Tension

• We’ve spent a few weeks now covering
  • - Homes build people - Discipleship in the home
  • - What’s normal here - Culture
  • - Fight for US - Marriage
• When we talk about roof tops, only 47% of homes have a married couple as the head of house
  • - 53% are led by single person
  • - 29% ONLY have one person in the home - 40 million homes
• So, truth be told, I’m talking to half the room, and half my audience today. 
  • You may be single and HAPPY - You have a grace to do it, and you are thrilled. Think Mimi 
  • You may be single and HURTING - You’ve been through something, lost someone, and are hurt still.
  • You may be single and HOPING - There is a longing in your heart to be with someone. Think B
• The great news 
  • - No matter which category you find yourself in, God sees a useful vessel. In the Bible, some of the greatest people God used were single. 
• One of the best illustrations of singleness being useful to God is Paul

Passage

• Set context for 1 Corinthians 7 - The church had questions about marriage, sex, divorce, and singleness. Paul is not anti-marriage or trying to make everyone single. He is teaching them how to faithfully serve Christ in the season they are in.
• ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭32‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬ - “I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.”
• Comments on passage - 
• Marriage is a beautiful thing. Marriage is a place of partnership and procreation. Without marriage, we would go extinct! Marriage is the bedrock of society. Marriage also brings beautiful, God-given responsibilities.
• However, Paul is teaching here that singleness is also a gift. He is neither downplaying marriage nor elevating singleness above it. He is saying that the unmarried person has an opportunity the married person does not have in the same way: fewer divided responsibilities and greater availability.
• Here’s the shocker - THERE CAN BE AN ADVANTAGE TO SINGLENESS
• More time, more flexibility, more availability, more opportunity
• If I had to summarize that unique advantage in one word, I would call it SPACE.
• So the question becomes: What are you going to do with the SPACE?

Manage the S.P.A.C.E (What should I do with this space)

1. S - See it properly

   1. Tension - People get really negative in the single season, and don’t frame it right. You need to refresh the scene. 
   2. Negative thoughts
      1. Deficiency - I’m incomplete 
      2. Delay - I’ve missed the boat
      3. Rejection - Why hasn’t God given me what He’s given them.  
   3. What Singleness Is:
      1. It’s a GIFT - There is grace to do it, God has presented you with a gift for this season. 
      2. It’s an OPPORTUNITY - You are going to have many more opportunities to serve the Lord. 
      3. It’s an ADVANTAGE - In the mission, you have a leg up! 

2. P - Pursue the Lord

   1. You are completely setup to be “unto the Lord”
      1. v.35 - “In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit.”
      2. There is an indication that a single person can be fully devoted to the Lord!
   2. Anna in the temple was widowed after 7 years, but then focused her entire life on praying in the temple. 
      1. ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ - “Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives.”

3. A - Avoid the traps

   1. Dating apps - 78% of singles have said that it is an exhausting world. 
   2. Some of what has become normal - 
      1. Ghosting — Suddenly cutting off all communication with someone without explanation.
      2. Situationship — A romantic relationship that has intimacy but no clearly defined commitment or status.
      3. Breadcrumbing — Giving someone just enough attention to keep them interested without intending to seriously pursue them.
      4. Love bombing — Overwhelming someone early with excessive affection, attention, praise, or promises, often followed by withdrawal or manipulation.
      5. Catfishing — Pretending to be someone you’re not online, usually through a fake identity, photos, or personal details.
      6. Orbiting — Cutting off direct communication but continuing to watch or interact with someone’s social media—still “orbiting” their life without actually being in it.
      7. Lust — Don’t let desire become your master. Paul directly addresses sexual desire in 
         1. 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 (NLT) 8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows--it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.
      8. Idleness — Don’t let space become waste. This is explicitly Paul’s concern in 1 Timothy 5:13
      9. Comparison — Don’t let somebody else’s season make you despise yours. For singles today, weddings, engagements, babies, and social media make this particularly potent.
      10. Self-indulgence — Don’t build a life entirely around yourself. This may be bigger and more biblical than “settling.” Paul’s vision in 1 Corinthians 7 is that freedom from family obligations creates freedom for devotion to Christ.. not merely more disposable income, travel, hobbies, comfort, and personal preference.

4. C - Continue growth

   1. Think about it: with the extra space you have, you can become a better version of yourself every day! 
   2. Paul tells Timothy - ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.”

5. E - Empty yourself

   1. Paul was at the end of his life, he is a single man, and he tells Timothy that “His life has already been poured out as an offering unto God”.
   2. Practically speaking
      1. What’s the potential for your home?
      2. What’s the potential for your relationships?
      3. How can you care better for your earthly family?
      4. How can you care better for lifelong friends?
      5. What local outreach is can you faithfully participate in?
      6. What mission strips can you go on?
      7. What is God leading you to Give To or go to?