READING 1 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 10

  Friday, February 9, 2024

 INTRODUCING 1 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 10 (NLT)

 The previous chapter concluded with Paul's commitment to continue to control himself. He exercises discipline so he does not become ineffective in his ministry. He begins chapter 10 by reminding the Corinthians of how the Israelites brought consequences on themselves in the wilderness. Among their many sins was worshiping idols, and God killed many of them for it. The Corinthians must flee idol worship and any appearance of supporting the demonic practice. They are free to eat meat if they don't know that it is idol food. However, they should be ready to set aside their own freedoms and rights. Whenever doing so will glorify God and win others to Christ. (https://www.bibleref.com/1-Corinthians/10/1-Corinthians-chapter-10.html) 

1. Warnings From Israel's History, Verses 1-13, TBA

¹I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] 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. ² In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. ³ All of them ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. ⁶ These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, ⁷ 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.”^[b] 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. ⁹ Nor should we put Christ^[c] to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. ¹⁰ And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. ¹¹ These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. ¹² If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Explain "In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses". (V.2)

2. Put into your own words the meaning of these verses. (V.1-5)

3. The Israelites engaged in 6 sinful acts mentioned here. What were they as well as the warnings to us? (V.6-10)

4. How does God help us when we are tempted? (V.13)

Thought Questions:

1. Do you think people today engage in some questionable daily practices that may not be readily recognized as idolatry? 

2. Describe the blessings God poured out on the Israelites. Were they natural blessings, spiritual blessings, or both? Explain. (V.1-4)

2. Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper, Verses 14-22, Destiny

¹⁴ So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. ¹⁵ You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. ¹⁶ 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 in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. ¹⁸ Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? ¹⁹ What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? ²⁰ No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. ²² What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is? 

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. What is meant by "the cup at the Lord's Table"?

2. What does one loaf represent? (V.17)

3. Who did the pagans worship? (V.20)

4. What happens if we drink from the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons too? (V.21)

5. It almost seems like in verses 19-21 Paul is teaching that we must not eat food sacrificed to idols, is he? 

Thought Questions: 

1. If you had to pick one or two key verses from this passage, what would they be? 

2. What do you think might be an idol in your life, whether known or unknown? 

3. What is the point Paul is trying to make in verses 19-21? 

3. The Believer's Freedom, Verses 23-33, Mrs. Elnora

²³ You say, “I am allowed to do anything”^[d]—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. ²⁴ Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. ²⁵ So you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience. ²⁶ For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” ²⁷ If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ (But suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. ²⁹ 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? ³⁰ If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? ³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles^[f] or the church of God. ³³ I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Do we have the right to do anything? Why? (V.23)

2. When did Paul tell the Corinthians not to eat? (V.28)

3. When Paul spoke of "the sake of conscience", who was he referring to? (V.29)

4. Why is it so important to think of others? (V.32-33)

Thought Questions: 

1. How do you interpret verse 26? 

2. What would you say is the key scripture for this section? 

3. Do you think Paul literally meant that he trys to please everyone in everything in verse 32-33?

Prayer Confession for 1Corinthians, Chapter 10:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the beautiful picture of Israel being under the cloud of Your supernatural protection, and thank You that like them, all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have "passed through the sea of death" through faith in Him. Thank You that by faith in Christ, we have been baptized into His Body and passed from death to life. Help us to learn all the lessons You would have us learn, and may we be worthy witnesses to a lost world of Your goodness and grace. Keep us low at the Cross and looking to Jesus - the Author and Finisher of our faith. Heavenly Father, thank You that You have saved us from our old ungodly ways of life and breathed into us the new life of Christ Jesus. Keep us we pray from falling into any ungodly practices and prevent us from flirting with practices that trouble our consciences or the conscience of others. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen. (Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/1-Corinthians/10)

Precious God and Almighty Father, thank you for the very many gifts you have poured into my life. I want to especially thank you for my spiritual freedom. Empower me to use it to bless others and build them up, rather than bringing glory to myself. Please help me see others as the place of your work in the world, In Jesus' name I pray, amen. (Source: Heartlight.org)

Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/1-Corinthians/10