SERVING WITHOUT DISTRACTION – 1 Corinthians 7:25-40
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on February 10, 2019 under 2019 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; February 10, 2019 from 1 Corinthians 7:25-40
Theme: We should make major life-choices that enable us to give as much undistracted service to the Lord as possible.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
I’ll bet that if I just said the words, “Behold, a sower went out to sow …”, you would immediately think of one of the Lord Jesus’ most famous parables.
You remember that story, don’t you? He told of a sower who went out to the fields to cast seeds. Some of the seeds fell on the wayside; and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell on the shallow ground; where they sprouted a little, but got scorched in the sun. Some fell among the thorny ground; where they grew up, but became choked out because of the thorns. And some fell on good soil; where they produced fruit—some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some a hundred-fold.
And I’m sure you also remember our Lord’s explanation of that parable. Later on, when He was alone with His disciples, He told them that these four soils were a picture of the ways that people receive the message of the gospel. Some receive it with no depth at all; and the devil comes quickly and snatches it away before it can take root in them. Some receive it in a shallow way so that it doesn’t grow very deeply in them; and as soon persecutions arise because of the gospel, they quickly abandon it. Some receive it with some depth and it begins to grow in them; but the cares of life and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the gospel’s growth so that it doesn’t have the long-term impact upon their lives that it should. And some receive it with true depth—and keep with it—and it bears good fruit in their lives.
Now; we are not going to be talking about that parable this morning. We’re going to look together at a passage from 1 Corinthians 7. But I felt that a good way to begin our time this morning would be by reminding you of the parable of the soils—and particularly about the third soil—because I believe it helps us to understand what we’re being told in 1 Corinthians 7.
As you turn with me to 1 Corinthians 7, think about that third soil. I suggest that many of us here this morning are in danger of becoming like that third soil. We’re in danger of allowing the cares of this world to choke out the growth of God’s word5 in our lives. Few of us in church today have had the gospel completely stolen from us by the devil. And few of us have abandoned the faith because of persecutions and troubles. But I fear that there are many of us here for whom the cares of this world could easily be allowed to choke-out the growth of the gospel message in us. I think it’s a particular danger for those of us who are good, faithful, long-term church-going folk who love the Lord. We can easily forget that, having started out with Him by faith, He must remain our top priority in our lives. Almost without noticing that it is happening, we can allow the cares of this world to slip into a higher priority than they should. We can get into the habit of making life-decisions without prioritizing the Lord or consulting with Him. And pretty soon—before we know it—we can find that we’re no longer able to give the Lord the kind of undistracted service that He desires from us. We may find that we’ve allowed ourselves to become so divided in our priorities—so encumbered with the concerns of this world—that we can no longer come quickly to His service when he calls us; and that we fail to give Him our all; and that His word can no longer bear the fruit in us that He wants it to bear.
Now; I believe that this kind of danger is what’s at the heart of this morning’s passage in 1 Corinthians 7. Paul had been writing to the Corinthian believers, and had been answering some questions that they had about marriage. One of the questions that they had was about whether or not it was wise—given the particular circumstances of those times—for an unmarried person to enter into the commitment of marriage. And in the process of answering that question, the apostle Paul teaches them about a much larger principle concerning life-decisions—and about choosing Christ-honoring priorities in life.
Let me read that whole passage to you—and then point out the larger principle found in the middle of it. In 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, the apostle Paul wrote;
Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy. I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction. But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better. A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 7:25-40).
Now; the thing that I ask you to notice most of all in what I have just read is what Paul said in verse 35. He said that he wasn’t laying down these precepts to—in any way—hinder anyone. He wasn’t trying to ‘put a leash’ on his fellow believers. Rather, he was wanting to help them focus on what is proper with respect to their life in Jesus. He said that it was all “that you may serve the Lord without distraction”.
And that is what this passage is really about. It is only secondarily about the questions the Corinthians had about marriage. The main thing on Paul’s heart—the principle that would give meaning to the other elements in this passage—is that we learn to make the kind of life-choices and major decisions that enable us to give undistracted service to the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is certainly to be true with regard to the issue of marriage. And in fact, throughout this passage, Paul shows us how that principle touches specifically on the area of decisions about marriage. But I believe that the Holy Spirit wants you and me to apply the larger principle of this passage to all areas of life. In terms of the whole of life, we must be careful not to become the kind of ‘soil’ that chokes out God’s will for us through the ‘thorns’ of this world’s concerns. We must make careful life choices that keep us as free as possible—in whatever life situation we are in—to serve the Lord Jesus in whatever way He calls us.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Now; one of the things that I think is important to notice in this passage is that it is bound up to a specific situation—what the apostle Paul calls …
1. THE PRESENT DISTRESS.
You can see this in verse 26. In answering their question, he wrote to the Corinthians and told them, “ I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress …” What is that ‘present distress’? When I read this, I think back to the whole story of how Paul first came to the ancient city of Corinth as a missionary—and of the severe opposition the gospel received.
