Sinners Made Saints: Limiting Our Liberty

Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Theme: One of the surest ways to fall into temptation and sin is to become overconfident in our Christian liberty. 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.

Date: 11/07/2021 Title: 1_Corinthinas_17 ID: NT07-10

In chapter 8 Paul sets forth the principle that, although Christians are free to do whatever Scripture does not forbid as being morally wrong, not everything we may be free to do is good for us. In chapter six we heard Paul say, ““All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12, ESV). He repeats that admonition here in 1 Corinthians 10:23. Although Christians are free to do whatever Scripture does not forbid as being morally wrong, if we love as God calls us to love, we will limit our liberty for the sake of weaker believers, and also for our own sake. In chapter 9 Paul illustrates this limitation from his own life and ministry. To keep from giving anyone in Corinth reason to think he was preaching for the money, he accepted no wages from those to whom he was ministering. He also modified and adapted his life-style in order to witness more effectively.

The second half of chapter 8 and all of chapter 9 illustrate how using our freedom affects others. Chapter 10 illustrates how our use of freedom affects our own lives. In verses 1–13 Paul shows how misuse of liberty can disqualify us from effective service to Christ.

Paul has repeatedly referred to weak brethren and strong brethren. The spiritually weak brethren are those believers who tend to add rules and regulations to the Christian experience in order to establish guidelines for one’s sanctification. It’s reminiscent of the Jewish practice of khumra. The Rabbis referred to it as building a fence around the Law. The rationale for khumra comes from Deuteronomy 22:8, which states that when one builds a house, he must build a fence around the roof in order to avoid guilt should someone fall off the roof. This reminds us that fences are often erected to keep people from getting too close to something — such as the edge of a roof. They are often meant to keep us safe. In ancient Judaism a whole system of rules and regulations were developed to keep faithful Jews from getting too close to the Law so that one wouldn’t break the Law. For example, instead of not doing work for the 24 hours of the Sabbath, they made it 25 hours to guard against even accidently breaking God’s law by working on the Sabbath. Well, even that begs the question, What constitutes ‘work’? And so the Rabbis had to decide what ‘work’ was. One result — you could only walk so far on the Sabbath (a “Sabbath day’s journey”) — one step further and you were ‘working’ and therefore breaking the Sabbath. In a similar way, some Christians are tempted to add rules and regulations to the faith to keep faithful believers from getting too close to sin so that we don’t actually sin. Most of you have heard the old Evangelical adage, Thou shalt not smoke, and thou shalt not chew, and thou shalt date those who do. In that adage, not only is the use of tobacco “sin” but being in a relationship with one who uses tobacco is also to be avoided because it puts you in “too close” a proximity to sin. Rather than allowing a believer to use discernment and wisdom in the use of tobacco or being in a relationship with those who do, we just establish and extra-biblical rule to keep us from getting to close to sin. We want rules that are easy to follow; check lists with bite-sized pieces of law that we can obey and feel good about ourselves and how we match up to others.

But there is the opposite problem, and that’s what Paul actually speaks to here in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. The temptation is for the spiritually strong brethren to be overconfident in one’s ability to resist temptation. In Corinth certain believers 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. One cannot live long on the far edge of freedom without falling into temptation and then into sin. Three points are found in this chapter

A Sobering Illustration

A Shameful Ignorance

A Sanctifying Instruction

I. A SOBERING ILLUSTRATION

1. Paul uses a sobering illustration to remind the self-confident believers among them that pride in one’s spiritual maturity often precedes a spiritual fall

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (1 Corinthians 10:1–5, ESV)

2. when a Christian becomes so confident of his resistance to temptation that he thinks he can handle any situation, he is overconfident and in great danger of falling into sin

a. the central thought of the chapter is found in vs. 12

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12, ESV)

b. the danger is not of falling from salvation but of falling from holiness and from usefulness in service

A. GOD’S INCREDIBLE GRACE

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers ... “

1. through an incredible display of God’s power, Israel had been called out of Egypt, preserved from the plagues and delivered from the Egyptian army when God parted the Red Sea

a. they experienced His presence, protection, and faithful provision in the wilderness

b. every day for forty years God’s presence was manifested by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night

