1 Corinthians-Imperfect Church, Perfect Gospel-Navigating Relationships

Introduction

Good morning church!

Excited to be preaching this morning and always excited to be here with you all!

Turn in your bibles to 1 Corinthians 7 if you would this morning

Recap last message. Living out your calling! Looked at the importance of knowing the “how” instead of the “where” Bringing GOD GLORY AND JESUS TO PEOPLE! Having a faith that transcends our circumstances. Wherever we find ourselves we can fulfill the calling God has placed on our lives

Today with that in mind we are going to turn our attention to our relationships!

Paul is going to make one final push in this chapter to bring some clarity to what was a messy situation in the church of Corinth.

Remember-People were making choices about their relationship status thinking that one state- whether married or single was more spiritual than the other.

This was creating chaos and confusion in the church. Divorce was becoming a normal and acceptable thing and along with that singles who felt marriage was wrong, were burning with sexual desire and that was leading to sin as well.

The way we navigate our relationships matter

So here, Paul takes one more opportunity to explain what it looks like to live a Godly life, whether you are single or married.

Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 7:25–40

This past summer my parents took Brian and Steph’s family and our family to kingdom bound in Darien Lake. 6 flags theme park with rides and christian concerts for 3 days. Brian and I took a group of our daughters to do some rides. First one we decided to do was called the Boomerang. (Picture) EXPLAIN. Both Brian and I had stomachs that were still doing the loops on the coaster for a few hours! Then there were some other people there that couldn’t get enough of the crazy things! Kept going and going on them!

Marriage and relationships are alot like a roller coaster ride. When you're single, you wait in line, excitedly watching couples scream with joy and terror. Once you get on, it’s thrilling at first, but then there are those unexpected drops! It’s full of ups and downs, twists and turns. But just like every roller coaster ride, In the end, it’s the laughter and shared screams that create the best memories!

In our passage today, Paul discusses the complexities surrounding marriage, divorce, and singleness, encouraging believers to make decisions based on their devotion to Christ rather than societal pressures or personal desires.

He highlights that both marriage and singleness serve unique purposes within God's plan and calls for clarity and commitment in how we approach these relationships.

So this morning We are going to look at 4 ways that we can bring some clarity to how we navigate relationships!

The first way we can begin navigating relationships well is to start with

1. Purposeful Singleness

1 Corinthians 7:25-28.

Paul here is drawing back to the point he had made earlier in the letter where he consistently shares with the Corinthians that contentment starts with realizing that God has a purpose for you NO MATTER WHERE YOU FIND YOURSELF!

And more specifically here, he is talking about those who are NOT married, to those who are single!

Being single can be hard, especially if you find yourself there and it’s not your desire or your doing!

Contrary to what most of us believe, our discontentment with singleness can’t be solved by finding a guy or girl and getting a ring on our finger. Leslie Ludy Sacred Singleness (2009)

Leslie Ludy

1 Timothy 6:6 ESV

But godliness with contentment is great gain,

Philippians 4:10–13 ESV

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

To the singles in here who dont find being single as something they are called to but have found themselves in, PLEASE HEAR MY HEART!

Im NOT PREACHING THESE VERSES AT YOU, BUT DESIRING THAT YOU FIND GRACE AND COMFORT IN THEM!

God can and WILL provide EVERYTHING you need to walk through this time, and that goes for those that find singleness as your calling from God!

And no matter what circumstance you find yourself in, there is PURPOSE IN IT!

And in case there is still a thought that single people MUST marry to have a complete purpose in life, I found this list in a commentary

• The greatest person who ever lived was single: the God-Man, Jesus Christ.

• The greatest mere human who ever lived was single: John the Baptist.

• The greatest missionary and theologian who ever lived was single: the apostle Paul.

• The greatest statesman who ever lived was single: Daniel.

• The greatest prophets of Israel who ever lived were single: Elijah and Elisha.

To this list we can add Joseph, Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Anna, Martha, Mary Magdalene, and Lydia, who were all single for at least a season.

The people of God have been blessed by single people in the past and we are blessed by singles in the present and will be in the future.

God knows what he is doing when he calls people to marriage, and God knows what he is doing when he calls them to singleness. Whatever God’s calling is for you, you can rejoice and be certain that it is his best for you

And in all of this recognizing that we all have the same calling!

Remember, our calling is to bring God glory and JESUS to people!

That purpose can be fulfilled in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!

God seeks out those who are willing that their lives should be fashioned according to His own grace and love. He sifts out those who cannot see God’s purpose and design for our blessing.

A. W. Tozer

I want to encourage those of you who are single, SEEK PURPOSE IN THIS SEASON!

MAKE THIS A TIME OF RUNNING AS FAST AS YOU CAN TOWARDS GOD AND IF SOMEONE KEEPS UP WITH YOU, DONT BE AFRAID TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND SEE WHAT GOD DOES!

