1 Corinthians 10: Great News! You Ain't Special!

Have you ever had a friend that was a lot of fun in small doses? You could only stand them for a little while before they became hard to deal with? This is what I think about when I think of Corinth. They were in a large international metropolis filled with people from various backgrounds. It was likely a fun place to be for a visit. However, living there was probably a different story. Paul is in Ephesus when he receives word that the church in Corinth is at it again. Divisions and quarreling are breaking out everywhere over wild things... trust me... wild things. They are a church in division. Paul has a frank discussion with them on the need for harmony among the various people groups, the need to rally around the essentials, how to conduct proper worship services without hurting each other, and so much more. The real-life soap-opera needs someone to make sense of it all.

Let’s read it together.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Bible Breakdown
• 0:23 Great News: You Ain't Special
• 3:11 Israel's Warning to Modern Believers
• 5:16 No Temptation is Unique
• 8:02 Navigating Food Offered to Idols
• 11:34 Living for God's Glory

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hey everyone, and welcome to the Bible Breakdown podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together. Well, hello everybody.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, 1 Corinthians 10. I want to give this one a title. It would be Great News. You Ain't Special. That sounds so terrible and I don't mean it bad. I know that everybody you know I don't know who started the thing of everybody's like this precious snowflake and like you're one of a kind. That's true in some ways, but in some ways can I tell you, when we're going to read today, I am so thankful that I'm not special. And can I tell you that there's actually a scripture I'm going to share with you today that when I truly began to understand this scripture, it set me free from an addiction that I had in my life. We're gonna get into that in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to this YouTube channel. Like the video. Give us a five-star review on the podcast. Also, go to the Bible Breakdown discussion, where we are just interacting with God's word. I love what they're doing with 1 Corinthians. It is so much fun. There's just a lot here and we're going to get into it today. So if you've got your Bibles, want to open them up with me to 1 Corinthians 10, the New Living Translation. One of the things I love about this is because we can relate to this.

Speaker 2: 1:37

Remember, the Church of Corinth is the Las Vegas of the first century Roman Empire. Everybody went there to party, have a good time, and so on the surface, it probably looked like a fun place. Everybody's going there spending money, having a good time, and so it looked like probably a continual party. But while Paul is in Ephesus, he's hearing murmurings all is not well in paradise. And he finds out, man, there's some division going on in God's family, and so, almost like Pastor Paul invites everybody into his office and he's like all right, come on, now let's talk this out, let's have this a family therapy session, because we've got to find a way to find harmony within all of this diversity that we have. And he's going to say something today that is absolutely powerful Because, remember, paul spent the first couple of three chapters just really talking about how we rally around the gospel, who Jesus is, and he says you know I'm your spiritual father, you know I love you.

Speaker 2: 2:30

And then he just starts saying now you need to quit it, you need to stop doing the crazies. And we're just going through all of that. And then he goes and talks about how now we don't live for ourselves, we live for one another. And then today he's going to talk about what that looks like, what happened in the past with the idolatry of the nation of Israel, and what we can learn about it today. And he's going to say this one verse in verse 13, that when I learned this verse, it completely and I don't want to say this like over to say this, but it really did completely change my worldview and it set me free and it helped me to understand how to bring freedom to others. So I want to start reading this and we're going to break this down together.

Speaker 2: 3:11

Okay, so, if you have your Bibles, first, corinthians, chapter 10, verse one says this I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness, long ago, all of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground, in the cloud, in the sea. All of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, talking about manna, and all of them drank the same spiritual water, for they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them. That rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. In other words, remember, they were in rebellion for 40 years and the entire generation died off. All right, verse 6.

Speaker 2: 3:58

These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the scriptures say, the people celebrated with feasting and drinking and they indulged in pagan revelry, and we must not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them jokers to die in one day. You know what, paul. You know what I always think about when 23,000 people die, you imagine the crew that's got to bury them bodies. I don't want that job. I just don't want that job. All right, moving on. Moving on, verse 9,. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and then died from snake bites. All right, listen, that's why you got to read the Old Testament. It's crazy. All right, verse 10,. Don't grumble, as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. So if you grumble, bad things happen. All right, verse 11,. These things happen to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us to live at the how to live at the end of the age.

Speaker 2: 5:03

Now here we go. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience, and God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure it. Now pause. I used to think that that meant God would never put on you more than you can stand. Do you know? That's not true, that many times God will allow us to take on more than we can handle, because we get to the place where we think we can do life without him, and then it's because of the weight of us allowing ourselves to take on too much we finally come back to him. That's not what that verse says. The verse says he will not allow you to be tempted beyond more than what you can stand.

