Good morning. Let's open this morning's service
with a hymn from your gospel hymns hymn book, number eight,
number eight. Oh Lord, our hearts and souls
aspire. This is our prayer this morning.
Let's all stand together, sung to the doxology. O Lord, our hearts and souls
aspire to lift up from this earthly mire. O may we think of heavenly
things and know the joy Thy presence brings. Lord, let us see the
Savior's face, and let us taste of thy sweet grace. May opened ears thy glories hear,
and may we smell thy ? Be pleased to open heaven's door
? And on our heads thy blessings pour ? All wretched, poor, and
needy wee ? Where can we go if not to thee Oh, may this day be blessed the
most, that Jesus Christ becomes the host to feed our souls with
living bread and with our souls in joy to wed. Please be seated. Good morning. We're going to
be continuing our study in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. If you'd like to turn
with me there. And to introduce this chapter,
I want us to also look at a verse in Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews
chapter 11 and 1 Corinthians. Chapter 7. Good morning. Thank you all for all the many
expressions of your love and encouragement to me and Tricia
this week and the death of my mother. Very much appreciated
and we love you all and are very thankful for you. Also wanted to announce that
Deanna is having surgery at Shands in Gainesville on Thursday to
remove a tumor in her thyroid, which they have determined to
be benign, but want us to remember her and Robert as they go there
to do that. you got an email this week about
a special offering if you'd like to participate in that uh... we'd like to send when a uh... something to help with all the
expenses that she had incurred with uh... cody's uh... home
going and so if you'd like to participate in that and give
something extra uh... probably next sunday will will
uh... will wrap that up Seems like it was something else.
Can't remember what it was. Oh, next Sunday. Next Sunday,
I'll be preaching at the conference in Lexington. And Robert and
Michael will be taking care of the services and preaching here
for you. So as the Lord enables you to
pray for them and for me and for the meeting in Lexington
next weekend, that would be a great blessing to us. So thank you
for that. All right, let's ask the Lord's
blessings on this word. Our Heavenly Father, all how
dependent we are for you to send your Holy Spirit to enlighten
the eyes of our understanding, cause us to set our affections
on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of
God. Lord, we would be pressed into the mold of this world,
but for your grace, we ask that you would transform our minds
into the likeness of Christ and give us thy thoughts. Cause us
Lord to make thy judgments. We do pray for Deanna and we
ask Lord that you would guide the hands of the positions and
use them to heal her. We pray, Father, for the meeting
in Lexington and ask that your gospel would be preached with
clarity and power in all the services. Your people would be
encouraged. Your lost sheep would be brought
to the knowledge of Christ. Father, we pray for Michael and
for Robert and ask that you would speak to their hearts this week
as they prepare to preach here for us next Sunday. We ask it
in Christ's name. Amen. To introduce, if you have your
Bibles open to 1 Corinthians chapter 7, if you look with me
to verse 29, but this I say, brethren, the time is short. Now, all the things that the
Lord has to say to us in this chapter and in the next, I want
us to understand them in light of that statement. The time is
short that God would be pleased to give us spiritual eyes and
make our judgments and discernments based on eternal values, to not
be like the men of this world. who can only make their judgments
in light of the consequences that those decisions have in
this life. And that's how most folks live.
They just live their lives for this world. And if the Lord has
been pleased, to give you hope in Christ, then you know that
you are strangers in this world. You're just passing through and
the time is short. What is the very last thing that
the Lord said at the end of His Word when He brings everything
to a conclusion? Turn with me to Revelation chapter 22. Here's the last words. You can
tell much about a person from their last words, can't you?
