Of Marriage (part 1)

Good morning good morning and welcome to Grace Church my on okay if we have any first-time visitors with us today could please raise your hand under the ushers would be happy to provide you with information packet of information actually regarding life.

Grace turning out to the announcements this evening. Larry oh Pastor Larry Olden will be preaching from Joshua one verses 1 to 11 and come join us on Wednesday night. If you can be teaching a class on the topic of knowing God. This week were going to be looking at the holiness of God in on Tuesday evening, the women's Bible study meeting is March 8 at 7 PM here in the fellowship hall. Are there any other announcements and needs to be brought forward this morning. Seeing none. I would ask you to please join me now is prepare our hearts and our minds for worship and then come and join me in our Cold War's call of worship today comes from Psalms 5 verses 11 and 12 Hassan five tells us God does in fact hear our prayers. Specifically, in verses 11 and 12 which were to be looking at this morning David praised God would give us and give his people joy and they would keep them safe here.

Now the word of God. Let all who take refuge in you.

Rejoice let them ever sing for joy and spread your protection over them that those who love your name may exult in you for you bless the righteous, so the Lord you cover him with grace, with favor as a is with the shield. Please join me now to go to the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly father Almighty and gracious God, the one who was who is and who shall be forever your majesty and glory surround you and all that you have created your holy and righteous infinite entire wisdom and being there is none like you, there is none beside you, you were loan our King of Kings and Lord of lords. Whether you are a good and loving God and have spared, not even the life of your only begotten son to rescue us your adopted children from the hold of Satan in Christ you have saved us in any Holy Spirit you perfect us your love for us is unconditional and extends far beyond the scope of our human understanding you've gone to extraordinary lengths and depth to pursue and to win us and for that we give you the praise and honor and the glory.

Father, we ask that you guard us from sin and that your commandments be burned into our minds and into our hearts and ever and whenever we do sin, be quick to bring us to repentance and cleanse us from our sinfulness for father. The old self and still rebels with the new self and us desires to be holy and pleasing to you.

We ask that you strengthen us in the gospel that we would hold fast to our union with Christ our justification by faith in our sanctification.

The inward working of the Holy Spirit.

Father this morning. We pray for those suffering from the war in Ukraine, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Give them strength protection and comfort during this time of devastation and destruction to their life, their liberty and their freedom deliver these people from the terrible evil that is upon them that they might see you and all your power and glory or the you shower us with your love each and every day, and your love and your love, your rebukes and your encouragement brings us to a more righteous state and into a more holy fellowship with you. Praise be to you, father, son and Holy Spirit, and it is in the name and for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen. Our first 10 this morning is a meditation on really our pathetic state and sin outside of Christ.

Sin rules and reigns over us and we have no hope of deliverance except for the fact that God has put on human flesh become one of us to keep the law perfectly in our place to take our punishment to give us his righteousness, and so this first hymn is also a meditation on the salvation that is ours in Christ, he has conquered the flesh, he has conquered the world. He is even conquered the devil and death itself as a church we have reason to rejoice in the gospel this morning. Let's think about these things as we say and I and and and and and and and and and and and will and will will and will and in and in and in and in the Old Testament reading this morning. Deuteronomy chapter 26 verses one through 11 the passage that rehearses God's deliverance of his people. His covenant people and then commands them out what the right response is the right response is gratitude the right responses to to give back to the Lord.

Evidence of his blessing on them. We worship God, we respond in his deliverance by worshiping him by giving him thanks and praise. Deuteronomy 26 verses one through 11, when you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and taken possession of it and live in it you shall take some of the first of all, the fruit of the ground that you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you and you shall put it in the basket, he shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose to make his name to dwell there.

You shall go to the priest he was in office at that time and say to him, I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God and you shall make response before the Lord your God, a wandering Iranian was my father. He went down into Egypt and sojourned there few in number and there he became a nation great mighty, and populous. The Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us. Hard labor and we cried to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, our oppression, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm with great deeds of terror with signs and wonders, and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, behold now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you will, Lord, have given me. You shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God. You shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house. You and the Levite, the sojourner was among us is the word of the Lord.

