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The Friend Zone (Proverbs 13:20) | Louis Azuma
13th August 2026 • Compass Student Ministry Sermons Podcast • Compass Bible Church North Texas
00:00:00 00:49:01

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Shownotes

02:13 You Become Your Circle

03:20 Proverbs 13:20 Explained

04:58 Find Good Friends

06:29 Don't Be Deceived

08:01 Companion of Fools Suffers Harm

10:15 Friendship Lies Exposed

16:23 What Makes a Good Friend

19:33 Good Friends Stab You in the Front

21:54 Wise Friends

23:28 Who You Become

24:37 Do You Respect Your Friends?

26:09 Be The Friend You Want

28:34 Humility Over Selfishness

32:04 Honesty And Conflict

36:37 Love Jesus Most

38:18 Friendship With Jesus

42:32 Jesus Loves To The End

45:15 Walk With Him Daily

47:45 Prayer And Response

Transcripts

Speaker:

All right, we're gonna be in Proverbs chapter 13, okay?

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And we're, uh, not talking about dating.

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We're talking about friends.

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Uh, so we're, we're all in the

friend zone tonight, all right?

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Um, we are gonna be talking about friends.

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Uh, but I wanna tell you about some…

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They're actually not friends.

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They're brothers that I

learned about this week.

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Uh, one of them was named Wes,

and the other one was named Tony.

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And, uh, Tony and Wes, so,

uh, Tony's the older one.

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Tony was cool.

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Wes was like, "Tony is awesome."

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Tony, Tony had it all together.

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I don't know if you ever have

an older sibling like that.

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I was lucky enough to have an older

sibling who I thought was super cool,

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and, and I wanted to be just like him.

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And that's how Wes felt about Tony.

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Tony was, um, he was, you

know, he had it all together.

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He, he looked cool.

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He was athletic.

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He was strong.

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He was good-looking.

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He, you know, he was the guy that, that

Wes wanted to be when he grew up, right?

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And, uh, maybe some of you older

siblings think that to you.

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Um, you should ask your younger

sibling and find out later.

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But, um, Wes wanted to be just like Tony.

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And so then Tony, the problem was

is Tony, um, he, he had a lot of

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money even though he was young.

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And Wes was like, "Oh, I wonder

how he got so much money."

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Well, it turns out Tony was

involved in some bad stuff.

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Tony was involved in some, some gangs

and some, some drug dealings and…

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But Wes thought it was cool.

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Wes, younger brother, you know, he's

like, "Oh yeah, Tony's the best.

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Tony's so cool.

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I wanna be like Tony."

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And, um He started doing the same

things that, that Tony was doing.

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He started participating in all the

illegal things and, and all that.

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And Tony actually told his

younger brother, he said, "I

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don't want you to be like me.

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I know you wanna be like me.

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I know you think I'm cool.

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I know you think I have it all together.

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But I don't want you to get wrapped

up in all the stuff that I'm into,

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'cause I can't get out of it."

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Right?

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If you know anything about how this

stuff works, um, you can't leave it,

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because people wanna kill you, you owe

people money, people owe you money,

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and it gets really messy really fast.

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And, um, eventually, um, Tony, Tony, he

actually beat up his brother to j- get him

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to stop pursuing that same gang lifestyle.

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Um, but Wes didn't listen, and they

ended up actually going to jail together,

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um, down the road because they ended up

shooting and killing a police officer.

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Um, I hope you don't end up like

that, and maybe you're thinking,

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"Well, yeah, it's not me.

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I'm not gonna do that."

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But what I'm trying to illustrate

here is if you hang out with the

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wrong type of people, even if you're

not always doing all the wrong

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things, um, you end up becoming

like the people you hang out with.

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You become like the

people you hang out with.

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There's a, there's a stat…

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I don't know if it's a stat.

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There's a, there's a thing out

there that says y- you become

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like your five closest friends.

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So if you wanna know what you're gonna

be like at the end of this year, right,

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think about where you were last year

when you started your, your, whatever,

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your junior year, or your sophomore

year, or your seventh grade year.

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Think about what you were like last year.

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The reason you are who you are this

year, a big part of that, is because

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of the people you spent the most

time around this past school year.

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And if you wanna know what you're gonna

be like at this time next year, right,

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next summer, what am I gonna be like?

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Look at the people around you that

you're gonna spend the most time with.

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Right?

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Your teammates, your friends,

your classmates, your siblings.

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Those are the people that are gonna

turn you into who you're gonna be.

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And so that actually idea doesn't

just come from the internet,

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it comes from the Bible.

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It comes from our passage in Proverbs 13.

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So if you got your Bibles,

turn to Proverbs:

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you're not already there.

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I'll put it on the screen

for you if you need it.

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It says, "Whoever walks

with the wise becomes wise."

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Okay?

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You walk with wise people, you

become a wise person, right?

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That idea of walking with someone, it's

not just like, "Oh yeah, I go on a walk

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with a wise person every morning at 7:00."

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This is the idea of you

live life with them, right?

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When you talk about maybe you've been

in church, they, people will ask you,

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"Oh, how's your walk with Jesus?"

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Right?

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This is your lifestyle, your walk.

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It's just how you live.

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If you live with wise people, you

spend time with wise people, you talk

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to wise people, you, you watch wise

people online, you're gonna become wise.

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But the companion of

fools will suffer harm.

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And I don't know why there's two periods

there, but maybe just extra emphasis.

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I'm not sure.

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But, um, the companion of

fools will suffer harm.

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See, we need God's wisdom

for our friendships, right?

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Because the problem that we've

talked about for all of Proverbs

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is that you and I are really bad

at knowing what's good for us.

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You and I are really bad at knowing what

types of people we need to hang out with.

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You and I are really bad at

knowing what to place our value on.

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You and I are really bad at knowing

what's good for us, and that's why we

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need God's wisdom to help us live, right?

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We've talked about how wisdom is how we

use God's rules in everyday life, right?

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God gives guidelines, God gives

principles to live by, and wisdom

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is knowing how to execute it, right?

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Wisdom is, is knowing, okay, um, I know

that Jesus is God, but wisdom is knowing

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how that works in everyday life, right?

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So we want God's wisdom for

our friendships too, okay?

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And so our three points now

are gonna be really simple.

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We'll start with the first one, the

first one that I actually realized

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that I spelled wrong, but that's fine.

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It's supposed to be find good

friends, but that works too.

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Find God friends, 'cause

good friends are God friends.

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There you go.

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Um, you know, this is, like, probably my

least favorite part about typing things

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and spellcheck and stuff, is there's

some words, like, you know, like the

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becomes, like, they, or, you know, you

put the wrong there, and it doesn't tell

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you it's spelled wrong, so you have to

actually, like, proofread your own things.

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Pro tip right there.

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Um, so it's supposed to be

find good friends, okay?

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There you go.

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Find good friends.

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'Cause you become like the people

you're gonna hang out with, right?

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We've talked about this before.

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Um, but a lot of us don't

take it seriously, right?

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Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, which we'll get

there probably in four years with Pastor

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PJ, um, he says, "Don't be deceived.

