Living Life Fully While Flying Solo
Matthew 19:1-30; 1 Corinthians 7:1-40
Skip Heitzig
Matthew 19 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. |
2 | And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. |
3 | The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" |
4 | And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' |
5 | "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? |
6 | "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." |
7 | They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" |
8 | He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. |
9 | "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." |
10 | His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry." |
11 | But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: |
12 | "For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it." |
13 | Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. |
14 | But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." |
15 | And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. |
16 | Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" |
17 | So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." |
18 | He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' |
19 | 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" |
20 | The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" |
21 | Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." |
22 | But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. |
23 | Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. |
24 | "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." |
25 | When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" |
26 | But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." |
27 | Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" |
28 | So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. |
29 | "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. |
30 | "But many who are first will be last, and the last first. |
1 Corinthians 7 (NKJV™) | |
1 | Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. |
2 | Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. |
3 | Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. |
4 | The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. |
5 | Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. |
6 | But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. |
7 | For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. |
8 | But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; |
9 | but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. |
10 | Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. |
11 | But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. |
12 | But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. |
13 | And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. |
14 | For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. |
15 | But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. |
16 | For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? |
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. |
18 | Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. |
19 | Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. |
20 | Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. |
21 | Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. |
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. |
23 | You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. |
24 | Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called. |
25 | Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy. |
26 | I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress--that it is good for a man to remain as he is: |
27 | Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. |
28 | But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. |
29 | But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, |
30 | those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, |
31 | and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. |
32 | But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. |
33 | But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please his wife. |
34 | There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world--how she may please her husband. |
35 | And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction. |
36 | But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. |
37 | Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. |
38 | So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better. |
39 | A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. |
40 | But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment--and I think I also have the Spirit of God. |
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
Is singleness a blessing, a gift, or a curse? Should the top priority of a single person be to find a mate? Why is it that singleness is deemed either as inappropriate and mediocre or seen by some as spiritually superior to marriage? As we consider these queries, the most important matter is that single life be full and enriching, a positive experience. Perhaps you've lost your mate or you are still waiting for "the one" or perhaps you're happy to remain single. Whichever category you fall into, let's consider singleness in light of Scripture.
In today's society, we get a lot of mixed messages when it comes to marriage and the family. Seemingly endless numbers of self-help books line the shelves of every bookstore, but sometimes it's hard to know which sources to trust. We do know that the Bible is the ultimate source for truth. In this two-volume series, Pastor Skip Heitzig explores marriage and family issues through a biblical lens. Discover God's blueprint for building healthy relationships and a godly home.
FREE - Download Entire Series (MP3) (Help)
|
Buy series
| Buy audiobook