Nothing New! (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)

I once attended a wedding in a church where musical instruments were forbidden during their worship services.  They were not allowed to use them.

And you want to know why? Because the New Testament does not mention any musical instruments.  I kid you not!

They had made such a distinct division between the Old Testament and the New Testament — and it was only what was stated in the New Testament that was relevant to them.

I do not know if their Pastors ever preached from the Old Testament.  What I did know, is that as I learned more about them it occurred to me that this so-called church bordered or maybe even crossed to the line to being a cult.

But worse than that … they literally threw away 2/3rds of God’s revelation to us by completely negating the Old Testament … and they essentially called God a liar.

I am immediately reminded of Paul’s admonition to Timothy in his second letter to him:

““But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.””

The Scriptures that both Timothy and Paul would have had access to … were what we know as the Old Testament Scriptures … with the purpose:

““All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.””

The REC upholds this view in both the Articles of Religion and our Declaration of Principles, which were adopted the day of our founding in 1873:

“The Reformed Episcopal Church, holding “the faith once delivered unto the saints,” declares its belief in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, and the sole Rule of Faith and Practice;”

This is seen clearly in our Epistle lesson from today from 1 Corinthians 10 where the Apostle Paul uses examples from the Old Testament to remind us of certain things.

Paul compares Moses and those who came out of Egypt with him and the Corinthian Christians. 

We know that while Moses was the one who led them out of Egypt — all of the Israelites went through the same things as Moses.

They all left Egypt together … they were protected by the cloud that was behind them … they all crossed the sea together … the all ate the food that God provided … and drank the water that God provided.

But it goes beyond the physical … and Paul tells us that they were actually delivered by Christ himself … the pre-existent 2^nd person of the Trinity.

As we read: ““For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.””

In context … Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth … and as he doing so … he is connecting and comparing them to the children Israel …

Just as the children of Israel had been delivered from Egypt … the Corinthian Christians had been delivered from the pagan influences around them.

During Biblical times Corinth was known for it’s depravity. In fact there was a term to describe it — Corinthianize — means to live a licentious or promiscuous life, characterized by debauchery and sexual immorality.

This is what the Corinthian Christians had been delivered from … but there were still vestiges of their past behavior.

Both groups of people — the children of Israel and the Corinthian Christians were identified by their type of baptism.

But … as with anyone baptized today … just because they were baptized … did not mean that everything was ok in their lives … because their lives did not reflect their union with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

On Thursday … we had the funeral for my Uncle Bill … my Father’s youngest brother … and the last of my father’s generation.

My generation are now officially the old people in our family.  Our children and grandchildren are the next generation.

My Uncle wanted the Priest to say a few words … and as usual … the Priest started his words by sprinkling “holy water” on my Uncle and saying that by his baptism he became a member of Christ’s church.

That is the dogma of “baptismal regeneration” … which teaches that baptism itself makes a person a Christian … which we as Anglicans and Protestant Christians reject … because baptismal regeneration makes salvation a work of man … rather than God.

For the vast majority of his 90 years … my Uncle had nothing to do with Christ and his church … but it seemed … in his latest couple of years … by the grace of God … he came to believe in Christ as Savior … but … as always … I will leave his final disposition to God.

However … most of his life was consistent with what Paul said about the children of Israel … and the Christians in Corinth:

As you can read in the OT about the children of Israel … they were idolaters … they complained about food …  they committed sexual immorality … and none of the adults entered the promised land.

And so we read: ““But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.””

This is the generation of those who departed from Egypt and they had rejected the God who had delivered them …

As you can read through First Corinthians… these were the same sins that Paul was addressing to the Christians in Corinth … and he uses their example … saying look what happened to the children of Israel …

““ … Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.””

WOW! … with the conclusion: ““Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”” 

Think about it … the children of the Exodus had been witnesses to a multitude of miracles from God through Moses …

… they had witnessed all the plagues that God brought on Egypt … even those that only affected the Egyptians …

… culminating with the Passover and the death of the first born in every house that did not have the blood on the doorposts! 

… they had witnessed the crossing of the sea on dry land …

… they had witnessed the entire Egyptian army destroyed in the sea …

… they had seen water coming out of rock … and been provided manna and meat …

And yet … they still sinned … they still committed idolatry … they were sexually immoral … they rejected God … and so he judged them.

The Corinthian Christians had witnessed to the grace of God … and yet they sinned also … they were sexually immoral … they abused the Lord’s Supper …

… and so Paul warns them … ““ Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”” 

In other words they thought that because they now had professed Christ as Savior and Lord and were baptized … that they were immune to the temptations of the world … idolatry … lust … sexual immorality.

Years ago there was well known Christian teacher and writer who was asked how he dealt with sexual temptations … and he said that he didn’t have a problem with that.

A short time later he was caught in an adulterous relationship … which he repented of … but still the damage was done.

The same is true for us … and so as Paul says: ““ Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.””

People use all kinds of excuses as to why they give in to various temptations around them … it’s just the way I am … it’s in my DNA … I’m following the examples of others … parents … friends … I was lonely … society has changed … and the list goes on.

And it’s the same today … temptations are all around us.

But … as we continue … according the verse 13 … there is never an excuse for sinning:

““No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.””

We see a few things here — first, there is nothing new under the sun in our world … ““No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man …””

We cannot think that what we are going through is unique … that no one has gone through what I’m going through.

The same temptations that the children of Israel went through … were the same temptations that the Corinthian Christians went through … and they are the same temptations that we go through today.

But … just as the temptations are the same … our God is the same … and we have His promise —

““… but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.””

We cannot use the temptations that are before us as an excuse for sinning.

What do pray? … “And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.”

We love and serve a God who is faithful … who has provided us everything.

As Peter tells un in his first letter: ““as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,””

God has given us the way of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ … and His spirit to live according to His Word … in the world that He has placed us in.

How did I start this message? … quoting from 2 Timothy:

““All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.””

We have God’s Word … it’s not something we drag out for an hour on Sunday morning … but something that God has given us for every day of our lives … so … as the Scriptures give us the reason:

… ““that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.””

So we praise God because He has given us His Word … and His Holy Spirit … let us take advantage of what God has given us … so that we will not have to give into temptation.