1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 And worship together in the House of the Lord. 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,600 It doesn't seem to matter. Wherever we go, we run into 3 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:13,520 warning signs, whether it's by the beach telling us not to go 4 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:17,320 into the water or to be careful or you buy something in the 5 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,480 store and there's there's warning labels, not what not to 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,200 do with the product that you just bought. 7 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:25,600 There's warning signs that seem to be everywhere, and they're in 8 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,920 the Bible. There are warning signs in 9 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,600 Scripture that we do well to heed. 10 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:36,680 Our title this morning is warnings from history, and the 11 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:41,600 Bible has many warnings, right? Early on in Genesis, God warned 12 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:48,240 Adam and Eve what not to do. And we find Abraham and Isaac 13 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,560 and Jacob, They had all these, all these warnings in Scripture 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,880 warnings kind of sound drab or negative. 15 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,480 They don't have to be. Actually, we're glad when 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,880 there's a warning about something we shouldn't be doing. 17 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,760 But with the warning, there also comes responsibility to heed the 18 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:06,360 warning. But what if he can't? 19 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,760 What if you're stuck? What if you're a person who 20 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,000 can't heed warnings? And we'll go into that this 21 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,480 morning a little bit. There's a verse in First Second 22 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,640 Corinthians, chapter 3. The apostle Paul writes after, 23 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,600 wrote First Corinthians. He wrote this letter and I don't 24 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,400 have anything in between. But he says now the Lord is the 25 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,840 Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord 26 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:31,480 is, there is freedom. Only free people are able and 27 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:37,400 capable to heed warnings. Think of it this way, maybe you 28 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,400 have gone to the doctor and the doctor said, OK, you better stop 29 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,760 doing this or you're not going to get better. 30 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,440 Well, I can't stop that. Or maybe maybe it's a health 31 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,800 issue in the doctors, you better start doing this or this may be 32 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,840 it for you. Well, I can't start that because 33 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:59,040 we feel confined, restricted and bound in a certain lifestyle 34 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,800 choice we may have made and we can't. 35 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,480 And those are physical, material things and there's nothing maybe 36 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:07,360 salvation focused on that at all. 37 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,400 Perhaps maybe what you eat, that's maybe what you do 38 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,360 exercise wise. But there's things in the Bible 39 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,000 that talk about that have eternal consequences if we don't 40 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,760 heed those warnings. And that's what we want to focus 41 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,840 on this morning. Jesus did say in the Gospels, if 42 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,720 the sun sets you free, you'll be free indeed. 43 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,200 Free for what? Free to do as we ought. 44 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,880 We do what we do. We need to become free, free to 45 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,880 serve, free to give, free to love, free to deny ourselves. 46 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,320 We've heard about that in the last number of sermons in the 47 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,080 First Corinthians. Currently we are going to the 48 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,520 First Corinthians and this was written in response to some of 49 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,400 the problems that were going on. Lots of challenges in Corinth. 50 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,440 In today's passage, we will look at how Paul goes back in history 51 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,760 to draw a lesson from the people of Israel and their experience 52 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,560 when they were set free from slavery under Pharaoh, king of 53 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,800 Egypt, and how that history connected with the church in 54 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,440 Corinth in Paul's day. And I want to suggest to you 55 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,400 this morning, it connects to LDMC and to each one of us. 56 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,920 Personally, I want to point out that both the story of the 57 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:17,640 people of Israel, the Exodus, the desert experience, and the 58 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:21,040 letter to Paul in Corinth that all combines, we're part of the 59 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,560 same thread. There's an unbroken, continuous 60 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,440 thread through it all. Often times, freedom is very 61 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,960 much misunderstood. You see, Satan does not mind if 62 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:32,920 he can get people to believe they're free. 63 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,280 Maybe physical freedom or political freedom or financial 64 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:37,560 freedom, or any one of those freedoms. 65 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,040 Oh, great. Satan does not mind those as 66 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,800 long as he can hold the wheel, as long as he can be the guiding 67 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,800 force, because then he just directs it into even more 68 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,080 sinister, more darkness, more evil, whatever you want to call 69 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,120 it. And we, as long as we keep 70 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,600 missing the mark, he doesn't care for free, so to speak, as 71 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:57,600 long as we're and spiritual bondage to him. 72 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,640 The people of Israel are a very clear example of a very bad and 73 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:04,640 very sinful use of their freedom. 74 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,120 They've been set free. That was correct. 75 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,040 Pharaoh had let them go. They were out of the land of 76 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,600 Egypt. But then what they choose to do 77 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:13,560 with the freedom, well, that's another story. 