What Can Stop You From Serving the Lord

Tom Shrader exposits 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, where Paul instructs believers to remain in the condition in which God called them rather than using circumstances as excuses to delay service. Drawing on the imagery of slavery and freedom in the Roman world, Shrader explains that every believer has been purchased by Christ's blood and freed from sin, making external conditions irrelevant to faithful obedience. The central application is direct: the only thing that can stop a person from serving the Lord is that person themselves.

“What can stop you from serving the Lord? You. You're the only thing that can stop you. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter your social status.”

— Tom Shrader

Series: Life Management

Recorded: 2001 at East Valley Bible Church

Duration: 1 hr 4 min

Themes: service, obedience, excuses, faithfulness, calling, contentment, freedom, surrender, feeling stuck, making excuses, new believer, young adult, struggling with contentment, worker, questioning purpose, feeling unworthy

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, Romans 8:30, Philippians 1:6, Romans 6:22, Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Philemon 1:1, Titus 1:1, John 14:15, John 13, 1 Peter 1:19, Ephesians 6:5, Colossians 3:23

Theological Themes: sanctification, redemption, bought with a price, vocation, divine calling, union with christ, lordship, priesthood of believers

Full Transcript

What Can Stop You From Serving the Lord?

Begin with a simple question, and take a moment to think about it in respect to your own life. What is stopping you from serving the Lord? Paul is writing to a church that is continually coming up with reasons not to serve Him. We saw a couple of weeks ago that there was a great debate in the church at Corinth about whether it was better to be single or married. In fact, some said that to really serve Him, you needed to be single — that celibacy was superior to marriage — and that even if you were married, you needed to divorce and be single again in order to really serve Him. Paul is dealing with that.

The Key Verse of 1 Corinthians

It is helpful, as we try to answer this question, to keep in mind what we identified as the key verse of the book: 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 9. Paul wrote, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." This is the key verse of 1 Corinthians, and the rest of the letter centers around it. It is a statement that God has called them into a very important relationship, and by implication, here at the beginning of this letter, we learn that this is the reason for all the problems in the Corinthian church.

They had not understood the implication of their calling and the relationship they personally and individually had with Jesus Christ Himself. As we see beginning in the very next verse, the apostle has to deal with division, scandal, lawsuit, immorality, drunkenness, quarreling, and much misunderstanding of truth about idols and demons and various other things. It is clear as you read this that despite the fullness of provision they had received, they were experiencing great failure in the church.

They had all this ability to do mighty things in the Spirit, but not much was happening out in the city. Instead of making an impact on Corinth, Corinth was making an impact on them. All the ugly attitudes, actions, and activities going on every day and night out in the city were beginning to infiltrate into the church, and instead of the church changing the city, the city was changing the church. That was the problem. Despite all this mighty provision, there was no manifestation of the power of God.

Fellowship With Christ

God is faithful, and He has called them into fellowship. Fellowship with Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is His task to take the things of Christ and make them known to us — to make the person of Jesus vivid and real in our daily experience. Fellowship with Christ is not only direction in what to do, but it is dynamic in that it tells us how to do it.

Paul is writing to this church, and this church has all sorts of problems individually, and because they have problems individually, they have problems collectively. There are factions, dissensions, lawsuits, immorality — a young man living with his mother in a physical way — all sorts of things. And Paul says, listen, here is what you have to understand: God is faithful, and He is the God through whom you were called.

The Meaning of "Called"

This word *called* becomes a major emphasis for us today. When we see this word in the epistles, the writer is talking about the inevitable, effectual call of God on His people to salvation. Notice this in Romans 8:30: "Those whom He predestined, these He called. Those that He called He justified, and those that He justified He glorified." There is a beautiful chain of salvation there, and sometimes we get hung up on the whole idea of predestination and God's choosing.

