The Dating Game

The Dating Game

Various Scriptures

June 13, 2010

THE AUDIO OF THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.ABERDEENWESLEYAN.ORG.

NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT IS FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."

Me: Well if you’ve looked at your note-taking guide, you’re aware that the topic of today’s message is dating.

Believe it or not, I used to date. And not just when I was dating my wife.

I actually had real dates in high school AND college.

I was no Casanova, but I had some dates. Some were good, others weren’t so good.

I tried to think of some funny stories about when I was dating, but really the only things I could think of were things that were either embarrassing to me or embarrassing to my date, and if they ever heard this message, they might be a bit peeved at me.

So let’s just suffice it to say that I’ve got a little bit of experience about what I’m going to talk about today, okay?

We: Most of us are familiar with what dating is all about, at least to some degree.

For those of us who have had dating relationships, we can probably all think of lessons we learned that we wish we would have learned before we started dating, but instead we learned them the hard way while we were dating, and sometimes it meant the end of that relationship, right?

How many of you are remembering stuff you had forgotten for decades until right now?

God/You:

Most of what I’m talking about is geared to those of you in or near high school, or college. But obviously the principles and stuff I’ll be sharing go for people dating at any age, for the most part.

I think it’s important to acknowledge up front that there are no Scriptures regarding dating.

Dating is a relatively new invention and it’s not addressed in the Scripture.

But I think that because of the numerous Scriptures dealing with personal relationships, we can cull together some information that will be useful to you, no matter what your age.

But I want to start off with a News flash: You don’t HAVE to date! Especially if you’re in high school.

You okay with that?

Over 50% of girls and over 40% of guys never date in high school. And it’s not just because they’re geeks or something.

Even geeks can get dates once in a while – just look at me!

The point is that if you never have a date in high school, that’s okay!

And just to make something else clear, I don’t think anyone should be dating in Junior High. That age, in my opinion, is simply not mature enough to deal with the hassles and heartache that come with dating.

But if you do choose to date, there are six principles to keep in mind if you do date:

(Much of what I’m sharing is information from Dawson McAllister’s ministry and obtained from ChristianAnswers.net.)

1. Honor your father and mother.

Not only is this one of the Ten Commandments, it’s a safeguard God has put in place for you.

Believe it or not, your parents do care about you, and they generally know what’s best. You may not believe that, but it’s true.

Respect their wishes for who you can and can’t date, respect their boundaries of what’s acceptable in terms of activities (what kind of movies, concerts, etc.) are allowed, physical boundaries, curfews, etc.

If you are living in their home, eating their food, using their laundry facilities, and all that stuff, they have the right to determine when you date, who you date, and what goes on during your dates.

They have an obligation to do all they can to protect you from people who would harm you.

And the fact of the matter is that in certain dating situations, you may be pressured to do stuff that you know would not be pleasing to God or to your parents, and could cause you harm.

If you honor your father and mother during the dating process, you’ll find that their trust level will go way up, and you’ll also find that they’re generally more willing to cut you some more slack.

And that’s what every teenager wants from their parents, right?

2. Remember that even if your parents aren’t there, God is – and He sees EVERYTHING.

Folks, God sees you in every situation – good, bad, or ugly – or sinful.

The Bible says that there is nowhere we can hide from Him.

Listen to this from Psalm 139 –

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.