1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20, 2022 “A Reality Check from Israelite History”
A young lady thinks that her relationship with her boyfriend is the most wonderful thing ever. And then one day, he breaks up with her. It is a reality check. Somehow, what she was thinking about the situation was different than what he was. The reality was the relationship was not going as well as she had felt it was. A man thinks his car is going to last him many years, and then it dies. Reality check. No one really knows how long anything might last (in spite our best guesses). How many times has a political party or a specific candidate expected to win, maybe even in a landslide, and then was surprised by how the election turned out? It’s a reality check. There was something about the situation which was not as it seemed or as they thought. When Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he wanted to make sure that they understood the truth. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t make assumptions about their own situations based on the factors they were most likely to consider. Paul had a reality check for them. His words were, “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.” He was worried that these Christians could be complacent. They might not recognize the evil all around them. They might assume that everything was just fine, after all, everything seemed to be going well. But there were threats and dangers that they needed to be aware of. And so Paul offered them a reality check by recounting a number of events from the history of the Old Testament Israelites. The lessons from the Israelites sound a warning for us, too. We can’t consider every detail about the history of the Israelites, but we can summarize some of the events to which Paul alludes, and we can take the lessons— the reality check—to heart. One thing that is very clear from Israelite history is that they were a privileged people. God had given them many amazing blessings. We heard earlier about how God called Moses to lead this people and to rescue them from the Egyptians who had been holding them as slaves. God led Moses ultimately to answer that call and to do as God directed. The people left Egypt with God himself appearing in fire and cloud leading their way. They faced a challenge when they arrived at the Red Sea and had Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his army chasing after them to recapture them. God did a miracle. He split the waters of the sea so that the people could walk through on dry ground, walls of water on each side. He rescued them through that water and made them into a people uniquely joined to each other and to Moses through that experience. And that was just the beginning. God fed his people in the wilderness with miraculous food, and he gave them water to drink. At times water flowed out of solid rock. And Paul makes a pretty clear comparison between those Israelites and the Corinthians. He makes the same comparison really between them and us. He suggests that the experience with the cloud and the sea was something like baptism. He suggests that miraculous food and drink was very much like Holy Communion and the miraculous food and drink God provides for us there. In other words, we are privileged people, too. They had something like baptism and something like Communion. We have baptism that God uses to wash sins away and Holy Communion in which God feeds us Christ’s own body and blood for our forgiveness. That’s an amazing privilege. And yet…the conclusion of this account is not necessarily what we expect. As good as God was to the Israelites, he was ultimately displeased with most of them. Almost all of the generation of Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Their bodies were scattered about. It wasn’t enough to have these blessings and benefits. It says something about how the people made use of their privileged position that they did not please God. And that is at least in part explained by what Paul describes next. The Israelites were a tempted people. They were tempted not to rely on God who gave them such amazing gifts. They were tempted to misuse and misunderstand what God had given them and what he had done for them. And the details are instructive. Some of them were idolaters. The quote Paul offers comes from the account of the golden calf. The people created their own God and worshiped it. They did not keep their hearts set on God and his instruction. God did not remain first in the hearts and minds of the people. Do you think there is any similarity between them and us? Would you care to even consider how many times you have made a golden calf for yourself? No, I don’t
mean that you actually formed an idol, but that you allowed something else to be first in your heart or first in your mind, the object of your trust and your confidence. How like those Israelites we are! Even with all the blessings God gives us, we wander away from him. We focus on the things that he created and that he gives, like the gold, instead of focusing on the one who gives it. And that’s just the first example! The Israelites also fell victim to sexual immorality. God punished their immorality by allowing a plague to kill more than twenty thousand of them. Sexual temptation is such a part of the culture all around us. And immorality worms its way into too many hearts. God punished the Israelites with poisonous serpents when they tested him. They were destroyed when they grumbled and complained. Have you ever grumbled? Many of us have probably grumbled more than once already today! We do have so much in common with the Israelites and with the Corinthians. The temptations common to them are common to us. And the sins—the giving into temptation—those are far too common as well. And that’s why we have the warning. That’s why we have been allowed a glimpse into the destruction that God brought on them. The fact is that we are even more privileged because they had only the promise of a Savior. We live in a time when the Savior has already come. We live in the end of the ages, the last times as we await his return. So that’s the reality check. You may think that everything is fine. You might go about your daily routine and your regular habits. You might suppose that showing up here at church means that you are obviously in good standing with God. But the reality check says be careful. Yes, you have amazing privileges, but that does not mean that temptation can be taken lightly or that you are free from danger. But you also have this in common with the Israelites: you are God’s people. Paul says it this way: “God is faithful.” While the bad news of what happened to the Israelites has been put on display, the good is still implied. There is a reason God gave them all the spiritual blessings and privileges he did. He had chosen them to be his own. And while so many died before ever reaching the Promised Land, God’s people did reach it. God did keep his promise. There remained a remnant faithful to