sleep with other men & even children.

Many of the Corinthians were struggling getting back into that lifestyle. Paul warns them to stay away.

Teaching - Did you know that all the temptations in the Bible you are told to stand and fight except 1.

Sexual temptation. You are called to flee - run from sexual temptation.

Today in Jefferson County - sexual immorality is encouraged.

There is a particular sexual sin that has become very normative that feeds into many other forms of immorality.

That sin is this - Physically self satisfying yourself while you look at sexual images.

-This has become so normalized that it is expected of not only only men and woman, but also teenage boys and girls.

In Matthew 7:28 Tells us that looking at a woman in a sexual way is committing adultery in your heart.

Cutting your eye out is better than going to hell.

I would add, taking your expensive phone or tablet that you use to look at lustful videos and smashing it with a hammer is better than being cast into hell for eternity.

Flee Sexual temptation.

In God’s great love for you, he saved you from being enslaved to any sin.

He wants what is best for you. He wants you to be completely joined to Him.

Because God wants what is best for you, He wants you to flee sexual sin in your life.

Transition - The next temptation Paul addresses is

C. vs. 9, Testing Christ with Discontentment, vs. 9-10

In Exodus, Moses Hebrews in the wilderness, the people complained and argued to Moses about Egypt being better than what God had for them.

-They tired of the manna (the frosted flakes) the Hebrews people said the food was better in Egypt. They wanted to go back to where they were enslaved.

John MacArthur - Questioning God’s goodness, They were tired of the manna - they wanted more - they were not satisfied. They weren’t concerned about pleasing God and instead about pleasing self.

-All of our commercials are about how we should not be satisfied - how we should want more. We are a consumer society. We live to please ourselves. What we currently have is not good enough ...

-This bleeds into our lives with the attitude, What God has provided is not good enough.

My husband or wife is not good enough, my entertainment is not good enough, financially, experientially not good enough. We look outside God’s boundaries for what we think will make us happy.

So, How do we respond to a confrontation about our sin

IV. I must humbly recognize my propensity toward spiritual failure. vs. 12

Read vs. 12

Illustration - Ravi Zachariah

-I have loosely followed a very well known and strong Christian leader for over 25 years.

-A great defender of the faith.

-I idolized him and put him on a pedestal.

-He died of cancer at age 74 last year.

-After his death it came out very clearly that he lived a double life all along and was a sex addict.

-Many of us were crushed.

-1 take away, If a man this strong could fail in such a miserable way, how much more vulnerable am I than I ever thought.

-We all have a propensity, in our flesh toward spiritual failure.

Transition - How else do I respond to confrontation about my sin?

V. Make a plan and find a way of escape. vs. 13

Read vs. 13

Who has made a way of escape? God has - not in your wisdom or strength

Why? So like we are saved by fully depending on Him, we will keep depending on Him.

What does this way of escape tell us about the heart of God?

-God’s heart is a great heart of love & compassion.

-God’s heart wants you to succeed.

-God’s heart makes a way out of the temptation of sin.

-God’s desires you to be pure like He is.

-Where has God placed his finger on you today?

-Is there a sin in your life that He is calling you to walk away from?

-Is there a plan that you need to make?

-Is there a confession to God you need to have?

-Is there a person you need to talk with for help and accountability?

Gospel

-If you are not saved. If you have not had your sins forgiven, it starts with placing your full faith in Jesus.

-It starts with right now calling out to Him.

-God is inviting you to trust in Him right now.

-Will you say yes to Him?