1 corinthians 7:17 24 sermon 1 corinthians 7:17 24 sermon

21 Were you a bondservant when called? The main point of my message this morning can be stated as a declaration and as a prayer. 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. It was a sovereign on purpose; and was guided and arranged by Him for the manifestation of His glory in and through us. And do you remember what Zacchaeus did? What he is talking about here is the situation that a believer, someone who has been called to faith in Jesus Christ and has responded with saving, justifying faith to the call of God, that we believers are called to live a life where we are living in a way that is defined to us by the word of God. In chapter 1, verse 9, Paul says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Our responsibilities to our families, to our work, to our neighbors, to our churches. Christianity is not a revolutionary religion of upward social mobility. I believe this is the word of God for us today, and I would like to unfold it for a few minutes from 1 Corinthians 7:1724. 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. Confirming the Witness of Christ. It means to remain or endure in a situation, specifically with the idea of awaiting something else. God used Pauls place of calling mightily. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. 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. Sermon Trusting God to Work it Out by Brian Bill. Paul says you are missing the point, you dont have to worry about the ethnic or national boundaries that existed in the old covenant because the call of Jesus Christ comes to all kinds of people in all kinds of cultures and the call says, follow Jesus where you are. There was a monk whose name was Brother Lawrence who wrote a booked called, Practicing the Presence of God. Are we doing this in response of faith and the obedience to Jesus Christ in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in? "Were you a slave when called? 1 Corinthians 7:17 Sermons: Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, so let him walk. This is my rule in all the churches. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. These are our assignments, the relationships that God has given us to live in. It is, in fact, a principle for all those who believe on Jesusand in all the churches that belong to Him. But Paul deepens our understanding with a new theological reason. Paul is not pronouncing a blanket condemnation upon all those who adopt aspects of other cultures and give up aspects of their own. This is actually a remarkable thing, if you were a Jew, one of the primary things you were called to do was to be circumcised. To make a decision in light of your effectual calling. And to a certain degree, that new inner life also has an impact on the outer life. Remain, if you are free as you are. We areeach of usto remain with God in that state in which we were called. Do not be concerned about it. This is true. When we are called into a relationship with Jesus, God calls us in a place where we still have our old friends and old relations. *"This date is an approximation of when this sermon was delivered." THE text does not say that time is short. You are where you are by divine assignment, even if you got there by fraud. Seized By Temptation - 1 Corinthians 10:13. We pray. Your Job as Ministry. Never mind. Now; this fundamental principle is given to us in three verses. (All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated). Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. Am I in the will of God? Zacchaeus became a new creation by faith in Jesus. So often when we go to the Bible, we are trying to get answers to our questions; what school should I go to, who should I marry? In those days, people would often sell themselves into slavery to pay off debts. If Im not in full time ministry, am I really doing something worthwhile? In the last analysis, nothing else will matter but that. I think Paul himself might be a good example for us in this. But Paul was urging that this was not at all necessary for a believing Jewish person to do. Slaves were sometimes highly educated and trusted with administrative responsibility. If they were called to God in a state of cultural freedom, then they are to be faithful to walk with Jesus Christ as His servants within their liberty. We're the "church on the hill. That is when he invites us to trust in the Lord Jesus through faith. But if it is not sinful place of lifeif it is not a place that is in violation of Gods clear commandmentsthen we are to remain there and let God work through us. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Paul has already made that case in marriage and singleness, then in circumcision and uncircumcision. Paul says you dont have to worry about different groups of people, the horizontal assignments you have. Here Paul is telling us assignments in which we are called to abide as we wait for the full fulfillment that Jesus is calling to. The Bible is an objective word; and it speaks objectively to some situations.There are other situations that are subjective. For many of us that may mean turning over a new leaf tomorrow morning. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. Thats the call, our assignments are ultimately irrelevant. If so, the application is clear, respond. 24 and are . 