15 Rounds Part 1

 

March 19, 2006. 15 Rounds Part 1. 1 Cor. 10:1-5.

Like one of the great heavyweight fights of the 70’s the believers’ battle with temptation is constant struggle against an unrelenting opponent. Satan who tempted Adam and our Lord continues to seek the fall and destruction of God’s people. However since our salvation is so secure in Christ that he cannot wrestle us from the grip of God’s grace, he does his very best to entice us into pursuing sinful lifestyles and thus to become unproductive, unfruitful believers who bring shame and disgrace to the Lord instead of glory and honor.
It’s important to realize that temptation is the norm for every believer.
Temptation comes from one of three sources: Satan, the world and our own fallen human nature.
It’s also important for us to know that being tempted in and of itself is not sin. Don’t measure your growth in grace by your ability not to be tempted. Temptation can happen at the unlikeliest places and during the unlikeliest times. The issue is how we handle the temptations we’re certain to face. It is here that the apostle Paul gives us some insight from 1 Cor. 10.

Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians to address a whole host of problems and sins that the Corinthian church was struggling with. One of the major problems they faced was the temptation to indulge in idolatry. What made this kind of pagan worship so dangerous to God’s people was that most did not object to another deity being worshiped so long as the proper honor was paid to the other gods and goddesses. Thus, most people in the Roman world had no problem with you becoming a worshiper of the Jesus the Nazarene so long as he took his place beside the other gods, goddesses and superstitions that others acknowledged.
This is another of Satan’s master strokes of temptation. He entices God’s people by deceiving us into believing that we can follow the idols of our culture while still following the Lord, 1 Cor. 10:20-22.

Satan has no problem with you mentally acknowledging the reality of Jesus Christ or performing certain Christian religious rituals. He does want to completely neutralize your witness and render your new life in Christ unfulfilling and unfruitful by having you feast on the empty idols of our culture. His goal is not to get you to outright deny the Lord. He merely wants you to fool yourself into thinking that you’re in a right relationship with Him when it is clear that your heart, mind and activity are with the idols that define your culture.

How did Paul warn, instruct and encourage the Corinthian saints to battle against certain temptation?
He begins by giving an example of another group of God’s people who faced the same temptations they did. What’s a bit surprising about this people is that they lived in a completely different time and place than the Corinthians. Despite the differences however Paul is confident that the temptations of the ancient Hebrews could serve as examples to instruct these Corinthians.

Before we get into the passage let me ask you however if you’ve fallen into temptation and are now indulging in sin. Have you maintained the slightest connection possible to the Lord while looking to pursue the idols of 21st century America? If so you need to repent now. Don’t play God. The ancient Hebrews found out the hard way that God is not to be played with, cannot be fooled and will certainly not be made a fool of.

So how does Paul exhort the saints stand toe to toe in their fight against temptation?

He starts by reminding them of the spiritual graces, blessings and privileges that should be the focus of their existence and ought to therefore keep them from becoming fixated on the temptations they’re sure to face.
They all enjoyed God’s special presence. When God brought the Hebrews from Egypt His presence went with them in the form of a cloud. This cloud protected them from the heat of the desert sun and also provided guidance in their journey. It was also a tangible expression of God’s presence with them. They all enjoyed God’s special protection. The Lord miraculously saved the Hebrews from certain death at the hands of the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea, allowing His people to pass on the dry ground and then closing the sea when the Egyptians attempted to pursue them. They all enjoyed God’s special position. No longer were they slaves bound to give their life service to harsh, oppressive masters. God was faithful to His promise and placed them in His service and graciously appointed a leader to shepherd them. They were thus baptized, that is placed into the Lord’s care and possession through His servant Moses. They all enjoyed God’s special provision. The desert is an inhospitable and harsh place to travel through. God gave his people food from heaven and water from a rock for themselves and livestock. God’s miraculous supply of bread and water also served to reinforce that He would provide for every physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological and social need they had. He was their God and in pursuing Him they would lack nothing. Finally, they all enjoyed God’s special Person, Jesus Christ. Paul states that the Rock that followed and nourished them was none other than Jesus Christ.

