Are You Content in Your Calling?
I
Corinthians 7:17-24
Introduction: Complacency in the Christian life is not a good
thing. Contentment is a good thing. What is the difference? Many twelve step programs like AA make use of
an adaptation from a poem by Reinhold Niebuhr known as the “serenity prayer,”
God, grant me the serenity to accept
the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I
can,
And the wisdom to know the
difference.
I think that expresses the difference between complacency
and contentment. We see Paul express his longing to know Jesus better, to be
closer to Him, in Philippians 3:7-14,
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the
sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I
count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count
them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having
a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- 10 that I may know him and the
power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in
his death, 11 that by any
means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already
obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because
Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul is not coasting, he is not “satisfied” in his
Christian Life, he is “pressing ahead.” That is a healthy discontent, the
opposite of complacency. Complacency is
perhaps a “laziness” about our situation in life, settling for the status quo. That is not biblical
contentment. A little later in Philippians Paul expresses his genuine “contentment”
in Christ,
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I
have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low,
and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the
secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him
who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).
Wanting more of Jesus, longing to be closer to Him,
looking forward to Home, but at the same time content to trust Him in every
circumstance, in every situation of life. That isn’t contradiction, it is the perspective
of a pilgrim.
Since we have been away from I
Corinthians for a week let’s refresh in our minds the context. Paul has been talking about marriage in I
Corinthians 7, answering some questions that the Corinthians had sent him in
writing (see 7:1). In between answering their questions on marriage in vv.1-16,
and his return to that subject in vv.25-40, Paul sets forth a general principle
on the Christian life and mission in our passage today. It applies to our marital status (some of the
Corinthians were single, some were married, some were widows or widowers, some
may have been divorced) but also has a much broader application to our “calling,”
our situation in life, be it our life, our work, or our ministry. We are where
we are and what we are by God’s design. Whatever He has for us in the future we
need to be “all in” where He has placed us in the present. The fact is…
The Big Idea:
We know our destination, but we don’t know the path that God will lead us on through
life. The Christian Life is a walk, a step at a time, and we need to be present
and engaged in His mission where we are right now!
I. The Principle: We are called to serve, so be Content and Serve God where
you are (17).
“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.”
First
of all notice the phrase at the end of the verse, “This is my rule in all the churches.” The principle that Paul was
setting forth here was not unique to the Corinthians. It was not an ad hoc policy that he was devising to
deal with a difficult church. It was a
principle that Paul taught in “all the churches,” one that should guide us
as believers.
A
recognition of God’s sovereignty in putting us exactly where we are: “…let each
person lead the life that the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has
called Him…” These parallel statements reflect an acknowledgement of the
sovereignty of God over all of life. I
like the ESV translation here, “The Lord
has assigned him…” We are “on assignment” for God, have you thought about
that? The New American Standard Bible
follows the word order of the Greek pretty closely,
“Only,
as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner
let him walk.”
As the
Lord has assigned to each one… You might think,
well, you are from away, maybe you are “on assignment,” but I was born here! God has brought
together this Motley Crew, “each one,” that is, every one of us! Every one of us is here by design. Every one of us has a part in His mission.
The next phrase reinforces the idea, “…as
God has called each…” This idea of “calling” has a couple of nuances to
it as we’ll see going through this passage. We often think of it as referring
to vocational ministry, “she was called
to the mission field” or “he was
called to be a pastor.” That is certainly valid. Paul uses it that way at
the beginning of this book, in I Corinthians 1:1 when he says, “Paul, called to be an apostle by the
will of God…” But here it is also used more broadly of God “calling” each
one of us, meeting us where we are and bringing us into his family. So he urges
the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:1 to “…walk
in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” This is similar language to what Paul
says here in I Corinthians 7. As we continue through this letter we’ll see how
essential it is to be a part of a local church and to be engaged, using our
gifts for the edification of the body so that together we’ll be stronger and
more effective in carrying out His mission.
“…in this manner let him walk…”
The idea seems to be that where we are and what we are and who we are, every
aspect of our life, was planned by God. We have come from our various
backgrounds and histories, and God has brought us together in this church family.
Paul says elsewhere that He knew you before the foundation of the earth. We
need to recognize that nothing about our life has caught Him by surprise. He
planned every detail, even this exact moment. When I came to faith I was a part
time college student, and I tried to look at my classes from a Christian perspective
that I was just learning. I worked as a heavy equipment operator, and whether
at the garbage dump, or loading trucks in a pit, or working with a rail gang, I
tried to be a witness where I was, and I saw examples of believers living their
faith in the work place. You are “on assignment”! I like what Henry and Kitty
said about their “winter” church home when they found it. They talked to the
pastor about joining and he said, “Great, what are you going to do as a part of
our church?” We are here by design, every one of us. If you were at our annual
church meeting you know we are exploring the question of hiring another staff
person as an “outreach director.” That may or may not be God’s will for us.
What is certain, whether or not we hire someone, the most important aspect of
our outreach ministry is already here. Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians 4:11-15,
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body
of Christ, 13 until we all
attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be
children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…
We may decide to hire someone to
equip us and lead us in outreach, but we need to recognize that we are not
hiring someone to “do” it for us. That
is every one of us. God has placed you where you are. There are people in your
family, in your neighborhood, in your workplace that need to know Him. You are “on
assignment” already! We don’t know the path that God will lead us on in the
future, but we need to be present and engaged in His mission where we are right
now!
II. The Practice: Let each of us recognize God’s hand in calling us to
our “situation in life,” and serve Him faithfully (18-20). Be who you
are and what you are and where you are, and be faithful.
