And then so 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 the part I want to look at there is verse 14 and keep something there for the evening
We'll be coming back and forth
But it says there be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers and the title of the sermon this evening is
stranger danger
Stranger danger and I'm gonna get into why I've called it that here in a minute, but I want us to look first and see
That scripture warns us throughout to not be unequally yoked together
Unbelievers and you're there in 2nd Corinthians 6, but I'll remind you that this is a principle that's found throughout Scripture
We can even go back to
Deuteronomy chapter 22
I'll just read to you from there
where it says thou shalt not sow thy vineyard or diverse seeds lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown and
The fruit of thy vineyard be defiled thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together
Now you say why does God have such a specific rule that they couldn't take?
Two different types of animals and ox and an ass and put them in the same yoke
Put them in the same plow and do and have them plow together. I mean, what's the problem there?
Well, there's really nothing wrong with that specifically
But God is showing us even as far back as Deuteronomy that there's that we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers
God does not want to
Animals plowing together any more than he wants God's people in the same yoke with unbelievers. That's why I believe he's showing us there in Deuteronomy
You know these these animals they differ in difference in size and strength, you know, it's gonna they're gonna be pulling at different strides
They're not going to be working in tandem. They're not gonna be working together
And that's a principle that we need to learn from that. We need to be
Equally yoked not unequally yoked and that would make the work inefficient if you have these two different animals. You got one animal
I don't know. I don't know which one has a bigger gate than the other one
But they're ones trying to walk faster ones trying to walk slower, you know
You're gonna have a harder time getting a nice straight furrow down that that piece of land
So and that's the same thing in our own life when we find ourselves unequally yoked with unbelievers
You know, we're gonna be less efficient. Could we possibly get some things done in life?
Sure, but you know a lot of times it's gonna make things more difficult than they need to be
Now if you look there in
2nd Corinthians 6 you'll see that he actually gives some examples of
Things that are opposites and he uses these examples to express that fact that they are opposites
Just as believers and unbelievers are opposites
He says there in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 14 be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers
For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? I mean could two things be further apart from one another
righteousness and unrighteousness
What communion hath light with darkness?
These are opposites what Concord hath Christ with Belial course Beale being just another name for the devil
Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
So he's saying you are just as much an opposite as a believer from an unbeliever as light is from darkness
you are just as much opposed as a believer to an unbeliever as a
As Christ is with Belial as righteousness with unrighteousness
He goes on and says or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel verse 16 or what?
Agreement hath the temple of God with idols
Now, of course he goes on there and explains that we are the temple of God
and he says for ye are the temple of God as
God has said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be
My people now keep something there and turn over to 1st Corinthians chapter 6 1st Corinthians chapter 6
So we see that God does not want us unequally yoked
God does not want us getting in the yoke with an unbeliever because they are opposites just as much as light from dark
And he says that the reason for that is is because we are the temple of God
Now what's one way a person can yoke themself up with an unbeliever today?
There's a there's a way that people are yoking themselves together. Even God's people will get yoked up with an unbeliever and
that's through the means of
Fornication he said there ye are the temple of the Living God, you know, that's the truth
you know, God is dwelling in you his holy spirit is in you and
It's very important to God that you don't get the temple dirty
When a person goes and commits fornication, that's exactly what they're doing
It'd be no different than if you walked into a literal
Physical temple of God if there were such a thing today on earth
That week would say oh, this is the temple of God and you just came in with a pile of trash and just started strolling about
In that temple, that's what happens when a person with a believer fornicates
They are making God's temple dirty
You know believe me look there in 1st Corinthians
Chapter 6 verse 15 know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make the members of an harlot?
