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Warning against Idolatry and Overconfidence

Warning against Idolatry and Overconfidence. Studies in 1 Corinthians Series [23] 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 November 16, 2014 Pastor Paul K. Kim. CONTEXT OF PAUL’S STERN WARNING [1 COR. 10:1-22].

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Warning against Idolatry and Overconfidence

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  1. Warning against Idolatry and Overconfidence Studies in 1 Corinthians Series [23] 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 November 16, 2014 Pastor Paul K. Kim

  2. CONTEXT OF PAUL’S STERN WARNING [1 COR. 10:1-22] • It is a part of Paul’s answer concerning food offered to idols—(1) a general principle [Chap 8], (2) a personal example [Chap 9], (3) a historical example & conclusions [Chap 10]. • It is a warning against being disqualified [overthrown] from the prize—a consequence of NOT practicing self-control in the Christian life. • It is a warning directed to the Corinthians’ most serious problem concerning the matter—i.e., that some of them were proud in participating and eating at the idols’ altar. • It is a warning against idolatry and presumptuous confidence of living a life of counterfeit faith.

  3. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #1: Don’t be presumptuous about escaping from God’s judgment, relying merely on baptism & Lord’s Supper as magic. 1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and 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 the Rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (vs. 1-5) • All Israelites in the wilderness were baptized into Moses; all had the same supernatural food and drink like the Corinthians. • Nevertheless, God was displeased with most of them because of their sinful patterns, resulting in being overthrown by God. • Assurance in God’s promise is good, but presumptuousness in counterfeit faith has a dreadful eternal consequence.

  4. 5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.1 John 2:3-6

  5. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #2: Don’t presumptuously follow the sinful patterns of the Israelites in historical examples. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, andtwenty-three thousand fell in a single day. (vs. 6-8)

  6. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #2: Don’t presumptuously follow the sinful patterns of the Israelites in historical examples. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (vs. 9-11)

  7. Four Sinful Patterns: IDOLATRY [1] 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, whobrought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.Exodus 32:4-6

  8. Four Sinful Patterns: SEXUAL IMMORALITY [2] 6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and inthe sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of Meeting. 7When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, sawit, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand8and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through herbelly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.Numbers 25:6-9

  9. Four Sinful Patterns: TESTING GOD [3] 4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way tothe Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpentsamong the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.Numbers 21:4-6

  10. Four Sinful Patterns: GRUMBLING [4] 36 And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the Lord.Numbers 14:36-37

  11. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #2: Don’t presumptuously follow the sinful patterns of the Israelites in historical examples. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (vs. 9-11) • Paul’s choice of the OT historical example is from the wilderness era. Why? It is a “type” of salvation in Christ for all. • Four sinful patterns in the historical examples are (1) idolatry, (2) sexual immorality, (3) testing God, and (4) grumbling. • Those who practiced these four sins were overthrown in the wilderness due to their evil deeds (“counterfeit faith”). • Therefore, we are also to take heed to these stern warnings.

  12. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #3: Take heed so you would not fallin self-confidence and take heart so you would not give up in despair. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (vs. 12-13) • Paul’s charge to the presumptuous: “Take heed!”Why? Overconfidence is a sign of self-reliance which signals “fall.” • Paul’s charge tothe despairing: “Take heart!” Why? When struggling with brokenness, God is faithful to provide the way. • Therefore, we are to pursue true spirituality of embracing our spiritual poverty and taking courage in our weaknesses.

  13. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #4: Flee from idolatry—don’t provoke the Lord to jealousy. 14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? (vs. 14-18)

  14. WHAT DOES PAUL STERNLY WARN ABOUT PRESUMPTUOUS SPIRITUALITY? • WARNING #4: Flee from idolatry—don’t provoke the Lord to jealousy. 19What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 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. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (vs. 19-22) • Coming back to the most serious issue that the Corinthians had because of their presumptuousness, Paul urges them sternly. • Flee from idolatry! Why? Demons and demonic activities are behind pursuing anything that replace the One True God. • Therefore, we are also to flee from having our own “idols”—visible and invisible—which provokes the Lord to jealousy.

  15. Idolatry in Today’s World • What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give . . . An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family or children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving “face” and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry. When your meaning in life is to fix someone else’s life, we may call it “co-dependency,” but it is really idolatry. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship. • — Timothy Keller

  16. THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE • In what ways are you more convinced of your own need for vigilance against idolatry and overconfidence? • In what ways do you need to take heed, lest you fall? • What would it mean for you to flee from idolatry? What is your “idol”?

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