Jesus said (quoting Scripture), ‘you shall not tempt the Lord your God….’
1 Corinthians 10:9-14
(Option: see this passage provided below)
Paul warned the Early Church 1, and us, of course:
Do not tempt the Lord.
What does that mean? The Amplified version brings-out what it means to tempt God.
verse 9 “We must not tempt the Lord
[that is,
test His patience,
question His purpose or
exploit His goodness],
as some of them did….”
Tempting God
What Paul means with “tempting God” is: 1 test His patience, 2 question His purpose, 3 exploit His goodness.
“Tempting God”, in this sense, is treating Him as if He is not who He says He is, questioning who He is.
God is Holy, which is beyond our comprehension and thus requires “faith” to accept Him. We must take Him just as He is (not as we in our sinfulness might wish He was).
Let’s look into what it means…
What it means to tempt God
1 Corinthians 10:9-14
(Option: see this passage provided below)
____________
DIRECTORY:
We temp God when we…
1 Test His patience | 2 Question His purpose | 3 Exploit His goodness. |
_____________
When we…
1. Test His patience.(v9) Tempting God is when a Christian continually yeilds to his/her sin — whatever it may be.
It may be “the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1), or, just any plain evil garden variety of disobedience to God.
Disobedience examples:
| Ashamed of yourself? | Vile to Jesus | My Heinous Heinous Ways | The Chutzpah of Wannabe Christians |
God’s patience is being tested if
God’s patience is being tested if we replace Him with idols, “loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul” (verse 14 of 1 Corinthians 10:9-14).
14 …idolatry
[and that includes
loving anything more than God,
or
participating in anything
that leads to sin
and enslaves the soul]
– Verse 14 of 1 Corinthians 10:9-14
Idolatry is rife
Idolatry is rife in these End Times. Idols are common. It is easy to fall for one:
* Being into something so intensely that it robs God of first place in our commitments
* Getting to the point where our first love is …that something, that idol. No longer God in first place.
* Anything higher in your priorities… more than for God.
* “Participating in anything that leads to sin”
* “Participating in anything that …”enslaves the soul”
What is it that, for you,
can lead to sin, or
truly enslave your soul?
What “leads to sin and enslaves the soul”
Few things are evil “in-and-of-themselves”. Maybe you love to quote 1 Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful….” But if you read the Bible, you soon recognize what “leads to sin and enslaves the soul”. Make your list.
Here is one possible list (maybe not for you, maybe yes): going to dances, raves, bars, partying, going out with certain friends, dating, being totally alone in your car or lying down with your soulmate (boyfriend or girlfriend), certain types of music, movie theaters, some TV channels, particular video games, YouTube, attending particular protests, casual drinking, sleaze-filled books or programs. Have you made rules of practice for yourself personally, to avoid enslavement?
“loving anything more than God”
It’s a matter of your heart …the lusts of their own hearts” –Romans 1:v14
Elsewhere God says that if a person persists and persists and persists… in his/her sin, He Himself may eventually give them full rein (like dropping the reins that guide a galloping horse and letting the horse go willy-nilly where IT wants).
God is patient and kind, “not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), but don’t test God in this. This matter of His extreme forgiving heart… has its limits.
See: Sinners, versus living in sin
Are you truly His Child?
Don’t assume you can mullify His displeasure at your willful sinfulness. He disciplines His children to bring them into deeper maturity. True.
But, if you practice sin, it may reveal you are not truly His child. His coming End Time “gathering” is a warning to you. Matthew writes about those who could be termed “conscious sinners” as contrasted with “the righteous”.
“40 So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend [those things by which people are led into sin], and all who practice evil [leading others into sin], 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].
43 Then the righteous [those who seek the will of God] will shine forth [radiating the new life] like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears [to hear], let him hear and heed My words.” – Matthew 13:40-43
A line in the sand
God, the patient, forgiving Father, eventually draws a line in the sand…
Romans 1:22-32
verse 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts… [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin], 25 because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie
References (see all):
Psalm 81:12 | “So I gave them up to the stubbornness of their heart,To walk in [the path of] their own counsel.“
Acts 13:10 | “[a]You [Elymas] who are full of every [kind of] deceit, and every [kind of] fraud, you son of the devil, enemy of everything that is right and good, will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?
Romans 1:22-32 | “22Claiming to be wise, they became fools… 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts….”
Consequences
Basically there are two types of people on the planet:
1 those who “practice sin” (following “the lusts of their own hearts“) and
2 those who practive righteousness (actually follow God’s ways; keep their focus on Him).
Don’t end your days still practicing your sins. Read: Me, When I Die, still in sin
If I have “a friend” who says he is my friend – yet time and time again he acts against me: is he truly my friend? Eventually it becomes clear. [He actually is not my friend.]
The same for the God damned “believers”, claiming salvation, but… eventually it becomes clear. Somewhere along the road, their actual “heart” is revealed. They came undone.
Undun sung by Burton Cummings. Lyrics
Song Facts: Writer/s: Randy Bachman; Publisher:
BMG Rights Management; Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
The story goes that “The lyrics are about a girl Bachman saw at a party who went into a coma after dropping acid.” Somewhere along the road… she lost it. She came undone. “It’s too late.” “She’s lost the sun.”
This is the coming event I am so extremely anticipating:
“Then the righteous
[those who seek the will of God]
will shine forth
[radiating the new life]
like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.”
– Verse 43 of Matthew 13:40-43
I want my life to “shine forth”
Even here now, but ever so much more intense “then” (when we are physically “in the kingdom of their Father“), I want my life to “shine forth” like the sun and radiate my “new life“.
