1 Corinthians 10:1-22

Good morning, church. Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. We are

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 1 to 22. If you're looking in one of the pew

1 Corinthians 10:1–22

Bibles, it's page 957 as we continue in our series through this book. So, I'll be reading

verse 1 all the way to verse 22. So, let's begin reading there. Paul's words to the Corinthians.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and

all passed through the sea. And all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and

all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from

the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most

of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now, these things took place

as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did. 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.

We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and 23,000 fell in a single day.

We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents,

nor grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 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.

Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 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.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say.

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break,

is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body,

for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel.

Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?

What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No.

I imply that what pagan sacrifice they offer to demons, and not to God.

I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.

You cannot partake of the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Well, about seven years ago, my wife and I were living in downtown New Haven.

It was a Sunday after church. I was downstairs. We had some kind of lunch meeting. I don't remember what it was.

I got a call from my wife. You need to come home immediately. Our house is on fire.

It's one of the calls that there's only one right thing to do, and you better not delay.

Well, while I was still at church, my wife had gone home. She was sitting in the living room, and she smelled wood smoke.

And at first she thought, isn't that cozy? You know, one of our neighbors must have lit a fire in the fireplace.

You know, reminds me of the town where I grew up. What a pleasant smell.

Until the fire department banged on the door and said, get out of the house. There's a fire on the third floor.

Well, this morning's passage, Paul is giving a strong warning.

Found especially in verse 12 and verse 14, which both begin with the word therefore.

Paul says, therefore, if you think you're standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.

And therefore, flee from idolatry.

Paul is warning his hearers about a danger that they don't recognize.

It's like he's entering a house where people are pleasantly enjoying the smell of wood smoke,

and he's saying, flee, run for your life, you're in danger.

Of course, a warning like that is never pleasant to hear.

But later on, when you look back on it, it might be the very thing, perhaps the only thing,

that could have saved your life.

Well, this morning, I want to look at three things about Paul's warning.

I want to look at the basis for Paul's warning in verse 1 to 11.

That will be the longest section of the sermon.

So don't be worried.

If I go for a long time in point 1, point 2 will be shorter, and point 3 will be the shortest.

Anyway, the basis for Paul's warning, the application of Paul's warning, verse 15 to 22,

and the encouragement that accompanies Paul's warning, verse 13, right in the middle.

So that's where we're going, and let's dig in.

First, the basis for Paul's warning.

Let me remind you of the context that we're in.

Paul's addressing the question of eating food offered to idols.

This was one of the controversies that was dividing the Corinthian church.

Some people said, hey, go ahead.

You know, idols aren't real, and as a Christian, you should have the freedom to eat anything,

so enjoy it.

Other people said, no, that's contaminated food, and we should avoid it at all costs

and really keep our distance from it.

Now, Paul's dealing with a complicated situation.

We've seen that.

So he doesn't just say, yes, go ahead, or no, don't.

He's trying to lead the whole Christian community through a process of moral and spiritual discernment

in these chapters, chapters 8 through 10.

So chapter 8, Paul begins by speaking about the dangers of knowledge.

He says, knowledge can puff you up with pride and the priority of love.

He says, you know, it'd be better not to eat meat at all, ever,

than to cause your brother or sister to stumble into sin.

So Paul starts there, and then chapter 9, Paul points out that there can be a spiritual benefit

to not insisting on your personal rights.

Paul says, I have rights.

I can defend my rights.

I'll defend other people's rights, but I won't always insist on exercising my own rights.

Last week, we saw Paul's flexibility and focus for the sake of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ

to all kinds of people.

Here in chapter 10, Paul wants to point out some spiritual dangers

that some of his people aren't taking seriously enough.

But again, you know, if you read verse 1, right, Paul doesn't immediately go for it.

He doesn't immediately start with a warning by saying,

flee from idolatry, stop going to the idol temples.

You see, if there's a fire in somebody's house, the fire department's job is urgent,

but it's pretty straightforward.

Because everyone knows that fire poses a danger.

The fire department knocks on the door, and they say, there's a fire, get out.

Nobody will argue with them.

Right?

People generally trust the judgment of firefighters,

and at most, they might have to offer physical assistance to somebody who needs a little help

getting out the door.