2. spiritually speaking God has done the same for us

a. through an incredible display of God’s power in the cross of Christ, and the redemption of our soul through faith in the atoning work of Christ, God has called us out of the world, preserved our lives from the plague of sin and has delivered us into His kingdom

b. we experience His presence, protection, and faithful provision in the wilderness of this world

c. in our lives his presence is manifested by the infilling of His Holy Spirit

3. although the Israelites enjoyed the privileges of being God’s chosen people, they failed to remain faithful to Him

a. they grumbled and complained

b. they staged insurrections against God’s chosen leaders and ...

c. they flirted with idols

4. Christians are not immune to falling away from God despite His abundant blessings

B. OUR UNDENIABLE RESEMBLANCE

1. in these first five verse Paul is going to explain the spiritual resemblance between the Israelites spiritual experience with God and ours

a. the Hebrews were under the cloud, and they passed through the sea and were all baptized into Moses

1) through these events which Paul sees as a symbolic baptism of the Israelites, they were identified as God’s people by being “baptized into” Moses

2) as Paul explains in Romans 6:1–10, our water baptism is an outward symbol of our spiritual union with Christ in His death and resurrection

a) immersion in water symbolizes the baptism of the Holy Spirit believers experienced when God’ Spirit quickened our dead souls, making them alive in Christ and then taking up residence in us

b) the theological term for this is regeneration

b. the Hebrews also ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink

1) this is a reference to the manna and water — which Paul calls spiritual drink — that God regularly and miraculously supplied Israel while in the desert

2) Paul writes that the water they drank came from a spiritual Rock that followed them

ILLUS. 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.

a) Paul’s argument is “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 — whom you have long awaited, who was with our fathers even then”

3) as Christians we also eat spiritual bread and drink spiritual drink — we did so last Sunday when we participated in the Lord’s Supper

a) neither save us, but they are a reminder of the One who spiritually sustains us ... his name is Jesus

ILLUS. During the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh chapter of John’s Gospel Jesus declared that he is the Living Water and if we are thirsty we are to come to him. After feeding the five-thousand, Jesus tells the crowd that he is the Bread of Live (John 6:35).

Paul’s theological connection is this: Just as Christ was the source of Israel’s life then, Christ is the source of our life now.

2. Paul’s conclusion is in vs. 5

“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (1 Corinthians 10:5, ESV)

ILLUS. “Most of them” is certainly an understatement! When you look at the narrative of the Exodus and Israel’s wilderness wanderings, of all those over the age of twenty who exited Egypt, God was only “pleased” with two — Caleb and Joshua. They were the two of ten spies who brought the “minority report” about Israel’s ability to conquer the Promised Land. They said We can do it when all the rest bemoaned the “giants in the land.” Even Moses, himself, didn’t make it into the Promised Land because of his disobedience that robbed God of His glory.

3. so Paul is attempting to draw this spiritual comparison between Old Testament saints and New Testament saints

a. Israel had all these marvelous privileges

a supernatural deliverance through the sea

a supernatural sustenance through the bread and the rock that gave water

a supernatural presence through the cloud and fire

b. and still, with all that, Israel lived on the far edge of freedom and sinned by flirting with idolatry

4. Paul’s point to the “spiritually mature” believers at Corinth (and us) is “Don’t think it can’t happen to you”

“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6, ESV)

Verses 1-5 Are a Sobering Illustration

II. A SHAMEFUL IGNORANCE

1. vs 6-10 reveal a shameful ignorance on the part of the Christians at Corinth

“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.” (1 Corinthians 10:6–10, ESV)

2. the Corinthians should have seen the spiritual history of the Jews as a warning that privilege with God does not guarantee that sin will not disqualify us from service

A. IDOLATRY COMES IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND FORMS

ILLUS. In the 44th chapter Isaiah, the prophet lampoons those who create idols. He talks about the skilled carpenter who plants a cedar sapling and watches it grow. He waters it and tends it until it is large enough to cut down. He cuts it into sections. Part of the tree he burns to keep him and his family warm. Another part his wife uses in the oven to bake the family’s bread. But part of it the carpenter takes and begins to whittle away at it carving it into a human likeness. And when he is finishes he falls down before it and worships it. He then prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” Isaiah asks, Do you not understand how idiotic this is? It’s the prophet’s “mic-drop” moment.

