Bible Friendship (Friend’s Day)

Also look at Prov. 27:9-10 “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.”

Another verse we want to look at that deals with friendship is in Prov. 27:17, we read, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

In Prov. 25:8, we read, “Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.”

Introduction: Dr. Odell Belger tells that when his sons were young and his schedule would permit, he would take his family camping. Once they arrived at the camp ground, his youngest son, Jimmy Belger, could hardly wait to get out of the camper and start exploring. He would make a dash for the door, and his mother would say, “Jimmy where are you going?” He would look back at her and say, “I am going to find me some friends!”

Even as children, we recognized that we all need friends.

WHY DO WE SEEK TO HAVE FRIENDS? Because a friend’s relationship is a very special in our lives. For example:

• We had no choice about who our parents would be

• We had no choice about who our siblings would be

• We had no choice about who our grandparents would be

• We had no choice about who our aunts and uncles would be

WE HAVE A CHOICE about friends, and we have chosen these very special people to be a part of our life!

This is a very special relationship, because a large part of our life revolves around our friends. Without friends we would live a LIFE OF LONELINESS.

Illus: Someone said this about Loneliness:

• Loneliness is like a piano without keys

• Loneliness is like a violin without strings

• Loneliness is like a sanctuary without a congregation

• Loneliness is like a choir where no one sings

• Loneliness is like a pansy in a corn field, hidden where no one can see (Copied)

But God gave us friends so we would not have to live our life ALONE. It is great to have GOOD FRIENDS!

Based on Prov. 27, and some scriptures in Prov. 25, let’s look at friendship as described by the Word of God. First, let’s consider-

I. THE COUNCIL OF A FRIEND

Intelligent people will admit that they do not have all the answers to life’s problems, and because of that it is important that they seek counsel from their friends.

But as important as it is that we seek counsel from others, it is EQUALLY IMPORTANT that we seek counsel from those who will only give counsel that is in our best interest, even if it is something we do not want to hear.

This is exactly what our BEST FRIENDS WILL DO! They love us and they only give us good counsel.

Look at verse 6, we read, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Notice, the things that they say to us may cut deeply (wound us), but they are saying these things because they love us and want the very best for us.

We need friends all the time, but especially during DIFFICULT TIMES IN OUR LIFE.

WHY DO WE ESPECIALLY NEED THEM DURING THE DIFFICULT TIMES IN OUR LIFE? Because during these times we get emotionally upset, and are not capable of making the best decisions we should make for ourselves.

It is during these DIFFICULT TIMES that we turn to those we call our friends, and we have to depend on them to help us make the very best decisions for ourselves.

Illus: Many of us have signed a legal document so if we find ourselves in a position where we have to be put on life support equipment, and we are not able to make that decision, we can depend on someone else to make that decision for us.

Our friends are like:

(A) GOOD PARENTS

HOW IS THAT? The loving parents put themselves at risk and tell their child what they should do, knowing perhaps that the counsel they are giving is going to cut deep, and the child might turn against them.

BUT NEVERTHELESS, THE LOVING PARENTS SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE CHILD!

A good friend is also like -

(B) GOOD DOCTORS

Illus: What would you think of a doctor who withheld critical information from you, his patient, because he did not want to make you sad by giving you bad news?