Wedding Woes Part 2 – Urgency and Marriage

First Corinthians chapter seven,
six weeks ago, we left off our study of this chapter in the
midst of what I have suggested as being Paul’s marriage and
family seminar. And we had only just begun, so
we really need to kind of review a bit this morning. Thus far
in this chapter, we’ve been instructed about a variety of relational
issues, marriage, singleness, even divorce. But Paul does something
remarkable at the halfway mark of this chapter. He flags it
as his opinion, making this one of the most unique passages in
all of Paul’s writings. We concluded that these words
are indeed a portion of God’s inspired Word. They are, after
all, from the pen of our wise friend, experienced, knowledgeable,
faithful, a man indwelled by the Spirit of God, incredibly
gifted, amazingly called. What believer would not seek
counsel from him? While he acknowledges that Jesus
did not teach on some of these specific matters, that he did
not have a particular command of the Lord, as God’s servant
and as his instrument of service to the church, we do well to
attend to these words. After all, he adds in verse 40
that he does have the Spirit of God. We looked at the overall
landscape of this passage, the end of chapter seven, and I should
refresh some of that too. In this section, Paul is providing
the Corinthian church, and to us as well, his counsel. He’s giving us advice. This wise
advice I suggested was comprised of five components. We park them
all under the heading of wedding woes. By that title, I’m not
suggesting that marriage is bad or that we shouldn’t highly regard
this institution of God We just want to grasp Paul’s sentiment
here in verses 25 through 40. And here, Paul cautions that
marriage will bring its own difficulties. It’ll bring heartache. As you’ll
recall, Paul preferred singleness for that very reason. Back in
verse eight of this same chapter, he humbly encouraged that it
is good for them to remain even as I, that is single. there are
inherent challenges in bringing two sinners together, even in
the blessed bonds of marriage. Well, because of that, I pondered
even adjusting our title to Marriage Woes. Because Paul’s concern
is not about the wedding ceremony itself, but rather the years
of marriage that follow that ceremony. We broke up this section
into five pieces, as I mentioned a moment ago, five pieces of
advice that Paul gives regarding the pursuit of marriage. In verses
25 through 28, he speaks of abiding in marriage. 29 through 31, urgency
in marriage. 32 through 35, devotion and marriage. 36 through 38, allowance and
marriage. And then a repeat or kind of
a recapitulation of abiding and marriage in verses 39 through
40. We began with a consideration
of that foundational principle, abiding and marriage, six weeks
ago. And Paul begins that discussion,
verse 25, with his familiar verbal cue, now concerning. What he’s
doing is turning to a new subject, to a specific question posed
to him by the Corinthians themselves. He doesn’t restate the question
in full. We don’t have it. He only says
that it is concerning virgins. It’s a question about whether
or not to marry off one’s daughter. Based on Paul’s ensuing reply,
the question may have read something like this. Paul, with all that’s
going on in our church, all that’s going on in our city, the friction
that we have with unbelievers and the hope of the Lord’s soon
return, Should I allow my daughters to marry? It probably went something
like that. Paul has already addressed married
women remaining married and widowed women and even divorced women.
But here he addresses, or at least he begins to address, the
matter of unmarried daughters. And because of the prevailing
cultural setting, Paul directs his answer directly to the fathers,
because they bore the responsibility for their daughter’s status in
this regard. Given the circumstances, should
a father give away his daughter in marriage? That’s the question.
And we noted that though Paul is primarily referring to daughters. The same principles would be
applicable to young men. Paul acknowledges here, regarding
the question of giving one’s daughter in marriage under difficult
circumstances, he has nothing on which to draw from Jesus’
teaching. I have no command of the Lord,
he says. But these believers have sought
his counsel and he’s committed to providing it. But with the
qualification, look at verse 28, pardon me, with verse 25,
he has no command of the Lord. And so his caveat here is to
provide his opinion on the matter. And so he’s not going to give
us a strong imperative here, a command, but rather his wise
and gentle, and may I add, trustworthy counsel. Paul issues his advice
in verse 26. I think then that it is good,
in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to
remain as he is. When Paul says, I think here,
he’s not offering up some weak thoughts or as if he’s unsure
of them. The word speaks of a decision,
a judgment. And so I think it’s far better
to translate that word here as I maintain, or it’s my position,
in my estimation. And he humbly states that his
advice is sound. It’s good, he says. It’s good
for a man to remain as he is. Paul basically says, remain in
the condition you were when God called you. It’s an echo, really,
of the same refrain that we’ve had in verses 17 through 24. Paul repeats it three times.
