to hear that twice. That's a
great hymn. First Corinthians 10, 12. Wherefore, because of everything I've said
up to this point, particularly in this chapter, Wherefore, let
him that thinketh, he standeth. Take heed, lest he fall. Do I need that warning? Do you need that warning? Let him that thinketh, he stands. Take heed, lest he fall. By way of introduction, I would
like to read Proverbs chapter 16, verse 18. Proverbs 16, 18.
Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a
fall. Now that is what the scripture
tells us. If I'm going to fall, and I pray that we would be kept
from falling, but if I'm going to fall in a grievous way, Lord,
keep me from that. But if I'm going to fall, what's
before it? Pride and a haughty spirit. I hope none of us are so arrogant
as to think that we do not need this warning. Let him that thinketh,
he stands. Take heed, beware, lest he fall. Now, when Israel left Egypt,
we know of 600,000 adult men that bore the sword that left. These were not children. These
were men. These were an army of men. And of that 600,000 men, only
two made it in, Caleb and Joshua. That would be like the town we
live in, somewhere over 300,000, only one making it in. That's the kind of number that
is. Now, these people physically
experienced the miraculous, and Paul mentions 10 events that
took place in the Old Testament. These people were the people
that followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire
by night. They watched it over the tabernacle. When it would
move, they would move. When it would stop, they would
stop. They experienced this. These
people walked through the Red Sea. The sea was parted, and they
walked through it as on dry land. These people ate manna that fell
from heaven. Tasted like wafers and honey. Called in one place angel's food.
It came from heaven. It was created actually, another
creation. It was not in the material universe. And it came down every day for
40 years and they ate this bread. These people saw water come from
a rock that quenched their thirst. And the scripture says in this
chapter, that rock followed them, and that rock was Christ. And
somebody says, how could a rock follow them? I don't know, but
it says the rock followed them. I've listened to every message
I've listened on that said, well, the rock didn't literally follow
them. Well, if the rock was Christ, the rock literally followed them,
and that's where the water came from. these people experience
that. They experience the judgment
of God for their unbelief when they rejected the testimony of
Caleb and Joshua and they were made to wander forty years in
the wilderness and you can bet that was miserable in a hot desert
forty years the Lord kept their clothes so they didn't rot, kept
their shoes, but they wandered 40 years in the wilderness. These are the people that got
tired of manna and said, we want meat. And the Lord sent them
that meat. And as soon as they started eating
it, it turned to worms in their mouth and they contracted a disease
from this. These are the people who after
all the Lord had taught them and brought them out of. As soon
as Moses is gone 40 days, they make a golden calf and worship
it in the wilderness committing idolatry. These are the people
who followed Balaam's counsel and joined up with the Moabites
and 23,000 of them were destroyed in a plague. These people are the people who
said, our souls loathe this light bread. We're tired of manna.
And what that is, is being tired of the sufficiency of Christ.
That's all that represents. I need something else. I'm denying
the sufficiency of Christ. And that's when the Lord sent
those fiery serpents in the wilderness. These are the things Paul mentions
in this chapter and that We're given such a glorious picture
of Christ. Take a serpent made out of brass,
put it up on a pole and whoever looks, that's all that they're
called upon to do, to look. Whoever looked, lived. They saw the death of the 10
spies that brought the evil report. And we're not counting women
and children, but the 600,000 men that experienced all of this.
599,998 of them died in the wilderness. Paul says, wherefore. That's where that wherefore is
from. In light of this. Let him that thinketh, he standeth. Take heed, lest he fall. Now there is such a thing as
real and true standing before God. A standing in his acceptance,
a standing in his favor where he favors you. Now what a glorious thing to
think about having the favor of God. We read in Romans chapter
5 verse 2 of the grace of God wherein we stand. Our standing,
our acceptance is because of his grace. The saving grace of
God. Grace means favor. We quite often
call it unmerited favor and there's certainly a reason to call it
unmerited favor because we certainly don't merit by our works. We're
sinful, but he gives his favor anyway, it's having God for you. That's an incredible thought
to think that God would be for me. If God be for us, who can
be against us? Ephesians 1, 6 says, he hath
made us accepted in the beloved. And that word accepted is the
same word said to Mary when it says, hail, thou art highly favored. What he said to Mary, he says
to every believer, you are highly favored by God himself. And this favor is in the beloved.
