1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Bloom where you’re planted ~ your station in life

Open your Bible to…

1Cor. 7:24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

And…

1 Tim. 6:6 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

Pray

Intro

√ Bloom where you’re planted ~ your station in life

Contentment…

Have you ever noticed that women with beautiful silky straight hair wish that they had curls and spend lots of money to add body to their hair…

…and woman with cute curly hair spend hours each morning with a flatiron making their hair straight!

Or, men who can’t grow a beard are always trying to anyway with nothing more to show that what looks like spider legs…

…while guys with tons of facial hair bemoan having to shave twice a day!

Well, just as we learned in our study last week the reality is that most of us are not content in life.

Not with our outward appearance, financial status, the car we drive, or the job we have.

Yet, as Paul wrote to Timothy there is great gain to be found in walking with God in contentment.

Ap. Contentment

So how do we find contentment in life? Simple really, God’s given us two steps to finding and enjoying godliness with contentment.

By discovering our identity in Christ.

Walking in that truth (believing God and living in His truth).

Well here in our text this morning Paul tackles two areas of life that were robbing our brothers and sisters in Corinth of their contentment.

As we study Paul’s inspired counsel to his friends at Corinth we’ll apply those truths to our own lives and look at our identity in Christ so that we can experience contentment in life.

You’ll find on the back of your handout a list of scriptures for your personal study time this week that I hope will help you to discover the incredible way that God sees us in Christ and thereby discover true contentment in life.

The question we all have to ask ourselves is this…

“Who am I going to allow to define my life?”

Me? Others? The Devil? Or am I going to listen to what God says and see myself through His eyes?

Our Heritage in Life (vs. 17-20)

1Cor. 7:17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

1Cor. 7:18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.

1Cor. 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

1Cor. 7:20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

√ Our heritage in life

One of the areas of discontentment in the church at Corinth is just as contemporary today as it was 2,000 years ago.

That is, there were Jewish believers who wished they’d been born Gentiles…

…and there were Gentile believers who wished they were Jewish!

It seems that no matter who you are and what your heritage that at some point in life you wish your were born someone else.

For most of us it’s not an issue of persecution or prejudice that breeds such discontentment in our hearts usually it’s something more trivial.

Like wanting to be different, special, popular, thin, etc.

Ex. My childhood

For example, when were kids it was boring to be a white kid with a mix of English, Irish and Scottish blood flowing in our veins.

That described 95% of the people around us.

It was much more cool to find out that our great grandmother was half Blackfoot!

Suddenly we weren’t just white surfer kids we were 1/16^th Native Americans!

In the hippie culture that we grew up in that was way cool!

All the kids in our neighborhood wanted to be blood brothers with us!

I dreamed of wearing Apache boots, beads, feathers, so that I would look and be different than all the other kids at school.

Only to find out later that the tale of my great grandma’s origins were probably exaggerated or pure fabrication!

Well the situation at Corinth wasn’t as trivial as my childhood. There were strong motivators for both Jewish and Gentile believers to be something other than what they were born as.

√ Jewish believers ~ vs. 18a

The situation for the Jewish believers in the 1^st Century wasn’t too different than any other time in history.

That is, historically the Jewish people have had to bear the brunt of repeated persecutions, prejudicial treatment, and covert and overt attempts by rulers and nations to annihilate them as a people!

From Haman to Hitler the Chosen People have been chosen by others as the target of a disproportional amount of evil prompting one Rabbi in a recent movie to pray at a funeral in WW 2…

“Merciful God, we commit our friends to You. We have no more prayers, no more tears; we have run out of blood. Choose another people. We have paid for each of Your commandments; we have covered every stone and field with ashes. Sanctify another land. Choose another people. Teach them the deeds and the prophecies. Grant us but one more blessing: take back the gift of our holiness. Amen.”

The reality is that being Jewish in a Gentile world isn’t and never has been easy.

Thus we find up until the present day Jewish people taking Gentile names, adopting Gentile customs and dress, and doing whatever possible to blend in.

Well, you can image what it must have been like to be a Jewish believer in Jesus during the 1^st Century where the Jewish customs, dress and rite of circumcision put you at a disadvantage socially and politically.

So, to discover that “in Christ” you were set free from the burden of the Law with all of the marks that made it evident to the Gentiles that you were a Jew.