But Paul's job was more complicated.

Because Paul was warning people about spiritual dangers that they didn't recognize as dangerous.

And he was also warning people about attitudes and behaviors that didn't always result in immediate,

obvious harm.

But in the long term, Paul says, they're just as potentially deadly.

It's Paul's situation is much more like a public health worker who has documented over the last six months

a spike in incidents of lead poisoning among children.

And they have to prepare a report, and they're going to prepare a report to take the regional water authority

and say, something's wrong with the water.

And of course, the immediate response of the water authority is going to be, but we've done our tests.

It must be something else.

Paul's situation is complicated.

He has to make a case.

It's sort of like he's going into the middle of the woods and finding people who are camping out.

And he has to convince them that there's a wildfire a thousand miles away,

but it's so strong that it's very likely, given the winds, that it's going to be down where they are in a couple of days,

and they've got to start hiking out now because they're in the middle of nowhere and there are no roads.

Right?

It's not an immediate danger.

Right?

It's not going to cause you harm today, the next minute necessarily,

but Paul's convincing people and saying,

you need to trust me and you need to see why there's a danger that you're not realizing.

Now, how does Paul do that?

Well, Paul doesn't just give a warning.

He starts by telling a story.

One of the most effective ways to convince someone of something they don't already believe

is to tell a story that they can relate to.

That's what the prophet Nathan did when David had committed adultery with Bathsheba,

and he was feeling just fine about it.

And Nathan started by telling him a story.

That drew David in.

And then Nathan said, you're just like the man in the story.

And then David got it.

So what Jesus did when he told parables to the crowds,

and it's what Paul does here.

Now, Paul begins by retelling some of the Old Testament story,

the journey of the people of Israel through the wilderness

after they had been delivered from slavery in Egypt.

And Paul didn't choose this story arbitrarily.

Verse 1, Paul says, these are our fathers.

That is, our spiritual ancestors.

If you're a Christian, your spiritual ancestors are, number one, Christians,

followers of Jesus who have lived in the past.

We can learn a lot from them.

And second, the people of Israel who lived before the coming of Jesus,

trusting in the promises of God.

Right?

And so when we read the Old Testament stories,

we're sort of, in a sense, reading our own family history.

That's what Paul's saying.

You know, for better or for worse,

you wouldn't be who you are today

apart from your ancestors.

And that's how we should feel when we read the Old Testament,

as if you're learning about your ancestors

and how, through the generations,

they've influenced and brought you to the place where you are today

and what we can learn from them.

Now, what Paul does is he points to specific aspects of Israel's story

that parallel the Corinthian situation.

So first parallel, verse 1 to 4.

What Paul says is,

you've all experienced powerful signs of God's favor

and His sustaining power.

You've experienced and observed these things.

And so did they, Paul says.

Verse 1 to 4 is one long sentence.

Five times Paul uses the word all.

They were all under the cloud.

That is, when they left Egypt,

the cloud representing God's presence,

His Holy Spirit overshadowed them,

protected them from the Egyptians

who were pursuing them,

and guided them.

They all passed through the sea.

That is, the Red Sea,

where the Egyptian army was drowned.

They all ate the same spiritual food.

That is, the manna in the desert

that God provided for them each day.

They all drank the same spiritual drink,

the water that God supernaturally provided for them from the rock.

Now, what's Paul doing here?

Well, Paul's saying,

think of some of the spiritual blessings

and provisions that you have received from God

as followers of Jesus.

In particular, Paul points them to

baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Paul says,

think about baptism and what it represents.

It's a sign and seal of being united with Christ,

being washed clean from your sins,

filled with the Holy Spirit,

set apart to a new life,

belonging to Jesus forever.

Paul says, think about the Lord's Supper.

How every time you eat and drink at the Lord's table,

God reaffirms His promises to you

and fills you and nourishes you

and strengthens you

and reminds you that Jesus died for you

and He loves you.

Paul says,

these are wonderful, precious signs from God.

And Paul says,

the people of Israel had similar signs,

similar experiences.

They passed through the Red Sea,

the cloud above,

the water on both sides.

Wasn't that a kind of baptism?

They could look back on with gratitude.

