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Good morning. I'm Pastor Ben. If you're new here, it's good to see all of you, and it's great to sing with you. You all sound great, and you sing loud enough that you drown me out, so I'm grateful for that. It's wonderful to sing and worship our Lord together. Well, open your Bible to 1 Corinthians 7. Gino read from this a little earlier. This is on page 955, if you're using one of the Red Pew Bibles. And the sermon this morning is going to be on the gift of singleness. And let me just remind you where we're at in this preaching series right now. We're in a sermon series on marriage. We started at the beginning. We started in the book of Genesis. And we first saw God's good design in creation for marriage. And then we saw the immediate effects of sin when Adam and Eve fell. After looking at those two lessons from Genesis, we then moved further on in the Old Testament to the wisdom literature, and we gleaned some godly insights for both singleness and marriage from the books of Proverbs and Song of Solomon. And then the last two weeks, if you've been here the past couple weeks, we were in Romans 1 and talking about the very controversial, very sensitive subject of homosexual relationships and how that is contrary to God's design. So if you weren't here and you're interested in hearing those, you can go to our website and and listen to those sermons. This morning we come to a sermon on the gift of singleness, and we might wonder, well, how does this fit into a sermon series on marriage? Well, if we've been getting the point of what the Bible says about marriage, then we should be able to recognize how this topic actually fits very well into our discussion on marriage. Indeed, it's an integral piece of how we need to understand marriage. What is it that we've been learning about marriage? What is marriage ultimately about? I've been saying it week in and week out. It's about Christ and the church, right? And so marriage is a lot bigger than any one of us or any marriage represented here. Marriage is a glorious thing that God created with a specific purpose of displaying His covenantal relationship with His people. And that's why it's important for all of us, married and single. This is not a sermon series just for married people. This is for all of us. It's important for all of us to understand what the Bible says about marriage. And for the same reason, it's also important for all of us, married and single, to understand what the Bible says about singleness. So let me make this statement. Listen carefully to this sentence. In some ways, the ultimate meaning of marriage can be better portrayed in the lives of believers who are single. In some ways, the ultimate meaning of marriage, Christ in the church, the Gospel, in some ways that can be better portrayed in the lives of believers who are single. That may sound like a contradiction, but it's true and we'll be able to grasp this if we really understand what marriage is all about. As we get into this passage and look at some of the details here in 1 Corinthians 7, I'll highlight a couple ways in which singleness can uniquely display the ultimate meaning of marriage. My hope for this message is that it will be wonderfully freeing and encouraging and inspiring for single men and women. And I also pray that it will help all of us to have an appropriate view of marriage, and again, reinforcing this point of what marriage ultimately points to. You know, it's an amazing thing to me to think about the Apostle Paul and to think about the fact that the Apostle Paul wrote such glorious things about marriage in a text like Ephesians 5, which we're going to come to in a couple of weeks. And he also wrote here in 1 Corinthians 7, with such passion encouraging people to remain single. So he elevates marriage and shows how marriage glorifies Christ. He also elevates singleness and shows how singleness glorifies Christ. Both are meaningful and important. And both are used by God in profound ways. Well, let's look then at some of the things that we can learn here in this passage of 1 Corinthians 7 about singleness and about God's purposes for singleness. And I want to make four observations from this text, and then we'll close by asking the question, to marry or not to marry? Let me read again a few of these verses that Geno already read for us earlier. 1 Corinthians 7. Actually, verses he didn't read. He read from verse 25 and on. I'm going to start earlier in the chapter and read verses 6-9. 1 Corinthians 7, 6-9. I'll read these and then pray for us and then we'll go through these observations. 1 Corinthians 7, verse 6. Paul writes, Now as a concession, not a command, I say this, I wish that all were as I myself am, but each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows, I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." Let's pray. God, thank You for the diversity of Your Word, of the Scriptures, that we can look at a passage like Ephesians 5 and learn glorious things about marriage and Your design for marriage. We can also look at a passage like 1 Corinthians 7 here and learn wonderful things about Your design for singleness and how singleness is a gift and how it's intended for Your glory and for the good of many of Your people. So I pray that through the in the weeks of this sermon series. I pray that we can all be encouraged and edified. And I pray that your church will be strengthened as we understand your design for both marriage and singleness. And of course, it is to that ultimate pointer, that picture of Christ in the church that we look to this morning and we glory in our Savior, the Bridegroom will come someday for His bride. Us, the