Be The G.O.A.T.

// INTRO

VIDEO: “SQUAD BUMPER”

New Series: SQUAD

talking about #friendshipgoals

“A man without a vision for his future, will always return to his past.”

if we want to have better friendships, we need to set a vision for the friendship that we want

Tonight’s Message: BE THE G.O.A.T.

Define G.O.A.T.

VIDEO “Screaming Goat”

G.O.A.T. = Greatest of All Time

In order to be the G.O.A.T. we have to be intentional

Key Verse:

John 15:13 ESV

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Invite students to say it with

We will be memorizing this verse throughout this series!

Bible Reading Plan: Real Friends

15-day reading plan in the YouVersion Bible App

fortressyouth.group/bible

1. BE THE FRIEND

If you were going to create the “greatest friend,” what would they be like? What would they do for fun? What qualities would they have?

Now, reflect on your qualities — how many of your “greatest friend” qualities do you have yourself?

Proverbs 27:19 ESV

19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

It can be easy to see or want qualities in another person, but applying them to ourself can be a bit more difficult.

When setting the vision for the type of friend you want to have, use those qualities to set the standard for yourself.

Matthew 22:39 ESV

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

We are loving others as we love ourself

Who is the G.O.A.T.?

Jesus disciples ask, who is the greatest?

Matthew 18:1–4 ESV

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Humility will make a person great!

Just because you know that you are the greatest doesn’t mean to you have let everyone else know.

Jesus is the G.O.A.T.

The reality of this situation is that they are asking the greatest, who the greatest is!

Jesus answers their question by pointing to a child.

i. “A child was a person of no importance in Jewish society, subject to the authority of his elders, not taken seriously except as a responsibility, one to be looked after, not one to be looked up to.” (France)

ii. Children are not threatening; we aren’t afraid of meeting a five-year-old in a dark alley. When we have a tough, intimidating presence, we aren’t like Jesus.

ii. Children are not threatening; we aren’t afraid of meeting a five-year-old in a dark alley. When we have a tough, intimidating presence, we aren’t like Jesus.

By Jesus pointing to a child, this only further proves Jesus’ humility!

Takeaways

The G.O.A.T. doesn’t need the spotlight

The G.O.A.T. is humble

The G.O.A.T. loves others like he loves himself

2. BE THE LOVE

Options: Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt vs Culver’s Frozen Yogurt

--- Orange Leaf - multiple flavors

--- Culver’s - Vanilla, Chocolate, Flavor of the Day

More options means more room for confusion

The New Testament is written in Greek, and when translated to English we may lose context for the original meaning

There are four types of love mentioned in the Bible:

Eros - erotic love, sexual love

Storge - family love

Phileo - brotherly love; this is the most love a person can give without God’s help

Agape - unconditional love; a love that doesn’t change; a love that loves because it wants to.

Love Confusion

It’s easy to confuse love vs lust, but it’s also easy to confuse love vs love.

one might say, “I love you” — like a brother

another might say, “I love you too” — meaning unconditional

a third might say, “I love you” — but really are saying, “I want something from you”

The G.O.A.T. Love

Key Verse:

John 15:17 ESV

17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

John 15:13 ESV

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

The greatest love that anyone can show to their friend is that they would lay down their own life for his friends

Modern-Day Application

prefer your friends over yourself

3. BE DIFFERENT

The Judgment of the Nations -

During the judgment of the nations, Jesus is on His throne and all the nations and people are gathered before Him, He says they will be separated into two groups (not three+):

the sheep

the goats

The criteria for how they are judged is based off:

feed the hungry & thirsty

welcoming strangers

clothing the naked

visiting the sick

visiting those in prison

These are all judgments based off how we treated, “the least of these”

Modern-Day Application

There are the “least of these” that exist all around our lives.

There have been “the least of these” in Fortress

If we are going to truly be a place where we can say, “you belong,” we need to begin to be different!

We need to love the least of these!

// CLOSE

Recap: to be the G.O.A.T.

Be the Friend

Be Love

Be Different

Summed up: we need to be intentional about our friendships!

friendships will come and go if you aren’t intentional about them

The Golden Rule isn’t just a trendy phrase; it’s the foundation that any good relationship is built on.

In order to be the greatest of all time we have to be the greatest servant

Huddles

If you were going to create for yourself the best friend imaginable, what would they be like? What would they do for fun? What qualities would they have?

If you were going to create your own society, what kind of laws would you make for how people are treated and treat one another? Do you think those would be followed? Why or why not?

What is something today or this week you you believe you can do to start being great towards how you treat others?

Share a time when you had a hard time showing love to someone else? (Please remind students not to gossip.)