him. And God is faithful to you. He sent his Son to die for the sins of all people. He sent Jesus Christ to be the world’s Savior. In his death and his resurrection, we have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the privileged position in which we stand. And though we face temptation and though we fall, God remains faithful. This reality check tells us not to be overconfident in ourselves. It tells us to approach our lives with humility recognizing that we cannot resist temptation and we cannot avoid sin on our own. But God’s promises are incredible. He hasn’t let us be tempted or tested beyond what he allows us to endure. He strengthens us to stand up under testing and trial. He provides a way by which we are able to bear all that we face. God had a plan to bring his Israelites into the Promised Land, and he did exactly that. But he had a bigger plan in store for them and for us. We can’t always tell this based on our lives’ circumstances and situations. The dangers are just as real whether everything is going fine in our lives or whether we are suffering in some way. Jesus offered some specific pleas in this regard. He said that the onlookers couldn’t take refuge or comfort in the fact that others had suffered when a tower fell or when their sacrifices were interrupted by violence. That was the temptation for his listeners. They might get the false impression that this evil that befell others meant that they were more sinful. In contrast, those who did not suffer in such a way must be innocent or at least somehow better. But no, Jesus said, even the evil that befalls others reminds us of our need for repentance. It calls out that we could suffer in the same ways—or worse—just as easily. God’s plan and purpose is for us to reach our heavenly Promised Land. Our privileged position is not enough to get us there. The temptations we face and the sins we commit stand in the way. But here is where our strength is, here is where our confidence is well-placed: God is faithful. He helps and upholds us. He saves and forgives. In everything we turn to him and rely on him. That is the reality check that we need. Without him we are nothing, but with God and as his people we have everything.
The Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (EHV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 6Now
these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 12So
let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20, 2022 “A Reality Check from Israelite History”
A young lady thinks that her relationship with her boyfriend is the most wonderful thing ever. And then one day, he breaks up with her. It is a reality check. Somehow, what she was thinking about the situation was different than what he was. The reality was the relationship was not going as well as she had felt it was. A man thinks his car is going to last him many years, and then it dies. Reality check. No one really knows how long anything might last (in spite our best guesses). How many times has a political party or a specific candidate expected to win, maybe even in a landslide, and then was surprised by how the election turned out? It’s a reality check. There was something about the situation which was not as it seemed or as they thought. When Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he wanted to make sure that they understood the truth. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t make assumptions about their own situations based on the factors they were most likely to consider. Paul had a reality check for them. His words were, “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.” He was worried that these Christians could be complacent. They might not recognize the evil all around them. They might assume that everything was just fine, after all, everything seemed to be going well. But there were threats and dangers that they needed to be aware of. And so Paul offered them a reality check by recounting a number of events from the history of the Old Testament Israelites. The lessons from the Israelites sound a warning for us, too. We can’t consider every detail about the history of the Israelites, but we can summarize some of the events to which Paul alludes, and we can take the lessons— the reality check—to heart. One thing that is very clear from Israelite history is that they were a privileged people. God had given them many amazing blessings. We heard earlier about how God called Moses to lead this people and to rescue them from the Egyptians who had been holding them as slaves. God led Moses ultimately to answer that call and to do as God directed. The people left Egypt with God himself appearing in fire and cloud leading their way. They faced a challenge when they arrived at the Red Sea and had Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his army chasing after them to recapture them. God did a miracle. He split the waters of the sea so that the people could walk through on dry ground, walls of water on each side. He rescued them through that water and made them into a people uniquely joined to each other and to Moses through that experience. And that was just the beginning. God fed his people in the wilderness with miraculous food, and he gave them water to drink. At times water flowed out of solid rock. And Paul makes a pretty clear comparison between those Israelites and the Corinthians. He makes the same comparison really between them and us. He suggests that the experience with the cloud and the sea was something like baptism. He suggests that miraculous food and drink was very much like Holy Communion and the miraculous food and drink God provides for us there. In other words, we are privileged people, too. They had something like baptism and something like Communion. We have baptism that God uses to wash sins away and Holy Communion in which God feeds us Christ’s own body and blood for our forgiveness. That’s an amazing privilege. And yet…the conclusion of this account is not necessarily what we expect. As good as God was to the Israelites, he was ultimately displeased with most of them. Almost all of the generation of Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Their bodies were scattered about. It wasn’t enough to have these blessings and benefits. It says something about how the people made use of their privileged position that they did not please God. And that is at least in part explained by what Paul describes next. The Israelites were a tempted people. They were tempted not to rely on God who gave them such amazing gifts. They were tempted to misuse and misunderstand what God had given them and what he had done for them. And the details are instructive. Some of them were idolaters. The quote Paul offers comes from the account of the golden calf. The people created their own God and worshiped it. They did not keep their hearts set on God and his instruction. God did not remain first in the hearts and minds of the people. Do you think there is any similarity between them and us? Would you care to even consider how many times you have made a golden calf for yourself? No, I don’t