church. And we thank You for how Christ laid down His life for the church to rescue us. And so we come as Your people, humbling ourselves under Your Word and desperately needing to hear from You today. Please help us. In Jesus' name, Amen. Well, the first observation I want us to see here is in verses 7 and 8, and it's simply to recognize that the apostle Paul was a single man. The apostle Paul was single. He was single and celibate. Here in this chapter, after addressing the question of celibacy in the first six verses, Paul then says, I wish that all were as I myself am. And then in verse 8, he says to the unmarried and widows, he says, it is good for them to remain single as I am. These are amazing statements. The same man, again, as I already mentioned, the same man who wrote Ephesians 5 about how marriage displays the relationship of Christ and the church, he says here that he wishes everyone was single and celibate as he is. The great Apostle Paul, who had such a tremendous impact on the early church and whose letters were inspired by the Holy Spirit continue to have such an impact on the church today, 2,000 years later, he was a single man. We at least know he was single throughout his apostolic ministry. It's reasonable to assume that he was single his entire life. It's possible that he was a widower. We don't really have any way of telling that for sure. He doesn't make a point of mentioning it here. It might make sense for him to mention that here if that were the case. So it's reasonable to assume he was single his whole life. Single men and women should be encouraged by the fact that the Apostle Paul, John the Baptist, many other passionate followers of Christ throughout the ages have been single. You do not need to be married in order to live a fulfilled and meaningful life that honors Christ. I can think personally of many single men and women I've known over the years and single men and women in this church who are greatly honoring Christ in their singleness and are having an eternal impact on many lives. Just think of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He lived His entire life on this earth as a single and celibate man. Just think about the implications of that. Jesus Christ is our perfect example of what human existence is intended to be. He is the perfect man. Completely whole. Not lacking anything. And He never married and never had sex. You know what that means? It means that marriage and sex are not necessary to live a fulfilled life. So some here, you may never get married. And if you never get married, that means you should never have sex, because sex is designed by God to be within the confines of marriage. And some people in that situation may be tempted to think that they're missing out on something that's essential to humanity. But that's simply not the case. So if you're single, you find yourself being tempted in these ways, think of Jesus. Think of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When you're tempted to think that real joy and fulfillment is only possible in marriage, think of Jesus. He's the most joyful human being there has ever been. Think also of Paul and John the Baptist and others through the ages who have lived out their single lives in devotion to Christ. What an awesome calling and gift that is. Now, that's not to say that this is an easy life that God calls people to, but it's good. It is a good gift. Just as marriage is a good gift, singleness is a good gift from God. The other thing to think about in relation to Paul's singleness is the fact that he was a spiritual father. to many, many individuals. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he called him, my true child in the faith. He addressed Titus in the same way. He spoke of Onesimus also as his child. This is one of the ways that singleness can uniquely highlight a great truth about the ultimate meaning of marriage. Christ came to save His bride, the church, and individuals become part of the church not by physical birth, but by spiritual birth. Therefore, when single people become spiritual mothers and fathers, it's a great testimony to this reality that the church is a spiritual family. The bride of Christ is a spiritual family. So let this be an encouragement to you if you're single. Many of you do have spiritual children. Those who have come to Christ as you've witnessed to them. Those whom you are teaching in Sunday school classes. Those whom you are mentoring, discipling. So as you think about singleness, don't waste your single life, your single years in selfish ways, but pour out your life in the context of the family of God and be a spiritual father and mother as you invest yourself in others. A second observation here in verse 7 that we can make about singleness is that singleness is a gift. I've already been mentioning that, but let's look specifically at how Paul states that. He says in verse 7, I wish that all were as I myself am, and then he qualifies that because he's not laying down a law here that everybody should be single. He's not enforcing this. on everybody, but he himself is certainly content in his singleness. He desires for others to experience that same contentedness and devotion to Christ. But he also recognizes that God calls some to Mary, and He calls some to singleness. And notice what he says here. He's calling both of those a gift. You see that? That's what he says in the rest of v. 7 here. I wish that all were as I myself am, but each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. You see how wonderful this is? Everyone has a gift. Some are single. Some are married. But both of those are a gift from God. Carolyn McCauley in her book, Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? She writes this, if we're single, we have the gracious gift of singleness. How we may feel about it, do I like being single? Do I desire marriage? It's not really part of the equation. The emphasis here is on a gracious God who gives good gifts and ultimately on his purpose for giving them. Well, that should really revolutionize the way that we all think about singleness and marriage. Both are gifts. There may be some of you here who are single and wish that you were married. There may be some married people here who wish they were single. You know, the grass can be greener on the other side. But we need to all realize that whatever God has called us to at this time is His good gift for us. You know, nobody should think that life begins when you get married. Nobody should think that life ends when you get married either. I remember seeing a guy with a t-shirt, these two stick figures at a wedding ceremony, they're getting married, and underneath it says, sentenced for life. I mean, that's a horrible view of marriage, right? That's the world's view of marriage. Life doesn't end when you get married, neither does life begin when you get married. We should view both marriage and singleness as gifts. The single person shouldn't think that life is just kind of on this holding pattern until you can get married. You shouldn't be holding your breath, waiting around for Mr. Right or Miss Right to come along. Live your life as a single person. Live your life, pursue holiness, strive to be more like Christ, and pray for God's will to be done. If you do desire to be married, and that's a good desire to have, pray for God to provide a godly spouse. At the same time, trusting in God's sovereign plan and timing. After all, God is the one who bestows these gifts, and He distributes these gifts as He pleases, and it's for His glory and for our good. Elizabeth Elliot, who went to be with the Lord not too long ago, she had written a book called Quest for Love. And she has a chapter in that book called Marriage, a Right or a Gift. A Right or a Gift. And she wrote this. If you are single today, the portion assigned to you for today is singleness. It is God's gift. Singleness ought not to be viewed as a problem, nor marriage as a right. God in His wisdom and love grants either as a gift. Today's business is trust in the living God who precisely measures out day by day each one's portion. Singleness is a gift. The third point I want to make here, observation, is to see the freedom of singleness. The freedom of singleness. Singleness can avoid certain worldly troubles and thus afford one added opportunities and unique opportunities for ministry. Look in verse 28 of our text. Verse 28, Paul says that it's not a sin to marry. It's perfectly permissible to marry. But then he says, yet those who marry will have worldly troubles and I would spare you that. And then skip down to verse 32. Let me read verses 32 to 35. He says, I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things. And when he says worldly things there, he doesn't mean sinful things. He's evil things. He's just meaning the everyday anxieties and pressures and responsibilities of being married and having children. The married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. The unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit, but the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. Paul, the Apostle Paul, he was radically committed to the ministry of the Gospel. And he viewed his singleness not as a burden, not as a limitation, but rather as an open door to invest all of his life and all of his energy in Gospel ministry. He saw singleness as an opportunity for unhindered and undistracted focus on the Lord. Let me read you this quote from Trevor Douglas, who's a single missionary. And he wrote about the freedom that singleness brings. He said, the first advantage of being single is that it's best adapted to perilous situations. In rugged life among primitive tribes, in gorilla-infested areas, or in disease and famine, the single man has only himself to worry about. The single lifestyle enables one to get the most out of the time God gives for his work. One of my chief delights is that I don't have to fit my ministry around a family schedule. I don't have to be home at a certain time each night. My time is the Filipino's time. And in his context as a missionary, one of the great influences for him was a man named David Brainerd. who was a single missionary who lived in the 1700s and died at the age of 29 from tuberculosis. Brainerd lived the last weeks of his life in the home of Jonathan Edwards. And it was Edwards who then edited and published Brainerd's journals. And these journals have been very influential in the subsequent years. Here's a quote from David Brainerd. He says, "...I cared not where or how I lived or what hardships I went through so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep, I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke, the first thing I thought of was this great work. All my desire was for the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God." That's the kind of radical missionary zeal that Paul was thinking of as he wrote this passage. Not that married men and women can't also be radically committed to missions and ministry, we should be, but the realities of family life just necessarily put limitations on what can be done and how much can be done. And again, we should remember, married or single, each is a gift. The point here is that the gift of singleness does bring unique freedom that can be used in tremendous ways for building up the church, for serving others, for witnessing to the loss, and