1. in Paul’s day idols often came in the form of carved wood or chiseled stone or cast metal

a. some of the greatest artistic works of antiquity are images of idols

ILLUS. Just outside the city of Corinth was a high escarpment called the Acrocorinth. On top was a magnificent temple to the goddess Aphrodite. It contained a famous statue of Armed Aphrodite, dressed in warrior’s armor and holding a shield before herself. Worshipers came from all over the Mediterranean to bow before Aphrodite and feast on the carnal pleasures of her temple.

b. few people in Western culture bow down to graven images today

2. idols, however, are still as prevalent in our day as in Paul’s day, and the Apostle lists some of them in these verses

a. we may not necessarily consider these things idols, but Paul certainly does when he writes, Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written ...

1) the idol of hedonistic pleasure — food and wine and entertainment

2) the idol of sexual appetite — sexual immorality

3) the idol of self-sufficiency — because of their lack of faith and their evil words, the LORD God sent fiery serpents among the people

4) the idol of dissatisfaction — grumbling (which is often a disguised form of greed) ... this is what God has provided, but this is really what I want

B. GOD IS AROUSED TO JEALOUS ANGER WHEN HIS PEOPLE HAVE DIVIDED HEARTS

“You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, ... ,” (Exodus 20:5, ESV)

1. the Israelites constantly aroused God's jealousy and provoked Him to anger by straying after other gods

a. is God jealous because there actually are other gods?

1) of course not

2. He is jealous because He cannot stand our divided loyalty

a. God does not like playing second fiddle in the hearts of His people

"Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." (Psalm 86:11, NIV84)

b. God doesn't care if you have a big heart or a little heart

1) He's just interested in hearts that are totally His

3. does God have all or your heart or have you set up some idols?

a. here’s the issue ... divided hearts always lead to divided worship

b. one of the saddest chapters in the life of Israel was during the period of the monarchy when Israel was ruled by kings

1) yes, they sacrificed to the living God

2) but they also lapsed into worship of the gods of the pagans who lived in the lands around them

"They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought." (2 Kings 17:33, NIV84)

c. the problem that the Apostle Paul is concerned with is that some of the Corinthian believers who think they’re spiritually mature will push their Christian liberty to a point where they actually fall into idolatry

d. in Corinth no religious, social, political, or business function was conducted without some involvement with idol worship or recognition or sacrifice

4. Jesus addresses the issue of a divided heart ...

““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:24–25, ESV)

a. Jesus made it very clear that idolatry can be an attitude as well as an overt act

1) some have made their wealth their idol

2) some have made their lifestyle their idol

3) some have made their physic their idol

4) some have made fashion trends their idol

5) some have made relationships their idol

b. does your heart cling to any of these things?

ILLUS. Martin Luther, the man who set the Protestant Reformation on its course, wrote, "Whatever your heart clings to and confides in that is really your God."

c. what about some of the other things we so easily cling to?

1) our jobs?

2) our family?

3) our position and influence within the community or workplace?

4) our academic achievements, awards or honors?

d. we often consider idolatry a sin most often seen in other cultures

1) it's the Buddhist bowing to a golden Buddha

2) it's a Hindu bathing in the Ganges river

3) it's the Haitian Voodoo Priest sacrificing a chicken

4) it's the African Shaman burning incense to the spirits

e. but as you saw in the video, America has its idols and false gods as well

1) goals and dreams can consume us

2) possessions and property can preoccupy us

3) people can enamor us

5. Israel set up high places in the surrounding countryside where they worshiped false gods ... we set up high places in our hearts — that’s were we worship our false gods

a. many professing believers who would not take a second glance at a carved idol will sacrifice health, time, family, moral standards, and anything else required in order to achieve the idol of success or recognition they want

