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Here we are at Day 5 already of 1 Corinthians chapter 7, one of my favorite
chapters in all of 1 Corinthians. There's a lot of favorite chapters as we go on
from this point. We're going to look at verses 25 to 40 today.

A good section of Scripture, but I love this section of Scripture because it
answers the question that so many of us are asking. What do you do? What do you
do when God's will has options?

Who should I marry? When should I marry? Which job should I take?

Where should I live? What do I do in that case? How do I decide which job?

How do I decide where to live? How do I decide who and when to marry? Paul
answers this question around the subject of marriage, but it applies to all
those other areas of life.

I just want to walk through this briefly. The five things that Paul gives us to
do when we're deciding what's God's will when there are seeming options. Number
one, Paul says to this, and he's answering the question for them, "Should I get
married?

" but it applies to everything else. The first thing you do is you decide to be
aware of God's timing. Be aware of God's timing as you make the decision.

Paul writes to those who are not married, it says in verse 25, now about
virgins, talking to those who have not yet been married, "I have no command from
the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
Because of the present crisis, I think it's good for you to remain as you are.
Are you married?

Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.

But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not
sinned. " As Paul walks through these verses, he reminds us that sometimes we
live by command and other times we live by our judgment based on God's word.

We talked about this yesterday. If God has a clear command about it, then that's
what you do. But here they had to make a judgment call, "Should I get married or
not?

" And Paul points to God's timing, the timing of the circumstances that they're
in. And he says, "In view of the present distress. " Now what was that present
distress?

We're not entirely sure. It probably revolved around the circumstances of a
persecution that they were facing in the Corinthian church. And Paul says, "So
because of what you're facing now, this is probably not the right time to get
married.

This is not a good time to get married. " He says, "If you decide to get
married, it's not wrong. But as you're trying to discern God's will, it's not
really a matter of right or wrong in this moment.

It's really a matter of what's God's timing. " A very important point of
deciding God's will in those places where you have options is, just because it's
God's will for you does not mean it's God's time for you. It may be God's will
for you to move someday.

It doesn't mean it's today. It might be a year from now. It might be 10 years
from now.

I don't know. God may show you something very early sometimes. It might be God's
will for you to get married to the person you're dating right now.

But it may not be today or tomorrow. It may need another year or two for you to
grow together in relationship. So just because it's God's will for you to get
married doesn't mean it's God's time.

There's a difference between God's will and God's timing. So be aware of God's
timing as you're making these kinds of decisions. Number two, Paul says be aware
of the problems as you're making these kinds of decisions.

Verse 28, the last half through verse 34, "But those who marry will face many
troubles in this life, and I want to spare you all this. What I mean, brothers,
is that the time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as if
they had none, 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, those
who use the things of the world as if not engrossed in For this world in its
present form is passing away.

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. But a married man is concerned
about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife.

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. Now as Paul writes about this, let's start where he began.
He said there's going to be problems in a marriage.

As you're making decisions about whether or not to get married, where to live,
where not to live, what job to have, what job not to have, first thing you tell
yourself is whatever decision I make, there's going to be problems. If you get
married, there's going to be problems. If you stay single, there's going to be
problems.

If you move to Kansas City, there's going to be problems. If you stay where
you're living now, there's going to be problems. There's no such thing as a
problem-free circumstance in life.

Now Paul reminds us of the difference between this world and the next in verses
29 to 31. These strange verses about mourn, act as if you're not, happy, act as
if you're not. What is he talking about here?

He's saying you look past the problems of this world to the promise of eternity.
That's what we're living for. And in the practicality of this, what he's saying
is you never get married to escape your problems.

You never move to escape your problems. If you do that, you're just going to run
into more problems. In fact, you tend to run into the same problems because the
problems revolve around you and who you are.

Paul reminds those in Corinth that when you get married, you get a whole new set
of concerns. And especially in view of the persecution that the church was
facing, especially in view of what was happening in that day, Paul is saying
those concerns are even heightened. Now over in Ephesians, Paul has a very high
view of marriage and he talks about the fact that in marriage we're showing the
world what the love of Christ is really like.

So he does not at all believe that we should never get married. But in view of
this present distress, he's saying to them it may not be the best idea. The
problems may be more than you could even realize.

But whatever the situation, even if you're living in a perfect place, as you
decide to get married or you decide to move or you decide to get a new job, one
of the questions you ask yourself is am I ready for the problems as well as the
joys? If you're telling yourself it's all going to be perfect, then you're lying
to yourself. If you're making a decision just to escape your problems, you're
fooling yourself.

There's going to be problems wherever you go. Now all of us can see it in like a
high school boy who when he gets out of high school tries to escape the
authority of his parents by joining the army. We can all see it then, but we
can't see it in ourselves.

The truth is many, many people face the same two to five year cycle of problems
over and over and over again in their lives. So maybe this time you should not
move. Maybe this time you don't need a different job.

You need to stay and work through and grow if at all possible. And certainly
this time you don't want to leave that marriage again. You want to stay and you
want to work through and you want to grow.

As Paul writes about this, the practical advice is you've got to be aware of
God's timing. You've got to be aware that problems are a part of any decision.
Number three, and this is the core of it, he says in all of it you have to be
aware of life's goal.

What is God's goal in our lives? Verses 35 to 36, "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. If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward a virgin
he is engaged to, and she's getting along in years, and he feels he ought to
marry, he should do as he wants.