We know that he has made us accepted in the beloved. Now I want you
to think about how the father favors his son. How the father sees his son as
altogether lovely, altogether beautiful. Oh, the father's love
toward the son, the father's favor toward the son. Now that's
not unmerited favor, is it? Oh, how he merits the favor of
his son. Now get this, that's the favor
every believer has. The Lord does not look at you
and say, I'm going to tolerate you for Christ's sake. You're
highly favored, beloved of God. He said, this is my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased. His son merits his favor, and
so do all in him. I'm in that group of in him. I'm well pleased. I'm in him. And God the Father is well pleased
with every one of his children. And we don't much think that
way. But that doesn't change the fact of the matter. God is
well pleased. When the Lord looks at me, I'm
well pleased. I highly favor Him. He's accepted in the beloved.
He's beautiful. He's perfect. He stands without
sin before me. He never sinned. That's what
justification is. Now, I want you to think of the
favor every believer possesses. Now, if you don't have anybody
else's favor, but you have God's favor, what else needs to be said? To say we stand in grace and
to say we stand in Christ is really to say the same thing.
There is such a thing as standing. Standing in grace and standing
in Christ. Paul speaks of us standing in
Colossians chapter four, verse 12, perfect and complete in all
the will of God. How many times have you worried
that that's not the case with you, but yet here is what Every
believer has. They stand perfect and complete
in all the will of God. Now when Jude says, now unto
him that's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, do you know
that word present is the same word translated stand here? He's
able to make you to stand before the presence of his glory. Faultless. That's every believer standing
before God in judgment. Faultless. Without fault. Having never sinned. Having never had a wicked thought. You say, but I have. It's all
been put away. You stand more than forgiven,
although you're forgiven. You stand faultless. before him. I love to think about that because
I have often thought, well, what if any sins are going to be brought
up? Wouldn't that be awful? But there
aren't any sins to be brought up. That's true of every believer,
this standing they have in grace, in Christ, accepted in the beloved. And this standing is in the gospel.
First Corinthians 15.1, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you
the gospel which I preached unto you, which you also received,
and wherein you stand. I stand in the gospel. Bold shall I stand in that great
day, for who ought to my charge allay, fully absolved from these
I am, from sin's tremendous curse and shame. My standing is in
the gospel, the gospel of his grace. You say, what do you mean
by that? How that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures. That's what I mean by that. When
I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Our standing is in the gospel
of the scriptures. How that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures. That's the gospel. How he was
buried and was raised again the third day according to the scriptures. You know, Paul said, Second Corinthians
124, by faith you stand. By faith you stand. Now, what
does that mean? That means if you look to Christ
alone, as all you have, all you want, and all you need to make
you stand perfect before God. You're looking to Him alone. You're resting in Him alone.
You're trusting Him alone. You're believing Him alone. You're
looking to Him alone. You're not looking anywhere else.
You really believe He's all you got. You really believe that.
He's all that you have. But you love it that way. You
don't want anything else. You stand so Complete by faith
you stand to him that worketh not But believeth on him that
justifies the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness And you stand in the whole armor
of God Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 6. This is a longer passage
of scripture. So I want you to read it with
me And listen every believer has
this armor we're going to read about. Ephesians chapter six,
beginning in verse 10. Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put ye on the whole
armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles,
the deceptions, the deceit of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, that's not our problem, men, human beings, I don't care
how powerful they may seem to be, we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places. Wherefore take you the whole
armor of God that you may be able to withstand in that evil
day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, the truth of the gospel, the
truth of the character of God, the truth of how he saves, the
truth of his word. That's what he mentions first.
Have your loins girt about with truth. And having on the breastplate
of righteousness, that's the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
And this is a breastplate that has no seams. Nothing can get
through this. Oh, what a breastplate this is.
