Lesson 21 – 1 Corinthians Chapter 10:13-23
Last week’s message can be summed up in two words, “lesson learned.” Through God’s holy Word, we are given the opportunity to look back into history and learn from the mistakes of God’s chosen people. We have the choice as to whether or not we will take advantage of what we have learned, or just ignore it and possibly make the same mistakes they did.
Israel was tempted to worship idols, engage in sexual immorality, put God to the test, and complain against God… they fell into those temptations. This brings us to the subject of temptation, it’s something every one of us has to deal with on a daily basis.
1 Cor. 10:13:
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
Another popular Scripture from Paul, one worth memorizing and hiding in your heart.
It can be said, “Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your door forever.”
Satan, as we know, is always on the prowl seeking out weak-hearted Christians, looking to see who he can tempt. He might whisper in someone’s ear, “You have life alright, but you are a weakling; you’ve been a weakling all your life.” Then he is quick to remind you of some sin that has dogged you for years, and then he will say something like, “You are weak, and you won’t be able to stand against “this” temptation. You might be able to stand against other temptations, but not this one, just give in to it.”
How do we answer?
First let’s look at temptation itself; it means it can be “an enticement” or “an invitation for us to sin,” that somehow in the end we will obtain something good through disobedience.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man… this tells us that there is nothing new under the sun as Solomon teaches.
Since the disobedience of our parents in the garden, every single one of us has faced the same temptations in some shape or form. Our verse says it’s common, so there’s nothing new with it. It might come in a different package or wrapper these days, but when stripped down to its basic form it’s all the same… and when we give into it, sin is the result.
James 1:13-14:
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”
Temptation is enticing, it can be irresistible, and our flesh desires to beckon to its call. It’s easy for us to play the blame game, not taking responsibility for our actions, blaming it on someone or something, but James says temptation comes from our own evil desires.
1 John 2:15-16:
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
Here John talks about three primary areas of temptation for us: the lust for physical pleasures, lust for the things we see, and having pride in our possessions.
1 Peter 5:8:
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Whenever we are tempted, satan is always seeking to devour us. Just like a wild lion, satan wants to tare us to pieces, to inflict as must damage as possible. Peter gives us a wise warning, “Be on the alert,” this means that we cannot kick back and relax, because the moment we do is when he’ll pounce on us. We must always be on guard!
Yes, temptation might bang on our door every day, but we can take comfort in knowing that we as believers, are not left on our own.
Col. 1:13-14 (NLT):
“For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
Before we gave our lives to Christ, we were in fact enemies of God and part of the kingdom of darkness, not fully understanding that we were considered children of satan.
Eph. 1:6-8 (NLT):
“So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”
No longer children of darkness, Jesus freed us from the power of sin, He purchased our freedom with His very own blood. We have been freed from the power of sin, yet sin is still a part of our makeup, thus temptation creeps into our lives.
And God is faithful…
2 Thess. 3:3:
“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
The Greek word translated as “faithful” is pistos, which also conveys the concept of being trustworthy; therefore, when Scripture declares that God is faithful, it signifies His trustworthiness. When God makes a promise, it is unwavering. God’s trustworthiness hinges on His attributes, specifically His love, justice, and holiness. We can trust God, He will not break His promises.
As believers we can always trust that God will be faithful to us… our verse says, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.
Guess what? When it comes to temptation, every one of us is without excuse! We can’t say with Flip Wilson, “The devil made me do it.” Paul is saying, as temptations come your way, we can trust that every temptation that does come will be something that we can overcome or avoid. No one, not even satan himself, can make you sin… sin is always a choice on our part. We must all take full responsibility.
We can take comfort in knowing we have a Savior who knows exactly what it means to be under the pressures of temptation.
Hebrews 4:15:
‘For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
This tells us that Jesus totally understands what we’re going through… that He has faced all the same temptations we face, except Jesus never fell into sin.
Here’s God promise to us… but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
With every temptation there’s a way out… guaranteed! God will provide the way out of any temptation. The question is, will we take God’s way out or give in to it?
One key way out is through prayer. How’s your prayer life? Are you prayed up?
Matthew 6:13a:
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Mark 14:38:
“Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
If we don’t pray, we can be sure a test will turn into temptation. Another way to get through temptation is by memorizing Scripture. If you memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13, when you find yourself in the midst of a temptation, then recite it to yourself. By the time you finish, I dare say the Holy Spirit will have helped you through it.
Psalm 119:9-11:
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”
Hiding God’s Word in our heart gives the Holy Spirit something to work with, from being a good witness to fighting off any temptations.
1 John 5:4-5 (NLT):
“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Know that through our faith in Jesus, we can have victory over this evil world and all that is in it. We believe in Jesus; He is Lord over our life.
Hebrews 12:3-4 (NLT):
“Think of all the hostility He (Jesus) endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”
We will never go through what Jesus went through for us, but He understands the pressures of everything we do go through, and with every temptation that comes, He is able to take us through it.
Hebrews 4:16:
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
I don’t think there’s a day when we don’t need God’s grace. The good news is, we don’t need a middle-man to approach God’s throne; God’s grace is always there for us regardless how far we may have fallen.
