10 May A love to remember: Gospel to the single

1 Corinthians 7:27-35

²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. ²⁹ This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, ³⁰ and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, ³¹ and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

³² I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³ But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, ³⁴ and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. ³⁵ I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

After 5 sermons on relationship, today is finally the day for the singles. The last few weeks, I’ve been preaching out of my zone as I talked about the role of husband, wife, and marriage. But tonight, I am in my zone. I am on fire. If you are single, make some noise. Tonight, I want to lay down for you the gospel view of singleness. For the married couples, don’t switch off. You must know what the Bible said about singleness so that you can support the single Christians around you. RSI right now consists of more singles than married couples. So married couples, you need to know how to serve, encourage and support them well. And, there is a high chance that one day you will be single again. So, listen well.

Let me begin by telling you why I think it is important for us to talk about single life. It is not because I’m trying to justify the fact that I’m 34 and single. That is not my intention. I think 34 is young and I think being single is awesome. Will I ever settle down and get married? Hopefully yes. When? Sooner than you think. I’m kidding. That’s a question that only God knows the answer. But it is safe to say that I have lived most of my adult life as a single. I broke up with my last girlfriend on my 21^st birthday. What a way to celebrate a birthday. “Hey girl, it’s my birthday. Let’s break up.” So, I’ve been single for a while now. You can do the math. Now it is easy to stay single when you are under 20. But it’s a lot harder to stay single between the ages of 20 to 30. That’s like the prime age for relationship. And it gets even harder when you are above 30 because everyone around you expects you to be married. It’s like a steak. 20 to 30 is medium-rare. You are very juicy and prime for relationship. 30 to 40 is medium-well. Somewhat still eatable. 40 to 50 is well-done. No one wants to eat you. How do I know? Because that is my life story. I can understand the pain and struggle of being single. It’s easy to attend your best friend wedding as a single when you are 25. But it is a lot harder to attend your best friend wedding as a single when you are 30. Especially when you are the only one in your circle of friends who is still single. When you are in your 20’s and you are unmarried, people don’t think much of it. You are still a young adult. But when you are in your 30’s and you are unmarried, then you people start to label you. When people find out that you are in your 30’s and you are single, inevitably, the next question from their mouth is, “Why are you single?” But if that same person is married, people don’t ask, “Why are you married?” Sub-consciously, many people think of singleness as less than marriage. This is sad. Christianity, more than any other religion, has a very high view of singleness. Yet singleness is often demeaned in the church today. And I want to correct that. Even though I’m speaking from my own experience, some of you might have to go through a similar experience in the future. There is no guarantee that all of you will be married in the next few years. Unless you have the gospel view of a single life, it’s easy to lose focus and lose hope in what God is doing in and through your singleness.

Another reason for this sermon is because a few weeks ago I was talking to someone who listened to our sermon online and she mentioned the sermon to the wife. She said that there is one thing I said that stuck out to her. I was excited. I was sure I must have said something very profound that radically impacted her life. Maybe something on the line of “Christ is the only one who can satisfy your need of relationship” or “Christ is the husband you always long for” or something like that. And then she told me. She said she cannot forget the fact that I said that not all of you will be married. And I was like, “Are you serious? Out of all my brilliant insight on women, what stuck out for you is that you might not be married?” But I can understand her. Why did it stick out for her? Because of fear. Fear of being single for the rest of her life. And it hits me. That means many of us have yet to grasp the gospel, especially in the light of singleness. Get this. The gospel is not Christ will be enough when you are married. The gospel is Christ is enough wherever you are. Full stop. But a lot of time, the church did not do well in communicating this truth to the singles.

