Faithful Friends

What is a friend?

Share story of kid who could only be friends with siri

Friendship is a reciprocal relationship characterized by intimacy, faithfulness, trust, unmotivated kindness, and service.

The New Testament greek translation to friend is philos which translated to a person with whom one has a close bond or friendship or to whom one is under a basic obligation.

We are obligated as Christians to be good friends.

I love the phrasing here of being obligated or committed to the act of friendship

Jesus clearly Shows Exactly how we are to live out our love in our friendships through many different portions of the gospel

Be a Friend to those who society rejects

In Matthew 11:19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Jesus showed there that he did not let social constraints hold him back from becoming friends with those kinds of people.

You will be looked at funny and often misunderstood as people without Gods love cant seem to grasp why you are so friendly with those people.

3. Share story of being a friend to the freshman in baseball.

A Friend Will Show Sacrificial Love

John 15:13 “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”

The context of this scripture can still apply to our lives today. We may not literally die for our friends however we can still sacrifice for them

We can take our friends to lunch or do something that does not benefit us.

Friends will build each other up

Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.”

This shows as friends we are called to love at all times but especially when things get difficult

If your friend just got laid off where are you?

Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.”

This is the build each other up verse. Two people need to be made out of the same material to build each other up.