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. God left them to remain in that very situation so that they might also have a godly influence upon their children. This is my rule in all the churches. God alone rules each circumstance of life. 44:54. Picking Your Fights - 1 Corinthians 9:1-23. Their sins are completely forgivencast into the sea of Gods pardoning grace. The Holy Spirit takes the objective, inspired word of God and he illuminates that to my specific details of my life. Hes talking about this calling about what Jesus has done and a calling to believe that what Jesus has done is for me.Let me read you what the Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 67 defines the effectual call as it looks at all the places this word is used in scripture. If you are Mexican, don't try to become American; if you are American, don't try to become Mexican. We begin to pray about everything. Look carefully at that phrase as God has distributed to each one. Gods Calling Transcends Horizontal Assignments God would not call us in Christ to remain in a continually sinful lifestyle or to carry on sinful practices. We cant help but repent from our sins and turn to him in faith to accept the faith offered in Jesus Christ. But the next things that Paul goes on to talk about in verse twenty through twenty-three are vertical boundaries. It is no accident that you are where you are. Father we ask that you will give us grace to seek you, to seek your will, to seek your favor, especially as we wrestle though a thousand difficult questions. If that is true, then we need to think through our opportunities and our assignments with that lens. Not for an answer, but for the wisdom that other believers, who are further along in the faith perhaps, have gained through the Holy Spirits illumination in their lives as they have been faced with similar questions. My life is to obey God and enjoy his presence.". Quietness Of Spirit . 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. But that raises and important and practical question. They may look the same on the outside, but their inner beingtheir spiritis completely transformed. As a tax collector, he was a sinful man. Imagine you had the opportunity to work for that person as a low-level staffer at the White House. In calling us to Himself in Christ at the time He did, and in the place of life He did, and under the circumstances He didwith that upbringing we had, or in that cultural setting in which we live our lives, or with that social standing He has given us in this worldHe has not made any mistakes. He found it to be exhausting and difficult and almost impossible to keep. As a Jewish man, he would never have been indifferent to the covenant sign that God gave to his ancestor Abraham. Let him not seek circumcision. 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. So I command in all the churches. 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. Specifically, the definition that we are going to get about what this calling is toward is in verse twenty-four. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. We belong to Him wherever He calls us; For, as Paul tells us in verses 22, he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lords freedman. Then Paul turns in verses 2123 to apply his principle to the issue of whether one is a slave or a freedman. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:24, ESV. Those that He has called to Himself by faith in Jesus were chosen by Him for that relationship long before they were ever born. An opportunity we are going to see is a lawful and properly available path where we might change our circumstances. Either way, we belong completely to Jesus as His new creations. 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). To seek Godly counsel. 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. The moment any woman or man or young person places their faith in Jesus Christ, they become completely born-again in Him. February 17, 2020. by Alistair Begg. They had clearly been transformed on the inside; and there were many changes that were happening on the outside too. So, he says in verse eighteen, Now, in actual fact, the whole section - from verse 17 through to the end of the chapter, at vs40, really ought to be . Again, Gods calling intersects whatever people groups you were born into so that you dont have to join a new one. We are to live in the same family with God. We should seek to serve God in whatever situation He places useither now or later. A brand new inner lifemade gloriously new in Christhas begun. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Instead, wherever we are, we can be content. . 1 Corinthians 7:19, ESV Yet if you are in the condition of a bondservant, understand you dont need to seek a change from that either. What should we be saying? So, in verse nineteen Paul says, just to explain this a little further, John 7:1-13, 40-52 Study Guide: What's the Deal with Jesus? Up to this point Paul has been talking about remaining in the situations that we find ourselves in in our marriages. Christians are prone to this too. He wrote; For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God (Romans 2:28-29). 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? The Bible tells you to love your neighbor as yourself and that looks different in different relationships. Paul says that its good, if you can, to remain in the situation that you are in. And likewise, the Bible tells us that we are not our own, but that we have been purchased at the cost of the blood of Jesuseven if, culturally speaking, we are now in a state of freedom. Do not be concerned about it. What wonderful news that is! Bloom Where You're Planted. For the scriptures to frame how we are looking at this question. Introduction I am reminded of the illustration by Emo Phillips: I was walking . Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. What if its not just me, what if Im disobedient not to go? Dont be anxious about your assignment in life. There is no new prophecy, no new words from the Lord, they are already given to us. We begin to read the Bible with new passion and understanding. Luke 1:26-45 Study Guide: What did Mary Know? Sermon. Building On The Past - 1 Corinthians 10:1-12. Charles Hodge describes it this way, This would mean to be near God. The opportunities may arise and if so, you are free to take them as long as its to a good thing. If you have an opportunity to go and follow a different religion that rejects the Lord Jesus Christ, that in sin. 1- They seem to be looking to Paul as an example for the Christian life. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. The innocent believer is not bound to the deserter. A believing husband should not divorce his unbelieving wife, and a believing wife should not divorce her unbelieving husband. So, these are the horizontal assignments, the boundaries, the people Gods. The Bible tells us that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:7). It does not condemn all job changes. 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. Its in almost every verse. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? 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. By Leslie Holmes on February 28, 2023 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching Effectual calling is the work of Gods almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and special love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving him thereunto) he doth, in his accepted time, invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by his word and Spirit; savingly enlightening their minds, renewing and powerfully determining their wills, so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able freely to answer his call, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and conveyed therein. Paul is saying that in the new covenant the separation of people groups by national entities is no longer important. Most modern versions say, "Were you a slave when called? 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of 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. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 New International Version Concerning Change of Status 17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. You would not work whenever you please, but you would work at the pleasure of the president, every moment of your life. He showed Zacchaeuas love and mercy; and He even went to Zacchaeus house for dinner. When you are called to Christ, even as a bondservant you dont belong to your master but to the Lord. The time may come when we may do something different, as long as it is lawful and properly available. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Recent Sermons "Jesus Divides the Earth" - Matthew 10:34-42 Pastor Jacob Gerber, February 26, 2023 "No Comfort for the Lonely City" - Lamentations 1:1-22 Pastor Andrew Lightner, February 19, 2023 Facebook Phone Email . 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. Indeed, becoming a slave of the right person could be a career choice. 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. Trending: The Cost of Discipleship. Bible Study & Sermon Videos; 1 corinthians 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 16:17-18. 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. Gods presence enables us to abide in whatever assignments we have. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. And so ordain I in all churches abide. Are you single, married? There is one who has authority over you, and you must be humble and submissive.". God can save you and make you clean. Gods joy gives us perseverance in the midst of sorrow. How do we discern the Lords word in our lives? Sometimes we start to ask, what if my good shepherd wants me to go to a greener pasture? He also gives us some illustrations of what this principle should look like in some specific cases. These three statements of Paul's principle divide the text into two parts. 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. Literally the verse says, "Let each one remain in the "calling" (not state) in which he was called." so it be allowed, having put her away, to marry another. Romans 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Before we read it, let's orient ourselves from the preceding context. Let me conclude now with some practical implications. Now, Paul is then drawing the application of this point to probably one of the most difficult circumstances to find yourself in, that of a bondservant, a slave. The calling is the call to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. His concern is not to condemn job changes, but to teach that you can have fulfillment in Christ whatever your job is. Gods Calling Transcends Horizontal Assignments I think we have a great example of this from the Bible. It may be helpful to think of these as three pieces of bread in a double-decker sandwich (like a Big Mac). We begin to treat our daily responsibilities and duties more seriously. This, then, is a very important principle for new creations in Christ. Gods Calling Teaches Us to Abide with God. Never mind. "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established" (Proverbs 19:21). The Bible tells us that. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? This is the word of our God for us this morning. We abide in Christ now, so that when he appears with all his holy angels and all the armies of Heaven, we wont be frightened. You have the same objective passages to look at, but you need to look at how that will be applied in your situation. Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke 19? Paul then wrote a letter to the Christians at Corinth warning them "to have no company with sexual sinners" (1 Corinthians 5:9), but that letter has been lost to us. Theme: We are to walk as a faithful Christian in the place of life where God has called us to Himself. Sermon . I have to ask for the illumination to understand the objective teaching of scripture, does that line up with this situation? Now I want to start this morning by defining three terms that we will be using. 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.