verses, but I want to recognize the time and even be respectful and kind to our children who are here for a long service this morning, so we're not going to read the whole chapter. I'd encourage you to do so if you have time this afternoon or throughout the week to read it. I particularly chose 1 Corinthians 7 as we're finishing two weeks of various biblical studies of what marriage is and what God has called us to as a church as we think about marriage to pick this particular chapter because it doesn't just speak about marriage. Speaks about marriage and singleness and widowhood. And gives us lots of instruction as Paul's answering difficult questions. And we can't cover everything in the chapter. There's some really hard questions that we're not gonna talk about this morning. And I'll encourage you like I did in Sunday school. The other pastors and elders would be happy to answer your questions about the hard parts of this chapter. If you wanna come to me, you can do that also. But I want to focus in particular on some significant biblical principles that guide us in how we think about relationships, marriage, singleness, widowhood, and they're principles that are rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, we're going to read a couple sections of the chapter that deal with three principles as we work through the text. So, we're going to look first of all at verses 1 through 7. As I read, remember this is God's Word to you. Now concerning the matters about which he wrote, it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman, but because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer. but then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 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. And then move down to verse 17. I'll read verses 17 through 24. Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. But, notice this, but if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. For he who was called in the Lord as a bond-servant is a freed man of the Lord. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bond-servant of Christ. You were bought with a price. Do not become bond-servants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God." And then lastly, verse 32 to the end of the chapter. 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, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And 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. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong and it has to be, let him do as he wishes, let them marry, it is no sin. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet in my judgment, she is happier if she remains as she is, and I think that I too have the Spirit of God." And thus ends the reading of God's holy and inspired word. Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Lord God, these are difficult words, some of it confusing and hard for us to understand. And yet underneath it, we know that this is your word, that it is holy and true and righteous altogether, and it's profitable to us. And so we pray that by the power of your spirit working in and through the word, that you would conform us more and more, make us more like Jesus. so that we would indeed be able to give undivided devotion to him. We pray all of this in his name, amen. So, one of the blessings that we have in friendships and relationships, and I think uniquely in marriage, is that our spouse builds us and strengthens us, and we grow in areas of weakness even by the way that the Lord graces us through our spouse. This next illustration's gonna prove that point because I knew nothing about Shakespeare before I married Anne. But I wanna tell you just about a particular line in a Shakespeare play that I think helps us to get into this text. The play is much ado about nothing. It's all about marriage and foolish men who treat women unfairly until the point where the women teach them wisdom. And at the end, you have these two beautiful weddings And one of those men, Benedict, who was a fool but became wise in the midst of the play, turns to his bachelor friend and says, Prince, thou art sad, get thee a wife. Hear what he's saying, right? The answer to all of your pain and sorrow and sadness and loneliness, get thee a wife. Seems like almost the exact opposite of what we read in 1 Corinthians 7, right? Paul is saying something like this. Are you sad? Of course you're sad. You live in a time of present distress, in verse 26. You live, in verse 28, in light of worldly troubles and cares. The present form of this world is passing away, verse 31. And even the anxiety of serving another, a spouse, and your children, simply increases the anxiety of life in a broken world. So that Paul can even go on to say, in verses six and seven, I wish you would remain single like I am. to say in verse 38, to remain single is better. Last week we heard from Paul about the glories of marriage, this mega mystery that reveals to us in a unique way the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, that even through marriage we're called more and more to know who Jesus is and how we're to live in fellowship with him. How does that square with 1 Corinthians 7? Just a couple things to note before we briefly dig in to this chapter. First of all, recognize the context. We've just finished, if you read 1 Corinthians, two chapters where he's speaking to a church that lives in a culture and in a context that's filled with sexual immorality. And that same immorality is creeping into the life of the church. And in response to the struggles of sexual purity in a world broken by sin, they're asking Paul all sorts of questions that he's seeking to answer in chapter 7. Should a husband