Learning From Israel’s Disobedience

Transcript

GR 1331
08-27-06
Learning from Israel's Disobedience
I Corinthians 10:6-12
Gil Rugh

We're studying the book of I Corinthians together, so if you'd turn to I Corinthians 10 in your Bibles. The church at Corinth, you remember, was established by the Apostle Paul on what we call his Second Missionary Journey. And the events of the establishing of that church are recorded in Acts 18. There we are told that the Apostle Paul came into the city of Corinth and began a ministry in the synagogue of sharing the truth that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, prophesied through the Old Testament scriptures. When the Jews rejected that message Paul left the synagogue and continued to preach in other places the message of Christ. And many were saved. We are told that he spent 18 months in the city of Corinth, teaching the Word of God among them. The result was the establishing of the church at Corinth. Some five years have gone by since Paul established the church there when we have the letter we know of as I Corinthians written to the church. Paul addressed some matters of concern he had for the church, then he begins to answer their questions.

But I want you to note something in chapter 1 at the beginning of the letter, if you would, chapter 1 verse 9. He began this letter by expressing his thanks to God for the grace that had been shown to the Corinthians. Look at I Corinthians 1:4, I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him. In verse 6, the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. That will culminate our earthly race. And Jesus Christ is the One who will confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. That confidence Paul has as he remembers the evident manifestation of God's grace at work in these who came to believe in Christ.

Now the church at Corinth is experiencing some troubles, some trials. Paul has given some rather stern instruction through the first six chapters of the letter. In chapter 7 he began to answer questions or address issues they had written to him about. In chapters 8-10 he's talking about how they lived their life now that they are believers. They have freedom in Christ, what does that mean. And it puts into perspective what he said in chapter 1. The grace of God is at work in their lives, but you understand, don't take that for granted. The saving grace of God begins when you trust Christ, but that saving grace continues to work in your life until the end of your life or until Christ calls us into His presence at His return. And so he has some serious things to say, beginning at the end of chapter 9 of this letter, and on through chapter 10, warning them about a false confidence or a false security.

I just want to remind you of what we've looked at, the end of chapter 9 and into chapter 10. In verses 24-27 he gave some guidelines for the life of a believer and he compared it to an athletic contest, a race. 1) The first thing he noted, a believer must live with a view to successfully completing his life's race, verse 24. That becomes an evidence of a true believer. 2) Self-control is essential for the successful completion of the race. He compared that with the athletics of his day. And the athletes exercise self-control for a fading, temporal crown, but we do it to receive an eternal, imperishable reward. Self-control is essential for a successful completion of our race. 3) And thirdly, and very importantly, failure to discipline our bodies will result in being rejected by God. Verse 27, I discipline my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified, adokimos. And we looked at that word, rejected. In other words, fail to finish and receive the reward of life in the presence of God.

Paul addressed this matter in other letters. Come back to Romans 6. Paul says, I could preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to others, but if I don't faithfully finish my course, I will be rejected by God. He is not saying we are saved by faith and kept by our works rather he is saying that saving faith transforms a life so that that life is now lived in the service of the living God. Note how Romans 6 begins, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? Some were suggesting that as long as you placed your faith in Christ now even if you live in sin that's okay, that's just a testimony that God's grace takes care of my sin. Paul says such a thought is inconceivable. May it never be. That is not even a possibility. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? See what he is talking about. If you have died to sin you can't live in it.

He goes on, and we're just going to break into some sections here, verse 5, if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man, our old self, was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin, our body as devoted to sin, as used for sinful purposes, might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe we shall also live with Him. You see the connection. When you believe in Christ you die with Christ, you are identified with Christ in His death, in His burial. But you are also identified with Christ in His resurrection to a new life, a life that is now lived for Him; His life lived in and through us.