Let me give you an example. In preparation for this sermon, I listened to a very popular sermon on singleness by a very popular hip pastor. And this is what he said. “Be minority because majority is overrated. Just because everyone around you is getting married, does not mean you have to get married.” And I was like, “Amen, preach it, brother. This is good.” Then he said, “It is better to be single than being in a toxic relationship. If you have to convince yourself that he or she is the right person before marriage, then you have to lie to yourself after marriage.” And I am like, “C’mon. I am with you pastor. I am going to give you my like on YouTube.” But then the sermon shifted. “You have to focus on being the right person until the right person comes. If you are not being the right person, what makes you think the right person will be interested in you?” I thought, “Wait a minute.” And he said, “If you want to meet the right person, you need to keep showing up at church.” Okay, what happened? Everything he said is true. I agree with him. I think the best place for you to find the right person is in the church. I have nothing against clubs and bars but if you think you can meet the right person in those places, good luck. What happened was the sermon is no longer a sermon on singleness but rather a sermon on waiting for a relationship. You can find this trait on most sermons on singleness. And it is not helpful. And I include myself on the list of those who preached an unhelpful sermon to the singles. Let me give you my words from a sermon in 2014. “Seek to find contentment in Christ. Be content in who he is for you. It is only when you are content in Christ that it is safe for you to have another.” I mean, that’s good theology and a good quote. You can make an Instagram post out of it. And if you do, I’ll give you my like. It is a legit Gospel saturated statement. But can you see the problem? The problem lies in what the quote implies to the singles. I am implying that singleness is simply a transition before you enter the Promised Land, marriage. This is not the gospel. The gospel is Christ is enough. That’s it. There is nothing added to it.

Most of us grew up in Eastern culture with traditional value. And one of the biggest idols in our culture is family. Our culture put such a high value on the importance of having a family. Let me prove it to you. How many of you think that there is a possibility that you might be single for life? Not certainty, just possibility. Raise your hand. Not a single hand. Do you see what happen? It is unthinkable for us to think that we might be single forever. Why? Because our culture tells us that unless we are married, something is wrong with us. This is especially evident whenever I attend a wedding. Almost every time I attended a wedding, there would be kind older ladies who would tell me, “Don’t worry Yos. It’s your turn next.” I wish I can attend a funeral and tell those older ladies, “Don’t worry, it’s your turn next.” Kidding. I am not that cruel. Those ladies might meant well, but behind those encouragements actually lies this pervasive thought that singleness is less than marriage. It’s wired in our culture to think of those who are unmarried as less of a person than those who are married. But the opposite is also true in modern Western culture. The modern Western culture of our day idolizes independence. For this culture, individual choice and personal happiness are everything. Every decision is made using the filter, “Is this going to make me happy?” They don’t want to spend the energy, time and resources that come with marriage. They want the freedom to do whatever they want for their personal happiness. They choose to remain single because of their selfish desire.

So how do we respond to that? Or more importantly, what does the Bible has to say about singleness? Does the Bible support the traditional value or modern value? The answer is neither. Tonight, I want to give you the gospel view of singleness.

The gifts of God

First, marriage is a glorious gift of God. I won’t take long on this point since we spent 5 sermons on it already but we need to remember that marriage is not human’s invention. It is God’s idea. From Genesis 1 and 2, it is clear that marriage and having children are part of God’s divine purpose in this created world. Because through marriage, God is establishing his representative to subdue the earth and have dominion. Or if I can use a theological term, God is establishing his covenant people through marriage. People who belong to him and him to them. That’s why barrenness is such a big issue in Ancient Israel. They see barrenness as a curse from God. Because if you are not married and you are barren, you cannot fulfil God’s mandate to be fruitful and have dominion on earth. So marriage and children are part of God’s divine purpose in establishing people for himself. A people that will reflect who God is to this created world.

And the New Testament also gives us a glorious picture of marriage. Marriage is a gift where Christ is the treasure. Marriage is a mission where Christ is made known. Marriage is a picture where Christ is the focus. Marriage is for the glory of God. But here is the twist. As awesome and as glorious marriage is it is only a picture. It is only a shadow of a solid substance. Marriage is ultimately about Christ and the church. Marriage is a picture of something better. Have you ever heard the phrase, “a picture speaks a thousand word?” There is some truth to it. If you ever been in a long-distance relationship, then you would know how precious a picture can be. When you miss him or her, scrolling through their pictures could bring a smile to your face and soothe your longing. A picture of a loved one is wonderful. Or maybe skype or facetime. But as wonderful as picture or moving picture can be, nothing can replace having him or her face to face. So here is Paul’s point. As wonderful and glorious marriage is, it cannot compare to the reality of Christ. And here is something that we need to understand about marriage. There will come a time where marriage will be no more. Marriage is not ultimate. Marriage is only a temporary signpost pointing to a greater reality, which is Christ and the church. Christ and the church are permanent while marriages are only light and momentary. Which lead me to my next point.