mean that you actually formed an idol, but that you allowed something else to be first in your heart or first in your mind, the object of your trust and your confidence. How like those Israelites we are! Even with all the blessings God gives us, we wander away from him. We focus on the things that he created and that he gives, like the gold, instead of focusing on the one who gives it. And that’s just the first example! The Israelites also fell victim to sexual immorality. God punished their immorality by allowing a plague to kill more than twenty thousand of them. Sexual temptation is such a part of the culture all around us. And immorality worms its way into too many hearts. God punished the Israelites with poisonous serpents when they tested him. They were destroyed when they grumbled and complained. Have you ever grumbled? Many of us have probably grumbled more than once already today! We do have so much in common with the Israelites and with the Corinthians. The temptations common to them are common to us. And the sins—the giving into temptation—those are far too common as well. And that’s why we have the warning. That’s why we have been allowed a glimpse into the destruction that God brought on them. The fact is that we are even more privileged because they had only the promise of a Savior. We live in a time when the Savior has already come. We live in the end of the ages, the last times as we await his return. So that’s the reality check. You may think that everything is fine. You might go about your daily routine and your regular habits. You might suppose that showing up here at church means that you are obviously in good standing with God. But the reality check says be careful. Yes, you have amazing privileges, but that does not mean that temptation can be taken lightly or that you are free from danger. But you also have this in common with the Israelites: you are God’s people. Paul says it this way: “God is faithful.” While the bad news of what happened to the Israelites has been put on display, the good is still implied. There is a reason God gave them all the spiritual blessings and privileges he did. He had chosen them to be his own. And while so many died before ever reaching the Promised Land, God’s people did reach it. God did keep his promise. There remained a remnant faithful to him. And God is faithful to you. He sent his Son to die for the sins of all people. He sent Jesus Christ to be the world’s Savior. In his death and his resurrection, we have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the privileged position in which we stand. And though we face temptation and though we fall, God remains faithful. This reality check tells us not to be overconfident in ourselves. It tells us to approach our lives with humility recognizing that we cannot resist temptation and we cannot avoid sin on our own. But God’s promises are incredible. He hasn’t let us be tempted or tested beyond what he allows us to endure. He strengthens us to stand up under testing and trial. He provides a way by which we are able to bear all that we face. God had a plan to bring his Israelites into the Promised Land, and he did exactly that. But he had a bigger plan in store for them and for us. We can’t always tell this based on our lives’ circumstances and situations. The dangers are just as real whether everything is going fine in our lives or whether we are suffering in some way. Jesus offered some specific pleas in this regard. He said that the onlookers couldn’t take refuge or comfort in the fact that others had suffered when a tower fell or when their sacrifices were interrupted by violence. That was the temptation for his listeners. They might get the false impression that this evil that befell others meant that they were more sinful. In contrast, those who did not suffer in such a way must be innocent or at least somehow better. But no, Jesus said, even the evil that befalls others reminds us of our need for repentance. It calls out that we could suffer in the same ways—or worse—just as easily. God’s plan and purpose is for us to reach our heavenly Promised Land. Our privileged position is not enough to get us there. The temptations we face and the sins we commit stand in the way. But here is where our strength is, here is where our confidence is well-placed: God is faithful. He helps and upholds us. He saves and forgives. In everything we turn to him and rely on him. That is the reality check that we need. Without him we are nothing, but with God and as his people we have everything.
The Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (EHV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 6Now
these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 12So
let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20, 2022 “A Reality Check from Israelite History”
A young lady thinks that her relationship with her boyfriend is the most wonderful thing ever. And then one day, he breaks up with her. It is a reality check. Somehow, what she was thinking about the situation was different than what he was. The reality was the relationship was not going as well as she had felt it was. A man thinks his car is going to last him many years, and then it dies. Reality check. No one really knows how long anything might last (in spite our best guesses). How many times has a political party or a specific candidate expected to win, maybe even in a landslide, and then was surprised by how the election turned out? It’s a reality check. There was something about the situation which was not as it seemed or as they thought. When Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he wanted to make sure that they understood the truth. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t make assumptions about their own situations based on the factors they were most likely to consider. Paul had a reality check for them. His words were, “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.” He was worried that these Christians could be complacent. They might not recognize the evil all around them. They might assume that everything was just fine, after all, everything seemed to be going well. But there were threats and dangers that they needed to be aware of. And so Paul offered them a reality check by recounting a number of events from the history of the Old Testament Israelites. The lessons from the Israelites sound a warning for us, too. We can’t consider every detail about the history of the Israelites, but we can summarize some of the events to which Paul alludes, and we can take the lessons— the reality check—to heart. One thing that is very clear from Israelite history is that they were a privileged people. God had given them many amazing blessings. We heard earlier about how God called Moses to lead this people and to rescue them from the Egyptians who had been holding them as slaves. God led Moses ultimately to answer that call and to do as God directed. The people