Fellowship | See the Purpose in Your Present Place (Stay Put) - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 | March 10
INTRO
Hey family! How are we all doing?
Today, despite all reasonable thought, we are still in chapter seven of 1 Corinthians. It seems inconceivable. Many of you may have thought that we had finished it last week. Some of you may have hoped that I got tired of 1 Corithians and would move on to something a little more exciting by now. Alas, we are still here. We’re staying put. Why? Because there is still so much richness here.
And although we could spend several weeks on every chapter milking it for all it’s worth. Because the Bible is just so filled to overflowing with meaning and purpose. We don’t want to be in 1 Corinthians for the rest of our lives. So we really do need to move on and explore other parts of the Biblical narrative. Nevertheless, there is something Paul is saying here that I think is really important for us to hear. It’s something that we’ve seen before but we must remind ourselves of. It is the importance of staying put. And this principle is of vast importance when it comes to building intimate, life-changing relationships, i.e. fellowship. Stay put.
If you recall I read a quote from a book in the first quarter of 1 Corinthians while we were discussing what we as believers are “called to be”. I’ll read it again now. Then I’ll read this paragraph from 1 Corinthians and we can begin our discussion.
Again, this comes from Joseph Hellerman’s book, “When the Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community”. Hellerma writes, “Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow. People who leave do not grow. We all know people who are consumed with spiritual wanderlust. But we never get to know them very well because they cannot seem to stay put. They move along from church to church, ever searching for a congregation that will better satisfy their felt needs. Like trees repeatedly transplanted from soil to soil, these spiritual nomads fail to put down roots and seldom experience lasting and fruitful growth in their Christian lives.”
I’m willing to bet 1 Corinthians 7 was on Hellerman’s mind when we penned these words. That’s not just a wild statement. Elsewhere in this book he talks about marriage and singleness just as we have in the preceding weeks. This idea of staying put is rich with Paul’s words here. Starting in verse 17…
SCRIPTURE
“17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”
God has given each of you an assignment in this life. He has called you. You are not where you are at this very moment on accident. And I know some of you are in wilderness seasons that don’t feel great. Life is hard. Stay put. Endure. Thrive. Stay put. And sometimes callings change. Give thanks to the Lord that seasons usually pass. But until He lifts that cloud and calls you on. Stay put. My exhortation to you this morning is to stay put and see the potential in your present place.
See the potential in your present place.
This is not an idea that only Paul has thought about. This is a theme throughout the Bible.
PSALM 1 (BE DEEPLY ROOTED/PEOPLE ARE TREES)
Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
What do you notice about this song? Come on, non-rhetorical. What do you see?
There seems to be a lot of wandering when it comes to wickedness and sin. That’s one of the lessons we can learn from Jonah. You remember the guy who got swallowed by a big fish? Sin will always take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you’d like to stay, and cost you more than you were willing to pay. It may be true that not all who wander are lost, but maybe a great deal of them are. The wicked wander. What do the righteous do?
They stay put! The righteous grow roots. Blessed is the man who has planted himself in the Lord. In other words, as we saw at the very beginning, people are trees. Peoples are trees and it’s only through setting down roots that you will blossom and produce fruit. “Trees grow shade, bushes bear fruit, and vines become beautiful only after patient years of staying put. And so with us, lasting fruit usually comes from lasting presence.” Those who wander may not be lost, but they’re not producing any fruit either. People are trees and the Spirit of God is the life-giving, thirst-quenching, nourishing water. The source of longsuffering is the Spirit of Jesus.
So if that is true, then those who are planted by Him can serve fruitfully wherever they’re found. Are you dissatisfied with your job, your station, your season? It doesn’t matter, if the source of your life is Jesus. That doesn’t mean it’s not hard. It means that you don’t need to look to those things for life or satisfaction. Just because the grass looks greener doesn’t mean that when you cross the fence there won’t be some cow patties on that side as well. Learn to drink deeply from the fountain of Jesus. Psalm 87:7 “As they make music they will sing, ‘All my fountains are in you.’” All our fountains are in You, Jesus!
“One of the evidences of not drinking deeply from Jesus is the instability of constantly moving from one thing to the next, seeking to fill the void. Those who don’t have a well of living water within will seek some water without (John 4:13–14) — and when that spring dries up, on they go to the next relationship, the next job, the next hobby, the next car, the next home. But those who have drunk deeply from Jesus, those who live where they are with God, are free to stay and be satisfied.”
People are trees so be deeply rooted in the fountain of Christ!
NUMBERS 10 (PITCH YOUR TENT)
Numbers 10, “34 And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp. 35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ‘Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.’ 36 And when it rested, he said, ‘Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.’”
Again, what do you notice? What is the Lord speaking to you?
Let the Lord set the path and dictate the timeline. When Israel was in the wilderness they were guided by God in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When the Lord stayed they stayed. When the Lord moved on they set out. Why should it be any different for us?
It wasn’t any different for Jesus. In John 5 He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” Follow the Lord, why should it be any different for us?
It’s almost like a cosmic game of Simon Says. You remember that game? What’s the line when someone doesn’t follow correctly? “I didn’t say Simon says.” Follow the Lord and don’t assume just because it’s something that you want that’s also the Lord’s providence.