Second, singleness is a glorious gift of God. Marriage is glorious. Family and children are glorious. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. But that’s not all there is to it. Paul also talks about the glory of singleness. But it is a mistake to think that Paul was the one who came up with it. Jesus also speaks highly of singleness. There was one time where Jesus’ mother, brothers and sisters came to see him. One of the crowds told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are here to see you.” And Jesus replied, “Who are my mother and brothers and sisters? It is those who do the will of my Father.” I tried to imagine myself in Jesus’ shoes. I am preaching in RSI and Jejep came up and told me, “Yos, your mom is outside, looking for you. She said it’s urgent.” And I said to you guys, “Who is my mother? Everyone in RSI who listen to me is my mother.” Trust me, it won’t go well with me. You might not see me for the next few weeks. I can’t say it, but Jesus can. Do you know what he is saying? Jesus is not saying that family is not important but earthly family is only secondary to the gospel family. Jesus turned the picture upside down. If in the Old Testament, having a physical offspring is seen as God’s blessing, in the New Testament, what matters is to have a gospel offspring. It is to bring others into the kingdom of God. What matters more than having a child is to make disciples of Christ. In fact, in many circumstances, singleness is better than marriage. This is where Paul comes in.

1 Corinthians 7:6-7 – Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. Did you hear that? This is massive. The same apostle who wrote about the beauty of marriage in Ephesians 5 is also telling us that singleness is a beautiful gift from God. Just think about it. No one would dare to think of Paul as second-class pastor. This is the man that God used to write 2/3 of the New Testament and he is single. A single pastor. Now, I am convinced that if Paul were to live in our days, people would think that there is something wrong with him. “What is wrong with Paul? He is so smart, and he loves Jesus but why is he single? Maybe it’s his look? Maybe if he just shaves that long beard of his? Or maybe he needs to work on his social skill? Or maybe he has too high of a standard for a wife? Or, maybe he is attracted to same-sex? There has to be a reason why he is single right?” I may or may not receive the same comments but that is not the point. The point is no one would dare to think of Paul as second-class pastor. And yet today, the church often views singleness as a negative thing. Let me give you an example. When we promoted this relationship series on social media, did you know what people say? They said, “Sermon on husbands, wives and marriage by a single pastor? Wow. This is unheard of. This is going to be legen… wait for it… dary, legendary. It’s going to be super awesome. I can’t wait to hear it. It’s going to be life-changing.” No, that’s not what people said. That’s what you said because you guys love me. Right? Maybe? No? Nevermind. But people said, “What? Sermons on marriage by a bachelor? Yeah… all theory, no experience.” They forgot that the ones who penned most of the teaching on marriage in the Bible are singles. Jesus and Paul. But Paul is clear here. He refers to singleness as a good gift of God. Paul is telling us that he is single not because there is something wrong with him but because something is very right with him.

Now, let’s be clear by what Paul meant when he refers to singleness as a gift from God. If we are not careful, we often treat the gift of singleness like a gift that no one wants. I remember having some conversation on the gift of singleness with few guys, and the question being raised is, “How do I know if I have the gift of singleness?” No one knows what’s the right answer. And if a guy is rejected by many girls and cannot find a date, he would say “Maybe I have the gift of singleness.” So, we treat the gift of singleness like a birthday gift that no one wants. We hope that we will never have that gift. But that’s not how Paul thinks of the gift of singleness. Paul sees the gift of singleness just like he sees the gift of marriage. It is a good and glorious gift from God.

