This is absolutely imperative to grasp lest we create a new legalism. We need to remain in the same calling in which we are calledunless and until God calls us to another place of life. Should you leave whatever you are doing and go do whatever you think Holy Spirit should be doing? All Sermons Bible Studies Devotionals Prayers. If we translated this really literally, it would go like this, Only to each as God assigned, in the situation in which God has called each thus let him walk.. For many of us that may mean turning over a new leaf tomorrow morning. 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. Introduction. Now that they were made new on the inside, did their condition as married people also need to change? In whatever place of life we were in, at that time when we were called by God to place our faith in Jesus and trust Him as our Savior, we are to remain there as if with God. 3903 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 During dinner, he stood up and said. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 A Sermon By Scott Lindsay We are continuing this morning in our study of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, picking up at verse 17 of chapter 7 and working through to verse 24 of that same chapter. If everything on the inside is new, should we then completely get rid of every aspect of the outside life and start over? Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. And it assumes that God had been sovereignly working in our lifeall the way up to that point in time at which He called us into a relationship with Himself through the gospel. 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. We areeach of usto remain with God in that state in which we were called. Gods Calling Teaches Us to Abide with God. Building On The Past - 1 Corinthians 10:1-12. It does not condemn all job changes. It doesnt mean that you are fixed there forever, but the default is bloom where you are planted. Paul is saying that circumcision has nothing to do with this. 17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. That is when he invites us to trust in the Lord Jesus through faith. If we are faithful in the place where He has called us, then He is better able to lead us to another place of calling if He so chooses. We are to live in the same family with God. He looks to the slave who may feel hopeless and says, "In Christ you are a free man. But the next things that Paul goes on to talk about in verse twenty through twenty-three are vertical boundaries. This idea of effectual calling when we are drawn out of our sin to Jesus Christ, that is included in the assignments in which the calling finds us. If they were called to God in a state of cultural slavery, then they are to be faithful to walk with Jesus Christ as His servants within that state of slavery. "Were you a slave when called? 18Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? by Alistair Begg. This sermon (1 Corinthians 1: 10 - 17) was preached at West Ewell Evangelical Church, Surrey, on Sunday 15 March 2015. Now Paul talks about those who are slaves or free. So, as a church we are not separated as this holy huddle that is kept away from all peoples everywhere. He ought to be able to say, "Never mind." You were bought with a price. He told them; If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. This is seen most clearly in 1 Corinthians 1:23, 24, where Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." The greener grass syndrome, where we look for somewhere else or a different situation where my life would be easier or just flat out better. God is sovereign. This is the word of our God for us this morning. How do we discern the Lords word in our lives? 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. The circumstances you are in are relatively unimportant because of the glory that God is calling to you in Christ. We are to go to the same job or the same schoolbut were to now do it all as before God, and as His servants, and with trust in Him, and as unto His glory. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? ", 18245 NW Germantown Road Let him not seek circumcision. You have to look at what the scriptures teach, and you have to ask for Gods illumination to see how that relates to what is in front of me. If you are married and you have an opportunity to divorce your spouse and go after someone else, the Bible tells you that is sin and you may not do it. Pray with me. One time he uses the word "calling" in this vocational sense, namely, in verse 20. In verse 23, Paul said, You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. And that is the true condition of a new creation in Christ, whether they are a slaves or freedmen. Let's read 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. 1. And to a certain degree, that new inner life also has an impact on the outer life. He is author of. The question at Corinth was: When we come to Christ, what should we abandon? (All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated). It may be helpful to think of these as three pieces of bread in a double-decker sandwich (like a Big Mac). It seems wholly out of place between these to say, "If you can gain your freedom, do it." If so, the application is clear, respond. Circumcision was an old covenant symbol and the purpose of the picture was to point to a person, the person of Jesus Christ and out of the Jewish circumcised people came the Lord Jesus Christ. Gods presence enables us to abide in whatever assignments we have. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:17-24, ESV They are different from circumstance to circumstance and person to person. We are to "remain with God" rather than be bitter about how our life has unfolded and work hard to try to fix it (1 Corinthians 7:17, 24). ", John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. This is all made clear in 1 Corinthians 1. )1 Corinthians 7:21, ESV Charles Hodge describes it this way, This would mean to be near God. That was a very important question that was being asked by the Christians in the ancient city of Corinth. This wasnt meant just for the believers in Corinth. All things truly have become new. But Paul deepens our understanding with a new theological reason. Gods Calling Teaches Us to Abide with God Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. Their sins are completely forgivencast into the sea of Gods pardoning grace. Was anyone called while circumcised? With God! Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 17-24). The Holy Spirit takes the objective, inspired word of God and he illuminates that to my specific details of my life. Let him not be circumcised. There were some who had forsaken that sign and who had become uncircumcised. We wonder if the grass is greener or if our good shepherd might be leading us to greener pasture syndrome. But their husbands or wives had not done so. Ultimately your circumstances are of deeply secondary importance. You have to be asking does this person really love Jesus. In the assignment in which the call of God came to you, walk in that. Remain, if you are free as you are. We pray. I think we have a great example of this from the Bible. Are you feeling and sensing Jesus Christ drawing you to himself through his spirit? Again, Gods calling intersects whatever people groups you were born into so that you dont have to join a new one. We should learn to accept His calling, and to be confident in it, and to even thank Him for it. Our sovereign God makes those of us who trust in Jesus into new creations on the inside; but He then calls us to remain in the place where He has called us on the outsideand to thus let Him show forth His work in us to others who are also in that place. Now; Paul doesnt just merely state this principle to us. It was all for a glorious purpose. February 17, 2020. Again Paul answers, no. Now I want to start this morning by defining three terms that we will be using. You would work gruelingly long hour. He had betrayed his own Jewish kinsmen; and he was collecting taxes from them for the Roman government. The universal default principle is that you should stay where you are. 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. Rejoice in the Lord and hope in him and you will be freer than all the anxious nobles." Once we are made new on the inside, things begin to change on the outside. This is my rule in all the churches. 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. Gods Calling Transcends Vertical Assignments Your Job as Ministry. In verse 19, Paul wrote, Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing And we should understand that Paul, in saying this, didnt mean that such things didnt matter. How can I love the Lord God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and how can I love my neighbor as myself wherever I am?What this passage teaches us is that we cannot search for satisfaction in what we are doing, but in how we are doing what we are doing. 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? The question this morning is do you hear Gods effectual call? God can save you and make you clean. Should the believer pull out in order to keep pure? 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. 1 Corinthians. As Paul writes in verse 17, And so I ordain in all the churches. This is a foundational principle for every believer in Christ, in every Christian church, in any culture, in any nation of the world, at any time in history. If you took that job you would functionally be a slave. Now; this fundamental principle is given to us in three verses. 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. Their condition as married people did not need to change. Sometimes we think of calling in the sense of vocation, but the word calling as Paul uses it has to do with Gods effectual calling. No new uncircumcised believer in Christ was required to become circumcised or to hold to the traditions passed on by Moses. This doctrine of effectual calling changes what we expect out of life. Dont be anxious about your assignment in life. 17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. In 1 Corinthians 7:8, Your job is not to close your eyes, open the Bible, point to a word and then see what this has to say to me. Or am in I the right marriage, the answer to that is yes if you are married. Are you single, married? God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God Ways to Follow. O God, give me the grace to obey your commandments, which I know are all summed up in this, to love my neighbor as myself. I have to think, do those things line up? Likewise he who is called while free is Christs slave. Salvation came to himand right in the middle of a sinful lifestyle. Bible Study & Sermon Videos; 1 corinthians 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 16:17-18. 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. Let him not become uncircumcised. To be circumcised, of course, was to bear upon ones self the covenant sign of Israel. He is radically God-oriented. Specifically, Paul talks about the divisions between the Jews and the Gentiles. Notice, for example, how he illustrated this to us in terms of outward traditions. office@harvestpca.org | (402) 558-4119, Copyright 2023 Harvest Community Church (PCA) | Site Map | Terms & Privacy, Jesus Divides the Earth Matthew 10:3442, No Comfort for the Lonely City Lamentations 1:1-22, "Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage" (1 Corinthians 7:1016), The Present Form of this World is Passing Away (1 Corinthians 7:25-31) . When you serve your master, you are not serving him, but the Lord. The Bible tells us that. "The lot is cast in the lap, but the decision is wholly from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:33). We cant help but repent from our sins and turn to him in faith to accept the faith offered in Jesus Christ. We want the Bible to give us clear answers. English Standard Version Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. The call of God which puts us into believing, loving fellowship with Jesus is a powerful, effective call that draws us to the Son (John 6:44, 65). So, Paul then gives a principle. Now we need to see how Paul applied this principle in his day, and what it means for us today. Someone was just as able to be called to God through Christand to live for Jesus just as faithfullyin a state of slavery as much as in a state of freedom. Thats why slave of Christ, in verse twenty-two, could be an honorable designation suggested a position of some authority.. First Corinthians 7:17-24 expands on Paul's rule of thumb: that Christians should remain in whatever situation they were in when they came to faith in Christ. 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. Then verse 24, "So, brethren, in whatever state each of you was called, there let him remain with God." Paul is a very unfashionable thinker and, therefore, eternally relevant. So, the first thing that Paul talks about are these honorable assignments between different people groups. Paul has already made that case in marriage and singleness, then in circumcision and uncircumcision. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called (vv. The Bible doesnt say yes it will or no it wont. 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. NOTE: Paul was separated unto Christ from his mother's womb but not saved until the Damascus Road Galatians 1:15; Acts 9. Its important to remember that when someone comes to faith in Jesus, it wasnt only thenat that momentthat God had begun to work in their lives. The question isn,t am I at the right job or church? We will have confidence when Jesus Christ returns. In other words, in communion with God this would secure their contentment and happiness. The Bible tells you to love your neighbor as yourself and that looks different in different relationships. New practices and habits begin to be embraced. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Your job is your ministerial assignment, just as much as mine is. 