The Danger of Overconfidence, Part 2 B

You have freedom in Christ you have your right to go to do those kind of things. It is there if you want to read that title meet but if you do that you keep doing one brother to watch yourself in a position to get it done counsel from a friend or loved one. Perhaps you go online and just see what others have done. How do you decide whether or not to do something when there's no clear right or wrong answer. Well today on grace to you. John MacArthur lays out the typical strategies that you should use when navigating life's gray areas when there's no clear biblical command about what you should do or shouldn't do. Today's lesson is part of John study titled the pitfalls of Christian liberty and with that, let's turn to the lesson here is John MacArthur. The key to the first 13 verses of first Corinthians 10 is verse 12 verse 12 is the is the point that all of the other verses are trying to establish wherefore let him that's think it's the stand of take heed lest he fall.

The danger of overconfidence. When you think you stand.

You are the most vulnerable for a fall. That's the idea that Paul is dealing with in these 13 verses this first paragraph of chapter 10. He shifts a little bit in the next paragraph beginning in verse 14 goes in another theme, but for this one is the theme of the danger of overconfidence.

And so the mature Christians. The Corinthian Christians you know over this smug confident was a been around while they were saying this. Hey look, were in the society were mature we been well taught apostle Paul's taught us we started under him for 18 months. We know our way around, look, we got to be a part of our society. We can go to the festivals, the social occasions the ceremonies and we can attend the celebrations of our society we can get involved in all those things that we really don't have to fear because were so confident were so mature that that stuff just doesn't really bother us and if we have to eat idle meat meat offered to idols. Actually no problem were able to resist the temptation and that even if there is an orgy there. Why will just sit in a corner discuss theology where we're not going to really get involved in world will will be strong enough to handle it. So, everywhere. These mature, smug, confident, Corinthians went, they were exposing themselves to the whole gamut of idolatry that was around them and trying to stay separate but today look at Exodus 32 and want to point out what I think to be very fascinating truth. Exodus 32 is the reference that Paul has in mind when he talks about the idolatry of Israel.

They were wandering in the wilderness, they just pass through the ceiling of the cloud been given a vision of God, not there in the wilderness. Moses went up Mount Sinai to get the law while he's up there. The people have a little idolatry going on, but I think something interesting here will point out the when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mountain.

The people gathered themselves together into Aaron and setting him up, get with it. Aaron do it go up to whatever Moses been gone for a while make us Elohim that is the Hebrew word for God. And I think it should be G a singular. That's the name of God make us God, which shall go before us for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt. We know not what is become of them limousine mothers in a long time where low areas but since he's not here to represent God, let's make another representation of God make us God say John, why do you think that they're talking about God, the true God. But how could they possibly do that, we show you what, and Aaron said break off the gold earrings which are in the ears of your wives of your sons and your daughters bring them to me. Maybe Aaron hope they wouldn't want to do that. This was kind of a stupid attempt to stop the process by making them provide the gold themselves, but they were willing heed underestimated their idolatrous desires prepped and the people did break off the gold earrings in their ears and brought them to Aaron and received them at their hands and fasten it with engraving tool after he made it a mellow And that is an Egyptian deity form and they said listen, these are thy God, the representation of Elohim is the is what I think that they were making. This is God. God is now a golden calf. You say that's blasphemous, you're absolutely right. But why do you think it should be God instead of God's of the which brought the up out of the land of Egypt. Did they know who brought another enemy course they did was Jehovah. This was an image to the God who brought them out of Egypt Jehovah. They had made an idol to Jehovah and what Aaron Sahib, Illinois. On or before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said listen, tomorrow is a feast to Jehovah. They were actually worshiping Jehovah in the form of a golden calf and they rose up early in the next day and offered here comes again, these are traditional offerings to Jehovah a burnt offering and a peace offering and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

Now listen to me. This is unbelievable.

You know what this is, again, this is religious syncretism Israel has taken the worship of the true God and transit of the form of pagan worship.

See how it happened so many years when they were engulfed in Egypt over 400 years and seeing pagan worship had left such an impression on them that the first time there without a leader. They reverted back to pagan idolatry and tried to connect the true God would and that makes the point people you can expose yourself to idolatry without having it at some point interfere with your theology. That's what Paul is saying a feast to Jehovah and they carried out a typical pagan feast. They sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to have sex.

Swordplay means the same word used in Genesis 26 what it says. Isaac was having conjugal caresses with Rebecca. That's a very mild way to say it means you know what it means. That's what they did. They sat down eight got drunk and got up and had sex relationship with everybody in the crowd. An orgy what ghastly deal.

