Refined by Fire
1 Corinthian Series
CCCAG 10-26-2025
Scripture- 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Introduction –
About a thousand years before Jesus was born, a small band of men huddled in a cave in Judah.
They were hiding from a posse of trained killers—soldiers sent by the king to hunt them down and slaughter them, because the king saw their leader as a threat to his throne.
That leader sat in the back of the cave, quill in hand, papyrus spread out before him.
By the flickering light of an oil lamp, he poured out his thoughts to God in the poetic Hebrew of his time.
In those writings, he called for God’s vengeance on his enemies, for protection from their schemes, and for God’s glory to be shown in his life and actions.
Years later, that same man finally sat on the throne of Israel.
And when he did, he wrote one of the most beloved passages in all of Scripture.
He didn’t write about his kingship, his victories, or the long struggle to get there.
Instead, his heart looked back to his boyhood in Bethlehem—to the hills, the sheep, and the God who had guided him through every valley.
He wrote:
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23)
In his youth, David’s psalms often cried out for God to destroy his enemies—to bring vengeance, to bring justice, to prove Himself through David’s victories.
But now, as an older man, his focus has changed.
Where once his prayers centered on his circumstances, now they rest on his Shepherd.
Where once he demanded God’s action, now he delights in God’s presence.
Psalm 23 is not the song of a warrior in hiding — it’s the song of a saint who has learned to trust that even the dark times in the valley has purpose.
David’s story is the story of every believer who walks with God long enough to see His faithfulness proven in the fire.
As a young man, David saw the hand of God deliver him from trouble.
But as an older man, he learned that sometimes God’s greatest work is done through trouble.
The shepherd’s rod that once drove away lions now guided his own heart through fear, loss, and failure — all so that he could say with confidence, “He restores my soul.”
The Apostle Paul is making the same point a thousand years later when he writes to the Corinthians.
He reminds them that everything Israel went through — every desert, every disappointment, every temptation — was not wasted.
It was all part of God’s shaping process, teaching them, testing them, and ultimately transforming them.
Just as God used the wilderness to shape Israel and the caves of Judah to mold David, He uses every pressure, every temptation, and every hardship in our lives to shape us into the image of Jesus.
Because His goal is not just to deliver us from danger — it’s to develop in us the heart of His Son.
Let’s read what the bible has to say about these ideas this morning-
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Scripture Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (CSB)
Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did. … So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
Prayer
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Transition-
Many of us struggle with hardships in this life.
Spouse that is not meeting our needs
Kids that are fulfilling your parents curse that they hope they will be just like you.
Bosses or jobs or family that are testing your last nerve.
Or friends and neighbors that make you want to move.
In all of this, God has a purpose in our lives, and that is the first thing we will look at in the light of the bible’s words in 1 Cor 10.
I. God’s Process Has a Purpose (v. 11)
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…”
Paul begins with a history lesson, but it’s not just a dry dissertation of facts. It’s mean to reveal that God has not changed- He worked the same in 1000BC as He did in 45 AD, and now in 2025 AD.
Even though the Corinthian church was mostly Gentile, most people of that time knew the story of the Hebrew nation, particularly of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses. Remember, they don’t have access to books and TV, so everything was told by sharing stories, so this story would have been common knowledge for even someone in Greece.
That’s why Paul doesn’t need to be specific here, he just points the Corinthian believers back to Israel’s wilderness journey—an entire generation that experienced God’s presence, His provision, and His power, yet still fell into sin and unbelief.
These were not just small things- consider what these Israelites experienced EVER Single DAY of their lives-
They drank water from the rock in the middle of a desert.
They followed a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
They heard the very voice of God thunder from Sinai.
Not only that, but they saw the impossible happen before their very eyes — an ocean split in two, towering walls of water rising up on either side, and the sea floor laid bare beneath their feet.
And here we are, 3400 years later, armed with nuclear power, satellites, and science that can split atoms… but even if we dropped a nuclear bomb into the depths of the Red Sea, it might make a wave — but it wouldn’t move the water like that.
What God did with a breath, mankind couldn’t reproduce with all the power of the modern world.
And still, Israel grumbled, doubted, and turned to idols.
Now Paul tells the Corinthians in 45 AD, and us in 2025, “That’s not just history—it’s your story, too.”
Paul highlights that every event, every failure, every act of rebellion in Israel’s past was recorded by God as a spiritual training manual for those who would come after.
The lesson? God wastes nothing.
Not your victories, not your mistakes, not even your seasons of silence.
It also shows that sometimes the wilderness is the classroom where God teaches His deepest lessons.
David learned that truth in the caves of Judah.
Moses learned it on the backside of the desert. 40 years mostly by himself and his family, then 40 years with Israel
Elijah learned it under a broom tree, wishing to die.
Each of them discovered what Paul is reminding us—
When the darkness comes, and you can’t see the outcome, trust that the Author knows the ending.
Here is a very important point for us to trust in-
When life feels random or cruel, remember that heaven never wastes pain. (Repeat)
Even the things the enemy meant for evil become instruments of shaping in God’s hands.
Illustration:
Think of a sculptor standing before a block of marble.
After several weeks of work, the sculptor reveals his the sculpture to the world, and people marvel at his skill.
When asked how he could create such a beautiful work of art, the sculptor replied, “It was always there. I just removed the rough edges.”
