Sermon Brief
Date Written: June 19, 2014
Date Preached: June 22, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: A Series in 1 Corinthians
Sermon Title: God’s Calling to Service – You’ve Been Drafted!
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 7:17-31 [ESV]
TEXT:
Essence of the Text: Paul challenged believers in Corinth to bring glory to God by serving Him where they were, not based on where they came from.
Essence of the Sermon: We are challenged to bring glory to God thru serving Him where we are!
Main Question(s) of the Sermon: Where am I called to serve God?
Applicable Objective of the Sermon: The hearers will know:
Paul taught it did not matter what your religious background was…you are called by God to serve God and bring Him glory!
Paul taught it did not matter what the situation or circumstance was in your life…you are called by God to serve God and bring Him glory!
This morning I want you to be able to answer these 2 questions:
1) What does the this truth from God’s word mean for ME personally?
What does it mean for our fellowship here at Oak Park Baptist Church?”
Introduction – v17
“You’ve been drafted!” is something very few people get to experience these days. AND it is a much different experience NOW than it was 40 or more years ago. Today it is about being selected by a professional sports team to play professional sports and it is possibly the most exciting time in the life of the one who has been drafted!
When we think about being drafted, we think about be selected because of what we can do, because of our talent, because of our skill or knowledge of the game… but what does it mean to be ‘drafted’ by God?
Paul says here in this passage that we have been ‘called of God’. What do you think it means to be ‘called of God’?
I believe we can answer that question by looking to Scripture. The Bible uses the Greek word ekk-leh-see-ah and this word is translated as ‘church’ but it can be defined as those who gathered together or 'the gathering of believers'. Peter tells us that the church is a 'gathering' of holy people, using the Greek word hagg-ee-oss which means to be set aside or called out or the called out ones. So we can surmise here that the “church” (which is YOU) is a set aside people who are called out or ‘drafted’ by God Himself to assemble and do His will!
This means, as believers, God called us OUT of our old life… OUT of our sins… OUT of our broken world…and He has called us TO a life of purpose in His kingdom. But, personally what does being ‘called out’ by God REALLY mean? For YOU, for ME? For US as a body of believers here at Oak Park Baptist Church…
The National Football League (NFL) has its annual draft of eligible college players every spring and each NFL team has the opportunity TO DRAFT the available college players!
When a player is ‘drafted’ it means that the team makes the decision to ‘call them out’ and so they step to the podium and ‘call out’ the player’s name they desire! This gives the player an invitation to join try out for their team… and ONLY their team!
Being drafted the player is being invited into the NFL, but not just the NFL but more specifically for THIS particular team! They are called out by this team to come and play for this team and also to serve in THEIR city!
The drafted player takes on the ‘identity’ of that team! A player drafted by the New Orleans Saints, becomes a New Orleans Saint! He is in the NFL but his identity is with the team who drafted him…the team who called out his name!
Once drafted NO longer are they identified by where they came from but their identity changes to the team who has ‘called them out’!
Now while this illustration is NOT perfect, the same is basically true for believers… In this passage, Paul tells us that believers are “called out” by God, but he stresses that God has called us TO somewhere and like the player who is drafted…we take on the identity of the One who has called us out…
However, if God calls you out… that calling is for you TO serve in a fellowship of believers! You’re identity is in Him, but you are called TO a place of service! You are called to serve at a local fellowship of believers… in OUR case – Oak Park Baptist church!
We have to understand this does NOT mean our fellowship is above kingdom plans… but what it DOES mean is that God called us here to this fellowship and that THRU this fellowship God will use us for His kingdom and for His glory.
When we read v17 we see that is what Paul is saying:
17Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him…
Here Paul is telling us God calls us out of our old lives and assigns us to a life of service in Christ… God has designed the church so that the life of service we are called to is NOT independent BUT we called to be a part of a fellowship…
Breaking down what Paul said we can see that 1st he speaks of the way we live our lives. “…only let each person lead the life…” the term lead the life – Greek peri-pah-teh-oh – references the way we live our life in the world. Some translations use the term ‘walk’.
The emphasis here is on the day to day living of our lives…What Paul is addressing here is that our calling in Christ is to be lived out in on a daily, weekly and yearly basis.