Down in verse 17, but thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Verse 22, but now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, your fruit. We saw in Hebrews 6, ground that doesn't bring forth fruit will be burned. This results in sanctification with the outcome of eternal life. You'll note, those who have truly believed in Christ are freed from sin, enslaved to God. The Corinthians were missing this point. They were thinking they were free, now, to do as they pleased. They are freed from sin, enslaved to God. And this produces the fruit in our lives and results in eternal life. That is the only kind of salvation presented in the Bible. And as we've talked about, sometimes we get so concerned to be careful that people don't think you're saved by works, and you're not. You are saved by grace through faith. But the salvation that comes by grace through faith is a life. It begins at a point in time and continues on. That's why it's called a new birth. When a baby is born, that begins a life. We have slid the other way and now we have people say, I trusted Christ, I remember that. These people have no interest in the things of the Lord anymore, they are bored with the Word of God, and they are involved in things that are going to be talked about in our section today. And yet they are confident, I know I'm saved. Paul is addressing the Corinthians very seriously on this matter.

Come back to I Corinthians 10. In the first five verses of chapter 10 which we've already considered together, Paul used Israel as an example of those who enjoyed many spiritual blessings but were rejected by God. First lesson in the first 4 verses, all Israel experienced the same spiritual blessing. But verse 5 says, God was not pleased with most of them, and they perished in the wilderness. So, the first lesson is, all Israel experienced the same spiritual blessing. But the second lesson was that God wasn't pleased with most of them, and so they perished. Those with whom God is not pleased will be destroyed. And Israel is an example of that. They perished in the wilderness. They could enjoy all these blessings and be rejected by God. The point—experiencing spiritual blessings does not guarantee that God will not reject you. You say, do you think people can lose their salvation? No, but I do believe the Bible makes clear, many people think they have a salvation that they do not have. And that's evidenced in the life that they now live. The Corinthians all have knowledge about Christ. Turn back to chapter 8 verse 1, now concerning things sacrificed to idols we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, love builds up. And what had happened is the Corinthians, many of them, were placing their faith and confidence in their knowledge and the things they could relate that spiritually had happened. They were in danger of being self deluded.

So what Paul is going to do, picking up with verse 6, is turn from the blessings that Israel experienced together as a nation, to their disobedience and subsequent rejection in judgment by God. Then he's going to say, we ought to learn lessons from that. Note verse 6, now these things happened as examples for us. These are things we are to learn from. It's not just history for history's sake. It is history and its important history, but it is also history that is applicable to us. We are to learn from it as those who profess to be God's people today. We need to learn from those who were God's people in the Old Testament.

These happened as examples for us, and he's going to select several things. And it's not just a random collection of sins that he warns about, but they are things that are directly pertinent to the Corinthian situation, and things in which they have become involved or are in danger of becoming involved in. First he says, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. We have to learn not to desire those things which are not proper for us. And that could be a general statement that will then be elaborated in what follows, four things that follow. But there is one particular case that would for sure be in mind in the Old Testament.

Turn back to Numbers 11, we're not going back to all these. A general pattern of Israel is they were always desiring evil things, and that is a characteristic of an unbeliever. The unbeliever is characterized by the desires of the flesh. Paul is concerned, after five years maybe some of these Corinthians are manifesting the fact that they never really, truly knew Christ. Their desire for true spiritual things, the Word of God and a living, vital relationship with Christ have waned. And that may indicate that there was no true heart change in them. In Numbers 11 we're talking about Israel and their situation under Moses and the complaints they have and the desires they have. Look at verse 4, the rabble who were among them had greedy desires. And also the sons of Israel wept again and said who will give us meat to eat. Note verse 4, they had greedy desires. The Greek translation of this would have been available to our New Testament writers. They used basically the same word we have translated craving or the cravers in I Corinthians 10, their desires. They had greedy desires. What is it over? Give us meat to eat. We remember the fish in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic’s. Now our appetite is gone, all we have is this wretched manna, and can't take any more manna. This is a serious matter. In fact God is going to send a judgment on them; He is going to send them quail for meat. But before they even get a chance to swallow it, He's going to strike them with a plague and many of them are going to die. And when you come to Numbers 11:34, the name of that place was called Kibroth-hatta-avah, literally the graves of desiring, the graves of craving, because they buried the people there who had been greedy. Their desiring of evil things was so great that when they buried the people who came under the judgment of God, they called it the graveyard of the cravers as a memorial. And so Paul says we ought to learn not to crave evil things, not to desire evil things. Here is one prime example. So striking that those who come under the judgment of God is buried in the graveyard of the cravers, those who had the evil desires. You'll note, there is nothing wrong with having meat. Later in Israel's history they will have lots of meat, but it was evil now because it was not what God had provided for them. This dissatisfaction comes up again and again.

