The Warning of God

Text: I Corinthians 10:1-13
Preached by Pastor Oak
Translated by Paul Kim

Although this is one of my sermons, I really hope that God may 
touch our hearts, open our ears, and let us hear his voice through 
the work of the Holy Spirit. There are a couple of things that God hates.
One of them is to see his saved child fall into spiritual troubles
in the middle and then get lost. Getting lost here could mean losing
blessings in this world and worse yet losing salvation. 
The other one is to see people who never got a chance to hear the gospel
perish eternally. Since God hates these, he often tells people, 
especially his children, to stay awake. Mark 13:33 is a relevant passage
that reads, ¡°Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.¡±
1 Thessalonians 5:6 has a similar message. ¡°So then, let us not be 
like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.¡±
We must be awake lest anything should go wrong. If we get asleep or fall
in a confused state, we may unconsciously make a mistake and then bring 
troubles.
God prepared a couple of warning systems so that we might not get into troubles.
One is historical warning and the other is practical warning. 
As far as historical warning goes, today¡¯s passage seems to have summarized
it very clearly. I just can¡¯t explain the passage verse by verse. 
All that matters is that we come to an understanding on how this passage
can be a historical warning written to wake us up. 
The passage in chapter 10 is a summary of events that appear in the 
books of Exodus and Numbers. As we know well, the Israelites were slaves
in Egypt for 430 years. The duration was certainly a long time. 
It was nearly impossible for a nation that had been enslaved for 430 years
to be independent as we recall the fact that we nearly lost our national 
identity during the Japanese occupation for 38 years. Israel had been 
assimilated to the Egyptian culture to the fullest degree. 
In spite of this, God called his people out of slavery by raising such
a great leader, Moses. Since the liberation was humanly impossible, 
God used supernatural ways to set them free out of Egypt. More than 2 million
Israelites followed Moses¡¯ leadership to leave Egypt as they were separated
from Egyptians through the blood of lamb. As soon as they left Egypt,
God protected them with a pillar of cloud so that they would escape severe
heat waves and sunbeam. As they got to the Red Sea, God made a way by 
dividing it and let them go through it. And as soon as they passed through
the Red Sea, God gave them a big blessing of being separated with Egyptians forever.
They couldn¡¯t return to Egypt nor didn¡¯t have to see Egyptians ever again.
This is so called the event of Exodus.
The Bible tells us in verse 1 and the following verses, ¡°Our forefathers
were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 
They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.¡± 
They were guided under the cloud and then crossed the sea under the 
guidance of God. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
How could they be baptized in such a way? Baptism means that I belong to someone.
When we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Spirit, we are telling the whole world that we are united with Christ, 
belong to him, and are the people of Jesus. Likewise, it is considered 
to be baptism that the Israelites were united with Moses as they passed 
through the sea under the leadership of Moses. 
The Israelites who left Egypt entered a desolate land, namely, a wilderness
of the Mount Sinai. There was nothing to eat or to drink.
It was absolutely impossible for more than 2 million people and millions
of herds to be fed for survival. Simply speaking, they entered the land 
of death. Then God provided them with precious food called manna every
morning for 40 years. For the same period of time, he also provided 
them with living water that sprang out of a crack in a huge rock. 
The food wasn¡¯t what people earned by working and the water wasn¡¯t what
they earned by digging the ground. They were what God provided for them.
They came from God. That¡¯s why they were called spiritual food and 
spiritual water. Therefore the Exodus is the prophetic event that showed
how people would come to believe in Jesus for salvation. Moses signifies
Jesus while the blood of lamb signifies the cross of Jesus. 
Manna from the sky and water from the rock represent living bread and
living water that symbolize Jesus we need for our salvation. 
Therefore all the events recorded in the Old Testament are indicating 
with plain words what we need today for life of faith. Thus the Israelites
lived in the wilderness for 40 years. Numerous people ended up dying 
in the wilderness and being buried in the sand. God certainly gives us
a warning through the tragedy. The Israelites got idolatrous in spite 
of grace they received from God in the wilderness. They rebelled against
God by making a golden calf and worshiping it as their god. 
