If you have your Bible tonight, let me encourage you to open to 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 1 Corinthians chapter 7. We begin tonight by asking you a question. Are you discontent? Are you thinking if this circumstance or that circumstance were different, well then life would be a whole lot better and maybe I'd be happy. You know the problem with that mindset is that It's based on you having life just the way you want it. And your chances of that happening are much less than winning the Powerball. And that's if you don't buy a ticket. It's just not going to work. It's not the way that God designed us to go through life. Because if it is your plan and that's your goal, I can probably say that you're close to one of the most miserable people on earth. Because it's not the fundamental approach to life that you as a child of God or me as a child of God should take. Now, sometimes people think, well, if I had a different circumstance, I'd be more free to serve the Lord. The situation I'm in makes me difficult to serve the Lord. Well, according to this passage we're going to look at tonight, that's not a true assumption either. This passage will bring this out. This passage alludes to the potential in all of us to embrace the lie and then be trounced by this mindset, and I call it the grass is greener syndrome. I'm sure all of us at one point or another have thought, I wonder if the grass is greener somewhere else. Maybe that's a semi-perpetual ritual for you. You might be wondering, well, if I did this, or this happened, or if I moved here, whatever, then things would be better for me. And you know, that happens a lot after people watch these Hallmark movies around Christmas time. You know, this unrealistic happy ever after, happy ever, forget it, you know what I'm trying to say. You watch one of those and you think, wow, and yet that's just it, wow, that's unrealistic. And so we're all prone to at least think about that from time to time, and it doesn't even have to be a physical location. It can be circumstances or a mental perspective you might have or what have you. And in case you don't know what the Grasses-Greener Syndrome is, it's where you look for somewhere else for a different situation that you believe would make your life easier or better in some regard. I mean, how many people could I cite, if you took the time to think about it, to try to find an answer to a fulfilling life in all the wrong places. A lot of people are convinced there's a magic bullet out there, that if they could only grasp it, then all would be well. And so they set their sights on finding it. And so they check out all these different options, and they think, hmm. And some they even know are wrong or bad, but they secretly think that, you know what, I'm special, I'm different, I'll get away with it. And that's another trap. You know, if you think, maybe if I had more money, or a different house, or a different job, or a different spouse. And there's nothing wrong fundamentally with more money, or different whatever, except a spouse. But we saw on Sunday, even the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tried everything under the sun and realized it was all said and done, it was vanity, it was vexation of spirit, it was like grasping the wind. He tried different things to fulfill his life on a horizontal plane, and they were all a big swing and a miss. It wasn't the answer. And that's why people in our day and age try alcohol and drugs, or they try a different relationship or a different job, or they'll go out and buy a new car, thinking that'll make a difference. Those things might even offer a temporary reprieve, but it doesn't address on a fundamental issue what the real issue is. Ultimately, that's not how you are to think because it's not how you are made as a new creation in Christ. That's the world giving you wrong ideas. And so what's easy to miss if you're not being transformed by the renewing of your mind is that really discontentment is a result of displaced worship. It's really the result of giving your heart to someone or something that should never have it. I mentioned this a couple, I don't know, maybe a month ago. It's called idolatry, and an idol is anything you refuse to put down for the sake of Jesus Christ. It's where you run to for comfort, it's when you're hurting, it's where your money goes, it's where your time is spent, it's where your loyalty lies. And it ultimately can't deliver. If I stake my happiness on something other than God and his grace and his provision, I'm going to be miserable because we're made to worship him and find all our joy in him and our peace in him. And those are the things that really have value and they're freely given to us in Christ. I mean, think about it. The angels worship God. We know from Psalm 19, creation worships God. And so when we are worshiping something other than God, we're actually out of sync with creation. We're out of sync with the angels and we're out of sync of who we are with Christ. And there's really a pretty simple formula that has never failed me when I'm feeling discontent. And you know what it is? It's thankfulness. If you take time to just thank God for who he is, what he's provided in love, who you are in Christ, and the future you have, everything changes. Everything changes. You know, the days I start out when I'm thanking God for His mercy, starting with my salvation, and then I focus on the riches of Christ and the fact that He's faithful even when I'm not. He's given me so much more than I deserve, starting with salvation. And then I recognize that things could obviously always be better, I don't care who you are, but they could always be a hundred times worse. And so what have I had to complain about? You know, Paul figured this out, and he told us about it in Philippians 4. Not that I speak to regard need, and he's writing this from a prison. He's in prison here. For I've learned in whatever state I am, therewith be content. I know how to be obese, to have nothing going on. I know how to have everything going on. But he says, everywhere and in all things. So you've got every circumstance under the sun. I've learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. But you know what? I can do all things through Christ, who