Lessons From 1 Corinthians – Lesson 11
Before we sing and then get into the message, just a quick warning about the types, figures, and pictures of the O.T.
They are just a foreshadowing, a pointing to. They are not the exact thing. Not a great way to phrase it. They are not 100 percent the thing they are pointing to. They are only a picture of it, or only a picture of a small part of something. Sometimes just one aspect of a much larger subject.
So it is important to never take the types further than what they were intended.
When showing forth a picture using a type, a figure, there are sometimes practical reasons that the type falls short of the real thing.
For example the death of the first born in Egypt.
The reality of eternal death is that anyone and everyone who has not applied the blood by faith dies eternally.
If the total reality was shown forth that night when the death angel came upon Egypt, then every single person, in every single house in Egypt that did not apply the blood would have died. But it was only the firstborn.
Now if everyone in Egypt died, then there would be no Pharaoh and none of his army to chase after and try to attack the Israelites. So the picture could not be shown of how Satan attacks new believers and how God provides protection.
So for a very practical reason, the total reality was not shown forth. And only the firstborn died. The firstborn is the representative for the family in the future. So to be able to show forth the other pictures God wanted to use Egypt for, the total reality was not shown but only a foreshadowing of it. Only the firstborn died.
If the full reality was shown forth in Goshen, where the Jews were, Cousin Steve, who did not believe and who did not receive the Lamb in faith would have died even though he was in a house with the blood applied. But that would have messed up the picture of when God sees the blood the death angel passes over.
So even though in type and figure and picture the Jews we saved by applying the shed blood and receiving the lamb in faith. We understand that the picture is not the full reality. Meaning we understand that not every single Jew believed that night.
Not every single one of them applied the blood and received the lamb in faith. It is faith that saves. Some of them applied blood and ate because everyone else did and they had no faith.
So in picture and type all the Jews represent saved people who get figuratively baptized passing thru the Red Sea showing they are leaving the world to follow the Lord.
That is the picture, the type. The reality is that a very large number of them were saved, but there were Tares with the wheat. Some of them were not saved.
Just a word of caution, to not take the type and figures to far. Don’t take them further than they were intended.
By the end of this chapter Paul circles back to where he started this topic, there is a difference between have to and should and I can but should I.
And after using himself as an example and the example of a race showing that one consequence of not doing the should is no reward in heaven from our Lord.
Now Paul starts covering the truth that there are also consequences in this life for not doing the should.
1 Cor 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1 Cor 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1 Cor 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1 Cor 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
They were out in the desert wilderness. A dry mostly barren land. And there are millions of them. They could not make it their own power. They needed water.
Spiritually it is the same for Christians today, we need to be provided for and fed and strengthened by the Lord. If not we will kind of get sickly and shrivel up. Still saved, but our spiritual live gets weak.
God tells Moses to go strike the rock the first time.
Moses obeys correctly and water comes out of the rock. And here we learn that the water that came out was a type, a figure of spiritual nourishment. The Rock that Moses struck was a type, a picture, a foreshadowing of Jesus.
The smiting was a picture of the Cross. The water coming out was a picture of both the water of life that Jesus gives for salvation and the continual providing for the believer. Jesus said.
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
So in the wilderness the picture continues. They represent saved baptized people who left the world to follow Christ and they are now following the rock which was a picture of Jesus and are partaking of the water of life that only He provides.
They did the only have to, they got saved, and they started doing the should following the Rock Jesus.
And a few of them do that all the way. They walk the walk. They do the should all the way. I am talking about two of them that are named, but there are more of them. Joshua is one and the other is Caleb.
Those in that group get to go into the promised land, which is a picture of the victorious Christian life where you just show up to the battle and exercise faith and where God does the work and where God fights the battle and where God gives the victory.
For example God sent the hornet against the enemy. God sent fear upon Jericho. God made the walls fall.
That is a whole lot of good that comes to those who stick with the should and enter the victorious Christian life. But most did not do the should
1 Cor 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
They had to wonder around in the wilderness for 40 years until they all died off. They never did experience the victorious Christian life.
They were still saved. God still provided. Their shoes did not wear out for 40 years. They had mana from Heaven fall 6 days a week. But instead of victory over sin, instead of having a good relationship with the Lord.
They had problems and struggles and sin, and chastisement. And we are to learn from them.
1 Cor 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
If you remember one of the things they lusted after was the food, the nourishment of Egypt. A picture of lusting after this sinful world.
1 Cor 10:7 Neither be ye 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 referring to when Moses went up the mountain and they made a golden calf. They left worshiping the true God who delivered them and went back to worshipping like the world. Like they did in Egypt.
1 Cor 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
This is referring to wicked Balaam after the donkey talked to him and after he repeatedly failed to curse Israel. Balaam counseled that they send Midianite women to temp the Israelite men.
Because of their sin of fornication, God sent a plague and 23,000 died.