You could now dress like a Gentile without guilt, take on the culture of the Greeks, and even reverse the mark of circumcision without fear of being cast away by God!

But, to do so would be to deny the essence of who it is that God made you to be, after all He’s the One who ordained that you would be born of Jewish blood!

Thus Paul encourages the Jewish believers at Corinth…

“Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. ~ vs. 18a

That is, Paul was encouraging the Jewish believers not to change their outward appearance for the sake of appeasing ignorant people.

To be Jewish by heritage was nothing to be ashamed of, rather, there was much to be proud of!

As Paul wrote in a Romans 3:1-2 …

“What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.”

The Jewish people have the unique privilege of being the recipients of God’s special favor!

It was to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God promised to send Messiah to bless the whole world!

It was Jewish prophets that God chose to speak to the world and give His Word.

Jesus was Jewish and told the Samaritan woman…

“Salvation is of the Jews” ~ John 4:22

So, for the Jew both then and now Paul’s encouragement is to get comfortable with who God chose to make you.

√ Gentile believers ~ vs. 18b

“…Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.” ~ vs. 18b

For the Gentile believer in the 1^st Century the discontentment was just the opposite! Why?

Because they were constantly being made to feel like 2^nd class citizens in the Kingdom of God because they weren’t Jewish!

Specifically, there were in every city where the Gospel had been preached men who taught that…

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ~ Acts 15:1

So, Gentile believers weren’t sure of their salvation and badgered by these false teachers often submitted themselves to Jewish rituals.

But Paul’s encouragement was to not worry about external appearances and rituals because they have no spiritual power!

Salvation is, and always has been, by faith alone!

Rather, he tells his Jewish and Gentile friends at Corinth…

1Cor. 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

1Cor. 7:20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

That is, the externals aren’t important rather it’s walking with God so don’t try and change who God made you to be.

Be content with who you are in Christ and learn to bloom where He planted you!

If you do, you’ll discover that God made you the way you are on purpose because He has a plan for your life.

Ex. Amy Carmichael ~ wished she had milky skin and blue eyes

But God used her dark completion, hair and eyes to help her blend in with the native population in India where He sent her to minister.

She was able to dress and pass for an Indian woman which the other European Missionaries couldn’t do.

She was then able to enter the pagan temples of India and rescue children who were going to be offered as sacrifices to their gods.

Then she realized that God made her the way He did so that she could save others!

Ap. Be content with who He made you to be

We live in an age and a society that places an unhealthy emphasis on external appearance.

Fashion magazines, movies, and celebrities are paraded before us as examples of what society values and leaves the rest of us feeling like we don’t fit in because we aren’t…

…beautiful, muscle bound, popular of have a hit song on the radio.

The sad result is that people are under pressure to change their appearance by buying the latest fashions, paying enormous amounts of money for cosmetic surgery, in a desperate attempt to be someone other than the person God made you to be.

Ex. Jesus

Not one word in the Gospels about His appearance! We don’t know if He was…

Fat or thin

Tall or short

Dark complexion or light

Black hair or brown

Apparently then God did not think it important for us to know what Jesus looked like else He would have inspired the Gospel writers to tell us!

The reality is that those who followed Jesus then and now do so because of His love for us…

…not for His looks!

So, if the most important person who ever lived wasn’t concerned about His looks then why do we fret so much about the way we look?

Our Station in Life (vs. 20-24)

1Cor. 7:21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.

1Cor. 7:22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.

1Cor. 7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

1Cor. 7:24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

√ Our station in life

The second issue breeding discontent amongst the believers at Corinth was the issue of slavery.

Remember, half of the Roman World were slaves!

In the church the percentage was even higher as the poor and disadvantaged responded to the Gospel message with much greater enthusiasm than the wealthy.

In part that was because the Gospel promised that they were “free in Christ” and that they had been granted all of the spiritual riches of heaven!

But, even though that was true or their spiritual condition they were still in physical bondage to a human owner and that brought discontentment.

So, Paul reminds them that whether slave or free that Christian’s first duty is to the Lord who is the Master of us all!

“Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.”

Vs. 21

That is, if God called you to salvation while you were a slave then don’t worry about it because He has a plan for your life.

That’s not an endorsement for slavery, note that Paul wrote it would be better if they could gain their freedom.

