1 Corinthians 10:1-17 "Temptation" sermon given on March 21, 2019

Last Thursday night's sermon covered the verses found in Paul's first letter (or at least the letter we now present as his first letter) to the Church in Corinth.  Here in 1st Corinthians 10:1-17, Paul is dealing among other things with temptations.  In the NRSV the words are translated as 'testing or test', but they perhaps are better understood as 'temptation or tempting'.  I won't speculate upon why the translators decided to use testing but others choose to use temptation. (In fact, in a quick look at a Parallel New Testament on my desk I see that all 8 of the translations in it use 'temptations'.)

The problem with using 'testing', is that it can imply that any difficulty, any hardship, anything that tests us is something for which God has provided a way out.  In other blog posts, I have commented on how much I dislike the saying "God won't give you a cross you can't bear.", this saying is frankly not true... death, disease, financial ruin, the list goes on and on with things that we alone cannot bear... but, we can bear and endure through all things with God's help.

BUT, back to the temptation.  None of us will ever be tempted in a fashion that hasn't tempted someone else... somewhere else... at some other time.  The fact that some (many) resist the temptation is proof that these temptations can be withstood.  We all too often want to mitigate our own responsibility and make excuses for our shortfalls.  All of us can resist, God will always provide a way out of the temptation... often (almost always) that way out is as simple as saying 'NO'.  Trust me, I speak as someone who has been seduced by temptation far too many times, falling into the clutches of my own ego and human frailty... but, there was not one time when I could not have walked away and escaped that temptation.

By no means am I saying that resisting and escaping all temptations is 'easy'... by no means... in fact, it is often extremely difficult.  The power of the flesh is very real and very controlling... but, others have escaped and thus we must confess that it is, in fact, possible and the fact that we fall short lies upon our own desire to succumb to the temptation that lies before us.

I am certain that this sermon doesn't sit well with some... but, perhaps that alone is the mark of a good sermon or at least a good sermon point.  I will never claim to give the most eloquent presentations in my sermons, but hopefully as rough and as unpolished as they are they make you think...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

1 Corinthians 10:1-17 (NRSV)
Warnings from Israel’s History
10 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[a] that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ[b] to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my dear friends,[c] flee from the worship of idols. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Footnotes:
a) 1 Corinthians 10:1 Gk brothers
b) 1 Corinthians 10:9 Other ancient authorities read the Lord
c) 1 Corinthians 10:14 Gk my beloved


1 Corinthians 10:1-17 New Century Version (NCV)
Warnings from Israel’s Past
10 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. They were all under the cloud and all went through the sea. 2 They were all baptized as followers of Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 But God was not pleased with most of them, so they died in the desert.

6 And these things happened as examples for us, to stop us from wanting evil things as those people did. 7 Do not worship idols, as some of them did. Just as it is written in the Scriptures: “They sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and sinned sexually.”[a] 8 We must not take part in sexual sins, as some of them did. In one day twenty-three thousand of them died because of their sins. 9 We must not test Christ as some of them did; they were killed by snakes. 10 Do not complain as some of them did; they were killed by the angel that destroys.

11 The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written down to teach us, because we live in a time when all these things of the past have reached their goal. 12 If you think you are strong, you should be careful not to fall. 13 The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.

14 So, my dear friends, run away from the worship of idols. 15 I am speaking to you as to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 We give thanks for the cup of blessing,[b] which is a sharing in the blood of Christ. And the bread that we break is a sharing in the body of Christ. 17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share that one loaf.

Footnotes:
a) 10:7 “They . . . sexually.” Quotation from Exodus 32:6.

b) 10:16 cup of blessing The cup of the fruit of the vine that Christians thank God for and drink at the Lord’s Supper.