We have been blessed by God. We have been saved through Christ and we are his bride. We are his church's people and we are united to Christ by faith and it is our great and awesome privilege this morning church to confess our faith to join the saints from years gone by and affirm our confidence in Christ. Someone asked you to stand with me as we use this morning. The apostles Creed church. What you believe.

I believe in God the father on my may have in our and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord, who see more Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was, as I and Mary send it into hell. The third day he arose, he ascended and set it on the right hand of God the father Almighty, C shall come to judge the quick and the dead in the Holy Ghost, the holy church, the communion of saints is the resurrection and the line passing same doxology is a and and and and a and and and and and and and and and and and we all be in prayer for one. He has a stomach bug.

After a week out a month out fighting COBIT back for one Sunday and now he's the in ill health again and I'm sure frustrated to no end with this was to be here.

Let's be in prayer for him. I was already scheduled to preach tonight, so I'm going to preach in his place this morning and then my dad will have opportunity to share the work tonight from Joshua Gillespie in prayer for for Doug as he recuperates from this this miserable stomach bug with you and turn with me to first printing seven. We've been journeying through this letter of Paul to the church at Corinth and we come today to chapter 7 now.

I think the whole of chapter 7 is a unit topically it goes together, but there's no way we can do justice to the text and cover 40 verses today.

I don't feel like summer to split this up into several sermons and I'd have to leave you hanging at the end of this morning's service to look at the first nine verses. The first quickens chapter 7. So let's read that together first Corinthians 7 beginning at verse one. Hear the word of the Lord now concerning the matters about which you 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 at each woman her own husband.

The husband should give to his wife. Her conjugal rights and likewise the wife to her husband, the wife does not have authority over her own body with 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 limited time, you may devote yourselves to prayer than 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 in one of another to the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control. They should marry for is better to marry than to burn with passion. Pray together Holy Spirit, we come once again to your word and we are in need of wisdom and faith wisdom to understand what we read in faith to believe and obey. Pray that you would grant us these things now and May are marriages or relationships, our lives and our witness all benefit from what we see and hear from you today. I pray these things in Jesus name, amen. The first six chapters of Paul's letter to Corinth, Paul has been addressing various issues that he had heard about from court by word-of-mouth, but here in chapter 7.

Paul begins addressing very specific questions that the Corinthians, themselves, had asked in evidently a letter that they had previously sent to Paul verse one says now concerning the matters about which you wrote and then he Paul proceeds to answer whatever it is they, they wrote, what are the questions were, in fact, six times throughout the rest of the letter Paul will use the same sort of formula now concerning this question now concerning that question will know the specific bastions that Corinth asked, but we can kind of deduce what they were based on the answers that Paul gives us likely in jeopardy.

I guess we hear the answer them have to infer what the question was the trigger that particular answer. The first topic, Paul takes up as the topic of marriage is going to correct a Corinthian misunderstanding about marriage and then he's going to give extensive counsel to several different groups within the church's counsel to widows and and two singles and two divorcees into married couples into engaged couples and so on. Now you remember that in the previous two chapters, Paul has had to deal with some pretty scandalous sins. Sins that were sexual in nature and in addressing these matters. We've begun to get the sense that the church in first century Corinth was a pretty morally loose place to say the least. Apparently, sexual promiscuity was no big deal there. Thanking you for the book respectable sins had been written in Corinth. No doubt their list would've been quite different from ours. Even among the Corinthians, their sensuality and and and carnal living was normal and it was to some degree, socially acceptable, even within the church at Corinth, but as is often the case where there is licentiousness in the church.

