For all the speculating that takes place in our church world regarding what is ‘coming down the road’ regarding ‘end time events’, it never hurts to stop and be reminded as to where we have been, and how God has always operated in the past. Then it would do us well to be reminded that God never changes. (Mal. 3:6). I just can’t believe for a moment that God is standing up along some fence rail with a long piece of grass in His mouth scratching His head thinking to Himself: “Yeah...I probably was a bit hard on those OT folks...maybe I should ease up some and just make everyone more at ease and project more love and tolerance to the world.”
Again: we need to remember: 1) God Never Changes and 2) God means what He says.
I have mentioned in the past that when you read through the NT and study the early church writings, there just seems to be more of a somber and serious tone and mindset amongst those early believers. Now don’t get me wrong, those who were turning to Jesus with all their hearts were experiencing great joy and power and freedom. But we also read throughout how ‘great fear fell upon every soul’. (Acts 2:43; 5:11). And many somber warnings were issued and repeated about how we should ‘work out our salvation with fear and trembling’ (Phil. 2:12) and ‘having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh ands spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God’. (2 Cor. 7:1). The writer in Hebrews admonishes us twice there to ‘exhort one another daily as we see the Day approaching’. (10:25; 3:12-13) If you are wondering what ‘Day’ he is speaking of, you might read yesterday’s post.
In fact both chapters 3 & 4 are worthy of more study time as he cites Israel’s history and how they ‘fell short of entering in’ to this promised land of peace and rest. Then we read specifically that we should ‘fear lest any of us seem to have come short of it.” (4:1). Oh, the reason they fell short and were unable to ‘enter in’ was because of disobedience and unbelief. (3:18-19)
I recently came across that verse in Acts 20:31 where Paul spoke of how for ‘three years he did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears’; which got me to thinking...what did these early writers of the NT know...that we seemingly are ignorant of given the climate that exist...or fails to exist in so many of our churches today. Is it possible...that so many people are following ‘another Jesus’ that Paul speaks of there in 2 Cor. 11:4?
Has the seriousness and the urgency of God’s message waned over the centuries? Were those early disciples just a bit too emotional in their messages using maybe too much hyperbole? I mean, that is a strong statement that Peter uses there in Acts 3 when he had quite the crowd gathered after that lame man was healed in front of the temple. You might revisit vs.17-26 to get a sense of what he was trying to convey. But referring to writings of the past, he cites the warning from Moses that this coming ‘Prophet’ (Jesus) would be raised up and warns us that “every soul who will not hear that Prophet (in all things) will be utterly destroyed from among the people’. (22-23). Those are strong words. Are they underlined in your bible?
Peter does acknowledge there that many of his brethren were ‘ignorant’ and did not know what they were doing or how blind they were. (17). But then he encourages them all to ‘repent and be converted that their sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (19). I’m telling you....it’s one thing to ‘think’ you are abiding in His presence...and trying to convince yourself of it over and over through all kinds of religious activity. It’s another thing to humble yourself in His presence, broken and contrite...and then have Him come and ‘pick you up’ and you find yourself in His presence amidst a joy and peace that passes all understanding. You won’t question that for a second. Trust me. (James 4:7-10)
We were all ignorant at one time. All of us. So now turn to 1 Cor. 10 where Paul gives us quite a history lesson beginning with this: “Brothers- I don’t want you to be ignorant...” (1).
Keep in mind that the early church did not have a ‘bible’ as we know it complete with the New Testament and a nicely printed ‘red-letter-edition’. What they studied were the writings of old and the prophets to which they make reference to regularly. The phrase ‘this is that’ (Acts 2:16) was heard often, no doubt, as the scriptures were ‘opened up’ to them by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:32,45). And of course the various letters were circulated among them as well, the ones we read today from Paul, John, Peter and James. Peter actually exhorts us to “be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets”. (2 Pet. 3:1-2)
So Paul is giving a history lesson, of sorts, to the Corinthians there in chapter 10. He is reminding them of their ancestors’ deliverance from Egypt when Moses led them out and through the Red Sea. All of this was a type or foreshadowing of what God’s ultimate plan would be for us as Paul lays out here in vs. 1-4. He draws a ‘spiritual’ connection with that ‘rock’ that followed them providing water and just plainly tells us, ‘That Rock was Christ’ (4).
