Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Heed the Examples

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13: For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Today’s scripture contains three words forming a phrase repeated four times. They are “some of them.” Take a moment, go back, and read them again in their context.

Each time we read the words “some of them” they are serving us as warnings or examples of God’s people of old to heed and avoid. And the sins they committed were idolatry, sexual immorality, the testing of Christ, and grumbling. The Apostle Paul tells us that the common temptations facing them in which they failed are common to us – Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. So, from that warning, let’s make two applications helping us not fall like they did and incur the severe chastisement and displeasure of the Lord.

First, live daily aware we can commit, not only the sins God’s people of old committed, but every other sin in this world .And if we are prone to see the sins of others and think or say, “How could (name of a sinning Christian) have done such a thing? I would never do so”, then take heed, we are on our way to falling to some form of temptation.

Next, remember we don’t have to give into any temptation. Those Old Testament examples chose to sin against God. And it is the same for us. Yielding to temptation is not forced upon us. It is chosen by us. We find the Apostle Paul telling us it is so – God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. There is always a way out of temptation. God provides the path of escape. This issue is we either choose the escape or choose to fulfill the temptation which means sin.

Examples. In God’s Word, we have both good ones and not so good ones .And let’s decide which ones to follow.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to heed the bad examples of Your people of old who chose their wills over Yours.”

QUOTE: “God gives us good examples in His Word for us to follow and bad ones for us to run from.”