78 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,360 That's what we want to look at today. 79 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,959 And we want to connect with our time today and reflect in our 80 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:21,640 own lives. How is it connected? 81 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,080 Sometimes to get a good definition of something, it's 82 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:31,520 good to look at what it's not. Freedom is not the absence of 83 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,760 rules. Freedom is not the release from 84 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,440 consequences for breaking the rules. 85 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,880 Freedom, rather, is deciding to live and act responsibly. 86 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,000 And freedom is putting God and others higher than self. 87 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,520 You ever thought of it this way? Free to deny self, free to 88 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,520 sacrifice, free to give, free to be generous, free to be honest, 89 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,520 free to be transparent. Or are we bound? 90 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:57,960 Well, I gotta hide this. Can't say that, can't do this. 91 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,400 What kind of life are we living? Some people have the idea that 92 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,520 they want freedom, but they have no idea what they're seeking. 93 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,880 A little word picture that that comes to my mind would be, for 94 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,640 instance, a kite. And you know how kites work. 95 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:14,320 You have a kite and you put a long string on there and you 96 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,360 lease it into the air and then it goes up, up, up, up to 97 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,720 hundreds of feet and this and the string holds it. 98 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:20,920 Now imagine if the kite was alive. 99 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,360 Imagine if the kite had a mind of its own, was thinking, boy, 100 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:24,720 finally could get rid of this string. 101 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,960 I could go miles, I could fly very high. 102 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,160 And you would think, how foolish is that? 103 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:33,040 It's the string that holds the kite that gives it's freedom to 104 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:35,600 fly. It's the boundaries that make it 105 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,640 able to fly. This string is not hindering the 106 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,720 kite. This string is enabling the 107 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,280 kite. It's because there are 108 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:47,720 boundaries that freedom exists. Kites with no strings don't fly. 109 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:49,960 And that's how boundaries in life work. 110 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:52,160 And God said the people of Israel free from the land of 111 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,600 Egypt, not for the purpose to do whatever you jolly well please, 112 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,320 but so you can be free to obey me, to obey him. 113 00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,520 It's a process that takes time. It's challenging. 114 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,480 Often in life it happens that once restrictions are removed, a 115 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,320 person very quickly derails their life. 116 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,880 And the reason for that is because they were maybe 117 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,040 outwardly free, but not inwardly free. 118 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,000 Inwardly they were slaves. As ever, nothing in this temp, 119 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,360 in this life that's temporary, that does for here and now, will 120 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,920 bring true and lasting freedom. It's not money, it's not jobs, 121 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,800 it's not stuff, no reputation, not even loosening of the 122 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,200 restrictions. And sure, it's frustrating when 123 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,560 life doesn't work out, but that's not what we're talking 124 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,880 about. Yes, life throws us curve balls 125 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:40,880 and we think, well, no, I'm not free has nothing to do with 126 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,760 that. You see, most often it's not 127 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,080 what seems to us as as the problem. 128 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:47,480 That's not, in fact, the real problem. 129 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,680 The problem is not necessarily the problem. 130 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,680 When we experience something, an event that doesn't work out, the 131 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,840 biggest problems usually first and foremost react negatively. 132 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:59,240 We react to the problem. We'll get to 1st Corinthians in 133 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,920 a second here, but let me use a familiar story to illustrate 134 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:03,720 this. And this is a Bible story, the 135 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,400 story of Joseph. You know, he was hated by his 136 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:06,840 brothers. Dad loved him more than the rest 137 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:08,800 of the guys. And so that was a problem. 138 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:11,680 His brothers grabbed him one day, stripped off his coat of 139 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,520 many colors, threw him into an empty cistern. 140 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:18,240 That was a problem. The same day some Ishmaelites, a 141 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,120 caravan of Ishmaelites come travelling by with their camels 142 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:22,960 and hey, let's sell our sell our brother. 143 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:27,160 They sold him to the merchants and he was gone. 144 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,960 That was a problem. They took him to Egypt where he 145 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:35,840 sold as a slave to Potiphar's to for the captain of the guard and 146 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,320 now he was a slave serving the serving the captain and that was 147 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,640 a problem. He worked for Potiphar and he 148 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,880 was a handsome looking man and his wife noticed and she had she 149 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:45,360 lusted after him, wanted to seduce him. 150 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,680 That was a problem. And Joseph says how can I do 151 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:50,240 this great wickedness, sin against God? 152 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:52,840 He refused. She continues to pressure him 153 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:58,160 and one day she grabs him and he runs away and she accuses him to 154 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,160 her husband of doing the thing that she wanted him to do. 155 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,880 That was a problem. He's put in prison and in prison 156 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:06,640 he was put in charge of the prison, but eventually he was 157 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:08,120 forgotten in prison for two whole years. 