Single Dating Engaged Married Part 1 God, Guys & Girls - Ben Stuart

Notes:

• Sometimes people who have breakoff in relationships FEEL WORSE than if they experienced a death close to them
• Relationship hurt, HURTS.
• "Vast majority of young adults want to get married."
• And.... "The vast majority of young adults will get married in their 20s."
• Average marriage age in the 90s:
• Men: 23
• Women: 26
• Average marriage age now (2020):
• Men: 29
• Women: 27

• Marriage used to be the first thing for a man while in adulthood (they called it the "cornerstone"). Now it's the last thing in adulthood after a man thinks about career, plans, etc. (they call it the "capstone")
• Everything now is automated: Auto - mono - self
• 1930s - 1/6 got married and lived in the same neighborhood
• 1930s - 1/8 got married and lived in the same townhouse

• What is holding us back nowadays with marriage? Fear of fear!
• "Fear, lust, pride is holding young society back"
• "There is a connectivity with technology, but a lose of community"
• Average age of birth is from parents who are younger than the average age of marriage

• "We must get our relationship with God right, before we get our relationship with male or female right."
• Jesus with the lady at the well: Living Water.
• The lady misdiagnosed her needs. Before a guy, you need to meet your Maker.
• "We have to be connected to a Source of Life, if you want to be a source of life to others."
• 1 John 4:7-8 - Talking about Love
• Beloved, Love
• When you are beloved by God, it's easy to love others!
• Genesis isn't all about Creation, but about the God of Creation!
• As the preachers friend built the furniture in the home during his engagement, and before his marriage, so him and his wife could go in the home he built and lived a structured, beautiful lfie together
• Just as God built our home and brought structure to chaos
• Out of my Love for you, I made structure
• We enter into the world in the same way - be abundant and multiply, God told us
• Skill, relationships, Love, teach well, and to be an expression of God for God to work
• So, man and women can work together to build a great world
• "Let me fulfill what God wants me to do amongst people, and out of that source of life, let me build it for others, and out of that source of Love".... bang!

• Where there is scarcity, there is desperation, and where there is desperation, there is explotation.
• AGAIN: "We have to be connected to a Source of Life, if you want to be a source of life to others."
• As in Genesis: "when you start building your own Kingdom and not God's Kingdom, everything externally brings a threat"
• That's why Cain and Abel happened next
• That's why Adin and Ziela happened after too
• When selfishness sets in, violence and bad sets in....
• "When we break faith with God, we break faith with others."

• Are you willing to sacrifice for your other women.... as the Son of God did for each and every one of us?
• The husband of all; the groom of the marriage; the creation of the Church.
• Jesus: I'm going to be a seed and be buried for all to produce better life. Take my life, break me, bury me, so new life can spring forth.
• Jesus closed the gap
• The first marriage you need to get knit into is with the Son of God; knit with the groom, the bride of the Church
• I have a river, I have a source, when with Jesus
• For all the women: "And that's the best way it can happen. That I journey with the true King. Ladies you say, I'm going to set my eyes on Him. Trusting my King to satisfy my hearts needs and that trusting in His due time, if it be His will, He will link me up with one of my princes."
• Guys you want a girl like that: who chases your King. Always.
• For all the man: "I'm throwing in with my King, who fought death and hell to win me back. And I'm running with that man. And as I follow him, I will be like Him and he will carve into me character, and when he sees fit, he will bring me one of his daughters that Lord willing, I'll be worthy of."
• That's the kind of guy you want to marry. The kind of guy you want to be.
• Brings up the Chronicles of Narnia
• "You don't get a good companion until you go on a journey." - then ppl with the same values and vision join you
• Best C.S Lewis ever: 41:00-42:00
• Reach Him or die in the attempt
• “God hasn’t promised marriage, but has promised Himself”

• Jesus is the husband that came for you. Suffered for you. Died for you. Rose for you. Trust in Him and his ways.