God forbid what know you not that that which is joined unto in harlot is one body for to sayeth
He shall be one flesh
But he that has joined to the Lord is one spirit flee fornication
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body but he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body
What know you're not you that your body is the temple of the holy ghost
Saying look don't commit fornication. Why because your body is the temple of the holy ghost
Which is in you what you have of God and you're not your own for you're a bot with the price therefore glorify God in
Your body and in your spirit which are gods so
We see that one area that people can sometimes get an unequal yoke with is in this area of fornication
And of course they you know, uh, there are a lot of times
Well, let me just say this that the answer to that desire that a person has that natural god-given desire for that relationship
Is met within marriage
That's what god the bible says the marriage bed is is honorable to all and undefiled. It's undefiled
So if you're satisfied that need within marriage you're not defiling the temple of god bible says it's honorable
That's what god has ordained
It goes on it says but whoremongers and adulterers god will judge
So we see then that marriage is a yoke that people enter into isn't it?
That's probably the the most important yoke that you'll ever share with another human being is the yoke of marriage
And that's it's a yoke that you should desire
You should want that that should be a goal in your life
To have a mar have a spouse to help you in this area
Because of the fact that it could if you if you refuse that, you know, it could lead to fornication
It's very difficult, uh to to manage those feelings often and you know marriage is a great way to satisfy that need
And it's godly there's nothing wrong with it. It should be a goal that we have
But
We need to go into that understanding something understanding that
If you go into it and you get yoked up with the wrong person
You're going to be like that ox in the ass
Trying to plow in the same plow in the same yoke and it's not going to work. It's going to be inefficient
Now not every association in life is a yoke so we see that god it's very important that god does not want us to
Yoke up with unbelievers, okay
And we need to understand that not every association you have in life is yoked now marriage definitely is one of them
But there are a lot of associations that we have in life that are not necessarily us yoking up with unbelievers
Is it because some people could take this to an extreme and say?
And end up living in a convent or a monastery or something like that
Or end up like, you know
Just recluses in their life
But not and if you would turn over to first timothy chapter six
What's an example of us being yoked with somebody or excuse me? What's somebody what's an example of us?
Having an association with an unsaved person. That's not necessarily
Sinful or bad having an association with an unsaved person
That's not us yoking up with them
Well, I could take one example that we probably most if not all of us will experience to some great another
Is working for unsaved employers?
Or
Along with co-workers now look there in first timothy chapter six verse one
Let as many servants as are under the oak servants, right?
This is talking about employees let as many servants as are under the oak count their own masters
Worthy of all honor that the name of god and his doctrine be not blasphemed
And that they have believe they that have believing masters let them not despise them because they're our brethren
But rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved partakers of the benefit
these things teach and exhort
So notice first of all that it's diff. It's not it's not the same yoke
You going to work for your unsaved boss is not you yoking up with an unbeliever
Because of the fact it's the servants are under the oak, you know a newsflash your boss isn't under the oak
Your boss is driving the yoke. Okay, that's the difference there
It's not it's you're not you're not in partnership with your boss
You know, you should have the same mindset you should have the same goal
You should have the same vision desire the same thing make the company money
But it's a it's an agreement that hey i'm going to work for you
I'm going to give you my time and you're going to give me money. That's what it boils down to
That doesn't put you in the same yoke with your with your boss. Do you think the ox?
Ever took the yoke off and turned around and went to the one driving it said your turn
Give me the whip. I'll handle this for a while. You go ahead and get the yoke. That's not how it works
The boss is the master and you know, you're the ox or you know, yes, I don't know you're one of the two, right?
But that's the difference there, you know, we are we when you go to work you're not in the yoke with with your master
He's he's driving that yoke
So that's not an example of being yoked up with an unbeliever
So I don't want people to get the wrong idea here that we can never
You know have anything to do with anybody ever unless they're saved. Okay?