continually infuses me with strength. So I'm going to rejoice. Paul discovered the key to contentment didn't rest on the circumstances he was stuck in, but on the security that he had in Christ and the strength that was always there for him. It sounds so simple. We think, oh, that's crazy. You know, so often we crave everything we don't have and we overlook the blessings that are right in front of us. This is why when you stop and give thanks, it changes everything. I mean, we're totally oblivious. You know, if I think about Ukraine once a week, that's a good week. That's over there. These people are living in horrible situations. And I don't even think about it. And that could be me. That could be you. That could be us. So if I'm looking, if I've got the grass is greener syndrome going on and I'm looking for greener pastures, I'm really actually impugning the integrity of God. David said, the Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me to lay down in green pastures. He leads me beside the quiet waters. Who here is lacking something today? If you're in Christ, you're not lacking anything you need. Your needs are perfectly met at this point in time. This is why the Hebrew Christians who were suffering pretty extensively for the cause of Christ, the writer said this, let your conduct be without covetousness. And be content with such things as you have, why? Because you got something better, you got Christ. And he has promised he will never leave you or forsake you. And his grace is always sufficient. So true contentment is not getting things just the way you want them, because that could last for a millisecond. but it's in the faithful one who does all things well. Isn't that encouraging? And this mindset comes into play as we read this passage we're gonna look at tonight. It's an important passage. It reminds us that God is ultimately in charge of our circumstances, and that's why I entitled this message, You're to Bloom Where You're Planted, because God's gonna plant you somewhere that you may or may not have control over, and you might as well bloom, because that's where you're planted. That's the whole point. And actually, it should be very comforting to all of us to know that God is ultimately in charge and in control of our circumstances. Now, some people want to argue as whether or not he ordered them or whether he's just allowed them. That argument's been going on a long time. But what you can't argue over is that he's in charge of our circumstances. And so the problem Paul's addressing here is, he's reminded the Corinthians, they think if I only had a different circumstance, I'd be able to serve the Lord better. And this is in the context of marriage and so forth. That's what chapter seven has been all about. There's apparently some level of discontent between believers. And so there was an inordinate desire for some of them to change their state, either from single to being married or from married to being single or to change something. You know, maybe those in mixed marriages were looking at those that had two people saved in it and thought, wow, what do they got? I need something else, because mine's, you know, about as smooth as a train wreck. And some would think, well, I'm married. If I was single, I could serve the Lord more devotedly. And some were thinking, well, I've got this desire to marry, you know. And so there's a problem of discontentment that's causing them to make decisions thinking that their spirituality was somehow related to a change in circumstances. And so Paul kind of addresses this. Do you realize that God is always sovereignly at work in your circumstances? A verse that we can always go back to that reminds us of this is Esther 4.14. Here Mordecai explains to Esther, he says, if you remain completely silent this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house are gonna perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. That was God arranging the whole thing so that she'd be in the right place at the right time to be used in such a way to deliver the Jews. And God has us right where we're at if we're paying attention to be used where we're at, and however he sees fit. You know, I'm in a much better place spiritually when I acknowledge God's sovereign control, which again, is always working in concert with who he is, which means since he always treats me in love, the circumstance I'm in is an expression of his love. You know, being human and sinful and weak, we're all equipped with a remarkable ability to rationalize in a way that potentially violates a biblical principle. I like what Chuck Swindoll said here. He said, unless we consciously guard against it, this is his book on divorce. When we experience marital difficulties, we begin to search for a way out instead of a way through. Given sufficient time in the crucible, divorce will seem our only option, our pathway to a long-awaited and much-deserved utopia. And we'll begin to push in that direction, at times ignoring the inner voice of God's spirit, and at other times violating the written principles of God's word, either as a grievous act. That's when it starts to creep in. So Paul, in this chapter, says some things to the single, to the married, to those who are married to unbelievers. And he's going to say here, three times in this next paragraph, basically, remain as you are. Let's read at verse 17. Chapter 7, follow along as I read. But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. Was anyone called while circumcised? Well, don't become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Don't be concerned about it. But if you can be made free, rather use it. He was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freed man. Likewise, he was called while free is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price. Do not become the slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in the state in which he was called." And so basically three times, verse 17, verse 20, and verse 24, he tells them, Stay as you are. And so principle number one is you don't have to change your circumstances to serve Christ. This is really the essence of what he's trying to get across here. Don't think that changing your circumstances is the answer to your perceived spiritual problem. He's saying don't