Portrait of a King: Friends

2015-10-18 
Matt Willmington 

Memory Verse
Proverbs 18:24
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

We live in a world surrounded by crowds and traffic. We spend large amounts of time with our 100s of ‘friends’ on social media. But are they really ‘friends’? Sociologists tell us that we are actually experiencing “crowded loneliness”. How can we have true friendships, the way God intended?

Ecclesiastes 4
1 And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter— On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter.

7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun: 8 There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

4 FRIENDS

CO-LABORER Friend = reward, fruit, productivity

9 “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.”

Genesis 2:18 “It is not good that man should be alone”

ROADSIDE Friend = rescue, recovery

10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

Prov.27:10 Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

Prov.17:19 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. [NLT]

COLD NIGHT Friend = comfort, encouragement

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?

Prov.27:9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. [NLT] 17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

BATTLEFIELD Friend = defense, protection, safety

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Prov.17:17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.          

Prov.27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend…

“Married Friends”

Prov.12:26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Song of Solomon 5:16 This is my beloved, And this is my friend

Do you Work, Rescue, Encourage, Protect??

Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Be the friend you wish you had, the spouse you wish you had

Jesus = “I have called you friends” [John 15:15]