Sadly most believers who profess Christ misunderstand what they have been called to… They understand salvation from sin, but they don’t grasp the calling TO service in Christ! However, the reality is that we are called OUT of our lives TO a radically different life ‘in Christ’… we are not called to live like we did before we were saved!
Many believe that God’s salvation is only for their blessing, and they use it to excuse their behavior. But God does NOT call us to bless our own desires and plans…He calls us to serve Him…
Paul used the Greek word mer-id-zo here and it is translated “assigned” and means to divide, to separate into parts, or to distribute among.
The premise Paul makes is that God calls us out and then, as part of that calling, He separates those He has called by gifting them with separate gifts so He can use them in the different roles in His plan!
This means that when we come to Christ that we are placed where God desires us to be… Let me go back to my NFL draft illustration... When a player is drafted, the General manager and the head coach will have a specific position for that player to fill on the team!
They then ‘assigned’ that player to that position because they believe it will benefit the team…the emphasis here is that the player does NOT get to tell the coach WHERE he is going to fit in… the coach tells the player!
Now let’s apply that to the spiritual realm… this is what it is like when we profess Christ and are saved! We are called out by God and then God will assign us to a position within His kingdom…this is a position of His choosing! We do NOT tell God where we are going to serve, we must submit to His ‘assignment’ and learn to serve and be a part of His plan within a larger fellowship/team.
This calling to which God has called us all is described by Paul with the Greek term kah-leh-oh- which means “to bear the name of”…
Like a wife takes on the name of her husband when they marry. Like the player being drafted takes on the identity of his NFL team after he has been drafted! We are called to take on the ‘name’ of the one who has called us out… we are now “In Christ”… called out of our old life and called to a ‘new’ life in Him!
This is a top priority if we want to be prosperous in our service to Him! Paul taught that this the ‘rule’ he held for all of the churches he had planted.
This is my rule in all the churches...
The term “my rule” – Greek dee-ah-tasso- means to organize or prescribe order to OR assign order to. Paul was a church planter and this term means that he had set up each church & how they would operate!
He is saying the mbrs of each church were called to serve & he instructed them to be obedient & serve where God had placed them!
There are 2 important things we can learn from this verse:
1st there is the broad picture we can see and it is that ALL believers are called serve and we all have been assigned a place to serve!
2nd -- But Paul understood that it was NOT up to him to make those assignments, but it was Jesus who determined where people were to serve in the fellowship…
When we are called out by God’s grace, serving Him is NOT an option. We cannot remain on the sidelines! As the old saying goes, we are saved to serve, NOT saved to sit!
So we have learned that we are called out of our own lives and into a brand new identity ‘in Christ’. We learned that Paul stresses that we ALL must answer that call… but can also see that Paul taught that God’s calling on your life has NOTHING to do with your life or background…so let’s look at what Paul teaches us:
Nothing to do with our Religious Background (v18-19)
18Was 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. 19For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.
Unlike the NFL draft when teams ‘call out’ these college players… you see they call out these players BECAUSE of their background and what they have accomplished… They are drafted based on their talent and skill…
Paul is saying here that our service to God does not rely on our religious status before we came to Christ! Religious background is irrelevant to our service in Christ!
It does not matter if you were super-religious OR if you were the ultimate pagan… the important thing to understand is that regardless of where you were you have been called out by God!
Paul stressed throughout his ministry that religion cannot save. This is because religion is man made and useless in gaining God’s favor. Religion is attempting to please God thru ritual or ceremony… But we see Paul saying that the outward manifestation of ANY religious act is useless and empty in God’s eyes!
At this time there were those in the church who taught that a TRUE believer must submit to the rituals of the Law (i.e. circumcision) Paul tells us that was NOT true. Paul constantly taught agains this approach…
There were also others who were teaching that for a believer to have any ties to the old covenant or the old rituals of the Law that it defiled them and so they were charged to somehow rid themselves of the mark of the Law… Paul taught that this was equally ridiculous.
The point he makes in v18-20 is that religion cannot take us to God! The implication is that only thru Christ can we experience the “New Covenant” of grace and salvation!
