Sermon Tone Analysis

~Warnings to Heed for the Undisciplined

Intro:

As many of you well know, we’ve been working through the book of 1 Corinthians.

A book filled with instructions for a young, immature, and oftentimes very carnal church.

Paul has already addressed many of the primary issues in the church in the beginning of the letter and has now moved onto answering the specific questions that they had regarding Christian living.

We are now in the section where Paul addressed the question of “food offered to idols”.

As has been noted many times, Paul address of the subject isn’t to specifically talk about that issue but a much broader topic to which this one fits in: that of Christian liberty.

Paul has already discussed with them what the Word of God has to say on it in chapter 8. How that liberties must never be pursued over care and concern for brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sacrificing one’s personal rights for the sake of another.

The principle of self-sacrificing love and devotion to another rather than self.

Paul then turns his reader’s attention to how that he not only shared with them what is correct, but in how he himself was a prime example of it.

We took note of the leadership principles found in his example in chapter 9. Paul closes that section with inspirational words of discipline and self-control so as for them to live a life worthy of the call of God and make the sacrifices he himself has made.

These big moments of God’s working can only come about when we put our effort into it as an Olympic athlete would their own sport.

With all of this in mind, Paul is still not quite yet finished on the topic of Christian liberties.

As we move into chapter 10, we will see that Paul not only gave example of his own life and how God used him to see success and victory in his walk, but example of people in times past who failed regarding the freedom they were given.

They didn’t exercise self-control and discipline and ran rampant in their freedom, and it ruined their lives.

Today, we want to listen well to the words of Paul and his “Lesson from the Past- Warnings to Heed for the Undisciplined.”

Read passage 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

As we read these verses and try to understand the transition from the previous topic, it becomes apparent that Paul was concerned that they still wouldn’t catch the importance of this topic.

Looking back a verse.

Paul was still very concerned about their being “disqualified from service.”

A metaphor from the Isthmian games.

A contestant who failed to meet the training requirements was disqualified.

He could not even run, much less win.

Paul did not want to spend his life preaching requirements to others and then be disqualified for not meeting the requirements himself nor did he want the Corinthian believer to fail.

As you read this text, you get the impression that perhaps some in the church were perhaps belittling these principles.

It isn’t hard to imagine that the Corinthian believer thought and perhaps might have even said to Paul in their letter to him with the questions they gave, that they felt perfectly secure in their Christian lives, that they had arrived.

They thought they were strong enough to freely associate with pagans in their ceremonies and social activities and not be affected morally or spiritually, as long as they did not participate in outright idolatry or immorality.

Paul tells them they were self-deceived.

Abusing their liberty not only harmed weaker believers whose consciences were offended but also endangered their own spiritual lives.

They could not live long on the far edge of freedom without falling into temptation and then into sin.

The mature, loving Christian does not try to stretch his liberty to the extreme, to see how close to evil he can come without being harmed.

You simply cannot walk the fence.

There is no middle ground here.

You’re either sold out to Christ or sold out to your flesh.

God Himself testifies that you cannot be satisfied being in the middle..

So with that being said, Paul begins by telling them “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers....” this is as if to say I want you to recall the things that our Fathers- the Israelites (their spiritual descendants) went through and what they did and how that all turned out for them.

The first thing will discussed is...

I. God’s Actions toward Israel (v.

1-6)

(I)A.

His Provisions

Guidance- “were all under the cloud”

Freedom - “all passed through the sea”

Leader - “all were baptized into Moses”

Significance for baptism is identification.

Water baptist is an outward sign of spiritual union with Christ.

When we trust in Jesus Christ, we are baptized into Him, identified with Him, made one with Him.

Paul is explaining when he says that they were baptized into Moses meaning in a sense that they were identified with him as the Lord’s appointed leader over them.

Sustenance - “all ate the same spiritual food”

- “all drank the same spiritual drink”

The Jews had a popular legend, still known and believed by many in Paul’s day, that the actual rock that Moses struck followed Israel throughout her wilderness travels, providing water wherever they went.

I believe the apostle may have been alluding to this legend, saying, “Yes, a rock did follow Israel in the wilderness.

But it was not a physical rock that provided merely physical water.

It was a spiritual rock, the Messiah (the Hebrew term for Christ) whom you have long awaited, who was with our fathers even then

The point of these affirmations is to recount the privileges that Israel possessed.

Much like we ourselves have.

-For the Corinthian believer, they too were given much from God. Saved baptized, well taught, lacking in no gift, given every spiritual blessing.....

We have been given everything we need to succeed.

But like the Israelites, we often fail....

Nehemiah recounts these events in Nehemiah 9:9-15

But how did Israel respond

(I)B.

His Reaction

“With Most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”

This wasn’t a one time offense...

Again Nehemiah recounts God’s grace to them even after they did these wrongs, and made these idols, and were unthankful, and God was still faithful to them and forgave and continued to lead them...

“These things took place as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.”

There is great truth in this verse

Let us not forget that God is a righteous God who still does punish sin today.

These verses are true of us today.

II.

Man’s Failure in their Freedom (v.

7-11)

(II)A.

Idolatry

Israel’s idolatry wasn’t so much possessions as it is for us, although there were certainly instances of this.

There idolatry was literally worshipping of other gods.

The golden calf being among many.

The origin of idolatry comes from the same place that we struggle.

It’s a place of not being content, never being satisfied.

Israel longed to be like other nations.

They placed idols in their home, they demanded a physical king to rule their people, like the other nations.

We too are never satisfied.

Places, stuff, things, events, people… many of these things are good in and of themselves, but they are misplaced in their priority.

We long after them more than we long after God.

They consume us.

Here’s a real test of whether or not you have idolatry in your life...

Our busy lives could really be our idol.

I know this to be true with having kids in the home.

This is a good illustration I saw of Facebook

“parents, one day our children will also stand before King Jesus, and He’ll care little about their grades, batting averages, 3-point percentages, yards per carry, popularity, college transcripts, or class rank.

How are we investing in their souls?

The one thing He cares about.”

I will admit to you that my wife and I recently discussed this.

We are both trying to make disciples.

Both of us have a time a week when we spend time together with them.

But recently, I’ve been asking myself, is it enough?

Is it Biblical or have we once again Americanized discipleship?

Paul was with his disciplee’s all the time.

Anywhere you see discipleship in scripture there is ongoing personal relationship taking place.

And the reason I meet but really once maybe twice a week is because of our busy schedule.