We're going to draw we're going to focus in here on marriage in a minute because I think that's the most important one
But notice also the clause there in verse two
It says and they that have believing masters showing us that he's talking about the in in verse one to those that have unbelieving masters
He didn't say those of you that as many servants that have unbelieving masters
Find another job and don't ever have anything to do with an unsaved employer again. That's not what he said
He said look count them worthy of all honor that the name of god and his doctrine be not blasphemed
And he you know, he reiterates that in uh in titus in chapter two
He says exhort the servants to be obedient under their own masters and to please them. Well in all things not answering again
Not preloining but showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of god and our savior in all things
You know your testimony as an employee is matters
Especially to your unsaved boss, you know, you should take that seriously
But second corinthian six, you know, I don't want us to get the wrong idea
It's not it's is teaching us not to be yoked with unbelievers. It's not teaching us to just try, you know, just
Shun everybody that's not saved in our life
I'll read to you from first corinthians five the bible says I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators
Yet out altogether with the fornicators of this world. He's saying I told you not to fornicate to excuse me not to
Excuse me, not to uh, uh to company with fornicators
He said yeah, not altogether the fornicators of this world. He clarifies that statement
he goes on and says
Uh or with the covetous or extortioners or adulterers for then must he needs go out of the world
He said look if i'm if you were to you know, uh, separate yourself from every fornicator every unsaved fornicator every unsaved
Uh, you know covetous person or extortion or idolater you'd have to leave the world
You'd have to go live under an underpass
You might still bump into him down there
You know, you'd have to go buy acreage somewhere in some
Ten buck two and go live there and and live off the land. You'd have to completely go out of the world
He's saying there
And he's saying look that's not what I meant. That's not what I want you to do
You see we we rub elbows with people who are guilties of these who are guilty of these sins all the time
Whether we know it or not
You know, we're we bump into them all the time. He's not saying look, you know, make sure you you you uh,
Vet every person that you're going to interact with, you know, ladies when you get to the grocery store
Before you let her start to ring those groceries up. You need to ask her. Are you an extortioner?
Excuse me, miss before you start to scan my groceries
You know, are you covetous? Are you an idolater?
You know, are you fornicator?
Yes, I am. Can I speak with your manager, you know?
Could you find me a cashier who's none of these things so that I can we can enter that's not what the bible's teaching
Because we know we we just it's not practical
We're gonna have to rub elbows with these people
He clarifies the verse 11 and says but now i've written unto you not to keep company with any man that is called a brother
So he's saying look don't hang don't don't have anything to do with a brother that is guilty of these things
If he be a fornicator or covetous or adult or a railer or a drunk or an extortioner with such no one not to eat
So we see he's clarifying that you know when we're saying don't be unequally yoked with unbelie with unbelievers
That doesn't mean just completely shut them out of your life, okay
It what it's talking about is you don't want to get in these personal relationships
Go back there to second corinthians chapter six and let's look at what's considered a yoke here what's considered yoking up
And we'll get a better idea of what kind of relationships we need to be on guard about this with
The second corinthians chapter six
verse 14 he says
Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship?
Hath righteousness with unrighteousness or and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath christ with belia or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of god with idols?
So he says don't be yoked and then he and then he gives us these words to help us understand what he means by that
Fellowship communion having part with
Sharing in right and being an agreement with these describe relationships that are personal
These describe relationships that are more than just your casual everyday encounter
This is talking about people who are going to fellowship together. They're going to commune with one another this is talking about closer relationships
You know this talks about I believe you could apply us to friendships, you know, your best friends should not be the unsaved
They should be the saved
Because they have an influence on your life
You know, you want to see where somebody's headed look at who their friends are. That's how they'll say a lot about them
What direction they're headed because friends influence one another?
And we could talk about that, but I think this applies significantly in the area of marriage
I don't think there's any relationship that you're going to find on earth
That you will ever have as close as that as husband and wife
And this is you know where I really want to apply this tonight this principle of stranger danger as the title of the sermon is
The bible says in genesis chapter 2 therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife
That's a that's a very unique statement to cleave unto her this this grasping this holding on to this not letting go. Okay
You wouldn't say that about your best friend. You wouldn't say that about your buddies, you know, you're not going to cleave unto them
You know, they stop wanting to hang out. No, I got it. I just you can't leave me
You know psycho
Right stalker, right?
That's what that's what would happen. But he's saying look you need to cleave unto your wife and they twain shall be one flesh
I mean, that's how intimate that's how close that's how
Uh a deep this relationship is between a man and a woman a husband and a wife go over there to ephesians chapter five
ephesians chapter five
So I want to just drive this principle in of of not being hey
You sit up and you straight up. You keep your eyes on me. You understand me?