They even held a big ceremony to celebrate their idol. We can read the 
related story from Exodus chapter 32. So many people perished as a result
of God¡¯s chastisement. That¡¯s why God tells us not to worship any idol in chapter 7. 
Then the Israelites committed adultery according to Numbers chapter 25.
The Midianites used a badger game as the odd was getting against them.
They put beautiful women among the Israelites and as a result of being
tempted, young Israelites committed sexual sins. As God looked at the 
depravity of his people, he chastised them by killing 23,000 people in a day.
On the other hand, the report in Numbers chapter 25 shows that 24,000 people
were killed. Why 23,000 people here? Paul was writing depending on his memory.
In Paul¡¯s time, there was neither a reference book nor a concordance.
Memory was the only source. It was practically impossible for Paul to pick up
the big scroll and search for the right spot. The scroll was not organized 
based on chapter and verse yet. So it was quite likely to make an error in writing.
Anyway that many people died as a result of God¡¯s chastisement. 
So we are told not to commit adultery like them.
According to Numbers chapter 14, God sent out spies. When the spies returned,
they brought bad news with them. As a result, people began to complain to God.
Then they tragically lost God¡¯s blessing permanently. That¡¯s why we are 
also told not to test God like them. Many Israelites lost their lives when they
were bitten by venomous snakes. We are warned not to complain like them.
Why did God record such events in the Old Testament? It is because he wants
us to learn from history and get his warning. We can escape pitfalls by being
warned through history. As verse 6 teaches us, such events in the Old Testament
become mirrors for us and thus protect us from evildoing. Please look at
verses 11 and 12. ¡°These things happened to them as examples and were written
down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So,
if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don¡¯t fall!¡±
God recorded historical events in the Bible so that we might be properly 
warned and avoid unfortunate moments of falling.
Brethren, doesn¡¯t the end time come nearer? We are vulnerable enough to fall 
into a deep spiritual sleep. Don¡¯t we have idols? Even though we verbally
confess our faith and praise him with lips, we may possibly embrace some idols
in our hearts. Is it money? Is it ambition? Or is it something that I pursue
in this world? We might have an idol we love more than God. When we allow 
these idols to darken our spiritual eyes, we might fall and perish. Don¡¯t 
we have any danger of falling into sexual sin? How promiscuous the current world is!
People are getting more permissive about sexual sins. In the past, it was not
a trivial matter for a virgin to give birth to a child. But now it is not so surprising.
Since we live in this promiscuous world, there is a constant danger of becoming
slaves of pleasure. That¡¯s why we need historical lessons. We must hear the 
warning of God who chastises adulterers. 
Don¡¯t we resent God? Don¡¯t we complain to God? Don¡¯t we test God? Don¡¯t
we have arrogant people who ignore the word of God and test him thinking that
the real world has nothing to do with the word of God? God sternly warns against 
such people. Why does the Bible have detailed reports about such historical events?
In a nutshell, God is warning us. God is warning us so that we may stay alert 
and avoid destructions. We have to keep this in mind.
We have the second warning system. It is the practical warning. 
It is to warn us through contemporary events. One of the most dramatic texts
is shown in Luke chapter 13. According to the text, numerous Galileans were 
offering sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem. Then the Roman governor, 
Pilate who was ruling over Galilee and Judea, dispatched soldiers and then 
killed the worshipers without any reason. All of a sudden, the altar became 
a mess with bloody people who were dying at the hand of soldiers. 
Those who witnessed the incident asked Jesus, ¡°Jesus, some Galileans was 
killed while offering sacrifices. Their sacrifices became unholy because of
their blood. Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners?¡±
In other words, they asked Jesus about due payments for sin. Then Jesus answered,
¡°I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.¡±
God warns us through the incident. We don¡¯t need to argue on whose sin is whose.
God uses such an incident to warn people who are still alive.