Speaker 2: 5:56

And then, when you are tempted, there's a way out. And what I love, even before that is, is there is no temptation in your life that has happened to you that others have not experienced. Can I tell you, there was a time when I was in my late teens, early twenties, where I had a sin issue in my life. It was a particular sin issue and I was so ashamed I thought I was the only one I knew who struggled with it. I thought I was the only one who'd ever had that problem. Now it's silly, but I did. And I was reading that one day and I thought was the only one who'd ever had that problem. Now it's silly, but I did. And I was reading that one day and I thought you know, that's probably true for everybody else, but it's not true for me. And then I was at church one day and a gentleman got up and he confessed to have had the same problem I was going through and all of a sudden it hit me the devil did not create this particular sin issue just for me. I'm not the only one who's ever struggled with this, other people have. And what I did is I got really honest with a couple of friends of mine. You know what they told me. Me too, I'm struggling with the same issue and what I started to realize is God's word is so true when he says there's no temptation in your life that other people have never experienced Actually, there is quite the opposite and that God is faithful. In other words, he's faithful that if you got them through it, he can get you through it as well. And so when I started to realize that I'm not special the devil did not create this sin for me, there's just sin. But if that's true, then that means that together we can get through it. And when I got around other people and I started to realize that, and I started to realize that in every temptation God always provides us a way out, and it changed my worldview. And also, whenever I hear of someone who's struggling with the sin, my mind immediately says somebody else in your life is probably dealing with this too. That's the way God does it. They usually puts in your life the people that you need to find freedom, and it's always been true and that has helped me so very much. We're going to usually puts in your life the people that you need to find freedom, and it's always been true and that has helped me so very much. We're going to cover that at the end, but let's keep going. Verse 14.

Speaker 2: 8:06

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves If what I'm saying is true. When we bless the cup at the Lord's table, aren't we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren't we sharing the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.

Speaker 2: 8:25

Think about the people of Israel. Weren't they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? What am I trying to say? I am saying that the food offered to idols has some significance, or that idol am I? Food offered to idols has some significance, or that idol? Am I saying that it has some significance, or that idol is a real God? No, not at all.

Speaker 2: 8:43

I'm saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God, and I don't want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too. You cannot eat at the Lord's table and at the table of demons too. What Do we dare? To rouse the Lord's jealousy. Do you think we are stronger than he is? You say I'm allowed to do anything, but not everything is good for you. You say I'm allowed to do anything, but not everything is beneficial.

Speaker 2: 9:12

Don't be concerned for your own good, but for the good of others Verse 25. So you may eat any meat that is sold at the marketplace without raising questions of conscience, for the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. If someone who isn't a believer asks you for home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to Eat whatever is offered without raising any questions of conscience. But suppose someone tells you this meat was offered to an idol? Don't eat it at a conscience sake, for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person. For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? But why should wait say it again? For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? But why should wait, say it again? For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I thank God for the food and enjoy it, should I be condemned for eating it? So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don't give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I too try to please everyone. In everything I do. I just do it what is best. I don't do what is just best for me. I do what is best for others so that they may be saved.

Speaker 2: 10:22

So what he's saying is is, especially in the marketplace at the time, many times butchers and people like that. They would go early in the morning and they would slaughter that animal before the presence of their God, zeus or whatever, and it was their way of offering that to them as they slaughtered it and saying help them have a good day and be able to sell all the meat. And so what would happen is they would go to the market and they would be saying, okay, was this offered to an idol or not, whatever? And Paul's saying don't ask, you know. Because if you don't know and if you don't ask him, you just eat it and it's fine. So let your conscience like, like, ignorance is okay. And then he said when you go eat somewhere, you don't have to ask them. It would be like saying hey, listen, I'm a, I'm like a super big Christian and so everything's got to be perfect or I can't be part of it. He's like, don't do that. But then if they tell you, then you don't participate. So it's like to purposely be innocent and ignorant about stuff. But then once you know you have to do something about it.

Speaker 2: 11:16

So let's finish this up together, because he's really talking about two different things. First, he's saying that nothing you go through, is it just you. You ain't special. And that's the best news ever that if you are struggling with something, chances are somebody else around you is struggling too. So what do you do? You go and you look for that person and you are able to find a brother or sister in Christ and you can find freedom together. And that God doesn't say that he's never going to let you take on more than you can handle. He is saying he's not going to let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But in every situation there is always an escape.

Speaker 2: 11:53

The second thing Paul says is therefore, since that's the case, be innocent. Don't try to use these different things to create unnecessary challenges in your life. Find ways to be innocent through things and don't put extra bondages on yourself. But if you find out that something has been done incorrectly, then you have to do something about it. So what's our application? Don't ever feel like whatever you're going through is only you. There's always an opportunity to grow. There's always an opportunity to find freedom. And then number two don't overcomplicate your walk with God. If you don't have to have a rule, don't have one, but then, if one comes up, embrace it for the glory of God.

Speaker 2: 12:38

I think we have to be careful not to see how close to hell we can get and still go to heaven. I think it would be great to see how close to heaven we can get and still live on this earth. We have to change our priorities around, and that's what Paul's trying to say. He's trying to say fix how you think about things, don't live in division anymore, but live in peace as much as possible. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word that speaks to so many different areas of our life.

Speaker 2: 13:03

Lord, in the first half of this, what I really feel like maybe for some people no-transcript. Lord, I pray you'll help them to realize that it's not, it's just sin, and that there's so many people who are struggling with that around them. And that's the best news ever, because there's somebody who understands, there's somebody who can walk with them toward freedom. I pray you'll open their eyes to see who those people are, not so they can cast judgment, but so they can find a brother or a sister who can walk with them toward healing. And, lord, I pray that you'll help us to simplify our walk with you toward to embrace innocence and freedom, to not try to overcomplicate things but to live in your presence every day. In Jesus name, we pray Amen, amen. Well, family therapy session over for one more day. Don't forget. 1 Corinthians 10 31 says whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of god. I love you no-transcript.