Acts 18 tells us that story. When he came, he started working with some friends of his in a tent-making business—preaching and teaching on the side. He reasoned with the Jewish people and the Greek speaking people in the synagogue every Sabbath. And after a while, once he became freed up from tent-making, he gave his full time to his missionary work. He really went into high-gear—compelled by the Holy Spirit—in testifying to the Jewish people that Jesus is the Messiah.
And that’s when the opposition got severe. They kicked him out of the synagogue; and so he went to the house next door and kept on preaching. Many people were believing and becoming baptized. Pretty soon, the Jewish leaders dragged him before the authorities and bought serious charges against him. But Paul would still not stop preaching the gospel. One night, the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision and told him, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10).
Paul knew that the Lord Jesus had many people in Corinth that He had set apart for Himself. And that motivated him keep on preaching—in spite of the opposition. Paul stayed in Corinth for a whole year-and-a-half; and the people were transformed by the gospel, and the Corinthian church was begun. But you can see from all of this that it was a hard work. There was a lot of very dangerous opposition to the gospel that sometimes broke out in threats of violence against the believers.
I believe that this is what Paul meant when he spoke of “the present distress”. I believe that our thinking about this ‘present distress’ should include the fact that the gospel met with opposition in almost every city that the missionaries went. The early stages of the spread of the gospel were tumultuous times. And so, questions about marriage—and about whether or not it was wise to get married—were being asked because of the present distress of persecution that the church was under. People had to make important life decisions in the light of the times—and to ask whether or not they could give the Lord the sort of full-hearted devotion He deserved in the things they chose.
But there was another way of looking at ‘the present distress’. In verse 29, Paul wrote that people had to think carefully about these things because “the time is short”. And I believe that, in this, he meant that we are living in the final stages of God’s redemptive program for the ages; and that we’re drawing closer and closer to the times that precede our Lord’s return to this earth.
We don’t know when the Lord will return. It may be very far away in time. It also may be very soon. But the point is that we need to make wise life-choices in the light of the fact that the days may be short. The apostle Peter wrote about this in 1 Peter 4. He wrote;
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:7-11).
Just think, dear brothers and sisters, how differently we would make important choices in life—and how different our priorities would be—if we knew, for absolute certain, that the Lord was about to return! Well; the time indeed is short; and we need to get serious about things. We need to think of this larger principle in the light of the times we’re living in; and make sure that—whatever situation we are in; whatever era it may be that God has placed us—we are watching for His return and are ready.
* * * * * * * * * * *
So; the things that Paul teaches us in this passage are meant to be seen in the light of the current circumstances—whatever those circumstances may be; and all with an eye to the Lord’s unexpected return. And so, in whatever those times may be, let’s then consider …
2. THE LARGER PRINCIPLE.
That larger principle is that we must make the choices in life that protect as much of an undistracted service to the Lord as possible. And look at how he expressed this principle in verses 29-32. He wrote;
But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without care” (vv. 29-32a).
Because of the particularly distressing times that the Corinthian believers were in—and because of the fact that, each day, we draw nearer to the time of the Lord’s return—there were situations of life that professing believers wished they were not in. Some Christian brothers had taken a wife; but because of the pressures they felt from a world that was hostile to their faith, they wished later that they had not placed that wife under such pressures and dangers. They felt torn between the responsibilities of a home life on the one hand, and the sacrifices that were required of their faithfulness to the Lord on the other. Some felt the sorrows and griefs that come from those daily responsibilities—having to pay bills, having to care for the house, having children to care for. Some also felt the joys too—the comforts of home, the happiness of family, the ease of having one’s roots planted down somewhere. None of these things are wrong in and of themselves; but if we commit ourselves to these things hastily, and in a way that is contrary to the Lord’s will for us, they will choke out His priorities for us.
The same is true of material things. Some Christians have a measure of success in this world, and they accumulate things. Possessions can keep us tied down; and we can end up regretting the burden of those things place on us if it was the Lord’s will instead that we be free and flexible to His call. Others who “use this world” find themselves addicted to its treasures. We can easily find ourselves spending our time trying to ‘keep up’ with everyone else—trying to achieve ‘happiness’ through the ‘good life’; and the things of this world can thus be ‘misused’ by us. They can end up occupying the place in our hearts that only God should occupy. Then, when the Lord calls us to His service, we find that we wished we never gotten so wrapped up in them.
“For the form of this world is passing away”, Paul says. We cannot keep what it offers us. Only what is done for the Lord and for His kingdom will last. And that’s why Paul says, “But I want you to be without care”.
And so here is the larger principle: that in our lives as followers of Jesus, we need to be careful to make the right decisions and life-choices. We need to make sure that we keep ourselves as unencumbered as possible—and to set the right priorities—so that we are always able, in any life situation and at any time, to give as much devotion to the Lord as He wishes from us.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Now; I remember a great question that was put to my wife and I once. It was before we got married. We went to our pastor for pre-marital counseling; and he asked us to sit down, and each write on a piece of paper how we believed that getting married would make us better than we could be apart. And as I recall, we both concluded that we could walk with the Lord more closely as husband and wife, and could serve Him more effectively together, than we could on our own. It was one of the greatest questions we have ever been asked. And praise God; we found that—most definitely—we did end up serving the Lord more effectively as a husband and wife team than we ever could have apart from one another.