What a terrible marriage of God to an idol and they got they were naked. Verse 25 Moses saw the people were naked. Moses came down there all stark naked runaround have an orgy that could get that would be some photos I don't know how many of the 2 million were involved. But what a mess. God is not happy. Verse 28 children of Israel did according the word of Moses and fell at date 3000 men, they were slain. She says not very many have at the whole nation bore the guilt. Later, on the whole pilot died.

You see those liberated people abuse their freedom and negative fell off because this went to sleep to close to where they got and they never did let go of each of Egypt. The crickets are doing the same thing.

They had become Christians but they never had let go of the old life and they want to hang onto false gods and you know what happened to the creek is a good first gradients 1020 just a little further over in the 10th chapter but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God or maybe somebody around was arguing that what the Gentiles were doing was maybe to the true God pauses.

That's ridiculous sacrificing to demons and I don't want you to have fellowship with demons.

You can drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons you can't be partaker of the Lord's table to table of demons you see what they were doing same thing Israel doing leg over the Lord's table habitat, the more stable go over the table demons have a feast in the pagan attempt. They were mirroring the tomb again, singing as he was doing. He say you have liberty you have freedom in Christ you have your for your right to going to do those kind of things in the sit there if you want to delete that idol meet but if you do that and you keep doing it one you will offend a weaker brother and to heal. Put yourself in a position to get involved in pagan idolatry lot smarter if you avoided Paul Lawrence Israel was disqualified from usefulness as a witness by idolatry and you will be to and he says it to us today.

He said, but Charlie don't have any idols in our land houses supplies is irrelevant. All the siding we got idols in our society. We have idols. For example there that there is a God of theme of ego, money, education, position sex, golf, tennis close cars and there are plenty of people bound out of those idols and that becomes a wedded thing and there are people who have their Christianity, but they've married to something else that they worship plenty of idols.

Ezekiel I think hits the nail on the head. In chapter 14 verses three and four in his indictment of Israel. He says he hears the problem Son of Man. These men have set up their idols in their hearts.

That's the problem is that you got a stone God or that you got a metal idol or a wooden totem pole.

They've got idols in their heart verse for every man of the house of Israel that sets up his idols in his heart. Verse five that I may take the house of Israel in their heart because they are estranged for me through their idol. That's the thing is aft. They had worship things in their hearts they can be many false anything untrue about God is his idol worship, anything other than God, which we worship is idolatry and if you don't believe it, but you hang around long enough that the water you there.

Israel couldn't even get away from Egypt. The Corinthians. Couldn't get away from the problem as long as they hung around the idol feast and the same thing is true today as long as you hang around those kind of problems in a regular armor guy was a minister who used to enjoy golf and he said I love golf. I play golf, etc. etc. so many times a week and I thought well that's a lot. Each pricing play that much you can really get kinda tied down it all know he really enjoyed it and he played and finally played it and then you gamble a little bit little bit more little bit more and finally was losing 500,000 1500 2020 $503,000 on the game wiped out his whole ministry.

When out of the ministry and disgrace yet idol as long as he courted that idol. It was no way that it would divorce it. He had the freedom to play golf. I have the freedom to play golf but you see if that thing becomes a god then I can't divorce the two and then I'm in trouble. Israel fell Corinth was falling, and so might we, if we have idols look at verse eight second factor in the fall of Israel. The second thing that led to their disqualification as a witness and community having been set aside. Verse eight says neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and 20,000 when anybody asked me how God feels about sexual sin.

This is what I always think it was a what what what is God's attitude toward premarital sex or extramarital sex. I would say well. His attitude is probably best expressed in the fact there was a group of people who committed extramarital sex and 23,000 of me killed one day executive United. That's his attitude now. Idolatry and sex have always been related in Numbers 25 one.

There's an interesting statement. It says in relation to Israel and they were always fooling around with the Moabites, and this was a result of bailment is his activity, but in the 25 wanting negatives of numbers, the people of Israel began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab.

First of all, sexual activity, here comes and they called the people of the sacrifices of their gods and the people did eat, and bow down to their gods and Israel joined himself on the bail to your that's the God bail associated with mount to your local deity and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. So you have harlotry in verse one, and idolatry. In verse two they go together. Sexual immorality and idol worship in court. The principal temple in the city was a Temple of Venus. It was run by prostitutes and orgies occurred all the time and the Corinthians, or say well all right will go out there and enjoy the fees we want to get into the orgy and the apostle Paul is saying luck.

Israel couldn't divorce themselves from sexual immorality and in one day God sloughed 23,000 of them for interesting footnote here is a Numbers 25 nine which describes later on in that same passage already describes what God did to those that committed sexual immorality. More and it says that 24,000 died here. It says 23,000 you say is that a contradiction in the Bible. Well, it could it could be a copying error. There are some numerical terms in the Bible that could be copy of Sarah we have a difference in the number and which it to me goes to prove the fantastic accuracy of Scripture because the variation is always so minute and the only variations we can ever find are minuscule things like that which is incredible when you think of that book is been passed down to the century, so it could be a copyist here on the other hand, some states round figures that that the number was between 23 and 24. One writer took 23 near the writer took 24 and the truth is in the middle and very often the Hebrew spoken round figures that's perhaps true, but is another thought to that might be right. He says 24,000 in total, died in Numbers 25 nine. Here it says 23,000 fell in one day.