There is often times legalism trying his hardest to right the ship and this is apparently the case at Corinth. There were those who, in response to the all things are lawful for me, proud that we met in our last chapter, wanting to set the bar of holiness and purity way too high and we could call them that it's good for man not to touch a woman crowd say they were going too far in the opposite direction and insisting that celibacy full sexual abstinence, even in marriage was the moral high ground and so Paul begins with another correction begins with another correction I say another direction, because if you want with this last time we saw in chapter 6 that Paul was dealing with several false truth claims that the church at Corinth was believing now. I need to acknowledge ambiguity before we jump into chapter 7 here. It is unclear whether the net beginning sentence.

It is good for man not to have sexual relations with a woman. It's unclear if that is something that the Corinthians, wrote in their letter to Paul or if it's actually the beginning of Paul's response to whatever the Corinthians, wrote the ESV by the way treats this sentence as if it originated with Corinth by putting quotation marks around it. Other translations don't do that. Both are valid options. So, depending on which path you take, with verse one you'll find a handful of subtle differences of emphasis in and what Paul is saying here in chapter 7, but the point I want us to understand is that regardless of which route you follow. In verse one.

The main thrust of chapter 7 is the same and and and this is what we need to keep in front of our minds. Paul's point here is that since God is the one who assigns our marital status, whatever that is and calls us to enjoy the blessings and fulfill the duties of that status.

Whatever it is we ought to follow his instructions concerning marriage with joy and with contentment.

I think verse 17 is really the key to the whole discussion on marriage and singleness in sexual union and all the rest. Verse 17 if you're a highlighter that would be the first to highlight verse 17 says only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him God is sovereign over our relationships.

God has given us instruction concerning those relationships.

Therefore, if were followers of God, we need to trust and heed those instructions. Now it's kind of amusing. I heard a preacher want say that marriage is a lot like flies on a screen door was on the outside. One unit is on the inside one out now is not always the case, but it is true that a person's singleness or persons marriage is often the cause of great angst and and often of great discontentment isn't so. We need God's instruction. We need to trust and feed that instruction and that's what we find here in first Corinthians 7 was I reverse when I'm inclined to think that the most natural reading is to see this as a quotation from court's letter to Paul and then in verse two Paul begins his correction of the. The Corinthians. Misunderstanding of sexual relations. I tried to make the point in my last sermon that the best way to make sense of chapter 6 is to see it is Paul addressing several unorthodox slogans that had become normative in the Corinthian community. And so it seems at first within 71 continues.

This contains yet another one of these unorthodox slogans.

Now it's easy is in it to see how a strict legalistic view of sexual activity could have developed in a place as morally loose as Corinth.

Here you got a bunch of professing Christians spending their Friday nights at the temple of Aphrodite doing who knows what with cult prostitutes is not that hard, and to imagine the backlash that would have come from. Perhaps some of the believers at Corinth who had been saved out of that very lifestyle of promiscuity reacting against the heinousness of of their sin and and overcompensating in their zeal to uphold God's law and in Christian ethics. Or maybe you can imagine some of the wives whose husbands were being immoral without any consequence of discipline from the church. I can imagine them easily throwing the baby out with the bathwater and saying you husband you have misused and abused your desire for sexual gratification. So all sexual gratification is is forbidden. You like a mom say into a child. You clearly can exercise self-control with each other.

Chip cookies so you need to get the rock. Not that any mother would say that, but it makes the point in our zeal for holiness and our zeal for purity. We sometimes put fences around our fences and as a result we begin denying ourselves and others things that God never forbids Oregon things that God intends for our own spiritual health and well-being. It's an over reaction. The blatant immorality. Legalism does not correct licentiousness even though it often times feels like the moral high ground. Years ago I read a biography on an English missionary by the name of CT stud CT stud is lauded for his incredible commitment to evangelism and his eagerness to sacrifice fame and fortune.