Now here’s the part we want to slow down on and pay close attention to beginning in vs 5. “But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” (Do you think it is possible that we can still be ‘unpleasing’ to God? Rom. 8:8) If you are feeling studious this morning, you might pause and go look at Heb. 3:7-19 for a moment. Do you think there might be a reason why Paul feels compelled to bring this up repeatedly? He tells us why there in vs. 6 back in chapter 10 of 1 Cor.
“Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”
If you have not caught on to this one point yet, let me remind you that anything...and everything that stems from our sinful, flesh nature (old man) falls under the category of ‘wicked’ and ‘evil’ and ‘debased’ and ‘defiled’. All of it. Which is why the Spirit waste no time leading us to put it to death, (not dialed down, on a leash or in a cage, but put to death) (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24)
Paul even cites several specific examples beginning with “do not become idolaters as were some of them.” (1 Cor. 10:7)
[Stop! – It can be so easy to just glide over these passages without giving them much thought]. Do you know what an ‘idol’ is? Anything...that we put before God or love more than God. The story of the young, rich, ruler in Matt. 19...Jesus saw something there in his heart pertaining to greed or covetousness and encouraged him to deal with it if he truly wanted eternal life and to become a follower. What did that young man do? He turned and walked away. He was not willing to give it all up...which is what the gospel demands of us...to ‘forsake all’. Remember...we are talking about issues in these defiled hearts of ours that need to come out. (Mark 7:20-23). Don’t get sidetracked with all these external things that we hear about all the time.
Have you ever noticed how we have these seemingly ‘small pet sins’ that we continue to struggle with and never truly turn from or repent of? Ever wonder why that is? We are quick to remind ourselves and others that we/nobody ‘is perfect, just forgiven’...so just tell Jesus you are sorry and try to do better. Would you be fine with that sentiment if the youth pastor in your church was a pedophile and was abusing kids in your church? And what if he expressed sorrow for what he had done...would you allow him to remain in that position because...after all...’nobody is perfect, just forgiven’. Or would you expect...and even demand...total repentance from that sin-as opposed to just falling every now and then Yet....how quick are we to defend or justify our own ‘pet sins’ that we just don’t seem to rid ourselves of.
Take a look at some of those ‘unrighteous’ acts or deeds that Paul list there in Rom. 1:29-32. He includes ‘boasting and backbiting and gossiping’ in the same breath as he does murder and sexual immorality.’ He then goes on to say that we all know that ‘those who practice such things are deserving of death’(32). [at least it says that in my bible]
Friends...He came to ‘cleanse and clear the land’. All of it....as in to purify and perfect our hearts with His love so that we could love others with His nature residing in us. But the ‘old man’ has to go...all of him. And when we hold on and refuse to turn from ANY sin, no matter how ‘small’ it may seem to us...we are telling God...that we love that sin more than Him. Jesus tells us that “IF...we love Him, we will do what He says.” (John 14:15; Luke 6:46). So when we hold on to those things, they become idols in our hearts. And we are to love God with [how much of our hearts?]
Too many people think that Jesus is fine residing there in our hearts along with those pet sins of ours that we refuse to turn from. Jesus won’t be ‘one of our idols’. You know...I love Jesus but I still like to partake in sexual immorality....or cut people down with my sarcastic tongue...or honk at ‘idiotic drives that try my patience’. If/when we demand that wife-beater to totally turn from his sin of abuse, but then we excuse ourselves for continuing to practice certain sins, then we are on ‘thin ice’ with God. (Rom. 2:1-4)
Jesus demands that we ‘go and sin no more’; not ‘less’. (John 5:14). Failing to understand the extent of this leads us down a path of deception because that is what the ‘deceitfulness of sin does...it hardens our hearts’. (Heb. 3:12-13). When we read that somber warning in Heb. 4:1 about ‘fearing lest we fall short of entering His rest’, have you ever stopped to consider what that might mean? Have you ‘settled’ in a place where you are content because you “don’t do those big sins anymore”, and feel secure that ‘you are not what you used to be’, but yet have balked at going on with Jesus to let Him purify your heart of those ‘other nations that need to come off the land?’
We’ll pick up from here tomorrow but if you want to know why this is so important, then just skip on down and read Paul’s explanation as to why he is rehearsing this history with us in vs. 11 there in 1 Cor. 10. See you tomorrow?
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