You know-
God’s chisel may not feel good when applied to our rough edges.
The hammer strike might startle you, and the process may hurt.
But trust this — His goal is to reveal the beauty that Jesus has already placed within you.
Key Takeaway:
When you find yourself spiritually hiding in a cave in the wilderness, don’t just ask, “Why is this happening?”
Ask instead, “Lord, what are You forming in me through this?”
The next point builds on this, and is very important for us to understand-
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II. God’s Process Has Boundaries (v. 13a)
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…”
It’s important that we pause here and make something very clear- there is movement that claims to be Christian, but is really a counterfeit-
That is the prosperity Gospel. The prosperity gospel preaches that God never wants you to experience any hardship, or material want in your life.
That’s not even remotely logical or most importantly biblical.
God wants you to be strong in HIM and ready to face whatever this life throws at you.
If God knows in 10 years, you’ll be expected to spiritually carry something that is 100 pounds, is He going to prescribe that you sit on a couch and eat Dorito’s?
No, He is going to prepare you for that with successive trials to build up your spiritual strength.
That’s why the bible in 1 Cor 10 switches from the history lesson to practical application as Paul shifts from Israel’s past to our present reality.
He says, “You’re not alone in this.”
Whatever you’re facing—temptation, fear, discouragement—others have faced it too.
It’s “common to mankind.”
But then he adds the most comforting phrase in the passage:
“God is faithful.”
Temptation will come. Trials will come.
Failures, even huge failures will come.
But they are limited.
God’s protective hand is constantly on the dial controlling exactly how much comes your way.
And do you know what- sometimes it will be more than you can bare.
There is a false belief, again that comes out of the prosperity camp, that God will never give you more than you can bare.
Hogwash.
That’s the politest way for me to say it — because that phrase is a lie wrapped in a Christian-sounding cliché.
Here is the uncomfortable truth-
God will turn that dial until everything you cling to in this life is on fire, until your only option is HIM.
(Pause for effect)
However, remember this-
The enemy’s reach into your life is not unlimited. Remember Job- God put conditions on the enemy’s access to his life, and your Father does the same for you.
Whatever fire you find yourself in is under divine control.
Like a blacksmith tending the forge, God determines the temperature of your trial.
He knows exactly how much heat it takes to shape your character without destroying your spirit and strength.
These times are not easy- I’ve experienced them and continue to experience them.
I know how it is when everything in your life is screaming for God to turn it down a little, but my friends, trust HIM.
God has got you, and whatever it is will work out for His glory and your good.
He’s forging something in you that can’t be formed any other way.
Illustration:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found themselves in a literal furnace.
But the God who allowed the fire also limited it—“the flame had no power over them.”
Because when the Son of God walks with you in the furnace, you come out refined, not consumed.
You are not being destroyed; you are being developed.
You’re not breaking apart—you’re being reforged in the hands of the Refiner.
The last thing we want to remember this morning is-
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III. God’s Process Always Leads to Victory (v. 13b)
“But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Notice that Paul doesn’t say God removes the temptation.
He doesn’t say God shields us from every hardship.
He says God provides a way through—a way to endure.
The “way out” isn’t always escape; it something that is forming endurance that leads to transformation.
You don’t build spiritual muscle from lifting three feathers. You built it by picking up that spiritual dumbbell and grinding- trusting that your Father is behind you spotting you.
In other words, God doesn’t build a bridge over your valley; He walks with you through it.
Illustration:
A few minutes ago, we referred to Israel walking through the Red Sea.
God didn’t airlift them over it—He parted it, and they walked with HIM through the very thing that threatened to drown them.
That’s how God works.
HIS path to victory runs straight through the middle of the struggle.
Every trial is a chance for the Spirit of Christ to reveal Himself in you.
Every temptation resisted strengthens the muscles of holiness.
Every hardship endured with faith leaves you looking a little more like Jesus.
Application:
• When you can’t find the exit, ask God to show you the endurance.
• The “way out” may be a deepening of faith, a refining of patience, or a breaking of pride.
• The process is not about comfort; it’s about conformity—to the image of His Son.
That’s why when Paul says, “He will provide a way out,” he’s not talking about God lowering the difficulty.
He’s talking about God raising your capacity.
Grace doesn’t just pull you out of the fire—it gives you the strength to stand in it.
Key Takeaway:
Victory isn’t the absence of the battle; it’s the presence of Christ in the midst of it.
God’s process always leads to victory—not by removing the struggle, but by revealing the Savior.
From David’s caves to Israel’s deserts to Paul’s own prison cell, the pattern never changes:
God’s people grow through pressure.
Here is the promise-
The same God who brought Israel through the wilderness,
who brought David through the caves,
and who brought Jesus through the cross,
is bringing you through your own valley right now.
So when the fire comes—
when the temptation rises—
when the pressure mounts—
don’t despair.
Trust God’s process.
He is faithful.
He knows the temperature.
And He is shaping you into the image of His Son.
All rise
Two parting scriptures for us this morning-
“For whom the Lord loves, He disciplines.” (Hebrews 12:6)
“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
The fire is not meant to destroy you—it’s meant to display Jesus in you.
So hold steady, child of God.
The Shepherd who walked with David still walks beside you today.
Prayer/close “Psalm 23”
Psalm 23 (CSB) – the promises of God when you are in the fire
The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
as long as I live.
