A SENSIBLE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
1 CORINTHIANS 10:14 – 11:1
INTRODUCTION: Last week we looked at the sobering thought of our own relationship with Christ. We saw how passionate Paul was regarding his walk with Christ. Paul, the greatest missionary of all time was concerned that he might be disqualified in his Christian life. We also noticed that as the activities of Israel were given to us as an example and a warning, that out of the whole nation of Israel, some 600,000 men and probably 2,000,000 people total, only two men – Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land. Even Moses was disqualified from all that God wanted for Him. As a result, we came to the conclusion that we must guard our Christian walk so as to receive all that God would have for us. This morning, we dig a little deeper into what it means to have a sensible relationship with God, one that does not disqualify us from everything God wants for us.
I SOME FOUNDATIONAL THOUGHTS – 1 CORINTHIANS 10:14
A Therefore
1 A word that forces us to look at the previous context
2 Word asks us to consider what we do next in light of disqualification
3 Referring us back to the consequences of not following God as He instructs and doing things our own way
a Am I going to indulge in my own wants and desires or am I going to be diligent for God’s wants and desires for me?
b Am I going to succumb to the temptations of my old life or am I going to seek God’s way of escape and victory over the pull of my old life?
c Am I going to release the thought that I am untouchable and depend more on God’s grace and power to get me through each day?
B Flee
1 We do not do what we need to do leisurely
a Our activities from here on out are not a stroll in the park
b Cannot afford to take our time
c More time we take the more time we lose
2 We are to act quickly
a People do not flee anything slowly
b If we flee slowly, we will be overtaken and consumed
c We need to make our changes quickly!
II SENSIBLE PEOPLE THINK ITS IMPORTANT TO FLEE IDOLATRY – 1 CORINTHIANS 10:14b-15
A Last week we looked at what idolatry is and we saw that idolatry was putting something ahead of God
B Now I need to add an additional definition to idolatry
1 Trusting anything for what God alone supplies
Luke 11:1-13 (NIV) Lk 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: "’Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’"
5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ’Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
7 "Then the one inside answers, ’Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
a Man knows how to meet needs, if only for a while
1) If your bold enough
2) If you have the right connections
3) Your needs can be met
4) It is foolish to think that all we need to be satisfied is some bread and eggs
b Man looks for things that will satisfy him
1) A nice home
2) A nice car
3) A nice bank account
4) A nice family
5) Satisfaction only last so long
c Jesus had a better way
1) When He teaches his disciples to pray he includes those things that really satisfy
2) Worshipping God really satisfies – gives me a direction in life
3) Thy kingdom come – gives me a goal in life
4) Thy will be done – gives me a plan in life
5) Give us this day our daily bread – gives us a dependence in life
6) Forgive us our sins – gives us a cleansing for our lives
7) Lead us not into temptation – gives us a road for our lives
8) Deliver us from evil – gives us a protection for our lives
9) Now notice verse 13
a) God knows how to give His children good things if they ask Him
b) Prayer is asking God
c) Jesus just told us what to pray for in order to meet our needs in the same way a father would meet the needs of his children.
WE JUST DON’T GET IT!
WE WANT THE WRONG THINGS
WE ASK FOR THE WRONG THINGS
WE GET UPSET WHEN WE DON’T GET THE WRONG THINGS
ALL THE WHILE JESUS IS INSTRUCTING US TO ASK FOR THE RIGHT THINGS
2 Failure to have a right relationship with God
a When I look to something else to supply my needs that only God can supply, I do not have a right relationship with God
b When I look to someone else to supply my needs that only God can supply, I do not have a right relationship with God
c When I say I don’t know how to have a better relationship with God, what I am really saying is that I do not want to have a better relationship with God – I want to be an idolater!
Revelation 3:20 (NIV) Rev 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. .
1) Jesus says he is at the door of your life
2) Jesus says He is knocking at the door
a) Has been knocking
b) Is knocking
c) Will be knocking
3) Jesus is gonna knock until you answer
4) Jesus is hungry for your life
But Pastor Glass, I opened the door of my life and Jesus wasn’t there! You may have thought you opened up the door of your life, but you didn’t. if you did, then Jesus would have come in!
I guess thieves know the best way to enter houses if they want to get in unseen. They sneak in windows unseen. Well, that would not work too good with friends of ours in New York. They have a house, on a secluded road, and this house has several “basement windows”. To me these windows look very easy to enter, yet if a thief were to try and gain access to the house through these windows, he would find himself very quickly in more trouble than he imagined. There is no basement to the house! Our friends simply put the windows in there to make it look like there is a basement to the house.