There may have been a thousand or just live past midnight, so maybe both are correct, but 23,001 day and 24,000 total if you take it that way were disqualified from being a part of God's witnessing community because of immorality Ellis in the Corinthians were already into this.

There saying why we can attend all these things and do we want and you know what happens in chapter 51 guys already having sex with his with his father's wife, and it could've occurred and idol feast. In chapter 6, verse 18.

He says you better flee from sexual immorality and the implication is they were already doing it. Don't you know your bodies are the members of Christ.

Verse 15 verse 16 don't you know that if you join yourself to a harlot you drag Christ into that thing.

Chapter 11 tells us some of the Corinthians had died because of sin, so flaunting their freedom and and fooling around with idol worship. They had fallen into a syncretistic religion and they also fallen into sexually evil and Dante. Some people so I'll I'm a Christian. I can handle Mike and go here and do that. Go here and do that no young people. It's amazing young people always think they're in control of everything well know I can go out and barking.

No, I can handle it. I'm a Christian. We just get so far and we start: Bible verses you that we got a little program worked out. Yes, your or listen is no problem for me. I can know I can handle girls the office but from I can have lunch with them there with the money bit there was less work where pestis is COUNSELING women no problem though little magister.

The pastor lost his pulpit because there were multiple dozens of women would have sex relations with in counseling, I mean multiple dozens folks you handle it you been a push freedom to far.

Many Christians today been rendered useless because they couldn't handle sex out of the race to win people to Christ shelved was 1/3 thing that caused the fall of Israel from a place of usefulness and that was tempting God and this is very interesting. Verse nine tempting God. Neither let us put Christ to the test as some of them also tested him and were destroyed by snakes.

They member in Numbers 21 that again. It covers Israel in the wilderness, from which all of these illustrations are taken. Numbers 21 of the region. Verse five and the people spoke against God, and that's bad when you do that you soon as it starts with that. You know were in a lot of trouble they started speaking against God and Moses. We said wherefore of you brought us up out of Egypt to Diana will mislead you bring us here for just so we could die. Listen for there is many bread and there isn't any water in our we hate this manner and the Lord sent fiery snakes among the people they bit the people and many of them died. What's on like that. I do not like you're pushing me too far. We want this. We want this.

We want this. They kept pushing and pushing and pushing and griping and got funny so that's it.

They push to see how far God would go how much could they force God to do. We all like what you're given as we want this and we want this and we want that would not allow the other. Some Christians, we can just extrapolate out of that. Here's the point he's making. There are some Christians who want to push God to the limits alter their whole view of the Christian life is not what can I do to please God.

But how far can I go get away with how how long the rope does God have a roommate window. I get the yank. How far can I go and nicest the fire X5.

They thought they could play along with the Holy Spirit string amount Peter said into them X59. How is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord.

Look, there goes your husband's feet. Years are going right after him bow them dropdead thinking test. The Holy Spirit had the cup for you to get a push God.

Satan says want to dive off the pinnacle of the temple.

The Scripture says you should give his angels charge over there to keep the list out – thy foot against a stone, etc. she said you shall not, what tempt the Lord your God. Don't force God to do something, don't get yourself in a situation in force. Got to get you out of that's pushing don't push God in here were the Corinthians just know we want the life we want the goodies we used to have. While we so restricted. It isn't fair.

How come we can't have any fun, so they were pushing the edges of the liberty running as close to the old life as possible and demanding to have what they once enjoyed. They were willing to cut off the old life and accept the printing from the same thing they were saying yes workers you will do everything we used to do and God will take care of it. Why this is the age of grace.

God is so wonderfully forgiving it and Paul reminds me know what happened was when I just pushed God as far as he would go and just took took his grace as far as I can go got district one day at stock and he said the call delivery little group snakes down there been when they die all over the place now.

Corinthians that soon some of you think about would be an example and you know some of the credit is already died because this they push got too far, to the communion table was sent in their lives. Going to the community gotchas that's pushing me to far bang, you're dead. Some of them were sick, some of them a week just because they were pushing God too far. This is grace people and I thank God for it and I'm glad I'm in the age of grace.

But let's remember that there is a place in which God doesn't get pushed any further forth in the last thing that he mentions in terms of the evil things that brought about the demise of Israel quickly complaining all you say how did I get in there with all those horrible things verse 10. Neither murmur as some of them murmur and were destroyed by the destroyer. You say who's the destroyer that is the destroying judgment.

