We’ve all heard the old adage: LIVE AND LEARN! With the stake higher than ever these days, it is time to learn so that we can LIVE! A sink hole swallowed a car, but that was only the beginning of the problem! Dozens attempted to help by entering the muddy hole, only to suffer the fate of being swallowed by the expanding hole! God’s Word explains how the hole of opportunity to sin was formed, and how temptation sucked others in before us. We have an escape from inevitable failure. The key question is, ‘Will we exercise the means of escape?’
Key Principle: God has provided tools for the believer to avoid being swallowed in the hole of temptation, but we do three things to navigate our walk successfully: 1) We must know the tools, 2) We must recognize the symptoms of demise and 3) We must apply the tools God has given us!
First, I must know the TOOLS: Believers have seven key advantages that could help us stay out of temptation (10:1-6a). Each of them is spelled out by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian believers that were struggling to break a tightening grip of temptation. First, he told them they had been given throughout history some real and unmistakable direction by God. They saw God lead believers in the past, just as we have seen God direct us (10:1). Second, they had the testimony of the rescue of God. We have been rescued by God from sin as the Israelites had experienced the freedom from Egyptian slavery long ago! (10:1b). Third, believers have had a long history of God’s provision of leadership. We can truly celebrate that we have been given powerful and effective leaders (10:2). In addition to these three tools, Paul enumerated four others. He cited the provision of God. He argued they have been sustained by God in miraculous and unforeseen ways (10:3-4)!
At this point in his letter, Paul seemed to turn to another direction. The tools were given with a hint of warning and woe. He recalled the tool of observation. He told them, “We have observed that most people that experience God’s hand didn’t get it.” (10:5a). That observation was helpful because it reminded them (and us) not to expect the majority (even of those who experience God’s rescue) to really understand and follow Him faithfully. He also pointed out the power of deterrence. Christians know the penalty the disobedient believers of before suffered the loss of future blessing (10:5b). All of these tools or advantages required understanding the Hebrew value of memorials. Believers always need to recall the past, that we may avoid the experience by preserving and recalling their examples (10:6a).
The second requirement to navigate successfully was to RECOGNIZE the Symptoms of Demise: Yet, with all these advantages, we can still ignore the symptoms of slipping into the hole (1o:6b-10):
Symptom #1: We hunger for things that will satisfy us now, but dishonor our Master and leave us in guilt (10:6b-7a).
Symptom #2: We indulge in things that start honestly, but lead to blatant sin (10:7b).
Symptom #3: We live outside of God’s protective fences, performing acts that violate what He told us to do, and risking our lives and testimonies in the process (10:8).
Symptom #4: We play games with God, thinking we can trick Him into believing that we are being faithful when we aren’t (10:9).
Symptom #5: We follow Him with an angry and complaining heart, acting as though others have it better because they serve a better master (10:10).
Finally, Paul called on them to APPLY the TOOLS: God told us all of the stories of Scripture to offer us ways to avoid falling in the hole! (10:11). How can I effectively use these lessons?
CHANGE! Don’t arrogantly think I can do the same things they did and not get the same result! “Take heed”: watch the guys that fell in before me. If I want to help others, I will need to use different tools, different methods, and have a different approach, or I will suffer the same result! (10:12).
AVOID undue self-focus (10:13a). My temptations and problems are the same as everyone else’s. I need to stop babying myself as if I have it worse than everyone else! The problem is a “common” one with others.
LEARN to identify the exits before the fire starts (10:13b-14). Use the escape ropes God provides. Don’t try to invent a new way, look for the ways God has already invented to free you from being trapped. These include timing, accountability, creative avoidance, etc.
JUDGE the truth of God’s Word (10:15). Paul offered words of the Spirit to them, but they could easily ignore God’s words and bury His truths in “advice” from many others. We must let His Word rise to the TOP before we sink to the BOTTOM!
God has provided tools for the believer to avoid being swallowed in the hole of temptation, but we must take His warnings and provision seriously to navigate our walk successfully… or plan on getting swallowed in the hole.