So I really want to drive this in
this principle
Of not being unequally yoked in the area of marriage the area of marriage because that's what's going to count the most
and
We don't want to fall into the trap of end up marrying
Somebody that we're going to be unequally yoked with
It's going to make life long. It's going to make life hard
And we're not going to get done everything that we could get done for the lord look there in phesians chapter 5 verse 22
Submit your wives submit yourselves under your own husbands as unto the lord
You know, that's not every relationship
Doesn't say women submit unto every man
Yeah, I don't believe in that. I don't believe a woman is, you know bound by duty to submit to every man
That's what the bible says
And some guys get this idea in their head. So let's just go ahead and nip in the bud right now
You know, you don't have to just because you're a man doesn't mean you go tell women other women what to do
You know, it says wives submit unto your own husbands
As unto the lord and that sounds like a pretty
Serious relationship. Hey, you need to submit unto them as unto the lord
Look there in verse 24
Therefore as the church is subject unto christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything
I mean if you want to be pleasing to god, uh, ladies if
If you want to obey this commandment, you're going to have to submit to that man you marry in everything in everything
So you can see why it's so important
That you don't end up getting unequally yoked with an unbeliever
Because you're going to obey him, you know
In the lord, obviously you can you don't have to obey your husband when it comes if he's asking you things that are opposed to
god
or contrary to the lord
But it does say in everything doesn't it?
He goes on to verse 25 husband love your wives even as christ also loved the church and gave himself for it
You know husbands are to be willing to make sacrifices
To lay down their lives to lay
Aside their own ambitions the things they want for themselves and care more about the things of their wife
How they can please them how they can take care of them how they can love them how they can nurture them
And help them and and lead them
So it says in verse 28 men not to love their wives as their own bodies
So this this relationship is the most important relationship you'll ever have in your life this area of marriage
It has there's gravity there. You have to understand the gravity that it comes with the marriage relationship
And you know this principle of separation is taught throughout scripture
You know all the way from deuteronomy we saw and in second corinthians to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers
especially in this area of marriage
Which means this that a spouse should be chosen very carefully and very wisely
The person that you're going to spend the rest of your life with
Needs to be chosen very uh, carefully and very wisely, you know, you should probably seek godly counsel in that area, you know
Especially, you know if you have if you have parents, you know
Mom and dad number one, right that they should be if you have saved parents who are going to lead you and guide you in
That decision making uh, you know, you need to go to them
Uh, but mainly what i'm going to drive in is tonight is the fact that christians should not marry the unsaved
If you're if you're saved if you're a believer
If if you are born again, you don't have any business marrying an unbeliever
You shouldn't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. That's what the bible says
And tell me in relationships that that that's more closely
Is more of a yoke than that of marriage two people coming together in the bonds of matrimony
And in in making those vows one another say we're going to live our lives together
We're going to raise children together. You're in a yoke with somebody friend. That's work
Marriage relationship is is wonderful, but it's a lot of work too
It's two people saying hey, we're gonna we're gonna go at life together
And the christians therefore should not be marrying the unsaved in fact the bible teaches this i'll read to you in first corinthians chapter seven
Concerning widows it says in verse 39. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth. Let that sink in
right
You're bound by the law as long as your husband is alive
But if her husband be dead she is at liberty be married to whom she will
Then he gives this on the end only in the lord
He says look she is at liberty first corinthians 7 verse 39
She is at liberty to be married to whom she will only in the lord
So that's the one that's the one qualifier for that lady
You know, she's widowed she's at liberty to marry
She can marry whoever she want wants but it has to be in the lord
That's the one thing he clarifies there and says look whoever she wants as long as it's a saved person
It's as somebody who knows the lord
And I mean chose the title of that sermon tonight so that because we have a lot of young people in this church praise god
You know
And we have unmarried people that you know one day there's a there is a there's a lid for every pot. I believe that okay
They're going to look for a spouse. They're going to find a spouse, okay
And I want you to let these words settle down into your hearts and ears stranger danger
I know we're taught that when we're little kids, right when a stranger says hey
Come see the puppy in my trunk
You know
I've got some candy
Want to go for a ride stranger danger, right?
