I will please and turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. We're going to look at a history lesson today. I know that should excite all the college students who have been studying history all week. This history lesson is very, very important for it's a part of God's word. Somebody said that world history is the only history that repeats itself. The person of history is repeated by your neighbor. I suppose that's true, as some of us have found it to be.
History, though, is a very important lesson for all of us because if we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. And every time history is repeated, the cost is higher. Once you read with me, you follow along as I read, the first 13 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 10.
It says, Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the Red Sea, and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual food, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Neither be you idolaters, as were some of them, as was written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day, three in twenty thousand. Neither let us put Christ to the test, as some of them also tested him, and were destroyed by serpents.
Neither mourn you, as some of them also mourned, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to men. But God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted above that you are able.
But wherewith the temptation also make dear way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. The Apostle Paul saw himself in the last part of chapter 9 as a slave, a runner, and a boxer. He knew that he had to discipline himself if he were going to accomplish what Jesus Christ had charted for him in this life.
If he allowed himself to give in to fleshly indulgence, he feared he would be disqualified in his race, or disapproved, or as the King James puts it, a castaway, one who is set on the shelf. The Apostle then illustrates the warning that he delivers in the last part of chapter 9. It is an illustration that centers itself upon Israel. Because you see, Israel allowed herself to become indulgent, and she lacked dedication and discipline, and thus lost her reward.
She repeated failure, the nation of Israel received disapproval from God, and was set aside in his purpose. We know that God is going to again take Israel up in his faithfulness, but don't you say it? She has been set aside as far as God's purpose is concerned. Now it is that whole lesson that the Apostle explains to us in the verses before us. In verses 1-4 he speaks about the privileges which Israel enjoyed. In verses 5-10, the problems which Israel encountered.
And then verses 11-13, the point which Israel exemplifies to all of us. Notice with me some of the privileges that the nation of Israel enjoyed under the blessing of God. But he made us first that there are five times in the first four verses when the word O-R-L was used. He says, all of the people of Israel were under the cloud, all passed through the Red Sea. All were baptized unto Moses. All did eat the same spiritual food, and all did drink the same spiritual drink.
In those phrases with the word O, the Apostle points out to us what the privileges were that Israel had. In the first place, Israel had the unique privilege and experience of being led by a cloud out of the bandage of Egypt. God went before his people in that pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. And by that means he guided them to the Red Sea and then protected them as they crossed the Red Sea. And then the cloud led them on to Mount Sinai.
Israel had an experience which I've never had, and which you've never had, in being led by a cloud of the visible sign that God was with them and God was guiding them. Secondly, God caused the people of Israel to pass through the Red Sea. I'm sure you remember the story of the people being camped on the shore, mountains on either side, the pharaoh of army coming from behind, and they were trapped.
And then through the miraculous work of God, the Red Sea parted and the people walked through the sea. They were delivered. And then, as a result of going through the sea with the water on each side of them, with the cloud overhead, it says that they were all baptized unto Moses. What that means is that they were identified with Moses as their great national leader.
The water you see being in the cloud and around them pictures baptism to go, as a matter of fact, which also pictures something else far more significant, and that is our identification with Jesus Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. Now the Israelites had a sort of baptism being surrounded by all of this water, but it was identification then not with Jesus Christ, but with Moses who was their leader.
And then it says they did all eat the same spiritual food, it speaks there of the manna that came down from heaven, by which God miraculously supplied for their physical need. And then it says all did drink of the same spiritual drink, that is the water that God supplied for the people in that dry wilderness.
It did it several ways. The one way, and the way the suggestion here by this use of the phrase the rock, is by the smitten rock, out which there flowed out of the rock a river of water that supplied for the needs of the people. What God is pointing out to us in these verses is that Israel had some unique experiences, they were privileges which no other people in the history of the world have had.
They had some things going for them that we've never had going for you in terms of material things, and the blessings which God poured upon them. The four physical blessings, our types as it were, are the spiritual blessings that we have in Jesus Christ. For example, it says that they were led by a cloud. You and I today do not have a cloud over our heads that guides us, but we have the indwelling Holy Spirit who leads us as children of God.