So what does that mean for YOU today? How does this apply to you? It means that it doesn’t matter…
if you were born into a religious family
if you were born into a family of atheists,
it doesn’t matter if you were raised as Mormon, Muslim, J.W.
it doesn’t matter if you were raised Presb, Epis, Meth, Bapt or Pentecostal…
The point Paul makes here is religion is empty and it is Christ that has called us out to be part of His family! Don’t rely on religious ceremony/ritual but rely on God’s calling thru Christ Jesus!
So your spiritual (or lack of spiritual) background does not matter –…but Paul also says that your situation or circumstance in life also has NO bearing on God calling you out! Look at v21-22 with me!
Nothing to do with our Situational Background (v21-22)
21Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22For 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.
Paul stressed that religious background does not matter, but then he says that the circumstances or situation from which you may come don’t matter either…
God’s calling on our lives is not based on our social status or LACK of social status… it doesn’t matter if we are free or enslaved… Paul stresses that ALL are welcome at the foot of the Cross of Christ!
In v21 Paul addresses the slave issue… Many who were coming into the church in Corinth had been and WERE still slaves or people who were indebted to others…and many believed since they had been saved from sin they should also be saved from slavery too...
I want us to understand Paul motivation here… He is NOT advocating or approving of slavery, but what Paul teaches here in this verse is that our situation in life is NOT the defining factor of WHO we are ‘in Christ’…
Basically what Paul is saying is that if you are a slave…serve God as a slave! BUT if you are offered your freedom, take advantage of it!
The point Paul is making is that serving God means serving Him where we are! Serving Him in our current situation, in our current life circumstance.
Many believers come to salvation and feel God’s ‘deliverance’ is going to move us from where we are (unhappy, difficult) into a place where we want to be (stressing our own happiness or lack of difficulty)
God NEVER promises happines in serving Him NOR did God promise our lives would NOT be difficult! God’s promise is simply this—He has promised that we will find joy in our service and that He will be with us! He is never going leave OR forsake us!
Let me ask you this morning…
“Are you serving God & wondering why He has NOT delivered you from your difficult situation or circumstance?”
“Are you wondering why God has not provided that promotion at work you think you deserve?”
Well what Paul is saying here, is that we are called out BY God to serve Him where we are in life and if God wants to move you, then He will provide the opportunity and we should take it… but understand it is NOT about our circumstances or situations in life…its about serving WHERE WE ARE!
W.A. Criswell (pastor and founder of Criswell College in Dallas, TX) was known for telling his students to ‘bloom where they are planted’… in other words, serve God WHERE YOU ARE!
Choosing in our hearts to serve God where we are… brings a better attitude and when life is difficult, our service enables us to live IN that difficulty with joy because of our service to Him. In other words we find joy in our service… and we do not allow the circumstances of life to dictate our joy!
But Paul addresses the opposite end of the spectrum as well. There are believers who come to Christ and their lives are in a good place… they are in a great situation or have wonderful circumstances in their lives.
Paul tells these people that they must be willing to say, “God this wonderful life I have is NOT who I am, and I am willing to give it ALL away for you!”
He says this by telling the ‘free’ men of his day, if you are free you should be willing to be enslaved for the sake of the Gospel! Now here in America we find this message almost unbearable…especially when we enjoy a really good lifestyle.
In America we treasure ‘freedom’ more than anything. Now freedom is NOT an evil thing, but it is NOT a god to be worshipped! Our freedom cannot be our focus… our focus must be on serving Him!
We see believers called out and that calling requires them to give up their life of comfort and material things… many are hesitant & some rebel and refuse!
Giving up our comfortable lives to go the mission field may seem like TOO much to bear, but this is what Paul was teaching:
…Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ...
God may NOT be calling you to the mission field, BUT you should be willing to go if He does! So ask yourself and answer this question honestly…Am I willing to serve God regardless? Am I willing to give up my life for His calling?
We are called to fit into God’s plan… there are some of us who are called by God to serve Him in a hard life…there are others who are called by God to give up their life of plenty to serve… and still there others still God will move and change their circumstance whatever it is… The point is that you should willing to submit to God’s calling!
But Paul describes this briefly in these verses , but give a little more detail in v25-31… He says that it is NOT about who we WERE before Christ! What is important is that we are called to serve Him!