“Those who pay attention to providence will not be quick to abandon their present place, even under the sway of strong feeling.” You’ll notice this starting to sound overly formal, that’s because I’m not the originator of these words, but I don’t recall who is. “Those who pay attention to providence will not be quick to abandon their present place, even under the sway of strong feeling. They will pray to the God of providence, and seek counsel from His people—so often the agents of His providence—wary all the while of their tendency to leave the Lord’s sentry posts for a life of heedless wandering.”
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it”, as we sing in that old hymn. “Prone to leave the God I love.” We are prone to wander. It is a strong temptation, especially in difficult circumstances. As many of you know, I was in a very difficult work situation several years back. Many of you walked with me through that experience. Thankfully the Lord did call me away. It was physically, emotionally, and relationally draining. It took a toll on my health. But the reason I know it was the Lord who finally called me to take up camp and move on was providence. We prayed together for more than a year for guidance and provision. And in the end the desire of my heart was not to run from something just because it was hard. By all accounts I had the right to leave, like I said, it was not good and it was not healthy. But I endured, striving to live from the Spirit and my great need for Jesus. And eventually the cloud moved, and so did I. It was that same day I was unexpectedly offered the job I have now.
Make sure you're not moving ahead of God. For some of you, the situation you are in is because of your wandering from one thing to the next instead of pitching your tent with the Lord. And where you’re at now is worse than where you started because of your wanderlust. Pitch your tent and stay put until God lifts that cloud.
PHILIPPIANS 3 (DON’T GIVE UP)
Philippians 3, “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
I think by now you know where I’m going with this, what do you notice?
I know this, as is the case with the Bible overall, is a densely packed portion of Scripture that we don’t really have the time to spend chasing all the wonderful teachings God has for us. For the sake of our discussion I will settle on two things. The first is that Jesus is better. In every sorrow and every victory–Jesus is better. Jesus is better than your season of life. And if you seek Him in this season you will find a better perspective.
We just read in 1 Corinthians, “Are you a slave? Don’t worry about it—don’t let it concern you. If you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.”
Though you may feel that way at times, none of you is as a slave. So no matter how terrible your situation is that you would want so desperately for a change, you have not suffered until this point. Still the call is to reckon your place in Christ above your physical reality. Your spiritual call supersedes your physical existence. Isn’t that weird. We may forget this at times because the physical is all that we see. But there is a spiritual reality that is over and above what you can touch, taste, and see. You are free. That is who you are. Even if you feel like or were ever to be literally a slave. You are free. So to, with your work, with your relationships, with your health struggles, with your circumstances, with your season. The spiritual reality of Jesus is better. And that reality can begin to shift the physical. Though staying put, the spiritual affects the physical. That’s the Gospel story. The incarnation. Jesus lives within you, inhabiting your circumstances, incarnating all over your seasons. So keep going.
Keep going, press on. This is one of the most important principles of seeing the potential in your present place. Keep going. Don’t give up. Don’t lose heart. Paul writes, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
Press on. Keep going. God I pray right now that you would strengthen the heart of these weary travelers so that they do not lose heart and so wander restlessly, but that they would stay put and be enlivened by Your Spirit. Breathe life into these dry bones, Father. Bring strength to these tired and weary souls.
ROMANS 5 (NEVER GIVE UP HOPE)
Finally, Romans 5, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Talk to me. What do you notice?
This is the heavy pill to swallow–right? This is some Yoda B.S. What does B.S. mean Roy? That’s right.
This is the one thing no one wants to hear while they’re suffering. There’s some good coming. God’s really going to use this in your life. You should feel so blessed to suffer for Christ.
Listen! We may know there is an end somewhere, but right now it really doesn’t feel like it. In fact, it kind of feels hopeless. And that’s the point! What!? Are you crazy? How is that the point? First, you start swearing. Now you’re talking nonsense. It’s not just me. It’s Paul. He counts all his accomplishments as less nothing–as garbage. And he rejoices in his suffering. It’s an upside down kingdom.
Hear me out! As we endure. As we persevere. As we stand up under the pressure of our trials we hope for relief. We hope for the not yet. We’ve had our fill of the already. We long for the not yet. Hope is the result of staying put. When we hope we remember that there is something to hope for. Were we never to experience difficulties in this life I dare say we would certainly lose hope. It is in difficulty that hope is strengthened. And what we hope for is such a rich blessing. Richer still than our physical reality.
There is a rich blessing of hope when we receive suffering too as God’s love. Never give up hope. Never give up hoping.
OUTRO
William Carey, as some of you may know, was a missionary to India at the end of the 18th century and many give him the honor and title of the father of modern missions. Carey once said, “If one should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge of its correctness. If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.”
“Purpose to be a plodder. A plodder keeps moving. A plodder perseveres. A plodder presses on. A plodder knows the disappointment of unrealized ideals, feels the fear of failure and exposed deficiencies, and the ambiguity of too many demands, options, and tasks. But a plodder isn’t immobilized by them. He or she presses on in the faith that God will supply the needed strength (1 Peter 4:11), wisdom (James 1:5), and direction (Proverbs 3:6).”
See the potential in your present place. “The job you now have, as long as you are there, is God's assignment to you. God is sovereign. It is no accident that you are where you are.” Keep plodding.
Benediction: 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Resources (*the views expressed within the following content are solely the author's and may not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Mountainside Church):
https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/your-job-as-ministry
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/nine-practical-pointers-for-plodders