How the Gospel Deals With Temptation

1. How the Gospel Deals With Temptation 1 Cor 10:1-21

2. Paul’s View • We Think We are Wise Enough (v1-5) • The Gospel is our Wisdom (v6-14) • Through God we Overcome (v15-22)

3. What is the meaning of the Gospel? The word gospel is taken from the Greek word euangélion. Meaning GOOD News.

4. Historically, What Was Temptation? • Gen – Creation, What did God create and call Good? • Day 1 – Light (v3) • Day 2 – Anything? • Day 3 – Dry Land (v9), Vegetation (v11-12) • Day 4 – Sun and Moon, Stars (v14-17) • Day 5 – Living Creatures; Air creatures and sea creatures (v20-21) • Day 6 – Land Animals, (v24 – 25)

5. What was the Good News? • God is Good All the Time • He invited us into relationship when He created us • We were tempted to decide for ourselves what is Good. • Gen 3:6 – We decided our own Good • We became idolatrous • God saved us • He is bringing His Good back

6. 1 Cor 10:1-4 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

7. We Think We are Wise Enough to Face Temptation • Paul was amplifying his earlier discussion on food offered to idols • On one hand it seems like he was ok with food offered to idols • He is ramping the heat up • He starts out by pointing out their ignorance

8. We Think We are Wise Enough to Face Temptation • Israel was given the invitation to be grafted into the goodness of God • They chose instead to be idolaters by indulging in revelry and drunkenness, sexual immorality and grumble • Idolatry is when the image of good is no longer God

9. We Think We are Wise Enough to Face Temptation • Eating food offered to idols is not what makes us idolatrous • It’s because we believe we are wise enough to decide what is good for ourselves especially in the exercise of our own rights

10. According to Science, Swearing is Good for you.

11. We Defend our Wrongs “I’m evangelical in my defense of swearing, not just on the grounds of freedom of expression, but because it can be beneficial to us both as individuals and as a species. “Because it’s so emotive, it’s natural to want to tune out swearing; but research proves we should listen more closely when someone swears, because chances are they’re telling us something important. “So I’m not necessarily encouraging people to swear more, but I do think we should give it the respect it deserves.” Swearing is not necessarily bad for you. In fact, from all of the reasons above, using some colorful language may even do you some good.

12. The Gospel is our Wisdom • Now that ROCK was CHRIST (v4) • Rock as realistic – is the preexistent Christ • Rock as identical events • Rock as symbolic • Rock as parallel events but not the sam • Rock as typological – points to the Christian reality • That ROCK was always with His people

13. 1 Corinthians 1:30 New International Version (NIV) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption

14. The Gospel is our Wisdom • Jesus became wisdom from God for us (1 Cor 1:30) • Now that ROCK was CHRIST - Paul was attributing Christ to the role previously understood in Jewish idea of divine wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-18)

15. Wisdom’s purpose in history 10 Wisdom kept watch over the world’s first-formed parent, when he alone had been created. She delivered him from his grave misstep. 2 Wisdom gave him the strength to have dominion over everything. 3 When a wicked man disregarded Wisdom in his anger, he perished along with his desire to murder his brother. 4 Because of him, the earth was flooded. Wisdom again came to the rescue. She took a man who did what was right and steered him straight on a vessel made of cheap wood. 5 When the peoples of the world were thrown into confusion by the combined force of their wickedness, Wisdom found one who did what was right and kept him pure before God. She even kept him strong when he would have been swayed by compassion for his child.

16. 6 When the ungodly were about to be wiped out, Wisdom saved a man who did what was right. He was able to flee from the fire that descended on the five cities. 7 A smoking wasteland is all that remains, witnessing to their wickedness. Plants there never produce fully formed fruit. A pillar of salt still stands there as a reminder of a faithless being. 8 By trying to get along without Wisdom, they didn’t recognize what was good. In doing so, they left a lasting memorial of their foolishness for everyone to see. They were unable to hide the things that led to their downfall. 9 But Wisdom rescues her servants from their trials. 10 When a man, who did what was right, fled from his brother’s anger, Wisdom led him on straight paths. She showed him God’s kingdom and gave him knowledge of holy things. She caused him to prosper through his handiworks and increased the fruit of his labors. 11 When some, because of greed, sought to get the upper hand over him, she stood by him and made him even richer. 12 She protected him from his enemies and kept him safe from those who set an ambush for him. She intervened on his behalf in a difficult contest so that he might know that godliness is more powerful than anything.

17. 13 When a man who did what was right was sold into slavery, she didn’t abandon him. She rescued him from sin. 14 She even went down into the pit with him. She didn’t forsake him when he was in chains. In the end, she obtained for him the symbol of kingly rule and authority over those who would have ruled over him. She showed that those who had accused him were liars. She gave him eternal glory. 15 Wisdom rescued a holy people and a pure generation from the grip of people who were crushing them. 16 She entered the soul of a man who served the Lord. She enabled him to oppose terrifying kings by means of signs and wonders. 17 She rewarded the holy ones for their labors and led them along a wonderful route. She became a shelter for them by day and a flaming shower of stars by night. 18 She carried them across the Red Sea[a] and led them through deep waters. 19 She drowned their enemies and caused the depths to boil up over them. 20 The people who did what was right then stripped the ungodly of their weapons. All together they sang hymns to your holy name, Lord. They praised your hand, which had defended and fought for them. 21 Wisdom opens the mouths of those who can’t speak and puts clear words on the tongues of infants.

18. The Gospel is our Wisdom • Everything we do now as believers points and alludes to Christ. So what we do must be found in His wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1:30) • Though the fathers experienced divine provisions, the presence of Christ, and a prefigurement of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, they failed to enter the promised land because of their idolatry.

19. The Gospel is our Wisdom • Paul’s primary concern was that they do not realize that by participating in taking food offered to idols, they have become idolaters themselves because they are rejecting the very Christ they claim to profess • It was not God testing them, they were putting God to the test

20. The Gospel is our Wisdom • Good is set on God’s terms and His eternal wisdom. • The temptation is to think the Gospel allows us the freedom to choose as we will. • They were not ‘making mistakes’ they were craving the evil desires of their hearts.

21. The Gospel is our Wisdom • The Gospel is our example to remind us to not decide what is good for ourselves anymore (v 6-10) • The Good News has come to us that we are able to stand firm through Christ. • Dealing with temptation is not about how strongly you can stand firm. It is about how RELIANT we are on GOD.

22. It is not just about ‘fleeing from temptation’, it is about fleeing to the Father, through Christ, by the help of the Holy Spirit and enduring it through God’s faithfulness. Wise people run to God.

23. Through God we Overcome • Is Christ not with us? (v15-17) • If my God is for me, then who can be against me? (Rom 8:31) • The Rock will neither leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5, Deut 31:6) • Stand FIRM because we have Christ and each other (v17)

26. I Know

27. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

28. Romans 12:9-17 New International Version (NIV) 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

29. Through God we Overcome • Paul was speaking to two groups of people: • The first who think they are standing firm but are actually idolaters by their response in giving into temptation. Of which he asserts that God is not pleased with. • The second are those who are standing firm and enduring trials, testing and temptations and struggling to endure.