158 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:12,440 And that was a problem. In the story, in this, you can 159 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:14,000 find this, Genesis 37 and onward. 160 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,400 All the problems Joseph faced, God was with him in each one of 161 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,240 them. But from God's standpoint, they 162 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,840 were not problems. They were, we could call 163 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,640 education, they were college or they were courses, they were, 164 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,600 they were training. That's what they were. 165 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,440 There were classes for him to become the man God had intended 166 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,280 him to be. On the other hand, his brothers 167 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:36,799 at home, who would have seen. Yeah, free. 168 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,799 They just lied to the dad about Joseph, dipped the the robe in 169 00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:40,200 blood. Yeah. 170 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:41,799 Look, this is your. Is this your son's clothes? 171 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,840 I guess it is. So he's torn to pieces. 172 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:44,600 Jacob says. OK. 173 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:46,480 And then no. Out of sight, out of mind. 174 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:50,120 No, I won't go into the story of Joseph's brothers, but we do 175 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:53,640 know they were stricken. They were guilty. 176 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,400 They had no freedom, none whatsoever. 177 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,160 And when Jacob, the old man died, Joseph's brothers come to 178 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:02,280 him and says, you know we're your servants. 179 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:03,480 They, they talk among themselves. 180 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:06,800 Will he now take revenge on us? They never were free from the 181 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,040 day they sold him. Joseph was free all the time. 182 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,200 Joseph never was a prisoner. He was prisoner physically, but 183 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,280 not spiritually. All the problems Joseph faced, 184 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,200 he used a stepping stone to shape and mold his life to 185 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,080 become the man God wanted him to be. 186 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:24,560 This morning in First Corinthians we come to a passage 187 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,720 where Paul talks about the story of the Israelites coming out of 188 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,360 Egypt and how that all panned out wasn't very good. 189 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,440 In today's passage we will see how Paul warned the Corinthians 190 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:37,800 that just because God's people have been given physical 191 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,000 freedom, that freedom is not an indicator of spiritual freedom. 192 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:44,160 It would be revealed how they lived and did it ever. 193 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:46,400 They were very much in bondage to them. 194 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,520 Let's read First Corinthians chapter 10 and beginning verse 195 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:53,240 one to the end of 13. For I do not want you to be 196 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,320 unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the 197 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,920 cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized 198 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:04,200 into Moses in the cloud, in the sea, and all ate the same 199 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,760 spiritual food. All drank the same spiritual 200 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:09,560 drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed 201 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:12,640 them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them 202 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,280 God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the 203 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:18,800 wilderness. Now these things took place as 204 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,160 examples for us, that we may not desire evil as they did. 205 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,760 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were, As it is written that 206 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,320 people sat down to eat and drink and rose to play. 207 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,520 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did 208 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:35,960 and 23,000 felt in a single day. We must not put Christ to the 209 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,480 test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor 210 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,800 grumble, as some of them did and they were destroyed by the 211 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,280 destroyer. Now these things happen to them 212 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,640 as an example, but they were written down for our 213 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,880 instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 214 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,800 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he 215 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:55,320 fall. No temptation has overtaken you, 216 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,680 but that is, that is not common to man. 217 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,600 God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your 218 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,960 ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of 219 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,720 escape that you may be able to endure it. 220 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,160 In Paul's writing to the Church of Corinth, he frequently 221 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:16,160 mentions the word immorality and idolatry and so on. 222 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,120 And it's because that's what that city was rife with. 223 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,400 That city was just saturated and marinated with that. 224 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,680 And in this environment, Paul had planted a church. 225 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,960 And so it was stands to reason why that was a challenge. 226 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:35,920 The people had been set free from the in the Book of Exodus 227 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,000 that was set free, but they were still enslaved. 228 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,000 And so Paul now draws the parallel. 229 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,040 He draws the parallel from the people in Egypt that had come 230 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:45,480 out of Egypt and we're in the desert. 