First Corinthians chapter 10 is the portion of God's Word that we read this evening. First Corinthians chapter 10. We'll read tonight the first 14 verses of this chapter. The text for the sermon consists of verses 11 and 12. This people of God is the wholly inspired Word of God. 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, and that 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 20,000. 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 in samples 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. There hath no temptation taken you but such as common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. So far we read God's holy and inspired word. Let's read together again just verses 11 and 12. 1 Corinthians 10, 11, and 12. Now all these things happened unto them for in samples. 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. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls our attention to a particular period in the history of the Old Testament. It was the period of the wilderness wanderings, the time from when they were delivered from the bondage and slavery of Egypt until the time when they were brought into the inheritance of Canaan. At the beginning of 1 Corinthians chapter 10, the apostle brings up what are, on the surface, very beautiful truths, positive truths. The fact that they were baptized under the cloud, and in the sea, the fact that they did eat spiritual meat, the fact that they did drink spiritual drink, the fact that all of that pointed to and was a type of Jesus Christ. But the point of the apostle is to continue in verse 5, though all did that, With many, God, verse five says, was not well pleased. And we know what happened. They were, as we read in the end of verse five, overthrown in the wilderness. And that leads to verse six, where the apostle writes that these things were our examples. And it's that idea, after giving some more history from that period in the Old Testament, that the Apostle picks up on in verse 11 and elaborates on in verse 11. Referring to these same historical events, now these things happened unto them for in samples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. And it's that which leads to the wherefore. And the wherefore is, this is what we must learn as the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ from what he just explained from those Old Testament historical events. This is the conclusion for the church. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. These inspired examples from the Old Testament serve as a sharp warning to the New Testament. It's a sharp warning to us as a church against the terrible sin of pride, and that's what I call your attention tonight under the theme, A Warning Against Pride from Old Testament Examples. Let's consider in the first place the inspired examples, and then in the second place, let's consider the sharp warning. Beloved, the main point of our text is that God has a purpose with what took place in the Old Testament. And the purpose is that we as New Testament believers might learn from, as we read, study, and apply what took place in the Old Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 is a fundamentally important chapter as we try to understand how we are to use the Old Testament as a New Testament church. We are, as Christians, called to read, study, and apply not just the New Testament, but all of God's Word. And from a broad point of view, 1 Corinthians 10 sets before us the paradigm according to which we are to understand Old Testament history. even though what we read in this chapter is dedicated to a sliver of that Old Testament history. But it does that with respect to two main points. The first is that Christ was there. During this period in Old Testament history, When they ate of that manna, and when they drank from that water that came from the rock, 1 Corinthians 10 says, that was Christ. So that in doing that, they, for those who had a true and living faith in the promised Messiah, were receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. Broadly speaking, it teaches us that in the Old Testament, even in the historical narratives, Christ was present. And then in the second place, the fact that what happened in the Old Testament serves as examples to us. We learn from them. We learn what to do. We learn what not to do. And this is because what we have here in the Old Testament was written by God. Take note of that in our text, verse 11. It says that they are written for our admonition. That's no insignificant part of the text. Because that indicates that what we have in the Old Testament Scriptures, particularly the history of the Old Testament, this history specifically mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10, was inspired by God in the sacred record that we have before us tonight. I want us to stop and reflect upon that for a little bit. From the point of view that all of this took place according to the providence of God, It was in the providence of God that everything in the Old Testament would happen for his people. 