If instead we are looking to serve, theres always opportunity. Resources on 1 Corinthians 7 | Desiring God Are you single, married? As a Jewish man, he would never have been indifferent to the covenant sign that God gave to his ancestor Abraham. If you took that job you would functionally be a slave. 1 Corinthians 7:17,20 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. The calling of God hits you right there and you are no longer dead in your sins and trespasses, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit your eyes are opened to the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 April 21, 2002 Intro: Again Paul seems to be alluding to a series of questions presented to him. in which God called him," and when he says in verse 24, "In whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God," he is referring to a divine call by which we were drawn to believe in Christ. One of the questions that they asked had to do with their marriages. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Study Guide: Such Were Some of You, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Study Guide: Bought With a Price, 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 Study Guide: The Beauty of Marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:8-16 Study Guide: Approaching Difficulties in Marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Study Guide: Living the Life God has Given, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 Study Guide: Christian Singleness, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Study Guide: When You're 100% Right and 100% Wrong, 1 Corinthians 9:1-23 Study Guide: Surrendering Your Rights, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Study Guide: Run to Win the Race, 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 Study Guide: A Way Out of Temptation, John 17 Study Guide 2: Sharing in Community, John 17 Study Guide 3: Sharing in Mission, John 17 Study Guide Part 4: Growing in Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1 Study Guide: Glory to God in All Things, 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 Study Guide: Because of the Angels, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Study Guide: The Lord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Study Guide: Spiritual Gifts for the Common Good, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Study Guide: One Body, Many Members, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Study Guide: Love Never Ceases, 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Study Guide: When the Perfect Comes, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 Study Guide: Pursuing Love and Desiring the Gifts, 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 Study Guide: Orderly Worship, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Study Guide: Gospel Centered Faith. In other words, coming to faith in Christ does not make a person want to abandon relationships appointed by God, but to sanctify them. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. I think that the greatest explanation of what Paul meant is found in Romans 2. First, God is very much more concerned with the way you do the job that you now have than he is with whether you get a new job. Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. Are we doing this in response of faith and the obedience to Jesus Christ in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in? This calling is the Holy Spirit's pull into fellowship with Christ. Then Paul expands that principle to show us that its a general principle that should affect all of our lives. In those days, people would often sell themselves into slavery to pay off debts. What if you are dating? Likewise he who is called while free is Christs slave. An opportunity we are going to see is a lawful and properly available path where we might change our circumstances. Instead what we need to do is to ask for illumination. You dont have to leave what you are doing; you dont have to quit your job and enter full time vocational ministry. In other words, don't make such a big deal out of whether you are circumcised or not, or whether you are white or black or red or Swedish. The calling is the call to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Application. The main point of my message this morning can be stated as a declaration and as a prayer. He used circumcision and slavery as illustrations to describe God's sovereignty over the social and religious barriers of his day. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? To make a decision in light of your effectual calling. One time he uses the word "calling" in this vocational sense, namely, in verse 20. All of us are prone to asking whether or not the grass may be greener somewhere than where we are living our lives right now. Faith in Christ as Lord and Savior will never destroy the covenant of marriage which God ordained at creation. Sermon Trusting God to Work it Out by Brian Bill. I have to ask for the illumination to understand the objective teaching of scripture, does that line up with this situation? When I read in Ephesians five that I need to lay down my life for my wife, I have to think about my conversations with her. Indeed, becoming a slave of the right person could be a career choice. Bloom Where You're Planted - Archive - Truth For Life 1 Corinthians:7:32 . The real contrast, it seems to me, should be expressed as: "Don't let your slavery make you anxious, but instead use it." Sermon Central Share a Sermon; Try PRO Free; Help; Sign In; Sermon . March 17, 1904. He says if you have an opportunity to gain your freedom, avail yourself of that opportunity. Gods Calling Teaches Us to Abide with God Quietness Of Spirit . (All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated). Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke 19? Encourage my heart when I tend to despair, and humble me when I tend to boast. Why is this? Your Job as Ministry | Desiring God We should seek to serve God in whatever situation He places useither now or later. Christianity is a message that the calling of God transformations whatever you are doing so that you can remain there. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:24, ESV. So, the first thing that Paul talks about are these honorable assignments between different people groups. This was meant for all of Gods people in Christ. For holy Scripture causes a hard knot in this matter, in that the Apostle says, that, by commandment of the Lord, the wife ought not to depart from . *"This date is an approximation of when this sermon was delivered." THE text does not say that time is short. What do we mean by this? No, Paul says this is my rule in all the churches. We wonder if the grass is greener or if our good shepherd might be leading us to greener pasture syndrome. In light of the glorious heavenly calling that we have received, our earthly circumstances are in fact rather unimportant. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal . Let me conclude now with some practical implications. . But Paul deepens our understanding with a new theological reason. To seek Godly counsel. 2) Even before our salvation God worked for our good. Spit-Shine Tomorrow's Sermon Before You Go To Bed Tonight By Rick Malm on March 2, 2023 7 Ways To Keep From Killing Your Message By Carey Nieuwhof on March 1, 2023 People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? You were bought with a price. John 5:19-29 Study Guide: Jesus Gives Life, John 5:30-47 Study Guide: The Scriptures Point to Me, John 6:22-40 Study Guide: I am the Bread of Life, John 6:41-59 Study Guide: Jesus Addresses the Skeptics. There is provision for freeing slaves in the Old Testament, and we are familiar with a tax collector who became a preacher and fishermen who became missionaries. And for those of us who have already trusted Him, lets walk as a faithful Christian in the place of life where God has called us to Himself. You would not work whenever you please, but you would work at the pleasure of the president, every moment of your life. Understand that this is the glorious gospel of salvation in Christ. This is all made clear in 1 Corinthians 1. You are not my life. Thats not what Im saying.The Bible talks about how husbands should relate to wives, but the Bible doesnt tell Jacob how he should relate to Allison. Paul is saying that change, as good as it is and as much as you should pursue it if you can, that change is unnecessary in light of what we are called to in Christ. Never mind. Why You Should Preach This Book. He may call us to Himself while we are in a place of sin; but He then leads us to live for Him outside that place of sin. Now obviously, staying in that place in which He called us assumes that it is not an inherently sinful place. Most modern versions say, "Were you a slave when called? Paul could have given the very same theological reason for this position as he did in verse 19. Thats the call, our assignments are ultimately irrelevant. What matters in life and in eternal life is staying close to God and enjoying his presence. And again, he says the same thing in verse 24; Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called. Literally, the apostle Paul wrote, In whatever you were called, brethren, in this remain before God. And note carefully the manner in which Paul tells us to remain in that calling; that is, with God. He wrote; And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. They may look the same on the outside, but their inner beingtheir spiritis completely transformed. In both of those cases, Paul is saying remain in your assignments, whatever they may be as you await the hope of glory when Christ returns. Understand that ancient slavery, the kind that Paul was familiar with at this time, was very different than the kind of slavery that was practiced in the United States until the Civil War. This calling from God is different, on the one hand, from our vocational "calling" and, on the other hand, from the general call to repent that goes out to all men. Their sins are completely forgivencast into the sea of Gods pardoning grace. The Bible tells you to love your neighbor as yourself and that looks different in different relationships. Please answer His call. It is so important, in fact, that Paul repeats it three times in this short passage. Literally verse twenty says, each one in the calling in which he was called, in this let him remain. Here is the closest place that Paul uses calling in the way that we usually mean it, our responsibilities, our vocation, the assignments that we have in life. Those are the vertical, the authority, differentials. English Standard Version Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Study Guide: The Sin of Tolerance. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Study Guide: Living the Life God has Given As one commentator, Lenski, writes, Paul is taking the minor idea of these assignments that we have, and he is including them with the major blessing to the call to faith in Jesus Christ.. Some of them had become born again by faith in Jesus, and were now brand new creations in Christ. With long-suffering and prayer and humble, exemplary conduct, the believing partner longs to win the unbeliever. So all Christians, and only Christians, are called in this sense. Introduction I am reminded of the illustration by Emo Phillips: I was walking . But having said that in verses 12 and 13, the apostle does allow that, if the unbelieving partner deserts the believing partner and wants nothing more to do with the believer, then the believer is not bound forever to the relationship. Here begins our text in 1 Corinthians 7:17. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. God's revealed will for you (the only will you are responsible to obey) is your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), not your vocation. This sermon (1 Corinthians 1: 10 - 17) was preached at West Ewell Evangelical Church, Surrey, on Sunday 15 March 2015. Having discussed the principle of staying in the God-ordained relationship of marriage when you become a Christian, Paul now discusses this principle in two other connections. a. Respond to Gods effectual call through faith in Jesus. The people group that God assigned you by your birth is in no way a hinderance to believing the gospel and following after the call of Jesus Christ to believe in him. Putting the two applications of Paul's principle together, the teaching seems to be this: Obeying the commands of God (v. 19) and enjoying his presence (v. 24) are so vastly more important than what your culture or your job is that you should feel no compulsion to change your position. How do you know if they are good or if you should pursue them? What does 1 Corinthians 7:24 mean? | BibleRef.com They are new creations. Gods Calling Transcends Horizontal Assignments b. He is radically God-oriented. John 6:60-71 Study Guide: Where Else Would We Go? We can remain our situations because we abide with God. Let me suggest a few things. Or am in I the right marriage, the answer to that is yes if you are married. The upshot of this is that whether a person is a slave or a freedman, it ought not be the cause of his despair or his pride. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.1 Corinthians 7:23, ESV We are to live in the same family with God. Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. Is yours a menial job? To be perpetually mindful of his presence and favor. There are times when we should avail ourselves of opportunities. Your job is your ministerial assignment, just as much as mine is. Here now the word of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 7:1-9. We are anxious about so many things, but our Heavenly Father knows that we need all of these things. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Scripture Sermons 5 Series 1 Live as You Are Called 17Only let each person lead the life 3 that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. Literally the verse says, "Let each one remain in the "calling" (not state) in which he was called." We pray that if there are some who do not know Jesus Christ that you would right now be working in their hearts. The principle that Paul had already taught in relation to marriage is here mentioned clearly three times. If the Bible tells you something directly and you were planning on going in a different direction, you are objectively sinning.The Bible says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Then and only then may circumcision (as Paul implies in Romans 2:25) and other cultural distinctives become beautiful, in a very secondary and derivative way as expressions of the obedience of faith. He is author of. And so I ordain in all the churches. Old sinful habits and practices begin to be set aside. What should we be saying? Even if you are free, you are not free. And if we understand its broad cultural application, it offends all of us. Gods Calling Transcends Vertical Assignments 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 - Bible - Truth For Life Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. For example, when Jesus when off to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, he told his disciples abide here while I go to pray. The idea was wait here until I come back. Our separation from the world as Gods holy church is not marked by ceremonial circumcision, but by holy obedience that God graciously enables through Christ by his spirit in our lives. We will pervert Paul's teaching and miss his intention if we take the sentence, "Let the uncircumcised not be circumcised" (verse 18), and make it an absolute prohibition of cultural adaptations. Do not be concerned about it. As a declaration it would be: How you fulfill the demands of your vocation is an essential part of Christian discipleship. Caleb Greggsen pastors an English-speaking church in Central Asia. Paul says you dont have to worry about different groups of people, the horizontal assignments you have. You would work gruelingly long hour. A believing husband should not divorce his unbelieving wife, and a believing wife should not divorce her unbelieving husband. Heaven is open, as St. Stephen saw it open (Acts 7:55); and we hear God when He addresses us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, in confession, and in His Word as it proceeds from the mouth of the men who proclaim His message to the people." --Martin Luther (1/19/1538 [LW 22:202])-- Send Pastor Mark Schlamann an email. Do not be concerned about it Paul didnt mean, of course, that it was a matter