Sunday Morning Service

I Corinthians 8. 

Due to a computer meltdown, there are no notes available for this message. If there is a transcriptionist in the house, I'd be grateful to meet you! :-)

Blessings,
Frank Sanchez

Thursday Night Bible Study

Deuteronomy 7:12-Deuteronomy 8 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"The Clear Path To Blessing"  •  10.25.12  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- Our text is a very straightforward one. We are in the middle of the second of Moses' last sermons and the point is simple. There is a clear path to blessing for those that are God's people!

- For the people of Israel, there were physical entities, which represent for us lasting principles that we will glean as we go along.

Text

• Deuteronomy 7:12-14 : “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock." : When they listened to God's word and kept and did them, there was a reciprocal action.

- Their success and ours would be and will be directly related to our response to His Word!

- When you listen to God's Word, ie. these judgments, you are to repeatedly listen with the intent to personally obey. We are to ask the question, "How does this apply to me?"

- They were to listen with the intent to obey and to keep them. The word is translated elsewhere to preserve or to treasure up and guard.

- As the world fights against the Word of God and attacks what we have stored up, we are to guard what God has deposited in us!

- But then comes the actual doing of the Word. We have listened with an intent to obey, guarding what has been deposited, but spiritual life begins when we act upon what we have learned.

- The word "do" is right next to the word "labour" or work. We're to work out the Word in our lives. It is to be produced through our lives.

- It's not enough to hear or have the Word of God. We are deceiving ourselves and are practicing the greatest hypocrisy when we take in God's Word, but refuse to do it!

- That is the whole purpose of Bible study. You should already be thinking, "How can I apply this?" Let's take last week's Word for example. We are to love the Lord with all of our being.

- Have you prayed daily that God would increase love for Him and subsequently a love for others in your life? "Lord make that a reality in my life!"

- What blessing awaited those that took God's Word and applied it to their lives and what blessing awaits us. He will keep His faithfulness to His people. He will love and bless them.

- For the Israelites, God would keep His covenant. He would keep His part of the bargain.

- How would that bear out? He would bless their families. The fruit of their womb referrred to safe healthy, full term pregnancies! That is part of God's blessing to the people of God: Their children!

- Our world and indeed the world of the Canaanites thought differently about children. Instead of seeing them as a blessing, they were viewed as a curse.

- Before the modern holocaust of abortion, the people of Canaan sacrificed their unwanted babies to Molech on an iron representation of their false god.

- After their families, God blessed their produce. That which was from the field in terms of the growth and that which was exported from their work.

- God would bless their all that they would do. The women would bear godly offspring. Their land would grow and their cattle would bring forth abundantly.

- This might not sound like much to our modern ears, but we are talking wonderful blessings!

• Deuteronomy 7:15,16 : "And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you." : The obedience of God's people led them to a life that kept them free from diseases.

- This does not mean that they never got sick with common colds of flu. These sicknesses and afflictions that Moses speaks of were sovereign in nature, punitive in purpose.

- Certainly, because of their sexual misconduct, the Canaanites opened themselves to great illness. Monogamous marriage was a safe measure for Israel.

- Those who idolize their bodily needs open themselves up to great stresses upon their physiology and psyches.

- The Bible would tell the people that sin is pleasurable for a season, but the end of it is death!

- The dietary law, much of which we covered in the book of Leviticus, kept the people from eating animals that carried destructive diseases. The other nations had no such discernment.

- Following God's laws brought health in an unhealthy world and kept them from God's wrath.

- All those diseases that they were avoiding were diseases that God would inflict upon the nations around them. God would do this to those who hated God's people.

- God has a way of dealing with those who hate God's people. The Canaanites were not neutral people. They hated God and they hated His people.

- Because of that, they were bent on Israel's destruction, but God would win! They were to be unmerciful toward the people, aggressively moving against the Canaanites.

- Remember why: Because their way of life, their idolatry, would be a snare, a trap, that would ruin the blessed life that they enjoyed!

- God destroying the people of Canaan was a further blessing of obedience. The people would dwell in safety if they obeyed.

• Deuteronomy 7:17-19 : "If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’—you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid." : God knows His people. They will see the people and will say in their heart, "How can we do this?"