It seems to me that that’s what Paul was asking the people to consider who were writing to him about marriage. He wanted them to apply this larger principle to the specific question of marriage.
So; let’s go on to consider …
3. THE SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS …
Marilyn and I had thought it over and prayed carefully about the matter; and we sincerely concluded that we most definitely would serve the Lord better as a married couple. But this points to Paul’s first application of this larger principle about making wise decisions that keep us as available to the Lord as possible. It’s that, if you can, you should remain as you are.
In verse 25, he wrote, “Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.” He was answering a question that they had about unmarried people—specifically, the question of whether or not a young man should marry his fiancée, or whether they should chose to remain single. And whereas earlier in this chapter he had a specific word of teaching from the Lord to quote, in this case he did not. He gave his own word of instruction—led and enabled, however, by the Holy Spirit.
He said in verses 26-28; “I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.”
If a young Christian man and a young Christian woman simply cannot, before God, live without one another—or even if, as he says earlier in this chapter, that they cannot control their passions—then it is certainly not wrong for them to get married. But it is better, he writes, to stay in whatever condition they were in—especially considering the times. I think that Paul is here drawing from what he said in the passage just before this one. In verse 17-24, he wrote;
But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called (vv. 17-24).
So; that’s the first application of this important life-decision principle. As much as possible—if you can faithfully serve God in the condition of life that you are in—then stay where you are.
A second application is to recognize that life-choices involve obligations. In making decisions about life—and in considering the higher priority of the Lord’s call upon us—we should always evaluate what the choices we make will demand of us. Can we afford to fulfill those obligations while still retaining a full availability to the Lord? In verses 32-34, Paul went on to write;
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband (vv. 32-34).
Paul would not be saying that there was anything wrong in choosing marriage. But he is simply reminding his Corinthian brethren that certain responsibilities and obligations come with that choice. Many missionaries, or pastors, or evangelists have caused a great deal of harm to their marriages and their families by ignoring that fact. We must carefully search from the Lord if it’s His will for us to take on those duties and responsibilities before we make that choice.
A third application that I see is that we must seek to serve without distraction whatever the times may be that we’re in. If times are hard and oppressive, we must make life choices in those situations that keep us free to serve the Lord in the midst of those times. If times are good and favorable, we must still be careful to make choices that keep us available to the Lord’s call in those situations. In verse 35, Paul wrote; “And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.”
Paul doesn’t mean for this principle to become a heavy burden. And he is not making it into a new standard for holiness for us to adhere to. Some traditions of Christianity have tried to do so—turning an unmarried state into a standard to be followed—and have caused a great deal of harm as a result. Paul goes on to write in verse 36; “But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.” Some understand this to be speaking of a Christian father who may be feeling that it is time to give his believing daughter in marriage to a believing young man who loves her. Others understand this to be speaking of a Christian young man who simply wants to marry his Christian fiancée. And Paul is careful to say that it is not at all wrong to choose marriage. But in either case—whether father or daughter or fiancée—they must consider carefully the times—and how best to serve the Lord in them. He goes on to say in verses 27-28, “Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.”
And in all cases, a final application is found in the last two verses. Paul urges his readers to always choose in ways that honor the Lord. In verse 39, he speaks specifically to those who had been married, but who had become widowed. He wrote, “A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” If she remarries, she does no wrong; but she must absolutely be sure that she marries another believer—so that their hearts are unified in the Lord’s cause and in His service.
But he then adds this; “But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God” (v. 40). Paul is saying that such a widow would be happier if she stays single—if she can. And in saying this, he is offering counsel that comes directly from the authority of the Holy Spirit Himself. It is always God’s will for us to make decisions that honor Him and that put His cause in our lives first—at any stage of life.
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Now; I started out our time this morning by sharing something from the teaching of our Lord. Let me close by sharing something else that He said.
In the Sermon on The Mount, He taught us not to be like the people of this world. They hurry and flurry around, trying to get what they need in life. But the Lord reminded us that the birds of the air do not work hard to sow seed and harvest grain, because the Father in heaven feeds them. And likewise, the lilies of the field do not toil and spin to make clothes for themselves, because the Father clothes them wondrously. Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
And then, in Matthew 6:33, He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” And dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that’s what we must always do. We must always seek His kingdom first in the choices of life we make. When we do, He takes care of the rest.
May it be that whatever decisions of life it is that we must make—whether or not to marry, or whether or not to move to a new city, or whether or not to take on a new career; any kind of major choice of life—that we will always remember this fundamental principle. We must put the Lord and His kingdom first. We should make major life-choices that enable us to give as much freedom the call of the Lord upon our lives as possible.
Let’s always do this so that, as Paul puts it, we may “serve the Lord without distraction”.
EA
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