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Bro. Otis Fisher
Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all of our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea."
What is he talking about, Bill? All right,
Roger, what does he mean by all under the cloud?
Well, the cloud. What is the cloud? What was the cloud in the
Old Testament? Well, that's all true, but that's not what he's referring to here.
Joy? He's referring to the cloud, and it's only that it's
God in the Old Testament. But it's the cloud. The cloud is... It's not, not
He is anything. It was a cloud, a shade. The cloud was over them.
It was just a pure cloud. It was a cloud.
Just a cloud. That's right.
Now, it represented the glory of God, but the
Shekinah glory was a pillar of a cloud in the daytime and fire at night, but that was different than the cloud.
Everybody straight? All right, he says,
I would have you know that in the wilderness, all of our people were under a cloud for protection from the sun.
And they're passed through, they passed through the Red Sea. He says this is common knowledge.
And we're all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
Now they were baptized unto Moses. That's a rather strange phrase.
What does he mean, Harvey? No. Well, the oneness in what?
Clarence? All right, they were all under the cloud.
Just a big cloud. They were baptized unto Moses. Now those outside the cloud were not baptized unto
Moses. Baptized means immersion. Let's wait until that train gets by or quits talking to us.
All right, they were all completely covered with the cloud and the sea. They went down into the sea on dry ground and did all eat the same spiritual food, which was what?
The manna from heaven, the spiritual meat.
Now meat can be taken two different ways. Here they all ate of it, but it was quail.
You remember the quail that was given to them until they run out their nose?
And did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was
Christ, but it was a real rock. The only thing spiritual about it was that it always gave forth water and that it always traveled with them, and they drank from it each and every day.
But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now God was not well pleased with them, and those that refused to obey him died in the wilderness.
Now, these things were all our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
All scripture is given for our benefit. What did the children of Israel do in one particular high moment that disobeyed
God? How did they lust after something? What was that something? They lusted after what was
God's. Well, I don't know if you can.
Yes. I had heard or read somewhere that it wasn't so much that there was an idol in them, but as it was, they were worshipping their
God, but in the wrong way. Well, they weren't worshipping their God.
The golden calf was that. It was a golden calf. Aaron made a rather stupid statement.
He said, I just poured it in one side and it came out the other calf. Neither be ye the idolaters, as were some of them.
As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. This is what occurred at the golden calf.
Where was Moses, Deborah? On the mountain. Roger, did he ever come down?
Yes. Where, at what place did he come down?
What were the people doing? Well, they were dancing around, eating, drinking, and other things that were appropriate.
All right. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day 320 ,000.
Turn to Numbers 25 .6. Are you all with me?
I'm not with me. Wait a minute. 25 .6. And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a
Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, took a javelin in his hand, and he went after the man of Israel into his tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through their belly with one blow.
So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel, and those that died in the plague were 20 ,000 and 4 ,000.
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted him, and were destroyed as serpents.
Debbie, how would you tempt God? By having something else that's more important to you.
Well, that's one way. Diane, how would you tempt
God? By asking him to do something, and you tempt him in doing it, instead of just being grateful for what you have.
Alright. Bill, how would you tempt
God? By what you have always commanded.
Alright. Jesse, how would you tempt
God? By this plague. Alright.
Greg, how would you tempt God? Well, we have examples like,
God, let me win the lottery. Alright.
Our big question is to bring the mountain to the desert. But just challenge her thinking, what if his plan for them was wrong?
Or the plan for us, what we're going through is wrong. In that essence, we tempt God also. Alright.
Virg, how would you tempt God? I don't know. I mean, I don't think you should tempt him. You just ignore his word.
If you took the Bible, what it is, it's just a word. I mean, it's just a book. Say that's what it was, wouldn't you be tempting him?
Because the big question is, is power and sovereignty? Well, more or less.
Who's that on the back? Dennis? Way back there. Alright. How would you tempt
God? Well, I was just thinking about it. Mama used to say, don't thank him.
Don't tempt him. I would say, I would continue what
I'm doing. Which is basically what everybody else is doing.
But God gives them a law or a rule. And they just seem to walk both the lines of good.
