The Miseries of Surrendering to Temptation
(I Corinthians 10:1-13)
1. In the Spring, Marylu and I spent a day at one of our State Parks, McCormick's Creek (my personal favorite). But we could not go into the cave there because of a deadly disease that is annihilating bats.
2. This week, an AP story broke:
"A mysterious illness is threatening the bat population in North America, and scientists believe a fungus is to blame. White Nose Syndrome (WNS) was first detected in New York in 2006. In just four years, the disease has spread across New England and the Mid-Atlantic states and into Canada, The U.S. Forest Service said. Recent sightings have been reported in bat populations in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. At the time of this writing, more than 1 million bats have died, Reuters reported.
Researchers say WNS is caused by a cold-loving fungus called Geomyces destructans. The fungus is spread primarily through bat-to-bat interaction, but it can also be transmitted on the footwear, clothing and gear of cave visitors. When the fungus comes in contact with a bat, it produces a white material on the animal's face and wings, and forces the creature out of hibernation in the middle of winter. Infected bats then attempt to find food. Since there are no insects available, the bats literally starve to death.
3. We tend to forget how we affect one another. Humans affect bats, bats eat bugs, bugs can bite and infect humans….all tangled up.
4. The same is true between the First and Second Testament….
5. Today's passage is one of the clearest examples of midrash in Scripture.
Main Idea: We never get to the point where we do not have to resist temptation – at least while at home on earth in our mortal bodies.
I. Spiritual Advantages Do Not GUARANTEE Spiritual Victory (1-4)
"Our forefathers." A lot of times when Paul uses the term "our," he is referring to himself and his fellows Jews. Most of these "forefathers" were neither the genetic forefathers of the Corinthians, nor spiritual forefathers, since most of these Hebrews in the desert were unsaved. Still, they seve as examples or ANTI-examples for us.
There is great power in an anti-example. Think of someone you do not want to be like…
A. BAPTISM
1. A lot of people think dry cleaning is dry…it's not
2. But this is dry baptism…
3. Christians can relate to this… baptism represents the first step of discipleship…some of you have yet to take this step…August 22
4. As important as baptism is, it cannot hold a candle to faith
B. COMMUNION
1. The idea here is of a common meal and drink
2. Eating and drinking signify fellowship
3. Honoring the Lord through remembering his broken body and shed blood is an important ritual, but it cannot compare to faith
4. But Moses ruined the imagery by striking the rock.
5. Did the rock literally follow them, or spiritually?
6. Clue: Deuteronomy 32:30-31, " How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede." 32:13, " He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag,"
C. EXPERIENCES
• When it comes to pleasing God, religion and rituals do not cut it. The issue is always the heart and our walk.
• Despite all these advantage, the children of Israel lost their opportunity to enter the promised land.
• Many within the church think they are heaven bound because they have been baptized or share in communion, have had visions or religious experiences
• But the midrash here is not about genuine conversion vs. false conversion; Paul takes the lesson in a different direction.
• Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Christian fellowship do not make one
• immune from falling into sin. We cannot let down our guard until we are in heaven.
•
We never get to the point where we do not have to resist temptation – at least while at home on earth in our mortal bodies.
II. The Consequences of Giving In to TEMPTATION Are Real (5-10)
Verse 5 is potent: despite all the religious ritual and identification they experienced, God was not pleased with them. God is into substance, not image.
A. DESIRING evil things (6)
1. We all desire evil things; those evil things might not be evil in themselves, but they are evil for us because they are not in God's plan for us…
2. The secret is in refusing to nurture our desire for evil and distracting that desiring by refocusing our energy on the good…
B. Mix and Match RELIGION (7)
We have a vocabulary word for this, syncretism; it means to combine elements from various religious viewpoints, here a little, there a little. This happened, IMO, in the early church, particularly with the influx of gentiles into the church.
When we surrender to temptation, it affects our theology and convictions.
C. Sexual IMMORALITY (8)
We have not yet looked at the immorality incited by Balaam, but you might remember their immoral behavior as Moses was coming down from the mountain. Pagan religions usually include immorality as part of their attempt to worship their gods.
When we surrender to temptation, we disgrace our God.
D. TESTING the Lord (9)
Testing is an attitude, often associated with demanding. We try to make God our servant rather than the other way around. God doesn't generally play along.
E. GRUMBLING (10)
We never get to the point where we do not have to resist temptation – at least while at home on earth in our mortal bodies.
III. We Are RESPONSIBLE for Our Choices (11-13)
A. These EXAMPLES Are for US (11)
1. I understand it as "also" examples for us
2. It is ironic that the examples God intended for us in the Torah are among the least familiar to most Christians
B. NONE of Us Are Above Falling (12)
We recently noted how even Moses fell by striking the rock…
Whether Paul had Moses in mind or not, the truth is that we all need to keep up our guards…
C. Temptations are COMMON (13a)
Even lost people are frustrated by temptation. Take the pagan Greeks.
According to Greek mythology, sirens (sea nymphs) inhabited certain Mediterranean coastal areas. As ships passed by, the sirens sang such enchanting songs that the sailors, drawn by the music, would jump overboard and drown.
Odysseus was on a ship that had to pass that way. Aware of the powerful allurement of those songs, he ordered that he be bound with ropes to the mast and that the crewmen’s ears be sealed with wax to block out the tantalizing music of the sirens. Having taken such precautions, Odysseus and the rest of the crew were able to sail past without yielding to the lure of the sea nymphs. [Our Daily Bread]
I think it is fair to say that we are all tempted in a variety of ways every day.
D. God is FAITHFUL (13b)
The opposite of faithful is fickle, undependable. Even though we sometimes evidence a divided heart, God is always faithful.
E. God will make a WAY of Escape So We Can Bear It (13c)
Some people misquote the Bible as saying that God will not give you more than you can handle. He does. He gives you more than you can handle so that you will find strength outside of yourself and in Him.
But this text is not so much about trials as it is temptation. God allows us to be tempted, but he provides us with an alternative; that alternative may be fleeing the situation, as Joseph did when tempted by Potiphar's wife. It might be monitoring ourselves or finding a prayer buddy or developing a variety of interests or even quitting a job or relocating.
So we must learn to accept and adjust to our human condition.
We never get to the point where we do not have to resist temptation – at least while at home on earth in our mortal bodies.