It says that they passed through the Red Sea, you and I too have passed through the Red Sea of Death, and we were identified with Jesus Christ, and we have been brought through and raised in newness of life with Jesus Christ. It says that they were identified with Moses through this experience, through our death, burial, and resurrection spiritually we were identified with Jesus Christ. The children of Israel had those little wakers that God provided out of heaven, the manna.
You and I today spiritually have God's manna in the Son of God. God supplied for those people rather out of the rock. God today supplies for our nourishment by the Spirit of God who lives within us. And so you see there's a parallel as it were between what God supplied for them and what God supplies for us today. Now notice again that all of the people had the same privileges. Do you see that? And then look at verse 5. It says, But with many of them, God was not well pleased.
The word many though actually means the majority. God says with the majority of them he was not well pleased. Another interesting thing in that sentence is that that word well pleased is related in the original language to the word castaway back in chapter 9 verse 27. So what is God saying here? God is saying that these children of Israel had unique and special privileges from him. By which he led them and he guided them and provided for all of their needs.
Although they all had these unique privileges, most of them did not take advantage of the privileges and live in light of them. Most of them were disqualified, disappeared or cast away in erodeness. The picture is very graphic in that verse of people who died as the children of Israel marched along. So that their path could be followed through erodeness by the bodies, the corpses of people who had been cast away and disapproved by God.
Because they did not live in the light of the privileges God had given to them. And what were the problems they encountered that caused them to be disqualified for God's blessing? Well he lists them for us. He says these things were our examples. In other words they are for us to learn something. To the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they did. There were times repeated when the children of Israel desired things which God did not see fit to provide at that point.
Sometimes it was water to drink, sometimes it was food, sometimes it was a change of diet, sometimes they desired a change of leadership. But the children of Israel again and again lusted after things which God in his wisdom did not see fit to provide at that point. There were times when God gave them their desires. But as it says in the Psalms, he sent leanness to their souls. They got what they wanted physically, but spiritually they suffered for it.
And then it says that they also were idolaters. In New-York, be he not idolaters as some of them were. He seems to refer specifically to that occasion when they worshiped the golden calf in Exodus chapter 32. Or when Moses did not come down from that mountain. The people decided that they needed to make a figure like unto God and Oran led them in bringing gold and melting it down and then fashioning this calf which they worshiped and called God.
And that idolatry led to immorality which was practiced as a part of the worship of that golden calf. And we are willing that we are not the idolaters as some of them were. And then he goes on to remark about the fornication. And again and again Israel did this. It says some of them committed fornication and they fell in one day 23,000 of them. He goes on in verse 9 to speak about their putting Christ to the test. How did they do that? Turn back to Numbers chapter 21 for a moment with me.
I'm going to take time to illustrate at least one of these by the historical record. Numbers chapter 21. Look at verse 5 of Numbers chapter 21. It says the people spoke against God and against Moses. Therefore have they brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loveth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and many people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We've sinned, for we've spoken against the Lord and against thee. Pray to the Lord that he may take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that every wind that is bitten, when it liveth upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole.
It came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of bronze, he lived. That is the specific record spoken of in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. When the apostle says that they put Christ to the test, the Lord of the Holocaust says these words, that they over tempted the Lord. There are only four times in the New Testament when that word, tempt or test or put Christ to the test, is used. And it's always used of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what it means is to tempt fairly.
On that occasion, as well as others, the children of Israel tempted God. They put God to the test. What happened? They were dissatisfied with what God had provided for them. There were times when they weren't happy with what God did not provide, but there were other times when they weren't happy with what God did provide. And they put the Lord to the test. Then in verse 10, it refers to murmuring. It says, neither murmured ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer.
They murmured. Even that very word has the sound of what it means. It means, under the surface, murmuring, talking, griping, belittling, complaining. Why does it not have to be a casual reader of the Old Testament record to know that that was very accurate? Much of the conversation of the wilderness, they were constantly murmuring against God. And for all of these things, God judged his people.
You see, they had unique privileges, but they constantly resisted the Lord, rebelled against him, did not take advantage of their privileges, and consequently, they were sent on the shelf. And what the apostle tells us is that all of this history, which is not really dry, dusty stuff, by the way, is actually a lesson for us. Notice verse 11. All those things happened unto them for our examples, and they are written for our admonition, about whom the ends of the ages are come.