Now you may not see this, but do you realize what this means? This means that we are called by God NOT based on what WE can do, but based on what He has done! Now I know that we hear that all the time but let’s just a moment to take it in!
Imagine if your pro sports team gave you a call and said, “We know you have NO background in our sport, AND we know you really don’t have any skills that can help us, plus we also KNOW you don’t any real experience or any confidence in yourself to play for us…
BUT, in spite of all of that we have decided to draft you! Don’t worry, we will equip you, train you, build you up and teach you everything you need to know to be a player for us…”
Now I know what you are thinking… that would NEVER happen, and you’re right, we don’t need to sit around waiting for that call! That would be wishful thinking on our part right… it would be just daydreaming… it is never gonna happen!
HOWEVER,with God things are different because this is exactly what DOES happen! With God we are ‘called out’… NOT based on our performance or background…God calls us even tho’ we are NOT qualified or equipped… He calls us based on His desires! This AINT wishful thinkin’—it’s just how it is!
Think about that for a just moment. Even on our WORST day God’s love still has called us to His service! It does not waver or change! His calling is not based on our performance, but on His character! Our salvation…is not based on what we do, but on God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness!
That is wonderful news! But back to what Paul is teaching us here…Paul states that it is God who assigns us to the task… it is NOT the preacher or even our preference, but God makes that decision.
So, in other words, what Paul is saying here is that does NOT matter what you may ‘say’ you are willing to do about serving God…the true servant is all about doing what God calls them to do!
Look what Paul says in v25-31… ‘some of you were wise!’ in other words society looked up to you… you were thought to be important!
He says that others of you were NOT so powerful or of noble birth…in other words, you held no real position in society, had no pull or influence…in other words just normal people!
God did this to exalt His power over the wise and powerful of this world by calling us who are little or no position or power! And even if we DID have some position… it really doesn’t matter, what matters is that God has called us to serve HIM!
It doesn’t matter about our background… it doesn’t matter where we have come from… it doesn’t matter about the church we attend OR if even if you didn’t go to church… what matters is we have been ‘called out’ by God!
Let’s look again at v17…
17Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him,
We must be willing to go where God has called and do what God has commanded us to do! Are you willing? Or are do you resist and rebel away from God’s assignment?
It does NOT matter what our religious background is… God calls us to serve Christ…and
It does NOT matter what our circumstance in life is… God calls us to turn TO Him and serve Him where we are in our lives!
But why does God calls us to serve Him? How is it that can Paul make such a forceful statement to these believers? How is it that that same forceful statement applies to US today?
We find in v23 Paul giving us both the reasoning behind this teaching and the resolve we must accept to live out this teaching!
23You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
In v23 Paul reveals that we have been bought with a price. Did you realize that God has reached out and paid the price for your sin, for your soul, for your salvation?
What Jesus accomplished on the Cross of Calvary paid for your redemption… and Scripture tells us that when we receive Christ as Savior that we are NO LONGER our own! Here Paul says that is because we have been bought with a price…
Going back to v17 we see
17Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.
The life which God has ‘called’ us to is a NEW life in Christ where we literally take on the name of Christ and begin a NEW life with a NEW identity and a NEW focus and a NEW attitude…
God has paid the price for our redemption & when we receive His salvation we take on the name of Christ! We take on the mantle of His name in our lives! When this happens, we are NO LONGER independent to live as we choose but fully DEPENDANT on Him to lead, guide and direct our lives!
We then see Paul conclude this particular section by returning to what he had stated in the beginning and that is… it matters NOT where you come from… serve God where you are!
24So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
So as if to strengthen his argument from earlier in this chapter, Paul is alluding to the fact that if you are married to a non-believer, do not seek to get out of that relationship, but serve God WHERE you are and see the power of God work through your life as you serve Him!
If you are stuck in a difficult work situation, with the most difficult of bosses, one who mocks you for your new-found faith… don’t seek to leave that situation, but seek to glorify God in your service and work! If God so chooses to move you, move with gusto, but do not seek change without God’s direction!
If you are struggling financially when you come to Christ, you must understand that this does NOT mean that all of your financial worries will simply disappear. However, what it DOES mean is that your finances must NOT be the focus of your life, but that your focus should be on Christ.