- Throughout your life, your going to say this same thing as God brings you face to face with what you are called to conquer!

- The Canaanite people were greater than Israel. How could Israel dispossess them? The problem here is as it is with us. Progress will always be impeded by an "i" problem!

- Whenever you see what God wants you to do, if you see it in light of yourself, your resources, you will be afraid! God tells them they are not to be in awe of them.

- They were to remember what they had already seen. This is a very repeated motif in the lives of the Israelis. They saw signs and wonders, miracles and the mighty hand of God.

- God had not changed. He was going to do the exact same thing to the Canaanites that He had done to the Egyptians!

- Whatever you fear today, God already has a plan to defeat and He cannot fail. Often, whatever He wants to conquer in your life, He has already provided a template for you to trust!

- Perhaps you do not have the experience in your life to draw from yet. This is where fellowship comes in. Talk about your challenge and you'll find a brother or sister who has been in your shoes!

- The Israelis had a common set of experiences that they could draw from, a national story that was given to them to inspire confidence.

- In any event, you will discover what the people of Israel found to be true: Your God will do to your present enemy what He has done to your previous enemy!

•  Deuteronomy 7:20-23 : "Moreover the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed." : How would God do it? As an example, God would employ the hornet to find the remnants of the nations that were hiding themselves from Israel.

- After a nation was dispersed from their land, many would simply find places to hide in the countryside. Hornets would smoke them out and they would be destroyed!

- God is with you and God will do it little by little. God, why not just do it all at once? Why not just empty the land and leave us there? Because the beasts of the field would be too great for them!

- God knows their capacity. He knows your capacity! We always think that our capacity is greater, but it's not!

- God's grace toward them was to allow them to conquer the land a little at a time. This would accomplish two things. First, it would enhance their capacity in an organic way.

- They would be ready for more with each experience. Every experience that you have with God in terms of ministry and usefulness, increases your capacity for more.

- Second, with God doing things a little at a time, it keeps you and I hungry for more. I need to stay motivated and in motion. I need to see progressive growth to appreciate the process.

- In your Christian life, there must be mountains to climb and a call to grow perpetually! In the end, God would win the battle and defeat them until they were destroyed!

• Deuteronomy 7:24-26 : "And He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven; no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing." : Whenever a king or a man sets their hearts against God, they are ruining themselves! They are literally threatening their very own lives!

- Kings would not be safe from the judgment that was coming! Nobody would be able to stand against them!

- When they finished with the fighting men, they were to rid the land of all the implements of the worship, or else they would be snared or trapped by them.

- Why are we to be vigilant against sin in our life? Why is it that we are to get rid of it all and not covet what comes with it? Because it will be a trap that will ensnare you!

- It's an abomination. It's corrosive. It's accursed! Think of it the way the Lord thinks of it! Detest it and hate it!

• Deuteronomy 8:1-5 : "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you." : Why did God allow them to remain in the wilderness? To humble them.

- Why does He allow us to be tested? That we might discover what He already knows about us! He allowed their time in the wilderness to be productive.

- It's one thing to keep His commandments in the best of times. Every one will!

- But will you keep His commandments in the wilderness? When things are dry and the journey is endless, will your heart be true to the Lord?

- God humbled them with hunger, giving them manna to show that men were to live in dependence upon the Lord!

- In all that time, they wore the same clothes and not even one garment wore out!

- He was teaching them that they were His children, as He chastened them. The word here refers to discipline, but in the sense of instruction. He was giving them full orbed instruction in life.

• Deuteronomy 8:6-10 : "Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you."

The commandments were not just rules. They were connections that kept God first in their hearts.

- When they came into the land, God's natural provision would surround them. Water, fruit and minerals would be theirs to enjoy and be enterprising with.

- God was bringing them into this land that they would prosper in. It was a land that was overflowing with goodness for them. They needed to remember to bless Him for what He had given!

- What a great reminder for us! Have you blessed God as you look at what He has given you? Has your heart been thankful. That which you have is a reminder of that need to bless God.

• Deuteronomy 8:11-17 : "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’" : Not keeping God's word is equal to forgetting, or setting God out of His place in your life! When they had been multiplied, when their hearts were lifted up.

