ILLUSTRATION: Bulls v. Sharks - we love rugby; Americans love football

I am going to suggest that 1 Corinthians 10 can be built around two verses that serve as summations of the two themes of the chapter. I am going to call them the goal posts. In rugby and football, we call them "uprights" and that is exactly what we want to be as believers - upright.

The two verses are 13 and 31. It is easy to remember the verses because they are the same numbers switched, and they also describe the trinity - our one God is three, and the three are one.

13 - No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

31 - Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So, today, I want to encourage you to win the game of life by putting the ball through these two uprights, these two principles, remembering that only our amazing God can give you the help you need to live by these two principles.

• One upright is stated negatively - battle with temptation knowing that others also battle, knowing that God hasn't allowed too much for you to handle with His help, and He has given you an escape route.
• The other upright is stated positively - evaluate everything you do by this one criterion - is it to the glory of God - "I eat this to your glory, I drink this to your glory, I am watching this to your glory, I am listening to this music to your glory, I have this relationship to your glory, I am working this way for your glory, I am engaging in this hobby for your glory."

Today, we deal with the first upright - the one dealing with temptation.

Last time, we looked at the last four verses of 1 Cor. 9, and we talked about "finishing strong." Paul used the race metaphor to say that he was worried about not finishing well, so he disciplined his body and kept it under strict training so that he wouldn't become a castaway - disqualified.

Imagine the Corinthian response: "There's no way that you'll fall, Paul! You've seen too much. You've seen Jesus in visions, been caught up to the third heaven, you've been comforted by angels, you've been stoned to death and lived to tell about it, you came here as a result of the Spirit giving you a dream and telling you not to go to Asia. You've seen thousands come to know Christ, you've seen miraculous healings, demons cast out, etc. There's just no way you could fail with all that you've seen and experienced!"

PASSAGE: Read verses 1-13

1. Having God in your life does not guarantee long-term success (vv. 1-5)
Paul repeats the term "all," but then says that with "most" God was not well pleased - Joshua and Caleb were the only adults over 20 who had left Egypt and also entered the Promised Land

• All were under the cloud - Exodus 13:21, Numbers 9:15-23 - they all had the Lord's visible presence and guidance; they could see God - you can feel God's presence and work in your life.
• All passed through the sea - Exodus 14:21-31 - they all had the Lord's deliverance in one of the greatest miracles in history, a picture of salvation
• All were baptised into Moses - they all became linked with (immersed into) Moses, Israel's greatest leader - you can be identified with great leaders of churches or denominations
• All ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual water - they all had food and water directly from the Hand of God (Christ) - you can sit under great teaching and have the water of life inside you

With many of them God was not well pleased - all of these manifestations of God, and miracles of God that could be taken in by the five senses, didn't make a difference because many/most of them didn't have a heart after God - all of these things alone will not make enough of a difference in your life - the issue is your heart's commitment to God as your Father, your Saviour and your friend.

• Illustration - Surrounded By The Bible - On the one hand, you can have a Christian school graduate from a Christian home who goes out and turns his back on God, lives a life of sin and never darkens the door of a church again. We had a pastor here in SA, trained through CMI, ordained for the ministry, pastored in Newcastle for 7-8 years, then became an open and defiant homosexual - with all that truth in his head!
• Counter-Illustration - Just a Piece of the Bible - On the other hand, prisoners in a Russian prison during the cold war watched through their small window as soldiers ripped up a Bible in the courtyard and burned it in front of professing Christians. A tiny corner piece of a page lifted up by the flames, came in through the window, and all it had on it was Jonah 3:5 - "So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth…" That's all it had on it. The men in that cell concluded that if the people of Nineveh could believe God, so could they, and with simple faith, they turned from their wrongdoing, and each covenanted that when they were released from prison, they would find a church and learn about God. You can have next to no information about God and still follow him because your heart is tender and bent toward Him.

Deep down, at the end of the day, we all do what we want to do. Some have a weak heart for God, a polite heart that embraces Christianity very mildly; they seem great until a little test comes along and they fall over, fall back, fall away. Others have a heart after God and see the big picture - I am part of spiritual kingdoms in conflict; the kingdoms and riches of earth will soon end when Jesus returns; my words, deeds, and sacrifices will have eternal consequences - so I must guard my heart and resist temptations.

A Disciple Of Jesus Christ
I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I must go 'til He comes, give 'til I drop, preach 'til all know, and work until He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me - my banner will be clear. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

2. Good beginnings to do not guarantee long-term success (vv. 6-11)
Theme verses 6 and 11 bracket the paragraph - These things became examples for us - for us to learn to guard and restrict our cravings - our theme verses for the OT course. Four major sins characterized Israel:

• Idolatry (v. 7) - Exodus 32 and the golden calf incident; "play" = expression for sexual partying - 3000 executed for an immoral orgy at Sinai - freedom often excessively celebrated in sexual freedom, as in SA (AIDS has exploded after the free elections in 1994)
• Sexual immorality (v. 8) - Numbers 25 - immorality with the women of Moab, just before entering Canaan - plague broke out until Phinehas killed the main instigators - 23,000 died of plague, another 1000 by the sword.
• Testing God (v. 9) - Number 21 - when they were wandering in the wilderness, the questioned God's goodness and called his provision worthless - poisonous serpents came
• Complaining (v. 10) - Numbers 14:37 (10 spies who complained about the size of the enemy) or Numbers 16:3-41 (Korah, Dathan and Abiram's rebellion) - killed by the destroyer (death angel)

3. Long-term success is a result of winning each battle against temptation (vv. 12-13)
Famous verse 12 - Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Take heed to what? To Israel's stories, and to stories of Christians all around us.

• God doing a mighty work in saving you is not enough to keep you faithful over the long haul.
• God showing you amazing miracles in your life is not enough to keep you faithful over the long haul.
• If you're doing well, past performance does not guarantee future success.
• Tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it - BUT tomorrow is also a whole new battle in this war, and yesterday's success won't make today another success.

Tomorrow, according to verse 13, we must battle with temptation knowing that:
1. Others have also battled, and are battling, with the same difficulties
2. God hasn't allowed too much for you to handle with His help - He hasn't promised to keep us from testing, but to limit its intensity to what you are able to endure. You can endure far more than you think, especially with His grace (help) - How many Christians have clung to this promise over the centuries!
3. God has given you a way of escape - now, escape route can have two meanings: 1) an escape from the trial - in Greek usage, a place to safely disembark from a ship, an exit dock, or 2) an escape within the trial (so that you may be able to "bear it" = "bear up under it") - the aid of His grace (inwardly - peace and strength, and outwardly - other believers) such as Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

The Corinthians were battling with the temptations to go back and visit the old way of life - just a little sex with the temple prostitutes, just a little offering to the gods with friends, just a little meat offered to idols - accommodation to peer pressure while violating their consciences.

CONCLUSION
So, where is your heart today? How much will it take for you to leave church and walk away from God? Someone offends you, you lose your job, robbery, family problems, embarrassment about family problems, or maybe on the other hand it's just busyness (the only thing necessary to keep you out of church is anything that comes up), how about riches and hobbies? How fixed is your heart? We may have very dark days ahead in SA - is your heart fixed? Committed to the Lord?