Or have you ever been in a house that has a room that nobody uses. It is the “special room”. The furniture is all slip covered. Used only for “special occasions”. Well, that may be the kind of door you are opening to Jesus. The fake door, or the door that opens up to the untouched room in the house.
You know, as I have visited some of your houses, I have found a very interesting thing at some of them. By the back door, you have a note pad so if someone comes to visit, and you are not there, they can leave you a note to let you know they were by. Now not one of you has one of those pads by the front door. Now, here is what I think that means. If you don’t know me enough to come to the back door, then I do not want to know that you have been here. How many of you are opening up the front door of your lives when Jesus is knocking at the back door!
ITS HIGH TIME YOU LET JESUS LOOSE IN THE REAL YOU SO YOU CAN GET SERIOUS FOR GOD WITH YOUR LIFE!
III SENSIBLE PEOPLE THINK IT IMPORTANT TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH GOD’S PEOPLE – 1 CORINTHIANS 10:16 – 22
A The only hope to escape from idolatry is to be close to God
Matthew 16:23 (KJV) Mt 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Luke 4:8 (KJV) Lk 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
a Twice the Scriptures record Jesus telling Satan to get behind him
1) When Satan gets in our way, he puts the makes the things of men appear real good
2) When Satan gets in our way, he has a way of turning our worship and service away from God
AND ISN’T THAT THE CRUX OF IDOLATRY – GETTING US AWAY FROM GOD AND MAKING THE STUFF AROUND US LOOK REAL GOOD?
B We must determine who we are going to be identified with
1 We cannot eat at to tables
a Eating at a table is a way of saying that you were identifying with this person
2 Communion is eating at God’s table
a Identifying with Christ
C Once we have identified with Christ – we must not identify with anyone else
1 Can’t identify with Christ here, and then identify with the devil elsewhere
a Endangers the church
b Arouses God’s jealous and anger
2 God is God wherever you are
a Behind a desk – are you identified with God
b In a foxhole – are you identified with God
c Behind the wheel – are you identified with God
d In front of a window – are you identified with God
3 God deserves our total allegiance
D If you want to see who people identify with, just watch what they do with things
1 If someone worships something – they do not identify with God
2 Its alright to have nice things, but we do not live for nice things
3 The stuff people have is immoral – what people do with what they have tell you who they identify with
IV GOD’S SUREFIRE METHOD OF PROPER IDENTIFICATION – 1 CORINTHIANS 10:23-11:1
A Do everything to be constructive – 23-26
1 Everything I can do may not be the best thing for me to do
2 Everything I could do may not be good for others
B Alter your behavior, not your convictions – 27-30
1 God’s kingdom is not superficial things
Romans 14:17 (NIV) Ro 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
C Do everything for God’s glory
1 Result of all activity is to bring glory to God
2 Everything I do should be a conduit to bring others to Christ
D Follow the example of Christ
1 Only one who should have got his own way
2 Only one who selfishly gave up his own way
3 His example – “not my will, but thine be done”
So now as we approach yet another challenge – who are you identified with now? Who will identify with now? When you going to do it?
IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST IS A ACT OF YOUR WILL WHERE BY YOU COMMIT TO LIVING YOUR LIFE AS CLOSE TO GOD AS POSSIBLE
o NO ROOM FOR SATAN
o NO ROOM FOR THIS WORLD
o NO ROOM FOR ANYTHING ELSE
IDENTIFICATION REQUIRES YOU TO IDENTIFY WITH CHRIST AWAY FROM CHURCH
o IN YOUR HOMES
o IN YOUR JOBS
o IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
IDENTIFICATION MEANS LIVING YOUR LIFE …
o TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE
o TO LIVE BY YOUR CONVICTIONS
o TO CULTIVATE GOD’S GLORY
o TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST
PAUL SAID WE HAVE TO FLEE – TO QUICKLY MOVE AWAY FROM WHAT WILL CONSUME US AND INTO WHAT WILL PROTECT US.
• I KNOW MOST OF HERE ARE NOT LIVING FULLY IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST, WHY – BECAUSE THE SCRIPTURE TELLS ME SO
o REMEMBER, PAUL WAS WORRIED ABOUT HIS OWN CHRISTIAN WALK
o REMEMBER, ONLY TWO MADE IT INTO THE PROMISED LAND (AND MOSES WASN’T ONE OF THEM)
SO MOST OF YOU ARE NOT LIVING FULLY IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST, BUT EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO CHANGE THAT RIGHT NOW. COME FORWARD, THE ALTER IS OPEN. LET ME PRAY WITH YOU AND ASK GOD TO BLESS YOU AND HELP YOU TO FULLY IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITH HIM, NOT JUST HERE IN THE CHURCH, BUT OUT THERE IN THE MISSION FIELD!
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