So how do you know you have the gift of singleness? Let me ask you another question. Married people, how do you know you have the gift of marriage? Because you are married. Same with singleness. How do you know you have the gift of singleness? As long as you are single, you have the gift of singleness. We must get this. Gift of singleness is not a special superpower from God. You dont have to be bitten by a single spider to be a singleman. Think about it. If singleness requires a special superpower from God just to survive it, it must be a terrible gift. But the gift of God is always good. So, the question is not so much how do I know if I have the gift, but what should I do with my gift? Are you with me? Some of you might have the gift of singleness right now but then one day you might have the gift of marriage. Or, some of you might have the gift of marriage right now but then one day you have the gift of singleness. Or some of you might have the gift of singleness for the rest of your life. But here is what we must be clear. Both marriage and singleness are glorious, and one is not more superior than the other. Both are good and both are gifts of God. Rather than questioning our gifts, we should rejoice in our gifts, knowing that God is sovereign over our gifts and he knows what’s best for us. Singles, this is a game-changer. You are not single because there is something wrong with you. You are single because God has given you the gift of singleness for you to rejoice in. At this moment in your life right now, there is a sovereign God who is with you, who has not forgotten about you, who pours out his grace for you and walk with you every step of the journey. Trust him and enjoy his gifts.

The blessings of singleness

First, you are free from worldly troubles of marriage. 1 Corinthians 7:27-31 – ²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. ²⁹ This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, ³⁰ and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, ³¹ and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.”

Here is Paul’s argument. The life of singleness has advantages because this present world that we live in right now is only temporary. The eternal is coming. When Jesus came to earth, he came as the king to bear the judgement of the world. But when Jesus return, he will come not to bear judgement but to enact judgement. And after that, the world as we know now will pass away and the new eternal world will come. And it doesn’t matter how long you live, 50 or 70 years, in comparison to eternity it is like a drop of water in the ocean. So what Paul is saying is don’t be too focused on here and now that you neglect your eternal future. We shouldn’t be too obsessed with our marriage nor should we be overly disappointed that we are not married. Both marriage and singleness are blessed by God and good conditions to be in. Our focus needs to be on Christ and his eternal kingdom. With this focus in mind, then marriage has its disadvantages. Or to say it positively, singleness has its blessings.

There are many blessings of marriage, but marriage is also a headache. Let’s be real. A lot of times in church we paint such a glorious picture of marriage, but we don’t talk much about what happened behind the scenes. Genesis 1 and 2 paints for us a beautiful picture of marriage where both man and woman were sinless. But do you know what happened in Genesis 3? Because of sin, the relationship is fractured. And this is the world that we live in today. We live in a sinful world where all of us are sinners. Do you know what happens when two sinners live intimately together? Let me tell you. Even toothpaste can cause a big fight. There are two types of people in this world. One is the type A who likes to press toothpaste from the bottom in a systematic way and the other is the carefree type who like to press from wherever. And in the sovereignty of God, these two types usually get married and fight over toothpaste. In marriage, you not only have to deal with your sin, but you also have to deal with your spouse’s sin at an intimate level. That’s trouble. And as if that’s not enough trouble, two sinners decided to bring another very selfish sinner into the world and think that it will solve the problem. Instead of two sinners living intimately, we have 3, 4, 5 or maybe 10 if you still take the Genesis mandate seriously. What happens is that marriage does not solve problems but intensifies problems. So, Paul is saying, “I want to spare you from this trouble.”

Second, you are free to devote yourself to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 – ³² I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³ But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, ³⁴ and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. ³⁵ I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Singles, if you think you are busy, wait till you are married and have kids. If you think you are tired now, you have no idea what’s waiting for you. As much as marriage and children are blessings, it also creates anxieties in you. In marriage, you are responsible not only for your welfare but also for the welfare of your family. And this creates divided interests. Husbands, you are responsible to love your wife sacrificially and to train your children in the fear of God. It is extremely time-consuming and emotionally draining. Same goes with the wife. Wives, you are responsible to help your husband and nurse your children. And that’s tough. It will take a lot out of you while those time and energy could be used for the Lord. Paul is not saying that marriage life is hard, and singleness is easy. He is saying that marriage is more complicated while singleness is more straightforward.