Would you glance back in chapter 1 verse 7, verse 17. 7, 17 says, only as the Lord
has assigned to each one as God has called each in this manner,
let him walk. Jump down to verse 20. Each man
must remain in that condition in which he was called. Jump
down to verse 24. Brethren, each one is to remain
with God in that condition in which he was called. And so here
in verse 26, Paul says, it is good for a man to remain as he
is. It’s an echo. Paul is expanding
the principle beyond the circle of just young maidens. virgins. I already told you that this
advice is as good for young men as it is for young women. But he applies it here initially
to men, a man, he says. So his counsel here is not unique.
In fact, it’s almost expected. But here Paul moves to provide
the reasoning underlying his wisdom on the matter. What he
says is, Look at this, in view of the present distress. In view
of the present distress, verse 26. This present distress may
have even been part of the question that some of the Corinthian men
or a man presented to Paul. He isn’t speaking of something
in the far distant future. It’s present. It’s something
that can already be seen and felt. They knew what he was talking
about. This present distress is a sustained
theme throughout this entire discussion. Look at the end of
verse 28. Yet such that is married will
have trouble in this life. Whatever this present distress
is, marriage will only add to the troubles that come with it.
Please look at the very next verse, verse 29, where Paul says,
but this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened. Whatever
this present distress is, it’s even impacting the clock and
the calendar. Situation is urgent. Look at
verses 32 through 34. He says, I want you to be free
from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned
about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But
the one who is married is concerned about the things of the world
and how he may please his wife and his interests are divided.
Any married man knows that. Whatever this present distress
is, marriage only compounds the concerns that life itself brings. Would you look lastly at verse
35? Verse 35 says this, I say for
your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote
what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the
Lord. That’s Paul’s concern. Whatever
this present distress is, Paul is hopeful to secure undistracted
devotion to the Lord. And for his counsel, that means
remaining as you are, remember, whether married or unmarried.
We looked at several possibilities as to what this present distress
could be. I suggested that there were three
distinct possibilities. First of all, it could be concerns
related to stabilizing and unifying a very divided Corinthian church. We’ll come back to that one.
The second was an impending outbreak of persecution. We’ll come back
to that too briefly. The third was the imminent return
of Christ. That perhaps Paul was suggesting
that Christ’s return was so soon in coming that the Corinthians
to give their daughters in marriage would be foolish. Well, we saw
that there were benefits and drawbacks to each of those positions.
It’s hard to be dogmatic here, but we did gather in some clues.
Whatever this present distress is, the Corinthian church was
very much aware of it. Paul didn’t even need to talk
about it. He didn’t have to describe it. Whatever this present distress
is, it’s present. They’re already experiencing
it. And that might even mean that it’s not permanent. It’s
here now, but it may not always be here. Whatever this present
distress is, verse 28 adds that it is trouble that would only
be magnified by marriage. Remember, that’s the really the
core of our discussion here in this section. Verse 29 adds that
time has been shortened. Verses 32 through 34 say that
their concerns would be magnified by marriage and these concerns
are reduced or eliminated altogether by remaining single. Well, we
looked at each of those options, the possible suggestions for
what this present distress might be. And we were able to set aside
one of those discussions really pretty easily, option two. that
Paul was referring to this impending outbreak of a great persecution.
