Maintaining one’s commitment to God while executing our duties to a household can be a tough balancing act for a Christian. While all who believe in Jesus will have difficulties navigating this life (Jn 16:33), there is a distinction in the type of daily challenges and how they managed depending on your marital status.

Paul wraps up to his teachings on marriage to the Corinthian congregation. He offers more in-depth instructions how both married and unmarried can sustain their devotion to God, but at the same time, be on guard against divided affections based on our relation obligations to others.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-40

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Marriage can only be fruitful when it lived out the way God prescribes in his Scriptures. In the first two parts of this sermon series, Paul dedicated his teaching to the topics of marital conjugal rights, single people, divorced, and mixed marriage (i.e., a believer with an unbelieving spouse). He now continues his teaching on marriage by diving into the following areas:

· Engagement (betrothed) as relates to marriage and wedding vows.

· What are realistic expectations for a married couple in dealing with the troubles of this life in how it impacts marriage and service unto God.

Paul provides an eternal perspective on how to live for God regardless of one’s marital status.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31

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All Christians are called out of the world from various places of life. As believers we are in the world, but not of the world. Because of Jesus, our citizenship is in heaven, not of the earth. Paul takes a brief pause in his teaching in Biblical principles of marriage to stress this truth: Whatever socio-geo-economic status that a Christian finds themselves, we are called to live honorably according to Christ character before God in that very place.

This insert within Paul’s discourse on marriage is not random nor out of place. It will begin to lay foundation for more in-depth instructions for single, widowed, and Christians married to unbelievers found in the final passages (v25-39) of this chapter.

Paul uses the illustrations of circumcision & uncircumcision; and slave & freedman to help us understand the importance of living a life for God where he assigned us to his Glory.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

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The institution of marriage was established by God at the beginning of creation (Gen 2:18-25). He created man in his very image and likeness. From that, he then formed both man and woman and placed them in the earth for the following purposes:

• To serve and glorify God with their lives (Ecc 12:13).
• To procreate and populate the earth (Gen 1:28).

In part 1 of this sermon series, Paul had to address an unbiblical view of celibacy that was being propagated in the church, thus a fundamentalist group within their congregation mandated, “all sexual relations should be avoided.” He offered corrective instructions on God’s purpose for marriage and the importance of mutual submission between husband and wife in the matters of sexual relations. In Part 2, he now turns his attention to those who are unmarried (i.e., single folk and widows) and those married to unbelievers.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:8-16

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The institution of marriage was established by God at the beginning of creation (Gen 2:18-25). He created man in his very image and likeness. He formed both man and woman and placed them in the earth for the following purposes:

· To serve and glorify God with their lives (Ecc 12:13).

· To procreate and populate the earth (Gen 1:28).

To be clear, he only created two genders: male and female. He made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, nor Pamela and Eve. He created marriage solely for a man and woman who would become one with each other and God. Jesus reinforced this truth before the religious elites, (Mt 19:5-6), “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made the male and female, (5) and said, ‘Therefore man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’ (6) So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” These are Biblical truths and foundational for marriage. God remains unchanged in his Word regardless of the cultural trends of man’s society that is shaped by sinful men with debased minds that are hostile to God and his Word.

These fundamental tenets set the stage for exploration of Paul’s instructions on marriage in this sermon series where he will address issues of marriage, separation, virginity, and celibacy. Such teaching to the Corinthians on this subject is timely, as it appears they have yielded to the culture of their day and embraced moral laxity.

Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:1-7
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Worldliness gets its power from lies we believe about God and his Word. It is by self-deception we are led into all sorts of sins that stunts our spiritual growth and ruins our witness to the world. This is the church culture of Corinthian saints. They had adopted a righteousness shaped by human wisdom by becoming “spiritual people” instead of “holy people” in Jesus Christ. They had become dualistic in their view of body and soul. In other words, they embraced the Greek philosophy that promoted a doctrine that asserted that what we do in our body is immaterial (i.e., of no eternal or spiritual consequence), but all that matters is the soul. Paul sets the record straight in his corrective teaching against sexual immorality being practice within their congregation, by reminding them of their union with God and our ownership (body and soul) by Christ.

Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:15-20
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Jesus’ resurrection was a foretaste of heaven’s blessings promised to all believers in the new creation to come. It is a divine act by which demonstrated His prophesied victory over death and vindication as the Son of God (Rom 1:4). Further, one of the foundations of our faith in Christianity (as to the certainty of Jesus resurrection) rest on these words proclaimed from the angels from heaven, “He is not here, but has risen.”

In this episode we will survey the events that occurred on that glorious third morning. Additionally, we shall explore the significance of the resurrection as it relates to our great salvation.

Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-14
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Jesus’ resurrection was a foretaste of heaven’s blessings promised to all believers in the new creation to come. It is a divine act by which demonstrated His prophesied victory over death and vindication as the Son of God (Rom 1:4). Further, one of the foundations of our faith in Christianity (as to the certainty of Jesus resurrection) rest on these words proclaimed from the angels from heaven, “He is not here, but has risen.”

In this episode we will survey the events that occurred on that glorious third morning. Additionally, we shall explore the significance of the resurrection as it relates to our great salvation.

Focus Scripture: Luke 24:1-12
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