And then they would step over that line. Diane? What about just not being thankful?
Because it seems like they got a lot of the trouble that they got into was from murmuring. And we're not thankful or grateful for where he had taken them.
And so just the fact that we're not thankful, I believe that that in itself angers
God and tempts God. Alright. What I was thinking of specifically was to get into a position where God had to save you.
Had to rearrange things. You jump off of a building and say, God save me.
You put yourself into a situation where, according to God's word, he has to act.
And that just doesn't work. So Paul says, do not tempt
God in any of these ways that you've mentioned. Numbers 21 .6
And the Lord sent fiery serpents. Numbers 21 .6
And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people.
And much people of Israel died. Skipping down now to the ninth. And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole.
And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
All he had to do was turn and look. To tempt
God would be to not look. Would try to get him to save you, and you not look.
He couldn't do that. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
Exodus 15 .23 And when they came to Moriah, they could not drink of the water of Moriah, for they were bitter.
Therefore the name of it was called Moriah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying,
What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
There he made for them a statue and ordinance, and there he proved them. 11.
Now all these things happened unto them for in samples. And they were written for their admonition, upon whom the ends of the world were come.
What I want to know is that last phrase, upon whom the ends of the world have come.
What does it mean, Greg? Alright, Debbie?
Did anybody study their lesson today? Alright, the end of the world will come upon us.
He's talking about us. There will be no more. This is the end of it. It's been the end of it ever since Christ came and returned.
Wherefore, let him that thinketh, he standeth, take heed, lest he fall. All people are subject to failure.
Is that a true statement? Wherefore, as a result of all of these admonitions, let this be the effect of all that we learn from the unhappy, self -convinced of the
Jews. To admonish us not to put reliance on our own strength.
Debbie, what happens to a person that they think everything is going right, everything is just,
I can do anything. But they're thinking in the wrong way.
They think I can do anything. You're subject to failure. I don't understand. Have any of you experienced that?
That thinketh he can stand. That supposes himself to be firm in the love of God.
And in the knowledge of his truth. That regards himself as secure.
And that will be, therefore, disposed to rely on his own strength.
What about a person like this? Burge? No.
We are secure. We are bound for heaven.
But don't ever think that you have done it. Take heed, lest he fall into sin, idolatry, or any other form of iniquity.
Confidence in our own security is no evidence that we are safe. Is that true or false?
Such a confidence may be one of the strongest evidence that we are in danger.
Those are most safe who feel that they are weak and feeble. And who feel their need of divine aid and strength.
What did you say? Well, we should all feel like this.
Those are most safe who feel themselves weak. They will then rely on the true source of strength.
And they will be secure. But not in our own strength. All professed
Christians should be admonished. Is that true? All are in danger of falling into sin.
Then the adversary will be peculiarly desirous to draw away their thoughts from God.
To lead them into sin as their fall would most signal. Singly dishonor religion.
Those that think they have it. Those that think they are made. Those that think
I am saved. And I don't need to worry about that.
Or anything else. The devil will work on you. And they will be less likely to be on guard.
And more likely to feel themselves strong and not in need of caution and solitude.
There hath no sin. Temptation overtaking you.
But such as is common to man. But God is faithful.
Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able. But will with the temptation also make a way to escape.
That ye may be able to bear it. Now, Roger, is there any temptation now that's overtaken you that you cannot bear?
No. It's easy to say that, isn't it? What about you come to church.
Whenever the doors are open. You participate in everything. You think that I must be living right.
Because everything is going right. Does Satan work on a person like that?
Yes. God will not suffer you to be tried above the strength he gives you.
Now, the incident may happen to two people.
One more strong than the other. But as the trial comes, he will provide you with sufficient strength to resist it.
How can he do that? Because he's a sovereign
God. He certainly can provide you with the strength to do it.
But one of the things that he has in this verse. He provides a way for you to escape.
And I think that may be practical. I know it's good practical advice.
You lay out the strength to resist certain temptations.
But if you stay there, you put yourself back into that position where you're tempted.
Then maybe that's when you're a tempted God. You go back to those places where you were tempted.