They ate the manna.

They drank the water from the rock.

Wasn't,

that was a pretty amazing version

of the Lord's Supper

provided each day

supernaturally from heaven.

Now, Paul knows

these are not precise equivalents.

He's drawing broad parallels

between the spiritual blessings

and provisions

God gave to the Israelites

in the wilderness

and the spiritual blessings

and provisions

God had bestowed

on the Corinthian Christians.

And he's reminding them

it's one and the same God

who's active in both cases.

You see,

Paul believed the same God

who had sustained Israel

through the wilderness,

the God of Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob

was none other than

the God and Father

of Jesus Christ,

our Lord.

And that's why Paul says

in verse 4,

he says a couple things

that might sound

a little odd.

Verse 4,

he says,

the spiritual rock

that followed them

was Christ.

In verse 4,

and in verse 9,

he talks about,

he says,

that the Israelites

were testing Christ.

Now, you might read

those verses

and be like,

that sounds a little

far-fetched.

How is Paul seeing Jesus

as the rock

in the Old Testament

and as the one

the people of Israel

were testing

before he had even

come into the world?

But look,

if you have a moment,

look back at Exodus 17.

Exodus 17,

I'll summarize it for you.

The people had no water.

They start grumbling

against Moses

and it says

they tested the Lord.

What that means,

basically,

is that they accused God

of being unfaithful.

It's a legal accusation term.

And Moses cried out to God

and Moses says,

what shall I do?

They're about to stone me.

They want to kill Moses

as God's messenger.

And God says to Moses,

chapter 17,

verse 5,

take your staff

in your hand.

I will stand before you

on the rock at Horeb.

And you shall strike the rock

and water shall come out of it

and the people will drink.

Now, many times

in the Old Testament,

God summons

a man

or a woman

or a family

or even a nation

to stand before him

and he,

as the lawgiver and judge,

delivers the verdict

and pronounces

the sentence.

But here

and only here,

God says,

I will stand before you.

And God authorizes Moses

to execute judgment

with his staff

in his hand.

You see,

the people of Israel

saw an amazing sign

that day.

They had falsely accused God

of being unfaithful

to them.

They were about to kill

God's appointed messenger

and God not only provides

a spring of living water

for them,

he gave them a sign

that he would stand

in their place

and receive the judgment

they deserved.

And the Apostle Paul,

perhaps reading this very story,

knew,

look,

knew that that's exactly

what Jesus Christ

had come to do.

He who had done no wrong

stood on trial

before a human judge

who condemned him to die

and he received

the judgment we deserved

for our rebellion

against God.

And through Jesus'

atoning death,

God's spirit

has been poured out

on everyone

who believes in him

and so that's why Paul says

the rock was Christ.

Paul's not arbitrarily

sort of reading something

back in the Old Testament.

He's looking at something

in the Old Testament

and saying,

that is

a pretty strong picture

of what

Jesus would come to do.

So that's the first parallel.

The people of Israel

and the Corinthian Christians,

they had all observed

and experienced

powerful,

memorable signs

of God's favor

and sustaining power.

But,

verse 5,

back to 1 Corinthians,

verse 5,

Paul says,

most of them

didn't make it

to the promised land.

So here's

the second parallel.

First parallel,

spiritual privileges

and blessings.

Second parallel,

the Corinthian Christians

were vulnerable

to the same temptations

which led some

of the Israelites

to their downfall.

And in verse 10,

Paul warns them

and he warns us,

don't fall into

the same patterns.

Verse 6 and 11,

he says,

these things were examples

for us

so that we might learn

from them

and not follow

the same pattern.

And verse 7 through 10,

each of these verses

follows the same pattern.

Basically,

Paul says,

don't do blank

as some of them did

and look what happened

as a result.

Verse 7 and 8,

Paul focuses on

idolatry and sexual immorality

which are linked together.

Verse 7,

and each of these verses

refers to a specific episode

in the Old Testament.

So verse 7,

Paul quotes from the story

of the golden calf

which he says,

the people sat down

to eat and drink

in front of the golden calf,

right,

eating while worshiping an idol

and they rose up to play.

That doesn't mean

they started shooting hoops.