18 Was
anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove
the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised?
Let him not seek circumcision. 19
For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping
the commandments of God. 20
Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.
Paul uses as his first illustration the sign and symbol of the Jews,
their male children were to be circumcised, and that “sign” set them apart from
the nations around them. Though there
were cases of people literally undergoing the surgery in converting to Judaism,
or even some undergoing a painful procedure to try to reverse it, that doesn’t
seem to be Paul’s point here. He is saying be what you are. Are you
Jewish? Great, don’t try to hide it, embrace it! Are you Greek? Don’t try to
pretend you are a Jew! We should be who we are and what we are and where we
are, recognizing that God has placed us here, it’s not by chance, we are on “assignment”
for Him!
Our “condition” or our situation is what it is, what matters is “…keeping the commandments of God…” Is
this a contradiction? Did Paul forget
that the Old Testament commanded the circumcision of Jewish male children? Of
course not. Paul isn’t talking about keep the ceremonial aspects of the Law
here. The point is the spirit of the Law that starts with loving God (see last
week’s message) and loving our neighbor. Jesus summarized the heart of it when He told
the young lawyer, “Love God… love your neighbor…” The most loving thing we can do is to share
the Gospel with those in our sphere of influence, and urge them to be
reconciled to God. It starts right where
we are.
“…Each one should remain in the condition in
which he was called…”
Literally, we understand that our
ethnicity or our race has nothing to do with being called. Jesus is not calling
us to change who we are, but to be his disciple where we are! More
generally, where we live, the work we are doing, our general situation in life
is known to God. In fact He planned it! He is calling us in it, not necessarily from it. Sometimes, like the first
disciples who left their nets and followed Him, God calls us into vocational
ministry. Normally, he calls us to be
faithful right where we are, since “where we are” is not by mere chance. God is
sovereign, He has guided our story, each and every one of us, and he saved us
on purpose, for a purpose. As we
recognize that, we’ll be motivated to “walk with Him,” and to the disciple, and
disciple maker, He wants us to be. We
don’t know the path that God will lead us on in the future, but we need to be
present and engaged in His mission where we are right now!
III. The Promise: Wherever we
are and whatever our calling, we are God’s, He has a plan, and He will be with
us (21-24).
21Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned
about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the
opportunity. 22 For he who
was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who
was free when called is a slave of Christ.
23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of
men. 24 So, brothers, in
whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
Here Paul
transitions from something that we are not to try to change (like circumcision)
to situations that we can try to change if we are able. To those who were
slaves and came to faith in Christ he says “…if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity…” Slavery
was a moral evil, and if a believer was able to gain his freedom, probably by
saving and “buying” it, he was free to do it if he had the opportunity, “avail yourself of the opportunity.” An example of this was Onesimus, the slave of
Philemon, the wealthy believer to whom Paul wrote the little letter of the same
name. Onesimus had apparently run away
from his master and somehow had come in contact with Paul in Rome. There, he got saved! And Paul, with a letter
that is now part of our New Testament in hand, sent Onesimus back to Philemon.
He said if he owed him anything, to charge it to Paul’s account, and two receive
him back as a brother.
The
question of our servitude or freedom pales in comparison to our new position in
Christ: We were “…bought with a price…”,
i.e. with the blood of Jesus, so we are free! Jesus said, “If the Son therefore should make you free, you are free indeed!” We
may look like slaves to the world, but in reality, we are “children of the
King!” We are his! John’s words in his
first letter come to mind, “Behold what
manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the
children of God, and such we are!” (I John 3:1).
“So brothers, in whatever calling
each was called, there let him remain with God…” Be content, trusting in
God’s providence, acknowledging his sovereignty over the circumstances of your
life, “abide,” be all in, present in the moment, recognizing His presence and
seeking to be faithful in the opportunities He opens before you, right here,
right now. It’s not about “some day”
when I have more time, or “I’ve done my part, let the younger people do it…” It
is about each one of us asking, seeking, “Lord what are my spiritual gifts?”
How can I use my gifts for the building up of the body? What is my mission
field? How can I be a witness for you?
What is God
saying to me in this passage? That
“serenity prayer” of Reinhold Niebuhr in
an earlier form made reference to Jesus, and to the grace of God…
God, give me grace
to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change
the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to
distinguish the one from the other.
Living one day at a
time,
Enjoying one moment
at a time,
Accepting hardship
as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus
did,
This sinful world
as it is,
Not as I would have
it,
Trusting that You
will make all things right,
If I surrender to
Your will,
So that I may be [truly]* happy in
this life,
And supremely happy with You forever
in the next. Amen.
It sounds like the author is recognizing God’s
sovereignty over history, and over his personal story. The truth is, we don’t
know the path that God will lead us on in the future, but He does know,
every detail. And so we can trust Him. We need to be present and engaged in His
mission where we are right now!
What
would God have me to do in response to this passage? Have you ever thought about your situation in life as
a divine appointment? It may have caught you by surprise, but God was not
surprised by any of it! Sometimes we can get so focused on the future, on what
we will do then, that we lose sight of
the opportunities right in front of us. God has called every one of us who know
Him. You are on assignment for the Lord. As one of our missionaries
said, “You are God’s undercover missionaries.” Will you be bold in reaching out
to those in your sphere of influence, praying specifically and persistently,
perhaps leaving a tract, or giving a Bible to a neighbor? Maybe even sharing a testimony,
letting them know that God is real, and that He has changed your life? Our mission is “to know God and to make Him
known.” Is that your personal mission as well?
Think about that, AMEN.
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