David Wilkerson – Tempting Christ | Sermon – Newly Posted
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“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
“But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
“Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:1-12).
Who were the people Paul is describing in this passage — the thousands who “fell in one day,” the masses who were killed by snakes, and the others who were “destroyed of the destroyer”? These weren’t Moabites, Canaanites, Philistines or any of the other heathen surrounding Israel. No, Paul is speaking here of believers — people of God’s own choosing!
These people had witnessed incredible miracles. They’d been fed spiritual food by supernatural means. They’d drunk spiritual water from a rock Paul says was Christ himself. They were well taught and well taken care of. Yet, Paul says, many of these same people were consumed by God’s fiery wrath and destroyed by serpents.
The apostle tells us in verse 5 that these Israelites so displeased God, he “overthrew” them in the wilderness. The Hebrew word used here means, “He cast them out of his hand, scattering them to the ground like so much dust.”
What does this mean? It was the Lord telling Israel, “I will not accept this from you! If you were innocent — if you weren’t well trained, or hadn’t received spiritual food from my hand, or hadn’t seen evidence of my glory — then I would deal with you. But in spite of my many blessings to you, you’ve chosen lusts and idols. So, now I’m going to scatter you. I’m casting you out of my hands completely!”
How could this be? Why would the Lord deal so severely with his own people after they’d benefited so fully from him?
According to Paul, 23,000 of them died as a result of their fornication and idolatry. And others were destroyed because of their murmuring and complaining. Finally, still others were killed by venomous snake bites. What did this last group do to warrant their deaths? Paul tells us very clearly in verse 9: They tempted Christ! “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted…” (verse 9).
We can understand why God would deal severely with fornicators, idolaters and murmurers. But I want to focus on this particular sin of tempting Christ. What does Paul mean when he says we “tempt the Lord”?
The apostle is referring here to an episode in Exodus 17. The Israelites had just experienced the miracle of manna — a white wafer containing all the nutrition they needed to sustain them. This “small, round thing” appeared on the ground in their midst every day. The people didn’t earn or merit this supernatural food; the Lord fed it to them by his grace alone. All they had to do was gather it up.
But now they had no water. They had come to a place called Marah, where the water was too biter to drink. Once again they were in a crisis, facing yet another test. God had met their hunger, but not their thirst!
Immediately, the people began chiding their leader, Moses. They accused him of being a heartless liar who had led them into the wilderness to destroy them. They even spoke of stoning him.
About David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson was the Founding Pastor of Times Square Church in New York City. He was called to New York in 1958 to minister to gang members and drug addicts, as told in the best-selling book, The Cross and the Switchblade.
Posted with written permission of Time Square Church
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