In other words, we today live in the climax of history, the consummation of history. And he says, all of those things happened to the Israelites for our example. We have better to learn, says Paul, from what happened to them. How does this apply to us today, practically? The Bible says that every spiritual blessing is ours in Jesus Christ. The Bible assures us that there is not one thing that we could want that God does not provide for us in Jesus Christ.
God promises that he will guide us and lead us through life. God promises that he will so direct the circumstances of our lives that they will work out for good. Yet we have a hard time believing that. Spiritual blessing and spiritual privilege is ours far beyond what Israel had. The question is, are we living in the light of our privileges? Are we taking advantage of what God has provided for us, or are we like the Israelites who murmured and complained?
Who committed fornication and did not keep themselves pure? Who committed idolatry, and I remind you that the New Testament definition of idolatry includes even greed. Covetousness is idolatry, the New Testament says twice. To say anything before God in my life is idolatry. Are we putting Christ to the test by resisting and rebelling against him?
What the apostle is saying is that if we are going to accomplish what God wants us to accomplish in this world, we are only going to do that by being surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We are not surrendered to his lordship, to his master over us, if we are constantly chafing and griping and resisting and rebelling against him. And the warning is that if we do those things, we too, like Israel, will be set on the shelf. And our lives will be wasted.
You see, we only get one pass at this thing called life. We can't go back and live over one hour, let alone a day or a year. And therefore, every hour and every day are significant. We dare not waste them. Since we only have one shot at life, the apostle is exhorting us to live it to the fullest in the light of our privileges. Because you see, with privilege comes responsibility, doesn't it? As you and I gain privileges as we grow up in the world, we get more and more responsibility.
When you became a teenager, your parents gave you more privileges than you had when you were a child. But with that came responsibility, by which they measured your maturity. And now that some of you have left home and you're in college or others of you are newly married, some of us here are more than newly married. Every stage in life brings new privilege and new responsibility. The same thing is true spiritually.
As we grow up in the family of God, God gives us more and more responsibility to match our privileges. And the question is, are we making our responsibility the bow? Are we meeting it? We cannot meet it without commitment and determination to get the job done that God has given to us. And that's why Paul said, I'm like a slave. I have no rights for myself. I'm like an athlete who is in training. I discipline myself and bring myself under subjection.
So that after I've preached to others, I myself don't become set on the shelf. I'm speaking to some people today ungodly in a crowd this big. They're going through some experiences that are kind of tough. And we're kind of chafing and we're resisting God at this point because you're not sure whether God has your best interests at heart. I may be speaking to someone else who is involved in impurity and immorality. God's called us to holiness.
That you have charted a course of life that's leading you in another direction away from God. And you're messing around with some things that are dangerous. I may be talking to some others who have set some things in their lives before God, perhaps it's some relationship. Perhaps it's material things or a position in the corporation. Or we've set things before God in the guilt of our auditory. That's exactly what Paul is talking about. He says be careful of these things.
Look at Israel's history and learn a lesson. Because Israel had special privileges. But the majority of them were disqualified. In fact there were only two people weren't there. That came to the promised land. Who were part of the original crowd that came out of Egypt. That was Caleb and Joshua. Two out of those hundreds of thousands. Who were approved. The minority. Would you be a part of that blessed minority?
Who will lay everything on the altar and say Lord I am going to trust you no matter what. It may appear that there is no answer for me but I'm going to look to you. It may seem that the world is collapsing on me but I am going to hang on to your faith. I am not going to speak against you to above and resist and chafe under your leadership. You say can we do that with God? Yes we can. We can trust God. And that's how Paul concludes our text today.
First he warns those who think that they are strong. And he says let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. See there is none of us that is so strong that he can say he is beyond the point of falling. None of us. That's the warning but the encouragement goes on to say there is no temptation or there is no test. That has no hold of you. But such as is common to men. But God is faithful. In other words God is worthy of our trust. He will not permit you to be tempted or tested.