He warns us that we too can be destroyed unless we wake up. 
Some people climbed the high tower in Siloam. Many became victims when the tower
collapsed possibly due to a poor construction. In a similar manner, people
came to Jesus and asked him, ¡°Jesus, people on the tower were all dead. 
Who should be blamed for their deaths?¡± Jesus answered, ¡°No one should be 
blamed for the incident. Do you think they were more guilty that you? No! 
Unless you repent, you too will all perish.¡± God warns us using such real
incidents. This is the practical warning system.
The Bible prophesies that many warning signs will be available in the end time.
According to Matthew 24:6,7, we are told that many disturbances will take place.
As the end time approaches, we are also told that a race will stand against
another and a nation will stand against another. Famines and earthquakes will 
be observed everywhere. Worse yet, these are nothing but a starting point of 
the real ones. When these real ones take place, the Bible predicts that incredible
tragedies will show up as a reality. They are warnings of the real world. 
Though we have witnessed some of the big incidents for the last 100 years, 
even more terrifying incidents are predicted to come up. God allows each one 
of them to happen mainly to warn us. God allows them so that we may not perish, 
awaken the church, and teach unbelievers. There is also an aspect of a sign.
It is the sign that the end time is approaching. It is the sign that the Lord 
is coming again. God has sent us necessary warnings with all these signs. 
On the day of September 11th, we watched the unprecedented incident. 
It was an unbelievable incident that the twin building of the world trade center
that is the symbol of American wealth and prosperity and boasts about
the leading edge of American civilization disappeared within a couple of hours
after colliding with passenger planes. We witnessed that thousands of lives 
perished soundlessly. How often did we watch it repeatedly? It was shocking 
enough to prevent us from sleeping at night. It was an incident that the twin
building boasting about the skyscraper civilization and the jetliner boasting
about the superspeed civilization collided with each other. It was an incident
that vividly showed how these two proud symbols got destroyed and devastated. 
It is generally accepted that the White House might have suffered a great 
damage had one plane not crashed on the way. But God protected the White House.
This incident is not accidental at all. It is God¡¯s practical warning that 
conveys a lot of meanings. We can¡¯t merely bypass it. How do we know it?
The plane heading to the White House crashed on the way. By the way, a faithful
young man aged 32 and his friends were on board. They were strong young men
who graduated from the Wheaton College. Wheaton is the best one among the 
Christian colleges. Many great figures are among its alumni. It has been quite
influential by training many great leaders including Billy Graham. 
The young man called ¡®Todd Beamer¡¯ is a computer engineer. He was a layman 
serving at a local church with a vision to be a missionary. So a faithful man
and his friends who held same faith were riding the plane. 
The world war III might have occurred if even the White House was attacked and
fallen in the midst of terrorist assaults. But God defended it. 
The faithful Beamer and his friends rushed to the terrorists under the signal
of reciting the Lord¡¯s Prayer after telling their families about the situation
on board. As a result, the plane crashed on the way without entering Washington, D.C. as terrorists intended. We realize God protected America by sacrificing 
his beloved children so that she might avoid the worst case. Mr. Beamer¡¯s wife
is expected to have her third child in January. She is reportedly praying to 
raise her three children as missionaries to follow her husband¡¯s will. 
Dear brethren, can we say this incident was just accidental? As we come across 
an incident like this one, we need to inquire about what sort of warning God wants
to give us through sincere prayer. I happened to notice certain pastor who 
analyzed the terrorists¡¯ attacks on newspaper as follows: The reason why the
world trade center collapsed and the Pentagon got attacked is that God decided 
to punish America because the former president Clinton made many scandals with
women while in office. You shouldn¡¯t interpret it in such a narrow way. 
I don¡¯t think so many lives should be sacrificed that way just because president
Clinton did something wrong. Isn¡¯t it just like those who witnessed the collapse
of the tower and asked, ¡°On what sin did they have to suffer that way?¡±
This is a solemn warning of God for America. It is God¡¯s stern warning for
America that is arrogant, self-indulgent, and idolatrous. It is also a warning
of God for American churches. American churches are being secularized. 
