Be Joyful in the Present; 現在就喜樂

2/13/11 sermon by Minister Michael Johnson

Be Joyful in the Present

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Who here is satisfied with life as it is right now? Do you strive for change? Let me ask you this. Have you ever wanted to be someone different? When I was a kid I often wished I were someone else. Someone who was cooler. Who was more confident. I wished I were in the popular crowd. But I wasn’t. In retrospect I feel that desire to be someone else kept me from being confident with myself. I was always striving to be someone else instead of accepting who I was. I did not recognize or value my strengths. I downplayed my abilities to the point where I didn’t believe I had any. In essence I was rejecting how the Lord created me.

I feel this is a quandary for many people, both adults and children. As we navigate life we search for meaning. In this process we sometimes miss what the Lord has blessed us with. Some people even ignore his calling and seek to be something or someone different. It is their perception that life as it is right now is unacceptable, that God has made a mistake with His creation and has failed to guide them. From a Biblical perspective, this line of thinking is false. Accepting the notion that God somehow makes mistakes is downright heresy. God does not make mistakes. Deuteronomy 32:4 tells us, “As for the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. He is a reliable God who is never unjust, he is fair and upright.” Let’s recap that: God is always just. He is always fair. His work is always perfect. In 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, Paul testifies to the perfection of God’s work and His calling in the lives of believers. To make this point I want to break this passage into three points.

The first point is based on 1 Corinthians 7:17-19. I want to reread it a minute. It states, “Nevertheless, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches. Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision. Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God’s commandments is what counts.”

This seems like an odd way for Paul to demonstrate the need for each and every person to live according to God’s calling. Why use circumcision as an example? He might have simply said both Jew and Gentile, who come from different cultural backgrounds, must live according to God’s commandments. In doing so, they are unified in salvation for the purpose of serving Christ. Instead, Paul uses circumcision to make a very specific point. This issue was very sensitive at the time. There were many arguments being made that said circumcision was absolutely required for salvation; therefore, the Gentiles couldn’t possibly be saved. They used Genesis to back their point. In Genesis 17, God promised Abraham a nation and a covenant was made between them. The sign of the covenant was circumcision. It was to serve as an outward sign of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites and the Israelite’s commitment to love and serve God. Being circumcised didn’t mean anything by itself. It is what the circumcision stood for that gave it its significance.

The outward mark we use today to demonstrate God’s faithfulness of salvation and our commitment to love and serve Him is baptism. It is a sign that the person is part of the covenant community of Christ, including the church member’s commitment, if it’s a child, to teach him or her right faith with Christ. So, to recap, salvation brings inward change and we are to express that change in an outward sign. In the Old Testament, that was circumcision; in the New Testament, it’s baptism.

In the passage Paul is telling us not to quarrel over outward signs as a method of marking our salvation. Don’t get me wrong. Baptism is important, but baptism without faith and living life devoted to Christ means nothing. Paul is reminding us that we demonstrate our faith not solely by these outward signs but, more importantly, by obeying the commands of God at all times.

When we seek the guidance of Holy Spirit He will show us how to demonstrate our faith by serving God with our gifts. This is the second point. Found in 1 Corinthians 7:20-22. It reads as follows, “Let each one remain in that situation in life in which he was called. Were you called as a slave? Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able to be free, make the most of the opportunity. For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. In the same way, the one who was called as a free person is Christ’s slave.” When it says that each one is to remain in his or her situation in life it is speaking to the present moment. Our situation can change, but we are not called to worry about the future. We are called to serve God in the present. The word called is important here. God calls us to where we are for a reason. God does not lead us to places we should not be.

Paul is pointing out that even slaves who come to know Christ are called to their situation. While slavery is nothing to be endorsed in modern times, in Biblical times it was a common practice. I am also not saying that Paul ever endorsed slavery. His point is that even a slave could be an example to his master. This made me think of many people who wonder how they can serve the Lord in their job even if they hate it, or if they are living in a country where their jobs are chosen for them and they have no say in doing something else. The unsatisfied person might always be thinking about how to get out of the job instead of praying for how to be a servant in the present. Again, your situation may not be permanent. As the passage states, some of the slaves were made free. This demonstrates that we are not stuck with our current place in life. The Lord has something planned for all of us. It might be to remain in our current place in life or it might be a change. The point is to trust the Lord and take advantage of the opportunities the Lord gives us. Again, the Lord calls us to our place in life. So use your situation in life to the best of your ability.