for taking the gospel to the unreached people groups of the world. Now, these quotes I just read, I feel like they do need to be tempered a bit with the acknowledgement that single men and women do have practical necessities of life, okay? It's not an absolute freedom here. It may be different than a married person with children, but there's still work to be done, of course. There's still a house or apartment to keep up, bills to pay, meals to prepare, etc. So singleness does not necessarily present a person with complete flexibility for ministry. And I think here, as I'm talking through these things, I think especially of single parents. who may look at these verses and say, you know, my singleness doesn't feel like freedom at all. It feels like a double burden because I'm trying to be mom and dad here for my kids. I feel all alone. My hope for single parents here in this church is that you would find comfort in being part of this family of believers and that you can lean on others in this congregation and that we can help one another along. for every single parent, for every single person, for every married person in this church. We have this great privilege of leaning on one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and being part of this family together. We are family. God has given us different gifts, complimentary gifts. We can serve one another and help one another. We can band together and use these unique gifts to help one another and to reach out to this world around us for the glory of Christ. Paul doesn't address every conceivable situation in these verses, but the principle holds. For many single men and women, their singleness will afford them a unique measure of freedom that can be used in serving the Lord. A fourth and final point that I want to highlight here from these verses is in verses 29-31. That the time is short. The time is short. Look at verses 29 to 31. 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, 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. 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." Now these are verses that could be very dangerous if taken out of context. But look at the point Paul is making, which he states at the beginning of verse 29 and again at the end of verse 31. The appointed time has grown very short. He says. And then in v. 31, the present form of this world is passing away. Do you see the point? The things of this world, including marriage, are not going to last forever. Therefore, understand that and live appropriately now in light of that, in light of eternity. Don't idolize the things of this life. The things in this life that cause you to mourn The things in this life that cause you to rejoice. Realize that these are all temporal things. Don't put your hope in temporal things. Why? Because this world is passing away. It's just that. It's temporal. It's passing away. Most shocking of all in this list is the statement about marriage. Let those who have wives live as though they had none. Paul, what do you mean by that? What's he saying? Should husbands leave their wives? Well, of course not. Of course not. He can't mean that. If you read the rest of the chapter, that would contradict everything else he's talking about in this chapter. He's simply saying that you shouldn't idolize marriage. As good as marriage is, don't idolize it. Just like you shouldn't idolize anything else in this life, because these things are all passing away, including marriage. Have you ever thought about this, that marriage itself is not eternal? Marriage is lifelong. The marriage of a man and a woman. It's lifelong. But it's not eternal. A man and a woman are married, and they are to be married how long? Till death do us part. Right? That's what we say in our vows. At death, the marriage ends. A man and a woman are not married forever. And that helps us to view human marriage in its appropriate place. There is one marriage. There is one marriage that will last forever, and that is the marriage of Christ and His church. and all other marriages are pointers to that one eternal marriage. Why is this important for single people to understand? Why does Paul say these things in the context of commending the single life? Because your life may serve to highlight that great marriage between Christ and the church better as a single person than as a married person. Your life may serve to highlight that great marriage between Christ and the church, your life may serve that better as a single person than as a married person. The time is short. The things of this world are passing away. Human marriage as a pointer is going to fade into that eternal reality of Christ's marriage to the church. That's going to happen someday, maybe someday soon. Well, I want to close by asking the very practical question that seems to be one of the key questions the Corinthians were asking, and a question that may be on many of our minds as well. To marry or not to marry? That's the question. To marry or not to marry? If you're a single person, that question may feel very pressing, very weighty. And as we consider this passage, you may be wondering what God is calling you to do. That may be a very real dilemma in your mind right now. Could God be calling me to this great vision of singleness? Or would He have me to pursue marriage? There are many things that could be said here. Let me just give you one exhortation concerning sexual purity. And then a couple questions for you to consider about marriage and singleness, and then finally I'll comment on the context in which these discussions should happen. So first, an exhortation concerning sexual purity. Whether you will marry one day or not, God commands you as a single