He's not sinning. They should get married. " And Paul is saying here it's okay
to get married in many cases, but in saying that he goes to life's goal.

Life's goal he says is undivided, undistracted devotion to the Lord. So in the
case of marriage you ask yourself can I better serve the Lord single or married?
Can I better grow closer to Jesus single or married?

I found for most people the answer to that is going to be married. Not for
everyone, certainly not for Paul, but for most people that's going to be the
answer. I just found that in talking to people.

This next one I don't know the answer, but could I better serve the Lord in San
Francisco or Orlando? If you have to make a decision about what city you're
going to live in you have to decide which place could I better serve him. Now
you might think just as well in either place.

Well then make either choice. But if you have a strong sense I could better
serve Christ, I could better grow in Christ in Orlando, then that always has to
tip the scales. Even if you're being offered more money, a better position
somewhere else, that's not life's greatest goal.

It's okay to make more money. It's great if you can make more money, it's just
not the most important goal in life. So you always let the most important goal
tip the scales.

Paul says here God is not working to restrict us as he guides us, he is working
to get us to a place where we can live in undivided, undistracted devotion to
him. So that's life's goal and that's what you always work for. You're never
going to totally reach that goal in this world by the way, but you always live
towards that goal.

Fourth principle that Paul gives us here about how to make decisions when
there's not a verse about it in the Bible is be aware of what's influencing you.
Be aware of what's influencing you. Verses 37 to 38, "But the man who has
settled this manor in his own mind and he was under no compulsion, but has
control over his own will, who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin,
that man does the right thing.

So then he who marries the virgin does right and he who does not marry her does
even better. " Paul says in these verses, "As you settle the matter in your
mind, be sure that you're looking at your compulsions, who's not under
compulsion. " Sometimes another person puts you under compulsion.

You're doing it because of what they might think or what they're trying to force
you to do. But more often than that even, you face your own inner compulsions.
You get the offer of a new job and as silly as this may sound, it influences us.

They show you your new office and you look at how big that office is, what that
office looks like and you think, "If I had that office, I would feel more
important. If I had that office, my dad would think I'm more important. " And so
you take the office and not the job and then you suffer in the job.

Be aware of your own compulsions. The scripture is saying you work through it.
We all have compulsions.

We all have selfishness in our lives. You can't get rid of that, but you can
face it. You can get control over your own will.

That's what Paul says here. You just talk to the Lord about it. You say, "Lord,
I like the look of that office, but more than anything, I want to be where I can
best serve you and grow in you.

" So if that's some kind of temptation, let me know. Let me see that. Make it
clear to me.

As you're honest about your compulsions before the Lord, He'll reveal to you
whether that compulsion is driving you or it's His direction that's driving you.
There's one final thing, a fifth thing that Paul talks about here. You've got to
also be aware of, and that is be aware of the judgment of others, the opinions
and the wisdom of others.

Verses 39 and 40. "A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if
her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to
the Lord. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is, and I think
that I too have the Spirit of God.

" Paul writes here and he says, "The truth is, you're free to remarry if your
husband or your wife dies. " The scriptures are very clear here. Now, they must
be a believer, of course, he says.

This is one of the clearest verses that says believers should always marry
believers. But Paul goes on to say, "The truth that you can get married again,
does that mean you should get married again? " And Paul's advice in their
current circumstances, he says at the beginning of this, "In view of the present
circumstances.

" So this isn't necessarily advice for every circumstance. But in view of their
circumstances, he says, "No, I don't think you should get married. " And Paul
says, "I think I'm listening to God's Spirit.

" As you make decisions, you need to find people like that. It is good to listen
to the judgment of others as we judge, as we decide. You look for someone who is
seeking to listen to God's Spirit in their life.

At the beginning of this passage, Paul says, "I think I'm trustworthy. " You
look for someone who's been trustworthy in their marriage as you make a decision
about a marriage. You look for someone who's been trustworthy in their business
life as you make a decision about your business life.

You look for someone who's been trustworthy in when they've moved and how
they've moved as you make a decision about moving. That's one of the ways that
God directs you. Now you may be facing a decision right now, or you may know
someone who is.

As we end this day, I'd like just to pray through these things we've talked
about in regard to the decision that you're facing. So right now, just in
prayer, just say, "Jesus, here it is, the decision, whether to marry, where I'm
going to live, what job I'm going to have, whatever else it is, Lord, here it
is. God, help me.

Help me to get your wisdom on this by being aware of your timing. Help me to see
your timing and not mine. I don't want to be ahead of you or behind you.

God, help me to be honest about the problems in this decision, either decision
that I make, not to fool myself into thinking there's some perfect decision with
no problems. Lord, more than anything, help me to be aware of life's goal, that
you want me to live in devotion and love towards you. Whatever decision I make,
I want it to be a decision that helps me to love you more.

God, help me to be aware of my own compulsions, to be honest with you about them
so that they don't drive me, but instead I grow even through facing them. And
Lord, help me to listen to other people's wise judgment, those that have been
trustworthy, those that have your spirit. I ask for your wisdom for this
decision, Jesus, in your name, amen.

" Next week, chapter 8, another of my favorite chapters in 1 Corinthians.
Chapter 8 tells us that life is more than what you know. Life is how you love.