Godly Friendships Never Leave You Alone (Lifelines)

Have you ever been afraid of being alone?

I love team games, whether they’re goofy games like the ones we play here, or team games like baseball or football. I like them because no matter what happens, at the end of it, you and your team are in it together. You either win together or you lose together. There’s no chance you’re going to be left alone as the one and only loser. And I think that’s good news, because no one ever wants to be “the only one” to lose.

We’ve been talking about how great friendships should be lifelines when we need help. Just like a safety net around a trampoline, great friends should be there when you bounce, when you fall, when you get back on your feet, and when you need someone to laugh (or cry) with. But there’s always going to be times when you feel like you’re jumping with no net - no group of friends to keep you safe and secure. Sometimes you’re going to feel alone, and to be honest, that can really stink.

I want everyone to turn to a neighbor, and you’ve got thirty seconds each to share a time that you felt alone. Like you had no one by your side.

Here’s a video I want to play while I speak. (INSERT WAVES VIDEO).

If you’ve ever visited the ocean, you know the beach experience can change at any minute. Winds, air temperature, clouds, rip currents, rain - a lot can happen, and it can happen quickly, near the ocean. One day, the wind might be low and swimming is easy. But the very next day, there might be wind and rain, and it’s too dangerous to swim. Sometimes, rip currents tug at your body from under the surface, pushing you away from the shore. Rip currents are one reason you should never swim alone in the ocean. You just never know when you might get sucked into a current and need someone to throw you a lifeline.

Life feels like this sometimes too. Things can get scary and lonely. When they do, you’re going to need some security - a group of friends to remind you that it’s going to be okay.

Before I was old enough to make friends, I had stuffed animals. Maybe you did too. When we were little, we probably all had some kind of security toy, blanket, or pacifier to keep us feeling safe.

(SHOW PICTURE OF TEDDY)

Maybe you still have a security item! You may not talk about it much, and you probably don’t carry it around with you as often as you used to, but maybe it matters to you. Maybe just knowing it’s in your bag helps to calm you. Life has a lot of ways to make us feel alone, afraid, undone, and/or nervous. We need a lot of support during times like that. If only a teddy bear could always do the trick!

Jesus was no stranger to loneliness, but He was no stranger to great friends either. In this series, we’re looking at four times that Jesus was a friend to someone who needed Him. Then we’re talking about what we can learn from that example. Not only did Jesus show us how to be a lifeline to others, but His friends showed us how they learned from His example and returned that favor to each other.

READ

Clearly there is a crisis. Lazarus, a much-loved friend Jesus loves, has died. Jesus wants to go back to the place where he was buried, but His disciples know that going back is dangerous. The Jews in Judea, confused about who Jesus was and convinced that He posed a threat to their positions in leadership, had already tried to murder Jesus last time He was there. Not wanting to be killed, the disciples asked, “Um, Jesus…don’t you remember why we don’t hang out in Judea?”

Of course, Jesus knew Judea wasn’t safe. He’s God - nothing slips His mind. But He had more important things to worry about that physical safety. He was worried about His friends. Mary and Martha (remember them from the last Landing?) and the rest of Jesus’ friends were facing a loss, so Jesus wanted them to be together. He wanted to show His friends how things go when they stick together.

One of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas, said “Let’s go! If we die, we will die together.” I don’t necessarily recommend following your friends to certain death, but Jesus and Thomas showus something really important about friendship in this passage: When you stick together, you feel less alone.

And, hey - if Jesus did this for His disciples, He does it for us too, because He loves us! There are a lot of moments in life that can make us feel isolated and alone, but we don’t have to stay that way! When we’re afraid, or grieving, or alone, Jesus gives us Himself, and God gives us each other.

READ

We’ve read this verse every week so far, and we’re reading it again today. We’re supposed to be imitators of God, so we must look closely at the example of Jesus to see how we can be more like Him in every area of our lives - including our friendships. Just like Jesus loved His friends so deeply that He refused to leave them alone when they were afraid and grieving, fridnds that imitate God never leave each other all alone. Jesus modeled what a real, authentic friendship looked like.

See, Jesus didn’t live life alone. He certainly could have! Jesus lived His life in real, authentic relationships. He loved people deeply and well. And when His friends were suffering, He refused to leave them alone - even when it was dangerous for Him. That’s what great friendships do. It’s what great friendships will do for you, and it’s what Jesus invites you to do for others. Godly friendships never leave you all alone.

One day, a group in Canada all dressed up as Batman. These people broke the Guinness world record for the most amount of people dressed as Batman at the same time. Five hundred forty-two people became The Dark Knight together to raise money for others. There were so many Batmans!

When I think of Batman, I think of a superhero who can do it all. But even Batman probably has his share of lonely days too. I guess sometimes Batman needs another Batman. The next time you’re feeling alone, remember that even Batman needs a friendship lifeline sometimes.

No matter who you are or where you come from, there are going to be times that are lonely. There will be times when you (like Jesus did) need a few more people to gather around you. Your story probably won’t end with you raising someone from the dead, but when we stick together, other miraculous things could happen.

Your hope could grow

Your needs might be met

Someone could pray for you when you don’t have the words

Someone might simply sit with you in your hurt or pain

When life feels lonely, it’s easy to believe the lie that you’re alone, unsupported, and maybe even unworthy of friendship. The enemy wants you to believe that! That’s why God wants to give us a lifeline of community. When you feel alone, godly friendships remind you that you belong to a community of people who love you, who are fighting for you, and who are ready to die with you if necessary.

I think that Pastor Chris said it really well this morning when he talked about who your one is. He talked about how for this last year at Faith we have been talking about who your “one” is. Who is that one person that you’re praying for and trying to bring here so that they can hear the saving news of Jesus. And I think it’s the same here in this conversation. I can ask who the one person is that would be there for you when you feel alone, but I can also turn around and ask who in your life you can be that person to. Who have you walked past in the hallway or ignored in the lunch room that was alone and needed someone to be there for them?

I am reading a book right now and I love this quote from it.

Take heart. Though outnumbered and experiencing the humiliation of being marginalized in our culture, the church is still sent into the world to represent Christ. We are still the best witnesses of hope this hopeless planet has! We, as the church, will never be effective unless we see ourselves as sent by Christ into the world. He prayed, “As you [the Father] sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (). We are pilgrims, out of step with the ever-changing culture—yet we are sent by Christ, the Head of the church. The church is the last barrier between the present moral breakdown and total chaos.

Wouldn’t it be incredible to know that you have friendships like that? People who’ll never leave you all alone? If you’re not sure you have friends like that in your life right now, here’s what I want you to do.

First, get alone with Jesus. He is offering the same friendship to you that He offered to Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and His disciples. He came to earth to live, die, and live again for you. He has invited you into His family. Let Him be your first lifeline of love and friendship.

Second, tell someone you feel alone. Maybe it’s an adult in this room, or maybe it’s a peer. Let them know you’re struggling, or that you want deeper friendships, or that you feel alone, or that you could really use a lifeline right now.’

And if you don’t feel alone right now - if you have a great group of friends - I hope you’ll look around this room and ask, “Who can I be Jesus to? Who can I run to when they’re feeling alone?”

Remember, Godly friendships never leave us all alone. Let’s stick together. We need each other.