Sermon
Relationships: The Transition
Stonebrook Community Church
Speaker: Matt Heerema, with Brad Barrett
March 20, 2020 · 51 min
Dating & SinglenessSexualityDiscipleshipCommunityEphesians 2:1–101 Timothy 5:1–21 Thessalonians 4:3–8
Summary
Three biblical rules govern dating: prioritizing worship, unity, and mission over individual fulfillment; maintaining absolute purity in relationships; and seeking blessing and counsel from parents and wise advisors. The sermon contrasts the world's approach to dating—rooted in the prince of the power of the air—with the church's understanding that dating is a tool for pursuing marriage within the context of shared faith and community.
Highlights
If the person you're looking to pursue is not excited about this verse, excited about this 'but God' and not excited about what that has meant in their life, they're not a Christian, and you ought not even pursue them in a relationship.
The world's way of dating is influenced by the prince of the power of the air. It is all about the gratification of the desires of the body and mind. It is not about the promotion and enhancement of worship, unity, and mission in the church.
To the degree that I am not amazed by my salvation, my wife is going to suffer.