be focused on changing your outward circumstances as God's child. Now that doesn't mean your circumstances will not or could not change. And there's nothing wrong with a change in circumstances in and of itself. He's addressing the issue of how you approach it and how you think. And so he's saying, you know, you were called in a certain circumstances, just remain there. I mean, he said in the beginning, singleness is good. The beginning of this chapter, singleness is good. If you're widowed or a widower or divorced prior to salvation, remain as you are. Now, if you can't contain yourself and you're free to be married, Go for it. But he said, you know what, it's good for you to be single. If you're married and you divorce that person, either remain unmarried or be reconciled to them. If you're in a mixed marriage, that's one who's married and has an unbeliever as a spouse, remain married to the unbeliever because you will cause them to have contact with the gospel. and your children will cause your children to have contact with the gospel. And so God is sovereignly working in our relationships for pre-salvation work for the Holy Spirit. And so, you know, I've told people if you get saved and your husband's not saved, you know, don't dump him. Be a light. At the same time, if they want to leave, you're to let them leave. That's really what he said. This is how we ended here last time. And as I rethought about verse 16, I think he meant, it says, verse 16, he says, how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? How do you know, O husband, whether or not you'll save your wife? And I kind of took that as a positive sense. They should try and stay in it. But I think as, if you look at verse 15, he's really saying the opposite. If the unbeliever departs, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases. God has called us to peace. And I think what he's really trying to say here is, is obviously the, the one who gets saved and wants to keep their marriage together and the other one might want to depart is it puts them in a situation where the spouse that's not saved is going to manipulate the saved one to do things that God would not have them to do to save the marriage. And that's what he's saying. God has called us to peace. In other words, don't compromise what you know to be true. And that might happen. Let them go or let her go. You're not in bondage in those situations because God has called you to peace. And he says, you don't know whether your spouse is going to come to the Lord or not. Regardless of what happens, you have to trust God to work in that situation so that a person responds to the gospel. And so his advice to the saved person is don't compromise what you know to be true for the sake of saving your marriage is what he's saying here. But as we think now, beginning in verse 17 here, it says, but as God has distributed each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let them walk, and so I ordain in all the churches. In other words, you say, where God has assigned you and where he has called you is where you to walk with him right there. It's interesting. The word assigned. It means to assign or something or distribute something. It was used in the Old Testament, the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament was how the land was distributed in the land of Israel when Joshua led him into the promised land. And he's saying, as the Lord has assigned or appointed each one, and each one is mentioned twice there in this verse, In other words, the circumstances that you were in, God actually assigned those circumstances and those are the circumstances that you heard the gospel in. That was the second word. The word called there speaks of the time and circumstances in which you came to place your faith in Christ. And so what he's saying is that God has been sovereignly directing your whole life prior to salvation so that at the right time you hear that message and are saved. You know, Paul used that term called previously when he said in 1 Corinthians 1.26 that he says, you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. And so this is kind of cool when you think God and his sovereignty, because again, the word says each one twice. God is sovereignly working. I mean, he's got a few things on his plate, but he's sovereignly working in every individual's life to arrange life in such a way that they can hear the gospel. That's just humbling when I think about that. And God treats everyone as an individual. And he reaches the lives of those who come from different contexts, different backgrounds, different niches in society. And he's saying, in essence here, the divine call came to each individual without regard to his or her social context. He's saying, in essence, there's not one circumstance of life that's more advantageous or not advantageous. When you got saved, there wasn't, I mean, slaves got saved, rich people got saved, but as a rule, the rich people aren't open. He's saying that to them. A lot of these people that got saved were probably slaves in Corinth. He's going to mention that if you were saved a slave. Usually it's the negative circumstances in life that cause you to see your need of a savior. If everything's hunky dory and all roses, your typical individual concludes he doesn't need a savior. But here in this context, whether you were single, whether you're married, whether you were a slave, whether you're free, whether you were circumcised or uncircumcised, God arranged the circumstances in your life and even used them specifically to get you to see your need of the savior and then become receptive to the gospel. And the Lord distributed or assigned each one, meaning when you came to your Christian life, you were either married or widowed or a virgin. You were in a certain condition. That condition was assigned to you as it were by the Lord. And he says, don't change it. Don't change it. Again, it speaks of God's sovereignty. You know, when you come to, you know, I came to Christ as a 20-year-old, almost 21-year-old. And I could not see until after I was saved how he was arranging things in my life and putting certain people at certain times in my life so that this reality would be realized. He put things in place and people in place and undertook so that