WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.000 If you have your Bibles turn with me or turn to 1 Corinthians 7. 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:15.000 When I was a young man, believe it or not, I used to go to the gym. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:23.000 And I think I was in college and I went to the gym once and I knew this guy from the gym. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.000 Actually, I think he went to the same college I went to. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:37.000 And there we struck up a conversation and he told me, it was interesting, he told me that God had called him to be rich. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:01:01.000 And I was like, "Okay, why is that?" He goes, "Well, because he's called me to be generous and give to the church and give to missions." So he said, "I believe God wants me to be rich so I can give." And I asked the obvious question that would come into your mind next. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:16.000 "Well, how much do you give now?" He says, "I don't give anything now." So you're not until you have money can you serve the Lord. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:19.000 And so that was his kind of thought. 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:22.000 You know, if I had money then I can give. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:27.000 I don't guess he read the poor widow who gave all that she had. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:44.000 But though you may be thinking, like me, you may be thinking,"That's so silly of that guy." Maybe you're looking down on that guy for such thinking. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:47.000 But you've done it too. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.000 We've all done that. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:53.000 We may not have done it so boldly. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:57.000 I need to be rich so I can serve the Lord. 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.000 But we've all thought things like this. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.000 If this could change or this little thing would be different. 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:09.000 Or if I could get married. 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.000 Or if I was a missionary. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.000 Or if I was in pastoral ministry by now. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:21.000 And then I could really serve the Lord. 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:30.000 If some changes could take place, circumstances would be different. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:34.000 You could really invest in the Kingdom of God. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:39.000 Some variation of that has passed through all of our minds. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:44.000 I remember, well, Leith and I have this silly road game. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.000 It's silly, but it passes the time. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:50.000 The stuff on my side of the road belongs to me. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.000 And the things on her side of the road belongs to her. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:56.000 We brag about how many cattle we have. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.000 What houses. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:01.000 There would be a no doubt mobile home on my side. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:03.000 She would make fun of me. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.000 She would get this big mansion on her side. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:11.000 But one of the things that we always did, whenever we see, I mean we probably still do this. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:18.000 When we see a beautiful house that has this little how like this little beautiful room with this window or something. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.000 We go. Oh, that's my house. 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:20.000 Then we immediately go. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:22.000 No, that's my room. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.000 And lethal say that's my soul. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:27.000 And that's where I'm going to soul. 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:31.000 And I would say, no, that's where I'm going to study and prepare my sermons. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.000 And so we're arguing about rooms that we don't have and houses. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.000 We don't have. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.000 But it does pass the time. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.000 But it's kind of us a sentiment behind our thinking. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:59.000 Sometimes as a slight thought that if our circumstances could change in some way, they could be different in some way. 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:04.000 Then we could really be happy or we would be happy. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:11.000 Are we just are we content as we think about the passage that is set before us today? 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:24.000 Are you content with your circumstances, with your career, with your spouse, or with singleness? 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.000 Or with your bank account? 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:33.000 Are you content with your allotment and life? 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:34.000 And say, this is good. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:39.000 I am good. 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:43.000 Are you content? 00:04:43.000 --> 00:05:01.000 Well, here we have in verses 17 to 24, a command to be content, if you would, in the position that we're in, in the circumstances we're in. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:05.000 Read with me in verse 17. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:14.000 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:17.000 This is my rule in all the churches. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:20.000 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.000 Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:27.000 Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:30.000 Let him not seek circumcision. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:37.000 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:42.000 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.000 Were you a bondservant when called? 