Verses 6-10 Reveal A Shameful Ignorance

III. A SANCTIFYING INSTRUCTION

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:11–12, ESV)

1. we are living in a greatly different age from that of the Hebrews in the wilderness under Moses, but we can learn a valuable lesson from their experience

a. like them we can forfeit our blessing, reward, and effectiveness in the Lord’s service if, in overconfidence and presumption, we take our liberties too far and fall into disobedience and sin

b. we will not lose our salvation, but we can easily lose our virtue and usefulness, and become disqualified in the race of the Christian life

A. LESSONS

1. Lesson #1: Look to the Lives of Failed Christians as the Cautionary Tail That We Are Never as Spiritually Strong as We Think We Are

ILLUS. Some of you may recognize the name Bob Harrington. He was a colorful and crusading Southern Baptist evangelist who in the 1960s led religious services inside and outside of the New Orleans French Quarter’s nightclubs and strip-joints, earning him national attention and the nickname the “Chaplain of Bourbon Street." Supremely confident, he gained national attention and as his fame spread he was frequently heard on radio, and seen on TV, and went on to write seven books and produce 30 records, two of which went gold. After some 20 years in New Orleans, Harrington struggled with his fame and the ego and excess that followed. In one interview, a contrite Harrington said, “the devil threw me a pass and I caught it and ran for defeat.” Pride, arrogance, immorality, self-centeredness and stubbornness cost him two marriages and his ministry. He thought he was above temptation. He wasn’t.

a. every believer, especially when he becomes self-confident in his Christian liberty and spiritual maturity, should take heed lest he fall

b. Paul expresses a timeless principle, articulated in Proverbs as “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (16:18)

1) it is easy to substitute confidence in ourselves for confidence in the Lord

c. it is so easy to become so enamored of our freedom in Christ that we forget we are His, bought with a price and called to obedience to His Word and to His service

2. Lesson #2: Regularly Examine Your Faith to See If Pride in Your Spiritual Maturity Has You on the Brink of Abusing Your Christian Liberty

a. 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

1) the prophet Jeremiah called God’s people to honest self-evaluation and repentance

“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!” (Lamentations 3:40, ESV)

2) in his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul encouraged ...

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)

3) from time to time we need to pray as King David prayed ...

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24, ESV)

b. a tough but spiritually beneficial question to ask ourselves regularly is, “What is my spiritual condition?”

c. believers must regularly examine their motives, their actions, and the current condition of their hearts to make sure they don’t bring condemnation to their lives, disrepute to Christ’s Church, and God’s discipline on themselves

3. Lesson #3: Understand That Sin Always Lies Crouching on Our Doorstep, but God Will Always Provide an Escape from Temptation

a. some of you recognize the phrase Sin Always Lies Crouching on Our Doorstep as the statement God made to Cain

1) this description of sin is striking

2) it refers to lying in wait like a predator lurking for its prey

b. unfortunately, rather than fleeing from sin, Cain let it pounce, and he killed his brother, Abel

c. if we ignore our devotional life, if we ignore our worship, if we ignore prayer and bible reading, if we ignore God, the Lord puts us on notice that sin is crouching at our door

1) it’s no wonder the Apostle Peter writes ...

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, ESV)

d. the good news is that

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

4. Lesson #4: Ruthlessly Evaluated Your Life for Idols

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:20–21, ESV)

a. the last line of this epistle has always amazed me ... John is writing to Christians, in fact he’s writing to his beloved Church as Ephesus, and his last statement to them is Little children, keep yourselves from idols

1) John knows that even the most sanctified of Christian’s can turn almost anything, even good things, into idols

ILLUS. The Protestant Reformer, John Calvin, was correct when he wrote, ” ... Our hearts become factories of idols in which we fashion and refashion God to fit our needs and desires.”

c. what does your heart cling to and confide in?

d. if it’s anything, but Jesus repent and return to Christ

One of the surest ways to fall into temptation and sin is to become overconfident in our Christian liberty. 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.