They have been so peaceful that spiritual sleepiness is rampant. Among 400,000 churches, 
there are still many churches that have no pastors. It is because promising
young people are reluctant to go to seminaries for a very low salary. So there 
are many empty churches. God is warning for American churches that are gradually
losing power.
Brethren, think about America. The per capita income of $35,000 means they are
five times as wealthy as we. It is the most powerful nation in the world.
North America alone spends over 50 percent of energy produced in the entire world.
So North America is mainly responsible for environmental pollution. America 
is so resourceful that someone says, ¡°Even if Americans don¡¯t work at all for
the next 200 years, they won¡¯t go bankrupt.¡± It is such a blessed nation.
In spite of such a blessing, Americans have done anything only for the national
benefit. They are the ones who send the neighboring nation¡¯s chief to their
court if they feel that way. You will recall how the chief of Panama was judged
in an American court. Racial discrimination against minorities is still unresolved.
Blacks and Orientals are victims for that. Americans are known to carry superiority
complex. They also make the world get into troubles by siding with the Israelites
who attack the neighboring Palestinians to defend their misguided Zionism. 
They should be responsible for infecting the rest of the world with all sorts 
of crimes grown under the umbrella of freedom and democracy. America is a den of
sin and the pronoun for materialism and individualism. 
Brethren, you must see what God is telling them. Unless they repent, they too
will perish. Even a monkey can fall from a tree and die. They could perish 
exactly for what they are proud of. They could perish for the pride that they 
are the strongest one in the world. Just think about what the terrorists used 
for the attack. They used the state-of-the-art technologies such as the
technologically advanced airplane, the ultramodern skyscraper, credit card, 
rental car system, the Internet, and modern sciences Americans boast about.
Evil forces are using good stuff such as democracy, openness, and freedom to
destroy America. Once again, it proved the legend that David can defeat Goliath. 
It proved that even a small knife would be sufficient enough to surpass such
a strong defense as the M.D. (Missile Defense) system.
Americans shouldn¡¯t attempt to retaliate out of anger. Instead, they should 
accept God¡¯s stern warning through this incident. The word in verse 12 applies
to individuals, nations, and even churches. American churches must wake up. 
If they do not wake up in spite of such a stern warning, then there is no hope
left for America and her churches. As soon as the incident broke off on the 11th,
it is told that so many people visited with churches on the following Sunday.
I observed the statistics of the Willow Creek church that is the largest one 
in America. The church is about the same as our church in size. About 18,000 people 
gather in that church. But 5,000 more people came to the church on the following Sunday.
In fact, every church witnessed more worshipers on that day. But I am afraid
that such an increase will turn out to be just one-time phenomenon. People will
shun away from church as their excitement and shock gradually fade away. 
American churches must repent.
Dear brethren, I don¡¯t think that God¡¯s warning is just for America and her 
churches. Isn¡¯t it for Korean churches? Isn¡¯t it for Korea? Isn¡¯t it God¡¯s 
warning for the world? We should meditate on it. Don¡¯t we exactly copy what 
Americans do? Doesn¡¯t our consciousness resemble Americans little by little? 
Doesn¡¯t our life pattern imitate Americans? Church is not an exception. Don¡¯t 
you think that you get spiritually asleep unconsciously? Think about idols in our minds.
What is the current idol of churches? Isn¡¯t it mammon? Isn¡¯t it a nice building?
Isn¡¯t it status? Isn¡¯t it ambitions of pastors? We have to accept the fact
that God is warning us.
What concerns me is people¡¯s stubborn attitude. People tend to ignore historical
warnings recorded in the Bible. They say like, ¡°It happened long ago. 
