Removing Distractions

Bottom line

We must limit the distractions in our life so we can be free to serve God as he has called us.

Opening Line

I want to kick things off with a little church participation this morning.

Introduction

What are some common distractions in life? Just so we are on the same page, here is the definition of a distraction.

A distraction is anything that diverts your attention away from a task or an intended focus.

The definition goes on to differentiate between external and internal. An internal distraction is a day dream or wandering thoughts, and I would say that these are often influenced by the external distractions. So what are some external distractions?

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Main Point

I start there because Paul is going address some common distractions that pop up in life. One of the interesting things about chapter 7, and if we are honest most of 1 Corinthians, is that there isn’t a lot of need to contextualize. There are not a lot ideas expressed in this letter that need to be explained because you can relate to many of the things Paul is talking about. It really speaks to the timeless nature of God’s word.

Why it matters

So as we dive into chapter 7, Paul is writing to a church that is heavily distracted, and needs to be reminded of what its intended focus needs to be. In our 21st century context, I hope you can appreciate the importance of such a text because I would say that we live in a perpetually distracted culture. Thanks to Tik Tok and other such media platforms, people’s attention spans have gotten shorter and shorter, and our minds are constantly wandering to other things. Not to pick on the guys in the booth, but we have regularly warned to take phones away because it is easy to assume that things are going according to plan and allow yourself to get distracted.

But what happens when you have become so distracted that you begin to forget what you were supposed to be focused on in the first place? So as we dive into the scriptures this morning, my hope is that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you something that has distracted you for long enough, and it is time to get back to focusing on the main thing.

Scripture

So, 1 Cor 7 starting in verse 1. Before we read, I want to address the two groups in the room. I don’t know what your Bible says, but beside the big 7 my Bible has the title, “Instruction on Marriage.” Now before my single people tune out, don’t worry Paul has lots to say to you as well this morning. I also want to be clear on the implications of what Paul is saying. There are single people, and there are married people. Even if you are engaged, you still fall under the single person category and must conduct yourself accordingly. Don’t be distracted by the world’s categories of dating, engaged, it’s complicated, and any other classification. There is married and unmarried, end of story.

Ok here we go.

1 Corinthians 7:1–9 NLT

Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

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So Paul starts off his first major distraction in life

1. Sex

Remember, Corinth was the home of the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Every night, hundreds of temple prostitutes would go out into the streets and attempt to drum business as an act of worship. And though you and I may not have temple prostitutes knocking on our doors at night, we live in a hypersexualized culture that uses sex to sell even the most ridiculous of things like pop. The porn industry is still one of the biggest markets in North America, with 57% of people between the ages of 18-25 viewing porn at least monthly. Sex is everywhere.

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So Paul has two solutions. He says option 1 is stay single. If you have the self-control to resist the temptation, stay single as he was. Later on in the chapter he talks about how the one who marries his fiance does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better. The best option is to abstain from sex completely and don’t allow it to have any sway in your life.

Which brings me to my single people in the room. Teenagers, I hope you are listening. There is absolutely no rush to get into a relationship or get married. You have a gift in this season of your life to discover who you are and what God has called you to. So take advantage of it. Be adventurous, try new things. Don’t rush a relationship, and certainly don’t rush marriage. I’m going to tell you something that no one who has ever put pressure on you to get married has ever said. Marriage is hard. It is great, don’t get me wrong, but it is a lot of work. So don’t force it. When the right person comes along, you’ll know. But until then, live your life, grow in your faith, and discover who you are. Please do not force it. The greatest gift you could ever give your future spouse is someone who confident in themselves and knows what God has called them to. So do that.

Now back to the rest of us. To those that are married, what does Paul say? The husband should fulfill his wife’s needs, and the wife’s her husband’s. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority of his body to his wife.

Paul is addressing the men and women as equals, and in marriage each spouse is equal. This was something that was talked about at Family Camp week 1. The speaker addressed the fact that as a fellowship, the PAOC wholeheartedly endorses that women have equal call and opportunity to hold positions of leadership within our churches, including the role of lead pastor. But why do we believe that women can lead our churches and not our homes? Paul is teaching here that the man and the woman are equals when it comes to meeting each other’s needs. Ephesians 5:21

Ephesians 5:21 NLT

And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

This verse comes right before Paul’s teachings on the interactions between the wife and the husband. Even in that, Paul teaches that the men are to love their wives selflessly, loving them the way they love their own bodies.

