Sabbath 3/17/18 Seventh Day Baptist Edgewater Pastor John sermon �Friendship�

Posted : 17 Mar, 2018 11:48 AM

Sabbath 3/17/18 Seventh Day Baptist Edgewater Pastor John sermon �Friendship� Luke 15:4-7, Psalm 119:63, Prov. 13:20

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In our Luke text, Jesus was telling about having a celebration when a lost sheep is found. The man called all his neighbors and friends to celebrate. This shows that not all neighbors are friends and not all friends are neighbors. When I was younger, I had trouble making friends. When I grew up, I finally connected with a young man at church youth fellowship. We ran into each other in later years and were friends. There was another guy I didn�t have much in common with but we connected with each other in high school. It was an unlikely friendship but we were friends and still are friends today.



Some people choose us to be friends and some people we choose to be our friend. It is said that we can choose our friends but cannot choose our relatives. Who we have as friends says a lot about who we are. We need to give guidance to our younger people on choosing friends. In our text, God rejoices when the lost sheep is found. The owner also celebrated with his friends the good news. Good news needs to be shared with others. In Romans is says �Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep�. In the parable of the prodigal son, the son probably had riotous, partying friends when he had money. As the end of his story when he was broke and all his friends were gone, then he went back home. His father welcomed him back and had a party with his friends to celebrate the prodigal son coming home safely. The father killed the fatted calf to celebrate and the elder son had a sour attitude about the whole thing.



Sometimes friendships are based on good values and sometimes they are based on shared bad values or shared hatred. The New Testament says that about Pilate and Herod. Although they were enemies, they became friends because they shared the same negative thoughts about destroying Jesus. In the Bible there are positive friendships like Johnathan and David. Johnathan helped David stay alive by warning him of his father King Saul. In Chronicles, the scripture says that Abraham was a friend of God. In the New Testament, Jesus called his disciples His friends. Jesus also called Lazarus His friend before He went and raised him from the dead. The effect of friendships on our lives can be very significant. Friendships that build us up should be nurtured. Friendships that make us uncomfortable, we should walk away from. Psalm 1:1 says �Blessed is the man that walketh NOT in the counsel of the ungodly, no standeth in the way of the sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful�.



AMEN

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