left Egypt with God himself appearing in fire and cloud leading their way. They faced a challenge when they arrived at the Red Sea and had Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his army chasing after them to recapture them. God did a miracle. He split the waters of the sea so that the people could walk through on dry ground, walls of water on each side. He rescued them through that water and made them into a people uniquely joined to each other and to Moses through that experience. And that was just the beginning. God fed his people in the wilderness with miraculous food, and he gave them water to drink. At times water flowed out of solid rock. And Paul makes a pretty clear comparison between those Israelites and the Corinthians. He makes the same comparison really between them and us. He suggests that the experience with the cloud and the sea was something like baptism. He suggests that miraculous food and drink was very much like Holy Communion and the miraculous food and drink God provides for us there. In other words, we are privileged people, too. They had something like baptism and something like Communion. We have baptism that God uses to wash sins away and Holy Communion in which God feeds us Christ’s own body and blood for our forgiveness. That’s an amazing privilege. And yet…the conclusion of this account is not necessarily what we expect. As good as God was to the Israelites, he was ultimately displeased with most of them. Almost all of the generation of Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Their bodies were scattered about. It wasn’t enough to have these blessings and benefits. It says something about how the people made use of their privileged position that they did not please God. And that is at least in part explained by what Paul describes next. The Israelites were a tempted people. They were tempted not to rely on God who gave them such amazing gifts. They were tempted to misuse and misunderstand what God had given them and what he had done for them. And the details are instructive. Some of them were idolaters. The quote Paul offers comes from the account of the golden calf. The people created their own God and worshiped it. They did not keep their hearts set on God and his instruction. God did not remain first in the hearts and minds of the people. Do you think there is any similarity between them and us? Would you care to even consider how many times you have made a golden calf for yourself? No, I don’t
mean that you actually formed an idol, but that you allowed something else to be first in your heart or first in your mind, the object of your trust and your confidence. How like those Israelites we are! Even with all the blessings God gives us, we wander away from him. We focus on the things that he created and that he gives, like the gold, instead of focusing on the one who gives it. And that’s just the first example! The Israelites also fell victim to sexual immorality. God punished their immorality by allowing a plague to kill more than twenty thousand of them. Sexual temptation is such a part of the culture all around us. And immorality worms its way into too many hearts. God punished the Israelites with poisonous serpents when they tested him. They were destroyed when they grumbled and complained. Have you ever grumbled? Many of us have probably grumbled more than once already today! We do have so much in common with the Israelites and with the Corinthians. The temptations common to them are common to us. And the sins—the giving into temptation—those are far too common as well. And that’s why we have the warning. That’s why we have been allowed a glimpse into the destruction that God brought on them. The fact is that we are even more privileged because they had only the promise of a Savior. We live in a time when the Savior has already come. We live in the end of the ages, the last times as we await his return. So that’s the reality check. You may think that everything is fine. You might go about your daily routine and your regular habits. You might suppose that showing up here at church means that you are obviously in good standing with God. But the reality check says be careful. Yes, you have amazing privileges, but that does not mean that temptation can be taken lightly or that you are free from danger. But you also have this in common with the Israelites: you are God’s people. Paul says it this way: “God is faithful.” While the bad news of what happened to the Israelites has been put on display, the good is still implied. There is a reason God gave them all the spiritual blessings and privileges he did. He had chosen them to be his own. And while so many died before ever reaching the Promised Land, God’s people did reach it. God did keep his promise. There remained a remnant faithful to him. And God is faithful to you. He sent his Son to die for the sins of all people. He sent Jesus Christ to be the world’s Savior. In his death and his resurrection, we have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the privileged position in which we stand. And though we face temptation and though we fall, God remains faithful. This reality check tells us not to be overconfident in ourselves. It tells us to approach our lives with humility recognizing that we cannot resist temptation and we cannot avoid sin on our own. But God’s promises are incredible. He hasn’t let us be tempted or tested beyond what he allows us to endure. He strengthens us to stand up under testing and trial. He provides a way by which we are able to bear all that we face. God had a plan to bring his Israelites into the Promised Land, and he did exactly that. But he had a bigger plan in store for them and for us. We can’t always tell this based on our lives’ circumstances and situations. The dangers are just as real whether everything is going fine in our lives or whether we are suffering in some way. Jesus offered some specific pleas in this regard. He said that the onlookers couldn’t take refuge or comfort in the fact that others had suffered when a tower fell or when their sacrifices were interrupted by violence. That was the temptation for his listeners. They might get the false impression that this evil that befell others meant that they were more sinful. In contrast, those who did not suffer in such a way must be innocent or at least somehow better. But no, Jesus said, even the evil that befalls others reminds us of our need for repentance. It calls out that we could suffer in the same ways—or worse—just as easily. God’s plan and purpose is for us to reach our heavenly Promised Land. Our privileged position is not enough to get us there. The temptations we face and the sins we commit stand in the way. But here is where our strength is, here is where our confidence is well-placed: God is faithful. He helps and upholds us. He saves and forgives. In everything we turn to him and rely on him. That is the reality check that we need. Without him we are nothing, but with God and as his people we have everything.
The Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (EHV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 6Now
these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 12So
let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20, 2022 “A Reality Check from Israelite History”
A young lady thinks that her relationship with her boyfriend is the most wonderful thing ever. And then one day, he breaks up with her. It is a reality check. Somehow, what she was thinking about the situation was different than what he was. The reality was the relationship was not going as well as she had felt it was. A man thinks his car is going to last him many years, and then it dies. Reality check. No one really knows how long anything might last (in spite our best guesses). How many times has a political party or a specific candidate expected to win, maybe even in a landslide, and then was surprised by how the election turned out? It’s a reality check. There was something about the situation which was not as it seemed or as they thought. When Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he wanted to make sure that they understood the truth. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t make assumptions about their own situations based on the factors they were most likely to consider. Paul had a reality check for them. His words were, “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.” He was worried that these Christians could be complacent. They might not recognize the evil all around them. They might assume that everything was just fine, after all, everything seemed to be going well. But there were threats and dangers that they needed to be aware of. And so Paul offered them a reality check by recounting a number of events from the history of the Old Testament Israelites. The lessons from the Israelites sound a warning for us, too. We can’t consider every detail about the history of the Israelites, but we can summarize some of the events to which Paul alludes, and we can take the lessons— the reality check—to heart. One thing that is very clear from Israelite history is that they were a privileged people. God had given them many amazing blessings. We heard earlier about how God called Moses to lead this people and to rescue them from the Egyptians who had been holding them as slaves. God led Moses ultimately to answer that call and to do as God directed. The people left Egypt with God himself appearing in fire and cloud leading their way. They faced a challenge when they arrived at the Red Sea and had Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his army chasing after them to recapture them. God did a miracle. He split the waters of the sea so that the people could walk through on dry ground, walls of water on each side. He rescued them through that water and made them into a people uniquely joined to each other and to Moses through that experience. And that was just the beginning. God fed his people in the wilderness with miraculous food, and he gave them water to drink. At times water flowed out of solid rock. And Paul makes a pretty clear comparison between those Israelites and the Corinthians. He makes the same comparison really between them and us. He suggests that the experience with the cloud and the sea was something like baptism. He suggests that miraculous food and drink was very much like Holy Communion and the miraculous food and drink God provides for us there. In other words, we are privileged people, too. They had something like baptism and something like Communion. We have baptism that God uses to wash sins away and Holy Communion in which God feeds us Christ’s own body and blood for our forgiveness. That’s an amazing privilege. And yet…the conclusion of this account is not necessarily what we expect. As good as God was to the Israelites, he was ultimately displeased with most of them. Almost all of the generation of Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Their bodies were scattered about. It wasn’t enough to have these blessings and benefits. It says something about how the people made use of their privileged position that they did not please God. And that is at least in part explained by what Paul describes next. The Israelites were a tempted people. They were tempted not to rely on God who gave them such amazing gifts. They were tempted to misuse and misunderstand what God had given them and what he had done for them. And the details are instructive. Some of them were idolaters. The quote Paul offers comes from the account of the golden calf. The people created their own God and worshiped it. They did not keep their hearts set on God and his instruction. God did not remain first in the hearts and minds of the people. Do you think there is any similarity between them and us? Would you care to even consider how many times you have made a golden calf for yourself? No, I don’t
mean that you actually formed an idol, but that you allowed something else to be first in your heart or first in your mind, the object of your trust and your confidence. How like those Israelites we are! Even with all the blessings God gives us, we wander away from him. We focus on the things that he created and that he gives, like the gold, instead of focusing on the one who gives it. And that’s just the first example! The Israelites also fell victim to sexual immorality. God punished their immorality by allowing a plague to kill more than twenty thousand of them. Sexual temptation is such a part of the culture all around us. And immorality worms its way into too many hearts. God punished the Israelites with poisonous serpents when they tested him. They were destroyed when they grumbled and complained. Have you ever grumbled? Many of us have probably grumbled more than once already today! We do have so much in common with the Israelites and with the Corinthians. The temptations common to them are common to us. And the sins—the giving into temptation—those are far too common as well. And that’s why we have the warning. That’s why we have been allowed a glimpse into the destruction that God brought on them. The fact is that we are even more privileged because they had only the promise of a Savior. We live in a time when the Savior has already come. We live in the end of the ages, the last times as we await his return. So that’s the reality check. You may think that everything is fine. You might go about your daily routine and your regular habits. You might suppose that showing up here at church means that you are obviously in good standing with God. But the reality check says be careful. Yes, you have amazing privileges, but that does not mean that temptation can be taken lightly or that you are free from danger. But you also have this in common with the Israelites: you are God’s people. Paul says it this way: “God is faithful.” While the bad news of what happened to the Israelites has been put on display, the good is still implied. There is a reason God gave them all the spiritual blessings and privileges he did. He had chosen them to be his own. And while so many died before ever reaching the Promised Land, God’s people