Future Spouse

Yoked Together: Choosing a Future Spouse Wisely

Bible Passage: 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1

Summary: In this passage, Paul emphasizes the importance of being equally yoked in relationships, particularly in marriage, highlighting the spiritual alignment necessary for unity and strength in Christ.

Application: This message can help teens understand the significance of shared beliefs and values in a future spouse, guiding them in their relationship choices to foster healthy, God-honoring commitments.

Teaching: The sermon teaches that relationships, especially those that could lead to marriage, should not be entered into lightly; spiritual compatibility is crucial for lasting unity and harmony.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage points to Christ as the ultimate unifying force; believers are called to pursue relationships that reflect His light and truth, emphasizing that Christ should be the foundation in any potential partnership.

Big Idea: Choosing a future spouse is fundamentally about aligning with God’s will for our lives, ensuring that both partners share a commitment to Christ to create a strong foundation for love and growth.

Intro

Questions:

If the purpose of dating is to lead toward marriage, write down the qualities you are looking for in a future spouse.

Also, write down any question you might have around dating from a Christian perspective in general

Read through the answers

Last day of this series… If marriage is something you want in the future, what qualities should that person embody according to scripture?

Cultural Context

as a young person, the physical and the emotional side of things are so easy to focus on.

it’s all about, really, having fun. You don’t have a household to manage yet, kids to raise…

And when you miss the most important quality that scripture talks about in, not just a marriage, but in every close relationship that has influence in your life… things get hard and open the door for big mistakes and regrets.

God’s Word is so good in leading us towards His perfect will. Want to share that with you today as we close this series.

Read 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 “Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell among them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “and do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Context

Alot of times, use this as a text for marriage relationships - it’s actually a text for all relationships.

Paul is writing to Christians who live in a very pagan culture…

And the temptation for these Christians was to live like those around them worshipping the same idols, doing the same pagan practices…

though 2000 years ago, they had, in their own way, many of the same temptations the we face to day in compromising our faith.

Question: what do you think Paul is talking about here?

When Paul says “don’t be mismatched” he’s using a word that actually talked about yoking two animals that were different sizes…

back in the day, when farming, you would yoke two oxen together to toil the ground..

but if one oxen was way smaller and weaker than the other one, the smaller one would pull the strong one back, and they could not accomplish the job.

In their case, Paul is warning the Christians to not participate in the pagan practices of their day.

What is Paul Saying?

Paul is not saying to NOT be friends with people who don’t know Jesus…

we all hang around people that don’t know Jesus - Jesus Himself did this…

but there are two kinds of friends: friends that have influence in your life, and casual friends you see at school or at activities.

casual friends or acquaintances don’t really have influence in your life…

Then there are your real friends that do influence your life. The people that you identify yourself with. That you do everything with.

this category of people that are the people you do life with ought to be encouraging you and leading you towards Christ and holiness.

Paul’s point: just like a weaker animal yoked to a stronger animal does not get the job done - if you are tied closely with someone who doesn’t know Jesus and they are drawing you away from Jesus and the holiness He has called you too - there’s a warning here that Paul is giving.

You see how this connects with Marriage?

Marriage and Dating

So we often apply this passage to dating relationships because dating relationship become your most intimate relationships that influence the direction of your life more than any other relationship.

So when we think about this within the context of dating, Paul is suggesting that the most important quality in any relationship is a Shared Spiritual Foundation in Christ.

Notice the imagery He’s using

righteousness and lawlessness

light and darkness

Christ and idols (and we have our cultural idols)

OK now let’s talk real here… a lot of times it happens that Christians date people that are NOT Christians.

Question: What are some of the reasons why people do this?

Question: According to Paul, what is the goal that we should be aiming for in our relationships, dating, or in marriage? Perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God.

the single most important question that you can ask yourself is: Is this relationship pulling me away from Jesus or towards him…

testimony - lost a lot of friends when I dedicated my life to Christ. Drew closer to friends that loved Jesus and my faith grew.

Closing

Paul’s teaching here is a life-long principle to invest your life with people who love and follow Jesus to help you in your pursuit of Jesus as well.

Find some who put the gospel first in their lives. and lives it out. It’s the most important quality you can find in a friend or potential future spouse. Without it, you’re builing your relationship on temporary things; worldly things.

Only Christ brings the kind of unity that lasts deeply for a lifetime.