You say, God, I'm going to rely on you to take care of me. Because you have that sovereign strength when he gave you a perfect way to leave and not come back to that place.
That would certainly be tempting God. The same as with the seminary students that sit in their room waiting on him to bring food to them.
That doesn't work. All right.
Now, the temptation comes. What does that prove?
Never give. It proves that there is a way out.
That we do belong to him. Before you ever really fully understand what the temptation is.
We will always be able to bear it. To bear any temptation that has befallen us.
Only, Greg, it did not befall us from God's view, did it? No. It was all planned.
That is, temptation comes to us from God's view. If the same circumstances came to us and we were on the same seat, it wouldn't be a temptation.
No. That doesn't work on us.
It might be as far as we're concerned. We look at the two people. They enjoy it.
Yes. We grieve it. Yes. That's right.
That's right. Well, I forgot what
I was going to say now. But he says, wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
Just put it behind you. Our apostle appears to the self and leaves it to the judge.
Appeals. Serpent raised the office as obedience to God.
Anyone who was bitten by a snake was supposed to look on the bronze serpent and show respect and obedience to God that they would be healed.
But later on, under Hezekiah, they had taken that bronze serpent and kept it for such numbers of years that they began to worship it as an idol.
So I think it shows us that we're not careful things that were begun as rock -on -tits.
We need to leave to be an idol worshiper if we look at it in the wrong way.
Absolutely. If we had the, if we, if this group suddenly should discover the
Ark of the Covenant, nobody else has it. We have it. And we place it here.
And we get to looking at that beautiful thing. And we can worship it instead of God.
Now, that's not true with just the Ark of the Covenant. That was with anything. That's right.
Yes. That's right. Anything.
That you put ahead of God. I speak as to wise men judge you what
I say. As partakers of the Lord's Supper involved a partaking of the
Lord himself. And the partaking of the Jewish sacrificial meats involved a partaking of the altar of God.
And as the heathen sacrifice to devils to partake of an idol feast is to have fellowship with devils.
The cup of blessing which we bless. Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
Now, we know it is not the blood of Christ. But we know it's the communion of the blood of Christ.
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
We know that the bread and the symbolic blood is not real.
But it is simply that, symbolic. For we being many are one bread and one body.
For we are all partakers of that one loaf. As many grains of corn molded together make one loaf.
And the juice of many grapes make one cup. So Christians, though many, yet are one visible church.
And declare themselves so to be by their fellowship together at the table, at the
Lord's table. Do we, do we as individuals, worship
God individually? What? Alright.
Do you worship God? And the one next to you worship
God? Do you have communion one with another? What if he's not worshiping
God but acts like it? I guess for those that never think where God would be,
I wouldn't know what they would worship. We would just be seeing the outside and God would be seeing the inside.
Alright. Behold Israel after the flesh.
Are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? He's building up to the partaking of the sinful idol altar.
Greg, if you eat something offered to an idol and you know it, is it wrong?
Is it wrong if Clarence is looking on and he thinks it is? Alright.
Here another argument against eating things offered to idols. As in the
Jewish church, all persons that did eat of the peace offering which were laid upon God's altar did by that act declare themselves member of the
Jewish church. Beasts which were sacrificed to the idol's temple did by their act declare their owing of that idol.
And that idolatrous worship which had been there performed and their real partakers of that idolatrous idol.
But the plain truth was the heathens were seduced by devils to offer these sacrifices and they were devils whom they worshipped.
What say I then? That the idol is anything or that which is offered as sacrifice to idols is anything?
Which makes it holy? The sacrifice or the thing offered? The sacrifice is not the thing that's offered.
It's the sacrifice. Do you all agree with that? That the sacrifice makes the altar holy?
No, that's what you said. It's God that comes to the altar that makes the sacrifice holy.
But it wasn't that which you offered that made the sacrifice holy.
It was the saint that told me this. That's what I was thinking no matter what
I said. I was thinking in terms of Cain and Abel. It wasn't what
Cain offered that made it unacceptable to God.
It was the fact that he didn't offer what God had told him to. And so as I might have understood your question.