Rather, Paul is simply encouraging his brothers in Christ to use whatever station in life they occupy for God’s glory.

Ex. Dr. Luke ~ a slave of Theophilus

However, if you can gain your freedom then do so but use it for the Lord’s work.

Ex. Joseph

God used his place as a slave, both to Potipher and later in jail, to position Joseph to minister to Pharaoh at just the right time and then exalted him to a place of great authority.

√ Serve Jesus

Secondly that there are advantages and disadvantages to both stations in life, note vs. 22…

“For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.”

The disadvantage of being a slave is that you have someone else telling you what to do, when to do it, and you don’t have the freedom to chose for yourself.

The advantage is that you have someone else telling you what to do, when to do it, and you don’t have the freedom to chose for yourself.

Yes I meant to say that!

The reality is that a person who is a slave, or let’s make it contemporary, an employee…

…has one job, do what your boss tells you to do.

You don’t have to decide whether or not it’s the best or most expedient thing to do because it’s not your responsibility.

If you do what your told to do and it doesn’t work out then it’s not your fault.

In that sense you’re a free man because you’re only accountable for doing what you’re told to do.

So, do your work as unto the Lord with the assurance that God is pleased with your work because you’re doing what you’re supposed to do.

Ah, but the free man, or lets call him the employer, or boss, or manager has all sort of freedom to chose how to use his time, resources, and talents.

Sounds so good until you realize that with that freedom comes great responsibility!

That is, if what you chose to do turns out to be wrong, or simply a bad idea, you’re the one on the hook because it’s your responsibility to do the right thing.

For example, the Christian slave is only responsible to the Lord for doing his job because he doesn’t have the freedom to chose otherwise, thus Paul says he is…

“For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman.” ~ Vs. 22a

But the Christian who is free is responsible to the Lord to use that freedom wisely and that’s not always as easy or clear-cut as it would seem to the slave, thus Paul writes…

“Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.” Vs. 22b

Ex. The military

In the military soldiers are only responsible to do what their officers tell them to do.

The officers on the other hand are responsible for deciding what the soldiers should do.

If they chose correctly they’re heroes.

If they chose incorrectly they’re failures or war criminals.

Think of Operation Market Garden the allies attempt to rush over the Rhine River and bring the war to a quicker conclusion.

From a strategic point of view it was a massive failure which historians blame on British Field Marshall Montgomery whom they suggest motivated by a desire for personal glory.

But the soldiers of the 82^nd and 101^st Airborne and their British comrades of the 1^st and 4^th Parachute brigades are remembered and honored as heroes for their part in the battle.

The point, in the same battle which was deemed a failure those at the bottom of the military ladder came out looking good…

…while the guy at the top came out with egg on his face.

The same is true in Christ…

Christ will hold those with little earthly authority to a lesser standard at the end of the Age, while those with greater authority on earth will receive a stricter judgment.

As James writes…

“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
~ James 3:1

Ap. Be content with your station in life

Please understand that Paul is not saying, nor am I, that you should not pursue the dreams that God puts in your heart!

Joseph certainly did and went from being a slave to the 2^nd most powerful man in the world!

Peter, James, John and Matthew were all called from their station in life to a different one.

What the Bible is teaching is that wherever it is that God has placed us today we need to learn to be content and to…

…bloom where He’s planted us, as Paul himself learned to do.

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:”

Phil 4:11

Close

√ Bloom where you’re planted ~ your station in life

Throughout my Christian experience I’ve found that when I really hated my job, or the place where we lived, or the lack of opportunities in ministry…

…it never fails that when I finally surrender to the Lord and give myself to bloom where He’s planted me that one of two things happens:

The next job opportunity comes along without me even looking for it.

Or, my eyes are opened to all the wonderful opportunities and blessings of staying right where He’s got me!

Truly…

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

1 Tim. 6:6

So, this week spend some time with the Lord and prayerfully review the scriptures on the back of the handouts.

Discover, or rediscover, your identity in Christ and fill your mind with God’s word about you.

If you will do that you’ll find contentment in life and that is a priceless treasure!

√ The unbeliever

If you don’t know the Lord you’re handicapped because you’re not connected to the One who designed you…

…therefore you’ll never find true contentment until you give your life to Jesus!