FIREPROOF SERMON SERIES:
SERMON 4 -- BREAKING FREE
8 March 2009
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10
1. For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
2. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
3. They all ate the same spiritual food
4. and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
5. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
7. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."
8. We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
9. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes.
10. And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.
11. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
12. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
13. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
-- there's a commercial that's on TV right now that I've been thinking about lately -- you might have seen it -- it's about a firefighter -- and the commercial says something along the lines of "Captain Smith is a big man -- strong and determined and capable -- but even though he's big, he wasn't prepared for the small thing that almost took his life" -- and it goes on to talk about how a blood clot caused a stroke in his life and how this new drug is keeping him safe from it ever happening again
-- you know, as a wildlife biologist, I have to deal with a lot of big and scary things -- I handle alligators -- I catch foxes and raccoons -- I have to take care of wounded deer -- I deal with a lot of animals that could harm you if you're not careful -- but, truth be told, I don't really worry about them a whole lot
-- if you want to know what really scares me, it's the little things that I have to deal with -- I had to handle a bat this week -- and so all week I've been kind of worried about rabies -- a tiny little virus -- so little you can't even see it without a powerful microscope -- but this little parasite can get in your blood and will cause certain death if it's not treated
-- I also worry about other parasites -- ticks and red bugs -- mosquitoes and other biting insects -- but I'm especially worried about a tiny tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis -- anyone in here ever hear of it? -- no -- no one really knows about it -- but this is what I did my Master's on -- if you get infected with this tapeworm, it is 100% fatal -- there is no cure -- it may take years, but you will die from it -- and there's many other tapeworms and parasites out there in nature that I worry about
-- you know, in our spiritual lives, we do a pretty good job at the big stuff -- like I said a few weeks ago, we watch out for the elephants and the hippopotamus's and all the other big things that can come in our Christian life and in our relationships with others
-- but we don't do such a good job at watching out for the small things -- for the parasites that can come in unaware and set you up for a big fall
-- this morning, we're continuing in our sermon series based on the movie Fireproof -- and in this movie, as the main character Caleb Holt tries to rebuild his life and his relationship with his wife, he finds himself hampered because of parasites in his own life
-- if you would, let's watch this clip from the movie
[Show Video Session 4]
-- I really like that quote from this clip that Caleb read from "The Love Dare," -- "Watch out for parasites -- a parasite is anything that latches onto you or your partner and sucks the life out of your marriage -- they're normally in the form of addictions like gambling, drugs, or pornography -- they promise pleasure, but grow like a disease and consume more and more of your thoughts, time and money -- they steal away your loyalty and your heart from those you love"
-- Gambling, drugs, pornography… parasites -- parasites don't have to be addictions, but they frequently are -- right here in our own community, these three parasites of gambling, drugs, and pornography are rampant
-- while we don't have casinos here, we do have gambling -- we've got the lottery -- we've got poker -- we've got Jai Lai and dog races and betting on football and basketball and everything else right here in our backyard and on our computers at home
-- we don't even have to really mention the problems with alcoholism and drug addictions -- they're rampant in our community -- just read the paper -- just watch the news -- and you'll see how family after family is being torn apart by these evils
-- and with the advent of the internet, pornography is no longer something that you have to go out to find -- used to be, if you wanted to look at pornography, people would have to go to a store and buy a magazine -- but now, with the internet in over 90% of our homes, people can sit right there in the comfort of their own bedrooms and be infected with parasites and no one has to know
-- Promise Keepers -- the international men's Christian organization -- did a poll among men who attended their conferences to identify the top issues and struggles that impeded their spiritual growth -- 62% of these men indicated pornography and sexual sin -- keep in mind that these are not just random men -- these are not even just men who come to church on Sundays -- these are dedicated, Godly men who are actively participating in a men's movement to become better husbands and fathers and sons -- 62% of them struggle with sexual sin -- the number is even higher among the general population of the U.S. -- the authors of XXXChurch.com estimate that more than 90% of the men in this country are involved with pornography at some level in their lives