Come back to I Corinthians. That's the first lesson we want to learn, not to crave things that are evil. If your mind is always running toward those things, you better stop and ask yourself, where am I, and learn from Israel's experience. Secondly, verse 7; do not be idolaters as some of them were. Now you'll note the word some becomes important here. In verse 7 it is some, in verse 8 it is some, in verse 9 it's some, in verse 10 it's some. In the first four verses it was all of them who experienced these spiritual blessings. But in verses 7 and following some of them are destroyed, some of them. The point being, being part of the spiritual blessing doesn't guarantee your successful finishing of the race. So do not be idolaters as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and stood up to play. This comes from Exodus 32, we know because the quote is from Exodus 32:6, the last part of the verse. And it has to do with Israel's experience in their sacrifice, worship, and things associated with the golden calf. Remember when Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the law from God, and there he received the tablets of stone that had the Ten Commandments engraved on them? While he is up there receiving this great revelation from God for the nation Israel, the nation Israel is down at the bottom of the mountain making a golden calf and becoming involved in the worship of the golden calf.

It's interesting what Paul selects to quote here. The people sat down to eat and drink and stood up to play. The first part of verse 6 and several other times in chapter 32 of Exodus we're told that Israel sacrificed to that calf. That's not what Paul picks out to emphasize here. He says the people sat down to eat and drink and stood up to play. Because what is the issue in the church at Corinth? Can we eat food sacrificed to idols? Can we drink drink sacrificed to idols? And the point he is going to be driving home, and it will become clear in the next section in our next study, is that any kind of involvement at all with things associated with false worship is out of bounds for a believer. So he cites their eating and drinking and playing. He doesn't even pick out that they sacrificed to idols. No, it’s their idolatry, and he picks out these things the Corinthians weren't considering. This is not a game. Is it all right for me to be involved with false worship, but I'm not really going to worship, I'm going to ...? The Corinthians don't understand these kinds of issues. This raises the question of where are they in a true spiritual relationship with God.

You'll note, Paul doesn't mention the judgments at the end of verse 7. He assumes the knowledge of that. God sent a plague among the people and Moses graciously interceded in that famous section at the end of Exodus 32. And he says, Lord, if you won't spare Israel, then take my life, blot my name out of your book. God graciously responds to Moses and spares Israel, but he tells them, I'll decide who is going to be destroyed. I'll decide who gets blotted out. When it comes time, I'll punish the sinners who deserve punishment. And men die in the plague. Note the idolaters as some of them were, they sat down to eat and drink and play and they were destroyed in the judgment for their sin.

Verse 8, nor let us act immorally as some of them did and 23,000 fell in one day. Now you'll note, Paul includes himself here. Let us not act immorally. None of us, I'm not immune from this, Paul says. Back in chapter 9 verse 27, I discipline my body and make it my slave, lest when I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified. I mean, what I am saying applies to me. I can preach the Word for 40 years, and then dive off into immorality and licentiousness or whatever, and be rejected by God, adokimos. Let us not act immorally as some of them did, 23,000 fell in one day. This is Numbers 25, and let me read it to you. Verse 1, while Israel remained at Shittim the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. Remember the account of Balaam and he told Barak how you could get Israel to come under the judgment of God—have your women go out and lure them into immorality. When they get involved in immorality, God will judge them. And immorality leads to idolatry, they all get intermingled together. Because the next verse says, they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. Numbers 25:9 says, 24,000 people died under the judgment of God. Paul says 23,000 died in one day. There are a variety of explanations; we're not going into them because it's a sideline for us. Perhaps Paul is making the distinction that 23,000 died in one day under the plague, and then there was an additional judgment where judges were sent out to each of the tribes to personally execute any of the men who had become involved in this. Some would say the additional 1,000 died not on that first day under the plague, but at this subsequent judgment of the judges.

