Tony’s message:
We are so blessed. Our God is so awesome. Don’t ever give up on Him.
1 Cor. 4:8ff: Paul speaks words that are forever relevant. Above all, keep fervent – fervency is a constant. You have to work on it. Keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another…
From Matt. 6,our theme for the year:
I hope I get to do this again. It’s the Lords will. This is not my diagnosis. My diagnosis every day I live is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Take no thought for tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Live each day focused on God. He loves us very much.
—–
Brent – 1 Cor. 7:7-8. To the unmarried and widows I say It is good for them to remain single as I am.
First, Context is vital. The context is a transition – Paul is addressing some issues the church had not told him about. Your body is important and you need to glorify God in your body (6:20). Then in 7:1 he is responding to the idea it is not good to touch a woman. Understanding the context of Paul’s words is vital. Not all situations are the same. Paul gives his advice given “the present distress.” Each of us may find ourselves in varying situations that go into how we decide whether or not to pursue marriage in our lives. Some in Corinth were okay with sexual license, while others were promoting sexual restrictions even within marriage. Paul is discussing a variety of topics surrounding marriage and celibacy connected to their specific situation.
Second, Symbols aren’t exhaustive. Just because marriage is an important image doesn’t mean only married people can understand God or fulfill God’s plans. It is a representation of something more. Unmarried people can still learn from the symbolic concepts surrounding marriage. We do this with other images. For example, The church as…
Gods building (structure, strength)
Gods field (production, fruitfulness)
Gods temple(presence of God)
Gods house(relationship)
Gods bride (relationship)
Christs body (unity)
This is about physical representations of spiritual images. Each one doesn’t fully explain all aspects, but each does demonstrate some aspect of the church. Marriage is an important image for understanding the relationship between God and His people. It is praiseworthy and important. It is not the only way to understand God’s relationship to His people. The body imagery used about the church is an image that shows the value of every single person within the body of Christ.
Thoughts about 1 Corinthians 7:
1. Marriage and celibacy are both paths to glorify God
2. What’s best for the kingdom isn’t always the same. Be content with the life God has assigned to you. You should not get married just because you feel pressure to do so and us older people should not be applying that pressure.
3. Remaining single is good. (So is choosing marriage). Praising singleness does not mean marriage is bad, and vice versa. They are not mutually exclusive. Read 1 Cor. 7:32-34.
4. If you’re single your attention toward God is undivided. If you’re married your attention will be divided. You may go your whole life and never find someone to marry. That’s perfectly fine, that can be a good thing. Whatever state we are in we are to be content. Whatever is best for the kingdom is the path you should take.
