Knowing Where and Who You Were, and Are

INTRO: Family traditions, other traditions

When do they cross over to superstition, rote memory, losing meaning?

READ - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

This “interlude” reminds us of key elements of our identity

This passage, specifically - marital status when you come to faith? Remain. Married? Great. Single? Great. Get married? In the Lord, serve, grow, keep focus.

POINT TO REMEMBER: God knows where you are, who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, how you’ve been raised, what you’ve been through, how you’ve served Him, etc.

1) Bought - the price

Simplicity of God’s plan

Ownership - Those who God buys He owns

New creation

Spend little time worrying about little stuff, traditions, past experiences, expectations - LIVE FOR CHRIST

2) The Past

Corinth - The issue of circumcision

To the Jews, it was everything, counted for everything

Paul says, meh, not so much

For the uncircumcised - no need to go through that to be Christian

This created a divide for some

For Jews, represented a social distinction

They could look down on those who were not

They expected non-Jews to do this to be like them so they could then be this “Christian”

Paul says it’s irrelevant

KEY: Live for God, in His will, obey His commands (repent, be saved, surrender, His wisdom, etc.)

US Church, Cornerstone -

Religious - some come from a “religious” background (identify religion vs Christian)

Non-religious - some may have been raised with little or no understanding of God, Bible, etc.

ASIDE: “Raised in the church” means nothing (explain)

Social Status

To Corinth - a mixture of upper and lower class

Christianity had a way of leveling this aspect

Upper class - use it for Christ

Lower class - use it for Christ

To Us - not something we worry much about, not really an issue

Traditions

Jews had taken a practice, originally part of a covenant, now a tradition, and made it more important than the relationship it was designed to represent

What have we done with traditions?

Baptism, Communion are big; Others, like events, times

If not careful, these and the associations can become their own “objects of worship”

If not careful, they become more important, more special, than the relationship they

Baptism

There are important elements - Biblical (Immersion, after salvation)

Immersion, after salvation

There are traditions - River, lake, baptismal (unimportant)

Communion

Important elements - Biblical (bread, juice, remembrance)

Traditions - when, how often, how (unimportant)

Useful aspects of traditions

Comfort, reminders, aid in relationship to Christ

What do we do when our differ from others, and both are just as sincerely living for Christ?

What about…non-Christians with “Christian traditions”? (develop this?)

What have we done with traditions?

3) Freedom

All of this - religious background, Jews, Gentiles, etc. - BUT…All lost before they were saved!

Slave vs Free

Context there - slave? Get saved, but don’t expect freedom, but if you get it, live for Christ. If not, live for Christ.

This point links to

Free? Great, get saved!

From what are you free? Better yet, what enslaves you?

FREEING of God’s Word - we miss how enslaved we are - there are so many distractions, so many other things to do besides be some “Christian”

Immediate context - moral issues

Immorality can be very enslaving - “Porneia”

Moral issues

70% men addicted to pornography (in the CHURCH)

15-20% of women, likewise

Other BIG enslavements

Drugs, alcohol, gambling

Less obvious

Food, affection, busy-ness, work, family

Careful - we take natural desires for pleasure (good) and make them our masters

God says STOP - He owns you (if you are His), the Corinthians are believers, these are not un-saved people

These are people either forgetting what they’ve been taught, or who have not been properly taught by leadership

“Brain-changing” - enslavement is truly brain-changing - literally, physically

God “wired” us to worship Him

God also “wired” us to choose - slavery or freedom

What do you choose?

What enslaves you?

God says STOP - He owns you

Questions: What do you make important than God? What do you allow to keep you from His Word? What do you allow to keep you from church - attending, serving, joining? What do you allow to keep you from doing that “whatever it is He wants you to do?”

Answers: Whatever it is, it has you enslaved. It owns you, controls you.

Realize the Freedom that has been provided for you.

SUMMARY POINTS

Jesus - Paid the price for ALL - BOUGHT!

Don’t lose sight of the foundation (Cornerstone)

Serve God where you are, until He calls you elsewhere