231 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:48,600 But that doesn't mean now they could throw all warning and all 232 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:53,600 restraint off. And what the people in in Egypt 233 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,040 experience, Well, the Israelites in the desert experience, Paul 234 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:58,520 draws the comparison and what's happening to them. 235 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,240 The truth of the matter is, whatever it is that we do when 236 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:06,080 we have freedom, that is the benchmark of our character. 237 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,520 When restraints are gone and you're not free to do with 238 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,920 nobody looking over your shoulder, or you're not free to 239 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,600 make decisions, decisions that you would make when there's no 240 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:16,640 consequences or you think there's no consequences. 241 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:18,480 That's the real me. That's the real you. 242 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:23,120 But just imagine the feeling. Let's put ourselves back into 243 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:24,720 Israel's shoes for just for a second. 244 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,680 Imagine the feeling. Years and years and years, 245 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:31,040 decades and centuries go by. Every morning the slaves go out 246 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,440 to work and get beaten and get pushed and oppressed. 247 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,800 Oh, they had lots to eat. But then one morning they're 248 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,800 free. No more kings and taskmasters to 249 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:46,040 bully them and oppress them. They're free, finally free. 250 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,960 You would think that this is so special, so precious, so sacred. 251 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,240 Under no circumstances ever will we argue, complain or whine ever 252 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:53,960 again. Disrespect God. 253 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:55,920 Anyway, God has seen us through. We're not going to be 254 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:00,720 worshipping God forever, right? No, someone put it this way. 255 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:02,760 Years ago. They had been taken out of 256 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,960 Egypt, but Egypt had not been taken out of them. 257 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,520 And that was true. If the people of Israel thought 258 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,400 that getting out of Egypt was crossing the finish line, they 259 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,200 would learn later on it was leaving the starting line. 260 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:19,560 They had no idea of how far they still had to go in order to 261 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:22,880 understand God, to learn to fear God and obey His commandments. 262 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,880 They were not truly free inside. Yet. 263 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,560 As I said, when a person's free to make decisions for 264 00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:34,240 themselves, what they do is a true revelation of what's in the 265 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,600 heart. And did it ever show? 266 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:39,400 So the first point we want to look at this morning is a 267 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,800 relationship with God is more than spiritual blessings of 268 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:45,880 outward freedom. The people of Israel had 269 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:47,200 experienced God in a number of ways. 270 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:51,280 God had freedom physically. God had then parted the Red Sea 271 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,280 for them to get to walk through on dry ground. 272 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:55,840 They got hungry. God provided water and food for 273 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,600 them. God gave them his laws on the 274 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,280 mountain. We may question why then did 275 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:03,320 they rebel and complain and worship idols and give 276 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,400 themselves to immorality? Simple. 277 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:08,600 They lived out what was in the hearts. 278 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,640 They'd been set free. But we're not free spiritually 279 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,000 in their hearts. They did not have a relationship 280 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,880 with God. Spiritual freedom is 281 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:23,720 relationship based. And of course there are rules as 282 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:24,960 there are rules to every relationship. 283 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,440 But the rules in a relationship are not for the sake of putting 284 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,680 a person on a leash or restraint as as a direction guidance. 285 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,320 Paul reminds his readers in Corinth that as far as the 286 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,120 Israelites being set free from slavery in Egypt, that did not 287 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,160 automatically put change them on the inside. 288 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:42,040 They had been set free outwardly, but inwardly they 289 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,560 were still slaves to sin. They all experienced the same 290 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:49,840 blessings, Paul writes, all the same experiences. 291 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,440 No one would have detected that as they trudged out of Egypt 292 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:55,560 towards the Red Sea. Nobody would have seen any 293 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:59,600 difference. And so we have to admit material 294 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,880 blessings in this life are not an indicator of being saved or 295 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,360 being in God's favour or being in a relationship with God. 296 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,680 There are some very successful, immoral, idolatrous people in 297 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,920 this world. There's some very devote and 298 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,040 sincere Saints of God in this world who don't experience any 299 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:19,640 physical blessing hardly, and may even be killed for their 300 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,680 faith. God provides earthly blessings, 301 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:24,800 material blessings according to His grace. 302 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,000 He's materially generous to people according to his grace. 303 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:30,600 It's not all based on are the believers or not. 304 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:32,760 Otherwise our country would be poor by now. 305 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:35,000 Some poor countries might be rich by now. 306 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,560 Jesus does say in Matthew chapter 545, he says for he 307 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:41,480 makes his sunrise on the evil and on the good and sends rain 308 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,240 on the unjust and the and the just and the unjust. 