There have been many saved men thru the ages who did not do the should and keep himself pure, they did not lose their salvation, but they suffered the consequences in this life.
1 Cor 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
This refers to Numbers chapter 21.
Num 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
Num 21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
They had water from the rock. But they wanted water from this world and not the Lord’s water. They wanted sin. And what does sin do. It always stings, it hurts, it poisons. Sin bites. Satan was pictured from the first as a serpent.
So they get what they wanted. The biting and death and hurt of sin.
Num 21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
The should, would have been to trust the Lord, have faith, and be content. That is the should.
1Th_5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
They refused that and went with discouragement and complaining, and lusting.
Not doing the should brings real consequences in this life. The should is fleeing from and resisting sin. And when they refuse the should the consequences come.
There is a price, and natural consequences to sin. Some Christians lust after sin and partake and then go to church on Sunday and expect the bill to not come due.
A part of the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, is that God will let us reap what we sow.
But that does not stop God from loving us and God does provide a solution.
Num 21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
Num 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
Num 21:9 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.
The solution was simple. Look and live. Look again at Jesus who saved you. Any of them that did that were delivered from the serpent’s sting.
1 Cor 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
They murmured time and time again. This could be referencing any one of those times or even all of them.
1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
All that happened to them was not just history. It was for our learning and as an example for us. And a warning, and an admonition.
1 Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Like saying. Hello. Anyone home. Are the lights on? Engage your brain. God recorded all of that almost 4,000 years ago so that we could learn from it and not make the same mistake.
Refusing the should, and standing only on the only have to, which is getting saved, is not the way to go.
God will let us exercise our free will, and He will let us make a huge mess of things, and He will let the natural consequences come back upon us and sometimes those consequences are huge.
But the great thing is that God provides help and He provides a way to escape.
1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Therefore do the should. Verse 14.
1 Cor 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1 Cor 10:15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
Verses 16 – 18. Everyone that is saved is saved the same way. We all have the same Lord.
1 Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
1 Cor 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
1 Cor 10:18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
Some of them were like Moses, and Caleb, and Joshua. They stuck with the should. Those that refused the should and only did the one have to, had the consequences of that.
The problem is not with the one they are following. Caleb and Joshua were following the same Lord. The problem is with the people not choosing to do the should.
The choice should be very clear and easy to make. Doing the should is not always easy, it takes dedication, sacrifice, denial, faithfulness, and a love for and a walk with God.
Now Paul goes back to where he started this topic.
1 Cor 10:19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
I am not going to read all these verses because we already did that when we started this section.
1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Put others and what they need first. That is the should.
1 Cor 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
More about eating meat offered to idols.
1 Cor 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Paul concludes this section of the difference between have to and should and I can but should I with several things.
1st realize that yes all things are lawful, but all things are not expedient. Not all things edify.
2nd Do what you do to the glory of God. He should be the number 1 consideration in all you do. In all of your I can but should I decisions. Does my answer to the question on this thing honor God.
3rd How does my answer to I can but should I affect the cause of Christ.
1 Cor 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
1 Cor 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Will my answer to I can but should I help others to be saved or will it hinder the salvation of others.
Paul really took time with this issue. God wants His children to consider consequences, and others and His glory and the cause of others getting saved when it comes to the I can but should I questions of life.
And the answers to those questions must be voluntary, they must be made individually, and they must be made from the heart.
God is after love from the heart. So many preachers never understand this.
Do any of you know why we have watches? Where and more importantly why they became a big thing?
A preacher who never understood that salvation is by grace and not of works. He never understood that God wants men to love Him and that by the very nature of what love is, that it must be by free choice. Forced love is wrong. It is a sham.
Love is not real if it is not freely given. The free will of man was the main error from which all his other errors came.
As he became bigger and more powerful, he moved to Switzerland and took over. Made laws against humor. Laughing was not allowed. He had a huge list of things that could not be done.
Breaking them meant harsh punishment. Banishment or in some cases death.
One of the things that he outlawed was all Jewelry. So the Jewelers and the metal workers got together and started making watches, because for some reason watches were allowed.
The time was in the 16th century, the preacher’s name was John Calvin. The founder of the heresy that bears his name Calvinism.
He is not the only one that never understood the issue of I can but should I and how the answer must come voluntarily from the heart.
The Puritans that came to America are another example. Harsh rules and banishment to the wilderness, which meant death, before Roger Williams started Rhode Island and gave banished people a place to go.
The list goes on and one. And not just from years long ago. Preachers mess up on this today. Mr. Price is one example. If you remember some of his things were women most likely were not saved if they did not wear panty hose and he had strict rules on footwear among other things. Yea, he was off the rails as the saying goes.
The bottom line is every saved person has to face a multitude of I can but should I type of things in life. And the answer needs to be voluntarily made from the heart. And there are consequences in eternity and in this life to how that question is answered.
Our hearts as Christians should be to live our lives for Jesus and do the shoulds out of a love for God and a love for others.