message would come to my ears and I would respond by faith. You know, I thought about even our Christmas program. In particular, this last one, I mean, the gospel was repeatedly going out throughout the whole thing. The message of Christ's substitutionary work, the word propitiation was emphasized several times. The word reconciliation was emphasized. It's just amazing. Oh, by the way, what is this underscore? God sovereignly directing in life. You know, God is willing that no one perish and most people are willingly ignorant and blinded because they refuse to see. And I thought, you know, there's, we've had Christmas programs since I moved up here, 20 some years, and there's people that have come to this past year that have come to all of them and are still not saved. That's pretty amazing. They can come and hear the message time after time and completely walk out of the building unaffected. And that's why we're doing this, but some year they might just say, wow, something might click. Some circumstance God could arrange in their life so when they come here for this situation or perhaps a funeral we might do, all of a sudden there's a heart change and they're ripe and they're receptive and Spirit of God illumines their thinking and they get saved. It can happen. Like the word assigned there, and I thought I had this handle, but I didn't. Again, it means apporting, an apportion of something. Call speaks to the time and circumstances that were true of you when you came to place your faith in Christ. But the bottom line is you're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone. And God so cares about each individual that he's trying to put all these pieces together that are moving. And there's more than we could ever count together in such a way that people can respond to the gospel and get saved. To me, that's really cool. That's just kind of mind-boggling. And he's doing that. He's doing that with the people in your sphere of influence and the people in my sphere of influence. You have a different sphere of influence than I do. And if we're paying attention, God is arranging things in your life so that at the right time, if you're willing to open your mouth and be used, the spirit of God's going to do it. This is why you should pray for your neighbors. You should pray for your coworkers. You should pray for the people you're of levels with. And when you're doing that, the Spirit of God will then give you a keen sense and awareness of where they're at spiritually, if you're willing to open your mouth and be used. It's kind of cool. And this is the balance, 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, and 14. God, from the beginning, chose you for salvation. How? Through sanctification by the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit of God drawing you to Christ, and then your choice to believe in the truth, the Gospel. What truth is it? To which he called you by the Gospel. And so the Spirit of God is trying to reach everyone, but they still need to hear that message that Christ died for their sins and rose again, and in doing so, paid the full penalty of that sin, so when they put their faith in him, they receive salvation. And notice this is all for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is kind of cool. I mean, you read this and you realize God sovereignly is arranging all the pieces. In fact, we know later in 1 Corinthians 12 that he places everyone in the body of Christ as he sees fit. Isn't that amazing? You've been gifted to function in this body, and he puts you in this body to do just that. It's all his arranging. If that doesn't humble you, I don't know what will. Unfortunately, don't even think of the people that have heard the gospel several times at our Christmas program. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. And sometimes it's religious darkness that they love. And so God wants you, even as his child, to be intimately aware of his sovereign care of your life. He's got a plan. He's put you, he's planted you where you're at, you're to bloom where you're at, until he moves you somewhere else, as he wants to direct your steps into his good and perfect and acceptable will of God. So he says, in verse 17, as God distributed each one, his Lord has called each one, so let him walk, and so I ordain in all the churches. Now, how does this need to be qualified? See, what this immediately assumes is that your circumstances are not sinful. I mean, if you're working as a drug dealer when you got saved, God doesn't want you to remain as you are, all right? He doesn't want you to continue to work in that illegal activity. If you were fornicating when you got saved, God wants you to stop. I mean, think of the woman caught in adultery. When she was caught in adultery, Jesus said, does anyone condemn you? No. He says, I don't either. But then he said, go and sin no more. You're a new creation now. I mean, I was thinking even in this culture, it could have been a temple prostitute got saved. Obviously God would not have her to continue to be a temple prostitute, right? Because that's a violation of a greater principle in scripture. And so everything sinful was to be forsaken. And so Paul here is really in the context of social conditions and situations than when they are saved. Now that doesn't mean, you know, if you like, say you were a college girl and you got saved and you had four roommates that were very hostile toward the gospel, that you shouldn't move and find a different place to live. That's not what he's talking about. You can move out and get a different place. But he's saying here, he's going to give you these examples. If you're saved a slave, God wants to use you as a slave is the idea here. You know, I remember people have gotten saved. In fact, I was kind of one of them. I asked Pastor Roxer shortly after I got, you know, I was maybe going to the church maybe a year, and I said, you know, what's the point of life? Why shouldn't I be doing what you're doing? He goes, it's not the will of God for everyone to do what I do. You shouldn't just quit your job and go to seminary. I mean, God called me. where I was at, and he used me where I was at, and the places I was at, and the jobs I was at. But that doesn't mean you're stuck there forever. But again, you're