4,000 years or so of Old Testament history occurred according to God's providence. But then it's striking to think about the fact that of that 4,000 years or so of Old Testament history, we have what is but a sliver of that history. Sometimes we can think that the Old Testament is a big book, and in many respects it is a big book. But then we think of that Old Testament and realize only a portion of that is historical narrative, and a portion of that is historical narrative for some 4,000 years of Old Testament church history. There is so much. that we simply do not know. God determined what would happen, and of everything that did happen, God determined that these would be the things that would be written. Of all of the things that happened, what we have in the Old Testament, in this history referred to in 1 Corinthians 10, is what God had written. so that we, as the New Testament church, might learn from it. The end of verse 11 says that this is upon whom the ends of the world are come. These things are examples written for our admonition upon whom or for whom upon whom the ends of the world are come. The point is that this is for the New Testament church. We are right now in this period. The age that is going to end when Jesus Christ returns. There is no other age of world history. There was the age prior to Christ. Christ came and now we're in that age upon whom the ends of the world are come. Christ is going to come. Christ is going to come in judgment. Christ is the one before whom all men one day will stand. And God in His providence determined what would happen in the Old Testament. Of all what would happen, what would be written down so that we tonight, as part of the New Testament church, might take heed to what is written. as we anticipate the end when the Lord Jesus Christ comes in judgment. We need to hear. We need to learn from. We need to heed the truth of God as it is expressed in this history as we're taught in this chapter in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians chapter 10. But now to be a bit more specific, what the text says is that all these things happened unto them for examples and samples. I'll use the word examples as we go through the rest of the sermon. These things happened as examples and we know what an example is. An example is something that you look to or someone that you look to They're set before you and you say with respect to that one, I either need to do what he or she is doing or I need to not do what he or she is doing. An example is something to be followed or it can be negative and that which is to be not followed. The Bible uses in several other places this idea of example. Paul writes to Titus that he needs to be, as a pastor, an example in his conduct to the flock. The elders are called in 1 Peter to be examples to the flock. Those are positive in nature. Every parent here understands that. You need to be examples to your children of faith and godliness. Here in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, it's not positive in nature, it's negative in nature. These are the things that happened that we need to take heed from in order that we as the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ don't follow and don't receive therefore the end which they received in this history. But the idea of the example in the text is deeper than that. And what indicates that it's deeper than that is the fact that the English word example, as we have it in our text, is the Greek word tupos. And the Greek word tupos is from which we get the English word type. And that takes this to a deeper level. Not just, here's something that happened. Follow it or don't follow it. But types are persons or events of the Old Testament that point to and have a fulfillment in the New Testament and have a spiritual reality relative to the work of Jesus Christ in the salvation of sinners and in the judgment of unbelievers. What we have here in 1 Corinthians 10 and the history explained is typical. It's typical of the work of God in saving His church. And in His judgment and wrath coming upon those who do not believe and trust in Christ. The beginning of the chapter makes that very clear. They were all present in the wilderness. And they all ate of the manna. And they drank that water that came from that rock. And 1 Corinthians 10 says, that was Christ. Those who had a true faith in the Old Testament, when they ate that manna, they were partaking by faith of Jesus Christ. When they drank that water, they were partaking by faith of Christ. The fulfillment is Jesus Christ, the bread of life and the water of life. It was typical history that taught Gospel truth. And all of this happened at that period When we have the grand type of the Old Testament, slavery and bondage in Egypt, picturing spiritual slavery and bondage and sin. Deliverance by the blood of the Lamb through the wilderness, which is our earthly pilgrimage into the Canaan to come, which is heaven. But then in addition to that, we have These examples of what happened that are negative in nature. What we read in verses 5-10. That point to a spiritual reality. There is a thread that runs through all five of those examples. And the thread that runs through all five of them is that their disobedience led to an immediate, outward, physical death, pointing to the grand spiritual reality that the judgment of God comes upon all those who do not, with a true and living faith, believe in Christ and trust in Christ, but rather reject Him and in impenitence walk in sin. And in light of that, we have what follows this, which is these things were our examples, and written, the text says, for our admonition. They are examples, types, that are written for our admonition. And in light of the last point that I just made, in light of the context of 1 Corinthians 10, What that word admonition refers to is especially warnings. Admonition is a good translation. Often in the New Testament, this word is translated as warnings. When we read this history of the Old Testament, when we read about the people of God in the Old Testament, who though they ate the manna and though they drank that water, yet went on in their sin and their unbelief and in their impenitence and were destroyed by God." God says to the church, He says to the New Testament church, this is the warning. This is the warning that the church must heed. And the church must learn from. God has a purpose in this happening and this being written down so that we who are sitting here this evening as members of the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ might learn from history. And learn from history in such a way that we are kept from that unbelief, and we are kept from that disobedience, and we are kept from that impenitence, and therefore, are kept from that judgment to come, but instead, by learning from this history, are driven to, in humility, the Lord Jesus Christ, our need for Him, and in our thankful walk in response to Him. And the warning that the apostle inspired by God is issuing in verse 12. Wherefore, as a result of this, on the basis of this, this is the warning of the church. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. That's the sharp warning. that comes to the New Testament church out of these examples which were written for our admonition. Before we delve into that second point of the sermon, what I want to do is briefly make a broad point of application from what we said so far, relative to the confessions of faith tonight. And it's looking back and it's looking forward. Looking back, We can be thankful to God that you young men, and all of you young people in the church, know the history of the Old Testament. That's something that we don't take for granted tonight. Think about that. I'm preaching this sermon on 1 Corinthians 10. We read the beginning of the chapter, which is all about a period in the Old Testament. I didn't need to take tonight ten minutes in order to say, okay, here's the broad lines of the Old Testament. beginning in Genesis, the end of Genesis, which gets them in Egypt, Exodus, the deliverance, and then eventually we get to Numbers, and that's when these things took place. No, when you read 1 Corinthians 10, Moses tempting Christ, perishing in the wilderness, you young men and you young people and children even know what this is talking about. They're in between Egypt and Canaan, and that's when this took place. And on a confession of faith night, it's worth stopping and reflecting upon that and praising and thanking God for that. That all throughout your lives, you learned the word of God. You learned the history of the Word of God. How many times, think about it, how many times did you not systematically go through Old and New Testament history? That's looking back, and we look back tonight with praise and thanks, but then we look forward, and we look forward saying, but now see the Gospel in it. and see what you need in it as a sinner who needs God's strength. And don't forget it. You see, young men, it's very different for you going forward. You're not going to have catechism classes anymore. You're not going to have school that has structured classes where you learn about the truth of God's Word. You're going on in life, and all of those structured classes are gone. But that doesn't mean this is gone. The point is, continue. to read, to study, to think about the history of the Old Testament. And now as maturing young men, you read and you think about and you study and don't forget that history from the point of view of this is for me. I need to learn about this. This isn't like learning about World War II and just the facts of what happened like we teach maybe a young child, even though they're two. We try to teach them the gospel in that always, but the point is it's not just bare facts. The point is you know the history, you learn the history, keep studying the history so that in many respects history doesn't repeat itself, but that you grow in your faith and God uses that to keep you from falling. The sharp warning that's issued out of this history is expressed in verse 12. I've said it several times already. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. People of God, it's a warning against pride. The text does not use the word pride. But the one who thinks he stands is the proud man. And the proud man is the one who falls. The well-known text in Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 18. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. God tells us tonight to look at this history in the Old Testament. Look at what the church did. This was the Old Testament church, the people of God, in walking in terrible disobedience to God's commands and in unbelief. And the judgment and heavy hand of God upon them came. You think you stand? Take heed, lest you fall. The fall For the child of God is not a fall from God entirely. As Reformed believers, we confess tonight wholeheartedly from the word of God and the confessions, the preservation of the saints. And what a glorious truth that is. That for the individual child of God, he or she will never fall from grace. But this does apply to us tonight. And this applies to us tonight because this pride of which the text speaks is in each one of us. And it applies to us tonight because at times, that pride which is in each one of us, if it is not rooted out, if it is not brought to the cross, if it is not sought from God's strength to conquer and to fight against, will lead, even in the life of the child of God, to falls. To serious, grievous, far-reaching in consequence, falls. If one is an unbeliever, who does not know the Lord, thinks he stand and falls, you could describe it in a different way. But for the child of God, the fall is not a fall from grace. The fall is a fall into serious, lamentable sin. And the Scriptures are replete with examples of those who have fallen. Great men of God who have fallen. Noah, after a glorious victory in the flood and in the ark, becomes a drunk. Abraham, father of believers. He has that beautiful title, father of believers. On two occasions, not just one, on two occasions, guilty of lying publicly with respect to who Sarah was. Moses was a murderer. David, the king after God's own heart. lusted with his eyes upon Bathsheba and acted upon that lust and adultery and had the blood of Uriah upon his hand. Jonah fled from God, refusing to heed God's call to go to Nineveh. Peter, publicly, three times, denies the Lord Jesus Christ. And all throughout history, how many more And we praise God tonight that it doesn't end there. That God is a God of grace. God is a God of mercy. So that with all of the falls, great or small, as we go to Christ, we know that all of them in their entirety are forgiven by the blood of Jesus. So that we have peace. So that we