Let's not forget that as we grow older and we start to look for a spouse apply that same thing
stranger
danger
And if you would turn over to first kings chapter 11, we'll look at an example and actually where I get the title for this sermon
Of somebody who failed to understand this principle of stranger danger when it came to this marriage relationship
And that would of course be the example of king solomon
there in first kings
Chapter 11 verse 1 but king solomon
Loved many strange wives. Okay. So there's a couple things wrong with this one
He's got more than one wife the bible
God explicitly told that the kings of israel will not to multiply themselves wives
And he did that the bible does not condone polygamy that we've preached on that in the past
But he loved many strange wives
Together with the daughter of pharaoh
Now when it says there he loved strange wives. It doesn't mean he loved weirdos. Okay, you know, she's got a bone in her nose
And green hair, you know
He's not what he's talking about. He's talking about the fact that they are of a different nationality
Okay, because it goes on there and it mentions the nationalities right women of the moabites ammonites edamites zydonians
And hitites that's what it means by strange
They are strangers in a strange land as moses said, right?
So this isn't a matter of preserving some bloodline god's saying look the problem here is that that he was marrying
Uh, you know the wrong nationality
That's not what he's he's is the problem here. The problem is that
He was marrying women that turned his heart from the lord these strange wives from these different nations. They worshipped another god
They worshipped heathen gods
Then we'll see here the the results of that
So this isn't about don't get the wrong and I either that that god somehow was
That that god somehow was some kind of supremacist, you know that god only wants a certain races getting together
You know bible says that he hath made all nations of one blood
And and in heaven, we'll see
People from every nation kindred try and tribe up in heaven praising god
And we could even think about other examples in the old testament of men marrying foreign women that loved the lord
And it turned out good. I mean think of boas, right?
boas married ruth
and that you know, which led to jesse which led to
uh, david
Right, which eventually led to christ?
So it's not a matter of that
You know another and think about this boas himself if you if you look and study your bible
Boas was the was the product of uh of an israelite marrying
Rahab the harlot when they when they went into jericho that led to him
So there's a there's actually a harlot in that lineage of christ that's given rahab the harlot
You see that in matthew chapter one i'll read to you it says salomon begat boaz of rakab that's talking about
Rahab the harlot and boaz begat obed of ruth and obed begat jesse
So, you know i'm not saying we should go out and try and marry a harlot, but it's saying here, you know
Rahab's redeeming quality was that she believed
That she believed on the lord. If you recall that story, you know, she was she hid the spies by faith
The bible says in hebrews 11 by faith the harlot rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with peace
So what the bible's showing us really here is that you know, you'd be better off and i'm going to just say this
And i'm and it's true but because that's what we see here you'd be better off marrying a harlot that got right with god
Than marrying some heathen girl
It's true
You'd be married you'd be better off marrying some
A girl that came from some dark past with some checkered past had a you know
Was a woman of ill repute that got right with god than you would marrying some
Uh, you know some heathen girl who didn't believe in the lord, but seemed to have it all put together
That's what that's what the bible's showing us
But salomon here he ignored this warning look there in verse two
He says, uh, he says king salomon loved many wives together with the the daughter of pharaoh
women of moabites ammonites edomites and ziodonians and hit tights
Of the nations concerning which the lord said on the children of israel. Ye shall not go in unto them into them
Neither shall they come in unto you
For surely they will turn your heart your way your heart after their gods salomon clave unto these in love
So he didn't say, you know, there's a strong possibility
There's a strong possibility
He didn't say, you know, maybe
They will turn your hearts after other god, you know, don't get married to them
Don't have this don't marry and you're married with these heathen people because there's a chance
That they will turn away your heart. No, he said surely
Count on it because there's a principle in scripture. You never see the good making the bad good
You're gonna see a lot of you see the bad making the good bad and that's exactly what happens here with salomon
And salomon ignored this in this warning
And he suffers the consequences if you would look there
in uh verse three where he says
And he had 700 wives
Princesses and 300 concubines. I mean come on
How many how many do you need, you know?