Okay,

that could mean

they were partying

in front of the idol,

shouting,

dancing,

singing,

in a frenzy of excitement

stimulated by this idol.

It could also mean

they started playing

around sexually.

Sometimes the word play

was used that way

like it still is today.

That's part of what people did

in pagan religious rituals.

Verse 8,

Paul refers to another example

in Numbers 25

when idolatry

and sexual immorality

are linked.

They go together.

where that says,

the people began

to indulge in sexual immorality

with the daughters of Moab.

These invited the people

to the sacrifices

of their gods

and the people ate

and bowed down

to their gods.

So again,

those things are linked together

and Paul's concern

for the Corinthians,

the reason why he warns them

against these two things

is he says,

some of you are eating

and drinking

at idol feasts

in idol temples.

But Paul says,

if you're willing to do that,

it won't stop there

because sin

or spiritual compromise

won't stay confined

in one area

of your life.

If you're sitting down

to eat and drink

in the idol's temple,

what are you going to do

when you rise up?

And it's not an accident

that Paul connects

these two things.

You see,

idolatry

and sexual immorality

go hand in hand

just as faithfulness

to God

and faithfulness

in marriage

go together.

They're consistent

with each other.

So in both cases,

the issue is

you need to be

exclusively loyal.

Paul says,

you have to be

exclusively loyal to God

and don't bow down

to any idols.

And in marriage,

you need to be

exclusively loyal

to your one spouse

and not to have

any sexual relations

with anyone

who you're not married to.

Paul says,

that's how God

made us to flourish

in monogamous

relationship with God

and monogamous marriage.

marriage.

That's the pattern

God designed

to be life-giving

and safe for us.

So those are the first

two things

Paul warns against.

Verse 9 and 10,

Paul focuses on

two other sins

which are also linked,

testing the Lord

and grumbling

against God's

appointed leaders.

He's referring

to Numbers 21

and Numbers 14.

And in both cases,

the people speak

against God

and against Moses

and they say things like,

why did you bring us

out of Egypt

to die in the wilderness?

There's no bread

and no water

and we hate

this miserable food.

That's what they said.

I'm not paraphrasing.

We wish we had died

in the land of Egypt.

Let's choose another leader

and go back to Egypt.

Now,

what's the parallel

to the Corinthian situation?

What's Paul warning them against?

Now, for one,

Paul's warning them

against an unrestrained craving.

Right?

Part of what

could have motivated them

to go to the idle temples

is they just really wanted

the food there

and the drink there

and it was really good

and really plentiful

and really cheap.

And perhaps

there's a warning for us

that a lack of self-discipline

with regard to food and drink

can be the doorway

to grumbling

and discontent

when we don't get

what we want

or when we overindulge

and then feel bad

about ourselves

and hate ourselves

and feel insecure

around other people

and it just

can be a downward spiral.

There are all kinds of ways

that food can become an idol

and Jesus has come

to set us free

from that bondage

so that food can be a servant

that benefits us

and not a master

that controls us.

But, you know,

that's actually not

the main focus

of verse 9 and 10.

The main focus

is not on food

but on testing

and grumbling.

Now, I think it's very interesting

verse 7 and 8

describe what we might call

fleshly sins, right?

Where you're actively

overindulging

our bodily desires

and impulses

in a way

that doesn't please God.

Verses 9 and 10,

by contrast,

describe what we might call

spiritual sins.

Negative attitudes

that hinder us

from stepping out in faith

and doing the good

that God calls us to do.

A grumbling attitude,

an accusing spirit,

always blaming someone else.

We're not out there

on Saturday night

dancing around the idols.

Perhaps we're just

sitting alone

feeling sorry for ourselves

or scrolling down our phone

looking on Facebook

for the latest gossip

or addicted to video games.

And Paul says

that kind of self-pity

and despair

expressed in a variety

of different ways

can be just as

spiritually dangerous

as

idolatry

and

lust

that's

directed outwards.

Now,

let me just say

that in this fallen world,

Christians will experience

depression.

And experiencing

depression

is not sin.

But I think

what Paul is saying here

is that there's a

spiritual battle to fight

when you're experiencing

depression

just as there's

a spiritual battle to fight

when you're experiencing

raging anger

or passionate lust

and you're trying to control

and restrain yourself

in a godly way.