And because of that present distress, whatever you do, don’t give your
daughters away in marriage. Such a season of persecution
would indeed add to the troubles and concerns that naturally come
with marriage. And such a season would certainly
require undistracted devotion. Even Paul’s cue that the time
has been shortened, that it was a desire, a dire situation, that
would seem to fit. The only problem was the church
in Corinth was well removed from the initial outbreak of persecution
in the church some 30 years earlier. Those early persecutions were
much more localized, centered really on the church in Jerusalem
and the surrounding region, not worldwide, Paul’s writing, he’s
at least 10 years past that early outbreak, and so those persecutions
could not be considered part of the present distress. We might
even say that this was a period of relative calm in Corinth.
So the choice really came down to two options. The third option
that we considered was the most conventional, the most popular,
It was the imminent return of Christ. Paul is saying that Christ
is likely to come back so soon that to give your daughters in
marriage would be foolhardy. And there were many arguments
in favor of that position. Jesus spoke of a time of great
distress, uses the same exact word. Matthew paints a graphic
picture of the difficult times that will come, like labor pains
just prior to the Lord’s return, Matthew 24. But here we’re drawn
right into the doctrine of imminence. The doctrine that points to the
imminent return of Christ. It could happen at any time.
The Lord’s return is imminent. So this is a plausible explanation
for what Paul calls a present distress. The problem with this
position is that it would be hard to fathom that Paul is urging
against marriage because of the soon return of Christ. Looking
back over these past 2000 years, what would that have done to
the old fashioned method of church growth? Having babies. It would even seem contrary to
the garden mandate given to Adam to be fruitful and multiply.
Jesus himself characterized people in the days even leading up to
his return as marrying and giving in marriage. And we must also
note that some 2,000 years have elapsed since Paul’s concerns
were expressed, and that would make his present distress really
an ever-present distress. So there was one other plausible
explanation. what I referred to as previously
as option number one. And the concerns that were related
to stabilizing and unifying a divided Corinthian church comes back
into focus. The word distress could easily
be translated as necessity because of the present necessity, simply
the present need. The situation being what it is,
So whether we call it a distress or a necessity, the disunity
of the Corinthian church would fit here perfectly. That Paul
is calling for an all out effort by the church to rally together
for the cause of unity, not allowing even the distraction of so wonderful
a celebration as a wedding to distract them. But Paul isn’t
talking about just wedding ceremonies here, he’s talking about marriages.
And it would be hard to say that simply because there was disunity
in the church, the trouble and concerns would be multiplied
by marriages because of it. I like option one. It avoids
some of the problems of the other two options and makes the advice
against marrying a very temporary thing. The troubles in the Corinthian
church were so vexing They were so problematic. They were so
impactful of ministry that Paul says, look, because of the present
distress, let’s focus on the church and the unity of the church. And I like this position a whole
lot more now, some six weeks later, after I’ve discovered
that I’m standing with several historical commentators on this
position. Let’s balance out our concern
though about Paul’s advice to remain unmarried. Again, Paul
isn’t saying don’t get married. Only that there will be added
difficulties if you do. Especially if he’s referring
to the difficulties, to the woes, the trials that will serve as
precursors to the Lord’s return. Life will be harder. It will
be harder still if you’re married. No surprise there. Realistically,
Paul’s counsel would be no different if he were able to provide such
this morning or at any period of history. His advice is solid
and trustworthy. And the first principle that
he lays down is the principle of abiding and marriage. In short,
verse 26, it is good for a man to remain as he is. We pondered
this first foundational principle six weeks ago. We saw earlier
that it isn’t the first time that Paul has issued this particular
advice. The principle is broadly applicable. It’s interesting that in a section
here where he dedicates to virgin daughters, he immediately begins
his application to a man. If you glance at verse 28, he
assures them that this is again, not a sin issue. If you marry,
you marry. It’s no sin either to choose
to marry under such urgent circumstances, nor is it wrong or sinful to
allow your children to do so. It’s simply a matter of expedience.
This is Paul’s wise and solemn counsel, but there’s a catch.