- When they were satisfied and full, their hearts would be tempted to look at their own exploits and take the credit for what had been accomplished in their lives!

- How sad is that statement and yet, if our hearts could be examined, how often have we thought something similar to that?

- In the wilderness, had it not been for God, they would never have made it out! The fact that they survived was a testimony to God's power, and their ability to benefit from it!

• Deuteronomy 8:18-20 : "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God." :  Listen to those words: He has given you power, the ability to get wealth. Consider wealth in the context of where they had been.

- They had been slaves. They had nothing. No land. No possessions. No inheritance. They had no future and no hope and God redeemed them! Now, they would have power to possess.

- Why? So that God might be faithful to His promises! Everything that you have is meant to bring glory to God. Any other use is misuse!

- Moses charges them to remember this because if they went after other gods, then they would be destroyed as well! Obedience would protect them from that end.

Conclusion

- Let's pray.

Sunday Morning Service

I Corinthians 7:17-40 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"Principles And Particulars"  •  10.21.12  •  Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- In the first part of chapter 7, Paul laid out instruction for those in marital relationships. In some of the cases, spouses wondered if they should remain in a marriage with an unbeliever.

- In other cases, some were on the verge of being abandoned. I can almost see Paul writing to the married, but looking also to address those who were considering marriage.

- He had something for them as well, speaking to it briefly in verses 6-9, but further expands upon it beginning in verse 17, where we find ourselves today.

- I want to look at these verses over two parts generally. First, there are "the principles" in verses 17-24 and then there are "the particulars" in verses 25-40.

- There are three principles and three particulars which I'll alert you to as we go.

Text

• I Corinthians 7:17-20 : "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? Let him not 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." : The first principle that you are to embrace is that your life, as it is, is a calling that you are to walk in.

- Listen to the NLT on verse 17: "Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you."

- Everywhere Paul went, he taught them to observe this about their own lives. 

- He will elaborate and illustrate this beginning with the very real cultural issue of circumcision.

- If a person had been circumcised, which was a colloquial way of referring to a devoted religious Jew, and Jesus met them, Paul says, "Don't seek to change that identity."

- The same code of conduct went for the one who had been a strict Gentile. He did not have to be circumcised to be a completed Christian.

- It would not be considered more spiritually advantageous to be circumcised than uncircumcised. In fact, because of Jesus, the actual physical act of circumcision was nothing!

- What really matters is that a person obeys what God has said and the first thing that God has told people everywhere is that they should trust in Christ and repent from their sins!

- He should remain in the same calling that he was called in! This points back to a marriage relationship that had become an unequal yoke situation after conversion.

- But it also spoke to their consideration that some callings in life were more spiritual than others. Nothing is more spiritual than being where God wants you, doing what He wants!

- Paul is not referring to sinful situations. For example, there is no such thing as a Christian gang member or a Christian bank robber!

- Those are incongruent with a Christian life. Culturally, there are things that may need re-thinking, but generally we may remain where we are and be saved.

- He gives us yet another contemporary, to the Corinthians, example with regard to slavery.

• I Corinthians 7:21-24 : "Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called." : Many in the church that God reached were reached while they were slaves. Slavery was much different than our American mind considers it.

- Not all slaves were treated well, but, there were some slaves that would be highly regarded. Paul tells them to be Christian slaves. Look at your slavery as though the Lord were your Master.

- Don't be concerned about it. Don't fret over it. Don't let it trouble you. This might cause great concern to their hearts, as they wondered whether they could please God or not.

- He does not tell them however, that they must remain slaves. If you can be made free, use it! 

- This was a possibility in the ancient world, as those who were involved in slavery were often enslaved because of debt.

- Herein is our second principle: Stay where you are until God changes your situation! This might happen organically, in terms of a plan over time, or miraculously, in terms of a sudden shift.

- Some jobs will be unsuitable for the Christian and over time that will become obvious. For that person, do your best until the Lord opens a door elsewhere.

- Remain married to the one that has not joined you in belief! Stay in that job that challenges you with the ungodly people around you. Stay until He opens another door of opportunity.

- If your job compromises your faith in some way, the Lord will find you a way out!