What say I then? A Jewish phrase for I include this. As the kings sacrificed by the
Gentiles are sacrificed to demons and not to God.
Those who partake of them have fellowship with demons. Those who profess
Christianity cannot have fellowship both with Christ and the devil. You can only worship one.
But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God.
And I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the
Lord and the cup of devils. You cannot be partaker of the Lord and the table of devils.
You cannot have communion with Christ and with idolaters. Your communicating with Christ in the
Lord's Supper is utterly inconsistent with communicating with devils in the idol's feast.
For this is to do homage to two contrary lords, God and Satan.
They profess service to both. I know a person, not in this church, but they really think they honor
God by going to church on Sunday. You'd never suspect that by watching them during the week.
So they try to serve both. You cannot do that. Do we provoke the
Lord by jealousy? Are we stronger than he? He said it's this way.
Are we stronger than he? Persons cannot continue to unite with the wicked in the service of Satan.
And yet, be friends of God. And those who seek their chief enjoyment and sensual gratifications are provoked by the
Lord to destroy them. Do you believe that? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.
What does that mean? Not necessary. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
All things which are good to eat, may at proper times be eaten, and even meat which has been offered to an idol was not changed and would not injure
Paul, but it would not, on that account, be right for him to partake of the idolatrous meat, for it might injure others because of his doing so.
Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. There, in the 24th verse, you have the key to Christian love.
The Christian love is always seeking the best for others. That in the use of our
Christian liberty, we must regard the edification and salvation of others than the gratification of ourselves.
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, then eat. Shambles was the meat market. Ask no questions for conscience' sake.
For whose conscience? Yours for one.
Maybe the meat seller for the other. And maybe the people who bought the meat that they watched about the meat for a third of it.
All right. As to be looked on as common food, and that may freely buy it without any scruples of conscience, for the earth is the
Lord's and the fullness thereof. He owns everything. If we worship God, we can eat anything.
The earth is the Lord's. We may therefore use any part of it as a manner as we will honor him.
If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatever is said before you, eat, asking no questions for conscience' sake.
Now, Joe and Fred invite me and I over to eat. We don't know them.
We don't know which church they go to, if they go to any. But they offer roast pork.
And roast pork's good, by the way. If I continually ask about where it comes from, then
I may find out that I shouldn't eat it. Not for, as it says, for conscience' sake.
For his conscience as well as yours. Not just yours, or your thinking of yourself.
But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience' sake, for the earth is the
Lord's and the fullness thereof. Don't eat it, because now you know that he has offered it to idols.
If he'd never told you, it's fine. Same action under some circumstances might be right.
Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other, for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
For if I, by grace, be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that which
I give thanks? Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all the glory of God.
Give none offense, neither to the Jew nor to the Gentile, nor to the
Church of God, scrupulously avoid giving any cause of offense either to the unconverted
Jew or the unconverted Gentile, so as to prejudice them against Christianity, nor to the
Church of God made up of converts from both parties. Even as I please, even as I please all men in all things, forsaking mine own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved, all men in all things, so far as is consistent with fidelity to God and to them.
Be all things to all people, as much as your Christian liberty will allow you to.
All right. Finishes 10. Do you have any questions? He says,
I would that you not be ignorant. I have a question about the last verse.
Be all things to all men, so that some might be saved.
All might be saved. You need to remember that. And we're not going to save them, but we need to be aware that they might be saved.
But don't we find it harder to be with some people now?
Is that normal? I mean, I find it that way.
Because I know them, and I know they're not this, and I know they don't want to hear it, and I know they're making fun of God, and they're lying.
I don't want to be around them. That doesn't mean I have to stay around them, does it? No. This is an injured wall.
But if God's providence brings you around them, then no, there's a way of escape.
Anything else? That's where manners come in. You have to be around them.
Be mannerly. But leave them as soon as you can.
Yes. Well, let's stand, and Greg, will you dismiss us, please?
Father, God, I thank you for another day. Thank you for your
Word. I'm here to say again to you, bless us now as we go before you in service.
Help us to leave the chairs of the world without more love, more compassion, more joy.