Angel, the same one as for the firstborn in Egypt. One was ready to slay the people in Jerusalem and David's time in second Simon 24 the one involving the destruction of the Assyrians and second Chronicles 32, the death Angel if you will. You know God through people with the death Angel for griping all know hallelujah for the age of grace. When I'm with you. Say what is this mean what is this translate to the Corinthians. Lord, we don't like the little restricted lie. We don't like to not be able to do what we want to do it all like to be set aside. We don't like to have this blog will listen people for us is what it's murmuring is a failure to be satisfied with God's will for your get that failure to be satisfied with God's will for your life. Don't do that. There are a lot of carcasses strewn all over the desert. The carcasses of people who were satisfied with God's choices for them got how to marry one of their discontent bosses I've learned one thing, Philippians 410, in whatsoever state I am, what there with to be content. Christians today are guilty of complaining that's dangerous. Well, why does God, why do I have to be here. Why can I be doing now how come he gets up. Why did I had to be married or why did God do this. I wanted to be a missionary or I want to be. Why am I a warrior punching a clock.

I never seem to be able to get ahead in life why my bills are never paid you start griping to murmuring about the things of God's chosen for your life and your murmuring and that's problematic.

The Old Testament folks.

They were fairly afraid to do that. You see, you know that there was a little rebellion in number 16 and that's what he has in mind here in Koren dates and Moses says come I want to talk to and they said forget it when others in talking to you, you phony volumes leaves out the will to so you could play prints so you could be a big hero you got what you want the rest of us who die out here and he says I like your rebellion gotchas. I don't either. I'll take care of it and got some 14,700 of them in 250 of me open a hologram and swallow them up number 16 in the rest of the people said it is not good to murmur and you know, for the most part the Old Testament people from time to time and to be taught that lesson and I say to you, it is not good to murmur, so Paul warns the Corinthians that a lack of self-denial. The lack of self-control and their privileges going to lead to abuse and they will fall into idolatry in the sex into pushing God too far into complaining and griping because they think God is always so gracious and forgiving and they start bellyaching about their lot in life and they start complaining all the time and ultimately they will be tempted. They will fall into sin, and they will be rendered disqualified for the service of God. Listen to me people. The continual fooling around with things that are questionable reveals a lack of self-control is a potential for disqualification.

You flirt with the old lifestyle you test God to see how far as patience goes, you complain about his choices for this life to be rebellion. Disqualification is potential but in verse 11 will close now all these things have under their four examples that are written for our instruction or admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. That is where the last generation were the last dispensation and everything that happened to them is to teach us so that we don't fall in the same trap that they didn't wind up disqualified. God help us to be useful to him as a witness in community because we enjoy our liberty to its limits with two things in mind you don't abuse it by offending someone else. You don't abuse it by living so close to where you got in that you fall your listening to John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary.

As he continues his current study titled pitfalls of Christian liberty on grace to you John, you gave an exhortation at the end of the lesson, you called on Christians through the help of God to be useful to him as a witness in community and certainly we at grace to you want to be useful to the Lord and we know that there are many people who share that desire and who deserve our thanks, absolutely. And I want to just let you in on an example of that. This is a letter from a 19-year-old college freshman named Avery who told us this is a letter my dad introduced me to your broadcast and listening to it. Most mornings during my senior year of high school. Help me deal with the stress of getting into college and reminding me to cling to Christ and his truth this past year has been really challenging for me as I have moved to college, made new friends taken demanding classes and developed a new routine almost every morning the first thing I do is put in my earplugs for as adults in the room were doing with those others. A little tiny speakers you stick in your ear.

But the first thing in the morning put in my earplugs and I listen to, grace to you all.

I get ready for class. You help me immensely and standing firm in Christ in an environment where Christianity is opposed. Thank you, John and Grace to you for being so bold and the work God has called you to and for being a pillar of truth and strength.

In this chapter of my life praying for you all and it signed Avery in Oklahoma. Wonderful letter, and when you pray for grace to you. You there listening with us today. When you support grace to you with the gift you're making possible the influence of the word of God on people like Avery are helping them grow strong in faith and in a day when evil seems to have influence like never before, and particularly in a university setting your helping us equip God's people to stand firm on biblical truth and making yourself useful as we been talking about today for kingdom purposes. So thank you for partnering with us your you're making a difference in only eternity will fully measure. That's right, and friend. Whether you're like Avery at University or a mom caring for her kids or someone going to work each day. It is our goal to strengthen you and to help you be a light wherever you are and in everything you do. That's a kind of ministry you want to support. I encourage you to consider making a donation today, you can mail your tax deductible gift to grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412.

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