1 CORINTHIANS 10: 6-11

“Nor are we to commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.  Nor are we to put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and were killed by the snakes.  Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, …”

Read the last sentence again… This message applies to us individually and collectively.  It states that debauchery carries severe consequences.  God has made that historically clear. Yet somehow today, we not only tolerate these evils… we celebrate them.  

You argue that you stand against sin…  but what about “Grumbling”.  Are you lovingly pulling others out of the gutter, or just grumbling against those who are in it?  Do you love the word of God,  or do you resent His commandments? In this passage the result of self-centered grumbling was death, just like the other sins on the list. 

God is not vague about the purpose of this passage.  It says, “these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction…”.  That is not hard to interpret. In the original Greek, It means, “these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction…”.  

Do we suppose God’s opinion has changed about worshiping money, pursuing pleasure, or normalizing sexual perversion? Do we think it is acceptable now to grumble about the obligations of serving God?

This passage states that it is unwise to test God.  Yet here we are, dancing close to the flames. There is a precedent in this passage which we are unwisely ignoring. 

God’s word is not a buffet, you cannot choose which commands you follow. Cherry-picking scripture is pursuing YOUR will, not God’s. 

Christianity is an “all-or-none” proposition… You either surrender to God, or you don’t.  The Lord has outlined expectations on conduct, marriage, sexuality, treatment of others, and even attitude… They are not suggestions, nor are they subject to cultural standards, and ignoring them carries consequences. 

Jesus proved His love for us by dying to save us while we were still sinning…  So, we don’t avoid sin to make Him love us … We avoid sin because we love Him. 

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments...”  - Jesus (John 14:15)