SERMON NOTES

God's Design Is Courting vs. Dating:

I. Dating is having a special interest in a person of the opposite gender & cultivating that interest through conversations, events etc...

a. Often engaged in activities alone

• Often kept secret

b. Seeks to determine physical/sexual compatibility

• Kissing, heavy petting, sex, etc.

c. Often is open to multiple simultaneous relationships

• Can become a competition

d. Seeks to please self or the other person

• Everything is centered around pleasing people vs. God

e. Often seeks to operate and enjoy the privileges of marriage without the commitment of it.

II. Courting occurs when two individuals, in conjunction and agreement with their authorities, work together to discern God's will & plans for their lives together to advance God's kingdom

a. Engaged in activities with others especially w/family

b. Seeks to determine spiritual compatibility

• Abstains from sex & those activities which feed the sex drive

c. Is focused on a one-person relationship

• It does not compare people, it determines God's voice

d. Seeks to please God & the authorities

e. Seeks to encourage the other person to remain under God's authority until the proper timing of marriage