Here is what is helpful: let's reverse that order, because it works in reversal as well. Every person who is ultimately in heaven — glorified — every one of those has been justified, made right with God by God. Every person who has been justified has been called — that effectual call in a person's life that leads to salvation. And everyone who is called is predestined. What we understand and proclaim boldly at East Valley Bible Church is that salvation is of God. God saved sinners. God did the work. God predestined. God called. God justified. God glorified. This is entirely an act of God.

One of the verses read this morning was Philippians chapter 1, verse 6: "I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue it to the day of Christ Jesus." When we look at that word *called*, it is important to understand we are talking about a person who has moved from sinner to saint — a person who now understands that heaven is their destiny.

1 Corinthians Chapter 7

Now let's look together at 1 Corinthians chapter 7, reading from verse 17 through verse 24.

God's Assignment in Your Circumstances

I want you to circle the word *called* every time you see it. Paul is talking to a specific group of people who say they are Christians, and yet they are coming up with endless excuses not to serve Him. So Paul writes this, verse 17: "Only as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And thus I direct in all the churches. Was any man called already circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is keeping the commandments of God."

Verse 20: "Let each man remain in that condition in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it, but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's free man, likewise he who was called while free is Christ's slave." Verse 23: "You were bought at a price, do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each man remain with God in that condition in which he was called."

He is talking to a group of believers who understand this call but are not living like it right now. They have some problems in their life, and one of those problems is that they are preoccupied with changing their circumstances — and by implication, changing the culture in which they live.

Everything Happens for a Reason

Paul says, "Only as the Lord has assigned to each one." That word *assigned* means delegated to. In other words, where you are is not an accident. I was watching Oprah one day, and she said, "Everything happens for a reason." We hear that all the time. I saw an interview with Sting, and Sting said, "Everything happens for a reason." Everybody says it — I'm not sure they all believe it, but they say it.

We believe it. We believe everything happens for a reason, and if there is a reason, there is a purpose. If there is a purpose, there is a plan. If there is a plan, there is a planner. That is what Paul is saying. You were assigned to a place for a specific reason.

Let's be honest. Some of you have some awful, painful things in your past, and maybe you are even asking, "Why would God allow that to happen?" Here is what we know: He did. He either allowed it or perhaps even caused some of those things in your past, and He did it for a reason. You do not have to try to undo it. You do not have to try to ignore it. You do not have to live there. You simply understand that He gave you this for a reason.

Some of you are in positions you would never have chosen in a million years, but you are there. God has you there, and He has you there for a reason.

Stay Where God Called You

Paul is talking to people who were saved, and after coming to repentance and faith they are saying, "I have to get out of these circumstances in order to really be a Christian." When we ask the question, "What can stop you from serving the Lord?" they came up with a whole laundry list of answers — things like, "I'm married, and to really serve Him I need to be single." Paul is saying, no. If God has called you and you are in a specific spot, you need to stay there.

Now, let me give you the obvious caveat. If God saves you and you are a drug dealer, you do not keep dealing drugs. If you are a prostitute, you do not stay in prostitution. If you are in some immoral business, Paul is clearly not saying stay in that. He is talking to people who are saying they cannot really serve God until they get out of their current situation.

At the camp at Forest Home, where we took the band, I made a similar comment and included a joke about lawyers. A man there pushed back and said it was a cheap shot and that lawyers do great work. He was right — they really do. The point stands, though, that for those in legitimate circumstances, the call is to serve God right where they are. Whether someone says, "I work in intelligence and can't really serve God there," or, "I need to be on staff at the church full-time first" — Paul is saying that is simply not the case.

He also adds this sentence: "And thus I direct in all the churches." He is not saying this applies only to the church at Corinth. He is saying it applies at Philippi, and Galatia, and Scottsdale, and Phoenix, and Gilbert as well. This is a universal truth.

God Is Sovereign Over Your Circumstances

There is no maverick molecule that can upset God's plan. God is sovereign. God is in control. Everything that happens in your life is either caused by or permitted by God, and therefore it is there for a reason. The question is not to try to unpack the why, but rather to ask, "God, what do you want me to do in the midst of this?"