There’s a catch we considered. If you do marry, he says, you
will have trouble in this life. You’re going to have a measure
of distraction that one who is single will not have. Life is
full of distractions. And it’s not as if Paul presents
a complete list of those here in this chapter. Paul only mentions
this one. here in this first principle.
He only mentions marriage. Paul’s main concern here is the
readiness of the Corinthians for service, especially in light
of the times in which they lived. Are we any less needful of that
admonition? We left off pondering what things
are currently a distraction to us. We’re living in thrilling
times. Everything is in utter turmoil,
socially, economically, racially, morally, politically, ethically.
Everything is in turmoil and everyone knows it. Our world
is in a state of turmoil, it seems, wars, famine, natural
disaster, it’s always been in a state of turmoil, but there
have not been many seasons of turmoil quite like the one in
which we find ourselves currently. And the opportunity to hold forth
the hope of the gospel is great. It’s as great as it’s ever been.
And God’s plan of redemption, faith in the finished work of
his son, our savior, is the only hope. We cannot be distracted,
given such a great season of opportunity. And so in Paul’s
marriage seminar, he has advised his church to remain as they
are, single or married. But he has much more marriage
related advice in this chapter. And we find the next piece of
advice, his second principle in verses 29 and 31. Would you
glance at that verse? But this I say, brethren, the
time has been shortened so that from now on, those who have wives
should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though
they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did
not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess,
and those who use the world as though they did not make full
use of it, for the form of this world is passing away. Well, let me tell you about this
passage of Scripture, because this is the kind of verse that
gets a young man preparing for ministry in real trouble with
the girl that he desires to marry. Let me tell you how I know this. Barbara and I had been dating
for some time, and it was just time to make a commitment. And
that’s not something easy for a man to do. Right, men? But I was ready, except that
first I had to interview the candidate. That’s right. I approached this much like a
business meeting. And yes, this is the verse that
I had written down in five print on my three by five card the
night that I took, the night that I took Barbara
to dinner to close the deal. It was very romantic. And things
were going relatively well. How many children do you desire
to have? What are your convictions about
debt? What are your misgivings about being a pastor’s wife?
That kind of stuff. Things were going very well until
I popped this question. I think it went something like
this. Dear sweet young lady, I do so desire to walk with you
in wedded bliss all the days of our life, except that I found
this verse, my new life verse, a principle derived from God’s
holy inspired word that puts ministry and life in perspective
for me. It’s this, that those who have
wives should be as though they had none. And I went on to explain
as best as a first semester seminary student could do, that it basically
meant that I could not be encumbered by a ball and chain. This isn’t
funny. I couldn’t be encumbered by a
ball and chain if I was going to serve in the Christian ministry. After all, I was in pursuit of
service to Christ and the gospel. I couldn’t be burdened with complaints
that our couches were out of style. I could have a wife, but
it would only be as if I had no wife. I don’t remember if
we ordered dessert. In fact, I don’t remember much
at all after that. It took several weeks and many
hours of conversation to work through all of this. And obviously
we must have worked through it because we’ve been married 32
years in January. And I can honestly say, I’ve
said it many times, that I can’t even imagine being in ministry
without my God-given wife. So I didn’t do so well with this
verse the first time around, and yet this verse does mean
something. So let’s take another stab of
it, shall we? What does Paul mean by this verse? As we begin to pursue the second
principle of urgency in marriage, Paul says it very plainly, this
I say, brethren, the time has been shortened so that from now
on, those who have wives should be as though they had none. To begin with, Paul echoes the
theme of this verse, verse 25, the present distress, which he
reiterated in verse 28, trouble in this life, Here he just issues
the caution that the time has been shortened. Things are urgent. The clock is ticking. Time is
running out. Circumstances being what they
are, time is of the essence. Life and opportunities are fleeting. It’s later than we think. And
then Paul begins to make application, and he flags with these two little
words, so that. The time has been shortened,
so that. And as I said, Paul begins to
make a series of applications here to those with wives, to
those who weep, to those who rejoice, to those who buy, to
those who use the world. The word translated here shortened. The time has been shortened.