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Bad company corrupts good morals."

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Maybe your, your parents

have told you this, right?

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"Oh, don't hang out with those bad people

'cause you're gonna be like them and

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it's gonna not be good for you," right?

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You've probably heard that before.

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You have a question or something?

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What's morals mean?

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Great question.

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Morals, that's like, uh, what you

think is good, what you think is right.

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Oh.

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Right?

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So your morals, that's like your, your

compass, your internal compass of, oh,

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this is good, or this is bad, right?

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Yeah.

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Great question.

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Uh, so bad company, right?

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If you're, if you're with bad people

who have bad morals, that's gonna turn

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your morals into bad morals, right?

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It's gonna break your, your compass, and

you're gonna start thinking good things

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are bad and bad things are good, right?

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That's, that's what happens here.

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Now, maybe you just know this part, right?

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Bad company corrupts good morals.

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You're like, "Great."

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Why do you think he starts with

this part, "Don't be deceived"?

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Exactly.

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Right?

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What the problem is, is every one of

us, we think, "Oh, but not for me.

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I can hang out with those people

and it won't ruin my life.

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I can hang out with those people and

it's not gonna be that bad for me.

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I'm the one that's different."

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All of us think that, and

that's why he puts this up here.

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Don't be deceived because you

and I think we can make it.

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You and I think, "Well, I'm the exception.

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I'm the person that can, that can just

not be influenced by the people around me.

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I'm the trailblazer.

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I'm the alpha.

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I'm the leader.

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I can do this, and they, uh, maybe

I'm just not like everyone else

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And that's especially true, I think,

usually the younger we are, is it's

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easier for us to think, "Well, I'm

the one that's, that's gonna make it.

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Those older people, my parents,

my, my grandparents, they don't

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know what they're talking about.

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The Bible is an old book.

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It, it's just a bunch of rules.

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They're trying to ruin my

life and let me not have fun."

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That's called being deceived.

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You cannot escape this.

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Bad company corrupts good morals.

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If you hang out with the wrong people,

you are going to become a foolish person.

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Right.

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And foolish, not just someone who's…

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Foolish has nothing to

do with intelligence.

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Right?

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There's very smart

people that are foolish.

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Being foolish has everything to do with

what you think about God and how you live.

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Is it His way or your way?

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It's foolish to live your way.

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We've talked about that all summer long.

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But you don't just become like

the people you hang out with.

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I want you to s- to notice the

second half of our verse, right?

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We've talked about how there's like

parallel things in Proverbs, right?

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There's like the first half

and the second half, right?

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So you're reading this verse

and you're like, "Okay, right.

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Whoever walks with the wise becomes

wise, but the companion of fools…"

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If you had to fill in the blank,

you would say, "Become a fool."

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Right?

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That's what you expect to see.

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Well, yes, you hang out with

wise people, you become wise.

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You hang out with foolish

people, you become foolish.

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But guess what?

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It doesn't say that, does it?

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It says, "You'll suffer harm."

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You will be in trouble.

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You'll get hurt.

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If you hang out with the

wrong people, you'll get hurt.

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That's different, right?

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That's, doesn't just mean

you'll become like them.

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It means there's consequences

for the people you hang out with.

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Maybe you've experienced this.

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Maybe you've experienced this

at school this week already.

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Right?

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You sit with the person who's

talking, who's messing around,

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and then you're sitting next to

them, and they make a joke, and you

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laugh, and guess who's in trouble?

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You are.

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Right?

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Not the person who made the joke.

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Right?

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The companion of fools got in trouble.

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Right?

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They suffered harm.

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Or maybe you were hanging out with

some people and, and maybe you've,

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you've been in a situation like this.

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You guys were breaking the rules,

maybe even breaking the law.

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Right?

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Think about like a car accident.

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Just because you're not

the one driving, right?

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Maybe, maybe the driver's

speeding and you're in the

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backseat, and they hit someone.

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Well, who's gonna suffer the

consequences of them hitting someone?

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Everyone in the car, not just the driver.

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So maybe you're not the driver

of foolishness, but maybe

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you're still in the car.

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You're a companion of foolish people.

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If you're still in the car of

foolish people, and maybe it's not

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an actual car, maybe it's you hang

out with them, maybe it's you,

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you spend a lot of time with them.

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If you're in the car,

you're gonna get hurt.

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If you spend enough time with people

who don't like God, who don't live

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according to the wisdom that He

gives us, you're gonna get hurt.

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Right?

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Living apart from God, living

independently, living our own

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way hurts people all the time.

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All the time.

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And so if you spend enough time

in the car of a foolish person,

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you will get in an accident.

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Right?

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You might go to the hospital.

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You might die.

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And I'm not just talking about

cars, I'm talking about life.

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And so the, the world wants to

deceive us about friendship, right?

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Your heart wants to trick you

about friendship and what types of

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people you should be friends with.

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There's a couple maybe lies that, that

I think would be good for you to, to

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be alerted to about friendship, okay?

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The first thing that I want you to, to

be worried about, I guess wary of, right,

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in terms of a lie, is that the world will

tell you, and maybe your heart will tell

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you this, that having things in common is

the most important thing about friendship.

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I need to have things in common with this

person to be friends with them, right?

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We need to like the same things.

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We need to be ha- be from the same,

the same area, or have the same

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personality, or think the same things

are funny, or have the same interests.

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Right?

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The world will tell you that, that you

should be with people that are like you

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And that's the basis for your friendship,

all of these surface level commonalities.

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But what I wanna ask you is what

do you base your friendships on?

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What do you build your friendships around?

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Are your friendships built around sports?

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Are they built around homework?

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Are they built around you

don't like that teacher?

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Are they built around you

guys like the same YouTubers?

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What do you build your friendships around?

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Because all of those things, if

you build your friendship on that,

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that's a very thin friendship.

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That's a very weak friendship, right?

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If your friendship is built around

playing the same video game together,

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that's not the type of friend

that's gonna help you be wise.

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That's, that's a paper thin friendship

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So what do you found,

or your friendships on?

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What do you build them on?

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Right?

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If you're gonna find good

friends, you need to build your

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friendships on substantial things.

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Right?

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Not just surface level commonalities,

but, oh, we both love Jesus.

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That's the foundation of our friendship.

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Right?

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In fact, we don't just both love

Jesus, Jesus has changed us, right?

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He's made us who we are.

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He's put us into the same family.

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Maybe another lie that you believe

about friendship is that the

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point of friends is to have fun.

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That's what the world tells you.

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The point of friends is to have fun.

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It's to do fun things together.

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It's to enjoy yourself.

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It's to, it's to do a lot

of unserious things together

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What I wanna ask you then is

what's the goal of your friendship?

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If the goal of your friendship

is to have fun, again, that,

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that's a weak friendship, right?

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That's a, that's a, that's

a diet friendship, right?

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That's a low sodium friendship.

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That's a gluten-free friendship, right?

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That's a sugar-free fri…

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You know, have you ever

had sugar-free ice cream?

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It's like the worst thing ever, right?

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You don't want a sugar-free

friendship, right?