He was at the famous the cricket player willingness to give that up for the sake of the gospel. Remember that in that biography reading the house CT stud decided to go to evangelize Africa so he would he went but he went without his wife present, presumably because it would be too dangerous for her and so for the last 16 years of their marriage he labored for the kingdom in Africa she House in England and the book praised CT stud for his his self-sacrifice and it called his life a rebuke against easy-going Christianity, but as I read that biography. I couldn't help but think to myself how negligent how unfaithful had. How arrogant of him to to marry a wife and then abandon his God-given responsibilities to her in the name of serving the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone I will make him a helper fit for him. If we in turn respond to that gracious gift of marriage to a woman by saying no thanks. Got I got this church that is not noble or admirable or self sacrificial. It's actually arrogance to call something unclean that God himself calls clean, so Paul corrects Corinth by first telling them that marriage is good.

Verse two because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband knowing understand that Paul here is not giving an exhaustive explanation of the purpose for marriage. Rather, he's merely correcting the specific misunderstanding it Corinth that the misunderstanding this is all sexual intercourse is bad and by application that marriage must therefore be bad.

Paul is showing that this false notion will actually increase sexual sin, not diminish it. Aestheticism which is a life of extreme self-denial doesn't fix promiscuity, whipping my back like a monk doesn't make me send less just makes my back part. My back hurt while I continue to sin, the courts self-denial when it came to physical intimacy and marriage wasn't a noble thing to be admired. It was actually harmful and Paul makes it clear that marriage is good, and the physical intimacy that's a part of marriage is good. Paul continues not only is marriage good, but also marital intercourse is pure. Verse three. The husband should give to his wife. Her conjugal rights and likewise the wife to her husband. Not only should we not designate as evil, something which God designates as good.

We also have a moral obligation, duty, Paul says to use and enjoy God's blessing of physical intimacy in marriage so your denying your spouse, their legitimate sexual needs. That's not commendable. That's not ultra-spiritual of you, you're actually neglecting God's word. At this point you're doing harm to your marriage. Finally, Paul concedes in verses five and six that while there might be a situation in which abstinence and marriage is helpful. That situation should be limited and conditional. I don't know what Paul has in mind here some situation may arise.

That makes the physical union of man and wife, undesirable or incredibly difficult.

Maybe a time of intense grief or loss that were stress that occupies every ounce of emotional and physical energy.

A couple may have to give during such times. If both husband and wife are agreed. It may be prudent to staying to fast from physical intimacy in order to get your heart and mind back in the right place through prayer. But Paul's emphasis is clear. This time should be the exception not the rule. I believe that verse six points back to verse five, not forward to verse seven. If that's the case then Paul is saying this time of abstinence and in marriage is not something he's encouraging couples to do we simply acknowledge that it may be necessary for some. So enter into it cautiously and temporarily if needed. Why cautiously and temporarily so that verse five Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

So marriage is good sexual intimacy within marriage is good sexual abstinence might be necessary, on occasion, and with the proper sense of caution and awareness of personal weaknesses, but Corinth abstinence will not cure your sin problem. Paul saying Grace Church devotion to God doesn't increase by neglecting the good things God gives us to enjoy and marriage is one of those things before we move on to me just point out that the principal here.

I think has a much broader application than just the physical relationship between spouses in a marriage there are any number of joys and delights that God graciously gives to his children, and those delights are intended to draw our hearts closer and closer to God. The delight of food and drink. The enjoyment of a good night sleep and a comfortable but bad. The pleasure of time with friends and time enjoying nature and time spent with family just being together.

These are some of the legitimate enjoyments God gives to us and expects us to use and appreciate. So when we deny ourselves. These delights be out of fear of enjoying them too much, or out of some sense of of austere spirituality were plastering ourselves for a major fall encourage you to go home this afternoon and meditate on acts 1417 which says that God gives us reigns from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying our hearts with food and gladness. God does that God gives us satisfying blessings like rain and seasons in food and sexual intimacy with our spouse, so that we will be made glad and so that gladness will produce deep, profound gratitude in us, for God's excellent gifts or go home and meditate on Psalm 1611, which almost scandalously says that at God's right hand are pleasures for evermore. Yes, we need to learn to enjoy God's blessings rightly not I doll at your sleep, but we need to enjoy them and we need to enjoy them fully. When Paul moves into counseling mode and verse seven all the way to the end of the chapter is in essence and inspired marital counseling session with the apostle Paul and he structures his words of counsel to suit various categories of people were only to get to one of them today will have to leave the other three, four for some other time. Notice first how he begins.