His wives turned away his heart for it came to pass when salomon is old that his wives turned away his heart from
After other gods and his heart was not perfect with the lord as was the heart of david his father
I mean salomon had that that that law that was quoted in you don't marry them
They surely will turn away your heart after other gods and he ignores that warning
And you know what god's word comes true
When he gets into his old age after he'd multiplied all these strange wives
His hearts turned away from the lord god
And
Says in verse five for salomon went after ashteroth
The goddess of the zydonians after malcom the the abomination of the ammonites. I mean here's I mean let that sink in
This is king salomon. We're talking about
He built the temple
He saw god god came to him and spoke to him on more than one occasion
I mean and here he is
Going after these gods he had he knew they weren't even real
But he's getting pleased his wives he's going to just make them happy
So he's just going to go after the goddess of the zydonians
You know a goddess
Uh after the milcom the abomination of the ammonites, you know, he's worshiping something that god calls an abomination
That's how much the uh turned his heart from god
And salomon did evil in the sight of lord and when not fully after the lord as did david his father
Then did salomon build high place and high place for kimosh the abominations of of moab
And the hills that is before jerusalem and for molec
The abomination of the children of ammon molec now if you study that out molec is who they burnt
Uh, they burnt their children so that they committed child sacrifice to molec now. I don't know if that was going on in his day
I might have to study that out
But that is that same god and he's and he's going after it in the hill that is before jerusalem he's doing this
so, you know, it just goes to show us that
You know if you get yoked up with the wrong person, they can turn your heart
I mean, it's bad enough. They're going to make your life difficult marry the wrong me marry some
Unbeliever marry some heathen that doesn't care about the things of god doesn't care about the bible doesn't care about the lord
I mean that's going to make life hard enough as it is
But it might even turn out that they actually turn your heart from god
To where now you're just living like they are
And and you and people be like, oh you're a christian. I had no idea
Because here's the thing
One's religion
Makes or breaks a potential spouse. I believe that
You know that that should be the deal breaker, you know, you get interested in somebody
You want you know start dating you start thinking about hey, maybe this could be somebody in marriage
Get married to you know, their religion's got to come into play at some point. You have to consider that
Because it affects every area of your life
And everyone wants to just pretend like they can just keep religion over here
What they believe about god over here as if it's you just you know, I show up on sunday
I show up and we worship god for a little while but the rest of the week it has no bearing on my life
Maybe that's the case now, but hey when you get married and now it's time to raise kids
Now it's time to baptize
Uh little billy, right?
And and and she's gonna say well, you know, I go to this church and this is how we do it here
Well, i'm a baptist and this is what I know what the bible says
And this is how I want to do it. Oh, really?
and
Now you're at odds in your own house over something like that
And i've i've met people i've known people where that that's a real source of contention
It's it's hard
Oh, and how are we going to raise these these kids?
How are we going to discipline them? Well, she's you know, she's from the unsaved world. She's been watching oprah and dr. Phil and she's read all of
the latest and greatest, you know, uh
fad child rearing that's out there
I don't know what they all are because like I don't care
But i'm sure there's some weird ones, right?
She says well, i'm just going to tell them that we love them
And that he we expect better from them and we're going to do timeouts and we're never going to lay a finger on them
Well, I know the bible says thou shalt beat
And I shall beat him with the rod that the the rod of correction will drive the heart of foolishness
Shall drive foolishness far from him
That i'm not going to i'm going to spare not for his crying
See how that goes over in your marriage when you when you have two different views on how you're going to raise children
Two different views on what you're going to teach them about the truth
Because every kid eventually asks, you know, where do we come from? How do we get here?
