Circles Week 1

Text: Luke 5:1–11; Proverbs 27:9; 17:17

Big Idea of the Series: This three-week series reminds us of why relationships matter, and of the wisdom Jesus modeled regarding intentional relationships and welcoming others. Christians can carefully build their circles of friends for the purposes of Christ-centered companionship, as well as befriending others who may need someone to model Jesus’s kindness to them.

Luke 5:1–11 (NLT)

1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!

7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.

10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Week 1

Topic(s): Friends, Shared Interests, Relationships

Big Idea of the Message: Jesus selected close friends on whom he could depend. Therefore, believers should use wisdom in selecting dependable friends, as not all people prioritize our best interest.

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

Jesus modeled having a small group of very close friends. This passage from Luke is the beginning of their friendship. “What a particular acquaintance Christ, hereupon, fell into with these fishermen. They had had some conversation with him before, which began at John’s baptism

John 1:40–41 NLT

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).

They were with him at Cana of Galilee

John 2:2 NLT

2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.

, and in Judea

John 4:3 NLT

3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

; but as yet they were not called to attend him constantly, and therefore here we have them at their calling, and now it was that they were called into a more intimate fellowship with Christ” (Matthew Henry, commentary on John 5). Jesus was intentional about calling these three to his side. According to the passage, they left their nets and followed him. “These three were present for miracles that the others were not. Jesus specifically brings only those three along with him to Jarius’ house, where he raised his daughter from the dead. ‘He allowed no one to go with Him but Peter and James and John.’ (Mark 5:37) They were also taken up the mountain for the miraculous transfiguration of Jesus. ‘Jesus took with Him Peter and James and his brother John.’ (Matthew 17:1)”.

Regarding

Proverbs 27:9 NLT

9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

“It is advisable to choose a friend among our neighbours who live near us, that acquaintance may be kept up and kindnesses the more frequently interchanged” (Matthew Henry, commentary on Proverbs 27). Jesus wisely chose his closest friends, and we should as well. Not everyone around us has our best interest in mind. A good friend is sweet because of the counsel he or she offers—counsel that will point us back to Christ.

“Friends must be constant to each other at all times. That is not true friendship which is not constant; it will be so if it be sincere, and actuated by a good principle. … Swallow-friends, that fly to you in summer, but are gone in winter; such friends there is no loss of. But if the friendship be prudent, generous, and cordial, if I love my friend because he is wise, and virtuous, and good, as long as he continues so, though he fall into poverty and disgrace, still I shall love him. Christ is a friend that loves at all times (Jn. 13:1) and we must so love him, Rom. 8:35” (Matthew Henry, commentary on Proverbs 17).

Think back to middle school math class. A Venn diagram is a graphic representation in which two or more sets of information are positioned beside and on top of one another. The overlapping circles include the information the different sets of information share. The Venn diagram is a good illustration for how we are to value friends with whom we have Christ in common. Christ should be the overlapping center we share with our closest friends. If those we are closest to are not connected to us by Christ, then we should consider asking ourselves why. For more on the Venn diagram, see here.

The business world understands the value of authentic relationships and connecting with those with whom we share commonalities. “Networking is one and done. It’s where you shake someone’s hand and give them a business card. Where does that leave you? With a stack of business cards on your desk. A relationship, on the other hand, touches your heart and creates an everlasting partnership. … Networking is 9 to 5; relationships are forever. If you love someone and build a meaningful relationship, you’re more forgiving and won’t drop them if something goes wrong. When you have one life that’s interchangeable, the relationships at work become your relationships in life”. True friendships can’t be built with shortcuts, but they do help us in so many ways.

Henri Nouwen is a wonderful example of someone who intentionally built relationships with someone for the purpose of becoming more like Christ. Nouwen was a popular professor at Harvard University and a prolific writer. On the cusp of becoming famous, Henri made an abrupt career change and “moved to L’Arche (‘the Ark’), an organization … [for] people living with intellectual disabilities and those who come to help them share daily life together as equal members” (Karen Wright March, Vintage Saints and Sinners: 25 Christians Who Transformed My Faith [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017], 40). Nouwen put himself in a place where his academic prowess would be unnoticed but he would be surrounded by people who also loved Jesus.

So cliche but so true. Show me your friends and will show you your future. Talk about testimonies from those who were trapped in areas (partying, drugs, gangs, religion, etc.)

First we must choose our best friend. The one to be in our center and throughout our Venn diagram.