-- parasites -- small things that are threatening to suck the life out of our relationships and our walks with God -- it may not be the more obvious addictions like gambling and drugs and sexual sin -- it may be one of a hundred other things that is threatening to infect you and lead you away -- a few weeks ago I mentioned to you that every temptation you face falls into one of three categories -- lust of the eyes -- lust of the flesh -- or pride of life
-- all of us have our own demons -- all of us have areas in our lives where we are weak and vulnerable -- for some of us it may be pornography -- for some of us it may be drugs and alcohol use -- for some of us it may be lying or gossiping -- for some of us it might be pride or a judgmental nature
-- regardless of what areas we may struggle within our personal lives, if we're not careful, these areas can be open doors to allowing parasites into our lives and our relationships
-- in this passage that we opened with, the Apostle Paul is dealing with parasites in the church of Corinth
II. Scripture Lesson
-- let's look back at this passage in a little more detail -- as we look back, let me give you a reminder of the background and context of this letter -- the church at Corinth was a carnal church -- it was a mixed church of Jews and Gentiles -- and the people there were struggling with internal forces -- with parasites, if you will, that were threatening to rip it apart from the inside out
-- some of the Christians there were struggling with pride as they sought the more visible and more recognizable spiritual gifts
-- others were struggling with lust as they continued to follow the pagan practices of incorporating sex and worship -- others were struggling in areas of power and prestige -- while others were succumbing to various other types of temptations and sins
-- so Paul wrote this epistle to the church of Corinth to warn them of the dangerous path they were following -- to encourage them to follow the path of Christ and to turn away from all the parasites that were threatening their Christian community and their own Christian faith
-- look back at verse 1
1. For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
2. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
3. They all ate the same spiritual food
4. and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
5. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
-- Paul began this warning by reminding them of their spiritual heritage -- for the Jews in their midst, Paul went back to the seminal event in Jewish history -- the exodus from Egypt -- when God intervened in their lives and sent Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery and into freedom by crossing through the Red Sea
-- Paul reminds them that the whole nation of Israel left Egypt and that, for a time, the whole nation followed God
-- Paul says, "our forefathers were all under the cloud" -- as you remember, when God led the people of Israel in the wilderness, He manifested Himself as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night -- when the cloud moved forward, the people followed -- when the cloud stopped, the people stopped -- they followed God's direction
-- likewise, Paul says that they "were all baptized into Moses...in the sea" -- this refers to their crossing through the Red Sea as God parted the sea and made a path for them to cross on dry land -- to be "baptized" into Moses meant that they identified with his faith -- they trusted in the God who had sent him -- and only those who were baptized into Moses -- only those who followed him through the sea to the other side -- were saved from the wrath of the Egyptians -- the people who were baptized into Moses were the ones who received and accepted the presence of God in their lives and the promise of eternal life through Him alone
-- Paul reminded them of God's divine sustenance in their lives -- of the spiritual food -- the manna -- that He sent to feed them for 40 years in the wilderness -- and of their spiritual drink -- the water He brought forth from the rock that Moses hit with his staff -- both symbols of God's presence in the life of the church of Corinth as experienced through Christ Jesus -- the Bread of Life and the Living Water
-- in short, Paul is saying, "Our forefathers believed, too -- our ancestors were people of faith -- they trusted God enough to follow Him when He led them as a cloud or as a pillar of fire -- they trusted Him to lead them through the waters of the Red Sea to salvation, although it looked like there was no hope -- and they trusted Him to provide them with their daily bread and with the water of life
-- they were just like you -- you are the church in Corinth -- you proclaim the name of Christ -- you proclaim faith in the God of Israel -- but, if you aren't careful, you will follow their path into spiritual destruction, too"
-- verse 6
6. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
-- Paul wrote, "the reason these things happened -- the reason I'm telling them to you -- is so they might serve as an example to you -- as a warning to you"
-- I've got a poster in my office -- it shows a ship, sort of like the Titanic, that is sinking into the water -- it's about half-way down in the water and the only thing you can see is the bow of the ship sticking straight up out of the water -- and the caption says, "Perhaps you exist only to serve as a warning to others"
-- that's the same thought here -- Paul is telling the Corinthians to pay attention to the example of the early Israelites so that they don't displease God and suffer the consequences for their actions
-- verse 7
7. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."
8. We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
9. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes.
