God’s Way of Getting to the Marriage Altar Part 1
Problems with Recreational Dating
Sunday, June 30, 2019
I. Dating, Marriage & Sex
A. Discipled by Christ and the Word vs. the Culture of the World
1. (Judg. 2:10-13 MSG) the next generation didn’t know God.
a. (Deut. 30:19-20 NLT) we must learn God’s ways, live by them and teach our children the same.
b. (Gen. 18:19 NIV) this is why God chose Abraham.
c. One of our responsibilities as Christian parents is to get our children to the marriage altar pure.
2. (2 Cor. 3:5-6) patterns & principles of the old testament.
3. Recreational dating is an unbiblical custom and tradition where two people develop a relationship in which they cultivate their interest in one another by talking on the phone, texting, planning things, activities together in which they are alone, without parental consent or oversight.
B. Problems with Recreational Dating
1. Recreational Dating is a part of our culture traditional and not biblical. (Mark 7:8-13 NLT)
2. Recreational dating removes parental authority, involvement and oversight. (1 Thess. 4:3-5 NIV; 2 Tim. 2:22 NLT; Rom. 13:13-14 NLT)
3. Recreational dating is a threat to sexual purity. (1 Cor. 6:18 NLT; Matt. 26:41; 1 Thess. 5:22)
4. Recreational dating is a threat to emotional stability because it can produce rejection and esteem issues.
5. Recreational dating is a threat to spiritual growth. (Eccl. 12:1 NIV)
a. (Prov. 18:22 NLT) from the favor of the Lord
b. (1 Cor. 7:27 ESV) don’t seek a wife!
c. (Matt. 6:33) Don’t seek a spouse. Seek the Lord and prepare for marriage.
6. Recreational dating can be a threat to future happiness.
a. A child out of wedlock will impact your whole life.
b. A STD can change the trajectory of your life.
c. A broken heart can impact your whole life’s well-being
7. Recreational dating promotes deceitfulness. People often lie to impress and become someone or something they are not in one on one settings.
8. In Recreational dating there is a degree of sexual intimacy expected.
a. “Do you kiss on the first date?”
~Law of diminishing returns says you must pick up where you left off to get the same stimuli. ie. fuse on dynomite.
9. Recreational dating is rooted in the Hollywood fantasy of romantic love being the foundation and pursuit of our lives.
a. Love is a decision, commitment, faithfulness, trust, honesty, sacrifice, friendship and much more.
~(1 Cor. 13:4-8a AMP) Bible definition of love
[Pastor Lee Stokes]