to bloom where you're planted. Third principle, in the assignment which the call of God came to you, walk with the Lord right there. That's what he says in verse 17. So let him walk. Paul's word for walk is his descriptive term speaks of the Christian life which you walk with the Lord, peripateo. Let him direct your steps but bloom where you're planted. Whatever your circumstances were when you got saved, stay that way. Don't change your thing, walk right there. Because that condition was sovereignly chosen by God for you when you got saved. And so the big idea here is that we can abide in our circumstances because God calls us to abide with him. And so walking with the Lord doesn't require a change of circumstances. God wants you to walk with him wherever you're stuck at, and you might be stuck. And by the way, parents, are you teaching your children to acknowledge and give thanks for the sovereignty of God in their life? To see the hand of God even in their circumstances? I remember my son was trying out for the senior all-star team. While he's having a horrible tryout, I'm witnessing to the guy next to me in the stands as we wait for this thing to be done. And he just had a bad tryout, and he was kind of bummed out, and I said, well, you know, I said, this had nothing to do with baseball, you know. The whole purpose of this whole thing was so that I could give the guy sitting next to me the gospel. Who cares about baseball? His whole attitude changed. It was encouraging. He realized that baseball was nothing. I mean, that's how life is. And you want to teach your children to see that. I didn't make the team. Okay, God's sovereign over that. I did make the team. God's sovereign over that. Right? We got a flat tire. God's sovereign over that. We got sick again. God's sovereign over that. You have to see the hand of God in things. If you don't teach your children to think like that, everything, they're going to have a victim mentality. And that's the worst way you can go through life. You know, Jesus has a purpose for your life in whatever circumstance he places you in. You can take that to the bank. You know, prior to my salvation, God backed me into a corner, provided people and seats that were watered along the way, and I believed the gospel. And I look back at my life, I've been saved 40 years, and I just see him mercifully directing my steps. Oftentimes, I was completely oblivious to what he was doing. And so whatever place in society you find yourself, you can be a fruitful Christian. You can be a faithful Christian. Those people who get saved in Saudi Arabia, probably not a good place to be a Christian, but can they serve Christ in Saudi Arabia? Can they serve Christ in Iran? You know, I read somewhere not too long ago, the church in Iran is just going, just expanding. Where it's getting harder is the West here. Europe and America become increasingly dark spiritually, very cold to the gospel. So you can be a believer walking with the Lord in any society, in any spiritual situation because walking with the Lord has very little to do with the circumstances you're in. Has nothing to do with social status. because some of these Christians had different ideas about, well, if I was single, I could be more spiritual, or if I was married, I could be, you know, it was all over the map. And he's saying, no. You know, what's sometimes hard to grasp is your personal interaction with your Savior through the Word of God by faith is not tied to immediate circumstances or your status in life. Paul was in prison and he said, I've learned to be content. He had a relationship with Christ. Christ was infusing him with strength. And I was thinking about John 5 earlier this week. The dude in John 5, 33 years he's had this infirmity. He's never been able to make it down to the, Pool of Shalom together. Jesus arranged his life for 38 years. This guy was some kind of an invalid so that at the right time in life he could have an interaction with Jesus and Jesus would heal him. And Jesus had a point so the Pharisees would hate him because he did it on the Sabbath. And then the next day he chases this guy down. I don't even think this guy gets saved. In John 5. But God had an arrangement, 38 years this guy. In fact, Christ reached out to him. He says, you know what? Go and sin no more unless something worse happens to you. He's trying to tell him, listen. Are you listening, young man? And he wasn't. But can God arrange circumstances? He had prepared this guy, 38 years, the guy born blind in John chapter nine. God arranged those circumstances for such a time as this. When you see your life that way, it changes everything. Otherwise, life's one thing after another. Now, is this principle unique to Corinthians? And the answer is no, because what does he say at the end of verse 17? I ordain this in all the churches. And in doing, he's reminding that, you know what, Paul's the apostle. He taught authoritatively. And he's not giving them counsel that says, well, you're the exception here. No, this is his rule of thumb everywhere. Everywhere he taught and planted churches, he said the same thing. And so why would it be different for the Corinthians? Why would it be different for you or me? In fact, what examples does he give here? Verse 18, was anyone called while circumcised? Well, hey, don't become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Don't get circumcised. Circumcision is nothing. Uncircumcision is nothing. But keeping the commandments of God is what matters. Now this could have been pressure, if you know, back in the early church, there was certainly, Jews and Gentiles had issues, though they were one in Christ. There was cultural things, they butted heads at times, and it could have been that the uncircumcised were getting pressure from the Jews to get circumcised, and it could be the circumcised were getting pressure from the Hellenized Greeks to, you know, become one of us. And he's saying, Now, what I did like about this is that he's reaffirming the fact that the law of Moses is done away with, because that was the first commandment, the law of Moses, is to get circumcised. And he said it's nothing, which means the old law is done with. And so if someone tells you you need to live the Christian life by keeping the law, you can