He says in verse seven. I wish that all were as I myself am the question is, how was Paul himself well with regard to his marital status is. That's what we're discussing here.

He was single. Many scholars believe that Paul had probably been married at one time visit the pharisaical tradition, of which Paul had been part prior to his conversion to Christianity actually required marriage for ordination so we can we can maybe assume that that Paul was married. What we do know for sure is that he was not currently married when he wrote to the Corinthian church. We notice in verse eight explicitly now we we could speculate about why Paul is no longer married.

Maybe he was never married.

Maybe he was an exception in this vein for sacral tradition. Maybe his wife died and so he was a widower. Maybe his wife divorced him when he converted to Christianity.

We don't know. And so, since we don't know since the tech does text doesn't tell us it's not pertinent to our text. What is pertinent is understanding why Paul in his singleness said I wish that all were as I myself am is Paul saying that singleness is the moral high ground. After all, contradicting what he what he had just finished asserting in verses two through six. Is he implying that marriage is really just a necessary evil in a fallen world is he denying what God said about marriage in Genesis that is not good for man to be alone. Is Paul contradicting his own words that he said in first Timothy 43 speaks disparagingly of those who forbid marriage is a contradicting what he says in Ephesians 5 where he holds marriage up as a beautiful picture of Christ and the church will know Paul is not contradicting himself not belittling marriage. The key to understanding verse seven I think is the word wish that word is not a morally charged term, even though it's coming from an apostle.

It simply is expressing Paul's appreciation for God's gift to him and his desire that others with that gift. Equally, enjoyments I might say to my sons. I wish y'all were bullheaded like me. It is so convenient and freeing. If I said that I wouldn't be claiming some moral high ground because of my baldness. I would simply be expressing my contentment with my lot in life. In this case with God giving me the blessing of baldness, but that would not preclude or downplay the blessing of herring is that so many other people have. They have their own delights.

I just happen to enjoy the delight God has given me and I want others to share in that delight. That's all calls doing here in verse seven is merely expressing a preference for the gift that he has been given by God and a gift being an ability to be content in celibacy without frustration and without repressing or indulging any natural sexual appetites the wonderful gift and Paul enjoys it.

He's happy to be celibate because it affords him more time and energy to fulfill his vocation as it is an apostle, that happiness is a gift and Paul enjoys that gift rightly so.

Therefore, it's only natural that he would wish that happiness on others, but we need to recognize it. Paul is not claiming the moral high ground is not saying I more spiritual than you because I'm single.

He acknowledges that both celibacy and marriage are gifts for seven each person has his own gift from God.

One theologian put it this way. He said to some folks. God gives the gift of an ability to make the most of the freedoms of celibacy without frustration to others.

God gives the gift of an ability to fulfill the responsibilities intimacies and duties of marriage, while equally living out the gospel both states of singleness or marriage have their pros and cons. Both have their rewards and frustrations, but both are gifts from God to be enjoyed and used for his glory. All this really enjoys the gift he's been given and that's what he's acknowledging in verse seven to stop and so you know this.

This ought to be an encouragement for those of you who are single and perhaps would like to be married to know that there is godly potential in singleness and that contentment in that state of celibacy is achievable, and even in some instances, preferable. This is a glorious gospel truth. We don't have to be married for our lives to count in the kingdom. We don't have to be married for genuine Christian joy to be a real thing in our lives and I think Paul's attitude and contentment with his own singleness is an example for all of us to follow what ever your marital status is learned to see that circumstance us from the Lord and it is from the Lord. It's good it's purposeful and it can produce a deep, sincere joy. Paul has just acknowledge that with regard to sex and marriage gifting's or needs, or we might say preferences differ from person to person.