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:48.000 Do not be concerned about it. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:53.000 But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself to the opportunity. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:06:00.000 For he who has called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:05.000 Likewise, he was free when he is called, is a bondservant of Christ. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:07.000 You were bought with a price. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.000 Do not become bondservants of men. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:16.000 So brothers, in whatever condition, each was called. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.000 There let him remain with God. 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:24.000 So here's the context, as we've already seen in the earlier parts of chapter 7. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:33.000 Those who happen to be saved after they're married, and they're married to an unbeliever, they may be tempted to want to get divorced from their unbelieving spouse. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:40.000 Paul says, "No, as long as he or she desires to remain with you, then the marriage is holy, your children are holy. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.000 Remain in that marriage. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:52.000 It's blessed of the Lord." If you're called into salvation and you're a single person, then Paul's exhortation remains single. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.000 If you were circumcised, don't worry about being circumcised. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.000 If you're uncircumcised, don't worry about that either. 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:05.000 If you're a bondservant or a slave, don't be worried about trying to gain your freedom. 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:09.000 If that happens, that's good, but that's not your concern. 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:13.000 You can serve the Lord if you're free or you're a slave. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:27.000 And whatever condition you're in, this is the point, whatever condition you're in, whatever social status you have, that serve Christ, obey Christ. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:39.000 God calls this, or Paul calls this allotment, our situation which we find ourselves in, he calls that our calling. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.000 We see that in verse 17. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:49.000 "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him." You see, this is our calling. 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:53.000 We have an earthly calling. We have a heavenly calling. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:08:01.000 Salvation takes us into a spiritual calling or heavenly calling, but salvation found us in our earthly calling. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:06.000 And often we think of our earthly calling as our careers, our jobs. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:11.000 I'm a baker. I'm a pharmacist. I'm a doctor. I'm a teacher. 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.000 I'm this or I'm that. 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:21.000 And we find, if you would, some of our identity, purpose, some degree, some of our happiness. 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:27.000 We find that in what we do for a living, what we do with our lives. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.000 It identifies us to some degree. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:37.000 And that's our calling that God has placed on us. 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:43.000 But that calling is not just our jobs. It's not just our careers. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:46.000 It's everything about our life. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:56.000 In verse 24, at the end of this passage, it talks about it being our circumstances, all the little details of our situation. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:08.000 And what we'll see here, as we get to our first point in just a second, that every detail about our life has been assigned to us by God. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.000 You're not where you're at by accident. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:22.000 You're social status. If you're rich or you're poor, or you got a good job or you're struggling, if you're married or if you're single, all these things are not accidental. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:26.000 All these things are not just something that you have to put up with. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.000 All these things are assignments. 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:37.000 I was helped out once by one of the prayers of John Calvin. 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:41.000 I'm probably like any of you. We have an agenda for the day. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:43.000 We wake up with what we want to accomplish. 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:46.000 We have particular goals set out for us for the week. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:49.000 And then all of a sudden there's disruptions. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:55.000 There's things that we weren't expecting, emergencies that come along our ways. 00:09:55.000 --> 00:10:03.000 Then sometimes these interruptions frustrate us because it delays us or hinders us in the things that we wanted to do. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:12.000 We felt we needed to get done and the pressure and the stress of the circumstances build because we still have to do those things. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:34.000 And what helped me is hearing the words of Calvin's prayer is,"Lord, let me view every disruption as a divine appointment from you." That there's nothing that happens in your life, good or bad, that is not appointed for you. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:39.000 Your life is your allotment by God. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:47.000 You say, "I don't like that." I don't like my life. I don't like my circumstances. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:53.000 One, it hinders me in my service to the Lord and two, it hinders me in my happiness. 00:10:53.000 --> 00:11:07.000 And so we're tempted by Satan himself and I believe this is the lie of Satan that if you're going to serve the Lord, if you're going to be happy in this world, you need all these things to change. 