309 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,320 We can't use that as a standard. Oh boy, he must be a real good 310 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,520 Christian because he's really rich or must be a very bad 311 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,360 Christian. He's really poor has nothing to 312 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,280 do with that. Now granted, people who make who 313 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,800 have good jobs and are are frugal, they will earn they will 314 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,280 they will have a better income. That's true, but that's not the 315 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:00,880 benchmark from which we measure people. 316 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,000 When God set the people of Israel free, he set the whole 317 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,720 nation free from bondage to Pharaoh and the word all is used 318 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,520 in this passage five times. All were under the cloud, 319 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,480 benefited from the from the guiding, the guiding light at 320 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:15,600 night, and the guiding of the cloud. 321 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,160 All benefited. All passed to the Red Sea, 322 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:19,920 symbolizing identification with Moses. 323 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,920 All were baptized into Moses, so to speak, identified with his 324 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,240 cause. All ate the same spiritual food. 325 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,160 All went to the same church, we could say all received the same 326 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,200 instructions, all the same teachings, all drink the same 327 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,640 spiritual food, the spiritual rock that represents Christ. 328 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,200 From God's standpoint, they were supposed to trust God to be 329 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,280 taken care of. They had physical needs, sure, 330 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:40,840 but God promised them to bring them safely to the land of 331 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,000 Canaan and they needed to completely trust Him. 332 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:48,160 But instead, they repeatedly allowed circumstances and 333 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,480 temptations to get the better of them. 334 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:51,560 Now, we're exempt from that, right? 335 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,000 We never do that, right? How often don't we? 336 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:02,640 We're no better than they are. Let's look at a few incidents in 337 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,119 Exodus, right after the crossing. 338 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:08,599 They had just finished crossing. Well, the first they complained 339 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:10,520 before they got into the water and into the sea. 340 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:11,480 Actually, they complained to Mose. 341 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:12,960 Why have you done this? Now we're going to get killed by 342 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:14,720 Pharaoh. And you, you shouldn't have done 343 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,040 this. Moses prays and lifts his rod up 344 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:18,599 to God. And they see parts and they walk 345 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:20,040 through. And then they have a great song. 346 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:26,920 They sing three days later. Only three days later they get 347 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:29,440 thirsty. Of course, there's no water. 348 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:32,480 And finally they find water. OK, now we have water. 349 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,360 And they come to Mara and they can't drink the water because 350 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,640 it's bitter. And then they complain. 351 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,520 It says in Exodus 15 verse 24, it says and the people grumbled 352 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,360 against Moses saying what shall we do? 353 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,800 This was less than a week or so after they went through the Red 354 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,400 Sea like three days after the out. 355 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,200 Maybe it's less than a week. It's I don't know how many days, 356 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,840 but it's very, very short time. They've forgotten already while 357 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:58,320 then Moses, Christ to God, he prays to God, God chose him. 358 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:02,280 A log he throws in the water. Water becomes sweet and they 359 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:06,840 learned their lesson right. No, they start out from there 360 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,280 and all the congregation if Israel comes to the wilderness 361 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:14,400 of sin, it says in chapter 16 was Exodus and Exodus and this 362 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,720 is now quite some time again. Well, not it's actually only a 363 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,200 number of weeks. It says on this on the 5th and 364 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,360 Exodus 6 verse one to four, it says on the 15th day of the 365 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:26,800 second month, month and a half. Here's here's what's happening. 366 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,160 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumble 367 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:32,680 against Moses and air in the wilderness. 368 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,560 And the people said to them, would that we had died by the 369 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,480 hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat 370 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,760 pots and ate bread to the full. For you've brought us out in 371 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:46,480 this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 372 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:49,680 Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I'm about to rain bread 373 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:51,880 from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and 374 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,680 gather at his portion every day, that I may test them, whether 375 00:18:54,680 --> 00:19:00,160 they will walk in my law or not. They had left Egypt, experienced 376 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:02,680 miraculous deliverance, first from the king, then the Red Sea, 377 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,880 then the waters at Meribah, and now they complain again. 378 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,200 How often do you have to repeat the same course to pass the 379 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:13,360 course? Now? 380 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:18,800 They would have learned, right? No, we and I won't go into all 381 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:21,800 the details, but we know that they built an idol, actually 382 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,040 literally built a golden calf and worshipped it. 383 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:26,760 Unbelievable what those people did. 384 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,160 Let's go look again at 1st Corinthians 10 where Paul says, 385 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,040 I do not want you to be unaware. He says and he he gives that 386 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,120 whole, that whole detail of what happened. 