At any rate, 23,000 in one day are dead because of their immorality. And don't think that immorality becomes acceptable. This is a plague in the church. Some of you are sitting here involved in such activity and think, I'm a Christian. I trusted Christ; I could give you my testimony. I want the testimony of your life. You're involved in immorality; you're going to come under the judgment of God. You say I know, but I trusted Christ so I know I'm going to heaven. So even if He disciplines me, I'll end up in heaven. Wait a minute; I don't think we understand the seriousness.

Back up to I Corinthians 6:9, do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. If you're not going to the kingdom, you're not going to heaven; you're not going to be in the presence of God for glory. Don't be deceived, don't let anyone trick you on this, don't deceive yourself. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you, but you were changed. You were washed, sanctified, justified.

Turn over to Revelation 21. In Revelation 21 you have a description of the New Jerusalem which will be the residence of glorified saints in the eternal kingdom. Beautiful, glorious place in Revelation 21. But note verse 8, but for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Immoral people are not going to glory. I am distressed at the number of people who sit down and admit to immorality and say, I know I'm a believer, I know I'm going to heaven. I have to say, you are not going to heaven. You can't judge me, I know in my heart. I don't know what you know in your heart, but I know what God has said, and I believe God and not you. This is a serious matter. Immorality has become acceptable in the church, which simply is raising the issue that Paul raises with the Corinthians. We have many in the church who don't really belong to God, but have a lot of knowledge, can share a lot of spiritual experiences, but they aren't going to heaven. They are going to be closed out of the New Jerusalem. This is serious business. We fail to understand that God's salvation changes a life for good, not just for a little time, but for good. He who has begun a good work in you will continue to bring it to perfection until the day of Christ Jesus, Philippians 1:6. He doesn't quit halfway. And that's what enables us to persevere, why Paul continued to discipline his body and make it his slave because of the grace of God at work in his life. We have many people who have run well for a while. The Corinthian church, many of them had been going for five years, but Paul says something is wrong. Look at Israel and learn a lesson.

Come back to I Corinthians 10. Verse 9, nor let us try the Lord as some of them did and were destroyed by the serpents. Do not let us try the Lord. Numbers 21, do you know what they are complaining about again? We know this is the particular incident Paul is drawing from because this is where the serpents come as God's agents of judgment. They're complaining about the lack of food and water. Verse 4, the end of the verse, they became impatient because of the journey. Verse 5, the people spoke against God and Moses, why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and water, so they're starving to death. No. We loathe this miserable food. They are putting God to the test. It doesn't say that they put God to the test in this chapter; it just tells what they did. But just jot down Psalm 78:18, and in Psalm 78:18 in referring to this incident the psalmist writes, and in their heart they put God to the test by asking for food according to their desire. In other words, what they're saying is God, what you've done is not acceptable. You've got to do better. They're challenging God, putting God to the test, telling Him He has to come through with something more, something else. There is food. They're not going to die. There is manna for them every day, but they loathe the manna. What God provides, I don't like. And so they are putting Him to the test, telling Him they need something else, something more, something better. The punishment in verse 6 is the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, they bit the people, and many died. And then you have the account of the bronze serpent lifted up and everyone who looked in faith to that serpent was spared.

You'll note again, the issue is food and drink. Paul has selected these examples because what are the Corinthians struggling with in their situation? They are struggling with food and drink. Can I eat this, can I drink this? And everything becomes this. Why is that such an issue? People make an issue out of things that ought not to be the issue and it raises questions of really what their spiritual condition is.

Come back to the next one and this will eliminate about 85% of the evangelical church today. Verse 10, nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. Grumble. That word grumble has that rumble sound to it, murmur, gogoosida, Greek word. Same kind of sound. The word carries its sound, murmurers, grumblers. You say how do you select 40 years of wilderness wanderings, which occasion of grumbling you're talking about? Why? Because it becomes a characteristic of that generation and that whole generation is going to be destroyed.