These are the spiritual graces, blessings and privileges the Hebrews should have focused on in their journey through the desert. They are the same things we should concentrate on in our journey through this world.

We too through the power of the Spirit enjoy God’s special presence. The ministry of the Spirit is in our lives to empower us to fight against sin and yield to the new nature God has given us in order that we should pursue a lifestyle of godliness. Romans 8:5-6 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. [6] To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Galatians 5:16-17 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Believers lead lives that are dominated by the Spirit and not our old, sinful human nature. The minds of believers are set on the things of the Spirit. In other words the minds of believers are constantly thinking of ways to know, grow, and please our Lord instead of thinking of how far they can get out into the world.
The Spirit controlled mindset of believers leads to an attitude and disposition of life and peace, rather than death and confusion.
Those that are in Christ are known by the activity of the Spirit in their lives. Finally, through the Spirit believers crave the things of God and have an appetite to pursue godliness rather than ungodliness.

While the cloud gave the ancient Hebrews special guidance, the word of God inspired by the Spirit gives us special guidance. It spells out how we are to live for God’s glory and honor. Moreover, it is the word of God that the Spirit uses to empower us to battle temptation. You’ll note that when Jesus was tempted He didn’t look for a special sign, ask for a special word or petition for a particular impression or feeling. He relied on His knowledge of the word of God. We fight temptation by relying on the Spirit to bring the word of God to our minds so we can act on what the word says and not on what our nature’s crave.

Is your life dominated by the Spirit or your old sinful nature? Is your mind set and settled on pursuing the things of God or do you find yourself fantasizing about the temptations in our culture? Do you crave to do the will of God or does your heart long after the pleasures of this place?

We too are assured of God’s special protection. Our Lord Jesus Christ will not allow Satan to wrestle us away from Him nor will He allow anything to separate us from His redemptive love. Just as God miraculously saved God’s people by parting the sea, so Jesus Christ has saved His sheep by dying on the cross. The cross assures us that the evil one will never, ever be able to take us away from the full salvation we have in Christ. John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. Just as the cloud moved between the Hebrews and the Egyptians while God parted the sea, so our Lord has secured our souls so that Satan cannot take us from Him.
Believers fight temptation by constantly reminding ourselves of the price our Lord paid so that our enemy Satan could never have us.

We too enjoy a new position. We’ve been baptized into Jesus Christ. That is we’ve been placed into an eternal, covenantal union with Christ. We are so linked with Him that whatever His destiny is, our destiny is. Moreover, through baptism we’ve been identified with Christ’s person, His teaching, His will and His agenda.
We fight temptation by remembering who we really are. We are the people of God, not belonging to Satan, this world or ourselves. We belong to Christ and as Paul wrote we’re now obligated to obey His will.
Do you recognize that if you’ve believed in Christ you are now exclusively identified and bound to Him?

Through Christ we enjoy abundant spiritual nourishment. He is the true bread of life and the One who gives living water to all who trust in Him. Christ’s promise is that all who believe in Him will have soul satisfaction. It’s that satisfaction that temptation promises but never delivers. In Christ we have all that we need to flourish in this wasteland of sin.

Are you gaining nourishment from Christ through consistently reading His word, going to Him in prayer, bowing before Him in worship and presenting yourself for His service? They say that the best defense is a good offence.

Finally, like the Hebrews we have our Lord’s promise that wherever we are in temptation He’s right there with us.
Christ knows what it’s like to be bombarded with temptation the way you are. He knows what it’s like to feel weak and have to depend on the Spirit’s power to resist temptation. He knows what it’s like to appeal to His special relationship with the Father so as to not act on His temptations.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV)
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

There are times when facing temptation that we may want to move away from our Lord. We might feel ashamed that we’re so weak. But that’s the very time we need run to Him and plead for His help. He knows exactly how you feel and welcomes you to come to Him.

To Him Who Loves Us...
Pastor Lance