Drawing upon my work I know I cannot share the healing work of Christ in overt ways. I know I cannot use Scripture to counsel my clients. What I do know is that I can pray for my clients and co-workers. I know I can demonstrate my faith by actions and words. I know I can share my faith when asked. I long for the day I am in full time ministry. I know ministry is my calling because when I have the chance to preach, like today, or to share the message of Christ I get excited. I love to be in this setting. I love to be in the church spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ. But, for the time being, He has also led me to work in a secular setting. If I forget that He is in control, I will miss on the chance to glorify Him in that situation too. I will be so focused on the future that I will miss present opportunities to share my faith in whichever way the Lord gives me. A verse in this passage that gives me hope is verse 7:22. In summary it tells us those that are slaves, or in a place in life that is less than desirable, are the Lord’s freedmen. Also, those who are free, or in their desired place in life is the Lord’s slave. The point is the Lord has everything covered and we are ultimately his servant and nobody else’s. This helps me view each day as a day to serve the Lord.

The final point follows from verse 23. It states, “You were bought with a price, do not become slaves to men.” We are not our own masters, nor are we never given over to the control of anyone else. This point begins with the first half of 7:23 stating, “You were bought with a price.” Everything has a price these days. Rarely does something come our way that is completely free. So, when we buy something we expect that it will operate in a way that pleases us. If I buy a TV I don’t expect that it will display off colors. I expect good picture quality. When someone buys a car or house, a significant amount of money is invested. The buyer expects the car will work the way it is supposed to work and the house won’t fall apart. When we purchase something we expect it to do what it is intended to do.

In the same way the Lord purchased us at a price that is above and beyond any earthly cost. When the Lord offers us salvation he expects we will serve Him with the gifts he has given us. We don’t get to accept salvation and then do anything we want or nothing at all. We are servants of the Lord. In this service we find our freedom. Exodus 15:2 tells us, “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” This verse comes just after the Lord saved the Israelites from slavery at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The Lord had just closed the Red Sea on the Egyptian army while the Israelites walked through on dry land. In response the Israelites worshipped the Lord because He gave them salvation; salvation not only from the hands of the Egyptians, but also eternal salvation.

The Israelites owed their lives to the Lord and they Lord expected they would serve Him. In fact the Lord would give the Israelites His commandments in just a few chapters later in the book of Exodus. The commandments were meant to show the Israelites what the Lord expected from them. While it seems to the world the Israelites may have traded one slavery for another, we see it differently. Romans 6:22 encourages us in this way, “But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.” We go from being servants of the world to being servants of Christ. You tell me which one is better. What the world gives you will fade away and when you die, you can’t take it with you. What Christ gives us, is eternal life, which moth and rust cannot destroy.

To come full circle we end with the “Big Idea” of the passage. Verse 7:24 states, “In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters, let him remain in it with God.” Our Father in Heaven certainly calls us to our situation in life. It may not be what we desire, but it is our present. It is not a mistake. So we are to remain in that situation knowing the Holy Spirit will work through us if we seek Him. This is not to say that we cannot pray the Lord lead us to a situation we long for, but it does mean we need to also seek His will in the present. So the passage ends with great hope. We are to remain in the situation with God. I have argued we are slaves to Christ, but He is not a task master. He is our Savior. He does not rule with a fist, but rules with love. If we make a mistake we do not get fired. We get another chance.

I talked about sanctification in the past and I want to remind people again that God is not keeping a tally of your sin. Sanctification means that we get another chance to seek the Lord instead of remaining in sin. Obviously we do not look at sin lightly. When we sin, we become a slave to that sin. Christ died for us so that we don’t have to be enslaved to it anymore. When you are freed from it, don’t continuously live in the regret of your sin, either. If we can’t accept Christ’s forgiveness, we are telling Him that His forgiveness is not enough. But we know it is enough. It is exactly enough. We have salvation because of Him. We enjoy freedom in Him. In this way we can be joyful in our present situation. No matter what happens we can be joyful.

So I challenge you this week. I challenge you to be joyful in the present. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where joy can be found in your current situation. It might be a reminder of how far He has brought you, of how He has blessed you and provided for you. Pray for Him to open your eyes to see what He is doing in and through you that you weren’t even aware of before. I am not just talking about your job or your work. I am talking about those hopes and those dreams that you have tucked inside your heart. I speak to those who have been in despair, to those who think God has forgotten you, to those that think it’s too late. Those are lies! If you have dedicated your life to God, if He is your Lord and Savior, He delights in you, He has plans for you. He promises us this in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” If you don’t have joy, pray to the Lord and ask Him to make you a joyful servant. When you see and experience this joy give a shout to the Lord. Give Him thanks for His provision in your life. Jesus loves you! He wants to see you joyful in service to Him, trusting Him to forgive you for your yesterday, praising Him for being near you in your present, and hoping in Him to lead you to your future!