387 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:42,680 Let let's be honest with ourselves. 388 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:45,960 What is it in our hearts that trips us up? 389 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,400 It's not the circumstances that trip us up. 390 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,360 It's a response to the circumstances that trip us up. 391 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,160 And I will say it this way. Without repentance, there is no 392 00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:58,720 true freedom. And that's where they were 393 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:03,080 lacking. The path to freedom from slavery 394 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,440 to sin is always through repentance. 395 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:11,160 There are no exceptions. And they learned that the hard 396 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:12,560 way. And a journey that should have 397 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,680 taken them only a matter of weeks from Egypt to Canaan 398 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:23,200 lasted 40 years. The testings they faced, the 399 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,160 trials they they they met, they were not the problem. 400 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,240 In a sense they were issues to deal with, yes, but there were 401 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,280 opportunities to self examine, to reflect, to evaluate how they 402 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,720 were doing in relation to God. That never crossed their minds. 403 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:38,840 They only thought, hey you Moses, we've got a problem with 404 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:40,400 you. It's your fault. 405 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,000 We deny you do something about it. 406 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,320 Blaming him, everything except themselves. 407 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:49,720 When sin came knocking, they sure very quickly fell, fell in 408 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,400 defeat. So we must remember a 409 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,280 relationship with God is more than spiritual blessing. 410 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,720 Come out with freedom. But second, spiritual blessings 411 00:20:57,720 --> 00:20:59,720 do not protect us from consequences for willful 412 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,640 indulging in sin. Some people have the idea that 413 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:04,560 when things are good, God must be happy with him. 414 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:06,720 When things are not good, now God must be angry. 415 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,720 That is not the case. Then he would have been very 416 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,840 angry with Joseph and OK with the brothers because nothing 417 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:14,160 happened to them for the longest time. 418 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,600 But even though God may be gracious, our sins do not give 419 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,600 us a free pass. We have to repent of them. 420 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,000 Many people reap the consequences of their sins and 421 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,960 they never repent. Others repent, but the fruits 422 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,640 still follow. Actions still may come. 423 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,360 Jesus died for a sins on the cross, so you and I will not be 424 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:34,320 judged when we repent and come to him. 425 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,120 The sins are all paid for, but we may still reap the 426 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:40,520 consequences. And there's a story that tells 427 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,840 us what happened to Moses. And the one case, and I'll just 428 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,000 briefly mention this, he got angry at the people because God 429 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,120 told him, go talk to the rock and it'll produce water and 430 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,640 they'll stop there complaining. Moses gets so mad, why must I 431 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:52,560 put up with you rabbles? He hits the rock, the rock 432 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,240 produces water, and God says to Moses, uh oh, you ain't going in 433 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,320 either. And Moses did not go in either. 434 00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:58,680 We know Moses isn't heaven with God. 435 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:02,360 We have the stories. But Moses himself forfeited his 436 00:22:02,360 --> 00:22:05,040 opportunity to go into the land of Canaan simply because of the 437 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,160 way he responded. God says you refused to honor me 438 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:12,240 before the nation. These people had some deep, deep 439 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:13,720 seated problems they need to deal with. 440 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:15,640 Somebody wants to put it this way. 441 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,960 The hard thing to do and the right thing to do are usually 442 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,360 the same thing. The easy thing to do and the 443 00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:26,960 wrong thing to do are also usually the same thing. 444 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:32,080 Think about that for a second. We don't like that. 445 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,360 We want the easy thing to do the right thing and the hard thing 446 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:39,120 to do the wrong thing. That's how we would like it, but 447 00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:43,560 that's not what we want. One of my favorite authors is CS 448 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,560 Lewis and he wrote a fictional book called The Screw Tape 449 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:47,800 Letters. It's somewhat a satirical 450 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,800 fictional story and how 2 demons have the conversation between 451 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,840 themselves. One's name is Screw Tape, he's 452 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:59,080 the uncle and Wormwood's the nephew and it's the setting is 453 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,520 the in the 1940s, World War 2 era. 454 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,400 That's the setting of the story in the book. 455 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,440 The war has started in Europe and it's World War 2 and Uncle 456 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,640 Screw Tape is trying to get Wormwood to deal with the 457 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,480 patient, the man they're trying to to destroy deal with him 458 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,720 properly so that it works. I'll just read a few pieces from 459 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,840 that this morning. And so screw tape is not is 460 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,160 very, very worried about uncle and nephew Wormwood. 