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You want a friendship that's meaty,

that lasts, that satisfies, right?

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If your friendships are all just about

having fun, you never have any serious

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conversations with your friends, that

friendship is not going to really

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matter to you in the long run, right?

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When your parents are going through a

hard time, when you get really sick,

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when your girlfriend or boyfriend

break, breaks up with you, when you

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fail that class, doesn't matter how

many good memories you have playing

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Rocket League with your friends, right?

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You want a friend who knows God's word,

who cares about you, and who loves you.

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Doesn't matter how many jokes they can

tell, because you need a friend who's

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really gonna be there and care for you.

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So what is the goal of your friendship?

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Is the goal of your

friendship just to have fun?

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Or is it to really have someone who's

gonna walk through life with you?

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To be there for you when

things really matter

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Another lie you might think about

friendship is that friendship shouldn't

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take work, it should just come naturally.

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You won't have friends for very long

if you don't put in work, right?

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And if you make friends with people,

right, you don't want a friend who's

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only gonna be friends with you when

it's easy to be friends with you.

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Because if we're honest, it's not

easy to be friends with all of us

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for very long . It's not easy to be

friends with someone, a sinner, for

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a super long time because guess what?

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Guess what sinners do?

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They sin, right?

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And so if, if you think, "Well, I'm

only gonna be friends with this person

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when it's easy," or, or this person,

"I just wanna be friends with people

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when it's easy to be friends with

people," then you're not gonna find

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any good friends, 'cause they're gonna

be gone as soon as your life is hard.

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As soon as you're, you're busy, or as

soon as you're going through something,

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they're gonna be like, "Well, it's too

much work to be friends with this person.

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I'm not gonna do it anymore."

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As soon as you really have real problems,

they're just gonna be like, "Oh, I'm out."

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And it doesn't matter, again, how

much fun you had with them, if

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they're not gonna stick around when

it takes work to be friends, when they

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have to forgive you, when they have

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when you have to confess

sin to them, right?

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You want a friend who's

gonna be there then.

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You don't just want a friend

who's gonna hop on your game

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together online and, and hang out

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Maybe a lie you think about friends

is that you don't need them.

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Maybe you're just like,

"I don't need friends.

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I'm good."

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And I, I- God, from the beginning

of the Bible, has said it's not good

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for you to be by yourself, right?

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He hasn't designed you

to be a lone ranger.

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So maybe you're thinking, "Well,

I don't need to find good friends,

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'cause I'm fine on my own," right?

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Well, you're going against the

design of the person who made you.

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God made you, and He made

you to, to have friends.

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He made you to have people

to help you because you…

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we need help.

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And that's, that's what

a lot of this comes from.

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A lot of this comes from us

being uh, not being honest with

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ourselves of, "I need friends.

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I really do."

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It's not just a…

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Friends aren't a luxury.

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Friends aren't optional.

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Your life requires friends, because

you're gonna have real problems and

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real struggles and real sin, and

you need real friends to help you.

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You don't just need fun friends.

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You don't just need flaky friends.

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You need real friends.

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So find good friends.

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Well, we talked about some lies

about friendship, but what makes

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someone a good friend, right?

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What makes someone a good friend?

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If you're gonna look for friends, if

you're gonna find friends that are

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really gonna be there when you need

them to be, who are really gonna help

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you grow in wisdom and, and love Jesus,

well, what makes someone a good friend?

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Well, the first thing, I wanna

ask you this, is, is do you even

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want the friends that you need?

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Because you might not want

these type of friends.

383

:

You might not want friends who

are going to be the friends

384

:

you need them to be, okay?

385

:

Let, let's start with this.

386

:

Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend

loves at all times, and a

387

:

brother is born for adversity."

388

:

Adversity is, like, when

things are really hard.

389

:

"A friend loves at all times.

390

:

A brother is born for adversity."

391

:

Right?

392

:

You…

393

:

The, the…

394

:

One of the things you should look for

in a friend is someone who's loyal.

395

:

Right?

396

:

Someone who, who cares about you,

not just when it's easy to care about

397

:

you or when it's convenient to care

about you, but at all, all the times.

398

:

Right?

399

:

A brother is born for adversity.

400

:

A, a best friend, a close friend is made

for those situations when life is really

401

:

hard, or when you don't know what you're

gonna do next, when you don't know how

402

:

you're gonna keep trusting the Lord,

when you can't keep fighting that sin.

403

:

That's when you need friends.

404

:

Right?

405

:

You, you want friends that

actually love Jesus more than you.

406

:

And what I mean by that, I don't just

mean friends that, "Okay, I love Jesus

407

:

this much, and they love Jesus more."

408

:

I mean friends that care about

Jesus more than they care about you.

409

:

Because those are the friends that

are gonna care about you more.

410

:

Does that make sense?

411

:

Because you need friends that are loyal to

your good, not just what you want, right?

412

:

In our, in our culture right now

especially, but in general, we like

413

:

surrounding ourselves with people

that just affirm everything about us.

414

:

That I heard, um…

415

:

It was actually the same interview

I mentioned at Revival about

416

:

Tom Brady and his psychologist.

417

:

He was talking about how all of

these young athletes, their whole

418

:

life, they're surrounded by people

who just say, "You're the best."

419

:

Right?

420

:

They- they're in high school, and

they're the best player on their

421

:

team, and all their teammates are

like, "Oh, yeah, you're so good.

422

:

You're so…

423

:

You're, you're great.

424

:

You don't need to listen to anyone."

425

:

And their coach usually is like,

well, they're the star player, so he's

426

:

like, "Well, you're, you're the best.

427

:

You're awesome."

428

:

And, and then they get an, an, an agent,

and the agent is like, "You're so good.

429

:

You deserve all this money.

430

:

You're gonna g- do all

these great things."

431

:

And they're just surrounded by people

that say, "You're great, you're

432

:

great, you're great, you're great."

433

:

And then these people never

learn how to actually grow.

434

:

These, these athletes, they, they…

435

:

Whenever…

436

:

Then they meet a coach who actually

says, "You need to work on this," and

437

:

they get offended because the coach is

actually trying to coach them, right?

438

:

The coach is actually trying

to help them grow and they're

439

:

like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

440

:

You don't think I'm the greatest

baseball player of all time?

441

:

What's wrong with you?"

442

:

All right, you need friends

who are committed to your good.

443

:

They're not just committed

to what you want to hear.

444

:

Right, you need friends that are

gonna be honest with you, right?

445

:

And that's where this next

thing goes in Proverbs 27:5-6.

446

:

It says, "It's better to have open

rebuke," right, it's better for someone

447

:

to call you out for something, "than

to love you and not tell you about it."

448

:

It's better for someone to

say, "Hey, you know what?

449

:

Um, the way that you talk to people is

… It comes across as really prideful."

450

:

Maybe you need someone to tell you that.

451

:

But if they never tell you, but they

really care about you, but they never,

452

:

they never show you that they care about

you, that's not very helpful, right?

453

:

It's better to have someone who's gonna

tell you what they think and how to help

454

:

you than to not say anything at all.