- This brings us to our third principle: Wherever you are, slave or free, you are free to be Christ's slave! Why? Because they had been bought at a price!

- If you are a Christian, wherever you are working, know that your orders come from the Lord.

- Your boss may issue your working orders, but it is God that you are working for! Does that not change your attitude?

- Don't think that you have the right to act any way that you want, just because your boss is a heathen with little respect for God.

- Obey the Lord by obeying and being the best of that boss' employees!

- God bought you, a metaphor coming straight from the market place where slaves were purchased! God has purchased you! You and I belong to Him, so be His wherever He has you.

- We move now from the principles, to the particulars. First, the unmarried general.

• I Corinthians 7:25-28 : "Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy. I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you." : Virgins, the unmarried, could not glean from the Lord's direct teaching about their situation.

- Paul again renders his apostolic judgment of the situation at hand, having been one God had made trustworthy to do so. God had given him a character that they could rely upon.

- Paul employs his Fatherly wisdom in a way that sounds a bit like this: "Given what's going on, a good place to start would be to just stay as you are!"

- The word "distress" could be referred to as calamity or extreme straits of condition. Something had occurred or was about to occur that gave the Apostle pause.

- One wonders what was taking place. Some have surmised that there was a looming season of persecution on the horizon.

- Others suggest that many were following other's examples and abandoning their relationships, which led to great pain and vulnerability within the church.

- As they are picking up the pieces, much was in flux, but men were to remain with their wives unless they were unmarried, then they, the unmarried, were to remain as they were.

- If they did marry this was not a sin, but that person would have trouble, the same word for "pressures" or tribulations in the flesh and Paul is wanting to spare them the trouble.

- He is not referring to the troubles that every marriage would go through. At this time, in their context, getting married would carry with it some difficult circumstances.

- If persecution was looming, it would be difficult to flee with the care that you would have for your spouse. If it was because of great marriage failure, there would be great emotional baggage.

- In that time, the distress that they faced was enough to cause Paul to advise them to abstain if possible.

- Maybe things loosened up and Paul spoke otherwise later. For this time, trouble was ahead.

- Frankly, many couples would do well to make sure that the time is right for them to marry. Some might love to marry, but one's debts are too great. That distress is worth noting.

- Some might love to marry, but one has not figured out what it is that they are doing with their life. That distress is worth noting.

- It's not just about finding the right person to marry. It's also important to note the time!

• I Corinthians 7:29-31 : "But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away." : The time is short. The season for opportunity, the word here for time, is rolling up like a scroll!

- Every Christian in every season has felt the same thing, from the Apostles to now. The season for living like a Christian and doing the work of God is now!

- One might be tempted to think that the time is not short because here we are 2,000 years later! We have not been raptured and we are not living in the Millenium!

- When Jesus does come, it will happen quickly and we are closer to that time than they were. But apart from that, consider your own age. Is time not moving quickly?

- Folks, no matter who you are, your time, your opportunity is not getting longer. It's shrinking!

- On that account, even the married need to adjust their thinking about the nature of life.

- Whether a person is married or not, they should be mindful of the things of God.

- Don't think only about your marriage and family. Think about the Kingdom of God! Marriage is not the ultimate reality. Don't neglect your marriage, but don't make it your idol either!

- For those who weep, literally those who are mourning the dead, don't simply focus yourself on those emotions. The same would be true of one who is celebrating. These are not ultimate ends.

- Those who are investors, who are always in the hunt on the market should act as though there was nothing to purchase and those who enjoy the world, should not do so in excess.

- Listen to the NLT: "Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions."

- These are things that must be done. We are not to simply go live at a compound and wait for the Lord to appear. Live, buy, laugh and enjoy, but do so understanding that this is not all there is!

- We can get wrapped up in all of the things of the world only to really discover that the truth is that this world that we hold so dear, is passing away!

- It's a wise consideration to say to ourselves often, that only that which is done for eternity will  truly matter. Only that which heaven recognizes as value, should be valuable to us!

• I Corinthians 7:32-35 : "But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world--how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction." : Paul wanted the single people to be without the first care!

- Because the season is shortening, the unmarried should not be divided between caring for the things of the Lord and the things of the world, caring for and pleasing a wife.

