The Unmarried and the Widowed
Other Resources:
Keeping God's Commandments - 1 Corinthians 7
Series: God-Honoring Relationships: Encouragement from 1 Corinthians
Title: Not Your Own – Focused
Singleness
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Opening Thoughts:
v Rarely have sermons on “being
single”
o Not second-class citizens.
Text: 1
Corinthians 7:8, 25-38
8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to
stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But
if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to
marry than to burn with passion.
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the
Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is
trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is
good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you
pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a
commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you
do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not
sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to
spare you this.
29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is
that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if
they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not;
those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it
were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of
the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is
passing away.
32 I would like you to be free from
concern. An unmarried man
is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is
concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An
unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to
be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is
concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not
to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in
undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone is worried that he might
not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions
are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants.
He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled
the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his
own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also
does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the
virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
Summarize the main theme/story: Describe the events of the story
in your own words.
·
Review and retell
the story.
Reflections for applications:
v 1 Corinthians 7:8, 25-31
o Your calling is not to find
your soul mate and settle down; it is to find God and pursue Him.
v 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
o You can honor God in marriage, but
you don’t need to be married to honor God.
v 1 Corinthians 7:36-38
o Myth #1 – “I need marriage to be
complete”
o Myth #2 – “My current relational situation
is my status.”
o Be faithful to God wherever you
are.
Digging Questions:
·
How
are your relationships?
·
What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·
What is God calling us to do?
Take Away Challenges
·
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will
you apply it to your life this week?
·
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What
beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hashtags #Singles #Unmarried #Widows
Sunday sermon link https://youtu.be/oOQzj4Lpgq0
Comments about some details:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+7%3A8%2C+25-38&version=NIV
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