FBC Morning Light – March 31, 2022

Well a good thursday morning to you. And uh last day of the month of march so and we're also finishing up the first quarter of 2022. It's amazing how quickly these days go by. Isn't it now i sound like an old man.

Don't i. Anyway uh it is the last day of march and looking forward to april and the showers that april brings because that brings the may flowers right behind it. Well anyway looking forward to this weekend uh we start back on a in the spring and summertime schedule for uh the church and um what which means that instead of an afternoon service we move to uh six o 'clock evening service.

And we do that from april through uh the month of november and uh look forward to that service. It's a it's a good way to round out the lord's day. We gather at six o 'clock we have some sing some songs we share some testimonies and uh message from god's word and i'll be getting back to uh routinely get being in the gospel of mark in that sunday evening service.

So i hope you can join in on the services on the lord's day this week. Well we're in uh first corinthians chapters nine and ten today. And in chapter nine paul ends with um a personal testimony of uh just sharing how diligently and importantly he feels that he needs to discipline his body and and his life so that he you know later on life doesn't become a castaway.

Self-Discipline and Not Becoming Disqualified

So he's the way he puts it at the end of verse 27 he says i i discipline my body and i bring it into subjection lest when i have preached to others i myself should become disqualified. And that that serves as a challenge and a warning to every every preacher of the word.

And uh it's a it's a sobering thing. I've seen too many cases um even in my years of ministry where you know men get into middle age and older and then they you know end up becoming disqualified. And and it's a sobering thing.

It is important for god's servants to be diligent about this matter of self-discipline. But having said that it's not just for god's preachers and pastors it's for all of god's people. And paul makes that clear when he goes on into chapter 10 and he says moreover brethren i don't want you to be unaware that our our fathers were under the cloud all passed through the sea they were all baptized into moses.

Israel as Examples in the Wilderness

He's talking about old testament israel. They all had this same experience of being led through the wilderness by by moses. They all ate the same spiritual food manna and they all drank the same spiritual drink that water that flowed from the rock which was symbolic of christ he says in verse five.

But in in verse four. In verse five he says. But with most of them god was not well pleased and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Why. Why wasn't he well pleased. Because they didn't hear god's word and apply it to themselves on a diligent daily basis.

He goes on to talk about them and the fact that they became examples to the intent that the way they behaved serves as an example to us so that we don't lust after things as they did after evil things as they also lusted as he says in verse six.

And we don't become idolaters as some of them were. And we don't commit sexual immorality as some of them did. Nor do we put christ to the test as some of those put christ to the test and they were destroyed by servants.

Nor do we complain as some of them complained and were destroyed. He goes on to say all these things happen to them as examples and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

The Warnings Against Idolatry, Sexual Immorality, and Complaining

So when paul says at the end of chapter nine i keep my body under i bring it under control lest you know i become disqualified. He then applies it to everybody else. He says look i'm not the only one that needs to be concerned about being an idolater.

I'm not the only one that needs to be concerned about desiring lustfully after things that i have. No i have no right to desire and lust after. He's not the only one that needs to be concerned about maintaining sexual purity and not putting christ to the test as if christ can't meet his needs and not complaining about what god does give or doesn't give.

He says i'm not the only one that needs to be concerned about these things the the experience of the old testament israelites in the wilderness. They serve as an example to all of us to all of us. And so that we don't fall into the same way of life and pattern of behavior that they fell into.

And then he says in verse 12. Now let all those who let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. I've seen too many too many christians professing christians who think that they are above certain sins and they'll i could never do that i would never do that.

And then they get they're very indignant about the sins that they would never commit and yet they fall victim to other kinds of sins spiritual pride being not the least of them. But also you know complaining and having a critical bitter spirit and so on and so forth.

But oh but they've never committed sexual immorality or they wouldn't bow down to some idol. No when you think when you think you're above sin you better be careful because you're going to fall right into it.

Common Temptation and God’s Way of Escape

But that leads him to verse 13. And he says there's no temptation that has overtaken you except such as is common to man all those temptations to uh the things that even he wrote about that the israelites succumb to in the wilderness those are those are common things everybody we're all tempted to some kind of idolatry.

We're all tempted to complain. We're all tempted to put christ to the test. We're all men women young and old that face various kinds of sexual temptations and so forth. These are these are just common things to human beings to being a human being.

But he says god is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able but will with a temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Therefore he says in verse 14 flee from idolatry.

I idolatry flee from these things. And that takes him back to takes us back to his own personal uh commitment to keep his body under bring his body into subjection and not be subjected to the desires and the impulses of the body.

So these old testament israelites they serve as an example to us they serve as a warning and a challenge to us to be alert to these various kinds of temptations that are still very real in 21st century new testament christians be alert to these temptations and also be alert to the fact that with each one that comes up god's made a way of escape.

Look for it take it flee from the temptation. This is paul's challenge. So our father and our god i pray today that we would you would deliver us from the pride that thinks we're above falling because none of us is even paul knew that he wasn't above it.

So father i pray help us to be sensitive to our own weaknesses and our own propensity to sin. And when we do sense that temptation may we look for the way of escape that you provide. And father help us to be diligent in following that way of escape.

We pray in jesus name and for his sake. Amen. All right. Well have a good rest of your thursday. And i hope this month i hope the month of march goes out like a lamb for you. Good day. God bless.