To Marry or Not to Marry? (Part 4 of 4)

There are some people are single by choice or others who want to marry, but have not yet found a life partner.

So how can those who are single make the most of their singleness, whether it's just for the time being.

For all of life find up-to-date on Truth for Life. Alastair Greg is teaching from first Corinthians chapter 7 verses 25 along all smart and all of us to see men and women irrespective of their married state. Given over to the service of God without distraction.

The kind of thing that you find in Hebrews chapter 11 where it says of Abraham, describing him in verse eight by faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance. This is all Abraham and he went in obedience he obeyed and he went even though he did not know where he was going why he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. The prospect of a heavenly city so changed his view of his earthly pilgrimage that he was prepared to leave his country, his family and everything that represented security to Jesus said, come follow me in the mindset I have married a wife and Jesus said, come, follow me and the man said.

I have bought a few and Jesus said, come, follow me and the man said, I must first. My father and you remember Jesus answer to all three statements. He probably would not of been invited onto many Christian talkshows to expound his theology. Let the dead bury their dead how heart how unfeeling how one family like Howie turn up respect in a moment. Anyone of us may be called from time into eternity in our pilgrimage is over.

That's why this is so important now in verses 25 to 28 he provides a recommendation he says in verse 25 now about virgins are single people.

I don't have a direct express quote from Jesus, but I'm giving you a judgment as one who, by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. I have a recommendation for you and is where we come directly to his use of this phrase because of the present crisis, he says, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.

If you've never been married. If you are a virgin, then I think that singleness. He says makes good sense. However, verse 27.

If you are married. I don't suggest that you get divorced. And if you are unmarried, presumably someone who has previously been divorced or their spouses died.

He says I don't think that you should look for a wife now in relation to the whole issue of singleness as we saw last time. His instruction makes good sense, because as he says at the end of verse 28.

Those who Mattie will face many troubles in this life, so he says if you're single is my best judgment. You just remain as you are. It is one thing to face persecution on the possibility of death as a single person quite another to face it as a married person because I'm not a person who has children and the spouse is going to face persecution and death the whole time more considerations, he says, in light of the present crisis, I think it's good for you, just remain as you are.

Because children sweeten laborers as one has said by the make misfortunes more bitter.

Paul is not suggesting for a moment that celibacy is being is something that is more spiritual, but rather he is saying that in the light of the context celibacy he believes is more sensible and there's all the difference in the world between those two things and he says however if marriage takes place. It's not sin. Verse 27 but rather when high seas are raging is no time to change ships so he says within a time of great crisis I think is better that you just hold fire and stay exactly as you are, then verses 29 to 31, which we tried to unfold lunchtime and in that we have an exposition of the principal and now we go to verses 32 to 34 where he gives us an illustration's concern is that they would be spared. Trouble verse 28 and that they would be free from concern. Verse 32. I would like you be says to be free from concern. Now, again, we have to understand that his great ideal and the longing of his heart is to see men and women serving the Lord without distraction singleness is not holier but from Paul's perspective. Here it has practical advantages and those who have been given the gift of singleness verse seven will enjoy fewer distractions in the will of more freedom in serving the Lord. In contrast, he says the married man or woman has an inevitable twofold concern and we alluded to this last time. Verse 33. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife and his interests are divided same thing again in verse 34.

But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband and this distraction is a real distraction. I think the little that I travel I understand why it is that God gave to someone like John Stott, the gift of singleness because, for example, in this past week as I left I was no sooner out the door than I was thinking about coming back and all the time that I was gone between the responsibilities that I face.

There was always the underlying concern for my wife and for my children inevitably so and all the time and even in the midst of proclamation, or even in the midst of doing things.

Given the gift of singleness, those concerns do not arise.