To these people who are saying they have to throw off their circumstances to really live for Him, Paul is saying: get your eyes off your circumstances and onto Him. That does not mean your circumstances are not painful. It does not mean there are not hard things that come before you. What it means is that those circumstances do not in any way obliterate your ability to serve Him right where you are.

Circumstances Cannot Stop You From Serving God

The more difficult the circumstances, oftentimes, the more pronounced and visible is the Lord's working in your life. God is in control, and there ought to be for us a sense of peace and comfort in that. There are some scary, troubling things in this world, and we do not have to wonder — we know God is in control. Many people had a desire to get serious about serving Him, but felt they could not until they removed the difficult circumstances from their lives.

One author writes this: "Christians can be Christians in a dictatorship, a democracy, even under anarchy. We can be Christians whether we are men, women, married, single, divorced, Jew, Gentile, slave, or free. We can be Christians in Russia, the United States, Cuba, China, France, or Japan. Whatever we are and wherever we are, we can be Christians."

The Danger of Social Change Over Heart Change

That truth can even apply in our world today. So often we can be so overwhelmed by the evils of this world that we want to become agents of change — social revolution, political revolution. We feel we must remake, reform, and remodel government and other institutions. But the change He calls us to bring about is the change of people's hearts, and if we lose sight of that and move to become agents of social change, we very quickly obscure the latter — the changing of the heart.

I was talking to a man this week who works in a drug and alcohol program with teens. His organization's goal is to get teens sober, and he came to an interesting conclusion: they are getting kids sober, but they are not changing their hearts. All they have are sober kids on their way to hell. Their hearts are not changed.

He said that in his mind he went in wanting to minister to these kids, but the organization's objective was to get them sober, while his objective as a Christian was to get them saved. And here are his words, not mine: so often when they get a kid sober, getting him saved becomes even harder, because now the kid is thinking he is a pretty good person. When you look around and see people in difficult circumstances, make sure you understand — alcohol is not the problem, gambling is not the problem, sex addiction is not the problem. The problem is an unconverted heart. If we can see a heart change through the Holy Spirit and His Word, we will see a life change.

Paul Addresses Circumcision and Uncircumcision

Now Paul addresses a couple of specific situations. Was any man already circumcised when he was called? If you had been called to salvation and you were circumcised — most who were would have been Jews — Paul says, let him not become uncircumcised. You might think this must be a figure of speech, but here is what was actually happening: men in that day were going through a surgical process to reverse circumcision.

In the Roman world, circumcision was considered an embarrassment. Many Jewish men were deeply embarrassed by it, particularly in settings like the athletic games. Remember, Corinth was second only to Athens in hosting those games, and athletes competed without clothing. So some were going through a surgical procedure to physically reverse the visible sign of circumcision. Others were embarrassed by their Jewish identity now that they were Christians.

Paul's answer is direct: if you were circumcised, stay that way. If you were uncircumcised, you do not need to get circumcised. That is not the issue. It is not the external markings or the outward appearance that we are concerned about — it is what is on the inside.

What Actually Matters: Keeping the Commandments of God

Here is what he says in verse 19: "Circumcision is nothing, uncircumcision is nothing." These things do not matter. Wherever you are and whichever you are — circumcised or uncircumcised — it makes no difference. Neither one matters. Here is what does matter: keeping the commandments of God. Obedience becomes the external mark that everyone sees, which speaks to the fact that you are truly a Christian.

The external markings we are looking for are not markings on our bodies, but a life that is transformed. Jesus says it this way in John 14, verse 15: "If you love Me, you keep My commandments." That is how we know if someone is a follower of Christ — we see a transformed life.

The Doctrinal and Moral Test of a Christian

Are you a Christian? What does a Christian look like? There are two things to consider. Number one, there is the doctrinal test. Number two, there is the moral or ethical test — in other words, the way your life is lived.