did reach it. God did keep his promise. There remained a remnant faithful to him. And God is faithful to you. He sent his Son to die for the sins of all people. He sent Jesus Christ to be the world’s Savior. In his death and his resurrection, we have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the privileged position in which we stand. And though we face temptation and though we fall, God remains faithful. This reality check tells us not to be overconfident in ourselves. It tells us to approach our lives with humility recognizing that we cannot resist temptation and we cannot avoid sin on our own. But God’s promises are incredible. He hasn’t let us be tempted or tested beyond what he allows us to endure. He strengthens us to stand up under testing and trial. He provides a way by which we are able to bear all that we face. God had a plan to bring his Israelites into the Promised Land, and he did exactly that. But he had a bigger plan in store for them and for us. We can’t always tell this based on our lives’ circumstances and situations. The dangers are just as real whether everything is going fine in our lives or whether we are suffering in some way. Jesus offered some specific pleas in this regard. He said that the onlookers couldn’t take refuge or comfort in the fact that others had suffered when a tower fell or when their sacrifices were interrupted by violence. That was the temptation for his listeners. They might get the false impression that this evil that befell others meant that they were more sinful. In contrast, those who did not suffer in such a way must be innocent or at least somehow better. But no, Jesus said, even the evil that befalls others reminds us of our need for repentance. It calls out that we could suffer in the same ways—or worse—just as easily. God’s plan and purpose is for us to reach our heavenly Promised Land. Our privileged position is not enough to get us there. The temptations we face and the sins we commit stand in the way. But here is where our strength is, here is where our confidence is well-placed: God is faithful. He helps and upholds us. He saves and forgives. In everything we turn to him and rely on him. That is the reality check that we need. Without him we are nothing, but with God and as his people we have everything.
The Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (EHV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 6Now
these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 12So
let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20, 2022 “A Reality Check from Israelite History”
A young lady thinks that her relationship with her boyfriend is the most wonderful thing ever. And then one day, he breaks up with her. It is a reality check. Somehow, what she was thinking about the situation was different than what he was. The reality was the relationship was not going as well as she had felt it was. A man thinks his car is going to last him many years, and then it dies. Reality check. No one really knows how long anything might last (in spite our best guesses). How many times has a political party or a specific candidate expected to win, maybe even in a landslide, and then was surprised by how the election turned out? It’s a reality check. There was something about the situation which was not as it seemed or as they thought. When Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he wanted to make sure that they understood the truth. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t make assumptions about their own situations based on the factors they were most likely to consider. Paul had a reality check for them. His words were, “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.” He was worried that these Christians could be complacent. They might not recognize the evil all around them. They might assume that everything was just fine, after all, everything seemed to be going well. But there were threats and dangers that they needed to be aware of. And so Paul offered them a reality check by recounting a number of events from the history of the Old Testament Israelites. The lessons from the Israelites sound a warning for us, too. We can’t consider every detail about the history of the Israelites, but we can summarize some of the events to which Paul alludes, and we can take the lessons— the reality check—to heart. One thing that is very clear from Israelite history is that they were a privileged people. God had given them many amazing blessings. We heard earlier about how God called Moses to lead this people and to rescue them from the Egyptians who had been holding them as slaves. God led Moses ultimately to answer that call and to do as God directed. The people left Egypt with God himself appearing in fire and cloud leading their way. They faced a challenge when they arrived at the Red Sea and had Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his army chasing after them to recapture them. God did a miracle. He split the waters of the sea so that the people could walk through on dry ground, walls of water on each side. He rescued them through that water and made them into a people uniquely joined to each other and to Moses through that experience. And that was just the beginning. God fed his people in the wilderness with miraculous food, and he gave them water to drink. At times water flowed out of solid rock. And Paul makes a pretty clear comparison between those Israelites and the Corinthians. He makes the same comparison really between them and us. He suggests that the experience with the cloud and the sea was something like baptism. He suggests that miraculous food and drink was very much like Holy Communion and the miraculous food and drink God provides for us there. In other words, we are privileged people, too. They had something like baptism and something like Communion. We have baptism that God uses to wash sins away and Holy Communion in which God feeds us Christ’s own body and blood for our forgiveness. That’s an amazing privilege. And yet…the conclusion of this account is not necessarily what we expect. As good as God was to the Israelites, he was ultimately displeased with most of them. Almost all of the generation of Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Their bodies were scattered about. It wasn’t enough to have these blessings and benefits. It says something about how the people made use of their privileged position that they did not please God. And that is at least in part explained by what Paul describes next. The Israelites were a tempted people. They were tempted not to rely on God who gave them such amazing gifts. They were tempted to misuse and misunderstand what God had given them and what he had done for them. And the details are instructive. Some of them were idolaters. The quote Paul offers comes from the account of the golden calf. The people created their own God and worshiped it. They did not keep their hearts set on God and his instruction. God did not remain first in the hearts and minds of the people. Do you think there is any similarity between them and us? Would you care to even consider how many times you have made a golden calf for yourself? No, I don’t