The reference is probably to Numbers 16. The first part of Numbers 16 is about the rebellion of Korah. And Korah decided with his followers that Moses and Aaron weren't the best leaders. The end result of that were the judgments that God brought on Korah and all those associated with him. Now remember the earth opened up and swallowed them. That is a lesson about grumbling about God's leaders that nobody would forget. Then you read verse 41, but on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron saying, you are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord's people. And then the Lord descends in the cloud on the tent of meeting and verse 45, He says to Moses, get away from this congregation that I may consume them instantly. Moses and Aaron fall to their faces and Moses tells Aaron to grab his sensor and go among the people. The plague has already begun, and if we don't stand as intercessors before God, the whole nation will be destroyed. Verse 49, those who died by the plague were 14,700 beside those who died on account of Korah.

It's not over. In chapter 17 God says, I want to put an end to this grumbling, grumbling about Moses, grumbling about Aaron. Have each of the leaders from the 12 tribes bring a dead branch. You lay it before Me and the branch or rod that buds, that will indicate where I have placed My leadership. The end of verse 5, thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel who are grumbling against you. Verse 10, but the Lord said to Moses, put the rod of Aaron before the testimony to keep as a sign against the rebels that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me. The grumblings against Moses and Aaron were grumblings against the Lord that they will not die. Grumblings. The result of the grumbling—the Lord sent the destroyer among them. We are to learn the lesson in I Corinthians 10, not to grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. You remember when God was going to destroy the firstborn in the land of Egypt? He said, put blood on the doorpost of your house. The Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your house to smite you. And that destroyer, the angel of the Lord who went among the firstborn in Egypt and destroyed all the firstborn became the destroyer in Israel because these unbelieving Israelites became the enemies of God just as the Egyptians were. These who had experienced all the spiritual blessings of the firstborn of chapter 10 in Israel's history now become the object of God's destruction for their grumbling.

We don't think anything of grumbling today. We excuse our grumbling, in fact we excuse immorality. It's all right to grumble and I realize I'm the object of most of the grumbling. Don't say some of it doesn't have a place, but grumbling is never justified, even though some of the criticisms might be. But it's never acceptable to God to be grumbling and complaining. Moses wasn't a perfect man, we know that; Aaron wasn't a perfect man, we know that. But when they grumbled against them they were grumbling against God and that's an evidence of an unbeliever who is in rebellion against God and results in destruction.

Verse 11 says, now these things happened to them as an example. Same thing he said in verse 6. Now these things happened as examples, they were written for our instruction. The word instruction here is a word, not the normal word just to teach, but it carries instruction in it, but it's instruction as a warning, as a correction given to change behavior. So it has a corrective element in it, a rebuke to change behavior. And these happened as our examples, something we're to learn from. So we could be admonished by this. The Corinthian church could quickly make any changes that need to be made to bring their conduct and behavior into line. They are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages have come. The church is living in the culmination of the ages, all the prophecies and promises regarding the coming of the Messiah and the Savior. Now we live between that first coming when He provided salvation and that second coming when He will establish the kingdom, Messianic times. How important it is for us to learn these lessons. No excuses accepted for Israel's behavior. And now we live at the climax of the ages and have the example of them. There would be even less excuse for us, and there is no excuse for them.

Therefore, here it is, let him who thinks he stands, take heed that he does not fall. Back in chapter 8 verse 2, if anyone supposes, and that's our same basic word thinks that we have in chapter 10 verse 12. If anyone thinks that he knows anything, that he has this completed knowledge, he has yet not known as he ought to know. The danger of the Corinthians is that they are thinking they are all right, they think they stand firm, perfect tense, stand secure. Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. You know what happens? The same thing that happens as the Word goes out in a group like this. It's the danger of the church at Corinth. I'm all right, doesn't apply to me. I may have a desire for evil things but I know this doesn't relate to me, I'm saved. I've been involved in immorality, but I know I'm saved. I know I'm sometimes discontent and test the Lord, I grumble and I complain against God's leaders, but I know I'm saved. I can give you my testimony. Take the admonition here. Israel could give the same testimony about their experiences. We are the elect nation; I am one of those who passed through the Sea, under the cloud. I was identified with Moses, I ate the same spiritual food, and I drank the water from the rock. So? I mean, it's a pretty good testimony coming from unregenerate people that are doomed to destruction. What's the point? Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. We have people who are involved in the same kind of sins sitting here and thinking, well, I probably shouldn't do it, but at least I know I'm saved. Says who? You say, you can't judge my heart. I don't like this church, always trying to judge my heart. I'm not trying to, I am simply telling you what God says. I didn't write it. Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. Paul doesn't select out who is who, all he does is tell the Corinthian church to do some self evaluation. At the end of his second letter in II Corinthians 13 he'll say, examine yourselves to see if you're in the faith. Serious matters.

