Companion of Fools
Proverbs 13: 10
God brings messages to me in different ways. Sometimes, like today, it is
unmistakably.
I heard this sermon and I knew you had to hear it.
I had 4 options:
Bring Bill in to preach it too expensive.
Play the tape for you too boring
Pantomime the tape too silly
Preach the sermon least good but most logical.
I did want to preach it but I thought.. "Not now, I mentioned it lately. They will
get tired of this message."
But God would not let me go in any other direction.
It is a sermon on companions, buddies, friends.
I have made this a part of many sermons but I have never preached a whole
sermon on this point.
But Bill showed me so many new scriptures on the subject.
I also want to preach this because I have seen over and over and over, in my
own life and in other people’s lives.
I have had to watch as young persons, friends and strangers, went through the
whirlwind of bad circumstances that were all brought on by some bad decisions
that they made as young people. I've seen homes in turmoil, parents in tears,
people in jail, couples in court ... because they made bad choices about alcohol,
or drugs, or sexual promiscuity, about relationships with the police, and other
bad decisions because once you start making these bad decisions they find
themselves on a slippery slope, struggling in vain to get their footing.
There are some people, I was one of them, no matter where they go they seem
to attract bad people.
A teenage girl once lamented that she seemed to be a "nerd magnet."
Some people just draw bad people to themselves.
I went to my tenth class reunion and noticed that all of my junior high friends
were bums ... alcoholics, divorced, dead end lives. Those that were still alive.
I noticed that my high school friends were not there. They had gotten out of Union, out of the trouble and were doing well.
And I realized what God had done in my life. He saw that my friends were bums and that I was going to be a bum. He had better plans for me and He knew He would have to get me away from those friends and with some new friends.
Enter Hayne Rivers, Pierce Hendon, Cam Rivers, and Mama Nini into my life and I got saved and practically moved into FBC Union.
My life was radically changed because my friends were changed.
Bill Anderson says that you can not make a more important decision than who
you will run with, who your friends will be.
I believe that.
1 Cor. 15:33 "Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good manners. 1/
Don't be deceived means self-deluded ... into thinking that you can hand around with them so long as you don't become like them.
You think you can wallow in the mud with the pigs and not smell.
This passage makes it clear ... BAD COMPANy .... bum buddies ... CORRUPT
GOOD MANNERS.
You had good manners, clean clothes, good character ... but time with the swine
has CORRUPTED your good manners ... now you have
the manners of a pig
the morals of a pig
the language of a pig
LOOK AT YOUR FRIENDS, RATE THEM 1 - 10 on manners, on morals, on
integrity, on honesty ... take the average ... THAT IS YOU!!!!!!!
Better yet; how many of them would you want to be the first date of your child????
Psalm 1: 1 Shows the effect of time in the mud.
"Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the wicked"
Walking in the counsel is to listen to the world's counsel on how to live .. this is
the beginning of the fall... listen to God's word.
standing in the way of sinners is now you have gone beyond listening to
participating
sitting in the seat of the wicked is now you are one of them.
You can't enjoy them from a distance, you can't be buddies in fishing, hunting,
dancing, or dining and think their dirt will not get on you.
Proverbs has a lot to sayan the subject of friends.
22:24 says "Do not make friends with a hot tempered man, do not associate with one who is easily angered, lest you learn his ways and get yourself ensnared"
The New Testament says the same thing. In Ephesians 5:5f Paul says, "KNOW
FOR SURE ... NO immoral, impure, or greedy person- such a man is an idolator- has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU with empty words, because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient, Therefore, DO NOT BE PARTNERS WITH THEM!"
1 Cor. 6:9F, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God, DO NOT BE DECEIVED:… sexually immoral... idolators… male prostitutes... homosexuals... drunkards ... will not inherit the Kingdom of God. And that is what some of you WERE. BUT YOU WERE WASHED, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God."
And for that reason, 5:9f says, "DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH SUCH
PEOPLE!!!!!!!
With such a man DO NOT EVEN EAT!!!!!!!
2 Cor. 6 is the great passage on such things... "DO NOT BE UNEQUALLY
YOLKED WITH UNBELIEVERS. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light and darkness have? What harmony is there between Christ and the devil? .. , THEREFORE COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE!!!
WHY?