person to be sexually pure. And He commands this for your own good and for your joy. God is not a killjoy. He gives us His good commands for our good, for our joy. If you live in sexual immorality, if you're sleeping with your boyfriend or girlfriend, if you're into pornography, you are going to be a miserable person. Those things are going to steal your joy. That's not a popular message, but it's true. you will regret these things. And if you don't regret it now, you will regret it someday. And if you never repent of these sins, you will be eternally miserable. Because the Bible says that those who live a life of sexual immorality and don't repent of these sins will go to hell and suffer eternal punishment. You can look at a passage like Galatians 5.19. to think more about that. This is serious stuff. Just a few verses before this passage that we read in the previous chapter, 1 Corinthians 6, verse 18, Paul writes, flee from sexual immorality. Flee from it. Run away from it. The word there is porneia. It means fornication. Flee from sexual immorality. Don't flirt with sexual immorality. Don't ask how far is too far and then try to justify something that you know is wrong. Repent of your sexual sins. These sins that satisfy, but for just a very short moment, and then leave you empty and ashamed. Turn from those things and put your trust and your hope in Jesus Christ who satisfies eternally Look to Him. Follow Him. I want to say to single men that God gave you a sexual drive for a reason. You may feel like it's a curse at times when you feel like you can't control it. But listen, if you are not at peace with your singleness and celibacy, You probably are intended to be married at some point. As Paul says in verse 9, If you feel like that describes you, then you probably are meant to be married, and here's how you should pursue that. You should let that desire become a major motivation in your life to become a godly man whom a godly woman would want to marry. So you study the Word, you pray, you ask godly men to mentor you, you get training that you need to get a good job so you can support a family. And then you look for a woman who has the imperishable beauty that 1 Peter 3 talks about, and you honor her, and you love her, and you ask her to marry you, and then you make a covenant before God and others, you get married, and then you enjoy God's blessing of sexual intimacy in marriage. So I would say to you, don't gratify your sexual desires in cheap and immoral ways. Rather, let those desires be a motivation to become a godly man and a godly husband who will truly appreciate what God designed in marriage. I want to give a word to single women as well. Something that I see and hear about that grieves me is when women so desperately want to be married that they compromise their standards. Let me give a couple of scenarios here. One would be a godly woman who is pursued by an ungodly or immature man. But she's feeling at this point in life like this could be my last chance, this could be my only chance at marriage. What if no other man takes an interest in me, she thinks. And so in spite of major character flaws and spiritual immaturity, she marries him and then later regrets it. Another scenario would be a woman who desperately wants to get married to her long-term but non-committal boyfriend. And this boyfriend, he likes her, enjoys hanging out with her, but he's not ready to settle down. He's noncommittal. He doesn't want to make a commitment to the relationship. And besides, he's kind of still, you know, scoping things out, seeing if a better prospect shows up. Now, here's the lie that women in that situation are tempted to believe. And I hope you'll see the foolishness in it, so you don't fall into this trap. Or if you have fallen into it, that you'll get out of this relationship. A woman might think, you know, if I sleep with him, maybe then he'll love me and be committed to me and want to marry me. Maybe if we move in together, that'll make the relationship more serious and lead toward marriage. Let me tell you why that reasoning is not only sinful but stupid. Because the depraved, immature man in that relationship is going to be all the more resistant to marriage if he's already getting sex without the commitment. For many unregenerate men, that would seem to be the best of all possible worlds. He gets what he wants, doesn't have to make a commitment, he doesn't have to be responsible, and he can leave at any time. So, single ladies, please don't fall for that trap. I say this because I care about you as my sisters in Christ. A guy may say he loves you, you may want desperately to believe him, But if He's pressuring you in that way and doesn't want to enter into the covenant of marriage, you should end the relationship right now. Be pure and patient. And in God's timing, if it's His will, then He will bring a godly man into your life. And even if He doesn't do that, you must believe that living a single life devoted to Christ like Paul is presenting this vision for us here. That single life devoted to Christ is far better for you than compromising your standards, compromising biblical standards, and getting involved with an ungodly man. Well, that's the exhortation concerning sexual purity. Here are a couple of questions you should consider as you wrestle with this to marry or not to marry question. So, a couple initial questions. Do you desire marriage, or are you content in singleness? And then the follow-up question would be, why? Okay, so first, if you desire to be married, if you answer yes to that first question, yeah, I do desire to be married, well, why is it that you desire to be married? Is your desire for marriage conforming