refuse to participate in sexual intimacy with his wife because of the world in which we live? Should fathers not agree to have their daughters married because of the difficulty of the world in which we live? And even should those who are widowed consider refusing remarriage because of the difficulty of the world in which we live. And it's in that context, seeking to answer those questions that Paul carefully, if you notice, he says over and over again, the Lord says this and I, but not the Lord, suggest maybe one application of that truth is to live in this way. He's carefully answering their questions, but in the end, he's holding before them a biblical foundation. biblical truths, that if they know them and learn them, then with much prayer and patience and conversation with wisdom that only comes from above, they can apply those principles to marriage and to singleness and to widowhood. knowing that each, every person, all people, man and woman, have a unique gift and a calling from the Lord, but all with the same goal. And friends, hear this very clearly, all with the same goal, undivided devotion to Jesus. the kind of devotion that leads to obeying His commands, glorifying Him in our lives, and enjoying fellowship with Him in this life and in the life to come. And that's what we're gonna consider briefly this morning. We're gonna see that in each of those contexts, marriage, singleness, and a widowhood, that God tells us that they're a gift, that they're a call, and that they, by the grace of God, produce in us devotion. And so if we think of our outline in this way, first of all, we're called to rejoice and respond to the gift. Secondly, by the grace of God, to pursue your calling. And then lastly, devote yourself wholeheartedly to the Lord. First of all, we see that each of these circumstances, marriage, singleness, and widowhood, are all a gift from the Lord. Look at verses six and seven. He says, Remember again the context. A city, Corinth is, and the church that's there, it's a city and a church that are weighed down by all manner of sexual immorality, the kinds of things that bring destruction to relationships and families and churches and indeed cultures. It's interesting, by the way, to note that the word for sexual immorality that we find all through the New Testament, especially the book of 1 Corinthians, comes very clearly into our English language, it's pornography. I'm just telling you that to know that Corinth isn't unique. We live in a world that's broken by sexual sin, that's rampant in our culture, and that sneaks its way into the church again and again and again. And though we don't have time to talk about it this morning, if that is a particular struggle of yours, sexual immorality or pornography, there's an answer in the gospel, and there's provision for you in the church, Ask for help, come to us so that we can serve you in the midst of that sin because it destroys relationships and it destroys marriages. But it's in that context that Paul then says, each of us has a gift from God. I want you to notice, first of all, it's a gift from God. And what do we know to be true about God? He's the father of lights who's the giver of every good and perfect gift. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7, after telling us to pray to our heavenly father, he reminds us what kind of father our God is. He loves to give good gifts to his children. If earthly fathers love to give good gifts to their children, how much more does our heavenly Father love to give good gifts to His children? Psalm 103 reminds us that we have a Father who is patient and long-suffering and faithful and kind and compassionate, who forgives our sins, who heals our diseases, and who loves us perfectly, and He never fails in His love toward us. We need to hear that as we consider questions of marriage and singleness and widowhood, because some of the providences that we're going to consider this morning are hard and difficult, and they sometimes feel as if they're not good. But we know that God is always good. This is a quote from John Newton. I think it's helpful for us. All, in other words, all circumstances All that is either comfortable or painful in your lot is of God's divine appointment. Healing and wounding are equally from his hand and equally tokens of his love and care over us. Our trials are either beneficial medicines or honorable appointments to put us in such circumstances as may best qualify us to show forth his praise." In other words, God's always good. always good. And He works all things for our good, for those who are loved by God and called by God. He's always good. He's the giver of these good gifts. And notice as well that by the very nature of it being a gift, it's good. Not every gift's good, I get that. You open a present sometimes on Christmas and it's like a bag of socks or something like that, and you think, I'm not sure that was so good. But most gifts that people who love you give you are good, and they're intended for your blessing, they're intended for your happiness. And part of what Paul is telling us is that each of these gifts are good for you because they come to you from a father who loves you perfectly. So for those of you who are married, it's a good gift. We looked in Sunday school this morning at the promise of marriage in Genesis 1 and 2, a helper, a friend who is suitable and fit for you, that God has designed perfectly for you. That's what God gives His people in marriage, who's even there to sanctify you. so that you would grow in grace and obedience and become more like your Savior, to walk toward a common goal and head toward a common horizon, which is heaven, where Jesus is preparing a place