have hope. So that we have joy in our salvation. So that we have the assurance of our salvation. But that does not take away from the fact that the fall is a real possibility in the life of the child of God. Grievous to God, and far-reaching in its consequences, and thinking about generations, though one himself or herself might be preserved, the effect is found in the generations thereafter. The Word of God to us tonight is if you think you stand, take heed lest you fall. The word that comes to the individual, it's addressed to an individual. We apply it to the church. We apply it even more broadly than that to the denomination. To think you stand is to think that you stand by your own strength. That's the idea. The one who thinks he stands is the one who says, I am standing by my own willpower, by who I am, by what I have done. I look to self and self alone for what I need and for the strength to go forward in my life. It's pride. The exaltation of self. That pride can manifest itself in a couple of very clear ways. The idea of thinking you stand. This is an attempt to get us to think about how this manifests itself in our lives. To be on guard against it in our lives. Because no one who is guilty of what verse 12 says, says right out, I'm verse 12. I'm the one that verse 12 is describing. No, there's a deception going on there so that you are deceived into thinking all is well when all is very much not well. This is an attempt to help us understand when the mentality of our minds and hearts is that of thinking you stand. In the first place, it will demonstrate itself with the way in which you look at, think about, and talk about others. Others who have fallen into these very sins. And this can be true on an individual level, a church level, a denominational level. But this way of thinking and this way of speaking is indicative of the proud I stand by my own strength. It's the young man or the young woman looks at another young man or young woman and says with respect to that young man or young woman, I cannot believe what he or she did. Can you believe the sin that she committed or he committed or keeps on committing in their life? I would never ever do that. Beloved, that is pride. When you look at someone else and you say, I can't believe they did it, but I'll never be guilty of that. You may not say that, but that's the thought by the way in which you speak and think about what they did. Or as a church, you look at another church, and you hear about what's going on there, and you say with respect to our own church, we'll never have that happen to us. We'll never be that way. We'll never respond that way. They did it, but that's not happening to us over here. It's pride that thinks you're better than someone else over there. Or denominationally. You look at someone else in another denomination and you say with respect to that denomination, can you believe what they did and where they are going as a denomination? Now let me be clear here. I am not saying that we don't think about and talk about the sins of others, or what's happening, or what's happening denominationally, and the doctrines that need to be confessed, and the doctrines that are being compromised. Absolutely, we need to teach, we need to warn, we need to instruct. But when we have the attitude It's never going to happen to us. And I can't believe it happened to them, collectively or individually. It's nothing less than sinful pride. And the sinful pride is the thinking that by our own strength, we will stand. Manifest itself in the second place. by a refusal to understand and reckon with the strength of the spiritual enemies that are all around us every single day. Spiritual complacency would be another way to put it. where you look at these examples in the Old Testament referenced in 1 Corinthians 10, and you don't reckon with the reality that my sinful nature loves every single one of these sins that I just read about in 1 Corinthians 10. And this world around me is pressing down upon me so strongly to walk in these very sins. And that the devil never, ever stops to twist the way that I think, to change the doctrine that I confess, and to cause me to lead down the wrong path. When we are standing on our own strength thinking that all is well, we are forgetting in our spiritual complacency the reality of and the strength of our spiritual enemies. We are in a war every single day. And the devil uses everything. And our natures love it all. And the world never stops, whether doctrinally or practically, to lead us down the path of unbelief and sin. and disobedience before God. The moment that we don't think about the reality of those enemies rightly, and oftentimes it's when things are well. When it doesn't matter if I think about my sinful nature, I get through the day fine. It doesn't matter if I don't think about the devil, I still go to job, I still make a good living, I still go home, and I do it again. It doesn't matter when I think about the world, I can indulge in a few things, but my life's not radically affected by it day in and day out. When things are well, it's so easy. to be spiritually complacent. And in that spiritual complacency to think we stand by our own strength. And the moment we think we stand by our own strength is when we are susceptible to the fall. And so the Word of God to us this evening is, take heed. Take heed is what verse 12 says. All of us, as we stand before this Word of God, knowing those enemies and knowing our own sinful nature and knowing that pride is that which is in each one of us, takes heed lest he fall. Take heed. What does that mean? It means that we examine very, very carefully these truths of the beginning of 1 Corinthians chapter 10. That's the idea of the taqid. Examine carefully. Consider very, very in-depth what we read in these verses. Consider it not by saying, I can't believe the children of Israel did that in the Old Testament. I'll never do that. Not by saying those