Lesson: I Corinthians 10:12-22
Golden Text: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
I. INTRODUCTION. Temptation is probably a daily occurrence in the life of nearly every human being including Christians. Temptation is basically an attempt to test you or get you to do something, usually something you shouldn’t do. Temptation comes in many forms. It may come from someone’s suggestion, from a mental picture, or a visual sighting, or from a thought off the top of your head. People may use temptation to see if we are really committed to following and obeying the Lord Jesus and the Word of God. Of course, Satan may play a part in bringing us temptation, possibly to discourage us or to ruin our testimony and thus our ability to win others to Christ. Flip Wilson used to use the phrase: “The devil made me do it.” But that’s not true. The devil can’t make us do anything. He can only tempt us. We make the decision to do or not do the thing that’s offered. This week’s lesson helps us understand how we can be victorious over temptation because of the Lord Jesus.
II.
BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.
In chapter 10, the Apostle Paul
reviewed some of the trials the Jews experienced during the forty year
wilderness wanderings after being delivered from Egyptian bondage.
In verses 1-4, Paul listed five advantages that Israel enjoyed: (1) God’s
guidance, (2) God’s deliverance, (3) unity with Moses, their spiritual head, (4)
the spiritual food God provided, and (5) the spiritual drink He provided.
Although Israel had been blessed by these many advantages, the time in
the wilderness also included God’s judgment for certain sins and transgressions
they committed. In verses 5-11, Paul warned the Corinthians to
avoid the same errors and consequences of those mistakes. Paul
listed four transgressions that the Israelites committed in the wilderness: (1)
lust, (2) idolatry, (3) fornication, and (4) murmuring against God and
Moses. Paul used these examples to encourage the Corinthians to be
faithful to God, but also to warn them that even though the Jews belonged to
God, just as they did, didn’t give them the license to do whatever they pleased.
It would be easy for new believers to feel that since they
belonged to God, they were immune from temptations. In verse 11,
Paul admonished the Corinthian believers to learn from Israel’s example in the
wilderness. If they repeated the same mistakes, they would be
headed for spiritual disaster. This is where our lesson begins.
III. THE REALITY OF TEMPTATION
(I Corinthians
10:12-17)
A. Handling temptation
(I Corinthians 10:12-13).
1. (vs.
12). In our first
verse Paul says “Wherefore let
him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
The term “Wherefore” connects this verse with
verse 11(not part of our text) where Paul advised his readers that what happened
to Israel in the wilderness were examples to them. When God is
blessing us, it’s easy to think that we are mature enough to do what we want
with no repercussions. It’s clear from this letter that many of
the Corinthian believers were full of pride which signals that a fall is coming
(see Proverbs 16:18). However, Paul said “let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” This
statement is a clearly a call for believers to be humble. When we
think we are strong and can stand up to anything, we are more vulnerable than
ever to falling or being tripped up by temptation.
We need to be humbly careful to avoid opportunities that tempt
us to do what’s evil. No matter how spiritually mature we think we
are, we can still fall to temptation.
2. (vs. 13). In this verse
Paul goes on to say “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it.” This verse is one of the
great promises of the Bible. The phrase “There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man” simply means that
every person, saved and unsaved face much the same temptations.
While we may sometimes feel that we are the only person facing a
particular trial or temptation, this isn’t true. The temptations
and tests we face are “common to man” meaning they are the
kinds of things all of us experience. To be sure, not every person
will be tempted in the same way, but we all are tempted. Nobody is
exempt from being tempted. If we think we can’t be tempted, we are
setting ourselves up for a fall. Being tempted is not sin, but
giving in to it results in sin. The fact that “God is
faithful” assures us that we can count on Him “who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.” In
other words, He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to
resist. God knows our breaking point and He will remain
“faithful” or trustworthy to help us face any
temptation. When temptation comes, we can be assured that God
“will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able
to bear it.” This means that with every temptation God
has prepared an escape route. Just as there are doors into
temptation, there are also doors out. One may get the impression
here that there will be some kind of escape hatch and all we have to do is look
around, find it and jump out of the fire. But this verse says that we are
expected to “bear” or endure the temptation and come through it
untouched. The Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer, will give
us the strength we need to turn away and walk out of every temptation-filled
situation. Of course Satan may try to make the temptation so
attractive that we may not be looking for the way out. That way of
escape is obvious. It’s usually as simple as walking away or
saying no. Too often, the problem is that we look for ways to
participate rather than escape. When we give in to temptation,
it’s because we’ve failed to use the way God has provided.
