Dropping the
dye in my pupil and zoning into my eye, he began laughing immediately. “There is definitely something in your
eye! You must have a high-pain
tolerance, because a lot of people would have been in the next day with
this.” He numbed my eye and pulled out
some piece of grass or other yard-debris.
Amazingly, with the culprit removed, my eye almost immediately returned
to normal. No more pain and vision
restored!
In our
personal journeys, we collect debris along the way that can hinder our own
spiritual vision. This debris may be
unnoticed or unrecognizable, but it can hinder our walk with God, create pain,
and hinder our future fruitfulness.
Recently I
challenged our church with four pitfalls that kept the Israelites from entering
the Promised Land. We know that unbelief
led to their downfall. They refused to
believe God. However, that unbelief manifested
itself in four behavioral qualities. The
apostle Paul exhorts Christians in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 to not succumb to
these four pitfalls. Like that piece of
grass in my eye, these four encumbrances make our journey painful - and possibly disastrous.
The
Israelite failed. A tremendous
beginning ended miserably. An incredible deliverance through the Red Sea, perhaps the greatest moment in Old Testament history, led to a refusal to trust God and enter Canaan. Their
children stepped over their bleached bones in the desert – a memorial to
unbelief. Their massive failures warn us
to not follow their example.
What behavioral qualities manifested their unbelief?
What behavioral qualities manifested their unbelief?
Pitfall Number One – They indulged in idolatry (1 Cor. 10:7).
In Exodus
32, they created a golden calf and threw a wild party. The Bible says that “the people sat down to
eat and drink, and rose to play” (6).
The Hebrew word sahaq suggests immorality and unholy indulgences. Unrestrained, the people gave themselves to
that which displeases the Lord. The text
suggests that at least some of the people had an immoral orgy.
While Moses and Joshua were on Mount Sinai receiving the law of God (the 10 Commandments), the people bow down to an idol that they made with their own gold - gold that should have been saved to build the tabernacle! The apostle Paul later told Christians that a day would come when people would commit a different kind of idolatry - one of the mind. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. . . . They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created thing rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:22,25). Paul says that this awful exchange will always lead to lowering our sexual standards and engaging in sexual sins.
Today that idolatry takes the form of people turning their backs on the Bible, the United States government ignoring or removing references to their biblical-spiritual heritage - like taking the 10 Commandments out of public places, or believers who do not regularly spend time in God's Word. Unopened Bibles lead to idolatry!
While Moses and Joshua were on Mount Sinai receiving the law of God (the 10 Commandments), the people bow down to an idol that they made with their own gold - gold that should have been saved to build the tabernacle! The apostle Paul later told Christians that a day would come when people would commit a different kind of idolatry - one of the mind. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. . . . They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created thing rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:22,25). Paul says that this awful exchange will always lead to lowering our sexual standards and engaging in sexual sins.
Today that idolatry takes the form of people turning their backs on the Bible, the United States government ignoring or removing references to their biblical-spiritual heritage - like taking the 10 Commandments out of public places, or believers who do not regularly spend time in God's Word. Unopened Bibles lead to idolatry!
Back in the desert, the Israelites engaged in that which God says is wrong.
Today, many such idols and wild parties tempt the modern believer. Sadly, reports continue to reveal how many
Christian men – and how many Christian pastors – are privately addicted to
internet pornography. It is an
overindulgence of something that could be wonderful (sex and enjoyment in a
godly marriage) but that is taken immorally.
The result
of this wicked idolatry – Aaron and the priests executed 3000 people that day.
Pitfall Number Two – They committed sexual sins (1 Cor. 10:8).
There is a
correlation between pitfalls 1 & 2 as well as pitfalls 3 & 4. In Numbers 25, Israel plays the harlot with
Moab. Camped at Acacia Grove, the region
just across from the Jordan River, many men succumb to the temptation of
sleeping with harlots from Moab. Balaam
evidently entices the Moabites to offer themselves to God’s people (if he can’t
curse them he will try to destroy them morally).
The sexual
immorality becomes brazen and bold. One
man brings a Moabite woman right past the Levites into his tent. It reminds me of the Garth Brooks song “Shameless.” He trots this harlot into his tent with the
priests looking on – fully aware of his intentions. As a result of this rampant immorality, God
sends a plague that begins killing God’s people.
The Bible
says that Phineas, one of the priests, emblazoned with the fear and zeal of the
Lord, picks up a spear and runs to the tent.
He runs inside and thrusts the spear right through both the man and the
woman (I believe the implication is that he spears them while they are in the
act of sex).
God, honored
by Phineas’ act, stops the plague and rewards this priest by making a covenant
of peace with he and his family. 23,000
people die as a result of the plague on Israel that day.
Our culture
overflows with sexual immorality and the temptations towards it. The culture has a casual attitude towards
sexual sins. The church, like Israel, is
tempted to given into the culture, lower our standards, and flirt with that which will destroy.
Men, we need a good practice of saying no to the flesh. Jesus said the first mark of following him is that of denying self. We are not supposed to be habitually fulfilled through any means other than the Lord. That means that sexually - just like in other areas of life - there are those times when we simply have to be unfulfilled, submit to God, and trust Him. Our day does not like the idea of delayed gratification. We want it all now. But the Bible speaks of self-discipline, surrendering our desires and needs to the Lord, and trusting Him. Sin occurs when we try and meet legitimate needs in illegitimate ways - when we are unwilling to wait for the right way for that need to be met.
Pastor Jack Hayford preached a sermon series entitled Why Sex Sins are Worse than Other Sins. In terms of holiness, any sin makes one unholy. However, in terms of consequences on self and other people, not all sins are the same. Sex sins carry much devastation to a person, family, or society.
Men, we need a good practice of saying no to the flesh. Jesus said the first mark of following him is that of denying self. We are not supposed to be habitually fulfilled through any means other than the Lord. That means that sexually - just like in other areas of life - there are those times when we simply have to be unfulfilled, submit to God, and trust Him. Our day does not like the idea of delayed gratification. We want it all now. But the Bible speaks of self-discipline, surrendering our desires and needs to the Lord, and trusting Him. Sin occurs when we try and meet legitimate needs in illegitimate ways - when we are unwilling to wait for the right way for that need to be met.
Pastor Jack Hayford preached a sermon series entitled Why Sex Sins are Worse than Other Sins. In terms of holiness, any sin makes one unholy. However, in terms of consequences on self and other people, not all sins are the same. Sex sins carry much devastation to a person, family, or society.
Remember,
idolatry and sexual immorality are two of the pitfalls that kept the Jews from
reaching the Promised Land. Don’t play
with these time-bombs or you will miss His promises and purposes for you!
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