take rid of this verse. But Paul's saying you're missing the point here. This is how he said it in Galatians 3, 26 through 28. So in Christ Jesus, you're all children of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized, and that's a dry word, you were actually placed into Christ, have clothed yourself with Christ, therefore, God sees you in Christ. He doesn't see you Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, you're all one in Jesus Christ. Now Paul is addressing them because he recognizes their desire here in changing circumstances was to advance their spiritual condition. They thought if I change my circumstances, that'll help me spiritually. You need to keep that in mind. Otherwise, you can take this the wrong way. So he's saying, hey, if you're circumcised, you know what? Don't try to fix that or change that. That isn't going to do a thing for you spiritually. And if you're uncircumcised, it ain't going to do a thing for you spiritually to get circumcised. Your social status has nothing to do with you serving Christ. In fact, it could be that if you could be a slave and your master could be a believer, you could be a believer, and when you go to church, the slave could have been the elder in the church over his master in the church, and then they'd switch roles when they went home. And there's another thing here that's indirectly being said is don't despise your calling. Your social or economic status has nothing to do with who you are in Christ. You know from 1 Samuel Chapter 2 that God decides who's going to be rich and who's going to be poor, and he's got a purpose for you in whatever circumstance you're in to be used appropriately. And so that's principle number four. Your social, socioeconomic status is not related to serving the Lord. Whether you're married, whether you're single, whether you're circumcised or uncircumcised, or if you're a slave or you're free, it's inconsequential. It's not like one situation is bad and the other good. Because that has nothing to do with your calling. And so to alter one's status on spiritual grounds actually undermines what he said earlier in the epistle. See, the offer of salvation comes to you just where you are at. It's not saying, well, you know, if you get rid of that clunker and move over to this side of town, you can become a Christian. Or the opposite, if you sell your house and go live in a tent, you can become a Christian. It has nothing to do with it. You don't know. They didn't have to alter anything to get saved. And so it controverts God's grace to think that if I change this, it'll help me spiritually. I'm talking about your social status in the community. Principle number five, what matters is keeping the commandments of God as his child. What matters is doing the will of God wherever you're at. And the will of God for the believer in Christ is communicated by these New Testament commandments. That communicates the will of God. And you live the Christian life the same way you get saved, by grace through faith. And his commandments are not burdensome. See, God's calling is God's enabling. And so when you got saved, the spirit of God took up residence within you. The word of God communicates what God wants you to do. And then the spirit of God empowers you as you walk by faith and abide in him so that he can work in you and through you. So those things are realized in your life. And the Word of God primarily concerns the spiritual, not the circumstantial. You know, one spot we see that, you can just turn over to Colossians chapter one. Verse nine. Paul said, for this reason, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, nothing to do with circumstances, that you could walk worthy of the Lord in your circumstance, fully pleasing him in your circumstance, being fruitful in every good work in your circumstance, increasing in the knowledge of God in your circumstance, strengthening with all might, according to his glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy in your circumstance. and giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and the light. Notice it's the spiritual aspect, it's not the circumstantial aspect that he's emphasizing here. See, God's grace is going to enable you to bear up under any situation he's assigned you to. That's what grace is, that's what grace does. And so whether you're in a really rosy situation or a really un-rosy situation, God's grace is sufficient. So you can go back to 1 Corinthians 7 here. In fact, I like what Paul told the Galatians here in Galatians 5, 6. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which works by love. That's what matters. I'm allowing the Spirit of God to produce the fruit of the Spirit in me and through me as I walk by faith. That's what matters. See, where you're at is where you're to live out your life. I mean, if you spend your whole life waiting for your ship to come in, your life is going to pass you by. And all the opportunities you have to redeem the time, you're going to miss because you're waiting for something circumstantially to change and you're not living in the moment, making a difference for Christ. And so what is not important is your social status. What is important is my walking with the Lord, having fellowship with him, allowing the spirit of God to take the word of God to work in me and through me so that I am bearing fruit for the Savior. That's what matters. I mean, recognize your earthly circumstances here. I mean, Romans 8.18 says the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be mentioned when compared to the glory that's gonna be revealed in us. God's grace is sufficient. And so Paul has already made the case that in marriage and singleness and in circumcision and uncircumcision, and then he talks about slaves here. Verse 20, let each one remain in the same calling which he was called. Were you called while a slave? In other words, you got saved, you were a slave. Don't be concerned about it. Now, if you can be made free, go for it. Use it for the Lord. But he was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freed man. Likewise, he was called while he was free as Christ's slave. And so what if you're stuck in a place you'd rather not be? You're a slave. You got saved, you're a slave, you don't want to be a slave. Well, the