Sermon Central
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A Bump In The Road Or A Blessing Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on Sep 9, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 11th sermon in the series, "Pot Holes". What type of friend are you and what type of friends are you looking for?
Sunday Morning September 13, 2009
Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: Pot Holes [#11]
A BUMP IN THE ROAD OR A BLESSING?
Introduction:
The older I get, the more that I realize what an impact our friends have on our lives. Our friends can either be a bump in the road to us or a blessing to us. While we should be friendly to all people, we should be careful in whom we are friends with. I have often told people that one of the ways the Lord help get me out of drugs and alcohol was He moved me to Canyon, TX. I got a brand new start. Nobody knew that I was addicted to drugs and alcohol at my new college in Canyon. Nobody knew that I had given up all my friends in Albuquerque because I realized that they weren’t really my friends except at the party. I literally changed my qualifications to be a person whom I would “hang out” with.
The Bible defines for us 2 categories of friendship: Friendship with God and friendship with the world.
Friendship with God:
John 15:9-17 (NIV)
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”
Friendship with the world:
James 4:1-4 (NIV)
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
Are you a friend of Satan’s or God’s? You can’t be a friend of both. I believe that friendship with God is the key to the fulfilling of the purpose God has in store for you. The key difference in being friends with God and with the world are found in love; and we show our love to God by being obedient to Him and loving others.
So what godly characteristics should we be looking for in people whom we would consider to be close friends- People whom we share a lot of our time and fellowship with? Please notice that every one of these characteristics is found in God’s actions towards us.
A godly friend…
1. Gives refuge.
When a friend is in a dangerous situation, we must warn them. Jonathan didn’t just warn David, he also gave him a place to hide. We ought to be a refuge for those whom are in danger.
God is our refuge and our strength. When you need a place to hide, go to God. When you need a place of rest, go to God. When you need a place of protection, go to God. He is our refuge.
A godly friend…
2. Intercedes.
Jonathan interceded for David. He went to his father on David’s behalf. We are to intercede for our friends. Instead of going along with the crowd we should defend them. Instead of talking to others about them, we should intercede in prayer to God for them. Instead of allowing them to handle it on their own, we should realize that God uses us to help them; and we need to help.
Jesus Christ intercedes for us. We can go to an Almighty, Perfect, Righteous, and Just God only because of the blood of Jesus. Without the blood of Jesus, we can never go before God the Father; but through the blood, we can go to God the Father any time we want to with confidence and boldness.