mean that you actually formed an idol, but that you allowed something else to be first in your heart or first in your mind, the object of your trust and your confidence. How like those Israelites we are! Even with all the blessings God gives us, we wander away from him. We focus on the things that he created and that he gives, like the gold, instead of focusing on the one who gives it. And that’s just the first example! The Israelites also fell victim to sexual immorality. God punished their immorality by allowing a plague to kill more than twenty thousand of them. Sexual temptation is such a part of the culture all around us. And immorality worms its way into too many hearts. God punished the Israelites with poisonous serpents when they tested him. They were destroyed when they grumbled and complained. Have you ever grumbled? Many of us have probably grumbled more than once already today! We do have so much in common with the Israelites and with the Corinthians. The temptations common to them are common to us. And the sins—the giving into temptation—those are far too common as well. And that’s why we have the warning. That’s why we have been allowed a glimpse into the destruction that God brought on them. The fact is that we are even more privileged because they had only the promise of a Savior. We live in a time when the Savior has already come. We live in the end of the ages, the last times as we await his return. So that’s the reality check. You may think that everything is fine. You might go about your daily routine and your regular habits. You might suppose that showing up here at church means that you are obviously in good standing with God. But the reality check says be careful. Yes, you have amazing privileges, but that does not mean that temptation can be taken lightly or that you are free from danger. But you also have this in common with the Israelites: you are God’s people. Paul says it this way: “God is faithful.” While the bad news of what happened to the Israelites has been put on display, the good is still implied. There is a reason God gave them all the spiritual blessings and privileges he did. He had chosen them to be his own. And while so many died before ever reaching the Promised Land, God’s people did reach it. God did keep his promise. There remained a remnant faithful to him. And God is faithful to you. He sent his Son to die for the sins of all people. He sent Jesus Christ to be the world’s Savior. In his death and his resurrection, we have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the privileged position in which we stand. And though we face temptation and though we fall, God remains faithful. This reality check tells us not to be overconfident in ourselves. It tells us to approach our lives with humility recognizing that we cannot resist temptation and we cannot avoid sin on our own. But God’s promises are incredible. He hasn’t let us be tempted or tested beyond what he allows us to endure. He strengthens us to stand up under testing and trial. He provides a way by which we are able to bear all that we face. God had a plan to bring his Israelites into the Promised Land, and he did exactly that. But he had a bigger plan in store for them and for us. We can’t always tell this based on our lives’ circumstances and situations. The dangers are just as real whether everything is going fine in our lives or whether we are suffering in some way. Jesus offered some specific pleas in this regard. He said that the onlookers couldn’t take refuge or comfort in the fact that others had suffered when a tower fell or when their sacrifices were interrupted by violence. That was the temptation for his listeners. They might get the false impression that this evil that befell others meant that they were more sinful. In contrast, those who did not suffer in such a way must be innocent or at least somehow better. But no, Jesus said, even the evil that befalls others reminds us of our need for repentance. It calls out that we could suffer in the same ways—or worse—just as easily. God’s plan and purpose is for us to reach our heavenly Promised Land. Our privileged position is not enough to get us there. The temptations we face and the sins we commit stand in the way. But here is where our strength is, here is where our confidence is well-placed: God is faithful. He helps and upholds us. He saves and forgives. In everything we turn to him and rely on him. That is the reality check that we need. Without him we are nothing, but with God and as his people we have everything.
The Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (EHV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 6Now
these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 12So
let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Third Sunday in Lent Sunday, March 20, 2022 “A Reality Check from Israelite History”
A young lady thinks that her relationship with her boyfriend is the most wonderful thing ever. And then one day, he breaks up with her. It is a reality check. Somehow, what she was thinking about the situation was different than what he was. The reality was the relationship was not going as well as she had felt it was. A man thinks his car is going to last him many years, and then it dies. Reality check. No one really knows how long anything might last (in spite our best guesses). How many times has a political party or a specific candidate expected to win, maybe even in a landslide, and then was surprised by how the election turned out? It’s a reality check. There was something about the situation which was not as it seemed or as they thought. When Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he wanted to make sure that they understood the truth. He wanted them to know that they couldn’t make assumptions about their own situations based on the factors they were most likely to consider. Paul had a reality check for them. His words were, “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.” He was worried that these Christians could be complacent. They might not recognize the evil all around them. They might assume that everything was just fine, after all, everything seemed to be going well. But there were threats and dangers that they needed to be aware of. And so Paul offered them a reality check by recounting a number of events from the history of the Old Testament Israelites. The lessons from the Israelites sound a warning for us, too. We can’t consider every detail about the history of the Israelites, but we can summarize some of the events to which Paul alludes, and we can take the lessons— the reality check—to heart. One thing that is very clear from Israelite history is that they were a privileged people. God had given them many amazing blessings. We heard earlier about how God called Moses to lead this people and to rescue them from the Egyptians who had been holding them as slaves. God led Moses ultimately to answer that call and to do as God directed. The people left Egypt with God himself appearing in fire and cloud leading their way. They faced a challenge when they arrived at