Five pt 3 - Five Friendships

Title of message:  Five Friendships   (Proverbs 17:24 GN)  “An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.” (Psalm 40:2) “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”   (Luke 6:39-40) “He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. Five Friendships:   1.    The Friend Inside   (Ezekiel 26:36) (NLT) “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”   (James 2:23)(NLT) “And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.”   (Psalm 16:11) (NLT) “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”   2.    The Friend Ahead (2 Kings 2:6) “Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.”   Who do you respect that is a little bit ahead of you?  3.    The Friend Beside   (Acts 16:40) “After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.”   (Acts 20:2) “He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,”   (Ephesians 6:21-22) “Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.”   4.    The Friend Behind   63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes (Center for Disease Control) 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes –14 times the average.  (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26) 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (National Principals Association Report)    (1 Thessalonians 2:8) “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” 5.    The Friend Far Away   (Matthew 18:12-13) "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. (Proverbs 17:24) “A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.”