This is because He has promised to never leave nor forsake His children and you can know that He is going to walk with you through any difficulty in life!
Also if you are succeeding financially or socially when you come to Christ you MUST understand that this does NOT mean God is comfortable with your life… but that He can and will make changes that MAY be uncomfortable for you!
Your comfort in this world is NOT God’s concern, but as His child and as one professing Christ as Savior, your obedience IS His concern!
Conclusion:
My brothers and sisters, we are blessed here at Oak Park! We may look around and see an empty sanctuary that USED to be filled and think that we are being punished OR that this is NOT fair…
But the fact of the matter is that the number of people in this building this morning has NOTHING to do with your service to Christ! Your service cannot be based on your situation, but you are called to serve Him where you are… as Paul states in v20:
20Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.
This does NOT mean if we battled with drugs before salvation that we remain in the drug culture…
This does NOT mean that if we had sin in our lives that we remain IN that sin…
What God means by this was that God does not need us to be anything of ourselves other than obedient. Our condition or circumstance in life is irrelevant to serving God! Our religious background means very little to God… He calls based on His grace and mercy, not on our spotless record!
So, let me ask a couple of questions:
Do you fully comprehend what this means for US in this church? We are in a community that has changed radically over the past 20yrs…
But that does NOT mean that we should leave because it changed!
It does NOT mean we pray for God to change our community…(even though He can and if He does that is fine…)
It means that REGARDLESS of our circumstance—we are called to serve Him where we are! We are called to ‘bloom’ where we have been planted!
People we have been ‘planted’ by God here at Oak Park Baptist Church in the Algiers community of New Orleans LA! WE are called to be His witnesses first HERE in this community!
And the important thing is NOT Oak Park Baptist Church… it is about God’s kingdom. We may need to understand that God has a different plan for us as a fellowship… His plan may not be what we think… but our calling is to serve His plan not seek His blessing for OUR plan!
So the question remains? Are you serving Him where you are? Like you should be? OR are we waiting on God to change our community or our situation so we can have Him bless OUR plans?
God is NOT pleased with those seek His blessing of THEIR plans! Scripture tells us that we have been ‘called out’ or drafted in the ‘heavenly draft’ and that means we are called by God to serve HIM! We are called to be a a part of God’s team…not to tell God how He should do things!
He has called us to service…service TO Him where we are NOW in life! Are you willing to serve Him HERE and now in THIS community? Here in THIS fellowship? If you are, I believe God will honor our obedience…
If you are not willing to serve until God changes your situation or the situation of our church… God will NOT going to honor that attitude or that action… and if that is how we approach ministry in our fellowship then we will NEVER see God’s blessings!
We are called to to take on His name and identify with Him! We cannot sit idly by waiting on God to change our situation before we get involved! We were called to serve HERE and NOW…so let’s get busy serving Him… HERE where we ARE!
What does the this truth from God’s word mean for ME personally? It means that you must stop trying to get God to bless YOUR plans and begin serving Him WHERE you are, doing what He desires!
What does it mean for our fellowship here at Oak Park Baptist Church?” It means that we must stop trying to get God to change our circumstance and begin to serve in obedience to WHERE He has called us…doing what He desires!
That means that we must begin to be obedient by DOING what the Word calls us as a fellowship to do… Matthew 28:18-20 reveals what we are called to…
18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We are called to GO… not sit here and say how loving we are because we don’t turn anyone away! We must GO into our community! But when we GO… and we are all called to GO, regardless of our life situation or circumstance… when we GO we are to ‘make disciples’ sharing our faith, baptizing and teaching what Christ has taught…
We must SERVE Him as He has called us to serve! I know that EVERY believer in this room needs to pray for forgiveness because they have NOT served God in this manner! Myself included…
We must serve Him as He desire and we must serve Him where we are planted! Lord, my prayer is that we ALL would seek your forgivness for our desire to wait on You to change our circumstances…Lord help us to serve You where we are!
Give invitation to NONbelievers who have been seeking their own way all their lives and finding that their way never leads to the peace they think they will find… for them to surrender to Christ and to take on HIS name and HIS plan and purpose to fufill their soul…