455

:

And in verse six, this

is one of my favorites.

456

:

Faith … So the wounds

of a friend are faithful.

457

:

I know it's kinda backwards.

458

:

It's like Yoda.

459

:

But faithful are the

wounds of a friend, right?

460

:

The wounds of a friend are faithful.

461

:

And then profuse, that means,

like, a lot, like overflowing,

462

:

right, are the kisses of an enemy.

463

:

Right?

464

:

Someone who doesn't like you, they're

gonna act like, "Oh, wow, you're so good."

465

:

They're gonna overflow

with flattery, right?

466

:

But a- someone who really cares

about you, they're gonna wound you.

467

:

That's what this proverb is saying.

468

:

They're gonna tell you hard things,

not because they wanna hurt you,

469

:

but because they wanna help you.

470

:

Um, Pastor Rod said it to me

actually when I was in high school.

471

:

He said, "You need friends

who stab you in the front."

472

:

You need friends who stab you in the

front, not stab you in the back, right?

473

:

You don't just want a bunch of friends

who are gonna say, oh, uh, who are gonna

474

:

lie to you and tell you how great you are.

475

:

That might feel good for, for a little

bit, but if you just surround yourself

476

:

with friends who are, who are never

gonna tell you hard things, who are never

477

:

gonna call out sin in your life, who

are never gonna challenge you to help

478

:

you grow, who are never gonna disagree

with you when you're being dumb, who

479

:

are never gonna say, "You know what?

480

:

We … You actually shouldn't, shouldn't

go to that party," or, "You know what?

481

:

You actually are really

reckless with, with your words.

482

:

Uh, you, you really should stop

talking about that right now," or,

483

:

"You really need to delete that app

off your phone," or, "You're really

484

:

lazy with your Bible reading," right?

485

:

You need friends who will tell you that.

486

:

Those are the kind of friends

that care about your soul, right?

487

:

They're loyal to you, to your good.

488

:

They're not just loyal

to you feeling good.

489

:

They're loyal to actually

what's good for you, right?

490

:

They, they make you eat your vegetables.

491

:

Now, you need friends like that.

492

:

But you also need friends that,

that know God's word, right?

493

:

Um, later in this chapter, it says…

494

:

All right, and the thing about

back in the day, right, oil and

495

:

perfume make the heart glad.

496

:

Right, things that smell good.

497

:

'Cause if you think, like, back then,

they didn't have deodorant, they

498

:

didn't have scented candles, they

didn't have air fresheners, right?

499

:

And they didn't have plumbing.

500

:

So things that smelled good were great.

501

:

Right, you loved things that smelled good.

502

:

And what makes a friend smell good to

your soul, right, is earnest counsel.

503

:

What does that mean?

504

:

It means they, they care.

505

:

They're earnest, right?

506

:

They, they, they care.

507

:

And counsel, they're, they're wise.

508

:

Right, they know God's word,

and they care about you.

509

:

And that's really what makes

a friend a good friend.

510

:

So I guess our point isn't that bad when

you need to find God friends, right?

511

:

You need to find friends that, that

know God and that want you to love

512

:

God, and they care more about you

loving God than you liking them.

513

:

Right?

514

:

If your friends care about you liking

them more than they care about your

515

:

relationship with Jesus, that's not a

good friend, 'cause they're never gonna

516

:

risk anything to help you, 'cause they

don't wanna mess up your relationship.

517

:

But if they really care about you,

right, they're gonna use God's word.

518

:

They're gonna know God's word

and, and use it in your life.

519

:

Right?

520

:

You need friends that, that are

doing the things that we're talking

521

:

about, right, that, that are applying

God's word, taking things that God

522

:

says and actually living it out.

523

:

'Cause those are the friends

that are really going to help you

524

:

One thing that you maybe probably

never thought about with a friend

525

:

is, do I wanna be like this person?

526

:

Not do I wanna like this person,

but do I wanna be like this person?

527

:

All right, think about your friends.

528

:

You don't have to look at them right now.

529

:

But think about them, and I want you

to think, do I wanna be more like

530

:

this person by the end of the year?

531

:

Do I wanna, do I wanna act like them?

532

:

Do I wanna talk to my parents

like they talk to their parents?

533

:

Do I, do I want to drive like them?

534

:

Do I want to do my homework like them?

535

:

Do I want to love Jesus

the way they love Jesus?

536

:

Do I wanna respond to hard situations

the way they respond to hard situations?

537

:

Do I wanna handle my emotions the

way they handle their emotions?

538

:

'Cause if you spend enough time around

them, that's what you're gonna be.

539

:

You're gonna be like them.

540

:

So maybe when you think about who should

I be friends with this year, or who

541

:

should I be close friends with maybe, you

should think about who do I wanna be like?

542

:

Or when it's 2027, who do

I, who do I wanna look like?

543

:

Who do I wanna sound like?

544

:

Who do I wanna talk like?

545

:

Something else that you might not

have thought about with friends

546

:

is do I respect this person?

547

:

Do I actually value this person?

548

:

Right, uh, uh, what they say, right?

549

:

Do, when this person gives

me advice, would I listen?

550

:

That's the person you wanna

be friends with, right?

551

:

You don't wanna be friends with

the person who's, who you're like,

552

:

"Oh, I don't care what they think.

553

:

It doesn't matter."

554

:

Right?

555

:

That's not someone you

wanna be friends with.

556

:

'Cause they're, your friends are gonna

give input into your life, and if you,

557

:

if you don't respect them and their

opinion, if you wouldn't listen to them,

558

:

then why are you friends with them?

559

:

And I'm not saying you sh- when I talk

about friends, I hope you understand,

560

:

I'm not trying to say you should

never talk to these people, right?

561

:

I'm saying that these are the

people that you're, you're doing

562

:

li- you're walking with, right?

563

:

You're, you're running with.

564

:

These are the people that you're spending

your most time with, you're talking

565

:

about your problems with, that you're

sharing your happiness with, right?

566

:

These are the people that are always

at the top of your, your text message

567

:

thing 'cause you're, you're texting them.

568

:

They're involved in your life, right?

569

:

You don't have to pin them

'cause they're already there.

570

:

Right?

571

:

I remember Shay and I

were talking about this.

572

:

She's like, "Why don't you

have me pinned on your phone?"

573

:

And I was like, "'Cause

I'm always texting you.

574

:

I don't need to pin you.

575

:

You're always at the top of the,

the li- message list, right?"

576

:

Right?

577

:

Those are the people I'm talking about.

578

:

These are the people that you need to…

579

:

You need to respect these people.

580

:

You need to be willing to

listen to these people.

581

:

You need these people to care about you.

582

:

They need to be there for you.

583

:

And that's what the time, that's what

you, you wanna look for, um, in a friend.

584

:

Maybe you're thinking, uh,

I don't have good friends.

585

:

Maybe you've, you've heard this and

you're like, "I don't, I don't have a

586

:

lot of good friends," or maybe you're

thinking, "I wish I had friends like

587

:

that, but all my friends stink."

588

:

Maybe that's what you're thinking.

589

:

I hope not, but maybe you are.