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:12.000 You single people, you really need to get married if you're really going to be happy. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:29.000 Or maybe you're married and you think, "I need a different spouse." The Lord tells us to be content, but Satan tells us to be discontent. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:40.000 He tells us that it's not fair, our allotment is not fair, because we're prone to look at others and envy their situation. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.000 They have a wonderful family. They don't have troubled kids. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:49.000 They have all the provisions taken care of for them. 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.000 They're not worried about how they're making their bills. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:55.000 They're not worried about how they're feeding the family. 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:57.000 They don't have the pressure that I have. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:04.000 And we begin to envy those who are seemingly better off than us. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.000 So we become discontent and dissatisfied. 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:19.000 And then in so doing, in our dissatisfaction, we become poor stewards of what we do have as poor servants of the living God. 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:26.000 And so this text tells us that we're called to serve Christ in our earthly calling. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:34.000 That we have a spiritual calling that incorporates our earthly calling. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:37.000 And that's what we have to see here. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:40.000 It's easy to say, "Well, what I do for the Lord, that's here. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:54.000 And what I do concerning my job and my family and my careers, that's down here." We can't just operate our lives so we can justify our discontentment with this portion of our life. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:13.000 "Oh, I'm content with Christ. I'm just not content with all this other stuff." But we see in this passage that the Lord incorporates our earthly calling, which includes not just our jobs, but our families, situations, problems, blessings, everything. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.000 And that incorporates that into our service of the Lord. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:23.000 And it gives us three instructions to help us to serve Christ in our calling. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:30.000 One, serving Christ means we fulfill our calling. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:35.000 That is, we do what is set before us to the glory of God. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:40.000 We don't neglect, in other words, our earthly calling. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:14:01.000 Verse 17 says this, "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches." You see, first of all, this includes to be content with what has been assigned to us, or allotment. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:09.000 Paul says in Philippians 4, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:12.000 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:41.000 In every and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." That is, Paul says, "Over the course of my life I have learned to be happy, satisfied, contented in my allotment." Rather, that is "planty" or "in lack." By the way, if you are rich, you still have to learn contentment. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:46.000 Often rich people are never content. If you are poor, you have to be content. 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:52.000 It is not how much money you have or things you have that leads to happiness or contentment. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:58.000 That is a lie, but we tend to believe it, do we not? 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:13.000 The Bible tells us with food and with just our earthly provisions taken care of, which God has already promised to do that, let us be satisfied. Let us be content. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:28.000 You see, our situation does not control our happiness. Paul says, "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." It is not about our incomes. It is not about our social status. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:33.000 We can be brought low. We can be put in prison, as Paul was. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:38.000 You could have all that you own taken away from you. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:44.000 But that doesn't mean they can take your contentment or your happiness away. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:16:17.000 He says, Paul says, "I have learned in whatever state or circumstances to be content." He goes on to say, "I can do all things." This is not Tim Tebow saying, "I can throw the touch-dome down past." This is Paul saying, "I can be content.""I can do all things through him who strengthens me." It's not what you have. It's who you're with that brings contentment. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:29.000 Remember that if you have Jesus next to you, with you, poor, rich, you're blessed. 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:37.000 You can be in prison, but the Lord is next to you. What else do you need? 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:47.000 Can you not say, "He's enough"? He's enough. "I have the Lord"? 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:55.000 This is why the author of Hebrews says this, "Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. 00:16:55.000 --> 00:17:07.000 For he has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.'" You've got this promise. This is how you learn contentment. You've got this promise. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:14.000 Jesus says, "I'm going to go with you. Lo, until the end of the age, I'm going to walk with you. I'm going to talk with you. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:47.000 I'm going to set with you. I'm going to rise with you. I'm going to be with you always." That you can say, "What can man take away from me?""I have life. I have my joy. I have Christ." So this idea of living out our earthly calling does mean to be content in it, but it also implies that we live it out and carry it out to the fullest that we can. 00:17:47.000 --> 00:18:03.000 The original literally reads something along the lines of this, "Let him walk in the way that he has been assigned." That is, lead the life that God has placed before you. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:12.000 That is, seek to do whatever job or task that you have to do. Do it for the glory of God. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:20.000 Whether you eat or drink, laundry, sweeping the floors, going to work. 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:26.000 Do it heartily to the Lord. Whatever your hand finds to do. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.000 Don't do it as, Paul says, as man pleasers to please man. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.000 Do it as God's watching you and you're doing it unto the Lord. 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:56.000 Do you recognize and realize the blessing of your job, whatever your job is, whatever you do throughout the day. It's not just your eight-hour job, eight-hour day job. It's when you come home, everything you do, from changing diapers to calling someone up, everything you do is a service to the Lord. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.000 You don't have the spiritual life and the earthly life. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:04.000 Your earthly life is incorporated into your spiritual life. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.000 And you're to do that is that I can serve the Lord where I'm at. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:11.000 I don't have to be in a different spot. I don't have to be a missionary. 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:14.000 I don't have to be a pastor. I don't have to be this or that. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:24.000 I don't have to be married or single. I don't have to be in any different situation that I'm in because where I am, I can still serve the Lord in the things I do. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:28.000 Therefore, do what's set before you as unto the Lord. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:32.000 Christians should be the best workers. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:40.000 We should be the most disciplined, the hardest workers, not the least. 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:43.000 This is what we're called to do. 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:48.000 Notice that every aspect of our life has been ordained by God. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:57.000 It says only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, to which God has called you. Now, some of you might not like your calling. 00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:00.000 You might not like your circumstances. You might not like your health situation. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.000 You might not like a lot of things. 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:12.000 But let me tell you by the authority of the Word of God, God says,"This is what I have for you." Now, think about this. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:24.000 What if Jesus Christ came into this room and he came up here and says,"I'm going to rally the troops and I want to send out missionaries around the world and I want to know of all you here who's willing to go. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:27.000 I want to send out an army of troops around the world. 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:31.000 Who here wants to go? I hope all of us will say, "Send me, send me. 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:37.000 I'll go wherever you take me. I'll send me to the darkest jungles of the world. 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:51.000 If that's what you want me to do and I know, I know I can be certain, if not my whimsical notion, but I know that's what you tell me to do." Who of us would say, "I wouldn't go"? 00:20:51.000 --> 00:21:02.000 None of us would. We would all say, "Send me wherever." But then the Lord looks at you and goes back to doing what you're doing. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:13.000 "Go back to your jobs Monday morning. Serve me there." I thought it was going to be Australia. 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:16.000 I was open Switzerland, personally. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:22.000 You know, the thing... 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:33.000 You see, this word "assign" here, literally the Greek word means "to distribute." It's the idea of dividing out and distributing. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:42.000 We see here that all of us have unique different lives, different hardships, circumstances, family issues. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:50.000 And this is our calling of the Lord and it's the Lord who's going,"You need this much money. You need this much poverty. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:22:00.000 You need this problem. You need this blessing." He is uniquely working with us all, assigning our allotment, our assignments, our circumstances. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:10.000 It is not for us to fight against God in our allotment, but to find contentment and service to the Lord in our allotment. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:27.000 Bible tells us in Acts 17 that He's the one who has determined where we live in verse 26 of that chapter, but not at just when we're born and when we die and where we live. He's assigned all the circumstances in between. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:31.000 This is why we believe in Romans 8.28, "All things work together. 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:40.000 All things are assigned for us and our betterment and our good." Find contentment in where we're at. 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:45.000 That's the first thing we see here. 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:54.000 To worship Christ or serve Christ by fulfilling our earthly calling. 00:22:54.000 --> 00:23:03.000 And to not view our earthly calling as something unspiritual. 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:14.000 Secondly, we see in verses 18 through 19, we're called to obedience in our earthly calling. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:22.000 Verse 18 says, "Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised, let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision? 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.000 Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.000 Let him not seek circumcision. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:48.000 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God." Now, apparently, there's a bit of Jewish believers who are within the church, the majority of the church are Gentiles, and the Jewish believers may have felt somewhat superior or set apart because of their circumcision. 