Called To Travel Lightly

Almighty God, you built your church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the cornerstone. Come, Holy Spirit, join us together by Christ’s faithful work and the saints faithful witness. May we too be a holy temple in which you dwell to the glory of our triune god.

†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #248

“All Creatures of Our God and King”

†CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN

“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.” (Psalm 11:4–5, 7 ESV)

As we prepare to confess our sins together, take a minute for personal and silent confession

TIME OF SILENT CONFESSION

Let us confess our sin together

Minister: Father in heaven, forgive us for thinking so highly of ourselves.

Congregation: We often think that we are righteous by our own actions, forgetting that true righteousness comes only through the blood of Christ. We look at the failings of others and do not like to admit we are weak. We forget that true strength comes from the joy of the Lord.

Minister: Forgive us, Lord for our pride and self-righteousness.

Congregation: We do not love others as we love ourselves, and in so doing, we fail to love you, the Creator of all. Forgive us, heavenly father, and in your mercy change our hearts and put our sins out of your sight. We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8, ESV) “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:10–12, ESV)

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Exodus 6:1-13

Paul Mulner, Elder

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†HYMN OF PREPARATION #172

“Speak, O Lord”

SERMON 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 // Called To Travel Lightly —Pastor Austin Prince

ILLUMINATION

Teach us, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, and we shall observe it to the end. Give us understanding, that we may observe thy law and keep it with all our hearts. Amen.

TEXT

1 Corinthians 7:25–40 (ESV) — 25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. 32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. 36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold.

Intro:

We’ve seen in the past few weeks how the gospel (the good news of Jesus) not only comes to affect our souls and our minds, but our hands and feet (marriages, families, bodies, etc.). Our current situation, no matter what it is, is redeemed. We are to serve God where we are.

If you remember, Paul had previously given us an image, an illustration of what God was doing among the saved. They were being built up as the temple of God upon the foundation of Christ. They, the people, were now a new display of His glory as they walked in holiness and obedience day by day. A living temple among literal pagan temples.

Patrick Schreiner paints the idea of gospel transformation in this culture marvelously when he writes,

"As the goal of the Roman Empire was to shape the world in its image, so the Spirit challenges their construction effort. Rome created beautiful buildings, constructed travel routes, and reconstructed land to inculcate the Pax Romana. The Spirit comes and constructs a new temple - new buildings with a distinct type of beauty and unity." — Patrick Schreiner

Another writer, picking up on Schreiner adds “The Spirit forms a new civilization in and through the church. He restructures the world to become the realm of the Pax Christi. — Peter Leithart

Pax Christi = The peace of Christ. That’s a good focal point for the situations in our text for today.

What the gospel does:

Rest from the past, hope for the future, but what now? What about our Anxiety?

Christianity isn’t just that we are saved from something (past oriented), or that we are saved to something (future oriented), but that we are also saved for something (present orientation).

Outline:

Present Contentment

Eternal Perspective

Anxious free Devotion

Present Contentment (vv. 25-28; 36-40)

1 Corinthians 7:25–28 (ESV) — 25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.

“In view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is” (v.26)

We don’t know exactly what this distress was (famine, war, persecution), but there are certain situations that call for discernment.

Nevertheless, Paul instruct them that it is better to face this present distress while walking in contentment and holiness than to be tied up in knots. That is not a sign of holiness and many people think that it is.

“Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned” (vv.27-28)

Principle is contentment

Self-discipline is good, but it is no demand of Christian duty to eliminate natural desires. God uses them for His glory.

The Corinthians would tell a person with sexual appetite to go for it however they wished (same as our culture), but the Christian instruction for sexual appetite was not shame or abstention, but marriage.

Don’t make Christianity an ‘unnatural thing’: “We must remember that Christianity was never meant to abolish ordinary life; it was meant to glorify it.” - Barclay, Letters To The Corinthians, 75.

Again, the principle is contentment. Your situation currently might not be ideal. Your situation currently might be marked by difficulty (a present distress that calls for discernment), but it fitting to be content int he present and in the changes that the future holds.

How can that be? …

Heavenly Perspective (vv.29-31)

1 Corinthians 7:29–31 (ESV) — 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

What is he saying here? Is he saying that we are to be cold, distant, aloof, even cruel? No. This is language of perspective.

It is not counsel to be indifferent to difficult and present circumstances. It isn’t patronizing by over spiritualizing — just think of heaven. But it does anchor our view beyond the immediate and into the eternal.

The things of this life. The flesh, our situations, aren’t ultimate and do not have ultimate control over our lives.