Certainly there out there are others there must be by the are not though, and that's exactly what he's pointing out here like food, says a man who is a hero in himself becomes a coward when he thinks of his widowed wife and his orphan children despite the grades mystique that I've created around my enjoyment of flying. I want you to know that when I was a young man in single flying never cost me a thought maybe I was just so dumb I didn't realize much but it never concern. This only in these last years that it has ever been a concern to me and I think it is because of this, that while a man may be a hero in himself. He becomes a coward when he thinks of his widowed wife and his orphan children. You men know that you know the burden that you carry and so do you ladies when you see the ham-fisted efforts of your husband as he endeavors to help you in a number of your projects and you imagine being taken out of that context in him being left with your children cry out to God that he would save you a little longer if for no other reason than to preserve your family from that incredible potential chaos. Now, in contrast, in contrast, both the divorcee and the virgin have because of fewer family demands the opportunity to be more fully devoted to the Lord's work. That's what he saying here. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs how we can please the Lord, O Izzy Izzy is the credo for singles ministry is what we see in singles ministry a whole world of unmarried men and women who have an all-consuming concern for the Lord's affairs and how they might give themselves to the Lord and to his work. I believe there is an implicit challenge in this phraseology, and implicit challenge to the single community to discover the vital God-given role, he can and should be playing in the purposes of God. Our unique role. A role that is directly related to the time at your disposal to the resources entrusted to you, to the gifts that God has given you, and you have been placed at this point in time and is heaven's perspective dawns upon your life. It is the objective of heaven that these single people, unmarried people would be helplessly devoted to Christ actually doesn't see business interest is as an unmarried man is concerned not about the Lord.

What about the Lords of errors essentially helps my thesis that I began earlier on that you can divorce the Lord from his of she was mean to be devoted to the Lord without being devoted to the Lord's affairs, the unmarried men's devoted to the Lord's affairs to the Lord's work, it must surely be amazing sight from the portals of heaven to see singles preoccupied with rollerskating and dating and commiserating about their apparently story lot in life. Singles you have a strategic role in the kingdom of God. Surely, at a time like this. It would be from a population of single people that God might raise up stalwarts in our day, because after all, most of us who have married have already set up our little shrine to our family and to that we continually run and you watch eyes, as we continually talk about family family family family and you wonder. I wonder these people have nothing else to talk about except their family when we expect them to talk about the Lord and his affairs will of course we would if they were committed first to the Lord and is affairs. But if we were committed for star family and were squeezing the Lord into our week then that may be the preoccupation of our speaking and of course it is, in many cases so singles give as a lead strikeout for Christ.

Take initiative be zealous, be imaginative.

Let us hear from you.

Let us hear your heart as you think about the great cause of world evangelization. Let us hear from you as you think these issues are.

We are thankful for the unique and gifted people that God is given us in this church nine verse 35.

He explains his motivation as we've previously noted, he says I'm saying this for your own good.

I don't want to restrict you put a big noose around your neck, but he says I want you to live in a right way. I want you to live an undivided devotion to the Lord. He then rounds out the chapter by providing application to Windows in verses 39 and 40 and two engaged couples in verses 36 and 37 now you need to know that verses 36 and 37 are beset with difficulties. That is why many of you will have two versions in your Bible you will have the two horses written in the paragraph text in front of you and then you will have the verses 36 to 38 as a footnote in your Bible and if you take time to read the two translations you will notice that they are not exactly what you would call sacred text I want to assure you that I've done this study on this okay. Therefore, I'm prepared to engage in dialogue concerning my best judgment has been that to try and give you the ramblings of my study in relationship to these verses would probably be counterproductive. So therefore I had to reach a conclusion and my conclusion is the one I share with you to help me reach my conclusion I was reading JB Phillips found that Phillips is paraphrasing verses 36 and 37 was in a court with the NIV translation so let me read verses 36 and 37 as Phillips paraphrases, if any man feels he is not behaving honorably towards the woman he loves, especially if she's beginning to lose her first you and the emotional strain is considerable, let him do what his heart tells him to do. Let them be married. There's no sin and that yet for the man of steadfast purpose, who is able to bear the strain and has his own desires well under control.

If he decides not to marry the young woman he to will be doing the right thing.

Both of them are right one in marrying and the other in refraining from marriage, but the latter has chosen the better of two right courses. Basically, he ends up where he had begun. If you want he says to live a life of undivided devotion to Jesus Christ.

There can be no question that since marriage brings whether distractions and difficulties. You will be better served if God gives you the gift of singleness and we have to continue. Come by the light of God gives to you that ability that we considered in the opening 15 verses of the chapter without that gift, then we would burn with physical desire or we would live with an embittered soul were not talking about that were not on some disgruntled perspective on life, either within marriage or outside of marriage by the people would be contented within the role that God is given, and there are examples of Helen Rose beer is an example of that gift of singleness in the great book give me this mountain, John start. As I've mentioned, is an example of that era. Richard Lucas is an example of the little man that I often quote TS Mooney from Northern Ireland is an example of that 83 years of life he lived all as a single man completely devoted to the Lord and his work able to give his time unstinting late for 50 years. Every Sunday afternoon to our boys Bible class in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. So much so that hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of young men throughout the world today or their spiritual life to TS Mooney, to whom God gave the gift of singleness. Therefore, those of us who have been given the privileges of marriage need to recognize that with the joys come great concerns and responsibilities and we ought not to be flippant. We ought also to be aware.