James 4:7:
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
This is the formula to resisting temptation; submit to God and resist satan and his demons. How do we resist? Through God’s Word. Every time satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus came back with the Word!
Romans 5:3-4:
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” (NLT)
To finish out our thoughts on temptation, I have this from Jerry Bridges (“The Pursuit of Holiness”):
“God wants us to walk in obedience… not victory. Obedience is oriented toward God; victory is oriented toward self. This may seem to be merely splitting hairs over semantics, but there is a subtle, self-centered attitude at the root of many of our difficulties with sin. Until we face this attitude and deal with it, we will not consistently walk in holiness. This is not to say God doesn’t want us to experience victory, but rather to emphasize that victory is a by-product of obedience. As we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we will certainly experience the joy of victory over sin.”
1 Cor. 10:14:
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry”
By Paul saying “therefore,” we need to look back and keep in mind what he’s be laying down for us. Idolatry, immorality, and complaining against God are not up for debate… they’re all sins as far as God is concerned. There is no freedom or liberty when it comes to these things.
Paul has just schooled us on the subject of temptation, and we also know all about the meat that was sacrificed to idols. It’s only logical that the Corinthians might be tempted to worship the idols where the meat is being sacrificed… remember this was probably in their past.
Flee from idolatry… don’t do it! Or we could simply say flee from any person, activity, hobby, or ideology that gets in the way for having a healthy relationship with God.
Paul addresses them as My beloved… or brothers and sisters; this just speaks of the closeness between Paul and all the Corinthian believers… Paul cares, and it shows by the way he’s writing to them.
1 Cor. 10:15:
“I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.”
By Paul referring to them as wise men, it is presumped that they are saved, and being saved, they have divine guidance through the Holy Spirit. Then he adds, “Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.”
If they are wise, they will listen to the Spirit, and in doing so, they will flee from idolatry.
Exodus 20:3-5a [God’s commands against all idolatry]:
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.”
“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”
There’s a reason God put these commands first in the Ten Commandments. He hates when people put anything above Him. Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 1.
Romans 1:21-23:
“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”
God has every right to demand our full worship of Him and not any idols… and ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind’ (Matt. 22:37).
John MacArthur says, “Idolatry includes much more than bowing down or burning incense to a physical image. Idolatry is having any false god… any object, idea, philosophy, habit, occupation, sport, or whatever that has one’s primary concern and loyalty or that to any degree decreases one’s trust in and loyalty to the Lord.”
1 Cor. 10:16-17:
“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”
The King James… “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?”
The word communion is a Greek word you’re familiar with, koinonia, speaking of a “oneness” in Christ.
To get the full impact of this text we need to look back to the culture of this time. The people looked at sharing a meal as being one of the most intimate expressions possible between two people or a group of people. During that time people would eat reclined around a low table, sharing pieces of bread from a common loaf, which they dipped into a common dish filled with a stew-like sauce.
Therefore, because they were eating of the same bread and meat, they believed they were uniquely bonded through the common nutrients they were sharing.
This gives us fresh meaning to…
Revelation 3:20:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
Jesus wants everyone to have an intimate spiritual bond with Him, unlike anything we’ve ever known.
When we share in the Lord’s supper and eat of the same bread and drink of the same vine, there is a “oneness” in Christ that we all share together.
In verses 16 and 17, Paul is speaking of this very same oneness, which is what bonds all believers together… sharing in the body and blood of Jesus. Because we are one with Christ, we are one with one another. It is at the foot of the cross where all believers stand on holy ground, sharing the hope of heaven together, with the promise of eternal life with Jesus.
1 Cor. 10:18:
“Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?”
The NLT translates this verse a little better, “Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?”
When it came to Israel making sacrifices unto the Lord, the participants would eat from the burnt offering; the priests would eat, as well as those who offered the sacrifice. They all identified with the sacrifice.
1 Cor. 10:19:
“What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods?”
Very simply put, the food sacrificed and the idols to which the sacrifice is made, have no spiritual power, they have no significance whatsoever.
Paul answers his own question in verse 20…
1 Cor. 10:20:
“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.”
Just as all false religions and all idols hold no significance to believers, one thing remains true, demonic forces are behind all of it. The participants of idol worship and sacrifices, whether they realize or not, are worshiping demons and not God.
2 Thess. 2:9 (NLT):
“This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.”
Demons do not have unlimited powers, but the powers they do have are enough to deceive the masses. They have the capacity to do signs and wonders, which can easily mislead those who are not grounded in the Word.
To participate with demons…
Again, those who are given to idolatrous worship, are participating with satan and his demons. Israel was guilty of doing just that…
Psalm 106:36-38:
“And served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, And shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood.”
These demons are not divine in nature, but they are real.
2 Cor. 11:14:
“No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Do not be deceived!
1 Cor. 10:21:
“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
Paul isn’t giving advice to his readers, he’s just being factual here. This is a black and white issue; there’s no middle ground here.
