BREAKING FREE FROM DESTRUCTION MARRIAGE & RELATIONSHIP “JAIL BREAK!” BREAKING FREE FROM DESTRUCTION Luke 6:47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." MARRIAGE & RELATIONSHIP FIRE PROOFING 104 I CORINTHIANS 10:1-14

HOW TO FIRE PROOF YOURSELF FROM TEMPTATIONS THAT DESTROY MARRIAGES AND RELATIONSHIPS:

2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. I CORINTHIANS 10:1-14 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

I CORINTHIANS 10:1-14 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things 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 got up to indulge in pagan revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel. 1Co 10:7-10 1Co_10:7 took place when the Israelites made a gold calf and worshiped it in the wilderness (Exodus 32). 1Co_10:8 is recorded in Num_25:1-9 when the Israelites worshiped Baal of Peor and engaged in sexual immorality with Moabite women. 1Co_10:9 is to the Israelites' complaint about their food (Num_21:5-6). They put the Lord to the test by seeing how far they could go. 1Co_10:10, Paul refers to when the people complained against Moses and Aaron, and the plague that resulted (Num_14:2, Num_14:36; Num_16:41-50). The angel of death is also referred to in Exo_12:23. LASB

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I CORINTHIANS 10:1-14 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

HOW TO FIRE PROOF YOURSELF FROM TEMPTATIONS THAT DESTROY MARRIAGES AND RELATIONSHIPS:

2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. I CORINTHIANS 10:1-5 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Five advantages were enjoyed by Israel. First, all the liberated Israelites enjoyed the supernatural guidance (Exo_13:21) and protection (Exo_14:19-20) of the pillar of cloud in their Exodus from Egypt. The Corinthians had similarly experienced God’s guidance (cf. Luk_1:79) and protection (cf. 1Pe_1:5). Second, all Israelites passed through the sea and experienced a miraculous deliverance from those who sought to take their lives (Exo_14:21-28). So too had the Corinthians experienced a miraculous deliverance — salvation (cf. Heb_2:14-15; Gal_1:4). 1Co 10:2 - Third, the Israelites were all baptized into Moses, that is, united with their spiritual head, God’s servant, who became the object of their trust (Exo_14:31; cf. Joh_5:45). The Corinthians had been baptized into the body of Christ (1Co_12:13) of which He is the Head (Eph_1:22) and in whom they trusted (Mat_12:21; Eph_1:12). 1Co 10:3 - As a fourth privilege, the Israelites all enjoyed spiritual food, the supernatural bread from heaven (Exo_16:4, Exo_16:15). The Corinthians too had eaten bread from heaven (cf. Joh_6:31-34). 1Co 10:4 - As a fifth advantage, Paul listed the spiritual drink enjoyed by Israel in the desert (Exo_17:6). According to Paul, Christ was the source of this supernatural water. Since the incident of the rock which produced water marked the beginning of Israel’s wilderness wanderings (Exo_17:1-7) and happened again near the ending of their wanderings (Num_20:1-13), Paul concluded that Christ accompanied them. Christ too was the source of supernatural water for the Corinthians (cf. Joh_4:10-14). It is possible that these five blessings were intended by Paul to reflect the two ordinances of baptism (1Co_10:1-2) and the Lord’s Supper (1Co_10:3-4) which the Corinthians may have thought communicated a magical protection like similar rites in some of the mystery religions. The Corinthians did seem to have a distorted view and practice of both of these ordinances (cf. 1Co_11:17-34; 1Co_15:29) which required correction. Co 10:5 - The presence of supernatural privileges in the lives of Old Testament Israelites did not produce automatic success. On the contrary, in spite of their special advantages, most of them (in fact, all but two members of one generation, Joshua and Caleb) experienced God’s discipline, were disqualified, and died in the desert (Num_14:29). In light of this, Paul’s avowed need for personal self-discipline (1Co_9:27) was genuine since even Moses was disqualified for the prize (Num_20:12).

I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I CORINTHIANS 9:27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. PROVERBS 16:17-18 17 The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life. 18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Purpose of our life, why born? That my life might be pleasing to God. That He might use it and work through it.

LUKE 6:46-49 "Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Discipline and Dependency

Luke 8:18-21 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” 19 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." Discipline and Dependency

HOW TO FIRE PROOF YOURSELF FROM TEMPTATIONS THAT DESTROY MARRIAGES AND RELATIONSHIPS:

I CORINTHIANS 10:6-10 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things 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 got up to indulge in pagan revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel. 1Co 10:7-10 1Co_10:7 took place when the Israelites made a gold calf and worshiped it in the wilderness (Exodus 32). 1Co_10:8 is recorded in Num_25:1-9 when the Israelites worshiped Baal of Peor and engaged in sexual immorality with Moabite women. 1Co_10:9 is to the Israelites' complaint about their food (Num_21:5-6). They put the Lord to the test by seeing how far they could go. 1Co_10:10, Paul refers to when the people complained against Moses and Aaron, and the plague that resulted (Num_14:2, Num_14:36; Num_16:41-50). The angel of death is also referred to in Exo_12:23. LASB 1Co 10:6 - Since this was so, the Corinthians’ complacency in matters of self-discipline and their corresponding penchant for self-indulgence required immediate remedial action. Christian freedom was not meant to lead to self-indulgence but to selfless service (cf. Gal_5:13), as the behavior of past Israelites illustrated. Paralleling the fivefold blessings enjoyed by Israel in their newfound freedom from Egypt, Paul proceeded to recount a fivefold failure experienced by Israel during this time. First, he began with the Israelites’ craving for the pleasures of Egypt, summarized in their plaintive cry, “Give us meat to eat!” (Num_11:4-34, esp. Num_11:13) God gave them what they wanted but while the meat was still between their teeth, He struck them with a plague. The Israelites named the cemetery for those who were killed “Kibroth Hattaavah” (“graves of craving”; Num_11:34). The application to the Corinthian situation was obvious (cf. 1Co_8:13). 1Co 10:7 - Second, many in Israel failed by participating in idolatry (Exo_32:1-6) and paid for it with their lives (Exo_32:28, Exo_32:35). Apparently some Corinthians were. interested in more than meat in the pagan temples (1Co_8:10; 1Co_10:14). For those who thought they as Christians could take part in idolatry with impunity, Paul intended, with illustrations like this, to knock out the false props which supported their behavior (1Co_10:12) before God intervened and took their lives. 1Co 10:8 - A third failure among the privileged Israelites was in the area of sexual immorality. In the Israelites’ case the immorality was associated with idolatry (Num_25:1-2), which also characterized much pagan worship in the first century. But the Corinthians indulged in immorality in contexts other than idolatry, as the instances of rebuke in 1Co_5:1 and 1Co_6:18 illustrate. As God had brought death to the immoral among the Israelites (Num_25:4-9), He could do in Corinth (e.g., 1Co_5:5), a sobering thought for the libertines who said, “Everything is permissible” (1Co_6:12; 1Co_10:23). A possible solution to the apparent discrepancy in the death count found in Num_25:9 (24,000) and Paul’s figure of 23,000 may reside in the phrase one day. Moses and most of Israel were mourning the death of those who had been executed by the judges (Num_25:5) or killed by an ongoing plague. Meanwhile Phineas was dispatching an Israelite man and Moabite woman in their last act of immorality (Num_25:6-8), which brought to completion God’s discipline of the immoral Israelites and ended the death toll by plague at 24,000, a number probably intended as a summary figure. Another explanation of the 24,000 in Numbers (contra. Paul’s 23,000) is that the former included the leaders (cf. Num_25:4), whereas the latter did not. 1Co 10:9 - The Israelites’ fourth failure was the presuming of some to question the plan and purpose of God on their trek to Canaan. As a result they were killed by snakes (Num_21:4-6). Did the Corinthians think that they knew better than God the path that would bring them to heaven? (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-3:20) 1Co 10:10 - Israel’s fifth failure, which God disciplined with death, occurred when they spoke rebelliously against God’s appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron (Num_16:41-49). Was Paul facing a similar situation as an outgrowth of the Corinthians’ party spirit? (cf. 1Co_1:11; 1Co_4:18-19) It is possible that each of these failures found expression in the Corinthian issue of eating food sacrificed to idols. BKC

1TIMOTHY 6:9 – ON MISUSE OF MONEY 1CORINTHIANS 6:18-20 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1TIMOTHY 6:9 – ON MISUSE OF MONEY …fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. … have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Hard hearts are hurtful and harmful to self and others.

HEBREWS 3:8 - Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert.

HOW TO FIRE PROOF YOURSELF FROM TEMPTATIONS THAT DESTROY MARRIAGES AND RELATIONSHIPS:

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I CORINTHIANS 10:11-14 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1Co 10:11 - God’s dealings with Israel were more than a matter of historical curiosity for Paul. They were examples (cf. 1Co_10:6) and warnings for the Corinthians that the God with whom they had to deal, who was bringing His interaction with people to a close in this fulfillment of the ages, was the same God who disciplined the Israelites with death and would do so again (cf. 1Co_11:30). 1Co 10:12 - If the Corinthians believed their standing in Christ and corresponding freedom could be exercised in sin with impunity, they were wrong, possibly dead wrong. 1Co 10:13 - After kicking out the props of false security, Paul pointed toward the One on whom the Corinthians could rely. The temptations that seized the Corinthians were like those people had always faced. They could be met and endured by depending on God, who is faithful. Part of the Corinthian problem, of course, was that some in the face of temptation were not looking for a way out by endurance, but a way in for indulgence. BKC First, we need to be realistic both about the trials we must face and our own strength to resist. "Let [the man] who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1Co_10:12) is a warning against unfounded pride and a call to be humble about our own spiritual strength. It is such an easy thing for Christians to make the enemies which we face seem like "straw men" who can be pushed aside easily with a verse of Scripture or a religious platitude, when actually they are powerful, persuasive, persistent opponents who often invade our minds and hearts and take us captive before we even know they are near. The evil we face in life is a master at disguise and frequently changes the labels on things to confuse us. Preacher 1TI 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1TI 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. HEB 3:8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, JAS 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. JAS 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. G3986 πειρασμός peirasmos Thayer Definition: 1) an experiment, attempt, trial, proving 1a) trial, proving: the trial made of you by my bodily condition, since condition served as to test the love of the Galatians toward Paul (Gal_4:14) 1b) the trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy 1b1) an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances 1b2) an internal temptation to sin 1b2a) of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus the Messiah from his divine errand 1b3) of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness 1b4) adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one’s character, faith, holiness 1c) temptation (i.e. trial) of God by men 1c1) rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves

JAMES 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. God will test and try you but not tempt you.

HOW TO FIRE PROOF YOURSELF FROM TEMPTATIONS THAT DESTROY MARRIAGES AND RELATIONSHIPS:

BREAKING FREE FROM DESTRUCTION MARRIAGE & RELATIONSHIP “JAIL BREAK!” BREAKING FREE FROM DESTRUCTION Luke 6:47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." MARRIAGE & RELATIONSHIP FIRE PROOFING 104 I CORINTHIANS 10:1-14