A person will often summarize their whole life in their last
words, particularly if they know that those are going to be their
last words. And here our Lord knew that this
was going to be the summary of everything in this book. Revelation
chapter 22 at verse 20. He which testifieth these things
say, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Surely I come quickly. Amen. Can you say amen to that? You believe that? Has God given
you the grace to make your judgments in this life from that perspective? Because the men of this world,
they don't. They make all their financial decisions based on
the profits that it's going to bring in this life. The pleasures
that it's going to derive them in this life. They make their
decisions in terms of relationships based on the benefit that is
going to be to them in this life. Might God be pleased to give
us spiritual eyes and to believe that I come quickly. The time is short. A lot shorter than we think.
The older we get, the more we grow in grace, the more we realize
how few days we have left. And I pray that God would give
our young people the wisdom to redeem their time and to believe
in their hearts that life really is a vapor. It is a vapor. And if God would do that for
us and give us the grace to see the temporal in light of the
eternal, then we'll understand what He's instructing us here
in this passage. Alright, turn with me to Hebrews
chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11. This is the Word of God. You
know, everything in this world directs our attention to the
things of this world, don't they? And one of the reasons we come
here is in hope that the Lord would break us loose from the
things of this world and cause us to see things as He sees them. Look at Hebrews chapter 11 at
verse 13. These all died in faith not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off. He's talking about the Old Testament
saints believing the promise that God had given them that
the Messiah would come. And when He comes, He'll set
everything in order. He'll satisfy the demands of
God's law. He'll suffer in order to pay
the penalty for our sins. And He'll make all things right. They believed that, but they
did not actually see it. This book, you remember, starts
out in chapter 1. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners had spoken to our fathers through the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, who is the
express image of the glory of God. God would reveal to us the
glory of Christ. And what does the scripture say?
Christ in you is your hope of glory. So he says, they died
not having seen them afar off, but were persuaded of them. They
were persuaded that God would be faithful to his promises. Is that your persuasion? Our
God We're going to see this in the second hour. Can not fail. He cannot fail. He fulfills all
of his promises, and faith is believing God. It's just what
it is. It's the substance of things
hoped for. It's the evidence of things not
seen. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
comes by the Word. God, just give me the grace to
believe you. Because all the messages of this
world are contrary to what God has said. So he says, they lived
in the same world we live in. It was just as pagan and just
as godly and just as worldly and just as fleshly and just
as temporal as the world you and I live in. And yet, they
believed God. And they believed that He would
be faithful to keep His promises and were persuaded of them and
embraced them. And they confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims. I don't belong here. I'm only
going to be here for a little while. This world is not my home. For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. What are you seeking? You're seeking a country? God sets your affections on things
above? Or are you seeking just the things
that this world has to offer? We seek comfort, we seek promotions,
we seek prosperity in this world. Those things are part of life.
But we're talking about the passions of the heart. where the Lord
says where your treasure is, where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also. And so where's your treasure?
Where's your treasure? We look Wednesday night on those
things which are precious in God's sight. Those things that
are priceless in God's sight. The redemption of the soul is
precious in His sight. The death of His saints is precious
in His sight. The faith is precious in His
sight. The blood of Christ is precious
in His sight. Christ Himself is precious in
His sight, and His promises, God's Word, is precious in His
sight. And that word precious doesn't
mean cute or adorable, it means priceless. It means you can't
put a value on it because it can't be bought. it's got to
be given to you by grace through faith and and so that's no way
when the Lord there there's a lot of things in this world that
that that can be bought but but these things that God calls precious
also become precious to his people when he gives to us the mind
of Christ he causes us to value those things that he values And
here's what the believers say, the pilgrims on the earth, they
that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country
and truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they
came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Now what the Lord is saying there is that if you can leave the
gospel, if you can, you will. You will. You'll forsake it if
it's possible. In other words, if this is a
feigned faith, if it's just religion to you, if it's just a passing
activity, an attempt to sab your own conscience and to atone for
your own sins, if that's all going to church is all about,
eventually you'll forsake the gospel. But it was more than
that for them, wasn't it? It was their life. Christ who
is our life. Colossians chapter 3 verse 4.