I've just started reading

a book

called

A Praying Life

by Paul Miller.

It's a great book.

He wrote another book

called A Loving Life.

Both of them are down

on the bookstall

and they're excellent.

And he has a quote in there

from a 16th century monk

who I'd never heard of before

but I think he's pretty wise.

He writes this

on this topic.

He says,

When you sit there

utterly alone,

eaten up with unhappiness

in a pure state of grief,

if you don't move towards God

but desperately imagine

that everything you have ever done

has been utterly lost

and forgotten,

this near despair

and self-pity

are actually a form of pride.

What you think

was a state of security

from which you've fallen

was really trusting

too much

in your own strength

and ability.

What really bothers you

is that things

just haven't happened

as you expected

and wanted.

Don't rely on your own strength

and abilities

and plans.

Distrust them

and distrust yourself.

Your own strength

will no more help you

to stand upright

than propping yourself

on a broken reed.

But you must not despair

of Jesus.

Hope and trust in him.

Absolutely.

Because his mercy

is infinite.

So there are Paul's warnings.

The basis for Paul's warnings,

Paul's saying,

these are some of the traps

that our spiritual ancestors

fell into.

I don't want you to fall

into the same traps.

And Paul's pointing us

toward a better way.

Second point,

the application

of Paul's warnings.

Verse 15 to 22,

Paul applies the warning

to the Corinthians

particular situation.

Again, we'll go through

more quickly this section.

Verse 16 and 17,

he goes down.

He gives some reasoning.

Verse 16 and 17,

he says,

when we as Christians

share the Lord's Supper

as an act of worship,

it's a participation

in the blood of Christ

and the body of Christ.

That word participation

is the Greek word koinonia.

It can also be translated

fellowship or sharing

or joining together

or partnership.

And Paul says,

when we drink the cup,

we share in the blood of Christ.

That is,

we're proclaiming

that the blood of Christ

has cleansed us from all sin

and we've received

Christ's sacrifice

on our behalf.

When we share the bread,

we share in the body of Christ.

That is,

we're expressing

our oneness in Christ

with every other person

who eats and drinks

of that meal

by faith in Jesus.

You see,

in the Lord's Supper,

here's the point.

The physical act

of eating and drinking

has a spiritual reality

attached to it.

And in chapter 11,

we'll see that that's true

whether we recognize it or not

because some people

are eating and drinking

judgment on themselves.

Now, the point is,

when we eat this meal,

Jesus is present with us

by His Spirit.

And when we take

the bread and the cup,

He confirms His promise

that He is our God

and we are His people.

Now, we'll go more

into Paul's teaching

on the Lord's Supper

in a couple weeks

in chapter 11.

But the point of this,

taking is this,

taking the Lord's Supper

means participating

in Christ.

Verse 18,

he gives another analogy.

He says,

consider the people

of Israel

aren't those who eat

the sacrifices

participants in the altar.

Once again,

Paul uses that same word,

participation.

And Paul's referring

probably to the sacrifices

of thanksgiving

that the Israelites

would share

when they went to Jerusalem

for the feasts

where they were commanded

to eat and rejoice

before the Lord their God

as an offering

of thanksgiving to Him.

And the point is,

when the people of Israel

ate those thanksgiving meals,

they were participating,

that is,

sharing in the worship of God.

So Christians

share in the worship of Jesus

when we eat and drink

the Lord's Supper.

And the Jewish people,

the people of Israel,

share in the worship

of the one true God

when they participated

in these meals

of thanksgiving.

And then Paul goes on,

verse 19 to 20,

he's moving toward his point,

to address pagan meals.

He says,

verse 19,

what do I imply?

That food offered to idols

is anything?

Are the idols anything?

No, I imply that

what pagan sacrifice

they offer to demons

and not to God.

Paul's saying each meal,

whether it's the Lord's Supper

or the Jewish meals

or the pagan meals,

creates or cements

or reinforces a bond

of participation

or partnership

or covenant

between the people

and the deity involved.

And so verse 21

is Paul's conclusion

applying his warning

to the Corinthian situation.

He says,

you can't drink

the cup of the Lord

and the cup of demons.