It has a very wide use. It was used to describe the furling,
the folding up of sails. It was used to speak of packing
your luggage for a trip. And it suggests reducing the
space occupied by something. In this case, a graphic picture
of a significant reduction of time. The opportunities for service
for any believer are limited. They’re finite. I was reading
Spurgeon on this section over the past several weeks. Regarding
the fact that time is limited, he cautioned, if we knew the
real worth of time, we would shrink from the smallest waste
of so precious a thing. And Paul hints here that time
is much shorter than we might think. If, as I suggested above,
Paul is talking about the difficulties and strife in the Corinthian
church, I know this one. As I look back on 25 years of
ministry, nearly 25 here, 30 overall, I have great regrets
on how much time was insatiably consumed by frivolous and unproductive
meetings, There’s a long running stream
of either issues or people who just thoughtfully, thoughtlessly
and wastefully devour one of the most precious resources we
have, time. Romans 13 12 says, it’s a haunting
verse for anyone who is really trying to accomplish anything
for Christ’s kingdom. The night is almost gone and
the day is near. We don’t have much time. And it’s with that backdrop that
Paul issues this difficult suggestion that those who have wives should
be as though they have none. And I would have you notice that
that portion of the verse is really a purpose clause. I mentioned
it a moment ago, so that the time has been shortened, so that
those two words point to the believer’s expected response
to the brevity of time. It’s to be a sober response.
Paul inserts it as a place marker here when he says, as it’s translated,
from now on. He simply refers to the rest
of the time, the time remaining. But he doesn’t give you the position
of the hands on the clock. He just refers to the rest of
the time. It’s a place marker that suggests with flashing lights
and warning horns, time is short. You’re almost done. It’s your
last chance. And as believers, we want our
lives to count, don’t we? Of course we do. But unfortunately,
people get lulled into a sense of complacency. so that we don’t
recognize the ticking clock, the fleeting moments, the evaporating
opportunities. Jesus, remember, sought to jar
His own disciples to acknowledge this very principle when He said
in John 4, lift up your eyes and look on the fields. They’re
white for harvest. Paul likewise aimed at the tendency
that we have to a quibbling, wasteful spirit when he admonished,
become sober minded as you ought and stop sinning. For some have
no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. And
it’s in this context that Paul issues not one but five five
rapid fire parameters for living a life according to the brevity
of time. Five things that would be helpful
if you’re really going to maximize your usefulness as a Christian.
The first of those, those who have wives should be as though
they have none, is really just one of five such guidelines. And we’ll gain invaluable perspective
about the meaning of this marriage guideline from the other four.
I looked at a variety of ways of discussing these wise parameters. How about this? Let me tell you
what each of them is not saying, and then I’ll come back and tell
you what I believe Paul is saying. Briefly, regarding wives, we
can be assured that Paul is not arguing against marriage here.
He isn’t devaluing it at all. To do so would be to go against
the garden mandate to be fruitful and multiply. How would this
same Paul turn to the Colossians and say, husbands, love your
wives and do not be embittered against them. Paul is not at
all suggesting that marriage as an institution is no longer
valid or important. Look at the second parameter
that Paul provides for a proper use of the time that remains.
Look at verse 30. Those who weep should be as though
they did not weep. Paul’s not saying that weeping
is bad or forbidden. It’s spoken of in Scripture as
a given. There is, as wise Solomon put
it, a time to weep. Right? There are times in life
where we are going to weep. Tears of joy, tears of sadness,
tears of repentance, tears of exasperation, tears of loneliness,
tears of laughter. There are all kinds of tears,
all kinds of reasons for weeping. Jesus wept. Weeping in and of
itself is not wrong. There’s a third parameter that
Paul gives also in verse 30. Those who rejoice as though they
did not rejoice. Now we begin to see the pattern
here. We should rejoice. And here Paul is quite obviously
not saying that we should not ever rejoice. Of course we should rejoice,
just as we are to weep with those who weep, so we are to rejoice
with those who rejoice. How else would Paul legitimately
encourage the Philippian believers, eight times over in his epistle,
to rejoice? One pastor from long ago painted
such a beautiful picture about an imbalanced view of this admonition. He said, look around this beautiful
world of God’s. Ocean dimpled into myriads of
smiles, the sky a trembling, quivering mass of blue, thrilling
hearts with ecstasy, every tint, every form replete with beauty. God says, be glad. Do not force
young, happy hearts into an unnatural solemnity, as if to be happy
were a crime. Let us hear their loud merry
ringing laugh. Even if sterner hearts can be
glad no longer, to see innocent mirth and joy does the heart
good. Nothing wrong with rejoicing.