Here is the doctrinal test: Do you believe Jesus is who He said He was? Do you believe you were a sinner separated from Him? Do you believe that no matter how hard you try on your own, you can never secure heaven for yourself? Heaven is available only to those who know Jesus Christ in a personal way.

Just a week ago Friday, there was an article in the newspaper reporting that the Presbyterian Church USA had held a gathering of 500 delegates who considered a proposal. The proposal before them was this: that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. They could not get that proposal passed by those 500 delegates. A substitute proposal was adopted that suggested Jesus was part of the equation, but as one delegate stated — and I am quoting — "I have no right to say to people that..."

Knowing Christ Changes Everything

Scripture speaks clearly on this point. When Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me," and when Peter declares there is no other name by which we can be saved, this is not difficult to figure out. If you know who Jesus is, you have passed the doctrinal test. And if you have truly passed that doctrinal test, your life will change — radically, visibly.

Summer camp is fresh in our minds, and I am thinking of one young man in particular. I watched a physical change take place before he even came to tell me he had come to Christ that night. You could see it on his face. In the last two weeks, over in student ministries, they have spoken to dozens of parents who said their child came back transformed.

Keeping the Commandments Through Love and Service

So what does it mean to keep the commandments? In John chapter 13, Jesus said, "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another." One of the ways we understand that we are truly converted is that we love, and what that means, I think, is that we begin to serve one another. That is why pride is so much the antithesis of real Christianity. If you are proud, you look down on everyone, and you will never serve someone you look down on — never. The only time you would is with the wrong motive.

To serve means that I am available to the One who has called me and that I am at the beck and call of those I serve.

The Cost of Serving

Why don't people serve? Let me give you what I think is the number one reason: it costs a lot. Not in dollars and cents, but in time. Serving people is inconvenient. A lot of us will say, "I'd love to serve — can you swing by tomorrow at nine?" That is not how it works.

Let me give you a small illustration that makes the point. I had not been teaching very long — it must have been fifteen years ago — and it was Monday night. The Cowboys were playing the Redskins, and they were just getting ready to kick off. The phone rang. A man on the line said, "You don't know me. I was in your study Wednesday night. I need to meet with you." I said, "No problem — when would you like to meet?" He said, "Right now." I said, "Right now?" He said, "My wife is leaving me. I need to get together right now."

I did not want that call. But I have learned that almost always, when there is a call like that — a visit to make, someone to see in the hospital, something inconvenient — those are the best times of ministry. Those are the best times of serving. The problem is that I do not want to love and I do not want to serve, because if I do, it is going to be inconvenient and costly.

Serving also means sharing — not just sharing material things, but sharing the gospel. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded." Our ministry to people does not end at conversion. In a real sense, it begins at conversion.

Circumstances Do Not Block Your Calling

Paul's point in this passage is directed at those who were grumbling — those who were circumcised wanting to be uncircumcised, and those who were uncircumcised wanting to be circumcised. He says that does not matter. What matters is keeping the commandments of God. In verse 20 he writes, "Let each man remain in the condition in which he was called." He makes this same point in verse 17, verse 20, and verse 24, because there were people saying, "I have been called, but my circumstances are blocking me from really serving." Paul is saying that is simply not true.

Then he gives what has to be one of the most difficult illustrations he could choose. Were you called while you were a slave? You came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior while you were enslaved. Paul says, if that is the case, do not worry about it. If you are able to become free, fine — but if not, remain where you are.

Slavery in the Roman World

A couple of things need to be said about the slavery Paul is addressing, because it was different from what we think of when we consider American slavery. One author writes this: "In the Roman Empire of Paul's times, perhaps fifty percent of the population were slaves. But unlike most slaves throughout history, the slaves of that day were often better educated, more skilled, more literate, and more cultured than the average freedman. A large percentage of the doctors, teachers, accountants, and other professionals were slaves. Many of them lived in relative ease and were treated with respect. Others, of course, lived in constant poverty and humiliation under cruel and merciless owners."