He's not the most important thing in our life. He is our life. And so we don't invest in things
that are... You know, everything in this
world is dying. Everything is dying. Dreams die. Marriages
die. careers die, pets die, people
die, everything's dying. If the hope of your heart is
placed in something that is dying, then when it dies you lose all
hope. You see that happen all the time. People lose things
that they've got their hope in and then they have no more hope. Our Lord has conquered death. He's alive. He ever lives. We put our affections in him.
We never have to worry about being disappointed. He's alive. So when things die, we just figure,
well, that's part of life. That's the way this world works. This is a dying world. But I
have a Savior who died once. He rose from the dead, and He
ever lives. And He's my hope and my salvation.
I never have to worry about being disappointed by Him. So that's
what the believers... This is all believers. Hebrews
chapter 11 is speaking of all believers. Talking about those
Old Testament saints, but this is every believer's heart. So
my question to you this morning is, is this your heart? And if
it's not, then I would plead with you to plead with God to
make that your heart. Lord, make this my passion because
I've invested all my life in stuff that's dying. And what
good is that going to be? Verse 16, But now they desire
a better country, that is, a heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for He hath prepared for them a city. God has prepared for us. What
did the Lord say? I go and prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place,
I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I
am there you may be also." And that passage in John chapter
14 starts out with, let not your heart be troubled. If your hope, your salvation,
your life is bound up in things that are dying, then you've got
a troubled heart. A troubled heart. Let not your
heart be troubled. All right. All that to read some
verses from 1 Corinthians chapter 7 because that's the theme of
this book and that's certainly the instruction that the Lord's
giving us in these verses in terms of how we ought to relate
to the things of this life. And so Paul is answering... Here's the thing that I saw this
week that I hadn't seen so clearly before, and I hope it'll be an
encouragement to you. These Corinthians were coming
out of paganism. They didn't have the scriptures.
They didn't have the law of God. And the gospel came to Corinth,
and God gave them faith, and they believed the gospel. And
now they're writing the Apostle Paul with some practical questions
about life, wanting to know what would be sinful and what would
not be sinful, because they don't want to sin. Isn't that encouraging? know Lord show me what your will
is on these issues because you've given me a heart after Christ
God makes all of his people men after God's own heart and we
don't want to sin we want to do that which is pleasing in
his sight And so these believers are writing him saying, now we're
talking about sin as a verb. You remember that? Sin as a noun
is what we are. And everything we do is fraught
and infected with our sin nature. but that doesn't mean that we
excuse sin as a bird sin as behavior that's what they're asking more
when it comes to these marriages when it comes to to to to engagements
when it comes to uh... to eating meat is is going to
be within chapter eight uh... what would be the right thing
to do that would not be simple and uh... and so that's what
the lord's given us instructions on And the summary of it all
is make your judgments based on the fact that the time here
is short. Alright, we finished with verse
24 last week. So verse 25, Now concerning virgins, the unmarried. I have no commandment
of the Lord, yet I give my judgment as one that hath obtained mercy
of the Lord to be faithful." Again, Paul is saying that Christ
in his earthly ministry did not speak specifically to this question
that you're asking me. And the Old Testament Scriptures
don't speak specifically to this question that you're asking me,
but here's my faithful discernment as a penman of Scripture, and
so now this counsel from the Apostle Paul has become Scripture. Paul's not saying, well, this
is my opinion. The Bible is never man's opinion. Holy men of God
wrote as they were moved by the Spirit of God. So here's God's
answer to their question concerning virgins. I suppose, therefore,
that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good
for a man to be so to be. Taking into consideration the
current distress. The Roman government is just
beginning to wage persecution against the Christians, against
the church, likes of which we know very little
about. To live in that culture, in that
environment, having a wife and children and the responsibility
of a home would have made things much, much more difficult just
on the sake of survival. And yet the overarching principle
applies even to our day. He says, but, and if thou marry,