There’s a fourth parameter in verse 30 as well. A fourth parameter
for the proper use of time. Those who buy as though they
did not possess. Now we really see the absurdity
of taking an extreme view of these parameters, these guidelines. Paul, of course, isn’t arguing
against commerce, buying and selling. Nor is he saying that
it is in any way wrong to own things in a human sense, property,
homes, cattle, and the like. Scripture is full of examples,
new and old, Old Testament saints and new, who are described as
owning, selling, purchasing, buying, trading, possessing,
and all without any rebuke or repudiation by God in the matter. Buying and selling is not a sin.
There’s a fifth parameter. You see it there in verse 31.
A fifth parameter that guides our proper use for the time that
remains. Those who use the world as though
they did not make full use of it. This last parameter actually
functions almost like a summary statement. All four of the other
parameters would nestle neatly beneath this one heading, wouldn’t
they? The use of the world marriage, emotions, weeping, rejoicing,
buying. These are all matters directly
related to this life. And they’re all right and good
things as we’ve seen. But beneath this umbrella, there’s
plenty of room for other earthly enjoyments. This isn’t an exhaustive
list. The use of the world would include
travel, participation in athletics, owning and attending to your
own home, early retirement, so much more would fit here under
this heading. And Paul doesn’t forbid the proper
use of any of them. So if Paul is not forbidding
these things, having a wife, weeping, rejoicing, buying, using
the world, what does he mean? What does he mean that those
who have wives should be as though they had none, as though they
did not weep, did not rejoice, did not possess, did not make
full use of the world? I believe what Paul is arguing
for here, what he’s advising really, is for the believer to
main focus, to keep one’s perspective. Paul lived out this principle
When he wrote back to the Corinthians in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6,
Paul was exhorting those same believers, based on his own example,
to rightly appropriate the grace of God. And he uses some of the
same language that we find in this passage. Just listen. As
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. As poor, yet making many rich. as having nothing yet possessing
all things. Given the circumstances, whether
it’s the Lord’s soon return or the hatefulness of the world
or even strife and division in the local church, we can easily
lose our heavenly focus. We can easily become distracted
from spiritual to earthly things, trials, Challenges, upsets will
come and go, but opportunities for service to Christ and His
kingdom can easily be lost forever. This life is temporary. It’s
transient. As Paul says, it’s passing away.