10. And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.
11. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
-- did you notice the words of warning in this passage? -- evil -- idolatry -- sexual immorality -- testing the Lord -- grumbling -- parasites of temptation and sin
-- keep in mind who Paul is talking about here -- Paul is not talking about the world -- he's not talking about the people that you brush shoulders with on a daily basis -- he's talking about people of faith -- people who had seen the hand of God working mightily in their midst
-- these were men and women who had seen God inflict the Egyptians with plagues -- these were men and women who had watched God part the Red Sea and let them through -- these were men and women who had seen and followed the cloud and the pillar of fire in the wilderness -- who were fed by the manna -- who drank from the rock -- these were people who knew God -- and yet the parasites still came into their midst
-- and so Paul is warning the Corinthians and he's warning us, "Be careful -- this happened to them -- these were mighty men and women of God and they let parasites creep into their lives and suck their spiritual vigor -- they let parasites come in and drain their spiritual lives -- and they reaped the consequences of their actions -- don't let it happen to you"
-- verse 12
12. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
-- in verse 12, Paul is giving a warning to those who considered themselves strong in the faith -- it's a sad fact of life that those who are the strongest -- those who are the biggest -- seem to fall the hardest
-- we have seen this in the Christian community in recent history -- back in the 80's and 90's, we had the televangelist scandal -- where many well-known Christian leaders and preachers -- people who were on radio and television and who were seen publicly declaring their faith and calling for people to turn to Christ -- were publicly disgraced as they succumbed to the parasites of temptation and sin in their personal lives
-- and more recently, we had the story of Ted Haggard -- the charismatic leader of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals -- it was widely assumed that Reverend Haggard would assume the role of the nation's evangelical leadership when Billy Graham died
-- but, as Paul wrote here, "if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall"
-- and Haggard fell when his struggles with drug use and homosexuality became known to the public and to the leaders of his church
-- in his letter of resignation from New Life Church, Haggard wrote, "I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment for all of you.... The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.... The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry."
-- parasites in the life of a strong follower of Christ -- "if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall"
-- verse 13
13. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
-- finally, encouragement for the weak -- encouragement for us -- Paul tells us, "Don't be surprised when you're tempted -- don't be surprised when the parasites come to call -- but take heart -- you're not alone -- no matter what parasite it is -- no matter what temptation is luring you -- know that you are not alone -- others have had the same temptation in their lives -- and others have survived the test
-- God is faithful -- He knows what you are capable of withstanding -- and He won't let you be hit with things that you cannot bear -- with temptations that you can't overcome -- when you are tempted, God will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it"
-- Paul understood the dangers of parasites -- Paul knew too well how they could come into a Christian's life and threaten their vitality -- but Paul also knew that the power of God working through a person could overcome any tests or trials or temptations that might come their way
III. Overcoming Temptation
-- The greatest problem facing human beings today is temptation -- Let me say that again: The greatest problem facing human beings today isn't famine or wars or natural disasters -- Those are problems and they require lots of attention -- But our biggest problem isn't a circumstance, it's a state of the heart issue -- It's temptation -- If we weren't tempted, it would be very hard to get into trouble -- If we didn't get into trouble, we wouldn't start wars or starve our neighbors, or take things that aren't ours -- we wouldn't hurt the people we love, or hurt ourselves the way we so often do -- The greatest challenge facing humanity is temptation.
-- It's a global challenge -- but, it's also a personal challenge -- in this passage, Paul has been warning us to avoid the example of the Israelites -- to not get discouraged when we get tempted because temptation comes to all -- but to be prepared to overcome temptation when it comes our way
-- the question, then, is how?