Last, the very marriage that God has given us becomes a ball and chain which binds us and restrains us from ever discovering our true usefulness in the kingdom and those of us who perhaps have been unwilling to accept the reason that God has sustained us through these years and has not provided for as in marriages because he has given to us the gift of singleness. The problem is not that he's given the gift. The problem is that we just want to throw it back at them all the time. Some of us are going to have to get down on our knees and thank God for that.

And offer up our lives to him in undivided devotion no matter what it means, no matter how apparently lonely. No matter, we do not enjoy what we thought would be unlocked. I may remind you, then the context of his teaching was because of the present crisis because the time was short because the world was passing the concern of his teaching was there perfection their protection, their provision in their devotion and the content of his teaching is, I think you would agree practical and relevant and life-changing. There are unique privileges and responsibilities for married couples. There are unique privileges and responsibilities in single we can be both content and useful to God, no matter our relationship status, listing the Truth for Life that is Alastair big concluding the message to marry or not to marry will be back in just a minute to close with prayer were currently in a series titled, we too are one Alistair's book lasting love is the perfect supplement to this current study in the book Alastair examines the biblical design for marriage concluding the important roles of husbands and wives as you read the book you will learn how to protect your marriage to ensure that it honors God and lasts a lifetime. You also learn how to avoid common stumbling blocks that can ruin a marriage receiving a study guide in the back of the book to prompt further discussion than help you apply the teaching request.

The book lasting love. When you donate to Truth for Life@truthforlife.org/donate, give us a call at 888-588-7884 by the way. Lasting love is an excellent book to use in premarital counseling or in marriage ministries. You can buy extra copies of the book at our cost for just four dollars. When you visit the online store@truth.org/store studying God's word together is a great way to strengthen your marriage and your family and that's why want to tell you about the new city catechism, you're probably familiar with that term catechism catechisms have been used by churches for centuries. There were helpful way to teach core Christian beliefs today were making available the new city catechism. This is a collection of 52 questions and answers that use updated language to guide you through the foundations of the Christian faith. The new city catechism comes in a flipbook format. You can set it on your nightstand or your kitchen counter you flip the page to a new question and answer each week for an entire year and if you have young children you can teach them the abbreviated children's answers to the questions. This is a fun way to facilitate understanding the basics of Christianity viewed the new city catechism flipbook online@truthforlife.org/store and there you can purchase copies of our cost of six dollars. Now here's Alastair with prayer. Our gracious God and father how we need the ministry of the Spirit of God within our lives so that your word may take root within us as we study these verses that are neither easy to comprehend nor to teach, nor to receive nor to apply and so we want to set ourselves free from any sense of human manipulation. Anything that is totally earthly and we want to embrace that which is heavenly and divine, and we ask for discrimination to know the difference between the two.

We pray that you will make us in whatsoever state we are therein to be content with her. We live in singleness, anticipating the joy of marriage or whether we live in singleness, realizing that as day follows day, you are satisfying our longings as no one else could do and we are wondering what our lot in life might be give to his vivid imaginations, obedient hearts great concern for your kingdom within the framework of marriage. Lord help us to put God first, not to try and invert Matthew 633 six. First the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the other things will be added unto you. Save us from the kind of behavior that is neglectful because of selfish pride because were driven just by a desire to do things because we think that the more we do, the more spiritual we might become granted within the context of our fellowship with one another as we learn from each other as we see your word applied in one another's lives this week ask questions of those who are older that we might be raised up to shine as lights in the middle of a society that neither knows how to cope with singleness know what to do with marriage makers. Lord, in practical terms are peculiar people when it comes to moral purity, marital fidelity and genuine contentment. Here are premarital God led the cries of our hearts come unto you, for Jesus sake, we ask about pain.

Thanks for listing great weekend and are able to worship with your local church on Monday will hear how social media advertisements frequently suggest either blatantly or subtly that our significance is directly related to our appearance.

What should that play a role in our search for a potential spouse.

Alastair offers godly practical advice. The Bible teaching of Alastair Bailey is furnished by Truth for Life for the learning is