first thing he says is don't worry about it. The word there is don't be anxious about it. And that's encouraging because God knows your situation. And God loves you and cares for you in your situation. He has a plan in your situation. And his grace is sufficient in your situation. So he says don't be anxious about it. No big deal. You can be a spiritual and serve Christ as a slave. So again, social status is not something to fret about. In fact, in the book of Philippians, he says, you know what? He said, I want you to be comforted. I want you to know that even though I got thrown in the clink, the whole palace guard has been witnessed to because I got thrown into these, unjustly thrown into a prison. Now that's the perspective. But he's saying here that they don't have to remain in these circumstances, but recognize that these circumstances don't hinder their calling to live as one who belongs to Christ. He doesn't prohibit slaves from changing their circumstances. He says, you have an opportunity to gain your freedom, avail yourself to that opportunity. Make more use of it. But again, the point is it's not essential to serving Christ effectively. You can serve him effectively if you're stuck in a place you'd rather not be. And so if you're a Jew, a Gentile, rich or poor, slave or free, it doesn't matter. The change is unnecessary, but there's nothing wrong with getting the change. See, a change in marital status or moving up in society, it's all irrelevant to walking with the Lord. Again, there's nothing wrong with a change of circumstances, nothing wrong with changing jobs. In fact, God might even direct you to change a job. The issue is, are you walking with the Lord and doing the will of God? Are you being led by biblical principle? Because none of those circumstances have anything to do with you serving Christ. And so regardless of social position, you're free in Christ to serve him. Regardless of your circumstance, you're free in Christ to serve him. You've been freed from the penalty of sin the moment you got saved. You have positional freedom. There's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. And even as a slave now, you have tremendous freedom to serve Christ as a slave. And Paul turns it around and says, you know what, likewise. Well, you were not a slave when you got saved, now you're Christ's slave. Now, that doesn't mean that, in fact, that word freed man here is a technical term in the Roman slave system for a man you made, or a slave that's been set free. That doesn't mean his social status changed, he's still a slave, but from God's perspective, he's been set free as a slave to serve Christ, is the idea here. He's been given a new status in the Lord. And the guy who was free when he got saved is now actually considered to be a slave of Christ. That's what Paul alluded to in Romans chapter 6 and verse 16. Do you not know that when you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you're the slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or obedience, which leads to righteousness? And so though the social status didn't change if he was a slave, the Lord freed him and he's free to be used to the Lord as a slave. And then in verse 23 he gives the foundation for this. What's the foundation of your freedom? You were bought at a price, so don't become the slaves of men. You became a slave of Christ, don't go back to the worldly thinking that men have and be in bondage to that again. Christ freed you. In fact, it's a repeat of what he said in chapter 6 and verse 20. It's a Greek word, agorazo. It needs to be purchased out of the slave market of sin in this case. And that's why circumstances aren't the issue. You know, Christ and love paid the price so you don't have to. You didn't have the assets to buy yourself out of slavery of sin. In fact, you are indebted. You are so far in the hole you can never crawl out with all the assets in the world. And he's saying here that salvation constrains us inwardly. But the other side of it, and some people don't like this, is the moment you got saved, you became Christ's slave. Do you look at yourself that way? I mean, Christ said no man can serve two masters. You're either a slave to the flesh or a slave to Christ. In fact, I've told people, I said, you want to be free, become a Christian. They're the only free people in the world. This is why Christianity is outlawed so many places, not religion, but Christianity, because Christianity takes place in your brain, and it's in your heart, and it's the way you think. Religion is bondage. So they don't outlaw religion, but they will outlaw Christianity, because you're free as a Christian to be who God would have you to be, regardless what anyone does to you on the outside. Now, I threw this question out there. Why doesn't Paul seek I think I wrote that wrong, that the institution of slavery be abolished altogether. I mean, Paul's not addressing this in particular, but there's a lot of people in our day and age that think, you know, that Paul should have abolished slavery. He should have been on the bandwagon to get rid of slavery, and he doesn't do that at all. And you've got to realize that slavery at this time in the Roman Empire was different than the slavery that took place in our country up until the Civil War. There's two different things there. In Paul's day, a lot of times people would sell themselves into slavery to pay off debts. Kind of like picking up an extra job to pay off a credit card bill. But they gave away their freedom to do this. And other times, being a slave actually gave opportunities for upward social mobility that poor people wouldn't normally have. I like what Richard Hayes says, he says, to be the slave of a powerful master could be an honorable station. Slavery is sometimes highly educated and entrusted with administrative responsibility. That's why the slave of Christ in verse 21 could be an honorable designation suggested at a position of some authority. You know, it's kind of like someone, say for example, you had an opportunity to be a low-ranking member to work at the White House for your favorite president. And as a low-ranking member, you'd be no different than you in a slave. You'd be a slave to the word go, but you didn't care because, wow, I get to work for