Please remember that sermon notes are meant to act as a guide and may not be exactly what was preached. For discussion questions and supporting scriptures, be sure to check out the end of the post.
The main point is that time is limited/short (vs. 29). This world is passing away. The time for doing the Lord’s work is short and is coming to an end. We cannot afford distractions, to be distracted from reaching up & reaching out, from being the Church.
Let’s deal with a few things here while looking at distractions. First and foremost Paul is inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these things (vs. 40). So this is from the Lord and needs to be heeded as such.
Let’s talk about being unmarried/single. Marriage is good and noble and holy and honorable, as we are told in Hebrews 13:4, but it’s not the be all and end all of life. If you are miserable being single, how can you be sure you’ll suddenly be happy being married? The happiest married people are generally those who were also happy while being single.
Changing your marital status doesn’t guarantee a change in your happiness, contentment, or your satisfaction with life. Discontented singles aren’t usually the best candidates for a happy marriage. But, Paul is telling us that when you are married you’re distracted from serving God with other responsibilities to spouse and family. This is also why he states that we are to be married only to those who are in Christ (vs.39).
The Holy Spirit tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness” (NASB). Within a Christian marriage both spouses seek to place God first and serve Him as one. And the bible also tells us that, “A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (Proverbs 18:22).
Whether you choose to marry or not does not make you a better or a more sanctified Christian. What matters is that you are serving the Lord where you are, as you are, now! If Our Lord brings someone into your life that complements what you are doing, encourages you, and comes along side you in your pursuit of God; who is also a Christian that is growing in the grace and knowledge of God and you choose to marry, then I am sure God will bless you as you two become one in marriage. But our time here is short and we should not get long distracted from fulfilling our purpose here.
What was making the time short? It could have been persecution or just about anything up to and including the 2nd coming of Christ. Whatever the present crisis was, he is stating that the time is short. The time for each of us for doing the Lord’s work and fulfilling our purpose is short.
No one here, no one listening or watching knows when Christ will come or when we will leave… your time here is limited. Moses tells us in the 90th Psalm that, “Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. …: indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). In James, the Word refers to us as a mist that appears for a little while. God’s Word make is clear that our time here is limited, as vs.29 tells us. This world is passing away (vs.31).
Since we know these things to be true, should we let ourselves be distracted with worldly things? Marriage is for this world and you should rejoice in your marriage. But it will not be long before we will no longer marry.
Are you mourning the loss of a loved one? It will not be long until there is no more mourning. From an eternal perspective, rejoicing and mourning are truly passing situations. … Don’t get me wrong; family is important and God makes that clear telling us that if we do not provide for family, especially for those of our own households, that we have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers (1 Timothy 5:8)!
Vs. 30 – Our time here is limited. We must not let our worldly possessions distract us from serving God and fulfilling our God given purpose! The more possessions you have, the more you are possessed by them. Possessions become distractions that eat up our time, that distract us from serving God, that take our focus away from THE primary purpose! Two houses, two or three cars, a boat, a camper…Add to that family with, sports, lessons, recitals, and school activities… Where in the midst of all that is God and His church?
There is nothing wrong with having those things. But when they start taking priority, when they become a distraction to serving God, to growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and to fulfilling your purpose, then they are in opposition to your being a Christian.
When we allow distractions to become a priority then our focus shifts from God to the things that move us in the wrong direction, away form God instead of towards Him. Technology, online games, too much time on Facebook, bad habits, addictions, sports, stress, busyness and other meaningless distractions lead us astray. Instead of following Christ we allow the things of this world to disrupt, or even stop, our journey…
The time is short, this world is passing away, we must keep our focus!
Digging Deeper
Questions: Are you serving the Lord or is a distraction your priority?
Further Reading: Psalm 39:6, Hebrews 12:25-29, James 1:10, James 4:14, 1 John 2:17, Colossians 3, 1 Peter 4:7-11, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Luke 18:18-25, Job 1:21
Dayton First Church of God 