The second way we can navigate relationships well is to have an

2. Eternal Perspective

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.

Paul, in this section, is using metaphors to show his readers that this life is short and temporary and that believers need to view marriage and singleness in light of eternity

Our focus must not be on our temporary conditions but on an unwavering dedication to God

Now, dont get me wrong, Human relationships are significant, however Our earthly relationships must NOT draw us away from Jesus or His mission!

Keeping an eternal perspective is important because, as Paul notes here, THE TIME IS SHORT AND THIS WORLD IS PASSING AWAY!

Paul fleshes this concept out a little more in Romans 13:11-14

Romans 13:11–14 ESV

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Living with an eternal perspective means that marriage is temporary (v. 29). Mourning and rejoicing over the things of this world are temporary (v. 30). Possessions in this life are temporary (vv. 30–31). None of these things are everlasting or eternal. One day they will be gone. This is why we must be sure to have an eternal perspective! We Understand the value of these things and enjoy them, yes, but do not get glued to them. None of them will last forever.

Calvin puts it perfectly: “All things that are connected with the enjoyment of the present life are sacred gifts of God, but we pollute them when we abuse them.… The sum is this, that the mind of a Christian ought not to be taken up with earthly things, or to repose in them; for we ought to live as if we were every moment about to depart from this life.”

And in regards to how we navigate relationships, when we keep an eternal perspective we will tend to focus more of our attention on the things that bring God glory and Jesus to people!

The third way that we can navigate relationships well Is by having an

3. Undivided Devotion

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

Paul begins verse 32 by saying a statement “I want you to be free from anxieties” and the rest of verses 33-35 fleshing this out practically in relationships.

Each one of us, whether single or married, deal with ANXIETIES!

Those who are single, though they dont have a spouse to worry about or please, they have family, friends, coworkers and bosses!

Each one of them will demand a certain amount of attention or devotion

To those of us who are married, Paul lays out for us our consistent need to take care of and please our spouse. And that can bring anxiety!

I know as a married man, a lot of times the reason for what I do and where the majority of my thoughts go is to my wife and family.

This isn’t a sin or a bad thing, we see this right is vs 36.

However, in the sphere of our relationships, there must be ONLY one that takes our undivided devotion!

Thats our relationship with Jesus!

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

The true goal is to lead a "life of undivided devotion to the Lord", especially in the area of our relationships!

John MacArthur says it like this. “Marriage does not prevent great devotion to the Lord, and singleness does not guarantee it. But singleness has fewer hindrances and more advantages. It is easier for a single person to be single-minded in the things of the Lord. The married Christian has no choice. His interests must be divided. He cannot be faithful to the Lord if he is unfaithful to his family. “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). The single person, however, has a choice. He is free to marry or not. He is not under restraint to remain single. His choice is not between right and wrong but between good and better.”

Our relational choices and situation should be made in light of what draws our devotion closer to Jesus and not on them!

My wife, keeps me accountable, encourages me to deepen our walk with Jesus and desires me to give my devotion to Him

So, if your single- pursue relationships that DRAW you closer to Jesus, if your married- Keep you devotion to Christ first and foremost and encourage your spouse to do the same!

Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon

The fourth way that we can navigate relationship well is by making

4. Honorable Choices

1 Corinthians 7:36-40.

Here in these verses Paul will bring everything he has said concerning relationships up to this point to conclusion.

Paul's conclusion is that whether married or single, each path chosen should align with one's convictions, knowing that both are honorable before God.

1 Corinthians 7:36–38 ESV

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.

Neither singleness nor marriage bring about a more HOLY or BETTER PERSON!

Both can and will be used by God for His purposes and plans!

But both situations, whether to stay single or get married, MUST be carefully prayed through.

Because the choice to get married comes with COMMITMENT!

1 Corinthians 7:39–40 ESV

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.

One of the things that I do when a couple want me to marry them is we like to have them over and hear them out and get to know them and their story. If after that we feel good about them starting the process, we begin our premarital counseling. I state the same thing with EVERY couple. “My job is not to give you reason TO GET married, its to find the reasons you SHOULDNT”

Why? Because marriage is for life! It’s a serious commitment that requires serious consideration!

Jesus lays this out in full detail in Matthew

Matthew 19:1–12 ESV

Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Marriage is a honorable choice and beautiful display of the love between a man and woman and if its desired by the couple needs to be looked at seriously and intentionally!

And singleness is also an honorable choice and can be a beautiful display of complete obedience to the will of God for life or a season, but needs to be looked at seriously and intentionally!

Because Each person is called to bring Glory to God and Jesus to people, and that plays into our relationships as well

So, when navigating relationships, remember that you can have a PURPOSEFUL SINGLENESS, TO KEEP AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE, TO GIVE JESUS OUR UNDIVIDED DEVOTION, AND TO MAKE HONORABLE CHOICES!

Pray