461 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,960 He's going to mess it all up. And let me just read this. 462 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,280 Screw tape writes to Wormwood. He says, I know it seems strange 463 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,000 that your chief aim at the moment should be the very same 464 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,560 thing for which the man, the patients lover and his mother 465 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,360 are praying for, namely his bodily safety. 466 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,080 But so it is. You should be guarding him like 467 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:43,800 the apple of your eye, Screw Tip's worm. 468 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,920 But don't let him die. Don't let harm come to him. 469 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,080 He we don't have him yet. He's not ours yet, in other 470 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,120 words. And Screw Tip continues his He 471 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:52,120 says if he dies now, you lose him. 472 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,840 If he survives the war, World War 2, there's always hope. 473 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,160 The enemy mean the Holy Spirit has guarded him from you through 474 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:00,680 the 1st great wave of temptation. 475 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:04,440 But if only he can be kept alive, you have time for itself 476 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:06,000 as your ally. He goes on. 477 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,280 He says the long, dull, monotonous years of middle age 478 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,800 prosperity or middle age adversity are excellent 479 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:16,360 campaigning weather. You see, it's so hard for these 480 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:20,240 creatures, people to persevere. The routine of adversity, the 481 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,800 gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes, the quiet 482 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:26,960 despair hardly felt, this pain of ever overcoming, the chronic 483 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,720 temptations with which we have again and again defeated them, 484 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,040 the drabness which we create in their lives, the inarticulate 485 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,560 resentment with which we teach them to respond to it all. 486 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,880 All this provides Admiral opportunities for wearing out of 487 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,520 soul by attrition, erosion and slow destruction. 488 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,640 He continues on, he says. If, on the other hand, the 489 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,200 middle years prove prosperous, our positions even stronger. 490 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,000 Prosperity knits a man to the world. 491 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,800 He feels that he's finding his place in it, while really the 492 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:56,080 world is finding its place in him. 493 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,600 His increasing reputation, his widening circle of 494 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,440 acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure 495 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,440 of absorbing and agreeable work build upon him a sense of being 496 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,080 really at home and on earth, which is just what we want. 497 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,480 You will notice that the young generation is usually more 498 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:16,760 willing to die than the old. So far of his reading. 499 00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:19,760 I've read that part many times, numerous times, and I can't help 500 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:24,280 but always reflect on it. Isn't that the objective of many 501 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:26,440 people, even those who go to church? 502 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,040 That's the objective in life, An easy life, convenient, safe, 503 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,400 secure. What's that different than the 504 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:35,720 people of Israel were hoping for? 505 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:41,040 What's that different? See, the pathway out of Egypt 506 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,520 was their exodus to freedom. And it was, but they botched it. 507 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,400 You know the stories. The sad part isn't the world 508 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,000 today in the church? Some people are part of the 509 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:53,360 church and never become free. Just because we sit in a Pew on 510 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:56,040 Sunday morning does not mean we're saved or walking in 511 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,600 victory. I know it sounds scary, but 512 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:03,040 people think they're free when in actuality, not really. 513 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:04,640 The world has found its place in them. 514 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,280 Or they made a confession. They got baptized, are a good 515 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:17,280 standing member, just window dressing people of Israel proved 516 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,440 it. And in Corinth the same problem 517 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:24,720 existed, it says in verse 5. Nevertheless, with most of them 518 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,280 God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the 519 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:32,760 wilderness as Paul writes. This story is not some 520 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:34,720 disconnected faraway story from the past. 521 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:38,360 It's history and relevant for the Corinthians, relevant for me 522 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:41,040 and you today. So we've seen that, number one, 523 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,360 a relationship with God is more than spiritual blessings of 524 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:45,480 outward freedom. Spiritual blessings do not 525 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,000 protect us from the consequences for willful indulging of sin. 526 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:52,040 And #3 without a relationship with God, we remain under God's 527 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,080 judgement. We cannot have it both ways, no 528 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,120 matter our standing, our position, all of that. 529 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,000 We can be as lost as an unbeliever if we don't have a 530 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,160 relationship with God, if we're rejecting Him. 531 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:06,760 Throughout the New Testament, we find that God wants 532 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,840 relationships with His people through Jesus Christ. 