Christ is The Rock
The More Excellent Way, Part 15 — 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Stonebrook Sunday AM, 5/10/26, Matt Heerema
Please turn with me to 1 Corinthians, chapter 10.
This morning we are continuing our walk through of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. We are on week 15. Our passage this morning finds us in the middle of a discussion Paul is having with the church about something that was common in their culture: eating food that had been offered as a sacrifice to idols. This is a problem most of us Americans have a hard time relating to. We don’t have a similar cultural practice that directly maps to the idea.
In ancient Corinth, temples weren’t simply places for religious adherents to worship. They were also where business was conducted, civic celebrations occurred, social dinners were thrown. When a colleague invited you to eat at the temple of Asclepius, it was similar to how a formal dinner party thrown by a business colleague would read. Acceptance could put you in good standing in the community and among people that could enhance your status, or ensure your business’s success. To decline could come across as offensive. Perhaps similar to how in our culture, abstaining from certain parties or activities could get you labeled as “holier than thou” or a “religious fanatic” or “Jesus freak” — that would get you ignored by certain groups or excluded from parties or business deals.
So the question for the church in Corinth was, when such an invitation arrived, is it okay to go? Two weeks ago we saw that Christians do indeed have the freedom to eat idol food. But there are two dangers, one that was brought up two weeks ago, and one we’ll explore next week. Two weeks ago we saw that eating at the temple could cause a weaker-in-faith, less-mature Christian to stumble in their faith.That by following your example, they would violate their conscience, their inner sense of should-and-shouldn’t, the result of which is a sense of betrayal of God. Our causing that to happen to them, is sin against Christ.
Last week we saw that Paul says that this is the way we should think of all of our freedoms and rights. They are not something to be demanded! Rather we are to think very carefully about how to “run in such a way as to win” — that is, we’re not concerned with what we have freedom to do, or the right, or even authority to do. Rather, we are to be concerned with the mission: bringing glory to God by helping people know Jesus and grow in their relationship with him. All our rights and freedoms and authorities are to be used, or not used, in a way that best results in the mission going forward.
In our passage today, Paul pauses and offers a stern warning from the history of God’s people. That those of us who think we are strong in the faith should be careful lest we fall.
Paul is warning the Corinthians that participation in church, being baptized, taking communion, being a member, showing up regularly for worship, do not save you from God’s wrath if you are unrepentantly walking in sin. The only ground you have for confidence is not your religious affiliation, or good spiritual habits, or how long you’ve been a Christian, or your track record. Your only basis for confidence is God’s faithfulness, which always makes a way through temptation.
In today’s passage we are going to see Paul give 1) The History of God’s People in this matter, 2) The Warning for God’s People, and 3) Gospel Hope For God’s People.
Let’s read.
The History of God’s People
1 Corinthians 10:1–6 (CSB)
1 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.
Paul begins our passage by taking us to the Exodus account of God rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt, their forty years of wandering in the desert, and eventual arrival in the promised land of Canaan. As he does, he makes some pretty remarkable statements. The Israelites were “baptized into Moses.” They ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink.
The spiritual food is referring to the manna that God miraculously provided. Every morning God’s people wandered in the desert, they never had to worry about food. God made food appear on the ground for them to simply gather each morning. They never had to worry about water for their families, their herds, or their flocks. Even in the driest places, twice, God made water come from a rock. Millions and millions of gallons of water filling a valley for the millions of people and their many millions of livestock.
And Paul is saying that the one who provided it all, was Christ himself. Jesus was with Israel in the desert, rescuing them and meeting their every need.
But even though the people ate the food and drank the water, graciously provided by God, even though they were part of the Hebrew people, these things were not enough to spare them from God’s judgement of their sin against him. And Paul says that the same situation applies to the Corinthian church, and so to us today. In fact Paul says that these things happened, that the Israelites served specifically to teach us something. What is that? What is he warning us of?
The Warning for God’s People
1 Corinthians 10:6–12 (CSB)
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did. 7 Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party. 8 Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. 9 Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.
Paul references four specific scenes from The Exodus Journey, to talk about four specific temptations the Corinthian church was giving in to.
Idolatry
Idolatry at root is a refusal to receive God as He has revealed Himself to us. Instead we manufacture a false version of god more to our liking. One way it has been defined is taking a good thing, say for example, raising godly children, and elevating that good thing to the place of an ultimate thing: “if I do not succeed in raising godly children, I am an utter failure and am worthless.”
In the Exodus we see this most clearly in Exodus 32: the Golden Calf incident. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law from God, the people made golden statue and called it Yahweh. 3,000 Israelites were killed in punishment for that sin. God takes sin very seriously. He will judge it. The penalty for sin is death.
In Corinth, they were surrounded by temples to idols. We described the scenario at the start of the sermon. Participation in the community often seemed to require participation in idols.
What might this look like in Stonebrook today? Answer that for yourself. What do you spend most of your time thinking about and worrying about? What are you most known for by others as caring about or talking about?
Sexual immorality
We’ve already spoken much about this in the series so far. Any sexual activity outside the covenant bond of marriage.
In the Exodus, Paul references Numbers chapter 25. Israel’s men disobeyed God and lusted after worshippers of false gods, resulting in idolatry! 23,000 of them were killed by God in a plague in a single day. 24,000 total recorded in the Numbers 25 account.