The key sentence from that author is this: Paul made no distinction. Any slave in any circumstance was to be willing to remain as he was. When Paul writes to slaves in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 5, his advice is this: "Slaves, be obedient to your masters." He does not come along and call for revolution, or for throwing off the shackles, or for being freed.

The Lord's Freed Man

He says, listen, this isn't about your circumstance. This is about your relationship with the Lord. Now, if you can be free, that's okay. In that culture, many of the slaves had the opportunity to be freed. Here is what they would do. They would have to buy their way out. Most of them did not have a lot of resources, but here is what they would do. They would take on a part-time job. They would work extra hours. They would get a little money. They would go to one of the temples of one of the gods, and they would put on deposit this money.

It would be held there in the temple, and when they had accumulated enough money to buy their freedom, they would take their master. The master would meet with one of the priests in one of these temples, and the master would receive from the temple priest all the money that resulted in this slave now being free. So, symbolically, he was now freed of all men, and he would be, hypothetically, the property of this god. That becomes a very important image in just a moment.

Paul continues, and here is what he says: "For he who was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freed man. Likewise, he who was called while free is Christ's slave." Paul said, you have those who were enslaved to other people — they are now free in the Lord. He is saying to those who are slaves, I want you to understand something: you have been freed from something far deeper, far more hideous than human slavery. You have been freed from the slavery of sin. Romans 6:22: "Free from sin, but enslaved to God."

Here is what he said to the free man: do you understand that now you are a slave? Paul identifies himself that way. Romans 1:1 — Paul says, "I am Paul, a bondservant, or bondslave, of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:1 — "Paul and Timothy, bondslaves of Christ Jesus." Philemon 1:1 — "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus." Titus 1:1 — "Paul, a bondslave of God." Paul is saying this: when we focus on our spiritual freedom and our slavery to God, our freedom or slavery among men is not that important.

All of a sudden, we look at life with the right attitude and the right perspective. Paul says to us what the authors of Scripture say over and over again — get your eyes off your circumstances and get your eyes on Me. And when your eyes are on Him, the circumstances of this world tend to take care of themselves. So if you are a slave and you can get out of it, that is fine. But if you cannot, understand that is no excuse to not serve the Lord.

Bought at a Price

In verses 23 and 24, he says this: "You were bought at a price." Now the imagery we talked about a moment ago makes sense. The price was not dollars and cents. 1 Peter 1:19 tells us we were bought with "the precious blood of a lamb, an unblemished, spotless lamb." We were bought with the blood of Christ. When Jesus died on that cross, He purchased the salvation of His people.

When He died on that cross and said, "It is finished," He did not mean that it is now merely possible for people to come to Him. What it meant was that all of those — go back to that chain of salvation we saw at the beginning — all of those who were predestined and called would now be justified and glorified. That is what He accomplished on the cross. When Christ died on the cross, He did not make it possible for us to be saved — He saved us. We were purchased.

Don't Become a Slave to Men

Now, some great advice: do not become a slave to men. Webster defines slave in five, six, seven different ways. One of them is this — a person who is completely dominated by some influence, habit, or person. How would we be dominated by men? By what they think, by their values, by their methods.

There is probably not a student in here who has not heard their parents say these words, words they themselves heard from their own parents: "If everybody else jumped off a bridge, would you?" The idea is, listen, you do not follow the pack. Just because everybody says something is right and you know it is wrong, you do not do it. The majority does not make something right or wrong. What does God say?

Years ago, I was invited to speak to a junior high group, and I had no idea what to say to them. The night before, I got a call from one of the parents who said, "I heard you are going to speak tomorrow to junior high." I said that was right, and they asked what I was going to talk about. I said I did not really know, and they said, "Talk about peer pressure." So I got up before the kids and said, "One of your parents called me last night and asked me to talk about peer pressure — so I want to talk to you about the peer pressure your parents are under."