And your feet shod with the preparation or the foundation of the gospel
of peace. That's how we walk with the gospel of peace, the
foundation of the gospel of peace. Above all things, taking the
shield of faith wherewith you should be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, the
scriptures. Now, here we have the armor every believer is given. I know you can't put it on unless
he puts it on you. I realize that. But he says, put it on.
Put it on. May God give us grace to do that.
And in putting on this armor, we stand. Look in Romans chapter
14 for a moment. We stand in his ability. Verse four. Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? To his own master he standeth
or falleth. Yea, he shall be holdin' up,
for God is able to make him stand. You see, if I stand, it's God
making me to stand. Look in verse 10 of this same
chapter. But why does thou judge thy brother? What a question. Or why does thou set it not thy
brother? When I judge my brother, I'm
setting him at naught. I'm saying he is without value
in comparison to me. What an evil thing to come out
of our hearts, judging. Four, we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. Now understand this, that's not
saying you better watch out for judging him because you're going
to stand before the judgment seat of Christ too. That's not
really what, we shall all stand. We shall all be accepted. We
shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Now, if my brother's
going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, what business
have I got judging him? He stands before the very judgment
seat of Christ, accepted in the beloved standing, not cringing,
not standing in the righteousness and the merits of Jesus Christ. Thou standest by faith. Paul
said, be not high minded, but fear. Now, what a glorious standing
we have. I want us to, by the grace of
God, enjoy that, believe that. What a standing we have in His
grace. Now, our text says in 1 Corinthians
10, verse 12, wherefore, in light of these examples from the Old
Testament, wherefore, let him that thinketh, he standeth. take heed lest he fall." Now
the word think in our text means to be of the opinion, to suppose,
to presume, to seem to be. Let me show you how this word
is used. Our Lord spoke of those who think
they shall be heard by their much speaking. They think they can be heard
because of their much speaking. Oh, they've got so much to say
in prayer. They can pray forever. You'll fall asleep while they're
praying. They pray so long. They think they shall be heard.
They think wrong. What think ye, said Caiaphas to the Sanhedrin. He's guilty of death. They thought wrong. This is the
only sinless man to ever live. Now, when he was put on the cross,
he was guilty of death. I realize that, but not the way
they thought. They thought this man is so wicked,
he's guilty of death. When the Lord came to his disciples
walking on the water, they supposed it to be a spirit. Same word. They thought it to
be a spirit. It was a supposition they made,
and that supposition was wrong. He said, suppose ye or think
ye that I'm come to give peace? I'll tell you nay, but I've come
to bring a sword. What they thought was wrong.
He said, you search the scriptures. In them you think you have eternal
life. But what you think is wrong,
they are they which testify of me. In every one of these instances,
what the people thought was wrong. Listen to this scripture, 1 Corinthians
8, verse 2. If any man thinketh, he knoweth
anything. Now, I've got that down. God's taught me. I've got that
down. I understand that. Don't tell
me I don't understand that. I've got that down. If any man
thinketh, he knows anything. He knows nothing. yet as he ought
to know. You know, one of the reasons,
and I'm not telling you that you ought to do this, but I never
underline anything in the Bible. And the reason I don't underline
anything in the Bible is because when I come back to it, I'll
think, well, I already know that. No, I don't. No, I don't. There isn't anything that I really
have a complete grasp on as I ought to. If any man thinks he knows
anything, He knows nothing yet as he ought to know. If a man thinketh himself to
be something, there's that word again. If a man thinketh himself
to be something, I'm somebody, I know something, I've got an
experience, God's taught me, I'm something. If a man thinks
himself to be something when he is nothing, He deceives himself. What a blessing it is to be nothing. Because when I'm nothing, Christ
is everything. When I'm something more than
nothing, Christ is not everything to me. I love that simple statement. I'm a poor sinner and nothing
at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. If a man thinks he stands, let
him take heed, lest he beware, lest he fall. Every one of us
should have a keen awareness of our own sinfulness and weakness,
present tense, and how easily we could fall, and how certainly
we will fall in the most horrible way, unless the Lord prevents
it. Now, every one of us ought to
have a keen awareness of that. Are we not called to pray daily,
Lord, lead us not into temptation? And temptation sometimes means
trial. And you know, I don't look for
trials. I don't want to be tried. Lord, let me not be tried. But
it also means tempted to do evil, tempted to sin, tempted to commit
that which is contrary to what God says. Lord, don't let me
be tempted. I know what happens when I'm
tempted, so deliver me from even being tempted. That's the attitude
we ought to always have with regard to ourself. Lead me not
into temptation, deliver me from evil. Deliver me from this evil
world because I'll be taken up with it. Deliver me from the
evil one, Satan, I'm no match for him. Deliver me from this
evil one. I love it when the Lord said
to his disciples, if you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more so your heavenly father give
to them that ask him. Galatians chapter six, verses
one and two says, brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,
How would you think about that language? Overtaken. He was stronger than he was.