- A single, celibate person has the ability to focus wholly on pleasing the Lord. What decision can be made about this situation? Where can funds go? What is possible with the time that I have?

- If you are single in this church, that should be your thinking! If you are a single man, think about getting on a plane and going on a short term mission.

- Think about getting trained in the scriptures. See if your profession is needed in a relief mission. The point is that you should be looking to redeem the time! Be useful to your Lord!

- The married cares about the things of this world. There are mortgages to consider, homes to maintain, cars to pay for. These things please a man's wife!

- For a person who is married, this is a blessing to have to consider. Paul is not decrying that position. He is simply stating a fact that the single man has a unique opportunity.

- These same differences apply to a wife and an unmarried woman. The unmarried, likely, the one also without children, cares about the things of the Lord and gives herself wholly to the Lord.

- There are just as many wonderful opportunities for women to serve the Lord as there are for men. A married woman is limited in her service to the Lord.

- He did not want to lay a burden on them, picturing the noose of a captive being led away to prison. He's not imposing this on them except what is right.

- It was right for them to think about these things. They needed to consider the time and their mission before the Lord. It was proper for Paul to cause them to think this way.

- If you are single celibate in this room, you need to consider how the Lord might use you. Marriage is a good thing and if God wants you to find it, it's best to find it while you pursue Him!

- Find out what He wants from you, do it and see if you don't find a wife that way! Sadly, many are looking for a wife or a husband, and in doing so are frittering away their usefulness to God!

- "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you!"

- Paul wanted the Corinthians to serve the Lord without distraction. The word refers to one that is looking around in their mind at another obligation. Are you constantly looking for a mate?

- Look instead for an opportunity to serve Jesus! Be single minded toward the Lord.

- This brings us to our second group of participants: The Soon To Be Married.

• I Corinthians 7:36-38 : "But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better." : This is a strange sounding passage. This is applicable either to a Father who has a daughter that has been betrothed or a man who is betrothed to a woman.

- A Father can choose to honor his daughter's gift of singleness and rescind the betrothal.

- However, if she is old enough to marry, ie. past the flower of youth and does, this is not a sin to marry off his daughter to a man.

- This would also apply to the male fiance who is suddenly wondering if he should wait to marry given the present distress.

- He is however, unabated in his desire for her and begins to act outside of what is becoming a man of God. He is acting unseemly toward her, as a fiance.

- He should do now as he wishes, to culminate what they have both been living toward.

- They both want to complete their journey together and be involved intimately. He must then marry his fiance, which is obviously not a sin. But the one who stands steadfast in heart does better.

- In the mind of Paul, for the Corinthians at that specific time, no sin was involved, but a better choice was available. You may look for the choice that is allowed or you may choose the better!

- This is acceptable, but this is preferable! This is such an appropriate word for us always!

- The final group of particulars are the ones who had been married, but were widowed.

• I Corinthians 7:39,40 : "A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God." : A wife is fastened to her husband as long as her husband is alive. What a glorious thing to consider, especially in this day and age.

- Death is what is to part us and nothing else. What a privliege and honor to carry out one's vows before the Lord in that way. Sadly, not many make it in this world, but Christians must!  

- If the husband dies, the wife can remarry whom she wishes. Whoa, sounds good! Take your pick! Ah, but notice: so long as she remarries in the Lord.

- If He loves Jesus more than He loves you. If He makes you love Jesus more than you already do. You have an open door If He helps you serve Jesus more!

- Anything less is to be avoided! A non-Christian is prohibited. A not so great Christian is not recommended. An exemplary Christian is the standard to wait for.

- Far too often, I have seen women in that scenario looking only for security and the criteria is far less than it should be. A widow will be happier if she stays unmarried.

- He says this knowing that God had given Him the counsel to say this! He would not have said it otherwise.

Conclusion

- Closing out this chapter, let me remind you as Paul did: In whatever you are called, walk as you should, knowing that the time to serve your Lord is short.

- Serve Him in and with your marriage if that is your calling and likewise serve Him in and with your celibate singleness!

- There is no second class condition in the faith! God wants to use each of you right where you are. I pray that you will be wise enough to let HIm!