It is not because God wants to deny you fun or because you are better than
unbelievers or God loves you more.
God has two reasons for wanting us to come out and be separate from them ...
1. FOR GOD!!! He is a captive in your heart. He said he would never leave or
forsake you. So if you bring those things into your heart HE HAS TO BE WITH
THEM.
2. Because GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU and if you are with bad company he may not be able to bless you and in fact he might have to rebuke and chastise them and you may be hurt because of your proximity to them.
In a marriage; God wants to bless the Christians, but if there is a non-believer
there God cannot bless the believer like He wants to.
Now listen ... look straight at me and listen to this.
There are EVEN CHRISTIANS... believers... brothers and sisters in Christ that
God does not want you to befriend because they will lead you into unrighteousness.
Just having their name on a church role or a job in the church does not make
them righteous or good companions.
In 1 Cor. 5:9f Paul says, "I have written to you in my letters not to associate with
immoral people- not at all meaning the people in this world... in that case you would have to get out of this world But now] am writing you that you must not associate with ANYONE who calls himself a brother, but is ... immoral ... WITH SUCH A MAN DO NOT EVEN EAT."
Not even to eat means NO CONTACT!!!!
And this is a church member.
2 Tim 3: 1-4 Paul writes to Timothy, a young preacher boy, that even some
Christians are to be avoided. "But mark this: People will be ... {list of wickedness} .
In verse 5 he says, "Having a form of godliness but denying its power."
They have big black bibles under their arms and spew out scripture BUT DENY
ITS POWER = live in such a way that they receive none of its power.
And Paul warns Timothy about those immoral, evil Christians, "Have nothing to
do with them."
2 Thess... 3:6, Paul says, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we command you,
brothers, to keep away from ever brother who is idle and does not live according to the teachings you received from us.
And in verse 14 Paul says, "If anyone does not obey our instructions in this letter, take special note of him. DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH HIM"
Notice that Paul does not offer this as a suggestion from him but as a
COMMAND FROM GOD.
Finally, the text of the day ... Proverb 13:20, "He who walks with wise men shall be
wise, and he who walks with fools shall be destroyed"
Do you want to be wise ... hang out with wise people
Do you want to be well mannered ... hang out with well mannered friends
Do you want to be spiritual ... hang with spiritual friends
How do you know if your friends are fools?
A fool is a person who does not love God in his heart and honor God in his
life.
They may be friendly, may be good, may be old friend, you may love them to
death ... but a fool is a fool.
You may ask, "Rick, are you saying I have to give up my foolish spouse?" NO
1 Cor. 7: 12f addresses that... another sermon
Well, do I have to give up my foolish friends?"
I am not telling you what you have to do.
I'm just asking you, HOW HIGH DO YOU WANT TO FLY in your relationship
with Jesus Christ?
ILLUS: A bird once found some beautiful rocks. The bird wanted to line her nest with the rocks. She picked up a mouth full of the rocks and went to fly off ... but couldn't. She tried and tried but couldn't. A cat spotted the bird in that predicament and began to charge at her. She flapped and flapped but could not fly. Another bird, sitting safely in a tree called to the bird and said spit out the rocks. She wanted to. She looked at the rocks, she looked at the cat, she looked at the bird. She asked the bird, "Do I have to give them up? How many can I keep?" to which the bird in the tree responded, "How high do you want to fly?"
I am not telling you what you have to do.
I am telling you what the scripture says ...
bad company corrupts good character
lest you learn their ways
Do not be partakers with them
you once were like them but now you have been washed
do not associate with such people
With such people do not even eat
do not be unequally yolked with unbelievers
Come out from among them and be separate
you must not have anything to do with anyone who calls himself a brother but
does not obey these teachings.
Do not associate with them.
Let me just leave you with one thought.
In trying to determine what God wants you to do about your unbelieving friends
don't be deceived by empty words, especially these two deceptive arguments.
1. Won't I lose witnessing opportunities?
Be honest... how often do you witness to that lost friend. That should not hold
you there.
That would be un-Christian and impolite.
2 Thess. says, "Do not associate with him IN ORDER THAT he may feel ashamed
You say you want to witness to them.
Maybe this is the witness they need. Our invitation today is for you to take inventory of your friendships, your
INVITATION
