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Title: The Cross-Based Devotion of Singles and Couples
Text:
Series: Let's Be a Christ-Centered Church
Introductory thoughts:
Illustration:
I was weed-eating one day.
Since I could not find the protective glasses that I usually wear, I decided to try to squint and weed-eat.
That did not work.
Not only was my vision impaired but I really was not protected at all.
In like manner, the wisdom of the cross liberates us by changing the way we view everything in life.
How has the cross of Jesus Christ changed the way we view everything [incl.
marriage & singleness]?
()
The cross shows that God worked towards us and not we towards God - ,
This eliminates all earthly, ethnic superiority -
This eliminates all that the world thinks is wise -
The cross shows that God’s work in Christ Jesus is absolutely complete -
The cross brings us to some undeniable conclusions:
Men are perishing -
Men are perishing in their ignorance of God -
God has chosen preaching to communicate to men the message of God
The message that is being preached, so that men might know God, is the cross - - How does the cross show the knowledge of God?
It shows forth the penalty for sin
It shows forth the sacrificial lamb
It shows forth blood
It shows forth death
It shows forth love & justice
When someone comes to the Lord, ethnic boundaries are eliminated -
It brings the believer into a place where now they see how wise God is in the cross -
It is through this recognition of God that God is glorified -
is a good comparison passage to show how man had refused to glorify God in what was manifested; but now having manifested Christ crucified, he calls men to repent and glorify him.
The implications for this are massive:
We see the barriers that the wisdom of the cross has overcome, so we don’t seek status or title
We see the barriers that the wisdom of the cross has overcome, so we don’t glory in the work of saved spiritual leaders
We see the barriers that the wisdom of the cross has overcome, so we don’t glory in open sin
We see the barriers that the wisdom of the cross has overcome, so we don’t take a brother/sister in Christ before the lost world for judgment in legal matters
We see the barriers that the wisdom of the cross has overcome, so we see our bodies as temples of God and we see our church as the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit
We see the barriers that the wisdom of the cross has overcome, so we don’t make more of temporary relational status than we should: whether single or married
Proposition:
Because of the cross of Christ, we must assess life and make decisions that honor the Lord with undistracted devotion and service.
(1) A noose that singles and couples must avoid –
(a) The admonition about the noose of cares (v.
32, 33, 34, 35)
Note how many times the Apostle Paul uses the word “care”.
This word is used for anxiety.
In this context it is both positive and negative.
There is a care for the practical matters that come with marriage, and there are cares that come with devotion to the Lord.
Paul is not being critical of marriage.
He is simply pointing out the obvious truth about marriage.
(b) The assumption about the cares that bring control (v.
35)
What do we mean by control?
What would Paul’s assumption be?
Let’s be on the same page about control.
An unhealthy control, anxiety, or care is anything that distracts us from what the cross of Jesus Christ has made clear.
The cross of Jesus Christ has made clear that the things of this life are growing strangely dim.
As Garland suggests, “The problem for Paul is not marriage but the danger of becoming too distracted in trying to please a wife or a husband.”
(c) The admonition should be viewed from two primary perspectives:
(1) A single individual who doesn’t have the gift of singleness should not create anxiety in his life by trying to gain a more righteous standing through singleness.
This leads to uncalled for anxiety.
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