My point was this. What the parent wanted me to say was something like, "Oh, you students, you have all these pressures — you have to have the right lunch pail, the right backpack, the right shoes, the right everything." There is this idea somehow in our minds that we grow out of that. We do not. And my point to them was, if you do not break this chain, you will end up like many of your parents, who are under great peer pressure — only the stakes are higher than just the right lunch pail. It is driving the right car parked in the right garage attached to the right house. You could say to those parents, "If everybody else drove that just-right car off the bridge, would you do it too?"

That is what it comes down to. All of a sudden, we care about what the world cares about. Consider value systems — what the world holds as truly valuable, God often says is not worth anything. That is gold and silver. That is going to rot away. It does not matter. Here is what He values. And then there are the world's methods. Listen, get this down — especially with so many students in this room, though this is for everyone. There is no right way to do a wrong thing.

You Are the Only Thing That Can Stop You

The world, by and large, thinks you are nuts. If you tell someone you get up early on Sunday, attend the morning service, sit through discipleship, come back in the evening, and serve on top of all that, they think you have lost your mind. Sunday, in their view, is a day to sleep until one or two in the afternoon, get together with friends, grab something to eat, and catch a movie. That is what they think. But it does not matter what they think.

Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men." You have been freed from sin, and the consequence of sin — hell — is no longer your future. Heaven is. You now have the ability to do things that are genuinely good. You are free. Do not be foolish and enslave yourself to what other people think, to other people's values, and other people's methods. Do not take a life that is now free and put it into bondage somewhere else.

Remain With God Where You Are

For the third time Paul makes this point, in verse 24: "Brethren, let each man remain with God in the condition in which he was called." He calls them brothers. It does not matter what your social condition was — whether you were married or single, whether you had a master in the human sense. It does not matter if you are at Intel. Stay. Remain in that condition. He has now said this three times.

Ray Stedman writes on those key words, "with God": regardless of what your situation may be, even if it is a so-called difficult marriage, God is able to meet you right where you are and fill your life with love and joy and peace despite the struggles. The struggles themselves may help you do what God wants you to do. The specifics of what you are going through may be unknown, but this much is certain: God either caused it or permitted it, and under no circumstances is it an excuse for you to stop serving Him.

Every Excuse Comes Back to You

This is where we started the day: what can stop you from serving the Lord? Perhaps when that question was first raised and you were invited to make a list, you began filling one in. Every item on that list is an explanation or an excuse. Here is the real answer: you. You are the only thing that can stop you from serving the Lord. It does not matter where you are. It does not matter your social status. It does not matter your workplace.

In fact, if you are not serving the Lord where you are right now, why would you think you would serve Him somewhere else? When someone comes forward and says they want to be a missionary and go to Pakistan, one of the first questions to ask is, "What are you doing now?" If the answer is, "Well, not much — I'm getting ready to go to Pakistan," that is a problem. Why would you expect to be effective in Pakistan if you are not effective at your current job, in your current neighborhood, in your current relationships? It simply does not make sense.

People say it all the time in different forms. Men have said that if they could just get out of their marriage, they could really be effective for the Lord. Women say the same thing. "I'm married to an unbeliever. My spouse is not on the same page. If I could get rid of them, I'd really be spiritual." No. God has you there for a reason. You can glorify Him right in the middle of that marriage, right in the middle of those difficult circumstances, right in the middle of that job. You are in full-time ministry wherever He has placed you, because He put you there for a reason.

What can stop you from serving the Lord? The only thing that can stop you is you. These people had a whole list of excuses, and Paul's answer is an absolute refusal to accept any of them. Wherever you are, you can serve Him.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us see and understand this truth. Let our lives be transformed by the fact that You have changed our hearts, and therefore we have absolutely no excuse not to be serving You. Our lives ought to be fully, wholly, and entirely committed to You — wherever we are in school, wherever we are at work, whatever neighborhood we are in, wherever You have placed us.

God, we pray especially for those who are in really difficult circumstances. Let them experience the peace and comfort that comes from knowing You are in control. At the same time, let them know that their perseverance is a testimony of Your work in their lives. God, help us see that. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.