So he begins giving counsel to four different groups, different categories of people in verses eight and nine he addresses the unmarried and the widows in verses 10, 11, he addresses the married in verses 12 through 16 he addresses everybody else and he calls them the rest will talk about who that group includes is saying that married and unmarried covers everyone but it doesn't will see why edit at a later time. And finally, in verses 25 to 38. He had trap addresses the betrothed the engaged now were not going to try to get through all these categories this morning. In fact, one is to the first category, but I do need to point out an important thing to keep in mind as we hear Paul's words of counsel.

Again, we need to remember that Paul is addressing a specific congregation who has specific questions and needs regarding their marriages. In other words, he's not intending in this chapter to to give a comprehensive overview of everything marriage related. He's not saying all that could be said about marriage and divorce, or about singleness and widowhood, we will find some very helpful and relevant principles here, but we need to remember that the Bible has more to say about the topic than what Paul says here in first Corinthians 7 not say all that because II think it is often a temptation, especially when it comes to heated questions about things like for example divorce and remarriage to want the specifics of my situation addressed or we want to read between the lines of scripture so that we can have a clear-cut answer for our personal circumstance may be times when we are tempted to try and force and interpretation on the tactic that frankly isn't there because it's not the question that Paul is is answering.

So, since these dangers are present at the outset, we just need to commit ourselves to sticking with what the Bible actually addresses, and to live in so far as we can. According to those instructions that can be hard to do and we don't have to pretend that it isn't sometimes hard, but we need to be committed enough to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture that we read and apply it always with the spirit of submission to it right. Paul begins by addressing the unmarried and the widows so we need to discover who this group includes now it's it's a bit confusing is in it because it seems redundant to say the unmarried and the widows wouldn't note the widows just be a subset of the unmarried and also why would he later than address the betrothed of the engaged verses 25 and follow what may also just be a subset of unmarried. Well, we need to remember again that Paul is answering specific questions. We don't have but specific question to the Corinthians had brought up so it stands to reason that his categories reflect the Corinthians specific concerns. If the widows acorn had special concern about their marital status. Then Paul in addressing the unmarried group wants to make it clear that he's including the widows, the principles he lays down for the broad category of of unmarried people applies to the subset as well is essentially saying to the unmarried, including the widows so broadly. This includes singles who never been married. Singles who previously married those who have been divorced and those who have been widowed both male and female fact, anyone who is not married, for whatever reason.

This is his first category, so here's the principle sets forth for the unmarried is good for them to remain single. Once again the word good just like the word wish. In verse seven is not a morally loaded term.

It simply means. Okay, it's acceptable, it's all right for single people to remain single and Roman culture. There was a certain stigma attached to singleness as her sometimes is even today in certain circles, a stigma that put pressure on singles to get married and so Paul alleviates that pressure by saying you don't have to be married.

I'm not married and is not limiting my usefulness in the kingdom is not diminishing my happiness in the Lord.

So ignore the stigma ignore the cultural pressure. It's okay to be single singleness is good. However, verse nine.

If the unmarried person cannot exercise self-control. They should marry, for it is better to marry and to burn with passion.

And there's sexual innuendo in all of that, he's being very discrete and how he conveys this is no glory in singleness for singleness sake, and in fact if your singleness is heightening your temptation to sin sexually then you clearly don't have the gift of singleness. Remember, it is a gift that some people have others number seven is of you don't have the gift of contentment with celibacy. Don't think that fighting illicit passion somehow makes you extra noble get married. Once again we need to recognize that this advice from Paul addresses a specific situation, the court that doesn't cover every situation and so we can acknowledge there are Christians who don't have the gift of celibacy, but who also never had the opportunity to marry and would love to if they could, but God hasn't open that door for them yet. Paul doesn't address that scenario here in our overarching principle in verse 17 certainly applies even to that situation.

If you are married, unmarried and long to be married, but the opportunity for marriage has simply not presented itself is important that you first acknowledge God's sovereignty over your marital status. I don't mean for that to sound trite like some sort of clichéd pat answer for singles struggling with contentment, but it really is the starting point for learning to be content with where God has you listen single Christian who would like to be married. If God can take a handful of dirt to make a man and take a rib from that man and make a woman and then take these two and and and make children.

