They had clearly been transformed on the inside; and there were many changes that were happening on the outside too. You have the same objective passages to look at, but you need to look at how that will be applied in your situation. Romans 3:23 - 24: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Once the person came the sign gave way to a reality. We can paraphrase the verses to show the difference between the general call and the effective call: Paul says, "We call everyone to believe in Christ crucified, but many Jews find this call to be a stumbling block, and many Gentiles find this call to be foolishness, but those who are called (that is, powerfully and effectively drawn to Christ) find the gospel call to be the power and wisdom of God.". Understand that this is the glorious gospel of salvation in Christ. The Bible tells us that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:7). But it's true. The people group that God assigned you by your birth is in no way a hinderance to believing the gospel and following after the call of Jesus Christ to believe in him. How to Survive the Last Days, Part 3 - 1 Corinthians 16:17-24. Other times slavery provided opportunities for upward social mobility that poor people wouldnt normally have. office@harvestpca.org | (402) 558-4119, Copyright 2023 Harvest Community Church (PCA) | Site Map | Terms & Privacy, Jesus Divides the Earth Matthew 10:3442, No Comfort for the Lonely City Lamentations 1:1-22, "Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage" (1 Corinthians 7:1016), The Present Form of this World is Passing Away (1 Corinthians 7:25-31) . The word "calling" here refers to vocation or station in life. Then Paul turns in verses 2123 to apply his principle to the issue of whether one is a slave or a freedman. 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). 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. He showed Zacchaeuas love and mercy; and He even went to Zacchaeus house for dinner. Trending: The Cost of Discipleship. Verse 19 says literally, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God (is everything)." Rejoice in the Lord and hope in him and you will be freer than all the anxious nobles." That's basically what uncircumcision and circumcision stood for. The Bible tells you to love your neighbor as yourself and that looks different in different relationships. God used Pauls place of calling mightily. We often use the word "calling" to refer to our vocation: my calling is to be a homemaker; my calling is to be a salesman; etc. Do not be concerned about it. Besides this, we know that there are some jobs in which you could not stay and obey God's commands: e.g., prostitution, numerous forms of indecent and corrupting entertainment, and others in which you may be forced to exploit people. So, Paul then gives a principle. If we translated this really literally, it would go like this, Only to each as God assigned, in the situation in which God has called each thus let him walk.. We have in this congregation nurses, teachers, carpenters, artists, secretaries, bookkeepers, lawyers, receptionists, accountants, social workers, repairmen of various sorts, engineers, office managers, waitresses, plumbers, salesmen, security guards, doctors, military personnel, counselors, bankers, police officers, decorators, musicians, architects, painters, house cleaners, school administrators, housewives, missionaries, pastors, cabinet makers, and many more. Sermon Central Share a Sermon; Try PRO Free; Help; Sign In; Sermon . 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. God's Word To The Separated - 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 How To Tame Temptation - 1 Corinthians 10:12-14 This Do In Remembrance Of Me - 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 A Time We Call Communion - 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 Our Time At The Lord's Table - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 The Lord's Supper Service - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 7:17,20 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. God's revealed will for you (the only will you are responsible to obey) is your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), not your vocation. . How you fulfill the demands of that job is just as essential in life as what you do here on Sunday. But this was not the calling Paul had in mind. 18 Was any man called when he was already circumcised? 7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.1 Corinthians 7:11, ESV Do you notice how he was able to say how thankful he was for his calling? Rather, he simply meant that in terms of a saving relationship with God through Christ, those things are not what is important. in which God called him," and when he says in verse 24, "In whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God," he is referring to a divine call by which we were drawn to believe in Christ. It deals with the single lifestyle and what if offers compares to the marriage. Part 1: Is He the Christ? But if you translate it as a command to seek freedom, the true point of the passage is obscured. 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. With these other questions since you can take a different job or you can go to a different church, we have to ask harder questions. Now I want to start this morning by defining three terms that we will be using. 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. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 New American Standard Bible 17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this way let him walk. Sermon. The things we used to love to do, we no longer want to do. Was anyone called while circumcised? This is my rule for all the churches. We can remain our situations because we abide with God. I have a responsibility to my wife that no one in heaven or earth shares. This calling is the Holy Spirit's pull into fellowship with Christ. This may be correct, but I find it hard to accept since the principle he is illustrating is expressed in v. 20 as "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called," and in verse 24 as "In whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God." Part 3: Sending the Spirit, John 8:12-30 Study Guide: I am the Light of the World, John 8:31-47 Study Guide: The Truth Will Set You Free, John 8:48-59 Study Guide: Before Abraham Was, \"I am\", John 10:1-21 Study Guide: The Good Shepherd, John 10:22-42 Study Guide: Safe in the Father\'s Hand, Jonah 1 Study Guide: Defiance and Discipline, Jonah 2 Study Guide: Salvation Belongs to the Lord, Jonah 3 Study Guide: The God of Second Chances. They would find his favor to be life and his loving kindness to be better than life.. As a tax collector, he was a sinful man. Then we ask am I obeying? Gods call transforms and transcends us, as one commentator writes, in all of the circumstances that we find ourselves in. A believing husband should not divorce his unbelieving wife, and a believing wife should not divorce her unbelieving husband. He should not become uncircumcised. That is the great message of this mornings passage. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? But he allows the exception that if the relationship is abandoned and destroyed apart from your desire or control by the unbelieving partner, then let it be. This is all made clear in 1 Corinthians 1. Remain, if you are free as you are. 1 Corinthians 7:17-31. Our separation from the world as Gods holy church is not marked by ceremonial circumcision, but by holy obedience that God graciously enables through Christ by his spirit in our lives. There's the crucial phrase. Am I living my best life now? What Paul is talking about here, hes not laying out the gospel message about what Jesus Christ has done for us. They are different from circumstance to circumstance and person to person. This calling from God is different, on the one hand, from our vocational "calling" and, on the other hand, from the general call to repent that goes out to all men. Thats why slave of Christ, in verse twenty-two, could be an honorable designation suggested a position of some authority.. ", John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. 1. Paul went on to say, but if you can be made free, rather use it. Remaining in the cultural situation in which God called us didnt necessarily mean that God may not call us to a different cultural situation later on in life. Therefore, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:17, 20, and 24 that we should remain and live with God in the state in which we were called, he means: Remain in the state you were in when you were converted, when you were drawn by God into believing, loving fellowship with his Son. Stay where you are and obey God. Paul says that its good, if you can, to remain in the situation that you are in. We are located at the top of the intersection of NW 185th Avenue and Germantown Road. So, he says in verse eighteen, Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called (vv. . But the next things that Paul goes on to talk about in verse twenty through twenty-three are vertical boundaries. Stated as a prayer, the main point today is: Father, grant to us all the grace to be conscious of your presence at our work and to obey your commands in all our vocational relationships. The greener grass syndrome, where we look for somewhere else or a different situation where my life would be easier or just flat out better. Sunday services at 10:30 am. 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." Zacchaeus became a new creation by faith in Jesus. Sermon Discipleship is a Process by Brian Bill. When Jesus said in Matthew 22:14, "Many are called, but few are chosen," he referred to the world-wide call of the gospel which many people hear and reject to their own doom. John 5:1-18 Study Guide: Do You Want to be Healed? Gods joy gives us perseverance in the midst of sorrow. 17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God Ways to Follow. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 Study Guide: The Sin of Tolerance. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? But as you see, Zacchaeus didnt remain in that sinful lifestyle any longer. Its the principle that, when God the Father calls us into a relationship with Himself through faith in Jesus and we become new creations in Christ, we should not take this to mean that everything about our outward life now needs to be abandoned, or that we must now start life over again from scratch. Some of them had become born again by faith in Jesus, and were now brand new creations in Christ. Most modern versions say, "Were you a slave when called? Theme: We are to walk as a faithful Christian in the place of life where God has called us to Himself. To what degree should the outside be changed? )1 Corinthians 7:21, ESV NOTE: Paul was separated unto Christ from his mother's womb but not saved until the Damascus Road Galatians 1:15; Acts 9. 2. The question at Corinth was: When we come to Christ, what should we abandon? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Look carefully at that phrase as God has distributed to each one. "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). 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. (All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated). No, Paul says this is my rule in all the churches. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? No matter how difficult his circumstances was, no matter how menials the assignments he was given, what a joy to abide in the presence with God. In our last time together, we talked about Pauls answer to this important question from 1 Corinthians 7:12-14. These three statements of Paul's principle divide the text into two parts. Notice verse 17, "Let everyone lead the life which the Lord assigned to him, and in which God has called him." Let no man enslave your soul. And Paul's answer is: You don't need to abandon your vocation if you can stay in it with God. Literally verse twenty says, each one in the calling in which he was called, in this let him remain. Here is the closest place that Paul uses calling in the way that we usually mean it, our responsibilities, our vocation, the assignments that we have in life. To every person. This is my rule in all the churches. Don't let that be a care to you; but, even if you can become a freedman, rather make use of (your present position)." In light of the glorious heavenly calling that we have received, our earthly circumstances are in fact rather unimportant. And so, the apostle Pauls specific instruction to usthat is, that we remain in the place we were in at the time God called us to Himselfshould be understood to mean that we are not to continue practicing sin. Your job is to search the scriptures and ask how this speaks into the general principles as you are praying for illumination. We wonder if life would be greener somewhere else, but Christians have this additional element where we are thankful for the green pastures that our good shepherd has led us. He is not to become uncircumcised. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.1 John 2:28, ESV It was to be a follower of the traditions of the Jewish people. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 18Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Thats the most important thing. You should be able to say to your position, "Never mind. Their sins are completely forgivencast into the sea of Gods pardoning grace. Its a good question. When we read this and we have to ask, okay I have this job opportunity in front of me. I have to think about the specifics of that in relation to who I am and who she is. And so I direct in all the churches. Any date. Bible Study & Sermon Videos; 1 corinthians 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 16:17-18. This is a very unfashionable teaching in contemporary western society, because it cuts the nerve of worldly ambition. This is absolutely imperative to grasp lest we create a new legalism. Here now the word of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 7:1-9. Theme: We are to walk as a faithful Christian in the place of life where God has called us to Himself. Now; this fundamental principle is given to us in three verses. The translation problem in verse 21 is really tough. Ultimately your circumstances are of deeply secondary importance. A life that is lived in faith to Jesus and the way the he appoints for believers to live in. It may be helpful to think of these as three pieces of bread in a double-decker sandwich (like a Big Mac). verse 15), but also because Scripture depicts and approves such changes. Where we are in our life is not by accident. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:19, ESV Its in that context that you can serve your master, because you arent serving your master suddenly you are in an assignment where the calling of Jesus Christ is intersected. 1 Corinthians 7:22, ESV When I read in Ephesians five that I need to lay down my life for my wife, I have to think about my conversations with her. These assignments are the circumstances of our lives. We dont need to find an island that we can settle in and populate that is just for Christians, sealed off from the rest of the world. This is my rule in all the churches. The first time is in verse 17; where Paul writes, But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk.. Never mind. The Holy Spirit takes the objective, inspired word of God and he illuminates that to my specific details of my life. In both of those cases, Paul is saying remain in your assignments, whatever they may be as you await the hope of glory when Christ returns. Paul talks about this in terms of "living as you are called." This calling is not talking about your vocation, it is talking about your identity in Christ and how you live your life in response to that. He applies it like this: if you were converted as a Gentile, don't try to become a Jew. The Jews were separated physically from other people by the sign of circumcision that God gave to them. Let him not become uncircumcised. To be circumcised, of course, was to bear upon ones self the covenant sign of Israel. Bloom Where You're Planted. There were some Jewish Christians who insisted on that, however. It was all for a glorious purpose. And note one more thing. Old sinful habits and practices begin to be set aside. Even in there God made a way that he powerfully calls us out of ourselves and open our eyes to see Jesus and how good and glorious and radiant he is. Why You Should Preach This Book. Sermon Your Job as Ministry Jun 14, 1981 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 John Piper Article The Spiritual Power of Staying Put Why Christians Are Slow to Leave Jan 19, 2023 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Scott Hubbard Article The Best Form of Slavery Feb 11, 2012 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:22 John Piper Article ", 18245 NW Germantown Road Someone was just as able to be called to God through Christand to live for Jesus just as faithfullyin a state of slavery as much as in a state of freedom. We pray this in Christs name. I have no doubt that, if all our young people are bending every effort to stay close to God and to obey the commands of Scripture, God will distribute them in the world exactly where he wants their influence for him. You are called in whatever assignment you find yourself to abide with God through faith in Christ. Prepare your messages on God's Word in 1 Corinthians with sermon outlines or an . 1- They seem to be looking to Paul as an example for the Christian life. An opportunity we are going to see is a lawful and properly available path where we might change our circumstances. 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. A brand new inner lifemade gloriously new in Christhas begun. Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 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. You were bought with a price. The early church lifted up the single lifestyle. The word that occurs in each statement of the principle and nine times altogether in this paragraph is the word "call." Spit-Shine Tomorrow's Sermon Before You Go To Bed Tonight By Rick Malm on March 2, 2023 7 Ways To Keep From Killing Your Message By Carey Nieuwhof on March 1, 2023 People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? New practices and habits begin to be embraced. Instead, wherever we are, we can be content. That speaks of the total transformation of our inner self. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. John 7:14-24 Study Guide What's the Deal with Jesus? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. In other words, coming to faith in Christ does not make a person want to abandon relationships appointed by God, but to sanctify them. Its taking the objective teaching of scriptures and applying it to the specifics of our lives. Let's read 1 Corinthians 7:1724. O God, give me the grace to obey your commandments, which I know are all summed up in this, to love my neighbor as myself. March 17, 1904. "Were you a slave when called? The time may come when we may do something different, as long as it is lawful and properly available. All of those things are, by the providence of God, a part of our callingin the very midst of which He calls us into a relationship with Jesus. Seized By Temptation - 1 Corinthians 10:13. Now, dear brothers and sisters; how do we apply this principle? Some Jewish men made themselves Hellenisticthat is, members of Greek cultureby doing so. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? So, these are the horizontal assignments, the boundaries, the people Gods. You have heard this morning about how He transforms the lives of all those who trust Him. Up to this point Paul has been talking about remaining in the situations that we find ourselves in in our marriages. Thats the call, our assignments are ultimately irrelevant. Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 67 How do I sort through my own mixed emotions when Im trying to make decisions on how to live in the various circumstances of my life? Notice, for example, how he illustrated this to us in terms of outward traditions.
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