590

:

Um, the best way for you to find

good friends is to be a good

591

:

friend, and that's our second point.

592

:

Be a good friend.

593

:

I spelled it right this time.

594

:

That's proof that I can spell.

595

:

Be a good friend.

596

:

Right, the best way to make friends

is to start being a good friend

597

:

because good friends will respond

well to good friendship, right?

598

:

If, if you take friendship seriously

599

:

The good friends in your life

will respond to that and follow

600

:

your lead and take it seriously.

601

:

Right?

602

:

If you start talking about serious

things, the good friends in your

603

:

life will say, "Yeah, sign me up.

604

:

I want more of that."

605

:

Right?

606

:

If you start taking your faith seriously

and, and taking your relationship with

607

:

God seriously, the bad friends in your

life are gonna say, "Oh, you're weird now.

608

:

You're not as fun as you used to be."

609

:

The good friends in your

life are gonna say, "I, I…

610

:

This is great.

611

:

I want more of this

612

:

So if you start being a good friend,

the good friends in your life will, will

613

:

find you because they want more of that.

614

:

And that's what makes them a good

friend, is they want good friendship

615

:

So God says a lot about what it

looks like to be a good friend,

616

:

and we talked about some of that.

617

:

But we talked about being committed to

the best interests of your friends, right?

618

:

My mom always told me, "To love someone

means you want what's best for them."

619

:

It doesn't mean you have

warm fuzzies about them.

620

:

It doesn't mean that, that, you know,

you get heart eyes when you see them.

621

:

To love someone means you

want what's good for them.

622

:

You don't necessarily want what they

want, you want what's good for them.

623

:

You want what's best for them.

624

:

And that's what, really what friendship

is, is I am committed to your good.

625

:

I don't care if you like me,

I don't care if you want me.

626

:

I care about your good.

627

:

That's what good friends do.

628

:

Right?

629

:

Friendship is hard work.

630

:

People are, are sinners.

631

:

People…

632

:

Uh, it's hard to be friends with me.

633

:

I'm sure it's hard to be friends with you.

634

:

People are hard to love, and so

a good friend loves their friend

635

:

when their friend's not lovable.

636

:

That's what good friends do.

637

:

Right?

638

:

If you, if you're gonna be a good

friend to someone, you should love them

639

:

when they're at their worst, right?

640

:

When they're mad at you, when

they're not treating you well, when

641

:

Things aren't going the way

you want them to go, right?

642

:

That's when good friends step up

643

:

Um, good friends are, are humble, right?

644

:

That's part of it, right?

645

:

You have to care about the

other person and their interests

646

:

more than your own a lot.

647

:

Right?

648

:

Philippians 2 says, um, that

we should count other people as

649

:

more significant than ourselves.

650

:

That we should say, "You know what?

651

:

Your good is more important than my good."

652

:

Right?

653

:

Good friends are, are humble, right?

654

:

No one wants to be friends with

someone that's all about themselves.

655

:

No one wants to be friends

with a selfish person, right?

656

:

A good friend is gonna put

the other person's interests

657

:

ahead of them- themselves.

658

:

They're gonna say, "You know what?

659

:

You need this more than I do right now.

660

:

I'm here for you.

661

:

I'm not in this friendship for me.

662

:

I'm in this friendship to love you

and to support you and for your good."

663

:

Right?

664

:

And that's humility.

665

:

Right?

666

:

If, if you're in your friendships

for what you can get out of it-

667

:

Someone might say that

you're a parasite, right?

668

:

Someone might say that, that you're just

in the friendship to, to suck all the, all

669

:

the energy out of the other person, right?

670

:

You're not there to, to

give anything to them

671

:

Selfishness and envy will

kill your friendships.

672

:

They'll kill your friendships

673

:

And it's really hard, right,

to, to not be selfish.

674

:

I mean, if you think about this,

um, I don't know if you've…

675

:

how deeply you've thought about

this, but American sports are

676

:

actually built on selfishness.

677

:

Uh, because if you think, if you,

if you really wanted to, right?

678

:

'Cause you know how all the s-

all the NFL players, all the NBA

679

:

players, they say, "Oh, yeah, you

know, my number one goal every year

680

:

is to win the Super Bowl," right?

681

:

"And I'm all about the

team," whatever, right?

682

:

Well, guess what?

683

:

If you, you know, the, all the, all

the best N- uh, NFL players, if they

684

:

wanted to, they could all join the

same team if they just took less money.

685

:

You understand that, right?

686

:

Like Miles Garrett and Patrick

Mahomes and, um, Puka Nacua, and they

687

:

could all just say, "You know what?"

688

:

I guess half of them

are on the Rams anyway.

689

:

But they could all just

say, "You know what?

690

:

We're all gonna get on

the best team together."

691

:

If we all took $5 million a year,

which is a lot of money, they could

692

:

all just join the best team and,

and get on the same team together.

693

:

But you know why they don't do that?

694

:

'Cause they're selfish.

695

:

'Cause they don't wanna be a

third-stringer on the best team.

696

:

They'd rather be a starter and make more

money on a okay team than form the, the

697

:

Monstars, right, the, the All-Stars.

698

:

And, but the Dodgers, they

don't take less money.

699

:

They just spend more money.

700

:

Speaker 2: They, they don't

701

:

Speaker: have to pay them back.

702

:

Yeah, well, they, yeah,

they defer all the payments.

703

:

That's the Astros actually Weston, it's

not, it's not the Dodgers' fault the

704

:

Royals don't wanna spend money, okay?

705

:

But anyway, even like any sport, right?

706

:

The…

707

:

If they wanted to, right?

708

:

Like think about, think

about basketball, right?

709

:

Think about, think

about basketball, right?

710

:

All the good players, if they

wanted to, could all get on the

711

:

same team and just dominate.

712

:

But they don't.

713

:

They don't because they

want more money, right?

714

:

Selfish.

715

:

They're selfish, exactly.

716

:

If, if that's you in

your friendships, right?

717

:

If, if your whole friendship

is, "Well, I care more about my

718

:

wellbeing than my friend," you're,

you're gonna tank your friendship

719

:

We talked about this before, but your

friendships need you to be honest.

720

:

Proverbs 17:9 says, "Whoever covers an

offense seeks love, but he who repeats

721

:

a matter separates close friends."

722

:

Right?

723

:

This is gossip right here, right?

724

:

"Oh, did you hear about so-and-so?

725

:

Did you know that so-and-so did this?"

726

:

Right?

727

:

A good friend is trustworthy, right?

728

:

If you can't keep a secret,

you're a, y- you're a bad friend.

729

:

If you just have to tell everything

about your friends to everyone, you

730

:

are failing them as a friend, right?

731

:

If you wanna find a good friend,

find someone you can trust, right?

732

:

When, when you tell them something,

they need to be trustworthy.

733

:

They need to be able to

handle it well with wisdom

734

:

But you also need to be honest, right?

735

:

And that's this part right here.

736

:

"Whoever covers an offense

seeks love," right?

737

:

You need to love people, your friends,

enough to forgive them, right?