I can't trust my knowledge, I can't trust my experience, and I must trust Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word. I have some kind of decision in my background, some kind of emotional experience. True salvation endures to the end. Praise God for that, and that's why truly saved people persevere. Doesn't mean we never stumble, but by God's grace we never fall.

Calvin wrote, great reformer, many, many years ago that Paul is not attacking people who have their assurance of faith settled in the promises of God, but that which has its roots in nonchalance. He called it the assurance of swollen headed persons who are guilty of misplaced confidence in their own knowledge. That's the danger. The Corinthians had so much knowledge, knew all the answers, and could relate experiences. But there is coming to be breakdown, major breakdowns, in life. It's not lasting, and in those it doesn't last, there is not genuine salvation.

Turn to Hebrews 4, and then I want to give you several lessons. Same kind of warnings, we've been in Hebrews before in this section, same concerns. Israel in the Old Testament in their history is the example of those who experience the blessings of God and came under His judgment and did not enter into His salvation. Verse 12 of chapter 3 said, take care, brethren, lest there be in anyone of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Verse 14, we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance. How long? Firm until the end. What about those who spin off into immorality? Well what about them? The Bible is pretty clear, isn't it? What about those who are grumblers, who are a constant source of unsettling and discontent? Well what about them? The Bible is clear, isn't it? On we go. Verse 18, to whom did He swear they would not enter His rest but to those who were disobedient. So we see they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Therefore let us fear, if while a promise remains of entering His rest anyone of you may seem to have come short of it, for indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also. But the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest. Down in verse 11, therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest so that no one will fall to following the same example of disobedience. What did Paul warn in I Corinthians 10:12? Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest so that no one will fall through following the same example of unbelief.

Let me review what we've covered here, I've jotted down six lessons that we learn from Israel and their application. 1) We must not desire evil things. And this would include those things that the world might have which is not part of God's provision for us. They desired meat when God provided manna. When they desired meat when God provided manna, they desired evil things. Let us not desire evil things.

2) We are to have nothing to do with idolatry, false worship of any kind. We're going to get into this in our next study. This includes what we might consider peripheral involvement, not just direct worship. I think many, many professing believers have clearly crossed the line here. The question is, are they just professing believers? We must have nothing, no association of any kind with idolatry. Not just the sacrifices, but not the eating and the drinking and the playing. That's why he'll begin in verse 14 when he says flee from idolatry.

3) We must avoid all immoral conduct. It is never, ever acceptable to God. I don't care if the person you're immoral with comes to church with you. I don't care if you share the gospel with them. I've shared with you on other occasions, many years ago we had a group of young people who professed faith in Christ. Right up here at the front after a service they were up and talking about the Bible and one of the young men said, we rolled over this morning when we woke up and I got my Bible so we could have devotions. I said, wait a minute, what do you mean you rolled over this morning, got your Bible and you had devotions. Were you sleeping together? Well, yeah. You're not married. No. You know what the Bible says? They're gone. Maybe in God's grace they've come to know the Lord genuinely. True salvation changes a life. We must avoid all immoral conduct. If you're sitting here involved in immorality, upon what basis would you have the audacity to declare to the living God, you are saved and He is wrong? I'm disobedient, but I'm going to heaven and you have no choice, because I trusted Christ. Immoral people aren't going.

4) We must not test the Lord. Remember Psalm 78:18, in their heart they put God to the test by asking for food according to their desire. We test the Lord when we complain about what God has provided because it's not acceptable to us. That's not living a life of submission and faith. The manna could sustain them; the manna provided adequate nourishment and health. The manna was not acceptable, they were testing the Lord. He had to do better. That's not a life of faith.