Many “Christians”, (or are they perhaps so-called or “enlightened folks“?), continue to live as did many of the ancient Israelites. We see a lot of folks rejecting what is clearly stated in the Bible, and they actually defend their actions as if God is not displeased. THAT is tempting God.
They have followed after “vanity and became vain, and went after the heathen who were round about them”:
“And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He testified against them; and they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the heathen who were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them.” – 2 Kings 17:15
God may eventually give you a free rein
You do not want to live like them, tempting God. Trust me. Well, no. Trust Jesus. He is the one who said this about that:
Jesus replied to him, “It is said [in Scripture], ‘you shall not tempt the Lord your God [to prove Himself to you].’” – Luke 4:12 (Acts 5:9)
When we…
2. Question His purpose. (v9) God does what God will do (like we hear a lot today…”that’s what we do”). We mere humans cannot understand the mind of God, so we are tempted to “murmer” and complain – and “question His purpose“.
This does not mean we cannot be honest with God, and argue with Him. He knows our thoughts anyway, so… express it all to Him. There may come difficult times when we struggle with our faith, get upset with Him. Sorrows and struggles will come. But in the midst of it all, our faith is kept in Him. We fight the good fight.
Things of God are way beyond our ability to comprehend. He knows all. We do not. He knows the future. We do not. He is wise. We are not. He controls all vectors, all powers (Romans 8:26-39). We sometimes cannot even control our self!
In this context, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing…” (Romans 8:38-39) – none of these are beyond His ability to control for His purposes. But they are beyond us.
When we murmer and complain about our life, or because we don’t get what we want… we are questioning God and His purpose. Proverbs 3:5-6 got it right. This is our goal:
5 Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
6 [a]In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
We must understand we do not understand. And as much as we often think we do, we don’t. What we think… may actually not be so. When in doubt: Trust God. Your own thinking may be too limited.
What experience do you have
in the universe,
to be a foundation for your thoughts
– by you, yourself?
On what do you build your thoughts?
Is it only
from you and others like you?
Do you live your own way?
When we…
3. Exploit His goodness. (v9) God is very forgiving, and patient, longsuffering, not easily provoked. However, when we cozy-up to idols, we may face quick hurt. The warning is:
“run
[keep far, far away]
from
[any sort of]
idolatry”
We are warned:
“run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry
[and that includes
loving anything more than God, or
participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul]”
– Verse 14 of 1 Corinthians 10:9-14.
Examine Yourselves
Like a loving father, Father God lovingly disciplines us so that we don’t go as far as to deny Him. The hurt can come upon us sooner than we thought. The point is:
Deuteronomy 8:5
Therefore, know in your heart (be fully cognizant) that the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you just as a man disciplines and instructs his son.
2 Samuel 22:48
“It is God who executes vengeance for me, And brings down [and disciplines] the peoples…
1 Corinthians 11:31-32
31 But if we evaluated and judged ourselves honestly [recognizing our shortcomings and correcting our behavior], we would not be judged. 32 But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined [by undergoing His correction] so that we will not be condemned [to eternal punishment] along with the world.
Hebrews 12:10
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
Hebrews 12:5-13… do not make light of the discipline of the Lord,
And do not lose heart and give up when you are corrected by Him….
Evaluate yourself and judge yourself “honestly”. If we don’t… we may not see “our shortcomings” and we may not get into a mode of “correcting our behavior” (v31). Don’t take the love and grace of God for granted.
If the Lord is God,
follow Him
with all you got.
– Source: Living between two opinions
If you are not born again – well then, you have to keep on sinning. It’s your nature. Still.
But, if you have been saved, then you are a brand new creation. You have been changed, and the Bible says you do not have to sin! He empowers us to refuse sin.
– Source: God is able to keep you from stumbling
He “…is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand
in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy”
– Jude 1: verses 24-25
“walk in a manner worthy
of the calling
with which you have been called…”
– Ephesians 4: verse 1
This message from God is for us…
us…
“upon whom
the ends of the ages
have come.”
– 1 Corinthians 10 verse 11
FOR MORE:
Paul warned the Early Church, and us, of course: Do not tempt the Lord. (1 Corinthians 10:9-14) What does that mean?
_____________
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty
The Chutzpah of Wannabe Christians
God eventually gives you a free rein
God still shows His displeasure dramatically – even today
Virgins, Talents, and Judgement
God Is Able To Keep You From Stumbling – Jude 1: verses 24-25
Living through our tunnel of sorrows
Living the good life – with courage and confident hope
Yes I can – I can stand strong
Explaining the Basic Christian Experience
Every believer’s new life in Christ [Part One]
Practicing Sin – Not Following Christ
Why “the end” Jesus foretold is now
Practicing Sin, Not Following Christ
Accepting Jesus – Plus Some Other
About Being Apostate… following “another gospel”
Biblical text for this article: 1 Corinthians 10:9-14
9 We must not tempt the Lord [that is, test His patience, question His purpose or exploit His goodness], as some of them did—and they were killed by serpents. 10 And do not murmur [in unwarranted discontent], as some of them did—and were destroyed by the [e]destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example and warning [to us]; they were written for our instruction [to admonish and equip us], upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to temptation, being overconfident and self-righteous], take care that he does not fall [into sin and condemnation].
13 No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and
He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].
14 Therefore, my beloved, run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry [and that includes loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul]. – 1 Corinthians 10:9-14
Leave a Reply