And for singles, this is also a direction on how we ought to live our life. Many of you are singles but you are not living the single life that God desires. There is nothing wrong with playing games, watching k-drama, Netflix, or karaoke. But that’s not the focus of singleness. Your single life needs to be marked by your undivided devotion to Christ and his works. One of the dangers of singleness is self-centeredness. We can easily focus too much on “me” and forget that our singleness is not for us but the Lord. I’m not saying you should be in church 24/7. That’s me, not you. But what I’m saying is that you need to live a life worthy of the gospel. Has the gospel affected the way you study? Has the gospel affected the way you work? Has the gospel affected the way you relate with one another? Has the gospel affected how you use your leisure time? Has the gospel affected every area of your life? Is your focus still on here and now or the eternal kingdom that is coming?

So that’s the two blessings of singleness that Paul tells us. Now let me just make something clear. Some of you are starting to think, “I think we need to give up our desire to have a Pastor’s wife. I think Yosi has given up on marriage.” Let me make it crystal clear to you. I haven’t given up on marriage. I pray that a day will come where I’ll wait at the altar as my beautiful bride walks towards me in all her splendour. But here is the thing. God may allow me to experience marriage because he is good to me. But I may never wait for her at the altar and die at the age of 101 as a single old man because God is good to me. Either way in marriage or singleness, it is a glorious gift. Because the focus is not on me but Christ. God’s goodness toward me is not measured by the fact whether I’m married or not. Right now, in my singleness, I do not obsess over marriage. I devote myself fully to the Lord. Do I have the gift of singleness for a lifetime? I have no idea. I know I have a desire for marriage but just because I desire marriage does not mean I do not have the gift of singleness. Another sermon for another time. But what I know today is that I am single. Therefore, I live my life as a single with undivided devotion to Christ. If marriage comes, then I’ll trade the blessing of singleness with the blessing of marriage. And also, its troubles. But one thing does not change. In marriage or singleness, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20.

