Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

There are few things more precious in this life than relationships built on trust, mutual love and care, and the deep enjoyment of being with those you love.

This is what we were made for.

We were created by a Creator God, that Himself exists in an eternal relationship.

The three persons of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; bound by love, distinct in their person, but one in their essence.

Ever trusting, ever loving, and ever enjoying the perfections of their nature.

Our Creator dwells in an eternal relationship, and He created us

You can live 100 years without friendship, but you’ll never thrive as a human.

You can live 100 years without friendship, but you’ll never experience the joy of being truly known and truly loved.

You can live 100 years without friendship, but you’ll never be .

Friendship is as essential to growing in wisdom as wisdom is essential to growing in friendship.

PRAY With Me

Heavenly Father, I come boldly before Your throne seeking help in time of need.

I come before You simply by the mercy and merit of Your Glorious Son, Jesus Christ.

I come before You, believing in the work and power of the person of the Holy Spirit.

By Him, and through Your Word, come to us now.

Come to us

speak the gospel to our hearts

gives us grace to hear and believe

that in the gospel we would find true friendship with You through Your Son

to be people who seek to be godly friends, a means of grace to those we meet.

Teach us to know what it means to fear You, and to honor you with our hearts first, then to revel in your grace, your forgiveness, and to show true friendship to one another.

Review

We are continuing our Summer series: Wisdom from Above.

The purpose of this series is to hear from God’s Word concerning how to walk in wisdom as it relates to various areas in our lives.

We will be reminded over and over that wisdom is knowing how to live a life that pleases God, that is in line with God’s designs and purposes.

This wisdom begins with God, in God, and keeps God at the center.

#ECWisdom2022 - Let’s start something.

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Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

True wisdom requires true knowledge of God, and both come to us only when God is in His proper place in our hearts.

Wisdom is rooted first, and foremost, in fearing the Lord rightly.

If we act as if God does not exist, or as if He doesn’t have any authority over an area in our lives or our society, then we are not wise.

We are saying in our hearts “there is no God.”

Biblical Wisdom is living skillfully, beautifully in light of:

1.

Who God is.

(Holy, Sovereign, Just, Good)

2. What God has done for us.

(Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer)

3. What God requires of us.

(Humility, Thankfulness, Justice, Mercy)

Q: In light of this area in my life, who or what is God?

Q: What has God done for me in this area?

Q: What does God require of me?

Today’s message:

The Wisdom of Friendship

How the Gospel Makes True Friends

Exposition

Real friendship happens between people who value and pursue the same thing.

The best friendships are based on a common passion.

True friendship is about something greater than just the desire for friendship.

It is what emerges and grows between people who love and value the same thing.

Friendship happens between people who are on the same quest.

It is not an end in itself, it is means to something deeper.

If you are constantly on the lookout for friends, you will never truly find them.

But, if you focus on being a friend, you will discover true friendships along the way.

Why is friendship important?

1. Wisdom Warns Against Isolation.

In Genesis 2:18 God said,

“It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Humanity is the creation of the Trinity that dwells in eternal communion within the godhead.

As image-bearers of God, we are made for communion with others.

We were made that our primary communion be with God, then that our communion with other image-bearers be reflective and representative of the fellowship within the Trinity.

In other words, our relationships are to be supplemental, and helpful, with the goal of bringing glory to the God who created us.

We cannot do that in isolation.

When we intentionally isolate ourselves, God’s Word teaches us that we pursue our own desires.

This is the opposite of what we were created to do.

We are created by God, for God.

We are God’s creatures, given to one another to aid in pursuing God’s desires.

TRANSITION: Negatively, Isolation is warned against because it is unwise, contrary to the design of God.

Positively,

2. Wisdom Commends Friendship.

Two Proverbs give us an important principle regarding friendship.

Friendship that Proverbs points us to

Is a 24/7, good times and bad, relationship of mutual love that is closer even than family ties.

Friendship is a chosen relationship.

In other words, there is something that godly friendship provides that even family cannot.

In godly friendship we find there is something that romantic love does not provide, that neighbor love does not supply, that even familial love does not always give us.

There is something about friendship that no other relationship can bring.

There is a friendship that God wants for His church, for His people, for His children.

He wants godly friendships for each of us.

I am careful to modify the term with the word “godly” because the difference is essential.

What will benefit each of us the most is that we have not just relationships with other people, and not just relationships with other church people, but that we have meaningful, growing relationships with other people who are pursuing Christ.

Here is the reason why this is so important.

Principle:

We become like those we spend time with.

Because this is true, God often warns us about the company we keep.

The first Psalm opens with this principle about who and what we allow to influence us:

The blessed man does not allow himself to be among wicked influences, but instead is influenced by His meditation on God’s Word.

The blessed man does not associate or become intimates with the enemies of God.

The reason is simple:

We become like those we are with.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

If we hang around those whose worldview is devoid of any concern of God, that eventually becomes our worldview.

One only has to look at our godless and immoral culture to see this at work.

If we hang around those who are bitter, or angry, we eventually become embittered and angry along with them.

One only has to see the constant state of protest, cancel culture, and lessening civil discourse to see this at work.

If we hang around gossips and slanderers, if we are impressed by the foul-mouths of celebrity, if we enjoy the snarky retorts and sass we see in our entertainment, eventually those sins become ours.

If we hang around people who lack integrity, who are unfaithful, who steal, who cheat, eventually our integrity lapses and we give away our integrity, one poor decision at a time.