Would and Should

1^st Corinthians 10:1-13

Central Baptist Church, Lowesville, VA

11 March 2007, Third Sunday of Lent, Children's Sermon

Later in the service, after we’ve gone to missions, Pastor Chris is going to be reading 1st Corinthians 10:1-13. Since we’re not going to be in here, I want to tell you some of the story in MY version.

It starts like this: “Remember our history, friends, and be warned.” And then Paul, the writer, starts to tell a little of the story of the Exodus, when God freed the Israelites from slavery and Moses led them towards the “Promised Land.” You probably remember some of the story.

But first, can someone tell me the difference between the words “would” and “should?” What if I say, “It would have been enough if…” or “It should have been enough if…” Well, every year at Passover, the Jews tell the story of the Exodus and they sing a song about the story that says, “It would have been enough if… (whatever it was that God had just done for them.) Like, it would have been enough if God had just freed them from slavery, but God did even more! Paul tells the story of the Hebrews reaction at the time and it was JUST a little bit different!

Listen and hear what HE said…

“Remember our history, friends, and be warned.”

God gave the Hebrew slaves freedom. He opened up the Sea of Reeds and let them walk on dry land, closing it behind them and drowning the soldiers who came to take them back into slavery. It SHOULD have been enough. But did the people trust God and live as God’s people after this? Nooooo! They began grumbling about being thirsty. WE are not to do as THEY did!

God gave the Hebrews sweet water to drink. Moses threw a stick into the yucky bitter water and God turned it sweet so that the Hebrews could drink it. It SHOULD have been enough. But did the people trust God and live as God’s people after this? Nooooo! They began grumbling about wanting lamb stew and all the bread they could eat like they’d had when they were slaves. WE are not to do as THEY did!

So… God gave them manna, a yummy “cracker with honey” tasting food and God made quail, which is a type of bird that has yummy meat, fall from the sky. It SHOULD have been enough. But did the people trust God and live as God’s people after this? Nooooo! They began grumbling about not having water again. (They’d gone on from the first camping site and there wasn’t a drop of water at this new camping site!) So… they grumbled again! WE are not to do as THEY did!

God had Moses strike a rock with his walking stick. The water came gushing out and the people had all they could drink and more. It SHOULD have been enough. But did the people trust God and live as God’s people after this? Nooooo! They began grumbling about…

Well, I think you get the picture. God gave them everything they needed and they still grumbled for more. Do WE ever do this? …………

But Paul tells us that we shouldn’t be proud of ourselves for not being like the Hebrews.

He says, “We are just as capable of messing up as they were. We can fall flat on our faces just as easily as anyone else.”

So, we need to be confident in God and trust him to take care of us. We need to remember that God won’t ever let us down; that he’ll always be there to help us come through the times that we are tempted to do things that are wrong.

It’s good to know, though, that when we admit to God that we’ve sinned – whether it is grumbling or complaining about something, “borrowing” something from someone when we know they don’t want us to have it, teasing someone, telling lies, breaking promises, or something else – if we admit that we’ve done wrong to God, ask him for forgiveness and help so that we won’t do it again, God will always forgive us and give us a second chance.

—©2007 Karen E. Goforth Harbin