533 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,520 It's only as we get to know Jesus, repent of our sins, 534 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,400 surrender to Him, allow Him to be Lord of our lives that we 535 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,280 walk in freedom and get out from under the judgment of God. 536 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,240 You see these people, the Israelites, they were low on 537 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,960 faith and high on worry, low on thankfulness and high on 538 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:29,320 complaining, low on worship towards God, but high on idol 539 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,840 worship. Idol worship is anything we put 540 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,720 above God, anything that we put before God. 541 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,800 Worship is, is when we surrender to God, when we get together as 542 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,920 a body, when we devote our time to God. 543 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:46,480 And remember, Paul wrote this letter to a church. 544 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:48,800 It was planted in a very corrupt and immoral place. 545 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:53,640 They were had a reputation for being immoral and corrupt when 546 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:55,360 the people of Israel had been rescued out of Egypt. 547 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,680 They still have the trappings of Egypt in their hearts. 548 00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,080 They were they were not quote UN quote free in the in the 549 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,520 spiritual sense. Paul saw the same thing in 550 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:05,400 Corinth. That's why he used the 551 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,640 illustration God judged the nation of Israel. 552 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:10,720 Paul saying be careful, take warning from that. 553 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,160 And he says anyone who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. 554 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:23,440 To let our guards down to become complacent is very dangerous. 555 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:25,880 These people could not resist temptation. 556 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:32,920 They could not get over it and so they fell one after another 557 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:37,440 after another after another, till finally the whole nation, 558 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:41,720 21, age 21 or older, except two men all died in the desert. 559 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:50,040 The costume Paul says in verse 13, no temptation is overtaking 560 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:51,320 you. That's not common to man. 561 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,320 If it's pride, it's common. If it's moral, it's common. 562 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:56,800 If it's idol worship, it's common. 563 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:58,720 If it's money or stuff, it's common. 564 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:04,000 We must learn to trust Christ to trust in God and rely on him to 565 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,480 overcome. God did not create us to be 566 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:08,760 victims of defeat. Paul writes a different place 567 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:10,920 that in Christ for more than conquerors. 568 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,080 God did not create us create us. His image bears in this world to 569 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,320 fear and falter and walk in slavery. 570 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,400 And yet the truth is so many people live in defeat and 571 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,000 failure. In verse 13 Paul writes he says 572 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,400 God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted 573 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,080 beyond what you beyond your ability, but with the temptation 574 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,560 also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure 575 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:33,520 it. You see, we don't have to fear a 576 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,960 Red Sea in front of us. We don't have to worry about the 577 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,880 waters of Mera. We don't have to worry about the 578 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,400 things that we lack. We don't have to fear when we 579 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:46,200 face hard times. We're free to flee from 580 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,320 immorality. Just if Joseph did, that's sure 581 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,520 it cost him, but we don't have to give in to idol worship. 582 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,200 The children of Israel had their struggles. 583 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:56,520 The people Corinth had their struggles. 584 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:02,400 We at OEMC have our struggles. Who do we follow when we repent 585 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,840 of our sins? We believe the gospel of Jesus, 586 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:07,000 put our faith and trust, and we're born into His Kingdom. 587 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:11,000 Then let's walk in freedom. This morning we again want to 588 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,960 celebrate communion. We want to celebrate what the 589 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,080 Lord Jesus did to make this possible, what the Lord Jesus 590 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,920 did on the cross when he died and shed his blood so we could 591 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:22,920 be free. This freedom was bought at a 592 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:27,800 huge cost, a huge price. We must value it, we must 593 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:33,000 receive it, and we must live it. The stories of God's people in 594 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:37,040 the past are for us to remember, for us to learn from, and for us 595 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:40,200 to apply the principles of those stories to our lives. 596 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,520 They truly are a warning from history. 597 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,720 When Jesus was ready to lay down his life as a sacrifice for the 598 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:48,680 sins, he had one final supper with his disciples. 599 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,440 He taught them this important lesson on the last even before 600 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:54,600 he was arrested. And he distributed the elements, 601 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:56,840 the bread and the juice or the wine for them. 602 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:01,280 And he claimed it as the new covenant under which all of us 603 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:05,880 now receive our freedom, our salvation, and our relationship. 604 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:07,600 Let's pray before we go into communion. 605 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:13,520 Thank you, Lord Jesus, for this morning, for your scripture, for 606 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,920 the words you have for us. Lord, I pray that as we move on 607 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,760 from here, as we celebrate communion, that our hearts would 608 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:24,240 be deeply touched with by your grace, and we would experience 609 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:27,040 what it means to walk with you. Jesus, thank you again for this 610 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:29,120 morning and joining me pray. Amen.