Relationships: You and Your Priorities

A rundown of a sermon for Illuminate youth group from 04.06.10


Relationships – You and Your Priorities
Seek first the Kingdom of God

• God wants synergy in relationships
o Ecclesiastes 4:12, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken”
• Matthew 6:33. “But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

How to start a relationship God’s way
1) Boy likes girl (or vice versa)
2) Boy explores friendship with girl.
a. As per my earlier sermon this term, that’s a REAL friendship, where you know something about the person and build a platonic relationship. Boys are prone to convincing themselves girls are good people just because they’re attracted to them.
b. Ask yourself:
i. Do I really value them as a friend, not just a face/body/status symbol?
ii. Are they Christian?
1. If not, at this stage you can start to invite them to church
2. It DOES NOT rule out a relationship but DOES make it harder – don’t date a non-Christian!
iii. Are we equally yoked?
1. A yoke is the wooden crossbar used to tie teams of oxen, cattle, or horses together for use in pulling farm implements or wagons.
a. If cattle are not evenly yoked, the farm implement will not be dragged correctly.
2. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 says this:
a. 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
b. Think of your life together as being that farm implement, going in two different directions at two different speeds, but still stuck together.
3) Boy prays to God about relationship with girl
a. If a clear: NO!
i. Boy dissolves all hopes for relationships
ii. Maintains platonic relationship with girl
iii. Backs away from CLOSE platonic relationship, but can still maintain some sort of friendship
1. WARNING: Can end in heartbreak if not followed.
b. If a clear: YES!
i. Boy talks to girl about potential relationship
1. WARNING: Can end in heartbreak anyway.
2. God sometimes asks us to do things we aren’t comfortable with in order to teach and grow us
ii. Moves on to #4
4) Girl prays to God about relationship with boy.
a. If a clear: NO!
i. Girl dissolves all hopes for relationships
ii. Discusses situation with boy
iii. Maintains platonic relationship with boy
iv. Backs well away from CLOSE platonic relationship
1. WARNING: Can end in heartbreak if not followed as boy and girl will be thinking two different things.
2. DON’T send mixed messages!
b. If a clear: YES!
i. Girl talks to boy about potential relationship
ii. Moves on to #5
5) Girl and boy pray together to God
a. Seeking guidance and His blessing
6) Girl and boy begin relationship with each other, with God!
7) Synergy! When a relationship begins this way God is with us and we together are greater than we could have been as two individuals


Things to remember.
• God is ALWAYS with us. Seek His opinions on every major decision in your life.
• Don’t think that every relationship has to end in marriage at your age. One of the reasons God tells people to save themselves for marriage is because He knows that we make mistakes when we’re young. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take every relationship seriously.
• Don’t get physically involved. Even kissing a girl/boy can have profound effects on both your lives
• Don’t start a relationship, and then get God’s blessing later. God needs to be FIRST in your lives.