1. The Christ-Centered Home

2. Christ- Centered Singleness

4. The gift of Singleness allows believers to remain celibate and unmarried without falling into sin with the goal of serving the kingdom of God.

5. Singleness (celibacy) is a gift from God.

6. 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 7 I wish that all were as I myself am
1 Corinthians 7: 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. 8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.

7. Matthew 19:1-12 ESV
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" 4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." 7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"

8. Matthew 19: He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed 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." 10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."

9. 10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."

10. What is a eunuch?
impotent male
celibate person
court official

11. Three types of eunuchs (Jesus v12)
eunuchs who have been so from birth
eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven

12. Significance Looked down upon in OT (think child-bearing)
Jesus placing a high regard for someone the culture does not regard highly.

13. How do you know if you have the Gift?
Can you “stomach” it?
Can you maintain sexual purity over time?
What do you do if you do? – Receive the teaching of Jesus
What do you do if you don’t? – Prepare to get married and use the time wisely

14. 2. Singleness (for a season) is a gift.

15. 1 Corinthians 7: I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 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.

17. Taxes

20. Is it relevant?

21. Remaining single shows the world that Christianity is about the life to come.

22. By showing undivided devotion to the Lord.

23. 3. Singleness is not superior to marriage.

24. We are all married to Christ
The church is metaphorically called “the bride.”

25. Both Marriage and Singleness show the love of Christ for the Church
Christian marriage is a picture of the love Christ has for the church by the love of husband and wife
Christian singleness is a picture of the love Christ has for the church by the love of the single person to serve the church.

26. Putting Feet on this Message
To the married – Treat single people with equality.
To the single – Leverage your season of life to further serve the church.
Give your time, money, and resources with undivided devotion

27. the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

28. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
1 Corinthians 11:23-29 ESV
Parents who put Christ at the Center by