Five takeaways

1. Singles, you are not less. I hope that’s clear to all of us tonight. Being single does not make you less of a person in God’s kingdom. I apologize that if people like me often make you feel less because of your status but ignore us. Singles, Christ is your identity; Christ is your value. Singleness is not a curse; Paul calls it a gift. So, receive that gift and use it to glorify God. Will that gift last a lifetime? I don’t know but if right now you have been given the gift of singleness, don’t waste it.
2. Singles, you are not alone. Being single can feel very lonely sometimes. Especially when you go to a wedding and they ask you to take a picture for the bride and groom. They end up taking a picture you holding that bouquet on your own. True story. And sometimes singles think that marriage will solve that loneliness. But that is not true. Being married does not guarantee that you won’t be lonely. Am I right married couple? You can be married and still feel that inner loneliness. And married people start to run to other things like pornography or Netflix to fill that gap. Or they start to think that they marry the wrong person. Then they are looking to another person to fill that loneliness. But for the singles, it is easy for you to think that marriage will solve your loneliness. It won’t. Because the longing for companionship is pointing you to the one ultimate friend. And it is not your spouse or your best friend. That loneliness points you to Christ, the only friend who will be there for you in every season of life. That desire for companionship will only ultimately be fulfilled at the return of Christ. And in the time being, God has given us the church. In Christ, we are part of this big family called the church. Genesis 2:18 is still true when God said that it is not good for man to be alone. But the New Testament answer for that is not a spouse but the church. Your physical family will only last in this passing world. But your gospel family is eternal. Therefore singles, you are not alone. The church is your family. And our bond with one another is even stronger than physical family. Our bond is Christ, and it will never end. Physical deaths cut the bond between families but there is nothing that can cut the bond we have in our gospel family. Our relationships with one another are far more precious and far more permanent than the physical relationship between a husband and a wife. So, take advantage of this family. I know singleness is hard and it can feel very lonely sometimes. But that’s why God gives us brothers and sisters in Christ. Don’t waste this gift. Take advantage of it.
3. Singles, stop waiting and start living. Don’t live your life as if you are incomplete until he or she comes. I think many of us live this way subconsciously. We convinced ourselves that our life will be better in the next season of life. We always look forward to what is next. We even use this excuse to not get our life in order now. Guys, you believe that marriage will be a solution to your sexual struggle. No, it won’t. If you can’t be pure in your singleness, there is no guarantee that you will be pure in your marriage. The single you will be the married you. Marriage will not solve your problems; it will intensify it. It is not only singles that deal with sexual temptations, marriage couples also struggle with sexual temptations. Why? Because at the end of the day, you know that sex cannot satisfy your innermost appetite. Sex is good but it is only a signpost to something better. The moment you put too much hope in sex, it destroys you. That longing is good. That longing is designed by God to point you to something beyond the satisfaction of sexual intercourse. That longing is to point you to Christ as the only one who can satisfy you. And the fullness of that satisfaction will only come when Christ return as our ultimate spouse. Stop waiting and start living for Christ today. Be fully devoted to him. If you have a passion that you want to do for the kingdom of God, let’s do it. Don’t waste your gift. Singles, you have the opportunity that no married people have. God does not give you the gift of singleness so you can binge-watch on Netflix or play games all night. You might not have kids, but you have the opportunity to make disciples of Christ. So even if you are single for the rest of your life, you can still have an eternal heritage. One day, when every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, there will be a multitude of people that worship Jesus because of your life and how you have led them to know Christ. What a joy. Stop wondering when you will have the gift of marriage and start using your gift of singleness for the glory of God. Start living for God now.
4. Singles, you will be married. You might not be married to a man or woman. But if you are in Christ, you will be married to him without fail. Christ is your ultimate Bridegroom. No Christians will remain single forever. The Bible promises us that a day will come where our perfect Bridegroom will come for us, the church, and he will take us to be with him and united to him forever. On that day there will be no pain, no tears, no troubles of marriage. What we will experience is joy after joy, glory after glory, love after love. Even after 100 billion years of delight, we will still experience another 100 billion years of delight and it’s going to feel like we have just begun. And this is the ultimate story that we are living for. Singles, you are not missing out on anything because you have this ultimate marriage coming for you. I am not saying that earthly marriage does not matter but in the light of Christ and who he will be for us, marriage does not matter that much. Whether in our marriage or in our singleness, we look forward to the wedding supper of the Lamb. And until that day comes, whether in marriage or singleness, we live our lives to reflect the beauty of this story. The story of the Gospel.
5. Married couples, love the singles. Do not think of singles as a second-class Christian. A life of being single is not second best to marriage. Singles are not weird. Singleness is as much a gift of God as marriage is. You need the singles and the singles need you. Do not see singleness as a disease to be cured but as a gift to be celebrated. So, here is my encouragement for married people. Get to know the singles. Invite them to your place. Invite them to live life together with you. Learn about their difficulties and speak the gospel into their life. And when you are with them, stop talking about relationship consistently. Stop asking the question of why they are still single and stop trying to set them up with your friends. There is nothing wrong with it but if you do it constantly, you are sending the message that their life could be better if only they are married. Don’t go that way. Instead, love them where they are. Talk to them about your difficulties. Invite them into your mess and let them speak the gospel into your life. So, there is a dynamic where both the singles and the married learn from one another and live together. That’s what I desire to see in our church. I want us to be a church where there will be no lonely people. Where both marriage and singleness are celebrated as good gifts from God.

“Relationships based on family are temporary. Relationship based on union with Christ is eternal. Marriage is a temporary institution, but what it stands for lasts forever.” – John Piper.

Discussion questions:

1. Can you see your tendency or the tendency of people around you to think of singles as second-class? Describe what happened.
2. Paul refers to singleness as a good gift from God. Prior to this sermon, do you think of singleness as a good gift of God? Yes or No? Explain.
3. How do you know if you have the gift of singleness?
4. Why does Paul say that singleness has advantageous in the light of eternity?
5. One of the main struggles of singleness is loneliness. What is the role of the church in dealing with loneliness?
6. Singles might not have physical heritage but singles can have eternal heritage. What is it and why is it so much better?
7. Singles and married couoples, why do you need each other? List out some concrete steps that you can do to make it happen.