enemies aren't present in my life anymore, but by saying, I need to hear this. Because I know my sinful nature and I know these enemies, I need to hear this. Lord, what do I learn from the warnings that are issued in these examples? And you can do that with all of them that are listed in verses 6 through 10. I'm not going to do that tonight. Maybe that's what you young men do this week. Study verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Take each day for your personal devotions one of them and look at the corresponding Old Testament history and learn from it regarding your faith and walk with God. Let's do it with just one. That's verse eight. Let's take heed tonight to verse eight. Neither let us, notice how it's addressed, neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and 20,000. That's an appropriate word to take heed to. in light of eight young men confessing their faith tonight. It goes back to Numbers 25. Balaam, the false prophet, entices Israel through the Moabitish women, so that the men of Israel, enticed by the women of Moab, committed great fornication and adultery and all forms of sexual immorality. And on top of that, did that in the service of those Moabitish gods. They were overtaken in sexual sin. To the young men of the congregation, to the eight young men of this congregation that confess their faith, to all of us as men and women, take heed. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest he fall." Pride says, Pride says, I have no inclination to walk those sins. I have no chance in my life that they'll ever entrap me. Pride says, I can't believe someone else fell into sexual sin, but that's not what is going to happen to me. Pride is that which we need to keep from. But in taking heed, we say the Moabitish women are all around us. And the Balaams that seek our destruction are all around us. They're one click away. They're one hook-up away. They're one relationship away. It's oh so accessible. And the devil is always there ready to pounce on that sinful nature. The word is, take heed. Don't think you can stand on your own strength. And take heed right at the beginning. Because the end may be the fornication and the adultery, but the beginning is where we take heed. The beginning is the thoughts. The beginning is, I wonder what it would be like. The beginning is the movies and television with inappropriate what you see on those screens and then leads to A little bit more. And a little bit more. And then what you see isn't good enough and it ends in the actual act of adultery or fornication or in dating. It starts with this and it all ends in that. And the word is, take heed. Because if you think you'll stand on your own strength, you will fall. Beloved, we take heed by studying carefully and learning from the warnings that God issues in His Word. And we take heed, in the end, by from these warnings, with an understanding of who we are, being driven to the Lord Jesus Christ and our need for Him. How will we not fall? How will we not fall into great and lamentable sins? How will we not fall in our life today, tomorrow, or next week? How will God keep us, to put it positively, in our salvation and in a godly and holy walk? By one way and one way alone. And that is by looking to and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ every single day. Young men, it's by being men of prayer. Men of prayer, every day, knowing where you have fallen, Knowing what your heart is inclined to. Knowing the sins that you have committed in your life and bringing those to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and finding peace and joy in that forgiveness and in that prayer. Seeking the strength of God every day to walk in holiness and in thanks to Him. You take heed. And you show that you're not standing on your own strength by actually not standing, but getting on your knees and praying, God, help me today, tomorrow, and every day of your life. You take heed by being young men of God's Word. That's been implied in the sermon thus far. Applied with respect to Old Testament history, but the point of the beginning of the chapter brings us to Christ, and the end of the chapter brings us to Christ. Men of God's Word who feast on Jesus Christ. Who feast on Jesus Christ in the preaching of the gospel from week to week. Who feast on Jesus Christ now in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper that you will now be able to partake in as confessing believers. And as you go to Christ, and receive Christ by faith, what you are doing in that is saying, I cannot stand on my own strength. I look away from myself and my own strength. I look to Jesus. You do this by being, by the grace of God, humble. Humble to know your sin, to know your sinful nature. Never to look at any other person better than yourselves. Never to read any other passage in the word of God without saying, I need to learn from this because I know who I am as a sinner. Humble. and therefore knowing your need every day for the God of your salvation and the Savior, Jesus Christ. Young men, you made a confession tonight, a beautiful confession, thankful to God for that confession. Young men, as the future of this congregation, young men, learn from God's word. Young men, take heed. Take heed every day. Don't think you can stand on your own strength. Look to Christ. Find your strength in Him. And by God's grace, He will keep you. And as the future leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ will keep, his church as the church pays heed to these warnings from his word. Amen. Father in heaven, we're thankful for thy word of truth, and we pray, bless us as we hear it tonight, and as we grow from it, and we pray that each one of us in humility may learn, and may we be zealous in now our faith and in our looking to thee, knowing our own weakness and our own sin. Father, we pray all of this, not because we are worthy, but in Jesus' name alone, amen. Let's sing now number 403.