738

:

If, if you are keeping score in

your friendship, your friendship

739

:

isn't gonna last very long, right?

740

:

If, if you're easily offended, you're

gonna be really hard to be friends with

741

:

If you hold on to bitterness, you're

not gonna be a very good friend.

742

:

A few verses later, "The beginning

of strife," right, conflict, "is

743

:

like letting out water, so quit

before the quarrel breaks out."

744

:

I, I thought of this.

745

:

So when I was a kid, um, at the

beach, I didn't wanna surf or boogie

746

:

board or go in the water or anything.

747

:

I just wanted to, to build

sandcastles when I was a kid.

748

:

And so I would try to build sandcastles

that would, like, survive a really

749

:

long time after all the waves.

750

:

And see, what happens with sand,

right, is if there's, like, a hole

751

:

in your wall, it just gets bigger and

bigger and bigger and bigger, right?

752

:

You have to, you have to cover

the hole immediately, right?

753

:

You c- you can't wait.

754

:

You gotta cover it right away.

755

:

The longer you, you let the hole grow,

and the more water you let come in,

756

:

it just destroys the whole thing.

757

:

And that's kinda like if you have conflict

with someone, right, someone offends you,

758

:

you gotta deal with it right away, right?

759

:

You can't just hold onto it and s-

and just get angrier and angrier

760

:

and more upset about it, right?

761

:

You, you deal with it there instead

of saying, "Well, oh, can you

762

:

believe that they said this to me?"

763

:

And you tell your other friend, and

then you tell your other friend.

764

:

Or, "Yeah, this person did this

to me, and c- you know, have they

765

:

ever done this, like, to you?"

766

:

Right?

767

:

You spread it, and it, it, it ru-

it just destroys everything, right?

768

:

You need to be able to resolve

conflict with your friends.

769

:

You need to go to them and say, "Hey,

you know, that was really hurtful.

770

:

You know, I'd appreciate if you

didn't say things this way."

771

:

You know?

772

:

Is … Or maybe you talk about it.

773

:

You say, "Is there anything that I need

to do to be a better friend to you?"

774

:

Right?

775

:

You have to be quick to address conflict.

776

:

Uh, you also need to be vulnerable

to be a good friend, 'cause being,

777

:

being a good friend is risky

because you're putting yourself

778

:

out there to, to get burned, right?

779

:

You pour yourself into someone.

780

:

You care about their good.

781

:

You pray for them.

782

:

You, you invest in them.

783

:

You ask them questions,

and then they leave you.

784

:

They burn you.

785

:

They let you down, right?

786

:

It's risky to be a good friend.

787

:

You have to … You, you're setting

yourself up to, to get hurt, and you

788

:

have to be vulnerable to do that.

789

:

Um, but you also have to be

willing to put in more than

790

:

you'll get out sometimes, right?

791

:

Friendships are not 50/50.

792

:

They might be, but they might not be.

793

:

Right?

794

:

If, if you're going into your

friendship trying to get out what you

795

:

put in, if that's your goal, that's

not gonna go very well because you're

796

:

gonna be constantly thinking, "Oh,

well, this person's not doing this,

797

:

they're not doing this, they're not

doing this, they're not doing this."

798

:

But also, it's okay if

you're not a perfect friend

799

:

No one's a perfect friend.

800

:

Right, one of the best ways

to make friends is actually to

801

:

share that you're not perfect.

802

:

Right?

803

:

One of the best ways to get to know

someone is to confess your sin, right?

804

:

To be vulnerable, to be open.

805

:

And sometimes you have to take initiative.

806

:

Maybe you're saying, "Well, I, I,

no one ever gets to, to share stuff

807

:

with me, and I don't feel like my

friendships are getting deep, and I'm

808

:

not growing and to get to know people."

809

:

Well, maybe you need to start.

810

:

Maybe they're waiting for you to open up.

811

:

So don't wait until you're perfect

to be a good friend, right?

812

:

Maybe you're thinking, "Well,

I'm just not a-- I'm not-- I

813

:

don't have my life together.

814

:

I can't be a good friend."

815

:

Well, if you just keep waiting

till you're perfect, guess what?

816

:

You're never gonna be a good friend at all

817

:

And the last thing to being a good

friend is, uh, you need to love Jesus

818

:

more than you love your friends.

819

:

Because if you love your friends

more than you love Jesus, you

820

:

are doing them a disservice

821

:

Um, when Shay and I got married, our

first vow, or at least my first vow

822

:

on, when I wrote them out was, "I

will love Jesus more than I love you."

823

:

Right?

824

:

That's what I, I promised

to her almost two years ago.

825

:

And the reason I said that is not because

I don't care about her, but the best

826

:

thing I can do is to love Jesus most.

827

:

And the best thing you can do

as a friend is love Jesus most.

828

:

Because if you need your friends more

than you need Jesus, you're putting your

829

:

friends in a position that they can't be.

830

:

Your friends can't be Jesus for you.

831

:

Your friends can't be your savior.

832

:

Your friends can't fix all your problems.

833

:

Your friends can't forgive your sins.

834

:

Your friends can't give you

the peace and comfort and

835

:

security that you need from God.

836

:

So if, if you love your friends more than

you love Jesus, that's called an idol.

837

:

And the best thing you can

do for your friends is love

838

:

Jesus more than your friends.

839

:

There was one author, the way he

put it is, "You need to start loving

840

:

people and stop needing people."

841

:

Right?

842

:

If you just need people, you need

people to fill all the emptiness in your

843

:

life, that's turning them into an idol.

844

:

You're asking them to

do what God needs to do

845

:

But all of your best friends, even if

they're awesome, will let you down, right?

846

:

And that's why our third point

is to make friends with Jesus.

847

:

Make friends with Jesus

848

:

I know some people, this is

weird to them for a few reasons.

849

:

Right?

850

:

You can't see Jesus.

851

:

You can't give Jesus a high five.

852

:

You can't go play soccer with

Jesus, which that would be his

853

:

favorite sport if, if he had one.

854

:

Um, but this is kinda weird for some…

855

:

Some people, this is even

potentially dangerous, right?

856

:

Because they, they, they don't want

you to call Jesus their friend because,

857

:

um, or your friend, because they

think that's lowering Jesus, right?

858

:

Jesus is the king.

859

:

Jesus is the Lord, right?

860

:

He's not just your buddy.

861

:

Which is true, he is the king.

862

:

But King Jesus

863

:

Says that if you are trusting in

Him, you're His friend, right?

864

:

You get to be friends with the King.

865

:

And that's why when we talk about

following Jesus, we don't just say, "Oh

866

:

yeah, do all the things Jesus says."

867

:

Right?

868

:

When he says jump, you say how high.

869

:

It's true.

870

:

Right?

871

:

If Jesus says do something, you do it.

872

:

But there's also a closeness.

873

:

There's a personal just, there's

a friendship that you have

874

:

with Jesus when you follow Him.

875

:

It doesn't lower Him, it's

just you're adding, right?

876

:

You're not taking away from

his kingship, his authority.

877

:

You're just adding on

friendship to that, right?

