Friendship
Asking For a Friend • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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INTRO
INTRO
We are continuing our, Asking For a Friend, series tonight
and many of you submitted questions about friendship
Which makes a lot of sense because right now
friendships probably feel like one of the most important parts of your life.
That’s becasue most of you understand that that people you spend the most time with influence:
how you talk
how you think
what you believe
the decisions you make
In fact, the Bible actually talks a lot about this
The one who walks with the wise will become wise,
but a companion of fools will suffer harm.
That verse is simple but powerful
You will become like the people you spend your time with
So tonight we’re going to look at two examples in Scripture:
A good friend
A bad friend
And what they teach us about choosing the right people in our lives
GOOD FRIENDS
GOOD FRIENDS
One of the best friendships in the Bible is David and Jonathan
Jonathan was the son of King Saul,
which meant he was supposed to be the next king of Israel
But God chose David instead…
Jonathan could have been jealous
yet, he became David’s greatest supporter
Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself. Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
Jonathan was laying down his own position and saying:
“I support what God is doing in your life."
A good friend wants God’s best for you, not just what benefits them
Jonathan also defended David when Saul wanted to kill him.
Jonathan spoke well of David to his father, Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David. He hasn’t sinned against you; in fact, his actions have been a great advantage to you.
Jonathan stood up for David even when it was uncomfortable
that’s what real friendship looks like
A Godly Friend:
Encourages your walk with Jesus
Speaks truth to you even when it’s hard
Supports God’s plan for your life
Stands up for you and strengthens your faith
The Bible says this about friendships like that:
Iron sharpens iron,
and one person sharpens another.
Good friends sharpen your faith
They help you become more like Christ
BAD FRIENDS
BAD FRIENDS
Now the Bible also gives us the opposite example…
A king named Rehoboam had to make an important decision
The people asked him to lighten their heavy workload after Solomon died
So Rehoboam asked two groups for advice
First, he asked the older, wise leaders
Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to this people?”
They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
That was wise advice:
Serve the people
Be humble
Lead well
But then Rehoboam asked his friends
But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and attended him.
His friends told him to be harsh
To show power
To prove he was stronger than his father
They gave him advice that fed his pride
Well what did Rehoboam do?
He listened to his friends
and the kingdom split in half
And the ten tribes rebelled
All because he listened to the wrong voices
The Bible warns about this exact thing
A righteous person is careful in dealing with his neighbor,
but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.
Bad friends can lead you somewhere you never intended to go
So what does an ungodly friend look like?
A Ungodly Friend:
Encourages you toward sin instead of holiness
Feeds your pride instead of pointing you to wisdom
That’s exactly what Rehoboam’s friends did.
They told him what he wanted to hear, not what he needed to hear
Pulls you away from wise influences
Rehoboam ignored wise counsel because of his friends
Creates drama, gossip, and division
Bad friends don’t just affect your day
They can affect your entire future
That’s why the Bible gives this warning:
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
So here’s the reality1
The people closest to you will shape:
your character
your habits
your faith
You may think your friends don’t influence you that much
but Scripture says they do
and that’s why choosing your friends wisely matters.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
So what do we do with this information?
Well, think about who your closest friends are
Then ask yourself:
Do they encourage me to follow Jesus?
Do they challenge me when I’m making bad decisions?
Do they push me closer to God or pull me away?
And here’s another important question:
Are you that kind of friend to others?
Because friendship works both ways
And godly friends won’t want to be your friends if you are an ungodly influence on them
CLOSE
CLOSE
So, I encourage you to take a real look at the three people who influence you the most
because those people are shaping who you are becoming
So ask yourself:
Are they leading me closer to Christ?
Or pulling me away?
And remember what Scripture says”
The one who walks with the wise will become wise,
but a companion of fools will suffer harm.
If you want wise friendships…
walk with wise people
And if you want godly friends…
start by being a godly friend