Above that we are able but with the temptation also make we ready to escape that we may be able to go. I see at least two encouragements in verse 13 for you and me when we meet our tests. The first encouragement is for everyone faces tests. And there is no new test that we are experiencing that someone else has never experienced. There are times we feel like we are the only ones who have ever faced this situation. Have you ever felt that way?
No one has ever been through an experience like this before. According to the Bible. The Bible says that temptations and tests are common to man. In other words it is part of being a human being. There are people who have experienced what you are experiencing right now. There are people who know the difficulty of looking for a job or who are going through loneliness like you are going through. You are not alone in your test. That is an encouragement.
But there is a second encouragement that is even greater to me and that is the phrase God is faithful. And the original language as Paul wrote that emphasizes that God is faithful. Literally he says faithful is God. He says God does not fail. What does God do for us in our test? Well there are three things that God does for us. Notice them. First he limits the intensity of them. He does not allow us to be tested above what we are able to bear.
God knows how much you can take. He knows how much I can take. And when we pass through the test, God limits the intensity of the test. He promises to do that. God is faithful. He will not allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear. Second blessed truth I see is that God provides for the victory. Because not only does God limit the intensity of the test, but God provides the way out. Or the way to escape when we go. It is the way, not just a way, but God provides a specific way to get out.
It is as though you are in a dark cave. You see no way out. And yet as you keep walking along, trusting the voice, in front of you appears some light. And God provides the way out. This specific word, the way out, or the way to escape in the original, was used in that day of a day. The way out of the sea where a ship could be tossed and torn apart by the waves. And yet there were bays where ships might slide in to be protected from the storm. That was the way out of the storm.
You see God in the midst of our test provides a way out for us. It doesn't mean that he is going to middle in the test, but in the midst of the test, he provides a place of refuge. Where we can be protected so we are not torn apart. And now God does limit the intensity provided for the victory, but he fashions it deliberately. In other words, he has a purpose in mind. God is faithful, and with the temptation will make the way to escape, but we may be able to endure it.
And the word endure means to bear up under the load. When I think of this word, I think of Oplous in mythology, who bears the world upon his shoulders. He is underneath the load lifting it up. So he says that God is able to enable us to lift up during the time of testing. Some of us today though, feel like we are falling flat on our face. I am talking to some people today who wonder if God hasn't blown it and failed.
Now don't feel alone, because there are times when all of us have felt the same way. May I speak to you out of experience for a moment and say to you that the three words that we are emphasizing right now are true. God is faithful. You can trust him. I don't know what the test is you are passing through, or what the problem is that you are encountering. But I do know this. God has already in Jesus Christ applied for your need.
And in the midst of that test that you are in, he is deeply interested in you and is providing the way of escape. Have you looked to him recently in prayer and said, Lord I trust you? Have you focused your heart's attention on Jesus Christ and said, Lord I can't see the world right now, but I am trusting you. I know that you are working for my good and for your glory. Be careful of chafing and resisting and rebelling and getting angry at God, because that leads to disapproval.
I don't know where the message finds you this morning, but there are some people here today who need to make a decision. Right now the Holy Spirit is working in your heart and you just feel your whole insides are bubbling and churning because you have been struggling with the test. God is whispering in your ear today and is still small voice and he is saying, I can be trusted. Will you surrender to my Lordship in your life? Will you love me, take control?
Will you? I hope so. Because God is faithful. Let's pray. Father, I pray that we will take these words this morning that have been spoken and cause them to go deeply into our hearts. Cause your word to get a hold of our attention so that we cannot escape it. There are some brothers and sisters here today who are part of your family and who have been given as children of God special privileges. They have not been living up to responsibility and commitment.
Today there needs to be a fresh new commitment to the Lordship of Christ. There are some others who have been going through tests and trials and they feel as though the ship of their lives is starting to come apart. Today they need to look to you again fresh and anew. And admit that God is faithful and that you are worthy of their trust. Help them to do that today. Turn over the controls of their lives and let you take charge.
Whatever our spiritual need is here today, help us to face it honestly and to respond as the Spirit of God would have us to do. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. I'm going to ask you to take your hemlock and turn with me to... ...443 only one life...