You can't partake

the table of the Lord

and the table of demons.

No more eating food

offered to idols

during pagan religious ceremonies.

He finally comes clear

with his warning

and its application

to the Corinthian Christians

after he spent

three chapters

laying the groundwork

and getting us there.

Now, what do we learn?

Number one,

Jesus calls for exclusive loyalty.

So don't play around

with idols.

Paul was writing

to some people

who were being cocky.

They were saying,

we have the freedom

to eat any kind of meat

whenever we want,

however we want,

wherever we want.

We know idols aren't real.

We can go to the idol temple.

And Paul says,

beware.

The first thing he wants

to say is there are

some practices

and attitudes

that followers of Jesus

must not engage in.

Jesus isn't just one option

in the buffet

and you can take

some of his meal

and you can mix and match

with whatever else you want.

Jesus calls for exclusive

and ultimate allegiance.

And just as in a good marriage,

you should consider

your spouse's opinion

more weightily

than anybody else's opinion,

Paul says,

ultimately,

in our exclusive loyalty

to Jesus,

we need to consider

what pleases him

first and foremost

above anything else

and be willing

to refrain from other things

if they would be compromising

our loyalty to Jesus.

So Paul says,

beware.

Beware that you don't fall

into idolatry.

He goes on

and so that's the first thing.

Jesus calls for exclusive loyalty.

Don't play around with idols.

Second,

according to the Bible,

demons are real.

Now this is,

Paul doesn't go into demons here,

but he mentions them

in 20 and 21,

so let me speak briefly to that.

What does the Bible mean

by demons?

It means there are

spiritual forces

hostile to God

who are active

in this present world.

And according to Paul,

some of them

are associated

with certain

pagan cultic rituals.

Now for some of you,

that idea might sound

really weird,

but in a Christian worldview,

it's not inherently irrational.

You know,

if you can believe in angels

who serve under God's authority,

then you should at least

admit the possibility

that there are spiritual beings

who are in rebellion

against God's authority,

which is exactly

how the Bible describes demons.

And Paul's quite balanced here.

Paul's not paranoid

about demons.

He's not like,

ooh, there might be a demon

in that piece of meat

in the store

because it was sacrificed

to an idol a long time ago.

No!

He's very clear about that

in the next end of the chapter.

He says,

you know,

that's not how it works.

Okay?

Paul's not paranoid

about a demon

being under every rock.

And in several places,

the Bible distinguishes

demonic oppression

from physical illness

or mental illness.

They're not the same thing

even though they can overlap.

But what Paul does say is,

I don't want you

to be participants with demons.

That is,

I don't want you

to become entangled

with spiritual forces

that are hostile to God.

And the only reason

Paul gives the warning

is that it's a real possibility.

Paul wouldn't give the warning

if they didn't exist at all.

So,

so let me say this.

If you think,

if you think

that you might be experiencing

demonic affliction

or oppression,

let me say three things.

This isn't something

we talk about a lot,

but,

but it's,

it happens sometimes.

Let me say three things.

Number one,

you need to be willing

to renounce

any ungodly practices

that may have opened you up

to what Paul calls

participation with demons.

Second,

call upon the name

of the Lord Jesus Christ

because Jesus has given

his followers authority

over demons

in his name.

And third,

seek spiritual help

and discernment

from other Christian believers.

And particularly,

if you're trying to

figure out

what's,

what,

what if anything

might be demonic oppression

and what's simply

a physical or mental illness

and how do we help each other

in all those ways

and get the help,

kind of help you need.

All right,

so that's some of the application

of Paul's warning

to the Corinthians

about don't eat the food

in the idol worship services

and a little bit to us.

Finally,

the encouragement

that accompanies

Paul's warning.

Right,

this whole chapter

is a warning,

but right in the middle of it,

Paul gives a word

of assurance

and encouragement.

And that's a common pattern

in the Bible.

There are wonderful passages

of encouragement,

but often with them,

there's reminders

to keep our focus

where it needs to be

and there's strong warnings.

But with those warnings,

God also provides

a word of encouragement

and he doesn't leave us alone.

He doesn't want us to end

feeling like,

oh no,

I've fallen into this

and I can't get out.

