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Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of ages has come. Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 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. (1 Cor. 10:11-13)
How well can you predict the future?
This of course is meant to make you think much of the unknown. But especially today, I want you to think of what you probably will know about tomorrow.
If you’ve had a backache for the last 3 months, you’re probably going to have a backache tomorrow.
If the kids have fought with each other for the last 5 years, they’re probably going to fight sometime today.
If you’ve spent the last several weeks or more caring or calling or consoling a particular person, then you pretty much expect that will continue tomorrow.
We’re not that bad at predicting the future some of the time. We predict how work is going to be, what the problems are going to be, who the problems are going to be. We predict people. We predict days. We predict certain things at certain places.
Today, we especially want to consider what we should be predicting for ourselves spiritually.
Our devotional challenge for this past week was to incorporate the 10 commandments in our daily prayers.
As we say them in the morning, our Lord is helping us prepare for the days attacks. “This is what I expect of you, so you can predict the devil will attack these things. He’ll attack your faith (1st commandment),
he’ll attack your prayers (2nd commandment),
he’ll attack you in so far as you have authority and you in so far as you are under authority (4th commandment),
he’ll attack you with anger (5th commandment),
he’ll attack God’s good gift of sexuality (6th commandment),
he’ll attack you’re contentment in life (9th and 10th commandments).”
And, because you have God’s commands, because they are from God, you also have a promise that God does not want you to fail and He wants to help you.
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.
We can predict these things. We can also predict our failure.
Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. Predict to be humbled by God’s commandments, and that’s a good thing.
Our Epistle reading is a warning about the past so we might be able to predict the future attacks.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. Pinch your flesh. If you have this, and you weren’t conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, then their’s going to be some consistent temptations for you.
God’s people of old were tempted to desire, crave evil things (6). Predict that for yourself. God’s people of old were tempted to fear, love, and trust in other things and people other than God (7). Predict that for yourself.
They were tempted toward sexual immorality (8) and grumbling (9). They put God to the test after He provided for them over and over again, they started to wonder if God was going to provide for them (10).
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
We’re all struggling here. The problems might be slightly different, the degree might be slightly different, the specifics might be slightly different, but we’re all tempted.
We all have suffering.
We are all surrounded with others who are suffering.
We’re tempted toward on the one hand and despair on the other.
The devil and his demons know all our weaknesses, be they slightly different weaknesses.
We all have a sinful flesh that revolts and rebels against our God.
I predict in the very near future you’re going to struggle with faith and holy living and you can predict the same for me.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
We ought be humbled in ourselves by others sins and have their sins help us predict our own future temptations.
But in our devotional challenge, the Ten Commandments are not the only thing that help us predict the future. And in our reading, the falling of others are not the only things of the past that help predict the future.
God is faithful. That is the bedrock prediction of the Christian faith.
He fed the people of old with daily bread, manna that came from heaven in the wilderness even though many doubted. He has fed you daily bread. He has called you to pray for daily bread. Predict that He will give it to you, even if you have doubts.
He sent serpents among those who rebelled, but when many called upon Him to save them, He told Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole and lift it up so that all who look on it would live.
God has sent His Son to be lifted up, just as the serpent was lifted up, that all who believe in Him would have everlasting lift (John 3:14-15).
All the time God’s people of old are being saved, being redeemed, being marked with blood, being washed, being fed with spiritual food and spiritual drink from the Rock that was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4), having God create in them clean hearts, saving the humble people, receiving the Word that is a Lamp unto their feet and light unto their path.
It happened to the people of the Old Testament. It happened to the people of the New Testament. It happened our fathers and mothers in the Christian faith. It’s happened to you.
How well can you predict the future? God is faithful. He’s going to keep being faithful to the end.
So, our devotional challenges helps us not only predict the temptations through the 10 commandments, but also helps us predict the promises that will be fulfilled as we exercise ourselves in the Creed and Lord’s Prayer.
God will be the Father Almighty, creator and preserver, Our Father who art in heaven.
Jesus will be my Lord. He purchased and won me from all sin, death, and the power of the devil with his holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death.
The Holy Spirit will work in me His holiness. I will receive the communion of saints. I can predict the future because I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
And as I wait, God is faithful, He will be with me even to the end of the age.