for you. so that in faith filled with grace that only comes from above, you can lead each other in light of the gospel toward the promise of the gospel, which is fellowship with God, unbroken forever. And God provides for you and your spouse a helper fit to walk with you toward heaven, at least in the best of marriages, where God is blessing and where there's mutual love and concern for one another. That's a good gift. But this text also reminds us that singleness is a good gift from God. Describes in verse 32 the freedom from some of the anxieties that come with caring for a spouse or children that free you up to devote your attention to the Lord and to grow in holiness and to be reminded and even fitted for the fact that your first goal in life should be to please the Lord. And as hard as it might be to say, and I say this very carefully, that includes the singleness that comes with the death of a spouse. I can't speak to that in a way that expresses the concern that we have for some of you who've felt that sorrow even recently. I can't do that from here very well. But you can know that even in the midst of that great sorrow, God cares for you. And he's preparing you in a unique way, fitting you for heaven. So it's a good gift. But I also want you to know it's a grace gift. What I mean by that is, it's a gift that's from the Spirit, led by the Spirit, so that you might serve God. The word for gift is charisma. Charismatic, Spirit-given gift to serve the kingdom, to serve the Lord of the kingdom, to serve the citizens of the kingdom of the Lord, and to serve the world. So that for the married persons, those who have a husband or a wife, you can celebrate and magnify, and I don't have time to walk all through all these, but I'm gonna list them. You can celebrate and magnify true equality between men and women. who are equally in every way made in the image of God and equally valuable before God and therefore precious before God and worthy of your love and your concern. You can celebrate and exemplify service. That's what's being described in verses three through five. uses the words of authority, but it reminds you that your spouse has authority over you in both directions, and that you should serve their interests before you serve your own. You have a companion forever by the grace of God until death parts you. You have a companion in holiness Where you grow in grace together, you're even willing to say the hard things to help your spouse grow in obedience and holiness. And if the Lord blesses you with children, to do the same for your children together in service of Christ and his kingdom. And together in some unique way to fulfill the cultural mandate. to exercise dominion, to subdue the earth which God has created, and to subdue it in such a way that it brings honor and glory to Christ. Pastor Shishko, I heard him say this recently, I thought it was profound. He said, I wonder if one of the most counter-cultural things that a Christian can do in the world today is simply to marry well and to love your wife and raise your children in the Lord. Husbands and wives, you can do that together to the glory of God and to the advance of his kingdom. But it's also a grace gift to be single, to be free to serve God without some of the anxieties, which is the word that Paul uses of having to care for a wife, to care for children, free to serve God and free to serve others. Look at verses 29 through 31 later today maybe and understand that what that list is describing is that we, because we are heavenly minded and see the glorious kingdom of God that is in front of us to which we're walking, are able to put aside some of the cares of this life so that we can come alongside those who are mourning and those who are rejoicing and those who are suffering and we can walk with them and share in some way in their grief and in their pain. and carry them for a time. And the same holds for widows, and again, don't have time to embrace that with the empathy that it deserves, but I just want to read a quote. This is from a widower, someone that you might know. Here's what he wrote. Since my wife went home to heaven, I've begun to long for it much more earnestly. Not just because she is there, although my heart yearns to see her again, I want to go there because Jesus will meet me there. And I will see him as he is. And there's something that God does in the life of someone who's lost much to make them long for heaven and to give an example of what it means to fix our eyes there. So it's a good gift, it's a grace gift, and then just quickly, it's a calling. Each of them, marriage, singleness, and widowhood, it's a calling. Just as each and all have a gift, so each and all have a calling. That's what we see in verses 17 through 24. I'm just going to read three of those verses, and notice the language that we hear again and again. Verse 17, only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. Verse 20, each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Verse 24, so brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. Do you see the language? An assignment, a condition, a station. Friends, that's where we find ourselves each and every day. The Lord has put us in a particular place by his sovereign care, a condition and a station in which for this moment in time, God has put us according to his good and sovereign plan as a kind heavenly Father who always gives good gifts to His children. And that's true even when the providence is hard, a frowning providence, and yet behind it all is the smiling face of our Savior. I'm gonna read a couple, two stanzas from a hymn that we know and sing. I'm always nervous to give this hymn because it can be a club