In Corinth, this sin was rampant. We covered it in chapters five and six. I recommend you go listen to those messages.
In Stonebrook what might this look like? Again, answer that for yourself. Pornography, any sexual activity before or outside of marriage.
The first two sins (idolatry and immorality) are an expected start to this list, but these second two seem a little strange at first!
Testing Christ
Setting yourself up as a judge over Christ “you must do this for me of you aren’t who you say you are.” Or maybe a transactional relationship: “I’ll worship you when you do this for me…”
In the Exodus, Paul is referencing Numbers 21. At the very end of the 40-year wilderness journey, after a lifetime of God coming through again and again, providing their every need of food and water and protection from enemies:
Numbers 21:5 (CSB)
“The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”
Ingratitude. Rejection. What God has done is not good enough. God punishes this with a plague of poisonous snakes. They realize their sin and cry out to God for salvation.
Numbers 21:8 (CSB)
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”
Look upon the one lifted up, and you will be saved. And they were saved. God provided the means of escape from death.
In Corinth, there were several examples of this, but it comes out in chapter 1 as a demand for wisdom or signs for belief in God. In chapter 6 and 10 it looks like the cavalier attitude toward idol meat.
What does it look like in Stonebrook? Again, I’ll let you answer. Remember that this is primarily about a transactional relationship with God. Maybe demanding that He “speak to me” apart from the Bible. Maybe it looks like a heart attitude or posture toward the church or fellow Christians that is one of constant critique.
Grumbling
Grumbling seems strange on this list. What is it? Complaining against God. That the things or circumstances He has provided you are inadequate. His governance of your situation is unjust. It is a refusal to receive what He has given you with gratitude.
And this is why it belongs alongside idolatry and immorality on the list. Grumbling reveals a relational declaration that God is not good, what He has provided for you is insufficient, the situation He has placed you in is wrong.
In the Exodus, Paul looks at Numbers 16, Korah’s rebellion. Some of the people rise up against God’s appointed leaders of the people, against God himself. It cost well over 15,000 lives.
In Corinth, we see this in the first four chapters. Not everyone wanted to keep going with God’s provided revelation through Paul’s apostolic teaching. It will also come up later in chapters 12-14 with who has superior spiritual gifts.
What about Stonebrook? Where do you wrestle with grumbling against the circumstances God has provided you. Both the good circumstances to enjoy and you wanted something different, and the bad circumstances He has provided to cause you to lean on His grace and mercy?
Grumbling is not the same as lament. Lament is a genuine crying out to God in faith in the midst of your circumstances that you wish were different. Telling him of your pain and trial. Yelling at Him while remaining open to His provision for your life. Grumbling is yelling at him having already made of your mind that He’s wrong.
The Root: Desire for Evil
These four sins all have a common root. Paul names it in verse 6: “Desire for Evil.” Our sinful hearts all have, at some level, remaining evil desire. God is in the process of sanctifying us, making us more like Jesus. But that work will only be completed in the New Creation. For now, all of us will wrestle with it.
The Warning: Don’t Sin
Paul calls us to flee from these sins! Don’t be idolaters! Don’t commit sexual immorality! Don’t put The Lord Your God to the Test. Don’t Grumble. These are sins that are common to all humans. And for those of you who may not consider yourself a Christian, it’s common to you as well. It’s common to us in the church. Its why you might observe that all these Christians just seem like hypocrites. That’s understandable. But the only time a Christian is actually a hypocrite is when they think they aren’t in need of these corrections and reminders. This letter was written to Christians! Sin is real, and judgement is coming for these things!
How do we escape that judgement? Paul makes it clear it is not by being a good church person. It’s not through baptism, or communion. Those things didn’t save Israel, and they don’t save us. Your track record doesn’t save you. Your heritage doesn’t save you.
God provided rescue for His people Israel through Christ the Rock that followed them. And He provides that rescue for us in the same way.
The four sins of verses 6-10 are a failure to trust verse 13.
Gospel Hope for God’s People
1 Corinthians 10:13 (CSB)
13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
God has always provided a means of escape that we may stand against temptation. Notice that God provides the way out, but it says not that the temptation will be removed, but that we will be able to bear it because of the way He provides!
The popular phrase “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Is an inversion of this truth. God will give you more than you can handle, and He will give you the way to handle it.
What is that way?Christ is the way.
Notice verse 1. Paul starts by saying that we may be unaware of something. And he wants us to be aware of it, verse 6 says, so that we will not desire evil things. What is it that he wants us to be aware of?
That Christ is the Rock. That Christ was the provided food and drink. God provides the way to bear up under temptation through Christ.
It’s not an accident that Paul picks Numbers 21 to make his point. Israel was in the middle of a huge trial. Poisonous snakes all around. Death coming to them as a result of their sin. They cried out to God for salvation and God says through Moses: Look to the one I raised up, and be saved.
Look to Christ who operated in a world full of sin, without falling into it. Not just so that we are better motivated to live good lives, but because He died for the fact that we do not.
Jesus was lifted up on the cross to pay all the debt of your sin. Look to him. In whatever temptation is pressing you today, the same faithful God who provided for Israel in the wilderness provides for you now. God is faithful. He will not let your trial exceed the grace He gives you to bear it. The way through the trial is not about escaping it. That is never guaranteed to us. The way through trial is endurance through the strength He provides.
Look to Christ and live!
Let’s pray.
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