thou hast not sinned. You see, that's the questions
that they're asking. they're asking uh... the apostle
paul they they they genuinely want to know what would be a
sand and what would not be a sin according to the will of god
because we all want to send and so paul says if you get married
you're not sending uh... that's you know that the bed
is honorable of the marriage that is honorable in all things
and uh... and the lord has has sold ordained
that and it's it's ok it's good And if a virgin marry, she hath
not sinned. Nevertheless, such have trouble
in the flesh, but I spare you." Oh, remember we dealt with this
earlier in the chapter. It'd be easier if you're able
to remain single. It'd be easier for you to live
in this world not having the responsibility of wife and children. But this I say, brethren, the
time is short. Do you believe that? Do you believe
that? I hope the Holy Spirit will persuade
each and every one of us by the word of God to understand and
believe how brief this life is. and that He would enable us to
make our judgments day by day from an eternal perspective. that both they that have wives
be as though they had none, and they that weep as though they
weep not, and they that rejoice as though they rejoice not, and
they that buy as though they possess not, and they that use
the world as not abusing it, for the fashion of the world
passes away. or the lord saying is there's
coming today real soon what's not going to matter what you
bought or what you're sold what you accomplished what you didn't
accomplish or what kind of reputation you have uh... what kind of name
uh... you left whether you were married
or not married how many children you had how many how successful
they were uh... when that day of reckoning comes
none of that will matter none of that will matter and so he's
just saying to us Make your judgments based on that which is eternal.
Invest your heart, your life in that which is eternal. Notice in verse 31, and they
that use this world and not abusing it. To most people the world is using
them. How did Paul conclude the gospel
in Romans chapter 13 or Romans chapter 11? I beseech you therefore brethren
by the mercies of God in light of the gospel, in light of everything
that was taught in the first 10 chapters that you present
yourselves a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which
is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world
don't be pressed into the mold of this world but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind in Christ Jesus then then you
shall be able to discern what is the will of God We can't discern
the will of God if we're thinking like the world. God's got to
give us the mind of Christ. And the means by which He does
that is what we're doing right now. He instructs us by His Word
to seek those things which are above. Verse 32, But I would have you
without carefulness. i don't want you to live your
life in anxiety uh... be careful for nothing but in
all things uh... know that what how's that verse
in philippians say uh... whatsoever things are good and
holy and just uh... said that you'll think on these
things meditate on these things uh... the lord the spirit of
fear. God has not given us the spirit
of fear and anxiety and all those things that come. What causes
those sort of things? What causes fear and anxiety
and conflict? It's when we put too much value
on things that are dying. And all of a sudden, that dies
and we become out of sorts, don't we? We've valued the things of
the world too much. That's the cause of it. If that which is precious to
God is precious to us and our value is on those things which
are above, Christ doesn't change. I'm the same yesterday, today,
and forever. I'm your life. I'm your hope. I'm your salvation. I'm the one you're looking for
and going to be made like. And there's no anxiety about
that. Why? Because the Lord's going
to see to it that that comes to be. And, you know, just too much drama in
this world, isn't there? too much drama in life. And it's
all based on too much emphasis put on temporal things. Is that not what the Lord is
teaching us here? Is that not clearly what he's instructing
us in all of these passages? Lord, I need to hear this. I
live in a world I can't watch a television program, I can't
see a commercial, I can't pass a billboard, I can't have a conversation
with an unbeliever. Everything in this world is pointing
me in the other direction. But I would have you to be without
carefulness. I don't want you to be anxious. I don't want you
to be overwhelmed with drama and conflict. He that is unmarried careth for
the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord. If you're unmarried, what an
opportunity you have as a believer, an unmarried believer, to invest
more of your time and energy and gifts into the things of
the Lord. But he that is married, verse
33, careth for the things that are of the world. How he may
please his wife. That doesn't require any explanation. Everybody knows what that means.