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2. Marriage

Is it fair to say that when things are rocky in your marriage, it can be a distraction? If things are tense or you are in a season where you are not seeing eye to eye, it can become all consuming. It is hard to think about anything else.

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But what if the idea that the man has to be the head of the home has become so ingrained that it is actually holding your home back? What if the man isn’t leading? What if he can’t lead because health concerns or stress? What if he lacks the spiritual maturity to lead his home well? Is the woman just supposed to sit back and let it happen? What if the distraction stems from an unhealthy understanding of how marriage is supposed to function?

The two become one flesh. Equal partners, equal participants in the decision making and spiritual discipleship of their family. They are put together to push each other, to help each other discover what God is calling them to and to help each other do it. The wife serves the husband, and the husband serves the wife. Mutual submission to each other. If you can get this right, it will save you a bunch of headaches and heartaches. How do I know? Because it is the way God meant for it to happen.

1 Corinthians 7:10–17 NLT

But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife. Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you? 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. This is my rule for all the churches.

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Paul goes on to say that if you are circumcised before you were saved, should you try to uncircumcise yourself? I don’t even know how one would go about that, either in the 1st century or now. He also says that if you were a slave, remain as one unless you can get out of it. But each one should remain.

3. Change Everything

What is Paul addressing here? There are times when someone becomes a new believer, and God has so radically tranformed their life, that they feel like they need to change everything. I’m going to leave my unbelieving spouse, I’m going to leave my job to work for someone who loves Jesus, I’m going to move so that I can be closer to my church. I’m going to go to Bible school and become a missionary in Africa.

Paul is saying, “WHOA!” Pump the breaks. What if you are already in your mission field? That you are a believer in Jesus, what if your spouse becomes a believer because of your faith? What if someone at your job surrenders their life to Christ because of your faithfulness to God at work? Don’t be in a rush to change everything because God has a plan for where you are and now you are part of the plan.

To which we jump down to verse 29, where Paul is going to lay out some more distractions in life.

1 Corinthians 7:29–31 NLT

But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

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4. The Things Of This World

As I have said often. This list is not exhaustive, so just because youre particular distraction isn’t listed doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be dealt with. The time is very short, Jesus is going to return soon, and so do not become consumed with your hobbies, your jobs, your technology, and anything else you may put your hand to but ulitmately has no eternal value. I’m not saying these things are bad, but when they become all consuming or distract you from what you are supposed to be doing, that is when it becomes a problem.

Which brings us to the crescendo of the chapter, the big point that Paul has been building to.

1 Corinthians 7:32–35 NLT

I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

I am going to leave that last verse on the screen. If you have your bible, underline that verse so you can come back to it. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

A distraction is anything that diverts your attention from a task or an intended focus. So what does Paul say you are supposed to be focused on? Serving the Lord. Doing what he has called you to do. If you don’t know what he has called you to do, ask him. If nothing else, default to the great commandments. Love God, and love people. How do you love God? By keeping his commands. How do you love people? By serving them.

So why does Paul talk about marriage? Because when things are tense in your marriage, it can distract you from serving God. Why does he think singleness is the best option? Because you can focus on serving God. Why do you remain where you are after salvation? Because it becomes your mission field and your opportunity to serve the Lord.

Transition to Application

The focus is serving the Lord. The problem is the distraction.

Main To Do

So what do you do? Remove the distractions. If your marriage is a distraction right now, work on it. Talk to your spouse, work through a marriage devotional together, or get serious help if that is where it is at. When things are good in your home, it frees each of you to serve in the ways you are called to.

Maybe it isn’t marriage. Maybe you’ve got a hobby that eats too much time. Maybe you need to use the app restrictions on your phone because social media is eating too much of your time. Whatever it is, find it and root it out, or at the very least set up so healthy parameters around it.

Why it matters

I have often said that when you become a Christian, you are not only saved from your sin, you are saved for a higher purpose. You are now part of God’s grand plan to bring redemption to earth. If the time is short, why waste it on things that will not last. Remove the distractions, focus on serving the Lord, and you will discover a peace and blessing that can only be found in the Lord.

Closing Line

Church, it is time to take your serving to the next level; it is time to become distraction free!

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

What are some specific distractions in your life that may be pulling you away from serving God?

How can you support your friends in avoiding distractions that lead them away from their faith?

What actions can you take this week to minimize distractions and enhance your service to God?

How can the principles that Paul discusses about marriage and singleness apply to the way we prioritize our daily lives?

In what ways can you strengthen your focus on serving God despite external distractions?