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:52.000 And there might have been some jealousy, or it might have been the other way around. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.000 Maybe the Jews felt somewhat odd. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:24:07.000 Now that they know that circumcision is not important, they may feel somewhat separated from the Gentiles, the Greeks, whatever the case is. 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:12.000 Paul says, "Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:27.000 That's not what matters." Now, that's not the issue of our day, or the issues of our day could be, you know, our ethnicity, or it could be our social status. 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:32.000 All kinds of things that kind of divide, it could be our age category. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:47.000 Things that separate the church, divide the church up, splinter the church up, and they go, "You know, that differentiates us." The Lord is saying it doesn't matter. 00:24:47.000 --> 00:25:00.000 It doesn't matter your gender, it doesn't matter your age, it doesn't matter your social status, it doesn't matter your job, it doesn't matter if you're a great leader, or you work as a janitor at McDonald's. 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:03.000 That doesn't matter. 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:08.000 What matters is obedience. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:20.000 This is what matters. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:26.000 What through call to is to keep the commandments of God. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:33.000 The Bible says this,"One person steams one day above another, and another steams another every day alike. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.000 Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:43.000 He who observes the day observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:51.000 He who eats eats to the Lord, for he gives God things, and he who does not eat to the Lord, he does not eat and give God's things. 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:56.000 For none of us live to himself, and no one dies to himself. 00:25:56.000 --> 00:26:00.000 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:03.000 Therefore, this is what matters. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:07.000 Whether we live or die, we are the Lords. 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:12.000 And for circumcised or uncircumcised, we are the Lords. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:24.000 As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10,"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God." You see, obey God, that's the path of happiness. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:34.000 Never allow your circumstances to tempt you or prevent you from obedience. 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:37.000 Sadly, you hear this a lot. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:51.000 People excuse their lack of faith and their lack of obedience to their circumstances, as if somehow they're exempt from obedience. 00:26:51.000 --> 00:27:08.000 C.S. Lewis said this when people, Christians, or professing Christians, justify their sins, it's because they find the loophole that makes them the unique, they're somehow the unique exception. 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:21.000 The law applies to everyone universally except for them because of their unique, particular circumstances that God understands. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:24.000 And he kind of winks at it and says, "Well, you're kind of the exception. 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:27.000 You don't have to obey." We know it's hard. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.000 We know it's difficult. 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:30.000 It's difficult to do this. 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:31.000 It's difficult to do that. 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:37.000 It's difficult to obey the commands because, well, the Lord knows it's difficult. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:40.000 And so they justify their sins. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:46.000 And what Paul is saying, no matter what situation you're in, there's no justification for sin. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:52.000 For every temptation, there's always a door to get out of that temptation. 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:59.000 You cannot ever, ever blame your circumstances on your sin, on your circumstances. 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.000 That's a lie of Satan. 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:03.000 So never take that to the throne room. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:16.000 "Lord, it's my circumstances." You can't say like Adam said, "Lord, it's this woman you gave me." And the woman say, "No, it's this serpent." Just blaming and shifting the responsibility away from yourself. 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:24.000 It's never, I will say this with some force, it's never your circumstances. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:32.000 It's your heart. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:36.000 You can obey God where you're at. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:41.000 You can serve the Lord in the situation that you're in. 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:45.000 I tell some people who come to me for counseling, and I grieve with them. 00:28:45.000 --> 00:29:08.000 I can understand that the hardships, the difficulties, and sometimes I'm going, "Man, this is awful, awful, awful." And often I tell them, "Well, you're given a special unique privilege." You know, it's more wonderful to bless those who curse you than to bless those who bless you. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:13.000 And you're in a situation that no one would want to be in. 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:16.000 And it's even more difficult to serve the Lord. 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:29.000 But by serving the Lord and obeying God and trusting God in this unique circumstances, you can bring unique glory to God that you may have not been able to otherwise. 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:33.000 You see, your circumstances does not hinder obedience. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:38.000 It does not hinder you from pleasing the Lord. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:49.000 My third exhortation for us to be content in serving the Lord in our earthly calling is this. 