It beat him up and he was overtaken. Can't you understand how anybody
can be overtaken? If you have any understanding
of yourself, you understand how someone can be overtaken. Brethren, if any man be overtaken
in a thought, you which are spiritual." I love the way Paul uses that
word. You know, the only people who
are spiritual are the people who have the Holy Spirit. The only people
who are spiritual are people who are born of the Spirit. Somebody
says, I'm a spiritual person. No, you're not. You're not unless
you're born of the Spirit. Now, if you're born of the Spirit,
you are a spiritual person. So he's speaking to spiritual
people. Let him that's spiritual restore
such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you
also be tempted. Do you think you're stronger
than that man? And if you're not tried the way he is, you
don't think he'll be overtaken? The only reason you haven't been
is he's prevented it. So consider in meekness. that man,
restore him in the spirit of meekness, not some kind of high
mightiness and some, no, the spirit of meekness, considering
yourself, knowing yourself enough to know that if you're tempted
the way he is, you'll follow the way he did. And the reason
you haven't is because you've been preserved. Do you believe
that? I do. I know that that's so. Now, what is it? that would make
a man presume on standing and not worry about falling. I've already read the scripture.
Proverbs chapter 16, verse 18, pride. You know, pride is the most unreasonable,
irrational pride. What do you have that you didn't
receive? Who makes you to differ from
another? Pride? Pride goes before destruction
and a haughty, arrogant spirit before the fall. Now, the scripture
also says in Proverbs, I can't remember where it is, it's in
Proverbs, a righteous man falls seven times a day and he rises. Now, why seven? Not eight, seven
is a number of completion. In your own experience, you find
you fall nonstop and the Lord lifts you up. I'm thankful for
that scripture. It teaches me so much about myself. And it's also, I'm also warned
that if I'm proud and arrogant and puffed up with a haughty
spirit, that's what brings on a fall. You know, Paul said to the Corinthians
on five different occasions, you're puffed up. You've got
an inflated view of yourself. You've got a swollen view of
yourself. You know, when you get sick,
you swell up. You've got spiritual edema, he
says to these people. You're puffed up. And that's
why he gives this warning to the church at Corinth, because
of their pride. We all, beginning with me, ought
to have a healthy awareness of how sinful and weak we are, present
tense, and how easily we can fall. And I think of Paul's words,
when I'm weak, impotent, powerless, then am I strong. Conversely,
when you're strong, that is when you are weak. Now, when the Lord
said, one of you will betray me, I try to put myself in the disciple's
place. And I'm trying to look at it
honestly. When he said, one of you will
betray me, I'm afraid I think, I wonder who it will be. I bet
I know. I bet it'll be so-and-so. How did the disciples answer?
Every one of them. Is it I? Am I the one that will do this? He then told Peter, you're going
to deny me. What was Peter's response? Peter, the one of whom Christ
said, thou art Peter, the bold confessor of Christ. It was Peter
who drew out a sword to fight when they came to get Christ.