Eternity is forever. In fact, even in the Psalm we
read this morning, the psalm closed, in your presence is fullness
of joy. In your right hand there are
treasures forever. What does all this look like
in practical terms? Regarding marriage to be as though
they had none is to keep these things in perspective, to maintain
an eternal perspective. No marriage should consume the
majority of our valuable resources. We are still obligated, men,
to serve the Lord, to do His work. After all, and I don’t
mean to be the bearer of bad news here, but Christ tells us
that in the resurrection, that is in heaven, they neither marry
nor are given in marriage. There will be no marriage in
heaven. Marriage is a God-ordained institution for this life. This does not give us license
to belittle or demean either the institution or our respective
spouses. But neither does it allow us
to squander God-given opportunities in this life. We may marry, but
we must maintain a focus on eternity. Likewise, regarding our emotions,
weeping or rejoicing, neither are bad. Neither are forbidden,
but we must not be caught up on either extreme, either extremes
of sadness or extremes of mirth. None other than Jonathan Edwards
spoke to this issue, the great pastor and expositor. He addressed
this matter plainly when he said, excess is prevented. not by the
diminution of joy or of the grief. In other words, he’s saying don’t
get rid of either extreme. We will experience both. Joy
and grief become more profound and harmonized in sadness full
of joy and a joy full of sadness. In other words, both end up balancing
one another out. Both will be experienced in the
Christian life, but we cannot long reside at either extreme. We don’t park there. We don’t
park at the high highs or the low lows. We take them for what
they are, part of life. Paul himself would elsewhere
declare that even the most heart-wrenching difficulties are, remember, momentary,
light afflictions. With eternity in view, life’s
joys will even out our sadness and our heartache will keep even
those elated moments in perspective. Either emotion, when experience
may be allowed, but it’s held only briefly. Joy or grief, we
cannot long abide in either state. If we weep, we know that joys,
if we weep, we know that joys are coming. If we’re joyful,
we know that heartache will return. And so it is with the use of
the world in general. Nothing in the world should have
anything but a fleeting influence over our lives. It’s the greedy,
selfish, worldly tendency that must be guarded against in this
life. Jesus tells the story, doesn’t
he, of a very sad man. A man who was obsessed with what
he had. This is what I will do, he said. I will tear down my barns and
build larger ones. I will say to my soul, soul,
you have many goods laid up for many years to come. Take your
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. That didn’t work out so well
for him, did it? That very night God informed him, your soul is
required for you. Time’s up. We can never be more concerned
about earthly things than eternal matters. God may entrust these
things to us for a stewardship, but they’re never really granted
to us as permanent personal possessions. We cannot allow ourselves to
be imprisoned, owned by their influence over our lives. They
are to be blessings, not masters. Things cannot be allowed to stake
out permanent territory in our hearts. Whatever we do purchase,
we have to hold loosely, don’t we? We can easily get out of
balance in this regard. Even in areas that are not themselves
immoral, this is what Paul means by not making full use of the
world. That is not abusing it, not obsessing about it, And that
caution suggests a measure of dwelling upon or a love of the
world, a misplaced trust in the world. And this, as with most
convictions, is not a matter of what we say with our mouth,
but it’s how we choose to live. Do we really believe that we
are strangers and aliens here in this world? That this is not
our home? that our treasure is in heaven?
Possessions are fleeting. Pleasures are temporary. Leisure
is transient. But the believer’s focus is to
be on eternal matters. God, his word, souls, and heavenly
glory. Christians must seek to make
the most of the time that has been shortened by setting reasonable
parameters over the things of this world. Paul provides the
reason for this. If you glance down at the end
of verse 31, he tells us bluntly for the form of this world is
passing away. And we’re back again to the concern
about time. Albert Bengal, was a late 17th
century pastor and theologian. He was known as the father of
modern biblical scholarship. In his excellent commentary,
three volume set commentary on the New Testament, he said this
of our time being shortened. And I have to warn you, this
will be a little convicting. Some spend so much of their time
seeking superfluous conveniences of life. in wandering thoughts,
in a too persistent pursuit of literature, in the length and
frequency of their feasts and amusements. And it is a virtue
in the opinion of worldly men when anyone knows how to spend
half or even whole days and nights in empty conversation and pursuits. But if it should become necessary
either to engage in prayer, or to watch over the education of
his children, or to exemplify the duty of love to his neighbor,
then truly the want of time has made an obstacle. Nay, he has
not even leisure to consider how much guilt is contracted
by such conduct. And I would hasten to point out
he doesn’t even mention television. He doesn’t even mention sports,
hobbies, to which some people give fully half their lives. I just wanted you to see how
greatly our perspective on time has decayed. No wonder the Apostle
John admonishes us, do not love the world or the things in the
world This makes it a fool’s pursuit to pursue and to dwell
and to obsess on the things of the world. They’re passing away. It’s an ever fading glory. Instead,
as the writer of Hebrews encourages, the Christian’s focus is on a
kingdom which cannot be shaken. As Paul urged the Colossian church,
set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on
earth.