God is more than capable of bringing you a spouse. He is sovereign and able. We need to acknowledge his sovereign ability. Secondly, you also need to trust God with that sovereign control you need to rest in his plan and purposes, and timing. On the way everything I'm saying right now applies to the married as well will get you talking about trusting the sovereignty of God and resting in that rather than making marriage and all-consuming life purpose. I would encourage you to view your singleness as a gift is a hardship and learn to use that gift with its freedoms and an undistracted focus in ways that you could not. If you were married whole address this matter of undistracted service to the Lord a little later in the chapter, so will get back to it but singles, divorcees, widows, widowers, your unmarried state is not a curse.

It's not a punishment.

It doesn't make you a second rate citizen in God's kingdom work is a gift from the Lord to be used for his glory and you like Paul can learn to delight in that gift, even if that maybe is a struggle for you at the moment Karen stopped there for. For now, this is only been half a sermon. I know, but will pick up where we left off next time were here church marriage is important because of Jesus Christ. Marriage is important because of Jesus Christ. Marriage is only significant because it is a shadow of the heavenly marriage that exists between Christ the bridegroom and his bride, the church, but singleness also has purpose because of Jesus Christ fact that there even is an eternal marriage of the church to the son of God means that as beautiful and fulfilling as earthly marriage is. It is not the most important are eternal marriage to Christ is what ultimately matters.

So do you want to have a great marriage course we do. We all do than learn to love Christ more. You want to be content and joy filled and full of purpose in your singleness. Of course you do than learn to love Christ more than anything else is the message of first Corinthians 7.

Let's pray with thank you for giving us opportunities to see Christ better in the experiences and relationships that you provide for those whom you have called to be joined in marriage to another descendent of Adam are marriages, though imperfect, are incredible blessings by which we learn more of Christ so helpless to avail ourselves fully of of everything you intend those marriages to be those whom you called to a life of celibacy or a season of celibacy and single-minded devotion Lord grant them the ability to see that singleness as a means of growing in their knowledge and love of Christ the Lord grant them paralleled depth of satisfaction in Jesus Christ. You Lord. Our preeminent joy. So we pray that every subordinate joy that you give us would be effectively used to draw our hearts closer and closer to you.

We pray these things in Jesus name meant.

This is a very special time in the life of our church as we commune with the Lord through through the sacrament of the Lord's supper invite our elders to come as we prepare for the special time Dan Scott would you may be seated. It's a privilege for me this morning to lead us to the table of the Lord, especially coming off the ending of that sermon that we are to love the Lord more. I would like to institute this morning by looking at Luke 22 verses 14 through 20 and in the gospel of Luke. It says this when the hour came, he reclined a table and the apostles with him and he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Fry tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God and he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, take this and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes in he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me and likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. You know when we come to the table on Lord's supper Sundays, either in the morning or the evening we we open with saying this is not the table of Grace Church, but as the Lord, it is the table of our Lord Jesus Christ, and there's many reasons that we say it were saying at one to start the fencing of the table who should participate, but there is a truth far deeper and that because it is that it is this table that he is established. Verse 14 tells us that the Lord tells his disciples that he was looking forward he long to have that meal with them because in that meal he was going to share the gospel of what was to come in the next few hours, you know, we see that Jesus establishes the table and 14 but then he also consecrate this table.

