Real Friends Sermon Prep / Various Proverbs

Preparation

Pray

Father, this topic is so crucial. Teach the students how to look for good friends and how to be a good friend.

Just Meditate

Questions for the passage / first illumination

Proverbs 13:20

Whoever - even if your friends are fools, there is hope for you to find wise friends

Walks - not just talks

Wise - has little to do with intelligent

If the friend of fools suffers harm, why do we continue to befriend fools? - Selfish ambition (the very ingredient that keeps you from real friendships)

Phil. 2:3-4

The foundation of friendship is the removal of selfishness and pride

The two areas that this is most applicable is decision making and conversations

Mood/Emotion of the Passage

Clear, helpful

Word-studies

Wise

Cross References / Passages that illustrate

None for now

Commentary

Context / Overview

Versus

13:20

2:3-4

“Everyone naturally looks out for his or her own interests. Take that same level of concern and apply it to others.” - ESV Study

‘Conceit is thinking too highly of one’s self, of having an excessive self-interest and self-preoccupation. It could be more literally translated “empty glory.”” - guzik

“Paul doesn’t tell us that it is wrong to look out for our own interests, but that we should not only look out for our own interests.” - guzik

“Humility does not mean putting ourselves down but rather lifting others up. Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 225.”

Application

Relational application (love your neighbor)

“ If I consider you above me and you consider me above you, then a marvelous thing happens: we have a community where everyone is looked up to, and no one is looked down on.” - guzik / 2:3-4

“My natural, carnal mind doesn’t work this way. My carnal mind wants to find fault with the person next to me so I can feel better about myself. But Paul says just the opposite: go around school tomorrow and look at every other student as being better than you—and treat them accordingly.Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 1278.” / 2:3-4

Thinking application (mind)

Feeling application (heart, soul)

Action application (strength)

Illustration

Verbal Illustrations

Carnagee - more friends in 2 months qoute / 2:3-4

The friendship of CS Lewis and JR Tolkein

The loneliness epidemic - Sargent General of the United States

Visual Illustrations

One glass of “self-interest” one glass of “community” the higher one level fills, the lower the other level will be

Audience

pains/problems

They need real friends.

Some are terrible at making friends

Some are incredibly lonely

passions/purposes

Some want more friends

Questions/arguments they may have for the text

If I consider others as more important than myself, won’t I be a push-over?

Pre outline

Main Ideas of the text

Who are walk with determines your direction.

Humility is the key to friendship.

So what?

This has the potential to unlock new relationships that are healthy and guiding you in a good direction.

What would this look like lived out?

We would have healthier conversations

We would know what to look for in a friend

Title ideas

Real Friends

Potential Outlines

Real friends guide you in a better direction. Real friends are genuinely interested in others.