Unaware

1 Corinthians 10:1–9 (NLT) — 1 I don’t want you to forget,

(Some versions say I don’t want you to be unaware.)

DEFINE- The Greek word used for forget or unaware is this word “Agnoein” which means to be ignorant; not to know.

We get the sense it means to not knowing something you ought to know either by forgetting or ignorance.

dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did,

7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. 9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.

CrossFire I do not want you to be UNAWARE that you have been called to this moment in history to be the action at the end of God’s power… (General edification) Look I know it is so easy to forget and just go through life… This is why Paul wrote, “I don’t want you to forget…”

POINT- Forgetting can be so dangerous

ILLUSTRATION- In a bus in India when the roof nearly got ripped off.

KEY- The Corinthian church was living the good life, day after day, but in it came the warning, DON’T FORGET.

MAIN POINT- It is so easy to become unaware or to forget that God has called us to this point in history to be the action at the end of his power, its easy to forget that we have a purpose to fulfil everyday.

Don’t become unaware, don’t forget! Don’t get so caught up with everyday living that you work God out of the plan.

So Paul reminds the church in Corinth of the Israelites that were freed from slavery in Egypt about 3000 years prior from this moment as a warning.

They show us the dangers of forgetting who God is and who we are.

1.) They had his presence but they forgot his purpose.

1 Corinthians 10:1 (NLT) — 1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.

Could you imagine what it must’ve been like, you read about this in Exodus 13:21-22.

Exodus 13:21–22 (NLT) — 21 The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. 22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.

KEY- The Hebrew word used for pillar literally means “something standing.” It’s almost as if the text is showing us that God put this column of cloud going from the ground to the skies and extending over them.

Just imagine how that would’ve felt… To see this miraculous cloud that was this visible irrefutable evidence that God is with me!

KEY- Yet despite the irrefutable evidence there were many occasions when they seemed to doubt, to rebel, and to act as if God was distant.

KEY POINT- We know by studying the totality of God’s word that this cloud was a picture of, it represented God’s presence. God with us.

When you consider how this cloud represented God’s presence you can get insight into the purpose of God’s presence…

The cloud gave reassurance to the people - God’s presence gives us the assurance he is for us.

The cloud obscured anything beyond it. As they followed it they couldn’t see beyond it they could only see the cloud. - God’s presence obscures every distraction, insecurity, every worry. I don’t always know what my next step is but I know he is with me.

The cloud covered them and protected them from the harmful environment they were in. - God’s presence gives us full Joy, God’s presence does not coexist with fear.

POINT- You have heard it said many times that God is with you, but we so often forget the significance of that truth and its very purpose.

POINT- DON’T FORGET HE IS WITH YOU AND DON’T FORGET IT’S PURPOSE!

So now when I go to school I’m not so easily distracted with how to fit in with a world I’m not supposed to fit in with, So now when I become overwhelmed I’m reminded God is all I need.

CHALLENGE- Don’t become unaware, don’t forget! Don’t get so caught up with everyday living that you forget God is with you!

2.) They had his power but they forgot to use it.

1 Corinthians 10:1 (NLT) — 1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.

KEY POINT- The devil LOVES it when you forget about what God did for you in the past, and he loves it even more when you don’t even take the time to consider he was ever there.

POINT- Every problem seems insurmountable problem seems impossible until God gets involved.

ILLUSTRATION- I was recently remodeling a room we are using for preschool and in the process of doing so I ended up needing a drill bit that I didn’t have and Pastor Joe ended up running an errand for me and picking it up, but in the meantime I was trying to use a screw driver. You know how frustrating it is to have a power tool but no way to apply it?

KEY- The Israelites faced impossible circumstances, doubted it would work out, God demonstrates his power, and they came out on top.

Numbers 14:11 (NLT) — 11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?

3.) They had his provision but but they forgot he was enough.

1 Corinthians 10:3–4 (NLT) — 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

They were never thirsty, they were never hungry God always met every one of their needs.

POINT- The Devil loves to remind you of what you don’t have.

POINT- God is enough!

I could have every luxury and every technological wonder, I could have the biggest TVs, the best cars, the latest phones, tablets, and computers, I could live in the biggest houses, I could attend the most prestigious athletic training camps, and make the cut for the best teams, I could have the most followers, and be idolized by all my peers, but if I don’t have Jesus none of it even matters!

KEY POINT- Your purpose is linked to daily remembering this point. Don’t forget God is enough. They had his provision, but they forgot he was enough.

POINT- The enemy to your purpose is everything you think you need.

ILLUSTRATION- A girl in my ministry came up to me one time in tears telling me about how God had a call on her life, but she was so broken hearted giving me every reason why it will never work out. She is now a youth pastor doing God’s will!

Conclusion…

They had so much, everything they needed to please God, but yet they didn’t please God.

How is this possible, why?

I don’t believe that they were bad people… I believe they loved the Lord… So why didn’t they please God?

They forgot… God was part of their everyday life, but they forgot who he is and they forgot who they were. How easy it is to just forget. They were unaware…

How sad it is when a child of God is unaware of the potential that is within them.

ILLUSTRATION- Harry Hudini Locked in a cell when the door was unlocked.

CHALLENGE- Don’t forget who God is! Don’t forget who you are! Focus on purpose.