Written ~ 08-15-2024
Read 1 Corinthians Chapter Ten
1 Corinthians 10
In this chapter Paul is giving us a warning as to what happens when a believer abandons the truth found in Jesus to “worship idols” and take on the world’s view about spiritual things instead of God’s Word. In the first eleven verses Paul gives us a short history lesson showing us what happened to the Israelites when they continued in their disobedience. Paul makes it clear that these people were being guided by the Lord Himself both day and night. The Lord’s presence was known, there was no mistaking that the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night was Christ the Lord. God gave them food from heaven, water would spring forth out of a rock. Jesus Christ was the Rock in whom they put their trust.
But… many of them would turn their hearts away from the Lord, they decided it would be better to make their own idols to worship. They bowed down to carved images, instead of worshipping the Lord God Almighty. Because of their continued defiance, God destroyed many of them, only a very few devout followers would actually cross over into the Promised Land. Why? Because they were worshipping idols, they were feasting, drinking, indulging in pagan celebrations and engaging in all sorts of sexual immorality. If you were to ever question why we need to read the Old Testament, it is because of the examples given to us through the behavior of God’s chosen people and by what happened to them because of their disobedience. Verse 10:11, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”
When you think of an idol, what do you think of? Maybe you think of it as being someone you looked up to as a child, a sports figure or musician, or maybe you actually know that an idol is an image of a false god that people worship instead of the One True God. The meaning of “idol” has become so watered down in today’s culture that we have become desensitized to the things we actually worship. But let’s be very clear… Anything we put in place of God and the worship of Him, is an idol. That doesn’t mean we can’t like things, go places, enjoy movies or concerts or have a job we really love, etc. But when we place any of those things before our worship of the Lord, that’s when it can become a problem. If we always seem to schedule our time doing other things instead of, for example, attending church or taking time to read our Bibles or spending time with the Lord in prayer, we have created a place within our hearts where “idol worship” has come before God. Are you so busy that it never occurs to you to give some time in your day to the worship of your Savior? Or do you only give the remnants of your day to the Lord, when you are tired and your eyes are closing when you try to read from His Word? Or are you falling asleep during prayer? That could very well be because idols have been set up in your heart, there are things in your life that you have placed as greater importance than the worship of God. So, hey… Listening to Worship Music in your car is wonderful! But is that the only time you are worshiping your Lord? Let’s look at what Paul says in verses 10:12-13…
1 Corinthians 10:12-13…
12 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
Have you identified the temptations that frequently cross your thoughts or your path? These things can be physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. How well do you deal with those temptations? Let’s compare the word temptation to idol worship… temptation is anything that entices us and draws us away from the worship of the Lord. Idol worship is the thing we are being tempted with, which could vary greatly depending on what we are struggling with at that moment. Let’s think about our jobs… we may not think of them as a temptation or idol worship… But, depending on the type of job you have, how often do you place your time and devotion to that job before anything else? Are you so busy that you can’t possibly fit in anything else? Yes, of course, our jobs are extremely important, they are our livelihood, but our worship of the Lord God shouldn’t be placed second. What about those who do not have the time restraints of a job? How do you spend your time? Do you carve out time in your leisure to spend time in your Bible and in prayer? Or do other things take priority even in a schedule free day? That’s why Paul’s warning applies to every single one of us! “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.”
I love what it says in verse 10:13… “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so you can endure.”
Paul listed some things the Israelites involved themselves in, they were not obedient to the Word of the Lord and fell into temptation. When you are being tempted by something that looks so wonderful, but you know it would not give glory and honor to God, but you do it anyway, you have just created an idol in your life. What if that “thing” is pulling you in with such force that you refuse to see a way out so you indulge in it… up pops an idol. Paul says in verse 10:13 that God will not allow a temptation to be so powerful that you cannot escape its lure. So if we are giving into our temptations over and over again, we are choosing to place our desires, our idols, above the way God is showing us, which leads to worshipping Him alone.
Look what Paul says next…
1 Corinthians 10:14-15…
14 “So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.”
As believers, we are the Body of Christ, in 1 Corinthians 2:16, we learned that we have the mind of Christ. In Romans 12:1-2, we are told to give our bodies as living and holy sacrifices to the Lord and not to copy the behaviors and customs of the world. What does the world do? It indulges in every type of temptation; it worships every false god, and it places idols in their hearts so there is no room for the One True God.
Take extra time to really read what Paul says next… pray for understanding and revelation to how it applies to your life and the temptations that you struggle with…
1 Corinthians 10:16-22…
16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?
19 What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? 20 No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. 22 What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than He is?
When we give into our temptations or place idols in a greater place of importance than our worship of God, we are putting ourselves at risk of “participating with demons.” Have you ever thought of temptation or the worship of idols in that way? What Paul says in verse 10:21 is really important for us to ponder… “You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s table and at the table of demons, too.” That means we cannot give into our temptations or indulge in the worship of idols, whatever that looks like for you, and worship the Lord too. We cannot have it both ways. Either we live for the world, or we live for the Lord. Period.
Let’s conclude with what Paul says in verse 10:23…
1 Corinthians 10:23…
23 You say, “I am allowed to do anything” — but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything” — but not everything is beneficial.
Be careful when you start making excuses or justifications for the worldly indulges you participate in, non-believers and fellow believers are watching your behaviors. They are watching so see whether you flee from temptation and idol worship or if you participate without hesitation. When you read verses 10:1-11 and realize our God, our loving Father had to destroy His chosen people because of their disobedience, don’t believe for a minute that we are immune to the jealousy of the Lord. He will not tolerate His followers behaving in such a way that it dishonors His name.
Temptation will always peek around the corner to see if it can catch your eye, and if it does, will you allow it to draw you in? Or will you ask the Lord for the way out?
Have you collected idols in your life which have now diverted your attention and your worship away from the Almighty God? Ask the Lord to help you remove those idols for good.
You may think that what you are doing isn’t all that bad, or that you can juggle everything without any problem… but those “things” you place in greater importance above God, are they really good for you? Are they truly beneficial?
The second part of verse 10:31 says, “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God…”
The Israelites, God’s chosen people, did not glorify God even though they had the Lord’s presence guiding them through the wilderness. God used them as an example, that’s why we have the Old Testament to study so we can learn to maneuver around temptation and the worship of idols. When we are standing strong we need to be careful not to fall. We must remember that we are a part of the body of Christ and we cannot participate in the things of the world and worship the Lord at the same time.
Will you glorify the Lord in everything you do?
Will you destroy idols in your life?
Will you turn from temptation no matter how appealing it seems to be?
What type of example are you? Are you an example of disobedience like the Israelites? Or are you like Paul who gave his heart, mind, body and soul to the worship of Jesus Christ?
1 Corinthians 10:33b,
33b “…I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.”
In my New Living Translation Bible, verse one of 1 Corinthians 11 is included at the end of chapter 10, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
So, as we consider using our lives to glorify the Lord, let’s use the Apostle Paul as one of our examples…
~AMEN~