Sermon Tone Analysis

ILLUSTRATION: THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN I AM GOLFING.

IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT, YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE EVERYTHING ALIGNED CORRECTLY, AND THEN YOU REALIZE THAT YOU WERE OFF.

I WAS WATCHING CHARLES BARKLEY ONE DAY - AS HE WAS GOLFING.

IT WAS EASY TO NOTE HIS PROBLEM.

THE FACT IS THAT MANY TIMES, IT IS EASY TO SEE OTHERS PROBLEMS AND NOT BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES, IN SPITE OF THE RESULTS WE ARE EXPERIENCING.

Intro:

Paul sets forth the principle

Paul is continuing to respond to questions that he’d received from the church in Corinth.

Listening to the telephone conversation, we can hear clearly what Paul is saying: “I have no words of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but the Lord has allowed me to remain faithful in singleness.”

The question would seem to be, “Should virgins or those engaged to be married abstain from marriage?”

The principle is that while it is good to remain single, it is not a sin to get married.

In addition, your current status does not need to change.

With regards to the current distress, there are various views and no consistent answers.

It would seem that Paul is addressing the current pressures or trials that they are under there in Corinth.

This could be dealing with both internal troubles with heretical teaching and external pressures with the pagan culture of temple prostitution and eating meat offered to pagan deities.

Whatever the case, he’s encouraging that if they have no necessity to add more care to their lives in marriage, they should not do so.

Paul gives reasons why the principle should be heeded

Here, the apostle Paul sets for several maxims for this.

In other words, why should some remain unmarried?

How should married people and single people live in this world?

What is the driving force behind all of this?

Paul gives the practical explanation for this principle

Paul applies this principle to the unmarried

Paul applies this principle to the widowed

It should be noted that everything in this passage is with the understanding that the wisdom of the cross causes us to look at marriage and singleness different than our culture.

Now, some of you are thinking that what I mean is that it causes you to see marriage as one man and one woman.

You are right, but that is not all that I mean.

What I mean is that the cross also teaches us to not make idols of temporary relationships.

The cross not only affirms the horribleness of sin, but the cross also affirms that marriage and singleness are not ultimate.

Marriage is temporal.

Let me explain.

ILLUSTRATION: IF YOU’VE PLAYED GOLF AT SHAKER RUN, THERE IS ONE PARTICULAR PAR 5 WHOLE THAT BENDS TO THE LEFT AND GOES DOWNWARD AND ENDS JUST BEFORE THE WATER.

AS AN INEXPERIENCED GOLFER, I LIKE TO SEE UP AHEAD IF I CAN AND FIND THE FLAG.

WHAT I SEE AHEAD AND WHERE THE FLAG IT WILL ADJUST WHAT IS TRUE AND HOW I BEHAVE NOW....THIS IS WHAT PAUL IS SAYING.

There are two phrases in this passage that reveal an eternal consideration with regards to marriage and singleness.

Note in and .

Somehow the wisdom that Paul is postulating is inextricably connected with all that he has said in the beginning of this book about the cross and connected too with marriage.

But how?

The cross of Jesus Christ somehow causes Paul to look forward to eternity and this causes him to re-evaluate how he sees all that is temporal, including relationships.

Paul sees the cross as ushering in a new kingdom and a new age and made the end to be absolutely crystal clear! - “the time is short”

“The time is short” is often misunderstood as meaning that Jesus is coming back really soon; but that is not what the text is saying.

This literally means the time is compressed.

As one man put it, “The end has broken into the present...” [Garland]

In this context the word time means the time that began with the gospel of Jesus Christ and will be consummated at his return.

(; ; ; ; ).

[Garland, David E. (2003-11-01). 1 Corinthians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Kindle Locations 7745-7746).

Baker Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.]

All of this leads us to understand that Paul is not concerned about the brevity of time, but about what is done during the time (the quality).

“…the future outcome of this world has become crystal clear....the event of Christ has now compressed time [in our eyes] in such a way that the future has been brought forward so as to be clearly visible.”

[Garland]

In the gospel accounts we see two opposite extremes.

We see the teaching of Jesus regarding marriage and we see the practices of those who reject Jesus:

Garland, David E. (2003-11-01). 1 Corinthians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Kindle Locations 7745-7746).

Baker Publishing Group.

Kindle Edition.

(1) Teaches that marriage is temporary.

This is the teaching of Jesus.

(2) , (Noah’s day) Specifies marriage as a distraction from devotion to the Lord and the reception of grace.

It is a kind of distraction from the Lord.

Deeply rooted inside of us are tendencies toward idolatry.

For the single it may be the idolatry of independence.

For the married person, it may be the idolatry of marriage.

Proposition:

Whatever marital status you may have, you must see the cross of Christ as the ultimate reason to be completely devoted to that which is everlasting.

Devote yourself to the Lord as you have never done so before.

The Crucifixion & Resurrection of Jesus Christ should cause us to:

(1) Refuse to idolize the status of marriage over singleness (v. 25 - 28)

Explanation:

(a) Paul gives personal testimony

(b) “It is good”

See Enjoining men to remain faithful in marriage

Encouraging singleness for unmarried/widows

Encouraging singleness in the Lord

“It is good” is an ironic phrase in consideration of where it was “not good” that man should be alone.

This can only be explained by a firm understanding of the new creation that has been accomplished in Jesus Christ.

[IF YOU DRIVE DOWN OXFORD STATE ROAD TODAY, YOU WILL SEE ROAD CLOSURE SIGNS…THEY INDICATE THAT THERE IS NO PASSAGE AND IT CAUSES YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU KEEP GOING DOWN THIS ROAD.

UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE COME TO THE OLD TESTAMENT.

THEY HAVE BYPASSED ALL OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN JESUS AS IF THE MESSAGING IS IRRELAVENT] In other words, if an individual were to merely look at the Old Testament (Covenant) and not consider the New Covenant that the blood of Jesus Christ has brought in, he would:

(1) Consider that marriage is the ideal and ultimate

(2) He would teach others and Old Testament Theology that is not considerate of the New Testament that Christ has brought in

(3) This would in turn from the sentiments and beliefs of people to have a legal mindset about marital status - almost a mindset that makes it to be superior to all other statuses

(c) In Christ, there is no reason to seek another status, but if you do, you have not sinned.

Paul is here pointing out the simple fact that when someone chooses to get married there are additional cares and potential distractions from the Lord that accompany marriage.

Paul is not impugning marriage, but rather he is exalting the worthiness of the Christ and his cross.

Quote:

What does this mean for our attitude toward marriage and family?

Paul says it means that both being married and not being married are good conditions to be in.

We should be neither overly elated by getting married nor overly disappointed by not being so—because Christ is the only spouse that can truly fulfill us and God’s family the only family that will truly embrace and satisfy us.

[Keller]

Principle:

Our relationship status, single or married, must be viewed through the cross.

We should remain undistracted in our devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember the words of Jesus Christ in .

It is this paradigm that Christ is establishing.

The Father is the priority, and it is the will of the Father that is the priority.

Illustration:

IN BASEBALL WHEN THERE IS A YOUNG PITCHER AND A RUNNER GETS ON BASE, HE HAS ONE GOAL - THE RUNNER WANTS TO DISTRACT THE PITCHER FROM HIS PRIMARY GOAL....THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH WHAT GOD HAS BLESSED WITH US…WE TEND TO GET DISTRACTED FROM OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE.

Application:

What does this mean for the common attender at GBC today:

(1) This means that you don’t have to play the “hard to get” game with people of the opposite gender.