He takes the bread and he takes the line and he raises it before the Lord, and he gives thanks and he talks of them now as his body and his blood by taking common elements that stayed bread and wine, but by kind to trick consecrating them to God in thanksgiving we now today can refer the same way as we participate. We are taking the body and blood of Christ to us, not in some magical, mystical way of transformation of elements did something different, but by a consecrating of God honoring the work of Christ and what he did for us. Finally, this is the Lord's table because he uses it to commune with you and I and we talk about it being a memorial looking to the past. A gospel presentation to us right now in a future look till he comes again Paul in first Corinthians 10 says this the cup of blessing that we bless is it not participation in the blood of Christ, the bread that we break, is it not participation in the body of Christ, we participate in the work Christ is accomplished by the Holy Spirit bringing us into Christ. What does that mean that this bread that is his body that he became us just like us real human physical, but live perfectly under the law, but we couldn't do we partake in that body. His righteousness is given to us that we are right before a holy right and just God.

The blood that sheds that covers our sin does more than just cover sin. It seals the new covenant that God remembers our sin no more.

This is just not an external thing to us and good news in a sense that God is pleased we are partakers sharing in it with Christ. When God looks upon us. He sees Christ and his work.

This table proclaims the gospel by which we are being saved right now.

So as we think on those things. If you are here this morning and you are in right relationship with Jesus Christ and with your brothers in this table is open to you to feast at to join Christ in communion and to share spiritually. His righteousness in his ceiling of us, but if you are here this morning and an unbeliever, or if you're a believer with unrepentant sin that you do not want to let go, we must warn you, Paul warns the Corinthians not to partake of the elements unworthily, that doesn't mean in merit of themselves, but outside relationship with Christ. At that moment, whether that's by sheer unbelief, or by being unrepentant of your sin. So this morning our table was open and what ready for the willing or ready to ask for repentance and fleeing to the foot of the cross. This morning we will join together. I'll ask you to start out praying silently at prayer of confession, and I will conclude us. Let's pray heavenly father we come to you this morning with no merit no justification no righteousness of our own only that, that we have received through the work of Christ Jesus, and we come to you in his name for his sake. We ask that the Holy Spirit be moving in us examining our hearts, our thoughts and Lord God lifting before you anything that is outside your will and changing our hearts moving us away, turning us from our sin and turning us more to Christ, Lord, we pray this morning that you forgive us, not for our sake, but for Christ sake, whether corporately things that we have not done to honor and glorify your name Lord God forgive us for things that we may have done is a church to dishonor your name, we ask you to forgive us and Lord individually. You know, our sin, Lord God, I pray that you convict us and drive us away from sin and only toward you, Lord God created us a clean heart mind that is receptive to your word and a desire and a love for the things that are of you. Father, we thank you that you are merciful and gracious God in and through Christ you do forgive.

We asked for that forgiveness. Now, through Christ name, amen is very see the bread this morning when we read from Ephesians 5 also, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present to the church so he is so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Brother Scott's offer prayer of thanks for the bread and with father, thank you for this opportunity to come and worship you Lord's supper as we remember Christ as we remember him coming on the surface. A man yet still God man that was beaten just as an openly reviewed father Lord people claim to be God. He was, but we just – now that you would help us each day to remember what Christ did for us that he offered sacrifice of himself that through that sacrifice we might come before you.

We praise you and thank you for the sacrifice made man in the body of Christ become holy before you for your table this morning and we are able to do that because of what Christ did for us is body was bruised for our iniquities.

He was wounded he shed his blood for us.

For that we are healed and that we rejoice in the good news today. Father we pray this in Jesus name, amen and no new moon the blood of Christ take and drink. You stand with me as we conclude our worship this morning acknowledging that in Christ and him alone we find rest and peace with God. Let's sing in Jesus and see how I am I a and all nine and I find I and am all nine and I and and and and I you and I and I will be will thank you for being here this morning I want to encourage you to come back tonight at 6 o'clock as we worship again that we preaching from Joshua chapter 1 on fear and faith or something like that. Can't remember the title and it did make the bulletin because all this was planned yesterday. Keep keep praying for Doug as he recovers from the stomach bug will be short-lived and he'll be able to back up on the saddle real quick and also I just reminder that our midweek service is still happening.

7 o'clock on Wednesday nights. Jim is closing in on the ending of the study on knowing God so hope you can come and be a part of that as we close, would you receive now the Lord's benediction. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all and all God's people said