that's used against people. I want it to be comfort to you, not a club, because some of you are in circumstances right now, a station of life, in your marriage, or in your singleness, or in your widowhood where it's hard. And I want you to know that God's always good, and even if you feel alone, he's always with you. These are just two stanzas. Whatever my God ordains is right. But that's not an unfeeling club right. It's right because God's good. Though now his cup in drinking may bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it all unshrinking. My God is true. Each morn a new sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart and pain and sorrow shall depart. And understand friends, it might not depart today, but it will. Goes on to say, whatever my God ordains is right here, shall my stand be taken. Through sorrow, need, or death, the sorrow, deed, need, or death be mine, yet am I not forsaken. He never leaves you. He never forsakes you. My Father's care is around me there. He holds me that I shall not fall, and so to Him I leave it all. In whatever condition or station you find yourself, the Lord is right there with you, even if it feels like you're completely and utterly alone. How did David say it and Jesus repeat it? The father and mother forsake me. The Lord will be with me always. And therefore, in whatever station we are, we have a calling from God, whether it's as a married person to serve your spouse and to sacrifice in your service to him or to her and to serve as a mutual support, upholding them in prayer and encouraging them in holiness and faith, or as a single person in devotion to the Lord, even modeling in your singleness dependence and hope on God who never leaves you and never forsakes you, even using the time that the Lord gives you to serve others in faith with joy and love because He's given you the opportunity to do so, and even in your singleness to continue with self-control and purity as you wait on the Lord. for the widow to model a heavenly-mindedness so that you can provide to others who are suffering the comfort with which the Lord has comforted you." Friends, as we kind of move to a conclusion, if I could just say this, In some ways, this deserves way more time. I hope that you hear in it the sensitivity to know that we're not, in considering this passage, Paul is not, God is not, I am not suggesting that your suffering is small or insignificant. Simply suggesting that God is greater than all of your suffering. And He's a sympathetic Savior who walks with you every step of the way. And that's where Paul takes us as the passage comes to a conclusion. He brings us comfort in reminding us that the sufferings of this life are only temporary, verse 19, that the world in which we live, including all the pain and suffering in it, verse 31, is passing away. But there's one thing that never changes for those who are in Christ. And hear these words, verse 22. For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise, he who is free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took on human flesh and suffered and was tempted in every way that we have been and will be, yet all without sin. and he died the death that your sins deserved, so that you might know that in him you have redemption, that by faith in him you've been washed as we saw pictured in baptism. that you've been sanctified, made holy, and made more and more holy even through instruments like a spouse or a dear friend in Christ who encourages you toward holiness, and you've been justified, as we'll see just in a minute, by the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. so that in whatever station you find yourself, with whatever gift and calling the Lord has given you, you can do all of it in the light of who Jesus is and what he's done, in dependence on Jesus, in fellowship with Jesus, who is always with you and never leaves you or forsakes you. What Paul is saying is that all of these relationships drive us to Jesus. all of these relationships drive us to Jesus, so that if you have a spouse who, by the grace of God, loves for you and loves you in all the best ways and is the very model of what a Christian spouse can be, Jesus can still say, look to Me, because at some point that spouse will fail you, but I never will. And if your spouse is anything but the model of what a Christian spouse should be, Jesus can say, but I will never leave you. And I will never forsake you. If you long for a spouse and the Lord has not provided that yet, you can know still that Jesus is with you. And he loves you and he never forsakes you. And if you're longing for the day to be reunited in heaven with a spouse that you've lost. You can know that they're looking on the face of your Savior and that one day you'll look upon that same Savior with them. Do you want to grow in friendship and love and service? Do you want to become a more faithful husband or wife, a father or a child? The scriptures tell us again and again, and Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7, that the way to do so is to look to Jesus. And to gaze upon his face, which is beautiful and glorious. And to know that he loves you perfectly. Friends, that's what we're going to consider here as we come to the table of the Lord. As we're preparing to come, I just want to read from the hymn that we'll close the service with. That hymn ends in this way, When I'm in heaven, I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace. I won't gaze at the crown he gives, but on his pierced hand, for he, the Lamb, is all the glory of Emmanuel's land. This was offered to us in the gospel. It's what's offered to us at the table. So let's come to the table of the Lord. Okay.