Serving the Lord: Married or Single - 1 Cor. 7:32-35

Introduction – One thing that is not complicated to see is that both married and unmarried people are at the same level in the church. I. How Should We Understand the Term without Care in v. 32? A. The difficulty comes from the use of the word care in 32, 33, 34. B. Paul is once again speaking about the "if onlys." C. In describing the anxieties of each state, Paul does give us directions on how we are to serve the Lord as married people and as single people. II. Serving the Lord as Married People, 33, 34b. A. Notice that Paul has the same standard for men and women. B. Notice also that in marriage there will always be a tension between serving the Lord outside of the family and serving the Lord in the family. C. Notice that the passage says nothing about kids! D. Notice also that once married, a person cannot and should not have the same focus as before. III. Serving the Lord as Single People, 32, 34a. A. Notice again that the standards are the same for the single man and the single woman. B. Notice also that both in marriage and in singleness, the focus of life is not self, but others. C. Single life is to be lived in the service of the Lord. D. If you think God calls you to get married, single life is also a time to prepare yourself for marriage. IV. Whatever Way, Doing It God's Way Brings Freedom and Focus, 35. A. It seems like that at least some of the Corinthian Christians were too focused (anxious) on whether they were single or married. B. If we have the right perspective on marriage and singleness, neither state will be a leash for us. C. Rather, the right perspective allows us to serve the Lord in whatever state we are in without distraction. Conclusion Whatever state you are in, married or single, you can serve the Lord in it. http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2013/04/serving-lord-married-or-single-1-cor.html

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