Finding the Right Friends (Final Draft)

Jarett Whittington

Unbreakable • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Mark 2:1–12

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OUTLINE

Introduction

Welcome back to YTH Night

Surge Recap

729 students

156 dream team

67 gave their life to Christ

Every Wednesday 6:30pm

**YTH INFLUENCER

**Follow us on Socials @FFC_YTH - Re-watch the sermon

Hey what’s up faith family YTH put your hands together if you are excited to be back in the house? This is our first time back since our Surge YTH Conference if you where at Surge make some noise! To those that don’t know what Surge is its our annual conference we do every year three days back to back with alot of fun, tribe wars, after parties, guest speakers and worship artist and so much more. Hey I want to quickly just share with you some of the amazing things God did at Surge we got to see 729 students in attendance out SURGE! 156 dream teamers who served you for the conference could we please give it up for all the dream teamers that served?! Here is the really cool number 67 students who did not folllow Jesus decided to give their life to Christ at Surge. Isn’t that just amazing? God is doing some really life changing and powerful things in our YTH group. If you are new to joining us first and formost welcome, my name is Jarett I am the Youth Pastor here and I am glad that you are here. I just want to spend a brief momemnt and encourage you to commit to coming to YTH Night every Wednesday. We are every every Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. If you are looking for authentic community or friendship, or to grow in your faith and learn more about the Bible and God then make a commitment right now to come every Wednesday you can for the rest of the year. It’s like the gym if you don’t commit to the gym and only go once sure you may get a nice pump and look good for a moment, but you will not grow. You have to have a routine commitment to the gym by showing up and participating before you actually see results. Its the same for God. He established His church so He would get glory, you would grow and lost souls would get saved so commit to Gods creation for you. How many of you are going to come back next week? Awsome here is one more challenge, don’ t come alone. Everyone of you have a friend or someone you know that is not here tonight. Imagine if you all brought one person to church. I wonder the amazing things God would do in thier life. So come next week and bring a friend.

Sermon Series Intorduction - Unbreakable a series on Community

Illustration:

God created us to be in community with one another and it is important that you are in the right community with the right friendships. You can’t do life alone, now I know my introverts in the room are probably thinking “yes I can”, but the truth is no you can’t. Helen Keller famously said “alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much”. This quote rings true today and I can prove it. Joshua go ahead and play your tune.

Hellen Keller: “alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much”

Joshua Piano plays

Bass Plays

Guitar Plays

Drums Play

This harmony cannot be produced without a like minded community

Topic Intro:

Message Title: Finding the Right Friends

Tonight I want to talk to you about community, but not just any community I want to talk to you about Finding the Right Freinds

Value of Community: Why is this important becasue if you have the right friends YOU WILL GET CLOSER TO JESUS

Main Passage:

At this point in time Jesus has gianed some influence (Like he got a blue check on instagram)

Healing people

Preaching the word

Mark 2:1–12 (NLT)

When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Connection:

SUMMARIZE - Clearly this paralyzed man got to Jesus because he had good friends willing to not only take him but carry him regardless of any opposition to get him to Jesus

Most of you would honestly say that you want to get closer to Jesus

Many of you are here tonight because you desire grow in your faith

Or you are open minded to the thought of going to church and learning more about this Jesus you have heard about

Problem #1:

Many of you are growing

Frustrated - Can’t confidently say you have grown….

You find your self struggle with some of the same old habits

You probably question yourself and your own walk

Your problem IS NOT

Incapable of growth

Doubt - “God just isn’t real”

Your problem - You don’t have The Right Friends

The paralyzed man had the right friends - WILLING & ABLE to carry Him

[Context of disabled]

Which implies that He had WALKING friends (multiple)

Could it be possible that you haven’t experienced breakthrough and intimacy with Jesus like your heart desires because all you do is hang out with paralyzed people? (Spiritual)

Impact:

Clearly this paralyzed man had good friends who did not have the same limitations as he did.

Because he had these freinds he got to Jesus and ultimatly his healing

I wonder if he only had paralyzed frineds if he would have gotten to Jesus?? Clearly not becasue he needed able friends that could walk and loved him enough to inconvenince themselves to get him to Jesus.

Some of you are being robbed of a Jesus encounter because you are hanging out with that same old community

Complacent people with no drive

People with no faith

People who are into some really bad habits

Im not saying you can’t hang out with lost people but if that is all you hang out with that is the problem.

You will only go so far

Proverbs 13:20 (NLT)

Walk with the wise and become wise;

associate with fools and get in trouble.

Problem #2:

The paralyzed guys not only had friends, but friends that went the extra mile just to see him healed

For some the problem isn’t that you don’t lack in frineds the problem is all of your friendships are so surface level

Yall don’t encourage one another

You don’t have someone you can be vulnerable with

You dont have someone that holds you accountable

Yall just talk fornite and tiktok

Impact:

Could you imagine being paralyzed and you got word that Jesus the miracle worker the healer is in town.

When you tell your “friends” all they do is say “oh yeah” some fellow named Jesus is here healing people, but hey lets talk about fortnite...

Going through some depression but you don’t make yourself vulnerable (Becuase you think thats weakness) so you SUFFER IN SILENCE

The impact is you suffer in silence and you can only go so far

James 5:16 (ESV)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Problem #3:

Now you may be here and you are thinking to yourself this pastor is talking about frineds and community, but I am an introvert. I don’t need nobody

I have a cat and I don’t like social interactions - being at church is probably uncomfortable for you

Maybe you just lack friends all together and are not opposed making new ones

Here is what you need to know: Regardless of how you feel you are called to a faith communicty, a fellowship of friends

Impact:

The enemy wants you isolated and lonely - because you are weak and vulnerable in that state

You can miss out on God in that state

But God has more for us

Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Some burdens you can manage alone, BUT mark my words there are some circumstances that WILL OVERPOWER YOU & you will need to piggy back on the faith of others

Example: My darkest and hardest season of life and I could not go it alone… I would not be here if it wasn’t for the right people

You can’t obey God and share burdens without people

God’s calling us to a life of Faith and it’s meant to be uncomfortable - God built you for this, you can handle the discomfort - It’s an opportunity for you to step in Faith.

You can only get so far alone

Point #1: FIND FRIENDS WITH FAITH

Mark 2:1–5 (NLT)

Not just his Faith but their Faith made the God of the universe respond...

Not just his Faith but their Faith opened the door to the forgivness of his sins

Not just his Faith but their Faith healed him

You need friends of Faith

FAITH:

Jesus saw their Faith

Implies Faith is somthing that is seen

These men

Carried him

Climbed with him

Destoryed a roof

lowered him

Interruped Jesus while He was teaching

Jesus credits that undettered effort and urgency as FAITH

Listen you will be able to distinguish a person who walks by faith and who does not by how they live their life (what is seen)

Finding a friend of faith should be that hard because you will be able to know they have faith when you see them!

You just have to look in the write places!

This is why its essential that you come to church - put yourself in the environment of people with Faith

Hebrews 10:24–25 (NLT)

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

POINT #2: BE A FRIEND THAT HAS FAITH

UH OH, “But I thought this was about my frineds not about me?”

Some friendships that you currenly have will become more vulnerable and God centered when you stop making it about you...

This call is not just for your friends its also for you

Principle of sowing and reaping (You always reap what you sow and you reap where you sow)

Galatians 6:7–10 (NLT)

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Once you start living out your life in faith God is so good he will guide you to the right people of faith to help you and you will discover that you help them too

apart of His plan