First Comes Love - Week 1
Sharable notes for the January 30, 2022 message. You can post these notes on your social platform!
Scriptures used: 1 Corinthians 7:7-8; Isaiah 53:8-10; 54:1; 56:3-5; Matthew 19:10-12
Passages referenced: Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 22:30
“The impact of high risk behaviors on one’s emotional health includes making dangerous choices that lead to more and more risk. This cycle can lead to problems with self-concept, ineffective relationships, and even depression…Despite the emphasis that society puts on sexuality, the best emotional, physical, and sexual health can be found in long-term relationships. If you find yourself jumping from relationship to relationship, you should consider the price you could be paying in both sexual health and longevity.” Dr. Diedre Fitzgerald - Eastern Connecticut State University
Married people have to stop seeing single people as a project to be fixed.
Jesus turns the picture of being single upside down. Both marriage and singleness are good. Being one over the other does not make you more holy.
Marriage portrays the gospel by portraying the sacrificial love of Christ for the church and the power of considering one over another. Singleness does so by portraying that our ultimate identity is found in Christ not another person.
“Heaven will be the best of both worlds. We'll have the single person's ability to focus 100% of all of our resources on God AND we, the church, will have all of the goodness of THE greatest marriage in the world as we, the bride of Christ, will finally be with our groom forever. Heaven is both, the best of the gift of singleness AND the best of the gift of marriage, so put your hope there.” Christopher Yuen
Wherever we find ourselves right now, married or single, at this moment we have a gift in our marriage, or our singleness. And this gift is for God’s glory.
First comes love, then comes marriage, maybe, but if not that’s ok, because the love that should come first is our love for God. He should always be our first love. We are only complete when we are in our creator.
“Apart from sexual temptation, the greatest danger which I think we face as singles is self-centeredness. We may live alone and have total freedom to plan our own schedule with nobody else to modify it or even give us advice. If we are not careful, we may find the whole world revolving around ourselves.” John Stott
Reflect or meet with someone to discuss:
If you are single, what frustrates you about being single? What do you like about being single?
If you are married, how do you typically see your single friends? Have you been guilty of treating them as a project to work on or help out? Why do you think married people feel the need to do that for their single friends?
How does it encourage you as a single person to see your singleness as a gift? How can you use this time for God's glory?
As a married person, how could it change the way you interact with your single friends to see their singleness as a gift? How can you encourage a single friend by inviting them into your families faith journey?
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Singleness is a gift. Jesus and the Apostle Paul both refer to it as a gift. It is a season to experience a sacred journey with God, one that is filled with serving and loving Jesus.