to the biblical view of marriage? Are you offering that desire to the Lord and praying for His will regarding marriage? Are you praying that God will multiply the impact of your life through uniting with a godly spouse and serving the Lord together and raising a family together? Or is your desire for marriage more superficial and selfish? It's more in the terms of you feel lonely, you want someone to take away that loneliness. You feel incomplete, you want someone to complete you. You have sexual desires, you want someone to gratify those desires. If your desire for marriage is mainly characterized by those types of things, I would say you need to do some serious maturing in the Lord before marriage would be a wise step. On the other hand, with that next question, if you are feeling content in singleness, it would be good to think a little deeper on that question too. Why is it that you feel content? in your singleness? Is it because you're like Paul and you have this all-encompassing passion for the Gospel and the lost and you would see marriage and family as a hindrance to pouring out your life in service to the Lord? And when I say content to be single, that's not to imply that you never feel lonely or never have any kind of desires, but in God's goodness to you, and His calling for you in this particular season of your life, you have a peace about being single. Some of you are in that place, and I rejoice in that. God gives these different gifts. And He's given some the gift of marriage. He's given others the gift of singleness. And that is such a wonderful gift. But I look at this from another angle, too, and I know that for many young people in our culture today, there is a contentment in singleness that is superficial and selfish. Maybe you like being single because everything can revolve around you and your schedule. All your money can be spent on you. And you like the freedom of that selfishness. And this is where I have a burden to say, especially to young single men, to grow up. Way too many young men, even young men in the church, are frittering away their years with leisure activities and video games and sexual immorality. And it's a shame. Don't waste your life like that. Grow up in the Lord and honor Him either by pursuing godly marriage or by pursuing a godly life of singleness. Be deliberate in whatever you're going to do. And pursue that for the Lord's sake. Well now finally, and I'm almost done here, the context in which you should consider these questions is the church. The church is where you should wrestle through these things. So if you're here this morning and you do identify with some of these questions, I don't know if God would be calling me to singleness or to marriage. Talk with people here about these questions. The church is where single men should be talking with other single men and with married men. And saying, you know, I really do desire to be married, or I feel totally content to be single, and then talking about the motivations behind those statements. And a brother in Christ should be able to say, you know, I'm glad that you want to pursue marriage, and here's some ways I feel like you could grow and mature as you pursue that. Or someone might say, I rejoice that God's given you a peace in your singleness and a contentedness in that. But you know, I also see some of these selfish tendencies in your life that I think you should think about and pray about and fight against. And single women should be having similar kinds of conversations with other women in the church. So, do you desire to be married? Are you content to be single? And why? Talk about these things in the context of the church. And thus seek the Lord's will for your future. And most of all, focus your attention on that great truth that marriage points to, that Jesus Christ laid down His life for His bride, the church, and He is coming back for her. And you know what? When He comes back, there's going to be a wedding feast that will be better than any wedding feast we've ever even imagined. And it will go on forever and ever and ever. That will be our communion with our Lord and Savior forever in heaven. Let's all be satisfied in Him. Let's be satisfied in the varied gifts God has given to us now, whether singleness or marriage. And let's be exuberant in anticipation of the eternal joys that we're going to have with Him in heaven. Let's pray. God, You are a great and awesome God, and Your plan of salvation is stunning to us. Even those of us who have been believers for years, some here have been believers for decades, and we continue to be stunned at the grace that You have shown to us undeserving sinners. And God, I thank You for how You've led us in these weeks to be focusing our attention on marriage, and what Your Word has to say about this and that it's so much bigger than any of our marriages as husbands and wives. It's about the Gospel. It's about Christ and the church. And so I pray for all of us, younger, older, married, single, I pray that we will all be looking as we see this pointer, that we will look beyond the pointer to the meaning of this, the significance of it. Christ the Bridegroom and His Church the Bride. And I pray this morning, God, for any here who don't yet know You, that there would be repentance and faith, that there would be new life in You today. We pray that in Your sovereignty You would bring that about. We pray this all for the glory of Christ. Amen.
The Gift of Singleness
Série God's Meaning in Marriage
Identifiant du sermon | 1051515575310 |
Durée | 43:01 |
Date | |
Catégorie | Service du dimanche |
Texte biblique | 1 Corinthiens 7 |
Langue | anglais |
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