Note: God has been faithful to give us His Word which
provides the way of escape. His Word carries us through the common
temptations we face helping us to avoid dishonoring the Lord and bringing
painful consequences upon ourselves. I strongly believe that when
we are faced with temptation, it’s a great help to think of a passage of
Scripture and meditate on it. If you can’t think of a Scripture,
try thinking about a hymn, even if it’s just a portion of it. This
is also true of Scripture. The devil hates the Word of God.
He doesn’t want us to meditate on anything uplifting or holy.
When we do this Satan will leave (see Matthew 4:1-11; Luke
4:1-13). Yes, he will return later with
another test of evil, but our response should be the same as Jesus’ response
when He was tempted, “It is written…” (see Matthew
4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). Just as it did for Jesus, God’s Word carries us
through the common temptations we face every
day.
B.
Fleeing idolatry (I Corinthians 10:14-15).
1.
(vs. 14).
Paul here said “Wherefore, my dearly
beloved, flee from idolatry.” The word
“Wherefore” connects this verse with the previous verse.
In other words, since God would provide the Corinthian believers with a
way out of giving into temptation, Paul commanded them to
“flee from idolatry.” He showed his love and
concern for them by using the phrase “my dearly beloved.”
Idolatry or the worship of false gods was probably the greatest
temptation the Corinthians faced. Remember, Corinth was a city
filled with many different people who worshipped many different gods.
The word “flee” means “to run away and avoid.”
The Corinthian believers needed to realize that since they had worshipped
idols before they were saved, the temptation to return to idolatry was real, so
they needed to run from it. Yes, God does help us escape
temptation, but we shouldn’t even think about the thing that tempts us.
Don’t toy with it. Don’t flirt with it. We
must “flee” from it! The question should never be
how close we can get to sin and not get burnt, but how far we can get away from
sin.
2. (vs. 15). Paul continued to say
“I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.”
The apostle said that he was speaking to these believers
“as to wise men” or sensible men. He was speaking
to people who were sensible enough to think about what he was saying and reach
the right conclusions. In asking them to “judge ye what I
say” Paul was challenging them to consider his words carefully and
seriously. If they did, they would make whatever spiritual changes
were necessary in order to withstand temptation. This should
remind us that sometimes overcoming temptation will take a calculated
decision. If we rely on our emotions alone we are taking a
dangerous road which won’t lead to victory over the
temptation.
C. Understanding involvement (I Corinthians
10:16-17).
1. (vs. 16).
In this verse Paul poses two questions: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the
communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the
communion of the body of Christ?” With these two rhetorical questions, Paul reminded the
Corinthian believers that when we eat the Lord’s Supper we are joined in
fellowship with Christ. Likewise, those who eat at the feasts in
honor of idols are joined to demons. The Corinthian believers
couldn’t have it both ways and neither can we (see Matthew 6:24).
The phrase “cup of blessing which we bless” refers to
the wine which symbolizes Christ’s blood that we share during the Lord’s
Supper. The phrase “The bread which we break”
refers to the bread that symbolizes Christ’s body
which believers eat during the Lord’s Supper. Paul stated that in
the cup we have “communion” with Jesus’ blood
and in the bread we have “communion” with His body.
The term “communion” speaks of a partnership in which
there is mutual participation. Note:
While idols are nothing (see I
Corinthians 8:4), the devils or demons behind them are real. To
sit at a table means to fellowship with those around the table. To
partake of the Lord’s Supper brings one into communion or partnership with
Christ. To partake of the table of idols brings one into communion
or partnership with demons (see I Corinthians
10:20).
2. (vs. 17). Paul continued to say
“For we being many are
one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
The term “one
bread” is a reference to Christ’s body. As members of the
body of Christ we are “many” but are one in Christ, the
“one bread.” When we eat of the Lord’s Supper we
all become “partakers of that one bread.” When we
share in the Lord’s Communion we become one with Christ, thus we are
“one bread, and one body” for we participate in one
remembrance service (see I Corinthians
11:23-26).
IV. THE DANGER OF SUBMITTING TO TEMPTATION (I Corinthians 10:18-22)
IV. THE DANGER OF SUBMITTING TO TEMPTATION (I Corinthians 10:18-22)
A. Questioning
participation (I Corinthians 10:18).
