BBC Sermon Cast

Last Saturday, the terrorist group, Hamas, unleashed horrible violence on Israel, sparking a new war in that region, which has, to date, killed thousands of people and injured thousands more. With the outbreak of this war has come a huge wave of prophecy pundits, wresting many Scriptures from their context, including the command to pray for peace from Psalm 122. How should Christians be thinking, and praying about this horrific war? Psalm 122 provides an answer.

Having spent several weeks studying 1 Corinthians 7 it is clear that the subject matter is very important, but it might also seem to be very complicated. Well, while at first glance (and even after several glances!), the issue appears complicated, Paul removes all complications as he concludes his instructions in vv. 39–40. Let’s listen to Paul’s:

1. inspired instructions (v. 39) and

2. inspired intentions (v. 40)

In Psalm 119:136, we see the heart of someone who loves the word of God because he loves the God of the word. In this verse, which quite literally sobs with a heart for God, we are given a metric to examine our own love for God and his truth. May this metric be the means to fill our eyes with tears over those things that truly matter.

The New Testament tells us that the Christian life is a race, and the author to the Hebrews exhorts us to fight for endurance in the race. In 12:1–2, the writer shows us three ways in which we can fight for endurance in the race of faith.

1. Fight for endurance in the race

a. Remind yourself of the crowd

b. Lay aside the hindrances

c. Look to Jesus

God forgives sinners innumerable sins. Such gracious forgiveness should transform the forgiven person to also be a forgiving person. To fail to forgive another brother while claiming to enjoy the forgiveness of God is nothing short of hypocrisy and a cancer to the body of Christ.

To marry, or not to marry? That is the question Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 7:25–38. Even more importantly, he addresses devotion to the Lord. His concern about undivided devotion to Jesus Christ is directly related to the question of marriage and singleness. We need to hear the apostolic marriage counselling that he provides. We consider this text under four broad headings:

1. Listen to Pastoral Concerns (v. 25)

2. Consider Your Present Circumstances (vv. 26–31)

3. Remember Your Primary Calling (vv. 32–35)

4. Seek Your Parent’s Consent (vv. 36–38)

Paul wrote to the Ephesian church to remind them of the grace of God that had been extended to them in Jesus Christ. This grace that they had received (and that we as believers have received) required of them (and requires of each of us) to walk worthy of our calling in Christ. God has given us his Spirit to enable us and empower us as image-bearers of his Son. Paul gives us three qualities that we should be looking for in our lives, and in each others’ lives, as evidence that the Spirit is at work in us.

1. Spirit-filled Singing

2. Spirit-filled Thanksgiving

3. Spirit-filled Submission

It is obvious to all that life is filled with pain and suffering. The effects of the fall and the natural energy we must expend to minister in the church take their toll. But how is it that someone like Paul could rejoice in his sufferings? That almost seems paradoxical. Colossians 1:24–2:5 explains that, if we are to rejoice in our suffering, we must remember two reasons for suffering. Our suffering is for the church and for Christ.

When God called us to salvation, he calls us to a life of faithful living under his lordship—regardless of our circumstances. We can say that, when God saves us, he expects us to bloom where we are planted. Paul addresses this in the passage before us this morning. We will flesh this text out this morning as we study it under the following headings:

1. Commanded to Bloom (v. 17)

2. Called to Bloom (vv. 18–23)

3. Content to Bloom (v. 24)

Some in the church at Corinth were minimising the gift of marriage through both hyper-spirituality and scriptural ignorance. Paul wanted to rescue the biblical ordinance of marriage from wrongheaded assessments and from worldly perversions. He therefore aimed to bring the shadow of the cross—the message of the cross—to bear its weighty influence on marriage. We will see this under three main headings:

1. an honourable Christian marriage (vv. 10–11)

2. a holy Christian marriage (vv. 12–14)

3. a hostile Christian marriage (vv. 15–16)