Matthew 6:24:
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
God is not willing that we should share our loyalties with anyone or anything… remember, our God is a jealous God, He wants all of us. We can’t act like satan’s third cousin all week and then go to church on Sunday, and expect everything to be okay as far as God is concerned.
The table of demons…
2 John 1:10-11:
“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching (meaning the true gospel), do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
If you get a Jehovah Witness or Mormon at your door, do not invite them into your house; if you do, you’re inviting demonic influences inside your home.
1 Cor. 10:22:
“Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?”
We need to properly define the word jealousy here. Our first thoughts of jealousy might take us back to our high school days. Back in the day, when you saw someone flirting around with your boyfriend or girlfriend, that would be enough to make you jealous.
Perhaps a practical example will help us understand the differences when it comes to jealousy…
If a husband sees another man flirting with his wife, he is right to be jealous, because only he has the right to flirt with his wife. This type of jealousy is not sinful. Rather, it is entirely appropriate. Being jealous for something that God declares to belong to you is good and appropriate… a husband and wife belong to one another.
Jealousy becomes a sin when it is a desire for something that does not belong to you. Worship, praise, honor, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honor, or adoration is given to idols.
To provoke the Lord to jealousy is to provoke a response from God. God declared Israel to be His chosen people. When Isarel engaged in pagan idol worship, this provoked God’s jealousy.
The Israelites repeatedly turned to the gods of the surrounding nations, by worshipping gods like Baal and forsaking Yahweh.
Judges 2:11-12:
“And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt.”
This pattern of idolatry led to their defeat by foreign nations, until they cried out to God for deliverance. There are many examples of this in the Old Testament.
Deut. 32:21, 23:
“They have made Me jealous with what is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,”
We see God’s anger in verse 23… “I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them.”
God deals sharply with those caught up in idolatry, because nothing is more offensive to Him, which is the most detestable sign of unbelief.
We are not stronger than He, are we? This is obviously another rhetorical question from Paul. Anyone who even considers this question is a fool. God will not allow idolatry to go on unpunished. As in the Old Testament, God’s punishment applies for the church age as well.
1 Cor. 11:30:
“For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.”
As we will see in chapter 11, the Corinthians became involved in idol worship… reaping the consequences.
At this point in chapter 10, Paul is going to switch gears back to talking about Christian freedoms and liberties.
1 Cor. 10:23:
“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”
This is an interesting verse, and I’m afraid too many Christians have used this to justify questionable things in their lives… not only questionable, but sinful. It’s not a matter of, “Can I go do this”, or “Can I watch that?” The real question is, do you want to be hanging out with demons? Do you really want to provoke our Lord to jealousy?
When we’re involved in a casual reading of the Bible and we read “All things are lawful,” and stop there, our flesh absolutely loves this because it signals a “green light,” it’s pedal to the metal… where just about anything goes. Wrong!
Then the Holy Spirit whispers in our ear, “Hold on there cowboy, watch what you’re doing.”
All things are lawful as it relates to the believer’s freedoms, means the things not specifically talked about in Scripture as sinful. These are the gray areas that we come across in life that aren’t exactly prohibited in the Bible.
If we allow our flesh to guide our decisions, it will most assuredly not be profitable to us. Remember, Jesus said, “For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
We find our answer at the end of our verse… but not all things edify.
Edify… (oikodomeō) it means to build a house. The figurative way to look at this is, it’s “the building of anything.” Spiritually speaking, to promote growth in Christian wisdom, affection, grace, virtue, holiness, blessedness, and piety (devoutness).
Before we build a house, we need to make sure it’s built on a strong foundation… for the Christian, our foundation is Jesus Christ.
Once we have our foundation who is Jesus, we can build our house. We can then call the building of our house the “sanctification process.” This is the continual process by which God is actually making us righteous. Sanctification is the deliverance from the power of sin, and is a present and continuous process of believers becoming Christlike… all accomplished by the Holy Spirit’s power and presence.
Therefore, if we allow the flesh to dictate the things we do, there’s 100% chance that we will not be edified in the things we do. Studying God’s Word will lead to our edification!
Acts 20:32 [Paul speaking to the Ephesian elders for the last time]:
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Here, where Paul says “to build you up” it is the same Greek word “edify.”
We’ll close by asking the question, “What is our main purpose in life?” Our main purpose in life is to glorify God.
The word glory means “something that is worthy of praise or exaltation; brilliance; beauty; and prominence.”
God has a natural or inherent glory. God is the only being in all of existence who can be said to possess inherent glory. Nobody can give it to Him; it already completely belongs to Him. It’s just like holiness, God is holy, nobody can make God holy. If no one ever gave God praise or worship, He would still be the glorious God that He is.
Psalm 29:1-2 (NLT):
“Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for His glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.”
We can’t add to God’s glory, but we can honor Him by always trusting Him, serving Him, thanking Him, praying to Him, being willing to suffer for Him, and telling others about Him.
By making choices in life that edify us… like growing in wisdom, affection, grace, virtue, and holiness; all bring glory to God. If you’re living a life that glorifies God, you can expect to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.”