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:55.000 We are called to serve Christ in our earthly calling. 00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:58.000 We see this in verses 20 through 24. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:07.000 Our earthly calling, when this is one of the things we have to realize, our earthly calling is not our principal calling. 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:09.000 Now, we're to do a good job in what we do. 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:12.000 We're to work hard at the task set before us. 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:18.000 But remember, that's not the principal job of a Christian. 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:20.000 That's not what you're ultimately called to. 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:27.000 You have a higher calling, a calling that surpasses your earthly calling. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:34.000 You have a greater loyalty, a greater responsibility, a greater calling, a heavenly calling. 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:39.000 It says in verse 20,"Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:43.000 Whether you are a bondservant when called, do not be concerned about it. 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:57.000 But if you can, gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity." So we learn from this that we're not to be overly concerned or preoccupied with changing our allotment in life. 00:30:57.000 --> 00:31:01.000 I mean, this is even talking about those who are bondservants. 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:09.000 Now, we don't have that today, but imagine the social injustice of slavery. 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:12.000 And the Bible's not condoning it. 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:15.000 It's not saying it's a good thing. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:20.000 But that was the situation which the New Testament was birthed into. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.000 And being the early Christians were slaves. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:31.000 They were called. Their slavery did not keep them or prevent them from becoming Christians, and they become Christians. 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:34.000 And what are they to do now that they're slaves or bondservants? 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:38.000 Maybe they sold themselves into slavery because of debt. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:58.000 But whatever the case was they found themselves in, Paul says, "Don't make it your chief objective in life to get out of that." Now, we're in a day and age where that would be the whole focus of the church to change the social fabric of society and get rid of all the injustices. 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:01.000 Let's make that the great effort. 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:09.000 But that's not seems to be the great effort for those who are in slavery to be focused on. 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:27.000 You say, "But Pastor Jeff, you don't know how bad my life is."[Silence] Lord, the Lord knows. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:31.000 The Lord knows. 00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:35.000 In fact, He's the one who put you in that position. 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:38.000 He called you in that position. 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:40.000 Now, we do see a caveat here. 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.000 It is in the ESV. It's in parentheses, and I think it's for a reason. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:53.000 It says, "If you can avail yourself to freedom, if that comes along, obviously take it." Don't just remain a slave to be a slave. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:57.000 There's nothing righteous or holy to be a slave. That's not good. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:01.000 So if you can free yourself from that, of course do that. 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:03.000 But that's not your chief objective. 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:05.000 Your chief objective is to be a slave of Christ. 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.000 Your chief objective is to serve the Lord in whatever condition you're in. 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:11.000 And that can be applied to marriage. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:13.000 You're single. I want to be married. I want to be married. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:19.000 Hey, if the right lady comes around, avail yourself to it. 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:26.000 The right guy comes around, you know, take advantage of that provision of the Lord. 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:30.000 But don't make an idol out of marriage. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:37.000 And that's the point. Don't make an idol after changing your circumstances. 00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:44.000 That's not what is chief important to God, nor should it be chief important to you. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:50.000 You see, our principle calling is serving Christ in our earthly calling. 00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:58.000 He goes on to talk about those who are slaves and those who are not slaves. 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:02.000 He says they're all equal. Look at verse 22. 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:17.000 "For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's free man, likewise he who is called while free is Christ's late." Basically, if you're rich or you're poor, whatever status you are, at the foot of the cross we're all equal. 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:20.000 We're all equal. It doesn't matter. 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:23.000 And let me put it another way. 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:33.000 For just a few years down here, just for a short time, there's a little difference between us. 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:37.000 I mean, we get to heaven. 00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:40.000 There's no rich or poor. 00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.000 There's no class separations. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:47.000 There's no Jew or Gentile. 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:52.000 I mean, there's nothing to envy. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:57.000 There's nothing to go, "I have to get out of this social class into the next class. 