Psalm 39:4–7 (ESV) — 4 “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! 7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

“All that we have, no matter who or where we are, should be surrendered before God, lifted up on an open palm. The Lord can place things there, and take them away. If we clench them in our fists, it is no additional trouble for God to take them away, but our fingers get broken.” —Wilson, Douglas

The world says, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” But the Christian says, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow comes resurrection”.

1 Corinthians 15:18–20 (ESV) — 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Heavenly perspective is a pressure-release valve. Taking the weight of any circumstance, even death, and giving back to us eace and rest and new eyes to see.

Anxious Free/Undivided Devotion (vv.32-35)

1 Corinthians 7:32–40 (ESV) — 32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. 36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

“I want you to be free from anxieties” (v.32)

This is the principle

The unmarried vs. the married — is Paul indicating that unmarried life is superior because of its devotion?

No, it seems that his main aim is in the realm of stress and anxiety. The unmarried person is anxious about pleasing the Lord. In context, they were considering abstaining from marriage, and even sex, to honor God. They were tense and stressed.

The married person was also anxious, but about worldly things. Paul’s instruction was to “travel lightly” — to live with a heavenly perspective.

*** Not right vs. wrong, but good vs. better

Jesus says that my yoke is easy and my burden light, not gruesome and unbearable. But this is how many people live. They are frenzied that either the world is ultimate and they must do all they can to hold on to it, or they are frenzied that God is tedious and hard to please.

Paul’s instruction here is not to live in this frenzy whether married or single. Part of our testimony in this world is what Jeremiah Burroughs (a great book that is in our book stall) calls The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.

Conclusion

“We must remember that Christianity was never meant to abolish ordinary life; it was meant to glorify it.” - Barclay, Letters To The Corinthians, 75.

Are you frustrated with where you are in life? Maybe your need to open that clinched fist and give a sacrifice of praise. Content that this is where God has placed you and content that He may change it.

Is your perspective short-ranged, only seeing what is immediate? Does the vitality and joy of your faith shift with daily trials and needs and burdens? This text is calling you to a heavenly perspective, an anchor where God is in whom there is no shadow due to change. Resurrection is coming.

Are you anxious? In your efforts to please the Lord, have you become tense and restless, always wondering if you are taking the right path for righteousness? Relax, and be faithful wherever he has placed you.

†PSALM OF RESPONSE #23A

“The Lord’s My Shepherd”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Leader: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

Turn to page 852

Let us confess what it is that we believe together

CONFESSION OF FAITH

The Nicene Creed p. 852

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

Minister: Here is the table of the Lord, we are gathered to his supper for a foretaste of things eternal. All who have faith in the risen lord and are united with his church in baptism are invited to come. Come, you who are fearful, to find peace in him. Come, you who are weak, to be made strong in faith. Come, you who are broken, and be made whole. It is not I who invite you, but the Lord. You who trust in him, come.

Congregation: What shall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward us? We will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast. O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are they who trust in him.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

SHARING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Take, eat, drink, believe

CLOSING PRAYER

†OUR RESPONSE #212 “Come, Thou Almighty King”

To the great One in Three eternal praises be,

hence evermore. His sovereign majesty

may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore.

†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE

The Lord of peace Himself gives you peace; at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Grace Notes Reflection

It is wonderful to want to live a pleasing life to the Lord, as the Corinthians did. But when that desire turns unnatural, filled with anxiety and discontent, clearly something has gone wrong. As an illustration, the Prodigal Son story that Jesus tells in Luke 15 explains that the wayward son was ashamed and fully expected to come home to a disappointed father, but he was surprised to find the father exuberant with joy and forgiveness. You can imagine as they entered into the feast where the son was to sit with his father at the table, the son may feel the need to drop to the floor and scrub the dirt, or go to the kitchen to assist waiting on tables–anything to earn his keep. But as right as an impulse to humility is, it isn’t what the father wants. He wants he son to feel His pleasure, to take up a seat next to him and delight and own his sonship. We know from Luke 14 in the parable of the wedding feast that it is right to seek the lowest seat with exaltation to follow, but we are never to forget that in Christ that exaltation has already happened. Because of the cross of Christ, those who trust in Christ are cleansed, sanctified, and justified (1 Cor. 6:11). So whatever situation you are in, and whatever ambitions that you have for the future, do not attribute any of those situational changes to your standing before God. His grace came to you where you were, it will be with you as you grow, and it is with you today. Rest. Believe. And walk in the pleasure of your Father.

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