Turn with me to Luke 22 for a moment. Verse 31, and the Lord said,
Simon, Simon. Luke 22, 31. Simon, Simon, Satan
hath desired to have you. Now that means that he asked
for permission. That's what that means. It could
be he would ask for permission for you or me. He certainly did
for Peter. I generally think that Satan
we're more along the demon line. You know, he probably wouldn't,
I don't know what I'm saying. I don't think Satan would be
so much interested in me. He'd send one of his inferior
demons, but Peter was an apostle. And Satan has asked for permission
that he may sift you as wheat. How much does Satan have to work
with with you? That's a sobering thought, isn't
it? You know, the Lord said, the prince of this world hath
come and found nothing in me. He had nothing he could work
with. But oh, with me and you, any man? He didn't have any trouble
sifting Peter's wheat, did he? I mean, Peter's response, but
then he says in verse 32, but I prayed for thee that thy faith
fail not. I love that. Do you know that
although Peter failed terribly, he never quit believing that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. His faith never failed. And then
he says, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." What
it is, the Lord knew that Peter was in this state of pride and
arrogance and he's the one who said, although the rest of this
bunch will deny you, I won't do it. And he really believed
that. Look what he said in verse 33
after the Lord said this to him and he said unto him, Lord I'm
ready to go with thee both into prison and to death. And he said,
I tell thee Peter the cock shall not crow this day for that before
thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest." I mean, now you know
the story there, but I love the way the Lord said, Peter, I prayed
for you, that your faith fell on. You
see, Peter needed to fall. It was good for Peter to fall. And he said, when you're converted,
when I convert you from this arrogance, strengthen your brethren. Now, I want to end with Luke
18. I want to look at two different
standings. Verse nine, and he spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves that they were Righteous. Another way that you could say
that is these people believed they were standing. They believed
themselves to be standing. And they despised others. They
looked down their nose at others. They considered themselves to
be superior to others. They were so judgmental. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee
stood. There's that word. He stood. He thought he's standing,
didn't he? He stood. He stood and prayed
thus with himself. He thought he was praying to
God, but he wasn't. God, I thank thee that I am not
as other men are. He didn't say, I thank you for
your grace. He didn't say, I thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ.
He said, I thank you for my standing. I'm standing. Unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican, I fast twice in the week and give tithes of all
that I possess. I stand. The Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself. Verse 13, and the publican standing
afar off. He felt unqualified to be standing
like this Pharisee did. Perhaps he was even impressed
with this Pharisee. I don't know. Certainly intimidated
by him. He had a standing. But he stood
afar off, feeling himself to be completely unqualified for
anything else. He would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful. And the word is propitious. God
be propitious. He's not just generally asking
for mercy. He's saying, Lord, do something about my sin. Cause
it to be put away by the blood atoning sacrifice of your son.
Do something about my sin. If you ever see your sin, you
see you can't do anything about it. You ask the Lord to do something
about it. God be propitious. I can't make it go away. God
be propitious to me. And in the original, the definite
article is used. I'm not real sure why the translators
put a sinner, the sinner. And hear what the Lord says,
I tell you that this man went down to his house justified. Without guilt. Without sin. Perfect! This man, this man who
stood afar off, went down to his house justified, rather than
the other. For everyone that exalts himself
shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. One other proverb says, Proverbs
in 1812 says, before destruction, the heart of a man is haughty.
but before honor is humility. Humility, a just estimate of
yourself. That's what humility is. It's
not necessarily browbeating and deprecating yourself. It's a
just estimate of yourself. And what a beautiful thing it
is, humility. Before honor is humility. You
know, the Lord, this is how beautiful humility is. The Lord was meek
and lowly in heart. That's how he described himself.
Meek, humble. And as we prepare to take the
Lord's table, we are, I hope by the grace of
God, so aware that all we have and all we want and all we need
is Jesus Christ's broken body and shed blood. And that is what
it means to eat the bread and drink the wine worthily. You
know this is all you have. And to eat and drink unworthily
is to not see that. Maybe you think you deserve to
eat the Lord's table because of something in you. May the
Lord deliver us from that. May we truly eat the bread and
drink the wine in remembrance of him. Let's pray. Lord, we're so judgmental, self-righteous, proud. Forgive us for Christ's sake and cause us to have that humility that comes
before the honor of your grace. Lord, you said everyone that
exalts himself shall be amazed and he that humbles himself shall
be exalted. And we ask that we might eat
the bread, drink the wine with the humility your grace
gives and know that thy son is all. Bless this time for Christ's
sake, in his name we pray, amen.