President so-and-so. And you'd have long hours, you wouldn't be treated properly, but you don't care because I get to be a low-ranking member for President so-and-so. And this is why as a slave of Christ nothing should thrill you more than to serve him because he's the ultimate loving master and controller of the universe. And I'm not trying to sugar coat slavery here because some slaves were treated horribly. That's why people did try to come up with money to buy their freedom because it was a horrible situation. But that wasn't the case it was. But a lot of times it was voluntary. But you know, the mindset Paul had relative to who he was in Christ is he called himself a bond slave of Christ and he couldn't be any more thrilled to do it. And when you're thinking straight, you have the same mindset. Nothing will thrill you more than to be a slave of Christ. It's the highest calling you can have. So principle number seven, So when you're called to Christ, even as a slave, you don't belong to your master, but to the Lord. In other words, a human master. See, Christ becomes your real master. And he's the most loving master you could ever have. And suddenly, your calling as a slave changes dramatically. And you can serve your masters onto the Lord. In essence, you're serving Christ. But what Paul's trying to say here is that you don't have to change your situation as a believer. That doesn't mean you don't have to not change it. You can change it. Because exceptions are allowed. You know, even in the beginning, he said, I wish everyone was single like I was. but he made exceptions. It's the same with being a slave. A change is not prohibited. In fact, as a believer, if you have an opportunity that's lawful and properly available path where you could change your circumstances, there's nothing wrong with that. And so don't miss that. But again, this assumes that your goal is to serve Jesus Christ because There's many a believer who simply looked at life horizontally and made decisions to change their circumstances for something temporal that, in some cases, violated biblical principle. It's the grass is greener stuff. I'm all about me, and I'm all about making my grass greener, man. So they didn't consider the Lord's will when they made decisions. They didn't consider the biblical principle when they made decisions. They just said, I want to change things. And there's people throughout the years that have said, I'm gonna change jobs, and they move to a spiritual desert. And they don't have a local church, and then they die on the vine, if you will, spiritually. And there's people that have wanted to be married and have married unbelievers because they wanted to be married. They didn't consider biblical principle, they didn't wait on the Lord. And so all this assumes that you wanna do the will of God. And so the remain as you are axiom here is not the rule in every circumstance because there's advantages to being free. Just like Paul said, there's advantages to being celibate. He's after a way of thinking here. You got to bloom where you're planted and trust God to change things as he sees fit because your ultimate goal is to serve him. If your ultimate goal is to do what you feel like doing, none of this really matters. You know, there's another application of this principle. I remember a missionary, probably 20, maybe more than that, 20 years ago, out in the jungle somewhere. He said he led the tribal chief to the Lord, and he had five wives. He said, the chief goes, what should I do? He goes, remain as you are. Remain as you are. He goes, how do you? You can't unscramble the eggs. And that was a scrambled mess. And so that's an application you wouldn't normally think here, but he said, remain as you are. But this also indirectly brings another principle to the forefront here is that, you know, you're not a victim. We're victors in Christ. You don't have to play the victim. God knew the circumstances that you'd be in when you got saved and the circumstances that would affect you, and yet we're more than conquerors in Christ who loved us. You know, the whole mentality of the secular world is that we're victimized by others and by society, and yet as a believer, since Jesus does all things well, and though you might be the recipient of some injustice, you're never a victim because God is taking all these things and working them together for good because he has a purpose in them. Isn't that encouraging? I mean, Job, blindsided, losing everything and losing his family, but he wasn't a victim. At the end, he said, you know what, I've heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. God had a purpose in it all that we're benefiting from even today. But you see, a relationship to Christ is compatible with any social status you have, whether you're single, you're married, you're widowed, you're divorced, or you're a slave, you're a free man. You could be a Jew or a Gentile, you could be a man, you could be a woman. The issue is you're in Christ and you can have a love affair with him and serve him where you're at and bloom where you're planted. That's why, you know, you can live in a horrible society with total anarchy. or a dictatorship, and you can still serve Jesus Christ right there because it's not what you do externally, it's how you think spiritually that matters. Pretty cool, huh? And then you can always pray the Gabba, change it, and then you have Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he'll direct your steps. but recognize God's sovereignty and serve Him where you're at. Let's pray. Father, thank you for again, including this portion of. of First Corinthians in the scriptures and then we can learn from it and see your sovereign hand and be more impressed with how intimate you are even with each one of us. Knowing our situation, working in our hearts and lives to bring us to Christ and then doing so afterward as faithful as you are you who called us all so we'll do it. I pray we walk away tonight with just the understanding and the mindset of your sovereign care and just have a desire to serve you right where you have us so we can redeem the time for your glory. Thank you for your grace in these things. And so we give thanks and pray in Christ's precious name. Amen. Thank you for coming. At your dismissal.