-- well, first, we need to hold on a couple of truths that we learn in verse 13
-- Number 1 -- every temptation you face has been faced by others -- it involves either lust of the eyes -- lust of the flesh -- or the pride of life -- and no matter what it is, someone else has been there -- we are not alone in our struggles
-- Number 2 -- we have never been tempted by something we did not have the power to resist -- it may seem like it at the time, but that's just a lie from the evil one -- it's just Satan trying to lower your resolve and your resistance so you just give up and give in -- which brings us to #3
-- God always provides a way out of every temptation -- your job is to look for the way out and take it the minute you find it
-- think back to the Israelites coming out of Egypt -- Pharaoh and his army had them pinned against the Red Sea -- there was no escape -- there was no hope -- but God made a way out -- God parted the Red Sea and the Israelites went out the back door
-- it's the same way with temptation -- God always has a way for you to get out of it
-- James 1:14-15 tells us that we are tempted when we are enticed by our own evil desire -- we start thinking about it -- dwelling on it -- and, if we keep on, we give in to it -- desire gives birth to sin -- and sin eventually leads to death
-- the key, then, to keeping the parasites of temptation away from us happens first in our minds when the desire comes on us and then later in our actions
-- real quick, I want to give you a plan that you can follow to break free from temptation -- a plan that will help purge your life of the parasites when they come trying to attack you -- I'm going to give you a copy of these, so you don't have to write them down unless you just want to
-- first, pray that God will keep you from temptation -- Jesus taught us this in the Lord's prayer -- we prayed this together this morning -- "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
-- second, make a covenant with yourself -- remember last week we talked about covenants -- binding promises that we make and keep -- you know the areas that you struggle with -- make a covenant to stay away from places where those temptations are likely to occur
-- for example, if you struggle with gambling and with playing the lottery, then don't go to stores that sell lottery tickets -- if you struggle with internet pornography, don't get on the internet without an internet filter or without someone else being present
-- if you struggle in an area, it is foolish to put yourself in the place where these temptations are going to occur -- I once counseled a guy who was an alcoholic -- who was struggling with drinking and getting drunk -- do you know where he got a job? -- a package store that sold beer and whiskey -- that's not a good place for someone who's struggling with alcoholism to work
-- next, look for a way out -- God tells us here that He will always make a way of escape for us -- but we've got to look for it -- we've got to get our focus off the temptation and make the conscious decision to look for God's plan of escape -- one way to do this is to divert your thoughts -- 2 Cor 10:5 says "we take every thought captive to the will of Christ" -- in other words, when that desire comes on you -- when that temptation comes knocking on the door of your mind -- let Jesus answer the door and you think about something else
-- it doesn't even have to be spiritual -- divert your thoughts by concentrating on things like the weather or the economy or politics or your family -- the point is, divert your mind and do whatever you need to do to get your mind off the temptation that is threatening you
-- fourth, remove yourself from the situation -- Paul put it very simply to a young man facing temptation -- in 2 Tim 2:22, he told Timothy, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace"
-- that's exactly what the Bible says Joseph did in the Book of Genesis when Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him -- he fled the scene, leaving his cloak behind -- fleeing puts distance between you and sin and gets your mind off the temptation
-- but, what if you do fall -- what if you do fail? -- we all do -- 1 John 1:10 says that we all sin and that if we say we don't sin, we're liars -- so when you do fall and fail -- when your thoughts turn into evil desires that are not of God -- and when your desires give birth to sin -- what do you do?
-- I call it, "Lessons Learned" -- look back at the situation and find out what went wrong -- where did you go wrong -- did you think too much about something -- did you not get your mind off of it -- did you go to a place you shouldn't have?
-- if you can't figure it out, maybe you need to sit down with m Christian brother or sister and ask them for insight -- and once you know what you did wrong, come up with a game plan -- with a plan of doing better the next time -- learn from your mistake and grow as a result of it
-- finally, when you do sin, ask God to forgive you -- ask Him to cleanse you from your sin and to give you a "do-over" -- did you ever do that as kids? -- when you messed up in a game you asked for a "do-over?" -- God lets you do that, too
-- 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just ans will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness"
-- parasites are everywhere -- temptations come almost every minute of every day -- and you're going to occasionally fall and fail and sin against God -- but don't give up at that point -- just pick yourself up -- let God wipe you off -- and get back in the game again
IV. Closing
-- Jennifer Dion who wrote the small group lessons that go along with this Fireproof outreach tells a funny story about something that happened to her in a restaurant a few years ago
-- she was there with her 3-year-old twin daughters -- one of the girls had struck up a conversation with a really nice guy who was probably in his 70's -- her daughter Jenna just started staring at the man very intently and finally announced, "You have hair in your nose!" -- Jennifer immediately apologized and told her daughter, "Jenna, we don't say things like that" -- to which Jenna responded, "But it's true -- look!"
-- sometimes the truth is hard and we don't want to talk about it -- and that's exactly the reason why we've got problems with parasites in our churches and in our homes and in our lives
-- ignoring parasites won't make them go away -- leaving them untreated won't make them any better -- the answer is admitting they're there and then doing something about it
-- this week, our Love Dare Challenge is going to bring us face-to-face with the parasites in our lives -- maybe we don't have to do something as drastic as beating up our computers with a baseball bat like Caleb did in the movie -- but we have to do something
-- as I close in prayer, I want to invite you to think about any areas that you may struggle within your lives -- temptations -- sins -- parasites -- things that are affecting your relationships with God and with other people -- and as I close, offer them up to God -- let Him take them from you as you seek to live a life from now on that is parasite-free -- LET US PRAY
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