In this verse Paul said “Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the
sacrifices partakers of the altar?”
To better illustrate his
point, Paul referred to Old Testament Israel and
their eating of parts of the sacrifices made to God. Paul referred
to those in Israel who ate the sacrificial meat as
“partakers of the altar” meaning that they shared the food offered on the altar and therefore
were united with each other in the worship and fellowship that it
symbolized. Everyone who was involved was identified with
everybody else and with the Lord. Note:
An Old Testament example of this
verse is Leviticus 7:11-18. When the Israelites brought a
sacrifice for the peace offering, it was accompanied by unleavened bread,
wafers, or cakes mixed with oil. Part of the sacrifice was always
given to the priest, but what was left was eaten by those giving the
offering. When applied to the believers at Corinth and
Christians in general, Paul’s reasoning in this verse was that believers who eat
the bread at the Lord’s Supper show that they are united with one another and
with Christ. In the same sense, Jews who ate the meat of animals
offered in their sacrifices showed their union with one another and with
God. Therefore, the conclusion is that Christians who eat the meat
offered to pagan gods as part of idol worship show their union with idol
worshippers and with idols. It should also be noted that this is different from
last week’s lesson when there were disagreements about eating meats offered to
idols. Here, Paul was indicating that those eating the meats
offered to idols were sharing in the worship of the idol as well.
In last week’s lesson, those eating the meats offered to idols were not
involved in worship of that idol.
B. Sacrificing to demons (I Corinthians
10:19-20).
1.
(vs. 19). Here the
apostle asked “What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that
which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?”
Paul was asking the
Corinthians if they thought what he was saying meant that he considered lifeless
idols to be real, or if the meat that’s offered to lifeless idols meant
anything. Of course the answer to both questions is an emphatic
no! The apostle had previously stated that idols were nothing and
that there was only one God (see I Corinthians 8:4). Even the
prophet Isaiah acknowledged the worthlessness of idols (se Isaiah 44:9-10).
2. (vs.
20). Paul continues to say in this verse “But I say, that
the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to
God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
The point Paul is making here is that ultimately when Gentiles,
those who are unsaved, offer sacrifices to their gods they are really offering
them to “devils” or demons and not to Jehovah, the only
God. The unsaved can’t understand this because they have been
blinded by Satan, the god of this world (see II Corinthians 4:4).
Only those who have been enlightened by God’s Spirit understand
this. Paul added, “and I would not that ye should have
fellowship with devils.” Since idolatry is fellowship
with demons, Paul made it clear that as fellow believers, he didn’t want them to
have fellowship with “devils” or demons. It’s
impossible for a Christian to worship both idols and God.
C. Maintaining separation (I
Corinthians 10:21). To further
emphasize the fact that believers can’t worship idols and Jehovah, Paul here
said “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and
the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table
of devils.” The word “cannot” is an
absolute negative. It leaves no room for any further discussion of
the issue. With the first statement Paul declares that believers
“cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils.”
Again, the apostle was thinking about the last Passover meal
that Christ had with His disciples when He instituted the Lord’s Supper or
communion (see Matthew 26: 17, 19, 26-29; Mark 14:16-17, 22-25; Luke
22:13-20). That was a time of intimate fellowship.
With the second statement “ye cannot be partakers of the
Lord's table, and of the table of devils” Paul was making it very clear
that his readers “cannot” take part in the feasts in the pagan
temples. In other words, it’s not possible to mix what takes place
at the Lord’s table, Holy Communion, with demon worship (see II Corinthians
6:14).
D.
Provoking the Lord (I Corinthians 10:22).
In our last verse, Paul
poses another question: “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we
stronger than he?” Another way to
express this first question is “Are we trying to make God jealous by joining in
with the feasts to idols?” The answer to this question has to be,
“we had better not!” The term “jealousy” when applied to God indicates that it will provoke Him to act
against a person in order to show His superiority to that person.
God’s jealousy often is aroused when those who belong to Him turn to
false gods. His jealousy can result in both judgment and mercy
(see Exodus 20:5-6). The second question
“are we stronger than
he?” also requires a no
answer. Even spiritually mature or strong Christians who have
greater spiritual understanding than weak or immature Christians cannot stand up
to our great God.
No comments:
Post a Comment