So it has nothing to do with me now. There are so many who are well off even 
if they don¡¯t live by faith. So don¡¯t try to intimidate me.¡± Unfortunately,
there are many who won¡¯t be affected even a bit although ten buildings as
big as the twin building collapse. They won¡¯t pray anyhow. They don¡¯t want
to pray no matter what. They are simply busy in seeking pleasure. 
There are so many sleeping people within churches.
They are the ones who don¡¯t know to wake up. 
Eight to nine million people are dying of smoking each year. 
Warning statements written on cigarettes don¡¯t seem to be useful.
20 years from now, 10 million people each year are expected to die of
smoking. Seven million people of them are expected to die among the
developing countries. Do you still try to find the meaning of life while
smoking in spite of such warnings? It is truly a tragic thing that we 
don¡¯t listen to God¡¯s realistic warning. Brethren, let us think about 
one thing regarding God¡¯s warning. Why does God warn us repeatedly?
Why does he try to wake us up through such terrifying events? 
It is because God loves the world. He warns us because he loves us so much.
He warns us so that we may not lose salvation. Where are parents who don¡¯t
love their children? Where are parents who don¡¯t warn their children 
going a wrong way? By the same token, God is love. Since God is love, 
he can surely warn us to wake us up. Since God is love, he has no other 
choice but to wake us up so that we may be able to avoid a dangerous way. 
Dear brethren, is there any warning from God in your life? Just take 
a look at your personal life. Let us take a look at our personal lives 
skipping over national or global scale. Don¡¯t you see any warning message
from God? Don¡¯t you sense any problem with your children? We should 
carefully listen to what God warns us. Do you experience any unexpected 
event in your life? Don¡¯t forget that there should be a message in that. 
As I meditate on why God allows me to experience such things, I can find
a solution. I may have an idol. I may be actually committing a sin. 
I may be living a hypocritical life. I may love money and status far more
than God although I call upon the Lord with my tongue. Examine how God¡¯s 
warning system is operating in your life. Once I catch God¡¯s direction 
through his warning signal, I must obey it. I have no more hope as long as 
I ignore and bypass it. No one knows what will happen to me. God loves you so much.
He never gives up on you. He will never give up on you. We ought to fear this God.
Brethren, you ought to be really careful if you feel like standing firm. 
I need to be humble enough to examine myself every time God gives me various
warnings. Going a step further, let us look around us. There are so many 
who stubbornly go their ways in spite of God¡¯s warnings. God loves them as well. 
God warns them with such terrible things as earthquakes, famines, terrors, 
and wars so that they might wake up. Yet most of them don¡¯t understand what 
they really mean for them. In fact, God saved us first so that we may save them.
Therefore we should give them God¡¯s warnings with caring hearts.
I can¡¯t forget one scene broadcast on television just before the twin 
building was collapsed. It was a scene that certain person in the upper section
of the building kept waving a white cloth. He must have waved it with all
strength desperately waiting for help in the midst of flame and smoke surging
up from the lower section of the building. But the situation was so helpless 
that no one could rescue him. Finally when the building was collapsing in 30 to
40 minutes, he also disappeared from our sights along with terrifying explosions.
What thought comes to our minds as we see the person waving a cloth? Doesn¡¯t 
he look like a person around us who has no faith in Jesus? No one on the last
day will rescue them as long as they live like now. There are so many who are
enslaved by the power of darkness. There are so many who will cry out for 
rescue waving cloths in a helpless situation.
We have to look at them with spiritual eyes. While the door to salvation is
still open, we must let them be warned and get saved. Days for this world 
are numbered. There is no utopia in this world. The second coming of the Lord
is the only hope for this world. Therefore we must preach the gospel. 
We must lead them to the Lord before they show their helpless situations 
like the man who waved a cloth. Please summarize today¡¯s message well. 
Please remember what warning you should get through events that take place
in your life. And with gospel we should save those who do not know the Lord
yet or ignore God¡¯s warnings. We have to save husbands, children, friends,
and neighbors so that they may not face such miserable ends. I earnestly 
hope that we may be blessed by being spiritually awakened via all the 
warnings God has given us.	

- The End -