878

:

He says this in John 15.

879

:

He says, "You're my friends

if you do what I command you."

880

:

Now, that sounds really weird, right?

881

:

None of your friends

should ever tell you this.

882

:

None of your friends that are human

should ever say, "Yep, you'll, you can

883

:

be my friend if you obey me," right?

884

:

That's, don't, don't be friends with…

885

:

If, if anyone else says that to you,

don't be friends with them, right?

886

:

You should probably run away.

887

:

If they say, "Yeah, if you obey my every

command, you could be my friend," right?

888

:

That's weird.

889

:

No one should say that.

890

:

But the reason that Jesus says

that is 'cause when you think about

891

:

it, why does God give us commands?

892

:

Why does God give us commands?

893

:

Right, maybe you think, okay,

well, He gives us commands 'cause

894

:

they're for our good, right?

895

:

They protect us.

896

:

They help us.

897

:

It's one reason.

898

:

Another reason God gives us commands is

because it helps us be close with Him.

899

:

Maybe you've never thought about that

before, but God's commands, right,

900

:

the, the things that Jesus asks you to

do, are to help you be close with Him.

901

:

They're to develop your

relationship with Him

902

:

Now Jesus gives you commands

to help you love Him.

903

:

So obeying Jesus is the same thing

as being close with Jesus, right?

904

:

Sometimes I think we can make those

things separate in our heads, right?

905

:

Well, some things I do, I obey Jesus

because He's the Lord, and then some

906

:

things I do because it's personal, right?

907

:

Maybe you think, "Yeah, I read my

Bible because I'm obeying Jesus,

908

:

but I sing songs to Jesus because

I'm being close with Jesus."

909

:

It's like, well, that's,

is all the same thing

910

:

And maybe you're someone out there,

maybe you think I am friends with

911

:

Jesus, but you don't do what he says.

912

:

Well, Jesus would say, "Sorry,

you're not, you're not my friend."

913

:

Right?

914

:

If, if you call Jesus your friend

and you don't do anything he says,

915

:

if you're disobeying him, you're

dishonoring him, you're disrespecting

916

:

him, you're not his friend, right?

917

:

You're gonna, you're gonna stand

there and say, "Oh, Jesus, my friend,

918

:

it's time for me to go to heaven."

919

:

And he's gonna say, "Depart

from me, I never knew you."

920

:

So don't trick yourself into

thinking you're friends with

921

:

Jesus if you're really not, right?

922

:

But he gives us this great privilege

of, hey, y- if you're following me,

923

:

you're not just my servant, you are

his, his slave if you follow Jesus,

924

:

but you're also his friends because

he, he lifts you, he brings you up from

925

:

your, your position of, of slave and

says, "I, I'll be your friend too."

926

:

And so I just want you all to see

how amazing of a friend Jesus is.

927

:

Um, in John 13:1, this is one of my

favorite verses in the Bible actually.

928

:

Um, now before the Passover, right,

so Jesus, he's about to die, right?

929

:

When Jesus knew that his hour had

come to depart from the world to be

930

:

with the Father, having loved his

own, the disciples who were in the

931

:

world, he loved them to the end.

932

:

Which this is, this is just

the, the coolest thing, right?

933

:

Jesus lived with these

people, his disciples, right?

934

:

Peter, James, John, Matthew, Judas.

935

:

Judas, not Iscariot.

936

:

The other Judas, right?

937

:

Bartholomew, Nathaniel, all these

people, and he, he loved them to the end.

938

:

Right?

939

:

Jesus loves you if you're his friend.

940

:

He loves you more than you could

even comprehend, and maybe you don't

941

:

even care, but Jesus loves you more

than you think someone could love you

942

:

And that's why he's the best

friend, 'cause he, he cares

943

:

about you more than all of your

friends care about you combined

944

:

Right?

945

:

Jesus cares about you and your good

more than anyone else possibly could.

946

:

He'll be more patient with you, right?

947

:

You never…

948

:

I, I know sometimes I worry, "Man, I,

I can't believe this person's friends

949

:

with me because I'm such a loser."

950

:

Right?

951

:

I, I feel that sometimes.

952

:

But I can say, "You know what?

953

:

Jesus will never be so impatient

with me that he'll just say,

954

:

'Sorry, Lewis, I'm done.

955

:

I can't be your friend anymore.

956

:

You're too hard to love.'"

957

:

Jesus will never feel that way

about you And Jesus is the most

958

:

kind person you could ever meet.

959

:

And maybe that's hard for you

to comprehend because you don't

960

:

know him that well, right?

961

:

And that, and that's why he's

given us his word, right?

962

:

You can meet Jesus and

hear from him every day.

963

:

And you b- you can befriend him and

talk to him and hear from him and live

964

:

life with him and be close with him.

965

:

And these are…

966

:

It's so hard for me to explain this

to you if you're just out there

967

:

and you're saying, "It's not real.

968

:

I don't want this.

969

:

I don't like this," because

it's, you just feel it.

970

:

It's one of the things you

know when you know, right?

971

:

If, if you follow Jesus and you

really do it, you'll get there, right?

972

:

You, you'll, you'll come to know Jesus,

that he's, he's so faithful, right?

973

:

Jesus never forgets

about anything about you.

974

:

He doesn't show up late to something

that he was supposed to be at.

975

:

He doesn't forget to, to send you

the thing he's supposed to send you.

976

:

He doesn't, he doesn't forget about that.

977

:

A- and what I love about Jesus too

is, uh, he's like us, but he's not

978

:

like us at the same time, right?

979

:

He's, he's like you.

980

:

He's human.

981

:

He knows what it's like to be human.

982

:

Jesus knows what it's

like to have parents.

983

:

He knows what it's like to

have people let him down.

984

:

He knows what it's like

to, to stub his toe.

985

:

He knows what it's like to eat vegetables.

986

:

Jesus knows what it's like to get sick.

987

:

He knows what it's like to

have friends that, at school,

988

:

that, that make fun of him.

989

:

He knows what it's like to, to

have parents misunderstand him.

990

:

He knows, he knows what

it's like to be you.

991

:

He knows what it's like

to be 14 or 16 or 12.

992

:

He knows everything, right?

993

:

He's, he's literally

been there and done that.

994

:

But then at the same time, he's totally

unlike anyone you'll ever meet, right?

995

:

Because he's, he's, he's God, right?

996

:

He's, he's so wise, and he's, he's

perfect, and he cares so much more than

997

:

you could care, and he knows so much

more than you could know, and he always

998

:

does exactly what he says he's gonna do.

999

:

And it's, it's amazing

to be friends with Jesus.

:

00:46:18,021 --> 00:46:21,511

And so maybe this is

totally foreign to you.

:

00:46:23,121 --> 00:46:26,221

And I, I, I want you to know

that you can have Jesus this way.

:

00:46:27,461 --> 00:46:30,821

You can have Jesus as your friend.

:

00:46:32,141 --> 00:46:33,702

Still your king, yes.

:

00:46:33,991 --> 00:46:36,131

Still your Lord, but your friend.

:

00:46:37,211 --> 00:46:44,391

And he will be with you and walk

life with you every day, right?

