Eccl 4 “Biblical Friendship”
Intro: The Need Of True Friendship
- Prov 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of fiends; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
- We need true and redemptive friends.
- We were created in the image of a communal God.
- We screw up our attempts of friendship and community.
- What is Christian Friendship?
Vs 1-3: Who will comfort the hurting?
- Those oppressed have no one to comfort them.
- The powerful oppressors have no one to comfort them.
- vs 2-3 Solomon’s youthful response? “Better to be dead than alone, in power or pain”
Vs 4-6: Human Rivalry is Destructive
- Work is about your glory at the mercy of others instead of the Glory of God.
- Michael Eaton “Rivalry never produced companionship yet. The precise thought is not that work causes rivalry, but that it stems from rivalry.
- We look at other people and want to be better than them instead of loving them.
- Self validation is an endless pursuit.
- Vs 5 Laziness is not the answer. The lazy man uses up resources without replenishing them.
- Vs 6
Vs 7-8: The Vanity of Island Living
- The man never realizes he is working for himself and himself alone.
- A man with a family does this by thinking his family needs money more than him.
- Working with selfish ambition in a dead end street.
Vs 9-12 The Power of Biblical Friendship (Redemptive Community, Accountability)
- Two is better than one Horse Quote
- True and biblical friendship.
- A Pit? (Marriage problems, Any sin issue, Porn, Anger, Gossip, Selfishness)
A friend that lifts up?
- Tells you the truth.
- Not impressed with you.
- Points you to Jesus not your awesomeness.
- Proverbs on Friends.
- Talks to you not about you.
- Friends have thick skin.
Woe to the Island Man!
- If you have no true friends it’s probably cause your a bad friend.
- I don’t need anyone. You have no one!
- Vs 12 3 is even better than 2. The more true friends you have the better.
Vs 13-16: A Parable of A King Without Friends
- The King was a better man when he was poor an wise.
- Vs 15-16 The King was going out.
- The king is only remembered as a arrogant man who could not take advice
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- Growing Older does not always mean growing wiser.
- Godliness does not have an age.
- Are you growing more Christlike or not?
- Do you think your more important cause your age?
- Has your family given up on you “He is set in his ways?”
- 1 Tim 5:1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father.
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- Let your wife or husband be your friend.
- Get some friends who will be honest with you.
- Who is challenging you to finish well?
John 15:12-17 Jesus the true Friend
- The more you know the friendship of Jesus the better a friend you will be.
- He has loved you. YOU OF ALL PEOPLE!
- Laid down his life for your sorry life.
- Not ashamed to call you friend
- Made known what the Father says
- Chose us, Appointed us to bear fruit and abide in Him
- Answers our prayers.
- ALL SO WE WILL LOVE ONE ANOTHER
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