Waiting, Dating, And Mating Series

SERIES: “OVERCOMING OBSTACLES THAT OBSTRUCT OBEDIENCE”

TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 7

TITLE: “WAITING, DATING, AND MATING”

INTRODUCTION: A. The preacher of a congregation made it a habit to visit all the Sunday school

classes. One particular Sunday, he was sitting in on the 1-3 graders. The lesson had

some mentions about marriage so the preacher thought it would be a good time to talk

a little bit about the importance of marriage.

He asked the class: “Does anyone know what God says about marriage in the

Bible?” One little boy raised his hand and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know

not what they do.”

1. Someone: “Marriage is like twirling a baton, turning handsprings, or eating with

chopsticks. It looks easy – until you try it!”

2. Marriage is something that’s treated very lightly in our society

a. Right on 50% of all marriages end in divorce

b. The number of people who live together as opposed to getting married has

increase from 523,000 in 1970 to approximately 4.5 million today.

c. It’s not uncommon for children to be born to single mothers

3. Yet, “living together” has caused a lot of damage to peoples’ lives

a. There is a much greater occurrence of infidelity in couples who just live

together as opposed to those who live together and are married.

b. Couples who live together before marriage have an 80% greater chance of

divorce than those who don’t

c. Women who live with a man before marriage are twice as likely to experience

domestic violence

d. One study done by the National Center for Mental Health showed that women

who live with men yet are not married will experience depression four times

more than married women and two times more than single women who live

alone

B. Marriage is not an easy road sometimes

1. Someone: “Marriage is when you agree to spend the rest of your life sleeping in a

room that’s too warm beside someone who’s sleeping in a room that’s too cold.”

2. It’s generally true that opposites attract and that the things that attracted you to the

person before you’re married are the things that annoy you the most after you’re

married

3. Someone: “There are two kinds of people at parties: those who want to go home

early and those who want to be the last one in the place. The trouble is that they’re

usually married to each other.”

C. Yet, society paints divorce as the answer to all the problems encountered in marriage

1. Marriage is intended to unite a man and a woman for a lifetime

2. When the couple divorces, they tear apart something that was intended to remain

a single unit

--In any other application, that process damages the integrity of the remaining

pieces

3. It causes damage to the children, to the society, and to the individual

D. Because of the importance of marriage, we need to see some of the principles that Paul

teaches about in this section

--1 Cor. 7:1-9 – “Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to

marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife,

and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to

his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to

her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not

belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by

mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then

come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-

control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I

am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried,

as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to

marry than to burn with passion.”

1. Very clearly, Scripture teaches that marriage involves an emotional relationship, a

physical relationship, and a spiritual relationship

--All three factors are equally important

2. Also, Scripture clearly teaches that the benefits of the physical relationship were

designed by God to be enjoyed solely within a marriage covenant

--Sexual gratification outside of marriage is something that God prohibits for our

benefit

3. Scripture teaches that some people should marry and others should stay unmarried

a. God has gifted some people to stay single.

--If so, they should stay single.

b. Most people, however, are intended to live in a marriage partnership