You know these deep profound like you're too young to even think about that, you know
They ask it
And she's going to tell them or he's going to tell them
Well, you know, uh billions and billions of years ago
Everything was as small as a period on a page and it exploded out of nothing and became everything
Right
Just center the twilight zone
Right, but that's what she's going to want or he's going to want to teach your your precious little darling
And you're going to say well no actually the bible says in the beginning. Oh, you can't teach them that
We'll stop you see how important who you marry is
Especially in this era of child rearing
How you're going to live your life?
It affects every area of your life, so it's friday night. What are we going to do?
Well, we you know one wants just that, you know, hang out and and have some good clean fun
The other one wants to go hit the bar again. You get drunk and who knows what?
It affects every area of your life so, you know, it's a it's a deal breaker it really is at least it ought to be
And crit, you know, we'll say well they're a christian and let me just give a little word of warning here today right now
Christian is too broad of a term to be a qualifier. It's too broad of a term
Are you a christian? Yeah. Okay, we're good
No
That's not how it works
You know find out if they're saved now listen
Don't i'm not saying that that has to be question number one
But if there's you know, hi, you know, my name's so-and-so are you saved?
I like you are you saved?
I mean, it shouldn't be the last thing you ask you should probably before you get emotionally invested in somebody that should probably come up
You should find out. Hey, is this person saved?
Am I going to break this off before this gets any it gets it gets at all serious?
Well, then you need to find out if they're saved and you know what if they're not saved get them saved
If you get them saved get them come to church great
You know, maybe you can get that person you're interested in, you know to the place where they are marriage material
You know discuss that discuss their salvation, you know, and this is probably something that's more reserved where
You know mom and dad have been approved or you know, if you're out of the house
You know, this would be in your own discretion, but
Discuss how you're going to live your life and in light of the scriptures with them before you get married
Before you get married discuss whether or not she's going to stay at home and he's going to be the breadwinner figure that out before you get married
Because that's a big source, you know, a lot of marriages end because of of things like this these are just practice
It's a very practical sermon. Okay
You know discuss the child rearing before you get married and have kids
Before you get married and have kids
And here's here's my word of warning. We'll close it here
Don't think you're the exception don't sit there and think well, I you know, I can I can do I can handle this
I know this person i'm interested in, you know, they're they you know, they don't they're not saved
They have a different worldview, but i'm i'm going to change them
Right. How many times have we heard that? Well, that's every woman thinks that i'm going to change him
You know mold him into what I want him to be good luck he might not be able to
I mean you don't think you're the exception
I mean solomon likely thought he you know
Could have thought he was the same thing given his experience with the lord
Are you still there in uh?
Where do I have you first kings 11? Are you still there?
It says and the lord was angry with solomon
Because his heart was turned from the lord god of israel
Which appeared unto him twice
God appeared unto solomon twice. Well, that's why I made god so mad
How could you get turned so easily away by these strange women solomon when i've come to you twice?
And spoke with you. He was accountable
And had commanded him concerning this thing
That he should not go after other gods. God came to him and spoke to him personally and explicitly said don't go after other gods
And solomon probably got in his head. Well, you know, I I hey I got this i'm cool. I got the i'm the exception
But we saw how it turned out
But he kept not that which the lord commanded
so
You know, I hope we see from this this this sermon night that
Scripture commands us not to make our closest relationships with the unsaved especially in this area of marriage
They need to be saved
And you know what? It would probably be a good idea to even take it beyond that they should believe
What we believe about the bible when it comes to these major areas of life
Like child rearing and and everything else that comes along it
You know, we are we should keep
We should not shun unbelievers, right? But we should keep them at our arm's length
You know our deepest our most personal relationships not be with unbelievers
I'm not saying be rude. I'm not saying be mean but you know, we should keep that at a distance because it will affect our heart
And it applies in the area of marriage more than anywhere else because of the severe consequences
That come with such an influential relationship
Let me just close by saying this
The effects of that relationship good or bad are permanent. It's permanent. You only got one chance to get that right. So consider
These things when we look for a spouse or when we even look to develop relationships other than that of marriage, let's go ahead and pray