Verse 13.

It's right in the middle

of his two warnings.

He gives this word

of encouragement

smack in the middle.

No temptation

has overtaken you

that is not common to man.

God is faithful

and he won't let you

be tempted beyond

your ability,

but with the temptation

he'll also provide

the way of escape

that you may be able

to endure it.

So let me just end

with three brief truths

from this verse

that I hope

will encourage you

if you're struggling

or feel beset

by any of these temptations

that we've mentioned today.

Number one,

Paul says,

you're not alone.

No temptation

has overtaken you

except what is common to man.

You know,

one of Satan's

most common strategies

when you're being tempted

is to make you feel

all alone

like nobody else

has ever been through

what I've been through

and nobody else

could ever understand

and nobody who doesn't

completely understand

could ever give me

any help at all.

And you know,

that's always a lie

because God knows you

and God says,

no temptation

has overtaken you

except what is common

to man.

There's other people

who've been there.

It might take a little while

to find those people

and there's other people

who can love you

even if they haven't been there

because we're all tempted

in different ways.

And Paul goes on and says,

God is faithful.

You don't need to fear

that temptation

will overtake you

like a thief in the night

and rob you

of everything

that you have in Christ.

No.

Paul says,

God is faithful.

He won't let you be tempted

beyond your ability.

God's like a good coach.

He knows the capacities

of his players

better than the players do.

He knows when to put you

on the field

and he knows when to put you

and give you a little rest

on the bench.

He knows you better

than you know yourself.

He's been faithful

in the past.

He'll be faithful

in the future.

And because God is faithful,

Paul says,

third thing,

there's a way through it

and or out of it.

With the temptation,

he will also provide

the way of escape

that you may be able

to endure it.

Now, that's a very

interesting verse

and I always get messed up

when I try to quote it

because in my mind,

I think,

does he provide a way out

or does he provide a way

to endure through it?

And he says,

both.

says,

God will provide a way out

so that you can endure

through it.

He'll give you the strength

to endure through it

as long as you need to

and he's also going to provide

a way out.

And for the Corinthians,

Paul's saying that way out

is don't go back

to the idle temples

and be indulging

in these pagan meals.

Paul says,

you know,

if you're running headlong

into temptation,

you can't claim this promise

that God's going to rescue you

from it.

God's provided a way out.

The way out is

don't go there.

Right?

Sometimes we need

to flee temptation.

But sometimes

you can't flee temptation

because it's just there

or it's in your mind

and you can't run away

from yourself

and you've got to face it.

And Paul says,

God will strengthen you

to endure it.

And the reason we can know

and be confident

that that's a true promise

from God

is because

he came to meet us

in the middle of it.

The Bible says,

Jesus Christ

was tempted

in every way

just as we are

and yet he never sinned.

He never gave in.

And Jesus knows

the strength of temptation.

Honestly,

most of us don't know

how strong temptation can be

because we give in

too quickly.

Right?

It's like if you're arm wrestling

and you just sort of

let your arm go limp.

Right?

The way that you really know

how strong somebody else is

is if you hold that arm up

and your arm gets

burning sore.

Right?

And you're trying to push it over

and you...

That's the way

that you're going to know

how strong somebody else is.

Not if you just sort of

give in right away.

You see,

Jesus knows how strong temptation is

because he never gave in.

He held on all the way.

And so he's able to help you and me

when we're tempted

because he's been there

and he's done it.

And he sent his Holy Spirit

to help us in the middle of it

so that we're not alone.

And so the scripture says

we can boldly approach

the throne of grace

to receive mercy

and find help

in our time of need.

Let's pray

and do just that.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Lord God,

we thank you for

this warning.

We thank you that

it is in your love for us

and in your wisdom

that you give us these warnings

so that we don't

fall

into deadly patterns of sin

but so that we can

fix our eyes on you

so that we can be

both warned

and encouraged.

We thank you for this word

of encouragement

that you are faithful.

Lord,

that you won't

let us be tempted

beyond what we can bear

that you will provide

a way out

so that we can endure

through it.

Please strengthen us

to trust you

and to walk

in faithfulness to you

as you have been faithful

to us.

We pray in your name.

Amen.