We've got responsibilities. And if a man doesn't provide
for his home, he's worse than an infidel. Becoming a believer,
setting your affections on things above, doesn't mean that you
become irresponsible in providing for your home, your wife, and
children once you make that decision to be married. That's your responsibility.
It's just that it's going to cut into a lot of your time. There is difference also between
the wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for
the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body
and spirit. But she that is married careth
for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
That's just so. That's just so. And this I speak
for your own profit, not that I may cast a snare upon you,
I don't wanna... Paul's saying, you know, if you
can't remain single, and we've already seen that verse that
said that it's better to marry than to burn. If you can't deal
with that, you know, physically, then, you know, I'm not... I
don't want to put a... cast a burden on you to think
that you have to remain single if you don't have that gift to
be single. and remember the church is riding
the apostle Paul that this is so encouraging to me asking him
genuinely wanting to know what is right what's wrong what should
we do in these given suit circumstances where God's given us a desire
to honor Christ and we want to honor him in every year of our
life Let's see, where do we leave
off? Verse 35, And this I speak for your own profit, not that
I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely,
and that you may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward
his virgin, Now, I've gone back and forth on these next two verses,
and I've read men on them, and I confess to you, I'm not sure
whether the Lord's speaking to a man who's been betrothed to
a woman and not yet married, or whether he's speaking to the
father of an unmarried daughter. But either way, the principle
is still the same. If any man think that he behaveth
himself uncomely toward his virgin," in other words, if it's the father
toward his daughter, then he's put an undue burden on her to
remain single when she has not been given the gift of being
single. if it's a man toward his betrothed
wife then that he's already given her indication that uh... physically affections whatever
that we're going to be together and uh... and sold you know he's
saying he's he's saying to the men don't put an undue burden
on the women on the virgins uh... not to marry you know that that You see that male dominance over women in
so many cultures, and the Lord is dispelling that among believers. So, if any man think that he
behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower
of her age, and need so require, she needs to be married, let
him do what he will, he sinneth not, let them marry. No sin in
a virgin daughter or a virgin woman becoming married. Nevertheless,
He that standeth steadfast in his heart, having no necessity. Now that's the virgin who has
no necessity to be married. But hath power over his own will,
and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin,
he doeth well. whether it be the father with his daughter
or the man who was thinking about or planning on getting married
and now has decided in light of this, you know, I will just
remain single. Only if you're able. So then, he that giveth her in
marriage doeth well, but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth
better. The wife is bound by the law
as long as her husband liveth, but if her husband be dead, she
is at liberty to be married to whom she will only in the Lord. Young people, I'll tell you what
I've heard from an older pastor. If at all possible, marry a man
or a woman who loved Christ before they loved you. Before they loved
you. I've seen it happen time and
time again. A young person will show an interest
in the gospel because they're interested in getting married. And then there's no, time tells,
there's no real salvation. And that said, if at all possible.
Sometimes it works out that way. A person is an unbeliever. They
meet a young person. They come to services. God convicts
them and saves them. Fine. But don't be unequally
yoked with an unbeliever. Make sure that that person you're
marrying, whether it be a young man or a young woman, you give
them time to to show that their salvation is real it's not just
something that they did in order to win you I'm that's that that's
what the Lord saying here your believer don't don't even entertain
the thought of marrying an unbeliever it's gonna be it's gonna be marriage
is hard enough already if you're a believer you marry an unbeliever
all my What fellowship hath light with darkness? That's how much
of a contrast you'll be with your spouse. What does Baal have
to do with God? What does a devil worshipper
have to do with a worshipper of God? That's where you'll be.
That's what the Scripture says. That's where you'll be. Get married, but do it in the
Lord. For she is happier if she shall
abide after my judgment. And I think also that I have
the Spirit of God." And he did have the Spirit of God, and these
are the words of God. And I hope that they will be
an encouragement to each of us to remember the time is short. All right, let's take a break.