of indifference that someone was a slave. Therefore, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:17, 20, and 24 that we should remain and live with God in the state in which we were called, he means: Remain in the state you were in when you were converted, when you were drawn by God into believing, loving fellowship with his Son. He applies it like this: if you were converted as a Gentile, don't try to become a Jew. These questions plague us.This passage doesnt establish our circumstances as unalterable. We begin to treat our daily responsibilities and duties more seriously. Its in almost every verse. Follow Desiring God on Facebook . For many of us that may mean turning over a new leaf tomorrow morning. Luke 1:26-45 Study Guide: What did Mary Know? He makes them new creations from their inner-most being, and calls them to walk faithfully with Him in the outer life. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? In Corinth, there was a grave danger facing a girl who had reached the age of marriage. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. This may be correct, but I find it hard to accept since the principle he is illustrating is expressed in v. 20 as "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called," and in verse 24 as "In whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God." Let him not be circumcised. If a Gentile man became a believer in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, he himself did not have to then become Jewish. Part 3: Sending the Spirit, John 8:12-30 Study Guide: I am the Light of the World, John 8:31-47 Study Guide: The Truth Will Set You Free, John 8:48-59 Study Guide: Before Abraham Was, \"I am\", John 10:1-21 Study Guide: The Good Shepherd, John 10:22-42 Study Guide: Safe in the Father\'s Hand, Jonah 1 Study Guide: Defiance and Discipline, Jonah 2 Study Guide: Salvation Belongs to the Lord, Jonah 3 Study Guide: The God of Second Chances. If Im not in full time ministry, am I really doing something worthwhile? Our big idea today is this,We can abide in our circumstances because God calls us to abide with him. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.1 Corinthians 7:17-19, ESV This isnt to sugar coat slavery; it could be a very bad condition and thats why people did try to save up money to buy their own freedom. And in this vocation or station in life another calling comes from God. If you were converted as a Jew, don't try to become a Gentile. Never mind." Messages on 1 Corinthians 7 | Desiring God Amen. This passage teaches us that we can all calm down; we dont have to get anxious about our calling in life. We want the Bible to give us clear answers. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. (1 Corinthians 7:17-24) . Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Single And Whole Contributed by Rick Gillespie- Mobley on May 30, 2018 | 5,574 views This sermon deals with the reality that every single person is a whole person. Thats why slave of Christ, in verse twenty-two, could be an honorable designation suggested a position of some authority.. The word "calling" here refers to vocation or station in life. I have a responsibility to my wife that no one in heaven or earth shares. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Then Paul gives the theological reason for this admonition. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. You dont have to join a new people group. This is a very unfashionable teaching in contemporary western society, because it cuts the nerve of worldly ambition. Stay Where You're Called (1 Corinthians 7:17-24) In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. All Sermons Bible Studies Devotionals Prayers. Look carefully at that phrase as God has distributed to each one. 1 Corinthians 7 | Resources from Ligonier Ministries We can paraphrase the verses to show the difference between the general call and the effective call: Paul says, "We call everyone to believe in Christ crucified, but many Jews find this call to be a stumbling block, and many Gentiles find this call to be foolishness, but those who are called (that is, powerfully and effectively drawn to Christ) find the gospel call to be the power and wisdom of God.". And so, the apostle Pauls specific instruction to usthat is, that we remain in the place we were in at the time God called us to Himselfshould be understood to mean that we are not to continue practicing sin. Paul is saying that circumcision has nothing to do with this. One of the problems in the church at Corinth was the uncertainty about how faith in Christ should affect the ordinary relationships of human life. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Not only the president but anyone at higher rank than you could dump whatever work they wanted to on you. And so, He had His loving eye upon us, and His sovereign hand upon our lives, from the very beginning. Sermons on 1 Corinthians 7:17 - SermonCentral.com 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? And likewise, the non-Jewish follower of Jesus was encouraged to remain non-Jewish and live for Jesus in that condition. The idea of abiding in a situation while you are awaiting something bigger, we see most clearly in 1 John 2:28 There is no new prophecy, no new words from the Lord, they are already given to us. Charles Hodge describes it this way, This would mean to be near God. So, he says in verse eighteen, It may be that He calls us to that place for the initial stages of our walk with Him; and all so that He can train us for what He has for us in the future. So the principle that the apostle follows is: stay in your God-ordained relationships; do not seek to abandon them or destroy them. Now; this fundamental principle is given to us in three verses. They wrote to the apostle Paul; and they asked him many questions about such things. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lords freedman. What a wonderful way it is that God places us in a ready-made mission field in which to serve Him as His new creation ambassadors for Christ! That was a very important question that was being asked by the Christians in the ancient city of Corinth. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Study Guide: Why Not Rather Be Cheated? Then Paul turns in verses 2123 to apply his principle to the issue of whether one is a slave or a freedman. We have in this congregation nurses, teachers, carpenters, artists, secretaries, bookkeepers, lawyers, receptionists, accountants, social workers, repairmen of various sorts, engineers, office managers, waitresses, plumbers, salesmen, security guards, doctors, military personnel, counselors, bankers, police officers, decorators, musicians, architects, painters, house cleaners, school administrators, housewives, missionaries, pastors, cabinet makers, and many more. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Paul is a very unfashionable thinker and, therefore, eternally relevant. He is not to become uncircumcised. He ought to be able to say, "Never mind." Bloom Where You're Planted. I have to think about the specifics of that in relation to who I am and who she is. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Gods Calling Transcends Vertical Assignments Gods presence enables us to abide in whatever assignments we have. God looked upon us when we were dead in our sins and trespasses, when we were nonresponsive to God. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Sometimes we start to ask, what if my good shepherd wants me to go to a greener pasture? A brand new inner lifemade gloriously new in Christhas begun. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? 1 Corinthians 7:24 - Bible Hub You are where you are by divine assignment, even if you got there by fraud. We should learn to accept His calling, and to be confident in it, and to even thank Him for it. I think it is true in the final analysis that this is not an absolute prohibition of accepting freedom, anymore that verse 18 was an absolute prohibition of circumcision. Do you see how he praised God for it? Its not quite what Paul is dealing with, but we might as well address it since Paul comes close to the topic. There were some who had forsaken that sign and who had become uncircumcised. How do I sort through my own mixed emotions when Im trying to make decisions on how to live in the various circumstances of my life? 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? Now; if you have never placed your faith in Jesus and trusted Him as your Savior, I believe He is offering a call to you right now. So, these are the horizontal assignments, the boundaries, the people Gods. Paul gave the same principle again in verse 20; Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Do you notice that Paul referred to that place in which God calls us as a calling? And to give you faith to believe that Jesus became a human being for us and for our salvation, because he lived the perfect righteous life that was required of us and died the cursed death of sinners that we deserved in our place. . The opportunities may arise and if so, you are free to take them as long as its to a good thing. And Paul's answer is: You don't need to abandon your vocation if you can stay in it with God. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. What do the scriptures teach about how God leads and directs the various circumstances in our lives? (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. 1 corinthians 7 17 24, Sermon series on 1 corinthians 7 17 24, Sermon series about 1 corinthians 7 17 24. )1 Corinthians 7:21, ESV Paul intended this to be a fundamental principle for all people who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and have become new creations in Him. Paul says, white is nothing, black is nothing, red is nothing, yellow is nothing, but keeping God's commandments is everything; therefore, don't try to switch cultures. Confirming the Witness of Christ. Is it a job that is not esteemed as highly as other professions? We are to live in the same neighborhood with God. Besides this, we know that there are some jobs in which you could not stay and obey God's commands: e.g., prostitution, numerous forms of indecent and corrupting entertainment, and others in which you may be forced to exploit people. The point is: when you are called into the fellowship of Christ, you gain a new set of radically Christ-centered priorities; so much so that if you are a slave, it should not cause you to fret. Their condition as married people did not need to change. The calling of life has been provided by nothing less than the blood of Jesus Christ and the faith that he gives us by the Holy Spirit. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. Building On The Past - 1 Corinthians 10:1-12. Seized By Temptation - 1 Corinthians 10:13. Am I in the will of God? Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. It doesnt mean that you are fixed there forever, but the default is bloom where you are planted. Paul gives a resounding no in verse 3.
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