5) We must not grumble against the Lord and those that the Lord has provided as our leaders. As a leader in the church, and I realize that always sounds self-serving when I make statements like this, but they're not my statements, they're God's. Paul has a reason for selecting this because there are many in the church at Corinth who challenges Paul's leadership. That becomes a greater issue when he writes II Corinthians, much of it devoted to a defense of him. It is frustrating as a leader, as a pastor, as an elder to have to defend yourself to people, to hear the grumblings and the complaining. Am I saying I'm a perfect person? No. Was Moses perfect? No. Was Aaron perfect? No. And so on. But the reality is, we cannot grumble against the Lord. Discontent people, grumblers, murmurers become the center of discontent. What they really do is reveal the condition of a heart not settled in faith to trust God and rely upon Him and accept His will. Moses did not appoint himself leader of Israel, God appointed him with all of his weaknesses. Aaron did not appoint himself leader of Israel, God appointed him with all his weaknesses. Their problem wasn't with Moses and Aaron, their problem was with God. Their grumbling was not against Moses and Aaron ultimately, it was against God. No grumbling. Are you a grumbler? Well I have a lot of things… Well, then get it settled. Grumblers aren't going to heaven.

6) We must not think we stand secure in our salvation while we practice the same kind of sins that brought judgment upon Israel. What audacity that God would judge Israel for those sins but I know I'm saved. Let him who thinks he stands secure, take heed lest he fall. We need to be careful that we don't fall through our disobedience, our lack of faith. Are you saying people lose their salvation? I'm saying no, you cannot lose a genuine salvation. I'm saying that people who are genuinely saved continue faithfully to the end of the course. That's all. That God's work of grace does not cease in a life. So when He saves a person by His grace, He now keeps them by His grace so that they do draw upon His strength and enabling power to persevere and continue to the end. And that is the evidence of His salvation. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who is at work in us, Paul wrote to the Philippians. And those who do not continue manifest that God was never at work in them to begin with. Oh but look at their experiences, look how they were used. Paul said I could preach the gospel to others and end up being adokimos. So I continue to discipline my body and make it my slave so that doesn't happen. Is Paul going to be saved by his works? No, it's an evidence of God's power at work in his life that he continues to persevere. Does that mean a true Christian never has thoughts of wanting to give up, never is tempted to grumble, and never is tempted with immorality? No, none of that, but I just can't bail out, I can't quit. Some of you are sitting here bored out of your gourd, the last place you'd like to be. Maybe you're here with your spouse and you're trying to keep up the front, but it's really not where you want to be. You need to stop and think what makes you think you're saved? I'm not interested in God, I'm not interested in what He has to say, I don't like the person saying it, I don't like the people around me, I'm not interested in their…. but I know I'm saved. Don't be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. The principle is there.

Aren't you glad you have a salvation that is complete, that doesn't just say you're saved, now good luck, do the best you can and I'll see you in heaven. Really, you may go off into the world and live in immorality and be a grumbler in the church or test God on numerous occasions and always be discontent. But that's all right, you trusted the Lord, you're going to heaven. That's not the way God has His family. He changes us, He makes us new, and He gives us new life. So that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, new things have come. What a wonderful salvation, what a wonderful God. This is the only salvation there is, it's found by faith in Christ. Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the power of the gospel which is your power for salvation to everyone who believes. And for everyone who believes there is a death to sin and a resurrection to new life, a new life that has no end, no stopping, and no quitting. Thank you, Lord, for your grace which sustains us, enables us, empowers us so that we might discipline ourselves, make our bodies our slaves, and use our bodies and all their parts as instruments of righteousness. God, may we take seriously these matters and realize they are unacceptable; they cannot be part of a genuine believer's life. Many changes that need to be made may we readily and quickly make today. And Lord for any who are here who do not know you, maybe they're long time members, maybe they've been baptized here, teach Sunday School, have great responsibility or little responsibility, but they've never been changed by your power. May today be a day of salvation. We pray in Christ's name, amen.