:

00:46:44,391 --> 00:46:50,481

And you can have him just like

that for your good forever.

:

00:46:51,141 --> 00:46:53,801

And then one day you get

to be with him and see him.

:

00:46:54,201 --> 00:46:56,232

And again, the, the whole

point, this is what being a

:

00:46:56,232 --> 00:46:58,461

Christian is all about, right?

:

00:46:58,461 --> 00:47:01,191

It's not about, "Oh Jesus, I just want

you to get me to heaven so I can forget

:

00:47:01,191 --> 00:47:02,581

about you and not need you anymore."

:

00:47:03,871 --> 00:47:06,862

Being a Christian is all

about being friends with Jesus

:

00:47:08,729 --> 00:47:11,199

'Cause I, I, I want Jesus.

:

00:47:11,289 --> 00:47:11,989

I know him.

:

00:47:11,989 --> 00:47:15,189

I, I've heard from him my whole

life, and, and one day I'm gonna see

:

00:47:15,209 --> 00:47:16,669

him, and we're gonna be together.

:

00:47:17,669 --> 00:47:18,549

That's the whole point

:

00:47:21,217 --> 00:47:24,237

And so maybe for some of you, you're

just like, "Yes, I love-- This is it.

:

00:47:24,277 --> 00:47:25,677

This is, this is what I'm here for."

:

00:47:26,627 --> 00:47:28,547

And maybe for some of you, you're

like, "I, I kinda get some of

:

00:47:28,547 --> 00:47:31,557

that," and I just invite you to l-

lean in to friendship with Jesus.

:

00:47:31,557 --> 00:47:33,087

And for some of you,

this is totally foreign.

:

00:47:33,087 --> 00:47:34,197

You're saying, "I don't, I don't get it."

:

00:47:35,907 --> 00:47:38,597

And Jesus is-- They call him

the friend of sinners, right?

:

00:47:38,597 --> 00:47:40,937

You're not below anything.

:

00:47:42,657 --> 00:47:45,857

Jesus will befriend you if you let him.

:

00:47:45,857 --> 00:47:49,457

Let's pray, and we'll talk

about that more in small groups.

:

00:47:54,563 --> 00:48:01,073

God, we are amazed that you

would want to be friends with us

:

00:48:04,153 --> 00:48:05,923

You don't need to be friends with us.

:

00:48:06,403 --> 00:48:08,603

You didn't make us

because you were lonely.

:

00:48:09,393 --> 00:48:12,163

You didn't make us

because you needed help.

:

00:48:12,753 --> 00:48:14,903

You didn't make us because you were bored.

:

00:48:15,563 --> 00:48:17,853

Um, you made us so that you could love us.

:

00:48:17,953 --> 00:48:22,353

And so I pray for, for all of us

here that we would be able to have

:

00:48:22,353 --> 00:48:23,693

a closer relationship with you.

:

00:48:23,693 --> 00:48:26,433

For some students here, I pray that

they would start a relationship with you

:

00:48:26,723 --> 00:48:31,953

today, that they would turn from their

sin, put their trust in Jesus to remove

:

00:48:31,953 --> 00:48:37,003

their, the hostility between them and

you, that they would let go of living

:

00:48:37,003 --> 00:48:38,473

for themselves and start living for you.

:

00:48:40,153 --> 00:48:42,653

I pray for students here who maybe

it's hard for them to be friends

:

00:48:42,653 --> 00:48:44,113

with you, uh, but they want to be.

:

00:48:44,173 --> 00:48:45,133

I pray that you help them.

:

00:48:45,443 --> 00:48:48,233

I pray that they trust you, that

they cry out to you and ask for help.

:

00:48:49,583 --> 00:48:52,973

And I pray for all of us

here that we would just enjoy

:

00:48:52,993 --> 00:48:54,303

closer friendship with you.

:

00:48:55,123 --> 00:48:58,103

So we're grateful for you, and we

pray all these things in Jesus' name.

:

00:48:58,283 --> 00:48:58,633

Amen

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00:48:43
The Reason for Jesus' Miracles (Matthew 8) | Pastor Rod Gomez
00:40:37
Don't Play Church (Matthew 7:24-29) | Louis Azuma
00:44:11
God Wants You to Get to Heaven (Matthew 7:7-14) | Louis Azuma
00:54:56
Judgy Christians (Matthew 7:1-6) | Pastor Rod Gomez
00:30:57
See Your Way Out of Anxiety (Matt 6:24-34) | Louis Azuma
00:44:56
What Do You Most Treasure? (Matthew 6:19-24) | Pastor Rod
00:28:07
Make Room (Luke 2:7) | Matt Daniel
00:26:38
Can I Tell You a Secret? (Matthew 6:1-18) | Pastor Rod Gomez
00:40:36
Impossible Jesus (John 3:25-30) | Matt Daniel
00:22:56
Small Faith = Big Fears (Proverbs 29:25) I Louis Azuma
00:42:57
You Must Be This Tall to Ride (Matthew 5:17-48) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:43:43
Don't Waste Your Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:51:56
God's Favorite People (Matthew 5:1-12) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:45:32
Two Kinds of Followers (Matthew 4:18-25) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:52:15
For Jesus' Sake (2 Samuel 9:1-13) I Louis Azuma
00:41:05
Tempted (Matthew 4:1-11) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:41:23
Jesus in My Place (Matthew 3:13-17) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:42:46
Don't Ask Jesus Into Your Heart (Matthew 3:1-12) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:45:39
Sow What? (Galatians 6:7-9) I Louis Azuma
00:33:58
Unstoppable God (Matthew 3:13-23) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:37:26
How To Know You're Wise (Matthew 2:1-12) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:43:54
Verified (Matthew 1:1-25) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:37:34
How Not to Destroy Your Life (Psalm 16) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:47:38
A Song of Self-Examination (Psalm 15) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:39:07
Doubting Psalmist (Psalm 13) I Bryce Clancy
00:24:22
Ready, Steady (Psalm 11) I Matt Daniel
00:30:52
Roaches and Rats (Psalm 8) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:45:39
Choose Your Path (Psalm 1) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:38:42
The Ant-idote to Laziness (Proverbs 6:6-11) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:47:25
How to Ruin Your Life in 3 Easy Steps (Proverbs 9) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:40:58
Can I Really Trust the Bible? (John 17:17, Hebrews 4:12, Proverbs 3:5-8) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:00:00
How God Speaks Through Creation (Psalm 19:1-6) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:37:44
Unlocking Biblical Secrets: The Power of Conspiracy Theories (2 Peter 1:20-21) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:38:39
Getting To Know The Bible: Sylly Week (2 Timothy 3:16-17) I Matt Daniel
00:36:08
The Good News: Jesus Understood the Assignment (1 Timothy 1:15) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:43:57
The Bad News: News You Don't Want but Desperately Need (Romans 3:23) I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:36:25
The Background: No Other Name (Exodus 3:13-14) I Matt Daniel
00:43:45
Ask Me Anything - Grab Bag I Pastor Rod Gomez
00:46:53