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:00.000 I'm too good for this class. 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:03.000 It's not fair that I'm down here, struggling. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:05.000 What is it? 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:20.000 Nothing." And it goes on to say in verse 23,"Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's late." You've been bought with a price, do not become slaves of men. 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:26.000 You see, he's telling us, "Hey, if you can get your freedom, get it, and if you are free, don't go into slavery. 00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:32.000 Of course, don't do that." But regardless, we're all slaves of Christ. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:35.000 We're all bondservants of the Lord. 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.000 That's our chief objective. 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:41.000 And so it comes to the conclusion of verse 24. 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:44.000 This is kind of the whole point of this section. 00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:51.000 "So brothers of whatever condition each were called, there let him remain with God." You remain with God. 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:52.000 You serve God. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:57.000 You love the Lord God in whatever condition that you've been called into. 00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:58.000 Serve the Lord. 00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:03.000 Be content with your allotment. 00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:18.000 You see, this passage shows the doctrinal balance between God's sovereignty over man's assignment in life and man's responsibility to submit to that allotment and when available, improve upon it. 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:27.000 This passage may have some bearing on how we should view our role as Christians in society and politics as well. 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:34.000 Yes, as a secondary objective, let's do what we can to improve our society. 00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:39.000 Not an advocate of isolation and running off the grid? 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:43.000 We should be proactive and have a voice in the public square. 00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:47.000 Do what we can for the good of our fellow man. 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:49.000 Amen. 00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:53.000 But that's a secondary objective. 00:36:53.000 --> 00:37:01.000 And we don't have to have our country improve to serve the Lord. 00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:06.000 You don't have to have a better family to serve the Lord. 00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:09.000 You don't have to have a believing spouse to serve the Lord. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:12.000 You don't even have to have a spouse to serve the Lord. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:15.000 You don't have to be a missionary, pastor. 00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:18.000 Nothing has to change for you to serve the Lord. 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:22.000 You see, it reminds me of the Apostle Paul. 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:25.000 He was in prison. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:32.000 And by the way, this is what we need to hear if we're in pastoral ministry, especially if we love to preach. 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:34.000 I love what Martin Lord Jones said about preaching. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:35.000 He retired early. 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:45.000 And I said, "Why are you retiring so early?" He says, "Because I haven't made preaching in the idol to myself." My idol is God. 00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.000 What I live for is the Lord not preaching. 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:56.000 And here the Apostle Paul is taking out of service, put into a prison for two years. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:59.000 And other people use that opportunity to advance themselves. 00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:00.000 But Paul says, "I'm good. 00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:01.000 I'm good with that. 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:07.000 As long as Christ is being preached, I don't care the motive because it's not about me doing the preaching. 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:14.000 My job is to serve the Lord." He says, "Though I don't know I'm going to live or die." He's waiting the death penalty in court cases and processes. 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:20.000 He doesn't know if he's going to get out or if he's going to die in prison. 00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:25.000 But he says, "I don't necessarily worry about it. 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:27.000 I kind of prefer to get out because I can serve you. 00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:34.000 But if I depart, that'll be better, even far better, because I'll be with the Lord." Therefore, he says, "I rejoice. 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:37.000 I rejoice in whatever the circumstances are. 00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:39.000 I rejoice if I live. 00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:43.000 I rejoice if I die because my life is not for living down here. 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:44.000 My life is Christ. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:50.000 As long as I live for Christ, then I can give God glory in all this life down here. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:57.000 And as long as your life is for the glory of God, you can be content with your circumstances down here. 00:38:57.000 --> 00:39:05.000 It's when you're not living for the glory of God that you become discontent with your allotment. 00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:12.000 You see, your allotment is placed there by God for you to give God glory in that allotment. 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:15.000 This life is going to be over shortly. 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.000 Don't preoccupy yourself down here below. 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:27.000 Preoccupy yourself by doing all things well here below for the glory of God.