Sermon Tone Analysis

Today we are going to continue working through 1 Corinthians.

If you will, open your bibles with me to .

To begin, let us read the passage in its entirety and then I will return to the beginning and try to explain the passage to the best of my ability.

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, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil 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 rose up to play.”

8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

This is the word of the Lord.

Let us pray.

This is the word of the Lord.

Let us pray.

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, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil 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 rose up to play.”

8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil 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 rose up to play.”

8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Lord your word leads us to Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life.

As we open it this morning, may our hearts be receptive to Him.

Speak to us Father we want to hear from you.

Holy Spirit help us to discern the truth, for as Paul states, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

We acknowledge that it is you, Holy Spirit, who opens our eyes to the Truth and for this reason we ask you to give us eyes to see and ears to hear.

amen.

This is the Word of the Lord

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

In verses 1-5 Paul is making a really interesting comparison between the Israelites and Baptized believers such as you and I.

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In verses 1-5 Paul is making a really interesting comparison between the Israelites and Baptized believers such as you and I.

He is making the claim that the Israelites were no less the people of God than we are.

Just like us they were saved by faith, just like us they went through the water of baptism and just like us they received the sacraments of the Lords supper.

How so?

Well that is a great question and to answer it we need to remind ourselves of the story of Israel.

You see the story of Israel is a story of deliverance.

It is a story of a people who were oppressed in Egyptian slavery, under the tyranny of Pharaoh, but who by the Grace and power of God, were miraculously moved from slavery to freedom.

We all remember the story well.

Although God besieged Egypt with a myriad of plagues: flies, darkness, locusts, boils, gnats, frogs, disease, hail and fire.

But Pharaoh would not relent and insisted that the Israelites remain his slaves.

However, do you remember the story of the final plague?

Let us read from Exodus 11

Let us read the final story from Exodus 11

11 The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt.

Afterward he will let you go from here...‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.

6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.

7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’

plagueAlthough God pounded Egypt with plagues, Pharoah would not relent and insisted that the Isrealites remain his slaves.

However, the final

4 So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.

6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.

7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’

The reason that the Israelites were immune from the final plague was because God provided a sacrifice for the Israelites.

He instructed each family to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and take the blood from the lamb and put it on the doorposts of their house.

Thus by believing in God and responding to his command in faith, the Israelites were spared the judgment of God by means of a sacrificial lamb.

Just like Abraham who the scriptures tell us “ believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”.

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”.

Just like Abraham, who the scriptures tell us “ believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

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So to did the Israelites believe God and rely upon him for their salvation and they were then considered the people of God.

Calvin says it this way

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Thus by believing in God and responding to his command in faith the Israelites were spared the judgment of God through a sacrifical lamb.

In this we see act we see a type of Christ.

That spotless lamb that removed the penalty of death prefigures Jesus Christ who is the sinless sacrifice that saves us from death and gives us the gift of life.

“the Passover, which was instituted to celebrate the remembrance of their deliverance, was nevertheless, at the same time, a sacrament of Christ.

How so?

Because God had, under a temporal benefit, manifested himself as a Saviour.”

In this we see act we see a type of Christ.

That spotless lamb took away the penalty of death prefigures Jesus Christ who is the sinless sacrifice that saves us from death and gives us the gift of life.

John Calvin and John Pringle, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 314.

Therefore, In this deliverance we see Christ.

That spotless lamb that removed the penalty of death prefigures Jesus Christ who is the sinless sacrifice that saves us from death and gives us the gift of life.

Do you see what Paul is showing us?

He is saying that, although the Israelite people lived on the other side of the cross, they were still saved by means of the cross.

“the Passover, which was instituted to celebrate the remembrance of their deliverance, was nevertheless, at the same time, a sacrament of Christ.

How so?

Because God had, under a temporal benefit, manifested himself as a Saviour.”

Today, if somebody accepts Christ as their Lord and Saviour what is the next step for that individual?

We encourage them to get Baptized.

John Calvin and John Pringle, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 314.

It is Baptism.

Interestingly, this too is the next step for the people of Israel.

First they believed that the sacrificial lamb would save them from death and free them from slavery.

And then after they put their faith in the sacrifice, Paul tells us that the people were baptized as they passed through the red sea.

Just like us, the Israelites were removed from slavery (for them it was a physical slavery while for us it was a slavery to sin) and they were raised to walk in newness of life as they pursued Gods leading towards the promised land.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.