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. 1 Corinthians:7:32 . 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. Its not that we have a different Bible and the infallible word of God is just open to interpretation. 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. Denomination: Salvation Army. 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.1 Corinthians 7:11, ESV He also gives us some illustrations of what this principle should look like in some specific cases. Then verse 20, "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called." Do you have to become a member of a different people group? View all of our resources on the biblical book of 1 Corinthians. Theme: We are to walk as a faithful Christian in the place of life where God has called us to Himself. The early church lifted up the single lifestyle. The first time is in verse 17; where Paul writes, But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk.. Notice how radically different Paul's rationale is for keeping your cultural distinctives than the rationale current in our day. What if its not just me, what if Im disobedient not to go? 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.". Were on a mission to change that. How you fulfill the demands of that job is just as essential in life as what you do here on Sunday. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? We talk about language where we say that God is leading me here or some people say that they have a word from the Lord. And likewise, the non-Jewish follower of Jesus was encouraged to remain non-Jewish and live for Jesus in that condition. There were people that were preaching that in order to be a Christian you had to first be circumcised. Paul says that its good, if you can, to remain in the situation that you are in. They had clearly been transformed on the inside; and there were many changes that were happening on the outside too. Its not quite what Paul is dealing with, but we might as well address it since Paul comes close to the topic. This is my rule in all the churches. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Live as You Are Called 17 Only let each person lead the life3 lthat the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. He applies it like this: if you were converted as a Gentile, don't try to become a Jew. There's the crucial phrase. He makes them new creations from their inner-most being, and calls them to walk faithfully with Him in the outer life. And thirdly, I believe we should always strivewherever He has usto be a faithful witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, we are to walk as a faithful Christian in the very place of life where God has called us to Himselfand to let Him use us there, in that place, as His witnesses for Christ. Some Jewish men made themselves Hellenisticthat is, members of Greek cultureby doing so. *"This date is an approximation of when this sermon was delivered." THE text does not say that time is short. For the scriptures to frame how we are looking at this question. When Jesus said in Matthew 22:14, "Many are called, but few are chosen," he referred to the world-wide call of the gospel which many people hear and reject to their own doom. If she wanted to marry, and her father would not allow her to do so, she might disgrace her father and ruin her own testimony by marrying the wrong person. How do I bloom where Christ has put me? Before we can move onto anything else, respond to the call of God in Jesus Christ. These questions plague us.This passage doesnt establish our circumstances as unalterable. Repent from your sins and ask God to forgive you for what you have done in rebellion against him. 1) God put us here. 1- They seem to be looking to Paul as an example for the Christian life. Confirming the Witness of Christ. He showed Zacchaeuas love and mercy; and He even went to Zacchaeus house for dinner. Text: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17. Were not automatically required to leave our families when we come to know Jesus Christ. The Time is Short "The time is short." 1 Corinthians vii. The principle that Paul had already taught in relation to marriage is here mentioned clearly three times. I know what God has called me to be to my family and I know that this job will take time away from me which will cut into the way that I should be loving my family and the way that I should be serving in my church and my neighbors. Verse 19 says literally, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God (is everything)." Once the person came the sign gave way to a reality. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Denomination: Baptist God's Word About Sex, Divorce, & Singleness Series Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Mar 6, 2003 based on 27 ratings | 5,976 views The purpose of this sermon is to teach God's Word about these areas and inspire obedience to it. Please answer His call. We know this not only because of the exceptions Paul allowed to his principle here in 1 Corinthians 7 (cf. Please place your trust in Him. That has to do with our outward mode of lifethe place of life in this world that God has granted to us. So; thats what this principle looks like in relation to outward traditions. But before we can understand either of these applications, we need to clarify a key word in the principle itself. If Im not in full time ministry, am I really doing something worthwhile? This is true. There is one who has authority over you, and you must be humble and submissive.". If that is true, then we need to think through our opportunities and our assignments with that lens. Some of them had become born again by faith in Jesus, and were now brand new creations in Christ. Paul went on to tell them that, if their unbelieving husband or unbelieving wife resented their new life in Christif they hated their faith so much that they did not want to stay with them any longerthen the believer should allow that unbelieving spouse to go. Indeed, becoming a slave of the right person could be a career choice. Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:8-10). In a word, the application of Paul's principle to cultural distinctives is this: Don't fret and don't boast about your present state of cultural distinctives; they are of little importance to God compared to whether you are devoting yourself, soul and mind and body, to obeying his commandments, which are all fulfilled in this: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Romans 13:810; Galatians 5:14). Gods life gives us courage as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Am I perhaps seeing signs, I got this parking spot here, I got a phone call there, is God speaking to me by his providence? | Download (0.2KB), Worship Time Childcare provided for children ages 0-7, Revival Prayer Meeting, 6:00 pm at the church, Church Prayer Group, 7:00 pm at the church, Men's Breakfast, 7:30 am at the 185th Shari's.