the Red Sea and had Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his army chasing after them to recapture them. God did a miracle. He split the waters of the sea so that the people could walk through on dry ground, walls of water on each side. He rescued them through that water and made them into a people uniquely joined to each other and to Moses through that experience. And that was just the beginning. God fed his people in the wilderness with miraculous food, and he gave them water to drink. At times water flowed out of solid rock. And Paul makes a pretty clear comparison between those Israelites and the Corinthians. He makes the same comparison really between them and us. He suggests that the experience with the cloud and the sea was something like baptism. He suggests that miraculous food and drink was very much like Holy Communion and the miraculous food and drink God provides for us there. In other words, we are privileged people, too. They had something like baptism and something like Communion. We have baptism that God uses to wash sins away and Holy Communion in which God feeds us Christ’s own body and blood for our forgiveness. That’s an amazing privilege. And yet…the conclusion of this account is not necessarily what we expect. As good as God was to the Israelites, he was ultimately displeased with most of them. Almost all of the generation of Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Their bodies were scattered about. It wasn’t enough to have these blessings and benefits. It says something about how the people made use of their privileged position that they did not please God. And that is at least in part explained by what Paul describes next. The Israelites were a tempted people. They were tempted not to rely on God who gave them such amazing gifts. They were tempted to misuse and misunderstand what God had given them and what he had done for them. And the details are instructive. Some of them were idolaters. The quote Paul offers comes from the account of the golden calf. The people created their own God and worshiped it. They did not keep their hearts set on God and his instruction. God did not remain first in the hearts and minds of the people. Do you think there is any similarity between them and us? Would you care to even consider how many times you have made a golden calf for yourself? No, I don’t
mean that you actually formed an idol, but that you allowed something else to be first in your heart or first in your mind, the object of your trust and your confidence. How like those Israelites we are! Even with all the blessings God gives us, we wander away from him. We focus on the things that he created and that he gives, like the gold, instead of focusing on the one who gives it. And that’s just the first example! The Israelites also fell victim to sexual immorality. God punished their immorality by allowing a plague to kill more than twenty thousand of them. Sexual temptation is such a part of the culture all around us. And immorality worms its way into too many hearts. God punished the Israelites with poisonous serpents when they tested him. They were destroyed when they grumbled and complained. Have you ever grumbled? Many of us have probably grumbled more than once already today! We do have so much in common with the Israelites and with the Corinthians. The temptations common to them are common to us. And the sins—the giving into temptation—those are far too common as well. And that’s why we have the warning. That’s why we have been allowed a glimpse into the destruction that God brought on them. The fact is that we are even more privileged because they had only the promise of a Savior. We live in a time when the Savior has already come. We live in the end of the ages, the last times as we await his return. So that’s the reality check. You may think that everything is fine. You might go about your daily routine and your regular habits. You might suppose that showing up here at church means that you are obviously in good standing with God. But the reality check says be careful. Yes, you have amazing privileges, but that does not mean that temptation can be taken lightly or that you are free from danger. But you also have this in common with the Israelites: you are God’s people. Paul says it this way: “God is faithful.” While the bad news of what happened to the Israelites has been put on display, the good is still implied. There is a reason God gave them all the spiritual blessings and privileges he did. He had chosen them to be his own. And while so many died before ever reaching the Promised Land, God’s people did reach it. God did keep his promise. There remained a remnant faithful to him. And God is faithful to you. He sent his Son to die for the sins of all people. He sent Jesus Christ to be the world’s Savior. In his death and his resurrection, we have forgiveness and eternal life. That is the privileged position in which we stand. And though we face temptation and though we fall, God remains faithful. This reality check tells us not to be overconfident in ourselves. It tells us to approach our lives with humility recognizing that we cannot resist temptation and we cannot avoid sin on our own. But God’s promises are incredible. He hasn’t let us be tempted or tested beyond what he allows us to endure. He strengthens us to stand up under testing and trial. He provides a way by which we are able to bear all that we face. God had a plan to bring his Israelites into the Promised Land, and he did exactly that. But he had a bigger plan in store for them and for us. We can’t always tell this based on our lives’ circumstances and situations. The dangers are just as real whether everything is going fine in our lives or whether we are suffering in some way. Jesus offered some specific pleas in this regard. He said that the onlookers couldn’t take refuge or comfort in the fact that others had suffered when a tower fell or when their sacrifices were interrupted by violence. That was the temptation for his listeners. They might get the false impression that this evil that befell others meant that they were more sinful. In contrast, those who did not suffer in such a way must be innocent or at least somehow better. But no, Jesus said, even the evil that befalls others reminds us of our need for repentance. It calls out that we could suffer in the same ways—or worse—just as easily. God’s plan and purpose is for us to reach our heavenly Promised Land. Our privileged position is not enough to get us there. The temptations we face and the sins we commit stand in the way. But here is where our strength is, here is where our confidence is well-placed: God is faithful. He helps and upholds us. He saves and forgives. In everything we turn to him and rely on him. That is the reality check that we need. Without him we are nothing, but with God and as his people we have everything.
The Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 (EHV) 10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 6Now
these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 12So
let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.